HawkMtn Labs, Inc. has been serving Eastern Pennsylvania through its environmental testing laboratory services for the past 30 years. When the business was seeking funding for equipment and building improvements, it approached CAN DO to utilize the company's services as an Area Loan Organization and Certified Economic Development Organization.
CAN DO utilized its connections with the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, as well as Luzerne County, to obtain five loans the company will use to improve and expand its operations. Jim Kelshaw, CAN DO's Director of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, endeavored on behalf of HawkMtn Labs President and CEO Jeffrey Gittleman to obtain nearly $600,000 in loans, in addition to the money CAN DO was able to provide the company.
NEPA Alliance presents USDA Rural Development and Economic Development Administration (EDA) small business loan funds of $195,000 to Hawk Mountains Labs, Inc. (HML).
Pictured from left:
Seated - Joseph Gerdes, Office of Congressman Lou Barletta; Mark Grochocki, Office of Senator John Yudichak; De Ann Miller, Hawk Mountains Labs; Jeffrey Gittleman, Hawk Mountains Labs; Lew Dryfoos, CAN DO Board Chair; Dr. John Madden, CAN DO Board Chairman Elect.
Standing - Dave Nat, NEPA Alliance; Jack Ferrett, Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank; Joseph Zeller, Luzerne County Office of Community Development; Jim Kelshaw, CAN DO; Kevin O'Donnell, CAN DO; William Magnotta, First National Bank and Pat Ward, CAN DO Treasurer.
CAN DO was a huge help with pulling together all of the loans needed in order to grow and expand HawkMtn Labs. A one-stop-shop, CAN DO helped to coordinate and work with a myriad of county, state, and federal agencies. This was optimal during such a busy time of development for our company," Gittleman said. "CAN DO worked to achieve the funding we needed through five separate loans in total. This money has played a vital role in allowing HawkMtn Labs to expand and diversify our services, as well as keep up-to-date on our instrumentation."
Some of the funds will be used to replace certain outdated instrumentation and purchase new state-of-the-art instrumentation and equipment, which will enhance HawkMtn Labs' analytical laboratory resources for environmental testing. It will also further establish their concrete inspection and materials testing abilities, positioning them as a viable entity for Pennsylvania's highway and road expansion Transportation Bill.
The equipment and expansion are expected to help retain 32 jobs and add eight (8) new full-time positions within the next three years. The company has expanded its Field Services division, moving into a second location in the Hanover Industrial Park at 370 Stewart Road, Hanover Township, and will make needed improvements in and around its 13,000-square-foot facility at 201 West Clay Avenue in Hazle Township.
By reaching out to multiple sources and requesting a variety of economic development loans, CAN DO was able to craft the loans and provide them in a way that personally supported Gittleman's needs. CAN DO was able to obtain all of the equipment financing loans by last October to allow HawkMtn Labs to start on its equipment upgrades but waited beyond the winter to close the building improvement loans to provide Gittleman the money at the appropriate time to begin the renovations.
NEPA Alliance President and CEO Jeffrey Box stated that NEPA is a regional community and economic development agency serving the seven counties of Northeastern Pennsylvania including Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne.
"We are pleased to work with our partner in the Department of Community and Economic Development Partnerships for Regional Economic Performance (PREP) program, CAN DO, to provide the financing HawkMtn Labs needs to expand their operations," Box stated. "The funding NEPA Alliance provided was from the Economic Development Administration and the USDA Rural Development."
