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Banking & Finance

First Dauphin branch in the works for F&M Trust

The chief banking subsidiary of Chambersburg-based Franklin Financial Services has broken ground on a new branch at 4765 Linglestown Road in Lower Paxton Township.It will be F&M Trust‘s first free-standing, full-service branch in Dauphin County. “It’s a natural progression of our growth and activity in the capital region, specifically Dauphin County,” F&M Trust president and CEO Tim Henry said […]

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State rolls out home-energy loan program

Pennsylvania officials are tapping an Allentown-based lender to operate a statewide program funneling money to homeowners who want to make their homes more energy efficient.The program, called the Keystone Energy Efficiency Program, could provide up to $10 million in loans to eligible homeowners in amounts ranging from $2,000 to $25,000.The amounts are generally too high […]

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PE-backed firm takes stake in Harrisburg baseball team

A private equity-backed holding company is buying a majority stake in Harrisburg’s minor league baseball team from the family of the late Mark Butler, a co-founder of Harrisburg-based discount retailer Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings. Butler, who died in 2019, bought a majority interest in the Harrisburg Senators in 2014. That stake is now being sold to Diamond Baseball […]

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West Shore distributor sells stake to PE firm

R.F. Fager Co., a West Shore distributor of plumbing, heating, roofing and other supplies, has a new partner.New York-based private equity firm Tenex Capital Management has made an undisclosed investment in the company. Efforts to reach R.F. Fager and Tenex were not successful, But in a statement to trade publication PE Hub, Tenex managing director Gabe Wood said, […]

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Regional home-services company sold

New York-based private equity firm Broad Sky Partners has snapped up Punctual Pros, a regional franchisee for three high-profile consumer-facing brands.Based in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Punctual Pros serves customers across Central Pennsylvania as an operator of One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister Sparky Electrical franchises.The company is hoping to expand its footprint through acquisitions, said company […]

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Inflation, rising rates weighed on dealmaking

Rising interest rates and record inflation stifled mergers and acquisitions last year, leading to an 18% drop in activity compared to 2022 for Central and southeastern Pennsylvania, according to a report this week by accounting and professional services RKL LLP.Lancaster and the capital area bucked the regional decline, which reflected the national scene. Nonetheless, M&A activity […]

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Weis pressured over climate, supply chain disclosures

A nonprofit investor that tracks corporate performance on environmental, social and governance issues is asking Sunbury-based Weis Markets to beef up its disclosures on climate change and supply chain risks.The Massachusetts-based nonprofit, The Accountability Board, is seeking a shareholder vote on the issue during Weis’s annual meeting this spring.The resolution calls on Weis to produce a report on […]

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Local bank aims for the stars

Mid Penn Bancorp is fielding a sports and entertainment division designed to cater to the financial needs of high-profile athletes and entertainers.The unit formalizes an area where Mid Penn already has been making inroads, said Jordan Space, the bank’s COO. Many celebrities have come to know and trust the Harrisburg-based bank through its annual celebrity golf tournament […]

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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 helps […]

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PNC unveils $1B plan to upgrade, open branches

After closing more than 200 branches in 2023, PNC Bank said yesterday it is aiming to spend $1 billion over the next four years to renovate 1,200 branches nationwide and open 100 new ones in some of the country’s fastest-growing citiesBanks are cutting branches. But they also have been opening them in markets where they see potential […]

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Fulton names new finance, risk chiefs

Fulton Financial has named an interim CFO following the resignation last week of Mark McCollom, who had been the bank’s finance chief since 2018.A regulatory filing and press release issued Friday did not disclose the reason for McCollom’s departure. Lancaster-based Fulton has named Beth Ann Chivinski as interim CFO while it conducts a formal search process to fill the position. […]

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Banks more cautious with lending

A bumpy financial road is prompting local banks to tap the brakes on lending.Banks are still making loans. However, they may not be as aggressive in courting new business. Nor are companies eager to add debt, with interest rates still elevated and the economic outlook uncertain. A quarterly survey of bank loan officers by the Federal […]

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Nonprofit lender hires finance, credit chiefs

