Sustainability + Environment
As new VP of operations for the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp (LEEDCo), Dave Karpinski will guide the organization through the next phase in the process of building the nation’s first freshwater offshore wind project. With its first round of financing in tow, LEEDCo must now compete for a critical second infusion of funds against six other projects across the country.
When we last checked in with real estate developer Howard Grandon, he was kicking off renovations of a 9,000-square-foot Detroit Shoreway building into four apartments and five retail spaces. The structure, which had housed an illicit nightclub called "Cheerios," sat vacant for seven-plus years before he bought it.
That was then, this is now. Although it's taken him longer than he anticipated, two and a half years later the results are plain. Grandon's building offers some of the most creatively-designed small apartments in Cleveland, a trend that's catching on in major cities.
"Because we were working with green, repurposed materials, we had to fabricate everything. It was more expensive than we anticipated," he says. "That happens in real estate."
It was worth the wait. Grandon himself moved into the building, occupying one of the light-filled apartments overlooking the Gordon Square streetscape. His suite includes a clever nook for his bed, spacious walk-in closet, huge kitchen with a countertop built for entertaining, and exposed spiral ductwork that hugs the ceiling. He has a bathroom straight out of Dwell magazine, including a European-style toilet with hidden plumbing and a glass-walled shower with subway tile.
The apartments, which are all similarly designed, rent for about $850 per month. The rates are about 25 percent cheaper than downtown, and two of the four are occupied. Grandon has completed a third, and the fourth will be ready this year.
Grandon's project also features many green, sustainable features. The wood floors in the units are built from an old parquet floor reclaimed from a gym. Come spring, he'll create unique planters out of old chemistry lab sinks he bought on Lorain Ave.
Grandon says that he's tapping into a small-is-beautiful movement that's popular in our post-recession world. "People are interested in having less possessions and living more efficiently," he says, pointing to huge kitchen counters that make dining room tables redundant and murphy beds that drop from the walls.
Perhaps the most radical feature of Grandon's units is that there are no walls except for the closets and bathrooms. It makes 800 square feet feel entirely liveable.
Grandon's next step is to begin renovating the storefronts. To do that, however, he needs to find willing entrepreneurs who are also bankable. Stay tuned for the next installment in our series covering this creative entrepreneur's endeavors.
Source: Howard Grandon
Writer: Lee Chilcote
That was then, this is now. Although it's taken him longer than he anticipated, two and a half years later the results are plain. Grandon's building offers some of the most creatively-designed small apartments in Cleveland, a trend that's catching on in major cities.
"Because we were working with green, repurposed materials, we had to fabricate everything. It was more expensive than we anticipated," he says. "That happens in real estate."
It was worth the wait. Grandon himself moved into the building, occupying one of the light-filled apartments overlooking the Gordon Square streetscape. His suite includes a clever nook for his bed, spacious walk-in closet, huge kitchen with a countertop built for entertaining, and exposed spiral ductwork that hugs the ceiling. He has a bathroom straight out of Dwell magazine, including a European-style toilet with hidden plumbing and a glass-walled shower with subway tile.
The apartments, which are all similarly designed, rent for about $850 per month. The rates are about 25 percent cheaper than downtown, and two of the four are occupied. Grandon has completed a third, and the fourth will be ready this year.
Grandon's project also features many green, sustainable features. The wood floors in the units are built from an old parquet floor reclaimed from a gym. Come spring, he'll create unique planters out of old chemistry lab sinks he bought on Lorain Ave.
Grandon says that he's tapping into a small-is-beautiful movement that's popular in our post-recession world. "People are interested in having less possessions and living more efficiently," he says, pointing to huge kitchen counters that make dining room tables redundant and murphy beds that drop from the walls.
Perhaps the most radical feature of Grandon's units is that there are no walls except for the closets and bathrooms. It makes 800 square feet feel entirely liveable.
Grandon's next step is to begin renovating the storefronts. To do that, however, he needs to find willing entrepreneurs who are also bankable. Stay tuned for the next installment in our series covering this creative entrepreneur's endeavors.
Source: Howard Grandon
Writer: Lee Chilcote
chef sawyer's local-food efforts grab attention of new york times
In a New York Times feature titled “Locally Grown Gets Tricky in the Cold,” writer Dan Saltzstein discusses the difficulty chefs face when trying to keep their menus locally focused at a time of year when not a whole lot is being grown.
