Development News

When Kelly Kandah walked to her job each morning at ABC News in Manhattan, she found herself gaping at the long lines outside of trendy cupcake shops like Crumbs and Magnolia Bakery.

It wasn't because she was hungry -- Kandah simply has cupcakes in her blood. Baking is a family tradition, and her mom has been baking cakes featuring Grandma Kandah's "famous" frosting recipe for years for family friends.

So, when the 25-year-old Kandah moved back to her hometown, it was natural for her to start baking with her mom again. She quickly realized that she'd found her life's calling -- baking delicious, king-sized cupcakes. Yet, within a few short months of taking orders, her four KitchenAid mixers weren't enough to get the job done.

Following the tried-and-true path of many successful entrepreneurs, Kandah decided to move the business she launched out of her house into a retail storefront. Her new shop, called Colossal Cupcakes, is set to open this Friday, March 16th -- just in time for an onslaught of hungry downtown visitors on St. Patty's Day.

"I wanted to bring Clevelanders the same thing I saw in New York -- an actual specialty cupcake store, always stocked with a large variety of cupcakes, that never closes early or sells out," says Kandah. "I thought, why not Cleveland?"

Colossal Cupcakes will offer generous-sized cupcakes -- twice as big as ones you'd find at a typical bakery, Kandah promises -- for $3.75. Visitors will have 40-plus varieties to choose from, including the Colossal Classic, a milk chocolate cupcake that has raspberry filling and is topped with almond butter cream frosting. Guilt-inducing drinks such as Red Velvet Hot Cocoa will also be available.

Other offerings include coffee, tea, cupcake shakes made out of homemade vanilla ice cream and cream cheese whipped cream to top off your steaming cup of hot chocolate. Looking for a low-cal option? Try the tasty vegan cupcakes.

Kandah built out her retail storefront at 530 Euclid Avenue to feature a French cottage-style theme. It also features reclaimed wood countertops.

Colossal Cupcakes will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday until 9 p.m.


Source: Kelly Kandah
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Garfield Heights historically has been known as the "City of Homes," yet Mayor Vic Collova wants to update that quaint image. The time is right to attract new businesses and development, he says, and the city's infrastructure, proximity to highways and business-friendly approach make it competitive.

"We haven't had a lot of new businesses moving here, and we're really trying to change our mindset," he says. "What we're doing is aggressive for Garfield Heights, but not for other areas that are more business-minded."

Like many inner ring suburbs that have a flat or declining residential tax base, Garfield Heights is now trying to diversify its tax rolls by attracting new economic development. The city has cause to celebrate a major victory this month, as the rapidly growing ebook and audio book distributor Overdrive recently broke ground on a new, $10 million world headquarters. The facility will immediate employ nearly 200 people, and could eventually employ up to 300 people.

Collova says former Governor Ted Strickland's administration was instrumental in keeping Overdrive in Ohio (the current facility is located in Valley View), and a package of incentives that included a 10-year, 100-percent tax abatement helped lure the firm to Garfield Heights. The Ohio Department of Development also provided a $200,000 grant to build a new road to service the facility.

In a competitive economic landscape in which cities and states are, for better or worse, bidding against one another to land new development projects, Collova says Garfield Heights "offered a package to meet Overdrive's needs." He adds that Economic Development Director Noreen Kupan "did a great job negotiating."

Yet Collova says regardless of incentives, the location near I-480 is becoming "one of the most sought after locations in the city" because it offers great highway access and more than 180,000 cars per day drive through the area.

The location once was home to Nestaway, a company that closed years ago and left behind a vacant building. When Overdrive moves into its new headquarters later this year, it will be one of the largest employers in the City of Garfield Heights.


Source: Vic Collova
Writer: Lee Chilcote

When Plans A and B don't go over so well, there's always Plan C. That's what Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District leaders are finding out following a contentious community meeting in which residents voiced concerns about a facilities plan that could shutter up to six elementary schools.

The meeting, held March 1 and organized by FutureHeights and the Sustainable Heights Network, brought out a crowd of over 100 people. Since then, the school district has announced that it is postponing a final meeting scheduled for March 21 and will be holding meetings in all seven elementary schools. School leaders say that they want to garner additional community input before moving forward.

The facilities plan was spurred in part by an April 2010 report from the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC). The report determined that the CH-UH district has declining enrollment and excess building capacity. To address this inefficiency and win state support for improvements, the OSFC said it was necessary for the district to complete a facilities plan and raise matching funds. The district has planned to put a bond issue before voters in November.

