Business briefs and People on the Move
ATTY. RECEIVES WORKERS’ COMP DESIGNATION: Martin J. Boetcher, a partner at Youngstown-based Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell, Ltd., recently achieved board certification by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in workers’ compensation law.
The specialist designation requires an advanced course of ongoing legal education, a rigorous written exam and favorable evaluations by other lawyers and judges, as well as measurable involvement in the specialty area.
Boetcher’s practice includes representing employers and companies involved in workers’ compensation and employment matters. He also represents companies, private and public organizations in other legal matters.
He has practiced law for more than 30 years with HHM and its predecessor firms. In addition to specializing in workers’ compensation law, he represents employers in many facets of employment dispute including civil lawsuits, wrongful discharge claims, retaliation claims, discrimination claims and other day-to-day issues dealing with company policies. His work with workers’ compensation claims covers both self-insured and state fund employers.
CHANGE CAMPAIGN RAISES $10,000: HD Davis CPAs and White Glove Payroll raised $10,000 through the HD Change Campaign to benefit Project MKC.
The campaign, established to support and give back to the community, raised $4,000 through employee contributions, $4,500 through an employer match, and $1,500 via an online raffle in early December.
Project MKC is a Boardman-based nonprofit organization dedicated to help children in a variety of ways, from giving Comfort Kits, a program that provides infants, children and teens entering the foster care system care bags to replace items they were forced to leave behind or never had, to after-school tutoring to a summer food program.
The 2021 HD Change Campaign recipient will be The Melina Michelle Edenfield Foundation, a foundation to help find a cure for Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) and Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) pediatric brain tumors.
RIBBON CUT: Waypoint 4180 and CTW Development Corp. were set to celebrate the grand opening of the The Full Swing Golf Simulator Lounge at Waypoint 4180, 4180 Westford Place, Canfield, on Wednesday.
The new simulator lounge features three Full Swing Pro Series simulators with the latest golf software. Golfers now are able to play more than 80 iconic championship courses featured on the PGA Tour and TPC network.
The simulator features real-time feedback and accurate club and ball data. Practice also can be customized by adjusting wind speed, target greens and adding buckets to improve a short game. Also, its multisports package expands game play with football, soccer, dodge ball and other activities.
MORE OPTIONS MOVING SOUTH: More Options Realty, which has local offices in Hubbard and Boardman, has entered into an agreement to expand operations into the South Florida market, mainly Fort Myers, Naples, Sanibel and Captiva islands.
For now, it’s a virtual company with a brick-and-mortar location predicted in the next year.
Also, Realtor Ryan Hallapy recently passed his Pennsylvania real estate exam. He will be focusing on western Pennsylvania as well as Pittsburgh. Hallapy is a 2020 president’s club award winner and a multimillion dollar producer.
People on the Move
PROMOTION AT PREMIER: Premier Bank has promoted Jennifer Bidlingmyer to senior vice president, treasury management sales director, the bank announced.
She joined the bank in 2012 and has served in various leadership roles in treasury management and retail / business banking. She most recently served as treasury management sales team leader.
In her new role, Bidlingmyer will lead the treasury management line of business strategy and sales process to meet growth and profitability objectives.
COMMERCIAL FIRM EXPANDS TEAM: Burgan Friedkin Commercial Group in Canfield has brought on David Italiano to its commercial real estate team. Italiano joined the team at Burgan Friedkin in November 2020 after relocating back to the Mahoning Valley.
Italiano, who was born in Youngstown, spent the past five years traveling and studying commercial real estate while living in Central California. In addition, Italiano and his wife, Panayiota, earned their Plant-Based Chef Certifications. They recently purchased “Ely’s to Go,” Youngstown’s popular vegan cafe.
BURGAN ADDS REALTOR: Warren native Carrie Gedeon recently joined Burgan Real Estate
as a Realtor.
PODIATRY PRACTICE BRINGS ON MANAGER: Dr. James J. LaPolla Jr. has announced Angie Strader of Newton Falls is the new office manager for his podiatry practice, Northeast Ohio Foot, Ankle & Wound Center.
Strader oversees the overall functionality of the practice with her responsibilities including credentialing, banking, workers’ compensation, coding and managing team members. She has extensive experience in the podiatry field working both front and back office duties.
She attended ETI Technical College, where she earned her associate’s degree in applied science and graduated magna cum laude. Strader is also CPR certified. The practice has locations in Warren, Brookfield and Cortland.
Business briefs and People on the Move
CREDIT UNION HAS FREE WEBINAR SERIES: Credit Union of Ohio, which recently expanded its service into Trumbull and Mahoning counties, will deliver a free, weekly financial webinar series to its communities in 2021.
The series will start with Financial Fitness Boot Camp noon Wednesday. The session will help train attendees to increase their credit score, live within a budget, build a savings plan and stay accountable to financial goals.
The series will be noon Wednesdays. Registration is required for each webinar. Other January sessions are Estate Planning, Jan. 13; How to Improve your Credit Score, Jan. 20; and Buying a “New” Car, Jan. 27.
