Venture for America, a non-profit group that places new college grads in startup companies, is coming to Cleveland. The New York-based organization focuses on placing new college grads in jobs at startups in cities with a low cost of living and in the process of revitalization.

“The goal is to create young entrepreneurs,” explains VFA vice president of corporate development Mike Tarullo. “Too many of our best and brightest are going into big firms and to... Read more >

As the number of cyclists and pedestrians on the near west side grows and car traffic remains relatively flat, urban planners are giving several streets a "road diet" to make them friendlier for bikers and walkers while still accessible to drivers.

The result will be some of the city's first model green streets.

"We're starting to create all this connectivity," says Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone, who has helped push green initiatives th... Read more >

The Ohio City developer who successfully turned around the long-struggling block of buildings on W. 25th Street north of Bridge Avenue is turning his attention to two big new real estate projects.

Tom Gillespie, who also owns Gillespie Environmental Technologies, is starting work this month on turning the gutted former Jay Hotel into market-rate apartments. He also recently purchased the shuttered building at 2030 W. 25th Street south of Lorain Avenue that once housed Clu... Read more >

Dan Malz is a science guy and a rum aficionado who always dreamed of making his own rum. Three years ago over a pint of Guinness, that dream was on the way to becoming a reality. That's when Malz and his three business partners, John Marek, Keith Sutton and Matthew Zappernick, founded Portside Distillery, Cleveland’s first distillery since Prohibition.
 
Portside Distillery produces small-batch artisan spirits and craft beers from its lakeside location on W.... Read more >

"We are all assets," declares the national website of TimeBanks USA, a movement dedicated to building "caring community" economies through an inclusive exchange of time and talent.

Indeed, time can be as valuable an asset as money in terms of the positive impact it has on a neighborhood, says Adam Gifford, director of community involvement at the Stockyard, Clark-Fulton, and Brooklyn Centre Development Office, which, along with its parent Detroit Shore... Read more >

Shaker LaunchHouse raised $15,000 at its second annual gala, held last week at Crawford Galleries of Western Reserve Historical Society. The money will help support Cleveland’s budding entrepreneurs. More than 260 attended the event, which was sponsored by the Shaker Heights Development Corporation.
 
“It was huge,” says LaunchHouse co-founder Todd Goldstein. “There were entrepreneurs, business leaders, successful CEOs of companies and people f... Read more >

Filing a federal income tax return is far from the most enjoyable activity one can do. It can even be intimidating for people who don't understand the process or know they are eligible for an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit providing free tax preparation and other services to low- and middle-income Cuyahoga County residents, aims to bridge the knowledge gap and help hard-working individuals and families keep more of what the... Read more >

Two Cleveland families with deep Irish roots have teamed up to open an Irish bar and concert venue in Kamm's Corners. They say that Paddyrock Superpub will live up to its name, offering a range of live music, live sporting events on big-screen TVs and a full menu.

"What we're doing is original for a neighborhood bar on the west side, because there are no other concert-type venues like this one," says Sheila Sheehan, who opened Paddyrock with her husband ... Read more >

Heights Arts ' executive director Peggy Spaeth is retiring, but that doesn't mean the nonprofit community arts organization will be taking it easy along with her.

The group currently is searching for a replacement for Spaeth, who helped found Heights Arts in 2000 and has led the organization ever since. Since late January, the group has received 40 responses from those hoping to carry on the "creative renaissance" that Spaeth launched over a decade ago, ... Read more >

TOA, a developer and provider of field service and mobile management applications, was named to the Forbes Most Promising Companies in America list, ranking 81 out of 100 and the only Ohio company on the list of privately-held, high-growth companies. TOA went through a rigorous application process to be chosen from thousands of applicants.

“It’s a big honor for us,” says John Opdycke, TOA’s vice president of worldwide marketing. Opdycke and others ... Read more >

In recent years, Mentor native Erin Huber has flown 7,000 miles just to get the population of a small Ugandan village a drop to drink. That effort is part of a larger endeavor to promote water sustainability both locally and globally.

Huber, founder of Drink Local Drink Tap, a nonprofit organization seeking to connect Clevelanders to local water through art installations and free environmental education, traveled to Africa the last two summers with the mission of getting ... Read more >

Will Tarter, Jr. stands out as a leader among Cleveland’s young professional community. As the charismatic head of the Cleveland Young Professional Senate, he champions causes and issues that impact this highly in-demand demographic, not to mention the long-term well-being of Cleveland.

For the second year in a row, Amplified Wind Solutions competed in the Ohio Clean Energy Challenge. This year the company won $10,000 and a trip to Chicago for a chance to win $100,000 in the Midwest competition.

Amplified Wind Solutions has designed a wind amplification system that can produce up to six times more electricity than a typical wind turbine. The company is targeting the telecommunications industry.
 
AWS CEO and co-founder Niki Zmij ha... Read more >