NEW CASTLE, Pa. – Several strategic development projects advanced in Lawrence County, Pa., during 2024, and the county is poised for more growth in 2025, says Benjamin G. Bush, CEO of Forward Lawrence.
The organization is an alliance of Lawrence County Regional Chamber of Commerce and Lawrence County Economic Development Corp. It focuses on advancing the economy, optimizing business success and developing, attracting and retaining talent.
LCEDC sold more than 100 acres to Keystone Industrial Drive LLC for the expansion of Steelite International’s distribution headquarters in Neshannock Township, Pa., and helped the company to secure a $3.5 million grant to finance the 325,000-square-foot warehouse expansion.
Steelite is a global distributor of tableware for the hospitality industry. Ground was broken Jan. 15 for the project. It will include an additional 200,000-square-foot pad in preparation for future expansions, says John Miles, president and CEO.
“This new distribution center is very much like an Amazon distribution center that you would see,” he says. “Easier to manage, easier to run and very, very large.”
In 2024, LCEDC purchased the former Elliott Brothers Steel complex in New Castle, Pa. The $2.5 million project is using $1 million in grant financing and funds from the Hoyt Foundation to renovate and upgrade more than 40,000 square feet of heavy industrial space.
At year-end, a regional refractory company signed a five-year lease to operate there, adding more than 30 jobs to the community.
Progress continued on the $15 million Stonecrest Business Park in New Beaver Borough, including utility expansions, construction of an access road and improvements to Pennsylvania Route 18, Bush says.
LCEDC helped developer John LaCarte to obtain $6 million in public financing for construction of the park and a future multi-tenant building, and a $1 million transportation infrastructure improvement grant.
Additionally, the development corporation helped Wilson Lumber secure a $2 million Industrial Development Authority loan to acquire and renovate the former New Castle Battery site. Wilson Lumber plans to develop a $5 million multi-tenant complex.