Entrepreneurs + Innovators
$4 million reinvestment helps cleveland's bluebridge offer clients 'uninterruptible power supply'
Power is king. To hear Kevin Goodman repeat that mantra again and again, one might imagine him standing in front a dozen snarling transformers spitting out noise and smoke, sucking up all the juice from here to Katmandu.
Instead, Goodman, director of business development at BlueBridge Networks, is standing in front of a row of four sleek Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) towers in the Cleveland company's electrical staging room. These towers will help BlueBridge ensure that its clients receive safe and effective data storage solutions.
BlueBridge provides disaster recovery and business continuity services for clients like Cleveland Metropolitan Schools, Olympic Steel and Southwest General Hospital. Thanks to its reinvestment efforts, BlueBridge is able to offer clients a broader range of solutions.
The UPS towers are new, and they replace the large, hulking batteries that once filled the now cavernous space. "UPS power is more reliable," Goodman says. "Today we have a more dense amount of power even though we have fewer pieces of equipment."
Efficient, state-of-the-art equipment is just one part of the $4 million reinvestment project that BlueBridge has undertaken to broaden its offerings and increase its bottom line. Goodman says that BlueBridge is experiencing its most successful quarter in its six-year history. And, he adds, "We have no debt."
To keep up with the latest technology, the company has hired several new engineers. BlueBridge is committed to recruiting local talent or bringing former Clevelanders back to the area, according to Goodman.
SOURCE: BlueBridge Networks
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
Instead, Goodman, director of business development at BlueBridge Networks, is standing in front of a row of four sleek Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) towers in the Cleveland company's electrical staging room. These towers will help BlueBridge ensure that its clients receive safe and effective data storage solutions.
BlueBridge provides disaster recovery and business continuity services for clients like Cleveland Metropolitan Schools, Olympic Steel and Southwest General Hospital. Thanks to its reinvestment efforts, BlueBridge is able to offer clients a broader range of solutions.
The UPS towers are new, and they replace the large, hulking batteries that once filled the now cavernous space. "UPS power is more reliable," Goodman says. "Today we have a more dense amount of power even though we have fewer pieces of equipment."
Efficient, state-of-the-art equipment is just one part of the $4 million reinvestment project that BlueBridge has undertaken to broaden its offerings and increase its bottom line. Goodman says that BlueBridge is experiencing its most successful quarter in its six-year history. And, he adds, "We have no debt."
To keep up with the latest technology, the company has hired several new engineers. BlueBridge is committed to recruiting local talent or bringing former Clevelanders back to the area, according to Goodman.
SOURCE: BlueBridge Networks
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
Greg Bodnar knows wine bars. He owns the successful Market Avenue Wine Bar in Ohio City and Corks
in Willoughby. But he also knows that even good ideas can stand some
tweaking. So when his latest, Corks PlayhouseSquare, opens at 1415
Euclid Ave. in early November, fans of his other locations will notice
a difference.
"This will be a little more on the contemporary side," Bodnar says, more sleek and polished than the traditional French bistro look of its older siblings. A local artist is providing paintings for the wall, and a Cleveland Institute of Art professor designed glass lights.
The menu will emphasize tapas and other simple dishes that can be served up quickly for the theater crowd, and libations will include "high-end cocktails" as well as wine.
An extensive renovation of the site, previously Hamilton's Martini Bar, is under way, and furniture is on order. Bodnar expects the "quaint and cozy" main dining room to seat about 45. "We're going to be the little guy on the block," he says, "but the place where people stay longer and come back more often."
Source: Greg Bodnar
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"This will be a little more on the contemporary side," Bodnar says, more sleek and polished than the traditional French bistro look of its older siblings. A local artist is providing paintings for the wall, and a Cleveland Institute of Art professor designed glass lights.
The menu will emphasize tapas and other simple dishes that can be served up quickly for the theater crowd, and libations will include "high-end cocktails" as well as wine.
An extensive renovation of the site, previously Hamilton's Martini Bar, is under way, and furniture is on order. Bodnar expects the "quaint and cozy" main dining room to seat about 45. "We're going to be the little guy on the block," he says, "but the place where people stay longer and come back more often."
Source: Greg Bodnar
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Through an initiative called Growing Communities, Charter One
bank is supporting ongoing efforts to develop Ohio City's Market
District, the neighborhood anchored by the venerable West Side Market
on West 25th. Much of Charter One's $130,000 grant will be
redirected by Ohio City Near West community development corporation to fledgling businesses in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $20,000.
