The developer of a fast-growing entrepreneurial village on the eastern edge of downtown is planning a $9-12 million investment that would add nearly 160,000 square feet of office space. Michelle Asher of Graystone Properties, which owns the mammoth Tyler Village complex at East 36th and Superior, says that regional growth in the biotechnology, software development, multimedia design and film industries prompted the bullish move to ready new space for additional tenants.

&... Read more >

Steve Orlando wants to make cell phones free for all. He plans to do that through advertising. The CEO of Cell-A-Spot started the company in 2009 with the idea of selling ad space for cell phone apps and the concept has been growing ever since.
 
“We essentially are implementing advertisements in mobile phones,” Orlando says. “It started with a couple of ideas, but when we got our first customer we created our first app.”
 
Cell-a-... Read more >

The I-X Center has launched plans to invest $25 to $30 million in renovations that will enhance its ability to host consumer mega-shows such as the Fabulous Food Show and International Beer Fest. Planned improvements include upgrading food and restroom facilities, adding a third lane to the main access road, and expanding the paved parking areas.

“Our goal is to grow attendance and become even more of a destination venue,” Robert Peterson, President of the I-X... Read more >

More than 100 people attended the Flats Forward Waterfront Summit, held this week in downtown Cleveland. Those in attendance learned how cities as far away as Duisburg, Germany, and as close as Pittsburgh, have leveraged their historic waterfronts into magnets for recreation, investment and tourism.

Flats Forward is a one-year-old effort to create a new identity for Cleveland's historic birthplace. Planners are now focused on improving the Flats' infrastructure, t... Read more >

Cleveland’s young professionals are charged with shaping the future of the city. And while there are more than 70 organizations catering to the 15,000 young professionals in the area, there isn't one dedicated to uniting these groups to make a difference and make a change. Engage! Cleveland is striving to do exactly that.
 
“These organizations are extremely important because they integrate young professionals with the community,” says Andrew Ben... Read more >

Vintage maven Cindy Deering has opened a new store that brings her eclectic array of '60s and '70s clothing and accessories to a long-empty storefront on W. 25th Street in Ohio City.

Deering Vintage, which features hardwood floors, marble countertop from its days as a flower shop, and a mezzanine for the in-house seamstress, plugs one of the few remaining retail gaps on the street. Just one year ago, the Gillespie building at Bridge and W. 25th was half-dark. Toda... Read more >

Jeremy Flack, a steel industry entrepreneur who started his own steel distribution company last year, likes to brag that Flack Steel is the first new steel company to locate in downtown Cleveland in quite a while. Not only did he choose the Warehouse District to locate his fledgling company, he's also a downtown resident.

"People ask, 'Does anyone still make steel in Cleveland?'" Flack says. "The answer is Yes! In fact, the decline of manufactur... Read more >

Tremont Electric is developing a new energy source with its recently patented nPower Wave Energy Converter (WEC). The four-year-old Cleveland company made a huge splash with its nPower PEG, a pint-size power plant that allows people to charge their hand-held devices while walking, running or biking. Their new product uses the waves of Lake Erie -- and ultimately larger bodies of water -- to generate commercial-scale electricity.
 
“We put it in something like a ... Read more >

In an effort to inspire area students to think about clean energy, this year's Clean Energy Challenge will be open to local college students. NorTech is heading up Ohio’s participation in the business plan contest, sponsored by Clean Energy Trust in Chicago.
 
“The point of the challenge is to institute more technology transfer out of the universities,” explains Dave Karpinski, NorTech vice president. “It’s a business plan competition... Read more >

Kicking off what is being billed as "A Day of Social Innovation," bigBANG! will shine the spotlight on a number of innovative local nonprofits that are benefitting our community. The day-long forum, hosted by Cleveland Social Venture Partners (CSVP) and taking place at the CSU Student Center, is the event's inaugural year.

The building boom kicking up dust in downtown Cleveland soon will give visitors to the Medical Mart, Convention Center and Horseshoe Casino another spot to lay their heads after a night out on the town. Optima Ventures and Sage Hospitality have purchased the former Crowne Plaza Cleveland City Centre hotel and plan to spend $64 million to renovate it into a new, luxurious 481-room Westin Hotel.

The project was spurred by an anticipated influx of visitors to downtown Clevel... Read more >

Green City Growers, a for-profit, employee-owned produce company that is part of the nonprofit Evergreen Cooperatives, will break ground next week on a 3.25-acre hydroponic greenhouse. The project, which will cost $17 million and is expected to eventually create about 40 full-time jobs, will be built in an east side neighborhood so wracked by poverty it has been dubbed "The Forgotten Triangle."

The greenhouse, which is being constructed on a scruffy, 10-acre pat... Read more >

While U.S. job growth overall might be stuck in neutral, IT professionals should be chomping at the bit. Experts say technology occupations will be at the leading edge of job growth for at least the next decade. Better still: Three of the hottest cities for IT jobs right now are here in Ohio.

Young, tech-based companies have a major impact on Northeast Ohio’s economy. In a report created by Cleveland State University and commissioned by JumpStart, 90 startup companies generated $155 million in revenue and created 1,000 jobs in 2010.
 
“Our objective with this report is to make sure people know why entrepreneurship is important to the community,” says Cathy Belk, chief relationship officer with JumpStart. “These are all early-stage c... Read more >

The Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) is holding its seventh annual small business conference on October 19th and 20th at the I-X Center in Cleveland. The event is the only one of its kind designed specifically for small business owners looking for an opportunity to learn, network and work together with other small businesses.
 
“Basically we put this together because we saw a gap in the marketplace for this kind of conference,” says Steve Millard, COS... Read more >