Lancaster-based nonprofit lender Community First Fund has filled a pair of C-suite roles. Elizabeth Bennett has been named the lender’s CFO, while Ed Gallagher has been named chief credit officer. Bennett worked most recently as CFO for Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in Lancaster and has also held finance roles at Lancaster Theological Seminary and Ephrata-based D&E Communications. Bennett succeeds Lloyd […]

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Orrstown, PeoplesBank to merge in $270M deal

A pair of longstanding local banks are coming together in a merger valued at $207 million. Under the all-stock deal, dubbed a merger of equals, the York County-based parent of PeoplesBank is merging into Shippensburg-based Orrstown Financial. The combined bank — which will take the Orrstown name — would have assets of roughly $5.2 billion and a network of 51 […]

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WHAT’S AHEAD FOR CAMP HILL BANK

Thanks to a single deal, Linkbancorp went this year from doing business in one state to doing business in five. That deal was the bank’s merger this fall with Maryland-based Partners Bancorp. The all-stock deal closed at the end of November, followed by a bankwide conversion to the Linkbank brand over the first weekend in December, according to Andrew Samuel, […]

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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 is […]

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Defamation claim raised in suit over fraud loss

Mid Penn Bank is firing back at claims it did not adequately protect a nonprofit from fraud.In a legal filing this month, the Harrisburg-based bank alleges that the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania harmed the bank’s reputation in a press release issued in February announcing a lawsuit against the bank. In the press release, the center claimed that […]

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Court OKs settlement in data breach

A federal court has approved a settlement in a data-breach lawsuit brought against Fulton Bank.Under the agreement, the Lancaster-based bank will pay $750,000 to set up a fund to compensate victims of the breach, which hit a Fulton Bank vendor rather than the bank itself. The bank is not admitting any liability for the breach, nor […]

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Small housing group aims for bigger impact

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 nonprofit […]

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Zoners turn down housing plan for former country club

Efforts to redevelop the former Red Lion Country Club in York County have taken a second hit.At a meeting on Feb. 27, zoning officials in York Township voted 3-2 to deny a developer’s request for a special exception to allow age-restricted housing under the property’s current zoning, which is for commercial office. “I don’t think […]

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High court rules in dispute over PA wage law

Pennsylvania’s top court has backed a lower court’s decision in a closely watched case involving application of the state’s prevailing wage law.The case hinged on conflicting views of the law, which sets a minimum wage for workers on publicly funded projects. What’s the issue: Whether prevailing wages should be paid on a private-sector project funded by […]

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State winnows applicants for new site-prep funding

State officials have narrowed the list of projects they are considering for a new funding program designed to prep industrial sites for development.The program, announced last fall by the Shapiro administration, drew more than 100 applicants seeking a total of more than $236 million.Officials are now focusing on a short list of 32 applicants — […]

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Plan unveiled for suburban Harrisburg mall

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 […]

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Kinsley, Royal Square partner on $7M apartment project

Kinsley Properties and Royal Square Development & Construction have formed a joint venture to convert a vacant office building in downtown York into a 43-unit apartment.The 38,000 square-foot building is the former Fox Bakery at 204 N. George St., not far from WellSpan Park. Construction on the $7 million project began this week and is expected to wrap up […]

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Fast-growing remodeler opens Texas office

Two years after christening a brand-new headquarters in Cumberland County, West Shore Home has opened its third corporate office.This one is an 82,000 square facility in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas, that includes office space for more than 120 employees. “West Shore Home is growing at an explosive rate and this is the next step in our goal to […]

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Court ruling could expand contractors’ liability

Contractors typically face some liability for issues that arise after they finish their work for a property owner.A Supreme Court ruling this week potentially expands that liability.In a split opinion, justices ruled that a contractor could be held liable for allegedly defective work even if the property owner knew there was a problem.Under previous legal interpretations, […]

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Land-use fights flare across Central PA

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 Lancaster city, where a […]

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Flagger Force sells stake to investment firm

With spending on bridges and highways expected to ramp up, a Florida-based investment firm has bought into Flagger Force, a Hummelstown-based company whose crews can be found directing traffic around work sites.Blue Sea Capital said yesterday it had invested in Flagger Force as part of a strategic partnership to support the company’s growth. Terms of the deal were […]

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Two Kinsley brothers die in avalanche during ski trip

