Some of you as parents might remember the height of the steel industry that ran the entire length of the Monongahela River. Or specifically the facilities on the Southside, crossing over the Hot Metal Bridge over into Hazelwood. One structure from the bygone era remained vacant for decades on a large industrial site in Hazelwood until recently. The 178 acres of what is now being called Hazelwood Green has been remediated thanks to local foundation support, infrastructure built (you have to check out the great river views and bike paths!), and the remaining Hazelwood Coke Works facility has been reborn. As opposed to making munitions for WWII or components for the steel industry, it is now a hub of innovation sparking growth of the manufacturing sector in the region. Catalyst Connection, the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute, and Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Initiative were the first to build out “office pods” inside the steel infrastructure of the old building now known as Mill19. Uber has a large test track for their autonomous vehicles in the complex. Aptiv and Motional are doing autonomous car research in partnership with Hyundai in the second portion of the build out. And a new technology/innovation center run by OneValley to help startup companies is in the process of refurbishing the 133-year old train roundhouse on the property. So many exciting things happening that are the future of manufacturing in our region!!
Manufacturing Reborn
