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Downtown Wilkes-Barre’s walkability is a business advantage

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NEPA Alliance: Economic impact of Mohegan Sun Arena continues to grow

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Through the combined efforts of our ABCs &#8212; Academia, Business and Community &#8212; a coalition of community and business leaders have created an environment that is driving millions of dollars in new capital investment and creating thousands of new jobs for NEPA and the Greater Wilkes Barre region.</p><p>We have added millions of square feet of business space to our inventory to both grow legacy businesses and attract new businesses. And in turn, we are seeing growth in jobs and in wages to our labor force.</p><p>Our present unemployment rate is at an all-time low. It is down more than five basis points in five years. That&#8217;s cut more than half from the 11 percent highs we saw in 2013 to the 4.5 percent we are seeing today in Luzerne County. It is fueled by a broad range of businesses who find this area to be a great place to work and to live. The result is that we have developed a varied, vibrant and more stable economy through a diversification of industrial segments and the size and scope of our local businesses.</p><p>Diversification is creating centers of excellence. The downtown is becoming a strong innovation hub utilizing the intellectual capital of our colleges and universities and pairing it with the strong nascent entrepreneurial young professionals that want to make the downtown their chosen place of business. In turn we have powered our entrepreneurs by incubating innovation through Wilkes Barre Connect; Wilkes University&#8217;s Allan P. Kirby Enterprise Center, Small Business Development Center, Family Business Alliance, Sidhu School of Business; The Institute of Public Policy and Economic Research; Invent Penn State; the THINK Center; and the McGowan School of Business at King&#8217;s. All of these along with the Diamond City Partnership, Ben Franklin Technology Partners and CareerLink have rallied together to make our downtown an Innovation Center of Excellence.</p><p>We also have strong legacy businesses with companies like Berkshire Hathaway Guard, Benco Dental, Borton Lawson, Colours, Intermetro, Martz, McCarthy Tire, Medico, Mericle, Mountain Productions, Pride Mobility and Trion interspersed through the Wyoming Valley. Berkshire Hathaway Guard, which recently committed to a new downtown headquarters at 39 Public Square, has doubled its revenues while increasing its local workforce by 25 percent.</p><p>Our biggest industry sector is health care which employs close to 50,000 professionals and represents 14 percent of the region&#8217;s total gross domestic product. It is also the fastest growing segment with a plus-1.2 percent year over year rate of growth. The health care industries and their associated occupations are expected to account for a large share of new jobs projected through 2023. And our colleges and universities are responding in kind with programs and graduates geared toward this growth. The growth of the East Mountain Corporate Center, anchored by Geisinger&#8217;s large health care and hospital complex, is a great example of the magnitude of the health care sector. AllOne Health, Commonwealth Health, and Highmark add to the vibrancy of our central city. In Highland Park, we have seen exponential growth with Allied Services on	Mundy Street, and in Kingston, Erwine Home Health and Hospice anchors the community. All of these clearly illustrate the strong and growing presence of diverse health care segments in our community, fueled by higher paying jobs for our professional labor force and a stronger community presence in the valley.</p><p>Our transportation value proposition with access to the major highway grids and transportation corridors makes our area a critical logistics hub. With the rise of e-commerce, the transportation and warehousing and logistics sector have become increasingly important to our growth initiatives.</p><p>More than 6,000 new jobs have been created in the last 5 years, and there are development plans in the works for 3,000 more. With employment of close to 30,000 workers, it is the second largest occupation group in our area and the highest concentration of employment compared to the national average with a location quotient of 2.04.</p><p>The transportation corridor also attracts manufacturing, with close to 600 manufacturing establishments contributing 13 percent of the total regional GDP at $3 billion toward the region&#8217;s $23.3 billion in GDP. Along with logistics and manufacturing, our transportation grid attracts retail and with 30,469 retail employees contributing 7 percent of the region&#8217;s total GDP. Highland Park with the Arena Hub is interspersed with national, regional and local brands, restaurants and boutiques attracting shoppers and diners from across the state.</p><p>Our region and our economy are no longer dependent as it had been on a single major employer. Over 100 years ago, it was the coal industry. More recently, it was the large garment, shoe and tobacco industries.</p><p>Today we are much more diversified and much more resilient to the ebbs and flows of the economy. Making major changes in our region&#8217;s economy did not come easily. It has been a 50-year journey made with long range vision and imagination represented today in a re-tooled and re-branded NEPA with new ideas to delivery and sustain economic development. It took ingenuity to turn mine scarred wastelands into industrial parks that are home to over 500 businesses and 25,000 people that contribute an annuity tax base of $15 million dollars to our schools, townships and county. And with our colleges and universities, we are incubating innovation and driving tech services into an innovation center of excellence.</p><p>Today, Wilkes Barre and Northeastern PA are at a critical juncture in which the right kinds of investment in businesses, job growth, workforce, entrepreneurialism and community improvement are placing us at the forefront, making us nationally recognized, and setting a self-sustaining, vibrant course of successful realization and a new era of growth.</p><p>Revitalizing the Wilkes Barre and NEPA area holds infinite potential for real improvement, growth and sustainability.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wico van Genderen </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_Wico-van-Generden-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wico van Genderen </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Wico van Genderen</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>About the Chamber</strong></p><p>Founded in 1769, Greater Wilkes-Barre is rich in history and initiative.</p><p>More than 200 years ago, the Wyoming Valley was on the frontier of history during the American Revolution. 100 years ago, anthracite mining created an economic boom that resonated in the area and the nation, giving Wilkes-Barre its nickname &#8211; the Diamond City.</p><p>Today, the region is noteworthy for its business and economic diversity across multiple industry segments including healthcare, manufacturing, high-tech, logistics, distribution, defense and transportation.</p><p>Central to its infrastructure is an array of higher-education institutions drawing over 50,000 college students to the area. Home to a collection of year round recreation and entertainment venues, it is an appealing destination for both visitors and locals alike.</p><p>Skiing, golfing, fishing, hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting, biking, arena sports / entertainment and casino gaming are just a few highlights. The region is home to the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees, the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, harness racing at Pocono Downs, and NASCAR and Indy racing at Pocono International Raceway. Natural resources abound, including a multitude of parks, trails, trout streams, lakes, rivers and forests.</p><p>The area has a rich history, a dynamic business environment and unique cultural attractions that make it a destination point, an innovation center of excellence and a wide-ranging economy. These qualities, along with its location at the hub of major interstates, make the Wilkes-Barre area a unique place to live, work, and raise a family.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Wico van Genderen is Presidsent/CEO of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Chamber coalition driving millions in growth easy as ABCs