Brian Slawin joins the podcast to discuss his crucial work with Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Specifically, Brian works in Central and Northern Pennsylvania, but Ben Franklin has been a statewide economic development program for over 30 years. They provide "both early-stage and established companies with funding, business and technical expertise and access to a network of innovative, expert resources."
Our conversation covers all that, plus: the changing economy in Erie, why he loves mentoring emerging entrepreneurs, and working with (former guests of this podcast) Fish Gods.
Sponsored by: Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership
Music: Kevin Macleod’s "pamgaea" available via Creative Commons Attribution-International 4.0. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, No changes were made.
Music by audionautix.com. Audionautix's "Roboskater" by Jason Shaw available via Creative Commons Attribution-International 4.0. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, No changes were made.
Transcript
BRIAN SLAWIN: We want to help you grow, because our mission ultimately at Ben Franklin is increase entrepreneurism and increase the jobs that get created by entrepreneurial companies. So we're always available to help, support, point you in the right direction, get to the right resource, answer that weird question that you've got, and make sure that we refer out to our partners like the Innovation Beehive, because there's great resources through the Beehive that we count on every day.
NARRATOR: That's Brian Slawin, Regional Director and Portfolio Manager of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA. He's the newest guest on Buzz, Generated, a show that introduces listeners to businesses and community leaders that collaborate with the Northwest Pennsylvania Innovation Beehive Network. Through our conversation, you'll first learn about the history and structure of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, which has been serving the state of Pennsylvania in economic development for more than 30 years.
Next, Brian gives insight into the entrepreneurial community within Erie and the role his organization plays. And finally, you'll go back to a familiar topic to this podcast, the company Fish Gods and Brian's history in helping guide their business. Join host Tony Peyronel, the Executive Director of Entrepreneurial Development for Edinboro's Center for Branding and Strategic Communication as he sits down with our guest. Together, let's discover what the Buzz is all about.
TONY PEYRONEL: We're joined on the podcast today by Brian Slawin, Portfolio Manager and Regional Director for Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Brian, it's a pleasure to have you on the program and welcome.
BRIAN SLAWIN: The pleasure is all mine, Tony. Thanks so much.
TONY PEYRONEL: You're welcome. Let's start with a look at Ben Franklin Technology Partners. I know there are four different centers across Pennsylvania and that you are affiliated with the central and northern PA office. But please tell us a little about the organization's history, structure, and mission.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Sure. So the Ben Franklin Technology Partners were a brilliant ideal generated during the Dick Thornburg governor era in the mid-80s, when the leaders of the day said, you know, Pennsylvania is awesome, but our economy is changing because the world is changing. So how are we going to stay ahead in this ever changing world? And they developed many programs, the most prolific and most, in my opinion, important one is the Ben Franklin Technology Partners.
So it's Commonwealth-wide, as you accurately stated. There are four central across the entire Commonwealth. There's a center around Philadelphia-- they focus on the Philadelphia counties. There's a center in Bethlehem-- they focus on the counties in Northeast Pennsylvania. The center in Pittsburgh is better known as Innovation Works, but that's a Ben Franklin Center.
And then the rest of the state, the 32 counties from Erie through State College down through Harrisburg, York, and Lancaster and over to Johnstown, Altoona-- that's Central and Northern Pennsylvania. And we're proudly associated with Penn State, so we're all Penn State employees and many of us are Penn State alum. And we get to work across our 32 counties and find super cool, super great, very innovative tech companies and small manufacturers moving into new markets, new products, and new opportunities.
TONY PEYRONEL: Cool. Well as Portfolio Manager and Regional Director, what would you say you spend most of your time doing?
BRIAN SLAWIN: So the real privilege that I have as a Portfolio Manager is that I get to do two of the really coolest things I can think to do. One is every single day I'm talking to multiple entrepreneurs who have a new idea for a new something. They've thought about this for months or maybe their whole life, and they are now coming to me and us to share that idea. That's an amazingly privileged position, and we take that very responsibly.
I always say we're always good for a 30-minute meeting. Whether or not we can help you-- OK, maybe we can't. Maybe Ben Franklin can't, but taking the no-wrong-door approach, my responsibility is if you approach me-- approach Ben Franklin-- our responsibility is either to make sure that you get supported through our organization through all the various programs and investment vehicles and all of the things we do, or you get directed to the exact right next place. And we've developed dozens and dozens of partnerships across all of our communities to support those entrepreneurs. So as a Portfolio Manager, my core role is to find, mentor, and then ultimately help to invest in entrepreneurs that fit our mission.
