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Profile Space Reservation Due: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020 Ken Lawton spoke on behalf of National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation.
Profile Materials Due: MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 Geoffrey Bristow shared information on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
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ADDITIONAL ADVERTISING OPTIONS AVAILABLE Marybeth Smialek of FirstEnergy addresses attendees at the January briefing.
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At United Way of Erie County we recognize the importance of children and families having the resources they need - including those suffering with addiction. That’s why United Way was an early funder of the Women’s Recovery Center at Magee-Womens, UPMC Hamot through the Hamot Health Foundation.
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21 ers 20 n 0- in 02 W : 2 ard US w PL co A c Lo
BUSINESS VOL. XXXIV NO. 1 | JANUARY 2021
MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT Q&A:
HOFFMAN INDUSTRIAL MARKS 175TH YEAR
GLOBAL SOLUTIONS PROVIDER CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
SPECIAL SECTION:
MBA RECOGNIZES MEMBER MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES
FEATURES FEATURE STORY | WHAT’S INSIDE
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Ready for a New Year 2021 gives us the chance to reset and refocus.
COVER STORY | LOCAL PROFILE
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Logistics Plus Logistics Plus is marking its 25th year as a leading provider of transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, logistics, business intelligence, technology and supply chain solutions around the globe.
SPOTLIGHT Q&A | LONGEVITY
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DEPARTMENTS
12
BUSINESS BUZZ
13
PEOPLE BUZZ
WHAT’S NEW
16
HR CONNECTION
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LEGAL Q&A
EDITORIAL
SPECIAL SECTION 19 NETWORKING AND MORE
LEGAL BRIEF | SUCCESSION PLANNING
See exclusive coverage of the MBA’s virtual Economic Outlook IMPACT briefing.
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AWARDS AND PROMOTIONS
READ ON THE GO! For the most current Business Magazine updates, visit mbabizmag.com
WORKPLACE TRENDS
Art Hammond, president and owner of Hoffman Industrial Company/Starlite Group, headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, shares the company’s secret to success as it marks its 175th year in 2021.
Picking your team: The use of voting committees in estate planning. Emilie Swan
ON THE HILL | POLITICS
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Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania will bring lots of new changes. Phil English
RECOGNITION | LOCCO AWARDS
GET ANSWERS
Executive Editor Karen Torres ktorres@mbausa.org
Feature Photography Rob Frank R. Frank Media
Contributing Writers Tracy Daggett Phil English Tammy Lamary-Toman Emilie Swan
Addtional Photography iStockphoto.com
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Design, Production & Printing Printing Concepts Inc. printcon@erie.net
Congratulations to the winners and nominees of the 2020-2021 Patrick R. Locco Scholarship Awards!
SPECIAL SECTION | ANNIVERSARIES
David Thornburg 814/833-3200 dthornburg@mbausa.org
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The MBA celebrates the hundreds of members that are marking milestone anniversaries in 2021.
On the Cover: Logistics Plus Founder and CEO Jim Berlin stands in front of the company’s new warehouse location, the Erie Times-News building, in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. Logistics Plus has been an essential part of the Erie business scene for 25 years. For full story, see page 4.
Mission Statement: The Manufacturer & Business
Association is dedicated to providing information and services to its members that will assist them in the pursuit of their business and community interests. – Board of Governors
Manufacturer & Business Association Headquarters: 2171 West 38th Street Erie, PA. 16508 Pittsburgh: 600 Cranberry Woods Drive, Suite 190 Cranberry Township, PA 16066 814/833-3200 |800/815-2660 | www.mbausa.org
© Copyright 2021 by the Manufacturer & Business Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial, pictorial or advertisements created for use in the Business Magazine, in any manner, without written permission from the publisher, is prohibited. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returned unless accompanied by a properly addressed envelope bearing sufficient postage. The magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork. The Business Magazine and Manufacturer & Business Association do not specifically endorse any of the products or practices described in the magazine. The Business Magazine is published monthly by the Manufacturer & Business Association, 2171 West 38th Street, Erie, Pa. 16508. Phone: 814/833-3200 or 800/815-2660.
mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
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Healthcare • Education • Institutional • Retail • Hospitality • Industrial • Concrete
The Austin Difference
Contractors & Construction Managers Since 1906 814.454.7147 www.eeaustin.com
EE Austin & Son offers a dynamic management team committed to providing construction excellence. Austin is the leading regional general contractor and construction management firm...and has been delivering for its clients since 1906.
EE Austin & Son remains steadfast in its century old promise to... “Do the right thing...all the time.” It’s the Austin Difference.
LET’S TALK If you are seeking legal services, we should have a conversation about: • How we strive to achieve each client’s objectives • How we invest in our people • How we are thought leaders • How our firm has grown to a staff of more than 90 • How we’ve been recognized nationally • How we serve our communities • How we have worldwide capacity Let’s talk. Call us at 814-459-2800. Or visit kmgslaw.com/LetsTalk to learn more.
Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C. Erie | North East | Pittsburgh | Jamestown, NY 814-459-2800 | www.kmgslaw.com
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JANUARY 2021 • mbabizmag.com
FEATURE STORY | WHAT’S INSIDE
Ready for a New Year
2021 GIVES US THE CHANCE TO RESET AND REFOCUS
Happy New Year! Like so many of you, closing the chapter on 2020 just feels like a collective breath of fresh air. 2021 has finally arrived, and in many ways, it gives us the chance to reset and refocus. Although it may not be the immediate relief many of us so desperately need, the new year is a way to apply what we’ve learned and better prepare for what lies ahead. For the business world, significant shifts in the workplace from 2020 are making way for a newly transformed work world in 2021. Among these trends, industry experts, such as the ADP Research Institute, found that businesess are focused not only on adapting and implementing remote and digital solutions, but also adjusting the approach to their business models. In fact, a recent ADP Research Institute study found that 44 percent of employers now have official flexible working policies in place, up from 24 percent pre-COVID-19. The study revealed most workers (65 percent) are upbeat about the flexibility of opportunities they will have in the future. As the regulatory environment becomes more complex and new legislative changes are introduced, reseachers found that businesses will look for ways to streamline compliance-related tasks to alleviate the burden on HR and payroll departments while leveraging aid. Researchers also found that half of small businesses and 84 percent of larger businesses are making adjustments
to their business models. The most significant shift is seen in the way they are delivering their products or services to market. In this edition of the Business Magazine, we’ll take a closer look at the many ways that companies are innovating and demonstrating their resiliency, such as Logistics Plus, which has been an essential part of the Erie business scene for 25 years. Led by Jim Berlin and his team, the company has grown from a small transportation and logistics business to a $300 million privately held company with a sprawling Erie campus, 45 offices and nearly 600 employees worldwide.
And, speaking of reasons to celebrate, we are recognizing all the MBA members that are marking milestone anniversaries in 2021. So, please help us congratulate them, as well as the 2020-2021 Patrick R. Locco Scholarship Award winners and nominees. These students are truly shining stars in technical and vocational education — and we expect great things from them in the very near future! Plus, be sure to view exclusive coverage of the 2021 Economic Outlook briefing, which was held virtually this year. To take advantage of all the MBA’s special programs, events and training opportunities, visit www.mbausa.org!
If that’s not enough, we’ll talk with Art Hammond of Hoffman Industrial/Starlite Group about the secrets to success on achieving 175 years in business — a real testament to Hammond and his crew.
KEEP LOOKING FORWARD!
mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
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COVER STORY | LOCAL PROFILE CEO Jim Berlin founded Logistics Plus in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1996. Over the past 25 years, the company has grown from a small transportation and logistics business to a $300 million privately held company with a sprawling Erie campus, 45 offices and nearly 600 employees worldwide. Here, Berlin is shown at the company’s newest location, the Erie Times-News building on West 12th Street in downtown Erie.
