The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and partner The Vindicator will honor 28 women at the 28th annual Athena Award Dinner on May 14 at Waypoint 4180 in Canfield. The Valley's Athena Award program, lauded by the Athena International as one of the largest in the U.S., honors area business and professional women who have demonstrated excellence in their chosen career, provided leadership in the community and mentored or contributed to the growth of other professional women.

Private companies invested more than $284 million in the Valley last year, many with the help of regional economic development agencies. According to data compiled by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and its economic development partners—and published in the 2019 Economic Development Report Card—a total of 66 projects resulted in $284,254,524 invested, 1,851 new jobs and 2,809 retained jobs.

In 2019, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber supported economic development projects that resulted in more than $213 million of investment, the creation of 1,218 jobs and the retention of 901 existing positions throughout the Mahoning and Trumbull counties. The company investments that were announced last year included local industrial expansions and several new attraction projects, with a majority resulting from the Chamber's ongoing business retention and expansion (BR&E) efforts that comprise 400-600 visits to companies annually.

Today, in Columbus, the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) awarded United Freezer and Storage Company (UFSCO) a $21,000 grant to support proposed rail upgrades at its Austintown Township facility. The grant will assist with $42,000 worth of improvements to a rail spur on site that will enable the company to receive 72-foot rail cars. By expanding rail capabilities, UFSCO will be able to provide a higher level of service to customers and secure new business opportunities.

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County, Columbiana County Port Authority, Columbiana County Office of Economic Development and The Sustainable Opportunity Development Center have come together to generate business growth in the Lake to River Region of northeast Ohio.

The Regional Chamber and partner MAGNET will honor and present Quality Switch of Newton Falls with the third annual Excellence in Manufacturing Award at the Chamber's Economic Forecast breakfast on Nov. 13 at Mr. Anthony's in Boardman.

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s Director of Government & Public Affairs Nick Santucci and Manager of Business Development Shea MacMillan were recognized at the Ohio Economic Development Association’s (OEDA) Annual Excellence Awards Ceremony in Columbus on Wednesday for their efforts in economic development and government affairs.

The Youngstown Air Reserve Base Community Council (BCC) recently donated $25,000—earmarked for the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission (EOMAC)—to the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber Foundation.

The Farmers Charitable Foundation recently invested $5,000 in the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber Foundation for 2019 economic development initiatives in the Valley.

The summit—an outgrowth of a more than a year of conversations between three chamber directors whose organizations encompass five counties and two states in ground zero of the Rust Belt—will focus on Rust Belt-specific revitalization problem-solving results throughout the region.