University Circle
author, huff post writer tracks progress of 'sustainable cleveland 2019'
Michele Hunt, who attended the 5th annual Summit of Sustainable Cleveland 2019, is tracking the progress of this bold 10-year initiative, which began in 2009. In a feature for Huffington Post titled "Sustainable Cleveland 2019: A Community of DreamMakers Creating a 'A Thriving Green City on a Blue Lake,'" she offers a comprehensive look at the halfway point.
"The people of Cleveland are mobilizing around a compelling vision to transform their communities into a flourishing city. They have the courage to dream a magnanimous vision for their city in the face of tremendous challenges," she writes.
"At the Summit, I was surprised to see hundreds of people from diverse sectors of Greater Cleveland working together. They came from the local neighborhoods, businesses, government, education, nonprofits, as well as advocacy groups from the sustainability community. They were highly engaged, enthusiastic and clearly committed to transforming their vision into reality."
These are not merely dreams, she adds, five years into their journey Clevelanders are delivering on their vision. Their results are impressive:
• Last year the 50-member Climate Action Advisory Committee, published the Cleveland Climate Action Plan, which has six focus areas, and 33 actions Clevelanders can take to strengthen the economy, clean up the environment and improve health and wellness.
• There has been a 50 percent increase in recycling since 2006.
• LEEDCO (Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation) is building the first offshore freshwater wind project in North America in Cleveland.
• Over 200 community gardens and local food initiatives have grown up around the city.
• Cleveland is transforming abandoned buildings and vacant lands into green spaces, local parks, urban gardens, as well as restoring homes.
Read the rest of the green news here.
"The people of Cleveland are mobilizing around a compelling vision to transform their communities into a flourishing city. They have the courage to dream a magnanimous vision for their city in the face of tremendous challenges," she writes.
"At the Summit, I was surprised to see hundreds of people from diverse sectors of Greater Cleveland working together. They came from the local neighborhoods, businesses, government, education, nonprofits, as well as advocacy groups from the sustainability community. They were highly engaged, enthusiastic and clearly committed to transforming their vision into reality."
These are not merely dreams, she adds, five years into their journey Clevelanders are delivering on their vision. Their results are impressive:
• Last year the 50-member Climate Action Advisory Committee, published the Cleveland Climate Action Plan, which has six focus areas, and 33 actions Clevelanders can take to strengthen the economy, clean up the environment and improve health and wellness.
• There has been a 50 percent increase in recycling since 2006.
• LEEDCO (Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation) is building the first offshore freshwater wind project in North America in Cleveland.
• Over 200 community gardens and local food initiatives have grown up around the city.
• Cleveland is transforming abandoned buildings and vacant lands into green spaces, local parks, urban gardens, as well as restoring homes.
Read the rest of the green news here.
publication takes a winter road trip to cleveland
Writing for Trib Total Media, Mark Kanny takes his Western PA readers on a winter-themed road trip to Cleveland.
"Perhaps the only way Pittsburgh doesn't mind being beaten by Cleveland is in annual snowfall," he writes. "Located on Lake Erie, Cleveland always wins that contest because of lake-effect precipitation."
"Taking challenge as opportunity, Cleveland Metroparks offers many winter activities, including tobogganing. In addition, there's a free skating rink in University Circle and the local Boston Mills/Brandywine ski resort just south of the city."
Also highlighted are the Rock Hall, Cleveland Museum of Art and Severance Hall.
Check out all his great wintertime suggestions here.
"Perhaps the only way Pittsburgh doesn't mind being beaten by Cleveland is in annual snowfall," he writes. "Located on Lake Erie, Cleveland always wins that contest because of lake-effect precipitation."
"Taking challenge as opportunity, Cleveland Metroparks offers many winter activities, including tobogganing. In addition, there's a free skating rink in University Circle and the local Boston Mills/Brandywine ski resort just south of the city."
Also highlighted are the Rock Hall, Cleveland Museum of Art and Severance Hall.
Check out all his great wintertime suggestions here.
