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Welcome to the October 2023 edition of “From the Desk of Rod Wilt” where I provide a re-cap of the previous month’s happenings at Penn-Northwest Development Corporation. Please feel free to share this publication with your friends and colleagues, as we work to broaden our reach throughout the region.
As always, if you have a project or a prospective client that may be interested in “Making It in Mercer County” please reach out to me at [email protected]
Finally, please follow us on social media for the latest updates from PNDC!
This year, From The Desk of Rod Wilt will follow the format of addressing the previous month’s progress of advancing the five Goals & Strategies that have been outlined in the PNDC 2023-24 Program of Work.
Goal 1: SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS & INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
- Toured Joy Baking Company with the Washington, DC staff of Congressman Mike Kelly.
- Working on applying for a Multi-modal Grant from PennDot for a multi-use pedestrian bridge over Williamson Road in West Salem Township.
- We are pre-planning for applying for another EPA Brownfield $600,000 grant opening in October 2023; and, awaiting to hear if awarded an EPA $500,000 Environmental Justice Brownfield Grant of which, we would sub-grant to a local municipality for blight remediation.
- Sites Committee is reviewing a purchase agreement for Shenango Twp property PNDC owns.
- Sites Committee is reviewing an offer to purchase Stateline Industrial Park—46.5 Acres.
- Met with the local leadership of a company in Sharon, PA to look at financing programs for their business expansion.
Goal 2: FOSTER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
- The Homegrown Initiative sponsored transportation that paid for busing to send over 300 Mercer County High School students to the Builder's Association Trade Expo in Canfield, Ohio.
- Met with Greenville High School to discuss starting a Career Connection Program within the school, allowing students to complete pre-apprenticeship prerequisites as class electives.
- Met with YSU to discuss their Excellence Training Center and advanced training for our local manufacturers to take advantage of.
- Met with multiple companies to discuss immigration programs as a way to backfill workers in areas with high labor shortages.
- Coordinated with NLMK to discuss career possibilities with students at Greenville High School, leading to the planning of a plant visit for 20 students.
- Continue to attend and support the bi-state Regional Workforce Coalition meetings led by the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber.
- Finalized the Homegrown Initiative Community Scholarship. The goal is to award three students $2,000 to extend their education and introduce them to community involvement and the Future Leaders organization.
- Continued advocating for the young adults in Mercer County, attending both Butler County Community College's Advisory Committee meeting and Penn State's alumni speaker panel.
- Spoke to over 30 eAcademy students about careers and entrepreneurship within Mercer County.
Goal 3: RECRUIT NEW BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
Goal 4: BUILD A FINANCIALLY VIABLE & INFLUENTIAL MEMBERSHIP-DRIVEN ORGANIZATION
- The 2023-2024 goal of attracting new members is off to a great start with 8 new members and over $45,000 raised in membership dollars.
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The 2023 Annual Meeting is approaching fast! 7:30AM on November 1, 2023, at the Corinthian in downtown Sharon. Tickets can be purchased on our website and sponsorships are available. Hurry, this event WILL sell out!
- Annual Membership Renewal Notices for October, November, and December have been sent out. Please let us know if you have not received your renewal notice.
- Planning is underway for the 2024 State of Mercer County Economy on Thursday, March 28, 2024! If you missed the inaugural event in July, this is your chance to be a part of this incredible event! Mark your calendars now, more information will follow after the first of the year.
Goal 5: EXPAND THE REACH AND IMPACT OF PNDC THROUGH REGIONAL COLLABORATION
- Met with the City of Hermitage—Mark Longietti, Eric Karmecy—WCJP, YSU, and Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Association regarding applying for a EDA Recompete Grant. In discussions with Beaver, Crawford, Lawrence Counties on applying as a W-PA coalition for the EDA Recompete Grant. However, the group does plan on reviewing an ARC Arise Grant Application which is a yearly grant.
- Continuing planning and orchestrating the Future Leader Summit of Northwest Pennsylvania, a summit focused on building a regional network for young professionals to connect and support each other.
- Attended the Meetings 2 and 3 of the Lawrence-Mercer Manufacturer’s Coalition at Westminster College. This group is forming a 501(c)(3) organization to bring additional state and federal resources to the manufacturing sector of the regional economy.
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