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Youngstown on the global map with export initiative
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
An export initiative between the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and Youngstown State University’s International Trade Assistance Center has received some global attention.
Global Trade magazine ranked Youngstown as one of the “Best Cities for Export Assistance” in its fourth annual “Best Cities for Global Trade” report released this month.
“We are very excited as to where we are today,” said Sarah Boyarko, the chamber’s vice president of economic development. “It’s been a lot of work to get to this point. We are pleased.”
The OH-PA Stateline Export Initiative was formed in January to increase export activity in the 10-county region. Economic-development leaders from the Mahoning Valley and Ashtabula County in Ohio, and Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, Beaver and Butler counties in Pennsylvania were brought into the initiative.
The magazine noted some benefits of the OH-PA Stateline Initiative. They included “providing a one-stop shop for potential foreign investors, distributors and partners looking to do business with local businesses to arranging a meeting between local business leaders with Cuban officials in anticipation of new opportunities once relations are officially normalized.”
Global Trade recognized 105 cities across America in 10 categories. Last year, the Mahoning Valley placed in the magazine’s third-annual rankings report, earning a spot in the “Most Employee Friendly” city category.
Throughout the creation and implementation of the initiative, the chamber and the trade-assistance center have sought guidance from the Brookings Institution, a private nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and innovative policy solutions.
Through the initiative, a market scan of the area was conducted and completed by December 2014.
“We came up with a huge amount of resources and results,” said Mousa H. Kassis, adviser of the center and a YSU economics professor.
Since 2015, the work has moved to its second stage of a market investigation. Based on what is found, an export plan will be developed.
Marek Gootman, director of strategic partnerships and global initiatives, metropolitan policy program at Brookings, came to YSU on Wednesday to provide insight on exporting.
“I just want to congratulate you all on taking this effort on,” Gootman said at the meeting. “You all pursing this independently is an example for all of these other markets who are just sitting there.”
Public and private entities must come together, he said.
“Working together, you have an identity,” Gootman said.