Google has continued to hire and grow locally in Pittsburgh, and today the company is pleased to share news about their ongoing commitment to the region. Google has signed a lease for office space at Bakery Square and will be moving in 2010 into the former Nabisco factory in the East End.  Bakery Square is a Gold LEED-certified development, which is consistent with Google’s green initiatives. They will be leasing two floors of office space, accounting for a total of approximately 40,000 square feet. Google has called the Collaborative Innovation Center at Carnegie Mellon University home since 2006, where their local presence has grown to more than 100 Googlers. Carnegie Mellon has been a wonderful partner to Google and an advocate for engineering and technology in Pittsburgh, and the University looks forward to continuing a close relationship over the months and years ahead. The new engineering office will focus on creating a variety of search tools for Google and could act as an engine for creating new high-tech jobs in the Pittsburgh area.

Congratulations to East Liberty Development, Inc.’s Project Manager, Kendall Pelling, who was featured in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette! Kendall attended Sustainable Pittsburgh’s 6^th Annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Equitable Development Summit entitled, “Going Regional on Addressing Blighted and Abandoned Properties.” The summit featured keynote speaker John Kromer, Sr., a consultant at the Fels Institute, and author of Fixing Broken Cities: The Implementation of Urban Development Strategies. At the summit, Kendall spoke out on the abandoned properties in the Pittsburgh area. If you are interested to learn more about the summit and Kendall’s thoughts on blighted properties, check out this article on the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09355/1022481-455.stm.

Applications are now available for Pennsylvania’s Small Business Advantage Grant Program. The program allows for Small Businesses to receive funds for technology that will improve energy efficiency and prevent pollution. Through the program, businesses can apply for a 50% matching grant of up to $7,500 for taking actions that save at least 20% annually in energy or pollution related costs. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary, John Hanger today encouraged small business owners to apply for the program. “Well-designed energy efficiency and pollution prevention projects can help small businesses operate more efficiently and save money, while simultaneously improving Pennsylvania’s environment” said Hanger.

DEP’s Small Business Ombudsman’s Office is now accepting applications for Small Business Advantage grants. Program guidelines and applications may be downloaded at www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: SBAdvantage, or by mail from DEP by calling 717-783-8411. Applications must be mailed to the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, ATTN: Small Business Advantage, P.O. Box 8772, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8772. Applicants must hand-write and circle the word ADVANTAGE on the back of the envelope.

Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center (ENEC) is assisting the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh UPMC in recruiting part-time housekeeper positions. ENEC will be holding on-site interviews on December 9^th from 9 am to 11:30 am, by appointment only. In order to receive an interview, an application must be completed as soon as possible. Applications are available at ENEC and can be picked up between 9am to 1pm during the week. The application must be complete before an interview is scheduled. For more information, please call the ENEC office at 412-362-8580.