Dispute continues between Zoetic Global & Youngstown landlord after Zoetic left town

21 News reported Zoetic Global, a company with plans to bring jobs and technology, packed up and left Youngstown about three weeks ago, as plans for the refrigerant plant on East Federal Street have turned sour.

Zoetic is alleging defamation in a legal dispute with the building landlord, while the landlord, JPS Ventures, said Zoetic's claims are "unfounded, untrue and damaging to the area."

Last summer, Zoetic Global was touted by local leaders and then-Congressman Tim Ryan, who had since pulled out of those plans in late 2024 and is no longer involved with the company. 

Now, a legal battle is ongoing between Zoetic and the building landlord, Joe Landis of JPS Ventures.

In early April, Zoetic's COO, Charlene Gruhn, told 21 News Zoetic was leaving and taking assets because of an alleged security breach. However, Zoetic then told 21 News Monday that Zoetic left over safety concerns because of a "series of serious incidents, including multiple shootings," alleging the business was targeted, and that those suspected incidents expedited their departure.

In a statement, Zoetic said in part: 

"During the week in question, there were a series of serious incidents, including multiple shootings—one of which directly targeted the Youngstown facility. These events made it imperative to expedite our departure from Youngstown in the interest of protecting our team.
Within a span of five days, there were four separate safety-related incidents, reinforcing that the well-being of our members must be our highest priority."

However, Youngstown police said there are no records of shootings or targeted incidents at Zoetic.

The only record Youngstown police had related to Zoetic was one that Gruhn filed on April 9, reporting a bullet found in the Zoetic parking lot, and had expressed concerns "due to ongoing issues with others who are trying to seize control of the Zoetic company and its assets."

"I can confirm that there has been no notable increase in crime downtown in the recent months," YPD Lt. Brian Butler said. 

Landlord Joe Landis, of JPS Ventures, alleges that claims by Zoetic are false and that the property has never been a target of crimes or safety-related incidents.

Landis doubled down on an accusation made when Zoetic left the building, alleging that Zoetic shut down its Youngstown facility because they did not meet "financial commitments to shareholders, employees and service providers."

JPS Ventures added that alleged "misrepresentations on behalf of the Zoetic Mgt Team and all of this will be vetted at the appropriate time with the Local, State and Federal agencies."

Zoetic said it "remains focused on growing our business, safeguarding our investors' interests, and allowing our legal team to manage the legal proceedings appropriately," and added that they've invested over $60,000 in building improvements in Youngstown, demonstrating commitment to the success of that operation, and are pursuing both civil and criminal legal remedies.

21 News asked the city of Youngstown if there are any potential plans for the building moving forward, and a city spokesperson said, "This was an unfortunate situation that was the result of a dispute between the landlord and the tenant, but it speaks to importance of approaching economic growth in a strategic manner. The city, along with our economic development partners are doing just that through the development of a downtown strategic plan that provides a clear vision of the area, in addition to constantly speaking with and recruiting companies to call Youngstown home.”