[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 178 (Thursday, November 2, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8389-H8390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ERIE COUNTY INNOVATION BEEHIVE SUPPORTS ENTREPRENEURS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I recently visited the 
Innovation Commons at Penn State Behrend in Erie County, which is an 
idea lab that offers support for entrepreneurs and startup companies.
  It opened in January of 2016 to innovators, including those at the 
student level, who sought a place to organize, collaborate, compose, 
and construct their ideas.
  The Innovation Commons is a part of the Innovation Beehive, which is 
housed at, and managed by, Penn State Behrend. It is in partnership 
with three additional Erie County universities: Mercyhurst, Gannon, and 
Edinboro. It was the first of its kind in 2016, and its success 
established a business network across Erie County--or, in other words, 
the beehive.
  The beehive sites will operate as both individual service providers 
and as part of a larger, connected network, with multiple points of 
entry for entrepreneurs. All services will be available to the public 
and to businesses seeking to develop new products or enter new markets.
  Each lab will specialize in different aspects of product or business 
development:
  Edinboro University will provide advertising, marketing, and public 
relations strategies for business startups. Both current students and 
those entrepreneurs in the community can all seek assistance with all 
of these universities. The lab, which will be equipped with high-end 
printers, art supplies, drafting tables, and other multimedia support, 
will be located in the Baron-Forness Library;
  Gannon University will focus on business development, including 
business analysis. The Gannon beehive, which will be located in the 
Center for Business Ingenuity, will offer access to the Small Business 
Development Center and the Erie Technology Incubator;
  Mercyhurst University will provide business intelligence services and 
solutions to help developers commercialize their ideas. Blended 
faculty-student teams will use high-end computers, plotters, and other 
tools to develop custom intelligence products from within the Ridge 
College of Intelligence Studies.
  Madam Speaker, this northwest Pennsylvania Innovation Beehive network 
is working to serve the region. It will enable innovators to access 
universities' resources and applied research

[[Page H8390]]

capabilities for new business development or expansion at little to no 
cost.

  I recently participated in a roundtable discussion with the 
university presidents, and I am very excited to see this collaborative 
effort take root in Erie County. This network was made possible thanks 
to the Ignite Erie Industry and Business Acceleration Collaborative, 
the Erie County Gaming Authority, and the Appalachian Regional 
Commission.
  This truly is a collaborative effort, and it is my hope that the 
beehive will soon be abuzz with good ideas throughout Erie County. This 
is an excellent partnership that will give innovators and students 
hands-on, real-world experience to test their ideas and make their 
dreams become reality.
  Madam Speaker, I am glad to see Erie County leveraging the strengths 
of these four universities for the betterment of its community. It is 
an exciting time in Erie County. I look forward to seeing what this 
brings to the region.

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