Central Penn Business Journal back issues from April 2006:
Pennsylvania players leap into immigration skirmish: Specter bill could benefit engineers, scientists
Apr 07, 2006; ... The U.S. Senate's debate over immigration has focused on illegal immigrants who work as day laborers. U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, has fought to loosen restrictions on white-collar immigrants, the non-citizen engineers and technology specialists who have become a staple in ...
Pennsylvania players leap into immigration skirmish: Area business groups lobby to legalize workers
Apr 07, 2006; ... The harvest season at Peters Orchard in Adams County starts with the strawberries in June. That's when the migrant laborers come. Sometimes they call ahead. Sometimes they just show up, They work until November, when the apples are picked. The orchard's employee population swells during ...
Looking For A Lift
Apr 07, 2006; ... The Business Airport of Carlisle Inc. needs about $12 million to upgrade its airport, so the business owners have renewed their drive to convince the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority to buy the facility. But SARAA, which operates Harrisburg International Airport, is already ...
PennDOT to pass out road funds
Apr 07, 2006; ... Metropolitan and rural planning organizations have distributed federal funds for interstate highway projects since the 1990s. PennDOT has decided to start handing out interstate maintenance program money itself. It will take over that authority Oct. 1, when the state's new fiscal year ...
Packaging company empowers customers
Apr 07, 2006; ... Graham Packaging Co.'s new package-design center looks more like a large conference room than a laboratory for new plastic packages. Instead of a long rectangular table, the company invites clients to sit on bar stools around a raised island similar to those found in kitchens. Since ...
Townships face growth
Apr 07, 2006; ... At a recent West Pennsboro Township supervisors meeting, a consultant from a Berks County developer announced that his company might construct up to 1,400 homes in the township. A hush fell over the board and those in attendance as the plan was explained. A consultant with Snyder ...
Putting Out Fires
Apr 07, 2006; ... When Michael Kostelec poked his head out of his office to see why his company's security system was beeping March 22, he saw a ball of flame hovering above the mezzanine level of his warehouse. "We got out of the building in less than 20 seconds," he said. Kostelec, president of Hill ...
Banks find that ribbon-cuttings don't come cheap
Apr 07, 2006; ... Bank branches keep mushrooming through the midstate. The latest round of construction is notable because it underscores the ambitions of small banks. The Pennsylvania Department of Banking has approved several new-branch applications from smaller players recently. York Traditions ...
Commercial real estate remains male-dominated field in area
Apr 07, 2006; ... When Virginia Barr started her career as a commercial real estate agent more than 20 years ago, she attended monthly networking meetings of the Commercial Council of the Board of Realtors. Often, she was the only woman in the room. "There was an occasional female attorney or appraiser, ...
Business community, lawmakers talk shop
Apr 07, 2006; ... Business leaders listened intently at an economic summit last week as legislators gave updates on the budget, tort reform and other issues they have addressed. One question during the open forum crystallized the feeling of most of the 125 people gathered at Harrisburg Area Community ...
Deal puts label maker in regional spotlight
Apr 07, 2006; ... From one perspective, the acquisition of York Label Holdings Inc. on March 17 was just a shuffling of the deck. The company went from one private-equity fund to another. But the sale also opened a small window onto a low-profile company that's a significant York County employer. And the ...
A proposed power shift drives walkout at manufacturing firm
Apr 07, 2006; ... The story might sound the same: A union at a York County manufacturer is on strike, demanding a better contract. The company is worried it won't be able to compete with companies in China and India. But the strike at ESAB Welding and Cutting Products, a subsidiary of British company ESAB ...
Ride-sharing program expands into Maryland
Apr 07, 2006; ... As gas prices increase again, commuters might be looking for a way to save some cash. Commuter Services of South Central Pennsylvania announced March 27 it had expanded the company's reach into Maryland and Delaware. The nonprofit agency works to match up some of the 732,000 commuters in ...
Small airports give way to development
Apr 07, 2006; ... Privately owned airports are going out of business in droves because owners are increasingly selling out to developers. From 1981 to 2004, 973 public-use airports closed throughout the country. The vast majority were privately owned, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots ...
Airport authority sets sights on Gettysburg airport
Apr 07, 2006; ... The Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority is trying to buy the Gettysburg Airport and Travel Center. The 80-year-old airport has the only known public runway in Adams County. Its owner, Clyde Bachert, has listed the 47-acre site in rural Cumberland Township for $2.3 ...
Wooing Young Workers
Apr 07, 2006; ... Joseph P. Nolt thinks the insurance industry has struggled to recruit young workers because the field hasn't communicated its job opportunities well and because many people view the trade negatively. "You see how many TV programs (there are) involving lawyers and doctors? Do you ever see ...
