< PreviousOur area’s women in leadership By Jill Bordo and Doug Hughey The aviation industry experienced considerable upheaval in 2020 as air travel ground to a near halt during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the shutdown in late March and early April, traffic at Pittsburgh International Airport declined from an average of 15,000 daily departing passengers to around 350. Since then, traffic has rebounded to about half of what it normally is. Fortunately, operations there have been overseen since 2015 by Christina Cassotis. The straightforward CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority has been forging a new future for the region’s airport since the moment she accepted the position. Cassotis’ leadership style and strategy jolted airport and county officials out of an identity crisis as the region was struggling to come to grips with the departure of the US Airways hub. That same no-nonsense philosophy allowed Cassotis to focus on new initiatives and positive outcomes for the airport during COVID-19. As fewer people traveled in 2020, but more supplies were needed than ever, the airport capitalized on its size and efficient workforce to expand cargo service. Global cargo companies like Qatar Airways Cargo have started service at Pittsburgh International Airport because of available capacity and the ability to unload shipments and send them on their way in hours rather than the days it takes at larger airports in cities such as New York and Chicago. The airport also made new use of space during the pandemic by allowing acres of empty parking lots to be set up as distribution centers for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Cassotis mentioned that Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin also served as a large pet food distribution site. Likely the most significant and long-term silver lining of 2020, however, is the extra time the crisis has provided to incorporate new public health and safety measures into the airport’s Terminal Modernization Program. As a result, Cassotis believes that Pittsburgh International Airport will be the first major airport in the world to emerge from the pandemic with public health features designed in response to the pandemic. Those features, while still in design, could include the ability to more safely socially distance at checkpoints and other high-touch areas. It also includes germ-killing ultraviolet technology and a smart facility that incorporates the latest technology to alert cleaners when areas need attention. The airport already has UV autonomous robot floor scrubbers and a high-tech handwashing station as part of its Safe Travels program. It was the first airport in the nation to roll out those measures. Though the billion-dollar modernization plan was stalled last year, the design phase is now nearly complete and Cassotis is hopeful that ground will be broken in 2021. The former aviation consultant is confident that, in a six-year period, she and her team have impacted the way the world sees Pittsburgh by positioning the airport as a global logistics center in a modern and forward-thinking economy. For example, the airport is now also home to the additive manufacturing production center Neighborhood 91. Cassotis believes that the profiles of both the airport and Pittsburgh in general will only continue to rise in the future. She remarked that one of her proudest accomplishments in her current role has been cultivating the airport’s impact on the region’s ability to do what it could with the assets it had. Much like the city, Pittsburgh International Airport has reinvented itself. Though originally hesitant to consider the CEO position because of preconceived As diversity continues to be a hot topic in the American workforce, female leadership is on the rise. According to the State of Women- Owned Business Report, there has been a 114% increase in this group between 1997 and 2017. A 2019 Forbes Magazine study found that women make up 25 percent of C-level executives at the top 1,000 U.S. companies (by revenue), up 2% from the previous year. Additionally, more than half of the Forbes 50 most influential CMOs of 2018 were female. Pittsburgh is no exception to this trend. Though most recent census statistics are not yet available, the 2012 U.S. Census Bureau report showed 30,671 of a total 96,501 businesses in Allegheny County were owned by women. A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story reported that, in 2019, minority and women-owned businesses accounted for $23 million in approved contracts in Allegheny County. This feature provides a snapshot of a handful of female leaders making a difference in the airport corridor. This is not mean to be an all-inclusive list. Such a section would fill pages. Rather, this section highlights a handful of outstanding women overseeing companies and organizations varying in size and structure. How each has also responded to COVID-19 is important, as it says much about their leadership and resiliency - as well as the character of those working under them - at this challenging time. A mention of the founder of this publication is also in order. Pat Jennette started Allegheny West Magazine in 1999 as an offshoot of her marketing and public relations consulting business, Jennette Communications. The magazine was the first of its kind in the area and was well-received by the community. Jennette expanded the publication to three editions and ran it until 2014, when ownership transitioned to Jennette’s assistant editor, Doug Hughey, who is proud to carry on the work she started. A spotlight on female leaders in the airport corridor Christina Cassotis CEO, Allegheny County Airport Authority 20 • Allegheny West Magazine • January/February 2021 Rochelle Stachel’s story of success started in the basement of her home in Robinson Township, after many years of working in a professional environment and several career changes. Her career working in engineering, IT/software development and accounting provided the framework, but the confidence to start her own business was ignited while on a plane during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The experience provided an opportunity for some deep soul searching, and instilled a desire to build a legacy for her two daughters. Stachel believes her entrepreneurial spirit grew during her