Railroad services firm heading to Alta Vista

February 22, 2019

Rick Shrum
Observer Reporter

A rail-related company is now making tracks for Alta Vista Business Park.

Frontier Railroad Services LLC has purchased a 4.6-acre lot, according to a news release issued Thursday by Mon Valley Alliance, the nonprofit owner of the 256-acre park in Fallowfield Township. Frontier is a regional railroad construction and maintenance firm that specializes in new track construction and tie and rail changeout.

The company is currently based in New Stanton, but wants to construct its new headquarters in Alta Vista. Plans call for a building that would house corporate offices, a repair and maintenance facility and about 11,000 square feet of operating space. Work is targeted to begin this year and end in 2020.

Frontier plans to have a workforce of 20-plus, with room to expand. MVA said the company had three primary reasons for selecting Alta Vista: its proximity to Interstates 70, 76 and 376; having a shovel-ready site designated as a Keystone Opportunity Zone; and access to an industrial-based workforce.

Frontier is led by chief executive officer Nicholas Scigliano; president and chief operating officer Gregory Susko; vice president and chief financial officer Dennis Stoner Jr.; and chief estimator Scott Sepesky.

“Our company is growing and we have open positions to fill immediately,” Sepesky said. “Specifically, we have positions open for laborers, operators and mechanics experienced in railroad construction.”

John Easoz, chairman of the MVA board, said in a statement: “We are pleased to welcome a regional asset such as Frontier to Alta Vista. We look forward to working with the company as they continue to grow in this new headquarters, providing jobs and economic activity for our region.”

Alta Vista has been quite active over the past four months. On Oct. 18, Nine Energy Service, a Houston, Texas-based oil and gas company, broke ground on a new regional headquarters. Nine Energy has outgrown its offices in Chartiers Township.

Then Dec. 10, MVA announced that Apex International had purchased a 12.95-acre site, where it plans to build a new North America operations facility. The company’s Apex North America division is currently located in Donora Industrial Park. Apex manufactures anilox, glue set and metering products, and print maintenance solutions.

Alta Vista, according to MVA, has 50 acres of pad-ready sites available for development.