Program Overview
Bridge to Pittsburgh helps growth-focused companies in advanced manufacturing, industrial automation, robotics, and related sectors expand into Southwestern Pennsylvania with less risk, lower cost, and stronger local connections.
We streamline your market entry with targeted, hands-on support—matching you to optimal sites, connecting you to decision-makers, and ensuring you have the resources to land and scale with confidence.
What You Get
Tools for a Successful Expansion
- Guided Real Estate & Site Selection
Match your needs to one of 15+ industrial campuses and innovation hubs, including Mill 19, Westmoreland Innovation Center, and Neighborhood 91. From spec suites to utility-heavy manufacturing, we find the right fit.
EXPLORE PROPERTIES - Business Development Connections
Connect with anchor customers, partners, and suppliers across robotics, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and AI. - Talent Pipeline Access
Recruit top talent from CMU, Pitt, and regional institutions, plus access 300+ technical resumes and skilled trades partners. - University & Lab Connections
Collaborate with CMU, Pitt, and regional accelerators for R&D, pilot testing, and innovation grants. - Incentives & Capital Navigation
Access incentives such as KIZ tax credits, PIDA loans, and abatements, plus help structuring public/private capital stacks. - Operational Support
Streamline operations with permitting, regulatory alignment, vendor onboarding, and local service connections.
Who It's For
The Right Fit for the Right Companies
- Out-of-region firms with existing Pittsburgh customers or suppliers
- Businesses seeking a second U.S. location or expansion site
- Industrial and tech firms needing rapid scale-up with strong infrastructure alignment
How It Works
- Discovery Call — 30-minute consultation to map needs
- Tailored Support — Custom expansion package built for your priorities
- Local Integration — Direct introductions to regional leaders, coordinated site visits at vetted sites, and ongoing growth support
Testimonials
“Tech flex space, which includes offices along with room for R&D, is becoming a bread-and-butter need in Pittsburgh. It’s a development model inspired by seminal real estate development projects including Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green and Tech Forge in Lawrenceville, both projects by the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania.”
Pittsburgh Business Times
“The Chocolate Factory is perfect for our expansion needs and has a number of attractive amenities that drew us to the site, including better parking, proximity to Lawrenceville, and adaptable space conducive to specialized lab buildout. RIDC has been such a pleasure to work with and we look forward to continuing to do so.”
Dan Snyder
Director of Microbial Genome Sequencing Center
“Our new Westmoreland site provides Intervala with an exciting platform for growth, allowing us to better serve our customers through expanded capabilities, leading-edge technologies, and enhanced innovation and collaboration…We are grateful to RIDC for its partnership in matching us with a location and space that will comfortably accommodate our future growth and expansion.”
Teresa Huber
President and CEO of Intervala
“Don Smith Jr. and his organization keep playing an essential role in the redevelopment of major industrial sites in the Mon Valley and virtually everywhere else in the region. RIDC also has been the landlord that has nurtured Pittsburgh’s autonomous vehicle industry. RIDC’s Mill 19 nears completion as the most visible sign of success so far at the Hazelwood Green redevelopment.”
Pittsburgh Business Times
“RIDC has a long track record for catalyzing economic growth in the communities they partner with, especially in attracting tech and light industrial jobs. I have no doubt, that with their expertise and network on our side, we will stimulate growth at this site.”
Don Myers
Armstrong County Board of Commissioners Chairman
“RIDC has been instrumental to our growth in McKeesport and Duquesne. Tubular products have been part of McKeesport’s history for over 120 years, and we are proud to continue the tradition.”
Jason Norris
President of Dura-Bond Industries, Inc.
“As the former home of Westinghouse Electric, this [Keystone Commons] site holds historical significance and a legacy of innovation. Our collaboration with RIDC will continue that legacy by creating a rebirth in American manufacturing to deliver the energy needs of today and tomorrow.”
Joe Mastrangelo
CEO of Eos Energy Enterprises
“The Carrie Furnace site is surely one of the finest pieces of riverfront property anywhere in America, and a prime example of redeveloping industrial land while respecting industrial heritage.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial
“If you want a glimpse of Pittsburgh’s future, encased inside the rusting remnants of its past, look no further than Hazelwood Green.”
NEXTPittsburgh
“Politicians of all stripes like to use Mill 19 as a backdrop: It represents, almost perfectly, the old and new Pittsburgh economy. The high-tech offices of autonomous vehicle and robotics research offices literally inhabit the husk of a steel mill.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial
“Carnegie Mellon is grateful to our foundation and local community partners, our elected officials, and RIDC for helping to make sustainability a driving force behind Mill19. This commitment will further catalyze the future of Hazelwood Green – not just as a hub for new technologies, but as a model for sustainable development that enhances quality of life for citizens.”
Farnam Jahanian
CMU President
“Mill 19 is the launching pad for Hazelwood Green – a project that will make life-changing differences for the good people of Hazelwood, who too often have been left behind, and for all of the greater Pittsburgh region.”
Sam Reiman
Director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation
“Projects like [Mill 19] are the future and it’s great to see it coming to fruition in our community. Renewable energy will soon be the norm due to leaders like those who worked on Mill 19.”
Jay Costa
Senator
Why Pittsburgh
"Pittsburgh is where industry meets automation. We have the sites, talent, and ecosystem to help you grow faster and smarter."
Key Points:
- #1 region in the U.S. for affordable, R&D-enabled industrial space
- Within 500 miles of 42% of the U.S. population and major industrial hubs
- #3 in U.S. for grid reliability — Duquesne Light investing $1.9 billion+ in upgrades through 2027
- Global leadership in robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing
- Access to top-tier research and engineering talent from CMU and Pitt
- Proximity to major customers: PPG, Alcoa, Howmet, Aurora, U.S. Steel, Highmark, UPMC, and more
Find Out If You Qualify for the Bridge to Pittsburgh
Tell us a little about your company so we can send you a tailored overview of sites, talent resources, and connections to help make your Pittsburgh expansion a success. It takes less than 2 minutes.