GRCA Commerce Quarterly Fall 2020 - 12

cover story continued
COLEBOOKDALE RAILROAD PRESERVATION TRUST

Railroad chugging along
with national accolades
Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation (CRR) Trust is the non-profit
restoring the Civil War-era line operating Boyertown to Pottstown
with a vision to develop the best tourist railroad of the 1900s and
drive economic development in the tri-county area. Annually, the
Railroad brings $8M of economic impact to the region, but the
Railroad's operation has been directly impacted by stay-at-home orders.
Still, that has not prevented the Trust from continuing to succeed.
In August, the CRR was named #2 Tourist Railroad in North
America by USA TODAY 10 Best Readers' Choice travel award contest.
RHOADS ENERGY

Energizing an unusual lockdown scholarship program
An unusual year led The Rhoads Energy Family of Companies
to create an unusual summer internship program. The results:
exceptional original research by nine young adults from Central
Pennsylvania, and $18,000 in scholarships awarded by Rhoads, the
regional energy leader.
During Rhoads Energy's 2020 Summer Internship program,
participants created their own self-directed, research-based projects.
No limits were placed on the subject matter, resulting in projects
that covered diverse industries and topics: engaging in art projects
with children, the effects of COVID-19 on tourism, the production
of glass from chicken manure, and many others.
The eight-week program culminated in (safe, socially distanced)
presentations of the participants' results - and an award of $2,000
per student.

Accolades came from elected officials. Berks County Commissioner
Leinbach said, "The Colebrookdale Railroad continues to amaze old
and young alike and the results of this poll prove it. When considering
how short a history we have as a tourist RR, it is stunning to be
voted as the #2 tourist railroad in the entire United States! Special
thanks to the unbelievable Colebrookdale RR staff, volunteers and
patrons. You made this award possible."
Montgomery County Commissioner Valerie Arkoosh added, "We
are fortunate to have a resource like the Colebrookdale Railroad
in our region and have been happy to partner with Berks County
to support its restoration. This #2 Reader's Choice ranking is a
well-deserved acknowledgment of the robust community support
for this historic gem."
In August, Tripadvisor rated the CRR in the top 10% of all
attractions across the world.
In June, the County of Berks received an Innovation award from
the National Association of Counties for the Colebrookdale project.
The National Endowment for Humanities recognized the Trust
with a CARES Grant.

"Because of the lock down, many students lost out on internship
George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards Celebration Inspiration
opportunities. We wanted to create a program that would reward Honor Roll recognized the Colebrookdale Railroad Sept. 26.
some of the smart, energetic young people in our region," said Mike
Nathaniel Guest, Colebrookdale Railroad
DeBerdine III, CEO of The Rhoads Energy Family of Companies.
"Nine highly creative interns delivered exceptional work - and showed
us that the future of our community is in good hands."
The Rhoads Energy Family of Companies offer heating oil, natural
gas and propane delivery, HVAC installation and service, and fleet
fueling services throughout Central Pennsylvania. EG Smith, a
division of Rhoads Energy, has been serving the energy and HVAC
needs of Berks County homeowners and businesses since 1923.
Rhoads Energy developed this unique summer internship program
to replace the paid internships of students from Chester, Berks, and
Lancaster counties whose original plans may have been terminated
as a result of COVID-19 closures.
The internship recipients represented the communities of Berwyn,
Boyertown, Downingtown, Kennett Square, Lancaster, Parkesburg,
Wernersville and West Chester. Candidates received $500 when
they were selected in June, $500 in July, and $1,000 at their final
presentations.
David Richwine, Beeler Communications
12 COMMERCE QUARTERLY FALL 2020

GRCA Commerce Quarterly Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRCA Commerce Quarterly Fall 2020