Stories
forbes recognizes the emergence of cleveland's downtown
In a Forbes list titled “15 U.S. Cities’ Emerging Downtowns,” the fine staffers rank our fair city at No. 15.
“Cleveland began revitalizing its downtown in the mid-1990s. Today, more than $3.5 billion is currently invested in furthering the area's redevelopment.”
The Global Center for Health Innovation slated to open this summer is mentioned as a huge boon for downtown, as well as a multitude of other recreational projects such as the finished aquarium and the up-and-coming recreation center.
Forbes also notes that downtown has seen its population nearly double over the last two decades ending in 2010.
“From fourth quarter 2011 through the fourth quarter of 2012, the number of housing units grew about 13%, according to the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. Another 715 units are expected to come online in 2013.”
Check out the full list here.
“Cleveland began revitalizing its downtown in the mid-1990s. Today, more than $3.5 billion is currently invested in furthering the area's redevelopment.”
The Global Center for Health Innovation slated to open this summer is mentioned as a huge boon for downtown, as well as a multitude of other recreational projects such as the finished aquarium and the up-and-coming recreation center.
Forbes also notes that downtown has seen its population nearly double over the last two decades ending in 2010.
“From fourth quarter 2011 through the fourth quarter of 2012, the number of housing units grew about 13%, according to the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. Another 715 units are expected to come online in 2013.”
Check out the full list here.
Intern in Ohio launched last week, connecting thousands of employers and students in internship opportunities across the state. The matching program, which was created by Detroit-based Digerati and sponsored by the University of Toledo, is free to both students and employers.
Intern in Ohio uses Digerati's matching algorithm -- called Classroom to Career -- to match participants based on their skills, interests and requirements. The program saves employers time and money by narrowing down the candidate pool to students who meet the specific requirements for the internships offered. Students are presented with internships that match their interests and skills.
“This is truly a talent attraction and retention effort,” says Wendy Pittman, director of Classroom to Career. “Nationally, 80 percent of interns stay in the region where they interned. Intern in Ohio is another tool to make Cleveland and Ohio an internship destination.”
Digerati launched a similar program in Michigan in 2011, in which 127,000 matches and introductions have been made. Digerati found that 70 percent of interns in Michigan were subsequently offered full-time jobs.
Potential interns and employers are asked a short series of questions about the position and about their personal preferences. The system then identifies the top seven matches for each individual student as well as the business for each position. When a match is made, the employer and the student are notified, and both must select that they are interested before any contact information is shared.
Pittman points out that the program is especially attractive to smaller companies that may not have the resources to find interns with the exact qualifications they need. “If you live outside of Cleveland, you probably don’t know about places like University Circle,” she says. “But what an awesome opportunity if you got matched there.”
So far, 1,200 students have signed up on the site, along with 59 Ohio companies posting 77 positions. Those numbers are growing every day, says Pittman.
Source: Wendy Pittman
Writer: Karin Connelly
Intern in Ohio uses Digerati's matching algorithm -- called Classroom to Career -- to match participants based on their skills, interests and requirements. The program saves employers time and money by narrowing down the candidate pool to students who meet the specific requirements for the internships offered. Students are presented with internships that match their interests and skills.
“This is truly a talent attraction and retention effort,” says Wendy Pittman, director of Classroom to Career. “Nationally, 80 percent of interns stay in the region where they interned. Intern in Ohio is another tool to make Cleveland and Ohio an internship destination.”
Digerati launched a similar program in Michigan in 2011, in which 127,000 matches and introductions have been made. Digerati found that 70 percent of interns in Michigan were subsequently offered full-time jobs.
Potential interns and employers are asked a short series of questions about the position and about their personal preferences. The system then identifies the top seven matches for each individual student as well as the business for each position. When a match is made, the employer and the student are notified, and both must select that they are interested before any contact information is shared.
Pittman points out that the program is especially attractive to smaller companies that may not have the resources to find interns with the exact qualifications they need. “If you live outside of Cleveland, you probably don’t know about places like University Circle,” she says. “But what an awesome opportunity if you got matched there.”
