“A week doesn’t go by where I don’t get a call from some interested company looking at elements here [Susquehanna County].”
– Tony Ventello, Executive Director of the Progress Authority
Abundant opportunities. Business expansion. Strong infrastructure. Three phrases not associated with Susquehanna County, traditionally. But over last eight years, the development of the Marcellus Shale in the County has changed this once agriculture dominated economy into a potent opportunity for value-added growth in manufacturing, gas to liquids (GTL), and power generation. Now the County is actively searching for new businesses to relocate:
“We’re looking for those businesses to come to Susquehanna County. We want to partner with you, get you here, and do the right things,” says Allan Hall, Susquehanna County Commissioner.
Why should businesses even look at Susquehanna County?
“Susquehanna County is sitting on the most cost-effective, cheapest, natural gas in the entire world,” says Tony Ventello Executive Director of Progress Authority, a state-certified economic development provider. This resource coupled with an underutilized infrastructure system makes the region extremely attractive to new businesses: “In fact, it’s one of the few counties in the region that have an interstate and a strong rail presence, which is great for manufacturing businesses,” according to Ventello.
In this new video, Ventello shares more about the opportunities for business expansion in the county:
Business in the county is already taking advantage of the opportunities
“Diaz Manufacturing, we are working with this company to expand an 80,000 sq ft facility on a 50-acre parcel…With the help of the county commissioners, Act 13 funds, Pennsylvania First money, and Pennsylvania American Water, who have all contributed to the project, we are now able to…open that corridor open for development beyond Diaz project,” says Ventello.
Dennis Davin, Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development, in the press release announcing the $446,000 grant through the Pennsylvania First program stated: “The project that will support a business expansion creating 20 new, full-time jobs.”
WNEP news coverage of Diaz’s expansion found here:
Abundant natural gas, ready-to-use infrastructure, public-private investments, what else does Susquehanna County offer new businesses?
A high quality of life.
The county is home to a brand new hospital, a new natural gas utility system, a recently expanded career and technology center that serves all of the school districts in the county, a relatively new college training students to work in the natural gas industry. From a socio-economic standpoint, weekly wages in the county have increased, property values are strong, and the Community Foundation is reporting year over year growth in new endowments and trusts created by county residents.
In this Power to Save segment “Susquehanna County, Now Open for Business,” WNEP illustrates why the county is now the place to be for business.
