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Altoona Blair County Development Corporation

adminOctober 10, 2024October 17, 2024Business in Actionabjusa, Altoona, Blair County, the american business journal Leave a comment

Diverting from the tracks

ABJ brings you the story of a remarkable organization that helped transform an old railroad town by getting off the tracks and building a diverse and thriving economy in Altoona, Blair County, PA.

WHEN TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY railroad town Altoona began to diversify its local economy in the 1940s, an organization, then called Altoona Enterprises Inc., led the way to the city’s economic success. Its founding year was 1946 and the organization’s first campaign was called “Jobs for Joes.” Back then, the town of Altoona was what locals referred to as a ‘one-horse town’, where everything was connected to the railroad industry.

Leaving the tracks to diversify

When the Pennsylvania Railroad began massive downsizing, it suddenly sparked a need for diversification, explains Matt Fox, marketing manager of the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation (ABCD Corp). In 1996, the organization changed its name to ABCD Corp. to reflect its overall corporate goals of community, economic and workforce development, enhanced quality of life and sustainability of the environment.
While there is still a strong focus on manufacturing and industrial warehousing, there is a healthy balance in other areas, such as education, healthcare, as well as light to heavy industrial and technology suppliers. “Our goal has always been to help facilitate new job creation. We are always looking for ways to diversify the economy outside of manufacturing-based industry,” explains Fox.

Serving as a catalyst for innovation and job creation

ABCD Corp. provides a range of professional development services to its business community, including financing, entrepreneurial support, access to a viable workforce, assisting real estate development and business expansion. “Through our core development services, we are able to assist companies that are new to the region, entrepreneurs and small businesses as well as our existing companies to help them grow, expand and succeed,” adds Fox.

The current economic situation has presented its own challenges to many cities, and Altoona is not an exception. “The challenge with the reduced state budget will be a cause for concern in accessing some traditional financing programs,” tells Fox. “For others, the rising energy costs are a concern for our manufacturers especially. We have formed an energy consortium to proactively address these issues to ensure our companies remain competitive, while maintaining a forward-thinking mentality utilizing emerging technologies,” he adds.

Staying true to its historical roots

Blair County is still home to Norfolk Southern’s Juniata Locomotive Shops located in Altoona, which is rated among the highest performing repair shops, every year, nationwide. “The history of this area dates back to the founding of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was beginning to expand to the west, and Altoona is located where it is today because the Pennsylvania Railroad needed to construct railroad repair facilities at the base of the Allegheny Ridge Plateau—where Altoona is,” tells Pat Miller, executive vice-president of ABCD Corporation.

Business parks a solid strategic decision

In fact, many of Altoona’s real estate development opportunities link back to former railroad properties. In 2000, the ABCD Corporation realized its important role as a catalyst for change in the community. “At that time, our board decided to invest in real estate development in correlation with the construction of Interstate 99, which is now complete establishing the I-99 Innovation Corridor. Both business and industrial locations were strategically located along the interstate that connects the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the south with Interstate 80 in the north,” explains Miller. “For the next six years, we developed a series of six business parks along the I-99 Corridor.”

“We developed the Walter Business Park and South Altoona Business Park on former railroad property, and most recently in 2006, we acquired and are currently in the process of redeveloping a 300-plus-acre site (the Hollidaysburg Car Shop property),” tells Miller. “In addition to the business and industrial parks we are pleased that we’ve also been able to redevelop over 22 acres in the heart in the city of Altoona,” he adds.

Moreover, he explains that “because of the decision to make investments into the development of these business parks, Blair County has been able to attract a number of new businesses, beginning with the 500,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility by Smith Transport, located at the Jubelirer Business Park in Tyrone”

Business Park strategy creates new jobs.

Headquartered and founded in Altoona, Sheetz Inc., one of America’s fastest growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains, is a major partner and investor in Altoona and Blair County. Starting from just one store in 1952, today Sheetz is one of the largest chains in the region with over 365 stores throughout six states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina employing more than 13,000. In 2005, the company was seeking a centrally located place for their 300,000-square-foot distribution facility and through a site selection process chose Claysburg, Blair County. “Because of the fact that we invested in developing the Walter Business Park in the southern end of Blair County, we were able to attract the business here, just 20 miles from corporate headquarters. Following that decision, in 2008 Sheetz decided to construct a 140,000-square-foot state-of-the-art food production facility, Sheetz Bros. Kitchen, next door to the Distribution Center,” explains Miller, adding the Sheetz family business is one of several important partnerships.

