SEPTEMBER 2008

View the 'Events' Section

German Solar Energy Innovator Builds New Manufacturing Plant: 300 Jobs

Flabeg, a German-based global leader in high-tech glass and mirror applications, broke ground for its new facility at the 240-acre Clinton Commerce Park (Findlay Township, Pa., Allegheny County). The company will use the facility to manufacture parabolic solar mirrors that help generate electricity at large-scale solar power plants. It will be the company’s first U.S. facility of this type and will create an estimated 300 new manufacturing jobs in our region.

"Flabeg’s decision to expand its operations in Allegheny County is another vote of confidence in our region’s economy and workforce. Southwestern Pennsylvania is becoming a leader in green technology and alternative energy development, and Flabeg will help solidify that leadership position …” said Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. The Flabeg investment is one of many to take advantage of the ample pad-ready site development in the Pittsburgh International Airport corridor. Read more

Lanxess To Combine U.S. and Canada Operations in Pittsburgh
“Lanxess Corp., maker of high-performance polymers, rubbers and plastics, has consolidated its North American operations at its headquarters in Pittsburgh. Lanxess has 1,400 employees in the two countries, with approximately 400 currently in Findlay. ‘This represents yet another vote of confidence for the region from the international business community … The region’s reasonable cost of doing business, high quality of place, strategic location and its ample and skilled workforce—with a strong high-tech bent—continue to bolster our competitiveness globally,’ says Mike Langley.” Read more

Siemens Engineering Signs 10-Year Downtown Lease
“The Union Trust Building, a Downtown landmark that served for 20 years as an operations center for Mellon Bank, soon will become home to Siemens Engineering's environmental engineering operations. Siemens [recently] signed a 10-year lease with Los Angeles-based Mika Realty Group to occupy the third through the sixth floors, totaling 185,000 SF. That is nearly one-third of the 11-story building's 600,000 SF of office and retail space.” Read more

Aetna Expected to Nearly Double Regional Employment
Health care specialist Aetna Inc. currently employs 375 in the Pittsburgh region and plans to expand its Green Tree, Pa. workforce by 350, “thanks in part to $1.7 million in state funding … Aetna was one of three Allegheny County companies to share in $1.86 million in state funds to increase employment and expand facilities …” Read more

Everpower Wind Holdings Joins Lawrenceville Technology Center
Everpower Wind Holdings has signed a lease for approximately 6,600 SF in the Chocolate Factory building in Lawrenceville, City of Pittsburgh, joining other tenants RedZone Robotics and Seegrid Corporation in the growing RIDC Lawrenceville Technology Center development. Formed in 2002, Everpower is a New York-based developer of utility grade wind projects.

Multiple Expansions/Relocations for RIDC Economic Development Projects
The RIDC (Regional Industrial Development Corporation) also reports the following successes:

• Strata Directional Technologies, a division of Allis-Chalmers Energy, Inc. specializing in directional and horizontal drilling services, has signed a long term lease for 20,000 SF in Meadow Ridge Business Park (Mt. Morris, Pa., Greene County). It plans to employ 30 people there.

• East Resources, Inc., an independent oil and gas producer, purchased 12.3 acres at the RIDC Thorn Hill Industrial Park (Cranberry, Pa.) for the construction of a 25,000 SF building. Construction is expected to be complete by June 2009.

• Two expansions at Industrial Center of McKeesport, McKeesport, Pa.:
  • Bulk Conveyor, has expanded its operation by 95,000 SF. It currently employs 52 people.
  • Steel City Products, a division of Bostwick Braun, has expanded its facility by 43,000 SF, bringing its total space to 109,000 SF. They employ 50 people

Consol Energy Opens New Green Headquarters Facility
Consol Energy Inc., the nation's second largest coal company, recently opened the doors of its new corporate headquarters in Southpointe II (Cecil, Pa., Washington County). The new 309,000 SF green building will house 600 - 700 employees.

