the business journal february 2010

The Valley’s Business MattersISSN 1047-8582 Vol. 26 No. 15 FEBRUARY DOUBLE ISSUE 2010 $2.50

www.BusinessJournalDaily.com

There is a segment of the Mahoning River as it flows through Youngstown that abruptly juts west, then loops around and creates a pocket

where today the first glimmer of an economic rebound is evident.

This area, known as the Riverbend District, is home to a small number of machine shops and equipment manufacturers that are often the first to feel the brunt of an economic meltdown. But they are also among the first to enjoy the benefits of a recovery.

“It seems that I’m having one of the strongest starts this year [compared to previous years],” says Steve Kiraly, president of Kiraly Tool & Die Inc. “The first couple months are usually the slowest, but we’re seeing a real strong start.”

Kiraly, Brilex Industries and City Machine Tech-nologies Inc. are among the businesses here that say the economic recovery appears to be more than just talk, and report they’re feeling the effect where it counts – in their order books.

Forget the anemic want ads in the Sunday paper. Manufacturing is poised for a rebound, and when

it does, it’s going to need all the help it can get from the next generation of skilled workers.

That’s the message a consortium of industry leaders from western Penn-sylvania wants to convey to young people considering a career in the

Recovery Visible In Youngstown’s Riverbend AreaEquipment manufacturers first to feel effects of stronger economy. By Dan O’Brien

“It looks very promising right through spring,” Kiraly says. “And that’s when we usually come on strong.”

Kiraly, 1250 Crescent St., manufactures stamping dies used in heavy industry and machine compo-nents for large pieces of manufacturing equipment. “We’re building stamping dies for the steel industry

and doing a lot of machine parts for industrial equip-ment,” he says.

He relates his customers serving the steel, plastics and foam manufacturers appear to be doing very well, and business is taking the form of producing new machine parts. So there’s more work for main-

‘Industry Needs You’ Steers Talent to ManufacturingBy Dan O’Brien

manufacturing trades. “We want to dispel the notion that

there are no high-paying, high-skilled jobs in manufacturing,” says Eric Kar-mecy, assistant director of work-force development at the West Central Job Partnership, New Castle.

The organization, along with a host of development and private-industry partners, has launched Industry Needs

Dan Astey, of Precision Manufacturing Institute, shows Cameron Howell a CNC milling machine.

See OUTREACH, page 43

See RECOVERY, page 32

Jack Cottrill, a tube-bending technician at Brilex Industries, programs equipment in the plant to complete the next order.

2 FEBRUARY DOUBLE ISSUE 2010 The Business Journal

35-46 Focus on Higher EducationThis edition’s section on higher education includes the story of Kent Englehardt, a YSU professor who’s written two books on jazz great Charlie Parker. Other topics we cover are college enrollment, fi nancial aid and technical training schools.

15 Lou Zona

18 Interest Rates

23 Media Scope

27-31 Minority Business RoundtableWe convene a panel of business own-ers, development and entrepreneurship experts and community leaders for our Minority Business Roundtable. The stimu-lating discussion produced candid obser-vations for readers to ponder.

24 Local.Com

49 BBB Report

73 In Search Of

See PLATT, page 4

Inside

CORRECTION Our Growth Repor t 2010 er-roneously repor ted that 1st National Community Bank of East Liverpool issued the U.S. Treasury stock in the fi rst quar-ter of 2009. It did not. The cor-rect information was provided to The Business Journal; the error occurred during the editing pro-cess. We regret the mistake.

Rodger W. Platt, who led The Cortland Bancorp from 1974 until he retired in 2005 and returned twice as interim CEO, died Feb.

5 in St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Youngstown, of complications from diabetes.

He was 74.During his tenure as CEO, Cortland Banks and

its holding company, Cortland Bancorp, experienced the largest growth and highest profi tability since its founding in 1892, Steve Telego says. Telego is the bank’s human resources offi cer.

Under Platt’s leadership, Cort-land Banks grew from three offi ces in Trumbull County and assets of $67 million to 14 of-fices in Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties and assets approaching a half billion dollars.

Platt began his career in bank-ing as a teller at the former Trumbull Savings and Loan As-sociation in Warren. When he joined Cortland Nov. 1, 1963, the bank had just opened its fi rst branch, in Brookfi eld. It opened a second branch in Vienna not long afterward.

“Rodger was a very likable man,” says his successor as CEO, James Gasior. “He had charisma, charm and a sense of humor, which was surely welcomed on those dif-fi cult days when nothing seemed to go right.

“Rodger had an informal open door policy and led by example,” Gasior continues. “His door was always open to talk about whatever was on your mind, whether it be work, family or sports, includ-ing his beloved Cleveland Indians.”

Rodger W. Platt Dies, Led Cortland Banks 28 YearsBy Dennis LaRue That charisma and likeability, along with his suc-

cess as a lender, prompted his election to Cortland’s board of directors in 1974 and as president of the bank April 1, 1976. He was elected chairman of the board in 1987.

His informal manner caused him to insist on be-ing called “Rodger.”

“Rodger truly cared about the employees of the bank,” Gasior says, “and in turn he was respected by employees, customers, directors and sharehold-ers alike.”

He won, and won over, cus-tomers because of “his willing-ness to help an individual or business in need of a loan, and if regulation permitted, he would consummate an arrangement on the basis of a simple handshake,” Gasior relates.

To remain relevant and in-dependent, Platt realized Cort-land had to grow, which it did through acquisition and building new offi ces. He also determined it should do more than accept de-posits, lend money and own the low-risk securities in which com-mercial banks were permitted to invest. Thus, in 1983, Cortland created a trust department that offered a full line of services, Gasior says.

And in 1992, when Cortland celebrated its 100th anniversary, Platt showed no signs of slowing down and every sign that the bank would continue on its path of growth.

In Cortland’s annual report for 2004, the last for which he would write the letter from the chairman, Platt wrote, “As my 70th birthday approaches, my time with the bank grows short.” He was planning

RODGER W. PLATT

The Business Journal FEBRUARY DOUBLE ISSUE 2010 3

Platt: Led Cortland Banks 28 YearsFrom Page 3not only his retirement but the future of the bank as well, he assured shareholders.

Platt noted the “nine straight years of record profi ts” during his tenure, the doubling and dou-bling again of Cortland’s assets, and the technology employed to better serve customers. Pointing to the wave of mergers and acquisitions that had greatly reduced the number of community banks, Platt wrote, “We remain staunchly independent.”

What kept Cortland Banks independent and strong, he suggested, “can be attributed to our personalized customer service, a hallmark of small-town community banks. … While we try to preserve the best of the old ways, we also try to provide our customers with the best of the new ways. … We like to think of it as hometown banking with all the modern conveniences.”

Platt was born Sept. 14, 1935, in Warren, a son of Harry D. and Olive R. Montgomery Platt. He earned his baccalaureate in mathematics at The Ohio State University and served in the Army before beginning his career in banking.

Although he retired Oct. 31, 2004, he was twice called back to serve as interim CEO, most recently the last quarter of 2009 after the former CEO left and Cortland was forced to write down or mark to market a series of investments.

Even after he retired, he often stopped by the headquarters on West Main Street “to review the daily statement of condition, read the newspaper or simply greet his friends,” Gasior says.

Platt remained an optimist about Cortland and its future. Last fall he told a reporter the bank would return to profi tability before the end of the year and expressed confi dence in the two men the directors had chosen to run its day-to-day operations, Gasior and Tim Carney. The latter was named chief operat-ing offi cer when the former was named CEO.

Platt’s wife, the former Marie Ann Marin, whom

he married Oct. 7, 1961, died May 6, 2005. He leaves a son, Mark R. Platt of Cortland; a daughter, Julie Sheets of North Lima; a brother, Robert M. Platt Sr. of Cortland; and two grandchildren.

In lieu of fl owers, the family asks that donations be made to either the Humane Society of the United States, Washington, D.C., or the Akron offi ce of the American Diabetes Association.

Tubemakers Claim Chinese Dodging DutiesChinese pipe and tube producers are evading

duties on their exports to the United states, in some cases by falsifying the points of origin on the ship-ments, domestic producers argue.

Representatives of U.S. manufacturers have brought the allegations to the attention of U.S. Cus-toms authorities, who say they are looking into the reported violations, says Roger Schagrin, who repre-sents the Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports.

Despite antidumping and countervailing duties imposed in 2008 on Chinese-made circular welded, or standard, pipe and rectangular tubing, Schagrin says domestic producers, particularly on the West Coast, last year began to see distributors importing products and containers they claimed were from other countries. But the products were arriving on vessels coming from Chinese ports, he says.

Companies in China are also advertising on the Internet that they can produce “completely false documentation” to evade duties not just in the United States but around the world, including in the

European Union, Schagrin says. The duties start in the triple digits, ranging from 100% to 600%.

“They’re doing it mostly in standard pipe and we’ve seen it in some mechanical tubing” but also energy and oil country tubular goods, says Barry Zekelman, CEO of John Maneely Co., which oper-ates Wheatland Tube Co. locally.

Zekelman says after U.S. producers won the rul-ing on continuous pipe, the Chinese started calling their product seamless pipe to circumvent the deci-sion. Similarly, fence tubing was called electrical conduit. “There’s no electrical conduit made to those standards or sizes, so it was blatant,” he adds.

Ship documents were also changed to show that Chinese products subject to duties were coming from Oman or Taiwan, “but they didn’t bother to change the product tags on the tubing,” he adds.

The dumping is costing millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs, Zekelman says. “I’m tired of telling people we don’t have work when we’ve done every-thing we can to combat these unfair imports.”


PUT YOUR BUSINESSON THE MAP.

YOU WORK ALL OVER.SHOULDN’T YOUR 3G?

Buy one BlackBerry® and get another FREE.With new 2-yr activation on voice plan with data pak $29.99 or higher/smartphone. Free phone must be of equal or lesser value.

NEW! BlackBerry Curve™Wi-Fi enabled with support for popular apps

$4999$149.99 2-yr. price – $100 mail-in rebate debit card. New 2-yr. activation on voice plan with data pak $29.99 or higher/smartphone req’d.

More small businesses choose Verizon Wireless than any other wireless carrier. Maybe it’s because of our map. The one with the most 3G coverage in America. And one that makes for powerful, reliable business solutions. So you can be as productive on the road as you are anywhere else.

1.800.VZW.4BIZ | verizonwireless.com/onthemap

Activation fee/line: $35. IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Subject to Customer Agmt, Calling Plan, rebate form and credit approval. Up to $350 early termination fee/line, and other charges. Offers and coverage, varying by service, not available everywhere. Rebate takes up to 6 weeks & expires in 12 months. Limited time offer. While supplies last. Shipping charges may apply. See verizonwireless.com for details. Map doesn’t guarantee coverage, contains areas with no service, and generally predicts where rates & outdoor coverage apply. Equipment, topography and environment affect service. Small Business claim: results based on an independent research study of 3,429 single location firms with 1-49 employees using corporate liable wireless service. Telephone interviews were conducted between 4Q08 and 3Q09 with the employee most knowledgeable with telecommunications service.©2010 Verizon. 99046


Warren Fire: Works to Prevent, Control FiresFrom Page 5

��

Eagle Mechanical Celebrating 20 years in the Mahoning Valley.��

��

��

��

��

� � � ��

“Thank you” Mahoning Valley from Eagle Mechanical LLC


Labor Unions Lend Hands (and Coats)Social services agencies they’re not, but at times they assume their characteristics.

Andy Sinchak of Local 396 of the Plumbers & Pipe Fitters, Blythe Cabin of Local 125 of the Laborers Union, and Lou Chine of the Plumbers braved two feet of snow Feb. 6 to serve pasta at the Electrical Workers hall in Champion. The fund-raising event, in its fourth year, takes place the Saturday before the Super Bowl. Proceeds buy book bags and school supplies for young children.

See LABOR UNIONS, page 8

By Dennis LaRue

The organized labor movement, especially in the Mahoning Valley, has a rich history of looking beyond the aspirations of the rank and file and

helping those who can’t help themselves.While labor unions are not social-services agen-

cies, they do at times assume some of their charac-teristics.

Case in point: the Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO Union Counselors. In addition to providing coun-seling services for labor union members, they build wheelchair ramps free of charge for children in the Valley whose families who can’t afford one, says Tony DiTommaso, business representative/organizer for Ohio and Vicinity Regional Council of Carpenters. Not just carpenters, he points out, but members of other skilled-trades unions such as the plumbers and pipe fitters.

DiTommaso cites the continuing involvement of a retired business manager for Local 396 of the Plumb-ers and Pipe Fitters Union, Gary “Rabb” Marinelli.

The counselors also oversee the annual Button-Up Coat Drive to collect winter coats for children whose parents or guardians can’t afford them, Marinelli says. LaFrance Cleaners dry-cleans the garments free of charge and returns them to the counselors for distribution.

The warm coats for kids campaign started rela-tively inauspiciously, recalls Stephen Weiss, owner and president of LaFrance. “It just sort of started in 2005,” he says, when “a couple of nice ladies from Help Hotline came in here one day” to seek his help.

“When do you want to begin?” Weiss asked Kate Huff and Leilani Nelson.

Next week, they replied. The first year’s effort was modest, the two women from Help Hotline, along with their colleagues, Pam Smith, Cindy Perkins and Diane Baytosh, collecting the coats, taking them to LaFrance stores and distributing the clean coats.

“Then it got to be too big for them to handle,”

Weiss relates, and the Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO got involved, along with churches and soup kitch-ens. “2006-07 saw 1,957 coats collected, cleaned and distributed,” he says. “That was our biggest year.”

Since then, between 1,200 and 1,300 coats a year on average have been donated, cleaned and distrib-uted. “My kids grew out of theirs and we donated them,” Weiss says.

Almost all of the coats are in good condition, the

president of LaFrance says. Collection efforts begin in November and run through the end of January. Shepherd Self Storage of Boardman holds the coats at no charge until they’re distributed.

Cost to dry clean a coat runs anywhere from $8 to $12, Weiss says, and a back-of-the-envelope cal-culation shows LaFrance donates $13,000 a year in dry cleaning for these children in need.

Marketing Plans • Media Buying • Graphic Design • Press ReleasesWeb Design • Web Marketing & Optimization

2527 Forest Springs Dr., Howland P/F: 330.544.9996 [email protected] www.cassidyadvertising.com

Your Outsourced Marketing DirectorAdvertising Marketing Public Relations

Providing increased profits & company growthLAURA L. SCOTT - PRESIDENT


Labor Unions: Lending Helping Hands (and Coats)From Page 7

The vice president of the counselors, a staff rep-resentative for AFSCME District 8 in Austintown, Cindy Michael, started an annual pasta dinner held the Saturday before Super Bowl Sunday that raises money to buy book bags and school supplies for grade-school students. These supplies – notebook paper, pencils, rulers, crayons and other art supplies – are distributed during a Saturday picnic in Tod Park in Warren in late August for children whose parents who can’t afford them.

“Last year, we gave away 290 book bags,” Michael

reports, “and served over 950 hot dogs.” The fi rst year saw 175 book bags given away.

This year’s picnic is set for Aug. 28.The wheelchair ramps the counselors build “are

done on the members’ time,” DiTommaso notes, with Ace Lumber selling the weather-treated wood at cost, adds the Plumbers’ Marinelli.

When the union counselors meet the fourth Tuesday of each month, says DiTommaso, they review the requests for wheelchair ramps, which may run as many as 15 although the list usually consists of four or fi ve. The list is one of constant

revisions as priorities change; four to fi ve ramps are built every year.

“I go to the address, talk to the people and mea-sure it up,” DiTommaso says. “Most houses have two or three steps and you need eight feet of ramp for each step, about one foot of ramp for every inch of height.”

While the counselors prefer a family to own the residence, they don’t hesitate to build ramps on rental properties. DiTommaso must fi rst obtain permission from the landlord and “Landlords are usually receptive,” he relates.

The work is usually completed on one Saturday. The labor donated would run around $1,400 if a bill were presented, DiTommaso estimates. “Four to six guys show up and work six to eight hours, the Carpenters’ business rep says. He tells of the ramp recently built for an autistic girl. “It was like she had MS; she was crippled since birth,” he relates.

“It’s really priceless when you saw that little girl. And the look on her parents’ faces. They ...” DiTommaso starts to choke up and pauses to regain his composure. “The mother’s face just lit up after she saw her daughter ride down the ramp for the fi rst time.”

Marinelli is no less emotional about Cindy Michael and the role she played in transforming a family tragedy into a community effort to furnish children with school supplies. “Every single penny she raises goes to help children,” he states.

On Sept. 13, 2005, someone broke into the apart-ment in Girard of her son’s girlfriend, Lena Cross, and stabbed her more than seven times before set-ting it on fi re, killing their two sons, Mason, 5, and Christian, not yet 2.

“People and unions started sending us money,” Michael recalls. “I had bought Mason a book bag for kindergarten. He never got to use it.”

Michael set up an account at Chase Bank to fund a reward to whoever turned in the murderer (who is yet to be identifi ed or arrested). “I [also] wanted to do something for the community in memory of Mason and Christian,” she continues.

So she started the annual pasta dinner, which proved so successful that this, its fourth year, it was moved from the Local 2165 Hall of the United Steelworkers in Niles to the Local 573 Hall of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Champion, courtesy of business manager Mark A. Catello.

Despite the heavy snow Feb. 6, Roland “Butch” Taylor, Marinelli and other plumbers were there around 7 a.m. to work in the kitchen. No one, nei-ther Michael nor the Plumbers, could explain the origin of the tradition of allowing only men to work in the kitchen.

Regardless, Marinelli and company were prepared to serve 130 pounds of spaghetti and sauce provided by Gia Russa. “The union counselors pay for it out of their own pocket,” Marinelli states, “and have ever since the second year.”

The snow dampened the turn out but advance sales were heavy. As has been the counselors’ prac-tice, the leftover food was taken to the Dorothy Day Hospitality House, the former Linton Funeral Home on the north side of Youngstown.

That building, also a project of the counselors’ giving back to the community, was rehabilitated by members of the building trades council.

SKILLED PROFESSIONALS. PRODUCTIVE RESULTS.

Ask about our nine-point Customer Bill of Rights!

I f you care about quality– commit to using the best contractors in this region’s construction industry:

Members of The Builders Association of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

We are skilled professionals who offer productive results.

We are veteran craftsmen who complete jobs on time, on budget and in a customer-friendly manner.

We support the local construction industry with training and resources so that our project owners get skilled, expert workmanship. Every day.

THE UILDERSS K I L L E D P R O F E S S I O N A L S . P R O D U C T I V E R E S U LT S .

A S S O C I A T I O N

To obtain a list of association members please call 330-539-6050 or visit our website at: www.TheBuildersOnline.com

The Builders: Teamwork. Safety. Manpower.

Choose Smart. Choose the Builders.


��

��

��

� ��

��

��

� ��


By Dan O’Brien

The rank and file of Local 1375 of the United Steelworkers of America are back in the classroom.

It’s the first step before these work-ers return to OAO Severstal Warren, the steelmaker shuttered for a year but gearing up for reactivation.

“There’s a lot of training going on right now,” says George Calko , executive officer and training ad-ministrator of Lo-cal 1375. “We’re putting them anywhere we’ve got room.”

Severstal officially announced Jan. 25 that the Warren steel mill, formerly WCI Steel, would restart operations by the end of the first quarter. The first round of recalled workers – specifi-cally maintenance employees – were scheduled to begin work the first week of this month.

Just how many will be working by the time the mill restarts remains to be seen, union officials say, and those numbers are subject to ongoing contract negotiations with Severstal. However, those preparing to soon return to work are getting up to speed on safety issues, continuous improve-ment training and other incidentals associated with the plant.

At a press conference Jan. 25, Ed Machingo, president of Local 1375, said that members have seized op-portunities during the yearlong layoff to brush up on their skills.

“They haven’t been sitting idle,” he says.

The goal of the union, he says, is to have all 1,050 of Severstal’s hourly workers back on the job.

Safety of the work force is the fore-most concern among the Steelwork-ers, Calko says. “A steel mill can be a dangerous place,” he remarks, and it’s imperative that all employees possess the knowledge and skills to protect themselves and their co-workers.

“All the training is developed and taught by us,” Calko says. “It’s ongo-ing through the year” and courses are designed to meet, even exceed, the

needs and demands of the operation. Electrical classes, courses in

blueprint reading, crane operations and machine operations are all part of the curriculum in 1375’s training center. A certain amount of this train-ing is done on site, inside the mill, Calko says.

“There’s a com-puter lab there and workshops where we can do a lot of training right on the premises,” Calko notes.

Local 1375 has also collaborated with community

colleges and area work-force-develop-ment centers.

Another aspect of the program con-sists of classroom training in the base-ment of the Steelworkers’ union hall on North Park Avenue in Warren.

The training offered varies from job to job, Calko says. Plumbers and pipe fitters, for example, usually re-ceive specialized training as opposed to other positions. “It’s customized to each job,” he says. “Some of our members need more training than others.”

Aside from safety and operations training, Local 1375 also provides help to enhance workers’ skills through its Institute for Career Development, Calko notes.

The union provides tuition as-sistance and holds for programs that respond to members’ requests and answers their needs.

Courses in disciplines such as engine repair and welding certifica-tion – even cooking classes – are conducted to enrich the professional and domestic skills of the members of Local 1375.

“Many of our members are hunt-ers,” Calko says, and chefs in the area are often called on to teach food preparation and how to cook.

“There’s a lot of community sup-port when it comes to helping our members,” he says.

Steelworkers Get Ready to ReturnTo Jobs at Severstal

“All the training is developed and taught by us,” Calko says. “It’s ongoing through the year” and courses are designed to meet, even exceed, the needs and demands of the operation.

CATCH THE BUZZ, the Business Journal Daily Buzz, that is. It’s our newscast, anchored by Stacia Erdos, that’s posted every afternoon at BusinessJournalDaily.com.


Last fall, as the Western Reserve Building & Construction Trades Council prepared to celebrate its 100th anniversary this year,

Secretary-Treasurer Jim Burgham dropped off its last charter, issued in 1975, to be reframed at Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts in Boardman.

While the old frame showed signs of wear, Burgham says, the document itself looked fresh. A couple of days later, a clerk at Jo-Ann’s called to ask him, “Do you realize you have two older charters behind your charter?” he relates.

Burgham, also business manager of Local 64 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Work-ers, Boardman, did not. The most recent charter had been protected so well that the two older charters inserted behind it looked almost as fresh.

He and Don Crane, president of the building trades council, were disappointed when they saw someone had written “void” in large letters across the original and second charters.

While the documents look nearly new, the “void” written in black ink on both had turned sepia.

Crane reminisced recently about the council, composed of 8,400 members in 14 crafts that belong to 21 locals in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbi-ana counties, and was eager to review its 100-year history.

What is the Western Reserve council was born in January 1910 in Youngstown as the Youngstown-Mahoning Building Trades Council and consisted of nine trades in the American Federation of Labor.

As membership grew and its jurisdiction ex-panded, Burgham says, the council was issued new charters to reflect that growth. Membership reached its apex in the decades of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, Crane says, when it was nearly double today’s.

“Technology has played a huge part” in the de-cline in numbers, he says.

He offers the operating engineers as an example of needing fewer people and doing a better job. When creating the desired grade, the operating engineer driving an earthmover can look at the dashboard in his cab, Crane points out. A half century ago, the driver had to rely on another union member outside who measured the grade with a stick and came back to report.

Bricklayers today lay brick much the same way they always have – “They’re still laying it one brick at a time,” Crane observes – but they lay it faster because concrete mixers “are faster and more mobile” and give the bricklayers a handier supply.

“Cement masons have power trowels to lay floors so they don’t have to install [flooring] on their hands and knees,” he continues.

The tradesmen who install drywall “have self-feeding screw drivers” their predecessors lacked, Crane says. “The Iron Workers have snorkel lifts and scissor lifts that allow them to work faster.”

Quality, Safety Mark Trades’ 100 YearsAdvances in technology have made it possible to do better work in less time with fewer workers.By Dennis LaRue

Crane, also business manager of Local 1871 of the millwrights and pile drivers, points to a picture on the wall that shows a friction crane once used to install the piles that support bridges. “Today’s cranes have far less breakdown time,” he comments, partly because of “the conversion from steam to diesel. But the soil still sets your speed. In the last 40 to 50 years, we haven’t found a faster way to do the job, even with hydraulic driving.”

Today’s contractors and unions are concerned

about safe working conditions as never before, Crane notes. He tells of an old photograph of the men building the Stratton Power Station along the Ohio River. Few construction workers are wearing hard hats and no one is wearing safety glasses, the labor leader points out.

And practices taken for granted back then, such as “riding a headache ball – it’s the size of a basketball and weighs 300 pounds” – have long been retired he

See TRADES’ 100 YEARS, page 13


Trades Council MembersThe 8,400 members in the 14 crafts that constitute the 21 locals of the Western Reserve Building & Construction Trades Council are:• Local 84 of the Heat & Frost Insulators union• Local 744 of the Boilermakers union• Locals 8 and 10 of the Bricklayers Terrazzo & Tile Setters Union• Local 171 of the Carpenters & Joiners Union• Local 179 of the Cement Masons & Plasters Union• Locals 64 and 573 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers• Local 45 of the Elevator Constructors union• Local 847 of the Glaziers union• Locals 125, 809 and 935 of the Laborers International Union of North America• Local 1871 of the Millwrights and Pile Drivers Union• Local 66 of the Operating Engineers Union• Local 476 of the Painters, Sign Painters and Drywall Finishers Union• Local 396 of the Plumbers & Pipe Fitters Union• Local 71 of the Roofers Union• Local 33 of the Sheet Metal Workers Union• Local 207 of the Structural Iron Workers Union• Local 377 of the Teamsters union.

Don Crane, president of the building trades council, holds the organization’s newly framed charter, issued in 1975.

��

��

��

LOCAL UNION NO. 125

PHONE 783-3124 • FAX 783-55434178 MARKET STREET • YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO 44512

DAVID EGGLESTONPresident

ROCCO DIGENNARO JR.Recording Secretary

WILLIE SLYSgt.-at-Arms

BARNEY S. MOSLEYVice President

MICHAEL HILLBLYTHE CABAN

Executive Board

GARY EGOLFJOSEPH LANDERSJACK GLENELLEN

Auditors

Laborers’ International Unionof North America

Affiliated with A.F.L.-C.I.O.