The other part of that is, and frankly it's the part that I like the most, is the mentorship part. So whether you are a portfolio company or you're not yet one, we want to help you grow. Because our mission, ultimately, at Ben Franklin is increase entrepreneurism and increase the jobs that get created by entrepreneurial companies. So we're always available to help, support, you in the right direction, get you the right resource, answer that weird question that you've got, and make sure that we refer out to our partners like the Innovation Beehive, because there's great resources through the Beehive that we count on every day.
TONY PEYRONEL: My next question I'm going to ask you about one of those specific partnerships. I know, as you just said, you have very many. But I know that Ben Franklin Technology Partners has worked with ECGRA to create the Erie Innovation Fund. How has that specifically helped to attract businesses to Erie?
BRIAN SLAWIN: Well, it's worked spectacularly. There are a number of companies focused on Erie County that are building in Erie County that ECGRA, through their fund and their grant, has provided us the capital to make an even greater in-depth investment in those companies that are in Erie County. In addition, their capital and their general support-- because ECGRA, which is led by Perry Wood is a mean really, really great organization.
TONY PEYRONEL: Former guest on the show.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Really smart people. Because of their capital and their support, we can actually invest in more companies and support more companies than we otherwise would be, because we're budget limited just like everybody else. So ECGRA's been an absolutely critical partner for many, many years. Even before I got here almost six years ago they had a partnership. They've been a great partner throughout that entire time.
TONY PEYRONEL: Now I know you're known for individual partnerships, as well. I heard someone very recently say that you know everyone in and everything about Erie even though you're not actually, quote, "an Erie guy." I know you've done a lot of things, from being a college professor to flying airplanes, spent a lot of time in St. Louis.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Yeah, yeah.
TONY PEYRONEL: Why don't you stitch together, for our listeners, that unique personal and professional background?
BRIAN SLAWIN: My journey started, obviously, in St. Louis, where I was born and raised. I went to Penn State University in University Park, returned back to St. Louis, had a whole professional career there full of entrepreneurism and aviation and all of that. And that's kind of the boring part. Exited my tech startup, the company that I had founded with one of my partners.
We exited in May of 2015, and I was quite literally sitting on my couch because I didn't have to go to work anymore and I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do. Well my wife one day, after seeing me laying on the couch when she left and still laying there when she got back, said to me, you know, Brian, I love you and I married you for better or worse but not for lunch. Go find something to do.
So I did. I started sort of volunteering, you know. I'd run the race a few times. I kind of learned what there was to do with entrepreneurism. And I quickly realized that boy, this is fun. The work as a mentor and the opportunities to support people and kind of share your insights and guidance was great.
And I thought, well, wouldn't it be cool if that could be the next thing that I do in my career? So I started calling all of the venture investors and mentors-- I mean, I just called everyone, said, here's what I think I've discovered. How do I turn this into a job?
Fortunately I was on the Penn State Alumni Association's newsletter which came out. It had something about invent Penn State, which I thought, oh, that sounds cool. I read that article. Somewhere in there it mentions Ben Franklin Technology Partners, da da da da.
I do a little research and I literally just picked up the phone and called the main number. I said, hey, I'm from St. Louis. I'd love to learn more about Ben Franklin. And you know, I told them what I'm doing, what they're doing. And he says, you know, given your background, you should apply for this job we've got in Erie.
And I'm like, cool. Where's Erie? I knew there was a Lake Erie, but I wasn't sure there was-- you know. So anyway, I figured that out, came up, interviewed, and now I've been here for almost six years. So it's super cool what we get to do and that's the short version of the journey of me getting here.
TONY PEYRONEL: OK, I have to share an anecdote that you triggered with your story with the comments from your wife. I had a grad school friend who started in financial journalism and then quickly got out of journalism and became a very successful serial entrepreneur. And sadly, he passed away in the last year.
BRIAN SLAWIN: I'm sorry.
TONY PEYRONEL: And your comment made me think of him because he tells a very similar story to me after he had sold his first major business.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Right.
