Two U.S. reps to headline speaker slate at Johnstown's Showcase for Commerce defense, business expo
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Two congressmen will headline the list of participants in the 34th annual Showcase for Commerce business and defense contracting exposition this upcoming week in Johnstown.
Chief Deputy Whip U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Washington, whose 14th Congressional District includes Somerset County, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address during the John P. Murtha Breakfast Friday.
House Committee on Agriculture Chairman U.S. Rep. Glenn 'G.T.' Thompson, R-Centre, will address the Government Acquisition Leaders Briefings Thursday.
Both events are set to take place inside the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center in downtown Johnstown.
'We have a couple really good keynote addresses planned,' said Linda Thomson, president and CEO of Johnstown Area Regional Industries, which co-hosts Showcase for Commerce with the Cambria Regional Chamber.
The U.S. Department of Defense's usual presence will be missing from Showcase.
'We have really relied on industry speakers this year because a lot of the government personnel that we would normally invite are not able to travel,' Showcase for Commerce Chairman Ed Sheehan Jr. said. 'They have travel restrictions in place right now that preclude them from attending these kinds of events, and so we've relied heavily on industry.
'It should be very interesting and more of an industry perspective on things like advanced manufacturing and machine learning and artificial intelligence, an industry perspective on cybersecurity and then also workforce development.'
This will be the first Showcase without former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. since he started serving as the event's congressional sponsor in 2013. The Democrat is no longer in the Senate, having lost last year to then-challenger and now-U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa.
Neither McCormick nor U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is expected to attend Showcase this year, but both have offered 'a lot of support,' according to Thomson.
A highlight of the event will once again be the opening reception from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday inside 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial downtown.
'The thing we're really excited about this year is that we are sold out as far as the booths (for the opening reception) and we have 13 new participants this year that are having booths, so we feel really good about that,' Cambria Regional Chamber President and CEO Amy Bradley said. 'I think the Showcase continues to evolve, and it's just nice to see new booths wanting to participate and to have such good turnout.'
Showcase will begin Wednesday with networking activities, including a golf outing and receptions. Supplier briefings and the government contracting series are scheduled for Thursday. The expo will conclude Friday with a press conference and public exhibition.
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