Event aids relocating employees
MONROEVILLE, Allegheny County — Employees of Westinghouse Electric Co. got another look at all the goods and services awaiting them from the surrounding communities once the company moves into its new digs in the Cranberry Woods office park off Route 228 in Cranberry Township.
Westinghouse officials hosted a second meet-n-greet event for Cranberry-area businesses at the Westinghouse Energy Center on Wednesday.
Westinghouse employees mingled through the halls of the center picking up materials and talking with mostly Butler County business owners about their wares and learning a little more about the new home of Westinghouse.
Construction work in the office park began Aug. 29.
The $200 million project will serve as Westinghouse's new corporate headquarters and research center.
The first building to go up will be 400,000 square feet, followed by a 300,000-square-foot building and a third building of 182,000 square feet on just more than 83 acres.
The site plan includes the possibility of a fourth office building.
The new Westinghouse facility will house management-administration, engineers and support staff, bringing all aspects of the company's nuclear business into one location.
Some of the company's staff have been relocated to leased space in the Cranberry Woods office park.
More employees are projected to move into the new facility by the end of 2009. The entire facility is expected to be completed by 2010 and house 3,000 employees.
Sue Brennan of Super Suppers in Cranberry Township said Westinghouse Electric officials contacted her business as a potential benefit for employees as she staffed her informational table at the meet-n-greet event.
The business, which creates meals people can take home and prepare easily, is a healthy alternative for employees who don't have time to cook up a full meal and don't want to eat fast food.
Other businesses, such as Mimi's Bake Shoppe, which plans to open its new bakery in May within the new shopping plaza at the intersection of Freedom Road and Commonwealth Drive, are hoping to introduce themselves to not only Westinghouse employees, but to the community.
The bakery's operations and sales director Sue Ball said there was a need in the community for a real bakery, which will offer all of the traditional bakery goods along with high-end, special order cakes and other baking delights.
The bakery had a booth with some of its samples at both of the meet-n-greet events held at the soon-to-be former home of Westinghouse Electric.
Westinghouse employees thought the meet-n-greet events were very informative.
Administrative assistant Cassandra Dale of Plum said she was hired knowing that Westinghouse was moving to Cranberry Township. She said she's in the process of exploring a potential move to the area but wasn't sure at this point whether she would relocate to Butler County.
Cheryl Haas, who works in document control and lives in Level Green, just outside of Monroeville, said she really appreciated people from the Cranberry area coming down so that the employees know what's there.
Haas said the news of the move was "just devastating" because long-time employees built their whole lives around the Monroeville area from things like family doctors, schools and other community-oriented events and services.
Haas does not plan to relocate. However, she learned that Westinghouse will provide a shuttle service for employees for at least the first year of the move to Cranberry Township.
