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Banking & Finance

Judge offers temporary cease-fire in loan fight between bank, flooring firm

After listening to both sides of a loan dispute yesterday morning, a Dauphin County judge outlined a potential truce and asked attorneys to put it in writing. Harrisburg-area flooring supplier Frontier Surfaces claims it is on the brink of financial collapse following efforts by regional lender Mid Penn Bancorp to collect on a $4 million loan to the company. […]

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Flooring firm levels new charges in loan dispute

A regional bank allegedly relied on false premises to seize $1.6 million in inventory from a Harrisburg-area flooring company, according to a legal complaint filed by the company against the bank. The complaint, filed last week in Dauphin County court against Mid Penn Bank, is the latest salvo in a dispute over an alleged loan default by […]

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State House moving bill for government-run retirement savings

State lawmakers are taking another run at creating a state-backed retirement program for private-sector workers. Similar legislation cleared the Democratic-controlled House in 2023 but failed to move in the GOP-led Senate. The House is once again on the cusp of passing the legislation following its approval on Tuesday in a party-line vote by the House Commerce […]

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Shapiro reboots state efforts to fight financial fraud amid federal cuts

Citing federal pullbacks in the area of consumer protection, the Shapiro administation yesterday unveiled a new hotline, website and email address for complaining about banks, insurers, student lenders and other financial services providers. State residents can now call 1-866-PACOMPLAINT, visit pa.gov/consumer or email [email protected] to report their concerns. Pennsylvania has its own set of laws designed to […]

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State authority backs fund focused on life sciences

A state authority is awarding $2 million to a new venture capital fund that aims to sink the money into Pennsylvania’s life sciences sector, an area that state officials have targeted for growth. The fund is Neovate Life Sciences GP 1 LLC, launched by Neovate Capital Partners, which has offices in Pittsburgh, London, Boulder, Colorado, and New […]

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Bank aims to add mobile branch stop in Mount Joy

Bank of Bird-in-Hand in Lancaster County is seeking permission to add a stop in Mount Joy for one of its Gelt Buses, which are essentially bank branches on wheels. If all goes as planned, the bank’s Gelt Bus No. 3 would begin making stops at 3141 Mount Joy Road, the home of Mount Joy Gift and […]

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Chase Bank lines up another capital-area branch

As it seeks to boost its retail base nationwide, Chase Bank is planning to open its third office in the Harrisburg area. The branch is slated to open this fall at 2323 Linglestown Road in Susquehanna Township, a Chase spokesperson confirmed, saying more details would be available as the opening date approaches. The New York-based bank, an […]

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Economic uncertainty weighs on regional M&A

Regional dealmakers came to life in the second half of 2024 as interest rates came down. Nonetheless, the volume of mergers and acquisitions in Central and southeastern Pennsylvania fell last year for the third year in a row, according to an annual report by professional services firm RKL LLP. This year began on an active note, according […]

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Bank, business owner spar in court over loan

The owner of a Harrisburg-area flooring company and a regional bank are trading allegations in Dauphin County court over the status of a $4 million loan. Mid Penn Bank claims the loan is in default and is seeking a judgement of just over $4 million, plus interest, according to court filings. Scott Appel, founder of flooring […]

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‘We can’t stand still’: Growth-minded bank passing baton to new leader

During the 34 years he’s been a board member at F&M Trust, G. Warren Elliott has seen “too many” community banks disappear in mergers and acquisitions. Elliott, F&M Trust’s chairman since 2012, does not want the Chambersburg-based bank to join their ranks, but he knows the lender will have to work to preserve its independence. […]

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Feds indict York tax preparer on bank fraud

A York tax preparer is facing charges for allegedly falsifying applications from businesses seeking loans under an emergency federal program designed to help businesses meet payroll after the Covid-19 pandemic tanked the economy in early 2020. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Harrisburg has indicated tax preparer Dommonick T. Chatman on 20 counts of bank fraud […]

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Trump order targets funding for nonprofit community lenders

Finanta, a nonprofit based in Lancaster, is expecting millions of dollars from the federal government this year to further its mission, which includes lending to businesses in poor communities. But the federal fund that provides those dollars is among several programs targeted for cuts or possible elimination under an executive order issued late Friday by President […]

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Central PA bank-fraud ring busted

State police broke up a bank-fraud ring that drained more than $3 million from accounts of customers at Members 1st Federal Credit Union, according to a criminal complaint filed in a Cumberland County magisterial district. The credit union, based in Hampden Township, Cumberland County, reimbursed the losses suffered by its members. News of the bust came […]

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Bank closing Red Lion office

Wells Fargo is closing its branch in the heart of Red Lion. The San Francisco-based bank plans to close the branch at 1 N. Main St. at 11 a.m. on May 7, according to a bank spokesperson. Once it closes, customers can use a Wells Fargo branch at 2099 S. Queen St. in York Township. Like […]

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Regional bank resets succession plan

After an early retirement scuttled its CEO succession plans last year, Orrstown Financial Services is back on track. The regional bank named a longtime executive, Adam Metz, as the successor to president and CEO Tom Quinn, who is slated to retire next year. Metz, Orrstown’s chief revenue officer since 2019, has been promoted to senior executive vice […]

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Bank tax on the chopping block

In a budget proposal for the fiscal year that starts July 1, Gov. Josh Shapiro is proposing to eliminate the bank shares tax and subject banks to the corporate net income tax. First introduced in the 19th century, the tax is based on how much capital banks hold. The he corporate net income tax, or […]

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Lancaster ATM operator agrees to liquidation

During a court hearing yesterday, Lancaster-based Blackford ATM Ventures consented to a petition forcing it into Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation. The next step is to appoint a bankruptcy trustee to oversee distribution of the company’s assets. The process is not likely to be straightforward, acknowledged an attorney for Silverview Credit Partners, the Florida-based lender that sought to force Blackford […]

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Lancaster ATM operator strikes deal with creditor

A Lancaster-based ATM operator has struck a tentative deal with a creditor that wanted to force it into bankruptcy. Under the deal, Blackford ATM Ventures is getting time to file voluntarily for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, allowing it to reorganize, according to an attorney for the creditor, Silverview Credit Partners. The Tampa-based private lender had sought to impose a Chapter […]

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Hotel, restaurant envisioned for York city landmark

New developers are embracing the challenge of bringing life to one of York city’s most prominent buildings. John and Denise Gilliland paid $650,000 for the stately bank branch at 1 N. George St., and they aim to convert it into a boutique hotel and high-end restaurant in the heart of the White Rose city, John […]

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Contractor fires back in suit over concrete for hospital project

A contractor is disputing claims it’s liable for defective concrete used during construction of a new hospital tower in York. The contractor, New Holland-based Stief Concrete Work Inc., denies the claims, which were raised in a lawsuit filed in May by York-based Kinsley Construction LLC. Kinsley claims it’s owed $935,000 for the concrete, which the company delivered for […]

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West Shore engineering firm acquired

Aiming for a bigger slice of business in Pennsylvania, an Ohio-based engineering firm has acquired Dawood Engineering, a firm based on the West Shore. The deal brings together two companies with complementary services and creates opportunities to build on them, according to Neil Churman, president and CEO of the Ohio-based buyer, Woolpert. Woolpert, for example, has a […]

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New owners, new outlook for Lancaster contractor

Aimee Deraco hesitated when she was first approached about becoming chief executive of Brubaker Inc., a family-owned contractor in Lancaster County that was mulling a transition to employee ownership. She wasn’t sure, at first, what role would be played by the company’s then-owners, brothers Dave, Don and Gerry Brubaker. They had taken over the company […]

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Demo approved, sites confirmed for Lancaster data centers

The dust is still settling on the flurry of announcements for massive data and energy projects proposed this week for Pennsylvania. Actual dust could soon start flying on one of those projects — a $6 billion data center investment in Lancaster. The city has issued demolition permits for the first phase of the project, according […]

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Feds charge fired West Shore Home VP with extortion

A vice president overseeing supply chains for Mechanicsburg-based West Shore Home LLC allegedly tried to extort a severance payment from the company after he was fired, according to a federal criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office and a civil lawsuit filed by the company. The home improvement company fired the VP, Bryan Chapman, in August […]

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Major mixed-use project in Lancaster secures zoning OK

High Real Estate Group took a step forward this week in its ambitious plan to develop a 476-acre tract west of Lancaster where the company envisions a mix of homes, apartment buildings, shops and light industrial space. Supervisors in Manor Township voted 4-1 this week to change zoning on nearly 400 acres of the property from […]

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Firm eyes hotel use in part of former York-area hospital

The developer that converted the former Memorial Hospital in suburban York into apartments is asking Spring Garden Township to allow a hotel/motel use in a portion of the building, according to a zoning application before the township. In a zoning request for a special exception, BHI Properties LLC said it wants to create a hotel […]

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Court ruling freezes bidding on state lab project