ROBERT D. JONESSecretary-Treasurer

THOMAS H. WARGABusiness Manager


says. A crane operator would transport a construc-tion worker, who stood on the headache ball and held onto the chain, to a very elevated workstation. “You wanted to make sure you stayed on good terms with the crane operator,” the millwright business agent says with a slight grin.

Carpenters have guards on their power saws, Crane continues, and steel-toed shoes are the norm at heavy industrial sites.

While both the contractors and the building trades unions “have made a huge commitment to safety, accidents still happen,” Crane says, noting the ironworkers who participated in building Covelli Centre “were not used to working on bleachers and two of their members got hurt.”

The first class that novices take when they begin their apprenticeships is safety. “Apprenticeship programs begin with safety,” Crane emphasizes. Depending on the job in the public sector, the gov-ernment requires either an OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 card, he continues.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion has a 10-hour course on general safety and a 30-hour course on specific training in safety, Crane explains.

In the private sector, General Motors Co., for example, is no less insistent on a safe working en-vironment at Lordstown when it undertakes new projects; building tradesmen there hear reminders on safety every day.

Other changes in the building trades he’s seen include more women working in the 14 crafts. “More are joining,” Crane reports. Both management and male workers “are finding gender is no barrier to doing the job. … We have women electricians. We even have women pile drivers. … Women are some of the best workers we have.”

Formal apprenticeship programs were instituted to replace “learning a trade through your family,” Crane says.

Many journeymen would not share their knowl-edge and experience as they strived to ensure that they, not someone else, would be hired to perform the work available.

They might have ensured work for themselves but demand for their skills exceeded supply, a situation that made contractors unhappy.

Hence the apprenticeship programs were insti-tuted; today the Builders Association of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania funds and jointly administers the building trades’ apprenticeship programs.

And where a generation ago admission to the building trades was nearly impossible if an applicant were not related to a union member, Crane says, “Nepotism’s gone.” All of the crafts are recruiting qualified applicants to become apprentices.

“Fathers wanted their sons to go to college,” he explains, “not deal with the same uncertainty they faced. … They trained their kids to know they’d be off three to four months of every year,” even in good times – longer when recessions struck.

That aspect of working in the building trades hasn’t changed, Crane says. “I’m third-generation,” he continues.

“My father and grandfather were carpenters,” he says, so he knew what to expect when he joined the millwrights.

Trades’ 100 Years: From Page 11

The

Millwrights”We Can Handle It“

Experienced in all areas of plantmaintenance and repair including:

• Aluminum Extrusion

• Plastic Extrusion

• Roll Mills

• Steel Industry

• Metal Stamping

• Conveyor – Package & Bulk Handling

• Overhead Cranes

• Process Equipment

www.millwrightspiledrivers.com

Call

Don Cranefor a list of areacontractors that willmeet your needs

YOUNGSTOWN OFFICE

330-746-0551STEUBENVILLE OFFICE

740-282-1995

BUSINESS JOURNAL

INSTITUTIONAL AD

1/6TH PAGE HORIZONTAL

778 TRUESDALE RD.YOUNGSTOWN, OH 44511

330-788-4541

www.youngstownymca.org

330-747-YMCA

From Swim Lessonsto Youth Sports Leagues,

From Day Camps to Racquetball,The YMCA of Youngstown has

programs for every memberof the family.

It Feels Good To Belong!

SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!

YMCAYOUNGSTOWN

CENTRAL

Champion St., Downtown

D.D. & Velma Davis

FAMILY YMCAMcClurg Rd. Boardman


Journal Opinion

Locally owned by the Youngstown Publishing Co.

The Business Journal is published semi-monthly (twice a month) in Youngstown, Ohio. Copyright 2010 by Youngstown Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use, with-out written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited.

Average Issue Readership: 45,000 Mail Subscription Rates: $42 for 12 months; $77 for 24 months; $96 for 36 months. Back Issues: If available, $4.75 apiece prepaid (mailed); $3.25 apiece prepaid (picked up at our office).

Submission Policy: News articles and photographs may be submitted but cannot be returned. We reserve the right to select and edit all articles and letters. All submissions become the editorial property of The Business Journal. Submissions may be edited and may be published or re-used in any medium including Business Journal television and radio reports and the Daily Business Journal Online.

The Valley’s Business Matters

25 East Boardman Street, Suite 306P.O. Box 714, Youngstown, Ohio 44501-0714

Telephone 330 744 5023Fax 330 744 5838 • 330 744 0634

Email: [email protected] site: BusinessJournalDaily.com

Publisher Andrea Wood

Assistant Publisher Eileen Lovell

Copy Editor Dennis LaRue

Page Editor Maraline Kubik

Daily Buzz Anchor Stacia Erdos

Videographers Jeremy Lydic Tony Marr Mike Moliterno

Senior Reporters Dan O’Brien George Nelson Jeremy Lydic

Columnists Monnie Ryan Lou Zona

Photographer Tony Mancino

Rate Comparisons Cara J. McClure

Sales Manager Janet O’Malley

Account Executives Gail S. White Dan Gonder

Art Director/ Webmaster

Fred Sipe

BY LOUIS A. ZONA

Impressions

Community Organizers Merit PraiseCommunity organizing has been the subject of

derision, if not scorn, in some quarters since com-ing to voters’ attention in 2008 when they learned of Barack Obama’s background. Regardless, we can’t help but be encouraged by the growing role that emerging organizations such as the Mahoning Val-ley Organizing Collaborative and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. are taking in our region’s redevelopment efforts

The collaborative, for example, has emerged as a leading voice in efforts to secure neighborhood sta-bilization funds to rehabilitate and, when necessary, raze properties in blighted urban neighborhoods. The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. has focused its efforts on the neighborhoods of the largest city in the Valley. YNDC, as it is becoming known, recently targeted three inner-city neighbor-hoods for reclamation. Both organizations have benefited from financial support from the Raymond John Wean Foundation.

We are also impressed with the quality and pas-sion of the individuals who have taken roles in these organizations. Last fall Presley Gillespie left an 18-year career in banking to become executive director of YNDC. Before coming on board as a community organizer at MVOC, Phil Kidd spearheaded the De-fend Youngstown movement, a grassroots campaign grown from the heart, not a focus group, to present a positive image of the city.

With so much focus on initiatives to create and retain jobs, it is often easy to forget that inner-city

neighborhoods also play an important role. Decaying homes are incubators for criminal behavior, which spreads beyond those neighborhoods, and families deserve to live where they can be safe. Crime and decay also deter companies from locating here.

Those involved with these initiatives are realistic about the challenges they face. As YNDC’s assistant director, Ian Beniston, notes, it took 30 years for some of these neighborhoods to be where they are today.

“Our work will always be a work in progress,” Presley rightly observes.

That said, in addition to their vision for the area, these entities must ensure their long-term viability if their leaders intend to continue in their roles and to expand their scope where needed.

To date, both entities have depended heavily on the financial support of the Wean Foundation, a philanthropy that provides some $4 million in grants annually. The foundation should be com-mended for supporting these worthy endeavors. However, the recession, made worse by the near financial meltdown, taught us the consequences economic downturns can have on endowment funds; foundation priorities can shift as well. Still, it is encouraging to see the financial support these organizations have received. Even more encouraging is their community support.

Maybe in future campaigns, “community orga-nizer” won’t be a phrase so easily ridiculed. As the 2008 election showed, there is a place for commu-nity organizers, even in the White House.


BY LOUIS A. ZONA

Impressions

See ZONA, page 16

A Lactose-IntolerantAmerican in Paris

See CONLEY, page 16

No way could I eat crepes or the glorious sauces.

Warren-Youngstown Urban League Redefines Mission

We lactose-intolerant folk can become quite indignant when we visit the ice cream freezers in supermarkets.

Who would ever have thought that a poor kid from New Castle would one day be

involved in the rescue of a world-renowned work of art by a famous French artist? And then hobnob with the cultural elite of Paris?

I t happened to me, thanks in large measure to a good friend, Vince Bacon, a retired engineer and president of the board of directors of the Butler Institute of American Art.

The art in question is an enormous ceramic mural by a French master, Pierre Soulages. It was displayed in an office building in downtown Pitts-burgh and destined for destruction before the Butler, headed by Vince’s team, saved it and brought it to Youngstown. Later this year, it will be

transferred and permanently housed in the Butler museum in Howland.

At the invitation of Soulages, 90 years of age, Vince and his wife, Phyl-lis, my wife, Pat, and I flew to Paris to attend the opening of the artist’s major retrospective exhibition at the Pompideau Center and the Louvre. It was one of the most wonderful

experiences of my life. Except for one thing.

We all remem-ber and love George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris”

and subsequent Oscar-winning movie of the same title starring Gene Kelly. With sincere apologies to Gershwin, I introduce you to “A Lactose-Intoler-ant American in Paris,” me.

What could be more cruel than to be in France, land of rich creams and buttery sauces, and unable to partake in any of them?

Despite my long association with

By Thomas S. ConleyWarren-Youngstown Urban League President & CEO

Wi t h a n e w c o n -

cept for uplifting the minorities we serve, The Greater Warren-Yo u n g s t o w n Urban League has begun forming

partnerships with community leaders to make that vision a reality.

The Urban League spent much of 2009 redefining, reintroducing and rebranding itself. Having expanded into the Youngstown area in 2006 after the office there closed, the War-ren-Trumbull County Urban League became a strengthened entity as we

set about reasserting ourselves as the premier voice for African Americans and other minorities in the Mahon-ing Valley.

The Greater Warren-Youngstown Urban League traces its history to 1930, when the Warren-Trumbull Urban League was established as an af-filiate of the newly organized National Urban League.

Inspiration for the local chapter’s new direction came from the president of the Chicago Urban League, Cheryle R. Jackson, the first woman to hold that chapter’s top position in its 90-year history.

Although the national Urban League is known for its work in social services, Jackson has a different prior-ity: economic empowerment. “Social services are needed,” she says. “But when you rely on them exclusively,

We CarryDragon Herbs

GOJIBERRIESHerbs, Herbs, Herbs!

��

��

NaturalProducts forRestless Legg

Syndrome

Dermal K Skin

Clarifying CreamHeals Spider Veins,

Stretch Marks, Bruises,

Burns, Eczema,

Psoriasis

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

� � ��

� � � � � � ��

��

��


Conley: Warren-Youngstown Urban League Redefines Its MissionFrom Page 15

Zona: A Lactose-Intolerant American in ParisFrom Page 15art and the history of art, I just re-turned from my first trip to the “City of Light.” And, had I eaten the food, it would have been “lights out” for me.

Those of us with the affliction know that our archenemies are any and every type of dairy product – but-ters and creams and cheeses, plain milk, and eggs, whipped or otherwise. So imagine, if you will, spending a week in the land of crème brûlée, soufflés, crepes and every imaginable cream and sauce-covered dish that has ever entered the mind (and digestive tract) of man.

Quite simply, had I indulged in the joys and splendors of French cuisine, I would have spent the entire seven days in the splendor of la toilette. For example, had I succumbed to the urge for that slice of strawberry cheesecake or been tempted by the chocolate ice cream sundae topped with whipped cream, it would have been no differ-ent than munching on a delectable package of Ex-Lax tablets.

I understand that there are 10 million or so Americans incapable of digesting dairy products, and given the menus of the restaurants on the Champs-Élysées, it’s obvious that none of them travels to France.

Clearly, no Frenchmen suffer lac-tose intolerance or there would be a “cream-free” section on their menus or, better yet, restaurants with cream-free sections. On the other hand, maybe the toilet business is big in France and I’m just not savvy to it.

I was in my late 20s when I first dis-covered my lactose intolerance, which my good friend Dr. Tom Detesco de-scribes as my inability to digest milk sugar in dairy products.

Actually, I found out that I had a problem when I stopped at a McDon-alds on my way to a Pirates baseball game in Pittsburgh and felt my first stomach twinge.

I never would have guessed that from that moment on I never again could eat that special sauce on a Big Mac or wash my hamburger down

with a chocolate milkshake. As for that baseball game, I was reduced to listening to the broadcast over the speaker system at Forbes Stadium in the men’s room behind the left-field bleachers.

We lactose-intolerant folk can be-come quite indignant when we visit the ice cream freezers in supermar-kets and discover that only one dairy company is aware that we exist – and that its awareness is minimal. Our choices are vanilla, vanilla and vanilla and never can we find lactose-free or low-fat ice cream anywhere.

If it exists, I haven’t come across it. I’ll probably have to wait for St. Peter to distribute it and at that point it won’t matter.

I sometimes dream what it would be like to be able to walk into a French or Italian pastry shop and ask the clerk for six custard-filled éclairs, two petite napoleons and eight cannoli (filled with ricotta cheese). I also engage in flights of fantasy of what I would eat if science could cure me of this cruel

affliction.Would I return to McDonald’s and

order two Big Macs with extra cheese and sauce or would I be content to stop at my favorite restaurant for an extra large dish of fried cheese? Perhaps I’d make my way over to my sister Tina’s home for a nice big dish of lasagna or ravioli. But the real-ity is that the only cheese I can eat these days is soy-based and the only butter I can put on my toast comes from canola oil.

On the other hand, perhaps I shouldn’t feel too sorry for myself. My mother always reminded me that when God closes a door, he opens a window.

Given my love of ice cream, cheese and cannoli, there certainly is a good side to my lactose condition. One could only imagine how overweight I might be, or how clogged my arter-ies, without this affliction.

Still, Paris would have been so much more fun if I could have put just one chocolate éclair in my mouth.

you manage people in a problem; you never manage them out of the problem.”

Jackson’s goal for Black America is “to see more programs that simul-taneously address education, work-force training and entrepreneurship. The success of those programs will rely heavily on the willingness of community leaders to join the effort,” she says.

I wholeheartedly agree with Jack-son’s view that African-American men and youths “are becoming lost in a cycle of hopelessness and under-achievement.”

To restore their hope and give them

the tools for economic and social success, my staff and I have begun recruiting “partners for success” in the Warren-Youngstown communi-ties. These business leaders, clergy and other supporters will help to

create pathways to personal success for black men and youths – pathways that must include

opportunities for good paying jobs.The law firm of Anzellotti, Sper-

ling, Pazol & Small and the private transportation firm Community Bus Services Inc. were the first partners to sign on as sustaining sponsors. Other early partners are Covelli Enterprises, Valley Foods, Rubenstein Associates and CCS Trans Inc.

We presented our chapter’s vi-sion last October at our annual din-ner where Jackson was the keynote speaker. Nearly 600 people attended, making it the most successful in our history. We unveiled our chapter’s new logo, new Web site (nul.org/content/greater-warren-youngstown-urban-league) and new communication vehicles.

Our new mission has a five-point “empowerment” strategy to enable African Americans and other under-served minorities to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. The five points are:

• Education and youth empower-ment. All of our children should be well-educated and prepared through college scholarships, early childhood

literacy, Head Start and after-school programs.

• Economic empowerment. • Health and quality of life em-

powerment. We will work to ensure complete access to affordable health care for all people.

•Civic engagement and leader-ship empowerment. We want full participation by citizens and voters in their communities through active community service that can lead to leadership development.

•Civil rights and racial justice empowerment.

Editor’s Note: In 2004, the author, Thomas A. Conley, and the Warren-Trumbull Urban League received the National Urban League’s top honor – the Whitney M. Young Jr. Leader-ship Award for advancing racial equality.

Our new mission has a five-point “empowerment” strategy

5083 Market Street • Youngstown, Ohio 44512330/ 788-4001 • FAX 330/ 783-3966 • www.callos.com • [email protected]

NPA - 350+Offices Worldwide

Since 1965

• Executive Search & Recruiting• Outplacement: Individual or Group

• Temporary Staffing, Leasing & Payroll Services• Financial Services: Benefits & Pensions

��

��


YOUNGSTOWN - WARREN

Regional Chamber Report

Even though turbulent, 2 0 0 9

yielded significant p r o j e c t n e w s . Here’s a look at last year’s endeavors that are helping to reshape our local economy this year and beyond.

• VXI Global Solutions began $4 million worth of renovations to 31,000 square feet in downtown Youngstown’s 20 Federal Place. As of December, VXI employed 250 cus-tomer-service representatives, half of the 500 that company officials expect to hire at the new contact center by the end of 2010.

• Reinforcement Systems began construction in December of its new manufacturing and headquarters facil-ity in Warren. The company, which produces custom-welded wire rein-forcement used in concrete structures, will invest up to $28 million to build a 72,000 square-foot facility and create 65 full-time jobs.

• Dearing Compressor and Pump Co. is adding 56,000 square feet to its manufacturing operations in Boardman. Its location in the Valley has benefited the company given the discovery of new natural gas reserves in this part of the United States. Dearing’s expansion is slated to add jobs to its work force of 90.

• McHenry Industries is investing more than $4 million to build a new production facility in Austintown. The manufacturer of wholesale signs constructed a 38,000-square-foot building that will make the company’s manufacturing operations more effi-cient and competitive in the industry. This expansion will allow the firm to double its current square footage.

• Patriot Special Metals – formerly known as Republic Special Metals – is in the midst of completing the first phase of plans to create a manufactur-ing campus in North Jackson. Patriot’s

By Walt GoodVice President, Regional Chamber Development, Retention & Expansion

Economic Development,Even in Turbulent Year

impressive 205,000-square-foot, $64 million project is slated to commence production in 2010. This complex will incorporate a high degree of advanced manufacturing practices to produce specialty steel products.

• Throughout the year, work took place on $350 million worth of improvements so the General Mo-tors Lordstown Complex can begin production of the Chevrolet Cruze in August. As a result, not only will the facility be producing a highly antici-pated product, it will be a centerpiece in the firm’s reshaped, worldwide manufacturing footprint.

• Gearing up for the Chevrolet Cruze, Comprehensive Logistics plans to invest more than $6 million to assemble components and provide just-in-time distribution services to GM Lordstown. To help make this happen, the state of Ohio pledged $5.3 million in financing support.

• Rightly so, much attention was given to the efforts to secure V&M Star’s proposed expansion at its local seamless-steel-tube manufacturing plant. This project – with an esti-mated value of nearly $1 billion and a construction impact in the range of 1.2 million square feet – resulted in Youngstown and Girard entering into a cooperative land development agreement. It also resulted in $20 mil-lion in federal and state funds being infused into the area so that a com-petitive site could be made available to support this massive endeavor.

• Almost lost in the “big news” concerning efforts to land V&M’s pre-viously noted proposed expansion was the fact that the company built a new bag house in 2009. With an approxi-mate value of $20 million, huge cranes could be seen from U.S. 422 and state Route 711 as this new system, which enhances how the company captures operational emissions, was erected.

• Renovations took place on down-town Youngstown’s Semple Building. As a result, this 25,714-square-foot building is supporting the growth of Turning Technologies and Revere Data. Rebirth of this empty structure makes it a catalyst for innovation and collaboration.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


BuildingWealthTERM

PASSBOOKSTATEMENT

SAVINGSAPY*

CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT

*Annual Percentage Yield Arrows tell whether rates rose or fell since last issue. Dashes indicate “unchanged.”

Minimum $500

Minimum $500

FINANCIAL INSTITUTION

CF BANK (formerly Central Federal S&L) 1 Year 1.50 — .10/Wellsville 24 Mos. 1.75 — N.A.

CHARTER ONE BANK 12 Mos. .40 — N.A./ 5 Year 2.15 .05

CONSUMERS NATIONAL BANK 12 Mos. .60 — .10/Salem 4 Year 2.50 — .18

CORTLAND BANKS 1 Year .75 — .25/Cortland 5 Year 2.50 — .25

E.S.B. BANK 1 Year .80 — .30/Ellwood City, Pa. 4 Year 2.15 .30

FARMERS NATIONAL BANK 1 Year .85 — .10/Canfield 4 Year 1.90 — .25

FIRST MERIT BANK 1 Year .35 — N.A./New Castle, Pa. 2 Year .90 — .05

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF PA. 1 Year .50 — N.A./Hermitage, Pa. 5 Year 2.25 — .10

1ST NATIONAL COMMUNITY BANK 1 Year 1.00 — .20/East Liverpool 37 Mos. 2.38 — .40

FIRST PLACE BANK 6 Mos. .45 — .25/Boardman 12 Mos. .90 .25

HOME FEDERAL 1 Year 1.00 — .50/Niles 3 Year 1.81 — .60

HOME SAVINGS 12 Mos. 1.50 —

.35/Youngstown 5 Year 2.75 — .35

HUNTINGTON BANK 1 Year .57 N.A./Youngstown 4 Year 1.35 N.A.

KEYBANK 1 Year .10 — N.A./Youngstown 3 Year .85 — .45 5 Year 1.85 —

MIDDLEFIELD BANKING COMPANY 1 Year 1.00 .35/Cortland 13 Mos. 1.26 .65 2 Year 1.76

PNC BANK 1 Year .60 N.A./Youngstown 48 Mos. 1.25 — N.A.

PNC BANK 1 Year .60 N.A./Conneaut Lake, Pa. 5 Year 1.55 — .05

US BANK (formerly Firstar Bank) 1 Year .30 — N.A./Boardman 59 Mos. 3.10 — .10

Interest Rates

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of The Business Journal compilations. Rates are subject to change without notice and should be confirmed with the individual financial institution before entering into transactions. ©2010 Youngstown Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

February 12,2010

ANNUALPERCENTAGE YIELD,

2-Week Trend

��

��

��

��Write��

��

��

��

��

��


BuildingWealth SPONSORED BYInterest RatesWhat Is a Certifi ed Financial Planner™ Professional?

A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional is a financial professional who meets the requirements es-tablished by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. While others may call themselves fi nancial planners, only those who demonstrate the requisite experience, education, and ethical standards are award-ed the CFP® mark.

What are the requirements?In order to obtain the CFP® mark, an applicant must:• Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college • Complete a Board-registered education program• Pass the 10-hour CFP® certifi cation exam• Have at least three years of qualifying full-time work

experience in fi nancial planning• Pass a professional fi tness standards and background

checkOnce appointed, a professional must meet continu-

ing education requirements every other year in order to maintain the certifi cation.

What does a CFP® professional do?A CFP® professional is trained to develop and imple-

ment comprehensive fi nancial plans for individuals, busi-nesses, and organizations. He or she has the knowledge and skills to objectively assess your current financial status, identify potential problem areas, and recommend appropriate options. You’re also working with someone who’s demonstrated expertise in multiple areas of fi nancial planning, including income and estate tax, investment planning, risk management, and retirement planning.

How is a CFP® professional compensated?Typically, fi nancial planners earn their living either from

commissions or by charging hourly or fl at rates for their services. A CFP® professional may use a combination fee-and commission structure: you pay a fee for development of a fi nancial plan or for other services provided by the CFP® professional, who also receives a commission from selling you products.

When calculating the cost to employ the services of a fi nancial planner, consider fees, commissions, and related expenses, such as transaction fees and management fees related to the products he or she recommends.

Andrew M. Moyer, CFP®

How can a CFP® professional help you?A CFP® professional can help you create a personal

budget, control expenses, and develop and implement plans for retirement, education, and/or wealth protection. A CFP® professional can off er expertise in risk manage-ment, including strategies involving life and long-term care insurance, health insurance, and liability coverage. He or she often can help with your tax planning or manage your asset portfolio based on your goals.

The following sites off er more information about CERTI-FIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certifi cants:

• The Certifi ed Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., (www.cfp.net)

• The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, (www.fi nra.org)

• The Securities and Exchange Commission, (www.sec.gov)

Note: Certifi ed Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certifi cation marks CFP® , CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with fl ame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certifi cation re-quirements.

Shelby D. Morgan Frank P. Bevilacqua II, CPA, CFP® Andrew M. Moyer, CFP® Theodore S. Dumas, CFP®

Selected as one of the Leading Wealth ManagementCompanies of the Great Lakes Region by Goldline Research!

As seen in

Our diverse backgrounds, education, credentials and experience are key

ingredients to the successful team approach we provide. You receive all

the benefits you would expect from a large brokerage house with the

high-touch personalized service of an exclusive boutique firm.

W3 Wealth Management is a team of professional

financial advisors and staff who share a deep

commitment to deliver exceptional wealth care to

the clients who have placed their confidence in us.

For more information, visit our website at www.w3wealth.com.

Fee-Based Planning offered through W3 Wealth Advisors, LLC - a State Registered Investment AdvisorThird Party Money Management offered through ValMark Advisers, Inc. a SEC Registered Investment Advisor

Securities offered through ValMark Securities, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC - 130 Springside Drive, Suite 300 Akron, Ohio 44333-2431 * 1-800-765-5201W3 Wealth Management, LLC and W3 Wealth Advisors, LLC are separate entities from ValMark Securities, Inc. and ValMark Advisers, Inc.

Warren Office:5200 E. Market St., Suite 6Warren, Ohio 44484Phone: 330.856.6345

90 North Miller RoadAkron, Ohio 44333Phone: 330.836.3805

Toll Free: 888-888-0619

Akron Office:


FINANCIAL INSTITUTION

CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT

Term APY Minimum

AUTO LOANS

Term Rate Type Down Payment Term Rate, 2-Wk Trend Fees

MORTGAGE LOANS

Arrows tell whether rates rose or fell since last issue. Dashes indicate “unchanged.” Rates are subject to change without notice and should be confirmed before entering into transactions. ©2010 Youngstown Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

ASSOCIATED SCHOOL 1 Year 1.00 — $1,000 Up to 48 Mos. 5.25 Fixed 20% 15 Year 5.00 — 2+200EMPLOYEES 2 Year 1.75 $1,000 Up to 66 Mos. 5.50 Fixed 20% 20 Year 5.25 — 2+200

FIRST CHOICE COMMUNITY 1 Year 1.65 — $500 Up to 48 Mos. 5.65 Fixed 20% 15 Year 5.50 — 2+200(formerly RMI CO. EMPLOYEES) 2 Year 2.00 — $500 Up to 60 Mos. 5.65

OHIO EDISON/ 1 Year 1.00 — $1,000 Up to 48 Mos. 5.70 Fixed 5% 15 Year 4.625 — 0+costsPENN POWER 2 Year 1.76 — $1,000 Up to 60 Mos. 5.99 Fixed 5% 30 Year 5.25 — 0+costs

SEVEN SEVENTEEN 1 Year 1.00 — $1,000 Up to 48 Mos. 5.99 Fixed 5% 15 Year 4.375 — 0+costs 2 Year 1.75 — $1,000 Up to 60 Mos. 5.99 Fixed 5% 30 Year 5.00 — 0+costs

STRUTHERS FEDERAL 1 Year 1.00 — $1,000 Up to 48 Mos. 6.00 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. 2 Year 1.51 — $1,000 Up to 66 Mos. 6.00

YOUNGSTOWN CITY 1 Year 1.00 — $2,000 Up to 60 Mos. 5.99EMPLOYEES FEDERAL 2 Year 1.56 — $2,000 Up to 72 Mos. 6.99 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.

