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Business briefs

Athena Award goes

to hospital president

BOARDMAN – The president of Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital is the 2015 recipient of the Athena Award.

Genie Aubel was among 16 area women who were nominated for the award. The announcement was made at a dinner Thursday at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center.

The award is given annually to recognize area business and professional women who have demonstrated excellence in their chosen careers, provided leadership in the community and mentored or contributed to the growth of other professional women. Aubel, a Canfield resident, has been the hospital’s president since 2006.

Three local students received scholarships at the dinner. They are Youngstown State University student Briana Scott, $1,500; Poland Seminary High School senior Nicolette Kreatsoulas, $1,250; and YSU sophomore Megan Guliano, $1,250.

AmEx president dies suddenly, felt ill on flight

American Express said company President Ed Gilligan died suddenly Friday after falling ill while flying on a corporate plane to New York.

Gilligan, 55, was coming back from a business trip. The plane made an emergency landing in the U.S., an American Express spokeswoman said. She declined to say where Gilligan had been.

“This is deeply painful and frankly unimaginable for all of us who had the great fortune to work with Ed,” said American Express CEO Ken Chenault, in a letter to employees Friday.

Gilligan began working at the New York credit card issuer and global payments company 35 years ago as an intern. He was named president of the company in 2013 and reported to Chenault.

American Express said he is survived by his wife and four children.

Amazon ups Ohio jobs, begins tax collections

COLUMBUS – Amazon has selected Ohio as a major Midwest hub for its cloud computing operations, a decision the governor hailed Friday as a victory for the high-tech future of a state whose legacy was built on heavy manufacturing.

“This is really an intellectual triumph in a lot of ways,” Republican Gov. John Kasich said during an announcement event. “This is something that will send a message to our young people that, you want to think, you want to live in the future, you want to understand technology, you stay right here in Ohio.”

Kasich, a potential 2016 presidential contender, blushed when asked whether he would still be governor when the plan comes to fruition.

The deal with the Seattle-based online retailing giant was brokered over about a year by Ohio’s privatized job-creation entity, JobsOhio. Under the arrangement, Amazon will invest about $1 billion in two existing and one future Amazon Web Services data centers in the Columbus suburbs of Dublin, Hilliard and New Albany.

All told, the expansion will amount to 1,000 well-paying jobs – about $80,000 yearly – over the next several years, said Paul Misener, company vice president of global public policy. The total includes positions at fulfillment centers for Amazon orders that aren’t yet finalized.

General Motors, Subaru models added to recall

DETROIT – General Motors and Subaru are adding vehicles to the growing list of models being recalled by 11 automakers due to potentially exploding air bags.

The U.S. government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the model information on Friday. The vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators made by Takata Corp. of Japan that can inflate with too much force, spewing shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

Six people have been killed and more than 100 injured due to the problem.

Last week NHTSA and the government agreed to double the number of inflators it recalled to 33.8 million. But the makes and models were not available. The increase made it the largest auto recall in U.S. history, according to the agency.

The best way to tell if your car or truck is being recalled is to key in the vehicle identification number at vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/. The number is stamped on the driver’s side of the dashboard near the windshield and also is on many state registration cards.

Local financial stocks report is mixed Friday

Cortland Bancorp slipped 25 cents in trading to close at $15 a share on Friday. First Niles Financial bank stayed at $8.50 a share.

Business briefs

STERLING HOUSE CHANGING NAME: Sterling House of Youngstown, 2300 Canfield Road, a senior living facility, is celebrating its recent name change to Brookdale Cornersburg with an open house at 11 a.m. Thursday. The event will include music and other live entertainment, food and a 2 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.

COLUMBIA PIPELINE GROUP RECOGNIZED: American Gas Association recognized Columbia Pipeline Group, which has a pipeline in Mahoning County, as a safety leader for the second consecutive year for outstanding employee safety performance in 2014. The award was presented during the AGA Operations Conference and Biennial Exhibition May 20 at the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

New business

CERTIFIED OIL OPENS IN AUSTINTOWN: The newly re-built Certified Oil Co., 825 N. Canfield Niles Road, Austintown, opened recently with a ribbon cutting. The company operates or supplies more than 140 locations with convenience stores and retail fueling facilities in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.

