Stories
Someday the Medical Mart may make Cleveland an essential destination for healthcare professions. But the city has already achieved such status among those who study blight, which is why Cleveland is hosting the third national Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, which continues through Friday at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel on Public Square.
"This is by far the biggest," says Jennifer Leonard of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Community Progress, which organized the conference with Cleveland's own Neighborhood Progress, Inc. "Today, there are more places that are being challenged by vacant properties."
Cleveland, of course, would be at or near the top of any such list. But that's not the only reason CCP selected the city for this gathering, which occurs every 18 months. Cleveland also boasts an impressive array of dedicated advocates and innovative approaches to the problem, such as the Cuyahoga Land Bank and Judge Raymond Pianka's Housing Court.
Various parts of the city will serve as backdrops for discussions. "Mobile Workshops" will take participants to Euclid Avenue, as an example of using transit to spur development; a vineyard in Hough and other sites that have been reclaimed for farming or greenspace; Slavic Village, where the foreclosure crisis is combated with a "resident-driven approach to finding a new identity," and the hip and booming Detroit Shoreway community.
"It's actually kind of hard," notes Leonard, "to make sure the conference isn't too focused on Cleveland."
The conference is sold out, but more information is available at the web site.
Source: Center for Community Progress
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"This is by far the biggest," says Jennifer Leonard of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Community Progress, which organized the conference with Cleveland's own Neighborhood Progress, Inc. "Today, there are more places that are being challenged by vacant properties."
Cleveland, of course, would be at or near the top of any such list. But that's not the only reason CCP selected the city for this gathering, which occurs every 18 months. Cleveland also boasts an impressive array of dedicated advocates and innovative approaches to the problem, such as the Cuyahoga Land Bank and Judge Raymond Pianka's Housing Court.
Various parts of the city will serve as backdrops for discussions. "Mobile Workshops" will take participants to Euclid Avenue, as an example of using transit to spur development; a vineyard in Hough and other sites that have been reclaimed for farming or greenspace; Slavic Village, where the foreclosure crisis is combated with a "resident-driven approach to finding a new identity," and the hip and booming Detroit Shoreway community.
"It's actually kind of hard," notes Leonard, "to make sure the conference isn't too focused on Cleveland."
The conference is sold out, but more information is available at the web site.
Source: Center for Community Progress
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
cleveland institute of art prof kasumi snags vimeo award
While foodies were busy scarfing down burgers in Brooklyn, judges like David Lynch, Roman Coppola and Morgan Spurlock were in downtown Manhattan picking the winners of the very first Vimeo Awards ceremony at the SVA Visual Arts Theater in Chelsea. Just nine short films were selected out of 6,500 entries submitted from around the globe.
Snagging one of those nine prizes was local artist and Cleveland Institute of Art professor, Kasumi. Her short, "Breakdown the Video," which combines old footage from the 1940s and 1950s, snagged top honors in the Remix category.
Read about the other winners in the New York Times here.
Grab a small popcorn and check out Kasumi's short film here.
Snagging one of those nine prizes was local artist and Cleveland Institute of Art professor, Kasumi. Her short, "Breakdown the Video," which combines old footage from the 1940s and 1950s, snagged top honors in the Remix category.
Read about the other winners in the New York Times here.
Grab a small popcorn and check out Kasumi's short film here.
pittsburgh's pop city spreads the word about fresh water
In last week's issue of Pop City (yes, it's a sister IMG publication), writer Deb Smit reported on our dear publication.
"Fresh Water launches this month with the goods on Cleveland, news as it pertains to innovation, jobs, healthcare, lifestyle, design and arts and culture," she writes." The bubbly, blue homepage comes to life each Thursday with a fresh issue featuring vibrant photography and stories on the people shaking things up and the great places to visit."
Smit even encourages smitten Pittsburghers to subscribe. Thanks, Pop City!
Read all the news that's fit to pop here.
"Fresh Water launches this month with the goods on Cleveland, news as it pertains to innovation, jobs, healthcare, lifestyle, design and arts and culture," she writes." The bubbly, blue homepage comes to life each Thursday with a fresh issue featuring vibrant photography and stories on the people shaking things up and the great places to visit."
