Erie Insurance, Erie County’s third-largest employer, is No. 455 on Fortune’s ranking of the largest American companies based on total revenue.
Erie Insurance made its initial debut on the FORTUNE 500 in 2003.
“For 88 years, we’ve built a reputation for outstanding financial protection and superior service,” said Terry Cavanaugh, president and chief executive officer of Erie Insurance. “Our continued presence on the Fortune 500 is a testament to the confidence and trust our customers place in us every day.”

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority has approved a $208,000 grant to help build a compressed natural gas filling station at the Birkmire Trailer Co. facility in McKean Township at Interstate 90 and Route 832.

That funding is part of a $2.6 million project by Butler-based Birkmire. The company plans to convert 15 trucks so they will be able to burn both CNG and diesel fuel. Six new CNG trucks also are being purchased.

The company’s new filling station could provide access to other trucking companies in the area and will feature a 125-gallon-per-hour CNG compressor.

The grant money was provided through the Alternative and Clean Energy program.

The project is expected to save 359,000 gallons of diesel each year.

The Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle grocery chain, which has five locations in the Erie area, is offering a quicker pathway to a free tank of gas as the summer driving season approaches.

Effective today, participating locations, including stores in Erie, Meadville, Franklin and Oil City, will temporarily double the benefits of its Fuel Perks rewards program.

Advantage Card holders, who typically receive a 10-cent discount for gas at GetGo service stations for every $50 they spend on groceries, gift cards or pharmacy purchases, will see those rewards double to 20 cents through May 29.

The offer, along with other incentives, “demonstrate commitment to delivering value to area customers,” said Rob Borella, the company’s director of corporate communications.

The General Electric Co., which recently asked Erie’s General Electric Federal Credit Union to change its name, isn’t the only company that’s protective of its name.

In Clarksburg, W.Va., the board of park commissioners found out recently the Scott Enterprises, owner of Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park in Summit Township, thought one Splash Lagoon was enough.

According to a report in the Exponent Telegram in West Virginia, park commissioners in Clarksburg agreed recently to change the name of its aquatic center after receiving a letter from Splash Lagoon.

Clarksburg’s Splash Lagoon, described as a family aquatic center, will now be known as City Parks of Clarksburg Splash Zone.

“We didn’t think there would be an issue, since it’s so far away and they’re two different facilities,” said John Cooper, park superintendent in Clarksburg. “Theirs is a huge indoor water park, and ours is an outdoor mini water park. But they took exception, so we complied with their request.”

There’s nothing unusual about Splash Lagoon’s interest in protecting its name.

It’s considered standard practice in corporate America for companies to fend off challenges to their identity.

Channellock Inc. in Meadville, one of he world’s largest makers of pliers, goes a step further. Companies that make blue-handled pliers are routinely warned if their blue is too close to Channellock’s blue.

Inside the walls of GE Transportation, the acronym GETS is known to stand for GE Transportation Systems.

But that familiar phrase has taken on a new meaning on a T-shirt that’s been spotted around the Lawrence Park plant. On this black shirt, the orange letters spell out “Giving Erie The Shaft,” an apparent reference to the company’s plan to eliminate more than 1,000 local jobs.

The company and Local 506 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America are in the midst of a 60-day negotiating process aimed at reducing the number of jobs lost.

At least for now, neither the union nor the company is commenting directly on the status of those negotiations.
But a source inside the union did confirm that the shirts don’t bear the UE logo and aren’t being purchased, sold or sanctioned by UE 506.

Erie lawyer Ron DiNicola, who can already claim Erie County government and boxing great Muhammad Ali as clients, has been retained by 3,500 new clients — union members at GE Transportation.

On April 18, in one of his first official acts as the new president of Local 506 of the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America, Scott Duke proposed the union retain DiNicola to assist in the decision bargaining with GE Transportation.
Earlier in April, the company had announced its intention to eliminate 950 union jobs and 100 management positions at its Lawrence Park plant.

As part of a process called decision bargaining, the company and its main union have entered negotiations aimed at reducing the number of lost jobs.

DiNicola, a former Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress, has a history with the UE.

The union retained him in 2010 after more than a 1,000 of its members were denied a bid for federal Trade Adjustment Assistance, which provides wide-reaching benefits to employees who lose their jobs due to foreign competition.

With DiNicola’s assistance, the union won those benefits after submitting its third application.

DiNicola confirmed that he’s working with the UE, but said he won’t provide a commentary on the negotiating process.
“The parties have elected to refrain from providing a color commentary on the negotiations. That is appropriate,” DiNicola said.

For more coverage of GE Transportation, visit: http://goerie.com/section/ge

— Jim Martin

Just as many of us are planning to shut the furnace down for the season, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. has announced a 3.3 percent increase in the price of natural gas.

The increase raises the average bill for an average customer by $2.36 to $73.81 a month.

This rate increase, which remains in effect through the end of July, arrives during what’s likely to be one of the lowest usage periods of the year.

The utility, which is required to pass along the cost of gas to consumers on a dollar-for-dollar basis, will be able to adjust rates again on Aug. 1.

Spokeswoman Sandra James said the change reflects the market price of natural gas. On Feb. 1 of this year, the utility decreased gas supply charges by 6.7 percent.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Erie dropped three-tenths of a percentage-point in March to 7.7 percent.
The drop in the unemployment rate was also seen in neighboring and nearby counties. Crawford County decreased four-tenths of a percentage point to 7.2 percent, Mercer County fell one-tenth to 8.5 percent and Venango County was down four-tenths to 7.9 percent.
In March, the number of seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs rose 300 in Erie to 130,700. Despite this increase, jobs in the county were down 600 from the same time a year ago.

Max and Erma’s is closed this week, as are the dining rooms for a McDonald’s on Peach Street and the Arby’s on West 26th Street. The drive-thru lanes for the fast-food restaurants are open, however.
Max and Erma’s, located at the Millcreek Mall, closed Sunday afternoon and won’t reopen until at least Saturday. By then, the interior is expected to have undergone a complete update. The new look is part of a corporate-wide program to update the 75-restaurant chain. Many Max and Erma’s locations in Pittsburgh and Ohio have already been completed. There will also be minor tweaks to the menu.
Also being renovated is the McDonald’s at 4319 Peach St. and the Arby’s at 2812 W. 26th St. Those chains have also been updating dining rooms in recent months. Both of the restaurants are continuing to operate their drive-thru lanes.

Shoppers at the Millcreek Mall will soon have yet another choice for eating. Cinnabon, the maker of baked good and iced coffees, will soon be opening a shop near the entrance to JC Penney adjacent to RadioShack, according to the Millcreek Mall’s website.
A specific opening date has not been announced.