City or country, Pennsylvania has it all. From the metropolitan cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, to the smaller cities of Altoona, Erie, Harrisburg, and Scranton, or even small towns like Brookville and Bedford, Pennsylvania has a host of communities that thrive.
Today’s competitive, global marketplace offers tremendous opportunities – and challenges – to businesses. These opportunities can be significantly enhanced by factors as simple as the right location and a business-friendly partner.
There are countless reasons why Pennsylvania makes sense as a home for your business. Pennsylvania offers an ideal location. More than 40% of the populations of the U.S. and Canada are within 500 miles of Pennsylvania – as is over 40% of U.S. manufacturers and service industries.
Our sophisticated transportation and communications networks ensure that you can get your product to your customers quickly and efficiently. Pennsylvania's transportation features include:
- Six international airports and 800 total airports
- 5,600 miles of railways
- 120,000 miles of highways
- Three major ports with access to the Great Lakes, Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
Beyond that, Pennsylvania boasts a highly skilled work force, and an excellent quality of life. And that's just the beginning. It also offers businesses a partner dedicated to creating a strong economy based on policies that provide a positive business tax and regulatory structure. Virtually every initiative Pennsylvania is undertaking is designed to help businesses succeed in the Commonwealth. In addition to creating an environmental policy that stresses cooperation, Pennsylvania has made significant cuts in business taxes, radically reformed workers' compensation, and deregulated both the electric and gas utilities. Since 1995, the cost of doing business in Pennsylvania has been reduced by over $15 billion, including $7 billion in tax cuts.
In fact, Pennsylvania continues to receive unprecedented recognition for its economic-development initiatives and business environment. Pennsylvania was the honored with Business Facilities magazine's Gold Level-1rst Place Award in 2000 for the Keystone Opportunity Program, and again in 2001in the Statewide Economic Development Strategy category. In March, Site Selection magazine ranked Pennsylvania 6th in the nation for the highest number of new corporate facilities and expansions. Last January, Plants Sites and Parks magazine ranked Pennsylvania the Number 8 "Bizsite Hot Spot" in the country, and last November, Site Selection magazine ranked Pennsylvania as having the 12th best business climate nationwide.
Perhaps Pennsylvania’s greatest attraction is the diversity of its lifestyles. Such diversity leads to a quality of life that most companies find appealing. In recent years many international companies have chosen Pennsylvania as a location for their U.S. operations:
§ Gamesa, Spain
§ Sartorius BBI, Germany
§ Shire Pharmaceuticals, UK
§ Millet Plastics, France
§ APEX, Europe, The Netherlands
§ Carel, Italy
§ Voigt & Schweitzer, Germany
§ Martin-Baker Aircraft, UK
§ Hayes & Finch, UK
§ Sachsen Fahnen, Germany