Smit even encourages smitten Pittsburghers to subscribe. Thanks, Pop City!
Read all the news that's fit to pop here.
MAGNET and NorTech create positive attraction with $285k federal contract
The Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network (MAGNET) has partnered with the Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition (NorTech)
to receive a $285,000 federal contract for a pilot project focusing on
the advanced energy value chain. The contract comes from the National
Institutes of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Program
(MEP).
MAGNET and NorTech will work together to coach and train a group of regional manufacturing companies to stimulate and support manufacturing innovation, technology acceleration, supply chain development and continuous improvement and efficiency. Specifically, the one-year pilot project will target small-to-mid-sized manufacturers in the areas of biomass/waste-to-energy and electric vehicles.
Ohio currently ranks third in the country in terms of manufacturing production output and manufacturing employment. The MEP project is a chance for this region of Ohio to further assist manufacturers in meeting the demands of an ever-evolving marketplace, according to Rebecca O. Bagley, president and CEO of NorTech.
"Our goal is to establish Northeast Ohio as a regional model for helping manufacturers transition from slow-growth markets to new, high-demand markets with stronger growth potential in emerging technology sectors, such as advanced energy," she says. "Working with MAGNET, we can help our region's manufacturers leverage their existing strengths and diversify their business to capture more global market opportunities."
Should the initial year of the MEP project be successful, there is an opportunity of funding for a second year.
SOURCE: NorTech
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
MAGNET and NorTech will work together to coach and train a group of regional manufacturing companies to stimulate and support manufacturing innovation, technology acceleration, supply chain development and continuous improvement and efficiency. Specifically, the one-year pilot project will target small-to-mid-sized manufacturers in the areas of biomass/waste-to-energy and electric vehicles.
Ohio currently ranks third in the country in terms of manufacturing production output and manufacturing employment. The MEP project is a chance for this region of Ohio to further assist manufacturers in meeting the demands of an ever-evolving marketplace, according to Rebecca O. Bagley, president and CEO of NorTech.
"Our goal is to establish Northeast Ohio as a regional model for helping manufacturers transition from slow-growth markets to new, high-demand markets with stronger growth potential in emerging technology sectors, such as advanced energy," she says. "Working with MAGNET, we can help our region's manufacturers leverage their existing strengths and diversify their business to capture more global market opportunities."
Should the initial year of the MEP project be successful, there is an opportunity of funding for a second year.
SOURCE: NorTech
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
Once upon a time, automobiles were built inside the 65,000-square-foot former factory at 6555 Carnegie Avenue. Or so current owner Giancarlo Calicchia surmises from elevators large enough to move finished cars from the upper levels to the parking lot outside.
Today Calicchia, an accomplished sculptor, sees a new use for the long-dormant building — a center for artists' workspaces and offices. He and architect Paul Beegan are busy designing that future, while preserving the towering columns, tall windows and "great views of Cleveland" left over form the building's industrial past.
"We're also looking for new companies that may be related to art or design and want to be closer to downtown," Calicchia adds. He's already talked with a book publisher and a film company, as well as many artists, and hopes to have at least portions of the building ready for use by next summer. He can be reached at 216-402-2009.
Calicchia's works can be found around the city and state, from the Cleveland Museum of Art and The Avenue at Tower City to Miami University. His Athleta & The Witnesses sculpture garden was installed at Kent State University in July.
Source: Giancarlo Calicchia
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Today Calicchia, an accomplished sculptor, sees a new use for the long-dormant building — a center for artists' workspaces and offices. He and architect Paul Beegan are busy designing that future, while preserving the towering columns, tall windows and "great views of Cleveland" left over form the building's industrial past.
"We're also looking for new companies that may be related to art or design and want to be closer to downtown," Calicchia adds. He's already talked with a book publisher and a film company, as well as many artists, and hopes to have at least portions of the building ready for use by next summer. He can be reached at 216-402-2009.
