New tech center opens downtown

bit by bit, a growing tech cluster is emering dowtown.

More on the grand opening here.

"Since 2000, said Garry Mrozek, chairman of the incubator board and area president of National City Bank, the incubator has contributed to the creation of 250 jobs and 17 patents. The success of incubator, he noted, has forced the organization to revisit its plans for growth. “We’re more of an accelerator rather than an incubator,” he stated.

Future endeavors call for working with the CIC to transform the Semple Building into new offices for technology-based companies.

Much of this growth has been fueled by Turning Technologies, which officially moved into the Taft Center two weeks ago.

Turning Chief Executive Officer Michael Broderick said the building is critical to the continued growth of his company. Five years ago, Turning consisted of a handful of employees. Today, it employs more than 135 -- 120 of whom work from the corporate headquarters downtown.

Broderick reported the company topped $28 million in sales least year and expects to increase revenues by 50%, or $14 million. The company occupies portions of all three floors of the new building."

how technologies from Youngstown save you money

from the Business-Journal
HMHP Works with Eris to Ensure Billing Accuracy

How can the the technologies being developed downtown help you?

Check out this recently announced partnership?

"Humility of Mary Health Partners is working with Eris Medical Technologies, a new tenant of the Youngstown Business Incubator, to reduce the errors and omissions that occur when health-care insurers are charged for the treatments patients receive.

Eris is providing HMHP with software tools to help health-care insurers, HMHP management and physicians achieve a greater level of confidence that medical charges that should be billed are billed and at the right prices."

2nd YBI building open for business

Turning Technologies heads to its new home
from the Youngstown Vindicator

"The company’s local staff has grown from 50 to 125 in the past two years as schools, universities and corporate trainers have rushed to adopt its audience response system. It allows presenters to receive real-time feedback from audience members using small response cards.

All of the new workers have been shoehorned into small offices on four separate floors of the Youngstown Business Incubator on Federal Plaza West.

The adjacent Technology Center offers a much different environment. The front and back walls are made mostly of glass, allowing plenty of natural light to spill into the offices. A glass-enclosed shaft has been built through the third floor to allow sunlight to reach into the middle of the second floor.

For Broderick, the best feature is the open-floor environment. Most of each floor is without interior walls, and the work stations have movable petitions so that workers can easily gather in teams.

“There aren’t any private offices in the building, not even for me,” Broderick said.

The design is meant to help people in the same department share ideas and work together."

Last month, the Shout Youngstown blog reviewd the design of the new building. Check out the photos here

news: 21 Dec 2007

Bill contains $17M for area projects

That big ol' omnibus bill contains some goodies for the region. Some highlights:

- $2.4 million to Ajax Tocco of Warren for research and development of tactical metal fabrication systems.
- $1.97 million to Parker Hannifin's Youngstown division for a hybrid hydraulic program
- $1.6 million to establish the Center for Excellence in Industrial Metrology and 3D Imaging Research in Youngstown.
- $500,000 to Syncro Medical System’s development of a feeding tube for battlefield trauma patients.
- $282,000 for an entrepreneurial development initiative named Salute to Success, as part of the high-tech initiative on West Federal Street in downtown Youngstown.

Also, the President is a hypocrite when it comes to condemning earmarks.

Lawrence Co. to extend enterprise zone bounds

The Lawrence County Enterprise Zone's boundaries will expand after receiving approval from DCED, the state's lead economic development agency.

Time to work together says Lt. Governor

"Development officials will hold seven regional planning sessions to come up with a from the Business-Journal: “Development is putting together a plan for the state that relies “very heavily” on regional input. The initial goals should be released in early February, he adds, and the full plan be completed by April."

Festivus in Pittsburgh

The celebration will feature the Leonard Cohen Ensemble from Youngstown

news: 19 Dec 2007

WRTA Tries to Go Countywide
some interesting bits from this story in the Vindicator:

Mahoning County commissioners passed a resolution to enable placement of a 0.25 percent, five-year sales tax to support countywide bus service.

Youngstown City Council's resolution would expand the authority's board from five members (four appointed by Youngstown's mayor and one appointed by council) to seven members, with four appointed by the county commissioners and three by the mayor of Youngstown.

WRTA has been forced this year to reduce service by about 50 percent because of state and federal funding cuts. Evening routes, routes to Warren and Saturday service has been removed along with thinning out schedules on its remaining routes. Youngstown city property tax and the fare box provide the only local revenues for WRTA.

It seems like city taxpayers are footing the bill to send people to shop in the suburbs. Maybe a city plus inner-ring suburb tax plan is best.

Youngstown-Taft Technology Center update

click here for more info.

and from the Chief Evangelist:

Wow...what a year!

Added five new B2B software companies to our growing portfolio.

High profile visitors including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Presidential candidate John Edwards, Senator Sherrod Brown, and Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher.

Construction starts on our new $6 million Taft Technology Center to accommodate the tremendous growth of YBI companies.

Secured $1.5 million in funding to establish the National Center of Excellence for Advanced Metrology and 3-Dimensional Imaging.

Portfolio company Turning Technologies tops the Weatherhead 100 list and is named by Inc. magazine as the fastest growing software company in the country.

Stay tuned in 2008. The best is yet to come!

Per Ardua Ad Astra