Economic Development
Strength in Tri-County Industries
Hub of Community Collaborations
Economic Development
The tri-county area’s location, as well as its energetic workforce and residents, have helped maintain a healthy business climate, while our extensive base of businesses and industries provide stability in the employment sector.
The economy in the region is vigorous. Both large and small businesses are profiting. Economy building business opportunities continue to arise due to the fervent work ethic of our workforce. These opportunities, in turn, contribute to the area’s rapidly growing economic environment as well as add to the quality of life for current and future residents.
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CEDARVILLE Engineering Group, LLC
April Barkasi started her company in March of 2010. The company that started with four people, now employs over 35 and anticipates growing to 50 employees within the next two years.
The staff at CEDARVILLE moved into the 5th floor of the BB&T building at 159 East High Street in June of 2018. This move merged three different company locations, centralized the team and provided easy access to Rt. 422 and a variety of quality of life features to attract and retain top talent.
That move did not happen until after extensive renovations took place to office space that had not been occupied for years. There was asbestos remediation, fixing broken pipes, replacing ceilings, removing wallpaper, modifying the layout of the space, and refurbishing an elevator.
CEDARVILLE specializes in federal contracts as well as municipal, state, construction, and regulatory specialties and is certified by the federal government as a “woman-owned business.”
CEDARVILLE was presented with the Economic Development Award at the 2018 Economic Development Luncheon. This award is presented to a project that provides quality land use improvement, generates economic benefits for the community, and/or has the potential for creating new jobs.
For more information, visit
www.cedarvilleeng.com.
Limerick Township
Limerick Township recently developed a business strategy with a pro-business philosophy that has guided its actions for several years. The plan focuses on:
- Improving efficiencies and reducing costs without a reduction in the level of services;
- Seeking alternative non-tax revenues to lessen the tax burden of existing residents;
- Instituting long-range planning to properly position Limerick for the next phase of growth.
The Board of Supervisors also recognized the increasing calls for service burdening the townships public safety departments.
- To ensure a high level of service within their Police Department, ten additional police officers have been added to the department, which now stands at 30 sworn officers.
- An increased cooperative effort with both independent fire companies has grown into Township support for a $15-million dollar long-term capital program. The positive relationship with their fire service volunteers has set in place a mutually agreed upon process which will result in the consolidation of both fire organizations in 2019.
- The Board also set forth a long-range capital improvement plan which has resulted in the construction of new facilities for the police, public works, and fire company, all of which are projected to meet their needs for the next 30-years.
In addition to working with the business community to ensure responsible growth and jobs and services for residents, the lower-than-average tax rates make the township an attractive location for business. The steady growth of the non-residential sector that has taken place over the past decade and new jobs and services that have come into Limerick, illustrates the success of their long-term objective.
The Limerick Board of Supervisors received the Legislator Award at the 2018 Economic Development Luncheon. This award is presented to an elected official or elected body for their leadership in helping to create and/or support a pro-business environment.
For more information, visit
www.limerickpa.org.
Pottstown Area Industrial Development, Inc. (PAID, Inc.)
Pottstown Area Industrial Development, Inc. was formed in 1965 to help stimulate commercial and industrial development in Pottstown.
I Pick Pottstown – a Vehicle to tell the Story- The issue for business leaders and stakeholders in the Borough of Pottstown was not that there was lack of economic growth, while still a need for more, it was the fact that we were talking among ourselves about all the momentum that we saw. We needed to expand our message to the outside world to encourage other businesses to join in that momentum. So, in the spring of 2017, an RFP for pro bono marketing strategy work was put out and Todd Palmer of VFC (formerly Virtual Farm Creative) answered the call. He presented the idea of using “I Pick Pottstown, Pioneers of the Good Life” as a tag line along with an overview of how the group might tell our story. Several of the leaders present at that meeting stepped up, without hesitation, and agreed to provide seed money to fund the launch of the campaign. It was decided PAID should coordinate the effort and would serve as the fiscal agent.
Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ)- The federal tax bill passed at the end of December 2017 enables the governor to designate certain census tracts as Opportunity Zones. Investments made by individuals through special funds in these zones would be all owed to defer or eliminate federal taxes on capital gains. The governor was given the opportunity to designate up to 25 percent of census tracts that either have poverty rates of at least 20 percent or median family incomes of no more than 80 percent of statewide or metropolitan area family income.
- Through PAID’s efforts, Pottstown has three designated QOZ’s.
Keystone Employment and Economic Plan- This specific plan provides a vision of what is possible for redevelopment of the Keystone Boulevard corridor in Pottstown Borough and West Pottsgrove Township. The plan creates a development concept that is endorsed by the governing bodies of the two municipalities. This concept is described and illustrated, and is followed by recommendations for implementation, including principles for development, to be incorporated into a subsequent zoning amendment.
For more information, visit
www.paidinc.org.
Building a Better Boyertown (BaBB)
from the BB&T Economic Growth Fund (created after National Penn Bank merged with BB&T). In addition, BB&T offered to match $500,000 in challenge grants.
The grants will support the downtown revitalization project – the Boyertown Vision & Action Plan which includes:
- Restoration of center for the tourist excursion Colebrookdale Railroad
- Construction of a tourism office and website
- Development of a business recruitment package
- Hiring a destination consultant and additional staff
For more information, visit
boyertownpa.org
Workforce Development:
The TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Connects Workers with Employers.
The Chamber provides a resume service to connect job seekers with Chamber Member employers.
The objectives of submitted resumes are:
- Included in the Chamber’s monthly newsmagazine.
- Shared at the bi-monthly Chamber Membership Breakfast.
- In addition, resumes remain on file at the Chamber, and employers can contact the Chamber office to request a copy of relevant resumes.
- Chamber Member employers are also invited to come into our office to review the complete resume file any time they are seeking to fill an opening.
- Chamber Members can post their company’s job openings on the Chamber website.
Individuals looking for employment can visit business.tricountyareachamber.com/jobs for a current list of openings in the Tri-County region.
Route 724 Opportunities Map
In May of 2017, the Rt. 724 Corridor Initiative Committee was revisited by the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC), in partnership with the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Chester County Planning Commission.The purpose was to bring together current stakeholders to focus on economic development opportunities, marketing the regional trail system, and balancing open space along the Route 724 corridor and its surrounding commercial region.
The Route 724 Opportunity Sites map is an interactive map that the Chester County Planning Commission created in collaboration with CCEDC and 7 participating municipalities. The map highlights, markets, and raises awareness of priority sites with development interest along the 12-mile corridor to help cultivate jobs and enhance regional employment and growth in the area.
The Chester County Economic Development Council and the Chester County Planning Commission were presented with the 2018 Regional Planning Award at the Chamber’s Economic Development Luncheon. This award is presented to an organization that develops and implements a multi-organizational plan that fosters smart growth.
Resources from the Montgomery County Workforce Department