Construction is set to start within months on the project that will transform the former Vindicator building into Ohio's newest Innovation Hub, according to the Hub's director. 

Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel announced funding for the development of the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace & Defense (YIH) in February 2025. It is the fourth such development in the state, joining Hubs focused on advancing glass technology, digital transformation and aviation, and polymer science for semiconductors and batteries. 

Phase One of construction on the Vindicator building is expected to start in late spring or early summer 2026, Innovation Hub Director Megan Malara told 21 News. That phase will include renovation of the mezzanine level of the building, and Malara said the goal is to have space for businesses to take up residence come the following year. 

No square footage will need to be added to the 110,000-square-foot structure, she said, adding that while it "already has really good bones," some spaces around the facility may be "opened up so that they're more usable for businesses." 

Malara said the YIH will help businesses in the additive and advanced manufacturing realm — particularly those serving the aerospace and defense industries — to research new manufacturing technologies and prove them out in the market. 

"We have our National Additive Manufacturing Institute here downtown, America Makes, which really has helped develop, prove out and increase adoption of certain advanced manufacturing technologies — especially in this case, additive manufacturing," Malara said. "So we have that understanding of the technology, but putting it towards an actual application, an actual manufacturing of something, is what we're looking to do here."

These innovations can include both ways to make the manufacturing process more efficient, as well as enhancing the products themselves. According to the YIH website, these efforts will "reduce reliance on offshore manufacturing, enable on-demand production of mission-critical parts, and speed innovation from concept to deployment." 

The Hub is managed by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, and its local partners include the Youngstown Business Incubator, Youngstown State University, the National Additive Manufacturing Institute (America Makes), Lake to River, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and the Ohio Aerospace Institute. 

"All of them are coming with their particular capabilities and areas of expertise," Malara said. "And really, that's what this innovation hub is, is bringing all of us under one roof to help support businesses in the region." 

That support includes help with entrepreneurship and commercialization, workforce and development, and general business support. 

For example, YSU will create a "workforce and development pipeline," the YIH website says, while Malara told 21 News America Makes will "distill the demand signal from the federal government and prime contractors to support our regional businesses in connecting to the defense industrial base." 

Overall, Malara called the collaboration an "exciting opportunity for the valley." 

"Keep your eye on good things coming, and please reach out if you have any interest in being involved, if you have a technology or company that you think could benefit from being ingrained into our network," she said.