Business News in the Lehigh Valley, September 9, 2013

Good morning, and happy Monday Lehigh Valley!

In local news over the weekend, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski officially announced he will be making a run for Pennsylvania Governor in 2014. Pawlowski pointed to Pennsylvania's stagnant job growth, crumbling infrastructure, and massive cuts in the state's public education system as reasons he's running for Harrisburg.

Bethlehem held its third annual VegFest over the weekend on the South Bethlehem Greenway. This was the first year the festival went entirely vegan, and thousands of hungry vegetable lovers came out to celebrate on Saturday.

The Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon took place this weekend, raising more then $200,000 for children and adults with disabilities. There were 3,538 runners from 37 different states and several countries competing in the race, as this is a qualifier for next year's Boston Marathon.

Tonight on Business Matters: A special double feature with Two special editions of "Business Matters" dealing with Syria. At 7:00, host Tony Iannelli will speak with local members of the Syrian community discussing the current situation. At 7:30, he will interview Sen. Pat Toomey on various issues, including Syria. Tune in and watch WFMZ tonight, and make sure to leave your comments here or on our other social media outlets.

Today’s Member of the Day is Delaware Valley College, who will be holding The 18th Annual DelVal Scholarship Golf Classic on Monday, October 7 at Saucon Valley Country Club.

The Annual Golf Classic is a full day of golf and goodwill, with all fees and sponsorships going directly to college scholarships. Enjoy a round on the Famed Old Course or Grace Course, both ranked in the top 100 courses in the country.

Register online at www.delval.edu/golfclassic.
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PA Governor Tom Corbett passes $28.3 billion state budget

Good morning Lehigh Valley on this rainy Monday. It's already July... hard to believe!

Last night, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett passed the 2013-14 budget of $28.3 billion, but action has stalled on a liquor privatization bill, pension reform, and a transportation funding bill.

The House was unable to pass the legislation that called for roughly $2 billion in transportation funding, and that may have to wait until the fall for approval.

Further votes on Pennsylvania's liquor privatization bill will likely have to wait until the fall as well. "Early Saturday morning, the Senate Republican majority won a key, preliminary vote on a measure that would allow retail beer distributors to sell liquor and wine and permit certain other stores to sell wine."

The Allentown School District got a $9.6 million increase in funding, part of the legislature's $123 million in increased funding for schools.

A bill to possibly extend Medicaid eligibility to Pennsylvanians under the 2010 federal health-care law also passed the Senate, but house leaders insist they will not allow a vote on it.

For more budget coverage, make sure to follow the below links.

Express Times coverage
The Morning Call coverage
WFMZ coverage



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Business News in the Lehigh Valley, 6/17/13

Good morning and happy Monday, Lehigh Valley. Today is "Eat Your Vegetables Day," strategically placed in the middle of National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month.

In recent business news, supporters of Braden Airpark were given 120 days to arrange a deal to purchase the property from the Lehigh Northampton-Airport Authority. "The authority wants to sell Braden and other properties to help pay off an estimated $16 million legal judgment that ended a lawsuit in 2011." Roughly 40 planes remain at Braden Airport, the only general aviation airport in Northampton County.

Today begins the construction on the Route 22 toll bridge between Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, NJ. The highway will be slimmed down to just one lane over the bridge for the next year and a half, as part of a $30.6 million project to rehabilitate the 75 -year-old bridge. Motorists are urged to take alternate routes during the construction period to cut down on traffic congestion along the bridge.

Lehigh Valley and Warren County are beginning to see signs of a resurgence for new home construction, according to Forks Township zoning officer Tim Weis. Weis says he’s seeing signs of recovery over the last six months, issuing between seven to eight permits per month and expects a 25% increase in housing starts compared to the previous year.

Vacation travel is picking back up across the country, with leisure travelers' hotel bookings for the next 12 months up 4.6%.




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Business News in the Lehigh Valley - April 26, 2013

Good morning, and T.G.I.F. Lehigh Valley! Today is April 26, 2013, is National Pretzel Day. Here are a few news headlines to get your day started.


Allentown City Council has approved a 50-year lease of the city's water and sewer systems. The vote was 6-1 after hearing hours of arguments from supporters and opponents, with Councilwoman Jeanette Eichenwald opposed and Council members Cynthia Mota, Julio Guridy, Ray O'Connell, Jeff Glazier, Peter Schweyer and Joe Davis voted for the lease.


