Business briefs
FOCUS GROUPS PLANNED: The new Center for Nonprofit Excellence, which operates as a standalone nonprofit under the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber, will hold focus groups 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday to help develop programming.
The center will provide training, resources and consulting services to area nonprofit organizations in areas such as management, human resources, accounting and finance, grant research and writing, marketing and public relations, measuring results and governance.
The sessions will be at the chamber’s office on the fifth floor of City Centre One, 100 E. Federal St., Youngstown.
Chamber membership is not required. To reserve a spot, contact JoAnn Stock at 330-744-2131, Ext. 1227, or joann@regionalchamber.com.
FARMERS NAMED TO LIST: Farmers National Bank of Canfield has been named among the nation’s top 50 community banks by S&P Global Market Intelligence for its performance in 2022 with assets from $3 billion to $10 billion.
Farmers was the 29th best performing community bank in America and the second highest rated bank in Ohio.
To compile the ranking, S&P Global Market Intelligence calculated scores for each company based on seven metrics: pretax return on tangible common equity; efficiency ratio; cost of funds; five-year average operating revenue growth; five-year average net charge-offs to average loans and leases ratio; nonperforming assets and loans 90 days or more past due as a percentage of total assets; and leverage ratio.
DOMINION AWARDED: Dominion Energy Ohio is has received the 2023 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award – Energy Efficiency Program Delivery from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
The award recognizes companies that have made outstanding contributions in the transition to a clean energy future. Dominion Energy Ohio was recognized for its Home Performance with Energy Star program, a residential home energy assessment program.
The program allows customers to take part in an energy audit to evaluate how their home is using energy. Customers can earn up to $1,250 in rebates for eligible improvements.
GOODWILL GETS FOUNDATION AWARD: Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries has received a $2,500 grant from the Warren Area Chamber of Commerce Education, Civic and Cultural Foundation for clothing and household vouchers for its Trumbull County partner agencies.
With the grant, Goodwill will be able to add two new community partner agencies and increase the amount of vouchers it can distribute in Trumbull County, according to the agency.
Through its voucher program, Goodwill works with other community agencies to provide clients with Goodwill vouchers that can be redeemed for needed merchandise at any of their retail stores. The partners, primarily nonprofit organizations, serve low- to moderate-income individuals, which ensures the individuals who need these resources can benefit from the program.
EGCC HAS BILLBOARDS: Eastern Gateway Community College has launched a new billboard campaign aimed at attracting students and promoting their debt-free college education. They will remain up through mid-July.
In Trumbull County, the billboard is at 3825 Belmont Ave., Liberty, and in Mahoning County, the signs are at 6400 South Ave., Boardman, and the intersection of U.S. Route 224 and Raccoon Road. In Columbiana County, the billboard is on state Route 11 about four miles south of Columbiana.
CHAMBER, PAYROLL FIRM PARTNER: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber has partnered with White Glove Payroll in Liberty to offer chamber members discounts on payroll and other services.
Services offered by White Glove Payroll include payroll processing, tax compliance, timekeeping and human resources consulting.
Chamber members can expect to receive discounts up to 20 percent off applicable services and additional resources at no cost.
E-ZPASS USAGE UP: Through the first quarter of 2023, combined E-ZPass use by passenger car and commercial truck customers on the Ohio Turnpike on average was 76.3 percent, up 0.5 percent compared to the same three-month period in 2022.
Separately, over the same three-month period, on average, 64.7 percent of passenger car customers used E-ZPass, up 2.3 percent; and 90.8 percent of commercial truck customers used E-ZPass, up 1.1 percent.
The turnpike’s passenger car customers traveled 358.2 million miles, up 8.9 percent; and commercial truck customers traveled 283.1 million miles, down 2.8 percent, during the first quarter of 2023.
Over the same period, passenger cars made 7.9 million trips, up 5.6 percent; and commercial trucks made 2.9 million trips, down 3.9 percent.
