Tyrone, Blair County has a population of just over 5,000 people.

And as of last year, you could add Anthony Snare to that list.

“I just fell in love with it. It’s beautiful,” said Snare.

However, making the move to Tyrone was never in his future plans.

“On the surface, a guy from Columbus, Ohio always living in the city it’s just something that you dismiss naturally,” he says of the idea of moving to a smaller town like Tyrone.

It wasn’t until local entrepreneur and  Elevation Management Group (EMG Brands) CEO John Russell approached Snare be the Managing Director at Test All, which is a business that provides professional indoor air testing.

Snare spent some time in the area, and now calls Tyrone home.

“Its was a no brainer for me after that,” said Snare,”And I don’t see myself leaving here. I always see myself having some footprint here, if not permanently.”

Russell wants to see more people moving to his hometown of Tyrone.

He plans to hire more people to help with his six growing businesses.

“Across the board in Tyrone I think within a year we’ll go from that 33 mark to about 125,” said Russell about future employees.

Right now, Russell is buying buildings downtown and turning them into beautiful spaces to work.

And his biggest sell to get people to live and work in Tyrone? He says central pa has a lot to offer.

“In the summer we have Lake Raystown, we have lots of hiking and outdoor activities, in the winter time we have two ski resorts here, Penn State’s 25 minutes away,” Russell explained.

Tyrone’s central location also allows Russell to recruit locally.

“We have employees from Dubois, Clearfield, Centre Hall, State College, Altoona,

Huntingdon,” said Russell. “We wouldn’t be able to have employees from all those different areas if we were located in State College or Altoona.”

His businesses and vision for Tyrone is exactly what Altoona Blair County Development Corporation President and CEO Steven McKnight says can turn the local economy around.

“You’re adding so much impact, economic impact every time. It’s not just a business, but now you’re bringing the people in that are going to spend money in the area, set up roots in the area, and hopefully stay for a lifetime,” McKnight said.

And other local downtown businesses like Original Italian Pizza are already seeing an impact.

“Not just more business, more business on a regular basis. I mean, many of his employees like I said I’m learning them by name. It’s nice to make friends and be busy all the time,” said Wayne Kapsick of Original Italian Pizza located around the corner from EMG Brands headquarters.

It’s a win – win, for businesses in Tyrone and our new neighbors, like Snare.

“It’s been a great transition, and one that I welcome. it’s beautiful here. Ohio was very flat,” laughed Snare.

If you are interested in applying for a job, you can e-mail your resume to jobs@emgbrands.com