Spring 2013

• Huntington Bank Recognized
• MVEDC Lending Team Highlighted
• Café 422 Expands
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MVEDC Funding Helps California Company Purchase
Pottery Factory in New Waterford
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New home of American Pioneer Manufacturing
NEW WATERFORD – A merger between a California firm
and a Japanese company has resulted in the creation
of Hausenware Koyo USA, LLC dba American Pioneer
Manufacturing. The newly-created company secured
funding from Consumers Bank and MVEDC to purchase
and start production in the closed Workshops Pottery
factory in New Waterford, Ohio. The acquisition and
reemergence of the facility is motivated by the “Create
Jobs for U.S.A.” initiative developed by the Starbucks®
Coffee Company. The idea for this merger and acquisition
came from Ulrich Honighausen, owner and founder of
Hausenware, a California-based company created in 1995
which specializes in ceramics, glass and drinkware for
customers which include Starbucks®, Crate and Barrel,
Pottery Barn, Fred Meyer/Kroger and Home Goods. While
the company currently supplies ceramic mugs from China,
Japan, Spain, Portugal and Thailand, manufacturing in
the U.S.A. became a passion for Honighausen, a secondgeneration manufacturer who learned the craft from his
father, an owner of an aerospace manufacturing company.
In response to the growing complexities of doing business
in China and to further diversify his supply chain Mr.
Honighausen and his partner in Japan planned to build a
factory in California to make quality ceramics for the U.S.
and European markets; that was until he heard about
the “Create Jobs for U.S.A.” initiative. Mr. Honighausen
decided to expedite his plans for developing a domestic
factory and look for a viable existing location in an area
with unemployed skilled labor. His investigation led him
to East Liverpool and American Mug & Stein. Through his
connections with Starbucks®, Honighausen contracted
an initial order for mugs through American Stein. Then,
due to the continued demand from Starbucks® and other
customers, Honighausen formalized his partnership with
Koyo and proceeded to purchase the idle pottery facility
in New Waterford. This new project is expected to create
25 new jobs over the next three years.
MVEDC Helps Café 422 Expand to Boardman
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Spring 2013
Café 422 in Boardman
BOARDMAN—With financial assistance from
Huntington Bank and MVEDC, Café 422’s owner,
Serdar Dede, was able to expand his business to a
new location at 8586 South Avenue, Youngstown.
Using the successful business model he continued
and expanded at his Niles location, Serdar has built
a dedicated customer base at his new location. The
project rekindled business activity at a previously vacant
property. Expanding to the new location has increased
employment opportunities and provides an attractive
new venue for local residents.
Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation ...
Bringing regional business news to you
Meet Norma Webb, New Procurement Specialist
MVEDC recently hired Norma Webb as the
Procurement Specialist for the Procurement
Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). The PTAC’s
mission is to provide local businesses with the tools,
information and assistance they need to sell their
products and services to the federal, state and local
governments.
Ms. Webb has 26 years of government contracting
experience and is a member of the Association
of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers
(APTAC) with a level 2 certification in Government
Procurement Counseling. She worked at the Eastgate
Regional Council of Governments as a Procurement
Specialist for the procurement program that was
jointly operated by MVEDC and Eastgate. Ms. Webb
was born and raised in East Liverpool, Ohio and has
lived in the Youngstown area for the past 25 years.
Since assuming her position on January 2,
Norma has been actively engaged in meeting with
businesses and other community organizations
throughout Mahoning and Trumbull County. Please
contact her at 330-759-3668 Ext. 24 to discuss how
the Procurement Technical Assistance Program can
help increase your business revenue opportunity.
Norma J. Webb
All Children Are Darlings at Banana Darlings
Y O U N G S TO W N – W i t h
financial help from MVEDC
Vo n e t t a D a v i s r e c e n t l y
started the Banana Darlings
Learning Center. Ms Davis
is the sole proprietor and
Childcare Administrator of the
learning center. The center
is located at 1429 Liberty
Road, Youngstown, Ohio.
Over the next 36 months she
anticipates hiring five new
employees. Ms. Davis has
a great deal of experience in
the field, having worked with
children and their families
for 21 years. Ms. Davis is
a highly qualified instructor
who obtained her childcare
certificate in June of 1992.
Since then she has also
obtained her CDA credentials
and has kept her credentials
current by participating in
many workshops and training
programs. She has completed
the Child Learning program
through Stratford Career
Institute and has received a
Child Daycare Management
Diploma. According to Ms
Davis, all of her teachers and
her childcare staff members
Interior of Banana Darlings Learning Center
will be certified or have a
degree. Additionally, all staff will be trained in First Aid, CPR, Child Abuse Prevention Programs
and Communicable Disease Prevention.
