League Park, the historic Hough ballfield where baseball legend Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run over the outfield wall in 1929, is set to reopen this weekend following a complete renovation. The reopening, in the works for years, will not only house the Baseball Heritage Museum, but also a replica of the original ticketing facility, a community room and a huge, new ballfield. It mimics the original down to the fact that home plate is set in the same spot as when Babe Ruth stood there.

Councilman T. J. Dow hopes that the project will spark reinvestment in the Hough neighborhood. "We love the fact that we have a recreational park in the community, but it will also serve as an economic development piece," he says. "Many of the new homeowners moved here with the expectation that League Park would be rebuilt. We believe that it will serve as an anchor."

Dow also believes that the park will serve as a tourist attraction, drawing baseball and history lovers from Greater Cleveland and beyond. The park has a special significance for the African-American community, since many black teams played here and the Buckeyes won the Negro World Series at League Park in 1920.

The restored League Park will also serve as home field for many Cleveland Municipal School District teams, a special privilege since the park is quite large and has brand-new astroturf. Outside organizations can rent the field for a fee, and the money earned will go back into maintaining the park. The ticketing office and museum will be open for regular hours during the week and on weekends.

"We have Hough residents who are starting up baseball clubs," says Dow, touting ways in which enhanced recreational opportunities will help the neighborhood. "They could play on the League Park field during the championship games."

Although there is no active community development corporation in Hough and redevelopment plans stalled out in the recession, that could change. Dow is currently in the process of kicking off a neighborhood planning process, and envisions new housing built on tracts of vacant land around League Park.

League Park is located at East 66th Street and Lexington Avenue. A grand opening party is set for Saturday, August 23rd at 1 p.m., and will feature the unveiling of the Fannie M. Lewis sculpture, an appearance by the Cleveland Blues vintage baseball team, a Home Run Derby and other activities.

As a professional makeup artist, Lou McClung is well aware what goes into good (and bad) makeup. So he started making his own, ultimately opening up his own shop, Lusso Cosmetics, in Lakewood. “As a makeup artist, what I wanted to do was have my own products,” he says.
 
As one of the few independent cosmetics manufacturers in the country, McClung makes and sells his own lipstick, eye liner, lip gloss and powder. His products aren’t tested on animals and are fragrance-free. As much as possible, Lusso products are plant-based and made with beeswax.
 
McClung blends all of his own shades and he custom blends foundations and powders to match skin tones. He teaches his customers how to use his products with free consultations. “It’s really simple once I explain it,” he says. “No one ever took the time to show them. Most of my clients want to look natural and they’re surprised how little makeup they need – it’s about knowing where to put it. Having a quality product and finding what to do with the stuff is key.”
 
The satisfaction McClung gets comes in pleasing his clients. “I know when I’ve nailed it and have the right product or shade,” he says. “I love to see my clients enjoying it, and I know it enhances their lives.”
 
When McClung isn’t helping clients with their makeup needs, he’s restoring religious art. Four years ago he bought the entire closed St. Hedwig church parish and turned it into The Museum of Divine Statues -- a museum of religious artifacts. He’s purchased the artifacts from closed churches around Cleveland. He says the restoration process is pretty much the same as doing makeup, except he uses pigments and oil paints.

THe museum is open Sundays from noon to 4pm and private tours can be arranged for groups of 30 or more. McClung is hosting a fundraiser on Sept. 27 to keep the museum going.
 
McClung employs an assistant and lives in the priest’s house on the parish property.
 

Case Western Reserve University has opened the new Tinkham Veale University Center just in time for the start of the school year. In the coming weeks, six new eateries will be unveiled. The addition of mouthwatering new venues like Melt University, the latest from Matt Fish of Melt Bar & Grilled fame; Naan, an Indian venue by James Beard Award nominee Chef Raghavan Iyer; and Cool Beanz, which will serve Zingerman's Coffee out of Ann Arbor, are enough to make us want to go back to school.

