Stories
Some things do get better with age. GrafTech International has been a part of Cleveland's manufacturing scene for 130 years. The producer of advanced carbon and graphite materials has stayed current with the times and technology to stay viable and profitable.
GrafTech, which among other things produces a micro-thin, flexible graphite used to dissipate heat on everything from laptops to flat-screen TVs, saw its nets sales increase 55 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2010. GrafTech's net income more than doubled to $40 million, and its gross profit increased from $28 million in third quarter 2009 to $75 million a year later.
With these numbers, it is no wonder that GrafTech is adding to its workforce. The company hired 60 people over the summer, and will likely add up to 40 more. The average annual salary for new hires is $80,000. The new jobs are located at GrafTech's Parma headquarters and laboratories and its Lakewood factory.
Craig Shular, chairman and CEO of GrafTech, says that the company's continuous improvement efforts have kept it on the cutting edge while focusing on changing customer needs. GrafTech, for example, has embraced Lean Manufacturing in recent years. "Lean is very much a part of our corporate culture, the culture we are trying to build," he says.
SOURCE: GrafTech
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
GrafTech, which among other things produces a micro-thin, flexible graphite used to dissipate heat on everything from laptops to flat-screen TVs, saw its nets sales increase 55 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2010. GrafTech's net income more than doubled to $40 million, and its gross profit increased from $28 million in third quarter 2009 to $75 million a year later.
With these numbers, it is no wonder that GrafTech is adding to its workforce. The company hired 60 people over the summer, and will likely add up to 40 more. The average annual salary for new hires is $80,000. The new jobs are located at GrafTech's Parma headquarters and laboratories and its Lakewood factory.
Craig Shular, chairman and CEO of GrafTech, says that the company's continuous improvement efforts have kept it on the cutting edge while focusing on changing customer needs. GrafTech, for example, has embraced Lean Manufacturing in recent years. "Lean is very much a part of our corporate culture, the culture we are trying to build," he says.
SOURCE: GrafTech
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
Mike Graley, a wine buyer for Heinen's for 20 years, is applying his expertise to a new venture, Battery Park Wine Bar,
a.k.a. YOLO Wine Bar in Battery Park. YOLO stands for "You Only Live
Once," which Graley says is the theme of his unpretentious,
contemporary joint, in the former Eveready plant in Detroit Shoreway's
Battery Park neighborhood.
This "not-so-typical wine bar," as Graley describes it, will carry well over 100 varieties, all sold at just $12 above retail -- unlike the more typical double retail. The same price structure will be used in the adjacent retail shop. Graley is talking to some Ohio wineries about carrying their labels.
The menu will feature "medium plates" of beef and lamb sliders, truffle mac and cheese, pork and veal meatballs, Ohio City Pasta and a variety of fries, plus cheese, meat and olive boards and salads.
The wine bar will be the first business to open in the Powerhouse, as the old Eveready plant is now known. The Powerhouse is in the heart of the Battery Park residential community, developed by Vintage Development Group. "It shows that redevelopment of the lakefront is a huge asset," says Jeff Ramsey, executive director of the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organzation. The Waterfront District Plan will greatly increase pedestrian and bicycle access to the lake by 2014.
YOLO Wine Bar is scheduled to open November 15. For updates send an e-mail to info@batteryparkwinebar.com.
Source: Mike Graley
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
This "not-so-typical wine bar," as Graley describes it, will carry well over 100 varieties, all sold at just $12 above retail -- unlike the more typical double retail. The same price structure will be used in the adjacent retail shop. Graley is talking to some Ohio wineries about carrying their labels.
The menu will feature "medium plates" of beef and lamb sliders, truffle mac and cheese, pork and veal meatballs, Ohio City Pasta and a variety of fries, plus cheese, meat and olive boards and salads.
The wine bar will be the first business to open in the Powerhouse, as the old Eveready plant is now known. The Powerhouse is in the heart of the Battery Park residential community, developed by Vintage Development Group. "It shows that redevelopment of the lakefront is a huge asset," says Jeff Ramsey, executive director of the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organzation. The Waterfront District Plan will greatly increase pedestrian and bicycle access to the lake by 2014.
YOLO Wine Bar is scheduled to open November 15. For updates send an e-mail to info@batteryparkwinebar.com.
Source: Mike Graley
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Cleveland's slow but steady transformation from national leader in job
loss and foreclosures to national model for urban farming took another
major step forward last week in the Kinsman neighborhood. That's where
federal, state and city officials introduced the Cleveland Urban
Agriculture Incubator Pilot Project.
