Mid Penn Bancorp is deepening its reach in southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey with the acquisition of a Bucks County bank that has been squeezed by high interest rates. Harrisburg-based Mid Penn has agreed to pay about $127 million for Bristol-based William Penn Bancorporation. The all-stock deal is slated to close in the first half of 2025, […]
A new venture fund in Central Pennsylvania is closer to its fundraising goal thanks to an investment this week from a state authority. The Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority has poured $1 million into the fund, Keystone Innovation Fund II, a joint venture between York-based White Rose Ventures and State College-based 1855 Capital. The fund is on track to close by […]
Traditions Bank earned record profits in 2020 and 2021. But when interest rates shot up between March 2022 and July 2023, the York-based bank ran into financial headwinds that called into question its ability to remain independent without cutting staff and trimming plans for growth. The resulting discussions among bank executives and directors led to the deal […]
An early retirement is throwing off leadership succession plans for one of the region’s largest banks. Craig Kauffman, who was in line to take the top job at Orrstown Financial Services next year, retired as of Sept. 30, according to a Sept. 25 securities filing from the bank. Kauffman, Orrstown’s COO, decided to retire due to personal reasons […]
PSECU is seeking permission to relocate its branch in Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg to a former FNB branch at 1249 Market St. in Lemoyne, according to a filing by the Department of Banking and Securities. The Harrisburg-based credit union picked the West Shore location, in part, because it is more accessible and convenient, said Adam Stewart, the credit […]
Mifflinburg Bancorp and Northumberland Bancorp, a pair of small community banks in northcentral Pennsylvania. said yesterday they are combining in a merger of equals valued at $34.2 million. The all-stock deal is expected to close in the first half of 2025. Mifflinburg Bancorp has assets of about $568.5 million and operates seven branches in Mifflinburg, Lewisburg, Millheim, Milton, […]
A seven-county swath of Central Pennsylvania has a new No. 1 when it comes to bank deposits. Lancaster-based Fulton Bank has eclipsed longtime leader PNC Bank for the top share of deposits in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties, according to the latest data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. As of June 30, Fulton had […]
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 […]
The virtual-assistant business has been a source of real-world growth for Zirtual, a portfolio company of Lancaster-based investment firm PennSpring Capital. Zirtual closed Friday on the acquisition of Double, a virtual-assistant business based in Brooklyn, New York. It’s the third deal this year for Zirtual since it was acquired by PennSpring in December. People hire virtual assistants to help […]
Mid Penn Bancorp has snapped up a Dillsburg-area employee benefits firm as it seeks growth for its insurance unit. The Mid Penn unit, which does business as MPB Insurance and Risk Management, started in June 2020, primarily in property and casualty products, according to Rory Ritrievi, chair, president and CEO of the Harrisburg-based bank. The acquisition of Commonwealth […]
Chase Bank, the retail banking arm of financial services giant JPMorgan Chase, is seeking permission to open a branch on the edge of Hampden Commons, a shopping plaza along Carlisle Pike in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. The bank is leasing a former M&T Bank branch at 5528 Carlisle Pike, according to Brad Rohrbaugh, retail director for York-based Bennett Williams […]
Orrstown Financial Services is planning to shed six branches as it seeks to wring cost savings from its recent merger of equals with PeoplesBank parent Codorus Valley Bancorp. The closures, expected to take place in the fourth quarter, will result in a one-time pre-tax charge of $534,000 but yield annual pre-tax savings of about $1.7 million, according to a […]
Another local financial advisory has landed in the arms of a larger business. Rodgers & Associates Wealth Advisers, based in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, has been acquired by Bluespring Wealth Partners, an Austin, Texas-based firm that has scooped up more than two dozen wealth management firms since it was founded five years ago. Rodgers & Associates […]
Fulton Financial is closing 19 branches in southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and New York City three months after the bank’s emergency acquisition of failed Philadelphia lender Republic First Bank, a deal that deepened Fulton’s reach in the state’s largest market. Lancaster-based Fulton is closing 13 of its own branches and six former Republic branches, according to Fulton spokesperson […]
After a run of more than 20 years, Traditions Bank in York County has agreed to be acquired by ACNB Corp., a Gettysburg-based institution aiming to push eastward into York and Lancaster counties. The all-stock deal, expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, is valued at $73.5 million. The combined bank would have assets of $3.3 […]
Orrstown Financial Services is shedding about 135 jobs as part of its recently closed merger with Codorus Valley Bancorp, with the majority of the cuts landing in back-office areas such as marketing, technology, finance and risk management, according to bank executives. The cuts stem from overlapping operations of the two banks, Tom Quinn, Orrstown’s president and CEO, […]
Goldman Sachs Alternatives, a private equity arm of New York-based finance giant Goldman Sachs, has agreed to purchase a majority stake in TAIT, a live-entertainment production company based at Rock Lititz in Lancaster County. The seller is private equity firm Providence Equity Partners , which has had a stake in TAIT since 2019. Terms of the deal, which […]
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 […]
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. […]
A local hotelier is planning to bring a startup hotel brand to Lancaster, York and other towns in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. Shakher Patel, co-founder of Lancaster-based Destiny Partners LLC/Destiny Hospitality LLC has signed a franchise agreement with stayAPT Suites to open five of the brand’s extended-stay hotels. In an interview with biznewsPA, Patel said he hopes […]
