What's next? It's a question we all wish we had the answer to. But for folks looking to settle down, that question undoubtedly refers to place. In this running series, Fresh Water explores emerging Cleveland neighborhoods that are primed for growth. This week, writer Joe Baur examines North Shore Collinwood.

Five student entrepreneurial teams will compete in the semifinals at the Ohio Clean Energy Challenge in Columbus on January 29, presenting their business plans and technologies to a panel of judges for the chance to win $10,000 and an opportunity to go on to the Midwest regional competition in Chicago.

The event is hosted by the University Clean Energy Alliance of Ohio (UCEAO) and NorTech as part of the Department of Energy’s National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition. This is the second year the competition has been held in Ohio.
 
“We’ve expanded quite a bit this year,” explains Ashley Sparks, senior project coordinator at NorTech. “Each team was paired up with an industry mentor who could really help the teams build on their ideas and get feedback.”
 
The businesses represent various ideas in clean energy solutions. “It’s paramount for this region to have students really interested in commercialization,” says Byron Clayton, NorTech vice president. “These are students who are involved in bringing jobs here and it addresses the brain drain issue in that these businesses they create keep them here.”
 
The top team in the Ohio competition will go on to compete for $100,000 in Chicago at the Midwest regional competition. In addition to the five Cleveland teams, there are seven other teams from around the state.
 
“This challenge helps raise awareness of these startup companies in the state and the region,” says Clayton. “This challenge brings new innovations to the area, provides funding, creates mentoring opportunities and access to venture capital.”

 
Source: Ashley Sparks, Byron Clayton
Writer: Karin Connelly

Downtown has lacked a soul food restaurant for years. That's changed now that Soul Republic, the successful restauranteurs behind Angie's Soul Cafe, Jezebel's Bayou and Zanzibar, have opened Stonetown Southern Bistro at 627 Prospect Avenue.

The casual venue, whose menu features "soul food with a twist" and is similar to Zanzibar at Shaker Square, aims to fill a gap in the marketplace. "This is one of those everyday locations, as opposed to a place you'd go as a treat on date night," says Adrian Lindsay, Stonetown's general manager. "That niche has been missing down here. It's something overdue for this area."

Lunch entree prices are in the $6 to $9 range, while dinner menu items are priced from $10 to $14. Stonetown is located in the former Nexus Coffeehouse space on the ground floor of the 668 Euclid Avenue apartment building (Prospect Ave. side).

Soul Republic has reconfigured the space so that it features a lounge and bar with hightop tables and a dining room. A homemade wine cabinet separates the two.

The menu is a "soul fusion" concept similar to Zanzibar, says Akin Alafin, general manager of Soul Republic, but it  includes many new items as well. These include buttermilk fried yardbird with red velvet waffle, lobster shrimp and grits, fried crawfish, lobster quesadilla with arugula sauce, and the Stone Rolls.

Stonetown has been getting a great reception so far, says Lindsay. The key to success for the company, which employs eight family members and has become something of a soul food dynasty, has been consistency, the incorporation of fresh ingredients from local farmers and the West Side Market, and not taking shortcuts. "They want soul food; it's gotta be cooked for the soul."

The restaurant, while still in the soft-open phase, does feature the full menu, says Alafin. Weekend brunch will start on Saturday, January 26th and run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. So far, Soul Republic has invested more than $200,00 into the space and has hired 11 people.

Stonetown Southern Bistro is Soul Republic's fifth restaurant in the Cleveland area.


Sources: Adrian Lindsay, Akin Alafin
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Catanese Classic Seafood, a 30-year-old fish company that recently moved into the Flats, has reached agreements to purchase the entire catches of two local fishing crews that scour Lake Erie. That arrangement is likely to net more than 600,000 pounds of yellow perch alone next year -- as well as an additional 8 jobs.

The health of Lake Erie has come a long way in the past 40 years, and it is now considered by many to be a case study of a recovering ecosystem. Yet not very many people know that, in part as a result of cleaning up our water pollution as well as our close proximity to a Great Lake, Northeast Ohio companies have developed rich expertise in water technology.

