An innovation hub for Youngstown, data centers planned for Lordstown, a Fortune 500 company rolls into town and an international steel company confirms its investment in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

That was 2025.

What will Mahoning Valley’s business and industrial community do for an encore in 2026?

The outlook is “momentum,” said Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority.

“I think it’s momentum that I haven’t seen in my career,” he said. “It was always we talked about coming back from the mill days and everything. … A lot of people coming into the workforce and young people coming out of college weren’t around during any of it.

“They weren’t here for the mills. They didn’t see the big days. They didn’t see all the dark times. But I do believe that they’re coming into their careers and starting to see a positive momentum with companies coming online. There’s more jobs than people; frankly, there’s lots of opportunity.”

Fortune 500’s Kimberly-Clark announced May 1 it was building an $800 million manufacturing facility on reclaimed industrial property in Trumbull County. Approximately 500 full-time, permanent jobs with a projected annual payroll of $49.1 million are projected to be created.

That was an exclamation point in a year with positive news.

” I think it’s a proud moment, and I think that we’ve got momentum for sure,” Trevena said. “Kimberly-Clark was something that really put us on the radar across the country, too.”

Collaboration across multiple sectors — government, economic agencies, business and academia — made the vision possible. It was a blueprint seen throughout the year.

“We’ve built on it,” Trevena said. “It’s been going on, so it’s not a new thing now. … There’s incredible collaboration to get Kimberly-Clark here and was a really good living example.

“The last year or two it’s just been building upon those steps that were taken a while back. Everybody’s just working closer together, and everybody’s even gotten into things that they have never done before.”

No talking points. No sound bites. Just action.

“Yeah, it’s real,” Trevena said. “The collaboration that’s going on among agencies is very amazing. There’s so much communication on all levels. It’s really paying dividends.”

Citing confidentiality agreements, Trevena couldn’t disclose what new ventures may unfold in 2026. However, he pointed to the opportunities that speculative manufacturing sites in Mahoning and Trumbull counties offer.

“I think that they’re going to be taking off,” he said. “There’s discussions around the future growth of those, and those all mean jobs.”

The structures are found in Warren and North Jackson and range from 80,000- to 100,000-square feet. Trevena said there’s room to construct 10 to 12 more buildings.

“I think that you’re going to see more activity in those speculative buildings,” Trevena said. “That’s not a small scale.”

Geography plays in the Valley’s favor.

“We just are in a really great location for distributing products and goods,”he said. “You’re seeing a lot more onshoring with some of the current policies that have caused companies to reinvest domestically. Those companies are going to look at areas where they can get their products to market efficiently and effectively.”

Following are more highlights of business activity in the Valley.

AMAZON

Construction of a $30 million Amazon warehouse distribution center in Bazetta started in mid-February.

Referred to as Project Penguin, the 169,000-square-foot distribution center is located at 711 Perkins Jones Road and covers 61.2 acres, according to the Trumbull County Auditor’s office. The land was sold for $918,450 on Jan. 22 to Amazon Services LLC by Tina N. Pestalozzi of Cortland.

A total of 120 full-time jobs are expected to be created.

HOUSING

A number of Valley organizations, spearheaded by the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, unveiled the Mahoning Valley Regional Housing Strategy in January.

The plan offers an in-depth review on what is taking place locally and how a collaborative, long-term effort benefits households and those looking at the region as a potential home.

“The strategy provides recommendations and early implementation steps that will build on the strengths we have, address our unique challenges and will help align efforts throughout the Mahoning Valley,” said Jim Kinnick, Eastgate’s executive director.

Among the recommendations are the creation of a housing consortium; coordinate adjustments in zoning; offer downpayment assistance programs; assemble available land proactively; protect existing housing stock and prevent decline; and enhance existing neighborhoods and support residents.

Eastgate is working with the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber and The Youngstown Foundation. The Greater Ohio Policy Center developed the plan in conjunction with the Reinvestment Fund, a national financial group.

“The Mahoning Valley Regional Housing Strategy is a good start to address the housing issues impacting Trumbull and Mahoning counties,” Guy Coviello, Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber president and CEO, said. “We are eager to move forward and embrace the challenge to provide suitable, affordable and abundant housing for a growing workforce in the Mahoning Valley.”

HERE’S THE HUB, BUB

Gov. Mike DeWine announced the creation of the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense in downtown Youngstown on Feb. 27.

The project, spearheaded by the Youngstown Business Incubator and America Makes — National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute with several partners, received a $26 million from the Ohio Innovation Hub Program. The Youngstown award is the final one from the $125 million program.

The hub project also received a $1.2 million grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the design and engineering of the new facility at the former Youngstown Vindicator building in downtown on the corner of West Front Street and Vindicator Square, as well as for initial renovations.

The federal government is providing $25 million for activities and projects related to product development and commercialization to take the aerospace and defense products to market using additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing.

Additive manufacturing helps the production of military equipment through the creation of complex and customized parts.