Yet Deanna Bremer-Fisher, Executive Director of FutureHeights, says that the district's plan was too drastic and did not include enough community involvement. "Don't sell the public on a plan; get their input first," she says. "Our schools are the anchors of our community. The plan should take into account the need to close buildings, but we should also keep a sense of neighborhood schools."

Bremer-Fisher points to Lakewood as a model of community involvement. The Lakewood School District organized meetings in 14 different school buildings and came up with a list of values with the aid of community members. Residents identified neighborhood schools and "no busing" as non-negotiable items. They also identified teaching and learning priorities. Lakewood has subsequently reduced its total number of school buildings from fourteen to nine.

Bremer-Fisher adds that the issues facing the CH-UH Schools are similar to those affecting many inner suburban districts with declining enrollment and excess capacity. She points out that the community has expressed significant support for the schools -- a recent school levy passed on the first attempt -- and that Superintendent Douglas Heuer is moving the needle on student achievement.

"People recognize that you can't have a strong community without strong public schools -- regardless of whether or not you send your kids there," she says.


Source: Deanna Bremer-Fisher
Writer: Lee Chilcote

A new business in South Euclid aims to take advantage of Cleveland's growing reputation as a healthcare leader while also capitalizing on rising consumer interest in alternative medicine. The Heights Wellness Center, which is located at Cedar and Warrensville roads, employs chiropractors, herbalists, acupuncturists, Reiki healers and yoga instructors to create customized wellness programs for its customers.

Founder Sandy Lawrence points to the fact that the Center is located in a former internist's office as a sign of the changing times. Although she gutted the interior of the building during the custom build-out, she was able to reuse patient rooms for massage.

"Holistic medicine and wellness are in a growth spurt," Lawrence says. "This is something to help, not replace, traditional medicine."

The Center aims to create a wellness-focused community in the Heights area, a part of Cleveland's east side that is already rich in healthcare amenities. Lawrence, who previously ran her husband's medical practice for more than two decades, chose the Heights because of its rich diversity and interest in wellness.

Lawrence describes the Center's intake process as one that seeks to build a comprehensive program to help patients become well. The RN on staff can refer patients to doctors and hospitals for issues requiring medical attention.

The Center's practitioners believe that alternative and traditional forms of medicine can complement and aid one another. For instance, alternative medicine can help patients to heal after a traumatic event, and it can also keep patients from getting sick in the first place. The Center's ultimate goal is to empower clients to seek true health through nurturing their mind, body, spirit and emotions.

As insurance companies have become more accepting of alternative medicine, clients can often submit for reimbursement to their healthcare providers, too.


Source: Sandy Lawrence
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Cleveland State University (CSU) recently relocated its Department of Theatre and Dance to the Middough Building at PlayhouseSquare, a critical step in creating a multidisciplinary Arts Campus in the heart of Cleveland's growing theater district.

"The university's master plan is to move the majority of CSU's arts programs into PlayhouseSquare," says Joe Mosbrook, Director of Strategic Communications with CSU. "Our theatre majors will take classes 20 feet from the Allen Theatre. They'll build sets in the building, and then perform in one of the top college venues in the country. We're excited to be a part of one of Cleveland's largest arts centers."

Mosbrook says CSU is the only undergraduate theatre program in the country where students have the opportunity to work alongside a professional theatre company. CSU has formed an ongoing partnership with Cleveland Play House, and its productions are being staged in the new Allen Theatre complex.

CSU now occupies approximately 160,000 square feet on the second and fifth floors of the Middough Building. The refurbished space includes art studios, rehearsal space, photography studios, costume design studios and other facilities. CSU's Fine Arts programs also are now housed in the Middough Building.

In September, CSU plans to open an art gallery in the Cowell and Hubbard building on Euclid Avenue. The gallery will showcase student work, traveling shows, and work by alumni and faculty. The location was chosen to capitalize on PlayhouseSquare's foot traffic while adding to the revitalization of the area.

Over the long term, CSU also plans to move its digital and broadcast media programs, including its student radio station, into the Ideastream building. "There's a symbiotic relationship that occurs when students and professors work together with professionals in their field," says Mosbrook.


Source: Joe Mosbrook
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium, a major public initiative to help move Northeast Ohio towards a more sustainable, resilient future, will launch a public engagement process in the next few months. Young professionals are among the first constituencies being targeted in this effort to create a sustainability plan for the region.

"We're looking at how we are using land through the lens of sustainability," explains Jeff Anderle, Communications and Engagement Manager for the NEOSCC, which received a $4.25 million grant from the Obama administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities initiative and launched in January 2011. "We want to make Northeast Ohio more resilient to change, help our governments to be more collaborative and provide the tools for communities to engage in more sustainable planning."

