Governor Corbett Recognizes PA Businesses and Entrepreneurs at Inaugural Awards Ceremony

HERSHEY, Pa., May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Tom Corbett today recognized Pennsylvania companies and entrepreneurs that are creating jobs and making positive contributions to the state's economy at the inaugural Governor's ImPAct Awards.

The Corbett administration created the awards initiative to honor businesses in Pennsylvania that are creating job opportunities and contributing to the state's economy.

"Today we honor the men and women who spend countless hours providing the leadership and care that it takes to run a successful business," Corbett said.  "You are the champions partnering with us to put Pennsylvania on the path of growth."

The Governor's ImPAct Awards recognized 50 companies from throughout the state in five categories: Jobs First, Community Impact, Small Business Impact, Entrepreneurial Impact and Export Impact. The awardees were chosen by an independent judging panel selected by the state's partners, Team Pennsylvania Foundation and Journal Multimedia.

Nominations for each award were provided by the state's regional economic development partners – the Partnerships for Regional Economic Performance (PREP) network. Each of the 10 PREP regions was eligible to submit up to five nominations per category. A total of 250 nominations were received.

The Corbett administration developed the PREP network to regionalize and coordinate local economic development services to businesses and entrepreneurs. The Department of Community and Economic Development provides grants through PREP to local economic development service providers that provide assistance and other resources to support local business expansion and growth. 

Corbett thanked the audience of nearly 700 for helping to move Pennsylvania forward.

"Each of you, in some way, is why we have added more than 125,000 private sector jobs to Pennsylvania's economy since I took office," Corbett said. "Thank you for investing in Pennsylvania and for joining with my administration in proving that Pennsylvania is open for business."

The awards are being sponsored at no cost to the taxpayers by the state's private sector partner, Team Pennsylvania Foundation, and are being coordinated by DCED, Team PA and Journal Multimedia. Representatives from the Team PA Foundation and Journal Multimedia evaluated the nominations and selected the award recipients. 

For more information, visit www.newPA.com/impact-awards.

Media contact: 
Kelli Roberts, Governor's Office; 717-783-1116
Steve Kratz, DCED; 717-783-1132

Editor's Note: Below is a list of the Governor's ImPAct Award recipients recognized today.

Central
Community Impact Award - Kellogg's, Battle Creek
Entrepreneur Impact Award - AcousticSheep LLC, Bellefonte
Export Impact Award - Restek, Bellefonte
Jobs First Award - QBC Diagnostics and The Drucker Company, Port Matilda
Small Business Impact Award - Ralph S. Alberts Co./Alberts Spray Solutions LLC, Montoursville

Lehigh Valley
Community Impact Award - Air Products, Allentown
Entrepreneur Impact Award - Originate Ventures LLC, Bethlehem
Export Impact Award - abec, Inc., Bethlehem
Jobs First Award - Bosch Rexroth Corporation, Bethlehem
Small Business Impact Award - Puritan Products, Inc., Bethlehem

Northeast
Community Impact Award - Sanofi Pasteur, Swiftwater
Entrepreneur Impact Award - Solar Innovations, Inc., Pine Grove         
Export Impact Award - Cornell Iron Works, Inc., Mountain Top
Jobs First Award - TMG Health, Jessup
Small Business Impact Award - Vigon International, Inc., East Stroudsburg

Northwest
Community Impact Award - Whirley-Drink Works!, Warren
Entrepreneur Impact Award - York Seaway & Lake Erie Portable Screeners, Lake City
Export Impact Award - AlturnaMATS, Inc., Crawford
Jobs First Award - Combined Systems, Inc., Jamestown
Small Business Impact Award - Franklin Bronze & Alloy Co., Inc., Franklin

North Central
Community Impact Award - Miller Welding & Machine Co, Brookville
Entrepreneur Impact Award - KMA Remarketing Corporation, DuBois
Export Impact Award - Zippo Manufacturing Company, Bradford
Jobs First Award - Brookville Equipment Corporation, Brookville
Small Business Impact Award - Metaltech, Inc., DuBois

Northern Tier
Community Impact Award - Williams Oil Company, Inc., Towanda
Entrepreneur Impact Award - Diaz Companies, Kingsley
Export Impact Award - Cummings Lumber Company, Inc., Troy
Jobs First Award - The Keane Group, Mansfield
Small Business Impact Award - Keystone North, Inc., Mansfield

South Central
Community Impact Award - PC Parts, Inc., Harrisburg
Entrepreneur Impact Award - WCI Partners, LP, Harrisburg
Export Impact Award - Zeigler Bros., Inc., Gardners
Jobs First Award - Dutchland, Inc., Gap
Small Business Impact Award - Tex Visions, Carlisle

Southeast
Community Impact Award - Philadelphia Union, Chester
Entrepreneur Impact Award - Morphotek, Inc., Chester
Export Impact Award - Schramm, Inc., West Chester
Jobs First Award - Monroe Energy LLC, Trainer
Small Business Impact Award - Custom Processing Services, Inc, Reading

Southern Alleghenies
Community Impact Award - Keller Engineers, Inc., Hollidaysburg
Entrepreneur Impact Award - ORX, Tipton
Export Impact Award - New Pig Corporation, Tipton
Jobs First Award - Somerset Trust Company, Somerset
Small Business Impact Award - Global/SFC Valve Corporation, Somerset

Southwest
Community Impact Award - Neubauer's Flowers and Market House, Inc., Uniontown
Entrepreneur Impact Award - GiftCards.com, LLC, Pittsburgh
Export Impact Award - 84 Lumber Company, Eighty Four
Jobs First Award - Industrial Scientific Corporation, Oakdale
Small Business Impact Award - Hormann Flexon LLC, Leetsdale

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor