Altoona, PA Earns a #1 Ranking

For the first time in its history, the Altoona, PA MSA is at the top of Site Selection Magazine’s list for MSA’s with a population of 200,000 and under for the entire country. Altoona shares the top ranking for 2013 with Sioux City and Dubuque Iowa, all three communities with 14 corporate facility investment projects.

“Our 14 projects were almost all local, home-grown companies that are going through expansions,” says Marty Marasco, President/CEO of the Altoona-Blair County Development Corp. “We emphasize retention and expansion of existing companies. Relocations today are very difficult.”

Marasco said 2013 was a positive year for the Altoona area. “We saw a lot of activity. We saw some companies begin to make inquiries about projects that they had
talked about, and some have come to fruition,” Marasco said. “It

is encouraging. It gives you a sense of pride and also gives you a sense of accomplishment when you work on projects, some which take months or years. You see the fruition of your efforts.”

Some of the local projects recognized included: a $30 million expansion project at Albermarle Corp. in the Tyrone Industrial Park, which will lead to the retention of 170 jobs and creation of 20 new jobs; a $20 million acquisition and construction project for Value Drug, which will lead to the retention of 110 jobs; and the installation of water and sewer and access improvements, which will open 40 acres for land development at the DeGol Industrial Centre in Hollidaysburg, which is expected to lead to the creation of 50 to 75 jobs.

Additional projects on the list include: the construction of a terminal and office

building for CLI Transport, a Sheetz Inc. subsidiary, a $5.5 million project that will lead to 16 to 20 new jobs; Marcellus GTL LLC of Gilberton’s plans to build a plant near Duncansville that would turn natural gas into gasoline and propane, which is expected to lead to the creation of 30 new jobs; and Core Label LLC, a leading manufacturer of beverage labels, expanding its current facility in the Robert C. Jubelirer Business Park near Tyrone, adding at least 43 new jobs.

In addition to the successes from 2013, the multi-year efforts surrounding ABCD Corp’s eighth business park are being finalized. The $7 million project in Greenfield Township will

lead to the creation of 150 to 200 jobs.

“This national recognition to show we are competing from the investment side with other areas throughout the country. It gives a positive image of the area compared to other areas of comparable size throughout the country,” Marasco said.

“For companies and site selectors this ranking provides a positive view of our area, highlighting the strengths of our region that we promote here on a daily basis. We gauge our success by the people going to work every day in our community,” ABCD Corp. Marketing Manager Matthew Fox said. “This may help us stand out from other communities that are not on the list. We are not resting on our laurels but are continually looking forward.”