The 2014 Gay Games kick off August 9th with an expected 8,000 to 10,000 participants competing in some 40 sports. The comprehensive event will serve as the latest memo to the world that Cleveland is a sought-after host for large-scale events that add millions to the local economy.
Thanks to a bevy of new accelerators and incubators -- all grooming startups to be the Next Big Thing -- the art of the pitch is more important now than ever. Whether it’s a casual elevator pitch or an intense 20-minute address to potential investors, there are some definite dos and don’ts to giving an effective pitch.
Some storefronts sparkle with inviting merchandise, while others languish behind a layer of dust. For the latter, Cleveland's Storefront Renovation Program has been lending a helping hand to entrepreneurs for almost two decades with financial assistance for exterior improvements and signage.
Jonathon Sawyer, the award-winning chef behind Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat, is opening a new restaurant with his wife Amelia. The venue, to be called Trentina, will feature cuisine from the Trento region of northern Italy, where Amelia's family is from. It will open in the former Sergio's space in University Circle in the coming months.
Sawyer describes Trentina as a "passion project" that will allow him to pay tribute to his wife's heritage while introducing the cuisine of Northern Italy to a wider audience.
"I always had an affinity with 'the Boot,' as it were," he says. "When I started Bar Cento, it was really a Roman restaurant in the style of the street mongers of Rome. I didn’t want to repeat that, but I knew my wife’s family had tie-ins with Trento."
He traveled there and fell in love. "We subsequently returned -- more than 100 days in past four years, in fact. The thing I keep coming back to is how similar the growing seasons are in Trento and the Cuyahoga Valley. The indigenous people are very similar to the ethnic backgrounds of a lot of Clevelanders; there's Austrian, Swiss, Slovenian… so much more so than just straight-up Italian."
To help fund the restaurant and pay for some extras like a pasta extruder, wood-burning grill and double-sided hearth, Sawyer launched a Kickstarter campaign. The original goal was $21,999, but the project already has exceeded that amount by nearly $10,000 with 18 days still left to go.
So Sawyer set a new, loftier goal: "We want to be the most-funded hospitality Kickstarter campaign in Ohio, whatever that is," he jokes.
Sawyer certainly has earned his fan club, but the campaign rewards also don't hurt. For $100, you can take a cooking class that normally would cost $150. Three hundred bucks buys a cocktail named after you, while $600 gets you meals shipped to your home for six months. The list goes on and on, all the way up to dinner at your house for 20 of "your foodiest friends and family," cooked by the chef himself ($500).
Trentina will offer fine dining with showy tableside service like polenta seared over burning embers. Sawyer says, "For us, it will be the first time we'll be able to accurately portray cuisine with ingredients from just outside our back door."
Source: Jonathon Sawyer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Sawyer describes Trentina as a "passion project" that will allow him to pay tribute to his wife's heritage while introducing the cuisine of Northern Italy to a wider audience.
"I always had an affinity with 'the Boot,' as it were," he says. "When I started Bar Cento, it was really a Roman restaurant in the style of the street mongers of Rome. I didn’t want to repeat that, but I knew my wife’s family had tie-ins with Trento."
He traveled there and fell in love. "We subsequently returned -- more than 100 days in past four years, in fact. The thing I keep coming back to is how similar the growing seasons are in Trento and the Cuyahoga Valley. The indigenous people are very similar to the ethnic backgrounds of a lot of Clevelanders; there's Austrian, Swiss, Slovenian… so much more so than just straight-up Italian."
To help fund the restaurant and pay for some extras like a pasta extruder, wood-burning grill and double-sided hearth, Sawyer launched a Kickstarter campaign. The original goal was $21,999, but the project already has exceeded that amount by nearly $10,000 with 18 days still left to go.
So Sawyer set a new, loftier goal: "We want to be the most-funded hospitality Kickstarter campaign in Ohio, whatever that is," he jokes.
Sawyer certainly has earned his fan club, but the campaign rewards also don't hurt. For $100, you can take a cooking class that normally would cost $150. Three hundred bucks buys a cocktail named after you, while $600 gets you meals shipped to your home for six months. The list goes on and on, all the way up to dinner at your house for 20 of "your foodiest friends and family," cooked by the chef himself ($500).
