NOVEMBER 2009

View the 'Events' Section

Flabeg Solar US Corporation Cuts Ribbon on $30M Solar Mirror Plant — a U.S. First

Flabeg Solar US Corporation officially opened the first U.S.-based solar mirror plant in Clinton Commerce Park in Findlay Township (Allegheny County) on October 30, 2009.  Flabeg's $30 million investment represents the largest ground up manufacturing investment in the Pittsburgh region in this decade – considering the size of the brand-new building, total jobs and overall investment – and that investment is expected to create at least 200 clean energy jobs.  It is also the first facility of its kind in the United States.

The addition of Flabeg US Solar Corporation to Pittsburgh's energy economy underscores the region as an innovator, manufacturing expert and supply chain leader for traditional and alternative energy resources and solutions worldwide.  Read a statement from Allegheny Conference on Community Development CEO Dennis Yablonsky regarding today's grand opening, billed by Flabeg as a historic event for the company.

More Economic Development News

Philips Respironics Celebrates New $32M Manufacturing Facility Employing 325 People
"Murrysville-based Philips Respironics...one of the world's leading home health care products providers...recently celebrated its new $32 million, state-of-the-art facility in the Westmoreland (County) Business & Research Park in Upper Burrell that makes products used for treating sleep apnea. The two-story, 172,000 SF building employs about 325 people." Read more

Precision Therapeutics Expands
"Precision Therapeutics Inc. is expanding by leasing space in the Chocolate Factory building in Lawrenceville, bringing occupancy there to 90 percent. The South Side-based company joins three other tenants – SEEGRID, RedZone Robotics and EverPower Wind Holdings Inc. – in the former Geoffrey Boehm Chocolate building that was converted into an office for technology firms." Read More

Robotic Leader SEEGRID Corporation Expands Regional Operations, Brings Manufacturing Here
Pittsburgh-based SEEDRID Corporation, a robotics company that provides distribution centers and manufacturing facilities with a better way to run their operations, is expanding its operations into 30,150 SF in the Regional Industrial Development Corporations' (RIDC) FTZ 1 Building in the RIDC Park West, Findlay Township and moving some of its manufacturing operations from Massachusetts to Pittsburgh. SEEGRID's growth in the airport corridor is a result of the company scaling in order to keep up with market demand by bringing all operations and product assembly together in one state-of-the art facility. Read more

Talisman Energy Locates in Pittsburgh for Marcellus Shale Drilling
"Talisman Energy, the Canadian parent company of Fortuna Energy of Big Flats, NY, plans to open an office in Pittsburgh that will focus on the company's growing Marcellus Shale drilling operations in Pennsylvania." Read more

Marcellus Shale Benefitting Smaller Western Pennsylvania Towns
"Beyond the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, the Marcellus Shale play is perhaps having the biggest effect on the region's smaller towns as exploration companies work to get closest to wherever they're drilling, opening satellite offices in places such as Indiana and DuBois." Read more

Vision Products to Relocate its Operation within Region
"Vision Products will be moving its operation of about 55 to 86 employees at peak times to Ford City from New Kensington – a move that promises to create 20 to 30 jobs here in the first quarter of 2010 as the company gains the space it needs for expansion. The move will be gradual over the next several months and be completed by March." Read more

Pittsburgh Glassworks Relocates Headquarters within Region
Pittsburgh Glass Works, LLC (PGW) global supplier of Automotive Glass and Services has relocated its headquarters from PPG Place in downtown to the North Shore of Pittsburgh. PGW was formed on October 1, 2008, by Kohlberg and Company's acquisition of PPG Industries Automotive Glass, Automotive Replacement Glass, and Insurance and Services business units. The company has entered a long-term lease for the 5th floor office space in the Alcoa Business Service Center located on 30 Isabella Street in Pittsburgh.

