Lt. Gov. Austin Davis Highlights Shapiro-Davis Administration's Support for Small Businesses Across Pennsylvania

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August 24, 2026 - Scranton, PA

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis Highlights Shapiro-Davis Administration's Support for Small Businesses Across Pennsylvania

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis stopped by the University of Scranton's new makerspace and innovation lab, the IDEA Center, today and met with local entrepreneurs to discuss how the Shapiro-Davis Administration is supporting small businesses in northeastern Pennsylvania and across the Commonwealth.

"Governor Shapiro and I have been working hard to create ladders of opportunity, so that every Pennsylvanian can chart their own course - whether that means going to college or trade school or starting their own business," said Davis. "We're making Pennsylvania more competitive by cutting red tape, streamlining permitting and licensing and attracting more than $41 billion in private-sector investment. But we're not just focused on attracting big businesses here to Pennsylvania. We're also focused on supporting entrepreneurs and our homegrown small businesses, too."

Davis joined Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Deputy Secretary Mandy Book, representatives from the Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) Alliance, the Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission, local small business development centers and several small-business owners for a roundtable conversation focused on state investments through the Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance (HDBA) program.

Speaker List:
Lt. Governor Austin Davis
DCED Deputy Secretary Mandy Book
State Representative Kyle Donahue
Joseph Marina, President, University of Scranton
Jeff Box, President and CEO NEPA Alliance
Stephen Ursich, Vice President for Business Development, NEPA Alliance
Lisa Hall Zielinski, SBDC Director, University of Scranton
Dorothy Lane, SBDC Director, Wilkes University
Frank Thompson, Executive Director, Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission
Vincent Balint, Bulldog BBQ Sauce
Carmen Kahiu, Classically You, Ltd
Julio Pertuz, PPA Training and Fidbak

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