EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was prepared for publication in the May 2026 edition of The Business Journal. It has been edited to reflect that Mark Lamoncha was named National Small Business Person of the Year.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Mark Lamoncha, this year’s Ohio Small Business Person of the Year honoree, says he sees the recognition as an opportunity to highlight those who helped along the way.
The president and CEO of Humtown Products in Columbiana is one of two local honorees being celebrated by the U.S. Small Business Administration in Ohio this year, along with Mr. PC in Warren.
Lamoncha, who was named SBA’s National Small Business Person of the Year on Monday, was nominated by Patricia Veisz, director of the Small Business Development Center at Youngstown State University. Mr. PC, owned by Mark Wolanczyk, was nominated for its award by a member of the team at Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program, which assists small businesses.
Small Business Week serves as “our Super Bowl of recognition for all our small businesses,” Terry Bolden, SBA district director for Ohio, remarks. “We’re really excited for and proud of our winners,” he remarks.
At the end of each fiscal year, SBA reaches out to its entire resource partner network – which includes SBDCs, veteran business outreach centers and chambers of commerce – to seek Small Business Week nominees.
“Winners can be nominated by any organization,” he continues. “Once all of the nominees are submitted by the deadline, which is usually the end of the calendar year, they then go through a rigorous review process that would include SBA personnel and internal stakeholders.” The Ohio honorees will be recognized at an event Wednesday in Columbus with SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler scheduled to attend.
“It’s a real honor to be able to reflect back on who helped you be nominated, and to reflect that reward back on the value of small businesses,” Lamoncha says. People often say they want to go into business for themselves, but many others help them along that journey.
“It’s an awesome opportunity. I’m truly honored,” Wolanczyk, who started Mr. PC 28 years ago, says of his award. A full-service information technology company, the company’s offerings include cybersecurity, managed services and patch management for clients in 25 states, including several government sector clients, he says.
History
Lamoncha’s father started Humtown Products – originally called Humtown Pattern – in 1959, and he started working there at age 10, he recalls. The company made patterns for tube mills but the younger Lamoncha found that didn’t interest him, so he ended up going to work for another of his father’s companies.
He rejoined Humtown in his late teens, when it was going to start making sand cores. That involved “machinery and technology,” which interested him more, he recalls. He didn’t have time to go to college, so he sought mentorships from area leaders to learn “every aspect of business,” from marketing and sales to accounting.
“The machinery and technology part of it came easier for me because I loved it,” he reflects. “Your life excels when you find something you’re interested in.”
Lamoncha took over Humtown in 1995 and became sole owner in 2017. Moving into the production of sand cores and molds using additive manufacturing technology, he launched Humtown Additive, which is based out of the former Gorant Candies plant in Boardman.
“The Humtown team has been incredibly supportive of all the changes that we’ve had to make,” he says.
About 90% of Mr. PC’s business is run out of the Warren office, Wolanczyk says. A retired former competitor runs an office in North Carolina.
The company has seen 138% growth over the past three years, he reports. It frequently partners with companies in other geographic markets.
Over the years, Mr. PC has navigated issues such as pricing for clients, Wolanczyk says. The company has worked with those vendors on pricing “so we can offer top-notch services at a great price,” he says. The company also works to upgrade the skills of its current employees, and to recruit others and bring them up to the caliber of the current staff.
“It is hard to find qualified people. We do a lot of training and a lot of working with people,” he continues. Unfortunately, his company then becomes “a stepping stone” for employees, though he says he never feels bad when an employee is offered the chance to move on to bigger and better things.
Lamoncha acknowledges his business weathered difficult times including a “pretty bad financial storm” in 1990 but nothing that exceeded the Great Recession, which ran from late 2007 to mid-2009.
“We went from 220 people down to 17, with only three in production,” he recalls. Humtown “found its way out” through developing its Visual Earnings System, which improved the company’s productivity by enhancing the workforce through technological innovation.
“Life lessons are the best lessons,” Lamoncha says. Business owners also benefit when they have mentors who tell them “not what you want to hear but what you need to hear.” Many people in business think that someone who makes a similar product is their biggest competitor, “but your biggest competitor can be yourself that can hold you back.”
Next Generation
Both Small Business Week honorees have brought the next generation into their respective companies. Lamoncha’s son, Brandon, is director of additive manufacturing at Humtown. Carson, Wolanczyk’s son, who is attending Boston College, has been working with his father for several years and plans to become full-time after graduating in 2029.
Lamoncha likens accepting the SBA recognition to a head coach being presented a trophy for a championship. “It’s a team win,” he says.
Wolanczyk, who speaks once each quarter to small business owners at Cuyahoga Community College, says the award will help him to demonstrate where they can go.
“It’s a good honor. It’s something nice to bring to Warren,” he adds.
Pictured at top: Mark Lamoncha, president and CEO of Humtown Products and Ohio Small Business Person of the Year, says the award highlights the mentors and team behind his company’s success.