York County has lost two of its most prominent business and philanthropic leaders.Brothers Jonathan and Timothy Kinsley died Monday while on a skiing trip in British Columbia. Jonathan, 59, was an executive with York-based Kinsley Enterprises, which oversees the Kinsley family’s business assets, including Kinsley Construction. Timothy, 57, was president of Kinsley Properties, a real estate development and […]

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Low-interest loan bolsters Lancaster apartment project

Construction on $15 million affordable-housing project in Lancaster city is pulling closer to the starting bell.The developer, a Lancaster-based real estate investment fund called OZFund Inc., has landed a low-interest $1.8 million loan to help cover the costs of stormwater remediation and a “green roof” for the project, which is slated for 800 S. Queen St. in […]

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Longtime CEO to retire from regional engineering firm

Robert Grubic is retiring as CEO of the engineering firm that has borne his name for just over four decades.As of the end of this year, the next CEO of Harrisburg-based Herbert Rowland & Grubic will be Jason Fralick, who has been its president since 2019.Grubic plans to remain chairman of the board at the employee-owned company.“HRG is […]

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Camp Hill firm forges ahead with $29M project

A mixed-use development is taking shape along Route 15 in Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County.Camp Hill developer Linlo Properties began site work in May for the project, dubbed The Mills at Shepherdstown Crossing.Once completed, it will bring 54 apartments, retail space, a Burger King and a Chick-fil-A to the intersection of Gettysburg Pike and South Market Street, which offers access to Route […]

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Court rejects expanded view of prevailing-wage law

A state court has reversed a decision that could have added millions of dollars in costs to construction projects financed with bonds issued by municipal authorities.The ruling last week by Commonwealth Court revolved around interpretations of the state’s prevailing-wage law, which sets a minimum wage for workers on projects funded by public money.The case arose in […]

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Regional construction firm changes hands

When Seth Hughes first stepped onto a construction site as a teenager, he didn’t think about owning a construction company someday.But as his career advanced, it started to emerge as a goal, Hughes said.The goal is now a reality. Hughes has purchased Mechanicsburg-based Mowery Construction from its previous owner, David Cross. The pair began laying the groundwork for […]

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Deal adds IT talent for West Shore Home

Home remodeler West Shore Home has long described itself as a technology-enabled company.The Mechanicsburg-based firm now owns a technology company.West Shore Home said yesterday it has purchased Design Center Inc., a firm based in St. Paul, Minnesota.Terms of the deal were not disclosed but it adds 23 employees to West Shore Home, which has been expanding nationally from […]

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West Shore construction firm on the move

RLS Construction Group LLC is investing nearly $1.5 million to buy and remodel the former Hampden Township municipal building at 230 S. Sporting Hill Road.The new location in Cumberland County will allow the company to consolidate operations that are currently at two locations, said Bob Schopfer, owner, president and CEO of RLS Construction.The company has […]

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entrepreneurship

Food

Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Laura Dimino has been named interim executive director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a state agency under the purview of the Pennsylvania legislature. Dimino succeeds Kyle Kopko, who left to become executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. Dimino has been the center’s assistant director since 2022. Before that, she worked in academic roles, including […]

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The Benecon Group

Michael Sullivan has been named chief commercial officer of The Benecon Group. It is a new role for the Lancaster-based employee benefits company. Sullivan worked most recently as an executive with Philadelphia-based insurer Independence Health Group, the parent of Independence Blue Cross. He also has held leadership positions at Independence subsidiary AmeriHealth Administrators and Pittsburgh-based insurer Highmark. At Benecon, Sullivan will oversee marketing […]

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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 allowed […]

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Stevens & Lee

Stevens & Lee has added a third office in New Jersey via the acquisition of Brown Moskowitz & Kallen PC, a Chatham-based firm with eight attorneys. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Brown Moskowitz serves privately held businesses on a range of legal matters. Its partners include Stuart Brown, Norman KKenneth Moskowitz, Norman Kallen and Keith […]

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York-area plaza fetches $16.4M

A Singapore-based real estate investor has scooped up a shopping center in Dover Township, York County.United Hampshire US REIT said it paid about $16.4 million for the roughly 61,000-square-foot Dover Marketplace, which is anchored by a GIANT grocery store. It’s at the corner of Carlisle and Palomino roads, south of Dover Borough.The plaza is the investor’s third Pennsylvania […]

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Fulton Financial Corp.

