Erie 2021 by ErieTimesNews

SUNDAY, FEB. 21, 2021

ERIE 2021

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ANNUAL ECONOMIC REPORT FOR THE REGION

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LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW YEAR Pandemic forced Fortune 500 company Erie Insurance to transform mobilize home workforce. 6J

Lessons learned: Erie area colleges may embrace some COVIDcaused changes when virus wanes. 8J

Erie woman, once homeless, turns passion for cooking into degree and place in Erie’s Food Hall. 1K

Back on track: Traditional and new events are planned for downtown Erie in 2021. 4K

Open, closed, partial open: In a year of great challenges, Union City diner found a way to keep cooking. 1J

Erie native comes home to new opportunity thanks to $26 million medical research facility. 1M

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‘CRAWLING OUT OF THAT DEEP HOLE’ Erie business moves ahead in the face of adversity ABOVE: About 30 Scott Enterprises employees deliver meal kits to families in a drive-through setting on May 7 at the Ambassador Conference Center in Summit Township. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE

Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

For many, 2020 will be remembered as a year of sickness and fear, a year of staying home, working from the kitchen table, bingewatching television and becoming more closely acquainted with our household pets. For others, it was a year of worry — worry about the security of our jobs and the safety of our families. Some have suggested that it was the year that the world collectively hit the pause button. There are others, though, who saw both life and our community moving ahead even as we mourned a loss of freedom and the company of loved ones from whom we were separated. Erie, which seemed to be on a roll in 2019, as investments were made and new buildings rose, did not entirely break stride in 2020.

TIMES-NEWS

Jim Martin

Moving forward

RIGHT: The ﬁ nal piece of the new Hampton Inn & Suites on Erie's bayfront, owned by Scott Enterprises, was the eighth-floor Oliver's Rooftop restaurant that opened on Dec.1. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Here are just a few examples of progress that took place in 2020: • In June, Boston-based Arctaris Impact Investors announced it would invest $30 million in Opportunity Zone projects being developed by the Erie Downtown Development Center. • In July, the state Board of Education oﬃ cially approved Erie County’s application for a community college. In December, Gov. Tom Wolf approved $10 million in funding through the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. • ValueMomentum Inc., a New Jerseybased technology company that had been working from the Erie Technology Incubator at Gannon University, purchased a former Northwest Bank building at 1030 State St. for $875,000. • In August, International Recycling Group announced plans to build a $100 million plastics recycling plant in Erie. The project, expected to be the world’s largest plastics recycling

facility, is supported by a combined $9 million investment from Erie Insurance and the Plastek Group. • In October, the Erie Downtown Development Corp. announced eight of the nine vendors expected to be part of the Flagship City Food Hall along North Park Row. The food hall is expected to open this summer. • Arctaris Impact Investors announced in October that it was seeking proposals as it looks to make $10 million worth of “socially impactful” investments in Erie. • Oliver’s Rooftop restaurant, owned by Scott Enterprises, opened Dec. 1 on the eighth ﬂ oor of the new Hampton Inn & Suites, located on Erie’s bayfront. The $22 million hotel opened in August. • The city of Erie issued an occupancy permit in December that gave Erie Insurance the

go-ahead to move into its newly completed $135 million oﬃ ce building in downtown Erie. The company doesn’t expect to move in before July, however.

An economic gut punch But none of that progress erases the cold realities of 2020. Even as people fought the grip of the virus, millions of Americans, including thousands in Erie and Crawford counties, lost their jobs. Businesses closed their doors and thousands of area residents lined up for free food distributions. In April, Erie County’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate soared to a staggering Continued on next page

ERIE 2021 STAFF The planning, writing, photography and production of Erie 2021 was a staff-wide project that involved the efforts of the following individuals: Erie 2021 editor: Jim Martin. Staff writers: David Bruce, Mike Copper, Jennie Geisler, Tim Hahn, Kevin Flowers, Ron Leonardi, Jim Martin, Dana Massing, Valerie Myers, Ed Palattella and Matt Rink. Staff photographers: Jack Hanrahan and Greg Wohlford. h Freelance writers: Heather Cass, Kara Murphy and Pam Parker. Editors: Tony Battaglia, Jeff Kirik, Matt Martin and Christopher Millette. Production: Dave Papesch. h Design: Také Uda

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17.2%. The local economy improved from that point, but slowly. Eﬀ orts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus left entire sectors of the economy staggering. By the end of March, Erie-based Curtze Food Service, which serves more than 10,000 restaurants and other food-service customers in eight states, laid oﬀ about 200 of the company’s 800 employees, By July, Erie County’s unemployment rate had improved slightly to 13.2%.

But little about summer in Erie felt ordinary, certainly not at Waldameer Park & Water World, which ﬁ nally opened its door in July to underwhelming crowds. “It’s terrible,” owner Paul Nelson said in late July. “We are allowed to do 50% of our normal business. Compared to last year, we are doing 10.” There were bright spots, of course. At a time when options for getting out of the house seemed limited, contractors throughout the area kept busy installing pools, adding decks, and building fences. Today, 11 months after the world was shut

down by COVID-19, the eﬀ ects of that shutdown linger. The economy has improved. Thousands have gone back to work and the Erie County unemployment rate fell to 7.4% in November. “We (Erie County) lost 22,000 jobs in the ﬁ rst four months, but we are gradually crawling out of that deep hole,” said Ken Louie, professor of economics at Penn State Behrend and director of Behrend’s Economic Research Institute of Erie. “I don’t want to leave too dire of a picture,” he See ADVERSITY, Page 5J

ABOVE: This space, which once was the interior intersection between Sherlock’s, at left, and Park Place, will house the Flagship City Food Hall. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES

KNOWLEDGE PARK AT PENN STATE BEHREND

GROW HERE

Companies looking to expand, entrepreneurs looking to launch, and enterprises looking to test new waters all find a home in Knowledge Park— Erie’s innovation hub.

Photos taken pre-pandemic

We’re welcoming new park residents like Cyient and Szymanski Consulting; supporting the growth of longtime partners such as SKF and Process & Data Automation; and constructing a translational research lab to advance Penn State Behrend’s women’s health initiative with Magee-Womens Research Institute.

Knowledge Park companies are leveraging the student talent, faculty expertise, and Open Lab environment of Penn State Behrend to advance their work and increase their bottom line. Find out how your business might benefit from being in the park. Contact Amy Bridger at 814-898-6756 or aeb20@psu.edu.

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WABTEC PURSUES HYBRID VENTURES

Company pairing conventional locomotives with battery-electric ABOVE: A Wabtec FLXDrive Locomotive, designed and built in Erie, goes through its paces on the local test track. CONTRIBUTED

Erie Times-News USA TODAY NETWORK

It was a year of temperature checks, social distancing and sanitizing stations at Erie’s century-old locomotive plant. But evidence suggests it was growing attention to the environment and concerns over a downturn in the locomotive market — not just the pandemic — that shaped the agenda of the former GE Transportation, purchased by Pittsburgh-based Wabtec in 2019. But the pandemic and a related slowdown in the economy did leave a mark on Erie’s largest industrial employer. When Wabtec took over the former GE Transportation in February 2019, the union workforce at the local plant was about 1,700, in addition to hundreds of engineers and offi ce staff . Today, the size of the hourly workforce is closer to 1,000, said Scott Slawson, president of Local 506 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. The company announced two rounds of delayed layoff s during 2020, one for about 300 employees and a second for 150 employees. Slawson “Wabtec is adjusting its operations in Erie, Pa., to align with today’s volume realities,” company spokesman Tim Bader said in a statement in October. “Decisions like this are never easy, but it comes as the result of an in-depth evaluation of the market and how to best position the company for success given today’s unprecedented environment.” But 2020 wasn’t without hopeful signs. One possible glimpse into the future is being tested by BNSF Railway on a regular freight run between Barstow and Stockton, California. The freight train making that run in recent weeks is powered by two conventional Wabtec Tier 4 locomotives that have been paired with Wabtec’s new experimental battery-electric FLXDrive locomotive. The battery-powered locomotive, which uses regenerative braking power to recharge its massive batteries, serves as a hybrid through its connection to the diesel locomotives. The combination of diesel and electric locomotives is expected to reduce emissions and improve fuel effi ciency by at least 10%. “This technology works in a manner very similar to how electric vehicles use regenerative braking,” said Alan Hamilton, vice president of engineering for Wabtec. “It’s a signifi cant step forward for the rail industry and will change the course for Hamilton even cleaner, more energy-effi cient transport.” Aside from improving fuel economy, the hybrid train provides the engineer with options for cleaner operation. “Where trains originate and arrive are typically more populated urban areas,” Hamilton

PHOTO

Jim Martin

ABOVE RIGHT: A rail yard full of locomotives at Wabtec Corp. in Lawrence Park Township in 2019. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ ERIE TIMES-NEWS

said. By running on only the power of the electric locomotive, “It’s possible to operate for many miles in emissions-free mode,” Hamilton said. In other words, while running through the city, diesel engines can be shut down while the battery-powered locomotive takes over. Hamilton said the focus on fuel effi ciency and the environment is not a passing phase for Wabtec, which in October released its 2020 sustainability report that highlights the company’s accomplishments and commitments to “developing innovative technologies, driving responsible operations, and empowering people and communities around the globe.” Another of the company’s eff orts to lower operation costs for its customers passed a milestone in 2020. Wabtec’s Trip Optimizer system, a smart cruise control system for trains that was introduced in 2009, marked service of more than 500 million miles. The system, which has been installed on more than 11,000 locomotives around the world, has saved railroads more than 400 million gallons of fuel and reduced CO2 emissions by more than 500,000 tons per year. Perhaps the biggest news of the year for Wabtec’s locomotive plant came in July when New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced it would buy 25 electricdiesel hybrid locomotives from Wabtec for use on NYC Transit work trains in a deal worth $233 million. The benefi ts of that deal, as well as the option to build another 45 locomotives, will play out over time. While engineers in Erie are

working on the design for the new locomotives, delivery of the locomotives isn’t expected to begin for three years. The union’s Scott Slawson sees hopeful signs in both the FLX Drive and the mass transit order. But he sees challenges in the immediate future. “Right now it comes down to work,” he said. “The mass transit order isn’t going to start (production) until the end of next year. Right now, people aren’t ordering much so I hope we see a push toward mass transit.” After some contentious moments between the company and the union in the early days of the pandemic, both parties said they count as successful their shared plan for workplace safety. Hamilton said there was an especially eff ective partnership between the union and the company. “I really do think, all things considered, (the safety plan) was a great success story for us,” Hamilton said. “There was a fantastic partnership and open dialogue.” While the plant wasn’t free from COVID-19 cases, there were fewer cases than many expected, Slawson said. That has him refl ecting on a diffi cult year that could have been worse. “I learned don’t take things for granted,” Slawson said. “It’s been a tough year on many fronts. My thoughts and prayers go out to everybody. It’s a year everyone wants to forget.” Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com Follow him on Twitter at @ETNmartin.

GOERIE.COM | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | 5J

Kelly Montefiori, COO, and Mike Edwards, CEO, check in on the construction of Marquette’s new Operations, Training and Innovation Learning Center located at West 10th and Peach streets.

Ken Louie, director of the Economic Research Institute of Erie. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE

Ken Louie

Professor of economics at Penn State Behrend and director of Behrend’s Economic Research Institute of Erie

planning here stopped as we grappled with the pandemic. NeCastro credits the eff orts of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership to help plan for that restart. He also points to the benefi ts of investments made in the community over the past couple of years by the Erie Downtown Development Corp. and others. “I think our city is going to come out of this as well as any other city,” NeCastro said. “I think the EDDC impact will give us an edge.” James Grunke, CEO of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, doesn’t minimize the pain that’s been caused by the shutdown. But if he looks hard enough, he can see a silver lining. “It caused us to pivot,” he said. “We recognized early in the pandemic that, while we cannot be prepared for a shutdown, we better be prepared to emerge.” The pandemic prompted the chamber to convene a restart committee, a group of about 50 community leaders who spoke often during the summer months. “I think because of the closure it helped us to be more proactive,” he said. When Erie is back on its feet, Grunke is hoping to see a renewed focus on ensuring that minority voices are heard. “I think the civil unrest helped us focus on what are we doing to help the most disenfranchised,” he said. Like Louie, Grunke believes Erie’s future will depend to a great extent on the speed and eff ectiveness at delivering the vaccine. “I think (we) are going to continue to struggle until people have confi dence,” Grunke said. Experts seem to suggest that could happen this summer. “I think by then we are in a pretty good position,” Grunke said. “Will it go back to normal? I hope so.” Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com Follow him on Twitter at @ETNmartin.

