Business briefs and People on the Move

HOTEL CHAIN CEO TO SPEAK: Boardman native George Limbert, president of the Red Roof chain of hotels, will keynote the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber's annual meeting 7:30 a.m. April 7 at Mr. Anthony's in Boardman.

Limbert, a 1999 graduate of Boardman High School, oversees 660 Red Roof locations in more than 40 states in the U.S. He joined the company as corporate counsel in 2013 and was named to the top post in August 2021.

Tickets for the event are $40 per member and $50 per nonmember.

ANNUAL TAX PREP CAMPAIGN STARTS AT YSU: The Lariccia School of Accounting and Finance at Youngstown State University is again this year offering free income tax preparation services via the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.

VITA is available Saturday, March 19 and 26 and April 2 at the Williamson College of Business Administration at YSU.

Due to the pandemic, all services are available by appointment only by calling 330-941-2507. No walk-ins will be accepted. Masks are required.

VITA provides free assistance to all taxpayers. Clients must provide wage and earnings statements (W-2 forms) from all employers, interest statements from banks (1099 forms), a copy of last year's tax return if available and other relevant information about income and expenses. Taxpayers also need to bring Social Security cards for all people on the tax return and a photo ID card. Taxpayers with complex returns may need to see an accountant.

CANFIELD WOMAN NAMED TO BOARD: Janet L. Gbur, research biomedical engineer and investigator in the Advanced Platform Technology Center at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, will serve a three-year term on the ASTM International board of directors.

ASTM International's board of directors is made up of 25 leaders from an array of companies, associations and government bodies worldwide.

Gbur also serves as senior research associate in the department of materials science and engineering and a member of the Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Reliability Center at Case Western Reserve University and as adjunct faculty member in mechanical engineering at Youngstown State University.

Her work focuses on fatigue and fracture behavior of materials used in biomedical applications and the development of emerging technologies to improve devices used in neural-interfacing systems.

Gbur holds a bachelor's degree in biology / pre-medicine from Kent State University, a bachelor's degree in materials engineering and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Youngstown State University and a doctorate in materials science and engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

She is also a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, ASM International, Microscopy Society of America, Materials Research Society, the Microscopy Society of Northeastern Ohio, Society of Women Engineers and TMS, the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society.

MARKETING FIRMS EARN AWARDS: 898 Marketing in Canfield and Clever in Youngstown were recognized recently by the American Advertising Federation-Akron with awards.

898 Marketing received a Gold Addy in the self-promotion category for direct marketing & specialty advertising and a Silver Addy in the self-promotion category for online / interactive.

Clever earned four awards, including the Judge's Choice Award. The agency received a Silver Addy in the elements of advertising visual logo category, a Silver Addy in the category online / interactive websites and a third silver award in the category online / Interactive social media campaign.

The Judge's Choice Award was for Clever's Women's History Month Social Media Campaign for Alta Head Start.

People on the Move

THREE APPOINTED TO MVMC BOARD: The Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition (MVMC) has appointed three new individuals from among its member manufacturers to positions on its board of directors.

Trudy Cheney of Xaloy, LLC in Austintown, and RJ Fryan of Lake Park Tool and Machine in Boardman were elected to fill open board seats. Adam Sewell from Newton Falls-based Quality Switch was named treasurer.

MVMC was formed in September 2011 and is comprised of 50-plus manufacturing companies in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties, as well as associate members and education partners.

MORE OPTIONS WELCOMES AGENT: More Options Realty has brought on Realtor Ernest Urbanowicz to work in the Mahoning Valley. Urbanowicz has the

designation of Military Relocation Professional from the National Association of Realtors.

BURGAN ADDS AGENTS: Canfield-based Burgan Real Estate added three new agents recently.

Joining the firm are Youngstown native Dominic Giudici, Nicholas Seifert of Poland and Haylee Barkfelt, a native of Beaver Falls, Pa.

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 and people on the move

DEARING ANNOUNCES PLANS: Dearing Compressor and Pump, a family-owned and operated business in compressor distribution since 1945, has announced that Richard H. Dearing, president and chief executive officer, will retire, but remain on the board of directors as chairman.

The board has appointed Dearing's successors, naming Rebecca Dearing Wall as chief executive officer and Albin Dearing V. as president.

The selections of Dearing Wall and Dearing V. culminate a strategic, multi-year leadership development and succession planning process, led by the board, to ensure the integrity, values and direction of the company continue with confidence through the next generation of Dearing family leadership.

MERCY HEALTH EARNS NATIONAL AWARD: Mercy Health, part of Bon Secours Mercy Health, was named the recipient of the prestigious Medicus Integra Award, which was conceived and developed by The Coalition for Physician Well-Being. The award is based upon the belief that physician resilience and well-being is not only good for physicians, but is conducive to healthy organizational culture and essential to quality patient care.

It is in the best interest of health care organizations to give attention to the well-being of physicians and demonstrate intentionality in developing strategies and initiatives to help prevent burnout and promote physician wellness. To qualify, nominating organizations must submit comprehensive documentation identifying and itemizing their efforts and results in four key categories: Resilience, Learning, Business & Quality, and Culture.

YOUTH BUSINESS EVENTS OFFERED: Junior Achievement and the Eastwood Mall will host a JA Start My Business workshop 2 to 4 p.m. today. The event has learning workshops that teach kids how to start, operate and own a business. These workshops are recommended for youth ages 8 to 14.

