Business briefs
CHAMBER TO HOST DINNER: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber, in collaboration with ScaleCo, Huntington and HBK, will honor 20 family-owned businesses at the Mahoning Valley’s inaugural Family-Owned Business Recognition Dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. March 11 at the Lake Club in Poland.
The event is a continuation of the Family-Owned Business Program, an informative panel series that launched in 2021.
The evening will include a keynote from Huntington Bank’s Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Stephen Steinour.
Of the 20 family-owned business nominees, the Regional Chamber and its partners will give special recognition to five of them in specific categories: ScaleCo Success in Succession, Huntington Social Impact Award, HBK Growth Story, Family-Owned Business Advocate of the Year and Local to National Presence.
CREDIT UNION HITS MILESTONE: 717 Credit Union now serves more than 100,000 account holders, surpassing the milestone at the end of 2021.
With assets at nearly $1.4 billion, the credit union continues to grow and serve members and communities across northeast Ohio. Last year, the credit union’s membership grew at a rate of 6 percent, and over the last five years, membership has increased by more than 26 percent.
The mark comes on the heels of the credit union being named to the top 100 credit unions in the U.S. Last year. 717 was ranked first in Ohio and 40th in the nation for the best-performing U.S. credit unions in 2020 by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
LAWYERS RECOGNIZED: Three attorneys with Brouse McDowell who work at the firm’s Canfield office have been recognized by Super Lawyers on its 2022 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.
Named to the Super Lawyer list were Timothy M. Reardon and Matthew G. Vansuch, who both practice business law. Brian A. Coulter, who also practices business law, was named to the Rising Stars list.
Super Lawyers represents 5 percent of Ohio attorneys while Rising Stars represents less than 2.5 percent of attorneys who are under 40 or have been practicing law for 10 years or less. Lawyers are recognized through peer nominations based on their professional achievements.
ATTORNEY RETIRES: John L. Pogue, attorney at Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell, has retired from the law firm after more than 50 years.
He began practicing law in 1969 and served clients primarily in the areas of commercial law and estate planning. Pogue served as legal counsel for many leading organizations, including Trumbull Memorial Hospital, Second National Bank, Wean United, Copperweld Steel, Trumbull Country Club and First Presbyterian Church.
Also, he was instrumental in the startup and expansion of several Warren-area nonprofits, such as the Raymond John Wean Foundation and BRITE Energy Innovators.
Pogue’s community leadership roles included president of the Youngstown State University board of trustees, president of the Warren Area Community Improvement Corporation, president of the Warren City Schools Foundation and chairman of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber.
VIRTUAL HOMEBUYER WORKSHOP OFFERED: Credit Union of Ohio will kick off its first-time homebuyer workshop series 10 a.m. Saturday. Others are scheduled for noon Feb. 8 and 6 p.m. Feb. 9. More sessions for first-time buyers may be added at a later date.
The free virtual workshops will cover important items individuals need to consider before and during their house hunt in order to make a sound financial investment in today’s competitive market.
The workshops are open to the public but advanced registration is required. View the full schedule and get registered at cuofohio.org.
CASSIDY ADDS CLIENT: Canfield-based Cassidy Advertising & Consulting, LLC has added electrical services provider VEC, Inc. as its newest client.
VEC, Inc. provides total construction solutions to a variety of industries across the United States. The company originally began by providing electrical contracting services in 1965, but quickly grew into a full-service construction provider.
Today, VEC, Inc. is comprised of six divisions that assist customers with their rebuild, upgrade, and expansion projects. Their divisions include civil and infrastructure, general contracting, industrial, oil and gas, power and systems integrator.
SOUTHWOODS ADDS NEW TECHNOLOGY: Southwoods Health has announced the arrival of the Vantage Galan 3T MRI at Southwoods Imaging.
MRI uses a magnetic field without radiation to produce high-resolution 3D images of the organs and structures inside the body. The amount of information provided by the exam is directly related to the strength of the magnetic field. 3T MRI is the strongest magnet used in medicine today and produces the most detailed and accurate images with the highest degree of resolution.
Southwoods Imaging is the only facility in the area with multiple 3T units in one location.
NEW VENUES OPEN AT MALL: This month three new venues opened at the Southern Park Mall in Boardman.
The Bunker, an indoor golf entertainment and training venue, opened Jan. 14. Inside The Bunker is Double Bogey’s Bar & Grill, a seated, family-friendly restaurant that serves gastropub fare.
Also opening was Steel Valley Brew Works, which roasts, brews and sells coffee, as well as craft beer, cocktails, espresso martinis and small plates from their kitchen, “The Oven.” Steel Valley Brew Works also has bocce, pinball and billiards.
People on the move
CNB ADDS VP: Mark Taylor has joined Consumers National Bank as vice president and business banker. He will serve business clients in the Mahoning County market from the bank’s Lisbon branch.
Taylor of Canfield, has 25 years of banking experience in commercial lending, most recently as vice president, commercial relationship manager at a community bank headquartered in northeast Ohio.
REALTORS JOIN FIRM: Coldwell Banker EvenBay Real Estate recently added Christopher Lopez Jr., Realtor, to its team of real estate professionals.
Lopez, a native of Youngstown, received his Ohio real estate license in 2021. In addition to real estate, he is part of the security operations at the Covelli Centre.
Also brought on board was Matthew Nero, who also received his real estate license in 2021. In addition to real estate, Nero, of Cortland, is the dean of students at the Youngstown Academy of Excellence.
Lopez and Nero will provide real estate services in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties and surrounding areas.
PREMIER APPOINTS DIRECTOR: Premier Financial Corp., the holding company for Youngstown-based Premier Bank and First Insurance Group, has appointed Nikki Lanier to the company’s board of directors.
Lanier is the founder and CEO of Harper Slade, a racial equality advisory firm that began operations Jan. 1. Before that, Lanier was the senior vice president and site general manager of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
AGENT JOINS MORE OPTIONS: Walter Taggart has joined More Options Realty. He will be the associate broker in Pennsylvania and be servicing the Philadelphia, Pa., area. He has years of experience operating his own brokerage and now has chosen to join More Options Realty.
FARMERS GROWS TEAM: Canfield-based Farmers National Bank has grown its district sales management team with the addition of Peter Opperman as district sales manager. Farmers has expanded its geographical footprint and created a fourth district after its acquisition of Cortland Bancorp, Inc.
In the role, Opperman is responsible for the direction, coordination and evaluation of northern district retail branches, while helping retail staff and branch loan officers meet sales goals and remain operationally sound.
Opperman previously served as vice president of private banking and business banking services in the Cleveland region for Cortland Bank. He brings with him more than 15 years of banking, commercial and residential lending experience.
FIRM GROWS: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Stouffer Realty has brought on sales associate Serita Diana to its Salem sales office.
Diana, a native of Ellsworth, previously owned a real estate virtual assistant business for nine years, and she has 14 years of industry experience.
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
CHAMBER DRIVE-IN SET: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber’s fifth annual Columbus Drive-In is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus.
The cost is $250 for chamber members and $500 for nonmembers. Attendees can drive down on their own or sign up to ride the bus to and from the venue. Past drive-ins have resulted in millions of dollars in state funding and important policies to improve the Mahoning Valley.
The day will consist of 75 to 80 Valley leaders holding a series of meetings with the most influential state policymakers.
FINANCIAL FITNESS BOOT CAMP STARTS THIS WEEK: Hilliard-based Credit Union of Ohio will offer a free, weekly financial webinar series to help individuals and families improve their personal finances in 2022. Led by financial coach Cindy Walker, the series will kick off with Financial Fitness Boot Camp at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The one-hour 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 2022 webinar series will aim to have at least one financial education session per week. January sessions include: noon Thursday and 10 a.m. Saturday, Financial Fitness Boot Camp; noon Jan. 11, Ins and Outs of Home Equity Loans; 6 p.m. Jan. 20, How do Credit Cards Work?; noon Jan. 25, All About Cash-Out Refinancing; and noon Jan. 27, Building a Better Budget.
All virtual workshops are open to the general public, but advanced registration is required. View the full schedule and get registered at cuofohio.org.
Credit Union of Ohio serves state employees in all of Ohio’s 88 counties and the entire community of Franklin, Fairfield, Cuyahoga, Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
YBI PROGRAM RECOGNIZED: The Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) has been named to the Inc. 2021 Best in Business list in the Youth Entrepreneurship category. Inc.’s Best in Business Awards honor companies that have gone above and beyond to make a positive impact.
The list, which can be found in the winter issue of Inc. magazine recognizes small- and medium-sized, privately held American businesses that have had an outstanding influence on their communities, their industries, the environment or society as a whole.
Introduced in January 2021, the YE program began with a 15-week cohort, The LaunchPad in March. The purpose of the program is to establish the fundamentals of student entrepreneurship and provide the city’s young people with the education and resources needed to start their own business.
PREMIER PARTNERS WITH YNDC: Premier Bank recently announced that Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and Habitat for Humanity MidOhio have been selected as 2021 AHP award recipients through a partnership with the Bank.
Premier Bank helped both agencies secure funding through the Affordable Housing Program for initiatives that provide low-to-moderate-income residents and their families access to affordable housing,
YNDC will receive $1 million from the AHP for the Youngstown Home Repair Program 2021. This program offers an emergency home repair program to assist residents of owner-occupied, single-family homes with emergency repairs — primarily roof replacements — at no cost to the owners. Applicants must meet certain income eligibility requirements set forth by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
NEW DQ: A groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled for Wednesday for a larger, more modern DQ Grill & Chill Restaurant in Boardman.
Ray and Chrissy Smith of Canfield, who own the DQ at 6120 Market St., Boardman, will relocate the franchise to 6532 Market St., three blocks south of the current location and directly across the street from Akron Children’s Hospital.
The Smiths own five DQ locations, including Cornersburg, Austintown, Canfield and Columbiana.
The building was constructed in 1955. Plans call for a new 3,231-square-foot facility that could be open by the fall. The investment is about $1.8 million.
REALTORS DONATION: The Youngstown Columbiana Association of REALTORS and Beaver Creek Area Association of REALTORS donated $13,657 to the Northeast Ohio Adoption Services (NOAS).
The presentation took place at the December board of directors meeting for YCAR.
The donation helps to cover the expenses of unfunded programs that help current and former foster youth get the family, connections and support they need, said Cheryl Tarantino, NOAS executive director.
It is the tradition of YCAR that each year its president chooses a local charity for the association members to support with community services donations collected with the dues and / or volunteer hours. Patrick Burgan, the 2020-21 president, asked the association to support Northeast Ohio Adoption Services for 2020 and 2021.
The association collected the money from the 2021 dues community service donations and a charity golf outing in July in partnership with the Beaver Creek Area Association of REALTORS.
People on the move
TWO JOIN MORE OPTIONS REALTY: Shawn Sowers of Hubbard and Mike Gearhart of Boardman recently joined More Options Realty as Realtors.
Sowers, who has been licensed since 1994, will serve northeast Ohio, as will Gearhart, who passed his licensing exam Dec. 29 on his first attempt.
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.