SPECIAL EDITION

Business Weekly
READING EAGLE

May 2, 2017For the Greater Berks Regionbusinessweekly.readingeagle.com

2017 Berks County

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 75 when sold separately
from the Reading Eagle

rEADING EAGLE: cRAIG sCHAFFER

Tuesday, May 2, 2017|2

3|Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Reading Eagle Peter D. Barbey,president & CEO

B usiness Weekly
Volume 7, Issue No. 18, 2017 Reading Eagle Company
Harry J. Deitz Jr., associate publisher
& Reading Eagle editor
Andy Andrews,business editor
FOCUSED ON YOUR
Special report Up front | Andy Andrews FINANCIAL GOALS
Berks County Economic Outlook
W
hats the key phrase in Today, its not enough to simply manage your finances. You need to make wise choices about your money every
time. We have the experience and expertise to guide you to your financial goals, and we offer a full range of products
this, Business Weeklys
Part 1/where we are now Credits and services to help you achieve them:
fourth annual economic
12  Taking the temperature Primary
Authors:
outlook issue?
Life insurance
Retirement options
Annuities
Estate and legacy strategies
Mutual funds
Health insurance
of a warm economy Perhaps steady as it goes is appropriate. College funding Managed accounts Retail brokerage
Business leaders believe steady, slow growth Dr. M. Halim Dalgin and Dr. Abdulwahab Well put more than 100 years of financial experience and stability on your side. Call us today.
will continue in Berks. Sraiheen, associate professors in the business de-
Part 2/where we are headed partment at Kutztown University, and Dr. Ernie
Post, director of the Kutztown Small Business
16  Whats the outlook for Development Center, have carefully analyzed eco-
the regional economy? nomic data to compile the outlook.
Steady growth for some; slowdown for others. Dr. M. Halim
Since the end of the Great Recession in June
Dalgin Beth Bebb Steven Bond Ted Ennis Jeffrey Freeman Scot Guldin Dawn Johnson
Part 3/economic pulse survey
2009, growth has not been dramatic for many sec- Financial Associate Financial Associate Financial Consultant Financial Associate Financial Consultant Financial Associate
tors in many places in the U.S. Instead, it has been Boyertown Kutztown West Lawn Pine Grove Kutztown Boyertown
610-367-1904 610-683-3564 610-371-9700 570-739-1102 610-683-3564 610-367-1904
24 Heightened political polarization and increases steady, especially here in Berks. For many industries,
in health care premiums weigh heavily on the the comeback has been plodding and uncertain, par-
business workforce. ticularly with construction, what with new housing
D e pa r t m e n t s & Co l u m n s starts in the county at perilously low levels.
While there are concerns in some sectors for
4 Calendar: Your Agenda Dr. Abdul
2016 into 2018, such as a decline in retail and a flat-
5 Letters: Workplace automation not rosy. Sraiheen Kurt Kohler John Lauer Gregory Powers Suzanne Rigg Becky Schweitzer Keith Snyder
tening in health care, agriculture saw steady growth Financial Consultant Financial Associate Financial Associate Financial Associate Financial Associate Financial Associate
6 In Brief: Pa. ranked 38th nationally in eco- Survey
nomic outlook. (though in agricultures case, the reporting numbers Exeter Morgantown Pottstown West Lawn West Lawn Hamburg
Author: 610-779-2016 610-286-5986 610-970-4740 484-374-5531 610-371-9700 610-562-2970
7 Snapshot: The Berks County economy. now include fisheries). Health care is becoming
8 V
 iewpoint: Aging baby boomers drive health more productive by using more automation. On the
care construction. flip side, retail is being cut because of the growth of
8 Office Space: Reading economy will grow e-commerce.
when collaboration begins.
The Executive Pulse Survey shows heightened
10 Office Space: Local bright spots have
emerged, although slow growth continues. political polarization and the weight of increasing
John Ungerman Jennifer Weil Roger Yoh
25 Newsmakers: New hires, promotions and health care premiums on the business workforce. Wealth Advisor Financial Associate Partner
Thrivent Financial was named one of the Worlds Most
Dr. Ernie Post Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute 20122016.
board appointments. These are somewhat dramatic changes from what Pottstown Kutztown West Lawn
610-970-4740 610-683-9152 610-914-1112
26 Scam Report: Employee awareness of secu- Project we reported last year.
rity of health care data is major fear. editor: Were always looking for talented individuals who will guide our members to be wise with money and live
Next week: Perkiomen Valley Chamber Stars/
Andy Andrews

