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Stake in Rock Lititz company poised to change hands

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 […]

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PennSpring-backed firm scoops up virtual paralegal service

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

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Select Medical’s workplace health unit files for IPO

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

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Startup nonprofit in Lancaster aims to persuade

Drew Mousetis understands the benefits of employee ownership. As a lead consultant for employee-owned software company Cargas in Lancaster, he enjoyed a sense of financial security that allowed him and his wife to purchase a new home in Lancaster County where they are raising their four young children. “You just can’t really put a value […]

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House panel OKs controversial swipe-fee legislation

In a party-line vote, a House panel approved legislation on June 12 to exempt Pennsylvania sales taxes from so-called swipe fees — the fees assessed to process transactions involving credit cards. Fourteen Democrats on the committee voted for the legislation, House Bill 2394, while 11 Republicans were opposed. The exemption would mean that on a $1 […]

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Banks, retailers spar over swipe-fee legislation

Pennsylvania banks and credit unions are pushing back on proposed state legislation that would exempt the sales-tax portion of retail purchases from so-called swipe or interchange fees — the fees charged by financial services companies for processing credit card payments. The fees are typically 1% to 3% of a transaction. Under the exemption, on a […]

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Lanco financial firm merges with Denver peer

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

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Inch & Co. launches $20M real estate fund

The founders of Inch & Co. are looking to raise $20 million from investors interested in backing the York-area company’s forays in multifamily housing. For the last 15 years, the company has leaned on its own resources, buttressed by capital from friends and family, said Jeff Inch, a co-founder and co-owner of Inch & Co. “Now […]

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Bank to form holding company

Lancaster County-based Bank of Bird-in-Hand is seeking shareholder and regulatory approval to form a holding company, a common step for banks as they grow. The holding company would be called GELT Bancorp Inc., incorporating the Amish word for money. The bank also uses the word for its mobile branches, called Gelt buses. Existing bank shareholders would become […]

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Regional benefits firms merge

Lemoyne-based insurance and benefits agency Gunn-Mowery is expanding its footprint in York County The firm has acquired Central Penn Benefits, an insurance and benefits agency in West Manchester Township, York County. Terms of the transaction, which closed May 1, were not disclosed. But Central Penn Benefits will continue to operate under its own name and from its existing […]

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Camp Hill bank to shed NJ branches

LinkBancorp is selling its newly acquired operations in South Jersey for an after-tax gain of about $10.5 million, according to LinkBancorp CEO Andrew Samuel. The buyer is Philadelphia-based American Heritage Federal Credit Union, which has more than 310,000 members and assets of more than $4.8 billion. Expected to close in the second quarter of this year, […]

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Amid improving finances, college misses bond payment

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology failed to make a monthly loan payment on May 1 in default of its loan agreement, according to a disclosure last week to its bondholders. Under the agreement, monthly payments to the bond trustee roll up into semiannual payments on interest and principal on the university’s bonds. Those semiannual payments are […]

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Fulton buys failed Philly bank

Fulton Bank was on the receiving end on the afternoon of April 26 when state regulators shut down and brokered a sale of Republic First Bank, a troubled Philadelphia-based lender that does business as Republic Bank. As a result, Fulton has acquired most of the assets and branches of Republic First, expanding the Lancaster bank’s footprint in the […]

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York adopts new financing tool for green projects

York County commissioners last week approved the county’s participation in a program that offers specialized financing tools for clean-energy and energy-efficiency projects. The program, offered in partnership with Schnecksville-based Sustainable Energy Fund, is called the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy program, or C-PACE. How does it work: Commercial and nonprofit property owners tap the program to […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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State testing $10M program to boost housing supply

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 […]

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

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

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Developer appeals ruling that blocks York-area warehouse rezoning

Inch & Co. is appealing a York County court ruling that blocks the company from building a warehouse on land south of Route 30 in Manchester Township. The move continues a nearly two-year-old battle over the 52.7-acre site, which borders the Prospect Hill Cemetery. Some neighbors have opposed the warehouse plans since they became public, […]

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Houck exec aims to bring down suicide risk in construction