Angela Snyder plans to retire at the end of this year from her role as president of Lancaster-based Fulton Financial Corp. Snyder has been the bank’s president since 2024 after serving a two-year stint as chief banking officer.Snyder, who has more than 30 years of banking experience, joined Fulton in 2002 when the bank acquired Woodstown National […]

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Double-digit premium hikes sought for ACA plans

Health insurers are asking for double-digit rate hikes for plans sold in Pennsylvania on the market created by the Affordable Care Act. State insurance regulators said Friday that insurers are proposing average premium increases of 19% for individual plans and 13% for small-business plans in 2026. Officials warned in June that hikes were coming as part […]

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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 issues potentially […]

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Mid Penn Bank

Rochelle Grey has joined Mid Penn Bank as vice president and trust relationship manager within its trust and wealth management division. She will be based in the bank’s Wyomissing office and will serve clients throughout the Berks, Lehigh and Philadelphia areas, as well as New Jersey.Grey worked most recently as regional trust advisor at Truist […]

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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 comment […]

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Utz closing plant amid efficiency drive

Hanover-based snack food company Utz Brands Inc. plans to wind down operations at a plant and warehouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as part of an ongoing effort to concentrate production at its larger, more efficient factories. Manufacturing at the Grand Rapids plant is slated to end by Jan. 30, followed by the end of warehouse operations on May […]

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McNees Wallace & Nurick

Ian Brinkman has joined the Lancaster office of McNees Wallace & Nurick as part of the law firm’s corporate and tax Group. He advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, general corporate matters, and nonprofit transactions.Before joining McNees, Brinkman practiced at Lancaster-based Gibbel Kraybill & Hess, advising clients on a broad range of corporate and transactional […]

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Retail, office and mixed-use properties change hands

Crocker Run LLC purchased a mixed-use property at 267–269 E. Market St. in York for $1.005 million from Heit Holdings LLC, according to county deed records. The fully leased, five-unit investment property features one commercial suite and four two-bedroom apartments. The first floor is occupied by Justice Works Family of Services, a social services organization […]

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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 exemption’s annual […]

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A landowner’s pivot to data

A regional developer toiled for nearly a decade to bring a mix of uses to an 84-acre tract in Fairview Township, York County.Now, the company, Fairview Crossroads LLC, is hoping to plant a data center on the site, which is off Lewisberry Road, west of Interstate 83 and south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.“It’s been a long […]

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Saxton & Stump

Tamara Fox Rose has joined law firm Saxton & Stump as senior counsel to its regulatory and government affairs, commercial litigation, and tax and tax controversy groups in the firm’s suburban and downtown Harrisburg offices.Ms. Rose worked most recently at law firm Stevens & Lee and its government affairs affiliate, GSL Public Strategies Group, advising […]

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Phoenix Contact

Davis Mathews has been named CEO of U.S. operations for Phoenix Contact, a manufacturer of electrical and industrial components. Mathews had been an executive board member at the company and worked previously as president of industry management and automation and as a senior vice president of development. CEO is a new role for the U.S. branch of […]

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Lanco contractor taps new prez amid family ownership transition

A Lancaster County contractor is under new leadership as it transitions to the next generation of family owners.Speedwell Construction Inc., based in Penn Township, Lancaster County, has promoted Jon Sensenig to president.Sensenig, who joined Speedwell 10 years ago, worked most recently as vice president of design/build.He succeeds company owners Keith Ebersole, and Gary Myer, who […]

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Law firm, lobbying firm team up in capital

A Harrisburg lobbying firm has formed a business affiliation with a Philadelphia-area law firm.Under the arrangement, lobbying shop The DT Firm and law firm Lamb McErlane will refer clients to each other, said Joel Frank, chairman and managing partner of Lamb McErlane.While many law firms have created in-house lobbying divisions over the last few years, Lamb McErlane has no […]

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Panel OKs reforms to water, sewer system sales