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

30 BizNotes: New companies, real estate trans-
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

generously. Explore a career as a Thrivent Financial representative. Contact Partner Roger Yoh or visit
actions, court actions and liens. small business.
Reporting: WhyThrivent.com.
Brad Rhen
On the cover: Reading Eagle illustration by Craig Graphics: Thrivent Financial was named one of the Worlds Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. We earned this distinction as a result of our leadership in
Schaffer. Craig Schaffer 610-371-5080|aandrews@readingeagle.com|@ReadingEagleBiz promoting ethical business standards for introducing innovative ideas to benefit the public. Ethisphere Institute is a leading international think tank dedicated to
the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anticorruption and sustainability. Worlds Most Ethical
Companies and Ethisphere names and marks are registered trademarks of Ethisphere LLC.
Insurance products issued or offered by Thrivent Financial, the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. Not all products are available in
Business Weekly focuses on publishing the latest news, business technology and management trends and emerging leadership all states. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, a
dynamics to help enhance the impact all business has in the region. See this edition online at businessweekly.readingeagle.com FINRA and SIPC member and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent. Thrivent Financial representatives are registered representatives of Thrivent Investment
Management Inc. They are also licensed insurance agents/producers of Thrivent. Investment advisory services, including fee-based financial planning services,
are available through qualified investment advisor representatives only. For additional important information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures.
business news advertising/carl rosenberger circulation page reproductions photo reprints
610-371-5066 | fax 610-371-5098 610-236-4746 610-371-5122 610-371-5034 610-371-5090 Appleton, Wisconsin Minneapolis, Minnesota Thrivent.com 800-847-4836 1708391-021017
businessweekly@readingeagle.com crosenberger@readingeagle.com circ@readingeagle.com readingeagle.com/reproductions readingeagle.com/photo
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|4
Cal enda r
Your agenda
Send your Agenda items via email to businessweekly@readingeagle.com. Please in-
clude the time and date of the event, the correct address for where the event is to be
held, the cost or registration fee, and a phone number, email or Web address for more
information. Please include a contact name and phone number with your submission
in case information needs to be verified. Deadline is the Tuesday prior to publication.
This information is subject to change without notice.
TUESDAY
5/2
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Greater
Reading Young Profession-
als Mentoring Program: Pat
Giles, Chambers Center
for Business Excellence, 49
Commerce Drive, Spring
Township, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
For details or to register,
call 610-376-6766 or go to
www.greaterreadingcham-
ber.org.
The Berkshire Chapter of
Professional Referral Ex-
change presents Lets
Grow Our Businesses,
Peanut Bar and Restaurant,
332 Penn St., noon to 1:15
p.m. Cost: Free. For details
and to register, call Chrissy
Murray at 610-375-8581 or
visit Facebook.com/Berk-
shirePRE.
Pennsylvania Association
of Notaries presents First-
Time Notary Seminar and
Everyday Notary Challeng-
es, Hampton Inn, 1800
Peppermill Road, Wyomiss-
ing, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost:
$64. For details or to reg-
ister, call 800-944-8790,
ext. 144 or email rkohler@
notary.org.
Toastmasters Group pres-
ents Open House, New
Hanover United Method-
ist Church room 205/207,
211 Swamp Pike, New Ha-
nover Township, Montgom-
ery County, 7 p.m. Cost:
Free. For details, call 610-
451-9755.
WEDNESDAY
5/3
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce
& Industry presents In-
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
termediate Photoshop,
Shearer Technical Com-
puter Consultants, 727
Penn Ave., West Reading,
8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Cost:
$375. For details or to reg-
ister, call 610-376-6766 or
go to www.greaterread-
ingchamber.org.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Intro-
duction to QuickBooks,
Shearer Technical Com-
puter Consultants, 727
Penn Ave., West Reading,
8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Cost:
$220. For details or to reg-
ister, call 610-376-6766 or
go to www.greaterread-
ingchamber.org.
Pennsylvania Association
of Notaries presents No- fast, Crowne Plaza Read-
tary Reappointment Semi-
nar, Hampton Inn, 1800
Peppermill Road, Wyo-
missing, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $64. For details or
to register, call 800-944-
8790, ext. 144 or email
rkohler@notary.org.
The Kutztown Universi-
ty Small Business Devel- By Purpose, featuring Tri-
opment Center presents
Business Smart, North- men Valley Chamber of
east Berks Chamber of
Commerce, 110 W. Main
St., Kutztown, 8:30 to
10:30 a.m.. For details or
to register, call 484-646-
4003 or go to www.kutz-
townsbdc.org/upcoming.
asp.
THURSDAY
5/4
The Eastern Pennsylvania
Business Owners Network
presents its monthly net-
working meeting, Camil-
los Italian Restaurant, 264
Greenwich St., Kutztown,
7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Cost:
$15, payable at the door. Chamber of Commerce &
For details or to register,
call 610-462-4048.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Super-
visor Training: Leveraging
Workplace Relationships
for Organizational Success
(Module III), Chambers
Center for Business Excel-
lence, 49 Commerce Drive,
Spring Township, morn-
ing 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., eve-
ning 6 to 9 p.m. Cost: $545.
For details or to register,
call 610-376-6766 or go to
www.greaterreadingcham-
ber.org.
Pennsylvania Association
of Notaries presents MV-
course Advanced Seminar,
Hampton Inn, 1800 Pep-
permill Road, Wyomiss-
ing, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost:
$95. For details or to reg-
ister, call 800-944-8790,
ext. 144 or email rkohler@
notary.org.
FRIDAY
5/5
Reading Eagle Company,
Kutztown University and
Herbein + Company Inc.
present The 2017 Berks
Economic Forecast Break-
Technical Computer Con-
ing, 1741 Papermill Road,
Wyomissing, 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Cost: $10. For details or to
register, call 610-236-4744
or email dhoffman@read-
ingeagle.com.
The TriCounty Area Cham-
ber of Commerce pres-
ents Leadercast: Powered
Industry presents Intro-
County chamber, Perkio-
Commerce, Phoenixville
Chamber of Commerce,
Spring-Ford Chamber of
Commerce and Upper
Perkiomen Valley Cham-
ber of Commerce, Morn-
ing Star Fellowship, 100
Limekiln Road, Bechtels-
ville, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost:
$95, $120 for nonmember.
For details or to register,
call 610-326-2900 or visit
www.tricountyareacham-
ber.com.
SATURDAY
5 /6
The Greater Reading
Industry presents Intro-
duction to Excel, Shearer
Technical Computer Con-
sultants, 727 Penn Ave.,
West Reading, 9 to 11:30
a.m. Cost: $220. For details
or to register, call 610-376-
6766 or go to www.greater-
readingchamber.org.
The Mid-Atlantic Renew-
able Energy Association
presents Tour of Solar
Homes Educational Event.
For details or to register, go
to www.bit.ly/2oscjHi.
MONDAY
5/8
BerksSchuylkill SCORE
Chapter presents Devel-
oping a Comprehensive
Business Plan, Read-
ing Area Community Col-
lege, 10 S. Second St., 6 to
8 p.m. Cost: $80. For de-
tails or to register, call 610-
607-6231.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Lead
Worker Certificate Pro-
gram, Chambers Center
for Business Excellence,
49 Commerce Drive,
Spring Township, morn-
ing 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.,
evening 6 to 8 p.m. Cost:
$610. For details or to reg-
ister, call 610-376-6766 or
go to www.greaterread-
ingchamber.org.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Inter-
mediate Excel, Shearer
Drive, Spring Township, 5 to
sultants, 727 Penn Ave.,
West Reading, 8:30 a.m.
to 10:30 a.m. Cost: $220.
For details or to register,
call 610-376-6766 or go
to www.greaterreading-
chamber.org.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Computer Consultants, 727
duction to Microsoft Pow-
erPoint, Shearer Technical 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Cost:
Computer Consultants,
727 Penn Ave., West
Reading, 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $220. For details or
to register, call 610-376-
6766 or go to www.great-
erreadingchamber.org.
TUESDAY
5/9
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Greater
Reading Young Profession-
als Mentoring Program: Pat
Giles, Chambers Center
for Business Excellence, 49
Commerce Drive, Spring
Township, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
For details or to register,
call 610-376-6766 or go to
www.greaterreadingcham-
ber.org.
The Berks Chapter of the
Society for Human Re-
source Management pres-
ents Gender Pay Gap:
10 Promising Practices, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Cost:
Berkshire County Club,
1637 Bernville Road, Bern
Township, 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Cost: $18 for members,
$25 for guests. For de-
tails or to register, email
berkschapter179@gmail.
com or visit www.berkspa.
shrm.org.
The Ben Franklin Technol-
ogy Partners of Northeast-
ern Pennsylvania presents
Ben Franklin iXchange,
Zoellner Arts Center, Le-
high University, Bethlehem,
5 p.m. For details or to reg-
ister, call 610-758-5237 or
email leppler@nep.ben-
franklin.org.
The Berkshire Chapter of
Professional Referral Ex-
change presents Lets
Grow Our Businesses,
Peanut Bar and Restaurant,
332 Penn St., noon to 1:15
p.m. Cost: Free. For details
and to register, call Chrissy
Murray at 610-375-8581 or
visit Facebook.com/Berk-
shirePRE.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Meet
the Berks County Candi-
dates Reception, Cham-
bers Center for Business
Excellence, 49 Commerce
Suite 200, Allentown,
7 p.m. For details or to reg-
ister, call 610-376-6766 or
go to www.greaterreading-
chamber.org.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Intro-
duction to Microsoft Pow-
erPoint, Shearer Technical
es to the Government?
Penn Ave., West Reading,
$220. For details or to reg-
ister, call 610-376-6766 or
go to www.greaterreading-
chamber.org.
WEDNESDAY
5/10
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Greater
Reading Young Profession-
als Mentoring Program:
Justin Spannuth, Cham-
bers Center for Business
Excellence, 49 Commerce
Drive, Spring Township,
5:30 to 7 p.m. For details
or to register, call 610-376-
6766 or go to www.greater-
readingchamber.org.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce
& Industry presents In-
termediate Photoshop,
Shearer Technical Com-
puter Consultants, 727
Penn Ave., West Reading,
$375. For details or to reg-
ister, call 610-376-6766 or
go to www.greaterread-
ingchamber.org.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Path-
2Personal Development:
He Said, She Said! Gender
Differences in the Work-
place, Part II, Chambers
Center for Business Ex-
cellence, 49 Commerce
Drive, Spring Township,
4:30 to 6:30 p.m. For de-
tails or to register, call 610-
376-6766 or go to www.
greaterreadingcham-
ber.org.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents Intro-
duction to QuickBooks,
Shearer Technical Comput-
er Consultants, 727 Penn
Ave., West Reading, 8:30
to 10:30 a.m. Cost: $220.
For details or to register,
call 610-376-6766 or go to
www.greaterreadingcham-
ber.org.
The Manufacturers Re-
source Center presents
Introduction to Project
Management Concepts,
Manufacturers Resource
Center, 961 Marcon Blvd.,
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost:
$300. For details or to reg-
ister, call 610-628-4621 or
go to www.mrcpa.org.
The Kutztown University
Small Business Develop-
ment Center presents Are
There Opportunities to Sell
Your Products and Servic-
6766 or go to www.greater-
Northeast Berks Chamber
of Commerce, 110 W. Main
St., Kutztown, 8:30 to 10:30
a.m.. For details or to regis-
ter, call 484-646-4003 or
go to www.kutztownsbdc.
org/upcoming.asp.
THURSDAY
5/11
The Greater Reading
Chamber and Economic
Development Corp. pres-
ents 2017 State of the
Community Workforce De-
velopment and Education
Summit, The Inn at Read-
ing, Wyomissing, 7:30 to
11:45 a.m. Cost: Free for
members, $25 for non-
members. For details or
to register, call 610-376-
6766 or go to www.bit.
ly/2p3bk2w.
The Greater Reading Cham-
ber of Commerce & Indus-
try presents Supervisor
Training: Leveraging Work-
place Relationships for
Organizational Success
(Module III), Chambers
Center for Business Excel-
lence, 49 Commerce Drive,
Spring Township, morning
8:30 to 11:30 a.m., evening 6
to 9 p.m. Cost: $545. For de-
tails or to register, call 610-
376-6766 or go to www.
greaterreadingchamber.org.
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry presents De Mu-
jer a Mujer, The Crowne
Plaza Reading, 1741 Paper-
mill Road, Reading, 5:30 to
7 p.m. Cost: Free. For details
or to register, call 610-376-
6766 or go to www.greater-
readingchamber.org.
5|Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Calendar
FRIDAY
readingchamber.org. to www.greaterreading-
chamber.org.
The Berkshire Chapter of
Professional Referral Ex-
Lessons from Safety Lead-
ership, Manufacturers
The Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce
5/12 change presents Lets Resource Center, 961 Mar- & Industry presents In-
MONDAY The Greater Reading Grow Our Businesses, con Blvd., Suite 200, Allen- termediate Photoshop,
The Greater Reading 5/15 Chamber of Commerce & Peanut Bar and Restaurant, town, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shearer Technical Com-
Chamber of Commerce & Industry presents Intro- 332 Penn St., noon to 1:15 Cost: Free. For details or to puter Consultants, 727
Industry presents Lessons The Greater Reading duction to Microsoft Pow- p.m. Cost: Free. For details register, call 610-628-4621 Penn Ave., West Reading,
in Leadership II, Cham- Chamber of Commerce & erPoint, Shearer Technical and to register, call Chrissy or go to www.mrcpa.org. 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Cost:
bers Center for Business Industry presents Lead Computer Consultants, Murray at 610-375-8581 or $375. For details or to reg-
Excellence, 49 Commerce Worker Certificate Pro- 727 Penn Ave., West visit Facebook.com/Berk- ister, call 610-376-6766 or
Drive, Spring Township, gram, Chambers Center Reading, 4 to 6:30 p.m. shirePRE. WEDNESDAY go to www.greaterread-
8:30 to 4:30 p.m. Cost: for Business Excellence, Cost: $220. For details or 5/17 ingchamber.org.
$1,500. For details or to 49 Commerce Drive, to register, call 610-376- The Manufacturers Re-
register, call 610-376-6766 Spring Township, morn- 6766 or go to www.great- source Center presents The Greater Reading The Greater Reading
or go to www.greaterread- ing 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., erreadingchamber.org. Introduction to Project Chamber of Commerce & Chamber of Commerce &
ingchamber.org. evening 6 to 8 p.m. Cost: Management Concepts, Industry presents Pow- Industry presents Intro-
$610. For details or to reg- Manufacturers Resource er Networking Lunch, Big duction to QuickBooks,
ister, call 610-376-6766 or TUESDAY Center, 961 Marcon Blvd., Vision Foundation, 1098 Shearer Technical Comput-
SATURDAY go to www.greaterread- 5/16 Suite 200, Allentown, County Welfare Road, er Consultants, 727 Penn
5/13 ingchamber.org. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost: Bern Township, 11:30 a.m. Ave., West Reading, 8:30
The Greater Reading Cham- $300. For details or to reg- to 1 p.m. Cost: $17. For de- to 10:30 a.m. Cost: $220.
The Greater Reading The Greater Reading ber of Commerce & Industry ister, call 610-628-4621 or tails or to register, call 610- For details or to register,
Chamber of Commerce & Chamber of Commerce & presents GRYP Mentoring go to www.mrcpa.org. 376-6766 or go to www. call 610-376-6766 or go to
Industry presents Intro- Industry presents Inter- Program: Pat Giles, Cham- greaterreadingcham- www.greaterreadingcham-
duction to Excel, Shearer mediate Excel, Shearer bers Center for Business The Manufacturers Re- ber.org. ber.org.
Technical Computer Con- Technical Computer Con- Excellence, 49 Commerce source Center presents
sultants, 727 Penn Ave., sultants, 727 Penn Ave., Drive, Spring Township, 5:30 The Methodology of The Greater Reading The Kutztown Universi-
West Reading, 9 to 11:30 West Reading, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For details or to Troubleshooting, Col- Chamber of Commerce & ty Small Business Devel-
a.m. Cost: $220. For details to 10:30 a.m. Cost: $220. register, call 610-376-6766 orcon, 415 Moyer Blvd., Industry presents Greater opment Center presents
or to register, call 610-376- For details or to register, or go to www.greaterread- West Point, Upper Gw- Reading Young Profession- Small Business Certifi-
call 610-376-6766 or go ingchamber.org. ynedd Township, Mont- als Mentoring Program: cations: Do They Work?
gomery County, 8:30 a.m. Justin Spannuth, Cham- Northeast Berks Chamber
to 4:30 p.m. Cost: $990. bers Center for Business of Commerce, 110 W. Main
For details or to register, Excellence, 49 Commerce St., Kutztown, 8:30 to 10:30
Workplace automation not rosy
call 610-628-4621 or go to Drive, Spring Township, a.m.. For details or to regis-
www.mrcpa.org. 5:30 to 7 p.m. For details ter, call 484-646-4003 or
or to register, call 610-376- go to www.kutztownsbdc.
The Manufacturers Re- 6766 or go to www.greater- org/upcoming.asp.
Editor: among the ruling class and also source Center presents readingchamber.org.
Concerning the cover story install what is known as a Uni-
in Business Weekly (Better To- versal Basic Income.
gether, April 25, 2017): It isnt a handout or a form
I do not share the writers of welfare, but a way to keep Colleen Webb
Journalist
rosy view of automation in the the economy going while most
workplace. Whenever robots people lose their livelihoods to
take over a job site, it hurts the the machines.
workers most. If you have a job, great, heres
Many of these workers some extra money. If you dont
poured their lives and sweat have a job, now you can pay
into the jobs they are in now, your bills and buy what makes
and this is their reward? you happy.
To be replaced by machines As machines take over the Theres more to life than just financial goals. At Ameriprise
that do not contribute to the workplace, we are going to have Financial, we take the time to understand whats truly important
economy, other than to save on to change our belief structure to you. Together, well develop a financial plan customized for your
payroll? about poverty and how much life to help you live more confidently today. And tomorrow.
I do not agree with it. of it is the individuals fault, for
As the article states in the soon it will be the robots fault. Crossroads Advisors Group
beginning, 47 percent of U.S. Dustin A. Plank A financial advisory practice of
jobs will be automated in the West Reading Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
next two decades. 85 percent
of job losses between 2000 and 610.926.6649
2010 also were believed to be 4641 Pottsville Pike, Ste 108
due to automation. Reading, PA 19605
I believe that giving more elizabeth.a.lauer@ampf.com
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
to automation will eventually
We value your opinion allan.w.cornman@ampf.com
create mass unemployment, Business Weekly encourages reader jeremy.d.henn@ampf.com
input and welcomes your comments.
financial ruin and an eventual crossroadsadvisorsgroup.com
Please send any letters via email or
paradigm shift in both business regular mail about any topic covered
and governance, none of which in Business Weekly.
will be as pretty as the writer Please keep the letters to 200
paints peoples love of losing words or less.
their jobs to machines. Address your commentary to:
Editor
If this is to work, if people are
Business Weekly
to have no jobs, yet still be able Reading Eagle Company Investment advisory products and services are made available through
to purchase items and keep the 345 Penn St. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment adviser.
economy going, we are going to Reading, PA 19603 2015 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. (10/15)
need to instill a sense of charity Email: aandrews@readingeagle.com
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|6
Briefs
DATA PLACE
The retail
apocalypse
60,700
The number of retail-industry
jobs lost in the U.S. in February
and March, the largest decline
since 2009.
2,880
The number of national store
closings announced for 2017.
8,600
According to Credit Suisse, the
number of locations in the U.S.
that could close this year.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
PA #5744
Pa. ranked 38th nationally in economic outlook
ARLINGTON, Va. Pennsyl-
vania is ranked 38th in the nation
in economic outlook, according
to recently released data by the
right-leaning American Legislative
Exchange Council.
The annual publication Rich
States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State
Economic Competitiveness Index
said Pennsylvanians are taking their
tax dollars elsewhere, as seen by the
continued negative domestic outmi-
gration rates since 2010.
According to a release, the Key-
stone State improved by one place in
national Small Business Week being celebrated
WASHINGTON The head of
the U.S. Small Business Adminis-
tration, Linda McMahon, said the
agency is marking National Small
Business Week, which began Sun-
day and ends Saturday, according
to a release.
McMahon started the week in
Washington, where she recognized
Beautifying
Berks Backyards!
the rankings this year, jumping from
39th to 38th.
Rich States, Poor States is cel-
ebrating its 10th edition with the
launch of a website that gives users
the ability to compare and contrast
economic trends of the last decade,
featuring a new tool showing how
particular policy adjustments can
change the economic outlook ranking
of an individual state.
Lawmakers have relied upon
Rich States, Poor States as a guide
for measuring the economic com-
petitiveness of their states since
outstanding small-business own-
ers from around the country. She
is continuing the week with small-
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SBAs 10 regions and 68 districts
are being conducted throughout
Anewalts
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Contact Anewalts at 610.916.7070
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7|Tuesday, May 2, 2017
snapshot
THE BERKS COUNTY ECONOMY Craig Schaffer is a Reading Eagle graphic
artist and page designer. Contact him
2008, according to the publisher.
The publication is authored by Ar-
thur B. Laffer, a member of President An illustrated report by Craig Schaffer
at cschaffer@readingeagle.com to
comment on todays Snapshot or
follow on Twitter @ReCraigSchaffer.
Ronald Reagans economic poli-
cy advisory board; Stephen Moore,
distinguished visiting fellow at The Berks County labor force growth Berks Countys top jobs Average weekly wages,
Heritage Foundation; and Jonathan
Williams, ALEC chief economist and
216,440
1.Manufacturing
2.Healthcaresocial
% for all industries combined,
3rd quarter 2016
vice president of the ALEC Center 196,975 assistance % U.S.
for State Fiscal Reform.
Berks
The top states are Utah, Indiana and 3.Retailtrade %
North Carolina. The bottom three are 4.Educationalservices% $1,027 $947
New Jersey, Vermont and New York. 211,233
5.Accommodation
-7.8%
Projected
Source: www.rich- andfoodservices %
The Berks County labor force grew
statespoorstates.org
1.5 percent from 2015 to 2016. 6.Administrativeand
Experts project the number of wasteservices %
working age individuals will decrease
2.4 percent this year.
7.Professionaland
technicalservices % Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
8.Construction %
the week.
Every year since 1963, the SBA
has highlighted the impact of out-
9.Wholesaletrade %
10.Transportationand
$55,936
was the median Berks
standing entrepreneurs, small- warehousing % household income in 2015,
business owners and others from 11.Otherservices % which is greater than the
across the nation through National Labor force is dened as all persons ages 16
Small Business Week.
12.Managementofcompanies state average, $53,599.
years and older employed or unemployed.
More details are available at andenterprises %
Source: Pennsylvania Department of
www.sba.gov/NSBW. 13.Publicadministration% Labor and Industry. U.S. Census Bureau
Berks gross domestic product change over a decade Unemployment rate comparison
Yearly average
5.4%
percentage change
among all industries U.S. Berks
combined.
2.1% 2% 1.9%
1.5% 1.6%
2% 5.3% 5.1%
4.6% 4.9%
0.8% 0.9%
0.6%
0.3%
Sources:
Pa. Dept. of Labor & Industry,
-1.7%
Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly -2% January January January January
Census of Employment and Wages.
-2.8%
2016 2017 2016 2017
your suCCess begins here
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
Carl rosenberger
Business Weekly advertising sales coordinator
Carl can show you why Business Weekly is the perfect place
to market your business or services through advertising in this
targeted source for the movers and shakers of Berks County.
ContaCt Carl for your advertising needs:
610-236-4746 crosenberger@readingeagle.com
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|8
O p i n i o n
Aging baby boomers drive
health care construction
Viewpoint By Glenn Ebersole
T
he outlook for construction spending in
2017 continues to be positive for all mar-
ket sectors.
The American Institute of Architects semi-
annual Consensus Construction Forecast, a
survey of the nations leading construction fore-
casters, has projected growth of about 6 percent
Glenn Ebersole is in nonresidential construction spending in 2017,
market development just below the pace of growth for 2016.
manager for High Personal demographics remain a critical fac-
Concrete Group LLC tor impacting the demand for commercial con-
in Denver, Lancaster struction. Health care, especially senior living,
County. will continue to show positive growth.
The AIA said: The demographics are incred-
ibly favorable in the long run for health care. Se-
niors consume a lot of health care services, and
as baby boomers are moving into their late 60s
and 70s, we expect to see a lot of construction in
the health care sector.
Architect magazine reports that health care
construction spending is projected to double in
2017 from $19.6 billion in 2016. There also is a
projected significant expansion, renovation and
construction of new health care facilities in 2017.
The 2017 Dodge Construction Outlook pre-
dicts that there will be a 7 percent increase in
health care facility construction. In late 2016,
there was a bit of a stall in health care construc-
tion, as the market seemed to be waiting to see
the outcome of the 2016 presidential election
and the future of the Affordable Care Act. Dodge
Reading economy will grow
when collaboration begins
Office Space By Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz
W
hen I think about our future economy,
the most prevalent word and action
that comes to mind is unity! En la un-
in esta la fuerza! (In unity is power!)
As I walk around the neighborhood and meet
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
people, business owners, entrepreneurs, pastors
Johanny Cepeda- and CEOs, and as I attend networking events
Freytiz is the owner and meetings, I have realized that we as a city
of Mi Casa Su Casa and as a community are moving in a positive
Cafe, Reading, and direction.
executive director There is more synergy than ever among the
of the Berks County various entities that make up our great City of
Latino Chamber of Reading. There is a growing need to collaborate
Commerce. as opposed to compete: Vamos a compartir en
ves de competir. (Were going to share instead of
compete.)
There is a growing sentiment for community
building and empowerment. I think people are
Page label
expects health care construc-
tion to pick up with a rise in
off-site health clinics and the
continued increase in need to
serve the needs of the elderly
and the aging baby boomers.
The increased need to
provide health care to an ag-
ing population will translate
into the need to build new
facilities closer to the popula-
tion to meet their needs and to
meet the patients where they
are. This could mean micro-
hospitals that may be between
15,000 to 50,000 square feet in
size and have between five and
15 inpatient beds for observa-
tion and short-period stays.
This new type of facility would
be full service and open 24/7,
which would differentiate them
from urgent care facilities.
Health care construction is
making a steady recovery, ac-
cording to the Fails Manage-
ment Institute. Traditional
large hospital projects are
returning to the design phase
with fewer large hospital proj-
ects in the works. FMI said
that the bulk of the work will
be renovation and additions as
well as outpatient care. New fa-
cility designs are responding to
the need for a patient-centered
environment as well as reduc-
ing concerns for the spread of
supergerms.
One factor that could acceler-
ate positive growth in health
realizing that in order to thrive community- and business-
as a community, we have to
work with one another.
As the Latino population
continues to grow, I see more
small businesses opening and
existing ones flourishing. I am
seeing more entrepreneurs
turning their homes into day
care centers, bed-and-break-
fasts, home offices and more.
The offices at City Hall have
become very business-friendly, Chamber of Commerce, into its
and the lines of communication space, giving us an office, tele-
continue to improve. I have
seen City Hall employees from support and an opportunity to
Codes and Community Devel-
opment participate in local net- business community.
working events and activities.
The Reading Parking Au-
thority also has become more
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9|Tuesday, May 2, 2017
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care construction, as well as Restaurant & Golf Club
other types of construction, Open to the Public for Lunch & Dinner
would be a reduction in govern-
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ment regulations on multiple
levels. A decrease in regulations Daily Features
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Wednesday - Lobster Tail with Crab Cake & Fried Shrimp $19.99
ning, design, land development
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the American Hospital Associa-
tion conducted a survey and
found the following:
Increased
attention to con-
sidering patient safety issues,
such as fall prevention.
Increased
inclusion of
patients and community mem- DNA TESTING SERVICES
bers in facility design decisions. Court Admissible Adoption / Immigration
Providers
trying to figure Paternity / Maternity Forensic (Inheritance,
out what makes patients satis- Other Relationship Infidelity, Crime)
fied with the care and experi- DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING SERVICES
ence they receive at a hospital.
The industry seems to be Social and Family Testing Passive Exposure
moving away from large-scale Court Mandated Guardian Ad Litem Support
new construction. Among acute 2208 Quarry Drive, Suite 207, West Lawn
care hospitals that responded 484-926-2505 | arcpointlabs.com/readingpa
to the survey, less than 10
percent had new construction Your Legal Partner in Berks
projects underway or in the
works, and about 17 percent
had replacement projects un-
derway or in the works over the
next three years.
According to Dodges Chief WELLS FARGO
Economist Robert Murray, the
current period of growth will
continue into 2018.
FOUNDATION
Reading Eagle thanks Wells Fargo
Foundation for its support of our
Newspaper in Education program
at Reading High School.
friendly and more concerned
about relationship-building as
opposed to ticket summoning.
The parking meters give you
more time for your money, al-
lowing patrons to shop in the
downtown area.
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
The Greater Reading Cham-
ber and Economic Develop-
ment Corp. has welcomed
us, the Berks County Latino
phone lines, access to resources,
collaborate to better serve our
These are all indicators that
our economy is headed in the
right direction.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017|10

