Pennsylvania Invests $6.7M in 44-Acre Business Park

Pennsylvania is betting big on its economic future, and Bedford County just became the latest winner.

The state celebrated the groundbreaking of the Bette Brown Slayton Business Park, a 44-acre development that will provide ready-to-build sites for nine new or expanding businesses. The $6.7 million project will create 60 construction jobs and give companies the infrastructure they need to set up shop quickly in southcentral Pennsylvania.

The timing couldn't be better. CNBC recently ranked Pennsylvania as the top state for business in the entire Northeast, jumping four spots from the previous year.

The Bedford County Development Association received $2.8 million through PA SITES, a program Governor Josh Shapiro launched after talking with national site selectors about what Pennsylvania needed to compete. The project also secured $1.65 million in industrial development loans and $2.3 million in transportation funding.

PA SITES was born from a simple question: what stops companies from choosing Pennsylvania? Site selectors said businesses need shovel-ready locations where they can break ground immediately instead of waiting years for permits and infrastructure.

The state responded with $400 million for the program in the 2024-25 budget. That investment is already paying off. PA SITES funding helped Pennsylvania land two massive deals earlier this year with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson.

The new Bedford park will serve industrial, manufacturing, and logistics companies looking for flexible space and strategic access to transportation routes. For a rural county, that kind of infrastructure can mean the difference between landing major employers or watching them choose another state.

The Ripple Effect

The park honors Bette Brown Slayton, who spent 35 years as founding president and CEO of the Bedford County Development Association shaping the region's economic landscape. Her leadership helped position Bedford County to compete for projects like this one.

Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast with a growing economy right now. Since Governor Shapiro took office, the state has attracted over $41 billion in private investment and created more than 24,000 jobs.

The 2026-27 budget doubles down on that momentum with $125 million for startup funding and clinical trials, plus increased support for minority-owned businesses and small-town main streets. These aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent communities across Pennsylvania getting the tools to compete and win.

Construction begins now, and the first businesses could break ground within months.