Jim Berlin, founder and CEO of Logistics Plus, recently had the pleasure of participating in the following “I Care” video produced by the Erie Downtown Partnership. Jim has been caring about Erie and the local community for many years. In 2015, the Erie Downtown Partnership began constructing the framework of a new Downtown Master Plan. This major initiative is now poised to bolster continued development throughout the Downtown district and help aid economic growth and revitalization endeavors well into the future. The future of Erie starts downtown. Visit www.icareforerie.com for plan details. You can watch the “I Care” video below.
With today being Manufacturing Day 2016, Logistics Plus would like to acknowledge and celebrate the positive impact that manufacturers and the manufacturing industry have to our global economy. Manufacturing Day℠ (MFG Day) is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. As a part of this year’s Manufacturing Day celebration, the Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA) – in conjunction with Techfest (and with the support of numerous other sponsors) – hosted its third annual all-day Erie MFG Day event at the Bayfront Convention Center this past Wednesday (October 5th).
This year’s Erie MFG Day event featured more than 50 exciting exhibits, programs and demonstrations designed for participants to experience innovative manufacturing technology in a hands-on, interactive environment, as well as luncheon keynote speaker Easton LaChappelle. LaChappelle, whose appearance was presented by Howard Industries, is an inspirational inventor and founder and chief executive officer of Unlimited Tomorrow.
The Erie MFG Day event preceded the MBA’s 111th Annual Event which showcased keynote speaker and “Shark Tank” star Robert Herjavec. Since Logistics Plus was a major sponsor for the event, our owner and CEO, Jim Berlin, was proudly recognized during the ceremonies. The Flickr photo album has some photos from the evening.
Cool news from our very own Jeremy Chaffee. Jeremy manages the Logistics Plus truckload solutions department, and he has been an employee of the company for 16 years.
My daughter, Kaylene Chaffee, and her softball team will be competing in the Little League, Senior League Softball World Series from Sunday, July 31 to, August 7th. Kaylene (#20) is a utility player that usually plays at the Catcher and Shortstop positions.
The USA East / Pennsylvania District 1 Senior Softball team is comprised of girls, 16 years old and under, from 6 different area high schools, General McLane, Cambridge Springs, Saegertown, Cochranton, Titusville, and Conneaut Area Senior High. Each player had to distinguish themselves in 12 regular season Little League games and then try out and make the District 1 All Star team cut. After that, in order to progress this far, the team has already had to place first in a series of tournaments including the Pennsylvania Section 1 Tournament and the Pennsylvania State Tournament, and, just this past week, the East Region Tournament where these ladies traveled to Worcester, MA and spent a week competing against 11 other state championship teams from ME, VT, NH, MA, NY, NJ, RI, NJ, DE, and MD.
The girls leave on a bus Saturday morning to the Senior League Softball World Series in Sussex, DE where they will spend the following week competing daily against 9 other championship teams from around the world, including 5 other US regional teams, Canada, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Europe-Africa, for a chance to compete in the Semi Finals and World Series Final that will be broadcast next weekend on ESPN 3 and ESPN.
This team is a wonderful group of fun and extremely talented young athletes who are completely dedicated to their sport, and I’m excited that my daughter is among them. Most of these young ladies have both played with and competed against each other since they were 6 years old on various Little League, travel ball, and high school softball teams, and to see them all together now representing our local area, the state of Pennsylvania, and the Northeastern US is just amazing. It has already been a fantastic adventure to see not only how this team has come together, but also how the community has rallied around them. When they won the PA state title, the team had just 5 days to raise the over $11,000 necessary to fund the trip to the East Tournament in Worcester. Local businesses, organizations, and individuals contributed generously and they easily surpassed that goal to make that trip a reality. The experience of travelling to Massachusetts and now to Delaware to compete against the best teams in the world has already been a fantastic experience, and, win or lose, it is something that these girls, and their proud families, will never forget.
