Success Stories

Hardinger

A large group of Team Hardinger Transportation officials and economic development and political leaders joined for the September 21 groundbreaking for the Team Hardinger project to be located in the Oil Region Alliance's Barkeyville Industrial Park.  

Team Hardinger needed a site to locate a 120,000 square foot Logistical & Distribution Center with easy access to Interstates 79 and 80 and Route 8.  

With the help of the Oil Region Alliance staff, in cooperation with the Eastern Mercer County Regional Development Corporation, they decided to build their facility in the Park on 38 acres.

Initial capital investment by Team Hardinger will be $3 million in the first year. They will create 40 to 45 direct jobs over three years with a salary range of $10 to $15 per hour.

Team Hardinger offers easy access to the local interstate highway system, rail and air service and port access shipping facilities.   The company also has a 400,000 sq. ft. facility on 70 acres in Erie.

Hardinger Transfer Company, Inc
1314 West 11 th Street
Erie, PA   16502
(814) 453-6587

Matric Limited

Matric Limited, a manufacturer of electronic assemblies such as printed circuit boards, controls and wireless devices, has just completed a $1.68 million expansion project that added 20,000 square feet to their manufacturing facility on Hill City Road in Seneca.  The expansion will help Matric meet the needs and growth of all their customers in addition to meeting the growing requirements of their wind energy business developed through MLS Electrosystems that supplies sophisticated electronic blade pitch control systems to the wind energy industry.

With this expansion, 64 new jobs have been added to the 204 people employed by Matric.  On Saturday, July 22, Governor Rendell presented a check for $217,000 to Matric President, Rick Turner.  The Oil Region Alliance took the lead on this project and worked with Matric and the Governor’s Action Team to help to secure this funding  from the Department of Community and Economic Development.  In addition, ORA was able to fund over $15,000 in technical training assistance Department of Labor grant funds administered by the Alliance. 

Matric has maintained a strong manufacturing position in Venango County since 1971. For more about go to www.matric.com.

Matric Limited
2099 Hill City Road
Seneca, PA 16346 U.S.A
814-677-0716
800-462-8742
Fax: 814-678-1301

Specialty Fabrication and Powder Coating

November 1, 2005 marked the one-year anniversary of Specialty Fabrication and Powder Coating, a start-up fabrication and powder coating company. The business is already in the process of expanding its operations, having outperformed the original projected business plans. SFPC has opened a second operation for added growth, and is projected to create 50 new manufacturing jobs over the next three years.

Rod Griffin, CEO, purchased the fabrication business from Conair on November 1, 2004. The Oil Region Alliance assisted SFPC in working with the Governor's Action Team, in their site search and in securing low cost financing for its expansion project. The staff handled all of the paperwork for a low interest loan through the Venango Industrial Development Authority, and it closed in January of 2006.

"This happened at a speed that needs to happen if businesses are to grow," Rod Griffin said. "I can't say enough about how much the ORA helped us through the process of accessing various types of funding."

SFPC is a metal fabrication company that fabricates and welds a variety of products; from thin sheet metal to thick plate and structural steel. They also offer customers a powder coating or wet paint finish prior to assembly of their product. Their in-house engineering staff works with customers to design new products, or to reduce the cost of an existing product through Design for Manufacturing (DFM).

Their operation includes laser cutting, turret punch capability, forming and rolling of all shapes and spot welding. The welding department includes mig and tig welding for all types of metals, as well as seam welding. Their recent expansion project added a 4400W laser to their existing laser cutting abilities. A 200 metric ton press brake with bend assist was added to their existing forming abilities and a turret punch press with automated load and unload was added to their punch press equipment. In a few months, the company will be adding a robot-welding cell to their welding department. SFPC also has a saw and machining department and a finishing department with a state-of-the-art automated powder coating line and liquid painting is available for larger fabrications.

With the purchase of the new equipment, SFPC is positioned to react to the increase in their current customers' business and further diversify by taking on new business.

Specialty Fabrication and Powder Coating
455 Allegheny Blvd.
Franklin, PA 16323
814.437.6406
Fax: 814.432.6406

Venango Steel

Venango Steel has embarked on a $2.1MM expansion project that will include the purchase of cutting edge laser equipment that will run 12 times faster than current capabilities. In addition, the project includes an 8,000 square foot addition onto Venango Steel’s existing facility located in Sandycreek Township to accommodate the new equipment. The proposed project is expected to create at least 25 new jobs within 3 years and will retain 21 existing employees. Construction began about a month ago and is expected to be completed by the end of this year with the equipment in place and operational in early 2007.  

Venango Steel offers industrial fabrication, light fabrication, structural fabrication, including light erection projects and metal forming and shipping. Venango Steel was incorporated in 1999 and services over 100 steady customers in the surrounding areas. The company’s current primary market area is a 40-mile radius of Franklin and the secondary market area expands that radius to 75 miles. Michael Ruhlman, President of Venango Steel states, “the new machinery will allow us to expand our market and market area. With a new market focus, we will be able to break into larger scope of sales in other states and the international stage as well.” Venango Steel’s business growth is expected to result in more spin-off work for local companies performing painting, powder coating and machining services.  

The Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism along with project partners the Franklin Industrial Commercial Development Authority, the Oil Region Enterprise Zone and the Northwest Planning and Development Commission collaborated to identify viable financing sources for this project. In addition, the Governor’s Action Team also assisted tremendously to bring this project to fruition.

Randy Seitz, Alliance President and COO stated “We are so pleased to be able to assist this local company as it expands its business and creates more manufacturing jobs for the area and we are prepared to assist other are businesses with their needs as well.”

For more information on Venango Steel, contact Dean Redick, Sales/Marketing Manager at (814) 437-9353. For information on services provided by the Oil Region Alliance, contact Deb Lutz, Local Industry manager at 814/677-3152 ext. 115.

Venango Steel
1655 Pittsburgh Road
Franklin, PA   16323
(814) 437-9353

Webco Industries

The staff of the Alliance worked hand in hand with Webco Industries when Webco's need for additional manufacturing space became apparent in 2004, and they were faced with a decision of whether to expand here or elsewhere. Much assistance was provided in site searching, low cost financing, and with the overall project. The expansion project in the village of Reno, Venango County, PA, completed in the fall of 2005, was a joint $4 million Industrial Development Authority financed project of Klapec, LLC, the developer, and Webco Industries, Inc., the occupant of the new 116,000 square foot facility.

Since 1989, Webco and the Alliance have had a close working relationship. When Webco, headquartered in Sand Springs, OK, and having multiple manufacturing and distribution facilities in various states, was looking for a new location for expansion, the Alliance, state and local economic development partners worked together to assist them in locating here in a vacant manufacturing facility. The Alliance coordinated eleven different business assistance programs for Webco. In 1998 Webco had a need to expand its operations and was faced with making a choice of whether to expand its plant here or in another state. The Alliance again worked closely with them and provided assistance for the plant expansion and equipment purchase.
Webco is a manufacturer and marketer of specialty steel tubing. Their products are used in the automotive, energy, capital goods and consumer durables industries. This most current project provided Webco with additional space to install modern, automated equipment that is necessary to effectively compete in the specialty tubing market.

Webco Industries
32 Progress Dr
Reno, PA
814.678.6750
www.webcoindustries.com