Japanese conglomerate giant Mitsui & Co. said that it will take a $1.4 billion stake, or 32.5 percent, in Anadarko Petroleum Corp.’s assets in the Marcellus Shale gas field that stretches from Pennsylvania into New York.

Mitsui said Tuesday that it expects to invest up to $4 billion in a venture, which it hopes will produce as much as 460 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

“This just validates that everybody around the world is interested in this play,” Anadarko CEO Jim Hackett said Tuesday on CNBC.

Last month, Chesapeake Energy Corp., based in Oklahoma City, and a subsidiary of France’s Total SA formed a $2.25 billion joint venture that gives Total access to the Barnett Shale natural gas field in north Texas.

Manuj Nikhanj, vice president of the Calgary-based investment research firm Ross Smith Energy Group, said the sheer size of the shale fields appeals to the world’s largest companies. Plus, international and foreign energy companies also can learn how to exploit shale and bring that knowledge to other basins around the world where development hasn’t started yet, Nikhanj said.

Geologists and energy companies have known about the gas trapped in shales for decades, but the cost to tap them was prohibitive until recently when new exploration techniques became available.

“The U.S. gas market has never seen such a sharp turnaround in expectations as happened with the emergence of shale gas,” said Richard Nehring, president of Nehring Associations in Colorado Springs, Colo., which provides information on oil and gas field production to the exploration industry. “It is a big thing and it is something that emerged very quickly. It upset a lot of investment apple carts.”

Mitsui invests in and owns companies in a range of industries around the world, including power plants, freight and textiles, as well as liquefied natural gas and natural gas exploration. It previously partnered with Anadarko in Mozambique and Indonesia.

Houston-based Anadarko has gas interests in more than 700,000 acres in northern Pennsylvania, and is the largest leaseholder in Pennsylvania’s state forests.

Anadarko expects to drill more than 4,500 wells in the coming years. To date, there are about 1,100 Marcellus Shale wells drilled in Pennsylvania. About half of them are producing, according the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group.

Hit the hardest was the nonresidential specialty trade sector, which lost 34,900 jobs last month, bringing its two-month job loss to 83,800. From February 2009 to February 2010, the nonresidential specialty trade sector lost 383,200 jobs, or 16.3 percent. Heavy and civil engineering construction lost 9,000 jobs in February, following a 1,100 job loss in January. The sector has lost 113,000 jobs, or 12.5 percent, from one year ago.

The residential building construction sector lost 5,300 jobs for the month and 107,500, or 15.5 percent, since February 2009. The construction industry as a whole lost 64,000 jobs last month and 880,000, or 13.7 percent, on a year-over-year basis as the unemployment rate hit 27.1 percent.

Overall, the nation’s employment rate was down 36,000 jobs in the month of February, and down 3,297,000 on a year-over-year basis. So far, 8,425,000 jobs have been lost since the recession began in December 2007. The nation’s unemployment rate in February remained at 9.7 percent.

“No one expected good news from the government’s February employment report,” said Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “It was expected that the numbers would be influenced by the snowstorms that significantly impacted more than a dozen states.

“Construction employment stood to be particularly hard hit given the nature of industry activity. Based on that, the fact that the nation lost an estimated 36,000 jobs, and that the nonresidential construction industry lost another 9,600 jobs, cannot be taken too seriously,” said Basu.

In any case, the outlook for construction employment remains bleak. Construction job losses were apparent in areas of the country where weather was not a factor.  “The implication is that job growth is likely to continue to elude most construction segments in the months ahead, with the possible exception of those directly impacted by the ongoing stimulus spending,” said Basu.

Koval has more than 25 years of consulting, financial services, and business management expertise assisting clients from a variety of industries and business sizes with financial, strategic, and turnaround management services. Prior to her consulting role, Koval served as president and CEO of Omega Financial Corporation, headquartered in State College.

The CTP designation provides an objective measure and recognition of expertise related to workouts, restructurings and corporate renewal. Applicants must meet specific standards of education, experience, and professional conduct. They ,must also successfully complete a rigorous examination that covers financial and managerial accounting and tax, turnaround and crisis management, and bankruptcy law.