Six acres of land at East 83rd and Gill, donated from the City Land Bank, will be turned into a farm, thanks to $100,000 grants from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the City of Cleveland, and $740,000 from the Ohio State University Extension, via the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's the first urban farm to receive funding through the USDA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, now in its second year.
The goals of the incubator are to promote entrepreneurship and access to fresh produce in an area that sorely needs both. If successful, the model will be replicated in other neighborhoods.
The OSU Extension will use half an acre of the land to train aspiring farmers. The remaining land will be leased in quarter-acre plots, beginning next spring.
The project grew in part out of the Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone established by Burten, Bell, Carter Development, Inc., which serves the area, according to BBC programs manager Sherita Mullins. BBC will recruit farmers from the community.
The state funds come from Gov. Strickland's Ohio Neighborhood Harvest initiative, which seeks to bring produce to the "food deserts" found in many low-income urban communities, and to boost local economies. Currently only about 3 percent of the estimated $43 billion that Ohioans spend on food annually goes to Ohio farms.
Source: Burten Bell Carter Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Six acres of land at East 83rd and Gill, donated from the City Land Bank, will be turned into a farm, thanks to $100,000 grants from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the City of Cleveland, and $740,000 from the Ohio State University Extension, via the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's the first urban farm to receive funding through the USDA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, now in its second year.
The goals of the incubator are to promote entrepreneurship and access to fresh produce in an area that sorely needs both. If successful, the model will be replicated in other neighborhoods.
The OSU Extension will use half an acre of the land to train aspiring farmers. The remaining land will be leased in quarter-acre plots, beginning next spring.
The project grew in part out of the Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone established by Burten, Bell, Carter Development, Inc., which serves the area, according to BBC programs manager Sherita Mullins. BBC will recruit farmers from the community.
The state funds come from Gov. Strickland's Ohio Neighborhood Harvest initiative, which seeks to bring produce to the "food deserts" found in many low-income urban communities, and to boost local economies. Currently only about 3 percent of the estimated $43 billion that Ohioans spend on food annually goes to Ohio farms.
Source: Burten Bell Carter Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Bike-riding in the Cleveland area is up 50 percent since 2006, according to a recent survey by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA).
Cleveland Heights is hoping to push the figure even higher in next
year's survey with the addition of "sharrows" on city roads.
"Sharrow" is short for "share-the-road arrows," which are painted onto road surfaces. "You use them when you don't have enough room for a bike lane," explains Richard Wong, the city's director of planning and development. Sharrows are intended to remind bicyclists where they should ride -- with the flow of vehicular traffic, not against -- and to encourage drivers to share the road.
"They'll help reduce tension between bicyclists and motorists," says Nick Matthew of the Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition, which gathered more than 500 signatures on a petition urging the city to become one of the first in Northeast Ohio to adopt sharrows. Cleveland was the first, on Franklin Avenue.
Last week, just two months after the petition was presented to the city, sharrows were painted last week on Euclid Heights Boulevard, between Taylor and Coventry. (West of Coventry, where on-street parking is legal some hours, the city will install yellow "Share the Road" signs.) By next year, Wong says, the city plans to paint sharrows on Coventry, Lee and Fairmount.
Cleveland Heights ranks in the top 10 percent nationally for bicycle commuting by residents, according to data from the 2000 Census.
Source: Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"Sharrow" is short for "share-the-road arrows," which are painted onto road surfaces. "You use them when you don't have enough room for a bike lane," explains Richard Wong, the city's director of planning and development. Sharrows are intended to remind bicyclists where they should ride -- with the flow of vehicular traffic, not against -- and to encourage drivers to share the road.
"They'll help reduce tension between bicyclists and motorists," says Nick Matthew of the Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition, which gathered more than 500 signatures on a petition urging the city to become one of the first in Northeast Ohio to adopt sharrows. Cleveland was the first, on Franklin Avenue.
Last week, just two months after the petition was presented to the city, sharrows were painted last week on Euclid Heights Boulevard, between Taylor and Coventry. (West of Coventry, where on-street parking is legal some hours, the city will install yellow "Share the Road" signs.) By next year, Wong says, the city plans to paint sharrows on Coventry, Lee and Fairmount.
Cleveland Heights ranks in the top 10 percent nationally for bicycle commuting by residents, according to data from the 2000 Census.
Source: Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority officials recently revealed that they are reconsidering long-stalled plans for a ferry between Ohio and Ontario. Last week, they announced another international transit plan, this time for container service.
The Port and Great Lakes Feeder Lines of Burlington, Ontario are discussing a deal that would make Cleveland the first city on the lakes with regular container service to and from Canada. The Cleveland-Montreal connection could begin as early as spring 2011. The new business would not require upgrades to existing Port facilities.
