CANFIELD, Ohio – A vision conceived four years ago became reality in Mahoning County Career & Technical Center’s Leadership Employment Advancement Discovery Center.
A ribbon cutting Wednesday morning welcomed supporters, elected and appointed officials and community members to the roughly 40,000-square-foot building at 7300 N. Palmyra Road.
Superintendent John Zehentbauer said that when MCCTC officials developed the vision for the center, they had three major goals.
“Our first was, we continually challenge our staff and our teachers to think at least five years ahead, and sometimes much further,” he said. “When we began developing this grant nearly five years ago, much of what you see today was still only an idea. Through the vision of our outstanding teachers, administrators – through visits to innovative programs and employers and companies – we recognize that artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing would grow and, more importantly, would become increasingly connected.”
That’s why the new center houses industrial robotics and automation; computer networking and cybersecurity; AI systems and software development; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning programs. Welding also will move into the new part of the building.
The second goal was to create an environment where programs could collaborate. A large open space with high ceilings provides that area. It’s a space where students and teachers can work collaboratively to solve problems and to create, the superintendent said.
“Our third most important goal was to resource the entire Mahoning Valley,” Zehentbauer said.
The new center will also enable the center to enroll more than 100 additional students. Zehentbauer said students were being turned away because of a lack of space. The state helped, awarding MCCTC a $11.4 million career tech expansion grant in 2024 for the $16 million project.
The superintendent thanked state legislators as well as current and former MCCTC board members for their support of the project.
Ohio Auditor Keith Faber praised the new center. He said he travels throughout the state and in his position sees both the good and bad in government.
“We get to see things that work well, but truly, truly the crown of Ohio education and the gems of Ohio education are career technical centers all around the state, and this is truly a diamond among those,” Faber said.
State Rep. Tex Fischer, R-59th, presented Zehentbauer with a commendation for the project from the Ohio House, and a representative from U.S. Sen. John Husted’s office also presented a commendation, recognizing the LEAD Center. Zehentbauer said Gov. Mike DeWine and Husted, who was lieutenant governor at the time, were instrumental in the securing of funding for the center.
The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission helped manage the project, and Joy Bledsoe, its executive director, also lauded the project.
“At OFCC, our job is to support the vision of our partners to build facilities that will transform and improve the lives of all Ohioans,” she said. “This great building is an example of that.”
Also as part of Wednesday’s ceremony, the collaborative space inside the LEAD Center was named in honor of J. Paul Good, a former longtime MCCTC board member. The area spans about 12,500 square feet.
Jeffery Good, son of the late J. Paul and MCCTC board president, said the center represents a promise to give students the absolute best tools, real-world experiences and collaborative spaces to prepare for the future.
“Our dad had a lifelong love affair with his school, starting way back in 1974, when it was first known as the Mahoning County Joint Vocational School, or the JVS,” Good said.
Good served 34 years on the board and also hired Zehentbauer at the center. With a 6-foot-4-inch frame and a booming voice, the elder Good loomed larger than life, his son said.
“When his name goes up on the wall behind me, right here, it feels completely fitting that he’s going to be larger than life all over again for every student, every teacher, administrator and community member who gathers here to learn, innovate and collaborate” he said.
Mara Banfield, MCCTC director and Valley STEM superintendent, said the center takes pride in its commitment to workforce development.
“We prepare students not only for graduation but also for successful and fulfilling careers,” she said. “We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of so many stakeholders who believe in our students, in the importance of providing them with meaningful opportunities.”
MCCTC students are able to explore their interests, develop their skills and pursue their dreams with their chosen career pathways, Banfield added.
MCCTC officials will host another ribbon cutting next month for its Medical Wellness & Education Center at 7340 N. Palmyra. It’s a partnership with Mercy Health and Cadence Care Network.
Pictured at top: Elected officials, MCCTC administrators and staff and community supporters cut a ribbon for the school’s new Leadership Employment Advancement Discovery Center.