Business News brief

James L. Brady, chief executive officer, will retire from Allied Services effective at the end of this year. William P. Conaboy, president/CO, will be promoted to CEO effective Jan. 1.

Brady, who was hired in 1985, has been CEO of Allied Services, which includes the John Heinz Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Wilkes-Barre Township, for the past 24 years.

Conaboy, who was promoted to his present post in January, has been employed by Allied Services since 1992, serving as general counsel.

6 firms ranked among Best Places to Work

Five Luzerne County companies have been named to the 10th annual Best Places to Work in PA list. In the category of large employers, those with 251 or more employees, Network Solutions, Drums, ranked sixth. Others were: Sundance Vacations, Wilkes-Barre Township, 27th; Benco Dental, Wilkes-Barre Township, 29th; and Pride Mobility Products, Exeter, 35th.

Troy Manufacturing, Hazleton, ranked 42nd in the medium-sized business category, those with 25-250 employees.

Forbes: Region delivers 11th best ‘Bang for Buck’

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region was ranked 11th on Forbes magazine’s list of top-100 metropolitan areas that offer the most value. The listing was based various data sources for home foreclosure rates, vacancies, unemployment rates, three-year job growth forecast, three-year home price forecast, housing affordability, real estate taxes and commuting time. The region’s highest rankings were in the foreclosure rate and commuting time. The weakest category was in predicted job growth.

The Omaha-Council Bluffs area at the border of Nebraska and Iowa ranked first overall.