The Northwest News

It finally seems like summer is here with the “dog days” coming rather late – just in time for the children to return to school and have to deal with the 90 degree temperatures! As I was driving through Cook Forest on Monday, I noticed the number of children out and about: riding go-karts, playing mini-golf and slipping down the waterslide. It made me think back to the days when I was young and the only care I had was sitting in a classroom wishing I was out there in the 90 degree heat! There are many times I wish I could go back, and I am going through one of those right now – wishing I didn’t have a care in the world. All the uncertainty surrounding the state budget makes it tough to manage an organization, yet alone plan for the future without knowing what funding levels will be. However, I remain optimistic and the Commission continues to offer the high-level services that are expected of us.

Strategic Initiatives are Outlined
Every year, the Northwest Commission selects 5-6 initiatives that can be worked on throughout the coming year in hopes that they provide new, viable programs for the commission to expand upon. These ideas are discussed in detail, and through a voting process, several of them are selected as actionable strategic initiatives for the coming year. This year six were selected, which will be presented to the Board of Directors for development of action plans. This year’s strategic initiatives are as follows:

Cross Departmental Initiatives
More LDD Collaboration
Regional Tourism Initiative
Business Development Resource Day
Funding Surveillance Committee
Client Communication System

Board Appointment
I have been appointed to serve on the National Association of Development Organization’s Board of Directors to represent the regional organizations across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I am honored to have received this appointment and look forward to my first Board meeting during the Annual Conference at the end of the month. In addition, I will be accepting the two Innovation Awards we received for the Export Compliance Center and the IGET.IT broadband initiative.

The “dog days” of summer – why do we say that and what does it really mean?
In the summer, Sirius (the “dog star”) rises and sets with the sun. During late July, Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the “dog star.”

Happy Dog Days!

In July the Northwest Commission closed one loan:

Visual Logic of Clarion County closed on a Genesis Loan of $8,996 to purchase equipment. This is a Genesis Loan; therefore job creation is not required.

The loan meeting dates have been changed to the first Tuesday of the month.

Future Events:

Marketing Through Social Media
The Commission is very excited about the next Entrepreneur Training Series scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, at the Northwest Commission office in Oil City. Jim Skillington, President and CEO of New Village Media will present the newest forms of marketing used today: Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Learn how to build relationships with customers and clients through these new social medias and help market your business in a whole new way. The venue is a morning session with a catered breakfast for the participants. Registration begins at 8:45 am and the program will commence at 9:00 am.

The Entrepreneur Training Series is a joint program through the Clarion Small Business Development Center and the Northwest Commission. If you are interested in participating in the event, call Kris at the SBDC at 814.393.1797 or toll free at 877.292.1843.

Please click here for upcoming events to small businesses!

August 20, 2009 - Government 201 – “Bidding on State Contracts”
Conducted by the Northwest Commission, this training will review the basics of how to be a responsible and responsive bidder when looking at state contracting opportunities. This half-day event will be for any company who is looking for information regarding the state procurement process. Elizabeth Bowers with the PA Department of General Services’ PA Minority Business Enterprise / Women Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) Program will be presenting. Topics covered will include: definitions of terms used in proposals and bidding, key steps before estimating and compiling a bid, how to review and break down information in a proposal, packaging a bid, and review of forms that make estimating and bidding easier. This event will be held at the Northwest Commission located at 395 Seneca Street, Oil City. Registration will begin at 8:30 am and presentations will start at 9 am. For more information and to reserve your spot, contact Candace Glover at 814.677.4800 x107.

September 23, 2009 - Government 101 – On the Road in Lawrence County
Conducted by the Northwest Commission, this introductory training provides an overview of how to do business with the Federal, State and Local governments. This half-day event will be for any company who is looking to start working with, or would like to refresh their memories about, the sites and certifications of the federal and state procurement process. Presenters from the Small Business Administration (SBA), Department of General Services (DGS), and COSTARS will be in attendance. Topics such as set-asides, bid leads, registrations, and how to work through government opportunities are customized to attending companies for this half-day training event. The Commission is taking the Government 101 “on the road” to better accommodate the companies within the region. The September event will be held in Ellwood City at ESB Bank (second floor) located at 600 Lawrence Ave, Ellwood City, PA 16117. Registration will begin at 8:30 am and presentations will start at 9 am. For more information and to reserve your spot today, please contact Amber Walters at 814.677.4800 x100.

