From new apartments being approved to restaurants reopening and ready for occupancy, here’s your weekly look at what’s happening with businesses in your area.
ABE ATIYEH WAREHOUSES: 1492 Van Buren Road, Palmer Township
A conditional-use hearing for the developer’s proposed warehouses is not yet over, and Palmer’s Board of Supervisors is set to discuss it again on Sept. 27. Residents and some city officials criticized the proposal. Read more.
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AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC.: Upper Macungie City
A global industrial gas company plans to help the UK reduce carbon emissions through a partnership. Air Products has announced this week that it will work with Associated British Ports to build Britain’s first large-scale “green hydrogen” plant at the port of Immingham.
Produced with low environmental impact, green hydrogen can be used in place of fossil fuels in heavy industry and transportation.
Air Products Venture handles liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) from carbon capture projects.
The project reflects the philosophy of Air Products Chairman, CEO and President Seyfi Ghasemi this year: “Our growth strategy and our sustainability strategy are one.”
The company It has a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Get the full story.
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Byron Place Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant: 124 S. Walnut St., Bath
The new pizza restaurant held a grand opening to introduce its diverse menu to the Bath community.
The Byron location offers stromboli, hot sandwiches, cold subs and burgers, wraps, burgers and cheesesteaks. In addition to pizza and Italian standards, it offers lamb and chicken gyros and buffalo chicken cheese steak.
Byron Place is open Monday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is closed on Sundays.
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Jenny Qualey: 102 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem
The South Bethlehem Malaysian and vegetarian restaurant will close at the end of September after serving “999,999 cucumbers,” according to a Facebook post by owners Jenny and Roy Lim. They operated Jenny’s for 10 years, and Chen’s House in Allentown before that.
Kwali means “wok” in Malay. Both Lims were born in Malaysia.
Jenny will continue to sell soups and recipes and hold pop-ups and classes. Not only was the restaurant a local favorite, but it was a Lehigh University institution serving thousands of students over a decade. Get all the information.
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Church: 118 Northampton St., Easton
The Pudding Bar is moving to Allentown after a troubled Easton address. Canisa’s next stop will be the Downtown Allentown Market, with a grand opening on October 1st.
The candy business has complained about construction problems, and city officials have been slow to respond. Mayor Sal Panto disputed some of Canisan’s and Sean Darby’s comments and said the issue is between the business and the building owner.
Downtown Allentown Market at 27 N. 7th St. Read the full story.
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LEHIGH LANDSCAPE SUPPLY & NURSERY: 1040 Riverview Drive, Walnutport
The Walnutport garden and landscaping business on Riverview Drive (Route 145) plans to hold a grand opening on October 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The family-owned practice carries a full line of professional brand landscape products, and has compost, sand, soil, building materials and decorative stones for delivery or pickup.
Lehigh Landscape serves the contractor and homeowner markets.
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Lehigh Valley Business Center II & III and Lake Hydra: Hanoverville Road, Lower Nazareth Township
Warehouse construction is moving forward at and near the former Dutch Springs Aqua Park site. Developer Trammell Crow is nearing completion of Lehigh Valley Trade Center II (LVTC II), located at 4939 Hanoverville Road, adding 527,000 square feet of warehouse space.
Ground is being broken for LVTC III near the quarry now called Hydra Lake. Those distribution buildings will cover about 588,000 square feet and be completed by the end of 2023.
The quarry is reserved for recreational diving and training. Trammell Crowe gave land to DIVE LLC, formed by Ken Craft and Jim Folk, to operate the scuba site. That means emergency response teams will continue to train at Lake Hydra, not just for recreational and certification diving. Read more.
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Rachel’s Renovated Furniture, Edge Landscaping & Digging, August Flower Design: 205 Blue Valley Drive, Bangor.
The Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting for the three Halfling brothers — Connor, Lauren and Rachel — on Sept. 10.
Rachel, 17, started Rachel’s Finished Furniture three years ago. Connor, 18, runs Edge Landscaping and Excavation, and Lauren, 22, started August Blooms. After studying textiles at Moravian University, she makes hand-woven rugs and wall hangings. Get all the details.