So far, 1,200 students have signed up on the site, along with 59 Ohio companies posting 77 positions. Those numbers are growing every day, says Pittman.
Source: Wendy Pittman
Writer: Karin Connelly
aol travel detects new life in old cleveland buildings
In an AOL Travel piece titled “Cleveland Classics: Five Stylishly Repurposed Buildings,” Sophia Dembling writes of five of our city’s historical buildings that have been transformed and given new life.
Among them are the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, which once housed the former power-generating plant for streetcars and railways located on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River.
The former Higbee’s department store has been transformed into the Horseshoe Casino. The building can best be remembered by some as the scene of the classic holiday film A Christmas Story.
“If you've seen A Christmas Story (and who hasn't), you've seen Higbee's department store, where Ralphie has his horrible Santa experience.”
Check out the rest of the buildings on the list here.
Among them are the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, which once housed the former power-generating plant for streetcars and railways located on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River.
The former Higbee’s department store has been transformed into the Horseshoe Casino. The building can best be remembered by some as the scene of the classic holiday film A Christmas Story.
“If you've seen A Christmas Story (and who hasn't), you've seen Higbee's department store, where Ralphie has his horrible Santa experience.”
Check out the rest of the buildings on the list here.
For those who don't already know, Cleveland is a place where culture, education, creativity and innovation flourishes affordably. At least, that's the message city boosters are trying to sell to mobile young professionals. According to who you ask, that strategy is either working, working slowly, or not working well at all.
"Jazz is like the kind of man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with." That might sound like a curious quote for a pastor to use in blessing a jazz bar, yet these were Mark Giuliano's words at the opening of the new Take 5 Jazz Club in downtown Cleveland. The quote comes from jazz legend Duke Ellington.
"We know how important live music is for gathering people; we're for that kind of community building," explains Giuliano, Pastor of Old Stone Church on Public Square and President of the Downtown Residents Association. "We want a place where you can have great food and a couple drinks, listen to live music, be able to visit and have a sense of community. What [the owners] have done is take an old, divey bar and brought new life to it."
Giuliano believes Take 5 will fill a gap in the Warehouse District entertainment scene by offering music that's geared towards an older, multicultural crowd.
"There are an awful lot of empty-nesters like my wife and I [downtown]," he says. "We're not really going to be doing the club scene over on W. 6th at two in the morning. This is a place where everybody feels welcome and has a place."
Take 5, which opened on March 21, offers live jazz, R&B and blues from Thursday through Sunday nights. It is located at 740 Superior Avenue, in the former House of Cues and Prime Rib Steakhouse location in the Warehouse District. The venue also offers an extensive tapas menu prepared by executive chef Jeremy Rolen.
Owners Brian Gresham and Claude Carson have renovated the once-shabby House of Cues into an upscale jazz venue that caters to a professional crowd. Gresham says he saw an opening in the scene due to all the development taking place downtown.
"With the casino, med mart and Flats being revitalized, we wanted to fill a niche," he says. "We more or less took concepts from places that were once in the area that did very well -- The Bop Stop, Wilberts and Sixth Street Down Under."
The owners renovated the interior with new lighting and other improvements. A black ceiling makes it "feel like you're in a true musical venue," Gresham says.
Take 5 welcomed trumpet player and vocalist Skip Martin for its opening weekend, and Gresham is currently working to bring Sean Jones to town, as well. The venue's performers will include a mix of regional and national acts.
Source: Mark Giuliano, Brian Gresham
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We know how important live music is for gathering people; we're for that kind of community building," explains Giuliano, Pastor of Old Stone Church on Public Square and President of the Downtown Residents Association. "We want a place where you can have great food and a couple drinks, listen to live music, be able to visit and have a sense of community. What [the owners] have done is take an old, divey bar and brought new life to it."
Giuliano believes Take 5 will fill a gap in the Warehouse District entertainment scene by offering music that's geared towards an older, multicultural crowd.
"There are an awful lot of empty-nesters like my wife and I [downtown]," he says. "We're not really going to be doing the club scene over on W. 6th at two in the morning. This is a place where everybody feels welcome and has a place."