11|Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Op in i o n

Local bright spots have emerged, REP is able to take a customers vision and develop an innovative

Business although slow growth continues

concept. Our atypical requests and unique products have exceeded
our expectations. (Sales representative) Mike Doyle attends to our

Pulse
needs and is helpful in recommending the right product for us, and

Office Space need to offer such plans. keeps us informed.

By Chris Kim and Gary Moyer
Weekday afternoons
T
he U.S. economy is growing at a slower
rate than it has in previous decades. This
5:15 p.m. sluggish trend is evident in Berks County
as well, but were also seeing some areas of eco-
WEEU 830 AM Chris Kim
nomic activity.
Lets look first at some of reasons for the con-
tinued weakness:
Lower profits and sluggish demand: With
Keep your ear on the no signs of a strong rebound, businesses remain
reluctant to invest in equipment and structures.
pulse of business! Since such investments are key drivers of eco-
nomic growth, this low activity remains a con-
cern for the Federal Reserve.
Stay up to date with A shrinking workforce: Baby boomers are
retiring at a faster pace than there are younger
Berks County business Gary Moyer
and trained workers to replace them. Since the
growth of gross domestic product is the sum of
news that affects you Chris Kim is
growth in the number of workers and growth in
the real output per worker, this phenomenon is
chief investment slowly impacting the economy.
and your community. officer of Tompkins Unmet expectations: Optimism about the
Financial Advisors new administrations plan to implement more
Listen for the Business and Gary Moyer
is the chief lending
business-friendly regulations has not yet been
fulfilled.
Weekly Business Pulse, officer of Tompkins
VIST Bank, and Consumer spending remains key
both companies are In the short term, further growth will be
Monday through Friday located in Spring driven by domestic rather than global activity.
Township. This is because of widespread concerns about
at 5:15 p.m. in the political and economic unrest in Europe and
elsewhere. While this domestic focus is safer, it the hospitals West Reading lo-
financial portion of the also has the downside of insulating the U.S. from cation. Numerous satellite and
positive international developments.
A key domestic driver is consumer spending.
WEEU Afternoon News Growth in this area will depend, in part, on the
new administrations ability to cut taxes, reduce
Update on 830 AM. regulations and shrink the trade deficit. So far, building at the Rockland Plaza
these fiscal stimulus plans have encountered
political roadblocks, so their positive impact ap- pus is under construction by a
pears to be a longer way off.
Another catalyst of personal consumption
will be the economys ability to achieve full em- with a proposed Velodrome
ployment and increase wages. This will support in northeast Reading, the
household income growth and encourage more
discretionary spending.
Consumer housing: Its
a sellers market in terms of
Mitch Raczy, Berks Area Mountain Biking Association
residential housing. Prices for
property and homes have risen
significantly, yet buyers are
still finding they need to move
quickly to obtain a home of
their choice.
Commercial and residen-
tial development: The eco-
nomic recession caused some
developers to go out of business
because of the amount of debt
and lack of income they could
generate on their land. Others
struggled through the recession
but adopted a more conserva-
tive approach by developing
smaller and more contained
tracts.
Bright spots
Despite the overall economic
slowdown, Berks County has
seen encouraging growth re-
lated to health care facilities,
educational institutions and
ancillary businesses sprout-
ing from the farming industry.
Here are a few examples:
Reading
Health System last
year completed its multilevel
surgical Healthplex building at
urgent care facilities also con-
tinue to spring up throughout
the region.
A new student housing
near the Albright College cam-
developer. The college also re-
cently announced an affiliation
only such structure on the East
Coast.

