Stuff from the Pittsburgh Business Times that might interest only me (Philadelphia: real estate, 2015)

[Craziaskowboi]

The Nemacolin Woodlands Resort has just completed a $30M renovation. I believe the resort needs to be promoted more. It's one of only six resorts in the world with both a five-star/five-diamond hotel and a five-star/five-diamond restaurant. And it's the only place between Chicago and Philadelphia with either.

Bruster's Ice Cream is expanding into southern California. I believe this makes California the 16th state with Bruster's locations, after Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Westinghouse hit a bad patch after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in 2011, but things appear to be getting better for them, now that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a new nuclear reactor design of theirs. Westinghouse is one of the main reasons why Pittsburgh has more nuclear engineers per capita than any other major metropolitan area.

Speaking of cutting-edge stuff, apparently robotics isn't the only advanced technology that Pittsburgh stands out in. You can also add additive manufacturing to the list, thanks to research at both universities. This could be one of the reasons why GE (not Giant Eagle) wants to open a 3-D printing facility in the area.

Horsehead is planning a $10M expansion to its battery recycling facility in Ellwood City. Good to see them still expanding operations in Pennsylvania despite moving their zinc smelting facility to North Carolina. Turns out the company is headquartered in Pittsburgh, which I wasn't aware of.

Pittsburgh has attracted interest from developers in Philadelphia and New York in recent years, but now you can add a developer from Indianapolis to the list as well. Increased competition is a good thing, especially when you have developers like Millcraft Industries and Continental Real Estate that are deeply entrenched in local politics.

So anyway, that's the buzz.

[king26]

Thanks for the reading!


I never knew Bruster's was based in Bridgewater. I assumed it was something that started local and was gobbled by a private equity firm over the years. I was always told the Peters Township location was the first but maybe the Bridgewater one was the first ever?

Never mention the word "Horsehead" in Beaver County. Many locals are still sour about the company ditching its local roots for the sunbelt.

The Hardy's do a great job with Nemacolin and continually improving the resort year after year. That podunk township is reaping the benefits of their five star resort and the resulting service jobs.

[DaisyDaisy]

Originally Posted by Craziaskowboi

The Nemacolin Woodlands Resort has just completed a $30M renovation. I believe the resort needs to be promoted more. It's one of only six resorts in the world with both a five-star/five-diamond hotel and a five-star/five-diamond restaurant. And it's the only place between Chicago and Philadelphia with either.

Bruster's Ice Cream is expanding into southern California. I believe this makes California the 16th state with Bruster's locations, after Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

So anyway, that's the buzz.

I thought I heard that Maggie Hardy was preparing to sell Nemacolin but perhaps that was just a rumor. It is a really nice property. I wonder where their main (wealthy) clientele comes from. DC isn't too far a drive.

I'm happy for Bruster's. What's strange is that I think several local locations have closed. Maybe they were franchises.

Thanks for the buzz....

[SteelCityRising]

Happy to hear of that Indianapolis developer's plans here. I'm hopeful that they may consider a mixed-use project on the Donnie's Place site near the Herron Avenue "S"-curve in Polish Hill. That site is adjacent to the Herron Avenue station of the East Busway, which would afford residents a 5-minute bus commute to Downtown. That site's also walkable to the Strip District and Lawrenceville. It would certainly help to ease the housing crunch in the neighborhood.