"This is an exciting economic opportunity for the port, the region and the state," says Port CEO William Friedman in a statement. "Simply put, Cleveland would be the first city on the Great Lakes that will have a pin on the global map when it comes to container service."
Great Lakes Feeder Lines launched in 2008 with one ship providing service between Halifax, Montreal and Toronto. The company now has two ships, which can take containers from trans-Atlantic ships and carry them across the lakes.
Source: Port of Cleveland
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The Port and Great Lakes Feeder Lines of Burlington, Ontario are discussing a deal that would make Cleveland the first city on the lakes with regular container service to and from Canada. The Cleveland-Montreal connection could begin as early as spring 2011. The new business would not require upgrades to existing Port facilities.
"This is an exciting economic opportunity for the port, the region and the state," says Port CEO William Friedman in a statement. "Simply put, Cleveland would be the first city on the Great Lakes that will have a pin on the global map when it comes to container service."
Great Lakes Feeder Lines launched in 2008 with one ship providing service between Halifax, Montreal and Toronto. The company now has two ships, which can take containers from trans-Atlantic ships and carry them across the lakes.
Source: Port of Cleveland
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Since being founded in 2001, EverStaff
has developed a national presence that touches 22 states. Still, the
Cleveland-based firm has not forgotten its roots, as it continues to
expand operations in Northeast Ohio. Within the past three months, the
staffing and recruiting firm has added offices in Ashtabula and Cuyahoga
Falls.
In addition to its Independence headquarters and the two new facilities, EverStaff has local offices in Brooklyn, Mentor and Solon. The goal is to continue to expand nationally while maintaining the local partnership of a smaller boutique agency.
EverStaff has grown its number of employees by 27 percent since this time last year, with the biggest surge occurring in its sales and marketing force.
EverStaff's local offices handle temporary staffing, temporary-to-hire, direct hire, payroll services and vendor management. The company focuses on staffing for office and administration, light industrial/general labor, accounting/finance, sales, legal, IT and engineering.
"EverStaff's strategic plan has enabled us... to maximize the resources we provide to our clients," says Danny Spitz, president of the company.
Inc. Magazine this year placed EverStaff on its fourth annual Inc. 5000, ranking the nation's fastest-growing private companies.
SOURCE: EverStaff
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
In addition to its Independence headquarters and the two new facilities, EverStaff has local offices in Brooklyn, Mentor and Solon. The goal is to continue to expand nationally while maintaining the local partnership of a smaller boutique agency.
EverStaff has grown its number of employees by 27 percent since this time last year, with the biggest surge occurring in its sales and marketing force.
EverStaff's local offices handle temporary staffing, temporary-to-hire, direct hire, payroll services and vendor management. The company focuses on staffing for office and administration, light industrial/general labor, accounting/finance, sales, legal, IT and engineering.
"EverStaff's strategic plan has enabled us... to maximize the resources we provide to our clients," says Danny Spitz, president of the company.
Inc. Magazine this year placed EverStaff on its fourth annual Inc. 5000, ranking the nation's fastest-growing private companies.
SOURCE: EverStaff
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
Despite the unstoppable march of progress from analogue to digital, vinyl records are making an undeniable comeback. And catering to that expanding market is Cleveland's own Gotta Groove Records, one of only a handful of existing vinyl pressing plants in the United States. Make that, the world.
‘last place’ is best place for fledgling clothing company
Cleveland has long been a struggling kind of place -- even when the
steel mills were smoking or the Browns were winning, and especially when
the river was burning or LeBron was bolting. It's that constant
struggle to keep going even when failure looms that gives the city its
edge.
That's the gritty, hip, survivor-type message thrust on the front of T-shirts and hoodies created by fledgling clothing company Last Place. The bold designs and short, witty sayings graphically depict the impressions of young people who call this fair city home.
"Last Place represents the creative individuals everywhere that are making things happen by challenging mediocre," says Irwan Awalludin, who came up with the brand as a project for his senior BFA. The idea took off, and Awalludin joined forces with three other Cleveland Institute of Art students to take Last Place from senior project to legitimate clothing line.
Last Place has an online catalog; the clothing is also on sale at Heart and Sole in Cleveland Heights. Prices range from $24 for a pre-shrunk, heavy-weight cotton tee to $64 for a sweatshirt. The fall lineup officially launched in October, and there's more planned.
"Regardless of where you stand, the garments serve as a symbol that you're on your way, or as a badge worn with pride showing that you were able to overcome your circumstances," according to the Last Place website. Awalludin and his cohorts hope that Last Place represents the beginning of a bright future amid the ongoing struggles.