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

Last
year, Alvernia Univer-
Impact on local economy sity announced plans to add a
Were seeing the local impact of these factors 100,000-square-foot classroom
in the following areas: and recreational facility. And
Staffing: In addition to delaying investments Reading Area Community Col-
in physical structures, small businesses are still lege has launched a capital cam-
reluctant to add staff. Instead of hiring, theyre paign to enhance its science and
acquiring technology that can perform some of technology capabilities.
the tasks of workers. Berks County has adapted to Contact REP sales representative Michael Doyle
Health care costs: The cost of company a slower growth economy. More for more information about how REP can work with you.
health care plans remains a big concern. Busi- vigorous and widespread activ- mdoyle@readingeagle.com 610-371-5183
ness owners are trying to keep the number of ity will require changes from
employees below the level at which they would Washington.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|12
Part 1 / w he r e we
Steady
as it goes
Though economic signs remain positive,
the county faces challenges, including
replacing an aging workforce.
By Brad Rhen
Reading Eagle
T
he good news: Theres
no terrible news to
report. The bad news:
Theres not much good news to
report.
Well, not quite. For the most
part, according to business
leaders and analysts, growth
has been sluggish but definitely
upward. However, there are
still some concerns but pos-
sible improvements along
the way, including an aging
workforce and a pro-business
national administration.
Similar to the last several
years, the countys gross do-
mestic product grew by 2
percent in 2015, up from a 1.6
percent rate the year before, ac-
cording to M. Halim Dalgin and
Abdulwahab Sraiheen, econom-
ics professors at Kutztown Uni-
versity, who produce Business
Weeklys annual economic out-
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
look issue. Their report is based
on 2015 data, the most recent
year for which all information
is available.
Since 2001, the countys
economy has grown an average
0.9 percent a year: a positive
but sluggish trend, compared
with state and federal rates of
1.9 and 1.5 percent, respectively.
Also on the positive side, new
a r e n ow
Berks population
Berks Countys population grew
0.22 percent from 2014-2015 but houses, apartments and mobile homes, added to the county tax rolls
hasnt increased significantly over annually as gathered by the Berks County Planning Commission.
the past six years.
500,000
415,271
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
1990s 2000s 2010s
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
housing units rose 25 percent
last year after hitting the sec-
ond-lowest rate in 30 years in
2015. Likewise, housing values
rose 4.6 percent last year.
On the not-so-positive side,
unemployment increased a
tick, from 4.6 percent in Janu-
ary last year to 4.9 percent in
January 2017. As of February in
the latest available figures, the
Berks County unemployment
rate dipped to 4.4 percent, but
its still much lower than it was
13|Tuesday, May 2, 2017
By Kutztown University/Herbein+Company Inc.
during the Great Recession.
For the most part, the data shows that Berks
County is moving in a positive direction, al-
though the good news is hardly overwhelming,
and there are a few red flags that we need to be
aware of, said Randy Peers, president and CEO
of the Greater Reading Chamber and Economic
Development Corp.
Robert F. Firely Jr., a partner at Herbein +
Company Inc., Spring Township, agreed that the
countys economy is trending up.
The local economy is doing a bit better than
last year, as evidenced by an inflation-adjusted in-
crease in our gross domestic product to $15.8 bil-
lion, as compared to $15.4 billion last year, he said.
Manufacturing still tops
Manufacturing remains Berks Countys big-
gest sector, both in terms of output and in em-
ployment, providing about 22.3 percent of the
output and 17.5 percent of the jobs. But while
output has been steady, the employment is sig-
nificantly lower than it once was.
At one time, manufacturing provided about
40,000 jobs in the county, or about 21 percent of
the overall employment. About a quarter of those
jobs have vanished because of productivity gains.
Manufacturing continues as our largest sector
New housing units Average housing price index of the Berks County economy, both in contribu-
The number of new dwellings, including single-family homes, town tion to GDP and number of employees, Firely
said. As such, it is a critical component of the
160,000
Berks economy. Manufacturing utilizes com-
3,000
puter applications and robotics, which requires a
more educated workforce than previously need-
2,787 The number of new 140,000
ed. As a result, productivity has increased.
houses grew
2,500 Daniel W. Fogarty, director and chief operating
25 percent since a
officer of the Berks County Workforce Develop-
low of 417in 2015. 120,000
National ment Board, said manufacturing is one of the
2,000
Reading MSA sectors that needs to be watched in coming years
Pennsylvania because many workers in the sector are nearing
1,500 retirement and will need to be replaced.
We still have to replace 7,000 experienced
The Reading Metropolitan workers here by 2025, and the replacement work-
520 ers have to be more skilled and likely even better
80,000 Statistical Area housing
price index grew 4.6 educated than these retiring workers were when
percent from 2015. It they entered the sector 30 years ago, he said.
500
60,000 remained lower than the Peers noted that Berks Countys median
national index, but is household income is more than $2,000 higher
0 greater than the state than the state average, and thats due in large
1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
40,000 average. part to the number of manufacturing jobs, which
Source: Berks County Assessment Office generally produce higher wages.
Higher median household incomes also sup-
port growth in other sectors, such as retail and
20,000
arts, entertainment, accommodation and food
services, all growing sectors in Berks and all reli-
ant on discretionary income, he said.
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
'01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11 '13 '15 '17
Source: Freddie Mac Construction bears watching
At 4.7 percent of the overall GDP, the mining, log-
ging and construction sector is a relatively small
part of the countys economy. But both Firely and
Fogarty believe construction bears watching in the
coming years.
Since its dramatic reduction during the reces-
An employee at American Crane and Equipment
Corp. works on an overhead crane at the companys
Reading Eagle: Susan L. Angstadt Amity Township manufacturing facility.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|14
Part 1 / w he r e
sion, the sectors output has
been growing at an average rate
of 1.6 percent a year. But Dalgin
and Sraiheen anticipate output
will shrink in the coming years,
with the worst year in 2018.
Despite that, Firely is opti-
mistic about the construction
industry, partly thanks to the $5
added to vehicle registrations
in Berks County, which must
be used to fund road and bridge
repairs in the county. Addition-
ally, he said, if President Donald
Trump is successful with his
campaign pledge to invest in the
countrys infrastructure, that
bodes well for the region.
Improvement in infrastruc-
ture leads to growth in other
areas of our economy, he said.
Further, interest rates remain
historically low, which is always
helpful to the construction in-
dustry.
The construction industry is
on the rebound but has a sig-
nificant challenge ahead if it is
to maintain its level of output,
Fogarty said.
The construction sector
really
Berks dropped
population off during the
recession, and now
Berks Countys populationwere grew
see-
ing
0.22that it is recovering,
percent he but
from 2014-2015
said.
hasntWith that significantly
increased recovery, theover
job
the market
past six is resulting in sig-
years.
nificant skill shortages, because
500,000
youre seeing that retirements
415,271
are continuing. So we have a 2,500
lot of replacement jobs to focus
on in the construction sector
400,000
as well.
Joblessness
300,000 in context
While the employment rate
in Berks County is higher this
year
200,000than it was last year, Foga-
rty said he is a little concerned
about saying its higher.
I really think its equiva-
100,000
lent, he said. I think that
theres been some churn in the
marketplace, but Im not 100
percent
1990s sold that2000s
the number
2010s
is actually
Source: higher
U.S. Census than it was
Bureau
a year ago. I think were right
where we were last year in
terms of total employment,
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
and the job market remains
quite strong. So, in terms of the
number of job openings versus
the number of officially unem-
ployed, were in a similar place.
The job market as a whole is
very healthy, and it is very fa-
vorable to job seekers, Fogarty
said.
Were seeing wages going up,
and were seeing job seekers
with at least as many options as
they had a year ago, if not more,
we a r e n ow
A view from Lincoln Towers, formerly The Abraham Lincoln hotel. The site is undergoing renovations.
New housing units
The number of new dwellings, including single-family homes, town
houses, apartments and mobile homes, added to the county tax rolls
annually as gathered by the Berks County Planning Commission.
3,000
2,000
1,500
500
0 greater than the state
1980s 1990s
Source: Berks County Assessment Office
he said.
Peers, meanwhile, is con-
cerned about the projection
that the labor force will shrink.
Since there is almost no popu-
lation growth, he expects the la-
bor force to continue to decline.
As GDP rises, we will need
new workers entering into the
labor force in order to meet the
demand fueled by this growth,
he said. Replace workers,
as they are called, are young
people coming of age to replace
those that are retiring. If we
2,787 The number of new
houses grew
25 percent since a
low of 417in 2015.
520
2000s 2010s
dont solve this dilemma, GDP
will slow, and, in the worst case,
companies will leave Berks.
There are only three ways to
solve this problem, Peers said:
Attract new residents to Berks
County and reverse the popu-
lation decline, retain young
people who attend school here
and then leave for other places,
and tap into the unemployed
populations to address any major construction projects
skills gaps these groups might
be experiencing that prevent
them from obtaining jobs.
Significant business moves in the Berks region
Here are some of the major business stories in 2016-2017 that helped
shape the Berks County economy:
April 2016: Its announced that
greater Readings economic de-
velopment groups the Greater
Reading Chamber of Commerce &
Industry, Greater Reading Econom-
ic Partnership and Greater Berks
Development Fund will unite
into the Greater Reading Chamber
and Economic Development Corp.
In mid-December, Randy Peers is
selected as president and CEO.
May: The Big Mill building at
Eighth and Oley streets opens. De-
veloper Alan W. Shumans $23 mil-
lion project transforms the former
Reading Outlet Center building into
69 apartments and 42,000 square
feet of commercial space.
July: East Penn Manufacturing
Co. Inc. opens a $150 million ex-
pansion project at the companys
Lyons campus. The company notes
that the 590,000-square-foot in-
dustrial battery facility will lead to
Reading Eagle: Susan L. Angstadt 400 additional jobs.
July: John Weidenhammer, presi-
dent of Weidenhammer, Wyomiss-
Average housing price index ing, purchases 503 Penn St. and
begins a multimillion-dollar renova-
tion that will lead to office and retail
160,000
space and possibly a restaurant.
August: Alvernia University an-
nounces its largest expansion in
140,000
its history. The project will include
100,000 square feet of new class-
rooms and recreational space and
120,000
expand the main campus footprint
National
Reading MSA by 15 acres.
Pennsylvania October: Reading Health System
opens its $346 million expansion
at Reading Hospital, West Reading.
The Reading Metropolitan The 476,000-square-foot addi-
80,000 Statistical Area housing
price index grew 4.6
percent from 2015. It
60,000 remained lower than the and Events Center at Albright
national index, but is College, the $11 million renova-
tion of the former Abraham
average. Lincoln hotel, the expansion at
40,000
Alvernia University and devel-
opment along Penn Street.
As we mentioned at last
20,000
years forecast event, we were
hopeful that the DoubleTree
by Hilton hotel on Penn Street
'01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11 '13 '15 '17
would start the development of
Source: Freddie Mac
the downtown area, and it looks
like that is happening, he said.
The forecasted growth rate
Looking ahead of 2.7 percent for 2018 is good
Firely believes big things news and would represent the
could be on the horizon in the largest gain since the recession,
future. He pointed to several Firely said. And if the federal
government is successful in Berks County businesses to
that are planned or underway in reducing the overall scope of
Berks County, such as the $20 business regulations and can
million National Velodrome enact significant and fair tax
tion increases the hospital cam-
puss space about 20 percent and
includes 150 private patient rooms
and 24 surgical suites
November: The Abraham Lin-
coln hotel, 100 N. Fifth St., ceas-
es hotel operations and transitions
to an apartment building known
as Lincoln Towers. In April, owner
Alan W. Shuman receives tax cred-
its toward an $11 million makeover
that will convert the building into a
mixed-used complex that includes
apartments and retail space.
November: Carpenter Technolo-
gy Corp., formerly based in Spring
Township, moves its corporate
headquarters to Philadelphia. The
move includes about 30 execu-
tive jobs.
December: VF Outlet Center,
Wyomissing, is sold to Philadel-
phia-based developer Equus Capi-
tal Partners Ltd., which plans a $70
million redevelopment. The project
will include the demolition of sev-
eral buildings and will transform
the 34-acre site into a mixed-use
campus that will be home to the
new corporate headquarters for
UGI Energy Services.
April: The World Cycling League
and Albright College announce
plans for a $20 million National Ve-
lodrome and Events Center. The
2,500-seat facility, which will serve
as the world headquarters for the
World Cycling League, will be only
the second indoor velodrome in the
United States.
Contact Brad Rhen: 610-371-5047 or
brhen@readingeagle.com.
reform, those two economic
drivers, along with the low un-
employment rate and low oil
prices, bode well for improve-
ment in the economy.
Im also enthusiastic that the
merger of the Greater Read-
ing Chamber of Commerce &
Industry, the Greater Reading
Economic Partnership and the
Greater Berks Development
Fund into the Greater Reading
Chamber and Economic Devel-
opment Corp. will contribute
to economic growth in Berks
by streamlining development
projects and providing a one-
stop shop for resources for all
help them grow, he said.
Contact Brad Rhen: 610-371-5047 or
brhen@readingeagle.com.
15|Tuesday, May 2, 2017
By Kutztown University/Herbein+Company Inc.
Reading Eagle: Harold Hoch
For Randy Peers, president and CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber
and Economic Development Corp., the most positive data point from his
perspective is that the median household income is higher than state av-
erage: more than $2,000 higher, he said.
Forging a new partnership
Though Berks County remains strong in
manufacturing, Readings economic buildup is
critical to the countys vitality, according to a leader.
By Andy Andrews direction, although the good
Reading Eagle news is hardly overwhelming.
The most positive data point
Economic times are certainly from his perspective is that the
changing. median household income is
In April last year, it was an- higher than the state average:
nounced that the greater Read- more than $2,000 higher, Peers
ing economic development said.
groups the Greater Reading This is no doubt related to
Chamber of Commerce & Indus- the fact that manufacturing jobs,
try, Greater Reading Economic which generally produce higher
Partnership and Greater Berks wages, are found in much higher
Development Fund would proportions in Berks County
unite into the Greater Reading than in other counties, Peer
Chamber and Economic Devel- said. Higher median household
opment Corp. incomes also support growth in
In mid-December, Randy other sectors, such as retail and
Peers, 46, was named president arts, entertainment, accom-
and CEO of the umbrella eco- modation and food services: all
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
nomic organization. growing sectors in Berks and
It will streamline develop- all reliant on discretionary in-
ment projects and provide a come.
one-stop shop for resources for What is critical is that the
all Berks County businesses to business health of Reading mat-
help them grow, said Robert F. ters to the rest of the county.
Firely Jr., a partner at Herbein Almost everybody I have
+ Company Inc., Spring Town- spoken to, whether it was inside
ship. Reading or just anywhere else in
Peers said that regarding the the county, really does believe
economic outlook, for the most that Reading matters, he said.
part, the data shows that Berks Contact Business Editor Andy Andrews:
County is moving in a positive 610-371-5080 or aandrews@readingeagle.com.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|16