Global Solutions Provider Celebrates 25 Years Logistics Plus is in the business of solutions. Solutions to transport parts and products around the globe. Solutions to navigate complex export and import rules and regulations. Solutions to warehouse critical inventory and address fulfillment needs. Even solutions to source and supply hard-tofind personal protective equipment (PPE).
transportation and warehousing services, and enters new markets with the creation of its new LP Air Charter Group cargo service and new LP Medical Division (LP Med). “We’ve been global for more than 20 years, and we have a good reputation and good connections around the world,” explains Berlin, “so we’ve continued to find a way to deliver when others could not. That’s really how we’ve run the business by making things happen.”
Adapting for Sustained Growth and Success
Berlin, who began his career in the trucking industry and started LP with what initially was a one-year contract to handle in-bound logistics for GE Transportation, has always been a risk taker and “big idea” guy. He is visibly passionate about his business and his team members, often encouraging them to jump first and problem solve, while supporting ideas to adapt and innovate with changing market demands and economic shifts.
“We’re a solutions provider,” explains Founder and CEO Jim Berlin, “and we’ve been doing it for 25 years.” Logistics Plus (LP) certainly has been one of northwest Pennsylvania’s most exciting companies to watch since its founding in Erie in 1996. Led by Berlin’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial style and loyal team members, Logistics Plus has grown from a small transportation and logistics business to a $300 million privately held company with nearly 600 employees in 45 offices worldwide. Over the past 25 years, the award-winning “Best Medium-Size Workplace” has become more diversified, more technology driven and more people driven — cementing its reputation as a leading provider of transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, logistics, business intelligence, technology and supply chain solutions around the globe. Presently, Logistics Plus, a partner of the Manufacturer & Business Association’s logistics program, is on pace for another record year of consecutive growth as it enhances and expands its logistics,
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Logistics Plus launched a new line of business to support the sourcing, transportation and fulfillment of personal protective equipment. Team members traveled to Detroit, Michigan, to unload planes full of PPE in order to get it to employers and essential workers throughout the country.
“It’s just been very rewarding to be able to see that we made a difference, even in our own little area here,” Seth says. “To me, it was one of the proudest moments of our 25 years,” adds Berlin. “It was the courage and grace under fire from the people who come to work every day.” During the pandemic, LP’s team members even pitched in to pack nearly 1 million face shields for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — a total of 23 truckloads, floor to ceiling, at its new Erie Times-News (ETN) warehousing facility in Erie. “We called all hands on deck — HR, IT, operations, legal and maintenance — to help,” says Berlin, who drove a forklift for a week while supporting his team. “The assembly line was insane, but it’s our kind of thing.” In 2020 alone, Logistics Plus added more than 1 million square feet of warehousing space across the country, including its new facility at the Erie Times-News building in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Most recently, Logistics Plus created new lines of business from the growing demand for personal protection equipment (PPE) due to COVID-19. The company quickly leveraged its global connections to source and deliver PPE around the world, including local employers throughout northwest Pennsylvania. According to Senior Vice President of International at LP Gretchen Seth, the company’s first experience with PPE began in January 2020 when LP’s Shanghai office shipped a box full of latex gloves and N95 and three-ply masks to its Erie headquarters. That shipment turned out to be a watershed moment for the company as demand for PPE exploded over the next month and a half. As lockdowns impacted the world, the Gretchen Seth, importance of “logistics” and “supply chain” Senior Vice President, International management have become more apparent than ever before. For its part, LP was able to leverage its supply chain expertise and lean on its global network to source and deliver nearly impossible to find PPE. The company worked closely with Delta Air Lines to create a new, charter air cargo service, utilizing several passenger planes and turning them into cargo planes, to get the items delivered. When the planes reached the Detroit airport, LP’s team was there, ready and waiting on the tarmac, to unload the shipments. “The first planes came in, and we weren’t sure where all the stuff was going,” recalls Berlin. “But we brought it here and, in the meantime, there was a market making itself.” Since then, Seth says PPE orders have become more streamlined and demand has remained steady. One of LP’s office doors was even covered with notes from front-line workers and employers, thanking LP for the supplies that the company procured.
Without question, LP’s “whatever it takes” culture is unique and indispensable to its success. “We hire based on culture and not just the skill set,” notes Chief Operations Officer Yuriy Ostapyak. “At LP, it’s finding ways to say ‘yes,’ and it’s solving complex problems. If that requires for half of the company to work over the weekend, then so be it. If that requires working long days and nights, then so be it. It’s necessary because our customers depend on us successfully moving and not disrupting their supply chain.”
Yuriy Ostapyak, Chief Operations Officer
LP’s Med Division is certainly proof of this. The new division has quickly become mission critical, representing 5 percent of the company’s overall business in 2020. The LP Med division services all industries, but its primary customers are manufacturers and health-care providers, including a 40-location retirement community headquartered in Denver, Colorado, where it recently contracted to provide exclusive fulfillment services. As LP officials explain, many organizations don’t have the space or manpower to manage such large inventory, but Logistics Plus has the flexibility to both adapt its operations and procure supplies, as needed. “It used to be three-ply masks, N95 masks and hand sanitizer that were in demand,” explains Seth, “but now it’s things like air purifiers, electrostatic spray cleaners, tubs of wipes and touchless thermometers. If it’s not on our list, we tell all of our clients to at least let us know, and we can get them a proposal.”
Investing in the Future
If there is one lesson to be learned from LP’s ability to adapt, it’s that the transportation and logistics industry is rapidly changing. To stay competitive, companies must increase their value to customers, and LP has consciously made a significant investment in both its services and capabilities. >
LP has expanded its services to include new customer-related logistics activities such as mobile phone and tablet device programming, warehousing and fulfillment. mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
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Logistics Plus is proud to be a part of the Erie community, displaying its pride on the overpass as you enter downtown Erie outside its Union Station headquarters.
Logistics Plus is a company on the move, growing from a small transportation and logistics provider to an integrated, global solutions provider.
Today, Logistics Plus has become “a 21st century logistics company” by being as innovative as industry giants Google and Amazon by equipping them and its other customers with user-friendly technology and business intelligence solutions for transportation management, freight forwarding, warehousing management, eCommerce fulfillment, and supply chain management. For example, eWorldPlus™ is LP’s client-facing web portal integrated with its global logistics and back office platform CargoWise One to provide real-time global shipment quoting, cargo tracking and warehousing. LP also offers eShipPlus™, the company’s proprietary North American transportation management system (TMS) for quoting, tracking and booking. Additionally, the company offers a full suite of MyLogisticsPlus™ business intelligence tools with planning, custom reporting and control tower capabilities for end-to-end supply chain visibility. No matter the needs, LP has the compliance expertise to handle all aspects of data solutions. “We’ve become as much a technology company as we are a logistics company. With the data we manage, we can analyze and give our customers simple dashboard reports that help them be more efficient,” explains Berlin. “We now have a whole team of people who do that for a lot of our customers.” LP has invested heavily in its warehousing operations too. In 2020 alone, Logistics Plus added more than 1 million square feet of warehousing space across the country, including major hubs such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New Jersey. Yet, the most exciting addition may be in its own backyard. In May 2020, LP purchased the 88,000-square-foot Erie Times-News building at 205 West 12th Street and in November 2020, another 130,000-square-foot warehouse at 1803 Pittsburgh Avenue. The two investments have enabled LP to expand warehousing and dock space to support current and new customer-related logistics activities such as mobile phone and tablet programming, warehousing and fulfillment, just to name a few. The ETN addition expands LP’s campus in downtown Erie, which includes its historic Union Station headquarters, bringing its Erie warehousing space to nearly 300,000 square feet. The Union Station campus is already home to several tenants The Brewerie and Concourse, a hookah café, hair salon and other local shops, as well. “We love our little neighborhood. We love Erie. We want to stay in Erie. We want to give back to Erie, give back to the community, and have a positive print in the community,” notes Ostapyak. “It all started with us buying Union Station, but between all the new tenants that we have now, it’s contributed to the betterment of the whole neighborhood. And with some of the grants that helped improve the park, and just with us buying ETN, we feel that it brings up the value of the entire neighborhood and is a positive example of LP’s influence, not just in its own business but also in the community.”
