By George Berkheimer, for the Bedford Gazette
In 2023, Jessica and Gerry Leader bought a fire-ravaged church in Everett with the aim of turning it into apartments. The couple already owned some rental properties and thought they could expand their portfolio.
“It turned out to be an engineering nightmare,” Jessica Leader said. “With the height of the ceilings and the quirks of the building itself, it was going to cost a fortune to try to separate the space into units.”
That’s when Jessica recalled the time she spent in high school working at the Ramada Inn in Altoona.
“To this day that has been the most fun job I’ve ever had,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed planning parties and events for my kids and family over the years, so when we were trying to decide what to do with this building, I kept circling back to that.” Instead of apartments, the couple is now putting the finishing touches on what is set to become the North Spring Ballroom, an all-inclusive wedding and event venue.
It’s a new entrepreneurial leap for them, but entrepreneurship is common ground in the family.
Gerry’s father, Gary, established Leader’s Farm Equipment in 1968.“ It grew quickly, and it grew even more when Gerry took it over in 2009,” Jessica Leader said – so much so that she eventually gave up her 15-year medical career in ultrasound to join him in managing the business in 2023.
“Our businesses are members of the Everett area Better Business Bureau, and I sit on the board of Reimagined Everett to restore the Everett theater,” Leader said. She also serves on the board of the Raystown Ambulance and the Everett Elementary PTA.
Finishing touches
In late September, Jessica Leader calculated that she and her husband had worked four straight weeks without a break getting ready to open the doors for the Ballroom’s first event on October 25. “We still need to pave the parking lot, put the finishing touches on things and get inspections squared away,” she said.
Initially, North Spring Ballroom will rely on casual staff of 10 to 15 employees between bartenders, kitchen staff, security and cleaning personnel before moving on to a more permanent employment arrangement.
“We’re full service, so anytime someone rents the space they’ll have a full-time venue attendant making sure the lights and WiFi are operating properly, tables and chairs are properly arranged, and somebody is attending to their needs,” Jessica Leader said. “We include linens in the rental, use of our kitchen, and our sound system. We’ll have absolutely everything they need.”
Although North Spring Ballroom doesn’t offer full-scale catering, it will have a licensed kitchen that can provide food options that include luncheons, hors d’oeuvres, or a grazing table.
The location on North Spring Street in Everett has turned out to be an opportune one for the venue, Jessica Leader said.
“We have coffee shops, two barber shops and numerous salons nearby, a massage therapist and a gym – you name it, we have it covered in Everett, so guests coming to an event here aren’t far from what they might need,” she said.
For lodging, the Union Hotel only two blocks away on Everett’s Main Street features beautifully restored rooms, she added.
“We’re just a short drive in either direction from Breezewood and Bedford, so we’re close to other lodging options, not to mention a few Airbnb’s that are within walking distance.” Venue capacity is 150, Leader said.
Community effort
Preparing to open the North Spring Ballroom has felt like a community effort because of the support the couple has received from their construction team and lending partners, Jessica Leader said.
“Garman Brothers Construction is my main contractor and we wouldn’t have been able to pull this off without them,” she said. “I said ‘Let’s do this,’ and they said “Okay,’ and made it happen. Their vision alongside me was incredible and matched the expectations we had.”
Hometown Bank and the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission provided the funding that made the renovations possible, Leader added. “They really made me feel like they had my back and made this happen for us,” she said. Establishing the event venue has been the realization of a personal goal, but Leader said it’s also important to reciprocate on the support she and her husband have received.
“I’m proud of the strides we’ve made together as a community in Everett in the last five or 10 years,” Leader said. “I have a lot of colleagues and friends who are working very hard to make this town something really special, so I’m happy to be adding something that will draw people here to see how wonderful this town is.”