York-area developer Inch & Co. has dropped its appeal of a zoning decision barring a warehouse on land it owns in Manchester Township and is focused instead on fine-tuning plans for housing on the tract, according to company co-owner Jeff Inch. The dropped appeal is the latest move affecting a 52.7-acre tract at the center of […]
A Harrisburg-area developer is sparring with a Lancaster County township and authority over sewer tapping fees assessed on a recent apartment project. In a lawsuit filed at the end of last year, the developer, an affiliate of Lower Paxton Township-based Triple Crown Corp., argues that the fees were excessive, and it demands a partial refund. “They […]
Local school officials declined to award a tax abatement for a recreational sports center slated for construction in North York. York-area developer Inch & Co. has been asking the Central York school board for local tax relief for the $34.5 million project, which is backed by WellSpan Health. But at a meeting Wednesday evening, the board’s three-member business […]
A regional beverage distributor is planning a $100 million-plus sales and distribution center in Lebanon County that will replace a smaller facility on the West Shore. ACCB Harrisburg RE LLC, a local subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based ABARTA Coca-Cola Beverages, is building the 240,000 square-foot center on a roughly 52-acre lot in South Lebanon Township. It would be the […]
The corporate headquarters of APR Supply, a distributor of HVAC and plumbing supplies, is moving from Lebanon to an office building in Manheim Township, Lancaster County. In a statement, company president and CEO Scott Weaver attributed the move to the company’s growth. APR has acquired several firms in recent years and now has about 475 employees […]
In a unanimous decision, the Manchester Township zoning hearing board rejected a request that they alter zoning rules for a proposed housing development along Pennsylvania Avenue south of Route 30. The board members said that -based developer Inch & Co. had not adequately justified its need for zoning relief. Inch proposed building 109 single-family homes on […]
Following a legal battle with local officials, San Francisco-based developer Prologis is taking the next step in its efforts to build a warehouse in suburban Harrisburg. The company shelled out $24.25 million for two tracts off Linglestown Road in West Hanover Township where it plans to erect the 1.1 million square-foot building, according to county deed records. […]
One of the nation’s largest apartment operators has scooped up a development-ready tract in northwestern Lancaster County. An affiliate of Greystar paid nearly $8.7 million for the tract, which is poised to house an 11-building, 280-unit apartment complex, according to county deed records. The seller was 1376 Campus Road Associates LLC, an affiliate of Catalyst Commercial Development, a West […]
Ripples from the data-center revolution are continuing to wash over Central Pennsylvania. The latest ripple is a $131 million project from PPL Corp. designed to upgrade power lines and build a new switchyard in southern York County. The project is designed to improve reliability of the electric system in light of growing demand, including from data […]
It has been nearly a year since the former Dentsply campus in York city changed hands, fueling hopes for the property’s redevelopment. Hopes are now turning into blueprints. Developer York Realty Partners LLC has outlined plans for 62 townhomes on a portion of the 17.3-acre campus. The townhomes, dubbed the Towns at York Creek, would rise on parking lots behind […]
Plenty of developers have likely wondered how cities and townships calculate the fees they charge for construction permits. Harrisburg-area developer Triple Crown Corp. took its questions all the way to Commonwealth Court, where it argued that fees charged by Lower Allen Township in Cumberland County for two apartment projects were unreasonable and unconstitutional. The case was […]
Harrisburg-area business owner Anthony Worrall has added a third company to his portfolio. The owner of Reynolds Restoration Services and IT services company Everound has acquired SECCO Electric, a commercial contractor based in Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In an interview, Worrall said he was interested not in supercharging growth or changing SECCO, […]
Valley Supply Inc., a Mechanicsburg-area distributor of concrete accessories, fabricated rebar, chemicals and safety products for the construction industry. The company has been acquired by White Cap, a growing, Atlanta-based construction supplies distributor. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Valley Supply will continue under its own name and existing leaders, Harvey Sipe and Linda […]
High-profile construction projects around the region are in line for millions of dollars in state funding under grant awards disclosed Friday. Beneficiaries include a proposed sports complex in North York, a residential project underway in Lancaster County and the planned makeover of Harrisburg’s former federal building. They are among more than 400 projects statewide awarded […]
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 […]
State officials yesterday unveiled a pilot grant program designed to fund mixed-use projects with a residential component. State officials see the $10 million program as a first step in addressing the shortage of affordable housing in Pennsylvania, a shortage that is drawing attention at every level of government. Funding is available for preparing sites for […]
A state court has delivered a partial win for Pennsylvania in a year-old lawsuit seeking damages from ag giant Monsanto and related enitities over PCBs. An 84-page Commonwealth Court ruling on Dec. 30 swept aside six of Monsanto’s nine objections to the state lawsuit, paving the way for the next phase of litigation. Judges, however, did uphold two […]
Armstrong Flooring, one of Central Pennsylvania’s largest manufacturers and a long-time staple in the Lancaster economy, said late Friday it is considering a sale or other strategic alternative. Company leaders had been working to set Armstrong Flooring on a more profitable path, which included cutting down on its product portfolio and moving to a new, smaller headquarters in […]
