March 2021 Edition
This newsletter is underwritten by Burns Scalo Real Estate.
One Year Later

A time for reflection and a time to look ahead. That seems to be the mantra or repeated phrase that we invoke on ourselves this week as time almost stood still for the past year. My calendar a year ago was full on the week of March 8th, 2020 and I recall attending an exciting press conference at the Heinz History Center on March 12, 2020 introducing the latest initiative “Pittsburgh Works Together,” or PWT, with my friend Jeff Nobers, Executive Director. There was something strange about being downtown, mask or no mask, shake hands or just fist bump…..What was going on?

Then the whole thing stopped! Our Chamber, who was embracing 16 new member companies each month for the past 8 months all came to a screeching halt! The doors closed, staff was sent home and quite frankly everything was a blur after that. Meetings were somehow held remotely on “Zoom” which was completely foreign to me and “all hell” seemed to be breaking loose. It was abundantly clear that we had to develop a plan to not only work from home but to completely change our habits both personally and professionally.

All of us have learned from this and I learned something very special. Strength from my staff, board and members of our Chamber was the glue that held everything together for us. Creativity, leadership and an open mind come to play as I look back and try to learn from it all. I’m proud to reflect today that as a leader I followed the numbers, followed the science and did not get caught up in a political mess that turned families, communities and loved ones against each other. So look where we are, with just over 30% of our adult US population vaccinated. The economy just received a huge “jolt” from the new administration with a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package and an additional forthcoming infrastructure spending initiative-the second phase of an ambitious plan to revitalize the American economy.

I’m grateful to my family, my colleagues and to you, those individuals who have encouraged and supported me and this Chamber to move forward and serve our community and individuals the best we can. Let’s not look back for too long but look forward and know that like always we will be better than ever.


Chris Heck
President/CEO
Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce
Company Spotlight
Seeking a Broad-Based Pittsburgh Economy
A Special Thank You
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News From the Airport Area
A Special Enrollment Period for Pennsylvanians is Extended to Purchase Health Insurance Due to COVID-19
Comcast Rolls Out Nation’s Largest Landline Voice Verified Caller ID Solution to Combat Robocalls
The key question is this: What wins in the new normal, old offices or new offices? The answer is clear. Healthy spaces plus healthy people equals a healthy bottom line, and remember, the “best” talent has choices of with whom and where they work.
Time and energy: continuous and intentional investments – Solutions 21
The leadership decade requires leaders to accept the fact that a major part of their role as leaders is to invest time and energy into individuals’ continuous leadership improvement. In order to succeed as a leader, it will be critical to be extraordinarily intentional about this investment. It simply cannot happen organically. All world-class performers we have interviewed over the years understood that energy, like time, is a finite resource. How they spend their energy is as important, if not more important, than how they spend their time.
Our Region's Business - The Future of 5G in our Region – Crown Castle
We've all heard about 5G and seen the advertisements for new 5G phones, but what will it take to make 5G service available in our region? Watch this Our Region's Business segment featuring Renee Morales from PAACC member Crown Castle and Jenn Beer from the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce to learn more.
Airport Area Chamber member Pennsylvania American Water Invested $400 Million Statewide in 2020
More Development Coming to Parkway West Suburbs, Showcasing Strength of The Region Remains One Year After COVID-19 – CoStar Group
Pittsburgh International Airport - Be a Part of the Transformation
Advocacy Corner
Has your property been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? You may be able to save money on your real estate taxes by submitting a property tax assessment appeal. Contact the real estate attorneys at Strassburger, McKenna, Gutnick & Gefsky today to get started on your appeal. Don’t miss the March 31, 2021 deadline.
It's All About the People
Comcast - Meet DeShane Hambrick,
Vice President of Project Management and Customer Experience
Economic Development News
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission -
Southern Beltway,
The Southern Beltway is on schedule to open in October 2021.  
Stay Connected
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