A state appeals court has halted the bidding process for work on a $325 million state laboratory near Harrisburg after a builders group challenged a labor requirement attached to the project. The requirement, known as a project labor agreement, would require contractors to use mostly union workers. But the Lancaster County-based Keystone chapter of the Associated Builders […]

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PE-backed firm scoops up West Shore utility contractor

A firm sponsored by private equity has purchased JMF Underground, a West Shore contractor that specializes in repair and maintenance of underground utility infrastructure. The Mechanicsburg-based contractor is now a part of Ohio-based Delphi Infrastructure Group, which is backed by MPE Partners, a private equity firm with offices in Boston and Cleveland. Terms of the transaction were not […]

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Zoning change accommodates data center plans

A $15 billion data center project proposed for rural Cumberland County cleared a crucial hurdle. At a meeting Friday morning, supervisors in Middlesex Township approved an ordinance creating a special zone where data centers are allowed — an agricultural tract of roughly 700 acres along Country Club Road and the Conodoguinet Creek. The ordinance incorporates […]

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Regional contractors clash over hospital project

A York contractor claims it has not been paid in full for work it performed earlier this year on a multimillion-dollar project to expand a local hospital. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in York County court, Kinsley Construction LLC says it was hired by other contractors in 2024 to provide concrete for the foundation of a new […]

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Deal bolsters arm of Harrisburg engineering firm

Seeing a need among its clients, engineering services firm The Lexis Group LLC launched a construction inspection division in February 2024. But it has been challenging to find qualified inspectors, according to Lexis principal and chief marketing officer Ann Leiner. So, leaders of the Harrisburg-based firm embraced the opportunity this spring to add nearly 50 inspectors through […]

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Lanco contractor acquiring neighboring firms

Brubacher, a specialty construction contractor based in Brecknock Township, Lancaster County, is acquiring Abel Construction and Abel Recon, sister companies based in West Hempfield Township, Lancaster County. Terms of the transaction, slated to close at the end of this month, were not disclosed. Founded in 1971, Brubacher is a family-owned earthwork, underground utility and paving contractor with about […]

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WellSpan, Inch settle sports center lawsuit

WellSpan Health and Inch & Co. reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed last week by WellSpan over a proposed sports complex on which they have been partnering, according to a WellSpan spokesperson and an Inch & Co. executive. The settlement includes transferring ownership of the sports complex site to WellSpan, according to health system spokesperson Ryan Coyle. […]

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Gannett Fleming gets new CEO, new name

More changes are coming to the region’s largest engineering firm. Gannett Fleming TranSystems relocated its West Shore headquarters this year. Now, the firm is getting a new name and a new CEO, the first leader from outside the company. The new moniker is GFT. The new CEO is Mike Orth. He succeeds Bob Scaer, who retired in […]

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WellSpan, Inch & Co. splinter over sports center

On a sunny day last September, leaders of WellSpan Health and real estate developer Inch & Co. came together to cement their partnership on a new sports complex in North York. Seven months later, the partnership appears to be coming apart. WellSpan is no longer a sponsor of what was going to be called the WellSpan Sports Complex, […]

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West Shore warehouse complex moves forward

Developers have acquired land off the Carlisle Pike in Cumberland County where they plan to build three warehouses. The warehouses will span nearly 2 million square feet under plans approved in 2023 under the previous owner of the property, part of Hempt Farms in Silver Spring Township. The developers — a joint venture between New York-based Rockefeller […]

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Rail stoppage to ripple through PA, though end is in sight

Supply chain troubles are back in the news, thanks to the shutdown this week of two major Canadian freight railroads amid conflict between labor and management. It’s unclear how long the stoppage will last and what the economic impact will be, though the Canadian government moved yesterday afternoon to get trains back on track. Nonetheless, ripples […]

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County economic post ‘a very hard opportunity to pass up’

The state-funded walkway connecting a public park to the Main Street of a small Montgomery County borough was not a big project. But the project and the community’s positive reaction were enough to hook Greg Welker on the world of economic development. “It really spoke to me,” said Welker, who was then working for the […]

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New overtime rules poised to take effect amid legal challenges

Barring any last-minute legal complications, employers may be paying overtime to more workers starting Monday. July 1 is the date a federal rule lifting the salary threshold for overtime eligibility is scheduled to take effect. Issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, the rule bumps the threshold to $43,888 per year, up from the current […]

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New funds aim to chip away at childcare shortage

Framing the challenge of finding childcare as a critical issue for employers, York-area business and nonprofit leaders yesterday unveiled a new program designed to encourage fresh thinking on the years-old problem. The program, called Every Child Has Opportunities, or ECHO, plans to dole out $700,000 in grants this spring to expand the number of home-based childcare […]

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Report: Region’s tourist trade erases pandemic losses

The Covid-19 pandemic emptied out the region’s amusement parks and Amish attractions. But by 2022, the tourists had returned, and then some. That’s the conclusion to be drawn from the most recent annual report of the Pennsylvania Tourism Office. Spending in what the state calls the Dutch Country Roads region hit nearly $9.4 billion in 2022, up […]

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PA job growth slows but labor market still tight

After two years of explosive, post-pandemic growth, Pennsylvania’s job growth is returning to its pre-pandemic form. Revised numbers indicate the state’s employers added roughly 80,800 jobs in 2023, though the numbers could be revised further, according to L&I. That compares with six-figure growth in 2021 and 2022, when the economy was recovering from the depths of […]

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A speed bump for PA job growth?

Pennsylvania employers added more than 111,000 jobs in 2023, pushing the number of nonfarm jobs to a new state record, nearly 6.2 million, according to the Department of Labor & Industry. The jobless rate, meanwhile, was at 3.5%, down from 4.3% a year earlier. But things may not be as healthy as they look. Pennsylvania could […]

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A peek behind the state plan for economic growth

Earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro rolled out a plan for economic development in Pennsylvania that is expected to unfold over the next decade. Progress is likely to be measured in shorter increments of time. State lawmakers, who are being asked to fund parts of the plan, could start asking for results by next year. […]

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Guv pitches new strategy for PA economy

Gov. Josh Shapiro laid out a vision for jumpstarting economic development in Pennsylvania during an address yesterday at OraSure Technologies, a medical diagnostics company in Bethlehem The 52-page strategy includes a mix of new funding, a focus on key industries and a series of other steps designed to make Pennsylvania more competitive in retaining and attracting workers and […]

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Retailer to shutter York-area warehouse

Workers at a York-area distribution center are the latest casualties in GameStop‘s effort to cut costs and rebuild profits. The Texas-based video-game retailer is planning to shutter its 700,000 square-foot warehouse at 20 Leo Lane in Manchester Township and lay off the 155 people who work there, according to a notice sent this week to state […]

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Carlisle-area warehouse linked to Apple set to close

A Carlisle-area warehouse that has served as a destination for Apple products is slated to close in March, idling nearly 500 workers. German company DB Schenker told state and local officials this week it plans to close the warehouse at 45 Logistics Drive in South Middletown Township. In a statement, a company spokesperson cited the expiration of a customer […]

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Contractor to lay off workers at Amazon sites

A vendor is laying off nearly 300 workers after Amazon ended its contract to provide janitorial and facilities services to eight of the ecommerce giant’s warehouses in Pennsylvania, including four in Cumberland and York counties, according to a notice filed with the state. South Carolina-based Newbold Services LLC plans to lay off 294 people as of March 5, according […]

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PUC TO PROBE REQUEST FOR DOUBLE-DIGIT WATER HIKE

State regulators plan to take a closer look at a double-digit rate increase being sought by Pennsylvania American Water to cover investments in its water and sewer systems. The move was approved yesterday in a unanimous vote by state utility commissioners. As a result, the increase will be suspended for up to seven months while officials from the Pennsylvania Public Utility […]

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PODCAST: INCLUSIVE HIRING

When Michael Coy joined Wolfgang Confectioners as its workforce development manager, the candy maker employed about five people who spoke Spanish. Now, the Loganville-based company employs more than 100, a change Coy attributes to the company’s willingness to listen to employees and meet their needs, regardless of their background and experience. Coy shares Wolfgang’s experience […]

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Podcast: Logistics

Supply chains used to be something of an afterthought for most companies. They would fix it and forget it. But over the last couple of years, supply chains have emerged as a critical element of business strategy, in part because they have been so hard to get right. In this episode of the York County […]

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Effort aims to diversity city contracting

The city of Harrisburg spent about $150 million on contracts for goods and services between 2017 and 2021. Slightly more than 7% of the total went to Black-, women- veteran-, and other minority-owned contractors, according to estimates in a study published last fall on contracting disparities in Pennsylvania’s capital. If spending had been in line with […]

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Lancaster ag firms scoop up farm assets

A longtime Lancaster County farming family has sold off most of its operations to a pair of local ag companies. The Esbenshade family sold its feed mill, swine operations and related properties to The Wenger Group and its shell-egg operations to Kreider Farms. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed in yesterday’s announcement of the two deals. The […]