Fortunately, we won't have to. All of the venues are open to the public, and the soon-to-be-named restaurant (a student contest will determine its name) will serve a prix fixe menu when the orchestra plays in town. Cleveland Botanical Garden Executive Chef Tony Smoody will serve as chef of the restaurant.

Additional eateries include 8Twenty6, where customers can build their own salad from an eight-foot counter stocked with 20 seasonal ingredients and six housemade dressings, and Pinzas, which serves personal pizzas, pasta bowls and Italian sandwiches served on pagnotelle rolls. Melt University will serve items off the Melt Bar & Grilled menu as well as "exclusive CWRU-themed sandwiches only available at Melt U, the Case Western BBQ and The Spartan Burger," according to a press release from Bon Appetit Management, the food service company.

"This is an opportunity to showcase the beauty of regional Indian cooking," said Iyer during a recent visit to the university center. "What you typically see in the U.S. is just a sliver of Indian cooking, and what I bring is multi-regional cooking."

CWRU has a large population of foreign-born students, so the ethnic diversity of these options will no doubt prove popular. The university has not only transformed its physical environment in recent years, adding student amenities that create a more vibrant campus, but has also seen a dramatic increase in enrollment.

Previously, there was no full-service restaurant on the CWRU campus, and dining options were a bit limited. These six new eateries add to the increasing vibrancy that can be found on campus and throughout University Circle.

Alex Quintana grew up in Cleveland Heights, went to Heights High, and claims to have gone to college at the Tavern Company on Lee Road. (He was a bartender at that popular watering hole for five years.) Now, the Heights resident, who opened Quintana's Barber and Dream Spa with his wife Dawn 11 years ago, is expanding his footprint in the Cedar-Taylor area.

Quintana has purchased a building at 2190 South Taylor Road, immediately next door to the Colonial home where his business is located. They are now renovating the former beauty salon from top to bottom, inside and out. When the project is complete, the facade will be handsomely refreshed with new awnings, the interior will feature contemporary, brushed aluminum finishes and the entire place will be handicap-accessible.

"Nothing had been done to the interior since about 1984," says Quintana. "It had an interior like Mrs. Roper's beauty salon. We're making it more spa-like and modern."

Quintana's is unique, he says, because of the relationship between the two businesses, which are distinct yet complementary. The first-floor barbershop offers a "third place" for men outside of work and home, a kind of communal, comfortable man cave. The spa, which currently is housed on the upper floors, is a place where women can get massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and more. The renovation project will allow the spa to take over the former beauty salon, while the barbershop will gradually expand into the rest of the house.

Quintana says the Cedar-Taylor commercial district is becoming more vibrant. Not only are there fewer vacant storefronts than there were a few years ago, but the newly formed Cedar-Taylor Merchants Association is working on creating a new streetscape plan with public art and also forming a Special Improvement District.

All in all, Quintana is glad to be working in the Heights. "Cleveland Heights is a very unique community," he says. "Residents here are very passionate about where they choose to live. It's a pleasure to service this community."
 

TechPint founder Paul McAvinchey always envisioned that his organization’s regular mini tech conferences could become something larger. When the last event drew more than 400 attendees to talk tech over a beer, McAvinchey knew it was time to go big.

On Friday, September 5, the first Industry Digital Summit will kick off at Hotcards. “The Industry Digital Summit is a national conference -- not just Cleveland-centric -- but a national conference with a focus on the Rust Belt,” McAvinchey says. “We want to show that there is a community in the region.”
 
The event brings some of the biggest names in technology to Cleveland: Ian Sigalow, co-founder and partner at GreycroftVC; Bob Moesta, president and CEO of the Re-Wired Group; and Stephanie Spear, founder and CEO of EcoWatch, to cite a few of the 15 speakers scheduled.
 
There will be a startup demo pitch, with 20 companies signed up, and workshops throughout the day. It’s all capped off with a pig roast and happy hour before the Hotcards space evolves into a “massive party that will go on until late,” says McAvinchey.
 
