The region’s qualified workforce was a key to NEW deciding on Altoona, Blair County and the I-99 Innovation Corridor Region.  "When we were looking for a place to expand, we were looking for a thriving community and an educated work force with a solid work ethic, and we found all of that here," said Terri Feely.  Ray Zukowski added “The overwhelming support from ABCD Corp., the facility, resources, infrastructure and most of all the well-educated workforce made this decision easy.  So it wasn’t by chance or luck that this community was chosen for our 11^th call center.”

"What is important is that 481 families will have income coming in, and it couldn't happen at a more important or difficult time," Governor Rendell said.  "There are few problems getting people to come to this area because of the work force, and our transportation with Interstate 99 is excellent," Rendell added.

We welcome NEW to Altoona, Blair County and the I-99 Innovation Corridor,” said Martin Marasco, President and CEO of the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation; who played an integral role in bringing NEW to Altoona.  “With both the Work-at-Home Program and the new customer call center in Altoona employing almost 500 individuals, it is refreshing to see NEW’s confidence in the Central Pennsylvania workforce.” 

The success of this announcement for the region would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of NEW, Governor Rendell, the Governor’s Action Team, ABCD Corp., federal, state and local elected officials, local developers and all of the regional economic development partners. 

The event also discussed the details around the 400+ Customer Care Representative positions that NEW will begin to hire for immediately.  These positions will start at $9 per hour and includes a very competitive benefits package to include health, medical and dental insurance along with a number of other benefits.  Candidates wanting to apply for these positions had the opportunity to attend a Job Fair that was held at the Blair County Convention Center on February 10-12 where representatives were also conducting interviews.  The hiring process is ongoing and to apply, candidates must do so online at www.newcorp.com/careers and navigate to the Altoona Call Center, details on the position and benefits can be found online.

The former Martin’s Supermarket on 25^th Avenue near the Penn State-Altoona campus is near completion of its renovation from supermarket to call center.  The total investment from local developers is approximately $4.6 million and is comprised of traditional bank loans, as well as low-interest economic development financing through ABCD Corp. in the form of $1.2 million in a Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) loan and a $500,000 loan from the Enterprise Zone Revolving Loan Fund.

In addition to the low-interest financing, ABCD Corp. was critical in securing $350,000 in Enterprise Zone Tax Credits.  These tax credits are based on the investment being made on the renovation of the facility and that it is located in one of the state’s Enterprise Zones.  Since the inception of our local Enterprise Zones in 1990, ABCD Corp. has been successful in securing $3.2 million in Enterprise Zone Tax Credits to support investment in the zones.

For more information on the Enterprise Zone program contact Patrick Miller at patm@abcdcorp.org

PROMISE which is an acronym for Providing Real Opportunities for Maximizing In-state Student Excellence is a program that focuses on the core principals of assisting community students attend college and improving their area’s education attainment levels.  In Kalamazoo, MI, the program provides up to 100% tuition in any Michigan university or college for up to 4 years of attendance.  The program is funded in perpetuity by an anonymous donor, thus providing a level of confidence that all of the children for generations and generations will have the opportunity to go to college.  In Kalamazoo they have used this as an economic development tool as well and some of their successes to date have been an increase in population, median home values, graduation rates and public school test results.

Here in Blair County the program would have to be modified slightly, as in other parts of the country, to allow for a set scholarship amount to provide assistance for post-secondary education.  ABCD Corp. has been researching the feasibility of introducing a PROMISE based program county-wide in Blair County and realize that by starting with our largest school district of Altoona, implementing a pilot program may be the best course of action prior to launching a county-wide initiative. 

Meetings have been held with school districts, colleges, universities, career and technology centers, business leaders and community organizations, and everyone agrees that moving forward with the research and feasibility study is a worthwhile venture.  A committee is to be formed and guidelines and desired results are to be developed as part of the study including contracting with the UpJohn Institute who has been a key part of the Kalamazoo program.

For more information or to get involved, please contact Matthew Fox at 814-944-6113 or mattf@abcdcorp.org

Applications are currently being accepted and in addition to the printed brochure, this year we are unveiling the NEW website at www.abcdcorp.org/i99internship  Online students can learn all of the details for the program, what is expected from them, how to apply and even an option to APPLY NOW ONLINE.

To qualify for the program students must attend one of the following institutions; Penn State-Altoona, St. Francis, Mount Aloysius or Juniata College.  In addition, the student must secure his/her own internship with a business located in one of the following counties; Blair, Bedford, Huntingdon, Cambria, Somerset or Fulton.  All other qualifications of the program can be found online as well as with each university’s or college’s Career Services or Internship Director.

Information on the program and a representative will be in attendance at the I-99 Innovation Corridor Booth at two up-coming Career and Internship Fairs: St. Francis University on March 19 and Mount Aloysius on March 26.  Feel free to stop by and ask any questions and pick up materials.

For more information or for a copy of the printed brochure please contact Matthew Fox at 814-944-6113 or mattf@abcdcorp.org

Mr. Dye is responsible for contributing to PNC’S analysis and forecast of key economic and financial trends nationwide and globally.  In addition, he provides regional economic analysis for the seven states and major metropolitan areas within PNC’s core economic footprint that includes Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Greater Washington D.C. area. 

Mr. Dye joined PNC in 2007 from Realpoint, a division of Capmark Investments, where he served as vice president and econometrician.  In that role he provided analysis of economic events and major indicators and their implications on commercial real estate markets.  His professional experience also includes senior economist for Moody’s Economy.com and Wharton Econometrics. Mr. Dye is a member of the National Association of Business Economics.

The Altoona Renaissance Fund (ARF) is a pool of low interest funds available for businesses and landlords to rehabilitate and revitalize properties located within the City’s Central Business District and the surrounding Industrial and Light Industrial Zones.  The program is intended to provide low interest financing for projects that comply with the program requirements and foster business retention, business expansion, business startups, job retention and growth.  The ARF will be a collaborative effort between ABCD Corp., GAEDC and several local Banks. ABCD Corp. intends to make a formal announcement at the end of the first quarter of 2009.

Whether your company is a start-up or established entity, these Micro-Grants can benefit your efforts.  Micro Grant Funds may be used for research and development, laboratory time, faculty/student salary/wages and materials directly related to the research and development activity.  Funds may not be used to purchase equipment or applied to overhead expenses. 

For an application, more information or for a consultation, please contact Matthew Fox at ABCD Corp. at 814-944-6113 or  mattf@abcdcorp.org.

Appraisal clinics will be held throughout the weekend show schedule for March 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th at the Jaffa Shrine.  For a complete listing of times, please visit the Home and Garden show Web site, www.blairhomeshow.com.  Additionally, Rinker will be holding 30-minute seminars throughout the weekend on various topics coaching people on how to recognize a treasure.  For more information, or to purchase advance appraisal tickets, please contact The Chamber at 943-8151.