"Locally grown. Market-sourced. Farm to table: These phrases have become the mantras of the American menu, promising ingredients that are supremely fresh, in season and produced within a tight radius of the restaurant," writes Saltzstein. "But what can they possibly mean in the dead of winter, in northerly climes where farms are battened down and the earth is as hard as a raw cabbage?"
Cleveland’s Jonathon Sawyer takes the winter months in stride.
“We sort of look at winter the way an old-school chef looks at frugality,” said Jonathon Sawyer of the Greenhouse Tavern, in Cleveland. “We take more time with dishes because we have less to put on the plate.”
Saltzstein also mentions Sawyer’s “Sustainability Initiatives,” including the bottling of his own vinegar and pantry full of preserved items.
"Locally grown. Market-sourced. Farm to table: These phrases have become the mantras of the American menu, promising ingredients that are supremely fresh, in season and produced within a tight radius of the restaurant," writes Saltzstein. "But what can they possibly mean in the dead of winter, in northerly climes where farms are battened down and the earth is as hard as a raw cabbage?"
Cleveland’s Jonathon Sawyer takes the winter months in stride.
“We sort of look at winter the way an old-school chef looks at frugality,” said Jonathon Sawyer of the Greenhouse Tavern, in Cleveland. “We take more time with dishes because we have less to put on the plate.”
Saltzstein also mentions Sawyer’s “Sustainability Initiatives,” including the bottling of his own vinegar and pantry full of preserved items.
Check out the rest of the interesting piece here.
Cleveland is quietly transforming from a meat-and-potatoes to a beets-and-tomatoes kind of town -- at least at the edges. Not only are there more meat-free diners in Cleveland. But vegans are finding more meat-free dinners thanks to progressive new eateries and chefs, who are more than eager to please this growing faction of foodies.
As the number of cyclists and pedestrians on the near west side grows and car traffic remains relatively flat, urban planners are giving several streets a "road diet" to make them friendlier for bikers and walkers while still accessible to drivers.
The result will be some of the city's first model green streets.
"We're starting to create all this connectivity," says Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone, who has helped push green initiatives through city hall, including the "complete and green streets" legislation that passed last year. "The city is realizing they have to accept and build out and incorporate all modes of transportation."
So what does a "road diet" look like? The recently-completed plan for W. 65th Street between Denison Avenue and the lakefront shows curb bumpouts with additional landscaping, striped sharrows for road riders, and a 10-foot-wide multimodal path for peds and cyclists who prefer not to ride in the street.
If the pretty pictures become a reality -- a process that will take several years and require an application to the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency for millions in federal dollars -- it could result in a "healthier" street that better connects the investments happening in near west side neighborhoods.
"This is the main north-south thoroughfare between West Boulevard and W. 25th," says Zone. "We can build off the momentum we've created here. You'll eventually be able to bike from Edgewater Beach to the zoo via W. 65th."
Among the assets in the area, Zone cited the Gordon Square Arts District, the new Max Hayes High School scheduled to break ground this year, the EcoVillage, major employers and eight schools. The W. 65th project will cost about $6 million.
Most importantly, Zone says, streetscape projects like the W. 65th Street re-do make roads safer for kids who walk to school and families without access to a car.
Other green-street projects on the near west side include bike lanes on Detroit Avenue (which will be striped this spring), the planned Train Avenue corridor greenway, the creation of bike lanes on W. 41st and 44th streets in Ohio City (to be completed this year), a new streetscape for Denison Avenue (a few years away) and a planning process for Lorain Avenue (launching this month).
The West 65th Street corridor study was completed by Environmental Design Group, which has offices in both Cleveland and Akron.
Source: Matt Zone
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The result will be some of the city's first model green streets.
"We're starting to create all this connectivity," says Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone, who has helped push green initiatives through city hall, including the "complete and green streets" legislation that passed last year. "The city is realizing they have to accept and build out and incorporate all modes of transportation."
So what does a "road diet" look like? The recently-completed plan for W. 65th Street between Denison Avenue and the lakefront shows curb bumpouts with additional landscaping, striped sharrows for road riders, and a 10-foot-wide multimodal path for peds and cyclists who prefer not to ride in the street.
If the pretty pictures become a reality -- a process that will take several years and require an application to the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency for millions in federal dollars -- it could result in a "healthier" street that better connects the investments happening in near west side neighborhoods.