"One of the things we're looking at is, how do we enhance the [West Side] market's ability to serve as an incubator," says OCNW executive director Eric Wobser. By way of example he cites Maha Falafil's opening of a second location, near Metrohealth Medical Center, and Lance's Beef's growing wholesale business.
But the step from market stand — or garden or one's own kitchen — to independent store or restaurant can be daunting. To ease the transition, OCNW has obtained another grant, from Neighborhood Progress Inc., to study the feasibility of replicating an Athens, Ohio-based commercial kitchen incubator; entrepreneurs could rent facilities by the hour or day, to cook, package or whatever else they can't do at home. The plan is part of the Ohio City Fresh Food Collaborative, which also involves Great Lakes Brewing Co. and The Refugee Response.
St. Emeric's Church, which is slated to close, is one possible location for the kitchen, says Wobser (though parishioners have appealed the closure decision to the Diocese). OCNW has had preliminary discussions with the Cleveland Botanical Garden about producing its Ripe From Downtown Salsa at the kitchen. Currently the ingredients, grown by Cleveland teens, are shipped to Chicago for packaging.
According to a press release, "Charter One will add new programs and grants to support the neighborhood development projects and the 2012 Market Centennial celebration through the Charter One Growing Communities initiative." OCNW is currently surveying businesses in the area, but he estimates that the largest employers in the area — Lutheran Hospital, St. Ignatius High School, Great Lakes Brewing and the market — currently provide 2,000 to 3,000 jobs.
Source: Ohio City Near West CDC
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"One of the things we're looking at is, how do we enhance the [West Side] market's ability to serve as an incubator," says OCNW executive director Eric Wobser. By way of example he cites Maha Falafil's opening of a second location, near Metrohealth Medical Center, and Lance's Beef's growing wholesale business.
But the step from market stand — or garden or one's own kitchen — to independent store or restaurant can be daunting. To ease the transition, OCNW has obtained another grant, from Neighborhood Progress Inc., to study the feasibility of replicating an Athens, Ohio-based commercial kitchen incubator; entrepreneurs could rent facilities by the hour or day, to cook, package or whatever else they can't do at home. The plan is part of the Ohio City Fresh Food Collaborative, which also involves Great Lakes Brewing Co. and The Refugee Response.
St. Emeric's Church, which is slated to close, is one possible location for the kitchen, says Wobser (though parishioners have appealed the closure decision to the Diocese). OCNW has had preliminary discussions with the Cleveland Botanical Garden about producing its Ripe From Downtown Salsa at the kitchen. Currently the ingredients, grown by Cleveland teens, are shipped to Chicago for packaging.
According to a press release, "Charter One will add new programs and grants to support the neighborhood development projects and the 2012 Market Centennial celebration through the Charter One Growing Communities initiative." OCNW is currently surveying businesses in the area, but he estimates that the largest employers in the area — Lutheran Hospital, St. Ignatius High School, Great Lakes Brewing and the market — currently provide 2,000 to 3,000 jobs.
Source: Ohio City Near West CDC
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Prohibition all but erased a thriving brewing industry in Cleveland, reducing the number of breweries from about 30 to a mere handful. The good news? The brewing industry in Northeast Ohio is not only alive and well -- it's growing.
cleveland's pediacath snags $500k to develop first line of pediatric catheters
You would think that something as vital as a cardiac catheter designed specifically for children would have been on the market years ago. Sad truth is, a lack of financial incentives previously prevented such a device from being produced.
"There aren't many players in the pediatric medical device space because there isn't huge cash-out potential," explains Tim Moran, founder of Cleveland-based nonprofit PediaWorks. The issue, he notes, is simply a matter of market share. Whereas the adult medical device market caters to patients aged 18 to, well, death, the pediatric market stretches only from birth to 18. "And people in that younger age group are, thankfully, relatively healthy."
The out-and-out lack of medical devices designed for young patients often leaves practitioners scrambling for suitable off-label replacements. In fact, there are relatively few devices that are FDA-approved for pediatrics. The associated problems can range from pain and discomfort, as in the case of an ill-fitting airway mask, to matters of life and death, illustrated by the absence of pediatric pacemakers.
