Michael Ross

Volvo Construction Equipment celebrated its $100 million investment in its new national headquarters in Shippensburg during a day-long ceremony Thursday. The company also unveiled its first U.S.-built wheel loaders as they rolled off the assembly line at the Franklin County plant Thursday. “This should serve as a very clear signal that Volvo CE is committed to this market and in a better position than ever before to offer our customers products that are made by Americans, for Americans,” Volvo Construction Equipment President Pat Olney said in a statement.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Here's a bright spot in Franklin County manufacturing: Letterkenny Army Depot is hiring. The county's largest employer, with 3,400 people on the payroll, needs civilians with general automotive skills, Commander Steven Shapiro said. He expects the depot's work force to be 5 to 10 percent larger by the end of the year, largely thanks to President Barack Obama's commitment to pull combat troops from Iraq and focus more on Afghanistan. The equipment returning with troops needs to be refurbished, Shapiro said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- L. Michael Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corp. (FCADC) was named 2009 Developer of the Year by the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association (PEDA). Ross has served as president of the FCADC since its creation in 1986. Before that, he spent 8 1/2 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce. During Ross' tenure with the FCADC, he has facilitated more than 635 projects totaling more than $1.4 billion in capital investment.

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. -- What's bad for Asheville, N.C., is good for south-central Pennsylvania when it comes to the closing of a Volvo plant, according to a Franklin County, Pa., economic development leader. Volvo's plant in Shippensburg will manufacture cabs for motor graders after the North Carolina plant closes next March. Other work will be sent to Sweden and South Korea, the Associated Press reported. Two hundred and twenty-eight people will lose jobs, the AP reported. "If you're on the Asheville end of that decision, you are obviously disappointed, ... but if you're on our end, it has a positive impact," L. Michael Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corp.

World Kitchen lays off 63 employees By STACEY DANZUSO / Staff Writer, Chambersburg World Kitchen Inc. has announced it is laying off 63 employees, the latest in a string of Franklin County businesses to scale back their work forces. Most of the hourly employees volunteered for the layoffs, said Dave Lanzillo, director of corporate communications at World Kitchen's New York headquarters. He said he doesn't expect the layoffs to be permanent. "This is part of our normal business operations and the business cycle," he said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Franklin County was tied with Cumberland, Lebanon and Chester counties for the state's lowest unemployment rate in April, according to preliminary figures from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The nonseasonally adjusted rate dropped from 3.2 percent in March to 2.8 percent in April as both the number of people with jobs and those listed and unemployed fell. The work force was down 800 to 76,300, while the number of jobless decreased by 400 to 2,200, according to the department's survey of households.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Franklin County Area Development Corp. wants to raise more than $300,000 over the next three years to build shell buildings and further other initiatives. The agency announced the "Investing in Progress" capital campaign last week, President L. Michael Ross said. Specifically, the funds will go toward constructing and managing shell buildings, implementing a targeted marketing strategy and supporting regional economic development projects.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A 283-acre tax-exempt zone for new industries at Letterkenny Army Depot was approved Thursday by the Franklin County Commissioners, leaving just one hurdle to clear before the zone becomes a reality. The other taxing bodies that might receive revenues from the zone, the Chambersburg Area School District and Greene and Letterkenny townships, had already approved the plan. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development will approve or deny the authority's application early next year, according to L. Michael Ross, executive director of the Franklin County Area Development Corporation.

Jobless rate up again in Pa. counties By STACEY DANZUSO / Staff Writer, Chambersburg CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Unemployment rates in Franklin and Fulton counties have climbed for the third month in a row, reflecting continued layoffs in the region, according to preliminary figures for November from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. According to the figures, the unemployment rate in Franklin County rose from 4.2 percent in October to 4.3 percent in November.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The board of directors of the Letterkenny Industrial Development Authority on Monday approved an option agreement for the Franklin County Area Development Corp. to purchase 6.1 acres for possible expansion of a trailer manufacturer. The FCADC will have three years to exercise its option to purchase the land for $275,000, LIDA Executive Director John Van Horn said. It is adjacent to a parcel of approximately the same size on which FCADC is building a manufacturing facility that will be leased to Tilman Dump Trailers.