CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has created a 17-member Shenango-Mahoning Valley Business Advisory Council, which covers parts of eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

The 17 members from the Mahoning and Shenango valleys are among 42 new Fed advisory council members.

Business Advisory Council members are leaders from a cross-section of regional businesses and community development, consumer and labor organizations across the Fourth Federal Reserve District. 

The Shenango-Mahoning Valley Business Advisory Council members are:

  • Ben Bush, executive director of Forward Lawrence Chamber & Economic Alliance, New Castle.
  • Guy Coviello, president and CEO of Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, Youngstown.
  • Rich Davis, chief financial officer of Ellwood Group, Ellwood City.
  • Corey Deible, chief financial officer of PJ Dick, Trumble and Lindy Paving, New Galilee, Pa.
  • John Demmler, president and CEO of 717 Credit Union, Warren.
  • Gordon Edwards, chief financial officer and treasurer of Akron Children’s Hospital, Boardman.
  • Tim Feeney, general manager-Sharon Tube for Zekelman Industries, Farrell.
  • David George, president and CEO of Joy Baking Group, Hermitage.
  • Lew Kachulis, CEO of Synergy Comp, Sharon.
  • Joe Koch Jr., vice president of Joe Koch Construction Inc., Austintown.
  • Frank Krieder, president of northwest region and executive vice president of community commercial banking at First National Bank, Hermitage.
  • Zachary Lenhart, vice president of operations at UPMC Horizon, Farrell, and UPMC Jameson, New Castle.
  • Mark McClymonds, president of McClymonds Supply & Transit Co., Portersville.
  • Kathy Richardson, president of Westminster College, New Wilmington.
  • Allen Ryan, director of corporate affairs at Covelli Enterprises, Warren.
  • Alexa Sweeney-Blackann, interim president and CEO of Lake to River Economic Development, Youngstown.
  • Rod Wilt, executive director of Penn-Northwest Development Corporation, Hermitage.

Additionally, Kevin Helmick, president and CEO of Farmers National Banc Corp. in Canfield, was named to the Fed’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council. Members are leaders from commercial banks, thrifts and savings banks and credit unions with assets of less than $10 billion.

Additionally, Kevin Helmick, president and CEO of Farmers National Banc Corp in Canfield, was named to the Fed’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council.

Through its advisory councils, the Cleveland Fed engages with a diverse range of business, civic and community leaders to collect information on regional economic and business conditions. Observations from the councils complement bank research, enabling the Cleveland Fed to get a better picture of economic conditions in the Fourth District, which includes Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

“It’s important for us that the Fed consider real time, qualitative data directly from Mahoning and Shenango Valley companies when deciding on monetary policy,” Coviello said. “Our economic conditions are often different than Cleveland’s.”

Demmler said he’s pleased to join the new business advisory council.

“I look forward to sharing insights from the local economy and discussing the impact of federal monetary policy throughout the region,” he said. “The esteemed group of business leaders that form this new 17-member advisory council represent an impressive cross-section of important industries to the Valley. This is one more illustration of the growing focus on northeast Ohio as an integral part of Ohio’s success story.”

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., comprise the Federal Reserve System.