Crawford Business Park to Welcome New Manufacturing Firm
At its meeting on April 17th, the Board of Directors of the Economic Progress Alliance approved a new five year lease with Abbatron, LLC at the Crawford Business Park.
Established in 2001 and currently located at the former Talon 5 plant on Arch Street in Meadville, Abbatron LLC is engaged in the design and manufacture of cable assemblies, test accessories and connectors. The company purchased the assets of HH Smith and also acquired the right to do business in the name of HH Smith.
Faced with an uncertain future at its current location, company principals Robert Sok and Harold Simmons considered numerous alternatives both within PA and in neighboring states before selecting the Crawford Business Park as the site of their future home. Abbatron, LLC and its 30 plus employees will occupy a total of 26,444 square feet of space currently being prepared by the Alliance construction crew commencing on October 1st of this year.
Of course, we are most pleased that Abbatron, LLC has chosen to remain and grow in Crawford County and sincerely thank Messers. Sok and Simmons for their continued commitment to the community.
Until next time...
Mark Turner
News and Developments . . .
Congratulations to both winners of the 2008 Gov. Raymond P. Shafer Award for Distinguished Community Service. Elmore (Cootie) Harris and Allegheny College President Dr. Richard Cook were recognized Tuesday evening at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner for their singular contributions to the quality of life in Crawford County. Each recipient is very recognizable to the residents of the county and has in his own way greatly affected our region.
Cootie Harris has been an icon in the region for many years. His respect and concern for all people is evidenced in the many years of service to the community. Well-known and respected in the community as a Tai Chi instructor, he is probably best known for his music and his support of the arts, encouraging and helping young musicians develop their talent. He has used both these vocations to reach out to others in many ways. Harris has served on the health advisory board and the governing board of Active Aging, was appointed to the Crawford County Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, does stress management programs for employees at the Polk Center, works with pulmonary groups at the Meadville Medical Center, participates in many programs at local nursing homes, and has taught the staff and clients at the ARC of Crawford County.
Dr. Richard Cook, President of Allegheny College for the past twelve years, not only made his mark on the college but also greatly affected the community, bringing the "town-gown" relationship to a new level of cooperation and understanding. During his tenure as President of the college, Allegheny has seen record-setting admissions four years in a row, the largest fund-raising campaign in its history, and a college endowment that has doubled. The campus has physically changed with $85 million invested in renovations and new construction. Dr. Cook brought the same commitment and energy to his service to the community, serving on numerous boards including the Economic and Education Committee of the Meadville-Western Crawford County Chamber of Commerce, the Meadville Medical Center board of corporators, the United Way of Western Crawford County Board of Directors, and the board of corporators of the Economic Progress Alliance. Dr. Cook has been a great ambassador for the college, locally, nationally and internationally; and an active and caring resident and friend of this community. Retiring this year, Dr. Cook will be sorely missed.
There is no doubt that both recipients are well deserving of the Shafer Award and do truly reflect the same love and dedication to the residents of Crawford County that were exemplified by Governor Shafer.
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania recently compared and analyzed data to measure Internet access among rural and urban households to compare how connectivity has changed in the past few years in Pennsylvania. Their findings showed:
- in 2007, 66% of rural households had internet access while 34% did not
- in 2007, 72% of urban households had Internet access and 28% did not
- between 2003-2007, the percent of rural households with Internet access increased 3 percentage points
- in 2007, 62% of rural households connected using a broadband connection while 38% used a dial-up modem; in the same period, 74% of urban households connected using broadband and 26% used dial-up
- the method of connection to the Internet was nearly evenly divide: 32% used cable, 30% used DSL and 38% used dial-up modems
- from 2003-2007, the largest increase was in DSL connectivity, followed by cable; dial-up modems declined by 40%
- nationally, 74%
These numbers seem to be in line compared with national data. Nationally, the 2006 Pew survey found that 74% of urban adults with home Internet access connected via broadband and 26% connected via dial-up modem. Among adults in rural areas nationally, 66% used broadband and 34% used dial-up.
In 2004, Pennsylvania signed into law Act 183 which requires that broadband telecommunication services be available to all Pennsylvanians by 2015 and encourages earlier deployment of these services through economic incentives and reduced regulations. The act also established the Broadband Outreach and Aggregation Fund (BOAF) within the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, a grant program designed to help communities aggregate the demand for broadband service.
source: www.ruralpa.org
The Economic Progress Alliance and its economic development partners throughout the county consider the retention and growth of existing businesses as our highest priority. Consequently, our efforts to meet with area businesses to identify both growth potential and the needs of area employers are a fundamental component of our efforts.
Over the course of the last few years, a common issue has been identified by a large number of area businesses: the lack of a qualified labor pool. While a number of factors are combining to create what appears to be a rather serious labor deficit for the region, a recent article published by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) put this national issue in some prospective and suggests the need for educational reform has reached an acute level. Click the following link to read more: http://www.nam.org/s_nam/doc1.asp?CID=67&DID=240320
The International program of the Northwest Commission in cooperation with the Center for Trade Development and its international trade offices provide a regional approach to export assistance. To this end, they along with the CITRA Center (Center for International Trade Regulatory Assistance, Duquesne University), are presenting an opportunity for companies to learn about International Standards and Regulations as well as meet with some of the Commonwealth's Authorized Trade Representative. This will be a one-day event from 8:00 a.m. - 2::00 p.m., Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at the Ambassador Banquet and Conference Center, 7794 Peach Street, Erie.
The program will start with a one-hour presentation by CITRA on European and Chinese regulations, CE marketing standards and other international standards. This presentation will be followed with pre-scheduled one-on-one meeting appointments between regional companies and European trade representatives for Germany (includes Italy, Switzerland and Austria), the United Kingdom (includes Ireland and Scandinavia), France (and Belgium) and Spain. These meetings are scheduled on a first come - first served basis, are 30 minutes long and provide an excellent opportunity to learn about the market potential for your company's products or services, market entry strategy, competitive market analysis, and key contacts, organizations and events.
Cost is $50 per company. Registration deadline is May 6th. To register or obtain further information, contact Claudia Garcia at the NW Commission, 814-454-7191.
First Energy offers help to businesses looking to sell internationally through their Export Now initiative, a special program designed to assist area businesses sell their products and services in Mexico, Canada, Brazil and Chile. These markets were selected based on three factors: 1) the opportunities created for U.S. firms under NAFTA, 2) the relative ease of doing business in these countries, and 3) the belief that after mastering the learning curve of selling to our NAFTA partners, companies will be better prepared to sell to other international markets. Export Now's services include:
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an assessment of international marketing/sales opportunities in Mexico, Canada, Brazil and Chile
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subsidized fees charged by the U.S. Commerce Department's Foreign Commercial Service
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assistance at international trade events
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match-making meeting with the pre-qualified direct sale customers, agents and distributors
Since First Energy started its Export Now program over ten years ago, more than 200 First Energy customers have participated and generated more than 1700 qualified leads. This initiative in 2008 has resulted in nine companies traveling to Monterrey, Mexico to participate in Expo Manufactura in early March.
Currently, First Energy is finalizing the applicants interested in participating in the Export Now initiative in Toronto and Montreal, Canada on June 1-6, 2008. Applications are also being accepted from companies interested in participating in the Export Now initiative to Brazil and Chile which will occur in early December, 2008.
If your company is interested in support from First Energy to help sell your products and services in Mexico, Canada, Brazil or Chile, email Jim Haas or call him at 724-656-5399.
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Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County
764 Bessemer Street, Suite 101
Meadville PA 16335
814-333-2299
05/09/2008