Bethlehem : Innovation & Job News

It has been quite a month for Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) and their latest roster of funding recipients. A visit from Vice President Joe Biden was just the beginning as BFTP received a $6 million grant to further the efforts of TechVentures, a small business incubator helping new business owners succeed in Pennsylvania. Once the VP had stepped off the podium, it was time to introduce the newest Northeastern business roster, complete with $400,000 in grant funding. Now, two of those companies have been selected to the TechVentures program, giving them business assistance and a temporary home at the newly funded Lehigh University facility.

Electrikus and ElementID will be joining the 23 early-stage firms already at TechVentures. Electrikus has designed a line of smart battery back-up systems for homes and ElementID provides info automation software for businesses. With their facility growing by leaps and bounds, BFTP is excited to offer business services to more companies like Electrikus and Element ID, ones they believe will benefit from an incubator environment.

“Many of our companies are looking for a place to start, like two guys in a garage looking for a real office,” says Laura Eppler, Director of Marketing for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania. ”The benefits of being in a business incubator are many. There is a shared synergy amongst early-stage firms, referrals to folks in the Ben Franklin solutions network like lawyers and accountants, and everything works gradually as we edge these companies closer and closer to graduating from the incubator.”

Since 1983, the BFTP regional site and TechVentures have graduated 44 successful companies, grossing more than $675 million in annual revenue, and creating more than 4,000 jobs. This new facility will create as many as 200 sustainable, highly paid technology jobs and retain 100 more jobs at new, start-up companies in its first three years. It will also provide job and internship opportunities for up to 20 university students each year.

Source: Laura Eppler, Ben Franklin Northeast
Writer: John Steele

How do your employees really feel about your company? How do your company’s policies stack up against your peers? And who’s going to give you an unbiased answer to those questions? To find out, register your firm to participate in Pennsylvania’s Best Places to Work  competition, which annually surveys large firms (with over 250 employees)  and medium-sized companies (with 25 to 250 workers) and selects the top 50 performers in each category.

What’s in it for you? Megan Burns, manager of program operations for Best Places to Work,  says the program isn’t just rankings. “All participants receive  a report card,” she says, with benchmarking data against other companies, employee comments, and a demographic report with the positive and negative responses of employees to 72 questions in core focus areas. They include culture and communications;  goal satisfaction-job rules; work environment; relationships with supervisors; development, pay and benefits; and overall engagement.

Employers go online to supply basic information about personnel and payroll, hiring and employment practices. Their employees answer questions on their view of employer policies on a scale of one to five, with a chance to amplify their thoughts in open-ended responses.

To be eligible, participating companies must be a for-profit or not-for-profit business publicly or privately held, with a facility and at least 25 employees in Pennsylvania. They must also be in good standing with all state agencies, since the program is sponsored by Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the state Department of Community and Economic Development, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, and the Central Penn Business Journal.  The deadline for registration  is May 28.

Source: Megan Burns, Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania
Writer: Chris O’Toole

Ever since Bethlehem Steel went quiet, every two-bit manufacturer with a hard hat has eyed the Lehigh Valley’s storied infrastructure and workforce, claiming to be the second coming. So when International Battery first opened its green Lithium Ion battery plant in Allentown in 2008, there was a lot of skepticism. Would they really deliver 250 jobs in three years, as they promised?

The manufacturer answered the skeptics this week, announcing $35 million in venture capital funding. The funding will go toward expanding manufacturing efforts in the Lehigh Valley to accommodate new customers, International Battery Chairman Mark Mills says.

“Our company CEO spent 2009 developing new customers and getting the core technology qualified and certified,” says Mills. “Think of this as expansion mode for customer outreach.”

That expansion mode, Mills says, will translate into jobs for the Lehigh Valley as International Battery looks to hire in every major department. After researching many applications for their Lithium Ion battery, International Battery will be looking to develop new relationships with military manufacturers and working with Smart Grid applications. This will mean hiring new sales, marketing, engineering and manufacturing specialists en masse over the next year.