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Fostering Talent
With its global headquarters in Erie, LP is also contributing to the community’s brain gain by recruiting talent from the local area and through its relationship with the major universities — Gannon, Mercyhurst, Edinboro and Penn State Behrend. “The notion that Erie does not have as good of talent as, let’s say, New York City or West Coast, is a myth,” adds Ostapyak, who began his 15-plus year career with Logistics Plus after graduating from Edinboro University. “It is one of the areas where we continue to excel and get great people, and that’s allowed us to continue to grow over the years.” Indeed, Logistics Plus has been recognized by Great Place to Work®, the global authority on workplace culture, and FORTUNE magazine as a Best Medium-Size Workplace for companies with 100 to 999 employees each of the past two years. Logistics Plus, the only transportation company recognized, took the No. 74 spot on the top 100 list for medium-sized workplaces in 2020. At LP, the treatment of people, the treatment of customers, vendors and employees, and culture is very important to its continued growth and success. “Everyone uses the same ships, the same airplanes, the same trucks. So what’s different is that extra effort, the extra hustle, or as we say, ‘putting the plus in logistics’ to make sure that we provide the best possible service,” says Berlin. “That is what is unique about LP — creative problem solving, entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for excellence — for the past 25 years.” For more information, visit logisticsplus.com.
Logistics Plus Inc., founded in 1996, is a 21st century logistics company and a leading worldwide provider of transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, global logistics, business intelligence, technology and supply chain solutions. Headquarters: 1406 Peach Street, Erie, PA 16501 Global Operations: Nearly 600 employees at 45 offices in 28 countries, including 300 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Annual Sales: More than $300 million worldwide Phone: 814/461-7600 or 866/564-7587 Website: logisticsplus.com
Celebrating
60 Years
Willy Sickert is a walking encyclopedia of hydraulic and pneumatic fittings, hoses, hydraulic tubing, gaskets, gauges and v-belts. He knows every square inch of his inventory by heart and he keeps his company’s shelves stocked with hard-to-find parts, knowing there are always customers who need them.
Company Snapshot
“I don’t cut corners on inventory,” Sickert explains, “and our motto is, ‘if we can’t make it, you don’t need it.’ ” As president and owner of Sirco Industrial Supply, 2127 Caughey Road in Millcreek Township, Sickert is an expert in his field. He has tremendous product knowledge, enabling Sirco Industrial Supply to become the go-to provider for hoses and belts, hydraulic fluids and safety supplies in the region. Whether you’re a hobbyist restoring an old car, boating enthusiast, a small lawncare operation, or major manufacturing concern, Sirco Industrial Supply can get the parts you need or, in many cases, customize them to your specifications. “The advantage of our company is that we are willing to stock, which larger corporations can’t enjoy because they have to share their inventory,” notes Sickert. “And because we control our own inventory, we stock more than most. We are usually the second or third source in desperation of trying to find the product, and they eventually become our customer because they don’t have to search anymore.” Sirco Industrial Supply’s loyal customer base includes approximately 600 regular customers and 5,000 in the tri-state area that the company services annually. These customers represent a wide range of industries from government, automotive, plastic injection, tool-and-die, logging, earth-moving equipment, as well as gas-well production. 60 Years in Business As Sickert explains, Sirco has come a long way since his father Fred founded Sickert Rubber Company in 1961. The family owned business, which specialized in mechanical drives, operated out of the Dorme Motel on West 26th Street until 1973 when a fire broke out, flooding the basement operation.
Sirco Industrial Supply
It was then that the Sickerts moved the business to its current 10,000-square-feet location on Caughey Road, shortened the name to Sirco, and incorporated it in 1974. In 1981, Willy, then a Gannon College student, came on board to help his father and mother with the business during some trying financial times. He paid off the debts, got the business back on its feet, and by 1995 purchased the company, expanding the name to the present-day Sirco Industrial Supply.
Sirco Industrial Supply offers a wide range of hydraulic and pneumatic fittings and hoses, as well as brake lines, hydraulic tubing, Roadrunner high performance braided lines, safety equipment, O-rings, sheet rubber, belts, conveyor belts and v-belts. They also are a local source for Caterpillar assemblies. Location: 2127 Caughey Road in Millcreek Township
According to Willy’s son Matt, vice president of Sales and a service technician, Sirco Industrial Supply outshines its competition with its professional, quality service — and unbelievably low prices.
Business Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to Noon Saturday
“We have people driving two-plus hours to get to us because they don’t want to go anywhere else, so they come here to get it done right,” he says. “Our niche is everyone’s can’t do is our can do.”
www.sirco-industrial.com
Phone: 814/838-2059
Sirco Industrial Supply’s storefront offers an array of products, from extreme temperature work boots from Canada to safety glasses, gloves, jackets, road reflectors, traffic cones, snow melt, wiper blades and automotive fluids. With such an inventory, it’s easy to see why Sirco Industrial Supply continues to be not only one of the best-kept secrets, but also “the best little hose and belt house in town.”
mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
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Humes Celebrates 75 Years of Success and Community Involvement Humes Chrysler Jeep Dodge and RAM in Waterford has been providing customers in Erie and all of Northwest Pennsylvania with the best overall sales and service experience for 75 years. Blazing the trail for the company began 85 years ago, when founder Delbert C. Humes was working on a local farm and delivering its produce out of the trunk of his car to local farmers and Erie residents. The Waterford-based business grew and Humes soon expanded his fleet of trucks, drawing the attention of J.I. Case and Chrysler Motors. By 1946, Humes and his wife, Ruth, had added a franchise that included DeSoto and Plymouth car lines and Case tractors and farm equipment. The Humes sold more tractors than cars in those early years, but in 1962, the company was awarded the Chrysler vehicle line franchise. Robert Humes purchased the dealership from his father in 1973 and added the Dodge truck and car franchises. In 1981, Humes’ son Greg joined the team, along with his nephew, Matt Clark, and eventually daughter Lindsay Humes. The dealership added a second location at Routes 19 and 98 to feature and sell used vehicles, and eventually expanded to service and parts departments and a paint and collision center. Today, the Humes family proudly carries on Delbert’s legacy, with its Waterford headquarters, the addition of its Corry dealership in 1990 and acquisition of the Jeep franchise in 1994 and an inventory that includes Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Promaster with more than 400 new and 250 pre-owned vehicles.
Now a fourth-generation family business with the addition of Matt Clark’s daughter Rachel, Humes Chrysler Jeep Dodge and RAM remains committed to the region and best in sales and service for 75 years and more to come! Humes is truly committed to helping the community and local charities, sponsoring multiple school athletic, theatrical, music programs. Financially supporting local volunteer fire departments, food pantries and multiple fundraisers. They personally have organized and chaired fundraisers and capital campaigns for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network, Crime Victim’s Center of Erie, the Neighborhood Art House, and the American Heart Association Open Your Heart event. The whole Humes team is very proud to have received national and even worldwide recognition being selected
this past year as Pennsylvania’s Time Magazine Dealer of the Year. Humes also has once again been voted an Erie’s Choice Award winning dealer for 2020, in addition to being recognized as a Carfax top performing dealer for 2020, Dealer Rater 2020 Dealer of the Year and achieving JD Powers Customer First Award For Excellence Award. Humes is truly customer driven. Humes is actively involved in its auto industry and trade associations. Matt is currently the president of the Erie County Auto Association and the vice chairman of the Pennsylvania Auto Association.