As previously announced, in collaboration with The Big Picture, Erie Art Museum, Erie Arts & Culture, and YMCA, the “Erie Industry” mural was recently installed on the Logistics Plus Skinner Warehouse in Erie, PA. Yesterday a ceremony was held to officially introduce the mural to the community. In case you missed it, the video below has highlights from the event.
ERIE, PA (June 27, 2016) – Artist Ehren Knapp has installed a new public mural at 337 West 12th Street on the east side of the former Skinner Engine building, which is now owned and operated as a commercial warehouse facility by Logistics Plus Inc. The mural entitled “Erie Industry” represents a sampling of Erie’s manufacturing legacy along 12th Street.
The mural, a project of The Big Picture, covers approximately 25’ x 44.75’ on the east wall of the warehouse and 192 sq. ft. of surface area on retaining blocks. Knapp spent the winter months working in his studio painting on a polytab material.
The Big Picture project recently held a free paint day for the Erie Industry mural at the Erie Art Museum. Community members of all ages were invited to paint on the polytab that was eventually installed on the cement blocks in front of the Skinner Engine building. Ehren Knapp led the workshop and provided the design, paints and instructions for the activity. The Downtown YMCA Teen Center has also been involved with the project; photographing existing murals, participating in the paint day and painting the cement block murals.
“The skyline in the mural represents facades of a few distinct buildings along 12th Street and the foreground depicts the Skinner plant as its façade may have looked in the 40s, the central structure is the skywalk west of Cherry street, and in the central left background is the ramped roof line of Erie Press,” said Knapp in his response to The Big Picture’s request for proposals. “Starting at the left middle ground, Erie manufacturing is represented by a green hydraulic press from Erie Press, a locomotive represents GE, and foundry and casting images depict Urick Ductile Solutions. The central figure symbolizes the labor force. The Skinner Engine Company is represented with the Unaflow Steam Engine in the right of the composition. The sun in the center background will be subtlety symbolic of Griswold Cast Iron.”
“Logistics Plus has always tried to ‘spruce up’ Erie–our home for the past 20 years,” said Jim Berlin, Founder & CEO, Logistics Plus. “We purchased and cleaned up historic Union Station in 2003 and placed 50 flags at the top of the building. At the time, we had about 35 employees in the station; now we have nearly 100, and have added many tenants. We painted the bridges over Peach and Sassafras Street and brightened up the gateways to and from downtown. We put a mural on the old Dana Brake building after buying that, and in 2014 we purchased the old Skinner Engine building, turned it into a warehouse, and now, along with The Big Picture, we’re commemorating its proud history with another beautiful mural. We’re also supporters of the Erie Lightway Project being led by Erie Council Member, David Brennan. All of these projects have a common purpose – to improve Erie’s image, encourage development and create a stronger sense of pride in the local community.”
The Big Picture is a collaborative effort between the Erie Art Museum, Erie Arts & Culture, and the YMCA with support from Tungsten Creative Group. The goal is to provide resources and support to artists and property owners interested in the creation of murals. It’s an idea that was first considered in 2012 when Erie was chosen as the host city for the Governor’s Awards for the Arts.
The Big Picture leverages the power of visual storytelling to inspire and beautify neighborhoods by placing large-scale murals in public places. “Noticeably, there is an organic effort in many of our neighborhoods to use murals to beautify, brand a space, inspire community conversation and build pride,” says John Vanco, director of the Erie Art Museum. “The Big Picture provides the organizational framework to leverage human capital, financial resources and expand impact.”
The Governor’s Awards for the Arts organizers have designated $35,000 for The Big Picture. The seed money will fund project management, training and technical assistance for artists and property owners and support the creation of up to six new murals.
Logistics Plus Inc. is a leading worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions. Based in Erie, PA, with offices all around the world, the Company is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
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The Big Picture Media Contact:
Tammy Roche
Vice President, Financial Development, Membership & Marketing
YMCA of Greater Erie
(814) 566-9597
troche@ymcaerie.org
Logistics Plus Inc. Media Contact:
Scott G. Frederick
Vice President, Marketing
Logistics Plus Inc.
(814) 240-6881
scott.frederick@logisticsplus.com
