Strategies dedicated to a vibrant Valley economy
Ohio, including the Mahoning Valley and surrounding area, has experienced generational economic growth since 2020. Strong state and local leadership combined with cohesive cooperation with private sector leaders has paved the way for this expansion.
Now it’s time to take our prosperity to the next level by addressing our growing pains. The best places to focus on to make the biggest impact are Ohio’s eight metropolitan regions, including Youngstown/Warren.
Ohio’s eight metros account for 4.4 million jobs, 76% of the state’s population, 82% of its GDP and 80% of the overall employment base. Much like the lake-to-river region of Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties, the other metros — Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo — contain a mix of characteristics such as urban cores, suburbia and large swaths of rural communities.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, the chambers of commerce in those other seven regions, along with the Ohio Chamber, formed the Ohio Metro Chambers Coalition, dedicated to fostering a vibrant, interconnected and prosperous economy. It’s a coalition of business-led, success-driven organizations that represent hubs of employment and innovation with centers of business and culture.
We recently announced our public policy priorities for the current Ohio General Assembly. As the voice of nearly 25,000 businesses of all sizes and industries, profit and nonprofit, here are some samples of our priorities and how important they are from the ports at Lake Erie in Ashtabula County to the Ohio River in East Liverpool:
Continue supporting Ohio’s investment in programs that support research, entrepreneurship and business scaling, especially at world-class institutions like the Youngstown Business Incubator and BRITE Energy Innovators in Warren.
Maintain investment in military installations, especially by supporting organizations like the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission, which has helped the Youngstown Air Reserve Station receive more than $1 billion of Pentagon spending to support more than 2,000 jobs.
Continue supporting tourism, including visitors attracted to Ashtabula County’s wine country, Trumbull County’s Mosquito Lake, Mahoning County’s Mill Creek Park and the Ohio Scenic River Byway in Columbiana County.
Expand energy sources, especially in the Utica Shale that will propel Columbiana County’s economy, and the rest of the region for that matter, for decades.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is already deeply engaged with many partners on other vital priorities we have in common with all of Ohio’s metros. At the top of our list is growing population and talent.
We will work closely with our colleagues around Ohio, legislators in the Ohio House Lake-to-River Caucus and our region’s state senators to advance the population growth strategies the Regional Chamber and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments have embarked on.
We will also work together on talent expansion strategies we’re developing with Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries. The initiatives include mitigating the benefits cliff faced by marginalized workers, further enticing skilled workers to move to Ohio, improving childcare policies for more accessibility and affordability and addressing other barriers to employment such as transportation and behavioral health.
Closely behind population and talent expansion is increasing the housing stock, another issue confounding all of Ohio’s metro regions.
To support a recently released regional housing strategy, we’re executing with Eastgate, the Western Reserve Port Authority and Valley Economic Development Partners ways state government can further incentivize mixed-use downtown development and create incentives that promote affordable housing, small-scale development and rebuilding older neighborhoods.
We encourage businesses in the region to use our website to see details on the specific public policy we embrace to help you succeed. We encourage you to also join us in voicing these priorities to our government officials. There is power in numbers.
That’s why the Ohio Metro Chambers Coalition formed. We champion economic development, advocate for growth in our respective regions and serve as a unified voice for businesses.
Guy Coviello is President and CEO of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber.
Strategies dedicated to a vibrant Valley economy
Ohio, including the Mahoning Valley and surrounding area, has experienced generational economic growth since 2020. Strong state and local leadership combined with cohesive cooperation with private sector leaders has paved the way for this expansion.
Now it’s time to take our prosperity to the next level by addressing our growing pains. The best places to focus on to make the biggest impact are Ohio’s eight metropolitan regions, including Youngstown/Warren.
Ohio’s eight metros account for 4.4 million jobs, 76% of the state’s population, 82% of its GDP and 80% of the overall employment base. Much like the lake-to-river region of Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties, the other metros — Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo — contain a mix of characteristics such as urban cores, suburbia and large swaths of rural communities.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, the chambers of commerce in those other seven regions, along with the Ohio Chamber, formed the Ohio Metro Chambers Coalition, dedicated to fostering a vibrant, interconnected and prosperous economy. It’s a coalition of business-led, success-driven organizations that represent hubs of employment and innovation with centers of business and culture.
We recently announced our public policy priorities for the current Ohio General Assembly. As the voice of nearly 25,000 businesses of all sizes and industries, profit and nonprofit, here are some samples of our priorities and how important they are from the ports at Lake Erie in Ashtabula County to the Ohio River in East Liverpool:
Continue supporting Ohio’s investment in programs that support research, entrepreneurship and business scaling, especially at world-class institutions like the Youngstown Business Incubator and BRITE Energy Innovators in Warren.
Maintain investment in military installations, especially by supporting organizations like the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission, which has helped the Youngstown Air Reserve Station receive more than $1 billion of Pentagon spending to support more than 2,000 jobs.
Continue supporting tourism, including visitors attracted to Ashtabula County’s wine country, Trumbull County’s Mosquito Lake, Mahoning County’s Mill Creek Park and the Ohio Scenic River Byway in Columbiana County.
Expand energy sources, especially in the Utica Shale that will propel Columbiana County’s economy, and the rest of the region for that matter, for decades.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is already deeply engaged with many partners on other vital priorities we have in common with all of Ohio’s metros. At the top of our list is growing population and talent.
We will work closely with our colleagues around Ohio, legislators in the Ohio House Lake-to-River Caucus and our region’s state senators to advance the population growth strategies the Regional Chamber and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments have embarked on.
We will also work together on talent expansion strategies we’re developing with Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries. The initiatives include mitigating the benefits cliff faced by marginalized workers, further enticing skilled workers to move to Ohio, improving childcare policies for more accessibility and affordability and addressing other barriers to employment such as transportation and behavioral health.
Closely behind population and talent expansion is increasing the housing stock, another issue confounding all of Ohio’s metro regions.
To support a recently released regional housing strategy, we’re executing with Eastgate, the Western Reserve Port Authority and Valley Economic Development Partners ways state government can further incentivize mixed-use downtown development and create incentives that promote affordable housing, small-scale development and rebuilding older neighborhoods.
We encourage businesses in the region to use our website to see details on the specific public policy we embrace to help you succeed. We encourage you to also join us in voicing these priorities to our government officials. There is power in numbers.
That’s why the Ohio Metro Chambers Coalition formed. We champion economic development, advocate for growth in our respective regions and serve as a unified voice for businesses.
Guy Coviello is President and CEO of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber.
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