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June 2009
Affairs of the Mart
The Medical Mart and convention center, Cleveland's biggest downtown project in a decade, starts construction next year. But exactly what the risky, innovative venture linking health care and hospitality will look like remains uncertain. Will the large medical manufacturers take showroom space and attract enough medical conventions to make it work? And if it doesn't, could the city's aggressive return to the competition for conventions save the day? Published June 2009 |
Absolutely
A day before my column was due, my son, Lute Jr., handed me this letter to read. Not until I had finished did I realize he had written it. Even though I'm not sure he has a future as a writer, I gladly offer up his "Dear Dan" letter because I more than agree with its message. And besides, it gets me out of writing a column. - Lute Harmon Sr. |
The Feeling's Mutual
After Losing CEO Kent Clapp in a tragic accident, Medical Mutual is back on track with longtime leader Rick Chiricosta. |
Case Files
Three exciting projects at Case Western Reserve University show the promise of new technology. |
NEO Grow - Answering the Bell
Like a boxer taking a punch to the ribs, the city of North Canton felt a nasty blow to the core of its business hub when Hoover closed down 15 months ago, taking more than 1,000 jobs and 20 percent of the city’s tax revenue with it. But it wasn’t nearly a knockout, and the city jabs away at recovering. North Canton didn’t stumble on wobbly legs. Rather, it partnered with the right organizations and took advantage of grants to fight back against the faltering economy. The city’s p... NEO Grow - Brussels Sprouts
The Northeast Ohio Trade and Economic Consortium and its public sector parent organization, the Northeast Ohio Joint Office of Economic Development are raising their game. The JOED includes the boards of commissioners and Summit County executive within the 10-county NEOTEC region. The economic development partnership formed to promote trade, business growth and economic opportunities in Northeast Ohio recently inked a deal with OCO Global, a leading consulting firm that provides foreign direct investmen... NEO Grow - Capital Improvements
Despite the economy, the city of Cleveland is poised to assist its existing businesses and to reach out to businesses capable of bringing new jobs. An economic development team assembled by Mayor Frank G. Jackson continues to introduce new ideas and programs designed to benefit businesses and create jobs. With money from federal and state grants, land sale proceeds, repayments of existing loans and previously issued bond funds, Cleveland has the funding to improve the city’s business climate witho... NEO Grow - Growth Inc.
We grow up hearing about inventors like Thomas Alva Edison, Henry Ford and Samuel Morse, giants who created products that changed the world. Seemingly, they did it alone. The good news for Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs: They have help from a network of business incubators that offer guidance, expertise, business services and vastly reduced costs on office, lab or manufacturing space to startups. The Northeast Ohio Incubator Collaborative provides coordinated services to entrepreneurs seeking to start tec... NEO Grow - Hat Trick
Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County wears many hats, acting as a middleman for businesses approaching banks, a negotiator when securing project financing and a matchmaker in locating resources or finding sites for business expansion. Best put, it is a problem solver. “What we provide is an advocacy [service],” says Joe Mayernick, the partnership’s executive director. “We find resources. We respond to challenges. We interpret the alphabet soup of the manufacturing side [for th... NEO Grow - Innovating on Innovation
The University of Akron is innovating on innovation through its premier commercialization engine, the University of Akron Research Foundation. This foundation bridges gaps between industry and the university, facilitating the transfer of technology to private companies. It also provides intellectual property, commercialization and enterprise creation support to university faculty, staff and students, as well as to Ohio entrepreneurs, innovators and business owners. The nonprofit is separate from the ins... NEO Grow - Inspiring Entrepreneurs
This is one success story that has made a regional impact. Just look at the numbers. Since the Youngstown Business Incubator narrowed its focus in 2000, deciding to concentrate on information technology, its portfolio companies have created more than 250 new jobs with an average salary of $58,000, developed 24 new commercial software applications and received 17 intellectual property patents. And people are noticing. Incubator companies have won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year,Inc. 500, Weath... NEO Grow - Live Life, Love Work
This year, Painesville is focusing on business retention and relocation with a new slogan: “Build Your Business, Love Your Life.” It showcases the incentives — including business loans and Community Reinvestment Areas, work force development programs and municipal utility information — available for businesses looking to expand in Painesville. For nearly 100 years now, the city has owned its utilities, allowing it to offer water, sewer and electric services at a rate comparable t... NEO Grow - Start Saving Now
