New industrial park is Class A attraction
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A North Lima company is driving the development of top-tier industrial sites throughout the Mahoning Valley.
Top Property Holdings marked the start of construction on the Youngstown Technology Park, a new speculative building development in Youngstown, with a formal groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday. The action advances a $4.8 million investment that adds move-in-ready industrial space to the region’s site inventory.
Company owner Greg Toporcer joined state, county and city leaders at Exal Court location, near Salt Springs Road, to mark the milestone.
JobsOhio is supporting the project with $2,387,000 in grant and loan funding through its Ohio Site Inventory Program, secured with the advocacy of Lake to River Economic Development, the JobsOhio network partner for Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties. The assistance helped move the two-phased project from concept to groundbreaking for the first 50,400-square-foot class-A industrial building with 32-foot ceilings and strengthened the case for site selectors evaluating the Mahoning Valley.
Speculative construction remains one of the sharpest constraints facing communities competing for large manufacturing and logistics projects. Top Property’s decision to build without a committed tenant positions Youngstown with a high-quality, ready-to-occupy option for companies working on compressed timelines.
"We have watched opportunities pass over the Mahoning Valley because we did not have space ready to show a prospect," said Greg Toporcer, owner of Top Property, who developed a similar project in North Jackson that was fully leased last year. "This building plan changes that equation. We are committed to this market because the demand behind it is real."
Dani Robbins, Lake to River CEO, praised Toporcer's efforts.
"Private investment like this is what allows a community to grow on its own terms,” Robbins said. “Greg Toporcer is exactly the kind of visionary this region needs, someone willing to commit capital ahead of demand because he can see what we are capable of becoming."
The project also drew support from business leaders and elected officials, including the city of Youngstown, which sold the property to Toporcer and invested in an extension of utility services to it.
Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber said "the lack of modern, Class A speculative space was costing the Mahoning Valley economic development.
"Greg Toporcer and Top Property Holdings stepped up to help fill that gap," he said. "Their first speculative building in North Jackson is now home to Shapes Unlimited, and today they are making that commitment again in Youngstown. ... Having modern industrial space ready to go gives the Valley a better chance to compete for new investment and jobs.”
Youngstown Mayor Derrick McDowell said Top Property's investment puts vacant industrial property back into use and boosts the city's tax base.