Regional Economy

living social acquires onosys, plans to open cleveland office
What began in 2005 as a desire to order a Rascal House pizza online rather than over the phone -- as ONOSYS did when launched by college friends Stan Garber, Oleg Fridman and Alex Yakubovich -- has grown into the second largest leader in mobile and online ordering software for the restaurant industry.
 
Last week, Living Social acquired ONOSYS, a move that fits squarely into Garber’s plans and expectations for the company.

“We we’re talking about the idea of working together for a while,” says Garber. “It just made sense. We definitely had a vision it was going to grow this big.”
 
ONOSYS has a track record of 100-percent growth annually. They saw $100 million in sales last year and represented more than 75 brands across the nation.
 
Financial details of the sale were not disclosed. Living Social plans to open offices in Cleveland, which ONOSYS will run. ONOSYS has grown from five people in 2008 to 20 employees today. “Our goal is to get to 35 to 40 by the end of the year,” says Garber. “We’re going to continue what we’re doing.”
 
The acquisition is not just good for ONOSYS. Garber sees the move as a positive impact on Cleveland as well. “It’s a bright spot for Cleveland,” he says. “It’s more fuel on the fire for attracting more tech companies to Cleveland. This is a good example that young entrepreneurs in Cleveland don’t need to go to New York, Chicago and L.A. to get recognition.”
 

Source: Stan Garber
Writer: Karin Connelly
three companies unite for technical networking event
LeanDog Labs, LaunchHouse and Bizdom have gotten together to host a Startup Mixer today from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at LeanDog Labs. The event intends to bring together developers, designers and other IT types with entrepreneurs launching a new product or service but in need of a CTO.
 
“A lot of people have wonderful ideas and a business background, but they’re usually missing that technical background,” explains Andradia Scovil, recruiting leader for Bizdom Cleveland. “These days you have to have a CTO to run a business. If we can bring together these business people with people with a technical background we can make things happen.”
 
While the three organizations have slightly different services, the mixer serves the common goal of fostering the growing IT industry in Cleveland. “For the first time in a long time we’re seeing momentum building,” says Nick Barendt, LeanDog Labs director. “If we can help play matchmaker, get these different networks into the same room, it will be good to see more collaboration.”
 
Scovil agrees. “At the end of the day we all agree that Cleveland needs entrepreneurs to thrive and be a city known as a tech hub,” she says. “Cleveland should be known as a place where people go to grow their businesses.”
 
The organizers limited attendance at the mixer to 100 people, simply to provide a more intimate networking experience for the participants.

 
Source: Nick Barendt, Andradia Scovil
Writer: Karin Connelly
speed coaching event serves up advice, funding for food service startups
Bad Girl Ventures has teamed up with Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream and Accion to host a Speed Coaching event on Monday, May 7 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the COSE offices. The event targets startups in the food and beverage industry.
 
“People in food and beverage have a really hard time getting funding,” explains Rachel Czernin, director of marketing and development for Bad Girl Ventures.

Small business owners spend 20 minutes at each station and receive personalized coaching from more than 20 local professionals and Sam Adams experts. Consulting stations will cover topics including sales and distribution, packaging, marketing and e-commerce, legal and financing.

Since 2008, Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream has been providing low and modest income small business owners in the food, beverage and hospitality industry with the resources to start and grow their businesses. Accion, a non-profit microlender, provides loans, coaching and access to networks for small businesses. Loan consultants will be at the event to talk about how to access loans and other financing.

Cleveland is an ideal location for a food service speed coaching event because of the growing number of such businesses in the area.

“In Cleveland the number of businesses is higher than in other cities because Cleveland has established itself as a destination for good food,” says Czernin. “And there’s no food incubator in place, no one really fostering food and beverage specifically.”

BGV plans to have about 75 participants at the event. They will host a similar event in Cincinnati the following day. “It’s really an opportunity to meet experts in the field,” says Czernin. “It’s an opportunity to find funding. And it’s free.”
 