Joe Turi knows the benefits of belonging to a local chamber of commerce. And now the folks at Mentor Dental Clinic do, too. Ditto for Brian Moore, vice president of operations for Moore Counseling & Mediation Services in Euclid. Turi, president of Myriad Benefits Agency in Wickliffe, helped Mentor Dental Clinic save more than 30 percent on the cost of its health care by switching to Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield via the Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce. The small dental practice also received a... NEO Grow - Tending to the Flock
Like migratory birds, growing companies often take off to — well, wherever is most business-friendly and accommodating of their needs. The city of Medina is keeping such companies here in Northeast Ohio by allowing them to spread their wings and grow with their own business-friendly incentives. Take Friction Products and Falcon Industries as examples. Friction, the fourth largest company in the city, considered moving to Tulsa, Okla., for its expansion. However, it decided to stay put as a result ... |
A Soul Provider
It was supposed to be a one-time talk, a Monday morning chat between a church worker and a handful of out-of-work parishioners. Bob Kirkpatrick, the man who had issued the invite, was barely back at work himself. He had spent 18 months unemployed after the manufacturing industry job he had held for 33 years disappeared. “It was fresh in my mind,†he says. Though his experience with unemployment was limited, “I did know that it was a terrible process. And I did know that I worked around the clock o... MastersAmongUs
Everyday masters Look closely, they’re everywhere: painters, writers, designers and sculptors. You probably recognize them as a neighbor or a co-worker, but Tim and Marilou Myrick want to expose these “masters among us” by promoting their creative talents and providing the business assistance to pursue their passions full time. “Creative people are not always the best people to make a business infrastructure,” says Tim Myrick. “Our goal is to connect creative people w... Record-breaking Season
Fox Sports Ohio and the Cleveland Cavaliers partnership soared like LeBron James on a fast break during the NBA’s regular season. The cable network aired 70 of the Cavs’ 82 regular-season games, and what a run it was. The Cavs posted the highest local broadcast ratings since Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls during the 1997-98 season. Meanwhile, the network had a 116 percent increase in viewers this season. It was the perfect storm of on-court accomplishments (the Cavs going 66-16) and in-game entert... |
Smart Cookie
BROWNIE BITES: The Girl Scouts would be proud of Julie Hall. As a tax manager at BCG & Co., an accounting and consulting firm in Akron, she has more than earned her Business-wise and My Community badges. The Otterbein College grad and former Girl Scout enjoys doing things for others, whether a client, a friend or a civic organization. “My passion is helping people,” she says. Hall has served on the boards of many local nonprofits, including the Battered Women’s Shelter and Torchbearers... |
Smart Cookie
BROWNIE BITES: The Girl Scouts would be proud of Julie Hall. As a tax manager at BCG & Co., an accounting and consulting firm in Akron, she has more than earned her Business-wise and My Community badges. The Otterbein College grad and former Girl Scout enjoys doing things for others, whether a client, a friend or a civic organization. “My passion is helping people,” she says. Hall has served on the boards of many local nonprofits, including the Battered Women’s Shelter and Torchbearers... |
NEO Grow - Answering the Bell
Like a boxer taking a punch to the ribs, the city of North Canton felt a nasty blow to the core of its business hub when Hoover closed down 15 months ago, taking more than 1,000 jobs and 20 percent of the city’s tax revenue with it. But it wasn’t nearly a knockout, and the city jabs away at recovering. North Canton didn’t stumble on wobbly legs. Rather, it partnered with the right organizations and took advantage of grants to fight back against the faltering economy. The city’s p... NEO Grow - Brussels Sprouts
The Northeast Ohio Trade and Economic Consortium and its public sector parent organization, the Northeast Ohio Joint Office of Economic Development are raising their game. The JOED includes the boards of commissioners and Summit County executive within the 10-county NEOTEC region. The economic development partnership formed to promote trade, business growth and economic opportunities in Northeast Ohio recently inked a deal with OCO Global, a leading consulting firm that provides foreign direct investmen... NEO Grow - Capital Improvements
Despite the economy, the city of Cleveland is poised to assist its existing businesses and to reach out to businesses capable of bringing new jobs. An economic development team assembled by Mayor Frank G. Jackson continues to introduce new ideas and programs designed to benefit businesses and create jobs. With money from federal and state grants, land sale proceeds, repayments of existing loans and previously issued bond funds, Cleveland has the funding to improve the city’s business climate witho... NEO Grow - Growth Inc.