Take 5, which opened on March 21, offers live jazz, R&B and blues from Thursday through Sunday nights. It is located at 740 Superior Avenue, in the former House of Cues and Prime Rib Steakhouse location in the Warehouse District. The venue also offers an extensive tapas menu prepared by executive chef Jeremy Rolen.
Owners Brian Gresham and Claude Carson have renovated the once-shabby House of Cues into an upscale jazz venue that caters to a professional crowd. Gresham says he saw an opening in the scene due to all the development taking place downtown.
"With the casino, med mart and Flats being revitalized, we wanted to fill a niche," he says. "We more or less took concepts from places that were once in the area that did very well -- The Bop Stop, Wilberts and Sixth Street Down Under."
The owners renovated the interior with new lighting and other improvements. A black ceiling makes it "feel like you're in a true musical venue," Gresham says.
Take 5 welcomed trumpet player and vocalist Skip Martin for its opening weekend, and Gresham is currently working to bring Sean Jones to town, as well. The venue's performers will include a mix of regional and national acts.
Source: Mark Giuliano, Brian Gresham
Writer: Lee Chilcote
El Futuro de Cleveland, a collaboration between Global Cleveland, Esperanza, Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education (NOCHE), and Cleveland Leadership Center’s (i)Cleveland hopes to retain local Latino talent in Northeast Ohio by offering paid internships to college students.
“The mission is to support the rich diversity of the Greater Cleveland Latino community and ensure it grows and thrives,” says Global Cleveland’s Elizabeth Hijar. There are 62,000 Latinos in Cuyahoga County, and that population grew by 30 percent since 2000. “The Latino community is a bright spot in Cleveland and is growing."
Part of the Global Cleveland Latino initiative, El Futuro de Cleveland is working with Cleveland State, CWRU, Baldwin Wallace and Kent State, in addition to reaching out to schools in Boston and Chicago. “The focus is on young people to help ensure there are opportunities to make them stay in Cleveland, attract them and make sure there’s a pipeline,” says Hijar. “We want to focus on these students and really try to help them get a first start in their careers, whether they are from Cleveland or outside of Cleveland, and think about living here on a long-term basis.”
Nineteen employers already have signed up to provide paid internships through the program. The employers are required to enroll their interns in the (i)Cleveland summer leadership and mentoring program.
Source: Elizabeth Hijar
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The mission is to support the rich diversity of the Greater Cleveland Latino community and ensure it grows and thrives,” says Global Cleveland’s Elizabeth Hijar. There are 62,000 Latinos in Cuyahoga County, and that population grew by 30 percent since 2000. “The Latino community is a bright spot in Cleveland and is growing."
Part of the Global Cleveland Latino initiative, El Futuro de Cleveland is working with Cleveland State, CWRU, Baldwin Wallace and Kent State, in addition to reaching out to schools in Boston and Chicago. “The focus is on young people to help ensure there are opportunities to make them stay in Cleveland, attract them and make sure there’s a pipeline,” says Hijar. “We want to focus on these students and really try to help them get a first start in their careers, whether they are from Cleveland or outside of Cleveland, and think about living here on a long-term basis.”
Nineteen employers already have signed up to provide paid internships through the program. The employers are required to enroll their interns in the (i)Cleveland summer leadership and mentoring program.
Source: Elizabeth Hijar
Writer: Karin Connelly
cleveland strives to create new energy from old trash
In a Waste Management World story titled “Recycling and Waste to Energy Project Evaluated in Cleveland,” Ben Messenger explains how Cleveland is putting great effort into transforming the city’s waste into a form of locally produced energy.
“Cleveland has been investigating the use of municipal solid waste (MSW) for the production of energy since at least 2007,” explained Ken Silliman, chief of staff for Mayor Frank Jackson.
“Our goals, in part, are to reduce Cleveland’s dependence on fossil fuels, develop local energy generation capacity, and recover marketable by-products, such as recyclables, from MSW," he continued.
The story goes on to explain the vast scope of waste collection from 155,000 homes and a plethora of public buildings, including the West Side Market, fire stations, the Justice Center, and City Hall.
Learn more in the full story here.
