We are excited to expand in Elk County, leveraging the expertise and solid workforce that has been the foundation of growth across the entire powder metal industry."
Regions
A leader in advanced manufacturing, plastics, and energy, Northwest Pennsylvania is built to produce. The companies operating here aren't just keeping pace with global industry. They're setting the standards for it.
Take Wabtec, whose largest facility sits in Erie's Lawrence Park Township. In the past year alone, the company has signed more than $2.5 billion in locomotive contracts, including the largest locomotive modernization deal in rail industry history with Union Pacific and a landmark $4.2 billion agreement with Kazakhstan's national railway. That kind of global reach is being built right here in Northwest Pennsylvania.
2.1x
Advanced Manufacturing Concentration Compared to National Average
PA Department of Labor & Industry, 2023
Great Lakes location.
Greater opportunity.
Port of Erie
Erie
Allegheny Lab for Innovation & Creativity (ALIC) - Meadville
Clearfield County Career & Technical Center - Clearfield
Kinzua Dam - Warren
- Port of Erie
- Erie, PA
- ALIC Bessemer
- Clearfield Career and Technical Center
- Kinzua Dam
Positioned along Lake Erie, Pennsylvania's Northwest region connects the Northeast and Midwest U.S. through a network of highways, rail lines, ports, and airports. The Port of Erie is home to one of only two 1,000 foot dry docks on the Great Lakes, and also boasts one of the largest cargo lift capacity on the Great Lakes. Erie International Airport provides nonstop flights to major hubs like Chicago and Charlotte, and the region is only hours away from the Canadian border, opening up access to international markets.
That advantage is supported by a workforce trained and ready to work across industries. At ALIC@Bessemer, local manufacturers across product categories work closely with the students for hands-on training with the same equipment being used on production floors, expanding the talent pipeline in the region. Penn State Behrend is also a loal powerhouse, home to the largest, most comprehensive plastics training lab in the United States. Mercyhurst University, Erie Institute of Technology, and many other locally-based organizations operate programs in engineering, advanced manufacturing, AI, and skilled trades to help keep talent moving into the workforce. And with specialized training in plastics and manufacturing throughout the Northwest, companies in these key industries can quickly hire and develop workers with the right skills.
Counties in the Northwest Region
Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren
Key Industries
Advanced Manufacturing
Plastics/Materials
Energy
- Thomas Houck, President and CEO, Nichols Portland, Inc. (Elk County)
Global brands, local strength.
Advanced manufacturing in Northwest Pennsylvania continues to evolve and expand across the region. Companies like Plastek Group, Erie Plating Company, Truck-Lite, are driving growth across transportation, fabrication, and advanced materials. And Erie is one of the country’s most concentrated plastics manufacturing hubs, with a deep network of producers and suppliers. That concentration, combined with access to natural gas and lower energy costs, creates a competitive environment for companies looking to scale.
Explore Northwest Pennsylvania Success Stories
Nichols Portland expanding operations at hub for powdered metals manufacturing
Northwest Pennsylvania’s manufacturing strength is on full display in Elk County, where Nichols Portland, Inc. is growing its footprint with a new, larger facility at the St. Marys Industrial Airport Park. The expansion brings the company’s headquarters and production operations together in one location, supported by a nearly $4.7 million investment that is creating 42 new jobs and retaining more than 280 existing positions. It’s the kind of steady, strategic growth that defines the region—where established manufacturers continue to modernize and invest.
First Ascent Biomedical brings cutting-edge lab to Erie, Pennsylvania
In Erie, Northwest Pennsylvania’s life sciences sector is taking another step forward as First Ascent Biomedical partners with Gannon University to launch a new biomedical lab focused on advancing cancer treatment technologies. Supported by more than $1.7 million in state funding alongside private investment, the project will create 38 new jobs while expanding research and commercialization opportunities inside Gannon’s Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge. It’s a strong example of how the region is bringing together academia and industry to accelerate innovation—building a collaborative ecosystem that’s positioning Northwest PA as a rising force in biotech and life sciences.
Meet Northwest Pennsylvania's Regional Partners
The Northwest Commission offers a variety of programs aimed at supporting both community and economic development in Northwest Pennsylvania. Those programs include assistance with government contracting, international marketing, business financing, transportation, grant application technical assistance, and municipal services.
The mission of the Erie County Economic Development (ECED) Department is to make Erie County a thriving and robust region by coordinating county-wide resources to develop a network of industry, business, education and workforce support that will enhance growth and development throughout the region.
The Erie County Redevelopment Authority (ECRDA) works to facilitate job creation and retention by developing real estate, providing loans and grants, and helping businesses and municipalities move projects forward across the county.
The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership (ERCGP) is a nonprofit economic development organization that serves as the region’s primary business advocacy and development entity, supporting entrepreneurship, investment attraction, and regional growth initiatives in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Penn-Northwest Development Corporation (PNDC) is the lead economic development organization for Mercer County, Pennsylvania. It focuses on attracting, retaining, and expanding businesses to strengthen the county’s economic base, creating jobs and promoting sustainable growth through private-public partnerships and strategic investments.
The Venango County Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) is a public organization based in northwestern Pennsylvania dedicated to fostering economic growth and community revitalization within Venango County. It serves as the county’s lead agency for business development, property redevelopment, and long-term strategic planning to strengthen the local economy.
For more than 30 years, the Clarion County Economic Development Corporation’s (CCEDC) mission has been to work with existing and prospective wealth generating companies to create and keep family sustaining jobs in Clarion County. The CCEDC assists existing companies, start-up companies, or a company looking to locate to Clarion County with how to finance your business, find the right site location, workforce recruiting and hiring and locating business resources to make businesses more effective.
NWIRC helps manufacturers achieve and sustain top and bottom-line profitable growth through business growth strategies, world-class improvement methodologies and best practices, advanced manufacturing technologies, and customized workforce training and skill development programs.
Formed through the merger of four non-profits in 2005, the Alliance combines their roles into a unified mission to promote the region’s historic, tourism, community and economic development interests. The organization facilitates business retention and attraction, real estate redevelopment, and community planning initiatives. It helps secure state and federal funding for infrastructure and downtown revitalization projects across the Oil Region, supporting both established manufacturers and emerging small enterprises.