Source: Rachel Czernin
Writer: Karin Connelly
cleveland heights featured in american bungalow
In an article titled, "Progressive Architecture, Friendly Relations: Making It Work In Cleveland Heights," American Bungalow magazine offers up a lovely and in-depth profile of the East Side inner-ring suburb. It was penned by Douglas J. Forsyth, Associate Prof. of History at Bowling Green State University.

"Cleveland Heights developed rapidly as a classic streetcar suburb during the heyday of the Arts and Crafts movement, and it has perhaps the finest patrimony of Arts and Crafts and Prairie-style houses in the Cleveland area."

"If the Cleveland metropolitan area is going to turn around, the city of Cleveland Heights can be expected to be front-and-center in the revival process. It offers superb early-modernist residential architecture, a lively and diverse cultural scene, and dense formal and informal social networks. These elements have combined, over the rocky urban history of the 20th century, to create an enduring and resilient community that has held itself together in the equally challenging first decade of the 21st and could serve as one of the crucibles from which the recovery of the metropolitan area, if and when it comes, will flow."

Read the rest here.
as registration begins, gay games offers chance to sell cleveland to the world
Registration for the 2014 Gay Games (GG9) begins in May. This represents an opportunity to sell Northeast Ohio as a welcoming, inclusive region to a global audience, says GG9 Director Tom Nobbe.

"Cleveland represents a blank slate to many people in Western Europe and Asia, and that's both a challenge and an advantage," he says. "We have a compelling story to tell. We can position our region as not only welcoming to outsiders, but also as inclusive."

The Gay Games is a global sports and culture event that is coming to Cleveland and Akron August 9 through 16, 2014. It is one of the largest multi-sport festivals in the world that is open to all -- regardless of skill level, age (as long as you're 18 or over), sexual orientation or physical challenge. The weeklong festival is expected to draw more than 10,000 participants, along with an estimated 20,000 additional visitors, spectators, performers and volunteers.

GG9 has recruited more than 100 active volunteers to serve on nine committees that will promote the event. Local creative agencies such as Brokaw, Aztek and Consolidated Graphics Group are providing pro bono marketing services.

Nobbe wants to enlist Clevelanders to help promote the games and welcome participants while they're here. "This is going to change the region," he says. "Participants are going to spend money on hotels and restaurants."

"This is an opportunity to say, 'We've got a vibrant LGBT community,'" he adds. "We may not have Boystown, Chelsea or Castro, but that's because we're comfortable going to any community in Northeast Ohio."


Source: Tom Nobbe
Writer: Lee Chilcote
ccwa conference exposes students to international careers
The Cleveland Council on World Affairs held an international career conference at John Carroll last week for students and young professionals considering a job in the international field. About 60 students from area high schools and colleges attended the event on Friday, April 20. The conference provided an opportunity to hear international professionals talk about their experiences and give career advice in getting into the field.
 
“The purpose of the international career conference was to expose attendees to jobs in international non-profit, business and government,” says Jana Krasney, director of speaker programs for CCWA. “They were creating personal connections with people who are in the international arena sharing their stories.”
 
Sherry Mueller, president emeritus of the National Council on International Visitors and co-author of Working World: Careers in International Education, Exchange and Development, was the keynote speaker.
 
Attendees learned that an international career does not mean leaving town. “One of the main emphases of the conference was to show that to have an international job, you don’t have to live out of the country, says Krasney. “You can have an international career in Cleveland.”
 
Global Cleveland president Larry Miller also spoke about the number of international companies in Cleveland and the importance of international awareness of other cultures. “Throughout the conference he spoke in a lot of different languages,” says Krasney.
 
Breakout sessions were held for those who wanted to learn more about international careers in government, nonprofit organizations and business.

 
Source: Jana Krasney
Writer: Karin Connelly
usa today reports on cle restaurant rush
Slowly but surely Cleveland is starting to return to the glory days when downtown was bustling and was the place to be.
 