In a series of bipartisan votes yesterday, a state House panel approved a package of four bills designed to tweak the process for selling public water and sewer systems to private companies.The tweaks would amend a state law known as Act 12, which paved the way for greater consolidation of local water and sewer systems. Advocates note […]

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Shapiro labor directive triggers blowback

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 for […]

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House panel OKs bills on wage, workplace discrimination

A state House panel has passed bills on party-line votes that would strengthen protections against workplace discrimination.One bill would lower the threshold for state anti-discrimination enforcement to businesses with as few as two employees, down from the current threshold of four.Another bill would tweak provisions covering gender-based wage discrimination. It would, for example, bar disparate […]

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Senate panel OKs tweak to tax appeals

Disgruntled taxpayers in Pennsylvania would have a new option for disputing their tax bills under legislation approved yesterday by a state Senate panel.Sponsored by GOP state Sen. Tim Hutchinson, the bill would create an independent settlement process, potentially avoiding protracted court battles over tax bills, according to its supporters, which include the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs and Pennsylvania […]

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Guv revives, revises carbon cap-and-trade

Appearing March 13 at a Scranton union hall, Gov. Josh Shapiro laid out plans for speeding up Pennsylvania’s shift to cleaner forms of electricity while creating jobs and capping carbon emissions from the power sector.The plans aim to bridge differences that have long divided environmentalists, labor groups, lawmakers and others with a stake in state […]

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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.And therein […]

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Zoners turn down housing plan for former country club

Efforts to redevelop the former Red Lion Country Club in York County have taken a second hit.At a meeting on

Rules on licensing for ex-convicts near finish line

State regulators have tweaked regulations that modify the professional licensing process for people with criminal backgrounds, following stiff pushback from critics of the original proposal.The rules implement a 2020 state law making it easier for people with criminal convictions to become accountants, barbers, nurses and real estate agents, among the many other professions that require a state […]

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State winnows applicants for new site-prep funding

State officials have narrowed the list of projects they are considering for a new funding program designed to prep industrial

Shapiro budget includes $500M focus on industrial sites

As part of his budget proposal for the state’s next fiscal year, Gov. Josh Shapiro is offering a remedy to the shortage of ready-for-business industrial spaces in Pennsylvania.It is a $500 million, bond-funded expansion of PA SITES, a program the governor rolled out last year on a pilot basis with $10 million in funding.The program […]

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Local projects vying for state RACP funds

Absence makes the list grow longer.It has been more than a year since state officials dished out funding under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, aka RACP, a state program that backs high-profile projects around the state.Now, for the first time under Gov. Josh Shapiro, the state is preparing to award funding once again following an […]

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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 BethlehemThe 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 businesses […]

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Guv’s higher-ed plan gets mixed grades

Educators love it because they would no longer depend on legislative approval for annual state funding.Families buffeted by inflation — and reluctant to take on debt — will appreciate its promise of college tuition as low as $1,000 per semester. But critics wonder how much it will actually cost. “It” is the blueprint for higher […]

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DEP eyes $500M program to slash industrial emissions

Pennsylvania’s environmental agency is hoping to snag up to half a billion dollars in federal funding to start a grant program focused on cutting carbon emissions from cement kilns, steel manufacturers and other industrial operations. If funded, the program would be called Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania, or RISE PA, according to the Department […]

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PA TAX-APPEAL PROCESS TARGETED FOR REFORM

Lawmakers are floating legislation they argue could lead to better results for Pennsylvania residents and businesses that challenge their state tax bills. The legislation would allow taxpayers in certain situations to file appeals past a statutory deadline. And in an effort to settle disputes more quickly, the legislation would create a new, independent mediation process. […]

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Pew survey rekindles debate over state-backed IRA

A new survey claims to show that three-quarters of Pennsylvania’s small-business owners support the creation of a state-backed retirement plan that would automatically enroll workers — the kind of plan that was approved earlier this year in the state House. Nearly a quarter, or 26%, “strongly support” the idea, according to the survey, conducted by The Pew Charitable […]

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Court sides with solar firm in zoning battle

Gratz borough in Dauphin County failed to properly advertise a meeting where it set stricter zoning standards for solar energy systems even as a company was seeking permission to build a 17-megawatt project there.That was the ruling last week from a three-judge panel of Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court, which upheld a 2022 decision by Dauphin County […]