Pennsylvania International Week (PIW) originally scheduled for September 9, 2009, HAS BEEN CANCELED!
Due to the current PA budget situation, the PA trade representatives will not be able to travel to Pennsylvania this September. Please note that the scheduled event in Meadville for September 9, 2009, has been cancelled. Please do not hesitate to contact the Commission office with any requests or questions for the trade offices. The International team will be happy to make the connection and assist the best way they can under the current conditions.

4^th International Conference on Renewable Energy Santiago, Chile
The Center for Trade Development is pleased to present Pennsylvania companies with the opportunity to participate in this conference scheduled for September 7 - 9, 2009. Participating companies will be able to register for all seminars, presentations and workshops associated with the event at no cost. For the third day of the event, as a special service offered only to PA companies, pre-arranged meetings will be offered with potential counterparts, either final customers, joint venture or strategic alliance partners, distributors and/or representatives to further discuss and leverage on this expanding sector of the Chilean economy. All travel, lodging, logistical and meal costs are the responsibility of the participating Pennsylvania company. For additional information please contact Dorte Heffernan.

KIZ Internship Program
Through the NWPA KIZ Internship Program, five, fall, internships will be placed with the following KIZ companies:

PSD Consulting
Clarion Research Group
Optical Filters
Deo Decises

KIZ Board Meeting
The next KIZ Board Meeting is scheduled to be held at Thiel University in the Johnson Community Center at 9:00 am on August 21, 2009.

KIZ Funding
The NWPA KIZ has submitted the second round of funding request to the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority to continue the KIZ Program in Crawford, Clarion, Mercer and Warren counties. The formal request to the BFTDA Board will be made in October.

KIZ Goals
Over the first funding cycle the NWPA KIZ Program identified 16 KIZ companies; 6 of which were new start-ups; placed 17 interns with KIZ companies and partners; and awarded $70,000 in KIZ Micro Grants

Commonwealth Lead Fielded
A medium-sized Belgian lighting design company is interested in expanding to the northeastern U.S. Step one in their site selection process is finding a Metalworking subcontractor that can produce their products/components. They would then set up their U.S. HQ near the subcontractor. Requirements for the subcontractor are available for review.

NPE – Erie Lead
As a result of visiting the Team PA booth at the June National Plastics Show in Chicago, a business owner from Ohio will be visiting the Erie area in August to learn more about the community as a location for their new enterprise which will manufacture bio-degradable plastic bags.

Local Development District (LDD) Energy Program Equipment Purchase
The Northwest Commission, along with PA’s other LDDs, will be conducting an equipment purchase in order to enhance the level of service to the municipalities, schools, hospitals, and non-profit agencies that are located within the respective regions of service. Each LDD will now have an infrared thermal imaging camera, light meter, weather meter, and moisture meter. This new equipment will substantially enhance the ability to offer meaningful and accurate energy audits of the facilities that each LDD assesses Additionally, this will allow the LDDs to view and identify previously hidden opportunities for energy savings through equipment (fans, compressors, motors, etc.) maintenance by highlighting friction and wear issues. This program enhancement is a significant step toward increasing the regions energy efficiency efforts and should pay immediate dividends, especially in the face of electricity rate cap expiration.

Energy Staff Receive Energy Star Portfolio Manager Training
The Northwest Commission participated in a “train the trainer” session held by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on the use of Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager web tool. Portfolio Manager is an excellent tool in which to track and assess energy and water consumption within individual buildings as well as across your entire building portfolio. This is done by entering energy consumption and cost data into an Portfolio Manager account to benchmark building energy performance, assess energy management goals over time, and identify strategic opportunities for savings and recognition opportunities. When used in conjunction with a Utility Bill Analysis, it will allow the user to track the results of any energy conservation changes that are made to a facility. The end result is the potential to realize significant savings on your energy bills. The Portfolio Manager tool can found on Energy Star’s website located at www.energystar.gov.