Working together with Sheetz, Inc., ABCD Corp., as an organization, established a synthetic lease to build the facilities, which are wholly-owned and then leased back to Sheetz. “We serve as the investor/developer on their behalf. These two projects in the southern end of the county now represent employment for close to 800 individuals,” tells Miller.

Devorris Center a hub for local businesses

“The investment in our business park strategy has resulted in creation of well over 1,000 new jobs to the community. We see that as being one of our major successes,” tells Miller proudly. “Another project that we’re very proud of is what is called the Devorris Center for Business Development,” says Miller. The 35,000-square-foot building is located in the South Altoona Business Park and was constructed by ABCD Corp. “It is a multi-tenant facility and it serves as an incubator for small businesses. Today, the Devorris Center is completely filled; we have nine businesses here, as well as a number of local economic development and business service providers, such as the Blair County Chamber of Commerce, the local SCORE chapter, the Small Business Development Center at St. Francis University, and the Ben Franklin Technology Partners headquartered out of Penn State University.”

These local service providers do their counseling in the centrally located facility. “We’re very proud of that investment, as it was one of the first incubators created in the city when we developed the South Altoona Business Park. Again, it was a former 22-acre railroad property and in this case there were existing environmental concerns that were remediated and now a former Brownfield site is a viable business park,” tells Miller.

Penn State University a key driver for Downtown Altoona

Once a thriving destination for retail, Downtown Altoona struggled for many recent years trying to attract new business opportunities, as the trend of retailers moved from the urban center. This changed about 10 years ago, when ABCD Corp. invited several local universities to a meeting to discuss the idea of creating an educational center in the downtown hub. “The concept was simple; these universities could rent space from us in order to support their off-campus and continuing education programs,” says Miller, adding Penn State-Altoona was the first to take an interest.

Soon after, ABCD Corp. discovered an appropriate space and drafted a lease with Penn State Altoona. “We bought the building, rehabilitated it to their specifications and initially, they brought their continuing education programs into the downtown, as well as their staff and administrative support,” tells Miller.

“Because of the success of that venture, Penn State Altoona renewed the lease and shortly thereafter, bought the building from us,” tells Miller, adding Chancellor Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry also realized the role that Penn State Altoona played in terms of acting as an engine to jump-start other economic development opportunities in the downtown. This partnership has been another key driver for economic development in Altoona, particularly in the downtown.

Since then, ABCD Corp. has redeveloped a 30,000-square-foot space for classrooms, as well as a nursing lab, broadcast studio and communications lab and more administrative support for Penn State Altoona. ABCD Corp. acquired a vacant building redeveloped it to Penn State’s specification and this past fall they opened the new classroom space. PSU Altoona purchased more property to redevelop on their own, bringing their Alumni relations and development office to the downtown area.

Renewed interest in downtown leads to future developments

ABCD Corp. and Penn State-Altoona are about to announce the development of yet another downtown project, which will bring more activity to its urban core.

“The Penn State Altoona relationship has lead to potential inquiries of other developers in the area that will support student activities,” explains Miller, adding the renewed interest in Altoona’s downtown is an encouraging sign. A new restaurant scheduled to open in the spring of 2010 and two local investors have acquired an old, vacant property, once owned by Sears and Penny’s department stores to redevelop into a commercial and student housing area. “All this synergy happening now is directly related to this unique relationship with Penn State Altoona and its commitment to the downtown,” adds Miller. The combined Penn State Altoona-ABCD Corp. partnership represents close to $10 million in total project costs, and that’s not including the fourth project slated to begin this coming spring.

Altoona Regional Health System

Blair County’s largest healthcare provider, the Altoona Regional Healthcare System, is ready to inject a multi-million dollar investment into the re-development of a hospital facility in Downtown Altoona. The ARHS currently has the Altoona Hospital in the downtown and is planning renovations to this main campus, as well as acquiring new space. In addition, recently ARHS purchased a formerly enclosed mall that was underutilized and now is undergoing a major transformation from a retail space to a major medical center, now called the Station Medical Center. “They have already completed first two phases of redevelopment; it will become the second major medical center associated with the Altoona Medical Health System in Downtown Altoona,” says Miller.

