Lower unemployment rates and new highs in nonfarm jobs marked the month of March in Pennsylvania.
The state’s unemployment rate last month dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.2%, and the total nonfarm jobs hit a record level, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s situation report.
March marked the third consecutive month of record-high total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania. The state’s unemployment rate was also two-tenths of a point below its level in March 2022.
The national unemployment rate also declined, dropping one-tenth of a percentage to 3.5%. The national rate is also down 0.1 percentage points over the year.
Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force, which is the estimated number of residents working or looking for work, increased 5,000 over the month. Resident employment rose by 12,000 over the month and unemployment decreased 7,000.
The state’s nonfarm jobs increased by 12,500 over the month to a record level 6,108,900 in March. The previous mark of 6,096,400 was set last month. Jobs increased from February in seven of the 11 supersectors with the largest gain (4,500) in leisure and hospitality. Professional and business services also hit a record high.
Total nonfarm jobs increased by 159,000 over the year with gains in all 11 supersectors. Education and health services were up 52,000 and had the largest volume over-the-year gain among supersectors. Three other supersectors each added more than 16,000 jobs.
After a more than two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lancaster City Restaurant Week starts today.
Forty-four restaurants, including 12 new establishments, are participating in the in-person event April 17 through April 23.
The restaurant week committee held an invitation only event at 401 Prine, 401 N. Prince St., to kick off Restaurant Week’s return. Eight restaurants offered specialty dishes that will be available during the week.
Chris Trendler, president of restaurant week and general manager and partner of Decades, 438 N. Queen St., said the event will hopefully draw crowds to downtown Lancaster to reinvigorate business, which has seen issues with staffing and food supply issues since the pandemic hit.
Lancaster City restaurants offer a variety of cuisines including Asian, Irish, French, Greek, Indian, Italian, Nepalese and Middle Eastern, Trendler said.
This year, instead of offering fixed-price menus as was the practice in the past, Trendler said restaurants will offer what they feel will best draw customers.
In addition to the established eateries, the newcomers include 401 Prime, A La Board & Vine, Amanitas Café, Dough Heads Waffles, Layali Al Sham, Proof of Lancaster, Savory Truffle, SpiceKings Kitchen, The Bread Pedaler, The Urban Farmhouse and Wish You Well Bakery.
Best Western Grantville/Hershey offers 96 suites – PHOTO/PROVIDED
Best Western Grantville/Hershey opened Monday at 450 Station Road, Grantville.
Best Western Hotels & Resorts said the all-suite hotel has 96 rooms equipped with large flat-screen televisions, mini fridges and microwaves.
The king suites also have a dedicated workspace in the living areas and several king suites include a Jacuzzi tub. Best Western said the double suites include a dining room table.
“We are thrilled to welcome guests to our refreshed property, as each update was intentionally made to appeal to business and leisure travelers,” said Girish Sheth, voting member of the Best Western Grantville/Hershey. “Ideally located near all the action the Grantville/Hershey area has to offer, the property is the perfect hub for visitors.”
The hotel also has a heated indoor saltwater pool and a 24-hour exercise facility. Best Western said a new community table has been added to the lobby for a place where guests can gather.
In addition to a 24-hour business center with printing, faxing and scanning, the facility also has a 1,500 square foot conference room that can accommodate up to 150 people, the chain said.
York-based Springwood Hospitality, a hotel development and management company, recently announced new ownership and other organizational changes.
Earlier this year President Justin Shelton assumed ownership from founder and partner David Hogg, who will remain involved as Springwood’s development specialist. To accelerate growth, Hogg is also mentoring an expanded development team.
Shelton partnered with Hogg and joined Springwood Hospitality as president in 2009. He recently purchased Hogg’s remaining 50% interest and became CEO. It was always the goal for Shelton to eventually take the reins, and for Hogg to remain involved.
Shelton had an extensive history in hospitality before coming to Springwood, landing his first general manager position before his 21st birthday.
