EAST LIVERPOOL – A $650,000 grant awarded to the East Liverpool Community Project for Revitalization will pave the way for establishing a business incubator and accelerator hub aimed at promoting entrepreneurship.

The funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration was announced Oct. 28.

East Liverpool native Thomas V. Chema, chairman of The Gateway Group of Westlake and a consultant to the East Liverpool Community Project for Revitalization, said he and ELCPR board member Drew Cooper have worked on the idea of establishing an entrepreneurial hub in the city for a couple of years.

“We didn’t just dream this up. We got a couple of grants for a feasibility study first,” Chema said.

The grant will help to create a dedicated space for entrepreneurs to innovate, collaborate and grow their businesses, offering mentorship, investment opportunities and training programs to those focused on arts, entertainment and hospitality.

A board is being appointed to oversee the initiative, with ELCPR president Rick Dieringer to serve as the hub board president. He is a lifelong East Liverpool resident who owns Tri-State Supplies in the city.

“This is a pivotal moment for East Liverpool,” Dieringer said. “These projects and funding mark a major step in the city’s revitalization.”

Chema said although the “hub is going to have a focus on arts and recreation and cultural activity and hospitality, anyone with an entrepreneurial idea can come … and get support. That’s what is so important about this.”

Asked why the focus will initially be on arts, culture, entertainment and hospitality instead of revisiting manufacturing and potteries, which were once prolific in the city, Cooper explained: “We’re trying to find a starting point. You’ll see there’s a real community of proprietors and artists doing different things in this community. It’s almost like it’s in our DNA. It’s how we build off something that’s in our DNA and building from there. We look at it as an easy starting point. We see a bunch of small businesses or people doing hobbies and see how they can start to monetize this and start to build a new entrepreneurial mindset in this area.”

The pilot project for the hub is set to launch in the first quarter of 2025, although neither Chema nor Cooper was ready to divulge what that pilot project entails at this point in the planning.

In addition to providing a collaborative environment for entrepreneurs, the hub will partner with existing entrepreneurial networks in Pittsburgh, Warren, Youngstown and Akron, leveraging their expertise to support East Liverpool’s local business development.

Now that funding is available, the ELCPR will be looking for an executive director. “We will cast a broad net to find the right woman or man” for the position, Chema said.

Some “really good conversations” have been held with Kent State University officials about providing the ELCPR housing for its operations until the group can locate its own space, according to Chema, who said there are numerous locations in the city to be considered when the time comes.

“I can’t be more appreciative for their efforts and desire to make East Liverpool what it used to be,” Mayor Bobby Smith said. “It’s very exciting.”

Pictured at top: Front row, from left, are Samantha Kinemond, treasurer; Kaleb Knowlton, Appalachian regional representative for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown; Sarah Benzing, Brown’s chief of staff; Thomas V. Chema, chairman of The Gateway Group; Drew Cooper, ELCPR board member; and Charles Bailey, True North CEO. Back row, from left, are Mayor Bobby Smith; ELCPR President Rick Dieringer; ELCPR board member Scott Smith; ELCPR board member Bill Reiner; and Bill Jones service-safety director.