As one of Pennsylvania’s foremost economic strategists, Aaron Pitts has spent the past year quietly dismantling the state’s longstanding business obstacles—and the results are hard to ignore, writes Paul Schwedelson for Philadelphia Business Journal.

Since joining the Shapiro administration through the BusinessPA team in 2024, Pitts has helped Pennsylvania lock in more than $41 billion in private-sector investment and roughly 23,000 jobs statewide.

Companies behind those commitments include household names like Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly, alongside energy innovator TerraPower and beverage manufacturer DrinkPak.

Pitts, who previously drove innovation and business recruitment efforts at JobsOhio, came to Pennsylvania with a clear sense of what slows deals down.

Working alongside Governor Josh Shapiro and DCED Secretary Rick Siger, he helped cut the time to assemble incentive packages from over a month to roughly two weeks.

Pennsylvania also launched a fast-track permitting program for major projects, a signal to site selectors that the state is serious about competing.

Add to that the PA SITES program, which funds infrastructure upgrades to make industrial properties more shovel-ready, and Pennsylvania’s pitch to businesses looks markedly different than it did just a few years ago.

For Pitts, though, the work goes beyond strategy. “You’re working for the people with the objective of making their lives better and creating jobs in the future for their kids and grandkids,” Pitts said. “It’s a rewarding proposition.”

Learn more about Aaron Pitts and the economic leader’s impact across Pennsylvania in Philadelphia Business Journal.

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