These days, it seems that everyone is singing Pittsburgh's praises. Our Rust Belt neighbor to the east recently scored a Google corporate office. And last year, perennial Cleveland-basher Forbes Magazine named Pittsburgh the country's most livable city. Ouch. Clearly Pittsburgh is doing something right. Simply put: That city is light years ahead of Cleveland when it comes to bike-friendliness -- and bike-friendly cities are more attractive to young professionals, the creat... Read more >

Brian Cook stands in the oval-shaped dining room of an apartment at Ludlow Castle, a signature Tudor-style building off Shaker Square. The distinctive room has hardwood floors and opens up to a sunken living room with wood-burning fireplace and a wall of windows overlooking the street.

"My wife would kill for an oval-shaped dining room like this," Cook says, "and for the closet space in these units."

The neighborhoods of Shaker Square have long been a popular dra... Read more >

"Bioscience is one of the driving forces in Cleveland," said Baiju Shah, president and CEO of BioEnterprise. In case you need hard numbers to back up that claim, Shah noted that more than 600 healthcare related companies exist in the region.

Shah served as moderator for the 4th Annual Summit on Leadership, which was presented on March 10 by the Cleveland Business Leaders Committee of the Union Club.

What does Cleveland have that innovators in biomedicine and hea... Read more >

Ever wonder who is responsible for the elements of a restaurant that guests don't eat? This engaging video offers a behind-the-scenes look at the artistic players who had a hand in designing Michael Symon's B Spot restaurant. Like Symon, these characters are all "CIA grads." But rather than attending the Culinary Institute of America, Scott Richardson, Paul Sobota and Alexander Lombardo graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Thanks to Jeff Mancinetti for ... Read more >

James DeRosa purchased the old Marshall McCarron's bar at Randall and John Avenue in Ohio City with dreams of reviving it as a hip restaurant.

Then, in 2008, the economy did a spectacular nosedive. Unable to get a loan to make even basic repairs on the dilapidated property, DeRosa and his partners put their dreams on hold. A mounting list of code violations soon landed them in housing court.

"We were faced with the option of tearing the property down or fixing i... Read more >

Two Cleveland organizations aimed at drawing area teens toward an interest in employment and business have joined forces. E CITY Cleveland (which stands for Entrepreneurship: Connecting, Inspiring and Teaching Youth) and Y.O.U. (Youth Opportunities Unlimited) united earlier this year to pool their resources and heighten their outreach.

E CITY's entrepreneurial programs were completed by more than 300 teens last year.  Y.O.U.'s offerings, which include mentoring and j... Read more >

Homeowners were taking out equity loans with alarming abandon just a few years ago, yet now many are reluctant to invest money in their homes. "With housing values falling, demand for home repair loans has also fallen," says Larry Slenczka, Vice President of Community Development for Dollar Bank.

Yet Dollar Bank continues to finance home rehabs through a partnership with Cleveland Action to Support Housing (CASH), a nonprofit whose mission is to revitalize Cleveland neig... Read more >

When you grab a quick cat nap during the day, you run the risk of either sleeping too little so that you're yawning in front of your co-workers or sleeping so much that you snooze right through your 2 p.m. sales meeting.

Local inventor Jonathan Husni wants you to get the ideal 20 minutes of quality sleep so you can be your productive self. Husni's Power-Nap Machine is a pocket-sized media player that produces inaudible sound waves that induce REM sleep -- the short, deep ... Read more >

The Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center (GCIC) on the Cleveland Clinic campus has taken another step toward advancing cardiovascular technology with the addition of Irish medical device solutions provider Creganna-TactX. Specializing in the design of minimally invasive innovations, Creganna-TactX has opened its Cleveland office to support local medical device manufacturers while partnering with the Clinic to develop further advancements.

"Our key markets are in cardio... Read more >

A packed house at Monday night's Local Food Cleveland meeting on raising backyard livestock demonstrated growing interest in raising chickens, bees and other animals in urban neighborhoods across Northeast Ohio.

When audience members at the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Tasting Room in Ohio City were asked by event organizer Peter McDermott if they currently were raising backyard livestock or were planning on it, approximately two-thirds raised their hands.

Two ... Read more >

Michele Iacobelli Buckholtz has treasured memories of going to lunch with her dad in Little Italy. He grew up here when it was an Italian neighborhood with markets on nearly every corner. She soaked up the old neighborhood during these childhood visits.

Today, Buckholtz is recreating the tradition of the small Italian market -- with a contemporary twist. She recently renovated an historic storefront at Murray Hill Road and Paul Avenue in Little Italy. It reopened as... Read more >

Last October, Cleveland's ViewRay unveiled a research radiation therapy system to the medical device community. Now comes word that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted ViewRay clearance for its radiotherapy treatment planning and delivery software, a key element of the radiation therapy system.

This is a critical step toward FDA approval of the system, according to Gregory M. Ayers, M.D. and Ph.D., president and CEO of ViewRay. "It's exciting to see such pr... Read more >

It all started with pencils.

Faber-Castell was founded 250 years ago in Germany as a pencil manufacturer. Today, the company produces professional art supplies sold around the world. Cleveland is home to Faber-Castell USA, which in 1999 acquired Creativity for Kids, a Cleveland company that makes  activity kits for children.

In spite of an onslaught of electronic gadgets and high-tech toys, Faber-Castell USA and Creativity for Kids have remained lucrative a... Read more >

As the saying goes, "you've got to spend money to make money." With a new $35 million award in tax credits from the U.S. Department of Treasury, Cleveland Development Advisors (CDA) plans to spur economic development in the city by financing projects that lead to more business opportunities.

CDA, an affiliate of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, was one of six entities in Ohio to be awarded this latest round of federal tax credits. CDA plans to use the award to focus on ... Read more >

When Sam McNulty opens his Ohio City-based Market Garden Brewery later this year, he will join four other micro-distilleries scattered about the state. Cincinnati's Woodstone Creek is the oldest, followed by Columbus' Middle West Spirits, Grandview's Watershed Distillery, and Tom's Foolery in rural Geauga County. Others, too, are waiting in the wings. Sadly, Ohio, a state rich with entrepreneurship and agricultural resources, makes it nearly impossible for them to succeed.

When Jim Catanese opened Catanese Classic Seafood three years ago, he knew the building at 1600 Merwin Avenue in the Flats needed major TLC. Yet the metal bulkheading along the Cuyahoga River was in far worse shape than he thought. And the worst part was near his freezer, where thousands of pounds of fish are stored.

"It was collapsing into the river," Catanase told an audience at last week's forum on the Flats, which was convened by Ward 3 Councilman Joe Cimperman and at... Read more >

The Cleveland Conserves Campaign is an effort by the City of Cleveland and local environmental groups to cut waste, save money and boost the local economy. Calling 2011 "The Year of Energy Efficiency," these groups are promoting energy conservation efforts to individuals and businesses.

The Cleveland Indians are among the local businesses championing the initiative. The Tribe has had a comprehensive recycling program since Jacobs Field opened in 1994. The Indians were the... Read more >

Slow and steady may win the race, but a quick oil-change company is winning kudos for its sustainability practices. Cleveland-based Lube Stop has been recognized nationally for its formal sustainability program and its re-refined oil change service, EcoGuard. The latest recognition comes from the Institute for Sustainable Development's Green Plus awards, which named Lube Stop a Medium-Size Business of the Year recipient.

This award recognizes a company's ability to affec... Read more >