business & industry update 2016

Covering . . .

McKean County

PotterCounty

ElkCounty

& surrounding area

Here is a sample of some of what can be found inside:PAGE 2• Economy slowly

improving in region.

PAGE 6• Career and technical

education push to fill skilled worker shortage.

PAGE 7• Health care providers work to

advance health of local communities.

PAGE 13• Zippo’s forecast is looking bright.

PAGE16• Local officials get tough on housing stock

improvement.

CameronCounty

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

2 — The Bradford (Pa.) Era, Business and Industry Outlook, Monday, February 29, 2016

By JoELLEN WANKELSpecial to The Era

The current situation in the oil and natural gas market — due to high supply and low prices — has caused some significant concern for area oil producers.

With this, and the fact that cer-tain legislation is not favorable to the industry, concerns for oil and gas far outweigh the bright side.

“We are at the mercy of the Saudis and OPEC,” noted Lou D'Amico, president and execu-tive director of the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association (PIOGA). “They continue to flood the market, and we are not sure when that will end.

“The oil price could change tomorrow,” D'Amico added, not-ing the volatility of the Middle East.

D'Amico noted that even though the low oil prices is a significant concern for the tra-ditional oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania, there are other concerns that are more far-reach-ing than the current troubles.

“The amount of investment to drill for conventional producers is significantly higher than for shale production,” D’Amico said.

Therefore, the concern that shale producers will start opera-tions and flood the market again is another serious problem for the conventional producers in Pennsylvania. Other concerns that face conventional producers relate to proposed legislation like the severance tax proposal and the issue regarding water dis-posal.

Meanwhile, for the shale pro-ducers, concerns are just as high, although their focus is a bit dif-ferent on what tops the list of concerns.

“In Pennsylvania, natural gas is selling below the national average as oil prices continue to fall. At the same time, a lack of pipeline infrastructure continues to limit regional natural-gas pro-ducers from getting these local resources to consumers across high-demand markets in the Northeast,” said Erica Clayton Wright, vice president of com-munications and membership for the Marcellus Shale Coalition.

“As a result, we’re seeing deep reductions in the types of invest-ments that have helped unlock our abundant shale resourc-es and support good paying Pennsylvania jobs,” said Clayton

Wright. “The industry is focused on getting the economic equa-tion right in Pennsylvania, and is working diligently to build-out the necessary infrastructure to get gas to market, helping to create thousands of good paying jobs while also securing the economic future for all Pennsylvanians.”

The specific effects of the drop in gas prices for the state hit home for people in our area in particular.

Clayton Wright expanded on those effects.

“As a result of the ongoing slowdown in the energy mar-ket, we have seen reduced capi-tal investment throughout the Commonwealth, decreased activ-ity and significant layoffs, par-ticularly supply-chain jobs,” she said. “The continued build-out and modernization of our pipe-line infrastructure network is a key component to weathering this energy slowdown as it will open additional market opportu-nities and connect consumers and users to our abundant, affordable natural gas supplies.”

On the topic of legislation, D'Amico noted that conventional producers face problems regard-ing the Chapter 78 regulations, as well as proposed taxes that are poorly timed in terms of intro-duction.

“I can't imagine a worse time to propose a severance tax, but that doesn't phase the govern-ment,” D'Amico said. “Actually, given the personnel put in admin-istrative positions, I believe that the government's ultimate goal is to end fossil fuel production in Pennsylvania.”

The water disposal problem will complicate life for both shale producers and those in the con-ventional industry.

“I can't see how we'll sur-vive with some of the things pro-posed for water,” D'Amico said. “Ultimately, the best solution for our water waste is still deep well injection.”

When it comes to legislation, Wright noted the who is just as important as the what for future actions and intended effect.

“Unfortunately, some in Harrisburg are ignoring current market realities and pursuing misguided and dangerous tax and regulatory policies that will make investing in the Commonwealth and hiring Pennsylvanians even more difficult,” Clayton Wright noted. “Pennsylvania, like other

Concerns mount for local oil, natural gas producers

By MARCIE SCHELLHAMMEREra Associate [email protected]

The economy in Pennsylvania is showing “trends of slow, continuous improvement,” according to an analyst for the state Department of Labor and Industry.

Steven Zellers, industry and business analyst with the depart-ment’s Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, cau-tioned, “We’re not in the business of giving out forecasts,” but said a common-sense look at the facts and figures shows “a lot of the areas have recovered from the recession.”

As long as the state continues to improve — and Zellers said he believes that it will — the trend of slow improvement in the region should continue.

Referring to McKean County, Zellers said, “At its worst during the recession, it was at 11.2 percent unemployment.”

That peak was hit in 2010. The minimum level was in 2007, before the recession, when it was at 4.6 percent.

“The current rate is five percent,” Zellers said. “It was down four-tenths of a percentage point over the year” from December 2014 to December 2015. “It’s the strongest performing of the four counties” of McKean, Elk, Potter and Cameron.

According to data from the Center, Elk County’s maximum unemployment was 14.3 percent in 2009, and a pre-recession low of 4.1 percent in 2006. The most recent data for Elk County shows the December unemployment rate was 4.5 percent.

Potter County’s maximum unemployment rate was 11.8 percent in 2009; and lowest was 5.5 percent in 2006. The most recent data, for December, showed the unemployment rate at 6.5 percent.

Cameron County’s maximum rate, of 18.8 percent, was reached in 2009, while its minimum rate of 5.4 percent was in 2006. The most recent rate, for December, was 6.7 percent.

Zellers also gave a brief explanation of the relative stability of the jobs market in this region.

“One thing we can look at is the top ten employers,” he said. In each of the local four counties, governments, schools and health care agencies are among the top employers. “Those are probably not going to change much over the year. They are fairly stable.”

In McKean County, the top employers were Zippo Manufacturing Co., Bradford Regional Medical Center, the fed-eral government, Bradford Area School District and American Refining Group Inc.

In Elk County, the top employers were Elk Regional Health Center, Keystone Powdered Metal Co., Metaldyne Sintered Ridgway, Domtar Paper Co. and St. Marys Area School District.

In Potter County, the top employers were Cole Memorial Hospital, Morris Compressors, state government, Cole Care and Empereon Marketing.

And in Cameron County, the top employers were GKN Sinter Metals, state government, Cameron County School District, Emporium Hardwoods and Guy & Mary Felt Manor.

Zellers indicated the demographics of the region show an aging population, with a higher median age than the state. McKean County’s median age is 42.6 years, while the state’s is 40.7; Potter County’s is 46.3 years; Cameron County’s is 49.9 years; and Elk’s is 46.6 years.

“That’s going to be one of the drivers for the industry,” Zellers said. “There’s an increasing need for medical care with an aging population. Health care and continuing elder care is pretty large.

“The general trend is on the mend.”For his part, state Rep. Marty Causer, R-Turtlepoint, said he

feels rural Pennsylvania is still lagging behind the rest of the state, suffering after effects of the recession.

“I think the Commonwealth as a whole is further along in its

Economy is slowly improving in region

Top 10 employers in McKean County1. Zippo Manufacturing2. Bradford Regional Medical Center3. Federal government4. Bradford Area School District5. American Refining Group6. Keane Frac LP7. University of Pittsburgh 8. Walmart9. McKean County10. W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Co.

––––Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, second quarter 2015.

Top 10 employers in Cameron County1. GKN Sinter Metals2. State government3. Cameron County School District4. Emporium Hardwoods5. Guy and Mary Felt Manor6. American Sintered Technologies7. Pennsylvania Sintered Metals (PSM BrownCo.)8. Cameron County Commissioners9. Embassy Powdered Metals10. General Electric Supply


Top 10 employers in Potter County1. Cole Memorial2. Morris Compressors 3. State government 4. Cole Care Inc.5. Empereon Marketing 6. Zito LLC7. Ram Forest Products 8. Sweden Valley Manor9. Gas Field Specialists 10. Level 3 Communications


Top 10 employers in Elk County1. Penn Highlands Elk2. Keystone Powdered Metal Co.3. Metaldyne Sintered Ridgway4. Domtar Paper Co.5. St. Marys Area School District6. Walmart 7. Metaldyne Sinterforged Products8. Eastern Sintered Alloys9. Clarion Sintered Metals10. Alpha Sintered Metals


recovery than rural Pennsylvania — because we were already economically challenged going into the recession, it takes longer

(See CONCERNS, Page 3)(See ECONOMY, Page 3)

The Bradford (Pa.) Era, Business and Industry Outlook, Monday, February 29, 2016 — 3

By CHUCK ABRAHAMEra [email protected]

KANE — Area hardwood producers may have had a slight decrease in sales last year from their numbers in 2014, and numbers are expected to stay steady in spite of an Asian market which is cooling down and pest infestations.

Forester Dave Kiehl, owner of North East Hardwoods Inc. of Marienville, is hoping for better sales in 2016. Kiehl said while busi-ness last year was alright, it was not as good as 2014.

Kiehl noted while lumber seems to be doing better, veneer wood, such as Black Cherry, is still struggling. According to data from the Penn State Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, the once popular species of hardwood has been struggling since 2009 when prices dropped from $1,169 per mil-lion board feet (int. ¼ inch) in the fourth quarter of 2008 to $659 per million board feet in the first quarter of 2009.

The third quarter of 2015 report-ed Black Cherry selling at $689.30 per million board feet. Kiehl said manufacturers are finding alterna-tives to the veneer wood.

“Cherry is just out of favor in the market,” Kiehl said. “Substitutes, plastics and composites are hurting the veneer markets.”

Asian markets are still solid, but not as strong as they were in past years. Kiehl said China is getting “harder to deal with” and their mar-

kets have slowed. He said in this country, while cabinet makers are doing well, the economy is not as strong as the federal government is reporting. Kiehl said a better econo-my is needed to provide jobs, which in turn, will keep timber producers strong.

“People need jobs in order to buy furniture, remodel their homes and buy new homes,” Kiehl said.

For his part, Ned Karger, land manager of Kane Harwood, said they are hoping for a moderate increase in domestic sales this year. Karger said his company expects the export market to decline slight-ly. Karger said the United States shipped more than 700 million board feet of hardwood lumber to China last year, a decrease of five percent from 2014.

Due to an infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer in 2015, area foresters have been scrambling to harvest ash trees ahead of the infes-tation while the trees still held their value. Kane Hardwood Manager Burt Craig said in December his company was able to harvest many ash trees ahead of the insect.

However, Craig noted the U.S. Forest Service failed to do so, and many of the ash trees on the Allegheny National Forest fell prey to the pest.

Sue Swanson of the Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group (AHUG) said the Forest Service is proposing a project to harvest ash in some of their priority areas on the ANF. However, Swanson doubts there will be much value left in the hardwood harvested by the time

they complete the process.Swanson recalled a tour she

went on in the Marienville District approximately 10 years ago to look at the Buckthorn infestation. She said the Forest Service recently issued a proposal to address it.

Karger said another pest, the Cherry Scallop Shell Moth, was responsible for defoliating cherry trees in the areas around Sheffield, Ludlow and Red Bridge. He described the moth as a “cyclical, native insect which periodically has population outbreaks lasting two to three years, and then the population crashes.” Karger said the last cycle of

the moth in this region was in the mid-1990s. He said the defoliation causes reduced growth and may cause a dark growth ring which reduces the value of the lumber. Karger expects the pest's population to grow from last year, and may continue into 2017 before the population crashes.

“At this point, it is hard to predict how large the expanded area of defo-liation will be or when the CSSM population will crash,” Karger said, “but we may also see defoliation in 2017 before that happens.”

Swanson also heard the Eastern Region of the Forest Service is investing more money on the ANF

to increase its timber program. She is hopeful there will be a greater dis-tribution of sawtimber harvested and not more pulpwood, which yields considerably less money.

Jack Hedlund of the Allegheny Forest Alliance said the Forest Service has put less of an emphasis on helping the local timber industry in recent years.

“We are all about sustainable forest management with respect to timber,” Hedlund said. “I believe the Forest Service's perspective of 'sustainable' no longer emphasizes timber, but rather other aspects of the forest since the vast majority of

the projects promoted on the ANF have little to do with sustainable timber management.”

Swanson said the state has con-vened a Green Ribbon Commission to assist timber producers in sup-porting and creating new markets for hardwood products. The com-mission is expected to make the rec-ommendations after gathering data for six months. However, she said without state funding due to the state budget impasse, and the Hardwood Development Council and AHUG was one of the items vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf in the partial budget passed in December.

Area hardwood producers hoping for better sales

Era photo by Chuck AbrahamKen Smith of Kane Hardwood scales logs to determine details such as length, species, diameter, and grade. The data collected will determine how many board feet of timber a log will provide.

for rural areas like ours to come out of it,” Causer said.

“While I do believe things have improved in some ways, any positive signs of growth are largely overshadowed by the struggles of the oil and gas industries right now.

“Our local economy is largely driven by oil and gas development, and thousands of people here work directly for drilling businesses, or for support-ing industries like the refinery,” Causer said. “These are good, family-sustaining jobs.”

Already this year, Seneca Resources has announced it is idling two-thirds of its operations in this region because of the low price of natural gas. And added regulations, coupled with the low price of crude oil, has caused economic hardships for the conventional oil producers.

“The drop in oil and natural gas prices, combined with overreaching state and federal regulations and the potential of higher taxes, are threatening the future of the industry, especially the conventional oil and gas drillers,” Causer said. “I continue to work with other lawmakers in the region to do all we can to ensure these valuable employers and suppliers

of energy are not driven out of business by overly burdensome and unnecessary regulation.”

Causer added that there are a lot of positives in this region, too, and some things on the horizon that will bode well for the future.

“Our region has a lot to offer current and poten-tial employers, most notably a ready supply of hon-est, hard-working people,” the legislator said.

“Recognizing that education and job training can be limited in our area, we are continuing work to develop a rural community college. In addition to providing another affordable educational option for students, a community college here can also offer the type of technical training and education employers need to help employees adjust to indus-try changes or to train new employees for business growth,” he said.

“I am committed to establishing a fair tax climate that keeps the cost of doing business in Pennsylvania competitive with our neighboring states, and I am also working with a local coalition to increase the state’s payment in lieu of taxes to help fund needed infrastructure improvements.”

states, does tax natural gas — we just called it an impact fee. What’s more, new regulations being advanced right now will choke production of clean-burning natural gas and cost Pennsylvania job cre-ators nearly $2 billion annually — all without provid-ing significant environmental benefits.

“It cannot be overstated that new taxes, coupled with duplicative and onerous regulations, will only exacerbate the difficult fiscal challenges facing the natural gas industry and the thousands of men and women whose livelihoods are dependent upon it.”

Still, there are some positive changes afoot for the conventional oil producers that allows for hope that things can improve. The changes will take time and effort, but in the long run will be welcome for the industry.

“The oil price will recover,” D'Amico said. “Also, the reduction in drilling should have an impact on the

marketplace, but that will take awhile. “In the meantime, we are working to develop

new markets for the supply we currently have. That includes electric power, natural gas vehicles and industrial work. We are hoping they will recover and take advantage of the reasonable price of natural gas right now. It is a really long, hard battle but it has potential.”

D'Amico said he hopes to see technology have a positive impact on the conventional oil producers as well, allowing them to take advantage of some of the techniques and products used by shale producers already. D'Amico noted there is potential for the use of horizontal wells, among other things, that can give conventional producers a boost.

“That is potentially a big thing for the industry,” he said. “We haven't done it yet, but we will be.”

Economy

Concerns

From Page 2

By KATE DAY SAGEREra [email protected]

On the coldest of winter mornings, Betty Carr can be found shoveling snow and ice off sidewalks in front of Bradford businesses and organizations.

Similarly, Carr is steadfast in sweeping those same sidewalks during blistering hot summer days as well as throughout the year because of her resolve to keep the downtown streets in pristine condition. Equally impressive with Carr’s services to the community is the fact that she conducts these often physically demanding tasks with debilitating issues with her foot and arm.

A long-time resident of Emery Towers on South Avenue, the Brockport native said she moved to Bradford about 1970. Carr, who is disabled, said she has provided her volunteer sidewalk services for at least 15 years.

“In the summertime I sweep and pick up gar-bage with the grabber (tool) I have,” Carr said. “And in the wintertime I shovel show.”

Carr said she cleans the walks in front of busi-nesses and organizations that don’t appear to have other help to do the chore.

“I know the ones who don’t mind, so I just do it to help them out,” Carr said of her volunteer work in front of businesses and organizations that include the Grocery Stretcher and Destinations- Bradford. She said some of the facilities might offer her a cup of coffee, a drink or a snack, but that’s not why she helps.

“I just do it to keep Bradford looking beautiful,” Carr said. “In the wintertime, the city has a lot of roads to take care, so they can’t take care of the sidewalks.”

She said her summer work eats up a lot of brooms, as many as 20 a year, which she purchases with her own money at discount stores. Carr said the brooms have to be lightweight as she has screws and a metal plate in her upper left arm. She suffered a permanent injury with her arm when she was struck by a car while walking in a crosswalk six years ago on Main Street. She also has had

ongoing problems and operations on the toes on her left foot.

Bob Costello, manager of Emery Towers, said it is for these reasons he truly admires Carr.

“After all (her physical problems) she’s still out there,” Costello said. “I wish we had a whole bunch of people like Betty, not only at Emery Towers, but throughout Bradford.

“We’ve never said anything to Betty about (doing the work), she’s always taken the initia-tive. Sometimes you’ll see her out there at 5 in the morning, sometimes 8 at night.”

Costello said Carr also “picks up the slack” for the maintenance crew at Emery Towers.

“If there is something needed, you’ll see Betty out there doing it,” Costello said. “After a big rain-storm, Betty will go out and pick up the debris.”

Carr said one of the nicest honors she received was presented to her by former Bradford Mayor Michele Corignani, who gave her a certificate of appreciation from the city a number of years ago.

Beth Thompson, assistant manager at Emery Towers, said she also admires Carr’s dedication.

“She’s out there in the heat and cold, her dedica-

Hometown heroes: Long-time area resident Betty Carr works to beautify Bradford

Era photo by Kate

Day SagerBetty Carr, a resident of Emery Towers and unofficial keeper of the side-walks in downtown Bradford, is shown with Bob Costello, manager of Emery Towers.

(See CARR, Page 4)

By AMBER TURBAEra [email protected]

The Allegheny National Forest is home to some of the most beautiful trails, land-scapes and natural wildlife in Pennsylvania. As a result, it has drawn in people from all over, consistently, year after year.

While average visitation for the area is approximate-ly 160,000 people, Executive Director of the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau Linda Devlin stated that num-ber is expected to double this year.

“It’s going to be a big year,” Devlin explained. “We are real-ly looking forward to the open-ing of our key new attraction, the new Kinzua Visitor Center, and there are so many other projects set to be fulfilled this year in the region, also, that it will add to the success we’ve seen in tourism throughout the region in the past. We’re build-ing onto that for our future.”

