Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton Mayor Dave Wortman presents Phil Gilbert, right, with a citation upon his receipt of a Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence. Gilbert will travel to Harrisburg to be formally recognized later this month.

Each year, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration awards the Governor’s Awards for Local Government Excellence to “recognize local officials for their successes in undertaking innovative initiatives to improve the quality of life in their communities.”

Phil Gilbert has been selected as one of 2022’s recipients.

Gilbert was selected for his role in bringing the Innovault Coworking space on Liberty St. from concept to reality.

“When I opened up the email, I was shocked and happy to have all of our efforts recognized,” Gilbert told the Times Observer. “There were times that I wasn’t sure we were going to make it. We persevered and stuck with it and I’m so glad we did.”

County Commissioner Jeff Eggleston made the nomination, he said.

The idea behind a coworking space is to provide a place for those working remotely, freelancers and other independent workers to have a collaborative space to work. Innovault operates under a subscription model and is located on the first floor of the PNC Building on the corner of Liberty St. and Second Ave.

“Innovault is meant to help small businesses, entrepreneurs, teleworkers, and freelancers,” Gilbert explained. “We wanted to provide a space for them to network and do their work, and provide that atmosphere for ideas and growth.”

It’s a project that was several years in the making.

Gilbert, who is the county’s Tax Claim director while also serving on the county Redevelopment Authority and Warren City Council, was recognized by Mayor Dave Wortman at a recent council meeting.

“This is a really big deal,” Wortman said of the award.

But Gilbert immediately pivoted to all the other people that were involved in bringing this project

“Look, I know it sounds cheesy but it takes a village,” he said. “There were many people involved that helped to make this project happen. To say it was just me? That’s silly.”

He called the initial idea Ben Kafferlin’s “baby, his idea.

“I was so enthralled with the concept that I wanted to be a part of it,” Gilbert said. “So much that I took the lead.”

That didn’t just mean the white-collar work of establishing an organization but also ripping up the floors and painting the walls.

It included work with a graphic designer to work on a brochure and logo as well as “spear-heading the meetings, making sure that we were on pace and constantly striving for completion and not losing steam.

“Now with that being said,” he added, “I couldn’t do it alone, nor did I.” He credited Ben and his dad, Doug Kafferlin helping with construction, Jameson Shepherd with the flooring, Heidi Kafferlin with design, Jim Decker with construction, Nathaniel Schmidt with legal work and filings among others.

“I can’t stand there and say ‘I did this,'” he stressed. “We did this. This award is shared with the whole group that helped get Innovault opened. And, of course, I also have to thank the community as well for their support and donations, Northwest Bank, Warren County Development Association, Sokolski Foundation, Lemeur Family Foundation, Bingaman & Son Lumber Inc, County Commissioners, U.S. Dept of Agriculture and Katelyn Cataldo. This couldn’t have happened without all of their help.”

Gilbert will be traveling to Harrisburg later this month for a formal recognition with this award.

“I was invited, along with 5 guests, to a recognition ceremony at the State Museum of Pa. in Harrisburg on April 13,” he said. “I was asked to submit photos from the project in advance. I wanted to make sure that anyone who helped on the project was invited, then opened it up for my family. ”

So he’s taking Ben and Heidi Kafferlin, his son, his aunt Christine Porter and Stephanie Davis.

“I’m sure it will be a fun afternoon,” he said.

And the status of Innovault?

“We officials opened in February and things are going great,” he said. ” We already have a full time person in our office area, and have had several users for “day passes”. We’ve had users from Arizona use the space for a couple weeks in a row. We are currently in discussions with a couple of potential full-time users. We recently had an Art showing that was well attended, and plan on future events. Overall, a good start.”

And there are expanded visions for down the line.

“In the future we hope to offer business classes, and grants to help their businesses, all while they are downtown visiting the shops, eating at t restaurants, and visiting our breweries,” he said. “Bringing, essentially, life to the downtown.”