Matt Fox (from left), Steve McKnight, Bradley Burger, Alex Halper and Commissioner David Kessling speak during a Blair County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Club panel at the Blair County Convention Center on Thursday. Mirror photo by Conner Goetz

Government leaders and business executives gathered for the 609th Blair County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Club to reflect on the economic growth of 2025 and to look forward to the remainder of 2026.

According to Blair Alliance President/CEO Steve McKnight, who spoke during a panel discussion at the Blair County Convention Center on Thursday morning, 2025 was a “major year” for the local economy.

The chamber helped Blair County businesses attract more than $82 million in capital investment, retain more than 400 workers and create 32 new jobs last year, McKnight said.

According to an informational packet distributed by the chamber, health care, logistics, management and IT jobs were the top in demand sectors.

McKnight said that 2025 was notable for the number of small businesses “stepping up” and making investments to expand their operations.

Despite market uncertainty and turbulence at the state and federal government level, McKnight’s overall outlook for 2026 is “cautiously optimistic.”

McKnight said that “adaptive reuse” will become more important heading into the new year.

Adaptive reuse in development means taking existing properties, buildings and/or land and finding creative ways to repurpose them so their utility increases.

The amount of untouched, non-farmland in Blair County is shrinking, McKnight said, so integrating adaptive reuse principles into upcoming projects will be key.

Bradley Burger, president/CEO of Goodwill of the Southern Alleghenies, said that the burgeoning AI industry can have a part to play in the economic future development of the region.

AI technologies can be “labor extenders” that can help existing employees become more efficient and productive at a range of tasks.

AI use must be tempered with consideration for how it could negatively impact workers and the broader economy, Burger said, as occupations like warehouse workers could be vulnerable to replacement by AI-supported systems.

“I look at AI in the near term, the usage of automation technology … as a good thing,” Burger said.

Blair County Commissioners Chair David Kessling identified recruitment and retention of staff as one of the primary economic challenges facing the region heading into 2026.

The county government recently implemented a comprehensive salary study that raised employee pay from among the worst in the state to on par with comparable counties, Kessling said, which is an improvement he is “proud” to have spearheaded.

Before the study, the county had numerous employees begin their career and receive key training only to leave for higher paying positions in other counties, he said. Now, more staff are opting to stay in Blair County, increasing overall operational efficiency.

Alex Halper, senior vice president of government relations at the Pa. Chamber of Commerce, said that the state has an opportunity to become a nationwide leader in the data center/AI center industry “if we get it right.”

Halper expects a vigorous debate in Harrisburg over how best to attract investment from this industry while balancing the concerns of small municipalities and environmental activists.

Promoting business development needs to be a “north star” guiding this process to ensure everyone involved is working toward a common goal, he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.