READY FOR

WHAT’S NEXT.

continued. “We have gained back about 42% of the jobs we had lost. That is a very modest improvement, but there is a glimmer of hope on the other side.” But spending is the fuel that feeds an economy and uncertainty has many of us feeling cautious. According to an analysis by researchers at Harvard and Brown universities, consumer spending nationally fell 1.7% between January and December, Louie said. The slowdown was even more substantial in Pennsylvania, where spending slipped 3.3% and more impactful still in Erie, where consumer spending was off 5.8%. “There is a reason why consumer spending is coming down,” Louie said. “It’s because earnings have fallen.” “If you look at the average weekly earnings for all workers in Erie, it has fallen compared to a year ago. Right now we are gradually climbing back to where we were in November 2019. That is down from the middle of July when average weekly earnings in Erie were over $800. Now it’s only about $750.” The current recession is a deep one, Louie said. It’s deeper than what’s come to be known as the Great Recession that took place between 2007 and 2009 and had ranked as the sharpest downturn in the economy since the Great Depression. Debate continues about the form and amount of federal stimulus needed to sustain and restart the economy. Louie doesn’t minimize the importance of those eff orts. But he maintains the economy won’t recover until widespread vaccination brings COVID-19 under control. “The economy will not reverse unless we recover from the medical crisis,” he said. And what happens then? “Sectors of the economy that have been most directly aff ected by COVID restrictions — including airline travel, restaurants and hotels — those sectors are probably going to grow fairly robustly,” Louie said. For some, the unleashing of that pent-up demand might be too late. Once a small business (temporarily) closes, “it’s very hard for many of them,” Louie said. “Many of them are gone for good.” Erie has some advantages as the community looks to return to business as normal, said Tim NeCastro, CEO of Erie Insurance. Neither the investments nor the

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“We have gained back about 42% of the jobs we had lost. That is a very modest improvement, but there is a glimmer of hope on the other side.”

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Adversity

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Pandemic forced Fortune 500 company to transform to keep employees, customers safe

ERIE INSURANCE MOBILIZES AT HOME Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

Erie Insurance had no shortage of plans for 2020. More than 1,000 employees were expected to move into a sprawling new $135 million offi ce building located just east of Perry Square. Agents from 12 states and Washington, D.C. were due to take trips as part of a company incentive plan. And Tim NeCastro, CEO of the Erie-based company, said he and his executive team planned to visit all 23 fi eld offi ces across the country. But as those plans were being mapped out, a group called the Incident Management Team was working on a diff erent sort of plan — a plan for continuing to operate the company if gathering in the workplace was no longer possible or safe. Like employers across the United States, Erie Insurance needed to fi nd a way, in short order, to empty its buildings but continue to operate. The challenge was common to employers across the country. But with more than 5 million policyholders and about 6,000 employees, including more than 3,000 in Erie, the scale was diff erent. Some, like customer advocate Jeff Euston of Millcreek, initially began working from home using his own computer, connected to virtual private network to ensure security. That was a temporary solution. At a time when demand was soaring, NeCastro said the company found itself in the market for a lot of computer equipment that it needed to buy quickly. Erie Insurance would face other challenges.

PROVIDED

Jim Martin

ABOVE: This is the ﬁ rst-floor lobby of the new Erie Insurance office building. Just behind the glass and stainless-steel staircase is a water feature. The floors are terrazzo and the woodframed window at right is a conference room overlooking the lobby. PHOTOS

RIGHT: Tim NeCastro, CEO of Erie Insurance, works from his home office. The offices at Erie Insurance have been shut down since March because of the pandemic.

It would have to get all that equipment — thousands of Chromebooks and computer monitors — safely into the hands of its staff . Employees across a 12-state area were eventually summoned to their offi ces where a team of employees placed sanitized equipment into the cars of employees who waited their turn in line. More than 70% of the company’s staff was equipped within three days and more than 95% within a week. The experience of working from home was diff erent for everyone. NeCastro initially set up shop in the kitchen of his Erie home until his wife implored him to retreat to another room. Euston, the father of three boys, ages 4, 8 and 11, has worked for more than three years at a company call center in Erie, where he takes calls from both customers and agents. The job hasn’t changed, but these days his workday begins at 8 a.m. when he pulls on a headset, turns on his computer and retreats to one of his son’s bedrooms to work. His wife, Megan Euston, also an employee of Erie Insurance, sets up shop in her home offi ce.

A smooth transition For the most part, Euston said, working from home has been uneventful. Callers sometimes ask if he is working from home, apparently out of curiosity rather than from any apparent shortcoming. Euston said his children understand that their parents need quiet during the workday. “I think everything was smoother than I thought,” Euston said, explaining that he does miss the daily interactions at the oﬃ ce and the

occasional lunch out with a colleague. But he’s not inclined to complain. “It honestly brought our family closer together having everyone at home all the time,” Euston said. “When I am done for the day, I am Dad.” It’s not as easy for everyone. For some, there are dogs that bark, children who need help and limited internet resources. And standards have to be maintained. Even during a pandemic, Erie Insurance, a company whose slogan is “Above all in service,” places a premium on interactions with customers. “It’s certainly a challenge,” NeCastro said of the remote work arrangement. “Customers are calling in because they have some issue to be resolved.” But the company doesn’t expect employees to duplicate entirely the offi ce experience while working from their homes. “We steadily communicate to the employees and reinforce that this is something new and people need to be understanding,” NeCastro said. “We have invaded our homes and it’s not my dog’s fault that she lives here.” NeCastro, the owner of an enthusiastic mixed-breed dog, knows something about this. He sometimes closes his offi ce door or moves his dog, a cross of a poodle and a Burmese mountain dog, to a diff erent part of the house when he has an important meeting. His pet, however, places a high value on human interaction. On a recent call with NeCastro, his dog Chief – named for NeCastro’s beloved Kansas City Chiefs – could be heard assaulting a squeaky toy and then slamming it against the fl oor.

Part of a ‘Team’ It took more than hard work and good intentions to keep the company running smoothly. NeCastro said Microsoft Teams, a program that enables both video conferencing and online chats, has been a crucial tool for keeping employees informed and on the same page. Since implementing Teams in March, the company said employees have sent nearly 30 million chat messages and placed nearly 1.7 million audio calls and over 775,000 video calls. It is one way of keeping employees grounded and feeling good about their connections to one another. Before the pandemic, NeCastro would occasionally tape and distribute video messages to promote transparency and demonstrate gratitude to a workforce too large to address one person at a time. Now that 95% of that workforce works remotely, NeCastro has increased the frequency of those messages, often recorded on his iPhone. Continued on next page

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Other steps have been taken to maintain the humanity of such a large employer. Employees have been invited at times to use the Teams software to socialize with one another. And NeCastro, who often takes time oﬀ during the summer to help with St. Paul’s Italian Festival, arranged in August to deliver 20 dozen individually packaged cannoli to employees who continued to work at the home oﬃ ce.

LEFT: This is the interior of the Erie Insurance armory building. The office space has been empty since the pandemic began in March 2020.

What the future holds Erie Insurance continues to take a cautious approach to safety. The company’s current plan calls for returning to the offi ce, including the company’s new, never-used downtown offi ce building, no sooner than July. NeCastro said he will be ready when the time comes. He said he misses the daily interactions and the face-to-face exchange of ideas. He even misses wearing a suit. He still goes into the offi ce once a month or so when there are papers to sign. He will likely be seen by only a handful of people, but he usually pulls a suit out of his closet. He was wearing one a few months ago when he returned to the building to fi lm a virtual message that would be shown as part of a year-end companywide event that’s typically held in the three-story lobby or atrium of the company’s Perry Square building. NeCastro said he associates that space and the event with happy times. In the darkened room, NeCastro said he could envision where people would be standing if things were diff erent. If things were normal. “It’s a granite fl oor,” NeCastro said. “The echo of walking through there kind of tugged at me. It’s a vast campus and nothing is going on there. It’s beautiful and lush. It should be enjoyed by our people.” There is little doubt that the pandemic will shape the future of the company. That means a larger number of people are likely to select remote and fl exible work operations in the future. But it won’t be the default. After nearly a year of running the company from thousands of dining room tables, home offi ces and spare bedrooms, NeCastro is eager to return to what was once business as usual. “The truth is we are living at work,” he said. “The world needs us to stay home right now, but I want us to get back.” Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews. com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNmartin.

JACK HANRAHAN/ ERIE TIMES-NEWS

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“The truth is we are living at work. The world needs us to stay home right now, but I want us to get back.”

When your health can’t wait. There’s no need to put off that checkup or appointment. Schedule a video visit with your doctor and connect without ever leaving home. Visit MyUPMC.com or download the app for free today.

connect to your care

Tim NeCastro CEO of Erie Insurance

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COVID-19 LESSONS

Erie area colleges may embrace some changes when virus wanes

TIMES-NEWS

ABOVE RIGHT: Andrea Konkol leads a video conferencing session April 13 at Penn State Behrend. Konkol, associate director of admissions, coordinated with students and staff for a virtual open house. Expect virtual outreach to continue even when schools reopen. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

RIGHT: Students and staff kept their distance Aug. 4 at Gannon University as students moved in for the year while Gannon officials put in place a plan to safely return students to campus while slowing the spread of COVID-19. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

Colleges and universities scrambled to fi nd new ways to educate students when COVID-19 shut down campuses statewide last spring. They’ve since struggled to keep campus communities safe once students and staff returned. Not all of their innovations will end when the virus wanes. Some of the technology, protocols and workarounds created or embraced during the pandemic will continue. “We had to pivot to deal with a lot of diff erent things through the pandemic,” said Laura Zirkle, Mercyhurst University vice president of student life and the university’s chief pandemic offi cer. “It really made us take another look at things that we’d done for years and how we can do them diff erently.” “One of the interesting off shoots of the pandemic is how much we’re learning about ourselves and about things that we can do better,” said Doug Oathout, chief of staff and director of marketing and communications at Gannon University.

The ﬁ rst opportunity: Going remote

WOHLFORD/ ERIE

Valerie Myers

Remote learning wasn’t unheard of before the pandemic. Some graduate programs especially were oﬀ ered online only. The Pennsylvania State University’s World Campus has offered online classes and degree programs since 1998. What changed with the pandemic was that all classes were shifted online when Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf closed “nonessential” businesses statewide last March. Remote learning, with some exceptions, continued through summer. And while in-person classes are still expected to be the norm going forward, online learning and hybrid learning that combines in-person and remote classwork will continue.

ABOVE: Edinboro University students and family members move belongings from campus residence halls due to the coronavirus on March 20, in Edinboro. GREG

“Mixed-mode delivery has been part of our strategic plan, and we were talking about it pre-COVID,” said Ken Miller, senior director of administration and student aff airs at Penn State Behrend. “COVID just underscored that it can be done. “For a lot of students, learning online has been demystifi ed. They’ve learned that they can do it and have gained confi dence learning online,” Miller said. “I think that could bode well for an increased presence online, not just for Behrend students but for Penn State students across the commonwealth who may be at a campus that’s not off ering a particular course the semester they need to take it.” Remote learning may increase exponential-

ly at the three state-owned universities in western Pennsylvania — Edinboro, Clarion and California — targeted to become a single university with three campuses by fall 2022. The schools will build on their expertise in online teaching to off er most undergraduate academic programs both in-person and online, Clarion University President Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson said last fall. Pehrsson now doubles as interim president of Edinboro University. Those plans weren’t fueled by the pandemic but will benefi t from the past year’s experience. “The pandemic really moved us in that direction faster than we otherwise would have gone,” said Jim Dahle, director of safety and risk management at Edinboro University. “Classes all of a sudden were retrofi tted for remote learning and now can be off ered remotely in the future.” While in-person learning and the on-campus experience will continue to be Mercyhurst’s priority, remote learning can help students coping with illness, work schedules and other life events, Zirkle said. “Our athletes, for instance, travel all over the country to (compete). They go to their professors, get assignments, and study and get ready for tests while they’re gone. In the future they can use technology to stay fully engaged in their classrooms and have that full academic experience on the road,” she said. And some students simply prefer remote learning, Gannon’s Oathout said. “It’s not a huge population, maybe 10%, that says that even if they live on campus, they prefer the fl exibility of either Zooming into class or doing their (academic work) on their own time,” Oathout said.

Reaching out: New virtual platforms The pandemic forced colleges to ﬁ nd new Continued on next page

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BY CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

LEFT: A volunteer seals a clean face mask in a plastic bag as part of a project to clean about 5,000 masks in May 2020 in a dormitory at Mercyhurst University.

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held twice monthly on Zoom. “We used to squeeze hundreds of people into the Yehl Ballroom to talk for an hour, and it really was disruptive to our entire operation and not very eﬀ ective as a communications tool,” Oathout said.

ier, and the cashier would swipe it and give it back. Now with proximity chip readers, a student just presents the card to a reader and there’s no contact with a person or the machine.” Tele-medical appointments have “skyrocketed,” said Miller, of Penn State Behrend. “They were something students just didn’t consider before, but now they’re much more comfortable with them and are following up with in-person visits as needed,” Miller said. New partnerships also may continue, Edinboro’s Dahle said. When COVID-19 prompted a run on surgical masks, sanitizer and even everyday supplies, the university looked to community suppliers. “When (other sources) tapped out or we had supply chain failures or delays, we looked at local vendors here in Erie County that could fulfi ll our orders. It was an eye-opener,” Dahle said. “Distilleries making hand sanitizer was an example of how local businesses came through for the community.” Gannon University created its own COVID-19 testing program from scratch and now does surveillance testing for other local institutions. “The county health department encouraged us to help others, and we have. What aff ects us aff ects others, and if we can be of service to the rest of the community, we will continue to try to fi nd ways to do that,” Oathout said. Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com.

