YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) has received $1,795,000 in grant funds from the Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC's) POWER Initiative.

According to a press release, the funds will be used for the Rising Tides Initiative, which provide comprehensive technical assistance and training in advanced manufacturing to incumbent manufacturers in the area.

This training will assist manufacturers looking to get into the microchip, advanced energy, defense and aerospace industries.

According to the release, the project is expected to improve 90 businesses and 180 workers and trainees, as well as create two new businesses and 20 new jobs and leverage $9,050,000 in private investment.

YBI will be collaborating with several local and regional agencies on this project. Those agencies are listed below.

- Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce

- Lake To River Economic Development Organization

- Ashtabula Growth Partnership

- Columbiana County Port Authority

- Sustainable Opportunity Development Center of Salem

- BRITE Energy Innovators

- America Makes

- Belmont County Community Improvement Corporation

YBI CEO Barb Ewing says manufacturing is not just critical to the economy, but our nation's future security.

"Our Additive Manufacturing team is excited to have the opportunity to more deeply engage with the region's manufacturers to help keep them competitive by taking advantage of technology. By strategically integrating the right products and processes into their operations, they can open new markets, reduce operational costs and improve efficiency to make themselves more competitive in the global market," Ewing said.