Lewisburg — The Susquehanna Greenway Partnership will hold a symposium on March 18 at Bucknell University. The event will feature a keynote address by Dan Shilling, author and Director of Civic Tourism at Arizona State University. Shilling’s address is titled “Civic Tourism: The Poetry and Politics of  Place.”

According to Trish Carothers, development and outreach officer for the Greenway Partnership, civic tourism is a way to preserve what residents love about a place while encouraging robust tourism.

“At the partnership, we are committed to developing and maintaining  the  natural and cultural heritage of the region and improve upon them, in a planned way. We want to recognize the authenticity of our great river towns.”

She explained that greenways are corridors of land recognized for their ability to connect people and places together.  The Susquehanna Greenway will link natural, cultural, historic, and recreational resources along the 500-mile corridor of the Susquehanna River. It is a network of land- and river-based resources ─ recreational, environmental, and cultural, encompassing historic downtowns, natural areas, trails, bike paths, and community parks.

“We are looking for a sustainable future for river towns like Lewisburg, Columbia and Clearfield. We want to see what improvements can be made – including river access – while conserving the sense of place.”

Hosted by media personality David Price, the awards gala was a celebration of the region’s active, engaged business community.

The awards process began in October 2009 with award nominations from CBICC members. Then in January, ballots were cast electronically as the CBICC membership voted for the finalists in seven of the nine award categories. The following are the recipients of each award category:

Winner of the 2009 Community Service Award – sponsored by Centre County Community Foundation – was Steve Greer, of The WHM Group.

Greer’s company was responsible for the remediation of  the acid rock problem that was holding up the completion of Interstate 99. He has been a strong advocate for the annual Coaches Versus Cancer events and helped that organization expand its annual fundraising campaigns.

Winner of the  2009 Corporate Philanthropy Award – sponsored by Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. – was  One on One Fitness Consultants Inc. Employees of the local health group were able to raise thousands of dollars in charitable donations at its site.

Winner of the 2009 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award – sponsored by Minitab, Inc. – was Otto’s Pub & Brewery. The award was presented by Bruce Pincus of Minitab, Inc., the statistical software company.

“Dr. Barbara Ryan, CEO of Minitab, received this award in 2000, and Minitab has been the sponsor ever since,” Pincus said. “We understand the value of entrepreneurship to our economy. Entrepreneurs create and sustain our region’s families. They are the glue that hold things together.”

According to statistics, Pincus said, there are 236,775 small businesses in Pennsylvania employing more than 2.5 million people, or 49.5 percent of the non-farm workforce.

Otto’s opened in October of 2002 and will be moving to its new location at the former Quaker Steak and Lube site this year.

The 2009 Outstanding CBICC Volunteer of the Year Award – sponsored by the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County – was Tom Kearney, of Allegheny Power Co.

Kearney has had a long and distinguished association with the  CBICC.

Winner of the 2009 Outstanding Technology Company of the Year Award – sponsored by Sound Technology, Inc. – was NanoHorizons, Inc.

Accepting the award on behalf of NanoHorizons, Dave Woodle noted that the company had doubled its revenues from 2008 to 2009 and graduated from the CBICC incubator program this year.

The 2009 CBICC Ambassador of the Year Award was presented to  Colleen Williams, owner of ValPak of Lion Country.

Winner of the 2009 Quality of Life Award – sponsored by Mount Nittany Medical Center – was the Centre County United Way. Ellie Beaver, outgoing executive director, accepted the award on behalf of the agency.

“It’s a real joy to serve this community,” she said. “Quality of life is one of the major reasons people come here. We are happy to contribute to that.”

The 2009 CBICC Spirit Award – sponsored by Northwest Savings Bank – was presented to Paul Tobin, of Doty & Hench.

Winner of the 2009 Small Business of the Year Award – sponsored by First National Bank – was South Hills School of Business & Technology. Paul Mazza accepted the award on behalf of South Hills.

“After 40 years and 6,000 graduates – each one treated as if they were our own children – we know that we live and die on job placement. So we could not survive without your businesses. You hire our graduates. We are the suppliers, you are the customers – thank you. “

According to Mazza, 20 percent of South Hills graduates are hired by Penn State.