Calicchia's works can be found around the city and state, from the Cleveland Museum of Art and The Avenue at Tower City to Miami University. His Athleta & The Witnesses sculpture garden was installed at Kent State University in July.
Source: Giancarlo Calicchia
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
With just six miles remaining, and following a route that was created some 177 years ago, the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail finally is nearing completion. Terminating at the Flats' new Canal Basin Park, the Towpath Trail will connect cyclists and pedestrians to Cleveland's historic neighborhoods. And when it comes to attracting the highly mobile talent class, access to bike paths is no longer an amenity -- it's a necessity
community greenhouse partners to spend $3.4M on urban farm and greenhouse on vacant cleveland lot
First, a tree grew in Brooklyn; now a massive greenhouse will be built in Cleveland.
Tim Smith of Community Greenhouse Partners recently announced that the organization has made an agreement to buy the site of the former St. George Catholic Church to build a greenhouse. The estimated $3.4 million project will realize Community Greenhouse Partners' goal of selling organic vegetables at low cost to low-income families.
Community Greenhouse Partners had been searching for property in an economically distressed area of the city. The concrete lot outside St. George, which closed its doors in 2009, is located at East 67th Street and Superior Avenue.
The proposed greenhouse will have a polycarbonate-plated shell, which will allow it to operate no matter the weather. The project will make use of green technology and sustainable practices.
Smith estimates that Community Greenhouse Partners will initially employ three to five people for the project and eventually grow that to more than 25. Part of the nonprofit organization's mission is to employ local residents and teach sustainability and earth science to youngsters.
Community Greenhouse Partners estimates it will bring $1 million in annual payroll and $2.5 million in annual sales to the area. The revenue estimates are based on production volumes from Growing Power, a Milwaukee-based urban farm project. Down the road, Community Greenhouse Partners plans to generate revenue from the sale of compost, rental of the greenhouse to other organizations and education dollars from local school districts.
Source: Community Greenhouse Partners
Writer: Diane DiPiero
Tim Smith of Community Greenhouse Partners recently announced that the organization has made an agreement to buy the site of the former St. George Catholic Church to build a greenhouse. The estimated $3.4 million project will realize Community Greenhouse Partners' goal of selling organic vegetables at low cost to low-income families.
Community Greenhouse Partners had been searching for property in an economically distressed area of the city. The concrete lot outside St. George, which closed its doors in 2009, is located at East 67th Street and Superior Avenue.
The proposed greenhouse will have a polycarbonate-plated shell, which will allow it to operate no matter the weather. The project will make use of green technology and sustainable practices.
Smith estimates that Community Greenhouse Partners will initially employ three to five people for the project and eventually grow that to more than 25. Part of the nonprofit organization's mission is to employ local residents and teach sustainability and earth science to youngsters.
Community Greenhouse Partners estimates it will bring $1 million in annual payroll and $2.5 million in annual sales to the area. The revenue estimates are based on production volumes from Growing Power, a Milwaukee-based urban farm project. Down the road, Community Greenhouse Partners plans to generate revenue from the sale of compost, rental of the greenhouse to other organizations and education dollars from local school districts.
Source: Community Greenhouse Partners
Writer: Diane DiPiero
cleveland-based architecture firms honored in AIA ceremony
At a recent gala held at the Toledo Museum of Art, the American Institute of Architects Ohio Convention announced its 2010 AIA Ohio Honor Awards to honor outstanding work in the field. Nearly four dozen Ohio firms submitted twice that amount of design work in hopes of snagging top honors.
Cleveland-based firm Westlake Reed Leskosky was a big winner, securing two out of three available Honor Awards for work both in and out of state. Claiming a Merit award for its design of Gordon Square bus shelters in Detroit Shoreway was Cleveland firm Robert Maschke Architects. Other Cleveland winners include Vocon, Kordalski Architects, and Richard Fleischman + Partners.
See the entire list of winners here.
Cleveland-based firm Westlake Reed Leskosky was a big winner, securing two out of three available Honor Awards for work both in and out of state. Claiming a Merit award for its design of Gordon Square bus shelters in Detroit Shoreway was Cleveland firm Robert Maschke Architects. Other Cleveland winners include Vocon, Kordalski Architects, and Richard Fleischman + Partners.
