WARREN, Ohio – A new training center at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport will help attract aviation companies to Ohio and reinforce the state’s importance in aviation, a JobsOhio official said.

Terry Slaybaugh, vice president of infrastructure and sites for JobsOhio, was on hand at the Western Reserve Port Authority’s board of directors meeting Wednesday to announce a $1 million grant from the organization’s Site Inventory Program for the YNG Aviation Education Center.

The grant represents the final piece of funding for the $5.5 million center at the regional airport, which the port authority operates, said Anthony Trevena, the port authority’s executive director.

The port authority announced plans last year for the 18,000-square-foot center, which will house the YNG Flight School and an expansion of Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics’ campus at the airport. Site work is already underway, and the rest of the project should go out for bid sometime around July.

The project is part of the “rebirth” of aviation education in Ohio, Slaybaugh said. He pointed to Ohio’s history as a leader in aviation and recent successes in attracting aviation-related jobs, including Joby Aviation’s plans to build a $500 million plant to manufacture electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

While having available sites for development has been important and continues to be, the top concern for companies is talent and whether they will be able to find the workforce they need.

“We’re continuing in Ohio to increase our educational institutions that are going to provide the workforce for aerospace, and aviation is key to us being successful in getting companies to come here,” Slaybaugh said. “We have to be able to demonstrate that we can provide the workforce for them when they get here.”

The port authority worked with Lake to River Economic Development, the regional JobsOhio partner that covers Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties, to secure the grant.

“This project demonstrates how collaboration among public and private partners can deliver transformative results, addressing workforce needs while driving meaningful economic growth in the Mahoning Valley,” Alexa Sweeney Blackann, Lake to River’s interim CEO, said in a news release announcing the grant award.

Though a formal agreement has not been finalized for Youngstown State University to be a partner in the flight school, the Ohio Board of Regents has approved an associate’s degree in aviation at YSU, Trevena reported.

Joe Maxin, lead flight instructor at the flight school, introduced several of the school’s students, including its first solo student, Trevena’s son, Che’.   

Joe DeRamo, campus director of PIA Youngstown, said he recently was contacted by a regional carrier out west that had seen a news release about the campus, which gave him an opportunity to plug the flight school and share “the comprehensive story” of the airport.

Rich Edwards, chairman of the port authority’s aviation committee, praised the work of Trevena and his staff.

“Your group has been unbelievable,” he said. “People don’t realize how much this will do for our counties.”

Other Business

In other business, the port authority board approved hiring Brownfield Restoration Group, Fairlawn, for $153,905 to oversee and manage environmental remediation activities at the former McGuffey Plaza property, which the port authority acquired in 2022.

It also approved entering into a cooperative agreement with the city of Girard to acquire property. The port authority has similar agreements with the cities of Youngstown and Warren and Warren’s school district.

Port authority representatives had “a productive conversation” at a recent meeting of Girard City Council, said Nick Chretien, WRPA’s planning and regional development manager. Though council lacked a quorum and could not act on the proposal, WRPA staff will attend a meeting Monday to hopefully finalize an agreement with the city.

Pictured at top: A rendering of the YNG Aviation Education Center.