Good News to Amplify - Recent Business Attraction and Expansion Wins!

We’re excited to share some incredible developments and achievements that highlight the region’s growing appeal in various industries via our monthly Momentum newsletter. Here's a recap of our November 2024 edition. Sign up to receive Momentum via email here!

Q&A with Aaron Pitts, CCO, Pennsylvania DCED?

This month in Mometum, we featured a Q&A with Aaron Pitts, Chief Commercial Officer of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PA DCED), who shared on the PA DCED’s new business-focused economic development unit BusinessPA, and the state’s 10-year economic development plan.

Pitts joined the PA DCED in February 2024 to lead Pennsylvania’s initiatives to attract new businesses to the state and support the growth of existing companies under the leadership of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro?and?PA DCED Secretary Rick Siger.

Q: What is Pennsylvania Gets it Done (#PAGetsItDone) and why is it important for Pennsylvania’s economic development?

Pennsylvania Gets it Done is the comprehensive campaign around our?10-year strategic plan for economic development in Pennsylvania. The plan is our roadmap for attracting and retaining businesses in Pennsylvania, a guide to creating a favorable business environment, supporting job creation, and driving economic growth across the state.

Q: In your experience, what are the key factors that make Pennsylvania an attractive destination for businesses?

There are many factors that make Pennsylvania an attractive destination to do business, but a few stand out for me. First, our people.?Pennsylvania’s education system and values have created educational attainment that is the envy of the nation.?Second, our location and infrastructure allow companies to get products to market quickly and easily. Third, our quality of places. Loaded with abundant natural resources (mountains, hardwood, rivers), PA offers a fantastic quality of life with affordable living and rich cultural opportunities.

Q: What initiatives are currently underway to attract new businesses to Pennsylvania? Can you share any recent successes or upcoming projects?

In addition to having a great operating environment, we are investing to become even more competitive. We are cutting the corporate net income tax in half, making improvements to business permitting processes, investing $400 million in a PA Sites program to bring more pad-ready sites to market faster, and streamlining and enhancing our incentives offerings.

Q: How does BusinessPA support the growth of existing companies in Pennsylvania? Are there specific programs or resources that businesses should be aware of?

BusinessPA supports the growth of Pennsylvania companies, from small businesses to multinational corporations, by providing loans, grants, and tax credit services. Our programs will be listed at pagetsitdone.com.

Q: You have a diverse background in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory services and healthcare investment. How have these experiences influenced your approach to economic development and business attraction?

My professional background in consulting and corporate leadership is directly translatable to this economic development role. Fundamentally, with our clients, it’s about developing a relationship, listening, problem-solving, and mutual-gains dealmaking. Internally, leading our team involves casting a clear vision and ambition, performance managing to goals, and inspiring the team to compete and win as a team—and individually!

Q: How do you plan to leverage your experience from JobsOhio?

The great news is that the Shapiro administration developed and launched a plan with outlined ambitions. So, I view my job as mobilizing our team and environment to deliver on that plan. It begins with earning the next investment from incumbent employers in our key industries – agriculture, energy, life sciences, manufacturing, and robotics and tech. With our business advocates, we will be able to more effectively compete for attraction wins. I plan to bring a similar partnership focus on building a competitive, innovation-driven economy.

Q: Can you share a success story where the PA DCEC’s BusinessPA efforts significantly impacted a company’s decision to establish or expand in Pennsylvania?

Just this week, we had a tremendous notable success in the implementation of the Fast Track Program designed to help project sponsors better understand and meet permitting requirements, thereby reducing costly delays. By coordinating meetings across state agencies and providing efficient answers to sponsors’ questions, the program ensures every permit undergoes the same rigorous review as any other application in the Commonwealth.?

Governor Shapiro signed the Executive Order on November 19 while visiting one of the program’s pilot projects? – the Bellwether District in Philadelphia. This 1,300-acre logistics and innovation campus, located on the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery site, is a transformative development that includes substantial remediation work and is projected to create 19,000 direct permanent jobs.?

At the signing, Roberto Perez, CEO of HRP Group, the developer for The Bellwether District in Philadelphia and a Chamber investor, emphasized the collaborative effort?required for such a large-scale transformation when he said,? “Transforming a site of this scale and creating thousands of new jobs requires business, government, labor, and institutions to work together — along with a little imagination and a lot of grit. I firmly believe that together, we will show that in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we can innovate and accomplish big things.”?

Q: Looking ahead, what are your long-term visions for Pennsylvania’s economic landscape? How do you see the state evolving as a business hub?

Our economic development plan calls for the Commonwealth to be recognized as a top state to do business. We’ll proactively share company success stories touting how PA’s strategic location, diverse economy, and highly skilled workforce have propelled their success. In doing so, it will raise our profile as a great place for business, creating a virtuous growth cycle.

Q: What advice would you give to businesses considering Pennsylvania as their next location?

If businesses desire to operate in an environment where they are appreciated, encouraged, and celebrated—give Pennsylvania a look. Once here, they’ll find the people, location, and quality of places are fantastic—and that combination is an advantage for businesses operating here.

Q: How do the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia and other local organizations collaborate with the DCED to further economic development in the region?

The Chamber is a terrific regional partner to DCED. Our ability to partner, through the Chamber, with local economic development professionals and companies is critical to our effectiveness. We have positioned our own regional resources across the state, including Southeast PA, to collaborate around site selection, business retention, expansion, attraction, and promotion. Leveraging our combined strengths and resources, we are creating an ecosystem that supports business growth in the region.?

Keep Informed

To learn more about BusinessPA and Pennsylvania’s economic development plan, sign up for the new BusinessPA’s newsletter.

To learn more about how the Greater Philadelphia region and the Chamber can help your company, visit the Select website?or contact James Medaglio, Director, Business Attraction and Expansion, The Chamber, at?[email protected].

We hope you enjoyed this update! Stay tuned and subscribe to get the latest updates on company expansions, groundbreaking developments, and economic progress in our region.