February 2017 1
The Loan Review Committee approved three loans for the following clients: Titusville Animal Clinic of Venango County 2
G Rex Wireless of Venango County Shaw Industries of Venango County The Northwest Commission closed the following loans: Pioneer Energy Products, LLC closed on a $200,000 EDA loan to purchase a new manufacturing facility located in the Oil City Industrial Park. The company will retain twenty jobs and create an additional four jobs as a result of this project. Ron and Janet Troyer of Crawford County closed on a $100,000 in real estate financing. The company will retain four employees. West Park Rehab LLC of Venango County closed on a $90,000 loan to purchase real estate. The company will retain five jobs and create two jobs in the next three years. Loan Funds Available The Business Financing Program currently has funds available for land and building acquisition, construction and renovation projects, as well as new or used machinery and equipment purchases. Loan interest rates are fixed for the term of the loan and are currently as low as 2.99%. There is no application fee, no annual servicing fee and no prepayment penalties. By providing financing for up to half of a total project, loan department staff works with a business bank to make deals happen. For more information, contact Amanda Slider, Loan Program Manager, at (814) 677-4800 x115 or amandas@northwestpa.org The Commission s PTAC program is excited to announce the first educational workshops of the year. PTAC staff have been developing new training materials for 2017, starting off with the following events in February and March: Government Contracting: Proposal Preparation Training Date: February 22, 2017 Time: 9:30 a.m. to Noon Location: Northwest Commission, 395 Seneca Street, Oil City, PA Learn how to read a federal government solicitation and prepare a proposal in a way that is both compliant and competitive. This course will provide you with the knowledge of understanding the components of solicitations used by the government, steps on preparing a request for proposal (RFP), making a bid/no bid decision and importance of past performance. This free seminar is intended to be an introductory to intermediate level course. Presented by Robyn Young, Government Contracting Specialist at the Northwest Commission PTAC. This event is co-sponsored by Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce and the Oil Region Alliance. Details & registration at: http://nwpaptac.ecenterdirect.com/events/4240. Questions? Contact Robyn Young, robyny@northwestpa.org. Government Contracting Basics & Getting Ready for the Government Market Date: March 9, 2017 3
Time: 10:00 a.m. to Noon Location: The Confluence, 214 E Washington Street, New Castle, PA This free workshop will cover the basics of doing business with the government, including registrations, certifications and other factors to consider when preparing to enter this market. Melissa Becker of the Northwest Commission Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) will cover aspects of federal, state and local government contracting and discuss the free services provided by the PTAC. This event is co-sponsored by the Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation, Ellwood City Area Chamber of Commerce, and Duquesne University SBDC. Details & registration at: http://nwpaptac.ecenterdirect.com/events/4243. Questions? Contact Melissa Becker, melissab@northwestpa.org. Cybersecurity Boot Camp Date: March 28, 2017 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Location: The Center for Business Ingenuity, 900 State Street, Erie, PA Cost: $30 (lunch included) The Northwest Commission PTAC, Northwest Industrial Resource Center and Gannon University Small Business Development Center are coming together to bring an all-day event focusing on the topic of Cybersecurity. General Cybersecurity tips will be the focus of the morning sessions and will be geared toward businesses and local government agencies wanting to learn ways to protect their IT systems from hackers. The afternoon session will be geared toward Department of Defense Contractors (DoD) wanting to learn about the new Cybersecurity Regulations that DoD is requiring in all contracts. Full compliance is required by December 31, 2017. MORNING SESSIONS will include the following: How to manage IT resources to reduce risks Best Practices of a cybersecurity framework Increasing cyber-awareness Effectively training employees What assets are at risk? Who poses a threat? What is your liability and associated costs? What to do after a breach? AFTERNOON SESSIONS are geared toward DoD Contractors: New cybersecurity requirements for DoD Contractors and Subcontractors (December 2017 deadline for compliance) Understand NIST 800-171 requirements Safeguard covered defense information What is controlled un-classified information (CUI)? What about DFARS and cloud computing? Cybersecurity incident reporting (DFARS 252.204-7012) Resources to assist your company with compliance 4
For full details, including agenda & registration information, please visit www.nwirc.org/events. Questions? Contact Robyn Young at robyny@northwestpa.org. Gannon University Success Story Located in the heart of downtown Erie, Gannon University has provided students with almost 100 years of academic prestige since their inception in 1925. The four-year Catholic university is dedicated to preparing students to be global citizens through programs grounded in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional specializations. Inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Gannon offers a comprehensive, values-centered learning experience that emphasizes faith, leadership, inclusiveness and social responsibility. To date, the university represents students from over 40 countries who make up 20% the student population; U.S. News & World Report lists Gannon in the top 16% for international student enrollment amongst north region universities. During our September 2016 Bringing the World to PA event in Erie, Gannon s Office of Global Admissions and Outreach met with Pennsylvania s Taiwan Office to discuss their interest in expanding international student recruitment efforts. After meeting, the PA-Taiwan Office provided assistance via e-mail, translation, and educational consultancy