An exerpt from an article by Cowden Associates President, Jere Cowden, published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"Pittsburgh is fast approaching its 250th birthday. Some would joke that our population is nearly as old, since about 16 percent of us are older than 64 -- and getting older.

Yet where some see a setting sun, I see new horizons. Savvy business leaders in the region should see this as an opportunity, too.

According to the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, there are nearly 114,000 companies of all sizes in the Pittsburgh region, which includes the city of Pittsburgh and 10 surrounding counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Of the 1.25 million-person work force employed by those companies, about 11 percent will retire within 10 years, according to a recent study by the Center for Competitive Workforce Development at Duquesne University. More than a third, or about 425,000 individuals, will cross the retirement threshold within 20 years.

It is clear, then, that given the percentage of the region's work force preparing for retirement, employers here will experience a steady departure of baby boomers and the leadership, experience and continuity they bring to the workplace..."

Continue reading at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette...