HawkMtn Labs, Inc. has been serving Eastern Pennsylvania through its environmental testing laboratory services for the past 30 years. When the business was seeking funding for equipment and building improvements, it approached CAN DO to utilize the company's services as an Area Loan Organization and Certified Economic Development Organization.
CAN DO utilized its connections with the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, as well as Luzerne County, to obtain five loans the company will use to improve and expand its operations. Jim Kelshaw, CAN DO's Director of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, endeavored on behalf of HawkMtn Labs President and CEO Jeffrey Gittleman to obtain nearly $600,000 in loans, in addition to the money CAN DO was able to provide the company.
CAN DO was a huge help with pulling together all of the loans needed in order to grow and expand HawkMtn Labs. A one-stop-shop, CAN DO helped to coordinate and work with a myriad of county, state, and federal agencies. This was optimal during such a busy time of development for our company," Gittleman said. "CAN DO worked to achieve the funding we needed through five separate loans in total. This money has played a vital role in allowing HawkMtn Labs to expand and diversify our services, as well as keep up-to-date on our instrumentation."
Some of the funds will be used to replace certain outdated instrumentation and purchase new state-of-the-art instrumentation and equipment, which will enhance HawkMtn Labs' analytical laboratory resources for environmental testing. It will also further establish their concrete inspection and materials testing abilities, positioning them as a viable entity for Pennsylvania's highway and road expansion Transportation Bill.
The equipment and expansion are expected to help retain 32 jobs and add eight (8) new full-time positions within the next three years. The company has expanded its Field Services division, moving into a second location in the Hanover Industrial Park at 370 Stewart Road, Hanover Township, and will make needed improvements in and around its 13,000-square-foot facility at 201 West Clay Avenue in Hazle Township. The company has been actively soliciting construction companies and engineering firms that want an independent third-party testing and inspection source to ensure that suppliers are providing the materials they are contracted to deliver.
"Through the analytical testing of drinking water, wastewater and soil, we are providing an essential regional resource to assist industries and municipalities in meeting the regulatory compliance standards set out by the federal and state governments," Gittleman said. "These loans have helped us to expand even further to conduct geotechnical soil and concrete strength testing. These services help ensure that materials used in the construction and rehab of roadways and buildings last beyond their budgeted lifetime. This not only secures a safer infrastructure, but also ensures that our tax dollars will stretch further on structures that are built to last longer. These loans will help to carry out every aspect of HawkMtn Lab's mission of the scientists sampling, analyzing, and documenting our environment.
Kelshaw had multiple meetings with Gittleman to understand his business and how it operates and rank his company's needs in order of importance. CAN DO procured a Machinery Equipment Loan Fund (MELF) loan through PIDA as well as NEPA Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (DARD) and Tri-District revolving loan fund loans via the NEPA Alliance for the equipment purchases, and secured a Small Business First Loan from PIDA and a Luzerne County Fund loan for the building improvements.
By reaching out to multiple sources and requesting a variety of economic development loans, CAN DO was able to craft the loans and provide them in a way that personally supported Gittleman's needs. CAN DO was able to obtain all of the equipment financing loans by last October to allow HawkMtn Labs to start on its equipment upgrades but waited beyond the winter to close the building improvement loans to provide Gittleman the money at the appropriate time to begin the renovations.
"The true value of HawkMtn Labs, Inc. is that it's a small business dedicated to the community and to growing and CAN DO is the same," Kelshaw said. "We provided the knowledge to help craft a financial solution to help Mr. Gittleman accomplish his business goals. CAN DO coordinated everything and worked with him so the funds were provided when he needed them."
NEPA Alliance President and CEO Jeffrey Box stated that NEPA isa regional community and economic development agency serving the seven counties of Northeastern Pennsylvania including Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne. NEPA Alliance services include nine business-financing programs, government contracting assistance, international trade assistance, non-profit assistance, transportation planning, research and information, and local government services.
"We are pleased to work with our partner in the Department of Community and Economic Development Partnerships for Regional Economic Performance (PREP) program, CAN DO, to provide the financing HawkMtn Labs needs to expand their operations," Box stated. "The funding NEPA Alliance provided was from the Economic Development Administration and the USDA Rural Development."
Joseph Zeller, the Deputy of Business Development for the Luzerne County Office of Community Development, said his office was glad to help HawkMtn Labs acquire the money they needed for their equipment and renovations.
"They were very accommodating to work with and it was a pleasure to work with them throughout the process," Zeller said. "All of our funding centers around job creation and this loan will help with HawkMtn Labs' job creation."
