Bette Slayton, recently retired president/CEO of Bedford County Development Association, (left) said of successor Jennifer Marsh (right), “BCDA is in a good position for future development and projects. Jen Marsh is going to do a remarkable job. She is positioned to move projects and provide very strong leadership to move the organization forward.” Mirror photo by Walt Frank

BEDFORD – The woman who led economic development efforts in Bedford County for 35 years can now enjoy the fruit of her labors – and down the road, she will see the development of a new business park named in her honor.

After serving as president/CEO of the Bedford County Development Association, Bette Slayton officially retired from the position on June 30.

Those who know Slayton sing praises of her efforts to lead economic development in Bedford County over the years.

“For 35 years, Bette has been the steady hand, visionary leader and passionate advocate behind BCDA’s mission to strengthen and grow Bedford County’s economy. From launching innovative business parks and supporting local entrepreneurs to building trusted partnerships with business and governmental ladders, Bette has transformed the way our community thinks about economic development,” said Jeff Crist, BCDA board chairman. “Bette’s vision has laid a strong foundation for the future of Bedford County, and her influence will be felt for years to come.”

Slayton was known as a powerful voice for economic development in Bedford County and beyond, said Linda Thomson, who recently retired as president/CEO of Johnstown Area Regional Industries.

“She worked every day throughout her 35 years to bring economic prosperity to her beloved county and to the greater Southern Alleghenies region,” Thomson said.

“Bette’s passion for this life work went beyond the ordinary.”

Slayton has always been a vocal champion for rural Pennsylvania, she said.

Marty Marasco, retired president/CEO of Altoona Blair County Development Corp., said the continued success of BCDA “is a testament to Bette and her dedication, vision, drive, passion and perseverance.”

“Bette Slayton has had an impressive career, and her contributions to economic and community development have been first class. Under her leadership, Bedford County, and the organization she represents – Bedford County Development Association – have made amazing development opportunity advances, and have continually expanded their role in the I-99 Regional Corridor’s economic growth,” Marasco said.

Slayton’s warmth and humility is what stands out for Dr. Eunice Yang, founder and CEO of Ok2StandUp Inc., the first artificial-intelligence-powered fall mitigation solution developed for seniors and their caregivers.

“Bette is someone I deeply respect,” Yang said. “She has an exceptional ability to get things done, skillfully navigating the network of people and resources necessary to bring her vision to life.”

Yang said when she was first introduced to Slayton, she didn’t realize the “incredible presence she holds – not only in the Bedford community, but far beyond. What stood out most was how approachable and genuinely supportive she was of OK2StandUP’s mission and its long-term sustainability in Bedford.”

“People like Bette are what make Bedford such a special place,” Yang said.

Jennifer Marsh has succeeded Slayton as BCDA’s president/CEO.

“Bette didn’t just work in economic development – she lived it,” Marsh said. “She poured herself into every prospect, project and possibility. She was relentless in her pursuit of opportunities that would move Bedford County forward, even when the odds seemed stacked against her.”

Marsh said Slayton moved mountains to create opportunities for growth, driving investment, generating jobs and inspiring hope.

“Whether it was restoring the Bedford Springs Resort or developing business parks from the ground up, Bette led with determination and an unwavering belief in what Bedford County could become,” Marsh said.

The journey

While her friends and family, of course, know Slayton isn’t a Bedford County native, nor even a Pennsylvania native, she adopted the county, state and region as her own, pushing and pulling to bring industry and jobs to the county.

Slayton grew up on a farm in Hartland, Wisconsin, and is a seventh-generation farmer.

“I always knew I wanted to live on a farm with animals, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Slayton said.

A high school teacher suggested she go into economics. She got her bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin and took graduate courses at Montana State University.

“I had a natural ability in economics and had a background in agriculture. That served as a good background for this job (BCDA). … I understood how economic development worked,” Slayton said.

After college, Slayton started her career at Mark Twain Bank in Kansas City, Mo., as part of the management team acquiring banks for the holding company and then as an assistant vice president in commercial lending.

In the meantime, she was dating her now-husband Paul Slayton, who was publisher of a national cattle magazine.

However, in October 1983, Paul moved to Schellsburg to take over Falkland Farms, a well-known Polled Hereford farm.

Slayton told Paul to “Have a nice life,” but “six months later, I put my heart ahead of my career, we married and I moved here in 1984,” she said.

It took her two years to find a job before landing a position as director of development finance at Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission.

“That was great, it was a creative job,” she said, noting she “found this wonderful profession of economic development. It was a great way to make the world a better place, improving people’s lives.”

Slayton believes “with all of my heart” that economic development is a noble profession.

In 1990, she was hired by the Bedford County Commissioners to lead the office of economic development, initially a county job.

“When I started, there were five local economic development groups that didn’t have any money or cohesive vision. I realized we needed to join together and make a countywide group,” Slayton said. “This job offered a greater diversity (than SAP&DC) of opportunities.”

The first big project Slayton recruited to the area was the Walmart Distribution Center in 1997 which brought in 400 jobs.

