Penn-Northwest Celebrates Successes of Past Year
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The board, members and staff of Penn-Northwest Development Corp. celebrated the businesses that moved to Mercer County over the last year, hired more employees, expanded plant or added equipment, and the nurturing environment that encouraged this growth.
The annual meeting, held Thursday at the Avalon Golf & Country Club, was long on congratulations and gratitude but short on actual business. The president of Penn-Northwest, Randy Seitz, presented each table with a “2013-2014 Program of Work,” which will be discussed in more detail at the next meeting of the economic development agency, Oct. 24.
Penn-Northwest might not have fully met the goals it set last year, but it came close, Seitz reported, and better to have ambitious goals not met than set the bar too low.
Over the last 12 to 18 months, the economic development agency has worked to reduce the unemployment rate in Mercer County, add 500 jobs, recruit new industry, help the companies here expand, reverse the exodus of residents and create a business environment where county residents who graduate from college want to stay because employers offer jobs worthy of their talents.
The inaugural Program of Work that Seitz and his board developed set a goal of helping 10 companies expand. It helped nine.
A year ago, Penn-Northwest could claim it had played a role in helping companies in the county invest $33 million in capital projects. This year that figure had risen to $60.1 million.
As for job creation/retention, the goal was 500; 542 were kept or hired in new positions.
Penn-Northwest hoped to work to get two entrepreneurs started and the agency met that goal, Seitz reported.
Even projects that enjoyed success but in which Penn-Northwest played no role were hailed as indicators the county is rebounding economically. Seitz mentioned Sharon Tube and Reznor, the latter of which presented its $5.5 million renovation last summer. Reznor makes commercial and residential heating and cooling equipment.
And the agency's president sought to increase membership in Penn-Northwest. As awareness of its efforts increased, the result in large measure of the “Make it in!” marketing campaign, the agency enjoyed a 27% increase in membership and the goal of collecting $107,946 in dues was surpassed as $133,775 came in.
As Seitz noted, “Today is a celebration of the first year of the Program of Work.” He also praised the “Improvement Movement Team” of businessmen who volunteer in Penn-Northwest economic development efforts.
In the “New Industry Spotlight” yesterday were:
- Astralloy Steel Products, which relocated its headquarters from Masury, Ohio, to Sharon.
- Davis Alloys Manufacturing, which established startup operations in Sharon by investing $620,000 in capital and creating nine jobs.
- Levey & Co. a commercial real estate agent that spearheaded the Kohl’s department store in Hermitage.
- Precision Castparts Corp. which chose to relocate and expand in Mercer County, investing $12 million and creating 80 jobs.
- RJR Alloys Inc. relocated to Mercer County from Ohio, investing $250,000 and bringing three-full-time jobs.
- Noise Solutions Inc., headquartered in Canada, came to Mercer County in part to meet some of its customers’ demand that they buy American. Capital investment, $10 million. New jobs, 126.
- Pennex Aluminum Co., a subsidiary of Metal Exchange Corp., headquartered in St. Louis, signed a long-term lease with ILSCO to acquire the billet production assets. Investment, $3.5 million. Jobs created 33.
Among the companies in Mercer County that expanded, added to their workforces or both:
- Advanced Fiberglass Services.
- Community Counseling Center.
- Ellwood Crankshaft & Machine.
- GE Transportation.
- Northeast Industrial Manufacturing Inc.
- Sharon Fence.
- Sunbelt Transformer.
- Wendell August Forge.
- Zero Error Racing Inc.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to our free daily email headlines and to our twice-monthly print edition.