An article that appeared in the Pottsville Republican, February 16, 1990, describing the then-current business prospectus in Upper Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
BUSINESS CLIMATE IS STRONG IN NORTHERN DAUPHIN COUNTY
By Dave Carroll, The Republican
LYKENS – Business is alive and well in northern Dauphin County, according to Allen Trawitz, secretary/treasurer of the Lykens Chamber of Commerce.
“Right now, things are going strong. Anybody who wants to be employed can be,” Trawitz said.
While the economy is strong in most communities of that area, Trawitz said there has been evidence of growth, particularly in the Elizabethville area.
He attributed much of this development to housing and business growth around Metal industries Inv. plant in Elizabethville. Metal Industries is a large, national corporations that manufactures storm doors and replacement windows. It employs 298 people at its Elizabethville plant and also has two operations in Millersburg and one in Hegins.
Trawitz said that generally the Lykens economy has been fairly stable in recent years.
Among firms in the Lykens area are Reiff and Nestow, manufacturer of cutting tools; Lebro Shirt Manufacturing Company, manufacturer of uniform shirts; Alfa-Laval Thermal Company (American Heat), a firm that produces heat exchanges for industries to recover heat; and Don’s Food Rite, a large, grocery store.
“It’s been a stable economy in Lykens in recent years,” Trawitz said.
Other small businesses that bolster the local economy include Mars footwear, a footwear factory in Elizabethville; Playtimer Industries Inc., a factory in Elizabethville that manufactures bedroom slippers, and B & H Apparel, a garment factory in Wiconisco, which manufactures ladies’ dresses and suit.
Agriculture is a vital part of the Halifax and Gratz area communities.
Trawitz said that much of the local economy in upper Dauphin County is based on income earned by people who commute to state and federal jobs in the Harrisburg area. Trawitz said many people in that region have state-relate jobs in Army and Navy depots in Mechanicsburg and New Cumberland. The depots supply Army and Navy bases worldwide with parts and supplies.
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