Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2.6 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Manufacturing Job Growth in Bedford County, Pennsylvania

Award is Part of the Department of Commerce’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.6 million grant to the Bedford County Development Authority, Bedford, Pennsylvania, to construct a new 24,000-square foot, multi-tenant building at Bedford County Business Park I to support manufacturing businesses. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan.

This project will provide space for current and future manufacturing businesses, supporting job creation and economic diversification in the region. This EDA grant will be matched with $640,000 in local funds and is expected to create 46 jobs and retain 36 jobs.

“President Biden is committed to growing America’s proud manufacturing sector,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “This EDA investment will help meet the critical demand for commercial real estate needed to support the expanding manufacturing industry in the region.”

“The Economic Development Administration is pleased to support Bedford County as it works to diversify and grow the region’s economy,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This project is part of EDA’s Coal Communities Commitment and will help attract new manufacturing businesses to the region while allowing established manufacturers to expand.”

“This investment by the Biden Administration builds on my longstanding commitment to strengthening Pennsylvania’s leading manufacturing industry,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “This is an investment that further secures a bright future for the industry, the Bedford community, and local workers and their families.”

“Investing in manufacturing will spur economic growth in Pennsylvania as we recover from the pandemic,” said Senator Bob Casey. “I advocated for this funding so that Bedford County can attract new businesses and invest in infrastructure that will contribute to long-term economic resiliency. This grant will support economic diversification and foster growth in the region.”

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission (SAP&DC). EDA funds SAP&DC to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.

This project is funded under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program, which makes $500 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance grants available to American communities. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program is EDA’s most flexible program, and grants made under this program will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs.

EDA’s Coal Communities Commitment allocates $300 million of EDA’s $3 billion American Rescue Plan appropriation to support coal communities as they recover from the pandemic and to help them create new jobs and opportunities, including through the creation or expansion of a new industry sector. Specifically, EDA has dedicated $100 million of its Build Back Better Regional Challenge funds and $200 million of its Economic Adjustment Assistance funds to directly support coal communities.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.