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Podcast: The business of farming

Advanced technology is sowing the seeds, often literally, for the future of farming. Automated and AI-powered tools can plant seeds, assess crop health and pick the finished product from the field — or greenhouse. But technology alone won’t save farmers. They also need to rethink and reinvent their business models. This edition of the YCEA […]

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PE firm backs spinoff from York IT company

John Dolmetsch believed wireless connectivity would become a staple of modern life. He just didn’t expect it would happen so quickly. “Literally, it’s an explosion,” said Dolmetsch, who in 1992 co-founded York-based IT firm Business Information Group, aka BIG, with his brother, Scott. In a bid to take advantage of that growth, John Dolmetsch partnered this […]

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Lancaster nonprofit names first top exec

The Tandem Center for Shared Business Success, a Lancaster-based nonprofit focused on employee ownership and profit sharing, has hired Drew Mousetis as its first executive director, effective May 20, The nonprofit was founded last year by Chip Cargas, founder of Lancaster-based software company Cargas. Mousetis worked most recently as a lead consultant at Cargas, an employee-owned […]

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Deal for Lanco tiny-homes startup changes shape

The potential buyers of a Lancaster County-based tiny-homes company are taking a new tack. Chase Packaging Corp., a New Jersey-based shell company, had been planning to take Tiny Estates LLC and two related entities public through a merger. The companies are led by CEO Abby Shank, a former KPMG auditor who started a tiny-home community outside Elizabethtown in 2018. But […]

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For Lititz VR firm, sale is path to scale

After striking a deal with ViacomCBS, now Paramount, Lititz-based MajorMega created a virtual-reality game based on popular cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants and the undersea world of Bikini Bottom. The two-person arcade game debuted at a convention in Orlando, Florida, said Michael Bridgman, a co-founder of the gaming company. “It was really well-received and we got […]

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Statewide venture fund makes first investments

Four months after taking the field, a statewide venture fund is taking its first shots. The so-called GO PA Fund has invested in two companies, a financial technology firm based in Swarthmore and an advertising tech company based in New York, albeit with roots and some operations in Philadelphia. The fintech company is LoanStar Technologies, which […]

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Edtech startup hires revenue chief

TEAMology, an education technology startup based in Chambersburg, has hired Gretchen Thompson as its first-ever chief revenue officer, where she will lead sales, business development, strategic partnerships and marketing initiatives. Thompson has held sales, marketing and leadership positions for a number of education-related startups, including ClassLink, Qwizdom and Vizzle. She worked most recently for Baltimore-based Allovue, which developed finance software […]

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Growing Lititz firm adds minority investor

The Benecon Group, has sold a minority stake to the private equity arm of New York-based investment giant Neuberger Berman. Terms of the transaction — described as “a significant minority investment” — were not disclosed. A Neuberger spokesperson declined to comment beyond the press release. Neuberger joins an ownership group that includes majority owner TA Associates, a Boston-based private […]

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Doceo leader talks succession, expansion

When John Lewis interviews younger job applicants these days, he fields questions he did not typically hear a decade ago. Applicants are asking more pointed questions about the future of Doceo, the regional office equipment and IT services company that he leads as president and CEO. “There’s no question that, when we are talking to […]

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Deal could take Lanco tiny-home firms public

A tiny-home startup in Lancaster County is poised for the big time. A publicly traded shell company has agreed to buy Tiny Estates LLC and two related companies, Endeavor Tiny Homes LLC and Tiny Communities Fund LLC. The companies are led by CEO Abby Shank, a former KPMG auditor-turned-entrepreneur who started a tiny-home community outside Elizabethtown in 2018. Shank, who went on to […]

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Realty startup focuses on second-chance renters

Chris Dreisbach believes in second chances. He has made the most of his after succumbing to substance-use disorder and landing in jail in his native Lehigh Valley. The path to recovery led Dreisbach to a halfway house in Lancaster County, where he has since built a life, several businesses and a reputation as someone passionate […]

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PA STARTUP TAPS INTO THE POWER OF HOME INSPECTIONS

Home inspectors gather reams of information as they poke around houses that are about to change hands. In some cases, the information prompts buyers to back out of a deal or demand concessions, such as a new roof or a lower price. But in many cases, the information is simply dumped into a binder or […]

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New PA venture fund in the works

Two regional venture capital firms are joining forces to raise a new investment fund that will funnel early-stage capital to startups across Pennsylvania, with a focus on rural areas of the state. State College-based 1855 Capital and York-based White Rose Ventures hope to raise about $40 million for the new fund, dubbed Keystone Innovation Fund II, which they will co-manage. […]

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VC firms land government funding

State officials are directing federal funds toward venture capital firms they hope can jumpstart early-stage tech companies in Pennsylvania. The firms are Allegheny County-based BTVC Fund I LLP, which is receiving $1.5 million, and Atlanta-based Metallum Ventures LP, which is getting $2.25 million. The funding, announced yesterday, comes from the State Small Business Credit Initiative, a federal program that […]

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Hotel company Hersha poised to go private

A publicly traded hotel company founded in Harrisburg is going private in a deal valued at roughly $1.4 billion. Hersha Hospitality Trust, now based in Philadelphia, has agreed to be acquired by KSL Capital Partners, a Denver-based private equity firm that specializes in travel and leisure businesses. Under the deal, KSL is paying $10 per share […]

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Group pitches region as health-tech hub

Can Central Pennsylvania become a hub for innovations in telemedicine and other health care technologies? That’s the hope of a new consortium coming together to craft a plan for getting us there. The group includes a who’s who of local economic development agencies, health systems, colleges and private-sector players, including Lancaster-based Emerald Asset Management and Siemens Medical Solutions USA. […]

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Black-owned firms tapped for legal services program

McNees Wallace & Nurick has picked 10 small, Black-owned businesses to receive free legal services in the third annual installment of the Harrisburg-based law firm’s program to overcome barriers to business growth and success. The small businesses, introduced last week at a reception at the King Mansion in Harrisburg, hail from across Central Pennsylvania, as well […]

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Podcast: Support for diverse entrepreneurs

While much has been said about the barriers faced by women in business, you are likely to come away surprised nonetheless by what Sandy Bialek, Jen Heasley and Ashana Taylor have to say. The three York County women share their experiences as entrepreneurs in this edition of the YCEA Podcast, produced in partnership with biznewsPA. […]

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Report: PA lags on innovation, entrepreneurship

Pennsylvania has many of the ingredients for an economy powered by innovation and entrepreneurship, according to a report released today by Brookings Institution, a prominent think tank in Washington, D.C. However, the state has struggled to bake them into a dynamic, high-growth economy, putting large swaths of Pennsylvania at risk of stagnation, said the report, which offers […]

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York apartments getting updates

Philadelphia-based Mission First Housing is pouring about $9 million into the renovation of an affordable apartment building in York, the fourth rehab project for the nonprofit developer in Central Pennsylvania. In 2018, the nonprofit bought four affordable apartment complexes in Lancaster and York counties and has been working to spruce them up ever since, said Mission First […]

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Investing in Dauphin County’s most vulnerable foster children

Builds an Educated, Strong and Vibrant Community Just as businesses thrive in healthy, stable communities, so do our children. It

McNees Wallace & Nurick

Caitlin Demiral has joined Harrisburg-based law firm McNees Wallace & Nurick as an attorney in its litigation group. She is based in the Harrisburg office. Before joining McNees, Demiral worked as an assistant solicitor for Dauphin County Children and Youth Services, representing the agency in Dependency Court, Orphans’ Court, and appeals before the Pennsylvania Superior […]

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Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Zachary Adams has been named executive director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a state agency under the purview of the state legislature. He succeeds Laura Dimino, who was filling in as interim executive director following the departure of Kyle Kopko. Adams worked most recently as assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs and workforce alignment at the Tennessee […]

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Orrstown Bank

Michael Tschudyhas joined Orrstown Bank as commercial and industrial team leader for the York and Adams county markets. He was most recently senior vice president for S&T Bank, where he led the bank’s expansion into the York County market. Tschudy, who has an MBA in financial management from York College, will lead Orrstown’s York-based commercial banking team. His […]

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Chicago restaurateur taking former Iron Hill spots

Life could be returning to Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant locations in Hershey and Lancaster following the regional chain’s sudden bankruptcy in October. Chicago-based Ciao Hospitality Group is taking over leases at the two locations and plans to reopen them within a few months, according to Ciao CEO Jeff Crivello. What to name the venues is still up in […]

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Office, retail, industrial space leased

The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence has leased about 4,000 square feet of office space at 3501 N. Front St, in Harrisburg. The nonprofit will be moving from its current office at 3605 Vartan Way. Jessica Gasper and Art Campbell of Campbell Commercial Partners represented the landlord in the transaction. BDP International Inc.leased 23,148 square […]

