ARC, formerly known as eBlueprint, is bringing new jobs and advanced technology to the Cleveland area through the introduction of the Riot Creative Imaging brand. ARC's main businesses is focused on architecture, engineering and construction printing needs, employing 45 people in its Cleveland office and six in Akron. The Riot brand adds large format full color printing to the company's offerings.

The Riot brand specializes in large format digital printing for indoor and outdoor visuals, P-O-P displays, in-store graphics and signage, and event graphics and signage. The division's success has allowed Cleveland's ARC to invest $500,000 to improve service capabilities, add local employees to the Riot team and double Riot brand revenue over the past year.

"We have an awesome team and an awesome operation here," says executive director Frank Loughan. "Over the past 18 months we've invested quite heavily in this brand. The Riot brand has been a breath of fresh air for us."

The company is on track to double sales again this year and continue to add staff.

"It used to be two people running the whole show," Loughan says of the Riot component. "Now we're at seven. If this trend continues, we're just going to continue to feed the beast and hire eight or nine more people and be in the mid-teens by next year. This business keeps growing and growing,"

Source: Frank Loughan
Writer: Karin Connelly

The Greater Cleveland RTA Citizen's Advisory Board is making riding the bus a little more pleasurable. The Transit Waiting Environments (TWE) initiative was incorporated five years ago to improve the pedestrian environment at bus stops. The goal of the program is to provide enhanced passenger amenities and information to encourage bus ridership.

"Eighty percent of our ridership takes the bus," says Maribeth Feke, RTA's director of programs and planning. "The Citizens Advisory Board mentioned that some of the bus stops had no more than a sign and were in poor condition." RTA responded by securing Federal grant money to improve the bus stops.

Interested neighborhood groups submit proposals to receive the grant money. Eligible projects include historic preservation, creation of public art, signage, bicycle access, pedestrian pathways and landscaping.

RTA has completed about 10 projects so far, including bus stops in Lakewood, Tremont, Slavic Village, the near-west side around Gordon Park, and Euclid. Other projects are underway in Cleveland Heights and at the CMHA headquarters.

"Each is individual and has merit to them," says Feke. "It's good for riders to get a better bus stop. It's good for really everyone. It's a nice redevelopment tool."

Bike shelters have been installed at Triskett, West 117th Street and Shaker Rapid Transit Stations and Southgate Transit Center. Public art in the form of functional seating has gone in on Detroit Avenue and W. 65th Street. Future projects include a solar bus station in Cleveland Heights and public art recycling bins along the RTA red line stations.


Source: Maribeth Feke
Writer: Karin Connelly

Three college friends could never have imagined that their mutual love of pizza was going to turn into a lucrative career. In 2003, Stan Garber and his Case Western buddies Oleg Fridman and Alex Yakubovich had a small website design company. When Rascal House Pizza approached them to build on online ordering system, ONOSYS Online Ordering Systems was born.

"We had a huge opportunity," says Garber. "I knew I didn't want to order food over the phone any more -- especially at 1 a.m."

In no time at all the three sold off their design company, raised some capital and started ONOSYS. After "a lot of hustle and bustle," ONOSYS, which is headquartered on E. 40th Street, is the second largest restaurant online ordering company in the country, with clients like Panera Bread, Applebee's and Papa John's International. More than 75 restaurant chains in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Ireland use their system.

"These restaurant chains are seeing a 20 to 25-percent increase in ticket sales with our system," says Garber. The company is on track to process $100 million in to-go orders in 2011.

While adoption of the idea was slow at first -- only 15-20 percent in the first two years -- the concept took off in 2008. "There are huge benefits to the customer, but also amazing benefits for the restaurant," says Garber. "The bigger chains are now adopting this [technology] quite fast and the smaller chains are starting to."

The company has steadily grown in its four years -- from five people in 2008 to 13 today. "We've seen the most amount of growth this year," says Garber. "We're probably hiring five to seven more people this year."


Source: Stan Garber
Writer: Karin Connelly

The Fund for Our Economic Future has awarded $5.3 million in grants to six regional economic development organizations collaborating to improve Northeast Ohio's economic competiveness. The Fund has been awarding these year-long grants since 2004.

"Part of what we do through grant making is develop a system in Northeast Ohio that we know hits on things that work," says Brad Whitehead, president of the Fund. "The purpose is to advance the economic agenda in Northeast Ohio."