The past year has been a busy one for mergers and acquisitions in Central Pennsylvania. Take a closer look at the action in this month-by-month recap for 2021. Unless otherwise indicated, the deal terms were not disclosed. January: U-GRO Learning Centres, a Derry Township-based preschool chain, was purchased by Michigan-based Learning Care Group, one of […]
Every year, developers and local officials around Pennsylvania ask for funding from a state program called the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, or RACP. Last year, projects in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties took home more than $39 million. But grants are not guaranteed. The program is competitive and many projects walk away empty-handed. […]
As people trickle back into the workplace around Central Pennsylvania, it may feel like a return to normal. But the feeling could be deceptive. The return to the workplace is a change. And while the change is welcome, people still need time to adjust. “It’s not like you can just pick up where you left […]
Martin Fedorko did not cross the finish line the first time he tried to create a venture fund in York County. But he came away with valuable lessons he is applying to his latest effort: White Rose Ventures Most importantly, he learned that York County’s would-be investors are indeed interested in backing local companies. They […]
As elected officials debate another government-led kickstart to the U.S. economy, business leaders are optimistic about their own prospects but resigned to slower growth overall. That’s the gist of two recent surveys gauging the outlook of executives who have spent the last six months grappling with the crippling impact of a pandemic that has taken […]
Jabron Taylor wanted to tempt local taste buds with something new. Inspired by the 2019 chicken war between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, Taylor settled on a recipe based on the Nashville hot chicken sandwich, the signature dish of America’s country music capital but a rarity in Central Pennsylvania. Since November 2019, he and several partners have […]
Victor Fields has been named president and CEO of Highmark Wholecare, a division of Pittsburgh-based insurer Highmark. Effective June 1, Fields will succeed Ellen Duffield, who has led the division since 2021. Highmark Wholecare covers about 320,000 Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in Pennsylvania. Fields worked most recently as health plan CEO for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Minnesota, […]
York-based developer Peel & Co. is transforming a former newspaper building at 9 E. Philadelphia St. in downtown York into a nearly 30,000-square-foot mixed use building with apartments, parking and retail space. The conversion is expected to wrap up by the end of this year, according to Eric Peel, managing member of Peel & Co. […]
A former Nationwide office in suburban Harrisburg sold for nearly $7.5 million, according to Jason Grace, CEO and managing principal of Landmark Commercial Realty in Camp Hill. He and Landmark president Michael Curran negotiated the deal directly between buyer and seller, and they represented the seller, a partnership headed by Philadelphia-area developer Eli Kahn. Kahn paid $5.5 million for the […]
After filing for bankruptcy in February, Harrisburg Dairies is ready for new ownership. The company is asking a federal bankruptcy judge to approve its sale to a New Jersey-based company called Patanjali Dairy USA LLC. The $4.95 million sale price includes the Harrisburg Dairies real estate at 2001 Herr St., its equipment and machinery, and rights to use […]
Justin Bollman has been named president of the board of directors of the Lancaster Rec Foundation Fund, the nonprofit that supports the Lancaster Recreation Commission, aka Lancaster Rec. Bollman works as a vice president at M&T Bank, providing financial and client services in the Lancaster market. Lancaster Rec is a nonprofit agency formed by a […]
Sean Post has been named president of the board of directors of the Lancaster Recreation Commission, known as Lancaster Rec, effective January 2026. Post works as vice president of finance at Kauffman Gas, overseeing financial planning and strategic fiscal initiatives. He previously worked for more than a decade at Trout CPA, rising to senior manager. […]
Martin Cassidy has been named executive board adviser at Wifinium, a York-based wireless infrastructure company. As the founding member of the company’s new advisory board, Cassidy will offer strategic guidance as Wifinium speeds up its growth across North America. Cassidy brings senior leadership experience from global technology companies including Cisco, Ericsson, British Telecom, Boingo Wireless […]
Penn Highlands Healthcare, a health system based in DuBois, is joining a regional network formed by WellSpan Health to improve medical care and lower costs for people on Medicare, a network known as an accountable care organization, or ACO. ACOs work to better coordinate treatment for Medicare patients. If they can deliver higher quality care at a […]
A couple more West Shore office buildings are headed for demolition. York-based Inch & Co. and their project partner, regional developer Adam Breneman, plan to demolish former Gannett Fleming office buildings at 207 and 209 Senate Ave. in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County. Pending township approval, the two buildings will give way to three four-story apartment buildings, each […]
Plans are advancing for new apartments in and around York. Local panels last week signed off on apartment projects at the Galleria mall and on the site of a former York city school. A third project, in a once-blighted part of York city, is nearing completion. The mall: At a meeting Thursday night, the Springettsbury […]
Column by Brandon Rogers There’s a moment most leaders remember … whether they recognize it immediately or only years later,
State regulators ordered a York-area salvage business to stop accepting and processing waste and are threatening jail time for the owner if he fails to comply. Issued March 17, the order comes less than a month after a fire at the company, J&K Salvage, and it follows years of complaints about environmental violations lodged by the […]
