Executive hired

Executive hired

PITTSBURGH

Farmers National Bank Wealth Management, a subsidiary of First National Bank of Pennsylvania, announced the recent hire of James E. Hieber as senior vice president and director of compliance, operations and support services in the company’s Pittsburgh region. Hieber is responsible for the development, implementation and oversight for business strategy and management. He supervises client accounting, information technology, compliance and financial-reporting initiatives for F.N.B. Wealth Management.

Hieber has more than 35 years of industry experience throughout the Mid-Atlantic states, most recently in Baltimore, where he specialized in wealth-management systems implementation and organizational-systems integration with a focus on project management, risk and compliance. Previously, Hieber worked for Bank of America/U.S Trust, Legg Mason Trust and Brown Advisory.

Networking event

ERIE, pa.

A dynamic networking event for small business will take place at Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, Pa., on June 19.

The Northwest Commission and the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership will present the third annual Dynamic Networking for small business, a government contracting and subcontracting event, with the support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Small Business Administration. This event will give businesses in the region the opportunity to meet face-to-face with government agencies, prime contractors and business resources in one day at one location.

The networking event will offer small businesses from Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia opportunities to speak directly to federal agencies and prime contractors to explore the goods and services these entities are purchasing.

This year, the event will kick off with a panel of industry leaders discussing new opportunities in the rail- and transportation-equipment manufacturing sectors. Northwest Pennsylvania is the subject of a federally funded initiative to map and support local manufacturing supply chains. The panel discussion is part of this initiative.

The event is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free.

Ribbon-cutting

STRUTHERS

There will be a ribbon- cutting at Dell’s Cafe d’Italia in Struthers on Thursday. The ceremony will be at 10 a.m. at 14 State St.

Student-loan change

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama is prepping new executive steps to help Americans struggling to pay off their student debt and throwing his support behind Senate Democratic legislation with a similar goal but potentially a much more profound impact.

Obama will announce today he’s expanding his “Pay As You Earn” program that lets borrowers pay no more than 10 percent of their monthly income in loan payments, the White House said. Currently, the program is available only to those who started borrowing after October 2007 and kept borrowing after October 2011. Obama plans to start allowing those who borrowed earlier to participate.

Vindicator staff/wire reports