BUSINESS DIGEST ||

Applications for Create classes

YOUNGSTOWN

Applications for Youngstown Business Incubator’s Women in Entrepreneurship Create and Minority Business Assistance Center Create are now open to the public.

Applications for the Create phase, Phase 1 of 3 of each program, also are open. The application is an online form found on the YBI website. More information on the Create classes and the application process can be found at http://ybi.org/we-create/; and for MBAC at http://ybi.org/mbac-create-application/. The deadline to apply is Feb. 15.

Eastgate seeks input

YOUNGSTOWN

Eastgate Regional Council of Governments invites comment on the 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan Update. The plan identifies strategies and projects for maintaining and improving the transportation system over a 20-year horizon for Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Every five years, Eastgate is required to update this document by identifying trends, working with stakeholders to develop a collective vision and goals and by recommending strategies.

The public is encouraged to comment on the draft until close of business Feb. 16.

Comments can be submitted by email to Ken Sympson, director of transportation, by phone at 234-254-1502, or in person during normal business hours at Eastgate’s office, 10th Floor, 100 E. Federal St. The document is available at http://eastgatecog.org/docs/default-source/mtp-update/mtp-2040-update.pdf.

Ribbon-cutting for Exospec

WARREN

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Exospec, 125 W. Market St., at 10 a.m. today.

Exospec has announced it will open its corporate headquarters in downtown Warren, just two weeks after establishing an administrative office inside the Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center, Warren’s bustling energy and innovation incubator. Exospec will celebrate the announcement, along with completion of a network infrastructure overhaul for TBEIC, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The company is an information technology enterprise composed of divisions: intelligent-managed services, carrier and fiber network infrastructure, consulting and commercial/government sales of cloud services, computer hardware and network equipment.

Facebook wants feeds to be more ‘meaningful’

NEW YORK

Facebook is tweaking what people see to make their time on the site more “meaningful.” The company says people will likely spend less time on Facebook as a result. The changes come as critics say social media can make people feel depressed and isolated.

There will be fewer posts from brands, pages and media companies and more from people. There will be fewer videos, which Facebook considers “passive.”

The changes won’t affect ads and will likely hurt businesses that want to reach followers without paying to advertise.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1256.910.74

Aqua America, .71 36.39-0.34

Avalon Holdings,2.15-0.04

Chemical Bank, .2755.941.44

Community Health Sys.4.94 0.91

Cortland Bancorp, .2820.750.00

Farmers Nat., .1615.750.45

First Energy, 1.44 30.240.42

Fifth/Third, .5231.850.27

FirstMerit Corp.,--

First Niles Financial, .1211.150.00

FNB Corp., .4814.430.17

General Motors, 1.5244.151.15

General Electric, .9219.010.09

Huntington Bank, .28 15.630.15

iHeartMedia Inc.,0.690.14

JP Morgan Chase, 1.92110.630.38

Key Corp, .3421.170.16

LaFarge, .34--

Macy’s, 1.51 26.300.69

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 208.321.71

PNC, 2.20151.411.79

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60164.82-0.16

Stoneridge 24.140.95

United Comm. Fin., .12 9.620.36

Selected prices from Thursday’s 4 p.m. close.