After her older brother died by suicide nearly 20 years ago, Kara McCaffrey felt drawn toward efforts to prevent others from following. “It’s just something that I’ve always cared about,” said McCaffrey, whose family owns Houck Group, a regional construction contractor based in West Hanover Township, Dauphin County. The personal became professional when she started […]

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Inch & Co., WellSpan break ground on $35M sports complex in North York

After about two years of planning, Inch & Co. held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a $35 million sports complex in North York, a facility expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the county each year and spark millions of dollars in economic impact. The event yesterday drew more than 150 guests, including leaders from […]

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Deal broadens reach of equipment dealer

A Harrisburg-area construction equipment dealership is extending its footprint southward through the acquisition of a company with offices in Maryland and Virginia. Stephenson Equipment Inc. said last week it purchased Valley Supply & Equipment, a business founded in 1982 by Howard Klein and last owned by his two sons, Adam and Brandon. Terms of the transaction […]

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$450M project taking shape on former state hospital grounds

The grounds of the former Harrisburg State Hospital are heading for a makeover. The Pennsylvania Department of General Services yesterday unveiled plans to build a $450 million laboratory complex on the 30-acre property, which has been mostly vacant since 2006. The project includes a new $325 million, 300,000 square-foot joint lab to be shared among […]

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Former Harrisburg law office headed for residential conversion

A New York City investor has acquired a former law office on North Front Street in Harrisburg and plans to convert the former mansion into an eight-unit apartment building to be called Front Street Lofts. The investor, a family office called Generational Wealth Organization that also has a presence in California, paid $633,000 for the building. It […]

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Financing is among ‘biggest challenges’ for Lancaster rehab

Business owner Jared Mizrahi is planning a $5 million makeover of a mixed-use property in downtown Lancaster. He just needs to finalize the financing. A big piece came through last month in the form of a low-interest $1.4 million loan from the state’s Building Pennsylvania program, arranged by Lancaster-based EDC Finance. Mizrahi said he is hoping to […]

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Camp Hill firm combines with K.C. peer

Engineering firm Gannett Fleming is roughly doubling in size thanks to a merger with a Kansas City, Missouri-based peer, TranSystems. Together, the two private equity-backed firms create a business with more than 5,000 employees and annual revenue of about $1.3 billion. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. For Camp Hill-based Gannett, the deal continues a path of […]

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Nonprofit plans $65M senior-living campus in northern York

Messiah Lifeways is planning to build a new campus in northern York County, with a groundbreaking slated for October. The campus will occupy 85 acres of farmland tucked into a bend of the Yellow Breeches Creek in Fairview Township, about 10 minutes from Camp Hill. Based in Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County, Messiah paid $5.9 million […]

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State funds boost projects in York, Adams, Lancaster, Lebanon

Developer Ben Sutton has been working for more than a year to bake new life into a former bakery plant in West York. This week, he secured a key ingredient: a low-interest state loan and accompanying grant totaling nearly $2.5 million in all. “It was the missing part,” Sutton said in an interview with biznewsPA. […]

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Inch taps construction vet for ops/finance chief

Inch & Co. Holdings, a York County construction and real estate development firm, has hired Mike Benshoof as its first-ever chief operations and financial officer. Benshoof, a construction industry veteran, was most recently president of Berks Homes, a regional home builder with offices in Mohnton, New Cumberland and State College. “We’re very, very happy to have […]

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Building a national brand from a West Shore base

Soon after founding West Shore Home nearly 20 years ago, B.J. Werzyn envisioned turning the home-remodeling business into a nationwide brand. It was not a vision that was readily embraced, given the company’s humble beginnings in an industry long dominated by local contractors. “When you’re one location here in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, with 50 employees and […]

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Firms partner on $18.6M apartment project in Lebanon

Lebanon-based construction company Arthur Funk & Sons Inc. is teaming up with a Wisconsin-based developer to build a 48-unit affordable apartment complex on a roughly five-acre plot along Mount Pleasant Road in South Annville Township, Lebanon County A formal groundbreaking is scheduled for July 15, but site work already is underway, said Matthew Padron, managing director […]

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House OKs expansion to prevailing-wage law