SOURCE: Irwan Awalludin
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
That's the gritty, hip, survivor-type message thrust on the front of T-shirts and hoodies created by fledgling clothing company Last Place. The bold designs and short, witty sayings graphically depict the impressions of young people who call this fair city home.
"Last Place represents the creative individuals everywhere that are making things happen by challenging mediocre," says Irwan Awalludin, who came up with the brand as a project for his senior BFA. The idea took off, and Awalludin joined forces with three other Cleveland Institute of Art students to take Last Place from senior project to legitimate clothing line.
Last Place has an online catalog; the clothing is also on sale at Heart and Sole in Cleveland Heights. Prices range from $24 for a pre-shrunk, heavy-weight cotton tee to $64 for a sweatshirt. The fall lineup officially launched in October, and there's more planned.
"Regardless of where you stand, the garments serve as a symbol that you're on your way, or as a badge worn with pride showing that you were able to overcome your circumstances," according to the Last Place website. Awalludin and his cohorts hope that Last Place represents the beginning of a bright future amid the ongoing struggles.
SOURCE: Irwan Awalludin
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
Imagine being an entrepreneur and having at your fingertips resources
for everything from pre-seed funding to regional incubators. Questions
about how to turn an idea into a business, how to request funding and
how to place your innovative idea in the proper hands could be answered
by simply clicking a button or linking to a respected adviser.
That's the idea behind the JumpStart Entrepreneurial Network's newly launched website, which aims to make access to the appropriate connections simpler and more effective for entrepreneurs within a 21-county radius.
"By having this website serve as a single entry point to a continuum of resources, we're making access to those resources quicker and easier," says John Dearborn, president of JumpStart Inc. Interested parties fill out a form detailing their idea or startup business, and are then put in touch with the appropriate local resources.
Several area entrepreneurial support organizations, all of which have received funding from Ohio's Third Frontier, comprise the JumpStart Entrepreneurial Network: GLIDE, MAGNET, Braintree Business Development Center, Youngstown Business Incubator, Akron Global Business Accelerator, BioEnterprise, Glengary, LLC, North Coast Angel Fund, North Coast Opportunities Technology Fund of Cuyahoga County, Innovation Fund founded by Lorain County Community College Foundation, Ohio Aerospace Institute, NorTech, IdeaCrossing and JumpStart. The region's higher-education institutions are also members.
According to Ray Leach, CEO of JumpStart, this influential group has together received $69 million in federal and state grants, reached annualized revenues of $100 million and created and supported 850 direct jobs at an average salary of $67,200.
SOURCE: Jumpstart, Inc.
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
That's the idea behind the JumpStart Entrepreneurial Network's newly launched website, which aims to make access to the appropriate connections simpler and more effective for entrepreneurs within a 21-county radius.
"By having this website serve as a single entry point to a continuum of resources, we're making access to those resources quicker and easier," says John Dearborn, president of JumpStart Inc. Interested parties fill out a form detailing their idea or startup business, and are then put in touch with the appropriate local resources.
Several area entrepreneurial support organizations, all of which have received funding from Ohio's Third Frontier, comprise the JumpStart Entrepreneurial Network: GLIDE, MAGNET, Braintree Business Development Center, Youngstown Business Incubator, Akron Global Business Accelerator, BioEnterprise, Glengary, LLC, North Coast Angel Fund, North Coast Opportunities Technology Fund of Cuyahoga County, Innovation Fund founded by Lorain County Community College Foundation, Ohio Aerospace Institute, NorTech, IdeaCrossing and JumpStart. The region's higher-education institutions are also members.
According to Ray Leach, CEO of JumpStart, this influential group has together received $69 million in federal and state grants, reached annualized revenues of $100 million and created and supported 850 direct jobs at an average salary of $67,200.
SOURCE: Jumpstart, Inc.
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
The Cleveland Clinic's Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center continues to attract new companies and jobs to the region. One of those snags is Farm Design, a medical product development firm that wanted so badly to be in Cleveland, they made the trip from Boston.
Partners Investing in Nursing's Future
(PIN) is a nationwide initiative to ensure nurses receive the training
and skills necessary to meet current and future trends in healthcare.
The program provides support to local and regional philanthropies to
develop strategies for creating and sustaining a viable nursing
workforce.
The Cleveland Foundation has been chosen as one of nine foundations across the country to receive funding from PIN. The two-year, $200,000 grant to the Cleveland Foundation will be used specifically to address Ohio's nursing needs by expanding the number of nurse educators in the state. Local funding totaling $210,000 will match the grant.
The Cleveland Foundation will be working in collaboration with the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation and the nursing schools at Cleveland State University, Kent State University, the University of Akron and Ursuline College to address specific nursing-related concerns in Northeast Ohio.
