“In a way, I was born twice. I was born in 1934 and again in 1955 when I came to Pittsburgh. I am thankful to say that I lived two lives.” Roberto Clemente

The ‘Burb is now officially part of the ‘Burgh.

EM-Media has opened an office on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, and now we are digging our heels in and getting the new location ready for operation.

But let me be clear: it’s not a move. It’s an expansion, one that I’ve felt called to make for multiple reasons.

The biggest reason? Pittsburgh is IT.

image-blog-pittsburgh.jpg

The EM-Media team will fit in just fine with the city’s blue collar background and “get your hands dirty” work ethic, not to mention its sports obsession and family-oriented philosophy.

For EM, it’s time to grow, but it’s not time to go.

Steubenville is home and it is where our corporate office will remain.

This town will always be part of EM’s history and culture, and EM’s presence in Steubenville will continue to be seen, heard, and felt.

We are thankful to this community for our success and for allowing us to build lasting relationships with our clients—clients who turned into friends and then became a part of our family.

EM’s experiences in Steubenville and the surrounding areas have allowed us to grow into Pittsburgh and this new adventure.

This is a chance for me to go home. This is also a chance for the EM team to not just dip our toes in the water but to fully immerse ourselves in all that Pittsburgh has to offer.

We will have access to an entirely new client pool, affording us opportunities to create new relationships and strengthen current connections. The move is allowing us to broaden not only our horizons but our perspectives, allowing us to better serve our current clients.

We are eager to learn from our experiences in the heart of the city. This is the urbanization of EM.

Times Have Changed

The current climate of Steubenville is such that EM’s best option is to expand beyond the city limits and cross the bridge into Pittsburgh.

No longer is Pittsburgh the rusty, dusty steel town of our parents’ and grandparents’ generations. In fact, it was recently named one of the most adaptive, resilient cities in the world. The influx of fresh talent, bright eyes and capable hands into Pittsburgh has made it not only a great place to live but a great place to do business.

Pittsburgh has welcomed this shift with open arms and is better for it. Steubenville should follow suit. Steubenville has a choice to make: follow this example, or accept stagnation.

Between Pittsburgh and Steubenville, there are overwhelming differences in diversity. Pittsburgh embraces diversity in a way that Steubenville has yet to grasp. I’m not just talking about race. I’m talking about diversity of thought, of background. We cannot remain stagnant if we wish to become better.

How many female leaders do we have in our community? How many minority-run businesses are in the tri-county area? How well do we encourage these groups to prosper in our region?

We can’t view people in terms of color. We can’t view intelligence by means of gender. We can’t continue with this two-party political system. We can’t worry about our “side” winning and the other “side” losing.

We also have a tendency to concern ourselves with crime and the supposed overabundance of it in the Steubenville area. I’m here to tell you that the crime rate is greatly over-exaggerated. Every area has crime. It is by no means an overwhelming hinderance to incoming businesses.

Instead, what it has become is a crutch to excuse our own inactivity. The emphasis we have placed on crime will diminish if more positive changes are implemented and then put into focus.

We cannot just tolerate differences among members of our community, we need to embrace them. We need to break down stereotypes, overcome state barriers, get past our paranoia, and begin to work as one.

When others win, we ourselves win.

steub1.jpg

The Strengths of Steubenville

Steubenville is a tight-knit community of outstanding people. In times of need, I have never seen an area more giving or more charitable. I just think our lack of willingness to adapt is holding us back.

Why can’t we take that helpful, willing attitude and equate it to business? Like the lesson we learned growing up in church, “If you give, you’ll receive.”

We see this expansion into Pittsburgh as an opportunity to break barriers and to step outside the comfort zone that should actually be making us uncomfortable.

Our community is due for a rebirth, which will not happen unless its citizens are willing to adapt. New technologies, new businesses, new ways of thinking, new approaches to work—these must be supported and adopted if we want to see positive change.

It takes guts to change. It takes ambition and willingness to take chances. I believe Steubenville has the guts. It just needs to prove me right.

If Steubenville is truly the ‘Burb of the ‘Burgh, then I say it’s time we act like it.

Leave a comment

Contact

Pittsburgh Media Center
706 James Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
412.291.8108

Steubenville Media Center
2728 Sunset Boulevard
Steubenville, OH 43952
740.264.2186

Wheeling Office
98 East Cove Avenue
Wheeling, WV 26003
304.214.9115