See the entire list of winners here.
greenhouse tavern lamb burger makes new york impression
While Jonathon Sawyer and Greenhouse Tavern failed to come away with the top Burger Bash prize at this year's Wine & Food Festival in New York, he did manage to make a meaty impression on Wall Street Journal reporter Charles Passy.
In his post following the well-attended burger bonanza, Passy wrote,
"To us, a great burger can be a creative affair, but it still has to retain its essential burger identity -- namely, 'a big warm bun and a huge hunk of meat,' to quote Jimmy Buffett's "Cheeseburger in Paradise." And that's exactly what the aforementioned lamb burger from chef Jonathon Sawyer of Cleveland's The Greenhouse Tavern accomplished. Lamb is a mighty flavorful meat, so it's hard to top -- literally -- in burger form. But that's why Sawyer's selection of the super-stinky French cheese proved such a smart idea. "If it smells like your foot, you know it works," Sawyer told us.
Read the whole stinky post here.
So how deeply has the sustainability movement taken hold in Northeast
Ohio? Three organizations that already have a lot on their plates
recently collaborated to save some grass.
Mind you, this wasn't just any grass. This was native prairie grass that until recently was part of an art installation on Mall B. But the installation must make way for the Medical Mart, for which ground will be broken later this month. So last spring, Cleveland Public Art contacted Slavic Village Development to see if it could find a new home for the Big-Blue Stem, Side-Oats Grama, Awlsledge and other oddly named varieties of grass that might otherwise now be decaying in a mulch heap.
"I said sure, we'd find a place to replant them," says Marlane Weslian, development officer at Slavic Village. She rented a Toro Dingo and rounded up volunteers to dig 500 holes along the Morgana Run Trail, between Aetna Road and Marble Avenue.
Meanwhile, contractors removed and transported the grass, thanks to a grant from ParkWorks. "It's a lot of work," Weslian says, but the transplant was a success. The grass has already gone dormant, she notes, but should grow strong and green again come spring.
Next week, another contractor -- again paid with grant money obtained through ParkWorks -- will relocate oak trees, already six inches around, from Mall C to a planned "savannah" behind a new Slavic Village housing development adjacent to the trail. Some of these trees are already 25 feet tall, Weslian says, and she's excited to see them make the kind of impact that usually takes decades to achieve.
"And talk about sustainable reuse!" says adds.
Source: Slavic Village Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Mind you, this wasn't just any grass. This was native prairie grass that until recently was part of an art installation on Mall B. But the installation must make way for the Medical Mart, for which ground will be broken later this month. So last spring, Cleveland Public Art contacted Slavic Village Development to see if it could find a new home for the Big-Blue Stem, Side-Oats Grama, Awlsledge and other oddly named varieties of grass that might otherwise now be decaying in a mulch heap.
"I said sure, we'd find a place to replant them," says Marlane Weslian, development officer at Slavic Village. She rented a Toro Dingo and rounded up volunteers to dig 500 holes along the Morgana Run Trail, between Aetna Road and Marble Avenue.
Meanwhile, contractors removed and transported the grass, thanks to a grant from ParkWorks. "It's a lot of work," Weslian says, but the transplant was a success. The grass has already gone dormant, she notes, but should grow strong and green again come spring.
Next week, another contractor -- again paid with grant money obtained through ParkWorks -- will relocate oak trees, already six inches around, from Mall C to a planned "savannah" behind a new Slavic Village housing development adjacent to the trail. Some of these trees are already 25 feet tall, Weslian says, and she's excited to see them make the kind of impact that usually takes decades to achieve.
"And talk about sustainable reuse!" says adds.
Source: Slavic Village Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The Euclid Corridor project is completed. The Towpath Trail is knocking on downtown's back door. The long-planned Medical Mart and convention center are nearing shovel-ready status. Dan Gilbert's downtown casino is a deal away. And a revived Flats blueprint is being unfurled. This is the moment that green-space advocates have been dreaming about for years.
