DECEMBER 2008
View the 'Events' Section
Pittsburgh Region Celebrates Nonstop Air Service to Paris
The Pittsburgh region has restored its direct air service link to Europe, making it an even more competitive location for business. Delta Air Lines and members of the Regional Air Service Partnership recently announced the start of Delta’s first-ever nonstop service between Pittsburgh International Airport and Paris-Charles de Gaulle International Airport. The new route will offer Pittsburgh air travelers convenient connections to more than 100 cities in Europe via Air France’s Paris hub.
The Pittsburgh-Paris service will launch on June 3, 2009 with flights five days a week. Flights can be booked today at Delta.com. Read more (PDF file)
Other news from Pittsburgh International Airport:
Caliber Infosolutions Opens Headquarters in Pittsburgh Region
Caliber Infosolutions Inc., a company affiliated with Caliber Technologies Pvt. Ltd. of Hyderabad, India (CTPL), a successful IT company that was founded in 2001 with solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, has opened its headquarters in the Pittsburgh region. CTPL became an Indian market leader through its flagship product, CaliberLIMSTM (Laboratory Information Management Systems), a quality control tool that reduces labor and increases accuracy, resulting in enhanced efficiency and better service to internal and external customers. The company chose the Pittsburgh region over locations in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Alabama and eastern Pennsylvania.
Read more (PDF file)
150 Jobs: Teletech of Fayette County
“At a time when many companies are trimming their workforce, TeleTech Holdings Inc. has announced the creation of 150 new jobs at its Uniontown Mall location. Officials from Teletech, one of the largest and most geographically diverse global providers of business process outsourcing solutions … [say] the new employees will provide customer management for clients in the banking and telecommunications industries.” Read more
75 Jobs: SCIOinspire Lands National Service Center in Pittsburgh
Expanding on its acquisition last year of Pittsburgh-based software firm Socrates, Inc., SCIOinspire, a leading health-cost management service, has tripled the size of its South Hills facility to locate its national call center headquarters and service delivery hub there. In the 8,000 SF expansion, the firm is making room for up to 75 new employees, whom it expects to bring on board within the next 18 months – raising total employment at the site to about 100 people. ‘We chose to expand in Pittsburgh because of the city's reputation for providing a fertile environment for new business development, particularly in health care related areas.’” Read more
LaBarge Hiring, Growth Driven by Medical Equipment Demands
“LaBarge, one of the fastest growing contract electronics manufactures in the world … is expanding and hiring again. The St. Louis-based electronics equipment supplier hired 100 people over the past 18 months and has plans to hire another 100 in the next two years for a wide variety of jobs … The Pittsburgh division alone has increased annual revenues more than 50 percent from fiscal 2007 to 2008 … LaBarge is expanding business to take advantage of growing demands from the medical equipment market where it has acquired many new customers.” Read More
Appliance Dealers Cooperative to Build Warehouse near Airport
“A New Jersey-based nonprofit appliance distributor has chosen a 16-acre parcel of land three miles from Pittsburgh International Airport to build a 150,000-square-foot regional warehouse facility. Appliance Dealers Cooperative of Monroe Township, N.J., has a sales agreement to acquire the land and expects to close on the deal in February … with Imperial Land Corp., which is developing a five-parcel industrial park as part of its more than 5,000-acre holdings near the airport.” Read More
Rare Stones Grow Jobs for Westmoreland Glass Business
“Rare stones are helping Westmoreland County's Excel Glass and Granite shatter sales goals. Established as a family-owned glass business more than 60 years ago, Excel built a regional business for commercial and residential glass … [Since its founding 2003] Excel Glass and Granite has doubled sales and is expanding employment with the opening of a new custom-stone fabrication plant at the Jeanette Industrial Park.” Read More
Bright Spots for Jobs Amid Economic Downturn
“Despite the economic gloom, there are bright spots out there where companies are hiring … Those bright spots for jobs include health care, education, coal mining, energy-related manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade in Western Pennsylvania, say local employers, staffing firms and career experts.” Read more
UPMC Plans 25 Foreign Cancer Centers, Partners with GE Healthcare
“The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center plans to establish 25 cancer centers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia in the coming decade in a joint venture with GE Healthcare. [According to UPMC] the region's largest health system already is in discussions with hospital companies in Turkey, Greece, Germany and South Korea.”
Read More
Dick’s Completes $107.5M Financing for New Corporate HQ
"Financing is now complete for the much-anticipated development and construction of Dick’s Sporting Goods’ new 116-acre corporate headquarters near Pittsburgh International Airport … [the project] is being built at the Allegheny County Airport Authority’s 400-acre Northfield Development site in Findlay Twp." Read more
Green Power Positive for Business, Knepper Press Employs Wind Energy
Knepper Press, a Findlay Township printing company, recently switched to wind-generated electricity and has been reaping large benefits from it. “Pennsylvania is among several states encouraging more clean energy. Governor Ed Rendell recently signed into law the Alternative Energy Investment Act, which earmarks $650 million for programs that improve or support the development and use of alternative and renewable energy and energy efficiency.” Read more
New Report Finds $7.1 Billion Economic Impact of Oil and Gas Industry
The Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania (an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, along with the PRA) recently issued a report titled The Economic Impact of the Oil and Gas Industry in Pennsylvania, finding that the industry generated more than $7.1 billion in economic output in the Commonwealth in 2007. The study also found that more than 26,000 jobs are created by the activity of the industry. Read the press release (PDF file), get the full report (PDF file), prepared at the request of a newly formed Marcellus Shale Committee, or read the Keystone Edge article.