Mogul Mind to Open Movie Production Park
“Glassport-based Mogul Mind LLC has signed a lease with an option to buy the former Pittsburgh Flatroll Co. steel property in the Strip District (City of Pittsburgh) and plans to convert the 107-year-old building into a fully integrated film production studio… [the] state-of-the-art, integrated ‘production park’ [will have] nearly 300,000 SF of [covered] space on a 10-acre riverfront property next to the 31st Street Bridge … [it is also] centrally located in the city, close to both the shops of the Strip District and Lawrenceville and almost smack in the middle of the 16:62 Design Zone, an area that’s home to more than 100 design-oriented businesses ... ‘Because we’re all under one roof, it streamlines our operation and reduces our costs …’” Read more

Renovated Class ‘A’ Flex Space With Interstate Access
NAI Pittsburgh Commercial recently announced the acquisition of a 200,000 SF, 21-acre Flex Building by its client, Sampson Morris Group.  The Robinson Township, Pa. building has immediate accessibility to Interstate 79; will undergo a complete renovation including a new roof, exterior and floor; and will ultimately be brought to the market for lease as Class “A” Flex space. Discover the array of available business sites in the Pittsburgh region at PittsburghProspector.com

Precision Therapeutics: $31M in venture funding, doubling and hiring
“Promising biotechnology company, Precision Therapeutics, recently announced that it’s on course to close on more than $30 million in venture capital funds, the largest round ever received by the company. It plans to add 40 people this year to its existing staff of 118. Within two years the company plans to double in size. New hires will range from physicians to scientists, technicians and lab jobs.” Read more

Landslide Launches Innovative Software Product, Expanding and Hiring
“Pittsburgh-based Landslide Technologies Inc.’s pioneering new software is changing the way salespeople do business … the company has doubled its customer base in the last 12 months and has plans to double the size of its Robinson Township, Pa. offices and increase staff from 50 to 70-75 in the next year … The technology firm, with an additional office in Lahore, Pakistan, develops all its software in-house and counts many Pittsburgh companies among its clients, including Eaton Corp, Aethon and Acclamation Systems…” Read more

Pittsburgh: No. 1 Forecasted Office Demand Growth
The Pittsburgh region continues to be touted for balking alarming national real estate trends. Now, Commercial Investment Real Estate (CIRE) magazine has recognized it as No. 1 on its “Top Ten Forecasted Office Rent Growth Markets” list. “While previous recessions saw large quantities of service job cuts, recent gains in this sector have allowed office rents to grow in some markets amid the residential and financial market meltdowns and economic uncertainty. The top 10 forecasted rent growth markets nationwide are cities with high concentrations of professional services and information-based employers.” Read more

Pennsylvania Biotech: No. 1 in Nation
“Pennsylvania’s efforts to develop and diversify its biotechnology sector have made it the No. 1 state in the nation, pulling in ahead of hotbeds like California and Massachusetts, says Business Facilities magazine. [The publication] gave Pennsylvania the top slot in its latest edition. In 2007, Pennsylvania notched fifth in the nation for the most educated workforce and was also noted as having the nation’s third-largest number of colleges and universities. The state was also ranked as the seventh largest cyberstate …” Read more

“Best U.S. City to Earn a Living:” Forbes’ No. 6
Forbes.com ranked the Pittsburgh region No. 6 on its top 10 “Best U.S. Cities to Earn a Living” list, just behind New York City and Washington D.C. It cited a “dynamic economy [that] has prevented it from succumbing to the pitfalls of other post-industrial centers,” a below average unemployment rate and “a better per-capita ratio of our best 400 large companies and best 200 small companies than New York.” Read more

Region Ranks High in Affordability
“Pittsburgh remained one of the most affordable regions among its peers, according to second-quarter cost-of-living figures analyzed by the Pittsburgh Regional Indicators Consortium. The seven-county Pittsburgh region was fourth among 15 benchmark metropolitan areas tracked at pittsburghtoday.org, with the least expensive being Indianapolis followed by St. Louis and Cincinnati.” Read more

Altmire Presents $1M+ for Lawrence County Economic Development
U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-4) recently presented Lawrence County with checks of $500,000 for the Millennium Park economic development project and $750,000 for transportation safety upgrades at the Route 60/422 Interchange, which are required as part of the future I-376 project. Congressman Altmire secured this funding in the final budget passed by Congress in December. “Millennium Park and the Future I-376 projects are critical to the creation of high-paying, quality jobs in Lawrence County ... Once complete, everyone will see that Lawrence County is an ideal location to start, grow or relocate one’s business” said Congressman Altmire.