MVEDC Helps The Center for Physical Health
Marybeth Romeo, Physical Therapist, pictured with the SCIFIT® PROZ® – Total Body Exerciser
CANFIELD – With hard work and a little help from MVEDC and the Youngstown
State Small Business Development Center, Marybeth Romeo recently opened
The Center for Physical Health. MVEDC funding was derived through its Small
Business Administration Intermediary Relending Program. This was a program
MVEDC successfully secured in 2011 to help small business grow in the Mahoning
Valley. Marybeth used the funds to purchase equipment and provide for working
capital as the Center for Physical Health grows its client base.
Marybeth is a military veteran that served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman. She
has over 22 years of experience as a physical therapist and clinical manager. She
is also certified to provide an array of physical therapy treatments and programs.
The focus of The Center for Physical Health is to provide preventative services
that promote well-being and rehabilitative services that maximize functionality for
her clients following their injury or surgery.
Mark Jones, DMD Relocates Gentle Family
Dental Practice to Howland
Director’s Corner
Look around! Spring is here with all its glory and
new growth is everywhere. Look around as you
walk through the park and sense renewal and
rejuvenation. Then look around, new tree buds, and
you see other signs of growth. Look at the activity.
Dirt is being moved. Footers being poured. New
construction is occurring. Property is selling. Just
look around and see the signs of investment and
growth in the region. Spring is bringing growth. Just
look around!
From our perspective, we clearly sense growth
this spring. The economic uptick is as real as
the natural growth. We see business growth and
capital demands on the increase. At MVEDC,
our thermometer is our lending activity. Our
thermometer’s mercury is rising.
As our lending activity increases, it is an appropriate
time to recognize and thank our lending team for
their efforts. One pillar of our organization has
always been a strong lending team. This spring,
we are thankful to have a strong, experienced and
committed group of teammates who are engaged
in making positive things happen with our banking
and business clients.
Our lending team members are Bethany Stauffer,
Mario Nero and Terry Louk. Together they bring
over 40 years experience to economic development
lending to the region. Bethany has served MVEDC
in a variety of capacities prior to becoming a loan
officer. Both Mario and Terry are new to MVEDC, but
bring experience in lending and collections to our
office. We think you will be pleased with the level of
professionalism and commitment these folks strive
to maintain as they perform a challenging job. We
are pleased to have them here and are excited to
see their professional growth.
Here’s to a great spring to you and hope you will
both enjoy and relish the growth–as you look around!
(L to R) Loan Officers Bethany Stauffer, Mario Nero
and Terry Louk
This newsletter is printed with pride by
Mark Jones, DMD new offices
HOWLAND – Mark Jones has relocated his dental practice to 8799 East Market
Street in Howland. With assistance from JP Morgan Chase, MVEDC provided an
SBA 504 loan and a MVILF loan in order for Dr. Jones to purchase and renovate
the vacant office building. Since moving to the new location, conveniently located
near Route 46, the dental practice has welcomed many new patients, and Dr. Jones
anticipates hiring three additional employees in order to accommodate the expansion
of the practice. Mark Jones has owned his own dental practice since 1996.
122 Oak Hill Avenue • Youngstown, Ohio 44502
Phone: 330.747.5691 • Fax: 330.747.6907
www.cityprinting.com
Lending Partners Recognized During Appreciation Event
Congressman Tim Ryan addresses invited guests
Pictured (L to R) are: Patti Augustine, MVEDC President; Frank Hierro, Huntington
Bank Regional President; Greg Jumper, Sam Houston and Josh Toot, Huntington Bank
Commercial Lenders.
Vienna – Local banks were well represented recently at the Annual MVEDC Lenders’ Appreciation Breakfast. Guest speaker at the event was the
Honorable Congressman, Tim Ryan, (D-13) who spoke on the current economy of the region and on the need to work in partnership to affect positive
development in the Mahoning Valley.
Huntington Bank was presented with the MVEDC perpetual plaque award for having partnered the most loans with MVEDC. Individually, Joe Fanto
of J.P. Morgan Chase Bank received the award for the most loans with MVEDC by a single loan officer.
Last year, 46 companies received a total of $7,960,337 in MVEDC loans. Adding that amount with the respective bank partner loans and owner
equity in these expansion projects resulted in total business investments in the region of $21,286,792 in 2012.