Sunday
February 14, 2016
Questions? Suggestions? Contact: Doug Oathout executive editor 870-1698 doug.oathout@ timesnews.com
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FOOLISH WINNER Gregory L. Swanson is this week’s Motley Fool trivia winner for guessing that 3M was the answer to last week’s question. For a list of all those who answered correctly, turn to page 6D.
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David Bruce
Millcreek couple victim to scam T
CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/Erie Times-News
Carl Carlotti’s office at National Fuel Gas overlooks State Street in downtown Erie. Carlotti, 60, the longtime senior vice president who oversaw the utility’s Pennsylvania operations, has been named president of Buffalo-based National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp.
utILItY PLAYer
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Longtime local National Fuel exec named to head entire division By JIM MARTIN jim.martin@timesnews.com Carl Carlotti learned about sacrifice from his parents, discipline from the nuns at Sacred Heart School and the value of taking care of business from former Erie Mayor Lou Tullio. He’s hoping that foundation, and 30 years with National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp., have prepared him for his latest position. Carlotti, the longtime senior vice president who oversaw the utility’s Pennsylvania operations, has been named presi-
dent of Buffalo-based National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. In that role, Carlotti oversees about 1,400 employees and about 740,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York. Carlotti, who has been splitting his time between Erie and Buffalo since starting his new job Feb. 1, is taking the helm of the utility at a time when prices are at some of their lowest levels in years. “It really is a good time for our customers,” he said. “For the last three years, we have had
(gas) usage going up. People are inclined to use more when the price is a little cheaper to keep their home a little warmer.” It wasn’t always like this. In 2008, growing demand and a short supply of gas prompted the utility to pass along a 44 percent price increase that raised the average monthly bill from $129.83 to $173.20. It seemed for a while like that rate increase would be followed by others. “That was before the Marcellus,” Carlotti said, referring to
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MOVER OF THE WEEK Marsha Marsh, owner of Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, with headquarters in Summit Township, has been named chairwoman of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership for 2016. As leader of the 34-member board, Marsh will oversee all facets of the chamber, including new membership, sales, engagement and retention. Marsh has been a chamber member since founding her company in 2008 and has served on the board of the 900-member organization for the past four years. ➤ For more local People on the Move, see page 2D Congratulations from
www.jhbennett-moving.com 814-456-5377
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he telephone call came just as Tom Sargent and his wife were getting ready to go shopping earlier this month. It was the Sargents’ grandson, Andrew. He had been arrested in Ohio following a traffic accident with two of his friends. Andrew needed $3,000 to post bail, he told Sargent. He needed the funds right away, either in cash, debit cards or Apple iTunes cards. Have a That consumer third option question you’d should have like us to help been a dead you with? Call giveaway David Bruce at the caller wasn’t really 870-1736, send e-mail to david. Andrew, but bruce@ a scammer trying to steal timesnews.com, the Millcreek or send mail to 205 W. 12th St., Township Erie, PA 16534. couple’s money. Courts don’t accept iTunes cards to pay bail. But Sargent and his wife were too upset, and the scammers pretending to be Andrew and his courtappointed attorney were too smooth, to spark any doubt for them. “I went to a CVS and bought $2,000 worth of the cards, only because $2,000 was the maximum amount I could buy in one day,” Sargent said. “I went to Wegmans and bought the other $1,000 in cards.” Sargent returned home and read the cards’ numbers to the “lawyer,” who then instructed Sargent to mail the cards to a courthouse in Ohio. After Sargent hung up, he mailed the cards, then returned home and talked with his wife about what had happened. That’s when doubt began to creep into his mind and he called the “lawyer” at a number he had provided. “It was a survey I could take to get a free trip to the Caribbean,” Sargent said. “I called my grandson’s cell phone, and he said he was in his dorm room getting ready for class. That’s when I knew it was a scam.” Looking back, the Sargents realized the scammer hadn’t identified himself as Andrew until they first spoke his name. The scammer had also begged the Sargents not to call Andrew’s parents. They don’t know how the scammer knew to say he was in Ohio, where the real Andrew attends college. The Sargents reported the crime to Millcreek police and are attempting to cancel the iTunes cards. But Sargent said he realizes the $3,000 is probably gone. The Federal Bureau of Investigation offered these tips to avoid the “Grandparents Scam”: ▀ Resist the pressure to act quickly. ▀ Try to contact your grandchild or another family member to determine whether or not the call is legitimate. ▀ Never wire money based on a request made over the phone or in an e-mail. Wiring money is like giving cash — once you send it, you can’t get it back.
Boots On Ground, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, was recently named the winner of the free office giveaway in Erie’s Renaissance Centre. The organization was founded in 2012 by Erie native Venus Azevedo after her brother, Navy Corpsman Phillip Azevedo, killed himself. The group will be located in Suite 1300 of the building. Second place was awarded to WeCreate, which had been located inside Radius CoWork in the Renaissance Centre. • The National Federation of Independent Business isn’t a fan of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s call for boosting the minimum wage to $10.15 an hour. The federation said the pay hike would cost Pennsylvania 31,000 jobs. • Erie-based Erie Indemnity Co., the management company of Erie Insurance, will report on the company’s fourth quarter earnings after the stock market closes on Feb. 25. The company will host an audio webcast to discuss those earnings the following day at 10 a.m. • Accuride Corp., which operates a truck wheels plant on East 12th Street in Erie, has been named one of 33 suppliers worldwide to win the Diamond Supplier Award from Navistar. Suppliers were recognized for quality, delivery, technology and cost. • GE Transportation will host Business After Hours, a networking event for members of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, on Thursday at the Customer Innovation Center, 901 Franklin Ave., from 5 to 7 p.m. Visitors can enjoy refreshments and learn what it means to be a digital industrial company. For more information or to register, call 454-7191.