The NEOSCC has five different work study areas: economic development, environment, communities, connections, and quality, connected places. Consortium members include city governments, planning agencies and other public entities throughout the 12-county planning area. According to Anderle, NEOSCC's members are working together because they realize it is in their self-interest to help ensure that the region's resources are used more sustainably.

"We're starting to see collaboration happening in government because resources are getting tight, and moving forward, we believe collaboration will become essential," he says. "People are waking up and coming to the table."

Over the next few months, the NEOSCC will publish an existing conditions report and begin public engagement. "We're partnering with the Civic Commons," says Anderle. "We want to empower people to become a part of the process."


Source: Jeff Anderle
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Cleveland-based Tremco Inc. recently earned the sustainable-construction industry's equivalent of an Oscar: LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) Gold certification. The coveted prize, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, recognizes Tremco's outstanding performance in the 2010 renovation of its 40-year-old, 46,000-square-foot headquarters on (appropriately enough) Green Road.
 
Cindy Cicigoi, Tremco’s vice president of sustainable initiatives and facilities, acknowledges that traditional construction methods -- or simply relocating -- would have been less expensive. But Tremco never viewed the project so narrowly. “We did this, number one, because it's the right thing to do,” Cicigoi says. Tremco specializes in the development of high-performance, low-impact buildings.
 
But it was also the smart thing to do. After “buttoning up the exterior” of the building, as Cicigoi puts it, Tremco used about 55 percent less natural gas over the past year compared to the average of the previous three years. Solar panels and a wind turbine helped cut the electric bill by about 24 percent.
 
And the rehab project itself met its zero-landfill goal. Nearly all of the two million pounds of demolition debris was reused; for example, gravel from the old roof became the base for the new sidewalks. Blinds, plumping fixtures and other reusable items were donated to Habitat for Humanity. What couldn't be reused or recycled was burned for energy. Tremco even recycled materials from the I-90 resurfacing project to resurface its own parking lot after installing an underground cistern to store rainwater runoff.
 
That water is then used in Cicigoi's favorite part of the building upgrade: the vegetated roof. In addition  to being “gorgeous” in the summer, the roof is home to 40-plus species of native Ohio plants --16,000 in all -- including herbs that are used in the cafeteria.
 
The result of all this effort, Cicigoi notes, is a “showcase” for what Tremco, and other companies owned by parent RPM International, can do.
 
According to the USGBC web site, “LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.”

 
Source: Cindy Cicigoi
Writer: Frank W. Lewis

Metheny Weir, a home remodeling business which was originally launched out of a Shaker Heights basement, recently expanded to a spacious storefront on Larchmere. The growth spurt is the result of the company inking last year a deal to become Cleveland's only licensed retailer of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, a hot new product that's generating a buzz in the interior design world.

Metheny Weir co-owner Sue Weir says that the innovative product allows home remodelers to paint furniture and other surfaces without cleaning, sanding or priming -- you just put your brush in the can and start painting.

"Our customers like it because they don't have to move their armoire out of the living room to paint it," says Weir, who co-founded the company with her friend, Kim Metheny. "It's not a big production to change the look of their furniture."

Chalk Paint is low in volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and considered green. Weir says that she recently sold $700 of the new product in a single week.

The paint has also attracted new business for Metheny Weir, which specializes in custom painted finishes and has become known for stylish makeovers of older homes and furniture. "We're redoing a kitchen for someone that fell in love with the Annie Sloan product but didn't want to do the work herself," says Weir.

Weir and Metheny are hosting workshops out of their Larchmere storefront to educate homeowners on how to use the paint. The uptick in interest in home remodeling is partially due to the stalled housing market, Weir says, a trend that has spurred many homeowners to reinvest in their homes and furnishings.

In the next several months, Weir and Metheny will also travel to Chicago and New Orleans to meet Sloan in person and to participate in product demonstrations.


Source: Sue Weir
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Tremont West Development Corporation has launched a new Storefront Incubator program that aims to help pop-up shops and startup businesses grow into permanent, bricks-and-mortar retailers, ideally right in the heart of historic Tremont.

Through a competitive process, Tremont West will select a fledgling retailer to occupy the 370-square-foot storefront it owns at 2406 Professor. The retailer will be offered three months of free rent as a sweetener. After the nine month lease term, the startup may renew for an additional three months, yet the goal is to help that business establish a permanent space elsewhere in the neighborhood.

"We've used our storefront successfully for pop-up shops, so this is really for someone of that quality who wants a longer-term run to see if their business is actually viable," says Cory Riordan, Executive Director of Tremont West.

As part of the lease agreement, Tremont West plans to work with the startup to help them grow their business. The nonprofit will links entrepreneurs with available financing, vacant space and other businesses in the community.

