Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger highlighted Pennsylvania’s $6.7 million investment to support construction of the 44-acre Bette Brown Slayton Business Park in Bedford County, which is expected to provide nine shovel-ready sites for new or expanding businesses and create 60 construction jobs.
The Bedford County Development Association (BCDA) project received a $2.8 million PA SITES (Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites) grant ― one of the program’s first awards announced in May 2025. The project also received $1.65 million in loans through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) and $2.3 million through the Multimodal Transportation Fund.
“I’m thrilled to help break ground on the Bette Brown Slayton Business Park in Bedford — one of the first PA SITES-funded projects to begin construction,” said DCED Secretary Siger.
This BCDA project will support industrial, manufacturing, and logistics operations by offering flexible sites, strategic access, and the infrastructure businesses need for long-term growth.
“Today’s groundbreaking represents more than the start of a business park, it represents opportunity,” said Jen Marsh, President & CEO, Bedford County Development Association. “Thanks to the Commonwealth’s investment through PA SITES and the collaboration of our many partners, Bedford County is creating the shovel-ready sites businesses need to invest with confidence. This project shows what’s possible when we move at the speed of business and work together to create jobs, attract investment, and strengthen Pennsylvania’s economy.”
The new park is named in honor of BCDA’s founding President and CEO Bette Brown Slayton, who helped shape Bedford County’s economic future during her 35 years of leadership.
“Having this business park bear my name is the honor of a lifetime. I accept this recognition with deep gratitude and humility, knowing that nothing we have accomplished over the past 35 years was ever the work of one person,” said Bette Brown Slayton, Founding President & CEO, Bedford County Development Association. “Every success has been the result of the dedicated BCDA board members and staff, elected officials, business leaders and countless others who believed in Bedford County’s future. I share this honor with them.”
