Professionally, I’ve had a surge of projects in 2010 that has kept me from blogging actively. I’ve added about a dozen clients in about as many weeks, and I’m trying to spend spare time with family and friends.

Personally, I’m just so grateful to be in Youngstown right now. The economic development news has been incredible, and the cherry on the top is the announcement that Site Selection magazine has named Ohio tops in capital investment projects for the fourth consecutive year. (Governor Strickland would be wise to build his campaign around this trophy.) And Youngstown’s V&M Star Steel deal tops the list.

More jobs have come in through Revere Data at the YBI, importing jobs from India to Youngstown (is that the first time the phrase “importing jobs from India” has been uttered?).

VXI is adding jobs. A third shift is coming to Lordstown. I’m told there’s more steel jobs news in the future, in addition to Severstal’s Warren restart. Clearly regional cooperation, a skilled workforce and site affordability are keys to attracting these investments.

What’s personally gratifying about this is a fulfillment of a conversation I had with two friends more than two years ago. One worked in criminal justice in Youngstown, another in technology research in Columbus, and I worked for a company in Virginia, traveling one week per month to DC for meetings. We talked about how cool it would be for the three of us to all have jobs downtown. That has now happened. Phil is at the MVOC, John is in the Semple Building, and I’m at the YBI.

A tip of the hat is in order to all Defenders of Youngstown, working to make it a better place. That includes those in City Hall, at YSU, the Regional Chamber, YBI, the Wean Foundation, and countless others. Even though J.J. Cafaro is still trying to mire the region in corruption, we’ve moved on and are fashioning a new story for the Valley.

Yes, we’ve got a ways to go until everyone has a job with a living wage, but we’ve got the map, we’ve got hold of the wheel, and we’re gaining speed. Enjoy the ride!

Some information about the program:

Overview:  The GoodGuides Youth Mentoring Program of Youngstown is part of a national initiative by Goodwill Industries International. Youngstown GoodGuides is one of 56 Goodwill organizations that received funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The program is designed to promote opportunity and positive choices for youth who are at-risk for delinquency.

Purpose: To engage youth in positive activities with adult mentors who are strong role models in an effort to help teens finish school and transition into productive careers.

Community Development: The GoodGuides program strives to empower youth to become involved in the resurgence of the Mahoning Valley by encouraging student participants to become active members of their community and exposing them to the positive developments taking place in the area.

Targeted Youth: At-risk youth ages 12 through 17 in the Mahoning Valley. Their backgrounds are varied, but many live in unstable homes or homes where adult supervision is not available during large portions of the day. They are looking for guidance, support, and a positive way to be a part of their community.

Types of Mentoring: GoodGuides mentors can mentor youth in a one-on-one relationship, or can engage in group mentoring with small groups of young people (five or less).

Role of Volunteer Mentor:

• Serve as a positive role model and friend; model desirable behavior
• Build the relationship by planning and participating in activities together
• Explore career opportunities with mentee
• Expose youth to accomplishments and events in the Mahoning valley in an effort to keep educated young people interested in the area
• Help mentee build self-esteem and motivation
• Help set goals and support youth as they work toward accomplishing them
• Be comfortable and able to establish appropriate boundaries with the mentee and his or her family

Service Requirements

• Make a one-year commitment
• Spend a minimum of four hours per month with your mentee(s)
• Communicate with mentee on a weekly basis
• Keep track of and report time spent with your mentee
• Communicate with the Program Manager or Master Mentor at least monthly
• Attend ongoing training and mentor group meetings
• Adhere to all program policies and procedures
• Be dependable and consistent in meeting the time commitments
• Attend special events and recognition events as available
• Complete surveys as asked and ensure youth complete surveys as asked

About the open house:
Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries
2747 Belmont Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44505 US
1pm-4pm

The GoodGuides staff will be in attendance to answer questions and discuss the purpose and goals of the mentoring program. The staff is looking for adults in the area to serve as mentors to young people who are at-risk for delinquency. Also, youth referral forms will be available to interested parties.

Refreshments will be provided.

Anderson will be the first woman, the first Youngstown native, and the first YSU graduate to serve as president in YSU’s 102–year history.

I applaud her goal that “internship programs absolutely are going to have to be expanded.” She even goes so far as to suggest “it’s going to be a graduation requirement” to have at least one completed. Applied learning is one of the best contributions a university can make to build its students pre-career experience.

Anderson cites YSU’s need to develop new programs for both graduates and undergraduates, but more importantly she recognizes the University’s role in economic development.

Ohio’s plans for higher education require state universities to be a force in local and regional economic development, she said, adding that she is ready to actively pursue that plan.