Virtual workshops are open to Credit Union of Ohio members and the general public.
ALTA RECEIVES GRANT: Alta Care Group, the Mahoning Valley agency that provides social, emotional, behavioral and physical services, was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from The Aimee & Lulu Seidel Foundation. The money will be used to help pay for a new van that provides transportation for clients.
The grant was joined by grants from the Hine Memorial Fund administered through the Youngstown Foundation and the Mercy Health Foundation to purchase the transportation vehicle.
Alta serves an estimated 3,000 children, adolescents, youth and their families each year. Seventy-five percent of the individuals and families it serves fall within the federal guidelines for poverty.
GROUP BENEFITS FROM FUNDRAISER: Mina’s Foster Closet in North Lima has been chosen the recipient of Mercy Health Youngstown’s annual Festival of Trees fundraiser.
The Festival of Trees is held at locations across the Mahoning Valley. Every tree has a different theme, featuring prizes and unique designs that were raffled off. The event this year raised $5,000.
Mina’s Foster Closet provides new or gently used clothing, toys, baby gear, book bags, toiletries, furniture and other items that are needed by foster families. For more information or to donate, visit minasfostercloset.com.
PACKER THOMAS RANKED AMONG BEST FIRMS IN U.S.: Canfield-based Packer Thomas, a regional certified public accounting and business consulting firm, was recently recognized in the Forbes America’s Best Tax and Accounting Firms List 2021.
This is the second year Forbes has partnered with market research company Statista to create a list of the most recommended firms for tax and accounting services in the U.S. based on surveys of tax and accounting professionals and their clients. Of the 278 firms identified, 250 were recommended for tax and 200 were recommended for accounting; 172 were recommended for both. Packer Thomas was recognized in both.
The company, founded in 1923, has more than 55 employees and serves domestic and international clients.
OOGEEP EDUCATES RECORD NUMBER OF OHIOANS: The Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) educated a record number of people about the oil and gas industry in 2020 through its statewide education and public outreach programs.
OOGEEP’s “Essential Ohio Energy” ad campaign, which focused on all the ways natural gas and oil impact our daily lives, launched in August 2020.
In addition, OOGEEP hosted a series of teacher workshops, firefighter training sessions and other educational and public outreach initiatives. Some of the highlights were195 teachers who were educated through teacher workshops and provided classroom resources, 23 firefighters who were trained for rare oil- and gas-related emergencies, $170,000 was donated to Ohio communities and first responders and $55,600 was provided in higher education scholarships and science fair awards.
AGENCY OPENS NEW LOCATION: Sight for All United recently opened a new location at the Fifth Street Plaza in Struthers.
The agency provides financial assistance to eligible individuals who are faced with vision challenges.
Vision services include eye exams, eyeglasses, cataract surgeries, corneal crosslinking surgeries, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and glaucoma treatments. Since its inception, Sight for All United has provided $500,000 worth of services to individuals in need.
The agency received grants from the Cafaro Foundation and the J. Ford Crandall Foundation for the space at 966 Fifth St. and equipment needed for the location. Other businesses that helped make this move possible include, DJV Carpet, Home Depot, Office Depot, Ace Hardware-Struthers, Sarco Properties, Edward Rowland and Pro Business Systems.
WELLNESS FACILITY OPENS: Optimal Health & Wellness, 584 E. Main St., Canfield, celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting recently.
Optimal Health and Wellness practices functional medicine, a model which is individualized. Functional medicine does incorporate traditional medicine if necessary, but strives to use a natural approach to address health problems, such as diet, exercise, sleep and stress levels.
Other services offered are Urgent Care for minor illnesses such as sore throat, urinary tract infections, and earaches. Flu and strep testing, as well as flu shots are available by appointment. Telemedicine visits are also an option.
People on the Move
TWO JOIN FIRM: Boardman-based advertising and marketing firm PALO Creative has added Christina Belcik as marketing manager and Scott Lendak as content writer.
Belcik joins PALO Creative after working as a marketing manager in Cleveland for more than four years. She is a native of Girard and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications while minoring in marketing and public relations at Youngstown State University.
Lendak comes to PALO after spending a year as a full-time reporter for a newspaper in Lisbon. From Boardman, Lendak attended Kent State University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in multimedia journalism.
BURGAN ADDS STAFF: Boardman native Kelly Klem has joined Burgan Real Estate as a Realtor. Before joining the staff, she worked for 10 years at a local law firm before stopping to raise her family of two daughters and one son.
FIRM BRINGS ON REALTOR: Burgan Friedkin Commercial Group has added Boardman resident Jonathan Italiano to the commercial real estate team. He joined Burgan Friedkin in November after passing his real estate exam.
Italiano, graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School and Youngstown State University, worked for a local technology / software company, at Andrew’s Cycles and Newport Motor Sales, and owned a used car dealership before joining Burgan Friedkin.
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