MAY 2009

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PRA Partnership is Named National “Top 10 Economic Development Organization”

The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) Partnership has again been named one of the nation’s Top 10 economic development organizations by Site Selection magazine, based on a range of criteria including total capital investment, jobs created, diversity of projects and the contributions of regional economic development partners. In addition, among 400 cities worldwide, Pittsburgh was deemed No. 9 among fDi magazine’s “North American Cities of the Future 2009/10,” gaining particular recognition for its foreign direct investment strategy and human resources.

Recently, the PRA Partnership announced its 2008 inventory of regional economic development “wins.” Despite the economic downturn, it was a noteworthy year that included $4+ billion in capital investment and 290 corporate expansion, relocation and development projects. These are expected to create, over time, some 13,200 new regional jobs and retain more than 17,000 – a total employment impact of more than 30,000 jobs. Read more from the PRA (PDF file) or read the full “Top 10” article from Site Selection.

While being the fDi (a Financial Times publication) No. 9 “North American City of the Future” (large city category), the region was recognized as having the No. 2 best human resources, the No. 4 best foreign direct investment strategy and the No. 2 largest number of post-secondary students. Read the article (PDF file)

More Economic Development News

PNC Hiring 250 Financial Advisers
“PNC Financial Services Group expects to hire 250 additional financial advisers by the end of next year at its bank branches … [and] currently employs between 400 and 450 advisers.”  Read more (scroll down)

Green Cardinal Resources Hiring and is Region’s First B-Corp.
“[The environmental engineering and consulting firm] Cardinal Resources is one of the first companies in our region to become a certified Benefit-Corp … [a group of companies] that agree to use the power of business to make a positive social and earth-friendly impact on the world … Cardinal, with 15 employees, plans to hire another seven by the end of the year. The company had a profitable $3.3 million year in 2008." Read more

Erdman Anthony Hiring Engineers in Pittsburgh
“Erdman Anthony, a Rochester, N.Y., company that specializes in infrastructure engineering and support services, hired three engineers when it opened its Pittsburgh office April 1 and expects to add seven to 12 more during the next 18 months.” Read more

Allstate Hiring in Pittsburgh Area
“Allstate is taking advantage of a difficult economy to expand this year, recruiting at least 81 agents in Pennsylvania, including 24 in the Pittsburgh area.” Read more

Six Pittsburgh-Area Companies Hiring 100s of College Grads
“When freshly minted college grads stream into the work force this summer, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. will give 1,500 of them cubicles and business cards. The Downtown-based bank, and five other Pittsburgh-area companies, rank among the top employers of new college graduates for 2009, according to a survey by CollegeGrad.com. PNC ranked 17th among the 273 companies on the list. Other area companies included Education Management Corp., 84 Lumber Co., U.S. Steel Corp., Alcoa Inc. and Westinghouse Electric Co.” Read more

ImagineMyNewJob.com: One-Stop Job Search Portal – 20,000+ Pittsburgh Jobs NOW
Are you looking for a job or know someone who is? Jobseekers of all kinds have a comprehensive regional resource, www.ImagineMyNewJob.com. This free and easy-to-use “one-stop job-search shop” pools all the online postings from search engines such as Monster and CareerBuilder.com, as well as from individual company job sites. This makes a range of great opportunities, from full-time positions to internships, all accessible in one convenient place. There are more than 20,000 available RIGHT NOW – half of them with annual salaries of $40,000+. ImagineMyNewJob.com is a service of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

Share the good news! Visit ImagineMyNewJob.com and click on “Help Spread the Word.”

Giant Ideas Expands to Larger Office Downtown
“Giant Ideas, a young marketing and branding agency, is moving for the first time since the company was launched seven years ago to a new, larger location at First Ave. and Market St. downtown … The new office is currently undergoing renovations, which they are making as sustainable as they can.” Read more

Pittsburgh’s Number of Fortune 500s Grows
Two more companies from the Pittsburgh region – Mylan Inc. and Consol Energy Inc. – landed among Fortune magazine’s list of the nation’s 500 largest publicly traded companies this year, lifting the total in the region to eight. Five more companies from the region find themselves in the latter half of the Fortune 1,000, and there are more than 100 billion-dollar-plus global corporations with headquarters or major business units based in the Pittsburgh region. Read the related article from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

FedEx Expands, Hiring to Come
“FedEx Corp. plans to expand its local FedEx Smart Post operation and move from Leetsdale to the Clinton Commerce Park in Findlay, [having signed a five-year lease] … The 165 full- and part-time employees now at the Leetsdale Industrial Park will relocate to the new 205,000 SF building with plans to eventually hire additional employees in the future as business grows.” Read more

First Niagara Enters the Pittsburgh Market
“First Niagara Financial Group is scouting sites for a regional market center in Pittsburgh, part of the Lockport, N.Y.-based bank's entry into the Pittsburgh market … First Niagara signed a definitive agreement to acquire a block of 57 former National City Corp. branches with deposits of $4.2 billion from PNC Financial Services Group, Pittsburgh, for a deposit premium of 1.3 percent, or $54 million.”  Read more

