Follow Us On
 
|
December 2005 Issue
Two Clevelands. Two Votes
I’ve been in love with both Clevelands all my life. Of course, when I was growing up in the suburbs, I didn’t know there were two Clevelands. Everything I enjoyed was Cleveland – the Browns, the Indians and downtown were all Cleveland. My first job was at The Cleveland Press; my second, The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. And when I joined a group of Clevelanders to start a magazine, we named it – what else? – Cleveland. Cleveland was all for one, and one for all. It never occurred to me t... |
|
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Laptop
I was driving along Chester Avenue in the middle of the day. A guy approached at a light and said his car broke down and he needed a ride a few miles down the road. I wanted to help. He looked scruffy but maybe he had been working on his car. I used to hitchhike home from school all the time and would routinely pick up people when they stuck their thumb out for a lift. But times have changed. I quickly imagined a scenario where I had to explain how stupid I was to let a stranger in my car after I was ca... |
A Healthy Choice
It’s tough enough to throw out an old couch. But what do you do with an unwanted X-ray machine? Fortunately for hospitals throughout the United States, Kevin Tenkku, who co-owned a computer-systems wholesaling company in the early ‘90s, figured out an answer: asset management for health care equipment. “We thought we could apply the same principles to another market that needed asset management,†recalls Tenkku, president and CEO of Med-XS Solutions in Mentor. “Then in 1997, we determined that... Content Is King
In the publishing industry, it’s rare when a new publication is so quickly embraced by readers. But that’s what happened to October Research Corp. of Richfield when it published its first national newsletter, The Title Report, in 1999 for real estate lawyers and other title insurance professionals. “In our first promotion, we attracted 250 subscribers, and that was better than we thought we were going to do the entire year,†says Joe Casa, who founded the research publishing company. “By the e... Creating Something Special
Walter Nelson started his multi-million dollar business in his basement with just $300. Four years ago, he used the money and a laser printer to found Captiva Direct Inc., a direct mail business. Today, Nelson owns a 20,000-square-foot mail fulfillment center in Mentor that is projected to make $4.5 million in 2005, up from $2.8 million last year. In 2006, Captiva expects to produce revenue nearing $6 million. Before Captiva, Nelson worked as a successful car salesman. He developed a direct mail letter ... From Bust to Boom
Like most software companies, Vertex Computer Systems Inc. was impacted by the technology bust of the late 1990s. “We saw the opportunity to provide information technology services in the marketplace in 2001,†says Ganesh Iyer, CEO of Vertex Computer Systems Inc. of Twinsburg. “Since then, we have seen double-digit growth for our company every year. By the end of this year, we will see a growth rate of 50 percent to 60 percent.†Iyer expects this growth trend to continue in 2006. What Vert... Hitting New Markets
After working the first two decades of his professional career in the investment casting industry, James Corbett gave in to his desire to run his own company and formed Core-Tech Inc. with two partners in 1995. The Mentor-based company manufactures precision ceramic products that allow investment casters to make metal castings for a diverse range of items, from blades, vanes and integral nozzles for aircraft engines to heads and nozzles for golf clubs and prosthetic implants for the medical industry. Th... Information Now
One company Bill Nemeth worked with saw 40 percent of its customer service calls eaten up by questions from its own sales reps. This was instead of answering questions from customers. “’Do we offer this? What about this?’†were some of the questions. Sales reps found that they could get answers quicker by going this route than by consulting their own data. It’s enough to make your head spin. “You start adding up the dollars and it’s amazing,†says Nemeth, CEO of Mirifex Systems, a Strong... Legally Copied
Say the word “Enron†and thoughts of corporate scandal most likely fill your head. Ask the guys at ProFile Imaging, and they’ll likely say “mounds of paper†and “profit.†Those mounds of paper used in court cases are what concern the downtown Cleveland-based company. Though it didn’t handle the Enron case, ProFile Imaging is quickly taking a foothold in Northeast Ohio in the legal document services industry. And the recent opening of a Columbus office is allowing the company to service l... On the Move
As a young man working for Northeast Ohio’s insurance giant, Progressive Insurance, Alan Spachman conceived a new approach to insurance for the transportation industry. In 1989, he started National Interstate Insurance Co. to provide innovative, customized property casualty insurance for passenger-transportation businesses. The firm specializes in covering risks for city, school or charter buses, limousines and nonemergency medical transportation. National Interstate also covers trucks, including tow ... On Their Own
Mike O’Donnell was sheltered by the comfort of a big corporation for nearly 10 years before going out on his own to start Metro Disposal LLC. “When I was in the corporate world, I never had to deal with everything from the ground up,†says O’Donnell, co-founder and president of the Cleveland-based solid waste removal company, who previously worked for Karas Trucking Co., a subsidiary of BFI, the second-largest waste removal corporation in the country. “In the early days, we did it all,†he s... Raising the Roof
Ronald Janoski and Mark Rundo revolutionized a portion of the roofing industry by doing one thing: reducing the smell. In 1997, Janoski, a chemist, and Rundo, a roofing contractor, jumped at the chance to combine their complementary expertise and developed high-performance, solvent-free adhesives, coatings and sealants for the roofing industry. Today, they serve as CEO and president, respectively, of Millennium Adhesive Products Inc. in Chagrin Falls. The mission of their 20-person manufacturing enterpr... Reaching for the Stars