childhood, while watching her parents struggle to raise five daughters on her father’s military salary. She learned to work hard, improvise, use creativity and, above all else, develop independence from an early age. With no money to pay for college, she worked various part-time and full-time jobs to pay her way through and became the first person in her family to earn a college degree. A few years before her founding of HRV Conformance Verification Associates (HRV), Stachel was helping her father start a placement agency for pilots who needed to build their flight hours or wanted to work beyond the mandatory age limitations. He had made several attempts at startups throughout his life and she remembers his heightened enthusiasm for this venture. Unfortunately, he passed away before the business could gain traction. While Stachel believes her personal experiences gave her the drive to start a business, she attributes her success to several mentors - Bill Marriotti, Dick Fitzgerald, Richard Smith and Joe Beck - her employees and, most importantly, her partner, Bob Stachel. Located in Moon Township, HRV is a construction management and materials and construction inspection firm. The company proudly serves both public and private industry across the U.S. and several countries, including China, Korea and, more recently, Italy. The industries HRV serves include transportation, rail/transit, water/wastewater, commercial, oil and gas, and power. Though some might consider the company “small” compared to most of its competitors, it employs upwards of 200 people during larger public/private partnership (P3) or design-build projects. There probably isn’t a bridge in Pittsburgh that HRV hasn’t inspected at the point of fabrication or in the field. HRV even inspected the Liberty Bridge after it sustained a fire several years ago. The company has also worked on several premiere local area projects, including the Southern Beltway, and was selected with various teams to work on the Terminal Modernization Project at Pittsburgh International Airport. Previously, Rochelle’s professional career involved managing multi-million-dollar software development and business process outsourcing projects for Deloitte Consulting. She also developed transactional software and conducted technical training and demonstration sessions for Mellon Bank. During her time with Union Electric Steel corporation, she performed engineering and process analyses for monitoring. Prior to that position, she performed financial and cost accounting for the chemical company W.R. Grace. Stachel has been named a Smart Business Pacesetter for outstanding business innovation and community leadership. She was also awarded the Pittsburgh Business Times’ Business Women First Award, which honors top women executives in Pittsburgh. Ernst & Young awarded her its Entrepreneur of the Year® award for the construction industry in the western Pennsylvania/West Virginia region. The honor recognizes Rochelle’s innovation and new-market expansion. In addition to the previous honors mentioned, Pittsburgh Business Times also awarded Rochelle its Diamond Award, which honors Pittsburgh’s top leaders in emerging and established companies, and has named HRV among Pittsburgh’s Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies several times. Though her professional accomplishments are well recognized, Rochelle’s passion for and contributions to the community have established her reputation as a serving leader. Recently, she was named to Robert Morris University’s Board of Trustees. She also serves as an active member of the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce, for which she serves as Executive Committee/Military Liaison, co-chair for the Military Relations Committee, and is a member of the Honorary Commanders. As Chair of Southwestern PA ESGR (Employer Support for the Guard and Reserves), Rochelle promotes veterans’ employment, provides mediation, and helps to educate employers on the laws and regulations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. When asked about how she sees the state of women in leadership positions, she says, “There’s more women running Fortune 500 companies today than any other time in history. You see the push to increase diversity on corporate boards and nonprofit boards, but there is still a great deal we as women can do to help build on the trend.” She says she’s also encouraged by the high percentages of female entrepreneurs. “Opportunities for women are moving in the right direction, and women are aggressively seeking those leadership positions. Entrepreneurship is a great way to fast-track into a leadership role,” she says. Rochelle also says she’d like to see more women pursuing engineering and other technical careers. Rochelle Stachel CEO and Founder, HRV Consulting impressions of Pittsburgh, Cassotis said she “quickly became more aware of the attributes of the area” and of how engaged those involved with the airport were in creating a new future for it. “I was recruited and I’m glad I was,” Cassotis said in her matter- of-fact way. When asked about being a female in such a visible leadership role, Cassotis pointed out that, nationally, there are roughly 20 female CEOs in the airport industry. That’s an unusually high number when compared to other industries. “There is a tremendous responsibility for all of us who have gotten into a position where we can affect the perception of diverse leadership,” said Cassotis. January/February 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 21 Pittsburgh Technical College has experienced significant change over the past few years, and the recently hired president and CEO of the college is excited to be leading during this period of transformation. Alicia Harvey-Smith, Ph.D. became the fourth president of PTC in July of 2019. She brings with her nearly 30 years of academic leadership. Most recently, she was the executive vice chancellor of a 99,000-student college in Houston, one of the largest school systems in the country. Over the past three years, PTC has modified its name from the previous Pittsburgh Technical Institute, switched its status from for-profit to nonprofit, achieved Middle States accreditation status and implemented a more ambitious strategic plan. The nonprofit designation allows PTC to receive grants that contribute to expanded offerings for