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ways to reach prospective students and to share student work with the community. Virtual tours and orientations, recruitment, exhibits and performances will continue after the pandemic in tandem with live events. “For orientations, we found ways to reach and really engage students and parents online in ways that are better than what we’d done,” said Zirkle, of Mercyhurst University. “In the past, we’d bring families in for a full day of activities, fun and a lot of information, but it was a really long, intense day. “When we went to virtual, we could do different topics in chats on Zoom over the course of a couple months. We had 150 parents join us for how to prepare students to go to college,” Zirkle said. “We get more information out and do it in a more positive way.” Colleges that reach out to prospective students around the globe can make connections remotely with far less time and cost. “We’re learning that maybe we don’t need to do quite as much globetrotting as we thought and are doing more recruiting remotely,” Gannon’s Oathout said. Virtual activities, including online ﬁ tness classes and concerts, are popular, said Michelle Ritzel, Edinboro’s dean of student engagement. Commuter and adult students who don’t have to come to campus for events are among those participating. “That’s something we plan to continue,” Ritzel said. Livestreamed performances not only showcase student talent but draw wider audiences, Zirkle said. Mercyhurst’s theater program opened its 2020-21 season with a Zoom performance of Oscar Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost.” “Absolutely people are anxious to get back and see students on stage,” Zirkle said. “But we found that families and friends who are far away now can see performances. And those could continue in some way.”

LEFT: Reeder Hall at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is shown in this March ﬁ le photo. PHOTOS

Doing business: Teams-work

New technology and partnerships

Sanitizer stations, health screening apps and other changes implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19 will help slow the spread of other contagions to come, Edinboro’s Dahle said. “New technology, like the point-of-sale systems for dining, for example, also will remain,” Dahle said. “Previously, a student would go to a food service location, hand his ID to the cash-

Colleges have been holding campus and staﬀ meetings on Teams, Zoom and other online platforms, and they’re working better in some ways than in-person meetings. “With the integration of Edinboro, California and Clarion universities, people are not able to be at three campuses at one time or at one campus at the same time,” Edinboro’s Dahle said. “Going forward, I don’t see us having so many in-person meetings.” Meetings previously held quarterly for Gannon faculty, administration and staﬀ now are

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EXPECT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Enrollment trends will bring both for new community college

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

RIGHT: Judith Gay, vice president and chief of staff for the Community College of Philadelphia, was hired Jan. 20 as the interim president for the Erie County Community College. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

RIGHT: David Dix, left, chairman and CEO of Luminous Strategies, from Harrisburg, speaks with thenEmpower Erie co-founder Ron DiNicola on June 10 at the Bayfront Convention Center prior to a virtual hearing with the Pennsylvania Board of Education regarding a proposed community college application. GREG WOHLFORD/ ERIE TIMES-NEWS

ly .

RIGHT: In September, ﬁ rst lady Jill Biden speaks during a virtual roundtable on community college education with Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper and other guests while campaigning for her husband, President Joe Biden.

It will become the fi rst state-chartered community college in 27 years when it opens in the fall, at the earliest, and one of the fi rst in the nation in the last decade. The offi cials charged with building the twoyear Erie County Community College say they are at an advantage because they have the lessons from other institutions to learn from and will be better positioned to create a school geared for the future. But they’re also working in challenging times when postsecondary enrollment at both four-year institutions and community colleges has been on a downward trajectory. These declines have only worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic. In the fall 2020 semester, college enrollment dropped 2.5%, or by about 400,000 students, according to The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That’s double the rate of decline as the fall 2019 semester, reported Inside Higher Education. Worse, freshman enrollment at community colleges fell 13.1%, according to the NSCRC report. Founding Interim President Judith Gay said the pandemic has posed unique challenges when it comes to enrollment. “Community colleges have been particularly hard hit in terms of the pandemic for a number of reasons,” said Gay, who retired late last month as the vice president of strategic initiatives and chief of staff at the Community College of Philadelphia. “One of the reasons is that it has demonstrated the great disparity in access to education that we thought we were really solving by having open doors, but because everything went digital if you didn’t have digital access, if you didn’t have a computer, you didn’t have access to the internet, you were behind.” Gay said a number of students were doing their online work at the college itself — not from home, or a library or someplace else. “So when we closed, that cut off their access,” she said. “We have been down in enrollment. When we talk to students about why, why can’t you continue? What’s the problem? They say, ‘I can’t do online. I can’t do it with my children at home. I can’t do it with all the things that so many people were dealing with on top of all the other struggles they may have with fi nances and all of those things.’ So part of the enrollment problem is going to be that people are not as comfortable with online learning as we all probably think people are.” Gay said those challenges will remain until the pandemic ends. But once it does Erie County Community College Board of Trustees Chairman Ron DiNicola believes the college will be perfectly situated to help a community that has long been underserved due to the lack of the type of affordable, accessible education that community colleges off er. The Erie economy, he said, will be able to rebound more quickly with the college in place. “Generally, community college enrollment is inversely proportionate to the economy,” he explained. “If the economy is booming, then enrollment tends to go down. When the economy is struggling, enrollment tends to go up for, I think, obvious reasons. What we have here, though, is we have an added element and that’s a pandemic that has essentially destroyed socialization. Education is a socialization process, so that really gets in the way. “When we work our way out of the pandemic and we have a return to normalcy then we’re going to see a spike in participation,” he continued. “And that’s very important for us because we know that we’re facing secondary school interruptions that are going to be lasting

co Fo m rp m e er rs ci on al a us l, e on

TIMES-NEWS

Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

WOHLFORD/ERIE

Matthew Rink

RIGHT: In June, Empower Erie board member Sam Talarico reacts after a positive vote during a virtual hearing with the Pennsylvania Board of Education that established the Erie County Community College. GREG

in the sense that some of our young people are not getting the continuity that they need and they’re having gaps in their educational opportunities.” First-year enrollment is projected at 156 fulltime students, 523 part-time students and 267 students enrolled in a workforce development program. The college would have a dozen fulltime staff members and 87 part-time instructors. Tuition is projected to be $145 per credit, with fees of $22 per credit. The college hopes to seat its fi rst class in the fall, but several things still need to occur before that happens, including receiving approval of a 120-day plan from the Department of Education and fi nding a temporary location, among others. The 120-day plan requires the college to propose a degree program for approval. The board, in consultation with the Department of Education, has proposed an associate of arts degree, which is the basis for most of the transfer pathways to a four-year college and which would be the general education core of other applied-degree programs. Once the state approves that program, the Erie County Community College board will be able to create other degrees, certifi cates, and programs. These are program pathways the college will

eventually off er: h Associate of arts h Engineering and manufacturing h Computer and information technology h Business and entrepreneurship h Liberal and creative arts h Tourism and hospitality h Math and science h Human services h Continuing education The Pennsylvania Board of Education gave fi nal approval to Erie County’s community college in July, more than three years after it was submitted. The inaugural seven-member Board of Trustees was appointed in September. Since then, they have secured a $10 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant from Gov. Tom Wolf, hired consultants to assist in the creation of the 120-day plan, retained a national search fi rm to fi nd a permanent president and hired Gay as its interim. In September, First Lady Jill Biden, while campaigning for her husband President Joe Biden, held a virtual round table with Erie offi cials on community college education, touting the then-candidate’s plan to provide free community college tuition to Americans. DiNicola believes that Biden’s position on education will benefi t the institution as it takes shape. “We now have a national commitment to fund community college, to make community college free for Americans,” he said. “Now, whether that gets acted upon quickly or not, the commitment, I think, indicates that we’re seeing an appreciation at a larger level for the importance of this kind of education to the overall education scheme in this country.” Contact Matthew Rink at mrink@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNrink.

GOERIE.COM | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | 11J

Gisele Littrell, ‘15: Owner of Tipsy Bean and entrepreneur, leading a collaborative effort with other local business owners to establish a cultural neighborhood for Erie residents. Littrell’s café was recently featured on the premiere of Undercover Billionaire: Comeback City on discovery+.

Brent Jernigan, ’01, M’07 (left), and Dr. Anthony Williams, ’02: Leaders of the Neighborhood Academy, a faith-based, college-preparatory school that provides a high-quality educational experience to underserved youths in Pittsburgh, Pa.

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BUILDING COMMUNITY. BUILDING CAREERS.

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FUTURE

SECTION K

BRINGING THE ‘LOVE’

Jennie Geisler

Erie Times-News | USA TODAY NETWORK

t 17, Natasha Pacely was living on the streets with her children, avoiding a bad relationship. At 33, she’s a graduate of Mercyhurst University’s culinary arts program and the owner of Taste of Love Catering, a soonto-be restaurateur serving seafood and soul food in Erie’s Flagship City Food Hall when it opens, probably this coming summer. h “I was in a place that was so down,” she said. “But now everything is happening at once.” h She started life in the Georgia with her grandmother and mother before moving to Erie at the age of 7, learning early that food is part of a community, that food brings people together and that it’s a good way to help neighbors. h “To me, food and cooking come from the heart,” she said. h That passion — and the quality of her food — made her a shoo-in to the Food Hall, said Micahel Outlaw, community liaison for Erie Mayor Joe Schember, who encouraged Pacely to apply. h “I’ve known Tasha for several years,” he said, using the nickname she uses for her business, Tasha Cooks. She cooks daily and for special events for private clients at Booker T. Washington Center. Outlaw met her See COOKS, Page 3K Natasha Pacely, shown Jan. 6, in the kitchen at the Booker T. Washington Center, was homeless at 17. She went on to get a degree in culinary arts from Mercyhurst University and has launched her business, Taste of Love Catering, which will be part of the Flagship City Food Hall. JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

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TECHTANK TAKING AIM FOR THE FUTURE Growth in Erie molded with expanding workforce, facilities

“We get our tooling done in Erie and Meadville. All of our raw materials are U.S.A.made, and we pride ourselves that our products are U.S.A.-made for U.S.A.made suppliers.” Brock Allen

TechTank founder

Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

Brock Allen recently stood inside a cavernous 52,000-square-foot Millcreek Township warehouse he has purchased to serve TechTank, the high-tech plastics injection molding company he owns. In early March, when his shipping warehouse at 1825 Peninsula Drive is scheduled to open and become operational, it will mark TechTank’s fourth business location since Allen, a Penn State Behrend graduate and Greene Township resident, founded the company in 2016. “We’re like little gypsies,” Allen, 39, said of his business, which also operates a 12,000square-foot manufacturing facility at 1524 E. 10th St. in Erie. His payroll totals 55 employees, an increase of 35 workers in the past year. They help manufacture more than 500 diff erent plastic injection-molded products for customers in the medical profession and military and an array of consumer products for clients in the kitchen appliance, pet toy and tool industries. “You start off and do a couple molds and you look down and there are molds everywhere,” Allen said. But the company also bills itself as a diff erent kind of plastics injecting company, one that specializes in new product development and works with clients to help bring their products to market. “We originally started as an ideas-to-reality company. We worked with individuals in small companies on developing their ideas and taking them to market,” Allen said. “We realized that business model wasn’t as eff ective as it could be, so we moved to small, medium and large companies. We’ve kind of been the research-and-development wing of larger companies and help them develop the correct products and correct materials effi ciently for U.S. markets. “We do everything in the United States,” Allen said. “We get our tooling done in Erie and Meadville. All of our raw materials are U.S.A.made, and we pride ourselves that our products are U.S.A.-made for U.S.A.-made suppliers.” TechTank off ers a range of services includ-

WOHLFORD

Ron Leonardi

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RIGHT: TechTank owner Brock Allen, 39, stands in the company’s shipping warehouse in Millcreek Township. GREG

ing project management, consulting and machining services, plastics design, marketing and manufacturing. “We oﬀ er beginning-to-end service,” Allen said. “We’ll give people an overall viewpoint of what a program looks like, so they have an idea of what their product is. We’ll help them brainstorm and come up with concept designs, and we can move those into tools, injection molds.” TechTank’s resume also includes robotics and security services.

Starting small

Allen graduated from Penn State Behrend in 2003 with a degree in plastics engineering technology. He worked in the plastics industry in Massachusetts from 2003 to 2010 before returning to Erie. In 2011, he opened EverestMedica, an Erie medical device business. Five years later, Allen started TechTank with one other employee. “We started oﬀ and it’s always tough to get the ball rolling,” Allen said. “We used the ﬁ rst

year or two to evaluate what markets look like, what was available for us and what made sense.” Staff size increased from two employees to three In 2017. A year later, Tech Tank employed fi ve people. That number jumped to 20 employees in 2019 and has nearly tripled since. Lynzie Nebel, a program and project engineer, began working at TechTank in 2018. The Harborcreek Township resident said company growth “has been insane” in her time with the Erie business. “I used to place my orders with materials companies and they would be for 1,200 to 1,800 pounds,” she said. “Now, I’m getting truckloads of materials.” “We’re pretty happy with our business expansion,” Allen said. “COVID actually helped us out. Our customers had large demand in March and April. During those times, it was the restaurant industry that was starting to lay off . There were people looking for work and we had work, so we were able to fi ll that void. We hired a lot of people right out of the food industry. It was fantastic. They came in, they had a job.“

International customer base

RIGHT: The TechTank shipping warehouse in Millcreek Township. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE

TIMES-NEWS

Allen describes his company’s niche customer base as “anyone who has money who wants to bring their work from overseas.” “We target customers that have Chinesebased products now,” Allen said. “There’s nothing more satisfying than taking a customer that has a Chinese-based product and bringing that stateside.” “We want some larger customers, but the fruit of our business is having a larger amount of nice, small-to-medium-sized businesses we can deal with,” Allen said. “We have customers (from) as far as Australia.” In businesAllen said he strives for continuous improvement and to avoid complacency. “We’ve done well with our strategies and it’s nice to look back, but just quickly,” he said. “I want to look forward. I think we have a ton of potential in front of us. I don’t want to dwell on what we’ve done in the past.” Contact Ron Leonardi at rleonardi@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNLeonardi.

