YOUNGSTOWN — The city-owned entertainment facilities started the year off strong with a $300,448 operating surplus during the first quarter — the fourth-best January-March in its history — rebounding from a $484,728 loss in 2025.
“It’s a great start for the year,” said Eric Ryan, president of JAC Management Group, which operates the Covelli Centre, Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre and Wean Park for the city. “The telling sign is that over 100,000 people came through our gates in the first quarter. We’re super happy with it. We’re confident we’ll have a good year and be back on track.”
Only the Covelli Centre had events in the first three months of the year, which is normal because it is too cold to have outdoor shows.
The center generated $60,916 for the city from a 5.5% admission tax on tickets during the first three months of the year, said city Finance Director Kyle Miasek.
During the first three months, the center hosted seven performances of Disney on Ice, two Toughest Monster Truck shows, two Professional Bull Riders events, comedian Bert Kreischer and back-to-back weekends of the Ohio Wrestling Championship elementary and middle school state tournaments it has hosted for 15 years.
Four sellouts were logged during the first quarter: one Disney on Ice show, a Toughest Monster Truck show, a bull riders event and Kreischer, Ryan said.
Ryan said the wrestling tournaments bring “a lot of people to downtown. Friends and families come from all over the state. They stay in local hotels and eat at local restaurants.”
JAC recently signed a three-year contract to keep the state wrestling tournaments at Covelli, Ryan said.
The $300,448 surplus is the fourth-best first quarter at the center, which opened in October 2005.
The record for the first quarter is $382,334 in 2023. Except for 2006 and 2008 and under different management, the center finished every first quarter with an operating surplus. It is often the best three-month period for the facilities.
It is also a significant rebound from the $484,728 operating loss in 2025, which ended a streak of 16 straight years of turning a profit and the first in which the downtown facilities lost money under JAC’s leadership. Ryan called it “a one-year anomaly.”
Ryan said he doesn’t expect the second quarter to do well.
“The second quarter is always difficult,” he said.
In the 20 total second quarters, April-June, since the Covelli Centre opened, 11 had operating losses and nine showed surpluses. The amphitheater and park opened in 2019.
But Ryan said: “A lot of things are shaping up for the third and the fourth quarters. The fourth quarter at Covelli is going to be a banger.”
JAC plans to announce additional shows next week at the amphitheater and is introducing “YO Nights! Downtown Business Takeover,” which is designed to highlight different downtown businesses throughout the WesBanco Community Events Series.
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