SARAH MARIE STUDIO OPENS IN HUBBARD: Photographer Sarah Ryser recently opened Sarah Marie Studio in Hubbard. For information, call 330-980-5803.

BROOKFIELD SPARKLE MARKET TO OPEN: Brookfield Sparkle Market, formerly Brookfield Giant Eagle, at 7229 Warren Sharon Road, will open with a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. June 4.

Business briefs

NORTHWOOD NAMES TOP PRODUCERS FOR APRIL: Northwood Realty Services named its April 2015 sales and listing leaders. For the Trumbull County office in Howland, they are Andrea Hovance, listing volume and unit leader; Jody Sova, selling volume leader; and Janet Zangara, selling unit leaders. Top producers for Mahoning County in the Boardman, Canfield and Poland offices are Kelly Alesi, Breanna Fitzgerald and Jennifer Mayo, listing volume leaders; Alesi, Paul Bevilacqua and Mayo, and Chris Roman for the Matthews/Warren Team, listing unit leaders; Alesi, Breanna Fitzgerald, Linda Kiraly and Jill Pursifull, selling volume leaders; Kiraly and Kathy Ludt, and Roman for the Matthews/Warren Team, selling unit leaders.

HOWARD HANNA LISTS APRIL LEADERS: Howard Hanna named its top producers for April. In the Howland office the listing leaders are Hayley Skladanek, Jean Cook and Tim Hopkinson for volume; Cook, Skladanek and Kathryn Disantis, units; and the written sales leaders are Skladanek, Cook, Paul Rezabek, volume; and Cook, Rezabek and Skladanek, units. In the Canfield/Salem office the listing leaders are Cindy Lautzenheiser, Pam Porter and Sandra Bates, volume; and Lautzenheiser, Bates and Jeremy Gomoll, units. The written sales leaders are Lautzenheiser, Kimberly Martin, Nancy Zatchok, volume; and Lautzenheiser, Martin and Zatchok, units.

CORTLAND BANCORP NAMED TO 2015 OTCQX(R) BEST 50: Cortland Bancorp, the holding company for Cortland Savings and Banking Company, announced it has been named to the 2015 OTCQX(R) Best 50, a ranking of 50 top performing companies traded on the OTCQX Best Marketplace last year. The ranking is calculated based on an equal weighting of one-year share price performance and average daily dollar volume growth in the previous calendar year.

YOUNGSTOWN BUSINESS INCUBATOR TO RECEIVE DONATION: Medical Mutual of Ohio will present a $10,000 check Tuesday to the Youngstown Business Incubator, 241 W. Federal St., as part of Medical Mutual’s Customer Loyalty Rewards Program.

People on the Move

BETRAS, KOPP & HARSHMAN LLC ANNOUNCES NEW HIRES: Betras, Kopp & Harshman LLC announced the law firm has hired Frank Cassese, a graduate of Cardinal Mooney and Ohio State University, who received his law degree from Cleveland Marshall School of Law, and Justin Markota, a graduate of Ursuline High School and Youngstown State University, who received his J.D. from Capital Law School in Columbus.

New Businesses

JESY’S DAIRY COVE RIBBON CUTTING: A ribbon cutting was held Friday at Jesy’s Dairy Cove, 3743 N. Main St., Mineral Ridge, which opened Feb. 5.

LABEL SHOPPER RIBBON-CUTTING: A ribbon cutting at Label Shopper, 2093 Elm Road, NE, Warren, was held recently. Label Shopper is an off- price retailer based out of Albany, N.Y.

To submit information for Business Briefs, People on the Move or New Businesses, visit “http://www.tribtoday.com”>www.tribtoday.com and click the “submit your news” button, or email tribune chronicle business editor Virginia Shank at vshank@tribtoday.com.

