Chamber Foundation

The Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber Foundation Raises Funds to Support the Chamber’s Work and Continued Efforts on Several Transformational Economic and Workforce Development Endeavors That Have Valley-Wide Impact!

The Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, works to catalyze a more prosperous and resilient business ecosystem through its support of strategic programs and initiatives to promote growth among members and the Valley. They include talent attraction, housing, developing the next generation of community and business leaders, helping nonprofits excel and providing economic opportunities to minority-, women-, veteran- and disabled-owned businesses. Investing in or contributing to the Foundation directly supports the growth and development of our community.

The Foundation—operating on the basis that a vibrant economy plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall health of our community—experienced another year of robust financial support, generating more than $690,000 for equitable economic development programs in 2024.

Among the financial support the Foundation has provided was $500,000 to help stand up Lake To River Economic Development, the seventh and final network region of JobsOhio the Regional Chamber helped to form and incubate. Lake To River works to stimulate business growth and job creation, as the name indicates, from Lake Erie to the Ohio River in Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties.

The Foundation also contributed $50,000 toward an effort to help create a plan to reboot downtown Youngstown to help businesses in the district overcome setbacks caused by the pandemic, several years of road projects that restricted operations and the effect of a downtown building explosion in May 2024 that impacted residents and businesses.The Regional Chamber will co-lead the project by engaging and gathering data from stakeholders in the downtown area.

In Columbiana County, following the devastating February 2023 train derailment, the Foundation stepped up, buying memberships to the Regional Chamber for any business that wanted to join, availing them of the Chamber’s resources and support as they navigated the fallout from the derailment. Also, the Foundation paid for a one-year renewal for every member of the East Palestine Area Chamber of Commerce to ensure that organization didn’t suffer membership loss as a result of the tragedy.


Golf Outing

The annual Golf Outing in 2024 at Avalon Lakes in Howland again featured a sold-out field of golfers and raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Foundation. It returns this year in August to Avalon Lakes, one of the top golf courses in the world.

Golf Outing Group

BIG 5

The Foundation also receives a large portion of its funding through VIP Receptions for five of the Regional Chamber’s signature events—Family-Owned Business Recognition Dinner, Annual Meeting, ATHENA, Salute to Business and Economic Forecast. The events offer excellent networking and collaborating opportunities for business growth.

Regional Chamber Foundation

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CHAIRMAN
Matthew Blair / Blair & Latell

SECRETARY
Jim Gasior / Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber

TREASURER
Theodore Schmidt / PNC

VICE CHAIRMAN
Michael Schrock / Huntington National Bank

_________________

Bob Davis / Aqua Ohio

Jimmy Dobson / SERVPRO Team Dobson

Scott Fleming / Aim Transportation

Ron Klingle / Avalon Holdings Corporation

Sam Miller / Trumbull Industries

Pat Moran / Window World

Jeanne Mosure / ms consultants, inc.

Gary Mrozek / Hometown Pharmacy

Dawn Ochman / Dawn, Inc.

Gary Small / Premier Bank

Jackie Stewart / Encino Energy

Terrell Washington / HLW Fast Track

Mark Wenick / Farmers Bank Group