CANFIELD, Ohio - A start-up oil and gas exploration company has decided to call the Mahoning Valley home.

Hundreds gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday to celebrate the opening of U.S. Petroleum Exploration in Canfield.

The company plans to use horizontal drilling to extract oil and gas from the Utica Shale, while exploring new drilling technologies.

"We also are looking for alternative ways to frack. For example, not using necessarily water and coming up with an alternative method. There are methods out there that are being brought up as technology advances and we are looking for that to be able to save our environment." said company Project Manager John Navarro.

The owners of U.S. Petroleum Exploration are from the Mahoning Valley, as well as Canada. The group chose Canfield because of its proximity to drilling activity in Ohio and Pennsylvania.