Jon DeMarco joins the podcast to discuss his role as Executive Director for the Presque Isle Partnership. The Partnership works to enhance visitor experience at the Erie state park through various projects, all the while protecting the natural resources. They also organize several high profile events, including Discover Presque Isle, PI Lights, and the new MyPI 100 Challenge. The Beehive helped launch "MyPI 100" by creating a logo, explainer video and more, a collaboration Jon discusses in detail on this episode.
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
JON DEMARCO: The work that the students put together with the help of the staff has just been top notch. I mean, the Beehive itself is an incredible resource, and it has really helped elevate our image in the community. And I think our collaboration has only helped the Beehive become more known.
NARRATOR: That's Jon DeMarco, Executive Director of the Presque Isle Partnership. He's the latest guest on Buzz, Generated-- a show that introduces listeners to businesses and community leaders that collaborate with the Northwest Pennsylvania Innovation Beehive Network.
Jon recently stopped by our podcast studio to first discuss the partnership's mission, in which all the money they raise goes right back into the park. Then, you'll get the inside scoop on Presque Isle Lights, an event that debuted over the 2020 holidays.
And finally, the conversation moves to the My PI 100 Challenge, a brand-new initiative that asks park visitors to come up with their own personal challenge relating to the number 100. The Beehive helped launch this initiative, creating an animated explainer video, logo, and more.
Stick around and you'll even get to hear about Jon's own My PI 10. Challenge, along with a particularly moving story involving another participant. Join Tony Peyronel, Executive Director of Edinboro University'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 Jon DeMarco, Executive Director of the Presque Isle Partnership. Jon, it's a pleasure to have you on the program, and welcome.
JON DEMARCO: Tony, thank you so much for having me.
TONY PEYRONEL: It's safe to say that most of our listeners are quite familiar with Presque Isle, but aren't familiar with the various ways that the Presque Isle Partnership supports and enhances the park. Let's start out with an explanation of the mission of the partnership and how you work both independently and with other agencies and organizations to keep Presque Isle the tremendous resource that it is.
JON DEMARCO: That's a really great question, Tony. And I would say that many of your listeners are probably familiar with the work that the Presque Isle Partnership does, but probably not familiar that the Presque Isle Partnership does it.
TONY PEYRONEL: Right.
JON DEMARCO: And, for example, Discover Presque Isle, an annual festival that celebrates all that Presque Isle naturally offers. That's something that the Presque Isle Partnership has been doing for more than 25 years, is hosting that event. And it's aimed at bringing awareness to Presque Isle and all that it naturally offers. So the mission of the Presque Isle Partnership is to enhance your experience at the park by funding, developing, and implementing projects and programs on the park, while protecting the natural environment.
So we really like to engage the visitor and immerse the visitor in the whole Presque Isle experience. And we do that in a variety of ways-- like I just said, Discover Presque Isle. We have the Presque Isle Triathlon, which has been canceled for the last couple of years, but we're planning on bringing that back for the 20th Annual Presque Isle Triathlon next year-- 2022.
We've done a golf tournament on the Frozen Bay called the Joe Root Frostbite Open. We recently this past year did a drive-through light show on Presque Isle, where you stayed in your car and drove around 13 miles and saw different displays along the way. All the money that we raise goes back into the park.
And things like restoration to the Presque Isle Lighthouse-- there is a group that is solely dedicated to that now. Back in 2014, the Presque Isle Partnership did a big concert on Beach 11. We had Steely Dan. And all the proceeds from that was seed money to make the Presque Isle Lighthouse a public facility. And a new organization, the Presque Light Station has been formed, and they've been doing a whole bunch of fundraising and tours-- and gift-shop sales all go back into restoring that Presque Isle Lighthouse, so that it's now a public attraction and we all can enjoy it.
We've replaced picnic tables. We've replaced grills. We improve visitor access. We purchased about 700 feet of this really cool product. It's called a Mobi-Mat. It's essentially a magic carpet that goes over the sand. So now people in wheelchairs, or families with strollers lugging all that gear, it really helps them improve that visitor access.
And our website, which we're very fortunate to have been able to get a grant and some support from our donors to redevelop our website. And that website has a lot of the past projects we've done right and future projects that we're working on.
TONY PEYRONEL: Excellent. I've noticed that. I've noticed. Just so folks know where to go to check that out, what's the www?
JON DEMARCO: The www is DiscoverPI.com.
