Fay-Penn introduces new Uniontown business center
Rebecca Devereaux | Herald-Standard
From left, state Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Bullskin Township; Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites; PTC Corporate Director of Real Estate and Facilities Karen Ehrens; Fay-Penn Economic Development Council Chair James Foutz; Uniontown PTC Senior Director Aaron Tuomi; Uniontown Mayor Bernie Kasievich and Fay-Penn Executive Director Bob Shark attend the unveiling of new plans for the Fay-Penn Business Center, to be located in the former Uniontown VFW building.
Rebecca Devereaux | Herald-Standard
James Foutz, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council Chair, speaks during the unveiling of the Fay-Penn Business Center that will be located in Uniontown in the former VFW building. PTC Inc., a global technology company, will be the first tenant to occupy the space in August.
Rebecca Devereaux | Herald-Standard
Fayette County Mayor Bernie Kasievich gives a short speech showing his support during the unveiling of Fay-Penn Business Center that will will be located in the former Uniontown VFW building.
Dozens of local dignitaries and residents gathered at the former Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 47 at 142 W. Main St. Monday morning for a first peek at the next step for a downtown Uniontown in transition.
At a speaker conference inside the former VFW building, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council Chair James Foutz announced the site would house the new Fay-Penn Business Center, with PTC, a technology company that has operated at 2 W. Main St. since June 2006. Attendees got to see on-site construction which is well underway toward completing the business center, which PTC is slated to move into in August, said Aaron Tuomi, senior director of PTC’s Uniontown center.
“This is a wonderful time for Uniontown,” Foutz said. “This is a corporate building that will be the western gateway to downtown.”
Foutz added that Fay-Penn has already received interest from other prospective tenants who could move into the building’s second floor, as PTC will occupy all of the building’s first floor.
“We’re proud to be here,” Tuomi said. “And we’re proud that we’re staying here.”
The speaker conference featured Foutz and Tuomi as well as PTC corporate Director of Real Estate and Facilities Karen Ehrens, Uniontown Mayor Bernie Kasievich, Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites and Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Bullskin Township. Also on hand was Fayette County Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink.
“Everything old is new again in a downtown where things are starting to change,” Stefano said. “People want to live in a place where everything is walkable and close and connected. That was different a while ago, but it’s coming back again.”
Foutz said that the project is set to cost approximately $2.4 million, with Fay-Penn investing most of it and another $85,000 being provided from the county’s Local Share Account program with support from all three county commissioners. Fay-Penn is renovating 24,000 square feet in total at the former VFW Post 47, which closed in December 2010, with an additional 10,000 square feet available for one or several tenants on the second floor.
Vicites noted that PTC’s decision to relocate within Uniontown ensures that 50 high-tech jobs will stay in the city, adding that he hopes the second tenant for the business center is secured “very shortly.”
Ehrens said that as the new facility’s first tenant, PTC would have access to 14,000 square feet with a five-year lease, and Tuomi added after the ceremony that PTC will have 3,000 more square feet at the new facility than the 11,000 square feet at the 2 W. Main St. location it is leaving behind. Ehrens added that the new location will provide PTC with open space, offices, conference rooms and a first-class training facility.
PTC, formerly Parametric Technology Corporation, was founded in 1985 and currently claims approximately 6,000 employees in 30 countries around the world, according to the company’s website. Headquartered in Needham, Mass., PTC provides technology platforms and solutions, helping businesses create and service products in manufacturing industries.
Foutz said there had been previous discussion about turning the old VFW location, which Fay-Penn purchased from the VFW in 2012, into a farmer’s market or demolishing the building entirely. Plans for the Fay-Penn Business Center have been ongoing for the past year, according to Fay-Penn, a nonprofit organization founded in 1991 that focuses on local economy and workforce development.
The Fay-Penn Business Center’s inaugural announcement comes at a time of transition for the city, where Kasievich took over as mayor in January. The city’s Main Street Program, a state-designated and funded commercial district revitalization program, also expired last month.
“I wanted to set out to clean up the town and attract businesses,” Kasievich said. “This is exactly what we were looking for.”