YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Across the Mahoning Valley, construction projects encompassing industrial, commercial, medical and residential development are gaining steam as the building season kicks into high gear.
Kevin Reilly, executive vice president of the Builders Association of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, notes the two major projects in Trumbull County are the Kimberly-Clark manufacturing plant and a new Mercy Health facility.
Kimberly-Clark’s $800 million manufacturing facility is on 560 industrial acres on Pine Avenue SE that includes parts of Warren and Howland and Warren townships. The company, which manufactures personal care and hygiene products, has reported more than 350 people are onsite during construction.
According to projections, nearly 500 people are expected to be employed there when operations begin, with hiring already underway. The Fortune 500 company’s plant will span more than a million square feet.
Bon Secours Mercy Health broke ground late last summer on a $50 million building in Champion that will offer 24/7 emergency care, advanced imaging services and full laboratory services. The 30,000-square-foot facility will have a 25-bed capacity and treat many more with outpatient services.
Near the new medical facility, work is ongoing at the Trumbull Career and Technical Center, a $6.4 million expansion project adding 15,000 square feet for industrial training, career exploration and mental health services for students.
Reilly also points to Shepherd of the Valley’s independent and assisted living community in Salem, near the Columbiana-Mahoning County border as another significant project. The $62 million center on 34 acres will create 36 independent living villas, 52 independent apartments and 36 assisted living suites.
Finally, Reilly says there are a lot of smaller projects throughout the Mahoning Valley.
“A lot of the smaller projects – some of that stuff flies under the radar,” Reilly says. “But overall man hours are coming in very good in comparison to this time last year.”
When the information on various upcoming local projects provided by the Dodge Construction Report were relayed to local contractors at the Association’s annual meeting in December, 2026 was anticipated to be a good year, according to Reilly. He believes those will translate into opportunities for local contractors and workers.
“When I’m looking at man hours, our man hours are up about 15% in comparison to the same period last year,” Reilly says, adding these man hours are being calculated from October through March.
Home Construction
The construction of housing in the Mahoning Valley is also seeing an uptick, according to Trisha Howe, executive director of the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of the Valley.
The group’s Parade of Homes kicked off this month at Legacy Villas and Homes in Canfield, where five custom-built, high-end houses have been constructed by local builders – Russo Builders, G. Sorice Builders, SMS Custom Homes, DeLucia Builders and Custom Design Homes by Mark Ramunno.
Howe says this is the first Parade of Homes organized by the HBA in about 20 years. That indicates that home construction is increasing, she says.
Howe says about 12 villas have been built in the Legacy development with 40 more villas planned. That’s in addition to the five homes built for the Parade of Homes.
Twelve to 18 lots remain available for expansion.
“We have a huge uptick in new construction going on right now,” Howe says. “Homes are not as large in square footage as they once were, like 20 years ago when we did the last parade, but there definitely has been a lot of activity taking place.”’
In addition to housing developments in Canfield, Howe lists several others in the area with expanding housing developments.
Joe Koch Construction is building 16 homes in Austintown, according to Howe.
Jason Altobelli of Altobelli Real Estate and Rycon Builders, both of Niles, have been expanding Kline’s Farm, a residential project near state Route 193 in Vienna. Several of those homes were built earlier this year, Howe says.
She also notes soon there will be 16 lots available in the Pine Lakes Reserve area of North Lima through Amy Andrews Realtors.
“Trumbull and Mahoning County have really picked up,” Howe says. “For a long time, people were only building out in Columbiana. Now they seem to be spreading that love.”
Nationwide, the National Association of Home Builders reported in June the country remains short about 1.2 million homes and builders’ confidence in the market for newly-built homes fell in early June.
For several years, local construction of new homes has been slow to stagnant. But movement in the market and the addition of possible new jobs driven by the Kimberly-Clark project and others, is creating demand, officials have said.
“It has been wonderful for our local builders, as well as our economy,” Howe says of the uptick in home building. “Some people are downsizing and selling their homes and other people are buying new homes. Traditional families are moving out of their starter homes and moving forward with going into a larger home and a larger development.”
For those seeking to buy a new home, getting the chance to work directly with custom home builders at an affordable price is a plus, according to Howe.
She says the homes under construction are a mix of smaller homes for older people and larger homes for families. Howe points out the Valley remains an affordable place to live, although with low inventory, the area properties sell quickly.
Howe believes people feel more confident about the economy, which has been up and down over the past decade. That confidence is leading to more construction and more infrastructure being built.
“Everybody talks about affordable housing,” Howe says. “I always say we have the most affordable housing across the country, so it’s a great place to call home.”
Pictured at top: A $50 million Bon Secours Mercy Health facility is taking shape in Champion.