17|Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Part 2 / w he r e we a r e h ea d ed By Kutztown University/Herbein+Company Inc.

Economic outlook: the parts explained Berks County: an economic overview

By Andy Andrews Industry share of Reading-area 2015 gross domestic product
Reading Eagle Berks County GDP increased 2 percent, with a total output of
$15.8 billion in 2015, the most recent year with available data.
At the end of 2016, the population of the Reading Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is Berks County, stood at 414,812. The gross domestic prod-
uct, or GDP, calculated at current market prices in the latest reported year (2015), was $15.8 billion. As of February, the economy employed about
201,818 people out of a workforce of 212,368. About 10,550 were unemployed, with the February unemployment rate at 4.4 percent.
Our other contributors The greater Reading economy has been growing an average at 0.9 percent every year since 2001. Damages wrought by the financial crisis have not
been completely repaired, even though things are on the mend.
Randy Peers

T
he following economic Real GDP figures are adjusted for inflation. is president Rank Industry Share of Number of Summary Outlook
outlook charts are com- and CEO of the Berks GDP employees
posed of three compo- 5.8% tilitiestransportation 2.6% Otherservices Greater Reading
1 Manufacturing 22.40% 30,500 In 2017 and 2018 we might see the growth rate swinging to negative
nents of data for 12 industry andwarehousin excludin Chamber and to territories causing the sector to shrink about 1.8%
overnment
categories. 4.7% ininloinand Economic
construction 1.5% Ariculture
We segmented the sectors Development 2 Retail and whole- 13.40% 25,950 For the years 2017 and 2018, the forecast indicates strong headwinds,
2.8% Artsentertainment 1.5% Information sale trade as a result of internet sales, causing this sector to reduce output.
in the following pages in al- recreation Corp.
0.6% Educational
phabetical order: agriculture; accommodation services 3 Professional and 13.30% 23,750 Despite the strong growth, the sector will face a dramatic drop in its
arts, entertainment, recreation, andfoodservices Robert F. Firely business services output before it swings to a strong growth, around 4% in 2018.
accommodation and food Jr. is partner in 4 Finance, insur- 10.90% 6,000 Employment continues to decrease due to new technologies that
services; educational services; charge of auditing ance, real estate provide the services with less labor.
finance, insurance, real es- and accounting and leasing
tate, rental and leasing; health at Herbein +
5 Government 10.60% 21,300 Employment has been shrinking faster than the government spending, about 1.5% every year.
care and social assistance; Company Inc.,
government; information; Spring Township. 6 Health care and 10.00% 26,800 Forecasted to rise by about 5.2% in 2017 and remain flat in 2018.
manufacturing; construction; 22.4%
social assistance
professional and business anufacturin 7 Utilities, transpor- 5.80% 7,850 Third fastest growing sector. Steady increase of employment of 3.5% a year on average.
services; retail and wholesale 10% Daniel W.
Healthcare tation and ware-
trade; and utilities, transporta- andsocial Fogarty is housing
tion and warehousing. assistance director of
8 Construction 4.70% 8,000 Steady decline, -1.5% a year on avarage, expecting 2018 to be the worst year in terms of output.
The first chart below each of workforce and mining
the separate industries tracks development and
real gross domestic product, or 10.6% chief operating 9 Arts, entertain- 2.80% 15,600 Estimated to drop about 7.5% and rebound in output for 2017 =
13.4%
ment, recreation, and then another big drop again in 2018.
GDP, output in dollars and the Government Retailand officer of the accommodation
number of jobs. The second chart wholesale Berks County and food services
trade
projects a forecast to the end of 10.9% Workforce
2018. Two important notes: The Finance Development 10 Information 1.40% 1,200 In 2017 is estimated that information services will almost stay flat before
insurance 13.3% it rebounds to a strong growth of around 8% in 2018.
gray areas represent the margin realestate Professional Board.
of deviation. The wider the gray, rentaland andbusiness 11 Agriculture* 1.50% 3,565*** The most volatile sector in output. Forecasted to increase in 2017
the greater the margin. leasin services Dr. Solomon with a drop of about 5% in 2018.
To develop these GDP Figure does not Lausch is 12 Educational 0.60% 3,150 On average the sector has been growing about 1% every year,
Source:
growth-rate forecasts, Dr. M. Bureau of equal 100 percent executive services** similar to the county population growth rate.
Halim Dalgin and Dr. Abdulwa- Economic Analysis due to rounding. director of the
hab Sraiheen, professors of eco- Berks Business *Agricultural employment data is tracked through the Bureau of Labor Sta- **Reported numbers dont include Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.
nomics at Kutztown University, and inflation rates interacted to figures from different years. Education tistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wage analysis, but this info is support and services staff. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Berks County
limited to covered employment, meaning the wages paid to employees in ***NAICS code 11 (Ag, Forestry, Fish-
used a statistical tool called the create changes in GDP growth, Recovery from the Great Coalition. covered employment are used as a basis in establishing an unemployment ing and Hunting).
Workforce Development Board, Additional infor-
vector autoregressive regres- and how they changed. The Recession has been slow but insurance benefit account. Data does not include self-employed. mation by Dr. M. Halim Dalgin and Dr. Abdulwa-
sion model. The tool relies outlook incorporates the more steady, with growth in most in- hab Sraiheen
less on theoretical models and accurate chain-dollar approach, dustries into the next year. Thad
makes minimal assumptions. a method of adjusting real dol- Contact Business Editor Andy Andrews: Gelsinger,
Dalgin and Sraiheen looked lar amounts for inflation over 610-371-5080 or aandrews@readingeagle.com. an attorney at
at how unemployment rates time, to allow comparison of Leisawitz Heller,
is the president
of the Greater
Authors of this report Reading Young
Professionals.
Dr. M. Halim Dr. Abdulwa- Dr. Ernie Post
Dalgin is an as- hab Sraiheen, has been direc- Sonya Smith
sociate professor an associate pro- tor of Kutztown is assistant
of economics at fessor of eco- Universitys Small director, grants

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

Kutztown Univer- nomics at KU, Business Devel- and sponsored

sity. He is a gradu-
ate of Middle East
Technical Univer-
sity, where he re-
ceived his bachelors and masters
degrees in statistics. Dalgin went
to Syracuse University to receive a
masters degree in mathematics and
a doctorate in economics. He does
research in commodity markets, spe-
cializing in financialization of com-
modities as an asset class.
is a graduate of
the University of
Jordan, where
he received his
bachelors degree in economics
and statistics. He received a mas-
ters degree in social and econom-
ic statistics at George Washington
University and a doctorate in eco-
nomics at Penn State.
Sraiheen does research in the field
of economic growth.
opment Center
since 1998. The
Center provides
no-cost profes-
sional consulting to existing and
nascent entrepreneurs in south-
eastern Pennsylvania. Post gradu-
ated from Allegheny College with
bachelors degrees in economics
and psychology and completed a
masters degree and doctorate in
education at Penn State.
projects,
Academic and
Student Affairs,
at Kutztown
University, and is a
representative of the Berks County
Latino Chamber of Commerce.
Some comments originate from
First Research, Austin, Texas,
which provides reports for more
than 1,000 industry segments.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|18

19|Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Part 2 / w he r e we a r e h ea d ed By Kutztown University/Herbein+Company Inc.

Examples of companies within this sector: Forestry, logging, limestone

mining and construction companies; specialty trade contractors; and oil
and gas extraction. Examples of companies within this sector: Colleges, universities and
Examples of companies within this sector: Farms and raw-input food, Examples of companies within this sector: Hotels, restaurants, perform- school districts.
flower and fiber producers. ing arts centers, spectator sports and the gambling industry. Berks major employers: Burkey Construction Co., Descco Design and
Construction Inc. and Dolan Construction Inc. Berks major employers: Reading School District, Berks County Interme-
Berks major employer: Family farms and orchards. Berks major employers: DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, Crowne Plaza diate Unit, Wilson School District and Kutztown University.
Reading, Santander Arena, Reading Fightin Phils and Penn National Gam- Dalgin and Sraiheen say: The decline in this sector has been steady. Its
Dalgin and Sraiheen say: Farm output has been steadily decreasing, both ing Inc. share of GDP in the local economy is down from 6.7 percent to 4.7 per- Dalgin and Sraiheen say: The relatively small size of this sector, 0.6 per-