Cumberland Farms, a regional convenience store chain that shares a corporate parent with Turkey Hill Minit Markets, has agreed to acquire Coen Markets, one of the oldest convenience store chains in the Pittsburgh area. Terms of the transaction, expected to close this year, were not disclosed. Founded in 1923 and based in Canonsburg, Coen operates 54 stores […]
Kevin McLain plans to retire May 1 from his role as senior vice president and general merchandise manager at Harrisburg-based discount retailer Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc. McLain, who has been in the role since 2014. is being succeeded by Shane Thornton. Thornton was promoted to general merchandise manager in March 2025 as part of a […]
State regulators are proposing to fine the gas division of UGI Utilities nearly $2.6 million over the company’s alleged role in the explosion that leveled a West Reading chocolate factory in March 2023. The explosion, which killed seven people and injured 10, was traced to leaks from a retired plastic service tee connected to a plastic pipe […]
Elizabeth Brewer has joined Boyer & Ritter as a manager in the regional accounting firm’s small business group. Brewer brings more than 20 years of accounting experience to the firm. She previously worked as director of finance for a disability rights nonprofit and most recently provided controller services to companies at another Pennsylvania-based accounting firm. […]
Travis Snyder has gone from employee to owner of Triscari Productions Inc., a Camp Hill-area marketing company doing business as Triscari Video | Web | Marketing. Snyder became the company’s owner in December, taking over for its late founder, Sebastian Triscari. Triscari, who launched the company in 1983, died in April 2025. In an interview, Snyder […]
Business and government leaders yesterday celebrated what could be seen as down payment on a high-profile effort to reinvigorate downtown Harrisburg. It’s a pair of state grants totaling $425,000 and designed to increase safety patrols and support work that brings revitalization projects closer to fruition. The planning effort, led by the Capital Region Economic Development Corp., […]
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 […]
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 […]
Harrisburg’s planning commission unanimously approved a plan last week to subdivide the former Polyclinic Hospital campus last week, clearing the
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 […]
Pennsylvania’s top court has backed the right of injured workers to reimbursement for CBD oil as long as it’s included in a doctor’s plan for treating their injuries. The unanimous ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court comes in a case that has been winding through administrative and legal processes since 2019. Among the issues was […]
Just over a month after a deadly attack at UPMC Memorial hospital in York County, state lawmakers are poised to take up legislation addressing violence in the healthcare workplace. The legislation, House Bill 926, is scheduled for a vote March 25 in the House Labor & Industry Committee. Advocates note that healthcare workers are more likely than others […]
A state lawmaker is seeking support for legislation that would make it easier for regulated electric utilities to invest in and possibly own power plants, an idea recently floated by executives at Allentown-based PPL Electric Utilities. The concept responds to growing concerns that the electric grid is not adding enough new power to accommodate a surge in […]
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 […]
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 […]
State officials yesterday celebrated the opening of three new stations for charging electric vehicles amid uncertainty over the federal funding that helped pay for them. The new stations — in Cumberland, Franklin and Susquehanna counties — are funded by a $7.5 billion program designed to make it easier for drivers nationwide to find EV chargers. […]
Revenue spiked nearly 90% for five statewide cyber charter schools as they attracted students during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. While the schools spent some of the money on gift cards, employee bonuses, lobbying and real estate, they were operating within the bounds of the law, according to an audit of the schools unveiled yesterday by […]
After nearly half a century, Harrisburg’s tallest building is set to lose its place as a destination for state employees. The state government is set to vacate the 22-story building over the next two years as part of a broader reshuffling designed to scale back its use of leased office space. The move reflects the […]
In a unanimous decision, the Manchester Township zoning hearing board rejected a request that they alter zoning rules for a
In a budget address yesterday, Gov. Josh Shapiro rattled off a series of ideas for the fiscal year that starts July 1. GOP lawmakers focused on the bottom line — a proposed budget of $51.47 billion that they decried as irresponsible and unsustainable. The governor and state lawmakers — along with plenty of lobbyists — […]
Continuing efforts to put his stamp on state energy policy, Gov. Josh Shapiro outlined a six-point plan yesterday for tackling the basket of challenges plaguing consumers and producers of energy in Pennsylvania. The so-called “Lightning Plan” combines a mix of new and old ideas designed to lower prices for consumers, speed up construction of new […]
Business owners are slowly waking up to a new reporting requirement in Pennsylvania. Under the requirement, businesses of nearly every stripe must report annually to the Pennsylvania Department of State their names, addresses and principal officers, among other things. It is separate from the federal reporting requirement enacted under the Corporate Transparency Act — a law […]
State attorneys general, including Pennsylvania’s newly installed Dave Sunday, are taking another crack at settling opioid-related claims against bankrupt drugmaker Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family that owns it. In an announcement yesterday, Sunday and other attorneys general said they reached a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with the company and the family. The deal does not […]
In a brief notice yesterday, federal energy regulators denied petitions asking them to reconsider their approval of a preliminary permit for a controversial hydroelectric project in York County. The permit was issued last fall to York Energy Storage, a Reading-based company proposing a $2.3 billion pumped-storage energy facility along the Susquehanna River in Chanceford Township. The permit gives […]
