NWPAMade Business Program: Regional Brand Launching This Spring

Contributed

Launching this spring comes the latest initiative from the partnership between Bridgeway Capital and the PennWest Edinboro Beehive called NWPAMade, which helps support maker-entrepreneurs in Erie and Crawford counties. Pictured are the graduates of the 2024 ErieMade Business Academy, which is the predecessor to this program.

Northwest Pennsylvania's history is rich with homegrown products, ranging from Smith's delicious hot dogs, to Whitethorn's imaginative video game catalog, to CHANNELLOCK's world-renowned pliers and tools. Beyond these abbreviated highlights lies an innovative, diverse, and ever-growing population of NWPA maker-entrepreneurs, a group whose creations can contribute to our regional identity, provide jobs for residents, and fill local storefronts and national shelves. This potential impact drives the launch of NWPAMade, kicking off this spring.

This new initiative from Bridgeway Capital and the PennWest Edinboro Beehive aims to support and highlight exciting maker-entrepreneurs across Erie County and Crawford County through free business assistance and an ambitious regional branding initiative. The program partners have purposefully given maker-entrepreneurs a broad and modern definition for the project, encompassing artists, craftspeople, chefs, brewers, small-batch manufacturers, software developers, and more. Funded by a $452,000 POWER grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, one critical pillar of NWPAMade will be an annual business accelerator housing 15 maker/creative businesses and held in locations across the region. Amanda Duncan, a member of Erie's 40 Under 40 Class of 2020 and owner of Chiara Consultants, and Katie Schaible, program director for Bridgeway Capital, will lead the accelerator and provide extensive business coaching.

"We have many thriving creative businesses in our region," said Duncan. "Our goal with NWPAMade is to equip these entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to grow their business, generate more revenue, and establish sustainable operations."

The free entrepreneurial support program is built off Bridgeway's successful track record of elevating maker businesses, and it will include sessions on financial planning, marketing, legal, and other business necessities. Participants will also receive grant-like technical assistance stipends (to work further with regional professionals) and will be prepared to pursue additional funding opportunities. Finally, cohort members will be assisted by students at the PennWest Edinboro Beehive in areas such as website development, search engine optimization, and social media strategy. The program is a natural evolution of Bridgeway's ErieMade Business Academy, which ran from 2022 to 2024.

"The cohorts that graduated from ErieMade were rich with talent, so we knew the timing and need was right to launch NWPAMade," said Schaible. "The Beehive has been a pivotal partner over the years and we are confident that this next evolution of programming combined with the Beehive's expertise will produce next-level business growth for the participating businesses."

The launch of NWPAMade will also coincide with a regional branding initiative that highlights both the products made in Northwest Pennsylvania and the creators. Additionally, it will aim to detail the reasons that NWPA can serve as a great base for a maker business. One of those factors is the affordable cost of living present in both Erie County and Crawford County. According to the Economic Policy Institute's Family Budget Calculator, the annual average cost of living for U.S. counties is $86,120. Erie County's annual average cost of living is $82,270 (4.47% below average) and Crawford County's is $78,576 (9.42% below average). Pair this with the region's public maker spaces, an innovative manufacturing scene (metal fabrication, plastics), and a robust business support network, and you begin to see those advantages.

NWPAMade kicks off with two informational mixers in February. Erie County's mixer will be held at 1020 Collective (1020 Holland Street) on Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. After Bridgeway introduces the program, Chris Norris of Revox Media will talk to the audience about how to successfully incorporate video into their social media strategy. The Crawford County mixer will be held the very next day, on Feb. 13, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Meadville's Blissful Meads (847 Market St.) The program introduction will be followed by a discussion on marketing strategy, led by Ron Mattocks of Bull Moose Marketing.

NWPAMade applications are now open. They will close on March 10th. Head to bridgewaycapital.org/creative-business-accelerator/nwpamade/ for more information, or email program head Chris Lantinen at clantinen@pennwest.edu.