Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will name its new residence hall in honor of Lester Rice, chairman emeritus and former CEO of KOA Speer Electronics Inc. and the Mukaiyama-Rice Foundation, and his wife, Barbara. The University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees approved the naming of Lester and Barbara Rice House at its meeting today in Pittsburgh. Rice House will become home to 109 students this fall. Pitt-Bradford broke ground for the $9.3 million residence hall, which is located near Hanley Library, in October. “Les Rice, and his wife, Barbara, are tireless advocates for our campus and, by example, helped to establish a legacy of giving not only to our campus, but to this community in general,” said Dr. Livingston Alexander, president of Pitt-Bradford. “We’re honored and thrilled to have their names grace our newest residence hall.” The Rices, along with KOA Speer Electronics and the Mukaiyama-Rice Foundation, have provided s...

KOA Speer Electronics is pleased to announce they have once again earned the TTI Supplier Excellence Award for 2011, as well as the Diamond and Best Quality awards. KOA Speer is the recipient of the Platinum Level TTI award, an honor that can only be reached by receiving the Supplier Excellence Award for a minimum of 5 consecutive years. KOA Speer has been an award recipient in 16 of the 17 years TTI has presented this recognition. The TTI Supplier Excellence Award represents the highest recognition possible of a supplier's performance within TTI. The program is centered on quality measurements that include: on-time delivery, receiving quality, customer-reported quality, administrative quality, operations and business systems. In addition, there are performance measurements such as sales and management support. In addition to maintaining Platinum status, KOA Speer was also awarded the Diamond and Best Quality Awards for the second consecutive year. Introduced last year, the Diamon...

Thursday night Stefan Arlington and Anne Holliday brought you the sounds of the American Cancer Society's Fight Back Parade on 1490 WESB. Now here are some sights. The annual Relay for Life starts at noon today at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Frank Williams will be broadcasting live from the Relay on 100.1 The HERO from 3 to 6 p.m. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Kinzua East KOA Campground has been awarded the 2011 KOA President’s Award by Kampgrounds of America, the world’s largest system of family-friendly campgrounds. The award was presented today at KOA’s annual International Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The KOA President’s Award is presented annually to campgrounds that receive high scores in customer service from their campers, and also receive top scores in KOA’s annual Quality Review. KOA surveys hundreds of thousands of campers each year regarding their KOA camping experience. “Our campers play a key role in helping us select the very best KOA campgrounds to receive these awards,” said Kampgrounds of America Inc. President Pat Hittmeier. “This year, as we celebrate KOA’s 50th birthday, these awards take on a special meaning. To be one of the very best in a longstanding, iconic company like KOA really is a unique honor that this special KOA campground can share with its campers.” Kampgrounds of America was founded in 1962 on the...

The Kinzua East KOA Campground, owned and operated by Mary Estep, was recently named among the “Most Amazing Spots in the United States” by Reserve America, one of the largest providers of campground reservation services in the world. Each year, Reserve America names its “Top 100 Family Campgrounds” as well as outstanding campgrounds in each of the areas of in 16 different categories including: amazing spots, biking trails, bird-watching, canoeing, educational and historical facilities, fishing, hiking, horse-friendly parks, beaches, picnic areas, romantic spots, kid-friendly parks, scenic views, tours and events, unique cabins and water recreation activities. “Each year outdoor enthusiasts look forward to Reserve America’s annual list of the nation’s finest campgrounds that provide convenient services, offer beautiful scenery and ensure families have a great camping experience,” explained David Dutch, general manager for the Active Network’s Outdoors division. “We hope families find...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Bradford City Council wants to keep a local waterway from flooding, and keep a major employer happy, but money is a key issue. Council held a work session prior to Tuesday's regular meeting to discuss replacement of the Seaward Avenue bridge over Bolivar Run. Office of Economic and Community Development Executive Director Sara Andrews explained that the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission and PennDOT want to know if the city still wants the project in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP consists of the first four years of PennDOT's Twelve Year Program. It’s a "living document" that is constantly being revised and amended. The official TIP is updated every two years. Harold Bloomgren of Northwest Engineering in Tidioutte said after the flooding of 2003, KOA approached the OECD and asked for help. He said because the company is not locally owned, another flooding of their prop...

More bad economic news for Bradford. KOA Speer Electronics has laid off 28 people. Chief Financial Officer Lance Eastman tells WESB and The HERO that the layoffs are due to the current economic conditions, especially within the auto industry on which KOA heavily relies. Eastman says they hope to call everyone back when economic conditions improve but, for now, they told employees "they know as much as we do." KOA offered a voluntary layoff in December, expecting that business would pick up in January. Eastman says all of those people were called back before today's layoff.