Every week, HappyValley Industry publishes an eLetter featuring innovation, customer success — and some crazy-cool houses. Out of the 150-plus stories that we published this year, here are 10 of the most-clicked articles from 2021, along with a few reasons why they’re worth another read.
“Something very, very impactful happening” in Happy Valley
Videon’s Todd Erdley talks about private equity investment. “There is something very, very, very impactful happening over the last year that is resulting in large sums of capital coming into Happy Valley in support of driving growth in the private sector. Before too long, I strongly believe that Happy Valley will not be considered with the question ‘why did you stay?’ but rather, ‘why did you move here to start a company?’”
Ushering in the Hydrogen Economy: Local Project Aims to Drive America’s Energy Transition
Perry Babb from KeystateZero says that integrating natural gas production and CO2 capture and storage is the future of Pennsylvania’s natural gas production and a low-carbon economy, and could bring millions of dollars to the Happy Valley area.
Small Sensors, Big Savings: How Sensor Networks, Inc. Saved One Refinery $4 Million
Happy Valley companies are driving multimillion-dollar customer success stories. In this story, Sensor Networks helped a refinery map out problem areas in a pipeline and install ultrasonic, wireless sensors in strategic areas — saving the refinery $4 million in repairs and countless hours of unplanned downtime.
Professionals are Moving to Happy Valley: Here’s What They Love, and What They’d Change
No wonder there’s a human wave of talent leaving big cities and relocating to Happy Valley. The area has been ranked No. 60 in a nationwide list of best places to live based on amenities, wages, commute, and real estate demand by The Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com, and Niche.com lists several Happy Valley neighborhoods in its top five picks for the whole nation.
We interviewed four professionals about why they decided to move to Happy Valley, what they gained and what can change for the better.
ConidioTec on Its Breakthrough Bed Bug Treatment and What to Do After Your Next Vacation
Innovation Park-based startup ConidioTec has developed a way to treat bed bugs effectively without chemicals using a nontoxic fungal biopesticide, Aprehend®. This article covered the company’s success thanks to links with the university, Invent Penn State initiative, and Ben Franklin Technology Partners. It also gave some helpful tips on what we all should be doing when we travel to avoid bed bugs (it’s worth a re-read before you head for the airport!).
Acquisition Brings Happy Valley Immunomagnetic Cell Selection Company onto World Stage
When we covered BioMagnetic Solutions’ acquisition by Gamma Biosciences in a multimillion-dollar deal, we had no idea that we were just reporting on the prelude of that story. Over the next few months, we reported on the immunomagnetic technology company’s belief that ‘hungry dogs run faster’ here in Happy Valley and then cheered with the announcement that BioMagnetic Solutions decided to invest in a multi-million dollar cGMP-grade production facility in Innovation Park at Penn State rather than relocate to Philadelphia’s “Cellicon Valley.”
“We can leverage Penn State’s world-leading expertise in supply chain management, materials, and analytical sciences to innovate on the ferrofluid platform,” Gamma Biosciences CTO Phil Vanek said. “It was a compelling value prospect to put the facility in Innovation Park and became the obvious choice for us.”
It’s a running joke in our office that if we run a real estate story in our weekly eletter, our other stories have to be Pulitzer-worthy, just to compete. Our real estate stories are consistent darlings, as they highlight the best of Happy Valley’s livability and amazing views.
Private equity is investing millions into Happy Valley, and for good reason
This article is proof positive that 2021 wasn’t all bad news. “Private equity is investing millions into Happy Valley, and for good reason. Happy Valley industry is pioneering world-changing breakthroughs like magnets that can target cancer in cells; live stream innovation for sports, news, and emergency services; and is leading the nation in utility bill accounting and energy management solutions… With these millions infused into Happy Valley technology, the question is, what company will be next to accelerate growth with a private equity investment?”
Announcing that CREN — the Happy Valley group where entrepreneurs can come together, share best practices, enable great outcomes, spur one another on and foster a sense of community — was reconvening in person after a COVID-induced hiatus was met with a great response. Even better: At the Aug. 5 event, CREN announced it was partnering with HappyValley Industry as its hub for all communication, events, and ideas. “The partnership will amplify private industry in Happy Valley,” Todd Erdley, Videon chairperson, and president and founder of CREN said. You can see the CREN homepage here.
Happy Valley Capturing Human Wave of Tech Talent Leaving Big Cities
“In a world where professionals are slowly realizing that they do not have to sacrifice livability for the job of their dreams, Happy Valley is proof that we’ve had it figured out all along. Happy Valley offers a master class in work-life balance. When most small cities can offer affordable homes and a place to work remotely, Happy Valley provides opportunities at companies making a global impact and what National Geographic calls “Adventure Town” after hours.”
What’s next for 2022? Find out more about what we’re watching here and tell us what you’d like to read here!
