Philadelphia Reflections

Philadelphia Gets the Business

Bernard Dagenais

The list just keeps getting longer and longer. The list of reasons why our beloved city is such a great place to live near. What's not to like about the history, the music, the art, the architecture, the location and you name it? We at the Right Angle club were apprised of another goodness at our June 26th luncheon when Bernard Dagenais, editor of the Philadelphia Business Journal, spoke about the current economic conditions and how we in this area are fortunate to have a healthy business climate that has allowed the region to weather the storm better than many other major centers in the U.S. To be sure, it's been no picnic. Unemployment in Philadelphia County is currently 9.7% while the whole of Pennsylvania is suffering at 8.2%. Compared to the likes of California which has hit 11.2%, though, we're not doing so badly. What we have in this region is a true diversity of business that many cities cannot match.

Our region's major work-force breakdown runs like this: 28% - Office oriented 26% - Manufacturing 23% - Hospitality, retail, tourism, etc. 18% - Health and education Rather than having our work force concentrated in just a couple of areas we are strongly represented in high-tech manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, bio-tech, consumer products and financials to name only a few. Greater Philadelphia has always had a strong interest in education and can point to having a strong, well-trained work force that can be tapped for just about any efforts imaginable.

Convention Center

Recent initiatives that are being pursued and which have come to fruition are graphic examples of our willingness to work.

Originally published: Wednesday, July 01, 2009; most-recently modified: Friday, May 31, 2019