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

in terms of its share of the county economy and its level of output. Since cent. But since the recession, output has been growing at a steady rate cent of the county GDP, does not diminish its importance. On average,
the Great Recession ended, it has been the fastest-growing sector in the Dalgin and Sraiheen say: As an employer, this sector produces about 3 of 1.6 percent. In 2015, which is the year when we have the last available the sector has been growing about 1 percent every year, similar to the
local economy. The long-term growth rate is averaging 1.6 percent a year percent of the metropolitan output, yet it employs 8.5 percent of its work- data, the sector grew about 1.34 percent. The sector could not recover the county population growth rate. But growth has been negative since the
since 2001. However, the sector has picked up its growth rate to 6 percent ers, up from 7.3 percent in 2001. Over the sample period, its GDP share jobs it lost after the Great Recession, but it might be coming back because recession. We are expecting that growth rate will accelerate to about 2.3
a year since the crisis. We estimate that the roller-coaster ride output of has decreased, but the employment share increased. Overall, in this sec- employment has been picking up in the last couple of years. Despite the percent in 2016. Furthermore, it will swing back to negative territories in
growth to continue in 2016 and 2017, each year adding another 17 percent tor, growth was sluggish at about 0.4 percent and below the average. We steady growth since the financial crisis, we forecast that the level of out- 2017 before it leaps up to about 7 percent in 2018.
increase. Characteristically for the agricultural sector, output will drop by are estimating a big drop in leisure and hospitality services of about 7.5 put as well as the share of output in the overall economy will be shrinking
about 5 percent in 2018. percent. Our forecast indicates a rebound in output for 2017 and then an- and we expect that 2018 will be the worst year in terms of output. The last word, Dr. Solomon Lausch: Most of educational expenditures
other big drop again in 2018. appear to be included under the government category. For the represen-
Another view, Daniel W. Fogarty: This sector is highly productive and The last word, Robert F. Firely Jr.: If President Trump is successful in ful- tation that educational services constitutes less than one percent of to-
accounts for more than $767 million in annual sales from crop and animal Another view, Randy Peers: This sector is performing below expecta- filling his campaign pledge of a $1 trillion infrastructure program, we will tal Berks County GDP: The real figure, I think is more like 5 or 6 percent.
production, with 79 percent of these sales to purchasers outside of Berks tions. When you think of events in this region, with a little bit more of a see an uptick for heavy construction companies through road, bridge, While public education is a government service, it is such a large part of
County. concerted effort, we can see growth in this sector. and airport improvements. the local government footprint that it should be evaluated separately.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|22
Part 2 / w he r e we a r e h ea d ed
Examples of companies within this sector: Steel products, foundries,
machine shops and food products.
Berks major employers: East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc., Carpenter
Technology Corp., Morgan Truck Body LLC and Giorgio Fresh Co.
Dalgin and Sraiheen say: Manufacturing is the biggest sector, both in
terms of output and in employment, providing about 22.3 percent of the
output and 17.5 percent of the employment in Berks County. Manufactur-
ing used to provide about 40,000 jobs, or 21 percent of the overall em-
ployment in the county, but unfortunately, a quarter of these jobs vanished
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
because of automation and productivity gains in manufacturing. Since
2009, output has been recovering strongly, and employment increasing
as well. Output grew in 2015 by about 1.8 percent. We estimate that it has
grown about 3 percent in 2016, and the growth rate is forecasted to slow
down to about 2.2 percent. In 2017 and in 2018, we might see the growth
rate swinging to negative territories, causing the sector to shrink about 1.8
percent.
Another view, Daniel W. Fogarty: Manufacturing is our largest sector by
employment, with about 31,000 workers at 525 establishments, includ-
ing the countys largest employer, East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc. Of the
subclusters examined during a recent regional industry analysis, food pro-
cessing and manufacturing represents a uniquely advantaged subsector.
Examples of companies within this sector: Law, accounting, architecture
and engineering firms.
Berks major employers: Stevens & Lee, Kozloff-Stoudt, ParenteBeard,
RKL LLP and Herbein and Company Inc.
Dalgin and Sraiheen say: The contribution of professional services to the
regional economy is around 13.3 percent, and does not show much vari-
ation in this regard. So far, the average growth rate of the industry was
around 1.4 percent a year, similar to the county GDP growth rate. Growth
in employment averages about 1.7 percent a year, which is much higher
than the regional growth rate in employment. However, this sector has the
second fastest growing output, about 4 percent, since the recession. The
overall volatility of the sector is close to the average in the regional econ-
omy. The most recent data indicate that provision of professional servic-
es grew by about 6.4 percent in 2015. However, we estimate that despite
the strong growth showing in recent years, that sector will face a dramat-
ic drop in its output before it swings to a strong growth, about 4 percent in
2018.
The last word, Thad Gelsinger: Employment was strong in 2016 and is
expected to increase in 2017. The anticipated spur in the overall economy
that may result from strong employment in the area is encouraging.
Examples of companies within this sector: In wholesale: professional
and commercial equipment and supply wholesalers and grocery and re-
lated products wholesalers; and in retail, motor vehicle and parts deal-
ers and clothing and clothing accessories stores.
Berks major employers: Boscovs Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Redners been increasing in the overall economy, from 4.8 percent in 2001 to 5.8
Markets Inc., Giant Food Stores and Weis Markets.
Dalgin and Sraiheen say: In terms of output, this is the second-biggest
sector in the regional economy and third-biggest employer, about 15 per-
cent and 13.4 percent, respectively. In 2015, the sector had a small con-
traction following the slowing growth trend since 2012; furthermore, we
estimate that output slightly contracted in 2016, about 0.6 percent. For
the years 2017 and 2018, our forecast indicates strong headwinds, caus-
ing this sector to reduce output 2.7 percent and 1.7 percent, consecu-
tively. The new business model of increasing internet sales might explain
some of the decline in this sector.
Another view, Robert F. Firely Jr.: A significant and continuing chal-
lenging is internet transactions with providers such as Amazon.
The last word, Sonya Smith: Looking at the decreases, a question
comes to mind: Is e-commerce an optional route to be sustainable? County.
23|Tuesday, May 2, 2017
By Kutztown University/Herbein+Company Inc.
Examples of companies within this sector: Truck transportation, pipeline
transportation of natural gas and warehousing.
Berks major employers: Penske Logistics, FirstEnergy Corp. and UGI Corp.
Dalgin and Sraiheen say: The relative importance of this sector has
percent in 2015, even though its employment share has been almost flat.
Since the crisis, this is the third fastest-growing sector, albeit with in-
creased volatility. Output of this sector increased by 7.5 percent in 2015
and, owing to the high volatility of the sector, our forecasts indicate a big
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
drop in the growth rate, about 10 percent, and a further contraction of 4
percent in 2017, after which we are expecting a big jump in the growth
rates to about 14 percent. Employment in this sector has been steadily in-
creasing at a healthy clip of 3.5 percent a year on average. Yet again, vol-
atility has been high, which makes forecasting especially hard. Overall,
the volume of internet sales will definitely have big impact in the growth
model of this section of the local economy.
Another view, Randy Peers: This is a solid growth sector for Berks
County, although with some volatility. Our neighbors to the north in Le-
high have focused on transportation and warehousing as a primary in-
dustry to nurture, and we are seeing some of that spillover in Berks
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|20
Part 2 / w he r e we a r e h ea d ed
Examples of companies within this sector: Banks, financial advisers and
insurance carriers.
Berks major employers: Santander Bank, BB&T, Wells Fargo Bank, Cus-
tomers Bank and The Loomis Co.
Dalgin and Sraiheen say: The share of this sector in the economy has
been slowly decreasing, from 13 percent to 10.8 percent. Its share of em-
ployment has also been decreasing steadily, from 5.1 percent to 3.4 per-
cent, since 2001. The level of output has been shrinking by about 0.4
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
percent, on average, annually. The sector in absolute terms is smaller
now than it was at the beginning of 2001. As a matter of fact, the growing
trend of financial services was reversed after the financial crisis, leading
to a contraction of 2.9 percent on average since 2010. Although output
picked up in 2014 by 2 percent and in 2015 by another 0.8 percent, em-
ployment continued to decrease because of new technologies that could
provide the services with less labor. In our forecast period, growth will
stay very strong, at an average of about 4 percent.
The last word, Robert F. Firely Jr.: In the wake of the financial crisis in
the late 2000s, Congress enacted comprehensive financial regulatory re-
form. The industry is anticipating significant regulatory relief under the
Trump administration, which campaigned to dismantle Dodd-Frank.
Examples of companies within this sector: Agencies that administer
government services at the federal, state or municipal level.
Berks major employers: Public schools, Berks County government and
Pennsylvania government.
Dalgin and Sraiheen say: Over the years, until the Great Recession, the
provision of government services and jobs has been steadily increasing, at
about 2 percent a year. But since then, the size of the government spend-
ing has been sliding down about 1 percent every year. Moreover, govern-
ment employment has been shrinking faster than then the government
spending, about 1.5 percent every year since then. Because of the ups and
downs in government output, its share of employment (12 percent) and
output (11 percent) has been stable. In 2015, the provision of government
services dropped by about 0.7 percent. We estimate that contraction of
these services will continue, albeit at a much faster rate, through 2018.
Another view, First Research: About 5.1 million people work for state
governments, and about 14.3 million people work for local governments.
Average wages are generally higher than for the average U.S. worker.
The last word, Robert F. Firely Jr.: The government sector in Berks Coun-
ty employs about 22,000 jobs and represents 10.9 percent of our local
GDP. Locally, since the recession, the size of government has been declin-
ing about 1 percent annually, and government employment has also been
declining.
Examples of companies within this sector: Hospitals, health care com-
panies and colleges and universities.
Berks major employers: Reading Health System, Penn State Health St.
Joseph and Supportive Concepts for Families.
Dalgin and Sraiheen say: The provision of health care and social assis-
tance is the fastest-growing industry in our sample period. Compared to
the beginning of our period, its relative size in the economy has increased
by 3 percentage points, from 7 percent to 10 percent. Moreover, it has
achieved this result with a much more subdued volatility, second small-
est after the government sector. The growth rate of this sector, before
the financial crisis, has been much stronger than it was in the aftermath,
4.5 percent versus 1.7 percent. As an employer, its share in the econo-
my has also been growing: at the beginning of the period, its share of em-
ployment was about 10 percent. We are forecasting that the provision of
health care and social assistance to rise by about 5.2 percent in 2017 and
remain flat in 2018.
Another view, Daniel W. Fogarty: Our second-largest employment sec-
tor, health care and social assistance, added another 800 local jobs last
year and continues setting employment records year after year, employ-
ing more than 29,000, making up 16 percent of local employment. We
project that employment in health care and social assistance will over-
take local manufacturing sector employment by 2022, and is on its way
to adding more than 5,000 new jobs by 2026.
21|Tuesday, May 2, 2017
By Kutztown University/Herbein+Company Inc.
Examples of companies within this sector: Cable companies; wireless
and satellite telecommunications; newspapers, radio and television;
and data processing and hosting services.
Berks major employers: Distributed Systems Services Inc., Weiden-
hammer, Reading Eagle Company.
Dalgin and Sraiheen say: In terms of its volatility of output, this sec-
tor is only second to the agricultural sector. At the beginning of our pe-
riod, growth rate was volatile and yet at times very dizzying; however,
after the recession, it has come down to earth. On the eve of the Great
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
Recession, it had almost doubled its share of output, but it was hard
hit by the recession, and since then recovery was not very strong. As
the share of its output has increased from 1.2 percent to 1.5 percent, its
share in employment has decreased from 1.2 percent to 0.7 percent.
Since 2012, the sector has been shrinking slowly. In 2015, the provision
of information services decreased by about 0.44 percent. In 2017, we
estimate that information services will stay flat before it rebounds to a
very strong growth of about 8 percent in 2018.
The last word, Robert F. Firely Jr.: Demand for information technolo-
gy services is driven by technological advances, but spending depends
on the health of the U.S. economy. This is a fragmented industry, in that
the 50 largest companies account for about 40 percent of the revenue.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|24

25|Tuesday, May 2, 2017

par t 3 / t he eco n om i c p u lse s u rve y people

About the survey Newsmakers University with a bachelors de- plementing business development nia State Board of Accountancy for
gree in psychology. Last summer strategies for continued growth a four-year term.
Business Weekly publishes news of ar- he was a content marketing intern of the companys customer base A partner of Herbein + Company
The Executive Pulse survey link was sent to members of the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Kutztown University Small ea residents or former residents who
Business Development Center, and it was promoted in Business Weekly. The sample includes businesses representing both the nonprofit and have been hired, promoted or appoint- at DaBrian. and establishment of new business Inc. in Spring Township, Stonesifer
private sectors. A total of 107 completed surveys were used to calculate the following results: ed to boards. Send your news via email partner relationships within and specializes in audit and consulting
to businessweekly@readingeagle.com, Sustainable Energy Fund outside central Pennsylvania. services for the manufacturing and
1. Compared with a year ago, 2. During the next 12 months, 3. Are your firms capital and 4. Do you anticipate that your and attach a recent photo (a high-reso- adds board member Eckert has a marketing and plan- distribution industries.
have overall economic do you expect the overall investment expenditures likely firms sales revenues will lution photo of at least 300 kB as a jpg or Lower Macungie Township, Le- ning background in the health care Stonesifer is a past
tif file). Or send us news through read-
conditions in the U.S. economic conditions in the to increase, remain the same increase, remain the same ingeagle.com using the Newsmakers
high County-based Sustainable industry, where he managed the president of Penn-
improved, remained the U.S. to be better, about the or decrease during the next or decrease during the next form from the drop-down window under Energy Fund has announced the marketing and communications for sylvania Institute of
same or worsened? same or worse? 12 months? 12 months? the Money tab, and fill in all the required addition of Jocelyn several major facilities in central Certified Public Ac-
fields. Include a contact name and phone Cramer to its board of and eastern Pennsylvania. countants Reading
% %Dontknow %Dontknow % % % %Dontknow number with your submission. Deadline directors. He is a graduate of the St. Jo- chapter. Stonesifer
orsened noopinion noopinion Dontknow Decrease Decrease noopinion is the Tuesday prior to publication. Cramer, from Lake sephs University class of 2008 and David W. is a member of sev-
noopinion Township in Wayne received his masters degree from Stonesifer eral national organi-
LVCC announces County, was born and Millersville University in 2011. Eck- zations, including the
% new president/CEO raised in Dalton, Lack- ert is originally from Lancaster and American Institute of CPAs, Na-
orse %
Remain The Lebanon Valley Chamber of Jocelyn awanna County, and lives in Manheim Township, Lan- tional Society of Accountants for
% % % thesame Commerce CEO search committee Cramer attended The State caster County, with his wife, Emily. Cooperatives and Albright College
% Improved Better % Increase % and board have announced that University of New York National Advisory Council for Ac-
% Remain
Remained About
Increase Karen Groh was se- in Binghamton. There, she received Akujieze joins LDG counting.
thesame thesame
thesame lected president and a bachelors degree in theater. as VP of finance Stonesifer received his bache-
CEO. Cramer began her first theater Williamsport, Lycoming Coun- lors degree in accounting from Al-
Groh stepped in as production company in Boston, di- ty-based Larson Design Group bright College.
interim president and recting or acting in every produc- has announced that Adanma
CEO in mid-Decem- tion while simultaneously leading Akujieze has joined its corporate Home Health Care
ber. She has been a all fundraising, marketing and pub- leadership team as vice president appoints 3 to board
Karen business owner of IA licity efforts for the company. She of finance. LuAnn Oatman, Eric Brown and
Groh Design, a graphic de- works as executive director for LDG has offices Eric Rick Wolf have been ap-
5. Do you expect your firms 6. Do you expect your firms 7. When do you expect your 8. Rate the top challenges your sign and marketing Sustainable Energy Education & in Bethel Township pointed to the Wyomissing-based
profitability to improve, remain total number of employees firms total number of business is likely to face over company, for 21 years. She joined Development Support in Hones- and Lititz, Lancaster Home Health Care Management
the same or worsen during the to increase, remain the same employees to increase the next two years.* the chamber in 1998 and has been dale, Wayne County. County. Inc. board to help individuals fur-
next 12 months? or decrease during the next over the next 12 months? an active member ever since. Akujieze will over- ther achieve a level
12 months? 1. Rising health care premiums Groh has chaired numerous Berks County Capital see LDGs account- of well-being in their
% %Dontknow % %Dontknow % % chamber committees, including the Campaign Review Board Adanma ing department. She home of choice.
orsen noopinion Decrease noopinion small business round table, cen- hires Rush Akujieze will be responsible for Oatman is presi-
2. Polarized political leadership tennial planning and ambassadors. Wyomissing-based Capital mentoring staff, ex- dent and CEO, Berks
% She has chaired the committee re- Campaign Review Board has an- ecuting analyses of various busi- Encore, 40 N. Ninth
% sponsible for planning the annu- nounced that Virginia Rush, Wyo- ness initiatives and implementing St.; Brown is gener-
Noplans % 3. Finding new customers al Patriot Day Community Concert missing, has been hired as director. long-range planning tools such as LuAnn al manager, Double-
%
Increase toincrease since it began 16 years ago. The newly created po- forecasts. Oatman Tree by Hilton hotel,
% % numberof %
Remain Improve % employees % Groh will transition her busi- sition will support and Akujieze is an active member 701 Penn St.; Wolf is
thesame Remain 4. Increasing taxes ness client base to other agencies strengthen the cur- of her community. She is a board founder of Embrace