A controversial effort to tweak Pennsylvania’s prevailing-wage law has cleared a key hurdle. The Democratic-controlled state House this week passed a bill containing the tweaks on a vote of 125 to 77, sending it to an uncertain future in the GOP-controlled Senate. What are the tweaks: The legislation, House Bill 2153, would apply prevailing wages […]

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Harristown undertaking $750K reno project

An affiliate of the nonprofit developer Harristown Enterprises is carving up a pair of vacant rowhomes at 104 and 106 Walnut St. in Harrisburg into four apartment units, ranging in size from 910 square feet to 1,690 square feet. The Harristown affiliate, Charming on Walnut LLC, bought the two Depression-era buildings in December 2023 in a […]

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Proposed tweaks to prevailing wage spur debate

Contractors and some lawmakers are pushing back against efforts to change how Pennsylvania officials apply prevailing wage law, which sets a floor for wages on publicly funded construction projects. Their target is legislation before the state House and Senate that critics argue will drive up costs for public works. “It’s simply the wrong solution for […]

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entrepreneurship

Food

Could state-mandated software help tardy taxpayers?

State lawmakers and tax collectors are pitching a new program designed to help businesses catch up on delinquent sales taxes. Under the program, eligible businesses would be required, for at least a year, to use software that automatically files returns and remits sales taxes to the state. The idea builds on a pilot program tested […]

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Self-storage proposed for vacant Harrisburg office

A former office building at 1171 S. Cameron St. in Harrisburg could soon become a self-storage facility. Building owner Storage Five Harrisburg LLC has filed land development plans calling for conversion of the roughly 118,000-square-foot building into a self-storage facility with about 950 units. The construction work is expected to cost about $6.7 million, according to a resolution […]

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Investment, industrial, commercial properties sold

Jonestown Realty Partners II LLC paid $1 million for a roughly 4,000-square-foot building at 49 Prince St. in Harrisburg, according to county deed records. Jessica Gasper and Arthur Campbell of Campbell Commercial Partners represented the seller, identified in deed records as Aspire Realty Group LLC. The investment property is leased by AFC Urgent Care. Mount […]

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Highmark Wholecare

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, […]

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Former York newspaper building undergoing conversion

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. […]

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Vacant office changes hands

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 […]

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Dairy business seeks court nod for $5M bankruptcy sale

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 […]

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Lancaster Rec Foundation Fund

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 […]

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Lancaster Recreation Commission

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. […]

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Wifinium

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 […]

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Western PA health system joins WellSpan-led network for Medicare

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 […]

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West Shore offices yielding to apartment complex

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 […]

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York-area residential projects clear hurdles

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 […]

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The pitfalls of validation

Column by Brandon Rogers There’s a moment most leaders remember … whether they recognize it immediately or only years later,

York-area salvage yard ordered to close over pollution violations

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 […]

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Turkey Hill affiliate buying western PA c-stores

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 […]

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Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc.

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 […]

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PUC eyes penalties for gas company over factory blast

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 […]

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PA joins new deal to settle opioid claims against Purdue, Sacklers

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 […]

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Regulators spurn requests to revisit permit for hydro project

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 […]

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Court backs Harrisburg vape shop in licensing spat

Commonwealth Court has tossed out state rules requiring licensing of companies manufacturing e-cigarettes and the liquids used in them. The court found that the rules gave the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue too much discretion in deciding how they would be enforced. The decision came Friday in the context of a lawsuit filed by East Coast Vapor, […]

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Court backs state claim to insurance fund surplus

For three years in a row, former Gov. Tom Wolf and state lawmakers tried to get their hands on surplus money held by Pennsylvania’s medical malpractice insurer of last resort. The insurer fought back, arguing that, as a private entity, its multimillion-dollar surplus should remain beyond the reach of public officials. Wolf and state legislators […]

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What would it take to end PA taxes on overtime?