Trentina will offer fine dining with showy tableside service like polenta seared over burning embers. Sawyer says, "For us, it will be the first time we'll be able to accurately portray cuisine with ingredients from just outside our back door."
Source: Jonathon Sawyer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Cleveland continues to gain momentum in leading the country and the Midwest in biomedical investments, according to BioEnterprise’s 2013 Midwest Healthcare Venture Investment Report. The report, released last month, shows that while overall investing is down nationwide, biomedical investments in health IT and medical devices in Northeast Ohio continue to be on the rise.
Ohio ranked number-one in healthcare venture investments. Cleveland earned the number-two regional ranking with $201.2 million invested in 50 companies, second only to Minneapolis. “It’s a very strong report, particularly for medical devices in the Midwest,” says Aram Nerpouni, president and CEO of BioEnterprise. “There is a strong pipeline of companies coming out of the Cleveland area.”
This is the second year the Cleveland area has seen $200 million in venture capital coming into the medical field, according to Nerpouni. But the ranking has taken years of effort. “As a region, it’s something we’ve been working toward for a decade now,” he says, crediting the area’s healthcare systems, universities and savvy entrepreneurs with the investment increase.
Ten years ago Cleveland’s leaders recognized the region’s assets in the biomedical field and have worked to create a reputation. But Nerpouni cautions we are only just beginning. “Look at it as a very good start,” he says. “We have to strike a balance of celebrating the progress but not getting too confident that it’s automatic.”
Nerpouni cites institutions like Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, and University Hospitals’ Harrington Discovery Institute, and now the Global Center for Health Innovation as just some of the contributors to the region’s growth in the biomedical field.
“Look at how much growth has happened, we’re just seeing this steady progress,” he says. “You begin to find there’s this flywheel gaining momentum.”
Source: Aram Nerpouni
Writer: Karin Connelly
Ohio ranked number-one in healthcare venture investments. Cleveland earned the number-two regional ranking with $201.2 million invested in 50 companies, second only to Minneapolis. “It’s a very strong report, particularly for medical devices in the Midwest,” says Aram Nerpouni, president and CEO of BioEnterprise. “There is a strong pipeline of companies coming out of the Cleveland area.”
This is the second year the Cleveland area has seen $200 million in venture capital coming into the medical field, according to Nerpouni. But the ranking has taken years of effort. “As a region, it’s something we’ve been working toward for a decade now,” he says, crediting the area’s healthcare systems, universities and savvy entrepreneurs with the investment increase.
Ten years ago Cleveland’s leaders recognized the region’s assets in the biomedical field and have worked to create a reputation. But Nerpouni cautions we are only just beginning. “Look at it as a very good start,” he says. “We have to strike a balance of celebrating the progress but not getting too confident that it’s automatic.”
Nerpouni cites institutions like Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, and University Hospitals’ Harrington Discovery Institute, and now the Global Center for Health Innovation as just some of the contributors to the region’s growth in the biomedical field.
“Look at how much growth has happened, we’re just seeing this steady progress,” he says. “You begin to find there’s this flywheel gaining momentum.”
Source: Aram Nerpouni
Writer: Karin Connelly
sawyer's trentina kickstarter campaign gets eater's attention
In an Eater.com post titled “Ohio’s Jonathon Sawyer to Launch Kickstarter for Trentina,” writer Hillary Dixler shares Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat chef-owner Jonathon Sawyer’s plans to use crowd funding in an effort to raise a little cash for his upcoming Italian eatery, Trentina.
Trentina will occupy the 36-seat space previously belonging to beloved Cleveland chef Sergio Abramof, who passed away in 2012. The new restaurant aims to open in May.
“[Sawyer] says he's attracted to the idea of a "city-based shareholder system" in which the best customers can really become "benefactors of the restaurant." To that end, he says that he will only be asking for a portion of his overhead costs, to keep the fundraising goal in line with what his Cleveland customers will be able to support.”
Check out the full story and Sawyer’s YouTube video about the project here.