After opening in 2008, International Battery began a process of manufacturing lithium Ion batteries that use water as a solvent, as opposed to a hazardous chemical. This lowers the need for expensive handling equipment, and is more environmentally sustainable than traditional battery manufacturers. International Battery’s new funding is an investment in this cleaner technology because they believe it to be a game changer in the way batteries are produced.

“This is a lot like the transformation of the paint industry and the ink industry,” says Mills. “As you may recall, paints and inks are made using powders and hazardous chemicals. All modern paints and inks are water-based now. We believe a lot of the world will migrate to water-based chemistry to manufacture lithium cells and we are one of the first ones to conquer that process.”

Source: Mark Mills, International Battery
Writer: John Steele

It’s no secret that corporate executives and doctors do pretty well in Pennsylvania. These highly educated titans were the kings of your college and now they honk at degree-wielding denizens working in academia from their BMWs, grinning ear-to-ear with a smile only ironclad job security can provide. But according to a new study, Pennsylvania’s private college and university employees can smile back as their sector now places fourth amongst the largest industry payrolls in the state.

The economic impact study, released Monday by PA’s Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, finds that Pennsylvania’s 94 private colleges and universities added 16,338 new jobs since 1999, when private education ranked seventh. But as two recessions have marred industry growth in many sectors, the current landscape looks much different. Private education has moved up the list, now boasting 79,213 jobs and $4.583 billion in payroll, while other industries have dropped out of the top 10 completely.

“As our enrollment has grown to about 285,000 students--including one of the largest numbers of out-of-state students in the nation--we have been able to add good, family-sustaining jobs with benefits,” says President of the AICUP Don Francis. “We aren’t recession proof, but we have weathered these recessions better than most private industries.”

AICUP surveyed its member schools and examined US Department of Commerce data and other sources to arrive at a statewide impact of $16.1 billion in economic benefit provided by Pennsylvania’s private colleges and universities. These findings join a 2006 study by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which calculated the economic impact of PA’s state institutions at $4.47 billion; a study Keystone Edge reported on in January.  Check it out here.

Source: Don Francis, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania
Writer: John Steele

Have you ever walked along the Southside streets of Bethlehem and wondered why none of the businesses are empty or how they attracted huge businesses like the Bethlehem Sands Casino? Or how community gatherings like Allentown’s Blues, Brews and Barbecue continue to attract sweeping business partnerships each year? If you ask the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, they will tell you that developing main streets make communities thrive and attract new businesses. But these main streets don’t stay so beautiful on their own.

That’s why the Lehigh Valley Chamber Foundation, which serves as the charitable arm of the Chamber of Commerce, just issued its third community improvement grant this week. The grant, which will go towards improvements and business retention efforts, furthers the Lehigh Valley Chamber’s stated commitment to building communities around vibrant main street corridors.

“These projects will enhance our main streets in the cities and in the boroughs,” says the Chamber’s Assistant to the President Lorie Reinert. “Our employees work with local business owners on anything to make these communities more attractive to business owners. From new benches and lampposts to farmers market banners to studies on parking.”

The grant framework states that recipients must have a proposal revolving around a few key premises. Applicants must develop or improve existing civic, cultural, recreational, or industrial activities; assist in business retention, expansion, creation or attraction; promote the creation of jobs and employment opportunities; or enhance the health, welfare and quality of life of Lehigh Valley citizens. In the past, the Chamber Foundation have hung their hats proudly on such efforts and hope this grant will continue their success.

“Our Borough Business Revitalization Program had 136 new businesses, 128 new jobs, 71 renovated facades,” says Reinert. “So even though these grants are often relatively small amounts of money, we can use them to leverage more money, like providing a 50-percent match to county governments or business owners to make these projects happen.”

Source: Lorie Reinert, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
Writer: John Steele

There are a lot of reasons people don’t graduate college in four years, and most of them don’t include booze or bong loads. More often than not, a year at a community college turns into wasted time as student credits are lost in bureaucratic limbo. But now, just one year into a new credit transfer system, Pennsylvania students have saved $35.4 million.

