YOUNGSTOWN The PNC Foundation announced that it is continuing support for job creation efforts in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, approving a two-year, $100,000 grant to the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber. The new funding raises the Foundation's total investment to $150,000 over three years.

The money is designed to strengthen the Chamber's effort to remove obstacles keeping residents from employment and connect more people with job opportunities.

"This investment builds on our ongoing partnership with the Chamber to address the region’s workforce challenges," said Ted Schmidt, PNC regional president for Youngstown.  “Together, we're working to connect more residents with meaningful jobs and strengthen the economic future of the Mahoning and Shenango valleys."

The region currently faces a workforce participation rate of 57%, which is below the state and national average of 63%. The Chamber and Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries have been collaborating to close this gap by studying common barriers to employment.

A Community Needs Assessment conducted by the two organizations in 2024, which used surveys, focus group interviews, and statistical data, found the main obstacles to employment are transportation, childcare, and issues related to mental health or substance abuse.

In response to the findings, the Chamber and Goodwill, along with community and business leaders, have spent the past year holding public discussions and community meetings. Their focus has included issues such as the cost and availability of childcare, which can prevent potential workers from joining the labor force.

The Chamber has also promoted childcare solutions and co-hosted webinars. The sessions covered topics such as mental health in the workplace and opportunities for residents involved with the justice system to reenter the workforce.

The Chamber is involved in Goodwill’s new Assembly for Workforce Solutions steering committee, where it helps lead the efforts to address the identified barriers.

Additionally, the Chamber recently launched the Population and Talent Expansion Council, a group of business and community leaders focused on growing the local talent pool to meet increasing workforce needs. The projects were supported by a PNC Foundation grant awarded in 2024 and will continue to expand with the Foundation’s renewed funding.

Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, expressed thanks for the support.

"We’re grateful for the PNC Foundation’s continued support of our efforts to help marginalized individuals overcome barriers to employment," Coviello said. "Our region, like much of Ohio, faces workforce challenges — from transportation shortcomings to childcare burdens to financial literacy and other obstacles. With partners like PNC, we’re making more progress than other communities against whom we are competing for economic development."

The PNC Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. It supports organizations that benefit communities where the company has a presence, focusing on early childhood education and community and economic development.

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is the area's main business advocacy group, representing nearly 3,000 members and their 150,000 employees.