SPOTLIGHT Q&A| LONGEVITY
Hoffman Industrial CEO Shares Secrets to Marking 175th Year Celebrating a milestone anniversary is a major success for many organizations, especially considering that approximately 45 percent of businesses don’t survive past their first five years. Here, Art Hammond, president and owner of Hoffman Industrial Company/Starlite Group, headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, shares the company’s secret to success as it marks its 175th year in 2021. Hoffman Industrial Co., founded in 1846, is America’s oldest rigging company. Tell us about how Hoffman got started and became the business it is today. Hoffman’s earliest work was in house and barn moving, using horses, during the mid19th century when new areas were being developed in Erie. The Industrial Revolution and the World Wars led to a major increase in manufacturing plants driving the need for industrial services. Hoffman expanded its area of expertise and began to serve industry by rigging, moving and installing major pieces of equipment. Hoffman Industrial Co. is now a leading rigging, machinery moving and warehousing company. Tell us more about your services and the customers you serve. Hoffman Industrial Co. provides industrial rigging/machinery moving services in the Tri-State from single machines to entire facility relocations. In addition to rigging, our services include trucking, storage and project management. Our customer base is diverse, from small one-person shops to Fortune 500 companies. We also serve a variety of industries including steel, tool & die, plastics, medical and many others. For example, some included a customer who needed a small machine to be moved into a different position in their small shop. Another required an eight-week relocation project in which we rigged out equipment, loaded 49 trucks in Pennsylvania, then
headed to Oklahoma where we then rigged in and mechanically assembled the equipment in a new facility. In 2020, Hoffman Industrial announced it was merging with Starlite Group, Inc., in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Please explain the reason for this move and its benefits. The fit and synergy is perfect. Hoffman Industrial can now offer millwrighting and machine disassembly and assembly to its rigging service, forming a turnkey rigging/ machinery operation. We will increase Starlite’s rigging/machinery moving capacity, establishing Meadville’s first full-service rigging operation, in addition to its machine tool sales and service. The benefit of the combined company is expanded services including:
employees to pass a certification exam offered by the Crane Institute of America Certification program. This certification is nationally accredited for crane operators and rigging personnel. Over the past several years, Hoffman Industrial has added multiple pieces of equipment including but not limited to a Hoist 25/35 forklift, Hoist 15/25 forklift, Freightliner tractor, trailer equipped with a rolling tarp, Landoll trailer and Gradeall Telehandler. As you look forward into 2021, what is the outlook for Hoffman Industrial/ Starlite Group? We are optimistic that 2021 will provide opportunities to invest in equipment, training and added capacity. For continued growth, with the acquisition of Starlite, our plan is to increase our customer base and expand industrial services for existing customers.
• Rigging/Machinery Moving • Millwrighting/MillWrite software • Repair, rebuild service of all brands of machine tools • Warehousing • U.S. distributor of OX Self Propelled Trolley • New machine sales • Contract machine maintenance Hoffman Industrial/Starlite Group has invested heavily in safety and training, as well as its equipment. Please share some examples of these investments. The company goes above the mandatory OSHA training by requiring its workforce to attend a Qualified Rigger handson workshop. This includes requiring
Is there anything you would like to add? I would like to thank our customers for trusting us with their projects and for their referrals, there is no better compliment. I would also like to thank our employees for their hard work, dedication and commitment to satisfying our customers. Thank you for putting safety first, as well as the care you provide handling the important assets of our customers.
mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
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ON THE CUTTING EDGE TheWarrenCompany.com
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LASER CUTTING SERVICES The Warren Company laser cutting services offer the cutting of simple to complex designs. With our multiple Laser cutting machines, we maintain short turn around times whether you need one piece or several thousand. We also offer tube laser cutting with a 5” OD continuous tube feeding system and 12” diameter rotary chuck for larger tubing.
BYSTAR FIBER 4020 CAPABILITIES: » 10,000-watts of laser cutting power » Fast and precise cutting for maximum productivity at minimum costs per part » Handles material up to 72” x 144” » Easily cuts: » Steel thicknesses up to 1.0” » Stainless Steel thicknesses up to 0.75” » Aluminum thicknesses up to 0.75” » Brass thicknesses up to 0.375” » Copper thicknesses up to 0.25”
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LEGAL BRIEF | SUCCESSION PLANNING
Picking Your Team:
The Use of Voting Committees in Estate Planning hospitalized or forced to quarantine at home, which emphasizes how suddenly an owner may not be able to traditionally manage his or her business. In order to plan for such a situation, Voting Committee language can be included in a Power of Attorney, Will or Revocable Trust Agreement to advise an Agent, Personal Representative or Trustee of the individuals they should or must seek advice from for business matters. In either event, the Agent or Trustee may not be familiar with the daily operation of the business and appointing a Voting Committee becomes crucial for the continuation of the business.
Emilie Swan is a member of the Business Transactions Department at MacDonald Illig. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Legal Studies from Gannon University and her Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University. As part of planning for the longevity of their business, owners have probably, at one point or another, considered who will continue their business after they retire or upon their death. This portion of succession planning may take time to implement and require intricate structuring to ensure the business’ profitable operation. However, owners may not have considered who would continue to operate their business in the event they are suddenly unable to do so or in the interim period between their death and the implementation of their succession plan. The use of a Voting Committee in the estate and succession plan of an owner can reduce the risk of reduced profitability if something happens suddenly to an owner.
What is a Voting Committee? No matter the structure of a business, it is likely that an owner has an informal Voting Committee already in place without realizing it. A Voting Committee generally consists of individuals who assist the owner with the management of the business. These individuals could be key employees, an accountant and/ or attorney, and if it is a family operated business, a spouse, child or other relative of the owner. Individuals chosen to serve on the Voting Committee depend on the complexity of the business, who is involved in its management, and at what point in the succession planning process the Voting Committee is serving. The time frame a Voting Committee serves can be short term in the event of sudden death or incapacity, or long term. During the Life of the Owner It is an uneasy thought that an owner may not be able to effectively operate the daily management of his or her business. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 demonstrated, situations change very quickly. Many individuals, including business owners, found themselves
After the Death of the Owner as Part of Succession Planning When considering succession planning, an owner decides who will own and manage his or her business upon his or her death. However, a succession plan involving a sale may take months to come to fruition. As such, if the Will and/or Revocable Trust Agreement of the owner includes a Voting Committee, it could continue the daily management of the business until the succession plan is in place. If an owner is using a Voting Committee in the long term, there is value in utilizing a Revocable Trust Agreement as it benefits those not involved in the daily operation of the business. In addition, other advisers are appointed beside family members to ensure the business continues after the death of the owner. The inclusion of Voting Committee language in estate and succession planning documents is a simple way to ensure a business’ continuation in the event of the incapacity or death of an owner. It can be used to supplement a business’ succession plan or act as a temporary solution. For more information on the inclusion of Voting Committee language in your estate or succession planning documents, please contact an attorney in the Estates & Trusts Practice Group at MacDonald Illig at 814/870-7600 or email info@mijb.com. mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
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BUSINESS BUZZ | WHAT’S NEW CHANNELLOCK® COMPLETES HISTORIC PLANT EXPANSION
Channellock, Inc., is continuing its commitment to American manufacturing and jobs with the recent grand opening of its plant expansion in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The project, which took about nine months to complete and is fully operational as of November 2020, allows CHANNELLOCK® to address its increasing product demand by providing additional production capacity, distribution space and new machinery. “This new space enhances our ability to continue to focus on the changing needs of our customers who are increasingly demanding American-made CHANNELLOCK® tools,” said Jon DeArment, president and chief operating officer at Channellock, Inc., in a press release. “This expansion has been years in the making and it would not have been possible without the hard work of our 350plus CHANNELLOCK® team members, who make high quality pliers.” The additional 34,000-square-foot expansion to the CHANNELLOCK® finished goods warehouse and distribution facilities brings the company’s total presence in Meadville to more than 260,000 square feet of production and distribution space. Meadville-based Associated Contractors completed the project. “Associated Contractors was very fortunate to be selected by CHANNELLOCK® to complete this project,” said George Ray, owner and president of Associated Contractors.
