Insurance and financial company expands with Pennsylvania office

REGION

Gem-Young expands
with Pennsylvania office

BOARDMAN — Gem-Young Insurance and Financial Services is expanding with an office in Cranberry Township, Pa. The Boardman-based agency has hired William Piscuineri, an insurance agent who is working from the main office but will open an office in Cranberry. Gem-Young already has satellite offices in North Jackson, East Liverpool and Las Vegas.

“This entrance into a new market represents a positive step towards our goal of regional expansion and a more diverse clientele,” said Leo Daprile, Gem-Young president.

Piscuineri previously worked for Liberty Mutual covering Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.

Center revs up for
Cleveland Auto Show

CLEVELAND — The 2008 Cleveland Auto Show will be at the I-X Center from Feb. 23 to March 2. More than 800 vehicles will be on display after the center expanded by 200,000 square feet to accommodate the show. Information on special events, including autograph signings and driving sessions, can be found at
www.clevelandautoshow.com. The cost is $12 for adults, and seniors and preteens pay $9.50. Children 6 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.

Thano’s restaurant
opens on Tippecanoe

CANFIELD — Thano Kapolas has opened Thano’s Family Restaurant at 6620 Tippecanoe Road, the site of the former Janos Family Restaurant. Thano’s offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches, and liver and onions. The restaurant also features appetizers such as hummus and grilled pita bread as well as Greek desserts.

SBA plans seminar
on small-business loans

YOUNGSTOWN — The U.S. Small Business Administration will hold a loan seminar for individuals and small business owners Feb. 7. It will be from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Ohio Small Business Development Center, 241 Federal Plaza West. There is no charge. Call (330) 746-3350 for reservations.

NATION

Dreaming of work
is not necessarily bad

NEW YORK — Some might consider it their worst nightmare: completing work-related tasks in their dreams, a phenomenon that’s been dubbed “sleepworking.”

But others are making the most of the hours they are clocking in their sleep. In a recent survey, more than half of the respondents said work becomes a focus of their dreams, and nearly 70 percent of those people said they solve a problem or have a revelation about their jobs while they are sleeping.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing to dream about our jobs,” said Robert Stickgold, an associate professor or psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “Your brain is calculating what it needs to be paying attention to, and dreams become effective for problem-solving. But if work is all you’re dreaming about then it’s obsessional, which is a problem.”

The Staples National Small Business Survey, conducted through an Internet poll of more than 300 people, also found that 72 percent of respondents make business calls while driving, and nearly 40 percent say they get their best ideas behind the wheel.

From Vindicator staff and wire reports