students, said Harvey- Smith, adding that the status is also more beneficial to local communities. Harvey-Smith is grateful for the rare opportunity to rebuild and re-establish PTC in the minds of airport area community members. Though she believes in the description of the college as “the best kept secret” in the area, her intention is to advance the profile of the institution as a household name. One of Harvey-Smith’s main goals is to position PTC locally and regionally as a pipeline for middle skills jobs, thousands of which go unfilled each year. Harvey-Smith touts the consistently high 95 percent in-field placement rate for degree-seeking students who participate in onsite internships, clinical rotations, or employer partnerships in the quarter before they graduate. PTC offers nine academic schools, including a school of the trades, and awards certificates and both associate and bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 programs. Though the school has provided online learning for years, Harvey-Smith believes PTC was one of the first colleges in the country to go remote early in 2020. The CEO reported that PTC had a COVID task force in place within the first two weeks of January and was prepared for 100 percent remote learning by the time of the national shutdown. Following a comprehensive plan, students phased back to in-person classes with roughly 500 students on campus by July. Harvey-Smith speaks not only of advancing the airport corridor through PTC talent, but of “regrowing the Commonwealth.” “Not only through thoughtful leadership, but through the applied and technical training needed in multiple STEM and trade related fields, PTC is being positioned as a go-to institution for jobs of the future,” she stated. Originally from the Baltimore area, Harvey-Smith was excited to come to this region of the country and has been “pleased with how supportive and welcoming the people of Pittsburgh have been.” The PTC leader was educated predominantly at Maryland schools, including Morgan State University, The Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland - College Park. She also received training for the college presidency from the Harvard University School of Education. She is a graduate of Western High School, which was founded in 1844, and is the oldest public all-girls college preparatory school remaining in the U.S. Harvey-Smith believes that potential challenges for women in leadership roles, particularly African American women, are being underestimated and misunderstood as emotional or angry when conveying a message with passion. Women in executive roles are often the only, or among a few, women at the table for high profile meetings and decisions, stated Harvey-Smith. She added that such women should use every opportunity to be authentic rather than conformist, and should be proud of the fact that women excel at soft skills such as empathy and effective communication. Alicia Harvey-Smith, Ph.D President, Pittsburgh Technical College According to Angela Garcia, executive director of the Greentree nonprofit Global Links, the word “waste” is a five-letter word that is not used or spoken of at the nonprofit company. Nor is it printed in any of its communications. “We don’t use the word waste because everything we do is geared at preventing it,” says Garcia. The 18-employee nonprofit was founded in 1989 and maintains a long list of humanitarian projects, including disaster recovery. However, Global Links’ primary agenda has two fairly simple goals: 1) annually preventing 300 tons of local surplus medical equipment from going unused and causing environmental damage in a landfill, and 2) redirecting this surplus equipment for use to areas of the region and world with less resources. Garcia took the baton from the Global Links director and co-founder Kathleen Hower two-and-a-half years ago. She started working alongside Hoover in 2000. Global Links is a local organization that was founded by Hower and two other women from Pittsburgh. Garcia says the organization got its start after those women witnessed the worldwide disparity in quality healthcare and came to the realization that no one was addressing medical surplus in clinical settings. Garcia herself was no stranger to the global disparity in healthcare. Prior to joining Global Links, she worked in senior care in Belgium, Mexico, and the U.S. She was distressed by the reality of low-income seniors who could not afford basic medical and hygiene supplies. When anyone is deprived of incontinence items or mobility aids, said Garcia, that person’s quality of life declines to the point of isolation because embarrassment and fear keep them from leaving the home. Numerous U.S. residents also often go without healthcare items, says Garcia, because personal care supplies such as shampoo, toothpaste, and incontinence supplies are not covered by insurance or government assistance programs. Through two main programs, Global Links helps redirect a portion of the staggering amount of clinical surplus generated in this country. Before COVID-19, 3,000 to 4,000 people volunteered every week sorting and Angela Garcia CEO, Global Links 22 • Allegheny West Magazine • January/February 2021packaging supplies donated to the “Blue Bag program” by regional hospitals and healthcare facilities. A second program recovers larger unneeded medical items such as stretchers, exam tables, and IV poles, as well as commercial office furniture from companies that are downsizing. Office chairs and lunchroom tables can be put to use in a developing country’s hospital waiting areas, nursing stations or cafeterias, said Garcia. Garcia is particularly proud of the local impact Global Links had during this year’s pandemic. In a normal year, the organization redirects unused medical items to roughly 30 recipient organizations in southwestern Pennsylvania. That figure increased to 400 between March and December. An “amazing model of collaboration” stated Garcia, expanded the manufacturing and distribution of masks, face shields, gloves and other personal protective equipment to safety net organizations and nonprofits. “COVID gave us the opportunity to respond to a disaster here,” said Garcia. Figures indicate that in six western Pennsylvania counties, Global Links impacted 402 agencies, 600 childcare centers and 152 schools by providing $2.3 million in total