In the News

With Backyard Farmers, gardeners can grow produce at home with little fuss

The Philadelphia Inquirer Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Al Benner and John Genovese started a business, Backyard Farmers, that allows people to grow food at home without getting their hands dirty.

Benner contends that his garden systems will yield not just healthier and far-superior-tasting vegetables than those found in the typical grocery store, but a return on investment in less than two years. That's based on a calculation that three beds, planted compactly via a method known as "French intensive," will produce about 1,155 pounds of produce a year.

That, multiplied by the average cost per pound of produce in the grocery store, translates to a savings of $2,552 on groceries in the first year, according to the company's website, www.backyardfarmers.com.

Original source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Site of suburban Philadelphia steel mill reborn as eco-friendly data center

Data Center Knowledge Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Data Center Knowledge reports on Steel Orca, a soon-to-open server farm built at the home of an old steel mill and built to use the Delaware River's cooling power.

Steel ORCA Bucks County DC will provide turnkey data center solutions that include co-location, managed hosting and professional services. The project will be housed in a 700,000 square foot facility that will be built from the ground up, and include 300,000 square feet of data center space, according to CEO David Crocker.

"This data center will be (one of) the largest, most ecologically considerate and efficient data centers on Earth," said Crocker. "We are developing disruptive technologies. We are able to fulfill our vision of building a data center that addresses concerns by many data center clients focused on mandates and incentives to reduce carbon footprint, yet provide optimal high-density and high-performance computing."

Original source: Data Center Knowledge
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Exploring Fallingwater's legacy 75 years after its construction

The Wall Street Journal Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The Wall Street Journal marks the 75th anniversary of Fallingwater's construction by asking why the home Frank Lloyd Wright designed in southwest PA is so legendary.

It is a unique example of a path championed by Wright and not taken up by the field generally: a kind of streamlined, handmade, organic architecture that at the top of its list of goals relates to, and celebrates, nature. Fallingwater was seen as beacon and highly appreciated in its time -- the first MoMA show devoted to this house was in 1938, and the accolades have continued ever since -- but still almost everybody went the other way. You know how people love and respect Patti Smith, but Aerosmith is the bigger band? Integrity does not always translate to cultural dominance.

Original source: The Wall Street Journal
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Woman giving Philadelphia apartment building sustainable renovation, one unit at a time

The Philadelphia Inquirer Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Liz Solms, daughter of the late developer Stephen E. Solms, is gradually renovating each apartment in a Philadelphia building with environmentally friendly materials, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The now-refurbished seventh-floor apartment at Touraine, which will be available for rental this week, is, Solms said, "a trial-and-error unit for something that we want to get down to a science."

The renovation, which took four to six months from conception to completion, argues against the belief that Philadelphia renters won't settle for less than "stainless steel and granite," she said.

The tile in the bathroom, for example, is an American Olean product made of inorganic materials and recycled scrap -- even the leavings from the production process are reused.

Original source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
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At York County's Emeco, dozens of hands work together to produce high-quality chairs

Fox 43 Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Fox 43 goes behind the scenes at Emeco, a south-central PA company that makes chairs favored by customers from the U.S. Navy to Britney Spears.

The end result may look simple but the process is anything but. It takes 77 steps to build an Emeco chair and most of the work is done by hand. Fifty hands in fact. Those 50 hands weld, stamp, grind and polish for eight hours just to produce one chair. If you want this polished beauty, add another 8 hours of labor.

"It`s kind of like putting a puzzle together, all the pieces have got to fit together," Harman said.

Pete Harman has been working with Emeco for 45 years. He has seen the highs and the lows of the business. The company gained its prominence back in the 1960's, with its 1006 Navy Chair. The navy uses these chairs aboard ships and subs because they don't rust and are basically indestructible.

Original source: Fox 43
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Freelance and student Internet developers build unconventional Philly workspace

The Philadelphia Inquirer Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on twentysomethings who launched Devnuts, a combination techie co-working space and business incubator.

The large open space on North Third Street housing Devnuts and Jarv.us is anything but corporate, with no cubicles or fluorescent lights. So, for that matter, are the twentysomethings who work there. Some are freelance techies and hackers who rent space for $300 a month, others work on projects for Devnuts, and still others are interns whom Devnuts helps train and then find tech jobs.

At 2 on a recent afternoon, a few interns in jeans and sweatshirts were clustered around a couple of desks, all intensely coding on their laptops. More would arrive later; techies aren't morning people, Fazio said, and the office is busiest between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Original source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Visual and performing artists join to promote Lancaster as artistic destination

CBS 21 Wednesday, April 06, 2011

CBS 21 reports that museums, musicians and other artistic groups are joining together to promote these institutions as a way to draw visitors.

The city is home to hundreds of artists and more than 125 professional arts venues, including one of only 40 private art colleges in the country, fine art and craft studios and galleries, art and cultural museums, antique and vintage shops and several performing arts centers, including one of only eight National Historic Landmark theatres in the country. Additionally, Lancaster�s popular First Friday events encourage visitors to explore the growing arts scene by attending exhibit openings, musical performances, artists� talks and a variety of other art-related events the first Friday of each month.

Original source: CBS 21
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Harley-Davidson enthusiasts can now design custom motorcycles built to order

Central Penn Business Journal Wednesday, April 06, 2011

The Central Penn Business Journal reports that riders who want custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles can go online and order bikes made to their specifications.

