Our Story

Valley Economic Development Partners is a private, non-profit organization focused on the social well-being of the Mahoning Valley and its surrounding regions.  Our mission is to be a leader in developing employment opportunities through business creation, expansion, and retention in collaboration with other regional organizations.

Established in 1978 as Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation, 2020 turned out to be a year of growth and change as the organization became known as Valley Partners.  Our focus on small business lending is the cornerstone of our path moving forward.  We are a Certified Development Corporation, authorized to process SBA 504 and Community Advantage (7a) loans.  We partner with our local financial institutions to put together the best possible lending packages for our business clients and partners.  We also partner with economic development agencies such as the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the State of Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) in order to provide revolving loan funds to put together creative lending structures to “fill the gaps” as well.

We have a diverse Board of Directors from the private and public sectors. We are not a government entity.  We are based in Youngstown and provide selected services to Mahoning, Trumbull, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Geauga, Portage, Lake and Belmont Counties in Ohio; and Lawrence, Mercer, Beaver and Franklin Counties in Pennsylvania.  We offer our SBA 504 and Community Advantage products throughout the entire State of Ohio.

From Valley Partners’ inception, our mission of building and diversifying the regional economy has remained unchanged — even as we continue to refine and reshape our programs to address the changing dynamics of our regional economy. We have assisted over 2,000 businesses, which have added or retained more than 19,000 jobs.

Partners in funding for economic growth since 1978.  We look forward to helping you grow your business!