The PA Chamber brought together state lawmakers and business leaders in Lancaster last week for a roundtable discussion on the pressures shaping the Commonwealth’s economy.
Hosted at Armstrong World Industries — a Lancaster-headquartered global leader in the design and manufacture of ceiling and wall system solutions and one of the Chamber’s longest-standing members, dating back over a hundred years — the discussion was part of a statewide series aimed at connecting employers directly with policymakers.
PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein set the tone by outlining four priority areas to enhance Pennsylvania’s ability to compete: accelerating tax reform, streamlining permitting processes and government responsiveness, expanding energy development, and addressing the state’s workforce gap. He called Lancaster County a “hub of manufacturing and innovation,” stressed its importance to statewide growth, and praised the work of Lancaster Chamber President and CEO Heather Valudes, who joined the discussion and added important context about her region.
Additional participants included state Reps. Bryan Cutler, Keith Greiner, Steven Mentzer, and Brett Miller, along with representatives from the offices of Reps. Smith-Wade-El and Zimmerman; employers and institutions across the region, including Fulton Financial, RKL, Saxton & Stump, WellSpan Health, Penn State Health, Elizabethtown College, Franklin & Marshall College, and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.
A key theme throughout the discussion was workforce shortages within trades and regulations prohibiting graduates from entering the workforce expeditiously. Thaddeus Stevens reported overwhelming demand for its training programs — with 21 of 24 programs running waitlists and graduates fielding as many as 18 job offers each. Participants discussed lowering apprenticeship ratios as one way to expand training and hiring pipelines.
Education leaders flagged additional concerns: declining numbers of college-aged students, shrinking federal funding for career exploration, and rising regulatory costs. Franklin & Marshall pointed to cost-sharing efforts with the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design as one strategy to manage expenses.
Artificial intelligence also emerged as a flashpoint. Bank representatives raised alarms over fraud and security risks, while health care leaders described the upside: AI tools that cut down on paperwork, free up providers’ time with patients, and even improve cancer detection rates.
Bernstein said the roundtable series is designed to give employers a stronger voice in shaping state policy. “Solutions don’t come from Harrisburg alone,” he said. “They come from job creators and workers who know what it takes to compete.”
The PA Chamber plans to continue hosting roundtable discussions across Pennsylvania to help foster constructive interactions between employers and lawmakers.