TONY PEYRONEL: And as you said earlier, Discover Presque Isle has been one of the Partnership's major annual events. Of course, COVID shut that down last year, as it did much of everything else in the region. Touch on how the pandemic has impacted your work-- not just in terms of canceling Discover Presque Isle last summer, but across the board.
JON DEMARCO: Yeah, it's been pretty difficult, because Presque Isle Partnership has really evolved into kind of an event-driven organization. And it causes us to really take a step back and hit the reset button. And what we've seen is park visitation across the entire country has just skyrocketed. Presque Isle State Park usually sees about four-million visitors in the last year. Last year, it was closer to 5, and this year, we expect it to be more than five-million visitors.
TONY PEYRONEL: Wow.
JON DEMARCO: And people are literally loving the park to death-- and in good ways and in bad ways, in that people are just kind of trashing. So people aren't picking up trash a lot. But anyway, I digress.
It's forced us to hit the reset button and act a little bit smarter in how we fund-raise. And it's not just all about events. Events, of course, cost a lot of money. And it can easily be lost, that if you're coming down to the park, you're going to this event. And it's great, and it's free, and you're going to carry on.
But we've kind of smartened up a little bit and are latching on to the fact that if people are given an easy, simple, quick way to donate, they will-- which is the reason why we really focused our efforts on enhancing the website and making it really easy to donate.
And then, we've launched a new program called the Chip In For Presque Isle Program. And what it is essentially a little woodchip, a wooden nickel-- to it-- whatever you want to call it. And we sell those down on the park for $5-- a $5 donation. You get a free ice cream or yogurt at Sarah's when you donate.
And also, the back of your woodchip-- is what we're calling them-- has a number. And if you go to our website and you register that number, you're automatically entered into win prizes each month-- really cool Presque Isle gift baskets that have apparel and souvenirs. And we're doing that all the way through September. And the grand prize is $1,000 cash. So that's been just a really fun, easy way to engage with the public-- help them understand who the Presque Isle Partnership is and what we do and raise a little bit of money in the process.
And at the end of the day, almost everybody we talk to is just so excited to be down on the peninsula and excited to be able to just chip in $5 here, or $5 there. We know that a toll is just incredibly difficult to do. And that's one of the things that Pennsylvania is proud of, that all of our 121 state parks are free. And we want to keep it that way. But that doesn't mean that people can't donate to an organization like the Presque Isle Partnership, where they know that that money stays here, for Presque Isle.
TONY PEYRONEL: Right. Excellent. I know we don't want to spend a whole lot more time talking about the pandemic. Because I know you're a little tired of it, in the sense you'd just like to move on to focus on all the great things that are going on at the park. But I want to talk just a little bit more about some of the adjustments that you made.
You mentioned this earlier. And I just thought that the Presque Isle Lights was a great way for folks to enjoy the peninsula, dressed up just a little bit for the holidays, without leaving the safety of their vehicles. What went into the planning of that event, and will it be coming back every December?
JON DEMARCO: A lot went into the planning of that event.
TONY PEYRONEL: [LAUGHS]
JON DEMARCO: Yeah, I got a call from Senator Dan Laughlin in the middle of summer last year. And he had just finished up a ride around the park with our park operations manager, Matt Greene. He works with DCNR He heads up the park and the maintenance and the operations there. And Senator Laughlin said, hey, why don't we do a light show for people to enjoy? There's really nothing to do with this pandemic. We can keep people in their cars and all that. And Matt Greene said, you need to talk to the Presque Isle Partnership. So it was really in the middle of summer that we started this.
And then immediately Penelec got on board and said, we will dedicate our crews to helping you put this together. And from there it just kind of took off. A lot of people came on to support it-- UPMC, Highmark-- and like I said, Penelec, DCNR assisted-- and our volunteers.
And we just ran with it. It was really difficult to come up with a good plan to light parts of the peninsula. Of course, you can't light 13 miles of roadway, or whatever. Power is limited. Its harsh environments out there, especially when you're talking about December.
So a lot of challenges, and it was a big learning process. But at the end of the day, I think we laid over two miles of extension cords. A lot of it was run off solar, or battery packs. And there were over 22,000 lights-- over 50 different motif animal displays and ornaments on utility poles and all that. So you can imagine, it was a whole heck of a lot of work.
And to answer one of your questions there, yes, Presque Isle Lights will return for this December. And we plan on it being a annual event and an Erie tradition.