protective supplies. Garcia has been named a Cribs for Kids Woman of Achievement and a “40 under 40” winner by PUMP and Pittsburgh Magazine. Recently, she accepted the Green Building Alliance’s Emerald Award for Global Links in recognition of the organization’s direct relief to local communities. When asked if there are challenges to being a female in a leadership role, Garcia replies, “I can’t even answer that…I hate gender stereotyping! When you put people first and value individual talents, gender shouldn’t matter at all.” Michelle Kreutzer Executive Director, Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce PHOTO BY CLARE ASCANI PHOTOGRAPHY Michelle Kreutzer came to the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce after working for a publishing company that served both that chamber and others with print products. Several sales positions preceded that job, as well as a resume writing business venture that Kreutzer launched right after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2000, Kreutzer took a job as the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce’s membership director and, in 2017, she was promoted to her current role as the chamber’s executive director. During her tenure, the chamber’s membership has swelled to 900 strong. Kreutzer has received a number of awards for her work with the chamber, including several sales awards. In 2017, the American Association of Chamber Executives awarded her its Lifetime Achievement Award. Her greatest achievement, though, may very well have been keeping the organization together following the sudden death in 2012 of Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce president Sally Haas. “Having to notify the staff and board of her passing was probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do,” says Kreutzer. “While dealing with the terrible loss of a mentor and good friend, I still had to make sure the chamber continued to serve the needs of our members. In addition, it was important that I instilled the confidence in our staff that things would be okay.” In recent months, Kreutzer and current chamber president Chris Heck have been navigating the chamber through an entirely different crisis. As the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy, chambers of commerce have been hard hit on two fronts. Not only do they generate much of their revenue from in-person networking events, but large portions of their memberships also tend to be comprised of small businesses ravaged by the pandemic. Despite the challenge, Kreutzer says the Pittsburgh Airport Area of Chamber of Commerce’s membership has remained strong and that it’s been able to continue to offer relevant services to members. “I think this comes back to leadership and gaining the confidence of your members and staff,” she says. “It is important for them to know that we will get through this.” Once the pandemic is over, Kreutzer believes that chambers will be even more important to companies as they seek to find new ways to communicate and connect. Kreutzer also thinks the economy will likely see a rise in new small businesses as a result of COVID-19. “As a result of the pandemic, I also think we are going to see more businesses downsizing or simply going out of business, which I believe will result in many people deciding to start their own businesses,” she says. “That being said, the chamber needs to be aware of this changing business climate and be sure we are providing the necessary education, resources and support for these budding entrepreneurs to ensure their success.” Asked how she sees the roles of women changing in business and leadership, she cites several individuals profiled alongside her on this list. She also points out that the area now has two female legislators - state Rep. Anita Kulik and state Rep. Valerie Gaydos - and that the country will soon have its first female vice president. “I think these are exciting times for women,” she says. Kretuzer says that, during her tenure with the chamber, she’s also seen many more female entrepreneurs starting businesses. “Personally, I feel it is important that myself and the chamber mentor these aspiring young women and help elevate them into key leadership roles within the community and the chamber,” she says. “These young people are the future of our communities.” January/February 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 23 It takes a special kind of person to be an educator, and an exceptional educator to make a difference in the lives of children with special needs. For Bon Meade Elementary School principal Ashley Beeson, who has been working to establish a therapeutic emotional support program at the school, special education is a passion. To that end, she’s been working over these past five years to bolster supports at the elementary level for students with special needs. “Those who know me well know I have a true passion for the area of special education,” says Beeson. “I’m a firm believer that all students are capable and entitled to a quality education. Sometimes, students just need a different approach.” Beeson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Clarion University, where she studied early childhood education and special education with an emphasis on literacy. She also earned her master’s in education in curriculum and instruction with a certification in educational leadership from Gannon University. Beeson first came to Moon Area in 2013 to intern under then-high school principal Barry Balaski, who is now the district’s superintendent. Beeson was hired that same year as the high school assistant principal and then later took over the reins at Bon Meade. There, Beeson set about establishing a program to support special education and has been collaborating with Wesley Family Services on a therapeutic treatment team. “Our program has been designed to not only help our students flourish, but it’s been designed to be a support system for our families,” she says. “We utilize a child and adolescent psychiatrist monthly and, daily, a mental health and behavioral therapist for our students.” The program was featured at the Center for School Mental Health Annual Conference 2019 and during Pittsburgh mental health conferences with local agencies and psychiatrists. “It truly takes a village,” she says, “and we couldn’t provide the program we do without