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February 2006 Issue
The Road to Redemption
When we initiated The Power 100 two years ago we believed it to be a noble cause. Northeast Ohio was working hard to weave itself into a region, so we thought it would be valuable, as well as interesting, to identify the men and women who, in the minds of their contemporaries, were doing the most to contribute to their communities. After all, if we were going to work together as a region, it would be good to know one another. Of course, as soon as we started to talk to people and ask them who was ... |
E CITY inspires young entrepreneurs
As an entrepreneur, John Zitzner knows how a great idea can pay off. In 1983, he started a software company in Cleveland and grew it into a successful business. But he always felt an urge to share his secrets to success. “I always thought that if I didn’t have the software company, I could teach urban teens,†he says. As he focused on his company, he ran into Steve Mariotti, founder of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a nonprofit group that teaches entrepreneurship to ... Ingenuity celebrates the region's creativity
Despite its world class cultural arts organizations and high-tech capabilities, Cleveland lacked one event that celebrated the creativity of the region. That all changed in 2005, when veteran arts advocates James Levin and Thomas Mulready – with the help of more than 1,000 individual artists – collaborated to create Ingenuity: The Cleveland Festival of Art and Technology. “We have such amazing resources here, economically the city could certainly use a boost that such a festival could provide and ... Lock 3 Live! livens up downtown Akron in summer
In its third season, Lock 3 Live! took entertainment to a new summertime high in downtown Akron. More than 64,000 people converged on Lock 3 Park, built on the Ohio and Erie Canal by the city of Akron in 2003, and Lock 3 Live!, an outdoor amphitheater created by the Akron Civic Theatre that is home to a variety of summer entertainment. “The idea behind it was to create just a space where the community could get together and enjoy the outdoors,†says Brenda Cummins, development officer at Akron Civic... Mahoning River Consortium breathes life into river
Nine fully integrated steel mills operated along its banks and the employees who worked in them valued their jobs so no one dared to question business practices of dumping metallics and waste into the river. While almost all the industry has abandoned its banks, the Mahoning River has cleaned itself to the best of its ability yet still remains one of the five most polluted rivers in the country, says William DeCicco, chairperson of the Mahoning River Consortium. The 80-member consortium was created in 1... Maps show the paths to better health in Slavic Village
The youth of Cleveland’s Slavic Village/Broadway neighborhood encourage their residents to get outside for a bike ride or walk. Slavic Village Development’s Teen Mapping Project from July 2004 to September 2005 was designed to improve residents’ health through physical activity and engage teens in their community. The result was a neighborhood map detailing the best walking and biking routes. The Slavic Village population faces a host of health concerns. It has the third highest death rate of any ... Putnam County YMCA is culmination of years of work
The establishment of a YMCA in Putnam County has been a long time coming. The opening of a 28,096-square-foot facility in January 2005 reflects 15 years of planning, hard work and determination by the county’s residents. It all started in 1991 when a group of local factory employees in Ottawa began questioning why there wasn’t a local YMCA. One of those employees, Tom Giesken, and friend Mark Diemer decided to investigate and ultimately spearhead a movement to bring a Y to Putnam County. “The peop... SHAD takes on urban blight through transformation
With 24 sources of funding and a price tag of $12.7 million, the Livingston Park Apartments Revitalization Project is the largest venture to be completed by a Cleveland community development corporation serving as the sole developer and manager. The three-year long construction battle to transform a 15-building, 270-unit eyesore at the intersection of South Moreland and Livingston roads was undertaken by the Shaker Square Area Development Corp. (SHAD). Formed in 1976, one of SHAD’s mission-driven obje... Sparx in the City ignites new energy in Cleveland
The image of downtown Cleveland as a cement island; a place to drive to only to get to your singular destination, quickly park and hustle inside a building just wasn’t going to attract the sought-after people, businesses or economic development dollars. Creating a positive buzz – an infusion of energy, signs of life, or spark, so to speak – might generate some interest in downtown and make cool things happen in the city of Cleveland. It was around this discussion that Sparx in the City was f... |
King of the Hill
James McCarthy is a self-made man. Born and raised in Akron, McCarthy was elected Summit County Executive in 2000. In this role, he oversees more than $1 billion in revenue and more than 200 employees who work in the county’s administrative services, communications, finance and budget, and community and economic development departments. Though he doesn’t have a college degree, McCarthy racked up impressive on-the-job training, serving Summit County citizens since 1974. In his last ... Tech Revolutionary