Barbara De Lollis of USA TODAY reports that when the Aloft hotel opens in 2013 in Cleveland’s waterfront Flats East Bank, five locally and nationally known restaurants will also be a part of the project.
 
“The Aloft at Flats East will get a location of Lago from chef and restaurateur Fabio Salerno, who hopes to get quite a bit of catering business from local offices and the hotel,” the article says. “He operates other restaurants in the area, including Little Italy in the historic Tremont district.”
 
“I Love This Bar & Grill will be a destination for BBQ combined with live country music, customers also will be able to buy memorabilia related to country music singer-songwriter Toby Keith.”
 
“Ken Stewart's will be a steak and seafood restaurant by [the] Akron-area restaurateur.”
 
“Dos Tequilas will be a gourmet taco restaurant, and Flip Side will be a burger joint.”
 
The restaurants will be located along W. 10th Street.
 
Read more here.

 
bizdom cleveland launches inaugural group of tech startups
Bizdom Cleveland, a business accelerator that mentors and funds up-and-coming entrepreneurs, launched its first six businesses from the fall program. The six businesses were selected from 350 applicants, who were then narrowed down to 32 participants in a 12-week mentoring program.
 
The six businesses participated in “Demo Day” on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena, where they showcased their companies to potential investors.

“Thirty-five investors from throughout the region came to meet the inaugural Bizdom class and take a look at all the hard work they’ve done,” says Paul Allen, team leader for Bizdom Cleveland. “This is just the start of fundraising activities for these six new businesses. They will continue to meet with investors in the region and outside the region.”
 
The businesses received up to a $25,000 investment in exchange for an eight percent equity share in the new company. The startups will remain in Bizdom’s offices for three months. The companies must remain in Cleveland once they branch out on their own.
 
The six companies are: BigRiver; BOOM; InStoreFinance; Urban Matrix; SafeCare; and On Demand Interpretation.

“They’re all operating in technology, web and software space and all are performing at a really high level,” says Allen. “Our strategy is on product design and we have high expectations on sales and they are all doing really well.”
 
Bizdom accepts applications quarterly for sessions.  Seventy entrepreneurs applied for the April session, of which four will be selected. The next session begins in July.

 
Source: Paul Allen
Writer: Karin Connelly
cleveland museum of art generates $140m in economic impact
Clevelanders have always known that the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) brings a tremendous amount of economic activity and out-of-town prestige to Northeast Ohio. Yet thanks to an in-depth study by economic and business consulting firm Kleinhenz and Associates, we now have the numbers to prove it.

According to a study released this week, CMA generates more than $140 million annually in economic activity in Cuyahoga County and creates or sustains over 1,200 jobs. Additionally, CMA's renovation and expansion project has generated $593 million in activity and created or sustained an average of 500 jobs per year.

To CMA Director David Franklin, that level of activity signals not only that the museum is an economic powerhouse, but also that given today's "creativity-driven economy," it generates returns well beyond traditional expectations.

"The Cleveland Museum of Art is a magnet for business and talent attraction," Franklin said at a press conference this week. "It upends the traditional story of the division between business and the arts. We are a true 'house of muses' as well as a cylinder for Ohio's economic engine -- not one or the other, but both."

Chris Warren of the City of Cleveland and Tom Waltermire of Team NEO both testified to the fact that the museum has vast intangible effects on Northeast Ohio's economy, as well. It acts as a prestige-driver for the region and serves as a calling card as they travel the world to attract new business, they said.

Helen Forbes-Fields, a CMA Trustee, stated that she had participated in the museum's Diversity Construction Committee and that CMA has been "a University Circle leader in hiring and contracts for construction jobs," with 22 percent filled by minority workers and 10 percent filled by female workers.

Tom Schorgl, President of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, touted the impact of the Cuyahoga County arts tax, which must be renewed in 2015. "CMA is a splendid example of a public-private partnership," he said.