Devlin explained that the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) Visitor’s Bureau has been working with the state park since November of 2009 to develop an interpretive mas-ter plan for the park, which the visitors bureau has been part of.

“There are a lot of things in the master plan that do not come to fruition,” Devlin said. “You sit down and work with a wide group of local people, engi-neers, the state park representa-tives and all other partners in the region like the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the state tourism department. You dream big about what you want to happen.”

And the bureau has had sev-eral dreams come to fruition, Devlin added.

“The Kinzua Bridge Skywalk is a huge tourist attraction,” she said. “It attracts over 10,000 visitors during the peak fall foliage season. And now with the new visitor center, we’re really seeing plans being com-pleted and steps taken toward the area’s full potential.

“One of the new initiatives we’re working on because of the Kinzua Visitor Center is targeting motor group tours, which we couldn’t do previous-ly because we didn’t really have the facility to handle a group of 45 people or so that require cer-tain amenities,” Devlin added. “With restrooms, classrooms and exhibit halls that are all enclosed, the center will have the capability of being a year-round attraction — although it has traditionally been open in the wintertime, having an enclosed building available is going to be a big step forward for anyone visiting in the winter

months. It’s much more accom-modating.”

Devlin explained that bureau representatives attended the American Bus Association, a large trade show that attracts over 1,400 operators and bus companies, many of which were interested in coming to the area.

“We’ll be working with them in the days to come to devel-op itinerary ideas, incorporat-ing new photos and graphic sheets of prime attractions and beautiful photography that cap-tures the nature of the region,” Devlin said.

She added that the bureau is undertaking a new research project with North Star Strategies.

“We will be updating our tourism marketing develop-ment plan that was completed in 2007,” she explained. “We’re proud to say that we completed much of the original plan.”

They are, however, looking to identify new target inter-ests for the new generation of Millennials, which is the reason for the update.

“We’re looking at trying to appeal to the new age group, versus the Baby Boomers that we were used to working with,” Devlin stated. “That means we’re looking at incorporating more social media, and differ-ent ways to ‘package the expe-rience.’ The Millennials are very much a generation that is

experience-based, so we want to have some adventure built into the opportunities here.”

Devlin also added that there is a new visitor’s guide and map for 2016, which has been expanded to 42 pages in length and has been printed over 125,000 times and distributed to over 450 locations monthly.

“We’re very active with our advertising, because we want people to see what the area has to offer,” Devlin stated. “One thing we are particularly excited about is having hosted the Weather Channel on their ‘It’s Amazing Out There’ tour.”

The production was linked to places like Ontario, Buffalo, N.Y., Niagara Falls, and the Allegheny National Forest as a promotion, during which a live broadcast took place from Bradford. It featured six hours of live feed from the lodge at Glendorn, Devlin explained.

“We’re also working on a new History Trail, featuring the highlands of the Allegheny in a three-day, two-night itiner-ary,” she said. “So far we’ve completed a brochure and a downloadable map, in addition to constructing an information kiosk in historic Kane.”

The bureau is also plan-ning a historic walking tour in

Bradford, including the con-struction of two information kiosks by the Pine Street bridge, and a walking tour in Kane, with a similar kiosk located downtown.

“We promote ourselves as a sort of trail central,” Devlin stated. “The Knox and Kane train corridor that spanned from Kinzua Bridge State Park to Cooks Forest — a 73.8 mile corridor — is being looked at for the possibility of developing it into a trail that is expected to begin construction next year.”

Devlin explained that the construction would add to the tremendous amount of trail assets that the Allegheny National Forest currently has. Within the forest, there are over 600 miles of trails, as well as several trail associations, including the Tuna Valley, Potato Creek and the Kinzua Valley Club out of the Westline area — an area that is looking at completing the expansion of their trails at the end of this year, adding extra miles of trail to promote for the region’s tour-ism.

“The state issues their annu-al report on tourism impact, which it has yet to do for 2015,” Devlin said. “However, recent years’ reports have been show-

ing steady growth in McKean County. In 2005, the direct sum of tourism industry spending in our county was $219.6 mil-lion, and in 2013, it was $174.5 million, increasing $1.1 million from 2012. Breaking that num-ber down, it means we have employed 1,139 people in the tourism industry, with labor income bringing in $29.2 mil-lion, $8.8 million in state and local taxes and $8.4 million in federal taxes.”

The statistics, Devlin explained, come from the economic impact of trav-el in Pennsylvania, dated in January of 2015 by the Oxford Economic Country.

“We have a conversion study that allows us to track roughly where people are coming from and how much they’re spend-ing,” she continued. “Average

expenditure per person in McKean County is $78.57, and when that person visits they usually stay an average of 3.39 days and the average size of the group is 2.64 people, interest-ingly enough.”

This anticipates huge amounts of revenue coming in for the 2016 year regarding area tourism.

“If you’re looking at esti-mating visitation increase at one site by, let’s say, 130,000 people, then you can multiply that number by $78.57 and it will give you approximately $10.2 million in new income for the region at just that one site,” Devlin said.

The price of gas may have something to do with the increase in traffic to the region and all it has to offer.

“We have always been a drive-to destination, located within six hours of high popu-lation density locations in the northeast,” Devlin stated. “With fuel costs steadily decreasing, more families are able to travel farther distances, so as they continue to drop, we anticipate travel to increase.”

And the weather throughout the region has affected activity preferences, Devlin said, but not visitor attendance.

“We’re finding that we’re just about on par,” she said. “It’s a little surprising, consid-ering that with the lack of win-ter temperatures and snowfall for the majority of the winter season one would expect tour-ism statistics to be down, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. People are simply com-ing and doing other activities — hiking when they normally would be skiing a snow-cov-ered trail, walking when they normally would be snowshoe-ing — because there’s just so much that this area has to offer. I don’t think anything could keep people away, only bring them in. And that’s ultimately what we hope to accomplish in 2016.”


Area tourism on the rise, more to come in 2016

NEED $$$ ? WANTED

5337 Rt. 446, Eldred, PA 814-225-4646

Salvage of unwanted vehicles Paying Top Dollar for Your Complete Vehicle

Towing Available Come check us out! We have many to

choose from.

Looking for a USED ca r?

Andrews Sales & Service Andrews Sales & Service Andrews Sales & Service 5393 Rte. 446 • Eldred, PA 814-225-2277

5393 Rte. 446 • Eldred, PA 5393 Rte. 446 • Eldred, PA 814-225-2277 814-225-2277

20 Mechanic St. Bradford, PA

Bradford’s Only Full Line Pastry Shop!

- European Pastries- Homemade Cream & Butter Fudge

- Charming Cafe & Gift Shop

Serving Breakfast & Lunch!Open 7 Days A Week,Mon - Fri 6am - 5pm

Saturday & Sunday 6am - 3pm

Call and Order Your Birthday, Graduation, Baptism, Wedding,

or Any Celebration Cake!Many Sizes, Flavors,

and Fillings to Choose From814-362-6637

Photo courtesy of Allegheny National Forest Visitors BureauWork continues on the multi-million dollar Kinzua Visitors Center, which is scheduled to open later this year at Kinzua Bridge State Park near Mount Jewett.

tion is just a wonderful thing,” Thompson said. Becky Plummer, executive director of Destinations-Bradford, said

she enjoys Carr’s services because “she never expects anything.“We all try to pitch in and give her a little something because we

appreciate her so much,” Plummer added. “She’s become such a good friend through the whole process.

“This started as something she wanted to do to keep her busy,” Plummer said of Carr’s volunteer work. “Now, it’s a beautiful legacy of love to the whole community.”

Carr(From Page 3)


Relax In Luxury Relax In Luxury

Bradford Inn Bradford Inn

100 S. Davis Street, Bradford, PA 16701 Phone: (814) 362-4501 • Toll Free: (800) 344-4656

Website: www.bwbradford.com Email: [email protected]

100 S. Davis Street, Bradford, PA 16701 Phone: (814) 362-4501 • Toll Free: (800) 344-4656

Website: www.bwbradford.com Email: [email protected]

Spend your vacation in luxurious comfort by enjoying an overnight stay in one of our 2-room Jacuzzi Suites

42” Flat Panel LCD TV In All Rooms

Features of the Hotel: • Five 2-Room Jacuzzi Suites

• FREE Hot Breakfast • Restaurant/Lounge On-Site

• Heated Seasonal Outdoor Swimming Pool • Newly Renovated & Expanded Fitness Center

• In-Room Microwaves, Refrigerators, Irons, Ironing Boards, Coffee Makers, and Hairdryers

Five Steps to Feel More Confident about Your

Retirement

It”s natural to have mixed emotions about retirement – It’s a huge life change that people spend most of their working life

preparing for. While the thought of retirement is exciting, the options and advice available

can sometimes seem overwhelming and complex. There are several simple things you can do if you’re feeling unprepared for your retirement years. Check out the following

steps to help you get ready for this milestone.

1. Determine your vision. One of the most enjoyable parts about planning for retirement is deciding how you’ll spend your time. Though you could just be looking forward to relaxing, you may also decide to move to a different area of the country, travel, volunteer or spend more time with family and friends. Your plans can always change, but creating a list of activities you may want to pursue is a valuable and fun part of the planning process.

2. Start with the basics. Developing a written plan is the first important step, but before you get caught up in the numbers, determine what you will absolutely need to cover expenses that are truly essential. Include basics like groceries, mortgage payments, healthcare costs and other financial obligations. You may want to make a list of areas where you could cut back and reduce your expenses if you hit a financial roadblock in the future.

3. Make your plans concrete. Many people get hung up on this step, as it can come with a tough reality check. To begin, calculate how much money you’ll need to cover your essentials over the course of a 30 year retirement, and then add discretionary expenses that accompany activities and lifestyle goals – such as travel and hobbies. Be honest with yourself and try to account for cost-of-living increases and rising healthcare costs in your projections. This will give you a rough estimate of how much “income” you’ll need in retirement to replace your paycheck and achieve your desired lifestyle. Then consider all the sources you can draw this income from – such as a 401(k), annuities or cash savings. Also consider breaking this amount down into smaller goals that you can more easily prioritize, manage and track.

4. Protect your plan and your legacy. Ensure the beneficiary information on your accounts is up-to-date and that you have the right insurance and protection plans in place to safeguard your income and assets now – and for the long-term. Also begin thinking about the legacy you want to leave – to your family or to organizations that are important to you. Involve your loved ones in these conversations and clearly communicate your intentions and expectations.

5. Track your progress. As with all goals, it’s important to set milestones, check-in and reflect as you go. Keep in mind that a little time and organization goes a long way. Set aside one day each month to sit down with your finances, and also consider meeting with a legal and financial professional annually. Even if your goals still seem far away or if you’ve experienced a setback, you won’t regret spending the extra time to review your progress. This also provides a good opportunity to make adjustments if your situation or plans for the future have changed.

Retirement planning can be a complicated, emotional and overwhelming process. Consider

seeking objective advice from a professional financial advisor who can guide you through it and ensure you’re aware of all your options. It’s important to keep in mind that the surest

way to feel confident about what’s to come is to do everything you can to prepare for it.

WILLIAM W. CHAPMAN, CFP ® , MBA, ChFC ® , is a Financial Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™ professional with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Bradford, PA. He specializes in fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies and has been in prac - tice for 20 years. To contact him,visit http://www.ameripriseadvisors.com/william.w.chapman/, call (814) 368-9160, or stop in his office at 46 Davis Street, Bradford PA, 16701

Annuities are not government or FDIC insured. All guarantees are based solely on the continued claims-paying ability of the issuing company.

Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results.

Advisor is licensed/registered to do business with U.S. residents only in the states of PA, NY, NC, MD, FL, WV, TX, NJ, TN and GA.

Brokerage, investment and financial advisory services are made available through Ameriprise Financia l Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. Some products and services many not be available in all ju - risdictions or to all clients.

© 2015 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. File # 1396557

The first step in reaching your goals is reaching the person who can help you achieve them.

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Union Square • 46 Davis Street • Bradford, PA 16701 814.368.9160

William W. Chapman, CFP ® , MBA, ChFC ®

Financial Advisor, C ERTIFIED F INANCIAL P LANNER ™ professional

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has completed a new lab to give Computer Information Systems and Technology students another real-life work opportunity.

Within months of its initial set-up by students in the Advanced Systems Networking Practicum during the spring semester, it will be torn down. That’s by design. Next year — another set of stu-dents will build it gain, practicing the skills they would need to set up a complete computer system for a small business.

The lab didn’t look like much to begin with — five empty metal “racks” and a corner full of equip-ment in boxes. That’s just about what information technology workers would find if they were setting up a server room for a small business or organization, explains Steve Ellison, a technical analyst at Pitt-Bradford who also teaches in the computer program.

“This is a typical set-up for a small organization,” he said. Setting up the system from scratch means students will set up a server room, install software, upgrade software, and create virtual machines to back up data and pre-vent its loss — just as they would for a small company.

The class allows upperclass-men to integrate the skills they have learned in previous courses, apply them, and research and solve problems along the way.

Justin Martinez, a senior from Miami, Fla., said that during his freshman year, he dreaded net-working classes. But during an internship with alumnus Donald Kemick at Protocol 80, he became interested in networking. Now he’s taking the class to review his skills before heading out into the workforce, but he wishes he had had the opportunity to take the practicum before tackling client servers at Protocol 80.

Other students in the class said that having the chance to work on a complete set-up is also making them feel more confident about their ability to apply to real equip-ment what they have learned in theory and on simulators.

Even though the lab will be all set up, more students will have the same opportunity next academic year. During the sum-mer, Ellison explained, student workers will disassemble all of the work performed by students this spring so that a new group

can tackle the job again next year.When asked if all of this setting

up and tearing down of servers would increase the wear and tear on the machines, Ellison smiled. “A little bit,” he admitted, “but that will add some trouble-shoot-ing opportunities.”

Really, troubleshooting and problem-solving is what these instructors and students seem to love most. Other CIS&T students will be learning through doing in the other half of the new lab as well, where deep work benches will give students more room to work on hardware components than they have in the program’s current multi-tasking lab.

Both parts of the new lab are being made possible by two $1 million gifts to the program in the last year — one from presi-dent emeritus Dr. Richard E. McDowell and his wife, Ruth, the other from Zippo Manufacturing Co.

Those gifts are funding a num-ber of initiatives in addition to the new lab. One is a recruiting scholarship just for CIS&T fresh-man worth $2,500 per year and renewable for four years.

Another is the addition of a third full-time faculty member to lead one of three new areas of concentration — network security and forensics. The other two new concentration areas will be appli-cations software development and networking and systems admin-istration. The concentrations and minors will be available beginning this coming fall.

For students who are not CIS&T majors, the new concen-trations will appear on their tran-script in a way that emphasizes their work in that area. Students from other majors will be able to combine the work for the concen-tration with prerequisite courses for a minor, an option that Don Lewicki, associate professor of business management and director of the CIS&T program, thinks will be particularly popular with busi-ness management and criminal justice students.

Two sophomores in Ellison’s class, Douglas Elliott of Sinking Spring and Austin Dunn of Clarendon, both plan to add con-centrations for both network secu-rity and forensics and networking and systems administrations. The

two reason that businesses that would be interested in hiring them to set up and maintain a system will also want to keep that data safe.

Having an edge can only stand to help them in a field that is already lucrative for CIS&T grads. Kiplinger’s 2015 “Best Jobs for the Future 2015” predicted 23.3 percent job growth from 2014 through 2024 and a median salary of $80,059 for computer systems analysts; 23.4 percent growth and a median salary of $92,081 for the same time period for applica-tions developers; and 32.7 percent growth and a median salary of $88,587 for information security analysts.

As further evidence that the CIS&T program will only con-tinue to grow, the program’s class of 2015 had full employment within four months of graduation. Already this year, one senior has accepted a full-time position in IT support at Upper Allegheny Health System, and an underclass student has accepted a prestigious summer internship with Google.

New computer labs help Pitt-Bradford students simulate work at small business

Photo courtesy of Pitt-BradfordPitt-Bradford instructor Steve Ellison, right, works on a machine in the Computer Information Systems and Technology program’s new lab designed to give students experience setting up a full computer system for a small business or organiza-tion. Behind Ellison are CIS&T students, from left, Austin Dunn, a sophomore from Clarendon; Douglas Elliott, a sophomore from Sinking Spring; and Justin Martinez, a senior from Miami, Fla. The new lab was made possible by two $1 million gifts to the program in the past year which will also allow Pitt-Bradford to offer concentrations/minors, hire a third professor and offer merit scholarships for CIS&T students.


By FRAN De LANCEY Era Correspondent [email protected]

PORT ALLEGANY — The skilled workers shortage now facing the United States offers the oppor-tunities for students in career and technical education to earn almost as much as engineers for about half the cost of training that is available at community colleges. By 2017, an estimated 2.5 million new mid-dle-skills jobs are expected to be added to the workforce, accounting for approximately 40 percent of all job growth, according to a USA TODAY analysis of local data from Economic Modeling Specialists, Intl. and Career Builder.

These could be the new "blue collar" workers. "Career and tech-nical education" is a term applied to schools, institutions and educa-tional programs that specialize in in the skilled trades, applied sciences, modern technologies and career preparation." It has replaced the old term, "vocational education."

CTC teachers and administra-tors are still facing the erroneous and time-worn perception — usu-ally from college graduates — in the context of "that's where students go if they can't go to college." To dispel that notion, Young said, "tell them — well, fortunately, our students are going to get into a career that pays better than many of those jobs held by college graduates, and that's the current reality of it."

The Association for Career and Technical Education reports that "high school students enrolled in CTE are more engaged I, perform better and graduate at higher rates — 91 percent. Data from the ACTE show that 81 percent of dropouts say relevant, real-world learning opportunities would have kept them in high school.” Often CTE offers both academic and career-oriented courses, and many provide students with opportunities to have work experience through internships, job shadowing, on-the-job training and industry-certified opportunities. CTE can be offered in middle and high schools and through communi-ty colleges and other post-secondary institutions and certificate programs.

For many years, vocational education classes were considered as "dumping grounds" for many students. Locally, CTE is offered through the Seneca Highlands Career and Technical Center in Port

Allegany. Founded in 1979 as the Seneca Highlands Area Vocational-Technical School, the facility underwent a name change in 2011 after being approved by the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 board of directors who represent the 14 school districts in this educational agency's service area of McKean, Cameron, Elk and Potter counties.

At present, there are nine owning districts of the CTC, although ten districts have students enrolled there. The owning districts are Smethport, Otto-Eldred, Port Allegany, Austin, Coudersport, Galeton, Oswayo Valley, Northern Potter and Cameron County. Kane is the tenth district. What's unique about Kane is they're on block scheduling so they attend all day classes every other day unlike the other schools' students who are scheduled for daily morning and afternoon sessions.

"This creates its own challenges, but it reduces transportation costs," Young said. The participating schools decide the criteria for stu-dents to study here, and some have developed more stringent guidelines. according to Young.

