What Pittsburgh Professionals Need to Know This Week

How a 60-Minute Netwinar Sparked 523 Referrals That Changed Lives

It might not end up in the Guinness Book of Records (then again, who knows?), but I was thrilled to lead an event that delivered results unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

As the number of participants poured into my Netwinar on Zoom, I became increasingly nervous.

The Zoom waiting room kept ticking up… 37, 45, 56. My excitement suddenly turned to panic. Soon, sixty people were ready to log into my netwinar, and I knew Zoom only allowed 50 Advanced Polls.

This wasn’t your typical Zoom webinar with hundreds of attendees. This was a netwinar (“net winner” = part webinar + part networking) where every participant needed time to speak, connect, and complete their polls for each other.

Needless to say, I was in trouble …

CAREERS
💼 Pittsburgh at Work

Workplace Highlights in Greater Pittsburgh

The unemployment rate in the region stood at approximately 4.7% as of August 2025, while the labor force contracted by an estimated –9,000 workers over the past year. Concurrently, significant investments in clean energy, artificial intelligence applications, and robotics manufacturing have started to take hold, delivering new high-skill job openings.

🔥 Top Job Postings

• Million Dollar Commission Sales at Value City Furniture
  💵 $100K – $140K a year | 📍 Pittsburgh, PA (Apply)

• Landscape Sales and Design Manager at Eichenlaub, Inc.
  💵 $90K – $120K a year | 📍 Pittsburgh, PA (Apply)

• Business Development- Healthcare Sales at Doctor Referral Institute

  💵 $45– $165K a year | 📍 Pittsburgh, PA (Apply)

👀 Top Job Seekers

• Jay Finkelstein, Attorney & Assistant Federal Public Defender
  👉Open to new opportunities |📍 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Profile)

• William Hill, Enterprise ATM IT Technician
  👉Looking |📍 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Profile)

• Jim Jones, Sales And Marketing Specialist
  👉Looking for my next big adventure |📍 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Profile)

• Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority needs Laboratory Testing Services (Link)

• Microbiology Instrumentation and Testing for VA Medical Center facilities throughout Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware (Link)

• ENT Chairs and Cabinets needed at Department of Veterans Affairs in Pittsburgh (Link)

• Allegheny Housing Initiative in Allegheny County (Link)

• Claitron Demolition Project in Allegheny County, PA (Link)

• Pittsburgh Zoo Roofing Project (Link)

• Bayne Park Retaining Wall Repair Project Phase II (Link)

• Pitt reaches grant funding agreement with Trump administration (More)

• Roughly $100M in SNAP benefits restored to Pennsylvanians (More)

• The City’s “Startup Resources” page highlights free & low-cost consulting, business-plan help, mentorship via the Small Business Development Center Pittsburgh network and SCORE Pittsburgh. (More)

• The “Small Business Resources” page links to technical assistance, funding connection and partner organizations. (More)

• The Allegheny County “Support & Resources” page indicates technical assistance, advocacy and opportunities specifically targeting MWDBE (Minority/Women/Disadvantaged Business Enterprises) business concerns. (More)

What are the top challenges of doing business in Pittsburgh?

1. Rising Costs & Inflation - Many local businesses in Pittsburgh are still grappling with higher input costs (materials, labor, transportation) while consumer spending remains stretched.

2. Workforce Shortages - Employers across Pittsburgh, especially in manufacturing, healthcare, and tech, continue to face difficulties finding and retaining skilled workers, slowing growth and operations.

3. Downtown Recovery & Real Estate Challenges - Post-pandemic shifts in work patterns have reduced downtown foot traffic and office occupancy, creating challenges for small businesses and commercial property owners alike.

🤝 11/12 Media and Business Networking | Elevating Your Potential-Pittsburgh (Register)
🤝 11/13 REI on Tap | Pittsburgh Co-Hosted by Northwestern Mutual (Register)
🤝 11/13 DA Zappala's Senior Justice & Wellness Expo - South Hills (Register)
🤝 11/18 Corridors of Opportunity: Downtown (Register)
🤝 11/18 Dinner Workshop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Register)
🤝 11/20 Fast 50 Awards 2025 (Register)
🤝 11/20 REWI Network & Chill- Pittsburgh (Register)
🤝 11/22 Stock Investment Club (East) - Pittsburgh Chapter of BetterInvesting (Register)
🤝 11/29 Forget Prime. Go Local: Pittsburgh’s Small Business Saturday Market (Register)
🤝 12/09 Workforce Development: Creating a Workforce for Emerging Industries (Register)

🤝= In Person, 💻 = Virtual