Mt. Pleasant Township couple spotlighted with tourism bureau honor

Trailblazer — it's a term Thomas Papinchak said is uniquely appropriate when describing the role he has played with his wife, Heather, as stewards and proprietors of Frank Lloyd Wright's Duncan House at Polymath Park in Mt. Pleasant Township.

“It's actually kind of a good word for what we've done here,” he said.

Papinchak offered such a perspective in reaction to the couple's recent joint selection as recipients of the 2015 Champions of Tourism “Trailblazer of the Year” award, presented by the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, during the nonprofit organization's annual dinner held recently at Glades Pike Winery in Somerset.

“For us, it's about preservation and public education about this property,” he said. “We're lucky to be in this business, and we're thankful to receive this award and have this acknowledgment.”

Property does Laurel Highlands proud

The Papinchaks' 130-acre, woodland site is home to Wright's Duncan House, one of the famed Fallingwater architect's more obscure renderings, along with the Balter and Blum houses, two structures built by Wright apprentice Peter Berndtson.

The Papinchaks forged through dense woodlands to create an ideal showcase for the Balter and Blum structures, while reconstructing the Duncan House, a home originally built by Wright in 1957 in Lisle, Ill., that was dismantled and moved to the Laurel Highlands for preservation in 2007.

The couple subsequently opened Treetops Restaurant on property adjacent to the park.

They also offer overnight lodging to visitors of the resort's three homes, with the Duncan House being one of only seven original Wright works in which visitors can stay, sleep and immerse themselves in his Usonian vision of architectural style, Thomas Papinchak said.

“Understand, this project kind of found us, we weren't looking for it at all,” he said.

Thomas Papinchak added that the couple ironically moved near Polymath Park without any initial knowledge of what architectural riches existed at the property.

“Once (we) saw those (Balter and Blum) homes, (we) knew (we'd) be involved in this project, some way ... somehow,” he said.

Laura Argenbright, Thomas Papinchak's sister and a bureau board member, presented the award to the couple.

“How deeply moved I am to be presenting this award to these two fine people; it is well-deserved,” said Argenbright, director of marketing & development at The Mountain Playhouse, who personally aided in the Papinchaks' effort to pump life into the once-forgotten resort.

“When I started helping them, very few people knew about the Duncan House; together, these homes offer an amazing, in-your-face, first-hand experience with the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.”

Tourist destination has many highlights

The Papinchaks and Polymath Park Resort represent a key feature in what is helping to make the Laurel Highlands a central tourist destination as the bureau executes a marketing plan to attract more first-time visitors and those who have not visited the area in recent years, said Renée Seifert, the bureau's president and chief executive officer.

“We live in an ever-changing world that requires ingenuity and adaptation, and these individuals have exhibited those qualities,” said Seifert in regard to the couple.

The bureau's ongoing strategy acknowledges the importance of attracting new visitors in order to grow the Laurel Highlands' overall visitor base, she said.

“As a drive destination, traditionally we have marketed our region within the target markets of Ohio, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.,” Seifert said.

The bureau will continue to market those areas while exploring new markets, especially the international market in anticipation of pending inscription of Fallingwater to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 2016, she said.

“I am really excited about this,” said Seifert amid rousing applause.

“Having Fallingwater not only nominated, but inscribed as a World Heritage site will be beneficial to all of the Laurel Highlands,” she said.

To further grow tourism, the bureau is currently in the production phase of a new, high-definition four-season video set to debut in 2016, she said.

“I take our role as the region's tourism promoter very seriously,” Seifert said.

Numbers speak to growing success

The footprint of the Laurel Highlands offers something for everybody in all four seasons, said Michael Langer, chairman of the executive committee of the bureau's board of directors.

“We have a dedicated, talented and professional staff that have so effectively represented the bureau,” he said. “Additionally we have county commissioners that are supportive and involved. They recognize the value of tourism for the region, including each individual proprietor within their constituency, and they have consistently demonstrated their support over the years.”

Bureau highlights from the past year include a social media initiative, which resulted in visitor traffic increases of 79 percent on Facebook and 51 percent on Twitter, and a 35 percent usage increase on its website, which won an Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals MarCom Award for its new design, Langer said.

Keynote speaker Gloria Blint, president of Red House Communications, reported that the state's tourism industry generated $39.2 billion in support of 500,000 jobs based on 193 million visitors, according to the most recent, finalized, calendar-year statistics.

“That's $100 million a day, or $4.5 million an hour. That's incredible,” she said. “Visitors to the Laurel Highlands spend $4 million a day, so there's a lot to love about the tourism industry here.”

A.J. Panian is an editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-547-5722 or apanian@tribweb.com.