Customers can point and click their way to the paint job or handlebars they want, take printouts to local dealerships and have the Harleys they want in four weeks or less, said Paul James, director for the company's product communications.

There are about 2,600 configurations in which customers can order the first Harley model in the program, the Kansas City-built Sportster 1200 Custom, James said.

Original source: Central Penn Business Journal
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Philadelphia-area wallpaper business named country's top small exporter

The Wall Street Journal Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Wall Street Journal reports that Wallquest, based in suburban Philadelphia's Main Line, was named small-business exporter of the year by the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

The naming of a home-furnishings company is a shift from recent years, when Ex-Im awarded the designation to mostly high-tech companies -- such as makers of wind generators, medical equipment, automotive air conditioners, water purification systems and anti-bacterial agents for animal feed -- many that catered to emerging markets.

"Wallquest demonstrates the enormous opportunities awaiting small businesses that reach beyond U.S. borders, where 95 percent of the world�s consumers are," Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg said in a statement last week.

Original source: The Wall Street Journal
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In a world with less smoking, Zippo expands its product line

Associated Press Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Associated Press reports on the Northern Tier lighter manufacturer's efforts to attach its cachet to clothing, pens and other products.

"It has to be something that feels like Zippo," (CEO Gregory) Booth said of the travel bags, backpacks, watches, sunglasses, jeans and leisure shirts, wallets, pens, liquor flasks, outdoor hand warmers, playing cards and even a fragrance. Manufactured by Italian perfumer Mavive, it comes in a lighter-shaped canister (and, yes, a lid that clicks).

Marketing experts said all that makes sense provided that Zippo's new products stay true to the brand - and that the company learns quickly that selling jeans, or any other product, comes with a whole menu of unique business complexities.

Original source: Associated Press
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New business group wants King of Prussia to be known for more than shopping

The Philadelphia Inquirer Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on a new business improvement district in charge of reinventing King of Prussia as more than the home of a giant mall.

Not only does it have 28,395 residents, it has office and industrial parks, schools, churches, and a convention center that soon will include a casino slots parlor. In all, King of Prussia has 50,000 employees, making it the region's largest suburban employment complex, said Barry Seymour, executive director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

"But you don't have a perception of that," he said, largely because the uses are spread across the township without much definition.

A recognition of that, and a concern that being content with the status quo could one day doom this Montgomery County suburb that has more of a small-city feel, has triggered a re-imagining of King of Prussia - the town, that is.

Original source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Wooden blocks too boring for your kids? Try robotic Cubelets

Fast Company Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Fast Company reports that Modular Robotics, a spin-off of the Computational Design Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, is selling 21st-century style children's blocks that make robots and other gadgets.

The genius behind Cubelets lies in their flexibility: each block's function is extended and defined by the other blocks you magnetically attach to it. Snap a knob cube to a bar-graph cube, and boom, you've got a cool little light-toy. Even better: snap that to a motor cube with some wheels, and presto, instant robot. Using a kit of 20 blocks, you can build all kinds of funky little machines and doodads -- no instruction manual required.

Original source: Fast Company
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Home builder debuts net-zero energy house near Pittsburgh

SmartPlanet Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Builder S&A Homes built a house in suburban Pittsburgh that generates as much energy as it uses, SmartPlanet reports.

The test home, tucked away in the Cobblestone Estates development in Ohio Township in the Pittsburgh suburbs, is a logical extension of S&A�s E-Home, an efficient (but not net-zero) design it debuted in 2009.

The E-Home promised to cut monthly energy bills by $150, through ultra-efficient windows, fluorescent lighting, advanced HVAC systems, recycled materials and, of course, its inherent design.

The Lab Home takes that a step further, with a horizontal loop ground source heat pump system, 8-in. thick exterior walls filled with R-40 insulation and solar panels.

Original source: SmartPlanet
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Lancaster's downtown revival provides possible inspiration and blueprint for York

York Daily Record Wednesday, February 23, 2011

In a two-part series, the York Daily Record examines the success of Lancaster's downtown makeover and how York might replicate it.

John Thiry, a commercial real estate agent with NAI Commercial Partners, said it used to be nearly impossible to persuade companies to want to build in Lancaster. "I couldn't drag people here," he said.

Today, office space occupancy rates are in the high 80s, and the city's downtown is a hot spot for "flippers," real estate buyers who pick up properties, renovate them and sell them at a profit.

Perhaps the city's most dramatic property turn-around culminated in 2009: the Watt & Shand department store building reopened as the Lancaster County Convention Center and Marriott Hotel, a lavish 90,000- square-foot hotel with a cavernous lobby, restaurant and spa.

Original source: York Daily Record
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Braddock and its mayor symbolize hope and despair in blighted Rust Belt towns

The New York Times Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The New York Times profiles John Fetterman, mayor of Braddock, a small town that's become a national symbol of urban renewal, and explores how Braddock can be an example for other Rust Belt communities.

In contrast to urban planners caught up in political wrangling, budget constraints and bureaucratic shambling, Fetterman embraces a do-it-yourself aesthetic and a tendency to put up his own money to move things along. He has turned a 13-block town into a sampling of urban renewal trends: land-banking (replacing vacant buildings with green space, as in Cleveland); urban agriculture (Detroit); championing the creative class to bring new energy to old places (an approach popularized by Richard Florida); �greening� the economy as a path out of poverty (as Majora Carter has worked to do in the South Bronx); embracing depopulation (like nearby Pittsburgh).

Original source: The New York Times
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