AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plummeted last week to 352,000, the fewest since April 2008. The decline added to evidence that the job market is strengthening.

Applications fell 50,000, the biggest drop in the seasonally adjusted figure in more than six years, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, which smooths out fluctuations, dropped to 379,000. That’s the second-lowest such figure in more than three years.

A department spokesman cautioned that volatility at this time of year is common. Applications had jumped two weeks ago, largely because companies laid off thousands of temporary workers hired for the holidays.

Still, when weekly applications fall consistently below 375,000, it usually signals that hiring is strong enough to push down the unemployment rate.

“This continues a clear downshift in claims,” said Ian Shepherdson, an economist at High Frequency Economics.

Shepherdson suggested that stronger hiring should follow.

Hiring improved in the second half of 2011. In December, employers added 200,000 jobs. That marked the sixth straight month in which the economy added at least 100,000 jobs. And the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, a three-year low.

For all of 2011, the economy added 1.6 million jobs. That was up sharply from 940,000 in 2010. Economists say they expect roughly 1.9 million more jobs to be added this year, according to a survey by The Associated Press.

Still, the job market has a long way to go before it fully recovers from the damage of the Great Recession, which wiped out 8.7 million jobs. More than 13 million people remain unemployed. Millions more have given up looking for work and so are no longer counted as unemployed.

The overall number of people receiving benefits, which isn’t seasonally adjusted, rose. More than 7.8 million people received benefits in the final week of last year. They include about 3.6 million people covered by extended-benefit programs begun during the recession.

The manufacturing sector remains a bright spot. Factory output jumped 0.9 percent in December, the Federal Reserve said this week. That was the sharpest monthly gain in a year. Manufacturing gained 225,000 jobs last year, the most since 1997.

The pickup in hiring reflects stronger economic growth. The economy likely grew at an annual rate of about 3 percent  in the final three months of last year, economists estimate.

That would be a sharp improvement over the 1.8 percent annual growth rate in the July-September quarter. Rising consumer spending is thought to be fueling much of the gain in the current quarter.

Even so, economists worry that growth could slow in the first half of 2012. Europe is almost certain to fall into recession because of its financial troubles.

And wages aren’t keeping up with inflation. The department said in a separate report that average inflation-adjusted hourly earnings dropped 0.9 percent last year.

Without more jobs and higher pay, consumers might have to cut back on spending. That would weigh down growth next year. Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of the economy.

Presenters will be Kenneth Hall, of Kenneth Hall Consulting Services of Snow Shoe, and Dennis Langlois, of Houston, Appalachian region sales and marketing manager for CGG Veritas.
Hall is a retired financial adviser who has been involved in natural gas leasing and investment for more than 15 years. He manages more than 30,000 acres of gas rights in northern Centre County and has negotiated gas leases on more than 40,000 acres.
Langlois has been in the seismic business for 32 years, the past 24 years with CGG Veritas Land Surveys. He started working on field crews in an entry-level position and worked his way up to his current job.
During the Jan. 19 webinar, Hall will discuss the potential problems that may be encountered with seismic testing and conditions property owners should require prior to approving the testing.
“Attaching conditions to the approval will minimize any potential conflicts,” he said, noting that he has been assisting property owners and mineral owners with their conflicts for many years.
“I have seen seismic testing from all sides: surface owners who do not own their mineral rights, leaseholders, gas companies and seismic companies. My experience with the potential conflicts of each party gives me unique insight into seismic-testing issues.”
Langlois will offer a slide presentation, giving a brief summary of events that take place in acquiring a 3-D seismic survey, from the initial contact with the landowners until his company has acquired the data and left the area.
“The slide presentation will show maps with surface abstracts and the recording grid needed to image the subsurface,” he said. “There also will be pictures showing the different operations and the equipment that will be used to acquire this data.”
Langlois hopes webinar participants will ask questions about the process because he is hoping to dispel misconceptions and clarify misinformation about seismic-testing operations.
The webinar is part of a monthly series of online workshops addressing opportunities and challenges related to the state’s Marcellus Shale gas boom. Information about how to register for the session is available on the webinar page of Penn State Extension’s natural gas website at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars.
Future webinars will focus on transportation patterns and impacts from Marcellus development, and municipalities’ roles related to water use and protection.