We grow up hearing about inventors like Thomas Alva Edison, Henry Ford and Samuel Morse, giants who created products that changed the world. Seemingly, they did it alone. The good news for Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs: They have help from a network of business incubators that offer guidance, expertise, business services and vastly reduced costs on office, lab or manufacturing space to startups. The Northeast Ohio Incubator Collaborative provides coordinated services to entrepreneurs seeking to start tec... NEO Grow - Hat Trick
Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County wears many hats, acting as a middleman for businesses approaching banks, a negotiator when securing project financing and a matchmaker in locating resources or finding sites for business expansion. Best put, it is a problem solver. “What we provide is an advocacy [service],” says Joe Mayernick, the partnership’s executive director. “We find resources. We respond to challenges. We interpret the alphabet soup of the manufacturing side [for th... NEO Grow - Innovating on Innovation
The University of Akron is innovating on innovation through its premier commercialization engine, the University of Akron Research Foundation. This foundation bridges gaps between industry and the university, facilitating the transfer of technology to private companies. It also provides intellectual property, commercialization and enterprise creation support to university faculty, staff and students, as well as to Ohio entrepreneurs, innovators and business owners. The nonprofit is separate from the ins... NEO Grow - Inspiring Entrepreneurs
This is one success story that has made a regional impact. Just look at the numbers. Since the Youngstown Business Incubator narrowed its focus in 2000, deciding to concentrate on information technology, its portfolio companies have created more than 250 new jobs with an average salary of $58,000, developed 24 new commercial software applications and received 17 intellectual property patents. And people are noticing. Incubator companies have won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year,Inc. 500, Weath... NEO Grow - Live Life, Love Work
This year, Painesville is focusing on business retention and relocation with a new slogan: “Build Your Business, Love Your Life.” It showcases the incentives — including business loans and Community Reinvestment Areas, work force development programs and municipal utility information — available for businesses looking to expand in Painesville. For nearly 100 years now, the city has owned its utilities, allowing it to offer water, sewer and electric services at a rate comparable t... NEO Grow - Start Saving Now
Joe Turi knows the benefits of belonging to a local chamber of commerce. And now the folks at Mentor Dental Clinic do, too. Ditto for Brian Moore, vice president of operations for Moore Counseling & Mediation Services in Euclid. Turi, president of Myriad Benefits Agency in Wickliffe, helped Mentor Dental Clinic save more than 30 percent on the cost of its health care by switching to Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield via the Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce. The small dental practice also received a... NEO Grow - Tending to the Flock
Like migratory birds, growing companies often take off to — well, wherever is most business-friendly and accommodating of their needs. The city of Medina is keeping such companies here in Northeast Ohio by allowing them to spread their wings and grow with their own business-friendly incentives. Take Friction Products and Falcon Industries as examples. Friction, the fourth largest company in the city, considered moving to Tulsa, Okla., for its expansion. However, it decided to stay put as a result ... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - A Message from Tom Waltermire
Every year, hundreds of companies in the U.S. and throughout the world make decisions about where to invest next for growth. These investments are made in good times and bad, because even in a weak economy, businesses with innovative products or services continue to grow by penetrating their markets. In total, the many communities, counties and economic development organizations in Northeast Ohio helped attract and/or retain more than 6,000 jobs and $1.2 billion in capital investment in 2008. Team NEO i... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Customer Fit
Filing for bankruptcycan lead to better things. In this case, it led to a fresh start for a manufacturing company and a big economic boost to a community. In 2005, the Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County had come to the aid of NEO Plastics, a financially troubled, Austinburg Township-based manufacturer of rotational molding equipment. The company was undercapitalized, deeply in debt and unable to grow or make a profit. The Growth Partnership brought in industry experts as consultants to attempt to r... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Drill Team
American Augers was planning to expand — good news, right? The West Salem-based manufacturer of earth-boring machines, horizontal directional drills and other large underground equipment wanted to double its facility. The additional 106,000 square feet meant it could expand its offerings to the oil and gas industry. The $11 million expansion plan also meant 50 to 75 new jobs immediately and up to 150 in the future. But there was a hitch: American Augers needed much, much more electrical power than... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Finalists
