CHAMBER EVENT SCHEDULED: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber will host A Taste of the Holidays 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at The Lake Club, 1140 Paulin Road, Poland.
It will feature themed drinks, a dessert table, heavy hors d’oeuvres, live music and a photo station, and maybe even an appearance by Santa Claus.
There also will be an ugly Christmas sweater contest.
The cost is $30 per member and $40 per nonmember.
NEW BUSINESS FILINGS: There were 14,037 new business filings in October, down 103 filings from October 2021 and down 456 filings from September, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.
So far this year, there have been 152,204 new businesses have been created, an average of 15,220 per month. There were 170,740 created at the same point last year.
New business filings are classified as forms filed with the Ohio Secretary of State that declare the formation of a business entity, including for profit, nonprofit and professional corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships.
Filing as a business in Ohio does not guarantee the company will begin operations, be profitable or create jobs.
LOCAL CAMPGROUNDS RECOGNIZED: Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), the world’s largest family of open-to-the-public campgrounds, recently awarded Lake Milton / Berlin Lake KOA Holiday Campground the 2023 KOA President’s Award and the KOA Founder’s Award.
They were presented in Wednesday at KOA’s annual convention in Orlando, Fla.
The Founder’s Award is KOA’s highest service award. It is awarded to KOA campground owners and managers who attain world-class scores in customer service and KOA Quality Review.
The President’s Award is presented to campgrounds meeting exceptional quality standards and ones that receive high customer service scores from their camping guests.
MVMC MEETING: The Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition will host its next all-members meeting 2:30 to 4 p.m. Dec. 15 at Penguin City Brewing in Youngstown.
Planned for the meeting is a presentation from Dave Stillwagon of Community Corrections Association to learn about the local justice-involved population and services available to them to help overcome barriers and updates Youth Outreach, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Earn and Learn and Ohio To Work programs.
After the meeting will be a networking mixer at the brewery.
YOUTH MARKET DAY WINNERS: Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio in partnership with the Eastwood Mall hosted Nov. 5 a one-day Youth Market featuring young entrepreneurs who offered their products and services for sale to the public.
Mall shoppers were encouraged to visit the students’ tables and vote on their favorite businesses. The participants were responsible for their table setup, signage, product sales and customer interactions. Judging and prizes were awarded at the end of the event.
The winners of $50 mall gift cards were Krafty Kyra for Best Product Award; To God’s Glory Arts, Best in Show Award; and The Lynnee Twins, LLC, won the People’s Choice Award.
FREE FINANCIAL WORKSHOPS AVAILABLE: Credit Union of Ohio will offer a free virtual workshop noon Tuesday on financial health checkups.
Financial coach Cindy Walker will give attendees a checklist of steps they can take to build healthy financial habits. Attendees will also work on creating their own definition of financial health as well as developing financial goals.
Membership is not required to attend this free workshop, but advanced registration is required. View Credit Union of Ohio’s full workshop schedule and get registered at cuofohio.org.
SCHOOL TO HOST JA PROGRAM: Struthers Middle School today will host JA-In-A-Day, a one-day presentation of Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio’s programs.
Students in seventh and eighth grades will receive lessons in financial literacy taught by volunteers and employees at Huntington Bank, which donated the funding to hold the event.
Seventh grade students will be presented JA It’s My Future, which provides information to help prepare them for the working world. Students develop the personal branding and job hunting skills needed to earn a job, as well as research potential careers, create basic resumes, recognize appropriate behavior for an interview and differentiate between soft and technical skills.
Eighth grade students will be presented with JA Economics For Success, a program that encourages students to explore their skills, interests and values to make informed education, career and life decisions. Students will work on developing their knowledge of personal finance to apply financial-management skills regardless of income brackets.
PNC FOUNDATION GIVES: The PNC Foundation is awarding more than $57,000 in grants to seven local organizations in support of PNC Grow Up Great, a bilingual multi-year initiative that helps prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.
The organizations that have been awarded grants are:
• Akron Children’s Hospital — $7,000 to support “Reach Out and Read,” utilizing pediatricians and nurses to discuss and encourage reading with their patients and families and to distribute a free book to all children during their regular pediatric checkups.
• Alta Care Group — $7,500 to support the Head Start program to provide early childhood mental health consultants.
• Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Academy — $3,000 to support its “Hands On STEM” curriculum.
• Millcreek Children’s Center — $4,000 to support its “Exploring Math” through a field trips program.
• Oh Wow! The Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science and Technology — $8,811 to support the “United Way Success by 6” program through science engagement.
• United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley — foundation grants totaling $45,000, including a $25,000 grant in support of the “Success by 6” initiative that provides a pre-kindergarten summer readiness camp to hundreds of students throughout the Mahoning Valley.
• YWCA Mahoning Valley — $2,500 to support its early education program.
People on the move
REALTOR JOINS AGENCY: Coldwell Banker EvenBay Real Estate has added Realtor Michael Platt to the agency’s staff.
Platt, who received his Ohio real estate license, in 2020 previously worked in law enforcement for 20 years. He received the Ohio Realtors President’s Sales Club Award of Distinction during his first full year in the business.
Platt lives in Trumbull County with his wife and three children.
AGENTS JOIN FIRM: More Options Realty has brought on two new licensed agents, Sophia Fennell and Amanda Douglass, plus multiple people who have started taking classes at the firm’s training center in Boardman to take their state exam to become a real estate agent in Ohio.
Those people are Skyler Greeneisen, Cameron Durig, Caleb Durig, Ian Hull, Carlie Lattanzio, Amanda Douglass, Natalie Firth, Kelly Flowers and Troy Kachelries.
Submit items for business briefs, new businesses and people on the move to business@tribtoday.com, fax to 330-841-1717 or online at www.tribtoday.com. The deadline is 4 p.m. Thursday.
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