UPMC is facing a class-action lawsuit filed by a respiratory therapist who claims she was misclassified as an independent contractor when she worked at the health system’s Harrisburg hospital in 2022. The suit, filed last week in an Allegheny County court, claims the therapist should have been classified as an employee and paid overtime when she […]
Garden Spot Communites, a New Holland-based senior-living provider, is extending its footprint into the Philadelphia suburbs. The nonprofit has agreed to affiliate with Frederick Living, a senior-living community in Montgomery County. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. But it is expected to close in early 2024. Garden Spot CEO Steve Lindsey will lead the combined […]
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. […]
WellSpan Health is partnering with a Texas company to open three mini hospitals in York and Cumberland counties that will focus on providing emergency care. The regional health system is still finalizing the locations of the new facilities, said Dr. Anthony Aquilina, executive vice president and chief physician executive for York-based WellSpan. But, he said, they […]
Companies that test, grow and process medical cannabis in Pennsylvania are suing to block a rule they say could cost them millions of dollars and ultimately raise prices for patients. The rule, which had been slated to take effect this week, alters the requirements for testing cannabis before and after it is processed into medication […]
A Lancaster County medical practice is bellying up to the browser bar. US Digestive Health at Lancaster is rolling out a telemedicine service that could become a template for sister practices in its gastroenterology network, known as US Digestive Health. The service builds on the network’s experience with telemedicine during the pandemic and its growing acceptance among both patients and […]
Many ambulance companies have opted for mergers and consolidations to offset the crushing financial pressures they face. In northwest Lancaster County, local leaders have come up with another option. They are proposing a regional authority that would levy fees on property owners to support an ambulance service. “There’s pushback on the fees,” acknowledged Marc Hershey, […]
A phishing attack in December exposed personal information on about 300,000 members of Highmark insurance plans, including about 96,000 members in Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh-based insurer disclosed the breach last week in a notice to the office of the Maine attorney general. In a statement, Highmark said it “immediately responded” to the incident and launched an investigation. So […]
A Lancaster-area home-care company has purchased the corporate headquarters of Drayer Physical Therapy Institute in Swatara Township, Dauphin County. Druk Homecare Services, a home-care provider based in East Hempfield Township, paid $1.7 million for the 20,812 square-foot office building at 8205 Presidents Drive, according to county deed records. Druk plans to relocate to the second floor of the […]
State health officials have dropped a legal action seeking to reinstate their controversial recall of medical marijuana vapes. The move before the state Supreme Court doesn’t end the legal fight. It simply means the Department of Health is no longer appealing a lower-court ruling that put the recall on holdNonetheless, it was welcomed by the medical […]
Under a partnership announced Aug. 15, Rite Aid and WellSpan Health plan to share data so they can better coordinate care for the roughly 100,000 patients they share in Central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. They may eventually share space, with York-based WellSpan operating inside Rite Aid pharmacies, according to Chris Bohrer, senior vice president of payer and strategic initiatives […]
Health insurance premiums are set to jump for people and small businesses shopping for policies offered under the Affordable Care Act in 2023. Insurers are asking for an average increase of 7.1% on individual policies and 5.2% on policies for small groups, according to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, which has to sign off on the […]
When Seth Pheng began working at a medical cannabis dispensary in 2019, the longtime pharmacist noticed two things. One was that people really were coming in for the medicine, not for the marijuana.Two was that it was an industry crying out for standards similar to what he was used to in the traditional pharmacy business.Three […]
A Pittsburgh-based life sciences company has acquired Fathom Pharma, a Hershey-area startup focused on developing safer pain medications. As a result of the deal, Fathom is now a subsidiary of Consegna Pharma. Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Together, the two companies hope to develop innovative products that treat overdoses, addiction and pain.They rely […]
Barbara Grimm, above left, worked with David Cooper to create the School Responder app (photos/submitted). During more than a decade working in the Lampeter-Strasburg School District in Lancaster County, Barbara Grimm saw a growing problem. More and more students needed help grappling with behavioral health issues, said Grimm, who worked in a variety of administrative […]
After taking a break during the Covid-19 pandemic to focus internally, a Lancaster-based venture formed by some of the region’s biggest players in health care is welcoming its first outside partner in nearly two years: SkinIO, a Chicago-based company using technology to broaden access to dermatology screenings. People can use the SkinIO app to take […]
A team of 20 medical professionals from the U.S. military plans to spend another 30 days pitching in at WellSpan York Hospital as the facility contends with a spike in Covid-19 cases.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
A state appeals court last week upheld a decision by local officials to deny a mixed-use development that included a proposed Sheetz store in Derry Township, Dauphin County. Dubbed Governor’s Crossing, the project was proposed for the southwest corner of West Governor and Fishburn roads south of downtown Hershey. But in November 2023, supervisors in Derry Township […]
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 […]
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 […]