Risha Johnson, facilitator and coordinator, added, "To attend the CTC, students only are giving up elective courses in their home dis-tricts. Any courses they take at their districts will further prepare them to further advance their post-secondary education."

Sophomores, juniors and seniors from CTCs participating districts may choose to the courses of study i automobile mechanics, building construction trades, cosmetology, culinary arts, health assistant, heavy equipment maintenance, metalwork-ing occupations, welding technolo-gy, network systems technology and PC Now college courses. As spe-cial education facilitator, Johnson's duties are to make certain the pro-grams are coordinated effectively at the center so those students who receive these services at their home districts are having their curriculum adapted and accommodating their special needs.

Johnson and the two special education teachers work as a team. About three years ago, James Young, CTC director, recommended to the superintendents of the participating districts that welding technology be added to the center's course offer-ings, using equipment and space already available. At that time, the center had a welding area, but it

was a small one located in the back of the metalworking program and a classroom. Prior to this time, the only program in which welding was a part of heavy equipment main-tenance. Realizing the shortage of skilled welders, the superintendents agreed.

Young said, "Developing a new program typically requires a year, but due to the need for welders across all industries, the superinten-dents, said, "Yes, we want it, and we want it now immediately!" So an instructor was hired from the trades. Usually that's the procedure in CTE: one is hired from the participating industry.

"Essentially, we have 30 students in there for now. We filled the a.m. and p.m. classes and even have some students on a waiting list." Prior to this, the only program that had weld-ing was part of the metalworking occupations.

Still in the planning stages is an addition to the front of the CTC to house the welding technology classes; it will be adjacent to the met-alworking occupations shop since these two courses are closely related.

"Right now, the architect is working on the drawings for the bid package," Young said. Construction is slated to begin this spring, with completion scheduled for December.

Recently, area educators have been hearing a lot about STEM, the curriculum based on science, tech-nology, engineering and mathemat-ics in an interdisciplinary approach to encourage students to follow careers in a world that is becoming ever more complex and to maintain our role as a global leader.

Often, when people think of STEM, they automatically think of scientists and engineers, which is correct. However, what may not be so apparent are the numerous high-wage, high-skilled, high-demand careers for which CTE is preparing students.

"As far as I'm concerned, career technology is STEM.," Young said. "High school students come into the CTC as sophomores and apply their skills, putting them to use in STEM careers.

"For example, in culinary arts, it's all STEM ,from measuring the ingredients to understanding what happens when these ingredients are combined."

The CTC has mixed classes, meaning that sophomores, juniors and seniors are in the same classes.

Since the students are at different levels of proficiency, there can be more peer teaching.

The public will soon have the opportunity to see one of the projects the students in the building con-structions course have finished, a house that is to be sold to Habitat for Humanity McKean, after the IU9 directors granted approval in January. Young said talks are going on with Habitat for Humanity in Potter County for a similar project .

Johnson also coordinates the co-op and Capstone programs. stu-dents enrolled in the co-operative program work out of their home districts to gain work experience receive compensation. Usually, the students attend classes in the morn-ing, and sign out about noon and report to the workplace.

These students are permitted to enroll in diverse occupations, typi-cally not ones found at the CTC, so there is no conflict of interest between the school and community.

"Capstone operates similarly to the co-op program, but the big dif-ference is the students are coming directly from the CTC to a specific trade,” Johnson said. “For example, whether its culinary students work-ing at a local restaurant or auto-motive students working at a local garage — their work must be trade related."

Because it has been difficult to find qualified instructors in the trades for the last ten years due in large part to higher salaries in the private sector, the number of years of experience necessary to enter the trades has been reduced to five years

within the last ten years in 2014. Now, it's two years within the last ten years. A bachelor's degree is required for CTE administration.

Two resource teachers work at the CTC. One of their main duties is to help all students in the building, since in many cases students who face a long bus ride to and from the center don't have study halls or opportunities to get extra help from their home districts.

"We have leveraged our resource rooms to help the students, and if they're on track with their work back at their schools, they'll be doing the work here,” Young said. “We've been able to keep them on track academically."

The resource teachers also assist the instructors in testing and Study Island.

While the CTC has no honor roll recognition for the outstanding students — the CTC grades are part of the students' grade point aver-ages in their respective districts — these high achievers can be inducted into the National Technical Honor Society. "We've inducted 16 in each of the last two years, Young stated.

This will be the fourth year, CTC students have competed in Skills USA, a partnership of teachers, stu-dents and leaders of industry work-ing together to ensure the nation has a well-trained technical workforce. It is serving more than 300,000 high school and college students in training in technology and ser-vice occupations, including health careers, with hands-on and leader-ship contests a the local, state and national levels.

Young said the students compete in their respective areas through a written test, hands-on competition and a brief test related to Skills USA.

At the District 10 championships held in January at the New Castle School of Trades, Katrina Conner of Cameron County won a gold medal in basic health care skills, and Phillip Freelove of Oswayo Valley won a gold medal in die-sel equipment technology. Jameson Kenyon of Coudersport had a bye in Internetworking.

Seven other CTC students earned silver medals.

Last year, Scott Master of Smethport advanced to the nationals in networking, finishing in seventh place.

Since students have access to very expensive equipment — often worth in excess of tens of thousands of dollars as in the heavy equipment curriculum — CTC funding comes from various sources.

Other than IU9, there is the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1984 and reau-thorized in 1998, which provides federal allocations based on a fund-ing formula, but this money comes with restrictions on its use, Young said. "Last year, ours dipped down to about $80,000

State equipment grants are also available, as are the supplemen-tal equipment grants, which have amounted to $15,000 and $22,000 in the past two years.

Career and technical education push to fill skilled worker shortageEra photo by

Fran De LanceyDelleny Molisani, a tenth grade student from the Northern Potter Area School District, who is enrolled in the metalwork-ing occupa-tions program at the Seneca Highlands Career and Technical Center in Port Allegany, is oper-ating a Bridgeport mill to craft a car that will be used in a class compe-tition.

By KATE DAY SAGER Era Reporter [email protected]

When administrators at Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) look back at progress achieved by the facil-ity and its associates during the past year, they are proud of the achievements.

Janene Dunn, communi-cation specialist for Upper Allegheny Health System, said the medical center’s accom-plishments in 2015 include awards, accreditations, techni-cal advances and new programs.

Dunn said foremost of the medical center’s honors was the Safety Across the Board award.

“Again in 2015, Bradford Regional Medical Center received the ‘Safety Across the Board’ excellence award from The Hospital Association of Pennsylvania,” Dunn said. “This award recognizes the hos-pital’s exceptional performance relative to reducing preventable patient harm. Of 109 eligible Pennsylvania hospitals, only 33 received this award.”

Other achievements earned by the medical center included the following honors.

•Joint Commission Accreditation: In 2015 BRMC was reviewed by the Joint Commission and earned the maximum three-year accredita-tion granted by the organization. Joint Commission certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

•Hospitalist Program: BRMC initiated a hospitalist program in early December. Hospitalists are physicians who specialize in the practice of acute care medi-cine and the care of hospitalized patients. BRMC now provides hospitalist services 24 hours a day, seven days a week and joins the majority of hospitals in the region offering a hospi-talist service. Numerous studies suggest that hospitals with hos-pitalist services have improved patient outcomes because of the quality and safety benefits asso-

ciated with the 24/7 availability of physicians on hospital patient care units.

•Ultraviolet Robot: Given increased nationwide concern with hospital acquired infec-tions, BRMC, and its sister facility, Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital, became the first and only hospitals in the region to introduce advanced ultravio-let technology to create a safer environment for patients and staff. Intense ultraviolet light from a mobile robot is used in patient treatment areas to dam-age the DNA of microorgan-isms, and kill up to 20 percent more infection-causing germs and pathogens than surface cleaning alone. The technology is designed to supplement, not replace, manual surface disin-fection in the hospital.

• Remote Interpreter Service: BRMC implemented a new cloud-based remote interpre-tation service to assure that deaf and non-English speaking patients are fully engaged in their hospital care. The Stratus Video Remote Interpreter ser-vice is available to patients and

their health care providers 24 hours a day and uses innovative technology to connect them in less than 30 seconds with inter-preters in more than 175 spo-ken and signed languages. The ability of hearing-impaired and non-English speaking patients to effectively communicate with their health care providers is basic to assuring the safety and quality of their care.

• Stop the Line: Empowering employees and physicians to openly voice patient safe-ty concerns is at the core of BRMC’s “Stop the Line” pro-gram. Introduced in early 2015, the program allows any staff member the power to speak up and “stop the line” with respect to any hospital procedure or action that they perceive may be harmful to patients. “Stop the Line” participation by all staff members, regardless of their position in the hospital, is a basic expectation of all staff and underscores the role of each and every BRMC employee in the creation of the hospital’s culture of safety.

•Patient Liaisons: BRMC

introduced Patient Experience Liaisons throughout the hospi-tal’s patient care units to help assure that the concerns of hos-pitalized patients are addressed as efficiently and as effectively as possible. Working along-side nursing staff members, the patient care liaisons’ sole focus is interacting with all hos-pitalized patients in order to resolve numerous issues that can negatively impact their hos-pital experience. The liaisons, who are nursing assistants, pro-vide “real time” assistance to patients in order to optimize patient comfort and minimize patient frustrations.

Dunn said other honors earned by the medical center and its employees included the following awards.

• March 9, 2015 : For the sec-ond consecutive year, BRMC earned the “Safety Across the Board” Excellence Award from The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania Hospital Engagement Network


Bell’s Meat & Poultry

Looking For A Good Butcher? Well You Found One!

Bell’s Meat & Poultry Bell’s Meat & Poultry

T HE B IGGEST L ITTLE S TORE A ROUND Open Monday-Sunday 9am-5pm 401 North Fraley St., Kane, PA 16735 814-837-7321 • www.jackbellsmeats.com

• Pick Up a Delicious Griller • We Have Meat Packages for Your Freezer

Gift Certif icates Are Great For Any Occasion

Gift Certif icates Are Gift Certif icates Are Great For Any Occasion Great For Any Occasion

BRMC forges ahead with new technology, safety strategies

By RUTH BOGDANEra [email protected]

Area hospitals work hard every year to bring the most advanced health care possible to local residents.

Kane Community Hospital, Cole Memorial Hospital (Coudersport) and Penn Highlands Elk (St. Marys) talked to The Era about some of their ongoing plans to increase the health and well-being of the community.

In McKean County, “Kane Community Hospital, in affil-iation with UPMC Hamot in Erie, offers a full complement of inpatient, outpatient, and emergency medical services providing a positive impact on the health and healing of the community and region,” said Karen Beardsley Petit, media relations manager at UPMC Hamot.

"While the health care industry continues to change, KCH is effectively positioned to serve the community now more than ever,” said Kane Community Chief Executive Officer Gary Rhodes. “Through the extraordinary care and compassion that each

of our employees provides — including our highly special-ized physicians, nurses and other clinical staff, along with support services and volun-teers — we ensure that each and every patient receives the highest possible quality of care.”

Several offices branch-ing into the rural commu-nity bring Kane Community Hospital’s services closer to its customers.

“With seven convenient office locations offering expanded hours and walk-in appointments, both routine check-ups and visits for unex-pected illnesses are very acces-sible,” said Beardsley. “In addition, Kane Community Hospital Express Care locat-ed at Kane Family Practice, directly behind KCH, is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.”

The hospital recently wel-comed three new physician to its medical team as well.

General surgeon Dr. Neil Gibson specializes in colorectal procedures and sees patients in Kane and

Health care providers work to advance health of local communities

Photo submittedCole Memorial Hospital in Coudersport is one of several area health care providers who talked to The Era about ongoing advancements. Here, Barb Sherman, RN, adjusts some equipment in a new operating room at Cole Memorial.

Era file photo2015 was a good year for the Bradford Regional Medical Center, part of the Allegheny Health System. The hospital received received the ‘Safety Across the Board’ excellence award from The Hospital Association of Pennsylvania. Of 109 eligible Pennsylvania hospitals, only 33 received this award.

(See HOSPITALS, Page 8)(See BRMC, Page 8)

From Page 78 — The Bradford (Pa.) Era, Business and Industry Outlook, Monday, February 29, 2016

Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania Hospital Engagement Network (PA-HEN.) The hospital received its award during PA-HEN’s capstone celebration in Grantville. The cel-ebration highlighted important quality work that Pennsylvania hospitals accomplished dur-ing the last three years, as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Partnership for Patients program.

• March 12, 2015: Dr. Anita Herbert was presented the Golden Stethoscope Award on March 10. The award is presented semi-annually to a physician who has exemplary interper-sonal relationships with patients and family, and demonstrates exemplary teamwork, patient-teaching skills and support of hospital employees. Herbert is boarded in internal medicine and established the hospital’s occupational health program in 1993. The Golden Stethoscope Award was created to recognize physicians who exhibit exceptional levels of professional-ism, integrity and teamwork in caring for BRMC patients and families and in interacting with hospital staff members and other physicians. A plaque in the hospital’s lobby features a photograph of the physician who received the award.

• March 28, 2015: BRMC honored Dr. Edward S. Konwinski, retired BRMC surgeon, Shell Appalachia and Robin A. Grouette, the asset’s former Operations Manager and now Production System Advisor for Shell’s Upstream Americas Unconventional Operation. They were presented the Bradford Foundation’s Excellence in Philanthropy Award during its Spring Swing Gala at Pennhills Club.

• April 8, 2015: Timothy J. Finan, president and chief executive officer of BRMC and Upper Allegheny Health System, announced that BRMC had a surplus in the operating budget for 2014 during the hospital’s annual meeting. It was the fourth consecutive year the hospital posted a surplus and followed several years of losses by the hospital prior to the formation of Upper Allegheny Health System.

• April 22, 2015: BRMC was designated a Lung Cancer Screening Center by the American College of Radiology (ACR.) The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center designa-tion is a voluntary program that recognizes facilities that have committed to practice safe, effective diagnostic care for individuals at the highest risk for lung cancer. In order to receive this elite distinction, facilities must be accredited by the ACR in computed tomography, as well as undergo a rigorous assessment of its lung cancer screening protocol and infrastruc-ture. Also required are procedures in place for follow-up patient care, such as counseling and smoking cessation programs.

• June 12, 2015: BRMC announced that it is now offering enhanced imaging capabilitieswith the Philips EPIQ Ultrasound System. The new system provides the latest innovative

ultrasound solutions to care for patients by pushing the boundaries of image quality, work-flow and ease of use.

“With the new Philips system, we are acquiring an extremely high level of diagnostic information that can help provide answers for our patients more quickly and easily,” Finan said. “In addition, results from the ultrasound exam may reduce the need for more invasive procedures. Bradford Regional Medical Center is pleased to be able to offer this important enhancement in care to our patients.”

Finan said EPIQ encompasses the capability to perform obstetric, breast, vascular, cardiac and all general exams. In addition, EPIQ is almost silent when running, helping to create a more soothing environment for patients. A noise test determined that EPIQ is equivalent to the sound of a library. The system also consumes 25 percent less power than the existing premium ultrasound offered by Philips, making it more energy efficient and environmentally healthy.

• July 31, 2015: Dr. Judit Gellen, oncology/hematology, began providing care to patients at BRMC as well as Olean General and at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. She offers care in the treatment of cancer using chemotherapy, advanced dermatology evalua-tions, infusion therapy, bone marrow biopsies and access to national clinical trials. Gellen came to the area from the Eastchester Center for Cancer Care in the Bronx.

BRMC

Johnsonburg; Dr. Gamal Saleh offers gynecologic services to patients in four locations, including Johnsonburg, Kane, Mount Jewett and Ridgway; and internist Dr. Michael Taylor sees patients in Johnsonburg and Ridgway.

“Our efforts continue to recruit primary care providers and specialists, and we plan to expand Express Care access in the near future,” Rhodes said. “Backed by the world-class care provided by our affiliation with the UPMC system, we will continue to provide excellent service to our patients.”

Meanwhile, for Cole Memorial in Coudersport, a number of locations means easy access to medical care, accord-ing to Dawn Snyder, director of communications for Cole Memorial.

“The Cole Memorial health network is an organization dedi-cated to the health and well-being of over 60,000 residents in Cameron, McKean, Potter and Tioga counties plus sur-rounding areas,” said Snyder. “The system-with a goal of making lives better every day-includes a full-service hospital in Coudersport and community health centers in Coudersport, Eldred, Emporium, Galeton, Port Allegany, Shinglehouse, Smethport, Ulysses and Westfield.”

“Approaching its 50th year, the hospital is the only non-profit, independent community hospital in Potter County. Cole Memorial employs approxi-mately 800 people and over 60 health care providers,” she added.

For Cole Memorial, work-ing with other groups in the community to reach its goals of helping its customers is impor-tant.

Snyder explained, “Cole Memorial's team of highly-skilled medical professionals strives to deliver high-quality care each day while impact-ing the overall wellness in the communities they serve. Thus, a new Community Health Collaborative made up of employees, businesses, schools

and other organizations that play a part in the well-being of citizens in the area, was formed as result of needs outlined in Cole's recent community health needs assessment.”

For example, the work of Dental Collaborative mem-bers resulted in the launch this January of the Cole Memorial Dentistry program. The collab-orative has also brought hun-dreds of free support groups, screenings and other health-related events to residents.

Likewise, clinical partner-ships with health organizations such as UPMC Hamot's Heart and Vascular Institute, UPMC CancerCenter and Geisinger brings convenient access to advanced health care to rural Pennsylvania. “To also offer patient access to the most advanced medical equipment, Cole invested major resources in radiology, oncology, surgi-cal and computer technology over the past two years,” said Snyder.

Cole has also focused on lessening readmission rates through its Community Care Transitions Group and care management model.

Snyder said Cole Memorial embraces new technology that can be used to increase the health of patients.

For instance, COLE Connect, a new online patient health tool, offers free, 24/7 access to medi-cal files and allows patients to view appointments, prescrip-tions and test results and to communicate with health care providers.

Snyder considers “patient engagement” to be “a vital part of the ongoing evolution of health care.”

“In fact, Cole Memorial replaced the old telephone survey system with an effec-tive on-site, real-time patient satisfaction program to gather information needed to make meaningful improvements,” she said. “Now at many of Cole Memorial's medical practices and inpatient hospital units they use cutting-edge technology, including portable tablet com-puters for patients' office visits

and bedside-use during the dis-charge process. The immedi-ate feedback plays a critical role for the departments' quality improvement process.”

In order to increase access to care, Cole Memorial continues to make improvements includ-ing the addition of more than 15 health care providers in the past year; the expansion of telemedi-cine with specialists such as rheumatologists, cardiologists, neurologists and more; offer-ing of same-day appointments for those who need them; new Express Care unit hours, 3 to 8 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekends; and 24/7 access to the four Wellness Center for exercise and fitness.

