President Obama came to Cleveland on Tuesday to hear what small business owners say they need to grow their businesses and thus strengthen the U.S. economy. But the President took the time to praise the region for its growth in biotechnology, sustainability and other innovations.

"Cleveland is a city founded on manufacturing," the President said during his closing remarks on the Winning the Future Forum on Small Business, held at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Cent... Read more >

In 2010, MetroHealth began testing a surgical solution for high blood pressure, became the only Ohio hospital chosen to participate in the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium to benefit injured servicemen and women, launched MetroExpressCare to address the needs of urgent care patients, and provided resources for the identification of the first gene associated with age-related cataracts.

All the while, the hospital system has kept its eye on sustainable business p... Read more >

Increasing the college attainment rate in Northeast Ohio by just one percent would mean an additional $2.8 billion for the region's economy. That statistic, courtesy of CEOs for Cities, a national civic lab composed of urban leaders, was part of the impetus for leaders of the Cleveland Scholarship Program to change the name of the 40-year-old organization and renew its focus to make college attainable for teens and young adults.

College Now Greater Cleveland, as the organ... Read more >

The Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education (NOCHE) is moving forward with its goal of making the region a top-notch talent pool through higher learning. In December of last year, NOCHE held a summit on the Northeast Ohio Talent Dividend, an action plan to increase college attainment. The Talent Dividend is a national endeavor to increase college attendance and graduation in cities, motivated by research indicating that 58 percent of a city's success based on per capita income ... Read more >

Northeast Ohio's ingenuity in polymers and advanced materials is having a positive impact on the region's production of flexible electronics products for the global market. FlexMatters, a cluster of businesses, suppliers, service providers and institutions within the flexible electronics industry, has attracted a significant amount of capital from public and private sources in the last several months.

NorTech, which launched FlexMatters to address low-cost manufacturing o... Read more >

Winners of a new entrepreneurial contest will have the opportunity to develop a novel idea or product that embodies the innovative spirit described in President Obama's State of the Union address. Cleveland's recently launched Manufacturing Mart has announced a competition called "The Export Experiment," a new-product competition designed to grow business for American component manufacturers.

To be eligible, a product must be manufacturable in the United States and design... Read more >

A drug that has shown promise in the treatment of cardiovascular disease will now be evaluated for effectiveness in healing wounds, thanks to a joint capital investment. SironRX Therapeutics has received a $500,000 investment from Cleveland Clinic and JumpStart Ventures. The money will allow SironRX to continue evaluations on its lead drug, JVS-100, which contains an engineered version of a naturally occurring molecular factor called Stromal cell-Derived Factor-1 (SDF-1). SDF-1 pr... Read more >

The same day that President Obama unveiled Startup America to boost entrepreneurship in the United States, Jumpstart Inc. came out with its own impressive launch: JumpStart America.

The operating structure for JumpStart America will be set up over the next few months, with Ray Leach, CEO of JumpStart Inc., also serving as the leader for this new entity. JumpStart America will be a 501c(3) nonprofit and will act independently of JumpStart Inc. New staff members are not li... Read more >

Two weeks ago, we told you about the many jobs likely to develop in the area over the next several years thanks to a wind turbine project on Lake Erie. Lorry Wagner, Ph.D., president of Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo), which is overseeing the project, says that Cleveland's growing expertise in the wind energy industry could reach well beyond the local shores.

The wind turbine pilot project, which is in its infant stages, will be a learning process for th... Read more >

The Experience Lakewood app recently launched, linking users to information on businesses, dining, shopping and recreation in the city. The app can be downloaded from iTunes for free on any Apple-compatible device.

While business and shopping apps are becoming more plentiful, Experience Lakewood's focus on one particular city makes it unique, according to Barb Cagley, president of Cleveland's SCK Design, which created the app for Lakewood Alive, in partnership with the La... Read more >

When Holly Harlan first started talking to people about Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S) ten years ago, "people looked at me like I had three eyes. But I said, 'I think they're going to get this and they're going to love it.'"

Today, Harlan notes that the E4S network has been growing by more than 20 percent every year since it was founded. "We've attracted nearly 10,000 people from all sectors," Harlan says. "We've helped over 50 companies create a strategic plan fo... Read more >

Last year, 12 companies brought their business to Northeast Ohio, thanks in part to efforts from the nonprofit regional business attraction agent TeamNEO. The companies brought with them more than 670 jobs and about $40 million in annual direct payroll, according to information recently released by TeamNEO.

Among the companies that have opened offices or relocated to the region are Rosetta, a strategy, marketing and technology services company; NI Medical, a privately he... Read more >

In the so-called Internet Age, the public library has taken on a broader role. More than a place to grab a novel, photocopy a letter, or scour a thick resource book, the library has also become a hub for computer use, digital resources, and social and professional gatherings.

With this in mind, the main branch of the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) is getting a 21st-century facelift. Among the enhancements will include a centralized location for computers and technology, a... Read more >

Recent news of a lease option for offshore submerged land in Lake Erie created waves of excitement for longtime proponents of wind turbines along our Great Lake. We'll likely be seeing the blades of five giant wind turbines twirling high above the shore by mid-2012, bringing with them about 600 new jobs.

A study commissioned by NorTech last August revealed that those 600 jobs are just the beginning. Moving beyond the five-turbine pilot project and into a proposed 5,000 me... Read more >

The team at Idea Engine could feel the wheels turning when they met with local innovator Dave Petno, who approached Idea Engine with a web application he was interested in having developed: a custom tool that allows high school sports scores and statistics to be submitted to the media as well as to family and friends of the sports program.

The business communication solutions company saw the potential in this idea, and ScoreFeeder was born. The way ScoreFeeder works is th... Read more >