Undergraduate Admissions

Gannon University’s Erie Technology Incubator (ETI) recently was honored by the Erie County Historical Society.

The Historical Society chose the incubator, located within the Gannon campus at 130 West 8th St., for a Historic Preservation Award. The award, in the specific category of “Construction Project,” was announced at the Historical Society’s annual dinner.

Formally dedicated last October, the incubator is housed within the former building of the Boys & Girls Club of Erie. The facility, which dates to the 1890s, underwent a complete renovation after Gannon University acquired the property and has grown to include 11 resident companies and six affiliates.

The society’s Construction Project award recognizes the restoration or substantial rehabilitation of a significant historic or architectural resource, said Melanie Kuebel-Stankey, director of operations, Erie County Historical Society. “The Historical Society is very supportive of the rehabilitation of downtown Erie, not by demolishing historical and older buildings to clear the way for new construction, but by taking those buildings and giving them a new lease on life,” she said. “Gannon’s work on the Boys & Girls Club building has been transformational.”

The incubator, Erie’s only technology incubator, is a catalyst for encouraging investment and creating knowledge-based jobs in northwestern Pennsylvania. Designed to nurture early-stage and start-up advanced technology businesses and entrepreneurs by providing key mentoring and support services, the project represents a key strategic initiative of Gannon University President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D.

The facility covers approximately 33,000 square feet on three floors, with 17,880 leasable for tenant occupancy of serviced office space and shared facilities. Offering many combinations of secure and open plan offices, the ETI can accommodate sole operators as well as companies with up to 25 employees.

The ETI is designed for, but not limited to, businesses and entrepreneurs focusing on ventures in information technology, engineering technology, and scientific technology – three areas that complement the growth sectors established by the Erie Keystone Innovation Zone. They also were chosen in part to allow the incubator to leverage Gannon’s strength in its academic programs in those areas.

The ETI also has external members and offers “virtual incubation,” giving businesses the flexibility to choose to work off site while still being able to access the incubator’s full support and benefits.

For more information on the Erie Technology Incubator, call 814-871-5609, or visit http://erietech.org/.

Representing the incubator at the awards dinner were Russell Combs, executive director of the incubator; Jack Sims, Gannon University’s vice president for University Advancement; and Mark Jordano, Gannon’s director of Information Technology Services.

Key events in the incubator’s development
The Erie Technology Incubator in August, 2006 received a considerable boost when Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell announced that the project had been chosen for $4 million in state capital grant money. Including the state capital money, the ETI has received more than $5.1 million in federal, state, and local funds that have enabled the facility to undergo extensive renovations.

In 2007, Combs was named executive director of the incubator, concluding a national search process. Combs has an extensive background with business incubators similar to Gannon’s ETI. He most recently served as the executive director of the Business Incubation Group of the Shenandoah (Va.) Region, a position he had held since 2004.