YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown Business Incubator staff took a moment Monday to celebrate years of hard work as they unveiled the completed Phase II renovations of Tech Block Building 5.
Dozens of elected officials, community stakeholders and partners of YBI gathered on the first floor of what was the original Vindicator building for the ribbon cutting of the $2.5 million project.
“My former boss, Reid Dulberger, told me once that if you don’t pause to celebrate your victories, you’re really missing the bigger point,” said Barb Ewing, CEO of YBI. “So we always pause to celebrate the victories large and small.”
The renovation added 19,000 square feet of office space on the building’s second floor, 1,000 square feet of manufacturing space for JuggerBot 3D and upgrades to the 1936 freight elevator.
The project also fixed the building’s leaking roof, a long-standing issue that required staff to use tarps to protect equipment and visitors during rainy weather.
The project was funded primarily by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, with an additional $475,000 from JobsOhio’s Vibrant Communities Grant. Among the many Ewing thanked during the evening were Walt Good and Team NEO, who assisted YBI in securing the necessary matching funds.
“YBI was one of the first applicants for the Vibrant Communities Grant,” said Kristi Tanner, senior managing director at JobsOhio. “Every time I visit Youngstown and see the progress and growth here, I’m excited. YBI is an anchor institution, attracting out-of-state companies and incredible talent, and contributing to the vibrancy of downtown.”
The expansion also supports tenants like JuggerBot 3D, a company that now occupies about 60% of the renovated second floor in addition to the entire first-floor space.
Co-owner Zac DiVencenzo emphasized YBI’s pivotal role in the company’s success.
“If YBI wasn’t involved in 3D printing, and if America Makes hadn’t come to Youngstown, I find it hard to believe JuggerBot 3D would have had the opportunity to grow into this space that we’re cutting the ribbon for today, to be able to hire 17 people in less than 10 years and to be able to develop new technology for the defense and aerospace industries,” he said.
JuggerBot recently secured $4 million in funding from America Makes for a large-scale additive manufacturing system in collaboration with the Air Force Research Lab.
“The machine we’re building will help us to demonstrate the capabilities, not just of thermoplastic composites, which is the core of our business, but also thermoset composites as well, which is a huge gap in the 3D printing business right now,” said Dan Fernback, co-owner of JuggerBot 3D.
Fernback said JuggerBot expects to add three or four employees in the next few months, growing its team to over 20 people.
“And if everything goes according to plan, we’ll keep building on that.”
Stephanie Gilchrist, a YBI board member and director of economic development for the city of Youngstown, highlighted YBI’s long-term contributions to the community.
“To see that now we have five buildings on this campus, the thousands of jobs that have walked through these doors, and the millions of dollars that have come to this community, we are forever grateful,” she said.
Though the evening provided an opportunity to reflect on their hard work and accomplishments, Ewing emphasized that their mission would continue, with more positive developments on the horizon.
“This project was a big project, and it will continue to pay dividends well into the future,” she said.
Pictured at top: Zac DiVencenzo, co-owner of JuggerBot 3D; Heidi Ruby, vice president of operations for YBI; Barb Ewing, YBI CEO; Kristi Tanner, senior managing director at JobsOhio; Stephanie Gilchrist, economic development director for the city of Youngstown.