Outside Erie

Ray Grabowski, Jr. of the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society recently penned the following about his organization’s latest acquisition — and its desire to get GE Transportation more involved in preserving Erie’s locomotive history.
I’ve maintained in the past that Erie has the ability to capitalize more on its railroading history — a sentiment that has […]

The choice for Erie’s 2008 Business of the Year is not an easy one.
After all, 2008 was far from a good year for many companies. The economic meltdown might not be quite as severe in Erie as it is in some other parts of the country. But it is nonetheless putting the squeeze on […]

Investors and employees at Erie’s GE Transportation have likely seen the Fortune magazine article that paints a bleak picture of the company’s future.
Here’s a letter to the editor posted on GE.com in response to the piece:

“GE under Siege” (Oct. 27 edition) did a disservice to Fortune readers by failing to provide balance and perspective on […]

Erie’s largest employer is getting some financial help from the world’s richest man.
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said today that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, is putting $3 billion in new capital into General Electric Co. — the corporate behemoth that has been struggling with its capital recently.
This could bring good things to life for Erie investors, […]

GE Transportation is about to unveil a new diesel locomotive that is expected to help the company compete more aggressively with Electro-Motive Diesel in Europe, according to the Financial Times.
This is yet another piece of good news for Erie County’s largest employer.
More diversity means a better opportunity for GE Transportation to continue its recent growth.

One of my favorite parts of covering business in Erie was the factory tour.
As a reporter, I was able to get a front-row look at how GE Transportation makes locomotives, Reed Manufacturing makes wrenches, and Eriez Magnetics makes magnets.
I saw how Smith Provision makes hot dogs (not nearly as bloody as you might think) and […]

Several companies with important Erie ties are getting battered on Wall Street today as the stock market reacts to news of severe financial troubles at American International Group, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch.
General Electric Co. — a staple in Erie stock portfolios — is down more than 5 percent midday.
National City Corp. is down nearly […]

I spend a lot of time talking about how it makes smart economic sense for Erie to embrace environmentally friendly manufacturing as a centerpiece of its business strategy.
I usually hold up companies like GE Transportation and Spinworks LLC as prime examples of why this makes sense.
Today, I’d like to hold up another new example — […]

If you watched any of the early speeches during last night’s Democratic National Convention, you likely noticed that there was a lot of discussion about investing in green technologies.
The idea that, as a nation, we should prioritize technologies that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and would have the added benefit of creating new domestic […]

I was invited earlier this year by the Small Business Development Center at Gannon to contribute short profiles of the companies it honored at its annual awards luncheon.
Each of the honored companies offers an interesting story — and the provide examples of how smart entrepreneurs can thrive in Erie.
Over the next nine Sundays, I plan […]