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh One of Country’s Two Severe Asthma Research Centers
“Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC was named a major severe asthma research center, one of only two pediatric sites in the nation [the other is in Atlanta]. The federal Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP), funded by the National Institutes of Health, hopes to understand why some asthma sufferers are unable to control the disease with medications … [It is now undergoing] the first round of studies to specifically target children.” Read more

Bayer Celebrates 50 Years of Local Growth
Bayer Corporation employs about 1,500 at its Robinson Township campus and another 1,200 at the MEDRAD facility in O’Hara Township. As Pittsburgh celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2008, Bayer will be celebrating a major milestone of its own: 50 years of calling Pittsburgh “home.” To commemorate the occasion, Bayer has launched “Bayer 50,” a yearlong calendar of events celebrating the corporation’s achievements, with special emphasis on those of its past and present employees. The corporation also announced $50,000 in extra Bayer USA Foundation grants to Pittsburgh-area nonprofit organizations. Bayer planted its Pittsburgh roots in 1958. Executives from Bayer AG, Bayer’s parent company in Leverkusen, Germany, were attracted to Pittsburgh’s highly educated and motivated workforce and “can do” attitude as well as the region’s river environment and hilly terrain, which reminded them of Leverkusen.

$343M in Venture Funding in First Year of Regional Biotech Belt
“The Biosciences Tech Belt formed to link resources from Pittsburgh to Cleveland celebrated its first year, proving that the two metro areas can successfully leverage resources, raise funds and draw talent to the region. The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse and BioEnterprise of Cleveland collectively drew $343 million in health care venture investment in 2007 across 45 companies.” Read more

Manufacturing Innovation: Doyle Center Becomes DSN Innovations
The Doyle Center for Manufacturing Technology, a federally-funded, nonprofit organization focused on bolstering U.S. manufacturing, has changed its name to DSN Innovations – a change that reflects its evolving mission focused on supplier network coordination, agility and efficiency. DSN stands for "dynamic supplier network," and the organization develops a variety of solutions that facilitate the rapid assembly and seamless coordination of dynamic supplier networks to accelerate production and reduce costs. Learn more

Elliance Inc. Web Design Wins Prestigious Interactive Media Award
Elliance, Inc., a Pittsburgh Web design company, has received a Best in Class Interactive Media Award (IMA) for its design of the Shady Lane School Web site. The Best in Class award is the highest honor bestowed by the IMAs. The site had to meet strict guidelines in each area — an achievement only a fraction of sites in the IMA competition earn each quarter. Judges are from companies such as Microsoft, The New York Times, Time Warner Inc. and American Express. Read more

New Butler County Entrepreneurial Assistance Program
The Community Development Corporation of Butler County is rolling out a new financing tool called the Wolf Creek Entrepreneurial Assistance Loan Program (WCEALP), made possible by support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). WCEALP provides a geographically specific, locally based economic development financing tool to any and all emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses serving the Wolf Creek Commerce Corridor, which includes Slippery Rock and Grove City, Pa.

Bridgeway Capital - $84M for Regional Development
Bridgeway Capital, formerly known as CL Fund, is a nonprofit community development financial institution (not a venture capital organization). It provides financing to meet the needs of growing small businesses, focusing on financing businesses that will increase jobs and drive economic growth. The new name is the first step toward accomplishing its strategic growth plan, through which Bridgeway Capital expects to increase financing and inject $84 million of new capital into the region. Learn more

EVENTS

September – September is the monthlong GlobalPittsburgh Celebration
GlobalPittsburgh Celebration is a monthlong extravaganza to highlight global connections in the Pittsburgh region – home to more than 50 international communities and the operations of more than 300 foreign-owned firms. Organized in conjunction with the region’s 250th anniversary celebration, festivities will celebrate the region as an international hub from both a business and cultural perspective. Visit the Web site above to learn how individual companies can get involved.

September 8-9, 2008 – Pennsylvania International Week
Regional companies are invited to meet with 23 of Pennsylvania's Authorized Trade Representatives covering more than 50 markets. This is an opportunity to discuss new or emerging business development opportunities with an in-country expert at no cost. Services include: custom market intelligence, identifying relevant trade events for your products, reviewing/enhancing marketing and promotional documents for target markets, insight and analysis on your market entry strategy and assistance with in-country logistics and appointments. Attendees also may attend the Export Controls Breakfast Seminar and a Keynote Luncheon at no cost. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. For more information or to register, please contact Jael Jones jjones@pittsburghregion.org at 412.392.4555 ext. 1025.

