Off the Avenue Cafe Opens Shop In Downtown Reading

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When Keith B. Rhein opened Off the Avenue Cafe in West Lawn in 2007, he never meant to create a trendy spot for dinner.

His focus was to create a great cafe for breakfast and lunch.

But because there was a greater demand for dinner, Rhein gave the customers what they wanted.

Rhein is trying the breakfast and lunch idea once again, opening a second location: Off the Avenue Cafe Downtown.

The new cafe is on the first floor of the M&T Building, which is owned by developer Alan Shuman, president of Shuman Development Group.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=362284

Berks County Top 25 Employers Grew Stronger In 2011

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The twin pillars of Berks County manufacturing employment, East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corp., continued to gain strength locally for the second straight year in 2011, even as the nation struggled with persistent joblessness.

Between them, the companies added 1,318 employees in the county over the past two years, for a combined regional employment increase of 18.1 percent. During that same period, the number of employed persons in the U.S. increased by 2.8 million, or about 2 percent, to 140.8 million.

East Penn’s employment in Berks County increased by 8.4 percent during 2011 to 6,289, making it the second-largest employer among the county’s top 25. Carpenter’s employment increased by 9 percent to 2,294, and it was the fifth-largest employer on the list.

Read more: http://businessweekly.readingeagle.com/?p=1535

Berks Park 78 Ready To Attract Tenants

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The corporate strangers come in groups large enough to fill a minibus, their mission sometimes cloaked behind a code name like “Project Rocky.”

When they sit around a table inside the construction trailer on the open, rolling land just north of Interstate 78, they do not offer their business cards or last names to Thomas C. McKeon. They just want to hear about his product, Berks Park 78.

McKeon, executive director of the Berks County Industrial Development Authority, is the point man as BCIDA moves into the long-awaited sales phase of Berks Park 78, the authority’s 323-acre warehouse and distribution center in Bethel Township. Ten years in the making, it could attract major corporate tenants and create more than 1,000 jobs.

Read more: http://businessweekly.readingeagle.com/?p=1597

Spirit Airlines Adds Nonstop Service To Orlando From Latrobe

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Spirit Airlines will start daily, nonstop service between Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, near Latrobe, and Orlando, Fla., on May 17, officials announced this afternoon.

“We are excited to expand our offering of ultra-low fares to customers traveling between Pennsylvania and central Florida, and giving even more consumers the opportunity to save money on travel,” said Mark Kopczak, Spirit’s Senior Director Network Planning

Read more: Spirit Airlines to begin daily flights from Latrobe to Orlando – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_778145.html#ixzz1kRDxILdV

Pittsburgh’s Strip District Site Of Proposed Office Complex

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A new office complex could be in the making in the Strip District near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Buncher Co. officials will brief city planning commission members today on the proposed construction of a six-story office building at 13th and Smallman streets near the Veterans Bridge.

The $10 million project will feature five floors of office space and a ground floor devoted to restaurant, retail or other commercial uses.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12024/1205515-53.stm#ixzz1kR8XvU3P

Carnegie Mellon University Hopes To Construct New Biomedical Research Center

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Carnegie Mellon University hopes to construct a new nano-biomedical-energy research facility and a new home for its Tepper School of Business as part of a 10-year master plan presented to the city planning commission today.

The school expects to break ground on the $70 million nano-biomedical-energy research building this summer and have it ready for occupancy in 2015. It would be built next to Wean and Hamerschlag halls on the campus.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12024/1205685-100.stm#ixzz1kR3L2qiW

Sunbury Seeks Resident Input On How To Spend CDBG Grant

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SUNBURY, PA — Several more blighted properties may be torn down and new tree planting could be on the way for the city. The options were discussed at a public meeting held before Monday’s council meeting to discuss the nearly $300,000 the city is set to receive from the 2012 Community Development Block Grant Program.

Jamie Shrawder, community development manager for SEDA-Council of Governments, in Lewisburg, informed council members of what projects the $281,210 can be used for.

City-wide tree planting was recommended by Mayor David Persing at a cost of $20,000 and Shrawder said it was part of the comprehensive plan developed by SEDA-COG, so it was eligible for funding.

Read more: http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x370172747/City-gets-ideas-on-how-to-spend-nearly-300G

Coal Boosts Railroad Traffic

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PORT CLINTON, PA – In spite of a weak economy, The Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad had a good year, thanks in part to an overseas demand for coal.

According to a statement issued this week, the company saw double-digit traffic growth, handling close to 24,000 carloads over its tracks in 2011. Railroad officials believe the growth will continue this year.

“(It) represented the highest carloadings in the company’s 20-plus year history,” the statement read.

Read more: http://republicanherald.com/news/coal-boosts-railroad-traffic-1.1260633

Sly Fox Brewing Company’s New Promotional Video About Their New Pottstown Brewery

Coatesville RDA Seeking Deal For Train Station

COATESVILLE, PA — The city Redevelopment Authority is going to begin negotiations with Amtrak to obtain the current city train station.

Authority Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Disciullo said the railroad company will likely not sell the current station on Fleetwood Avenue until the new station is completed. The new station is proposed for just up the street from the current station.

The move is required because the current station is situated on a segment of track that is not straight, and straight track is required to build larger platforms that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“We are going to get an opportunity in the future to buy (the current station) for a buck,” Disciullo said at Monday’s authority meeting.

Read more: http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2012/01/18/news/srv0000016872793.txt?viewmode=default