(i)Cleveland grooms the city's future leaders and shows them why they should stay here. The 10-year-old program through the Cleveland Leadership Center provides civic education designed to attract and retain talented undergraduate students and interns in Northeast Ohio. Activities showcase why more post-college students choose Cleveland as a place to live, work and play. Experiential sessions take place after the workday and get interns out into the city.

"Anywhere leaders are being developed, we want to be involved," says Adaora Schmiedl, director of marketing and development for the Cleveland Leadership Center and director of (i)Cleveland. "Our goal is primarily around retention -- if you introduce people to Cleveland, they will probably stay in Cleveland or come back. We give them an informed view as to how Cleveland stacks up."

Students from 35 colleges and universities as well as interns from 16 area companies participate in (i)Cleveland. Out of the 80 participants, about 60 percent have ties to Cleveland, while 30 percent are here for their internships.

The program consists of five sessions and two networking events that allow participants to meet some of the city's top movers and shakers, explore the different neighborhoods and learn about Cleveland history and culture. They hear success stories from people like Councilman Joe Cimperman and developer Ari Maron of MRN Ltd. about the benefits of doing business in the city -- primarily that this is a place that is easy to get connected and succeed.

"Both said, 'We couldn't be doing what we're doing any place else,'" says Schmiedl of Cimperman and Maron. "It shows that getting connected in Cleveland is so much easier than getting connected in Boston."

Source: Adaora Schmiedl
Writer: Karin Connelly