The region's gas drilling boom in 2011 attracted, more than ever, an influx of workers to the area to accompany the attachment of the local labor force to the industry.
It was hard to drive down most major thoroughfares, go to a restaurant or stay in a motel or hotel in the region without feeling the gas worker presence.
The population of white pickup trucks and Oklahoma and Texas license plates, not to mention the demand for good Southern barbecue, clearly is on the rise.
So what does that local impact sound like?
Jeremy Street, of Cogan Station, worked for a local heating and air conditioning contractor before being hired by Sooner Pipe.
"This company offered the best total package as far as benefits and pay," he said. "Family-wise, I was better off here."
Andrew Harvey, of Montoursville, worked for a local bottling company before taking a job as an equipment operator with Frac Tech Services International, a hydrofracturing company on Reach Road.
Harvey said when he started working for the company in May he initially saw it as a step back because of the years he'd spent with the bottling company. Those feelings did not last long, however.
"It ended up being a lot better than it was at my previous job," Harvey said. "If you work really hard, you are going to be noticed and have opportunities."
Irv Gleason spent more than 27 years as a firefighter with the city Bureau of Fire, including 12 years as deputy fire chief. Following his retirement, Gleason launched a second career as environmental health and safety operations manager with gas exploration company Range Resources.
Gleason said he could not be happier with his new position.
"(As a firefighter) you're going to calls where people are having the worst day of their lives," Gleason said. "On this side, I can prevent people from having those kinds of days."
Harvey, Street and Gleason are three examples of local residents who have found jobs with the natural gas industry.
"We're pleased with the number of jobs being created," said Dr. Vincent J. Matteo, president and CEO of the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce. "As time passes, we're seeing more and more people from the area and Pennsylvania being hired, which is what we've pressed for all along.
"You see more people with good-paying, family sustaining jobs, and they're putting money back into the economy," Matteo said.
Lycoming County Commissioner Jeff C. Wheeland agreed.
Wheeland said the gas industry has created opportunities for local workers, but that can be a two-edged sword.
"Typically, the (gas) industry pays a higher wage than our legacy industries," he said. "That creates a challenge for our legacy industries to recruit or retain workers."
Gleason said the industry is providing young people with a reason to stay in Lycoming County.
"Instead of moving out of here, they're able to make good wages and stay right here in Lycoming County," Gleason said. "That's good not only for this generation, but generations to come."
Chief Gathering LLC Operations Manager Steven Hamilton is an Oklahoma State University graduate who was living with his wife and three children in southwest Virginia when he came to Williamsport in March 2008.
At the time, he was the only Chief Gathering employee in the state. His job was to locate potential compressor station sites and identify potential pipeline routes.
Hamilton said he lived at the Genetti Hotel for three and a half years.
"I would travel back to southwest Virginia on Friday and be back to work on Monday about every third weekend," Hamilton said.
Hamilton said he was received well by local residents and the management and staff of the hotel. He joined radio control model aircraft flying club Wings of Williamsport and that is when he decided to make the area his permanent home.
"The club members treated me like an old friend from day one," Hamilton said. "That is when I decided I would like to move to Williamsport. I recently purchased a house and I am living in Williamsport with my wife and youngest son.
"I believe the gas industry has been a big plus in bringing people and businesses, which has increased the tax revenue in the area," Hamilton said, adding that the industry has been more than willing to fix local roads that were already in disrepair.
"The people, for the most part, are very friendly and make you feel like you are welcome to live here in Pennsylvania," he said.
All these workers are part of a growing local work force that runs counter to state and national trends as a result of the gas drilling industry. The impact reached critical mass in 2011 and doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.
The workers not only changed the work force numbers, but also the complexion of the region's labor market.
And whether they are area residents jumping at a career-changing opportunity or people coming here through the industry, they share a strong, proud work ethic required by the industry that fits the area's traditional portfolio like a glove.
