John Coleman, Jr.

Harrisburg — After 11 years at the helm of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, John Coleman is headed to Harrisburg as a member of the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

Coleman was confirmed by a 49-1 Senate vote on Tuesday, June 15. He was nominated by Gov. Ed Rendell after being recommended by the Republican Senate leadership. The PUC is an independent state agency that regulates the rates and services of telephone, electric, gas and water utilities, and bus and taxi companies.

“They were looking for someone from the business community, someone who has knowledge to be able to see the issues through the lens of how they affect businesses,” Coleman said.

The move has been months in the making, as state Sen. Jake Corman, who represents Centre County, initially approached Coleman in early February.

“John is a friend and we’ve partnered on many economic development projects,” Corman said. “I find him excellent at what he does and I think he’ll make a great commissioner.”

Rendell deferred to the choice of Sens. Corman, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi and Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati in selecting the replacement to former PUC Commissioner Kim Pizzingrilli, who resigned in February to join the law firm and lobbying group Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney as a governmental affairs specialist. Coleman’s term will have two years remaining before he must re-enter the confirmation process.

Coleman said he was excited to be heading to a commission with many important issues facing it.

“With rate caps being lifted, moving to a competitive electricity environment is the most important piece of business at the moment,” Coleman said.

Coleman defined alternative energy portfolio standards, aging water and sanitary infrastructure, broadband expansion and oversight of collection lines for Marcellus Shale gas as other “incredibly important” matters facing the commission in the near future. Pennsylvania also faces a challenge in running out of available phone numbers in the future, he added.

Coleman’s evenhandedness was a major reason for his selection, Corman said.

“With all of the important consumer issues now coming before the PUC, there’s a need to balance the needs of industry with the protection of consumers,” Corman said. “He’ll bring a sense of fairness to the commission.”

That Coleman is from central Pennsylvania was also important, Corman said, adding the commission has long been dominated by voices from the eastern and western part of the state.

Coleman will continue to reside in Happy Valley and will commute to Harrisburg for the twice-monthly PUC meetings, as well as the numerous events he will be required to attend throughout the state and country. The CBICC has organized a search committee that is already in the process of finding a permanent replacement for Coleman; Vice President of Finance David Wise has been named interim president in the meantime.

“The chamber is headed in the right direction and I’m confident we’ll find someone who will take the organization to new heights,” Coleman said. He added: “Though it is a bittersweet moment to leave an organization I put 11 years of my life into improving. I will miss the interaction with members, the community, and the chamber’s staff, the best professional team I’ve ever worked with.”

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State College — “You don’t get a sense of a strong, sustainable, upward trend in the economy, yet. This is an area of major concern,” said Rick Lang, executive vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Lang addressed an overflow crowd of business people – members of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County – at the Penn State Conference Center Hotel on May 18. The event was sponsored by Fulton Bank.

Lang, who plans to retire from the Fed this June after 34 years of service, noted that the views he expressed were his own and not those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

To get a sense of what is happening nationally, the Fed tracks the economies of all 50 states, Lang stated.

“The first quarter of 2009 was terrible,” he said. “But in the first quarter of 2010, we have seen little growth, but also little decline. We are getting out of the depths of the recession. Real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) was shrinking tremendously in 2009, now we are seeing 3.2 percent growth. With three consecutive quarters of positive growth, it looks to me like the recession ended in the third quarter of 2009.”

Lang was quick to point out that economists and consumers don’t view progress the same way. “Consumers and workers see the recession ending when there is strong job growth,” he said.

While thousands of jobs were created by the U.S. Census in the past few months, there was still growth in the private sector.

“Nine months from now we will see much more job growth. That’s encouraging, though that growth will not happen everywhere,” he said. “A state like Michigan, for example, may take longer to recover.

The unemployment rate may take much longer to come down than people anticipate, since the market will constantly be adding underemployed and formerly discouraged workers to the rolls. “Movement upwards will be unsteady. Jobs will lag behind the recovery for months to come.”

