Key Industries

Dotted by more than 300 family dairy farms, Bradford County has a rich agricultural history. Cargill Corporation, a global agritech company, bought a local slaughterhouse in 2002 and has grown the business into a thriving beef processing facility that now employs more than 1,100 people. With fertile ground for crops, the area also welcomes ag-related technology and processing companies, hog farming and other agricultural operations ranging from yogurt to equipment manufacturing.

Since 2008, many national and international companies are actively drilling or leasing Marcellus Shale properties in Bradford County, including: Chesapeake Appalachia, Talisman Energy, Southwestern Energy Products, Chief Oil & Gas, EOG Resources, Vavco, SWEPI, Range Resources and Enervest. In addition, Panda Power Funds currently has an 829 megawatt Marcellus gas-fueled “Liberty” power plant in Bradford County.

With low-cost electricity, plentiful water and a hard-working labor pool, Bradford County has attracted multiple manufacturing facilities, including:

• DuPont has a manufacturing facility in North Towanda that produces polymer-based coated films for circuit and packaging materials; microcircuit materials and packaging graphics; high-performance materials for flexible circuit construction; holographic films; polyvinyl fluoride films and coated membranes.
• Global Tungsten & Powders Corp. (GTP), a world leader in powder technology, high temperature metallurgy, and inorganic chemistry, has a major manufacturing complex in Towanda that produces tungsten and molybdenum powders, along with other specialty products.
• Masco Cabinetry, maker of three nationally recognized cabinetry brands, KraftMaid®, Merillat® and QualityCabinets®, has a major manufacturing facility in Sayre that now employs upwards of 450 people after consolidating plants in Ohio and Virginia in the Bradford County facility.Other examples of manufacturers located in Bradford County include: Metadyne, Jeld-Wen and Rynone.

For those who may want to get out of the rat race, Bradford County offers entrepreneurs a warm welcome. The Enterprise Center in Sayre, for example, provides low-cost rent and other support services. SixBit Software, for example, started at John Slocum’s dining room table and now employs 11 people at the Enterprise Center developing and selling software that helps people sell faster on eBay. Another fast-growing startup is Hi-Caliber Motorsports, which “lifts” trucks and SUVs for individuals and auto/truck dealers, as well as sells a wide range of aftermarket accessories.