Harborcreek Township Supervisors approved a preliminary land development plan for manufacturing company Kyocera AVX, who recently acquired Bliley Technologies, to build a new facility in Knowledge Park at Penn State Behrend.

"Knowledge Park continues to grow, the association with Penn State Behrend, the location in Harborcreek Township is not only a win for Behrend but for Harborcreek and the Erie region as a whole," said Dean Pepicello, Harborcreek Township Supervisor.

The supervisors presented plans for the public to see just how the new building will be built and Harborcreek Township Supervisor Steve Oler confirmed that with the building comes employment opportunities.

"They are going to start off with 30 jobs, it is a 50,000 square feet facility, part of it is going to be the headquarters and part of it is going to be the manufacturing," Oler said.

With Penn State Behrend being right there, Oler believes some of those students could even end up finding themselves working for the new business one day.

"We have our college students right next door, they can be employed by them or work with them, I think it is going to be a great partnership between Penn State Behrend and Kyocera and we are fortunate enough to have them," Oler said.

"It is not a not in my backyard scenario, which is very important, I think it is absolutely a win-win for the region, you do not always have that and we are thrilled by it," Pepicello said.

As for when we see the new building starting to be built, Oler said it will not be long before you start seeing construction begin.

"We are looking at them breaking ground this winter and they are hoping to be done by the end of 2024 so they are ready to go, they are acting on it and we are going to see some great things here soon," Oler said.