In addition to the Cleveland Foundation, PIN grants were awarded to foundations in California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota and Texas. These PIN partners will focus on key areas of concern in building a nursing workforce: capacity, diversity, education, recruitment and retention.
SOURCE: Cleveland Foundation
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
The Cleveland Foundation has been chosen as one of nine foundations across the country to receive funding from PIN. The two-year, $200,000 grant to the Cleveland Foundation will be used specifically to address Ohio's nursing needs by expanding the number of nurse educators in the state. Local funding totaling $210,000 will match the grant.
The Cleveland Foundation will be working in collaboration with the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation and the nursing schools at Cleveland State University, Kent State University, the University of Akron and Ursuline College to address specific nursing-related concerns in Northeast Ohio.
In addition to the Cleveland Foundation, PIN grants were awarded to foundations in California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota and Texas. These PIN partners will focus on key areas of concern in building a nursing workforce: capacity, diversity, education, recruitment and retention.
SOURCE: Cleveland Foundation
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
extraordinary gift to cleveland orchestra is extraordinary gift to future music fans
Thanks to an extraordinary financial gift from the Maltz Family Foundation in the amount of $20M, the Cleveland Orchestra has announced the formation of the Center for Future Audiences.
With the stated goal of having the youngest orchestra audience in the country by 2018, the symphony's centennial, the endowment will remove the financial barrier standing in the way of Cleveland's youth by subsidizing or offering free admission to young concert-goers.
"It's incomprehensible to think of Cleveland losing this Orchestra," said Milton Maltz, President of the Maltz Family Foundation. "This would be equivalent to stopping the heartbeat of this great city. Over the decades there have been many contributors to our Orchestra. It is now this generation's turn to continue to uphold the tradition. It's the right thing to do. It's our responsibility."
"The Maltz Family's extraordinary generosity is deeply appreciated," added Gary Hanson, the Orchestra's Executive Director. "The Foundation's philanthropy is a vote of confidence in the future of the Orchestra and will be an inspiration to others who care deeply about our community."
Read the Orchestra' official release here.
With the stated goal of having the youngest orchestra audience in the country by 2018, the symphony's centennial, the endowment will remove the financial barrier standing in the way of Cleveland's youth by subsidizing or offering free admission to young concert-goers.
"It's incomprehensible to think of Cleveland losing this Orchestra," said Milton Maltz, President of the Maltz Family Foundation. "This would be equivalent to stopping the heartbeat of this great city. Over the decades there have been many contributors to our Orchestra. It is now this generation's turn to continue to uphold the tradition. It's the right thing to do. It's our responsibility."
"The Maltz Family's extraordinary generosity is deeply appreciated," added Gary Hanson, the Orchestra's Executive Director. "The Foundation's philanthropy is a vote of confidence in the future of the Orchestra and will be an inspiration to others who care deeply about our community."
Read the Orchestra' official release here.
cleveland be smart, according to daily beast
In its second annual ranking of "America's Smartest (and Dumbest) Cities," the Daily Beast website credits Cleveland as the 17th smartest big city with one million people or more. That puts us ahead of Chicago (#24), Atlanta (#28), Dallas (#41), and Las Vegas (#55).
Crunching figures that take into account per-capita numbers of libraries, residents with bachelor's and graduate degrees, nonfiction book sales, and institutions of higher education, the survey determined the comparative IQs of America's metropolitans.
The CLE+ numbers:
Metropolitan area population: 2,091,286
Bachelor's degrees: 17%
Graduate degrees: 10%
Year-to-date adult nonfiction book sales: 2,024,000
Thanks to a reworked formula, Cleveland jumped from its last-year position of #31.
See the other smart (and not-so-smart) cities here.
Crunching figures that take into account per-capita numbers of libraries, residents with bachelor's and graduate degrees, nonfiction book sales, and institutions of higher education, the survey determined the comparative IQs of America's metropolitans.
The CLE+ numbers:
Metropolitan area population: 2,091,286
Bachelor's degrees: 17%
Graduate degrees: 10%
Year-to-date adult nonfiction book sales: 2,024,000
Thanks to a reworked formula, Cleveland jumped from its last-year position of #31.
See the other smart (and not-so-smart) cities here.
Thomas Paine would be proud. At a time when it seems like every new idea is first floated online, Plain Dealer architecture critic Steven Litt has chosen good old-fashioned paper as the primary vehicle for his impassioned paean to beautiful surroundings, Designing a Better Cleveland.
"To the extent that Cleveland fails to make the most of public and private investments in buildings, highways, bridges, streets, parks and waterfronts, it will waste opportunities, fail to compete effectively with its peers and damage its economy," Litt writes in the introduction. "Everyone, in other words, has a stake in good design."