Neither the departure of LeBron James nor the specter of another losing
Browns season has dampened enthusiasm among restaurateurs to join the
downtown sports-bar scene. The newest member is City Tap, which opens
Friday at 748 Prospect, on the grave of the former Boneyard and Forti's.
Owner Eric Pelham grew up near Norwalk but frequently visited Cleveland for games, and continued to after graduating from Bowling Green State University. His like-named bar in Bowling Green celebrated its first birthday in September, and he plans to replicate that formula here: a sports-bar feel (17 televisions) with restaurant-quality food (fresh-cut fries, handmade burgers, plus the usual wraps, salads and appetizers) and 40 beers.
Located away from "the hubbub of West Sixth," City Tap is the kind of pre-game stop "where you could bring your wife or girlfriend," Pelham explains. The two-and-a-half-month renovation included restoring the original floor and recreating the back-lit bottle display found behind the bar at his first location, but with three times as many bottles.
City Tap will also be open for lunch seven days week.
Source: Eric Pelham
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Owner Eric Pelham grew up near Norwalk but frequently visited Cleveland for games, and continued to after graduating from Bowling Green State University. His like-named bar in Bowling Green celebrated its first birthday in September, and he plans to replicate that formula here: a sports-bar feel (17 televisions) with restaurant-quality food (fresh-cut fries, handmade burgers, plus the usual wraps, salads and appetizers) and 40 beers.
Located away from "the hubbub of West Sixth," City Tap is the kind of pre-game stop "where you could bring your wife or girlfriend," Pelham explains. The two-and-a-half-month renovation included restoring the original floor and recreating the back-lit bottle display found behind the bar at his first location, but with three times as many bottles.
City Tap will also be open for lunch seven days week.
Source: Eric Pelham
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
university circle's western reserve historical society opens hands-on family education center
It's all child's play, and that's okay. Within the newly opened Kidzibits Family Education Center at the Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS), toddlers to preteens can discover fun ways to learn about the history of the region.
"History is fun when offered to children in age-appropriate ways," says Janice Ziegler, vice president for education at WRHS.
Part of the WRHS complex at University Circle, Kidzibits offers "Backyard of History," which is geared for children ages two to five. Interactive play includes dressing up in historical clothes, shopping at a mini-West Side Market and building Cleveland's Skyline. "Backyard of History" also involves cars in the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum.
The preschool section of Kidzibits was funded by the Hershey Foundation and created in collaboration with the Montessori High School at University Circle.
In 2011, WRHS will open two other sections of Kidzibits, one designed for six-to-nine-year-olds and the other for ten-to-12-year-olds.
Source: Janice Ziegler, WRHS
Writer: Diane DiPiero
"History is fun when offered to children in age-appropriate ways," says Janice Ziegler, vice president for education at WRHS.
Part of the WRHS complex at University Circle, Kidzibits offers "Backyard of History," which is geared for children ages two to five. Interactive play includes dressing up in historical clothes, shopping at a mini-West Side Market and building Cleveland's Skyline. "Backyard of History" also involves cars in the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum.
The preschool section of Kidzibits was funded by the Hershey Foundation and created in collaboration with the Montessori High School at University Circle.
In 2011, WRHS will open two other sections of Kidzibits, one designed for six-to-nine-year-olds and the other for ten-to-12-year-olds.
Source: Janice Ziegler, WRHS
Writer: Diane DiPiero
Among the many services provided by the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD) is job training and placement for adults. As local manufacturing jobs have dwindled, the board has had to look elsewhere. One solution that seems promising is local farming.
"We're trying to be more entrepreneurial," says spokeswoman Lula Holt Robertson.
The effort began last year with a single farm at East 55th and Stanard. The site, formerly a school, was donated by the city in 2009. Work began in June, with assistance from The Ohio State University Extension. Today 10 CCBDD clients are employed there, plus a manager and employment specialist.
The program has been so successful that the board hopes to establish nine more gardens over the next five years, and develop relationships with local restaurants, as well as farmers' markets.