Aimed at owners of small businesses, or those thinking of starting a business, the workshop will be led by local attorney Doug Loviscky Esq/CPA.

Loviscky is a cum laude graduate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where he received the Pittsburgh Tax Club Memorial Prize for excellence in course work in federal taxation. He also received the Bookstaver Award for excellence in course work in wills, trusts and estates.

In addition to owning and operating his own law firm in State College, Loviscky is Of Counsel to the Pittsburgh law firm Williams Coulson, a law firm specially designed to provide counsel on estate, tax, retirement and business planning matters for the closely-held business, family group, executive and professional.

The seminar will be divided into 3 major parts:

1. Taxing Differentiation of Profit & Not-for-Profit Businesses

2. Defining the Various Business Taxes

3. Taxes faced by particular entities – ex. Sole Proprietor, Partnership, LLC, Corp., Subchapter-S Corp.

The seminar will close by discussing free local tax return assistance for business firms offered by VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Association) by Mary Ann Miller, CPA, member of VITA and SCORE Chapter. Additionally, attendees will have an opportunity to meet and speak with the presenter and SCORE counselors.

Pre-registration is required, go to www.scorecpa.org to attend this free seminar.

PA Independent writer

HARRISBURG — The leader of the Pennsylvania Senate is setting another deadline for passage of a Marcellus shale impact fee package.

Senate President Joseph Scarnati, R-Jefferson, said he wants the state House and Senate to decide on a Marcellus shale drilling policy, before Gov. Tom Corbett gives his budget address in early February.

With the Legislature set to return Jan. 17, Republicans in the General Assembly and Corbett have about two weeks to reach an agreement.

“I would strongly recommend that we have this wrapped up — before budget negotiations start,” Scarnati said Tuesday. “I don’t think that there is any reason that we should hold back any longer. We know what our differences are, and there is going to have to be movement on both sides.”

Scarnati has been leading the charge on the natural gas drilling package in the state Senate.

While the shale bills have various components, the biggest sticking points are the amount and duration of the natural gas drilling fee and the government entity designated to collect it, Scarnati said.

The Senate wants to impose a $360,000 per-well fee over 20 years, while the state House passed a bill to impose a $160,000 per-well fee over 10 years. The state would collect the revenue in the Senate plan, but counties that host natural gas drilling would authorize and collect the fee in the House plan.

“I can tell you, the business community and the investor community around this state, they want uniformity across the state of some sort, no matter what the issue is,” Scarnati said. “A hodgepodge of tax collection is not conducive for good investment.”

Senate Democrats unanimously opposed the Senate GOP shale bill when it was voted out of the chamber late last year, citing concerns over the fee amount, the lack of revenue distribution to statewide environmental programs and inadequate watersheds and wells protections.

On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, said Democrats were hoping to reach a consensus on the impact fee bills through a conference committee.

Steve Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, said progress had been made, but the collection of the fee revenue was a remaining sticking point.

Corbett supports the county-level fee and has expressed concerns about bringing the money from the fee to the state Capitol, where it could be divided among various special interests not related to drilling.

Kathryn Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group,in an email statement Tuesday said “predictable and uniform state-based standards and a competitively structured impact fee that encourages development are key to realizing the Marcellus’ tremendous potential for all Pennsylvanians.”

If history is any guide, Scarnati’s call for the impact fee legislation to be completed in the next month should be taken with a grain of salt.

In June 2010, lawmakers included a clause in the state budget announcing their intention to pass a natural gas tax before the end of the year after last-minute negotiations on the tax threatened to stall the passage of the state budget.

By the end of 2010, nothing had been passed.

In the summer of 2011, Scarnati said the Marcellus shale fee was his No. 1 priority for the fall legislative session.

By the end of 2011, nothing had been passed — though each chamber approved a impact fee bill separately.

After House and Senate Republicans failed to work out a deal over the cost of the fee or who would collect it, the two bills appeared to be headed for a conference committee, tentatively scheduled for mid-January.

The committee would include three members from each chamber, with majority Republicans getting four of the six spots.

Scarnati said he “has not given a lot of thought” about which two Senate Republicans might be on the six-member panel.

