Telemarketing Firm Vacating 11,000 Square-Foot Office Space

The Piper Aviation Museum of Lock Haven, PA announced last week that a long-term tenant has decided to relocate by the end of the month, representing a significant loss of revenue enjoyed by the non-profit organization for the last several years.

The Lock Haven (PA) Express reports Museum Board member Russ Nelson told the Clinton County Tourism Committee last Thursday of the decision by telemarketing firm Liberty Business Information, Inc. to vacate an 11,000 square-foot office space at the end of its current three-year lease, relocating operations to its Montoursville headquarters.

"We didn't get too much information from them when it came to the decision," Nelson said. "They were pretty much silent for three months, and used their 90-day escape hatch on a three-year lease to announce the departure." Nelson called the firm's exit a "kick in the pants," but said museum officials are already working to find another tenant.

"In no way is this going to inhibit the operation of the museum," Nelson said. "It will slow some of our progress, but we stay the same as we've always been. We are where we started, but we've been operating on that type of budget for seven years. We're living on largesse," Nelson quipped.

The museum occupies space in a 56,000 square-foot building, the former home of the engineering department of the Piper Aircraft Corporation, and is supported chiefly by rental income, admissions, memberships, and gift shop sales. In addition to institutional and private donor support, the museum receives rental income from UGI Inc., the former Penn Fuel Gas Co., which recently signed a five-year lease.

Featuring an ever-expanding collection of exhibits, corporate and family records, flight journals and magazines, photographs, and memorabilia, the Piper Aviation Museum is a nonprofit educational organization incorporated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1995.

FMI: www.pipermuseum.com