To leverage this cluster, influence policy, and conduct research and education, a group of organizations have launched The Alliance for our Water Future, a new nonprofit organization that seeks to spur innovative solutions to freshwater issues locally and globally.

"Silicon Valley is an example of what one industry cluster can do for a region," says Byron Clayton, Vice President at NorTech. "Companies all worked together in that region to leverage their strengths. In Northeast Ohio, we have a great legacy in cleaning up industrial waste water. We identified areas where we have the best chance of competing, and that's been the focus of our water technology cluster."

The areas that NorTech identified are automation and controls (identifying the best, most efficient way to control water), absorbents (extracting contaminants from water) and corrosion resistance (preventing water systems from corroding).

NorTech's role is to identify, organize and accelerate clusters. The Alliance will help promote this success story and spur cross-sector collaboration. By working together, the groups involved in the Alliance hope to make a global impact.

"This is about the economic future of our region," says Fran DiDonato, Program Manager of the Alliance. "If we can show that we had success with cleaning water, then that gives us credibility when we export our solutions to other places."

Two Northeast Ohio companies, MAR Systems and ABSMaterials, were recently selected by the Artemis Project as 2012 Top 50 Water Companies. Rockwell Automation is also considered a major player in the water technology field.

The founding members of the Alliance are NorTech, Case Western Reserve University, Port of Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland State University, Hiram College, Great Lakes Science Center, Kent State University, MAR Systems and Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.


Source: Byron Clayton, Fran DiDonato
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Angela Ben-Kiki, the artist and designer behind Green Garage Studio, has come full circle by opening a new studio and showroom in a two-family rental that she owns on W. 11th Street in Tremont.

Ben-Kiki was one of the first entrepreneurs to open a design-focused store in Tremont when she owned the shop Go Modern. She eventually closed the store to focus on being a mom. Now that her daughter is older, she has returned with new energy to the place where it all began.

"I produce well-crafted gear for everyday -- commuting, travel and leisure," she explains. "It is sustainably produced and one-of-a-kind. Many of my products have multiple uses, and we choose distinctive fabrics made in America."

Among Green Garage's signature products are denim bags for men and women. She purchases material from American Denim Growers in Littlefield, Texas. Despite the prevalence of denim in clothing, relatively few bags are made out of it.

"I bought a remnant of denim years ago, and that got me started," she says. "I made an everyday errand bag, and people said, 'Hey, where did you get that?'"

While Ben-Kiki's studio in Tremont recalls her history in the neighborhood, she's branching out in new directions, she says. Her newest products include aprons, pouches and a men's mesh bag. She also plans to get more into bicycling gear.

"I have a passion for design and usefulness. That comes from vintage times. To produce something that is meant to last for years -- I find it very gratifying."


Source: Angela Ben-Kiki
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Small plates. Classic cocktails. A wine list curated by a well-traveled owner with a zest for local food. Shared tables made from old flour bins and lots of cozy nooks for hanging out with friends or snuggling up to a date. A menu filled with items like gnudi and braised lamb.

These are just a few of the wonderful things Fresh Water uncovered during a recent tour of Toast Wine Bar, which is set to open next month in the Gordon Square Arts District after six long years of planning.

Local resident and attorney Jillian Davis first purchased the building in 2006, with plans to open a place where she could share her love of great wine and locavore cuisine with others. The building, which had been vacant for years, is a former bakery and residence that came with cool window seats and built-in cabinets.

Then came a nasty spat with the church next door, which first opposed her liquor license but later came around. After her plans were approved a year ago, Davis started construction with the aid of contractor and furniture designer John Arthur. Toast is now drywalled out and Davis says that she plans to open in February. We know: We'll believe it when we see it. But trust us, folks, it's pretty darn close.

"The space was filled with stuff we could reuse; everything is just kind of getting recycled, which is cool," says Davis, pointing out the empty spot where the bar, which is being built from old doors and will have a zinc top, will be installed.

Davis is very excited about her cocktail list, boasting such colorful names as Vieux Carre, Widow's Kiss, Hanky Panky and Sir Alex. "I'm really into the cocktail renaissance," she says. "If you come here, you'll be able to have liquor, but only what I want you to have." Yes ma'am. And at 13 bucks a pop, we bet they'll be good and strong, too.