thesame
over the next few months. She lives rent capital campaign member for Snyder, Union, Miff- the Challenge LLC,
% in Cornwall, Lebanon County, with vetting process and lin Child Development Inc., where Flying Hills.
% her husband, John, and children help prepare nonprof- she serves on the audit, finance A proponent of
Steadily 5. Finding qualied entry-level or
throuh % technically skilled employees Joshua and Sarah. it agencies for capital and human resources commit- advocacy for inde-
thenextmonths Virginia T. campaign success. tees. pendent living and
% DaBrian Marketing hires Rush In her role, Rush Akujieze is a certified public Eric Brown community educa-
*Respondents were asked to answer using a 5-point scale (ranked from most to least challenging). Results are the combination of concerned, very concerned copywriter will support the CCRB accountant. In addition, she is a tion, Oatman led the
and extremely concerned answers. Results may not equal 100 percent due to rounding. DaBrian Marketing Group, 500 with the implementation, man- member of several professional or- vision for Berks En-
Penn St., Suite 201, has hired Chris- agement, communication and ganizations, including the Pennsyl- core, a nonprofit that

Confidence has shown a distinct rise 2014

By Dr. H. Halim Dalgin
at the overall economy level
calculate the confidence index
tian H. Kline as copywriter. marketing of the CCRB process. vania Institute of Certified Public offers support servic-
Year Confidence index In his role, Kline uti- Where possible, she will provide Accountants. es for older adults and
lizes his knowledge support to smaller nonprofits who Prior to joining LDG, Akujieze seniors.
100 of human behavior to do not have the capacity or staff served in finance leadership roles Brown has worked
write helpful content to conduct a capital campaign. at Weis Markets Inc., first as chief Eric Wolf as an advocate for
2015 103.4 for each clients target internal auditor and then as direc- Berks Visiting Nurse

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

without considering specific for different industries because audience. Eckert joins tor of corporate accounting and Association to make its inaugu-
2016 99.7
Kutztown Univer sity
industries, and then I took their it seems, in this questionnaire, Klines mission is Landmark Abstract compliance. She is a graduate of ral Festival of Trees a successful
I was able to combine various average for each year. That gave categories are not overlapping Christian to express a consis- East Hempfield Township, Lan- Michigan State University, where event and is investing time again
trends into a summary statistic, a me a confidence index for any with the previous ones. 2017 112.1 H. Kline tent and universal caster County-based Landmark she earned both her bachelors and this year.
confidence index. I took the first given year. I then normalized While business confidence de- message through any Abstract, part of the HomeSale masters degrees in accounting. Wolf brings an educational out-
six variables in the Executive the index by using 2014 as the creased in 2016, the confidence ternet sales and other oppor- marketing initiatives that contain Group of title agen- look and deep community roots to
Pulse survey; calculated the dif- base year. Here is the index for is much greater from 2017 to tunities, show distinct growth. creative material. Specifically, Kline cies, has hired Tim CPA appointed to State the VNAs, according to the orga-
ference in percentages of the posi- the whole economy: 2018 as a result of many factors, And professional and business collaborates with creative director Eckert as director of Board of Accountancy nization. He is the recent found-
tive and negative expectations for The first six questions from including a pro-business na- services remains on a con- Mark Mapp and web designer Nick business development David W. Stonesifer, a certified er of Embrace the Challenge LLC, a
each year, which came out either the Pulse survey are most rel- tional administration. tinually positive upswing, as Davies to ensure campaigns offer and marketing. public accountant, was nominated consultative services organization
as positive or negative; and then I evant about the current and fu- From our expectations does information. In manu- users relevant and action-oriented At Landmark, Eck- by Gov. Tom Wolf and unanimous- for schools and nonprofit organi-
added this number to 100. ture business environment. for 2018, transportation and facturing, we dont see a lot of narratives. ert will be responsible ly confirmed by the Pennsylvania zations.
I did this for each variable However, this year I did not warehousing, because of in- change. Kline graduated from Temple Tim Eckert for creating and im- Senate to serve on the Pennsylva-
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|26
s cam r e p o rt
Employee awareness of security of health care data is major fear
By Stu Sjouwerman
CyberheistNews
A new study conducted by
HIMSS Analytics found that
employees lacking education
and awareness are top health
care data security threats.
Approximately 80 percent of
surveyed health information
technology executives and pro-
fessionals report that employee
security awareness is their
greatest concern regarding
health care data security.
The 2017 Level 3 Healthcare
Security Study was conducted
by HIMSS Analytics and spon-
sored by Level 3 Communica-
tions Inc. HIMSS interviewed
125 individuals who worked in
or alongside the IT department
at a health care provider orga-
nization.
Exposure from partners
or third parties was the top
concern for nearly 69 percent
of those surveyed, followed
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
Millersville University Gordinier Hall
Award Winning Architectural & Interior Design
by securing wireless or bring-
your-own devices (54 percent
of respondents) and a lack of
actionable intelligence (36
percent).
HIMSS Analytics Senior
Director of Research Services
Bryan Fiekers maintained that
security cannot become an
out-of-sight, out-of-mind prob-
lem.
Check this article from
HealthITSecurity: www.bit.
ly/2ot01N7.
Locky ransomware back
and badder than ever
Locky ransomware reap-
peared with a vengeance
recently, this time not using
Office documents combined
with social engineering to have
the user-enabled macros, but
with a PDF that has a Word file
hidden within, which executes
a macro script when opened by
the user. This scenario allows
the phishing email to bypass
k a u t t e r k e l l e y. c o m
k a u t t e r k e l l e y. c o m
sandboxes.
Our friends at Malwarebytes
blogged that the criminal
hacker group controlling the
Necurs botnet just opened the
spam floodgates again and is
pumping out fake documents
that deliver the nasty Locky
ransomware.
The ransomware is dropped
following a distribution meth-
od we have been seeing more
of recently with Dridex, which
involves embedding a Word
document within a PDF file.
When the user clicks the OK
button, the rogue Word docu-
ment is displayed.
The attack relies on users
opening up malicious attach-
ments that will appear legiti-
mate.
Many studies have shown
that users are often the weak-
est link in an attack chain, and
criminals know that too well.
Malwarebytes protects
against this attack at various
27|Tuesday, May 2, 2017
layers, including macro and
ransomware mitigation, and
neither of those required any
signature update.
And obviously, trained end-
users can spot the red flags
related to this and would never
open the PDF to begin with, let
alone then open the Word file
hidden within.
You need defense-in depth,
meaning layered defenses.
Its urgent to create your hu-
man firewall by stepping your
users through new-school se-
curity awareness training and
frequently testing them with
simulated phishing emails.
Dont wind up with a ransom-
ware infection.
In related news, since Locky
is run by Russian organized
cybercrime, a U.S. court sen-
tenced a Russian hacker to a
record-setting 27 years.
Finally, some justice!
Visit www.bit.ly/2oO0LfP.
for your efforts and support in compiling, analyzing and
Business Weekly / Reading Eagle
presenting this years Berks County Economic Outlook.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|30

31|Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Bizno t e s Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n safet y