YSU faculty and students can absolutely lead the way in being catalysts for economic development in Northeast Ohio, she said.

If Dr. Anderson is serious about this, there are two steps she can take immediately that will prove it.

YSU developed a plan for restoring the Wick-Pollock Inn that includes demolition of the back section of the house and redeveloping somewhere around twenty guest rooms, including conference and (I presume) dining facilities. This year, that plan changed abruptly to have YSU’s president reside there. This decision misses a real need: where in Youngstown are there available guest rooms for visitors to campus and downtown businesses? Nowhere. YSU has had to cancel conferences due to the lack of hotel space within walking distance of downtown, and there’s no solution in sight without the Wick-Pollock being used as an inn.

Meanwhile, while setting up the YSU president in on-campus lodging is laudable, the campus’s expanded footprint provides more compelling choices than the Wick-Pollock, especially considering the opportunity to leverage the facility as an inn. Why not restore a home in Smoky Hollow, whose development goes in conjunction with a plan being developed by Wick Neighbors?

Better yet, why not take over one of the historic mansions in Wick Park and use YSU’s economic development powers to help restore the Park to its former glory? Investment in Wick Park makes sense for YSU, because of a concern for the safety of its many students who live in dorms and apartments within surrounding blocks. It also makes sense in terms of what the spacious houses there offer, similar to the Wick-Pollock.

To sum up, Dr. Anderson should:

1) Revert plans for the Wick-Pollock for use as an inn. Sports teams traveling to campus can be put up there. Visiting lecturers, parents and business travelers will complement the target customer base.

2) Restore a home in Wick Park and invest in the neighborhood to suit. This expands the areas available for students to live safely, as the surrounding blocks will receive additional monitoring from campus police and both YSU’s and private investment in nearby dorms and apartments will be supported. This helps the community, as Wick Park is a key asset to both downtown and the north side, not to mention the entire region.

Many folks have made the leap of doing business in downtown Youngstown. The names that resonate with most of the leaders and the public are the Lou Frangoses, the bank buyers, and the boutique business incubator-tech groups.

They pour into downtown with investors and technical research and sizable government backing.

A guy such as Harver pours in with a lot of heart.

I especially like his suggestion of a Coffee Summit.

Given the distraction of the punch and recognizing what the Grove is all about, I think there’s a potential for this episode to be further examined once the dust settles.

Thomas’ dustup with Hagan had threads of race, generations, Youngstown, bad judgment, aggression, etc., that would make for a great group dialogue at the Grove.

And it would be great to have two people on stage leading the chat — Hagan and Thomas.

I was concerned about the felony assault charge for a young man with a good reputation and no prior incidents. Today’s welcome news is that the conflict has been settled with a reduced plea, a fine and a handshake.

After Hagan and Thomas addressed the court, the men took a moment to shake hands and exchange pleasantries at the rear of the courtroom.

Thomas also hugged Hagan’s daughter, who was knocked down during the altercation at the downtown nightspot.

Hagan waived any claim to restitution for damages suffered in the altercation.

“The defendant has indicated an apology, and I have accepted that apology,” Hagan said. “I think it’s best that we just move on, both with his life and my life.”

Concerning the Night of the 6th

On February 6th, coinciding with the Lemon Grove 6 month anniversary, Brandon Martin had a show entitled “Shock and Awe,” featuring dancers, musicians, actors, and poets. Since graduating from the the Theater Department at YSU, Brandon has been a great resource to Youngstown arts and culture. In 2009 he started the organization UN ACT devoted to exposing and educating children and adults to the wonders of the arts.

Monica Beasley Martin, Brandon’s mother, an AME pastor, and veteran of the Youngstown Playhouse, was emceeing the event.

Among the performers for the evening were EOS Whole Fitness and Dorian Thomas. EOS is a studio on Belmont Avenue that is a space for yoga and belly dance. Their belly dance is not of a lewd variety, but in the words of proprietor Jennifer Neal, “this particular form of dance is actually rooted in ancient spirituality, and it supports, strengthens, and connects people of all races, genders, sizes, ages, and religions.”

Dorian Thomas is a local artist, who performed in the play “Lucasville” in New York City and in many local shows with other Youngstown actors.  From talking to those who have worked with him, he seems to have no known incidents of antisocial behavior, previous to this evening.

Though the Lemon Grove has an elevated stage, its size is not conducive to dance pieces. All the dance performances took place on the dance floor in front of the stage. Dorian Thomas had already danced his piece, when EOS went on to perform at approximately 11:15pm. The cafe was filling up at this point, though still significantly within its 134 capacity, and more patrons clustered around to see EOS perform their dance. It is reported that the Thomas family was becoming more and more agitated with the fact that people were standing around the performance area and obstructing the view from their chairs. Had they asked me or anyone on the staff to, we would have accommodated any requests to make the show more visible to them, though they had no disabilities preventing them from standing like everyone else.

