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January 2006 Issue
Young Guns
Entrepreneurs are traditionally defined as those who organize a business and assume risk for the sake of a profit. But the following businesses were started by individuals 30 years old and younger – some of them not even old enough to drink – because they have the passion and desire to build something of their own and to make a difference. These young dreamers come from all walks of life – some are Northeast Ohio natives, others are transplants. Some started their businesses after honing their ski... |
It's All About Me
Hank Jr. and Sr. George Jones. Merle. Waylon and Willie. Johnny Cash. That’s my kind of country music. I don’t listen to much modern country, but I just heard a tune where Toby Keith sings, “Every once in awhile I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I, wanna talk about number one.†Me, me, me. The first of the year is a great time for columnists to clean out their virtual closets and talk about themselves. Teachers tell you in English class not to write about “I†or “me†too much, but ... |
Reasons Mother Nature Created Cleveland Weather
Great moments in Cleveland weather annals: February 1976: WEWS TV5’s legendary news commentator, Dorothy Fuldheim, angrily demands during her 6 p.m. broadcast to know why the city of Cleveland can’t install heated pipes under the streets to keep them free of snow and ice. Winter 1978: record snowfall in Cleveland. Summer 2005: record heat in Cleveland. September 2005: Inside Business Editor Lute Harmon decides he’s had enough of Clevelanders complaining that it’s too cold, too hot, too rainy, to... Relieved Pitchman
“Mikey’s gonna be doin’ a lotta nothin’!†Or at least much less than he used to. Mike Magden, best known in the region as Mikey, clutching two handfuls of cash and yelling, “I’m gonna save you a lotta money!†in the TV ads for Regency Windows, is retiring as CEO and president of the Twinsburg company founded by his father in 1971. The real-life Magden will continue to star in the TV ads and serve on the company’s board of directors. Magden, who is more low-key when the cameras are off,... Rocking and Rolling
Believe it or not, bankruptcy is not a lot of fun. Just ask Michael Lundin. Forty-six-year-old Lundin was named president and CEO of Oglebay Norton Co., a storied 152-year-old shipping and mineral products company in 2002, only two years prior to filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. When it filed, the venerable Cleveland company was sinking fast with $422 million in debts and about $404 million in sales. During the negotiations, meetings with creditors and shareholders can get heated. People “... |
Borrowing Basics
For the first time since its founding 15 years ago, RICO Equipment Inc. needed a little financial help to grow. The Medina-based lift truck manufacturer always prided itself on the fact that it had never borrowed money to purchase equipment, acquire companies or expand its facilities. The family-owned business, started by President Dave Mueller’s father-in-law, was founded on the principle that the company should never borrow money, unless it was absolutely critical. With a new headquarters and a thir... |
Vision to Reality
Inside the minds of award-winning architects who have designed some high-profile projects in the region. |
A is for Advancement
When Jack Bronson took a position as plant manager with Gibraltar Strip Steel in Cuyahoga Heights three years ago, he was taken aback by the weak communication between his 10 supervisors on the plant floor. “I was surprised by a lack of teamwork for such a small company,†Bronson says. He turned to Kent State University for some communication training. A consultant from the university came out to the facility and worked with the supervisors on communication, empowerment and discipline skills. “Itâ... Head of the Class
Q: What should the business community expect from today’s college graduate? A: “There are many colleges that still call themselves liberal arts colleges, but the truth is, there are very few pure liberal arts colleges left,†says Harry Paidas, VP for public affairs and marketing, Mount Union College. “The vast majority have departments of education and business, making them comprehensive colleges rather than liberal arts colleges. With that being said, we hope most college graduates ... |
Branded For Life
How badly do you want new tires for your pet dragster --– bad enough to be branded for life with the company’s logo? Dunlop Tires, a brand of Goodyear in Akron, and its ad agency, Hitchcock Fleming & Associates (hfa), felt the demand was strong enough. To penetrate the Dunlop brand in this past November’s SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Assocation) Show 2005, the world’s premier automotive specialty products trade event in Las Vegas, hfa suggested the radical promotion of offering a free set of... Extreme Exposure
“We got the phone call and an hour later accepted the project [pro bono],†says Chris Abraham, part-owner with Tony Esposito of Canfield-based TC Quality Homes. The call was from lumber conglomerate Weyerhaeuser, the national sponsor of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,†ABC’s hit reality show seen by 20 million viewers a week. The show featured the Boardman-based Novak family of five who lost their wife and mother, Jackie Novak, to a pulmonary embolism. On Oct. 14, Abraham, his crew and local ... Perfect Timing
Mayfield Height’s Ganeden Biotech Inc. could be addressing a very receptive audience with its first-ever, national television advertising campaign for its arthritis medicine, Arthritis Advantage. On Sept. 30 last year, Arthritis drug Vioxx was recalled by its maker Merck & Co. Inc. for health risks, and today faces more than 6,000 civil lawsuits in courts across the nation. Similar painkillers Celebrex and Bextra now carry warnings of potentially life-threatening side effects. Available over the count... Show Me the Money
Moolah. Dough. Dead presidents. No matter what you call it, you could not live without it. But who determines what money is worth? What gives it its value? The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has opened a Learning Center and Money Museum to answer those questions. This month, the Fed will open its main-lobby doors off East 6th Street to the public for the first time since 9/11, to unveil the Learning Center and Money Museum, a $2.6-million project. The purpose of the center is to increase the publicâ€... |
Family First
As president and owner of a home-based marketing business, specializing in custom imprinted promotional items from mugs to tote bags, Bonnie Kay has achieved success for more than 22 years. After working three years as the director of communications for her family-owned insurance company, Globe American Casualty, Kay’s position was eliminated when the business merged with a Cincinnati-based company. But three days later, Kay was engaged and had other things to concentrate on – getting married and ha... Riding on a Dream
Northeast Ohio native Jacquie Clark spent years working with children of all ages in school districts around the world, while her husband, David, pursued his military career. Yet, the problems were always the same: So many special needs students were not making progress. Clark continually tried to make a difference with them. One day, she realized there was not any content-driven current events materials available for special needs children and those with low-level reading abilities. “Many of these ch... |
A is for Advancement
When Jack Bronson took a position as plant manager with Gibraltar Strip Steel in Cuyahoga Heights three years ago, he was taken aback by the weak communication between his 10 supervisors on the plant floor. “I was surprised by a lack of teamwork for such a small company,†Bronson says. He turned to Kent State University for some communication training. A consultant from the university came out to the facility and worked with the supervisors on communication, empowerment and discipline skills. “Itâ... Borrowing Basics
For the first time since its founding 15 years ago, RICO Equipment Inc. needed a little financial help to grow. The Medina-based lift truck manufacturer always prided itself on the fact that it had never borrowed money to purchase equipment, acquire companies or expand its facilities. The family-owned business, started by President Dave Mueller’s father-in-law, was founded on the principle that the company should never borrow money, unless it was absolutely critical. With a new headquarters and a thir... Head of the Class
Q: What should the business community expect from today’s college graduate? A: “There are many colleges that still call themselves liberal arts colleges, but the truth is, there are very few pure liberal arts colleges left,†says Harry Paidas, VP for public affairs and marketing, Mount Union College. “The vast majority have departments of education and business, making them comprehensive colleges rather than liberal arts colleges. With that being said, we hope most college graduates ... Vision to Reality
Inside the minds of award-winning architects who have designed some high-profile projects in the region. |
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