President-elect Donald Trump made hay during the campaign with pledges to end taxes on tips and overtime pay. It’s unclear whether the proposals will gain traction in the U.S. Congress, given their potential cost. But the debate is likely to play out in Harrisburg, as well. In recent weeks, Pennsylvania lawmakers have floated proposals to […]

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State revenue down from decline in gassing up

Pennsylvania may have one of the highest gas taxes in the country, but the levy is delivering shrinking returns, according to a research brief this week from the Independent Fiscal Office, a state agency monitoring budgetary and economic trends. The culprit is declining gasoline usage in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which pretty much […]

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Court puts business-reporting rule on hold

A federal court in Texas suspended enforcement of a controversial business-reporting regulation four weeks before it was slated to take effect. In a ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant said the rule is “likely unconstitutional” and issued an order blocking its implementation pending further court review. Adopted under a law known as the Corporate […]

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Deadline nears for business-reporting requirement

Do you know who your owners are? It’s a question millions of businesses will have to answer by the end of the year under a federal law known as the Corporate Transparency Act. Enacted in 2021, the law requires corporations, LLCs, LPs and other business entities to report information about their owners and managers to […]

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Court tosses developer’s lawsuit over township fees

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 […]

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High court reverses ruling in tax-refund case

Pennsylvania is dodging a fiscal bullet thanks to a ruling handed down yesterday by the state’s highest court. At issue was a corporate taxpayer’s demand for a $2 million refund after a tax structure was declared unconstitutional. The Commonwealth Court ruled last year that the state should pay the refund. But a divided Supreme Court reversed the […]

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Guv aims to speed permits for ‘complex and impactful’ projects

Gov. Josh Shapiro is hoping to ensure ambitious developers have a friend in Pennsylvania — or at least an easier time securing permits for construction. At an event in Philadelphia yesterday, the governor signed an executive order creating a transparent, fast-track permitting program for what are being described as “complex and impactful economic development and infrastructure projects.” […]

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Deal would transfer control of beleaguered Harrisburg apartments

Under a proposed settlement filed in court last week, the owner of an embattled Harrisburg apartment complex is agreeing to cede control of the property to an independent receiver and to convert its bankruptcy case to a liquidation. The deal, which requires court approval, would end a festering dispute between the city and the apartment […]

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Court shoots down overtime expansion

In a ruling Friday, a Texas judge scuttled an expansion of overtime pay that took effect in July. The decision sinks a Biden administration regulation that lifted the salary threshold for determining who is eligible for overtime pay. Another increase was slated to take effect in January, but that is now off the table, pending […]

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Studies see benefit in state-run retirement savings

State-backed retirement plans, which have been proliferating around the U.S., appear to boost savings among workers, according to a study released yesterday. Workers are 20% more likely to contribute to a retirement savings account if they work at a business in a state that has an auto IRA program, according to the study, undertaken by […]

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Regional projects land state funding

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 […]

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Guv signs off on new tax-appeal option

Pennsylvania taxpayers are poised to get a new avenue for disputing tax bills they don’t like. Under legislation signed into law yesterday by Gov. Josh Shapiro, state officials will be rolling out independent mediation as a way to settle tax disputes before they reach state courts. Under previous law, taxpayers interested in a settlement would negotiate […]

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Pharma giant plowing millions into Lancaster County campus

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

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State testing $10M program to boost housing supply

State officials yesterday unveiled a pilot grant program designed to fund mixed-use projects with a residential component. State officials see

Legal

Developer contests sewer fees

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 […]

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Groups sue over permit for Susquehanna hydro project

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 […]

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Borough loses second case over proposed solar array

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 […]

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Former business partners Hynes, Taylor settle defamation suit

Former York-area business partners Bill Hynes and Chad Taylor have settled a defamation lawsuit triggered by a 2023 article in Rolling Stone magazine in which Taylor accused Hynes of stealing from him and his fellow bandmates in the rock group Live. The settlement was revealed in a court filing this week in Philadelphia County court, […]

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ATM investors seek access to company office

Investors in Paramount Management Group, the financially insolvent ATM network operator, are seeking access to the company’s former Lancaster city offices in order to inspect paper and computer files on the premises, according to a legal filing last week in Lancaster County Court. The filing follows a story in LNP describing the condition of the abandoned office at 415 […]

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Heller bankruptcy filing met with allegations of fraud

