TARIS VRCEK, TREASURER

MCKEES ROCKS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Taris Vrcek is executive director of the McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation.  A third-generation resident of McKees Rocks, Vrcek was inspired by the community pride and history instilled by his parents.  This inspiration led Vrcek to gather a group of community stakeholders in July of 2000 to discuss a vision for the future of McKees Rocks.

From that first meeting, Vrcek would bring together local and regional leadership to develop an ambitious Strategic Revitalization Plan entitled ‘The New Founding of McKees Rocks’ in 2003 and then became the first and only Executive Director when the MRCDC was launched a year later.

Thanks to Vrcek’s tireless efforts and ability to build public consensus and attract quality investment and corporate partners, McKees Rocks is becoming the vibrant place he and others envisioned.  The groundbreaking of Island Studios joins other entertainment anchors under development such as the 1,500-seat Roxian Theatre, as well as new public greenspaces and trails, to rebrand McKees Rocks and Stowe Township as an emerging urban destination in Western Allegheny County.

Beyond bricks and mortar, Vrcek has joined with local human service provider Focus On Renewal and other leaders and residents to form a more comprehensive community development strategy that combines outreach, resident empowerment, workforce development, youth initiatives, and the arts to create a ‘complete community’.