Costa also declined to name names, but indicated state Sen. John Yudichak, D-Luzerne, was a front-runner.

Yudichak, in just his first term in the state Senate after 12 years in the state House, has been the Senate Democrats’ point person on the natural gas issue.

Aside from the passage of a Marcellus shale bill, the focus of 2012 must be on creating jobs and improving Pennsylvania’s economy, Scarnati said.

“If legislators are ever going to gain respect and trust of the taxpayer, it will be done by example of what we have done, not what we have said we will do,” he said to the state Senate moments after being unanimously re-elected as Senate president for another year.

Costa said jobs would be at the center of the Senate Democrats’ plan for the upcoming legislative session as well.

“We believe that jobs and the economy are critical issues that need to be addressed by this chamber, but by the administration also,” Costa said.

The 2012 induction ceremony will be held on April 27 at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center, with a reception at 6:15 pm and dinner at 7 pm. The event is co-sponsored by the Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Chamber of Commerce and Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania.

For more information, contact the Chamber at 536-5107 or Junior Achievement at 266-2125.

“The Business Hall of Fame was founded on the principle that truly successful leaders are deserving of recognition not only for what they have achieved professionally, but for what they have given back to our community,” Polacek said. “The 2012 laureates exemplify all of the qualities we strive to honor with this award.”

This year’s event is the 21st annual Business Hall of Fame event, which was established in 1992 to honor local business leaders, past and present, who have made significant contributions to the economic and civic well-being of the Greater Johnstown/Cambria County region.

Honorees are nominated by area business people using these criteria:

• Laureates must be area natives or have made their contribution to this area
• The contribution must be outstanding and enduring to our business community
• Laureates must no longer be active in the business position in which their contribution was made, or must have reached 70 years of age.

The 2012 honorees are: Ed Cernic Sr., Russell J. Gramlich and Edward W. Kane. Here’s a biography on each laureate:

Ed Cernic, Sr., founder of Cernic’s, Inc.

Cernic is a graduate of Johnstown High School and Vale Tech Institute.

He served in the Naval Reserve from 1951-1953 and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict from 1953-1955.

Cernic’s beginnings as a business owner were with Cernic’s Custom Service, an auto repair/gas station/auto body shop. He established Cernic’s Suzuki in a one-room shop in Johnstown in 1969 with one full-time employee. In 1973, his son, Ed Cernic, Jr., joined the business full-time.

The business grew, but suffered major losses in the Johnstown Flood of 1977.  Undeterred, the Cernics rebuilt at the same location, and in 1980 his son Jeff joined the business full-time.

In addition to rebuilding his own business, Mr. Cernic served as chairman of the Tanneryville Flood Recovery from 1977-1979, assisting with raising $125,000.  He was also co-chairman of the Southern Allegheny Flood Recovery Association.

In 1991, Honda products were added to the inventory, and motocross racing became a focus. Cernic’s sponsored many national champion motocross riders throughout the 90s and beyond, helping more riders to reach the professional ranks than any other motorcyclist company in the country.

Continued growth led to additional locations in Duncansville in 2001 and Somerset in 2005, and most recently, a modern, 16,000-square-foot facility in Geistown that allows customers more convenience and selection. To better serve their customers, they  consolidated the Somerset operation with the Geistown location and established the dealership offices on the second floor of the new building.  With this growth Cernic’s also expanded their number of brands, now carrying KTM, Kawasaki and Yamaha as well as Suzuki and Honda and are one of Pennsylvania’s largest motorcycle dealers.

In addition to Cernic’s, from 1982-1984 Cernic owned Nan-Phil Corp., a nail manufacturing company, and from 1973-1977 he owned Pleasure Valley Raceway.

Cernic has had a lifelong dedication to Cambria County and he has always been active in public and community service.  He was Gov. Ed Rendell’s liaison in the 12^th Congressional District, and was appointed by the governor to the Pennsylvania Transportation Commission in 2006. He was honored by Rendell with an Ed Cernic Picnic Day at the Governor’s Mansion in 2008 for his community leadership, and has met with Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton at the White House when promoting projects for Cambria County.

