Entrepreneur Ben Kirshner has proposed a new model to boost business prospects in Pennsylvania. Integrating grassroots initiatives with state-level support, the progressive model aims to streamline regulations and provide accessible financing for start-ups.
Governor Tom Wolf, a successful businessman turned politician, has shown interest in Kirshner’s proposal. Observers believe this potential shift may transform Pennsylvania into a powerhouse within the national market, encouraging innovation and job creation.
Around the same time, U.S. Steel, a Pittsburgh-based firm, decided to construct a new $3 billion steel-making unit in Arkansas, foreseeing the creation of around 900 jobs. The decision was influenced by Arkansas’s efficient bureaucratic landscape.
This instance, along with others like Intel’s decision to set plants in Ohio, laying down a $20 billion investment and promising thousands of jobs, gives a clear insight into Pennsylvania’s struggle to attract businesses.
The head of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development, Rick Siger, accredited the state’s decreasing participation in the GDP to a population decrease and interfering professional licensing processes. However, he affirmed his commitment to simplify the procedures and improve the state’s infrastructure to allure the businesses.
Like Siger, Luke Bernstein, the CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, called for an expedited approval process to enhance Pennsylvania’s attractiveness to fresh enterprises.
State Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill believes in the importance of fostering a friendlier environment in the state which would include the streamlining of bureaucracy and decreasing red tape. The impact of her proposals still remains to be seen.