Credit Union RatesFebruary 12,2010

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


Becki Olejnik started Sydney Candle Co. in a crockpot – a crockpot that still sits on a counter in the back of her manufacturing plant

in Cortland, Olejnik’s hometown. While that crockpot may serve as a reminder of

the company’s humble beginnings, it also symbol-izes the personal care and commitment that go into every candle Olejnik’s company makes.

Every candle is hand-poured, eliminating glitches that could occur with machinery in fully automated factories, and ensuring the unique look and home-made appeal of Sydney Candle Co.’s products.

Inspired by her sister’s love of candles, Olejnik got the idea to go into the candle business after visit-ing a shop her sister frequented. After admiring the candles made there, she arranged to buy a wholesale lot that she could resell at craft shows.

Then, her dad, Rich Conti, a retired salesman, suggested she make the candles herself as a means to boost her bot-tom line.

If she were going to make candles, Olejnik says, she wanted to make the best can-dles possible.

So, she began experiment-ing, melting different types of wax in her crockpot and mix-ing in a variety of scented oils. The best candles, Olejnik says, were those she made using 100% soy wax – made by hydrogenat-ing soybean oil – and 100% cotton wicks.

Soy wax burns at a lower temperature than paraf-fi n-based candles so they last longer, she explains. Even more important – because soy burns soot-free and is biodegradable – soy candles are much cleaner, Olenjnik says, and are more healthful to burn in-side a home or offi ce. She also likes that soy used to make the wax is grown by American farmers on

Successful Burns Fire Up Sydney SalesSoy candles burn soot-free, are biodegradable and derived from American soy beans.By Maraline Kubik

Midwestern farms. So, she says, her company helps support the backbone of America rather than foreign oil companies.

Paraffi n wax, she explains, is derived from pe-troleum.

The 100% cotton wick Sydney Candle Co. uses, Olejnik continues, ensures there is no release of toxic materials, such as lead, a common problem with candles that use wicks reinforced with a wire core.

High-quality fragrance oils that blend uniformly into the wax ensure Sydney Candles retain their aro-mas from the fi rst burn to the last, Olejnik adds.

Candles come in pint-size Mason jars – an eight-ounce, half-pint size will be introduced this spring – topped with an old-fashioned-looking screw-off lid. So, Olejnik says, even the packaging is envi-ronmentally friendly. The aluminum lids are 100% recyclable and the jars can be washed and used for canning – even the labels peel off easily.

Customers appreciate the quality of Sydney Candle Co. candles, observes Bob Lynn, manager of White House Fruit Farm in Canfi eld, one of several area retailers that carry the line.

Sydney Candles are sold at farm markets and gift shops throughout 15 states, and the list is growing.

When Olejnik’s husband, Anatole, suggested Lynn offer the candles for sale at his farm market, Lynn says he informed him that candles don’t sell well there. Then he pulled out a box

of candles that had sat on the shelf so long they were faded and discolored.

But, Olejnik’s husband believed in the product and offered to give full-size

candles to Lynn’s employees as samples. Soon thereafter, Lynn’s employees started ask-

ing where they could buy them. That was four or fi ve years ago, Lynn says. Now, Sydney Candles are among White House Fruit Farm’s hot-sellers.

“Soy [candles] are popular right now because of how long they last. And these smell really good. People really like them. I see them taking the lids off all the time and smelling them. And they like the price,” Lynn says.

“We like them,” he continues, “because it’s the type of thing we look for. We look for things that are made local. We want to be different and offer our customers more unique things.” Lynn says he and his customers also appreciate “the pride [Sydney Candle Co.] puts into their candles” and the ser-v i c e t h e company provides, v i s i t -ing the f a r m market at least o n c e every

��

Becki Olejnik, founder of Sydney Candle Co. in Cortland, holds two popular fragrances: Oatmeal Cookie and Mulled Cider.

See, CANDLESpage 22

FROM PRINT TO MAIL, START TO FINISH... ALL UNDER ONE ROOFINNOVATIVE DIRECT MARKETING SOLUTIONS:

615 N. Meridian Road • Youngstown, OH 44509 • P: 330-793-4935 • F: 330-793-4927 • [email protected] • www.youngstownlettershop.com

- Personalized Variable Data Printing- Mailing- Printing- Targeted Mailing Lists- Design- Email Campaigns- Personalized URL Campaigns

Frank Tuscano IIISales Representative

ANY ORDER!ANY ORDER!*1st time customers only • Coupon must be presented at time of order

$250 minimum order required (postage not included)One per customer • Expires 3/15/10

20% OFF*20% OFF*


month to restock and change the display so it’s in line with the season.

At Kraynak’s in Hermitage, Pa., Sydney Candle Co. candles are the top-selling candle line in the store, reports Renny Heath, manager of the gift shop. “At first, I was unsure whether we would want a soy line [of candles] in the store,” she says, “but our owner thought it would be a good idea.” That was about three years ago, Heath says, describing current demand for Sydney candles in her store as “phenomenal.”

Customers love that they are “clean, smell won-derful and are made in the United States,” Heath observes. Pamphlets and signage on the display state that Sydney Candle Co. candles are made in Cortland, Ohio, of 100% soy, she notes.

Heath says she also appreciates knowing that the family behind the candle company “has taken great care to make it the best product possible.”

“It’s always nice to know that there are people who have a dream,” she says. For the Olejnik family, Sydney Candle Co., named after Becki and Anatole Olejnik’s daughter, is their dream. “They are such nice, wonderful people, you feel like you’re helping them by purchasing their candles. It’s a personal connection,” she says.

Among Kraynak’s customers’ favorite Sydney Candle Co. candles is Birthday Cake, a pink candle with white “icing” that smells like a cake, Heath reports. The gingerbread and pine-scented candles were popular during the winter holidays and Heath says she expects a new scent, Strawberry Shortcake, to be introduced this spring, to also be popular.

“Their scents are great,” agrees Kitsa Axiotis, co-owner of The Mocha House in Warren, which has been selling Sydney Candle Co. candles two years.

“The seasonal scents always do well,” especially around Christmas, Axiotis says. “Oatmeal Cookie

Candles: Made in Cortland, Sold at Shops in 15 StatesFrom Page 21

Sydney Candle Co.Products: Handcrafted soy candles

Founder: Becki Olejnik

Headquarters/Manufacturing: Cortland, Ohio

Year Founded: 2005

Number of Employees: 8

Number of Off-Site Sales Representatives: 5

Trumbull County Retailers: Cindy’s Health and Vi-tality, Gorant Candies, PV Bookstore, Klingemier’s Sparkle Market, Great Harvest Bread Co., Spalon of Sara Morris, Tara Mia Salon, The Mocha House, Bockelman’s Landscaping and Garden Center, Furniture Décor & More, Heritage Florist, Sparkle Market, Brine Pharmacy, Churchill Commons Giant Eagle, Mary Yoder’s Amish Kitchen, Brew Basket Café and Gifts, Amish Country Farm Market.

Mahoning County Retailers: The Mocha House, White House Fruit Farm, Pro-Touch Massotherapy.

Columbiana County Retailer: The Supplement Station.

Mercer County, Pa., Retailer: Kraynak’s.

Source: Sydney Candle Co.

sells well year-round.”While her customers seem to be attuned to the

fact that soy candles “are better for you,” Axiotis says, “I don’t think people really know they’re made here until they pick them up and look at them.”

Just the opposite is true at Country Cobwebs in Warner, N.H., where customers are “absolutely” aware that Sydney Candle Co. candles are made in the United States.

“We try to carry only things that are made locally or in the United States,” explains Linda Hall, who works part-time at the store. Country Cobwebs

specializes in country décor and has been selling Sydney candles about a year.

The line is “equally as popular as our other candles,” Hall says, and appeals to customers not only because they are made in the United States, but because the Mason jars fit the country décor. They’re also nice for men, Hall adds, because they aren’t too flowery and feminine.

Sydney Candle Co. also offers candles for fund-raising activities, including a special “Survive!” candle, sales of which benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.


BY STACIA ERDOS

Media Scope

There’s nothing like a good book. Not just a good story, but a good book. I mean the feel of it,

the smell of it. And if it’s been read a hundred times before, even better.

Why do I bring this up? Because with the explosion of the Kindle e-reader and now the iPad, I’m left won-dering if reading a genuine hard-bound book with real pages to turn will soon become a lost pleasure.

As a child, I was a bookworm. Any-time I had to travel in the car with my parents, I’d be in the backseat with my nose in a book – even if it was just to the grocery store.

I remember being caught up in Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Inves-tigators series. It was about three boys who set up a private investigation agency in a trailer with a secret tunnel entrance in their uncle’s junkyard. I felt as if I was there searching for every clue in each dangerous situation.

Some of my other favorites were Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Hobbit, A Wrinkle in Time, Little Women, Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

I loved going to the library and looking through the rows of books.Unfortunately, with work and kids, reading for pleasure has fallen by the wayside. If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll get through a book on vacation.

With the advent of the e-reader, I wonder if one day books will be found only in personal collections or something called the Smithson-ian Museum of Books. Tour guides will tell children on field trips, “They actually had to find a light to read by at night because they didn’t have light-up screens!” (OMG!)

Amazon, whose profits soared 71% in the fourth quarter, attributes much of the growth to sales of the Kindle. Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos reports millions of people now own kindles, adding, “We sell six Kindle books for every 10 physical books.”

Forrester Research forecasts e-read-er sales will double to six million units this year. Meantime, the president of Simon and Schuster believes the iPad will push the e-reader market higher, changing the print industry the way iTunes revolutionized the music in-dustry – and possibly breathe new life into newspapers and magazines.

I like to think the Kindle might spur kids to at least read something

in this age of cell phones , v ideo games , iPods , computers, not to mention TV.

But recently the boss of Google ex-

pressed concern that children growing up in the mobile instant-information age would develop a “deep reading” problem. Eric Schmidt observed, “As the world looks to these instantaneous devices, you spend less time reading all forms of literature, books, maga-zines and so forth.”

Fortunately, my 12-year-old daugh-ter has followed in my footsteps, also relishing the time she can spend away from her little brother and reading a good book in her room.

In fact, initially reluctant, I read the vampire series “Twilight” with her to make sure it was age-appropriate. I consequently got hooked and blew through the entire series without stop-ping. It gave us something to bond over and talk about and gave her the opportunity to ask questions about what she didn’t understand.

Personally, I can’t imagine curling up in bed with a cozy Kindle on my lap, or using the iPad to shade my eyes from the sun as I lie on the beach reading. Or holding my son on my lap, Kindle in hand, as we read Green Eggs and Ham together.

I was recently given my grand-mother’s nearly 100 year-old Bible. It was among her belongings when she died last year, its leather cover worn, but to me, a treasure. I turned and touched the pages, imagining her fingers tracing the same passages over the years. It made me feel as if she were there with me again.

There’s just something about a good book. The feel of it, the smell of it, where it’s been and who might have touched it and read it before you.

Kindle? Give Me a Book!

I wonder if one day books will be found only in personal col-lections or something called the Smithsonian Museum of Books.

Will kids read more, or develop a ‘deep reading’ problem?

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


BY MONNIE RYAN

Local Dot Com

Event Planning Online

Suddenly faced with the need to find a place for a get-together for 25 or so assorted family

members and friends, I nearly panicked.

First, it was relatively short notice; we’d need a place within the next couple of months. Second, it needed to be informal and centrally located so no one would have to drive an exces-sive distance – an important concern when the weather is iffy.

What I needed was a relatively cozy facility that could serve up some munchies and beer on a Sunday after-noon. As it turned out, I found exactly what we wanted almost by accident, but the worry I felt at the outset made me start thinking about the best way to approach the problem.

Not surprisingly, my first thought was to go online. Because we love Mill Creek Park so much, I started there (MillCreekMetroparks.com), and clicked on the “Reservable Facilities” link. I found several cabins – some with kitchens, in case we wanted to have the event catered. Even the beautiful Garden Café in the visitor center, which has a capacity of 48, can be reserved. What’s good are photos that show each facility.

Prices are listed for most; for in-stance, the log-timber Birch Hill Cabin near the Lily Pond, which accom-modates 48, can be rented for a half day for $95 (the fee is a bit higher for non-Mahoning County residents).

Another poss ib i l i ty i s The Youngstown Club, which has a num-ber of rooms ranging from small to large plus plenty of free parking (YoungstownClub.com). Here, lunch and dinner buffets go for $14.95 and $24.95 per person with a choice of two entrees; for three, the cost is $16.95 and $27.95, respectively. The choices are quite extensive and photos of the rooms help in decision-making.

Since some of our guests would be coming from Summit County, another place I checked is Roby Lee’s Restau-rant and Banquet Center in Newton Falls (RobyLees.com). The gallery of

banquet photos alone was enough to get my attention, so I headed straight for the “Banquet Information” tab.

Roby Lee’s offers seating options ranging from 10 to 450, so our party size certainly wouldn’t pose a prob-lem. Although you do need to call for prices, there are plenty of options to choose from, including luncheon and breakfast menus. Several bar packages are available as well.

In Warren, DiLucia’s Catering Service & Banquet Facility can handle groups of 40 – the minimum required – or 300 and anything in between (Di-lucias.com). I checked out several of the options, noticing in particular that the luncheon buffet, which includes two entrees, potato or rice and veg-etable, tossed salad, homemade rolls, coffee, tea and dessert is just $10.95 per person weekdays. Several options are available for the bar, including a simple selection of house wine, beer and soft drinks – exactly what we were looking for.

If you’re planning an event, don’t overlook the possibility of hosting it at an area restaurant. (That’s ex-actly what we ended up doing.) The Springfield Grille in Mercer, Pa., for instance, accepts reservations for pri-vate parties with seating from 30 to 50 (Springfields.com; click on any of the company’s locations).

Alberini’s Restaurant in Niles is another possibility. In years past, we’ve enjoyed several holiday get-to-gethers in that wonderful Wine Cellar (Alberinis.com). Banquet rooms can seat up to 125; the smaller Tasting and Aficionado rooms are more intimate. The banquet menu, room photos and general information are posted online, making decision-making easy.

Another possibility is The Fifth Season Restaurant in Austintown (TheFifthSeasonRestaurant.com), which has a private dining room that can accommodate 16. The banquet facility in Mineral Ridge, operated by The Fifth Season Restaurant & Catering Co., can handle much larger groups. Prices for buffet meals are listed – and be sure to check out the seasonal “feast” menus.

Don’t waste gas looking at venues; check out Web sites.

Catch the Business Journal Daily Buzz news-cast posted at BusinessJournalDaily.com

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��



Bob Smith knows a good idea when he hears it. So, when the proprietor of a bowling alley in Detroit told him about a bowling league

that he started to bring unemployed workers together with employers looking to hire, Smith wanted to do the same thing at his Camelot Lanes in Boardman.

The league in Detroit, Smith explains, brings unemployed bowlers to the alley at the same time week after week and companies with available jobs are invited to set up tables during that time to dis-tribute information and solicit applicants.

When Smith approached the Trumbull, Mahon-ing & Columbiana Counties One Stop with the idea, he says employees there were very receptive but wanted to take it even further. Rather than have the same unemployed workers show up week after week to bowl and meet with employers, they wanted to tailor the invitation to employers in different busi-ness sectors and jobseekers specifically interested in careers in those fields. Jobseekers wouldn’t be asked to join a bowling league, Smith continues, but would be offered three free games of bowling with no charge for shoes or balls.

About 40 jobseekers turned out Feb. 3 for the first job fair at Camelot Lanes. Thirty unemployed work-ers had preregistered and walk-ins were accepted, says Gene F. Babik, business resource network man-ager for One Stop Ohio.

Preregistrations were requested, Babik explains, to ensure everyone could have an opportunity to bowl. The bowling alley, he says, could allocate only 20 bowling lanes for job fair attendees. The other 20 lanes were reserved for a senior citizens’ bowling league and other paying customers.

The first job fair targeted unemployed workers interested in pursuing careers at area call centers. Recruiters from InfoCision Management Corp., VXI Global Solutions Inc. and West Corp. turned out in the hopes of attracting qualified workers.

Over the next month, VXI and InfoCision are each seeking to hire 120 new workers, says Deidre L. Watson, a recruiter for VXI, and Tim Hall, personnel coordinator at InfoCision.

Each had screened 10 potential employees in the first hour of the event, which took place from noon until 2:30 p.m. Watson says she scheduled nine of those applicants for interviews.

Judy Russo, a recruiter for West Corp., says she screened about 15 potential applicants and “all of them” met the employer’s qualifications. While she was able to provide the potential workers with information about West Corp., they must formally apply for available positions in person at the Niles call center or online via the company’s Web site.

The same is true for applicants seeking employ-ment at InfoCision, Hall says.

The call centers are seeking to hire workers to meet the ongoing needs of their clients and most of the positions they’re looking to fill are new jobs,

Bowling for Jobs at Call CentersCamelot Lanes combines job fair with social outing.By Maraline Kubik

not positions vacated by disgruntled or terminated employees, all three recruiters agree.

There is some turnover, Russo says, but it is pri-marily the volume of calls coming into West Corp.’s Niles call center that dictates the number of new employees to be hired.

West handles customer service for AT&T and Dish Network.

“Nobody gives up their phone and TV, so we’re not experiencing any decrease in volume the way some businesses are,” she says. Demand for those services and the companies that provide service to the customers of those providers continues to grow. Today, Russo observes, even young children have their own cell phones.

Hiring at West Corp. is based on the anticipated needs of its customers, she continues. Training lasts seven weeks for employees who provide customer service to AT&T’s customers, and three weeks for employees who provide service to Dish Network subscribers. “So it’s not like we can hire them today and have them on the job tomorrow,” Russo says.

Similarly, InfoCision is “always looking for qual-ity people” to meet growing demand from its cus-tomers, Hall says. Turnover at the company, which operates call centers in Austintown, Boardman and New Castle, Pa., averages 7%.

Job fairs will be held at Camelot Lanes about once every two weeks for the next eight weeks. Among the business sectors to be featured, Babik says, are medical services and blue-collar jobs such as welders and CNC operators.

Although Smith introduced the idea for the job fair, he says he doesn’t expect hosting it will have a direct effect on his business.

If some of those attending the job fair find work and enjoy bowling, they may return as paying customers, but Smith says his primary reason for hosting the fair is to give back to the community that has treated him well.

“If they weren’t here, the place would be dead. I’d rather have these people here enjoying themselves [bowling for free] and maybe getting a job than have nobody here,” Smith says, referring to the three hours of down time the bowling alley experiences most Wednesday afternoons.

More than 229 children from an area school were at the bowling alley until 11:15 a.m., and although there are a few small leagues that bowl after that, the bowling alley doesn’t get really busy again until the after-school leagues begin, he explains.

Among the jobseekers who turned out for the event were Ed Brown of Lisbon and Cuevas Wright of Campbell.

Brown’s been unemployed since October when he was laid off from his job at a boarding stable. He’s hopeful he’ll land a job at VXI.

Wright’s been working “side jobs” and as a bouncer at an area tavern since being laid off from a job at Little Ceasar’s Pizza. He applied for work at InfoCision two weeks ago and he took advantage of the job fair to explore opportunities at West and VXI. He says he has experience in telemarketing, having worked for a company that sells magazines and mu-sic via telephone while he was living in Illinois.

Wright and Brown, friends who met while attend-ing classes at ITT Technical Institute, were among a handful of jobseekers who took time to bowl. Many of the job fair attendees, Babik notes, didn’t take advantage of the free bowling offer.

Recruiters Deidre L. Watson of VXI, Judy Russo of West Corp., and Tim Hall of InfoCision, join Bob Smith at his Camelot Lanes.

NeilKennedy:Layout 1 12/4/09 9:38 AM Page 126 FEBRUARY DOUBLE ISSUE 2010 The Business Journal

MinorityBusiness

The Business Journal: To what extent have the various government programs created to help minorities get started in business and level the playing field worked? How can they be improved? Do minority set-asides help subcontractors become more competitive, or do they just raise the price of government services?

W. James Cobbin, president, CCS Trans Inc.: Yes, the set-asides do help. I have some friends who are contractors; it also depends on the type of business you’re in. Set-asides help contractors more so than a service entity [bus service] such as mine.

I know a concrete construction contractor in East St. Louis [Ill.] who benefited from a set-aside. He started off very small, of course. Through set-asides he gained enough business, earned enough profit to buy additional equipment. To make a long story short, he ended up doing the runways for the Atlanta [Ga.] airport. And he made an awful lot of money.

One of my biggest com-plaints is that when set-asides began, a lot of people got them because they were connected, and not neces-sarily tempered for business. That has hurt us to some ex-tent. Because what happened is that those not tempered for business, most of the time, were failures.

And because of that, [mi-nority] businessmen have gotten the stigma of being failures. And that’s not the case.

So [set-asides] could be good and bad. It depends on who has the determination, the fortitude and ability to do the job.

Business Journal: To what extent have the various govern-ment programs created helped minority entrepreneurs? How can they be improved?

Participating in the roundtable on minority business enterprise in the Mahoning Valley Jan. 19 at the Holiday Inn-Boardman were W. James Cobbin, president and owner of CCS Trans Inc., Youngstown; Mary Isa Garayua, executive director of O.C.C.H.A., Youngstown; Presley L. Gillespie, executive director of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.;

William D. Oliver, business consultant at the Small Business Development Center housed at Youngstown State University; Tracey Winbush, president of T-Win Media Group, Youngstown; and T. Sharon Woodberry, director of economic development for the city of Youngstown. Dennis LaRue and publisher Andrea Wood of The Business Journal asked the questions with LaRue editing the verbatim transcript prepared by Tracey L. Berarducci, certi-fied stenographer with David R. Burton & Associates. Tony Mancino took the photographs.

Who’s Who,Said What:

Cultural Challenges, Higher Hurdles Roundtable looks at what works, what doesn’t and how discussing racism makes us cringe.

See MINORITY BUSINESS, page 28

Cobbin: Let’s take the last couple years. We’ve had some real tough times, particularly small businesses. Rather than depend on trickle-down from banks, it would have been more helpful had there been some direct relationships with the people who [needed help and the government]. It is obvious right now that the money the banks got [from the government] cer-tainly has not trickled down to small business.

Early on in my business career, we dealt with loan officers who had loaning authority. Well, the loan officer’s authority was much greater then than it is today. Over the last 20 years it has gotten worse. And the reason why is because before when you had a loan officer with authority, he got to know you as an individual, to know your business ability, to know your character.

Now, the loan applications go mostly to the corporate office some place else. And they look at your application and determine whether you are qualified just by looking at the paper. It takes more than that.

Presley Gillespie, ex-ecutive director, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.: As a former banker I would say that right now it’s harder for any entrepreneur to start a business, regard-less of race, gender, creed, color, et cetera. That’s just

the economic climate we’re in.The minority business community has grown.

In Ohio, it’s grown exponentially. According to the U.S. Census [Bureau], there are 58,600 minority companies in Ohio, a 19% increase since the previ-ous survey in 1997.

Are they counting women as minorities in that survey?

Gillespie: Yes. So there has been an increase in startup minority businesses. And that’s very encour-aging. The problem lies in the ability of minority businesses to continue to sustain themselves and continue to grow. A lot of the challenge comes from an inability to acquire additional capital.

I agree with a lot of Mr. Cobbin’s points. There aren’t a lot of local lenders that have individual authority. If they do, their [lending au-thority] is so low it’s mean-ingless. …

In terms of the guarantee programs, a lot of them are very expensive for the banks to operate.

The government wants banks to lend more money. But they also want the banks to be more profitable. They also want the banks to be

more risk-averse [which they encourage] by hav-ing additional capital requirements and capital reserves.

It’s something very difficult to balance. Because of the capital reserve requirements, these programs become very hard to be profitable. It’s a very tough situation for the banks. But I’m encouraged that minority businesses have continued to grow in the state of Ohio.

Back in October I was appointed to the governor’s minority-business advisory council, a brand-new commission through the governor’s office and the Department of Development. Its primary role is to advise them on the programs that should be imple-mented to improve providing capital to minority-business owners.

One of the challenges is few people know about these programs because they’re not widely marketed, particularly at the grassroots level. And when they do know about the program, there’s not a lot of expertise or technical assistance to help them get through the bureaucracy. A business can have a full-time staff person do nothing but apply for the various tax-credit certifications.

It’s really a matter of everybody collaborating and getting the message out about these programs and finding ways that these programs can really be more user-friendly for the end users.

William Oliver, business consultant in the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Youngstown State University: I spent 40 years of my life in the private sector. So I’m not here to praise govern-ment programs for any reason other than what I believe in.

Minority programs have done a lot of good things.

T. Sharon Woodberry

‘My advice to minority businesses is, “Network.” That’s the best way to find out what’s going on.’

Presley Gillespie

‘A business can have a full-time staff per-son do nothing but apply for the various tax-credit certifications.’


Minority Business Roundtable: Cultural Challenges, Higher HurdlesFrom Page 27Some people have scammed them. And there have been a lot of politics played with them.

But the results reflect the fact that the programs have worked, and continue to work. And I also agree 100% about the marketing – if that’s the right term – of the programs. Educating the people that are eligible to participate has been very poor.

The federal government in general, and the state of Ohio have not done a great job to get the word out about what’s available. And that’s a problem.

It could be corrected if the state decides to do something about that. …

The banking industry has put us in a box when it comes to helping businesses. And it’s getting worse. It’s just the times; times are bad. And I hope we get through this as quickly as possible. If not, there’s not going to be a lot of small business left.

Tracey Winbush, president T-Win Media Group and host of “Morning Coffee with Tracey and Friends” on WGFT: There is a difference between a small business and a startup. When the government looks at small business, they’re looking at people earning a certain gross revenue.

And a lot of times, minority businesses can’t meet that number because they’re still a startup. And they’re [in the startup stage] for a very, very, very long time in comparison to their counterparts.

We don’t have the opportunity to have the sus-tainability. So our startup lasts maybe 10 years, where [mainstream] small business has already

jumped past that point.A startup business is chasing money at all times.

You send out invoices and wait for your money. You put up your personal collateral to secure your business purchases. It’s your livelihood and you’re using everything that you have because you’re in-vested in this.

So by the time you get to the bank, and you meet this guy sitting in an office and he’s looking at you and saying, “Well, you don’t pay here; you don’t have [this requirement] here.”

And you say, “But when I first came to you, I said this is what I want to do, and this is where I’m going and you told me that I didn’t have the gross revenue [to qualify].”