Various parts of the event were sponsored by Shaner, PennTerra Engineering, The Centre County Community Foundation, Mount Nittany Medical Center, First National Bank, Minitab, Northwest Savings Bank, Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc., Sound Technology, Graphics & Design, Advanced Color Graphics, Fulton Bank, Kish Bank, M&T Bank, Piezo Resonance Innovations, Inc., The WHM Group, and The Pennsylvania State University.

Steel Business Briefing is told that an 80 percent price hike will be implemented in two installments to soften the impact on steel production costs, at least for the Brazilian domestic market. Questioned by SBB, Vale declined to comment on the issue.

The domestic market moves reflect recent comments by Vale executives that global 2010 contract prices should reflect spot prices. According to its executive director for ferrous minerals, José Carlos Martins, “the market will have to understand current scenario and our contract prices will have to move closer to spot values.”

As previously reported by SBB, Vale’s change of stance is an admission that the days of the fixed annual benchmark price are going. This moves the Brazilian miner closer to BHP Billiton which is trying to shift more of its business on to spot pricing.

“Weis Markets has been a good partner for us for many years and has given us many donations,” said Altoona Regional CEO Ron McConnell. “I hope the women in the area recognize the commitment they have made to the area. We are glad to be partners with them.”

To make a donation and join TEAM Pink, contact the Foundation at (814) 889-6406.

Altoona Regional Health System Foundation for Life is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which exists to inspire gifts from individuals, foundations, corporations and other entities to support the preservation of health care for the well-being of community members in Central Pennsylvania.  As a qualified charitable organization, donations to the Foundation for Life are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Region – Is hunched over a computer in a cubicle for 40 hours a week really where you want to be working, when you could be living and making money anywhere in the world, including from home?

Where would you live and work if you could choose anywhere in the world?

We all have passions, hobbies, skills, and experience that will allow us to work from anywhere we want, whenever we want — if we take advantage of them. So, what are you passionate about? What are you good at? Can it be turned into a revenue stream for you?

Yes, it can, whether you like scrap-booking, deep sea diving, nifty new gadgets, lawn care or landscaping, becoming a better parent, personal development, financial planning, or hiking in national parks. Whatever you like or love is something you can spend more time doing.

The Internet empowers you to make money from anywhere in the world, or from your home.You have to quit holding yourself back though. Remember these important points:

You ARE an expert in something. People will listen to you — Doubting your qualifications, the value of your ideas, or level of your expertise is common — so common that it keeps thousands of people paralyzed in dead-end jobs. If you can move past this one obstacle, you’ll be far ahead of the pack in terms of what you can achieve.

You do have the money to start a business — With millions of customers surfing the Internet and buying and downloading information at the click of a mouse, the landscape has changed. The Internet is a viable — and cheap — storefront. You need very little investment to get started.

You do have time to start a business — If you want to start a new business, you’ll need to invest time. At a minimum I suggest seven hours a week, or one hour a night. That won’t threaten your day job or require you to quit.

You don’t need business and technical skills — I’ll bet that you already have at least 50 percent of the computer skills you’ll need to run a successful Internet business — including the ability to start up and shut down a computer, send and receive email and attachments, and conduct searches using Google. There are many free and public resources that will help you beef up your computer expertise. And if it’s really not your scene, you can partner with someone who does have those skills.

We’ll never be able to change how many hours are in a day, how many days are in a week, and how many weeks are in a year. But we do have the ability to determine how and where we spend that time. You have everything at your disposal to turn your passions, hobbies, skills, and experience into a location freeing revenue stream. You can work from home or Hawaii, or even a tree house in Thailand. You just have to create it.

David Wood is an international speaker, standup comedian and Professional Certified Coach (PCC). He wrote the book, “Get Paid for Who You Are.”  He c an be contacted at GetPaidLifestyle.com.

Region —

One of three children of Russian Jewish immigrants, Snyder proudly graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1966 and landed his first job as Allegheny County public defender.

Although he was young and inexperienced, a 1963 landmark case led to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that each state had the obligation to provide an attorney to defendants in criminal proceedings, regardless of their ability to pay. Snyder later became a criminal trial lawyer in private practice.

In 1982, he opened his first law office in Duquesne, Pa. That year, he also married his second wife, Sandy, who owned a company that specialized in marketing professional services such as doctors and dentists.

