In the last few years, Youngstown's been persuading high technology businesses to set up shop in downtown. Wednesday, Governor Ted Strickland took that development a step further.
"The hub is just one of the significant things that's happening here in the Mahoning Valley," said Strickland.
The hub he mentioned? The Mahoning Valley, along with the Youngstown Business Incubator, Youngstown State University and other technology centers joined together as the Advanced Materials and Software Development Hub for Ohio.
The state hopes the hub will attract more software companies and jobs to the Valley.
"We know that other companies who want to be successful and want to grow want to be with companies who are like them. There's a synergy to that," said Ohio Department of Development spokesperson Lisa Patt-McDaniels.
Strickland landed $250,000 for the hub's start-up costs. The hub will be on YSU's campus. State leaders said being under the technology hub umbrella gives Youngstown more funding and growth opportunities.
"For now as a hub, they will get priority for those actual deals, growth, companies that are in this hub," said McDaniels.
McDaniels also said at this point, Youngstown has unlimited technology growth potential.
"The idea is to take those things that are growing, water it, to see it grow more," he said.
From now on when a software company is looking to expand, the state said it will steer them toward the Mahoning Valley's hub.