Well, I can’t get the gross revenue because I’m a startup. You want me to put up my personal col-lateral to get [a loan].

It’s not like it was, like Mr. Cobbin was saying, where you have a relationship with your banker who saw you working hard and going after customers.

Then you have to have employees. Well, with regulations and taxes that come with employees, all this holds small business back. And, of course, you don’t have a membership in the country club, then you have a problem.

This is the crux for minorities. Yes, we started a business. But we can’t sustain it because we don’t have infrastructure to sell and issue invoices and pay your employees, pay for production, pay your taxes. You chase money. So what do you do?

The market doesn’t make it easy for minorities.

Because not only are small businesses competing with Wal-Mart; startups compete with everyone else. And that’s a problem when it comes to the minority community. So how do you [achieve] leverage?

The government [is interested only in numbers that show minority businesses are making progress]. It sounds good. And it’s for a political statement.

T. Sharon Woodberry, director of Youngstown’s

Economic Development Office: Just looking at the end result and how many minority businesses I see, that I’ve had the opportunity to work with – government assistance programs have not been very effective.

I don’t think that’s unique to minority businesses. It’s trial-and-error; [governments] try to find what type of programs can be put together that businesses can benefit from. And in this discussion, minority businesses. But what you’ll find is a lot of programs, particularly from the federal government, that don’t work. They just don’t work.

I don’t know if there’s a lack of practicality in how they’re applied. But what looks good on paper is much different from what they’re going to do.

When it gets to the implementation stage, busi-nesses just aren’t helped the way they should.

I have worked with a handful of sustainable mi-nority businesses that are beyond startup. They’re just not that common to see.

For the most part, when I’m working with black businesses and Hispanic businesses, we’re looking at a startup, someone who has a dream. And they

Alex & Jorgine Shaffo, Owners

330-743-0920Hours:

Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.

Located in the YMCA Building17 N. Champion St. • Downtown Youngstown

NEW MENU EVERY DAY

We’re Your All-Occasion Florist

Distinctive Designs, Superb Service.Fresh and Silk Flowers, Blooming Plants,Bountiful Fruit and Gourmet Baskets,Balloon Bouquets.

Area-wide Delivery.Same-day delivery on orders placed by 1p.m.All major charge cards accepted;we welcome Golden Buckeye.

Family owned and operated since 1947

YOUNGSTOWN911 Elm Street330 744-4387

LIBERTY1490 W. Liberty

330 759-9123FLOWERS, INC.

www.edwards-flowers.com

U.S. & Worldwide Deliverywww.edwardsflowers.com

&


want to market it. But there’s a lot of obstacles. They have to find financing.

A lot of it deals with personal issues. If you have minorities struggling with personal [credit], it’s very difficult for them to get moving on a professional basis because your personal finances have everything to do with whether you can start a business and whether it will work.

I see a lot of challenges. And I don’t know the an-swers.

The city put together a technical assistance pro-gram. The idea was to put dollars toward businesses, specifically for minorities where they could identify maybe an agency and put together a business plan: How to identify your niche, and who you should appeal to, and what’s your best way of marketing?

Our way of helping was to provide dollars so that they could work with consultants.

But then you get to that point where you ask, “Well, what type of services are there? How do you find them? Who’s the best person to speak with about [a challenge]?”

It can get frustrating. [An entrepreneur’s] mind can spin with all these different things that you need just to find out what type of help is out there.

My advice to minority businesses is, “Network.” That’s the best way to get out there and find out what’s going on. It has to be outside your circle, outside your comfort zone.

You have to go into the mainstream businesses. Find out what they’re doing. Socialize with them more. The help available may not be just for minori-ties. It may be for all businesses.

Mary Isa Garayua, executive director, Orga-nización Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana Inc. (OCCHA): I agree. A lot of the problems in our mi-nority community, and I can speak for the Hispanic community, is the lack of access. Sometimes you don’t know what’s available.

Some of them come to the agency and I tell them where to go. Then when they get all these forms; they’re overwhelmed.

We’re talking about someone who wants to start a business by himself. They don’t have a group of people to help them.

When they go in front of the bank, they’re told they’re not eligible for those loans because they might not have the collateral, or enough money for that business.

They know what they’re doing. They want to do it. And they feel that they could succeed. But then they try to get those loans and they run into obstacles.

Minority enterprise [programs have] helped a lot of people in Ohio, some in Youngstown. But because the economy is so bad, a lot of them are really suffer-ing. Because of this economy they might go down.

I go to some of the areas and I see a lot of His-panic and African-American businesses that have been there a while. I talk to them and they tell me, “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be here,” or “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” You really feel sad.

What obstacles or challenges do minority entrepreneurs face that white entrepreneurs do not? And what ob-stacles have disappeared over the last 20 years?

Cobbin, CCS Trans Inc: In banking some time ago there were what they called the three C’s: character, collateral and capability. And I had a real problem

with it; I must have had bad character. Because they weren’t using that when it came to people of color. What makes a difference is color; color is a factor. Trust is a factor. And character is a factor.

For a long time I didn’t need any money. I didn’t need to make any loans. But when the time I finally did, as things started to get tough lately, I had accumu-lated some real estate worth several million dollars. I had

accumulated some assets and equipment worth sev-eral million dollars. Only to find that real estate is in such disarray that banks are not using real estate [as collateral] anymore. Especially right now. [To Gillespie] You’re a banker. Is that true?

Gillespie, Youngstown Neighborhood Develop-ment Corp.: I wouldn’t say they’re not using it. But certainly they’re discounting the value of it.

Cobbin: Well, they’re not using it at all, as far as I’m concerned. Because we have real estate, debt-free real estate. We have a large amount of equipment. And I could not find anybody to loan any money on either one of those.

So here I am, you know, 40 years later, finding that what I have accumulated is not working. … And you wonder how long [your money] will last.

The stimulus plan has certainly helped the banks. But it would have been bet-ter used if it had been loaned directly to small businesses rather than worry about the trickle-down from the banks to the small business.

So it’s been weird. And I just want to say that color does matter. All right. I un-derstand that it’s tough for all businesses. But it’s worse for a guy of color. Trust me.

Mr. Cobbin, can you tell us a little bit about your busi-ness?

Cobbin: Yes. We started in the travel industry. And from travel we developed into a transportation company. I was in Ivy Office Supply in the early years when I was really getting started.

But for the last 25 years it’s been travel and trans-portation. What makes it really tough is that I need a bus. I really need two or three now. But they cost almost $500,000 [each]. Amounts count with loans and banks. Particularly with the minorities. Because the system has not been accustomed to minorities using large sums of money and paying it back.

The three buses I’m talking about cost about $1.5 million. That just makes it even tougher. So what happens is that you have to get it long-term and pay out more than you should in interest because you can’t get the kind of loans you need.

Winbush, T-Win Media Group: Looking at black versus white, there is an impossible area for net-working: [Minorities] often don’t know the rules of engagement. Business is done by relationship, even banking.

When the local president of the bank [headquar-tered outside the Valley] calls and says that he wants to give Presley Gillespie a small-business loan, and he calls the corporate office and says, “I know this guy” – he may not have the decision-making power but he has some weight.

The question is: How do we get minority busi-nesses into the boardroom? How do we get them up the ladder so that they have access to capital? … When they do have set-aside programs, I have to be bonded and insured. How do I get in [to compete with] white businesses who have been in the estab-lishment for over 15, 20, 30 years? They don’t want me in at all. Not even for the small 7%.

How did we allow this to happen? And how do we stop it? That’s what happens when it comes to blacks and whites. We have white companies who just will not let a minority company in. They don’t want women in; they don’t want blacks in; they don’t want Hispanics in.

And we sit there trying to get in. Just let me have 7%. You can have the other 93%. And they won’t allow you.

And you don’t have relationships. And you be-come frustrated.

We talk [about the situation with whites in power]. But when we leave, most of the time there’s no resolve. Nothing changes. And after awhile, frustration comes in. And it goes back to what was

said earlier; you just keep on doing what you do because you have sunk everything that you own into your busi-ness.

Cobbin: Tracey is correct. That’s what we fight. I’m past that startup stage. But greed remains. It’s alive and well. People fight you for just that little bit of business.

Certainly you guys don’t remember House Bill 534, where the city or the county, or the state, or any state in-

stitution was to spend at least 15% of their aggregate spending with minority business.

Well, they fight it tooth and nail. And I don’t know whether you were around when Youngstown State University was attempting to give me a year of travel [business] to try to balance out that 15% they couldn’t produce. And then they marched on the university. So did the travel agents in town, they marched on the university. They accumulated some donors who said that they were going to stop giving Youngstown State University money if they gave my company the travel for that year.

It was only 15%. There’s still 85% left. Why are you fighting me for 15%? It’s just enough travel for

Mary Isa Garayua ‘They know

what they’re d o i n g , a n d they could suc-ceed. But then they try to get loans and run into obstacles.’

William Oliver

‘The bank-ing industry has put us in a box when it comes to help-ing businesses. And it’s getting worse.’

See ROUNDTABLE, page 30


Roundtable: Let’s Talk About Race Because It Does Make Us CringeFrom Page 29

us to get started. They still fight you for the crumbs around here. And that’s the shame in it.

Woodberry, Youngstown economic development office: In the business world, in government, set-asides are a dirty word.

People don’t want to hear about any portion al-lotted towards minorities. There’s a double standard. Because no one in the business world believes that everything is done based on a set of rules; it doesn’t work that way.

A lot of people get jobs because they know some-one who works where they work. They have to be qualified, in some respect. But a lot of it is who you know, who can put in a good recommendation. The programs the federal government puts forward are not always about minorities. They may say, we want to set aside 5% for small businesses.

But if they say we have 5% to help a minority, that’s not acceptable. You find that everywhere, whether it’s business, college admissions …

But when you talk about race, it’s not something talked about too often. It makes people cringe.

Let’s talk about race. Because it does make us cringe. Has it gotten any better? Do we cringe less?

Garayua, Organización Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana Inc.: A lot of people have said to me, “You’re very lucky because you’re a minority. And the minority businesses don’t have any problems getting

business. There’s money from the government.”I just look at them and say, “Look around. Be-

cause if you look around, there aren’t that many minority businesses. If what you said is true, what’s happening?

And they [suggest], “Maybe [minorities] don’t apply.” I said, it’s not as easy as you think. It’s a long process. ...

In our community, we don’t have a lot of people that have money, that could help others trying to come along. ...

That’s something we have to realize. We don’t have the [support structure] a lot of other com-munities have.

Tracey, you shook your head “no.” It’s not getting any better?

Winbush: No. We’re fighting perception now. African Americans are fighting perception of the racisms that they have either heard about, read about or lived. White people are fighting the perceptions of what they’ve heard about, read about or lived.

And everyone is afraid to let their guard down and find out that maybe it’s not all race. To be friends, you have to be vulnerable. And nobody wants to put themselves in vulnerability.

Throughout my day, I meet people who have never really been in contact with African Americans. And so their perceptions of African Americans are what they see on TV or what they’ve read.

Sometimes African Americans don’t engage with

white people and understand that sometimes it’s not race; they’re just bad people.

And so we lock people into this basket and we call all white good, and all black good, and all white bad and all black bad – when it’s actually individuals.

So we say, “I didn’t get the job because I’m black.” “I didn’t get the job because I’m white.”

We have these perceptions because we don’t understand each other’s culture. Whites don’t under-stand the struggle of racism. They don’t understand what African Americans have been through. And a lot of times they don’t care.

And because people don’t care where I’ve been, they don’t care where I’m going. And when African Americans feel you don’t care about who I am, I definitely don’t want to deal with you. ...

If you brought me home – you know, I’m not racist. Well, when is the last time you brought a black girl home and said you were going to marry her? How did your family feel?

Even though there are more interracial marriages and relationships now, you still see [racism].

Woodberry: A lot of it is culture [as opposed to race]. Someone brought up the issue of trust. If you are uncomfortable dealing with someone of another race in your personal life, that’s going to transcend into your professional life.

You don’t feel comfortable with the black busi-nessman making a proposal because, first, he may not have the history that you’re used to having.

So you can’t research and see how successful he


Tracey Winbush

‘African Americans are fighting perceptions of racisms they have heard about, read about or lived.’

has been, how he deals with obstacles or anything like that. That black businessman has had a difficult time establishing himself, moving on, but you can’t learn his history [through the usual channels]. On top of that, you have the issue of how comfortable he is with you.

[White and black] families barely know each other. They don’t go way back. They don’t socialize at the same clubs. And that’s how a lot of business [gets done]. ...

You can forgive errors that someone has made if you’re friends with them. If you go back with them, if you have a history, a relationship, they can mess up. And you look past it; you understand.

But if a black business makes an error, you have just isolated yourself. There’s this mark on you.

To what extent are your customers and your clientele minority? What efforts, if any, have you made to attract whites as your customers? Does your line of business make a difference, say running a funeral home, vis-à-vis selling cars, running a beauty salon or a nursing home vis-à-vis running a restaurant? As for funeral homes, I don’t know the last time in this town when a black funeral home buried a white person or vice versa.

Cobbin: Some things are not going to change. Any prudent businessman would not even consider running his business based on race. Give me a break. Business is business.

It just so happens my business has been one where we probably have more caucasians than blacks. ...

There is institutional racism. Institutional racism is not someone saying, “I don’t like you because you’re black.” [Instead] your history is held against you [as is] your upbringing, your environment. ...

Some years ago, I was in food-stamp distribution. We had literally millions of dollars in food stamp coupons, which are the same as cash. I tried to get some insurance to cover my [$4 million in] food stamps.

When I asked the insurance man for $2 million worth to cover theft, he looked at me like I was crazy. [His implication was] you must be trying to steal some money. His idea was that I wasn’t supposed to have, or even have access to, $4 million. Period. That’s because of my color. No other reason.

Oliver: I’m the oldest person in the room, I’m sure. Things have improved in the last 20 years. This conversation in itself is a sign that some things have improved.

We’re having the conversation that never took place [before]. Things have improved. Have they dramatically improved to a point where they should? No. Communication is better. There’s more of a comfort level of people communicating with minori-ties. Less sensitivity about offending – and I hope I don’t offend anybody – but I certainly don’t walk around worrying about it. I’m having a conversation with a person. We’re talking business. Business is business.

When it comes to qualifying for loans, I’m sure institutional issues occur that nobody is aware of. But you’ve got to qualify, participate in the program to get a loan and do all the others things.

Winbush: You’re right.

Oliver: Thank you.

Winbush: It’s improved from the white man’s per-spective. But from the Af- rican-American man’s per-spective, it’s still cloudy. There’s still a gray area.

I was gender-specific be-cause of black men versus black women; because it makes a difference.

Black women have an eas-ier time in business versus a black man when it comes to dealing with mainstream.

Why is that?

Winbush: They’re not as threatening. We had this conversation on my show. Black women are not as threatening as black men. And so from a white man’s view, it has gotten better. It has. But for a black man trying to climb up the ladder, he still has mud on the heel that keeps him from gaining access.

When you look at the placement of people on boards – even in Youngstown – African-American women are more likely to get placed than African-American men.

Garayua: It’s also about language. Because speak-ing Spanish results in a lot of discrimination. I get calls like, “We’re in America. Why do you have your sign in Spanish?” Why do you answer [your phone] ‘Buenos Dias’?

And then I get the vice versa. People say it’s good to know two languages. You get that a lot.

Look at all the Mexican restaurants [in the Valley]. There’s a lot of them. But how many are owned by Hispanic persons? To my knowledge, only one, Casa Ramirez on Mahoning Av-enue.

And they’re all doing well. These restaurants are mostly chains not owned by Hispanic persons. So, there’s a perception that His-panic businesses are doing better than they are.

The issue of minorities doing business with minorities. Is there a perception among white businesses that the minority market is a profitable market?

Woodberry: It’s difficult to speak on behalf of someone white and say what their perception is. If you look at Youngstown, and how difficult it is to attract investment, we have been successful in a number of areas such as manufacturing and distribution. Retail doesn’t exist, for the most part, in Youngstown.

I’ve heard all the reasons for that, including in-come, when a retailer determines whether it should be a profitable market.

More and more, Youngstown has a black and La-tino population. So in terms of the market, and who we can attract, it’s debatable on whether it’s income or race. And a lot of times they go hand-in-hand.

Winbush: African Americans spend a trillion dol-lars every year. As long as we travel to [stores along U.S. Route] 224 [in Boardman], it’s OK. But the perception is that if you go into the city, we’ll steal. But in businesses outside the suburbs, white folks steal, too. [Theft] is a cost of doing business.

Retail also has a problem of finding nonresidents willing to work inside the city.

Cobbin: Doing business with minorities or with whites is the same. One has to be the best in what you do. Even so, I have horror stories about when I started in business.

When I went into the bus business, I had to get PUCO [Public Utilities Commission of Ohio] and ICC [Interstate Commerce Commission] licenses. Well, their first step was fighting me on the PUCO license. All of the bus companies in the area came together and that’s because, of course, they didn’t want me in the business.

So I had to fight for the license. What I found out in my research [is] there had been black people in the Youngstown-Cleveland area who had never ridden on a new bus in their life.

The caucasian companies sent their old buses to the black communities. They got accustomed to this. And so it was very easy for me [to compete in this market]. And all it took was new buses, the best buses. And when I did enter, you could hear the ahs and the ooohs when people boarded the bus.

How hard is it to identify and hire qualified employ-ees? How do you compete for the most talented blacks and Hispanics when they can go to IBM or Chase Bank and com-mand a higher salary than you can afford?

Woodberry: All of my classmates who graduated [from college] and earned advanced degrees in any number of fields – they’re not here. Very few decide to stay. That’s representative of all races, but even more so in the black population.

Some of it is tied to trying to get away from crime in the neighborhoods that they were raised in. They think they have a better chance somewhere else.

Oliver: I agree. I have six kids. Four are gone, all educated, all doing fine elsewhere. And they’d like to come back here. In point of fact, there are no opportunities. The opportunities don’t exist. White, black, Hispanic, right across the board, they don’t exist.

Winbush: If they come back here, they come back so they can get the experience. And as soon as they do, the outside company swipes them away.

W. James Cobbin

‘I understand that it’s tough for all busi-nesses. But it’s worse for a guy of color. Trust me.’



Recovery: Visible in Youngstown’s Riverbend AreaFrom Page 1tenance and revisions for existing tooling.

“Everybody is getting ready to restart, or just get-ting new production orders,” Kiraly says.

With the exception of aluminum extrusion companies – Kiraly says such business is practically non-existent at the moment – business in manufac-turing sectors across the spectrum seem to be on a sustained upswing.

“Everything that we make for other companies are components that are for large equipment,” Kiraly says. The stamping dies, he continues, are sold to manufacturers in the auto and durable goods indus-tries, sectors decimated during the recession.

“That market is definitely coming back,” Kiraly says with confidence. “I’m receiving a lot of vol-ume inquiries, so there’s a lot of activity out there.” Manufacturers that produce durable goods such as refrigerators, washers and dryers, and other appli-ances, for example, have stepped up their business with the company, indicating consumer demand is improving.

“It’s not like it was two years ago,” Kiraly says. “But it’s definitely moving in the right direction.”

The company, which employs nine, withstood the downturn, keeping all nine on the job. “We eliminated overtime, but we didn’t have to lay any-body off since we have a diverse base of customers,” Kiraly states.

If there’s a drawback during this recovery, Kiraly says, it’s that he must quote new business aggres-sively and therefore anticipate profit margins much thinner than the norm.

“I haven’t quoted rates this low since my first year in business,” Kiraly says. “But, I think all of us are singing the same tune.”

Brian Benyo, president of Brilex Industries, 1210 Crescent St., reports his company is witness-ing a “fairly broad-based improvement” helped by orders once on hold, but since given the go-ahead by customers. Brilex is also taking in a host of new inquiries and orders.

“We’re not seeing it in all industries,” he cautions, but expects business to grow and expand outside the traditional markets of steel and metals and into green and renewable technology.

The company builds and manufacturers new equipment for heavy manufacturers and employs about 120, Benyo says.

That number is expected to grow between eight and 12 positions by the end of this year, he reports, lending credibility to an improved jobs market in the manufacturing sector.

“We’ve been hiring over the last three months,” Benyo says. “We have a need to hire people with skills – such as machinists – since we’ve installed some new machinery here.”

Benyo projects that in the coming months the company could hire three or four new machinists, as well as more welders and fitters for the company’s fabricating operations.

There are also opportunities to develop and mar-ket new proprietary products related to renewable energy, a field that Benyo sees as promising for his business. “We’re starting to see some of this come to fruition,” he reports.

Benyo would say only that the new product is a component intended to be used in waste energy systems, and that the first orders should “come in

within the next month.”The rebound in this cul-de-sac of Mahoning Val-

ley manufacturers is often a good barometer of how the national economy and heavy industry is shap-ing up across the country, relates Michael Kovach, president of City Machine Technologies.

“We’re usually among the first companies they call,” Kovach says.

City Machine, on Martin Luther King Jr. Bou-levard at the entrance of the Riverbend District, refurbishes large equipment used in the steel, aluminum, food processing and power generation

industries, Kovach says. When these manufacturers begin to increase orders to recondition their produc-tion equipment, it’s a strong signal that their order books are filling up.

“We’re seeing orders picking up all across the board,” Kovach notes. “It’s still too early to tell what’s driving it,” adding the resurgence could be the result of companies catching up on deferred maintenance projects. “A lot of mills were decommissioned dur-ing this downturn,” he notes, “and we’re called on to help restart them.”

CONTINUES NEXT PAGE

��

��

��

��

��

®

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


The company was suffi ciently comfortable with the strong economic signals to recall those employ-ees placed on layoff last year, Kovach says. Of the 10 on layoff, three were offered their positions back and one accepted. The other seven had found jobs

Michael Kovach, president of City Machine Technologies, says activity in the Riverbend District is a barometer for the country.

elsewhere so, Kovach hired two employees from outside, and two others retired.

Terry Herzberger was one of the lucky ones. Herzberger was let go from an executive position he held with a company in Cleveland when that

company downsized. “I was out of a job for four months and it was

the fi rst time in 23 years I’ve had to look for a job,” Herzberger says. “I’m doing a different job than I did in Cleveland, but people can’t be picky in this market. It’s gut-wrenching to be out of work.”

City Machine’s rebound also attracted the at-tention of NBC Nightly News, which featured a segment on the economy and the company during its Feb. 5 broadcast. The National Federation of Independent Businesses referred the company to NBC, Kovach said.

NBC fi rst contacted City Machine last year when the company was forced to lay off workers for the fi rst time in its history, Kovach recalls. When pro-ducers wanted a story to monitor the rebound, NBC once again turned to City Machine.

“Last year, the outlook wasn’t good,” Kovach recalls. Not only were workers placed on layoff, the company also imposed a wage freeze with the consent of its workers. By last September, business started to pick up, and City Machine rebated 2% of what would’ve been a 3.5% wage increase for its workers.

“Our guys work very hard and have really risen to the occasion for us,” Kovach says. “We want to keep our talent.”

Thus far in 2010, overtime is reinstated and business is back at a normal rate, Kovach says. “Inventories are weak all over, so it looks fairly promising” as companies gun up equipment to boost production.

“Our customers are saying they’re optimistic,” Kovach says, quickly adding, “There’s nothing long-term yet.”

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


HigherEducationPages 35-45

By Maraline Kubik

Lori Miller, a professional writing and editing major at Youngstown State University, has two more years of classes before she graduates.

Student loans make it possible for her to pursue a college education, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t worried about money.

“I’m completely on my own,” she says, estimat-ing her current outstanding student loan balance at more than $30,000. How much it will be by the time she receives her degree is something she says she doesn’t like to think about. “I hope I get a really, really good editing job,” she says, so she’ll be able to pay it back.

Most student loans require borrowers to begin repaying what they borrowed within six months of graduating, dropping out, falling below half-time status or otherwise discontinuing their educa-tions.

Although Miller works 30 hours a week between two jobs – she works at Chick-Fil-A in Boardman and at the candy counter in Kilcawley Center – she says her paychecks aren’t enough to cover her ex-penses. “If I didn’t have [financial aid], I wouldn’t be able to go to school.”

Jennifer Tomerlin, a theater major planning to graduate this year, isn’t as hard pressed as Miller, but she, too, is dependent on financial aid. She and her parents have both taken loans to cover the educa-tion expenses they can’t pay out-of-pocket, Tomerlin says. One of their goals, however, has been to incur as little debt as possible, so Tomerlin says her parents pay down the Parent-Plus Loan they took whenever they can – when they get a refund on their income taxes, for instance.

As a result, Tomerlin estimates the amount to be paid back after she graduates will be between $5,000 and $7,000. She hasn’t yet calculated how much her payments to clear the debt will be.

Both women say they are fortunate to have finan-cial aid available, and both are envious of students who qualify for aid that doesn’t have to be repaid – federal and state grants available to students who meet the criteria for financial need, and a wide range of scholarships.

There are six types of financial aid available to students, explains Elaine Ruse, director of YSU’s office of financial aid and scholarship:

• scholarships• grants• work-study• federal loans

Most Students Rely on Financial AidLoans, scholarships, grants, work-study programs help pay tuition at state universities.

• alternative loans • Veterans Administration benefits.“Scholarships come in two categories,” Ruse says.

“Merit-based scholarships are awarded based on a student’s talent and/or academic ability with little or no consideration to their ability to pay.” Students must, however, meet the admissions standards of the institution and program they seek to enter. Admis-sion standards vary by institution and program, Ruse continues, and are often very competitive.

Schools award merit-based scholarships based on the students’ abilities as well as the university’s needs. The school’s music program, for example,

Sandy Torres, a financial data specialist at YSU, distributes financial aid information in Kilcawley Center.

may need students who play particular instruments to fill openings in their jazz ensembles, marching bands or symphonic orchestras, Ruse explains, so scholarships are awarded to ensure the institution attracts the student musicians required to meet those needs. The same is true for student athletes and students in other fields of study where the uni-versity seeks to attract individuals with particular attributes or abilities.

Some of these scholarships are renewable year-after-year, Ruse says, as long as the student maintains a designated grade point average and successfully completes the specified number of courses.

Need-based scholarships, Ruse continues, are awarded to students with the greatest financial need who also meet certain academic requirements.

Financial need is determined by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Completing this application is the first step and “main component that a student and their family must do every year,” Ruse says.

Results of the FAFSA are required to apply for federal student aid as well as to apply for most state and college aid. FAFSA results identify stu-dents who qualify for the federal Pell Grant, Ohio College Opportunity Grant and grants through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. (PHEAA).

