Governor Rendell: Mining Construction Company to Move Headquarters to Greene County, Creating 98 Jobs

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A leading mining construction company will relocate its corporate headquarters to Greene County and create nearly 100 jobs within three years, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced today.

Shaft Drillers International, a global leader in the heavy, civil and underground mining construction industries, will move its headquarters to a proposed 44,500-square-foot building at the Meadowridge Business Park in Perry Township.

The project will help to retain 146 existing employees in Pennsylvania.

"This was a competitive project and SDI's decision to move its global headquarters to Pennsylvania is a direct result of the commonwealth's economic development efforts," said Governor Rendell. "This project, and the 98 high-paying jobs it will create, is great news for southwestern Pennsylvania and its workforce."

With more than 30 years of geotechnical construction experience, SDI provides ground modification services, develops mechanically excavated shafts, and builds gas transmission facilities throughout North and South America. SDI recently augmented its service areas to address advances in mining and drilling techniques related to the opportunities surrounding the Marcellus Shale region.

"The steady growth of SDI's services in civil and energy construction has positioned the corporation to make this move at a very strategic time," said Scott Kiger, co-founder of SDI. "We are extremely pleased to be constructing our new headquarters at the Meadow Ridge Business Park. The Governor's Action Team and the Greene County Board of Commissioners were very responsive to our needs as we made our location decision."

The project was coordinated through the Governor's Action Team, economic development professionals who work directly with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in the state. Pennsylvania provided SDI with a $2.1 million funding offer, including a $2 million grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and $110,000 in job training assistance.

Since Governor Rendell took office in 2003, GAT has successfully completed 1,213 projects, resulting in commitments to create 129,721 new jobs and retain 304,641 existing positions. The commonwealth has offered more than $2.3 billion in assistance for these projects, which will leverage more than $16.9 billion in additional investment.

For more information on SDI, visit www.shaftdrillers.com.

For more information on the Governor's Action Team and other Department of Community and Economic Development programs, visit www.NewPA.com or call 1-866-466-3972.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development