Business briefs
YSU RECEIVES IMAP AWARD: Youngstown State University is among four training providers in Ohio that will receive some of $592,215 to support 410 broadband or 5G-related credentials through the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP).
This is the third round of the initiative, which helps Ohioans who are low income, partially unemployed or totally unemployed participate in a training program and receive one or more credentials for free.
The selected training providers will be reimbursed up to $3,000 for each completed technology-focused credential issued.
The most recent round of IMAP-provided funding specifically for credentialing programs related to broadband and 5G as part of a larger effort by the state and BroadbandOhio to grow the workforce needed to expand broadband access and 5G in Ohio.
Individuals interested in earning a credential or learning more about the program can visit the IMAP website at workforce.ohio.gov/imap.
TRMC PROGRAM EARNS CERTIFICATION: Trumbull Regional Medical Center’s Inpatient Diabetes Program has earned The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification for the 12th consecutive year.
The program is one of 60 in the United States, one of six in Ohio and the only one in the Mahoning Valley to earn the certification.
The program follows evidence-
based best practice for the care of the inpatient diabetes population and improved outcomes. Recertification is required every two years with an onsite visit from the commission. Other requirements include monthly performance improvement measures, inpatient satisfaction measures, hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia rates with analysis and education of all diabetes inpatients and staff.
HD DAVIS CPAs RECOGNIZED: HD Davis CPAs in Liberty recently was named to the Crain’s Cleveland Business Best Employers in Ohio list.
The publication hosts a survey each year to determine the “Best Employers in Ohio.” This survey is used to distinguish the employers that are unique in their benefits and go above and beyond for their employees. It survey covers topics like diversity, workplace culture and employee benefits.
In the category for “Small / Medium Sized Employers,” HD Davis CPAs was named second out of 26 companies.
TRUMBULL TOURISM WINS AWARD: The Trumbull County Tourism Bureau won the 2021 Destiny Award for Printed Collateral Material.
This, along with other categories, was open to destination marketing organizations throughout the United States. U.S. Travel created the awards to increase tourism engagement and allow for sharing of best practices and inspiration.
Trumbull County Tourism was the only Ohio destination to win in any category. This is the second year in a row the agency won in the category.
People on the move
PECCHIA ADDS PROJECT MANAGER: Pecchia Communications has hired Joe Catullo as project manager.
Catullo had been part of the marketing staff at AVI Foodsystems, Inc., a national food service facilities operator based in Warren. Prior to that, he spent six years in the news business, including four as sports editor of the Steubenville Herald-Star and Weirton Daily Times, two sister daily newspapers.
Catullo earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Youngstown State University, where he minored in social media communications.
VEC ADDS YSU GRAD: VEC, Inc., a local electrical and general contracting provider, has hired Kaija DiPillo as its new communication documentation specialist.
Her responsibilities include proposal development, business development, estimating document control, outreach, and training VEC team members. She is a Youngstown State University alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communication and a master’s degree in professional communication.
FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NEW HIRE: The Raymond John Wean Foundation recently added Kristen Pawcio as executive assistant to the president, Jennifer Roller.
In the role, Pawcio provides advanced administrative support to Roller, including office administration, calendar management and board relations. She also serves as a liaison between the executive office and external partners.
Prior to joining the foundation, Pawcio held positions in the public and private sectors, most recently as the director of career services with Stautzenberger College in Brecksville.
REALTOR JOINS BURGAN: Thomas Dioguardi has joined the staff at Burgan Real Estate.
Dioguardi, a native of Beaver Falls, Pa., graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in education. He went into sales and service before joining the real estate industry.
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 EVENT NEXT MONTH: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber’s annual Salute to Business will be 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Sept. 1 at the Eastwood Event Centre at the Eastwood Mall.
The cost is $40 per member and $50 per nonmember.
The event will honor local business leaders and chamber member businesses that are celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2022. It also is the official kickoff to the Canfield Fair and Youngstown State University football.
The keynote speaker is Gen. Michael Brogan (Ret.), who retired from the Marine Corps in 2011 after honorably serving for 31 years. His primary responsibility was to oversee and maintain the supply chain to American forces in the Middle East. A decorated general, Brogan is one of the military’s foremost authorities on equipment procurement and supply-chain management.
YBI INSPIRING FUTURE CHANGEMAKERS: Students from the Youngstown Parks and Recreation Summer Camp program recently took part in Lemonade Day, a national program that teaches kids the fundamentals of entrepreneurship.