AKRON CHILDREN’S OPENS OPERATING ROOM: Akron Children’s Hospital has opened a dedicated operating room for child, adolescent and young adult spine surgeries, which has, at its centerpiece, the nView s1 navigation system.
As the second children’s hospital in the country and the first in the Midwest to use the nView system, Akron Children’s pediatric orthopedic surgeons now have the benefit of three-dimensional images of the spine in real time in the operating room.
In addition to an estimated 80 percent reduction in the radiation exposure for patients, the system allows surgeons to navigate seeing a true representation of the anatomy.
People on the move
FARMERS GROWS TEAM: Farmers National Bank has expanded its mortgage lending team with the recent hire of Karen Jindra as mortgage sales manager out of Fairlawn.
Jindra has been in the mortgage business for more than 25 years. She has experience working with first-time home buyers, move-up buyers, FHA loans, VA, conventional, jumbo, renovation loans, new construction, home affordable, lot loans, refinancing as well as second mortgages.
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Business briefs
PREMIER RANKS ON LIST: Premier Financial Corp., holding company for Premier Bank and First Insurance Group, has been recognized by S&P Global Market Intelligence on its annual list of the best performing large U.S. community banks of 2022.
The company was ranked the highest performing community bank in Ohio and No. 28 among U.S. community banks in the $3 billion- to $10 billion-asset size.
To compile the ranking, S&P Global Market Intelligence calculated scores for each company based on seven metrics: pretax return on tangible common equity; efficiency ratio; cost of funds; five-year average operating revenue growth; five-year average net charge-offs to average loans and leases ratio; nonperforming assets and loans 90 days or more past due as a percentage of total assets; and leverage ratio.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS OPEN: Applications are available for the Better Business Bureau’s Ethics & Integrity Scholarship Program.
The program offers five $1,000, one-year scholarships to graduating high school seniors employed by or who are the children or grandchildren of owners or employees of an accredited business of the BBB. The scholarships are awarded based on a demonstration of leadership skills, community service, academic achievement and a written essay on what ethics and integrity mean to the candidate.
The 2023 scholarships are underwritten by Farmers Trust Co. and 898 Marketing.
Applications and materials must be postmarked by May 1. Visit bbb.org/youngstown for complete information and application forms. Scholarships will be presented May 24. Call 330-744-3111 for more information or email info@youngstown.bbb.org.
NEW SCHOOL CLINIC TO OPEN: Liberty-based QUICKmed opened Quaker Med Clinic on April 3 at Salem High School.
The clinic is offered in collaboration with Salem Regional Medical Center to coordinate care for Salem City School District students, families and staff members. Its services include primary care, sick visits and mental health services. The school clinic will be operational during school hours.
It is one of 11 school-based health clinic the company operates in districts in northeast Ohio.
BUSINESS LEADERS NAME CO-CHAIRS: Mark Mediate, vice president, commercial relationship manager at Premier Bank, and Lisa Mariotti, district sales manager at Grainger have been named co-chairpersons of 2023 Heart of the Tri-County Heart Ball.
The Heart Ball celebrates progress made through the dedication and passion of all who support the American Heart Association’s Heart of the Tri-County campaign, a year-round effort aimed at investing in and saving and improving lives in the community.
The signature sponsor for this year’s event is Premier Bank. The celebration is Nov. 2 at Eastwood Event Centre. It’s a night to honor survivors, patrons and volunteers of the American Heart Association.
EGCC GETS GRANT: Eastern Gateway Community College has received a $50,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education to invest in providing more students with the opportunity to earn a commercial driver’s license.
The funding allows the school to continue to provide and enhance the grant.
According to Brian D. Beckett, director CDL workforce at EGCC, there is a 99 percent employment rate upon graduation for students who earn their CDL.
AKRON CHILDREN’S TO DO STUDY: Akron Children’s Hospital has been awarded a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health / National Institute of Nursing Research to better define the practices of high-quality pediatric palliative care.
