Annual Dinner 2007
On February 8, 2007 the Northwest Commission held its second annual dinner where we were joined by 200 guests. At the dinner we released our 2006 annual report, “Extending our Reach”, which focuses on the Northwest Commission’s collaborative efforts with other local, state, federal, and global entities as well as the resulting impacts in the region.

To view the annual report or pictures from our annual dinner event, go here:  http://www.nwcommission.org/report.html

The business and economic development programs created, retained or promised 4,958 jobs region-wide. This is over a 1,000 jobs increase from 2005.

Highlights of the evening included a special 40th anniversary presentation and award presentations. The following award recipients were recognized for their outstanding contributions and cooperation with the Northwest Commission in 2006:

▪ Board Leadership Award: Jake Rouch, Erie Regional
  Chamber and Growth Partnership
▪ Partner of the Year: First Energy Corporation
▪ Local Government of the Year: Monroe Township, Clarion   
  County
▪ Business of the Year: AlturnaMats, Titusville, Crawford County

The Northwest Commission also presented two “Above and Beyond” recognition awards to staff who are both true examples of “Extending our Reach”. The “Above and Beyond” recipients are:

▪ Bobbi Beightol-Fiscal Assistant
▪ Matt Gilara-GISP Manager

Congratulations Bobbi and Matt!

With Appreciation
Thank you to all those that helped make the annual dinner a success, including all of the generous sponsors as follows:

GOLD
Central Electric; Citizens Bank; First Energy Corporation; First National Bank; JL Nick Associates; National Fuel; Northwest Industrial Resource Center; Northwest Savings Bank; and PNC Bank

SILVER
Design Nine; eBizITPA; Gannon Small Business Development Center; Gent, Gent & Snyder; Keller Engineers; May & Company; and McCormick Taylor

BRONZE
Gannett Fleming; Meyer, Unkovic & Scott; National City; Northwest Rural Electric Cooperative; Penn-Northwest Development Corporation; and Seneca Printing

Welcome New Staff
The Northwest Commission is pleased to welcome two individuals to the organization!

Valerie Hearn will serve as the Community Development Specialist within the Community Development and Planning department. Hearn will be a key contact in the newly developed Municipal Outreach Program. She will be tasked with making personal connections with all 265 municipalities within the eight-county region.

Thus far, she has been able to visit with several municipalities about the Municipal Outreach Program.  She has also been able to visit with all eight county planners as well as several referral agencies. We are still working with two neighboring LDD’s on a comprehensive database designed to better serve the municipalities. A demonstration of the database has strengthened our belief that it will greatly benefit the entire Municipal Outreach Program.

Valerie can be reached at 814-677-4800, ext. 124 or valerieh@nwcommission.org.

Erin Chorney joins us as the Director, Business and Economic Development. She will oversee the business and economic development department, which includes the business financing, international marketing, government contracting and business attraction programs. Erin is one of three department directors, who report directly to the Executive Director.

As a Pennsylvania certified economic developer, Erin brings ten years of experience in economic and community development to her new position.

Erin can be reached at 814-677-4800, ext. 116 or erinc@nwcommission.org.

One Full Year
It’s been one full year since being chosen to serve as the Executive Director at the Northwest Commission.

It has been a pleasure for me to lead staff down new pathways and open doors never opened in the past. We are truly “Extending our Reach” in many ways:

▪ Offering support to our member counties and local governments with projects such as the Greenways Plan, Neighborhood GIS and the newly established Municipal Outreach Program.

▪ Marketing the business development programs through new venues, such as the CareerLinks and County Commissioners, as well as offering events such as the Breakfast for Champions and the Entrepreneurs Club.

▪ Providing leadership to the Travel and Tourism industry by submitting a grant proposal for the formation of an Industry Partnership, which will allow the industry members to come together and address like needs.

▪ Enhancing public relations through the Legislative Bulletin, a quarterly newsletter to keep the legislators informed of our activities and successes, and formal check presentations for clients that receive funding through the Northwest Commission.

I can only hope that 2007 will be as exciting as 2006 has been! I know it can be, because we have a dedicated Board of Directors, a great staff and partners willing to work with us!  I challenge you to come forth with your thoughts and ideas and put our staff to the test! Let’s see where, together, we can take the Northwest Region of Pennsylvania!

In January the Northwest Commission closed two loans:
1. A $200,000 SBF loan closed for Venango Steel, Inc. of Venango County. The loan was used to expand their building and purchase machinery and equipment. Twenty five jobs will be created within three years.