On April 30, Junior Achievement will host a Youth Market Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the mall. The event will feature young entrepreneurs who will offer their products and services to the public. These entrepreneurs are responsible for table setup, sales of product or service and interaction with customers. Judging and cash prizes will be awarded at the end of the event.

GOLF COURSE DIRECTOR RECOGNIZED: Brian Tolnar, director of golf operations at Mill Creek MetroParks Golf Course, is the 2021 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Award – Public Category recipient.

The award recognizes PGA Professionals who have excelled in business and merchandising in the promotion of golf. A PGA Member for more than 20 years, Tolnar acknowledges that his deep understanding of customer preferences has helped shape and evolve his merchandising programs.

Tolnar is a four-time winner of the Merchandiser of the Year – Public Category (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020) as a member of the Northern Ohio PGA Section and was the section's 2019 Golf Professional of the Year. He also has been honored with the Western New York PGA Section's 2013 PGA Golf Professional of the Year, 2013 Player Development and 2012 Junior Golf Leader Awards.

FIRSTENERGY AWARDED: For the fourth consecutive year, FirstEnergy Corp. has been included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), recognizing its commitment to gender equality in the workplace and the communities in which it operates.

As part of its commitment to promoting workplace equity, FirstEnergy recently expanded its core value of diversity and inclusion to include equity. While creating equitable processes and programs has always been a priority, this change better reflects the differing needs of employees and signifies the company's commitment to being more intentional in providing access to opportunities, removing barriers and supporting employee success to ensure that all employees can thrive. Among the company's initial efforts is the re-establishment of the Executive Women's Network, which provides networking, support and development for executive-level directors and VPs.

ACADEMY GIVEN MONEY:Northeast Ohio IMPACT Academy will be awarded $5,000 to expand STEM learning projects through the Ohio STEM Learning Network Classroom Grant Program, funded by Battelle.

NEOIA's project, Race for IMPACT, will provide hands-on experience and teach problem-solving skills. Additionally, students will become familiar with the professional terminology and FAA drone regulations through completion of several Race Design Challenges created by the students to mimic drone racing.

The class also will introduce, instruct and develop participants into responsible and educated drone pilots.

VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT: Junior Achievement's K-12 programs bring volunteers into local classrooms in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties to teach students about entrepreneurship, personal financial literacy and workforce readiness.

The time commitment varies by grade level. Elementary school programs are five sessions, one session taught per week for 30 to 45 minutes. Middle school programs are six sessions, one session taught per week for 45 minutes. High school programs can be five to 12 sessions, one session taught per week for 45 minutes each.

JA provides volunteers with the materials necessary to teach a class, and JA staff trains volunteers on how to use the materials and matches volunteers to a teacher who has requested JA programs for their classroom.

Volunteer sign-up opportunities are described in detail at mahoning

valley.ja.org by clicking on the Get Involved button. Interested volunteers may also e-mail jill.martin@ja.org or call 330-539-5268 for more information.

AND THE NOMINEES ARE: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber, in partnership with Scaleco, Huntington Bank and HBK, have announced the nominees for the 2022 Family-Owned Business Awards. The group of 20 nominees will be recognized at a dinner 5 to 8 p.m. March 11 at The Lake Club in Poland.

There are five categories. One business in each category will be named recipient.

Nominated in the ScaleCo Success in Succession category are Cafaro Company, Livi Steel Inc., ms consultants inc. and Power Tool and Supply Co. Inc.

In the Huntington Social Impact Award category are Cafaro Company, Thompson Insurance Group, Austin Square Dental and Iron & String Life Enhancement.

In the HBK Growth Story category are Dinesol Plastics, REM Electronics Supply Co. Inc., Buckeye Dealership Consulting, LLC and Quality Switch Inc.

Family-Owned Business Advocate of the Year nominees are Chuck George, Hill, Barth & King, LLC, Valley Economic Development Partners and Dr. Rajiv Taneja.

Nominated in the Local to National Presence category are American Business Center, Inc., AIM Transportation Solutions, Thompson Insurance Group and Humtown Products.

People on the Move

LOCAL MAN ELECTED BOARD LEADER: Youngstown native Richard S. Scarsella was recently elected as governing board president of the Educational Service Center of Eastern Ohio and of the Mahoning Valley Regional Council of Governments.

He also has been re-elected to the Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation board of supervisors.

NEW CEO NAMED: Cohen & Company, a national accounting and advisory firm, recently announced Chris Bellamy has been selected as the firm's next CEO effective June 1. Bellamy will succeed Randy Myeroff, who joined Cohen & Company in 1985 and has served as CEO for 25 years.

After the transition, Myeroff will serve as nonexecutive chairman.

Bellamy, the firm's fourth CEO, started his career at the firm in 1999. He was appointed president of the firm in 2020.

The firm has an office in downtown Youngstown.

HOSPITAL NAMES OFFICIAL: Kristene Grayem recently was named chief population health officer and executive director of the Akron Children's Health Collaborative.

In the role, Grayem will be responsible for the overall operational and financial performance of Akron Children's Health Collaborative and the hospital's

value-based care programs. The Health Collaborative is responsible for managing the health care services of approximately 96,000 children and teenagers in 13 counties in northeast Ohio.

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.