Looking to the Future

With the Altoona-Blair County Development Corp. leading the way and collaborating with a multitude of economic development partners and businesses, this region stands ready for continued success. The work ethic, persistence and pride that was forged from Altoona and Blair County’s rich railroad history carries through today and into the future. AB

www.abcdcorp.org

S-5!® Canada

adminJuly 13, 2024October 17, 2024Business in Actionabjusa, S-5!® Canada, the american business journal

Colorado-based S-5!® has taken the metal roofing attachment solution industry from a business to a science.

As a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of standing seam metal roofing attachment solutions, S-5!®’s product is the most efficient, user friendly, and secure roofing attachment solution available to the market. Seeing potential for its products in the Canadian marketplace, S-5!® expanded into Ontario. Today, S-5!® Canada serves as the supplier for its distribution network across Canada. Though the Ontario Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program was the main reason for the expansion into Canada, S-5!®’s snow retention products, ColorGard® and SnoRail™ and SnoFence™ products remain the top product line.

“We are the Canadian presence of the U.S. company. We manufacture, supply, and warehouse the S-5!® product line for all of Canada,” Dave Kowch, Sales Manager with S-5!® Canada, told The American Business Journal.

Canadian Marketplace

By leveraging a name brand already well established within the metal roofing industry, S-5!® Canada came into being a year-and-a-half ago. S-5!® Canada recognized the vast opportunities that existed within the Canadian metal roofing sector. The first task was to develop a successful distribution network within Ontario, and then to place distribution locations in key areas where metal roofing has been well established as well as areas where metal roofing is growing in popularity.

Offering a wide range of standing seam metal roofing attachment solutions such snow retention, solar attachments as well as signage, HVAC support, satellite dishes, and piping conduit, S-5!® Canada now distributes across Western Canada, with two sites in Ontario, and another in the Canadian Maritimes.

Selling clamps, training distributors, and collaborating with architects and engineers across the Canadian market has made S-5!® Canada the leading supplier of attachment solutions within the metal roofing industry. The company prides itself in offering high quality clamps and accessories that can be directly attached to standing seam metal roofing without damaging the material.

“When the patented set screw engages the metal seam and is torqued as per specifications, the set screw will dimple the metal seam without damaging the paint or any protective coating. This is accomplished via a small cavity in the clamp wall on the opposite side of the seam from the set screw,” Kowch explained.

S-5!® and S-5!® Canada are not the only organizations who advise against the use of cup point screws and instead support the use of round point screws.

According to the Metal Building Manufacturers Association, “Any attendant set screws that secure the clamp to the seam should have a rounded point (not a cup point) so that gouging, or breaching of the metallic coating is avoided.”

The Metal Construction Association says, “Some products utilize ‘cup point’ set screws that may tear the seam material under load or sever and abrade panel coatings leading to premature corrosion. Others use round tipped setscrews and are preferred.”

Unique to the design of the S-5!® roof clamp is that it attaches to essentially any standing seam metal roofing profile with industry-leading clamping strength.

S-5!® also commissioned independent, third party A2LA certified test labs to conduct accelerated corrosion and weathering tests to prove that the S-5!® attachment method caused no premature corrosion of the panel material. In the end, the real proof is in 20 years of successful installations on more than 1.2 million roofs, and endorsements by every major manufacturer of metal roofing not only in North America, but the entire world. S-5!® clamps have even been selected for use in life-safety applications on the new NATO World Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and are endorsed by the inventor of Galvalume® himself.

Because of extensive testing to ensure a high quality product, S-5!® Canada has pushed itself ahead of the competition, continuing to stand behind its product with a 25-year limited manufacturer’s warranty. S-5!® Canada’s well tested and guaranteed products allows the consumer, architect, or engineer to feel comfortable with S-5!® Canada’s range of metal roofing attachment solutions.

In order for S-5!® Canada to meet the Domestic Content requirements under the FIT Program, S-5!® Canada selected an Ajax, Ont.-based manufacturer. E.J.

Industries. Today, Ajax also serves as the company’s Canadian base, allowing for ease of access to its manufacturer.

Unique Design

The S-5!® metal roofing clamp brand name is now seen as common place across Canada, with architects, engineers, and roofers calling for this industry product of choice for the project at hand.

