The Drake Energy & Climate Security Conference and 100 Seneca were both featured in separate segments last fall on “Our Region’s Business,” a Sunday morning show on WPXI-TV.
The ambitious, collaborative nature of efforts to revitalize 100 Seneca and the Energy Conference intrigued the show’s host and producer, Bill Flanagan, who said Venango County Commissioner Ken Bryan originally invited him to take a firsthand look at 100 Seneca.
An ongoing story Flanagan has been following since the COVID-19 pandemic is the future of downtowns, and 100 Seneca, in the heart of downtown Oil City and poised to be part of the town’s revitalization, intrigued him.
Flanagan said he “was struck” by the building’s size and described it as an “ambitious, and an expensive project.”
He said Emily Lewis, executive director of the Venango County Economic Development Authority, told him that it is a “great old building” and is “well-constructed.”
Flanagan also was impressed by the support and leadership of Venango County, along with the buy-in of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce, which is now headquartered on the building’s fifth floor.
Civic commitment and community spirit go a long way to making the building viable, he said.
While he was touring 100 Seneca, Flanagan said he heard about the Energy Conference and decided to feature both on his show. The segment focused on the genesis of the conference, which began in 2022.
“Doing a global conference at Drake Well is unusual and ambitious,” Flanagan said.
“The community orientation ... exposes visitors to the area; this is where policy hits the community. The forum is turning heads and getting people to focus on the region. I’m impressed that is part of their economic development strategy.”
After covering the two-day conference in October, Flanagan said he spread the word about it in Pittsburgh.
“I’m attracted to those kind of stories, when people roll up their sleeves and work together to make their communities better,” Flanagan said.
In addition to decades of experience in television, Flanagan has worked in economic development for 20 years and serves as senior adviser to the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
“That experience has given me respect for community and civic leaders who cross political lines, bridges and other divisions to make things better,” he said. “I’m excited to see that happening in Oil City. It will bring opportunity to the area. I wish them well.”
The segment on the Energy Conference aired on Oct. 20; the segment on 100 Seneca was broadcast on Oct. 27.
