Youngstown’s in the middle of Ohio-Pa. tech belt

YOUNGSTOWN — U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, said the area stretching from Cleveland to Pittsburgh needs to find a way to bring all of its talent and research together to lift up the region’s economy.

It’s a potential economic development area being referred to as “The Tech Belt” by Ryan and others who see technology development as a key to the region’s economic resurgence.

Ryan and U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire of McCandless, Pa., D-4th, participated in a seminar in Youngstown Friday on a regional approach to community and economic development, focusing on Pittsburgh and Cleveland as the two ends of that development scheme.

That puts the Youngstown area right in the middle, Ryan said.

“Those political boundaries (the Ohio-Pennsylvania border) really don’t matter a whole lot,” he said, urging about 150 leaders from universities, community development organizations, nonprofits and community development organizations from both sides of that border to work in collaboration on a goal of revitalizing the entire region.

Read more in Saturday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com