Energy Grant Workshop Well Attended
The Northwest Commission in cooperation with U.S. Congressman Glenn Thompson sponsored a workshop entitled, “Learn How to Navigate Energy Grants” at Cross Creek Resort in Titusville on July 14. Presenters Erin Wells (DEP) and Robert Schoenfeldt (USDA) spoke to a group of 50 attendees from various businesses, municipalities, and non-profit organizations from across the region. They delivered an informative message with regard to the types of available funding opportunities and how a business or organization can move forward to secure the resources needed for their respective projects. The presentations were followed up with an extensive question and answer session.

MTAP Survey Findings Reveal Long-Term Trends/Opportunity
The Commission has been conducting an annual municipal technology survey since 2000. Recently, a graduate student was engaged to compile all of the survey data into a comprehensive database to simplify data analysis. The compiled survey was provided to the Commission during the July 11th Technology Advisory Group (TAG) meeting. Reports are now being developed based on the current and historical data. The 2009 survey findings revealed some interesting data including:

All municipalities responding to the survey reported operating at least one computer.
83% of municipalities reported using the Windows XP or Vista operating system while 3% reported using Windows 98 or earlier versions!
On average, municipalities rated computers as “extremely important” to local government.
Nearly 25% of municipalities reported they had an established web site while more than 50% responded they did not currently have a web site and had no plans to establish one.

The 2009 MTAP survey incorporated additional questions that were anticipated to be important in responding to broadband stimulus application requirements. Summary data revealed that 20% of municipalities reported that they did not have access to any high speed Internet services. Summary data is available from the Commission upon request.

Fall Computer Class Schedule Pending Budget Outcome
MTAP classes are being contemplated for the Fall schedule however the planning and scheduling of these classes is being deferred pending resolution of the state budget.

Stimulus Spending Continues
To date, $22,872,000 has been obligated on seven bridge and nine highway projects in the five county Northwest Rural Planning Organization. There is approximately $3,000,000 in stimulus funds left to obligate on one bridge and two highway projects. Low bid savings have been averaging about 14%. At the national level, 65% of stimulus funds have been obligated on 6,154 projects.

State Transportation Commission Hearing Postponed
The State Transportation Commission hearing that was scheduled for August 5, 2009 was postponed due to the state budget impasse. No new date has been scheduled.

Route 8 Land Use/Transportation Study
An announcement of availability of funds for this study was advertised in mid July. There have been 39 requests for the Request For Proposals. Proposals are due August 21, 2009 and consultant selection will occur in early September.

Bona Fide Retail Request Program – Physician Outreach Collaboration
The Northwest Commission and the Pennsylvania Medical Society are collaborating to reach out to physicians and their patients using a brochure designed by Affinity Technology Consultants. The brochure provides instructions on how individuals may access the Bona Fide Retail Request Program (BFRR). Physicians and their patients were targeted as part of the “Connect-the-Docs” program as telemedicine is one of the key applications of high-speed Internet technology. With a sufficient robust Internet connection patients can access medical services from their home and/or local physician and avoid costly trips to larger metropolitan areas.

New BFRR inquires have slowed recently as outreach and education over the past two years of this ongoing program have been effective in reaching areas most in need of high speed Internet services. Three map requests were submitted in July. Maps and threshold updates are being provided by the telephone companies on a more timely basis recently.

BFRR Program Provides Clues to Unserved/Underserved Areas
As various organizations sought information on unserved and underserved areas for their respect broadband stimulus applications, the Commission’s BFRR data provided some key insights into where these areas are located. This information will be essential to the development of broadband stimulus applications.