To improve surgical care to its customers, Cole Memorial is building a 4,522-square-foot addition/renovation to its sec-ond-floor surgical department at the hospital, to include two “new operating rooms, a larger six-bed post-anesthesia care unit, a new preoperative patient area, storage and a private fam-ily consult room,” said Snyder. Major construction began in August 2014, and the project is slated for completion in the next few months.

The continuing improve-ment efforts at Cole Memorial have resulted in the hospi-tal earning several honors, including receiving its fifth Achievement Award from The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, being named a national Top Performer on Key Quality Measures in 2015 by The Joint Commission, receiving a spe-cial citation from the state House for the hospital's stan-dards of service and contribu-tions to its communities, being recognized by iVantage Health Analytics and the National Organization of State Office of Rural Health for receiving top rankings on performance and patient care and being chosen for the Excellence in Process Improvement Award by T-System Inc. for technol-ogy-enabled emergency care.

“As the health care indus-try is ever-changing, Cole

Memorial is confident they will continue to develop the tools, skills and connections to remain an integral player in improving the quality of life in the region. In addition to deliv-ering high-quality health care services close to home, Cole plans to remain a top employer, creating much-needed services and providing family-sustain-ing jobs for the community for

many more years,” said Snyder.For more information about

Cole Memorial's providers and services, visit the website www.colememorial.org.

Meanwhile, at Penn Highlands Elk in St. Marys, Karen J. Hazlett, market-ing/PR specialist for Penn Highlands Elk, talked about the hospital’s achievements over the past year, calling 2015

an especially “good year.”“During 2015, Penn

Highlands Elk had a good year with new physicians, awards for quality care, and a positive bottom line,” said Hazlett.

Rose Campbell, president of Penn Highlands Elk, said the hospital’s success comes from its customers and “the many individuals and organizations”

Hospitals

(See HOSPITALS, Page 9)

From Page 8The Bradford (Pa.) Era, Business and Industry Outlook, Monday, February 29, 2016 — 9

75 Forman St., Bradford, PA

814-362-4418

1 1 th 1 1 th 1 1 th Celebrating

Our Anniversary!

who shared time and financial support. “Our strength comes from the support of our community.”

Hazlett shared statistics published by The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania on the facility.

Penn Highlands Elk employs more than 800 people and ended Fiscal Year 2015 with operations of $1,009,591 and a positive bot-tom line. From July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, there were 2,280 admissions, 180 births, 5,035 surgeries and 18,134 emergency depart-ment visits. Community Nurses saw 2,100 patients. “Through wages and locally-purchased goods and services, the hospital has a $139 million impact on the regional economy each year,” she said.

In November 2015, Penn Highlands Elk was named a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), a designation which allows the hospital to receive a higher reimbursement rate from Medicare and Medicaid, thereby helping the hospital financially.

Also, “During the past year, five physicians and five other provid-ers joined the medical staff of Penn Highlands Elk,” said Hazlett. “This is an important part of the hospital’s plan to provide better access to care.”

New physicians are Amber Bowser, DO, who sees patients at the family practice office in Emporium; Dr. Irina Komarova, who is board certified in internal medicine and works through the Apogee Hospitalist program for inpatients; Robert Zewe Jr., DO., who is educated in osteopathic medicine and internal medicine and has experience in drug addiction management; board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Robert Metts, whose office is located on the third floor of the Medical Office Building in St. Marys; and Dr. Kathy Elizeus, a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist who joined Penn Highlands Women’s Care and is on the first floor of the Medical Office Building in St. Marys.

In addition to these specialists, the hospital welcomed five advanced practice providers: four at local QCare facilities and one at Pinecrest Manor.

Lu Ann Mabie, CRNP, a board-certified nurse practitioner, joined the staff at Pinecrest Manor — a new position that was made pos-sible through a grant from the Stackpole-Hall Foundation. The four new QCare providers are Erin Lingenfelter, PA-C, QCare, St. Marys; Shelby Davison, PA-C, Ridgway QCare; Mary Schimp, PA-C, QCare, Cameron County in Emporium; and Lisa Vivian, PA-C, QCare, St. Marys.

The medical staff also welcomed Dr. Ryan Rice, a recently board-certified plastic surgeon. Last year, he began seeing patients in the St. Marys area and is also performing procedures at the Penn Highlands Elk Ambulatory Surgery Center.

With much sadness, the staff at Penn Highlands Elk said goodbye to a couple of providers in 2015. A well-respected surgeon, Dr. K.C. Joseph passed away after many years of caring for the residents of Elk County. Just a few months later, Paulette Schreiber succumbed to her cancer. Both worked almost up to the day they died.

According to Hazlett, “Penn Highlands Elk had a year punctu-ated by quality care. The Women’s Imaging Center was named a ‘Breast Care Center of Excellence.’ This designation, awarded by the American College of Radiology, represents the highest standards of professionalism and image quality in mammography, breast ultra-sound, ultrasound-guided breast biopsy and stereotactic breast biopsy.

“Also in the imaging department, Penn Highlands Elk received a certification to perform low-dose lung screenings. This test is used for the early diagnosis of lung cancer before symptoms are notice-able and has been proven to save lives. The screenings are done on a Computerized Tomography (CT) scanner. The one located at Penn Highlands Elk is the quickest and most powerful such scanner in the region. For that reason, it is also used across the Penn Highlands Healthcare system for cardiac CT testing.”

Other impressive distinctions given to the Community Nurses include the “Home Care Elite” award for being among the top 25 per-cent of qualifying home health agencies across the country; and, with measurements by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a four-star designation from Home Health Compare, along with the hospital’s four-star rating from Hospital Compare.

“CMS also awarded the hospital a maximum incentive distribu-tion for its hard work in meeting Value-Based Purchasing Quality and Patient Experience criteria,” she said.

Penn Highlands Elk also earned the “Safety Across the Board” Excellence Award from the Pennsylvania Hospital Engagement Network and the “Excellence in Outcomes” award from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health.

“Additionally, the Penn Highlands Elk Ambulatory Surgery Center received a three-year re-accreditation from a national organization, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, having passed a series of rigorous and nationally-recognized standards for the provi-sion of quality care,” according to Hazlett.

Also, “Pinecrest Manor received a commendation from the Pennsylvania Department of Health for two initiatives implemented at the skilled nursing facility. First, the clinical staff at Pinecrest exceeded the standard for inoculating residents against the influenza virus. Second, the facility was able to minimize the use of antipsychotic, hypnotic and sedative drugs. Both initiatives were made in the interest of creating the healthiest environment possible for those that Pinecrest serves.”

In 2015, Penn Highlands Elk gave back to the community through monthly blood drives, Community Nurses’ flu vaccination program, educational events and screenings at senior centers and community events and its first Day of Dance in conjunction with the National Day of Dance through Spirit of Women. The 2016 Day of Dance is set for Feb. 27 at Sacred Heart Community Center, to be held in conjunction with the annual Business Expo.

“Also new in 2015, Penn Highlands Elk began a partnership with the Elk County schools to promote healthy habits among local young people,” said Hazlett, who explained that monthly assem-blies and educational programs are held at St. Marys, Ridgway and Johnsonburg high schools with funding from a $4,000 Act 13 grant from Elk County.

The programs encourage students to Get Up and Move, Eat This Not That and engage in other healthy habits, she said.

“The staff and administration of Penn Highlands Healthcare is pleased to be a part of the Elk, Cameron and McKean County regions, and will continue to uphold the long-standing tradition of caring for its residents,” said Hazlett.

Hospitals

By FRAN De LANCEYEra [email protected]

It's been less than a year, and the partnership between Bradford Regional Airport and Sun Air Express is already a success story.

Enplanements have increased significantly.

Since mid-March 2015, Sun Air Express, a Florida-based air-line, has been providing subsi-dized Essential Air Service (EAS) at Bradford with daily flights to Pittsburgh International Airport with one-way fares as low as $29.

"The proof is in the numbers, and they are up dramatically," said Alicia Dankesreiter, airport man-ager. For example, at the end of 2014, the former airline, which only offered flights to Cleveland, registered 1,790 enplanements. Compare that number to 2015 when enplanements nearly dou-bled to 3,389, and that's not count-ing the entire year. There was no commercial air service in January, February and half of March.

Besides the increased number of McKean County passengers, the numbers from Elk and Potter coun-ties are also good.

At the January meeting of the airport authority, Dankesreiter reported that Bradford is the busi-est Sun Air Express airport in the PIT Connector System that links regional airports in Altoona, Lancaster, Franklin/Oil City, as well as Jamestown, N.Y., and Hagerstown, Md., to Pittsburgh.

Additionally, reliability and flight completion rates are now in the mid-90 percent range, which are above the industry average.

"I think the low fares, coupled with the Pittsburgh destination and a reliable airline, have led to the increased passenger traffic here," Dankesreiter said. "People certain-ly like the Pittsburgh destination."

Pittsburgh has opened new markets for Bradford, Dankesreiter said. "We're finding markets there that we didn't know existed. If you would have told me last summer that I'd see six people in the wait-ing room wearing Pirates' jerseys, I wouldn't have bought it. Baseball was really great for us; probably there is a longer season. It was fantastic!"

Also taking advantage of the flights are local residents who have doctor's appointments in Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford students, who have really embraced the ser-vice. Still others fly to the city to shop, attend the theatre, or even something as briefly as enjoying a meal at a well-known restaurant.

"Our goal right now is to keep our enplanements at a level where we can sustain being in the Essential Air Service program, and that is a bare minimum of an aver-age of 10 enplanements a day," Dankesreiter said.

Of course, the winter weather in this area can present a challenge in maintaining the passenger traf-

fic at good levels, especially after Christmas. January is typically a slow month for air traffic across the board as people are still recov-ering from the holidays. But, the turnaround is often noticed as early as February, and by spring, people have "spring fever" and resume their traveling schedules.

EAS is the federal program that is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation and ensures that smaller communi-ties maintain a link to the national transportation system following the signing of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.

The current two-year EAS con-tract expires this fall. During the review procedure, the Department of Transportation will begin look-ing at the airport's data, such as the number of enplanements and flight completions prior to solic-iting bids for airlines' proposals. Announcement of the successful bidder will probably come in the third quarter.

Can Bradford ever get out of EAS? "Technically, it's possible, although I'm not familiar with that ever happening," said Dankesreiter. "For us to do that, we would need to increase our enplanements expo-nentially."

Bradford is starting to see an increasing number of charter flights, especially at this time of the year with the St. Bonaventure University basketball teams.

A staff of eight employees works for the airport authority. Additional personnel at the facility include those of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), three agents at the Sun Air Express desk and the restaurant.

The maintenance crew, head-ed by facilities manager David Thomas, is responsible for the conditions of the buildings, grounds and the airport proper-ty, such as vehicles. This group, with the help of inmates from the Federal Correctional Institution-McKean, improved the appearance of the grounds for "Wings Over Bradford," the aviation aware-

ness day sponsored by McKean Aviation, the airport and Sun Air Express last August.

Since then, employees have completed mandatory training, addressed equipment issues and modified drainage trays for the heating and cooling units in the multi-tenant center and installed new seals on the plowing truck. A future project is to install fabricated gates at certain access points to airport property.

A Sun Air Express plane is housed in one of the larger hangars, and the maintenance crew moves it to the terminal building and warms it up so it's ready for the pilot who arrives at the airport at 6 a.m. At night, the plane is returned to its hangar.

"We didn't always have this arrangement," Dankesreiter explained, "but due to fog and weather systems, it's much more convenient than trying to get the plane here briefly and then try to fly it out again. Half the battle is done ... We just have to get the pas-sengers boarded and out."

Working in close cooperation with Thomas and Dankesreiter is Brian Wolfel, an engineer with GAI Engineers, who handles the Federal Aviation Administration projects, such as runway rehab, lighting, radio navigation systems, property acquisitions and removal of any obstructions that hinder pilots' vision.

The airport is located on more than 1,050 acres in Lafayette Township, almost in the center of the county. Of these, approx-imately 500 acres are used for operations, leaving the remaining 550 acres suitable for economic development. With all public utili-ties and infrastructures in place,

Keystone Opportunity Zone ben-efits in place, and its close proxim-ity to U.S. Route 219, the facility has become an ideal spot for future business development.

One step in this direction has been the opening of the 30,000-square-foot multi-tenant center along Route 59. Of this building's four cells, two are cur-rently occupied by Minard Run Oil Co., known as the oldest and largest independent oil company in the world and still operated by the same family management for almost 140 continuous years.

"We've been working closely with McKean County Economic Development Director Sherri Geary to fill the remaining two cells, and she's been a great partner in that effort," Dankesreiter said.

The airport authority also works with a commercial realtor from Buffalo, N.Y., to attract new ten-ants. Until then, those cells are used for vehicle storage in the off-season, which provides income.

Now that the airport has received a $571,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, plans are moving ahead for starting the construction of an access road to the airport's industrial park.

Airport funding comes from various sources. In addition to a monthly payment from the county, income is also derived from jet fuel sales, deicing, restaurant rent, hangar rentals and federal money for FAA-approved projects. The agency doesn't fund those projects that make money for the airport.

Thanks to "Wings Over Bradford," Sun Air Express's suc-cess and the Runway Cafe, the airport is no longer one of the county's best kept secrets.


For all your great entertaining needs

stock up with

150 Main St., Bradford, PA 814-363-9901

Hours: Mon.-Sun. 6-Midnight

Get all of your party needs here! Get all of your party needs here!

Swanson Insurance Agency Ed Swanson

Licensed in NY & PA Since 1988 393 E. Main Street, Bradford, PA 16701

Ph: 814-362-2883 www.nationwide.com

LANG & HVIZDZAK, PLLC

ATTORNEYS AT LAW O FFICE : 52 D AVIS S T ., STE 2

M AIL : PO B OX 175, B RADFORD , PA 16701 P HONE : 814-596-0005

F AX : 814-596-0033 W EB : WWW . BRADFORDPALAW . COM

Business Contracts, Business Formation, Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Estate Planning & Administration,

Family Law, Intellectual Property, Oil & Gas, Real Estate

Barr’s Service Major & Minor Repair

P HONE : (814) 368-5159

F AX : (814) 368-5613

Alfred J. Barr Owner

11 Silicon Way Bradford, PA

Service You Can Count On!

Bradford airport has become a McKean County success story

Era photo by Fran De LanceyThis nine-passenger Cessna 208 Caravan, a very reliable single-engine turboprop plane with a fixed landing gear, waits on the tarmac at Bradford Regional Airport for the weather to clear in early February. Popular as short-haul, regional airplanes, they are built in the United States, and known for their high performance and low operating costs. Mokulele Airlines operates the flights from Bradford to Pittsburgh on behalf of Sun Air Express.

By ALEX DAVISEra Reporter [email protected]

Across the country, malls are becoming a thing of the past. But the Bradford Mall in Foster Township continues to experience a resurgence of business.

In 2015, the mall saw the open-ing of Dunham’s Sports in a sec-tion of the former Kmart building and Taco Bell as an outparcel, and in 2014 PHOENIX Rehabilitation and Health Services Inc. opened in the former Northwest Savings Bank location.

Now, this year, Sheetz is expected to break ground on an outparcel in the late spring, and the Carolina Furniture showroom in part of the former Ames build-ing is slated to hold its grand opening in March.

“We continue to research and field inquiries from prospective tenants and ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the mall property in general,” said MBC Development LP spokesman Patrick Higgins. “It is our hope to continue the revitalization of the mall property and add exciting tenants to the mix.”

The Bradford area is ripe for economic growth, Carolina Furniture President Dale Bielicki believes. What’s more, Bielicki said the area is underserved when it comes to a full-line furniture store, especially a store that sells durable furniture at good prices.

The showroom, which is open seven days a week, will carry many kinds of furniture, includ-

ing Amish and furniture manufac-tured from Ohio and the Midwest. The selection will be vast with living room, dining room and bed-room furniture and more.

Carolina Furniture has been family owned and operated since 1995. The factory direct furniture store has locations in West Seneca, Amherst and Williamsville, all in New York state.

The also company uses a por-tion of the old Ames building for a warehouse.

For Sheetz, plans call for con-struction on the 6,500-square-foot building at the corner of Bolivar Drive and East Main Street at the site of the Bradford Beer Barn and Turn and Burn Café, said Sheetz Inc. Director of Real Estate David P. Hazelet The store will have front and rear entrances and be open 24 hours a day, all year long.

The property would have two entrances from East Main Street, one entrance and exit from Bolivar Drive and several access points to the mall parking lot, Hazelet said.

Sheetz will also have 48 park-ing spots, a full-service drive-thru, inside dining for 32 people and outside dining for 24 individuals. There will also be 10 fueling sta-tions with regular and premium gasoline and diesel.

The mall currently has Dunham’s Sports, Taco Bell, Tractor Supply, Dollar Tree, The Cellular Connection (Verizon), Label Shopper, Big Lots, PHOENIX Rehabilitation and Health Services Inc., Carolina Furniture warehouse and Peebles.

Bradford Mall experiencing

growth –– again

Era photo by Francie LongThe Bradford Mall in Foster Township is experienc-ing growth after several years of being in a state of decline. Sheetz is expected to open later this year on the property.


By AMBER TURBAEra [email protected]

If a rural environment with plen-ty of outdoor activities and beautiful scenery aren’t enough to bring people in, McKean County’s wide variety of dining is.

According to Tripadvisor, Bradford is home to some of the most beloved, historical restaurants the region has to offer.

“The interesting thing about this area is that it offers restaurants that have been around for a long time, with traditional, vintage atmospheres for people to come and enjoy, as well as newer ones that bring a more modern feel,” according to Bradford Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kara Kennedy. “The most popular tradi-tional ones have been Beefeater’s and Kabob’s at the Option House, with newer places like Leo’s Sub Shop, Chef 117 and A Slice of the 80’s locat-ed right on the main drag that draw a lot of travelers in.”

The top restaurant in the area, according to Tripadvisor, is Beefeater’s located on Congress Street.

“Beefeater’s restaurant is a very unique place,” stated Bradford local Alecia Erick. “They’ve done excellent work at converting the old building from a library to a restaurant many years ago, and I love all of the wooden trim that was saved, adding to the appeal of the Victorian decor. It’s like stepping back in time.”

Popular places to dine in also include Kabob’s at the Option House, John William’s European Pastry Shop, Leo’s Sub Shop, Pizza Napoli, Chef’s 117 and Rookie’s Sports Bar, all located on or around Main and West Washington streets in Bradford.

“There’s so many to choose from,” Kennedy said. “It really depends on what you’re looking for.”

Kabob’s is renowned for its “vin-tage” historic atmosphere and mix of Greek and Lebanese food, according to Bradford local Richard Work Jr.

“I was told by a friendly bartender awhile back that Al Capone would come here when it was still an opera house,” Work said. “The acoustic in the building is extraordinary, and the food options are varied and good, offering something different for dining in the area.”

The Kennedy Street Cafe is a great place for locals and those traveling the region to stop and get breakfast or lunch at a reasonable price. They also

provide catering services, carryout and great customer satisfaction.