It is into this scene that Rep. Hagan, Mrs. Hagan, daughter Natalia, and friends entered the Lemon Grove. In joining into the cluster of people they too obstructed the view of the Thomas’ family table. Witnesses report Mrs. Thomas was becoming more angrily adamant about people to move. By the nature of the cluster of people and the music playing it is impossible to know an exact transcription of what words were said, but Rep. Hagan said something to the effect of that it is crowded and there is no way she will be able to see from her seat. The Thomas family believes that Rep. Hagan was being belligerent to them, though this is not corroborated by anyone else surrounding them. Dorian Thomas then got in Rep. Hagan’s face, and Rep. Hagan told him to back away. Then Dorian swung, landing a punch on Rep. Hagan’s chin sending him to the floor. Natalia Hagan, Rep. Hagan’s daughter got into the fray to protect her father, while Lemon Grove team member Nick Celio pulled Dorian back and began to escort him out the door of the Lemon Grove. Dorian’s father then forcefully pushed Natalia to the ground onto her father. Mrs. Thomas pulled put a taser and is reported to have fired it but did not hit anyone with it.

Ironically, as this was occurring I, the owner of the Lemon Grove, in understanding that it was beginning to be difficult for patrons to see, was behind the EOS dancers on stage setting up a camcorder and projector so that more people could witness the dance. I heard a commotion arise above the music and then saw Nick Celio escorting Dorian out the door. I jumped the half wall in between the door and stage to go outside with the two to see what was happening. Nick was yelling at him leave the premises and he started to walk down the street while his father came outside.

For this to happen to anyone is in excusable. It is all the more unfortunate for it to happen to Rep. Hagan, who has been such a staunch supporter of the Lemon Grove and other downtown businesses. Rep. Hagan’s position as an elected official played no role in this conflict. His daughter Natalia has been a wonderful employee at the Lemon Grove and continues to work when she is home from college.

An act of violence such as this is the antithesis of what the Lemon Grove represents. We are a cafe centered around the arts, whose mission is to provide a positive cultural and economic impact in downtown Youngstown. Though we serve alcohol, what we pride ourselves on is that it is not a “bar.” Rather it is a place where people can enjoy coffee, food, alcohol, art, and culture in an unparalleled atmosphere. So far we have lived up to this mission well and a random senseless act as this will not deter us from it.

Thank you,
Jacob Harver
president of The Lemon Grove
jacob@lemongrovecafe.com

At 4 p.m., there is a forum for business, economic and political science students and faculty in Kilcawley Center.

More about the event:

The ability to rebuild our manufacturing base has never been more critical to America and the Mahoning Valley. Doing so would help to create more jobs, reduce harmful trade imbalances and strengthen the US economy. Richard McCormack’s lecture will outline the challenges and opportunities facing America as it attempts to restore its manufacturing base.

Richard McCormack is the editor & publisher of the Manufacturing & Technology News. The paper is read by executives in industry, government and academia on five continents. McCormack has spent 22 years in Washington, D.C., as a journalist covering science and technology, industry and government. Mr. McCormack is also the editor of new book on manufacturing and public policy, Manufacturing a Better Future for America (2009). Prior to creating Manufacturing & Technology News, he was editor of High Performance Computing & Communications Week, a journal he created while at King Publishing Group in Washington, D.C.

I’m not entirely sure what he’s doing or playing with his right hand, but it’s fascinating to me. Do they make this for the Wii?

With a background in music school and having experienced lots of experimental music, I have a respect for not only new ideas and sounds but the total commitment to the whole package (e.g., vision, composition, execution, branding). It’s appealing to me to live in a space where you believe in something original.

I hope you agree that, whether or not you would put this on your iPod, it’s worth a listen. Friday night at Cedars with the Digimob.

(A few minutes later…) Okay, I just read a press release. Here it is:

Controllar throws themselves into a playground of vintage synths and samplers… An old video game controller called the P5 glove is used by the duo to manipulate this … sonic world through the use of three-dimensional motion tracking. The motion tracking interface turns Controllar’s performance into a vigorous blur of movement-driven music.

I guess that just about says it all.

Instead of getting money out of politics and recommitting to a government by the people, the people won’t stand a chance in a political system where campaigns are swallowed whole by corporate interests. I laughed at the line that this “will also allow labor unions to participate more freely,” given the plummeting membership and influence of unions in post-industrial America.