McAvinchey envisions the Industry Digital Summit as an event that could turn into something like South by Southwest or Big Omaha. “There’s nothing like that around here,” he says. “I think it’s important for the region and to have it in Cleveland is just super. We want to make Cleveland the center of digital innovation in the region.”
 
The conference costs $199, but Fresh Water readers can receive a $50 discount by using the code FRESHWATER upon registration before August 22.

The Incubator at MAGNET and NASA Glenn Research Center are looking for product-focused startup companies to join its pitch competition on September 18 at Ariel International Center. Unlike other pitch competitions in the region, ProtoTech focuses on those companies with an actual product to market.
 
“There are a number of pitch competitions, but most of them are IT focused,” says Dave Crain, MAGNET’s director of entrepreneurial services. “What we’re trying to do is highlight product-focused startups in the region.”
 
What is a technology based product exactly? “At the end of the day, when a customer buys your product and you put it in a box and you ship it to them, that’s a product,” says Crain.
 
Six companies will be selected as finalists and receive promotion and fundraising tools. The teams will then pitch their products to a panel of judges and a live audience. The teams will be rated on their products’ feasibility, investability and the quality of their pitches. The audience also gets a vote.
 
Each team gets to keep any money raised for their products through the event, and the top three teams will receive matching funds.
 
Crain says they are hoping to receive 20 to 30 submissions for ProtoTech. The competition is open to anyone who meets the entry guidelines listed on the submission form. The deadline for submission is mid-August.
 
In addition to the pitch competition there will be an Investors Hall Exhibition, where 15 to 20 more established startups will have tables among an invited group of investors.
“These are later-stage startups who have entered the market,” explains Crain. “We’ve already chosen two companies to exhibit. We’ll continue to choose companies until the tables are filled. To be considered for the Investors Hall, submit an exhibitor request form.  

Northeast Ohio has a number of resources available for an expanding Latino populace searching for work and business opportunities. These services, say their providers, can keep immigrant brainpower in the area while acting as a talent magnet for the Latino and Spanish-speaking diaspora. 

When the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission began looking at creating a new event a few years ago, cycling soon rose to the top of the list. Leaders knew that a premiere cycling event in Northeast Ohio would prove popular well beyond Cleveland, attracting visitors from other cities. Then they refined the idea into a weekend of races, offering multiple rides from which to choose, coupled with a lifestyle festival at Edgewater Park. They had a winner.

The result is NEOCycle, "an urban cycling festival consisting of competitive races and unique rides, connected by live entertainment and an interactive, action-filled festival at Edgewater Park on the shores of Lake Erie," according to the website. The event takes place September 26th-28th, and organizers say it could attract 1,000 people from other cities and generate $250,000 in economic impact.

NEOCycle will feature five rides: Night Ride, which will leave from Edgewater Park and offer views of the sunset and downtown skyline; Forest City Fundo, an untimed, mass ride with lengths ranging from 10 to 62 miles and benefitting Bike Cleveland; Cyclocross, a race through Edgewater Park with natural and manmade obstacles; Criterium, a lapped race through University Circle and surrounding neighborhoods; and a velodrome race in Slavic Village.

Whether you're a competitive cyclist or not, the unique new event holds many charms. The Fundo and Night Rides are geared to both casual and serious riders. Spectators will enjoy heading over to Edgewater Park to watch the races, drink beer, hang out by the beach and listen to music.

Speaking of music, organizers recently announced that Cloud Nothings and Jessica Lea Mayfield would headline the event. Other bands include Ohio Sky, Captain Kidd, Cities & Coast, Ottawa, Muamin Collective & Neil Chastain Trio, Silent Lions, Village Bicycle, JP & the Chatfield Boys and the Luckey Ones.

"The idea is, 'How do you take 1 plus 1 plus 1 and equal a whole lot more than three?'" says David Gilbert, President of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. "How do you take grassroots events and put them in one large festival? You’re going to get an experience here that you're just not going to get at any other event."

