News

The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission are committed to understanding the additional impact that COVID-19 has on businesses and their working families. With this in mind, they are conducting a survey on the Impact of Childcare on Business and the Workforce that they hope will demonstrate what strategies are being implemented to support childcare needs, and importantly, what resources are needed to help businesses navigate workforce childcare options.

Your responses are instrumental to guiding regional and statewide solutions and both the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission appreciate your participation in this survey by April 22, 2021.

Bedford County Development Association seeks a Vice President. Additional details are available here.

Thank you to everyone who has played a role in the development of PEDA’s priorities for the 2021-2022 legislative session. With the long-term viability of the Commonwealth’s small business community hanging in the balance, a continued focus on economic development recovery is critical. The following are PEDA’s advocacy priorities:

1. Safely Re-Open the Commonwealth
2. Allocate New Funds to Offset the Economic Damage Created by COVID-19
3. Increase Existing State Budget Lines to Help with Recovery
4. Establish a Dedicated Funding Stream for EDCs
5. Fund Economic Development Training Initiatives
6. Improve the Regulatory Climate in Pennsylvania
7. Promote Legislation and Policies that Support Economic Development

The full document can be accessed here and please utilize this link to contact your local legislators in support of PEDA.

The March 9, 2021 Advocacy report, provided by Alex Rahn of Wanner Associates, is now available on the Members Only Advocacy Reports page of PEDA’s website. Please use your membership credentials to gain access.

The February 26, 2021 Advocacy report, provided by Alex Rahn of Wanner Associates, is now available on the Members Only Advocacy Reports page of PEDA’s website. Please use your membership credentials to gain access.

Calling All Young Professionals: The deadline for submitting applications has been extended and submissions are still being accepted. Submit your application today!

The February 16, 2021 Advocacy report, provided by Alex Rahn of Wanner Associates, is now available on the Members Only Advocacy Reports page of PEDA’s website. Please use your membership credentials to gain access.

Two weeks ago, PEDA issued a call to action regarding Senate Bill 109, which had passed the Senate and was heading to the House for consideration. Recognizing the legislative process is always subject to last minute changes, PEDA continued to work closely with our legislative contacts and many of our members throughout the last week to ensure the final legislation would reflect PEDA’s efforts to produce positive results. Thank you to all our members and partners who supported this important legislation and whose ongoing advocacy efforts will allow us to build on this success with the recognition that the role of economic development is a key part of the Commonwealth’s recovery. 

On Friday February 8^th, Governor Tom Wolf approved SB 109, introduced by Senator Joe Pittman (R-Indiana). SB 109 was the first bill to reach the Governor’s desk in the new 2021/22 Legislative Session and is now Act 1 of 2021. Act 1 is an economic relief package which includes $145 million for the Hospitality Industry Recovery Program through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Funding will be proportionally allocated to each county as a block grant and will be administered by a local certified economic development organization (CEDO) or a community development financial institution (CDFI). The funds shall be made available as grants to eligible applicants from the hospitality industry, including hotels, restaurants, bars and taverns. Among other criteria to be met, please note that an eligible applicant must operate a place of business within the Commonwealth having a NAICS designation within the Accommodation subsector (721) or Food Services and Drinking Places subsector (722) and where accommodations, food or drink is served to or provided for the public, with or without charge. Grants may be issued in $5,000 increments and the maximum grant award is limited to $50,000 per applicant. A CEDO or a CDFI may assess an application fee not to exceed $500.

The funding for the program will be provided through a transfer from the Workers' Compensation Security Fund. The transfer is to be treated as a loan to be repaid by July 1, 2029 or within 180 days of the federal government providing flexible stimulus dollars to the Commonwealth. Any unused funds from the program shall be redeposited into the Workers' Compensation Security Fund. Act 1 also excludes forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Impact Payments (stimulus checks) to individuals from the state Personal Income Tax.

To ensure you're receiving the latest news, updates and reports, be sure to follow PEDA on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. PEDA members are encouraged to also frequently log in to the Members Only Advocacy Reports page of PEDA's website, where all recent Advocacy reports are available.

Terry Madonna to Keynote Virtual Series

PEDA has welcomed 2021 with a spirit of optimism. Though we've all been impacted by the pandemic and though there are still many challenges to overcome, we are grateful to have the opportunity to continue serving as a resource to our members and partners who continue to lead our communities back to prosperity. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, PEDA has worked to provide collaborative learning opportunities that were responsive to members' needs. Among these were hosting topic-specific member forums, hosting legislators via Zoom and re-imagining the 2020 Fall Conference as an online series. It is with this last example in mind that I reach out to you today.

Recognizing that current circumstances prevent PEDA from holding a live conference this spring, the decision has been made to shift the live April event to an online series (with sessions on April 1st, 8th, 22nd and 29th). Both the agenda and pricing structures have been developed with your needs in mind and we continue to round out a slate of sessions to be kicked off with a keynote by Dr. G. Terry Madonna and to cover the following issues.

• COVID's Impact on Cybersecurity
• Doing the Deal
• Legislative Panel
• Real Estate Management in a Post-COVID World
• Best Practices in Using Social Media for EDOs
• COVID's Impact on the Restaurant Industry & the Challenges Facing Small Communities
• Get Some Help!

As we look forward to a live conference this October, we strongly encourage you to register for this April virtual conference series.

View the Agenda & Register for the 2021 PEDA Spring Virtual Conference Series

Note: If you have a credit on file with PEDA (i.e., associated with a 2020 event), please contact PEDA's Membership & Registration Coordinator, Jason Tobias, who can assist in applying it toward this series. He can be reached at jtobias@wannerassoc.com or 717.441.6047, extension 1.

The January 28, 2021 Advocacy report, provided by Alex Rahn of Wanner Associates, is now available on the Members Only Advocacy Reports page of PEDA’s website. Please use your membership credentials to gain access.