FirstEnergy Holds Information
Exchange Session For Local Companies
Met-Ed, A FirstEnergy Company, held an Information Exchange
Session on August 12 at the Starbucks roasting plant to address concerns that companies in the Zions View sub-station service area have about their electrical service and to discuss the steps that FirstEnergy is taking to address those concerns.

FirstEnergy is focused on customer satisfaction and service reliability and have several measurements that give them an indication on how they are doing in terms of reliability. One of the most significant things that the company is doing to improve customer service and satisfaction is adding new sub-stations and lines to areas that are in a rapid growth mode, allowing for greater capacity and economic development. When companies that are serviced by FirstEnergy experience loss or damages directly attributed to FirstEnergy, the company can submit those claims to FirstEnergy.

Community Leaders Tour
Lancaster Baseball Stadium
Members of the YCEDC and YCIDA boards, YCEDC staff and York
City Council toured the Lancaster baseball stadium on Monday,
August 15. Jon Danos, President of Keystone Baseball, and Joe
Pinto, General Manager of the Lancaster Barnstormers, as well as
members of Warfel Construction, led the tour around the stadium
and fielded questions about the baseball process in Lancaster and
in York. The YCEDC plans to coordinate additional tours in the
future as the baseball stadium project in York progresses.

Special thanks to Keystone Baseball for hosting several York County groups at recent Lancaster stadium events.

Progress on the York Outdoor Recreation Complex (YORC)
continues as the York County Industrial Development Authority
secures a $5 million line of credit through Wachovia Bank.
Funding for the YORC project stems from several different sources,
such as the State, Keystone Baseball and private investors. The line
of credit would fill gaps resulting from the coordination of those
funding sources.

Jon Danos and Joe Pinto answer questions on the field.

YCEDC Zip Code Change
Effective Saturday, August 27, the offices of the York County Economic Development Corporation have a new zip code.

Due to the increase of new home and business construction in the area in recent years, the United States Postal Service of York has changed YCEDC's zip code from 17404 to 17401. Correspondence should be addressed as follows:

York County Economic Development Corporation
144 Roosevelt Ave.
Suite 100
York, PA 17401

Is Your Company Looking To Secure a Loan?
The York County Bankers' Consortium (YCBC) allows your company the opportunity to present financing needs to three banks at one time. YCBC consists of 12 York County banks and is available to meet with small businesses and entrepreneurs that are looking for loans to expand or start a business. Applications will be submitted to YCEDC and undergo a screening process that will identify viable lending opportunities. Small businesses and entrepreneurs are encouraged to contact the YCEDC to receive more information about the application process at 717.846.8879 x3034 or cswope@ycedc.org.

Support Economic Development in York County!
There is still time to renew your membership! If you have not submitted your membership application for the 2005-2006 year, please contact Wilda Alessi at 717.846.8879, walessi@ycedc.org to request a membership packet or download and return the PDF application.

Thank you to all the York County businesses who have continued their support and to all the businesses who have chosen to support us for the first time! Without your support and involvement we would not be able to achieve our mission to serve as York County's leading resource for facilitating economic development and to work with public and private sectors to enhance the overall quality of life.
On behalf of the YCEDC, Thank You!

*Receipt of all benefits associated with membership cannot be guaranteed after July 29, 2005.

YCEDC Meets BREP Goal for 2004-2005 Year
YCEDC conducted 146 on-site interviews with York County companies for the Commonwealth's Business Retention and Expansion Program (BREP). 75 of those visits were made within the manufacturing sector. There were 195 referrals to local service providers as a result of the Business Retention and Expansion Program.

BREP is an initiative aimed at pinpointing business needs and concerns. This program is a continuing effort to obtain input from businesses directly. Businesses are visited, areas of concern are identified, and action is taken through a partnership of private industry and state and local agencies.

Your Employability Skills (YES) Program Available to High School Seniors at Participating Schools
YCEDC, York and Hanover Chambers of Commerce, and the Manufacturer's Association previously identified workforce development as a common critical concern and have joined with York County Alliance for Learning (YCAL) to endorse Your Employability Skills (YES), an elective program, in all area high
schools.

YES is a program originally designed by a consortium of regional businesses to teach employability skills to adults. Now, in cooperation with the high schools in South Central PA and area employers, the YES Accreditation Certificate Program is available to high school seniors.

