CHAMBER DRIVE-IN SET: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber’s fifth annual Columbus Drive-In is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus.
The cost is $250 for chamber members and $500 for nonmembers. Attendees can drive down on their own or sign up to ride the bus to and from the venue. Past drive-ins have resulted in millions of dollars in state funding and important policies to improve the Mahoning Valley.
The day will consist of 75 to 80 Valley leaders holding a series of meetings with the most influential state policymakers.
FINANCIAL FITNESS BOOT CAMP STARTS THIS WEEK: Hilliard-based Credit Union of Ohio will offer a free, weekly financial webinar series to help individuals and families improve their personal finances in 2022. Led by financial coach Cindy Walker, the series will kick off with Financial Fitness Boot Camp at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The one-hour session will help train attendees to increase their credit score, live within a budget, build a savings plan and stay accountable to financial goals.
The 2022 webinar series will aim to have at least one financial education session per week. January sessions include: noon Thursday and 10 a.m. Saturday, Financial Fitness Boot Camp; noon Jan. 11, Ins and Outs of Home Equity Loans; 6 p.m. Jan. 20, How do Credit Cards Work?; noon Jan. 25, All About Cash-Out Refinancing; and noon Jan. 27, Building a Better Budget.
All virtual workshops are open to the general public, but advanced registration is required. View the full schedule and get registered at cuofohio.org.
Credit Union of Ohio serves state employees in all of Ohio’s 88 counties and the entire community of Franklin, Fairfield, Cuyahoga, Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
YBI PROGRAM RECOGNIZED: The Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) has been named to the Inc. 2021 Best in Business list in the Youth Entrepreneurship category. Inc.’s Best in Business Awards honor companies that have gone above and beyond to make a positive impact.
The list, which can be found in the winter issue of Inc. magazine recognizes small- and medium-sized, privately held American businesses that have had an outstanding influence on their communities, their industries, the environment or society as a whole.
Introduced in January 2021, the YE program began with a 15-week cohort, The LaunchPad in March. The purpose of the program is to establish the fundamentals of student entrepreneurship and provide the city’s young people with the education and resources needed to start their own business.
PREMIER PARTNERS WITH YNDC: Premier Bank recently announced that Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and Habitat for Humanity MidOhio have been selected as 2021 AHP award recipients through a partnership with the Bank.
Premier Bank helped both agencies secure funding through the Affordable Housing Program for initiatives that provide low-to-moderate-income residents and their families access to affordable housing,
YNDC will receive $1 million from the AHP for the Youngstown Home Repair Program 2021. This program offers an emergency home repair program to assist residents of owner-occupied, single-family homes with emergency repairs — primarily roof replacements — at no cost to the owners. Applicants must meet certain income eligibility requirements set forth by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
NEW DQ: A groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled for Wednesday for a larger, more modern DQ Grill & Chill Restaurant in Boardman.
Ray and Chrissy Smith of Canfield, who own the DQ at 6120 Market St., Boardman, will relocate the franchise to 6532 Market St., three blocks south of the current location and directly across the street from Akron Children’s Hospital.
The Smiths own five DQ locations, including Cornersburg, Austintown, Canfield and Columbiana.
The building was constructed in 1955. Plans call for a new 3,231-square-foot facility that could be open by the fall. The investment is about $1.8 million.
REALTORS DONATION: The Youngstown Columbiana Association of REALTORS and Beaver Creek Area Association of REALTORS donated $13,657 to the Northeast Ohio Adoption Services (NOAS).
The presentation took place at the December board of directors meeting for YCAR.
The donation helps to cover the expenses of unfunded programs that help current and former foster youth get the family, connections and support they need, said Cheryl Tarantino, NOAS executive director.
It is the tradition of YCAR that each year its president chooses a local charity for the association members to support with community services donations collected with the dues and / or volunteer hours. Patrick Burgan, the 2020-21 president, asked the association to support Northeast Ohio Adoption Services for 2020 and 2021.
The association collected the money from the 2021 dues community service donations and a charity golf outing in July in partnership with the Beaver Creek Area Association of REALTORS.
People on the move
TWO JOIN MORE OPTIONS REALTY: Shawn Sowers of Hubbard and Mike Gearhart of Boardman recently joined More Options Realty as Realtors.
Sowers, who has been licensed since 1994, will serve northeast Ohio, as will Gearhart, who passed his licensing exam Dec. 29 on his first attempt.
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