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Tag: West Manchester Township

York company completes headquarters expansion

Weldon Solutions has completed the expansion of its York County headquarters in West Manchester Township. 

A CNC cylindrical grinder and robotic automation systems manufacturer, Weldon Solutions announced the expansion of its production shop and warehouse in January 2022. The expansion measures 18,000 square feet in the production shop and warehouse and 3,000 square feet in its office. 

“We are excited to have completed this major expansion, which increases our capacity and ability to provide more grinders and automation solutions to keep up with growing demand from our customers,” said Travis Gentzler, president of Weldon Solutions. 

“With this additional space, we will be able to fill more orders for our high-quality grinder and robotic automation systems.” 

Increased demand for CNC grinders and customized industrial automation solutions were the reasons for the expansion. 

The facility now totals 61,000 square feet, and the expansion will help clear the way for new product development and team growth. 

The contractor for the expansion project was H&H General Excavating.

West Manchester Twp. FedEx hiring seasonal positions

The West Manchester Township FedEx Supply Chain is hiring up to 400 full-time and part-time seasonal positions at its 325 S. Salem Church Rd. location. 

A business unit of FedEx logistics, FedEx Supply Chain is recruiting seasonal warehouse workers. An open hiring event will be held this week, Tuesday through Thursday, at the York County Fair Grounds located at 334 Carlisle Ave., York. 

Interested individuals can complete an application prior to their arrival at the hiring event and can access an application at https://careers.fedex.com/supplychain/jobs/45572?lang=en-US. Applications can also be completed on site. 

Full-time and part-time positions are available for multiple day and evening shifts. Positions offer competitive rates, training and growth opportunities, and a philosophy of promoting from within. 

Eligible applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent, two forms of valid identification, and be subject to criminal background checks. 

The position is fast-paced and requires lifting as much as 50 pounds at times. Warehouse workers are responsible for the accurate receiving, moving, storing, and shipping of products to meet company standards of safety, security, and productivity. This position is responsible for product safety, quality, and legality. 

This is an entry level position and requires no prior experience in a warehouse environment. Applicants must have a strong sense of urgency and flexibility to meet deadlines as well as excellent verbal and communication skills required. 

FedEx is an equal opportunity employer and will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Crafting company culture at PCI

As Brian Greenplate walks the floor of his company, Precision Cut Industries, he takes time to personally address each employee, asking them about the pace of their work, their needs for the day or their upcoming holiday plans.

The president and CEO of the Conewago Township, Adams County-based manufacturer said he makes a point to know the names of all his 160 employees and to be acquainted with a bit of their background outside of the workplace. It’s more than just a point of pride for Greenplate – it’s what he considers one of the keys to the success of the company that does custom work for businesses around the country.

Brian Greenplate, president and CEO of Precision Cut Industries, watches as employees work on the floor of the Adams County-based manufacturing facility. (Photo Michael Yoder)

Greenplate said he’s proud of the size the company has grown to since he bought it in 2004, expanding to 100,000 square feet of space between three different buildings in an industrial park just west of Hanover. He’s proud of the equipment he’s put in place, including 13 large laser cutters that make everything from specialized parts for satellites to casings that hold glass plates for skyscrapers going up in New York City.

What Greenplate is most proud of is the team he’s built at PCI, calling his workers the company’s most valuable commodity and resource. And to capitalize on that resource, Greenplate has encouraged the development of a cohesive company culture of values and fundamentals that are more than just words on paper.

“The equipment’s there and you need that to do what we do, but I like to think our people are much more valuable than our equipment,” he said. “And with the people being our most valuable resource, how do we, all of us, myself included, behave in a way that helps create customer value as opposed to our equipment creating customer value?”

The PCI Way

When Greenplate, a former executive with West Manchester Township-based Voith Hydro Inc., decided to make the leap to owning and running his own company, PCI was just a small laser cutting operation operating since 1998 in the Penn Township Industrial Park east of Hanover. PCI had around 25 employees then, and was doing about $3 million annually in sales.

