Damon Taseff's job is scouring Northeast Ohio's commercial real estate market to find the best deals for his clients. So it's no surprise that as he began looking for a new headquarters for his own company, Allegro Realty Advisors, he knew exactly what he wanted.

He rattles off the list with ease: "A downtown building that is unique, close to highways, with parking, in a place you could get in and out of easily and within walking distance to other downtown areas."
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In a true zero-waste system there is no garbage, there are no landfills. Entrepreneurs for Sustainability's Zero Waste Network is urging Cleveland organizations to track and reduce their waste stream. Those that do are discovering that the benefits extend well beyond a slimmer carbon footprint, including economic windfalls, community engagement and marketplace recognition.

Just a few short years ago, Cleveland State University students who wanted a meal before a grueling, four-hour evening class had limited options, meaning if Rascal House pizza wasn't your thing, you were limited to starving.

That was before CSU's master plan, a $300 million initiative to transform its urban campus into a friendlier, more vibrant environment with new student housing, classrooms and retail.

Recently, Jimmy John's opened a sandwich shop at 1938 Eu... Read more >

When it opens next week, XYZ Tavern will fill what Detroit Shoreway residents say is a need for good, casual and affordable fare. And that's just what they'll get, promises owner Randy Kelley, who along with partners Linda Syrek and Alan Glazen will dish out scratch-made comfort food in a modern tavern setting. For nearly five months, Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski documented the progression that transformed Perry's Family Restaurant, a long-shuttered greasy spoon, into XYZ... Read more >

Last year, 12 companies brought their business to Northeast Ohio, thanks in part to efforts from the nonprofit regional business attraction agent TeamNEO. The companies brought with them more than 670 jobs and about $40 million in annual direct payroll, according to information recently released by TeamNEO.

Among the companies that have opened offices or relocated to the region are Rosetta, a strategy, marketing and technology services company; NI Medical, a privately he... Read more >

Skinny houses wedged onto small lots. Church steeples dotting the skyline. Factories and blue-collar taverns. Eastern-European accents heard on the street.

These phrases might call to mind multi-ethnic Cleveland neighborhoods like Tremont, St. Clair-Superior, Collinwood and Slavic Village, but Lakewood?

Ah, but you don't know Birdtown. Lakewood's only "company town" was carved out in the 1890s for employees of the National Carbon Company (now GrafTech). Located... Read more >

Key Bank will open a new branch in October at Steelyard Commons, adding another retailer to the pioneering Tremont shopping center that debuted in 2007.

The bank will open five new branches and create 30 new jobs in Northeast Ohio during the next 15 months. Key Bank, which is headquartered in downtown Cleveland, cites available real estate, lower costs of construction, and "market disruption" -- the void left by banks that close or reduce services -- as factors driving it... Read more >

When Holly Harlan first started talking to people about Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S) ten years ago, "people looked at me like I had three eyes. But I said, 'I think they're going to get this and they're going to love it.'"

Today, Harlan notes that the E4S network has been growing by more than 20 percent every year since it was founded. "We've attracted nearly 10,000 people from all sectors," Harlan says. "We've helped over 50 companies create a strategic plan fo... Read more >

The Experience Lakewood app recently launched, linking users to information on businesses, dining, shopping and recreation in the city. The app can be downloaded from iTunes for free on any Apple-compatible device.

While business and shopping apps are becoming more plentiful, Experience Lakewood's focus on one particular city makes it unique, according to Barb Cagley, president of Cleveland's SCK Design, which created the app for Lakewood Alive, in partnership with the La... Read more >

Joe Miceli has deep roots in the Cleveland east side neighborhood where Miceli Dairy Products, a 62-year-old cheese producer, is located. In fact, he grew up on East 90th Street in a house that was torn down in 1963 to make room for the expanding company.

Now the company is growing again, and Miceli is planting deeper roots in the neighborhood -- while adding 60 new jobs to the city's tax base. The company has secured financing for a $16-20 million expansion that is sche... Read more >

A temporary gallery that was launched last year by the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) has extended its lease for the spring semester. The Visual Arts and Technology Center, dubbed "the Coventry Center" because of its location in a long-empty storefront on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, will enhance CIA's connections off-campus, its founder says.

"Many of our students live in the area, and Coventry has a long history of arts involvement," says Saul Ostrow, Chair of... Read more >

Here's hoping we don't see any more oil spills like the one last year in the Gulf of Mexico, but should one occur, a discovery by researchers at Case Western Reserve University may provide expert assistance. It's an ultra-lightweight sponge made of clay and a touch of high-grade plastic. The combination of the two materials manages to draw oil out of contaminated water while leaving the fresh water behind.

David Schiraldi, PhD, professor and chair of the university's macr... Read more >

According to BioEnterprise, Cleveland continues to be a leader in the Midwest when it comes to raising money for start-up healthcare companies. Last year, healthcare-related start-ups in Cleveland raised just over $135 million in investments. Cleveland was third in the Midwest in start-up allocations behind Chicago and Minneapolis, according to the Midwest Healthcare Venture Report released by Cleveland's BioEnterprise, which supports the growth of bioscience enterprises.

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Downtown Cleveland is ripe for new retail development. That's the message being conveyed by two local entrepreneurs who will open Dredgers Union, a 4,500 square foot apparel and home-goods store on East 4th Street in June of this year.

One part mall alternative, one part purveyor of urban chic, Dredgers Union will sell private-label men's and women's clothing, made-to-measure suits and dress shirts, kitchen and home items, and clothing brands that are new to Cleveland an... Read more >