How to use BizNotes

BizNotes are a compilation of public records to help
LLC, 501 Exeter Road, Ex-
eter Township, $168,000.
Forrest R. Smith III and
Sheriff of Berks County
to J.P. Morgan Mortgage
Acquisition Corp., 11 Dale
to Branch Banking and
Trust Co. and Susque-
hanna Bank, 938 N. 11th
28 S. Water St., Womels-
dorf, $10.
Sheriff of Berks County
GVF welcomes partner to ensure road safety, increase profitability
businesses increase their customer base, stay informed Beverly J. Smith to Em- Drive, Oley Township, St., $2,400. to Fulton Bank NA, 250
about the community and manage their affairs. pire Group, 34-5 Wister $87,000. Diplomat Property Man- S. Fifth St., Womelsdorf, KING OF PRUSSIA GVF, a and even first responders can tion is shared with drivers. lems on the road, in their area,
Way, Exeter Township, Philip Edmund Pendle- ager LLC to Invescon LLC, $2,500. nonprofit dedicated to improv- broadcast voice messages to let TruckBlox is building part- in the fastest and safest way
Liens include those filed against businesses in Berks $52,000. ton and Deborah Pend- 1423 Birch St., $44,000. David Rutter Estate to GK
County by federal, state or municipal governments. This The Janet Kwiatkowski leton to 12 Acres Farm MTGLQ Investors LP to Land Group LP, 30 Wyo-
ing transportation and infra- approaching drivers know to nerships with state depart- possible.
information may be useful to credit managers, loan offi- Revocable Living Trust LLC, 1278 Memorial NRM Group LLC, 1321 missing Hills Blvd., Wyo- structure in the region, has slow down or move over. ments of transportation and According to GVF, together
cers, attorneys, collection agencies or vendors. and Sheriff of Berks Highway, Oley Township, Mulberry St., $11,000. missing, $105,000. announced that TruckBlox has GVF is excited to partner traffic agencies to get real-time they are working to help reach
County to Nationstar $405,000. Stefanie M. Brothers Woodland Plaza Apart- joined the partnership, accord- with such an innovative com- data about road conditions in the Road to Zero Initiative by
Legal actions include civil suits and judgments contained HECM Acquisition Trust Gary J. Kramer and Ger- to One Nine LLC, 440 ment Associates LP and ing to a release. pany, said Rob Henry, GVF their city, county or state. The reducing distracted driving and
in the public records in local, state and federal courts. 2016-3 and Wilming- ald R. Zerbe to Deutsche Bingaman St., $34,900. Bergen Woodland Plaza The mission at TruckBlox is executive director, in a state- new TruckBlox dashboard will giving drivers time to make life-
ton Savings Fund Soci- Bank National Trust Co. Wells Fargo Bank NA GP LLC to Woodland Plaza
Real estate transactions are a sign of economic activ- ety FSB, 228 Christine and First Franklin Mort- to RE Equity Invest- 2017 LLC, 1701 State Hill to make roads safer for all driv- ment. Through their unique provide the ability for private, saving decisions while driving.
ity and show the business properties that plan develop- Drive, Exeter Township, gage Loan Trust 2006- ments LLC, 110 Clinton Road, Wyomissing, $10. ers, roadside workers and first technology, we look forward to state and government agencies For more, visit www.truck-
ment and tax classification. Information about high-end $46,000. FF8, 66 Slater Road, Drive, Robeson Township, responders while increasing working together to promote to notify their drivers of prob- blox.com.
homes is useful to contractors, retailers, interior-design Sheriff of Berks County to Ontelaunee Township, $110,000. production and profitability for safer commutes using real-
firms and other home-improvement vendors. LSF9 Master Participa- $172,701. Roberto Mandanici to FF New business Americas commercial vehicles. time information.
tion Trust, 212 Cathy Ann Sheriff of Berks County to Investments LLC, 2902 registrations According to GVF, with the I am thrilled to partner
New business names are listings obtained from the De-
partment of State Corporation Bureau. When a new
Drive, Exeter Township,
$2,600.
JPMorgan Chase Bank
NA, 10 Furnace Row,
State Hill Road E2, Spring
Township, $90,000. T&K Drywall Finish LLC, TruckBlox app, commercial with GVF, so together we can Index
business forms, it is required to file supporting docu- Sheriff of Berks County to Ontelaunee Township, Bergen Victoria Cross- 102 S. Sixth St., drywall drivers can avoid traffic jams, achieve our goals for better and People Organizations Advertisers
mentation with the state. We collect information about Bank of New York Mel- $3,100. ings GP LLC and Victo- finishing lane closures and other costly safer transportation, said Matt
new companies in the following categories: business lon Trustee and Bank of McCarron Real Estate ria Crossings Apartment Top of The Line Clothing, delays. More importantly, they Stachel, founder and CEO of M. Halim Dalgin.............. 12 Berks County Workforce Anewalts Landscape
corporations, fictitious names, limited liability compa- New York Trustee and LLC to HTW Real Es- Associates LP to Victo- 837 Moss St., mens retail receive warnings about split- TruckBlox in a statement. GVF Robert F. Firely Jr.....13, 15 Development Board...... 13 Contracting.........................5
nies, limited partnerships and professional corpora- CWABS Inc., 547 Franklin tate LLC, 85 Ashley Way, ria Crossing 2017 LLC, clothing store Daniel W. Fogarty........... 15 Greater Reading Chamber ARC Point Labs of Read-
tions. Note that the addresses provided in these listings St., Hamburg, $2,300. Ontelaunee Township, 144 Victoria Lane, Spring PI Seven LLC, 111 N. Sixth
second problems that cause in- is changing the way people Thad Gelsinger................. 16 and Economic Develop- ing..........................................9
are mailing addresses and do not necessarily specify the The Richard H. Schear- $2,900,000. Township, $10. St., health care-related juries and death, such as an icy commute on a daily basis. It is Dr. Solomon Lausch....... 16 ment Corp....................... 13 BB&T.................................... 24
physical location of a business. er estate to New Roads Justin Goodwin and Al- Marlon A. Lagos, Juan services overpass, debris in the middle of very exciting to work with an- Randy Peers...............13, 15 Herbein + Company Inc. Crossroads Ameriprise....5
Real Estate Group LLC, yssa Goodwin to Central Panchana and Teresa La- Lori M. Bellman LLC, 135 the road or a multivehicle crash other out-of-the-box-thinking Dr. Ernie Post.................... 16 ............................................ 13 Gage Personnel...................4
Lawsuits pation Trust, 142 Ceme- 3432 Freemont St., Lau- Penn Capital Manage- gos to Empire Group, N. Fifth St., real estate happening down the street. company who has been on the Sonya Smith...................... 16 Kutztown University....... 12 Golden Oaks Country
tery Lane, Bern Township, reldale, $46,000. ment LLC, 224 Mine 519 Lenore Place, Spring McNeils Real Estate LLC, The safety proposition cutting edge for more than 20 Abdulwahab Sraiheen.... 12 Club.......................................9
Redco Group, Temple, $2,500. Wetzel Family Trust to Road, Pike Township, Township, $146,000. 1506 Orchard View Road, Kautter & Kelley Archi-
Willow Creek Invest- $132,000. Sheriff of Berks County to real estate doesnt stop with drivers, years. I am confident that a re- tects......................................4
was sued for discrimina- Daniel L. Wilson and
tion by Louise Robinson, Mandy A. Wilson to Riv- ments, 838 Tower Road, Sheriff of Berks Coun- U.S. Bank NA and TBW MLR Construction & though. Construction highway lationship with GVF will help Masano Auto Group...... 28
Reading, for an amount in erpath Inc., 125 W. Third Longswamp Township, ty to Federal Home Mortgage-Backed Trust Consulting Corp., 1230 workers, state and local mu- TruckBlox revolutionize the Thrivent Financial...............3
excess of $50,000 plus St., Bernville, $45,000. $120,000. Loan Mortgage Corp., 13 2006-6, 924 Cacoosing Marion St., remodeling nicipal maintenance workers way road condition informa- Village at Maidencreek....8
costs of the suit, Docket Eddie E. Torres and Jenni- Sheriff of Berks County to Shade Road, Pike Town- Drive, Spring Township, services
No. 1705110, April 19. fer M. Torres to RE Equi- Pennymac Loan Services ship, $2,300. $70,000. JeanCarlos Construction
Penske Truck Leasing ty Investments LLC, 153 LLC, 10 Cherrydale Ave., Thomas F. Kenney Jr. to Sheriff of Berks County LLC, 1221 N. Fifth St., dry-
Corp., Green Hills, was Hopewell St., Birdsboro, Lower Alsace Township, Clare Inc., 1044 N. 12th to MTGLQ Investors LP, wall installation
sued for damages and in- $34,000. $2,600. St., $23,000. 140 Laurel Court, Spring CloudActiv LLC, 1144
juries suffered by Antho- Michael W. Baker Jr. and The Anna L. Deisher es- Kevin P. Kalnoski and Township, $80,000. Robeson St., information
tate and Jonathan Grim Sandra S. Kalnoski to TD The Surinder K. Sabhar- technology consultation
ny Reed, Tamaqua, for
an amount in excess of
Chelsea S. Bradley to
Riverpath Inc., 723 E. to KAB Loan Services Improvements LLC, 1155 wal estate and the Su- and management Youve built your business by
$50,000 plus costs of the Fourth St., Boyertown, LLC, 301 Bowers Road, Mulberry St., $16,000. rinder Kaur Sabharwal CMH Creative Solutions
suit, Docket No. 1705116, $100,000. Maxatawny Township,
$146,000.
U.S. Bank NA and Sas-
co Mortgage Loan Trust
estate to RDM Resto-
ration LLC, 172 Heather
LLC, 1551 Allegheny Ave.,
apartment C3, internet
serving your clients best interests.
April 20. Victory Bank to Three
B Properties LLC, 40 E.
Philadelphia Ave., Boyer-
Riverpath Inc. to Turn-
ing Point Investments
2006-WF1 to Berks
County Non Profit Devel-
Lane, Spring Township,
$117,000.
sales
Akhil Real Estates LLC,
So have we.
Real estate town, $210,000. 2 LLC, 7 Girard Ave., opment Corp., 1144 Mul- Keri L. Kelly to Aspireone 4950 Dunham Drive, Ex-
transactions Sheriff of Berks County Muhlenberg Township, berry St., $10,000. LLC, 1334 I W. Wyomiss- eter Township, real estate Our commercial clients know the value of doing business with
to Wells Fargo Bank NA, $109,000. Aha Realty Corp. to Td & ing Blvd., Spring Town- Royal Canvas Studio, 1316
Stacey H. Ames and Scott 4210 New Holland Road, The Epiphany Evangeli- G LLC, 1255 Buttonwood ship, $52,000. Columbia Ave., Kenhorst, BB&T. Our consultative approach allows us to understand
J. Bolonski to KAB Loan Brecknock Township, cal Lutheran Church of St., $14,000. Philip D. Rowe Jr., Ame- photography your business and provide insights to drive the performance
Services LLC, 106 Anti- $2,500. South Temple PA and Dayspring Homes Inc. lia R. Barto and Mary GRMCJ LLC, 102 Maple
etam Road, Alsace Town- Louis A. Visco Jr. to Vet Calvary Evangelical Lu- to DAHS Investments Lee Rowes Irrevocable Lane, Amity Township, of your business forward. For more than 140 years, weve
ship, $65,000. O&P LLC, 3508 Main St., theran Church to 629 LLC, 1545 Schuylkill Ave., Deed of Trust to Hoya consulting built relationships by creating long-lasting partnerships
Sheriff of Berks County Caernarvon Township, N. Temple Blvd. LLC, $71,000. V LP, 2222 and 2222R Iceliners Synchronized
to Wells Fargo Bank NA, $520,000. 629 N. Temple Blvd., Sheriff of Berks County to Tulpehocken Road, Spring Skating Team LLC, 7 In- that extend beyond deals and transactions. Experience the
Wachovia Mortgage FSB Sheriff of Berks County Muhlenberg Township, Federal National Mort- Township, $1,400,000. dian Springs Court, difference when one of the strongest and most respected
and World Savings Bank to Wells Fargo Bank NA $250,000. gage Association, 1823 Carol Fry to MKS Con- Caernarvon Township,
FSB, 144 Skyline Drive, Trustee and Wells Far- Wilmington Savings Fund Olive St., $2,100. struction LLC, 11 Ran- synchronized figure skat- banks in the nation is also part of your community. BBT.com
Alsace Township, $2,900. go Bank Minnesota NA Society FSB, Christiana Sheriff of Berks County to or Court, St. Lawrence, ing team
Sheriff of Berks County Trustee and Reperform- Trust and BCAT 2014- Federal National Mort- $20,000. Amity Community Edu-
to Wells Fargo Bank NA, ing Loan Remic Trust 4TT to New Roads Real gage Association, 922 N. Sheriff of Berks County to cation Center, 211 Ben
1995 Mount Laurel Road Certificates Series 2002- Estate Group LLC, 4347 Eighth St., $2,100. Wells Fargo Bank NA, 27 Franklin Highway, Exeter

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

Business Weekly / Reading Eagle

and Mount Laurel Road 1, 1283 County Line Road, 12th Ave., Muhlenberg Sheriff of Berks County to E. Market St., Tulpehock- Township, educational
lot, Alsace Township, Colebrookdale Township, Township, $81,000. Deutsche Bank Nation- en Township, $2,300. classes
$2,700. $2,100. Tara Hoffman to Car- al Trust Co. Trustee and Lem Moore LLC and Sher- Repperts Candy II Inc.,
Sheriff of Berks County to Kent Lewis and Cathy rington Mortgage Ser- Popular ABS Inc., 1226 iff of Berks County to 2708 W. Philadelphia
Kingsmead Asset Hold- Lewis to Marin-Pri- vices LLC, 127 Mayberry Chestnut St., $1,900. Phoenixville Federal Ave., Oley, candy manu-
ing Trust, 823 Antietam vate LLC, 773 Imperial Ave., Muhlenberg Town- Sheriff of Berks Coun- Bank and Trust, 5 Shed facturer
Drive, Amity Township, Drive, Cumru Township, ship, $2,400. ty to Fannie Mae, 945 Road, Union Township, 1274 Hill Road LLC, 1300
$2,500. $97,000. Sheriff of Berks County to Muhlenberg St., $2,800. $365,000. Stone Ridge Road, Spring
Nicholas W. Wolf and Elizabeth A. Siegel and Citimortgage Inc., 1015 Sheriff of Berks Coun- Olleroif LLC to 600 Township, real estate
Crystal S. Wolf to Amer- Robert A. Siegel to Ro- Meadow Drive, Muhlen- ty to Federal Home Loan Penn LLC, 600 Penn Hat-A-Tack, 275 Sunday
ican International Relo- co Property Invest- berg Township, $4,000. Mortgage Corp., 1728 Ave., West Reading, Road, Windsor Township,
B A N K I N G . I N S U R A N C E . I N V E S T M E N T S
cation Solutions LLC, 188 ment LLC, 720 Loblolly Dale J.M. Troutman to Haak St., $2,400. $1,165,000. retail sales of hats and
W. Spring St., Bechtels- Lane, Cumru Township, Zeppos Real Estate Sheriff of Berks Coun- Park Court Apartment horse equipment
ville, $170,000. $94,000. Holdings LLC, 4629 ty and JJ Property Man- Associates LP and Ber- Tuckerton LLC, 1030 Reed Member FDIC. Only deposit products are FDIC insured. BBT.com
Sheriff of Berks County Desiree Weidenhammer Kutztown Road, Muhlen- agement Co. LLC and JJ gen Park Court GP LLC Ave., Wyomissing, real 2016, Branch Banking and Trust Company. All rights reserved.
to LSF9 Master Partici- to Ocwen Loan Servicing berg Township, $139,900. Property Management to Park Court 2017 LLC, estate
 No Money Down
Tuesday, May 2, 2017|32

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