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January 2007 Issue
Cleveland's Ambassador
Ronn Richard showed up a few hours early for his interview at The Cleveland Foundation three-and-a-half years ago. He rented a car and he drove around downtown — up and down the streets, around city blocks. The exercise was customary for Richard, whose diplomacy background taught him to hit the ground running in any city, learn any language, get to know the right people fast and make a difference. What he saw here would not surprise most Clevelanders. “The downtown looked hollowed out;... |
Bloom Group Receives Award for Web Site
The Bloom Group, a Cleveland-based marketing firm, received the 2006 Professional Services Standard of Excellence award for its corporate Web site. The recognition was part of the Web Marketing Association’s WebAwards, which is designed to highlight Web professionals who build outstanding corporate Web sites. This year, the Web Marketing Association judged 2,300 Web sites from 35 countries. The Bloom Group’s site was chosen based on its design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity,... Calfee Attorney serves on Geauga Library Board
Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP attorney Raymond Rundelli was appointed in November to serve on the Geauga County Public Library (GCPL) Board of Trustees by the Geauga County Commissioners. Rundelli, who specializes in intellectual property and law litigation, will take over the unexpired seven-year term of a trustee who resigned earlier this year. “This is a great way for me to get involved with the community doing something I enjoy,” says Rundelli. “I hope to help the library system co... CB Richard Ellis listed on S&P 500
CB Richard Ellis has been added to the S&P 500 Index, an exclusive list providing a representative sample of the country’s leading companies in the major U.S. industries. It supplies such information as financial market intelligence, including independent credit rating, indices, risk evaluation and other investment data. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Cleveland and Akron, CB Richard Ellis is the world’s largest commercial real estate firm. “We are pleased to be recognized... Clinic Hires Former Delta Air Lines Exec
The Cleveland Clinic named Paul G. Matsen as its new chief marketing, planning and communications officer. The former Delta Air Lines marketing executive will lead the Clinic’s domestic and international strategic marketing initiatives, including its latest efforts in Canada and Abu Dhabi. “It’s truly an exciting time to be in health care — especially with a world-class organization like The Cleveland Clinic — which is expanding internationally, focusing on new technologies... Dix & Eaton Appoints Communications Head
Dix & Eaton announced in November two promotions within its marketing communications division: Chas Withers will head the practice, while Kevin Poor will serve as creative director. Withers, a graduate of Kent State University, serves as the senior marketing director of the firm and directs the marketing strategies group. Prior to working with Dix & Eaton, he was the managing director for strategic marketing and communications for Answerthink Inc. The Miami-based consulting firm provides finance a... McDonald Hopkins Attorney appointed to Deepwood Board
James E. Stief, shareholder in the business department of Cleveland-based McDonald Hopkins, was appointed in November to serve on the board of directors of Deepwood Industries Inc. Located in Mentor, Deepwood Industries Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization that services and supports business and industry with the help of individuals with disabilities who are enrolled at the Lake County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. As part of the business department at McDonald Hop... Mehalko to chair Benesch's Corporate and Securities
Megan L. Mehalko will serve as chair of the Corporate and Securities practice at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP. In her new position, Mehalko, who has worked with Benesch since 2000, will oversee development and management of the practice group including strategic direction, professional development and business development. “We are pleased that Megan will be heading up the largest practice group in the firm,” says Jim Hill, managing partner of the firm. “She has the m... Twist Creative relocates to a former flophouse
Design consultants Twist Creative set up a unique shop in a former Ohio City flophouse, renovating the three top floors of the four-story building. According to the firm, which specializes in organization and product naming, advertising, graphic, environmental and interactive design, the end result is a floor-by-floor, eclectic atmosphere. Fixtures and furnishings boast Swedish to traditional styles, hardwood floors help maintain the historic charm and the whitewashed walls on the third floor of the Wes... WhiteSpace Recognized for Philanthropy
WhiteSpace Creative, an Akron-based marketing firm, received the Small Business Leadership Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) North Central Ohio Chapter. The group received the award in November on AFP’s National Philanthropy Day. Nominated for the Leadership Award by the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, WhiteSpace is committed to providing pro bono services to nonprofit organizations throughout Northeast Ohio. WhiteSpace participates annually in the National Createathon ... |
Going Public, Privately
When a private business goes public there’s usually a lot of media hoopla celebrating the stock market listing — especially when the company is in Northeast Ohio. But not for Akron-based Ecology Coatings Inc., a small, former research and development firm producing nano-particle materials used in industrial manufacturing. Ecology, under its Chairman Richard Stromback, announced in November it intends to go public using the increasingly popular and less time-consuming method of an Alternative... Growth Spurts
For The Press of Ohio, the buzzword these days is growth, says David Bracken, president of the printer of educational and commercial books. Aiding in that growth will be New York’s Wellspring Capital Management LLC, a private equity firm with more than $2 billion in equity capital, which acquired The Press of Ohio this past autumn for an undisclosed amount. “Wellspring is pushing for growth and we will be doing some acquiring, at least one a year,” says Bracken, who points to plans of ... Masters of the Googleverse
Is it something in the water in Northeast Ohio? That’s the explanation jokingly offered by Sage Lewis, president of SageRock.com, a Web marketing firm in Akron, for the abundance of search engine optimization (SEO) talent in this region. SEO is a methodology that works to increase the quantity and quality of visitors to a Web site. While there are various options to pay for high rankings in the search engines, SEO typically will use “organic” techniques instead of paying. When a user g... Ready for the Gold Watch
If it weren’t for a knee injury, Tom Barrett might have never worked for Earnest Machine Products Co. But now, 50 years after he joined the Parma-based seller and distributor of bolts, nuts, screws and 35,000 other fasteners, his entire adult life has been spent working at the same company, an astounding feat considering the average worker switches jobs every four years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. “I probably would’ve gone to college be... Southern Exposure
Ohio’s weather has been a chilling wake-up call for Team Lorain County’s new president and CEO, J. Martin Irvine, formerly of Waxhaw, N.C., just south of Charlotte. “It’s definitely a lot warmer down there,” Irvine said in late October. “I can’t believe I’m already seeing snow.” Irvine was named as the first full-time leader of the economic development group. As he takes the helm this year, Irvine brings 25 years experience in the economic developmen... |
Cleaning up the World
Nicholas Zingale spends his days keeping the planet free of dangerous toxins. As president and CEO of Affinity Consultants in the tiny Stark County town of Canal Fulton, Zingale’s company provides environmental, health and safety services to companies in a wide range of industries. After a successful career as an environmental safety manager for a large chemical company, Zingale decided to break out on his own and offer his services to both the public and private sectors. So in March 1994, Zingale... Planting the Seeds
Dr. Roy Church, president of Lorain County Community College, has witnessed his county suffering over the last 20 years from the fallout of the steel and auto industry. Knowing that it would take more than education to turn the county around, he handpicked several leaders from the region in 1999 to help spur entrepreneurship. The first major entrepreneurial step was the creation of the Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE). It launched in 2001 through a partnership between the Lorain... Sharing the Vision
Three years ago, Robert Huxtable and Jason Peterson had successful careers in executive recruitment, working for a leading Northeast Ohio company. But both had dreams of starting their own businesses. “We were inspired to leverage our own vision,” recalls Huxtable. “It was an entrepreneurial spirit — building something from the ground up.” So in February 2004 Huxtable and Peterson, both 36, left their jobs and created Socius Executive Search in Cleveland, specializing in hi... |
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