Trentina will occupy the 36-seat space previously belonging to beloved Cleveland chef Sergio Abramof, who passed away in 2012. The new restaurant aims to open in May.
“[Sawyer] says he's attracted to the idea of a "city-based shareholder system" in which the best customers can really become "benefactors of the restaurant." To that end, he says that he will only be asking for a portion of his overhead costs, to keep the fundraising goal in line with what his Cleveland customers will be able to support.”
Check out the full story and Sawyer’s YouTube video about the project here.
Even as the economy recovers, Americans are driving less and taking public transit more. With all that demand comes congestion and backups at major rail hubs. But smart cities are anticipating and adapting so that the transit station of tomorrow is a true neighborhood amenity.
A team of researchers at the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute have developed a risk calculator for colorectal cancer, helping patients and physicians make better, more personalized decisions on whether or not to screen for the disease.
The tool, known as CRC-PRO, or Colorectal Cancer Predicted Risk Online, uses multiple factors to determine an individual person’s risk of developing cancer, instead of simply basing risk on general factors like age and weight. There are separate calculators for men and women.
“It’s less about the predictors and more about the way we put them together,” says Michael Kattan, one of the researchers on the team and chair of the Clinic’s department of Quantitative Health Sciences. “You take into account much more information.”
Kattan says the trade-off is that the risk is computed by an online calculator, so it’s less visual than running through a series of more generic questions.
Researchers, led by the Clinic’s Brian Wells, analyzed data on over 180,000 patients from a study conducted at the University of Hawaii. Patients were followed to determine which factors were highly associated with the development of colorectal cancer.
Kattan first saw the need for a more personalized formula more than 20 years ago when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease. “We didn’t catch it early, I was in stage 4, with stage 5 being death,” he recalls. “You’re told you’re not really applicable to that stage, but how do you add and subtract factors? I want estimates tailored to me. Why isn’t there a website where I can enter stuff about myself? I can do that everywhere else.”
CRC-PRO is one of a series of risk prediction calculators Kattan and his team are rolling out at the Clinic, including tools for calculating the risk of heart disease and breast, prostate and thyroid cancers. Patients can use the tools online. The calculators will eventually be added to patients’ electronic health records.
Source: Michael Kattan
Writer: Karin Connelly
The tool, known as CRC-PRO, or Colorectal Cancer Predicted Risk Online, uses multiple factors to determine an individual person’s risk of developing cancer, instead of simply basing risk on general factors like age and weight. There are separate calculators for men and women.
“It’s less about the predictors and more about the way we put them together,” says Michael Kattan, one of the researchers on the team and chair of the Clinic’s department of Quantitative Health Sciences. “You take into account much more information.”
Kattan says the trade-off is that the risk is computed by an online calculator, so it’s less visual than running through a series of more generic questions.
Researchers, led by the Clinic’s Brian Wells, analyzed data on over 180,000 patients from a study conducted at the University of Hawaii. Patients were followed to determine which factors were highly associated with the development of colorectal cancer.
Kattan first saw the need for a more personalized formula more than 20 years ago when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease. “We didn’t catch it early, I was in stage 4, with stage 5 being death,” he recalls. “You’re told you’re not really applicable to that stage, but how do you add and subtract factors? I want estimates tailored to me. Why isn’t there a website where I can enter stuff about myself? I can do that everywhere else.”
CRC-PRO is one of a series of risk prediction calculators Kattan and his team are rolling out at the Clinic, including tools for calculating the risk of heart disease and breast, prostate and thyroid cancers. Patients can use the tools online. The calculators will eventually be added to patients’ electronic health records.
Source: Michael Kattan
Writer: Karin Connelly
The hand-carved carousel that entertained the masses at historic Euclid Beach Park, though hasn't operated in decades, is getting a makeover. The newly restored gem is set for a November unveiling at the Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) in University Circle.
When the restored 1910 Euclid Beach Grand Carousel opens in the Glass Pavilion of the History Center, it will be one of the few working carousels in town. Visitors will be able to purchase a ticket to ride what was deemed "the finest carousel ever made" when it first debuted over a century ago.
