CEO Note | On the Horizon

January 15, 2026
By Stefani Pashman

In 2025, our region turned long-term planning and partnership into visible progress. Together, we helped secure 21 major business investments, supported 18,574 jobs, and catalyzed more than $16.1 billion in capital investment, marking the strongest project year in over a decade.

This year, we will maintain our momentum to position the Pittsburgh region for continued growth-facilitating an economy where innovation, talent, and livability converge to create vibrant communities. Our vision guides every decision we make and aligns our focus on downtown revitalization, priority industry clusters, and the enabling systems - workforce, housing, infrastructure, and community - that let businesses launch, scale, and stay.

Where We'll Lead: 2026 Priorities

1-Continue to Propel Growth in Priority Clusters
We will deepen business development and project conversion in AI and robotics, life sciences, and energy, building on the region's momentum and national visibility. We will also leverage signature moments like the NFL Draft 2026 to showcase our value proposition and attract investment. And let's hope Senator McCormick champions a 2026 Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh.

2-Reimagine the Heart of the Region-Downtown Revival

Downtown Pittsburgh's transformation is a regional imperative: when the core is healthy, the entire 10-county economy benefits. We will continue advancing this shared, catalytic vision for Downtown Pittsburgh, which first emerged in 2024 from our three-year strategy launched-work that helped shape the Governor's $600M vision plan and modernize tools like permitting reform and the PA Sites program.

We will keep moving from plans to projects, activating the public realm, repositioning underutilized assets, all while aligning our efforts with key partners.

3-Talent, Workforce, and Housing: Enabling our Growth Engine

Regional competitiveness hinges on people and on places where those people can live affordably and access opportunities. We will activate a workforce strategy that strategically aligns workforce development and economic development, making sure we can activate existing systems, so business investment wins translate into smooth landings and scale ups.

Simultaneously, we will assess the housing needs to determine the right way to contribute our organizational resources to augment existing efforts, policies, and systems.

4-Policy Environment: Make It Easier to Invest and Build

We will continue to push for streamlined permitting and zoning across all levels of government and modernize development processes to reduce timelines and unlock private capital. These healthy host conditions are essential to sustaining downtown and regional growth.

5-Modernize How We Communicate and Convene

With more than 80 years of legacy under our belt, we will refresh our brand and communications channels to reflect the innovation and collaboration that represents our region. This work will align all communications to our strategic agenda and recalibrate our 2026 event portfolio around fewer, higher impact convenings that deliver measurable ROI for our regional investors. Save the date now in your calendar for our high energy Annual Meeting on Tuesday, March 24.

What's on the Horizon in Southwestern Pennsylvania

As Southwestern Pennsylvania stands at a pivotal moment for growth and transformation, our region's leaders are facing headwinds that will shape the next chapter of regional development. From policy shifts to data center development, our work in economic development is one with deep roots in innovation and collaboration.

Federal Signals Shaping Strategy

Policy trends are shifting toward enabling speed to market, including accelerated permitting, expanded site availability, an aggressive supply chain strategy, and expanded emphasis on leveraging our energy assets-including natural gas, advanced nuclear, and critical minerals. These signals will influence project timeframes, financing, and workforce needs. The Conference will translate each into actionable regional strategies.

Energy + Data Infrastructure Demand

National demand for data centers and grid capacity is rising rapidly, reshaping power markets and creating new opportunities and challenges for regions equipped to deliver reliable energy and sites. Pennsylvania now ranks among leading states for announced data centers. At the Allegheny Conference, we are leaning into this economic development opportunity through fact-based analysis to ensure this opportunity translates into the benefit of the broader region.

At the same time, collaborations that accelerate nuclear deployment are gaining momentum with implications for jobs, supply chains, and innovation here in the Pittsburgh region. We will position our cluster strengths accordingly.

Statewide Engagement and Influence

We will continue to engage statewide forums to advance pro-competitive priorities-bringing the voice of our investors to policy councils that affect tax, technology, transportation, energy, and workforce-and ensuring Southwestern PA's needs shape Pennsylvania's agenda.

How We'll Work

The Allegheny Conference remains committed to disciplined execution and transparent metrics. In 2026, we will balance external outcomes with internal excellence-strengthening performance management, modernizing systems, and ensuring our capacity matches the ambition of our agenda. By year's end, we aim to be a healthier, more capable organization-ready to lead the region confidently into the next strategic cycle.