“We’ve grown our snow retention product lineup to the point where our distributors in Western Canada are calling us almost every day for this products because people are realizing how well it works,” Kowch said. “Engineers and architects are also realizing that this is a great product. Metal roof manufacturers are telling the engineers and architects to use S-5!® clamps on their roofs. While there are other clamps on the market, ours is unique in its design and its patent. There isn’t a reason why anyone wouldn’t use our clamps.”

S-5!® has seen the demand for metal roofing in Canada grow which has increased the demand for its products. Companies are realizing the benefits of metal roofing over the long-term and as such want a product that will not damage their investment. In the past six or seven months, the company’s Western Canadian distributors have called to replenish its stock with S-5! ® snow retention products, as these are being specified more often either by architects, roofing consultants or the metal roofing manufacturer themselves. The S-5!® ColorGard® snow retention system was chosen for the International Ice Rink at Canada’s Olympic Park in Calgary, the Redvers Health Centre Roof Addition in Saskatchewan, and Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London, Ont., just to name a few. Based upon feedback from its distributors across Canada, S-5!® Canada has supplied over 25,000 lineal feet of snow retention products in 2012 while its solar attachment solutions have been used to secure over five megawatts of solar power in Ontario. That is over 127,000 attachment points to standing seam metal roofs without any holes, or damage to the roof.

S-5!® Canada continues to grow its presence in the Canadian marketplace and is emerging as the go-to industry favourite for metal roofing attachment solutions. As Kowch concluded, “I would like to thank our distributors, Wallace Construction, Essex Energy, Classic Roofing Systems, All the Best Sales and Marketing, Bird Stairs and Future Energy Resources Inc. for helping us grow S-5!® Canada.

“Not only we have been able to get into the Canadian market and develop an awareness toward our brand by educating people about the advantage of our products, but also by our distributors who believe in our products. This is why we are quickly becoming one the country’s trusted metal roofing attachment solution providers.”

Supermetal

adminMarch 13, 2024August 11, 2024Business in Actionabjusa, Supermetal, the american business journal Leave a comment

Strength and Flexibility

Supermetal is a leading specialty contractor that supplies, fabricates and erects complex industrial works, signature institutional projects and high-end commercial buildings.

The Quebec City firm started as a family business in 1959. Through the years, the company’s project portfolio has spanned numerous large scale projects, from office towers to bridges and research centres. As a result, the company has continued to grow, expanding from regional and provincial markets to its current operations situated across Canada and in the United States, plus a production office in Manila, Philippines.

Supermetal aims to be the industry’s leading structural steel supplier of choice. Currently, Supermetal has an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes of steel, and employs over 600 people, steadily increasing its performance level over time. As a full service organization, Supermetal offers the entire gamut, from engineering services to detailing and installation, as well as structural steel fabrication across all Canadian provinces.

“We are a very flexible company. If we need to speed up installation to meet a new requirement, we adapt in order to provide the best total construction cost to our client,” Jean-Francois Blouin, President of Supermetal, told The American Business Journal. “Change is inevitable. We’ve simply built it into our business model.”

Projects

Perusing its expansive project portfolio, Supermetal highlights its involvement with the Eighth Avenue Place’s East tower in downtown Calgary, where the company was involved in the project engineering, fabrication and erection. Across the commercial sector, Supermetal typically covers high-rise structures, arenas and sports complexes.

Eighth Avenue Place is a $1 billion, 50-storey structure that opened its doors in January 2011. The structure includes more than 12,000 tonnes of steel. Achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Core and Shell (CS) Platinum certification, the Eighth Avenue Place development is a modern architectural design that illuminates Calgary’s financial district skyline.

Supermetal beams of its activity in the energy sector, with project involvement in oil refineries, hydroelectricity projects, and power dams, in addition to its extensive work in the potash industry. Supermetal’s ability and desire to work across multiple sectors has allowed the company to pursue projects in nearly all Canadian provinces. Currently, the company is involved with work in the oil sands, the potash industry, and a hydropower project in Ontario.

In its home province of Quebec, Supermetal has been engaged in large-scale aluminum smelter projects. The Rio Tinto Alcan Aluminum Smelter, based in Alma, is a state-of-the-art facility measuring more than 230,000 square feet. Supermetal has supplied more than 20,000 tonnes of steel for the structural project, and has consistently delivered exceptional service and an ability to quickly adjust to rapid project developments. Another smelter, the AP60 expansion project in Jonquière, is valued at $3.6 billion. Even though the health and safety standards were among the most stringent, Supermetal was able to exceed expectations.

