INTERNSHIP PROGRAM LAUNCHES 2023 PROGRAMMING: The summer 2023 Civic Innovation Transforming Youngstown Internship Program — a collaboration between Youngstown State University and Economic Action Group, Inc. — began its second year of programming June 12.

Interns are partnered with community mentors from Youngstown’s Community Planning and Economic Development and Engineering and Construction departments, and the Healthy Community Partnership to create projects for the betterment of the community.

This is the second summer YSU and Economic Action Group have led the internship program, welcoming 12 students this summer compared to eight last year. The dozen students will be assigned to three teams of four and will be paired with a mentor from the community to provide professional guidance. Under the supervision of the site coordinators, the interns will work with their team members to identify creative solutions for the community issues with which they will be presented.

COMPANY EXPANDS SERVICE AREA: HD Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas has announced a territory expansion to its dealership agreement with Highway Equipment Company.

Based in Zelienople, Pa., Highway Equipment’s Hyundai-exclusive territory now encompasses a large section of northeastern Ohio, which it will serve from its location in Canton. The expanded territory includes the Cleveland metro area, Canton and Youngstown. Highway Equipment retains its previous territory as the Hyundai dealer for western Pennsylvania.

In March, Highway Equipment celebrated its 90th anniversary in business. The company provides construction equipment sales, rentals, parts and service to customers in construction, landscaping, demolition, oil and gas, mining, quarrying and industrial material-handling. As a Hyundai dealer, Highway Equipment offers sales, rentals and support for the full line of Hyundai machines.

AKRON CHILDREN’S EARNS NATIONAL ACCREDITATION: The Commission on Cancer, a quality program of the American College of Surgeons, has granted three-year accreditation to the cancer program at Akron Children’s Hospital.

To earn voluntary accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.

The accreditation program provides the framework for Akron Children’s to improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care, including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, lifelong follow-up for recurrent disease and end-of-life care.

When patients receive care at a commission-accredited facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling and patient-centered services, including psychosocial support, a patient navigation process and a survivorship care plan.

MERCY ADDS DOCTORS, EXPANDS TRAINING: Youngstown’s Graduate Medical Education Program will welcome 50 incoming residents across 10 residency programs and two fellowship programs. The new class includes residents in the specialties of internal medicine, family medicine, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, general dentistry, emergency medicine, otolaryngology, transitional year and pharmacy.

Mercy Health also is introducing a new rural pathway to the program as part of the ministry’s commitment to growing rural health care access. The pathway will give family medicine residents interested in rural health care the opportunity to train in a rural setting and address the health disparities facing patients in these communities. It will operate out of Mercy Health-Columbiana Primary Care.

SHOE COLLECTION OPEN: Premier Bank offices are collecting new tennis shoes for the Salvation Army of Mahoning County’s Shoes for Scholars program through July 31.

The collection is happening at Premier Bank Boardman, Canfield, Kirk Road, Liberty, McCartney Road, Newport Glen, Poland, Struthers and Youngstown main offices.

The Shoes for Scholars program provides new tennis shoes for K-12 students in need at Youngstown and Campbell school districts.

717 RECOGNIZED: For the second consecutive year, 717 Credit Union was named to Forbes’ list of Best Credit Unions in Each State. Each year, only 3 percent of credit unions across the country are recognized.

The Warren-based credit union is one of only four of Ohio’s 241 credit unions to earn the honors.

The Forbes list recognizes financial institutions that have shown excellent leadership and success over the past 12 months. The list is compiled by Forbes and presented by Forbes and the national market research firm Statista Inc.

To determine the ranking, more than 30,000 consumers were asked to provide an overall satisfaction score for their financial institutions. Those institutions are evaluated on factors that include customer service, the quality of the financial advice offered, whether fees are transparent and reasonable, ease of using the website, on-location branch services and the overall level of trust the companies inspired.

New businesses

INSURANCE AGENCY OPENS: Doug Thomas Sr. and Doug Thomas Jr. have opened Brightway, The Freedom Agency insurance office in Niles.

Mostly through Freedom Insurance Brokers, Thomas Sr. has been selling insurance in northeast Ohio for more than 30 years. Thomas Jr., 29, licensed since graduating from Girard High School in 2012, has more than a decade of insurance sales experience.

Thomas Sr.’s brother, Dave, is training to join the agency this summer. The new agency will service northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.

The agency offers customized home, flood, auto, boat, condo, renters, personal articles, RV, motorcycle, umbrella, commercial and life insurance policies from numerous insurance companies.

DANCE BOUTIQUE OPENS: Virginia Snyder is opening HK Dancewear, a new boutique that sells multiple brands in the dancewear industry, on July 8.

The boutique will sell products from brands that include So Danca, Weissman, Glam’r Gear, Kandi Kouture, Mariia, Details Dancewear, Tiger Friday, Five the Label, Honeycut, Eleve and Pastry.

The store is at 584 E. Main St., Suite 20, Canfield.

People on the move

NEW CFO NAMED: Michael J. Havalo has been hired as chief financial officer and treasurer of Howland-based Avalon Holdings Corp.

He previously served as the CFO and treasurer at McDonald Steel Corporation. He also previously worked at Hill, Barth & King, LLC, a public accounting firm.

Havalo replaces Bryan P. Saksa, who resigned earlier this year from the role of CFO, treasurer and secretary at Avalon Holdings Corp.

Avalon Holdings Corp. provides waste management services to industrial, commercial, municipal and governmental customers in the Northeast and Midwest U.S. markets, captive landfill management services and saltwater injection well operations.

The company also owns Avalon Resorts and Clubs, which includes a hotel and its associated resort amenities, four golf courses and related country clubs and a multipurpose recreation center.

STAFF ADDITIONS AT BURGAN: Burgan Real Estate has added Jody Pedaline and Jenn Hedrick to the firm’s staff of Realtors.

Pedaline is a native to the West Side of Youngstown and a 2002 graduate of Youngstown State University. She was working as a teacher in Las Vegas, as well as buying, selling and maintaining properties there and in Youngstown. She also helped found and co-owned YLP LLC, which owned, operated and maintained 40 rental units in Youngstown.

Hedrick, a native of East Liverpool who lives in Youngstown, has worked as a closing rep for Title Company.

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