Agency helps school district collect part of delinquent debt
Apr 07, 2006; ... York City School District officials were looking at trouble when they reviewed their budget numbers last year. The school district faced a deficit numbering into the millions of dollars. A good chunk of the shortfall resulted from worsethan-expected property tax collections, said Tom ...
60 seconds with: Gary L. Nalbandian
Apr 07, 2006; ... TITLE: Chairman, president and chief executive officer of East Pennsboro Township-based Commerce Bank/Harrisburg PERSONAL: Wife: Jaimie Nalbandian; chddren: Nishan, 32; Nate, 30; Rebecca, 27; Lauren, 27; Lance, 23 WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF DOING BUSINESS IN CENTRAL PA? ...
Expansive industrial park planned near Shippensburg
Apr 14, 2006; ... A Philadelphia real estate development company plans to build an industrial park and retail center outside Shippensburg that would create about 3.5 million square feet of warehouse space and up to 1,000 new jobs. The initial proposal appears to agree with zoning requirements, but some ...
A Few Good Men
Apr 14, 2006; ... Theodore Zimmerman entered nursing more than two decades ago because he knew there would be a job for him wherever he went. "I was intrigued by the flexibility of (nursing)," said Zimmerman, who works in the medical/surgical intensive-care unit at Harrisburg Hospital. The hospital is ...
Tech firm to market biosensor
Apr 14, 2006; ... Hanson Technologies Inc. will use a $500,000 loan to rest and market a new biosensor. Hanson officials hope the food-borne bacteria tests will establish the company's credibility in the market and help it develop other sensors, including one for mad-cow disease. Private investors will ...
Ratings roulette
Apr 14, 2006; ... What's your credit score? That depends on whom you ask. The nation has three major credit bureaus that often come up with different ratings of the same person's credit. Now, the trio has unrolled a common scoring formula they say will cut much of the disparity. Even so, credit ...
Travel book to promote tourism
Apr 14, 2006; ... It's the Michelin guide meets the Frommer's guide meets Central Pennsylvania. The Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau's new travel book will guide travelers on walking tours through Cumberland County's main streets, speedways and fruit stands. The bureau plans to print a minimum of ...
Change Of Address
Apr 14, 2006; ... The owners of Cremo's Variety Outlet in Cumberland County are hustling to complete a $4 million building before they are displaced by a much-publicized shopping center. Cremo's is one of the few businesses remaining in front of the proposed Silver Spring Square. The 66-acre ...
EDS plans to expand on strength of Delta Dental contract
Apr 14, 2006; ... Electronic Data Systems Corp. will expand its Cumberland County facility and add up to 50 skilled workers in the next year after signing a contract with Delta Dental of California. Delta Dental of California will use EDS' MetaVince Administration and Finance System software to process ...
Massachusetts bill evokes strong reactions
Apr 14, 2006; ... John Kern and Charlie Crystle both run businesses. Both are passionate about health-insurance issues. Both oppose a bill that Massachusetts lawmakers passed this month that attempts to ensure that all of the state's residents have health-care coverage. But the similarities end when Kern ...
Community First Fund to offer larger loans to businesses
Apr 14, 2006; ... Dan Betancourt sees his organization as the farm system for businesses and organizations that want to hit a home run in the world of community development. "We're like the minor league helping them get to the majors," said Betancourt, president and chief executive officer of ...
Open For Business
Apr 14, 2006; ... Steelton is open for business. That was the message at an April 6 meeting at Hilton Harrisburg, where borough officials revealed their plans for their downtown to real estate professionals. Projecting flexibility in the plan for mixed-use retail, office and residential development of the borough ...
Firms create 469 jobs in York; 431 more jobs anticipated
Apr 14, 2006; ... Layoffs grabbed the spotlight in York in recent months. Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co. said it would let go more than 280 workers after selling off major divisions. just across the city line, Johnson Controls Inc. also terminated scores of jobs after buying York International ...
Retirees Wanted
Apr 14, 2006; ... Retirees are the best volunteers for many nonprofit organizations. They generally can give the most time and have the most experience. That potential seems largely untapped in Central Pennsylvania. At least three regional nonprofits have struggled to recruit retiree volunteers. Among the ...
Retirement communities evolve, adapt
Apr 14, 2006; ... The seniors of the future will not be the seniors of decades ago. The baby boomers turn 60 this year, and they are accustomed to a lifestyle that their predecessors could only imagine. These post-World War II children are healthier, choosier and more financially secure. With that in mind, ...
RV industry continues boom
Apr 14, 2006; ... Gas prices have crept back up to $2.70 a gallon, but that doesn't bother businesses in the recreational vehicle industry. The industry is riding a wave of popularity fueled by growing numbers of baby boomers shelling out money for more upscale vehicles and more amenity-filled ...
