As Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race heats up, Republican candidate Stacy Garrity’s past corporate role draws scrutiny. Her leadership tenure at Global Tungsten & Powders raises questions about job offshoring and environmental practices.
From 1987 to 2021, Garrity held several key positions at Global Tungsten & Powders, culminating as vice president of government affairs. This company specializes in producing refractory metal powders and related products.
Highlighting her business acumen as a campaign strength, Garrity’s website chronicles her journey from an accountant to one of the company’s first female vice presidents.
Earlier this year, she shared with the Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy that her role involved extensive international travel, stating she was “in a different country every month” for negotiations.
Between 2008 and 2019, Global Tungsten & Powders carried out significant workforce reductions, cutting 480 jobs at its Towanda, PA facility. During this period, approximately 200 employees opted for voluntary furloughs to avert layoffs.
While domestic employment was cut, the company expanded its overseas workforce, including at a Czech site where Garrity served as managing director from 2011 to 2019. Her involvement in these strategic decisions remains unspecified.
The company also increased its workforce at a Finnish facility, which Garrity claims she played a role in acquiring in 2015.
Global Tungsten & Powders has encountered environmental issues as well. In 2018, the Environmental Integrity Project labeled it a super polluter. This followed an EPA fine of $22,281 for not reporting a release of 213 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, considered an “extremely hazardous substance.”
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is currently investigating allegations that the company released 100 gallons of naphthalene into the Susquehanna River, a vital water source for millions. Naphthalene poses a risk to aquatic life.
Currently serving as Pennsylvania treasurer, Garrity seeks to challenge Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro in the upcoming election, with an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.
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