The Phantoms hockey arena is looking less like a hole in the ground and is beginning to take shape, according to Mike Leone, project manager for Hammes Co., the arena developer. The site is more complicated than most build sites due to the extent of underground work that needs to be completed. The arena is set to open in September 2014. The center ice area will be about 100 feet wide.


In a battle of privacy vs. cybersecurity, CISPA (the "Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act") has been taken off the table for now citing privacy concerns, at least until new legislation is drafted. The bill would have allowed the federal government to share classified "cyber threat" information with companies, but it also provided provisions that would have allowed companies to share information about specific users with the government.

According to Reuters, U.S. economic growth regained speed in the first quarter, but not as much as expected. Gross domestic product expanded at 2.5 percent annual rate.

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Business News in the Lehigh Valley, 2/12/13

Good morning Lehigh Valley, and Happy Fastnacht Day!

In recent business news, Governor Corbett announced his 2013-2014 budget plan last week, the details of which can be found here. The proposed plan includes "removing the oil company franchise cap, decreasing the flat gas tax from 12 cents to 10 cents, revamping the pension system for new government workers and repealing the corporate loans tax."

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection recently awarded $18 million in grants to 131 municipalities and counties for developing and implementing recycling programs. Through the program, these municipalities are eligible for up to 90 percent funding of approved recycling program costs.

The first ever Lehigh Valley Beer Week kicked off yesterday with a ribbon cutting celebration at Allentown Brew Works. Dozens of regional bars and restaurants will be participating in this celebration of beer, with various events held throughout the week. Check out lehighvalleybeerweek.com for the full schedule of activities.

In world news, the Pope announced he would step down from his position at the end of the month, citing his declining strength as the reason for his departure from the position. A papal resignation has not happened for nearly 600 years.

That's all for now, hope everyone has a great 'Fat Tuesday!'



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Business News in the Lehigh Valley, 1/25/13

Good morning, Lehigh Valley. Happy Friday!

Thanks to all who came out to the Lehigh Valley Easy Pages Annual Distribution Party and Chamber Signature Networking Mixer last night. The Miller Symphony Hall was full of all kinds of businesspersons networking and having a great time. Also, welcome to all of the new Chamber members that made it out to our New Member Orientation!

The Pennsylvania Covered Device Recycling Act became law beginning yesterday, requiring outdated electronics to be recycled instead of thrown away. In addition to reducing waste in landfills, the law will ensure that precious metals found in the electronics can be reused and not go to waste. Pennsylvania is the 25th state to enact such a ban. Make sure you don't throw away your outdated computers, keyboards and similar items! For a list of electronics recycling facilities nearest you, follow this link.

The Pennsylvania House committee also passed a bill recently that would eliminate the inheritance tax on family-owned businesses. The bill will now go to the full house for consideration.

Downtown Bethlehem's Winter Restaurant Week begins this Sunday, January 27.

Thirty-Two Restaurants in Bethlehem will offer fixed menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast price points: $5, $10
Lunch price points: $5, $10, $15
Dinner price points: $10, $20, $25, $30, $35
Here's the best part: You have an opportunity to win $2000 worth of Restaurant Week Participant gift certificates! Each time you dine out from a Restaurant Week menu (max 3 times daily), fill out the contest slip given to you by your server. Hand that slip back to the waiter and you are automatically entered into the contest. Find out more here.

Make sure to check The Morning Call for upcoming business events in the Lehigh Valley.




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ECC Awarded Pacific Business News' 2011 Healthiest Employer

BURLINGAME, Calif., Sept. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Just two months after being recognized as a Top Workplace in the Bay Area by the San Jose Mercury News, ECC was named Pacific Business News' 2011 Healthiest Employer in Hawaii during an awards ceremony held at the Sheraton Waikiki.

ECC placed first out of 10 companies competing for the title of the Healthiest Workplace for businesses with under 50 employees in Hawaii. Companies were evaluated in six key categories, including culture and leadership commitment, foundational components, strategic planning, communication and marketing, programming and interventions, and reporting and analysis.

