A new initiative being pioneered by Cuyahoga County, Policy Matters Ohio and a bevy of partners aims to create more energy-efficient municipal buildings and catalyze the creation of green, living wage jobs.

Now that advocacy within the green jobs movement has shifted away from the state and federal level -- where activity is slow or nonexistent -- organizers are counting on this new initiative to help create a new model for energy-efficient construction as well as stimula... Read more >

Developers of the long-awaited Flats East Bank development broke ground in the worst economy in generations by hook or crook, breaking the project into phases and layering public-private financing together in a deal that was dizzyingly complex.

This week, they're singing a different tune as they celebrate new leases from five high-profile restaurant tenants, including well-known Akron restaurateur Ken Stewart and national country music venue chain Toby Keith's I L... Read more >

As a region we are fortunate to have NOCHE, the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, leading our regional efforts to increase college attainment levels. Their efforts, called The Northeast Ohio Talent Dividend, has three primary goals: improve college readiness of high school and adult students, increase student retention through degree completion, and increase degree attainment among adults with some college experience but no degree.

"Events like TEDxCLE are changing how people feel about Cleveland and rebranding the city," says founder Hallie Bram Kogelschatz. More than simply inspirational, the annual event is about "inspiration turned into action." Despite a larger space -- the 700-seat Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art -- all tickets still managed to sell out in minutes. Here's a sample of what's in store.

Do you want to see more mountain bike trails in the Metroparks? Or spur trails that lead visitors through secluded, natural landscapes? Could the Metroparks take over the city's ailing, neglected lakefront park system, which suffers from millions in deferred maintenance from the cash-strapped State of Ohio?

These issues and many others will be the focus of public meetings scheduled in April and May by the Cleveland Metroparks. The Metroparks is seeking to present and ... Read more >

LeanDog Software Studio has seen success as a software delivery firm and the team enjoys sharing their knowledge and mentoring others in the field. So the natural progression for the 55-person company was to expand into the world of fostering entrepreneurs in the tech field. The launch of LeanDog Labs does exactly that.
 
“Labs was really a part of our original vision of LeanDog,” says Nick Barendt, director of LeanDog Labs. “Very early on we were wo... Read more >

When Jeremy Amos and Matt Benton were working together at a bank a few years back, they constantly heard from potential investors about how difficult the college admissions process was for their children. They found that finding the right college was often confusing, complicated and even expensive.
 
So, in 2011, Amos and Benton came up with Upclique -- a free forum to connect students with the information they need to find the college that fits their needs, and allow... Read more >

Since its inception in 1984, Quebec-based Cirque du Soleil has entertained over 100 million spectators. Close to 15 million people will see a show in 2012 alone. The now-world famous acrobatic theatre troupe bounds into Cleveland this weekend to perform Dralion. Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski "snuck" into Thursday's rehearsal for some rare behind-the-scenes glimpses of what goes into preparing for a show.

Moving counter to the assertion that Print is Dead!, two local optimists have just launched a new print magazine. Edible Cleveland is a new print quarterly that focuses on the local food scene -- not just restaurants and chefs, but also farmers, history, tradition and lore. FW's Erin O'Brien brakes bread with publishers Noelle Celeste and Jon Benedict.

Ameica21 Project and BioEnterprise will host the country’s first Minority Biomedical Entrepreneurship Conference May 21-22 at the Cleveland Marriott to increase minority competitiveness in the biomedical industry, as well as provide a forum for networking and education. Minorities currently represent less than five percent of the biomedical workforce.
 
“America21 Project has paired with BioEnterprise to help connect the disconnected,” says Johnathan... Read more >

After developing their idea for an online funeral services resource at the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business’ 10-Xelerator last summer, Mike Belsito and Bryan Chaikin have proved eFuneral to be a successful endeavor.
 
Originally called FunerAlly, the company was founded in June 2011. Belsito and Chaikin changed to name to eFuneral when they went live in February. The company provides an online platform for families to quickly find, compare and se... Read more >