Homeland Security Capital Corporation Opens Pittsburgh Office
Homeland Security Capital Corporation – an international provider of specialized technology-based radiological, nuclear, environmental, disaster relief, and security solutions to government and commercial customers – recently announced that its environmental remediation subsidiary, Safety and Ecology Corporation (SEC) has opened an office in Beaver county. The company sees its new northeast operation, about 20 miles Northwest of Pittsburgh, near Pittsburgh International Airport, as a strategic position for future growth. Read more

Appliance Dealers Cooperative Breaks Ground on New Facility
Appliance Dealers Cooperative recently broke ground on the company’s new 155,000 SF operations and distribution facility located in Findlay Industrial Park near Pittsburgh International Airport. “The estimated $10 million facility in the Findlay Industrial Park is to open in November and employ 40 people.” Read more or view the PRA photo gallery.

Ribbon-Cutting for $625M Children’s Hospital
“[Recently,] after seven years of planning and construction, the new, [Children’s Hospital campus in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood] celebrated its completion with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ... More than 6,000 people turned out for the hospital’s open house … The hospital officially [opened] on May 2.” Read more

Economy League Reports: Point Park to Contribute to Local Economy
Point Park University's $244 million Academic Village will not only enhance Downtown, but has also been identified by the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania to have a projected $281 million additional value added to the regional economy while generating more than 3,700 jobs. Read the report or a related article.

Nation’s No. 1 Commercial Real Estate Market: Site Selection Highlights Pittsburgh’s Moody’s Rating
A Site Selection article showcases the Pittsburgh region’s recognitions as one of Kiplinger.com’s “Safe Havens in Real Estate” (with below-average unemployment and foreclosure rates plus high affordability) and Moody’s Investors Service’s No. 1 commercial real estate market in the nation. “The [Moody’s] rating … serves as further evidence that Pittsburgh is home not just to title winners like the NFL champion Steelers; it is home also to favorable business conditions for corporate and commercial real estate investors. The turnaround of the Western Pennsylvania region is remarkable.” Read more (see “The Steel City is Rock Solid” sidebar)

Starpointe Business Park Lands Grant for Flex Building
“A state grant of nearly $420,000 was [recently] announced for construction of a ‘flex’ building in Starpointe Business Park in Smith and Hanover townships.” Read more

Under Construction: $12M East Liberty Mixed-Use Development
“[Ground recently broke] on 5801 Penn Ave., a much-anticipated mixed-use development that will house 54 one- and two-bedroom apartments and 11,000 SF of ground-floor commercial space.” Read more

Redevelopment Planned for Former Dravo Engineering Site
“New development work has begun at the site of the former Dravo Engineering headquarters at 4800 Grand Ave. on Neville Island. JLS Land Company plans to build an 80,000 to 120,000 SF flex park on the 8.5-acre site and has appointed Burns & Scalo Real Estate Services as its construction representative.” Read more

Site Selection on Energy: Region’s $145M Solar Power Industries Expansion
In an article in Site Selection magazine about the best locations in the nation and the world for solar energy expansion, a Pittsburgh region expansion is mentioned: “Solar Power Industries Inc. announced in September that it would build a $145-million solar cell plant in Belle Vernon, Pa. The 60,000 SF factory will employ 396 workers in Westmoreland County in the Pittsburgh metro area.” Read more

Global Publication, Financial Times, Touts Local Neighborhood and Regional Transformation
“According to the Financial Times, the air is clearer now and the city has regrouped around its concentration of urban universities, research facilities, hospitals, health services and the headquarters of eight Fortune 500 companies. And, in a way, the departure of the big industrial employers was actually a boon, allowing Pittsburgh to avoid the latest, massive rounds of layoffs and downsizings that have brought many Rust Belt cities to their knees. It has also managed to dodge a severe crisis in the property market.” Read more

City Plans for Allegheny Riverfront Development
“[The City of Pittsburgh recently] launched a year-long planning effort aimed at transforming large stretches of abandoned, undeveloped, or ill-used Allegheny riverfront into havens for jobs, housing and recreation. Over the next 12 months, the goal will be to create a unified vision for the redevelopment of 6.5 miles of land stretching from the Strip District to Highland Park, involving hundreds of parcels, both publicly and privately owned.” Read more

Swine Flu Tracking Enhanced by Pittsburgh-Based Research & Technology
Pittsburgh-based companies Rhiza Labs and Recombinomics, together with Google, which has a Pittsburgh-based operation, have developed the most comprehensive H1N1 swine flu tracking system on the Web. FluTracker makes it easier and faster to enter confirmed and suspected cases of swine flu into a tracking system. Read more

PRA’s OPPORTUNITY ASIA Partners with Symphony, Leveraging Culture to Promote Investment
Joining the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on its May 2009 Asia tour, PRA leadership and representatives from Allegheny County Economic Development and the Pittsburgh International Airport will be reacquainting China with the region as part of the PRA’s OPPORTUNITY ASIA: Engage China 2009 business development strategy. OPPORTUNITY ASIA is a long-term, multi-year strategy which aims to unlock business opportunities in China, South Korea and Taiwan for Pittsburgh region companies and to position the Pittsburgh region as a preferred U.S. investment destination for Asian countries. Learn more (PDF file)

Nonstop Flights from Pittsburgh to Paris (and the World Beyond) Begin on June 3rd
Nonstop to Europe from Pittsburgh: beginning June 3, nonstop flights from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport will offer a convenience of global proportions to business and leisure travelers on both sides of the Atlantic. Book your ticket now

More Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) News – New Nonstop to West Coast, Fare Reductions, AirTran Traffic Up

• New Nonstop West Coast Flights – United Airlines will begin nonstop daily service to its hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles beginning September 2. Book flights now at www.united.com or read more.