The next site will be downtown. Cleveland City Council recently approved gardening on City Hall property, near the Free Stamp, thanks to legislation introduced by Councilman Joe Cimperman. Holt Robertson says that to her knowledge the CCBDD is the first entity of its type in the nation to launch an urban farming program.
Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"We're trying to be more entrepreneurial," says spokeswoman Lula Holt Robertson.
The effort began last year with a single farm at East 55th and Stanard. The site, formerly a school, was donated by the city in 2009. Work began in June, with assistance from The Ohio State University Extension. Today 10 CCBDD clients are employed there, plus a manager and employment specialist.
The program has been so successful that the board hopes to establish nine more gardens over the next five years, and develop relationships with local restaurants, as well as farmers' markets.
The next site will be downtown. Cleveland City Council recently approved gardening on City Hall property, near the Free Stamp, thanks to legislation introduced by Councilman Joe Cimperman. Holt Robertson says that to her knowledge the CCBDD is the first entity of its type in the nation to launch an urban farming program.
Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
brookings institute says great lakes metros like cleveland are ideally suited for next economy
In this paper by Brookings Think Tank fellows Vey, Austin and Bradley, the Great Lakes region is described as being uniquely suited for growth in the New Economy.
"As the American economy works its way slowly out of the Great Recession, a consensus is developing among public and private-sector stakeholders that simply re-constructing our old economy, one based on highly-leveraged domestic consumption, would be a serious mistake," the report argues. "The nation must instead focus on building the next economy, one that is oriented towards greater exporting, powered by a low-carbon energy strategy, driven by innovation, and that creates opportunities for all. The Great Lakes region... could show the rest of the country the way forward to the next economy."
Citing the following factors, the report finds that the Great Lakes region, particularly its metropolitan areas, has significant resources essential to creating the next economy.
- Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois are among the top states in terms of green tech patenting, focused on new technologies in battery power, hybrid systems, and fuel cells.
- The 21 largest Great Lakes metros are home to 32 major public and private research universities, which attract substantial federal research investment. The region produces approximately 36 percent of America's science and engineering degrees each year.
- The region is rich with community colleges, which help the region's workers develop skills and credentials necessary to secure jobs in the region's industries, and in so doing maintain a pool of skilled employees to attract and support them.
Read the report here.
"As the American economy works its way slowly out of the Great Recession, a consensus is developing among public and private-sector stakeholders that simply re-constructing our old economy, one based on highly-leveraged domestic consumption, would be a serious mistake," the report argues. "The nation must instead focus on building the next economy, one that is oriented towards greater exporting, powered by a low-carbon energy strategy, driven by innovation, and that creates opportunities for all. The Great Lakes region... could show the rest of the country the way forward to the next economy."
Citing the following factors, the report finds that the Great Lakes region, particularly its metropolitan areas, has significant resources essential to creating the next economy.
- Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois are among the top states in terms of green tech patenting, focused on new technologies in battery power, hybrid systems, and fuel cells.
- The 21 largest Great Lakes metros are home to 32 major public and private research universities, which attract substantial federal research investment. The region produces approximately 36 percent of America's science and engineering degrees each year.
- The region is rich with community colleges, which help the region's workers develop skills and credentials necessary to secure jobs in the region's industries, and in so doing maintain a pool of skilled employees to attract and support them.
Read the report here.
For almost two years, neighbors of the former Coventry School in Cleveland Heights looked forward to welcoming The Music Settlement
to the community. The University Circle-based institution had planned
to raze the Coventry building, which was closed in 2007, and build "a
state-of-the-art early childhood learning center and training center."
That plan was abandoned in August, after Music Settlement concluded that it could not raise the $16 million to $19 million needed for the project. But the building — just off Coventry Road and adjacent to the popular Coventry Peace playground — won't necessary remain vacant forever. Nancy Peppler, president of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education, says that the school district and Music Settlement continue to discuss the latter's leasing space in the building.
Another possible tenant is Ensemble Theatre, which currently performs at Cleveland Play House. Managing Director Martin Cosentino says that Ensemble would like to use Coventry for shows and for classes, like the dramatic writing workshop that it now offers at Heights libraries.
