“No single event has been more constant, or contributed more to our success, than the Showcase for Commerce.”
– U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha (PA-12)

Rep. John Murtha talks with the media following a press conference on May 29 at the 2009 Showcase for Commerce.

Lockheed Martin will purchase facility in Johnstown, create 165 jobs

by Cliff White, Staff Reporter

Johnstown – This year’s version of Johnstown’s Showcase for Commerce culminated with the announcement that Lockheed Martin will purchase the local Manufacturing Technology Facility from Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), a deal that will bring 165 new jobs to the area.

The 197,041 square-foot facility, located in Johnstown’s Industrial Park, will be used to accommodate the increased production rate of the C-130J Super Hercules and the F-35 Lightning II, according to a press release. Details of the agreement were not made available.

CTC President and CEO Edward J. Sheehan Jr. said the sale would help his company with increasing efficiency and reducing costs. “We will decrease our operating expenses which will increase our market competitiveness and position CTC for expected growth in Johnstown and other locations,” he said.

U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha (PA-12), who has organized the exposition since it began in 1991, touted the deal as good news for the region’s economy. “This agreement between Lockheed Martin and CTC demonstrates how organizations are working together to bring new jobs to our region. I’m proud of these collaborations and the good-paying jobs and economic development they produce.”

Murtha said the Showcase for Commerce highlights the regional economy’s shift from mills and mines to defense, health care, technology and research. Murtha himself has played a large role in that transition, due to his long-time involvement on the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and the hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks he has dedicated to local projects.

Cong. Murtha visits Dave Herbener, President of KDH Defense Systems, a designer and manufacturer of body armor, based in Johntown, at the 2009 Showcase for Commerce.

CTC was also involved in several additional announcements during the two-day conference, which took place at the Johnstown War Memorial on May 28 and 29. The company was awarded a Rapid Response-Third Generation contract to provide engineering, technical and program services for the Department of Defense, other federal agencies, as well as state and local governments. Sheehan Jr. said he anticipated the contract to result in approximately $50 million in revenue during the five-year contract time period.

The company also won a two-year contract worth up to $16 million for continuation of the Life Cycle Modeling Integrator (LCMI) Program overseen by the U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Command. The technology developed by CTC allows military commanders to view their troops’ equipment readiness, maintenance and supply status.

Other contract awards announced at the event included a $24 million deal between BAE Systems and Johnstown Welding Fabrication (JWF) Defense Systems for continued production of ground-based system platforms. JWF currently performs machining, fabrication, welding and final assembly for BAE vehicles including the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle and the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, among others. JWF Industries has five locations in Johnstown and 425 employees.

Martin-Baker America, Johnstown, announced during the conference a $20 million contract through the US. Air Force to deliver the US16T ejection seat for the T-38 Talon aircraft. The five-year contract will create 10 new jobs, raising to 100 the total number of workers the company employs locally in Johnstown.

“No single event has been more constant, or contributed more to our success, than the Showcase for Commerce,” Murtha said. He cited figures that estimate the showcase has lead to investments that injected nearly $3 billion into the local economy and created at least 6,000 jobs. “For area companies that want to expand their markets and grow their business, Showcase provides the region’s single largest networking opportunity.”
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The economy that Jack built
Regional economy tied to Congressman Mutha’s  influence

by Cliff White, Staff Reporter

Rep. Murtha poses with Leo Creegan of Catalyst Manufacturing, a representative of one of the 160 companies that attended this year's showcase.

Johnstown – It is a familiar circle at the 2009 Showcase for Commerce, and as usual, Rep. John Murtha is at the center of the action.

Late Friday morning – the second and final day of the exposition – top executives of defense industry giants like Boeing, Lockheed-Martin and Raytheon, kept up a steady playful chatter, waiting their turn for Murtha, the event’s chief architect, to make a visit to their exhibit.

These companies shelled out several thousand dollars each for their spot at what is normally center ice in the Johnstown War Memorial, and several thousand dollars more on flashy displays and event sponsorships. Many share close relationships with Murtha, who chairs the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and therefore has a large say in how and to whom mega-million dollar military contracts are awarded.

With the Obama administration in the midst of refocusing defense spending priorities, competition among these companies for a continued share of the defense contract pie is heating up. In a not-so-subtle suggestion to Murtha and the rest of the crowd at the showcase, Boeing showed up with a fully interactive trailer complete with an in-flight refueling simulator. Boeing is involved in a fierce battle with Northrup Grumman over a $40 billion contract to manufacture refueling aircraft for the Air Force, and Murtha has been a vocal proponent for splitting the contract between the two rivals to avoid further delays in procurement.

Meanwhile, smaller, regional entities were also out in force at the showcase. Many owe their very existence to Congressman Murtha, who has handed out hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks during his three decades in office to companies with a strong presence in his district, which coils from the southwest corner of the state through parts of Somerset, Westmoreland, Indiana and Cambria counties.

“Congressman Murtha is a big part of the Windber Medical Center. His support has allowed us to create jobs and conduct vital research,” said Patty Felton, director of the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center, which was named in honor of  the congressman’s wife and is run by the Windber Medical Center, which along with partner Windber Research Institute is an annual recipient of Murtha earmarks.

CAB President Dick Bosseman manned his booth at the 2009 Showcase for Commerce.

Dave Herbener, president of KDH Defense Systems, a designer and manufacturer of body armor with 100 employees, has seen his company receive millions in Murtha earmarks since he founded the company in Johnstown in 2003. “[Murtha] takes pride in making sure the troops get the best gear available, and he does everything he can to make sure there’s support in the area for the industry,” Herbener said.

Murtha is an enormous presence at the Showcase for Commerce, an event he has transformed from a small gathering of 12 local businesses to a staple event for the national defense industry, with more than 160 companies attending this year’s event. This year, like every year since the first showcase in 1991, Murtha made a point of visiting every booth at the event.

Like other representatives, Dick Bosserman of Cambria County Association for the Blind and Handicapped (CAB) stood in front of his booth to answer questions and explain items on display. Bosserman heads an organization with 400 employees and said CAB is one of the twelve original companies who participated in the first Showcase for Commerce 19 years ago.

“I was here in Cambria County when unemployment was at 24 percent,” Bosserman said. “Jack Murtha has made this area into what it is today: a profitable place to do business, an economic engine that employs a lot of people.”

While Murtha currently wields a great deal of power and continues to assert his influence in Congress, the day will eventually arrive when he will no longer represent the 12th District. Federal investigations have been launched into two firms with close ties to the congressman – one of which, Kuchera Industries, is based in Windber – and Murtha, who will turn 77 later this month, isn’t getting any younger.

As Murtha walked out of the main display area toward the exit, after having completed his rounds, a reporter asked Bosserman if he thought the good times would continue after Murtha left Congress.

“Well, it’s a fact that he won’t be there forever. I’m hoping that when he does go, there will be enough of us who have gotten established here thanks to him that companies will still want to do business here,” Bosserman said. “If that happens, that will really be his lasting legacy.”