Source: David Franklin, Chris Warren, Tom Waltermire, Helen Forbes-Fields, Tom Schorgl
Writer: Lee Chilcote
cleveland orchestra, visiting san fran, sounds marvelous at sunday opener
"Is music director Franz Welser-Möst -- now in his tenth season with the 'Big Five' orchestra -- in the same league as George Szell and Christoph von Dohnányi and his other illustrious predecessors? Will the orchestra overcome its substantial debt? Are its periodic residencies in Miami and New York acts of desperation, or creative solutions to its fiscal woes?" the San Jose Mercury News asks rhetorically in a review of the visiting orchestra.

"Yada, yada, yada. Sunday night, the orchestra arrived in San Francisco for the first of two programs, and it sounded marvelous from the opening measures of Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 in A minor, "Scottish" -- and still better with Shostakovitch's Symphony," it answered itself.

"No. 6, which was like a long and beautiful march to the abyss. Coincidentally, Sunday was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, but this orchestra wasn't going down. If anything, it sounded titanically impressive at Davies Symphony Hall, where it is performing in honor of another centennial: the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco Symphony."

Enjoy the rest here.
rock hall induction ceremony slideshow
If you didn't have a ticket to the Rock Hall Induction, no worries, we've got you covered. This star-studded slideshow takes you from the red carpet to backstage, with appearances by Mayor Frank Jackson, George Clinton, Alice Cooper, David Arquette, Jim Brickman, Michael Stanley, Smokey Robinson, Ron Wood, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, ZZ Top and, as they say, many, many more.
new law opens the door to more craft distilleries
One of the most widely read Fresh Water features was a story on Ohio's burgeoning craft distillery trend. But it wasn't all good news: As it stood at the time of publication, only one permit was allowed in each of Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton counties. What's more, those few permit holders could distill but not sell their wares on-site. A new law eliminates the restrictions on the number of permits while enabling holders to sell their products directly to consumers.
rolling stone mag calls induction 'best in recent memory'
Rolling Stone magazine couldn't resist leading its review of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony with a Titanic reference, but writer Andy Greene quickly righted the ship, so to speak.

"Walking into Cleveland, Ohio's Public Auditorium for the 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony last night, it was hard to not think of the Titanic striking an iceberg on the very same day 100 years ago. In recent days Axl Rose and Rod Stewart, two of the biggest stars entering the Hall of Fame this year, pulled out of the show, making complete reunion performances by the Faces and Guns N' Roses impossible. Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante opted not to come, and the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch stayed home as he continues to recover from cancer," he wrote.

"One might think that these absences would sink the induction ceremony somewhere deep into the Atlantic Ocean, but it turns out they didn't matter much at all. In fact, it was one of the best Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in recent memory."
 
Highlights include a "note-perfect 'Sweet Child O' Mine," "an incredible medley of Beastie classics" performed by the Roots and Kid Rock, a "bombastic rendition" of Green Day's "Letterbomb," and the three-song set by Red Hot Chili Peppers that included "By the Way," "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" and "Give It Away."
 

Read more here.
all aboard: how rta is breathing new economic life into the region
Turning commuters, suburbanites and Joe and Jane Doe into "choice riders" -- those who choose public transit over driving -- has been an ongoing battle for mid-size transportation systems across the country, and Cleveland is no exception. Locally, that task falls on the shoulders of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority, which is taking significant steps to cultivate a new generation of riders.
photo essay of trip through cleveland

"US Route 6 is the longest contiguous transcontinental route in the USA," says the blog site Stay on Route 6. "Running from Provincetown, MA to Bishop, CA (and before 1964 to Long Beach, CA), Route 6 goes through 14 states. This is your guide along all of its original 3,652 miles. From Revolutionary War sites to pioneer settlements and western mining towns, Route 6 offers an in-depth lesson in US History, charms of yesteryear and comforts of modern times."