The property is nearly surrounded by single-family homes, so zoning is an issue, Cosentino notes. Talks with the city and school board continue.
Ensemble is leaving the Playhouse next year, Cosentino says, adding, "We'd like to come back to the city. We're a Cleveland Heights company. It seems to me that [an arts center] is a use the neighbors could support. It's a win for us, a win for Music Settlement and a win for the neighborhood."
Source: Ensemble Theatre
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
That plan was abandoned in August, after Music Settlement concluded that it could not raise the $16 million to $19 million needed for the project. But the building — just off Coventry Road and adjacent to the popular Coventry Peace playground — won't necessary remain vacant forever. Nancy Peppler, president of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education, says that the school district and Music Settlement continue to discuss the latter's leasing space in the building.
Another possible tenant is Ensemble Theatre, which currently performs at Cleveland Play House. Managing Director Martin Cosentino says that Ensemble would like to use Coventry for shows and for classes, like the dramatic writing workshop that it now offers at Heights libraries.
The property is nearly surrounded by single-family homes, so zoning is an issue, Cosentino notes. Talks with the city and school board continue.
Ensemble is leaving the Playhouse next year, Cosentino says, adding, "We'd like to come back to the city. We're a Cleveland Heights company. It seems to me that [an arts center] is a use the neighbors could support. It's a win for us, a win for Music Settlement and a win for the neighborhood."
Source: Ensemble Theatre
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
greater cleveland's mesocoat teams up with nasa on breakthrough nanotechnology
Greater Cleveland-based MesoCoat, an advanced materials company, has teamed up with NASA Glenn to produce a breakthrough nanotechnology that protects metal parts from wear and corrosion in extreme environments. Potential uses for the high-tech coating includes protecting the nation's water, transportation and energy infrastructures.
MesoCoat is working to incorporate a new reflector design on NASA's 200 kW arc lamp system to produce an extremely hot light that melts stainless steel and other metallic coatings and bonds them to the surface of steel in a fraction of a second. CEO Andrew Sherman says the system is capable of cladding nickel-based alloys to steel substrates, which are often used for highly corrosive applications. MesoCoat recently fired up the plasma arc lamp, marking a significant milestone in the project.
Founded in 2007, MesoCoat develops advanced nanocomposite coating products for hydraulic cylinders, storage tanks, pipelines and other sliding or exposed parts.
The U.S. Army recently recognized MesoCoat as one of the most successful companies in its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The company was lauded for its progress in attracting funding and customers from the private sector and non-SBIR government sources to transition its nanocomposite cermet coating technology into viable commercial products and savings for the U.S. Department of Defense.
MesoCoat is working to incorporate a new reflector design on NASA's 200 kW arc lamp system to produce an extremely hot light that melts stainless steel and other metallic coatings and bonds them to the surface of steel in a fraction of a second. CEO Andrew Sherman says the system is capable of cladding nickel-based alloys to steel substrates, which are often used for highly corrosive applications. MesoCoat recently fired up the plasma arc lamp, marking a significant milestone in the project.
Founded in 2007, MesoCoat develops advanced nanocomposite coating products for hydraulic cylinders, storage tanks, pipelines and other sliding or exposed parts.
The U.S. Army recently recognized MesoCoat as one of the most successful companies in its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The company was lauded for its progress in attracting funding and customers from the private sector and non-SBIR government sources to transition its nanocomposite cermet coating technology into viable commercial products and savings for the U.S. Department of Defense.
SOURCE: MesoCoat, Inc.
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
washington post reporter steps outside the beltway, discovers cleveland
In a recent "Impulsive Traveler" article in the Washington Post, reporter Maryann Haggerty makes the short seven-hour drive to Cleveland, where she discovers that the city is no longer strangled by its "rust belt."
Using the Ohio City B&B J. Palen House as her home base, she beholds the glory that is Great Lakes Brewing Co., Flying Fig and the West Side Market. "It's huge," she notes, "vastly outsizing Capitol Hill's beloved Eastern Market. It's sparkling clean, putting Baltimore's Lexington Market to shame. And the variety! Pasta, sausage, cheese, pastry, pierogies, tamales, meat, meat, meat."
