Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry


PA CHAMBER STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR'S REGIONAL GREENHOUSE GAS INITIATIVE EXECUTIVE ORDER
HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr issued the following statement following Gov. Tom Wolf's signing of an Executive Order to begin the process of entering the Commonwealth into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative:

"As part of our member-driven agenda, the PA Chamber supports environmental policies that are based on sound science and allow market-based approaches to seek attainment of environmental goals while also pursuing economic growth.  Time and again, Pennsylvania employers have proven their dedication to environmental awareness by developing innovative solutions to improve efficiency, savings and safety while minimizing water and energy waste at their facilities. We encourage legislative input and an analysis of costs to ratepayers and the industry in order to ensure that the Commonwealth's approach to greenhouse gas regulations is balanced, making sure to leverage the state's great energy assets and encourage private sector competition without stifling potential economic growth.  Climate change is real and so is the need to have the business community at the table to discuss solutions and consider the tradeoffs."

PA CHAMBER'S 29TH ECONOMIC SURVEY: EMPLOYERS REPORT RECORD SALES FIGURES AND GROWTH, BUT CONCERNS OVER SKILLS GAP REMAIN
HARRISBURG - Employers are feeling confident and positive about the economy, with many expecting to increase sales and grow their business over the coming months.  Yet, despite this positive news, there remains a very real concern among the Commonwealth's job creators with the status of the state's workforce; with employers overwhelming stating that the jobs skills gap was the biggest challenge facing their business.  These indicators were among the responses from the PA Chamber's 29th Economic Survey, which was conducted in August 2019 by Susquehanna Polling and Research and was completed in partnership with The Initiative for Family Business and Entrepreneurship at Saint Joseph's University.   
 
"The economic strides we've seen over the past few years has led to low unemployment in the Commonwealth," said PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr.  "However, there continue to be people without jobs and job openings without the people with the skills to fill them.  The growing jobs skills gap continues to be a major concern for the Commonwealth's business community. It's a problem that stretches across all industry sectors in every region of the state.  We're proud to be working with a broad coalition of organizations and lawmakers dedicated to finding innovative solutions to address the Commonwealth's jobs skills gap." 
 
According to the survey of 650 employers, job creators listed difficulties finding skilled and qualified employees to fill open positions as the biggest problems facing their companies.  This represents the second year in a row that workforce has been employers "top of mind" issue.  Only a combined 43 percent rated the quality of the state's workforce as either "excellent" or "good" - the second lowest ranking on record - with 20 percent rating it as "poor," - a new high in this category.  It was based on the feedback from its members that the PA Chamber launched its aggressive workforce initiative in 2016 - Start the Conversation Here - designed to help address the skills gap that continues to plague businesses throughout the state.
 
Employers also once again cited concerns with the state's tax structure.  Nearly 55 percent of respondents listed lowering business taxes as one of the top issues they want legislators to focus on in Harrisburg.
 
"The positive economic trends we've seen over the past few years were significantly aided by the federal tax reform package that was passed in 2017," Barr said.  "We are urging state elected officials to follow the lead of the federal government and make much needed changes on the state level.  To that end, we are advocating for a reduction in the state's Corporate Net Income Tax - which remains one of the highest in the nation - as well as for reforms to that would streamline and simplify the state's Tax Code and regulatory environment."

For more information, please visit:  https://www.pachamber.org/media/press_releases/



FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA
REGIONAL ECONOMIC NEWS

CURRENT MANUFACTING INDEXES INDICATE EXPANSION IN SEPTEMBER
September 19, 2019 - Manufacturing activity in the region continued to expand this month, according to results from the September Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey . The diffusion index for current general activity fell 5 points this month to 12.0. The survey's future general activity index moderated but continues to suggest growth over the next six months.

ANALYSIS: SEPTEMBER UNEMPLOYMENT RATE NOWCASTS
October 4, 2019 - Unemployment rates for September are expected to decrease in New Jersey and remain unchanged in Pennsylvania and Delaware, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's nowcasts.