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WellSpan Health

Allen Fasnacht has been named president of WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg effective Dec. 15. He succeeds Kendra Aucker, who is retiring after leading the 131-bed hospital through its acquisition last year by York-based WellSpan Health. Fasnacht currently works as vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at WellSpan Evangelical. He played a role […]

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PA budget a billion-dollar miss for business

After more than four months of gridlock, state lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro sealed the deal yesterday on a state budget. The nearly $50.1 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that began in July delivers tax savings for lower-income state residents and pours $25 million into the childcare sector, which suffered from lapses in state […]

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The power of purpose and people

Column by Richard Randall “If you need financial incentives to motivate, then you have the wrong people.”I came across this

Self-storage operator buys NC facility

Investment Real Estate Group of Companies, a York-based operator of self-storage facilities, has acquired a North Carolina property, Pinehurst Mini Storage Warehouses. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed in deed records. The nearly 3.7-acre storage property is in West End, which is about seven miles from Pinehurst , known as the “home of American golf.” […]

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Inch & Co. wins preliminary nod for York-area housing plan

York County developer Inch & Co. cleared an early hurdle in its new plan for a tract in suburban York that has been at the center of controversy for more than three years. At a meeting last night, supervisors in Manchester Township voted 4 to 1 to conditionally approve a preliminary plan for 83 detached single-family […]

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Scranton-area bank opens first Lancaster branch

Peoples Security Bank & Trust Co. is marking its first branch in Lancaster County with a ribbon-cutting on Nov. 13. The branch, which opened yesterday at 2343 Oregon Pike in Manheim Township, is on the site of a retail plaza at the intersection of Landis Valley Road. The branch is Peoples’ second in Central Pennsylvania first […]

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Lanco fabricator changing hands

Structural fabricator Dutchland Inc. is undergoing a change in ownership three years after the Lancaster County company landed in the arms of private equity. In late 2022, Dutchland was acquired by Lexington, Kentucky-based MiddleGround Capital and folded into Lindsay Precast, now based in Gainesville, Florida. MiddleGround has now agreed to sell both companies to investment firm TJC, formerly known as The Jordan Co. […]

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Subscriber Spotlight: Anne Deeter Gallaher, Owner & CEO, Deeter Gallaher Group

In this series, we’re highlighting the paid subscribers who support biznewsPA. By subscribing, spreading the word about our publication, and

Fulton, PNC maintain top spots for market share

For the second year in a row, Lancaster-based Fulton Bank wears the crown as home to the most bank deposits in Central Pennsylvania. Nonetheless, its market share shrank slightly as deposits grew overall in the region, according to the latest data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Total deposits as of June 30 were nearly $55.2 billion […]

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F&M Trust

Chambersburg-based F&M Trust has made several promotions and new hires. Madonna Beverlin has been promoted to assistant vice president, residential mortgage processing manager. She will be responsible for managing the residential mortgage processing area to ensure prompt and effective delivery of residential mortgages to retail customers within the bank’s market area, ensure the bank’s compliance […]

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Airport cuts could ripple through Central PA

Air travel in the U.S. will require vigilance in the days ahead as the federal government orders airlines to impose traffic cuts. The reductions appear to target 40 of the nation’s largest airports, including hubs in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., according to a list obtained by The Associated Press. But the ripples could reach smaller […]

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GOP lawmaker sets sights on ‘reasonable’ wage hike

A higher minimum wage could be moving to the front burner in Harrisburg thanks to a Republican state senator who is hoping for action on the issue this fall. It is not a new issue for the lawmaker, state Sen. Dan Laughlin of Erie County. He has backed increases in the past. But with economic […]

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Costs seen mounting for data center tax exemption

In 2022, Pennsylvania waived sales taxes for computer equipment purchased for use in data centers, provided the centers met certain requirements. Following a slew of announcements about new data center projects around the state, the price tag for that exemption may be going up. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue is revisiting its forecasts on the […]

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PUC seeks fines from utility, plumbing contractor

State utility regulators have lodged complaints against two companies over their alleged roles in a Harrisburg-area home explosion attributed to a ruptured gas line. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission filed the complaints yesterday against natural gas provider UGI Utilities and Pronto Plumbing Heating Air Drains, a regional contractor based in Camp Hill. The complaints allege UGI failed to […]

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Museum complex slated for $55M upgrade

The State Museum of Pennsylvania is getting a facelift. State officials yesterday unveiled plans for a $55 million makeover of the 62-year-old museum complex on state Capitol grounds. The goal is to modernize exhibits, displays and storage areas, while creating an environment matching the expectations of 21st-century visitors. Planned changes include creation of a large-scale […]

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State House advances controversial tax policy

State lawmakers are plowing ahead once again with tax changes that have long drawn the ire of business lobbyists but never made it into law. The changes would subject more corporate profits to taxes in Pennsylvania by curtailing the ability of companies to report those profits in other states. Two committees in the Democratic-controlled state […]

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Rule for spill reporting elicits mixed reviews

Environmental groups are slamming a proposed rule designed to help companies in Pennsylvania figure out when they need to disclose accidental spills of hazardous chemicals. Drafted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the rule aims to clarify what kinds of spills should be reported to regulators. But environmentalists argue the rule gives businesses too […]

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Zoning change accommodates data center plans

A $15 billion data center project proposed for rural Cumberland County cleared a crucial hurdle. At a meeting Friday morning,

AG settles claims against Lancaster-based property manager

Home365, a property management company with offices in Lancaster and Las Vegas, has agreed to pay $45,000 to settle allegations by Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday that it was slow to make repairs in response to tenant requests and, in other cases, did not return tenants’ security deposits. Both are violations of state law. Two-thirds […]

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House OKs bill stiffening penalties for misclassifying workers

The Pennsylvania House last week approved legislation to beef up penalties for companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors. The vote in the Democratic-led state House was 113 to 90, with a handful of Republicans backing the measure. However, the margin of victory was narrower than in a 2023 vote on a similar bill, which […]

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For-profit healthcare deals under fire

Gov. Josh Shapiro and allied lawmakers are taking aim at the role of private equity in healthcare, arguing there is a need for action after the fallout from hospital closures in suburban Philadelphia. They are pushing legislation that would give state officials greater say over deals between nonprofit healthcare providers and all for-profit buyers, not […]

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State House moving bill for government-run retirement savings

State lawmakers are taking another run at creating a state-backed retirement program for private-sector workers. Similar legislation cleared the Democratic-controlled

Shapiro reboots state efforts to fight financial fraud amid federal cuts

Citing federal pullbacks in the area of consumer protection, the Shapiro administation yesterday unveiled a new hotline, website and email

Feds OK Shapiro-backed deal on power prices

Federal regulators this week ratified a deal between Gov. Josh Shapiro and the operator of Pennsylvania’s electric grid to soften looming spikes in the cost of power. Rates already are set to jump this summer, largely due to growing demand and a dearth of new power plants. In the absence of the agreement, prices could […]

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Federal cuts hit manufacturing services providers

The federal government has canceled contracts with organizations that assist small and midsized manufacturers in 10 states, cutting off a major source of funding. Pennsylvania is not one of the 10. Nonetheless, the cancellations raise questions about the fate of similar organizations in the Keystone State, including York-based Mantec. The nonprofit receives federal funding via a […]

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Regional repair shop faces federal charges

Federal authorities are leveling pollution-related charges against Pro Diesel Werks, a vehicle service business with operations in Lebanon and Reading, as well the company’s owner and a service manager. They allegedy violated the federal Clean Air Act by disabling pollution control systems on diesel vehicles and tampering with their diagnostic systems, which are supposed to […]

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York, Lanco rehab projects land state grants

The state is pouring more than $1.3 million into a pair of renovation projects in York and Lancaster counties as part of a program to fund downtown revitalization. Lancaster-based nonprofit Community Basics Inc. landed $823,917 to rehab a 23-unit affordable-housing complex in Maytown called Three Center Square. The York County Industrial Development Authority is getting $504,050 to advance […]

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Harrisburg planners OK first steps in hospital redevelopment

Harrisburg’s planning commission unanimously approved a plan last week to subdivide the former Polyclinic Hospital campus last week, clearing the way for a developer to begin the first phase of a $45 million mixed-use project in the city’s Uptown neighborhood. The commission also approved a change to the property’s zoning from institutional to commercial neighborhood. […]

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Audit: Lapsed UPMC recordkeeping led to Medicaid overpayments

Due to recordkeeping lapses by UPMC Health Plan, a state agency reimbursed the health insurer for Medicaid recipients who were not eligible for the program, including some who had died, according to an audit released yesterday by the office of Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim DeFoor. The resulting overpayments to UPMC totaled $357,048 in 2022, according to the […]

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Hospital attacks tests trauma response

The heartbreaking accounts began populating social media feeds early last week: harrowing posts from nurses and other healthcare workers who survived the deadly hostage-taking that unfolded inside the intensive care unit at UPMC Memorial in York County on the morning of Feb. 22. The stories offer a glimpse into the nightmare endured by UPMC staff members, who […]