“Cleveland has been investigating the use of municipal solid waste (MSW) for the production of energy since at least 2007,” explained Ken Silliman, chief of staff for Mayor Frank Jackson.
“Our goals, in part, are to reduce Cleveland’s dependence on fossil fuels, develop local energy generation capacity, and recover marketable by-products, such as recyclables, from MSW," he continued.
The story goes on to explain the vast scope of waste collection from 155,000 homes and a plethora of public buildings, including the West Side Market, fire stations, the Justice Center, and City Hall.
Learn more in the full story here.
Since its modest beginnings 36 years ago at the Cedar Lee Theatre, the Cleveland International Film Festival has blossomed into a premiere local, regional and national event. Over the years the festival’s attendance has grown by over 600 percent to last year's record of 85,018. Here are four films with a Cleveland connection.
growing farm-to-table caterer looking to hire urban farmhands
Sow Food brings the farm-to-table concept full circle with the company’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) meals. Chef-owner-farmer Brian Doyle takes the produce grown on his White Squirrel Farm on W. 47th Street and Lorain Avenue and creates ready-to-eat meals for customers during the 16-week growing season.
From June to September, Sow customers get three dinners a week. Each meal serves two adults. The meals are a combination of traditional dishes and Doyle’s special creations. All of the ingredients come from his farm -- where he grows tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, garlic and pumpkin -- and local meat and dairy farms.
Since last summer, Doyle has secured permanent kitchen space at the Beachland Ballroom. He has increased his regular customer base from 10 in 2011 to a predicted 30 to 50 this year. In addition to himself and partner Maggie Downey, Doyle has increased his seasonal help from two employees to four.
This year, Doyle is looking to hire a farmer to run White Squirrel Farm, do weekly upkeep and maintenance and bring the produce to market. “We really want someone who is willing to put in the time and effort from spring until fall,” he says. “Someone who is willing to work with me and the other chefs.”
Source: Brian Doyle
Writer: Karin Connelly
From June to September, Sow customers get three dinners a week. Each meal serves two adults. The meals are a combination of traditional dishes and Doyle’s special creations. All of the ingredients come from his farm -- where he grows tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, garlic and pumpkin -- and local meat and dairy farms.
Since last summer, Doyle has secured permanent kitchen space at the Beachland Ballroom. He has increased his regular customer base from 10 in 2011 to a predicted 30 to 50 this year. In addition to himself and partner Maggie Downey, Doyle has increased his seasonal help from two employees to four.
This year, Doyle is looking to hire a farmer to run White Squirrel Farm, do weekly upkeep and maintenance and bring the produce to market. “We really want someone who is willing to put in the time and effort from spring until fall,” he says. “Someone who is willing to work with me and the other chefs.”
Source: Brian Doyle
Writer: Karin Connelly
nytimes says all eyes on cma in the museum world
In a New York Times feature titled “Technology That Serves to Enhance, Not Distract,” Fred A. Bernstein explores the attention the Cleveland Museum of Art has been garnering for its groundbreaking Gallery One exhibit.
“In the museum world, everyone’s watching Cleveland right now,” said Erin Coburn, a museum consultant who has worked at both the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Though other museums have experimented with interactive technology, the extent of Cleveland’s program is unprecedented, she said. “They’ve put a lot out there for other museums to learn from.”
The museum also treats iPads users to more and different information by giving an interactive feel to the displays, while still keeping focus on the artwork itself. If you do not have an iPad, one can be rented from the museum for just $5 per day.
Read the entire feature here.
“In the museum world, everyone’s watching Cleveland right now,” said Erin Coburn, a museum consultant who has worked at both the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Though other museums have experimented with interactive technology, the extent of Cleveland’s program is unprecedented, she said. “They’ve put a lot out there for other museums to learn from.”
The museum also treats iPads users to more and different information by giving an interactive feel to the displays, while still keeping focus on the artwork itself. If you do not have an iPad, one can be rented from the museum for just $5 per day.
Read the entire feature here.
As brewmaster for Market Garden Brewery and Nano Brew, Andy Tveekrem has the enviable job of devising, testing and brewing the luscious suds that bubble up from those popular Ohio City watering holes. We decided to see what a day in the life a big-time brewer is all about.
