This year’s ERIE Conference will explore the economic potential of Project RESOLVE, a regional strategy for shifting the plastics, metal-casting and transportation industries to a circular economic model. The effort, which is being led by Penn State Behrend, is designed to advance manufacturing competitiveness while reducing the plastic and waste pollution that affects freshwater systems, including Lake Erie.

The July 25 program will be held in the Samuel P. “Pat” Black III Conference Center. Speakers will include Behrend Chancellor Ralph Ford; Amy Bridger, senior director of corporate strategy and external engagement; and Alicyn Rhoades, vice chancellor and associate dean for research and graduate studies. Faculty members from Behrend and Gannon University will discuss components of Project RESOLVE, including the development of a Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness.

To learn more about the program, or to register, visit the ERIE Conference webpage.

The ERIE Conference is coordinated by the Economic Research Institute of Erie, an applied research unit at Penn State Behrend’s Black School of Business. ERIE’s research and publications, including the Erie Leading Index, help the local community understand the region’s economy and the many ways it intersects with national economic trends.