He served on the prestigious Hilton Owner’s Advisory Council and through his distinguished service with the Tru Brand and Springwood’s award-winning development and operation of several Home2 Suites hotels, Hilton honored him with his position on the Advisory Council of Home2 Suites. Shelton is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a B.S. in hotel and restaurant management and a marketing minor.
“I am thrilled to have Justin at the helm,” Hogg said in a release. “He has driven most company decisions for years, with industry-recognized excellence that has substantially benefitted our team and our investors. I believe his leadership will deliver the best possible future for Springwood Hospitality.”
Other organizational shifts include the promotion of Director of Operations Molly Jensen to company vice president.
“It is a true pleasure to officially announce Molly’s well-deserved promotion. She has been such an asset to Springwood from day one,” Shelton said.
Springwood and its affiliates have profitably developed 34 projects worth more than $360 million in central Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Maryland. They have helped high-net-worth entities and individuals invest $140 million of private capital in these projects.
Royal Manchester Golf Links in Mt. Wolf, York County, is one of GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness’s holdings – PHOTO/PROVIDED
Camp Hill based-Brown Golf merged with GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness of Topeka, Kansas, today creating one of the largest golf holding and management entities in the country, GreatLIFE said.
With the merger, GreatLIFE Golf’s portfolio will include fifty-three golf courses and five gyms located in nine states under the GreatLIFE Golf brand.
John Brown
John Brown, co-founder and CEO of Brown Golf, will assume the role of GreatLIFE Golf CEO, with Jason Harshbarger, co-owner and CFO of Brown Golf, assuming the role of GreatLIFE Golf CFO.
Collectively, the GreatLIFE brand will represent seventy golf courses, six of which are in Pennsylvania including Royal Manchester Golf Links in Mt. Wolf, York County; twenty-five gyms and one bowling center.
“Both our organizations have thrived the last several years,” said Brown. “We did not accept status quo. We’ve both pushed ourselves to invent better solutions – solutions that are better for our customers, and our bottom line.”
“GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness and Brown Golf is a partnership for the future,” said Rick Farrant, founder of GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness.
“Brown Golf has the infrastructure for success and GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness has created a great brand and portfolio that we look forward to carrying forward via this merger under the GreatLIFE name. Now, we want to expand our portfolio and help more courses realize their potential,” he said.
Golf courses have been closing faster than opening. According to a study from the National Golf Foundation, over 450 courses have closed in the past three years. GreatLIFE Golf is on a mission to turn the tide, Farrant said.
“As golf owners and operators, we knew the problems facing golf courses, so we set out to solve them,” said Brown. “By building our own proprietary booking engine and technology solution GolfBack , we have given course owners and operators back their brand, their direct traffic, their profitability and their rounds of golf. The GreatLIFE Golf company will be fully supported by GolfBack’s technology delivering data collection, automated marketing, dynamic pricing and much more.”
When asked what is next for the organization, Brown said the company will have two equally important goals.
“First, growing the company’s management platform and portfolio with our current teams and partnerships. Delivering integrity, transparency, and innovation, while understanding the impact our client courses have on their communities. Second, acquiring new golf courses. We want to find the right properties to join our network of clubs and we are excited this merger has escalated our ability to do so,” Brown said.
The York County Industrial Development Authority, staffed by the York County Economic Alliance, is launching the John A. Lambert Hospitality Training Program.
The initiative, in partnership with Crispus Attucks, York College of Pennsylvania and GF Hotels & Resorts, honors John A. Lambert, one of the Yorktowne Hotel’s most recognized and tenured employees.
Offered at no cost, the training program will prepare individuals for a career in the hospitality industry. Participants who attend and complete the classes and earn a passing grade on the corresponding exam will receive a certificate from the nationally recognized American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, a release said.
The evening and weekend classes – to be held Sept. 12 through Sept. 28 – will be taught by industry professionals and held in the Crispus Attucks computer lab at 605 S. Duke St., York. Classes in Spanish are available upon request.
