CAN DO, Inc. is a private, non-profit industrial/economic development corporation serving Greater Hazleton in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
CAN DO, Inc. is just a short drive from New York City, Philadelphia, Boston or Washington, D.C. Our coverage area includes portions of Luzerne, Schuylkill and Carbon counties. The Hazleton area is bordered on the west by Columbia County, east by the Lehigh River, north by Wilkes-Barre, and south by upper Schuylkill and Carbon counties.
What We Do
Our mission is to improve the quality of life in the Greater Hazleton Area through the creation and retention of a full range of employment opportunities. For more than 65 years, CAN DO has fostered economic activity in our community and has evolved into a one-stop shop for business and industry. Important functions include:
Developer
Develops raw land by installing roads and infrastructure “to the curb” in the hope of attracting job creation projects with ready-to-go sites. To date, CAN DO has developed multiple industrial parks, an office/business park and the commercial park Humboldt Station.
Builder
Constructs speculative buildings to have properties available for companies with an immediate requirement. CAN DO will also complete a project on a build-to-suit basis or erect a customized building as necessary.
Landlord
Owns and leases industrial, office and commercial space throughout the community.
Facilitator
CAN DO provides assistance in a variety of ways for incoming businesses including helping identify options for financing, training and construction, as well as working to meet municipal regulatory requirements.
Utility Provider
As necessary, CAN DO constructs its own utilities to keep development prospering. Utilities provided by CAN DO include:
Water – CAN DO owns and operates water systems in the Humboldt Industrial Park, McAdoo Industrial Park and the CAN DO Corporate Center.
Sewage – CAN DO owns and operates its own sewage collection system and treatment plant in the Humboldt Industrial Park.
Funding Assistance
CAN DO understands that financial assistance plays an integral role in the success of a project. We have five decades of experience in providing tailored, comprehensive funding packages that leverage federal, state, regional and local money.
Business Liaison
CAN DO has the resources in place to help industries maintain and expand their local operations. A full-time economic development department serves as a liaison between business and service providers so CAN DO can better address their needs.
Business Incubator
CAN BE, together with Penn State Hazleton and several other agencies, provides local entrepreneurs with assistance in launching homegrown businesses. This assistance comes in the form of technical and business support, shared services in a business incubator and affordable rents.
Our History
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Thanks to many hardworking volunteers and staff, CAN DO has gone from a grassroots effort to a nationally recognized, award-winning leader in the economic development field. It has amassed more than 350 industrial and office projects. It developed more than 21 million square feet of buildings worth more than $550 million. And it has created more than 26,000 jobs to date.
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The decline was fast and steep. The mines employed more than 13,500 men in 1927, but by 1950, that number plummeted to 6,000.
The crushing blow came in 1955, when Hurricane Diane swept up the Atlantic seaboard and dumped several feet of water onto Greater Hazleton. Diane killed most of what was left of the area’s coal industry by flooding the deep mines.
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In 1954, the Chamber of Commerce had supported the “Dime-A-Week” campaign, which asked workers to contribute $5.20 a year. Another effort asked residents to show their support by taping dimes along Broad Street – Hazleton’s main thoroughfare – in the Mile of Dimes campaign. A third project placed lunch pails in businesses around Hazleton to collect patrons’ loose change.
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The United States government recognized the fundraising effort in a publication: “By this demonstration of civic conscience, men and women fortunate enough to be employed helped create jobs for the less fortunate in Hazleton.”
With available land and money in the bank, CAN DO started work on speculative industrial shell buildings. A regional commission helped out by building roads from State Route 93 (known as Route 29 at the time) to the two development sites.
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Other businesses soon followed, snatching up parcels of land and constructing facilities or moving into shell buildings. These firms created thousands of new jobs that generated millions of dollars in payroll. As Greater Hazleton got back to work, commercial firms and real estate developers soon followed. Soon, the wheel of progress started turning. Development led to improvements in the quality of life, which attracted more industries, which created more jobs and income, which attracted more commercial development and so on.
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As the interstate highway system spread across America, CAN DO successfully fought to bring major roadways near Greater Hazleton. Again, community advocates fought to secure the location of those highways, lobbying President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself. It paid off, as Interstate 81 passes one mile west of Valmont on a north-south line from Canada to the Deep South. Interstate 80, which travels from New York City in the east to San Francisco, Calif., in the west, is just over six miles as the crow flies from center city Hazleton.
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The success of Valmont Industrial Park led CAN DO to consider developing other areas. Planning for another park west of downtown Hazleton began in 1968, and CAN DO purchased the land in 1970.
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In 1987, two clients wanted to locate adjacent to one another but in an industrial area away from Valmont and Humboldt. CAN DO took them to a 200-acre tract of land it owned near McAdoo, a few miles south of downtown Hazleton on State Route 309.
This land had belonged to CAN DO since the 1960s but hadn’t been developed. Once these clients expressed an interest in the site, the economic development agency obtained a grant from the state to develop infrastructure in the park.
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Opened in 1989, the McAdoo Industrial Park fills the need for those not interested in a high-profile site with direct access to an interstate. With lot sizes ranging from 2 acres to 30 acres, the industrial park can be ideal for a variety of business types. The park is one-half mile from State Route 309 and, with the opening of State Route 424 (The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Beltway), which links State Route 309 and Interstate 81, there is increased access to the McAdoo park.
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Completed in late 1995, the CAN DO Corporate Center is strategically located adjacent to Interstate 80 and minutes from Interstate 81. It features the latest communications technology and amenities such as a recreation area and conservation preserve. Network Solutions, a leading provider of Internet services such as Web hosting, Web site design, online marketing and e-mail, is one of the many tenants to operate within the Corporate Center.
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With the success of Humboldt West, CAN DO turned its attention to the undeveloped land just north of the growing park. Officials began designing and developing Humboldt North, a 400-acre, rail-served tract across State Route 924 from the original Humboldt park.
The Future
The CAN DO spirit of vision, drive and determination brought about the rebirth of a proud community. That remarkable effort continues today with CAN DO’s talented, professional staff and dedicated volunteers to ensure success tomorrow and beyond! We will continue to acquire and develop the land and infrastructure needed to attract new industries and new jobs to Greater Hazleton. We will work with existing companies to provide them the support they need to flourish, and we will seek entrepreneurs with new ideas and help them turn those ideas into successful businesses.