TONY PEYRONEL: And he said, you know, my day would start, I'd just get up in the computer. I'd look, make sure my-- I paid off my house, I did this. I'd get up, I'd look in my computer, make sure my money was where it was supposed to be and then that was it.
And he said then one day, my wife bumped into me while I was walking around the house, still in my underwear, and she said to me, Bill, if I bump into you in this house again at 11 o'clock in the morning while you're in your underwear, one of two things is going to happen. I'm either going to kill you or kill myself. So that must be-- in terms of serial entrepreneurs, that has to be a specific thing there-- the period of time after a big success where you're just not under pressure to do anything at all immediately.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Well, you're right. And you're kind of lost. So for nine years my entire being was my company.
TONY PEYRONEL: Right.
BRIAN SLAWIN: I thought about it 24/7. You know, it's the yin and the yang, right? I was like, all the way over on the yin side. I had no balance in my life. It was all about the business. It was all about our company and our employees and our climbing. It consumes you if you're doing it right.
I think it consumes you. Now, with a little bit of perspective, I recognize that work life balance is a fallacy. Right? You're either way too much work, or way too much life. It's always ebbing and flowing.
So we sold the company, and we did whatever we did to clean everything up. And then it's like, I'm no longer the CEO of a company. I'm just some dude. That's a tough transition. And I was super fortunate that I had a community around me that said, hey don't go away. Come back in and support, you know, contribute. And a wife who was kind and a little bit of hey, come on dude.
[LAUGHTER]
BRIAN SLAWIN: And then it was just dumb luck and absolute privilege to find Ben Franklin and be given this great opportunity. I will have to say, I'm pretty decent at building networks and getting to know people. And it's really a lot of fun when you meet new folks throughout all of Northwestern Pennsylvania, which is my kind of domain.
TONY PEYRONEL: Right, not just the city of Erie, or even Erie County, right?
BRIAN SLAWIN: Yeah. It's fun. There are some really amazingly interesting people doing amazingly interesting things in the most unlikely of places. And the challenge for Ben Franklin, going back to the budget discussion, is, who are we going to miss if we don't have the capital necessary to go out and find them and support them?
That is always the thing-- you ask entrepreneurs what keeps you up at night? That's what keeps me up at night, is who am I not getting to? And who could use our help and support?
TONY PEYRONEL: I'm going to take you back to a part of your bio that you glossed over very quickly, and this is at the insistence of our student co-producer, Tommy Taylor. He specifically handed me this question. He would like to know-- and I'm sure our listeners would like to know-- what you have learned from being a pilot. And are there any similarities between flying in the sky and going through the entrepreneurial process?
BRIAN SLAWIN: Wow. That is a great question. Yes. Probably two things, I think, I carried from my aviation career into my entrepreneurial career. One is planning-- plan, plan, plan, plan, plan-- plan again. Do some more planning. Trust the people around you, right? In aviation it's air traffic control, or your co-pilot, or the other-- the maintenance people and the weather people. Trust the people around you.
And then probably the third thing is be opportunistic, right? You've got a flight plan, but weather happens. And so your flight plan would take you through a thunderstorm. You don't want to go through a thunderstorm. So what are you going to do?
That's the same in entrepreneurism-- is your plan is to go here, but something happened. COVID happened. How are you going to adjust to that? What's going to happen? That's the storm. So yeah, those three things. Plan the heck out of stuff, trust the folks around you, and be flexible. And be smart about adjusting to the realities of the market.
NARRATOR: This episode of Buzz, Generated is sponsored by the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, the voice of the business community in the Erie region. The Chamber provides advocacy and access to people, education, and information so the businesses have the leadership, resources, and expertise needed for continued prosperity throughout the region.
Schedule a time to meet with the business action team and learn more about how the chamber can help. Or visit the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership online at www.eriepa.com. The growth of our vibrant community in Erie, PA depends on a dynamic business environment. The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership aims to provide just that. Let's get back to the episode.
TONY PEYRONEL: I want to get back, too, to the reference that you know so much about not just Erie, but your entire coverage area in northwest and into central PA. In terms of what's going on in and around Erie though, I've now lived and worked here for 30 years, but have only become focused on what's happening in the entrepreneurial ecosystem over the last few of those years.
