YOUNGSTOWN Chamber relocating from Stambaugh to Met Towers' top floors

Officials considered renovating an old building, but the option was too costly.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is relocating its headquarters to the top floors of downtown Youngstown's tallest building.
Thomas Humphreys, president and chief executive, said the move to what he calls a "prestigious, class A location" on the 15th and 16th floors of the Met Towers at 1 Federal Plaza West is already under way.
The agency also will have use of the building conference room on the 17th floor.
"I think it will set the tone when we bring people in from outside the area," Humphreys said. "We're at the top of the tallest building in downtown. It's a very prestigious, very professional environment."
It's a short move for the chamber's 20 Youngstown employees.
The nonprofit agency has been based just across Federal Plaza on the 12th floor of the Stambaugh Building for 11 years. Its lease there expires Oct. 31, and planners expect to be moved into new quarters by the last week of this month.
The chamber's new headquarters occupies about 6,000 square feet, not counting the conference room. Though it is smaller than the chamber's current location, which occupies about 8,500 square feet, Humphreys said the new space is both more efficient and more economical.
He said the agency signed a three-year lease, with options to renew it up to 10 years, and will pay about $4,000 a year in rent.
About new site
The 16th floor had been vacant since about a year ago when F.N.B. Corp. changed the name of its Metropolitan National Bank offices to First National Bank and moved its administrative offices to Hermitage, Pa. F.N.B. still owns the building.
Riccuiti Balog & amp; Partners Architects moved out of the 15th floor this month.
The cost of preparing the office space was minimal, Humphreys said, just some cleaning on the 16th floor and new paint and carpet on the 15th.
Chamber officials began looking for new digs about 18 months ago. They had several complaints about conditions at the Stambaugh Building, which is operated by Stambaugh Associates and controlled by Jeffrey Moffie.
"Truth be known, there's no heat until November, and it goes off April 1," Humphreys said. "That's a very challenging situation."
The Stambaugh Building also has residential occupants who are allowed to keep pets, so people visiting the chamber might find themselves riding the elevator with the residents and their animals. "That isn't the kind of environment we're trying to create," Humphreys added.
Atty. Andrew Suhar, who is representing Stambaugh Associates in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, said the chamber's move was expected and will not have an adverse effect on its efforts to reorganize. Moffie is trying to buy the building from Pacific Coast Investment Co. of Seattle.
About the choice
Chamber officials were determined to keep their Youngstown staff intact and in a downtown location when they began searching for new quarters. Humphreys said they considered every option, from renovating an old building to razing a building and erecting a new one on the spot.
In the end, they decided the Met Towers location was the most economical and the best use of the chamber's resources.
The chamber also owns two three-story buildings and has a long-term lease on a third in downtown Warren. Ten staff members are based there at the chamber's Trumbull County office, and the rest of the space provides rental income. Humphreys said the three buildings are 75 percent to 80 percent leased.
vinarsky@vindy.com