Show Your International Colors with the New GlobalPittsburgh Expand Your World T-Shirt

You're a citizen of the world so show off your colors with your own GlobalPittsburgh t-shirt! These all-cotton shirts will display your commitment to spreading international awareness while investing in GlobalPittsburgh's programs and activities.

Click on the button below to order your very own "Expand Your World - Get Connected" t-shirt. They also make great gifts for children, grandchildren, parents, friends and maybe those out-of-town college students who might want to show their Pittsburgh pride.

These shirts (in GlobalPittsburgh purple) are yours for $20 plus flat-rate shipping in the U.S. Click on the button below to order yours now. Tell your friends!

Choose your size (men's sizes)

Small $20.00 USD Medium $20.00 USD Large $20.00 USD Extra Large $20.00 USD

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Pittsburgh-Based Wonderaddo Launches Fun, Engaging Global Education Resource for Children and Families

Pittsburgher Mandy Fields Yokim has founded Wonderaddo, LLC, a global education resource focused on promoting the global awareness of children and families in Pittsburgh.

Wonderaddo launched its new website on Thursday, August 15th, 2013 with the goal of providing a valuable community resource that will inspire Pittsburgh residents and visitors to explore the world through global events, activities and connections in our beautiful city – no passport or suitcases required.

The public is invited to Wonderaddo's free Explore the World Launch Event at the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District on Aug. 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"Wonderaddo is a great resource for parents with young children to experience the world and celebrate diverse cultures in Pittsburgh." - Amiena Mahsoob, Director of Education Programs, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh

As Pittsburgh continues to be recognized on a national and global scale for its many amenities, Wonderaddo strives to inspire even our youngest residents and visitors to appreciate and benefit from all that the city has to offer, says Yokim, a writer and the mother of young children.

"When Mandy visited the GlobalPittsburgh office to talk to us about Wonderaddo, we agreed that she would be filling a niche by helping families with young children learn about global activities in the region and further explore other cultures via fun educational tools.  We believe that Wonderaddo may lead families to consider becoming host families for international visitors for our organization and to inspire kids to travel and consider global careers when they are older." - Gail Shrott, Director, International Leaders Program, GlobalPittsburgh

For more information, go to www.wonderaddo.com.

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GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays Happy Hour Sept. 5 at Luke Wholey's Wild Alaskan Grille in the Strip District

Come meet globally-minded people from Pittsburgh and all over the world to make new friends and learn more about different cultures at our GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays happy hour on Thursday, Sept. 5 from 5:30-8:00 pm at Luke Wholey's Wild Alaskan Grille in the Strip District. Bring your friends, family and colleagues or come alone - you will make new friends!

GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays is a regular monthly night of networking and socializing with different themes and different activities - but always with an international flavor - on the first Thursday of every month. It's an evening of friends, interesting conversation and good spirits with an international flair. Everyone is welcome!

Special features for the September event:
- Free admission for GlobalPittsburgh members
- GlobalPittsburgh Networking PASSport (see below)
- Complimentary appetizers
- Entertaining vendors
- Prize drawings
- Drink specials
- Free seated massages from Massage Envy in Squirrel Hill

Get your GlobalPittsburgh Networking PASSport (attendance stamp card for members). Collect stamps and turn them in for free drinks and prizes.

Discounted membership registration when you sign up at the event. Get $10 off your individual or family annual membership. Signing a friend to be a member entitles you both to free drinks. If you are already a member and you bring a friend who becomes a member at the event, you will both receive free drinks! Online registration for your convenience. By registering online (link below) you will receive a free ticket to one of the drawings at the door. We look forward to seeing you on August 1st.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, do not hesitate to call 412-392-4513 or email nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org.

GlobalPittsburgh is looking to partner with small businesses and organizations for this event. We are offering the opportunity for you to promote your small businesses or organization at our event at a table, advertise your name on our social media, and announce our partnership during the evening. If you are interested in setting up a vendor table or simply would like to donate an item/gift certificate for the prize drawing, please contact Nadya Kessler.

Luke Wholey's is located at 2106 Penn Avenue in the Strip District.

Admission is FREE for paid GlobalPittsburgh members. Admission is $5 at the door for everyone else. Membership information will be available at the event, but you may also join GlobalPittsburgh now at www.globalpittsburgh.org/membership and get in free on the night of the event.

REGISTER NOW!

If you have questions or would like to set up a vendor table, please contact Nadya Kessler in the GlobalPittsburgh office at 412-392-4513 or by email at nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org. Photos from past First Thursdays and a few other GlobalPittsburgh events, activities, and programs can be viewed at www.flickr.com/photos/globalpittsburgh. See you there!

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Carnegie Mellon Students and Graduates Spend Summer Working With Visually Impaired Children in India

Eight Carnegie Mellon University students and recent graduates spent their summer working on technology to assist visually impaired children through the Mathru Educational Trust for the Blind in Bangalore, India.

Among their impressive accomplishments: enhancing three technologies created by previous CMU researchers. They include two forms of Braille Writing Tutors, and software that enables blind students to experience graphics by printing them out as braille patterns.