Brinker Opens Office on Pittsburgh's North Shore
"Detroit-based Brinker Group, engaged in the construction of Consol Energy Center for the Pittsburgh Penguins, has opened its first branch office in Pittsburgh on the North Shore with 10 employees." Read more

4MOinfo Expands In Downtown Pittsburgh
Indiana County-based 4MOinfo is expanding to Two Gateway Center, a Hertz Investment Group Property located in downtown Pittsburgh. 4MOinfo has a patent pending process of adding one-minute audio clips to print display advertisements such as newspapers, billboards, magazines, transit, etc. Advertisers are assigned a four digit code, or MO CODE that is placed on their print display ad. Consumers call a universal toll free number 1-888-MO-KNOWS (665-6697) and enter the advertisers MO CODE to instantly hear the audio message by phone or Web, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Read more (PDF file)

TIME: Robotics Leader Bossa Nova Featured as a Pittsburgh R&D Tech Innovator
"Bossa Nova robotics is a neat example of one city's transformation from 20th century industrial relic into a more entrepreneurial 21st century metropolis. It's a start-up specializing in robotic toys ‘designed in Pittsburgh, made in China and distributed everywhere,' says co-founder David Palmer." Read more

Pitt and Carnegie Mellon Among Nation's Top 25 "Best Neighbor" Colleges & Universities
The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University were recently named among the Top 25 "Best Neighbor" Colleges and Universities in the nation for demonstrated and long-standing cooperation and partnership with communities and civic leadership for urban redevelopment and renewal. In Pittsburgh, institutions of higher education have been chief among the catalysts for the region's strategic transformation to a 21st-century economy that capitalizes on research, innovation and entrepreneurship. Read the statement from Dennis Yablonsky, CEO of the Allegheny Conference or read the full ranking article.

CNNMoney.com: Pittsburgh is Nation's No. 2-Best Metro to Launch a Small Business
CNNMoney.com calls Pittsburgh No. 2 among large metro areas in which to launch a small business. Oklahoma City was No. 1..."The region combines [its] talent pool with a mix of highly educated students from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University. Those institutions helped make Pittsburgh a leader in robotics, healthcare, and artificial intelligence." Read more

$3.4B in Stimulus Funds Will Help Jumpstart Smart Grid Transformation
The largest batch of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act clean energy grant awards were recently announced by President Obama. Totaling $3.4 billion, these grant awards to multiple electric utilities nationwide will fund the single largest energy grid modernization in U.S. history. Pittsburgh-headquartered BPL Global, Inc. is looking forward to partnering with a number of these awardees as their provider of smart grid solutions for this historic modernization. The grant awards demonstrate the U.S. government’s vision to build the next generation of energy delivery in our country and will enable Pittsburgh-based energy innovators, such as BPL Global, to play a critical role in the process.

Millions in Federal Stimulus Enriches Health Care and Life Sciences R&D
"Federal economic stimulus money has begun flowing – enriching the city's universities, increasing the likelihood of medical and technological breakthroughs, and injecting millions of dollars into the local economy. As of Oct. 2, University of Pittsburgh has received $123 million, which is on top of the estimated $450 million in research money the university has received annually since 2006." Read more

Pittsburgh Companies Raise $78M in Venture Funds this Quarter
"Eighteen Pittsburgh companies raised $78.27 million in venture capital in the third quarter of 2009, a show of strength that has again bucked the national trend. Nationally, $4.8 billion was invested in 637 deals in the third quarter of 2009, a 17 percent increase in terms of dollars but a three percent drop in the number of deals compared to the second quarter of 2009." Read more

Funding for Three Pittsburgh Startups: ALung, Thermal Therapeutics, Blue Belt, Carnegie Speech
"Three Pittsburgh startups received a few million apiece as they move toward the commercialization of pioneering medical technologies; all will be hiring. ALung, Thermal Therapeutic Systems and Blue Belt Technologies raised just under $3 million each." Read more

