The cold, snowy days are slowly turning to warmer, rainy days, and Northwest Pennsylvania is springing ahead and looking forward to the seasonal change and longer days.  The Northwest Commission is springing into action as well and gearing up for a spring filled with events and trainings to assist local governments and businesses in northwest Pennsylvania. 

2009 Annual Dinner-REGISTER NOW!
The Northwest Commission will be holding its Annual Dinner at Cross Creek Resort in Titusville on Wednesday, April 1, 2009.  Please plan to attend, and join us for an evening of networking and recognition as the Northwest Commission honors the Board Member of the Year, Business of the Year, Partner of the Year and Local Government of the Year. 

If you have not already registered, make your dinner selection of (prime rib, chicken cordon bleu, or vegetarian lasagna) and register:

1.    On the website at www.nwcommission.org

2.    By contacting Sam Wilson directly at samw@nwcommission.org or by
phone at 814.297.7158 x101.

The registration deadline is March 27^th, please plan to attend!

Recipient of Economic Development Champion Award
The Oil Region Alliance created the Economic Development Champion Award, in 2006, to recognize an individual that goes above and beyond in the efforts of Economic Development.  Economic Development is very challenging in the northwest region of Pennsylvania and it requires leaders to think outside the box and roll up their sleeves and work with, but not rely on Harrisburg to make the region successful.  John Phillips, Senior Vice President of Economic Development for the Oil Region Alliance states, "The Economic Development champion is a person that has been identified by my department as  a person that has helped this region take economic development success into its own hands. Denise has stepped forward to significantly support the Oil Region Alliance in moving our mission to increase the prosperity and population forward.  The Northwest Commission staff always tries to support our initiatives and is well deserving of the award.”  

Northwest Commission Names Manager of Energy Program
The Northwest Commission named William (Bill) Rupert as the Manager of the Energy Program.  Bill joined the Commission in 2008 as the Community Development Specialist before transitioning into this role.

In his new role Bill, will provide assistance to local governments, schools, hospitals and non-profit organizations with their energy needs.  He will look for opportunities to increase energy efficiency and cost savings while reducing energy consumption through technical assistance and bulk purchase consortiums.  If you would like to contact Bill Rupert regarding the Energy Program you can email him at williamr@nwcommission.org, or by telephone at 814.297.7158 x103.

An Irish Blessing

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Four Loans Closed – One Loan Approved

In February the Northwest Commission closed four loans:

• Allegheny Wood Works, Inc. of Erie County closed on a $105,000 SBF loan to purchase equipment.  Three jobs will be created within three years and 23 employees will be retained.
   

• Concrete Services Corporation of Erie County closed on a $176,000 SBF loan to purchase equipment.  Eight jobs will be created within three years.
   

• Meadville Tool Grinding, Inc. of Crawford County closed on a $100,000 SBF loan to purchase equipment.  Seven jobs will be retained.
   

• Radio Adventures Corp. of Venango County closed on a $200,000 SBF loan to purchase and renovate a commercial building.  Nineteen jobs will be retained.

The Loan Committee approved one loan in February: 

• James A. & M. Jane McDowell of Lawrence County

Entrepreneur Training Series
The Commission in conjunction with Clarion SBDC has scheduled the Entrepreneurship Training Series for May 12, 2009.  It will be held at the Howling Dog Gallery Cafe in Oil City.  Registration begins at 8:45am and the training will take place from 9:00am - 11:00am.  Harry Howard of How 2 Consulting will talk about the importance of Networking.  The Training Series is held every other month through September 2009 and the topics are chosen by the participants. To register, contact Ethel Rodebaugh at 814.677.4800 x113 or call Clarion SBDC at 877.292.1843 toll free. 

Please click here for a list of upcoming events available to small businesses.
 

March 24^th - Government 201 - Contracting with PA & MBE/WBE Certification
Conducted by the Northwest Commission, this introductory training will provide an overview of how to do business with the PA state government as well as provide detailed information on how to become a PA certified woman or minority owned business.  This half-day event will be for any company who is looking to start working with, or would like to refresh their knowledge on the sites and certifications of the state procurement process.  Presenters from the PA Department of General Services (DGS) and the PA Minority Business Enterprise / Women Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) Program will be in attendance.  Topics covered include bid leads, registrations, MBE/WBE certifications, and how to work through state government opportunities will be discussed with those companies attending this half-day training event.  This event will be held in the 1^st floor conference room at the PennDOT building located at 255 Elm Street in Oil City.  Registration will begin at 8:30am and presentations will start at 9am  For more information and to reserve your spot, please contact Lori Kenyon at 814.677.4800 x104.

