In Blair County, the job market and domestic output were especially strong, according to the Altoona Blair County Development Corp., an affiliate of the Blair County Alliance for Business and Economic Growth.

ABCD Corp. closed 34 projects in 2025, which totaled $82.9 million in capital investment, 32 jobs were created and 401 jobs were retained, said President/CEO Stephen McKnight.

“Much of that growth was fueled by our home-grown businesses and increasingly from our smaller businesses. The majority of ABCD’s loan portfolio now consists of businesses with less than 20 employees. They are a key part of our local main streets, which add to our overall quality of living here in Blair County,” McKnight said.

DelGrosso Foods, Benzel’s Bakery and Yerty Auto Service and Recycling represented some of the largest expansion investments in 2025. Reconstruction of the Penn Central Building in downtown Altoona also got underway in 2025 and will continue through 2026.

Pennsylvania CareerLink is located on the top floor of the Altoona Area Public Library. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“Each of these expansions have brought new manufacturing life to sites or buildings that had been underserved or looking for a new purpose. The Yerty project will now occupy the former Lumax building in downtown Altoona, which has sat vacant for a number of years,” McKnight said.

Deconstruction of the Appvion Mill site in Roaring Spring is ongoing and ABCD is working with the ownership group to repurpose the site in the coming years.

“The Appvion site along with the Gable’s building redevelopment represent two major redevelopment opportunities in both an urban and more traditional rural industrial play,” McKnight said. “The data center development is also something we continue to monitor and receive inquiries. Our region is definitely on their radar so we need to prepare to manage what means both long term and short term for our communities if or when those investments happen.”

Development in Blair County faces challenges, mostly due to the region’s complex terrain, limiting opportunities for expansion. McKnight said partnerships with neighboring counties have become mutually beneficial, since larger sites in Bedford and Centre counties are often more conducive to landing bigger projects.

“Steep slopes, wetlands and agricultural preserved land define much of our topography,” McKnight said. “We are working hard to continue to repurpose what we have for a higher and better use. We all now share a strong labor force so new investments in our neighboring counties positively impact our immediate local spending power.”

McKnight said “new, mid-market housing options” are also a big factor in attracting new residents to the area, as well as bringing in talent for local businesses.

Bedford County

In Bedford County, 2025 was a year defined by both transition and momentum.

“Following the retirement of Bette Brown Slayton after 35 years of dedicated service, the Bedford County Development Association maintained continuity and advanced projects at a rapid pace, building on the strong foundation she established for the county and the region,” said Jennifer Marsh, who succeeded Slayton as president/CEO of BCDA.

One of the year’s most significant accomplishments was the planning and design of the future Bette Brown Slayton Business Park, a 44-acre site featuring 10 lots ranging from 1 to 15 acres to accommodate a wide range of businesses.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s visit to Bedford County marked the kickoff of the PA SITES program, with a $2.8 million award supporting the project. Combined with a $1.5 million Multimodal Transportation Fund grant, BCDA moved quickly into engineering and design.

A groundbreaking is scheduled for spring 2026 — less than a year after the grants were awarded — underscoring Bedford County’s ability to move projects forward efficiently, Marsh said.

Workforce housing also emerged as a major priority in 2025 as BCDA secured grant funding to advance planning and design for an 18-acre parcel intended for future workforce and mixed-use development.

“Multiple studies have identified a housing deficit in Bedford County, and local employers continue to report that limited housing availability negatively impacts recruitment and retention. Addressing this challenge has become a central focus of BCDA’s economic development strategy,” Marsh said.

Entrepreneurial development made meaningful strides, as well. With the onboarding of a new Entrepreneurial and Marketing Specialist, BCDA expanded its capacity to assist local businesses with business planning, financing, marketing and technical assistance, Marsh said.

Outdoor recreation and quality of life remained key priorities. Years of planning culminated in the launch of a countywide outdoor recreation coordinator position in January 2026, supported through a partnership with the Bedford County Commissioners and the Bedford County Outdoor Recreation Alliance.

Overall, 2025 positioned Bedford County well for continued progress, with multiple initiatives moving from planning toward implementation.

There were other highlights, in addition to plans for the Slayton business park.

Entrepreneurial development continued to expand through technical assistance workshops covering topics such as artificial intelligence for small businesses, finance, sales training and social media marketing. BCDA also supported multiple startups and existing businesses with financing assistance for growth and expansion, Marsh said.