Litt calls the slim, gorgeously designed booklet "a mini-primer on the ways in which citizens, developers, planners and designers can raise standards of civic design in Cleveland." But it's clearly also meant to inspire.
"Economists may disagree over whether excellent architecture and urban amenities such as streetscapes, bike trails and waterfront parks are a cause or consequence of economic vitality," he writes. "Regardless, it never makes sense to spend a dollar on mediocrity when the same dollar can buy excellence. The reality is that great design demands greater effort -- on the part of clients, designers, government agencies and citizens. Cleveland continues to be plagued by a chronic sense of low self-esteem and by the notion that trying to improve the city through better design isn't worth the effort.
"THIS VOLUME REJECTS THAT VIEW."
The book grew out of Spectrum: the Lockwood Thompson Dialogues at the Cleveland Public Library, and was facilitated by Cleveland Public Art.
Since the book's inroduction in the PD, Cleveland Public Art has received nearly 200 calls requesting copies, according to executive director Gregory Peckham. "That seems like a good benchmark when it comes to the interest of the public about the subject of civic design," Peckham notes.
Designing a Better Cleveland is also available online as a PDF.
Source: Plain Dealer
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"To the extent that Cleveland fails to make the most of public and private investments in buildings, highways, bridges, streets, parks and waterfronts, it will waste opportunities, fail to compete effectively with its peers and damage its economy," Litt writes in the introduction. "Everyone, in other words, has a stake in good design."
Litt calls the slim, gorgeously designed booklet "a mini-primer on the ways in which citizens, developers, planners and designers can raise standards of civic design in Cleveland." But it's clearly also meant to inspire.
"Economists may disagree over whether excellent architecture and urban amenities such as streetscapes, bike trails and waterfront parks are a cause or consequence of economic vitality," he writes. "Regardless, it never makes sense to spend a dollar on mediocrity when the same dollar can buy excellence. The reality is that great design demands greater effort -- on the part of clients, designers, government agencies and citizens. Cleveland continues to be plagued by a chronic sense of low self-esteem and by the notion that trying to improve the city through better design isn't worth the effort.
"THIS VOLUME REJECTS THAT VIEW."
The book grew out of Spectrum: the Lockwood Thompson Dialogues at the Cleveland Public Library, and was facilitated by Cleveland Public Art.
Since the book's inroduction in the PD, Cleveland Public Art has received nearly 200 calls requesting copies, according to executive director Gregory Peckham. "That seems like a good benchmark when it comes to the interest of the public about the subject of civic design," Peckham notes.
Designing a Better Cleveland is also available online as a PDF.
Source: Plain Dealer
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Studying "the ways businesses incorporate sustainable practices into
product design and manufacturing, supply-chain relationships, marketing,
customer relationships and operational efficiencies" is how
Baldwin-Wallace professor David Krueger defines the new MBA in
Sustainability program at Baldwin-Wallace (B-W).
The two-year sustainability program is the first of its kind in Ohio. B-W was also the first higher-education institution in the state to offer an undergraduate major in sustainability, which began in 2008.
Krueger, professor of business and director of the Institute for Sustainable Business Practice, says that the MBA in Sustainability program is designed so that students learn by doing and by observing how sustainable practices are applied in the workplace.
For its part, B-W has been putting sustainable practices to work on campus for the past few years. These have included installing geothermal heating and cooling systems in buildings, instituting an industrial-scale waste composting program and campus-wide recycling and constructing a wind turbine.
B-W's Institute for Sustainable Business Practice, which serves as a resource to businesses, recently received $100,000 from the Cleveland Foundation for its Sustainability Plan Clinic.
SOURCE: Baldwin-Wallace
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
The two-year sustainability program is the first of its kind in Ohio. B-W was also the first higher-education institution in the state to offer an undergraduate major in sustainability, which began in 2008.
Krueger, professor of business and director of the Institute for Sustainable Business Practice, says that the MBA in Sustainability program is designed so that students learn by doing and by observing how sustainable practices are applied in the workplace.
For its part, B-W has been putting sustainable practices to work on campus for the past few years. These have included installing geothermal heating and cooling systems in buildings, instituting an industrial-scale waste composting program and campus-wide recycling and constructing a wind turbine.
B-W's Institute for Sustainable Business Practice, which serves as a resource to businesses, recently received $100,000 from the Cleveland Foundation for its Sustainability Plan Clinic.
SOURCE: Baldwin-Wallace
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
The location search tool on the Ohio Film Office's
new web site is a fun way to peruse some of the most scenic sites in
the state. Choosing category "Industrial," subcategory
"Factories/Plants/Mills," and region "Northern" will lead you to dozens
of photos of the Flats, in all its Rust Belt glory. You don't have to
be a filmmaker to enjoy it; the scenes almost start to write themselves.