Training topics include Guest Service Gold: Golden Opportunities; Front Desk Representative; Guest Room Attendant; Restaurant Server; Maintenance Employee; and Kitchen Cook.
The John A. Lehman Hospitality Training Program is financially supported by the Women’s Giving Circle and the Rotary Club of York.
Anyone interested in working for the Yorktowne Hotel as it prepares to reopen is also encouraged to attend the York Hiring Fair from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 15 at PeoplesBank Park and Yorktowne Hiring Days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 19-21 at the York County Economic Alliance, 144 Roosevelt Ave., York.
The co-owner of Swatara Coffee Co. is using the tools she gained from Meta’s Booster Gather Conference in May to improve business at the company’s two locations.
Joanna Guldin-Noll, co-owner of Swatara Coffee Co., with locations in Annville and Jonestown, said this summer she has seen an uptick in business.
“Being in a more rural area, we don’t have ready access to same tools that people in city might,” she said. “So, to be able to network and talk to people from all over country who are doing innovative things is cool,’ she said of the conference that was held in Washington, D.C.
Meta hosts the conference to give small business owners from across the country an opportunity to network with their peers and participate in a series of educational workshops aimed at helping them “boost” their social media presence and leverage Meta’s digital tools, she said.
Guldin-Noll has been using reels on Instagram. The short videos can showcase a product in a creative way using songs or audio from television shows that are remixed with video she takes.
“This is the second anniversary of our Annville location, so I used a party vibe with clips of the cookies we are serving and moments from the past two years,” she said, adding she has been getting between 3,000 and 6,000 views per reel.
“Attending the Meta Boost Conference was a fantastic opportunity for us to learn from experts and small business owners across the country,” she said.
Swatara Coffee Co. began as an idea by Guldin-Noll’s husband, John, when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012-13. After serving more than six years in the United States Navy, Noll knew he wanted to start a business that provided a sense of community and could be a destination for people to relax and congregate.
Today, Swatara Coffee Co. employs more than 25 full- and part-time employees. The Jonestown store opened in 2017 and Annville in 2020. The stores are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Guldin-Noll said the stores encourage people to hang out and socialize or conduct business.
“Our mission is ‘To Build Community’ and we do this through myriad ways. One is that we choose to source many of our products locally to highlight the good works of our neighbor businesses, reduce our carbon footprint, and serve a unique product,” said Noll.
Guldin-Noll noted that opening a new location at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic required them to maximize their social media presence in order to drive orders, promote products and establish an online retail presence. Swatara Coffee Co. ships its products across the country and is especially proud of its growing client base to APO and FPO addresses.
“Rural businesses serve a need in the community that would otherwise be unmet by large, big-box establishments, and I’m grateful for the opportunities that Meta has given us,” added Guldin-Noll.
From left, Tim Henry, president and CEO, F&M Trust; Summer Franzoni, vice president and retail services market manager, F&M Trust; Michael Kalathas, executive director, Costa Academy; Phil Pantano, vice president and commercial services market manager, F&M Trust; and Chad Rydbom, vice president and commercial services relationship manager, F&M Trust – PHOTO/PROVIDED
F&M Trust has pledged $12,500 to Costa Academy to expand its programming.
Costa Academy, a culinary arts school in Chambersburg, which educates students through a style of teaching that fosters engagement, provokes confident decision-making, and inspires leadership, will expand to offer classes to post-high school and other adult students, the company said.
Costa Academy, which is housed at The Orchards restaurant, 1580 Orchard Dr., has educated high school students through an alternative education program since 2016.
“Having a culinary program that educates students of all ages to have the skills required for a career in the food industry means a lot more than most think,” Costa Academy Executive Director Michael Kalathas said. “I thank F&M Trust for understanding our vision and for seeing the impact this will have for our entire community.”
The program’s approach is to help students develop their purpose, define their place in society, cultivate relationships with diverse populations, and positively impact their community, he said. Core values of the academy include excellence, integrity, authenticity, and generosity.