The opening of Toast is expected to create eight new full-time jobs in the city of Cleveland. Davis wouldn't disclose her total investment amount, simply saying that she's "doing it on the cheap" with some help from the City of Cleveland's Neighborhood Retail Assistance Program, a commercial bank loan and equity.

Davis, who has traveled the world drinking and eating, is excited about the launch. "When I'm not at work, I read about food and wine, cook and eat. It's my passion."


Source: Jillian Davis
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Genna Petrolla is working in Cleveland’s economic development department, improving the city’s website and blog, as well as helping to increase exposure to the city’s loan and grant program. She is one of three people at city hall in a two-year fellowship through the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) fellowship program.

Launched in September by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Cleveland State University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, SC2 is a pilot initiative that is designed to strengthen cities by developing their economic visions. It is funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and overseen by the department of Housing and Urban Development.
 
“This federal program placing individuals in city governments is innovative,” says Kathryn Hexter, director of CSU’s Center for Community Planning. “It’s a new way for the federal government to help cities. Three mid-career fellows for two years work on priority items for the city.”
 
While the cities get skilled help with priority projects, the fellows get valuable insight into city programs. “The fellows get experience and leadership and public management training,” says Hexter. “The idea is they would stay on with the cities if it works out, but it’s not a requirement.”
 
All three of the fellows worked in Cleveland before getting involved in the SC2 program, and each has an average of 10 years of work experience. Petrolla, who has a background in marketing and community development, applied for the fellowship on a whim and says she is enjoying the experience. “I’m learning so much from it, I love it,” she says. “It’s been really cool watching this initiative play out here.”
 
The other two fellows are working in the building and housing department and the Cuyahoga County Land Bank.

 
Sources: Genna Petrolla, Kathryn Hexter
Writer: Karin Connelly

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) has launched an ambitious $125 million campaign to renovate and expand its campus in University Circle. Dr. Evalyn Gates, the particle physicist who has led the museum since 2010, wants the new structure to become a hands-on learning lab for green building, science education and environmental stewardship.

"Our role is to give kids a taste of real science with real scientists in a hands-on, minds-on kind of way," says Gates. "We can do things in a museum that can't be done in every classroom. Natural history is about our understanding of the world around us. We can help people better understand our place in the natural world."

CMNH will demolish a portion of its older, 1950s-style building and renovate the rest of it. The museum also will add two light-filled wings, a glassy lobby, and 300-space parking garage. The re-do will bring activity that now takes place in the bowels of the building -- such as paleontology work -- into a more publicly accessible space where people can more easily see it. CMNH has long sought to expand, but its plans were put on hold when the recession hit a few years ago.

Gates believes that the philanthropic appetite exists to fund CMNH's expansion and it can be completed within the next several years. CMNH has already begun to reinvent itself since she assumed the role of director. One example is the SmartHome, Gates says, which was a draw because it was hands-on.

As examples of science education, Gates cited programs like the junior med camp and vet camp, school field trips to the planetarium and a partnership with the Cleveland schools that allows every second grader to visit CMNH for free.


Source: Evalyn Gates
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Jonathan Yale has always been socially conscious. As an athlete, he is also concerned about what foods he puts into his body. Those two principles came together when Yale and Phillip Williams founded HooftyMatch last August, an online marketplace for buying and selling locally produced meats.

“It started from a nutritional aspect,” says Yale. “I actually went to farms and bought some whole animals. I started educating myself on all the different factors of why it’s better meat.”

Yale and Williams came up with the idea for HooftyMatch after seeing a booming trend in farm-to-table eating and a strong desire to consume meat from humanely treated animals.
 
“We focus on farmers and the trend of beef without hormones or antibiotics,” says Yale. “We want to make that higher-quality product easier to get into the market. We want to have a consumer-friendly product where our customers can buy directly from our site and have it shipped to them or they can pick it up from a set location.”
 
A portfolio company in LaunchHouse Accelerator, HooftyMatch received a $25,000 investment. The company also won Startup Lakewood’s Ideation Challenge last summer.
 
