BOYARKO, FOSTER NAMED: Leadership Mahoning Valley has appointed two new members to its board of directors: Sarah Boyarko, vice president of Economic Development, Lake to River Economic Development, and Jessica Foster, senior manager, Assurance, Cohen & Co.

Board members play a vital role in guiding the organization’s strategic direction and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability. Responsibilities include participation in quarterly board meetings, engagement in committee work, support of organizational initiatives, and a personal commitment to advancing LMV’s mission.

In her position as vice president of Economic Development at Lake to River, Boyarko leads all aspects of the economic development team which is focused on job growth and investment throughout the four-county region.

She is 2009 graduate of Leadership Mahoning Valley and 2009 honoree of the Mahoning Valley Young Professional’s 40 Under 40 Award.

A lifelong resident of Girard, Foster is a senior manager in the Assurance department, focusing on assurance work for privately held companies as well as various firmwide initiatives.

She has served as a board or committee member of various nonprofits including Alta Care Group, Beatitude House/Ursuline Sisters, the United Way of Youngstown and Mahoning Valley, Junior League of Youngstown, and Junior League of Akron.

Her honors include being a 2018 Mahoning Valley Young Professionals 25 under 35 honoree, a Foster is a graduate of the Leadership Mahoning Valley Class of 2024.

PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCED: Forty Two Inc., a national event production and AV technology company based in Boardman, has formed a strategic partnership with 898 Marketing LLC, a full-service marketing and creative agency with offices in Canfield and Hudson.

The partnership brings together production, creative direction and marketing under a single, integrated approach to event delivery.

Through this collaboration, Forty Two Inc. will expand its core services to include event marketing, content production and creative direction, delivered in partnership with 898 Marketing and fully integrated into Forty Two Inc.’s existing production and systems workflows.

“We’ve always believed great events require more than just equipment — they require intention,” said J. Anthony Ferrello, CEO of Forty Two Inc. “This partnership allows us to design and deliver the full experience – from how people hear about the event, to how they experience it, to how it lives on after. It’s one plan, by one crew and executed at the highest level.”

For 898 Marketing, the alliance broadens its services to a national stage.

“Forty Two Inc. is the standard for event production and delivering experiences people remember,” said Jeff Ryznar, president/CEO of 898 Marketing. “We’ve earned the opportunity to bring our team’s award-winning marketing, strategy, and creative into their process as a partner so that clients get even more from what Forty Two Inc. already does best. Two brands built on service and innovation, now working as one strategy, one team and one shared goal to drive real results for clients before, during and after the event.”

COUNTRY CLUB PICK: Nate Frick has been selected as Youngstown Country Club’s new golf course superintendent.

Following a comprehensive national search, Frick emerged as the top candidate to lead the club’s golf course operations into its next chapter.

The search was conducted through a structured process led by the PGA of America’s ExecuSearch Team in partnership with the Club’s Search Committee. The process began with 25 applicants and progressed through multiple rounds of evaluation, including virtual interviews with 10 highly qualified candidates.Four finalists were then invited to Youngstown Country Club for in-person interviews in early December, where leadership, agronomic philosophy, and alignment with the club’s long-term vision were evaluated.

“From the outset, our goal was to identify a leader who not only brings technical expertise, but also shares our commitment to excellence and the future of Youngstown Country Club,” said Scott Schulick, club president. “Nate distinguished himself throughout every stage of the process.”

A 2020 graduate of Delaware Valley University with a Bachelor of Science in Turfgrass Management, Frick also competed as a four-year collegiate golfer.

Prior to joining Youngstown Country Club, Frick served as senior assistant superintendent at Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville, New Jersey.

“From the moment I arrived, it was clear there was something special here,” Frick said. “My team and I are focused on building a strong foundation for the 2026 season.”

TOP FIVE: Two students from Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration were selected as top five undergraduate finalists at the Spring 2026 Supply Chain Management Symposium Poster Competition, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh.

Rosetti Johnson, junior supply chain management major, and Tanishka Agnihotri, junior finance major, represented YSU with their research project, “Regulatory Impact on Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chains,” which examines how differing regulatory frameworks between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency affect global supply chain operations.

Their research explores how regulatory differences contribute to logistical, economic and resilience challenges within the pharmaceutical industry, an issue with implications for both public health and business performance.

“We were inspired to tackle the topic of global pharmaceutical supply chains because we wanted to challenge ourselves and stand out from the crowd,” Johnson said. “The experience allowed us to apply what we’ve learned in the classroom to a complex, real-world problem.”

Agnihotri emphasized that the research was driven by a shared interest in understanding how regulation shapes global operations. “We wanted to explore how policy decisions affect supply chains and impact both companies and consumers,” she said.

The competition provided opportunities for students to present research to an academic and professional audience while strengthening key communication and analytical skills. Johnson noted that participating as a finalist helped her refine her ability to present technical supply chain data clearly and professionally, an experience she plans to carry into her upcoming procurement internship.

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