As I mentioned in the last installment of the Economic Insider, the 2008 priorities of the Economic Progress Alliance were outlined for Corporators who attended the Annual Meeting held on March 27, 2008. The following goals serve to drive the current work plan of the Economic Progress Alliance:
Organization
• Form and activate Board-driven advisory committees including Personnel and Finance/Audit Committees
• Complete real estate asset transfers to Alliance Property Holdings
• Develop and implement Capital Budget Plan
• Complete Economic Progress Alliance Strategic Plan
Outreach
• Complete 250 Business Retention and Expansion visitations
• Complete 15 business financings
• Organize / co-sponsor 4 small business development seminars
• Complete 12 workforce training assessments
• Provide access to $30,000 for incumbent worker training
Crawford Business Park
• Prepare and lease 30,000 s.f. of additional manufacturing space
• Design, prepare and lease former Generant office space
• Design, prepare and lease Dillon Center second floor
• Prepare Universal Well Training Center improvements
• Successfully conclude renewal of all expiring leases
• Rehabilitate 50,000 s.f. of roofs
• Design and construct new East Entrance
Keystone Regional Industrial Park
• Complete master land use plan
• Finalize electric and gas infrastructure plans
• Complete design and begin Phase I water system construction
• Establish water connection with PPG
• Sell at least 10 acres of land
• Construct at least one new facility
• Collaborate with regional partners to target high intensity water users for potential recruitment to the region
• Target Pittsburgh and Cleveland distribution businesses for recruitment to the region
Other Priorities
• Achieve full utilization of Bessemer Street facility
• Sell final site(s) at West Mead Industrial Park
• Assist the Meadville RDA with preliminary site studies at their Terrace Street property
• Assist NW REC with marketing and development of Cambridge Business Park
• Evaluate ownership disposition for residential properties
Of course, we will be regularly reporting progress in achieving these goals to our Board of Directors and will keep you informed in future editions of the Economic Insider.
Until next time...
Mark Turner
News and Developments . . .
The Northwest Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board (WIB) is continuing their efforts to assist Pennsylvania companies and employees through a support system of private sector, economic development, government and education resources. The Industry Partnership Program developed in our six-county northwest region has grown to cover the targeted industry clusters as identified by the Governor's office as critical to the region's economy. These clusters include metal and metal fabrication; healthcare; electronics manufacturing; plastics; technology; transportation and logistics; oil and gas; food; building and construction; wood and lumber; and a new emerging biotech partnership. The Industry Partnership Program was established to engage businesses in their industry cluster to share best practices and gain access to resources available to enable them to remain competitive in today's global economy.
Currently, three industry partnerships in Crawford County with the most company participation include the healthcare, metals and metal fabrication, and plastics. The healthcare partnership has focused on pipeline development, education outreach and incumbent worker training. They have dedicated a portion of funds received to conduct two health career summer camps for 48 students throughout the region, and consortium based training in healthcare supervisory skills for 150 individuals.
The metals and metal fabrication partnership has undertaken several endeavors over the past year including a marketing campaign to combat bad press coverage of the industry, incumbent worker training, and sponsoring the very successful RoboBots competition. They have established priorities for the coming year that includes creating a pipeline of trainable workers for the future and have recently hired a project manager to facilitate the goals of the partnership.
The plastics partnership is currently participating in the statewide Plastics Initiative, a $5 million effort at boosting the competitiveness of the entire industry in Pennsylvania. They have developed a pilot program to create internship opportunities for high school students and are currently seeking proposals to complete Research and Development activities for the industry to identify emerging markets.
All the industry partnerships representing Crawford County and the northwest Pennsylvania region are actively working to support and assist the region's companies and employees by developing and researching various avenues for resources to meet their needs. If you would like further information about these partnerships and workforce development, contact Connie Frantz, the Alliance Workforce Development Coordinator, at 814-333-2299 x 236.
A project undertaken by the Meadville Redevelopment Authority for the Meadville Industrial Complex and Business Incubator that has been three years in the making will get underway on Monday, April 14th when construction begins on the Pine Street Parking Lot Storm Water Management Retrofit Project. This project will deal with the rain water issues experienced by those using the multi-level parking lot on Pine Street by installing bio-retention rain gardens for the purpose of storm water infiltration.
Meadville Land Services will construct three connected rain gardens cascading down the south side of the parking lot to the bottom end of the lot to channel the water into Neason Run, keeping the water from becoming run-off. This area abuts the Cora Clark Park and when the project is completed, the rain gardens will be virtually unnoticeable and look like grassy areas to anyone walking along the trail in the park.
The project, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, is a demonstration project for best management practices at an industrial/business facility. It is also within the designated area of the City of Meadville's Neason Run Storm Water Study that was completed in June, 2007. Estimated completion time is six weeks.
With more than 700 flower growers, Pennsylvania ranks fourth nationally in wholesale potted flowering plants, producing more than $39 million worth of African violets, azaleas, chrysanthemums and more in 21.2 million square feet of covered growing space.
Pennsylvania farmers are also busy with spring planting. There are 58,200 Pennsylvania farms with 7.65 million acres of farmland or nearly 27% of the total acres in the state under agricultural production.
source: PA Dept. of Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Commerce, Commercial Service; Gannon University's SBDC; and the NW Commission are offering an export basics seminar, "Exporting: First Steps to Success," to discuss how to identify potential export markets and the logistics of exporting your product from the U.S. The seminar will be held on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at the William Dounglass Conference Center, 764 Bessemer Street, Meadville. Registration will be at 8:30 a.m. with the seminar running from 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
The seminar will benefit any company considering exporting, new to or already exporting. Presenters will be Steven Murray of the U.S. Commercial Service, Adam Mook of Gannon's SBDC and Claudia Garcia of the NW Commission. Topics will include:
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identifying favorable export markets
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due diligence
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negotiating with foreign customers
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payment terms
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terms of sale (INCOTERMS)
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export documentation and recordkeeping
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financing options for working capital and receivables
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laws and regulations governing U.S. exports
Cost to attend is $40. For further information or to register, contact Janice Auerbach at 814-871-5353, or register online.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Small Business Ombudsman, will host a series of free energy management workshops at seven locations across the state this Spring to help small and medium-sized businesses improve energy conservation and efficiency practices to help save money on their energy costs. One of these seminars will be held in Meadville, May 15th, at the William Douglass Conference Center, 764 Bessemer Street.
The half-day workshops will provide information on energy cost savings opportunities, energy supply options, understanding utility bills, developing an energy action plan, energy assessment resources and funding programs for energy projects. Presenters at the Meadville workshop include Preston (Pete) Roberts of the Electrotechnology Applications Center (ETAC) who has a 30 year background in the energy industry, and Joseph Nordstrom of the Gannon University SBDC who spent over six years as an environmental professional in private industry before joining the SBDC to provide environmental consulting services to small business in northwestern Pennsylvania.
The workshops will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Doors will open at 7:45 a.m. Registration for the workshops is free and the sessions are open to the public. Funding for the workshops is provided through a U.S. Department of Energy grant.
For a workshop brochure/registration form, click this link or contact DEP's Office of Energy and Technology Deployment at 717-783-2703, or register online. Questions concerning the workshop contents can be emailed to ETAC.
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Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County
764 Bessemer Street, Suite 101
Meadville PA 16335
814-333-2299
04/23/2008