For those wanting a more modern feel, La Mixteca, Rookie’s Sports Bar and A Slice of the 80’s are all locat-ed on or near Main Street and have attracted even more attention for locals and tourists alike.

“I’ve been to La Mixteca and A Slice of the 80’s so many times since they’ve opened up,” stated University of Pittsburgh at Bradford student Christian Thoma. “La Mixteca has a variety of interesting options, and A Slice of the 80’s is so cool because it’s like taking a trip back to a different

time. What really impressed me was all of the authentic 80’s video games, toys, newspaper and magazine clip-pings, among others. Even a real live multi-arcade/Pacman game you can play.”

Togi’s Substation and Tasta Pizza catch those traveling on East Main Street, as well as people who’ve come to the region and fallen in love with the community experience found in each.

Tasta Pizza is a hotspot for the Bradford Area School District sports teams to eat after games, and is enjoyed by many University of Pittsburgh at Bradford students, as well as com-

munity members. Our Renna’s, also on East Main Street, is also a favorite of locals.

The introduction of new places for people to dine and hang out have affected the area positively in terms of increasing regional tourism over the years, according to Kennedy.

“I think the more options people have, the more they tend to go out,” Kennedy said. “At the Chamber of Commerce, we’re here to help pro-mote and support our members. When people call us asking for suggestions and ideas of where to eat, we point them in those directions and try to help support all of our local restaurants.”

There also some great places out-lying the area, Kennedy continued, places like Michael’s Cabin in nearby Limestone, N.Y., and the Derrick City Diner. She added that she is unaware of any new places currently pending for 2016.

“Being right here on Main Street, we see the traffic coming into the newer restaurants and diners, but I think it all depends on the person and their interest,” Kennedy said. “Some people are very loyal to the old favor-ites and traditions, while some like to mix it up and try a variety of options from time to time.”

Either way, a unique and timeless dining experience continues to pull people into the region, Kennedy con-tinued.

“There’s always a strong benefit to visiting locally owned places that have a direct contribution to the local com-munity,” Kennedy explained. “Local restaurants all have their own feel, own personality that help shape the region’s identity. They a play a huge part in defining this town, and every-one who passes through it can see and experience that wherever they go. It’s a sentiment that will continue to grow, and enhance, as we do.”

Local restaurants combine ‘vintage’ and ‘new’ feel

Era photo by Francie LongChef’s 117 is one of the new restaurants in downtown Bradford, joining a growing Main Street. McKean County has plenty of places to eat.


By AMANDA NICHOLSEra [email protected]

Recent capital investments and new products are paying off at W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Co., helping to hone opera-tional efficiency and strengthen sales.

Case Communications Manager Fred Feightner told The Era the Case brand continues to thrive with a productive year in 2015 and more to come this year.

“After several years of heavy capital investment and a plant reorganization proj-ect now complete, the focus for Case's operations in 2015 was to convert those dol-lars and hard work into maximizing safety and product quality, creating efficiencies and reducing product lead-time,” Feightner said. “And Case is proud of the results real-ized thus far.”

He said recordable injuries and illnesses have declined significantly and well below the industry average, and lead-time reduc-tions have been realized as well. Product quality and rework reduction has aided both scrap reduction (down 35 percent in the past two years) and increased output (cur-rently running 25 percent over years prior to 2015), according to Feightner.

“The recent investments at Case have had a positive effect in other areas besides manufacturing,” he said. “Customer service levels and timely shipments are at a level not seen in decades.

“The complexities of the new processes have spawned a significant advancement in the technical expertise of the engineering staff and floor technicians,” Feightner con-tinued, adding the company production area improvements have transformed the work environment shared by the employees.

He said these improvements are not solely attributed to the investments made in the plant, but also a result of the efforts put forth by its proud employees and the leadership, who embraced and integrated the needed changes.

For his part, Skip Lawrie, Case’s vice president of operations, commented, “Our employees are vital to our organization's growth and they're equally important to the

communities they serve.”Last year got off to a great start with

January's SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nev., where the company unveiled its re-created V-42, a knife made by Case for the First Special Service Force, The Devil's Brigade, of World War II fame.

John Sullivan, director of sales and mar-keting at Case, said they’ve been pleased by V-42 sales and Case is “honored that it's become an important piece of the Special Forces Association's General Robert Frederick Leadership Award Program."

The program awards a commemorative V-42 encased in a glass-topped shadow box to a collegiate candidate who is deemed the best qualified Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadet by a university’s ROTC department, according to Sullivan. He said winners are chosen by grade point average, foreign language, community ser-vice, land navigation, marksmanship, ranger challenge, physical fitness and leadership.

An additional General Robert Frederick Award is given to the university attended by the selected cadet; so far it has been awarded to universities in Montana, Idaho, Washington and Wyoming, according to Feightner.

In 2015, Case also released a new line of fixed blade hunter knives with throwback style mushroom-shaped end caps for out-door enthusiasts. The knives are currently offered in two handle materials: stacked leather and genuine buffalo horn, according to Feightner.

He said some of the new products launched by Case in 2015 came from their latest licensing agreements with Ford Motor Co. and the U.S. Marine Corps.

In the Ford category, Case added new patterns to its Sawcut Jigged Blue Bone family, as well as a new Ford Thunderbird 60th Anniversary Commemorative Trapper gift set. The Trapper knife features a laser-embellished natural bone handle and carries an official certificate of authenticity.

A U.S. Marine Corps commemorative featured a 14.25-inch long Case Bowie knife, embellished with red, white and blue stylized artwork on the handle and the USMC's familiar motto, "The Few. The

Proud," embellished onto the surface of the blade.

Additionally, Case's Harley Davidson line also continued to show steady growth, and Case was awarded a new licensing agreement with the U.S. Army during the latter part of 2015.

Overall, sales at Case remained strong in 2015, according to Don Lenny, direc-tor of North American sales for Case and Zippo Manufacturing Co. He said Case saw growth in its traditional hardware distribu-tion — most notably Orgill Brothers, where 80 new stores joined the Case Authorized Dealer Program.

The company also reported growth from within the sporting goods market, where increased consumer demand spurred sales volume from well-known retail chains, according to Feightner.

While Academy and Bass Pro stores added extra Case SKU's to its shelves, Cabela's upgraded two store locations to Master Dealer status and now carry nearly every knife found in current Case catalogs, Feightner said.

Meanwhile, he said, online sales showed tremendous growth for the company with major sellers like Amazon.com.

In 2016, Feightner said Case will contin-ue expanding its efforts across all operation-al fronts, with a major focus on the imple-mentation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Zippo implemented this system in 2015, and the two companies will finally be "tied" to a single information source later this year, making analysis and reporting simpler, according to Feightner.

On the marketing front, he said, the company is planning to launch a Case Kids Knife Camp, aimed at educating youngsters on various aspects of its products — things like knife pattern recognition, blade shapes and, most importantly, promoting proper use and maintenance of knives.

Finally, 2016 brings with it the 35th anniversary of the Case Collectors Club, and Feightner said the company is planning a special event in Bradford this July to cel-ebrate the occasion.

Monday, February 29, 2016

Business & Industry Outlook 2016

By MARCIE SCHELLHAMMEREra Associate [email protected]

If name recognition could be measured like social status, Zippo Manufacturing Co. undoubtedly would qualify as royalty.

“We’re doing business in over 180 countries,” said Greg Booth, Zippo’s president and chief executive officer, explaining there’s around 200 countries in the world. “Business is going very well.”

He added that just a few years ago, Zippo had a record year — “2014 was the best year in the history of the company. We set records all over the place.”

This year has started to look promising as well, he said. “We’ve had a couple of soft spots this year, but business is still very strong.”

Some changes in distribution have been made internationally, with Zippo taking over distribution in China and in Europe, as well as taking over 15 Zippo-brand stores in China.

“When we’re exporting products from Bradford, we’re importing it to our own company in China and then we service a variety of wholesalers and retailers in the country.”

The Zippo-brand stores, Booth explained, sell a variety of items carrying the company’s trademark flame — light-ers, of course, along with apparel, back-packs, fuel, hand warmers and more.

“Our target a couple of years ago was to get that to 50,” Booth said about the number of monobranded stores. “We put that on hold because we had too many other things going on. In another six months, we will probably restart that expansion.”

In ten countries in Europe, Zippo does its own sales and distribution, “We had been doing business in Europe with a partner before and the partner was great,” Booth said. “But we thought we could do it better ourselves. They had an interest in Zippo but not the strong interest we had in moving our brand and growing our brand more aggressively.”

The company employs 40 people in Europe now. “This just happened January first,” Booth said of the acquisition of

the European distributor. And Zippo is already pleased with the numbers.

One of the areas with the most growth is China. Booth said, “In the next few years the largest country we do business in will most likely be China, bigger even than the United States.”

Even with recent acquisitions and changes, Zippo remains a debt-free com-pany, Booth said.

“We have plenty of money, but we spend it very wisely and efficiently.

“I think the company’s in a great place,” Booth said. “You know that old cliche, you want to leave it better than where you found it. It’s not just me, it’s a lot of people pulling the rope in the right direction.”

In early spring, Booth is handing over the reins of the company to Mark Paup, current vice president of sales and mar-keting and a member of the Zippo board.

“On March 31, I’m going to walk out of work and somebody else is going to take over the office, and I’m going to ride off into the sunset,” Booth said, laughing.

Each and every day of work, since he joined Zippo in 2001, he’s looked forward to coming to work, the CEO said with a smile.

“I really feel strongly that Zippo is a family,” he said. “That sounds kind of

corny, but it is reality. It’s rewarding to be able to work in an environment like that.

“I feel like I’m leaving it better than I found it and it’s a wonderful opportunity for a new young guy to step in and put his mark on the business,” Booth said. Referring to Paup, he said, “I know he’ll do a fantastic job and I have no reserva-tions at all.”

Thinking back over his years at the helm, Booth said he has a lot for which to be proud.

“Putting together an organization that Mr. (George) Duke has indicated has been the best senior staff he’s ever worked with, just being able to put that organization together to help him do that, has been a real pleasure for me and it’s something I’m very proud of,” Booth said.

Booth was first hired at W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. in 1999, and went to Zippo in 2001. “From 1995 to 2001, we had lost about a third of our global volume,” Booth said of Zippo.

“George (Duke) wanted to get it back on track,” Booth explained. “I helped orchestrate a change in the management in the organization, putting the right peo-ple in the right place. From then until now, we’ve gotten all that volume back and then some, and have set records for volume and profit that I am thrilled with.

“In 1995 we had set records for vol-ume,” he said. “In 2014 we broke those records. In 1995 we did it with 1,300 people. And in 2014 we did it with 625.

“We’ve become much more efficient and effective and more profitable, which one has to be to compete in a global mar-ket,” Booth said. “If you are not incred-ibly competitive and efficient you just will not survive.

“If we look at the difference in cost between 1,300 people and 625 people, it’s millions and millions of dollars,” he added. “If we still had the number of people, we wouldn’t be profitable and we wouldn’t be here.

“It’s painful at times to do that,” he said, referring to reducing the workforce. “For the company, for the remaining employees and for the City of Bradford, it’s necessary. If you want to be an ongo-ing, successful, thriving enterprise, you

have to look at efficiency and profitability on an ongoing basis.

“Getting that volume back, getting that profit back, doing it more efficiently and more effectively and setting this com-pany up for future growth has been very gratifying for me,” Booth said.

A lot of work has gone into mak-ing Zippo and its subsidiaries, Case and Ronson, as efficient as possible to keep the high quality for which Zippo is known.

“We spent $10 to $15 million at Case over the last few years improving the effi-ciency of the plant,” Booth said. “We’ve become more lean. We’re minimizing handling in the plant.”

At Zippo, “We’ve spent millions on new technology,” some of which enables Zippo to engrave all the way around a lighter in a continuous pattern, rather than singular designs on the front, back and sides. “When you continue to do those kinds of things, you continue to appeal to a new audience” or further impress the audience you already have. “You have to appeal to the market. We’ve been able to do it pretty darn impressively.”

The collectible of the year for 2016 will be the launch of Zippo’s 360 design, which is engraving all around the light-er case. Booth said the company has invested in equipment, and has people whose job is to study that equipment to make sure it is being used as effectively as possible.

“We want to make sure we get every nickel’s worth out of that piece of equip-ment that we possibly can, not only in the number of lighters but in designs and excitement and efficiency,” he said. “We’ve just ordered a couple more pieces (of equipment) that are in the $400,000 bracket. We have four of them and when it’s all said and done, we’re going to have ten of them.”

The Zippo lighters haven’t changed much over the years, but, Booth said, “Most of us would agree that decoration has really driven our business.”

That and a lifetime guarantee, a repu-tation for American made quality and competitive pricing, he added.

Several years ago, Zippo acquire the North American rights to the Ronson

brand of lighters and fuel. There are six new products in the works for Ronson. “We’ve literally doubled that business since we acquired it,” Booth said. “We paid the purchase price back in two years.”

Partnerships have also proven suc-cessful, he indicated.

In the past several years, Zippo has part-nered with companies like The Bradford Exchange and Planeta D’Agostini to sell lighter collections around the world.

“What they want is something collect-ible, something that is an American icon, something that is quality, that is great Americana,” Booth explained. “Bradford Exchange said Zippo fits like a glove.”

In 2013, Bradford Exchange started the Zippo project with a single custom lighter called Honoring the West, with an Indian Head coin on the lighter. In November 2013, the Exchange offered its first Zippo set, with lighters available one at a time. Sets offered have included Harley Davidson, John Wayne, Sons of Anarchy, Corvettes, Realtree and more.

“These upscale collectible sets have been extremely popular,” a Zippo spokes-man said. “And last year sales increased 168 percent over 2014.”

Planeta has been working with Zippo for more than five years, releasing a collectible lighter and a magazine-style brochure offering snippets of history on Zippo and on the lighter’s design.

“The strength of the brand drives these programs globally,” Booth said. Planeta’s sets have been released in several coun-tries, including Spain, Brazil, France, Germany, the UK and Japan.

While lighters continue to be Zippo’s mainstay, product diversification is still in the works.

“We probably have 50 or 60 items we’re looking at in the pipeline,” Booth said. “That will continue to be growth in the future.”

Camping and patio products will be a focus in the future, he added.

And in the meantime, Zippo is con-tinuing to run smoothly.

Sometime soon, likely this week, Zippo will produce its 550 millionth lighter.

Zippo’s forecast is looking bright

Never extinguished...

New products, investments paying off at Case

American Refining Group Inc. is set to complete the final, construction phase of its $5.5 million project to replace the refinery’s lone remaining coal boiler this year.

While the earliest phases of work on the massive project began three years ago, actual construction only began in early February of this year. Environmental permitting approval was secured from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in September of 2014, at which time requests for quotes went out to area contractors and suppliers; it is ARG’s policy to work with local providers whenever possible.

To start, Kessel Construction will complete the excavation and founda-tion work, while National Fuel Gas has installed the new meter needed to support the equipment. As 2016 unfolds, a pre-fabricated metal build-ing will be installed to house the new boiler followed by the piping and electrical systems necessary to run it.

“This project required a significant degree of cross-functional collabora-tion among many departments here at ARG and with third-party agencies, providers and contractors,” explained Jeannine Schoenecker, ARG presi-dent and chief operating officer. “It is another great example of success-ful close coordination to complete a complex project.”

ARG’s Environmental, Health and Safety, Technology, Reliability, Maintenance and Purchasing depart-ments have all been involved in this upgrade.

When finished, the Bradford refin-ery will be fired by a total of three

cleaner, more-efficient natural gas boilers. Further, the new state-of-the-art boiler will be tied into the facility’s upgraded flare-gas-recovery system, allowing the refinery to achieve even higher levels of efficiency and envi-ronmental friendliness.

“Almost nothing that is used in our facility — whether propane, water, steam, catalyst or off-gases — is discarded,” Schoenecker noted. “These materials are recycled or are re-introduced at some point in our processes.”

ARG’s Boiler House, often called the heart of the refinery, is located in the Mill Street area and generates the enormous amounts of steam required to support the refining process. It is anticipated the new boiler will be in service by late fall of this year and the 1970’s-vintage coal boiler will be decommissioned.

“While it was a DEP mandate that we replace the coal boiler by 2017, it also simply makes good environmen-tal and fiscal sense,” Schoenecker said. “The vast majority of our work-force lives right here in McKean County and we clearly recognize the importance of stewardship for this community, our families and the gen-erations to come.

“It can be particularly difficult for smaller refineries like ours to absorb the often significant cost of envi-ronmental compliance,” Schoenecker added, “but we monitor our budget, the industry and regulations closely to ensure that we are always not only in compliance, but also employing the most effective equipment available.”

Photo courtesy of ARGHeavy equipment and other materi-als are moved into place as boiler replacement work gets underway at American Refining Group Inc.

ARG plans to complete $5.5M boiler replacement project


Over 25 Top-rated carriers!

We shop for your best rate!

Unbeatable Customer Care!

Personalized Protection!

THE INSURANCE AGENCY WHERE CUSTOMERS

SEND THEIR FRIENDS!

L A B ROZZI L A B ROZZI INSURANCE GROUP, INC.

2nd Floor Northwest Savings Bank • 33 Main Street, Bradford

814-368-5312 814-368-5312 Debbie Labrozzi

Owner [email protected]

Text: 814-598-5191

Shannon O’Toole [email protected]

Vince Iaderosa Call: 368-5312

www.labrozzigroup.com

S H O P A T T H E F A S T E S T G R O W I N G I N S U R A N C E A G E N C Y I N T H E A R E A !

TOP 10 REASONS TO DO BUSINESS WITH LABROZZI INSURANCE GROUP 1. Professional - Our licensed agents have over 40 combined years of business experience and regularly pursue continuing education. 2. Choice - As independent agents, we offer various coverage options from a number of preferred companies. We are aware that our clients’ needs may change over time, and we have options to fit these needs. 3. Service - We provide fast and friendly service, in most cases-same day. We are here to help! 4. Accessible - All transactions can be made in

person, via phone, fax, e-mail or mail. 5. Proactive - We make an effort to review your policy before the next renewal and send you updates or options to save you money. 6. Honest - We offer a hassle-free, no pressure environment. We made a promise to inform you honestly about your options - even if that means telling you that you get a better deal elsewhere. 7. Community - We are a 100% local agency and have been sponsors of various community groups and events, such as Habitat for Humanity, Care for Children and the ELF Fund. 8. Consumer Education - We communicate with our clients on a regular basis through our free newsletter, and by sending safety tips and policy updates. 9. Easy - We offer a variety of policies - Auto, Home, Renters, Fire, Health, Medicare Supplements, RX Plans, Commercial, Motorcycle, Snowmobile, RV and more - which makes working with us easy one-stop insurance shopping. 10. Feedback - Read what your neighbors and friends say about us:

“LaBrozzi Insurance Group is ethical, has experience, always professional, explains all issues, looks out for its customers and is very personable.” Rhonda and Joe R., Bradford

By KATE DAY SAGEREra [email protected]

“Journey Health System and its

affiliates, that include Beacon Light Behavioral Health System, have gone through many changes over the past year,” said John Policastro, director of communications for the agency. “Most notably, Journey Health System and Dickinson Center Inc., have mutually agreed to pursue affiliation of Dickinson into Journey Health System.”