60 seconds with: Mitch Possinger
Apr 14, 2006; ... TITLE: Founder and president of Lehigh County-based Cura Hospitality, a regional dining and hospitalityservices provider to 70-plus senior living communities in the Mid-Atlantic region. PERSONAL: Graduate of Muhlenberg College (undergraduate) and Lehigh University (MBA). More than 25 ...
Flying Low
Apr 21, 2006; ... In the 1990s, opening day of trout season meant big business at Yellow Breeches Outfitters. Owner Emily Zeiders used to see hundreds of people fishing next to her store on Children's Lake in Boiling Springs, South Middleton Township. By 2005, the Cumberland County retailer estimated that ...
Execs, educators debate virtues of virtual degrees
Apr 21, 2006; ... Students at Central Pennsylvania College soon will be able to earn bachelor's degrees without stepping foot on the Summerdale campus. College officials and students with jobs are excited by the new program, but not everyone is so accepting of online degrees. Some employers still prefer ...
Farmers shimmy up supply chain
Apr 21, 2006; ... Hope Acres farm cuts a beautiful swath across the southern York County countryside. The hilly terrain is quilted into gentle greens and browns. Patches of trees blush at the springtime sun. Dairy cows moo from a barn overlooking the fields. Just a short drive away is the ...
Twice As Nice
Apr 21, 2006; ... Since buying Harrisburg Copiers in 2001, John Frisch has just about doubled the size of the business. He hopes to grow it even further in coming years. "I'd like to tell you some magic formula, but it's just hard work," he said. Since winning the contract to handle 80 percent of ...
Downtown Lebanon sees influx of activity
Apr 21, 2006; ... Corazon Ketchem was not sure whether her sushi-fusion bistro would survive in downtown Lebanon, an area that still clings to its Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of language and Old German comfort foods. Still, her stand in Lebanon Farmers Market had thrived for the past three years, and a ...
Transportation department tests best-value contracting
Apr 21, 2006; ... In May 2004, Tucker Ferguson and Rich Wagman went on a trip to Canada and Europe. The PennDOT bureau director and highway contractor, respectively, didn't do much sightseeing. They spent their time learning about international-transportation projects as part of a federal government-sponsored ...
Transparency can help officials separate public, private roles
Apr 21, 2006; ... In January, Mike Musser, Steelton Borough's longtime secretarytreasurer, took a part-time gig at Coldwell Banker Commercial Bennett Williams as a commercial real estate agent. Tom Powers, president of the company's Harrisburg-area office, hired Musser as an independent contractor. Powers ...
Get Back To Work
Apr 21, 2006; ... Jeff Schaum found himself on both sides of a layoff last year. He spent the late summer and fall shutting down Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co.'s pottery factory in York County and helping scores of employees who were losing their livelihoods. At the same time, Schaum had to come to grips ...
60 seconds with: Gary McElwain
Apr 21, 2006; ... TITLE: Chief executive officer of Goodwill Industries of Central Pennsylvania Inc. PERSONAL: Wife, Nancy McElwain; two adult children PROS AND CONS OF DOING BUSINESS IN CENTRAL PA: "Central Pennsylvania is a great place to live and work ... Although there seems to be some slow ...
About the list: Janitorial Services, Residential Cleaners
Apr 21, 2006; ... This year's lists of janitorial services and residential cleaners look a lot like last year's lists: All of the businesses that made both lists ranked the same or about the same. However, there are several notable newcomers this year. The highest-ranked one is ServiceMaster of Greater ...
About the list: Third-party Administrators
Apr 21, 2006; ... Susquehanna Township-based Community Behavioral Healthcare Network of Pennsylvania Inc. remained No. 1 on the Business Journal's list of third-party administrators. It reported $14.83 million in local TPA revenue, almost 45 percent more than had been reported last year. CBHNP is an insurance TPA ...
Return to Tradition
Apr 21, 2006; ... As traditional neighborhoods become more popular in Central Pennsylvania, businesses in these village-like communities are reaping the benefits of the intimate design. These neighborhoods promote the feel of a traditional town square that includes, within walking distance, all of the facilities ...
Maximum Efficiency
Apr 21, 2006; ... Higher energy costs increasingly are expected to factor into decisions about home construction and maintenance during the next couple of years, although builders and real estate agents believe a warm winter put off most homeowners concerns. Energy-efficient building techniques and ...
Women enter the Home market
Apr 21, 2006; ... When Carmalena Stoltzfus graduated from Messiah College six years ago, she moved back home with her parents. She worked with them in the family business, making and selling soft pretzels. But she missed college and wanted to set up a living community of her own where she could be near her ...
Builders right at home with Technology
Apr 21, 2006; ... Builders and remodelers are using technology to get the job done, whether it's using cell phones to communicate with clients at a distance or lasers to make sure the foundation is level at the building site. Many builders have cell phones that can take pictures of a home's construction, ...