"This is the main north-south thoroughfare between West Boulevard and W. 25th," says Zone. "We can build off the momentum we've created here. You'll eventually be able to bike from Edgewater Beach to the zoo via W. 65th."
Among the assets in the area, Zone cited the Gordon Square Arts District, the new Max Hayes High School scheduled to break ground this year, the EcoVillage, major employers and eight schools. The W. 65th project will cost about $6 million.
Most importantly, Zone says, streetscape projects like the W. 65th Street re-do make roads safer for kids who walk to school and families without access to a car.
Other green-street projects on the near west side include bike lanes on Detroit Avenue (which will be striped this spring), the planned Train Avenue corridor greenway, the creation of bike lanes on W. 41st and 44th streets in Ohio City (to be completed this year), a new streetscape for Denison Avenue (a few years away) and a planning process for Lorain Avenue (launching this month).
The West 65th Street corridor study was completed by Environmental Design Group, which has offices in both Cleveland and Akron.
Source: Matt Zone
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Ohio City developer who successfully turned around the long-struggling block of buildings on W. 25th Street north of Bridge Avenue is turning his attention to two big new real estate projects.
Tom Gillespie, who also owns Gillespie Environmental Technologies, is starting work this month on turning the gutted former Jay Hotel into market-rate apartments. He also recently purchased the shuttered building at 2030 W. 25th Street south of Lorain Avenue that once housed Club Argos.
The Jay Hotel, which was slated to be turned into condos by developer Gordon Priemer before the recession took him out of the game, will benefit from state and federal historic tax credits, funding from the City of Cleveland's vacant properties initiative, and a loan from nonprofit lender Village Capital Corporation. Gillespie says it will house eight apartments and 6,000 square feet of commercial space.
"I want to see it done by the end of 2014," he says. "We bought the mortgage three or four years ago, and it went through foreclosure. It took a long time. The weather started to affect the building, so we also had to do some stabilization."
Suffice it to say that the building will be in tip-top shape by the time renters move in sometime next year. The total leveraged investment will be about $2.6 million.
Gillespie also recently finished renovating the old Near West Woodworks building on W. 25th and Jay into three commercial spaces. The once-blockaded front of the building has been opened up with welcoming storefront windows. Elegansia moved there last year, and a high-end salon will move in later this year.
The bullish developer says he plans to restore 2030 W. 25th using Cleveland's Storefront Renovation Program. He's trying to attract another high-quality food retailer -- possibly a donut shop -- or "anyone who's a good fit." Gillespie promises "something that's market-driven" and fits in with the street's redevelopment.
The developments will fill some of the few remaining empty spaces on the West 25th checkerboard, which now has an occupancy rate of nearly 100 percent.
Source: Tom Gillespie
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Tom Gillespie, who also owns Gillespie Environmental Technologies, is starting work this month on turning the gutted former Jay Hotel into market-rate apartments. He also recently purchased the shuttered building at 2030 W. 25th Street south of Lorain Avenue that once housed Club Argos.
The Jay Hotel, which was slated to be turned into condos by developer Gordon Priemer before the recession took him out of the game, will benefit from state and federal historic tax credits, funding from the City of Cleveland's vacant properties initiative, and a loan from nonprofit lender Village Capital Corporation. Gillespie says it will house eight apartments and 6,000 square feet of commercial space.
"I want to see it done by the end of 2014," he says. "We bought the mortgage three or four years ago, and it went through foreclosure. It took a long time. The weather started to affect the building, so we also had to do some stabilization."
Suffice it to say that the building will be in tip-top shape by the time renters move in sometime next year. The total leveraged investment will be about $2.6 million.
Gillespie also recently finished renovating the old Near West Woodworks building on W. 25th and Jay into three commercial spaces. The once-blockaded front of the building has been opened up with welcoming storefront windows. Elegansia moved there last year, and a high-end salon will move in later this year.
The bullish developer says he plans to restore 2030 W. 25th using Cleveland's Storefront Renovation Program. He's trying to attract another high-quality food retailer -- possibly a donut shop -- or "anyone who's a good fit." Gillespie promises "something that's market-driven" and fits in with the street's redevelopment.
The developments will fill some of the few remaining empty spaces on the West 25th checkerboard, which now has an occupancy rate of nearly 100 percent.
Source: Tom Gillespie
Writer: Lee Chilcote
In recent years, Mentor native Erin Huber has flown 7,000 miles just to get the population of a small Ugandan village a drop to drink. That effort is part of a larger endeavor to promote water sustainability both locally and globally.