Barb Ewing, the incubator’s CEO, said the project “could truly impact the supply chain up and down across industries” in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties as well as other parts of northeast Ohio.

By 2029, the hub is expected to yield about $161.6 million in economic impact and create 450 new jobs, including 100 new construction jobs.

AVIATION

The construction of a $5.5 million YNG Aviation Education Center got underway in early March. The facility encompasses 18,000 square feet on Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport property.

The move will spur the creation of the YNG Flight School and expansion of the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics regional campus, officials said. The center will be able to accommodate training for new technology, such as advanced air mobility and pilot training for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

Youngstown State University also unveiled an associate degree in aviation.

Bolstered by a JobsOhio Site Inventory Program $1 million grant, the Western Reserve Port Authority secured funding to move from planning to construction.

The project is expected to impact the aviation industry’s workforce pipeline.

“This project demonstrates how collaboration among public and private partners can deliver transformative results …,” said Alexa Sweeney Blackann, Lake to River Economic Development’s then-interim CEO.

AI HIGHWAY

The Mahoning Valley became an international player in artificial development and data centers in 2026. But first Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn, which owned the former GM Lordstown assembly, exited the electronic vehicle market and headed to the green pastures of AI.

In late July, Foxconn became a partner in AI data center development when it joined forces with TECO Electric & Machinery Co. Ltd. through a stock swap.

“This partnership combines TECO’s strengths in electromechanical systems with Foxconn’s expertise in (information and communications technology) to seize the global trend of AI data center development toward standardization and modularization, jointly tapping into vast AI data center business opportunities worldwide,” the companies said in a joint news release.

Soon afterward, Foxconn exited the EV business when it sold the Lordstown plant for $375 million to SoftBank Group Corp, a Tokyo investment holding company.

SoftBank, OpenAI and Oracle Corp. are part of President Donald Trump’s $500 billion AI initiative, Stargate Project. Softbank officials said the site will serve as a showroom for Stargate’s data centers.

“Reports that SoftBank has acquired the Lordstown facility and will partner with Foxconn to manufacture data center equipment for the Stargate project is tremendous news for the Mahoning Valley,” Coviello said.

Trumbull County Commissioner Rick Hernandez said later that Foxconn will provide infrastructure and data storage components.

“It will consist of shipping containers, which will be the housing for the infrastructure for all of the computers that store the data,” he said. “They are looking to ship things worldwide.”

Lordstown officials weren’t as welcoming upon news of a second AI data center coming to the village.

Bristolville 25 Developer LLC, headquartered in New York, approached the village in late October with a proposal for a $3.6 billion, 1.65 million-square-foot development in the village and a portion of Jackson Township in Mahoning County.

The developer initially said the project would include $10.8 million to update Lordstown’s water system, a community fund, the employment of 1,600 construction laborers and 120 full-time workers at the center, and tax revenue.

Shortly afterward, village council voted to ban the centers but later rescinded the action.

On Dec. 24, the Supreme Court of Ohio rejected Lordstown’s request to dismiss a lawsuit Bristolville filed.

The sides have been discussing the project since council repealed its data center ban.

“We stand ready and able to be a willing partner with the village on this project, as we have from Day 1,” a Bristolville attorney said. “That position has not changed.”

Applied Partners McDonald, owner of the former McDonald Steel site, said in November it had been preparing the 237-acre site to attract data center investors. Village residents voiced their concerns to officials.

“Anyone who wants to do business in the village, we would be open to discussion. No one has applied for anything,” Mayor Ray Lewis said.

NEW ER PLANNED

Mercy Health will be opening its newest facility at the end of the year.

The health care system will open the Mercy Health-Champion Emergency Center and outpatient imaging center at 507 Educational Highway in front of the Trumbull Career & Technical Center.

The facility will offer 24/7 emergency care in addition to a full laboratory and phlebotomy services.

“With investments like this, we’re reinforcing our longstanding promise to care for this community with excellence, compassion and dignity,” said Char Gardiner, president of Mercy Health-St. Joseph Warren Hospital. “The construction of the Mercy Health Champion Emergency Center is about more than bricks and mortar. It’s about our neighbors. It’s about our care.”

Construction of the one-story, 30,000-square-foot facility will cost $30 million, said senior project manager Tim Jones of Massaro Construction Group, Pittsburgh.

MAJOR INVESTMENT

International steel producer Vallourec showed its faith in the Mahoning Valley when it announced a $48 million investment Nov. 10.

Vallourec’s chairman and CEO Philippe Guillemot detailed the French company’s expansion plans and long-term vision as a supplier to the energy industry. A new premium threading line will join the plant’s steel making, rolling and finishing operations. Work is scheduled to be completed in early 2027.

“This region has long been the beating heart of American steel, and we at Vallourec are proud to have been a part of that legacy for the last 50 years,” Guillemot said. “We are part of the American industrial fabric. Our commitment to the U.S. is not new. Over the past 15 years, we have invested nearly 1.5 billion U.S. dollars just in Ohio. Today’s announcement … here in Youngstown is another major step forward in that journey.”