Lang also noted that the Marcellus Shale natural gas play is helping to sustain the region’s economy and job creation.

A recent survey of professional economic forecasters indicated that the unemployment rate would hit nine percent by mid-2011. “I believe it will reach that level sooner,” said Lang.

Growth in manufacturing – an important segment of the regional economy – appears to be on the upswing. “It hasn’t been positive since mid-2009, but I would say the numbers are positive now, and that tracks with the notion that we are in early recovery. The question is: will it be sustained?”

World trade collapsed in 2009, but that has turned around, as well, Lang said. “First in Asia, and then in Latin America. This has led to increased exports for American manufacturers.”

American automobile production, while much improved over the past 18 months, still lags behind expectations. In 2005, for example, the auto industry produced 16 million units. This year, 11 million years will be built.

Consumer spending may take time to recover fully, Land explained, since there was such a great loss of wealth during the recession.

Growth in consumer spending is not as strong as it should be,” Lang said. “It’s a dicey situation. With the loss of wealth and a slow job market, consumers are still fearful of taking on debt.”

“There was a $13 trillion decline in the net worth of households,” Lang said. “So there is still some recovering that has to be done.”

The housing market – which never suffered the extremes of the national market in this region – is still a dark cloud hanging over the entire recovery. Areas that saw big run-ups also saw big downslides. “But the markets are better the further you get from the coast.”

Credit froze up in 2008, but the good news is that strain in loan markets is easing.

“In many ways, this recession was a Main Street problem as much as a Wall Street problem.” Lang said. “The Fed has been winding down activities for the past year. We will all have to find our way out of this without liquidity from the Federal Reserve of the government. Long term budget deficits will have to be addressed. Near term, inflation is not going to be a big issue. But it will be one in the long term. I expect real growth of 3.5 percent by the end of this year, with unemployment dipping to eight percent. We haven’t been in this much debt since World War II. We cannot let U.S. Treasury borrowing crowd out the consumer.”

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.

Tim Curley, Penn State Director of Athletics, addresses the expo luncheon.

The inaugural Central PA Regional Business and Industry Expo was held Tuesday, November 17, at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus of Penn State. The event was the culmination of months of planning and the result of a partnership between 12 chambers of commerce in the region.

Managed by the Chamber of Business and Industry of Penn State,  the idea for the regional show came about when the CBICC sought to expand its trade show, held at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.

Chambers of Commerce from throughout the region were invited to partner with the CBICC in the event,  with 11 electing to do so.

The event kicked off with a luncheon in the auxiliary gym where the Penn State men’s and women’s basketball teams hold practices. Penn State coach Ed DeChellis and Penn State Director of Athletics Tim Curley addressed the show participants.

Curley spoke about the economics of big time college athletics and called for a stronger partnership between Penn State and the business community in the region. Curley believes Penn State’s athletic programs provide an important economic engine for the region.

Following Curley’s remarks, the ribbon was cut on the official beginning of the Central PA Regional Business and Industry Expo.

Initial plans for the expo included modest expectations, with the group hoping to fill the arena with 160 booths. That number eventually ballooned to more than 210, far exceeding initial projections with the show moving to the concourse level of the Bryce Jordan Center.

Despite challenging economic conditions, the CBICC board of directors encouraged John Coleman, president and CEO, to move forward with the new venture.

Left to right: Alissa Hazi, Joslyn Lewis and Paul Hazi promote Hazi Photography at the expo.

“Our thought was that there couldn’t be a better time for this move,” Coleman said. “We wanted to have a venue to highlight businesses from throughout Central Pennsylvania,  help promote the economy and show our support of the business community.”

Though walk-in attendance by consumers was about the same as in previous years, participants were happy with the business-to-business opportunities that presented themselves.

Nancy Mix, executive director of the Greater DuBois Chamber of Commerce thought the expo was a success.