Kid-Friendly/Cost-Friendly: Pittsburgh Ranks in BusinessWeek
Pittsburgh was included among BusinessWeek's second annual ranking of the best places to raise your kids, which selected the best location to raise a family in each state based on a combination of factors spanning safety, affordability and quality of life amenities. Read the article or go directly to the Pittsburgh listing.
Pittsburgh Regional Alliance Plans February 2009 Trade Mission to Vietnam
Regional business leaders can personally explore export, supply chain and investment prospects in Vietnam in February 2009, as part of PRA-organized trade mission to this dynamic Asian country. Vietnam is anticipating significant economic growth with opportunities for investors. Review mission information (PDF file) and RSVP for the trade mission by mid-December. A separate trade mission to India – recently announced and also scheduled for February 2009 – has been postponed. A trade mission to India is anticipated in Fall 2009.
Precision Therapeutics Raises $43M
"Precision Therapeutics, Inc., the Pittsburgh-based life sciences company that set out to raise $30 million from venture capitalists this spring after it cancelled an IPO and then a merger that would take it public, has secured $43 million. The money will be used for the development and commercialization of its diagnostic test that helps to determine the most effective chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients.” Read more
Innovation Works Invests $350K in New Technologies
Innovation Works, the region’s most active investor in seed-stage technology companies, recently added two new companies to its portfolio:
- ATRP Solutions ($200,000), a Carnegie Mellon University spin-out, has developed a novel method to produce high quality specialty polymer materials engineered at the nano-scale. These ‘designer’ polymer materials allow manufacturers of commercial products to add new, desirable features that improve the performance of such products as cosmetics, detergents, paints and pigments, coatings and more.
- Civic Science, Inc. ($150,000) uses web-based polling to gather and analyze consumer behavior for industry and market research. The company’s web applications and widgets collect real-time data to provide an accurate view of consumer and political behavior, tapping into a $20 billion market research industry.
$10M Helps Carnegie Mellon Robotic Research to Automate Orchards
“In the largest, sustained grant ever given for automated agriculture research, Carnegie Mellon University received $10 million to direct and help develop robotic tools that may change orchard production forever. Two groups of researchers at the Robotics Institute … hope to improve fruit quality and lower production costs through a system of wireless sensors that gather data about tree health and crop status. Automated vehicles will also mow between tree rows and perform routine tasks.” Read more
Pittsburgh Firms Among Nation’s Top 250
“The National Law Journal [recently] released its 31st annual survey of the nation’s 250 largest law firms Monday with Pittsburgh’s two biggest firms near the top, reflecting the region’s best showing. K&L Gates LLP placed No. 10 with 1,726 lawyers, up from No. 13 last year. Reed Smith LLP was No. 11 with 1,558 lawyers. Last year it ranked No. 10. Both firms are based in Downtown Pittsburgh.” Read more
Six Local Companies on Forbes List
“Six local companies including PPG Industries Inc.'s former auto glass unit made Forbes magazine's list of America's largest privately held companies for 2007. Leading the group was grocer Giant Eagle Inc., at No. 39 out of 441 on the list … Blair County-based convenience store operator Sheetz was No. 82 … while North Strabane, Washington County-based building products provider 84 Lumber Co. was No. 132.” Read more
IUP Breaks Ground for Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex
Indiana University of Pennsylvania recently broke ground for the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex (KCAC) and celebrated a $1 million gift from YouTube.com co-creater and 1999 IUP alumni Chad Hurley, who chose to name the 5,000-seat KCAC arena the Ed Fry Arena, in honor of his former track and field coach. “[the KCAC is a] … catalyst for economic and cultural revitalization in the Indiana region and beyond,” says IUP President Dr. Tony Atwater. Read more
Children's Hospital Doctor Pioneers Sickle Cell Cure
“Young patients with advanced sickle cell disease have their first real shot at a safe and effective cure, in large part because of research being done by a doctor at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. An estimated 50,000 Americans have the disease ...” Read more
EVENTS
December 10, 2008 – Green Building Alliance & U.S. Green Building Council Member Update
Join GBA for this annual meeting reviewing the latest initiatives locally and nationally in green building, including: the latest local and national green building initiatives; updates on the LEED 2009 rating system and the LEED AP designation; GBA's 2008 highlights and initiatives; and more. At the Regional Enterprise Tower in Downtown Pittsburgh from 7:30-9:30 a.m.
December 16, 2008 – Economic Development with Stuart Hoffman of PNC
Please join International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) - Pittsburgh for a holiday lunch at The Rivers Club in One Oxford Centre to network with members and guests and to meet Stuart Hoffman, the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for The PNC Financial Service Group. Registration at 11:30 a.m. Program begins at noon.
January 22, 2008 – 11th Annual A Night in Celebration of Robert Burns
Come and celebrate all things Scottish from 6-8 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association with the British American Business Council (BABC). All around the globe, Robert Burns, the great Scottish poet, is remembered each year on his birthday by thousands of people merrymaking at traditional Burns Suppers. $50 – register 10 guests and your reservation is free.
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