Fresh Water has been on top of the dramatic new business development currently taking place in Lakewood, covering it here, here and here. The west side 'burb has seen an explosion of new shops, pubs and eateries in recent years, thanks in large part to a pedestrian-friendly Detroit Avenue streetscape that was completed in 2012. Now the city is poised for another wave of growth, with several new businesses set to open this year.

In a recent chat with Planning Director Dru Siley, we learned about Cleveland Vegan, which is set to open a storefront catering operation in the next 45 days (13611 Detroit), with a planned eatery to follow; Brown Sugar Thai, which will open its fourth location in a 2,600-square-foot space in the Bailey Building at Detroit and Warren; Birdtown Restaurant and Brewing, a project from restaurateur Tom Leneghan, will open next year in the old St. Gregory's Church on Madison; The Bevy, a new restaurant and music venue that will open in the old Winchester Music Hall; and The Stache, a hip new speakeasy set to open in the former Johnny Malloys/Gepettos space (17103 Detroit Ave.).

These are just a few of the new businesses flocking to Lakewood, which has seen impressive business growth along its Detroit and Madison commercial corridors.

"Part of what we've noticed is that Lakewood is a great place to open a first business, such as Beat Cycles, but it's also a good place for a business to do a second location," says Siley. "We're seeing that as a bit of a trend. Business owners are doing some intentional planning, and they're looking at Lakewood."

Although Lakewood is chock-full of independents, plenty of chains are getting in on the action, too. Another new addition to Lakewood is Bob Evan's, which opened up a surprisingly contemporary-looking eatery in downtown Lakewood. "It's the busiest 4:30 dinner spot in the entire world right now," jokes Siley.

There’s no shortage of food trucks on Cleveland streets these days, but Ron Nelson offers a way for aspiring mobile food entrepreneurs to hit the road for less thanks to his food buggies.
 
When Cleveland launched its pilot street-food program back in 2009, Nelson was working for a non-profit that helped down-on-their-luck folks re-enter society. He saw food trucks as one way to do this, yet the costs were too high for the average person just starting out. And back then, there were no commercial kitchens around in which to do prep work.
 
So Nelson developed his buggies, which have lower startup costs, lower licensing fees and lower operational costs. He launched his company Food Buggy in 2013.
 
Food Buggy units cost between $4,000 and $12,000 compared to the $40,000 to $200,000 for fully equipped food trucks. The buggies have a lower operating cost, are lightweight and fit into a single parking space. “The food buggies have two advantages,” says Nelson. “The cost is much lower, and it also allows you to transport it using your own vehicle. And it’s easy enough for two people to set up quickly.”
 
Nelson is quick to point out that his buggies don’t replace food trucks – they are an alternative. “It allows the entrepreneur to start up with limited resources,” he explains. “Yet it gives all the flexibility to get exposed and build a business.”
 
Nelson touts other advantages his buggies have over the competition: “It’s far better than a hotdog cart because with a hotdog cart you can’t cook anything,” he explains. “It’s better than a food truck because it doesn’t take up space. You can build up your business to the point you need a food truck.” And commercial kitchens like the Cleveland Culinary Launch and Kitchen allow cooks access to prep space.
 
Food Buggies already has received orders from a couple of Cleveland food entrepreneurs. Nelson expects more custom orders as word gets out of his products’ advantages and custom designs.
 

Remember the skate park built for the Dew Games held at North Coast Harbor in 2008? Well, it's been dismantled, but the concrete slab remains, surrounded by a metal-flame fence. Very soon the space will be home to the city's first shipping container-based restaurant, Blazing Bistro, which is scheduled to open in late July, adding to the amenities on downtown's lakefront.

"We've recognized for a while that one of the missing amenities on the lakefront is a gathering place for people while they're at the Rock Hall etc.," says Michael Deemer, Vice President of Business Development and Legal Services at Downtown Cleveland Alliance. "We worked with the city and with Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries to build off the success of Cleveland's food truck renaissance."

Blazing Bistro will take up residence in a recycled shipping container repurposed by Cleveland Customer Trucks. Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries (LMM), which operates the successful Manna food truck and employs formerly incarcerated and homeless individuals, was awarded the contract after responding to an RFP from the city.

