Matt Buckwalter and Frank Horvath first met about a decade ago as fellow franchisees for One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister Sparky Electric. Now, they
Harrisburg-area business owner Anthony Worrall has added a third company to his portfolio. The owner of Reynolds Restoration Services and IT services company Everound has acquired SECCO Electric, a commercial contractor based in Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County.Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.In an interview, Worrall said he was interested not in supercharging growth or changing SECCO, which employs 45 […]
A new venture fund in Central Pennsylvania is closer to its fundraising goal thanks to an investment this week from a state authority.The Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority has poured $1 million into the fund, Keystone Innovation Fund II, a joint venture between York-based White Rose Ventures and State College-based 1855 Capital. The fund is on track to close by the end […]
The virtual-assistant business has been a source of real-world growth for Zirtual, a portfolio company of Lancaster-based investment firm PennSpring Capital.Zirtual closed Friday on the acquisition of Double, a virtual-assistant business based in Brooklyn, New York. It’s the third deal this year for Zirtual since it was acquired by PennSpring in December.People hire virtual assistants to help manage their calendars, […]
Alan Chachapoya, the managing director of DSC Solutions, a Lancaster County-based commercial cleaning company, is seeing opportunities where others do not. Chachapoya recently bought Guaranteed Property Services, another Lancaster-based company in the same industry.Founded in 1997, Guaranteed Property Services operates Guaranteed Carpet Services, C&S Cleaning, and Personalized Commercial Cleaning. Mike Graybill, the owner of Guaranteed Property Services, will join the DSC […]
When Tom “Dutch” Ressler strung up his first hammock during a through-hike on the Appalachian Trail in 2003, the equipment he carried was not always optimal.“Staying dry was a challenge,” he said.So, when he returned home to Lancaster, Ressler started fashioning his own gear.The DIY adventure led him to launch his own business, which has […]
In a union billed as a merger of complementary technologies, Lancaster-based software startup AutoOps has joined with Boston-based Steer, which develops and sells customer relationship management software to auto repair shops.Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Steer plans to retain the leaders, employees and office of AutoOps, which makes software for scheduling auto repairs, according to […]
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 you say, […]
When you’re shipping a $100,000 engagement ring, you don’t take any chances.That’s how Simone Kendle found herself on a plane to Toronto over the Memorial Day weekend.“Delivery person” may not be part of the job description for Kendle, the CEO of Wove, a startup custom jewelry company founded and based in Lancaster. And while Wove […]
John Dolmetsch believed wireless connectivity would become a staple of modern life. He just didn’t expect it would happen so quickly.“Literally, it’s an explosion,” said Dolmetsch, who in 1992 co-founded York-based IT firm Business Information Group, aka BIG, with his brother, Scott.In a bid to take advantage of that growth, John Dolmetsch partnered this spring with […]
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