"It's exciting to see how the device helps. When you see the students so excited by the games we created, when they are laughing and happy, it makes it all worthwhile," said Shree Lakshmi Rao (A'13), one of the students competitively selected for the innovative Student Technology ExPerience (iSTEP) internship that enabled her and the others to travel to India and put the skills they learned at CMU to use.

She was joined in Bangalore by Madeleine Clute (CS '14), Maddie Gioffre (E'15), Poornima Kaniarasu (CS '13), Aditya Kodkany (E'15), Vivek Nair (E'15), and Avia Weinstein (MCS'14) from CMU's Pittsburgh campus, and Aveed Sheikh (TPR'14) from CMU's Qatar campus.

"It's a wonderful experience working alongside a multi-talented, international team and collectively trying to make a difference," Sheikh said.

The iSTEP internship is a global effort, with TechBridgeWorld remotely supervising from CMU's campus in Pittsburgh.

The goal of the Braille Writing Tutor is to provide an affordable and accessible means for children and adults in underserved communities around the world to learn how to write braille using the locally available slate and stylus method.

The original version of the device, which is connected to a computer, provides immediate audio feedback as the user writes on the electronic slate with the stylus. The tutor also teaches the basics, guides writing, corrects mistakes, provides opportunities for practice, and motivates students through educational games.

"We have to keep in mind the restrictions that the Mathru Trust faces, and implement the features of the tutor accordingly. For example, to work around any problems with internet connectivity, we had to make sure that a library of images could be built," explained Kodkany. "And the user interface had to be easy and accessible enough for both blind teachers and those who did not have too much experience with computers in general."

The iSTEP 2013 team also researched the feasibility of connecting the tutor to an Android smartphone instead of a computer, for added portability. They also significantly enhanced the newest standalone version of this tutor, which is based on the original tutor, has onboard computing and is battery powered, which makes the device even more portable, while maintaining affordability.

A new course offered this past spring by M. Bernadine Dias and David Kosbie called "Software Development for Social Good" produced new code written by CMU students that the iSTEP team incorporated into their projects. Dias is TechBridgeWorld's founder and director and an associate research professor in the Robotics Institute. Kosbie is an assistant teaching professor in the Computer Science Department and a volunteer at TechBridgeWorld.

In addition to software development, the iSTEP team maximized their time with the Mathru school by conducting extensive interviews and user tests, and analyzing data in order to fully understand the impact of and potential improvements to the tutors. The CMU interns also trained the Mathru teachers to effectively use computers and other technology available to them at the school.

The team also assessed the needs of a new multi-disability center in preparation for the iSTEP 2014 team to return to Bangalore next summer for continued work with Mathru.

Team photo:
Back, l-r: Vivek Nair, Poornima Kaniarasu, Aveed Sheikh, Avia Weinstein
Front, l-r: Aditya Kodkany, Madeleine Clute, Madelyn "Maddie" Gioffre, Shree Lakshmi "SL" Rao.

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Westmoreland Community College Near Pittsburgh Opening Advanced Technology Center in Former Sony Plant

Westmoreland County Community College recently broke ground for its new Advanced Technology Center at RIDC-Westmoreland in East Huntingdon, formerly the location of Sony's television plant and Volkswagen's auto assembly plant.

“Our Advanced Technology Center will provide affordable, state-of-the-art education and training to prepare WCCC students and incumbent workers for in-demand, technically oriented careers,” said WCCC President Daniel J. Obara.

The ATC will offer programs with an industry-driven curriculum in areas such as mechatronics, advanced and additive manufacturing, also known as 3-D printing, energy, machining and fabrication, metrology and nanotechnology. Mechatronics is a design process that combines mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, control engineering and computer engineering.

Obara said the college’s current facilities and equipment has limited its ability to provide skilled technicians for the region’s manufacturers and energy industries.

“It will be a regional asset for flexible, collaborative, customized job training for the area’s manufacturing enterprises,” Obara said, providing an incentive for new employers to relocate to the RIDC and nearby industrial parks.

The Advanced Technology Center (ATC) will occupy 73,500 square feet at RIDC-Westmoreland to house workforce development programs currently located at the WCCC Youngwood Campus.

The ATC will continue the college’s work with career and technology centers, allowing high school students to advance their education by acquiring “stackable” credentials that prepare them for immediate employment and provide a foundation for future certifications and degrees.

For the new facility’s state-of-the-art equipment, WCCC received a $2 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation through the college’s Investing in Our Community campaign.

Gene P. Ciafre, campaign co-chair and WCCC trustee who announced the grant, said it was the largest gift ever received by the college.

Ciafre said the grant will “greatly advance not only the college but also the workforce training needs and economic growth of our region.”

The campaign also received a $300,000 grant from the Hillman Foundation for the ATC which was acknowledged by Bud Smail, Investing in Our Community campaign co-chair and a 27-year member of the WCCC Educational Foundation board of directors.

In addition to the Richard King Mellon and Hillman Foundation grants, other funding sources for the project include a bond issue authorized by the Westmoreland County commissioners, a Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant, several U.S. Department of Labor grants for energy education and training, the college’s capital budget and private donors through the Investing in Our Community campaign.