"This project has been 13 or 14 years in the making," says Alyssa Purvis, Communications Assistant with WRHS. "We still have people coming in and saying, 'I have a picture of my mom standing next to that horse. It's in my wallet.'"
The carousel also introduces a major new amenity to University Circle, providing yet another reason to visit WRHS. This nonprofit institution has undergone major renovations to its Crawford Auto Aviation Room to help reach a new audience and recently garnered a "Building the Circle" award from University Circle Inc.
The restoration of the historic carousel was undertaken in collaboration with the Cleveland Carousel Society, which helped recover the carousel from a park in Maine. The carousel operated in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland from 1910 to 1969, when Euclid Beach Park, a major attraction for generations of Clevelanders, shut down.
The colossal structure is remarkable, and it's housed in a stunning, light-filled room. The horses, which are some of the largest wooden carousel horses in the country, according to Purvis, are captured in dynamic running and jumping poses. Surrounding the horses are hand-painted chariots that also have been recently refurbished.
The centerpiece of the carousel, currently being restored by Carousel Works in Mansfield, is a massive automated music box that soon will crank back to life.
"The park was a real landmark in Northeast Ohio," says Purvis. "We felt that it was important to keep the carousel here in Cleveland and to make it run again."
WRHS has announced that the carousel will be ready to ride on November 22nd.
Source: Alyssa Purvis
Writer: Lee Chilcote
When the restored 1910 Euclid Beach Grand Carousel opens in the Glass Pavilion of the History Center, it will be one of the few working carousels in town. Visitors will be able to purchase a ticket to ride what was deemed "the finest carousel ever made" when it first debuted over a century ago.
"This project has been 13 or 14 years in the making," says Alyssa Purvis, Communications Assistant with WRHS. "We still have people coming in and saying, 'I have a picture of my mom standing next to that horse. It's in my wallet.'"
The carousel also introduces a major new amenity to University Circle, providing yet another reason to visit WRHS. This nonprofit institution has undergone major renovations to its Crawford Auto Aviation Room to help reach a new audience and recently garnered a "Building the Circle" award from University Circle Inc.
The restoration of the historic carousel was undertaken in collaboration with the Cleveland Carousel Society, which helped recover the carousel from a park in Maine. The carousel operated in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland from 1910 to 1969, when Euclid Beach Park, a major attraction for generations of Clevelanders, shut down.
The colossal structure is remarkable, and it's housed in a stunning, light-filled room. The horses, which are some of the largest wooden carousel horses in the country, according to Purvis, are captured in dynamic running and jumping poses. Surrounding the horses are hand-painted chariots that also have been recently refurbished.
The centerpiece of the carousel, currently being restored by Carousel Works in Mansfield, is a massive automated music box that soon will crank back to life.
"The park was a real landmark in Northeast Ohio," says Purvis. "We felt that it was important to keep the carousel here in Cleveland and to make it run again."
WRHS has announced that the carousel will be ready to ride on November 22nd.
Source: Alyssa Purvis
Writer: Lee Chilcote
wsj highlights cma's asian collection
In a Wall Street Journal article titled “Cleveland Gives Asia Its Due,” writer Lee Lawrence details the recently completed eight-year, $350 million renovation and expansion at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Lawrence writes of Cleveland’s reputation for having one of the country’s finest Asian collections, while noting that many of the works were squeezed into less frequented spaces in the basement.
“The art now has the crowd-attracting galleries it deserves," he writes. "Taking up the entire west and half of the north wings, a suite of large, airy galleries accommodates close to 600 treasures, some 10 percent of the museum's Asian holdings.”
The piece goes on to detail various time periods and geographical locations of the vast Asian collection.
Check out the full story here.
Lawrence writes of Cleveland’s reputation for having one of the country’s finest Asian collections, while noting that many of the works were squeezed into less frequented spaces in the basement.
“The art now has the crowd-attracting galleries it deserves," he writes. "Taking up the entire west and half of the north wings, a suite of large, airy galleries accommodates close to 600 treasures, some 10 percent of the museum's Asian holdings.”
The piece goes on to detail various time periods and geographical locations of the vast Asian collection.