The once-dumpy strip mall in downtown Lakewood known as "Drug Mart Plaza" will no longer be boring. Dan Deagan, owner of the popular Deagan's Kitchen and Bar, plans to open a wine bar in the renovated plaza sometime this summer.
"Lakewood doesn't have any wine bars, and we sell a lot of wine here," says Deagan. "Lakewood has been good to us; I wanted to do something close."
Since Deagan named his first venue after himself, he said that he decided to go with a more modest name this time around. Thus, the new place will be called Humble Wine Bar.
The name also is a nod to the kind of venue he wants to create -- one in which wine snobbery is left at the door and anyone can learn about and enjoy good wine.
"A lot of people are intimidated by wine bars, and honestly, I'm one of them," he says. "I walk in and they hand me a War and Peace-size wine list, and it's overwhelming. We want it to be approachable and affordable."
Creating the right atmosphere is less about the size of the wine list than having a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere and a knowledgeable staff that can educate customers about wine and make suggestions. "It won't be cold and stuffy," promises Deagan.
The 60- to 70-seat venue, which will employ 15 to 20 people, will have a full liquor license and also sell craft beers. A "simple but very good" cocktail list will also be available.
Humble Wine Bar's roll-up glass garage doors and new patio on Detroit will help transform the long-dumpy plaza into yet another pleasant outdoor venue in Lakewood.
Deagan says the open kitchen will offer thin, Neapolitan-style pizzas, antipasti, cheeses, cured meats and other small plates. He's shooting for a June opening.
Deagan is opening Humble Wine Bar with his wife Erika, business partner and soon-to-be sommelier Amanda Bernot, and business partner Dan Stroup.
Humble Wine Bar will be located at 15412 Detroit Avenue.
Source: Dan Deagan
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"Lakewood doesn't have any wine bars, and we sell a lot of wine here," says Deagan. "Lakewood has been good to us; I wanted to do something close."
Since Deagan named his first venue after himself, he said that he decided to go with a more modest name this time around. Thus, the new place will be called Humble Wine Bar.
The name also is a nod to the kind of venue he wants to create -- one in which wine snobbery is left at the door and anyone can learn about and enjoy good wine.
"A lot of people are intimidated by wine bars, and honestly, I'm one of them," he says. "I walk in and they hand me a War and Peace-size wine list, and it's overwhelming. We want it to be approachable and affordable."
Creating the right atmosphere is less about the size of the wine list than having a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere and a knowledgeable staff that can educate customers about wine and make suggestions. "It won't be cold and stuffy," promises Deagan.
The 60- to 70-seat venue, which will employ 15 to 20 people, will have a full liquor license and also sell craft beers. A "simple but very good" cocktail list will also be available.
Humble Wine Bar's roll-up glass garage doors and new patio on Detroit will help transform the long-dumpy plaza into yet another pleasant outdoor venue in Lakewood.
Deagan says the open kitchen will offer thin, Neapolitan-style pizzas, antipasti, cheeses, cured meats and other small plates. He's shooting for a June opening.
Deagan is opening Humble Wine Bar with his wife Erika, business partner and soon-to-be sommelier Amanda Bernot, and business partner Dan Stroup.
Humble Wine Bar will be located at 15412 Detroit Avenue.
Source: Dan Deagan
Writer: Lee Chilcote
national design praise continues for moca
In a SmartPlanet post titled “Perfectly detailed, perfectly gorgeous (and perfectly dull),” C.C. Sullivan explains the behind-the-scenes processes that take place when it comes to museum design and/or renovations.
“Museums usually turn out to be just as conventional as the corporations and socialites who run them," Sullivan writes. "These one-percenters are also corporate directors, university trustees, hospital board members and generally busy-busy folk.”
While these talented people can organize a well-run competition, their results tend to disappoint as they focus more or “marketability” rather than design.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland earned praise for “doing it right.”
“It is a truly progressive cultural achievement. The design was radical enough to scare the pants off the museum’s own leadership. We applaud the choices and challenges behind this new, magnetic public place.”
Check out the full story here.