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Wally’s Deli: 1245 Chestnut St., Emmaus
Unless some new employees walk in the door soon, the delicatessen may close after 33 years. Wally said at Facebook that staffing shortages will force it to close at the end of September.
Wally’s Allentown location remains open.
Hiring remains a challenge in many industries, with unemployment in Pennsylvania at 4.3% and warehouses increasing hourly wages. Read more.
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WAWA, Bank, Apartment Complex at Harvey’s Corner: 4900 Freemansburg Ave., Bethlehem Township
Wagner Enterprises’ plan to develop the vacant corner lot on Freemansburg Avenue just east of the CVS store will come before city zoning officials again, after Wednesday’s meeting closed after 2.5 hours.
The proposed Wawa would require a zoning code exemption from the gas pumps, Fidelity Bank and two residential buildings on the site known as Harvey’s Corner.
Some people on social media have received another wave, especially in an area of the city that doesn’t have gas stations. Others objected to increased traffic at the intersection of Freemansburg Avenue and Wagner Drive.
The hearing will continue at 6pm on September 13th at the Township Building, 4225 Easton Ave. Get the full story.
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For example, Smith: 1 Corporate Blvd., Sinking Springs
After supplying HVAC equipment and fuel for nearly 100 years, EG Smith Inc. It took on a new name: Rhoads Energy.
Lancaster-based Rhodes Energy acquired EG Smith in 2009.
“Having all the businesses under one name makes a lot of sense,” said Ed Smith, former owner of EG Smith, which was founded in 1923.
Rhodes Energy said the change will consolidate the regional services group under one roof. Read more.
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Grand View Speedway: 43 Passmore Rd., Washington Township
The track’s future is in doubt after the owner agreed to sell the Grandview to Copart Inc., a company that started as an auto salvage yard and now holds auctions for cars online.
Copart plans to discuss the track’s future with city officials, but nothing has been made official yet. The company sells more than 2 million vehicles annually. Copart trades on the NASDAQ market under the ticker symbol CPRT.
Buying Grand View Speedway may be a big deal, but Copart can handle it: The company’s market value at its current stock price is around $28 billion. Get more information.
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Escape Art: 61 S. Tulpehocken St., Pine Grove
Schuylkill County’s only escape room held its grand opening Monday. Teams can work to find clues and puzzles to escape the room in 60 minutes.
Escape rooms can be used for parties and team building exercises. The rooms can accommodate up to eight people.
Escape Art is family-friendly and suitable for all ages, according to the business’s website.
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ST. Luke’s University Health Network: 100 St. Luke’s Lane, Stroudsburg
The hospital chain is also adding to its Monroe County campus, with the expansion slated for completion in early 2024.
St. Luke’s opened its campus in 2017, but plans to expand.
“We have come to see that the rate of growth is not slowing down over time,” said Dr. Douglas Degler, the director of medicine. Read more.
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Encompass Health: 2660 Audubon Drive, Lower Providence
A 50-bed rehabilitation hospital offering physical, occupational and speech therapy is to be built.
Encompass Health, an Alabama-based company, helps people recovering from stroke and other neurological disorders, brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations and orthopedic conditions.
When it opens, the hospital will be Encompass Health’s 10th Pennsylvania location. Read the full story.
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Fifteenth Fourteenth Seven Critical Systems Truth: East Whiteland City
A developer of data centers plans to build two buildings in Chester County with 1 million square feet each. Fifteen Forty Seven Critical Systems Realty, also known as 1547, said East Whiteland has issued permits for two centers and may develop another five million square feet nearby.
Mattawan, New Jersey-based 1547 worked with Green Figure Land Company to acquire the 100-plus acres. The buildings house computers and storage systems. Get more information.
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Warren Lanes: 671 Memorial Parkway, Phillipsburg
Pumps may take up storage space on Warren Lane. QuickChek has obtained permission to build on the site. Apart from the shop, the 24-hour store will have 16 fuel pumps and two charging ports for electric vehicles.
The roads’ current ownership says their leases expire in 2023. QuickChek still requires approval from the NJ Department of Transportation before proceeding. Read the full story.
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