Other stops on the C-Land Express included the Bruce Springsteen exhibit at the Rock Hall and sloppy Polish Boy sandwiches at Freddie's Southern Style Rib House.
Breaking News: Haggerty enjoyed her visit so much that she rerouted her return trip to include another stop on the North Coast.
Read all the juicy details here.
Using the Ohio City B&B J. Palen House as her home base, she beholds the glory that is Great Lakes Brewing Co., Flying Fig and the West Side Market. "It's huge," she notes, "vastly outsizing Capitol Hill's beloved Eastern Market. It's sparkling clean, putting Baltimore's Lexington Market to shame. And the variety! Pasta, sausage, cheese, pastry, pierogies, tamales, meat, meat, meat."
Other stops on the C-Land Express included the Bruce Springsteen exhibit at the Rock Hall and sloppy Polish Boy sandwiches at Freddie's Southern Style Rib House.
Breaking News: Haggerty enjoyed her visit so much that she rerouted her return trip to include another stop on the North Coast.
Read all the juicy details here.
dynamic duo chosen as finalist in bloomberg's 'america's best young entrepreneurs'
Bloomberg Businessweek really, really likes what local medical device whiz kids Rick Arlow and Zach Bloom are up to. First came inclusion for Arlow in the pub's "25 most impressive young entrepreneurs under the age of 25." Next up for the dynamic duo was a slot as dual finalist in "America's Best Young Entrepreneurs."
Arlow and Bloom are recent grads of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., and Arlow currently is a medical student at Case Western Reserve University. The pair's medical device company LifeServe Innovations developed a tool that provides emergency medical technicians (EMTs) with a better, faster way to establish emergency airway access than the conventional cut-and-tube method.
The pair's Bloomberg entry reads: "Their device, based on the design of a viper's fang, is intended to open airways via minimally invasive procedures that can be performed in 60 seconds or less, compared to 10 to 15 minutes for a comparably effective surgical procedure."
Read the rest right here.
Arlow and Bloom are recent grads of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., and Arlow currently is a medical student at Case Western Reserve University. The pair's medical device company LifeServe Innovations developed a tool that provides emergency medical technicians (EMTs) with a better, faster way to establish emergency airway access than the conventional cut-and-tube method.
The pair's Bloomberg entry reads: "Their device, based on the design of a viper's fang, is intended to open airways via minimally invasive procedures that can be performed in 60 seconds or less, compared to 10 to 15 minutes for a comparably effective surgical procedure."
Read the rest right here.
wall street journal praises jumpstart biz accelerator
Described by the Wall Street Journal as the centerpiece of an "ecosystem to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship," Cleveland's JumpStart Inc. is praised for its ability to help early-stage start-ups attract crucial venture funding.
With economic assistance from Ohio's Third Frontier program, JumpStart provides entrepreneurs in the fields of technology, health-care and clean-technology with much-needed financing and professional mentoring.
In the WSJ article, JumpStart Ventures president Rebecca Braun explains the organization's metrics for success. Unlike most conventional VC firms, JumpStart does not invest for financial returns, she says. "Follow-on funding is our key metric that we look at."
Proof of success is in the numbers: Since launching in 2004 JumpStart has invested $16.5 million into nearly 50 companies. Those companies in turn have raised about $120 million in follow-on funding.
Read the entire article here.
With economic assistance from Ohio's Third Frontier program, JumpStart provides entrepreneurs in the fields of technology, health-care and clean-technology with much-needed financing and professional mentoring.
In the WSJ article, JumpStart Ventures president Rebecca Braun explains the organization's metrics for success. Unlike most conventional VC firms, JumpStart does not invest for financial returns, she says. "Follow-on funding is our key metric that we look at."
Proof of success is in the numbers: Since launching in 2004 JumpStart has invested $16.5 million into nearly 50 companies. Those companies in turn have raised about $120 million in follow-on funding.
Read the entire article here.