International Business Update

On March 7, Schneider Downs hosted the members of the Western Pennsylvania Global Business Forum at the Rivers Club.  The Forum was founded by Mark Santo (Fox Rothschild) and Mary Richter (Schneider Downs) as a resource to connect businesses, educational institutions and government agencies that are active in the international business arena.                              

The event featured a presentation by Chet Mroz, a leader in the industrial automation industry, regarding the Shell Chemical Appalachia LLC Project (i.e., the Cracker Plant in Monaca).  Chet spoke on the impact of the plastics and chemical industries to our region and other planned and potential projects in the tri-state area.  Once again, this region is attracting capital and is poised for growth.  Chet indicated that, with the local resources, Pittsburgh could serve as a “living laboratory,” creating software to automate and advance the petrochemical industry.

So what does this have to do with international business?  Did you know that approximately 60% of the investment in the Monaca facility is being driven by foreign investors?  The same is true of other planned facilities. Don’t worry; there is a lot of opportunity for local companies to provide construction, equipment and services for both the facility and related infrastructure development. In addition to traditional building and equipment manufacturing, new facilities today also incorporate significant technology – software, driverless vehicles, automated monitoring, among others.  And, there is potential that related businesses will also locate nearby and positively impact our region.  

How is your company being impacted? Contact us to discuss.