The gala featured a cocktail hour and dinner catered by several local businesses including BB Rooners, Boneshakers, the Rumpled Queen, Mike’s Penn Grille, and Ezio’s Italian Restaurant, and was attended by Salem’s local, state, and federal elected leaders including Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello, members of the city council, Ohio Senator Al Cutrona and Ohio Rep Monica Robb Blasdel, and U.S. Rep Michael Rulli. The gala also featured remarks from Youngstown State University Vice-President of Strategic Communications and Chief of Staff and Salem High School Alumni Association President Tim Harrington, and a keynote address from Rulli.

Harrington championed the SOD Center’s role in helping students “find out what they can be and excel in,” and that those areas of excellence do not always equate to a four-year degree. He also said that YSU has been working with SOD and other economic development organizations to help serve those students through it Excellence Training Center to expand its offerings in workplace training and certifications, and to attract students to those credential programs beginning as early at seventh-grade, and that they would not be able to reach those students without them.

Rulli said that he first met with the SOD Center before taking office, and that being told that SOD’s main goal was to “bring businesses to Salem and keep its residents from moving away,” had helped inspire him to pursue office. He said that while people used to leave their home communities to pursue work opportunities, that this was no longer the case, and that there were 85,000 jobs now available in Northeast Ohio alone. He credited the creation of those jobs to the SOD Center and other economic development organizations like them that have made businesses want to move into the state and bring jobs with them. He also credited the SOD Center for “making young people not only desirable, skilled workers, but making them want to be employed,” through its workforce development programming, which he said has been a major factor in making Salem “a little gem in the beautiful state of Ohio.”

SOD Center Executive Director Julie Needs and Vice-President Joe Hovorka announced during the cocktail hour that renovations at the former Key Bank building at 335 E. State St. had been completed and would be “the new home” for a G.C. Murphy location which was expected to move into the building in November. They also said that the renovations had been funded in part through a Jobs Ohio Vibrant Community grant, which will also help fund renovations to the entirety of the former Pow Block which includes the neighboring building which used to house the Butler Art Museum, and the three adjacent vacant lots. Later that evening they announced that the former Butler building would be the home for a new bakery style restaurant from the owner of Lib’s Market called Arlene’s, and Hovorka said that the vacant parcels would be developed into “micro retail spaces” which would be approximately 200 square-foot spaces that could be rented by small businesses, and a public walkway.

The Sustainable Opportunity Development Center made several announcements at a private gala celebrating its 15th anniversary at the former Key Bank Building at 335 E. State St. Oct. 25 which was attended by Salem’s local, state, and federal elected leaders including Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello, members of the city council, Ohio Senator Al Cutrona and Ohio Rep Monica Robb Blasdel, and U.S. Rep Michael Rulli. The gala also featured remarks from Youngstown State University Vice-President of Strategic Communications and Chief of Staff and Salem High School Alumni Association President Tim Harrington, and a keynote address from Rulli. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

“People always ask when the fence [on State Street] is coming down, and now there’s a plan in motion that will bring it down,” said Needs.

Lib’s Market Owner Ben Ratner stressed that the new location was an addition, not a replacement, and that fans of Lib’s Market didn’t need to worry. He explained that the new business would offer an opportunity to expand Lib’s’ current “baking and employment footprints,” and that he had been inspired by requests to expand Lib’s food offerings.

“After hosting pop up dinners at Lib’s we’ve had many people asking for more opportunities to enjoy that experience and [Arlene’s] gives us an opportunity to indulge those requests,” said Ratner.

The event also saw the launch of the city’s new video post card economic development campaign which will see postcards with a built-in video player showing six professionally produced advertisements which “display Salem’s manufacturing excellence,” to potential developers.

“Tonight we celebrate not just were Salem’s been but where its going,” said Needs.

U.S Rep. Michael Rulli offers the evening’s keynote address. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

Dickey said that each of the SOD Center’s three directors had brought their own unique talents to the organization and built upon their predecessor’s work to make it the economic development powerhouse that it has become, and that the new economic would help propel the city into its future.

“All of us gathered here today know that Salem is the best city in Columbiana County if not Ohio. If we can do all of this in only15 years, which isn’t that long, just think what we can do in 15 more,” said Dickey.

The event concluded with the official launch of the city’s new video post card economic development campaign which will see postcards with a built-in video player showing six professionally produced advertisements which “display Salem’s manufacturing excellence,” to potential developers. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

The event concluded with the official launch of the city’s new video post card economic development campaign which will see postcards with a built-in video player showing six professionally produced advertisements which “display Salem’s manufacturing excellence,” to potential developers. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

The gala also saw the announcement of the future of the former Pow Block, with a G.C. Murphy location expected to move into the former Key Bank building in November, and the neighboring building which previously housed the Butler Art Museum set to be the home of a new bakery style restaurant from the owner of Lib’s Market called Arlene’s, and the adjacent vacant parcels to be developed into “micro retail spaces” and a public walk-through. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

The Sustainable Opportunity Development Center made several announcements at a private gala celebrating its 15th anniversary at the former Key Bank Building at 335 E. State St. Oct. 25 which was attended by Salem’s local, state, and federal elected leaders including Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello, members of the city council, Ohio Senator Al Cutrona and Ohio Rep Monica Robb Blasdel, and U.S. Rep Michael Rulli. The gala also featured remarks from Youngstown State University Vice-President of Strategic Communications and Chief of Staff and Salem High School Alumni Association President Tim Harrington, and a keynote address from Rulli. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

The Sustainable Opportunity Development Center made several announcements at a private gala celebrating its 15th anniversary at the former Key Bank Building at 335 E. State St. Oct. 25 which was attended by Salem’s local, state, and federal elected leaders including Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello, members of the city council, Ohio Senator Al Cutrona and Ohio Rep Monica Robb Blasdel, and U.S. Rep Michael Rulli. The gala also featured remarks from Youngstown State University Vice-President of Strategic Communications and Chief of Staff and Salem High School Alumni Association President Tim Harrington, and a keynote address from Rulli. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

The Sustainable Opportunity Development Center made several announcements at a private gala celebrating its 15th anniversary at the former Key Bank Building at 335 E. State St. Oct. 25 which was attended by Salem’s local, state, and federal elected leaders including Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello, members of the city council, Ohio Senator Al Cutrona and Ohio Rep Monica Robb Blasdel, and U.S. Rep Michael Rulli. The gala also featured remarks from Youngstown State University Vice-President of Strategic Communications and Chief of Staff and Salem High School Alumni Association President Tim Harrington, and a keynote address from Rulli. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

The Sustainable Opportunity Development Center made several announcements at a private gala celebrating its 15th anniversary at the former Key Bank Building at 335 E. State St. Oct. 25 which was attended by Salem’s local, state, and federal elected leaders including Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello, members of the city council, Ohio Senator Al Cutrona and Ohio Rep Monica Robb Blasdel, and U.S. Rep Michael Rulli. The gala also featured remarks from Youngstown State University Vice-President of Strategic Communications and Chief of Staff and Salem High School Alumni Association President Tim Harrington, and a keynote address from Rulli. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

The event concluded with the official launch of the city’s new video post card economic development campaign which will see postcards with a built-in video player showing six professionally produced advertisements which “display Salem’s manufacturing excellence,” to potential developers. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

The gala also saw the announcement of the future of the former Pow Block, with a G.C. Murphy location expected to move into the former Key Bank building in November, and the neighboring building which previously housed the Butler Art Museum set to be the home of a new bakery style restaurant from the owner of Lib’s Market called Arlene’s, and the adjacent vacant parcels to be developed into “micro retail spaces” and a public walk-through. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)