Municipalities assemble an Affordable Mix
Apr 21, 2006; ... More mixed-income developments are emerging in Steelton, Mount Joy and Harrisburg to meet the demand for affordable housing. While there are not any planned mixed-income development projects in Steelton, there are a variety of neighborhoods that will end up being mixed-income due to the ...
Firms and neighborhoods co-exist within City Limits
Apr 21, 2006; ... Every Christmas Eve, residents of York's cast end hear a special concert. Shortly after midnight, a whistle at the manufacturing plant of New York Wire Co. screeches out carols. The odd caroling session is a holdover from a time when city life revolved around factories and workers lived ...
Potpourri of professionals go Commercial
Apr 21, 2006; ... When Bart Anderson traveled recently to Washington, D.C., to look for prospective buyers for some commercial property, he met with a real estate agent who had been a lawyer for eight years. "He was now in commercial real estate because he liked the latitude it gave him," recalled ...
Is the real estate market Cooling Off?
Apr 21, 2006; ... Nationally, some areas are experiencing a slowdown in the residential real estate market. But most Central Pennsylvania real estate professionals say that even though the region's real estate market is slowing slightly, it's still going strong. One of the reasons the market is doing well ...
Rate-hike request could be preview of life after caps
Apr 28, 2006; ... The Beechmont Inn Bed & Breakfast will always leave a light on for its guests, but doing that would become more expensive next year if Metropolitan Edison Co. gets the 19 percent rate hike it requested. "It's horrible," said Kathryn White, who runs the Hanover inn with her husband, ...
York Water stock swells
Apr 28, 2006; ... York Water Co. President Jeffrey S. Osman keeps a stopped grandfather clock on the wall behind his desk. Maybe it's a statement about his company's long history. Maybe he just hasn't had time to fix it. There are more important things to deal with these days at the 190-year-old company ....
Population surge complicates balancing act
Apr 28, 2006; ... Virginia Barr leads a double life. In the evenings, Barr relaxes on the land she owns on the side of a hill in Perry County. A preservationist at heart, Barr loves living in the rural county that has managed to avoid many development pressures felt elsewhere in ...
Gridiron Gals
Apr 28, 2006; ... "One-two-three-four-five ..." About 25 women grunt out the numbers on the field of Camp Curtin Elementary School in Harrisburg, heads engulfed by their helmets. Their bare legs stick out of gym shorts, stretched taut as they push-up their way to penance for ignoring a coach's commands ....
Doctors embrace real estate market
Apr 28, 2006; ... When Dr. Jeffrey Kauffman completes his residency at the University of Pennsylvania Health Systern in Philadelphia, he will come to York County to open his first practice. For Kauffman, a Red Lion native, the chance to come home is not the only reason to return to Central Pennsylvania ....
Financial advisers invest in their own new firm
Apr 28, 2006; ... James McCurdy worked for Fulton Financial Advisors for nearly 20 years, eventually rising to the position of executive vice president. Despite his success with the Lancaster-based company, lie harbored a dream of starting his own firm. Three of his co-workers-Todd Dellinger, Sean Dolan ...
Transit partnership changes track with new agreement
Apr 28, 2006; ... After cutting back its plans for Corridor One, Modern Transit Partnership plans to push ahead on Corridor Two, a second regionalrail line that initially would extend from Harrisburg to Hershey to Lebanon and eventually would extend to York. A cluster of affluent businesses in Derry ...
Most business owners are upbeat about economy
Apr 28, 2006; ... Firms are currently pretty bullish on the regional economy in the first quarter of 2006. The firms surveyed reported growth in both overall business activity and in every indicator of business activity at the company level compared with the fourth quarter of 2005. Firms reported higher business ...
Utility, critics debate where the buck stops
Apr 28, 2006; ... Metropolitan Edison Co. says it's being pinched by skyrocketing energy prices, and it needs an unscheduled rate increase to catch up. Critics say Met-Ed made bad decisions and is trying to renege on a deal it made with Pennsylvania's energy users. Met-Ed and its sister utility, ...
Greenway seeks tenants
Apr 28, 2006; ... Five years ago, the developer of Greenway Tech Centre broadened its description of the planned structure from "technology building" to "technology-focused building." The developer also expanded its tenant wish list from "technology firms" to "technology and technologyrelated firms." The reason: ...
High-tech health
Apr 28, 2006; ... Technological advancements in medicine have given health-care professionals new weapons in the fight against disease and illness. These advancements are not limited to high-flying medical centers in major metropolitan areas. Many have found their way to Central Pennsylvania. Robotic ...
60 seconds with Scott Sternberger
Apr 28, 2006; ... TITLE: Senior vice president of KCI Technologies Inc., a full-service engineering and environmental-consulting firm with an office in Lower Allen Township PERSONAL: Wife, Heidi; son, Chris, 13 WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF DOING BUSINESS IN CENTRAL PA? "Pros: It is one of ...