And I have to be honest-- previously, my eyes would kind of glaze over when I heard people talking about trying to reinvent Erie from an economic development perspective. But recently, I've come to believe there really is a strong confluence of forces that are coming together for positive change. I assume you agree with that, and I wonder if you would care to explain the specific role that Ben Franklin Technology Partners tries to play within that larger movement.
BRIAN SLAWIN: It is critically important. And as part of our mission to help start up companies or small manufacturing companies grow, it's critically important that there is a community that will be supportive of that.
Successful entrepreneurial communities-- which frankly is kind of what we really do when you pull it all back-- what we do is we find really cool companies, we put up-- do really great programs, we provide capital and resources, and just our intelligence, and we pour that into developing entrepreneurial communities and all of the ecosystem that surrounds these companies that were trying to help grow and create jobs.
So yeah, I would completely agree that, even in my short time of being here only-- what's coming up on six years, the economic outlook for Northwestern Pennsylvania has really moved up and to the right. Now, we have political leaders to thank for that. We have folks in the economic development community to thank for that. We have everyday citizens, really, to thank for that, who are insisting that the future has to look differently than the way the future would have looked.
We all need to pull together to get something done. And frankly, it's starting to work. You think about the financial investment that's being made, but also the programmatic investment. I think the Northwest Innovation Beehive Network, that just started like four years ago. And look at what it's become. And look at the results that it has already created.
TONY PEYRONEL: And again, that's my introdu-- I mean, I've been here a long time, and worked a long time, but the Beehive was really my introduction to this entrepreneurial component in terms of economic development.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Well, how unusual and rare it is when four universities that are really not connected, other than geographically-- I mean, holy smokies-- you're all working together for the betterment of all of these companies that come to you. And you provide these amazing services for free. I mean, where else in the world does that exist? Northwest Pennsylvania.
So yeah, it's been a sea change, or a lake change, since I've even gotten here. And I know that started before me. But Ben Franklin's focus is to be broadly and generally supportive of all of these different initiatives that accrue to the benefit of entrepreneurs and small businesses.
TONY PEYRONEL: Speaking of entrepreneurs and small businesses, what types of industries do you see coming into Northwestern Pennsylvania and looking to utilize Erie as a hub? And are there any surprises, in that regard, that you think a business might not typically think of when they think of Erie?
BRIAN SLAWIN: So if we look at Northwestern Pennsylvania, we've got major, major highway infrastructure running through here. So from a logistics perspective, anything that gets here can leave here. Or anything that leaves here can come back, right?
We've got access to water. We've got access to great highways, east-west and north-south. We've got reasonably major airports in the region. From a logistical standpoint, if we're creating stuff, it can go to anywhere.
The other element of that is, a lot of what gets built in our community is digital. Well, we've certainly seen, in the pandemic era, that geography is now no longer a restriction to talent or the ability to sell your thing. So I think that's super exciting. We stand on par with any community across the country in terms of access to talent and access to markets.
So those things are super exciting. And I think we get overlooked, in that we're sort of near Pittsburgh, and kind of east of Cleveland, and a little bit near Buffalo. I like to think of Northwest Pennsylvania and Erie County, kind of specifically, as the capital city of the Cleveburgalo region.
And if we can begin to think regionally, from Buffalo to Cleveland to Pittsburgh, including all of the Meadvilles and Edinboros, and all of the communities that are within our region, we can begin to harness the great power of that. Wow, do we have an economic engine ready to roar. So there's a lot of cool things going on. I think people miss it because we're one of four little dots on a map somewhere in between Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Buffalo.
TONY PEYRONEL: You've done a great job of describing the work of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, but I'd like to continue the conversation with an example that's quite familiar to listeners of the show. That example is Fish Gods--
BRIAN SLAWIN: We love those guys.
TONY PEYRONEL: The company launched by four--
BRIAN SLAWIN: We love those guys.
TONY PEYRONEL: They're great guys. Fish Gods is the company launched by former Edinboro students, Tyler Waltenbaugh and Hunter Klobuchar. My experience with them was completely organic when Tyler came up to me after a class, told me about their business idea, and said he wanted more information about Ben Franklin's Big Idea Contest.
The interesting thing is, they didn't end up winning that contest, but that was the beginning of their relationship with both the Northwest PA Innovation Beehive Network-- which I appreciate you talking a little bit about-- and Ben Franklin Technology Partners. That was the beginning of their relationship with both of us.