In 2006, Governor Rendell signed into law Act 114, which required all community colleges and PASSHE schools to identify a minimum of 30 credits that would be guaranteed to transfer between schools. Repeating courses at state universities costs students and taxpayers. But with transferable credits available at 32 state institutions, students spend more time in the classroom and less time at the finance office.

“There has been a change in who is seeking college education. College students are becoming more mobile,” says PA Department of Education spokesperson Leah Harris. “We found a need to put a system in place to protect those students from having to pay thousands and thousands of dollars for having to take a course at one institution and again at another.”

As part of the new law, the state established the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Center (PA TRAC) website. The site allows users to search for transferable courses, find information about participating institutions and get step-by-step instructions to transfer credits. The site also keeps real-time reporting data to determine the effectiveness of the software. The program has been a success, saving more money than originally thought, as some schools have created more transferable offerings than the law originally required.

Software guidance systems manufacturers AcademyOne designed the software, which can facilitate up to 30 credits at a time. The West Chester firm believes this software could help correct a growing problem, as six out of 10 students nationwide attend more than one college on a path to their degree.

“AcademyOne manages a national site, CollegeTransfer.net. In Pennsylvania, we used the functionality of that site but worked closely with the state and individual institutions to focus on content so there was no confusion, ” says AcademyOne Vice President Karen Todd. “Now the students will have all the information so they can avoid taking a course that won’t count. It’s a real joy!”

Sources: Leah Harris, PA Department of Education
Karen Todd, AcademyOne
Writer: John Steele
 

According to Project Tomorrow’s 2009 national research study, 60 percent of parents value their school district website as their top choice for driving student achievement. These findings come as no shock to the folks at Schoolwires. The Central Pennsylvania outfit responsible for school connectivity software Centricity have worked hard to bring learning solutions into the 21st century, using the internet not just as a research tool but a portal to learning for parents and students.

Their newest update to the market-leading Centricity platform seeks to increase functionality for students, increase involvement for parents and connect communities in social-media environments.

“Education is transforming and in response, we are leveraging our decade of experience as an industry leader to deliver even more innovative capabilities within our solution to help administrators and teachers address new critical imperatives and continue to help students achieve success,” says Edward Marflak, Schoolwires CEO.

The new Centricity allows school districts to combine the efforts of data systems at all levels of a school district. Now, web updates for the district website, the school website and the classroom website can be updated from the same portal. And with tools for creating student blogs and podcasts, students, parents and teachers will all be connected across the same interface.

After the original release of Centricity, Schoolwires sponsored the research study conducted by Project Tomorrow, entitled “Speak Up.” The results of the study, unsurprisingly, revealed that students today are more web-focused and learn better through a good “home-school” connection, facilitated by more web-based connectivity. Schoolwires hopes to aid this process as they roll out their Centricity update software later this month.

Source: Edward Marflak, Schoolwires
Writer: John Steele

Pennsylvania legislators have made great hay in the last few years about diversifying the state energy portfolio. But tax credits and impact studies don’t create jobs in a state where unemployment is at a 25-year high.

Environmentalists and job seekers alike will be pleased to see the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection putting its money where its mouth is this week as they announced the release of $16 million in grant funding to back clean energy projects. In his announcement of the funding, DEP secretary John Hanger stated that job creation and financial savings were the goals.

"When we began our effort to make Pennsylvania energy independent, we recognized the need for projects that use advanced technologies to help meet our future energy needs while generating new employment opportunities for Pennsylvanians," Hanger says. "Previously, we were far too dependent on foreign oil and far too many of our energy dollars were leaving the state. We needed to look within our borders for innovative ways to conserve and generate energy, and create jobs.”

