Erie Homecoming 2019: Accelerator for America Founder Makes Case for Investing

By Lisa Adams

Erie Homecoming 2019 kicks off Monday, aimed this year at attracting big investment in Erie's eight federally designated Opportunity Zones.

The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership and the EDDC - Erie Downtown Development Corporation, are teaming up on the two day event this year.

Registration begins Monday morning at the Bayfront Convention Center. 

The event will showcase high-potential investment opportunities in Erie, that include the big "shovel ready" plans for North Park Row, the first eight buildings purchased by the EDDC.

Known as the national "do-tank," Accelerator for America will lead interactive discussions on investment ready projects and conduct workshops on investment tools and incentives to make sound investments in Erie.

The CEO and Founder of Accelerator for America is already here in town, getting a look at Erie for the first time.  He told Erie News Now that anything's possible if Erie focuses on investing at home and on what it has, not on what it doesn't have. "You have beautiful buildings, beautiful bones, you've got an incredibly gorgeous lake front, that's what I think everybody has to realize," Jacobs said.

Jacobs will speak on Tuesday at Erie Homecoming 2019.

There's a full day of impressive speakers Monday, including the morning keynote with Scott Turner Executive Director of the White House Opportunity & Revitalization Council. They have called attention to how Erie is handling its Opportunity Zones as a model for the country.

After tours of the Opportunity Zones on Monday and a special dinner hosted by EDDC,  Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will be the Monday evening keynote speaker.  For schedule and registration details, click here.

To read the full article here.