Business briefs
GOODWILL BOARD: Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries named Joseph P. Lyons and Trish Mossor to its board of directors for 2025.
Lyons is an associate professor of health professions and director of the Master of Health and Human Services Program at Youngstown State University. Lyons also is the principal investigator for the YSU Senior Youth Mentorship Program and is a board of director for Gateways to Better Living in Austintown.
Mossor is the business development manager at Aim Transportation Solutions. She previously led the truck rental branch at Enterprise. Mossor also serves as an ambassador for the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber and as a member of the Women In Trucking Association Inc., where she will serve on the content committee in 2025.
“Joseph and Trish bring an incredible depth of knowledge and passion to our board of directors,” said Dr. Shelley Murray, Youngstown Goodwill CEO of Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries. “Joseph’s dedication to mentorship and education, and Trisha’s dynamic leadership and industry expertise perfectly complements our mission.”
COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD WINNER: Ashley Roberts, a Premier Bank assistant vice president and commercial construction draw supervisor, recently received the eighth annual Jeff Vereecke Community Impact Award.
The award recognizes an associate who shares in a Premier’s dedication and passion for spreading kindness, doing good deeds and making their communities stronger by demonstrating superior service to the community in which they work and / or live.
Roberts was selected by Premier’s executive management team and by Karen Vereecke, widow of Jeff Vereecke, former executive vice president and Northern Market Area president for Premier, who lost his battle with cancer in 2014.
Roberts’ nomination highlighted her community involvement throughout the Mahoning Valley, which includes Alta Head Start Pre-School Program, American Cancer Society, Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio, Mahoning County Saint Vincent de Paul Society, the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley, the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Youngstown City School District and the Youngstown Community Garden Association.
She actively volunteers for and participates in many bank-sponsored events.
As part of the award, Roberts received $2,500 to donate to nonprofit organizations of her choice. She chose to donate $2,000 to the Autism Society Mahoning Valley and $500 to Common Wealth, Inc. to benefit The Baldwin Community Garden.
SECOND TERM FOR CAFARO: Dr. Michael J. Cafaro, director of Occupational Health and Chiropractic at Meridian HealthCare, has been elected to serve a second term as president of the Ohio State Chiropractic Association.
With more than a decade of service on the association’s board of directors, Cafaro has held multiple leadership roles, including assistant district director, District 4 director and chair of the Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee. He has served on the association’s executive committee as secretary, treasurer and vice president before becoming president in January 2024.
“Serving as president of OSCA is the ultimate way for me to give back to the profession,” Cafaro said. “I have dedicated my career to serving my patients, and now I am proud to give back to the profession that has shaped me into the doctor I am today.”
Larry Moliterno, Meridian HealthCare’s president and CEO, praised Cafaro’s leadership.
“His role as president strengthens the chiropractic profession in Ohio while supporting our commitment to integrated health care,” he said. We are incredibly proud of his accomplishments and the positive impact this will have on our organization and the community we serve.”
PROMOTION, ADDITION ANNOUNCED: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber recently promoted Monique Bennett as its director of marketing and added Nico Morgione as its director of government affairs.
In her new role, Bennett will work with Kim Calvert, the chamber’s senior vice president
of marketing and member services, to create effective marketing strategies for the organization among other chamber-related duties.
Bennett joined the chamber in March 2023 as a marketing and graphics specialist. Previously, she served as creative director for a Twinsburg-based construction company and had been art director for The Gold Clipper Magazine, where she worked for 21 years.
Joining the chamber in November, Morgione coordinates legislative efforts with Lyle
Huffman, the chamber’s vice president of government affairs. The pair works with local, state and U.S. government officials to meet the organization’s legislative goals of advocating for and creating public policy that benefits members and the business community across the greater Valley.
He also manages the chamber’s Lattes and Legislators, a successful public speaker series.
Morgione earned his bachelor of science in business administration in marketing management in 2021 and MBA in 2023, both at Youngstown State University. He serves on the board of Mahoning Valley Young Professionals.
PETRONY SELECTED: Attorney John F. Petrony of Poland has been selected for the 2025 Ohio Super Lawyers list. He is listed in the practice area of Mergers and Acquisitions.