Gratz Borough will not be getting another day in court for its long-running case against a proposed solar project – at least not in Commonwealth Court. In a short note last week, the appeals court said it would not reconsider arguments in a zoning-related dispute over the project. The decision is the latest legal setback […]
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. […]
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 […]
A lawsuit is accusing one of Lancaster’s culinary stars of misappropriating money earned by the restaurant and bakery that he and a partner opened nearly a decade ago. The restaurant is Bistro Barberet & Bakery, which has garnered international acclaim since opening in 2015 at 26 E. King St. in Lancaster. In the lawsuit filed this […]
Diopsys Inc., a medical device company based in Middletown, has agreed to pay up to $14.25 million for allegedly violating state and federal laws by submitting false claims to Medicaid and Medicare, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. Diopsys, which was formerly based in New Jersey, developed a device […]
Orrstown Bank is asking a federal bankruptcy court to delay a hearing on the sale of a New Jersey beach house owned by Daryl Heller, the Lancaster County businessperson at the center of multiple legal and financial disputes. Heller is seeking court approval to sell the house, which is under contract at a price of […]
Pennsylvania’s top court has backed the right of injured workers to reimbursement for CBD oil as long as it’s included
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 […]
A Harrisburg-area developer is sparring with a Lancaster County township and authority over sewer tapping fees assessed on a recent
The legal fight over a proposed hydroelectric project along the Susquehanna River is ramping up. Regional conservation groups are asking a federal court to take another look at a preliminary permit granted in November to the $2.3 billion project, which would take up about 1,000 acres in Chanceford Township, York County. The permit allows Reading-based developer York Energy Storage […]
Gratz, a borough in northern Dauphin County, has lost a second case challenging its opposition to a proposed solar project within its borders. In the first case, decided in October 2023, a state court ruled that the borough failed to properly advertise a meeting where it tightened standards for solar energy systems. The revised standards would […]
Federal regulators filed a lawsuit against a York-area manufacturer for allegedly firing an employee who had raised concerns about safety. In a lawsuit filed in late October, the U.S. Department of Labor accuses Red Lion Controls of terminating the employee after he refused to carry out a task that he felt was unsafe. The agency is seeking […]
GSM Industrial, an industrial fabrication and mechanical contractor based in East Hempfield Township, has acquired Annville-based Light’s Welding, a family-owned business specializing in the agricultural sector. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Light’s Welding was founded in 1948 by C. Alvin Light, growing from a local welding shop to a full-service fabrication and millwright business. “We’re […]
AHF Products is eliminating about 30 white-collar jobs, with less than half the cuts affecting its staff in Lancaster County. In a statement, AHF president and CEO Brian Carson attributed the move to a stagnant market for home improvements and soft demand for residential building products. Based in West Hempfield Township, the company makes vinyl and […]
Amid a projected slowdown in apartment construction, a Michigan-based cabinetry company plans to shutter a plant in Juniata County. Cabinetworks Group is closing the factory near Thompsontown and laying off 420 employees, a tally that includes 110 who were already laid off, according to a notice sent to state and local officials. The notice did not […]
Clemens Food Group announced Friday that it plans to close its recently acquired pork plant in Lancaster and lay off 193 workers while it continues to look for a buyer that will keep the factory going. However, the reassurances, are not swaying the union representing production workers at the plant, the former Kunzler & Company factory acquired by […]
When Tom “Dutch” Ressler strung up his first hammock during a through-hike on the Appalachian Trail in 2003, the equipment he carried was not always optimal. “Staying dry was a challenge,” he said. So, when he returned home to Lancaster, Ressler started fashioning his own gear. The DIY adventure led him to launch his own […]
Klinge Corp., a York-area company making specialized shipping containers, has been sold. The buyer is Trane Technologies, an Ireland-based company that makes HVAC and refrigeration systems, and its transportation-focused subsidiary, Thermo King. Terms of the transaction, which closed Aug. 1, were not disclosed. In a statement, Thermo King Americas president Adam Wittwer described the acquisition as “a […]
When Utz Brands Inc. announced in fall 2023 that it was closing one of its plants in Hanover, executives were prepared to answer questions about how many people worked there, what would happen to them, where production was moving and when. They did not expect as many questions about the fate of the company store […]
Over the last decade, revenue doubled for Electron Energy Corp., a specialty magnet manufacturer in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County. But if it wanted to keep growing, the company realized that it needed a partner, said Scott Murr, the company’s vice president of revenue operations. That partner, announced yesterday, is Magnetic Holdings LLC, which has taken a […]
A growing metal fabrication company in York County has purchased the former Wayneco Cabinetry plant, which has been idle since the cabinetry business shut down this spring. BMB Holdings LLC paid $3.3 million for the 81,000 square-foot facility, which is at 800 Hanover Road in Jackson Township, west of York city. The new facility is roughly three times […]
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 […]
York County manufacturer AMZ Manufacturing has struck a deal settling federal allegations that it failed to take adequate action after two women complained about sexual harassment at one of its plants. The charges, filed last year, alleged violations of Title VII, the federal law barring discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin or religion. According to the […]