The Fund for Our Economic Future is a collaboration of more than 100 foundations, organizations and philanthropists from across Northeast Ohio that strengthens the region's economic competitiveness through grant making, public engagement and research.

The grant recipients are: BioEnterprise, JumpStart, MAGNET, Minority Business Accelerator 2.5+, NorTech, and Team NEO. "Collectively, these six organizations have strengthened Northeast Ohio's economy contributing more than 2,000 new jobs, $47 million in payroll and attracting $371 million in capital," explains David Abbott, chairman of the Fund and executive director of the George Gund Foundation.

These six organizations best represent and support industries that have great growth potential -- namely manufacturing in emerging markets.

"Early on we identified the areas in which we need to work on, and we've tried to have constancy in these organizations," says Whitehead. "For a long time people thought that because we're a manufacturing economy that that was a bad thing. What we're learning is Northeast Ohio manufacturing is still an important part of our economy. We're turning old growth manufacturing into new growth products. Manufacturing is cool again."

Source: Brad Whitehead
Writer: Karin Connelly

While working from home has its benefits -- and is an increasing trend -- people often miss the social interaction that comes with working in an office. The Open Office is a co-working environment designed to provide temporary and permanent work environments for people who don't want their homes or local coffee shops to also serve as their main workspaces.

"Since 2005 there has been growth in just about every city," says founder Andrew Auten of the co-working concept. "People started working from home more, either through their companies or starting out on their own. People who work from home are not tethered to a building or a desk, but at the end of the day people get isolated."

The Open Office, scheduled to open this fall in the Coventry School building in Cleveland Heights, will offer workspace in a professional environment on a membership basis.

"Our target market is the solo entrepreneurs -- people who have struck out on their own," Auten explains. "My experience is a typical person has a boost of productivity working at home, because there are fewer distractions and they get a lot done, then it starts to dissipate."

Patrons can buy packages ranging from a day pass for a desk to resident offices. Members will have access to conference rooms, team rooms and a receptionist. "You can reserve these rooms for one-on-one meetings and client meetings," says Auten. "You'll have a clean, corporate space instead of a coffee shop or someplace else not always good to have meetings."

Auten is looking at additional space in Tyler Village on Superior and E. 36th.


Source: Andrew Auten
Writer: Karin Connelly

Recent CWRU mechanical engineering graduates Austin Schmidt and Solomon Alkhasov won the 2011 Idea Competition, sponsored by LaunchHouse and CSU's Accelerated MBA program at Nance College of Business. They created a company called Affinity Algorithms, which develops proprietary computer arbitrage software to facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers in various online marketplaces. The software provides greater liquidity and price transparency in the marketplaces.

"We are developing a suite of online software that helps the seller in fragmented marketplaces better manage inventory," explains Schmidt. Although Schmidt and Alkhasov came up with the idea from their experiences buying and selling textbooks in college, they say it can be applied to many online marketplaces.

The idea for Affinity Algorithms came about in January, they set up shop in March, and landed at LaunchHouse this month. They plan to roll out a full build of the software in September.

Students from all Northeast Ohio colleges and universities were invited to pitch a business concept to a panel of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, CSU faculty and LaunchHouse staff. The contest primarily focused on students who had innovative ideas in the fields of software and internet technology, low-tech medical devices and clean energy.

The second winner is Ronny Shalev, also a student at Case. Shalev created a product known as an autonomous intravenous (IV) insertion tool that will be the most effective replacement for the current procedure of manual vein localization and needle insertion. Shalev's tool will completely replace the need for trained medical staff.

Contest winners were each awarded a $2,500 scholarship to the Global AMBA program along with a prize basket of support services from LaunchHouse, "Additionally, we received a $500 check from LaunchHouse, along with a bunch of services that include legal services, accounting, and free space for three months," says Schmidt. "All in all, a very comprehensive package with everything needed to get a business off the ground."

The winners will also have the opportunity to compete for up to $5000 in follow on funding.

Source: Austin Schmidt
Writer: Karin Connelly

The PNC SmartHome is complete at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and open to visitors who want to learn how to make environmentally-friendly improvements to their own properties. The 2,500-square-foot three-bedroom house uses 90 percent less energy than a traditional home, and it uses no furnace for heating and cooling. The walls are a foot thick and packed with insulation, while the windows are triple-pane glass -- both of which reduce heat loss. The home is heated and cooled with small heat pumps.

