Humboldt Industrial Park is already one of the largest parks in the state and continues to grow because of Greater Hazleton's strong workforce, strategic location and low cost of doing business. All three factors have led several developers – including Tri-Mountain Realty – to construct speculative buildings in the park over the past few years.

Tri-Mountain Realty constructed a 70,000 square-foot facility on 10 acres in the Humboldt North section of the park two years ago. Amazon is currently leasing the facility, as well as two surrounding sites, for its Amazon Delivery Service division.

Neal DeAngelo III, president of Tri-Mountain Realty, is a life-long resident of Greater Hazleton and has made considerable investments in the area. He said the Humboldt Industrial Park, and Greater Hazleton as a whole, provide many benefits for businesses and industries who are looking for a prime location for their operations.

“My family and I built our businesses here because of the workforce. We believe in the Greater Hazleton area. There is a very strong workforce. They have a good work ethic and are honest people. Location is also critical, not only the access to interstates 80 and 81, but because you are two hours from some of the largest and most populated cities in the nation. The transportation network we have and the access to these cities is critical.”

Much of the Humboldt Industrial Park, including the Humboldt North section, is in Hazle Township and DeAngelo said another key benefit of constructing a facility in the park was the support he received from local government officials.

“Greater Hazleton is a very business-friendly area. Hazle Township continues to step up for development and works to take down walls rather than put up walls to help developers. They are really good at working with you,” he said.

Although there are already more than 60 industries in Humboldt, DeAngelo said there are many growth opportunities for the park. Top developers, including Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, have continued to show interest in the park and the I-81 corridor. Additionally, DeAngelo said the region is fortunate to have an economic development agency like CAN DO that is focused on making it even easier for businesses and developers to invest in the park.

“There will be challenges (for growth) but there are a lot of opportunities as well, as you see with Mericle putting their flag here. I think there is a lot of opportunity in Humboldt and I think you'll see continued growth from companies and developers. CAN DO is doing a great job of recruiting these businesses. We are lucky to have an organization like CAN DO to take some of the challenges off of the plates of the developers. Not every community is like this so I think you'll see people continue to invest and companies continue to come here. I'm bullish on this area and if I could build more buildings here, I would.”