Outside Erie

John Morris, a regular GlobalErie commenter, offered some great thoughts on why immigration should be a key part of Erie’s economic development strategy.
This should be one of the top subjects on here.
Countries like Canada, Australia and Singapore are aggressively recruiting high value educated immigrants. This is one of the most crucial weapons in our economic […]

GlobalErie reader Richard Herman pointed me to an interesting column from Elizabeth Sullivan, the foreign affairs columnist and associate of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
There are many who believe that America needs to adopt a protectionist mindset to hold on to what is left of its manufacturing might — and to grow in the future.
Sullivan offers […]

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 […]

I don’t know which is worse news, that GE Transportation CEO John Dineen has (predictably) been shipped off to his next position, or that his successor is actually younger than I am.
General Electric Co. announced that Dineen is leaving its Erie-based transportation unit to become the president and CEO of GE Healthcare in London.
He will […]

Thanks to Julio Reyes for pointing out the Erie Times-News story on the departure of Monica Brower.
Brower, as many of you might know, has been working for the Economic Development Corp. of Erie County for the past 10 years — most recently as its chief executive officer. She is leaving the organization to take a […]

In a move that is reflective of just how much Erie’s economy has changed, the Manufacturers’ Association of Northwestern Pennsylvania will no longer be simply the Manufacturers’ Association.
The group just sent out a notice saying that, effective tomorrow, it will have a new name.
It will be called the Manufacturer & Business Association — a move […]

Dennis Weed at ErieBlogs pointed out over the weekend that the Erie Water Works has a newly redesigned Web site, which includes a previously undiscussed nugget of info that had escaped my notice.
Erie Water Works has an economic development policy aimed at helping make Erie more attractive to businesses that use a lot of water.
Particularly […]

Is Erie doing enough to market its accessibility to fresh water to businesses?
Economic development officials are attempting to answer that question — working on an initiative to research whether there are industrial sectors that need fresh water accessibility for their success. If so, they hope to begin marketing Erie as a city where they can […]

Why would a locomotive manufacturing company that has a presence in Erie choose not to build its first manufacturing facility in Erie?
Did the locals drop the ball? Did the company, Railpower Technologies, get a sweeter deal elsewhere?
I spoke with some folks in Erie’s business community on Monday about Railpower’s decision to build a locomotive manufacturing […]