The Precision Cut industries headquarters on Ram Drive in Conewago Township, Adams County. (Photo Michael Yoder)

After relocating the company to Ram Drive on the west side of town, Greenplate began growing PCI. He took over a 30,000-square foot space that formerly housed a clothing manufacturer, and later acquired two more buildings. Steady growth through 2015 allowed him to purchase a Beltsville, Maryland-based metal manufacturer serving customers in the metro Washington, D.C. region.

By the close of 2019, PCI was looking at $32 million in annual sales and around 160 employees, and an annual growth rate of 15% to 20% over the last few years. He expects that growth to continue in 2020. PCI has become one of the largest laser-cutting companies on the East Coast.

“The manufacturing economy has been very strong, so we feel fortunate that we’ve been able to be part of that,” Greenplate said.

But PCI’s success runs deeper than a strong manufacturing economy, Greenplate pointed out. Just a few years ago, he felt like the company was stuck in its mindset and work culture, focusing on values like “quality,” “accountability” and “service excellence” without any plan to see them implemented.

Then he went to a meeting of a Central Pennsylvania chapter of Vistage, a peer mentoring organization where he heard a speaker talk about building company cultures and behaviors that support its values. He enlisted the help of the speaker to take a look at his company’s culture, bringing him in to help move the brainstorming process along more quickly.

PCI’s management team started writing down principles it wanted to highlight, coming up with 30 fundamentals it called “The PCI Way.” Those 30 fundamentals and six values are what drives its culture, emphasizing what’s important to the company and its employees, Greenplate says. “We wanted the behaviors to be actionable and what was important and means something to us.”

Each employee carries a card in their wallet listing The PCI Way principles. The first fundamental is “deliver world-class service,” stating that employees should “do the little things, as well as the big things, that surprise people and create the ‘WOW.’”

The second fundamental listed is “take extreme ownership,” encouraging employees to be resourceful, show initiative and do what is necessary to get the job done.

Greenplate said they focus on a different fundamental each week, with an email sent out to all employees describing the fundamental and its meaning for the company. Throughout the week, “team huddles” with department heads take place to talk about the fundamental and ways to implement it in the workplace.

At week 31, attention is turned back to the first fundamental and the process starts again.

“The values are important, but values on a wall are very different from actions we can take day-to-day, week-to-week about who we are,” Greenplate said. “We think the fundamentals are a key part of our growth and part of who we are and how we create value for our customers.”

Holla Spirits rebrands its vodka bottles

Holla Spirits of York County has rebranded the bottles of its line of flavored vodkas. (Photo: Submitted)

York County-based Holla Spirits has announced the rebranding of its packaging for its vodka lineup that will feature new bottle designs.

The new bottle designs have a sleek look with metallic markings and icons for specialty vodka flavors on the neck labels for identification in bar rails when mixed cocktails are made. The bottles have started to show up on the shelves of Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores throughout Pennsylvania.

Patrick Shorb, president of Holla Spirits, said the company constantly gathers feedback from customers, retailers and friends about its products and ways to make improvements. Shorb said the rebranding of the packaging was a way to improve the presentation of the product while maintaining the vodka’s quality.

“Our brand is continuously evolving to meet the needs of next-generation consumers,” Shorb said. “We demand better from our brands, just like our fans. We are progressive and constantly seeking new and innovative technologies. We will act on any opportunity to improve our impact on the community and the environment.”

This year brought several significant changes for the company owned by Shorb and his partner, Matt Glazer, which started distributing its flavored line of vodkas in 2017. The duo moved production from a facility in Montgomery County and opened a new headquarters on Carlisle Road in West Manchester Township in April.

Holla Spirits also introduced its first-to-market “on the go” vodka pouch packaging in Pennsylvania and Delaware earlier this year, with the vodka placed into portable bags designed for events, festivals, the beach or other outdoor activities.

Company officials recently signed a distribution partnership with Florida-based Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits to help with distribution support to its accounts and product displays at liquor stores.

Holla is currently available in more than 100 stores throughout Pennsylvania, as well as bars, restaurants, breweries and clubs in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The company blends its vodkas using high-quality base distillates and natural flavor ingredients, receiving a gold medal in competition during the 2017 Las Vegas Global Spirits Awards.

Rabbittransit names new COO

A rabbittransit express service bus exits the State Capitol Complex after picking up commuters along Commonwealth Avenue in Harrisburg. York’s transit authority operates multiple round trips on weekdays between York and Harrisburg. (Photo: Amy Spangler)

York County-based rabbittransit has named Trevor Manahan as its COO, taking over oversight of the agency’s facility operations.

Manahan most recently served as a plant manager for Minerals Technologies Inc. in York and as an operations manager, plant manager and multi-plant safety manager for Graham Architectural Products in Spring Garden Township. He has more than 20 years of operations management experience.

“Trevor brings a results-oriented focus on through continuous improvement strategies and employee engagement,” said Richard Farr, executive director or rabbittransit. “We welcome him to the rabbittransit management team.”

Manahan said his initial focus as COO is to improve employee and rider satisfaction and safety, as well as standardization of work procedures. He lives in York with his wife Heather, a teacher in the Dallastown School District, and their two sons.

The Central Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, publicly known as rabbittransit, is a transportation provider offering a variety of transit services and mobility options to the residents of Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Franklin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union and York counties with its offices based in West Manchester Township. Nearly 8,000 people use rabbittransit each day to get to work, medical facilities and schools.

UPMC Pinnacle opens five-floor outpatient center

UPMC Pinnacle officials open the UPMC Outpatient Center at the hospital system’s new UPMC Memorial campus. PHOTO/SUBMITTED

UPMC Pinnacle completed the latest addition to its UPMC Memorial campus this week with the opening of its new five-story outpatient center.

The 120,000-square-foot UPMC Outpatient Center was built alongside the hospital system’s new UPMC Memorial hospital at 1703 Innovation Drive in West Manchester Township and opened one month after the adjacent hospital.

The outpatient facility opened on Monday and offers cardiac and pulmonary rehab, a sleep lab, infusion and oncology services, imaging services, various outpatient surgical procedures and health and vascular specialists.

“We are so pleased to launch this next phase of the new UPMC Memorial campus project and make the UPMC Outpatient Center’s services available to the community,” said Philip Guarneschelli, president and CEO of UPMC Pinnacle. “The state-of-the art setting befits our new relationships and new services and allows us to further our goal of providing exceptional outpatient care for the York community.”

The center offers surgical services by Leader Surgical Associates-UPMC, an outpatient surgery center previously partnered with WellSpan Health that joined UPMC in August.

Leader offers outpatient surgical care such as colonoscopies, hernia treatment and pediatric surgery through a new independent ambulatory surgical facility with eight operating rooms.

UPMC’s Hillman Cancer Center, a Pittsburgh based National Cancer Institute, has partnered with Leader to also provide oncology services at the facility.

“By bringing UPMC Hillman Cancer Center services to York, we are giving access to groundbreaking research and clinical trials underway at UPMC Hillman in Pittsburgh where hundreds of scientists are working on new discoveries in cancer,” Guarneschelli said. “Often these trials and can be brought to patients right here in our community.”

Patients who need inpatient services will still be treated at UPMC Memorial, the 102-bed private-room hospital that opened on Aug. 18.

 

UPMC Memorial sees first patients this week

UPMC Pinnacle began transferring patients to its new West Manchester Township hospital early Sunday morning. By 9 a.m., the new UPMC Memorial hospital was open.

The opening comes just over two years after the plans for the larger, more modern UPMC Memorial were approved by West Manchester Township officials in July of 2017.

In its first day, the 102-bed private-room hospital treated more than 100 patients and had no problems moving from its former Spring Garden Township location, according to Kelly McCall, UPMC Pinnacle’s public relations director.

“Effective planning and the dedication of our staff supported a smooth transition,” McCall said. “The physicians and the staff are excited to be caring for patients and their families in the new hospital.”

The new hospital is 36 percent larger than the Spring Garden Township facility and includes three heart catherization labs, six operating rooms, a 28 room emergency department and a 14 bed critical care unit.

In the past 20 years, York County’s population has grown by 16 percent with an increase of 60,000 people. That population growth had spilled over to UPMC Memorial, officials said, with emergency department visits going from 15,000 patients per year to 45,000 in the last two decades.

“UPMC Memorial has seen exponential growth in emergency department visits, surgeries and births in the last 20 years,” said Philip Guarneschelli, president and CEO of UPMC Pinnacle. “With this new hospital and future outpatient facility, UPMC Memorial is able to continue providing care that area residents need and want for generations to come.”

Adjacent to the new hospital building is the 120,000-square-foot, five-level UPMC Outpatient Center set to open on Sept. 9. The facility is expected to offer ambulatory surgery, outpatient imaging, a sleep lab, a cancer center and offices for specialty care providers.

The Spring Garden Township hospital ended direct admissions of patients from physicians on Aug. 11 and stopped receiving patients from local ambulance services on Aug. 15.

The former UPMC Memorial is currently for sale.

Correction: A photo labeled as the new UPMC Outpatient Center depicted a different facility from the outpatient center.

Developer plans industrial facility in West Manchester Township

Aerial shot of a 13.29 acre industrial tract sold at 400 N. Zearfoss Dr. in West Manchester Township, York County. (photo: submitted)

A piece of land in West Manchester Township could see a large industrial facility by next year, according to officials.

ROCK Commercial Real Estate of York announced Tuesday that 3625 Mia Brae LP purchased a 13.29 acre tract of land at 400 N. Zarfoss Dr. for $930,000 from Next 5 LLC. The new owner plans on constructing an 111,600-square-foot industrial facility that is anticipated to be completed by July 2020 and available for lease.

The property is located in an established industrial park that is home to several businesses, including Frito-Lay, Wolf Distributing, A&S Kinard Trucking, Rabbit Transit and Voith Hydro.

Some of the planned facility features include 46’x50’ column spacing, 20 dock positions, 70 vehicle parking spaces and 51 trailer parking spaces.

According to a West Manchester Township Planning Commission agenda from July, 3625 Mia Brae LP has already approached officials about seeking a special exception for placing billboards on the property.

Jason Turnbull, Ted Turnbull, David Bode, and John Birkeland, of ROCK Commercial Real Estate brokered the sale.

“The York industrial market is experiencing some of the lowest vacancy rates in recent history,” Jason Turnbull said.

Slideshow: UPMC Pinnacle, OSS Health eye late-summer openings for York County projects

After more than a decade in the works and about three years of construction under different owners, the new UPMC Pinnacle Memorial hospital is slated to open in August off Loucks Road and Roosevelt Avenue in West Manchester Township, York County.

Not far behind the hospital will be the new OSS West York facility across the street in neighboring Manchester Township.  The border between Manchester and West Manchester townships runs down that section of Roosevelt, which is just north of Route 30.

OSS Health officials are planning to open the three-story, 45,000-square-foot facility by September in a bid to expand orthopedic services to West York and serve the hospital.

The OSS facility also has some medical company.

A new 17,000-square-foot medical building next to OSS houses national kidney-care provider DaVita. 

WellSpan Health, one of UPMC Pinnacle’s competitors, confirmed this week that it plans to join DaVita this spring and take about 10,000 square feet of office space in that building. DaVita occupies the other 7,000 square feet.

“There is a ton of activity right now in that West York area,” said Mayur Patel, one of the principals of Susquehanna Township-based Laughner Patel Developers.

His firm bought the nine-acre tract where the DaVita and OSS buildings now sit. Patel’s company built the DaVita facility and sold the remaining land to OSS last year.

Prior to the development, that land was owned by CityView Community Church. The Memorial site was previously the Hawk Lake Golf Course, but Memorial Health Systems purchased the site in 2008 for the hospital.

PinnacleHealth acquired Memorial in 2017 and then joined forces with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).

UPMC Pinnacle stuck with the existing plan to build a new Memorial hospital in West Manchester Township. The 220,000-square-foot hospital, which will be joined by a 75,000-square-foot outpatient center, will replace a smaller Memorial building in Spring Garden Township.