Huber, founder of Drink Local Drink Tap, a nonprofit organization seeking to connect Clevelanders to local water through art installations and free environmental education, traveled to Africa the last two summers with the mission of getting an impoverished people access to clean water.
The first trip, in 2011, found the activist journeying throughout East Africa to learn about the water situation. Her visit to a rural Ugandan town was particularly eye-opening. Children in the village had to walk over a mile to find a nearby water source, and the water wasn't clean or safe.
Last summer, Huber and her small team returned to Uganda, where they drilled a 70-meter hole into a water table to bring drinkable water to the people of the tiny African community. They filmed their efforts for the documentary Making Waves from Cleveland to Uganda, which Huber hopes to screen at the Cleveland International Film Festival.
"We struck water 'gold,'" she says of the Africa venture, which now supplies fresh drinking water to about 1,500 villagers.
Huber, with a master's degree in environmental studies from Cleveland State University and fond memories of a childhood spent camping next to lakes, streams and rivers, has three more water-related projects set for a future jaunt to Uganda. Meanwhile, she will continue to educate Cleveland's youth and adults about the enormous local fresh water resource known as the Great Lakes.
"We have to realize how fortunate we are," Huber says. "Everything we see needs water to exist."
SOURCE: Erin Huber
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Huber, founder of Drink Local Drink Tap, a nonprofit organization seeking to connect Clevelanders to local water through art installations and free environmental education, traveled to Africa the last two summers with the mission of getting an impoverished people access to clean water.
The first trip, in 2011, found the activist journeying throughout East Africa to learn about the water situation. Her visit to a rural Ugandan town was particularly eye-opening. Children in the village had to walk over a mile to find a nearby water source, and the water wasn't clean or safe.
Last summer, Huber and her small team returned to Uganda, where they drilled a 70-meter hole into a water table to bring drinkable water to the people of the tiny African community. They filmed their efforts for the documentary Making Waves from Cleveland to Uganda, which Huber hopes to screen at the Cleveland International Film Festival.
"We struck water 'gold,'" she says of the Africa venture, which now supplies fresh drinking water to about 1,500 villagers.
Huber, with a master's degree in environmental studies from Cleveland State University and fond memories of a childhood spent camping next to lakes, streams and rivers, has three more water-related projects set for a future jaunt to Uganda. Meanwhile, she will continue to educate Cleveland's youth and adults about the enormous local fresh water resource known as the Great Lakes.
"We have to realize how fortunate we are," Huber says. "Everything we see needs water to exist."
SOURCE: Erin Huber
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Will Tarter, Jr. stands out as a leader among Cleveland’s young professional community. As the charismatic head of the Cleveland Young Professional Senate, he champions causes and issues that impact this highly in-demand demographic, not to mention the long-term well-being of Cleveland.
For the second year in a row, Amplified Wind Solutions competed in the Ohio Clean Energy Challenge. This year the company won $10,000 and a trip to Chicago for a chance to win $100,000 in the Midwest competition.
Amplified Wind Solutions has designed a wind amplification system that can produce up to six times more electricity than a typical wind turbine. The company is targeting the telecommunications industry.
AWS CEO and co-founder Niki Zmij had eight minutes to present the company to the competition judges. They were the second company to present, but Zmij felt prepared and that she answered the judges’ questions well. Apparently, she was right.
“The winner was not to be announced until the awards reception at the very end of the day, but during our judges’ feedback session they decided to tell us early that we had won,” says Zmij. “They said our presentation really set the bar for the entire day, and wanted to ask us to present again at the awards ceremony so the other teams could hear our pitch. It was such a huge compliment.”
AWS is a Cleveland State University company co-founded in February 2012 based on technology invented by Majid Rashidi, chair of CSU’s engineering technology department. Other company members include Terry Thiele, director of sustainable product strategies at Lubrizol Corporation and Jon Stehura, financial manager at Laird Technologies and former CFO of Park Ohio.
The company has prototypes at CSU and Progressive Field. They have now completed designs for a third prototype, and Zmij is in discussions with several telecom companies about installing the pilot model on their towers. They are also looking for a manufacturing partner. Zmij predicts AWS will be ready for commercial sale in 2014.
If AWS wins the Midwest challenge in Chicago, the company will proceed to the national competition, for a chance to win an additional $100,000.
