1-31-14

Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal — Economic Development — January 31 - February 13, 2014 — 15A E conomic D evelopment

www.marejournal.com

By Joseph Lettiere, Greater Hazleton CAN DO, Inc. E-commerce, food processing thriving in CAN DO parks

H

rect-to-consumer distribution center – the largest building in CANDO’s service area – in Humboldt Industrial Park on a 128-acre land parcel. The company will create 369 jobs in four years and will also hire approximately 600 employees during peak seasons. Right next to AEO’s distri- bution center, Tech Packag- ing is constructing its new building. The facility will open in the spring and will handle packaging services such as shrinkwrapping, overwrapping, blister packs and clamshells for major

corporations, including Frito Lay, its largest customer. Tech Packaging is one of a number of food packaging and food processing compa- nies in Greater Hazleton. Like e-commerce industries, food processing companies are drawn to the Hazle- ton area because of its loca- tion, competitive labor costs, highly rated workforce, ideal climate, rail service and other factors. Companies say Hazleton’s location is critical to their logistical plans because it enables their products to reach their targeted desti-

nation quickly. Additionally, manufacturing, packaging and distribution companies have the benefit of working together through a food pro- cessing partnership, where they can share ideas and initiate training programs. Food processing companies in Greater Hazleton include Tootsie Roll Industries, The Hershey Company, Gon- nella Frozen Products, Car- gill Meat Solutions, Bimbo Bakeries, Otis Spunkmeyer, Archer Daniels Midland, U.S. Cold Storage and Cit- terio USA. CANDO recently launched

a new blog, www.wecando- food.com, to promote food processing and other eco- nomic development efforts in the Hazleton area. The blog details stories of local food processors and ways CANDO provides assistance. Please continue to visit the blog for all the latest food processing news in Greater Hazleton. Joseph Lettiere joined Greater Hazleton CAN DO, Inc. in January of 2000 as an economic de- velopment specialist and in July 2005 was named vice president of sales and marketing. n

A Z L E TON , PA –— CAN DO , the economic develop-

me n t o r - ganization in Greater Haz l e t on , P e n n s y l - v a n i a , i s cultivating thriving e- c omme r c e a n d f o o d

Joe Lettiere

processing industry clusters in the Hazleton area. Two new companies, American Eagle Outfitters and Tech Packaging, are set to open this spring as part of those targeted marketing efforts in CAN DO’s Humboldt In- dustrial Park. Because of its strategic location near the crossroads of Interstates 80 and 81, Hazleton is an ideal site for e-commerce fulfillment cen- ters. More importantly, our immediate interstate access, proximity to major markets, availability of delivery ser- vices, affordable operating costs and a great workforce all result in cost-efficient operations for tenants within the community. CAN DO has found that online retailers realize the value of Greater Hazleton’s location for their company’s bottom line. Companies in our industrial parks and cor- porate center have the ben- efit of reaching customers quickly and having access to an experienced and dedicated workforce. Our largest park, Humboldt Industrial Park, is directly off Interstate 81, with Interstate 80 only a few miles away. These highways connect to Interstates 84, 380, 476 and others that serve major cities, putting Hazleton within a day’s drive of markets and ports such as NewYork, Philadelphia, Bos- ton and Washington, D.C. E-commerce merchants in Greater Hazleton include companies such as Amazon. com, which employs more than 3,000 people at peak season at its facility in Hum- boldt Industrial Park, as well as Ozbo.com, AimToFind. com and New Global Mar- keting, which operates as BestCigarPrices.com. The newest company to the area will also send merchan- dise to customers who order online. American Eagle Out- fitters (AEO) is constructing a one million square foot di-

Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker