Denise Martin, President, Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Denise Martin, President of the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber, spoke with Invest: about fostering growth in the Pittsburgh North region. “We never lose sight of our core mission which is to create opportunities for business growth through networking, advocacy, cooperation and education. We are working smarter, streamlining our efforts, and focusing on what brings the most value and excellence to our members and region. Everything we do is for the betterment of this beautiful region we serve.”

Since you were appointed in July 2024, how has the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber grown or changed?

It has been a year of learning, observing, making changes, and understanding the ebbs and flow of events and membership as the new President. I have a completely new staff with talented people who love what they do and love the community. We’ve streamlined our efforts to work smarter, enhancing our five annual signature events, concentrating on excellence, professionalism, and efficiency. Our networking opportunities continue to increase as does our advocacy and educational programming. It’s been a year of transformation to ensure the growth and success of our members and our region. 

What does that reflect about the current state of the regional business environment?

Our region and the beautiful communities within our region continue to grow in ways I never imagined. New business construction and neighborhood developments continue to expand in areas that used to be wooded hillsides and fields. In 2027 we will welcome the first Wegman’s grocery store to the area (Cranberry) and senior living communities and expanding health care facilities continue to thrive. With these expansions, the Chamber staff meets so many new business owners, entrepreneurs, and decision makers interested in networking and moving into our region. The continued growth speaks to the desirable living conditions our region offers, opportunities for employment, new connections, and vibrant lifestyles. 

From your perspective, what makes Pittsburgh’s North region a uniquely strong place to live and do business, and how does the Chamber leverage those strengths to attract and retain companies?

The people in our northern region are welcoming, kind, creative, and hard-working. Pittsburghers in general are uniquely loyal, strong, family-oriented, and friendly. I think we have that reputation nationwide. The folks who live, work, and play here are innovative, intelligent, collaborative, and proud of the growth and success we are experiencing. We have premier, cutting edge healthcare facilities, large corporations, unique small businesses, well-run municipalities and townships, easy access to major highways, beautiful outdoor parks and sports facilities, excellent restaurants, exceptional shopping venues, and lovely neighborhoods. We are in the midst of refreshing, revitalizing and building the landscape of our hometowns. It is a vibrant place to live as well as being visually beautiful. The Chamber is a trusted resource to tell the story of our community by celebrating the new businesses, connecting members, referring business, and working with our elected officials and leaders to advocate for business growth and sustainability. We build and maintain the partnerships that keep the community connected. 

What recent initiatives, such as launching the Cranberry Town Square Market this summer, stand out, and what impact have they had on local businesses and community engagement?

The Cranberry Town Square Market was an intentional rebrand and relaunch of the former Cranberry Farmer’s Market with a primary focus to bring the community together with local vendors and businesses on the newly created Armstrong Great Lawn. We saw the opportunity to create something bigger and better with the new space and renewed partnership with Cranberry Township and worked for almost a year to rebrand the market, redevelop our marketing strategy, plan out the event space, coordinate set up and tear down, and review the vendor applications to establish the market. We were thrilled with the impact it had on the community, welcoming over 1,000 visitors each Friday, and giving the vendors, agricultural farmers, food trucks, sponsors, and live entertainers the opportunity to engage face to face with new customers and with each other over the course of 11 weeks. We wanted to create a family-friendly, wholesome, vibrant community event that would become a Friday-night destination in Cranberry, and I feel we achieved that goal. 

Can you highlight recent initiatives or partnerships that addressed local workforce needs?

The PNRC has a Legislative & Economic Development Committee that works with our elected officials to host workforce panel discussions to address employment needs and other concerns that arise. As the region continues to grow and more businesses open, many job openings will be created that need to be filled. We are ensuring we have the knowledge, connections, and relationships with a variety of industries to create job pipelines. We have strong relationships with local colleges, universities, and schools to connect graduates to business owners through job-shadowing, internships, and ultimately employment. 

What trends in membership, digital engagement, or events have you observed, and how are you adapting to them?

Of the recent members that joined, many different industries were noted including insurance, counseling centers, healthcare, nonprofits, wellness centers, and hospitality. We are trending towards healthcare due to a growing senior population in our region. People from Pittsburgh tend to stay in Pittsburgh, and those folks are starting to age, requiring more senior living facilities and healthcare. We are also expecting a growth in AI Technology in the region and will watch for growing trends and how it affects workforce development. Many of our members continue to communicate online so we adapt our social media presence to ensure we stay in touch with our members and keep them informed of upcoming events, networking, and relevant information.  

Looking ahead, what are your key goals and strategic priorities for PNRC?

Our priority is always growth for our region and being a relevant and trusted resource in that regard. Growing the Cranberry Town Square Market is a key goal for 2026 and from the feedback we’ve received from our vendors, guests, and Cranberry Township, I feel next year will set a new standard for excellence and opportunity to support our local businesses and residents. Another area of evolution is our Women’s Leadership Roundtable program which includes monthly Zoom meetings, quarterly After-Hours events, and our annual Women’s Leadership Brunch. We have strong, talented, incredibly creative women leaders in our region and the inspiration they share is fabulous. We never lose sight of our core mission which is to create opportunities for business growth through networking, advocacy, cooperation and education. We are working smarter, streamlining our efforts, and focusing on what brings the most value and excellence to our members and region. Everything we do is for the betterment of this beautiful region we serve.