In the past 18 months the Clearfield County Economic Development Corp. has heard from hordes of oil and gas companies looking for places to set up shop. That makes perfect sense, given that Clearfield is in the middle of the massive Marcellus Shale formation, which underlies most of Pennsylvania and is expected to yield decades’ worth of natural gas and thousands of jobs.
And this Thursday, the economic development agency plans to award a contract for the construction of a 20,000-square foot building designed to be leased to oil and gas firms. The building, estimated to cost about $1.7 million, will include spaces of between 3,000 and 5,000 square feet. Tenants can use these spaces for offices and, more importantly, as a place to store and work on vehicles.
Rob Swales, the agency’s executive director, expects the building in a Clearfield business park to be finished in March. It’s been dubbed the Alliance Park Energy Complex.
But the agency’s outreach to the energy industry isn’t just about a building. It’s also looking to hire a VP of energy development. This person’s job will be to be a liaison between the county and industries such as natural gas, biofuels, wind and solar energy. Swales says the agency is capitalizing on Clearfield’s central location, proximity to Interstate 80 and status as the home of Pennsylvania’s first ethanol plant.
Source: Rob Swales, Clearfield County Economic Development Corp.
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen