WHAT WE DO
Since its inception in 2014, the Northwest Pennsylvania Innovation Beehive Network has worked 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, while each location operates in its own specialized area of expertise.
Blasco Library, Penn State Behrend, Edinboro University, Gannon University, and Mercyhurst University are each responsible for a specific service. By exercising the individual talents of five local institutions, the Innovation Beehive is able to offer assistance in all areas of business development. Originally launched by the Ignite Erie Grant at Penn State Behrend, the NWPA Innovation Beehive has expanded to other regional universities. Each center now includes a fully operational location and employs a mix of students, faculty and staff. Over the last ten months, the network has acquired more than three million dollars in funding and matched commitment to support the Beehive’s continued development in the pursuit of enhancing small business growth—an essential component to both increased employment opportunities and economic progress throughout Northwest Pennsylvania.
WHO WE ARE
THE IDEA LAB
Promoting the exploration of ideas with
high-tech equipment, community experts
and hands-on, collaborative experiences
The Idea Lab is a hands-on creative space for you to rub elbows with new ideas, play with new technologies, and gain confidence in your creative problem solving skills. The Idea Lab is designed to spark your entrepreneurial spirit, then connect you with the resources you need for your next step.
CENTER FOR BRANDING AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Increasing brand awareness through creative
design and product promotion
Edinboro University’s Center for Branding and Strategic Communication works in collaboration with clients to align brand and marketing strategies. By using a mixture of graphic & interactive design and public relations, the center develops original and creative content that reflects the unique mission, values and goals of our constituents while strengthening brand recognition.
CENTER FOR BUSINESS INGENUITY
Advancing ideas with expert consulting
and high-quality resources
CBI encourages an unprecedented level of collaboration between business students and budding entrepreneurs, seasoned business faculty and consultants in a facility that looks and feels like a major corporate headquarters. This type of collaboration further enhances
the delivery of services to entrepreneurs
in the community.
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE ANALYTICS
Commercializing original concepts through
intelligence services and solutions
The Ridge College brings together complementary academic disciplines that stress critical thinking, data analysis and collaborative decision-making. A Ridge College education helps make sense of the complex behaviors of people, organizations and governments through the application of principles, theories and technologies in innovative and exciting ways.
INNOVATION COMMONS
Bringing plans to life with experienced engineering and product design
Located on the first floor of Burke Center at Penn State Behrend, the Innovation Commons is open to all entrepreneurs and innovators throughout Erie County and the surrounding region, including those at the student level, who are seeking a place to organize, collaborate, compose, and construct their ideas.
OUR WORK
Purpose: Therapeutic Subscription Box
Brand, Website, and Social Media Expansion
Center for Branding and Strategic Communication
Edinboro University
“Overall, our experience with the Beehive at Edinboro has been extremely positive and beneficialfor our business and personal understanding of branding and marketing. They were able to implement our vision through new logo variations, business cards, brochures, and social media and website content. We highly recommend the Beehive at Edinboro for any business: they are fantastic.
”
SARAH A. REED CHILDREN'S CENTER
Promotional Video and Brand Style Guide
Center for Branding and Strategic Communication
Edinboro University
2018 GOLD Niagara Award, PRSA
“After discussing our challenges and current strategies, the team offered a number of recommendations. It was interesting to see the level of collaboration between the students and faculty members and individuals from different disciplines working together.”
One Leg Up! Dog Toys
Logo, Branding and Packaging Design
Center for Branding and Strategic Communication
Edinboro University
“The quality of the work has been as good or better than what we have paid for with a 3rd party in the past with more opportunity to collaborate. It’s accelerating our time to market, saving substantial start up costs and delivering a better product on the One Leg Up! project than we could do on our own.
”
BUZZ THE HIVE
Interested in our services? Please contact any of our centers directly.
Blasco Library
The Idea Lab
814-451-6939
160 East Front Street
Erie, PA 16507
Jude Shingle
Emerging Technology Librarian
Idealab@eriecountypa.gov
Gannon University
Center for Business Ingenuity
814.871.7232
900 State Street, Suite 100
Erie, PA 16501
Kristen Bires, Beehive Coordinator
(814) 871-7452
bires006@gannon.edu
Mercyhurst University
Business Intelligence Analytics
814.824.2000
501 E 38th Street
Erie, Pa 16546
Edinboro University
Center for Branding and Strategic Communication
814.732.2166
Baron-Forness Library Room 232
219 Meadville Street
Edinboro, PA 16444
Anthony Peyronel, Executive Director
apeyronel@edinboro.edu
We welcome all questions, project
proposals, and partnership inquiries via phone or email, or fill out a simple form to tell us more about your needs.
Penn State Behrend
Innovation Commons
814.898.6971
108 Burke Center
5101 Jordan Road
Erie, PA 16563