Butler County Welcomes
Westinghouse Move to Cranberry

Westinghouse Electric Company is consolidating the hub of its expanding worldwide operations in Cranberry Township, Butler County. The move to the Cranberry Woods Business Park is slated to reach completion late in 2010, and Westinghouse is expected to boost its local workforce there by 1,000 to 3,000 in the coming years.

“Governor Rendell, Dan Onorato, Scott Lowe, the Allegheny Conference and numerous others worked together to insure that Westinghouse would be able to expand in Western Pennsylvania,” said Tony Greco, Westinghouse Sr. Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Relations. “We look forward to a long and mutually rewarding presence that will benefit the entire region.”

Cranberry is happy to have this international giant in the neighborhood. Now and in the years ahead, the business of Westinghouse will grow, reflecting what is called the nuclear renaissance. According to the World Nuclear Association, a number of factors are prompting greater reliance on nuclear energy around the world. The rising demand for energy coupled with concerns over climate change and dependence on overseas supplies of fossil fuels are coming together to make a stronger case for nuclear build.

In the United States, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received notice of application for joint construction and operating licences for 19 new nuclear plants, and substantial, new nuclear capacity is expected to be on line by 2020.

As recently as April 2008, Westinghouse Electric Company and its partner, The Shaw Group Inc.’s Power Group, signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with Georgia Power to provide two Westinghouse AP1000TM nuclear power plants at the Alvin W. Vogtle site near Waynesboro, Ga. According to Steve Tritch, Westinghouse President and CEO, the contract is the first to be announced in the United States since before 1978, and proves that the nuclear renaissance has moved beyond the planning stage.

Elsewhere, China plans a five-fold increase in nuclear capacity by 2020, and India expects is to add 20 to 30 new reactors by 2020.  Also, communities in Finland and Sweden have accepted the local construction of permanent disposal sites for nuclear waste, and more companies are cooperating to foster developments in nuclear science and technology.  

Construction of the new Westinghouse facility in Cranberry Woods is underway, and construction and occupancy should reach completion in the first half of 2009. Employees located at facilities in Monroeville and Churchill will follow in a second-phase move, and all employees are slated to be in the new facility by the end of 2010. Employees located in Blairsville, Madison, and New Stanton will remain in their
existing facilities.

Cranberry Woods is one of seven, full-service office and industrial parks open in Cranberry Township, and more land is zoned for future development, including light industrial, business park, and special use. Much of the land area of Cranberry, including property adjacent to the township’s major highway corridors, has yet to be developed. 

Westinghouse selected Cranberry Woods after reviewing real estate options in Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Besides reaffirming the historical connection of Westinghouse to Western Pennsylvania, Cranberry offered attractive access to and from the area. Cranberry is easily reachable from just about anywhere in the region.Two major interstate highways cross in Cranberry Township –the east-west route of Pennsylvania Turnpike, I-76, and the north-south route of
I-79. Other major regional highways include U.S. Routes 19 and 228. Route 1-279 cuts travel time to and from Pittsburgh to under a half hour.

Cranberry Township is now working with Simon Properties Group, and PennDOT District 10 to develop an improvement plan for the U.S. Route 228 corridor from Route 19 to Myoma Road in Adams Township. The financial package to complete the improvement involves $64.25 million from Simon Properties and Township impact fees. This includes $23.75 million in state transportation funds available for the project.

These highway connections in the vicinity of Cranberry Township mean ease of access for future customers, future employees, and current employees of Westinghouse. The convergence of highways in Cranberry also promises easy supply-chain proximity. 

Site flexibility was another reason Westinghouse located its headquarters in Cranberry. The square footage at Cranberry Woods meant that Westinghouse could build the square footage that they wanted to, including associated parking space and the possibility for expansion.

Cranberry also offers an outstanding quality of life for Westinghouse employees who will reside there. The crime rate is low, and the township offers excellent recreational amenities, an outstanding public library, and the absence of any significant environmental cleanup or remediation issues. Other advantages to living here include regional cultural assets, a strong voluntary sector, a well-respected public school system, and branch campuses of many institutions of higher learning.

In addition, the demographics of the township skew toward a younger, healthier, better educated, and more prosperous population than in most of Western Pennsylvania. And besides easy access to Pittsburgh’s major research universities, Cranberry is the branch campus site for a number of colleges, trade schools, and consortia of workforce training institutions.

“The decision by Westinghouse to locate the hub of its expanding worldwide operations here affirms Cranberry Woods office park as a world class place to locate a major headquarters,” said John Trant, Jr., Chief Planning Officer for Cranberry Township.

Cranberry stands to benefit from the accompanying surge in Westinghouse employees and the housing increases associated with their establishing residences in the township. “We expect a lot of these Westinghouse employees will decide to live in Cranberry, owing to the high quality of life here,” said Trant.

He also expects the increase in the number of Westinghouse employees will have a positive multiplier effect on job growth in Cranberry. “We anticipate that one to three additional jobs will be created for every job at Westinghouse in ancillary businesses, in the service sector including hospitals, and in the retail trade here,” he said.

According to Trant, the Westinghouse move to Cranberry affirms the township’s Board of Supervisors 1995 comprehensive plan and vision for the entire Route 228 corridor. The Westinghouse move to Cranberry Woods office park accelerated the build out of this property. We’re really looking forward to the Westinghouse presence in Cranberry. There are many ways that the move here can be mutually beneficial for the company and the township,” he said. mg