the educators and paraprofessionals who support our students daily.” Beeson oversees a school of 580 students in grades K through 4 along with 69 staff members. At the beginning of this school year, she and the rest of Bon Meade’s staff prepared students for distance learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by rolling out iPads. That allowed Moon Area to start the year with remote learning in place and to continue learning remotely so long as area COVID-19 cases continued to exceed what the district considers safe. Students have been learning from home by using a combination of educational applications and Microsoft Teams, which allows them to work with their teachers and students. Beeson says she’s encouraged by the growing awareness around placing women in leadership roles. She’s also encouraged by the push to engage girls in STEM education and careers. She says one of the biggest challenges she faces now herself doesn’t have anything to do with gender bias but rather balancing her personal and family life. It’s a challenge that many families, and not just women, face in today’s workforce. “It’s imperative I further expand upon my education and expertise, so I can be the best resource, mentor, and coach for my staff,” she says. “There are days I could work 24/7 and keep going. I’ve learned these past eight years, though, that it’s about prioritizing and knowing when it’s time to stop.” Moon Area is a district that has continued to grow during the years that Beeson has been there and she attributes that to Moon Area’s reputation. Not only do the district’s test scores stack up well in the Pittsburgh area, but Beeson points out that Moon Area offers a diverse set of programs designed to prepare students for their post-secondary education and careers. Ashley Beeson Principal, Bon Meade Elementary School Deb Gray worked for Sears for 33 years before retiring from the company in 2005. At the time, she was overseeing construction and remodeling work at various stores around the country. In 2007, she went to work for herself when she purchased an Express Employment staffing franchise. She now operates two area offices - one in Robinson Township and a second in Monaca - and has 11 employees. Over the years, she’s grown from assisting about 12 businesses per year to approximately 60. About 160 associates in the airport corridor receive paychecks each week thanks to positions they were placed in by Gray’s offices. Many of those associates will transition to full-time positions in a range of sectors and settings, from blue collar to white collar jobs. This past year has been a real rollercoaster for the job market, which started strong and then plummeted mid-2020 due to COVID-19. Gray says her office has since returned to pre-pandemic levels, but that it has come with its own set of challenges. She says many workers are under- employed and that many others have needed to reinvent themselves. She characterizes this time as one in which people are increasingly having to “learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” At the same time, she sees it as vital that companies work with employees to manage the difficulties they’re facing. Among the biggest challenges she sees facing families in general, and not just women, is the lack of government-subsidized childcare in the U.S. “I think that we’ve accepted that change is needed to support families, but we haven’t fully put the solutions into place to support all levels of the workforce,” she says. A big part of Gray’s approach involves outreach. She requires each of her staff members to participate in local organizations and Gray herself currently serves on a number of area boards. She is the Deb Gray Owner, Express Employment Professionals Pittsburgh West PHOTO BY STUDIO TEN PHOTOGRAPHY 24 • Allegheny West Magazine • January/February 2021Jodi Murn Owner, Renaissance Home Care Twenty years ago, Jodi Murn’s mother suffered an illness that landed her in the hospital for an extended stay. Were it not for a nurse who urged the family to move Murn’s mother to a larger facility with more resources, Murn believes her mother would not be alive today “I’ve never forgotten that nurse,” says Murn. “She perfectly fulfilled a nurse’s primary role of advocating for patients.” It was a revelation that came to Murn later on as she was attending nursing school herself. That experience and that nurse, in fact, were what led her to want to pursue a career in the profession. Today, Murn operates Renaissance Home Care in Imperial. Prior to operating the business, she worked as an RN in intensive care, pulmonary, and telemetry units. She later became a home care nurse because the more flexible schedule allowed her to accommodate her kids’ activities. Through the experience, Murn realized that she was able to give her patients undivided attention in a home setting. There were no interruptions that came with floor nursing and patients were more relaxed and willing to give details about their health history and medications. Murn worked for Renaissance Home Care before purchasing it in 2016, first by caring for patients and then later becoming the company’s director. An Oakdale native and now a resident of McDonald in West Allegheny School District, she relocated the company from Mt. Lebanon to Imperial to contribute to the local economy. Renaissance Home Care employs over 30 full-time, part-time and casual workers in skilled nursing and physical, occupational, and speech therapy. The company also employs home health aides and administrative positions. As the airport area lacked the number of home care agencies present in the South Hills, Renaissance quickly expanded in its new home, tripling its growth in less than five years. Murn has hired many local residents and found a niche by staffing harder-to- serve rural areas of both western Allegheny and eastern Washington counties. She stressed that there is a greater need for home health care each year as the nation’s population ages. The 2020 pandemic magnified the importance of caring for the frail and elderly in the safety of their homes. She says it’s a task welcomed by the Renaissance staff. “Safety is always our top priority and we make every effort to prevent hospitalizations and rehospitalizations,” said Murn, adding that “the trust that our patients have in our ability to keep them safe and provide