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Channellock recent completed the historic expansion of its facility in Meadville, Pennsylvania.
“CHANNELLOCK® specifically requested that the work be done by local qualified subcontractors. We’re grateful to have CHANNELLOCK® in our community continuing to support local jobs and our economy.”
we’ve prevailed in an extremely challenging and competitive environment. This expansion will ensure we’re able to continue to make the most superior pliers for our customers for decades to come.”
“This is an exciting and historic chapter in the CHANNELLOCK® story,” added Ryan DeArment, vice president of sales and marketing for Channellock, Inc. “As an American manufacturer,
Since 1886, Channellock, Inc. has manufactured high-quality pliers at its Meadville, Pennsylvania location. For more information, visit www.channellock.com.
PEOPLE BUZZ | AWARDS AND PROMOTIONS WACHTER NAMED TO 2020 PA TRAILBLAZERS LIST
Timothy S. Wachter, shareholder at the Knox Law Firm, has been named to The Legal Intelligencer’s 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers List.
Wachter is recognized for his role as a thought leader in the area of Qualified Opportunity Zone Development, and specifically for his work creating the Flagship Opportunity Zone Development Co. and attracting national and federal funding to Erie.
PRESOGNA LAUNCHES ONE-UP FINANCIAL INVESTMENT FIRM
administrator; and several other regional governmental representatives from the SBA, EPA, USDA and more. As a member of the Governmental, Public Finance & Bonds and Business & Tax Practice Groups, and as lead for Knox Law Public Strategies, Wachter regularly advises governmental, business and nonprofit clients on highly complex legal, regulatory and public policy related matters. He also regularly provides counsel on matters related to the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law to dozens of agencies throughout Western Pennsylvania.
The Legal Intelligencer is the oldest daily law journal published in the United States, serving He regularly advises businesses and the Pennsylvania legal community. Trailblazers stakeholders regarding Opportunity Zone is a special supplement to the publication, investments and was recently named to the spotlighting professionals who are agents of 2020 Top 25 Attorney Influencers by Opportunity change in their respective practice areas. Zones Magazine. He also recently participated in an Opportunity Zones roundtable featuring Dr. Ben Carson, U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) INNOVATION IN WATER MANAGEMENT and chair of the White Offering a full range of innovative water management House Opportunity treatments, ProChemTech can create the perfect water and Revitalization treatment system for your unique facility. Council; Joe DeFelice, HUD regional CONTACT US
Eric Presogna, CPA, CFP, has launched One-Up Financial, a Registered Investment Advisory firm located in the Renaissance Centre at 1001 State Street in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Prior to becoming chief executive officer at One-Up Financial, Presogna held various positions at CPA firms and in an investment advisory capacity in Erie and Pittsburgh, including PNC Wealth Management where he served as a trust adviser and investment adviser to the high-net worth and mass affluent markets. A certified public accountant (CPA) and certified financial planner (CFP), Presogna is a graduate of Cathedral Preparatory School and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Pennsylvania State University. He serves on the board of Supportive Living Services as head of its finance committee.
Visit our website to learn more.
We are your local Pennsylvania-based water treatment experts. P: 814-265-0959 | E: Prochem@Prochemtech.com | W: prochemtech.com
mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
13
Celebrating
25 Years
Company Snapshot X-Cell Tool & Mold, Inc. 7701 Klier Drive Fairview, PA 16415 Phone: 814/474-9100
www.xctam.com
Ron Novel decided to strike out on his own by starting a tool shop that makes plastic injection mold components and hopefully, someday, complete molds. The company opened its doors as a partnership back in November 1996 in a small, rented space (800 square feet) in Erie, Pennsylvania. Fast-forward to June 2014, X-Cell purchased a 25,000-squarefoot building in Fairview Township to optimize operations and accommodate a growing team of technicians and sales professionals. As the business continued to thrive and grow with new customers, X-Cell expanded manufacturing space to 45,000 square feet. Currently, the company operates 24/7 with three shifts and has implemented automation strategies to continually better serve customers.
Competencies: X-Cell’s continuous investment in advanced, intricate tool building has elevated its team’s competencies to support the full range of complex customer requirements, from concept to development phases. Design and capabilities that the company offers include: • Product design assist • Mold flow analysis • Mold design: single face, unscrewing, stack, 2 shot, hot runner, cold runner, 3-plate, LSR, MIM, etc. • Mold construction: High quality 101, 102 molds, prototype molds, unit molds, low and high-cavitation production molds • In-house mold trials, validation and inspection services • Mold repairs, refurbishments and component builds
On November 18, 2020, SyBridge Technologies, a global technological leader in the tooling and mold industry, acquired X-Cell. New York-based private equity firm Crestview Partners established SyBridge Technologies in 2019 and committed $200 million of equity to create a market leader spanning across end markets, geographies and advanced technological capabilities to provide value-added manufacturing solutions.
Markets Served: • Medical • Caps & Closures • Telecommunications • Consumer Products
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7COFid-T0i0&t=38s to learn more. Capabilities Supporting X-Cell’s Quality X-Cell offers design/manufacturing solutions from concept to finished product, with a comprehensive warrantee program for all its products. The company invested in advanced machinery and best-in-class software to improve efficiencies that resulting in lower costs, faster deliveries, more repeatable manufacturing and superior quality tooling. With a team dedicated to customer service excellence, X-Cell applies a good oldfashion work ethic to modern manufacturing processes. Its success is founded on an ability to recognize customer needs and creatively address them while maintaining the highest standards. Wherever closetolerance workmanship is required, customers can trust X-Cell to deliver products and services at the highest level expected. Its customers include some of the most recognizable names in the plastics industry. In 2019, X-Cell’s achievement was recognized in the industry by winning the prestigious Mold Making Technology’s Leadtime Leader Award.
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The Journey Ahead SyBridge Technologies is building a global technological leader that will provide value-added design and production solutions across multiple industries. Unlike niche tool shops with limited offerings, SyBridge has sufficient scale and ability to provide turnkey solutions from concept to manufacturing and services in both North America and Europe. Its vision is to transform the tooling industry from art to science, from hardware to software and data, and from conventional molds to predictive services with Industry 4.0. The acquisition of X-Cell marks SyBridge’s first entry into the medical tooling industry that requires highly complex precision tooling solutions. X-Cell will become the anchor of SyBridge’s new medical division that focuses on this fast growing and increasingly important industry vertical. X-Cell will leverage design, engineering, supply chain and production capabilities in multiple SyBridge locations throughout North American today and in Europe starting next year. With SyBridge’s customer service centers throughout North America, X-Cell can provide faster high-quality maintenance and repair services closer to its customers, which in turn reduces downtime and costs associated with logistics. As the company expects to double in size within five years, many career development opportunities will be available to employees and new hires who have the skill sets to help X-Cell expand globally and collaborate with other industries.
