ROCKIN’ WITH 7 17: 7 17 Credit Union and Sunrise Entertainment LLC recently announced the launch of the River Rock at the Amp Visa Credit Card available at any 7 17 branch, the Sunrise Inn of Warren and https://www.717cu.com/personal/loans/affinity-cards/amp.

River Rock at the Amp is a popular outdoor concert series that takes place at the Warren Community Amphitheatre every summer. It is about bringing great music to the community and 7 17 is helping make that tradition possible.

Every time a cardholder used the specialized card, 7 17 donates 7.17 cents back to the Amp.

There’s no annual fee and cardholders will have a 7.17% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers.

Sunrise Entertainment will announce its full schedule of events for the River Rock at the Amp 2026 season in April.

VALLOUREC CONTRACT: Vallourec, a global seamless tube manufacturer with a facility in the Mahoning Valley, said on Monday it has secured a contract with Shell, an international energy company.

The contract amount was not disclosed.

The agreement covers the supply of oil country tubular goods, products and services for Shell’s offshore operations in the development of the Orca project, formerly known as Gato do Mato, a deep-water project offshore of Brazil. The expected drilling date is April 2027, and the current drilling plan includes 10 wells, with an estimation of 12,000 to 15,000 tons of pipes.

This contract encompasses the full OCTG scope, including seamless pipes and VAM premium connections for Shell’s offshore wells ranging from 4.5″ to 18″, with carbon and stainless-steel tubulars and associated accessories.

Vallourec will also provide services onshore and offshore — covering desk engineering, material coordination, rig preparation, offshore supervision, and rig return repairs — to support Shell in optimizing operational efficiency.

“After recently winning an order to supply line pipes on this key offshore project, this new contract demonstrates Vallourec’s ability to support its customers across the entire value chain,” said Philippe Guillemot, chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Vallourec Group.

HD PROMOTIONS: HD Growth Partners, headquartered in Liberty, recently has announced the promotion of Megan Roberts to chief operations officer and Donald L. Trummer from CPA to partner.

Roberts brings more than a decade of expertise in operational excellence and FinTech implementation for financial services and accounting firms. Under Roberts’ leadership, her previous firm received the 2022 Financial Technology Firm of the Year Award from its Broker Dealer for successfully implementing eSignature capabilities, automated workflows and a commitment to digital case design. In 2023, she earned the Breakthrough Firm of the Year recognition from the Karbon Excellence Awards for her implementation of practice management software. Most recently, she received the 2024 Golden Harmonica Award, HD Growth Partners’ highest internal honor, for exemplifying core company values and embodying the founder’s spirit of embracing technology with a progressive business mindset.

In November 2025, she was named a Power of Change Honoree by the Ohio Society of CPAs, recognized for her industry leadership and her commitment to advancing the profession through meaningful, people-centered operational transformation.

Trummer is the director of Tax Advisory Services at HD Growth Partners. In this leadership role, he spearheads the firm’s tax advisory efforts, guiding strategy and execution for family-owned and entrepreneur-led businesses. He works closely with colleague Erin Sturrus, CPA, to deliver sophisticated tax planning and compliance solutions.

Prior to joining HD Growth Partners, Trummer brought more than 12 years of tax compliance and planning experience from his work at HBK, where he focused on serving the needs of small and family-run enterprises. His background equips him with insights into the challenges local businesses face and enables him to craft proactive tax strategies that help owners preserve and grow value.

MENARDS HELPS: Menards home improvement store is serving as a drop site as its 2015 Walmart Drive, Bazetta, location for a local food pantry through March.

Menards offers a variety of nonperishable food items that can be donated to the food pantries, from boxes of cereal to cans of soup, for immediate donation. There is a large collection box near the exit doors to place donations.

SEMINARS FOR ENTREPRENEURS: The Business Resource Center at Valley Partners  is offering free, monthly educational seminars year-round designed to equip entrepreneurs and small business owners with the practical knowledge needed to start, sustain and grow successful businesses. 

