Who Will Make Headlines in 2020?
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — With Growth Report 2020 in full swing, The Business Journal expects the momentum from 2019 to carry into the new year as regional businesses put plans into action that will lead to the next big story.
The region set some impressive milestones last year, according to reports in the January 2020 edition of The Business Journal. In commercial real estate, 96 deals topped $500,000 in 2019, led by the sale of the former GM Lordstown complex to Lordstown Motors Corp. for $20 million. The entire list of the year’s largest transactions runs on pages 48 to 51.
The last big sale in 2019 was a Comfort Inn at 5425 Clarkins Drive, Austintown, to Superior Hospitality Group LLC. The Chino, Calif.-based company purchased the property on Dec. 29 for $2.75 million.
One industry to keep an eye on in 2020 is the health-care industry, which has seen a 37% growth in gross domestic product and 21% growth in jobs since the millennium. A table on page 11 shows the top 10 occupation forecast for the industry, with registered nurses topping the list with nearly 10,000 in-demand jobs (as of 2018).
Economic development agencies share their plans for 2020 on pages 20 to 24, while George Nelson and Jeremy Lydic report on the top business stories for the year on pages 28 and 29.
On page 34, read the story Clemate Franklin and his brainchild, 12 Rounds, a popular fitness class at the Central Branch YMCA. An injury took Franklin, a former Golden Gloves boxer, out of the ring. But a passion for helping keep others in the fight led to the creation of the class.
“I always want to let everyone know and be aware of what they’re here for,” Franklin says. “When you get inside the challenger’s head and say, ‘I’m here to fight for my son, my daughter, my mom, my dad, whatever keeps you going,’ it keeps you going.”
The first Brain Gain stories of the year introduced readers to two entrepreneurs establishing start-up companies in the Youngstown area (pages 6 to 9). And in our cover story, Lisa Solley showed how the Williamson College of Business Administration at Youngstown State University works to keep its graduates working locally.
Read these stories and more in the January 2020 edition. Purchase a copy at BusinessJournalDaily.com/subscribe, or by calling 330 744 5023. You can also CLICK HERE to check out the free trial of our e-edition.
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