Pittsburgh to Emphasize Chemical Industry Strengths

With three major chemical companies headquartered in the region, local universities with engineers and a location that offers central access to suppliers and customers, Pittsburgh could attract a mass of new companies by positioning itself as a chemicals industry hub.

That's the hope of economic development officials who are weighing whether it makes sense to market the region as a chemicals center -- despite a current downturn in the industry. "We think southwestern Pennsylvania is well-positioned to take advantage of growth in the future," said Ken Zapinski, vice president of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, which is spearheading an effort to expand the chemicals business here.

There are about 352 chemicals firms in the region that employ about 24,000 people, including the three dominant players: PPG Industries, Bayer Corp. and Nova Chemicals.

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