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Welcome to the third edition of “The Wilkes-Barre @dvantage,” the
Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and
Industry's economic development newsletter.
Vonderheid
Selected as Chamber President
County Commissioner and Former Chamber VP to Lead Organization
 After
a nine-month search, the Greater Wilkes-Barre
Chamber of Business and Industry’s board of directors has selected
Luzerne County Commissioner Todd A. Vonderheid to be the organization’s
next president.
Vonderheid, 38, will resign as county commissioner on May 31 and
start at
the Chamber beginning June 1.
A nationwide search began last fall when former
President & CEO Steve Barrouk resigned after 18 years of service.
A field of over 30 candidates was eventually
narrowed to four individuals and after a round
of final interviews and the recommendation of an outside consulting
firm, Vonderheid was offered
the position. [more]
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business
and Industry named Economic
Development
Agency of the Year
 The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry received
the 2006 Pennsylvania Economic Development Association Agency of the
Year Award during the 2007 Spring Conference April 17 in Harrisburg.
The Pennsylvania Economic Development Association
(PEDA) is the statewide association of local,
state, corporate and non-profit economic development professionals.
PEDA's mission is to promote sound economic development policies,
provide leading edge economic development education, and nurture an
effective statewide economic development network to foster the economic
health of the Commonwealth. [more]
Wall
Street Wilkes-Barre
Regional grant links Greater Wilkes-Barre to financial services industry
Wilkes-Barre has strategically placed itself
as a prime location for financial services companies,
thanks to a $15 million Workforce Innovation
Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant provided
by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The grant was used to create Wall Street West, a nine-county
regional initiative that will help develop a total
back-up solution for New York City financial
institutions in the event of a disaster. [more]
A New Neighbor…
 Wilkes-Barre recently
welcomed a new tenant to the Downtown.
Equilibrium Equities Inc., a Pennsylvania-based
real estate development company, relocated
their local offices to Downtown Wilkes-Barre
in April. The new location, 15 South
Franklin Street, will “allow us to grow and maintain our commitment to excellence in industrial real estate investment and development,” said
Vice President John Morris.
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Downtown
Retail Units
Now Available
Retail
leasing at Downtown Wilkes-Barre’s Northampton & Main mixed-use
project is off to a successful start, with two
new tenants signing leases for ground-floor space
at the property. Local eatery Januzzi’s Pizza and the national
Quiznos Sub chain will both open their new locations at the South
Main Street complex by early summer. Lincoln Property
Company is Northampton & Main’s
leasing agent, while NAI Mertz of PA represented
the Quiznos lessee, C&S Subs, Inc. [more]
Northeast PA Logistics & Transportation
Industry Partnership:
People on the Move
 A
new website has been launched as part of a Public
Image Campaign targeting the logistics & transportation
industry. www.nepapeopleonthemove.org was
created in response to the significant growth
of the logistics and transportation industry
in NEPA and the reported challenges of identifying,
retaining, and training a qualified workforce.
The website is part of an overall image campaign which also included
a Career Ladder Model, a SWOT Analysis, and a
Training Needs Analysis which resulted in the
development of two customized job training programs. [more]
Pepsi/Gatorade
Breaks Ground in
the Chamber’s Crestwood
Industrial Park
 PepsiCo
recently held a groundbreaking ceremony in the
Crestwood Industrial Park for
a new facility that will house and distribute Gatorade products. The expansion
will result in the creation of 93 new jobs, the retention of 236 and the construction
of a new 503,000-square foot facility.
“This groundbreaking marks the formal
beginning of Pepsico’s expansion project.
Pepsico’s Crestwood Gatorade facility has
long been one of our community’s significant
industrial employers. Now, with this project,
this global manufacturer will provide quality,
family-sustaining jobs to even more residents
of the Greater Wilkes-Barre area…” [more]
New
Academic Superstore Opens Doors
A groundbreaking Barnes & Noble Collegiate
Bookstore recently held its formal grand
opening in downtown Wilkes-Barre. The new bookstore consolidates the King’s
College and Wilkes University campus bookstores
into a single, shared facility, approximately
20,000 square feet in size, on the ground
floor of the Innovation Center @ Wilkes-Barre
on South Main Street. [more]
 Rail-Served
Industrial Building Available
1 Passan Drive
Building #1
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
A 200,000-square foot rail-served facility
available for lease!
- Rail-served with 10 rail doors.
- 24'-clear ceiling height.
- Facility can be sub-divided.
- Easy access to I-81 and I-476.
For more information click here or contact a member of our Economic
Development team at (570) 823-2101.
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