Check out the full story here.
On Monday, January 20, the Cleveland Museum of Art released to much anticipation an iPhone version of its award-winning iPad app, ArtLens.
“We’re really excited because lots of people have been waiting for the smartphone version,” says museum CIO Jane Alexander. “ArtLens for iPad got great reviews, but we found people really like using their own devices.”
ArtLens for the iPhone has some added features, such as a search function. It also can make recommendations based on user preferences. “You can hold the iPhone up to something you like and it shows you hotspots of other works,” Alexander explains. “It’s kind of like Amazon -- if you like this, you might like this.”
Visitors to the museum can go to the Collection Wall, the 40-foot interactive wall with images of the museum’s collections, and select their favorite works. The app will then take the visitor on a guided tour of the selected works.
The iPhone app also includes Top 10 lists of favorite works selected by both museum curators and visitors.
The original ArtLens app was released on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2013, to coincide with the opening of Gallery One, where technology and art merge. Alexander says that commingling technology and fine art reduces the intimidation many people feel when they walk into the museum.
An Android version of the ArtLens app is planned for a spring release.
Source: Jane Alexander
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We’re really excited because lots of people have been waiting for the smartphone version,” says museum CIO Jane Alexander. “ArtLens for iPad got great reviews, but we found people really like using their own devices.”
ArtLens for the iPhone has some added features, such as a search function. It also can make recommendations based on user preferences. “You can hold the iPhone up to something you like and it shows you hotspots of other works,” Alexander explains. “It’s kind of like Amazon -- if you like this, you might like this.”
Visitors to the museum can go to the Collection Wall, the 40-foot interactive wall with images of the museum’s collections, and select their favorite works. The app will then take the visitor on a guided tour of the selected works.
The iPhone app also includes Top 10 lists of favorite works selected by both museum curators and visitors.
The original ArtLens app was released on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2013, to coincide with the opening of Gallery One, where technology and art merge. Alexander says that commingling technology and fine art reduces the intimidation many people feel when they walk into the museum.
An Android version of the ArtLens app is planned for a spring release.
Source: Jane Alexander
Writer: Karin Connelly
The developers behind University Place Townhomes, a 19-unit project on E. 118th Street in University Circle, have broken ground on their new project. With two sales in hand, they're laying the foundation and intend to start vertical construction in the spring.
"The demographic is pretty much what we thought it would be," says Russell Lamb, a principal with Allegro Realty and partner in the project, which includes several Allegro principals. "The buyers are either people who work in the Circle, particularly medical institutions, people who want to move back to an urban environment who are downsizing, or young professionals."
"We're the only for-sale project in University Circle," he adds. "We're pretty comfortable with where we are right now." The developers hope to obtain several additional sales in the spring so they can start construction on additional units.
While much of the action these days is in the rental market, the for-sale market also is showing signs of renewed life, says Lamb. He believes University Circle is a particularly strong, underserved market, in part because there's so little developable land. The parcel on E. 118th was a rare vacant property within the district's boundaries that could be developed.
The units range in size from 1,100 square feet to just under 2,100 square feet, with prices starting at $250,000 and climbing to $450,000. Lamb describe the prices as "expensive for Cleveland, but not expensive for University Circle," an area that commands a premium.
The project design features five separate buildings around a central, European-style courtyard utilizing modern building techniques including cementitious exteriors. Dimit Architects designed the units. The interiors, while not extravagant in terms of square footage, are "modern, open and airy; there's a good use of space," Lamb says.
Uptown has been a particular "center of gravity" for the project, he adds, providing much-needed amenities that will attract the home-buying set.
What's needed to complete the Circle? "More people," Lamb says. "If any place in Cleveland has got it all, it's gotta be University Circle."
Source: Russell Lamb
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"The demographic is pretty much what we thought it would be," says Russell Lamb, a principal with Allegro Realty and partner in the project, which includes several Allegro principals. "The buyers are either people who work in the Circle, particularly medical institutions, people who want to move back to an urban environment who are downsizing, or young professionals."