The long-term goal is not to compete with existing property owners, but to support new types of businesses, says Riordan. He cites service-oriented businesses as one gap within the neighborhood's retail mix.

Riordan says that supporting small startup retailers is one positive way forward for neighborhoods that are slowly emerging from the recession. "We can help create niche businesses that lead to neighborhood recovery."

Responses to the Storefront Incubator RFP are due by Friday, March 16th.


Source: Cory Riordan
Writer: Lee Chilcote

A proposed merger between two nonprofit community development organizations appears to be dead on arrival following a contentious vote held last weekend. In a narrow decision swayed by a mere four votes, one group's membership shot down the long-planned consolidation.

If the merger had passed, it would have combined the Shaker Square Area Development Corporation (SHAD) and the Buckeye Area Development Corporation (BADC) into a new organization called the Buckeye-Shaker Square Community Alliance. The merger was first proposed two years ago due to cuts in the City of Cleveland's Community Development Block Grant funding as well as foundation funding. The CDC intermediary Neighborhood Progress (NPI) encouraged the merger and provided grant funding to assist with the process.

For the merger to take place,  a majority "yes" vote was needed from SHAD's individual and business membership. The final vote tally was 57-53 against it.

The upset vote effectively means that SHAD must lay off its five staff people and close its doors within a few weeks. It also leaves the area without a CDC.

"I was very disappointed by the vote, and disgusted by the active campaign by some of our own board members and people in the community to encourage SHAD members to vote no," says Kenisha Pierce, Board President of SHAD and Manager of the Shaker Square branch of PNC Bank. "After two years of planning, we don't have funding for salaries or even to keep the lights on."

At the meeting, some SHAD members asked for changes to the merger documents that would have added greater board representation from their neighborhood and placed more decision-making power in the hands of community members. They also stated that there was not enough community input into the process.

Pierce says that several community meetings were held, and that any changes to the merger documents would have required going back to the negotiation table. The boards of both organizations had already voted to support the merger.

"These same people who wanted a voice never exercised their rights," says Pierce, who cites poor turnout at meetings. "We were trying to build a new organization."

SHAD members and trustees in opposition stated that amendments to the merger documents should have been considered. Among those opposed were SHAD Trustee and retired judge Diane Karpinski and former board president and attorney George Palda. These concerns were expressed vocally at the meeting, but Pierce ended the meeting and called for a vote without discussion.

Pierce has not given up hope that the Shaker Square-Larchmere neighborhood will continue to be served by a CDC. She says that it is possible that merger talks could be revived, or that another way could be found to create the new organization. John Hopkins, Executive Director of BADC, stated that he could not comment on next steps until he met with his board of directors.

Community members opposed to the merger also vowed to save SHAD. As the meeting concluded, some could be heard saying, "We're not done yet."

Shaker Square Area Development Corporation was originally formed in 1976 as Friends of Shaker Square. The organization now has approximately 1,000 members. Shaker Square is the oldest shopping district in Ohio and the second oldest in the nation, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


Source: Kenisha Pierce
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Business leaders who say that the resurgence of manufacturing is helping to lead Northeast Ohio out of the recession will find cause for optimism in Hedalloy Die Corporation. The tool and die maker in Cleveland's Slavic Village neighborhood is currently doubling the size of its 3,500-square-foot production facility to accommodate increased demand.

“We are seeing a shift back to U.S. manufactured products,” said Joe Susa, Hedalloy’s General Manager, in a release. “Customers are paying more attention to quality rather than bottom line prices. American made tools are getting noticed for their higher quality and longer life span. ”

Hedalloy has doubled its sales since 2009 and hired additional employees. Its expansion on E. 49th Street is expected to be complete next month.

In an era of global competition, Hedalloy’s ability to deliver its products in half the time of some of its competitors has also helped to boost sales. The company has clients in the automotive, military, medical, and aerospace industries.

Established in 1947, Hedalloy has been at its Slavic Village location since the early 1950s. The company had considered relocating to the eastern suburbs to expand. Support from Slavic Village Development and Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland, as well as a zoning permit granted by Cleveland, aided its decision to stay.

Hedalloy is a family-owned company. John Susa, Sr. began working at the company in 1960 and bought the firm in 1991. In addition to his son Joe, Mr. Susa‘s wife Eleanor is the bookkeeper and his son John, Jr. is the Vice President.


Source: Joe Susa
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Two years ago, cyclist Mike Hulett traded legal briefs and billable hours for bike stands and Allen wrenches when he opened the Broadway Cyclery, a utility-focused bike shop in downtown Bedford.

