Category Archives: Ohio Job Picture

Company Brings Solar Tech Career Opportunities to Youngstown

Posted on by
1

Responding to high demand for residential solar systems throughout Ohio, Astrum Solar opens Youngstown distribution and installation office.

Solar Energy Technology

Solar energy jobs for Youngstown.

With 50 percent more sunshine per day than Germany, the world leader in solar installations, Ohio is proving to be the next best place to go solar. Responding to the growing demand of Ohio and Western Pennsylvania energy consumers aspiring to become clean energy producers, Maryland-based solar panel system installer Astrum Solar announced this week it has opened an office in Youngstown, Ohio, Mahoning County.

Continue reading →

Governor Bans Use of Ohio Public Funds for Offshore Services

Posted on by
Reply

Ohio Governor Strickland issued an executive order that prohibits the expenditure of public funds for services provided offshore.

Outsourcing Ohio JobsIn March, the Department of Development contracted with Texas-based service provider Parago, Inc. to assist with the agency’s implementation of the federal stimulus-funded appliance rebate program.  Despite state procurement requirements designed to restrict service providers from using public funds for offshore labor–in particular, a DAS directive that requires agencies to ask potential vendors to list all locations where the services will be performed–the contract was let with a company that ultimately used offshore labor. 

Continue reading →

April 2010 Ohio County Unemployment Rates

Posted on by
Reply

Ohio Lower at 10.7 Percent. Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties All Improve

UnemploymentAmong the state’s 88 counties, the April 2010 unemployment rates ranged from a low of 7.9 percent in Delaware and Geauga Counties to a high of 17.7 percent in Clinton County. Rates decreased in 87 of the 88 counties. In April, the comparable rate for Ohio was 10.7 percent.

Eight counties had unemployment rates below 9.0 percent in April. The counties with the lowest rates, other than Delaware and Geauga, were: Lawrence, 8.1; Holmes and Medina, 8.3; Lake and Mercer, 8.4; and Washington, 8.7 percent.

Six counties had unemployment rates above 15.0 percent during April. The counties with the highest rates, other than Clinton, were: Highland, 17.1; Pike, 15.6; Noble, 15.5; Morgan, 15.1;  and Meigs, 15.5 percent.

 In the Mahoning Valley:

  • Columbiana weighed in at #22 with 13.1 percent unemployment (14.3 in March)
  • Trumbull at #29 with 12.7 percent (14.6 in March)
  • Mahoning at #41 with 12.1 percent (14.4 in March)
  • Youngstown City fell from 15 percent to 13.6 percent

 ♣ ♣ ♣

Further Information

These estimates, prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Updated statewide historical data may be obtained by contacting the Bureau of Labor Market Information at (614) 466-1109.  (See complete current ranking table.)

Ribbon Cut on YSU Ohio Third Frontier Research Lab

Posted on by
Reply

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and YSU’s President David C. Sweet cut the ribbon on Youngstown State University’s new $2.1 million Center for Advanced Materials Analysis.

Electron MicroscopeAn Ohio Third Frontier research grant facility designed to assist local companies develop new products and create new jobs.

The center features two new electron microscopes, one with the capability to magnify materials by 1.5 million times their original size, allowing researchers to analyze the internal chemical structures of advanced materials.

“Third Frontier is helping to keep our young people here in Ohio where they can build their careers,” Strickland said. “And, by helping to put scientists in the labs, researchers at the design tables, and manufacturing workers on the assembly lines creating advanced technology products, Third Frontier is creating new opportunities for Ohioans who have already built their lives here.”

“This center represents a new era in scientific research at YSU and a bold step forward in transforming Youngstown into a hotspot of advanced materials research and production,” YSU President David C. Sweet said.

“Combined with other research activities now underway in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, this center positions YSU as a driving force across Northeast Ohio in linking research with business to create new products and spark economic development.”

The center is funded through the Ohio Third Frontier’s Wright Centers of Innovation Program, designed to support large-scale, world-class research and technology development platforms to accelerate the pace of Ohio commercialization.

“This center is yet another example of the widespread success of the Ohio Third Frontier program, both here in the Mahoning Valley and across the state,” Sweet said.

The Ohio Third Frontier initiative is aimed at re-energizing Ohio’s economy by investing in emerging technologies and building new and existing companies. Since 2005, the program has sparked $6.6 billion in economic activity, $2.4 billion in wages and more than 48,000 jobs and helped launch more than 571 new companies statewide.

In addition to funding for the YSU Center for Advanced Materials Analysis, Ohio Third Frontier has placed 163 YSU students in 42 different companies across the region through the Third Frontier Internship Program.

