Will Westinghouse Bankruptcy Leave Cranberry Reeling?

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA - Westinghouse Electric Co.’s decision to file bankruptcy has global ramifications, but locally the greatest impact could be felt in the township where the company is headquartered.

Westinghouse is Cranberry’s largest employer, with about 2,200 of the company’s 4,500 western Pennsylvania workers stationed at its Cranberry Woods complex. According to township statistics, more than 300 Westinghouse workers live in Cranberry, while about another 300 live in other Butler County municipalities.

Westinghouse’s parent company, the Japan-based Toshiba, announced on Wednesday that the major player in global nuclear projects filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. Toshiba said last week the company had suffered nearly $10 billion in losses related to nuclear reactor construction initiatives.

Township manager Jerry Andree downplayed the impact the bankruptcy could have on Cranberry.

“The business decision recently announced by the Westinghouse Electric Company was not an unexpected step as they address their financial challenge,” he said “Westinghouse has a long history of successfully managing the challenges of the industries they serve. They are a resilient company with many talented employees serving a global demand for their expertise. There is every reason to believe they will overcome this current challenge and continue to be a leader in their field.”

Ironically, when Westinghouse announced it was moving its headquarters from Monroeville to Cranberry in 2007, the company cited the rapid expansion of the global nuclear industry as the primary reason. The Cranberry Woods campus was formally dedicated in 2011.

Photo via Associated Press.