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WellSpan, UnitedHealthcare end stalemate on employer plans

After missing an October deadline, WellSpan Health and UnitedHealthcare have agreed to renew a key reimbursement contract. The multiyear agreement, which took effect Dec. 15, means WellSpan providers are once again in-network for about 35,000 people in Central Pennsylvania who are covered by UnitedHealthcare through the workplace. The deal caps weeks of uncertainty for patients. They faced higher costs […]

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Further talks yield another partial deal for WellSpan, health insurer

After extending negotiations for a month, WellSpan Health and UnitedHealthcare have reached a deal affecting patients in certain Medicaid and Medicare plans. The deal preserves in-network access to WellSpan providers for about 3,500 patients enrolled in Medicaid plans for children and in Medicare plans for people with special needs, according to WellSpan spokesperson Ryan Coyle. In-network coverage had been […]

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Capital-area behavioral health provider to relocate

The Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute is moving out of the former Polyclinic campus in uptown Harrisburg after failing to forge a new lease. The institute’s inpatient services are moving to Holy Spirit Medical Center in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, according to Penn State Health, which owns both Holy Spirit and the psychiatric institute. Penn State Health is working […]

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WellSpan, UnitedHealthcare partially sever ties

Facing an Oct. 31 deadline for negotiating new reimbursement rates, WellSpan Health and UnitedHealthcare hammered out a last-minute deal to extend some of their agreements but ended one of them. The two sides said Thursday night they were unable to reach an agreement on employer-sponsored health plans, but they agreed to extend the deadline for negotiating over […]

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Deadline looms for insurer, regional health system

With less than a week before their contract expires, WellSpan Health and UnitedHealthcare remain at odds. If they are unable to reach an agreement by Thursday, WellSpan would become out-of-network for people covered by UnitedHealthcare’s Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and employer-sponsored plans. In a statement, the York-based health system blamed the impasse on UnitedHealthcare’s “unwillingness to find a middle ground […]

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Pharma giant plowing millions into Lancaster County campus

Life sciences heavyweight GSK is investing up to $800 million into its Marietta-area campus with plans to boost capacity and produce cutting-edge vaccines targeting illnesses like pneumonia and meningitis. The project, described as the British company’s largest-ever investment in U.S. manufacturing, entails construction of a new 300,000 square-foot facility and refurbishment of an existing building, along with […]

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WellSpan, UnitedHealthcare remain locked in contract dispute

With less than three weeks before their contract expires, WellSpan Health and UnitedHealthcare remain embroiled in a war of words. UnitedHealthcare has been focused on what WellSpan charges for health care. For the York-based health system, the issue is the administrative hassles posed by working with the insurer. What’s the latest: In an online notice, UnitedHealthcare claimed WellSpan declined […]

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WellSpan, health insurer clash over contract renewal

Health insurer UnitedHealthcare and regional health system WellSpan Health are sparring over a new contract governing their relationship, affecting about 36,000 patients in the region. Both entities say they are negotiating in good faith and hope to reach a deal before the current contract expires at the end of October. Nonetheless, they are taking aim at each other’s business models. […]

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Study shows benefits from short-term medical cannabis use

Pennsylvania residents using medical cannabis to treat anxiety, chronic pain and other conditions saw improvements in their general health, emotional well-being, physical functioning and other quality-of-life measures over a three-month period, according to a study undertaken by researchers from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and funded by Organic Remedies, a Cumberland County medical-cannabis provider. Researchers recruited nearly […]

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Lancaster specialty medical practice sold

An equity-backed management company and one of its affiliated medical practices have acquired Keystone Urology Specialists, a medical practice with offices in Lancaster, Lebanon and Ephrata. The buyers are Solaris Health Holdings and The Centers for Advanced Urology, which does business as MidLantic Urology. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Following a short transition period, physicians […]

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WellSpan partnering to bring med school campus to York area

WellSpan Health has forged an agreement with Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University to develop a York area campus for the medical school in time for the 2027-28 school year. The campus would be the second outside of Philadelphia for the Katz School, which also has one in Bethlehem in partnership with St. Luke’s […]

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Highmark, specialty medical practice spar over reimbursement

Pittsburgh-based Highmark Health and a regional GI practice have been unable to negotiate a new reimbursement contract, resulting in the practice’s exit from the Highmark network. The financial sticking points have not been disclosed but the two sides said they are continuing to negotiate. The practice is US Digestive Health, which has a clinical headquarters in Lancaster County […]

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Data breach at Geisinger vendor affects 1M patients

Danville-based Geisinger health system this week disclosed a data breach that could affect more than a million of its patients. In its disclosure, Geisinger said it learned on Nov. 29 that a vendor’s former employee had accessed patient information two days after being fired. The vendor, Microsoft subsidiary Nuance Communications, cut off the ex-employee’s access to Geisinger records, notified […]

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Health-equity proposal spurs questions from state lawmakers

Insurers could soon be facing a new requirement if they want to sell policies through Pennsylvania’s subsidized health insurance marketplace, known as Pennie. The operator of the marketplace is proposing a regulation that would require insurers to become accredited in health equity. The Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority argues that health equity is a “well-recognized […]

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Select Medical’s workplace health unit files for IPO

Concentra, the occupational health subsidiary of Mechanicsburg-based rehab chain Select Medical, filed last week for an initial public offering of stock, though many of the details remain to be filled in — including the timing and share price for the IPO. Nonetheless, the filing presents a fairly detailed overview of Concentra, its operations and its outlook on the […]

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Construction begins on Carlisle-area mini hospital

WellSpan Health broke ground yesterday on the second of three mini hospitals it is opening in Cumberland and York counties. The latest small-format medical center is going up at 1201 Walnut Bottom Road in South Middleton Township, Cumberland County — expanding WellSpan’s reach in one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania. Dubbed WellSpan Carlisle Hospital, the […]

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Harrisburg U draws $5M gift to boost PT programs

Select Medical Corp., a national rehab chain based in Cumberland County, is giving $5 million to Harrisburg University of Science and Technology over the next five years. The gift, announced yesterday, will support the school’s undergraduate program in exercise science and a doctoral program for physical therapists. “We are thrilled to partner with Harrisburg University to shape the future […]

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Firm wins round in tax refund fight

A Pennsylvania appeals court sided last week with a corporate taxpayer that claimed state tax authorities were wrong to reject its petition for a refund. The company, a subsidiary of California-based electric utility Edison International, sought a refund for state taxes it paid in 2008 after an IRS audit in 2017 reduced its federal taxable income. […]

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Report finds signs of ponzi scheme at Heller ATM business

Business owner Daryl Heller has blamed several factors for the collapse of Paramount Management Group, the Lancaster-based ATM network that imploded last year in a morass of lawsuits. Those factors include rising interest rates, declining ATM usage and tighter regulatory requirements for the cash-dispensing machines, according to a report released this week by an examiner appointed […]

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Former controller accused of theft from regional business

A woman who worked as a senior controller at York-based Kinsley Enterprises allegedly funneled more than $95,000 from the company into an account for a Lancaster-area restaurant she and her husband own, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Pennsylvania State Police. The woman, Kathryn Khuc of Red Lion, allegedly disguised the payments so they […]

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Heller pitches plan to repay creditors

Bankrupt Lancaster County business owner Daryl Heller is floating a plan to pay back his creditors, but the plan is far from likely to be the final word on the matter. Investors in Heller’s best-known business — a defunct, Lancaster-based ATM network known as Paramount Management Group — are on record arguing that Heller should not be […]

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Former exec pleading not guilty to extortion charge

Bryan Chapman, a former supply chain executive for West Shore Home, is pleading not guilty to federal charges that he tried to extort a severance payment from the Mechanicsburg-based home improvement company after he was fired in 2023, according to Chapman and his attorney. The attorney, Thomas Thornton of the federal public defender’s office, declined to […]

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Contractor fires back in suit over concrete for hospital project

A contractor is disputing claims it’s liable for defective concrete used during construction of a new hospital tower in York. The

Former manager sues Live over commissions

A company that managed the rock band Live during its 1990s heyday claims in a York County lawsuit that band members owe it tens of thousands of dollars in commissions. The company, Bethlehem-based Media Five, alleges it’s due more than $250,000 under agreements signed in 1990 and 1994, according to the lawsuit, filed in early July. The agreements […]

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Feds charge fired West Shore Home VP with extortion

A vice president overseeing supply chains for Mechanicsburg-based West Shore Home LLC allegedly tried to extort a severance payment from the company

Heller spreads blame for collapse of ATM network

Investors have spent nearly a year blaming Daryl Heller for the crackup of an ATM network that allegedly cost them hundreds of millions of dollars. In a court filing last month, Heller dished out some blame of his own. He alleged that people managing the ATM investments misappropriated funds that should have gone to investors, […]

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Court ruling freezes bidding on state lab project