Latest Alpha Lab Startups Increase Region's Digital Density
"An invitation to an Alpha Lab open house is a show and tell for startups taken to a new level. The third crop of Alpha Lab companies recently offered potential investors and inquisitive others a preview of the latest innovations in software, entertainment and mobile technology. About 120 people attended the South Side event to hear from six companies." Read more

ClearCount Closes on $3.4M; Life Sciences Green House Awards Funding to Five Start-Ups
"ClearCount Medical Solutions received $3.4 million in Series B financing and the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse closed on $725,000 in direct investment in five startups." Read more

BIOSAFE Launches a Microbe-Killing H1N1 Facemask
"BIOISAFE, a Pittsburgh company that manufactures antimicrobial-fighting polymers, is helping to create a facemask that is effective against the spread of influenza and the H1N1 virus. The ‘Ultra Sensitive' facemask actually kills harmful microorganisms including MRSA, Staph and Influenza A strains that settle on the surface of the mask, thereby reducing the risk of cross contamination." Read more

Great Allegheny Passage Trail Investment Pays Off – by $40M
"A recently completed study gauging the economic impact of the Great Allegheny Passage quantifies the bike trail's value to the region in terms of hard numbers – $40 million, to be exact. The 18-month study of trail-related spending along the 132-mile pathway showed that more than $40 million was spent directly by users in 2008. Another $7.5 million in wages can be attributed to the trail, the study concludes." Read more

New Flights at Pittsburgh International Airport – Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Orlando
American Airlines will add three daily nonstop flights from Pittsburgh International Airport to Chicago O'Hare Airport beginning April 6, 2010 and enhance its nonstop Pittsburgh-to-Dallas/Ft. Worth service by flying MD-80s on its three daily roundtrip flights beginning in April 2010. All flights can be booked beginning today at www.AA.com.  Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines will add two round-trip flights a day from Pittsburgh to Chicago and Orlando in March. Read more

RFP Issued for Site Development at Pittsburgh Technology Center Brownfield Redevelopment
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released a request for proposal for development of four build-to-suit sites at the Pittsburgh Technology Center (PTC), a state-of-the-art riverfront office park and regional center for research and development. A Brownfield redevelopment, seven state-of-the-art buildings totaling more than 684,000 SF have emerged at the PTC in the past 12 years and are fully leased at this time. Read more (PDF file)

EVENTS

November 10, 2009 – Sustainability: The Bridge to the Future
Learn why environmental, financial and social responsibility – the triple bottom line – are essential for economic recovery, innovation and growth at the Third Annual Beard Center Symposium. Executives, entrepreneurs, professionals, managers, and community leaders who have a stake in the region's business future should attend and will gain practical insights that can help their organizations thrive in a rapidly changing business climate. At the Westin Hotel Pittsburgh from 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

November 12, 2009 – Annual Pennsylvania Business Technology Conference
Discover technology trends and tools to grow your business. The Pennsylvania Business Technology Conference (PBTC) is designed to equip companies with the information they need to make smart technology decisions that will enhance their profitability, productivity and market adaptability. Discover the Newest Innovations in: eMarketing, business intelligence, IT management, wireless Technologies, finance & accounting, web analytics, networking, security and software. Keynote speaker, Adam Kmiec, Director, Interactive Marketing Innovation, MARC USA, will speak about "Adapting to the Digital World – Becoming a Socially Savvy Business." At Duquesne University from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

December 16, 2009 – Pittsburgh Wind Power & Supply Chain Workshop
Presented by the Great Lakes Wind Network, the Pittsburgh Wind Power & Supply Chain Workshop will provide regional manufacturing firms with information on business opportunities in the wind supply chain industry, current global trends driving market demand for key components, wind supply chain structure, what wind OEMs look for in their suppliers and next steps for capable interested manufacturers. Hosted by The University of Pittsburgh Manufacturing Assistance Center, 3 Rivers Clean Energy, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and Catalyst Connection at Robert Morris University's Sewall Center from 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m.; breakfast will be served. The workshop is provided at no-charge due to the generous support of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.