If there is just one person driving the technology revolution in Northeast Ohio, it’s Dorothy Baunach. Through Cleveland-based NorTech, an economic development group with more than 100 key technology leaders on its board of directors, and Technology Resource Council, Baunach helped launch thriving economic engines such as JumpStart Inc., BioEnterprise and the nationally touted OneCleveland network project. “NorTech leads the region’s technology strategy,†says Baunach, a Cleveland native who has... The Power 100 - The List
In our third crack at identifying the 100 most powerful individuals in Northeast Ohio, we again mulled over hundreds of names and conducted hours of research to determine who belongs on this list. There are those fallen power brokers who no longer hold their once powerful positions, such as former Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, and, therefore, have been removed from the list. But, there are several newcomers, such as Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert, who have proven themselves worthy in 2005 to mak... Trendsetter
Maureen Cromling is exceedingly polite. She says she would like to see the city and county leaders across Northeast Ohio “cooperate†when it comes to attracting new businesses and investments, instead of what they do now, which is fight over it. “No, ‘fight’ isn’t the right word,†Cromling demures. “If we don’t cooperate, we could lose some opportunities for the region.†True, and more people are coming around to her philosophy. Cromling’s message has been especially well received ... Valley Visionary
Though he’s only been mayor of Youngstown since January, Jay Williams has certainly shown political potential. The 34-year-old Williams is the first non-Democratic mayor to serve Youngstown since the 1970s (he is registered as a Democrat, but ran as an Independent), and is the first African-American to hold the post in a city that is nearly 50 percent black. Winning 52 percent of the vote in a six-person race, Williams, who has never before held an elected office, beat the prominent Democratic candida... |
The Alpha Geek Matures
I love technology. Even casual readers of Inside Business are aware of this. Anyone who calls himself the “Entreprenerd†or the “Great Lakes Geek†certainly has to be a tech-gadget fanatic. It’s not that I am obsessed with being the “Alpha Geek.†I don’t taunt peers (too much) with “You aren’t using dual-core yet? Why not just use an Etch-A-Sketch?†or “Not on 64-bit apps yet? That is soooo 2005.†I have to admit that it is less fun walking around with devices attached to my be... |
Mixing Business with Pleasure
Jeannette Potts had a running joke with a resident of the Gates Mills neighborhood where she used to live. Potts, a doctor at The Cleveland Clinic and a divorced mother of two, liked to dance the tango. She recalls that the neighbor would watch on Sunday nights as Potts emerged from her farmhouse in high heels and exotic attire – everything from yoga pants and wild tops to the stereotypical dress with a form-fitting, off-the-shoulder bodice, flared asymmetrical skirt and ruffles at the hem – t... |
Perception or Reality
Businesspeople seem to know Northern Ohio has top-notch health care, but our corporations, colleges and universities need to do a better job of self-promotion, according to a recent survey. The poll, conducted by the Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce (NOACC), an organization that represents more than 120 chambers in Northern Ohio, showed only 37 percent of respondents knew Ohio ranks 5th in the number of Fortune 500 companies located here; only 35 percent knew Ohio ranks 5th in the number of highe... Pipe Dreams Do Come True
Painesville’s Lake Erie College landed a $48,000 grant to help save its 1927 Skinner pipe organ, the Cadillac of pipe organs for most of the first half of the 20th century. The donation came from the Kulas Foundation of Cleveland, which gives grants mainly to support music and arts and culture programs. “It has great historical significance as it is one of the few remaining original Skinner pipe organs in Northeast Ohio,†says interim president Sue Dreitzler. “An organ of this scope and magnitud... The Beat Goes On
Cleveland-based law firm Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP has jumped on the podcast bandwagon. In December, the firm launched “The Benesch Beat,†podcasts – audio files published on the Internet – that feature topical legal issues addressed by one of the firm’s 120 attorneys. Mark Avsec, a former musician and music producer who is now an intellectual property lawyer at the firm, is the mastermind behind the podcasts. “I was aware that there were other podcasts out there for other i... The Final Frontier
A drug by a Cleveland Clinic spin-off company could be headed to outer space. Cleveland BioLabs Inc., which develops new therapies to reduce the negative effects of cancer treatment and enhance the ability of people to withstand radiation exposure, received a $100,000 grant from NASA to see if one of their drugs can protect astronauts from radiation while they are in space. “Radiation is a major health hazard for future manned space missions that extend below the earth’s orbit,†says Yakov Kogan, ... |
Hurrah for Small Businesses!
