Latest news with #SiteSelectionMagazine
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
INNOVATION: Luzerne County officials see transformation
Apr. 27—Luzerne County has been undergoing a transformation, said county council Chairman John Lombardo. "There are these hotbeds of economic activity and revitalization that are putting Luzerne County at the precipice of what I've been calling a renaissance," Lombardo said. "We're just at the precipice of being able to say that the results are countywide." Council Vice Chairman Brian Thornton sees a similar change, saying there is proof in a recent recognition of Northeastern Pennsylvania as one of the top locations in the country for economic development projects. In its prestigious annual Governor's Cup Awards, Site Selection Magazine ranked the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton region in the top 10 for both the number of economic development projects and projects per capita. "I think the people of the county should be proud of that," Thornton said. County Councilman Jimmy Sabatino said the county is now on the radar of major developers because it is along both Interstates 80 and 81 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. "I think people are starting to realize how important we are for transit," he said. As warehouses and distribution centers have multiplied, efforts have been shifting to concentrate on drawing more tech and manufacturing employers, Sabatino said. "We're in a prime spot for logistics, but we have to bring the focus on other development to get us to the next level," Sabatino said. County Manager Romilda Crocamo said she believes government officials and leaders throughout the county are increasingly working together to advance recreational, infrastructure and social service projects that all play a role in economic development. "The collaborative efforts of our community members and organizations foster an environment where opportunities flourish, resulting in sustainable growth and prosperity," Crocamo said. Smart growth While new development is a priority, the council members and county manager all stressed the importance of preserving the natural resources, history and cultural influences that make the county unique. Crocamo views the county as a "testament to resilience" and said the county's strength is "undeniably found in its people." "Together, we build a prosperous economy, a supportive social environment, and a rich cultural landscape that showcases the best in humanity," she said. "Our strength is found in each other." She believes the county is a "vibrant hub of artistic expression and heritage." "Our diverse cultural events, festivals and institutions reflect the unique identities of our residents, fostering a sense of pride and belonging. From local artists to cultural organizations, it is the passion and creativity of our people that breathe life into our community, making it a place where traditions are honored and new ideas are embraced." Lombardo said the county's natural landscape and network of trails are "such a big draw." "That has brought not just a lot of development but also more pride in place," he said. "The development of parks and recreation is making people want to stay here, invest here and open businesses here. As that happens, it's kind of a runaway train effect," Lombardo said. He and Thornton envision future use of the county rail line for passenger excursions. "My personal slogan is we're looking to thrive, not just survive," Thornton said. "We're moving in that direction. I have a very positive vision of where we're going over the next four to eight years." Sabatino said part of the county's transformation stems from economic development and reclamation projects that have erased eyesore culm banks and other remnants of coal mining. "We're on our way to almost being healed from it," Sabatino said. Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Northeast Pennsylvania ranks in top 10 in U.S. for economic development
Northeast Pennsylvania is once again being recognized as a top region in the United States for economic development, continuing a five-year streak. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area ranked top 10 across three categories in Site Selection Magazine's Governor's Cup Awards, according to a news release from Penn's Northeast, a Pittston-based collective aiming to promote new investments, jobs and business opportunities by promoting Northeast Pennsylvania. Penn's Northeast played a key role in compiling and submitting a comprehensive list of qualifying projects to Site Selection Magazine, contributing to the local recognition. 'We participate every year and hope for the best,' Penn's Northeast President and CEO John Augustine said in a phone interview Wednesday. 