The state funding is being made available through the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, or PEDA. The competitive grant program, which financed clean energy projects like the Buckman’s Inc. Wind & Solar deployment and the Crayola solar-powered manufacturing facility, had been inactive for several years before Governor Ed Rendell revived it in 2005. Ever since, the state legislature has been struggling to find ways to expand the grant program to create more jobs and add to alternative energy projects already in the pipeline. This new funding marks an expansion of a program that has invested more than $75 million in 147 projects, leveraging an estimated $1.1 billion in private investments and creating more than 1,700 permanent jobs.

"As the demand for energy continues to increase, so does the demand for innovative solutions to meet those needs," Hanger says. "Pennsylvanians have exhibited a willingness to undertake the types of projects necessary to keep us moving forward. Now in its sixth year, PEDA grants will continue to assist our residents in their efforts."

Grants are capped at $1 million. Applications are only accepted online. Click here to apply.

Source: John Hanger, PA DEP
Writer: John Steele

Pennsylvania's high-tech industry added 3,800 net jobs in 2008 despite a recession, according to the 13th annual Cyberstates report published April 28.

The report by the TechAmerica Foundation showed that PA ranked eighth nationally in total high-tech employment with 215,948 total jobs in the sector, with gains in computer systems design and related services (2,900 jobs), engineering services (1,100 jobs) and R&D and testing labs (300 jobs). Pennsylvania ranked fifth in both electronic components manufacturing (12,500 jobs) and R&D and testing labs (36,800 jobs).

Nationally, high tech continued to be a jobs driver in 2008. Forty-one states added tech jobs between 2007 and 2008, despite the recession's growing pressure. However, those number took a nose dive in 2009.

“Every high-tech sector saw employment losses in 2009,” says the report. “Of the 245,600 jobs lost, 112,600 were in manufacturing. Engineering and tech services saw a net loss of 59,000 jobs, as did communications services, shedding 53,000 jobs. Software services experienced the smallest decline, losing 20,700 jobs, or one percent."

Numbers on Pennsylvania’s 2009 high-tech job losses haven’t been crunched; state data lags national data by “at least a year,” says TechAmerica’s Josh James.  “But we can be safe in assuming that because national level was so high that most states will show job losses in 2009.”

Cyberstates 2010 relies on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report provides 2009 national data on tech employment as well as 2008 national and state-by-state data on high-tech employment, wages, establishments, payroll, wage differential, and employment concentration.

High-tech jobs continue to pay far better than average private sector wages. The average annual salary of $77,500 is 76 percent higher than the Pennsylvania average.

Source: Josh James,TechAmerica
Writer: Chris O’Toole

That old freezer or fridge in the basement is definitely an energy-guzzler. But what to do with the big, cold, heavy box when it's time to move on?

The region's first appliance recycling center opened last week in Hatfield, Montgomery County as part of a joint effort from PECO, PPL Electric Utilities and FirstEnergy. JACO Envrionmental will operate the facility, which will eventually serve 80 percent of the state's electric utility customers and will create about 40 new, green jobs.

Refrigerators and freezers made prior to 1990 use three times more electricity than newer appliances. Aoubt 95 percent of each unit will be environmentally recycled by JACO, including metals, plastics, oils and foam insulation.

"Old refrigerators contain substances such as mercury, oil and ozone-eating CFCs," says Michael Dunham, director of energy and environmental programs for JACO, a Washington state-based company focused on reponsible appliance recycling. "As a result, they pose a significant threat to the environment when improperly discarded. This new program helps save energy and the planet."

Through its Smart Appliance Recycling, PECO will pick up and recycle older, working refrigerators and freezers for free and pay customers $35. Also, PECO will pick up older, working window air conditioners and pay customers $25. PECO estimates customers will save about $150 annually on energy bills by recycling their outdated, underperforming appliances.

The program is in response to PA's Act 129, the 2008 mandate that requires state electric utilities to help customers reduce energy use by 1 percent by May, 2011 and by 3 percent by May, 2013.

Source: Michael Dunham, JACO Environmental
Writer: Joe Petrucci

They’re sticky and chewy, sport colors not found in nature, and although unable to fly--or even walk--they travel the world. Peeps, the sugary marshmallow confections manufactured by Bethlehem’s Just Born, Inc., are the stars of several high-concept national contests that give the candy world-wide panache.