Recently, he purchased the historic Marshall Building and moved his business into a larger, renovated storefront. He's slowly restoring the structure, originally built to house a drugstore and boasting Terrazzo floors and 15-foot ceilings, to its original beauty.

Hulett says that his business is unique because he carries niche products that aren't available at other shops. "We're a Brooks Dealer of Excellence; we sell leather bike seats from a company that's been around since 1866," he says. "When you see people riding around the country, usually they have a Brooks seat."

The Broadway Cyclery also carries a wide assortment of cargo, touring and commuter bikes, kickstands and bags for the practical, commuting cyclist.

Hulett chose downtown Bedford because of its unique, local businesses and central location near highways and bike trails. "We're right by the Bedford Metroparks," he says. "From here, you can bike to Chagrin Falls, Rocky River or Akron. All trails intersect in the area and that makes it a fantastic resource for cyclists."


Source: Mike Hulett
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has seen increases in bus and transit ridership for nine months straight, and the number of riders on the Red Line in January was the highest since 1988.

Yet this month, the U.S. House of Representatives is considering a surface transportation bill known as H.R. 7 that would eliminate dedicated federal funds for public transit across the country.

RTA is advocating against the cuts by working with Representative Steven LaTourette and other members of Congress to promote an amendment that would restore federally guaranteed funding.

"If you leave it up to chance that public transit gets funded, that's a big chance to take," says Mary McCahon, RTA's Media Relations Manager. The change would require agencies to lobby for federal funding each year, she says. "We provide 200,000 rides per day, and federal funding is our third biggest revenue source."

McCahon says that while the bill has been tabled, it is scheduled to come back to the floor of the House of Representatives for further discussion this week.

RTA's increased ridership is due in part to higher gas prices and ongoing Innerbelt construction, McCahon says. Improved marketing efforts, partnerships with businesses and the popularity of the Health Line are also factors.

For more information about H.R. 7 and the ongoing federal transportation bill debate, visit the RTA newsroom or American Public Transit Association website.


Source: Mary McCahon
Writer: Lee Chilcote

A seven-member higher education commission that was created by Governor Kasich recently voted to award $12.7 million in capital funding to Cleveland State University. The money will be used to renovate an older building for a new engineering program.

CSU plans to renovate Stillwell Hall, adding state-of-the-art laboratories and to partner with Parker Hannifin Corporation (Parker) of Mayfield Heights to pioneer a new, hands-on program. Parker is a $12 billion company that is the world's leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems.

CSU's Fenn College of Engineering was established in 1923 and is now the ninth largest cooperative education program in the country. Fenn Engineering students "use state-of-the-art equipment to tackle real world challenges, participate in state and national engineering competitions and work closely with corporate partners to create and design new products," the college website states.

The innovative, new partnership with Parker Hannifin will allow CSU to take its engineering program to the next level, university leaders say. The curriculum is being revised and Parker is funding an endowed chair. Stillwell Hall will be transformed into a practical learning environment in which scientists and engineers collaborate with students and faculty on real world projects.

$350 million was available statewide for capital improvement projects. Kasich had tasked the committee with identifying new, innovative projects that leaders believe will move higher education forward in Ohio. The timeline for Stillwell Hall renovations has not been established yet, according to CSU officials.


Source: Cleveland State University
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Mahalls 20 Lanes, a vintage Lakewood bowling alley that's been owned by the same family since it was built in 1924, is being fixed up by new owners. Joe Pavlick and Kelly Flamos are renovating the historic venue, which features two 10-lane bowling alleys, a billiard room, several bars and a kitchen, and also plan to add live music.

"We're still working out the specifics of our plan, but we want to restore Mahalls to its former glory," says Pavlick, a former corporate attorney who bought the building with Flamos, his sister-in-law, and other family members. "Essentially, this is one big family turning it over to another big family, 80 years later."

John Mahall was the first owner of Mahalls, which was originally two buildings and featured an upstairs dance hall. In the 1950s, he annexed the adjacent building and turned into a billiards hall. Until a few months ago, Mahalls was owned by John's son Arthur Mahall and managed by John's grandson Tom Mahall.

Although Mahalls struggled financially for several years before Pavlick and Flamos bought it, the new owners say they'll add fresh appeal to the venue by revamping the menu and adding live music. They hardly plan to touch the historic, vintage character of the interior, however. Unlike newer bowling alleys, Mahalls still requires scoring by hand and is noticeably devoid of overhead televisions.

In another nod to tradition, Pavlick and his wife Emily plan to move into the upstairs apartment -- just as three generations of Mahalls did before them.


Source: Joe Pavlick
Writer: Lee Chilcote