A veteran of the U.S. Army and Naval Reserves, he has been honored with the Chapel of the Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Award and is a member of the Defense Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) Community Advisory Board; the Veteran Community Initiatives, Inc. Board; the Chapel of the Four Chaplains 2012 Selection Committee; the Pennsylvania Disabled Veterans Rehabilitation/Vocational Retraining Project, the John P. Murtha Memorial Statue Committee; the American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Korean War Veterans.

He serves on the Cambria County Airport Authority and has served on the Greater Johnstown Water Authority Board for 20 years.  He also serves on the board of SKILLS, Inc and is a member of the Greater Johnstown Utility and Development Corporation.  He served on the AmeriServ Financial board for 10 years and the AmeriServ Advisory Board for 22 years.  He is a member of the Cambria City Mission Board, Johnstown Lodge F & AM #538, the Masonic Lodge, Jaffa Shrine and is a charter member and two-term president of the Johnstown West End Lions Club.

Russell J. Gramlich joined MetLife in 1958 as a management trainee in the Personal Insurance Department.

He advanced through positions of increasing responsibility and, in 1989, was appointed vice president of operations in MetLife’s Brokerage Department.  He assumed his position as vice president in Johnstown in 1993, beginning as a member of the original Johnstown Management Team. He started with 35 employees and built the organization to more than 500 employees with an operating budget of $25 million and was instrumental in retaining jobs in Johnstown during a corporate restructuring.

He retired in 1998 as vice president of the Johnstown Administrative Office.

Since his retirement, Gramlich has continued his active involvement in community organizations.

He is vice chairman of the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Board of Trustees and president of Windber Country Club. He is also past president of the Cambria County War Memorial Authority and former executive director of the Greater Johnstown Regional Partnership. He has also served as secretary-treasurer of the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Board of Trustees; president of the Greater Johnstown Regional PAC; treasurer of JARI and chairman of both the Greater Johnstown Committee and the Cambria County War Memorial Authority. He served as president of the board of directors of the Greater Johnstown Community YMCA and on the boards of the Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of the Laurel Highlands and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

Gramlich was also involved with the Cambria County Master Plan Taskforce, the Johnstown Renaissance Partnership and the Cambria County Alliance for Business and Industry.

He earned a bachelor of arts in history from Pace University in 1966.

Edward W. Kane is a native of Johnstown and a graduate of Johnstown High.

He also attended the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, where he edited the college paper and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa National Honorary Scholastic Fraternity.

He began his career as a reporter for the The Johnstown Democrat and The Tribune-Democrat from 1947-1952, then was a U.S. Marine Corps correspondent from 1953-1955. He was an editor, reporter and columnist for the Pittsburgh Press from 1955-1963, followed by a position with the Louisville Courier-Journal, where he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Kane was also honored with awards from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association as well as for national advertising campaigns.

He served as press secretary for Indiana Gov. Ed Whitcomb and worked at McGill-Ross Advertising Agency in Indianapolis before returning to Johnstown to open Kane & Company Advertising and Public Relations, which he owned from 1970-1997.

There he was the publicist for the Ned’s Head books, which were authored by Dr. Ron Madison of Johnstown, as well as the director of advertising and public relations campaigns for community clients such as the Penn Traffic Company, Sanitary Dairy, Crown American Corp.; George Zamias, Friendly City Federal Savings and Loan, First United Federal Bank, Calandra Industries, Somerset Trust Company, Wolf Furniture, Grandview Cemetery, the Greater Johnstown School District  and the City of Johnstown.

Kane also served as communications director for Johnstown after the 1977 flood, and recruited a number of national TV performers, including the cast of “All My Children,” to raise money for flood victims. Kane also handled communication with national press, TV and radio systems, which in turn resulted in contributions to help flood victims.

He also directed advertising and public relations campaigns for elected officials, including Congressman John P. Murtha, State Senators Mark Singel and William Stewart, State Reps. Pat Gleason, Ed Wojnarowski and Bryan Barbin; Mayors Herb Pfuhl, Don Zucco and present Mayor Tom Trigona, Cambria County Judges G Long, Dave Tulowitzki and Pat Kiniry; Cambria County Commissioners Ron Stephenson, Kathy Holtzman, Ted Metzgar and numerous city office and county row candidates.