Issue 1 on the May 4 ballot renews and continues the Ohio Third Frontier program. The initiative has broad-based support, including legislators on both sides of the aisle, business, labor and newspapers across the state. The YSU Board of Trustees approved a resolution of support last month.

“YSU recognizes that the Third Frontier is an important activity not only for us as a university but for the entire community, said Martin Abraham, dean of YSU’s STEM college.

Tim Wagner, YSU chemistry professor and director of the new YSU Center for Advanced Materials Analysis, said equipment in the lab provides analysis capabilities that few, if any, predominantly undergraduate universities in the nation have.

“A world-class laboratory of this caliber provides an array of new opportunities for research for our faculty and the community,” he said. “Also, our undergraduate students will get hands on experience working on equipment that, at other universities, only graduate or Ph.D.-level students would be exposed.”

The center, located in YSU’s Chemistry Department on the fifth floor of Ward Beecher Hall, is a joint project between researchers in the STEM college and at Fireline TCON Inc. (FTi), a subsidiary of the Youngstown-based parent company Fireline Inc.

The new center will analyze the chemical structures of materials produced by FTi in order to improve the performance of the materials. For instance, FTi is working with YSU to develop lightweight brake rotors that would improve the fuel efficiency of automobiles, buses and trucks, Wagner said. The company also is pursuing improved materials for survivability and force protection systems for soldiers and military vehicles.

Mark Peters, general manager of FTi and co-investigator on the Ohio Third Frontier grant, said that an anticipated outcome of the overall project is the creation of new high tech jobs at FTi.

“This new center will help us shorten the time it takes to develop new products and get them into the markets,” he said. “By the time we achieve full commercialization of our TCON ceramic-metallic composites, we expect to have hired many new employees.”

In support of the center, YSU’s STEM college has hired a tenure-track faculty member, Virgil Solomon, an expert in electron microscopy techniques who spent five years performing electron microscopy research at Arizona State University as a postdoctoral research fellow. The college is also in the process of hiring an electron microscopy technician to support day-to-day maintenance and operation of the research lab.

♣ ♣ ♣

Further InformationOhio Third Frontier Program Needs Your Support

Metro Area Unemployment – February 2010

Posted on by
Reply

Youngstown Metro Unemployment Remains Unchanged – 13.7 Percent.

UnemploymentUnemployment rates were higher in February than year earlier in 347 of the 372 metropolitan areas, lower in 21 areas, and unchanged in four, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Twenty-nine areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 2 areas registered rates below 5.0 percent. The national unemployment rate in February was 10.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, up from 8.9 percent a year earlier. Among the 371 metropolitan areas for which nonfarm pay-roll data were available, 343 areas reported over-the-year decreases in employment, 26 reported increases, and 2 had no change.

The following table represents the unemployment rate of the 14 Metropolitan Areas in Ohio:

 Area January February
2009 2010 2009 2010
Ohio 9.6 11.8 10.1 11.8
Akron 9 11.8 9.4 11.6
Canton-Massillon 10.2 13.8 10.6 13.6
Cincinnati-Middletown 8.3 10.8 8.9 10.9
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor 8.5 10.3 9.4 10.6
Columbus 7.3 9.8 7.8 9.7
Dayton 10.5 12.6 10.8 12.5
Lima 10.9 12.3 11.8 12.5
Mansfield 12.3 13.7 12.3 13.6
Sandusky 14.2 14.2 13.5 13.6
Springfield 9.3 12.2 10 12
Steubenville-Weirton 9.9 15.5 10.5 15.3
Toledo 12.7 13.6 11.9 13.4
Yo.-Warren-Boardman 12.8 13.7 12.7 13.7

♣ ♣ ♣

Further InformationPress Release – Metro Area Employment from Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Ohio Third Frontier Program Needs Your Support

Posted on by
2

Ohio should invest in the next economy, for job creation today and tomorrow.

Ohio Third Frontier ProgramOhio’s Third Frontier Program has proven itself to be one of the state’s most successful economic development and jobs programs, based on quantifiable measures like the number of companies capitalized, the number of jobs created and return on investment, as well as because of the innovation it has generated. But in order to maximize its impact on the state’s economy, the program needs to be sustained over the long-term and needs your help to continue to shape the future economy of the state. In Greater Ohio Policy Center’s recent report, Restoring Prosperity: Transforming Ohio’s Communities for the Next Economy, they strongly recommend preserving Third Frontier funding to help prepare Ohio for the next economy— which their report found to be export-driven, low carbon and most importantly, for purposes of validating the importance of the Third Frontier program, innovation-led.

