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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Rick Mirabito
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Local, state officials discuss economic growth for Lycoming County
WILLIAMSPORT, March 11 – State Rep. Rick Mirabito, D-Lycoming, hosted a House Commerce Committee hearing in Williamsport today to find ways to grow the local economy and create jobs.
"People always migrate from small, rural areas to big, urban areas because that's where the bright, shining lights are. What we have to do is find a way to create bright, shining lights in our third-class cities and rural communities so people will want to stay there, and also have the economic capacity to live a good, quality life," Mirabito said.
At the hearing, representatives from local businesses, nonprofits, and local and state government agencies testified about what is needed to improve Lycoming County's economy and create jobs.
"We need policies such as tax breaks, financial incentives and the Second Stage Loan program that provide the capital our small businesses need to create the kind of family-sustaining jobs that keep our young people in the community where they grew up," Mirabito said.
In written testimony, Barry Denk, director, Center for Rural Pennsylvania, noted the economic challenges of rural communities are quite different from urban areas and need tailored solutions.
"What may work well in urban or suburban areas for job training, business recruitment and retention or financing, may not necessarily work in rural areas, and vice versa," Denk wrote in his testimony. "We must have flexible policies and programs that recognize the diversity of this Commonwealth to ensure the maximum return on public and private investments."
Susquehanna Health Systems Chief Financial Officer Charles Santangelo told the committee that while most people think about manufacturing, retail and commercial offices when talking about economic development, health care is often the foundation of the economy.
"In Lycoming County, manufacturing is still the largest sector, representing 19 percent of all the jobs in the county in 2009. But the health-care and social assistance sector follows very closely with 16 percent of all jobs," Santangelo said.
He also noted that because Medicare and Medicaid payments make up 40 percent of the hospital's revenues, federal dollars are being introduced to the local economy through the care provided at Susquehanna Health.
Today was the second in a series of statewide public hearings held by the House Commerce Committee to outline initiatives on creating jobs and improving local economies.
"I want to thank Representative Mirabito for hosting the Commerce Committee in his legislative district. North central Pennsylvania is a vital region that we need to pay careful attention to and that starts with the assessment we collected today," said committee Chairman Rep. Peter Daley.
Also testifying were: John Sider, deputy secretary of the technology investment office, Department of Community and Economic Development; Michael Lombardo, director, Governor's Northeast Office; Jason Fink, executive vice president, Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce; James Shillen, executive director/CEO, IMC Business Strategies; Tracy Brundage, managing director, workforce & economic development, Pennsylvania College of Technology; Tim Koehane, director, Small Business Development Center; Anna Griffith, CEO/co-founder, Discovery Machine; Frank Pellegrino, executive vice president, Primus Technologies; and Terry Bossert, vice president of governmental affairs, Chief Oil & Gas LLC.
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