ON THE HILL | POLITICS
Congressional Redistricting in Pennsylvania There will be a lot of new changes
Former U.S. Congressman Phil English is a senior government relations adviser and co-chair of the government relations practice at Arent Fox. While in Congress, English developed a rich experience in trade, health care, and tax and energy policy. Among the political rituals we can predict for next year is congressional reapportionment. Every 10 years, the results of the census require Pennsylvania to adjust its congressional district map to equalize their population. This year, it will be pursued under a carnival atmosphere with national attention, given the centrality of the Keystone State to each party’s strategies for control of the House. Democrats will likely draw the final map, but the underlying political shifts will give them bad indigestion. The census will dictate that Pennsylvania lose a seat, with an even partisan divide in the current delegation. Every district will have to be adjusted for a net increased population and territory. The lines are supposed to be drawn by the General Assembly, dominated by Republicans: however, their plan must be endorsed by Governor Tom Wolf, and political polarization makes that prospect implausible. By default, the districts are likely to be drawn by the State Supreme Court, which consistently favors Democrats in such projects. A Republican seat will
be put on the chopping block, but will the voters get the memo? I have tracked every reapportionment since 1982 (as a young legislative staffer) and watched several attempts to “gerrymander” the districts (draw them to favor one party). These partisan maps usually have rude and unexpected consequences for the political class. “Creative” maps shortchange communities of interest and boomerang on the intended beneficiaries. Pennsylvania has a Democratic voter registration advantage, but it is shrinking and heavily concentrated in big cities (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). Democratic strongholds in Western Pennsylvania outside Pittsburgh have been lurching Republican, and suburban Philadelphia swings to the national Democratic Party will be tested in a Trump-free, off-year election. A Democrat map will have to reflect the vulnerabilities of Democratic seats that experienced close 2020 races: Allentown (Wild), Scranton (Cartwright), Allegheny County (Lamb), as well as the Philadelphia exurbs. Vulnerable Republican districts like Bucks County (Fitzpatrick) and Harrisburg (Perry) will prove hard to dismantle, at least without complicating the Progressive equation for their neighbors. The Democrat dilemma is nowhere more evident than in my home 16th District, which encompasses the Butler area and includes Erie County. This swing district has been a Democrat target for generations, prior to Tom Ridge being elected in 1982. As recently as 2018, perennial Democrat hopeful Ron DiNicola cracked 47 percent against incumbent Rep. Mike Kelly, with the backing of the Erie Democratic political apparatus. Local Democratic ambitions have been fueled by the nostalgic view that
Erie politically dominates the district. This will likely be put to bed permanently by the new reapportionment. The advantage that Republicans enjoy is that the Erie area has been stagnating demographically, even as the southern part of the district has grown and become more Republican. Reapportionment will likely reinforce the trend: The addition of new population in neighboring conservative Republican communities will further dilute Erie’s Democratic base, even as Erie County itself has become more competitive for Republicans in national races. Although the district registration currently favors the GOP by only a 45-percent to 41-percent margin, its national voting performance has been more reliably Republican. After reapportionment, Erie County will shrink to substantially less than 40 percent of the registered voters — and less than one-third of the Republican primary voters that will select the GOP nominee (and likely House member). A possible addition of Beaver County to the 16th District would not solve the Democrats’ problem. That traditional Democrat stronghold has been moving strongly toward the Republican ticket in voting, and is now even close in party registration. Other map scenarios are even bleaker for Democratic strategists. In the short term, the new normal will be a safe Republican seat dominated by blue collar conservative voters, especially south of I-90. How I see it: A contentious reapportionment in polarized political times, and a Pennsylvania congressional map that does little to rescue a beleaguered Democratic House. However, Pennsylvania voters still harbor more than their share of surprises. mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
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HR CONNECTION | WORKPLACE TRENDS SURVEY: EMPLOYERS BRACE FOR WORKPLACE POLICY CHANGES UNDER NEW ADMINISTRATION Employers in the U.S. are focused on the impact of the presidential election and extended remote work. That’s according to a survey by Littler, a leading employment and labor law practice representing management. While the survey was conducted just prior to the Nov. 3 election, the results suggest employers were already anticipating significant changes to workplace policy under a Biden administration. Half of the employers surveyed expect an uptick in enforcement actions by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and its state counterparts regarding compliance with COVID-19 safety rules. Outside of the new presidential administration’s COVID-19 response, respondents said they expected employment law-related changes in such areas as: paid sick and family leave requirements (74 percent), healthcare policy (71 percent), immigration (66 percent) and measures to address income inequality (64 percent). With COVID-19 cases again surging in the United States, the reality of the extended remote work environment seems to have set in for respondents, which include in-house counsel, human resources professionals and C-suite executives, the survey found. A strong majority (81 percent) report being at least somewhat concerned about the pandemic’s impact on employee mental health and well being — and just 2 percent say they are not concerned at all.
Training Continues to Evolve In a Socially Distanced Workplace As we finally say goodbye to 2020 and welcome the start of 2021, COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the globe. Social distancing has become the norm, impacting the way that companies operate from day to day and transforming the way in which they train and develop their personnel. In first few months of the pandemic, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) encouraged organizations to create an infectious disease preparedness and response plan, with recommendations that include replacing face-toface meetings with virtual communications. As training and development professionals scrambled to adapt, we saw the need to address the way that we designed and delivered courses and how instructors interact with virtual participants. Our trainers recognized the need to incorporate more interaction: More question-and-answer sessions, more engaging visual aids, more videos and more polls to stay connected. It also became important to include regular breaks and avoid the distraction of being an “apologizer” for technology glitches. When in-person training is possible, our instructors have offered more sessions to accommodate the smaller class numbers required for social distancing. They also have changed the way they position themselves in the classroom. Instructors are careful not to approach students with close physical proximity, while striving to make the session more engaging. Could the next significant event in the evolution of the training industry be the post-pandemic era? The answer so far has been the normalizing of remote and virtual training options, a renewed focus on the safety of the participant and the importance of technical aptitude for training professionals. The training and development field is evolving, and the Manufacturer & Business Association will continue to adapt by expanding virtual and onsite training options for its members in 2021.
Tracy Daggett, PHR,
is the manager of Professional Development Training Services at the Manufacturer & Business Association. Contact him at 814/833-3200, 800/815-2660 or tdaggett@mbausa.org
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LEGAL Q&A | GET ANSWERS CAN AN EMPLOYER REDUCE THE LEAVE OF A SALARIED EXEMPT EMPLOYEE?
An employer can substitute or reduce an exempt employee’s accrued leave (or run a negative leave balance) for the time an employee is absent from work — even if it is less than a full day and even if the absence is directed by the employer because of lack of work — without affecting the salary basis payment, provided that the employee still receives payment equal to the employee’s predetermined salary in any week in which any work is performed even if the employee has no leave remaining.
CAN A FULL-TIME EXEMPT EMPLOYEE BE SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY?
The Catch-Up Payment Provision for Overtime Exempt Employees
Deductions from the pay of exempt employees may be made for unpaid disciplinary suspensions of one or more full days imposed in good faith for infractions of workplace conduct rules. The disciplinary deductions must involve serious misconduct (harassment, workplace violence, etc.), not performance or attendance issues.
Although it’s been a year since the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its final overtime rule for exempt workers (raising the pay threshold to $684 per week), the new year is a good time for employers to review exempt employees’ compensation. The final rule allows employers to use nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) to satisfy up to 10 percent of the standard salary level if these payments are made at least on an annual basis. To enable compliance with the nondiscretionary bonus option, the final rule allows employers to make a “catch-up” payment at the end of each 52-week period.