reports to deliver the best possible contacts for Gannon s search. After identifying potential partners with the profile Gannon was seeking, the PA- Taiwan office began reaching out to those consultancies. In less than 24 hours of reaching out, the PA Taiwan office had already received feedback from two consultancies that were eager to discuss representation opportunities in Taiwan. To date Gannon is finalizing agreements and hopes to welcome additional international students for the 2017 Fall semester. Gannon welcomes international students from all over the world, from different cultures, religions and languages. This is true to the core of our Mission and Strategic Planning and perfectly aligned with the efforts of The Northwestern Commission and Pennsylvania Trade Offices in their pursuit to link Northwestern Pennsylvania to the world. Gannon and the Erie region benefit greatly from global visitors every year, enriching our experience in education and professional development. Any facilitation that provides ample access to this global exchange is an opportunity for a positive experience that will make our world a better place to live, fostering peace and understanding among the world s citizens. NWC s Bringing the World to PA event has accomplished this global facilitation, serving as a valuable resource for those wishing to broaden their reach. - Daniel Cabanillas, Gannon University Director of the Office of Global Admissions and Outreach in the Division of Global Enrollment and Engagement PA India Trade Mission 5
Registration is open for the upcoming Business Development Mission to India on March 20th-27th, 2017. The mission will be led by our Deputy Secretary, Joe Burke. Sushama and Supriya Kanetkar, Pennsylvania s Authorized Representatives in India, are coordinating the mission on our behalf. The mission is open to companies from all sectors, as well as educational institutions. The itinerary includes stops in 4 cities: New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru (Bangalore) and Mumbai. We will kick-off the tour with a briefing and group dinner in New Delhi on Sunday 19 March. We will tailor each company s itinerary to best meet their objectives. For some companies, it may make business sense for them to stay an extra day in one city or skip a stop on the tour. Each mission participant will receive a customized schedule of business meetings with pre-qualified potential partners. As always, we will provide one-on-one assistance and support to participating companies before, during and after the mission. Please click here for additional information and a detailed itinerary. The registration fee for the mission is $600. The deadline to register is February 17th 2017. Please click here for the registration form. 2017 Northwest RPO TAC Meeting Schedule The 2017 Northwest RPO meeting schedule has been set for 1:00 PM on March 28, June 27, September 26 and November 28 at the PennDOT District 1-0 office in Oil City. Anyone interested in being placed on the mailing list for the Transportation Committee meetings should contact Sue at sues@northwestpa.org or by phone at 814-677-4800 x131. Secretary of Transportation Appointment Elaine Chao was approved by the Senate as the Secretary of Transportation on January 31st replacing Anthony Foxx. This will be her second time serving in a White House cabinet. As secretary of labor under President George W. Bush, she was the only official in his administration to serve all eight years. Before that, she worked in various departments across the federal government. She was a White House fellow under President Ronald Reagan and the director of the Peace Corps under President George Bush, who also named her deputy transportation secretary. Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Announces Spring Schedule! The LTAP program at the Northwest Commission has scheduled 10 classes for the spring. All spring classes run from 8:00 A.M. 12:00 P.M. The classes include: 3-02-17: Conducting Sign Retroreflectivity Inspections Clarion 3-09-17: Traffic Sign Basics (Brand New Class!) Erie 3-24-17: Posting & Bonding of Local Roads Youngsville 6
4-11-17: Warm Mix Asphalt Hermitage 4-12-17: Asphalt Roads: Common Maintenance Problems Hermitage 4-18-17: Equipment & Worker Safety Meadville 4-20-17: Unpaved & Gravel Roads: Common Maintenance Practices Oil City 4-21-17: Full Depth Reclamation Erie 5-05-17: Safe Driver Meadville 5-25-17: Risk Management Strategies Clarion If you are interested in attending any of these FREE classes, please contact Travis Siegel at traviss@northwestpa.org. Regional Planners Committee Meeting The next meeting of the Regional Planners is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Friday, March 17th at the Northwest Commission. DCNR Announces Grant Round Applications for the 2017 DCNR funding round will be accepted from January 23 rd to April 12 th. DCNR supports recreation, park and conservation planning, acquisition, development education and technical assistance, planning for and acquisition of open space and critical habitat by land trusts, river conservation and rails-to-trails planning, acquisition and development. More information may be found at this website: https://www.grants.dcnr.state.pa.us/dashboard/grants. Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) Funding Announcement The CFA will be accepting applications for grant funded by Act 13 for watershed restoration, abandoned mine drainage abatement, baseline water quality data, orphan or abandoned well plugging, sewage facilities and flood mitigation programs from February 1 May 31, 2017. Questions should be directed to 717-787-6245. Greenways Block Grant Funding Round Call for Applications Applications are being accepted through 11:00 AM, March 22nd for the second round of funding through the Northwest s Greenways Block Grant Program. This program is sponsored cooperatively through DEP and DCNR but currently only DEP funding is available to award. The Guidelines and Application may be found on the Commission s Greenways page. Please contact Ron Lybrook, DEP Regional Advisor prior to submitting an application to discuss your project. Contact information is included in the guidelines. Partner Events 7
Politely take my address off your mailing list Northwest Commission 395 Seneca Street, Oil City, PA, 16301, USA 8