September 9, 2008 – 2008 International Bridge Awards
The 2008 International Bridge Awards, presented by the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors, celebrates our region’s international connections by recognizing established and emerging organizations. The event also builds awareness of the economic impact of global linkages while demonstrating the attractiveness of Pittsburgh as a thriving multi-cultural, diverse environment. Purchase a table and sit with one of Pennsylvania’s Authorized International Trade Representatives, an embassy representative or other regionally-based international “star” as well as an international graduate student representing the rich pool of talent attending regional universities. 5 - 9:30 p.m. at the Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh. Cost: $1,500 per table.

September 16, 2008 – Pittsburgh & the Changing Global Economy
The Pittsburgh Middle East Institute will hold its inaugural conference in partnership with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Keyonote Speaker: Thomas Friedman, The New York Times columnist, author and expert on the Middle East, globalization and the 'Green Revolution.' 8 p.m. at Heinz Hall. Cost: $42.50-$62.50

September 16, 2008 – Video Games in the 21st Century: Economic Contributions of the U.S. Entertainment Software Industry
Join the Economic Club of Pittsburgh and learn about the fascinating relationship between economics and video games with Michael D. Gallagher, President and CEO, Entertainment Software Association. He’ll discuss the first study that quantifies the specific contributions of the U.S. entertainment software industry to the nation's economy. From 2003 to 2006, the industry's annual growth rate exceeded 17 percent, while the entire U.S. economy grew at a less than four percent rate. And, despite uncertain economic times, current 2008 sales are up 30 percent over last year. From 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. at the Omni William Penn Hotel. Cost: Members $30, Non-Members $40, Students $20. Reservations necessary by September 12 at reservations@econclubpgh.org or call 412.762.2671.

September 18, 2008 – BioBlast 2008
Come to BioBlast 2008 and connect with colleagues from southwestern Pennsylvania's life sciences community. BioBlast is the perfect opportunity to share information on research, startups and discoveries. Meet venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, scientists and others from the industry. Cost: Free.

September 29, 2008 – Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: The Ever Widening Net
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA"), passed in 1977, required issuers to institute accounting controls and to maintain accurate books and records and outlawed foreign bribe payments.  Initially, the United States stood alone in outlawing foreign bribery.  But, through ongoing concerted efforts, the United States has convinced foreign nations to enjoin in international agreements and implement domestic laws outlawing foreign bribery.  Consequently, any company doing business abroad must master and keep abreast of current developments in the area. Learn what your company needs to know from a distinguished panel of speakers at the Omni William Penn Hotel from 8-10 a.m.

SAVE THE DATE

October 5-9, 2008 – MS&T ’08 (Materials Science & Technology 2008 Conference and Exhibition)
Attend the leading forum addressing structure, properties and performance across the materials community. The program will address eight diverse themes to cover the breadth of materials science and engineering, with a keynote address by Cherry A. Murray, Ph.D. on “The Role of Science and Engineering in U.S. Competitiveness.” At the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

October 14-16, 2008 – Energy from Biomass and Waste (EBW) Exposition & Conference
We can get clean, reliable energy from domestically available sources. Energy from biomass and waste can make a significant contribution to oil-independence and climate protection with clean power, heat and vehicle fuels. The technology opens up new earning potentials and markets (domestic and international) for the waste management and power generation industry, as well as for new market players such as the agricultural sector. With the EBW Exposition & Conference we have created the premier North American showcase and educational forum for this growth business. At the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

October 15 – Network Centric Manufacturing (NCM) Forum
Join in the evolution of U.S. manufacturing to a Network Centric future. Attend the second annual NCM Forum at the Hilton Pittsburgh. Last year, thought leaders from multinational corporations, federal agencies, universities and the manufacturing community came together for the inaugural NCM Forum to discuss a new approach to manufacturing and supply chain management – Network Centric Manufacturing. This year's NCM Forum will focus on a practical implementation of NCM nationally, utilizing strategic working sessions to examine the most critical NCM issues related to: NCM Architecture, R&D for NCM, Intense Collaboration and Managing in the NCM Environment.