What's ahead for Erie? Take a look at our full economic outlook for 2022
If looking back at 2021 tells us anything, it is this: Erie is writing its own story, one that seems often to be untethered from the past and from the numbers that reflect our collective success or lack of it.
The statistics that serve as a report card for the past couple of years suggest mixed results.
The depth of the blow delivered by the widespread COVID-19 shutdowns of 2020 became apparent last year with the release of gross domestic product numbers for 2020.
As the staff of the Erie Times-News and GoErie set to work on Erie 2022, we found the county's economic output was hit hard by the pandemic and related shutdowns.
Erie 2022 highlights some of the success stories of the past year — people and businesses — that came away with some good news from a challenging time as we entered year two of the pandemic.
We also looked at the ways that 2021 changed our community and what those changes could mean to us in the months and years ahead.
We hope you are informed and perhaps encouraged by Erie 2022, our annual economic report.
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Reinventing rust: Challenges remain, but 2021 in Erie was a year of building something new
If looking back at 2021 tells us anything, it is this: Erie is writing its own story, one that seems often to be untethered from the past and from the numbers that reflect our collective success or lack of it.
The statistics that serve as a report card for the past couple of years suggest mixed results.
"I think it's probably a case of good news, bad news," said Ken Louie, a professor of economics and director of the Economic Research Institute of Erie at Penn State Behrend.
"The good news is we continue to recover," Louie said. "Back in May of last year, we had recovered less than 60% of the jobs we had lost. By the end of this year, we were closer to two-thirds."
Erie 2022: Reinventing rust: Challenges remain, but 2021 in Erie was a year of building something new
🔒 Baked in Erie: Local business lays claim to the biggest slice of nation's snack pie market
The sweet scent of cherry pie filling, waterfalls of glaze icing and floor-to-ceiling rotating towers stacked with snack pies are only a few of the things you'll find inside JTM Foods LLC's Erie facility.
When you hear the words "snack pies," name brands like Hostess or Entenmann's might come to mind. You might even think of pies made by JJ's Bakery, a lesser-known brand that actually ranks as the top-seller in the snack pie category.
The snack pies all have one thing in common. All of them — along with numerous other brands — are mixed, baked and packaged in Erie at JTM Foods.
Baked in Erie: Local business lays claim to the biggest slice of nation's snack pie market
🔒 When it comes to Erie County tourism, Presque Isle State Park is the main driver. Here's why
Presque Isle State Park is the hook to reeling in more than a billion dollars in annual visitor spending in Erie County.
"Presque Isle has always been kind of our jewel," said John Oliver, president of VisitErie, Erie County's tourism promotion agency. "It's what we have that our surrounding competitors for visitors don't have."
It's his agency's business to sell the Erie area as a destination and that would be more difficult to do without Presque Isle, Oliver said.
"That has always been our hook," he said.
Tourism in Erie: When it comes to Erie County tourism, Presque Isle State Park is the main driver. Here's why
🔒 The pool of prospective college students is shrinking. Here's what Erie-area colleges are doing about it.
It's called the demographics cliff.
It's a precipitous drop in the traditional college-aged population expected to begin in 2025 and continue for decades.
Four-year schools nationwide are reinventing themselves with new partnerships, programs and amenities to continue to attract students as the number of prospective students declines.
Remaining on firm ground won't be easy.
Enrollment decrease: The pool of prospective college students is shrinking. Here's what Erie-area colleges are doing about it.
🔒 Erie's port on the Great Lakes is entry-point for hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo
Much of the salt that helps drivers navigate slick, snow-covered winter roadways arrived in Erie on lake freighters at Carmeuse Erie Dock Operations.
When you lay your blanket on a Presque Isle State Park beach to soak in some summer rays, odds are much of the park’s replenishment sand was dredged in Lake Erie by the Carmeuse-owned dredger, J.S. St. John.
Vessels visiting Pennsylvania’s only commercial lake port in 2021 delivered more than 780,000 tons of goods and materials — the equivalent of 39,000 20-ton truckloads — at the Carmeuse facility, along Erie’s east bayfront. Total tonnage in 2020 was 656,231.
Down at the docks: Erie's port on the Great Lakes is entry-point for hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo
🔒 Erie's Accudyn Products Inc. embraces diversity to build and retain workforce
When Jose Contreras walks the production floor during work shifts at Accudyn Products Inc., 2400 Yoder Drive, he feels that both his job performance and heritage are valued in the workplace.
Accudyn, which manufactures injection-molded items for the automotive, medical and housing industries, has hung flags from 22 countries — including Contreras’ native Mexico — from the ceiling in the production area.
The move, endorsed by the company’s diversity and inclusion committee, celebrates Accudyn’s diverse workforce and the countries of origin of Accudyn’s foreign workers, who make up roughly 30% of the company’s 160 full-time employees.
Diversity in the workplace: Erie's Accudyn Products Inc. embraces diversity to build and retain workforce
🔒 What to do with an empty hospital building? Impact Corry has a plan
The former Corry Memorial Hospital will be home base for initiatives to improve the city's economic health.
Community and development leaders marshaled by the nonprofit group Impact Corry plan to open a Corry Area Technology Center and Hub in the vacant 88,000-square-foot building at 612 W. Smith St.
The C.A.T.C.H. project will be home to a high-speed fiber internet and cloud storage system to serve residents and businesses in the city and ultimately throughout the Corry and Union City area school districts.
Rebirth of an old hospital: What to do with an empty hospital building? Impact Corry has a plan
🔒 More than just crops, these Erie County farms sell experiences
Tim Burch was born to work with his hands.
The North East apple grower is the proud sixth-generation owner of Burch Farms Country Market & Winery. The 200-acre property at 9210 Sidehill Road is lined with row upon row of apple trees whose fruit has been sold for years in grocery stores throughout the region.
Burch, who officially joined the family business in 1986, has owned the farm since 1996.
It was 2005 when Tim Burch and his father, Doug Burch, realized harvesting apples — and only harvesting apples — was no longer a solely sustainable source of income.
Farmers market: More than just crops, these Erie County farms sell experiences
Erie Community Foundation new CEO Karen Bilowith: 'This is the best job'
Karen Bilowith, who began work Oct. 1 as CEO of the Erie Community Foundation, has a smaller geographic footprint to keep track of these days.
In her last job, as CEO of the Idaho Community Foundation, she led an organization that made grants and sought donations throughout the vast 83,000-square-mile expanse of Idaho.
But the job she's signed on for in Erie, replacing Mike Batchelor, who served in that role for more than 30 years, is a big one in different ways.\
New in town: Erie Community Foundation new CEO Karen Bilowith: 'This is the best job'
Women have long held key roles in Erie, but there's getting to be a lot more of them
The notion of women in leadership positions is nothing new for Karen Bilowith, the new CEO of the Erie Community Foundation. She's in her fourth position as a CEO.
It's not entirely new for Erie, either.
Erie County has been served in the past by two women county executives, Judy Lynch and Kathy Dahlkemper, who ended eight years of service at the end of the year. Joyce Savocchio served as mayor of Erie for 12 years, beginning in 1990.
There's evidence, though, of a trend as a growing number of women take on leadership roles in local organizations.
Women in charge: Women have long held key roles in Erie, but there's getting to be a lot more of them
🔒 At Erie Insurance, investments in company and community will continue
The $147 million Thomas B. Hagen Building, which Erie Insurance first announced in 2016, was unveiled in September.
And the Erie Downtown Development Corp., which the Fortune 500 company helped to create and has supported with millions of dollars worth of investments, has completed numerous real estate projects aimed at reinventing downtown Erie and has more on its construction schedule.
But Timothy NeCastro, the Erie-born CEO of the company, is clear about one thing: The investments aren't about to end.
Not in the company.
And not in the community.
Investing in the community: At Erie Insurance, investments in company and community will continue
🔒 Truck-Lite relocating to Penn State Behrend to recruit new talent, build lab space
The verdict is in: Electric cars are the future.
And for a company like Truck-Lite, which specializes in LED lighting for commercial vehicles, the shift to electric is not just a need for newer designs and engineering. It requires a new type of talent, one more attuned to circuit boards than dashboards. Less cruise control and more autonomous control.
That's where Penn State Behrend comes in.
Over the past year, Truck-Lite has been in the process of relocating its corporate headquarters from Falconer, New York — where it's been based since 1966 — to the university's Knowledge Park in Harborcreek Township.
Welcome to Erie: Truck-Lite relocating to Penn State Behrend to recruit new talent, build lab space
GE Transportation announced plans for a hybrid locomotive in 2005; years later, it's finding a market
More than 15 years have passed since General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt stepped to a microphone in Washington, D.C., to announce plans for a new hybrid locomotive to be built in Erie.
The announcement, which was covered by the national news media, was a big deal. The planned locomotive was to be a signature product of Ecomagination, the company's new environmentally focused initiative.
But the idea wasn't ready for prime time.
Here comes the train: GE Transportation announced plans for a hybrid locomotive in 2005; years later, it's finding a market
UE president at Wabtec: 'It's important that we get this right and that we deliver'
Scott Slawson, president of Local 506 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America at Wabtec Corp.'s Erie plant, understands the realities of the marketplace.
And the reality is that there are no new orders for domestic Tier 4 locomotives. In fact, Slawson said, he doesn't think anyone has sold a conventional U.S. freight locomotive for two years.
At the Wabtec plant in Lawrence Park Township, the largest of Wabtec's many facilities, workers have been refurbishing older diesel locomotives, gearing up to build 100 Evolution locomotives for Egyptian National Railways and preparing to build 25 electric-diesel hybrid locomotives that are part of a $233 million contract with New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
More on FLXdrive: UE president at Wabtec: 'It's important that we get this right and that we deliver'
James Grunke of the Erie chamber set lofty goals: Has COVID changed those objectives?
James Grunke has served since the fall of 2018 as the CEO of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership. He sat down recently with the Erie Times-News to share his thoughts about Erie and where it's headed. This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.
Business in Erie: James Grunke of the Erie chamber set lofty goals: Has COVID changed those objectives?
New practice facility highlights ongoing upgrades at The Ridge Golf Club near Waterford
Michael O'Connor spent a lot of time in 2021 getting his hands dirty as he helped to tweak the conditions of the 18-hole public golf course he purchased on 119 acres north of Waterford.
There will be more tweaking this year as the upgrades continue at The Ridge Golf Club on Route 19. But O'Connor, a longtime local golf and teaching professional, figures to have his hands wrapped around a golf club a little more often this year.
Golfing in Erie: New practice facility highlights ongoing upgrades at The Ridge Golf Club near Waterford
Too busy to stay open: Erie restaurants face 'a long road back to being usual' after COVID
As the pandemic bleeds into year three, restaurants in Erie and across the state are battling a storm even seasoned owners have never encountered before. Many owners say it's hard to believe they are still open considering the forces aligned against them.
"January is a tough month in the industry anyway," said Chris Sirianni, owner of The Brewerie at Union Station, 123 W. 14th St. "People have resolutions, are at the gym, paying Christmas bills."
Rebounding from COVID: Too busy to stay open: Erie restaurants face 'a long road back to being usual' after COVID
New owner of Erie's Glass Growers Gallery is building on what works
Glass Growers Gallery, the gift shop and art gallery at 10 E. Fifth St., has a unique charm, from its historical building to artwork dangling in the windows and a bright sidewalk mural outside.
Emily Ernes, who bought the shop from founder Deb Vahanian in 2020, can attest to its appeal. It was one of the first places she visited when she moved to town in 2014 to take a job at Gannon University.
“When I arrived in Erie, I took a walk around downtown Erie, and I quickly found my way to Glass Growers Gallery,” Ernes said. “I found it to be an incredibly beautiful and peaceful space filled with impressive artwork and many unique treasures.”
Erie businesses: New owner of Erie's Glass Growers Gallery is building on what works
North East developers: 'We want a nice, warm, cozy community' at The Paddock at Miller Farm
When Mercyhurst University put the multi-million estate that once belonged to late North East businessman Robert Miller on the market in 2019, there were a few interested buyers.
The problem, though, was that most of them didn't know how they would use the 13-farmstead with a large house, two barns and a small grape vineyard.
But real estate investors David and Jennifer Wedzik did.
Developments in Erie: North East developers: 'We want a nice, warm, cozy community' at The Paddock at Miller Farm
Artists, budding entrepreneurs gain a guide at new ErieMade Business Academy at ECAT building
Since its inception in 2019, the Erie Center for Arts and Technology has offered after-school arts programs and job training and aimed to be a hub for community services.
ECAT has expanded its portfolio.
It has launched a program to help artists and other creators learn business fundamentals so they can start their own businesses or undertake other entrepreneurial ventures.
Art scene in Erie: Artists, budding entrepreneurs gain a guide at new ErieMade Business Academy at ECAT building
Erie medical research institute has laid foundation for clinical trials in women's health
The Magee-Womens Research Institute — Erie's lab is located so close to labor and delivery rooms that, at times, you can hear the cries of newborn babies.
It's no coincidence that the lab, where tissue and blood samples from new mothers and other females are processed for research, was built on the third floor of Magee-Womens, UPMC Hamot.
"There is a time limit after a patient delivers a baby to process these samples," said Linda Paterniti, the institute's director of operations. "You want to process them within an hour or else the specimens aren't usable."
Health care in Erie: Erie medical research institute has laid foundation for clinical trials in women's health
Erie funeral homes handle COVID-19 pandemic's twists and turns
Erie funeral director Adrienne Kloecker remembers the first COVID-19 victim whose body she had to retrieve.
It was shortly after Erie County reported its initial COVID-19 death in April 2020. A local nursing home had suffered an outbreak and Kloecker was notified to retrieve a body.
"I went over there and parked at a special door because we couldn't use the main entrance for that," said Kloecker, a supervisor with Kloecker Funeral Home and Crematory in Erie. "I told them they would have to bring out the body because of all the COVID cases in there.
Adjusting to COVID: Erie funeral homes handle COVID-19 pandemic's twists and turns
The team behind this project
The planning, writing, photography and production of Erie 2022 was a staff-wide project that involved the efforts of the following individuals:
Erie 2022 editor: Jim Martin.
Staff writers: David Bruce, Mike Copper, Baylee DeMuth, Kevin Flowers, Jennie Geisler, Tim Hahn, Jim Martin, Dana Massing, Valerie Myers, Ed Palattella, A.J. Rao, and Matt Rink.
Staff photographers: Greg Wohlford and Benjamin Chambers.
Freelance writers: Heather Cass, Ron Leonardi and Pam Parker.
Editors: Tony Battaglia, Matt Martin and Christopher Millette.
Design: Caitlin Ellingson and Michael Babin.
Production: Dave Papesch.
Social media promotion: Anthony DiMattia
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie 2022: An in-depth look at the region's economic outlook