TRI-STATE TRACKING UPDATED
October 4, 2019 - The Philadelphia Fed has updated its monthly Tri-State Tracking series that provides statewide summaries of economic conditions using monthly and quarterly data of employment, housing, and personal income. The latest update includes monthly data for employment, building permits, and mortgage delinquencies through August 2019 and quarterly data for house prices and personal income through the second quarter of 2019. Read the reports:

 
PENNSYLVANIA MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION
PMA Perspective discusses energy development and regulatory reform. PMA's Carl A. Marrara heads to the Capitol to cover the recent EnergizePA press conference, including exclusive interviews with PA House members. In the studio, David N. Taylor interviews Jen Fields, Chief of Staff of the EPA Region 3 Office about the Waters of the US rule and the changes they are making to protect both the environment and business competitiveness. David also hosts a newsmaker interview with the PA House of Representative's Majority Leader, Representative Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster).

For more information, please visit: https://vimeo.com/pmaperspective

 
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF CHESTER COUNTY

HOME OWNERSHIP  IN WEST GROVE
The application window is now open!
Habitat for Humanity of Chester County is excited to announce that we are building 40 new affordable homes in West Grove. The application window is now open. Habitat is working with Chester County, West Grove Borough, our many donors and volunteers, and the USDA to offer these homes on a first-come basis to families who qualify. This is an opportunity for 40 hard working families to own a brand new 4-bedroom, 1-1/2 bathroom, 1580-square foot home in a new West Grove development. The homes will have a USDA 1st mortgage and a Habitat 2nd mortgage.

There are qualifications and requirements that applicants must meet. Applicants household income must be broadly between:
  • 1-4 person family between $43,700-$69,900
  • 5-8 person family between $57,700-$92,250
For more information, please visit:  https://hfhcc.org/westgrovesite

 
TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF CHESTER COUNTY

NEW STOP ADDED TO SCCOOT ROUTE
LCH Kennett is now a stop on the SCCOOT bus, and our West Grove site is an on-demand stop. This is an easy, affordable way to travel from Oxford to West Chester during the weekday.

For more information, please visit:  SCCOOT Ride Schedules

 
PENNSYLVANIA CAREERLINK OF CHESTER COUNTY

SEASONAL HIRING FAIR
Wednesday * October 23rd
4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Find your holiday job opportunity by meeting
'local employers' who are hiring for
Seasonal , Permanent or Temp-to-Perm Positions

Oaklands Corporate Center
479 Thomas Jones Way, Suite 500
Exton, PA 19341

For more information, please visit: CareerLink Calendar of Events  or contact Andrew Mathis @ amathis@adsisolutions.com or (610) 280 - 1029

 
CHESTER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

CHESTER COUNTY MUNICIPAL STORMWATER SUMMIT FOCUSES ON ADAPTING TO CHANGING TRENDS
Nearly 90 Chester County municipal officials, managers, engineers, planners, and others interested in addressing stormwater issues recently  attended the Chester County 2019 Municipal Stormwater Summit, "Adapting to Changing Trends in Chester County - Growth, Rainfall Patterns, and Stormwater." The summit was hosted by the Chester County Water Resources Authority (CCWRA) on Sept. 20. 

2019 FALL EVENTS CALENDAR
November 14th: Creating A+ Homes - new residential designs, policies for affordably-priced homes and housing tools for municipalities  @ Westminster Presbyterian Church, West Chester from 2:30p - 4:30p

December 4th: Trails, Trains & Traffic - public transportation, active transportation and road improvements @ West Whiteland Township Building from 5:30p - 7:30p

For more information, please visit: https://www.chescoplanning.org/AboutUs/Events.cfm

Subscribe to The Reporter
The Reporter is a pro-business e-publication developed by the Community and Government Relations Committee (CGRC) of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce (SCCCC)

The CGRC collaborates with business leaders, industry professionals and government officials on relevant topics that are mportant to our members' bottom line, serve to keep members informed on emerging issues at the local, state and federal levels, and benefit the broader business community. All information contained in this e-publication is being provided to Chamber membership and the business community for information purposes only and the CGRC and/or the SCCCC does not necessarily endorse or recommend any of the opinions or positions expressed therein.

Although every reasonable effort is made to present current and accurate information, the CGRC and the SCCCC makes no guarantees of any kind with respect to the information provided. We look forward to providing newsworthy and timely pro-business facts, figures and information to our readers. Questions can be directed to the Chamber at 610-444-0774 or CGRC Chairman.