Lancaster business owner Daryl Heller filed for personal bankruptcy on Monday, a move met a day later by allegations of fraud from a creditor allegedly owed more than $8 million. Heller, a principal in all-but-defunct ATM operator Paramount Management Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New Jersey, where he owns a beach house. The […]

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Personal liability of ATM company owner at issue

Business owner Daryl Heller is appealing a court order seeking to hold him personally liable for a $2 million civil contempt penalty assessed as part of an investor lawsuit against his company, Lancaster-based ATM operator Paramount Management Group. The penalty was imposed Jan. 10 by Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Judge Leonard G. Brown III, who […]

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Lancaster ATM operator agrees to liquidation

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

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Court backs right to sue over workplace illness

Pennsylvania’s top court has upheld an employee’s right to sue an employer over a workplace illness even if it’s diagnosed after a time limit for filing a claim under worker’s comp laws. The ruling stems from a civil lawsuit filed by the estate of a retired engineer who died from mesothelioma traced to his workplace […]

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PA joins new deal to settle opioid claims against Purdue, Sacklers

State attorneys general, including Pennsylvania’s newly installed Dave Sunday, are taking another crack at settling opioid-related claims against bankrupt drugmaker Purdue

Bank claims could complicate recovery for ATM investors

Investors hoping to recover money from Lancaster-based ATM operator Paramount Management Group are facing a new hurdle. In a legal filing this month, a Berks County bank claims it has a stake in some of Paramount’s ATMs, as well as any revenue they may be generating. Customers Bank is asking a Lancaster County judge to stay an earlier […]

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Order finds ATM operator in contempt

A court order on Friday gave some relief to investors in Paramount Management Group, a financially strapped ATM operator based in Lancaster. But the order did not give the investors everything they wanted. Notably, it stopped short of ordering Paramount to hire a forensic auditor to help recover funds for the investors, who argue they are […]

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Court backs Harrisburg vape shop in licensing spat

Commonwealth Court has tossed out state rules requiring licensing of companies manufacturing e-cigarettes and the liquids used in them. The

Hearing raises new questions for beleaguered ATM network

Is it fraud or a failing business? That was one of the questions hanging over a court hearing held yesterday morning to consider contempt charges against Paramount Management Group, a Lancaster-based ATM network being sued by its investors. The investors want Paramount held in contempt for its alleged failure to abide by a court order issued earlier […]

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Court backs state claim to insurance fund surplus

For three years in a row, former Gov. Tom Wolf and state lawmakers tried to get their hands on surplus

Legal woes mount for Lancaster-based ATM operator

Claims against a Lancaster-based ATM network took on new forms during a roughly one-hour hearing held Friday afternoon in a Lancaster County courtroom. An attorney representing disgruntled investors in the network raised concerns about money flows involving the network’s operator, Paramount Management Group, and questioned whether the operator had inflated the number of ATMs it owned. […]

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Case tests corporate liability for defunct subsidiary

Is a company still liable for a subsidiary’s legal problems even after the subsidiary is legally dissolved? That’s an issue being taken up by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the context of asbestos class-action lawsuits filed against Dravo, a former shipbuilder and manufacturer based in Pittsburgh. The question is whether Dravo’s asbestos liabilities should pass to Carmeuse Lime Inc. […]

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Deadline nears for business-reporting requirement

Do you know who your owners are? It’s a question millions of businesses will have to answer by the end

Manufacturer plans $45M innovation center in Carlisle

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 […]

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Armstrong World buys specialty manufacturer

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 […]

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Steel fabricators expand in York County

The steel-fabrication business is thriving in York County as two companies expand operations there, one from Dallastown and one from Maryland. Yoe Construction, the Dallastown-based company, is leasing space for a new steel fabrication shop at 775 Lombard Road in Windsor Township, York County. The 23,142 square-foot shop is an extension of the company’s existing […]

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Lanco steel fabricator sold

A longtime Lancaster County manufacturer is under new ownership. Greiner Industries, a structural steel fabricator in Mount Joy Township, Lancaster County, has been acquired by IES Holdings Inc., a Houston-based company that designs and installs electrical and technology systems for data centers, residential housing and industrial facilities, among other end markets. The acquisition includes the Greiner […]

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Hershey looks to cut jobs, costs