The days and hours of operation are not set in stone, but likely will be lunch Wednesday through Sunday with some evening hours added as well. The shipping container idea grew out of the Small Box Initiative, a program of the Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation to develop retail in parking lots on West 9th Street.

As the new lakefront development takes off, Blazing Bistro can be picked up and moved to other locations, either in the harbor or other parts of downtown.

Blazing Bistro also will be open during various events taking place at North Coast Harbor, including the new Anchors and Ales event, held August 22-23 and September 13-14 in conjunction with Cleveland Browns home games.

Deemer says the seasonal restaurant is a win-win-win for the city, residents and visitors. "It's not enough to have a park on the lakefront; we have to actively drive people there with events and amenities," he says. "We've seen food truck owners open up brick and mortar stores with great success. This is a new wrinkle."
 

After a career in marketing and public relations -- largely in the non-profit sector --Tom Sarago decided to hang out his own shingle and launch Spruce, a full-service marketing and PR company in Lakewood. But the non-profit mentality stuck with Sarago, so he’s offering up his services for free to the right Cleveland company -- a startup or an established company going through transition.
 
“It’s in my roots to always give back,” explains Sarago. “I know I have enough experience to help these businesses.” After pondering the best business advice he ever got from the COSE Best Business Advice Campaign, he came up with “never neglect a volunteer opportunity assisting an intriguing business.”
 
Sarago’s offer isn’t solely about helping new businesses; it’s about expanding his circle and getting the Spruce name out there. “I want to engage as many people as possible,” he says. “The business will come. This is about meeting new people and hearing new stories of companies doing great things in cleveland."

Companies are invited to contact Sarango and explain him why they should receive free help with marketing, PR, branding or strategic planning needs. Sarago is only looking for the most passionate business owners.
 
Sarago has recruited the talents of commercial photography studio Kalman & Pabst to also get in on the offer. The winning company leader will also receive a professional photo shoot.

The deadline to contact Sarago and tell him why you need his services is August 15. 

From Charles F. Brush to John D. Rockefeller, Cleveland has been home to entrepreneurs with innovations that helped shape the world. We take a look at some of Cleveland’s ground breaking companies -- some old, some new -- to see what makes the company unique, how it achieved its success, and where they stand today. 

Startup Lakewood is at it again with its annual Ideation Challenge, during which people are encouraged to present their business ideas. “People can take the next steps and validate their ideas,” says Lakewood’s entrepreneur in residence and Startup Lakewood’s director of Ideation, Mike Belsito. “Sometimes, the first step is the hardest to take -- and that's what we're hoping to encourage.”

Ideation, currently in its fourth incarnation, added some new facets to this year’s submission process. Whereas the last go-around required an executive summary, the contest now necessitates both a business model canvas (a one-page outline of the business concept) and a single-page validation plan, which outlines five assumptions about the business and a plan for validating them. “By creating a validation plan, we believe we're encouraging people to identify actual steps that they can take to determine whether their business is viable,” explains Belsito.

More information on these documents can be found on Startup Lakewood’s competition outline. The deadline to apply is August 8. From that group, four individuals or teams will be selected to give a final elevator pitch in front of business experts, investors, entrepreneurs and consultants.

Prizes include a lunch with an entrepreneur and Lakewood mayor Michael Summers; a full scholarship to a nine-week entrepreneurial course with Bad Girl Ventures; and a prize package from the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. Past winners include Mickie Rinehart for her beer flavoring Hops Drops, Daniel Dudley for the co-working space Lakework+ and Ahmie Young’s The Parenting Shop.

However, Startup shouldn’t be thought of as an incubator for small businesses. “We believed that we could create an environment that could be helpful and serve as a connector to entrepreneurs and soon-to-be entrepreneurs,” says Belsito. “The city recognized that it wanted to be more entrepreneurially friendly and encourage people to start businesses in Lakewood.”

Further details can be acquired July 22 at an upcoming meeting to be held at University of Akron, Lakewood campus from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.