Ohio creates Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense

Ohio has created its fourth Innovation Hub in Youngstown, Ohio. This new collaboration will further strengthen Youngstown’s position as a global leader in additive manufacturing (AM) research, technology, and workforce development.

Funded with $26 million from the Ohio Innovation Hubs Program and $36 million in local, federal, and private investment, the new Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense will bolster economic development locally and statewide, capitalizing on the region’s long-standing additive manufacturing technology and research.

“Building on the region’s deep manufacturing roots, Youngstown has spent the last decade establishing itself as a leader in the research, development, and commercialization of additive technology,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. “With support from the Ohio Innovation Hubs Program, partners will now have added capacity to drive critical advancements in the defense and aerospace industries by transforming the way military equipment is made and strengthening our country’s national defense supply chains.”

Much like the State of Ohio, Youngstown is well known for its strong roots in traditional manufacturing. Building on its reputation as a “steel town,” Youngstown has been reinventing itself as the nation’s premier hub for additive technology.

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In addition to state, local, federal, and private investments, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will contribute $1.2 million to the Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense through the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program. This funding will support the design and engineering of the new facility, as well as initial renovations. The AMLER program provides grants for economic development projects that benefit regions affected by decades of coal mining.

In February 2023, America Makes – the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, joined forces with the City of Youngstown, the Youngstown Business Incubator, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, state legislators, and business leaders to form a coalition vying for innovation hub funding from Gov. DeWine’s budget plan. Backed by strong partnerships and a proven track record in additive manufacturing research, technology, and workforce development, the coalition positioned Youngstown as an ideal site. Establishing a hub in the city would reinforce its role as a leader in additive manufacturing, driving economic growth and innovation across the region and state.

According to Alexander Steeb, senior operations director of America Makes, a significant portion of the state’s funding will be used to adapt and construct the Hub’s high-quality manufacturing space located in the former Vindicator II building. “This will complement the Youngstown Business Incubator’s existing technology campus with up to 75,000ft² of manufacturing space and approximately 30,000ft² of equipment, office, and convening space. The facility is centrally located and ideal for housing larger, complex additive manufacturing equipment that currently does not have adequate space to call their own,” he said.

By 2029, project partners expect the work of the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense to create approximately 450 new jobs in the Mahoning Valley (Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, and Ashtabula counties), and $161.6 million in increased state revenue. Partners will also work to develop the local workforce growth of the additive industry over the long term by increasing the number of jobs and by offering 40 interns and 185 new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) credential certificates. This initiative aims to attract and retain the next generation of innovators and engineers. Efforts will emphasize scaling training and curricula programs targeting re- and up-skilling for both youth and adults. The Hub will also provide support for small businesses looking to commercialize new additive applications.