For this post, the writer takes readers on a visual trip through Cleveland, with stops along the way in downtown, Asiatown, University Circle, Little Italy, Lakewood, and Detroit Shoreway,

Check it out here.
emerald cities aims to bring green jobs, energy efficient buildings to cuyahoga county
A new initiative being pioneered by Cuyahoga County, Policy Matters Ohio and a bevy of partners aims to create more energy-efficient municipal buildings and catalyze the creation of green, living wage jobs.

Now that advocacy within the green jobs movement has shifted away from the state and federal level -- where activity is slow or nonexistent -- organizers are counting on this new initiative to help create a new model for energy-efficient construction as well as stimulate good, union jobs in Cuyahoga County.

"We were pushing on the national level, but when the cap and trade legislation fell apart, we still lacked a comprehensive energy strategy," says Shanelle Smith, local organizer for the Emerald Cities Cleveland-Cuyahoga County project. "We had the economic stimulus, but now that the money is on the ground, it's about organizing locally so it benefits all of us."

Emerald Cities, which was approved last week by Cuyahoga County Council, aims to "create a clean energy economy by developing community workforce opportunities, enhancing environmentally sustainable practices and working to make government buildings more energy efficient," according to a release.

The initiative aims to make municipal buildings in Cuyahoga County 20 percent more energy-efficient by 2020. Emerald Cities will achieve this by seeking financing mechanisms to help local governments pay for projects, creating community workforce agreements to help foster union jobs, and participating in the U.S. Department of Energy's Better Buildings Challenge.

"We want to build a pipeline to unionized apprenticeships for underrepresented communities," says Smith. "Our goal is to help create family-sustaining jobs."

Now that the initiative has been approved by Cuyahoga County, Emerald Cities partners are working together to assemble a strategic plan for implementation.


Source: Shanelle Smith
Writer: Lee Chilcote
new york times reviews induction ceremony
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, a gleaming glass pyramid on the shore of Lake Erie, has become a proud symbol of this city. And Cleveland’s rock fans turned out in droves for the hall’s 27th induction ceremony on Saturday, only the third time it has been held here," writes the New York Times.

Highlightes include The Red Hot Chili Peppers playing with Slash of Guns N’ Roses, George Clinton of Parliament-Funkadelic and Ronnie Wood of the Faces and the Rolling Stones. For a Beastie Boys tribute, Kid Rock, Black Thought of the Roots and Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes rapped in old-school green Adidas jumpsuits.

"The ceremony, at the stately Public Auditorium -- a 1920s Beaux-Arts monolith a few blocks from the museum -- also honored Donovan; the blues guitarist Freddie King; the linked British invasion bands Small Faces and the Faces; the music executive Don Kirshner; and an array of backup groups."

"And in between encomiums, blistering jams and shaggy-dog stories about rockers’ early years, musicians spoke of cities as inspiration, common ground or hell."
 
Read the rest of the liner notes here.
q & a: john slanina, senior research analyst for revere data
Revere Data, a San Francisco-based information services firm, relocated its research headquarters to Youngstown. We asked John Slanina, Senior Research Analyst, a few questions about Revere, its workforce, and what it looks for in new hires.
progress by degrees: the northeast ohio talent dividend initiative
As a region we are fortunate to have NOCHE, the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, leading our regional efforts to increase college attainment levels. Their efforts, called The Northeast Ohio Talent Dividend, has three primary goals: improve college readiness of high school and adult students, increase student retention through degree completion, and increase degree attainment among adults with some college experience but no degree.
cleveland revs up for rock and roll hall of fame induction festivities
In a long and sweeping feature in Rolling Stone, the magazine highlights the events in Cleveland surrounding the 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

"Bill Rowley, chair of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum board, compares the induction ceremony to a Super Bowl that comes to town every three years. Cleveland fans "not only support [the induction] financially, but they will be there at every party, every night, and it will be jam-packed," he says.

Read more here.