Spotlight on Warren

All the natives won't move back to the Mahoning Valley, but there is more value in the expatriate community than just numbers. Those who leave have an easier time seeing a bigger region. Where you went to high school is still important, but not to someone born and raised in California. From far away, the fate of Youngstown and Warren are obviously intertwined.

The rapidly evolving story of the Warren advance-energy incubator should interest everyone in the entire TechBelt. Enter Rebecca Bagley, the CEO of NorTech (Cleveland):

Bagley, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-17 Ohio, state Sen. Capri Cafaro, D-32 Hubbard, state Rep. Tom Letson, D-64 Warren, and Mayor Michael O’Brien, outlined their vision Monday of what such an incubator might achieve in the fields of “advanced energy and flexible materials.”

Long on optimism and short on specifics, the four expressed hope the incubator will rejuvenate manufacturing in Mahoning Valley through infant enterprises that one day produce parts for windmills, geothermal, solar and nuclear energy plants and sources of energy other than petroleum, coal and natural gas.

You can find out more about Bagley's vision for Northeast Ohio here. You can also read more about NorTech's plans here. The effort dovetails nicely with the big energy sector push going on right now in Pittsburgh.

Warren could play a key role in the growth of this industry. That's good news for Youngstown and the entire Mahoning Valley. The bad news is the border between Ohio and Pennsylvania. NorTech covers Northeast Ohio, not the entire TechBelt. How Cleveland and Pittsburgh can work together is still a mystery.