'Working with our regional economic development partners, we gather the projects that have set up shop in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the investments that they've made, and submit (the projects) to the rankings.' Those rankings for 2024 were: Ninth place: Top metro by projects in the United States. Sixth place: Top metro by projects in the Northeast U.S. Eighth place: Top metro per capita in the U.S. Site Selection Magazine describes itself on its website as an award-winning magazine recognized as the leading publication in corporate real estate, facility planning, location analysis and foreign direct investment. The annual Governor's Cup Awards are the industry standard when it comes to state and regional rankings, with a ranking system that companies look at to track where other firms are moving throughout the United States, Augustine said. Penn's Northeast began submitting information for the awards seven years ago, though the region didn't secure any awards in the first two years, he said. In recent years, Northeast Pennsylvania has established itself as a hotbed for development in the warehousing and logistics industry as e-commerce giants like Amazon and Chewy increasingly expand their footprints in the region with sprawling warehouses that tap into the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area's close proximity to major interstates. A large piece of undeveloped land slated for nearly 1.4 million square feet of warehouse space is seen at the top of Rushbrook Street on the east side of the Casey Highway in Archbald on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.(Times-Tribune File)Rows of forklifts are seen at the Amazon AVP9 fulfillment center in Jessup on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE) The Governor's Cup Awards show Northeast Pennsylvania is undergoing strong, continued economic growth throughout the region, Augustine said. 'The capital investment of more than 20 companies last year locating into Northeastern Pennsylvania is over $1 billion and over 1,000 employees across the board,' he said, noting that the region also brought in manufacturing jobs. 'It's great for the local economy.' When companies decide on site locations, they look at regions of growth that have economic stability, reliable infrastructure, employee availability and the location, which is one of the area's strong selling points, Augustine said. 'We're in ongoing conversations with site selectors and developers all the time, and they recognize the rankings,' he said. 'They have mentioned many times that this is a growing place, this is top on our radar.' Because of Northeast Pennsylvania's close proximity to major highways, Augustine said companies are able to reach one-third of the United States and half of Canada in one day's drive. The region also has strong economic development partners in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, including the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce's industrial development arm, SLIBCO, and the Hazleton area's CAN DO, Augustine said. CAN DO is a private, nonprofit industrial/economic development corporation serving Greater Hazleton, according to its website. By consistently landing in the top 10 of Governor's Cup Awards, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area shows that 'this is a place where companies want to set up shop, and it puts us on a national scale,' Augustine said. In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8, Dallas Twp., lauded Northeast Pennsylvania as 'home to a strong, skilled workforce who make this region the hub of economic development that it is.' 'Earning a spot in the top 10 is a testament to the dedication of NEPA's businesses, community leaders, and workforce. NEPA's vast interstate highway systems, natural resource availability, and access to nearby metropolitan areas allow our economy to flourish,' Bresnahan said. 'It is thanks to a commitment to growth and innovation that our region continues to prosper and foster long-term economic vitality, and I look forward to continued investments in NEPA for years to come.'
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Community gets major recognition
The Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp. and the metro area made history this month. For the first time, the community achieved a double ranking in Site Selection Magazine's 2024 Governor's Cups rankings. It made the Tier 3 Top Metros Top 10 list in the total number of new projects and in new projects per capita. Owensboro placed No. 7 in projects per capita and No. 9 in total projects — seven. The last time we made the rankings was in 2017, when 13 new or expanded plants tied the Owensboro metropolitan area for second place nationally among metros with 200,000 or fewer people. 'This achievement is a testament to the incredible collaboration between our businesses, government leaders and dedicated workforce,' Claude Bacon, EDC president, said of the ranking.' Candance Castlen Brake, president of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, said, 'This happened because our existing businesses are continually fueling our economic expansions; because of our world class workforce and because of the partnerships between business, education, economic development organizations and local government.' Site Selection Magazine reaches 42,000 corporate site selection professionals, making Owensboro's recognition a key opportunity to attract further business interest, Bacon said. • At noon on Tuesday, the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet is having a public hearing on a proposal by TS Entertainment LLC for a 'tourism development project' at Towne Square Mall. The mall's owners said on Facebook, 'If approved, construction could begin May 2025 with completion targeted for April 2026.' The post said if the state approves incentives for