YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A $750,000 allocation in Ohio’s capital budget will help speed renovations at the future Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense, allowing project leaders to move more quickly to create manufacturing space for companies looking to expand, relocate or enter the defense and aerospace sectors.
The funding will support the first phase of renovations at the former Vindicator Printing Co. building at 107 Vindicator Square, a key component of the innovation hub initiative designed to strengthen the Mahoning Valley’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
Barb Ewing, CEO of YBI, says the investment comes at a critical time because companies are already waiting for space.
“We have opportunities on the table, both with local startups looking to grow and companies from outside the region looking to locate here,” she says. “This funding allows us to get phase one underway much more quickly.”
The first phase will focus on creating manufacturing-ready space in the building’s high-bay and low-bay areas, providing room for equipment and early-stage production. Project leaders say moving quickly is essential to keeping businesses interested and positioning the Valley as a destination for aerospace and defense manufacturing.
Megan Malara, director of the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense, says the facility will help manufacturers commercialize new technologies and enter the defense industrial base while taking advantage of the region’s nationally recognized expertise in additive manufacturing.
She says the 130,000-square-foot building has attracted interest from companies in the Valley, across the country and internationally that are looking for space to expand or relocate.
Ewing credits state Sen. Al Cutrona and state Rep. Lauren McNally for leading efforts to secure the funding during a difficult state budget cycle. She also thanks the Lake to River legislative delegation, including state Reps. Nick Santucci, Tex Fischer, Monica Robb Blasdel, Dave Thomas and Sarah Fowler Arthur, for working together to advance the project.
Ewing says the bipartisan support demonstrates the region’s commitment to growing the aerospace and defense industry and will help position Youngstown and the Valley as a national hub for advanced manufacturing.