Behind the Scenes

In partnership with Lilly Broadcasting, the ERCGP sponsors Giving You the Business segments which air weekly on WSEE35 and WICU12 during the 5:30PM. Monday broadcast and Tuesday mornings in the 6-7AM. hour.
Each segment takes viewers behind the scenes of local businesses they may not have a chance to see.

Recently highlighted members:

• Yardmaster
• Harris Family Daycare
• Beechwood Golf Club
• Erie Federal Credit Union

Giving You the Business segments highlight members of the ERCGP, and is a free membership benefit! Contact our office if you would like viewers to see behind the scenes at your business! Email Nadeen Schmitz, or phone 814-454-7191 x139 to schedule your segment.

People still ask for them, even with today's technology. Visitors to our area, new residents, even delivery personnel! They like that map in their hands, not on their mobile devices.

The ERCGP is producing an Erie Area Street Guide - Area Map. We have depleted our supply and this is an opportunity to update the information. This is also a terrific opportunity for brand recognition for our members by advertising on the map! E&M Consulting is handling those logistics and would be happy to have you commit to getting on the map.

Details and pricing can be found HERE. This opportunity is open to any member of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership. Any questions can be answered through our staff at the ERCGP office. 

Congratulations to Grace Trillanes on the opening of Mosquito Hunters of Erie! The Ribbon Cutting ceremony, held at the ERCGP offices at the Intermodal Transportation Building this morning, made it official!

Mosquito Hunters exists to help you enjoy your yard more by keeping the mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks at bay. Each treatment lasts 21 days and technicians are licensed by the Department of Agriculture. Products are registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and all-natural products are also available. All products are 100%, people, pet and environmental friendly, but not mosquito friendly. So, Take Back Your Yard, Responsibly!

Congratulations again, we wish you years of success!

More Photos Here

Submitted by Cathy Szymanski, Szymanski Consulting, Inc.

Are you making the most out of your Windows 10 computer? If you haven’t tried adjusting system and battery performance, silenced notifications, or used the night light function, then you’re missing out on minor but useful features.

Performance/Power slider

There are two kinds of computer users: those who value battery longevity and those who prefer optimized system performance. The Performance/Power slider in Windows 10 lets you easily toggle between the ‘Best battery life’ (when you’re trying to save battery) and the ‘Best performance’ (when you need your system to perform optimally), or set a balanced battery and system performance setting.

Just click the battery icon in the taskbar and adjust the slider based on your preference.

Night Light

Those who use computers late at night can turn on Night Light to reduce the amount of blue light emitted from the screen. This feature substitutes the blue light with warmer colors, which reduces eye strain and helps you sleep easily.

Night Light is disabled by default, so you need to enable it by following these steps:

• Click the Start Menu
• Click the Settings app (or press WIN + I to quickly open Settings)
• Click the System icon>Display
• Set Night light to ‘On’ or ‘Off’

Taskbar pin

It takes only a few seconds to open a browser and type a website’s address or click Bookmarks and choose from a list of websites you frequently visit. But Windows 10 offers an even quicker way to access your go-to sites by allowing you to pin websites on the Windows 10 taskbar.

Simply click “Pin this page to the taskbar” on the Microsoft Edge menu, and the site’s icon will appear on the taskbar for easy perusal.

Drag to pin windows

Need to organize your screen but can’t help having many open windows? Reduce screen clutter by dragging any window to a corner so it can take a quarter of the screen. For multiple screens, drag a window to any border and wait for the prompt that tells you to put the window in the selected corner.

Focus Assist

Notifications can be distracting, but Windows 10's Focus Assist feature can manage the notifications you receive from contacts and applications. This function also lets you customize the list of notifications you wish to prioritize.

To enable Focus Assist, go to:

• Settings
• System
• Focus Assist
• Adjust the notifications settings based on your preference

If you wish to disable it and receive all notifications, click ‘Off.’

The features we’ve included here are just some of the many Windows 10 functions that save time and add value to business-users’ lives. For more software and productivity recommendations, give our IT consultants at Szymanski Consulting a call today.

When you have an event at a pizza joint, there is sure to be a big crowd. Such was the case for our June Connect 4 Coffee morning networking event held Tuesday the 12th. All 30 spots filled quickly at Donatos on West 8th Street in Greengarden Place. Christine and her team prepared breakfast pizzas for the crowd to nibble and network at the same time. We learned today that Donatos has added catering to their offerings, and a testimonial from an attendee said their gluten free pizza is the best she's found! Thanks to Donatos for the warm welcome!

A few things we learned about some of our members in attendance:

• Cool new community events being planned like PNC's Mutt Strut.
• 1975 was the year of the movie Jaws, President Ford was in office, Saturday Night Live debuted, and ECCA Payroll + opened its doors for business.
•  PeopleReady has a super cool app - JobStack for Workers.
• Connections were made with represtatives from Gaudenzia Erie and Sherwin-Williams at a past C4C event. Because of that connection and the relationship built, Sherwin-Williams selected Gaudenzia Erie to be the beneficiary of their 2018 Community Project. In addition to donating primer and paint, crew members from Sherwin-Williams joined Gaudenzia Erie staff members and clients in painting the entire interior of Gaudenzia Erie’s Dr. Daniel Snow Halfway House. How cool is that?

