Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center
Leanne Rogowski – Venue Manager
The Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center was a Pittsburgh and Lake Erie passenger train station that was built in 1897 and restored by the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation into an event venue for weddings, showers, parties and community events.
Leanne was hired a few weeks before the venue’s grand opening in late 2015. It is an important role to help clients hold private events and plan public events at the venue, but also to generate revenue for the Heritage Foundation. Revenue is used for the maintenance and preservation of the Station, but also helps to fund Heritage Foundation educational activities and important historical community events.
“When the Station was built in 1897 it was during a time when a train station coming to a town was sign of wealth and prosperity, so a passing train was a symbol of good luck. My favorite part of an event is when a train passes and everyone cheers! We have bestowed a lot of good luck at Beaver Station!
I have had a passion for planning events for years. My career started working for the Airport Area Chamber of Commerce and then for the Beaver County Times. I loved organizing the details that created a successful event. It was extremely satisfying to see an event fulfill its intended purpose, like bringing customers to businesses at a networking function or a trade show.” – With Leanne’s experience and passion for her position, it is no question that she is a crucial part in the success of the Beaver Station AND the events held there!
A typical day consists of replying to endless requests for rental information, lots of scheduling, coordinating details of upcoming events and providing tours of the venue.
“A common misconception about the wedding industry is that we work with bridezilla’s and that is just not true. Today’s weddings are all about celebrating what makes the couple special and what is important to them and that seems to make the planning process so much more relaxed. Also, we have never had anyone left at the altar, no one has ever interrupted a ceremony with an objection and only one groom that felt a little woozy during the ceremony.“
“My favorite community event was, the Bridal Fair. All the guests attending were so happy, filled with excitement and it made me want to be part of the wedding industry. When the Heritage Foundation was restoring Beaver Station, I would drive past and see the construction vehicles and say, they are working on my building! And after the Beaver Station hiring committee reviewed hundreds of resumes and interviewed several candidates, I was offered the position. Seven years later, I have been part of over 700 events and 232 weddings.”
“When people ask what I do for a living, my reply is, I make magic happen! I love, love, love helping people create a beautiful or fun memorable event. I am really good at what I do. It is rewarding to see people happy and enjoying themselves and it is special to think that a couples happily ever after started at Beaver Station. Anyone who knows me well, will tell you that I have an unusual attention to detail and that I’m crazy organized. It is who I am and I am really good at what I do. I feel proud when we receive reviews following an event and the client mentions how helpful I’ve been or how easy I made it for them.
When I’m not at the Station, I enjoy being active, working in my garden and anything on the water. I’m also a retired ballerina, so a little dancing in the kitchen is a good stress reliever.“
After interviewing Leanne, I realized we had so much information about her. Not only did we have plenty of detail to go off of, but what was special about her responses was that they were written so personably and I did not want to take that out of this blog. For the majority of this article you can see that these paragraphs were mainly Leanne’s words. I wanted to show you just how much she wrote and all the passion behind what she was saying – she really does love what she does every day!
Leanne is someone who will always put a smile on your face! She is perfect at what she does for the Beaver Station with her positive and up-beat personality. Thank you Leanne for always “making the magic happen” and for showing us that finding something you love to do can bring so much joy to yourself and the people around you!
Are you interested in a “Unique Individual – Portrait on Location” session?
Emmanuel is excited to announce the launch of “Unique Individuals – Portraits on Location.” This isn’t your typical headshot, but with Emmanuel’s dramatic photography style, it will powerfully highlight your passion.
As Emmanuel is exploring a new type of portrait photography, he wants to share with you the unique stories behind them. We created a series called “Unique Individuals – The Heart of America”, where we will showcase the portraits Emmanuel has taken. This will include a short biography with fun/interesting facts about each person. The portraits will highlight the person’s passion, line of work, lifestyle, etc. Like many places, America is filled with hardworking, kind-hearted and passionate people, and we would love to tell you their stories through Emmanuel’s lens.
One Response
Very interesting story! I have always loved the train station,my Aunt and I would ride the train to Pittsburgh several times a year and spend the day in Pittsburgh shopping. That was many years ago when I was about 11. I miss my Aunt and the wonderful years we spent together.