The program:

• Addresses State Academic Standards for Career Education and Work
• Appeals to students of all levels
• Teaches Employability Skills required by all employers
• Teaches skills which give students an edge for gaining employment and
  admission to post secondary education
• Is a credible program highly valued by business
• Results in an accreditation certificate recognized by employers

Precision Custom Components Receives $100,000 Investment
YCEDC member, Precision Custom Components, received a $100,000 investment from Ben Franklin Technology PArtners. The company manufactures large, highly engineered components for governmental and commercial nuclear/industrial customers. The local investments were part of a larger $1.7 million Ben Franklin invested throughout central and northern Pennsylvania. Grants were awarded to companies in the manufacturing, biotech, anti-terrorism, and information technology industries. - Central Penn Business Journal Daily 8/1/05

Six York County Companies Make Top 10 of Top 100 Privately Held Companies List
Six York County companies made Central Penn Business Journal's Top 10 of the Top 100 Privately Held companies. Congratulations!

• The Wolf Organization(2)
• Snyder's of Hanover(3)
• Shipley Group(4)
• Kinsley Construction(6)
• Utz Quality Foods(7)
• Rutter's Holdings, Inc.(9)

We would also like to congratulate the following companies for making the Top 100 Privately Held Companies List:

• Glatfelter Insurance Group(12)
• Diehl Motor Company(15)
• Adhesives Research(19)
• Eichelberger Construction dba ECIGroup(22)
• The Maple Press Company(27)
• TBB Global Logistics(28)
• Conewago Enterprises(29)
• Graham Architectural Products(58)
• Richard D. Poole(62)
• USA Direct(64)
• Kinard Trucking(66)
• Lobar Associates(67)
• S&H Express(77)
• Leer Electric(79)
• L&H Trucking(85)
• James Craft & Son(89)
• Flinchbaugh Engineering(90)
• American Hydro Corp(93)
• Walton & Company(98)

Bold companies denote YCEDC members.

Small Business Advantage Grants Available
Sen. Jake Corman (R-34) recently announced that the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will begin accepting applications for the Commonwealth's Small Business Advantage Grant Program for small business pollution prevention and energy efficiency projects. The Small Business Advantage provides up to 50% matching grants, to a maximum of $7,500, to enable small businesses in the Commonwealth to adopt or acquire energy efficient or pollution prevention equipment or processes.

For questions or concerns regarding the eligibility of projects, contact Dave Barnes, Office of Energy and Technology Development, Small Business Ombudsman's Office, (717) 783-8411, epadvantagegrant@state.pa.us before submitting an application. Applications are available by contacting the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, 15th Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8772, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8772. Applications are available by calling (717) 783-8411 and are also available on DEP's website: www.dep.state.pa.us (DEP Keyword: SBAdvantage). Applications must be postmarked or hand delivered by 4 p.m. on January 6, 2006. Faxes or other electronic submissions will not be accepted.

PNC & DCED Offer Small Business Loans
The state Department of Community and Economic Development and The PNC Financial Services Group Inc. have partnered to offer up to $100 million in revolving lines of credit to small businesses. The credit will be offered through PNC Bank's Pennsylvania Working Capital Growth Fund.

Small businesses with annual sales of less than $30 million are eligible for loans at below-market interest rates to finance expansion or job creation in the state. The program will run until December 2006 and target several industry sectors, including manufacturing, tourism, research and development, advanced technology, construction and recycling. - Central Penn Business Journal Daily

2005 Business Diversity Works Day
Where: Hershey Lodge & Conference Center, Hershey, PA
When: Wednesday, September 7, 7:30am -3:30pm
Cost: $50 for Chamber members
Register: 717.232.4099 or www.HarrisburgRegionalChamber.org

The York County Chamber of Commerce is co-sponsoring a one day conference featuring nationally known Business Diversity experts, Reggie Williams, of Procurement Resources, Inc., and Mel Gravely, of The Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking. The event will include breakout workshops and panels discussing "best practices" for growing your business.

A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Keynote morning speaker, Reggie Williams, will demonstrate "The Business Case for Business Diversity" and Mel Gravely, our keynote luncheon speaker, will focus on the changing nature and critical success factors for increasing your business growth and bottom line by "Partnering to Prosper Together". These dynamic speakers and topics, along with the breakout workshops and panels, will benefit CEOs, corporate procurement decision-makers, as well as women and minority business owners. This one day conference can provide your company with information demonstrating the competitive edge and increased growth resulting by implementing strategic "business diversity" in your business market arena.

