Covelli to get award

BOARDMAN

Sam Covelli of Covelli Enterprises, the Mahoning Valley-headquartered largest franchisee of Panera Bread, will be presented with the Boardman Civic Association’s Business Person of the Year award at the organization’s annual Community Awards Dinner at 6 p.m. Monday at the Lariccia Family Community Center in Boardman Park.

The Business Person of the Year award is given to successful local business leaders who generate employment, resources and quality projects for the township.

Covelli Enterprises’ first Panera Bread opened in Boardman in 1998. Since then, the company has opened several more restaurants, including another Panera cafe, an O’Charley’s restaurant and a Dairy Queen location. This past September, Covelli relocated the company’s first Panera to a location on South Avenue that is now equipped with the brand’s latest offerings, including kiosk ordering, rapid pickup, delivery and an updated cafe design.