The study will engage children, teens and young adults and their parents and providers receiving pediatric palliative care services at Akron Children’s, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
Dr. Daniel Grossoehme, a senior scientist in Akron Children’s Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute, will be the principal investigator.
The researchers will conduct and analyze up to 88 semistructured interviews of children, teens and young adults ages 11 to 26 about their priorities, goals and values, even openly talking about end-of-life decisions and when and how they want information to make those decisions. These interviews will integrate with the updated parent and provider data to create the new standards.
New businesses
AUTO STYLE COMPANIES COME TOGETHER: Two competitors in the auto accessory business are joining forces at the Eastwood Mall Complex. Auto Evolution / Noel’s Car Toys will open in May in a 36,000-square-foot facility located near Bob Evans restaurant.
Planning is underway for a special grand opening celebration that will take place in the summer.
Services include remote car starters, advanced audio and video systems, lift kits, running boards, wheels, bed liners, security systems, mud flaps and other after-market accessories installation. Additional services include window tinting, detailing, engine steam cleaning and paint restoration.
People on the move
FOUNDATION ADDS MEMBER: The Raymond John Wean Foundation has added Sarah Lowry to its board of directors.
Lowry is the director of the Healthy Community Partnership, an initiative of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley. In that role she oversees the cross-sector collaborative and its work to create a healthier Mahoning Valley. Prior to joining HCP, she served as U.S Sen. Sherrod Brown’s northeast Ohio regional representative.
She also serves on the boards of Policy Matters Ohio, the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown and Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens.
COHEN & COMPANY NAMES MARKET LEADER: Cleveland-based Cohen & Company has named Assurance Partner Keith Klodnick market leader for the Ohio region.
One of the three largest CPA firms in northeast Ohio for many years, Cohen & Company, which has an office in Youngstown, created the role to further illustrate its commitment to clients and to the communities in which its more than 400 Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown employees live and work.
Klodnick, who joined the company in 1995, has spent more than 25 years in northeast Ohio advising business owners of privately held companies across a range of industries, including professional services, manufacturing, and wholesale and distribution. He will continue directly serving clients while also focusing on expanding the firm’s brand, business and community relationships across Ohio.
NCDMM PROMOTES: The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining has promoted Gino Spinos and Josh Cramer to new and expanded positions to further the growth of the NCDMM mission — to deliver advanced collaborative manufacturing solutions that enhance our national defense and military readiness.
Spinos, who joined NCDMM in 2019 as director of manufacturing engineering, has been promoted to executive director. He will continue to manage manufacturing, technology and roadmapping programs while maintaining and building customer relationships. He also will have the responsibility of overseeing the project and program management activities across NCDMM.
Cramer will assume the position of director of education and workforce development across the entire NCDMM organization, including America Makes. He joined NCDMM in 2018 in the education / workforce role for America Makes in Youngstown and has developed a strategy that has grown the program’s portfolio and overall brand identity.
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Business briefs
MALL OPENS CONTEST FOR KIDS: The Eastwood Mall is having Imagination Creation, a contest for children 6 to 14 years old to draw their own designs for one-story playhouses.
A panel of judges will select the 10 best designs and local contractors will turn those drawings into real playhouses. The playhouses will be on display inside the mall from June through mid-August. Designs will be judged in two groups, ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 14. The 10 winning designers will receive mall gift cards. At the end of the display period, the playhouses will be auctioned, with the proceeds benefiting Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley.
The contest runs through April 30.
Age-eligible children are to draw, color and illustrate a picture of a house on at least an 8.5-by-11 inch sheet of paper. The entry should include the name, address, parent / guardian phone number and age of child on the back of the submitted drawing. Children may submit their drawings at the Eastwood Mall Customer Service Center or mail them to the Eastwood Mall Marketing Office, 5555 Youngstown Warren Road, Niles, OH 44446.
