Building for the Future

Thanks to continued growth, Portage Learning opens sparkling new complex in Chippewa Township.

The steeple is gone.

The stained-glass windows and pews, too.

Yet something quite spiritual lives on inside a former church on Darlington Road: Plenty of faith, hope, and love for people.

Those three traits have led to Portage Learning’s continued growth over the past 15 years, and they’ve fueled the vision for the online educational institution’s new digs. And this work space is as innovative as the digital courses being offered. The 35,000 square foot complex not only houses more than 50 offices and conference rooms, but it also features:

•   The Atlee — An event space for hosting large community gatherings. It offers all essential amenities, along with features such as a stone gas fireplace that anchors the space, a renovated kitchen and bar area, and an outdoor patio with seating and a gas fire table.

•   The Learning Lighthouse — A child development center designed to support Portage Learning employees and serve the local community. This safe and fun space for kids also includes a new outdoor playground.

•   Two state-of-the-art studios — They were built for filming online courses and recording episodes of the “Between Tides” podcast, enhancing Portage Learning’s digital content creation.

•   A modern break room — It comes equipped with commercial-grade amenities such as an espresso machine, a fully stocked refrigerator with complimentary beverages, and a large-screen TV for video games, music, or multimedia displays.

•   An outdoor break area — It features 11 tables for staff to enjoy lunch, unwind, or engage in friendly competition with on-site foosball and ping-pong tables.

•   A Little Free Library — It’s filled with the favorite books of Ronni Guile, a cherished team member who tragically passed away in 2023 at the age of 23.

•   A cinema-quality display experience — A major component of the large-group gathering space is an 8-foot by 13-foot 4K screen. “It’s like going to the cinema in an office building,” said IT Systems Engineer Aaron McConahy. “But the picture is better than what you see at the movies.”

During an open house in early April, Portage Learning founder Ken Hartman shared hugs, hi-fives and huge smiles as he celebrated with employees, their families, and others from the Chippewa community.

His eyes welled with tears when asked to describe what he was feeling.

“This is a testament to all the hard work done by so many people through the years,” he said. “And this will be a launching point for so much more great work in the years ahead.”

In 1972, Hartman was a young Chemistry professor at Geneva College when he took a call from Jameson Hospital in New Castle. Several students wanted to get into its nursing program, but they needed to take a high school chemistry course to qualify. So the administrators asked Hartman if he would teach them. Jameson was thrilled with his instruction, and began to send more students to him. Without realizing it at the time, Hartman was gathering evidence that a quality education could take place inside or outside of a classroom.

More than a half-century later, Hartman and President Steve Michalik transformed that distance learning program into a leader in online education. Through partnerships with Geneva College and Bushnell University in Eugene, Ore., Portage Learning now offers labs and more than 30 college courses, including graduate level options. It does not award degrees. Instead, its mission is to support academic institutions by delivering high-quality education to their students through self-directed and asynchronous courses.

And over time the student population’s growth has morphed from “impressive” to “massive” — enrollment is on pace for another record year — and that meant more faculty, more staff, and less room to house them. So after seven years of squeezing into its leased space inside another building on Darlington Road, Portage Learning moved into its own complex in early April. And it didn’t take long for employees to feel right at home.

“Not that we weren’t an established institution before, but it feels so much more real now that we have our own place. It feels like we’ve achieved critical mass with thousands of students around the nation,” Michalik explained.

“We think of this as more than an office space. We’re an asset to the community.”

Rebecca Williams is a Creative Learning and Accessibility Lead at Portage Learning, and she’s also the visionary who designed the elegant look and feel of the new complex. It formerly housed Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, which moved to a new location in April 2023.

“We wanted to make people feel it was well thought-out and intentional,” she said. “We saw so much opportunity when we first walked through the building.”

She smiled.

“I love it when people tour our space and say, ‘Wow, that’s interesting. I never thought you could do THAT!’ ”

After purchasing the structure from Mt. Olive, Portage Learning enlisted Hostetter Auctioneers to sell off items left behind, including church pews, stained-glass windows, and hymn boards. The multimillion-dollar construction project began in April 2024 and took a full year to complete.

So, why did Portage Learning decide to renovate rather than tear down the original framework that was built in 1962?

"We loved what this building stood for in the community and the possibilities it holds,” Williams pointed out. “The building itself is beautiful with great bones to work with.”

Michalik agreed.

“I liked what the church was doing in the community. Their desire was to make the world a better place, and so is ours. We’re carrying on the purpose of this space by trying to impact people’s lives.”

Lutz Briggs Schultz and Associates Inc. of Ellwood City was the structural engineer and project manager, overseeing 13 local sub-contractors:

•Abbey Carpet & Floor

•HH Electric & Son Inc.

•Advanced Caulking Services for outside caulking work

•Dwyer Glass for inside caulking work

•KMA & Associates Inc.

•Anderson Interiors

•Carpenters For Hire Inc.

•Lawnworks Inc.

•Tri-State Equipment Co.

•Youngstown Granite and Quartz LLC

•Air Systems Mechanical

•Potts Plumbing

•Brenner Painting Inc.

“The process was super smooth and wonderful,” Williams said. “Everyone was great to work with.”

And she worked most closely with her husband, Jared, who is the Senior Director of Finance and Business Administration at Portage Learning. Jared not only handled the financial aspects of the process, but he is a gifted carpenter who kept a close eye on the construction. As the church’s transformation progressed throughout the year, the couple spent hours upon hours at the facility, including countless late nights. Appropriately enough, they were asked to cut the ribbon during the grand opening.

Portage Learning often conducts volunteer service days to come alongside non-profit entities in Beaver County, and Michalik said the institution is committed to the Chippewa community for as long as it exists. He’s even eyeing some other property in the area for potential expansion. The distance learning initiative started by Hartman now features more than 160 staff and faculty members — and continues to expand.

“Every time someone taps the ‘enroll’ button, there’s a story behind it,” Michalik said as the morning sun shone through a window behind him. “And this space is part of a greater story we hope to tell for quite some time.”

If the early reviews are any indication, Portage Learning is well on its way.