Regional Economy

Door-to-door: Advocates canvass neighborhoods, informing tenants and trying to prevent evictions
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America and other organizations are hitting Cleveland streets, making sure residents know their rights, and how to get assistance, when facing evictions.
Head trip: How COVID-19 is affecting Cleveland's travel and tourism industry
COVID-19 has hit Cleveland's travel and tourism industry hard. Hotel occupancies are low and one in four employees in the industry were laid off this past summer. While the hotel industry awaits Congressional help, local museums and tourist attractions have gotten creative in their programming.
Free Stamp: All things free in the #CLE for October 2020
The best things in life are free, indeed, and our monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up all the free #CLE events that get our "stamp" of approval.
Early Arrival: Downtown CLE Fall Restaurant Week starts Monday to give city eateries a boost
Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week comes early this year—next week, in fact—as the Downtown Cleveland Alliance moves the annual winter event into fall to spark safe dining out (or curbside pickup or delivery) at city restaurants.
Taking it in stride: Two Old Brooklyn businesses re-invent, re-think, and come out on top
Even during the coronavirus pandemic, Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation looks out for its small businesses. Thanks to grants offered by OBCDC, Old Brooklyn Cheese and Coffee, Coffee, Coffee have been able to pivot and thrive during tough times.
Teamwork makes the dream work: Automation, collaboration increase local mask production
Working with the Ohio Manufacturing Alliance, MAGNET takes the lead on bringing local companies together to compete internationally in automated, high-volume mask production during the coronavirus pandemic.
As CMSD returns to virtual school, Project ACT ensures the needs of homeless students are met
With about 1,000 students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District either living in homeless shelters or with relatives, Project ACT makes sure those students can continue in their current schools while also providing both technology and personal support during the uncertainties of the pandemic. 
Gordon Square’s Fast Forward fund keeps rolling with grants for small businessses
The Detroit Shoreway's Fast Forward Fund, established in June to help small businesses in the Gordon Square Arts District, has now raised more than $55,000 and helped 19 businesses.
Leap of faith: How COVID-19 has changed the way we worship
The pandemic may make it impossible for most houses of worship to congregate in-person, but institutions find their missions and prayers extend beyond the sanctuary walls. 
Riding the wave: Eastern suburbs prepare for new surge of evictions and foreclosures
Just like most of Cuyahoga County, Cleveland's inner-ring suburbs are expecting a wave of potential evictions and foreclosures because of the coronavirus. But officials are trying to provide assistance wherever they can in Shaker Heights and South Euclid.
Making it count: Community groups get creative in collecting census data during a pandemic
Cleveland is lagging in responses to the 2020 U.S. Census, so community groups are taking some creative measures to encourage traditionally hard-to-reach groups to be counted—and it's working.
Job matchmaker: Spruce marketing firm founder launches job board for freelancers and nonprofits
Tom Sarago founded Trialogue to pair nonprofit organizations with freelancers who can fill contract job needs.
Pay it forward: Polish Village stages summer cash mob to prompt spending in Parma
As Parma small businesses began to suffer in the pandemic, Polish Village Parma stepped in this summer to organize a COVID-19 cash mob—offering raffle tickets for every $10 spent in neighborhood stores.
Day of Action: Live music venues ask patrons to save our stages through email campaign to Congress
Almost 100 Ohio music venues and nonprofit stages are fighting to keep their doors open during the pandemic. Today is Ohio Day of Action, when organizers are asking everyone to write Congress and urge passage of the Save our Stages Act to help these venues make it through tough times. 
Who’s Hiring in #CLE: Tech Elevator, Food Bank, Cleveland Orchestra, and more
Need a job? Check out the latest edition of FreshWater Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply.
Business Unusual: Local manufacturers adapt, preserve jobs, and carry on during pandemic
When the coronavirus brought everyday life to a screeching halt and area hospitals worried they would run out of PPE, several Northeast Ohio manufacturers and other businesses stepped up to adapt their processes, save jobs, and make what was needed.
Amazon to open three Cleveland-area delivery stations for faster service, to meet greater demand
Amazon's three new delivery stations to facilitate the "last mile" in the delivery process will mean hundreds of jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for Northeast Ohioans.
Like a phoenix: Fund helps downtown businesses rise from the ashes of May’s riots
A group of Cleveland advocates came together to create the $1.45 million Downtown Recovery Response Fund to help businesses rebound from the destruction caused by the May 30 riots.
Betts Restaurant to open at Kimpton Schofield, offering options for all diets and cravings
When Parker's Downtown closed in March during the COVID-19 shutdown, owner James Mowbray fast tracked his rebranding plans for the restaurant space. Next week, Betts Restaurant, named after 19th Century Cleveland activist Elizabeth Schofield, will offer something for every taste.
Fast Forward Fund helps Gordon Square businesses make it through pandemic strains
Small businesses in Gordon Square, like Superelectric Pinball Parlor and Maelstrom Collaborative Arts, are adapting their models during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to money from Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization's Fast Forward Fund.