Today, Governor Tom Wolf was joined by lawmakers and local officials to celebrate the expansion of Aurora in Pittsburgh. Aurora is an American technology and logistics company focused on safely developing and delivering self-driving technology.
“I am proud to be here with the dynamic Aurora team to unveil their new company headquarters here in the commonwealth,” said Gov. Wolf. “Pittsburgh is well known as the Steel City, but today the city has reinvented itself and become a global hub for the advanced manufacturing and technology. Companies, like Aurora, bring good jobs to our communities, boost our economy, and secure Pennsylvania’s place as a leader in 21st century innovation.”
Gov. Wolf was joined at the ribbon cutting ceremony by Aurora CEO Chris Urmson and members of the Aurora team, Congressman Michael Doyle, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Senator Wayne Fontana, Representative Emily Kinkead, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, and City Councilwoman Deb Gross.
Aurora is a Pittsburgh-built and Pittsburgh-based company with approximately 800 team members in the region and 1600 employees company-wide. The company was founded by technology industry veterans at the forefront of the development and safe deployment of robotics and machine learning technology for the last two decades.
“At Aurora, we’re proud to work alongside Governor Wolf and Pennsylvania policymakers to help make Pittsburgh a global hub for the development of safe, efficient self-driving technology,” said Urmson. “Together, we’re pairing safety with innovation to deliver the benefits of autonomous vehicles – safer streets, a stronger supply chain, and high-quality local jobs.”
Since taking office, Gov. Wolf has actively supported STEM education and companies throughout the commonwealth by investing more than 40 million dollars in STEM education in Pennsylvania schools, including through the PAsmart initiative, which launched in 2018. PAsmart is an innovative approach to investing in science and technology education, apprenticeships, and job training. The program helps fund STEM education grants, training and apprenticeship opportunities, and connects students and workers to unexplored STEM career paths.
“These investments will help ensure that Pennsylvania students graduating now have the STEM skills they need to compete for 21st century jobs like those offered by Aurora to build satisfying, sustaining careers and to power our economy forward,” said Gov. Wolf. “Congratulations to Aurora, and to the entire Pittsburgh community on this milestone. I look forward to all you will accomplish in the years to come.”