The students participated in a four-week program with the Youngstown Business Incubator’s Youth Entrepreneurship (YE) program to learn how to create their own lemonade recipe and stand, and establish their business.
With support from Lemonade Day’s national entrepreneurial and experiential program, youth in grades K-8 can earn their own money, learn valuable skills that equip them for life and contribute to a cause that matters to them.
Students participated in four weeks of entrepreneurship education and presented their small businesses on the final day of the program where they opened their lemonade stands to the public. They were able to create their own business names, flavors, marketing materials and more.
The YE program creates economic opportunities for youth ages 9 to 18 in Youngstown through teaching the fundamentals of entrepreneurship.
MVMC TO GET ARP FUNDS: The Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition is in line to receive $930,000 over the next three years as part of the Ohio Manufacturers Association’s $23.4 million award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge program.
The association is the lead applicant and system lead entity — and one of 32 programs out of 509 applicants throughout the country — to receive a portion of $500 million in federal funds aimed at getting Americans back to work by strengthening workforce partnerships that lead to good-paying jobs.
MVMC is among OMA’s network of manufacturing industry sector partnerships throughout the state that will receive funding from this grant to carry out specific recruiting and upskilling components of the association’s workforce development action plan in the Mahoning Valley.
SHEELY’S GIVES: Sheely’s Furniture and Appliances has donated $8,006 to Habitat for Humanity, evenly splitting the money between Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley and Habitat for Humanity of Portage County.
This fundraising event driven by Sheely’s was held through the second quarter of 2022 at its Aurora and North Lima locations. Sheely’s provided matching funds for every donation received, and incentivized customers to donate by providing a $100 discount on all qualifying purchases.
LOCAL BANK NAMED TO BEST EMPLOYER LIST: Farmers National Bank recently was named as one of the 2022 Best Employers in Ohio, according to the annual list of the Best Employers in Ohio created by Best Companies Group in partnership with Crain’s Cleveland Business and Crain’s Content Studio-Cleveland.
The statewide survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Ohio, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses.
The 2022 list is made up of 47 companies.
BON SECOURS MERCY HEALTH RECOGNIZED: Bon Secours Mercy Health has received two prestigious national recognitions for its commitment to supporting, developing and promoting women leaders throughout its health system that spans seven states and includes 50 hospitals and 60,000 employees.
Seramount, a strategic professional services and research firm dedicated to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, recently named BSMH a “Top 10 Company for Executive Women” and a “Best Company for Multicultural Women” for 2022.
Female leaders represent more than 51 percent of Bon Secours Mercy Health top leaders responsible for leading and establishing key components of the health system’s strategy.
Bon Secours Mercy Health has three large hospitals in the Mahoning Valley: St. Elizabeth Youngstown, St. Elizabeth Boardman and St. Joseph Warren, all of which have women, Kathleen Harley, Genie Aubel and Char Wray, respectively, as presidents.
NEW FELLOWSHIP AVAILABLE: St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital will be offering a new addiction medicine fellowship for physicians.
The program recently received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The one-year program will be open to physicians who have completed an ACGME-accredited residency and are interested in providing care to individuals struggling with substance-use disorders.
Mercy Health’s addiction medicine fellows will receive training to treat patients with substance abuse and behavioral disorders in the following areas: acute detoxification long-term pharmacotherapeutic treatments, abstinence-based recovery models, harm-reduction recovery models, motivational interviewing, 12-Step facilitation, assessment of substance abuse for individuals receiving medical and psychiatric hospital services and assessment and treatment of patients with substance abuse and pain.
Once open, the program will operate out of a new medical center on Belmont Avenue — the site of the former VA clinic building. Mercy Health is renovating the 25,000-square-foot building.
SEPHORA OPENS AT KOHL’S: The Kohl’s store at the Eastwood Mall is among 400 across the U.S. that has or will be adding a Sephora. The local Sephora opened Wednesday.
Introduced in fall 2021, Sephora at Kohl’s features a 2,500-square-foot, space that mimics the look and feel of a freestanding Sephora. Within all Sephora at Kohl’s locations, customers will find an assortment of prestige makeup, skincare, hair and fragrance brands, as well as innovations in clean beauty and self-care.
FOUNDATION MOVES ENDOWMENT: The Hubbard High School Alumni Association Foundation has agreed to move its $175,000 endowment to the YSU Foundation to manage the fund, acknowledge future gifts and distribute funds on behalf of the association.