The employer must have a written policy applicable to all employees in order to make disciplinary deductions. For example, an employer may suspend an exempt employee without pay for three days for violating a generally applicable written policy prohibiting
If at the end of the 52-week period the sum of the salary paid plus the nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) paid is less than the required salary level, the employer has one pay period to make up the shortfall for the 52-week period. If the catch-up payment is not made within the pay period immediately following the 52-week period, the overtime exemption does not apply and the employer will need to determine whether there are any overtime payments owed during the entire previous 52-week period. Here, the DOL illustrates how the catch-up provision works: Employee B meets the duties test for the professional exemption and is paid a salary of approximately 90 percent of the standard salary level ($616) in each workweek for the year. At the end of the year, the employer tallies Employee B’s nondiscretionary bonuses and commissions for the year, which amount to $3,300. $616 (salary) x 52 weeks = $32,032 paid in salary on a weekly basis. $32,032 (salary paid) + $3,300 (bonuses earned) = $35,332 (salary plus nondiscretionary bonus paid). Employee B must be paid a total of $35,568 per year to meet the salary level requirement ($684 x 52 weeks). Because the total of salary and bonuses paid ($35,332) is less than $35,568, the employer must, within one pay period, make a catch-up payment to Employee B to meet the salary level requirement in order to maintain the exemption. $35,568 (required salary for 52 weeks) – $35,332 (total paid) = $236 (required catch-up payment). If the employer does not make the catch-up payment, the employee is entitled to overtime pay for any overtime hours worked during the previous 52-week time period.
Tammy Lamary-Toman, JD, PHR, is vice president and employment counsel at the Manufacturer & Business Association. Contact her at 814/833-3200, 800/815-2660 or ttoman@mbausa.org.
mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
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RECOGNITION | LOCCO AWARDS
Manufacturer & Business Association Announces 2020-2021 Patrick R. Locco Scholarship Award Winners The Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA) recently announced the winners of the 2020-2021 Patrick R. Locco Scholarship Awards with each receiving a $1,000 scholarship. Winners include: Tyler Hasbrouck, Corry Area Career & Technical Center; Trinity Ives, Crawford County Career & Technical Center; Andrew Reiland, Erie County Technical School; Andrew Bebko, Erie High School; and, Adam Crawford, Mercer County Career Center. Other nominees include: Tucker Clark, Isabel Knight, Neil Pognant and Zachary Titch, Corry Area Career & Technical Center; Caiden Dunmire, Crawford County Career & Technical Center; Adam Bokshan, Corey Buckner and Nicole Matczak, Erie County Technical School; and, Nathan Burge; Erie High School.
Tyler Hasbrouck, Corry Area Caree
r & Technical Center
“It is a major achievement to even be considered for this prestigious award,” said MBA President and CEO John Krahe. “We congratulate all of our winners and nominees on their accomplishments and expect great things from them in the very near future.” The Locco Awards, which are named in honor of the late Association Vice President Patrick R. Locco, a strong advocate of vocational education, were created in 1972 (then known as the Golden Watch Awards) with the sole purpose to recognize outstanding high school students who distinguish themselves in the pursuit of technical and academic excellence. To be considered for this prestigious honor, students must apply and be nominated by a teacher. Each school then narrows the nominees to their top candidates. Students are then interviewed by local businesspeople who ultimately choose the winners. Judges include: Liz Allen, widow of Patrick R. Locco; Andy Foyle, H & H Machined Products Co.; Paula Merkle, Corry Manufacturing; Rebekah Merritt, Plastikos, Inc.; Jim Ohrn, Custom Engineering; and, Mike Weber, Smith Provision. For more information, visit www.mbausa.org.
Career Center Adam Crawford, Mercer County
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Andrew Reiland, Erie County Tech nical
Trinity Ives, Craw ford County Care er
School
& Technical Center
Andrew Bebko, Erie High School
The Manufacturer & Business Association held its Economic Outlook IMPACT briefing virtually on December 9, 2020. The event was presented by the MBA, along with the MBA Business Magazine, the Economic Research Institute of Erie, Penn State Behrend, and sponsors Rehrig Pacific Co., Widget Financial and Marsh Schaaf Attorneys. For more information about upcoming events, visit www.mbausa.org.
Economist Ken Louie, Ph.D., gave a detailed presentation about the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. and Erie economies. Here, he shares some bright spots about future growth for the U.S. economy.
Pete LaRoche, Sam Haag and Dan Fiscus of Rehrig Pacific Company represented Rehrig during the IMPACT event. Rehrig Pacific Company was one of the major sponsors of the event.
Attorney Gene Sundberg of the Marsh Schaaf Law Firm was among the virtua l participants who took part in this year’s event . Marsh Schaaf Attorneys was a major sponsor of the briefing.
Gail Cook of Widget Financial atten ded the IMPACT event, as well. Widget Financial was among the major sponsors that made this year’s virtual event a realit y.
“The Patrick R. Locco Scholarship Awards provide a unique opportunity for talented high school vocational education students to be recognized and to receive needed financial support. These students also meet members of the local business community which needs the skill-sets that these talented young people have developed. Sincere thanks to the MBA for allowing me to be a part of this special recognition.”
“As a former graduate from the Erie County Vocational School, I’ve always felt it was important for me to ‘help’ in selecting the ‘best’ student for the Locco Award. This is no easy task and each student selected to interview bring their own accomplishments, inspirational stories, past challenges they’ve overcome, advanced grades and special talents. Most know exactly the direction they are going, and nothing is going to stop them from achieving their goals/dreams. What an amazing accomplishment!”
“Over several years of judging the young men and women in competition for the Locco Awards, I have become convinced that our manufacturing future is in very capable hands. These kids have a high level of intelligence, excellent work habits and a practical drive to succeed. I’m very impressed and only hope we can increase the number and monetary value of the Awards going forward.”
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The Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA) would like to congratulate all of our members that are celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2021. Thank you for being an essential part of the Association and for the many contributions you have made to our community. On behalf of the MBA Board of Governors, staff and a very grateful membership, we wish you all the best for continued success. Congratulations!
245 Years
150 Years
120 Years
Waterford Township Supervisors
Herrmann’s Water, Inc. Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center Sarah A. Reed Retirement Center
Betts Industries Inc. Charlotte Pipe & Foundry, NE
145 Years Knox Borough
Backus Company Inc. E. E. Austin & Son, Inc.
140 Years
110 Years
225 Years Perry Township
215 Years Frenchcreek Township Sugarcreek Township Tidioute Borough
American Refining Group, Inc. Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company UPMC Hamot
200 Years Brokenstraw Township Columbus Township
135 Years Channellock Inc. North East Heat & Light Polk Borough South Bethlehem Borough
190 Years Jones Township
180 Years Summit Township
130 Years Bradford Club Evans City Borough Kane Innovations
175 Years Borough of Girard Hoffman Industrial Co. Union Dale Cemetery
125 Years Borough of Union City Knights of St. John Bldg. Association Loyal Christian Benefit Association
170 Years City of Erie First Baptist Church of Linesville North Shenango Township Pine Township, Mercer County
125 Years Burton Funeral Homes & Crematory Inc. Butler County Chamber Keating Township McCourt Label Company Northwest Bank Reed Manufacturing Company Waldameer Park, Inc.
165 Years Benedictine Sisters of Erie Tionesta Borough
155 Years City of Corry Trinity Episcopal Church
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115 Years
City Mission of the Evangelical Churches Fairview Evergreen Nurseries, Inc. George Winston Co. Inc. Greenville Savings Bank Harborcreek Youth Services Mercer County State Bank
105 Years McCarty Printing Corporation Rabe Environmental Systems Walker Bros. Buick Chevrolet, Inc.
100 Years Brelsford Motors & Equip. Co. Community Nursing Services of North East Griffin Motors Company
90 Years American Tinning and Galvanizing Co. Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company VFW Post 2006 Home Assc., Inc.