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Cooks Continued from Page 1K

there during an event after he tried the food. “I have spent a lot of time at the Booker T. Washington Center and I would see Tasha cooking and I think the ﬁ rst time I tried her food I knew I should start paying her close attention because she had something special.” Outlaw said.

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“Cooking deﬁ nitely saved me, in a million ways,” Pacely said. “Now that I’m cooking, I’m happy, healthy, thankful and blessed. I want to give back.” Pacely started cooking for others in earnest when she was staying at Safenet women’s shelter. She said they would bring the food in and she would cook for everyone. “I would cook for girls in the shelter,” Pacely said. “They liked for me to make dinner and then we would sit and talk every night and that was about healing. My food was about us healing. I knew I wanted to cook and the girls would say to me, ‘Girl, you should be a chef.’” She left the shelter to help her mother nurse her father, who died after his sixth bout with cancer. After that, she enrolled at Mercyhurst and, suddenly, she was studying at night, going to school during the day, taking care of four children including a set of twins, with the help of her mother. After graduation, she went to work as a sous chef at Presque Isle Downs and Casino. She called her three-plus years there an “amazing experience.” “Each place I worked, I would learn more until I started doing my own thing.” She cooked for the Kids Cafe at the Booker T. Washington Center and then started doing dinners and lunch. “I feel like I want to make food that makes people happy,” Pacely said. “That brings back memories. I don’t do it for the money.” And then Outlaw met her. He began mentoring her through a long-term business plan when the opportunity opened up at the Food Hall. “Everything I do has to do with diversity, equity and inclusion,” Outlaw said. “We went into the African-American community and said ‘Here’s an opportunity: The Flagship Food Hall is looking for a diverse culinary menu.’ Some people followed through. Others didn’t. “Tasha, because of her tenacity and being a pursuer of greatness, she got the contract.” Pacely said the application process was no picnic. She had to come up with a business model, a budget, a staﬃ ng estimate and a list of the necessary equipment as well as a video explaining why she deserved a place at the Food Hall. “I cried the last day everything was done and I was waiting for it to print,” she said with a laugh. And then she went to the interview.

But how?

LEFT: At an Oct. 1 news conference, John Persinger, center, CEO of the Erie Downtown Development Corp., announced eight of the nine food tenants that will open the Flagship City Food Hall in downtown Erie next summer. From left are: Bassam Dabbah, of The Shawarma Station; Jeff Vybiral of Lucky Louie's Beer & Wieners; Krystal Robinson of Taste & See Fruits & Vegetables; Persinger; John Bouquin, Red Letter Catering; Natasha Pacely, Taste of Love; Jeffrey Seevers, The Straw Hat Sundae Shop; Mke Karle and Geoff Rhoades of Red Letter Catering.

talented chef. The food spoke for itself. “But in our multiple interviews with her and getting to know her over the past year now, I’ve come to appreciate her passion for cooking. She has such a love for it. Her enthusiasm for cooking for others is contagious.” He still feels that way. “Every time I see Natasha I see great excitement for the Food Hall.” The mother of ﬁ ve children, now ages 6 to 14, is pretty excited, too. “The Food Hall is a lot of individuals together,’ she said. “There’s something for everybody. It’s going to be the place to be. “It is scary,” she said. “But (on that ﬁ rst day), I’m going to feel like a million bucks.” Contact Jennie Geisler at jgeisler@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNgeisler.

CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES

ABOVE LEFT: A rendering of an interior view of one area of the Erie Downtown Development Corp.developed Flagship City Food Hall on North Park Row. RICHARDSON DESIGN/ CONTRIBUTED

“The Food Hall is a lot of individuals together. There’s something for everybody. It’s going to be the place to be.”

LEFT: Cooking in the kitchen at the Booker T. Washington Center on Jan. 6, Natasha Pacely, owner of Taste of Love Catering prepares a seafood platter. JACK

Natasha Pacely

HANRAHAN/ERIE

That went well

TIMES-NEWS

Owner of Taste of Love Catering

“When we interviewed her, we knew we had someone special,” said John Persinger, CEO of the Erie Downtown Development Corp., which is developing the Food Hall. “She is obviously a

ERIE ENGINEER CO-HOST OF PLASTCHICKS PODCAST Ron Leonardi

Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

The tone is light, lively and fun. Discussion centers on popular plastics industry topics and people who inspire the trade. Subjects range from CEOs, production managers, and management consultants to sales and marketing directors, and product safety engineers. "We wanted to do something as an excuse to hang out more and to educate people about the plastics industry," said Lynzie Nebel, a plastics engineer at Erie-based TechTank and co-host of the podcast "PlastChicks — The Voices of Resin!" Since March 2018, Nebel, 35, and Mercedes Landazuri, 38, a Chicago resident and member of the Society of Plastics Engineers, have teamed to provide a colorful, informative presentation of interviews and news pertinent to their profession. Nebel is a Harborcreek Township resident and native of Hamburg, New York. She graduated from Penn State Behrend in 2008, earning a degree in plastics engineering technology. Nebel has worked at TechTank since 2018 as a program and project engineer. The Erie company, at 1524 E. 10th St., is a plastics injection molding business founded in 2016. "There's not that many women in this indus-

Find the podcast http://bit.ly/plastchicks

try and Mercedes had been featured in a profi le," Nebel said. "My husband was reading an article on her and he said, 'She's kind of like you.' '' Nebel eventually met the woman who would become her co-host at a 2017 industry conference in Anaheim, California. "We met up and hit it off and got along ridiculously well," Nebel recalled. "They grab a person from industry once a month and start to talk about their specifi c fac-

ets, like how they got started," TechTank owner Brock Allen said. "They basically do an interview and talk about interesting, new developments in the industry. ... I think Lynzie has a fun, bubbly personality. So does Mercedes." The women release one podcast per month. Shows vary in length from 15 minutes to 1 hour. Their podcast, sponsored by the Society of Plastics Engineers, can be found at http://bit.ly/plastchicks and on many podcast player apps. Allen says the women have built a fan base during their 21⁄ 2-year run with the show. "We've had vendors come into our building and they would see Lynzie doing a show and they would ask, 'Is she one of the PlastChicks?' " Allen said. "There's a lot of people in the industry who listen to that podcast. ... Lynzie is very involved and very connected with clubs and societies in the plastics industry. I think the two of them form a very interesting dialogue with some of the people they have." Lately, the women have been presenting both podcasts and video streams of their recording sessions. Public feedback has been positive. "They say they like it because we make it fun," Nebel said. Contact Ron Leonardi at rleonardi@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNLeonardi.

LEFT: Lynzie Nebel, a plastics engineer with Erie-based TechTank, is co-host of the podcast “PlastChicks.” CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

4K | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | ERIE TIMES-NEWS

FAMILIAR, NEW EVENTS TO ENLIVEN DOWNTOWN Robust plans for activity, stymied by COVID, are back on agenda

RIGHT: Erin Gallenstein, at left, of Erie, talks with Stephanie Ciner, owner of Wild Field Farm in Erie, on July 27. Ciner was a vendor at the Little Italy Farmers Market. Organizers are hoping to see more farmers markets this summer. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

RIGHT: Thousands turn out on warm, clear nights for the 8 Great Tuesdays concerts at the Highmark Amphitheater at Liberty Park. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE FILE PHOTO/ERIE TIMES

RIGHT: Anare Lyons, 50, of Erie, holds a flag of Africa during a rally at Perry Square on June 19 as about 175 people celebrated Juneteenth and advocated for an end to police brutality. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

PHOTO/ERIE TIMES

It was just a year ago that the Erie Downtown Partnership announced plans to turn downtown Erie into a hub of activity with plans for more than 200 events that would range from a handful of people to thousands. COVID-19 set most of those plans aside. Now, plans for curling, lawn games, farmers markets and family-friendly events, many subject to the prevailing safety and social distancing rules, are back on the agenda for the months ahead. “I am ﬁ red up about the community,” said John Buchna, executive director of the Erie Downtown Partnership. “The community wants to be safely engaged, and we are further developing a plan to activate downtown and do it safely.” John Persinger, CEO of the Erie Downtown Development Corp., agreed. “We are working on activities, and curling was popular last year. We had more than 100 people involved on teams. We’re hoping it will be back this season,” he said. Curling is just the tip of the iceberg for the EDDC’s plans. The Flagship City Food Hall and other ventures in progress include 12 EDDC projects that stretch from French Street to Peach Street and from Fourth Street to Perry Square. Seven of the properties, which include residential and commercial spaces, will be ﬁ nished this coming summer. In fact, 42 new residential units will be opening, and they already have a waiting list for tenants, according to Persinger.

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MILLETTE FILE

Special to Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

Events are welcome attractions

Erie Downtown Partnership has already held some events during COVID-19. December’s Downtown D’Lights celebrations and sales of Christmas trees were examples of successful activities at Perry Square. In the near future, Perry Square will remain a site for gathering safely. Because it is a large area and lends itself to downtown dining, plans are in place to make it a main gathering spot, but it's not going to be structured around one specifi c event, time, vendor or restaurant. “The plan is to make it more conducive to getting a takeout meal from almost any downtown vendor, including the food hall, and enjoying it at tables and chairs set up in Perry Square,” Buchna said. Music and the arts will also have a role in upcoming plans with smaller crowds and specifi c coordinated eff orts. Music in downtown is a welcome sound, even if it’s recorded music, which the partnership circulated in December. “We played holiday music every day, so this year we hope to continue that to some extent,” Buchna said. But live music with solo acts and small groups is also in the plans. Persinger said a sculpture walk will be in progress by July. Farmers markets will also return. In 2020, the Downtown Partnership held seven farmers markets from July through October. Buchna plans for more with a few changes. “We’d like to have them more frequently and on Sundays with a more family-oriented atmosphere,” he said. At this point, farmer's markets are planned for two Sundays per month starting in June and extending through September. He hopes to include more during the week. Recreational events are also part of the plan. For example, in 2019, the Downtown Partnership experimented with early morning, midday and after-work yoga classes on the upper deck of Dobbins Landing and in Perry Square during the month of August. Similarly, EDDC off ered bootcamp workouts in conjunction with the YMCA. Collaborative eff orts have been successful in the past for many downtown events. Persinger said that EDDC worked with the Erie Playhouse on a summer program for children in the past. In August, EDDC presented the movie “That Thing You Do” as a free outdoor presentation at the bayfront parking lot. Buchna said the movie was well received and it could be the impetus for Movie Mondays in downtown rather than on the bayfront. Events, he said, will also branch out to include Griswold Plaza and the bayfront. Goals include having daily small events downtown. Buchna said Wellness Wednesdays were planned and events at lunchtime with music could happen on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One of the major events scheduled to take place in 2022 will celebrate winter. A fullblown ice fest is anticipated with Lake Erie Ice 2022. “Other communities have done these with ice carvings, slides and luges,” Buchna said. Another big event that is a moving target for this year is the rib fest, which traditionally has

CHRISTOPHER

By Pam Parker

RIGHT: Warm weather helped turn out big lunchtime crowds in 2017 at Erie's Wild Rib Cook Off & Music Festival, an annual food and music event at Perry Square.

taken place shortly after Memorial Day. Buchna anticipates it will move to September, but it's not certain. A lot of big plans are in progress, but little changes will be moving ahead and Buchna hopes to see lawn games, chess sets, volleyball and badminton leagues in full swing this summer. Many of the successful weekly events are starting to return. For example, 1650 Friday has returned the ﬁ rst Friday of every month. This promotion asks patrons to spend $16.50 in downtown businesses on Fridays. 1650 is related to the Erie area ZIP codes, and this is one attempt, Buchna said, to encourage people to spend money in downtown Erie. “We include some contests, too,” he said. He's already seen evidence of strong community support. Buchna said that sales of downtown gift certiﬁ cates, that can be used at more than 50 businesses throughout the downtown area, usually averages about $10,000 a year, but sales topped $75,000 in 2020. “Employers were buying them for employees, and on Small Business Saturday alone, we sold $20,000,” he said.

