CDC touts benefits of working together
CRANBERRY TWP — The Community Development Corporation of Butler County on Friday highlighted the benefits of working together during its annual meeting at the Regional Learning Alliance.
The CDC, a nonprofit economic development organization, is known mostly for developing sites such as the Pullman Business Park in Butler to attract and retain business.
However, while the organization has always worked with others to accomplish those goals, Ken Raybuck, executive director, said that is more important than ever because of how competitive and challenging economic development has become.
“Our future sustainability requires a combination of both public and private support,” he said.
One of the ways the organization is doing that is by working with other groups on an economic development study that Butler County Community College is leading.
Conducted earlier this year by Fourth Economy Consulting, an economic development firm based in Pittsburgh, the CDC will help to analyze the results and draft a countywide economic development plan.
Raybuck said more than 900 people responded to the in-depth survey, and results are expected by the end of summer.
“By that time, we hope we can look for ways to streamline the process and work together with other organizations in Butler County,” he said.
“We know that’s a critical point for us to talk to companies ... and make sure all the organizations in the county are working together.”
John Maholtz, president and CEO of Cygnus Manufacturing, provided an example of how those joint efforts have paid off.
Maholtz said for Cygnus, a growing contract manufacturer in Clinton Township that employs more than 100 people, finding qualified employees is one of its biggest challenges.
However, he said the CDC, BC3, the Butler County Area Vocational Technical School and others have provided a lot of support in that area.
He introduced one of his workers, Emily Nulph, who Cygnus hired about a year ago.
Nulph shared her story about how a family friend encouraged her to participate in the welding program at the vo-tech and how the school helped her get a PA Career T.R.A.C.K. grant that funded a work experience program at Cygnus.
When the grant finished, she said Cygnus hired her as a full-time welder.
Now Nulph is finishing her freshman year at BC3, with tuition reimbursement from Cygnus, where she now works in the engineering department.
David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins, also spoke about joint efforts and how they brought the organization to Cranberry Township.
The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, a 185.000-square-foot hockey and sports medicine facility on Route 228 near Interstate 79, is set to open in August.
He credited the efforts of township staff and business leaders for making the facility a reality.
Morehouse said UPMC several years ago talked with the Penguins about forming a partnership similar to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice facility in the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
So he searched North America for inspiration from similar facilities.
“I came back to UPMC and said, ‘I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is there isn’t a facility like this in the world. The good news is there isn’t a facility like this in the world,’” he said.
The organizations started working together, and they both identified Cranberry as a desirable place to be, he said. UPMC wanted to expand farther north from Pittsburgh, and the Penguins had studied fan demographics and realized the biggest portion of fans lived in the area.
“It’s a little farther than a lot of people would have thought we wanted to put a practice facility,” he said, adding, “It’s quickly becoming part of a center of the region, and we’re excited to be here.”
In other action, Tim Morgus of Maher Duessel, which completed the CDC’s annual audit, presented the organization’s financial report.
He said the CDC has about $8.1 million in assents, with about $3.4 million of that being available lots to develop. He said 30 acres remain at the Pullman Business Park Expansion and 59.2 acres remain at Victory Road Business Park in Clinton Township.
Morgus said the organization has about $5.2 million in liabilities, leading to net assets of about $2.9 million.
The CDC generated about $1 million in revenue during 2014, he said.
