BRN Connects Services to Growing Companies

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Business Resource Network assisted 53 companies in 2023, 29 in Mahoning County, 10 in Columbiana County and 14 in Trumbull County, reports Susie Wickline, chief operating officer.

The organization is a collaborative group of workforce, economic development and education organizations, and government agencies that provide businesses with a single point of contact for business services that include financial options, employee training, and technical assistance.

Since its inception in 2008, the BRN has helped nearly 450 companies.

During a personal interview, a BRN account executive learns about a company’s challenges and opportunities. Partner organizations use that information to offer suggestions and propose customized services. A comprehensive proposal is then presented to the company by an account executive who will assist in implementing elements of the proposal. There is no charge for the interview or the proposal. Many services are free.

The BRN has been recognized by government and private entities as a model of how workforce development and economic development can effectively collaborate and leverage resources, Wickline says.

Thirty-five BRN partner organizations meet monthly to exchange ideas and brainstorm to help local businesses grow and succeed. Expertise ranges from real estate to worker safety, from succession planning to exporting, from government contracts to employee training.

Clients have ranged from owner-operator companies to those with hundreds of employees and from service providers to heavy manufacturers.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.