The new CEO of an economic development organization in northwest PA plans to tap into the region's assets to attract and retain more businesses.
Randy Seitz, formerly head of the Oil Region Alliance of Business Industry & Tourism, took over last month as CEO of the Penn-Northwest Development Corp., covering Mercer County, on the Ohio border. He stepped into the role after Larry Reichard retired.
Seitz sees his new job as a natural progression from his last position in a similar role in Oil City and its surrounding county. In his seven years there, he was credited with helping lure new businesses, including an asphalt plant and a FedEx distribution center that moved to a bigger facility within Venango County.
Seitz sees several strengths in Mercer County, which has about 117,000 residents compared with 55,000 in Venango. Mercer has plenty of inexpensive land that's ready for modern industrial parks, access to Interstates 79 and 80, and a low cost of living. Plus, the 6 million visitors that shop at the Grove City Premium Outlets every year make the area perfect for retail expansion, he says. Seitz plans to draw more business to Mercer by marketing these assets, and assembling attractive financing packages.
“If I can get companies that never knew they wanted to be here and attract them, it's a win-win for everybody,” he says. “We are truly a low-cost alternative to corporate America's expansion plans.”
Source: Randy Seitz, Penn-Northwest Development Corp.
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen
