Burlington County

Burlington County College to Heat up Curriculum

In an effort to expand its presence in the county seat, Burlington County College plans to open a $4 million dollar culinary arts training center in the township’s downtown area. The proposed center, the first of its kind in South Jersey, will be a 5,600-square-foot building located at 21 Mill Street.

Burlington County College hopes the center will allow the college to take advantage of the fact that the food preparation industry is expected to grow by 18 percent in Burlington County by 2014.

Montgomery County

Vanguard Group to open King of Prussia Offices

Mutual fund firm Vanguard Group Inc. signed a lease on May 1st with an office building at Happy Days Farm in King of Prussia that will house 2,000 employees. The new facility is a result of continued growth within the company, and will help bridge the gap between existing needs and further company development.

Vanguard selected the location because it’s only a short distance from their existing offices in Malvern. The lease begins in September.

For more:

Bucks County

Boost for Bucks Visitors Bureau

The Bucks County Conference and Visitors Bureau recently used $800,000 worth of funding to revamp its marketing team and website to gear up for its tourist season. Four new employees to the county’s sales staff and a full overhaul of the county’s website were among the efforts made to bring more revenue to local businesses.

The Bureau’s executive director, Jerry Lepping, says the goal is to develop partnerships among local businesses and demonstrate that Bucks County has valued and diverse resources. The county’s new website, www.visitbuckscounty.com, is due sometime this summer.

St. Mary’s Medical Center Set to Expand Services

St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne will spend $30 million to grow its cardiology department. The funding will be put toward four labs and about 20 private rooms for heart patients. The hospital will convert old labs to expanded surgical space once construction on the new labs is complete.

Dr. Richard Leshner, St. Mary’s chief of cardiology, says the expansion will provide more space for the increase in the amount of older patients in the community. The hospital’s director of intervention cardiology, Dr. George Heyrich, says the new editions put St. Mary’s in the position to rival any hospital in the region.

For more: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2008/03/24/newscolumn2.html

Chester County

New Home for Health Center

The Brandywine Health and Wellness Foundation recently opened its new $13.2 million Brandywine Center in Coatesville, representing the first major construction in the city in over 30 years. The 48,000-square-foot building will be home to four health-services agencies along with 24 units of housing for senior citizens.

The foundation has awarded ChesPenn Health Services, a provider of primary health-care services for uninsured residents, a $2 million grant to support its operations for the next five years.

For more: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2008/04/14/newscolumn3.html

Delaware County

Foamex Lands 11 Year Lease in Media

Foam products producer Foamex International is moving 10 miles down the road from Linwood to Media after signing an 11-year lease on 43,252 square feet at Rose Tree Corporate Center II. The company will move its 150 workers from the Linwood facility this summer.

George Karpinsky, Foamex treasurer, said the company sought a "change of scenery," and also looked at locations in Delaware, New Jersey, King of Prussia, Malvern, and Valley Forge, but chose Media because it was more centrally located to its employees.

Mercer County

Stem Cell Research Firm on the Way to Ewing

Greater Philadelphia’s robust life sciences industry is a major reason a California stem cell research company is moving from the west coast to Mercer County.

Governor Corzine joined officials of StemCyte and Rutgers University on May 1st to announce StemCyte’s plan to open the facility in Ewing. New Jersey has provided StemCyte $589,000 in state grants.

StemCyte chairman Kenneth J. Giacin said that New Jersey’s "collaborative research environment, their commitment to stem cell therapeutics and their reputation as a leader in the life science industry were important elements in our decision to move to the state."

New Jersey is the home to 15 of the world’s top 25 pharmaceutical companies.

For more: http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/new_jersey/18446324.html