“I was so pleased our Chamber was invited by the CBICC to be one of the partners participating in the Regional Expo held at the Bryce Jordan Center,” she said. “The opportunity to invite our DuBois Chamber members to participate in this venue proved very positive.  As we spoke to all our member businesses attending for their input, they were pleased to be networking with hundreds of other chamber members from our region.  They were actually asking questions about next year’s event.”

Mike Flanagan, president of the Clinton County Economic Partnership, agreed. “I thought it was a great opportunity to see what the region has to offer, as well as let people know what we have in Clinton County. I applaud our friends at CBICC for putting this together and reaching out to involve the other area chambers.”

The Blair County Chamber of Commerce’s Joe Hurd is already looking ahead to next year’s event.

Creative marketing works for UPS Store #5462 in State College. Shauna Fultz is Miss Bubblewrap 2009.

“Overall, I was very pleased with how the Expo came together and with the interaction that I witnessed throughout the event,” he began. “It was a considerable undertaking and I give the CBICC tremendous credit for its handling of the many detail-oriented aspects of making it successful.”

Hurd, who has been a long-time supporter of a regional approach to  economic development discussed the strength that comes from working together.

“The competitive nature of the global economy can seem daunting to the businesses in a county or small municipality. That’s why the collaboration within a region makes so much sense.  This Expo is just one of many joint projects taking place as regional efforts.  I expect to see more. I’m looking forward to getting feedback from the Expo exhibitors on how to improve the product for future years.”

Carol Snyder, executive director of the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce was pleased with the first-time event.

“The central PA Business and Industry Expo was all we had hoped it would be and more,” she said.  “By bringing all these resources – buyers and sellers – together from such a wide area it promoted our efforts to buy locally, within the region and within Pennsylvania.  The response from businesses to this inaugural event was remarkable and evidences that businesses still want to have that face-to-face opportunity.“

Amy Potter, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Clearfield, shared her colleagues’ opinion of the expo. ”I thought it was a great event and it gave our Chamber and Clearfield good exposure.”

“I thought the event was very successful,” Coleman said. “We were delighted with the new venue and with the diversity of participants. The flawless execution on the part of the CBICC staff and many volunteers was exceptional. We now have a new vision, and a new perspective on economic development in the region.”

State College – The Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County will be joined by twelve partners, chambers of commerce in  Central Pennsylvania, for the inaugural Central Pennsylvania Regional Business Expo.

The event will take place on November 17 at the Bryce Jordan at Penn State. The venue will allow the new event to  host 160 exhibitors.

According to John Coleman, president of the CBICC, this new event will replace the exhibition that took place at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
The event will be hosted and managed by the CBICC although all chamber partners will reap the benefits of a well-intended business expo.

At a recent press conference announcing the regional expo partners and media sponsors,  Coleman stated that “This is new territory for us. It will be a great collaboration with a number of great partners.” The expo logo was also unveiled.

New event partners include the chambers of commerce of Bedford, Blair, Cameron, Clinton, Huntingdon and Northumberland, as well as the local chambers of the towns of
Bellefonte and Dubois. Media partners include Business Central, WTAJ and Forever Broadcasting.

Coleman explained that every chamber partner will share in the revenue generated by the attendance of their member businesses and organization. Nevertheless, a business interested in reaching the central Pennsylvania regional marketplace should consider attending the event, regardless of a local chamber’s decision to participate or not, Coleman noted.

Bedford County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carol Snyder said the expo provided an opportunity for Bedford companies to expand their markets and create

“Business doesn’t stop at the county line,” Snyder said. “We have to acknowledge that infrastructure investments like I-99 have increased the interconnectedness of the area and creating regional partnerships is beneficial to the community as a whole.”

Another planned change for 2009 is a decrease in price for a booth at the event. It has been lowered by $150, to $400. Non-profits can have a booth for $200. The expo will feature a luncheon and guest speaker, as well as specialized workshops and seminars.