The new line will allow Vallourec to bolster control of its domestic production and solidify its position as a supplier of steel pipe in the U.S. oil and gas market. The company also is expanding its capacity to manufacture specialized connectors for the shale industry. When completed, 40 full-time jobs will be created. The expansion will produce more than $2.3 million in new annual payroll.

“All products made here in Youngstown are sold for U.S. oil and gas, shale exploration; offshore exploration; and some industrial applications,” said Gary Hauck, Vallourec Star president. “So our products go all over, and we’re really proud of that.”

CLOSED, FOR NOW

The Valley suffered a few setbacks along the business landscape, one of those involved the closure of Insight Health System.

The Michigan-based health care system first suspended operations at 3 p.m. March 27 at all of its Trumbull County locations, including Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull, Warren, and Insight Rehabilitation Hospital Hillside, Howland.

During the first week of August, the hospital operators met in a public session with local, state and federal officials. Insight CEO Dr. Jawad Shah, said the health system had lost $30 million since it entered Trumbull County in November 2024. Those losses have been directly tied to former and bankrupt owner Steward Health Care, which handled billing payments for the nascent provider.

On Nov. 26, Insight suspended operations for the second time after reopening its Warren site in mid-October.

The move was in response to Ohio Department of Health’s notice that it would revoke Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull’s license in mid-December if it did not address violations reported Nov. 17 by its inspectors.

“The tumultuous Steward bankruptcy significantly affected health care in Trumbull County,” an Insight spokesman wrote. “In those difficult circumstances, Insight has done its best with a nonprofit approach to resurrect the hospital.

“The hospital is not able to function in a sustainable manner. Therefore, hospital operations are suspended and new patients will no longer be admitted until Insight is provided with a clear determination from the Ohio Department of Health as to whether or not there is full permission and support in operating the hospital.”

As of Dec. 30, neither party has agreed to a hearing date.

LAYOFFS

General Motors laid off 550 workers and temporarily laid off another 850 on Oct. 29 at its Ultium Cells battery cell plant in Lordstown. The move came as the auto giant adjusted to slowing demand for electric vehicles.

“In response to slower near-term EV adoption and an evolving regulatory environment, General Motors is realigning EV capacity,” the company said in a statement about the cuts at its all-electric plant, while maintaining that it “remains committed to our U.S. manufacturing footprint.”

GM added that Ultium Cells is also “adjusting production in response to recent changes in customer plant demand.” The company said that battery cell production in Lordstown and a facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee, would be paused beginning this month.

GM said that impacted employees “may be eligible to continue receiving a significant portion of their regular wages or salary, plus benefits.” The company said it will use the pause to make upgrades at both facilities, and it anticipates resuming operations by the middle of next year.

The dwindling EV adoption cited by GM arrived shortly after a recent expiration of federal tax credits. Before Sept. 30, new EVs came with a $7,500 federal tax credit, and used ones included up to $4,000. But prospective buyers can no longer qualify. The incentive was ended as part of the massive tax and spending cut bill Congress passed in June.

PAID IN FULL

The nonpayment of property taxes kept the Southern Park Mall’s property ownership in the news for most of the year.

Mahoning County Treasurer Dan Yemma confirmed in late December that Kohan Retail Investment Group paid the entirety of its delinquent 2024 property taxes by bank wire. Yemma said the $1,063,789.40 payment included $119,454.14 in penalties and interest.

“On Wednesday of last week, I received a call from the ownership group, and I sent them the tax bill for each of the parcels, showing the current amount due, and our bank wire instructions,” Yemma said. “They indicated that they wanted to pay, and I basically said I’ve seen this movie before. So I requested that the payment be wired or sent as a cashier’s check in overnight mail.

“They wired the full amount due later on Friday afternoon.”

Kohan bought the mall Dec. 23, 2024, from Simon Property Group for $24,100,000. At one point, the Mahoning County Auditor’s website showed that Kohan owed at least $937,840 for 2024.

The treasurer’s office said Kohan sent a check June 13 for first-half property taxes — which total $437,834.11 — in the amount of $505,675.49, and that check was returned. Again on June 30, Kohan sent a payment for first-half taxes, which may also have included a partial penalty payment, in the amount of $525,689.63. That check also was returned. On July 3, Kohan sent another check for $495,125.23, which again was returned.

On Dec. 16, Boardman Township trustees announced that they, along with U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Salem; state Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield; and state Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, sent a letter to Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro’s office for review, on its way to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office, requesting Yost formally investigate Kohan’s bad checks.

For the seven parcels that comprise the mall property Kohan owns, the bill for 2024 was roughly $472,000, Yemma said. He said the 2025 tax bill should not be much different, but those amounts are not certified until the beginning of the year.

(Reporters David Skolnik, Raymond L. Smith, Bob Coupland and Dan Pompili, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this story.)