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4 • NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 2003
Points to ponder as we pursue title: ‘Wall Street West’
As I prepare my children for their return
to school, the school district in which we
live — North Pocono — is contemplating
building a new high school, in part
because of a growing student body.
We are not alone.There are school districts
in Pike,Wayne and Monroe counties
that have undergone several expansions
within the past few years.
In the Poconos and even into areas of
Lackawanna County bordering the
Poconos, it is increasingly common to
hear a “New York” accent from people
who say they are “year round” residents.
The Scranton to New York rail connection
will be ferrying people effortlessly
back and forth in the near future.
Now we hear that our region is being
marketed as a backup site for New York
financial firms.The need for a “Wall
Street in the wings” was revealed after
September 11; the point was pounded
home after the great blackout of 2003.
Their lights went out. Our’s didn’t.
The “business” side of my brain is elated
that our area may be enriched and
enlivened by capitalizing on our proximity
to New York.
If we can attract quality jobs and lure
educated, youthful people to relocate
DEPARTMENTS
Banking & Finance . .6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ,11, 12
Business Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Corporate Lifestyles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Cover Stories . . . . . . . . . . . .1, 48, 49, 50
E-Business, Computers & the Internet . . . .17, 18
Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22, 23
Focus: Architects and Engineers . . . .42-43
Focus: Hazleton Renewed . .31,32,33,34,35
Focus: Northumberland County . . . . . . . . .16
For the Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Healthcare, Oncology Care . . .24,25,26,27
Management & Leadership . . . . . . . . . .37
Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Personnel File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Real Estate & Construction . . . . . . . . . .46
Regional Business. 13,21,28,30,38,41,47,54
Small Business Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . .45
Cartoon by Brad Veley
here — we all benefit.
I don’t argue with that logic. I believe
it is sound logic and I welcome the
chance for our area to grow.
However, the illogical part of me
mourns the loss of some of the things
that made our area unique.
I know a stagnant population is bad,bad,
bad.But there is a certain charm in being
able to say of a surname,“That’s a Dunmore
name,or an Old Forge name,or a Peckville
name,”and be right on the money.
My husband noted of a new shopping
center,“It’s pretty, but it looks like it could
be from anywhere.”
A new shopping center is almost
always something to celebrate — it
means that money and people and jobs
are there to support it.
But there is that small nagging regret
that the old corner store had to die to give
birth to the spanking new mini mall.
To add to the illogic of that regret: that
corner store rarely stocked what you
needed, and kept hours that made it
impossible to shop there!
Nevertheless, it feels like some small connections
to childhood are being lost.And
the older one gets, the more precious
those last few connections become.
So, with intellectual bliss but a
heavy heart, I say,“Wall Street
West? Bring it on.”
ezygmunt@timesshamrock.com
ADVERTISER INDEX
Alice's Wonderland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
American Environmental Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Arc Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Blackout Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Borton-Lawson Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
CAN DO Inc. /Hazleton Chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Citizens Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Clickdata.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Clough Harbour Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Colman Sales Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Columbia Hudson Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Commercial Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Community Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Cooks Medical Care Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Creative Business Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Cross Valley Federal Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Design/Build Consultants LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Eagle Rock Resort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Electric City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
First Federal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
First Heritage Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
First Liberty Bank & Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
First National Community Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
G2 Integrated Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Hawk Mountain Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Hazleton Development Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Hinerfeld Commercial Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Hinman, Howard & Kattell LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Hutchison Insurance Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
IMR Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
S U B S C R I P T I O N
They said it here
“I’d say it is probably the most innovative
idea brought into my business
since the introduction of computers.”
— Gino Bartoli, president of A.J. Lupas
Insurance Agency Inc., on Landmark Bank’s
new courier service, page nine
“This year the weather has been fairly
good for growing, and the (apple)
crops have been better than they have
been in past years.”
— Gary Ritter, owner, Ritter’s Cider Mill,
Mount Cobb, page 14
“Businesses need to be aware that
an increasing number of residential
customers are choosing broadband
access. Since broadband service is
traditionally more expensive than
dial-up, one could conclude that these
individuals are also the ones with
money to spend.”
— Brian Mengel, director of engineering,
PenTeleData, Palmerton, page 17
“To be a good leader . . . you have to
be able to express yourself spontaneously
. . . Powell, Rumsfeld and
Clinton, in particular, are articulate.
Bush is learning on the job.”
— William J. Parente, Sr., Ph.D., professor of
political science at the University of Scranton, in
a discussion of leadership qualities, page 40
Isabella Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Junior Achievement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
K C Larson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
KBF Print Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
L. R. Costanzo Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Luzerne County Community College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
McCormack Mortgage Services Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Mesko Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Moyer Aviation Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Nextel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Northeastern Medical Center & Northeastern Occupational Medicine &
Rehabilitation Center P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24, 64
PenTeleData . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
PNC Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
QProQ Engineering Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Radiation Medicine Specialists of NEPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Rock Creek Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Shamrock Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
St. Luke's Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Subway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
T.E.A.M. Supply Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Tech Aviation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
The Altamont Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
The Citizen's Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
The Legacy Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Trade Eastern Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Wachovia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Wachovia Wealth Management Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Windham Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
WVIA Public Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Wyoming Valley Healthcare Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
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Vol. 18 No. 10 • September 2003
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