Agency identifies companies' needs, then seeks support for expansion or modernization.
By Dan O'Brien Faced with the contraction of Mercer County's industrial base in the early 1980s, officials struggled to find a way to stem migration and resurrect the Shenango Valley's stagnant manufacturing economy. Formed in 1985, Penn-Northwest acts as a conduit between state and local government and private developers throughout the county, Reichard says. During the 1990s, the agency helped some 130 new and existing companies with start-ups and expansions. Penn-Northwest's mission is threefold, Reichard elaborates. Its first objective is business outreach and retention.