"We're the only for-sale project in University Circle," he adds. "We're pretty comfortable with where we are right now." The developers hope to obtain several additional sales in the spring so they can start construction on additional units.
While much of the action these days is in the rental market, the for-sale market also is showing signs of renewed life, says Lamb. He believes University Circle is a particularly strong, underserved market, in part because there's so little developable land. The parcel on E. 118th was a rare vacant property within the district's boundaries that could be developed.
The units range in size from 1,100 square feet to just under 2,100 square feet, with prices starting at $250,000 and climbing to $450,000. Lamb describe the prices as "expensive for Cleveland, but not expensive for University Circle," an area that commands a premium.
The project design features five separate buildings around a central, European-style courtyard utilizing modern building techniques including cementitious exteriors. Dimit Architects designed the units. The interiors, while not extravagant in terms of square footage, are "modern, open and airy; there's a good use of space," Lamb says.
Uptown has been a particular "center of gravity" for the project, he adds, providing much-needed amenities that will attract the home-buying set.
What's needed to complete the Circle? "More people," Lamb says. "If any place in Cleveland has got it all, it's gotta be University Circle."
Source: Russell Lamb
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Running late for a business meeting at the local coffee shop? Not going to make it to happy hour with your friends? Prezto eases the guilt by allowing the user to instantly send a cup of coffee, cocktail or even a cupcake to the person on the other end awaiting your arrival.
“The app allows you to give a gift to a friend remotely and immediately,” explains Anne Jiao, founder of Prezto. “It’s a way to share spontaneous moments on a daily basis.”
The concept is simple: Users download the app, select a participating establishment and gift to give, and then send it to a friend. The friend simply presents a code for scanning and receives the gift.
Jiao came up with the idea for Prezto after working in Los Angeles. “I noticed that most of my bosses hosted meetings outside the office and there was a lot of anxiety around getting to the right place at the right time,” she says. “I thought, what’s an easy way to get a meeting off on the right foot?”
She also reluctantly admits that a scene in the Hunger Games movie, in which the character Katniss received medication through a teleport device to win the game, also helped spark the idea. “It’s the idea of people who are not there being able to affect a person’s life,” she says.
Jiao went through the LaunchHouse Accelerator program last fall to hash out her idea for Prezto and still keeps an office there (in addition to coffee shops and a rented desk downtown). She employs a CTO and an intern and is looking for a second intern. She also uses five developers on a contract basis.
About 40 merchants already have expressed interest in Prezto, mostly in the Coventry, University Circle and Cleveland State areas. The app is in beta testing now and Jiao plans to use her interns to sign on more merchants before the app officially launches this summer.
Source: Anne Jiao
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The app allows you to give a gift to a friend remotely and immediately,” explains Anne Jiao, founder of Prezto. “It’s a way to share spontaneous moments on a daily basis.”
The concept is simple: Users download the app, select a participating establishment and gift to give, and then send it to a friend. The friend simply presents a code for scanning and receives the gift.
Jiao came up with the idea for Prezto after working in Los Angeles. “I noticed that most of my bosses hosted meetings outside the office and there was a lot of anxiety around getting to the right place at the right time,” she says. “I thought, what’s an easy way to get a meeting off on the right foot?”
She also reluctantly admits that a scene in the Hunger Games movie, in which the character Katniss received medication through a teleport device to win the game, also helped spark the idea. “It’s the idea of people who are not there being able to affect a person’s life,” she says.
Jiao went through the LaunchHouse Accelerator program last fall to hash out her idea for Prezto and still keeps an office there (in addition to coffee shops and a rented desk downtown). She employs a CTO and an intern and is looking for a second intern. She also uses five developers on a contract basis.
About 40 merchants already have expressed interest in Prezto, mostly in the Coventry, University Circle and Cleveland State areas. The app is in beta testing now and Jiao plans to use her interns to sign on more merchants before the app officially launches this summer.
Source: Anne Jiao
Writer: Karin Connelly
botanical garden enjoys busiest year on record
In 2013, the 83-year-old Cleveland Botanical Garden attracted more people than ever to its University Circle properties. During the past 12 months, 188,669 people visited the Garden, marking a 17 percent increase over the prior year’s record attendance figure of 160,000. It marks the sixth straight year of attendance increases.