Each year, no more than 5% of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.
Petrony practices through Petrony Law, LLC which focuses exclusively on providing business law and real estate law services. For more information, visit www.petronylaw.com.
FIFFICK PROMOTED: The Youngstown Business Incubator has promoted Chandler Fiffick to senior director of its EVOLVE Technology Entrepreneurship Program.
Fiffick joined the incubator in 2020 and previously served as the EVOLVE program’s director. She will oversee the management, operations, administration and strategic execution of YBI’s technology-focused incubation model.
“Chandler’s innovative approach to startup development and her ability to forge meaningful connections within the technology ecosystem have been instrumental in EVOLVE’s success,” Colleen Kelly, the incubator’s senior vice president, said.
The program works with entrepreneurs of any tech-based startup emphasizing digital or advanced manufacturing. For more information, visit ybi.org/programs/evolve.
WRTA TABS PENNELL: Jordan Pennell, former special projects coordinator / representative for former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, was hired to fill the newly created position of external affairs director at the Western Reserve Transit Authority.
Pennell is a lifelong Youngstown-area resident and graduate of Youngstown State University. Prior to working in Brown’s office, Pennell was a legislative aide to former state senator and current Judge Joe Schiavoni.
“Jordan’s decadelong experience at both the state and federal government levels will be a great help to us,” said Dean Harris, WRTA executive director.
“Now we’ll have another voice advocating for public transportation causes in the Valley. Jordan’s relationships and his knowledge of how things work will help ensure our participation in many more projects and funding that benefit our residents and our local economy.”
“WRTA has a great reputation among state and federal government officials,” said Pennell. “WRTA, led by Dean Harris, is seen as being on the forefront of progress in almost every area of public transportation in Ohio and the U.S. I’m looking forward to helping WRTA and the Valley continue moving forward.”
JONES NAMED: Gabrielle Jones, development and program coordinator of Leadership Mahoning Valley, has been named a co-chair for the Mahoning-Shenango Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ National Philanthropy Day committee.
In the role, Jones will help lead the 2025 committee in planning and implementing the annual celebration luncheon to honor and recognize local philanthropists.
The chapter supports local fundraising professionals through educational programs, networking and other activities. Chapter members are from Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana counties and Mercer and Lawrence counties in western Pennsylvania.
“I am excited and honored to be co-chairing this year’s National Philanthropy Day committee,” she said. “I always look forward to this event, as it is an opportunity to recognize the impact local philanthropists have on our Valley.”
The association represents more than 30,000 members in 240 chapters throughout the world. Members work to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education and certification programs.
National Philanthropy Day is an annual observance Nov. 15 that is designated by the association to celebrate charitable activities in the form of donated financial, in-kind and volunteering support.
TROMBITAS APPOINTED: Rail industry supplier A. Stucki Company has appointed Cortland resident David Trombita as plant manager for its draft gear and railcar component divisions.
The draft gear operation, formerly Independent Draft Gear, in Farrell, Pa., provides new and reconditioned draft gears for locomotives and railcars.
Formerly American Industries, the railcar component operation has locations in Sharon, Pa., and Jerseyville, Ill., and provides new and reconditioned couplers and yokes, wheelsets, bolsters, side frames and truck assemblies.
“Dave has 27 years of experience with Stucki and has a deep understanding of our operations,” said Ron Port, Stucki’s chief executive officer.
Trombitas started at Independent Draft Gear in 1998 and later became vice president of strategic sourcing for Stucki’s reconditioning and repair services division in 2023.
“I’m excited to work with our talented teams in Pennsylvania and Illinois to help improve productivity and grow the business,” he said.
Trombitas earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. He and his wife, Janice, live in Cortland and have four children.
LEADERSHIP LESSON: Michael Ross of HBK High Performance will be the featured presenter at Leadership Mahoning Valley’s “Lessons in Leadership” Lunch and Learn Session 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Youngstown Country Club, 1402 Country Club Drive, Youngstown.
For information or to register, contact Gabrielle Jones, Leadership Mahoning Valley’s development and program coordinator, at gabrielle@regionalchamber.com or call 330-744-2131, ext. 1109.
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