Detroit Shoreway Community Development Project: Preservation and restoration of the Capitol Theatre It took two decades and $7 million, but the Capitol Theatre at West 65th Street and Detroit Avenue in Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District is worth it. The renovation of the 1920s-era Capitol Theatre into a three-screen independent movie house has become the cornerstone of economic rebirth for the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood. Popular restaurants such as Luxe and Stone Mad have opened since the ... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Fund House
Ashley Frantz was at the right school at the right time. As a business management student at Lorain County Community College, Frantz landed an internship with Wireless Environment, a local LED lighting company. Frantz sat in on a funding meeting, commented on product launch strategies and is now updating the company’s Web site. This opportunity was the result of a collaboration between LCCC Foundation and Northeast Ohio companies in an effort to grow jobs and spark commerce in the region — a... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Good Guys
It’s not even 11:30 a.m., and the noise inside Five Guys Burgers and Fries has reached a small roar as customers swarm in for an early lunch and line cooks bark orders in the open kitchen. “Believe it or not, this is replicable,” shouts Randhir Sethi as he motions around his fast, casual burger restaurant. “We’re building more stores based on need.” In jeans and a casual button-down, Sethi is the inconspicuous CEO of Wholesome Burger, which franchises Five Guys Burger... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Material Handling
Headed toward Akron’s economic future? Just set your GPS for the intersection of biomaterials and medicine. That’s the vision behind the BioInnovation Institute, created in 2008 through a partnership of five area institutions to refashion Akron as a global leader for research, product development and clinical care in these interrelated fields. Building on Akron’s Polymer Valley reputation and the region’s rich medical talent pool, the BioInnovation Institute aims to create a dist... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Metal Toughness
No one said economic development was easy, even on the best days. And this was not one of those days. It was a soggy Northeast Ohio day that left nothing but gray skies and drenched soil in all directions. Not the greatest first impression for corporate executives visiting sites for a new $64 million facility. Despite such meteorological challenges, it was Walter Good’s job to wow Republic Special Metals’ Canadian-based delegation, which was scouting sites in the Warren-Youngstown area for a... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - On the Plus Side
On Scott Berlin’s first day of work as a tax accountant at Cohen & Co., he was welcomed by a basket on his desk stuffed with a greeting from the partners, a Starbucks gift card and the latest edition of the Cleveland Plus visitors guide. That’s standard fare at the Cleveland-based CPA firm, which for the past year has partnered with Cleveland Plus, the regional marketing campaign founded by the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Positively Cleveland and Team NEO to promote the region. “Peo... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Space Saver
The space race began about two years ago for Myers Controlled Power. Construction of its made-to-order industrial electric switchgear was crammed into a Massillon facility. If one order stalled during assembly and had to be moved for other projects, it cost the company. A lot. Up to $70,000. Myers spent two years looking for a new address. They scoured sites in Akron, Cleveland and Youngstown without the right fit. “We were finding a lot of very old industrial properties that weren’t very ef... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Special Med
Finding bioscience workers took some creative thinking a few years ago. Unlike the coasts, Northeast Ohio wasn’t home to a thriving pharmaceutical industry, where manufacturing employees could easily hop between companies. So pharmaceutical company recruiters like Jason Kurtz brainstormed, looking to former nuclear industry workers, food factory employees, even those who had worked making shampoos or hairsprays. None were a perfect fit for the highly regulated drug manufacturing business, but each... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Tire Power
“Anytime you can retain 1,000 jobs, it’s a good day. When you retain 1,000 scientific and engineering jobs, it’s a great day,” says Summit County finance director Linda Phelps. For the city of Akron, July 29, 2008, was a great day. Two years ago, the city was facing the possible loss of Bridgestone, the effects of which would have been devastating. The tire company’s technical center, built in 1911, had become unsuitable for its needs. Without a new, state-of-the-art facili... |
Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - A Message from Tom Waltermire
Every year, hundreds of companies in the U.S. and throughout the world make decisions about where to invest next for growth. These investments are made in good times and bad, because even in a weak economy, businesses with innovative products or services continue to grow by penetrating their markets. In total, the many communities, counties and economic development organizations in Northeast Ohio helped attract and/or retain more than 6,000 jobs and $1.2 billion in capital investment in 2008. Team NEO i... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Customer Fit
Filing for bankruptcycan lead to better things. In this case, it led to a fresh start for a manufacturing company and a big economic boost to a community. In 2005, the Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County had come to the aid of NEO Plastics, a financially troubled, Austinburg Township-based manufacturer of rotational molding equipment. The company was undercapitalized, deeply in debt and unable to grow or make a profit. The Growth Partnership brought in industry experts as consultants to attempt to r... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Drill Team
