Five years ago, a couple in the Mahoning Valley decided to invest in the next generation of local talent. This fall, that decision is showing real results: more than 30 Youngstown State University students have landed hands-on STEM internships through the Vincent and Phyllis Bacon STEM Entrepreneurship Fellowship, and four of those students have gone on to full-time jobs.
The program began in 2021 with a gift of nearly $1 million from Vince and Phyllis Bacon, and it is run in partnership between YSU and YBI, the Youngstown-based economic development nonprofit. Students are paired with YBI portfolio companies, where they work alongside real teams while they finish their coursework.
The first Bacon Fellow, mechanical engineering student Tyler Barzak, interned at JuggerBot 3D and was later hired full-time by Ursa Major, another YBI portfolio company. Other Fellows have worked with companies including Bearing Distributors Inc., Tailored Alloys, Fitz Frames, Spokbee, LeapFast and Gizmo & Trinket.
The Bacons say they wanted to help the community and hoped some interns would keep their skills close to home. With four Fellows hired locally, it looks like that hope is coming true.
Read the original announcement from YBI on PR Newswire.
Source: YBI news release, Aug. 26, 2026. Summary written by Spanning the Need.
