The City of Cleveland has scheduled two meetings to allow public comment on its new lakefront plan, the most ambitious effort in years to redevelop the city's long-dormant downtown shoreline. Portions of the plan, including an event series to be launched this summer, could begin to show progress this year.

The City plans to hire a Harbor Manager in the next few months, who will be responsible for overseeing waterfront activities, including management of the contract f... Read more >

Explorys, a rapidly growing healthcare database company spun out of the Cleveland Clinic, is celebrating two years in business with a party. They will take over the House of Blues on Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 5 to 10 p.m. to celebrate the advancements in healthcare from their technology, show off what's next for the company, and offer a place for healthcare and IT professionals to network.
 
"We're almost two years old and we've been running really hard ... Read more >

Fresh Water commissioned local videographer David Wester to take viewers inside the newly opened Greater Cleveland Aquarium. While there, Wester was guided by general manager Tami Brown, who discussed the nature and scope of the watery exhibits. Already off to a swimming start, the attraction aims to lure 500,000 visitors per year.

With his trusty lens in hand, Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski follows the progress of the Greater Cleveland Aquarium from construction through opening day. The $33 million aquarium opened on schedule Saturday, January 21 in the Powerhouse building on the West Bank of the Flats.

Rosetta, an interactive marketing firm, boasts 1,500 team members spread across nine offices in places like New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, among others. But thanks to 450 staffers locally, Cleveland is now Rosetta's largest. That the firm has chosen 2012 to set-up shop in a downtown Cleveland landmark is pure poetry.

It's been a good first year here at Fresh Water, but that doesn't mean for a minute that we plan to slow down. In fact, today we roll out two new content sections: "For Good" and "Fresh Filter," which give us the room to cover the non-profit and arts and culture scenes with more depth.

If you fancy yourself a fan of Cleveland and its offerings, you have doubtless been asked for a recommendation or three. Having lived and worked in town for 20 years, Nina McCollum considers herself an unofficial tour guide, dispensing advice on everything from food and shopping to arts and entertainment. In preparation for a visit from an out-of-town friend, McCollum has devised her dream weekend in Cleveland.

What's the cumulative impact of Cleveland's 200-plus community gardens, 20-plus farmers markets and 60-odd acres of urban land that have been tilled and planted for a future harvest?

That's an as yet unanswered question, says the City of Cleveland's new Sustainability Chief, but one she hopes to glean serious answers to in the coming year. Billed "The Year of Local Food" by Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a grassroots, city-led movement to employ sus... Read more >

SparkBase, a leading loyalty program and gift card processor, launched a new way for merchants to reach their customers through smart phones. Paycloud allows customers to sign up for loyalty programs on their phones, eliminating the need for plastic cards and key tags to take advantage of special offers.
 
“One of the things we heard repeatedly is the cost of cards -- it’s expensive -- and the time it takes to sign up for a loyalty card,” explains Do... Read more >

ArcelorMittal, a leading steel manufacturer, announced last week that it will re-open part of its west side Cleveland mill. A portion of the facility was idled in 2008 because of slow market conditions.
 
The re-opening means ArcelorMittal will add 150 salaried and hourly employees to the current staff of 1,700. The current staff is performing maintenance work in preparation for the restart. The new hires will mainly be skilled crafts persons and entry-level operators... Read more >

Bad Girl Ventures, a micro-finance organization focused on educating and financing women-owned startup companies, graduated its first Cleveland class on January 3 and announced the winner of a $25,000 low interest loan. Out of 70 applicants, 10 start-up companies  participated in an eight-week program to learn the ins and outs of successfully running a business.
 
Kimberly McCune Gibson and Ann Marie Larrance of Grass Roots LLC, the parent company for ReHive Ale,... Read more >

OnShift, the staffing software developer for the healthcare industry, recently received an overall performance score of 92.6 in a survey conducted by KLAS, a research firm the monitors healthcare vendors. The numbers confirm OnShift’s dedication to customer service and providing a quality product.
 
“We’re very proud to be ranked so highly by our customers,” says Mark Woodka, OnShift CEO. “We put a lot of energy into being responsive to o... Read more >

Enterprise Community Partners, which helps find affordable housing options, is hosting its first 2012 Enterprise Community Innovation Awards. The award, sponsored through KeyBank, is designed to recognize organizations creating new and lasting community development solutions in Greater Cleveland. The winner will receive a $25,000 grant to support the project.
 
“We were looking at the future of community development in the area,” says Mark McDermott, Ohio ... Read more >

The prevailing impression of regionalism that has been bandied about Northeast Ohio for the better part of a decade is all wrong, says a collaborative group of area nonprofits. While the consolidation of countless municipalities is useful, it is not intrinsically regionalism. True regionalism, they argue, is defined by economic activity -- not political boundaries.

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is about to offer a 14-week network support specialist training program to meet the high demand for IT specialists in Cleveland. The technology jobs are out there, but companies are having a hard time finding qualified candidates.
 
In fact, the more recent quarterly survey conducted by the COSE Technology Network (NEOSA) showed that 82 percent of companies surveyed had current job openings in IT. As a result, local companies have ha... Read more >