"The museum wanted to help people understand how they can dramatically reduce energy consumption," says David Beach, director of the GreenCityBlueLake Institute at CMNH. "We think the SmartHome will be the first home to receive passive home certification in Northeast Ohio."

Other features include hardwood floors made from 100-year-old reclaimed wood and artwork with environmental themes created by local artists. The landscaping features storm water management techniques to keep rain water on-site instead of in storm sewers.

So far, the home has been well-received. "People walk in it and go, 'wow,'" says Beach. "What they are reacting to immediately is what a beautiful home it is. Then they see they can learn things [to do] for their own homes."

The house will be moved to an empty lot on Wade Park Boulevard this fall and will go on the market soon. Beach says they've already received inquiries about purchasing the house.

Tours run Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $5 with museum admission, $3 for those who can't go upstairs. Children 2 and under are free.

Source: David Beach
Writer: Karin Connelly

By enrolling their employees in corporate wellness programs, companies are finding they can keep healthcare costs down, increase employee productivity, and reduce absenteeism, all by managing -- and in some cases reversing -- chronic illnesses. It's what folks like to call a win-win situation.

Progressive Insurance in Mayfield Village plans to hire 125 customer service representatives in its Cleveland call center by the end of June. The company is the fourth largest auto insurer in the nation and aims to be the largest, according to spokesperson Brittany Senary.

"We're recruiting because the number of policyholders we have continues to grow," says Senary. "In fact, our auto policies are up six percent year over year right now and our special-lines policies are up five percent year over year. And we do want to be the top insurer in the country."

Progressive experienced a growth spurt last September when the company hired 260 customer service reps in its Cleveland and Mentor call centers.

"While there's not one specific thing I can point to as the reason for the growth, we do believe that drivers choose us because we make it easy to understand, buy, and use auto insurance," says Senary. "We have about 8,600 employees in Northeast Ohio and room for more."

Potential employees need to have a proven track record. "We are looking for a minimum of two years post-secondary education or two years work experience in a customer service environment, along with proven job stability of at least one year with a past employer," says Senary. "And we are looking for people who are enthusiastic about helping people with their insurance needs."

The company offers $12 to $15 an hour plus medical, dental, vision and life insurance in addition to perks such as tuition reimbursement, casual dress and on-site health and fitness services.


Source: Brittany Senary
Writer: Karen Connelly

Within3 has created a way for health professionals to communicate and consult with each other, no matter where they are or with whom they are affiliated. The Cleveland-based company builds online communities for health systems, medical associations, research institutions and health professionals. Within these communities, members can access advice and research that was previously unavailable. These communities provide networking opportunities with other health professions, information on HIPPA and compliance regulations and access to information on best practices within the industry.

"Our underlying vision is to completely change healthcare, to allow health care providers to connect and collaborate in real time," says Anthony Broad-Crawford, senior vice president and CTO. "Think of us as a highly specialized Facebook group."

Founded in 2004, Within3 developed their communities around extensive research on how medical professionals communicate best. Their clients include the top seven pharmaceutical companies and three of the top medical associations in the country. "All of our patents and studies are around how physicians make decisions and interact," says Broad-Crawford. "Our platform has brought them together in a way that historically has never been done before."

Within3 has experienced tremendous growth since its founding. "We've gone from three people in a room to 55 total spread around the country in four years," says Broad-Crawford. The company just hired a CFO and senior VP of strategic client development, and is looking to fill a host of other positions. "I personally am hiring 12 people," he adds.

Broad-Crawford finds Cleveland the perfect place to run a technology business.

"What really excites me about Cleveland is how much talent is actually here and how close-knit that talent actually is," he says. "You always hear 'Why Cleveland?' We always say, 'Why not Cleveland?' We're very thankful we've had the success we've had. It's not just a thrill, it's fantastic. "


Source: Anthony Broad-Crawford
Writer: Karen Connelly

More than 750 people turned out at the new home of Shaker LaunchHouse last week to welcome the business incubator and celebrate entrepreneurial business in the region.

Speakers included Senator Sherrod Brown, Shaker Heights Mayor Earl Leiken, author and entrepreneur Ratanjit Sondhe, Benoy Joseph and Dick Pogue. Brown is the author of the Business Incubator Promotion Act and has spearheaded efforts to reduce brain drain in Ohio. Sondhe, founder of Poly-Carb in Solon, spoke about the importance of entrepreneurial communities. He mentioned that he wished LaunchHouse was around when he was starting out.