Spring Grove-based paper maker Pixelle Specialty Solutions recently unveiled steps to bolster its finances. But they do not appear to be enough to satisfy a ratings agency concerned about the company’s liquidity. S&P Global initially downgraded the company following the refinancing. The agency then restored the original rating but added a negative outlook, warning that “continued operational weakness could pressure […]
Pixelle Specialty Solutions, a specialty paper maker based in Spring Grove, said June 12 it landed “significant new funding” that positions it for future growth. The financing includes amended credit facilities and an infusion of new capital from the company’s private equity backer, H.I.G. Capital. “With this new support, we are well-positioned to take advantage of […]
J&J Pallet and Recycling LLC is planning to purchase, upgrade and move into a 16,400 square-foot industrial building at 1690 Opportunity Ave. in the Cumberland Valley Business Park in Greene Township. The company, which sells recycled shipping pallets, is currently based in leased space at 1051 Sheffler Drive in Chambersburg. The company has been approved […]
Executives at G&S Foods opened the doors yesterday on a 351,000 square-foot plant outside Hanover that they expect will employ at least 1,000 people within the next three years. The factory will begin production later this summer with a staff of about 400 to start, according to G&S Foods CEO Dan Morgan. It will make and package […]
Building products manufacturer Carlisle Companies is planning a $45 million expansion of its research and innovation hub in Carlisle. The project will entail construction of a 42,000 square-foot building alongside the company’s existing R&D center, which is at 1557 Ritner Highway, according to Carlisle Companies spokesperson Mehul Patel. The site is near the headquarters and […]
Armstrong World Industries, paid $95 million in April to acquire 3form LLC, a manufacturer of architectural resins, glasses and other materials based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Products from 3form, such as acoustic wall tiles, translucent glass and textured wall coverings, are expected to complement existing products from Armstrong World’s architectural specialties division, which accounts for […]
One of the nation’s largest apartment operators has scooped up a development-ready tract in northwestern Lancaster County. An affiliate of Greystar paid
After closing last year, a former West Shore factory for The AMES Companies has been sold. An affiliate of York-based Kinsley Properties paid $18 million for the plant at 465 Railroad Ave. in Hampden Township, according to Gerry Blinebury, a broker with real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. Cushman & Wakefield is listing the 397,000 square-foot building for lease on behalf of […]
A foreclosure case hanging over the former Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg appears to have ended. The case in Dauphin County court pitted the building’s owner, William Penn Holding Inc., against private lenders seeking to collect on their debt. Jeremy Hunter, William Penn’s owner, confirmed an agreement was reached, but he declined to share the […]
Central Pennsylvania is home to big buildings that store stuff. A Virginia-based company is eyeing construction of big buildings that store data, reflecting a national race to boost data center capacity. PowerHouse Data Centers, an arm of Virginia-based American Real Estate Partners, has been discussing a potential multibillion-dollar data center development on a 700-acre tract in […]
Warehouses in Central Pennsylvania often sport household names like Amazon and Chewy, or the logos of logistics giants like XPO, UPS and FedEx. A new player is muscling in. Toronto-based Shipfusion is leasing a 350,000 square-foot warehouse in the newly developed Core5 Logistics Center at Codorus Creek on the site of a former quarry straddling Manchester and East Manchester townships in York County. The […]
The former Camp Hill office of Reager and Adler law firm was sold for $1.7 million to Community Options, a Princeton, New Jersey-based nonprofit that provides housing and job opportunities to people with disabilities, according to Bill Rothman, founder of Lemoyne-based RSR Realtors. Rothman represented the seller, the estate of the late attorney David Reager. Community Options has an existing […]
The bankrupt owner of Spring Gate Winery in suburban Harrisburg is seeking court permission for a sale of the winery and some of its assets, including its beer and wine licenses. According to court filings this week, Schoffstall Farm LLC is asking for approval of a sale to Nitin Patel, who would pay $2.85 million for the winery. The […]
The bankrupt property owner trying to sell Governor’s Square apartments in Harrisburg has complained in the past that the city of Harrisburg is thwarting its sales effort, and it’s now asking a bankruptcy judge to intervene. In a court filing last week, Maryland-based Uptown Partners LP asked a judge to order the city to “cease and desist from […]
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 […]
High Associates is starting to sketch in its plans for a 476-acre tract bordering the headquarters of Armstrong World Industries in Manor Township, Lancaster County. The plans, which could change with market conditions, call for a flexible mix of single-family homes, apartment buildings, retail space, industrial space and green space, according to Ken Hornbeck, senior vice president of […]
A potential deal is on the table for Spring Gate Winery in suburban Harrisburg. A buyer named Nitin Patel has offered $2.8 million for the winery, whose parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May, according to court records. The offer sets a floor for other potential bidders in a bankruptcy auction slated to unfold this […]
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings is scooping up leases for seven former locations of its bankrupt rival, Big Lots. The stores include one each in Georgia, Illinois and Louisiana and four in Wisconsin, according to court documents. The price is about $620,000, subject to potential adjustments by the landlords. “These stores are the right size, located in […]
PSECU is seeking permission to relocate its branch in Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg to a former FNB branch at 1249 Market St.