The mission of the fund remains to support graduates of Hubbard High School in their pursuit of postsecondary education. This fund reflects the increased scope and impact of the YSU Foundation: to assist donors and entities seeking to impact education on all levels in the Mahoning Valley.
While the endowment for these scholarships is held at the YSU Foundation, students can attend any college or vocational school of their choice.
By merging association foundation’s funds with the YSU Foundation, whose funds are in excess of $300 million, the association’s investments will grow exponentially to be able to award more and higher scholarships.
People on the move
DOCTOR JOINS PRACTICE: Dr. Aaron Deol recently joined Austintown Podiatry Associates.
Deol, who grew up in Solon, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Akron. He is a graduate of Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine in Independence and completed his surgical residency training at Aultman Alliance Community Hospital in Alliance.
His training has included all aspects of foot and ankle conservative and surgical care.
AGENT JOINS REAL ESTATE FIRM: Coldwell Banker EvenBay Real Estate recently brought on Jerri Florio, Realtor and associate broker to its team of real estate professionals.
Florio joins Coldwell Banker EvenBay Real Estate with more than 40 years of experience. She was licensed in 1975 and has been serving northeast Ohio ever since.
She has owned and managed a brokerage, as well as sat on various real estate boards and committees as president, president-elect, chair, co-chair and other positions at the local, state and national levels. Also, she has received the Graduate, REALTOR Institute and Accredited Buyer’s Representative designations through the National Association of Realtors.
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.
Business briefs
BORZA NAMED AMONG ‘NOTABLES’: Jessica Borza, executive director of the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition, is among 25 people named by Crain’s Cleveland Business for its 2022 “Notables in Manufacturing.”
Crain’s said the winners “are a diverse representation of hard work and commitment. In their various efforts in manufacturing, they provide jobs, drive the economy and point to the future — while standing on the shoulders of those who did the work in the past.”
The nomination noted that the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association views the coalition as a model for manufacturing industry sector partnerships in the state. Borza in recent years has worked with the association to help those types of partnerships grow across Ohio, and funding for them has been included in state budgets.
LOCAL HOSPITAL RECOGNIZED: Mercy Health-St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Get with the Guidelines-Heart Failure quality achievement award. The recognition acknowledges Mercy Health’s commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, leading to reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.
The award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the AHA.
St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital is also recognized on the AHA’s Target: Heart FailureSM Honor Roll. Hospitals on the honor roll meet specific criteria that improves medication adherence, provides early follow-up care and coordination, and enhances patient education. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition.
In addition, the hospital received the AHA’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease or stroke.
WRHE GRADUATES TWENTY: The Western Reserve Health Education (WRHE), a teaching affiliate of Trumbull Regional Medical Center, Sharon Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital, recently celebrated 20 graduating residents.
The residents represented several specialty areas, including family medicine, internal medicine and surgery. During the ceremony, awards were given out to the following residents and faculty members:
• Research Award — Karla Luketic, surgery, first; Shyam Poudel, internal medicine, second; and Noha Soror, internal medicine, third.
• Quality & Performance Improvement Award — Joseph Miladore, family medicine, first; Emma Sayre, family medicine, second; and Ravi Patel, family medicine, and Sajni Patel, MD, family medicine, third.
• Case Reports Award — Allen Tsai, surgery, first; Nimit Dalal, internal medicine, second; and Ruben Neris, surgery, third.
• Above & Beyond Faculty Award — Shyam Bhakta, interventional cardiologist at Trumbull Regional Medical Center.
• Healing Heart Heroes — Arooj Ahmed, Poonam Choudhry, Sonali Koirala, Love Shah, Krutarth Pandya, Janki Patel, Pratik Saha, Roshani Shrestha and Muhammad Fahad Khalid, all internal medicine, and Rebecca Myers, research RN.
• Core Competency Awards for internal medicine — Arooj Ahmed, patient care; Shyam Poudel, medical knowledge; Frank Santana Martinez, practice-based learning improvement; Noha Soror, interpersonal and communications; Rajvee Patel and Subarna Gautam, professionalism; and Parth Shah, system-based learning.
The program also welcomed 25 new physician residents who began practicing under the supervision of board-certified physician faculty and advanced resident physicians. These new resident physicians were selected after a vetting and interview process of the more than 8,000 applications from U.S. medical students and physicians from around the world.
CLEVER PICKED: The Akron Chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF-Akron) has selected Clever, a Youngstown marketing agency, as the 2023 design partner for the American Advertising Awards to be held on Feb. 24, 2023, at The Akron Civic Theatre.