Join us for next month's Connect 4 Coffee, July 10th. Our host is The Reserves Network. Register HERE. See what connections YOU can make!

View Event Photos

Are you a social butterfly, following local businesses on various social media sites?

As you browse through our Member Directory looking to see who you will be doing business with next, you may notice social media icons within the business listings. If you see the Facebook icon within one of those listings, give them a ‘like’. If you see the Twitter icon, you know, that little bird, follow their tweets. Are you a Pinner? Follow our members on Pinterest! Then there is YouTube, Yelp, LinkedIn, etc.…… All those apps we have so we can be in the know 24/7!

We have been collecting social media url’s from our members for some time now. If you are a member of the ERGP reading this, check your listing! If we don’t have YOUR social media info, take a minute to log in to the members only section of eriepa.com and add it, or contact our staff and we can plug it in for you. Either way, get social!

Have you gotten your tickets yet for Beer on the Bay 2018?

Two session choices, VIP and General Admission, 50+ brewers, merch vendors, fun in the sun, need we say more?? Complete details HERE! #botb18

Study Released by National Federation of Independent Business

The survey, conducted by Morning Consult, indicates 89% of the survey's participants reported having a positive view of small business. This compared to just 44% of the participants viewing large corporations positively.

Get the details from the survey HERE.

9 Hole Golf Scramble Planned

Join the Young Erie Professionals for a 9 hole golf scramble on Tuesday, July 10th at the Beechwood Golf Club! It's best ball, so no need to be a golf pro!

For details and registration, visit the event page at eriepa.com.

Job Bank Ready to Help Fill Your Employment Needs

Have you checked out the Job Bank at eriepa.com? Members, if you have staffing needs and are looking for good local employees, log in to the members only section of our website and post available positions. This is at NO CHARGE for Erie Regional Chamber members, one of the many benefits!

Are you a job seeker? This is for you too! Visit the site often to check on the opportunities that may be a fit for you. Job seekers can also upload resume's to the Job Bank which can be viewed only by our member businesses. Did you read that ERCGP members? You can check out the bank of resumes uploaded and scan for potential candidates to fit your employment needs!

If you need assistance with your member login, please contact Susan Ronto, membership coordinator, sronto@eriepa.com.

Please share this information with your Human Resource Administrator. Thank you!

Summer In Erie

Happy 1^st day of summer 2018! We Erieites absolutely LOVE this time of year. Hey, winter is hard, this is our reward – especially after the 199.5 inches of precip this past season. We totally earned it!

We asked the team here at the Erie Regional Chamber what is on the top of their list of things to do in the area this summer. Here are a few in no particular order:

• Ride the Ravine Flyer
• Bike the Erie trails
• Attend the Blues & Jazz Festival/Visit Frontier Park
• Get to Presque Isle State Park to swim, picnic, run
• View the Sunrise/Sunset
• Hit a parade
• Hit a festival
• Attend Beer on the Bay (shameless display of promotion - #sorrynotsorry)
• Sara’s – fill in your favorite treat there!
• Farmers Market visits weekly (over achiever)
• Visit the Erie Zoo

That’s a GREAT start, don’t you think? What can you add to the list??

Enjoy the season!

June Networking Event

What a great night celebrating 80 years of The Sight Center of Northwest Pennsylvania! The weather was perfect for an outdoor celebration!

ERCGP members and guests enjoyed learning about the center and the services they offer to a very specific demographic in our region! We even had cornhole games going, blindfolded!

Thank you for being awesome hosts and sharing your gifts with us! Here's to (at least) 80 more years!

View Event Photos

Beat the Beast with a ERCGP Member Discount

Submitted by Mary Cuneo, Manager, Strategic Communications, Barber National Institute

“I love this race, and I love the cause it supports.”

“The whole event is awesome. I never thought I'd ever do something like this at my age, but after the first year, I am hooked.”

“Best experience of my life!!” *

These are some of the comments from past participants in Barber Beast on the Bay, Erie’s biggest obstacle course challenge sponsored by the Barber National Institute. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 8 at Presque Isle State Park. And the best thing is that employees of Erie Regional Chamber businesses can receive a $25 discount when they sign up on Thursday or Friday, June 28 & 29. Be sure to check the Erie Perks Page at https://www.eriepa.com/grow-your-business/erie-perk-pass for the coupon code to enter at registration.

What’s the Beast all about? Crossing 10 miles of sand, trails and muddy swamps.  Climbing, crawling and struggling through 30 obstacles.  Supporting a cause that changes the lives of children and adults in our community every day.

More than 1,100 participants are already signed up from 17 states and Canada.  More than 60 teams are registered that include families, friends, work colleagues, work out cohorts and people who want to support the cause.  Whether you’re on a team or go it alone, the nice thing about Barber Beast on the Bay is that everyone comes together to help each other conquer the obstacles and get to the finish line.

Unique to this event is its intersection with the adapted course that is held at Waldameer Park for adults with intellectual or physical disabilities. Participants from both courses will share an obstacle and cross the same finish line to earn their medal.

