Business briefs
PRESS CLUB ANNOUNCES HOF CLASS: The Youngstown Press Club has announced its inaugural Hall of Fame class and First Amendment award honoree.
To be inducted are Stan Boney and Ralph Zerbonia and the late Bob Black. Also receiving the first-ever Youngstown Press Club First Amendment Award is The Vindicator Printing Company.
The ceremony and dinner is 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown. Ticket information can be found at www.yopressclub.com.
LUNCH & LEARN THIS WEEK: The approximately $250 million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding coming to the Mahoning Valley will be the topic at the Lunch & Learn program Tuesday at Youngstown Country Club.
The luncheon, presented by the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber and Youngstown Foundation, is 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and costs $10 per person.
The panelists include Terrence Slaybaugh, vice president, sites and infrastructure, JobsOhio; Carol Rimedio-Righetti, Mahoning County commissioner; Warren Councilwoman, Cheryl Saffold, D-6th Ward; and Jim Kinnick, executive director, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments. Guy Coviello, chamber president / CEO, will moderate.
BANQUET SCHEDULED: The Warren P. Williamson Jr. College of Business Administration at Youngstown State University will present the 25th Annual WCBA Alumni Banquet on Oct. 8 at Williamson Hall at YSU.
Recipients of 2021 WCBA Outstanding Alumni Awards are Joseph Caruso, president / CEO, COMPASS Family and Community Services; Janice Jasinski, principal, Schroedel, Scullin & Bestic LLC; Jonathon Fauvie, senior community affairs specialist, Medical Mutual; and Lamar Salter, producer, CNN.
The reception begins at 5:45 p.m. with dinner at 6:45 p.m., followed by college highlights and presentation of awards. Banquet reservations can be made online by Friday.
GRANTS AWARDED: The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation has given $237,500 in Critical Community Needs Grants to 52 nonprofit organizations in Ohio, including three in Youngstown.
The local groups that got money were Second Harvest Food Bank of Mahoning Valley, $10,000; Compass Family and Community Services, $5,000; and Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, $2,500.
The money is used to help feed, house and care for people in need.
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM EARNS HONORS: Akron Children’s Hospital has again been honored by ERC as one of northeast Ohio’s best places to work. This year marks the 15th time Akron Children’s has earned this regional award.
Presented by ERC and now in its 23rd year, NorthCoast 99 recognizes 99 great workplaces in the region for their efforts to attract, develop, retain and motivate their top performers.
All winners participated in an application process focusing on organizational strategy, policies and benefits; talent attraction, acquisition and onboarding; employee well-being; employee engagement and talent development; total rewards; and diversity, equity and inclusion.
FARRIS TAPPED: Farris Marketing of Boardman has been selected by Rocky River-based Premium Infused Spirits LLC, makers of Lillo Limoncello and Lillo Coffee Liqueurs, for branding and social media marketing.
The initial marketing campaign, “Discover the Love,” will debut this month.
CASSIDY REPRESENTING GLUNT: Canfield-based Cassidy Advertising & Consulting LLC has announced Glunt Industries as its latest client.
Founded in 1966, Glunt, which has four plants in Warren and Niles, works with large industrial and steel mill equipment. They fabricate, repair, recondition, rebuild and upgrade steel and aluminum product equipment, including rolls, chocks and mandrels.
BURGAN PARTNERS WITH YSU: Burgan Real Estate has renewed its marketing partnership with Youngstown State University as the official brokerage of YSU athletics.
The program includes several branding elements, including signage at Stambaugh Stadium during home football games and Beeghly Center during men’s and women’s home basketball games, digital marketing, naming rights as the exclusive student section sponsor for YSU men’s and women’s basketball games.
FUNDING WORKSHOP AVAILABLE: The Association of Fundraising Professionals Mahoning-Shenango will host a philanthropy trends workshop Sept. 30 at Drakes Landing, 2177 Western Reserve Road, Poland.
The workshop, “Current Trends in Philanthropy and Lessons Learned” will begin with lunch at noon. The speaker is Paul McFadden, president of the Youngstown State University Foundation, who will share lessons learned during YSU’s $125 million dollar “We See Tomorrow” campaign.
The registration deadline is Friday. Registration is available through the education tab at afpnet.org/afpohmahoningshenangochapter or by emailing afpmash@gmail.com. The cost is $20 for AFP Members and $30 for nonmembers.
New business
RESTAURANTS OPEN: Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain, has opened three new locations in the Youngstown area.
They are at 1993 Boardman Canfield Road, Boardman; 2389 Niles Cortland Road SE, Niles; and 2431 E. State St., Hermitage, Pa.
The Boardman and Niles locations mark the first Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh stores in Ohio. The restaurants feature customizable items, such as stuffed pitas, laffas, traditional gyros, bowls, plates and salads.
People on the move
FIRMS ADD STAFF: Fractional CFO Services, a division of Liberty-based HD Davis CPAs recently added Ken McBride, CPA, as director of Fractional CFO Services.
HD Davis CPAs and White Glove Payroll recently hired Will Rauber as chief financial officer.
Other additions include Lucy Mendez, client presentation specialist; Lori Butler, senior accountant; Megan Jones, creative assistant; Chrissy Jakubek, CFO service staff; and Kelli Huck, senior accountant.
PLUMMER JOINS PALO: Digital marketing and advertising agency, PALO Creative, has hired Steve Plummer as director of creative services.
Plummer has 36 years of marketing experience, serving in a creative director role at international marketing agencies in northeastern Ohio for the last 14 years. Some of his responsibilities have included managing teams, creating design concepts, implementing brand strategies, and working to bridge the gap between creative, account and strategy teams.