But producers and directors are the intended users of the site, which was launched earlier this month in hopes of luring more production work to the state. "Ohio can work as a backdrop for any place or time period a producer is looking to capture," says Jeremy Henthorn, director of the Ohio Film Office.
The site also provides information on tax incentives available to productions that shoot here, and a data base of experienced crew. Need a Steadicam operator in Cleveland? A special effects coordinator willing to travel around the state? The data base also accept registrations from Ohioans looking for work.
In September the Plain Dealer reported that in its first year, the state's film tax credit has attracted nine productions that will spend a combined $33 million. They include 25 Hill, about a soap-box derby driver whose father dies in Afghanistan, which shot in Akron, and Unstoppable, the Denzel Washington action movie that opens November 12.
Source: Ohio Department of Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
But producers and directors are the intended users of the site, which was launched earlier this month in hopes of luring more production work to the state. "Ohio can work as a backdrop for any place or time period a producer is looking to capture," says Jeremy Henthorn, director of the Ohio Film Office.
The site also provides information on tax incentives available to productions that shoot here, and a data base of experienced crew. Need a Steadicam operator in Cleveland? A special effects coordinator willing to travel around the state? The data base also accept registrations from Ohioans looking for work.
In September the Plain Dealer reported that in its first year, the state's film tax credit has attracted nine productions that will spend a combined $33 million. They include 25 Hill, about a soap-box derby driver whose father dies in Afghanistan, which shot in Akron, and Unstoppable, the Denzel Washington action movie that opens November 12.
Source: Ohio Department of Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Northeast Ohio could reap more than half the benefit of newly announced
state tax credits intended to spark development. Key Community
Development New Markets and Northeast Ohio Development Fund, both based
in Cuyahoga County, were awarded $3 million and $2 million,
respectively, in credits through the Ohio New Markets Tax Credits. All
told, $10 million in credits were distributed to four funds in this
first round of grants.
The credits are modeled after and supplement a federal program and are administered by the Ohio Department of Development. "By encouraging investments in areas of Ohio that need it most, we are ensuring future economic development opportunities and increased potential for new jobs," Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel said in a statement. "The Ohio New Markets Tax Credit program is one of the first of its kind in the country, and we are eager to see the new developments that come from this program."
Northeast Ohio Development Fund -- a joint venture between the Port of Cleveland, Ariel Ventures and Cohen & Co. accountants -- has identified several potential beneficiaries of the credits, according to the state, including the proposed Cleveland Aquarium, the Midtown Tech Park and the planned University Circle hotel.
Among the entities that Key may support are the Allen Theatre, which needs renovations, and Cleveland-based Ohio Solar Cooperative, an innovative, employee-owned company that leases and installs solar panels. Clients to date include the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, the City of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Housing Network.
Ohio Solar is part of the Evergreen Cooperatives network, which may benefit in other ways from the credits. Another recipient of the credits, Finance Fund, based in Franklin County, has listed the Green City Growers Cooperative, Evergreen Medical Recycling and Evergreen Record Retention Cooperative and companies it may support.
Source: Ohio Department of Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The credits are modeled after and supplement a federal program and are administered by the Ohio Department of Development. "By encouraging investments in areas of Ohio that need it most, we are ensuring future economic development opportunities and increased potential for new jobs," Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel said in a statement. "The Ohio New Markets Tax Credit program is one of the first of its kind in the country, and we are eager to see the new developments that come from this program."
Northeast Ohio Development Fund -- a joint venture between the Port of Cleveland, Ariel Ventures and Cohen & Co. accountants -- has identified several potential beneficiaries of the credits, according to the state, including the proposed Cleveland Aquarium, the Midtown Tech Park and the planned University Circle hotel.
Among the entities that Key may support are the Allen Theatre, which needs renovations, and Cleveland-based Ohio Solar Cooperative, an innovative, employee-owned company that leases and installs solar panels. Clients to date include the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, the City of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Housing Network.
Ohio Solar is part of the Evergreen Cooperatives network, which may benefit in other ways from the credits. Another recipient of the credits, Finance Fund, based in Franklin County, has listed the Green City Growers Cooperative, Evergreen Medical Recycling and Evergreen Record Retention Cooperative and companies it may support.
Source: Ohio Department of Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
trio of cleveland eateries win sante awards
Santé, the Magazine for Restaurant Professionals recently announced its winners of the 2010 Santé Restaurant Awards. Currently in their 13th year, the Santé Awards were created to recognize excellence in restaurant food, wine, spirits, and service hospitality.