Colleges and universities are required to estimate the total cost of attending the institution, Ruse con-tinues. Using this estimate and results of the FAFSA, institutions make financial aid offers to students. Students and their families use these offers to deter-mine how much they must pay out of pocket and to compare offers from different institutions.

Students must elect to have their FAFSA results submitted to every school that accepted them to receive a financial aid offer from each institution.

“Every student is going to be a little bit differ-ent and every school is going to be different,” Ruse notes.

See FINANCIAL AID, page 36

Financial Aid at Ohio Universities University Any Aid Federal Grants Avg. Award State Grants Avg. Award

Youngstown State 84% 42% $3,030 47% $1,451 Kent State 85% 28% $2,909 23% $1,953 Ohio State 88% 19% $3,205 15% $1,897 University of Akron 85% 44% $3,051 31% $1,316 Cleveland State 83% 46% $3,178 39% $1,709 Bowling Green State 83% 23% $2,932 19% $2,265 KSU Salem 89% 49% $3,005 41% $1,429 KSU East Liverpool 89% 56% $2,768 43% $1,225

Source: Performance Report for Ohio’s Colleges and Universities, 2006.


Financial Aid: Helps Most Students Meet the Costs of Higher EducationFrom Page 35

Helpful Financial Aid Web Sites• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): www.fafsa.ed.gov

• Ohio College Opportunity Grant: www.regents.state.oh.us/sgs

• Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA): www.pheaa.org

• The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid: www.fi naid.org

• Education benefi ts for military personnel and their families: www.military.com

• G.I. Bill: www.gibill.va.gov

• U.S. Department of Education: www.ed.gov

Source: Business Journal research.

Students who qualify can meet all or some of the shortfall with work-study programs. Work-study programs provide students whose family incomes fall within a specifi ed range with on-campus em-ployment funded through the federal government. These are primarily minimum-wage jobs with fl ex-ible schedules that enable students to work between classes, Ruse says.

Work-study is awarded based on a student’s fi nan-cial need, she notes, and demand usually exceeds supply. The primary benefi t, she says, is that earnings do not count as income when the student applies for aid the following year; wages earned at part-time jobs not part of the work-study program are considered income when applying for fi nancial aid.

Another option to meet the costs of higher educa-tion, Ruse says, is taking loans.

Federal loans, such as subsidized Stafford loans, should always be a student’s fi rst choice over alterna-tive loans, Ruse says, because they are less expen-sive. Subsidized Stafford loans, she explains, do not begin to accrue interest until the student graduates or leaves school, and rates are usually lower than those for alternative loans.

Alternative loans, provided by banks and other traditional lenders, begin to accrue interest immedi-ately and have higher rates. In addition, Ruse says, borrowers must meet stringent credit requirements and may need a co-signer. And, because fewer lend-ers are participating, alternative student loans are

more diffi cult to acquire. Veterans and their dependents – spouses and

children – may qualify for any of several programs designed to help them meet the costs of higher edu-cation. Benefi ts include grants as well as low-interest and no-interest loans that can be used to cover the costs of tuition, fees, books and housing.

Meeting deadlines to submit the FAFSA is im-perative, Ruse stresses. She recommends students and parents begin researching sources of fi nancial aid by the beginning of the student’s junior year in high school “at the latest.” The priority deadline for submitting the FAFSA is Feb. 15.

High school seniors and their parents should submit the FAFSA even if they haven’t decided on a college or university – any schools they are consider-ing should be included on the application, she says. Submitting the application by mid-February allows students time to verify and correct information on rejectected applications and still allow the institu-tions time to prepare fi nancial aid offers.

At YSU, 84% of students receive some form of fi nancial aid with 42% receiving federal grants that average $3,030 per year and 47% receiving state grants that average $1,451 per year.

This compares to 85% of students at Kent State University’s main campus who receive some form of fi nancial aid with 28% receiving federal grants that average $2,909 per year and 23% receiving state grants that average $1,953 per year.

At The Ohio State University, 88% of students

receive fi nancial aid with 19% receiving federal grants and 15% receiving state grants.

Less obvious forms of fi nancial aid, Ruse notes, are tax credits and deductions that reduce the in-come tax a student or parent must pay, or that reduce the amount of income subject to tax.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, for example, provides families up to $2,500 in annu-al tax credits for each student; the Lifetime Learning Credit provides up to $2,000 in tax credits each year for any student enrolled in eligible institutions.

3487 Belmont Avenue, Youngstownwww.BeJobReady.org

visit our website to see cynthia, elaine, and josh’s stories!

We’re Job READY!Knowledge. Skills. Confidence.Call today and learn how you can be ‘Job Ready’ with National’s programs in Business, Healthcare, and Computer Technology! Classes start March 8!

��

Professional��

Technology��

�� Engineering

��

and more!

800-510-1965Call today!

Choose from these high-demand career fields:*

A Degree of Difference Since 1886

OVER 26LOCATIONS

NATIONWIDE

(AND GROWING)OVER 26LOCATIONS

NATIONWIDE


By Dan O’Brien

Where many still see hardship and feel despair, others see an opportunity to be

prepared for when the recovery takes a much firmer hold.

Some employers are using the re-cession to upgrade and enhance their employees’ skills while some work-ers who lost their jobs are seeking their fortunes in new careers.

Both have contributed to the in-creased demand for training programs geared toward readying the work force to meet the new needs of business and industry, say education and training administrators.

“We’re certainly seeing an increase in demand for financial aid,” says Jessica Borza, chief operating officer at Mahoning Columbiana One-Stop, Lisbon. “People are going out into the job market and finding that jobs are not readily available. So, they think this is a good time to get retrained and look for resources to help them.”

Mahoning Columbiana One-Stop and the Mahoning-Columbiana Train-ing Association, or MCTA, work with employers in the Mahoning Valley and and to provide jobs seekers with the training they need to improve their chances of being hired, Borza notes.

However, need has exceeded the funding available to help those on layoff secure additional education and training, Borza says. “We burned through our federal stimulus dollars at a very fast rate,” she reports. “So, we had to go back to the state for ad-ditional funding.”

During the first half of fiscal 2010, Borza says, One-Stop and MCTA have funded 256 dislocated workers – or just about as many as the agency did during all of fiscal 2009.

One-Stop has been funded $2 mil-lion from the federal government to help adult workers who need retrain-ing, Borza relates. Another $1.5 mil-lion was secured for youth training.

The agency acquired another $3.5 million in “rapid response” money from the state, which is still available. “The good news is that we still have funding for this year,” she says.

The number of workers moving through the various programs is on

track to be three times as high as it was last year, reports Leigh Samargia, training program manager.

“The majority of these people are looking at health care,” she says, while others are requesting programs related to information technology. Truck- driver training is also a big draw, mainly because the courses could be completed within five or six weeks.

Interest in on-the-job training, Samargia says, got off to a slow start last year, but has picked up gradu-ally. Employers find these programs

beneficial because MCTA can reim-burse participating companies half the cost of training an employee in new skills. Ultimately,

these skills translate into increased productivity and efficiency in the workplace.

Lisa Goetsch, director of the Work-force Development and Continu-ing Education Center at Kent State University Trumbull Campus, also reports she’s seen an increase in em-ployer-sponsored training.

“They see the need to increase em-ployees’ skills and improve productiv-ity and efficiency,” she says. There is also continued emphasis on programs such as Six Sigma, which are geared toward establishing lean manufactur-ing practices. “After reducing or elimi-nating training for many months,” she says, “companies are beginning to invest in their work force.”

Workers’ need to improve skills such as reading, math, critical think-ing, problem solving and basic com-puter literacy has seen no let-up, Goetsch says. Computer training, for example, is often required at call cen-ters in the region and more dislocated workers seeking jobs in this industry are taking these classes.

Teamwork and communications skills also translate well into a variety of industries, Goetsch says, and it’s to job candidates’ advantage that they stress this on their resumes.

Employers insist that their work-ers be trained in a wide array of skills that fill a variety of job requirements, Goetsch says. “Employees today can no longer specialize in one area, but need to wear many hats,” she says.

That’s one of the objectives at the Precision Manufacturing Institute in Sharon, Pa., relates its director, John Holliday.

“We have a half-dozen programs ranging from CNC milling, tooling and machining technology, CNC

maintenance technology, and a First Step program,” an introductory course on machining, he reports.

The institute works closely with Ohio One-Stop agencies, its Pennsyl-vania counterpart, CareerLink, and the West Central Job Partnership based in New Castle, Pa., to help co-ordinate and administer funding for these programs, Holliday says.

“Incumbent worker training is off a little bit this year because businesses are watching things a little closer,” Holliday relates.

However, he reports, he sees en-couraging signs for tradesmen such as industrial electricians, program-mers and machinists. Businesses are more selective on who they hire, and most often will consider prospective employees who possess well-rounded skill sets. “The age of nepotism is over,” Holliday declares. “Businesses don’t have time for that anymore.”

Acquiring more than one skill set is even more important in the wake of this recession because many employ-ers aren’t expected to recall everyone they laid off, Holliday relates. “They’re looking to do more with less people,”

he notes. Thus, the best candidate is one who has cross training in a variety of disciplines.

Part of PMI’s goal is to anticipate the needs of industry three to six months hence, and Holliday thinks that by the end of this year there will be a rise in demand for skilled work-ers. “We stay in contact with all local industry in our market,” he says. And, the center helps prospective employ-ees work on soft skills such as resumes and presentations.

Holliday reports that PMI hopes to introduce new programs this fall and expand those it already offers. “We want to add a welding center to teach welding,” he relates. “We’re finding that it’s really needed.” The center is also looking to hire more instructors as it widens its curriculum.

There’s also an effort by PMI to es-tablish partnerships with nearby col-leges and universities and to develop programs related to alternative energy, Holliday adds.

“We’re very excited,” the PMI director says. “The industrial and manufacturing sector is finally start-ing to turn around.”

Recovery Whets Demand for Workers with Skills Employers seek workers with more than one set of skills.

Demand for training funds for displaced workers has more than doubled in the last year.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


weekendu n d e r g r a d u a t e a n d g r a d u a t e d e g r e e p r o g r a m s

“Tackle any work

challenge from new, cre-

ative perspectives.”

-Howard Fencl, M.A.I.S. 2007Assistant News Director at WKYC-TV/Gannett

For more information on Hiram’s Weekend College programs, visit www.hiram.edu/future.

Weekend College – Bachelor’s DegreesTake classes every other weekend. We accept transfer credits from: � ��

EARN��TUITION GUARANTEE��OPEN HOUSE��

Weekend College – Master’s Degrees��

OPEN HOUSE��

Graduate Classes for Professional Educators��

LOW TUITION��www.hiram.edu/future/grad/programs/teachers��


By Jeremy Lydic

As companies expect more from their workers and unemployment remains high, colleges and universities are experiencing an influx of students, leading to record enrollments at some.

Mount Union College in Alliance enjoyed its best spring semester ever this year as did the Trumbull Campus of Kent State University with its sister campuses in East Liverpool and Salem also reporting significant increases.

Both Youngstown State University and Hiram College have grown consistently over the past few years while spokesmen for North Canton-based Walsh University and Penn State University Shenan-go say enrollment has begun to level off.

Although Thiel College in Greenville, Pa., experi-enced a year-over-year decline, its autumn to spring retention rate increased to 86%, which its director of public relations, Joyce Carr, attributes to the leader-ship of its new president, Troy VanAken.

VanAken joined Thiel last July and brought with him “spirit and a positive attitude,” Carr says. Enroll-ment fell to 999 this spring, down from 1,137 last fall, but applications have increased by 40%.

Economy Falters; Students Flock to College Enrollment is up at most college campuses in the region, some significantly.

“I foresee that our numbers are going to go up in the future with his leadership,” Carr says.

Because 85% of the students live on campus, of-fering a variety of activities helps to promote interest in Thiel, Carr says. Since VanAken arrived, Thiel has added five new sports: men’s volleyball, men and women’s lacrosse, and men and women’s tennis, Carr says. A marching band is on the horizon; the school is searching for a director. “They’re looking to get that person hired this semester,” she says.

While Thiel advertises on Facebook to gauge its students’ interests, Mount Union administers an annual student satisfaction survey, says its vice presi-dent for enrollment services, Amy Tomko. Mount Union, which had a spring enrollment of 2,078, up from 2,050 in 2009, gets its students involved in discussing what’s important to them on campus as well as academically, Tomko says.

Preparing for careers after they graduate is one of students’ utmost concerns. That prompted Thiel to launch a physician-assistant master’s program and to begin offering programs in mechanical and civil engineering next fall, she says. Campus upgrades, including apartment-style residence halls and a new welcome center, help Thiel maintain its identity and feel as a small liberal arts college, she says.

“It’s extremely important for students to feel they’re going to get individual attention,” Tomko says. “We do a lot of work to make sure that we’re talking with students one-on-one.”

Offering personal attention and maintaining a high quality of education helps sustain a small-college atmosphere, says Ruth McCullagh, public relations coordinator for Kent State University’s East Liverpool and Salem campuses. KSU professors are accessible, McCullagh says, and students can reach them both in their offices and at home.

Spring enrollment at KSU East Liverpool in-creased 25.47% to 1,340, up from 1,068, McCullagh says. Salem’s enrollment jumped to 1,727, up from 1,389, a 24.33% increase. “We’ve seen increased enrollment numbers over the past few years,” Mc-Cullagh says. “We’re busting at the seams.”

KSU Salem’s horticulture program is “expanding by leaps and bounds,” and is the only horticulture program in northeastern Ohio to offer a baccalau-reate, McCullagh says. Enrollment in nursing and radiology is also up.

Similarly, KSU Trumbull has enjoyed enrollment increases and set a few records this academic year. It had its best spring with 2,776, up from 2,356 in 2009. Last fall saw its highest enrollment ever, up 27% over 2008. The dean, Wanda Thomas, attributes the increases to unemployed workers returning to school as well as employers putting a greater em-phasis on postsecondary education.

“Gone are the days where one could find a job without a high school diploma or with just a high school diploma,” Thomas says. “Manufacturing

See ENROLLMENT, page 42

Advantage: Westminster College�� Westminster graduates are in demand

�� You will receive the personal attention you deserve

��

�� U.S. News 2010 Guide to America’s Best Colleges

�� The Princeton Review

��

www.westminster.edu1-800-942-8033 Founded 1852…New Wilmington, Pa.


employers are now looking for certifi ed mechanical and electrical maintenance workers.”

KSU Trumbull could double its enrollment before stretching its faculty thin, Thomas says.

Other schools are content to keep enrollment steady. Walsh University saw a decrease of only 10 students this spring to 1,659, and is trying to keep enrollment at 1,800, says its vice president for en-rollment management, Brett Freshour.

“We’re stretched at the seams,” he says. “We’re ba-sically looking to maintain that population while our graduate and adult programs continue to grow.”

Enrollment at Walsh rose 80% over the last six years, and Freshour says he expects a big jump in graduate enrollment in 2011.

Walsh is developing more programs, including a doctorate in physical therapy and master’s and doctoral programs in nursing. The latter will be an online program, which “won’t bring a lot of bodies to campus,” he adds.

In an effort to attract more students, Youngstown State launched its Western Pennsylvania Advantage plan, which reduces tuition for qualifying out-of-state students “to the point where they are just slightly above what in-state students pay,” says its di-rector of university communications, Ron Cole. The plan reduces the out-of-state surcharge for students who live in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Erie, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties.

“We’ve noticed a signifi cant increase in interest and applications from that area,” Cole says. “We’ve

really beefed up a lot of our marketing efforts, not only locally, but across the region.”

Spring enrollment at YSU rose 27% over the last decade, reaching 13,837 this year, up from 12,934 in 2009. Enrollment of minority students increased 60% over the same 10 years, Cole says, which he at-tributes to high school recruitment efforts, minority scholarship programs, and programs and activities “that make all students feel a little more welcome.

“That was a priority of Dr. [David] Sweet’s when he came here,” Cole says. “To not only increase en-rollment, but increase diversity on campus.”

Hiram College has been in “growth mode” the last fi ve years, enjoying a 40% increase in enrollment over that time, says its chief of staff, Tim Bryan. Spring enrollment increased to 1,129, up from 1,058 a year ago, and the school hopes to reach 1,300 in the next two years, Bryan says. “We’ve been focusing on our head count,” he says. “We have to make deci-sions on what we’d do to accommodate more.”

Hiram spent some $40 million on new buildings over the last fi ve years, including residence halls and a dining hall, Bryan says. A 140-bed townhouse residence built in 2009 is fi lled through next fall.

Tuition guarantees that keep a student’s tuition the same for four years have proved popular, he says. “That’s probably the No. 1 thing that has led to our growth,” Bryan says. “In this economy, people are looking for affordability and knowing what their costs are going to be.”

Since 2009, applications and admissions in-creased, 28% and 40% respectively, and out-of-state enrollment increased 4%.

Still, Bryan stresses the importance of “growing

smart without sacrifi cing the classroom experience.” Hiram looks to expand its adult programs and is looking to base that expansion on Hiram’s “inher-ent liberal arts strengths,” he says. “We don’t want to grow to a size where the classroom experience is different from what we want it to be.”

Smaller campuses provide a venue that allows them to compete with larger campuses, says Chuck Greggs, associate director of enrollment at Penn State Shenango. Although it offers just four pro-grams leading to baccalaureates, students pay less while obtaining a foundation to transfer to other PSU campuses, he says.

“A lot of students aren’t comfortable going to a campus with 40,000 students. They feel they get lost in the shuffl e and can’t get their professors’ attention. At our campus, that’s never going to be the case.” PSU Shenango’s enrollment is 814 this semester, about the same as last year. Applications are up 15%, and “students committed to coming here has increased way beyond that,” he says.

Traditional students starting at Shenango and fi nishing at the main campus is common, Greggs says, but adults who lost their jobs need something they can fi nish nearby.

To meet that need, PSU Shenango will offer a program in the administration of justice next fall that “we hope will be attractive to adults, particularly veterans,” he says. The campus also has health care programs, including a nursing program that works with Sharon Regional Hospital.

“Most adults that come in the door say they want to go into health care,” Greggs says. “Adults really want to get out and get a job.”

Enrollment: From Page 41

An affordable, high-quality education��Programs that can be completed in ��four yearsGuidance for “undecided” majors��Career services for life��

A ninth-semester tuition waiver for ��qualifying students who study abroad or intern—valuable experiences that set you apart when looking for your first job!

Apply Today! THIEL COLLEGE75 College Ave. � Greenville, Pa. 800-24-THIEL � www.thiel.edu

An education is a solid investment in your future providing a lifetime of return. That’s why the Thiel Commitment includes:

Discover the Thiel Commitment today! For more information: www.thiel.edu/commitment

Committed to You



You, an outreach initiative geared toward drawing together job seekers, students, school systems, career coun-selors and parents to promote interest in manufacturing.

Industry Needs You is an all-out media blitz, Karmecy reports, aimed at recruiting workers to the high concentration of manufacturers in Mercer and Lawrence counties. The two counties have more than twice the state average.

“There are 360 manufacturers in the two counties,” he says. Of the 160 occupations considered high priority in Pennsylvania – that is, those in the most demand – fewer than 60 require a baccalaureate or post-graduate de-gree. Skilled trades, he continues, rank third in demand for employment in the United States, behind engineering and nursing.

And, less than 20% of the popula-tion age 25 and older in Mercer and Lawrence counties hold a four-year de-gree or higher, Karmecy reports. “The majority of the jobs in demand do not require college degrees,” he says.

Providing training and employ-ment opportunities for the next gen-eration of skilled workers is, therefore, essential to making this region com-petitive, Karmecy says.

The Industry Needs You initia-tive makes it easier for young people and the incumbent work force to be aware of careers in manufacturing, training opportunities through area trade schools and organizations, and financial aid resources, he says. Those interested can visit the campaign’s Web site at www.industryneedsyou.com, Karmecy relates.

While the campaign uses advertis-ing on the Internet, on television and radio, and in print, it’s also enlisted the expertise of area business owners tak-ing their message directly to the public school systems in hopes of sparking interest among young children.

“We want to make them aware that good, family-sustaining careers do ex-ist in manufacturing,” says Dale Deist, owner of Deist Industries in Hadley, Pa. Deist and other manufacturers are canvassing Mercer County in an ef-fort to meet with all 12 school boards and deliver the message that there is a bright future in the trades – in his case, the metals industry.

Since the beginning of the school year, Deist and five other business owners have made it a point to visit schools and pitch to administrators, guidance counselors, teachers and students that the manufacturing sec-tor is in need of new talent.

“There are 96 metals manufactur-

ers in Lawrence and Mercer counties,” he relates.

Occupations in precision machin-ing, fabricating/welding and heavy metals are likely to be in demand for quite some time, so it’s important that young people possess the skills to sat-isfy that jobs market, Deist says. “We need guidance counselors and teach-ers to tell them about these careers,” he says, and to also inform students of training opportunities available at affiliates such as the Mercer County Career Center.

Not only is filling these manufac-turing jobs important to industry, it’s vital to developing a strong, healthy economy throughout the region, Deist says. “One in five jobs in the five-county area is in manufacturing” – double the ratio for the rest of the country, he reports. These jobs also pump additional dollars into the com-munity and in turn create new jobs in the service sector.

“When you create jobs there, those dollars flow through other sectors of the economy,” Deist relates. On aver-age, one manufacturing job results in the creation of another 1.5 jobs elsewhere in the economy.

Still, Deist acknowledges, selling young people on careers in manufac-turing takes some effort, especially since the economy is wounded and working itself out of the mess left over from the recession.

“The message is that the economy is poor right now, and there are people laid off,” Deist relates. “But this reces-sion isn’t going to last forever, and by the time these students acquire career skills, the economy will be up and running.”

For example, in Deist’s area of ex-pertise, it takes a student 480 hours of training in welding and another 1,000 hours of training to qualify as a pre-cision machinist in such disciplines as CNC milling, lathes and grinders, he says.

Deist relates one way to enhance interest in the metals trades is by offering internships to students con-sidering a career in manufacturing. At his company, Deist says, he wants to start a partnership where he could hire student interns and schedule guidance counselors and students to tour the area’s manufacturing plants.

“The entrepreneurial spirit is go-ing to bounce back among small and medium-size manufacturers,” Deist says. Manufacturers, however, are sometimes reticent and don’t engage in aggressive outreach efforts to lure interest to their trades.

“We are going to change that,” Deist vows.

Outreach: Steers Talent to ManufacturingFrom Page 1

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

Did you start college but didn’t finish your bachelor’s degree? Then the Bachelor of Applied

Studies degree might be for you.

It’s designed for people who already

have earned college credit or an

associate degree. The program

allows you to add to your technical

or discipline-based skills

to become a well-rounded

professional in a career of

your choosing.

Speaking of choices, the

East Liverpool, Salem and

Trumbull campuses allow

you to choose from more

than 35 degree programs,

including 15 bachelor’s degrees.

Find out more!

Call 330-672-1000 or visit

www.kent.edu/campuses.

Complete your degree

and secure your future.

www.kent.edu/campuses

East Liverpool Campus Informational NightMarch 18 at 6 p.m.

Salem Campus Informational NightMarch 25 at 6 p.m.

Kent State University, Kent State and KSU are registered trademarks and may not be used without permission. Kent State University is committed to attaining excellence through the recruitment and retention of a diverse student body and workforce. 10-0026

��

10-0026.indd 1 2/4/10 2:53 PM


By Dan O’Brien

University professors write books not for the lure of fame or money, or even the pressures of academic requirements. They write simply

because they love the subjects they study and the opportunity to shed new light on areas of inquiry that advances the cause of education.

So say Kent Englehardt of Youngstown State Uni-versity and Deborah Mitchell of Westminster Col-lege, who recently published books in their fields.

“I often warn my students,” begins Englehardt, associate professor of jazz studies in YSU’s Dana School of Music, “that I go overboard in my lectures because I’m so passionate about what I do.”

Englehardt recently published two books that examine the very topic that fuels his passion: jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, whose performances have taken on the stuff of legend. Englehardt’s two books, Charlie Parker, Culture and Influences: Analysis of His Solos with the Jay McShann Orchestra, and Charlie Parker, Culture and Influences: Analysis of Selected Early Solos, were published by VDM of Germany last year.

Englehardt was a teenager when he first heard of Parker, he says, but didn’t really know his music. “Then, I took a listening class at a summer jazz camp that I attended,” he recalls. “I was flabbergasted.”

There began a lifelong love of Parker’s music, Englehardt says. His two books emerged from his doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh; they explore the cultural influences that shaped Parker’s early life in Kansas City, Mo., during the Great Depression.

“Nathan Davis, my dissertation director at Pitt, was from Kansas City and knew all the guys that played with Parker and who knew him from long ago,” he says. Englehardt interviewed members of Parker’s family, including his first cousin, who shed some light on the musician’s family life. Another source Englehardt contacted attended grade school with Parker.

Through these sources and others, Englehardt pieced together Parker’s early life, one shaped by an uneasy family home and the rough and tumble world

Profs Write Entertainingly about Jazz, MoviesGetting published isn’t difficult, if book is relevant.

of gambling, prostitution and politics in the Kansas City in the grip of machine boss Tom Pendergast. “He played saxophone in high school,” Englehardt says, “but was fairly bad.” Parker quit school after the first year to enroll in an arts academy.

Parker’s musical education really began in the clubs of Kansas City. There the teenager sneaked out to listen to Lester Young and the Count Basie Band. “Had it never been for them, he would’ve never made the music he did,” the author says.

The turning point in Parker’s career came in 1937, when he joined a summer tour in the Ozark Mountains with the George E. Lee band. “That’s where he really learned to play – he was playing 11 to 12 hours a day,” Englehardt relates.

Once the Pendergast machine collapsed, Parker traveled to New York, where he embarked on a jour-ney of innovation and exploration yet to be equaled in the annals of jazz. “Parker changed everything. We’re really talking about an amazing mind – bril-liant, fast, analytical and able to commit solos to memory after listening to them once or twice.”

Despite his rise to fame and unfortunate lifestyle – he was addicted to alcohol and heroin – Parker remained committed to his early mentors and often added signature quotes in some of his most impor-tant saxophone solo work, Englehardt says. “As late as 1948, Parker was still quoting the people who influenced him. They remained a part of his musical vocabulary.” Parker died in 1955 at age 34.

Deborah Mitchell, associate professor of English at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., says it’s difficult to separate publishing from her role as a teacher. “For me, I don’t feel pressured to publish,” she says. “I love doing it. It defines us, and helps us contribute to the body of knowledge.”