In each of the past four Easter seasons, the Washington Post has invited whimsically-minded artists to construct dioramas starring the marshmallow chicks and bunnies. Last year’s winner, among 1,1000 entries submitted, was “Nightpeeps,” an homage to Edward Hopper’s famous diner painting that featured pastel bunny peeps. National Geographic Traveler Magazine’s “Peeps in Places” contest invites readers to pose peeps with famous landmarks and post the results to Flickr

Just Born spokesperson Ellie Deardorff says the St. Paul Pioneer Press came up with the first Peeps contest, with other publications following suit.  Just Born provides prizes for the contestants.

While Deardorff declined to give sales figures for privately-hold Just Born, the 87-year-old company says it produces enough Peeps in one year to circle the earth twice. It also manufactures Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike, and Teenie Beanee candies in Bethlehem and Peanut Chews in Philadelphia. With over 475 employees, it sells its candy in over 45 countries.

Source: Ellie Deardorff, Just Born, Inc.
Writer: Chris O'Toole

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania announced nearly $600,000 in funding earlier this month for startup and established companies throughout the region. The investments, ranging from $20,000 to $150,000 for nine companies  from Scranton to Orefield, will support a diverse range of products and services, like biofuel synthesis, online video distribution, and wireless access for gates and doors.

The investments include:

ClydeTec Systems, Inc. (Orefield), $35,000: To complete a prototype of a semiconductor device for optical coherence tomography system-on-a-chip for high-throughput biomedical imaging.

Gleason Custom Kitchens (Scranton), $55,000: To implement production and administrative efficiencies at this manufacturer of custom-built and standard cabinetry.

Icon Legacy Custom Modular Homes (Selinsgrove), $75,000: To improve production efficiencies, develop new products and update customer service procedures.

Infinity Access (Hazleton), $75,000: To complete final design and obtain UL approval of a proprietary new gate release device and new vehicle identification wireless access technology.

Pennsylvania Sustainable Technologies (Bethlehem), $150,000: Partnering with Lehigh University, to demonstrate the feasibility of the company’s new integrated fuel synthesis process for the production of alternative fuels.

Viddler (Bethlehem), $50,000: To continue commercializing its online video distribution and sharing platform.

XiGo Nanotools (Bethlehem), $100,000: To complete beta testing of a newly patented, shoebox-size device that rapidly measures the surface area of nano-particles.

Amcor PETE Packaging (Allentown), $19,800: Partnering with Lehigh University to improve manufacturing efficiencies and improve productivity at this manufacturer of blow- and injection-molded  containers for personal care and liquor industries.

Strong Industries (Northumberland), $40,000: To perform a complete systems, processes and data assessment of its operation to enhance efficiencies of this manufacturer of molded pools and spas.

Source: Laura Eppler, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PA
Writer: Joe Petrucci

Six projects in PA centered on nanotechnology received a combined $5.7 million last week through funding approved by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority at its quarterly meeting. The funds will go a long way in expanding university research efforts, bringing new products to the marketplace, and educating the generation of high-tech workers.

A little more than a decade ago, the state launched the Pennsylvania Initiative for Nanotechnology to reap the benefits that nanotechnology has to technology-based economic development. The initiative combines the efforts of the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, research universities, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and more than 125 companies to enhance nanotech transfer and commercialization. It has invested $103 million and leveraged nearly $500 million in private investment.

“Our high-tech sectors are a cornerstone of our growth, and these latest investments will go a long way in supporting our tech-based economy by giving our partners the resources they need to incubate innovative ideas, and get them to the marketplace,” says Governor Ed Rendell in a news release.