“Museums usually turn out to be just as conventional as the corporations and socialites who run them," Sullivan writes. "These one-percenters are also corporate directors, university trustees, hospital board members and generally busy-busy folk.”
While these talented people can organize a well-run competition, their results tend to disappoint as they focus more or “marketability” rather than design.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland earned praise for “doing it right.”
“It is a truly progressive cultural achievement. The design was radical enough to scare the pants off the museum’s own leadership. We applaud the choices and challenges behind this new, magnetic public place.”
Check out the full story here.
When Tom Nolan was at South by Southwest (SXSW) last year, he was moved by the startup companies on the stage during the business accelerator. “It was inspiring to see the companies go and pitch their hearts out with something they’ve been working on for months and years,” Nolan says. “I remember sitting in the audience and I had the idea for Plotter and I thought, ‘I’m going to go home and work on it.'"
Plotter is Nolan’s social mapping app -- just launched for iPhone on March 1. Plotter allows users to not only perform typical mapping functions, but also lets users interact and view friends’ maps or plot multiple destinations.
Nolan quit his job last September to develop Plotter and hasn’t stopped since. “We kind of hit the ground running in October and November,” he says. “We logged thousands of hours in a short amount of time.”
Nolan and his three partners, Chad Milburn, Tim Zeller and Chris Jungjohann, applied in November to compete in the SXSW accelerator in the social division. In December they got word that Plotter had beat out more than 500 companies for the chance to pitch their app at the conference last week.
The Plotter team made it through the first round, giving a two-minute pitch to judges and investors and made it into the final three in their category. They went on to give a five-minute pitch and a 10-minute Q & A before they were declared the winner.
The next step is to roll out Plotter for Android. Nolan also wants to target the auto industry. “We’re talking to car manufacturers to bring Plotter in dashboards of cars,” he says. “We want to become the first mapping app in cars. The in-dash systems are so outdated.”
Nolan says he plans to keep Plotter in Cleveland and expand the team as soon as possible. “It’s been kind of a whirlwind,” he says. “We need to figure out the next steps and what direction to go in.”
Source: Tom Nolan
Writer: Karin Connelly
Plotter is Nolan’s social mapping app -- just launched for iPhone on March 1. Plotter allows users to not only perform typical mapping functions, but also lets users interact and view friends’ maps or plot multiple destinations.
Nolan quit his job last September to develop Plotter and hasn’t stopped since. “We kind of hit the ground running in October and November,” he says. “We logged thousands of hours in a short amount of time.”
Nolan and his three partners, Chad Milburn, Tim Zeller and Chris Jungjohann, applied in November to compete in the SXSW accelerator in the social division. In December they got word that Plotter had beat out more than 500 companies for the chance to pitch their app at the conference last week.
The Plotter team made it through the first round, giving a two-minute pitch to judges and investors and made it into the final three in their category. They went on to give a five-minute pitch and a 10-minute Q & A before they were declared the winner.
The next step is to roll out Plotter for Android. Nolan also wants to target the auto industry. “We’re talking to car manufacturers to bring Plotter in dashboards of cars,” he says. “We want to become the first mapping app in cars. The in-dash systems are so outdated.”
Nolan says he plans to keep Plotter in Cleveland and expand the team as soon as possible. “It’s been kind of a whirlwind,” he says. “We need to figure out the next steps and what direction to go in.”
Source: Tom Nolan
Writer: Karin Connelly
Although it wasn't obvious to Thomas Fox at the time, losing his job at Go Media several years ago may have been the best thing that ever happened to him. It led him to create Bad Racket Recording Studio with partners James Kananen and Adam Wagner.
Since launching the studio in 2010, the group has expanded its presence in the music scene. Last year, they took on additional space, bolstered sound panels to create a better recording experience, and began hosting additional live concerts.
"January was our busiest month ever -- we were booked almost every day," says Fox, who handles marketing and operations for Bad Racket. "We're building a community of people that we're working with. Our customers have come from as far away as Philly and West Virginia, but right now it's mostly Cleveland bands."