Hemant Mainthia, president and CEO of Mainthia Technologies Inc., isn’t afraid to take risks. After earning a degree in mechanical engineering in his native India, he came to the United States in search of a graduate degree and the American dream: to start his own business. But he wanted it all by the time he was 40. He first came to Cleveland as a contractor for NASA Glenn Research Center in Brook Park. In 1988, he joined NASA Glenn as manager of computer-aided design and engineering. Six years later... Screening Candidates
If those employment dates on that resumé you’re reviewing seem a little off, you might want to give Background Information Services a call. The Beachwood-based company, which was started in 1999, has become a leading supplier of background checks and has more than 1,200 clients, some of them Fortune 500 companies. The company reviews resumés and the backgrounds of job candidates for companies that are looking to verify whether a potential employee is who he or she claims to be. Or whether or not som... Wake of the Storm
On September 1, waters from Hurricane Katrina continued to fill New Orleans like a bowl. More than 30,000 people driven from their flooded homes were trapped in the Superdome as the city descended into anarchy. No one was sure when food, clean water and safety forces would arrive. On that same day, about 1,050 miles northeast, KeyCorp Chairman and CEO Henry Meyer, adorned in a chef’s hat and apron, flipped pancakes in Cleveland’s Public Square. Trying to stay upbeat, he kicked off the United W... |
Words of Praise
Thank you for the inspiring articles you wrote summarizing the lives and accomplishments of some tremendous business leaders here in Northeast Ohio (“Business Hall of Fame,†October). They were an encouragement and an inspiration. The common theme throughout was how each overcame personal obstacles and through grit and determination made a difference in a big way. My admiration for these gentlemen knows no bounds. It is a pleasure to read such quality articles. I feel better informed and inspired. I... |
Brains Over Brawn
Gregg Lowe, a senior vice president at Texas Instruments, knows global competition. He spent five years working in Germany and traveling the globe marshalling the $12.5 billion technology firm’s European sales force. “The basics of science and technology are taught very early on in China and India,†Lowe says. “I do a lot of business over there, and it’s something that’s very strongly promoted.†That’s why when Brother Peter Graham, president of St. Edward’s High School in Lakewood, vi... For the Good
While volunteering at one of the Legal Aid Society’s free clinics this summer, Hugh McKay realized a great need for legal services for the poor. McKay, partner-in-charge of the Cleveland office of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, won’t soon forget the woman who told him she never had anyone in the legal system listen to her. “It’s just a gaping hole in our system that Legal Aid is trying to fill,†says McKay, president-elect of the Cleveland Bar Association. “We need more help. That came t... It's a Gas
The recent price hikes in gas have forced many consumers to cut back on, or even boycott, the use of gasoline. With its new slogan and television advertisements, the Marathon gas station chain is working hard to combat such backlash. The Findlay-based Marathon Petroleum Co. LLC, which is owned by Marathon Oil Corp. of Houston, wants to remind their customers that its 3,800 stations around the country are locally owned and operated and are committed to the American spirit. The rebranding is tied to... Loosing Our Minds
Graduating from Bowling Green State University in Northwest Ohio four years ago, I had a choice: Stay in Toledo, the town where I’ve spent most of my 26 years, or get the heck out of Dodge and never look back, with memories of a lackluster scene and nightlife of which John Denver only scratched the surface, as noted in his classic “Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio.†To avoid the young blood of Northeast Ohio making the same decision I did, a consortium of 15 area places of higher learning and other ... Work Is Swell
We’re No. 1! We’re No. 1! Oh, wait – I’m sorry. We’re No. 25! We’re No. 25! According to researchers from the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Ohio comes in at 25th in the nation (tied with our archnemesis Michigan) of the most employee-friendly states in the nation. The Work Environment Index (WEI) rates working environments in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., in terms of employee benefits, employment opportunities, fair treatment between ge... |
Full Service
Don McLeod, president of ProTrades Design and Construction Services in Euclid, doesn’t turn off his cell phone. Ever. “I answer it 24/7,†he says. “You never know when a client is going to need you. I once had to take care of a client at 10:30 on a Sunday evening, and I was there until just after 12. He was just having trouble switching the batteries in his new smoke alarms. This is a guy who runs a $2 billion company, yet he’s having trouble with smoke alarm batteries. “That’s more than O... |
Centurions List
Click here to view the complete listing of WeatherHead100 Centurions List 2005. Sweet Smell of Success
Inside Business Magazine is pleased to accept nominations for the Team NEO Success Awards, which honor Northeast Ohio’s top-performing companies. These companies exemplify what is best about our region. They are leaders in their fields. Their commitment to excellence creates growth, wealth and jobs for all of Northeast Ohio. The Team NEO Success Awards entrants will be judged in the categories of revenue growth, employment growth and profitability. Award-winners will be announced in the March issue of... The Golden Rule
Throughout the history of philanthropy, planned gifts have built educational and health care institutions. Today, universities and hospitals rely heavily on planned charitable giving to help fund areas of advancement such as research, building new or expanded facilities, buying updated equipment or furnishing a lab. Nowhere does the significance of charitable giving seem more evident than in Greater Cleveland, ranked 16th among major metropolitan markets in total charitable contributions, according to t... |
Sweet Smell of Success
Inside Business Magazine is pleased to accept nominations for the Team NEO Success Awards, which honor Northeast Ohio’s top-performing companies. These companies exemplify what is best about our region. They are leaders in their fields. Their commitment to excellence creates growth, wealth and jobs for all of Northeast Ohio. The Team NEO Success Awards entrants will be judged in the categories of revenue growth, employment growth and profitability. Award-winners will be announced in the March issue of... |
|
|