Go Laurel Highlands sets workshop for tourism grant program

Mark Brown’s family has lived in Westmoreland County for six generations. He’s been running Hemlock Lane Designs for 24 years.

Brown, 59, of Jones Mills said that a tourism grant funded through a 5% county lodging tax has allowed he and his son, Shawn Hresko, to promote their furniture business. For the past couple of years, Hemlock Lane Designs has used money generated from the county lodging tax to boost its advertising.

“It’s a small business,” Brown said. “The grant is really, truly a blessing.”

Go Laurel Highlands, the marketing organization for Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties, will offer a tourism grant workshop for business owners in the region on Aug. 8.

At the workshop, attendees will learn the specifics of the program and receive tips on how to write grant applications. Ann Nemanic, the executive director of the tourism agency, said the workshop offers attendees the opportunity for one-on-one advice specific to their business.

Funded through a third of the lodging tax, the county’s tourism grant program aims to help businesses boost visitor stay and spending in the area and foster tourism. When the program started in 21 years ago, 19 grants were awarded, totaling around $170,000. Last year, the number of grants awarded climbed to 54, with $600,000 going to the region’s tourism sector.

Nemanic said a bustling tourism sector doesn’t just benefit economic development, but also boosts residents’ sense of local pride.

“If you are a local, sometimes we don’t see what’s in our own backyard,” Nemanic said. “A thriving tourism business gives pride in place.”

A grant review committee looks over applications while Go Laurel Highlands works with the county commissioners to administer the program. The review committee focuses most on marketing grants, because those funds are the most difficult for businesses to secure, Nemanic said.

The Laurel Highlands region includes historic sites and attractions such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, Nemacolin and Seven Springs Mountain Resort.

Nemanic said that visitors are not always aware of what the area has to offer but their stay often convinces them to come back.

“Once people arrive here, they are astounded by what is here to see and visit,” Nemanic said. “We’ve done a good job in the hospitality industry of making people see it’s a special place.”

The grant workshop will be held at 2 p.m. in The Venue at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield and will focus on a breakdown of the 2025 county tourism grant program.

For additional information, email grobinsky@golaurelhighlands.com or call 724-238-5661, ext. 115.