Policastro said once this is com-pleted, Dickinson will join Beacon Light Behavioral Health System, Beacon Light Adult Residential Services, Forest Warren Mental Wellness Association and Stairways Behavioral Health as members of Journey Health.

“Closer to home in Bradford,

Beacon Light is nearing completion of a $5 million renovation on its East Main Street campus,” Policastro said. ‘The project had two separate

phases: construction on a new resi-dential wing for children in our care, and renovations to the historic main building.”

He said the projects were funded entirely from a state grant and com-munity philanthropy.

“The residential wing will house up to 10 children in Beacon Light’s STRIDE program, a specialized treatment program for kids dually diagnosed with mental illness and an intellectual or developmental dis-ability,” Policastro remarked. “The main building renovations include a new training center, handicap-accessible restrooms and an eleva-tor. An open house for the com-munity is scheduled for the spring.”

Policastro said Beacon Light has also partnered with the Bradford Area School District to provide school-based behavioral health ser-vices in two elementary schools in the district.

“The goal of the program is to identify mental challenges or behav-ioral challenges in children at an

early phase and begin working with them and their families in the school setting,” Policastro explained. “It is the fourth such program that Beacon Light runs in Pennsylvania.”

He said a concerted effort is also under way to recruit foster families.

“Beacon Light runs an enhanced foster care program that helps tran-sition children from residential care to a lower level of treatment before they can return home,” he said. “The key to the program’s success is to have quality families who can take children into their care and work with them during the transition period.”

Policastro said Beacon Light pro-vides the training, tax-free financial support and treatment plans, but families continue to be in demand for the foster care program.

Beacon Light goes through transformational year


It has been another busy year for Bradford City’s Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD), and the agency has more improvement projects on the horizon for local neighborhoods in 2016.

Bradford OECD Executive Director Sara Andrews recently talked to The Era, relating the agency’s accomplishments from 2015 and laying out plans for the coming year.

Andrews said she is happy to report the Davis Street-Elm Street intersection improvement project — the second of the four-phase downtown gateway improvement project to improve entrances into the City’s downtown historic dis-trict — was able to be completed in 2015.

The large island was removed to open up the entrance/exit areas near the on-ramp at Elm Street, making it easier for traffic and safer for pedestrian use, Andrews said, noting the new sidewalks and land-scaping make it more attractive.

The first phase was completed several years ago with the instal-lation of a welcome sign and landscaping at the end of the Elm Street off-ramp from U.S. Route 219 as well as directional signage on Forman, Davis and Elm streets, according to Andrews.

Now the gateway project is entering its third phase with streetscape and intersection work on Elm and Chestnut streets. This includes new sidewalks, curbing, crosswalks and accessible ramps, according to Andrews, who said the project is currently out to bid by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and construction should begin sometime this spring.

There are also three new homes under construction on Elm and Congress streets which should be completed and ready for sale by mid-summer, according to Andrews.

Some work done by the OECD in recent years was lauded in 2015. Andrews explained the Elm Street program, which entailed renovations and rehabilitation to homes in the State Street area of Bradford, was acknowledged in June 2015 presented a Community Enhancement Townie award for new home construction.

Andrews also noted the devo-tion of time and effort on part of OECD Housing Rehabilitation/Facilities Director and City Director of Property Maintenance Jeff Andrews in getting Bradford City’s new Department of Property Maintenance up and running in 2015. He and Elm Street Manager Lisa Keck got the technology record-keeping program online with McKean County records and helped the new officers get up to speed in starting up a new property maintenance program, she said.

Looking to 2016, the OECD has plans for more improvement proj-ects, including a trail and recreation updates at Hanley Park, streetscape renovations on Tibbits Avenue and the third phase of downtown gateway improvements on Elm

and Chestnut streets, according to Andrews.

She said the city is currently “out to bid” for contracted ser-vices for the construction of a new .4-mile trail between Mechanic and Davis streets, leading to Hanley Park. This will complete the Community Parks Trail that con-nects two schools and three parks to the McDowell Community Trail and the downtown historic district.

“Plans call for this to be a 20-foot wide paved trail that will follow the Tunungwant Creek into Hanley Park where it will loop through the park,” Andrews said, noting construction should begin in April. “Other planned improve-ments include the removal of a number of trees (at Hanley Park) and the old lumber/tire playground equipment and swing sets to make way for two new accessible play-ground areas that are construct-ed for two age groups (2-5) and (5-12).”

Pending availability of funding, the city plans to install a new trail fitness area for both adults and children along the trail within the park, according to Andrews.

She said the Tibbits Avenue Streetscape Improvements proj-ect, which is to enhance pedestrian pathways within the Second Ward Neighborhood Revitalization area, should go out to bid in February or March.

Andrews said all this work has been facilitated by support of city council and the hard work of the OECD staff to secure necessary grant funding without relying on city general fund resources.

“Many of these projects pres-ent obstacles when planning and implementing them that must be overcome with creativity and a ‘stick to it to get it done’ attitude exhibited by OECD staff,” she stated. “We certainly hope that all of the 2016 projects move forward within the cost estimates provided and the funding available to com-plete them as planned.”

Andrews said the OECD is cur-rently waiting on two grants sub-mitted in late 2015 and one grant submitted last month to provide further funding.

“We submitted a $500,000 state Keystone Communities grant for streetscape improvements, façade improvements and the construction of a fourth house in the desig-nated Second Ward (Neighborhood Partnership Project) area,” she explained. “We also submitted a $500,000 federal HOME grant to continue housing rehabilitation of owner-occupied properties in the Second Ward, Third Ward and Fifth Ward of the City of Bradford, with priority given to properties located in the Second Ward.”

Finally, the OECD submitted a $200,000 ARC grant applica-tion for engineering design ser-vices for a Main Street Streetscape Improvement Project, accord-ing to Andrews. “We are hope-ful of receiving an invitation in 2016 from the state to apply for a $2.5 million RACP grant for the improvements,” she said.

Funding from the HOME grant also made it possible to undertake the rehabilitation of eight owner-occupied properties to date with

three additional properties in pro-cess, according to Keck. She said these grants are available to low/moderate income owner occupied units and are processed as long as funding is available, and the OECD staff continues to take applications for anyone interested or in need of more extensive housing repairs in the Second Ward project area.

They are also accepting and pro-cessing applications for the facade improvement program, providing a matching grant of up $10,000 to qualified property owners who are addressing exterior code condi-tions that contribute to blight in the Second Ward neighborhood.

Speaking on the Second Ward Neighborhood Partnership Program, Keck said “the inte-grated approach for neighborhood revitalization being applied in the 2nd Ward NPP area is serving as a launchpad to create linkages between the public and private sec-tor to improved quality of life con-ditions and the built environment.

“Using a combination of com-munity input, mapping informa-tion and knowledge developed by performing on-site housing and infrastructure surveys in addition to a neighborhood-wide Community Needs Survey, OECD staff and the NPP Advisory Committee have clearly identified areas that need to be addressed through the use of NPP tax credit funding and other federal, state and private funds,” Keck said.

She said a catalytic “impact” area was identified during the preparation of the neighborhood improvement strategy where 12 blighted properties in a one block area of Elm Street and Congress Street were identified for acquisi-tion and demolition to make way for the construction of new hous-ing. To date, all targeted prop-erties have been acquired and demolished.

“Home construction is under-way for three new single fam-ily homes. The two townhomes on the corner of Elm Street and Congress Street are the same townhomes constructed and sold at the corner of Pearl and School streets,” she related. “The third single family home features a master suite on the first floor. All three homes are on schedule to be sold in 2016.”

Also, a commercial property located in the “impact” area will be renovated utilizing an adaptive reuse plan for commercial use on the first floor and two residential units that may be sold as condo-minium units, according to Keck.

Looking another year out, Andrews told The Era that Keystone Community Development Grant funds will be combined with CDBG funds used for streetscape work planned for 2017 on Elm Street between Congress and South Avenue. She said, in January, the city received an award of a $750,000 com-petitive block grant to continue streetscape improvements on Park Street, Leland Avenue and Jefferson Street.

“Pending availability of fund-ing, additional streetscape work for Congress Street may also occur in 2017,” Andrews said.

“The new sidewalks, curbing, residential and street signage pro-vide safe pedestrian pathways to the city’s downtown business dis-trict and the new residential street lighting will alleviate the safety concerns of residents of walking in the neighborhood during eve-ning hours and help to eliminate

crime in the (Second Ward neigh-borhood).”

In addition to the streetscape improvement work, in July, 16 pole-mounted cameras were installed in strategic high crime activity points to assist with ongoing crime pre-vention efforts in the Second Ward, according to Andrews.

She went on to note that Keck and committees continue to meet and work on quality of life issues such as public safety and awareness as well as organize events such as the annual clean up. The next 10th annual cleanup is scheduled for June 4 with homebase to be located at the First Presbyterian Church.


Four Companies * One Source

Allegheny Bradford Corporation Top Line Process Equipment Company

Allegheny Surface Technology ABC Actini LLC

www.abccorporate.com

ALLEGHENY BRADFORD Family of Companies

With four locations: St. Mary’s, PALewis Run, PACherryville, NCNorthville, MI

Experienced people controlling integrated production achieving exceptional product

quality.

Advances in PM manufacturing have presented a broad

scope of opportunity.

Keystone Powdered Metal Company 8 Hanley Drive

Lewis Run, PA 16738

Since 1927, we have pioneered advancements to expand our technical capabilities, all in an effort to create higher-quality, higher-value-added products for our customers.

THE LEADING EDGE IN PM TECHNOLOGY Visit us at www.keystonepm.com

Bradford OECD continues community enhancement projects

By ALEX DAVISEra [email protected]

Downtown Bradford is booming –– again.Bradford Main Street Manager Chelsea

Schwab called 2015 a successful year for the historical downtown and Main Street in the city.

Many new businesses were welcomed, includ-ing Chef’s 117, Prestige: Awards and Jewelry, Fresh Vapes, Custom Rug Creations, Sam’s Place and A Slice of the 80s.

And the trend is likely to continue this year with new businesses opening their doors, Schwab said.

“The vacancy rate is very low, with plans in the works to fill the few vacancies left,” she said.

Also, new events took place downtown last year, Schwab said.

The Bradford Wine Walk debuted in August in downtown Bradford, being hailed as a success, she said.

“Wine enthusiasts were able to explore our Historic Downtown and sample various wines from local wineries,” she said. “In addition to the Wine Walk, Downtown Bradford’s other events for the year were also well attended.”

Thus far, the calendar for 2016 includes five new events: Ladies’ Night; an Easter Egg Shopping Hunt; a Mother's’ Day Tea; a School’s Out Celebration; and a Father's’ Day Cookout.

“Lunch in the Square will also be extended another month into September, and the Bradford Wine Walk will return on Aug. 13,” Schwab said. “We are going to keep growing, adding more

events and making downtown an exciting place to visit no matter the season.”

What’s more, more than 13 building improve-ments projects are set to be tackled this year, she said, joining eight buildings that saw façade improvements in 2015.

“With plans to improve the downtown streetscape in the next few years in addition to the façade projects, the face of Main Street is quickly changing,” Schwab said. “Downtown is becoming a beautifully charming place to shop and dine,” she said. “It is a shining example of the progress that can be made with the dedication of business owners and community members to creating a business district to be proud of. Positive change comes slowly and in increments, but the momentum in downtown Bradford is exciting and shows no signs of slowing anytime soon.”

Business booming in downtown Bradford

Era photo by Francie LongDowntown Bradford continues to see business growth. 2015 was another banner year for the city.


DO YOU HEAR BUT DON’T UNDERSTAND? DO YOU HEAR BUT DON’T UNDERSTAND?

ONE YEAR FREE SUPPLY Of Batteries With New Hearing Aid Purchase

SAVE $1000 on a Pair or $500 on one of our most digital

advanced technology. Must present coupon. Expires 3/31/16

1 YEAR SUPPLY OF BATTERIES

Must present coupon. Expires 3/31/16

COUPON COUPON

WANTED: 5 PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS WANTED: 5 PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS WANTED: 5 PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS Don’t Miss This Opportunity 5 People Who Have Difficulty

Hearing, Especially in Noisy Situations, To Evaluate New Digital Noise Reduction Hearing Aid. Participants will receive TREMENDOUS SAVINGS, due to their participation.

Candidates will be selected throughout next week.

STARKEY Z Series Digital CIC’s Designed to: • I MPROVE THE CLARITY OF SPEECH • P ERFORM WELL IN NOISE • B RINGS SOUND BACK TO LIFE EVEN FOR THOSE WITH SEVERE LOSS • E LIMINATE WHISTLING IN EAR AND FEEDBACK ON PHONE

RC Hearing Concepts 4 C HESTNUT S T ., B RADFORD , PA CALL NOW! 814-368-3590

133 B IDDLE S T ., K ANE , PA CALL NOW! 814-837-7475

If you’ve been putting off the purchase of new DIGITAL HEARING AIDS because of high prices… NOW IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY!

WHY PAY TOO MUCH? Save up $2,000 on a set of custom DIGITAL HEARING AIDS at this event!

FREE SERVICE for all who attend 1. Hearing Evaluations 2. Video Otoscopic Inspection for wax 3. Demonstration of latest digital technology 4. Clean, check and adjust presents aids

Purchasing Locally Means: 1. Save Money! 2. No long out-of-town drives for adjustments

Digitally Programmable

12 Month No Interest Fiancing Available *With approved credit

Most Insurances Accepted

CALL NOW FOR AN APPOINTMENT! R.C. Hearing Concepts 814-368-3590

Join Us


The local housing stock con-tinues to age, and many build-ings are considered as blight after years of neglect. But, despite eco-nomic forces pushing down mar-ket values, plans are in place for further demolition of old struc-tures and construction of new housing in the Bradford area.

Sara Andrews, executive director of the Bradford Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD), said the city’s housing stock has been deteriorating as a result of time, neglect, dwindling population, economic hardship and other fac-tors.

“The main reason is the age of the housing stock,” Andrews said. “Over 70 percent of the city’s housing stock was con-structed over 50 years ago, and many homes are approaching 100 years in age. This is not uncom-mon in small Pennsylvania com-munities such as Bradford.

“The lack of enforcement of the city’s housing codes over the years also contributed to the decline of the housing stock,” she continued. ”Many of the proper-ties on the list were owned by landlords who were not forced to maintain the properties up to codes and they are now vacant and uninhabitable.”

Andrews pointed out that other properties may have been owned by residents who did not maintain their home and those became uninhabitable as well.

“All of these properties have become a blighting influence on city neighborhoods and a bur-den to the city,” Andrews said. “Currently, the city has a waiting list of 65 units for demolition.”

For his part, Todd Hennard, local property owner and owner of Hennard Construction, told The Era much of the problem for rebuilding the housing stocks is based in the fact that the cost to build new houses exceeds current market values.

“I can tell you we have a very old stock of housing — some that can't be rehabilitated, some have outlived their useful-ness and probably need to come down,” Hennard said. “We have a waiting list for people looking

for nice affordable housing, but the cost of building new housing exceeds current market values, and renovating some of the cur-rent housing also exceeds market values.”

He said low incomes in the area “really affect the rental rates and home prices,” and some cur-rent government fees also make it difficult to build new housing — tap in fees, inspection fees, permit fees, etc.

“I know I am sounding like a pessimist, and I don't really want to,” Hennard added. “Population has been continually dropping in the city, but we also lose about 20 houses a year to fire and demoli-tion.”

According to Hennard, more will be added when the city prop-erty maintenance department is able to remove people from liv-ing in houses that aren't suitable for living.

Andrews said there has been construction of 50 new homes in the Colonial Heights, Onofrio Street, the Elm Street neighbor-hoods and now the Second Ward neighborhood, while renovating hundreds of homes throughout the city over the past 20 years.

Hennard has carried out sev-eral home construction projects as part of OECD revitalization projects in these neighborhoods in recent years.

“Some good things,” he said, include the ability of Hennard Construction Company to build up to three new houses a year.

“We have been fortunate that the city has been able to sub-sidize projects for new homes because projects like Onofrio Street, Pearl/School streets, Elm/Congress street and Cole Avenue would not have been possible — the cost of building these exceeds market value.”

Hennard said he remains con-fident the “property maintenance department will eventually show the fruits of their work and pre-vent houses from deteriorating to the point of no return.”

“It's hard to say what we will be doing this year, I hope to finish up what we have going now — builds on Elm Street and Jackson Avenue — and I hope to bid any new work that comes up with neighborhood revitaliza-tion,” Hennard added. “I have an idea on some special needs housing but with the economy downturn, but we may postpone that until things recover a bit (economically).”

By special needs housing, Hennard said he means houses like the one his company his building on Jackson Avenue, where there is an attached garage, no stairs, large open spaces, wide doors, large bathrooms, and low-maintenance.

“This type of house will work for an aging population or a hand-icapped person,” Hennard said, noting the one on Jackson Avenue will be finished and available for purchase this spring.

The economic downturn

Hennard mentions above refers to repercussions felt locally by very low oil prices. “In all aspects of business in Bradford that I am associated with, I have seen a slowdown since the oil and gas prices have dropped.”

Andrews said with just the HOME funding alone, the city has expended $5,693,018 since 1992 to construct or rehabilitate 233 units.

“The city continues to set aside CDBG funding every year for housing rehabilitation and demolition,” Andrews said. “Over the past 10 years, the city has used CDBG funds to demol-ish 45 blighted residential units and two commercial properties.”

She said the key piece to improving the housing stock is the enforcement of housing codes already in place.

“In its first year of opera-tion, the city’s new property maintenance department (PMO) inspected 152 (buildings), and we are looking forward to using the city’s new ordinances to bring the city’s existing housing stock up to code standards and removing the need to set aside (Community Development Block Grant) fund-ing for demolition in the future and stop the loss of the city’s housing tax base,” Andrews said.

She said 53 percent of the department’s inspections resulted in notices of violations with 132 tickets/citations issued, and more than 1,000 follow-up inspections were performed to make sure that

code violations were addressed by the property owner in a timely manner.

“These follow-up inspections were not performed under the previous code enforcement pro-gram and the city feels that this is important to making sure that the homes are brought into com-pliance with housing code stan-dards,” Andrews said. “In addi-tion to the inspection of housing units, the (department has) facili-tated the removal of over 100 unregistered vehicles from yards, parking lots and driveways “ that had contributed to blight in the city’s neighborhoods.