UPMC Pinnacle is spending more than $300 million on the new Memorial campus, which has five other pad sites that could be built up to complement the hospital.

The cost of the OSS facility was not immediately available. Patel has not disclosed the construction costs for the DaVita and WellSpan building.

 

 

 

 

 

OSS, WellSpan offices rise near new Memorial Hospital in York County

The new UPMC Pinnacle Memorial Hospital, which is slated to open this summer in West Manchester Township, is getting some company.

WellSpan Health, one of UPMC Pinnacle’s health-system competitors, is among those investing in medical offices across the street from the hospital site.

WellSpan confirmed this week that it plans to occupy about 10,000 square feet of office space in a new 17,000-square-foot medical building at 1695 Roosevelt Ave. in Manchester Township. The border between Manchester and West Manchester townships runs down that section of Roosevelt, which is just north of Route 30.

OSS West York is slated to open in September in Manchester Township. (Photo: Submitted)

OSS Health, an orthopedic services provider, also has a 45,000-square-foot office building under construction on Roosevelt, which will further reshape the medical landscape in that part of York County.

The 17,000-square-foot building that will be home to WellSpan is the first building in a development by Susquehanna Township-based Laughner Patel Developers, which specializes in medical office buildings. It bought the nine-acre tract from CityView Community Church and submitted development plans in 2017.

“There is a ton of activity right now in that West York area,” said Mayur Patel, one of the principals of Laughner Patel.

Patel had been marketing the rest of the tract as build-to-suit offices, hoping to attract local and national health care companies. In the process of erecting the first building last year on three acres of the tract, Patel sold the remaining six acres to OSS Health.

After OSS Health received land development approvals in early March, Kinsley Construction began construction on a three-story, 45,000-square-foot facility. Kinsley officials said the office project, dubbed OSS West York, is slated to open in September.

“West York is an area where we don’t have a presence,” OSS spokeswoman Angie Hartman said. “It gives folks another option for orthopedic services.”

OSS added six new physicians over the latter part of 2018 as the company continues to expand across Central Pennsylvania with locations in York, Adams, Cumberland and Lancaster counties. The company could see further growth from the new hospital.

To start, Hartman said OSS will use the first and third floor of the new facility. The office building will have an orthopedic clinic with 25 treatment rooms and imaging services. She said the second floor of the building will remain open for future expansion or to lease to other tenants.

“We might grow into it,” she said.

As that project takes shape, WellSpan is getting ready to move into the DaVita building.

WellSpan spokesman Ryan Coyle said the plan is for three WellSpan medical groups — those that provide orthopedic, adult neurology and non-invasive cardiology services — to operate in the building. Coyle said occupancy is expected by the end of May.

Susquehanna Township-based A.P. Williams was the general contractor on the building and is overseeing the office construction on the WellSpan space.

 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from OSS Health.

 

Vodka maker Holla Spirits opens York County headquarters

After leasing production and warehouse space in the Philadelphia area, the York County owners of Holla Spirits have found a new home in their backyard.

The craft vodka maker, which produces a line of flavored vodkas, has purchased a facility on Carlisle Road in West Manchester Township.

Holla Spirits makes a line of naturally infused vodka products. (Photo: Submitted)

Owners Patrick Shorb and Matt Glaser grew up in York and started distributing their Holla vodka line at the beginning of 2017. They said the 5,440-square-foot facility in York County more than doubles the space they leased in southeastern Pennsylvania and allows the company to expand operations.

“We are beyond excited to move into our new headquarters,” said Shorb, president of the company. “The building, which was formerly a local bank’s disaster recovery and data center, is ideally suited for our office, bottling and warehouse needs.”

All of the company’s vodkas will be blended at the new facility using all-natural ingredients. Holla, which has six full-time and three part-time employees, is in the process of moving equipment and inventory to the new building.

The company’s vodka is currently sold at more than 50 state-run liquor stores in 10 counties, including Dauphin, Lancaster and York. Holla also sells online through its website, with most of its distribution in Pennsylvania, and to bars, restaurants and clubs across Pennsylvania.

The partners declined to disclose the cost of their investment in the new facility.