Kane was heavily involved in community activities.  He is a former chairman of the Downtown Business and Professional Division of the Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Chamber of Commerce and a former member of the Chamber’s board of directors.  He was one of the organizers of the Christmas Village in downtown Johnstown, the building of the Central Park Gazebo and the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade for many years.

Kane directed the campaign for consolidation of Johnstown and neighboring communities in 1970, organized the Johnstown High School Alumni Association and served on the board of the Johnstown Catholic Athletic Association. He is a former Legion Commander of Post 712, American Legion, Pleasant Hills; a member of Post 294, American Legion, Johnstown; a member of the Elks and the Harmonie Club in Johnstown’s Eighth Ward and a former council member of Visitation BVM Catholic Church.

Kane also served on the Pitt-Johnstown Alumni Association Board of Directors and was vice chairman of the Johnstown Chapter of the Pitt Golden Panth

AP Business Writer

Technology stocks led the market lower on Wednesday after a disappointing earnings report from Oracle Corp.

Uncertainty over whether Washington will extend a tax cut and surprisingly large loans by the European Central Bank to boost the region’s banks also gave investors reasons to sell stocks.

The Nasdaq composite fell 53 points, or 2 percent, to 2,550 in early afternoon trading. The Nasdaq index is heavily weighted toward technology companies, so Oracle’s decline had a big impact.

Broader market indicators fell less. The Dow lost 73 points, or 0.6 percent, to 12,030. IBM Corp. fell 3.9 percent, the biggest decliner among the Dow’s 30 stocks. On Tuesday the Dow jumped 337 — its biggest gain this month — on good economic news from Europe and a surge in new home construction in the U.S.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index slipped 8.3 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,233.

The initial reaction to the $639 billion in lending by the European Central Bank was positive. Investors were glad to see the bank willing to help the eurozone out of its debt crisis. But then worry set in that Europe’s banks needed so much help in the first place.

“Long-term, people were a little bit concerned that banks needed more money than we thought they did,” said Joe Bell, a senior equity analyst with Schaeffer’s Investment Research.

Oracle plunged almost 14 percent after the business software company said it was struggling to close deals. The results seemed to reinforce worries that businesses and the government may cut back on technology spending. Especially worrying was a weak 2 percent gain in new software licenses, a key sign of demand from other businesses. Oracle had predicted gains of as much as 16 percent.

Eight of the S&P 500’s 10 industry sectors fell or were flat, led by a 2.7 percent drop in technology companies. The only two rising sectors were utilities and consumer staples, which investors consider to be safe havens since they pay fat dividends and tend to hold up better when the economy is slow.

Walgreen Co. slipped 2.6 percent after initially dropping more than 7 percent. The drugstore chain said quarterly profits fell more than 4 percent after a slow year for flu shots. Walgreen said it made no progress in staying with a pharmacy network that provides $5.3 billion of its annual revenue. Walgreen says filling those prescriptions is unprofitable.

Nike Inc. shares rose 3 percent after reporting strong demand and higher prices for its shoes and clothing.

European markets gave up early gains. The British FTSE 100 index fell 0.6 percent and Germany’s DAX fell 0.9 percent. New data showed extensive lending from the European Central Bank to European banks. Early optimism that the bank was willing to lend so much gave way to worries that it needed to lend so much, and that it was only treating the symptoms of the debt crisis.

Oil prices rose more than 1 percent to $98.45 per barrel in Nymex trading.

AP Real Estate Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who bought previously occupied homes rose last month. But the National Association of Realtors says it overstated about 3.5 million sales during and after the Great Recession, showing the housing market remains much weaker than previously thought.

The private trade group says sales rose 4 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.42 million. That’s below the roughly 6 million sales a year that economists say are consistent with a healthy housing market. But it’s ahead of 2008’s revised sales, now considered the worst in 13 years.

The nearly 4.2 million homes sold last year are far fewer than the nearly 7.1 million sold at the peak of the housing boom in 2005. This year is on pace to slightly exceed last year’s total of about 4.25 million.

The trade group revised down its sales from 2007 through October more than 14 percent, from 24.8 million to nearly 21.3 million. Among the reasons for the lower figures, the Realtors group says: changes in the way the Census Bureau collects data, population shifts and some sales being counted twice.