Thanks to a new joint venture between PediaWorks and Medikit, a manufacturer of interventional cardiology products headquartered in Japan, Cleveland will serve as new headquarters for PediaCath, the first developer of pediatric catheters.
In addition to the use of its rapid prototyping facilities and top-notch R&D engineers, Medikit is kicking in $500,000 in seed funding. PediaWorks will be providing executive management services and access to a network of pediatric clinical advisors and research partners. The Cleveland Clinic is also involved in the project.
PediaWorks was formed in 2009 as a nonprofit organization to help children through the development of medical devices.
"There aren't many players in the pediatric medical device space because there isn't huge cash-out potential," explains Tim Moran, founder of Cleveland-based nonprofit PediaWorks. The issue, he notes, is simply a matter of market share. Whereas the adult medical device market caters to patients aged 18 to, well, death, the pediatric market stretches only from birth to 18. "And people in that younger age group are, thankfully, relatively healthy."
The out-and-out lack of medical devices designed for young patients often leaves practitioners scrambling for suitable off-label replacements. In fact, there are relatively few devices that are FDA-approved for pediatrics. The associated problems can range from pain and discomfort, as in the case of an ill-fitting airway mask, to matters of life and death, illustrated by the absence of pediatric pacemakers.
Thanks to a new joint venture between PediaWorks and Medikit, a manufacturer of interventional cardiology products headquartered in Japan, Cleveland will serve as new headquarters for PediaCath, the first developer of pediatric catheters.
In addition to the use of its rapid prototyping facilities and top-notch R&D engineers, Medikit is kicking in $500,000 in seed funding. PediaWorks will be providing executive management services and access to a network of pediatric clinical advisors and research partners. The Cleveland Clinic is also involved in the project.
PediaWorks was formed in 2009 as a nonprofit organization to help children through the development of medical devices.
SOURCE: PediaWorks
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
tremont electric takes the i-stage
On October 18, venture capitalists, engineers, journalists and tech
geeks from around the world will gather in San Francisco for i-stage, a
competition in which inventors and developers vie for VIP access to the
massive International Consumer Electronics Show in January. For the
finalists who will present their creations, it's an opportunity of a
lifetime — and not just because of the $50,000 prize. Imagine if the
NFL held open tryouts, and the winner got to play in the Super Bowl.
Among the finalists this year is Aaron LeMieux, founder of Cleveland-based Tremont Electric. LeMieux will present the product he's been developing since 2006: the nPower PEG, or personal energy generator. The nPower uses the kinetic energy of your movement — running, walking, or hiking, as LeMieux was when he dreamed up the device — to recharge your cell phone or MP3 player.
LeMieux, a Westlake native, says he's honored to represent Northeast Ohio at the event.
"There are not many consumer electronics companies in Cleveland — I can count them on one hand," he says. So Tremont Electric's presence at the CES is good for the whole region — especially considering that about half of his suppliers are also in Cuyahoga County, and most of the rest are based elsewhere in Ohio.
At i-stage, the nPower's competitors will include a remotely controlled robotic avatar and wireless power transmission devices that will make outlets and cords obsolete. The nPower rivals both, in terms of far-reaching applications of the technology. "We can make this device the size of an automobile," LeMieux says, "we can put this technology into the lake and harvest wave motion."
For now, however, he's focused on keeping up with orders for the nPower and preparing for i-stage. "Nobody wants to fund someone who's trying to boil the ocean, as we say," he quips.
Source: Aaron LeMieux, Tremont Electric
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Among the finalists this year is Aaron LeMieux, founder of Cleveland-based Tremont Electric. LeMieux will present the product he's been developing since 2006: the nPower PEG, or personal energy generator. The nPower uses the kinetic energy of your movement — running, walking, or hiking, as LeMieux was when he dreamed up the device — to recharge your cell phone or MP3 player.
LeMieux, a Westlake native, says he's honored to represent Northeast Ohio at the event.
"There are not many consumer electronics companies in Cleveland — I can count them on one hand," he says. So Tremont Electric's presence at the CES is good for the whole region — especially considering that about half of his suppliers are also in Cuyahoga County, and most of the rest are based elsewhere in Ohio.
At i-stage, the nPower's competitors will include a remotely controlled robotic avatar and wireless power transmission devices that will make outlets and cords obsolete. The nPower rivals both, in terms of far-reaching applications of the technology. "We can make this device the size of an automobile," LeMieux says, "we can put this technology into the lake and harvest wave motion."
