17. Mastering Project Management- Chill Can Collapse: A Case Study in Project Failure

In this powerful episode of Project Management Masterclass, host Brittany Wilkins unpacks the rise and fall of the Chill-Can Project in Youngstown, Ohio—a $20 million initiative that promised over 200 jobs, economic revival, and innovation but delivered none of it.

This isn’t just a case study—it’s personal. Born and raised in Youngstown, Brittany shares her firsthand experience of watching hope turn into heartbreak as communities were uprooted, homes were bulldozed, and nothing materialized.

Through the lens of project management, she breaks down what went wrong: missing milestones, ignored red flags, poor risk planning, and blind optimism without validation. The episode also examines the chillingly similar case of Zoetic Global—another failed promise in the same city.

🎧 Whether you’re a project leader, policymaker, or community advocate, this episode will challenge you to rethink what responsible project management really looks like—and why the lessons we learn must be applied.

🔑 Key Topics:

• The emotional and economic cost of failed projects
• Lessons in risk, governance, and stakeholder accountability
• Why "lessons learned" aren't enough without action
• A call to project managers to lead with integrity, not just ambition

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A Case Study In Corporate Fear

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Chapters

• 11:42 [Ad] A Case Study In Corporate Fear
• 12:20 (Cont.) 17. Mastering Project Management- Chill Can Collapse: A Case Study in Project Failure

Transcript

Welcome to Project Management Masterclass, the show where I, your host Brittany Wilkins, help project professionals around the world master the art and fundamentals of project management.

Before I get into todays show , I want to thank you for the continued support—and share a recent listener review that really stuck with me: 

“Brittany brings an excellent perspective of the basics of project management and the realities of applying the skills to the real world. Her paced out presentation allows the listener to process the information and spur ideas for applying the concepts to my projects and career.”

That’s exactly what this podcast is here for —to help you move from theory to execution with clarity and confidence.

 Time is  the greatest currency, I appreciate each and everyone listener devoting your time to podcast and making this part of journey. I encourage you keep listening, keep sharing your feedback with me about the show. It only helps improve. 

Now lets get to why we are here today, today discussion I want to  go beyond frameworks and templates. We're unpacking a real-world case study—the Chill-Can Project in Youngstown, Ohio—a project that was supposed to breathe life into a city, create over 200 jobs, and showcase innovation at its finest. 

 But instead? It was project failure. 

 Let’s explore what went wrong—and what every project leader can learn from it.

A City Built on Steel—and Struggle

To understand this project, you have to understand Youngstown.

For much of the 20th century, Youngstown was an economic powerhouse. Nestled in Ohio’s Mahoning Valley, it thrived on the strength of the steel industry. Mills churned day and night. Jobs were plentiful. Neighborhoods were tight-knit, and families were supported by steady, union-backed wages.

But in the late 1970s, it all began to unravel.

In what’s now referred to as “Black Monday,” September 19, 1977, the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company abruptly closed its doors—laying off over 5,000 workers. One by one, the mills shuttered. Thousands of families were devastated. The tax base shrank. Entire communities went into decline.

Youngstown never truly recovered in having a lot of industries.

So when, in 2016, a California-based company offered to invest $20 million to build a manufacturing facility for the world’s first self-chilling beverage can, the city saw it as more than a business deal.

It was a chance to dream again.

But fast forward to today we know it was just a promise gone unfullied. 

The Chill-Can Promise

The project came from Joseph Company International, who claimed the technology would revolutionize the beverage industry. The promise?

• 230+ new jobs
• A state-of-the-art campus
• And the rebirth of a neighborhood hit hard by deindustrialization.

The city responded quickly:

• $1.5 million in grants
• Another $360,000 spent to buy and demolish homes
• Public announcements, ribbon cuttings, and bold headlines about innovation and rebirth

But nearly a decade later—there are no cans. No jobs. Just lawsuits.

This is more than just a case study for me.

I was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. I grew up in this economically depressed city—where the shadow of the steel industry’s collapse still hangs in the air.

When I first heard about the Chill-Can Project, I didn’t just see a business deal. I saw possibility. I saw home. This plan for economic growth gave me hope that I could stay in my city and build a life.

At the time, I was working in the automotive industry—another space where jobs were being shuttered, and advancement opportunities were shrinking. Chill-Can felt like a lifeline. A chance to stay. A reason not to leave.

But two years passed… and nothing.

No groundbreaking innovation. No job postings. Just delays and silence. And eventually, like so many others, I had to move away to make a way.

It wasn’t just my life or my friends’ lives that were impacted. People fought to keep their homes—and they were gone for nothing. All those memories… just bulldozed. For nothing. Front porches where families gathered. Yards where children played. Entire blocks erased under the promise of progress that never came.

 So when I tell you this story, I’m not just sharing a failure in project execution—I’m sharing a failure that shattered trust, erased history, and impacted the 

heart of a community that just wanted a chance to rise again.

So what happened? How did something filled with so much promise unravel into disappointment, displacement, and silence? Let’s break it down through the lens of project management—because this wasn’t just a missed opportunity, it was a breakdown in structure, accountability, and oversight.

1. No Measurable Milestones or Deliverables

The city issued funds before key progress markers were established. There were no binding requirements for job creation timelines or construction phases.

Lesson: Milestone-based agreements protect all parties. Hype should never substitute for hard targets.

2. Inadequate Risk Assessment

Despite questions about the company’s track record, its financials, and the actual viability of the technology, the project moved forward.

Lesson: Every PM must ask: what’s the worst-case scenario? Risk management isn’t a report—it’s a mindset.

 3. Lack of Governance

Once the land was cleared and money exchanged hands, there was little oversight. Communication slowed. Trust eroded. And with no enforceable consequences built into the agreement, the city was left with little leverage.

Lesson: Governance frameworks—escalation paths, penalties, and checkpoints—aren’t optional. They’re lifelines.

4. High Hope, Low Validation

Youngstown’s leaders were understandably hopeful. But hope without validation leads to vulnerability. There was no working chill-can in the market, no evidence of large-scale demand, and limited proof of prior delivery from the company.

Lesson: PMs must validate assumptions early—and often. Optimism must be paired with scrutiny.

But here’s the thing:

We can document all the lessons learned. We can hold retrospectives, write reports, and talk about what went wrong.

But unless we apply those lessons forward—unless we act—they become footnotes instead of guardrails.

And when we don’t act, incidents like this keep happening

Take Zoetic Global—another company that promised to bring life back into downtown Youngstown. They showed off a 28,000-square-foot refrigerant plant in 2023, promising 20 to 50 jobs. But by April 2024, they were gone.

The landlord sued for more than $120,000 in unpaid rent, utilities, and property damage.

Investors—people who trusted the vision—were also left in the cold. One was awarded $65,000 in damages after being promised stock buybacks and reimbursement that never came. Another is suing for over $2.7 million, claiming misrepresentation and out-of-pocket expenses to keep the business running.

These aren’t just project failures. They’re community failures. And they keep happening in places where hope is weaponized against people with limited option

Youngstown deserved better. And so do the stakeholders on your next project. 

Your Takeaway as a Project Leader:

• Be the guardian of due diligence
• Tie incentives to delivery
• Raise the red flags early—even when it’s uncomfortable
• And never underestimate the impact a failed project can have on real communities

Because at the end of the day, project management isn’t just about timelines and budgets. It’s about people, trust, and transformation.

If this case study resonated with you, please share the episode, subscribe, and leave a review. Let’s raise the bar on what project leadership looks like—especially when the stakes are high.

Until next time, I’m Brittany Wilkins—and remember, project success begins within.