News

State Senator David Argall and State Representative-elect Dane Watro paid a visit to CAN BE Innovation Center

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Published: Thursday, 15 December 2022 21:18

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.

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CAN BE to Host Joint Networking Event for Regional Entrepreneurs

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Published: Friday, 02 December 2022 16:13

CAN DO’s entrepreneurial program and small business incubator, The CAN BE Innovation Center will host a regional holiday networking event on Tuesday, December 6^th from 5:30 to 7:30PM at the THINK Center in Downtown Wilkes-Barre. The collaborative and festive evening will happen in partnership with Wilkes-Barre Connect – a division of the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Scranton Chamber’s Ignite program.

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CAN BE sponsors Greater Hazleton Chamber’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 9th year

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Published: Thursday, 27 October 2022 18:14

Longtime CAN DO partner, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, held its 21^st Annual Business and Community Award Ceremony at The Pines Eatery & Spirits in Downtown Hazleton on Thursday, October 27th.

At the luncheon, CAN DO Business Financing Specialist, Nico Makuta, proudly presented the 2022 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Omar Alcantara of Hazleton. This marks the 9th year that the organization’s entrepreneurial arm, the CAN BE Innovation Center, has sponsored the award.

“CAN BE is proud to support this award each year and recognize the hardworking and innovative entrepreneurs that we have right here in Greater Hazleton. It is exciting to witness the immediate success that Tabla Supply has had in the market. Omar was a perfect selection for this award, and I commend him for how quickly he has grown Tabla Supply and his dedication to expanding his operations in the future,” Makuta said.

Omar Alcantara is the owner of Tabla Supply, a family-owned home decor store and remodeling business in Hazleton. Originally from New York, Alcantara started his entrepreneurial path with a small carpentry shop in Corona, NY. While still in New York, he realized that his customer base had additional needs that he could not fulfill at the time, such as flooring and granite countertops. Upon moving to the Hazleton Area, Alcantara found an opportunity to make his dreams of a home improvement store a reality.

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VizVibe business grew with the help of CAN BE Innovation Center, graduates from the incubator

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Published: Monday, 19 September 2022 15:42

VizVibe, an award-winning digital content creation company specializing in augmented reality (AR), recently graduated from the CAN BE Innovation Center after being in the space for roughly one year. They are now located on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.

The CAN BE Innovation Center, located in West Hazleton’s Valmont Industrial Park, focuses on promoting entrepreneurship and technological growth for small and growing businesses in the local community. This initially impressed VizVibe's co-founder and CEO, Kevin Jones, and what prompted them to move into CAN BE in June 2021.

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