them services is one of my proudest accomplishments.” Murn attributes the low turnover rate at Renaissance - a huge accomplishment in the industry - partly to her effort to foster an environment where employees feel empowered to provide suggestions that will improve the company. She mentions receiving the Cameo of Caring award for her department when she was a floor nurse, stating that the qualities that earned her that recognition helped shape her philosophy as a future employer and business owner. While more males are entering the nursing field each decade, Murn says the profession is largely populated by females, many of whom hold influential and managerial roles. Women have historically been seen as caregivers and nursing both expands and challenges that role, she says. “I am proud to work in an industry that values the contributions women make at all levels of the healthcare process,” remarked Murn, adding “year after year nurses are voted the most trusted professionals in this country.” treasurer of the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce and hosts regular educational sessions for members. She also sits on boards for Penn State Business, Management and Technology; Pittsburgh Technical College; the Beaver County Career and Technology Center Business Program; and Germaine Harbor. In 2016, she was awarded the Helping Hands Award from the Express Corporate office and the year after she received the Distinguished Service Award from the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, the chamber also awarded her its Sally Award. As well, Gray says her office has become known in the larger Express company for their willingness to try new things and innovate as they work to place the right people in the right jobs. “I believe we will continue - at a higher more customized level to help job seekers and businesses find the right matches,” she says. “I believe we can provide resources to help identify skills and competencies on both sides that will result in a happier and more productive workplace for all.” When asked about the challenges women face in the workplace today, Gray says she and her staff have seen comparatively many more opportunities for equality. She says she’s found that even blue-collar industrial shops have been open and accepting of female candidates. Gray says that attitude was much what she always experienced throughout her career. “As an individual, this was never really difficult for me, even working within the construction industry,” she says. “I always probed and asked questions to learn and meet people where they are.” January/February 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 25 For over 30 years, Sandy Hershberger has been making sure that hungry people in the Moon Area community get fed. As director of the West Hills Food Pantry, her responsibilities include managing the pantry’s operations and coordinating weekly distributions at Sharon Presbyterian Church. She also oversees donations, food purchases and the numerous volunteers who donate their time at the pantry each week. Most impressively, though, she does it all for free. “I’m a volunteer just like everyone else here,” she says. Not one for the spotlight, Hershberger would rather focus on all of those volunteers and the work of the pantry than herself. “I never thought of myself as a leader,” she says. “Everyone works so well together. You just need someone who oversees everything.” As COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the economy and left many seeking out food banks for the first time, the work of the West Hills Food Pantry has never been more important. By late last year, the number of families and individuals relying on it had swelled to 275. Hershberger says the pantry has waived all eligibility requirements and is now seeing an influx of people from other areas where pantries are overwhelmed. Luckily, the West Hills Food Pantry, which operates under the West Hills Ministerial Association, has also seen a rise in donations, which has helped to meet that surging demand. “The community has always been generous but, through this pandemic, the community has gone well beyond,” she says. “And it’s not always people in a position to give. It’s people who want to give, and people continue to give and give.” The pantry also benefits from a large number of volunteers. Each week, about 30 people help out at the distributions, which have moved outside during COVID-19. Recipients now pull up in their cars and volunteers assist with the work of loading all those donations into peoples’ trunks. The help Hershberger has today is a far cry from where things started in 1988, when it was just her and a couple of volunteers unloading deliveries. Back then, the pantry was only serving about 11 families. Over time, the pantry expanded to be able to serve more people, thanks in large part to a partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank that Hershberger established. Now, the pantry purchases 90% of its food from the food bank. Though Hershberger doesn’t get paid, she says there’s plenty that’s rewarding about her job. “You’re making a difference in peoples’ lives,” she says. “It’s so heartwarming to see the support of the community and that people really care about these families.” Sandy Hershberger Director, West Hills Food Pantry Michele Conti of Moon Township launched Conti Law five years ago with the goal of establishing a law office in the suburbs that could provide convenient, professional legal assistance to clients outside of the city. Her firm, which is also located in Moon Township, has since grown to four employees and is looking to expand in 2021. Conti Law specializes in estate planning and estate administration. The firm also focuses on legacy, tax savings, and special needs planning, along with guardianship. Much of the firm’s work involves settling estates, which is a complicated process that can potentially be both costly and contentious. Helping families prepare for and navigate the process so that everyone reaches the best possible outcome is the firm’s goal. Conti earned her law degree from the Duquesne University School of Law and her LL.M. in taxation from Villanova University. She also holds degrees from Allegheny College and Oxford University. She says that she has always enjoyed debating and speaking, which was what initially led