• Significant Fee Reductions – Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato recently announced that airline fees at PIT will be significantly lowered due to revenues from the Pennsylvania Gaming Economic Development & Tourism Fund. Passenger fees will be cut by 15 percent, landing fees by 18 percent, terminal fees by 14 percent, and ramp fees by 34 percent, possibly as soon as June 1. Read more

• Recent Traffic Report – AirTran traffic up 34.3% for month; 52.5% for year. Read more

Pittsburgh Invests in Local Tech Startups
“Technology and life science startups in Pittsburgh will benefit from a new $1 million fund that will provide low interest loans to help fledgling firms to grow and succeed here. The Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Pittsburgh Entrepreneur Growth Fund will serve as a revolving loan fund for emerging firms.” Read more

Tech Development Group Awards Two Local Grants
“The Pennsylvania Nanomaterials Commercialization Center received a grant of $500,000 from the state's Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority to support its work in advanced materials research and manufacturing [while] $177,975 [went] to the Hill House Development Corporation to further its development of the Pittsburgh Central Keystone Innovation Zone.” Read more (scroll down)

The Pittsburgh Region is on Facebook and Twitter
Stay up to date on what’s happening in – and what’s unique about – the Pittsburgh region by becoming a “fan” on Facebook. It’s a great way to stay connected to regional resources and information. Check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Highmark Ranks No. 1 in Member Satisfaction from Pa. to Delaware
“Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield was ranked highest in member satisfaction with health plans in the Pennsylvania-Delaware region for a second consecutive year, according to a new J.D. Power and Associates 2009 National Health Insurance Plan Study.” Read more

IUP Group Takes First Place in SBI National Competition
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is the first-place winner of the 2009 Small Business Institute National Case of the Year Award. Read more

EVENTS

May 13, 2009 – Unclutter Your World Career Conference
Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s President's Commission on the Status of Women presents this professional and personal development conference, which is open to the community. Keynote address, “Unclutter Your World,” will be presented by Dr. Heather Powers, IUP professor of English. From 8:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

May 21, 2009 – Economic Club of Pittsburgh Luncheon
Keynote Speaker: Dennis Yablonsky, Chief Executive Officer, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, will present “The Pittsburgh Region and the Global Economy: Opportunities and Challenges in 2009 and Beyond” at the Omni William Penn Hotel from 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Cost: members $30; non-members $40; students $20. For more information about the luncheon or to RSVP, please contact Jael Jones at 412.392.4555 ext. 1025.

May 30, 2009 – August Wilson Center Community Open House
Take a first look at the brand-new August Wilson Center at 980 Liberty Avenue from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Enjoy tours, artist demonstrations, performances, family activities and other festivities, inside and outside the Center. Visit the Web site for more information or call 412.258.2700.

May 30, 2009 – POP UP PITTSBURGH!
POP UP PITTSBURGH! Uptown on the Move – a project of Leadership Pittsburgh Inc.’s Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) Class XVI – is a free event highlighting the current assets and future potential of Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood. Join us from 1-5 p.m. for a traveling block party spanning art exhibitions, live music, a theatrical premiere, residential open houses, an oral history film, a local food cook-off, author readings, family activities (in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Museum) and more. Situated between Downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland, Uptown is a convenient place to live and work and is poised for development.

June 3, 2009 – Disney Keys to Excellence
Attend the Disney Keys to Excellence one-day workshop at the University of Pittsburgh, where you can learn best business practices from Disney insiders.  Through this program, organizations from across the country have learned proven philosophies and implemented effective processes to improve leadership, management, service and brand loyalty.  Visit www.KeysPittsburgh.com for more information and to register, and use promotional code ACCDMNE to receive a $50 discount.

June 4, 2009 – 11th Annual Entrepreneurs Growth Conference
As a sponsor of this event, the PRA is pleased to extend a $20 registration discount to its partners to attend this extraordinary one-day event that that has helped thousands of both large and small businesses, seize opportunities, overcome challenges, conquer new markets and maximize profitability. Achieve the full potential of your business – whether you're just starting out or striving for that next million-dollar-level with information on the latest business trends and growth-building strategies, inspirational keynote addresses from nationally renowned entrepreneurs, and one of largest gatherings of entrepreneurial leaders and resources in Pennsylvania. Register for the early-bird rate of $119 before May 28. Half-day and lunch-only registration also available. See Web site for details.