Entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders connect at Spring 2025 WCO Member Meeting in Williamsport
Current and potential members of the Wilds Cooperative of PA met at Lycoming Arts in Williamsport on Tuesday, April 29 for the first of two WCO Membership Meetings in 2025.
These meetings are held twice a year, typically with the spring meeting on the eastern side of the Pennsylvania Wilds region and the fall meeting on the western side, giving as many Wilds Cooperative (WCO) members as possible the chance to attend. The Kellettville Campground in Tionesta will host the fall WCO Membership Meeting on September 23, 2025.
The meetings offer a place to get more information and updates about programs available to entrepreneurs, nonprofits and communities through the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship (PA Wilds Center), the nonprofit organization that manages the WCO. Members can consider how to best take advantage of opportunities in the WCO while networking with PA Wilds Center staff and peers in the WCO network.
During the program at Lycoming Arts, staff at PA Wilds Center introduced themselves and gave a high-level overview of the Pennsylvania Wilds effort and the Wilds Cooperative membership program, as well as new opportunities on the horizon.
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Director LaKeshia Knarr led the presentation, welcoming members to the space and sharing information about what it means to be a member of the network. Knarr also spoke about how the network is part of a larger entrepreneurial ecosystem being built and managed by the nonprofit PA Wilds Center to help local businesses and communities leverage the regional brand and tremendous amount of public lands to grow and thrive. The ecosystem is intended to help create jobs and diversify local economies, inspire stewardship, attract investment and improve quality of life for the region’s residents.
The team shared some highlights and statistics about specific programs within the PA Wilds Center from 2024:
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- Value Chain Network
- 80 new WCO members (January-April 2024)
- Total 676 members by December 31, 2024
- Trademarked Logo and Licensing
- 1 new merchandising licensee, for a total of 13 merchandising licensees
- Value Chain Network
- Regional Lifestyle Marketing
- Nearly 600,000 pageviews on PAWilds.com
- $113,312 of in-kind ads via Google AdWords
- Reached 39,000 followers on Facebook and 25,000 followers on Instagram
- Sustainable Commerce
- More than $260,000 of products purchased from local artisans
- PA Wilds Conservation Shops has than $650,000 in gross sales, moving products from WCO members
- 7 new WCO vendors from the PA Wilds region for a total of 39 in-region shop vendors
- 13 new sellers on the PA Wilds Marketplace for a total of 43 sellers
- $19,000 collected for Charity Checkout for Conservation
Knarr also thanked WCO members for giving their valuable insights during the Wildly Cooperative feedback sessions, which will help establish an evolved governance structure for the WCO to function more as a true cooperative. The data gathered from members will help the PA Wilds Center evaluate how to better leverage partner strengths to help businesses in the network thrive.
The PA Wilds Center team is doing a final review of the draft recommendations laid out by Alchemy Accompanied, the organization the Center contracted with for the Wildly Cooperative initiative. The Center is also building out the timeline for implementation and working to secure funding, as some aspects of the plan will be dependent on that as well. The PA Wilds Center team hopes to share a full update later in summer 2025, including the plan itself and next steps, which will include another round of outreach sessions with members.
Attendees were encouraged to become more involved with the WCO in the following easy ways:
- Join the Wilds Cooperative of PA for free at WildsCoPA.org/join
- Find places to travel regionally at PAWilds.com
- Support local businesses and shop regionally at ShopThePAWilds.com
- Promote stewardship and Leave No Trace using PAWilds.com/LNT
- Use the Design Guide for Community Character Stewardship at PAWildsCenter.org
- Leverage the regional strategy by positioning your community or business as part of the region and/or mentioning it in grant applications
Following the PA Wilds Center presentation, Stephanie DeSaulniers, Deputy Director of Covation Center in Williamsport, led a brief interactive business workshop. The Covation Center is a non-profit organization committed to providing coworking space, business coaching, referral assistance and training for small businesses and start-ups. DeSaulniers encouraged meeting attendees to think about their business journey, where they’re at in the journey, what current challenges they might be facing, possible opportunities for growth, and resources that are available to them. She encouraged entrepreneurs and leaders to connect and work together to leverage the potential of the WCO network. 
After the presentation and the interactive business workshop, members and potential members were able to ask questions, share ideas and talk with program managers one-on-one.
“As our nonprofit develops programs to positively impact rural businesses and communities, we find it incredibly impor
tant and valuable to create space for hearing from members and encouraging networking. Through the WCO, we are trying to connect and promote the products, services and experiences only found in the PA Wilds region, so these meetings help ensure that members have opportunities to dig deeper into membership opportunities and the power of the network. The feedback we receive and ideas we hear through conversation helps ensure we are building out programs and benefits that are meaningful to our diverse membership and communities,” said Knarr. “Special thanks to WCO member Lycoming Arts, located on West Fourth Street in Williamsport, for hosting the event!”
Lycoming Arts features monthly gallery exhibits and collaborates with other organizations within the Williamsport area to support local artists. The monthly Williamsport First Friday events are held at Lycoming Arts, featuring meet-and-greets with artisans and live music.
Membership Meetings will continue to move around the region each year in an effort to make them more accessible to members who may not be able to travel long distances in the middle of the week to attend.
For more information about the Wilds Cooperative of PA, visit www.WildsCoPA.org/about.
