YBI Names 5 ‘Sharks’ for Shark Tank Event
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown Business Incubator has announced the five “sharks” that will serve on the panel at its Shark Tank Event May 3 at The Lake Club: Eugene Calabria, John Masternick, Catherine Mott, Ed Muransky and Anthony Vross.
The event is a local take of the ABC show “Shark Tank,” where entrepreneurs give brief pitches to a panel of investors. In the YBI’s version, 10 startups will give 90-second pitches to the panel.
“Our sharks each have their own area of expertise and interests, so their input and questions will be very interesting with this group of entrepreneurs”, said the YBI’s director of marketing and communications, Corey Patrick, adding that the sharks will be briefed on the companies they will see during the event and that the companies that will pitch are a diverse bunch of entrepreneurial ventures.
Calabria is CEO of GBS Corp. in North Canton, one of the largest valued-added resellers of software in the country. GBS partners with software and technology developers to provide consulting, revenue cycle management and IT services to hospitals and physicians.
Masternick is CEO of Windsor House Inc., which operates 11 skilled nursing centers and four assisted living centers throughout the Mahoning Valley, which combined employ 1,500.
The founder of BlueTree Capital Group, Mott works to connect investors with investment opportunities. Prior to founding the firm, she spent 17 years in corporate banking management, where she held senior roles in investment sales, wealth management, commercial lending, business development and retail expansion.
As founder and board chairman of The Muransky Companies, Muransky is the majority owner of Southwoods Health and the CEO of Chestnut Land Co., the holding company for Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzel franchises nationwide. Nearly 2,000 people work for companies under The Muransky Companies’ purview.
Finally, Vross is a co-owner of Simon Roofing and has helped lead the company’s push for new technologies. He helped patent the Fume Recovery System, now used nationwide for roofing projects in odor-sensitive environments. He also helped develop the company’s online roof management and service programs, one of the first in the industry.
“When looking for our sharks, we asked ourselves ‘Who embodies the aspects of a true entrepreneur?’ and I believe we’ve found those people,” Patrick said.
YBI’s Shark Tank Event will be held 6 to 9 p.m. at The Lake Club in Poland. Tickets are $75 each. Tickets and table reservations are available at YBI.org/sharktank.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
