Happy Anniversary!
The Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission held an open house on May 10, 2007 to celebrate our organization’s 40^th anniversary.

Thank you to everyone who attended, especially to the business clients who displayed their products as part of our “You can make it here” brand.

View the photos from the open house here.

Check Presentation
Barkeyville Borough received a $1,000 Municipal Technology Assistance Program (MTAP) grant to obtain a broadband Internet connection, which will allow the borough to access information much more quickly in responding to state and federal inquiries.

Established in July 2000, MTAP is a Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development-funded program that provides hands-on technology assistance to county and local governments.  The Northwest Commission is the regional administrator for MTAP.

View the photo from the Barkeyville check presentation here.

Venango Steel, Inc. closed on a $200,000 Small Business First Loan to expand their facility by 800 square feet and to purchase machinery and equipment.  The additional machinery will improve productivity and allow for a more cost-effective operation.

Venango Steel, Inc. currently employs 22 and will create 25 additional jobs within three years as a result of the loan.

View the photo from the Venango Steel check presentation here.

Next Board Meeting
Join us on June 1, 2007 at 10 AM for a meeting of the board of directors.  The meeting will take place at the Enterprise Development Center located at 5240 Knowledge Parkway in Erie, PA.  Please RSVP your attendance to Kellie at 814-677-4800, ext. 106 or at kelliem@nwcommission.org  by May 28^th.

Welcome New Staff                                                                                    
The Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission is pleased to announce that Travis Siegel has joined the agency as a Marketing Specialist.  Siegel, a Clarion resident, will provide ongoing marketing development and support for the Northwest Commission and its many programs.

Siegel is a 2006 graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts.  His talent and creativity will prove to be a great asset to our agency.

Happy Memorial Day!
Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend with your family and friends.  Let’s remember those who can’t be with us because they are serving oversees.

Sincerely,
 

Five Loans Closed – Four Loans Approved

In April the Northwest Commission closed five loans:

1.       A $200,000 SBF loan closed for Sterling Technologies, Inc. of Erie County.  The loan was used to purchase a building, machinery, and  equipment.  Eight full time jobs will be created within three years.

2.       A $102,000 EDA/RLF loan closed for R. N. Goss Gas Products Company and RenovEx, Inc. of Venango County.  The loan was used to purchase machinery and equipment.  Three full time jobs will be retained and two jobs will be created within three years.

3.       A $200,000 SBF loan closed for Imperial Systems, Inc. of Mercer County.  The loan was used to purchase land and construct a building in Jackson Center.  Eleven full time employees will be retained.

4.       A $175,000 SBF loan closed for Healthcare Lighting, Inc. of Erie County.  The loan was used to purchase machinery and equipment.  Seven full-time jobs will be created. 

5.       A $200,000 SBF loan and a $200,000 EDA/RLF loan closed for Accudyn Products, Inc. of Erie County.  The loan was used to purchase machinery and equipment.  Eight jobs will be created within three years.

The loan Committee approved four loans in April:  Peters Heavy Equipment Repair, Inc. of Crawford County; Radio Adventures Corp. of Venango County; Clarion Cabinetry, Inc. of Clarion County; and EPC Powder Manufacturing Inc of Erie County.

Click here to view additional upcoming events available to small businesses in the area!
 

Here's what some of the attendees had to say about the training:

"We're now able to get more involved with selling our services to the government."

"I believe we can now actively market to government agencies." 

"Very informative. We are going to make changes in order to capitalize on government opportunities."

Upcoming events:

May 23: R U Ready for RFID? (Radio Frequency Identification) Conference, Ambassador Conference Center, Erie, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. There is a $125 fee for this conference. Register with eBizITPA by calling (814) 898-6500 from 8:30am - 4:30 pm.

June 1: "Government Contracting" presented by Renee Decker of the Government Contracting Assistance Center at Slippery Rock University, from 8-9 a.m. at the Lawrence County Learning Center, New Castle. Contact Eileen Borelli at 724-656-3165 x221 for more information.

June 12: "Doing Business with the Commonwealth," presented by Gayle Nuppnau, DGS, from 9-noon at the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, 138 West Washington St., New Castle. To register, call (724) 654-5593 or email cindy@lawrencecountychamber.org

2007 International Hardwood Buyers Mission

Please join us for a “picnic” networking opportunity with about 20 international qualified lumber and secondary wood product buyers! The Northwest Commission, in collaboration with the Hardwood Development Council / PA Department of Agriculture, the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, the Allegheny Hardwoods Utilization Group (AHUG), and the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry, will host a cookout steak and fish dinner at the PAPCO Inc. Peterson Lodge in the Allegheny National Forest in Warren, PA.

Dinner is planned for 6:00 p.m., a meeting point for shuttle service into the Forest is arranged for 5:30 p.m. at the parking lot at the intersection of Rte 59 and Brown Run Road, Warren, PA. 16354.

Please RSVP to Lori Moore by June 1, 2007. For additional information, please contact Dorte Heffernan at 814.677.4800 Ext. 110.