A Massachusetts-based developer is acquiring the Colonial Park Mall, an aging retail complex that local officials hope to see rejuvenated. A partnership headed by the developer, Zi Qian “John” Zhang, paid nearly $8.8 million for the mall, which is at 4600 Jonestown Road in Lower Paxton Township, according to county deed records. Zhang is still […]
A Cumberland County agency has taken another step toward the purchase of a Carlisle factory that shut down last year. The Real Estate Collaborative LLC, a subsidiary of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp., has struck a tentative agreement to buy the Frog, Switch & Manufacturing Co. site at 600 E. High St. in the Cumberland County borough. No […]
Regional real estate firm Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty has scooped up Sailhamer Realty, an eight-person firm in Shippensburg. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Sailhamer was headed by John Dyson, a son-in-law of the firm’s original founders. The firm’s Shippensburg office will close, and Dyson and the rest of the Sailhamer team will work out […]
The city of Harrisburg is asking a federal court to dismiss the bankruptcy case of Uptown Partners LP, the Maryland-based owner of the Governor’s Square apartment complex in uptown Harrisburg In a filing last month, the city argues that the deteriorating apartment complex is “unlikely” to find a buyer and that state court would be a […]
In one of the largest commercial deals in the region this year, a real estate investment trust paid $170.5 million for a 1.2 million square-foot warehouse in the Middletown area. The warehouse is at 3327 E. Harrisburg Pike in Londonderry Township. The buyer is affiliated with Radnor-based advisory EQT Exeter. The seller was an affiliate of […]
A Lancaster startup is taking a new tack in distributing its product, an app that helps people improve their health through better eating, sleeping and exercising. The company, Fizika Group LLC, had focused on senior-living communities, said its founder, Martha Lester Harris. But the communities often have their own resources, like gyms and fitness programs, […]
A Harrisburg-area engineering firm has added two new offices, including its first-ever location in Maryland. HRG has opened offices in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and Hagerstown, Maryland, hoping to make greater inroads in both areas. The additions bring the firm, based in Swatara Township, Dauphin County, to a dozen offices, with 10 in Pennsylvania and one each […]
It could be another four weeks before a bankruptcy court decides the fate of the beleaguered Governor’s Square apartment complex in uptown Harrisburg. The court had been scheduled to hold a hearing April 2 on a proposed sale of the 222-unit complex But the hearing has now been moved to April 30 at the request of the […]
Operators of the Holtwood and Safe Harbor dams are weighing in against a proposed hydroelectric plant along the Susquehanna River in an area known as Cuffs Run in Chanceford Township, York County.’ The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is currently weighing whether to issue a permit allowing the developer, York Energy Storage LLC, to study the project’s […]
Business groups are decrying a recent directive from Gov. Josh Shapiro designed to increase the state’s use of project labor agreements, deals that generally require the use of union labor on public projects. Issued last week, the directive calls on state agencies to review contract solicitations for capital projects to determine which ones would be good fits […]
About a dozen years ago, several members of East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster banded together to start a nonprofit focused on creating affordable housing, with a focus on people experiencing homelessness. Their first project was the purchase and conversion of a single-family home at 639 E. Chestnut St. Over the next decade, the […]
A court hearing on the bankruptcy sale of Governor’s Square apartment complex in uptown Harrisburg had been scheduled for Feb. 29. However, it has been moved to April 2 per an order from Chief Bankruptcy Judge Henry Van Eck of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Why is this happening: The […]
The Hershey Co. plans to shed jobs this year as it battles higher cocoa prices and sluggish sales. The cuts will amount to less than 5% of the company’s roughly 20,000 workers worldwide, according to a Hershey spokesperson. “We do not expect significant disruption or impact to our employee base,” the spokesperson said, declining to […]
Mechanicsburg-based Select Medical Holdings Corp. is preparing to spin off its occupational health services division, which does business as Concentra. Select Medical’s board approved the spin-off this week and expects the deal to close in late 2024. Select Medical shareholders would receive stock in Concentra in amounts yet to be determined but in a transaction that is […]
The new year is poised to bring new digs to two local companies. Reynolds Restoration Services bought a flex property in suburban Harrisburg for its new headquarters. York County-based construction firm Wagman also has purchased a building for a new HQ, a property in Manchester Township, York County. Both companies said they are outgrowing their current spaces. Starting with: […]
The High family is presenting a second major gift to their family foundation. The family’s ownership of Lancaster County-based High Real Estate Group is being transferred to High Foundation, the foundation announced on Dec. 20. The year-end gift follows the donation last year of High Industries, which was valued at nearly $115.2 million. The value of the real estate company was not disclosed but […]
A Maryland developer has revealed its vision for what will replace the Harrisburg Mall, a longtime suburban destination destined for the wrecking ball. Baltimore-based St. John Properties is proposing a roughly 550,000 square-foot development — dubbed Swatara Exchange — that includes a mix of retail and commercial buildings, with a smidgen of office space. While the plan calls for […]
A state court has tossed aside regulations that would have enrolled Pennsylvania in a multistate carbon-cutting program, regulations that were a climate-change priority for the former administration of Gov. Tom Wolf. At issue was whether the heart of the program — a market in which companies must buy credits to emit carbon — represented a fee […]
A Harrisburg-area financial advisory has joined the wave of consolidation washing over the industry. Comprehensive Financial Associates, based in Susquehanna Township, has been acquired by insurance and benefits brokerage AssuredPartners, according to a press release from Wise Rhino Group, the M&A firm that advised Comprehensive Financial. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. But it also includes […]
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 […]
The challenges for childcare providers have not eased since the pandemic. If anything, they have grown steeper, as providers struggle to retain and attract workers at a time of rising wages. But if business leaders have learned anything over the last few years, it is that working parents need access to quality childcare if they […]
The ground may be cold but battles over land use in Central Pennsylvania are heating up. Residents and developers are clashing on several fronts across the region. Not surprisingly, proposed warehouses are among the sharpest points of contention. Large-scale solar projects have triggered outcries, as well. But disputes also have arisen over housing, most notably in […]
Fraudsters drained nearly $250,000 from bank accounts of the Center for Independent Living of Central PA, and the Harrisburg-based nonprofit wants its bank, Mid Penn Bank, to refund the money, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Dauphin County court. The Harrisburg-based bank allegedly failed to enforce “commercially reasonable” security controls on the accounts and thus […]
Thanks to a recent court ruling, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania could be on the hook for more than $100 million in tax refunds to businesses. The ruling came in a case that arose over provisions outlining how companies can use past losses to lower their tax bills. Some corporate taxpayers have claimed, successfully, that provisions […]