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.

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 >

This past October, Cuyahoga Community College relocated its 20-year-old hospitality management and culinary program from the older Metropolitan Campus to a gleaming new complex on Public Square. Although the move from E. 33rd and Woodland to the center of downtown was less than a half-mile, the shift will forever change Cleveland's culinary economy.

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.

Social media provides entrepreneurs with a great vehicle for communicating with current and potential clients. And like the companies they seek to promote, social media feeds often mimic the personality of their owners. But marketing experts warn that one size definitely does not fit all. What works for one type of business may come across as inappropriate for another.

Cleveland Storefront Art aims to brighten up the downtown landscape by filling the windows of vacant properties with works of visual art. Through their tireless efforts, Robert Carillio and Joan Smith have crafted an artful albeit temporary solution to an irritating problem.

Digiknow and Downtown Cleveland Alliance have partnered up in a new mobile marketing plan that uses QR codes to provide information to on-the-go residents. The QR codes will connect residents and customers to online profiles of downtown stakeholders such as bars, restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels, and commercial and residential properties.

Creative signs are making a comeback in Cleveland. Dramatic signage not only perks up a neighborhood visually, it makes them more competitive by helping indie retailers stand out from national chains. For proof, look at East Fourth Street.

If things seem a little brighter in East Cleveland these days, it may be because of the new streetlights gleaming along a block of Noble Road. General Electric bestowed its first local LED lighting installation on East Cleveland, where GE Lighting has had its headquarters for the past 100 years.

The GE Evolve LED Street Lights could reduce East Cleveland's energy use by several million watts a year, according to the lighting manufacturer. And because the LED lights shine... Read more >

Health Information Technology (HIT) is a rapidly emerging field that will likely grow much faster than the average jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Midwest Community College HIT Consortium is designed to ready a trained workforce for jobs in the HIT sector.

The consortium is comprised of 17 large community colleges in 10 Midwest states, and is being led by Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). Last month, the consortium launc... Read more >

Cleveland's Eaton Corporation is accelerating its presence in the electric car market thanks to a new collaboration with Mitsubishi Motors North America and Best Buy. Eaton will be providing the Level 2 home-charging mechanism for Mitsubishi's i MiEV electric vehicle, which goes on sale in the fall of 2011. Eaton also will provide infrastructural support and Level 2 chargers to all of Mitsubishi's North American dealerships.

Level 2 charging stations are installed in a ho... Read more >

You'd be forgiven for thinking that "Indians Snow Days" refers to contingency plans in the event of a repeat of 2007, when the home opener was delayed, and finally called, due to snow. In April. Actually, Snow Days is an entirely different first in Major League Baseball: an off-season theme park inside a stadium, with the theme being wintertime fun.

According to Rob Campbell of the Indians' communications department, Snow Days was inspired by the National Hockey League's ... Read more >

There is no downtown "plan," per se, but there is a hell of a lot goingon. The newest piece to the revitalization puzzle is the NineTwelveDistrict, a new identity for the declining business corridor betweenEast 9th and East 12th streets, and Euclid and Lakeside.

The area once known as the financial district "is really going througha change," says Joseph Marinucci, president and CEO of the non-profitdevelopment group Downtown Cleveland Alliance."Change" is a polite way of ... Read more >

Wendy Park on Whiskey Island might be Northeast Ohio's greatest greenspace success story.Less than 10 years ago, precious few Clevelanders had ever visited thesite, which sits right where the Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie. Nighon impossible to get to, and offering little more than volleyballcourts, there just wasn't much point. Steady improvements under countyownership have pushed annual visits from about 7,000 in 2006 to morethan 200,000 today, and the work is not nearly over.Read more >

Experts estimate that the global flexible electronics market will grow to $250 billion by 2025. Northeast Ohio wants to ride that wave of innovation and market growth, and a recently unveiled plan for the region to become a global epicenter for the flexible electronics industry will play a part in realizing that goal.

Developed by NorTech, a technology-based economic development organization, The Northeast Ohio Flexible Electronics Road Map outlines strategies and initiat... Read more >

Each year, the Golden 30 awards recognizes 15 established and 15 emerging top-performing companies in Erie, Huron and Lorain counties. This year's winners represent a panoply of Northeast Ohio businesses serving consumers, healthcare professionals, military and manufacturing.

Among the 15 emerging companies who received 2010 Golden 30 awards on November 16 were Synapse Biomedical, Inc., maker of the NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System, which is used in the treatment of chronic ... Read more >

There are far windier places in the US than Ohio, but there may be few better in which to site a commercial-scale wind farm. Thanks to a combination of factors -- not the least of which is recently enacted legislation -- Ohio finally has reached the wind-power tipping point. Even the faintest breeze promises to send Ohio tumbling to the top of the renewable energy heap.