Two SMC-Members Link Hands on Expansion Project

by John Burke

SMC Member-company J. Harris& Sons Company, one of the country’s largest manufacturers and wholesalers of lampshades, has received $350,000 in Pittsburgh Business Growth and Enterprise Zone low interest loan funds from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA). The URA is also an SMC Member. These funds will assist the 30 year-old company with an expansion of its operations at 50 26th Street in the city of Pittsburgh’s Strip District.

Run by father-son team Jack and Craig Harris, the company sells millions of lampshades each year to clients such as Crystal Clear Industries, Marriott, and American Eagle Outfitters. “Our first priority is to keep companies here in Pittsburgh that have good paying jobs and that have been here for a long time. J. Harris is a perfect example of that type of business,”said Tom Link with the URA. “We always want to support our local manufacturers. It’s an opportunity to help them expand their markets to survive and grow.”

With URA assistance, Harris is renovating its 86,000 square-foot headquarters, installing new computers and exhaust fans, and completing electrical work. Funds also allowed Harris to acquire Marcis Wire Works, its key supplier of wire parts, which recently closed in Philadelphia. The move secures the company’s longterm growth, as Harris is moving Marcis’equipment to Pittsburgh so that it can manufacture its own product parts.“Everything is moving here. Eventually, 90 percent of everything we do will be manufactured right here in Pittsburgh,”said Jack Harris.

The project will retain 47 and create 50 new manufacturing jobs. “It’s going to have a ripple down effect to other departments. I’m hoping to be up and running by September,” Harris said. He currently oversees 39 people.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh BDC offers a variety of loan financing products for commercial real estate development and small and medium size business development. These are ‘gap’ financing products; meaning they work in conjunction with private equity and private debt to help businesses close the financing for their business growth and expansion. Targeted industries include:

• ■ Manufacturing firms
• ■ Technology firms
• ■ Professional Services
• ■ Retail and Restaurants
• ■ Commercial Real Estate

Over the period 2005/06, the URA has assisted over 98 local businesses by providing over $15 million in public financing, which has leveraged a total of $157.7 million in private investment. The URA is proud to be a new member of SMC Business Councils and is anxious to hear more about the financing needs of other SMC-member companies.▼

Editor’s Note: John Burke is senior business development specialist with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh. For more information on URA financing visit: http://www.ura.org/bdcLoanPrograms.html or call 412.255.6547.

The above article is reprinted from the December 2007 issue of Dynamic Business.