Starting & Growing a Business Workshop
Where: Central York High School, York, PA Directions
When: Thursday, September 8, 6:30pm - 9pm
Cost: $10 prepayment fee
Register: 1.877.472.7232 or www.kutztownsbdc.org

SCORE and KUSBDC workshop that offers a basic overview of what entrepreneurs must do or know in order to start a business in PA.

Business Plan Workshop I of IV
Where: Central York High School, York, PA Directions
When: Thursday, September 22, 6:30pm - 9pm
Cost: $50 one-time prepayment fee covers registration and materials for all four Business Plan workshops. 50% discount offered for any additional workshop participants who attend from the same company.
Register: 1.877.472.7232 or www.kutztownsbdc.org

First of a four-part series of business plan workshops by SCORE and KUSBDC. During this workshop, you will learn about forms of legal ownership, products/service description, pricing & forecasting, and how location can affect your business.

How to Write a Press Release
Where: Bay City Restaurant, Hanover, PA
When: Friday, September 23, 9am-10am
Cost: $5 Chamber Members
Register: Jennifer Clifford 717.637.6130 or jclifford@hanoverchamber.com

Presenter Marc Charisse, Editor, The Evening Sun will teach attendees how to effectively write a press release, how to attract the editor's attention, and mistakes to avoid. For more information please contact the Hanover Chamber at 717.637.6130. www.hanoverchamber.com

The Legal Side of Marketing
Where: 2005 Business Showcase - Southwestern High School, Hanover, PA
When: Monday, October 10, 2pm-3pm
Cost: $5 Chamber Members
Register: Jennifer Clifford 717.637.6130 or jclifford@hanoverchamber.com

Presenters are Barry Carbaugh, President, The Barry Group, and Chuck Long, Esquire, Smith, Anderson, Baker & Long. Learn the legalities of marketing the easy way, by not making the mistakes. This seminar will cover issues such as avoiding libel and slander situations; when and why to trademark your product; and copyright issues. For more information please contact the Hanover Chamber at 717.637.6130. www.hanoverchamber.com

Building Positive Relationships at Work
Where: 2005 Business Showcase - Southwestern High School, Hanover, PA
When: Monday, October 10, 3pm-4pm
Cost: $5 Chamber Members
Register: Jennifer Clifford 717.637.6130 or jclifford@hanoverchamber.com

Presenter Dave Borden, Principal, LMA Consulting Group will teach participants how to be a part of creating, developing and growing effective positive and productive relationships at work. For more information please contact the Hanover Chamber at 717.637.6130. www.hanoverchamber.com

Employee Retention
Where: 2005 Business Showcase - Southwestern High School, Hanover, PA
When: Monday, October 10, 4:15pm-5:15pm
Cost: $5 Chamber Members
Register: Jennifer Clifford 717.637.6130 or jclifford@hanoverchamber.com

Presenter Leslie Elsner Bell, President, Elsner, Bell & Associates, LLC, will provide excellent tips on what it takes to maintain employee retention. For more information please contact the Hanover Chamber at 717.637.6130. www.hanoverchamber.com

Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce
2005 Business Showcase
Where: Southwestern High School, Hanover, PA
When: Monday, October 10, 2pm-6pm

The Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce's 2005 Business Showcase "Put Your Best Foot Forward" will be held in the gymnasium at South Western High School on Monday, October 10 from 2pm-6pm.

The Showcase will also feature three new seminars in marketing and human resources, a Membership Mixer and earlier hours. For more information please contact the Hanover Chamber at 717.637.6130. www.hanoverchamber.com

To see the full schedule of events, please click here.

Estate Planning Seminar with
Mr. Conrad Teitel
Where: Four Points Sheraton, York, PA
When: Wednesday, October 26, 9am-Noon
Cost Registration/Lunch: $50 (Prepaid prior to Sept. 30); $75 (At the door)
Registration: Information to come

Sponsored by: The Salvation Army, York County Community Foundation,
American Law Institute-American Bar Association (ALI-ABA)

The Pennsylvania CLE Board has approved the course for 3 hours of substantive credit.

More information and registration form to Follow