New book explains how Pittsburgh moved "Beyond Steel"

What they're saying: The collapse of steel nationally and in Pittsburgh are often conflated, but the local story is different, said Briem at a book launch event Wednesday at White Whale Bookstore.

• "The great thing about his book is that it filled in a lot of blanks I had about Pittsburgh. He connected the dots," said former Post-Gazette columnist Brian O'Neill at the book launch.

Between the lines: Briem said the region's economy was still able to grow with steel through the 1970s, but it was showing signs of decline long before that. It all came crashing down starting in the 1980s.

• Our economic rebound has been long and hard fought, but the region has moved beyond steel, he said.

Stunning stat: More than 300,000 people were employed in manufacturing in the Pittsburgh region at the start of the 1980s, according to Briem's research.

• That figure was cut to 160,000 by the start of the '90s and then cut to 80,000 by the start of the 2000s.

The bottom line: Pittsburgh has been able to recover thanks to a much more diverse economy compared with its steel days economny.

• And to keep growing, Briem said, it's not about attracting heavy industry to pull in residents, it's about attracting new residents for economic growth.
• "It's about attracting and retaining talented people to Pittsburgh," he said.