While the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on many communities and businesses in 2020 (and into 2021), the City of Coatesville’s downtown revitalization efforts have continued to thrive and grow despite these many challenges!

One project that’s been highlighted on various occasions throughout the year is the two-acre property which was the former site of Lukens Steel’s marketing and sales office. The soon to be 30,000-square-foot building will serve as a start-up hub, and is located at 190 West Lincoln Highway in Coatesville.

One of the project’s main selling points is that the site is located within a Qualified Opportunity Zone and a Keystone Innovation Zone (or KIZ), the latter of which provides companies who relocate there with significant state tax breaks (under certain conditions). The project is the first major commercial building to be erected in Coatesville in over 50 years.

The building’s lead tenant, nth Solutions, co-founded by Susan Springsteen and Eric Canfield is a product development, manufacturing, and business incubation company that advances innovation from concept to commercialization. The building’s developer, Proudfoot Capital, is investing $5 million to renovate the historic structure and add the expansion building.

Renovations began in early 2020, and the new building is expected to open by the end of April 2021. The hub will provide space for at least 30 people initially, according to a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“We expect at least seven early-stage tech start-ups to be housed here,” Springsteen noted. “We’ll offer everything from our expertise in product development and intellectual property creation to a photo-video studio, marketing help, and product manufacturing. Anything that gets them from concept to commercialization.”

Among those joining nth Solutions initially will be the first Qualified Opportunity Zone business in Chester County, H20 Connected (a maker of devices that detect water loss in homes/businesses), Priority Green (an emergency vehicle traffic signal preemption device manufacturer), and BioForce Analytics (a maker of motion measurement devices).

Nth Solutions currently employs 10 full-time and 15 part-time employees, with 25 additional jobs projected to open up within the first 18 months of operation.

To learn more about the project, please visit https://nth-solutions.com/blog/190-embracing-the-future.