the project, 'this development would revitalize a landmark property and create a regional attraction drawing visitors from across Kentucky and beyond!' • The EDC says that was of 2023, Daviess County had 3,418 business establishments. That was up from 2,852 a decade earlier. • Poppy Alan Book Boutique says on Facebook that it will be opening a mobile bookstore this summer. • Ollie's Bargain Outlet is continuing its acquisition of former Big Lots leases. It recently bought 40 more Big Lots leases, making 63 former Big Lots stores that are transitioning to Ollie's. • Publix, which is planning an Owensboro store this year, saw sales rise 4.6% last year to $59.7 billion last year. Net earnings increased 6.6% to $4.6 billion. Publix says it's the largest employee-owned company in the country with more than 255,000 workers and 1,392 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NEPA ranked in top 10 in U.S. for economic development
Mar. 4—WILKES-BARRE — John Augustine III, President/CEO at Penn's Northeast, on Tuesday said the recognition of Northeastern Pennsylvania as one of the top locations in the U.S. for economic development projects is a huge deal. "This ranking represents the more than 25 companies that weren't here in our area two years ago," Augustine said. "The ranking represents that the tremendous growth in the region and the new investments and, most importantly, it represents the thousands of jobs that were created because of that." And Augustine quickly added that those thousands of new jobs pay "family-sustaining" wages. "Competition raises wages — that's a fact," Augustine said. For the fifth consecutive year, Northeastern Pennsylvania has been recognized as one of the top locations in the United States for economic development projects. "This year, the region ranked in the Top 10 for both the number of projects and projects per capita," Augustine said. NEPA — the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton region — ranked 9th in the 2024 Tier 2 Top Metros by total projects, 25; and the region ranked 8th for per capita. The prestigious Governor's Cup Awards, produced annually by Site Selection Magazine, ranks the top regions in the U.S. based on completed economic development projects. Augustine said the ranking highlights the region's continued success in attracting and expanding businesses. "Companies pay attention to the rankings that Site Selection puts out," Augustine said. "It really is the industry's go-to standard as far as how competitive states and regions are. So for NEPA to be ranked in the Top 1o in two categories is remarkable." Augustine said the high ranking is proof positive that companies are specifically selecting NEPA to do business. "In recent years, these companies have literally invested billions of dollars to locate in the region," Augustine said. "They invest in buildings, infrastructure, machinery, equipment and, more importantly, employees. Augustine said Penn's Northeast, the regional economic development agency, played a key role in compiling and submitting a comprehensive list of qualifying projects that contributed to this recognition. "This is a competitive process that takes place across the country every year," Augustine said. "Northeastern PA continues to be a region of choice for top companies and developers. There's no question our location continues to be one of the strongest selling points. You can reach one-third of the United States and half of Canada in a one-day's drive from Northeastern Pennsylvania." Augustine said companies continue to recognize this advantage as they need to get their products to market and consumers as quickly as possible. "In addition to our strategic location, reliable utilities, and dedicated workforce, our amazing education network makes Northeastern Pennsylvania a top-tier destination for business growth," Augustine said. "The results show that companies looking to expand continue to choose our region as a prime location. We continue to experience unprecedented growth, not just in warehouse distribution, but also in manufacturing." Augustine further emphasized the region's future prospects. "With ongoing infrastructure investments and a strong collaboration between the public and private sectors, Northeastern Pennsylvania is well-positioned to remain a leader in economic development for years to come," Augustine said. Site Selection Magazine, produced by Conway Data, is a bi-monthly publication recognized as a leading source for corporate real estate, facility planning, location analysis, and foreign direct investment. The Governor's Cup Awards are highly regarded within the industry and serve as a benchmark for regional economic success. About Penn's Northeast Inc. 1151 Oak St., Pittston, PA 18640 Penn's Northeast is a public-private partnership dedicated to attracting quality employers to Northeastern Pennsylvania and strengthening the regional economy through new investments and job creation. For information about Penn's Northeast, visit or call 1-800-317-1313. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC prepares to sock it to teachers and state employees yet again
