Columbus
Pittsburgh Business Times
How U.S. Steel uses battery powered locomotives
When ET-5e rolls down the half-mile or so short line at the Edgar Thomson Works, it does the same job locomotives have been doing for decades, taking ladles of molten steel up an incline to another part of the complex for finishing.<\p> It's hot and heavy work, powered for generations by diesel engines. But ET-5e, a big blue train that has been in operation here since 1959, hauls a lot differently than it did even a year or so ago. It's one of two battery-powered switching locomotives that are now in operation at the Mon Valley Works, trading in diesel fuel for a lithium-ion battery that does the same heavy lifting but with much less carbon emissions.<\p>
Walnut Capital argues for density at Bakery Square Connector site
Don't expect the looming rectangular forms situated on an aerial rendering of the Bakery Square Connector plan along Penn Avenue in the East End to represent just how big Walnut Capital expects to build on its 14-acre site.<\p> That's what the firm's development team told the Pittsburgh Planning Commission at a followup briefing on July 9.<\p>
Steel industry applauds new tariffs on Chinese steel from Mexico
United Steelworkers and the steel industry hailed a decision by the Biden administration to help stop Chinese-made steel and aluminum coming into the United States tariff-free from Mexico.<\p> "Chinese steel and aluminum entering the U.S. market through Mexico evades tariffs, undermines our investments and it harms American workers in states like Pennsylvania and Ohio," said Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council.<\p>
Pitt will not sell single game tickets for Backyard Brawl
If you want to see the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team take on rival West Virginia University at Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 14, you're going to need to do more than just show up at the box office.<\p> On Wednesday, the Pitt football program announced on X, formerly Twitter, that, "no single game tickets will go on sale to the general public," for the game, dubbed the Backyard Brawl.<\p>
Heinz Endowments, Pittsburgh Foundation each announce grants
Two of the largest foundations in Pittsburgh announced rounds of grants on Wednesday that, combined, are almost $10 million.<\p> The Heinz Endowments committed $9.3 million in grants to 35 organizations focused on climate change, reducing adverse environment-related health effects and improving equitable access to healthy food in the southwest Pennsylvania region. <\p>
Schneider Downs launches subsidiary to specialize in midsize deals
Schneider Downs & Co., the largest Pittsburgh-based independent accounting firm, on Wednesday announced a new subsidiary focused on helping business owners navigate growth strategies such as M&A. <\p> Schneider Downs Capital LLC will guide midsize company owners exploring opportunities for growth or sales while maximizing business value from early-stage planning through final transaction.<\p>
Point Park aims to merge virtual and physical worlds with new center
With the power of artificial intelligence and ever-advancing technology, no longer must storytelling happen on a two-dimensional plane. A new Point Park University center aims to explore that technology and find ways to change how we experience entertainment and narration.<\p> The Center for Experiential Narrative Technologies' (CENT) founding director is Don Marinelli, who co-founded the world-renowned Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University in 1999. Now, ETC offers a two-year Master's of Entertainment Technology degree where students learn how to merge design, art and technology.<\p>
Pittsburgh steel company reports big contract wins, sales growth
Ampco-Pittsburgh shares jumped 47% in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange after the company reported one of its subsidiaries, Union Electric Steel Corp., has won two big contracts for foreign steel.<\p> Ampco-Pittsburgh (NYSE: AP) said there was a $6.7 million contract to supply initial steel for a cold mill in Mexico called Ternium Mexico S.A. de C.V. - Pesqueria that will begin in the first half of 2025. And there is a $5 million contract to supply steel next year for a new roll plant in Scandinavia.<\p>
Introducing the 2024 Best Places to Work in Western PA
The winners of the 2024 Best Places to Work in Western Pennsylvania have been announced.<\p> A company's inclusion on this list is based on an online employee survey completed earlier this year that was conducted by Quantum Workplace. Companies were evaluated based on a variety of factors, ranging from employee job satisfaction to salary satisfaction to perspectives on management. <\p>
New Burgh Real Estate seeks zoning change for Mellon's Orchard site
A site assemblage in East Liberty that has been considered for a new housing redevelopment for at least 10 years is ready to go move forward again.<\p> The site is a collection of mature apartment buildings totaling more than 82,000 square feet along Negley Avenue between Rural and Rippey Streets once owned by East Liberty Development Inc. now under the control of New Burgh Real Estate lead by ELDI alum Eric Jester, and working with design firm AE7 on a much larger plan.<\p>
Duolingo makes acquisition, with a focus on design
