Ryan Clark and Nathan Lambert know how to sell advertising. They also figured out a way to help libraries offset printing costs. The co-founders of Knowta, a Shaker LaunchHouse portfolio company, have created a unique print ad system that runs ads at the bottom of a page that users print out at the library.
 
The concept is brilliantly simple: Users elect to receive the advertising in exchange for free or discounted printing. Instead of receiving documents on typical ... Read more >

CEOs for Cities, a global nonprofit network of urban leaders focused on making American cities more successful, has opened an office in Cleveland. Lee Fisher, former Ohio Lt. Governor, Ohio Attorney General, and director of the Ohio Department of Development, was named president and CEO of the organization earlier this year and insisted his offices be in Cleveland.
 
“I told them I was a lifelong Ohioan and did not want to move out of Ohio,” Fisher says. T... Read more >

A new bakery on W. 25th Street is out to prove that dairy-free desserts can be just as addictive as the most decadent slice of chocolate cake -- while also cutting back on the calories, health risks, and guilt associated with many of our favorite vices.

Just ask Margaret Bilyeau, owner of the newly opened Maggie's Vegan Bakery, who boasts of her vegan "chocolate" cupcakes with "cream cheese" icing: "You need to come try them -- they're won... Read more >

Coffee aficionados at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport were at a loss when Banjo’s closed its door last year. The coffee shop was the only stop in the C concourse for Phoenix Coffee junkies to get their fill. So when Auntie Anne’s approached the local roaster about supplying their coffee, Phoenix decided to introduce a unique blend that is all Cleveland: CLE Blend.
 
“It’s a Cleveland pride thing,” says Phoenix CEO and self-describ... Read more >

When savvy small business owners with an eye for form and function set their sights on historic Cleveland properties, the resulting atmosphere soars beyond the reach of boxy suburban strip malls and bland skyscrapers. Behold recycling on the most profound level: repurposing spaces created decades ago into modern, functional, and inspiring workplaces.

Christopher Celeste and Blake Squires have business in their blood. Over the course of their careers, each has made his way through the political world, the marketing and digital music world, and everything in between. Together they founded and fostered Solon-based Findaway World before each eventually left the company.
 
The two came together again when they realized they most liked forming businesses, and wanted to put their knowledge to work helping others do the s... Read more >

Cleveland HeartLab is moving quickly in the prevention and detection of cardiovascular disease. The company, spunoff from the Cleveland Clinic in 2009, is a clinical laboratory and disease management startup that has developed a series of diagnostic tests for determining the risk of heart disease and stroke.
 
The company, which has grown from eight to 80 employees in two years, just completed an $18.4 million Series B financing round with Excel Venture Management and... Read more >

What started a decade ago as a business of one in a little office in University Heights has blossomed into one of the fastest growing companies in the nation. Danny Spitz, president and CEO of EverStaff, started the professional staffing company to satisfy his entrepreneurial spirit. Today, the company has 50 employees in 14 branches across 25 states.

And they aren't done yet, says Spitz. "We’d like to be known as the next national staffing agency,” h... Read more >

The decline of traditional newspapers, rise of the Internet, and advent of social media has led to a dizzying media revolution in the past two decades. A new conference aims to help marketing and communications professionals to keep up with these fast-paced changes -- and to make Cleveland a hub for marketing worldwide.

Content Marketing World, a first-ever national conference that will take place at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, aims to help businesses and nonprofits ... Read more >

Like many immigrants, Carlos Vergara came to the United States in search of a better life for his family. His dream -- a quality education for his sons -- was foremost on his mind when the Vergaras made the journey from Colombia to Cleveland. In the end, it was a partnership with his oldest son Juan that returned the favor.

Keith Pabley is dedicated to providing a way for people to eat healthy on the go. As CEO of Good Greens, one of Shaker LaunchHouse’s newest investments, Pabley is marketing his nutrition bars around Northeast Ohio with huge success.
 
“Our bar is unique because it has 100 percent of your daily fruits and vegetables,” says Pabley. “We’ve loaded it with all the stuff you’re supposed to be eating.” The bars are gluten free, vegan... Read more >

When Cynthia Larsen stopped teaching English full-time in 1995 to pursue a Master's in Creative Writing, she watched in dismay as the federal "No Child Left Behind Act" was passed by Congress a few years later. It tied teachers' hands, she thought, forcing them to teach to the test and squeezing creativity out of the classroom.

So Larsen decided to do something about it. She volunteered at her children's schools in Cleveland Heights, teaching and hel... Read more >

Imagine if we'd all had a crash course in Cleveland -- a tutorial, administered while we were still young and impressionable, on all the great things this city has to offer. Each year, hundreds of high-school and college students are getting just such a lesson. Thanks to internships offered by dozens of local firms and non-profits, students from within and without our region's borders are learning about Cleveland and its potential as a place to live, work and play.

Campbell's Popcorn and Sweets has opened a new factory store in Ohio City's Market District, at which customers can watch the production of its signature products as well as sample tasty, unusual flavors such as garlic parmesan, dill pickle and barbeque.

Owner Jeff Campbell says he decided to expand in Ohio City because of the loyal customers he's generated at his West Side Market stand, which has seen 25 percent annual growth since he opened it in 2004.
<... Read more >

F*SHO, a trade show that showcases the growing cadre of contemporary furniture designers who call Cleveland home, is set to take place on Friday, Sept. 9th in a Midtown warehouse.

This year's show, which is the third annual, will be bigger than ever. It features more than 20 designers, including two that are based in Columbus and Toledo.

"The furniture design industry here keeps growing -- this year we even had to turn a few people down," says P.J. ... Read more >