Claiming three of the 88 awards were Cleveland restaurants Parallax and Table 45, which won in the "Innovative" category, and Moxie, which took honors in the "Sustainable" category.
"At Table 45, we take the newest and most unique flavors from around the globe and combine them in entirely different ways to produce dishes that are unlike anything else our guests have ever tasted," said owner Zack Bruell. "Every time we create a new menu, it is an experience in culinary innovation. We are delighted to have Santé recognize our efforts."
Cleveland diners looking try these award-winning restaurants, as well as 87 other members of the Cleveland Independents restaurant group, are in luck. This year's Cleveland Restaurant Week runs from November 1 through 14, with participating eateries offering special three-course prix fixe meals for just $30.
See the complete list Sante' award winners here, and participating Restaurant Week eateries here.
Claiming three of the 88 awards were Cleveland restaurants Parallax and Table 45, which won in the "Innovative" category, and Moxie, which took honors in the "Sustainable" category.
"At Table 45, we take the newest and most unique flavors from around the globe and combine them in entirely different ways to produce dishes that are unlike anything else our guests have ever tasted," said owner Zack Bruell. "Every time we create a new menu, it is an experience in culinary innovation. We are delighted to have Santé recognize our efforts."
Cleveland diners looking try these award-winning restaurants, as well as 87 other members of the Cleveland Independents restaurant group, are in luck. This year's Cleveland Restaurant Week runs from November 1 through 14, with participating eateries offering special three-course prix fixe meals for just $30.
See the complete list Sante' award winners here, and participating Restaurant Week eateries here.
cleveland public library earns top spot in library journal index
Boasting the highest score and largest circulation in its expenditure category, the Cleveland Public Library snagged top honors in the annual Library Journal Index of Public Library Service (LJ Index). Crunching numbers in the categories of library visits, circulation, program attendance, and public Internet usage, the index ranks more than 7,400 library systems around the nation.
"This is great news for our Cleveland community," said Felton Thomas, director of Cleveland Public Library. "Our goal is to provide our patrons easy access to our collections, programs, and computers, and we're honored to receive this recognition."
In the liner notes, however, the Journal warns that recent cuts in state library funding will doubtless impact the standing of Ohio libraries in future rounds of the LJ Index.
Check out all the winners here.
"This is great news for our Cleveland community," said Felton Thomas, director of Cleveland Public Library. "Our goal is to provide our patrons easy access to our collections, programs, and computers, and we're honored to receive this recognition."
In the liner notes, however, the Journal warns that recent cuts in state library funding will doubtless impact the standing of Ohio libraries in future rounds of the LJ Index.
Check out all the winners here.
next american city recaps reclaiming vacant properties conference
If you didn't have an opportunity to attend the Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference held here two weeks ago, we urge you to read this thorough rundown in Next American City.
Reporting for the mag is Cleveland-based sustainability writer Marc Lefkowitz, a frequent Next American City contributor.
Cleveland was chosen to host the conference, explained keynote speaker Alex Kotlowitz, not simply because the city is plagued by foreclosures and vacant properties, but rather because Cleveland is "pushing back."
Lefkowitz writes that Kotlowitz was particularly inspired by Cleveland Housing Court Judge Raymond Pianka's efforts to adjudicate and fine banks in absentia. And during a session titled "Re-Imagining America's Older Industrial Cities," the writer quotes Presley Gillespie of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation as saying they are "taking a page from Cleveland" by demolishing vacant properties to turn into community gardens. "We're talking about cities that are smaller but stronger," adds Gillespie.
The conference kicked off with tours of Cleveland's vacant land reuse efforts, which earned attention for creating a common language and roadmap for change, Lefkowitz says.
Read the entire conference report here.
Reporting for the mag is Cleveland-based sustainability writer Marc Lefkowitz, a frequent Next American City contributor.
Cleveland was chosen to host the conference, explained keynote speaker Alex Kotlowitz, not simply because the city is plagued by foreclosures and vacant properties, but rather because Cleveland is "pushing back."
Lefkowitz writes that Kotlowitz was particularly inspired by Cleveland Housing Court Judge Raymond Pianka's efforts to adjudicate and fine banks in absentia. And during a session titled "Re-Imagining America's Older Industrial Cities," the writer quotes Presley Gillespie of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation as saying they are "taking a page from Cleveland" by demolishing vacant properties to turn into community gardens. "We're talking about cities that are smaller but stronger," adds Gillespie.
The conference kicked off with tours of Cleveland's vacant land reuse efforts, which earned attention for creating a common language and roadmap for change, Lefkowitz says.
Read the entire conference report here.