Yale plans on starting a monthly Cleveland Meat Series with "localvore" restaurants to market HooftyMatch and educate people. “There are definitely people who want this and we want to say it’s out there,” he says. “It's good for farmers, it’s good for the restaurant business, and it’s good for people. It’s kind of like a win-win-win.”
 
HooftyMatch plans to officially launch its site next month.

 
Source: Jonathan Yale
Writer: Karin Connelly

"I don't cook like any of those other guys on the block, I'll tell you that right now," promises Cajun chef Johnny Schulze, tossing out the names of celebrity chefs Michael Symon and Rocco Whalen, both of whom have Tremont restaurants. "I pull from what I learned growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The reason I'm doing this restaurant is I want to cook what I'm really good at."

Schulze is talking about his planned restaurant and watering hole Bourbon Street Barrel Room, which was recently approved by the local Tremont block club, a major feat given the propensity of skiddish neighbors to blackball new liquor licenses. The 100-seat restaurant, which will be located on Professor Avenue between Fahnrenheit and Edison's, is expected to open by next summer.

Bourbon Street will serve authentic, reasonably-priced Cajun cuisine, something that Schulze says doesn't exist in Northeast Ohio. "The way I see it, they live off the land, these Cajuns," he says. "They make do with inexpensive ingredients. It's seafood-heavy. It's about building flavors -- like a jambalaya, it looks very simple when it's served, but when you taste it, you're diving into multiple flavors."

Schulze and co-owners Justin and Barry Clemens know that such rich, spicy flavors pair perfectly with craft beer. So, in addition to traditional Cajun dishes such as gumbo and shrimp creole, Bourbon Street will offer plenty of beer selections, wine and liquor. "You might even be able to order a hurricane," hints Schulze.

When he was recruited by the owners, the veteran chef had been operating the Zydeco Bistro food truck with no plans to open a restaurant. "I built a food truck to retire -- I didn't want to work for anyone ever again," Schulze says with a laugh. "I tried to say no at first. But Tremont has the right atmosphere; it's culturally diverse and feels like you're outside the French quarter. I can pull this off."


Source: Johnny Schulze
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Rumors of the death of U.S. manufacturing have been greatly exaggerated. As the industry mounts a comeback in Cleveland and other cities, growing companies are discovering it's not easy to find qualified employees. In short, jobs once left for dead are now hard to fill.

In part, the skills gap exists because a generation of workers has been inculcated with the notion that manufacturing is filled with get-your-hands-dirty, dead-end jobs. On the other hand, the traditional model of high school vocational education does not do enough to meet the needs of tech-savvy manufacturers. Today's factories are as likely to be filled with computers as hulking, greasy machines, owners say.

To plug the gap, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District will soon break ground on a new, 165,000-square-foot campus for Max Hayes High School, a vocational school currently at W. 45th and Detroit. The new building will serve up to 800 students -- a one-third increase -- and feature state-of-the-art labs and new academic classrooms to prepare students for today's manufacturing jobs.

"We want to spread the idea that if you go to Max Hayes, you will get a job that can support your family," says Phillip Schwenk, Principal of Max Hayes. "Your job is relevant and it matters. We're trying to transform ourselves into a modern, global institution that really understands the needs of global industry."

The $40 million campus, which will break ground next year and is slated to be completed in 2015, will feature exposed construction elements such as ductwork, columns and steel beams to emphasize the city's manufacturing heritage. Located at W. 65th and Clark, the school will benefit from its proximity to local businesses, the partners involved believe.

"What comes out of this is a beautiful relationship with all of these businesses on the west side looking for people to work there," says Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone, who represents the Stockyards neighborhood where Hayes will be built.

Project partners include representatives from manufacturing companies as well as organizations such as WIRE-Net, a Cleveland-based advocacy group. They will come together to create the Friends of Max Hayes to support the school.


Source: Phillip Schwenk, Matt Zone
Writer: Lee Chilcote

When Deej Lincoln bought Interior Products Company two years ago, he thought he would build upon the commercial millwork company’s reputation for creating beautiful libraries. While the company continues to do library work, a new business built on sustainability, recycling and a bit of nostalgia has evolved.

Reclaimed Cleveland harvests wood from Cleveland properties slated for demolition and turns what they find into functional works of art. “We wanted to build the business in a new direction, and we got into wood reclamation,” explains Lincoln. “The idea resonated with our Interior Products Company customers.”
 
