It wasn't hard for Haworth Inc. to pick Hazelton, Pa., as the site for its new distribution facility. The maker of office furniture, headquartered in Holland, Mich., found everything it wanted in this eastern Pennsylvania city.

"We wanted to find a location with fairly easy access to major highways as well as close proximity to major cities along the East Coast," said Dennis Boles, director of global facilities for Haworth. "Hazelton sits at the junction of Interstates 80 and 81. It is strategically located with access to customers in 13 states."

The company chose the Humboldt Industrial Park for its 300,000 square foot building. Construction began in June and the facility will open in February 2001. Haworth will employ 80 people when the center opens, and that number could grow to 180 within a few years.

According to Boles, the company chose Hazelton for its skilled labor force, favorable business climate and logistics costs.

"It was also based on the area's access to such major markets as New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.," said Boles.

The facility is the company's second regional distribution center.

"The Northeast Distribution Center is a key component in our plan to optimize orders for products from various manufacturing and supplier sites and consolidate them into single customer deliveries," said Kathryn Farynowski, vice president for Haworth.

Success across all industries

Businesses of all shapes and sizes are growing in all corners of Pennsylvania. Drug manufacturer Merck is expanding its work force by 3,000 jobs in Philadelphia at a cost of $650 million.

The company's vaccine division is located at the site, where scientists are continuing to develop new vaccines to prevent rotavirus, shingles and HIV/AIDS.

In Reading, west of Philadelphia, Baldwin Hardware announced that it is creating and retaining 852 jobs. The toolmaker is building a 285,000 square foot facility.

"This expansion will allow Baldwin to continue its commitment to creating world-class tools for our employees, giving them the ability to meet and exceed consumer and customer demand," said Ronald J. Foy, president of Baldwin.

P&G produces paper, Pampers in Pennsylvania

Procter & Gamble is expanding in Mehoopany, in southeast Pennsylvania, to the tune of $350 million, an effort that will result in 350 new jobs and bring total employment to nearly 3,000. The plant is already P&G's largest in the world.

The Mehoopany plant manufacturers Charmin bathroom tissue, Bounty kitchen towels, and Pampers and Luvs diapers. To assist the expansion, GPU Energy added a new substation to meet P&G's energy demands.

Cigna HealthCare, one of the nation's largest employee benefits companies, is building its largest health-care service center in Moosic, in northeast Pennsylvania. The company will add 1,200 jobs at the site.

The 160,000 square foot complex, expected to open in September 2001, is part of the Glenmaura Corporate Center.

"This new facility will enable us to provide the responsive attention to our customers that they have come to expect from Cigna HealthCare," said Ed Hanway, president of Cigna. "To ensure we achieve that goal, we will provide eight weeks of intensive, paid training for these key, front-line positions, and expect to begin hiring 500 people starting in the first quarter."

It is estimated that the center will add approximately $68 million to the region's economy.

Also locating in Lackawanna County is Corning Inc., which is opening a new, high-tech photonic module manufacturing facility just north of Scranton. The company will add 1,000 jobs over the next year.

"The Greater Scranton area offers a progressive business environment and a capable labor force that will undoubtedly ensure the success of our operations here," said Wendell Weeks, executive vice president for Corning.

Corning manufactures optical fiber, cable and photonic products for the telecommunications industry, and high-performance displays and components for televisions and other communications-related industries.

RCN expands operations

Next to Scranton, in Wilkes-Barre, RCN Corp. announced the expansion of its operations in the Greater Wyoming Valley that will bring 500 jobs to the area.

RCN makes and designs broadband fiber-optic platforms for the telecommunications industry.

In August, the company moved its regional headquarters into a new 100,000 square foot facility at the East Mountain Corporate Center in Plains Township. The company currently employs 500 people in Dallas, Pa., and expects to double the total number of employees at the two locations within three years.

Office Depot has opened a new 110,000 square foot distribution center in the Crestwood Industrial Park in Wilkes-Barre. The company chose the region for its central location to service the mid-Atlantic and eastern states.

In Hazelton, Lechters Inc., a nationwide chain of retail and discount housewares stores, opened a 110,000 square foot distribution center at the Humboldt Industrial Park. The project includes an immediate expansion of the building by 99,000 square feet for a total expansion of 209,000 square feet.

The Hazelton location is the company's third distribution facility around the country and will serve the company's expanding segment of Famous Brands Housewares Outlets and Cost Less Home Stores. Approximately 75 people will work at the facility, with the potential for future growth as the company expands.

British aircraft company lands in Pennsylvania

Martin-Baker Aircraft, based in the UK, opened its first ejection-seat manufacturing plant in the United States in Johnstown, Pa., recently. The expansion resulted from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge's European trade mission last fall.

"We looked at other states, but the support and encouragement that we have received from everyone in Pennsylvania convinced us to base our operations here," said Martin-Baker Chairman Denis Burrell.

Marconi Communications, a subsidiary of UK-based Marconi plc, also expanded to Pittsburgh following the trade mission. Marconi Communications will expand its headquarters near Pittsburgh, creating 1,000 new jobs.

The company is a global provider of high-performance communications solutions that help companies and service providers plan, build and operate their voice, video and data networks.

The expansion will benefit the engineering, research and development, and customer-support functions, while accommodating the expected boost in new hires at the facility.