Republic Special Metals Chooses the Valley:
The company looked at numerous sites in multiple states, Ohio and Canada but were ultimately convinced by the Chamber and local officials to locate its new, $64 million specialty steel production facility here.  The result of this highly coveted project will be high-paying manufacturing jobs based at a state-of-the-art, 205,000-square-foot North Jackson facility.

InfoCision Expands Twice:
Good things come in pairs as InfoCision proved last year, launching two new facilities - a 25,000-square-foot call center in Boardman and a 23,500-square-foot expansion at its Austintown complex.  The company is one of the area's largest employers with 1,300 workers in the field of business services at these two call centers, plus one in Youngstown.

Summer Garden Food Builds New Production Complex:
Our area is known for great cuisine, a fact exemplified by the demand for Summer Garden Food Manufacturing products.  A division of the John Zidan Co and maker of the popular Gia Russa Italian foods brand, Summer Garden built a 50,000-square-foot food production facility and research and development center in Boardman.  The new plant is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified, a national standard for green construction.

FedEx Opens New Center:
FedEx Ground opened its 79,000-square-foot, $8.3 million processing center in North Jackson.  FexEx joins Macy's, Things Remembered, FexEx Freight, Transport America and more in positioning major distribution/logistically focused facilities in the North Jackson/Lordstown area and further solidifying the I-76/I-80 Bailey Road corridor as an outstanding (and growing) Just In Time business environment.

Tech Block 3 Underway:
The Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp. and the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) collaborate once again to transform downtown Youngstown. The Tech Bloc 3 is a $3.1 million project designed to convert or improve 30,000 square feet of blighted property into high-tech office space and parking.  This project will allow the YBI and its entrepreneurial affiliates to enhance and expand, as well as advance economic growth through innovation, job creation and commercialization.

Severstal Purchases WCI:
Russian-based OAO Severstal purchased WCI Steel, and as a result, Severstal Warren continues to supply custom flat-rolled steel products in a tough economy.  Downturns have resulted in temporary layoffs at the plant, but expectations are that the firm's commitment to spend $100 million towards new repairs and upgrades over a 5-year period will occur when market conditions improve.

RTI to Invest in Niles:
RTI International Metals Inc. announced plans to invest more than $30 million in its Niles facility in order to increase melting and processing capacity, plus upgrade manufacturing equipment.  Great news from this leader in the production of titanium mill products and fabricated metal components.

V&M Considers Valley For New Mill:
The proposed project is an estimated $750 million investment that could create 300 direct and 250 indirect jobs centered around a massive 1 million square-foot seamless tube products mill.  This possible expansion to V&M Star's existing plant could drastically transform the US 422 corridor connecting Youngstown and Girard.  At press time, no final decision on moving forward with the project had been made by the company.