BUSINESS DIGEST ||

Holiday Flea

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Flea holiday tradition — the Holiday Flea – will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday in conjunction with the annual Youngstown Christmas Parade and Tree lighting, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The event will take place at DeYor Performing Arts Center Powers Auditorium at 260 W. Federal St.

The Holiday Flea will have 70-plus unique vendors at the event.

Online survey

NILES

In follow-up to a public input meeting with the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and the city of Niles that took place in early November to garner feedback from residents and businesses there, the two entities are seeking additional insight via an online survey.

All answers/comments will remain confidential and be reported only in an aggregate format. All participants who provide contact info at the conclusion of the survey will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card for StoneYard Grill & Tavern in downtown Niles.

The survey can be found at: www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3975367/NilesCitySurvey. The survey closes Dec. 30.

Participants who wish to offer comments directly instead of by survey may contact Sarah Boyarko, senior vice president of the regional chamber, at 330-744-2131, ext. 1108, or Sarah@regionalchamber.com.

$7,000 grant

WARREN

The Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center recently announced that it has been awarded a grant from Burton D. Morgan Foundation to support entrepreneurial programming.

The $7,000 in funds from Burton D. Morgan are the first award of its kind in Warren to support entrepreneurial programming including the Founders Exchange and the Energy Hackathon.

The Founders Exchange brings founders, entrepreneurs and anyone interested in startups together to talk about the trials and tribulations that are associated with creating new businesses.

The Energy Hackathon is an event where people get together and use technology and their collective skills to build solutions and solve problems with a common theme.

Meredith buying Time Inc. for $1.8B

NEW YORK

Magazine and broadcasting company Meredith is buying magazine publisher Time for about $1.8 billion, with help from the billionaire Koch brothers, to bulk up on readers as the publishing industry navigates the difficult transition to digital from print.

Iowa-based Meredith Corp. owns 17 TV stations that reach 12 million U.S. households. Its women- and lifestyle-focused magazines and websites include Better Homes & Gardens, Family Circle and Allrecipes. Time Inc., based in New York, has publications including Time, Sports Illustrated, People, Fortune and Entertainment Weekly.

Including Time’s debt, Meredith values the deal at $2.8 billion.

Staff/wire report