Pogue announced that the first corporate gift from the Shaker Heights Development Corporation for the economic development work at Shaker LaunchHouse is $25,000 from New York Community Bank.

Thirty-five companies exhibited in the 23,000-square-foot renovated car dealership, including LaunchHouse's 12 portfolio companies as well as area entrepreneurs educating visitors on their endeavors. Companies included everything from Wow! Cookies!, a gourmet cookie delivery company, to Sunflower Solutions, which develops and manufactures renewable energy products.

"The huge turnout for this event goes to show that this region is ready to support entrepreneurial efforts," said Todd Goldstein, co-founder of LaunchHouse. "I saw a lot of introductions take place that night so the networking alone is going to produce some real opportunities going forward."

Guests were treated to a buffet of hors d'oevres during the event, and the Umami Moto food truck was also on site. SLH plans to host regular entrepreneurial events in addition to weekly educational meetings.

Source: Todd Goldstein
Writer: Karen Connelly

Researchers at CWRU have invented a polymer coating that can repair itself. Stuart Rowan, CWRU professor of macromolecular science and engineering, along with his team and researchers from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and the Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, has spent the last three years developing a rubber-like protective coating that heals itself when an ultraviolet light is shined on it for just a few seconds.

"The idea was to develop a coating that, if it was damaged in any way, we could repair just by shining a light on it," says Rowan. "A lot of my research is creating stimulating response materials."

The science behind the technology involves taking a long chain of polymers and reducing it to small chains. When the UV light -- much like the light used in dentist offices -- shines on them, the polymers become temporarily unglued. They reassemble when the light is shut off, thus repairing the scratches.

"It works perfectly for coating penetrations," says Rowan.

The scientists envision that self-healing polymers like theirs could be used in automotive paints, varnishes for floors and furniture, and many other applications. "The material could be used in potentially any paint or coating use," says Rowan.

Their findings were published in the April 21 issue of the journal Nature.

The team is currently in talks with companies to see if there is an interest in commercializing the material.


Source: Stuart Rowan
Writer: Karen Connelly

New Life Community and Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cleveland (IHN) have come together to form Family Promise of Greater Cleveland, the largest organization in Greater Cleveland focused exclusively on helping homeless families transform their lives and achieve long-term stability while helping families remain together.

The two organizations officially merged on May 1. For the past two years, the organizations have worked to integrate staff, resources and programming to serve more families with even better outcomes at a lower cost per household served. Since 1990, New Life Community has helped more than 700 families. IHN has served more than 450 families since its shelter program was formed in 1998.

Family Promise will serve more than 100 families a year. "The goal is to definitely help families become self-sufficient and find new housing as rapidly as possible, and then maintain their housing long-term," says associate director Sarah Cruise. "By merging we've been able to combine our programming and serve more families long-term."

Two facilities -- an emergency shelter in Tremont for up to six days and interim housing in Mount Pleasant for up to six months -- a job preparedness program and case management services will give families all the resources to get back on their feet. "We're developing a relationship," says Cruise. "We can access services in the community and help with crises, the spiraling down that happens.

The home-based case management aspect of Family Promise is helping to serve more families quickly. "There is such demand for family housing," says Cruise. "By moving families faster, and individualizing the services, we're really serving families in a way that promotes long-term stability."

Source: Sarah Cruise
Writer: Karin Connelly

MedWorks in Shaker Heights was quick to come to the rescue of those ravaged by the tornado in Joplin, Missouri, this week. MedWorks, a non-profit organization that provides free healthcare clinics for the under insured and uninsured in Ohio, sent a truck full of medical supplies to Joplin just 24 hours after the disaster.

The MedWorks team was at WKYC Channel 3 on Tuesday for an unrelated meeting. While there, a Facebook friend of reporter Eric Mansfield volunteered to put them in touch with her brother-in-law, a doctor in Joplin who was working at a triage center.

With that, MedWorks founder Zac Ponsky and his team set to work compiling everything from disposable gloves and bandages to crutches and canes and other medical supplies. The supplies were put on a truck donated by Berman Moving and Storage in Cleveland along with numerous palettes of drinking water donated by Giant Eagle.

"It was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time," says MedWorks office manager Alyson Andrassy. "It was communication, the right resources and the right place. Our goal is to find a need and fill it. We're trying to be that liaison between Joplin and Ohio."