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Legal

York County winery facing new orders to close

A York County winery overlooking the Susquehanna River is being forced to close for the second time this year following new rulings in a long-running legal dispute with neighbors who argue the winery violates restrictive covenants governing use of the property.Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery must cease operations by July 18, according to an order filed […]

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Harrisburg law firm hires first-ever finance chief

McNees, a regional law firm based in Harrisburg, has named Sara Reohr as its CFO, a new leadership role for the firm. A CPA by training, Reohr was previously a vice president and division controller for Select Medical, a Mechanicsburg-based rehab chain.At McNees, Reohr will oversee strategic financial initiatives.“As a growing and evolving firm, McNees offers […]

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Court order allows winery to reopen amid land-use dispute

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery is poised to reopen this weekend following a court order rescinding an earlier ruling that closed the 50-acre winery and event venue overlooking the Susquehanna River in Lower Windsor Township, York County.The winery shut down June 9 after it lost a six-year land-use battle with neighbors who claim the business violated restrictive covenants […]

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Land-use fight shutters York County winery

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery, a winery and event venue overlooking the Susquehanna River in Lower Windsor Township, York County, was forced to close as of June 9 as the result of a court order in a six-year-old legal battle between winery owner Jim Miller and neighboring homeowners Matthew Balsavage and Amanda Perko. In a lawsuit […]

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Feds sue PHEAA over loan-servicing practices

In a lawsuit filed May 31, a federal consumer watchdog is alleging that the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency misled student borrowers into thinking they still owed money after their student loans were discharged through bankruptcy. The crux of the lawsuit is a distinction between two types of student loans — those that can be […]

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Firms win fight over medical cannnabis recall

In a ruling handed down last week, a Pennsylvania court overturned an effort by health officials to recall hundreds of vaping products previously approved for use in the state’s medical marijuana program.The controversial recall, ordered in February 2022 by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, was tantamount to a regulation, according to the ruling in Commonwealth […]

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High court to hear dispute over prevailing wage

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving application of prevailing wages to a $17.2 million build-to-lease project for a State Police barracks and training center in Luzerne County.Administrative rulings sought to apply prevailing wages to the project, based on the notion that the state’s 20-year lease for the property essentially paid […]

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Dauphin County winery files bankruptcy, seeks buyer

A Dauphin County winery and related businesses have filed for bankruptcy as they look for a buyer for their operations.Spring Gate Winery parent company Schoffstall Farm LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 14 after experiencing six-figure losses in 2021 and 2022, according to a petition before U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.Based […]

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Bankrupty of Harrisburg apartment owner takes new turn

A new twist is complicating the bankruptcy case of Uptown Partners LP, the Maryland-based owner of Governor’s Square apartment complex in Uptown Harrisburg. The company managing the affordable-housing complex, Landex Management LLC, is asking the court to void its contract with Uptown Partners, arguing that the owner is not providing enough resources to manage the beleaguered property effectively.Uptown, […]

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High court rejects borough’s appeal over solar project

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided this week not to accept an appeal from Gratz Borough over a lower-court ruling that favored a company seeking to develop a solar farm in the northern Dauphin County municipality.The appeal followed a Commonwealth Court ruling last fall that the borough failed to properly advertise a meeting where it set stricter zoning standards for […]

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PA’s top court to weigh coverage of CBD oil in workers’ comp

The state’s top court has agreed to hear a case that turns on whether employers must pay for CBD oil and other over-the-counter products under Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation program.The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will consider several questions, including whether workers’ comp law requires employers and their insurers to reimburse injured workers who buy CBD oil and other […]

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Feds settle with staffing firm over Covid-era data

An Atlanta-based IT staffing company has settled federal claims that it failed to protect confidential health information after Pennsylvania officials hired the company to oversee contact tracing during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company, Insight Global LLC, has agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve allegations that its handling of data violated the federal False Claims Act, according […]

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Harrisburg law firms merge: ‘No other opportunities like this’