Duolingo announced Tuesday it had acquired Detroit-based animation and motion design studio Hobbes. It is the mobile learning platform’s second acquisition since it went public in 2021, and shows Duolingo’s commitment to making its gamified lessons ever-more engaging. <\p> The move comes after a quarter in which the company unveiled new AI-driven features and surpassed EPS and revenue estimates. Historically, however, it has largely stayed away from acquisitions, especially those in the language-learning space.Its last acquisition, Gunner, was another Detroit-based design and animation studio that is affiliated with Hobbes.<\p>
Change in strategy coming for airport's food, retailing options
When Pittsburgh International Airport opened in 1992, it debuted the first iteration of a new concept in concessions at an airport, creating a mall-like atmosphere in the airside terminal's center core where residents could come and shop.<\p> The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks changed a lot of that dynamic and a back and forth after the move by Allegheny County Airport Authority to end AirMall owner Fraport's lease ended up in court and a $10.5 million settlement. But with those changes has come another big one for Pittsburgh International Airport: The new $1.5 billion terminal that will open in 2025.<\p>
Pittsburgh AI firm closes $300M Series A round backed by Jeff Bezos
Skild AI Inc., a Pittsburgh-based robotics company that is "building a scalable foundation model for robotics," announced the closing of a $300 million series A funding round, one of the most sizable publicly disclosed investments the Pittsburgh tech sector has received this fiscal year.<\p> "The large-scale model we are building demonstrates unparalleled generalization and emergent capabilities across robots and tasks, providing significant potential for automation within real-world environments," CEO and Co-founder Deepak Pathak said in a prepared statement. "We believe Skild AI represents a step change in how robotics will be scaled and has the potential to change the entire physical economy."<\p>
Northwest promotes Pittsburgh exec to chief sustainability officer
Northwest Bank announced that Brenda Yurick has been appointed chief sustainability officer. <\p> Yurick will work closely with the executive team, including Northwest’s chief inclusion officer, to champion the bank’s growing cultural and sustainability efforts. In this role, Yurick is charged with spearheading the bank’s sustainability initiatives, driving efforts to integrate environmental, social and governance principles into the core business strategy. <\p>
Health systems applaud Pennsylvania's new telemedicine law
Pittsburgh's two big regional health systems hailed a bill signed last week by Gov. Josh Shapiro that is designed to improve access to telemedicine care.<\p> SB 739, sponsored by state Sen. Elder Vogel, R-Beaver County, puts into place guidelines for telemedicine delivery, as well as requires payment and insurance reimbursement for telemedicine care. It requires insurance coverage if a standard of care is met.<\p>
Freedom Transit gets $15M for new CNG terminal
The Washington County Transit Authority will receive $15 million in federal funds to help it build a new compressed natural gas refueling and maintenance facility.<\p> The authority, which does business as Freedom Transit, was among 117 public transportation projects that will receive a total of $1.5 billion in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration.<\p>
Here's why First Commonwealth just closed its Philly branches
In January 2023, one of Pittsburgh's largest banks established a beachhead in Philadelphia's retail landscape via acquisition. A year and a half later, First Commonwealth has nixed having traditional locations in the competitive metro area and pulled the plug on both of its branches there.<\p> First Commonwealth closed its offices at 105 Lancaster Ave. in Devon and 2003 Easton Rd. in Doylestown, which are part of the Philadelphia metro, the Philadelphia Business Journal, a sister publication, reported.<\p>
Highmark Health names Buffalo exec to lead provider-partner relations
Highmark Health named Dr. Michael Edbauer, its market president for its New York operations, to a new post and named a veteran BlueCross BlueShield executive to replace him in New York.<\p> Edbauer's new role is SVP of markets, which Highmark Health described as being responsible for provider-partnership strategy in Highmark's multiple-state footprint. He'll continue to be based in Buffalo and will report to Highmark Health Plan President Thomas Doran. Edbauer had been chief of strategy and growth at HealthNow New York before being promoted to the president in 2021 with the Highmark Health affiliation.<\p>
Sheetz expands partnership to deliver beer to customers
Need a drink, but don't want to go out? Sheetz might be able to help.<\p> Sheetz, the convenience store and made-to-order eatery, announced Tuesday that it can now deliver beer in Pennsylvania because of an expanded partnership with DoorDash.<\p>
Pittsburgh Business Times
7K+
Posts
696K+
Views
The Pittsburgh region's source for local business news, breaking news alerts, newsletters, business intelligence and local business networking. An American City Business Journals publication.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.