Northeastern Pennsylvania -
For the second consecutive year, Northeastern Pennsylvania was recognized as one of the best locations in the Northeast U.S. for economic development projects.
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metro area tied for 10th place in the 2021 rankings by Site Selection Magazine, the leading publication in corporate real estate, facility planning, location analysis, and foreign direct investment.
Some of the major projects in 2021:
- Amazon opened a 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Jessup's Valley View Business Park, creating more than 500 jobs.
- Chewy expanded part of its operations into a pet pharmacy in Pittston Twp. by leasing 155,000 SF, creating more than 550 jobs.
- Ball Corp. selected a Jenkins Twp. site for an aluminum packaging plant, creating more than 230 jobs with an average annual salary of $69,593.
- Canpack Group, an aluminum and metal can and bottle manufacturer, opened its U.S. headquarters in Olyphant, creating 437 jobs with an average annual salary of $50,372.
John L. Augustine, President/CEO of Penn's Northeast, believes the metro area is well-positioned to attract companies from throughout the country and world.
“There's no question our location continues to be one of the strongest selling points,” he said. “You can reach one-third of the United States and half of Canada in a one-day drive from Northeastern Pennsylvania. Companies continue to recognize that as they need to get their products to market and consumers as quickly as possible.”
Augustine also cites progress across different industries for the positive economic development landscape.
“We're experiencing unprecedented growth, not just in warehouse distribution, but also in manufacturing,” he said.
