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Tag: monroe county

Local company starts making hand sanitizer for first responders, military

Hayward Laboratories of East Stroudsburg has started producing sanitizer for immediate distribution, to address widespread supply shortages in the wake of COVID-19. (PHOTO/SUBMITTED) –

A manufacturer of skin and hair care products in East Stroudsburg has begun focusing on producing medical-grade hand sanitizer for local emergency first responders and military personnel.

E.T. Browne Drug Co., manufacturer of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula and Coconut Oil Formula skin and hair care products, said its East Stroudsburg-based manufacturing facility, Hayward Laboratories, has started producing sanitizer for immediate distribution, to address widespread supply shortages in the wake of COVID-19.

Nearly 300 Hayward employees at its Pennsylvania and New Jersey locations are leading this effort, which required the manufacturer to mobilize its supply chain within weeks. The company plans to donate sanitizers to emergency medical responders in the Monroe County and Bergen County, New Jersey areas (where they currently operate), as well as provide priority supply to U.S. military personnel and their families through commissaries and exchanges.

“The plan right now is to get it to first responders and U.S. military personnel,” said Antone McIntyre, director of manufacturing at Hayward. “We will start with donations to Lehigh Valley Health Network in the Lehigh Valley.”

As the company increases capacity, McIntyre said he would like to start providing donations to first responders at St. Luke’s University Health Network as well.

“We want to give back on both a national and local level and support the community that has been there for us for over 25 years,” McIntyre said. “Not only will our sanitizer benefit workers on the frontlines, but it will also support our local neighborhood and secure jobs for our 300 employees who need to take care of their families during this pandemic.”

While it is not too difficult to make hand sanitizer, McIntyre said many vendors are not supplying it like they used to.

E.T. Browne secured its isopropyl alcohol supply for the sanitizer from ExxonMobil, and McIntyre said the company plans to produce 500,000 to one million bottles over the next couple of months.

“I want to give a lot of credit to our employees,” McIntyre said. “They come in each and every day to produce a product that fights COVID-19.”

E.T. Browne Drug Co. is a family-owned business and has corporate headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Insulated panel manufacturer opens $24M Monroe County facility

Pictured from left to right: Daryl Eppley, Stroud Township Manager; Stroud Township Supervisors Christine Wilkins, Ed Cramer and Jennifer Shukatis; Phill Modern, AWIP; Benjamin Wilkins; Chuck Leonard, PMEDC; Andrew Hamer, AWIP; Michelle Bisbing, PMEDC; and from AWIP Natalia Rizzatti, Brian Ng, Steven Westphal and Mathias Crudden. PHOTO/SUBMITTED –

 

A California-based manufacturer of insulated panels has expanded with a new facility in Monroe County.

All Weather Insulated Panel is investing approximately $24 million in the project, which includes purchasing an existing building at 1276 Crowe Road in Stroud Township.

The company is expected to create at least 70 full-time jobs over the next three years.

AWIP said it must increase its insulated metal panel production capacity to better serve customers in Northeastern U.S. The panels are used in energy efficient building construction.

“All Weather Insulated Panels is very excited to have chosen Pennsylvania as the location for our third manufacturing facility in the U.S.,” said Natalia Rizzatti, president of AWIP in a statement. “This location provides us with a strategic geographic position that will support our ambitious growth plans.”

Founded in California in 2006, AWIP is a leading manufacturer of insulated metal panels used in energy efficient building construction projects across North America.

The company received funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for the project.

Funding included a $315,000 Pennsylvania First grant, $70,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be distributed upon creation of new jobs, and a $78,000 workforce development grant to help the company train workers.

The Pocono Mountain Economic Development Corp. assisted with the funding proposal.

Pa. Sen. Scavello: Water parks, resorts raise average wages in Monroe County

Water parks and resorts will continue to drive growth, create jobs and increase wages in Monroe County, according to Sen. Mario Scavello (D-Northampton/Monroe).

“The water parks create a tremendous amount of jobs,” Scavello told the crowd gathered for the Pocono Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Luncheon at Mount Airy Casino. “There are people making $50,000 at the parks and there are kids making 14 dollars an hour…”

Pennsylvania Senator Mario Scavello says that Pocono-area resorts and water parks employ a large number of the region’s young people. -PHOTO/SUBMITTED

About 400 students work at Kalahari, the water park resort in Pocono Manor, according to Scavello. “Where would they be working without it?” he said. “There were times when we had nothing for them.”

Scavello said that the area’s existing resorts are drawing even more entertainment-related development to the community, like the planned Ripley’s Aquarium.

“These create more jobs,” he said. “The new hotels are all positive developments because they pay taxes and create jobs. When you create jobs, you drive up the average wage.”

Scavello said that only about 200 people are making the minimum wage in Monroe County, with most making above minimum. He credited that to the growth of the resorts in the area.