Most of Mitchell’s research is in film studies and her latest book, co-written with Elizabeth Ford, pro-fessor emerita at Wilmington, examines how royal women have been depicted in the cinema.

Their book, Royal Portraits in Hollywood: Film-ing the Lives of Queens, examines the portrayals of queens, empresses and princesses films have given women through monarchs as Queen Christina of Sweden, the Russian Empress Catherine the Great,

Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth I of England.

“I became interested in the portrayals of women in film and how [they] are represented on screen,” she says. The University Press of Kentucky pub-lished the book last year.

How films have told the stories of these powerful women has changed since the 1930s, Mitchell relates.

As the roles of women in society changed, so did the cinematic interpreta-tions of monarchs such as Elizabeth I. “You see the evolution from films

that focus on the public life of the queen to films of a more complex nature,” she says.

The two highly acclaimed films about Elizabeth I, one starring Cate Blanchett and directed by Shekar Kapur, for example, delve into a private and pub-lic tug of war. Helen Mirren’s performance as the monarch for the BBC presents “an incredible look at the private woman behind the throne,” Mitchell says.

While these latest films aren’t completely sup-ported by the historical record, “they’ve gotten a lot closer to the truth about these women.” Such portrayals of these queens also present viewers with a lens to examine changes in culture and society, and how Hollywood has broadened and refined the way women are shown on the silver screen.

“You really start to see a change during the 1960s,” Mitchell says. Not only were women’s roles begin-ning to be treated more in-depth and seriously, but women were also working up the ladder behind the scenes as writers and directors. “Women are going to write stories about women, not the stereotypes, and the issues they contend with every day.”

Mitchell and Ford also co-wrote The Makeover in Movies: Before and After in Hollywood Films, 1941-2002, published by McFarland & Co. in 2004. Mitchell is also the author of Diane Keaton: Artist and Icon, also published by McFarland in 2001.

Getting your work published, Mitchell relates, isn’t very difficult. “I sent the Keaton book out and it was accepted in three days,” she recalls, while her other books took a matter of weeks to be accepted. “If it’s good, interesting and relevant, I think people will want to publish it.”

Deborah Mitchell, associate professor at Westminster, says it’s difficult to separate publishing from her role as teacher.

www.ysu.edu


At the Crossroads of America!

Lordstowngggggggg

www.lordstown.com330-824-2510 email: [email protected]

CLEVELAND

CANTON

YOUNGSTOWN

PITTSBURGH

TO CHICAGO

CSX

CON RAIL

80

AKRON

EXITS 14A & 14B

WARREN

11

11 80

76

TO NEW YORK ➺

TO PHILADELPHIA ➺

➺

TO COLUMBUS

➺

76

OHIO TURNPIKE

PA TURNPIKE

The growing Village of Lordstown is strategically situatedat the “Crossroads” of major Northeast transportationarteries. The Ohio Turnpike (I-80) and St. Rt. 45 passthrough the village and I-76 passes just south of thevillage and provide easy access for regional andintercontinental motor freight firms. Rail service isprovided by both Norfolk Southern and CSX Railroadsystems.

• Lordstown Industrial Parkis a newly developed parkthat is currently underconstruction and isavailable for additionalmanufacturing facilities.

• Henn Industrial park is aproposed park for futureCommercial/Industrialgrowth. Call 330-824-2510for more information.

Industrial developers are greatly impressed with the accommodatingattitude that the Village of Lordstown has toward new businessand industry... call, email or visit our web site for more information:

LordstownIndustrial Park

130 Acres

HennIndustrial Park

100 Acres

3487 Belmont Avenue, Youngstownwww.BeJobReady.org

visit our website to see cynthia, elaine, and josh’s stories!

We’re Job READY!Knowledge. Skills. Confidence.Call today and learn how you can be ‘Job Ready’ with National’s programs in Business, Healthcare, and Computer Technology! Classes start March 8!

��

Professional��

Technology��

�� Engineering

��

and more!

800-510-1965Call today!

Choose from these high-demand career fields:*

A Degree of Difference Since 1886

OVER 26LOCATIONS

NATIONWIDE

(AND GROWING)OVER 26LOCATIONS

NATIONWIDE


Marketing101SocialMedia

By George Nelson

To marketing firms, the importance of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter as tools to promote their companies can’t be

exaggerated. Over the last two years, social networking has

been “probably the primary marketing strategy, right after branding,” for virtually every client Keynote Media Group has talked to or had come on board, says Richard Hahn, principal and creative director of the Youngstown marketing firm. “Two years ago, that wasn’t even a consideration.”

Recent statistics reported by the Nielsen Co. un-derscore the increased importance of the emergent social media. The report, released last month, finds that global consumers spent more than 5½ hours on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in December 2009, up 82% from the same month in 2008. In the United States, the time people spent on social networking and blog sites increased 210% over the year.

Facebook ranked as the top U.S. social media site in December, followed by MySpace and Twitter, with Classmates and LinkedIn, the professional network-

Ignore Social Media at Your Periling site, rounding out the top five.

“The numbers are incredible,” remarks Brad Kleinman, president of WorkSmart Integrated Marketing, Beachwood. He attributes the phenom-enon to the increasing interconnectivity of society through cellular phones, including the iPhone, and other technology. “It’s so pervasive and it’s become such a part of us,” he says. More than 90% of retail companies are on Facebook, and businesses across the board are increasing their presence on social networks.

The numbers don’t surprise Stephanie Ciardi, digital media manager for Prodigal, a marketing and communications firm in Poland. She says a lot of that is the result of businesses realizing, “It’s not just putting your message out for other people to see. It’s having that two-way communication.”

Social networking “is a way to really connect with a ton of people that you don’t have access to typically,” she says. It’s an avenue to get a message out “to millions of people at one time but at the same time being able to receive information from millions of other people.” Interest among local com-panies in using social networks is growing, although companies here are not as involved as they are in larger markets. “But,” she says, “the area is starting

to recognize the potential of social media and social networking and starting to take hold of that.”

The Mahoning County Career and Technical Cen-ter, Canfield, does a lot with its Facebook presence, Ciardi says. The school uses Facebook to connect with current and prospective students as well as to

inform alumni about its successes and involve-ment in the community.

In addition, she says, Prodigal is working with Simon Roofing on devel-

oping its social media presence. “If the information is presented correctly and what the advantages could be, if it’s used correctly, [clients] seem pretty recep-tive,” she says.

“What we look at is the actual platform,” explains Mark Vandergrift, principal/Web and media services at Innis Maggiore, Canton. Facebook, for example, is great for businesses while Twitter is a great platform for customer service. “Everything that is tweeted is indexed, meaning it is searchable,” he says, which allows customer-service representatives to directly respond to individual concerns.

Vandergrift says he counsels clients to be careful about “jumping on the latest bandwagon.” MySpace was hot three years ago, he says, but today its “no-where to be found.” It’s very important to look at

To attract the younger generation, social networking is imperative.

You might already promote your small business on Twitter, but have you ever thought of using it to research larger

consumer trends? Your Twitter account gives you valuable access to unfiltered consumer opinion – provided you know how to tap into it.

Here’s how to do it.

Search Tweets by KeywordsUsing Twitter’s advanced search option gives

you a great way to sample consumer sentiments. For example, let’s say that partners in a sporting goods store in Cleveland want to get an idea of how many pairs of Kobe Bryant’s new Nikes they will be able to sell in a city filled with LeBron James fans.

First, the store owners would want to go to search.twitter.com, and then click on the ad-vanced option. They would type in the search phrase “Kobe shoes” and select other useful options, such as “place,” which allows users to

How to Use Twitter to Monitor Consumer Trendsread only the Tweets originating from their chosen location.

It will become clear after reading the first few pages of Tweets that the majority of Twitter-using basketball fans in the Cleveland area will be sticking with the LeBron James Nikes. However, a few local users admire the looks of the Kobe model, which would be enough positive reaction for the store owner to keep a few pairs in stock.

Follow Industry TastemakersYou can also follow influential Twitter users by

going to Twitter’s homepage, logging in and click-ing on “find people” at the top of the page. Next, click on “browse suggestions,” and choose your areas of interest.

Our Cleveland sporting goods store owner, for example, would click on “sports,” and he could then opt to follow the Tweets of Cleveland Cavaliers player Shaquille O’Neal, as well as any other Twit-ter-using athletes who might have an influence on

consumer trends. You can find others to follow by category with Twellow and WeFollow.

Read the Most Popular TopicsBefore you sign in to your Twitter account,

it’s a good idea to pay attention to the popular topics, which are displayed on the homepage. This can be a great way to keep your attention on the pulse of consumer interests, and maybe even translate them into sales.

Even a sporting goods store owner might consider ordering a few Team Conan shirts if he had seen how many people were Tweeting about their support for Conan O’Brien. Tweetmeme can show you popular topics and links. While Twitter certainly does not represent all consumer sentiment, it can provide you with a snapshot of the public’s interests and tastes. Not bad for a free resource.

SOURCE: National Federation of Independent Business.

Consumers spent more than 5½ hours on social networking sites in December 2009, up 82% from December 2008.

See MARKETING 101, page 48


a platform and evaluate how it can be used for a business’ benefit, he says.

“When we have people doing the social network-ing we make sure we drive people to the Web site” or its online videos, Hahn says. Social media is “kind of the jumping-off point for a lot of the things that are being done,” he adds.

Hahn met recently with one of Keynote’s long-time clients, White House Fruit Farms, and is developing social network marketing to reach the younger people who eschew newspapers and other traditional media. “What we tell people is if you’re going to attract a younger demographic, you’re going to have to do this,” he says.

Often there is a generational split within compa-nies. On a recent visit to a family-owned enterprise, Hahn recalls, the senior members weren’t interested but the younger generation saw the importance of social media. The biggest issue is making sure that someone within the company is responsible for keep-ing the social media current – updated three or four times a week, or even daily. Some companies he has read about – and not necessarily large ones – have someone dedicate half his day to updating blogs on the company Web site or Twitter accounts.

“In regard to Facebook in particular, there had to be a component other than selling a product and service [with a more personal element],” Hahn ad-vises. “It’s a story rather than a sales pitch.”

Nonprofit organizations “seem to be on top of it more than anybody else, for the simple reason it

doesn’t cost them any money,” he adds. “They have a very good track record of getting ‘friends’ per se to get onto their Facebook page.”

Social networks work “extremely well” for non-profits and causes, agrees George Farris, CEO of Farris Marketing in Boardman. The Canfield Fair has a base of 8,000 friends on Facebook, Farris says; his firm also developed YouTube and Twitter functions for the fair board. Farris Marketing did the same for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County and its Keep the Light On levy campaign.

On the business side, nearly everyone is taking advantage of social media, Farris says, and he also stresses the importance of putting in links to affili-ated sites and services. The goal of any advertising or marketing is “to put your communication in front of where the audience is. That’s why people put their logos and ads in stadiums,” he says.

“The difference is [social networking is] not a direct advertising vehicle,” he adds. A company might not put a commercial into social media, but instead place testimonials or publicize events. “So you’re communicating with your audience, people who are already interested in your product, and you’re likely to pick up new fans because that’s where your demographic may be,” he says. Also, having social media connecting to a company’s main Web site expands its Internet “footprint,” making it more likely to be found during a Web search.

“For the cost, it’s a terrific concept. You’re ba-sically taking information you already have and distributing it further and wider,” Farris says. “Any

business-to-consumer business should absolutely do it. Business-to-business organizations should con-sider it. Any nonprofit absolutely should do it.”

KHM Direct Market Communications, a Cleve-land direct marketing firm with operations in War-ren, reports success in integrating social media with its other marketing tools, such as personalized Web sites for recipients, reports Cathy Wojtus, director of e-marketing. Social media, she says, offers “fantastic avenues” for local exposure.

Wojtus acknowledges that a few of the old busi-ness-to-business companies are still sluggish. It’s a situation she compares to when Web sites started, giving companies “one more point of contact,” she says.

Social media tools can also be used to determine how and when recipients prefer to get marketing materials, whether by e-mail, on their cell phones or by traditional mail. “You’d be surprised at how many people still want a print piece,” she says.

The problem with social networking is there’s no “set formula” that people can latch onto, WorkSmart’s Kleinman says. Many people “are stabbing in the dark trying to treat social media as traditional marketing,” he says, where social net-working “is actually about building relationships,” which plays a critical role in sales.

The lines between personal and business use of social networks have been blurred, he says. While Facebook has become known as the leading network for personal connections, the business side has seen what he describes as “phenomenal growth.”

Marketing 101: Ignore Social Media at Your PerilFrom Page 47

Direct mail and printed literature have evolved into a supporting role forother media. HKM has the experience and equipment to help you get thebest mix of all available technologies to maximize your marketing results!For more information call Jim Jastatt at330.716.2730, 1.800.860.4456 ext. 8486 or email him at [email protected] is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc.LinkedIn® is a registered trademark of LinkedIn Corporation.Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

HKM: WHERE THE INTERNET MEETS DIRECT MAIL AND PRINTING

H10032 HKM ad.qxd 2/9/10 11:05 AM Page 1



BuildingBetterBusiness

By Pat RoseBBB President

Valuable, Vulnerable DonorsThis year, more

than any recent year, all of our

local charities need assistance from those of us who have the means to help. The economy may be turning in certain industries and areas of the country, but statistics show that the Mahoning Valley is always behind the curve in recovering from slow-downs and recessions.

One group I’d like to single out today is

senior citizens. As a rule, seniors are extremely generous when approached for donations. But they don’t always do their homework before writing a check – and often that money could be used to pay for their own food or medicine.

When my husband’s mother became too ill to maintain her home and finances, she moved in with his sister. Her mailbox was filled with requests and thank-you notes from churches, religious organizations, animal charities and many others that had received contribu-tions from her over the years – or who knew she was a hot prospect because they purchased her name from an organization. None of her contributions were very large but together they took more than half of her monthly Social Security check. She was sending money to churches in distant states and overseas. It was sad. Her own church that ministered to her could have benefited from her charitable contributions and she would have had much more money to pay for her own needs.

Another example of seniors being snookered comes from a local stock broker who called me be-

cause one of his clients wanted to sell a large block of stock so she could raise cash to give to a charity in California.

When we investigated, we found the charity was fraudulent and had used intimidation and decep-tive means to coerce her to send money, which she had been doing for more than a year. As a result, she was short on money and needed to liquidate some stocks to send them more. Thank goodness this stockbroker was suspicious and contacted the BBB. His client was being swindled in an illegal sweepstakes that used high-pressure tactics to get her money. They preyed on her loneliness by asking how she was feeling, asking if she remembered to take her pills, and lamented that her children didn’t visit very often. It was terrible

If you are a caregiver for a family member or friend or know a caregiver, please educate them about what to look out for. We must make sure the charitable donations we make are well-spent and go

toward the mission we want to support.Many scams coat-tail on legitimate sound-

ing charities. You may think you are contrib-uting to the cancer charity you are familiar with and want to help, but in reality may be

helping a copycat version that is not legitimate. Very little – if any – of your contribution will

be used for a good cause.Remember that unordered merchandise

is free. If a charity sends you greeting cards or address labels, you are under no obligation to make a donation or pay

for the items. Legitimate charities do not demand donations. They willingly provide information about their programs and don’t use high-pressure or intimidation tactics.

Take the time to check the veracity of any solicita-tion by going to our Web site, BBB.org, before mak-ing any contribution and encourage our wonderful seniors to check with us too. Remember, they are also this community’s most vulnerable donors.

The popularity of social networking continues to grow among kids. Social networking sites can provide a secure way for kids to connect

with each other, but they can also be exploited for any number of nefarious purposes.

According to iStrategy Labs, the number of users on Facebook between the ages of 13 and 18 grew by 88% in 2009 to 10.7 million. While Facebook and MySpace require all users to be at least 13 years old, some sites are geared for children even younger.

“For some parents, their kids know more about computers and the Internet than they do. However, it’s important to remember that kids aren’t old enough to understand all of the various threats that lurk online,” says Alison Southwick, BBB spokeswoman. “Even if they’re intimidated by technology, parents need to supervise their children’s computer use in the house as well as educate their kids on how to play it safe online.”

The Better Business Bureau offers the following tips for parents who want to help keep their kids safe online:

Sharing but Not OversharingWhile social networking is about sharing pho-

tos, thoughts and experiences, explain to your kids that they should never share personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, bank account numbers, passwords or their Social Security num-bers.

Also talk about what constitutes inappropriate photos or language and stress the fact that – while you may be able to delete them – you can never fully take them back.

“Never talk to strangers” applies online too. One of the first rules parents teach their children is to never talk to strangers; remind them that the rule holds true when online.

Even though chatting with a stranger online can seem harmless, the relationship can evolve and grow until the stranger has earned your child’s trust – and can then exploit it.

Set Strict Privacy SettingsSocial networking sites let users determine who

they want to share information with. Talk to your child about restricting access to his or her profile to only friends or users in safe networks such as their school, clubs or church groups.

Teach Safe Use of Social NetworksKeep Communication Channels Open

Let your kids know that you are always ready to talk if they are ever threatened, bullied or feel un-comfortable about an experience they had online.

Join Them Online If you haven’t already, set up your own account

in the same social networks your children frequent. This will help you better understand what social networking is all about. You can also then “Friend”

Talk to your children about what constitutes inappropriate photos or language.

your child and keep an unobtrusive eye on what they are doing. Federal law requires sites collecting and identifying information from children under 13 to get a parent’s consent first.

Report concerns about data collection from chil-dren under 13 to the Children’s Advertising Review Unit of the Council of Better Business Bureaus at CARU.org/complaint.

You can learn more about how to keep your kids safe online at OnGuardOnline.gov. Parents can also learn how to keep them-selves safe from identity thieves and hackers at BBB.org.

50 FEBRUARY DOUBLE ISSUE 2010 The Business JournalTi

cket

s: 3

30.9

41.1

YSU

- w

ww

.YSU

spor

ts.c

omAl

l gam

es o

n 57

0 W

KBN

February 11 Men vs. Butler 7:05p.m. Dollar Game presented by 570 WKBN /myvalleysports.com All General Admission Tickets, Popcorn & Hot Dogs - $1.00

FFebruary 13Men vs. Valparasio 7:05p.m.

Team Picture Night

February 25Women vs. Wright State 5:15p.m.

Men vs. Wright State 7:35p.m.Dollar Game presented by 570 WKBN

/myvalleysports.comFebruary 27

Men vs. Det Men vs. Detroit 2:05p.m. Women vs. Detroit 4:35p.m. Senior Day Speedway “Speedy Rewards” Card Game Panera Bread Kids Day 12-2pm

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

� ��

��

��


Getting AheadTIPS FOR CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER, COMPILED BY MONNIE RYAN

Getting Ahead

For workers who lost jobs in 2009, rebuilding confidence may be the biggest challenge, according to Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies.

“It was a difficult year for many people, but the outlook for 2010 looks a little more promising,” Messmer says. “Even those professionals who have a job should look for ways to enhance their marketability and ad-vancement potential.”

He offers the following 10 career-building tips:

Play internal auditor. Everyone’s heard that it’s a good idea to take an objective look at your skills and iden-tify your strengths and weaknesses, but surprisingly few do so. Sit down and make a list of areas you think you could really improve.

Learn something new. Pursue a certification, become proficient with a new software program or take a course to enhance your skills set. The key is to continually broaden your expertise.

Broaden your network. Join a pro-fessional association or online network, or consider working with a specialized staffing firm in your job search. These contacts can provide valuable career guidance as well as keen insights on trends in your field and business.

Play it forward. Networking is as much about helping others as asking for help. Offer to be a reference for a former colleague or provide resume advice for a friend. In the process, you’ll strengthen your relationships and build good will.

Be a better co-worker. Volunteer to help colleagues who may be over-burdened and look for ways you can improve office morale, such as prais-ing others’ achievements.

Brush off your resume. You never know when a new opportunity might come along, so be prepared. Updating your resume also helps you mentally crystallize what you bring to your current job.

Build your people skills. Often, interpersonal skills are the factor that can tip the scale in a candidate’s favor. Work with a mentor who can help you identify your strengths and those

Build Marketability Into Your Resume

skills in need of improvement.Don’t be a wallflower. Offer to take

on projects beyond your job descrip-tion and participate in or even lead cross-departmental teams. The expo-sure you gain to different functions and colleagues within your organiza-tion will enhance your professional marketability and the value you bring to your employer.

Reward yourself. As you reach milestones in your career or job search, acknowledge your success. Making time to go to a favorite restau-rant or read a new book can go a long way toward keeping you motivated and ready to tackle new challenges.

Stay positive. Employers want to work with people who maintain their poise, no matter how difficult things become. Use levity when appropriate to build rapport with your colleagues and ease tensions that arise.

Worst Boss Behavior? Being Self-Oriented

Being self-oriented is not a good thing when you’re a boss, say 60% of respondents to a recent study com-missioned by Lynn Taylor Consulting of Santa Barbara, Calif. That charac-teristic topped the list of worst boss behaviors, followed by “stubborn,” which was cited by 49%. After that came “overly demanding” (43%), “in-terruptive (39%), “impulsive (41%) and “throwing tantrums” (19%).

Age plays a part in attitude; 60% of employees ages 18 to 34 say their bosses are overly demanding com-pared with 36% of those over age 35.

“A what’s-in-it-for-us mindset must trump a what’s-in-it-for-me mentality among bosses and throughout the organization,” says Lynn Taylor, company CEO and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant.

Employees can help mitigate these negative behaviors with positive be-haviors of their own, such as frequent, honest and regular communication, thinking ahead about potential emerg-ing problems and having solutions ready; diffusing tensions with humor and diplomatically setting boundaries, offering choices and standing up for themselves.


John Bunnell of CareerLink, John Virastko of Trumbull County One-Stop, and Angela Palumbo of CareerLink, tell visitors about services the organizations offer to help unemployed workers.

Albert Boland, of UPMC Horizon, distributes information about the hospital system.

Mickey Gula and Brenda Barber of the Cancer Care Center at Sharon Regional Hospital share information about treatment programs and specialists available to cancer patients.

Kate Ellis, Donna Orlandi and George Herskovitz of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services encourage visitors to enter a benefit drawing for a 2010 Jeep Liberty 4x4.

Melissa Kunkle, Christopher McCarthy and Brandi Ketter of Mr. John say their company provides portable toilets for construction sites as well as VIP restrooms with flush toilets for parties.

Deborah Hood, a potential student, asks Linda Roundtree, enrollment counselor at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, about programs the school offers.

Shenango Valley Business on Display at ExpoSome 50 ventures set up exhibits

at the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Business

Expo Feb. 4 at the Radisson Hotel in West Middlesex, Pa.

Providers of health care (includ-ing a dental practice) and health-care insurance, pharmacies, residential real estate agencies, resorts, insur-ance agencies, McGonigle Ambulance Service Inc., colleges and universities, and restaurants were out in force as well as some decidedly niche enter-prises – Hill Flynn Pet Funeral Home & Crematory and Mr. John, which offfers portable restrooms.

It was their chance to fly their company flags, brag a little and net-work a lot.

The executive director of the cham-ber, George Gerhart, pronounced the expo a success, an observation exhibi-tors supported.


PEOPLE, COMPANIES, MAKING NEWS

For the RecordA partnership between Thiel College,

Greenville, Pa., and Anderson Coach & Travel has resulted in the “Thiel Bus,” a motorcoach wrapped with images from the college. The project will promote Thiel wherever the motorcoach travels.

Lauren Oman has been appointed director of alumni services at Thiel College.

Jeanine Rees, a 1999 graduate of Poland Seminary High School, has been hired as production editor of the management, business and information service division of the Congressional Budget Office, Washington, D.C.

Susan Rossi has been appointed as-sistant dean at Kent State University’s East Liverpool campus. Melissa De-nardo has been appointed assistant dean at KSU’s Salem campus.

Lisa Lombardo has joined Jameson Health System, New Castle, Pa., as director of public relations/marketing.

Ian Beniston has been named as-sistant director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.; Kenya Roberts-Howard has been named senior program coordinator.

Marie Hall has been named develop-ment education coordinator at Eastern Gateway Community College. John Kula has been named project director for the Tri O Upward Bound program.

Otolar yngologist Wayland Wong, M.D., has joined the medical staff of Salem Community Hospital.

Youngstown native Jeffrey Papa has been promoted to manager of the Chase Bank network of 128 offices in northeastern Ohio.

Robert Frankle has joined Hill, Barth & King LLC, Certified Public Accountants and Business Consultants, Youngstown, as an associate.

Dr. Candace Macri, an eyecare pro-vider at Davis Vision in New Castle, Pa., won the corporation’s “Order Online to Win” promotion. Her prize was a trip for two to the Super Bowl in Miami.

Steven Caroline has joined North-wood Realty Services as an agent in the Salem office. Beverly J. Petrosky has joined its Howland office.

Lindsay Root has joined DRS LLC, Youngstown, to handle client sales.

Josh Noble Sr., environmental sci-entist at Wallace and Pancher Inc., Hermitage, Pa., recently completed the commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s regulatory training for the oil and gas industry.

Plaza Internet Connection, which offers Internet access, quick copy and printing services, recently opened in the College Plaza, Alliance.

Linda Krestal, manager of the Struthers Federal Credit Union, says in the 50 years since it was established, the credit union has grown to more than 4,000 members and holds some $11 million in assets. In 2009, she notes, the credit union welcomed 500 new members. The credit union celebrated 50 years in business Feb. 6 at its annual meeting.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


Radio you need to know.

Think globally.Listen locally.

WYSU 88.5 FM� ��

www.WYSU.org

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Distinction Center

forKnee and Hip Replacements

Salem Community Hospital

announces its designation as an

1995 East State Street * Salem * (330) 332-1551www.salemhosp.com

Note: Designation as Blue Distinction Center® means these facilities' overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians' and leading professional organizations' recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan.

Business Journal, 1/4 pageSubmitted by: Michele Hoffmeister(330) 332-7227


BY JEFFREY GITOMER

Sales Savvy

Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Sales Bible, conducts seminars, sales meetings and training programs. Reach him at 704 333 1112 or at [email protected].

To make annual sales meetings successful requires a lot of work months before the meeting takes

place. Planning one? Here’s how to take advantage of yours:

• Pre-plan. Choose an environ-ment for relaxed fun and learning. A resort or hotel with sporting options, nice sleeping and meeting rooms.

• Pre-question the participants. Ask them about problems and needs – about strengths and frustrations – about themselves and their goals. Use the questionnaires to personalize the training portions of the meeting.