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 […]

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Utz selling plants, brands in $182.5M deal

In a bid to reduce debt and cut expenses, Hanover-based Utz Brands is unloading some of its snack brands and plants, including a facility in the Lititz area. In a deal valued at $182.5 million, the snack maker is selling plants in Manheim Township and Littletown, N.C. as well as the lease for a plant in Las […]

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Vc firm ups investment in York-area food biz

A York County pretzel maker is looking to boost sales in both new and existing channels following a fresh infusion of venture capital. York-based White Rose Ventures has poured $500,000 into The Pretzel Co., which was founded in 2014 as York City Pretzel Co. White Rose previously invested $250,000 in the soft-pretzel maker, which is based in Manchester Township. […]

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York-area manufacturer makes acquisition

Flinchbaugh Engineering, an employee-owned contract manufacturer based in Hellam Township, York County, has purchased Billet Industries, a precision manufacturer also based in Hellam Township. Terms of the transaction, which took effect Jan. 1, were not disclosed. The acquisition reflects an effort by Flinchbaugh to diversify its business, according to a press release. The company makes […]

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Red Lion controls being sold for $345M

A Swedish company is hoping to strengthen its foothold in North America through the acquisition of Red Lion Controls, a specialty manufacturer based in Springettsbury Township, York County. HMS Networks has agreed to pay $345 million for Red Lion Controls in an all-cash deal slated to close in the first half of 2024. Red Lion Controls, which […]

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Lanco flooring maker buys Newville firm

Ecore International, a Lancaster-based company that makes flooring from recycled rubber, has purchased a Cumberland County company that collects and refurbishes old tires. The company, Newville-based Ameritread, fits in with Ecore’s goal of reusing and repurposing rubber products but also produces scrap that Ecore can incorporate into its own products. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. […]

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Lanco manufacturer sold to Texas private equity firm

A private equity firm focused on manufacturing has acquired ATI Corp., a family-owned company that makes equipment used in excavation and site preparation. Terms of the deal with Houston-based LDR Growth Partners were not disclosed. Based in East Earl Township, Lancaster County, ATI had been owned by Jansen Herr. The company — which employs more than 30 people […]

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NEW UNION VOTE ORDERED AT HERSHEY PLANT

To settle allegations that it violated federal law during a union election at a Virginia plant, The Hershey Co. has agreed to a do-over under a settlement with federal regulators. In the original election, held in early 2022, workers at the Stuarts Draft plant rejected joining the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union. But the […]

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Box maker eyes big investments in PA

One of the worlds’ largest recycled cardboard-box makers is planning to plow $500 million over the next decade into its Pennsylvania operations, which include a plant in the Carlisle area. The company is Pratt Industries, which has annual sales north of $6 billion and Australian-born businessperson Anthony Pratt at its helm. In a statement, Pratt said his company’s investment in Pennsylvania […]

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Agency mulls deal for shuttered factory

A subsidiary of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp. is exploring an acquisition of a recently shuttered Carlisle factory. The subsidiary, called the Real Estate Collaborative LLC, has signed a letter of intent to buy the plant formerly operated by The Frog, Switch & Manufacturing Co. at 600 E. High St. in the Cumberland County borough. But first, […]

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AMES parent to shutter local factories

Two capital-area factories are slated for closure as their parent company reconfigures its supply chain to boost profits in the face of slower sales and high U.S. overhead. New York-based Griffon Corp. said it plans to close Hampden Township and Harrisburg factories that make garden tools, wheelbarrows and other equipment for The AMES Companies, a Griffon subsidiary and longtime staple […]

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Firm to boost production of semiconductor materials in PA

A supplier to the semiconductor industry is plowing $300 million into an expansion of its operations in Schuylkill County. The investment by supplier EMD Electronics includes construction of a 96,500 square-foot facility near Tamaqua, expanding the company’s production of specialty gases used in semiconductor and electronics production. The company’s investment is expected to create at least 68 jobs […]

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Lancaster print plants to close

Citing a shrinking demand for catalogs and magazines — and rising costs for ink and paper — commercial printing giant LSC Communications is stopping the presses at its two plants in Lancaster County, laying off about 656 workers The closure comes more than two years after LSC was rescued from bankruptcy by a Connecticut-based conglomerate called Atlas Holdings. Executives […]