Spreading the word Buchna said communicating the events to area residents is a work in progress. The goal is to create a single community calendar. Persinger is expecting that calendar will refl ect a community that's getting back, perhaps slowly, to business as usual. “Downtown Erie will defi nitely have a diff erent look this summer,” he said. Pam Parker is a freelance writer. You can reach her at pamparker712@gmail.com

GOERIE.COM | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | 5K

LEFT: Beachgoers ﬁ ll Beach 8 at Presque Isle State Park in this 2019 ﬁ le photo. Presque Isle saw nearly 5 million visitors in 2020, an increase over the park’s 2019 attendance. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

COVID-19 BATTERED ERIE-AREA TOURISM Kevin Flowers

Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

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Region seeks 2021 rebound after ‘one of our worst seasons ever’ For Paul Nelson, 2020 will be remembered as tumultuous. The owner of Waldameer Park & Water World in Millcreek Township saw the COVID-19 pandemic lead to new mask-wearing and social distancing rules at his family-owned amusement park. Limits were also imposed on capacity. Attendance and revenue plummeted. Waldameer, which usually opens in late May, was forced to launch its abbreviated 2020 season in July. “We had one of our worst seasons ever,” Nelson said. “The restrictions made it impossible. And all of the numbers were very low compared to what we usually do.” Nelson said the park’s business and revenues were down more than 70%. He did not release exact ﬁ gures. Waldameer will start its 2021 season sometime in May, Nelson said — with modest expectations. “We know we won’t have a good season, but we are going to open up,” Nelson said. “It’s just hard to know how it will go.”

$1.2 billion annual effect

Uncertainty was a central theme in 2020 for Erie County’s tourism industry — which typically generates about $1.2 billion in visitor spending each year — primarily because a large segment of the economy was shut down or heavily restricted for months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. John Oliver, president of VisitErie, Erie County’s tourism promotion agency, said the region saw an estimated 2 million visitors in 2020, or about half of the visitors it sees in a normal year. VisitErie estimates that hotel revenues in the region were down 38% from 2019, although exact ﬁ gures were not available. But VisitErie's share of county’s 7% hotel bed tax, which is earmarked for the tourism organization, tells part of the story. Oliver said that revenue totaled an estimated $1.2 million in 2020, down from about $2.2 million in 2019. VisitErie gets 43% of that tax revenue. Erie Events, which operates the Bayfront Convention Center, Warner Theatre, UPMC Park and

Erie Insurance Arena, gets 57%. Oliver said that while VisitErie received $500,000 from the county’s $25 million share of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to oﬀ set tax revenue losses, “2020 was a disappointment compared to 2019. But when we look at how our competitors did, we were not as bad. Rochester had at least a 53% drop in hotel room revenue. Niagara Falls, Ontario, was down 73%. “It was not a great year,” OliOliver ver said. “But compared to those destinations, we did OK.” As coronavirus-related restrictions eased in late spring and early summer, Oliver said, visitors slowly began to feel more comfortable about travel, and people started to visit restaurants, hotels, recreational facilities and other attractions again. In May, VisitErie played a lead role in the issuance of a 15-page report, as part of the Erie County Tourism Recovery Task Force, outlining possible COVID-19-related protocols for tourism-related businesses. The report suggested a number of protocols,

LEFT: Paul Nelson, owner of Waldameer Park & Water World in Millcreek Township, says the park saw attendance and revenues drop by more than 70 percent in 2020, largely due to COVID-19-related restrictions. JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

including requirements for deep, frequent cleaning and handwashing, social distancing and other measures aimed at keeping people safe. “Erie County was ready to reopen at that time,” Oliver said. “So we wanted to show, especially in dealing with restaurants, hotels and attractions in diﬀ erent categories, that there were proper precautions being taken.”

Let's get outside Presque Isle State Park was one local attraction that stayed busy during the pandemic. The park drew an estimated 4.9 visitors in 2020, according to Operations Manager Matt Greene, who theorized that Presque Isle's beaches, trails and lagoons off ered “a great way for people to be out of their homes in a relatively safe manner for physical recreation or a mental recharge. “If COVID did one thing in our industry, it proved the value of parks,” Greene said. “In the year ahead, I’m expecting that we’re going to see higher than average attendance again.” Tammy Carmosino is the account manager at the 200-acre Sparrow Pond Family Campground in Waterford Township. Carmosino said 2020 off ered mixed results, and she's optimistic about 2021. The campground is scheduled to open in April and close in October each year, and typically gets between 5,000 and 6,000 reservations for a season. “We were supposed to open last year on April 10 and didn’t get to open until May 1 with the restrictions,” Carmosino said. “We had a lot of refunds at the beginning because no one knew what was going on. “But by June it picked up. Our hall and picnic pavilion took a hit because of the restrictions, but people were tired of being cooped up, and we were probably only down about 10% or 12% from a normal year.” Carmosino said campers are quickly booking reservations at Sparrow Pond for 2021. The campground plans to open for the season in April. “We are almost full for all of our holiday weekends. We just put in 20 more campsites,” Carmosino said. “People are grateful to be here when they come and to be able to have something to do and something for their kids to do.” Contact Kevin Flowers at kfl owers@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNfl owers.

LEFT: This is a May 2, 2009 ﬁ le photo of some of the ﬁ rst riders to enjoy the Mega Vortex, the new ride at Waldameer Park and Water World. FILE PHOTO/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

6K | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | ERIE TIMES-NEWS

ERIE REGION VITALS

FLIGHTS IN 2020

PRESQUE ISLE STATE PARK ATTENDANCE IN 2020

Number of people who boarded planes at Erie International Airport in 2020:

$4.9 MILLION

Down from 106,765 in 2019 THE VERDICT: COVID-19 curbed business travel and left many leisure travelers sitting at home.

SERVICE-SECTOR JOBS IN NOVEMBER ERIE COUNTY:

95,200 Down from 105,900 in November 2019

Up from $3.71 million in 2019 THE VERDICT: More park visitors means more tourism dollars flowing into the local economy.

43,354

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CRAWFORD COUNTY:

21,000

Down from 22,700 in November 2019

THE VERDICT: This supersector recovered some of the jobs lost during the year, but not all of them.

NOVEMBER UNEMPLOYMENT ERIE COUNTY:

GASOLINE PRICES

Average price of a regular gallon of gas in Erie on Jan. 21:

$2.76

7.4%

Down from $2.92 on the same date in 2020

Up from 5.1% in November 2019 CRAWFORD COUNTY:

6.5%

Up from 5.3% in November 2019

MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT IN NOVEMBER ERIE COUNTY:

18,400

Down from 19,500 in November 2019

THE VERDICT: Unemployment rates are up.

THE VERDICT: Lower gas prices leave more money to spend on other things.

CRAWFORD COUNTY:

6,900 Down from 7,400 in November 2019

THE VERDICT: Both counties lost manufacturing jobs

2019 GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT IN 2012 DOLLARS ERIE COUNTY:

$10.91 BILLION

2020 BANKRUPTCY FILINGS, ALL CHAPTERS

Up from $10.76 billion in 2018

PENNSYLVANIA WESTERN DISTRICT:

CRAWFORD COUNTY:

4,800

$2.93 BILLION

Down from 6,989 in 2019

Up from $2.92 billion in 2018

THE VERDICT: Fewer bankruptcy ﬁlings are good news.

AVERAGE HOME SALE PRICE Erie County prices through the ﬁrst three quarters:

$159,222

THE VERDICT: The economy grew, although slowly.

Up from $147,556 through the third quarter of 2019 Sources: State Department of Labor & Industry, Presque Isle State Park, AAA, American Bankruptcy Institute, Erie International Airport, Greater Erie Board of Realtors.

THE VERDICT: Rising prices is good news for homeowners.

TAKÉ UDA/USA TODAY NETWORK ERIE TIMES-NEWS FILE PHOTOS AND GETTY IMAGES

GOERIE.COM | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | 7K

PANDEMIC DEALS CASINO LOSING HAND Matthew Rink

LEFT: Clear plastic dividers were placed between slot machines at Presque Isle Downs & Casino, shown on the ﬁ rst day of re-opening under the green phase on June 26.

Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

LEFT: Justin Miller, 35, plays craps at Presque Isle Downs & Casino on the ﬁ rst day of reopening under the green phase on June 26. The casino had been closed for more than three months due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. GREG

we have new classes starting every month. Our next dealer-school class will start March 1. With their tips, these table game dealers can start anywhere from $15 to $17 an hour. It’s a win-win for all of us." There were some bright spots in 2020: Revenue from sports wagering grew signiﬁ cantly. It brought in 48% more revenue than it did in 2019, when it was ﬁ rst rolled out. Presque Isle Downs & Casino also realized $3 million of revenue from iGaming, or online gambling, which it did not have during the 2019 calendar year. "Right now, like many businesses, we are hopeful that we will be fully operational by this summer," O'Sullivan said, "and can bring back the remainder of our furloughed team members, to create a fun but safe spot for people to enjoy. Contact Matthew Rink at mrink@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNrink.

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Forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to close for more than four months and then limited in both capacity and hours of operation, Presque Isle Downs & Casino suff ered its worst year in 2020 since its opening. That's true of all of the state's casinos. Revenue at Pennsylvania's 13 casinos fell more than 22% this past year even as newer forms of gaming approved by the state legislature in 2017 saw an increase in revenue of 443%. "Occupancy continues to remain limited," said Kevin O'Sullivan, vice president and general manager of Presque Isle Downs & Casino. "Our players are not able to drink alcohol on the casino fl oor or smoke inside the casino, so it has forced many of our players to not come as frequently and visit other less-restrictive casinos more often. Meanwhile, our competitors in other states are increasing their revenues year over year because of the less restrictive environment." At the Summit Township casino, slot machine revenue dropped 48% and table game revenue fell more than 34%. "Our slot revenue is the largest revenue generator for the property and largest aff ected," O'Sullivan said. "Revenues declined in racing, food and beverage, poker and table games which has resulted in having to make some tough decisions about where to reduce expenses." At the same time, the casino has been required to invest more to keep patrons safe. "Like all businesses, we have invested heavily on the safety and security of our guests and our team members," O'Sullivan said. "But at the same time (we've looked) for opportunities to reduce our expenses." O'Sullivan said the casino has not been able to bring back all of the staff members who were furloughed in March. That could change as restrictions are lifted. "With that comes the opportunity to hire 50plus more team members," he said. "The exciting news is that we train our own dealers and

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A DINER WITH GRIT

IN A YEAR OF GREAT

CHALLENGES, UNION CITY

RESTAURANT

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FOUND A WAY Heather Cass

Special to Erie Times-News | USA TODAY NETWORK

rom the start, JJ’s Retro Eatery, 16411 Route 8 in Union City, was more than owners Greg and Debbi James had bargained for. h “We had planned a small diner, but ... ,” Debbi James said with a laugh, gesturing to the dining room with a dozen two- to six-seat tables. h The tables were empty as she spoke. It was later afternoon on a Saturday and the couple had given up on serving dinner months earlier. h When the pandemic fi rst emerged in early 2020, they tried to keep doing what they had been doing. But after letting go a dozen part-time employees, working 12-hour days was just too much for the James family, including their children Jessica, 22; Jeanea, 18; and Joshua, 15. h “One thing the pandemic forced us to do was really get to know our customers,” Greg James said. “We’ve been tweaking the menu to serve them, adding what they want, getting rid of things they don’t really support.” h There are things they just can’t off er now. Prime rib, the price of which has soared, and the restaurant's popular “all you can eat, cooked to order” breakfast are off the menu. h “The only way we can make money on that See DINER, Page 2L From left, Jeamea James, Debbi James, Jess James and Greg James are shown at their family-run JJ's Retro Eatery in Union City on Jan. 16. JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

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Doggone good idea JJ’s Retro Eatery isn't limiting its service to people. Olli, the family’s Olde English Bulldogge has an allergy to chicken that inspired one of JJ’s top selling bakery items — all-natural dog treats. Debbi James said their “Olli cookies” were a surprise hit with customers. The bakedfresh treats sell for $9.99 a pound or $5.99 a half pound. Follow “JJsRetroEatery” on Facebook to learn when Olli Cookies are available.

breakfast deal is to pack the place, and we are literally not allowed to do that right now,” Debbi James said. It was Debbi James who dreamed of opening her own restaurant and, eight years ago, with the couples’ three children all in school, they decided the time was right to open JJ’s Retro Eatery. They fl oundered a little in their fi rst year, but eventually found their footing and enjoyed seven years of comfortable success. In 2016, they expanded to triple their indoor seating. Then 2020 happened. “We had our struggles when we opened,” Debbi James said, “But never did I imagine we’d have them in our eighth year of business.” They had to adapt to a constantly changing situation: Closed, no indoor dining, open but at 25% capacity. Using their customers as a guide, they cut back operating hours and the menu and added more of the one thing they knew they could count on selling — sweets. “We’ve always done well with our pies,” said Debbi James, who bakes them herself. “We have a case that holds 28 pies and at the end of the day they would be all sold out.” They expanded the bakery, reasoning it would bring in a lot of quick, transactional business. “We fi gured it was a good way to get people in and out because we were so limited in allowing in-person dining and takeout wasn’t going as well as we hoped,” Greg James said. Today, they off er daily confections including muffi ns, donuts, turnovers, sticky buns and pie. Baked goods saved the month of December when the restaurant hosted a Holiday Baked Goods Drive-By after they were forced, once again, to close their doors to comply with a state-ordered mitigation eff ort to thwart a holiday-season spread of the virus. They advertised the sale, off ering pies, cookie platters (three dozen cookies in each) and jumbo cinnamon rolls for delivery or pick-up just be-

fore Christmas. “The orders just kept coming in and all I could think was, I have a very short amount of time to bake all of this,” Debbi James said. “I eventually stopped answering the phone and we decided to close the diner that Sunday before Christmas so we could prepare.” In total, they sold 160 pies, 150 jumbo cinnamon rolls and 45 cookie platters. The Jameses haven’t beneﬁ ted much from pandemic relief aimed at small businesses. They passed on the Paycheck Protection Program loans, though they did receive some funding from the recent Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. They have, however, felt the love from customers who leave larger tips, neighbors who have mowed their lawn and community members who have stepped up, sometimes with cash donations. Help has even come from unexpected places. When Julie Swartz, a former JJ’s customer

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who now lives in Pittsburgh, saw a heartfelt Facebook post in which Debbi James expressed gratitude for a random act of kindness her family had received, Swartz was inspired. With the help of a COVID-19 relief fund established by Swartz’ employer, a Virginia-based law fi rm, Swartz drove to JJ’s where she presented the eatery with a relief check, new banners, fl owers and cleaning supplies. Swartz pitched in, too, helping the family prepare to reopen after the spring shutdown. Since then, the law fi rm has continued to provide a fi nancial helping hand. It was Swartz who suggested the holiday bake sale and even helped with deliveries. “We’re getting by,” Debbi James said. “We just keep trying to think outside the box and do different things.” The James family has no intention of giving up. When asked what the last straw would be for their business, Debbi James said, "I don’t think we’d ever say quit; We’ll change, we’ll diversify, we’ll come up with something.”

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Continued from Page 1L

JACK HANRAHAN

Diner

ABOVE: Jess James, 22, makes pancakes Jan. 16 at JJ's Retro Eatery in Union City. PHOTOS BY

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GOERIE.COM | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | 3L

LEFT: Primary care physician Chris Seraﬁ ni, D.O., conducts a tele-health video conference on April 7 with patient Mark Connelly, 30 (on tablet screen). Seraﬁ ni was in his office at the AHN East Side Heath + Wellness Pavilion, 950 Buffalo Road, in Harborcreek Township. Connelly was at his home in Erie. Local hospital officials think that, even post-COVID, telemedicine is here to stay. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE FILE PHOTO/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

David Bruce

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IS TELEMEDICINE HERE TO STAY? Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

Erie hospitals had been off ering telemedicine for years, giving patients the opportunity to see a primary-care physician, dermatologist or other medical providers via laptop or smartphone. A few patients took advantage of the program, but it accounted for less than 1% of all offi ce visits as recently as a year ago, according to local hospital leaders. Then the COVID-19 pandemic reached Erie County. "It clearly had an eff ect," said Saint Vincent Hospital President Christopher Clark, D.O. "Telemedicine was as high as 70% of our visits during the early part of the pandemic, now it's closer to one-third of our visits in December." COVID-19 has changed health care in numerous ways over the Clark past 12 months. Some changes seem temporary, such as empty waiting rooms and patients being reluctant to undergo regular screening exams such as mammograms. Other changes could be permanent, like the increased use of telemedicine. Leaders from Erie County's three largest health systems — Saint Vincent, UPMC Hamot and LECOM Health — shared their thoughts on which of these changes they expect will last beyond the end of the pandemic. "The increased use of telemedicine is something that is very good for patients and the health-care system," said Jim Donnelly, Hamot's chief quality offi cer. "If a child has strep throat, you don't want to drive them from Edin-

boro to an Erie emergency department and back. You can see a provider on your cell phone, they send a script to the pharmacy and you save an emergency department co-pay." Telemedicine will continue long after the pandemic is over, said Jasen Diley, LECOM Health's vice president of affi liated services. "The pandemic put telemedicine in the fast lane," Diley said. "It provides help in our communities, especially rural communities where telemedicine provides more options to see proDiley viders." Greater fl exibility among health-care workers is another change hospital leaders said will continue after the pandemic subsides. The great demand for intensive-care unit and other COVID unit nurses and staff forced hospitals in Erie and across the country to improvise. Former fl oor nurses who have become administrators or switched to medical offi ces have returned to their hospitals to care for COVID patients or allow other nurses to switch to COVID care. "Nurses' skill sets have expanded during the pandemic," Clark said. "That helps the hospital overall. We're going to be better for it." Donnelly and Hamot President David Gibbons said the pandemic has shown them how quickly clinical advancements can go from research to implementation. Monoclonal antibodies, placing seriously ill COVID-19 patients on their stomachs, and the new COVID-19 vaccines are just three examples the Hamot administrators mentioned. "They used to say it took 17 years to go from the bench to the bedside," Donnelly said. "We

didn't even go 17 months with the vaccines." Hospital and medical offi ce visits nosedived during the fi rst few months of the pandemic, even at the hospitals that continued to perform some elective procedures. Patients have returned to their doctors and hospitals, to some degree. Offi ce visits and elective procedures have rebounded, but emergency department visits remain well below pre-pandemic levels, Diley said. "Though primary-care visits have rebounded, ER visits haven't," Diley said. "Are people saying that if they just have a bad cold, do they really want to go to the ER? I think we'll get a better idea about that after everyone is vaccinated." Each hospital leader was asked if they thought if patients and visitors wearing face masks would remain a permanent part of health care. Their responses were markedly similar. "I think, with our culture, when we get to the other side of the pandemic, we will see more normalcy," Diley said. "But clearly wearing a face mask has created a foothold. Some folks will continue wearing them." "Most people will take their face masks off , but I wouldn't be surprised if certain people end up just feeling more comfortable wearing a mask, especially during (fl u) season," Clark said. "I think you will see diff erent levels of adoption when the pandemic is over," Gibbons said. "Some people will keep wearing them," Donnelly said. "Then again, we have an independent streak in our country." Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

“The increased use of telemedicine is something that is very good for patients and the health-care system. If a child has strep throat, you don't want to drive them from Edinboro to an Erie emergency department and back.” Jim Donnelly Hamot's chief quality officer

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AN OUTSIDE JOB ‘We Aim For Wow’ motto has guided Amerail for 30+ years ABOVE: Amerail Systems Inc. employee Desmond Flanagan works inside the 25,000square-foot manufacturing facility in Millcreek Township. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE

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A large U.S. map hangs prominently inside the executive offi ces of Amerail Systems Inc. More than 200 small, multi-colored push pins dot each of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and Hawaii. Every pin represents the location of an exterior hotel renovation completed by the Millcreek Township-based company, located at 2301 W. 12th St. Alan Schaal, Amerail’s CEO, says he gave up years ago trying to update the map with every one of his company’s expanding list of projects. His business, which once made exterior railings exclusively for Holiday Inn, has completed exterior upgrades at more than 2,400 hotels in 49 states since Schaal, 70, founded Amerail in 1985. Amerail operates under the radar in Erie, but has cultivated a national following in the hotel industry, partnering with major hotel brands like Best Western, Choice Hotels, Marriott, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, Hilton, Hyatt, Hampton Inn, DoubleTree and Wyndham, “We Aim For Wow” is Schaal’s company motto. His subcontracted national crews, which number about 60, are presently working on exterior hotel renovation projects in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Ohio, Kentucky and South Carolina. In 2020, Amerail completed 35 renovation projects among 15 hotel brands in 14 states. Some of the company’s featured projects included renovations of a Hampton Inn in Birmingham, Alabama; a Hampton Inn in Santee, South Carolina; a Holiday Inn in Westbury, New York; and a Courtyard Hotel in Wood Dale, Illinois. “(In business terms, 2020) was fl at, but it was a win for us considering the pandemic, especially in the hotel industry,” Amerail President Aaron Dearborn said. He sees a more favorable outlook for 2021. “We think there will be a slow start to this year with a strong fi nish,” Dearborn said. “There’s a lot of pent-up demand in our industry “Every fi ve to 10 years, they have to renovate their building to keep their franchise license, and that’s where we kind of found our niche by doing these exterior renovations,” Dearborn said. “We do a lot conversions as well, which is somebody taking a Marriott and turning it into a Hilton, or turning a Hilton into a Best Western.” “We do the design,” Schaal said. “We have the architectural people and the engineers. We’re defi nitely the most cost-eff ective in doing an exterior design.” Schaal said design-build projects can be completed in less time because bid time is reduced, scheduling for the project can begin before the design is fi nalized, potential construction problems are uncovered early, and enhanced communication keeps everything

TIMES-NEWS

Ron Leonardi

RIGHT: Amerail Systems Inc. President Aaron Dearborn, left, and company CEO Alan Schaal are shown inside the 25,000square-foot manufacturing facility in Millcreek Township. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

moving. “Our crews do the installation. In some cases, we manufacture in our own facility here,” Schaal said. “We are a direct buyer for every product we use. You cut proﬁ t out of every line and you give it back to the customer. That’s how you stay cost-competitive.” Amerail projects can range from a smallscale $10,000 undertaking to a $3.5 million full-exterior hotel renovation. Some of Amerail’s national renovation projects can be viewed on its website, www.amerailsys.com. “Some of our smaller jobs might involve determining water leakage or damage, and doing forensic testing to determine where water is entering the building, to full exterior repairs of major,15-story hotels,” Dearborn said. Fourteen employees comprise Amerail’s Erie-based staﬀ . The number swells to several hundred when you factor in Amerail’s nearly 60 national subcontractors, including some Erie-based crews. “We hope to be able to expand to have more Erie subcontractors work for us because we

have multiple projects in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and those projects wouldn’t take them away from their families that much,” Schaal said. Amerail’s largest project was a $4 million exterior renovation of a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, hotel in the early 1990s, Schaal said. The tallest building his crews have worked on is the 47-story Avenue Hotel in downtown Chicago. Amerail is located in the Schaal Plaza, which includes the Schaal Glass Co. founded in 1926 by Alan Schaal’s grandfather, Clarence Schaal. While Amerail has enjoyed decades of expansion and national exposure, the Erie region’s hotel industry has not played a signiﬁ cant role in the company’s growth. “Erie doesn’t have that many hotels that have aged to the point where they’re in need of our services,” Schaal said. We did the Avalon Hotel in 1987, when they put all the green acSee AMERAIL, Page 6L

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Amerail

Western, Marriott and Hilton. “In 1986, we did our ﬁ rst job in California,” Schaal recalled. “From the beginning, we opened ourselves up to saying, ‘OK, wherever there is a hotel.’ Since Holiday Inn was everywhere, that was how our business expanded.” The company’s largest ongoing project is a $3 million full-exterior renovation of the 12story Renaissance Airport Hotel in Philadelphia. The COVID-19 pandemic will likely continue to impact growth this year, but 2022 could be a far more prosperous year industry-wise, Schaal said. “We’ve been working with Marriott, and

they have been saying they have 1,700 hotels that need to be renovated starting in 2022,” he said. “Most of those projects are more sevenﬁ gure hotels, so you’re looking at a signiﬁ cant amount of dollars, including for us. If we do 10 hotels, it’s $10 million in business.” Schaal said he believes Amerail is well-positioned for future growth. “We expect 2021 is not going to be overwhelming, but in 2022, you’re going to be seeing quite a bit of work and we’re excited about that,” Schaal said. Contact Ron Leonardi at rleonardi@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNLeonardi.

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ABOVE: Amerail Systems inc., of Millcreek Township, completed a $1.3 million full exterior renovation of this Hampton Inn in Santee, South Carolina, in May.

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cents on it. We’ve worked on the Bel-Aire Hotel, but for the most part, Erie is not our market yet.” From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, the Holiday Inn chain was Amerail’s largest customer. In the early 1990s, Amerail transitioned to a full exterior hotel renovation and contracting specialist and soon began to add other hotel brands, such as Choice International, Best

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BUSY CONSTRUCTION SEASON LOOMING What’s going there? Millions in projects on agenda for Erie RIGHT: This artist's rendering shows one view of the Erie Flagship City Food Hall that's being developed by the Erie Downtown Development Corp. The food hall is expected to open this summer.

Jim Martin Erie Times-News USA TODAY NETWORK

A handful of historic construction projects have taken shape in Erie over the past few years. In fact, Erie Insurance, Saint Vincent Hospital and UPMC Hamot have wrapped up construction projects worth more than $100 million each. Just months ago, work was completed on the new $22 million Hampton Inn & Suites on Erie's bayfront. This year's crop of construction projects will be smaller but still signifi cant. Here's a look at some of the projects that you might see in the months ahead: • Erie High School renovations: More than $28 million has been allocated for extensive renovation projects that include heating and ventilation upgrades, replacement windows and renovations to science labs. • Erie developer and businessman Pete Zaphiris will be working on a series of construction projects on properties he owns along West 12th Street. Work is expected to begin within a few weeks at the former Erie General Tire at 121 W. 12th St. The building, now painted as a modern art mural, will be leased to a new business that's expected to provide about 30 jobs. Cost of the renovations is expected to top $1 million. The former Citizens Bank building, located at the corner of 12th and state streets and also owned by Zaphiris, is expected to undergo more than $3 million in improvements as part of a 15,000-square-foot expansion. Work is also expected to begin this year on a third project, which involves extensive renovations to the former Metropolitan Dance Club at 144 W. 13th St. Plans call for the fi rst fl oor to be used for commercial tenants and for apartments to be built on the upper fl oors.