This merit-driven program has continually proven itself in its seven-year history by creating nearly 55,000 direct and indirect jobs, attracting over $4.76 billion in private investment, and assisting in the creation, attraction, or initial capitalization of more than 630 companies. Further, according to a recent independent analysis by SRI International, the program has generated a $10 return for every dollar invested by the state.

Examples of the innovative technology this program helps fund can be found in every region in Ohio. Some of these successes include funding to:

  • Commercialize polymer- and nano-based films and adhesives to use in the hull fabric of unmanned high-altitude airships for communications, intelligence, and security purposes. In collaboration with Akron Polymer Systems, the University of Akron, and Chemsultants International, Lockheed Martin, located in Akron was recently awarded funding for this project.
  • Create a running prototype of an integrated fuel cell powered-lift truck. Crown Equipment, located in New Bremen in Auglaize County, was awarded funding for the project, which will include a multitude of collaborators including Ohio Northern University, Edison Materials Technology Center (EMTEC) and NexTech.
  • Produce an advanced nutrient sensor to enable critical monitoring of environmental waters for nitrate levels, which is a major pollutant associated with wastewaters and agricultural runoffs. YSI, Inc., located Yellow Springs in Greene County, in collaboration with Riehl Engineering and the University of Cincinnati received funding for this project.

On May 4th, voters will be asked to approve Issue 1 which will allow the state to issue $700 million in bonds for the Third Frontier program and renew a critical source of funding for new firms and new job creation for four more years. Ohio needs to send a strong signal to in- and out-of-state investors and businesses that it is committed to the Third Frontier program and to the innovative technology-based businesses that the program funds, as these are the businesses that are creating new jobs and fueling economic growth in Ohio, particularly during these tough economic times.

The Hometeam and RE/MAX Valley Real Estate encourages you to vote YES on ISSUE 1 on May 4th as well as contact your networks to ensure that this program remains strong in the years to come.

♣ ♣ ♣

Further InformationVisit Greater Ohio’s Website.

For more information on Greater Ohio Policy Center and their work please check out their revamped, interactive website at http://greaterohio.org/. You are encouraged to comment on their blog and suggest events for them to promote and share research. You will also notice the numerous pictures of Ohio communities used throughout their site and are encouraged to share them on the site or in their promotional materials.

What’s Steel Pipe Got To Do With Real Estate?

Posted on by
2

EVERYTHING!

Courtesy U. S. Geological Survey.

According to Geology.com, the Marcellus Shale Formation is a huge deposit of black shale that underlies much of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia.  Geo-logists have known for a long time that this shale contains natural gas – a lot of it  (about 50 trillion cubic feet of it – enough to supply the entire United States for two years with a wellhead value of over a trillion dollars), but because the shale layer is buried a mile or more deep in the earth and because this particular rock formation is hard and non-permeable it was too expensive a proposition to extract it.

But that’s all changed and V&M Star Steel as well as other forward thing enterprises knew it. Just within the past few years two technologies, improved methods of hydrofracing (a method of breaking up the rock to release the gas) and horizontal drilling, have triggered an explosion of drilling and leasing activity in the areas above this rock formation resulting in some of the most productive wells in the eastern United States.

The Marcellus is also the closest natural gas deposit to the high demand markets of New York, New Jersey and New England, and could easily service much of the central portion of the Unites States as well. How is the gas going to be delivered from the well heads of the Marcellus to these markets? PIPES, FITTINGS, CONNECTORS, PUMPS – and lots of them, and V&M Star with its $650 Million expansion is just one of several local companies that stands to prosper as a supplier to oil and gas exploration and extraction in the Marcellus fields:

  • Pipe manufacturer TMK IPSCO, parent company of Ultra Premium Oilfield Services, last February signed a lease for the former Sharon Tube facility off Collar Price Road in Brookfield, and is now about ready begin production of steel-tube connections. TMK IPSCO is the parent company of Koppel Tubular Corp., which has operations in nearby Pennsylvania’s Beaver County, Koppel, and Ambridge.
  • Wheatland Tube Co.‘s Howland factory employs 140 hourly and salaried workers to make electric welded pipe used in the oil and gas industry and also operates a plant in Niles.
  • Dearing Compressor & Pump Co., located on Simon Rd. in Youngstown and makes pumping equipment for the drilling process, is building a 50,000-square-foot expansion to its existing facility and could add 20 to 25 more workers to its 90-worker staff.
  • Severstal Warren steel mill, RTI International Metals Inc. and Patriot Metals in North Jackson, can also be major players in the oil and gas industry boom about to hit this Valley.

If the Marcellus Shale holds up to the optimistic expectations of some natural gas experts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and West Virginia could see an enormous boost in income, sustainable for decades.

♣ ♣ ♣