BUSINESS BRIEFS

Tower Bancorp added to bank index

Tower Bancorp Inc. announced that the company has been added to the ABA Nasdaq Community Bank Index, the nation’s most broadly representative stock index for community banks.

The index includes approximately 500 community banks with more than $100 billion in market capitalization.

Tower Bancorp, Inc., the parent company of Graystone Tower Bank, is a full-service community bank operating 25 branch offices in central Pennsylvania and Maryland.

The company has total assets of approximately $1.2 billion.

Trout Unlimited receives funds

The Trout Unlimited Spring Creek Chapter was recently awarded a minigrant from the Dominion Foundation, part of Dominion, one of the nation’s largest producers of energy.

The $800 grant will be used to help support the First Cast Summer Camp program hosted by Trout Unlimited, featuring a children’s educational fly fishing lesson.

The grant was one of 25 recently awarded by the foundation to watershed groups in Pennsylvania.

Local graphic design firm honored

TNT Graphics, of Pine Grove Mills, has received a Gold Communicator Award of Excellence in the Communicator Awards 2009 Print Media competition.

Tammy Farrell, graphic designer and owner of TNT Graphics, and Kay Shirk, copywriter, created the holiday promotion for The Hite Co.'s 2008 advertising campaign.

The Communicator Awards is the leading international creative awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals.

TNT Graphics, founded in 1987, offers concept-to-finish design and marketing advice/management.

37 firms get Ben Franklin investment

In its 2008-09 program year, the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania invested in 37 tech-based companies. The Ben Franklin portfolio features a mix of companies ranging from pure startup to existing manufacturer and includes industries as diverse as biotech, homeland security, IT and agriculture.

Locally these companies include: Carbon Trap Technologies, Energy Wall, Expansyn Technologies, Indigo Biosciences, KCF Technologies, Keystone Nano, MT Platinum, Piezo Resonance Innovations, SilcoTek, SoftGenetics, Solarity and the Ultran Group.

A complete listing of those that received a Ben Franklin investment is available online at www.cnp.benfranklin.org. The group also reported a record number of small companies have applied for a Ben Franklin investment this year.

The program, which is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, has already reviewed more than 30 business owners’ proposals.

Local Allstate agent awards grant

Allstate agent Eugene Weller Jr. presented Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania with a $500 grant as part of The Allstate Foundation’s “Agency Hands in the Community” program.

The program, which began in 2003, recognizes Allstate agents’ volunteerism within the community and provides financial support to organizations through The Allstate Foundation.

Every Allstate agent who volunteers for a charitable organization in their community may qualify for this award.

OIT given top ranking in report

Optical Image Technology was one of the top-ranked vendors nationally in a recent report on enterprise content management solution providers for insurers, “Novarica Ace Comparative Ranking: Insurance Document Management/ Workflow 2009.”

Novarica ACE Rankings are based on customer satisfaction surveys conducted by Novarica, an independent research and advisory firm focused on markets, operations and technology for financial services and insurance.

OIT received an overall ranking of 97 out of 100. Among the subcategories, the highest ranking was for the functionality of OIT’s products, which received a 99 percent approval from DocFinity users. Approval ratings exceeded 95 in all areas, which included staff, organization, technology, product functionality and overall customer satisfaction.

Poole Anderson gets visitor center contract

Poole Anderson Corp., of State College, was recently awarded one of four contracts totaling $4.5 million for construction of the Pennsylvania Wilds Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette.

Poole Anderson received the contract for general construction. The center is a joint effort of DCNR and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation that is intended to be a destination for visitors in the region who come to enjoy the elk herd.

Construction of the 8,400- square-foot facility is expected to be completed by May 2010.