For now, however, he's focused on keeping up with orders for the nPower and preparing for i-stage. "Nobody wants to fund someone who's trying to boil the ocean, as we say," he quips.
Source: Aaron LeMieux, Tremont Electric
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
When we talk about "big thinkers," Marc Canter ranks right up there with Jobs, Gates, and whomever it was that invented the Buffalo chicken wing. Tech nerds of a certain age may not know him by name, but we most certainly know his work: Director, the first computer authoring tool that enabled people to create multimedia content. Now Canter wants to save Cleveland by creating high-tech jobs. He also wants a little nosh.
The spice of life might just be found inside a Budapest Blonde Cocktail Mix. Created by Clevelander Ilona Simon, the new drink mixes promise to offer loads of taste but few calories.
The Hot Blonde Bloody Mary mix features fresh tomato puree, Hungarian paprika, mustard powder and wasabi - for that special kick. The best part: The tasty mix has only 10 calories per serving, according to Simon, although adding vodka will increase the calorie content (and, ahem, the fun).
Budapest Blonde also offers a Dirty Blonde olive martini mix (40 calories per serving), and the Beach Blonde margarita and mojito mix (also 40 calories per serving).
Simon, who was co-owner of the former Budapest Blonde Wine & Martine Bar in Independence, says that her new mixes provide great flavor without any artificial or unhealthy ingredients. "They don't have all those preservatives; they don't have all that sodium; and they don't have all those calories," she says. Teetotalers needn't feel left out. "[The mixes] are so good, you can even drink them straight from the bottle," Simon declares.
These days, you'll find Simon's Budapest Blonde Cocktail Mixes at Heinen's in Brecksville, Independence Beverage, Minotti's Wine & Spirits and Shoregate Beverage, among other locations. For more information, visit the Budapest Blonde Facebook page: Budapest Blonde Cocktail Mix
SOURCE: Ilona Simon
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
The Hot Blonde Bloody Mary mix features fresh tomato puree, Hungarian paprika, mustard powder and wasabi - for that special kick. The best part: The tasty mix has only 10 calories per serving, according to Simon, although adding vodka will increase the calorie content (and, ahem, the fun).
Budapest Blonde also offers a Dirty Blonde olive martini mix (40 calories per serving), and the Beach Blonde margarita and mojito mix (also 40 calories per serving).
Simon, who was co-owner of the former Budapest Blonde Wine & Martine Bar in Independence, says that her new mixes provide great flavor without any artificial or unhealthy ingredients. "They don't have all those preservatives; they don't have all that sodium; and they don't have all those calories," she says. Teetotalers needn't feel left out. "[The mixes] are so good, you can even drink them straight from the bottle," Simon declares.
These days, you'll find Simon's Budapest Blonde Cocktail Mixes at Heinen's in Brecksville, Independence Beverage, Minotti's Wine & Spirits and Shoregate Beverage, among other locations. For more information, visit the Budapest Blonde Facebook page: Budapest Blonde Cocktail Mix
SOURCE: Ilona Simon
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
cervilenz inc. offers another tool for doctors and pregnant women
Five months after the commercial launch of its medical device, CerviLenz Inc. of Chagrin Falls is ramping up for a national marketing push in the third quarter.
The wand-like CerviLenz measures the vaginal cervical length of pregnant women showing signs of preterm labor. In August, Ob.Gyn. News reported that in a study involving 52 women, CerviLenz was "similar in efficacy" to another widely used test that, unlike a CerviLenz test, requires lab work.
"Immediate and quantifiable measures of cervical length using the CerviLenz probe may be less variable than the most common way of measuring — by digital exam — and speedier than waiting for fetal fibronectin [test] results," according to Ob.Gyn. News.
The device helps reduce the guesswork in treatment: The article notes that only 21-27 percent of women with symptoms of preterm labor will actually deliver prematurely. And, "In asymptomatic women, cervical length shorter than 25 mm has been linked to a sixfold increase in risk for preterm birth."
About 25 hospitals are currently evaluating the product. "The hospital purchasing process is really complicated," with multiple rounds of testing, says Melanie Sweeney, CerviLenz Inc.'s director of marketing. But the company should soon start receiving the feedback it will need for a major sales push.