A state appeals court has halted the bidding process for work on a $325 million state laboratory near Harrisburg after

Suit targets Penn State Health retirement plans

In a class-action lawsuit filed in late June, a Penn State Health employee alleges the health system mismanaged employee retirement plans, diminishing their returns and overpaying vendors. The suit argues that the plans included investment choices with subpar returns and that they paid too much for certain administrative vendors in breach of the health system’s fiduciary responsibility […]

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Winery seeks another day in court

A York County winery wants another shot at convincing a state appeals court to take its side in a long-running dispute with neighbors who want to shut it down. Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery is asking Superior Court to reconsider the case after judges ruled against the winery earlier this month. The appeal hinges on legal issues […]

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Hynes, former Live members end lawsuit over debt

A settlement has been reached in one of the myriad lawsuits involving former members of the rock band Live and their former business partner Bill Hynes. In this case, it’s a lawsuit in which Hynes sued band members Patrick Dahlheimer, Chad Gracey and Chad Taylor in late 2022 over their alleged failure to repay a […]

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York-area winery faces call to shut down after losing legal appeal

Time may be running out for Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery, a York County venue wrangling with neighbors who want to shut it down, arguing that its operations violate local land-use restrictions. Superior Court of Pennsylvania, a state appeals court, sided with the neighbors — Matthew Balsavage and Amanda Perko — in a decision published last […]

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Sawmill zoning dispute lands in state court

Before Stephen Stoltzfus bought land in southern York County, he wanted to know whether he could operate a sawmill on the 12-acre plot where he also planned to move his family. The initial answers from Codorus Township seemed to be yes, so he settled on the property. But after several months, the township said no, forcing […]

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Report: Heller firm double-sold ATMs

Paramount Management Group, the defunct Lancaster-based ATM network headed by Daryl Heller, sold and resold the same ATMs to the network’s investors, accounting for sales of nearly $22 million, according to a report filed yesterday by a court-appointed examiner in Heller’s bankruptcy case. The report appears to bolster investors’ allegations that they were defrauded by Heller […]

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Pittsburgh law firm opens Lancaster office

Pittsburgh-based law firm Dickie McCamey & Chilcote has opened an office in Lancaster after plucking two attorneys from Barley Snyder. The office at 100 N. Queen St. is Dickie McCamey’s 20th overall and seventh in Pennsylvania. Staffing the Lancaster office are managing attorney and shareholder Luke Weber and associate Tasha Stoltzfus Nankerville. Weber chaired Lancaster-based Barley […]

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Judge offers temporary cease-fire in loan fight between bank, flooring firm

After listening to both sides of a loan dispute yesterday morning, a Dauphin County judge outlined a potential truce and

York County papermaker sets date to shutter Ohio plant

Spring Grove-based Pixelle Specialty Solutions has revised the timeline for closing its plant in Ohio. The papermaker said yesterday it plans to cease production at the plant in Chillicothe on Aug. 10. The plant employed more than 800 people earlier this year, but it is not clear how many work there now. The company initially […]

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Food biz unveils $19.1M plant in Lancaster

As sales of its signature bone broth boomed over the last several years, Kettle & Fire struggled to keep its products on store shelves. A new production facility in Lancaster County, unveiled during a ribbon-cutting yesterday, is expected to help meet the demand and then some, according to company founders and executives. The $19.1 million plant is […]

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Spring Grove papermaker gets more time on loan payment

Spring Grove-based papermaker Pixelle Specialty Solutions missed an interest payment on its debt due April 30, triggering a ratings downgrade from S&P Global. However, lenders are giving the company more time so it can close on the sale of a plant in Wisconsin and use the proceeds to make the interest payment and pay down debt. […]

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Lanco firm drawing up new digs

Manufacturer Breeo is eyeing an expansion at its site in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, where it assembles smokeless fire pits, products poised for a bump in sales thanks to the impact of tariffs on foreign-made competitors. “We’re still working through our plans, so it’s not set in stone yet,” said Breeo’s CEO and majority owner, Amos Stoltzfus. […]

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Steelton plant to close indefinitely, idling hundreds of workers

One of the capital region’s oldest and largest factories will be closing indefinitely this summer due to weak demand for its products, which include steel rails for trains, cranes and trolleys. Ohio-based steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs said Friday it plans by June 30 to wind down production at its plant in Steelton, along with plants in Conshohocken and Riverdale, […]

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Funding for manufacturing services restored

A federal agency restored funding for organizations that assist small and midsized manufacturers in 10 states. The Trump administration ended contracts with the organizations at the end of March but decided to restore their funding for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, according to a spokesperson for the National Institute […]

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Facing blowback, York County paper biz pauses plant closure

Following a fierce public outcry from elected officials in Ohio, Spring Grove-based papermaker Pixelle Specialty Solutions LLC is hitting pause on plans to close its factory in Chillicothe, about 100 miles east of Cincinnati. Pixelle said last week it planned to close the plant over the next several weeks. The move threatened to idle the 800 people who […]

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York County papermaker closing Ohio plant

Spring Grove-based papermaker Pixelle Specialty Solutions LLC said yesterday it is closing its plant in Chillicothe, Ohio, where about 800 people work. The move follows Pixelle’s sale earlier this month of a Wisconsin plant that employs about 260 people. “Each decision regarding Pixelle operations has been made after careful evaluation of what is best for […]

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Federal cuts hit manufacturing services providers

The federal government has canceled contracts with organizations that assist small and midsized manufacturers in 10 states, cutting off a

Lancaster manufacturer winding down Philly subsidiary

Lancaster manufacturer Burnham Holdings Inc. is planning to wind down a subsidiary operating out of a plant in Philadelphia. Burnham’s move to shutter its subsidiary Crown Boiler is designed to streamline company operations and enhance efficiency. But it also reflects rising demand for more efficient boilers made by other Burnham subsidiaries, including U.S. Boiler, New Yorker Boiler and Velocity Boiler Works. Crown […]

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York County mulch business changes hands

A York County contractor has sold its mulch and soil division to a conglomerate that has been scooping up similar operations around the U.S. The deal includes mulch production facilities in West York Borough and Jackson Township, where the contractor, H&H General Excavating Co. is based. The buyer is Atlanta-based Oldcastle APG, a unit of Ireland-based building […]

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Capital-area manufacturer closing California plant

MITER Brands, a Harrisburg-based window and door manufacturer, plans to shutter a factory in Simi Valley, California, in early June and shift operations to plants in Arizona and California where the company has invested in expanding production, according to company spokesperson Nick Board. The Simi Valley plant, which is about 225,000 square feet, employs 397 […]

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Tariff uncertainty rattles factory sector

When tariffs took effect last week, leaders at JLS Automation decided to hold off a few days on importing a piece of equipment due in from Canada. It was not the threat of the tariffs as much as it was the potential for congestion at the border as shippers tried to avoid the extra charges, said Craig […]

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Screen manufacturer buys Pittsburgh-area firm

The RiteScreen Co., an Elizabethville-based manufacturer of window and patio door screens, has acquired FlexScreen, a western Pennsylvania company that developed a flexible window screen. A RiteScreen spokesperson declined to disclose the terms of the transaction. FlexScreen’s flexible screens are designed to simplify installation and removal. But it is a relatively small player in the building products […]

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‘Why not give it a shot’: Franklin County manufacturer changes hands

Jim McCleaf was ready to pounce after talking to Wiliam Bowers, the owner of Waynesboro-based manufacturer Pro Tube. Bowers wanted to retire and hoped McCleaf and his wife, Susan, would buy the company, which makes hydraulic, mechanical, exhaust and air-intake tubing. Susan McCleaf suggested a more methodical approach, and the couple spent some time learning about […]

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Cabin maker finds ‘forever home’ near Ephrata

Lancaster Log Cabins was born in Brecknock Township, Lancaster County, in 2016 and moved to the Gap area in 2020. It is planning to move once again, but company owner Dan Smucker hopes it’s the last time. Lancaster Log Cabins paid nearly $15.1 million this month for what Smucker hopes is its “forever home”: A 68.7-acre […]

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Lanco manufacturer merged with Tennessee firm

After buying Lancaster County-based ATI Corp. in October 2023, a Houston-based private equity firm began investing in the manufacturer’s future. The investments have bolstered ATI’s sales force, production processes, and research and development, said Ryan Martin, a managing partner at the private equity firm, LDR Partners LP. Now, LDR is investing in ATI’s leadership. How: Through a […]

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Regional factory jobs stable, but uncertainty looms

After the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic, the job market is returning to normal for manufacturers in Central Pennsylvania, according to a recent survey by their regional trade association. However, manufacturers face an uncertain year ahead as they absorb the potential for new tariffs promised by President-elect Donald Trump. Depending on how they are applied, […]

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Real Estate

Developer closes on former factory sale

The former Frog, Switch & Manufacturing plant in Carlisle has officially changed hands. The Real Estate Collaborative, an arm of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp., closed May 29 on its acquisition of the roughly 26.7-acre site at 600 E. High St. The sale price has not yet been recorded in county deed records, and Real Estate Collaborative chair […]

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Carlisle Country Club sold, renovations planned

It wasn’t long after he joined the board of Carlisle Country Club in late 2023 that business owner Mark Toigo grasped the venue’s financial challenges. “It was just burning cash,” Toigo said in an interview with biznewsPA. Rather than see the club and its golf course close, Toigo assembled a group of investors who bought the club […]

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AG settles claims against Lancaster-based property manager

Home365, a property management company with offices in Lancaster and Las Vegas, has agreed to pay $45,000 to settle allegations

What’s next for Penn State York?