2. A $150,000 EDA/RLF loan closed for Graff Diversified, Inc. of Venango County. The loan was used to purchase machinery and equipment. Three jobs will be created within three years and four jobs will be retained.

The loan Committee approved three loans in January:
R.N. Goss Gas Products, Co./RenovEx, Inc. of Venango County; DHSteel Products, LLC, and Sterling Technologies, Inc., both of Erie County.

Financing Seminar in Clarion County was well-received!
The Northwest Commission co-sponsored a financing seminar with the Clarion County Economic Development Corporation, the Clarion University Small Business Development Center, and the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation. This seminar was held to educate participants on the various programs and had thirty-seven attendees.

Entrepreneur Club Event on Tax Tips was a success!
The fourth Entrepreneur Club event was held on January 17th at the Franklin Industrial and Commercial Development Authority with over twenty people attending. Stan Barsh, CPA, of May & Company, and Minnette Clepper, CPA, of Liberty Tax Service provided “Tax Tips for Small Businesses”.

The Entrepreneur Club is for regional businesses to network and discuss issues and concerns with other business owners and professionals. Each event has a speaker on a topic chosen by the participants. The next Entrepreneur Club will be held March 21 at FICDA with Dan Fry, Financial Advisor, Raymond James Financial Services, speaking about retirement planning. Please plan to attend and spread the word!

Click here to view other upcoming events for small businesses.
 

"It was, hour for hour, the best seminar I've ever attended. In a few short hours it took the mystery out of how to do business with the state and federal government."
- Matt Mawhinney P.E., Owner, Exedyne Mfg. Services.

Government 101 - March 7th
Our next bi-monthly Government 101 training will be held on March 7, 2007 from 9 AM to noon at the Northwest Commission. This introductory class provides an overview of how to do business with the Federal, State and Local governments. Topics such as set-asides, bid leads, registrations, marketing and how to work through the government opportunities will be customized to attending companies for this half day training event.

Erie EXPO - February 20 - 22nd (click for flier)
The Erie Expo is the premiere exhibition of Erie in the Great Lakes region. The Northwest Commission's Government Contracting, International Marketing and Business Financing program representatives will be present at this trade show at booth 709. A listing of exhibitors, seminars and pre-registration is all available at:  www.expoerie.com

Veterans Business Seminar - February 23rd (click for flier)
The Northwest Commission’s PTAC will be offering its first annual Veterans Business Seminar on Friday February 23, 2007 from 9 AM to noon at the Lawrence County Learning Center Hoyt Room. This training focuses on  veterans who are interested in becoming business owners, and veterans who are already business owners, interested in contracting with the government. We will also have a special presentation on how veterans can pair their services or products to better pursue contracts.

Government Contracting Web Address of the Month:
Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) www.fedbizopps.gov “Advanced Search”
1.  Search for what the Federal government is looking for and what has been previously awarded.

2.  Search for previous awards at http://vsearch2.fbo.gov/servlet/SearchServlet  enter full text to search (i.e. “shaft”),  select search for “Awards” only, enter dates to search (i.e. Two Weeks). For subcontracting opportunities, find the given Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code of the awarded prime contractor and plug it into the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) www.ccr.gov for contact information, then you can market your products and capabilities to the awarded prime contractor.

Gannett Fleming has been selected to revise the Northwest RPO's Long Range Transportation Plan. Additional safety funds will be used on Route 322 in Crawford County and to signalize the Route 417 and Front Street intersection in Sugarcreek Borough.

The high-tech sector is where Israel and the United States find the best opportunities for partnership. Sectors such as safety and security, defense, medical and biotechnology provide good opportunity.

Turkey is strategically positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Aside from its location as the bridge between East and West, Turkey’s complex mix of modern industry and commerce continues to attract a diverse set of American companies ranging from mining to high technology to energy.

On the heels of accession to the WTO in 2000, Jordan entered into a Free Trade Agreement with the United States in 2001. An increasing population coupled with increasing local consumption and access to regional markets make Jordan an attractive option for U.S. firms. The first 15 qualified companies will be accepted. There is a $ 450.00 per person participation fee, travel and business related expenses are each company’s responsibility. For additional information, please click here.

Please mark your calendars for our next ‘Breakfast for Champions’ - March 26, 2007 in New Castle, Lawrence County.
This breakfast will include an India market briefing by the State’s authorized India trade representative. Appointments for site visits are also available. Please contact Dorte Heffernan for additional information.