The traditional conservative argument for preventing restrictions on corporate campaign spending is that free speech demands that organizations be allowed to spend freely. Money is not speech. Money is money. And money in politics corrupts the politicians’ ability to respond to the people and their demands when those demands are in conflict with the wishes of free-spending corporate donors.

It’s a revitalized city poised for great change, prosperity and global success… a city where passion for progress is at an all-time high…a city that has garnered so much attention that the world is watching. That city is Youngstown, Ohio. In 2009, Youngstown was named: l A Top 10 U.S. city to start a new business. Entrepreneur Magazine, August 2009 l A Top 10 metro area for business expansion. SITE Selection, March 2009 l “A Young Town Again.” The Economist, Oct. 8, 2009 l A Top 25 Best Bang-For-the-Buck City in America. Forbes, Nov. 30, 2009 Located between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Youngstown may boast its location as one of its greatest assets. Businesses call Youngstown home because of its easy access to suppliers and customers. It is the only place that provides effective overnight ground access to the entire New York City and Chicago markets. The city is within 500 miles of: l 60% of all the U.S. effective buying income l 55% of all U.S. manufacturing l 50% of the U.S. population l 41% of all U.S. households And within 75 miles of: l 6.8 million people l 38 Fortune 1000 company headquarters l 2 International and 3 regional airports l 5 Lake Erie and 3 Ohio River ports l The nation’s east-west fiber optic trunk lines pass through the heart of the region. Ready to take a look at Youngstown, Ohio? Call the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber to discuss what we can do for your business. (330) 392-6140, ext. 22; Walt Good, Vice President of Economic Development, Walt@regionalchamber.com - Or, visit www.regionalchamber.com

Support.com has local connections and is looking to our area for expansion. The beautiful thing is you can work from home, which I enjoy. Here’s the job description for the solutions engineer position:

Are you the person people call when their computers malfunction? Do you fix their problems so fast and easily?  Do you consider yourself really competent at fixing computers, synching printers and smart phones etc? And do you like working from home?
Then, this position may be for you…

support.com. (NASDAQ: SPRT) provides online technology services to consumers and small businesses.  support.com provides an award-winning customer experience  by using an innovative model that combines a cloud-based technology platform with a fully distributed workforce, support.com is defining a new category of technology-enabled services and growing rapidly each year.

support.com is seeking self-motivated individuals to provide expert computer and technology assistance . If you are already helping colleagues and family members to install, troubleshoot, and resolve their technical problems, then consider this opportunity! You will be able to apply the knowledge and experience you have gained in this position.

To qualify for this Work From Home opportunity you would need:

• Your PC with minimum 3 GHz processor and 1 GB RAM with 1280×1024 minimum resolution. Minimum OS of Windows XP SP2 with latest security patches applied. Recommend 17” flat screen monitor or greater.
• Broadband connection (1 MB down / 384 kbps up)
• Meet the requirements of the job description below

Responsibilities:

• Perform analysis on customer’s PC and make product or service recommendations
• Supply best in class support to direct consumers on all technology support needs
• Use company provided tools to troubleshoot and solve customer technology problems
• Maintain high level of customer satisfaction with focus on first call resolution
• Identification and removal of Malware and Viruses

As part of the process of providing best-in-class customer satisfaction for the technology services you will also be required to do the following:
• Answer calls and greet customer or partner sales representative
• Review ticket in customer service tracking application
• Determine scope of issue
• Confirm customer agreement to pricing and conditions of service
• Manage credit card processing
• Handle requests for refunds per company policies
• Follow through on warranty requests or open issues
• Encourage completion of customer survey
• Close the incident within recommended service times
• Properly document all support calls
• Adhere to quality standards set by company
• Provide feedback on tool, process, and business improvements
• Represent company in a professional and ethical manner

Skills:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, second language a plus
• Can communicate technical concepts clearly to customer’s level of understanding
• Excellent  customer interaction skills
• Very good organizational and multitasking skills
• Ability to problem solve and resolve problems creatively
• Review SOPs (standard operating procedures) and provide feedback and ideas
• Ability to type 30 to 40 words per minute

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 1 to 2 years of related experience Job roles in customer service dealing with consumers
• Hardware / Software technical support
• Troubleshooting Windows XP platform to registry level
• Home networks (wire and wireless) using multiple network technologies such as switches, routers, printer, etc…
• Networking technologies TCP/IP, DNS, Firewalls
• Internet connectivity using cable, DSL, satellite, dial-up
• Consumer/business peripherals – printers, scanners, fax, MP3 players, digital cameras, cellphones, PDAs
• Internet security in areas of virus and spyware
• Courses in technology related fields and customer service. MSDST, A+, HDI Support Center Analyst or other relevant certification a plus.

Interested? Apply here.