The sale of several area hospitals, the closing of old businesses and a change in ownership were among the top business stories of the past year in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Commonwealth sale fails
A deal that would have seen nonprofit WoodBridge Healthcare buy Commonwealth Health and its struggling hospitals collapsed in late November after the potential buyer was unable to secure bond financing for the purchase.
Community Health Systems Inc. Tennessee-based described the decision to end the deal as mutual.
The transaction would have seen WoodBridge acquire Commonwealth Regional Hospital of Scranton, Moses Taylor Hospital and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, along with other healthcare assets, from subsidiaries of Community Health Systems, Commonwealth’s for-profit parent company .
WoodBridge announced in late July its intention to buy Commonwealth from CHS affiliates for $120 million.
Riccardo’s closes; Schiel’s reopens the store
Schiel’s Family Markets, which opened its first Wilkes-Barre store on Hanover Street in 2000 before expanding to a George Avenue location in 2005, opened its first Lackawanna County store at 1219 Wheeler Ave. at Dunmore Dec. 8.
Riccardo’s Market closed at the end of October after a 90-year run in the borough.
Riccardo’s moved from its first location to a larger building on South Blakely Street, which it leased in 1993 in the former home of a giant market, before building an even bigger store in Wheeler Avenue, which opened in April 2010.
The Chamber takes over the former TMG Health website
In June, the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, through its business development arm, Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Company (SLIBCO), announced it had reacquired 38.39 acres comprising lots 25 and 26 within the Valley View Business Park in Jessup for $2.85 million . The chamber plans to market the land to companies in the advanced manufacturing, bio and life sciences, energy, technology and food and beverage sectors.
The approximately 150,000-square-foot former TMG Health/Cognizant building, a $20 million project, opened within Valley View Business Park in July 2012. The building was demolished in late 2023.
Ben-Mar closes in Carbondale
The Ben-Mar Restaurant along North Main Street, which opened in 1963, closed in November.
Dominic Zazzera took over ownership about a decade ago and renamed the restaurant Little Nikki’s in Ben-Mar.
The Ben-Mar property was sold to the Greater Carbondale YMCA, which also occupies a building across the street.
Wide World RV closes in Plains Twp.
Wide World RV Center Inc. — which previously provided temporary housing for residents affected by the Agnes flood — closed its doors on Oct. 31 after nearly 60 years of service to the community.
Guy and Joan DiAndriole started the business out of their Old Forge home in 1966 after purchasing a 13-foot Serro Scotty camping trailer in 1962 and started traveling with their three daughters – Faith Hales, Francine Ogonosky and Maria Torre.
By 1967, the family’s three-car garage was converted into an office, service center and shop, and the DiAndriole’s had eight campers for sale.
Substantial sales revenue to a government agency catapulted the company forward when flooding from Hurricane Agnes devastated the greater Wilkes-Barre area in 1972. The business moved to Highway 315 in Plains Twp. and was incorporated as Wide World RV Center Inc. in the same year.
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Expand
Geisinger Wyoming’s major valley expansion project is planned
In June, officials touted the benefits of a major expansion project geared toward providing an improved patient experience at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp.
Geisinger Wyoming Valley’s nearly $900 million expansion and renovation will include the construction of a new 11-story patient tower and increase the facility’s capacity for emergency medicine, critical care, trauma care, surgical services and an advanced program cardiovascular through an additional 600,000 sq. feet of space.
The project marks Geisinger’s single largest investment in its 109-year history.
The first phase of the project, which includes the bed tower and adjacent base that expands and renovates the emergency room, is expected to be completed in 2028. Renovations in other areas of the medical center will continue through 2030.
The improvements at Geisinger Wyoming Valley will include 58 new medical/surgical hospital beds, 24 new intensive care unit beds, 22 new urgent care rooms, six new operating rooms and two new structural heart rooms. for valve procedures, officials said.
Yuengling announces planned expansion in Illinois
Pottsville-based Yuengling, America’s largest brewer, will soon be available in more than half the country after a planned expansion into Illinois in January 2025.
However, the brewery, founded in 1929, has no immediate plans to sell the beer nationwide, company officials said.
Yuengling produces 2.7 million barrels a year at Pottsville, Mill Creek and its Tampa brewery, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights, a trade publication.
Farm-to-table grocery store planned for Pottsville
Josiah and Angela Meck, owners of Honey Brook Farm, announced plans to open The Farm Store, a 2,500-square-foot farm-to-table grocery store in a former bank building at 113 E. Norwegian Street. The store is expected to open in October 2025.
The Mecks, whose 81-acre farm is in South Manheim Twp., were awarded a $100,000 grant to open the store under the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce’s Ignite Schuylkill Initiative.
In December, Schuylkill County Commissioners preserved an 81-acre tract on Honey Brook Farm from future development.
Change of ownership for Pines Eatery in Hazleton
A popular restaurant stepped forward to preserve the legacy of Pines Eatery and Spirits.
Carlos Monclus — who owns Station 33, 31 E. Diamond Ave., which also has a food truck and trailer, and Make Sushi at 463 W. Broad St. in town – held a grand opening for Pines, 8 W. Broad St., Suite 50 in early December. The former owners closed the Pines on August 30.
Hayden Power Group opens new facility in Hazle Twp.
Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Hayden Power Group’s newest location on June 6.
The new 50,000-square-foot building, which sits on 10 acres at 410 Airport Road, houses a 10-ton crane and a multimedia training center that fits more than 100 people.
The total cost of the project was between 10-12 million dollars.
Florence and George Hayden Sr. started business in 1975.
In 2020, George Hayden Jr. joined forces with Baldo Trevino, a longtime employee and friend. After purchasing the Howard Organization in Bloomsburg, they merged the two companies to form the Hayden Power Group.