American Augers was planning to expand — good news, right? The West Salem-based manufacturer of earth-boring machines, horizontal directional drills and other large underground equipment wanted to double its facility. The additional 106,000 square feet meant it could expand its offerings to the oil and gas industry. The $11 million expansion plan also meant 50 to 75 new jobs immediately and up to 150 in the future. But there was a hitch: American Augers needed much, much more electrical power than... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Finalists
Detroit Shoreway Community Development Project: Preservation and restoration of the Capitol Theatre It took two decades and $7 million, but the Capitol Theatre at West 65th Street and Detroit Avenue in Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District is worth it. The renovation of the 1920s-era Capitol Theatre into a three-screen independent movie house has become the cornerstone of economic rebirth for the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood. Popular restaurants such as Luxe and Stone Mad have opened since the ... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Fund House
Ashley Frantz was at the right school at the right time. As a business management student at Lorain County Community College, Frantz landed an internship with Wireless Environment, a local LED lighting company. Frantz sat in on a funding meeting, commented on product launch strategies and is now updating the company’s Web site. This opportunity was the result of a collaboration between LCCC Foundation and Northeast Ohio companies in an effort to grow jobs and spark commerce in the region — a... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Good Guys
It’s not even 11:30 a.m., and the noise inside Five Guys Burgers and Fries has reached a small roar as customers swarm in for an early lunch and line cooks bark orders in the open kitchen. “Believe it or not, this is replicable,” shouts Randhir Sethi as he motions around his fast, casual burger restaurant. “We’re building more stores based on need.” In jeans and a casual button-down, Sethi is the inconspicuous CEO of Wholesome Burger, which franchises Five Guys Burger... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Material Handling
Headed toward Akron’s economic future? Just set your GPS for the intersection of biomaterials and medicine. That’s the vision behind the BioInnovation Institute, created in 2008 through a partnership of five area institutions to refashion Akron as a global leader for research, product development and clinical care in these interrelated fields. Building on Akron’s Polymer Valley reputation and the region’s rich medical talent pool, the BioInnovation Institute aims to create a dist... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Metal Toughness
No one said economic development was easy, even on the best days. And this was not one of those days. It was a soggy Northeast Ohio day that left nothing but gray skies and drenched soil in all directions. Not the greatest first impression for corporate executives visiting sites for a new $64 million facility. Despite such meteorological challenges, it was Walter Good’s job to wow Republic Special Metals’ Canadian-based delegation, which was scouting sites in the Warren-Youngstown area for a... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - On the Plus Side
On Scott Berlin’s first day of work as a tax accountant at Cohen & Co., he was welcomed by a basket on his desk stuffed with a greeting from the partners, a Starbucks gift card and the latest edition of the Cleveland Plus visitors guide. That’s standard fare at the Cleveland-based CPA firm, which for the past year has partnered with Cleveland Plus, the regional marketing campaign founded by the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Positively Cleveland and Team NEO to promote the region. “Peo... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Space Saver
The space race began about two years ago for Myers Controlled Power. Construction of its made-to-order industrial electric switchgear was crammed into a Massillon facility. If one order stalled during assembly and had to be moved for other projects, it cost the company. A lot. Up to $70,000. Myers spent two years looking for a new address. They scoured sites in Akron, Cleveland and Youngstown without the right fit. “We were finding a lot of very old industrial properties that weren’t very ef... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Special Med
Finding bioscience workers took some creative thinking a few years ago. Unlike the coasts, Northeast Ohio wasn’t home to a thriving pharmaceutical industry, where manufacturing employees could easily hop between companies. So pharmaceutical company recruiters like Jason Kurtz brainstormed, looking to former nuclear industry workers, food factory employees, even those who had worked making shampoos or hairsprays. None were a perfect fit for the highly regulated drug manufacturing business, but each... Team NEO Economic Development Impact Awards 2009 - Tire Power
“Anytime you can retain 1,000 jobs, it’s a good day. When you retain 1,000 scientific and engineering jobs, it’s a great day,” says Summit County finance director Linda Phelps. For the city of Akron, July 29, 2008, was a great day. Two years ago, the city was facing the possible loss of Bridgestone, the effects of which would have been devastating. The tire company’s technical center, built in 1911, had become unsuitable for its needs. Without a new, state-of-the-art facili... |
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