Zmij will earn her MBA in August and will stay with AWS full-time. “I'm fairly certain the entrepreneurial bug has given me the entrepreneurial virus,” she says. “I don't anticipate it going away any time soon.”
The company anticipates hiring additional staff in the third quarter of this year.
Source: Niki Zmij
Writer: Karin Connelly
Amplified Wind Solutions has designed a wind amplification system that can produce up to six times more electricity than a typical wind turbine. The company is targeting the telecommunications industry.
AWS CEO and co-founder Niki Zmij had eight minutes to present the company to the competition judges. They were the second company to present, but Zmij felt prepared and that she answered the judges’ questions well. Apparently, she was right.
“The winner was not to be announced until the awards reception at the very end of the day, but during our judges’ feedback session they decided to tell us early that we had won,” says Zmij. “They said our presentation really set the bar for the entire day, and wanted to ask us to present again at the awards ceremony so the other teams could hear our pitch. It was such a huge compliment.”
AWS is a Cleveland State University company co-founded in February 2012 based on technology invented by Majid Rashidi, chair of CSU’s engineering technology department. Other company members include Terry Thiele, director of sustainable product strategies at Lubrizol Corporation and Jon Stehura, financial manager at Laird Technologies and former CFO of Park Ohio.
The company has prototypes at CSU and Progressive Field. They have now completed designs for a third prototype, and Zmij is in discussions with several telecom companies about installing the pilot model on their towers. They are also looking for a manufacturing partner. Zmij predicts AWS will be ready for commercial sale in 2014.
If AWS wins the Midwest challenge in Chicago, the company will proceed to the national competition, for a chance to win an additional $100,000.
Zmij will earn her MBA in August and will stay with AWS full-time. “I'm fairly certain the entrepreneurial bug has given me the entrepreneurial virus,” she says. “I don't anticipate it going away any time soon.”
The company anticipates hiring additional staff in the third quarter of this year.
Source: Niki Zmij
Writer: Karin Connelly
For a number of years at the tail end of the 20th century, Greater Cleveland's public and private leaders attempted to pull the city up through ambitious marketing campaigns. For awhile it seemed to work. The national media began referring to Cleveland as the "Comeback City" in conjunction with the grand openings of ambitious projects like Tower City Center, Jacobs Field and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
But toward the end of the '90s a strange thing happened: The city, for all intents and purposes, stopped marketing itself.
Why?
"We began to believe our own press," says Rick Batyko, president of the Regional Marketing Alliance of Northeast Ohio, which conducts the Cleveland Plus campaign. And civic officials "moved on to other tasks and defunded marketing."
In essence, Northeast Ohio stopped telling its tale with the tale barely begun -- a rather large mistake in retrospect. "The underlying economy wasn't doing that well," Batyko says. "That's something you couldn't see in the skyline shots."
During the mid-2000s, the region's narrative thread was picked up by Cleveland Plus campaign. Established in 2005 -- with founding members that included Greater Cleveland Partnership, Positively Cleveland and Team NEO -- the organization champions Northeast Ohio as a culturally rich, yet affordable place to live.
Read the rest of the story here.
But toward the end of the '90s a strange thing happened: The city, for all intents and purposes, stopped marketing itself.
Why?
"We began to believe our own press," says Rick Batyko, president of the Regional Marketing Alliance of Northeast Ohio, which conducts the Cleveland Plus campaign. And civic officials "moved on to other tasks and defunded marketing."
In essence, Northeast Ohio stopped telling its tale with the tale barely begun -- a rather large mistake in retrospect. "The underlying economy wasn't doing that well," Batyko says. "That's something you couldn't see in the skyline shots."
During the mid-2000s, the region's narrative thread was picked up by Cleveland Plus campaign. Established in 2005 -- with founding members that included Greater Cleveland Partnership, Positively Cleveland and Team NEO -- the organization champions Northeast Ohio as a culturally rich, yet affordable place to live.
Read the rest of the story here.
The Cleveland Hostel on W. 25th Street in Ohio City recently acquired a collection of eight bikes for rental purposes. It plans to offer daily rentals to visitors and locals who want to explore the city on two wheels come spring (or now, if you're a snow rider).
"We just got 'em a week and a half ago," says Mark Raymond, the Geneva native who opened Cleveland's first hostel last August. "The Akron Bike Club came up for the West Side Market Centennial on the Towpath, and they liked the hostel so much they donated these bikes."
