As people trickle back into the workplace around Central Pennsylvania, it may feel like a return to normal. But the feeling could be deceptive.The return to the workplace is a change. And while the change is welcome, people still need time to adjust.“It’s not like you can just pick up where you left off,” said […]
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 Ventures.The […]
Martin Fedorko did not cross the finish line the first time he tried to create a venture fund in York County. But he came away with valuable lessons he is applying to his latest effort: White Rose VenturesMost importantly, he learned that York County’s would-be investors are indeed interested in backing local companies. They just […]
As elected officials debate another government-led kickstart to the U.S. economy, business leaders are optimistic about their own prospects but resigned to slower growth overall.That’s the gist of two recent surveys gauging the outlook of executives who have spent the last six months grappling with the crippling impact of a pandemic that has taken more […]
Teachers face a captive audience for their talents every day. But it’s not the kind of audience that can point them to the next networking event or business opportunity — or raise their professional profile.That’s what led York County teacher Erin Lapore to create Noble Space, a professional networking site designed with educators in mind.Erin […]
For nearly two decades, Cumberland County tech company Versatile Credit has been making it easier for businesses to offer in-store credit. Its latest device, called Snap Sign, makes it as easy as pointing a mobile phone at a plastic sign.The signs are a secure, contactless alternative to in-store kiosks, tablets or paper applications that typically […]
Data helps online retailers figure out what you want to buy, but it’s not foolproof. Sometimes, you buy things that don’t fit or don’t work — and back they go.But even when shoes or shirts make a return trip, there is data to be gleaned. That’s the premise behind ReturnLogic, a tech firm founded in […]
In fall 2018, Dan Laird was crouching in a duck blind on Maryland’s Eastern Shore when a banker friend asked him about his plans for Commonwealth Fire Protection Co.Laird had taken over the Lancaster County company in 2017 after the death of his business partner and longtime friend, Paul Hoffnagle, in a chain-saw accident. Hoffnagle […]
Editor’s note: This story first appeared in the April 22 issue of BizNewsPAWhat do a pizzeria, a dental practice and a bridal shop have in common? They are among the plaintiffs in a string of class-action lawsuits seeking to force insurers to reimburse businesses for income lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a joint press […]
A Lancaster startup is taking a new tack in distributing its product, an app that helps people improve their health through better eating, sleeping and exercising.The company, Fizika Group LLC, had focused on senior-living communities, said its founder, Martha Lester Harris. But the communities often have their own resources, like gyms and fitness programs, for […]
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 bring […]
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.
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.
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, Aaron. […]
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 the […]
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)So when […]
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 […]
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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