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Utz names next CEO

After steering one of the region’s largest private companies onto the public market, Utz Brands CEO Dylan Lissette is stepping into a new role. After 27 years with the Hanover-based snack maker, Lissette will become executive chairman of the company’s board on Dec.15.Utz’s new CEO will be Howard Friedman, currently COO of St. Louis-based Post Holdings, a consumer-packaged […]

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Real Estate

Middletown-area warehouse sells for $170.5M

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 […]

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Former Harrisburg law office headed for residential conversion

A New York City investor has acquired a former law office on North Front Street in Harrisburg and plans to

Financing is among ‘biggest challenges’ for Lancaster rehab

Business owner Jared Mizrahi is planning a $5 million makeover of a mixed-use property in downtown Lancaster. He just needs

York-area Sheetz site changes hands

The site of a future Sheetz store in York County sold at the end of July for a price of just over $3.8 million. The seller of the roughly 3.3-acre property at 4044 N. George St. was Molt LLC, a partnership headed by York-area restaurateur and real estate investor Themi Sacarellos, according to county deed records. The buyer […]

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Apartment owner claims Harrisburg hampering bankruptcy sale

Harrisburg officials are allegedly hindering the sale of a beleaguered apartment complex in the city’s uptown neighborhood, according to claims raised in federal bankruptcy court by the complex’s owner, Uptown Partners LP. At issue is a list of roughly 600 crucial code violations at the affordable-housing complex, known as Governor’s Square City officials have not shared […]

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West Shore college aims to sell surplus land, buildings

Central Penn College is looking to unload surplus land, townhomes and office space in and around its 58-acre campus in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, through an RFP process overseen by Lemoyne-based RSR Realtors. College officials hope the properties attract developers with proposals that enhance the campus and benefit students. Potential partners could include medical providers […]

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Former cabinet plant sold for $3.3M

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 […]

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Firms partner on $18.6M apartment project in Lebanon

Lebanon-based construction company Arthur Funk & Sons Inc. is teaming up with a Wisconsin-based developer to build a 48-unit affordable apartment

Carlisle apartment complexes change hands

A Philadelphia-area apartment owner has scooped up a pair of Carlisle-area complexes alongside nine other properties around the state. The Carlisle-area properties — the 93-unit Hanover Manor and 80-unit Carlwynne Manor — are the two smallest properties taken in the deal, which includes more than 3,400 units overall, The other properties are in Allentown, Reading, […]

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Revamp of Harrisburg’s former federal office building snags affordable-housing funds

A state agency is showering about $7.4 million on Central Pennsylvania developers and nonprofits aiming to alleviate the shortage of affordable housing and combat homelessness. The grants announced this month by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency range in size locally from less than $50,000 to an award of $500,000, which is being given to a construction company […]

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Accenture, a major state contractor, opens Harrisburg office

Accenture, which has landed some big-ticket state contracts, has opened an office in downtown Harrisburg at 20 N. Second St. The international professional services firm is leasing about 3,100 square feet on two floors of the building, which is also home to lobbying and communications firm Bravo Group. Accenture, which also has an office in Philadelphia, […]

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Developer eyes mixed-use project for 26-acre Lanco tgract

Apartments and a hotel could be coming to the former Shawnee Resort property along Oregon Pike in Manheim Township, Lancaster County. Property owners Surender Singh and Manjeet Kaur, doing business as Kirpa Estates LP, envision a mixed-use development on the 26-acre site incorporating apartment buildings, a hotel and other retail buildings, according to Matt Creme, their […]

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Pallet company buying Chambersburg-area facility for relocation

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 […]

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York developer names CEO as founder moves to CFO

After 15 years of leading York-based Royal Square Development and Construction, Josh Hankey is stepping into a new role at the company he founded in 2009. Hankey is poised to become CFO and pass the CEO baton to Dylan Bauer, who joined Royal Square in 2014. In an interview, Hankey said the two executives had been […]

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Former school for sale amid dispute between owner, tenant with redevelopment plans

