OP-ED: Local businesses foundation of our county’s economy

Economic development attraction projects are always exciting as few things capture the community’s attention more than the announcement of a new company bringing investment and new jobs to a community.
As a great example, Spaleck USA, a leading global manufacturer of conveying and separation machinery, is partnering with the Mon Valley Alliance to construct a new building in the Alta Vista Industrial Park in Fallowfield Township, consolidating its Pennsylvania and Indiana operations into one production facility.
While we always work diligently to attract these companies to our region and welcome them to our business community, it is equally important to recognize where most economic growth occurs – the expansion of local businesses already located in Washington County.
Studies show that 80% of job growth is generated by existing local businesses. In Washington County alone, companies such as Sarris Candies, AccuTrex Products, Rose Plastics, GE Vernova, and Altas Metals have all announced or completed expansion projects in our area. Three other local companies – Imperial Land Corp., Range Resources, and Liberty Energy – have announced a strategic partnership to develop best-in-class power generation facilities to support development at the Fort Cherry Development District in Robinson Township. Additionally, the merger of Consol Energy and Arch Resources into Core Natural Resources earlier this year created one of the largest North American coal production and export companies, retaining their headquarters in Cecil Township. To help foster this growth, the Washington County Chamber of Commerce has an initiative to meet with at least 100 county companies every year to learn of their growth plans and encourage or assist those expansions locally.
Recently, another hometown success story, Lighthouse Electric, hosted a “wire-cutting” ceremony for its new 100,000-square-foot production facility in Canton Township. This project is a result of a long-term public-partnership led by local company Crossgates Management Inc., and the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington. This project has revitalized the former Brockway Glass factory, transforming it into a modern industrial production facility, and plans are already in place to build an additional 65,000-square-foot facility at this location to support future growth.
Equally exciting are Lighthouse Electric’s plans for repurposing the former Ross Mould site in the city of Washington. The company has identified the nine-acre site to co-locate its corporate headquarters and fabrication operations, which will consolidate its executives, engineers, fabricators, electricians, field workers and staff to a single location in downtown Washington. This $50 million investment will not only reestablish Washington as a center for manufacturing but will also deliver new customers to other downtown businesses and catalyze future investment in the city. There is no doubt this will be a transformational project for the company, city, and county of Washington.
These are all examples of local companies investing in the communities they call home, and we welcome their investments in our county. But these economic impacts are not only confined to large corporate or manufacturing concerns. They are also driven by the local restaurants, retail stores, tourism attractions, and small businesses we visit and enjoy daily.
Local businesses, large and small, are the foundation of our county economy and critical to our future success. Let us support them with our patronage and recognize the important role they play in strengthening our community.
Jeff Kotula is president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency.