Whether it’s shelter in place, lockdown, quarantine or something that sounds less restrictive, our economy has been effectively shut down. The reaction to the COVID-19 virus has been the call for everyone, everywhere to hide in their safe space rather than expecting everyone to act like a responsible adult, follow sensible rules for personal hygiene, […]
Making the Move From Shop Floor to Computer Keyboard
If you build locomotives at GE, you’ll be looking for a job pretty soon, but there aren’t many jobs like that around Erie, so what can you do? Well, the digital world of the internet, software and web apps is huge, but there’s no place for a blue collar factory worker in computer programming, … […]
Shinola is Creating Jobs in an Old Manufacturing City, Could This Work in Erie?
Detroit, Michigan has suffered a massive decline from those years of automotive dominance and prosperity, but they’re building things again in smaller companies and creating hundreds of jobs in the process. Shinola may be an example of the kind of thinking we could apply in Erie County to rebuild our reputation for producing high quality […]
GE Earnings Call Paints Bleak Picture for Transportation
During the earnings call on July 21st, Jeff Bornstein, General Electric Company, Vice Chairman laid out the situation for GE Transportation and it explains why major changes are necessary: On Transportation, North American carload volume continues to improve off a low base. Carload volume grew 7.3% in the quarter, driven by Intermodal higher by 5.6% […]
Questions Arise About Renewed Push for Erie County Community College
You may be wondering why the idea of an Erie County Community College popped up recently, seemingly out of nowhere. You’re not alone. It’s the same proposal that was floated and rejected in 2010 because it was an unnecessary duplication of educational resources already available as well as running the risk of locking taxpayers into […]
Erie County Needs More Manufacturing Not More Housing, Hotels and Retail Space
Erie County does not have a housing shortage, we have enough houses, apartments and condominiums for everyone who wants one, in fact, tearing down abandoned and rundown housing is a focus of the new city plan. Every now and then, hotel rooms seem to fill up if there’s a special event, but you can usually […]
