Power Northwest launches to bring in new economic investment
HERMITAGE, Mercer County — What we do now will dictate our future.
That was the main message delivered by industry and government leaders during Power Northwest’s launch event Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the Avalon Country Club, with keynote speaker U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., backing the initiative.
The 10 counties in Power Northwest include Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren.
“To put it simple, Power Northwest is a group of business leaders from across 10 counties who figured something out — we need to advocate for ourselves,” Bob Wilson, president of Power Northwest said.
Wilson said the artificial intelligence revolution is very real, but it isn’t here to displace existing industries, but help power what we do have and create new opportunities.
“It is going to demand data centers and require power generation,” Wilson said. “It is going to take people to build those centers, staff them, deliver the power to run them and to build this nation’s next industrial future.”
Power Northwest was founded by Frank Mindicino and Frank Evans, who were inspired to organize it on behalf of the 10 counties that have yet to be included in the $92 billion in energy and technology investment announced at McCormick’s 2025 Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh.
“We know that when it comes to the economy, you cannot wait your turn,” Evans said. “You take it. That’s why we’re here today: to compete better.”
“This region was once the wealthiest in the nation,” McCormick told a crowd of several hundred business and community leaders. “The Drake oil well changed the world. But over the past 50 years, aging demographics and limited growth have created real headwinds, and still, the assets here are extraordinary.”
Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel said the county has assets right under its feet, such as oil and natural gas.
“They want the energy and AI,” Boozel said. “You can’t have one without the other. What that looks like really depends. We have Westinghouse. That could be anything from nuclear to energy prototypes. Overall, this (presidential) administration has made it clear they want gas. We have it — let’s use it.”
Boozel said he thinks it would be irresponsible to not tap into the region’s gas assets, but he also feels capitalism and environmental protection need to coexist.
“You’ve got to find how much people are willing to give up for an economy versus clean air, water and quality of life,” Boozel said. “I know there is some way out there to do all this stuff within reason.”
McCormick attributed the groundwork being laid for “enormous economic transformation” to President Donald Trump.
“His energy dominance and deregulation agenda restoring supply chains — that brings opportunity back to Pennsylvania,” McCormick said. “Now it is time for the commonwealth to capture this opportunity.”
The senator laid out three key areas for opportunity: energy/AI, industrial defense and life sciences, such as pharmaceuticals.
“We have a world-class workforce with skilled labor,” McCormick said. “We have tremendous universities, which all position us to build the infrastructure.”
Over the past few years, investments in the billions of dollars have already begun by major technology players such as Google and Amazon, McCormick said.
“Pennsylvania is primed for economic resilience, but we need to do more to bring that opportunity right here,” McCormick said. “That is why this initiative at Power Northwest is such a critical moment and it warms my heart to see the people in this room because you all come from different walks of life, supporting a common goal together, which is to make sure this region is at the forefront of this opportunity.”