Finally, the city plans to imple-ment a housing LERTA Program to encourage the construction of homes by private develop-ers and home improvements by private individuals, according to Andrews. “The LERTA Program will provide a graduated tax abatement to the property owner for a five-year period for any new tax assessed construction,” she explained. “New construction will help to improve the over-all quality of the housing stock, provide new housing options and improve the city’s housing tax base.”

For his part, Bradford Township Supervisor chairman Jim Erwin said the township is also taking steps to improve housing stock by “locating blighted and dangerous houses and by having an aggressive code enforcement officer who vigor-

ously pursues the owners and forces them to clean up, repair or remove the structures.

“If all else fails, the township will step in and demolish those structures,” Erwin added.

He believes the deteriorating housing stock is most affected by homeowners who are older and unable to keep up with repairs and widespread job loss-es. “Homeowners simply can’t afford to keep up with repairs,” Erwin said.

Erwin said Bradford Township has invested $3 million to allow more residences to connect to the municipal sewer system.

“This investment raises the value of those houses and allows for new construction in areas that were previously unable to pass for on-lot sewer systems,” Erwin said. “(The year) 2015 was a good year for new homes in Bradford Township, and many houses that were on the market sold quickly.”

Overall, according to Erwin, the housing stock in the township is very healthy, but the “plan of attack is to continue providing the best possible services to the resi-dences while keeping taxes low to encourage positive growth.”

He said the township super-visors have started an aggres-sive program to replace defi-cient bridges over the next sev-eral years. “By keeping a healthy housing stock we will continue to attract people to the area for years to come.”

Local officials get tough on housing stock improvements

Era photo by Francie LongA home being built at the top of Mechanic Street in Bradford is one of the additions to the housing stock. All told, officials are looking to improve homes across the city.

Downtown Bradford and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford used to seem like two dif-ferent worlds.

For years, students would often remain on the campus where, for the most part, everything is accessible to them. There’s the Panther Shop, where they can purchase everything from bath-room supplies to books.

But local officials are working to draw stu-dents downtown to shop, eat and take part in events. And, in recent months, that change has been occurring.

“UPB and the Bradford community have formed a Community Outreach Committee that is currently looking at a variety of ways to connect the students to the downtown community,” said Bradford Office of Economic and Community Development Executive Director Sara Andrews.

One such event involves the Pumpkin Fest held in October, and Andrews said several stu-dents participated.

What’s more, that same weekend, the Pitt-Bradford Alumni Association also hosted events throughout downtown, and the organization also sponsored fireworks, Andrews said.

“Annually, the downtown businesses have a welcome event for the students,” she said. “We are also hearing that many students are eating in our downtown restaurants and shopping in the stores. The Community Outreach Committee looks to build on these successes to continue to attract the students to the downtown community.”

Patronizing businesses isn’t the only goal for Pitt-Bradford students. Officials also want to see more students living in housing downtown.

Bradford being marketed to college students

By AMANDA JONESEra [email protected]

EMPORIUM — Cameron County is still

economically dependent upon the manufacturing industry, but efforts to branch out and increase tourism are still ongoing.

Throughout the year, Cameron County main-tained a higher-than-average unemployment rate, coming in at 6.4 percent for the average for 2015. Cameron is one of only 11 counties in Pennsylvania with an unemployment rate remaining above 6 percent.

The manufacturing industry has added a little more than 100 jobs since 2012, according to data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). It is still the leading industry in the county, with six of the county’s top ten employ-ers being manufacturing companies. About 18 percent of employed individuals are production workers.

The other four top employment sectors for

the county; retail, health care and social ser-vices, other services and public administration, all decreased over the same time period. Since 2010, Cameron County’s total population has also decreased, by about 5.5 percent, to a total population of around 4,800.

The county is one of 15 counties in Pennsylvania in which manufacturing supports more than 25 percent of total jobs.

One of the success stories in the top ten employers is Embassy Powdered Metals, which operates a 15,000-square-foot facility on Emporium’s West End.

The company recently expanded its location, creating additional office and production space, and utilized the county’s Revolving Loan Fund to purchase new equipment.

County Economic Development Director Cliff Clark said he believes other businesses are growing internally in terms of sales, but the growth has not necessitated more physical space or hiring a significant number of new employees.

Small businesses continue to dominate the

Cameron County looks to branch out economically, increase tourism

(See CAMERON, Page 17)

landscape, with newcomer Guardian Tactical cur-rently building an addition onto the company’s loca-tion on South Maple Street.

Guardian Tactical is a newly-opened business that completely manufactures knives within their small shop in Emporium Borough. Clark, who along with county commissioners, recently toured the facility stated he was “amazed at what they produce.”

The commissioners are doubling down on their efforts to assist businesses based within the county, beginning with tours of operations and putting together a packet detailing county services and other resources.

While proximity to major markets continues to plague Cameron County manufacturers, new edu-cation initiatives led by the Community Education Council (CEC) will help provide the skilled workers needed to keep the companies in this area viable.

Tourism is an emerging market in Cameron County, with efforts to increase snowmobiling and bike riding opportunities coming as a boon through last winter and into this summer, but falling short this year due to a lack of wintry weather.

Nevertheless, the push continues to complete the West Creek Rail Trail from Emporium to St. Marys and to add a spur on the Emporium end to access the Prospect Park area of Shippen Township where the

ball fields and Buttonwood Motel are located.Clark reported that Phase II and Phase III of the

trail, leading from Howard Siding to Rathbun and then on to St. Marys, are slated for bidding and con-struction this year, and are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

As far as the spur to Prospect Park, a feasibility study has been completed, but unfortunately, “there is no easy or cheap solution,” according to Clark. Completing the project would be difficult due to the railroad tracks, river and various private proper-ties that would have to be crossed for the trail to be constructed.

Events are gaining in popularity, bringing with them crowds of out-of-towners who stay in hotels, frequent restaurants and buy local products to take back home. The Weekend in the Wilds festival, held the Fourth of July, boasted its biggest numbers yet this year. Chamber of Commerce Director Tina Johns-Solak reported that all hotels and campsites were fully booked for the weekend of the event, and that restaurants reported being busy from morning until night during festivities.

Johns-Solak also reported the addition of several businesses to storefronts in downtown Emporium, including Major’s Ebay store and a new clothing store offering designer items in

women’s and children’s fashion.“This is the first time there’s been an additional

clothing store to Cappy’s in more than ten years,” Johns-Solak said. Emporium still has a handful of empty storefronts. The former Emporium Pharmacy and Coffee Shop buildings are still for sale and sit-ting empty, and two additional storefronts are vacant but available for rent.

One improvement that is expected is the demoli-tion of the Jasper Harris building, expected to begin this spring. The former Admit One building and its adjacent storefront and apartment building are still standing, barely, with no specific plans announced for their necessary destruction.

A bonus for recreation in the area is the recent completion of refurbishment efforts at the former Fourth Street School, which now houses the Free

Methodist Church of Emporium. The gymnasium in the basement has now been completely remodeled, giving an indoor location for popular games such as pickleball and basketball, and also possibly for high school and elementary sports teams for practices.

A recent study identified the need for an addi-tional hotel in the area, and efforts are being made to advance the idea, including the commission of a second, more in-depth study to identify needs and possibilities. Financial backing would still be needed for the project to become a reality.

Cameron County’s remote nature offers both hurdles and opportunities for the residents who live in the community. While manufacturing is likely to remain a large part of the economic pie, tourism and other sectors are being improved to increase diversity and sustainability.


Cameron

Our Promise To You! Our commitment to providing you with exquisite

customer care and state-of-the-art hearing instruments is unmatched in the hearing industry. Satisfaction with your new hearing instruments is our top priority, and we offer a 45 day, no-risk

money back guarantee.

Simply put, if you are not completely

satisfied with your

improvement with hearing aids, we will refund your

money

100%.

Professional Hearing Care Service • Hearing evaluation and consultation • Hearing instrument dispensing • Cleaning and repairs for all makes and

models • Custom hearing protection and ear molds • Custom earmolds for musicians, cellular

headsets & music players; custom earplugs for swimmers

• Hearing aid accessories and batteries • Amplified telephone and assistive listening

devices • Loss and damage insurance on all new

instruments at no extra charge.

1095 Million Dollar Hwy. Ste 2

St. Marys, PA (814) 834-7721

900 Beaver Drive DuBois, PA

(814) 371-1085

216 N. 2nd St. • Suite 6 Clearfield, PA (814) 765-8284

RICHARD W. FOUST, A u .D. CCC-A Doctor of Audiology & Hearing Aid Service

www.drfoust.com

Serving the area for over 30 years!

From Page 16

By AMANDA JONESEra [email protected]

COUDERSPORT — Coudersport has

a diversified economy compared to other towns in the region, and has experienced population growth, albeit slight, despite downward trends for rural populations.

Unlike many surrounding communi-ties, nearly 20 percent of Coudersport’s workforce is employed in office and administrative support and an additional 14 percent in sales, with nearly 1,700 indi-viduals employed in the information sec-tor, according to data released by the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

The rest of the region is heavily depen-dent upon the manufacturing industry to employ its workforce; in Coudersport, only approximately 6 percent of the popu-lation is employed as production workers. The communications, health care, and tourism sectors continue to grow.

In Coudersport and across Potter County, the focus has been on redevelop-ment following the downturn of traditional industry and the shuttering of Adelphia Communications, which used to employ a large number of workers across the region.

Two former Adelphia buildings in

Coudersport are now owned by the Potter County Redevelopment Authority and have been leased out, allowing two busi-nesses to expand their operations.

The former Adelphia Operations Building, a beautiful marble structure with tall columns and iron work gates, has been leased to Zito Media for the past three years. Zito is currently using about two-thirds of the building, and the lease pay-ments are covering overhead and costs for the county, according to Redevelopment Authority Director John Wright.

“Zito Media has expanded their employment and are filling more of the facility,” Wright said. “They are growing as a company nationally and locally, and that’s great.”

Another building, which formerly housed Level 3 Communications, is leased out to Dajon, which operates a separate warehouse/operations facility in Coudersport but has headquarters out-of-state. The company has one more year on its lease and an option to renew.

Wright stated that over the past year, the redevelopment authority has been working to identify buildings that are unable to be rehabilitated and attempting to acquire them for demolition.

“We have a limited market for build-able lots,” Wright said. “Much of the area

is mountainous or has other reasons it can’t be developed.”

The effort to redevelop areas that have already been in use is being pushed throughout the county through other proj-ects and programs as well.

The Potter County Commissioners recently approved lengthening a contract with Downtown Coordinator John Bry for an additional six months to give additional time to develop plans with downtown committees from the county’s boroughs and towns.

Commissioner Susan Kefover has spearheaded the movement to create better downtown spaces and attract businesses to now-vacant storefronts.

“The goal is not just to attract new people but to make it better for ourselves. There are opportunities for retail busi-nesses because people are willing to shop local here,” Kefover said.

The focus of the downtown rehabili-tations is to recreate downtown areas to reflect what the residents want to show-case about their community. One of the biggest early projects of the effort will be a façade rehabilitation program, which will work to offer matching grants to building and business owners in order to improve the curb appeal of downtown structures.

While each community has come up

with its own, unique focus, the overall effect of fixing up downtown areas will reach beyond just that town. More attrac-tive downtown areas will positively affect the outlook of residents, attract tourists, and hopefully lead to more development and business opportunities.

“There are people moving from out-side of the area who want to live in a more rural area and be part of a community and live somewhere life moves just a little more slowly,” Kefover said. “We’re also trying to build on the recreational opportu-nities because that’s a big draw.”

Kefover said that attractions and amenities are being linked together and expanded, and the county is focused on working to reopen Denton Hill State Park and Ski Resort, which could have a big effect on drawing people into the county.

A recent feasibility study completed by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) showed that a rehab of that attraction would be costly and take several years, but the state appears committed to restoring the facil-ity and helping it to thrive in the future. The state has made a number of invest-ments in Potter County in recent years, including remodeling of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, which along with Denton Hill acts as the eastern gateway

to Coudersport-area recreational oppor-tunities, construction at Sinnemahoning State Park, and increased opportunities at Cherry Springs and some of the county’s smaller state parks.

One of Coudersport’s big goals has not yet been met: securing an “anchor store” for the downtown area. JCPenney used to serve as the town’s big retailer, but the store was shuttered several years ago when the company restructured. Though that building is currently empty, new business-es have begun springing up, and Kefover stated that realtors, property owners and other entities are working together to fill open spaces. Early efforts have included making a list of available properties and their amenities and contacting retailers to gauge their interest in expanding into Potter County.

Recently, two new stores opened in downtown Coudersport; a pet store and a store offering sports equipment. Kefover said there is another individual interest-ed in purchasing a downtown location to open an additional business. Several businesses are looking to expand current operations.

“We have to engage the community. It can really thrive when we’re all involved but it takes time. We just have to be patient,” Kefover said.

Coudersport’s diversified economy helps lead economic charge

By FRAN De LANCEYEra [email protected]

SMETHPORT — Well-known Smethport school bus contractor Charles "Chuck" McKeirnan certainly deserves the title "hometown hero."

With little or no fanfare, McKeirnan and his late wife, Carole, who passed away in 2014, have touched countless lives through their many acts of kindness and generosity, without asking for or expecting any rewards or recogni-tion.

Helping other people means helping both friends and family, as well as those less fortunate members in the community, and even total strangers, as the McKeirnans often did.

Chuck McKeirnan said he traces his caring spirit back to his childhood.

"I always wanted to help people ever since I was young and growing up on a farm on Bush Hill and saw what my parents were doing for others," Chuck McKeirnan said. "Since we lived on a farm, we always had enough to eat, and my mother was concerned about others who might not have enough food."

Chuck McKeirnan has a long history of memberships in community organizations. The Smethport Lions Club honored him as a 45-year member. 'During those years, I helped with about all the projects and, we all took our turns as president."

After assisting in establishing the former Smethport Area Ambulance Service in 1975, he enrolled in the first training class for emergency medical technicians, but due to his demanding work schedule as co-owner of C.L. McKeirnan Inc. in East Smethport, he was unable to find time to take the final exam. However, he remained as a reliable driver with the service for many years.

According to his daughter, Cindy Wright, her father didn't object collecting for the March of Dimes by going door-to-door, a task Carole preferred not to do.

"My cousin, Larry, and I went door-to-door with Dad,” Wright said. “We were the last ones to come back to drop off the money, but there was only one house where Dad was turned away."

The McKeirnans were also generous in their support of Girl Scout fundraisers, such as the annual cookie sales, Wright recalled with a smile. "Between Mom and Dad, there would be 40-50 boxes of cookies. We'd be eat-ing them into the summer because we kept them in the freezer."

The McKeirnans hosted Fresh Air children from New York City for at least nine years. Later, their children also hosted children.

Though he was not a Boy Scout, Chuck McKeirnan remains a long-time booster of the Scouting program. Warren Semmel of Smethport, a veteran scout leader, recalled some of the contributions Chuck has made to the Elk Lick Scout Reserve on the Bordell Road in Keating Township.

Chuck McKeirnan donated sand and gravel and hauled it to the camp, where it was placed behind the rifle range so that facility met the codes for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Additionally, according to Semmel, Chuck McKeirnan has donated a van to transport prisoners from the Federal Correctional Institution-McKean to Elk LIck, where they help set up beds and tents, and work on maintenance in preparation opening the camping season.

Chuck McKeirnan also donates annually to the Friends of Scouting and purchases ads in the calendar for the Allegheny Highlands Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

For the last 20 years, Chuck McKeirnan has done the mechanical repairs on the ranger's truck at the reserve.

"Not to be overlooked," Semmel noted, "is the fact that Chuck has donated buses to take Boy Scouts from Smethport, Port Allegany and the Eldred-Duke Center areas to camporees in Canada."

For his contributions to the Boy Scouts, Chuck McKeirnan is known as a "Volunteer Friend of Elk Lick" and is honored with a brick denoting this recognition that is placed between Honeywell Hall and the trading post.

Semmel said, "They were a wonderful couple. What one didn't do, the other one did."

When organizations sold hoagies, Chuck McKeirnan

would always buy some for the employees' lunches at the bus garage.

Too numerous to count are the times when the McKeirnans would supply buses for local organizations and never send a bill, or if they did, it was minimal — just enough to cover the charge for the bus. Drivers would often donate their time to just help out.

In the days before racks above the seats were still legal, Chuck McKeirnan would collect all the unclaimed items for a year, put them into plastic bags and donate them to groups, who would in turn, distribute them where needed.

Now 83, Chuck McKeirnan retired from driving school buses three years ago, rounding out a career of 50 years behind the wheel.

Carole McKeirnan, who as co-owner of the business, drove buses for 33 years.

Now, Jerry, a son, has taken over many of the com-pany's duties.

In addition, for many years, Carole McKeirnan made sure children would be warm in the winter, buying them coats and boots at Christmas. Wright said, "And because of our mother, we also had the standard list of girls who had party dresses, shoes and other clothing for their Christmas parties."

Many times, when children needed clothing, the McKeirnans would purchase the garments and find a way to get them to the children and still remain anonymous.

"There are lots of times that no one ever knew about their generosity,” Wright, Jerry and another son, John, agreed. "And we don't even know. Really!"

Often, Chuck McKeirnan would "volunteer" his chil-dren to help, saying, "Oh! You have to go and pick up such and such and take it to them."

Wright said, "It wasn't a question of 'Why?' We just did it. Now he has the grandchildren doing this."

For many years, the McKeirnans opened their home by inviting guests to share meals, not only on holidays, but any time. Wright and her brothers and sisters would help with preparing the food.

Wright said, "You never knew who was going to be for dinner. On Christmas Eve, Mom would say, 'I hope you don't mind, but I invited

so and so since they didn't have anywhere to go. Even on Christmas Day, Mom and Dad would be thinking and then call someone to see if they had a place to go."

That tradition has been passed on to the children."On another occasion, Wright recalled, "Jerry fixed a

truck for a young man whose job in the utility industry allowed him only to go home every several weeks. When Jerry learned of this, he asked the man, 'Do you have a place to go?' When the man answered, No.' Jerry said, "Well, you might as well come up to mom, and dad's.'

As a long-time director of the McKean County Fair — he still serves on the board — Chuck McKeirnan could be seen actively involved on the grounds, not only dur-ing fair week in August, but other times, such when he and the late Hazen Jordan helped Jim Duffy prepare the McKean County Fair Raceway when it the track reopened after many years in the 1980s.

Then during the weekly Saturday night races, Chuck McKeirnan could be seen at his usual job: operating the scales.

During the demolition derbies held at the track, Chuck McKeirnan operated his own tractor removing debris and clearing the surface for the next heat.

Chuck McKeirnan was always ready to lend a hand, even in emergencies.

Over the years, Chuck McKeirnan, not one to stand back and watch, has assisted in emergencies like the time he helped free a fellow stock car driver who had rolled his car just in front of him in a heat at the old Smethport Speedway more than 50 years ago. Chuck McKeirnan said, "HIs helmet was hanging down and caught around his neck. I had to cut the chin strap because it was chok-ing him."