CerviLenz Inc.'s backers include Cleveland-based JumpStart Inc., North Coast Angel Fund of Mayfield Heights and Chrysalis Ventures, which has a Cleveland office.
Source: CerviLenz Inc.
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The wand-like CerviLenz measures the vaginal cervical length of pregnant women showing signs of preterm labor. In August, Ob.Gyn. News reported that in a study involving 52 women, CerviLenz was "similar in efficacy" to another widely used test that, unlike a CerviLenz test, requires lab work.
"Immediate and quantifiable measures of cervical length using the CerviLenz probe may be less variable than the most common way of measuring — by digital exam — and speedier than waiting for fetal fibronectin [test] results," according to Ob.Gyn. News.
The device helps reduce the guesswork in treatment: The article notes that only 21-27 percent of women with symptoms of preterm labor will actually deliver prematurely. And, "In asymptomatic women, cervical length shorter than 25 mm has been linked to a sixfold increase in risk for preterm birth."
About 25 hospitals are currently evaluating the product. "The hospital purchasing process is really complicated," with multiple rounds of testing, says Melanie Sweeney, CerviLenz Inc.'s director of marketing. But the company should soon start receiving the feedback it will need for a major sales push.
CerviLenz Inc.'s backers include Cleveland-based JumpStart Inc., North Coast Angel Fund of Mayfield Heights and Chrysalis Ventures, which has a Cleveland office.
Source: CerviLenz Inc.
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
iguiders' online shopping aid to debut with major retailer in october
For some, the allure of online shopping is never having to deal with a
pushy salesperson. The downside of avoiding a human is how
time-consuming it can be to search on your own. Try typing "car" or
"blender" or "snarky t-shirt" into Google and see how long it takes to
find precisely what you want. So it's not surprising when Envirosell,
which studies shoppers' behavior, reports that web surfers are 40
percent more likely to linger on sites with some sort of personalized
experience.
That's the trend that iGuiders, based in Beachwood, is now riding.
"We started with the biggest problem," says Alexis Dankovich, director of marketing, "which is that half of all [potential] web sales are lost because people can't find what they're looking for." iGuiders software in designed to head off the frustration by offering users a series of choices that narrow down the options.
A demo for a faucet manufacturer, for example, begins broadly, asking whether you want a one-handled or two-handled model. Then whether you want a high arc or low arc. Then chrome, stainless steel or matte black finish. And so on, right up to the option of buying immediately online or finding the nearest showroom.
Guiders also captures every move shoppers make, so that online sellers can see what grabs attention and what's usually ignored, or whether the online buying process itself is helping or hurting. "Often times," says Dankovich, "companies have no idea why customers make the choices they make."
"Searching online is such an independent process," says CEO Jodi Marchewitz, "but people still need expertise." She likens her company's Guiders to librarians who can lead patrons through the bewildering stacks to the books they really need.
The Northeast Ohio-based Things Remembered gift chain will begin testing a Guider on its web site next month. iGuiders is also working currently with an athletic apparel site and "a major healthcare organization," Marcewitz says.
Source: JumpStartInc.org
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
That's the trend that iGuiders, based in Beachwood, is now riding.
"We started with the biggest problem," says Alexis Dankovich, director of marketing, "which is that half of all [potential] web sales are lost because people can't find what they're looking for." iGuiders software in designed to head off the frustration by offering users a series of choices that narrow down the options.
A demo for a faucet manufacturer, for example, begins broadly, asking whether you want a one-handled or two-handled model. Then whether you want a high arc or low arc. Then chrome, stainless steel or matte black finish. And so on, right up to the option of buying immediately online or finding the nearest showroom.
Guiders also captures every move shoppers make, so that online sellers can see what grabs attention and what's usually ignored, or whether the online buying process itself is helping or hurting. "Often times," says Dankovich, "companies have no idea why customers make the choices they make."
"Searching online is such an independent process," says CEO Jodi Marchewitz, "but people still need expertise." She likens her company's Guiders to librarians who can lead patrons through the bewildering stacks to the books they really need.
The Northeast Ohio-based Things Remembered gift chain will begin testing a Guider on its web site next month. iGuiders is also working currently with an athletic apparel site and "a major healthcare organization," Marcewitz says.
Source: JumpStartInc.org
Writer: Frank W. Lewis