SBA HUBZone, 8(a), and SDB Certification & Contracting Workshop – March 25^th, 2009
U.S. Small Business Administration will conduct an 8(a), SDB and HUBZone Certification & Contracting workshop from 9am-12pm at Riverside Center for Innovation, 700 River Ave., 1^st floor Conference Room, Pittsburgh (Northside).  It is free to the public.  MBE/WBE and Veteran-owned businesses are encouraged to attend.  To register contact: Mary Ann Sperling at 412.395.6560  x107.

April 30^th - Government 101 - On the Road in Forest 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 covered include set-asides, bid leads, registrations, and how to work through government opportunities and are customized to companies in attendance 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 April event will be taking place at the MicroTel Hotel in Marienville, PA.  Registration will begin at 8:30am and presentations will start at 9am.  For more information and to reserve your spot, please contact Lori Kenyon at 814.677.4800 x104.

Showcase for Commerce – May 28-29, 2009
Showcase for Commerce is a government marketing event available to businesses.  This event will be held in Johnstown, PA, May 28-29.  This event will allow companies to meet and market to major primes (Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, etc.), as well as provide training seminars.  For more information, visit:  http://www.johnstownchamber.com/showcase/.  This year, there is also an opportunity for local companies to meet with a variety of U.S. and Pennsylvania government agency buyers in one-on-one settings. 
 

Press Tour showcases Pennsylvania as a leader in plastics manufacturing industry
This event will be co-sponsored by Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Office of International Business Development and regional partners, to include the Northwest Commission, the Plastics Technology Center at Penn State Behrend, and the Technology Council of Northwest PA. Four foreign journalists will visit the week of April 20-24, 2009 to tour plastic manufacturing facilities in northwest Pennsylvania. This tour will focus on the importance of the plastics industry primarily in Erie County from Tuesday, April 21 through Thursday, April 24. The journalists will spend a portion of one day visiting Crawford County as well. In addition to the company visits, foreign press members will meet with regional economic development representatives and state government officials. International press for this tour includes journalists from highly regarded publications based in France, Germany and India, touting Pennsylvania’s economic assets to businesses in their home nations and touting why companies should consider investing in the Commonwealth. 

End-of-Year Market Access Grant (MAG) Submission
The filing deadline for the next and final funding round of the fiscal year is March 31, 2009. If a Pennsylvania company is planning to participate in a trade event on or before June 30, 2009, then they must submit their MAG application by this March deadline. Certain exceptions will be considered for companies that make late decisions to participate in a spring trade mission. Please also note that for events occurring after June 30, 2009, the applications cannot be processed until the new Fiscal Year 2009-2010.  Please contact Dorte Heffernan at 814.677.4800 x110 if you have any questions regarding the MAG.

WISERTrade Year-End Stats
From 2007 to 2008, Pennsylvania exports grew at a faster rate than the national average, increasing 18% compared with 12% for the entire country. For the first time in history, the value of Commonwealth’s exports of goods (services excluded) exceeded $30 billion for a total of $34.4 billion.
                           

Upcoming MTAP Classes

The Winter 2008/Spring 2009 MTAP courses continue to be a hugely popular with the District’s municipalities.  Remaining topics to be covered include:

• March 23 – Access 2007 Level I – FICDA, Franklin, 8:30am – 4:00pm
   

• May 2  - Awareness Training – What all Rural Responders Must Know about Public Health Emergencies, Farmington Township Fire Hall I in Leeper.  Hosted by Forest County, the training is offered by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Rural Health Practice.  Session details and registration information are available by clicking here.

To register, please contact Amber Dille at 814.677.4800 x100 or by e-mail at amberd@nwcommission.org.  Space is limited and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. 

We encourage you to share any thoughts or ideas that you may have as to upcoming course topics.  If a subject is important to you, we will try to accommodate it.  As always, these courses are free of charge.