Clever will design the theme and create all promotional materials for the big annual event.
The agency is led by Whitney Burd, Tony Marr and Adrienne Sabo.
New businesses
NEW STORE AT MALL: BoxLunch, a pop culture gift store that features officially licensed apparel, accessories, collectibles, beauty, home goods and novelty merchandise, is the newest store to open at the Southern Park Mall.
BoxLunch’s civic mission is “Get Some. Give Back.” For every $10 spent in-store, BoxLunch will donate one meal to Feeding America, a national hunger-relief effort. Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley will directly receive a percentage of the donations raised at the store.
RESTAURANT OPENS: Swensons Drive-Ins is open in Boardman at 1247 Boardman Poland Road.
The restaurant is the Akron-based brand’s 19th location, but the first in the Mahoning Valley.
To help mark the opening, Swensons and the community raised $4,000 for the Boardman and Poland athletic departments.
SALON TO OPEN IN HOWLAND: Wilden Beauty will be Howland’s newest salon as of today.
The full-service salon, owned by Nicolette Wilden, will open with hair stylists, nail technicians, an esthetician, massage therapist and a spray tanning specialist. Plans also are to have lash technicians, makeup artists and more in the future.
Wilden Beauty also will have its own complete product line.
People on the move
MILLWOOD, INC. ADDS TOP STAFF: Vienna-based Millwood, Inc. a provider of pallet and unit load technology and custom engineered handling systems and solutions, has brought on Tom Paskert as chief financial officer and executive vice president.
Paskert previously served with the company in this role for 15 years as part of the executive team leading the company through its transformational operational, financial, process and systems growth and development.
Craig Gretter, who has served in this role for the past 10 years, will be leaving Millwood to pursue other opportunities.
PREMIER HIRES TECH DIRECTOR: Youngstown-based Premier Bank has hired Chuck Lorenz as senior vice president, director of digital technology.
Lorenz, who has more than 26 years of industry experience in technology, spent the past 15 years in various positions at M&T Bank in Buffalo, NY.
While at M&T, he led the online and mobile banking teams over several years through multiple platform conversions. His experience also includes directing teams in digital imaging, collateral management, financial and corporate systems, human resources, information security, fraud detection and interdiction.
In his new role, he will lead the organization’s digital technology space, working closely with various lines of business to better deliver digital capabilities and solutions to the bank’s customers across all business segments.
PALO ADDS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: PALO Creative, an advertising and digital media agency in Youngstown, recently expanded its business development and account service team by hiring Don Dragish Jr. as its new business development manager.
As business development manager, Dragish will identify new business opportunities, work with the team to execute marketing strategy and tactics and serve as the agency’s initial contact to prospective clients.
The Mahoning Valley native brings decades of marketing agency experience and has managed business development and account services for clients in various industries, including aviation, financial services, hospitality and restaurants, real estate development, senior living and home improvement.
During his stint as owner and creative director of Dragish Marketing, he helped develop and execute marketing plans for several national companies based in the Youngstown and Warren regions.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in graphic design, marketing and advertising from Youngstown State University.
BRITE’S SUMMER INTERNS: BRITE Energy Innovators in Warren has brought on three interns for the summer.
Emily Adamczyk is assisting the marketing and communications department. The Pennsylvania native studies economics and sociology at Youngstown State University and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2023.
Sahaj Thapa is a graduate student in mechanical engineering. He helps with assembly, management and calibration of instruments at BRITE’s energy labs.
Lindsay Hayburn is assisting the marketing and communications department as BRITE’s new graphic design intern. Lindsay is a senior visual communication design student at Kent State University and will graduate in December.
NEW DENTIST AT BRAYDICH: Braydich Dental has grown its practice with the addition of Dr. Brandon Gervasi.
Gervasi received his doctor of dental medicine degree from the University of Florida College of Dentistry before earning his general practice residency from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
AKRON CHILDREN’S NAMES TWO VPS: Akron Children’s Hospital has named Carole Ettinger as vice president, Information Services Division, and Troy Stairwalt as vice president of Information Security.
In her new role, Ettinger oversees the implementation and support for clinical and administrative software applications, custom software development, system interfaces, vendor management, SharePoint and 0365 collaboration tools, biomedical engineering, customer service and operations.
In his role, Stairwalt will oversee all aspects of information security efforts at the Akron and Mahoning Valley campuses in addition to more than 60 primary and specialty care locations in 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.