Ben Ried and John B. Zonarich entertained merger proposals from other law firms. But none seemed as right as the union they unveiled yesterday between their respective Harrisburg firms, Mette Evans & Woodside and SkarlatosZonarich LLC.“There were other opportunities,” Zonarich said in an interview with biznewsPA. “But there were no other opportunities like this.”Zonarich and […]

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Court backs heftier fines for defrauding consumers

In a case that drew national attention, Pennsylvania’s highest court backed a married couple seeking a bigger award after winning a lawsuit against an insurer they accused of engaging in fraud and negligence when it sold them a life insurance policy.In 2020, an Allegheny County jury found the insurer, Ameriprise Financial, liable for $120,570 in […]

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Regulators tweak penalties over PPL billing issues

Following a flurry of comments from customers and consumer advocates, state utility regulators altered the penalties imposed on electric utility PPL Electric Utilities over billing issues that led to overcharges for some customers, among other problems.In a 3-2 vote on April 25, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved a settlement agreement requiring PPL to provide more reporting […]

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Feds target hiring practices at Sheetz

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing Sheetz, arguing that the company’s use of criminal background checks in hiring is discriminatory.The agency noted that Sheetz was not motivated by race in making hiring decisions. However, the agency claims that the convenience-store chain’s hiring practices disproportionately screened out job applicants who are Black, Native American, Alaska […]

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PA health systems sue insurer over value-based contract

A network of healthcare providers in western Pennsylvania is suing Aetna over what the providers allege is unfair treatment under the terms of a value-based contract.The contract took effect in 2023 and is supposed to reward the network, Bridges Health Partners, for reducing the cost of care while improving the health of people enrolled in Aetna’s Medicare Advantage […]

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Law firm, lobbying firm team up in capital

A Harrisburg lobbying firm has formed a business affiliation with a Philadelphia-area law firm.Under the arrangement, lobbying shop The DT Firm and

Following acquisitions, York-area firm forms holding company

The Conrad Co. is the name of a new holding company unveiled this year by Penn-Air & Hydraulics Corp., a growing manufacturing services company based in Springettsbury Township, York County. The holding company encompasses PennAir, a company acquired by PennAir in 2019 and three other companies acquired since then, according to Seth Bray, the CEO of PennAir and […]

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State lawsuit over PCBs advances

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 of the […]

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Real Estate

Shippensburg-area plaza sells for $6.6M

A buyer with a growing portfolio of Pennsylvania shopping centers has added another one.A partnership led by Leo Ullman of New York-based retail developer Vastgood Properties paid $6.63 million at the end of April for Shippensburg Marketplace, according to Brad Rohrbaugh, executive vice president and retail director for York-based Bennett Williams Commercial.Rohrbaugh and Bennett Williams […]

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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 the two sides […]

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Harrisburg office complex sold to Philly-area firm

When Penn Center Harrisburg hit the market in summer 2022, the asking price for the three-building complex was $22 million. The half-vacant property in the 2600 block of North Third Street ended up selling for $1.45 million late last month following the bankruptcy of its owner, Penn Center Harrisburg LP. The buyer is an affiliate of Pennmark, a Philadelphia-area […]

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How realtors may adapt to a changing landscape

Over the last few weeks, real estate agents have begun bracing for the end of a common practice in home sales.It’s not the 6% commission, which agents argue is something of a misconception. It is the ability to signal that a homebuyer’s agent will be paid from the proceeds of a sale along with the […]

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Another delay in sale of Harrisburg apartments

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 property’s […]

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Nonprofit shedding senior-living operations

A regional nonprofit is poised to spin off its senior-living operations to a larger peer based in Missouri.Topton-based Diakon, which has a finance and support center in Middletown, has agreed to merge its senior-living subsidiary into St. Louis-based Lutheran Senior Services. Terms of the transaction, expected to close this summer, were not disclosed. “This was a strategic […]

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Small housing group aims for bigger impact

About a dozen years ago, several members of East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster banded together to start a

Court extends time for bankruptcy sale of Harrisburg apartments

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 complex’s […]

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Feds object to bankruptcy sale of Harrisburg apartments

Federal housing officials are objecting to the proposed sale of Governor’s Square, a beleaguered Harrisburg apartment complex whose owner declared bankruptcy last yearIn a court filing this week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development argues there are not enough guarantees that the potential deal will preserve the complex’s status as affordable housing.HUD also […]