The State Health Plan Board of Trustees has a $500 million deficit to close. As a result, new premium hikes are on the way for employees, retirees and their families to close the gap.(Stock photo by) In 2010, the year North Carolina Republicans won control of both houses of the state legislature, Site Selection Magazine — the self-described 'leading publication in corporate real estate, facility planning, location analysis and foreign direct investment' — ranked North Carolina as the nation's fourth 'most competitive state.' It was a familiar accolade. Throughout most of the previous decade, things like solid infrastructure, low-to-moderate tax rates, forward-looking state leaders, rapidly improving systems of K-12 and higher education, good public services and an agreeable environment had kept North Carolina near the top of numerous 'best for business' rankings. Unfortunately, you know what happened next. Upon winning power — a victory they quickly cemented through multiple episodes of extreme partisan and racial gerrymandering — GOP lawmakers commenced a war on all things public by repeatedly slashing taxes in a regressive fashion. The result: today, a decade-and-a-half later, most public structures and systems in our state have been reduced to pale shadows of their former selves. In 2009-10, state and local public spending was equal to 6.2% of the total state economy. This amount was actually down somewhat from the last few decades of the 20th Century — another period of rapid growth and progress in the state — when the figure was often close to 7%. By 2020-21, however, repeated tax cuts cut this important measure down to 4.3%. That's a decline of more than 30% in core public investments in just a decade. And while, by 2024, things had rebounded slightly to 4.9%, this number still reflects a massive hit to public structures and systems. Of course, the results of all this bloodletting are not hard to find. They can be readily seen in the massive job vacancy rates that plague so many places of public employment in our state — from public school classrooms to the institutions that serve people with mental and physical disabilities to prisons to highway road crews. All across our state, lousy pay that has failed to keep up with inflation has driven thousands of people who once happily accepted stable, middle-class lives as career public servants, to abandon government employment in search of living incomes. In North Carolina, the public sector-private sector pay gap — that is the gap between what someone with the education it takes to be a public school teacher can earn in the public and private sectors — is among the nation's largest. Even states like Alabama and Mississippi can rightfully claim a much higher 'funding effort' when it comes to teacher pay. And now, as NC Newsline's Ahmed Jallow reported last week, it looks like the situation is going to get even worse. Thanks to the never-ending cost surges that plague America's madly overpriced health care system, and the General Assembly's refusal to provide adequate funding, the State Health Plan Board of Trustees has a $500 million deficit to close. As a result, the trustees have made clear that they intend to impose significant new premium hikes on employees, retirees and their families to close the gap. While the trustees have expressed an admirable desire to spare the state's lowest paid employees from some of the pain, the premium hikes under consideration in a 'moderate increase' scenario for middle and higher paid employees still figure to cost already struggling workers hundreds of dollars per year. Such increases would be one thing if employee pay had been keeping up with the cost of living, but they're quite another in a situation in which veteran schoolteachers with decades of experience are bringing home half what they could make in the private sector. As Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the N.C. Association of Educators observed, the increases are but the latest in seemingly endless series of actions by state leaders that are '…pricing our educators out of the profession.' Of course, as noted, there are other maddening factors at work in this situation. In addition to the legislature's cheapskate funding practices, soaring health care costs are another contributing factor. As Ardis Watkins, executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, has argued forcefully and persuasively of late, costs are an area in which lawmakers and State Health Plan leaders could be doing much more to demand greater transparency and cost control in provider reimbursements. As Watkins detailed in a recent interview for the NC Newsline radio show/podcast, News & Views, under current law, the Health Plan hires a third-party administrator — an insurance company — to negotiate deals with health care providers, but in the end, all negotiations are kept of hidden from public view as 'trade secrets.' Her quite plausible conclusion: the deals end up including big, underreported profits for providers and insurance 'middlemen' that contribute mightily to State Health Plan costs. Not surprisingly, however, in a legislature in which corporate interests play such a dominant role, the prospects for reform are scant. In short, North Carolina teachers and state employees — public servants for whom decent benefits have long been one of the few perks they supposedly enjoy as compensation for low pay — are preparing to absorb yet another financial blow. And sadly, the war on all things public in North Carolina continues apace.