Proceeds from the event support services for more than 5,460 individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism or behavioral health challenges and their families served annually by the Barber National Institute.

More information about the event is available at BarberBeast.org.

*Comments from 2017 event survey

Celebrate summer and join us for the July networking event at Lilly Broadcasting. It's sure to be a good time!

• Get a behind the scene's look at the TV station
• Hors d'oeuvres and beverages by Calamari's
• Bring your business cards for GREAT giveaways and maximum networking!
• It's Roar on the Shore night, so be on time!

Additional parking at the Jefferson Educational Society, 3207 State Street as well as on the side streets near the studio. 
Please do not block the residential driveways in the vacinity.

Business After Hours is a membership benefit of the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership.

Register Now

'The economies of Canada and the commonwealth are too intertwined for this decision not to significantly affect families and communities across the state, as it will across America.'

Phyllis Yaffe consul general of Canada to Pennsylvania

As consul general of Canada to Pennsylvania, I have traveled across the commonwealth and my team and I have engaged with business executives, politicians and labor leaders from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia and all points in between.

Everywhere I go, my message is the same: Canada is the United States’ largest trading partner and most steadfast ally. Canadian soldiers have served alongside Americans in difficult places around the world. We have fought and died together.

That is why the decision by the U.S. administration to impose tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel, citing national security concerns, is so perplexing and hurtful to Canadians. The idea that Canada could be considered a national security threat by selling goods to the United States is, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put it, quite frankly, insulting.

The facts are clear: The United States has a $2 billion surplus in steel trade with Canada. Canada buys more American steel than any other country in the world, representing half of all U.S. steel exports. Canada is working directly with the United States to prevent unfairly priced foreign steel and aluminum from flooding the North American market. U.S. tariffs on Canadian metal products will be harmful to industry and workers on both sides of the border, disrupting supply chains that have made North American steel and aluminum more competitive around the world.

Nowhere in the United States will this be felt more acutely than in Pennsylvania. The economies of Canada and the commonwealth are too intertwined for this decision not to significantly affect families and communities across the state, as it will across America.

The decision to levy tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum does nothing to address the very real problem of foreign steel and aluminum overcapacity and dumping. Instead, it will hit American consumers with higher costs and spark retaliation, which will drive up prices and harm both our economies.

In my travels across this great state, I have met with many companies that rely on Canada as both a provider and a consumer of steel and aluminum. Our trade is integrated, fair and balanced.

The relationship between Canada and the United States is deep, multifaceted and, yes, complicated. But one thing is clear: For the past 150 years, it has been powered by a spirit of partnership unparalleled around the world. Targeting Canada for tariffs runs completely counter to the dynamic that has underpinned the economic prosperity and success of the U.S.-Canadian relationship for the last century. 

Our disagreement is not with the American people; it is with this particular government policy.

I remain optimistic that, with the support our partners in Pennsylvania and across the United States, common sense will prevail.

published with permission of author

New Resource Guide Available to Get Young Professionals Connected

The Young Erie Professionals just released a resource guide listing out the top Young Professional Networking and Development Groups in Erie County. Take a look to see what groups would be a fit for you as a young professional in our area. Refer to it often, get involved, get connected.

Networking and Development Groups Guide

There is a movement across the country celebrating small business not just one day a year, but throughout the year.

It began in the year 2010, remember the recession of 2008? We wanted to bring our local establishments into the spotlight. The first Saturday after Thanksgiving was chosen as Small Business Saturday and the nation was encouraged to Shop Small, bring more holiday shopping to small business. Main Street organizations, Chambers of Commerce, and business associations across the country leaped to join on as Neighborhood Champions in support of the movement. The ERCGP has done so again this year.

That was 7+ years ago. In 2017, it is estimated that 108 million consumers shopped or dined at local-independently owned businesses on Small Business Saturday. Retail, restaurants, and service industry like salons, repair shops, etc. That equates to about 43% of Americans*.

You may have seen the signs, banners, even commercials. The Shops At The Colony, Erie Downtown Partnership, and more neighborhoods locally have participated over the years.

So, small biz owners, take some time now and register for this year’s Small Business Saturday event taking place on November 24th. What’s in it for you? Visibility, marketing assistance, and being part of something that is bigger than our corner of Pennsylvania. And it doesn’t cost you a thing. Check it out, get on the map.

*The statistic cited is an estimate based on projections from a nationally representative sample of adult consumers as reported in the post-2017 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey commissioned by American Express and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. The Survey gathered self-reported data and does not reflect actual receipts or sales.

Thank you for your investment as members of the ERCGP. We look forward to working with you!

• Guardian Home Care Specialties
• Northern Pennsylvania Regional College
• OfficeDepot/OfficeMax
• Reigel Electrical Services, Inc.
• ServErie
• Studio 818

Our investors represent 800+ companies and more than 70,000 employees in the Erie region. If you know of a business that could benefit by becoming a member of the Erie Regional Chamber, refer them to Nancy Irwin, Development Director, or Steve Walters, Sales Manager.

Membership Information