• Pre-budget. A nice place. Trans-portation. Lots of fun. Great food. A first-class speaker-trainer. Awards. And more fun.

• Seek professional help. Have someone who can make the dream meeting a reality. Arm him with a set of directives and objectives, and spe-cific walk-away items that the meeting must accomplish.

• Start with a bang. Do group fun first. Play a round of golf. Have a big dinner. Show pictures of last year. Have a karaoke party.

• Extend a regal welcome. A short and sweet welcome from the CEO at the first formal gathering – 10 to 15 minutes. Tell a few personal stories about the climb up the ladder. Add a personal thanks for the group’s hard work – and issue three challenges.

• Spotlight one or two people. Have them tell the group how they made a big sale, saved a deal or used a new strategy.

• Thank everyone. Thank (and applaud) the people that made it hap-pen. People love applause.

• Award the best. The best sales-people deserve to receive awards in the form of high-quality plaques, trophies and prizes. Have several categories so there can be lots of winners.

• Plan your future together. The next 12 months has got to be a big

focus of the meeting. Let the sales-people be part of the plan. Don’t just give them the game plan. If you want salespeople to take ownership of sales goals, it’s possible only when they par-ticipate in the goal-setting process.

Let each team member agree to his or her goals and create a personal action plan to achieve them. Create daily, weekly and monthly numbers. Not just ending numbers, but what it takes to get to the end. How many

leads it takes to make one appoint-ment, how many appointments it takes to make a

sale. The goal should not be just an end number. There should be a goal for leads and appointments as well,

• Train professionally. Hire an outside professional to present to the group. Plan the training to be inspira-tional, customized, personalized and real-world. Use the pre-questionnaire to set the agenda and personalize the training. There should be workbooks, workshops, role-play and videotaping. The training should be a combination of inspiration and motivation with real selling situations and answers.

Training should be at least 50% of the meeting time. Every participant should be personally energized and empowered to achieve his goals for the New Year. Everyone should attend the training – from the CEO down (unless they already know everything).

• Eat like kings and queens. Have the best food that money can buy – even at breaks during the day. People will remember the quality of the meet-ing by the quality of the fun, training and food. Mostly food.

• Have recreation time – but not get-drunk-and-act-stupid time. Golf, tennis, side trips, dinners and enter-tainment are worth it – and worth-while. BUT having people stagger in to seminars from “a night on the town” is a big waste of a meeting and defeats the entire purpose.

Take Advantage of Your Annual Sales MeetingLet sales people join in the goal-setting process.

Training should be at least 50% of the meeting time.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

✔��

✔��

��


OrthopedicMedicine

No mother wants to learn that her child has broken a bone, or worse yet, that her baby was born with an abnormality such as a clubfoot.

No father, either.Regardless, parents hear such news every day

and those in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties turn to Akron Children’s Hospital Mahon-ing Valley, Boardman, for help.

The hospital has a full-time pediatric orthopedic surgeon on staff, Dr. Sheryl Handler-Matasar.

“I started out at Tod [Children’s Hospital] in 2005, but when it closed in 2007 and the Akron Children’s campus opened in the Valley, I made the move,” she explains. Handler-Matasar, who lives in Cleveland with her husband and three children, commutes to Boardman five days a week.

She went to medical school at College of Phy-sicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and completed her residency in orthopedic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Her fellowship was in Cornell, N.Y., at its Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery: Hospital for Special Surgery.

Dr. Handler, the name she uses professionally, sees patients on the third floor of the Boardman Med-ical Pavilion and performs her outpatient surgeries at the orthopedic surgery center at Beeghly Medical Center, 6505 Market St. “I also have two partners who are based at Akron Children’s main campus, Dr. Kerwyn Jones, who comes to Boardman on Wednesdays, and Dr. Mark Adamczyk, who is in the area on Thursdays,” Handler notes.

At present, no surgeries are done at Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning. “There are plans to open a full-service pediatric operating room in the next year,” Handler says. The operating rooms in St. Elizabeth’s and the Beeghly campus are where children undergo surgery.

“Having Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning is such an asset to the community,” Handler declares. “Combine this facility with Beeghly’s 24/7 emergency room for children – a children-only ER – and par-ents should feel very secure knowing such quality facilities are at their disposal when an emergency arises.”

Handler believes in the importance of “keeping [surgeries] local. It is better for everyone involved,” she remarks. “It is easier on the families and on the

Pediatric Surgeons in Great Demand

By Susan Mellish

Orthopedic surgeries are easier on patients and their families if they’re done at local hospitals.

patient if any work needed is done locally.”Handler treats both traumatic injuries, such as

broken bones, and congenital disabilities. “Tram-polines, monkey bars and football are the three main culprits for [traumatic] injuries,” she explains. Congenital issues encompass treating clubfeet, hip

dysplasia, scoliosis and cerebral palsy.

While she finds all ar-eas of pediatric orthope-dic medicine interesting, “I love my CP [cerebral palsy] kids,” she says. “They are the most fulfill-

ing for me.“With broken bones,” the pediatric orthopedic

surgeon explains, “I meet and treat the child, but just for the duration of the injury. With my cerebral palsy patients, I become very involved. I follow them for their lifetimes, get to know their families and watch as they grow and take on new challenges.”

The need for pediatric orthopedic specialists continues to grow as evidenced by Handler’s work. “My practice has grown by 11% in the last year alone,” she states. “People are becoming more aware of Akron Children’s presence in the Valley and are discovering how fortunate they are to have such a facility in their community.”

The surgeon and her colleagues serve a wide area. “We get many referrals from pediatricians from Warren, Salem and Columbiana to Hermitage and Sharon, Pa,” she relates.

Hospitals that offer pediatric medicine include

Akron Children’s in Akron, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, University Hospital in Cleve-land, the Cleveland Clinic and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

While Handler serves full-time in Boardman, Jones makes a weekly trip each Wednesday from Akron Children’s main campus to see patients suf-fering from sports-related injuries. Jones has been making the commute the past seven years.

Jones attended the Medical College of Pennsyl-vania, did his residency in orthopedic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, and completed his fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tenn. Jones is also a clinical associate professor at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy.

“The young population, in general, is underserved where pediatric orthopedic medicine is concerned,” Jones states. His practice continues to grow, he says, as families discover he serves the Valley.

The two main types of injuries he sees are inju-ries that result from overused muscles, such as in swimming, and traumatic injuries that come from contact sports such as football.

Of great interest to Jones are injuries to anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL), especially in young girls. According to Akron Children’s Hospital, “While the incidence of most sports-related injuries has been holding steady the past two decades, injuries to the anterior cruciate ligaments continue to increase sig-nificantly, particularly in female athletes. In fact, on many college teams, as many as 30 to 50% of young women have had an ACL injury during their high school careers in certain sports, such as basketball, soccer and gymnastics.

“ACL injuries are two to eight times more com-mon in girls than boys,” Jones states. “There are different times of the month when a young girl is more likely to tear her ACL due to hormonal fluc-tuations.

“Girls land and pivot with their knees straighter and closer together than boys, Jones elaborates, “thereby putting more stress on their knees.”

This is where Jones believes he and his colleagues are innovators as they look first to see how young athletes can correct habits that cause ACL and how to treat the condition without surgery.

“Clubfeet often meant surgery, but Dr. Handler has had great success with multiple castings where no surgery was needed,” Jones states. The use of serial castings has resulted in success 85 to 95% of the time, Jones says.

Likewise, Jones cites computer-assisted devices that have revolutionized how pediatric orthopedic surgeons treat patients. “Avoiding damage to the growth plate is essential and new computer-assisted devices precisely locate the growth plate,” he ex-plains. Pediatric orthopedic surgeries cannot allow growth plates to be compromised, he emphasizes.

Dr. Sheryl Handler-Matasar is the pediatric orthopedic surgeon on staff at Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley.

Handler believes in the importance of “keep-ing [surgeries] local. It is better for every-one involved,” she remarks. “It is easier on the families and on the patient if any work needed is done locally.”

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

✔��

✔��

��


What was a supermarket is Sharon Regional Health System’s Hubbard Diagnostic and Specialty Center that, among other things,

provides sports medicine therapy and rehabilitation to injured athletes.

The center, which cost $1.7 million to convert for treating patients, opened the first of this month at 880 W. Liberty St., site of a former Nemenz/IGA store.

Inside is a division of Sharon Regional Sports Medicine Services run by Keith Lustig, a former high school football coach who has since become a physician specializing in orthopedic medicine.

Lustig coached football nine years at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pa., and another 10 at Allegheny Col-lege, Meadville. His background, he says, gives him greater insight into the problems athletes face. And, he understands time constraints – the need for prompt treatment so an athlete can recover quickly.

The former coach, a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Medicine, was involved in set-ting up the sports medicine center at Hamot Medi-cal Center in Erie in 1982. And he began a similar program at Sharon Regional Hospital nearly four years ago. He intends to offer the same quality of care in Hubbard, he says.

“We have many patients in Ohio who kept ask-ing us to bring a similar facility to the [Hubbard] area,” Lustig says. “When Sharon Regional Hospital decided to open the Hubbard center, we thought this would be a great time to do so.”

Sharon Regional “is known for being readily avail-able at any time to help an athlete with an injury,” Lustig says, so much so that if someone calls about a sports injury in the morning, the orthopedic surgeon will arrange to see the patient later that day.

Schools within an hour’s drive of his offices in Erie call and he stops at the athlete’s home or school on his way home from work.

“I plan to do likewise at the Hubbard office,” he says.

And should an athlete suffer an injury after school during a practice or workout, “We will keep our doors open after hours so we can see the patient,” he promises.

Sharon Regional Sports Medicine provides imme-diate access to a physical therapist once the ailment has been diagnosed. “After seeing a sports-medicine physician, often patients must set up a separate time to begin physical therapy,” he notes.

In Hubbard, patients can see a physical therapist the same day they learn their diagnoses.

“If the patient has the time,” Lustig says, “we can immediately begin therapy, be it teaching exercises, applying hot packs, using the ultrasound – whatever is needed to begin dealing with the injury.”

Former Football Coach Practices Sports MedicineSees patients at Sharon Regional’s diagnostic center in Hubbard.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

BUSINESS JOURNAL

INSTITUTIONAL AD

1/6TH PAGE HORIZONTAL

778 TRUESDALE RD.YOUNGSTOWN, OH 44511

330-788-4541

www.youngstownymca.org

330-747-YMCA

From Swim Lessonsto Youth Sports Leagues,

From Day Camps to Racquetball,The YMCA of Youngstown has

programs for every memberof the family.

It Feels Good To Belong!

SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! SWIM! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!LEARN!

YMCAYOUNGSTOWN

CENTRAL

Champion St., Downtown

D.D. & Velma Davis

FAMILY YMCAMcClurg Rd. Boardman


A loved one breaks a hip. Your baby is born with a cleft palate or clubfoot. A severely sprained wrist takes your child out of the game.

If your first reaction is to head to Cleveland or Pittsburgh for orthopedic medical treatment, you have plenty of company. And there’s a good reason.

“The Cleveland Clinic is a huge marketing ma-chine,” says Lisa Parish of Humility of Mary Health Partners. “They get the word out and do a great job at this.” Parish is vice president for clinical services and supply chain management at HMHP.

Valley residents are mistaken in thinking they need to look outside of this community for quality care, Parish says, care here in the Valley “is not only excellent, but often superior to what they would receive elsewhere.”

This is especially true concerning orthopedic medicine, she elaborates. Residents have begun to enjoys the benefits – less time spent in travel and lower bills – of having orthopedic procedures done close to home.

The number of orthopedic procedures per-formed last year at HMHP was up from the year before: “Close to 1,750 procedures were done at St. Elizabeth’s, 756 at St. Joe’s and 525 at our Boardman facility,” Parish reports.

Between 700 and 800 joint replacements and some 1,600 orthopedic surgeries a year are per-formed by Northside Medical Center’s orthopedic department, says Joanne Grace, clinical nurse man-ager of its center for orthopedic excellence.

“Some of the best orthopedic surgeons in Ohio work in the Mahoning Valley,” Grace elaborates. “They are high-volume, skilled, efficient and ex-perienced doctors who are committed to a quality outcome for their patients. There is no need to leave the area to find quality care.”

Grace would have Val-ley residents be aware that doctors who treat them were trained elsewhere and bring their expertise with them. “It’s the best of both worlds,” she says. “Our doctors live in our community, but trained with surgeons in other parts of the state or country.”

Doctors know their limitations and don’t hesitate to refer a patient to another physician or medical center when they have a patient in need of more than they provide. “They want the best possible outcome for their patients,” Parish explains. “However, it is very rare that this happens any more as our medi-cal community continues to advance to meet these situations.”

For example, trauma patients with severe or-thopedic injuries used to be transported to the Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center. However, not all patients with severe injuries can be moved

Best Medical Care: Nearby Costs Less

By Susan Mellish

Seeking care at local hospitals creates jobs and supports area’s economy.

and now they do not have to be. For the past year, doctors from Metro Health have been working out of St. Elizabeth’s.

And this is great news for the Valley, physicians and administrators here say. Not only do residents receive a high quality of care, having orthopedic procedures done close to where they live means

shorter drives, no lodging bills and less time away from work or school.

The largest employer in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana coun-ties is HMHP. Under its

umbrella are St. Elizabeth and St. Joseph hospitals and Assumption House and Hospice of the Valley, among others.

“We as a community need to support our largest employer,” Parish posits. “When procedures are done here, the money stays here and makes for a stronger economy.”

The money can be substantial. According to Par-ish the federal reimbursement rate here for hip and knee replacements for patients without co-morbid conditions is $10,766.45. The federal reimburse-ment rate for hip or knee replacement for patients with co-morbid conditions is $17,383.65.

The Mahoning Valley’s reimbursement rates are less than those at medical centers in Greater Cleve-land and Greater Pittsburgh, she notes.

Surgeries performed in Valley hospitals and clin-ics require a multitude of support services. “Surger-ies require an OR staff, post-op staff, rehab – all jobs that would be affected if no one chose to utilize the services offered by our local hospitals and clinics,” Paris points out. “Our area also has superior outpa-tient support because of the volume of work done in the community.”

Having any surgery done here supports the Val-ley economy. Take a hip replacement and post-op care. Medical supply companies provide walkers or crutches and grabbers for patients who find their movements restricted. Pharmacies here supply needed medications, not those outside the Valley.

Annie Sofran, a spokeswoman for HMHP, notes, “Taking advantage of the local high quality of care makes sense. It is less stressful on the patient when their primary care physician and clergy is available, when they know their children can visit, when their rehab is set-up a few blocks from their home. That has value.”

Julius Sims, above, an LPN at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Youngstown, readies instruments used in orthopedic surgeries. At right is a set of titanium screws used in some surgeries to help repair broken bones.

“We as a community need to support our largest employer,” Parish posits. “When procedures are done here, the money stays here and makes for a stronger economy.”


Orthopaedicsby Design Joint Initiative

Highly skilled, compassionate

staff. Comprehensive treatment.

Advanced clinical capabilities.

When it comes to joint

replacement, you want a

program that offers all this.

Orthopaedics by Design

Joint Initiative

St. Elizabeth and St. Elizabeth

Boardman health centers are

pleased to announce this

innovative program. It features

the latest surgical techniques

combined with many amenities

and personalized attention.

ST. ELIZABETHHEALTH CENTER Humility of Mary Health Partners

ST. ELIZABETHBOARDMANHEALTH CENTER Humility of Mary Health Partners

To learn more, call 1.877.700.4647

��

��

��

��

��

� � � � � ��

� � � ��

� � � � � ��

� � � �

� � � � ��

� � � ��

� � � � � ��

��

��


By Susan Mellish

Sore shoulder? Must be a rotator cuff injury. You hear popping in your knee? Surely it’s the ACL.

Worried that surgery is the only solution?Don’t be, says surgeon Dr. Tom Boniface and

others in the profession who are making a con-scious effort to treat the whole patient, not just the symptoms.

“When a patient enters my office,” Boniface says, “I want to know more about the individual than what hurts.” Boniface and two of his brothers, Ray and Jim, are principals of Boniface Orthopaedics Inc., Boardman.

The Boniface brothers have been in the vanguard in orthopedic surgery. They brought the OtisKnee

custom-fit knee replacement technique to the Ma-honing Valley last year.

Now Tom Boniface is looking to be in the lead by returning to the roots of his profession – patient-centered care.

“The idea is to think about the patient as a per-son first,” he explains. “Orthopedic medicine has become more a battery of tests where treatment is based on these results instead of looking at the individual.”

In orthopedic patient-centered care, tests are not primary. Nor is dispensing medication. Getting to know the person is.

Doctors asking their patients questions about their lifestyles, what they do in the workplace, and their families determine the best treatment, Tom Boniface says. “Patient-centered care is more time- consuming than simply looking at test results. It requires talking and, unfortunately today, doctors are not paid to talk. We are paid to do tests, proce-dures and write prescriptions.”

Boniface, a graduate of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine who completed his residency in Mount Carmel Medical Center, Columbus, would like to see the focus of orthopedic medicine shift to where its practitioners function more like primary-care physicians, who get to know their patients more than superficially.

Boniface’s interest in this aspect was sparked by the philosophy of The Society for Patient Centered Orthopedics.

The society is made up of practicing orthopedists who believe the concerns of the patient take prece-dence. Dr. Jim Rickert, founder of the society, sees his role as that of patient advocate; communication between patient and doctor is key.

Rickert states, “We intend to advocate for our patients and communicate our vision both within the profession and to outside policy makers.”

Adds Boniface, “It is time that orthopedics – all

areas of medicine, actually – got back to the basics, and The Society of Patient Centered Orthopedics promotes this.”

The society empowers doctors to speak up and say they do care about the whole patient, he says.

The Society of Patient Centered Orthopedics states, “The patient must be at the center of all ef-forts toward reform.”

Rickert and Boniface agree that any reform of the

health care system is meaningful only to the extent that any changes increase Americans’ access to, and the quality of, available care.

Patient-centered care is a “two-way street,” Boniface points out. “Patients have a responsibil-ity as well. They must be willing to open up and tell the doctor their stories. The doctor and patient must work together so the best care can be given,”

Orthopedic Surgeons in No Rush to OperateTreating the whole person puts patient first, not surgery.

See WHOLE PERSON, page 62

In orthopedic patient-centered care, tests are not primary. Nor is dispensing medication. Getting to know the person is.


Boniface adds. And patients and their providers of health insurance must be willing to pay for the extra time involved.

Only when the relationship and time required for patient-centered care is valued, however, will this become commonplace, he says.

Boniface believes spending the money and time needed to make patient-centered care the norm is feasible in light of the cost of medical care today.

The Society of Patient Centered Orthopedics states, “Spending on primary care and primary prevention has been shown to improve Americans’ health and lower overall health care costs while other spending, such as too much spending on procedures, may actually lower quality of care.”

More than 55% of Americans 50 and older have a torn rotator cuff and don’t know it. So when a patient in this age group has an MRI, the injury will likely be identified and the patient will expect to have surgery.

“So now the patient has paid for an expensive test, and wants an expensive surgical procedure to be done,” Boniface says. Alternative care, however, could well be the better choice.

Boniface continues, “With patient-centered care, this same individual walks into my office, says his shoulder hurts and needs surgery. I would first ask him to tell me about his lifestyle: What does he do at work? What does he do with his leisure time? What event, if any, caused this current pain? Does he have an older injury he aggravated?”

Based on this conversation, Boniface might suggest the patient change his lifestyle instead of undergoing an MRI and subsequent surgery. If his occupation requires physical labor, Boniface might advise refraining from heavy lifting for some time. “I would give him exercises to strengthen the problem area and ask that he try this for six weeks to see if the pain subsides. Often just a lifestyle change is all that is needed,” he points out.

At a follow-up visit, the patient might be given more demanding exercises along with instructions to return in a few weeks and report his progress.

“Tests are avoided. Surgery is avoided,” Boniface points out. “The patient learns how to care for his shoulder and his overall health to stay injury-free. That is patient-centered care.”

As some orthopedic surgeons address the patient as a whole, hospitals are following suit. St. Elizabeth’s Boardman Health Center recently increased its orthopedic inpatient capacity by 20 beds when it opened an area on the top floor in mid-January.

The 20-bed unit serves orthopedic surgery pa-tients – including those in the Orthopaedics by Design Joint Initiative program.

The initiative, developed by St. Joseph Health Center, is an innovative joint replacement program that focuses on the patient’s needs, says Lisa Parish, vice president for clinical services and supply chain manager at Humility of Mary Health Partners.

Should surgery be deemed the best solution to an orthopedic issue, this program seeks to educate the patient about what to expect before, during and after joint-replacement surgery.

Such a patient learns about what he can and can’t do after surgery, when he can return to a more active life.

“The program really focuses on the patient,” Par-ish says. “They get the best care possible and they are involved with the process from beginning to end.”

The premise underlying Orthopaedics by Design is that educating patients and their caregivers about what to expect from surgery and rehabilitation will ease their minds and lead to quicker healing.

Orthopaedics by Design takes a team approach involving the patient, physician, orthopedic nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, social worker and case management representative.

Alliance Community Hospital also takes patients’

Whole Person: Changing Lifestyle May Eliminate Need for Surgery From Page 61 needs into account by offering Planetree Concierge

services. Offered in conjunction with its minimally inva-

sive two-incision hip surgery, the Planetree program offers various services to help patients deal with surgery – before, during and afterward.

The Planetree program features relaxation thera-pies to enhance the speed of healing, one of which encourages the patient to spend time with a pet. And Planetree representatives will schedule time so the patient can meet with a pharmacist or nutritionist to discuss concerns and answer questions.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


Since Youngstown Orthopaedic A s s o c i a t e s L t d . o p e n e d additional offices at 1499

Boardman-Canfield Road last October, patients have kept the physicians and staff busy. Dr. Jim Jamison, one of the principals, states the new office was needed to alleviate the volume of patients at the primary offices just down U.S. Route 224 at 6470 Tippecanoe Road in Canfield.

Before the move, the practice’s two spine surgeons, Drs. Paul Pagano and Douglas Musser, worked in space they rented at Beeghly Medical Park in Boardman. Now Pagano and Musser, along with Jamison and Dr. David

Youngstown Orthopaedic Expands

By Susan Mellish

The practice introduced the area’s first ‘green’ MRI – it’s faster, more efficient.

Beth A. White, director of specialty imaging, and Dr. David Weimer review patient images in their new office at 1499 Boardman-Canfield Road.See EXPANSION, page 64

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


Weimer, see patients in the building on Boardman-Canfi eld Road.

“We decided to open the second fa-cility to not only consolidate – mean-ing we wanted to bring our doctors back to the same location – but also to expand into a building where we could have more room to work and more room for our patients,” Jamison explains.

Youngstown Orthopaedic has nine physicians on staff who offer both general and subspecialty orthopedic services such as treating feet and ankles, hands and upper extremities, spines, surgeries to replace joints and sports medicine.

Most have completed training as fellows, which allows for subspe-cialty treatment to all patients. The support staff at Youngstown Ortho-paedic comprises physical therapists, occupational therapists, registered radiologic technologists, registered MRI technologists, certifi ed athletics trainers, medical assistants and others who work in related specialties.

The staff performs surgeries in nearby hospitals including St. Eliza-beth Medical Center in Youngstown and its Boardman campus, in the Orthopedic Surgery Center at Beeghly and in Northside Medical Center.

Last December, HealthGrades rec-ognized Northside’s center for ortho-pedic excellence as No. 1 in Ohio for overall ortho-pedic services.

Although surgeries are per-formed outside Youngstown Or-thopaedic’s offi c-es, it offers many other services, including diag-nostic testing. In late December, the practice installed a high-definition Signa HDe 1.5T MRI unit from GE Healthcare to the offi ces on Board-man-Canfi eld Road.

The Signa HDe is the fi rst “green” MRI unit in the tri-county area, Jamison says. “The unit uses less power and uses more effi cient tech-nology,” he explains. The Signa HDe achieves this because of its stronger magnet. Not only does it provide bet-ter-detailed images, it does so in less time than most other MRI units.

Patients appreciate that, Jamison says. Where most MRIs, depending on what is scanned, take 45 minutes, the Signa HDe takes only 20 to 25 minutes to perform a scan. “The

Expansion: From Page 63

Dr. Jim Jamison says the new offi ce alleviates the volume of patients at the primary offi ce.

design of this MRI also helps reduce patient anxiety,” Jamison states. The Signa HDe is not an open MRI, but is shorter and has more open space at both ends. The room housing this MRI has a bank of windows that make up one wall, which further reduces a

patient’s feeling of confi nement.

With lower en-vironmental emis-sions and less con-sumption of en-ergy, Youngstown Orthopaedic has reduced its energy footprint, while providing optimum patient care, Beth White states.

White is direc-tor of specialty im-aging services at

Youngstown Orthopaedic. “The addition of the Signa HDe

1.5T MR system complements and extends the range of diagnostic ser-vices Youngstown Orthopaedic As-sociates offers residents of Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties,” White says.

People are taking advantage of the services and having more work done here rather than travel to Cleveland or Pittsburgh, Jamison notes, which helps the Valley economy. “It’s sim-ple,” he states. “When the business stays here – utilizing our hospitals, our out-patient services – the econo-my gets stronger.”

The Signa HDe is the fi rst ‘green’ MRI unit in the tri-county area, Jamison says. ‘The unit uses less power and uses more effi cient technology,’ he explains. The Signa HDe achieves this because of its stronger magnet. Not only does it provide better-detailed images, it does so in less time than most other MRI units.


��

��

�� ®��

Visit www.OneStopOhio.org for details

Boost your company’s recoverywith new-hire training dollarsFor dislocated workers entering demand occupations in targeted industries

Project HIRE

or callTrumbull County: 330-675-2179, option 1 • Mahoning County: 330-965-1787, ext. 7160 • Columbiana County: 330-420-9675, ext. 8124

the jobtraining


Legal Listings

BankruptciesCHAPTER 710-40030 Titan Network Security LLC, 48813 Huston Road, East Liverpool 43920. Total Assets: $0. Total Liabilities: $2,889.59.

CHAPTER 1110-40121 Northeast Ohio Properties Inc., 911 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, Ill. 60019. Dismissed.

10-40143 M.E. Supply Co., 1340 state Route 14, Columbiana 44408. No Summary Schedules filed.

New Ohio IncorporationsMy Lane Inc., Salem. Incorporator: Ellen S. Boyer. Filed by: K. Bret Apple, 1587 Shady Lane, Salem 44460. Agent: Same.

