WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced a $1,350,000 investment 

for the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) in Youngstown through the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative. This will allow YBI to fund Lake to River Small Business Success (L2R SBS), a business technical assistance program aimed to work with Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to access capital, pursue procurement opportunities, business plan development, adopt advanced technologies, and supporting startup formation.

“Ohio workers can compete with anyone in the world when given the opportunity,” said Brown. “If we want to promote economic development throughout Ohio, we need to ensure that businesses and communities have the tools and resources they need. This new investment will help provide small business and entrepreneurial assistance for communities in the Mahoning Valley.”

POWER is a congressionally-funded initiative that targets federal resources to communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America's energy production.

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