Locating in Pennsylvania gives your business the ability to easily reach six major U.S. markets. We highlight two areas of the state that deserve your consideration.
From its major cities to its rural farmland and Great Lakes access, Pennsylvania is a state with something to offer all businesses. Most of all, Pennsylvania gives companies a way to be in the middle of one of the largest markets in the United States, with access to diverse pools of talent and labor as well as customers of every social group and income level. The state’s workforce is highly skilled, thanks to some of the best colleges and universities in the world. Companies like Merck, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Olympus America, and Comcast Corporation have all decided to locate or expand in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and so should you.
Pennsylvania’s status as the 17th largest economy in the world is directly linked to the fact that six out of 10 major U.S. market areas lie within a 500-mile radius of its capital, Harrisburg. Within this radius lies access to vital markets that encompass 40% of the U.S. population and purchasing power, more than 60% of Canada’s population, 45% of U.S. manufacturers, and 41% of the nation’s domestic trade and service industries. Of Pennsylvania’s work force of 6,299,000, 82% have earned at least a high school diploma.
Given the state’s size, it can take some time to thoroughly evaluate all the great options in Pennsylvania during a corporate site search. Although much attention is paid to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, these cities are not the final word in outstanding Pennsylvania business locations. Two other areas, Northeast Pennsylvania and Central Pennsylvania, offer compelling stories and prime properties for your growing company.
Northeast Pennsylvania: Continued Growth in Biotechnology
In July of 2007, Sanofi Pasteur completed construction of a $150 million flu vaccine production plant in Swiftwater, PA. The 140,000-square-foot facility will create 100 jobs and double the influenza vaccine manufacturing capability of the company in the United States; in fact, it’s the only place in the country where the vaccine is made. The building, which is the largest facility of its kind it northeast Pennsylvania, is part of the company’s sprawling 500-acre, 44-building campus. Sanofi Pasteur’s presence complements many other businesses that have moved to the area in the past few years to service the biotechnology industry.
For example, C3i, Inc., a leading provider of customer relationship management services to life sciences and pharmaceutical companies, just this year relocated its domestic call center operation from Morristown, NJ to a 25,000-square-foot office in Wilkes-Barre, PA. In early 2007, Johnson & Johnson Sales and Logistics Co., LLC began leasing a 1.38 million-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility near Stroudsburg, PA. (The company, based in Skillman, NJ, is a division of Johnson & Johnson, the health care products manufacturing giant.) And in 2005, NBTY (a leading manufacturer of nutritional supplements such as Nature’s Bounty, Sundown, Natural Wealth, and Met-RX) of Bohemia, NY chose the greater Hazleton, PA area for the site of its 413,600-square-foot Northeast distribution center.
These recent additions join Caremark, an integrated pharmacy services provider, which established a facility in Wilkes-Barre in 2002 to service its mail-order pharmacy division.
All of these companies cite the location and the availability of skilled labor as major factors in choosing northeast Pennsylvania. According to Penny Cannella, president of Penn’s Northeast, a regional economic development marketing organization that serves five counties in northeast Pennsylvania, “Companies cite the region’s higher education institutions as another major recruiting advantage for the region. The colleges, universities, and economic development and workforce development agencies work strategically to attract, retain, and expand business and industry.”
This trend is expected to dramatically grow with the proposed Commonwealth Medical College, which is expected to enroll its first students for the fall of 2009. It currently has a temporary home at Lackawanna College in Scranton, PA. Once established, the independent, regional medical school will have an enrollment of approximately 360 students and an annual operating budget of $25 million.
For more information, contact Penny Cannella of Penn’s Northeast at 800-317-1313.
A Central Advantage
Greenfield Corporate Center—a 600-acre, master-planned business campus located in scenic Lancaster, PA—gives companies a strong competitive advantage. As Central Pennsylvania’s premier business address, Greenfield offers high-quality, high-value facilities to industrial and commercial businesses of all sizes.
In addition to its enviable location and easy access to major roadways, Greenfield’s on-site amenities offer convenience and its impressive setting provides tenants with a professional image. From 150-square-foot private offices to 250,000-square-foot warehouse/distribution facilities to open land for custom facilities, Greenfield offers multiple building types and options from which to choose.
Directly adjacent to U.S. Route 30, Greenfield Corporate Center is ideally located for convenient access to the major markets in the Mid-Atlantic region, the Midwest, and the Northeast. Lancaster Airport is within a short drive, and bus service is provided by the Red Rose Transit Authority’s #20 Greenfield line.
Greenfield’s on-site amenities include several excellent eateries, award-winning Courtyard by Marriott and Hampton Inn hotels, a hair salon, a credit union, printers, a dry cleaner, a daycare facility, a Federal Express Customer Center, and the U.S. Postal Service. Additionally, a walking trail and exercise circuit, ponds with resident swans, meticulously manicured grounds, and large open expanses of land add to Greenfield’s beauty. These features enhance employee satisfaction, recruitment, and retention.
Greenfield Corporate Center is managed by High Associates Ltd., a leading owner/developer of industrial, office, retail, and multi-family real estate with nearly six million square feet of properties throughout the eastern United States. Greenfield residents enjoy responsive, 24-hour maintenance from a company that cares deeply about their complete satisfaction. More than 275 businesses call Greenfield home, and more than 99% of them recently indicated they would recommend High Associates to another business. Expert in leasing, build-to-own, and build-to-suit-to-lease assignments, High collaborates with customers to identify and implement the ideal real estate solution to meet strategic objectives.
To learn more about Greenfield Corporate Center, please contact Lin Good at 717-293-4477, or by e-mail at lgood@high.net.