From benches and console tables to bottle openers and iPhone skins, every Reclaimed Cleveland product is stamped with the address of the property from which it came. Much of the focus is on old homes, which have a lot of old-growth wood, and churches.
 
“Obviously, there’s a sustainability component to it,” says Lincoln. “But there’s an aesthetic component that comes from a talented designer.”
 
The inspiration to create products from reclaimed wood came almost out of necessity. “About a year ago, we were sitting on all this wood and we had no furniture designed or built,” says Lincoln. “I said we have to have some holiday gift items at a low price point.”
 
From there, Reclaimed Cleveland made a bottle opener and marketed it through flash sales. “We immediately sold out of them,” says Lincoln. “We were impressed and pleased with the fact it took off as well as it did. I regret as a company, we didn’t do it sooner.” The products have even found a following outside of Cleveland.
 
Aaron Gogolin, who co-founded A Piece of Cleveland (APOC), joined the company in 2011 He helped produce the original products for Reclaimed Cleveland and helps maintain assembly and design standards. David Meyers joined in 2011 and is key in new product designs and branding of Reclaimed Cleveland. The company employs a total of 12 people.

 
Source: Deej Lincoln
Writer: Karin Connelly

The current generation of soon-to-graduate college students is not just looking for a job, but also a fun and dynamic city that suits its lifestyle needs, says Christy Walkuski, director of (i)Cleveland.

This reality is the impetus behind an upcoming city-centric event hosted by Cleveland Leadership Center. On January 4, (i)Cleveland, a program of the leadership center, will welcome 150 college students and recent graduates to connect with career, civic and social opportunities in Cleveland.

The Winter Edition event will include a networking lunch with downtown executives, a meet with Cleveland's entrenched young professional community, behind-the-scenes tours of East 4th Street's amenities, and an "employer showcase" of current internship and job opportunities.

Combining job and leadership possibilities with highlights of Cleveland lifestyle trumpets a single, distinct message: "The city wants you here," says Walkuski. "Young people have the ability to make their mark on Cleveland."

Walkuski has read the worrisome headlines about young people leaving Northeast Ohio for the bright lights of bigger cities. The (i)Cleveland director herself lived in Chicago and Florida before returning to her home city.

"When I came back, I saw Cleveland with new eyes," says Walkuski.

Opening the eyes of college students requires a community-wide effort. The "Winter Edition" program aligns with (i)Cleveland's mission of using local assets to build relationships and foster lifelong civic engagement. Registration is limited, so Walkuski suggests prospective participants sign up as soon as possible.

"We have a huge education base here," she says. "We must continue to engage this (college-aged) population, because if we don't recruit them, someone else will."

 
SOURCE: Christy Walkuski
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth

Nearly 100 years after it was first constructed, the Hope Memorial bridge, which is home to the famous Guardians of Transportation statues and connects downtown to Ohio City, is now considered to be "complete."

That's because a 14.5 foot protected bikeway just opened, making the street safer and more accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists who would prefer not to ride in the street. The $4.5 million investment is consistent with the city's new Complete and Green Streets law, which requires sustainable transportation options to be incorporated into new road projects.

"We really want to encourage more people to bike more often. Anytime you can create an environment where you can take kids out, you know it’s a safe place," says Jacob Van Sickle, Executive Director of the nonprofit group Bike Cleveland. "We're always advocating for infrastructure that makes biking as safe and stress-free as possible. To create a mode shift, that's where we need to be."

The Ohio Department of Transportation agreed to pay for the bikeway as well as bike-friendly enhancements to the Abbey Road bridge a few years ago. At the time, it was offered as a concession to multimodal transportation advocates who had pressed for bike lanes to be built on the new I-90 Innerbelt bridge.

The Carnegie-Ontario intersection also has been made safer for pedestrians and cyclists thanks to a new pathway along the bridge's northeast end. That pathway will lead cyclists and walkers to cross at Eagle Avenue. Finally, the Guardians of Transportation statues will also be lit at night as part of the roadway project.


Source: Jacob Van Sickle
Writer: Lee Chilcote