TONY PEYRONEL: Great, that's super. That's super. That's super. One of those things that emerged from the ashes of the pandemic, but it fit so well in that niche. But I'm glad to hear it's going to become a tradition. Because pandemic or no pandemic, I just think that's a nice treat-- as you said, to drive that peninsula and just enjoy the natural beauty, but seasonally enhanced a little bit with some lights. And that's good to hear.
Now here at Edinboro University's Center for Branding and Strategic Communication, we were able to help you out a little bit with that project. Chris Lantinen, who actually is also the producer of this podcast, assisted you some with social media. But we've been much more involved in helping with your My PI 100 Challenge, which is a really cool way to celebrate the park's 100th anniversary. Will you explain how that works and why you are encouraging park visitors to participate?
JON DEMARCO: The My PI 100 challenge really came out of the 100th anniversary of Presque Isle State Park. And we've worked with the Edinboro Beehive on of various projects. Unfortunately, it was during the pandemic, and we couldn't launch those things, so we kind of pivoted. That's when we got in contact with the Beehive. And we developed a really great program to help people celebrate on their own, or within their own group of friends or family, the 100th anniversary of Presque Isle being written into legislation that it would be a state park for recreational use-- and free.
So it was a blast putting this together, because we got to collaborate not only with the staff at the center, but the students primarily-- and give them some real hands-on experience working with a client such as the Presque Isle Partnership, to develop and create the branding materials to help launch this thing. And right around today, I think, there's about 250 people that have pledged to do 100 activities on Presque Isle State Park.
TONY PEYRONEL: Cool.
JON DEMARCO: So the events really just encourages people to get out and enjoy the things that they love. You could bike 100 miles. You could pick up 100 pieces of trash, find 100 pieces of beach glass. A guy wrote in that he was going to find 100 items with his metal detector.
And it's just fun stuff that you would never think. So it's been really cool seeing how so many different people enjoy the park and how much they appreciate the opportunity to participate and celebrate in this centennial event. So it's been so much fun.
And the work that the students put together with the help of the staff has just been top notch. I mean, the Beehive itself is an incredible resource, and it has really helped elevate our image in the community. And I think our collaboration has only helped the Beehive become more known, because of it's Presque Isle-- it's four or five million visitors a year. And especially this year with the 100th anniversary, there's a lot of attention on that. So it's been a blessing.
And I guess I'll use this opportunity to thank you and your crew for everything that you've done.
TONY PEYRONEL: Yeah, thank you. You're right, we do look for projects in particular that have the potential for a significant impact. And as you say, Presque Isle is a major resource-- a dominant force in the region-- and we've been happy to help. It has been a large project for us, with several faculty members and students from at least two different classes taking part.
The explainer video, though, was one of the big highlights. That was done by a team of graphic design students. Kane Winecky was the production lead, and Caitlin Whitman did the voiceover. They worked with Cass Reese, who's the instructor of the course. And then Scott Glad, who's our creative director-- and he sits in and assists Cass with the classroom portion. But it was student Karlin Hiles who was also part of that group. He actually ended up staying on and working with you this summer. Now, obviously, that connection was made through the project work. But I'm just wondering, how has Karlin been able to help you this summer?
JON DEMARCO: Well, Karlin's back at the office right now steering the ship.
TONY PEYRONEL: [LAUGHS] While you're off doing celebrity interviews.
JON DEMARCO: He's been incredible. When given the opportunity to kind of cherry pick people who you know have the ability, have that caliber to deliver on what you need, you got to take those opportunities. And fortunately, Karlin was able to-- he's sticking around in Erie. His girlfriend actually has an internship out of the Tom Ridge Center, with a different organization, so they carpool to work. It's kind of cool.
He's done some really cool things. He developed graphics for a billboard. He's developed graphics for T-shirts. He's developed graphics for social media. He's developed graphics for our website. Just across the board, especially now with everybody kind of being a lot more comfortable with online, he's been worth his weight in gold. And he's having a blast doing it, he's said to me on multiple occasions. As I thank him for being such a great help, he's thanking me even more for the opportunity.
We're a great team. He's passionate about what he does. He's passionate about graphic design. He's taking his skills that he's learned here at Edinboro University and applying them to a real-world setting. And I can only imagine how he felt when he saw that billboard on Peninsula Drive that he designed.
I mean, just stuff that came up out of nowhere-- he's like, how about we do a mascot for Presque Isle Partnership? So we whipped up a seagull mascot with a gas pump in his hand. Because the Presque Isle Partnership was selected as one of the Country Fair Cares Pump For Charity partners, where $0.02 of every gallon goes to five different charities. The Presque Isle Partnership was one of them.
So he put together this Gordy the Gull billboard. It's this seagull. It must be, like, 12-feet tall. And so he's having a lot of fun with it. We're just thinking outside the box. I want to thank Karlin for doing what he's doing and doing it well.
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: Speaking of Karlin, we often talk about working with Beehive clients being a great experience for our students. Back at the news conference we did with you in late May, Karlin actually got a little emotional when talking about what the experience was like for him. From the client's perspective, Jon, what has your experience been like? And would you recommend the different nodules in the Northwest PA Innovation Beehive Network to others.
JON DEMARCO: It's been a great experience. You have to remember when you're engaging with the Beehive Network that it's not just a normal client-business relationship-- in that at the end of the day, yes, it's for a grade, but it's also something that we're using to promote our organization. And we want to make sure that it comes across well.
So there was a kind of a fine line that we had to draw in the sand saying, OK, here's exactly what we want versus here's the direction that we would like you to go-- and kind of troubleshoot and provide that feedback to find a common ground, which I think was a learning experience for us, as the client, and the students. It's been a really great experience. And I always remind myself that these are students that are learning the ropes. They'll have great experience when they get into the real world, having worked with the Beehive.
So that's what, I guess, I would recommend to clients is all these students have the ability. You just have to understand that-- you've got to let them kind of just run with it and help steer them in the right direction. Because the Beehive, it's free. Otherwise, you'd be going to a firm, or an engineering firm and paying a whole heck of a lot of money to do it.
TONY PEYRONEL: Absolutely.
JON DEMARCO: So that's kind of the trade-off, is, do you want to spend a whole bunch of money and time and effort for something that you want exactly the way that you want it, or do you want to utilize the professional expertise of students and faculty to develop something that is a collaboration, while these students are getting real-world, hands-on experience. And I think the value of the Beehive and promoting the fact that it's students and community working together to create something has a little bit more value than if you were to go and just go the normal route of paying a whole bunch of money for someone to just do all the work.
TONY PEYRONEL: Right, right, I agree. I agree. Anyhow, for our listeners today, Jon and I have spent a lot of quality time together today. This morning we taped an interview of The Insider with Lisa Adams for Erie News Now. And we're doing the podcast interview.
But on a personal note, I want to tell you, because we've been so busy, I've been hauling around two bikes in the back of my pickup truck all day. Because after this interview, my wife and I are going to be taking our second bike ride of the season at Presque Isle.
And we're already well on our way to riding 100 miles. I'm not sure I thank you for that, Jon, but she definitely thanks you for that. I'm wondering if you have been hearing about other similar enthusiastic responses to the challenge?
JON DEMARCO: Oh, yeah. So your challenge is you and your wife are going to bike 100 miles throughout the summer on Presque Isle. That is awesome. And I would say, probably, biking is the most popular one that we've received of the over 250 pledges that we've had so far. Another popular one is running and walking.
A lot of people actually are doing a couple of challenges. They want to bike or run 100 miles, but they also want to pick up 100 pieces of trash-- which you get bonus points for that. Imaginary bonus points-- there's no reward. [LAUGHS]
But I pledge to catch 100 fish on Presque Isle. I've caught 10-- bass, bluegill, and a couple of brown trout. And another guy said he was going to find 100 pieces with his metal detector.
And there was one that was a real tear-jerker for me. This guy who used to go down to Presque Isle with his mother a lot, who has since passed, he really misses her. And he wants to do something as part of this challenge.
And so he decided that he was going to go down and visit Presque Isle. And there's no frame to this. Over time, he's going to do this. Once his mother passed away, he would always notice a cardinal when he'd be thinking about his mom.
So what he pledged to do is go visit Presque Isle. And whenever he sees a cardinal, he's going to try to snap a photo of it. And he's then going to create a journal, or an album of all these different times that he was down on the park and found a cardinal-- and just fill that album with cardinal photos and pictures of him and his mother, and memories. So I thought that was pretty cool. And that's something that I didn't expect to see.
But I just certainly understand that Presque Isle is a place where you can exercise your body. You can clear your mind. And we all have had great experiences on the park with the people we love. And this is just one way that this gentleman, in particular, is going to honor those experiences. And so that's pretty cool.
TONY PEYRONEL: Yeah, I think that's a particularly powerful one, for sure-- no doubt about. Now another thing you alluded to earlier in the podcast-- I don't know, maybe this is my term. I've been thinking about interconnectivity. When we talked about Karlin, you said, well, you know, his girlfriend happens to be affiliated with the Tom Ridge Center. And it just seems to me that there's a lot of interconnectivity in Northwest Pennsylvania.
And along that line, I'd like to give a quick shout out to one of our other main clients from this spring, as an example of that interconnectivity, or that small-world component. I previously mentioned to you in a conversation that our Beehive was also working with Covered Bridge Greenhouse, which is a new business being started at the site of the former Burns Greenhouse, just outside of Waterford.
You mentioned to me that Jeremiah Covert, one of the co-owners, is actually the son of Jerry Covert. And I didn't know that. You broke that news to me. And Jerry is a biologist who has done a lot of work over the years in support of Presque Isle.
I stopped out at the greenhouse a couple of Saturdays ago. And Jerry was actually there sitting on the porch. I started to tell Jeremiah that Jon DeMarco tells me your dad's-- and he's like, well, he's up on the porch, if you want to talk to him. And so we did. We had a really nice conversation. And we talked a little bit about the work we had done for the greenhouse and for Jeremiah. But we also talked a little bit about the work that we had done for Presque Isle Partnership and for you and the board.
I'm just wondering, do you regard this high level of interconnectivity that seems to take place here as an ingredient in the region's success?
JON DEMARCO: For sure. Presque Isle is something that's, I think, ingrained in the fabric of our society. Everybody has some sort of connection to the park and to the natural environment. And we have to take care of it. The more people you know-- which seems like everybody in the region has some connection. There's like two degrees of separation, right?
And a lot of success comes from those relationships that you build over the years, or different work that you've done with organizations and different people. I think a huge part of our success is exactly that, that we are a close-knit community. And we all have something in common. And that is we have the area's greatest natural resource right in our backyard. I should say, natural resources. That's the fresh water and nature's playground, which is Presque Isle.
TONY PEYRONEL: Right, right. Jon, I always like to close the podcast by asking our guests if there's anything else that you'd like to share with our listeners.
JON DEMARCO: Well, if I'm doing my job correctly, I would say
one takeaway. If you're not familiar with the Presque Isle Partnership, and you haven't contributed in some shape or form, whether it be financially or through a donation or you haven't participated in one of our events, or if you haven't volunteered for something that we've done, or if you just haven't gone out and picked up trash or something like that, consider doing that-- because really, at the end of the day, it makes you feel good.
Yes, our tax dollars pay for this resource to be utilized by us for free. But a little bit extra always helps, to help those amenities. Presque Isle State Park, they're working their beehives off-- we'll call it-- to make sure the grass is cut, make sure bathrooms are clean, make sure beaches are replenished-- to make sure that the invasive species aren't overtaking the park.
But from the amenities side of things, there's only so much they can get to in a season, when you have that many people. And the Presque Isle Partnership really helps to knock off a lot of those projects. Like I said, picnic tables, playgrounds, pavilions, that's what we're focused on. There's a lot of other great organizations that are focused on more, I guess, niche elements of it, from an ecological, biological standpoint.
The Presque Isle Partnership really works to better your experience. So please check us out on our website. We spent a lot of time updating it, so that we can give you a clear picture of who we are, what we do, why it's important to support your park. So if you have the opportunity, check it out-- DiscoverPI.com.
And next time you go out to Presque Isle State Park, take a picture-- #MyPI. And if you bring some trash with you, take it take it back with you. Leave no trace. Leave only your footprints.
TONY PEYRONEL: I think that's the perfect closing point. And on that point, I just want to say, thank you for taking the time to join us, Jon.
JON DEMARCO: Oh, thank you, Tony. And thank you to everybody here at the Beehive and the whole network for what you're doing.
NARRATOR: You can find the Presque Isle Partnership at DiscoverPI.com. Find them on Instagram and Facebook at Presque Isle Partnership. The Northwest Pennsylvania Innovation Beehive Network works to enhance business expansion and development in the Erie area. The Beehive is made up of five grant-funded centers, that collaborate to encourage business growth.
The centers work together to form the Hive Network, but 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 Lantinen.
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. Thank you for listening.
