youngstown diaspora is pitching in - can YOU connect?

a recent post highlighted last week's regional sustainable energy conference held in Youngstown - and the need for the mega-region to skate where the puck is going - in terms of government support.

but what is the back story on how this conference came to be?

The Youngstown Vindicator shines some light on this quandary:

"Abraham credited YSU alumnus Jack Scott with being the driving force behind the conference.

Scott earned a degree in mechanical engineering and worked his way up to become president and chief operating officer of Parsons Corp., a California-based engineering and construction company that has $3.4 billion in annual revenues.

Scott said he has a passion for sustainable energy, but he wanted to hold the conference in Youngstown because of his love for the Mahoning Valley and its people.

“One of the greatest assets of this area is the work ethic,” he said. “We hire people from all over the world. You can always tell people who were hired from this area.”

Scott said the forum has to produce action to be a success. The goal is to link researchers with innovative ideas to people who can bring those ideas to market, he said."

And looking at the mega-region, those assets are already in place, to name a few:

- a national laboratory (NETL) National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh
- a centralized location of energy production
- firming up university research strengths into formalized Centers of Excellence
- connectivity to an educated workforce

but what's missing here?

you.

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as illustrated in the story of the Sustainable Energy Conference and other examples, people from Youngstown are helping their hometown out.

in a big way.

and you can become a part of it.

Connect to the Greater Youngstown 2.0 LinkedIn group today.

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Be a part of the global Youngstown team.

Listen. Help Others. Engage.