The funded projects include:
--$789,000 for the Pittsburgh-based Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center to help increase the growth of nano-based start-up companies and product development at existing PA companies.
--$300,000 and $700,000 for Lehigh University's Lehigh Nanophotonics Technologies program and to support the PA Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, respectively.
--$1.5 million to Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA, in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, to support the Nanotechnology Institute.
--$1.5 million for Penn State University’s Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Research and Commercialization Program to acquire instrumentation and expand facilities and research.
--$1 million for Penn State to support the Pennsylvania Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology partnership.

Source: Jamie Yates, PA DCED
Writer: Joe Petrucci

Multiple government agencies are working on an initiative that spans the state and explores and implements partnerships and programs that protect natural and cultural resources to enhance their respective region’s economic viability. As a result, the state’s Conservation Landscape Initiative (CLI), a joint effort by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that engages communities local partners with state agencies and potential funders, quite possibly could be a national model.

That's especially evident in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties, where the South Mountain CLI, one of seven in PA, has enlisted the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, among others, to encourage economic growth that will revitalize and protect local communities with an abundance of recreation and heritage tourism opportunities.

The South Mountain CLI, at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, encompasses 400,000 acres and nearby communities like Gettysburg, Chambersburg and Carlisle, and was born when a housing development threatened to overtake 800 acres adjacent to the Appalachian Trail.

“These four counties we work in have some of the highest rates of development in the state,” says Kim Williams, the external project lead and landscape projection coordinator for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Mid-Atlantic regional office.

“As a partnership, we’re working to protect their assets through tourism, whether they be agricultural or heritage-oriented. There’s a strong link between agriculture and how it buffers the state forest.”

The South Mountain CLI awarded nearly $50,000 in mini-grants in the fall to conservation, heritage and economic development projects.  The partnership will host a summit on Feb. 19 at Penn Township Fire Hall in Newville, Cumberland County, featuring guest speakers, including DCNR secretary John Quigley, to discuss the innovative model of conservation and preservation of sense of place on the local and state scales.

Among the CLI’s efforts: purchasing land, promoting agriculture-related entrepreneurs and the Appalachian Trail through a GPS system, identifying funding partners and education outreach.

“We hosted a meeting two years ago in Adams County and a third-generation farmer said if farming were profitable we wouldn’t have this meeting,” Says Mike Eschenmann, the DCNR lead and head of its community recreation partnerships section.  “That had an impact on me, to think about his livelihood. He doesn’t want to sell his land. He wants to keep farming but it needs to be profitable.
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Source: Kim Williams, Appalachian Trail Conservancy; Mike Eschenmann, PA DCNR
Writer: Joe Petrucci

College campuses are breeding grounds for social movements. With so much of that youthful energy focused on the environment, it makes sense to try to harness its collective power. In Pennsylvania, a group called PowerMinders has formed to try and do just that, and its first attempt--a contest for which students from around the state submitted their environmental case studies--has validated its mission.

“A little known fact is the state of PA has over 580,000 undergraduate students. If you could engage just 10 percent, we’re talking more than 50,000 students who could do an energy efficiency project,” says Bob Fiore, founder of PowerMinders. “We could impact five million homes and institute energy savings.”

Sveta McShane, a 2009 graduate of Temple University, won the contest, also sponsored by  statewide public interest organization PennFuture. McShane’s case study examined the energy use of Narberth, a small town nestled in the Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia. McShane gained access to Narberth’s energy records going back to 1997, including household numbers, municipal cars, trucks and usage.  

Her report showed the town’s street lights were a major cost factor and the borough is now looking at replacing all street lights with new, energy efficient LED lighting that will also improve safety.

“I am sure many towns use energy the way Narbeth does, and they can learn from the report, as well,” says McShane.

PowerMinders is made up of close to 1,000 students who formed last year and sold CFL bulbs to family members and friends. PowerMinders co-founder, Cabrini University business administration professor Eric Malm, judged the entries.

“The more we can get students involved, the more committed they’ll be, and the more chance there will be to move legislation forward as they grow up,” says Christine Knapp, PennFuture’s director for outreach.

Source: Bob Fiore, PowerMinders; Christine Knapp, Penn Future.
Writer: Joe Petrucci