Foreign-owned firms operating here play key role in driving our economy.(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Allegheny region)(Brief Article)

Did you read Business Times' research director Larry Slater's annual list of the 25 largest local companies owned by foreign entities in the Dec. 29 issue?

It's an impressive list of some great organizations that employ more than 20,000 people, ranging from the Japanese-owned Sony Technology Center to the British-owned Marconi to the Italian-owned Techinct Technologies.

On the top 25 list are companies owned by concerns from Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Some companies such as Westinghouse Electric, General Nutrition, Consol, Union Switch & Signal, and J&L Specialty Steel have a very familiar …