Slow and steady may win the race, but a quick oil-change company is winning kudos for its sustainability practices. Cleveland-based Lube Stop has been recognized nationally for its formal sustainability program and its re-refined oil change service, EcoGuard. The latest recognition comes from the Institute for Sustainable Development's Green Plus awards, which named Lube Stop a Medium-Size Business of the Year recipient.

This award recognizes a company's ability to affec... Read more >

President Obama came to Cleveland on Tuesday to hear what small business owners say they need to grow their businesses and thus strengthen the U.S. economy. But the President took the time to praise the region for its growth in biotechnology, sustainability and other innovations.

"Cleveland is a city founded on manufacturing," the President said during his closing remarks on the Winning the Future Forum on Small Business, held at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Cent... Read more >

The Capitol Theatre, a three-screen movie theater at Detroit and W. 65th Street that opened in late 2009, has met its projections by attracting 45,000 patrons in its first year.

The pioneering venue is the only indie movie theater on Cleveland's west side. The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DCSDO), the nonprofit developer, secured financing and broke ground on the project just a few months before the collapse of the financial markets in 2008. The the... Read more >

When TV crews descended on Slavic Village three years ago, the neighborhood was dubbed the "epicenter" of the foreclosure crisis. While that infamy was brief -- the crisis soon expanded to other parts of the country, with California, Florida and Nevada among the hardest hit -- the damage it left behind was real.

However, this resilient neighborhood is now becoming known for its innovative response to foreclosures. Through its Neighbors Invest in Broadway program, Slavic V... Read more >

Justin Husher graduated with an MBA from Cleveland State University in May of 2008 -- just in time for the collapse of the financial markets.

Instead of wringing his hands, Husher considered his bleak job prospects as a sign. "I never wanted to be a banker," he told the audience at last week's forum on vacant land reuse at Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs. His college major had been botany, and he'd always dreamed of tending the soil.

... Read more >

To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld: "Taco Tuesdays -- what's up with that?" Seems that all across this great city, barflies are bellying up to the counter for bottomless plates of dirt-cheap tacos. While the origins of this fad are fuzzy, the rationale behind the trend is simple enough: offer deeply discounted tacos to hungry diners in hopes of upping business on a traditionally slow weeknight. Some fans hit up new spots weekly, while others fashion a taco-themed pub crawl... Read more >

Rachel Talton, Ph.D. was one of the entrepreneurs invited by the Obama Administration to attend Tuesday's Winning the Future Forum on Small Business. Talton, co-founder of Cleveland-based Trust, a marketing and management consultant agency, and founder and CEO of Fairlawn-based Synergy Marketing Strategy & Research, joined about 20 other small business owners and entrepreneurs in a discussion on entrepreneurism. They had the ear of President Obama himself, who took the time to... Read more >

For Jonathan Husni, founder and president of Cleveland-based IT development firm Acendex, It's not enough to sit back and reflect on how his company emerged from the recession relatively unscathed. The fact that Acendex had no layoffs and managed to gain an impressive list of clients over the last few years motivates Husni and his team to set impressive goals for 2011.

"We are focusing on making raving fans of a number of new customers this year," says Husni. "Acendex ant... Read more >

The stately Tudor Arms has been vacant since 2007 when its last tenant, Cleveland Job Corps, moved to a new home. Now, thanks to a $22 million restoration project, the landmark property appears set to reclaim some of its former glory when it reopens this spring as a Double Tree Hotel. The project is the latest in a string of successful urban developments by local firm MRN Ltd.

Since 2001, Cleveland Public Theatre has been fostering original works by independent Northeast Ohio artists through its residency program. Titled Big [BOX], the program provides budding talent access to resources such as stage management, production staff, box office, and marketing and advertising support. For one week, artists are "given the keys to the theater" to polish their productions, culminating in a full-weekend run.

Last week, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) figuratively broke ground on its new home at Euclid Avenue and Mayfield Road in University Circle.

Yet much like spring in Cleveland, MOCA's literal ground breaking, one hopes, isn't too far off. The 34,000-square-foot facility, which will cost nearly $27 million to build, is scheduled to begin construction within the next two months. The grand opening is slated to follow one year later.

Like other cont... Read more >

Increasing the college attainment rate in Northeast Ohio by just one percent would mean an additional $2.8 billion for the region's economy. That statistic, courtesy of CEOs for Cities, a national civic lab composed of urban leaders, was part of the impetus for leaders of the Cleveland Scholarship Program to change the name of the 40-year-old organization and renew its focus to make college attainable for teens and young adults.

College Now Greater Cleveland, as the organ... Read more >

A new Mediterranean-themed restaurant will open this April in the Tudor Arms, a landmark at East 107th and Carnegie Avenue that is undergoing a $22-million makeover to a Double Tree Hotel.

The restaurant will be operated by Samir Khouri, owner of Somer's restaurants in Cleveland, Bedford and North Ridgeville, and Serge Elias, owner of Cedarland at the Clinic, a popular Middle Eastern Restaurant.

Tentatively called the Canopy, the restaurant will feature a menu o... Read more >