Edinboro Public Meeting
The Edinboro Growth Initiative’s partnership with the downtown, the University, Borough, Township, and County Chamber continues to move forward after their successful June public meeting. Already, both the Organization and Promotions Committees are forming and have started meeting and planning. The Commission has been providing guidance and technical assistance to this new revitalization initiative.

Forest County
Community revitalization staff continue assisting with projects under the Growing Greener II grant and the anticipated development of vacant downtown properties in Tionesta Borough. Staff is also working with the HTC Group and Meritage Consulting on a tourism development project through the Appalachian Regional Commission. The project findings and proposed next-steps are expected to be released at the end of October.

Artisan Hub
The Route 8 region’s artisan hub movement, focusing on Franklin, Oil City, and Titusville has begun to apply for funding for planning and marketing purposes. The group met again on August 18, 2009, to continue working on their plan.

Oil City
The Main Street Steering Committee recently met with the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and is hard at work completing the preliminary application work for Main Street designation. Community revitalization staff has been providing technical assistance to this emerging initiative and creative partnership with the Oil Region Alliance.

Northwest Regional Networking
The next networking meeting is scheduled for October 1, 2009 in downtown Meadville. Topics will include Neighborhood Tax Credits, a presentation by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and discussion on blighted property issues.

GIS User Group Meeting
The Northwest Commission hosted a GIS User Group meeting on July 31, 2009. The main presentation at the meeting was from Precision Laser & Instrument on integrating GPS with GIS for asset management. Also discussed were the upcoming NWPA GIS Conference (October 15-16, 2009) at Clarion University, regional GIS project ideas, and the groups endorsement of the Pennsylvania GIS Strategic Plan.

Greenways Plans Advance
The Erie County Greenway Plan was presented to County Council (for council to consider approval & adoption) at a public hearing on July 21, 2009. Forest County is reviewing their second draft with the goal of having a document ready for adoption in the near future. Implementation strategies are starting to be developed (meeting with current circuit riders, exploring funding options, etc.) as these plans are adopted. Aggressive implementation strategies are needed to insure that the recommendations/suggestions in the plans are moved forward.

Energy Efficiency for Plastics Molders Seminar
This seminar will teach you the essential information about the rate cap expiration in December of 2010. Topic include conducting a facilities energy audit, and learn ways to reduce and manage electricity demands. For more details on this event, please click here. To view the agenda and to register, please click here.

Denise McCloskey is the Executive Director for the Northwest Commission. This position demands that she lead a team of 22 as they seek to fulfill their mission working with a board from both the public and private sectors. Prior to her current role, Ms. McCloskey served as Acting Executive Director for the agency from June 2005 until February 2006. In 2004 she was promoted to Deputy Director of Business and Economic Development where she directly supervised the Business Financing, Government Contracting, and International Marketing programs.

Feel free to contact Denise by telephone at 814.677.4800 x123 or email her at: denisem@nwcommission.org

What is your favorite type of food?
Hmmmm. That’s a tough one. I honestly like most types of food, and I’ll try pretty much anything once, as long as it’s not moving or looking at me. I guess if I had to pick something it would be Italian food, as I love pasta and the many different types of sauces!

Do you have any hidden talents?
If I do, they must be hidden well, because I haven’t found any yet!

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?
Harry Potter! I think it would be great to get on my broomstick (no comments, please) and fly around the world or use the flu powder to transport myself. I would also love to learn to play Quidditch.

What CD is in your CD player right now?
Josh Groban ~ Closer

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you and why?
Elizabeth Shue, because she seems to be a down-to-earth, rather tomboyish gal, who can do just about any type of movie from suspense to comedy, and I’m rather sure the movie about my life would be a comedy!!

What is the most satisfying thing about working at the Commission?
Making a difference in northwest Pennsylvania. It is great to see communities making progress and businesses growing and entering new markets with the assistance provided by the Commission staff.

In addition, the Commission staff is great! Because we are a small staff, we get to know each other on an individual and personal basis. I truly enjoy coming to work everyday and seeing my Commission family!

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