As marketing director of Edgar Snyder & Associates, Sandy advised her husband to place a small ad in the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, announcing that he represented people injured in drunk driving accidents, because this was a new area of business open to lawyers. Prior to 1983, all drunk driving cases were handled through the local magistrate’s office.

Within a year after placing his first ad, Edgar Snyder had the largest drunk driving law practice in Allegheny County and had to hire other lawyers to keep up with the caseload.

“Putting this little ad in the newspaper helped us gain insight into how powerful advertising could be for a law practice, but it also made me persona non grata with my colleagues who had no regard for lawyers that advertised, because they thought it was very unprofessional,” said Snyder.

Up until 1979, if a lawyer advertised, he would be disbarred. Even after the law changed, most lawyers didn’t advertise their services, fearing derogatory labels such as “ambulance chaser”.

Ignoring his colleague’s snubbing, Snyder kept advertising and expanded his practice to include all types of personal injuries except medical malpractice. In 1986, he opened a second law office in Johnstown and recorded his first commercial for WJAC-TV.

“One day, Sandy and I were experimenting with ways to sum up our TV ad, and I lifted some of the words from her ad copy and said, ‘There’s no fee unless we get money for you,’ and then I pointed my finger at the camera,” said Snyder.

“Sandy really liked that, and so did the people who watched our commercial, so it became the ‘tag line’ in every TV ad we ran after that.”

Because other lawyers didn’t advertise, people who watched his commercials didn’t know that all personal injury lawyers, not just Snyder, worked on a “contingent fee” basis. This made his law firm look more appealing especially to lower income clients.

“What we discovered through advertising is that lower income people were underserved by lawyers, because they didn’t think they had the same access to the legal system as people with money,” said Snyder. “There was a large, untapped clientele out there that lawyers weren’t serving.”

Snyder’s firm pays all the upfront costs, the largest of which is hiring expert witnesses such as doctors, accident investigators, and experts on automobiles, motorcycles, and roads. Experts can cost hundreds of dollars to a couple hundred thousand dollars per case.

If his lawyers lose the case, they lose all the money the firm invested in it, but if they win, the rewards can be great. Edgar Snyder & Associates receives 30 percent of their client’s settlements negotiated in mediation and 40 percent of settlements in cases that go to trial. Awards can range from a few thousand to millions of dollars in the cases of deaths or permanent disabilities.

After handling 30,000 personal injury cases, Edgar Snyder now has five partners, 30 lawyers, and more than 100 employees working at five locations in Altoona, Ebensburg, Erie, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh. Snyder’s resounding success has changed his image even among his colleagues.

He and his partners were named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® from 2004 to 2009, an honor awarded to top five percent of lawyers statewide. Some were also selected as 2010 America’s Best Lawyers®, a distinction based on exhaustive peer reviews.

“Over the past 28 years, I went from a pariah to a highly regarded personal injury attorney who is considered a pioneer in legal advertising,” said Snyder. “I like to think that Sandy and I helped open the doors for other attorneys to become successful in marketing their practices.”

Today, every major law firm markets its services, and some such as Berger & Green, JG Wentworth, and Roni Deutch have also become household names because of their TV ads.

When Edgar Snyder was an undergraduate student at Penn State in the early 1960s, there was no public defender system, so the poor and indigent did not have the same access to legal defense as those who could afford an attorney.

Poor immigrants who fled persecution abroad were sworn in as U.S. citizens by reciting the “Pledge of Allegiance,” which ended with the line “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” but they didn’t receive the justice promised in that pledge, because they couldn’t afford it.

Lower income people who were injured on the job or in an accident were unaware that personal injury lawyers paid the upfront costs, because lawyers were forbidden to advertise their services, so the injured poor also didn’t receive justice.

“Where justice is not served is when people don’t get a lawyer or they don’t get a good lawyer who knows what he’s doing while the insurance company has good lawyers on their side,” said Snyder. “Fortunately, today, this doesn’t happen that often as it did in the past.

“If both sides in a lawsuit do their homework thoroughly and present their cases to the best of their abilities, you are seeing justice regardless of who wins, because their clients have had their day in court.

“I believe that there is such a thing as justice in America,” said Snyder. “Not just for some, but for all, and that’s what I’ve been fighting for my entire career.”