Many years ago, Chuck McKeirnan responded to an accident on Bush Hill, after learning about it from a woman at what is now Don and Lu's in East Smethport. Some people were slightly injured in the accident, and the McKeirnans welcomed them into their home for meals and lodging. On Christmas Eve 1968, when Allegheny Airlines Flight 736 crashed while attempting to land at Bradford Regional Airport, he was among the volunteers who eventually reached the site on snowmobiles after a blinding snowstorm.

Then there was the fire in the early 1970s at the former Keystone Station on East Main Street in Smethport, prob-ably the only time Chuck McKeirnan suffered an injury in all his years of volunteering.

On that morning, the station, which had a new tank installed, was getting a new supply of gasoline when it started to rain. He said fumes from the gasoline entered the basement and when the floor furnace kicked on, there was an explosion.

While the building was fully involved, Chuck McKeirnan and another man were carrying an air com-pressor to a safe location, when one its wheels got caught. "After we turned the machine around to free the wheel, I slipped in the mud, and he let go of his end. My fingers were in the coupler, and it took off the top of one finger and the first joint of another. The top part of the finger was saved.”

For their acts of generosity and community involve-ment, he and Carole received the 2000 Caritas Award, given annually since 1971 by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Erie, recognizing those who have shown devoted and unselfish commitment to the mission and ideals of the organization, which include the actions of service, advocacy and collaboration in its mission.


Hometown heroes:Long-time Smethport resident gives back to community

Union Square • 50 Davis Street, Bradford, PA 16701

(814) 362-2969 • Electrical Contractor • Commercial & Industrial

• Design & Engineering Services • Bucket Truck Service

Progress is clearly defined as moving forward - and at the Williams Agency in Bradford, They’re helping many McKean County residents do just that - move forward. When Dan Williams started selling insurance, he did it the conventional way. The way it had always been done. Then one day, as Dan describes it, he had an “epiphany.” “What if we do it differently?” Dan’s idea was revolutionary, that the insurance business doesn’t have to be done the way it’s always been done... that agents can be friendly and helpful... that the saving your customer money is actually GOOD for business… that idea transformed The Williams Agency into McKean County’s leading insurance agency, and he started drawing customers from all over the state who wanted to save money. Williams also started building a team of people with a reputation for kindness. “I wanted to have a staff that put other people first,

LOCAL INSURANCE AGENCY HELPS LOCALS MAKE THEIR OWN PROGRESS and that made you feel better after talking to them. That’s what I was looking for,” said Williams. Today, the Williams Agency saves people thousands of dollars on their insurance coverage, offering plans from Erie Insurance, Donegal, Progressive, Farmers, and a number of other national carriers, the Agency shops for the best rates and coverage for every customer. Williams says, “We’re regular working Bradford, Pa folks like you. Our willingness to go the extra mile for clients is what sets us apart from our peers. Our goal is always saving you as much money as possible.”

What Williams Agency customers are saying: Benjamin Kirsch did an amazing job of finding me affordable auto insurance through a great company. Ashley M - Bradford PA

I called in a while back grumbling about the ever increasing price on my homeowners & Kristen didn’t

even hesitate - - She hooked me right up with a new carrier & it’s all good ... Todd W

I recently had Patty work on my flood, auto and homeowners insurance... she has saved me a little over $ 700.00 David P - Bradford PA

Patti was so helpful and she saved us $994 a year. That’s how wonderful she is... Andrea Root

We are extremely happy with our experience! They have exceeded our expectations every time!!! Brian and Michelle Mahaney - Bradford PA

Paid Advertisement

The Williams Agency 509 E. Main St Bradford PA www.williams-agency.net

CALL TODAY AND SAVE 814-368-6980

Chuck McKeirnan

Mountain Laurel Inn Bed & Breakfast ~ Circa 1894

136 Jackson Avenue • Bradford, PA 16701 814-362-8006 • 877-MTN-LARL (686-5275)

www.mountainlaurelbradford.com

“The elegance of 1894... the amenities of today”

The Allegheny Bradford Family of Companies includes Allegheny Bradford Manufacturing, Top Line Process Equipment Company, Allegheny Surface Technology, and its ABC Actini joint venture; all located in Lewis Run.

–––––Allegheny Bradford Manufacturing, or

ABC as it is known worldwide, builds sani-tary process equipment including stainless steel heat exchangers, tanks, filter housings, and large process systems primarily for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and personal care industries. The process equipment manu-factured by ABC is used in the production of medicine, live cells, vaccines and other products as they move through the production process.

The division is respected globally as a lead-ing manufacturer of the highest quality stainless steel products to all the major drug companies and large well-known equipment manufacturers in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food and beverage markets. The outlook for all of the industries that ABC serves is very favorable. There are many new projects planned through 2018, and many of its current pharmaceuti-cal customers have new manufacturing plants being brought on board that will need ABC equipment.

ABC continues to expand its internation-al presence by working with partners world-wide and generate new business opportunities. The company is seeing increased business in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Ireland. In 2015, the company exhibited at Achema in Germany and many business successes in that region can be attributed to the show.

A big initiative in 2016 will involve develop-ing our Quality Management System to the new ISO:9001: 2015 format. ISO 9001 is the most widely recognized standard in the world. It has been revised to reflect the many changes in the way we now do business — new technology, higher customer expectations, and globaliza-tion. Our goal is to improve customer satisfac-tion and build a sustainable future.

Continuous Improvement Initiatives are moving forward and involve our 5S initiative and our desire to have a more visual workplace. Visual workplace uses a system of visual cues that helps reduce waste and achieve more con-sistent operational results through maintaining an orderly workplace. Through 5S initiatives we organize our work area so that the office or production employee becomes more efficient. ABC also has plans to remodel its offices in 2016 to have a more modern look.

–––––Top Line Process Equipment Co. is a lead-

ing supplier of process flow components to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and bio-technology industries including stainless steel sanitary pumps, valves, actuators, fittings, tub-ing and specialized components. Process flow components are needed to assemble manufac-turing lines to carry dairy, beverage, food and pharmaceutical materials as they are being pro-cessed from raw ingredients to packaged food, beverages and drugs. The equipment must meet sanitary guidelines so the final product is safe for human and animal consumption.

In 2015, Top Line completed a warehouse redesign to improve safety, increase efficien-cy and reduce errors. Additional efforts are planned to maximize the full potential of this project. Top Line also remodeled the pump test-ing area in 2015. All centrifugal pumps sold by Top Line are 100-percent run tested for quality assurance. This project improved safety and increased pump testing capacity by 250-per-cent. As pumps are a popular product for the brewery industry, this additional capacity was put to use immediately with an increase in

pump sales. In August, they introduced the Top Line Value Line Tubing program specifically catering to the food and beverage industry with the intention of increasing large project orders. They are leading the industry with the introduc-tion of the Value Line program.

Top Line continues to show steady growth and gain industry recognition worldwide in many industries. The company was awarded many new projects in 2015 including the fol-lowing:

BPE stainless steel tubing and fittings sales to a large bio-pharmaceutical company in Korea that offers solutions which address the needs of human health;

Centrifugal pumps distributed worldwide to a world class bottling and packaging solution company;

Centrifugal pump sales to many breweries in Europe;

Diaphragm valves sales to a large health-care company in Pennsylvania to manufacture personal care products;

Pumps and fittings sales to a Pennsylvania company for a large chemical project; and

Ball valves with actuators and switches sales to an international leader in the food industry.

Top Line continues its international sales growth in all regions of Asia, South America, Canada and Mexico.

New products added in 2016 include the Value Tube for the food and beverage indus-try, the Flexible Impeller Pump for the wine industry, and the TOP-FLO® Ball Check Valve for the food and beverage industry. Top Line also hired a regional valve sales manager to increase manual valve sales.

–––––Allegheny Surface Technology specializes

in the surface treatment of customer fabrication and medium-sized production runs that require a high attention to detail. Electropolishing is an electrochemical process that enhances the corrosion resistance of inert metals while pro-viding a brighter and reflective finish. Other chemical surface treatments offered by AST are pickling and passivation.

AST was successful in securing passiv-ation of 100+ large tanks which are used in the chemical and waste treatment industries. Putting these tanks ranging from 9,000 to 23,000 gallons in line, they would stretch for more than one mile. The majority of the stainless steel railway tank cars were for ACF Industries LLC in Milton.

The company’s on-site teams were deployed to many customers along the east coast of the

United States where they performed the fol-lowing services: inspections, regular mainte-nance, refurbishment of tanks, blenders, mix-ers, fill stations and supply lines.

Their customers are from various industries including: pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food, beverage, chemical and waste treatment.

In 2016 the company is expecting to increase its market share and have already been awarded several week-long projects on site. They have also secured long-term part-nerships for passivation and electropolishing services at its facility in Lewis Run.

–––––ABC Actini manufactures both large and

small-scale decontamination systems utilized by vaccine makers, laboratories, and universi-ties in the biotech process industries.

In 2015 ABC Actini provided a large bio-waste decontamination system for a flu vac-cine manufacturer. This manufacturer is con-solidating its entire flu vaccine program and will be committing considerable resources on equipment that ABC Actini builds.

ABC Actini introduced a new product in 2014 which was a huge success in 2015. It was their biggest seller of the year. The “Ultimate System” is a steam-operated decontamination system that is very competitive against batch/chemical treatment systems, at an optimized cost.

The lower cost can be achieved for many reasons. The heat exchanger is a coil that uses less room and the system utilizes ball valves instead of the more expensive diaphragm valves. The system has a compact design that can easily fit in a tight space. These

pre-engineered systems have a lower capital investment.

ABC Actini is researching new technology constantly and the company plans on introduc-ing new products yearly to address the grow-ing needs to decontaminate product.

In 2015 a new employee was hired to do all the automation work. With the amount of equipment in the field, this employee will be traveling quite extensively performing training and yearly maintenance tasks. The company also plans on adding a new salesperson for the U.S. west coast.

–––––As the Allegheny Bradford Family of

Companies looks to the future and the opening of a new chapter in its long history, they enter focused on strategic planning and continuous improvement. The family will begin to trans-form its systems and philosophies into one systematic Quality Management System. A QMS will provide the foundation for improved process and improved performance.

“We are all committed to providing a safe work environment and a safety culture where we want all of our employees to work safe and to routinely evaluate the safety program,” company officials said.

The ABC family of companies will con-tinue to exhibit at domestic and international tradeshows in 2016 targeting the food, dairy, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. All companies will be exhibiting at INTERPHEX in New York City in April 2016. It is the larg-est annual pharmaceutical and biotechnology tradeshow in the world.

“The signs are all positive and everything is pointing to a prosperous 2016 and a bright future full of job security and growth,” offi-cials said.

Allegheny Bradford Corp. provides work for 235 employees through its companies in Lewis Run. The latest release of data from the Workforce Information and Analysis ranked Allegheny Bradford Corp. as num-ber 13 for largest employers in McKean County and number 5 in manufacturers. To aid in employee development, Allegheny Bradford Corp. works with the North Central Pennsylvania Advanced Materials and Diversified Manufacturing (AMDM) Industry Partnership, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Continuing Education, and the Workforce & Economic Develop Network (WEDnetPA) training programs. In addition ABC is an active member of the Bradford Area HR Local Network Meeting.

The campus has 150,000 plus square feet of manufacturing, office, and warehouse space.

Further information can be found on the website at www.abccorporate.com


An update on the Allegheny Bradford Family of Co.'s

Allegheny Bradford Manufacturing


Futures Rehabilitation Center Inc., pro-vides a variety of services for students and adults with disabilities.

Futures is constantly seeking new and innovative approaches for vocational opportunities, especially those that offer employment in the community.

For example, Futures provides employ-ment at ten Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Driver’s License Centers in northcentral Pennsylvania. Partnering with UniqueSource, Futures employs 27 indi-viduals with disabilities at sites in Bradford, Warren, Coudersport, St. Marys, DuBois, Clearfield, Wellsboro, South Waverly, Monroeton and Laporte.

If you are a resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and have a driver’s license or a state-issued Photo ID, the person that took your picture and issued that driver’s license or photo ID is part of the Futures team.

The photo technicians also process voter registration, organ donor sign-up and Lead and Asbestos identification cards issued by the Department of Labor and Industry.

“Futures is pleased to partner with UniqueSource to provide employment opportunities for individuals with disabili-ties at the Photo License Centers,” said Futures President/CEO Bill Leven. “The photo technicians are very skilled in their work and have the opportunity to use their skills in a competitive employment envi-ronment.”

Futures offers training and support

to assist these individuals in maintain-ing their jobs, as well as individuals who are employed at a variety of businesses throughout the region.

In addition to community employment, Futures contract work center partners with area business and industry to provide work opportunities and assist people with dis-abilities to improve vocational skills, to earn wages and to advance toward employ-ment in the community.

Futures’ business partners include Allegheny Trico, American Refining Group, BCPAC, W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery, Clarke BoxIt, Conoco Philips, GE/Dresser Piping Specialties, Luminite Products Corp., McCourt Label Co., Pepperell Braiding, US Energy Corp., Whirley/Drinkworks and Zippo Manufacturing Co.

Services are also offered to students with disabilities to assist them in transi-tioning from school to work. Life Skills therapeutic activity programs and home and community habilitation services round out the varied offerings aimed at providing for the needs of people with disabilities throughout the area. Over 200 individuals receive services at Futures.

Futures continuing opportunities for those who have disabilities

David Schmitt processes a driv-er’s license at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Driver’s License Center.

McCourt Label Co. had a banner year in 2015, growing the client base, introducing new products and upgrading technological capabilities.

McCourt, founded in 1896, is a label manufacturing firm and a long-standing member of the Bradford area business community.

The company’s employees are encouraged to be innovative, develop-ing new labeling solutions that help customers promote their products and remain competitive. The company’s tagline — “Solutions that Stick ” — is certainly an appropriate one considering the wide range and scope of label applications they are involved with.

Company officials said McCourt is significantly expanding its capa-bility in the food and beverage markets with new capabilities and product offerings. The company upgraded its printing capability by adding a 7 color digital press in 2015. The additional ink jet heads enable the accu-rate printing of thousands of colors that were not possible with the older technology. This is critical in the food and beverage markets as the label is one of the primary selling tools for the customer. The colors must be extremely accurate and reflect the quality of the food or beverage being sold. They want these products to jump off the shelf and encourage the consumer to buy. The company has also successfully applied the new technology to the household products, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries where enhanced graphics are important.

Local customers are benefiting from the new technology, such as

Allegheny Cellars Winery, CJ Spirits, and Flickerwood Winery from Kane. McCourt is partnering with Stello Packaging in Punxsutawney to offer high quality packaging labels to many of Stello’s customers. Hibbard Distributing is one benefactor who has created a variety of bar-becue sauces distributed by Straub beer from St. Marys. McCourt also is a supporting partner of the PA Preferred program which supports food and products made and grown in Pennsylvania.

Company officials said McCourt is developing a comprehensive solu-tion for the food service labeling market in 2016.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that all open food containers be tracked by open and expiration date. McCourt is partnering with one of its material suppliers to offer a linerless product that satisfies all FDA requirements and automatically prints the required information on a stand-alone printing system. The printing system and software was developed by LabelPack Automation, a related firm based in Bradford. McCourt is currently marketing the system to nationwide food service companies such as Subway along with local area customers.

Company officials said McCourt’s 2015 Environmental Programs and Objectives included several items to lessen the company’s impact on the environment.

A program was put in place with the goal of reducing our make-ready waste by 10 percent. The actual results were an 11 percent reduction. This

not only reduced the amount of pressure sensitive material going to the landfill but also reduced production time, ink costs, as well as transporta-tion costs.

A second program goal was to reduce overall electrical consumption. There was an 8 percent savings achieved by the company in 2015 over the prior year. Electrical use reduction projects included a replacement electronic blower motor with a more efficient model. The other savings were achieved through lower power consumption lighting initiatives in the building. With continuing implementation of the ISO 14001 environ-mental management system, McCourt has succeeded in reducing VOC’s, Hazardous Waste Electric Usage, and the amount of its solid waste sent to landfills on an annual basis for the past decade. McCourt Label rec-ognizes the importance of being environmentally conscious, in order to ensure a bright future for the planet.

Company officials said McCourt’s employees have a long tradition of working for the betterment of the community and McCourt is a long-standing supporter of many Bradford area institutions and causes, includ-ing the United Way, Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce, Beacon Light Behavioral Health Systems, Bradford Regional Health Center, and many other charitable organizations.

For further information, visit the company website at www.mccourt-label.com or call 800-458-2390.

McCourt Label of Lewis Run expands into new markets

KOA Speer’s goal is it to continually expand its focus on the markets that require and value their underlying fundamentals, which is to sup-ply the highest quality product at the highest customer service level possible.

KOA’s innovative components are used every day in designs around the world, for applications in transportation, alternative energy, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

In the area of transportation, KOA’s compo-nents support a wide range of automotive func-tions — electric power steering, power brakes, park assist, transmission control units, exhaust systems, start-stop systems, climate controls, lighting and infotainment systems. KOA’s power resistors and current sense resistors are used in inverters, high-voltage bus systems, and energy recuperation in hybrid and electric cars.

Increasingly, governments around the world are turning to renewable energy to end our dependence on fossil fuels. KOA’s components support the ever-growing alternative energy mar-ket. KOA’s surface mount resistors, current sense resistors and modules offer power density and reliability, customized constructions, long useful life and wide surge capabilities. KOA’s components can be found in solar energy, wind turbines, smart grids, gas and oil exploration, surveillance systems and power transmission

The Internet of Things (IoT) covers a huge scope of industries and applications. The focus of the Internet is set to change over the next five years as systems become smarter and an estimat-

ed 50 billion devices are likely to be connected to the Internet by 2020. KOA’s broad product portfolio of thick film, thin film, leaded and non-linear resistor, offers unique passive component technology which are well suited for the rapid growth of the IoT. Including: Biometric monitor-ing, Fitbands, patient monitoring, smart watches and glasses. As the IoT scales up, expect KOA’s solutions to expand to meet the ever increasing demand.

KOA Speer’s primary activities include ware-housing, distribution, engineering, research, marketing and sales of passive electronic com-ponents — resistors, fuses, thermistors and inductors. KOA supplies electronic components to other growing industries including military, avionics, aerospace, and medical equipment, which demand high consistency and reliability from their suppliers.

KOA was originally established in Bradford in the early 1950s, when it was known as Speer Resistor and then subsequently Airco Speer. On April 1, 1980, the operation was merged into KOA Corp., at which time KOA Speer Electronics Inc. was established.

The parent company, KOA Corp., is head-quartered in Japan and employs more than 5,000 employees in 24 facilities worldwide and works in concert with their customers to imple-ment responsive, localized technical support, and inventory management programs.

KOA Speer serves transportation, alternative energy, Internet of Things

business & industry update 2016

Documents