A new manufacturing company may be coming to Blair County.
"There is a manufacturing company contemplating moving their manufacturing operations to a portion of the Cardinal Commerce Center," said Patrick Miller, Altoona-Blair County Development Corp. executive vice president. "We hope to have an announcement on the project within 60 days."
The Cardinal Commerce Center is the former F.L. Smithe Machine Co. building on Old Route 220 near Duncansville. F.L. Smithe ceased manufacturing operations in 2009.
If the manufacturing company moves in, it would use just more than 20,000 square feet of the 100,000 square feet that are available. The project is expected to lead to the creation of about 50 new jobs over a three-year period, Miller said.
"Anybody that moves into the area with job opportunities is generally a good thing," Joe Hurd, president and CEO of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce, said.
Miller also said a local computer software company is looking at the former DSI-ITI building, 4200 Industrial Park Drive.
"We don't have a tentative timeline on that one. It is still in the early stages," Miller said. "They have outgrown their space. This building was originally designed for a software company and it would be a good match for them."
Miller called that project a job retention project but said some additional jobs could be created by the move.
DSI-ITI moved to the Commerce Park building, 5000 Sixth Ave., in 2009.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.