Outdoor recreation milestones were also celebrated in 2025, including the 10-year anniversary of the Shuster Way Heritage Trail, the completion of the H&BT Trail extension to Warriors Path State Park and regional collaboration on the

Tiltrock Loop, a 300-plus-mile backpacking loop spanning five trails, four counties and two states.

The primary focus for 2026 is moving the Bette Brown Slayton Business Park from engineering and planning into construction. Workforce housing will also remain a major priority.

“Bedford County faces a critical shortage of modern, market-rate housing that threatens long-term economic competitiveness, limits employer growth and contributes to the outmigration of young professionals. Multiple housing studies estimate a deficit of approximately 717 housing units needed to meet current workforce demand, with employers consistently citing a lack of move-in-ready housing as a barrier to recruitment and retention,” Marsh said.

As BCDA looks ahead, the organization remains focused on sustaining momentum — strengthening partnerships, supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs, advancing housing solutions and enhancing quality of life through outdoor recreation. These efforts reflect the “Bedford County Advantage”: a future built on opportunity, collaboration and the exceptional lifestyle that defines the region, Marsh said.

Clearfield County

According to Clearly Ahead Development, Clearfield experienced a significant year-over-year increase in business development, thanks in large part to investments by local companies.

“In 2025, we partnered with 201 local businesses to assist with small business decisions and planning projects. This was a 13% increase over 2024 data,” said CEO Rob Swales. “Our three-person team assisted six local companies that collectively invested $8.4 million in Clearfield County, preserving over 138 jobs and creating 31 new positions. These projects span throughout Clearfield County, including Clearfield, Curwensville, DuBois and the Moshannon Valley.”

Across the board, companies continue adapting new business strategies in response to U.S. trade policies, a weakening U.S. dollar and workforce shortages, Swales said.

“Out-of-area inquiries continued to be strong with 90 companies from 16 states and 10 foreign countries expressing interest in our region. This was a 27% increase from 2024. Both foreign and domestic firms are seeking opportunities to localize production, improve warehousing and logistics, and advanced technology implementation to remain competitive,” Swales said. “These transitions often involve significant infrastructure planning, investment and the need for technical or financial assistance.”

Several projects are in the works for 2026.

“We continue to work hard with local community projects in Clearfield and Curwensville areas for enhancing outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. We’ll continue the planning and work associated with those efforts in 2026,” Swales said.

Clearly Ahead Development is working with multiple private sector companies throughout Clearfield County.

“Some of the projects we are working with are energy intense, some are energy producers, others involve increased advanced manufacturing and robotic production lines to remain globally competitive, and others deal with rare earth elements with the potential for large federal contracts to produce the end use products,” Swales said. “Regional manufacturers are making tough, strategic decisions and investing in capital-intense projects in 2026.”

Centre County

Centre County attracted several new growing companies to the region in 2025 and is continuing to emphasize investment in housing and business sectors such as hospitality and tourism in 2026.

“We saw many multi-year projects completed or nearing completion in key sectors like health care, hospitality, tourism, higher education, and more. We also saw an increase in demand for industrial and light manufacturing space for growing companies, indicating that our region is succeeding in attracting and sustaining new investment and development,” said Todd Dolbin, vice president of economic development for the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County.

In April, CBICC collaborated with PA CareerLink Centre County for a spring job fair that attracted more than 80 employers and nearly 300 job seekers in Centre and surrounding counties.

“This effort alone resulted in more than 120 interviews and over 75 direct job placements. We are excited to be working with CareerLink once again to organize this year’s event on May 14 and look forward to connecting even more job seekers with open opportunities in our region,” Dolbin said.

He said there were numerous highlights in 2025.

There was extensive development in the hospitality industry, including a number of new construction, recently opened or soon-to-open hotels in State College and Bellefonte.

CBICC, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, the Centre County Airport Authority and Penn State University also formed the State College Air Service Alliance, a coalition dedicated to attracting and retaining air service at State College Regional Airport. Air service is a key component of economic development because of its impact on tourism, business travel, leisure and connectivity, Dolbin said.

There were countywide efforts to draw visibility and attention to the issue of attainable housing and Penn State has made significant investments in Centre County, including student housing projects, updates at Innovation Park and more.

The Amazon Fulfillment Center opened in December and numerous projects are in the works for 2026.

For example, the Happy Valley Casino will be opening in the coming months; there are convenience stores planned for multiple locations across Centre County; the Bellefonte Waterfront project is progressing; the Mount Nittany Health patient tower construction is wrapping up; the State College Area School District approved plans for a new Park Forest Middle School; and efforts continue to grow Sensor Valley and Airport initiatives, Dolbin said.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.