to her pursing a career as an attorney. While in law school, Conti says she struggled in her first taxation course. After working hard and doing well, however, she decided to make the field a focus. “I wasn’t sure if it was because of me or the professor,” she says. “So, thanks to her I pursued an advanced degree in tax and the rest is history.” After law school, Conti began working toward a career as a corporate tax attorney. While practicing with a large law firm, however, she found working with families to be a much more rewarding experience. That was what ultimately led to her launching her own firm. “I realized I enjoyed the personal aspect of meeting people and guiding them through planning and, ultimately upon their passing, helping their families through the difficult balance of grief and the law,” she says. Part of Conti’s work also involves helping clients draft wills and living wills. The former helps avoid many of the added costs, time and contentiousness that can sometimes arise while settling an estate. It also ensures the deceased’s wishes are fulfilled. A living will, on the other hand, spells out an individual’s wishes should they become incapacitated. While always important, living wills have become even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, Conti says. “COVID, as unexpected as it was, has helped make clients aware of the need to prepare and have their wishes formally spelled out,” says Conti. “It emphasizes the importance of what I’ve told clients for years: I’d rather you have the documents in place and not need them rather than need them and not have them.” Conti says the legal profession, which was once dominated by men, has seen many more females in leadership positions in recent years. She sees that as a trend that’s not isolated to the legal profession, however. “Progression is slow but consistent,” she says. “Women are no longer questioned for seeking experiences outside of the home. It is more so accepted that we can seamlessly Michele Conti Owner, Conti Law 26 • Allegheny West Magazine • January/February 2021Quality . Assured. Leading experts in materials quality assurance and quality control inspection, coatings inspection, construction management and construction inspection focused on delivering cost-effective services. We are Quality. Assured. HRV Conformance Verification Associates, Inc. 420 Rouser Road, Suite 400, Moon Township, Pennsylvania 15108 412.299.2000 www.hrvinc.com Career Opportunities Available Equal Opportunity Employer: disability/veteran WBE/DBE Enterprise Coatings Inspection Quality Assurance/Quality Control Inspection Construction Management/Construction Inspection Non-Destructive Testing/Evaluation Engineering Consulting & Technical Training manage our careers, and acquire head positions, while continuing to raise families, too.” Perhaps one of the greatest rewards Conti has found from running her own firm - other than the satisfaction of working for herself - is receiving letters of thanks from those she has helped. “I keep each and every word of thanks written to me from clients and their families, to local companies and court staff,” she says. “My achievement is being real and working personally with my clients rather than dictating from above.” In that respect, Conti sees her work as much more than just a job. “I believe I have humanized the idea of what an attorney is for the everyday citizen needing help,” she says. “I’ve shown them it’s not just a paycheck but the satisfaction of actually helping in their greatest time of need.” January/February 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 27Remember When? Remember When? N As a child growing up in Findlay Township, Joe Niederriter recalls hearing the cows mooing and the ring-necked pheasants crowing at what was once the old Montour Farm on McClaren Road. Niederriter fondly remembers the beautiful rose bushes that graced the property’s fence along the road. Those fences formed the farm boundaries, which encompassed a large swath of property where the remains of two old barns stood until their demolition last year. The farm was a beacon in the middle of Imperial when it brimmed with life at its height in the 1960s and 1970s. Marty Langston, another area resident, believes that the barns were built before the Civil War. He added that they belonged to his great, great grandparents. Earlier this year, McClaren Road Findlay LLC, an affiliate of SunCap Property Group, purchased the 115-acre property for $5.81 million. The barns were razed and property conversion is well underway for a new industrial development. The property will be the site of a second Amazon distribution center in the township and a possible office center. Findlay Township resident Ernie Leopold, who sits on the township’s planning commission, says he was sad to see the barns go. “I’ve been a proponent of preserving the barns for years,” he says. “The developer was asked what would become of the barns, and indicated they weren’t sure at that time.” Findlay Township currently has over 520 acres of privately owned land identified as Agriculture Security Areas, according to a link on their website to the page, www.alleghenyfarmland.com. The abandoned Montour Farm property, unfortunately, was unable to be preserved as part of that effort. Cheryl Rinehart, secretary-treasurer for Findlay Township, said that one barn still had the milking stalls and equipment, and the other had machinery in it. The photos here were taken by Findlay Township’s building inspector, Russ Collins, shortly before the barns were dismantled. “My cousin and uncle both worked there,” Rinehart reflects. John Scott Jr., whose family has owned the historic Scott Farm in North Fayette Township over multiple generations, says his family took a crew of Amish men who had worked on their own structures to look at the barns before they were demolished. Their intent was to possibly move one of the barns onto the Scott Farm in order to preserve it. “Unfortunately, the condition of them was such that they would not survive a move intact or dismantling and reassembly. These were some of the nicest barns around. It’s sad to see them go, but unfortunately, they were too far in disrepair to relocate,” he says. Local information about the farm and its structures is limited. The Western Allegheny Community Historical Society doesn’t have any