Garden President Natalie Ronayne attributes the growth to the success of two new seasonal events, Big Spring and the holiday spectacular Glow.
“It’s really great to see Northeast Ohioans embracing the Garden as relevant to their lives,” Ronayne says. “One of the most appealing things about the Garden is that it can be many different things to many different people -- a place of celebration, a place of solace, a place for making new family memories. I love that people are taking advantage of that.”
Next up on the schedule for the Garden is the 11th annual Orchid Mania, slated to run February 1 through March 9.
Garden President Natalie Ronayne attributes the growth to the success of two new seasonal events, Big Spring and the holiday spectacular Glow.
“It’s really great to see Northeast Ohioans embracing the Garden as relevant to their lives,” Ronayne says. “One of the most appealing things about the Garden is that it can be many different things to many different people -- a place of celebration, a place of solace, a place for making new family memories. I love that people are taking advantage of that.”
Next up on the schedule for the Garden is the 11th annual Orchid Mania, slated to run February 1 through March 9.
On the heels of a successful merger that brought together under one roof three nonprofit community development organizations, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) has made a key hire to lead its policy and advocacy efforts. Alesha Washington, a Glenville native who most recently served as Director of Executive Administration and Government Relations at the Centers for Family and Children, recently joined CNP as its Senior Director of Advocacy, Policy and Research. Washington will lead strategic policy initiatives at the city, county, state and federal levels and identify and use academic research to inform community development strategies.
"Trying to create a shared advocacy platform for the CDC community is what attracted me to the role," says Washington. "There's a need and a longing for a very coordinated and aligned system. The goal is to work together to improve Cleveland's neighborhoods for all people."
"It's about connecting the dots," adds Joel Ratner, President of CNP. "The needs we're identifying at the neighborhood level should be articulated clearly, strongly and strategically to officials who are setting policy and government budgets."
In recent years, Ratner says, no such coordinated effort has existed. Policy priorities might include strategies and funding to address vacant and abandoned properties, maintaining and enhancing tax credit programs that lend to neighborhood development, and influencing the state budget.
Source: Alesha Washington, Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"Trying to create a shared advocacy platform for the CDC community is what attracted me to the role," says Washington. "There's a need and a longing for a very coordinated and aligned system. The goal is to work together to improve Cleveland's neighborhoods for all people."
"It's about connecting the dots," adds Joel Ratner, President of CNP. "The needs we're identifying at the neighborhood level should be articulated clearly, strongly and strategically to officials who are setting policy and government budgets."
In recent years, Ratner says, no such coordinated effort has existed. Policy priorities might include strategies and funding to address vacant and abandoned properties, maintaining and enhancing tax credit programs that lend to neighborhood development, and influencing the state budget.
Source: Alesha Washington, Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
'best things in cle' called out in atlantic cities
In an Atlantic Cities end-of-year feature titled “The Best Thing My City Did This Year,” the editorial staff highlighted the Cleveland Museum of Art birthing a magnificent new atrium that doubles as public gathering space as one of the major highlights of the year for the city.
"My Cleveland 2013 was full of energy, risk-taking and community-based huzzahs. Culturally, high came to mass at both the Cleveland Museum of Art, where a stunning new atrium became our public gathering place, and the Cleveland Orchestra did a neighborhood-based residency,” shares Anne Trubek, founding editor of Belt magazine.
Other items of note mentioned include developments in Waterloo, St. Clair-Superior, and Detroit-Shoreway that will build the foundation for 2014.
Check out the full piece here.
"My Cleveland 2013 was full of energy, risk-taking and community-based huzzahs. Culturally, high came to mass at both the Cleveland Museum of Art, where a stunning new atrium became our public gathering place, and the Cleveland Orchestra did a neighborhood-based residency,” shares Anne Trubek, founding editor of Belt magazine.
Other items of note mentioned include developments in Waterloo, St. Clair-Superior, and Detroit-Shoreway that will build the foundation for 2014.
Check out the full piece here.