“We have residential development,” he said. “We need jobs. The more jobs, the better the community.”

Also at the legislative luncheon, Scavello advocated for addressing cell phone “dead zones” in the Poconos, and the gridlock on Route 611.

Route 611 was built for the traffic of 12,000 vehicles per day, he said. Today, close to 80,000 vehicles travel the route daily, with more expected as the area continues to grow.

 

 

Harsco sells Monroe County manufacturer

Harsco Corp. headquarters in Wormleysburg. (Photo: Submitted) – File –

Cumberland County-based manufacturer Harsco Corp. sold its boiler manufacturing business in Monroe County this month as it continues to divest its industrial segment.

Harsco announced last week that it completed the sale of Patterson-Kelly, a maker of water heaters, boilers and control systems in East Stroudsburg, to Charlotte-based SPX Corp. for $60 million.

Harsco provides on-site services and engineered products to manufacturers working in steel, aluminum, energy and railways. The Camp Hill company employs more than 11,000 people and operates in more than 30 countries.

Proceeds from the sale are expected to be used to reduce Harsco’s debt and to continue to grow the company’s remaining segments.

“The sale of our Patterson-Kelley business marks yet another significant step for Harsco as we continue to transform into a single thesis environmental solutions company,” said Nick Grasberger, Harsco’s CEO and chairman of the company’s board. “The sale further enables the company to focus on our high growth areas with a stronger balance sheet, increased financial flexibility and less cyclical businesses.”

This year, Harsco also sold Air-X-Changers, an engineered-to-order cooler manufacturer in Tulsa, Ok., to Chart Industries Inc. in Ball Ground, Georgia, for $592 million.

Both Air-X-Changers and Patterson-Kelly were part of Harsco’s strategy to divest its industrial segment, a move that the company said would allow it to focus on its other segments including Clean Earth, Harsco Environmental and Harsco Rail.

The company plans to complete the erasure of its industrial segment by finding a buyer for IKG manufacturers, Harsco’s industrial bar grating manufacturer in Channelview, Texas.

Historic office building in federal opportunity zone gets a buyer

This historic office building at 800 Main St. in Stroudsburg sold for $372,000. (Submitted) –

The new owner of a historic, vacant office property in downtown Stroudsburg plans to keep the historic features of the building and occupy it with professional office tenants.

Lamplighter Associates of Cresco sold the building to HFICO LLC for $372,000, said Steve Wilson, associate adviser of SVN Imperial Realty in South Whitehall Township. Wilson represented the seller in the transaction. Rick Golden, a broker of USA Realty in East Stroudsburg represented the buyer.

The 4,800-square-foot office building is at 800 Main St. in downtown Stroudsburg and within a designated Qualified Opportunity Zone, which would benefit the owner, Wilson said.

The federal government enacted the opportunity zone program in 2017 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to encourage investment in distressed urban areas beyond city centers. Last year, Gov. Tom Wolf named several tracts throughout the state, including Stroudsburg.

The program gives investors breaks on federal capital gains taxes in exchange for investment in funds that support small businesses and housing projects in low-income areas.

Investors can avoid federal taxable capital gains on investments in those areas if they retain ownership of a project for at least a decade.

Michael Herzig, the new owner, did not immediately return requests for comment.

Wilson said the property is a typical old Victorian residence the previous owner converted to office space, with much of the interior historical features retained.

“It’s very much in keeping with other renovated properties in the borough,” Wilson said.

 

 

 

California-based manufacturer to create 70 jobs with new facility in Monroe County

All Weather Insulated Panels, a California-based manufacturer of insulated metal panels with two manufacturing facilities, one in California and one in Arkansas, will open a third manufacturing operation in Monroe County.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced that California-based All Weather Insulated Panels, will open a new manufacturing facility in Monroe County –

The project will help create at least 70 full-time jobs in the area, according to a Sept. 27 announcement by Gov. Tom Wolf.

AWIP, which manufactures panels for use in energy efficient building construction, will increase its insulated metal panel production capacity with the project, which includes the purchase of an existing building in Stroud Township. The company has committed to investing at least $24 million in the project, and creating at least 70 new, full-time jobs over the next three years.

“We welcome All Weather Insulated Panels to Pennsylvania and, specifically, to Monroe County,” said Gov. Wolf. “The investments being made in business expansion and job creation by the company and the commonwealth will impact both the local community and the local economy, and we look forward to continued investments in the years to come.”

Natalia Rizzatti, president of All Weather Insulated Panels, said that she is excited that the company chose Pennsylvania as the location of their newest manufacturing facility.

“This location provides us with a strategic geographic position that will support our ambitious growth plans,” she said.

AWIP received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development for the project.

The proposal includes a $315,000 Pennsylvania First grant, $70,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be distributed upon creation of new jobs, and a $78,000 workforce development grant to help the company train workers.

The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, a state sponsored group of economic development professionals who work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania.

 

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