The eight two-wheelers -- a mix of road bikes and cruisers -- are available for $15 per day if you're a hostel guest or $20 per day if you're not. The bikes are available during regular hostel hours: 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Renting bikes was always part of Raymond's plan, and he's excited to showcase his city to travelers who don't have a car or prefer to get around without one. In the past six months, he's hosted travelers from 40 countries around the globe.
The Cleveland Hostel has also hosted visiting artists and individuals affiliated with Cleveland Public Theatre, LAND Studio and other groups. Raymond already has the entire hostel booked by a group of Germans for the Gay Games in 2014.
The hostel is also open to Ohio City residents and the general public for event rentals and special events. Raymond will host bands on the second floor during Brite Winter Festival on Saturday, February 16th. He's even found a hidden market in Clevelanders looking for a place to crash during Ohio City outings.
"We've had a lot of people from the area stay here, especially around New Year's," he says. "They'll see a show, have dinner and then spend the night in the hostel."
Source: Mark Raymond
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We just got 'em a week and a half ago," says Mark Raymond, the Geneva native who opened Cleveland's first hostel last August. "The Akron Bike Club came up for the West Side Market Centennial on the Towpath, and they liked the hostel so much they donated these bikes."
The eight two-wheelers -- a mix of road bikes and cruisers -- are available for $15 per day if you're a hostel guest or $20 per day if you're not. The bikes are available during regular hostel hours: 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Renting bikes was always part of Raymond's plan, and he's excited to showcase his city to travelers who don't have a car or prefer to get around without one. In the past six months, he's hosted travelers from 40 countries around the globe.
The Cleveland Hostel has also hosted visiting artists and individuals affiliated with Cleveland Public Theatre, LAND Studio and other groups. Raymond already has the entire hostel booked by a group of Germans for the Gay Games in 2014.
The hostel is also open to Ohio City residents and the general public for event rentals and special events. Raymond will host bands on the second floor during Brite Winter Festival on Saturday, February 16th. He's even found a hidden market in Clevelanders looking for a place to crash during Ohio City outings.
"We've had a lot of people from the area stay here, especially around New Year's," he says. "They'll see a show, have dinner and then spend the night in the hostel."
Source: Mark Raymond
Writer: Lee Chilcote
As news of the fire at the West Side Market spread, the Cleveland community was in disbelief. And then it got to helping. While untold amounts of food and product were lost, and 100s of employees continue to go without work, scores of loyal shoppers and fans are doing everything they can to ease the pain.
In Cleveland's green-building scene, all eyes are on two new homes -- ironically called passive homes -- that take energy efficiency to jaw-dropping extremes. We wanted to see what it's really like to live in the city's greenest homes.
Arts and culture can define a community, creating a critical mass that translates into jobs, business opportunities and, ideally, sustained economic prosperity. These were the words of Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium Initiative (NEOSCC) director Hunter Morrison during a January 25 roundtable hosted by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC).
These also are words that CPAC president and CEO Tom Schorgl likes to hear. The focus of the roundtable event was sustainability, and how the arts and culture community can assist the region as it evolves through population and land use shifts. The local arts sector becoming engaged in these issues can help keep Northeast Ohio resilient, vibrant and sustainable, said Morrison, a notion that the CPAC president shares.
"We have cultural clusters throughout the region, and the ability to communicate on a larger basis with the population about those clusters," says Schorgl. "We need to continue to reach our audience."
The roundtable, which drew over 50 attendees to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's main gallery, was CPAC's first such event of the year. The nonprofit will sponsor similar forums through November, with an overall aim of connecting the arts and culture realm with professionals from sectors including community development and health and human services. Past roundtable speakers have included Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon, and City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.
"The idea is to provide a forum for new ideas around a common cause," Schorgl says.
SOURCE: Tom Schorgl
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
These also are words that CPAC president and CEO Tom Schorgl likes to hear. The focus of the roundtable event was sustainability, and how the arts and culture community can assist the region as it evolves through population and land use shifts. The local arts sector becoming engaged in these issues can help keep Northeast Ohio resilient, vibrant and sustainable, said Morrison, a notion that the CPAC president shares.
"We have cultural clusters throughout the region, and the ability to communicate on a larger basis with the population about those clusters," says Schorgl. "We need to continue to reach our audience."
The roundtable, which drew over 50 attendees to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's main gallery, was CPAC's first such event of the year. The nonprofit will sponsor similar forums through November, with an overall aim of connecting the arts and culture realm with professionals from sectors including community development and health and human services. Past roundtable speakers have included Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon, and City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.