"Employee wellness clearly leads to a happier life experience and contributes to making ECC a Great Place to Work, which is one of the three vision statements guiding our Team," says Paul Sabharwal, ECC Chairman of the Board. "The idea of protecting and enhancing the health and well-being of each and every employee is woven into the very fabric of our organization. Being recognized as one of the healthiest employers in Hawaii highlights our never ending journey to celebrate the efforts our employee-owners expend each day to lead a safe and healthy lifestyle in the workplace and at home. "

Dr. Sarah Cunningham, OTD, OTR/L, CDE, ECC's Corporate Wellness Manager added, "With a 70 percent employee participation rate companywide, not only have we seen a boost in morale, productivity, and camaraderie among employees--as well as lower health insurance costs for the company--we have also made significant progress on an individual health behavior change level."

Since 2008, employees company-wide have lost more than 3,582 pounds of fat mass and decreased their intake of prescriptions for preventable conditions, such as high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and cholesterol. Forty-two individuals have successfully quit smoking without relapse.

ECC's Wellness Program is promoted through awareness, education, action, advocacy, and sustainability. It assists employees and their families in making voluntary, positive health changes that reduce health risks and enhance well-being.

Established in 1985, ECC is an employee-owned company that delivers its clients' missions, including renewable energy, design-build, construction, operation and maintenance, environmental remediation, and munitions response services. ECC serves several U.S. government agencies, including the Army, Air Force, Navy, Department of State, and Department of Energy. Established in 1996, ECC's Hawaii office serves clients on projects throughout the Pacific. ECC is Hiring! For more information, please visit http://www.ecc.net . ECC--Never Compromising Safety

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Bay Area Business Leaders Joined a State Legislator

Bay Area business leaders joined a state legislator from the South Bay today to call on Gov. Jerry Brown to reinstate funding for California's statewide education data system.

State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, joined Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area Council, a business-sponsored public policy organization, to push for the governor to reverse the proposed cuts, part of his revised budget plan released last month.

Brown proposed to suspend about $8.5 million in federal funding for the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, CALPADS, as well as CALTIDES, its sister program to track teacher performance.

The programs have been developed in the past decade and would allow officials to better track student achievement over time, more accurately calculate graduation and dropout rates, and help local districts learn about best practices from elsewhere in the state.

Wunderman said the programs are already in place in various parts of the state and are ready to be rolled out statewide by next year, so the suspension of funding for it does not make sense.

"We're at a point where we're right about to the goal line in fully implementing the system," he said. "It seems extremely questionable when we've come this far down the road to take a step back and undo so much of what's already been done."

Simitian, whose 2006 legislation authorized the creation of CALTIDES, said even in bad budgetary times, the data systems make sense because they help officials see how effective various programs and policies are for students.

"Right now we spend tens of billions of dollars of public funds without the ability to really say why that is a value to the taxpayer," he said. "Districts are being forced to make hard choices, and (with these systems) they can make the choices with the best value."

A spokesman for Brown was not immediately available for comment, but in his revised budget proposal released in May, the governor said he wants to suspend funding for the programs because they do not adequately address problems with testing and data collection in the state's public schools.

In the budget proposal document, Brown's administration said, "Testing takes huge amounts of time from classroom instruction. Data collection requirements are cumbersome and do not provide timely--and therefore usable--information back to schools. Teachers are forced to curb their own creativity and engagement with students as they focus on teaching to the test."

Brown's administration proposed suspending the funding for the programs while looking at possible reforms, including reducing the amount of time devoted to state testing in schools and restoring power to local school districts, teachers and parents.

However, opponents of Brown's proposal said eliminating the programs could put other current and future federal funding for California's schools at risk since much of it requires states having systems to track student data.

"We're asking the governor not to cancel or put on hold" funding for the systems, Wunderman said. "We feel very strongly that if it's put on hold, it will in effect kill the system."

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Progressive Insurance Plans to Hire 110 Workers by the End of June

To handle a growing customer base, Progressive Insurance plans to hire 110 workers by the end of June at its call center in southern Hillsborough County, the auto insurer said Tuesday.

"The number of policyholders we have continues to grow," company spokeswoman Leah Knapp said, citing a 6 percent increase in auto policies and 5 percent increase in special lines policies compared to a year ago.

Progressive currently has about 2,300 employees at the Riverview center. The complex is the company's second-largest customer service location, after its headquarters and flagship customer service operation in Cleveland.

The new jobs, which involve selling auto policies and answering customer questions, would pay in the $12- to $15-per-hour range, Knapp said.To find out more about available positions, go to jobs.progressive.com

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