Care for community gives this Pitt-Titusville alumnus the right frame of mind

Corey Young was finishing up his nursing degree at Pitt-Titusville and working at the grocery store in Meadville, Pennsylvania, when the owner of the town's framing shop approached him. She was ready to retire but didn't want Meadville to lose a 100-year-old business.

Knowing Young and his partner, Christopher, shared a dream of entrepreneurship, she asked if they wanted to buy it. They did, but they couldn't crunch the numbers.

So Young (UPT '21) turned down the offer and began working as a cardiac nurse and then a hospice nurse at Meadville Medical Center. He found his place as a "lighthouse in the middle of the storm" for his patients and their families.

But the funny thing about being part of a tight-knit community is that, as you take care of them, they take care of you, too. And soon, thanks to his relationships and a bit of luck, the opportunity to buy French Creek Framing and Art came back around.

Today, Young owns 70% of the business and is learning how to create custom frames as he simultaneously returns to school to become a nurse practitioner. He's also vice president of the Meadville Independent Business Alliance and sits on the board of the Crawford Central Community Foundation, where he hands out grants and teaches awardees how to pay their fortune forward.

"Being kind to someone goes a really long way," he says.