‘Problem Solvers’ Provides Solutions for Business Journal Readers

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – With the launch of The Business Journal’s newest feature, Business Strategies, area business leaders are stepping up to offer advice on a multitude of topics.

Among the recurring monthly features will be our Problem Solvers section, where a select group of the region’s business leaders share solutions to pressing problems they’ve recently faced, whether it’s health insurance, hiring or financing a project.

Beginning in February, a video will be posted on the first day of each month on our website, BusinessJournalDaily.com, that features the problem solver discussing a specific case where he tackled either his or his client’s challenges.

A Problem Solvers case study will also appear in each top-of-the-month print issue throughout the year.

For the featured problem solvers, the segment offers a chance to share not just business advice but also their insights into the resources available to employers throughout the community.

Among those who will be featured in the problem solver videos is Dee McFarland, employee benefits specialist at National Healthcare Access in Boardman. McFarland will discuss how her company helps employers track the required information for the Affordable Care Act.

“We want to show the human resource services and support that’s out there that the average employer or consumer doesn’t always see. They don’t see the other services brokers can provide to them,” McFarland explains.

“[Problem Solvers] provides a resource for the business community and shows the strength of the community in the Mahoning Valley,” she continues. “It’s imperative to show that there are so many places you can go for resources.”

Later in the year, W3 Wealth Management financial adviser Jason Lukz says he will discuss the challenges his firm helps its clients overcome. When most people think of wealth management, he explains, they initially think of buying and selling stock, something W3 does very little of. Instead, one of its most valuable services is connecting clients to other resources.

“There are a lot of financial resources and often clients don’t understand we have a connection to many of them,” he says. “This is a great way to explain not only what we do, but how what we do on a day-to-day basis can bring answers to the financial problems that our clients encounter.”

As McFarland and Lukz note, the Problem Solvers segments, in print and online, provide them with new communication venues to connect with the business community.

“It’s a great opportunity to be a continuing presence in the community,” W3’s Lukz says, “Most of us here either moved back here or have always been in the area, so it’s a great way to stay connected.”

For all the problem solvers, working with customers to answer questions they have is just one aspect of their work. The difference between answering their clients’ questions and discussing the problems through the video feature is that more people will hear the answers.

“Part of what we do is help solve problems,” says Western Reserve Port Authority Executive Director John Moliterno, who will be featured as the April Problem Solver.

“The port authority is not just about overseeing the [Youngstown-Warren Regional] airport or our economic development division. What we do with the business community is work alongside government units to come up with solutions,” Moliterno says.

“All problems present an opportunity to find a solution.”

The Problem Solvers segments in our Business Strategies series begin in February, in print, online and on social media networks.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.