records, nor does Findlay Township. Online research reveals very little. However, one older resident, Herb Swaoger, lived and worked on the farm. He reminisced about the times when the farm was a prominent place in the township. Immediately after graduating from West Allegheny in the 1960s, Swaoger went to work at the Montour Farm. He joined his father, Joe, and brother, Frank, both of whom worked there as well. He recalls that the farm encompassed several barns, horse stalls, crops and orchards. He remembers there being a row of sheds, a bunkhouse, and a shop building that served as a garage and place to store equipment. He says that the farm was managed by Joe Boyle, who lived in the farmhouse. Mary McCune, who owned the farm, lived on their other property in a mansion on Coraopolis Heights Road in Moon Township with her brother, Charles McCune. According to information published on geneaology.com from “Biographical Review Volume XXIV: Containing Life Sketches of Leading Citizens of Pittsburgh and the Vicinity Pa,” their mother, Janet Walker Lockhart, was the daughter of Pennsylvania oil baron Charles Lockhart. Charles not only served as president of Standard Oil and the Pittsburgh Bank of Commerce, but also owned Lockhart Steel. Swaoger says he believes the family owned Potter and McCune Wholesale Merchandise as well. Today, their Moon Township home and its surrounding grounds are home to Montour Heights Country Club. The McCunes played a prominent role in the airport region. According to history found on the Montour Heights Country Club website, Janet Montour Farm Razed barns spur memories of a vibrant Findlay farm and its Moon connections STORY BY PAT JENNETTE These photos and the one on the following page were taken of barns at Montour Farm shortly before dismantling. PHOTOS BY RUSS COLLINS 28 • Allegheny West Magazine • January/February 2021Remember When? Remember When? N and her husband, John Robinson McCune III, first purchased the property on Coraopolis Heights Road in 1909. They named the home High Skeog, after the Lockhart family farm in Scotland. In 1938, the 25-room house was destroyed by a fire and Charles constructed a three-story brick house on the same site. In 1960, Charles and Mary moved into the home. While Mary oversaw the affairs of Montour Farm, her brother was a prominent figure in the region’s banking industry. Charles served as director of the Union National Bank of Pittsburgh for 56 years, according to information found on the McCune Foundation website. He also served as the foundation’s president from 1945 until 1972, and then as chairman until his death. Charles and Mary McCune were generous in every way, and Herb Swaoger was quick to note that those who worked and lived on the farm were most appreciative of their generosity. During his life, Charles gave generously to charitable organizations, mostly in the Pittsburgh area, while seeking no public recognition of his philanthropy. He established the McCune Foundation in memory of his parents, Janet Lockhart McCune and John Robinson McCune III. “Mary McCune would make sure we were always fed, and she gave away many of the products that were either made at the farm or from other sources,” Swaoger remembers. He especially recalls how Joe Boyle’s wife cooked meals each day to feed all the farm workers before they would go home for the day. Swaoger and his family lived in a small house in Enlow. The property was part of what would soon encompass the Montour Farm when, he believes, the Marshall and Marcon Farms were purchased and added onto the farm property. The combined property sat adjacent to the former Enlow Racetrack and Fairgrounds, a popular place where horse racing had its heyday. The racetrack needed cared for, so Swaoger and the farm hands would maintain it. When winter came, they cut down trees and hay fields and kept the grounds clean. “My dad and brother were paid $150 a month plus their stay in the house, and I was paid two dollars and fifty cents a day, minus taxes. It wasn’t much, but I was able to soon buy a car with it,” he notes. Swaoger recalls that his duties were varied. “We did everything,” he says. “We hand milked dairy cows every evening. We cleaned up the hog barn, cooked the hog feed and put it into the tubs. We would cut the grass or churn milk to make butter with cream from the milk. Mrs. McCune would give each of us one- pound blocks plus extra meat.” Cleaning the stalls for the cows and two retired racehorses was also part of a typical day. Swaoger recalls their names were Flash Draw and Silver May. Both were mares. “Flash Draw was blind,” he says. “Those two would spend their days in the pasture.” He says Clark McCoy had the best job, though. “He was the horse trainer,” says Swaoger, “and he was getting paid a thousand dollars a month.” Besides the two retired mares, the McCunes raised racehorses in a separate barn on the property. Mary McCune also raised Irish sprinter show dogs, and Swaoger says he took care of them, too. When spring arrived, the farmhands got the fields and orchards ready for planting and tended to the extensive rose bushes that grew along the wide picket fence that bordered the farm property along McClaren Road. “She was very proud of those roses, and we would spend hours pruning them and carefully winding them in and out of the fence so they would grow to her liking,” he says. The roses are what many area residents still remember about the old Montour Farm. They were admired by anyone traveling up and down McClaren Road. Mary McCune succumbed to cancer at the age of 58 in 1961 . Charles McCune passed away in 1979. Soon after, the horses, cattle and other portions of what was once the farm were sold off. Joe Boyle and his family continued to live in the house. Eventually, his family and others who lived there moved on, and the property was left dormant. Now 78, Swaoger reflects on his life at the farm. “It was a good place to live and work,” he recalls. He now lives in Hookstown, and still owns horses. As a piece of local history goes by the wayside, these stories remind us of an era when more farms like these were vibrant parts of the airport area. This painting depicts Charles McCune. PHOTO COURTESY MCCUNE FOUNDATION January/February 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 29 January/February 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 29Next >