BUSINESS UPDATES | Youngstown, Warren set up task force for economic development

YOUNGSTOWN/WARREN — The economic teams of Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown and Warren Mayor Doug Franklin are partnering with local economic development organizations to form a COVID-19 Economic Development Task Force.

The goal of the member organizations is to identify and share information on resources to help businesses and employees impacted by the coronavirus.

The task force will coordinate its efforts to foster business recovery and will have weekly conference calls to discuss new developments and actions to address the needs of its business partners.

Participating in the effort are the cities of Youngstown and Warren, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan’s office, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association, Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation, Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown Business Incubator and Youngstown State University.

Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber businesses are encouraged to look into the following resources for access to immediate funding: SBA Disaster Load Program, Honeycomb Financial Small Credit and HFLA Small Business Loans.

Boak & Sons lays off

majority of employees

YOUNGSTOWN — Although construction is listed as an essential business that can continue operations, Sam Boak, president and founder of Boak & Sons Inc., decided to lay off the majority of his employees for their safety.

“To do our job, we work with people in their homes and at their businesses,” Boak said in a news release. “As an employer, it is my responsibility to make sure my employees get home safely to their loved ones. With this virus spreading so quickly, my decision to send my employees home was one that I would make 10 times over again.”

Chris White, vice president of operations, said the company is taking the necessary measures to sanitize the office for those who are still coming in.

Boak & Sons hired a professional disinfection company to fog and thoroughly disinfect the entire building multiple times. Boak has made sure office employees are not in close proximity to each other by sending any at-risk employees to work from home and keeping any in-house employees in separate offices or at extended distances.

“Safety is our first and utmost concern,” White said. “Sam has done an incredible job of making everyone feel more at ease during such a difficult time.”

BRITE Energy Innovators names

Sumit Kovoor to board of directors

WARREN — BRITE Energy Innovators named Sumit Kovoor to its board of directors.

A Warren native, Kovoor serves as vice president of several firms, including Legacy Growth Partners, Anayaa Hospitality Group and Simon Investment Group.

"BRITE is leading the economic shift taking place in our region by helping the best high-growth technology and energy startups right here,” Kovoor said in a news release. “I believe this work will be one of the greatest contributions made for the future of the Mahoning Valley."

Previously a consultant and auditor for Ernst & Young LLP, Kovoor’s focus was private equity, business development companies and hedge fund management in New York.

Kovoor is also an at-large board member for the executive team at Trumbull 100 and an active member of the Economic Development Committee at The Fund for our Economic Future in the Mahoning Valley.

Regional chamber to help

businesses navigate COVID-19 crisis

YOUNGSTOWN — In an effort to help Mahoning Valley businesses navigate through the COVID-19 crisis, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is launching a new initiative, EMERGE, to provide direct assistance on a variety of topics through the expertise of the team, members of the organization’s board of directors and chamber members.

The chamber has been monitoring and communicating to its members important information about available resources and is maintaining a frequently updated list of those resources here.

“This is an unprecedented time, so it’s understandable that many businesses may need help navigating these uncharted waters,” Ted Schmidt, PNC regional president for Youngstown and a member of the chamber’s board, said in a news release. “This program will help local businesses stay strong, so they have a better chance of remaining viable throughout and long after this crisis.”

To access the list of teams and contact information for chamber staff overseeing them, click here.

“We are committed to providing our business community with the resources needed to emerge and recover from this crisis, successfully,” Tom Humphries, chamber president and CEO, said.

Pecchia Communications positioned

for ‘continued growth’ with new clients

CANFIELD — Pecchia Communications recently landed several new clients, including the North Carolina company that owns the Wrangler and Lee clothing brands.

The public relations and marketing firm began work late last year with Kontoor Brands, based in Greensboro, N.C., on a major employee communications project. The work supports adoption of new technologies Kontoor is launching across North America, Europe and Asia. Pecchia Communications works through a technology consulting firm that serves Kontoor.

Also in recent months, the company has secured ongoing work with TuDor Physical Therapy, the Mahoning County Soil & Water Conservation District, Mahoning Valley College Access Program and the Youngstown State University Foundation, and has completed projects for Schwebel Baking Co., Ohio Living Foundation and AML Industries.

“The recent influx of new clients has strengthened our ability to battle through the COVID-19 situation and positioned us nicely for continued growth when the economy starts to improve,” Dan Pecchia, president, said on the company’s website. “Our ability to bring both genuine expertise and sustainable affordability to large and small organizations continues to give us an advantage.”

BRITE Energy Innovators

releases annual report

WARREN — BRITE Energy Innovators this week released its 2019 Annual Report, which highlights the impact brought about by the efforts of the state's only energy incubator to support energy tech in the region.

In 2019, BRITE more than doubled the number of energy tech startups within its portfolio. Those portfolio companies created 192 jobs, generated $21 million in revenue and secured $78 million in investment, according to a news release.

Boardman Township gets assistance

with disinfecting safety services vehicles

BOARDMAN TOWNSHIP — Rob Fox of Buckeye Dealership Consulting on Thursday donated supplies and training to Boardman Township to disinfect safety service vehicles.

Fox, a Boardman graduate, is providing the service, supplies and training to the township. Permasafe is providing the solution used in the process, and Haus Auto Group is offering the training for free as well.

Gas prices in Northeast Ohio

drop 12 cents from last week

YOUNGSTOWN — The average price for gasoline across Northeast Ohio was 12 cents cheaper this week at $1.50 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

The average price for unleaded self-service gasoline in the Youngstown area was $1.38 per gallon.

— Do you have a business announcement you'd like to share? Email news@mahoningmatters.com.

This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 5:27 AM with the headline "BUSINESS UPDATES | Youngstown, Warren set up task force for economic development."