PEDA - Pennsylvania Economic Development Association

News

  • 01/18/2018 9:24 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    Katrina joined the Erie County Redevelopment Authority in August, 2015.  She serves as the Vice President of Real Estate and Chief Operating Officer.  In her current role she is responsible for all functions of real estate, project and grant development as well as administrative operations including marketing, public relations and human resources.

    Prior to joining the Redevelopment Authority, she spent 10 years at DevelopErie ultimately leading the organization as President & CEO where she led economic development efforts for seven organizations.  Katrina also spent three years at the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership where she managed the Erie County Business Retention & Expansion Program which was recognized by the Commonwealth as well as the International Economic Development Council as a best practice model.  She also spent three years working in systems improvement project management at the State and County government levels throughout Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, DuBois and Erie. 

    Katrina earned an MPA from Gannon University as well as a BA in Politics with a minor in business administration from Messiah College.  She is a 2007 graduate of the Leadership Erie program.  She is Co-Founder of Grady’s Decision, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting premature babies and their families.  She serves as Vice-Chair of the Erie Technology Incubator, and is a member of UPMC Hamot’s Board of Corporators.

    Katrina is a proud parent of 9-year old Gianna and 7-year old Gunnar and currently resides in Fairview. 

  • 01/09/2018 9:57 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

     

    Click here to access the Young Professional Scholarship Request Form for PEDA's spring conference. These scholarship opportunities are made available through the generosity of FirstEnergy Corp and Team Pennsylvania Foundation.

  • 12/19/2017 8:45 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Click here to read the press release.

  • 12/18/2017 8:53 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requires the governor of each state to submit a two-year modification of the State Plan outlining the state’s workforce development strategy. Pennsylvania plans to submit a modified Combined State Plan to include the six core programs (Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, Wagner-Peyser, Adult Basic Education and Vocational Rehabilitation) as well the following optional programs:

    • Career and technical education programs authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006
    • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program
    • Employment and training programs under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
    • Work programs under Section 6(o) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008
    • Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers Programs
    •  Jobs for Veterans State Grants Program
    • Senior Community Service Employment Program
    • Community Services Block Grant
    • Reintegration of Ex-Offenders Program

    The Plan is required to be posted for public comment for a minimum of 30 days. Pennsylvania’s WIOA Combined State Plan was posted for public comment on December 15, 2017. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM on Monday, January 15, 2017. The plan is posted on Labor & Industry’s Workforce Development Plans and Reports webpage and a direct link to the plan can be found here.

    Public comment should be submitted, in writing, to RA-LI-PAWDB@pa.gov. It is requested that commenters include page numbers when commenting on specific aspects of the plan to facilitate responses to the comments.

    Any questions regarding Pennsylvania’s WIOA Combined State Plan or the public comment process should be directed to RA-LI-PAWDB@pa.gov.

  • 10/24/2017 2:41 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Allentown, PA (October 24, 2017) – During its annual fall conference, held this year at the Renaissance Allentown Hotel, the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association (PEDA) honored a number of organizations for their demonstration of outstanding accomplishments in economic development.

    Read the full press release here.

  • 10/03/2017 11:49 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Oppose Warehouse Tax in PA

    PEDA has been contacted by a number of EDOs regarding the warehouse tax that has been proposed as part of the effort to balance the state budget. As a result, we have created a VoterVoice campaign through which you can contact your legislators and the Governor with a few quick clicks. 

    Please visit our Action Center now and click the "Take Action" button to fill in the blanks, using information from your own region, and to send your letter electronically. If any of the text is inapplicable to your community, you may simply delete it.

  • 09/25/2017 9:01 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    For years, the Economic Development Course in Pennsylvania has served the needs of full-time economic development practitioners and those involved in economic development in a secondary way. The course draws participants whose background range from the seasoned professional to the beginning practitioner. Participants learn theoretical and practical approaches to economic development. This year's IEDC-accredited course takes place in Lancaster from December 4-7 and, through the Ritter Foundation, PEDA is proud to support a scholarship.


  • 09/25/2017 8:23 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    Born and raised in The Netherlands, Wilfred moved to Pennsylvania from France (where he lived and worked in economic development for 10 years) in 1999, after accepting a position with the Governor’s Action Team, focused on international business attraction.