Peter Lopes, chamber director for the Clinton County Economic Partnership, said his organization has hosted a local expo for 24 years, but he looked forward to moving into a larger venue with more space and broader exposure.

“These events have always been a good medium to show what is being made in our own back yard. This new event still does that, but it vastly expands the space of our back yard,” Lopes said. “It will be a great showcase for seeing the wonderful things being done in business in the area, which you might not have any exposure to, even if you live only 30 minutes away.”

by Cliff White, Staff Reporter

This year’s Central Pennsylvania Business and Industry Expo, to take place Nov. 17, will have a new location and a host of new partners – among them Pennsylvania Business Central.

The event, hosted by The Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County (CBICC) and until this year held at The Penn Stater hotel, will be making a move to State College’s Bryce Jordan Center. The change of venues accommodates the shift of the event’s focus from a county-wide to a regional showcase.

“This is new territory for us,” CBICC President John Coleman said at a July 6 press conference announcing the event. “It will be a great collaboration with a number of great partners.”

New event partners include the chambers of commerce of Bedford, Blair, Cameron, Clinton, Huntingdon and Northumberland counties, as well as the local chambers of the towns of Bellefonte and Dubois. Media partners include Business Central, WTAJ and Forever Broadcasting.

“Our newspaper was started 18 years ago with the concept of a business region encompassing this part of central Pennsylvania. We’re glad everyone is starting to catch up,” PBC Editor Harry Zimbler joked at the press conference.

Bedford County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carol Snyder said the expo provided an opportunity for Bedford companies to expand their markets and create new opportunities.

“Business doesn’t stop at the county line,” Snyder said. “We have to acknowledge that infrastructure investments like I-99 have increased the interconnectedness of the area and creating regional partnerships is beneficial to the community as a whole.”

Another planned change for 2009 is a decrease in price for a booth at the event. It has been lowered by $150, to $400. Non-profits can have a booth for $200. The expo will feature a luncheon and guest speaker, as well as specialized workshops and seminars.

Peter Lopes, chamber director for the Clinton County Economic Partnership, said his organization has hosted a local expo for 24 years, but he looked forward to moving into a larger venue with more space and broader exposure.

“These events have always been a good medium to show what is being made in our own back yard. This new event still does that, but it vastly expands the space of our back yard,” Lopes said. “It will be a great showcase for seeing the wonderful things being done in business in the area, which you might not have any exposure to, even if you live only 30 minutes away.”

by Harry Zimbler, Editor

State College – The Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County has decided to move forward with its plan to establish a regional business exposition at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State.

Moving the venue from the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center will allow the CBICC to substantially increase the size and scope of the business trade show.

“We had a very positive discussion with our board of directors,” said John Coleman, CBICC president and CEO.  “We realize that this is a bold move, considering the economy. But we decided to make a statement. This is exactly the time to do this. Time to take advantage of a great opportunity.”

In addition to expanding the size of the event, Coleman explained that it is going to be regionalized as well.

“”We realized that we are not restricted by the border of Centre County, “ he said.  “In fact, a great number of our members are from outside the county. Our labor market draw is 17 counties. Draw a two-hour ring around the county. We draw employees from Brookville, Johnstown, Lewisburg and many other places.”

Coleman feels that regionalizing the expo will help build bridges in the region.  “We are looking to collaborate with other chambers in the region.”  If a chamber decides to participate, that chamber will receive a percentage of booth sales that come from its membership.

In the past, the business expo had about 70 to 80 booths. This year, the CBICC is looking for about 150 booths.

“We think this regional event will give us higher visibility,” Coleman said. “We will get more media attention and more notoriety. I think it will provide a mutual benefit to all participants. Any chamber that wants to be involved will benefit from profit sharing and having their logo on all marketing. We think it will be a significant value.” The CBICC is looking to establish partnerships by the middle of July for the November event.

“We see no downside to this idea. Only wins for everyone,” Coleman said.