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NOTABLE LEADER: Crain's Cleveland Business named Jeff Ryznar, founder, president and CEO of Canfield-based 898 Marketing, to its 2026 Notable Leaders in Communications list.
The Cleveland business publication honors senior communications leaders across Northeast Ohio who drive change inside their firms and serve their communities. The recognition brings a Mahoning Valley-rooted agency to a regional stage.
Ryznar launched 898 Marketing in Youngstown 12 years ago as a one-person operation. Today the full-service agency employs more than 40 people and serves clients in healthcare, technology, retail, automotive, manufacturing, professional sports and other industries. He oversees every part of the business, including strategy, creative and client relationships.
This year, 898 Marketing opened a second office in Hudson to support its continued growth.
"I'm truly grateful to Crain's for this honor," Ryznar said. "It reflects my family's support and sacrifice and a team that shows up every day called to serve. I share it with them, with the partners who trust us and with the Youngstown community that gave us our start."
Under Ryznar's leadership, 898 Marketing earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. Adweek named it one of the Fastest Growing Digital Agencies in the country, ranking it No. 1 in Ohio two years running. Crain's Cleveland Business also named 898 Marketing one of Ohio's Best Employers.
FAMILY BUSINESSES RECOGNIZED: The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and partners Huntington, HBK, Roetzel & Andress and JFS Wealth Advisors will honor 16 family-owned businesses at the Valley's sixth annual Family-Owned Business Recognition Dinner, to be held Feb. 25 at The Eastwood Event Centre in Niles.
Of the 16 selected honorees, one will be chosen from each category as the recipient of a special award. The four unique categories, listed below, are designed to highlight a family-owned business or individual that has excelled in each. Submissions are due by Jan. 6.
The Family-Owned Business Program was designed to help family businesses of all sizes and industries with succession planning, including maximizing value, understanding tax implications and myriad other aspects during the transition of a business. The dinner event showcases the successes and importance of family-owned businesses in our community.
The categories are as follows:
• Success in Succession: This category highlights a well-executed and unique succession plan that occurred in recent years.
• Social Impact Award: This category is focused on a family-owned business that went above and beyond to support the community while leveraging the business.
• Local to National Presence: This award goes to a family-owned business that has managed to develop a national or global presence while remaining family-owned.
• Growth Story: This award is for a family-owned business that took its enterprise to the next level.
For more information, visit https://shorturl.at/59IPl or contact Kim Calvert, executive vice president, Membership, Events, MarComm, with questions by email at Kim@RegionalChamber.com or call (330) 744.2131, Ext. 1235.
GRAND OPENING: Angel Care Medical, LLC, a provider of durable medical equipment rentals, sales, and service to the post-acute care industry, celebrated its grand opening of its new headquarters on Thursday at 8500 Crossroads Drive, Boardman.
The new $2.3 million, 15,000-square-foot headquarters provides expanded space for equipment storage, cleaning, repair and administrative operations. The facility strengthens Angel Care Medical's capacity to meet the equipment and service needs of long-term care facilities and hospice organizations across Ohio and neighboring states.
"Opening this new headquarters marks a significant milestone in our commitment to the communities we serve," said Dan Halas, president of Angel Care Medical. "This space allows us to expand our inventory, streamline our operations, and provide stronger support to our healthcare partners and the patients who depend on our service and equipment."
For more information, visit www.angelcaremedicalltc.com.
PICKLEBALL, ANYONE? The Davis Family YMCA in Boardman celebrated the opening of two new outdoor pickleball courts on Wednesday.
The new courts expand recreational opportunities at the Davis Family YMCA, creating additional space for physical activity, friendly competition and meaningful community connections. Pickleball has become a popular way for people of different ages and skill levels to stay active and enjoy time together. The addition of these outdoor courts reflects the YMCA's commitment to promoting healthy living and providing opportunities for people to connect through recreation.
"These new pickleball courts create exciting opportunities for people to stay active, build friendships, and connect with others in our community," said Tamra Lucas, executive director of the Davis Family Y. "We're proud to expand recreational opportunities at the Davis Family YMCA and look forward to seeing players come together to enjoy this new space."
LET'S DANCE: Studio V Dance and Gymnastics, 8381 Market St., Boardman, marked a new chapter for a business with a 60-year legacy in the community.
Formerly known as Sandy Bee Dance and Gymnastics, Studio V continues a longstanding tradition of providing dance and gymnastics instruction to local children and families. The studio offers dance, competitive dance, gymnastics, tumbling and cheer, with a focus on creating a welcoming environment where students can develop their skills, build confidence and form lasting friendships.