Nano Korea 2007, Goyang, South Korea  August 29-31, 2007

South Korea is a dominant country in nanotechnology today. Pennsylvania realizes the potential of nano-technology and is offering its companies a cost effective way to participate in Nano Korea. Last year 118 exhibitors from Japan, the US, the UK, Germany, Korea, and Taiwan introduced their latest innovations, top concepts and best-selling products to an audience of industry professionals and visitors from around the world. Nano Korea 2007 is expecting up to 8,000 attendees from 15 countries. Exhibit categories include: Nano Devices, Nano Material, Evaluation and Measurement, Life & Energy. Showcased products include: NRAM, nano-wire, CNT fiber, nanofilm, DDS, nano-robotics, electronic microscope, lithography, fuel cell and nanoscale simulation. Registration fee is $ 350.00 with deadline to register by May 31, 2007. For additional information / registration form please click on the following link.

Click here for Nano Korea 2007 Info and Registration  

EuroMold 2007, Frankfurt, Germany  December 5 – 8, 2007

Three regional companies exhibited for the first time at the EuroMold 2006 last December. Due to their positive feedback the State decided to subsidize EuroMold 2007 and invite 6 regional companies to exhibit at the world’s leading trade fair for Moldmaking, Tooling, Design & Application Development. The entire process chain from “Design to Prototyping to Series Production" is represented at the EuroMold. This unique trade show concept bridges the gap  between industrial designers, product developers, producers, suppliers, and end-users. Exhibits at the show will include tooling & moldmaking, patterning & prototyping, tools, advanced materials, digital product development, simulation and engineering & design. Registration fee is $2,500.00 with deadline to register by August 31, 2007. For additional information / registration form please click on the following link.

Click here for EuroMold 2007 Info and Registration

The Northwest Commission will host four open houses to review the draft Long Range Transportation Plan for Clarion, Crawford, Forest, Venango and Warren counties on the following dates:

• June 5, 9:00 a.m. – Crawford County Courthouse

• June 5, 1:30 p.m. – Warren Public Library

• June 6, 9:00 a.m. – Venango County Courthouse Annex

• June 6, 1:00 p.m. – Main Street Center in Clarion

The New Signing and Work Zone Rules for Local Governments course was held in Edinboro on April 10, 2007.  The course was attended by twenty six (26) local government staff.

Six LTAP courses have been scheduled in the northwest Pennsylvania region and they are:

• Engineering and Traffic Studies (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.), May 15, 2007 at the Vernon Township Building – Meadville, PA

• Posting and Bonding of Local Roads (8 a.m. – Noon), May 16, 2007 at the Franklin Industrial and Commercial Development Authority facility – Franklin, PA. 

• May 31, 2007 (8 a.m. – Noon) - Asphalt Roads Common Maintenance Problems – FICDA

• June 1, 2007 (8 a.m. – Noon) - Unpaved and Gravel Road Maintenance – Washington Twp. (Edinboro)

• August 23, 2007 (8 a.m. – Noon) – Equipment and Worker Safety – Vernon Twp. (Crawford County)

• September 27, 2007 (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.) – Winter Maintenance – Vernon Twp. (Crawford County)

To register please contact Matt Gilara at (814) 677-4800 x102 or at (mattg@nwcommission.org).   You may also register for these courses online at https://www.ltap.state.pa.us

The spring training calendar is complete and has been sent to all municipalities within the region. Work is already beginning on the fall schedule. Like all previous schedules, training offerings will be based on findings drawn from the annual MTAP survey. Additionally, the Northwest Commission anticipates several program enhancements including: 

 · Programs are currently offered on a beginner / intermediate/ advanced basis. We’re working with training providers to clarify what these terms actually mean so that people can choose their classes with more precise expectations of what will be covered.

· We will expand the MTAP survey to begin asking for specific topics users would like to see addressed. For example, instead of “Excel” we’d like to offer classes as specific as: Creating charts and graphs in Excel; Doing payroll with Excel; Equipment and supply tracking with Excel; Creating budges and financial reports with Excel. (I’d do this for all topics, not just Excel).

·  A much more comprehensive QuickBooks offering. More classes on more topics all relating to QuickBooks.

·  A website/page specifically for the training program where users can get schedule updates, register for classes, and provide program feedback.  

The Northwest Commission will attend a work session on May 25 during which the findings, conclusions, and recommendations presented in the Design Nine report will be considered. “Open Systems” infrastructure will figure prominently in this report and the resulting discussion.

The report findings will be presented at the next Technology Advisory Group (TAG) meeting. It’s anticipated these findings will represent the foundation for much of the future work of the TAG.

Projects currently underway by Northwest Commission staff:

• Tourism map for the Allegheny Clarion Valley region

• Hiking and biking map for the Pennsylvania Great Lakes Region

• Developing a RFP for GIS services for Mercer County

Please visit the Neighborhood GIS by going to www.nwneighborhoodgis.com.  The Neighborhood GIS site is an interactive mapping web site that is available to all 265 local governments in northwest Pennsylvania.

Northwest Commission staff gave an overview of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology on April 25, 2007 for a West Forest (Tionesta) after school program.

Please contact Matt Gilara, GISP - Manager, GIS/Community Development at (814) 677-4800 (x102) or mattg@nwcommission.org if you have any questions regarding GIS/GPS.