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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 build […]

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Project dubbed ‘significant addition’ to Lancaster’s affordable housing stock

Lancaster-area officials, nonprofit executives and business leaders gathered yesterday to mark the next step in a nearly four-year journey to redevelop the former UPMC Lancaster campus along College Avenue.Nonprofit developer HDC MidAtlantic broke ground Feb. 7 on the first phase of redevelopment — a $23 million, 64-unit affordable-apartment building at 213 College Ave., the site of a vacant office […]

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Shapiro budget includes $500M focus on industrial sites

As part of his budget proposal for the state’s next fiscal year, Gov. Josh Shapiro is offering a remedy to

Lebanon judge backs vote against solar project

A Lebanon County judge has sided with a North Annville Township decision shooting down developers hoping to plant a roughly 858-acre solar farm in the rural municipality west of Lebanon city.The ruling, handed down last week, upholds a 2022 vote by North Annville supervisors to deny a conditional use permit to Lebanon Solar I LLC, a […]

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Concerns raised over pending sale of Harrisburg apartments

Tenants are raising a legal hurdle to the proposed sale of an affordable-apartment complex in uptown Harrisburg.A New Jersey firm bid just over $9.6 million to buy the complex, known as Governor’s Square, from its current owner, Uptown Partners, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year.The tenants, represented by an attorney from a Harrisburg-based nonprofit, have filed […]

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Court OK sought for NJ firm to buy Harrisburg apartments

The bankrupt owner of an apartment complex in uptown Harrisburg is seeking court approval to sell the property to a New Jersey firm. ANCDI Properties is offering to pay just over $9.6 million for Governor’s Square, beating out two competing bids, according to a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “My […]

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State court backs developer in warehouse spat

A state appeals court has sided with a local developer aiming to build a warehouse complex in Swatara Township, Dauphin County. The decision is the latest in a long-running battle over whether warehouses should be allowed on tracts along Route 322 east of Harrisburg, near Penhar Drive. State court shot down a previous developer’s efforts in […]

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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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Dentsply’s York campus sold, with rehab on tap

A York city authority has purchased the former Dentsply Sirona campus and plans to turn it over to a developer expected to bring new life to the 17.3 acre site between West College Avenue and the Codorus Creek The $4.25 million sale, which closed in late December, is the culmination of more than a year of talks […]

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Technology

Other Categories

Startup, interrupted

Sam Beiler and Jared Neff had been drawing up growth plans for their Lancaster-based startup, but the Covid-19 pandemic dashed their forays into raising outside capital. Now, their goal is to begin generating a profit more quickly.“That’s kind of the mindset of any startup right now,” said Beiler, co-founder and CEO of a social media […]

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At JPL, events drop but other work powers ahead

Among the first to raise alarms for JPL was its small staff in New York City.As the first cases of Covid-19 were appearing in the Big Apple in early March, JPL’s four New York employees said they wanted to work from home.Luke Kempski is president of JPL, a multimedia production and marketing company in Swatara […]

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Winery follows tested formula but future still uncertain

Carl Helrich enjoys a glass of wine among the barrels at Allegro Winery in Chanceford Township, York County. PHOTO/SUBMITTEDCarl Helrich took over Allegro Winery on Sept. 10, 2001. Family and hard work got him through the economic contraction that followed the terrorist attacks the very next day.He has been having flashbacks to those rocky times […]

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At work but not at ease for Wolfgang Confectioners

In early March, as the coronavirus spread into Pennsylvania, Wolfgang Confectioners beefed up its already strict regimen for sanitation and cleaning. Employees at work in a Wolfgang Confectioners plant in Loganville, York County. PHOTO/SUBMITTED“People are constantly washing their hands. We have uniform changes on a regular basis, so there’s a lot of things that we do […]

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Layoffs, lost revenue follow construction halt

A warm winter this year was good for business at Bill Anskis Co. Inc., a construction firm based in Elysburg, a little more than an hour north of Harrisburg.Mark Anskis stands outside the closed offices of Bill Anskis Co. Inc., a construction firm based in Elysburg, north of Harrisburg. He is a co-owner of the […]

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