"The idea is to provide a forum for new ideas around a common cause," Schorgl says.
SOURCE: Tom Schorgl
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Providence House has spread its arms just a little bit wider to Northeast Ohio abused and neglected children with the recent expansion of its facilities.
The Ohio City-based agency, which stands as the first crisis nursery in Ohio, renovated its current at W. 32nd Street and Lorain Avenue location and added 6,500 square feet of space, which combines the children’s shelter and services. As a result of its growth, Providence House will be able to serve an additional 125 at-risk children each year, notes executive director Natalie Leek-Nelson.
"All of our kids are moved over," Leek-Nelson says.
The expansion is the first part of a $2 million, three-phase project designed to allow the nonprofit agency to better serve Northeast Ohio families in crisis. Providence House has raised $2.3 million since launching its "Protect the Promise" campaign in spring 2011. Not only will the agency be able to provide more short-term housing for kids unsafe in their homes, it will also increase the ages of children served from newborn to six up to the age of 10.
"Now the older brothers and sisters in the same crises as their younger siblings will be helped," says Leek-Nelson. "We've created unique educational spaces with computers and academic resources so these kids can catch up on their schoolwork."
The second phase of the “Protect the Promise” capital campaign will include a new family center that will take over an existing building across the street from the expanded facility. The third and final phase involves construction of a 60,000-square-foot children and family campus.
SOURCE: Natalie Leek-Nelson
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
The Ohio City-based agency, which stands as the first crisis nursery in Ohio, renovated its current at W. 32nd Street and Lorain Avenue location and added 6,500 square feet of space, which combines the children’s shelter and services. As a result of its growth, Providence House will be able to serve an additional 125 at-risk children each year, notes executive director Natalie Leek-Nelson.
"All of our kids are moved over," Leek-Nelson says.
The expansion is the first part of a $2 million, three-phase project designed to allow the nonprofit agency to better serve Northeast Ohio families in crisis. Providence House has raised $2.3 million since launching its "Protect the Promise" campaign in spring 2011. Not only will the agency be able to provide more short-term housing for kids unsafe in their homes, it will also increase the ages of children served from newborn to six up to the age of 10.
"Now the older brothers and sisters in the same crises as their younger siblings will be helped," says Leek-Nelson. "We've created unique educational spaces with computers and academic resources so these kids can catch up on their schoolwork."
The second phase of the “Protect the Promise” capital campaign will include a new family center that will take over an existing building across the street from the expanded facility. The third and final phase involves construction of a 60,000-square-foot children and family campus.
SOURCE: Natalie Leek-Nelson
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Cleveland's Gordon Square Arts District (GSAD) is supported by a strong backbone of dedicated institutions, corporations, merchants, residents and philanthropists, says Judi Feniger, newly named executive director of the West Side arts enclave.
Feniger planned to spend this week meeting with these groups, and looks forward to continuing the relationships that will help make the district even stronger. "It's a dynamic area," says Feniger, successor to GSAD founding executive director Joy Roller, who earlier this month became president of Global Cleveland. "I need to get a sense of what's going on."
What's been happening in recent years is new loft housing, an enhanced Detroit Avenue streetscape, new retail and gallery ventures, and the renovation of the Cleveland Public Theatre complex and Capitol Theatre. The latest milestone occurred in November with the groundbreaking for the Near West Theatre’s first permanent performance venue.
"Gordon Square is a growing part of Cleveland that attracting young residents," says Feniger. "How can we take these great assets and show them to our community?"
The experienced arts and business leader plans to answer that question thanks to a philanthropy and arts background that includes leadership stints with the American Red Cross and most recently the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
"I've been to Gordon Square many times," Feniger says. "It will be exciting to build on the foundation and bring more activity and awareness to the things going on here."
The district's potent combination of housing, new businesses, the arts and neighborhood beautification is attracting national attention and drawing audiences and visitors from throughout the region, notes the new executive director.
"There are many great things to do in Cleveland," says Feniger. "Our challenge will be to get a share of people's time and mind."
SOURCE: Judi Feniger
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Feniger planned to spend this week meeting with these groups, and looks forward to continuing the relationships that will help make the district even stronger. "It's a dynamic area," says Feniger, successor to GSAD founding executive director Joy Roller, who earlier this month became president of Global Cleveland. "I need to get a sense of what's going on."