“A local development group owned 37 acres in Cessna. I knocked on doors and cobbled together 100 acres. The site did not have public water and sewer so we needed to secure state financing to extend three miles of public sewer and water lines to the site. We also needed a LERTA tax abatement program. I went to the township, school board and the county commissioners to ask for their support and they approved the ordinance. We couldn’t have done the project without it,” Slayton said.

The community was eager to bring new jobs to the county, she said, and Walmart was the catalyst that brought everyone together.

“We competed against other states and won. We proved that we could succeed when we worked together,” Slayton said. “It set the stage for future projects.”

Two years after that success, Business Park I opened in 1999.

“We had five businesses building at the same time when we opened the park,” she said. “Business Park I has helped us recruit major employers as well as expand existing companies.”

Today, Business Park I includes CaptiveAire, Bedford Reinforced Plastics, MDL Manufacturing, Rex Heat Treat, Cell-Con, the DAR Professional Building and XPO Logistics, as well as three health care providers.

JLG Industries and Corle Building Systems made major investments in the county during the 1990s.

In 2002, Business Park II was announced. That development enabled BCDA to recruit another large employer and REI announced it was coming to Bedford County in 2006, creating hundreds of new jobs.

Also, Lampire Biological Laboratories, an international life sciences company, continued to diversify the local economy, Slayton said. In addition, Bedford County manufacturers, especially in metal fabrication and fiberglass reinforced products, made significant investments in their Bedford County facilities and created thousands of new jobs.

There were other major projects, too, such as Green Leaf Medical buying the former Seton building in Saxton, which sat vacant for 10 years.

Green Leaf invested $55 million into that building, a building that could have been demolished, Slayton said. “And the recruitment of CaptiveAire was a tremendous addition to our county.”

Perhaps one of the capstones to Bedford County development was the famed Bedford Springs Resort.

Slayton said it was an incredible project.

After being shuttered for more than a dozen years, its reopening in 2007 made a tremendous impact.

The $120 million project started with “a daunting mess,” as described by project developer Mark Langdale.

“Bette’s love for Bedford County, her passion, her infectious love and caring for this community really infected me,” Langdale said. “The resort’s revival catalyzed a virtuous economic cycle. Hundreds of jobs, tens of thousands of tourists and millions in tax revenues. Downtown Bedford flourished, public infrastructure improved and broader regional investment followed, making the resort’s redevelopment one of the most impactful economic development projects in the region’s history. She did it.”

Slayton’s impact on the county will be honored with the naming of Business Park II, now in the planning stages.

The naming of the park – the Bette Brown Slayton Business Park – was announced June 24 at a retirement luncheon honoring Slayton.

“It was such a surprise and honor, I teared up hearing the announcement,” Slayton said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro announced money for the third business park in 2024 and 2025. BCDA has secured a $1.65 million Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority loan for the project and in May 2025, Shapiro announced a PA Sites grant to enable construction planning to commence.

Under Slayton’s leadership and through the work of BCDA, more than 4,000 jobs have been created – jobs that support families, strengthen our communities and keep Bedford County moving forward.

“Our major development projects now generate roughly $3 million in annual property taxes. That’s not just a number; it’s an investment in our schools, our roads, our quality of life and our future,” Slayton said. “And today, 6 of the 10 largest employers in Bedford County are directly tied to BCDA efforts – partnerships that began with a simple question – ‘Why Bedford County?'”

Slayton has received numerous awards over the years, including the 2021 Economic Developer of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association.

“That was a tremendous honor, it was the biggest award. … I competed with people from larger areas. To have a person from a rural area and a woman … that felt especially good,” said Slayton who served as president of that organization from 2001-02.

She said “making a difference” was the part of her job that she enjoyed the most and she misses coming into the office every day.

“I miss the people and interacting with a broad range of very smart, caring and fun board members and partners. I will miss the challenges, I liked the challenges,” Slayton said. “I think they will remember that I cared, I truly cared about the unemployed and underemployed people of the county. It was all about creating and retaining jobs.”

Slayton said the timing was right for her to retire.

“The stars are aligned. BCDA is in a good position for future development and projects. Jen Marsh is going to do a remarkable job. She is positioned to move projects and provide very strong leadership to move the organization forward. She has the skills, passion and intelligence to take us into the future. Our board of directors under Jeff Crist as chairman is committed to continued growth for Bedford County,” Slayton said.

As for her retirement plans, Slayton said she isn’t sure.

“It is a clean slate, I have no idea. I can’t imagine waking up with nothing to do. I have books to read, friends across the country I want to visit. I want to enjoy BearDance (the family farm), hike with the dogs and help Paul with the farm projects if he wants me to,” she said. “I love being outside on the farm, walking through the pastures. I love the freedom and beauty of the farm.”

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.

The Slayton file

Name: Bette Slayton

Position: Recently retired as president/CEO of Bedford County Development Association.

Education: Graduate of Arrowhead High School, Hartland, Wisconsin; Bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from University of Wisconsin. Graduate courses from Montana State University.

Family: Husband, Paul.

Quote: “I love Bedford County, the scenery, the people and I love my job.”