The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber pursued several economic development leads during an invitation-only, site consultant forum in Montreal that was part of the international Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives annual convention.
While nearly a thousand executives attended the convention, Regional Chamber Vice President of Economic Development, North America Sarah Boyarko, was one of approximately 20 invited to the site selection forum.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber pursued several economic development leads during an invitation-only, site consultant forum in Montreal that was part of the international Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives annual convention.
While nearly a thousand executives attended the convention, Regional Chamber Vice President of Economic Development, North America Sarah Boyarko, was one of approximately 20 invited to the site selection forum.
Boyarko also attended roundtables surrounding best practices in regional workforce talent, automotive and aerospace, international attraction, distribution and logistics, and food processing. The Regional Chamber had already begun addressing workforce talent, and economic growth potential in food processing and distribution.
While in Montreal, Boyarko scheduled separate meetings with Canadian site consultant CBRE Group, Inc. She discussed the potential for joint ventures with Valley companies, expansion opportunities and the possibility of exporting local products into Canadian markets.
CBRE, with offices in 44 nations, has been ranked the No. 1 real estate services firm each of the last five years.
Boyarko also met with three firms considering investment in the Valley. The firms are in the customer service, industrial manufacturing and industrial service sectors.
The 10 site consultants Boyarko networked with are among the most prolific in the world. They include Site Selection Group, Jones Lang LaSalle, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, and Cushman & Wakefield.
Jones Lang LaSalle has 230 offices in more than 80 countries. Newmark Grubb Knight Frank operates more than 300 offices on six continents.
“These firms have been contemplating investment in the Valley for quite a long time and we hope that my visit to their facilities in Montreal will solidify their decision to invest in the Youngstown-Warren area,” Boyarko said.
“We have worked very hard to build strong relationships with national and international site consultants so that they know who to contact in the Youngstown-Warren market when they have a project,” Boyarko said. “We are their single point of contact for available properties, comprehensive incentive packages and accurate supply chain and demographic information.
“We save them time and also provide the most accurate, up-to-date details about the Valley needed for their clients.”
The Regional Chamber is the lead economic development agency for Trumbull and Mahoning counties. Last year it attracted $126 million in business investments that created 484 new jobs in the Valley. It has another $1.4 billion in pending projects.
Since 1993, the Regional Chamber has secured $4.4 billion in business investments that resulted in more than 50,000 new or retained jobs. For additional information, visit www.regionalchamber.com.
The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives serves 7,000 leaders from 1,300 chambers of commerce, including 93 of the top 100 U.S. metro areas.