Tyler and Hunter are now Edinboro alumni, and they're working full time to make Fish Gods a success. I know that you continue to actively support them, and I'd like you to explain to our listeners how your work with them has evolved over these last couple of years.
BRIAN SLAWIN: So first of all, two of the greatest guys I know are Hunter and Tyler. I have been, and we all have-- all of us at Ben Franklin are just absolutely in love with these guys and what they're attempting to do. Which, in case your listeners may not know, they're attempting to clean up the Earth, remove every bit of plastic from every waterway and every walkway throughout the entire globe. OK. That's a pretty big idea. So--
TONY PEYRONEL: How noble is that?
BRIAN SLAWIN: Right? Pretty amazing. Just such cool dudes. And they've got really neat people around them. This goes back to everything I think I've thread throughout all of this discussion is, it's who you're surrounded by, who's on your team. Right? So they've got a really great group of supporters, from everything that goes on in the Beehive, to just their community of friends and supporters, to, obviously, Ben Franklin.
I met them-- Cathy von Birgelen, who is my colleague, who runs the Ben Franklin Learning Center, came down to the Edinboro Beehive, and we made a presentation about the big idea contest. And Hunter and Tyler were in that presentation. They were in the room that day. They entered and we evaluated their application.
And if you recall, earlier, I talked about we may not be able to say yes, but we're never going to say no. We're always going to try to help. There was something there, but it just wasn't ready yet.
So what we did was say, hey, love what you're doing. You guys are awesome. You've got the Beehive behind you. Why don't you enter our TechCelerator Program, and let's mature the business a little bit? Let's make you guys better entrepreneurs.
They're still seniors in school. Like, this is during their senior year, right? So they're full class load, I think both of them were working, and now they're doing the TechCelerator Program. Well, they absolutely slayed it. They were fabulous. And they won.
They won the TechCelerator Program. It's a 10-week training program. And then at the end of that, there's pitch night. And the judges voted them the winners-- the best idea, the best business, the most solid dudes, and the best pitch.
So they won some money then. And that kind of brings them even closer into our orbit. Well, we continued to work with them, because we believe in what they're doing. And helped them with their kickstarter campaign, which was, I think, funded within a week. Very successful.
Helped them with supply chain. Helped them with ordering stuff. Helped them. And then it became obvious, these guys are really growing a business. We should apply capital.
So about a year ago, we fully invested in the company. So now, they've got Ben Franklin capital. They've always had our support. That continues to today. As a matter of fact, I was emailing with them yesterday about a thing.
And we meet regularly. Every couple of weeks, we have a regularly scheduled-- what's going on, what do you need, what's the challenges, what are the upsides discussion. So yeah, I mean, this is the way Ben Franklin works.
Our vision for where they're going is, they're going to hire a bunch of people. I mean, they're already interviewing people to hire. They're going to grow. They're going to sell more stuff. They're now starting to expand their product line.
So it just continues to grow. And the community is really wrapping its arms around these guys, because it's a really fabulous, fabulous project.
TONY PEYRONEL: Right. A great regional fit. I agree completely. They're such an excellent example. And as I said, Fish Gods was also a Beehive client. Penn State Behrend helped prototype their Clean Earth bags.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Yes, it did.
TONY PEYRONEL: Gannon did some work with them, and we developed their initial branding materials here at Edinboro. You've touched--
BRIAN SLAWIN: I love the fi-- I don't have it with me-- my computer has a Fish God sticker. I own, like, a Fish God's water bottle. The fish God symbol, with the trident, is just awesome.
TONY PEYRONEL: Yeah, the logo lends itself to some very cool swag--
BRIAN SLAWIN: Really, really does.
TONY PEYRONEL: --for sure. And you've talked a little bit about the Beehive, in general, and Ben Franklin's relationship with it. But I'll give you another chance, if you have any other thoughts on the impact that the Northwest PA Innovation Beehive Network has had in advancing regional economic development efforts.
BRIAN SLAWIN: I mean, there's only a hundred stories, and I'm not going to drill down on every specific one.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
TONY PEYRONEL: Hunter and Tyler are a good one.
