Entrepreneur coach leaving Somerset County

Somerset County is in need of a new coach.

Current Start-Up Alleghenies entrepreneur coach Joseph Fetzer is leaving his post at the end of the year after 11 months in the office.

“I had a great time supporting the Start-Up Alleghenies program in Somerset County,” he said. “We definitely have a lively group of entrepreneurs. We are definitely sitting on a bright horizon.”

Fetzer accepted a senior analysis position at Development Dimensions International, a Pittsburgh-based firm, as a senior assessor. He also was accepted into a PhD program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

“I will still be available if anyone would want to reach out to me,” he said. “It is time for me to move on.”

Fetzer replaced Dan Parisi, the original Start-Up Alleghenies coach who left in 2018 to work as the vice president of sales for a company he helped through the program.

Between the two coaches was Scott Stuttard, of Altoona, who was separated from employment three days after a January commissioners meeting approving his hiring.

Fetzer said that there has been an uptick in entrepreneurial activity in Somerset and throughout the Southern Alleghenies region.

“I would predict that trend would continue,” he said.

Fetzer said that he also believes that Somerset is going to see increased business activity in the Uptown area and throughout the county in 2020.

“Watching entrepreneurs grow, watching them take on these business ventures — to sit back and see them do that — it is very fulfilling,” he said. Currently there are 108 entrepreneurs registered in Somerset County and 23 were actively working with Fetzer.

“Unfortunately, Joe will be leaving his position as an entrepreneur coach for Startup Alleghenies in Somerset at the end of this year,” said Ben Mazur, marketing specialist, Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, Southern Alleghenies Partnership for Regional and Economic Development. “During his tenure, he earned a reputation with our entrepreneurs as a valued mentor, ready to help and connect our entrepreneurs to the many resources available from our partners across all six counties we serve,”

Fetzer said the decision to leave was difficult.

“This is a stepping stone for me,” he said. “Having to move on and not be able to continue to work in the capacity as a Start-Up Alleghenies Coach was a hard decision to make. I am moving up but I still 100% support the efforts of the program in supporting the business development in our six-county region. At the end of the day it is all about building up a climate that supports people in the region and that’s what Start-Up Alleghenies does.”

Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes said Fetzer will be missed.

“Joe has provided important support and outreach to local entrepreneurs during his tenure as our coach,” she said. “His background in personal coaching and development brought a unique perspective to the position and was an asset to the offerings of the entrepreneurial ecosystem project.”