Anchor Partnerships

Anchor Partnerships utilize the power of their economic assets to address social and economic disparities, revitalizing local communities. They are uniquely positioned to stabilize local economies and reverse community disinvestment.

Boardman Township
City of Warren
City of Youngstown
Eastgate Regional Council of Governments
Mahoning County Board of Commissioners
Mahoning County Land Bank

Trumbull County Land Bank
Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership
Valley Economic Development Partners
Western Reserve Port Authority
Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation
Youngstown State University
Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce

Key 2024 Projects with Partners: City of Youngstown

YO! App

Powered by Colu and sponsored by the City of Youngstown, the YO! App rewards users for shopping at Youngstown’s local businesses using their credit or debit card in the form of City Bites. Each City Bite is equivalent to $1 and can be redeemed at any of the 24 local businesses registered as redeemers. EAG supports the YO! App through business engagement, social media management, and growing the app with local partnerships. As of December 30, 2024, 143 Youngstown businesses are partnered with the YO! App and $90,229 has been given to local businesses for redemptions. The YO! App has generated $982,608 in economic activity to date.

Streetlight Survey

EAG led four student interns in surveying every streetlight in the city of Youngstown. Over the course of eight months, the team collected information on each light’s operational status, bulb type, ownership, and GPS location. The survey identified 9,542 streetlights, 1,077 of which were malfunctioning or non-operational. The city will use this data for resource allocation purposes and will create a centralized database of streetlights to improve maintenance efforts.

Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA)

As part of a larger ongoing plan to rejuvenate downtown, EAG collaborated with the City on the planning and implementation of Youngstown’s first DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area). With over 160 locations across Ohio alone, DORAs allow patrons 21 and older to enjoy alcoholic beverages while strolling outdoors within specified boundaries. The DORA successfully launched December 6th, 2024 after months of planning, bringing thousands of dollars to downtown businesses.

Our strategy

Our Community Engaged Learning (CEL) intern team is integral in delivering these services, as we can recruit students in specific programs at local universities that align with each partner’s needs. Our efforts have shifted over the past decade to reflect the community’s most pressing challenges, from downtown redevelopment, to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to improving neighborhood cores and corridors. CEL staff have been crucial in these response efforts, allowing us to expand our outreach and engagement, marketing, graphic design, and GIS mapping capabilities. Our diverse team has allowed us to grow our footprint outside of Youngstown to impact the greater Mahoning Valley community.