River Roots Redevelopment: The Company We Keep: Building a Better Future, Together

By: Selina Pedi-Smith, Pellere Foundation

Every project has a story behind it, and this one starts - like many do - with a few slightly crazy people who believed in something a little too big, a little too ambitious, and way too important to let go. Let’s rewind for a second.

A few years ago, I sat across the table from my dear friend Brian Slawin at Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Brian works tirelessly to connect the right people with the right opportunities...and you’ve got to be at least a little crazy to do that kind of matchmaking at the scale he does. I was trying to articulate my thoughts on how energy, housing, and rural revitalization aren’t separate problems; they’re one big opportunity.

Brian had known me for about a year at that point - long enough to know I was serious, and just crazy enough to chase something this big. A few minutes into the conversation, he leaned back and said something like, “You need to meet Bruce.”

Enter Bruce Kraselsky, who was busy building what sounded like science fiction: a 3D printing construction robot that could build homes in days instead of months. And unlike some people who hear me talk about blight and resilience and small-town possibility, Bruce didn’t just smile, nod, and back away slowly - he lit up. He shared his story, his own crazy ideas, his wins and setbacks, and even more, he offered belief.

From there, the web kept growing. Bruce introduced me to the team at Penn State - engineers, designers, thinkers, dreamers - who were helping bring that 3D printing robot to life. That led to José Pinto Duarte, the Stuckeman Chair in Design Innovation at Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture - one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met, and one of the most gracious. And just this past year, I was fortunate to be introduced to Lisa Iulo, Director of the Hamer Center for Community Design, whose energy and enthusiasm radiate into every room she enters. Each of them dazzling in their own way. Each wildly committed to the belief that innovation doesn’t belong only in big cities. It can—and should—start wherever it’s needed most.

A couple of weeks ago, we all gathered in person again. We watched the XHab robot in action, toured the Hamer Center, and spread site plans out across a table, sketching out what might come next. And let me tell you: there is nothing more inspiring than sitting in a room full of people determined to make life better - not in a vague, kumbaya kind of way, but in a spreadsheets-and-shovels, here’s-what-works-and-what-doesn’t kind of way.

Every person brought something different. Every conversation peeled back another layer. And every hour reminded me why we keep going—despite the delays, the curveballs, the decisions made far from here by people who will never walk these streets. Because yes, it’s been hard. But it’s also been full of heart. The more we’ve had to adapt, the more focused we’ve become. The closer we get to our goal, the less power the frustration holds.

We’re not just building a project. We’re building a model for how rural communities can thrive - through housing that’s smart, systems that are sustainable, and processes that actually center on the people who live here. And we’re doing it through relationships. Not for convenience or to meet an agenda. Real, human relationships rooted in trust, shared vision, and the belief that this region deserves to be part of the future, not an afterthought to it.

We’re on the edge of something big. But we didn’t get here alone. And we’re not moving forward alone, either.

There’s more to come—soon. Designs are evolving. The next steps are taking shape. What’s been behind-the-scenes will soon become real-world impact. But for now, I just want to say thank you—to Brian, Bruce, José, Lisa, and everyone else who’s taken a chance on this idea, this place, this possibility. You’ve helped make the impossible feel inevitable. To the rest of you: I hope you’ll stick with us. Progress might be messy. It might be slow. But with the right people? It’s unstoppable.

To learn more about the tech and humans behind the work, check out our partners at XHab, the Hamer Center for Community Design, and the College of Arts & Architecture.

To be part of the progress? Check in at Pellere.org.

Tune in. Dig deep. Do good.

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Rachel Brosnahan is the Community Engagement Coordinator for River Roots Redevelopment. She can be reached by email at rachel@riverrootsredevelopment.org