New Philly Association Formed to Help Businesses Crack the Marcellus

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A new association has been formed in the Philadelphia area to connect local businesses with business opportunities in the Marcellus Shale. So far the new association, called the Delaware Valley Marcellus Association (DVMA), consists of four founding member companies, but has plans to expand rapidly.

From the press release announcing the DVMA:

A new association has been formed to help educate, inform and connect local businesses with the state-wide opportunities now making themselves available through Marcellus Shale development. The Delaware Valley Marcellus Association (DVMA) has been formed by four leading organizations with deep roots in our area and who are actively participating in Marcellus Shale activity.

Duane Morris LLP, Gregory FCA, KPMG LLP and ModSpace are founding members of the DVMA, which is accepting applications for membership from other businesses in the Delaware Valley that recognize the opportunities that the responsible development of Marcellus Shale offers companies statewide, not just in Western or Northern Pennsylvania. The development that the DVMA hopes to spur could reach every sector of the economy—from manufacturing to education—and transform the Philadelphia region into a hub for inexpensive, clean, domestic energy and related goods and services.

The new association will hold its inaugural event on Tuesday, June 12 at the Union League of Philadelphia. The breakfast meeting, which begins at 8:00 a.m., will feature Penn State University Professor of Geosciences, Terry Engelder, Ph.D. Engelder, a leading authority on the Marcellus Shale, who was among the first professionals in the world to identify the immense reserves and energy opportunities Marcellus presents. He will lead an open-ended discussion concerning the development of gas from the Marcellus and how it impacts the broader Commonwealth, including businesses here in the Delaware Valley.

The Association plans regular quarterly meetings and events to help network interested companies with suppliers, providers, producers, drillers and exploration companies throughout the state. Its blog, www.MarcellusDelVal.org, will serve as an informational resource keeping the Delaware Valley business community alert to news and information about this major domestic energy supply.

“We intend to work collaboratively with both the industry to help them connect with and benefit from the talents of Delaware Valley businesses, and with those businesses to better position them to maximize this opportunity,” says Frank Luchak, partner in Duane Morris LLP, a Philadelphia based global law firm, with renowned energy, land use and commercial litigation practices. “We believe we can fill an important role in heightening communication between the two regions of our Commonwealth in order to speed the pace of development and build a better climate for the industry.”

The Association intends to work with existing associations throughout the Commonwealth and expand the participation of the presently under-involved Southeastern portion of Pennsylvania so that information can be shared quickly and accurately.

“Even though the Delaware Valley is not in the shale region, it still has a strategic interest in fully understanding and leveraging what is a transformational advancement for the Commonwealth,” says Greg Matusky, president of Gregory FCA, the region’s largest public relations firm. “We are excited to help fulfill that strategic mission and work alongside other businesses who share similar aims.”

“As the historical center of commerce, policy and finance of the Commonwealth, it’s important that the Delaware Valley have a group that advocates and connects,” says David Ellerbeck, partner with the Philadelphia office of KPMG LLP. “At a time of continued economic challenges, the advancement of Marcellus development provides unprecedented opportunity for Pennsylvania as a whole and for service, supply, logistics, infrastructure, and professional services firms here in the Delaware Valley that may never come again.”

“The impact of Marcellus Shale activity is dramatic and extends far beyond the drill site,” says Ron Wagner, Vice President of Marketing for ModSpace. “Successful and responsible Marcellus Shale exploration and extraction can help revitalize Pennsylvania and create opportunities for businesses and residents throughout the Commonwealth.”

For more information on the DVMA’s inaugural meeting, please visit their website at www.marcellusdelval.org.*

*Delaware Valley Marcellus Association (May 22, 2012) – New Delaware Valley Based Association Forms to Connect Local Business with the Business Opportunities of Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale Development