Studio V's competitive dance program offers high-quality training with a balanced approach and less demanding commitments than many traditional competitive studios, allowing students to pursue their passion while maintaining flexibility for other activities.
For the studio's owner Trisha Vukovich, the grand opening represents more than a new business venture. Having grown up competing and teaching at the studio, the owner has a personal connection to its history. That tradition has continued through the next generation, with the owner's two daughters participating in dance and gymnastics classes at the studio for the past nine years.
For more information about Studio V Dance and Gymnastics, visit wearestudiov.com or call 330-238-8848.
AWARD FINALIST: Advanced Technology Partners has been named a finalist in the 2026 MSP Titans of the Industry Awards, a national program recognizing leadership and excellence among managed service providers.
Finalists are selected through a competitive review that examines business growth, client outcomes, innovation, and overall impact on the MSP community. Winners will be announced Dec. 9 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
"Our team earned this," said Justin White, CEO of Advanced Technology Partners. "The work that gets a company named a finalist is not glamorous. It is answering fast, catching problems before a client ever notices them, and doing that consistently for years.
"Our average response time is 9.6 minutes and our Net Promoter Score is 95. Those numbers are the core of who we are as a company."
ATP, based in Austintown, was founded in 2018 and has grown from four employees to roughly 18. The company operates as a fully outsourced IT department for small and mid-sized businesses, and as an extension of internal IT teams at larger organizations.
"What this means to us is what it says to our clients," White added. "We started this company because small and mid-sized businesses in this region deserve the same quality of IT support that large companies get. Being recognized nationally tells our clients we are delivering on that."
For more information about Advanced Technology Partners, visit www.atpohio.com.
TOP SUPPLIER: Hynes Industries has been named a recipient of the Rising Star Supplier of the Year Award from Legrand, presented at the company's North and Central America supplier conference in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
Hynes was selected for the honor based on its work supporting Starline, part of Legrand's Data, Power & Control division and a critical supplier to the build-out of data centers. Hynes stood up production for Starline's components in six weeks, from its first conversation with the company to first parts shipped, with no dedicated equipment in place when the relationship began. That relationship has since expanded to support additional business units within the division, including Server Technology.
"We've never operated like an outside vendor," said Rick Organ, CEO of Hynes Industries. "From day one, we saw ourselves as an extension of Legrand's team, not separate from it. This award reflects what we believe a real partnership requires: transparency about what's possible, and a willingness to work through challenges together."
Hynes Industries, a custom roll form and metal fabrication manufacturer with facilities in Youngstown, Painesville and Kokomo, Ind., produces custom metal components used in Legrand's Starline power distribution systems for data centers.
SALON OPENS: The Suite Society celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 2 at 650 Youngstown Warren Road, Niles.
Owned by Holly Stere, The Suite Society is a new salon and professional suite destination designed to provide independent beauty and wellness professionals with private, professional spaces where they can build and grow their businesses.
The Suite Society brings a variety of beauty and wellness professionals together under one roof, providing clients with convenient access to services including hair, nails, esthetics, lashes, brows, facials, massage and more. The space was created to offer both professionals and their clients a beautiful, welcoming environment.
More than simply providing salon suites, The Suite Society aims to foster a supportive community where independent professionals can grow, succeed and build businesses they are proud of. The business also hopes to become a destination where clients feel welcomed, valued and excited to return.
CYBERSECURITY AWARD: Youngstown State University was awarded $1,513,568 by the Appalachian Regional Commission for its new project, the Connected Infrastructure & Industrial Cybersecurity Workforce Initiative.
This award is part of a recently announced $45.5 million award package supporting 47 projects through ARC's POWER Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization, Initiative, which directs federal resources to help Appalachian coal communities expand economic opportunities by creating high-quality, in-demand jobs in multiple industries, attracting new sources of private investment and providing comprehensive workforce services and skills training.
Youngstown State University, along with partners in Ohio and Pennsylvania, will create a connected infrastructure training hub at the YSU Excellence Training Center, a regional training facility for advanced manufacturing established with prior POWER funding.
The project will develop a highly skilled workforce trained for smart and connected factories through short-term, hands-on credentialed training in OT/IT systems and industrial networking; automation and connected production, including robotics, programmable logic controllers and smart systems; cybersecurity; broadband and wireless infrastructure; and drone systems supporting connected infrastructure deployment and maintenance, asset monitoring and data collection.
These areas form an interconnected system within a smart factory, and braiding them together allows students to learn the entire operations ecosystem or focus on a single technical specialty. Training is delivered at no cost to participants and will serve 165 students over three years across Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio and Lawrence and Mercer counties in Pennsylvania.
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