On May 1, a panel of three judges will choose eight drawings as first-place winners. Each age group also will have a second-place and third-place winner. In addition, all drawings will be featured and displayed at the Eastwood Mall. A table containing the entries will be available for the public to vote on a “People’s Choice” winner for both age groups.
GIRLS ATTEND STEM EVENT: More than 200 area high school sophomores and juniors attended Kent State University at Trumbull’s STEM Trumbull County conference March 17, when they met and heard from women in science, technology, engineering and math careers, while learning about education programs that support those paths.
According to Dr. Valerie Cubon-Bell, Kent State Trumbull’s STEM TC director and professor of chemistry, more than 30 speakers volunteered for this year’s all-day conference.
“The conference is a long-standing tradition that offers high school students in Trumbull and surrounding counties the opportunity to explore exciting career pathways in STEM fields while also interacting with local, successful women in high-impact STEM professions,” Cubon-Bell said.
The keynote speaker was Peggy Shadduck, vice president for regional campuses and dean of the College of Applied and Technical Studies. Jennifer Clark, who manages Intel-Ohio’s production department, also spoke.
YSU TEAM PLACES IN COMPETITION: A team of six students from the Youngstown State University Civil and Construction Engineering Technology program placed second in the 2023 Ohio Contractors Association Estimating Competition.
The students competed in a two-day competition against 11 other Ohio universities. Finishing behind only the team from Case Western Reserve University, the second-place finish is the best ever for a YSU team.
YSU’s team was made up of students Ryan Bedlion, Aryonna Bowser, T.J. Danley, Mason Kotanchek, Sidney Laughner and Isaac Smith and was led by associate professor Joseph Sanson
Teams are given a construction project for which they are to create an estimate and have most of the day to work on their estimate. Once the bids are submitted, the judges open and evaluate the bids to see which bids are responsive and the results are read to the teams. The team closest to the estimate provided by the actual contractor for the project is given a choice of what time they will present their estimate to the judges the next day. Each team is given points in several categories, the main category being the presentation.
For the presentation, each team is given 15 minutes to present to the judges and 15 minutes for the judges to ask the team members questions.
PALO WINS AWARDS: PALO Creative, an advertising and digital media agency in Youngstown, earned four 2023 ADDY Silver awards from the American Advertising Federation’s Akron chapter.
The awards were for the following client projects: Online / Interactive, Social Media for “Bruce Aerospace SpektraLite”; Film, Video and Sound, Online Film, Video & Sound for “Garden Kettle Teaser Video”; Cross Platform, Integrated Campaigns for “Schneller Lucent Campaign”; and Cross Platform, Integrated Campaigns for “Garden Kettle Brand.”
The American Advertising Awards is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition. The Akron ADDY competition featured work submitted by advertising agencies through northeast Ohio, including the Youngstown, Canton and Akron areas.
VALLEY NATIVE PUT IN HOF: Tom Green, a shareholder for northeast Ohio labor and employment law firm Kastner Westman & Wilkins, LLC, has been named among the 2023 inductees to the Cleveland State University College of Law Hall of Fame.
Green, who graduated from CSU Law magna cum laude in 2002, grew up in McDonald and earned his bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University in 1993.
In his law practice, Green represents a range of clients in comprehensive workplace law matters from locally owned small businesses to large, multistate employers. He’s also an Ohio State Bar Association certified specialist in labor and employment law.
People on the move
WOMAN JOINS CASSIDY: Cassidy Advertising & Consulting, LLC, an advertising agency in Canfield, has hired copywriter Becky Bernet. She is responsible for writing content for search engine optimization, press releases, social media, Google ads, blogs, websites, print advertisements and email blasts for clients.
Bernet graduated from The Ohio State University in 2022 with a degree in Agricultural Communications with a minor in Agricultural Production. After graduation, she moved back to Columbiana County.
Submit items for business briefs, new businesses and people on the move by 4 p.m. Thursday. Email business@tribtoday.com or through the Submit News feature at www.tribtoday.com or www.vindy.com.