Leaders in York County are focused on helping students, faculty and staff bracing for the closure of Penn State York. But they also have their eyes on what might come next for the 51-acre campus straddling York city and Spring Garden Township. “We obviously hope that it would continue to be of service to the […]

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Authority mulls offers for Harrisburg-area golf course

A Dauphin County authority is reviewing six proposals to buy the Dauphin Highlands Golf Course in suburban Harrisburg but is declining to share any additional details. The Dauphin County General Authority requested the proposals after receiving unsolicited bids from entities interested in putting data centers on the 228-acre course in Swatara Township. Authority board chair Barbara Zemlock refrained from […]

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School district to buy vacant office

A Dauphin County school district has agreed to buy a vacant office building at 4401 Deer Path Road in Susquehanna Township. Due to overcrowding in its existing spaces, the Susquehanna Township School District plans to use the 102,000-square-foot building for offices and classrooms, district superintendent Tamara Willis said in an interview with biznewsPA. The lender-owned […]

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Carlisle factory rehab snares state funds

Officials in Cumberland County cleared a major hurdle yesterday in their efforts to redevelop a former factory at the edge of Carlisle. They were awarded more than $10.2 million from a state program designed to prepare former industrial sites for reuse. “We’re super excited,” said Andrew Notarfrancesco, chair of the Real Estate Collaborative, a subsidiary of […]

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York-area industrial property goes for $7M, gets new tenant

A York County industrial property is changing hands and changing occupants. West Shore developer Drew Bobincheck paid $7 million for a tract at 3490-3510 Board Road in Manchester Township that includes a roughly 143,700-square foot building, according to county deed records. It also includes two small rental homes. The seller was an entity affiliated with Cardinal […]

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Authority eyes purchase of former Lancaster factory

The Lancaster City Revitalization & Improvement Zone Authority is putting together an offer to buy a former meat processing plant at 652 Manor St. and related office building at 655 Manor, according to Jeremy Young, the authority’s acting managing director. The properties were home to Kunzler & Company but closed last year after the company was acquired by […]

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Former Harrisburg Catholic school slated for sheriff’s sale

A plan to open a farmer’s market at the former property of Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg is going forward, even though there is now a foreclosure notice posted for the property, according to court records and the owner of the property. On March 19, a $2.2 million mortgage foreclosure notice was filed on […]

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Regional retail portfolio on the block

A portfolio of 16 shopping centers across Central and eastern Pennsylvania is hitting the market. The centers, including some in Cumberland, Lebanon and York counties, are managed by Vastgood Properties LLC, a Port Washington, New York-based firm that owns them alongside other investors, according to Vastgood CEO Leo Ullman. Ullman referred questions about the sale listing to the […]

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Authority tees up potential golf course sale amid data center demand

A suburban Harrisburg golf course is the latest plot of land in the region to draw attention from developers of data centers, power-hungry computing facilities that are vital to the growth of artificial intelligence. Would-be buyers with data centers in mind have shown an appetite for the Dauphin Highlands Golf Course, according to Jeanette Krebs, […]

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Industrial building sells for $9M

An industrial park in northern York County has attracted another out-of-state investor. An affiliate of New York-based real estate investment firm The Lightstone Group paid $9 million for an industrial building at 503-509 Industrial Drive in the Fairview Industrial Park in Fairview Township, according to county deed records. The seller was an affiliate of High Street Logistics Properties, […]

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As buying season nears, rates weigh on regional housing market

The residential real estate market is poised to enter the traditionally busy spring and summer season. But buyers in Central Pennsylvania are still waiting for interest rates to slide before making the move to a new home, according to local real estate agents and lenders. The hesitation is showing up in statistics showing homes sitting […]

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Harrisburg-area mall up for sale again

The Colonial Park Mall, a suburban Harrisburg retail destination being eyed for redevelopment, is back on the market. The 31-acre mall property, which changed hands last fall at a price of $8.8 million, is listed for sale by R.J. Brunelli & Co., a real estate firm based in Old Bridge, New Jersey. “We’re currently marketing it to developers,” Mario […]

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West Shore office building changes hands

A local firm paid $10 million for a renovated office building on the West Shore. The building at 275 Grandview Ave. in East Pennsboro Township was owned by a partnership headed by developer Drew Bobincheck. He sold it this week to an affiliate of Select Capital Commercial Properties LLC, a Mechanicsburg-based real estate investment firm that has […]

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Gannett Fleming to relocate to smaller HQ

One of the region’s largest engineering firms is on the move. Gannett Fleming TranSystems is planning to relocate from its longtime offices in East Pennsboro Township to new space in Silver Spring Township, according to real estate firm CBRE. Gannett Fleming will be leasing 100,000 square feet at 100 and 300 Sterling Parkway, part of an office […]

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Owner plans farmers’ market at former Harrisburg school

Jeremy Hunter, owner of the former Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, is pivoting. Hunter had been trying to sell the building in order to satisfy an agreement with creditors, who moved to foreclose on the property. Under the agreement, he must pay off about $2 million in debt attached to the building or face […]

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Bertram to leave Giant, Ruane stepping in

The Giant Co. president Nicholas Bertram is leaving the company Aug. 31 to pursue “new opportunities,” the regional grocery chain’s parent company announced yesterday. Bertram, who has been president of Carlisle-based Giant since 2018, did not disclose what those opportunities might be. Giant spokesperson Christy Phillips-Brown described it as a personal decision. John Ruane, Giant’s chief […]

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Ollie’s hit with overtime lawsuits

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet has joined a string of retailers accused of improperly denying overtime pay to people who hold management jobs in their stores. Two salaried employees in New York have filed lawsuits claiming Ollie’s should have paid them overtime since their duties were “virtually indistinguishable” from those of hourly workers.The suits, filed in a federal […]

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Former N.B. Liebman store sold

A prime Carlisle Pike property has changed hands. A New York-based partnership paid nearly $5.5 million in June for the former home of N.B. Liebman Furniture at 4705 Carlisle Pike in Hampden Township, according to Cumberland County deed records.The site — which was owned by members of the Liebman family — was once eyed as […]

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Giant unveils Amazon-style marketplace

The Giant Co. is adding new aisles to its virtual supermarket. The Carlisle-based company unveiled a new Amazon-style service yesterday that brings tens of thousands of new items to its online shoppers.Called Ship2Me by Giant, the new service is an online marketplace developed by sister company Peapod Digital Labs. The marketplace features items not normally found on […]

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Regional grocer grabs supply chain by the horns

For centuries, farmers planted seeds and fed animals – and then hoped they would find a market when their produce and livestock were ready to sell. Agribusiness entrepreneur Larisa Miller has been pitching a different model – and she found her first taker in Karns Foods, the Cumberland County-based grocery store chain.

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Video-display installer sells stake to Lancaster firm

Like many entrepreneurs ready to take their startups to the next level, Josh Dominguez knew he needed more capital. He found a source in PennSpring Capital, a Lancaster-based investment firm. PennSpring said yesterday it has acquired a majority stake in Dominguez’s company, Refresh LED. Based in Hampden Township, Cumberland County, the company designs, installs and services LED […]

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$37.5M sale of York fiber optic company on hold

State utility regulators are putting an indefinite hold on the proposed sale of York-based United Fiber & Data, a deal valued at about $37.5 million, according to filings with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The PUC said it needs more time to complete its review of the deal, according to a Sept. 18 letter from the […]

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State opens portal for reporting data breaches

Pennsylvania’s attorney general has set up an online portal where companies in Pennsylvania will be required to report data breaches under amendments enacted this year to the state’s breach notification laws. Signed into law in June, the amendments require companies to report breaches that affect at least 500 Pennsylvanians starting Sept. 26. In preparation for […]

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Lancaster software startup merges with industry peer

In a union billed as a merger of complementary technologies, Lancaster-based software startup AutoOps has joined with Boston-based Steer, which develops and sells customer relationship management software to auto repair shops. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Steer plans to retain the leaders, employees and office of AutoOps, which makes software for scheduling auto repairs, according […]

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Capital-area startup banks on demand for data centers

Andy Kochanowski was looking for a business to buy when he came across a listing on BizBuySell that caught his eye. It was for a data center in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, operated by Elevated MSP LLC, an IT services company in Lemoyne. Elevated was looking to exit the business in order to focus on its […]