“Franklin County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania and offers many opportunities in the food services industry. But the nearest culinary school is more than 50 miles away in York,” said Tim Henry, president and CEO of F&M Trust. “The bank makes this donation to support educational opportunities locally for students interested in pursuing culinary careers.”
Upon graduation, Costa Academy students will be ready to work in the hospitality industry, catering, restaurants, retail food industry, institutional and commercial dining, leisure and recreation industry, and food manufacturers and wholesalers, Kalathas said.
Mechanicsburg-based Duck Donuts has signed an area development agreement to open franchises in Thailand.
The Great Restaurant Group Co. LTD. is set to open 10 locations throughout Thailand over the next five years. The first location, which is expected to open late 2022, will be in the country’s capital, Bangkok.
File
“Thailand’s landscape is full of dessert cafés and with the growth of the country’s social and economic development, this presents a great opportunity for new businesses such as Duck Donuts to be successful in the Thai market,” said Betsy Hamm, Duck Donuts CEO. “We are looking forward to partnering with The Great Restaurant Group and leveraging their knowledge of the Thai market as we begin to introduce Duck Donuts throughout the country.”
The Great Restaurant Group Co. CEO Joseph Kim has a strong background in hospitality management. In 2020, he launched K-strEAT, Thailand’s first Korean Food Hall comprised of 11 brands from Korea with over 10,000 sq. ft. of retail space, Duck Donuts said.
“Thais love their desserts, and Bangkok, the most populous city of Thailand, has a passion for food, a unique cosmopolitan vibe, multiculturalism and flourishing culinary scene,” said Kim.“Duck Donuts offers a well-known treat, but in a different way with its fresh donuts and made-to-order options, a concept that will make a great addition to the vibrant Bangkok community,”
Duck Donuts specializes in warm, made-to-order donuts. Customers can choose from a variety of topping combinations, including traditional favorites such as chocolate icing with sprinkles and more adventurous creations such as maple icing with bacon.
The family-friendly stores offer a viewing area where customers can watch their donuts being made. Duck Donuts also sells coffee, espresso, donut breakfast sandwiches, donut sundaes, and offers online ordering and delivery in many locations.
Currently, Duck Donuts operates 110 locations across 22 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Saudia Arabia.
Pressroom bartender Brenton Sollenberger manages the spirits and cocktail offerings at the downtown Lancaster restaurant before it closed due to the pandemic – PHOTO/PROVIDED. – Amy Spangler
The Pressroom restaurant on West King Street in downtown Lancaster will reopen this summer under new ownership.
York-based O.N.E. Hospitality announced this week that it is taking over the longtime eatery, which has been closed since April.
The newspaper-themed bar and restaurant debuted in 1995 and underwent a renovation and expansion in 2016. The original owners decided to close it this spring after a difficult pandemic and focus on their core business: operating Lancaster Newspapers and its affiliates.
This location will be a new service area for O.N.E. Hospitality, the umbrella restaurant group behind more than a dozen brands across the region. After opening its flagship farm-to-table restaurant Tutoni’s in York in 2014, the group has produced several more eateries and food trucks. Most recent was Presto Fast Italian, a quick-service restaurant with five locations in Lancaster and York.
Earlier this year, O.N.E announced plans to open Andonia’s Chophouse, an Italian seafood and steakhouse in The Crossings at Conestoga Creek off Harrisburg Pike in Lancaster.
“When we saw that The Pressroom was going to close its doors, we didn’t want to see this institution go by the wayside,” owner Toni Calderone said in a release. “We’re excited to breathe some new life into the space while honoring the history and customer base that was developed over time. We’ll keep the menu an approachable American bistro style with a few new refreshing twists. We’ll have plenty of light and healthy options making it perfect for lunch meetings.”
Other plans for the space include a jazz music series called “The Beat” and a rebranding of the outdoor dining area in neighboring Steinman Park to be called the “Park Bar,” featuring oysters and prosecco on tap. The restaurant will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
The historic building that houses The Pressroom was originally Steinman Hardware Store, which opened in the 1740s and shut down in 1965.
