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One S. Church Street, Suite 200, Hazleton, PA 18201 |
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Dollars & Sense
Dollars & Sense is a curated collection of business news and information to serve businesses in Greater Hazleton.
Following years of progress on the revitalization of Downtown Hazleton, CAN DO, the City of Hazleton, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress (DHAP) continue to foster a vision of attracting more marquee hospitality businesses to downtown Hazleton where patrons could sit down to enjoy dinner and live entertainment.
CAN DO helped to build upon this vision when it purchased an 11,000 square-foot vacant property at 21-23 West Broad Street, in the core block of Downtown Hazleton’s central business district.
CAN DO recently broke ground in the CAN DO Corporate Center in Drums for a 43,500 square-foot facility that will become the first U.S. manufacturing location for German nutraceutical company, Amapharm, LLC. The nutraceutical company launched the world’s first vitamin gummy for children in 1996 and later created the world’s first vitaminized jellybeans, toffees, and fruit bites.
The project, which will create between 50 and 100 jobs over the next three years, was made possible in part because CAN DO had the site with approvals in place that would allow for the organization to deliver a turnkey project that met Amapharm’s timeline. Additionally, because of the access CAN DO has to the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) for funding, CAN DO was able to capitalize on a low-interest loan for the project.
It has been a year and a half since the Canadian green manufacturing company, Nexii, chose the City of Hazleton for its first U.S.-based manufacturing facility. Company Principal John Wolfington said the manufacturer is on track to fulfill its goals and currently employs more than 100 people at the Hazleton plant.
Nexii produces pre-fabricated panels using a lowcarbon alternative to traditional building materials such as concrete or steel. These panels are strong, lightweight, and low-carbon, as well as fire- and water-resistant.
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