The truck left at 6:30 p.m. Monday, while Ponsky and director of operations Julie Namy were on a plane to Joplin Tuesday to further evaluate what is needed. "They will see who needs what and where," says Andrassy. "When the truck arrives the supplies will be distributed where it's needed most and they will assess what volunteers are needed and if they need other supplies."

Source: Alyson Andrassy
Writer: Karin Connelly

For 26 years, Nanofilm has been creating formulas for cleaning products and optical coatings in Valley View. Similarly, SDG Inc. in the Cleveland Clinic's Innovation Center has spent the last 16 years developing nanotechnologies in the medical and healthcare fields.

Until recently, the two were unaware of the each other's existence. Then, at a nanotechnologies networking meeting run by Polymer Ohio, Nanofilm's president and CEO Scott Rickert and SDG co-founder and senior vice president Robert Geho crossed paths. The meeting was the beginning of partnership in which each company brings their talents to the table to develop new products.

In early May Nanofilm and SDG Inc. signed a comprehensive joint development and licensing agreement to develop and commercialize nano-formulas that combine the two companies' technologies. Among the planned projects is development of technology to control the release and toxicity of bio-active agents at the nano-scale. Potential applications include longer lasting anti-bacterial surface treatments.

"I'm very excited about this," says Rickert. "Up until this point we have not had any way to do anything unique in the medicine and healthcare markets. We both have experience in the technology, but didn't know the other one's areas. This will allow us to take polymer films and make bioactive products that make our lives better and safer."

Rickert sees huge growth potential in the partnership. "It's going to be huge," he says. "Every time we come out with a new product announcement I see us hiring 20 more people." Rickert says they hope to announce their first new product development sometime this year.

Source: Scott Rickert

Writer: Karin Connelly

The Center for Public History and Digital Humanities at Cleveland State University has made Cleveland history easily accessible with the launch of Cleveland Historical 2.0. The free mobile app is a combination of archival footage of Cleveland neighborhoods in the 1930s and 1940s as well as a comprehensive oral history.

"Imagine Cleveland as a living museum and we're trying to curate it," says Mark Tebeau, associate professor of history and co-director of the Center for Public History. "We're finding ways in which our own stories help us understand Cleveland better."

The app includes more than 700 interviews as part of the Cleveland Regional Oral History Collection and is a result of the combined effort by teachers, students, historians and community members. The organization has also posted many of the video oral histories on You Tube.

"As far as we know, no one else is using video for oral histories in this way," says Tebeau. "These are really great expert interviews. If you don't record it, you lose their voices."

The project has been recognized by the National Council on Public History as one of the best in the world, and received an honorable mention in the 2011 Outstanding Public History Project awards.

Tebeau has received requests worldwide to create similar apps in other cities. He is helping Spokane with a similar project through Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington. Locally, he is currently working with the Detroit Shoreway and Gordon Square Arts District to build their walking tours into the app for Gordon Square Arts Day on June 11, as well as Cleveland Heights Historical Society and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance.

Source: Mark Tebeau
Writer: Karin Connelly

Explorys has formed one of the largest healthcare databases in the world, helping medical professionals provide better patient care and diagnoses. Spun off from the Cleveland Clinic in 2009 by Charlie Lougheed and Stephen McHale, Explorys has become one of the world's largest data platforms with over three billion clinical events and partner agreements with major healthcare systems that span over 10 million patients nationwide.

In its short life, Explorys has gotten six major healthcare providers on board, with the likes of Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Summa Health System, MetroHealth and MedStar. These providers use Explorys solutions to discover actionable correlations and trends in treatments and outcomes to improve safety, increase quality, and to create cost efficiencies in delivering care.

"Explorys takes the data and puts it on a larger scale," says Lougheed. "We're changing the game in terms of how we treat populations and sub-populations of patients."

The company has grown to 25 employees. "We plan to double by the end of the year and double again next year," says Lougheed. "It's all in Cleveland and they're all high-tech jobs. We're pretty excited about what we can do in the community. We think we can grow this company into the hundreds in Northeast Ohio."

That growth will be possible thanks to $11.5 million in Series C financing led by Austin Ventures and Foundation Medical Partners, with follow-on investments from Santé Ventures and Cleveland Clinic.

"The validation that came from a group like Austin Ventures in a Cleveland-based company was really fulfilling," says Lougheed. "Others outside of Ohio really do see a good thing happening in this part of the country."


