Marcellus Shale action is fueling the growth of downtown law firm
Babst Calland, which has announced the hiring of 16 lawyers and two paralegals at Two Gateway Center.
The expansion of the firm's well-established Natural Resources Group (supporting litigation, mergers, acquisitions and titles) is a direct result of the exploding local natural gas industry. The attorneys moved over from Tucker Arensberg, which was a mutually beneficial fit for both companies says Kurt Weber of Babst Calland.
Gas and mining activity was also behind the opening of a new office for Houston, Tx-based Valerus in Smithfield, Pa,. this month. Valerus provides field application and repair services on oil and gas equipment to regional energy companies. The firm plans to add an additional 10 to 12 employees to the current 14 at the site.
In the bigger employment picture, the region's total nonfarm job numbers for September 2011 rose again by 12,700 from September 2010, reports
Pittsburgh TODAY. The region's numbers were stronger for all benchmark regions except Milwaukee, Boston, Cincinnati and Minneapolis. The strongest sectors were goods producing, wholesale trade, education, health services, natural resources, mining and construction.
Other companies reporting hiring:
Industry Weapon, a Dormont-based media technology company, is looking to fill several slots including VIP Agency Executive, software engineers and three internship candidates.
B-Three Solutions, offering software consulting services to businesses, governments and nonprofits, recently added three to its staff. The company is based in Pittsburgh.
SDLC Partners, a Monroeville-based business and technology consulting firm, expanded its operations with a new office in Three Gateway Center downtown. Since 2004, SDLC has grown its technology-driven company from five to more than 190 employees.
Source: Kurt Weber, Babst Calland; Pittsburgh TODAY; Industry Weapon, SDLC Partners, B-Three Solutions
Writer: Deb Smit