Pennsylvania State Senator David G. Argall and State Representative-elect Dane Watro recently visited the CAN BE Innovation Center on Monday, December 12, to tour the facility and learn more about its positive impact on local entrepreneurial development.

Senator Argall currently represents the 29th district, serving part of Luzerne, Carbon, and Schuylkill Counties in addition to being the Chairman of the Senate State Government Committee. Since being sworn into office, one of Senator Argall’s top legislative priorities has been revitalizing downtowns and older industrial neighborhoods, such as those within the Greater Hazleton Area.

Accompanying Senator Argall during this visit was State Representative-elect Dane Watro. The former mayor of McAdoo Borough was recently elected to represent Pennsylvania's 116th Legislative District which includes parts of Luzerne and Schuylkill Counties.

The CAN BE Innovation Center is a 14,000-square-foot business incubator within the Valmont Industrial Park. Its primary mission is to foster entrepreneurship and new venture developments within the community while promoting business expansion and diversity.

Since CAN BE’s inception, more than 25 companies have started their business in the incubator. The Innovation Center is currently suited to handle a variety of clients and offers necessary and useful facilities and support services to aid entrepreneurs seeking to develop a business in the Hazleton area.

In addition to providing its tenants with offices, light manufacturing space, and communal spaces such as lunch and conference rooms, the CAN BE Innovation Center also works to support entrepreneurs who are not current tenants. CAN BE offers free consulting to local businesses under five years old to help them grow and develop. CAN BE’s shared-use program also allows local entrepreneurs to utilize spaces for formal meetings and co-working and have a business mailbox within the building.

For CAN DO Director of Economic Development Jocelyn Sterenchock, Monday’s visit was an excellent opportunity for promoting a shared vision of economic growth on a local level. We always love when members of the public visit the incubator to learn more about our entrepreneurial programming, however, having elected officials tour the CAN BE Innovation Center is a particular honor. These visits give our clients the opportunity to have an open dialog with lawmakers regarding opportunities and hardships that small start-up businesses experience every day. We're proud to be able to offer them that opportunity."

If you are a local entrepreneur interested in starting or expanding your business and want to inquire about space or available services in the Innovation Center, visit www.canbe.biz or contact Nico Makuta at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHOTO CAPTION: CAN DO President & CEO Joseph Lettiere, joined by CAN DO staff members Jocelyn Sterenchock and Nico Makuta spend time discussing the organization’s investment in entrepreneurship throughout Greater Hazleton.