Keystone Edge - Features

PA Companies Tap into Electricity Deregulation

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As vast swaths of the Commonwealth brace for electricity rate caps to expire and drive up prices, emerging PA firms are having success helping businesses and consumers find ways to save.

Trailblazing: Ecotourism in the Former Coal Belts of Northeast Pennsylvania

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A series of trails through the northeast are linking together Commonwealth lands once thought of as casualties of King Coal, and forming the backbone of what could become a thriving ecotourism industry for the region.

Happy Holidays from Keystone Edge

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Keystone Edge is taking the next two weeks off to celebrate the holidays and get some rest before the new year. We'll be back with a sparkling new issue on January 8, 2009.

Get Keystone Edge Every Week--Delivery is Free

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Click here to subscribe to Keystone Edge. We'll deliver to your inbox every Thursday. It's free.

The Big Play: Risks and Rewards in the Marcellus Shale

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As natural gas drilling rigs come online across northeast Pennsylvania, landowners and energy companies alike are hoping the Marcellus Shale will yield billions of dollars worth of natural gas and reinvigorate the region's economy. Some residents are also hoping to learn from the experience of communities elsewhere in the country, where drilling for natural gas has brought mixed results.

Leading Ventures Keep Their Cool

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:52:50 GMT

In an uncertain economy, top VC firms in Pennsylvania are sticking to what they know works best: software and information technology companies with solid business models and well-laid plans for growth.

Raising the Ship: CMU Robotics Team Gunning for the Moon

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Dr. William "Red" Whittaker and his team of young scientists at Carnegie Mellon are competing in the Google Lunar X PRIZE--a $30 million international competition to send a robot to the moon. But Whittaker isn't in it for the money or the moon; he wants robots to change the world.

Philly's American Commerce Center: Looking Beyond the Credit Crunch

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With credit markets frozen and the economy in recession, it might seem like the proposed 1,500-foot American Commerce Center in Philadelphia will need a series of miracles to survive. But the mixed-use behemoth has already managed to get the zoning approvals it needs from City Council, and also reportedly has hefty financial backing. Against the odds, plans are moving forward. All it needs now is a small miracle.

Harrisburg University Looks to Bolster Regional Economy by Linking Academia and Industry

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Only three years after opening its doors, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is changing the capital region. Not only is the school adding a $73 million, 16-story academic center to the Harrisburg skyline, its also building bridges between the ivory tower and the new economy.

The New Downtowns: Renaissance in the Long Run

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cities across the Commonwealth are working hard to re-make their downtowns in the hope that a thriving center of mixed-use developments and cultural amenities is the key to a sustainable future.

Three Rivers Film Festival: Q&As with Pittsburgh Directors

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

"Deuce," a documentary screened last week at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, tells the story of Lawrence "Deuce" Skurcenski, a Pittsburgh sports fixture for the last half-century. Another festival film, "The Korean," is an action-packed feature from Pittsburgh director Thomas Dixon. Keystone Edge sat down with the brothers behind "Deuce," Joe and Mark Graziano, and also with Dixon, to talk about filming in Pittsburgh.

At EthosGen, Ethanol is a Family Affair

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

About 20 years after Bill Abrams figured out an efficient way to make ethanol, his son Jim is figuring out how to make it profitable.

Going to Work Playing Games

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In terms of annual revenue, which is expected to top $57 billion next year, video games are the new Hollywood. So shouldn't game developers get the same incentives to do business here that filmmakers do?

Enterprising Spirits, Part II: Craft Breweries and the Future of Beer Distribution in PA

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Pennsylvania's $7 billion brewing industry abounds with successful craft brewers--entrepreneurs who have steadily grown their businesses in the face of huge challenges. The next huge challenge: Looming changes to the way beer is sold in the Commonwealth.

Punching Down a Straight Line: The Poconos' Brian Pedone

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As one of Pennsylvania's youngest and most successful entrepreneurs, Brian Pedone has taken a key lesson from the boxing ring to the world of software startups: When you strike, make it count.

The 100K House: How a Philly Startup is Trying to Change the Green Housing Industry

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

About four years ago, Chad Ludeman and his wife Courtney bought a house and spent two years and their life savings working to restore and rehabilitate it. Then on Memorial Day 2006 Chad came home from his engineering job and told his wife he wanted to sell their house, quit his job, and build an affordable "green" house, proving to the world that you don't have to be wealthy to build and live green.

Enterprising Spirits, Part I: Pennsylvania's Unlikely Vintners

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In the first of a two-part series about the emerging winemaking and beer-brewing industries in Pennsylvania, our writer looks at the unexpected rise of vineyards across the Commonwealth.

Downtown on the Farm: An Agricultural Renaissance Takes Root in PA

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Is urban agriculture the future of sustainable urban living? Farmers markets and community gardens are multiplying across the Commonwealth as more people choose to buy locally produced food--or grow their own.

Fishing Where the Fish Are: Scott Ungerer and the Cleantech Revolution

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Scott Ungerer, founder of EnterTech Capital in 1996, has long known what the rest of us are just realizing: eventually we'll have to quit the hydrocarbon economy for something else.

Burning Off the Fat: Philadelphia Fry-O-Diesel Makes Biofuel From Useless Sludge

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How a small startup working out of a makeshift lab in North Philadelphia is aiming to transform the biodiesel industry--and the way we think about alternative fuels.

Urban Renewal and The Promise Of PA's Brownfields

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As Pennsylvania communities become increasingly engaged with development projects, they are beginning to grapple with the question of brownfield redevelopment--and are making their voices heard.

Rooftops Sprout Over Pittsburgh

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In Pittsburgh, engineers are working with nature to shape spaces and grow buildings--literally. Green rooftops are taking root on some of the Steel City's most distinctive buildings.

Free Agent Nation

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Web designers, reporters, and a host of other professionals in Pennsylvania are shrugging off allegiance to a single company and striking out on their own as freelancers. The result is a new way of working, marked by an intensely creative entrepreneurial spirit.

Featured Stories

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 11:09:56 GMT