Breaking Ground

How Cleveland State University is setting the tone for sustainability on campus
As Cleveland State University’s first-ever director of sustainability, Jennifer McMillin can be a bit in-your-face when it comes to the motto, “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” And she’s proud of that. (As she should be, since the school reduced its landfill waste five percent in 2018, diverting 306 tons from landfills.)
Ball Ball Waffle is bringing Hong Kong street food here to Cleveland
One year after getting its start with a booth at the Cleveland Asian Festival, Ball Ball Waffle is open for business.
Nature Center begins major renovation project on beloved All People’s Trail
For more than 50 years, the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes has stood as both an environmental haven and educational resource on 20 acres that were once proposed as highways to connect Cleveland’s eastern suburbs to downtown. Now, the Nature Center is about to undergo a $2.5 capital improvement project to renovate the All People’s Trail (APT)—built in 1983 and perhaps the focal point of the preserve.
From career builder to woodworker: How this retired recruiter transformed his hobby into a business
Shel Myeroff spent the better part of his professional life helping executives find their perfect jobs. He founded Solon-based Direct Recruiters in the late 1970s and spent 35 years growing the company. But at the end of the day, Myeroff would go home and unwind by making furniture in his basement.
Who's Hiring in CLE: Hattie Larlham, Blockland Solutions, LaunchHouse, Upcycle PS, GE Healthcare
Welcome to the latest edition of FreshWater Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This installment includes jobs from Hattie Larlham, Blockland Solutions, LaunchHouse, Upcycle Parts Shop, GE Healthcare, Ohio City Burrito, Cleveland Foundation, and Grants Plus. Click here for the freshest job opportunities fit to print.
Aspen Place marks first new construction project for affordable housing in Detroit Shoreway
The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Corporation (DSCDC) owns more than 300 affordable housing units in the neighborhood, but Aspen Place apartments marks the agency’s first-ever new construction project for affordable housing.
Get an underground look at the Soldiers and Sailors monument in Public Square
Many people think the tunnels under the Soldiers Sailors Monument are secret passageways that lead to other parts of Public Square, but “that’s an urban legend,” according to Tim Daley, the Monument’s executive director. What does lay beneath the Soldiers Sailors Monument—built in 1894 to commemorate the valor and patriotism of 9,000 Cuyahoga County soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War—is a labyrinth of concentric circles made of unfinished sandstone that Daley likens to European cathedral crypts.
Heights citizens just want great designs for Top of the Hill development
As the Top of the Hill project—a mixed-use development with apartments, retail, and parking at the top of Cedar Hill—nears approval from the city’s Architectural Board of Review (ABR), a group of Cleveland Heights residents are voicing their disapproval of the planned design.
Off to market we go: Inside the 2.0 version of Night Market CLE and AsiaTown Food Tours
After going dark last summer, Night Market Cleveland returns to Rockwell Avenue and E. 21st St. on Friday, June 21, for an all-new season of food, music, and family entertainment—and even more opportunities for visitors and locals alike to get to know this small, often insular, community.
 
Archeologist reveals evidence of the hidden waterways of the Cuyahoga Delta
Not surprisingly, Cleveland’s geological landscape 200 years ago was quite different than today’s modern, industrialized city. In 1820, spring-fed streams ran freely throughout the region, running through neighborhoods like Cleveland Heights, Kinsman, Scranton Flats, and Ohio City. Last Saturday, April 6, these now-hidden waterways took the spotlight during a sold-out tour: Exploring Cleveland's Hidden Waterways.
Who's Hiring in CLE: Lincoln Electric, Cerity Partners, CMSD, Cleveland Clinic, HelloFresh....
Welcome to the latest edition of FreshWater Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This installment includes jobs from Lincoln Electric, Cerity Partners, CMSD, Cleveland Clinic, HelloFresh, CBRE, and more. Click here for the freshest job opportunities fit to print.
To raze or not to raze? Beaumont's decaying Painter Mansion begs the question
Surrounded by a historic stone wall in Cleveland Heights, Beaumont School's 21-acre campus is rich in Cleveland history, but the on-site Painter Mansion is showing all of its 114 years. School officials say they have no use for the deteriorated mansion, and the renovations would be too costly, so it’s time to tear down the house—but Cleveland's preservation community wants the historic home to get a second chance.
New energy is infused into former Barking Spider with opening of Cosmic Dave’s Rock Club
In case the psychedelic decor and music posters that wallpaper his Dave's Cosmic Subs shops don't give it away, rock-and-roll energy encompasses founder Dave Lombardy—and the opening of Cosmic Dave’s Rock Club in the former Barking Spider Tavern space on the Case Western Reserve University campus has him even more energized.
Land Conservancy study finds Cleveland's east side neighborhoods rebounding from foreclosure crisis
Cleveland's east side is steadily emerging from the 2010 housing crisis—with the number of vacant and distressed structures decreasing significantly while home prices are on the rise.

So go the findings of a 2018 report by the Western Reserve Land Conservancy that examined 13 Cleveland neighborhoods (including Fairfax, Slavic Village, and Shaker Square). 
Into the groove: Wax Mage owner spins vinyl records into trippy works of art
Heath Gmucs sees his world in living color. As pressing operations supervisor for Tyler Village-based record pressing plant Gotta Groove Records, Gmucs started to see a more colorful potential behind the traditional black vinyl records he's been turning out since 2010.
With the Van Aken District in motion, Shaker Heights is setting its sights on the future
In some ways, the Van Aken District may seem like it was built overnight, but everyone involved in the intricate planning and construction of the shopping destination touted as Shaker Heights’ new downtown will be quick to assert that the planning began 18 years before the first brick was even laid. Now, in a unique collaboration between the City of Shaker Heights, the Shaker Heights City School District, and Shaker Heights Public Library, officials are once again developing a strategic long-term plan for community facilities.
 
Who's Hiring in CLE: NLDP, Cleveland Development Advisors, Center for Arts-Inspired Learning.....
Welcome to the latest edition of FreshWater Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This installment includes jobs from Neighborhood Leadership Development Program, Cleveland Development Advisors, Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, Lake Erie Pet Food Company, Cleveland Foundation, Fairfax Renaissance, and more. Click here for the freshest job opportunities fit to print.
This Clevelander is changing the game for how people of color are portrayed in media
Auden & Company's Janae Bryson is changing the media game by starting a stock photography business aimed at promoting positive images of people of color.
The sweet life: Business is starting to "pop" for Daisy Cakes
It was Amy Mucha’s love for koalas that drew her into the baking business. Knowing that Mucha is obsessed with the animal, her mother-in-law bought her a book on how to make cake pops for Christmas in 2011—simply based on the fact the book had instructions on how to make koala cake pops.
Ohio City Farm is thinking Spring with CSA enrollment and new offerings
The growing season at Ohio City Farm is just over two months away, and this week, farmers with Refugee Response are starting to plant the seeds for the ninth year on the six-acre farm—offering up the harvests to more than 20 local restaurants and members of the farm’s CSA program.