What's been happening in recent years is new loft housing, an enhanced Detroit Avenue streetscape, new retail and gallery ventures, and the renovation of the Cleveland Public Theatre complex and Capitol Theatre. The latest milestone occurred in November with the groundbreaking for the Near West Theatre’s first permanent performance venue.
"Gordon Square is a growing part of Cleveland that attracting young residents," says Feniger. "How can we take these great assets and show them to our community?"
The experienced arts and business leader plans to answer that question thanks to a philanthropy and arts background that includes leadership stints with the American Red Cross and most recently the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
"I've been to Gordon Square many times," Feniger says. "It will be exciting to build on the foundation and bring more activity and awareness to the things going on here."
The district's potent combination of housing, new businesses, the arts and neighborhood beautification is attracting national attention and drawing audiences and visitors from throughout the region, notes the new executive director.
"There are many great things to do in Cleveland," says Feniger. "Our challenge will be to get a share of people's time and mind."
SOURCE: Judi Feniger
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
usa today features cleveland's historical fairfax neighborhood
In a USA TODAY feature titled “Historic black neighborhoods climb from recession,” Melanie Eversley explores the influx of investments and resurgence of historically black neighborhoods including Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood.
“In Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, where poet Langston Hughes once lived and where a 98-year-old theater launched his plays, a bank is investing millions.”
Eversely goes on to explain that as the country recovers from the recession, communities are calling attention to what made them famous to begin with.
In Cleveland, she explores the renovations of the Karamu House, the new Langson Hughes center, and others.
"One of the reasons that PNC [Bank] chose Fairfax was because there's such a rich culture there."
Examine the full feature here.
“In Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, where poet Langston Hughes once lived and where a 98-year-old theater launched his plays, a bank is investing millions.”
Eversely goes on to explain that as the country recovers from the recession, communities are calling attention to what made them famous to begin with.
In Cleveland, she explores the renovations of the Karamu House, the new Langson Hughes center, and others.
"One of the reasons that PNC [Bank] chose Fairfax was because there's such a rich culture there."
Examine the full feature here.
flydrive's regenerative braking flywheel replaces battery in hybrid, electric cars
What started as a design project in CWRU mechanical and aerospace engineering student Kristen Brouwer’s senior design class has evolved into a full-blown business. Brouwer and three of her classmates took an existing patent for a regenerative braking flywheel and created FlyDrive, which makes a flywheel that replaces the battery in electric and hybrid cars. They are bringing their flywheel to market.
“In a Prius, for instance, when you brake, the electric motors are charged, which then charge the battery,” says Brouwer. “With our flywheel, it’s just as efficient in returning energy and doesn’t have to be replaced. And it’s environmentally better than batteries because it doesn’t use chemicals.”
Brouwer and teammates Jordan Lajoie, Luke Voigt, Kris Bosma and Cleveland Institute of Art industrial design student Adam Lauser have been developing the flywheel for market since September. “Most of our developments have stemmed from market identification and development as well as creating a preliminary concept for implementing the flywheel in a transportation system,” says Brouwer.
FlyDrive will be competing in the Ohio Clean Energy Challenge semi-finals next week, where they will compete for $10,000 and the chance to move on the Midwest regional competition in Chicago. The company has been assessing licensing options in the meantime.
“We’re waiting to see if we make it to the next level of competition,” says Brouwer. “It’s been a great learning experience.”
Source: Kristen Brouwer
Writer: Karin Connelly
“In a Prius, for instance, when you brake, the electric motors are charged, which then charge the battery,” says Brouwer. “With our flywheel, it’s just as efficient in returning energy and doesn’t have to be replaced. And it’s environmentally better than batteries because it doesn’t use chemicals.”
Brouwer and teammates Jordan Lajoie, Luke Voigt, Kris Bosma and Cleveland Institute of Art industrial design student Adam Lauser have been developing the flywheel for market since September. “Most of our developments have stemmed from market identification and development as well as creating a preliminary concept for implementing the flywheel in a transportation system,” says Brouwer.
FlyDrive will be competing in the Ohio Clean Energy Challenge semi-finals next week, where they will compete for $10,000 and the chance to move on the Midwest regional competition in Chicago. The company has been assessing licensing options in the meantime.
“We’re waiting to see if we make it to the next level of competition,” says Brouwer. “It’s been a great learning experience.”
Source: Kristen Brouwer
Writer: Karin Connelly