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The Supply-Chain Empire
(excerpt) … After the war, though, Lehigh Valley leaders “started wondering what would happen if Bethlehem Steel somehow went away,” reported the Morning Call, a local newspaper. Following a series of steelworker strikes—including one lasting 116 days in 1959—local business leaders embarked on an economic-development initiative to establish the region’s first modern industrial park. The establishment of Lehigh Valley Continue Reading…
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Downtown Wilkes-Barre Rebound: Our best days are still to come
The heartbeat of any community is its urban center, and Luzerne County is no different. We are fortunate that Wilkes-Barre, with its long history and having survived the residential exodus into suburbia decades ago, is our urban center. Like the flowing water in the Susquehanna River, Wilkes-Barre, too, is moving forward in a kind of renaissance. Private Continue Reading…
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Ben Franklin Virtual iXchange May 18 – Free Registration Now Open
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP_NEPA) will present its annual iXchange virtually on Wednesday afternoon, May 18, 2022, at 3:30 to 5:00 PM. The event is free-of-charge to guests, and registration is required. REGISTER HERE. This year’s iXchange theme is Innovators: Past, Present, and Future. Ben Franklin’s iXchange is a premier business/technology event Continue Reading…
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Philip Crowley, Esq., Appointed to Ben Franklin Board
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP_NEPA) has announced the appointment of Phillip P. Crowley, Esq., Founder and Managing Partner of Crowley Law LLC, to its board of directors. Crowley Law is a boutique corporate law firm focused on helping emerging technology and life sciences start-ups launch and grow. BFTP_NEPA has led tech-based Continue Reading…
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BFTP Created/Retained 7,356 Jobs in 2021
In 2021, 7,356 northeastern Pennsylvania jobs were created or retained as a result of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s (BFTP_NEPA) work. BFTP_NEPA generated cumulative impacts of 76,956 job creations or retentions since the program’s inception in 1983. “Ben Franklin clients are an important part of the resilience northeastern Pennsylvania is exhibiting in Continue Reading…
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Ben Franklin Hosts Lehigh University Start-Up Job Fair
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP_NEPA) hosted the Lehigh University Start-Up Job Fair at Ben Franklin TechVentures® on February 22. Lehigh undergraduate and graduate students met with Ben Franklin clients Intuidex, Mussel Polymers, Optamo, OptoVibronex, TerraHealth, LBN, and Raven Biomaterials, as well as other regional companies, to share and fill upcoming internship Continue Reading…
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USSF Founder Named in Forbes Story on the Next Generation of Black Leaders and Entrepreneurs
Despite fewer support networks, less access to resources, and an unrelenting global pandemic, many Black-owned businesses have achieved an astonishing feat since 2020. They continue to rise and flourish even in a struggling economy. According to NBC News, American Black business owners increased by a staggering 38 percent from February 2020 to August 2021. Black entrepreneurship Continue Reading…
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US Specialty Formulations co-founder one of few Blacks in pharmaceutical leadership positions
USSF is Developing an Oral COVID Vaccine. For Dr. Kyle Flanigan of Bethlehem, one of few African Americans in a pharmaceutical business leadership position, getting into the field wasn’t a challenge; it was what came afterward. “The challenge for Black people in this industry is recognition and promotion,” said Flanigan, co-founder and chief executive officer Continue Reading…
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Proposed Budget Recognizes Innovation is Pennsylvania’s Best Path Forward
Without a doubt, the last few years have proven the value of investing in innovation. Repeatedly, we have seen how innovation and technology have impacted everything from health care to remote working across Pennsylvania. Without a doubt, the last few years have proven the value of investing in innovation. Repeatedly, we have seen how innovation Continue Reading…
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UBMe Now Provides Real-Time Restaurant Feedback
With support from the Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the Southside Bethlehem KIZ and Pennsylvania CareerLink, Bethlehem technology company, UBMe has officially launched real-time feedback for restaurants on the UBMe App, which will revolutionize the way customers can obtain live information from restaurants and the way online reviews will take place moving forward. Dating back to the beginning of Continue Reading…
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Small business incubators grow companies, jobs, and networks
“Business incubators help early-stage firms win the incredibly difficult fight to succeed in the marketplace,” Ben Franklin Chief Marketing Officer Laura Eppler said. “It’s about improving people’s lives by creating highly paid, sustainable jobs. It’s about innovation, creating products and processes that improve the human condition,” she said. “Since 1983, Ben Franklin’s incubator has graduated Continue Reading…
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Sivana Converting to Add 400 Jobs at Sunbury Plant
The owner of an incoming industrial hemp manufacturer expects at least 400 jobs by the time it reaches full production in summer 2023. Ben Franklin client Sivana Converting LLC‘s CEO, Soheil Shahrooz, recently provided a tour to U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, R-12, and other local officials of the 350,000-square-foot space that once housed the former Continue Reading…
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BFTP Job Opportunity: Client Support Specialist
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners invites applications for Client Support Specialist. The Client Support Specialist is responsible for ensuring that clients in the BFTP/NEP portfolio receive the best possible support from our team, from outside advisors and experts, and from service providers and vendors when we introduce them or pay for their services. We call this Continue Reading…
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Bethlehem Mayor Reynolds and Staff Visit TechVentures
Bethlehem Mayor William Reynolds and his staff met with Ben Franklin staff and had a tour of Ben Franklin TechVentures on February 16. Ben Franklin TechVentures is Ben Franklin Technology Partners’ award-winning technology incubator/post-incubator, located on Lehigh University’s Mountaintop Campus in Bethlehem. Pictured with “Ben Franklin” at the entry to Ben Franklin TechVentures (seated, l Continue Reading…
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BFTP Promotes Kimberly Valuntas to Regional Manager, Reading/Greater Berks
Ben Franklin has promoted Kimberly L. Valuntas to Regional Manager, Reading/Greater Berks County. Valuntas will succeed Connie R. Faylor, who will retire after more than 30 years of service on June 30. Valuntas will lead and actively contribute to the regional technology ecosystem, working with business and industry groups, elected officials, economic development colleagues, higher Continue Reading…
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Investments in Innovation Keep Pa.’s Economy Growing
State budget proposes $22 million for Ben Franklin HARRISBURG, Pa. (Feb. 8, 2022) — Recognizing the importance of investments in innovation to drive Pennsylvania’s new economy and sustain its growth, Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2022-23 draft spending plan proposes at least $22 million for Ben Franklin Technology Partners. The funding, which amounts to a $2 million Continue Reading…