The former Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg is on the market amid a dispute between its owner and its chief tenant, a development company led by a former NFL player. Owner Jeremy Hunter of William Penn Holdings Inc. announced the building was for sale in a Facebook post on May 24. The post has led […]

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Oregon Dairy property sold in leaseback deal

After a bruising legal battle to develop their land in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, the Hurst family has sold it to another developer. The family, which owns the Oregon Dairy supermarket and restaurant, sold the store’s land and building on May 10 to Jerry Horst and his sons, Mark and Chad, who operate Manheim Township-based Vanguard Development Group. […]

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Harrisburg building eyed for makeover fetches $14.5M

Adam Maust poured millions of dollars over the last four years into the Atlas Building, an edifice in Uptown Harrisburg that had fallen into disrepair by the time Maust bought it in 2020. He is now passing the torch to a new owner, a Harrisburg-based nonprofit called the Pennsylvania Social Equity Land Trust, which paid $14.5 […]

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Inch & Co. launches $20M real estate fund

The founders of Inch & Co. are looking to raise $20 million from investors interested in backing the York-area company’s forays

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Local agencies win money, role in new small-biz funding program

State officials fired the starting gun and now economic-development officials across Central Pennsylvania are off to the races. In an announcement Sept. 13, the Department of Community and Economic Development unveiled the local agencies that will play a role in distributing $246.7 million to small businesses statewide under a federal program called the State Small […]

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The ups, downs and continuing sagas of 2021

Like their peers around the U.S., local businesses were battered in 2021 by inflation, labor shortages and supply chain glitches – not to mention the persistent challenge of navigating Covid-19. But there also were ups and downs unique to Central Pennsylvania. Like what: On the upside, a new hospital opened — and another is on […]

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Lancaster firm pitches high-tech approach to tracking Covid-19 risk

Contact tracing is turning into a mess rather than an effective tool to stop Covid-19. People aren’t cooperating, contact tracers are becoming overwhelmed and the virus continues to spread at a record rate. “It’s almost like we’re at a dead end with that approach,” said Victor Owuor, chief product officer at Lancaster-based investment firm Aspire […]

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York-area manufacturer gears up for life, uncertain economy after shutdown

When its doors reopen this month, York County manufacturer Weldon Solutions will be proceeding with caution: The company plans to bring back a portion of its 40 workers at a time. “I want to see what it looks like to bring more and more people in,” said Travis Gentzler, Weldon’s president. “I don’t want to […]

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To gain edge, West Shore gallery goes virtual

Given the limits imposed by social distancing, Doug Koozer considered canceling the opening scheduled for this weekend at his art gallery on the West Shore. But he and his business partner, Jason Kreiger, decided to forge ahead.

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Lancaster County hat maker hangs on

Online sales are still flowing for Bollman Hat Co. in Lancaster County. And the company has started making and selling wool felt masks. But revenue is 10% of what it was before the Covid-19 pandemic. That has meant some tough decisions at the employee-owned company.

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Thinking twice, but making masks and looking ahead

The orders are the easy part for Allegheny York LLC, a small manufacturer in Manchester Township, York County. They have been pouring in ever since a TV news feature on the company’s efforts to make plastic face shields, said Elisha Weir, vice president and sales lead for Allegheny York, which she co-owns with her husband, […]

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A pioneer of coworking preps for a comeback

Over the last decade, Anne Kirby transformed The Candy Factory from an object of curiosity into a beacon of community. This year — the 10th anniversary of the Lancaster coworking space — was poised to be its best yet, she said. Then, in mid-March, Kirby began the difficult process of winding it down, even before […]

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Modeling compassion in the crucible of Covid-19

The consultants at Work Wisdom were used to the video-conferencing app Zoom, the instant-messaging service Slack and other tech tools that connect people remotely. The team at Work Wisdom in Lancaster, from left: Mary Alice Fallon Feskey; Jamie Arroyo; Kate Coleman; Donunshae Sanders; Kedren Crosby; Kimberlee Peifer; Sarah Colantonio; Randy Berridge; and Anne Parmer. (PHOTO/SUBMITTED) […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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/SUBMITTED Carl 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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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