Charlie Sheen is not the only one "winning." The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) announced Wednesday that the 10 counties in the region reported almost 300 economic development deals, or "wins" last year. That is up 14 from 2010.
David Malone, President and CEO of Gateway Financial and Chairman of the PRA says the "wins" were landed in large part due to the region's diverse economy.
He notes that the "wins" were across five key sectors, but Dennis Yablonsky, Chief Executive Officer of the Allegheny Conference said the energy sector is "leading the way." Of the 286 wins, 79 were energy-related. Of those, more than half were in coal and natural gas related activity.
Steven Smith, Co-Founder of Plus Consulting, Inc., located his business in Pittsburgh even though most of its business is done outside of the area.
"Fairly significant organizations, one after another, seem to be making a cultural shift towards more commitment towards doing business with regional providers," Smith said.
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald took the oportunity to toot the region's horn, noting that it is beating the odds in the recession.
"We're providing the sites that people need," Fitzgerald said. "Whether they be near the airport … or if they need to be in the city near the universities. Wherever it is, we're being adaptive."