    In 2007, Wilfred was appointed Deputy Secretary for International Business Development, a position he held until 2015. Since December 2015, Wilfred has served as President and CEO of Stevens & Lee/Griffin International, LLC - a new company created under the Stevens & Lee/Griffin platform of companies, focused exclusively on international business development. He recently launched two new international programs. The "Foreign Investment Support Package" (FISP) focuses on providing customized services to foreign-owned companies looking to set up in the U.S. (preferably in PA, of course). The "International Trade Assistance Partnership Program" (iTAPP), in partnership with the PA Chamber of Business and Industry, provides fee-based trade assistance services to PA companies in markets where the Commonwealth doesn't have trade representatives, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Japan, West Africa and several other countries to come.

    Wilfred is also Founder and Chairman of Muskens Global USA, LLC, focused primarily on international education initiatives in Asia - a company now managed by his wife Emilie, a former colleague at DCED. They live in Lancaster, PA with their three daughters, Ellie, Anneke and Grace, and son Luke.

  • 09/05/2017 3:18 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Effective July 1, 2017, DCED has determined that it will monitor CEDO PDU reporting moving forward. We expect DCED to issue further direction on process and procedures to CEDOs in the near future. DCED has determined that certification will, at least for the time being, continue to be administered on a 12 month, fiscal year basis with an annual professional development requirement of 20 PDUs, six of which must be in finance (by 6/30/18 and annually thereafter).

    DCED has expressed a willingness to convene a focus group to discuss possible revisions to the certification process. Upcoming September and October PEDA events remain eligible to provide organizational PDUs to CEDOs, as advertised.

    PEDA’s Professional Development Committee will continue to work with DCED to offer relevant, timely and cost-friendly professional training opportunities. We welcome suggestions from the membership about your professional development needs.

  • 06/30/2017 10:08 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Yoga International Reaches Global Audience from Downtown Honesdale

    Headquartered in historic downtown Honesdale, Yoga International is one of the fastest growing companies in Wayne County, PA.  With 30 full-time employees, the company has rapidly expanded, adding jobs at a rate of approximately one every two months. 

    The company’s roots go back nearly 25 years when the renowned Himalayan Institute, located just north of Honesdale, published Yoga International magazine, which grew to be one of the foremost yoga publications world-wide.  Responding to the demand for online content, the Himalayan Institute developed a web-based version of the magazine, which ultimately spawned Yoga International as a separate company in 2013.

    With a global following, Yoga International streams high-quality yoga classes, workshops, and courses to hundreds of thousands, including over one million followers on Facebook, of dedicated yogis every month. 

    Yoga International covers a broad spectrum of topics including, beginners through advanced yoga, yoga for veterans, reducing stress and anxiety, and therapeutic techniques for back, neck, and shoulder pain.

    While the focus of the company is yoga training and wellness, it can be viewed as a tech start-up with a core value of embracing technology to share yoga more widely.  The company has its own in-house A/V, creative and marketing teams.  Filming and production takes place in their studio, as well as far off places such as Hawaii or California.  The opportunity to work in a small downtown community yet collaborate on projects with an international scope is an employment draw.

    Along with developing digital content, the company offers a full schedule of classes at their Main Street location.  The first floor of their building also houses a café and boutique, both featuring locally-produced products.

    With Yoga International’s growth came the need to renovate their work space to accommodate new employees.  Relocating an entire work crew presented a challenge, but Yoga International didn’t have to look far for a solution.  The co-working space at the nearby Stourbridge Incubator offered a temporary work place with high-speed internet access and a modern, open-office environment. 

    "We were fortunate to find the Stourbridge Incubator," said Travis Head, Chief Business Officer at Yoga International. "It provided all of the convenience of our office and combined it with a beautiful outdoor space that helped our staff stay active. Our team didn't miss a beat!"

    The Stourbridge Incubator is a community-based business incubator/accelerator with a technology focus.  Funding partners, which include the Appalachian Regional Commission, USDA Rural Development, Commonwealth Financing Authority, the County of Wayne, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and local community, have invested over $1,075,000 to the development of the incubator facility.  The co-working space opened in July 2015 and averages 16 unique users and 1,000 hours of use per month.

    Wayne Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO) manages the facility on behalf of community partners.  WEDCO executive director Mary Beth Wood stated, “the coworking space provides a wonderful boost to entrepreneurs who need a robust broadband connection and access to specialized software and equipment that are generally not found outside an academic setting.  Hosting Yoga International for a few weeks so they could make room for more tech jobs was a perfect partnership.”

    For more information on either of these exciting community assets, visit yogainternational.org or thestourbridgeproject.com.

    Story Credit:  Mary Beth Wood, Executive Director, Wayne Economic Development Corporation

    Photo Credit:  Troy Bystrom

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