NORTHERN TIER REGIONAL PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

"YPTC was a godsend"

With only 177,000 residents spread across 4,000 square miles in five rural counties of Pennsylvania adjoining the New York State border, unemployment rates in the Northern Tier have historically been higher than in many other Pennsylvania regions. Since 1970, the Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission has been providing resources to help Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming Counties to succeed with economic and workforce development. Commission staff provide resources to help businesses, entrepreneurs, local governments, nonprofits, and job seekers meet their challenges. The Commission’s programs include business financing, export counseling, government contract assistance, internet and technology assistance, grant writing, transportation planning, and workforce development.

Finance Director Amy Benjamin describes how she “inherited” YPTC when she was hired 13 years ago, some three months after YPTC had begun providing services virtually for the Commission. “The previous finance director had left, some folks were just trying to keep things afloat, and the finance department was in complete disarray. Going through the numbers and the processes was a complete rat’s nest,” she recalls. “YPTC was a godsend, helping us to get everything organized.”

Given the Commission’s remote location, they became one of YPTC’s first clients to be served virtually and a model for YPTC’s transition to working remotely with hundreds of clients nationwide when the pandemic necessitated remote work in 2020. “We were a front-runner for YPTC’s whole remote piece,” Benjamin says. “Pre-COVID, we proved that the model could work and be effective for other clients.”

Associate Elizabeth Williams still makes the long drive from Philadelphia once a year for a personal visit, but everything else is still being done virtually. “We’ve had a great relationship for 13 years. There’s been a huge benefit in having them help us. Elizabeth has been transformative in getting everything organized and our processes streamlined. I can’t say enough good things about YPTC.”

30-YEAR CONGRATULATIONS: “I can’t wait to see where YPTC goes from here!”

“Congrats on 30 years! I can’t wait to see where YPTC goes from here as evidenced by their ever-increasing footprint and continuing to be a great resource for the nonprofit world.”

— Amy Benjamin, Finance Director

Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission

Towanda, Penna.