BUSINESS DIGEST ||

Free assistance from Smart Growth

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley is among four communities that will receive free technical assistance from Smart Growth America, made possible by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, for using small-scale manufacturing for downtown revitalization to create economic opportunity.

Fifty-nine organizations and communities in 28 states with diverse backgrounds applied for the four, free community-based workshops with Smart Growth America. The applicants included municipal governments, local non-profits and regional and state level organizations. Ultimately, four communities were chosen to receive free technical assistance: Knoxville, Tenn.; Lowell, Mass., Twin Falls, Idaho, and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments on behalf of Youngstown and Warren.

The workshops will take place in August.

New Ving template

Youngstown

Ving, the tool for people who need to know exactly how effective they are with the digital information they share, announced Tuesday its latest software release will include a library of content covering health and safety issues in both business and education. The library is planned to expand to cover a broad range of topics and include both original and user-generated content. Each template comes with the same innovative tracking of a regular information packet (known as a Ving!) giving users the power to have all the data they need to make decisions in their area of focus.

Ving plans to have more than 300 templates loaded into the library by the end of the first quarter.

Although health and safety are the beginning, by the end of 2017, there will be a template for every professional.

Ribbon cutting

WARREN

INFI LLC, 157 W. Market St., recently had a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.

INFI LLC had a grand reopening to celebrate a new retail store and expanded services that include Dish Network, security cameras and alarm systems.

Chinese currency

WASHINGTON

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from the Cleveland area, is urging President Donald J. Trump to move quickly after reports the administration is considering plans to crack down on Chinese currency manipulation.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the commerce secretary would treat currency manipulation as an unfair subsidy in trade cases brought by U.S. companies, which is the goal of Brown’s Currency Undervaluation Investigation Act.

Brown sent a letter to Trump in November asking the administration to implement the currency policy outlined in his legislation by executive order, as part of its plans to follow through on Trump’s campaign promises on trade.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1238.520.04

Aqua America, .71 29.85-0.27

Avalon Holdings,2.86-0.03

Chemical Bank, .2751.771.05Community Health Sys. 6.62 0.14

Cortland Bancorp, .2818.420.00

Farmers Nat., .1613.930.03

First Energy, 1.44 30.36-0.17

Fifth/Third, .5227.550.81

FirstMerit Corp.,21.610.37

First Niles Financial, .1210.000.00

FNB Corp., .4815.360.29

General Motors, 1.5237.241.72

General Electric, .9230.280.24

Huntington Bank, .28 14.120.31

iHeartMedia Inc.,1.150.06

JP Morgan Chase, 1.9289.531.38

Key Corp, .3418.860.41

LaFarge, .3417.570.00

Macy’s, 1.51 32.680.10

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 152.630.17

PNC, 2.20126.101.68

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60180.93-0.74

Stoneridge 17.00-0.21

United Comm. Fin., .12 8.69-0.02

Selected prices from Tuesday’s

4 p.m. close.