COSE wants to be the first to congratulate your small business for making a big impact on Northeast Ohio. And building on last year’s success, COSE (Council of Smaller Enterprises) is once again doing so with its Ten Under 10 awards program, which recognizes businesses with 10 or fewer employees. “We developed these awards because there is a dearth of recognition for these small companies – you don’t see their names in the paper everyday,†says Steve Millard, executive director of COSE, the sm... Saving Grace
Anthony Ignagni is in the business of giving people their freedom. As president and CEO of Synapse Biomedical in Oberlin, Ignagni is developing and marketing a device that allows people who would otherwise be tied to a ventilator to breathe on their own. While late actor Christopher Reeve may be the most public patient to receive Synapse’s neurostimulation device, Ignagni has a host of success stories. He recalls a 20 year old who had been on a ventilator since the age of two. “He never remembered b... |
E CITY inspires young entrepreneurs
As an entrepreneur, John Zitzner knows how a great idea can pay off. In 1983, he started a software company in Cleveland and grew it into a successful business. But he always felt an urge to share his secrets to success. “I always thought that if I didn’t have the software company, I could teach urban teens,†he says. As he focused on his company, he ran into Steve Mariotti, founder of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a nonprofit group that teaches entrepreneurship to ... Ingenuity celebrates the region's creativity
Despite its world class cultural arts organizations and high-tech capabilities, Cleveland lacked one event that celebrated the creativity of the region. That all changed in 2005, when veteran arts advocates James Levin and Thomas Mulready – with the help of more than 1,000 individual artists – collaborated to create Ingenuity: The Cleveland Festival of Art and Technology. “We have such amazing resources here, economically the city could certainly use a boost that such a festival could provide and ... Innovative Training Puts the Fun in Fundamentals
The Cleveland Indians expect their front office employees to be as proficient at running a business and pitching sponsorship deals as the players are at running the bases or pitching strikes. That’s why in 2001, the team introduced a formalized training program for all full- and part-time associates, including Team Shop retail staff. “We are blessed to have a company that believes in the value of developing our people,†says Susie Downey, manager of training and recruitment for the Cleveland India... Lock 3 Live! livens up downtown Akron in summer
In its third season, Lock 3 Live! took entertainment to a new summertime high in downtown Akron. More than 64,000 people converged on Lock 3 Park, built on the Ohio and Erie Canal by the city of Akron in 2003, and Lock 3 Live!, an outdoor amphitheater created by the Akron Civic Theatre that is home to a variety of summer entertainment. “The idea behind it was to create just a space where the community could get together and enjoy the outdoors,†says Brenda Cummins, development officer at Akron Civic... Mahoning River Consortium breathes life into river
Nine fully integrated steel mills operated along its banks and the employees who worked in them valued their jobs so no one dared to question business practices of dumping metallics and waste into the river. While almost all the industry has abandoned its banks, the Mahoning River has cleaned itself to the best of its ability yet still remains one of the five most polluted rivers in the country, says William DeCicco, chairperson of the Mahoning River Consortium. The 80-member consortium was created in 1... Maps show the paths to better health in Slavic Village
The youth of Cleveland’s Slavic Village/Broadway neighborhood encourage their residents to get outside for a bike ride or walk. Slavic Village Development’s Teen Mapping Project from July 2004 to September 2005 was designed to improve residents’ health through physical activity and engage teens in their community. The result was a neighborhood map detailing the best walking and biking routes. The Slavic Village population faces a host of health concerns. It has the third highest death rate of any ... Putnam County YMCA is culmination of years of work
The establishment of a YMCA in Putnam County has been a long time coming. The opening of a 28,096-square-foot facility in January 2005 reflects 15 years of planning, hard work and determination by the county’s residents. It all started in 1991 when a group of local factory employees in Ottawa began questioning why there wasn’t a local YMCA. One of those employees, Tom Giesken, and friend Mark Diemer decided to investigate and ultimately spearhead a movement to bring a Y to Putnam County. “The peop... Resourceful Advice
Q: How can Companies save on employee health benefits? A: “According to an October 2005 survey compiled by ICDC/ISCEBS (Inside Consumer-Directed Care and International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists), consumer-directed health (CDH) plans are becoming more popular among both large and small employers,†says Rick Hughes, president and CEO, MagnaHR Inc. “Why? Cost savings. “Both the Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) and the Health Savings Account (HSA) start with a hig... SHAD takes on urban blight through transformation
With 24 sources of funding and a price tag of $12.7 million, the Livingston Park Apartments Revitalization Project is the largest venture to be completed by a Cleveland community development corporation serving as the sole developer and manager. The three-year long construction battle to transform a 15-building, 270-unit eyesore at the intersection of South Moreland and Livingston roads was undertaken by the Shaker Square Area Development Corp. (SHAD). Formed in 1976, one of SHAD’s mission-driven obje... Sparx in the City ignites new energy in Cleveland
The image of downtown Cleveland as a cement island; a place to drive to only to get to your singular destination, quickly park and hustle inside a building just wasn’t going to attract the sought-after people, businesses or economic development dollars. Creating a positive buzz – an infusion of energy, signs of life, or spark, so to speak – might generate some interest in downtown and make cool things happen in the city of Cleveland. It was around this discussion that Sparx in the City was f... |
Innovative Training Puts the Fun in Fundamentals
The Cleveland Indians expect their front office employees to be as proficient at running a business and pitching sponsorship deals as the players are at running the bases or pitching strikes. That’s why in 2001, the team introduced a formalized training program for all full- and part-time associates, including Team Shop retail staff. “We are blessed to have a company that believes in the value of developing our people,†says Susie Downey, manager of training and recruitment for the Cleveland India... Resourceful Advice
Q: How can Companies save on employee health benefits? A: “According to an October 2005 survey compiled by ICDC/ISCEBS (Inside Consumer-Directed Care and International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists), consumer-directed health (CDH) plans are becoming more popular among both large and small employers,†says Rick Hughes, president and CEO, MagnaHR Inc. “Why? Cost savings. “Both the Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) and the Health Savings Account (HSA) start with a hig... |
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