Pittsburgh-Area Leaders Expected To Back Tom Wolf

Tom Wolf, the Democratic front-runner in the race for governor, will be in town Saturday to showcase high-profile endorsements from Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and possibly other local elected officials.

Neither the county executive nor the mayor would comment on the development, which was confirmed by those involved in discussions with the candidate. It wasn’t clear what other officials might join them at the weekend announcement.

Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Peduto are part of a group of local officials who have had ongoing discussions about the possibility of a group endorsement from senior Democrats in the region. U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, has been part of those discussions and one figure familiar with the endorsement conversation said he expected the congressman to be there as well.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2014/03/07/Local-leaders-expected-to-back-Wolf/stories/201403070108#ixzz2vKAKRu4u

Bethlehem Revitalization Authority Readying For Applicants

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Northampton County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Bethlehem Revitalization and Improvement Authority is accelerating efforts to hire consultants so it can start accepting development applications in the summer.

The authority is tasked with implementing Bethlehem’s City Revitalization and Improvement Zone, which is expected to create $587 million worth of development. Bethlehem received the state economic development designation late last year.

Similar to Allentown’s Neighborhood Improvement Zone, the zone allows state and local nonproperty taxes from new development in the zone to help finance construction within it.

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2014/03/bethlehem_revitalization_autho.html

Suburban Renewal: Who Needs Center City?

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Chester County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Teleflex Corp. responded to American industrial decline by selling or closing down its old car, boat and factory controls plants. It shrank its workforce by half (and by two-thirds in the U.S.)., and switched to the medical-devices business. It worked, if the stock market is the measure: The company has been trading at record levels.

Next step was to do something about its old Limerick Township headquarters. “We were in a large campus, off the main thoroughfares, where we had manufacturing facilities for the now-divested operations, reflective of our previous era,” says Cam Hicks, Teleflex’s vice president for global HR.

“We wanted a place where we could get access to new talent, and position ourselves for growth, while increasing our visibility, without a net increase in commute time” for headquarters workers scattered through Philadelphia’s western suburbs.

Last week the company moved into its new digs at CrossPoint, a Tredyffrin office park near US 202, which has itself been recycled out of foreclosure. To build the center, 1970s-era buildings at the former Valley Forge Office Center have been connected by a glass atrium packed with amenities that office workers used to have to drive off to find, and updated from an earlier, Monopoly-board vision of suburban business, which set office parks here, restaurants up there, recreation over that way.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/teleflexx.html#B7PsK8G3yq2ss74E.99

Acme Parent Company Buys Safeway for $9 Billion

Acme Markets’ corporate parent, the Albertsons grocery-store chain, on Thursday purchased Safeway Inc., for about $9 billion.

Albertsons is controlled by an investor group led by Cerberus, a New York-based private-equity firm. Other investors included Philadelphia-based Lubert-Adler Partners, Kimco Realty Corp., Klaff Realty L.P., and Schottenstein Real Estate Group.

With the purchase of Safeway, the group will now control about 2,400 grocery stores, making it one of the largest chains in the country.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20140307_Acme_parent_company_buys_Albertsons_for__9B.html#yfZ07Jksrr6jsbWd.99