Erie Insurance invests in Gannon University
Gannon University’s plan to transform a former Verizon call center into the home of the Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge has received a $1 million boost.
Erie-based Erie Insurance has pledged $1 million toward the ongoing renovations of the I-Hack building at 131 W. Ninth St.
Erie Insurance CEO Tim NeCastro also announced an additional $1 million commitment by the company as part of a service agreement with the university.
More specifically, Erie County’s largest employer will fund construction of what’s being called The Hatchery, a dedicated third-floor collaborative innovation space.
The partnership between Gannon and Erie Insurance will lead to the creation of the Erie Insurance Idea Lab, a space where Erie Insurance employees will collaborate with Gannon students, faculty and other research partners on real-world projects.
According to a statement from Gannon, “Erie Insurance will interact in this shared environment to provide education, research and industry experiences for specific workforce development and student employment during their academic years and following graduation.”
Gannon has other commitments as it works to complete the $28 million reinvention of the six-story building, which will include academic and commercial space as well as a data center.
In September, Pierre McCormick, a 1979 Gannon graduate, announced a $1 million gift. That money will be used to establish the Pierre McCormick Cyber Learning Center on the second floor of the building.
In February, Gannon announced that Extreme Networks, a California-based technology company, will establish a training center on the third floor, where it will provide students with millions of dollars worth of free training over the life of a 10-year agreement.
Gannon and Erie Insurance announced the investment and new partnership at a news conference Tuesday.
“We are proud to have Erie Insurance join this venture,” Gannon President Keith Taylor said in a statement. “This is a company that has done so much for this city and for our institution. Today’s announcement is just one more way we are linked together in defining Erie’s history and our future.”
NeCastro, who also serves on Gannon’s board of trustees, said The Hatchery “will be the birthplace of big and bold ideas and a place where resources and meaningful connections come together to turn ideas into reality.”
He continued, “This space is purpose-built for exactly that type of innovation work.”
Contact Jim Martin at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ETNMartin.