Blake Fleegle – Entrepreneur Coach, Cambria & Somerset Counties
Hi Everyone! My name is Blake and you may recognize me from my successful venture in Johnstown, the Westwood Plaza Theatre & Café. I am a hardworking family man with a lot of relevant entrepreneurship experience for my age. Although I still sell popcorn on the weekends, I am here to help make your business dreams come true in the same way I achieved mine over a decade ago.
Born and raised in Somerset, I attended Somerset Area High School. When I was 15 years old, I got my first job at the local movie theatre, The Palace Theatre. It’s gone now, but that first job lit a spark in me that has been the drive behind my success for so many years.
After high-school, I knew I would like to one day own my own movie theatre. Looking back, it’s funny that I used to think it would be my dream RETIREMENT job! With Entrepreneurship in mind, I moved to Pittsburgh to study Business at Duquesne University. I graduated from Duquesne in 2008 and started to work in Canada.
While in Halifax, Nova Scotia (birthplace of Sidney Crosby for all you Pens fans!) I received a newspaper cutout from the Tribune Democrat. It was an announcement that a local movie theatre was for sale. I jumped at the opportunity and moved back home to see if I could turn my dream into a reality.
Although I had no money to invest, I had just the right experience and education to convince a bank to give me the loan I needed to purchase the Westwood Plaza Theatre & Café in June of 2009. It was difficult at first but after logging a lot of hours, I was able to make the business successful enough to launch a second location. In June of 2012, the Latrobe 30 Theatre & Café opened and both locations have been showing movies and serving customers ever since.
Running a business is fun, fast-paced, and very rewarding. I love every minute of it and want to share that feeling with local entrepreneurs who want to make their dreams come true as well. I am happy to help anyone and everyone launch and grow their ideas into successful businesses. So whether you have an idea just starting to germinate in your mind or if you already have a business that is running into headwinds… and everyone in-between, reach out and let’s work together!
