YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio- The Youngstown Business Incubator opened its doors to the public Monday for the first ever Y-Town Tech Tour.
The idea behind the event is to try to attract people back to the Valley.
We've got all types of technology being developed here," said YBI COO Barb Ewing. "From educational software to new communications platforms to landscaping design software."
The people who operate the incubator and its partners, like YSU, want to show off the opportunities available here and they have a very specific audience in mind.
"One of the new models of economic development is to really focus on getting people, who have lived in the community but moved away, to consider moving back or to act as resources for our community," Ewing said.
And what better time to talk to people who used to live here than during the holidays. About a dozen people showed up for the morning tour of the incubator and several of them were home for the holidays from Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland.
"I'm glad I came down. I got a good feel for what they do down here," said Patrick Lombardo of Cleveland. "What it is that they can help folks with if they have some ideas they want to get off the ground."
Patrick Lombardo isn't ready to move back to the Valley from Cleveland quite yet, but he said that at least now he knows there are opportunities here if he decides to come home.