The sharp revisions could cast doubt on future sales numbers from the Realtors’ group, a private trade organization that lobbies on behalf of its 1.2 million members.

John Ryding, an economist at RDQ Economics, called the revisions “massive” and cited them as an example of how economic data can be unreliable.

The Realtors’ group said it trusts its new figures, which were checked by government agencies and CoreLogic, the California-based real estate data firm that first raised questions about the numbers earlier this year.

Other economists said the lower numbers won’t necessarily matter, since sales are up and fewer homes are sitting idle waiting for buyers. Sales have risen more than 12 percent over the past 12 months. The supply of unsold homes has fallen more than 18 percent.

More than two years after the recession officially ended, many people can’t qualify for loans or meet higher down-payment requirements. Even those with excellent credit and stable jobs are holding off because they fear that home prices will keep falling. Sales are also being hurt by a decline in first-time buyers, who are critical to reviving the housing market.

The new figures show that sales fell in three of the past four years since the housing market began to drop in 2006. Declining prices and record-low mortgage rates haven’t been enough to boost sales.

The changing numbers could affect how economists view the trade group’s data. It could also affect companies that use the figures for hiring and expansion plans.

Sales are measured when buyers close on homes. But many deals are collapsing before that point. One-third of Realtors say they’ve had at least one contract scuttled in November and October, up from 18 percent in September.

Contracts have been canceled for any of several reasons: Banks have declined mortgage applications; home inspectors have found problems; appraisals showed a home was worth less than the bid; a buyer lost a job before the closing.

The median sales price rose 2.1 percent to $164,200 in November.

The high rate of foreclosures has made resold homes much cheaper than new homes. The median price of a new home is roughly 30 percent higher than the price of one that’s been occupied before — twice the normal markup.

Investors are taking advantage of the discounts. Their purchases made up 19 percent of all sales last month, compared with fewer than 10 percent in healthier housing markets.

Purchases among first-time buyers rose slightly last month to make up 35 percent of sales, up from 34 percent in October. In healthy markets, first-time buyers make up at least 40 percent of sales.

At the same time, homes at risk of foreclosure made up 29 percent of sales last month. That’s up from 28 percent in October. Those homes made up less than 10 percent of sales in healthier periods. Investors are increasingly buying homes priced under $100,000.

Sales rose across the country in November. They increased on a seasonal basis by nearly 10 percent in the Northeast, 4.3 percent in the Midwest, 3.6 percent in the West and 2.4 percent in the South.

The glut of unsold homes declined to 2.58 million homes. At last month’s sales pace, it would take seven months to clear those homes. Analysts say a healthy supply can be cleared in about six months.

Through this program JARI was selected to disperse short-term loans to eligible small business concerns and certain types of not-for-profit child-care centers. Funds up to $50,000 or 1/3 of a project can be utilized for working capital, the purchase of inventory, site location and more.

“We are excited about this opportunity to offer one more financing tool for the small businesses in our region,” said Michele Clapper, vice president of economic development.

“We encourage all interested parties to contact our office to further discuss their projects and learn how we can be of assistance to them.”

For more information on the Microloan Program and other business opportunities, call Michele Clapper at 814-535-8675 or email mclapper@jari.com.

The center’s board also approved a $100,000 investment for one university-based research project involved in developing a method for removing sulfates from acid mine drainage.

Located in Centre County, Chromatan Inc. has developed a Countercurrent Tangential Chromatography process in a continuous, scalable and disposable manufacturing solution. The company’s innovative design replaces the expensive and cumbersome chromatography column typically used in protein purification processes with a module that consists of two or more tangential flow filters and static mixers. For more information about the company, contact Oleg Shinkazh at 617-529-0784.

Currently located in Mercer County, Anderal Technologies is commercializing a revolutionary innovation related to the forming and shaping of metals called Electrically Assisted Manufacturing. This technology will enable metal parts’ manufacturers to take advantage of a procedure for metal forming that is more predictable and has lower scrap rates.

The technology was developed by Dr. John Roth of Penn State, The Behrend College, and is being commercialized under a cooperative arrangement with Penn State University. Successful implementation will have a very significant impact on the industrial base in Pennsylvania as well as the entire United States. For more information, click on http://www.anderaltechnologies.com.