BEDFORD, SPRINGS — The 2017 Annual Meeting of the Bedford County Development
Association was a celebration of accomplishment and promise for the future of economic growth in
Bedford County and the region.
Held at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort and Spa on August 11, 2017, the program was introduced by
Doug Gerber, plant manager at Rex Heat Treat, and chair of the BCDA board.
“2017 was a strong year for the BCDA and all of Bedford County,” said Gerber. “It was an active
year in which growth was the hallmark of the economic development community.”
Following introductory remarks, Gerber welcomed Congressman Bill Shuster to the meeting.
“A lot of great things are happening in Washington,” Shuster began. “But there is great frustration
dealing with bills that die in the Senate. I feel the frustration of the voters in my district. We
need significant, serious tax reform. We’ve got to focus our efforts.”
In addition to tax reform, Shuster noted, “the nation needs to pay attention to infrastructure
improvements. We may try to replicate what is being done in Australia with asset recycling. The
privatization of infrastructure may be one answer.”
State Representative Jesse Topper, 78th District, provided the state perspective.
“The Bedford County Development Association is the boots on the ground in economic
development,” Topper said. “Our state budget can be passed without a tax increase. We need to make
real difficult choices, not just continue to kick it down the road.” He believes public pension
plans need to be revised . “We have $60 billion in liability. We need a new system that reflects
the real world. We need a sustainable solution to reform Medicaid.”
Bette Slayton, BCDA president , delivered a “Year in Review” report which included a broad array of
BCDA’s activities in financing, real estate development, marketing, workforce
development and education, business retention, entrepreneurial development and networking.
Gerber introduced Gregory Krug, president and CEO of Lampire Biological Laboratories who
delivered the meeting’s Keynote address. It was titled “Growing the Life Science Industry in Bedford
County.”
Krug is a visionary who sees the incredible potential for growth in the highly skilled
biotechnology industry. His decision — made in 1989 — to create a facility in Bedford County is
likely to have a long-lasting, positive impact on the Bedford County economy.
“I feel very close to Bedford County,” Krug said. “We are attracting companies from all over the
world to Bedford County. Healthcare throughout the world is benefiting from the work that is being
done at Lampire.”
Lampire is a multi-million-dollar company that is creating lifesaving, life sustaining diagnostic
tools, pharmaceuticals, environmental products and cosmetics, among others.
Krug said that his desire for the company to have a strong farm presence led him to Bedford County.
“We have invested millions of dollars in our Bedford County facilities,” he said. “That includes
400+ acres of farmland and 5,000 animals.”
Krug has been a strong advocate for the creation of training and educational programs to develop a
skilled workforce that can sustain Lampire’s future growth.
“We hire scientists of many types,”Krug said. “Immunologists, biologists, microbiologists,
chemists, molecular biologists and veterinarians. We are developing our workforce to be
competitive on a global level. We are a global business.”