Business briefs

CHAMPION INJECTION MOLDING NAMED STATEWIDE FINALIST FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD: Ohio Chamber of Commerce named Champion Injection Molding, based in Warren, one of three statewide finalists for the 2015 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award that was designed to identify, honor and financially assist Ohio companies. The chamber recognized the company, which received a $5,000 cash award and plaque, last month at its annual awards ceremony in Columbus.

HOME SAVINGS DONATES TO JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES: Home Savings Charitable Foundation recently donated $5,000 to Jewish Family Services. The funds will be used for protective services for indigent clients. For information about Jewish Family Services, call 330-746-7929.

SHEET METAL WORKERS ASSEMBLE BIKES FOR UNITED WAY: Sheet Metal Workers Local 33 union members recently assembled 150 bicycles for the United Way of Youngstown in Mahoning Valley’s “Success by 6,” a pre-kindergarten readiness program offered in 18 area school districts. Organized by Kevin Rogers, Local 33’s Youngstown apprentice coordinator, apprentices, staff and other volunteers spent six hours – 102 man hours in all – assembling the bikes.

ASECU DONATES TO BOARDMAN STADIUM PROJECT: Associated School Employees Credit Union (ASECU) is donating $25,000 to Boardman Stadium Project to help fund the new stadium scheduled to open this fall.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION HOLDS OPEN HOUSE: Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley recently held an open house at its newly renovated office, 201 E. Commerce St., Suite 150, Youngstown.

HUNTINGTON RANKED HIGHEST IN NORTH CENTRAL REGION: For the third year in a row Huntington Bank has been ranked the highest in the North Central Region in J.D. Power’s 2015 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study. This year’s survey results show Huntington scoring 835, an increase of 7 points from last year, out of a 1,000-point scale in the North Central Region.

REAL LIVING NAMES TOP PRODUCING AGENTS FOR APRIL: Real Living Volpini Group’s Howland named its top producing agents for April. Top sales agents were Janine Furrie and Patty Helmick. Top Listing agents were Helmick and Kimberly Griffin.

SHARON REGIONAL AWARDED LAB ACCREDITATION: Sharon Regional Health System earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for laboratory services accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Joint Commission’s laboratory standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients.

NORTHEAST OHIO ADDS INITIATIVE: Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) launched a new efficiency and value initiative to evaluate the university’s strategic plan. The initial roll-out of the NEOMED Efficiency and Value Initiative incorporates four immediate actions, creation of the Presidential Committee on Efficiency and Value, implementation of a hiring freeze, generation of new funding for mission to market initiatives and the restructuring of senior leadership positions.

OHIO INTERFAITH RECEIVES EPA AWARD: Ohio Environmental Protection Agency awarded an Environmental Education Grant to Ohio Interfaith Power & Light in Columbus for college interns to help the organization work with congregations and faith-based organizations statewide to plan, prioritize and implement initiatives and research sustainability options.The project is being funded with a $32,157 grant. Twelve grants were awarded statewide for $322,110. Eligible grant recipients included environmental groups, public and private schools, colleges and universities, trade or professional organizations, businesses and state and local governments.

GREENWOOD CHEVROLET BEGINS RENOVATION PROJECT: Additions and renovations, by Adolph Johnson & Son Co., have started at the Greenwood Chevrolet Austintown showroom, Mahoning Avenue. The project, scheduled for completion in December, includes adding 5,400 square feet of sales space, and interior and exterior improvements. In the interim, the sales staff is working out of the former Hummer building next door.

HAPPY TRAILS BEGINS EDUCATIONAL TOUR SEASON: Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, 5623 New Milford Road, Ravenna, a nonprofit organization that rescues abused, abandoned and neglected farm animals, has opened its educational tour season through October. For information, call 330-296-5914.

New Business

RIBBON CUTTING AT YELLOW BRICK PLACE: Yellow Brick Place, 2959 Canfield Road, Suite 10, Youngstown, a cancer awareness center, recently had a ribbon cutting at its new location. For more information, visit Yellowbrickplace.org.

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