Sen. Casey visits NEPIRC to discuss importance of manufacturing

William O'Boyle, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Dec. 1—HANOVER TWP. — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey recently visited the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) to recognize the organization's recent attainment of a Silver Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) — the world's largest association of economic development organizations and practitioners, for its COVID-19 Response, Readiness and Recovery services for regional manufacturers.

Those services enabled manufacturers to avoid 1,700 layoffs and 4,661 temporary job furloughs during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After touring NEPIRC's Innovation Space 3D Lab, Multimedia Studio, Leadership Learning Center, Manufacturing Showcase and corporate offices, Sen. Casey met with NEPIRC staff, federal stakeholders and regional manufacturing executives to discuss the business environment that NEPIRC's clients are facing and review the positive impact that NEPIRC has had on the manufacturing sector across northeastern, northern and north central Pennsylvania.

During the meeting, Sen. Casey also shared insights regarding the recently passed American Rescue Plan, Infrastructure Investment Act, Jobs Act, and Build Back Better Plan and spoke about their impacts upon the region's bridges, roads, mass transit systems, broadband infrastructure and overall economy.

"The senator's tour and discussion with our regional manufacturing leaders evidenced his strong commitment to our manufacturing economy and his eagerness to implement policies and programs that accelerate their growth and strengthen their long-term competitiveness," said Eric Joseph Esoda, NEPIRC's President & CEO. "We're delighted to have had him visit us to recap various federal initiatives to create manufacturing jobs and stimulate our industrial economy."

Also attending Sen. Casey's visit were NEPIRC staff, Eric Joseph Esoda, President & CEO, Drew Mackie, EVP & CFO, Dale Parmenteri, Vice President of Consulting Operations, and Chelsey Coslett, Manager of Marketing & Stakeholder Engagement, Rikki Riegner, Executive Director of PA MEP, and members of NEPIRC's Board of Directors, such as Grace McGregor Kramer, McGregor Industries, Inc., Garry Hartman, Cheetah Chassis Corporation and Bruce Daniels, Medico Construction Equipment/Action Lift, Inc.

NEPIRC is a not-for-profit economic development organization that provides training opportunities, objective performance assessments and world-class consultative and technical services to manufacturers throughout northeastern, northern and north central Pennsylvania.

NEPIRC's manufacturing clients utilize these services and offerings to grow and thrive in today's competitive manufacturing economy.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.