PNC’s mobile banking unit helps student workers with banking needs – PHOTO PROVIDED
Hershey Entertainment and Resorts (HE&R) and PNC Bank joined forces to help about 400 international students set up bank accounts while working at Hershey this summer.
The students, who came to Hershey for work and to explore American culture, help the company keep Hersheypark, Hershey Lodge and Hotel Hershey open for guests when labor shortages are the norm, said Kathleen McGraw, HE&R managing director of corporate communications and community relations.
The students, mostly from Europe and the Caribbean, need special documentation to establish bank accounts because they don’t have social security numbers, she said.
PNC stepped in to help.
Jim Hoehn, PNC regional president of Central Pennsylvania, said the bank’s Office of Financial Wellness set up a mobile unit at its University branch in Hershey to help the students set up accounts so they can receive their paychecks and wire money back home.
The mobile unit allowed PNC to help the students while not overwhelming the branch office, he said.
“Hershey Entertainment & Resorts has long been a corporate/commercial client of ours in PNC’s Central Pennsylvania market,” he said. “We are a ‘National Main Street Bank’ which means we serve local customers but operate nationally.”
HE&R reached out to PNC because the bank has a Bank at Work program and can set up accounts for foreign students using documentation they have, he said.
“We work with a lot of the larger colleges in Pennsylvania so when international students come here, we are set up to help,” he said.
Part of that is the bank’s Virtual Wallet mobile banking app that allows customers to initiate some international wire transfers through the app. “This is critical because most of these students don’t have access to a car and their summer lodging isn’t necessarily within walking distance to our branch,” he said. “It takes the financial stress away.”
McGraw agreed saying the students stay at Elizabethtown College and are provided transportation to and from work so access to bank branches can be difficult.
At the end of the summer when it’s time to take the money they earned back to their home bank account, it’s convenient for them to be able to take advantage of the mobile app to simply transfer the money they earned, Hoehn added.
“PNC financial wellness consultants worked with each student for a long while,” McGraw said. “They were here from about mid-May through this week during our onboarding process and worked with our payroll folks so the students can get direct deposit.”
PNC offered financial education along with opening accounts, Hoehn said. That education includes how to bank in the U.S., how to work the mobile app, how to withdraw money and work with customer service.
In the past, McGraw said the company worked with a third party that issued checking cards. “This year, the Bank at Work unit came on site, and it was wonderful for us.”
In fact, she said, Hershey is looking to expand the program for its interns and employees that are new to the area.
Lack of access to child care threatens parents’ ability to work in the hospitality industry, according to survey data released Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association and Start Strong PA.
The survey questionnaire was distributed to hospitality industry employers and employees between March and May.
Among the data highlights:
· Nearly three-quarters of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that there is a shortage of affordable child care options for their employees.
· Over 80% of respondents said inadequate child care options impacts their ability to recruit qualified employees.
· Nearly 95% of employees said that child care-related concerns are contributing to the national workforce shortage.
“The hospitality industry is still struggling to fully rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic,” John Longstreet, Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association president and CEO, said in a release. “Staffing continues to be the No. 1 concern of operators across all sectors of our industry. Affordable, accessible child care would mean more team members could enter, stay and grow in our industry, boosting the economy along the way.”
Hospitality employees with children reported that child-care access was a barrier to work even before to the pandemic, citing cost and irregular hours. Now that barrier has only increased.
Nearly all employers and employees surveyed said that expanding access to affordable child care should be a high priority for their communities.
“There are currently more than 7,000 vacant child care positions across Pennsylvania … and more than 32,400 Pennsylvanian children on waitlists,” added Steve Doster, a principal partner in Start Strong PA, which supports affordable access to high-quality child care for Pennsylvania families.
“The economy depends on working families and working families depend on child care. Pennsylvania lawmakers are in a position to stabilize and strengthen the child care sector by investing in its employees.”
Paula Wolf is a freelance write
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