Two companies focused on employing residents of Mercer County presented a $60,000 investment into businesses in the region on Tuesday. 

Penn-Northwest Development Corporation, a corporation focused on helping businesses expand, and the Ben Franklin Tech Partners, a group that invests and connects industry experts with tech-startups, held a check presentation to celebrate two Mercer County businesses.

ST Performance and O&P Clinical Innovations, the businesses receiving the funds, stated they will use the money to develop new manufacturing technology.

Together, Penn-Northwest and Ben Franklin Partners formed the Mercer County Innovation Fund, aimed at job creation and economic growth in the area.

"As these companies work their way through a process, which can be anywhere as short as six months to a couple of years, when they qualify for funding at the end, there are some state funds that come in, which is through Ben Franklin, and then there's local Mercer County funds that come through the Mercer County Innovation Fund," Rod Wilt, Penn-Northwest Development Corporation executive director, said.

ST Performance, which works with car technology, received $10,000 in total. O&P Clinical Innovations, an orthotics company, received $50,000.