What's different about Bad Racket, which occupies a warehouse space at W. 45th and Lorain (below Go Media's offices), is that it has created a recording space that feels like a cross between a living room and a comfortable stage.
"We're not a clean, polished space, but our emphasis is on creating a space for performance," says Fox. "All you do is show up, play your songs at your best and the rest is taken care of. People prefer live recordings -- although we do both."
Bad Racket, which charges $45 per hour for studio time, also handles video production. The recording space doubles as a stage used for live concerts.
Fox and his cohorts self-financed the studio and have reinvested profits back into the space. They've built walls from rockwall insulation and acoustic panels from "rolls of bike helmet padding from Zero Waste Landfill and whatever is cheapest at JoAnn Fabric." The result? A 1,200-square-foot space with great acoustics.
It's a labor of love that's paying off. "When there's a project we really, really want to do, budget is not an issue. Everyone here just wants to make great music. Most of us have separate jobs, but if anyone asks us what we do, we'd say Bad Racket."
Fox is also a leading force behind Brite Winter Fest (he books the music), which recently attracted 20,000 people to Ohio City on a cold, snowy February evening.
Source: Thomas Fox
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Since launching the studio in 2010, the group has expanded its presence in the music scene. Last year, they took on additional space, bolstered sound panels to create a better recording experience, and began hosting additional live concerts.
"January was our busiest month ever -- we were booked almost every day," says Fox, who handles marketing and operations for Bad Racket. "We're building a community of people that we're working with. Our customers have come from as far away as Philly and West Virginia, but right now it's mostly Cleveland bands."
What's different about Bad Racket, which occupies a warehouse space at W. 45th and Lorain (below Go Media's offices), is that it has created a recording space that feels like a cross between a living room and a comfortable stage.
"We're not a clean, polished space, but our emphasis is on creating a space for performance," says Fox. "All you do is show up, play your songs at your best and the rest is taken care of. People prefer live recordings -- although we do both."
Bad Racket, which charges $45 per hour for studio time, also handles video production. The recording space doubles as a stage used for live concerts.
Fox and his cohorts self-financed the studio and have reinvested profits back into the space. They've built walls from rockwall insulation and acoustic panels from "rolls of bike helmet padding from Zero Waste Landfill and whatever is cheapest at JoAnn Fabric." The result? A 1,200-square-foot space with great acoustics.
It's a labor of love that's paying off. "When there's a project we really, really want to do, budget is not an issue. Everyone here just wants to make great music. Most of us have separate jobs, but if anyone asks us what we do, we'd say Bad Racket."
Fox is also a leading force behind Brite Winter Fest (he books the music), which recently attracted 20,000 people to Ohio City on a cold, snowy February evening.
Source: Thomas Fox
Writer: Lee Chilcote
rta healthline among nation's best in rapid transit
In an Architect’s Newspaper blog post titled “Cleveland Leads U.S. Cities in Bus Rapid Transit,” Chris Bentley shares that Cleveland was the only American city to earn a “Silver Standard” ranking from the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP). None made the “Gold Standard.”
Cleveland was praised for its HealthLine, which in turn has helped spawn billions of dollars in investment to the city’s economic centers.
“Cleveland’s HealthLine, formerly The Euclid Corridor, is a 9.2-mile transit corridor connecting Downtown, University Circle, and East Cleveland with 40 stops along the way. [The] hybrid articulated buses ferry passengers 24-7.”
Four American cities made the ITDP “Bronze Standard.”
Read the full post here.
Cleveland was praised for its HealthLine, which in turn has helped spawn billions of dollars in investment to the city’s economic centers.
“Cleveland’s HealthLine, formerly The Euclid Corridor, is a 9.2-mile transit corridor connecting Downtown, University Circle, and East Cleveland with 40 stops along the way. [The] hybrid articulated buses ferry passengers 24-7.”
Four American cities made the ITDP “Bronze Standard.”
Read the full post here.
harp recognized as one of top-10 Irish pubs in nation
In a Fox News list titled “Top 10 Irish pubs in the US,” the fine folks at Gayot share that regardless of the time of year and one's heritage, a pint of Guinness and a plate of corned beef and cabbage is available anytime of year.