Future Operations

Supermetal’s project diligence and expansive reach continues to separate the company from its competition. For example, Supermetal is the only organization within the structural steel fabricating industry to hold all three major certifications – namely ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management), and OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety management).

“We take health and safety very seriously, and our statistics reflect the low rate of incidents and accidents in our shop and on our sites,” Blouin added.

“Because of our good track record, companies are motivated to work with us.”
Supermetal’s collaborative approach further differentiates the company in an overall diverse and competitive industry. Beyond its role as a specialty contractor and project manager, Supermetal sees itself as a partner working alongside its client.

“[The client’s] project is our project, and our approach and flexibility is unique in the industry,” Blouin summarized.

Saying “no” to a client is not part of Supermetal’s vocabulary. “We find solutions and possibilities to ensure that we provide a hassle-free experience to our clients at the lowest total cost of construction. We do that while focusing on their priority whether it be health and safety, quality, or schedule.”

Moving forward, Supermetal wants to continue growing its capacity, particularly in the American market, where the company has recently opened a new production facility to best meet industry demand.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” added Blouin. “However, that does not mean being the largest or the cheapest, but rather, when clients have a challenging structural steel project, they will think of Supermetal as a premier contractor.”

National Forming Systems

adminMarch 8, 2023August 11, 2024Business in Actionabjusa, the american business journal Leave a comment

National Forming Systems is a global leading construction engineering firm and formwork supplier of concrete forming products. Established in 1986, the Greater Vancouver-based organization serves the international construction engineering sector with advanced technology forming product needs for a range of construction projects.

Global Presence

National Forming Systems has established a North American presence with its primary operations based in Canada and the United States. The company’s manufacturing production facilities, which handle the design, engineering, and manufacturing of all company products, span the Western Canadian landscape, with locations across British Columbia and another in Calgary. The company also has a national presence in Toronto.

“We entered the Toronto market about three years ago,” Peter Vanagan, President of National Forming Systems, told The American Business Journal. “In fact right now we have about a half-dozen Toronto high rise developments on the go. It is a very competitive market.”

The company’s North American presence extends to the United States, with offices in California, Nevada, and Hawaii, where its branch offices in Los Angeles and Honolulu have been instrumental in the company’s pursuit of American-based projects.

Most recently, the company furthered its presence on the international stage, adding key offices in Slovenia, Serbia, Russia, Cyprus, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. As a result, National Forming Systems has today established a worldwide presence and, overall, a broader customer base.

Moving forward, the company has an eye for expansion on Eastern Europe with hopes to grow its brand across this market, as well as South America, with expansion efforts geared toward Brazil. National Forming Systems would like to expand to both the Eastern European and Brazilian markets within the next five years.

Project Delivery

As National Forming Systems works to increase its presence around the globe, the company continues to establish itself as the choice supplier of advanced technology form products for many types of construction engineering projects. Across the project landscape, National Forming Systems does it all, from residential, industrial, and commercial buildings, such as high-rise towers, hotels and resorts, airports, bridges, hospitals, academic facilities, governmental buildings, retail shops, stadiums, custom applications, and more.

National Forming Systems has established itself in the marketplace as a one stop shop of formwork systems solutions, including slab shoring, wall forms, column forms, hydraulic forms, and more. National Forming Systems specializes in in-house engineering, design, estimating, and manufacturing. The company website reads, “At the planning stage, our design team seeks the optimum solution, whether with a standard or custom product. The goal is to provide the best results for our customers.”

The company continues to invest in its research and development segment, focusing on innovation and new product developments that are lightweight and easy to assemble. National Forming Systems also has several initiatives that emphasize advanced safety and improved operational efficiencies. In fact, National Forming Systems has several patents to its name as a result of the company’s innovative and proven solutions geared toward systems improvements and efficiencies for construction engineering developments.

Noting the importance of timely project design and on-site technical support, National Forming Systems is the expert when it comes to delivering an extensive range of high performance and high quality concrete forming products that meet customer needs and are delivered at an affordable price point.

“We are led and managed by an excellent team of people and engineers,” Vanagan summarized. “We have a strong engineering department, so everything works well and, from a design, engineering, production, and repair standpoint, we are a one stop shop that does everything for the customer. You won’t find too many companies like National Forming Systems.”