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RIGHT: This is an architect's rendering of planned renovations to the Federal House, at left, on the Penn State Behrend campus in Harborcreek Township. This view shows the south and east sides of the building, looking north. CONTRIBUTED

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FAR LEFT: Behrend officials announced a $6.3 million project to restore and enlarge historic Federal House for the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Community Outreach, Research and Evaluation (CORE). CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ ERIE TIMES FILE

CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

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• A few blocks to the north, Gannon University will continue this year with $28 million in renovations to the former Verizon building, now known as Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge, or I-HACK. While renovations have been completed to the fi rst and second-fl oors of the building, work is expected to continue on the third-fl oor Hatchery space, where faculty and students will work together with industry partners in real-world projects. • The Erie Downtown Development Corp. is expected to continue renovations and construction to a series of project sites including properties along State Street and the planned Erie Flagship City Food Hall that will front on North Park Row and State Street. Those projects are part of millions of dollars being invested by the EDDC in its mission to purchase and renovate real estate in downtown Erie with the goal of adding population and new business. • In another project downtown, Marquette Savings Bank continues work on a new $7 million building at the corner of Peach and West

10th streets. The building will be used as an operations, training, innovation and learning center. • At Penn State Behrend, the university will be working this year to transform the 180-yearold Federal House, thought to be the oldest brick building in Harborcreek Township, into the new home of the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Community Outreach, Research and Evaluation, known as C.O.R.E. The $6.3 million plan, which is funded privately and by the university, calls for the restoration of the brick house and the addition of a connected modern building, creating a 12,000square-foot complex. Finally, in what's expected to be one of the biggest construction projects underway in the Erie region, Behrend will raze and replace Erie Hall. The new $28.6 million project will lead to a 60,000-square-foot building that is three times as large as the existing building. The budget includes a $9 million commitment from students that has been earmarked through the Student Facility Fee committee. Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com Follow him on Twitter at @ETNmartin.

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ABOVE LEFT: Pete Zaphiris is in the process of renovating the former Metropolitan Club, 144 W. 13th St., in Erie. Zaphiris plans to create at least 16 apartments in the 33,000 square-foot building, which was built around 1920.

LEFT: The third floor of Gannon University’s Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge, or IHACK building, was under construction Jan. 27. JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

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Tim Hahn

Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

The phones are ringing at Lake City Homes and the company has some deposits in hand. It’s a good way to start 2021 following a year in which the Lake City-based modular home manufacturer dealt with COVID-19-related challenges that included a short shutdown, rising materials costs, and delays in obtaining those materials, according to company coowner Lisa Garity Carr. “It made things diﬃ cult, for sure,” she said. Founded in 1973, Lake City Homes, at 1405 Lake St., builds oﬃ ce buildings and additions along with several styles of modular homes. It opened a remodeling center and granite shop

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fi ce was open. As production at Lake City Homes ramped up, company offi cials found themselves dealing with “soaring prices” on materials, Garity Carr said. “Just a normal 2-by-6 stud we would get would double and triple in cost in what we were used to paying, and that went across the board,” she said. That made it diffi cult to keep project prices in line with the cost changes, Garity Carr added. The company also dealt with delays in obtaining materials needed for their projects, Garity Carr said. She noted that orders for winContinued on next page

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in 2010. The company touts on its website that by offering its customers quality workmanship and customizable designs, word of mouth from its satisﬁ ed customers has allowed the company to expand its operations. Activity at the company came to a stop at the start of spring, when oﬃ cials announced on the company’s Facebook page on Garity Carr March 24 that it was closing down until further notice because it was not deemed an essential business under COVID-19 guidelines. Production resumed on May 4, and two days later the company announced on Facebook that its sales of-

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Garity Carr said in early January that she is expecting a good year in 2021, in part because interest rates remain low. She said the company took four deposits for new homes in December, which is very unusual for that time of year. “So that’s good,” she said. “We’ve got the phones ringing. There’s plenty of interest from people coming in and going through the models. We do anticipate a good year.” As for the size of the company’s workforce, Garity Carr said it’s hard to tell right now. It’s a seasonal business and typically has downtime during the winter months, with a small work crew. Once the company gets a number of construction projects lined up it will go back to full

time, and those laid oﬀ over the winter will be called back, she said. The company’s longtime employees always come back, but it’s hard to tell whether the newer employees have moved on to other work, Garity Carr said. One project Lake City Housing oﬃ cials are working on as it heads into construction season is the development of “more of a mid-grade type of house” for its stable of modular homes. “Like a house that’s maybe 1,200 square feet, we’re trying to get into a lower price range,” she said. “We sell quite a few of them.” Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.

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JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

dows used on the company’s houses, which would typically take a week at most to get in, were out a month or two. Orders declined at ﬁ rst. Garrity Carr said that was no surprise given the events of the past year. But that was apparently short-lived, as she reported to the Erie Times-News in early September that the company’s workforce had grown by six employees to 46 and that “we are actually busier than we were last year.” She attributed the spike in activity at the time to low-interest rates and a low inventory of existing housing.

ABOVE: Mike Bensur, a cabinetmaker with Lake City Homes, builds kitchen cabinets for a modular home July 26, inside the company's warehouse.

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EMPLOYEE-OWNED SUCCESS STORY

Onex in Erie ‘leading with grit and grace’ There’s a new sense of purpose at Eriebased Onex these days. “There is more collaboration and more contribution from people – even outside their own departments,” said Bethann Carvin, a customer sales and support representative at Onex for the past 15 years. “This is a team that’s always given 110%, but now it feels like we are all truly working toward the same goal.” What’s changed? Carvin, along with 32 of her co-workers, are now not just employees but co-owners of Onex, an industrial furnace service company that also designs and builds custom furnaces that reach up to 2200 degrees. It’s located at 917 Bacon St. Onex became a 100% employee-owned company in the summer of 2020, one of only about 300 private companies in the state that hold that designation.

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President of Onex

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“Being 100% employeeowned rewards our hard-working employees, excites our clients, keeps the business headquartered in Erie, ensures we have the same strong management team, and leverages the beneﬁ ts of tax-free status.”

Ashleigh Walters, the president of Onex, was participating in a panel discussion about succession plans when a fellow participant, Kevin McPhillips, presented information on the concept called ESOP, or an employee stock ownership plan. Walters’ interest was piqued. After the presentation, she pulled aside McPhillips, the executive director and CEO of the nonprofi t Pennsylvania Center for Employee Ownership. Was this something that would work for her company? She and her husband, company Vice President Andrew Walters, bought Onex from Andrew’s father, Eric Walters, in 2018 after more than a decade of working there in leadership positions. The Walters are in their early 40s but already were thinking about who would take ownership someday. It didn’t seem right for them to assume their own two sons – still in elementary school – would one day want the company. Besides, Walters’ research showed only 13% of third-generation businesses survive. But giving their employees ownership? It wasn’t something they’d really considered. Nonetheless, the thought appealed to her. It meant the company would always remain in Erie. It wouldn’t be chopped up by a private equity fi rm or third-party buyer someday. She and Andrew Walters talked at length with McPhillips. He explained that ESOPs are exempt from federal and state income taxation, and showed research indicating ESOP companies are more productive, grow at faster rates, are more profitable and have lower turnover than their competitors. Plus, the funding for the plan would come from future tax-deductible company profi ts. Employees don’t spend money out-ofpocket to purchase shares in the company. “Being 100% employee-owned rewards our

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How the ESOP happened

hard-working employees, excites our clients, keeps the business headquartered in Erie, ensures we have the same strong management team, and leverages the beneﬁ ts of tax-free status,” Ashleigh Walters said. “When we considered all these positives, it made sense.” They were convinced.

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RIGHT: Ashleigh Walters is president of Onex, an Erie employeeowned company that designs, builds, and services industrial furnaces. JACK

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LEFT: Juan Cordero, left, pre-cast specialist, and Kyle Hansen, pre-cast manager at Onex, mix castable that will be poured into molds to make insulating brick. Continued from previous page

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based in the region that are employee-owned include Voodoo Brewery and C&J Industries in Meadville. But over the past two years, the number of new ESOPs in Pennsylvania has been the second-highest in the nation, McWilliams said. “The highest is California, which has three times the population as we do,” he said. Why the success in growing the number of ESOPs in Pennsylvania? Much of it can be attributed to the recent work done by McPhillips and the Pennsylvania Center for Employee Ownership, formed in 2016. “The reason there aren’t more employeeowned companies is because not many business owners know about it as an option,” McPhillips said. “So we created a state organization with one purpose: to raise awareness.” Pennsylvania’s model has been so successful other states are beginning to replicate it, McPhillips said.

Company culture a key to ESOP success

ESOPs aren’t right for every business. But for mid-size companies like Onex, especially ones that already foster a culture of collaboration, it can off er great benefi t for all involved, McPhillips said. Culture has been critical to Ashleigh Walters since her fi rst day at Onex. She leads the company with what she calls a coach-approach leadership style. The concept has worked so well for Onex that Walters published a book in December, “Leading with Grit and Grace: A Journey in Organizational Culture Change.” “Most manufacturers – ever since the industrial revolution – have depended on command-and-control leadership style, where the boss tells everyone what to do,” she said. “The problem is, especially in smaller companies like ours, is the employees closest to the work have the best ideas and know what improvements need to be made. So it’s important to have a more democratic process so everyone has a voice and we can work together to continuously improve processes.” Carvin said Walters’ leadership style has created a work environment where everyone feels valued. “You know you matter, and your input is important,” she said. “It doesn’t matter your title or your position. You feel like you matter.”

Opportunity Continued from Page 1M

She applied at her alma mater and, in August, Russell returned, this time to stay. Her title at Behrend is now assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. “Dr. Russell’s research is a perfect ﬁ t for MWRI-Erie, and for Behrend’s increased focus on biochemistry and molecular biology,” said Ivor Knight, associate dean for research and graduate studies at Behrend. Along with teaching, Russell and Jeremiah Keyes – the other faculty member brought on at Behrend – will lead studies in Behrend’s new microbiology labs. Their work will support imaging and cell-growth testing related to MWRIErie research.

First study to start in March The larger of the two labs, a $1 million, 2,700-

LEFT: Andrew Walters, at left, is vice president and Ashleigh Walters is president of Onex, an Erie employeeowned company that designs, builds, and services industrial furnaces. PHOTOS BY JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Learning that Walters’ had decided to sell the company to her and other employees further validated the faith the couple has in the Onex team, Carvin said. “When we found out the company was owned by all of us, it was emotional. I just felt appreciated,” Carvin said. Ashleigh Walters said no one deserves to

own the company more than the employees who give so much to it every day. “We can’t think of anyone we’d rather sell the business to,” Ashleigh Walters said. “I can’t wait to see where we take it from here.” Kara Murphy is a freelance writer and publisher of Macaroni Kid Erie. She can be reached at murphy_kara@yahoo.com.

square-foot space in the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Center, will become the heart of an advanced imaging facility at Behrend and a resource for start-up companies and products that further Magee Women Research Institute-Erie’s studies. A second, smaller lab will be located in the Otto Behrend Science Building. The pandemic delayed the new labs’ completion, but Russell is hoping to start her ﬁ rst study at Behrend by mid-March. Her ﬁ rst study is looking for biomarkers of chronic stress during pregnancy that might indicate adverse pregnancy outcomes. “A lot of this work will be done in collaboration with students, which is exciting because undergrad students bring a lot of energy and excitement to the table,” she said. “We’ll be training them to conduct experiments and how to collect and interpret data.” Knight said he believes Russell’s studies will reach beyond Behrend’s labs. “Her study of chronic stress during pregnancy and the properties and behaviors of ex-

tracellular vesicles, particularly during the body’s immune response, could, over the long term, inﬂ uence the direction of research for MWRI-Erie, including clinical trials,” he said.

Future bright for medical research in Erie Russell is excited about being part of the team building the program from the ground up at Behrend and what MWRI-Erie means for the future of scientifi c research in Erie. Community leaders are hopeful as well. Offi cials estimated in 2019 when announcing the project that $15 million in new federal research money will fl ow into Erie during the fi rst fi ve years and that research spending could reach $50 million by the tenth year. “I believe this is just the beginning – that this will open up a lot of opportunities to promote Erie as a biomedical hub for companies,” Russell said. And her commute now? It’s 8 minutes. Kara Murphy is a freelance writer in Erie. Contact her at murphy_kara@yahoo.com.