Source: Charlie Lougheed
Writer: Karin Connelly

The John Carroll University Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team recently won the SIFE regional competition for community outreach projects. They then traveled to the national contest in Minneapolis, where the team competed with 100 other teams from around the country.

SIFE is a global, non-profit organization that brings together a diverse network of university students, academic professionals and industry leaders around the shared mission of creating a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business.

The JCU students, under the leadership of Scott Allen, assistant professor of management in the Boler School of Business, were charged with developing sustainable business plans for organizations helping the needy. "SIFE pairs undergraduate students with business leaders in the community," explains Allen. More than 48,000 students on 1,500 university campuses in 39 countries participate in SIFE.

Working with locals businesses such as PNC Bank, Chase Bank, and Nordstrom, the JCU students developed community outreach projects. "The goal is to use the classroom to create real projects that have a real impact on the world," says Allen. "It was fun to see what the students came up with."

Four projects brought the JCU students to regionals this year. They included African Children Ministries, a skill building and fundraising program that raised $7,000 and helped purchase a truck for an orphanage in Zaire; Hope for Honduran Children Foundation, a partnership that created a micro-enterprise to establish sustainable revenue for the children; Elevate Your Future, an opportunity for students to learn about, practice and refine their interviewing skills through interaction with executives, including members of the John Carroll University Entrepreneurs Association; and Sam's Club Environmental Sustainability Challenge, in a partnership with Geraci's Italian Restaurant and a grant from Sam's Club, the students developed methods to make the local eatery more environmentally sustainable.

While the team did not place in the top 16, Allen says he is "very proud of them."



Source: Scott Allen
Writer: Karin Connelly

What started as a business plan competition at Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003 has today turned into a thriving pet insurance business for CEO Laura Bennett and chief marketing officer Alex Krooglik. Embrace Pet Insurance offers comprehensive insurance plans for pets with a focus on customer service.

"It came about when a friend's cat got sick," explains Bennett. "She spent $5,000 to take care of it. We saw pet insurance had huge potential, it's an unpenetrated market." While 25 percent of pet owners in the U.K. have pet insurance, only sixth-tenths of one percent insure their pets in the U.S.

Pet care is a $50 billion a year market, according to the American Pet Products Association, $14 billion of which is spent on veterinarian bills.

"People are still spending on their pets, even in a recession," says Bennett. "This is for people who would spend anything to bring their pet back to health, to do what is right." The two won the business plan competition, graduated and decided to launch Embrace in Beachwood in 2003.

After a somewhat rocky start, they found funding through JumpStart in 2004 and sold the first policy, to Bennett, in 2006. They've received additional investments over the years, and have relied mostly on word of mouth for their growth and success.

Bennett, who has a background in finance, crafts the policies like traditional insurance plans for cars and trucks. Policy owners can pick and choose their level of coverage, and even hereditary and chronic conditions can be covered. "We give a lot of options, even a health spending account for pet wellness," says Bennett. "There's a lot of actuarial science behind it."

In an industry that is growing by 25 percent annually, Embrace Pet Insurance has grown exponentially. They now have 23 employees and are continuing to hire. "We want to build on that momentum," says Bennett. "I see us in the next five years going from 23 people to 50 to 60."

"Alex and I created this out of nothing, it was just something in our heads," says Bennett. "We've struggled, we've worked really hard, it's been fantastic."


Source: Laura Bennett
Writer: Karin Connelly

As a law student at CSU's Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Art Geigel noticed a flaw in the way he and his fellow students took notes in class. Almost everybody took notes using their laptops and Microsoft Word, compiling seemingly endless documents with no way of organizing the information.

"I kept thinking to myself, 'There's a better way to do this than to keep taking notes in one constantly growing Word document,'" says Geigel.

That "better way," says Geigel, is GroundBooth, an online program for law students to take notes, share outlines and collaborate. "The whole goal is to make technology work for law school students better than it has been. We're trying to tailor GroundBooth to the habits of law students."

The service is free. GroundBooth plans to earn income from ad revenue, supplemental sales of reference materials and additional website features. The company is currently in talks with Supreme Bar Review about a partnership. The website now supports 13 law schools including Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Marshall, Stanford, and Harvard.

Geigel, who just finished his second year of law school, studied computer science as an undergrad at Hiram College and was a web developer before creating GroundBooth. He officially launched the company with three friends in January, and has partnered with Shaker LaunchHouse, which has matched GroundBooth with several mentors and is providing office space, in addition to a cash investment.


Source: Art Geigel
Writer: Karin Connelly