HERMITAGE - A group of business leaders and civic leaders announced a new investment to attract economic investment in Northwest Pennsylvania, including the Shenango Valley, Tuesday afternoon.

U.S. Senator Dave McCormick was joined by state, county and local officials, as well as business and industry leaders, college and university presidents, labor representatives and regional stakeholders to announce "Power Northwest" at the Avalon Country Club in Hermitage.

Barry Zekelman, CEO of Zekelman Industries, was one of the speaks at the kick-off event. He said it’s the sign of upcoming change for the area. 

“Many communities and families in this region have been left behind by the changing economy. But today, we stand at a pivotal moment in Northwest Pennsylvania's history,” said Zekelman.

Power Northwest includes 10 Pennsylvania counties, including Mercer and Lawrence Counties, and aims to provide a unified voice for existing economic development agencies and political leaders by supporting them.

The organization was created by business leaders Frank Mindincino and Frank Evans, who organized the group on behalf of those 10 counties that have yet to be included in a $92 billion energy and technology investment announced by Senator McCormick last summer. Evans said the moment was sobering.

“None of that investment was planned for Northwest Pennsylvania. None of it,” said Evans. "We know that when it comes to the economy, you cannot wait for your turn. You take it. That's why we're here today."

The hope is to bring economic development agencies and community leaders together to advocate for their communities.

Power Northwest President Bob Wilson says the counties that the organization will serve all have a wealth of resources.

"We have natural gas beneath our feet, we have power lines overhead, we have ample water, we have academic institutions that understand how to put ideas into action and we have a bounty of economic development agencies guided by men and women whose sole purpose in life is to see this region prosper," Wilson said.

Senator McCormick agreed, saying it is time to highlight what the Northwest has to offer.

“A world class workforce, a university ecosystem, Penn, West Westminster Grove, city Allegheny and teal, natural gas, industrial land, transmission infrastructure, access to the Great Lakes, logistics, shipbuilding. I mean, just think of it,” said McCormick.

Their focus is staying ahead of the transition to newer technology, like advanced manufacturing and data centers. This comes at a time where questions are rising over the safety of data centers.

Wilson said he's going to continue speaking with experts as well as people working in the industries, and will collaborate to see what safeguards should be in place for those living in the community.

“We want to be part of this, this new revolution, but nobody wants to see this happen without safeguards in place. The data center developers, the large companies. Nobody wants to see that,” said Wilson.

Wilson said Power Northwest is an influencer group, and will require collaboration from business and community leaders to make the best decisions.

 “They're the experts. What we want to do is work with these experts when they get close to making a decision, do we put the status center in Northwest Pennsylvania? Do we put it in Tennessee? Do we put it somewhere else? We want to advocate for them to put it in Northwest Pennsylvania,” said Wilson.

Wilson said the nonprofit is primarily funded by private sectors.