MINGO JUNCTION - Progress Alliance has hired small business owner Donna C. Hrezo to serve as the organization's first hub coordinator.

Ed Looman, the economic development organization's executive director, told the Community Improvement Corp. trustees, who oversee Progress Alliance, Hrezo will coordinate small business efforts. She is to serve as the first point of contact for persons looking to start a business in Jefferson County and will work closely with partners including the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center and the Muskingum County Business Incubator. The CIC meeting was held Tuesday at Choice Brands of Ohio.

Hrezo is assistant director of the Steubenville Convention and Visitors Bureau and owns I Love 2 Organize, a consulting firm to help businesses and individuals to be more productive through organization.

Hrezo will be responsible for updating and maintaining the inventory of available land and buildings for business and managing information on the inventory on the Ohio Department of Development's website.

She will be assisting Looman with ongoing efforts to retain, expand and attract new business to the county.

Looman said Progress Alliance has met with representatives of the Steubenville Area Board of Realtors executive committee to discuss closer cooperation in sharing information about available land and buildings.

"They can help us and we can help them," Looman said. The state database offers the opportunity to market a piece of property nationwide on the Internet, he said.

Hrezo and Ruth Casey, the Revolving Loan Fund coordinator for Progress Alliance, attended a training session held by the state on its new land inventory website and database.

"I cannot overstate the need," Looman said. "During the last six or eight weeks, the number of calls have grown. People are seeking office space, especially with the Marcellus shale development. With the inventory, we can serve the customer directly instead of making them wait while we make some phone calls. This should be on the Internet."

Ken Perkins, CIC chairman, said, "When people all over the country decide they want to come to Ohio, we will pop up in the state list."

Both men stressed the list has to include properties that are not listed with Realtors, too, meaning property owners will be asked to provide information directly for the database.

Looman said Norm Blanchard, director of the Guernsey-Licking County Port Authority and a former Steubenville City Schools educator, will be visiting Progress Alliance Friday to discuss how a port authority could be set up in Jefferson County.

Looman said the Guernsey-Licking authority is set up as part of the area's Community Improvement Corp., so that there are not competing development organizations working on deals.

The trustees also heard an explanation of the business of Choice Brands of Ohio, Iron City Distributing, the Beverage Marketing Corp. and other operations that are part of the parent KMC Corp., which was formed in 1976 as part of the business organization of companies started by the Bellas family. Robert Chapman, KMC chief executive officer and president, explained the companies have a history dating back to the 1930s, when Greek immigrant Gus Bellas established his business, which became Iron City Distributing. In the 1960s, the firm's property downtown was taken for the Washington Street railroad underpass and the firm took property in Mingo Junction.

In 1976, KMC was formed and the company formed Choice Brands with the purchase of S&G Distributing, Chapman said. Choice moved to its current location in 1991 and expanded in 2001. Chapman explained the climate controlled warehouse includes systems that allow non-refrigerated cooler trucks to stay cold overnight, and the inventory and cash exchange for deliveries is highly computer-controlled.

He also detailed the work of Beverage Marketing Corp., which publishes statistical reports and the annual Beverage Marketing Directory, which help distributors and manufacturers know trends and find opportunities in the marketplace. The firm's publications go from Mingo Junction to companies across the nation and internationally, and the firm's statistical research is available for hire to companies. In addition to employees locally, the firm has an office with 17 people at 850 Third Ave. in New York City, Chapman said.

Chapman said the local payroll for KMC is about $2.2 million. He said trends in the industry today find larger companies moving into the craft beers.

He said people are still buying premium beverages, but others are moving into downmarket products.

"We're blessed with such fine educational institutions around here," Chapman said in noting the quality of employees. "I'm glad we have facilities here that train people well. We can't move this place without the people who work for us."

(Giannamore can be contacted at pgiannamore@heraldstaronline.com.)

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS - Robert Chapman, chief executive officer and president of KMC Corp., the company that is parent of Choice Brands of Ohio and Iron City Distributing, shows members of the Community Improvement Corp. board of trustees one of the firm's publications from Beverage marketing Corp.  The statistical reporting firm, also part of the KMC family of businesses, established by the Bellas family, has personnel in Mingo Junction and an office in New York City. - Paul Giannamore