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Data breach at Geisinger vendor affects 1M patients

Danville-based Geisinger health system this week disclosed a data breach that could affect more than a million of its patients. In

PennSpring-backed firm scoops up virtual paralegal service

Zirtual, a portfolio company of Lancaster-based investment firm PennSpring Capital, is branching out. The virtual-assistant service has acquired Del.Trust, a company that offers virtual paralegal services to attorneys and law firms nationwide. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Del.Trust founder Jaclyn Foster is joining Zirtual as president of its newly established paralegal services division. “She is […]

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York fiber company co-founded by rock stars unloads assets

United Fiber & Data, a York-based fiber optics firm that once promised to bring jobs and data centers to eastern Pennsylvania, is selling “substantially all” of its assets to a New York-based company. Those assets include the signature project of United Fiber & Data, or UFD, a company founded in 2012 by former members of […]

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PE firm backs spinoff from York IT company

John Dolmetsch believed wireless connectivity would become a staple of modern life. He just didn’t expect it would happen so

Lanco financial firm merges with Denver peer

The slowdown in home lending has challenged banks and mortgage brokers over the last year. But it has created opportunities for the firms that offer them advice and technology to improve their operations. It is those opportunities that helped spur a merger for Teraverde, a financial software and consulting company based in East Hempfield Township Lancaster […]

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For Lititz VR firm, sale is path to scale

After striking a deal with ViacomCBS, now Paramount, Lititz-based MajorMega created a virtual-reality game based on popular cartoon character SpongeBob

Firm with Lanco ties forges $270M deal

A Massachusetts-based company has agreed to pay $270 million in cash for a London-based firm that sells anti-counterfeiting products and services. The firm is OpSec Security, which has operations at two locations in the Greenfield business park in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County. OpSec had been on a path to go public this year by merging […]

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Edtech startup hires revenue chief

TEAMology, an education technology startup based in Chambersburg, has hired Gretchen Thompson as its first-ever chief revenue officer, where she

AG: “Sham” internet provider targeted rural York

A locally based company allegedly broke state law by reselling internet service in what the state attorney general described in a lawsuit as a “sham business.” The company, Davis Communications Internet Inc., subscribed to business internet plans, then advertised itself as an internet provider in its own right, specifically targeting consumers in rural York County, where […]

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WellSpan eyes drone-delivery service

A regional health system is laying the groundwork for an aerial delivery service. WellSpan Health said yesterday it is partnering with San Francisco-based Zipline to offer a service that would ferry patient prescriptions, lab samples and medical products via autonomous drones. The health system offered no timeline for when service would begin. When it does, it would likely […]

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Doceo leader talks succession, expansion

When John Lewis interviews younger job applicants these days, he fields questions he did not typically hear a decade ago.

PA STARTUP TAPS INTO THE POWER OF HOME INSPECTIONS

Home inspectors gather reams of information as they poke around houses that are about to change hands. In some cases,

Region left out of federal tech hub awards

For the second time this month, a local group has come up short in a bid to attract high-profile federal funding. The first was an effort led by Harrisburg-based Team Pennsylvania to land money for a clean-hydrogen hub. The Team PA effort was not among those given awards. The second was an effort by a diverse group to […]

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Mixed-use project is ‘first phase of final phase’ for York tract

Officials in York have toiled for more than two decades to bring development to the Northwest Triangle, a former industrial tract along the Codorus Creek in the city’s northwest corner. They filled in pieces here and there over the years. On Oct. 10, they celebrated what is likely to be the final piece: a mixed-use […]

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Nonprofit lender lands $40M in tax credits to back projects

Community First Fund has been awarded $40 million in new market tax credits, which it can use to support economic-development projects around the region. The credits are awarded annually by the U.S. Treasury on a competitive basis. Based in Lancaster, Community First was awarded $30 million in new market tax credits last year. Those credits are […]

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$37.5M sale of York fiber optic company on hold

State utility regulators are putting an indefinite hold on the proposed sale of York-based United Fiber & Data, a deal valued

Prominent York restaurant to see new life

Restaurateur Victor Claffey is gearing up to open a restaurant called Bloom in the former Left Bank Restaurant and Bar in downtown York. Claffey, an Irish native with two decades of restaurant experience in Ireland and the U.S., hopes to infuse new life into the space, which is one of the oldest fine-dining establishments in York. “I think there […]

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State residents leery of driverless vehicles

The adoption of driverless vehicles in Pennsylvania depends on resolving a host of legal, regulatory and technical challenges. But it also may rest on cultivating a more positive public perception, judging by the reaction to draft guidelines for highly autonomous vehicles, or HAVs, published last month by PennDOT. HAVs include vehicles monitored and operated from a […]

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Harrisburg venue kicking off 25th anniversary party

Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg is planning a birthday celebration this week designed to reintroduce the 25-year-old center to the community. The celebration kicks off Monday Sept. 9 with a private lunch for the center’s founding board and staff members, as well as other community leaders who helped bring Whitaker to Harrisburg. Tuesday […]

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Phoenix Contact USA

Phoenix Contact USA, based in Middletown, restructured its leadership team as of Sept. 1. The changes are in preparation for the Dec. 31 retirement of President Jack Nehlig after 23 years with the company. Heath Scoggin has been promoted to president of device connectors for the business area and will lead Phoenix Contact development and […]

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Neighbors claim York County winery is violating order allowing it to reopen

The land-use dispute between Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery and neighboring homeowners is taking a new twist. In a legal filing last week in York County court, the neighbors, Amanda Perko and Matthew Balsavage argue that the winery in Lower Windsor Township appears to be violating limits on its operations set by a recent court order. […]

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Hanover Foods, union reach deal, avoid strike

Hanover Foods agreed on a new labor contract this week with a union representing about 300 employees at its Hanover-area plants. The union — United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 — had threatened to strike, with its leader arguing that the company was proposing unacceptable changes to health and pension benefits, as well as inadequate raises. The […]

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Union eyes strike amid contract talks with Hanover Foods

Union members voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike at Hanover Foods if they cannot agree on a new contract with the Hanover-based company by the end of this month, according to Wendell Young, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776. The most recent labor contract expired at the end of 2023, said Young, whose union […]

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AAA Central Penn

AAA Central Penn has welcomed Shaun Balani, Tracy Grajewski, Shanice Mariluz and Velma Redmond to its board of directors. Balani, now retired, was CEO and majority shareholder of Travel Time Travel Agency Inc. for 32 years. He most recently worked as a Vistage chair, helping a community of CEOs of small to mid-size companiesnetwork and […]

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Retiring health system CEO hailed as ‘transformational leader’

Steve Massini is planning to retire this fall as CEO of Penn State Health following a five-year tenure marked by significant growth for the health system but also challenges for its transplant programs. Massini oversaw the construction and opening of new hospitals in Cumberland and Lancaster counties, two of the region’s most competitive healthcare markets. Massini also […]

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The LGBT Center of Central PA

Amber Roadcap has been named executive director of The LGBT Center of Central PA. Roadcap worked most recently in a marketing role at Malvern Health. She began her career as a crisis intervention counselor at Geisinger Holy Spirit Hospital. Roadcap previously volunteered at the LGBT Center, which is moving this year to a permanent home at […]

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Appell Center for the Performing Arts

Six new board members have been named to the board of directors for the Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York. They are: Suzanne Becker, Traditions Bank Mark Holman, retired from Susquehanna Township School District Juliet Kinsley, Ellis Lee Marketing & Graphic Design Eric Menzer, York Professional Baseball Christine Nentwig, CGA Law Firm Brian […]

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Saxton & Stump

Robert Pontz has joined Lancaster-based law firm Saxton & Stump as chair of the bankruptcy and financial restructuring group. Pontz also is now a shareholder of the firm and a member of its business/corporate and banking/financial services groups. Pontz, who has more than three decades of legal experience, was most recently a partner at Lancaster-based Brubaker […]

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Officials embrace upcoming auction as chance for mall rebirth

Officials in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, are hoping that an online auction for the Colonial Park Mall yields a buyer interested in redeveloping the roughly 31-acre site. As a reminder of the site’s potential, they held a press conference June 19 to note that the retail property was zoned in 2020 to encourage mixed-use […]

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Barley Snyder

Kyle M. Kelly has joined the Lancaster office of Barley Snyder as a member of the law firm’s business practice group. Before joining Barley Snyder, Kelly worked at a Pittsburgh law firm where he managed middle-market M&A for private equity and corporate clients. He also worked as a judicial intern for the North Carolina Court […]

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Ollie’s poised to buy stores from bankrupt retailer

A court order is paving the way for Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc. to purchase 11 stores in Texas from discount retailer 99 Cents Only Stores, which filed for bankruptcy in April. A Delaware bankruptcy judge this week approved Ollie’s as a stalking-horse bidder for the properties as part of a court-supervised sale, meaning the company is […]

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