PREMIER HIRES SVP: Premier Bank has brought on Robert H. Kempe as senior vice president, commercial loan manager, for the Mahoning Valley.
Kempe, who has 33 years of commercial lending experience, most recently worked as senior vice president, commercial loan group manager, for a regional bank headquartered in Detroit.
In his new role, Kempe will work to guide and coach his team of commercial bankers in the Mahoning Valley market while focusing on the development and growth of the bank’s commercial loan portfolio.
Submit items for Business briefs, New Businesses and People on the Move to business@tribtoday.com, fax to 330-841-1717 or online at www.tribtoday.com. The deadline is 4 p.m. Thursday.
Business briefs
ASSOCIATION GIVES SCHOLARSHIPS: The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association through its Auto Dealers’ Educational Assistance Foundation has awarded $120,000 in individual scholarships to dealership employees or their dependents.
Local recipients include Sky Bultron, Boardman Nissan; Nicole Tinkham, Cole Valley Cadillac; Jaret Foulke, Donnell Ford; Anna Mackenzie, Klaben Ford; and Alexandria Fisher and Hanna Rosser, Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC.
Applications were sent to association members for employee participation. Winners were chosen from a list of more than 150 applicants, comprised of dependents of member dealership employees as well as employees at individual dealerships.
BREAKING BREAD SET: Armstrong is bringing back Avenge Hunger Month in September with the goal of helping feed the less fortunate in the Mahoning Valley as part of an ongoing Breaking Bread initiative.
The 2021 drive marks the fourth year to hold the event that helps supply more than 200 community feeding programs throughout the Armstrong footprint in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky.
To help, drop off your nonperishable food items or monetary donations at the North Lima office on Woodworth Road, or Sparkle Markets in Cornersburg, Salem, Columbiana, Poland, Lake Milton and New Castle.
There also will be drop-off sites at Giant Eagle in Poland and Canfield, Nemenz IGA in Struthers, Davis Family YMCA in Boardman, High Octane Coffee in Boardman, Enviroscapes, Eastwood Mall, Motel 6 on Belmont Avenue and Onyx Health Club in Niles.
REGIONAL CHAMBER EVENT: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber will host Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, for its annual Salute to Elected Officials event 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23 at The Grand Resort, Howland.
The event brings together local, state and federal government officials and their staffs with hundreds of local business leaders and public policy advocates from around Ohio for a wine and beer tasting event.
The cost is $30 per member and $40 per nonmember.
FLORIST MARKS MILESTONE: Bloomin’ Crazy Flowers and Gifts, 8277 Market St., Boardman, will mark its 45th anniversary with a celebratory ribbon cutting Friday.
The shop began in August 1976 in a small building on Southern Boulevard in Boardman and moved to the Market street location nearly 20 years ago. It has been managed and operated by Janet Dunn and Ann Marie Velchek since 2016.
FIRM PLANS TO EXPAND: Bill Liptak, assistant director of operations for More Options Realty, has received his North Carolina real estate broker license and More Options Realty will be expanding business operations into North Carolina.
The company’s headquarters will remain in the Mahoning Valley.
CEO ACCEPTED INTO COUNCIL: Rick Stockburger, CEO of BRITE Energy Innovators, has been accepted into Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for CIOs, CTOs and technology executives.
Stockburger was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors.
As a member of the council, Stockburger has access to a variety of exclusive opportunities designed to help him reach peak professional influence. He will connect and collaborate with other local leaders in a private forum. He also will be invited to work with a professional editorial team to share his expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts.
BURGAN LAUNCHES NEW LOGO: Canfield-based Burgan Real Estate has launched a new logo that reflects the company’s evolution and expanded service offerings.
The logo continues to leverage and pay homage to the past of Burgan with its brown color and pointed top of the lower case “b” associated with the 44-year-old agency. The font was altered for a more contemporary feel, while the entire logo was changed from its angled approach to a level orientation for easier usage across a wider array of applications.
People on the Move
iSYNERGY EXPANDS TEAM: Local digital marketing agency iSynergy has hired Jake Kruegel as a digital marketer.
Kruegel previously worked with The Karcher Group and OuterBox as an SEO strategist, focused on strategies that impacted rankings and sales. He also assisted with front end website development.
Additionally, he worked as operations supervisor at WRIS Web Services, maintaining multiple responsibilities including web development, sales, client management, project management and various marketing roles.
Kruegel is the fifth additional hire within the last six months for iSynergy.
LITTLETON JOINS COLEMAN: Coleman Services has brought on Stacia Erdos Littleton as the mental health nonprofit’s regional development executive for the Mahoning Valley and Jefferson County.
She comes to Coleman from the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, where she worked most recently as vice president of strategic planning, helping to lead record-setting campaigns and launching Women United. Before that, she worked in local print and television media.
PROMOTION AT PREMIER: Youngstown-based Premier Bank has promoted John M. Prelac to vice president, director of trust.
He joined Premier Wealth in March 2016 as vice president, chief trust officer, a role in which he evaluated investment and estate planning strategies and delivered and oversaw all estate settlement processes.
His new responsibilities include overseeing Premier Wealth’s fiduciary duties, ensuring compliance with policies, managing trust officers and maintaining and growing the trust portfolio.
Submit items for Business briefs, New Businesses and People on the Move to business@tribtoday.com, fax to 330-841-1717 or online at www.tribtoday.com. The deadline is 4 p.m. Thursday.