80 Years Erie-Crawford Cooperative Morris Coupling Company Shaw Industries, Inc.
75 Years Acme Machine & Welding Company American Trim
Bognar and Company, Inc. Canfield Radiator Inc. Chido’s Dry Cleaners Inc. Church & Murdock Electric, Inc. E.M. Brown, Inc. Erie Beer Company Erie Cotton Products Inc. Humes Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Lewis & Hockenberry Inc. Modern Industries, Inc. North Warren Municipal Authority Pellegrino Food Products, Inc. Sekula Sign Tri-Penn Tool Company Inc. Welders Supply Company Williamsport Sanitary & Mun. Water Authority
70 Years Canto Tool Corporation Erie Parking Authority Erie Regional Airport Authority Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center Finish Thompson Inc. Gatesman Auto Body, Inc. George Baldwin LLC, Realtors John D. Clark Trucking, Inc. Marshall Stamping Company O’Neill Coffee Company Products Finishing Inc. PSB Industries Inc. Sharkey Piccirillo & Keen, LLP Susquehanna Fire Equipment Co. Union City Municipal Authority Voyten Electric & Electronics, Inc.
60 Years B.P. Rhodes & Son Inc. Bert Klapec Inc. BKD, LLP
Boyer’s Rental City, Inc. Conneaut Lake Joint Municipal Authority Corry Rubber Corporation Crawford Cty Convention & Visitors Bureau Fairview Manufacturing Corporation Girard Area Industrial Development Corp. Held’s Shop N Save Klasen McQuiston Energy Corporation McCaskey Orthodontics PMF Industries Inc. R.E. Whittaker Co. Sirco Industrial Supply, Inc. Stairways Behavioral Health Tonnard Manufacturing Corporation VisitErie
50 Years Blair Masonry Inc. Campbell Bus Company Inc. Chilson’s Home Furnishings Clarion Electric Supply Co. Control Chief Corporation Cranberry Supply Co. Inc. Ellwood City Transit, Inc. Filmtronics, Inc. Flexospan Steel Buildings Inc. Fostermation, Inc. FPI Industries Gas & Oil Management Associates Inc. Harrington Industrial Laundry J B Distributor Inc. JAB Enterprises, Inc. Kalchthaler Insurance Agency, Inc. Kerr’s Tire Korner Kittanning Veterinary Hospital Lake City Industries Inc. Linmas Drugs Inc. Materials Handling Enterprises Inc. McKean County Housing & Redevelopment Authority Meadville Plate Glass Co., Inc. NW Tri-County Intermediate Unit Penn United Technologies Inc. Perseus House Inc. Plastek Industries Inc. Potter County Housing & Redevelopment Pymatuning Boat Sales, Inc. Tessy Tooling, LLC The Matric Group Waste Management of Northwest PA
40 Years
Bradford Motel Association, Inc. Clinical Therapeutics, Inc. Contine Corporation Craig Newell Welding, Inc. DM Industries Inc. Eagle Precision Tooling Inc. Electrical & Mechanical Systems Inc. Harmony Castings, LLC Highlander Energy Products Inc. Hydro Lazer Inc. Insurance Solutions by Karl Anderson James Automotive Laser Eye Surgery of Erie Lee Snyder Financial Lillis McKibben Bongiovanni & Company Mercyhurst Child Learning Center Inc. Michael J. Lubowicki CPA/ABV, CVA Northwest Restoration Inc. Pine Avenue Dairy Queen Rabell Surveying & Engineering A Division of LSSE Rebecca R. Steves, DMD, PC Salter Construction Inc. Second Harvest Foodbank of NWPA Smith’s Pool & Spas Strouse Electric Inc. The Classic Look Time Machine, Inc. Whole Foods Cooperative William Linn Co. Inc.
30 Years Baleno Concrete LLC CG Acquisitions Cory R. Fox Inc. Cusick Tool Inc. Deerfield Behavioral Health Inc. East Penn Truck Equipment Inc. West eden, inc. Electralloy Eric T. Mong, D.D.S. F3 Metalworx, Inc. Frank C. Pregler, D.O. Franklin Pediatric Associates, P.C. George J. Vukmer Jr., M.D. Heavy Metal Fab Inc. Keep Heating & Cooling Kotzan CPA & Associates, P.C. Lou Negley’s Bottled Water Inc. MAJR Products Corporation Meadville Area Water Authority Nick’s Place Inc.
Northwest Service Company OB/GYN Associates of Erie Phoenix Metals of PA, Inc. Power Conversion Technologies Inc. Reilly’s Hair Salon Roche Financial Rosanne M. Palermo, DMD Sammartino & Stout Smith Collision, Inc. Smith, Best & Stoneking P.C. Sunshine Cleaning & Janitorial Serv Inc. The Closet Shoppe The Letterpress Shoppe Inc. U.S. Bulk Transport Inc. William G. Bowley Insurance Agency Inc.
25 Years Alexander Masonry Ameridrives International Area Shopper C.R. Campbell Trucking/Truck Repair Century Propeller Corporation City of Erie Cable TV Access Corporation Considine Biebel & Company Corry Custom Machine, Inc. County Line Restaurant Erie Audiology, Inc. Faber Burner Company Jeff Young & Sons Masonry John R. Slagle Joseph F. Kocjancic Trucking Keystone Diesel Institute Logistics Plus Inc. Maya Brothers Inc. Myers Custom Woodworks Inc. North Memorial Animal Hospital Petroleum Technical Services Richardson Tree & Landscape Co. Inc. Sharon F. Miller, D.O., P.C. Sidehill Copper Works, Inc. Starr Image Products Stone Consulting Inc. Stubler Drive-Thru Beverage, Inc. Summit Dental Associates, P.C. Swift Kennedy Financial Co. Inc. TechSource Engineering Inc. X-Cell Tool & Mold, Inc.
20 Years Blooming Valley Landscape & Supply Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau
Child to Family Connections Children’s Advocacy Center of Erie County Cindy Glover Trucking Inc. CORE Environmental Services, Inc. Cutting Edge Machining Solutions Inc. Deets Mechanical Inc. Dressler Construction LLC Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. Esper Treatment Center H & R Brick, LLC Halsit Holdings, LLC Iadeluca Chiropractic Center Imperial Systems Inc. Industrial Tank & Containment Inc. Lawrence Plumbing, LLC Lorie’s Wild Ridge Restaurant LRI Logistics Corp. M & M Insurance Group Inc. Nedreski Wealth Management North Country Brewing Co. Offi Tool and Die Paws ‘n Claws PID, LLC R. Curtis Electric Inc. Rehabilitation Innovations, Inc. Roser Technologies Inc. Salandra Painting Inc. Shorts Tool & Mfg. Inc Smith Brothers Plumbing & Heating Co. Superior Auto Supply Tapco Tube Company West Main Sales and Service Corp.
10 Years Adam J. Trott Architect Admiral Heating and A/C Alton Real Estate LLC B.K. Smith Auto Body Inc. Bayshore Homes Inc. Black Knight Chimney Inc. Clarion Area Agency on Aging Inc. Elk County Powdered Metals, Inc. Fennick Group Inc. Konzel Construction Co., Inc. Mason Jars Company Presque Isle Colon and Rectal Surgery RoDao LLC Supreme Manufacturing, Inc.
9-90 Variety Inc. Beautiful Smiles Children’s Dental Health, P.C.
*Disclaimer: Anniversary information is from MBA member records as of October 2020. To correct or update any information for future publications, please contact the Association at 814/833-3200 or 800/815-2660.
mbabizmag.com • JANUARY 2021
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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID ERIE, PA PERMIT #199
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