The seminars focus on essential business topics, including bookkeeping basics, building and understanding business credit, navigating small business loans, grant writing, product pricing and services, and strategies for scaling a business. Sessions are led by a diverse group of regional experts, providing attendees with valuable insights and real-world experience across a variety of industries. 

“Through these seminars, we hope every entrepreneur in attendance is inspired to take their business to the next level,” said Matthew Longmire, business resource manager of the BRC. “The presenters we have scheduled to speak all specialize in a specific field so we can strategically empower entrepreneurs with the information and resources needed to make informed decisions and build sustainable businesses.” 

The next seminar will take place from 1 to 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Valley Partners Office, located at 4319 Belmont Ave, Youngstown. Registration is available at valleyedp.com/upcoming-events.

All seminars are offered at no cost and are open to entrepreneurs, aspiring business owners, and community members seeking to strengthen their business knowledge.

HBRA LEADERS: The Home Builders and Remodelers Association of the Valley has announced its newly appointed leadership and board of directors for 2026. The organization has served Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana counties for more than 80 years.

Zach Tabor of Tabor Landscape & Garden Center is president with Bill Green, Boak & Sons, is vice president.

Newly appointed board members are Gina Shutrump, Howard Hanna Real Estate; Joe Koch Jr., Joe Koch Construction Inc.; Rich Begalla, Window Depot; Bobbie Hosa, Top Advantage Surfaces; Ben Petronelli, Lowe’s Pro; and Luigi Goyzueta, Professional Generator Systems.

Returning board members and past leadership are Rick Galloway, past president, Galloway Construction; Mark Ramunno, NEOCC Company; Joe Conroy, WesBanco; Dave Novak, D&R Garage Doors; Sam Boak, Construction Specialists of Ohio; Jim Grantz, Grantz Family Properties; Mike Pasquale and John Virostko, Pitzulo Home & Remodeling; Rich Abel and Raquel Abel, Banner Supply; Bill Wiery, WW Heating & Air; Georgene Mummey, Image One Uniforms; Jean Estephan, Sky Roofing; Arbutus Downing, Berkshire Hathaway Homes; Bruce Lev, Titan/Lev Construction; Richard Yannone, retired; and Andy Profanchik, APCO Construction.

For more information, visit MyHBAworks.org or call 330-965-9779.

BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE: The Northern Ohio Business Roundtable will present its next meeting at Avalon Inn on Wednesday, Jan. 21, with registration beginning at 11:30 a.m.

The program will feature a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security talking about issues facing employers and how these issues are addressed and resolved; state Rep. Nick Santucci who will talk about the new Ohio tax laws; and Nicolas Romeo, a wealth adviser with Bury Financial Group in Boardman talking about the U.S. economy.

Reservations may be made by calling Robert Carr, chairman of the Business Roundtable, at (330) 719-9066 or bcarr@bmsoinc.com.

Cost of the program is $100 per person and will feature a buffet luncheon.

UPPAL NAMED: Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration has announced that Yogesh Uppal, professor of economics, has been appointed associate editor of Economics of Governance. The appointment was extended by Springer on behalf of the journal’s editors-in-chief, Thushyanthan Baskaran and Felix Muñoz-Garcia.

Economics of Governance is an international journal that publishes rigorous, interdisciplinary research on the economic dimensions of governance, including institutions, public policy and organizational structures across the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

“I am honored to join the editorial team at Economics of Governance,” Uppal said. “The journal fosters research at many levels of governance, including corporations, nonprofit organizations, local and federal governments and international institutions, and brings together economists, organizational scholars and political scientists. It is a premier outlet for high-quality, interdisciplinary research on governance as a key driver of business, economic and political outcomes.”

As an associate editor, Uppal will oversee a select portfolio of manuscript submissions within his areas of expertise. His responsibilities include identifying qualified reviewers, evaluating scholarly merit and making publication recommendations in collaboration with the editors-in-chief.

The appointment aligns closely with Uppal’s research agenda, which examines the intersection of economic development, public policy and institutional governance.

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