Apr. 16—LEWISBURG — A study of Valley businesses by Bucknell University professor Christine Ngo found that rural America demonstrated resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ngo, an assistant professor of Economics, embarked on a study of rural America to determine the impact of the pandemic on rural America in the wake of the opioid crisis, high level of suicide and "culture of hopelessness" that preceded it.

"The Central Susquehanna Valley is representative of the Rust Belt and areas where industry has turned into services," she said.

In her published paper, Foundations of Rural Resiliency: America during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Ngo asserts that businesses in rural America were able to adapt to the economic shock of the global pandemic and "in the process, changed the economic and social landscape."

She interviewed representatives of 20 service-related businesses, manufacturers, government agencies and nonprofit organizations and found they were able to thrive during the pandemic.

"Despite major shakeups in the pre-pandemic U.S. economy — most notably the nationwide shift from manufacturing to services — rural businesses have found a way to make themselves competitive in the global market," she said in her report. "They take advantage of rural capitals, affordable living expenses and the unique characteristics of their businesses."

"Many are in niche markets or targeting regional markets," said Ngo.

What they have in common is they value employees, a point that Ngo said "is tremendously important at a time of crisis. We need to get back to that. We can learn from rural America (where) businesses are not cost-cutting, they treat workers well and see them as part of the community."

Ngo learned that some companies used the 2021 pandemic-related shutdown to invest in employee training

Rural business leaders, she said, "will tell you it's not the market, it's the community."

One company that was interviewed for the paper told Ngo it was close to going out of business during the pandemic when a supplier stepped in and helped keep it afloat.

Still, Ngo said rural America is struggling. While employees credited employees with helping sustain business, they rue the lack of workers available.

"I'm glad the research is supporting essentially what we've been saying," said Greater Susquehanna Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Garrett.

He agrees with Ngo's findings that added supports are needed to attract women and immigrants into the workplace.

"Look at the history of this area when we found ourselves in a boom economy. We relied on immigrants," Garrett said, pointing as one example to Irish immigrants who worked in the coal industry.

The local labor force participation rate now stands at about 60 percent, below the national participation rate of 64.2 percent.

"It not only shocks me, it worries me," said Garrett.