[LAUGHTER]
BRIAN SLAWIN: So just sort of broadly, the Northwest Beehive is revolutionary in what it does, how you all collaborate together across universities, and the results that you turn out. I mean, these could be big, massive things, like Fish Gods, or it could be just helping somebody just that little bit that they need to move forward. All of it's valid.
I mean, I've been in dozens and dozens of meetings with entrepreneurs who are just needing that little bit of push forward, or that little bit of access to someone who believes that they can do it, or here's a resource. Well, I'll say it this way, I don't believe this is hyperbolic either. Our entrepreneurial community does not look like it looks today without the Northwest Innovation Beehive. Just doesn't look this way. It looks way worse.
It's not as collaborative. It's not as resource dense. The Beehive has been absolutely revolutionary in the ability to grow a community of entrepreneurs and an entrepreneurial community and ecosystem around it.
TONY PEYRONEL: Yeah, I know. It's a model for a lot of other places in the country, when we go run and talk a little bit. And you know, next week we've been invited to be part of the Erie Homecoming. You know--
BRIAN SLAWIN: Yeah, awesome.
TONY PEYRONEL: --the chamber is bringing us in from anything else.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
TONY PEYRONEL: So it's been a cool thing. And as I said, for me, a kind of a rejuvenating shot in the arm to be part of something that's so dynamic and impactful. And Brian, we won't keep you here forever, so I'm going to close the interview by asking what I ask of all our guests, and that-- is there anything else you'd like to share with our listeners?
BRIAN SLAWIN: Well, it's just an exciting time for entrepreneurism and the economy, as a whole. While, obviously, none of us would want to repeat 18-20 months of a pandemic, and all of the upheaval that that created, it does present a unique opportunity for businesses to reshape themselves. Talent is no longer geographically constrained. Some talent is, but not all.
People are taking advantage of that. So how does a business reshape itself to take advantage of the reality of, you can find talent all over the globe to come work for your company that's based here in Northwest Pennsylvania? So I think that's a really exciting opportunity.
Markets are different now. Access to capital-- we all thought that, 18 months ago, venture capital would just dry up and go away. It's not true. There's more capital available today than there has ever been, and more deals are getting done than ever before.
So sort of broadly, the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem is healthier and moving forward. Now, there are certainly companies that are struggling. My favorite restaurant is not open in the hours it used to be. And my favorite dry cleaner, and there's just a lot of other-- Everyone's struggling at some level.
This is a rare opportunity for our communities to really take a look at itself and say, OK, some are doing well, some are still struggling, what do we do to help both? What kind of programs can we put in place? What kind of capital can we deploy? What kind of community do we want to build around these entrepreneurs and these small businesses?
You know, the greatest thing about change, is that it's an opportunity to do something better, and learn from the things that you didn't quite get right the first time, or the 10th time. That's where we're at today. And it's a thrill to be here, and Ben Franklin loves being in the center of all of that.
TONY PEYRONEL: Well, Brian it's been a thrill to have you here on the show.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Thank you.
TONY PEYRONEL: Thank you so much for coming over. And I and I share your enthusiasm. It's been great to do it looking right across from each other at a table in the studio.
BRIAN SLAWIN: Yeah, this is way better than our virtual version of this. Thanks for inviting me down. Beautiful facility and all the things you're doing here at Edinboro and the Beehive. And really can't wait to do more, and invent and reinvent the future.
TONY PEYRONEL: Super. Thank you again.
BRIAN SLAWIN: All right.
NARRATOR: You can find the NWPA Innovation Beehive Network on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn by searching NWPA Beehive. The Beehive is made up of five grant funded centers that collaborate to encourage business growth in the Erie area and beyond. The centers work together to form the Hive network, while each location operates in its own specialized area of expertise.
The Erie County Public Library, Penn State Behrend, Edinboro University, Gannon University, and Mercyhurst University are each responsible for a specific service. You can contact any of us at nwpabeehive.com.
You've been listening to Buzz, Generated. This podcast was released through Edinboro University's Center for Branding and Strategic Communication. It's produced by Chris Lan Tennan and Thomas Taylor.
Thank you to our guests for their insight, and to you, our listeners, for taking the time to experience innovation alongside us. Consider subscribing, if you liked this episode, to get more as soon as they drop. And if you really enjoyed it, jump over to Apple Podcasts for a five star review. We'll see you next time.
