Outstanding Small Business Philanthropist: Humtown
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Humtown started more than 60 years ago as a shop that made patterns for the piercer points and castings that kept area pipe mills operating. Today it provides molds produced by sand core and additive manufacturing for industries, from hydraulics, pneumatics and pumping to aerospace, medical equipment and hypersonics.
“It’s pretty well proportionally spaced among all the industries that use castings,” says Mark Lamoncha, president and CEO of Humtown Products and Humtown Additive.
“Mark and the Humtown team are generous supporters of events and programs across the Mahoning Valley. Their contributions to local economic development and youth programming have exceeded $1 million over the past decade,” Barb Ewing, CEO of the Youngstown Business Incubator, wrote in her nomination letter.
Contributions to community organizations and causes in 2023 alone exceeded $300,000.
Lamoncha took over the company co-founded by his father in 1995. He bought out his brother to become sole owner of Humtown in 2017 and, more recently, his son, Brandon, bought into the business.
The company recently relocated its additive operations to the former Gorant Candies plant building in Boardman, while it maintains its traditional sand core mold operation in Columbiana.
Humtown’s business is split evenly between traditional sand core molds and additive, he says.
He says manufacturing is starting to pick up after a lull in recent years.
“I feel that it’s always been in a four-year cycle, that there’s always apprehension over the changing of the guard, and that business will pick back up and be even more robust after the election, regardless of who wins,” he says.
Humtown’s philanthropy is wide ranging but mainly focuses on education and other areas related to industry. Beneficiaries include YBI, Youngstown State University Foundation, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition, Ballet Western Reserve, Youngstown Symphony Society, Oh Wow! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center, Second Harvest Food Bank, Columbiana Meals on Wheel and Ohio Cast Metals Association, just to name a few.
In addition to the money Humtown has donated over the years, Lamoncha engages in what he describes as “participatory philanthropy.”
He personally serves on 17 boards, including the Ohio Board of Education, “which is probably the one that I enjoy the most,” he acknowledges. And he recently joined the board of the Ohio Manufacturers Association.
Also, his company has advocated for regional interests during events such as the Regional Chamber’s D.C. and Columbus Fly-In events.
“You can always give time,” he says. “You may not always be able to give money. And you don’t necessarily have to have a lot of money. … It’s all relative to what you have. There’s always a little something extra that you can do with money or time.”
Pictured at top: Mark Lamoncha, president and CEO of Humtown Products and Humtown Additive