Staff Right Leasing Services Inc., Colum-biana. Incorporators: Diane Hart, Denise L. Dickey. Filed by: Staff Right Professional Services LLC, 7301 West Blvd., Suite B-1, Boardman 44512. Agent: Diane Hart, 3547 state Route 7, New Waterford 44445.

Staff Right Manufacturing Services Inc., Co-lumbiana. Incorporators: Diane Hart, Denise L. Dickey. Filed by: Staff Right Professional Services LLC, 7301 West Blvd., Suite B-1, Boardman 44512. Agent: Diane Hart, 3547 state Route 7, New Waterford 44445.

4Wheel Drive Hardware and Accessories Wholesale Inc., Columbiana. Incorporator: Raymond Kufleitner. Filed by: Incfile.com LLC, 10943 Mayfield Road, Houston, Texas 77043. Agent: Buckeye Document Services Inc., 8044 Montgomery Road #700, Cincin-nati 45236.

Carmen V. Morrone M.D. Inc., Poland. In-corporator: Carmen V. Morrone M.D. Filed by: Ralph & Carmen Morrone, 7007 Clingan Road #68, Poland 44514. Agent: Carmen V. Morrone M.D., 7007 Clingan Road, Poland 44514.

Habanera Enterprises Inc., Poland. Incorpo-rator: Carmen V. Morrone. Filed by: Carmen Morrone, 7007 Clingan Road #68, Poland 44514. Agent: Same.

Ntense Workout Inc., Boardman. Incor-porator: Alison Straub. Filed by: Mark R. Fortunato, 3296 Stones Throw Ave., Poland 44514. Agent: Alison Straub, 4060 Dobbins Road, Poland 44514.

Davis Law Firm Inc., Canfield. Incorporator: James H. Davis. Filed by: Davis & Davis Attorneys at Law, 6715 Tippecanoe Road, Suite A103, Canfield 44406. Agent: James H. Davis, 6715 Tippecanoe Road, Suite A103, Canfield 44406.

Executive Engineering Inc., Poland. Incor-porator: Ralph Morrone. Filed by: Ralph and Carmen Morrone, 7007 Clingan Road #68, Poland 44514. Agent: Ralph C. Morrone 7007 Clingan Road, Poland 44514.

MK Dental Lab Inc., Beloit. Incorporator: Colleen Kramer. Filed by: Mark and Colleen Kramer, 17830 E. Fifth St., Beloit 44609. Agent: Colleen Kramer, 17830 E. Fifth St., Beloit 44609.

Eastland Auto Group Inc., Youngstown. In-corporator: Michael W. Rosenberg. Filed by: Letson, Griffith, Woodall, LaVelle & Rosen-berg Co., LPA, 108 Main Ave. SW, Suite 600, Warren 44482. Agent: Adnan M. Ali, 44439 Wyndham Way, Copley 44321.

Patriot Homecare Inc., Warren. Incorporator: Craig K. Colton. Filed by: Rieger, Carpenter & Daugherty, 410 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren 44482. Agent: Craig K. Colton, 146 Cherry Blossom Drive SW, Pataskala 43062.

The JMNM Co. Inc., Warren. Incorporator: Madan M. Jain. Filed by: Rieger, Spencer, Carpenter Daugherty, 410 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren 44482. Agent: Gilbert L. Rieger, 410 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren 44483.

Clear Choice Creative Corp., Warren. Incor-porator: William M. Mease. Filed by: Jennifer Stocker, 2919 state Route 5, Leavittsburg 44430. Agent: Tommy D. Ross Jr., 6150 Mahoning Ave., Warren 44481.

Black Lion Partners Inc., Hubbard. Incorpo-rators: Felix A. Hallsky Jr., Edward Hallsky, John D. Darko. Filed by: Fluent, Sackella & Associates LLC, 1399 E. Western Reserve Road, Poland 44514. Agent: Felix A. Hallsky Jr., 1101 Palmetto Drive, Hubbard 44425.

Rail Transportation Services Inc., Warren. In-corporator: Sheila Dang. Filed by: Legalzoom.com Inc., 7083 Hollywood Blvd. #180, Hol-lywood, Calif. 90028. Agent: George Bakeris, 6922 Mines Road, Warren 44484.

Déjà Vu Boutique Inc., Cortland. Incorpora-tor: Denise Litton. Filed by: Denise Litton, 3967 Lakeshore Drive, Cor tland 44410. Agent: Same.

Belleria G. Inc., Girard. Incorporators: Ryan Kelly, Andrew Frasco. Filed by: Ryan Kelly, 3264 Cricket Drive, Youngstown 44511. Agent: Same.

Dyna Network Solutions Inc., Vienna. Incor-porator: W. Chad Kelligher. Filed by: W. Chad Kelligher, 108 Main Ave. SW, Suite 902, Warren 44481. Agent: Same.

Action Marketing Inc., Niles. Incorpora-tor: David Pounds. Filed by: Turner, May & Shepherd, 185 High St. NE, Warren 44481. Agent: David Pounds, 44 Camrose Drive, Niles 44446.

Sons 4 Inc., Liberty. Incorporator: Howard Froomkin. Filed by: Manchester, Bennett, Powers & Ullman, 201 E. Commerce St., Youngstown 44503. Agent: Howard Froomkin, 5743 Logan Arms Drive, Girard 44420.

Vista Management Corp., Warren. Incorpo-rator: Sheila Dang. Filed by: Legalzoom.com Inc., 7083 Hollywood Blvd. #180, Hollywood, Calif. 90028. Agent: National Registered Agents Inc., 145 Baker St., Marion 43302.

Columbian USA Enterprises Inc., Salem. Incorporator: Matthew C. Giannini. Filed by: Matthew C. Giannini, 1040 S. Commons Place, Suite 200, Youngstown 44514. Agent: Same.

Fife Coal and Yard Supply Inc., Wellsville. Incoporator: Stanley Cunningham. Filed by: Daniel D. Wolfe, 16236 St. Clair Ave., East Liverpool 43920. Agent: Same.

��

��

��

��

��


��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


RealEstateMarket Compiled byMark Heschmeyer

Mahoning County’s Largest Transactions

The Visconsi Companies Ltd. has developed nearly 74 Walgreens drugstores across Ohio and Pennsylvania through its Greystone Group. In December, Greystone Group sold a Walgreens at the intersection of Meridian Road and Mahoning Avenue in Austintown to Donald J. Karches’ Merchandise Inc., Miamitown, Ohio. Greystone had built that store in 2008.

Greystone completed the 14,820-square-foot Walgreens at a cost of $2 million. It had been listing the property at $4.33 million. Merchandise Inc. paid $4.238 million or about $3.50 per square foot.

The sale price was a bit of step down for Greystone,

which had been seeing the price of its Walgreens increasing steadily the past few years. It sold the Walgreens at:

• 525 E. Midlothian Blvd. in Boardman in January 2005 for $4.9 million.

• 30 W. McKinley Way in Poland in May 2005 for $5.03 million.

• 3800 Tippecanoe Road in Youngstown in January 2007 for $5.28 million.

John J. May of May Center Advisors in Oak Brook, Ill., was the listing broker for the most recent sale.

The Austintown property was on the market for about 300 days.

Featured Property40 N. Meridian Road,Austintown

Buyer: Merchandise Inc.

Seller: Greystone Group – Meridian Ltd.

Sale Amount: $4,237,500

This Walgreens store at the corner of Meridian Road and Mahoning Avenue in Austintown sold for $4.2 million – about $3.50 per square foot – in December.

Address Buyer Sale Price Seller Sale Date

40 N. Meridian Road, Austintown Merchandise Inc. & Donald J. Karches $4,237,500 Greystone Group – Meridian Ltd. 12/15/2009

6321 St. Andrews Court, Canfield St. Andrews Apartments LLC $1,888,000 JWC Development LLC 1/29/2010

6715 Tippecanoe Road, Unit D, Youngstown Kenzie Professional Properties $1,750,000 Mill Creek Equities Ltd. 1/26/2010

410 Lipply Road, Columbiana Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC $1,600,000 Bridgestone Americas Tire 1/6/2010

438-440 Emerson Place, Business Continuity LLC $1,400,000 Humility of Mary Information Systems 12/3/2009 473 Fairgreen Ave., and 1343-1363 Belmont Ave., Youngstown

4374 Boardman-Canfield Road, Canfield TDKP Properties LLC $1,400,000 Shutrump Plaza LLC 12/16/2009

6715 Tippecanoe Road, Unit E, Youngstown Kenzie Professional Properties $950,000 Alrau Ltd. 1/26/2010

615 Boardman-Canfield Road, Boardman 615 Boardman-Canfield Road LLC $750,000 Carter Jones Lumber Co. 12/30/2009

7422 Southern Blvd., Boardman Molize Properties LLC $700,000 Gerald S. Sevachko, Successor Trust 12/31/2009

3900 Indian Run Drive and DT-JC LLC $655,000 Home Savings & Loan Co. 1/28/2010 6472-6496 St. Andrews Drive, Canfield

7355 California Ave., Boardman Camcorp LLC $530,000 Tegem Inc. 12/9/2009

7685 South Ave., Youngstown Inter-Zona Properties LLC $450,000 B+B Real Estate Holdings Ltd. 12/23/2009

8560 South Ave., Youngstown FSA Partners LLC $230,000 54 Buhl Blvd. Associates LLC 1/11/2010

188 Stadium Drive, Boardman Lynch Investments Ltd. $200,000 JWC Development LLC 1/5/2010


CONSUMERS NATIONAL BANK – SalemUp to 60 Mos. 5.75 - 16.50 Rate varies based on applicant’s credit rating

CORTLAND BANKS – CortlandUp to 60 Mos. 6.75Up to 72 Mos. 6.75

E.S.B. BANK – Ellwood CityUp to 60 Mos. 7.150Up to 72 Mos. 8.150

FARMERS NATIONAL BANK – CanfieldUp to 60 Mos. 5.40Up to 72 Mos. 5.94Rate varies based on applicant’s credit rating

FIRST MERIT BANK – New CastleUp to 48 Mos. 5.50-12.50

10% Down

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF PA. – HermitageUp to 60 Mos. 7.85Up to 66 Mos. 7.85

1ST NATIONAL COMMUNITY – East LiverpoolUp to 60 Mos. 6.00 - 11.75

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of The Business Journal compilations. The rates are subject to change without notice. All rate information should be confirmed with the individual financial institution before entering into transactions. © 2010 Youngstown Publishing Co.

FIRST PLACE BANK – BoardmanUp to 60 Mos. 8.00

10% Down

HOME SAVINGS – YoungstownUp to 60 Mos. 7.74Up to 66 Mos. 8.24

10% Down

HUNTINGTON BANK – YoungstownUp to 60 Mos. 5.99

KEYBANK – YoungstownUp to 66 Mos. 6.69

Down: Varies

PNC BANK – SharonUp to 66 Mos. 7.24

PNC BANK – YoungstownUp to 66 Mos. 7.00 - 13.00Rate varies based on applicant’s credit rating

US BANK (formerly Firstar Bank) – BoardmanUp to 48 Mos. 4.75

Auto Loan RatesFebruary 12,2010

Wrinked, sun-damaged skin is a problem for both men and women, says Dr. Zachary F. Veres, of the Vayda Cosmetic Laser Center

in Warren, and they often believe that the only way to remedy the situation is to subject themselves to plastic surgery.

“Today there are many options. Innovative non-surgical facial rejuvenation procedures are available for people who desire to rid themselves of the aged look,” Veres says.

Demand for services has remained constant, Veres says, but he expects the popularity of nonsur-gical procedures to increase as more people become aware of them and their affordability.

Profractional laser procedures are the most com-mon and affordable treatments, he continues. These nonsurgical procedures require little or no down time and produce “a natural, vibrant look for the patient.”

The procedure helps restore a person’s natural look by activating the natural healing process and stimulating production of new collagen, Veres ex-plains, thereby improving texture, reducing the ap-pearance of wrinkles, acne scars and sun damage.

“If people are not inclined to have laser proce-dures, there are many facial fillers on the market,” he says. Among these fillers are Juvederm, Perlane and Radiesse. These fillers, Veres notes, are made of

New Options to Look Youngersubstances found naturally in the body.

“The ‘Liquid Face Lift,’ ” he continues, is a new procedure that combines a Botox treatment with facial fillers and a chemical peel to produce results similar to those experienced with traditional plas-tic surgery. Botox relaxes facial muscle groups, the physician explains, while the facial fillers restore di-minished facial volume and help reshape the natural contour of the face. Then, he says, the chemical peel improves tone and texture of the skin.

Vayda Center touts nonsurgical treatments.

Kennsington Hires Billy Casper GolfCANFIELD – When the snow clears and golfers return to the Kennsington Golf Club, they’ll find the course man-aged by Billy Casper Golf, a Virginia company founded in 1989 by the PGA Tour star and two partners.

Billy Casper Golf owns and operates more than 110 courses in 26 states. It now manages all aspects of Kennsington, the golf club within the Westford Lifestyle community, says developer Chuck Whitman, president of CTW Development Corp. “With new management in place, golfers will experience a better product and excellent customer service,” Whitman says.

Plans call for the completion of the dining portion of the clubhouse, offering a sit-down restaurant in addition to a more casual bar and grille menu. The restaurant will seat 100 inside and 100 outside on the veranda and will feature a full-service kitchen and bar with an extensive selection of draft beers, Whitman says.

Billy Casper Golf will introduce daily-fee programs and season-pass options to accommodate as many golfers as possible.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


Mortgage RatesTYPE FEESRATE, 2-Wk TrendTERMFINANCIAL INSTITUTION

Arrows tell whether rates rose or fell since last issue. Dashes indicate “unchanged.”

AMERISTATE BANCORP INC. FHA/VA 3.5% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 — 0+costsBoardman Fixed 3% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 — 0+costs

CHARTER ONE BANK Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 4.50 — 0+costs Boardman Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.125 — 0+costs

CONSUMERS NATIONAL BANK Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 4.375 0+costsSalem Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.125 — 0+costs

CORTLAND BANKS Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 4.375 — 0+costsCortland Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 0+costs

DOLLAR BANK MORTGAGE CENTER ARM 5% Down 5 Yr. 3.875 0+costsCleveland Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 4.94 — 0+costs

E.S.B. BANK Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 4.50 — 0+costsEllwood City, Pa. Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.25 — 0+costs

FARMERS NATIONAL BANK Fixed 20% Down 15 Yr. 4.75 — 0+costs Canfield Fixed 20% Down 20 Yr. 5.125 — 0+costs

FIRST MERIT BANK Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 4.375 0+costsNew Castle/Boardman Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.125 — 0+costs

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF PA Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 4.50 0+costsYoungstown, Ohio Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.125 — 0+costs

February 12,2010

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


Mortgage Rates1ST NATIONAL COMMUNITY FHA 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 0+costsEast Liverpool Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.25 0+costs FIRST PLACE BANK Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 4.25 0+costsBoardman Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 — 0+costs

FLAGSTAR BANK Fixed 0% Down 15 Yr. 4.50 0+costsBeechwood Fixed 0% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 — 0+costs

HOME FEDERAL Fixed 20% Down 15 Yr. 5.50 — 0+costsNiles

HOME SAVINGS Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 4.375 0+costs Youngstown Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 4.875 0+costs

HOWARD HANNA FINANCIAL Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 4.375 — 0+costs Pittsburgh Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 — 0+costs

HUNTINGTON BANK Fixed 3% Down 15 Yr. 4.375 — 0+costsYoungstown Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 — 0+costs

KEYBANK Fixed 20% Down 15 Yr. 4.375 0+costsYoungstown Fixed 20% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 — 0+costs

PNC BANK FHA 3% Down 30 Yr. 5.25 0+costsYoungstown Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.125 — 0+costs

WELLS FARGO HOME MORTGAGE FHA 3% Down 30 Yr. 5.25 — 0+costsBoardman (Formerly Norwest Mortgage) Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.00 0+costs

US BANK Fixed 5% Down 15 Yr. 5.40 0+costsBoardman (Formerly Firstar Bank) Fixed 5% Down 30 Yr. 5.50 1+costs

TYPE FEESRATE, 2-Wk TrendTERMFINANCIAL INSTITUTION

February 12,2010

© 2010 Youngstown Publishing Co. All rights reserved. *Private Mortgage Insurance because less than 20% down.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


Well, it’s that time of the year again, so we de-cided to share some of the places we go to ease the symptoms. Of course, when driving conditions are bad, we look for opportunities close to our home. If the places we mention aren’t close to yours, just look around: We guarantee you’ll find similar opportuni-ties for relief throughout the five-county region.

No matter what the weather, it never hurts to soak up some history. For us, a recent visit to the Ward Thomas House in Niles

served that purpose just fine. Built in 1862 by James Ward, the 14-room home, now a museum, is open for public tours from 2 to 5 p.m. the first Sunday of each month. Admission for everyone over age 11 is $5.

While we love to see the furnishings – many of the more than 5,000 items in the museum collection were donated by the family of John and Margaret Thomas, founders of the Niles Firebrick Co. and Ma-honing Valley Steel – we especially love the life-size mannequins dressed in intricately hand-stitched and often ornate replicas of gowns worn by first ladies at their husbands’ inaugural balls.

The house itself is magnificent, but the five-acre property also includes a restored barn, a 1925 green-house and several gardens. The property became the home of the Niles Historical Society largely through the efforts of the late Clare Westenfield, a well-known local attorney. The Westenfield Room in one of the out-buildings pays tribute to his efforts and also holds a large collection of Niles military and educational memorabilia. If you’re a history buff, this is worth the price of admission all by itself.

IF NOT HERE, WHERE? We’re fond of the places we mention here, but our hope is that what we found will spark your interest in similar places close to your own backyards. We’ll even make a few suggestions; to steep yourself in history, for instance, how about the Arms Family Museum of Local History or the McDonough Museum of Art in Youngstown? The Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts in New Castle, Pa.? The Butler Institute of American Art (take your pick of locations in Youngstown, Howland and Salem)?

When we really get down in the dumps, we start singing, “C’mon get happy!” And then, we’re off to a local pub for Happy

Hour. One of our favorites is at Applebee’s res-taurant. Weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m., we can soothe our psyches and souls with half-price appetizers and drinks and not care a whit what it’s like outside.

Happy Hour takes a two-hour break and returns from 9 p.m. to closing, but you won’t find us here then. If we chug down so much as one beer after 7 p.m., there’s a good chance we’d fall asleep on the way home. Besides, it’s the get-away-from-it-all atmosphere – not the alcohol – that prompts us to visit.

Well, that and the food. You see, we can stuff ourselves for far less here than what it would cost to cook it back at our cabin. It’s pretty clear we’re not the only old folks who’ve discovered this; shortly after the clock strikes 3, plastic rain bonnets and polyester slacks far outnumber belly button rings and Droids.

There are six half-price choices on the appetizer

menu: spinach & artichoke dip, boneless Buffalo wings, crunchy onion rings, mozzarella sticks and potato skins, ranging in price from $6.99 to $8.49. Our personal favorite is the piping hot spinach and artichoke dip – the tastiest we’ve found anywhere. The warm corn chips are crispy and delicious, and the side of chopped salsa packs a reasonable punch. This plus an order of six potato skins topped with bacon bits, melted cheese, shredded lettuce and sour cream, and for about 8 bucks, we’ve covered all the food groups (a tomato, we argue, is a fruit). And yes, we leave very happy.

IF NOT HERE, WHERE? Many restaurants use happy hours to attract customers, so the choices are many. At Cleats sports bar in Warren, for instance, it’s 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day; hours at The Reef in Howland are 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. At Michael Alberini’s Restaurant in Board-man, more than 30 wines are half price Monday through Friday from 4 to 6:15 p.m.

Another great way to get away from it all – take in a movie – comes naturally to our teamsters. One of us grew up in Niles, where

the Warner Brothers opened their first theater and for years the downtown boasted two others – the Robbins and the McKinley. The other teamster re-calls leisurely walks with her mother to see Saturday afternoon matinees, which almost always included news of the day narrated by Walter Winchell and the latest episode of a serial such as “Sheena of the Jungle.”

Blockbuster, Netflix and TV movies-on-demand

CabinFeverRelief

In Search of:

By Monnie Ryan

have changed all that; but watching a movie on our own couch on a much smaller screen just isn’t as invigorating as the real thing. That said, given the price of two tickets – don’t even get us started on the great popcorn, candy and soda ripoff – we have to be pretty miserable to go to a theater these days. But most years, there are a few notable exceptions, among them the latest Harry Potter and James Bond and most recently, “Sherlock Holmes” with stellar performances by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

If you want to save money, be sure to ask for senior rates (if you qualify), fill your stomach before you go and head for a matinee – tickets can cost as much as $3 more if you wait until evening.

IF NOT HERE, WHERE? Motion picture theaters can be found in most towns, so we’ll leave it to you to find them. (If you’re having trouble, just visit Fan-dango.com, where you can see what’s playing where and even buy tickets in advance.) Or, try a live the-ater performance; check your newspaper for venues such as Trumbull New Theater in Niles, Youngstown

Playhouse, Das Dutch Village Inn in Columbiana and college productions such as those at Youngstown State University, the Kent State Trumbull Campus and Westminster College.

It’s been said that music has charms to soothe a savage breast, and for us, nothing lifts the spirits like a rousing march played by the W.D. Packard Concert Band.

In January, we had the plea-sure of watching this wonderful 50-piece band at the first con-cert of the 2010 season. Titled “Dances and Marches and a Slide

Trombone,” the Sunday afternoon performance began as always with the traditional “Star Spangled Banner” and ended with a stirring tribute to Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Day, “A Movement for Rosa” by Mark Camphouse.

Many folks out there remember the glory days of the Kenley Players, which brought a star-stud-ded array of wonderfully staged performances to the Packard Music Hall in Warren. A few notables, such as the late Robert Goulet, literally got their start here; others seemed a bit out of character (Hugh Downs could sing? Who knew?), but we loved them anyway.

Those magnificent Kenley productions are but a memory now, but the Packard Band continues to perform in the hall throughout the year, including a series of outdoor concerts in the summer at the South Lawn Band Shell.

And thanks to the W.D. Packard Trust – estab-lished through the estate of William Doud Packard, co-founder of what ultimately became Delphi Pack-ard Electrical/Electronic Architecture – all concerts are free.

IF NOT HERE, WHERE? What’s music to our ears may be sour notes to yours, so listen up: You’ll find symphony orchestras in Youngstown and Green-ville, Pa., and then there’s the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra. Like rock concerts? Want a rockin’ good time? Try the Covelli Centre in Youngstown. Or, groove to Big Band sounds at Avon Oaks Ballroom in Girard or live entertainment at a local restaurant or pub.

While the temperatures start hovering around the freezing point, things start heating up in our search team’s

house. One team member yanks the blankets out of storage and cranks the thermostat up. The other – grudgingly – starts wearing socks when she goes outdoors and sneaks in to turn the heat back down. On one thing, though, we’re in complete agreement: At the first sign of winter, we start crossing off the days until we see our first robin or daffodil and look for ways to while away a few pleasant hours beyond the confines of our house. We’re suffer-ing from cabin fever, and we’re pretty sure it’s an ailment we share with just about everyone who lives in this neck of the woods.


BUSINESS-JOURNAL.COM ONLINE VIDEO SERIES

3 Minutes...

The manufactur ing sector in the United States feels like a stepchild, scorned, unappreciated

and ignored despite the lip service Democrats and Republicans pay to its vital role in the economy. This neglect, says the publisher of Manufacturing and Technology News, Richard A. McCormack Jr., has cost the United States dearly as the country seems willing to let other nations, especially China, furnish the goods Americans once built and made themselves.

Government Incentives:Manufacturing is highly competitive

so they’re looking at very slim mar-gins; any 1%, 2%, 3% gain they get is monumental for any manufacturer. So if they’re offered incentives, if they’re offered free energy, if they’re offered low utilities or free building sites, if they’re provided with incentives through cur-rency that’s much cheaper than it should be – that gives them an advantage. Those factors, the ones that are controlled by governments now are more important than those controlled by markets.

Restoring U.S. Industry:That’s the biggest challenge of our

time, it’s bigger than trying to fight ter-rorists in Afghanistan – what we have to do to entice companies to put their production in the United States. ...This country has overcome many challenges. ...Now we have to start figuring out how do we start creating jobs in the areas of production.

Edward W. “Ned” Hill was the keynote speaker Jan. 27 at the Regional Chamber’s economic

forecast breakfast. Hill told the audi-ence of nearly 300 he sees a slowing this summer “and a pickup in the third quarter. Why? Because of the pace of the release of stimulus funds,” half of which remain unspent despite passage last February of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Hill, a Keynesian economist, said he favors “a second stimulus [measure], even if it has to be disguised.”

Jobless Recovery:The recession as measured by chang-

ing gross domestic product ended but as we’ve seen in the last few recessions, employment lags, and now lags signifi-cantly the recovery of the economy as a whole. We aren’t going to get back to the same number of jobs we had before the recession until late 2012.

Manufacturing Employment:Manufacturing has been driving the

increase of productivity of the entire U.S. economy and what we really should be paying attention to is the value- and value-added manufacturing. There will be a bounce back in manufacturing employment because it’s so low now but initially it’s going to show up through the temporary help services industry. What we expect to see is productivity continue to increase. We pay attention to the share of GDP of manufacturing and that’s held steady now for the past 16 years.

Visit www.business-journal.com to view insightful video interviews with the Valley’s most influ-ential business and community leaders. Topics are always timely and pertinent.

Richard McCormackEditor and Publisher, YManufacturing and Technology News

Edward W. “Ned” HillDean, College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University

Melmor Associates, Inc.“World’s Largest

Material Handling Distributor”

Since 1963

Call today for a FREE

catalog840 Ann Street – PO Box 511 – Niles, OH 44446

330-652-1784 Phone – 330-652-1667 Faxwww.melmor.com

BasketsBoxesCabinetsCartsCastersContainersConveyorsCranes

Dock BoardsHoistsHoppersLift TablesMotorsPaint PotsRackingTote Pans

� � � � � � � � �

��

��

��

5083 Market Street • Youngstown, Ohio 44512330/ 788-4001 • FAX 330/ 783-3966 • www.callos.com • [email protected]

NPA - 350+Offices Worldwide

Since 1965

• Executive Search & Recruiting• Outplacement: Individual or Group

• Temporary Staffing, Leasing & Payroll Services• Financial Services: Benefits & Pensions


��

��

��

��

THE BUSINESS JOURNALP.O. BOX 714YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO 44501

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

PRESORTED STANDARDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDYOUNGSTOWN, OH

PERMIT NO. 69

the business journal february 2010

Documents