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4M | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | ERIE TIMES-NEWS

BETTING ON PUBLIC ART, INNOVATION

HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Ed Palattella Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

The numbers are encouraging to Patrick Fisher, who will help lead the way as the Erie arts community starts its rebound from the pandemic. Fisher, the executive director of Erie Arts & Culture, said the nonprofi t's annual United Arts Fund campaign raised $795,000 in 2020, up from $630,000 in 2019. "There is still a high degree of generosity that exists in our community," he said. Another cause for optimism: A total of 1,555 donors contributed to Erie Arts & Culture's 2020 United Arts Fund campaign, including 599 fi rst-time donors, Fisher said. That is up from a total of 797 donors, including 214 fi rsttime donors, in 2019. "Not only are we are sustaining existing donors but are attracting new donors, something that is equally important," Fisher said. Even still, Fisher said, arts organizations and the public's backing of them need to change for the arts to thrive once the COVID-19 outbreak fades. He said the arts organizations must become more innovative, and the public and corporations need to see the arts as an integral part of life in Erie and worthy of continued support. He said Erie Insurance was the only corporation that participated in the fund drive's matching-gift program in 2020, contributing a total of $125,000, as the Fortune 500 company has done in the past. Erie Arts & Culture got the full $125,000 donation from Erie Insurance because the United Arts Fund raised at least $500,000 from other sources. "We have to see more public support and more corporate citizens pledging support," Fisher said. He also said, "I realize that not every corporate citizen is able to give at a $125,000 level," and that philanthropy does not need "to begin at a six-fi gure level." "Philanthropy begins with a gift that is meaningful and supports the work of organizations in our community while also reinforcing your corporate values," Fisher said. He said he would like to see other corporations and businesses join the matching-gift program to maintain and grow vibrant arts community in Erie. "I fear that if we don't have other corporate citizens step up, if we don't see a similar level of buy-in, this could be at risk," Fisher said. Erie Arts & Culture will distribute money from its 2020 United Arts Fund campaign in a number of ways, Fisher said. For every dollar raised, he said: h 60 cents goes to Erie Arts & Culture's fi ve

ABOVE: Patrick Fisher, executive director of Erie Arts & Culture, is shown Jan. 28 at East Seventh and Parade streets with a utility box that was painted to honor local builder Donald Crenshaw. The art that covers the utility box was done by Bridgette Davitt, Scott Gladd and Megan Siegfried and was sponsored by Erie Arts & Culture. JACK

Erie Arts & Culture: ‘We must make a better case for our value’

cultural partners, who can use the funds for unrestricted uses. The ﬁ ve are the Experience Children's Museum, the Erie Philharmonic, the Erie Playhouse, the Flagship Niagara League and the Hagen History Center. h 25 cents goes to fund Erie Arts & Culture's operations. h 10 cents is added to funding for Erie Arts & Culture's Ignite Arts grant program, which gives up to $2,500 for art, cultural and heritage projects that beneﬁ t the region. h 5 cents is added to Erie Arts & Culture's $4 million endowment, the interest from which Erie Arts & Culture uses to fund other initiatives.

Focus on innovation Erie Arts & Culture, founded in 1960 as the Arts Council of Erie, has developed projects to promote murals and other public art during Fisher's tenure, which started in 2018. In a recent example, Erie Arts & Culture led a project in late 2020 that enhanced 24 utility boxes in the city of Erie with bright, colorful artwork that celebrates Erie’s history, landmarks and diversity. The utility boxes, along State Street, Parade Street and East 26th Street, were covered with graffi ti-proof vinyl wraps as part of the project. The initiative, in Fisher's words, turned "eyesores" into "visual assets." As Fisher has raised the profi le of Erie Arts & Culture, he said arts organizations in general need to help their cause by becoming more innovative. He said arts organizations must consider for what services they can charge a fee, especially services for corporations. If a company is committed to an initiative for team-building, for example, Fisher said a local arts organization might be able to develop and run the programs — and get paid and raise its profi le in the community.

"For far too long, the cultural sector has been perceived as a charitable case," Fisher said. "We must make a better case for our value."

Putting Erie in 'national conversation' Erie Arts & Culture's initiatives have attracted national attention. In December, Fisher said, he made a presentation through the national nonprofi t Americans for the Arts "on how Erie Arts & Culture is utilizing the arts and humanities to support Erie's New American artists and entrepreneurs." And in May, Fisher will participate in the annual Southern Vermont Economy Summit, held virtually. He said the event is titled "Small Scale Changes to Strengthen Our Communities," and that he was invited to speak about how, in Erie, "we are positioning the cultural and creative sector as a viable option for community and economic development." Erie Arts & Culture plans to keep bringing attention to the arts, including during the pandemic. Among its new initiatives is the creation of a sculpture walk in a partnership with the Erie Downtown Development Corp. The project, announced in late January, will feature sculptures in downtown Erie from this June through August 2023. Though similar to the public sculptures of the past, when fi sh and frogs dotted the Erie landscape, the new Erie Sculpture Walk will be diff erent. Erie Arts & Culture put out a national call for artists for the project, though local artists can also apply to participate. All of the sculptures will be clustered downtown or on the bayfront to enhance the areas where people walk. The sculptures will all be of diff erent concepts and new works will rotate into the Erie walk every two to three years. For the fi rst wave of the project, according to Erie Arts & Culture, eight to 15 sculptures will be leased from artists. The EDDC is raising the funds to pay the artists to lease the sculptures. Erie Arts & Culture will receive a management fee, with the amount dependent on the scope of its work, Fisher said. "This is an example of a fee for service," Fisher said. He said the Sculpture Walk, formed out of a partnership with the EDDC, is an example of bringing diff erent artists and ideas to Erie and bringing notice to Erie. "This is really an opportunity for cross-pollination," Fisher said when announcing the project. He said the sculpture walk "raises the profi le of Erie and puts it in a national conversation about public art." Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNpalattella.

GOERIE.COM | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | 5M

THE FUTURE OF OFFICE SPACE

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LEFT: Bob Marz, president of Roth Marz Partnership, works out of his office at 3505 Chapin St. in Erie. Marz is in his office every day, but his employees have been working from home since the beginning of the pandemic. JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Erie Times-News

USA TODAY NETWORK

Dana Massing

Pandemic proves in-person meetings not vital Bob Marz wonders if his architectural design fi rm will always need the 4,000-square-feet it is now renting in Erie. He’s not planning to downsize Roth Marz Partnership, which employs eight people in Erie and one in Allentown. But the pandemic has some owners rethinking how they will do business in the future. “We’ve learned we’re able to adapt and still perform our work and be remote,” Marz, president of Roth Marz Partnership, said. He does spend each of his workdays in the offi ce at 3505 Chapin St. but his employees have been working remotely since April. They do sometimes go into the offi ce if they need to print a large drawing or pick up mail, he said. Roth Marz employees are hardly alone. The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research in June reported 42% of the U.S. labor force was working from home full time. At the law fi rm of Amicangelo & Theisen, the two lawyers started working remotely in March before returning to their Erie offi ce in June. An employee still works part-time from home. But Andrea Amicangelo and Jo Theisen haven’t reopened their doors at 1314 Griswold Plaza to clients. Before the pandemic, they never even thought about communicating with clients other than in person or possibly by phone. Amicangelo said they’ve discovered that most people have been comfortable talking via video conferencing software.It’s more effi cient and quicker, eliminating some of the chit-chat that occurs when people are together. “I think it will be something we will continue to off er,” she said. At the Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross, located in Millcreek Township, the four staff members have been working remotely since mid-March, local Exec-

utive Director Mary Rogers said. She said they have gone into the offi ce for supplies and to hold blood drives during the pandemic. For disaster services, they might verify information with clients by phone or virtually. They are still meeting in person with some clients but maintain social distance. Rogers said, for example, that rather than handing their identifi cation to an employee, a client might set it down on the hood of their car and step back. The employee would then step up and verify the ID. “We’re still providing disaster services, we’re just doing it in a little diff erent manner,” she said. Perhaps the Red Cross volunteers have been the hardest hit. The Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter has 222 volunteers and Rogers said many of them fi nd it diffi cult when they are no longer meeting together. Rogers said it’s also sometimes easier for a volunteer to read how a client is really doing when they are together rather than talking by phone or virtually. She plans to return her staff to their offi ce at 4961 Pittsburgh Ave. when the national Red Cross says it’s safe to do so. Even then, it’s likely the virtual meeting options will remain in place. At Roth Marz, video meetings with clients have also become the way of doing business, with in-person meetings only occurring once in a while, Marz said. But that can be an advantage. Instead of driving 5 hours to Harrisburg for a one-hour meeting with someone from the state Department of General Services and then driving 5 hours home, Roth Marz employees can talk to the state offi cials via computer from Erie, he said. Marz hasn’t brought his employees back to the offi ce full-time because he said “the pandemic is still not really under control” and some employees have school-age children who are

still learning remotely. Being apart does have drawbacks. “You miss the socialization,” Marz said. He said he has gotten used to being in the offi ce alone and while he can no longer walk to a work station to collaborate with a team member, they still communicate. “We have a daily (conference) call,” he said. He said there’s also the opportunity for employees to do work when it’s more convenient for them. Marz said he received an email from one employee at 3 a.m. “I think it’s somewhat of a more fl exible schedule,” he said. Amicangelo understands the need for fl exibility. When the pandemic sent her to her Millcreek home, she was working at the dining room table, her fi fth-grade son was doing remote school in his bedroom or the kitchen and her husband was working in the home offi ce. “Slow internet caused some issues,” she said. And while her law practice has continued to grow during the pandemic, she said it’s also offered her more time to walk and talk and bake bread with her family. Not to mention the perk of being able to dress casually and take her Great Pyrenees rescue dog into the offi ce almost every day. Amicangelo said the pandemic has employers thinking more about how they can accommodate employees, who have personal lives and needs. Marz thinks more businesses will also evaluate whether they need as much space. Rather than individual spots for everyone under the same roof at the same time, he said, a large room for all to gather in when needed and a couple work stations in the offi ce might be enough. “We’ll look at that and see what the future brings,” he said. Contact Dana Massing at dmassing@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNmassing.

“We’ve learned we’re able to adapt and still perform our work and be remote.” Bob Marz

President of Roth Marz Partnership

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FISHUSA REELS IN 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Calculated gamble by online retailer pays oﬀ

HANRAHAN/ERIE

Erie Times-News USA TODAY NETWORK

Online shopping was still considered a novel concept 20 years ago. Not to Dan Pastore, though. The co-founder and chairman of FishUSA anticipated anglers of all skill levels would someday be willing to buy rods, reels and related equipment through his business without setting foot inside a store. He also thought that “someday” would come sooner rather than later. That’s why Pastore, thanks to legal and fi shing backgrounds, considered his 2000 decision to help launch the company to be a calculated gamble more than an out-and-out risk. “When we started, yes, it was looked upon with skepticism by almost everybody in the fi shing industry,” Pastore, 61, said. “There were very few online tackle retailers. All the major manufacturers and distributors weren’t interested in working with us. “Today, it’s the polar opposite. Now, people understand that this is the preferred (business) model and manufacturers want to work with us. They want to know how we do it.” The “we” he referred to means Pastore and Jeff Parnell, 58. The Greenville, North Carolina, native was hired as FishUSA’s president and CEO in 2017. Parnell has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business from East Carolina University. He was the executive director of the Erie Technology Incubator at Gannon University before he joined FishUSA, based in Fairview Township. Parnell has another northwestern Pennsylvania business link. He helped Blair Corp., formerly based in Warren, launch its e-commerce site. Like Pastore, Parnell predicted during the 1990s that online buying would become a way of life. “I expected (online) to be signifi cant,” he said, “but I did not expect it be as signifi cant as it is now. The fi rst web site I was involved with was in 1996. That was a diff erent (year) altogether. The sites were diff erent and the order mechanisms were basically online order forms. “It was a much diff erent animal back then.” Pastore, the commissioner of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission’s First District, is struck by the level of specialization in the fi eld.

TIMES-NEWS

Mike Copper

ABOVE: Nick Taylor, warehouse manager at FishUSA in Fairview Township, ﬁ lls an online order for a ﬁ shing rod. JACK

RIGHT: Jeff Parnell, left, FishUSA CEO, and Dan Pastore, right, chairman and co-founder of the company, are shown at the Fairview Township business on Jan. 15. The business recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Continued on next page

GOERIE.COM | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 | 7M

Continued from previous page

LEFT: Fishing reels are on display at the FishUSA showroom.

“There’s so many more series of rods and reels for every possible scenario,” Pastore said. “They have rods that are designed to throw a particular type of bob and bait. There are particular rods designed to fi sh a particular kind of river. It’s defi nitely become more of a challenge.” Parnell does like to scout hot spots such as Walnut Creek, Presque Isle Bay and Chautauqua Lake, New York. When he does, though, it’s to poll the anglers rather than to cast a line. “I love to get out and about and see what’s going on,” Parnell said. “My research is going to be diff erent than others because I’m looking at all this from a business angle. What products are they using? What decals do they have on the backs of their truck?” However, it was a personal trip that left Parnell excited about the company’s growth. “I wore FishUSA garb when I went to Chicago to pick up my daughter from college,” he said. “It was there I ended up speaking with a guy who was one of our customers. We had some great dialogue, and it felt great to be an ambassador for the company like that.” Parnell’s trip meant he drove Interstate 90 between Erie County and Chicago. That also meant he passed just north of South Bend, Indiana, where Tire Rack’s corporate headquarters are located. Tire Rack bills itself as America’s largest independent tire tester and online customer source for related products. The family-owned business, founded in 1979, has grown from a single store to one that had more than 90 employees scattered over its six distribution centers throughout the country. Pastore’s long-term goal is for FishUSA to become the Tire Rack of the angling industry. “They were one of the fi rst to sell car tires online,” he said. “You think to yourself, ‘Can they do that?’ And then you drive by their (10-acre) warehouse and you think, ‘Well, obviously they can.’ “We want a (FishUSA) warehouse that rivals Tire Rack’s size here in Erie and to become the largest online tackle business in the United States. We want to make Erie proud to have this business in an industry that’s still growing.” Mike Copper can be reached at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.

Jeff Parnell

FishUSA’s ﬁ rst president

/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

LEFT: FishUSA at 6960 West Ridge Road in Fairview Township is shown Jan. 15. The business recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. JACK HANRAHAN

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/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

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“I expected (online) to be signiﬁ cant.”

JACK HANRAHAN

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