Region’s push for innovation gets a major boost from state

As names go, it has a preten- tious ring to it — even for government: The Youngstown Entrepreneurial Hub of Advanced Materials Commercialization and Software Development. The first part of the name is pretty straightforward. It’s the second part that requires some explaining, which was provided by Michael Garvey, president of M-7 Technologies.

“This designation builds on a long-standing tradition of advanced-materials innovation,” Garvey said last week during the announcement by Gov. Ted Strickland of the hub. “With this, we can proudly say that we make things here with advanced materials, using advanced algorithms and advanced software.”

Yes, the Mahoning Valley makes things — it always has — with steel, titanium, magnesium, industrial ceramics and aluminium. So, it is only fitting for the region to be designated an Ohio Hub of Innovation and Opportunity. It is the sixth one, with others in Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo. The hubs are supported by the Ohio Department of Development and leverage local resources and investments to attract clusters of businesses, encourage new investments and talented workers and help create new opportunities to increase jobs and develop Ohio’s key industries.

It is noteworthy that the governor’s announcement Sept. 1 came just a couple of weeks after the chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, Eric Fingerhut, came to town to unveil Youngstown State University’s first doctoral degree program — in material science and engineering. Fingerhut stressed that advanced materials is a critical area for Ohio.

As if to bolster what the chancellor said, Strickland noted that the hub designation will help the area re-emerge at the forefront of materials technology.

“The Valley suffered the decline of America’s most iconic industry,” he said. “Now, Youngstown is serving as a national model of how a city can be reborn — it is emerging as a leader in advanced materials and software.”

And as in the case of the Ph.D. program, which will attract state and federal funds and research dollars from across the country, the Youngstown hub will bring in money from Columbus, Washington and elsewhere. A grant of $250,000 from the state has already been committed by the Ohio Department of Development.

Regional endeavor

While it is called the Youngstown hub, it actually is a regional endeavor, as shown by the partners: Youngstown State, the cities of Youngstown and Warren, the Youngstown Business Incubator, the Eastgate Council of Regional Governments, the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, Kent State University’s Trumbull Campus and the Raymond John Wean Foundation.

In the past several months, there have been various announcements regarding technology-related initiatives that are designed to take advantage of the Valley’s strengths and to enable the region complete in the national and global arenas.

This diversification — heavy and light manufacturing still remain key components of the job-creation and retention effort — may seem esoteric, but it makes sense if you think about the area’s economic revival as a giant jigsaw puzzle. There are many pieces, some more difficult to find than others. But they all fit together. The challenge is to find out how they do, which is where local, state and federal government officials, university types, and business and community leaders come in.