CREDIT UNION HITS MILESTONE: 717 Credit Union now serves more than 100,000 account holders, surpassing the milestone at the end of 2021.
With assets at nearly $1.4 billion, the credit union continues to grow and serve members and communities across northeast Ohio. Last year, the credit union’s membership grew at a rate of 6 percent, and over the last five years, membership has increased by more than 26 percent.
The mark comes on the heels of the credit union being named to the top 100 credit unions in the U.S. Last year. 717 was ranked first in Ohio and 40th in the nation for the best-performing U.S. credit unions in 2020 by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
CHAMBER TO HOST DINNER: The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber, in collaboration with ScaleCo, Huntington and HBK, will honor 20 family-owned businesses at the Mahoning Valley’s inaugural Family-Owned Business Recognition Dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. March 11 at the Lake Club in Poland.
The event is a continuation of the Family-Owned Business Program, an informative panel series that launched in 2021.
The evening will include a keynote from Huntington Bank’s Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Stephen Steinour.
Of the 20 family-owned business nominees, the Regional Chamber and its partners will give special recognition to five of them in specific categories: ScaleCo Success in Succession, Huntington Social Impact Award, HBK Growth Story, Family-Owned Business Advocate of the Year and Local to National Presence.
LAWYERS RECOGNIZED: Three attorneys with Brouse McDowell who work at the firm’s Canfield office have been recognized by Super Lawyers on its 2022 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.
Named to the Super Lawyer list were Timothy M. Reardon and Matthew G. Vansuch, who both practice business law. Brian A. Coulter, who also practices business law, was named to the Rising Stars list.
Super Lawyers represents 5 percent of Ohio attorneys while Rising Stars represents less than 2.5 percent of attorneys who are under 40 or have been practicing law for 10 years or less. Lawyers are recognized through peer nominations based on their professional achievements.
ATTORNEY RETIRES: John L. Pogue, attorney at Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell, has retired from the law firm after more than 50 years.
He began practicing law in 1969 and served clients primarily in the areas of commercial law and estate planning. Pogue served as legal counsel for many leading organizations, including Trumbull Memorial Hospital, Second National Bank, Wean United, Copperweld Steel, Trumbull Country Club and First Presbyterian Church.
Also, he was instrumental in the startup and expansion of several Warren-area nonprofits, such as the Raymond John Wean Foundation and BRITE Energy Innovators.
Pogue’s community leadership roles included president of the Youngstown State University board of trustees, president of the Warren Area Community Improvement Corporation, president of the Warren City Schools Foundation and chairman of the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce.
CASSIDY ADDS CLIENT: Canfield-based Cassidy Advertising & Consulting, LLC has added electrical services provider VEC, Inc. as its newest client.
VEC, Inc. provides total construction solutions to a variety of industries across the United States. The company originally began by providing electrical contracting services in 1965, but quickly grew into a full-service construction provider.
Today, VEC, Inc. is comprised of six divisions that assist customers with their rebuild, upgrade, and expansion projects. Their divisions include civil and infrastructure, general contracting, industrial, oil and gas, power and systems integrator.
VIRTUAL HOMEBUYER WORKSHOP OFFERED: Credit Union of Ohio will kick off its first-time homebuyer workshop series 10 a.m. Saturday. Others are scheduled for noon Feb. 8 and 6 p.m. Feb. 9. More sessions for first-time buyers may be added at a later date.
The free virtual workshops will cover important items individuals need to consider before and during their house hunt in order to make a sound financial investment in today’s competitive market.
The workshops are open to the public but advanced registration is required. View the full schedule and get registered at cuofohio.org.
SOUTHWOODS ADDS NEW TECHNOLOGY: Southwoods Health has announced the arrival of the Vantage Galan 3T MRI at Southwoods Imaging.
MRI uses a magnetic field without radiation to produce high-resolution 3D images of the organs and structures inside the body. The amount of information provided by the exam is directly related to the strength of the magnetic field. 3T MRI is the strongest magnet used in medicine today and produces the most detailed and accurate images with the highest degree of resolution.
Southwoods Imaging is the only facility in the area with multiple 3T units in one location.
NEW VENUES OPEN AT MALL: This month three new venues opened at the Southern Park Mall in Boardman.
The Bunker, an indoor golf entertainment and training venue, opened Jan. 14. Inside The Bunker is Double Bogey’s Bar & Grill, a seated, family-friendly restaurant that serves gastropub fare.
Also opening was Steel Valley Brew Works, which roasts, brews and sells coffee, as well as craft beer, cocktails, espresso martinis and small plates from their kitchen, “The Oven.” Steel Valley Brew Works also has bocce, pinball and billiards.
People on the move
REALTORS JOIN FIRM: Coldwell Banker EvenBay Real Estate recently added Christopher Lopez Jr., Realtor, to its team of real estate professionals.
Lopez, a native of Youngstown, received his Ohio real estate license in 2021. In addition to real estate, he is part of the security operations at the Covelli Centre.
Also brought on board was Matthew Nero, who also received his real estate license in 2021. In addition to real estate, Nero, of Cortland, is the dean of students at the Youngstown Academy of Excellence.
Lopez and Nero will provide real estate services in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties and surrounding areas.
PREMIER APPOINTS DIRECTOR: Premier Financial Corp., the holding company for Youngstown-based Premier Bank and First Insurance Group, has appointed Nikki Lanier to the company’s board of directors.
Lanier is the founder and CEO of Harper Slade, a racial equality advisory firm that began operations Jan. 1. Before that, Lanier was the senior vice president and site general manager of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
AGENT JOINS MORE OPTIONS: Walter Taggart has joined More Options Realty. He will be the associate broker in Pennsylvania and be servicing the Philadelphia, Pa., area. He has years of experience operating his own brokerage and now has chosen to join More Options Realty.
FARMERS GROWS TEAM: Canfield-based Farmers National Bank has grown its district sales management team with the addition of Peter Opperman as district sales manager. Farmers has expanded its geographical footprint and created a fourth district after its acquisition of Cortland Bancorp, Inc.
In the role, Opperman is responsible for the direction, coordination and evaluation of northern district retail branches, while helping retail staff and branch loan officers meet sales goals and remain operationally sound.
Opperman previously served as vice president of private banking and business banking services in the Cleveland region for Cortland Bank. He brings with him more than 15 years of banking, commercial and residential lending experience.
