RIDC’s Fall Newsletter 2024
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Kelsey Kanspedos, RIDC Development Manager, Receives NAIOP’s 2024 Developing Leaders Award
Kelsey Kanspedos, Development Manager at RIDC, was one of five commercial real estate professionals to receive NAIOP’s prestigious 2024 Developing Leaders Award. The annual award honors exceptional professionals under the age of 35 for their outstanding professional accomplishments, strong leadership and significant community involvement. The winners were recognized during NAIOP’s CRE.Converge 2024 in Las Vegas. […]
TEQ: Film industry, innovation to bring Carrie Furnace site back to life
Dating back to the 1880s and part of Andrew Carnegie’s US Steel for the better part of a century, the Carrie blast furnaces once produced 1,000 tons of iron a day. Now, with the remains of two of those furnaces still standing as a reminder of the region’s history, the Carrie Furnace site is poised […]
Breaking Ground: Manufacturing is where the jobs are
Don Smith’s oped on manufacturing in the Sept/Oct issue of Breaking Ground. Tim White was also quoted in the Manufacturing Construction Update feature that starts on page 20. Read full issue here.
How RIDC is making Mon Valley a model for revitalization
With Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro making economic development a priority with new programs and hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, the Mon Valley could be a key regional focus. Communities that have deteriorated could be restored and with dedicated resources, the Mon Valley has the potential to thrive once again. Article can be read […]
The first ‘Innovation District’: As Pittsburgh looks to build new tech hubs, here’s a status check on Robotics Row
“It’s a great strategy for the region to pursue these innovation districts,” said Donald F. Smith, Jr. President of the Regional Industrial Development Corporation, the private nonprofit many credit with seeding the ground for Robotics Row. “Right now they’re a little more of a brand than they are a reality. But we have the elements […]
Smith’s Viewpoint: It’s Time to Revitalize the Mon Valley
RIDC President Don Smith’s column in this week’s print edition of the Pittsburgh Business Times. And online.
Office of Transformation Report Highlights Business Attraction and Job Creation Opportunities
“The Shapiro Administration has brought new energy and resources to the effort to attract, retain and grow job creating businesses,” said Donald F. Smith, Jr., RIDC President. “Other regions are working aggressively to attract these companies and it’s gratifying to see the Commonwealth playing a leadership role in making us more competitive.” Read article in […]
NPR 90.5 WESA: New state funding available to revitalize sites from Pittsburgh’s industrial past
RIDC President Don Smith on the PA SITES program: “This will allow us to identify some of those great opportunities and then execute on them right away rather than kicking the tires for years until you either have market conditions or are able to put together a financing package.” NPR 90.5 WESA’s article can be […]
New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park gets $6 million from state
“This is a strategic location for economic development in our region,” said Tim White, RIDC Senior Vice President. “These funds will enable us to move forward with the capital improvements necessary to make the park more desirable to the kind of job creating businesses we are working to attract.” Media Coverage: TribLIVE – New Kensington […]
Experts expect $500M PA SITES program to quickly generate major investment in Pittsburgh area
Donald F. Smith, Jr., RIDC President, which is working to redevelop major sites throughout the region, expects the site fund and the changes to come to help to speed up permitting will prove potent together. “I think it’s a really important combination, either of which would be important progress but together they’re much more significant,” […]
RIDC Summer Newsletter 2024
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Shaping the Future” RIDC President Continues to Make his Mark
RIDC President Donald F. Smith, Jr. featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Developing Priority Sites in a Regional Economic Ecosystem
Unlike some other markets around the country, the economy of Pittsburgh is part of a regional ecosystem with multiple centers of gravity and economic activity. What does it mean to be a “regional economy?” It means collaboration and cooperation among counties, municipalities, the commonwealth, economic development organizations, foundations and job creating businesses — recognizing that […]
Innovation Accelerators an Important Part of the Economic Growth Cycle
Successful long-term economic development strategies often proceed on multiple tracks, leveraging the resources and assets available throughout a region to grow a multi-faceted job base. Gov. Josh. Shapiro’s plan to invest $500 million in site development is one such strategy. Job-creating companies are being lured to other states with impressive incentives. If we don’t have […]
RIDC’s Patient, Mission-driven Approach Revitalizes Dormant Sites, Creates Homes for Companies and Jobs
As the Pittsburgh region’s economy continues its evolution from heavy industry to technology and R&D, and ultimately toward commercialization and manufacturing — both homegrown and through attraction of companies from other regions — we need to recognize some of the unique assets that set us apart. Read More.
Smith’s Viewpoint: Commonwealth Needs Grand Trifecta to Close Big Deals
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state’s legislative leadership are debating a new infusion of funding for sites and buildings in the Commonwealth. This is a critical and necessary investment for Pennsylvania to be competitive. One of the main reasons we don’t attract as many large employers as we should is a shortage of sites […]
RIDC Spring Newsletter 2024
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Creating jobs in the Mon Valley: A Decades-Long Effort Bears Fruit
When RIDC acquired the former Westinghouse campus in Turtle Creek 35 years ago — intent on renovating the decaying buildings and revitalizing the abandoned site — it was the first in a series of moves over decades that have transformed several old industrial sites and provided homes for job creating companies in the Mon Valley.
Blooming from Blight: Earth Day Spotlight on Green Redevelopment in Pittsburgh
Across the Pittsburgh region, there are historic industrial sites that, while abandoned and left to blight after the fall of steel and other industries, have since been brought back to life, redeveloped and revitalized into homes for companies that are driving the innovation of today. Giving new life to old structures is in and of […]
Table of Experts: Partnerships Key to Attracting Business and Jobs to Region
“You couldn’t do a project like this without all the partners that we have,” said RIDC President Don Smith at a roundtable discussion with Jason Rigone, Executive Director of Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation; Rick Siger, Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development; and Victor Mroczkowski, Executive Vice President of Operations for Re:Build […]