J. Harris & Sons, Co., one of the country’s largest manufacturers and wholesalers of lampshades, has received $350,000 in Pittsburgh Business Growth and Enterprise Zone loan funds from the
URA. Funds will assist the 30 year-old company with an expansion of its operations at 50 26th St. in the
Strip District.
Run by father-son team Jack and Craig Harris, the company sells millions of lampshades every year to clients such as Crystal Clear Industries, Marriott and American Eagle Outfitters. “Our first priority is to keep companies here in Pittsburgh that have good paying jobs and that have been here for a long time. J. Harris is a perfect example of that type of business,” says Tom Link with the URA. “We always want to support our local manufacturer. It’s an opportunity to help them expand their markets and survive and grow.”
With URA assistance, Harris is renovating its 86,000 square-foot headquarters, installing new computers and exhaust fans, and completing electrical work. Funds also allowed Harris to acquire Marcis Wire Works, its key supplier of wire parts, which recently closed in Philadelphia. The move secures the company’s long-term growth, as Harris is moving Marcis’ equipment to Pittsburgh so that it can manufacture its own product parts. “Everything is moving here. Eventually, ninety-percent of everything we do will be manufactured right here in Pittsburgh,” says Jack Harris.
The project will retain 47 and create 50 new manufacturing jobs. “It’s going to have a ripple down effect to other departments. I’m hoping to be up and running by September,” says Harris, who currently oversees 39 people.
Writer: Jennifer Baron
Sources: Tom Link, URA; Jack Harris, J. Harris & Sons
Photograph copyright © Jonathan Greene