The college anticipates the Advanced Technology Center will be completed and open for fall 2014 classes.

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GlobalPittsburgh Seeking Partners, Sponsors, Investors in Connecting Programs and Activities; Inquiries Welcome

Would you or your organization like to get involved with GlobalPittsburgh?

We are always seeking partners, sponsors and investors in our connecting programs and activities. In addition to individual and corporate membership programs, GlobalPittsburgh welcomes other forms of participation and support (both financial and in-kind) for things like our First Thursdays monthly happy hour for globally-minded people, welcoming activities for new international students and professionals, and for our annual community event (coming up in October -- stay tuned for details), and much more.

Partnerships are available for single events and long-term programs. We also welcome vendors at our events, which are attended by a wide range of people from many different backgrounds.

For more information about partnership opportunities, please contact Nadya Kessler, Assistant Director, GlobalPittsburghCONNECT and Operations, at 412-392-4513 or nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org.

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Real Estate Developer From Nigeria Builds Success, Creates Jobs and Economic Growth in Pittsburgh Region

Emeka Carter visits one of the houses in Lawrenceville undergoing
renovation  by his company, E Properties & Development, which
has created jobs and other economic benefits in the Pittsburgh region.

By Thomas Buell, Jr.

Many real estate developers can only dream of selling properties before construction has been completed. In Pittsburgh, Emeka Carter has built a successful business model around that concept, and made it look easy.

His company, E Properties & Development, currently has 10 properties under development throughout the City of Pittsburgh, and every one of them is already under contract for sale. In fact, most of the 16 properties the company has developed in its four-year history have been sold either before groundbreaking or while construction crews were still at work.

Carter, a native of Nigeria who moved to Pittsburgh seven years ago, attributes his success to a philosophy that it’s important to allow buyers to choose finishes and design touches they want rather than settling for the more generic choices often used in spec homes. And he prices his properties to include a wide range of higher-end options so that buyers know the finished cost of the project.

“Our approach of providing the owners with flexibility in determining the final design of the property has been very well received,” he said. “They are involved in the design process from the early stages, and that allows them to participate in the creative process.”

Carter came to the United States and earned his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering at Penn State, and came to Pittsburgh seven years ago to work for MEDRAD Inc, and later obtained an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. In 2009 he founded E Properties & Development.

Since then the company has developed more than $5 million in real estate. The projects are split between high-end renovations of existing homes and  new construction properties. E Properties houses sell for $235,000 to $450,000, with the average price just over $300,000, Carter said.

Croghan's Edge

His company now employs 18 people, about one-third of them full time construction crews, and the rest regular sub-contractors. E Properties has an office staff of three at its office on Butler Street. The company also purchases tens of thousands of dollars in building materials and supplies, and works regularly with real estate agents from RE/MAX, who also benefit when the properties sell.

His success story is an example of the entrepreneurial spirit possessed by many immigrants, and symboizes the benefits they bring to the regional economy.

For those who work with him, Carter’s success has meant more work, and steadier work.

“It has been good, since we have several projects going at the same time, I have been able to stay busy,” said Bill Welsh, Sr., carpenter and handyman. “Emeka has been good to work with. He tells us what he wants and then he lets us do it.”

Croghan's Edge Interior

Matthew Galluzzo, Executive Director of the Lawrenceville Corp., said Carter has earned a good reputation among buyers for quality projects and innovative design, including the Croghan’s Edge development, located in the 3600 block of Penn Avenue, which won a 2012 Merit Award from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. It was designed by Pittsburgh-based mossArchitects.

“We didn’t have anything like that in Lawrenceville,” Galluzzo said.

As neighborhoods like Lawrenceville have become more popular among younger, more affluent homeowners, developers like E Properties have been well positioned to achieve success, Galluzzo said. And Carter has made a good name for himself by connecting with the community.

“As it relates to the community, Emeka has made himself more than available to make sure that the projects he’s doing comport with the neighborhood,” Galluzzo said. “He has done a pretty good job of liaising with the community. It’s good to have developers thinking along those lines and minimizing the community impact.”

One example of the ways E Properties connects with the community is the naming of the Penn Avenue project. After conducting a community contest to find a name for the development, it was named after George Croghan who was a settler in the area in the 1760s.

Carter's active and innovative approach to development has caught the attention community leaders.

“When I first met Emeka I was impressed,” said Charles Powell, director of Diversity Affairs and Community Outreach at the Urban Redevelopment Authority of the City of Pittsburgh in an interview with the New Pittsburgh Courier. “I like the quality of his work and his creativity and willingness to do what it takes to make a project work, even if it means using his own resources to move it forward.”

Carter said Pittsburgh presents many opportunities for those who are willing to work hard and think in new and different ways.

“Pittsburgh is in its third renaissance and this is a good time to be here,” he said. “Great things are happening here. Being on the ground you can see that. People are moving back into the city. It is exciting to see that.”

The New American Entrepreneurs is an occasional series on the GlobalPittsburghNEWS blog featuring foreign-born entrepreneurs who are making their mark in the Pittsburgh region.
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