Cleveland’s own The Harp located on Detroit Ave. earns the honor of joining the list.
“The Harp sets itself apart with live music nights, an Irish/American menu, and a huge patio offering views of the Lake Erie shore and Cleveland skyline.”
Enjoy the full piece here.
Cleveland’s own The Harp located on Detroit Ave. earns the honor of joining the list.
“The Harp sets itself apart with live music nights, an Irish/American menu, and a huge patio offering views of the Lake Erie shore and Cleveland skyline.”
Enjoy the full piece here.
Two years ago, Matt Benton and his partner Jeremy Amos had an idea for adding social media to the college search process. So they quit their jobs doing investment work at KeyBank to develop College with Friends, a free mobile app that allows users to build a list of schools and see where their friends are going.
“It’s a way of saying, 'Hey, I want to go to Ohio State; who else wants to go there?'" says Benton. "The main idea is seeing who your future classmates might be."
It also gives colleges an alternate way of contacting students who are interested in their schools, as opposed to blindly marketing through the mail.
“At Key, time and again we heard parents complaining about kids going to college,” recalls Benton. “In addition to financing, they were getting all this mail, and kids wanted to know where everyone else is going. We wanted to create a time and a place for the college search and solve a lot of these problems.”
The app contains all the academic information prospective students need about the schools, and shows what friends are looking at those schools. Benton and Amos launched the app in January after talking to schools about their marketing process.
“We spent a ton of time with colleges,” says Benton. “The number-one thing they do is mailings through buying zip code data. We create the ability for colleges to come in and connect directly with the kids interested in going to that college.” Benton and Amos also talked to high school students about what they’d like to see in College with Friends.
Benton and Amos plan to add a news feed to the app, in which students can share their campus visits.
Right now the two work with a development firm for the technical aspects of the app while they focus on the design side. Benton says they plan to move the technical side in-house, as well as hire a “pretty sizeable” sales force.
Source: Matt Benton
Writer: Karin Connelly
“It’s a way of saying, 'Hey, I want to go to Ohio State; who else wants to go there?'" says Benton. "The main idea is seeing who your future classmates might be."
It also gives colleges an alternate way of contacting students who are interested in their schools, as opposed to blindly marketing through the mail.
“At Key, time and again we heard parents complaining about kids going to college,” recalls Benton. “In addition to financing, they were getting all this mail, and kids wanted to know where everyone else is going. We wanted to create a time and a place for the college search and solve a lot of these problems.”
The app contains all the academic information prospective students need about the schools, and shows what friends are looking at those schools. Benton and Amos launched the app in January after talking to schools about their marketing process.
“We spent a ton of time with colleges,” says Benton. “The number-one thing they do is mailings through buying zip code data. We create the ability for colleges to come in and connect directly with the kids interested in going to that college.” Benton and Amos also talked to high school students about what they’d like to see in College with Friends.
Benton and Amos plan to add a news feed to the app, in which students can share their campus visits.
Right now the two work with a development firm for the technical aspects of the app while they focus on the design side. Benton says they plan to move the technical side in-house, as well as hire a “pretty sizeable” sales force.
Source: Matt Benton
Writer: Karin Connelly
local company making most of exporting opportunities
In a Huffington Post story titled “ It’s a Small (Business) World: The Benefits of Exporting,” Karen Mills, an administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, shares a story about Cleveland’s TLC Products and its success in exporting through the assistance of the program.
“I recently visited TLC Products -- a Cleveland business which manufactures live bacterial products used for environmentally-friendly water treatment in ponds, septic systems and aquariums,” Mills writes.
“The company credits SBA Express loans and other products with transforming their business. Today, they have export opportunities to eight countries and expect to increase sales significantly next year with additional sales to China, India and Mexico.”
Check out the detailed piece here.
“I recently visited TLC Products -- a Cleveland business which manufactures live bacterial products used for environmentally-friendly water treatment in ponds, septic systems and aquariums,” Mills writes.
“The company credits SBA Express loans and other products with transforming their business. Today, they have export opportunities to eight countries and expect to increase sales significantly next year with additional sales to China, India and Mexico.”
Check out the detailed piece here.