NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
24 January 2003

ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED BUSINESS OPENED AFTER $140,000 BUILDING RENOVATIONS

Harrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed today cut the ribbon to officially open another neighborhood-based business in the City. The event and brief dedication program opened the new H&R Block Company offices in Allison Hill at 202 S. 13th Street, where a bi-lingual staff can provide tax and financial service assistance to citizens in both Spanish and English.

Mayor Reed said the newly opened H&R Block Company office represents significant new private retail investment in the neighborhood and addresses a growing need for tax advisory services in a residential market that has been largely underserved. The Company has aggressive plans for expansion at the site and is focusing resources on meeting the needs of nearby Spanish-speaking residents.

Reed said the new office is the result of more than $140,000 in rehabilitation expenses, creating more than 3,000 sq. ft. of restored office and classroom space. Six separate workstations and a dozen well-trained tax preparation officers and client service coordinators will be able to serve as many as 1500 individual clients at a time. To build capacity, the firm will also be operating bi-lingual, semi-annual tax preparation education sessions for local residents, with many then being offered employment opportunities at the site.

“This is an exciting day for Harrisburg and South Allison Hill in particular,”said Mayor Reed. “This is a very respected professional services company making a conscious decision to establish a major presence in one of our neighborhoods. They have aggressive long-range plans to expand and service our growing Latino population, as well as provide educational and employment opportunities for all citizens. We believe they will quickly set a standard of professional and community service that other small businesses will be well-served to emulate.”

H&R Block District Manager Richard Cotter said a full range of tax preparation services will be offered, including tax form preparation and filing services; Block Advantage tax and financial planning advice; Express IRA and H&R Block Financial Advisors services for securities, investments and other longer term financial planning needs; home mortgages through Mortgage Products, and much more. One of H&R Block’s most unique free programs will also be offered, allowing for free tax form reviews by the company’s tax preparers regardless of where they have been filled out, thus ensuring the fullest amount of deductions and proper taxpayer filing.

H&R Block will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with expanded hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in February and March for the upcoming tax preparation season. Harrisburg’s newest H&R Block office, the 15th branch office in the midstate, can be contacted at (717) 213.9323.

XXX