Regional Economy

Chefs Karen Small and Jill Vedaa make CLE history as James Beard semifinalists
For the first time in Cleveland, two local female chefs have been named semifinalists for the James Beard Awards. Chef Karen Small, owner of The Flying Fig, and chef Jill Vedaa, co-owner of Salt, are two of 20 chefs in the Great Lakes division, having made it to the semifinals from 20,000 entries in 21 categories. Read more about how Vedaa and Small attained this culinary honor here.
MidTown is abuzz with the March opening of Tech Hive
Banking on the growing coworking trend, the hope is that when the MidTown Tech Hive opens on Thursday, March 1, it will become a cooperative gathering place for great minds to bring innovative ideas with a sense of community and an emphasis on tech education. Read more about what Tech Hive will offer here.
Who's Hiring in CLE: WEWS Channel 5, Arrow International, JumpStart, Cleveland Institute of Art....
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This edition includes jobs from WEWS Channel 5, Arrow International, JumpStart, Cleveland Institute of Art, and Cleveland Institute of Music. Click here for the freshest opportunities fit to print.
Cleveland named a top city for startup growth by Robert Half Technology
The label “startup hub” is no longer reserved for a few select cities across the nation, and Cleveland is being dubbed a haven for innovation as more entrepreneurs set their sights on our city to put down roots. Robert Half’s list of “Top 10 U.S. Cities Where Startups Are Growing” ranks Cleveland at number eight based off its survey of 2,600 CIOs in 26 metropolitan areas around the country—citing access to skilled technology talent and an attractive quality of life. Other cities on the list include Charlotte, Atlanta, San Diego, Phoenix, and Seattle. Click here to see who else made the list.
Who's Hiring in #CLE: Hard Rock Rocksino, Wigs 4 Kids, Sustainable Community Associates & more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This edition includes jobs from Sustainable Community Associates, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation, and Hard Rock Rocksino. Click here for the freshest opportunities fit to print.
Who's Hiring in #CLE: JACK Casino, Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland Orchestra, Movement Project...
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This edition includes jobs from Cleveland Foundation, JACK Cleveland Casino, Dancing Wheels, Cleveland Orchestra, The Movement Project, and Cleveland Botanical Garden. Click here for the freshest opportunities fit to print.
Who's Hiring in CLE: Van Auken Akins, Cleveland Metroparks, Les Delices, Heights Arts & CSU
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This edition includes jobs from Heights Arts, Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland State University, Las Delices, and Van Auken Akins. Click here for the freshest opportunities fit to print.
A $700,000 grant will help save blighted, vacant homes and beautify CLE neighborhoods

Ever since the real estate housing crash in 2008, Cleveland communities have been faced with tackling the problem of vacant and blighted homes—pulling down property values and aesthetic appeal in neighborhoods already struggling.

According to Justin Fleming, director of real estate for Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP), there are about 9,500 vacant homes in the City of Cleveland. “I’d estimate that approximately 4,500 of those are structurally capable of being rehabbed within a reasonable budget,” he says. “The other 5,000 are likely structurally too far gone to reasonably saved.”

But thanks to a three-year, $700,000 grant given to CNP by Detroit-based Quicken Loans, some of those homes that can be rehabbed will get that much-needed work. Read about how this grant will help blighted neighborhoods and rehab vacant homes here.

Keep on truckin': This freewheeling fashion boutique offers a new way to shop
It only seems fitting that someone named Mercedes Bell would open a boutique on wheels—and that's exactly what Bell did when she launched Lavora's Mobile Boutique earlier this year. An emerging style entrepreneur, Bell had already been running her online boutique for over one year when she debuted the roving fashion truck in late July 2017. In the months since, the truck has made appearances at events like Glenville Community Festival, Soul of Buckeye, Battle of the Bands at Shaw High School, and the recent pop-up shop at Spaces. Get the 411 on this roving retailer here.
Who's Hiring in CLE: KeyBank, Cleveland Foundation, Playhouse Square, City of Euclid, The GEO Group
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This edition includes jobs from Playhouse Square, KeyBank, Cleveland Foundation, the City of Euclid, and more. Click here for the freshest opportunities fit to print.
Made in CLE: Six ways to shop local this holiday season
If your idea of the perfect gift is a locally made one, Cleveland doesn't disappoint. From a Black Friday event at 78th Street Studios to a CIA student art sale, these six shows offer the best of locally made products and art.
Who's Hiring in CLE: Tri-C, LunchOwl, EDEN, Center for Community Solutions, and more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This edition includes jobs from Lunch Owl, Center for Community Solutions, EDEN, Inc., Apollo's Fire, and more. Click here for the freshest opportunities fit to print.
Cleveland's oldest arts district is about to go 2.0 as the Superior Arts District
For decades, an eight-block section around Superior Avenue in the Campus District has served as one of Cleveland’s first live-work districts for artists and their studios. In just a few weeks, this area will become known as the Cleveland Superior Arts Business Improvement District, or for short, Superior Arts District. 
Who's Hiring in CLE: Stern Advertising, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Progressive Arts Alliance & more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This edition includes jobs from Stern Advertising, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Baldwin Wallace University, Progressive Arts Alliance, Clothes Mentor, and more. Click here for the freshest opportunities fit to print.
A neighborhood in bloom: Kinsman residents plant the seeds for reinvention
The Kinsman/Central neighborhood on Cleveland’s east side has long been regarded as one of the poorest areas in the city—perhaps even the state—with little direction or hope for revival. But with the help of Burten, Bell, Carr Development (BBC), this once-thriving neighborhood is rediscovering its potential.
Who's Hiring in CLE: Ideastream, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Beck Center for the Arts, and more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This edition includes jobs from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Ideastream, and more. Click here for all the opportunities fit to print.
Who’s Hiring in CLE: JACK Casino, BlueBridge Networks, JumpStart…
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “who’s hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for and how to apply.

Find out who's hiring in Cleveland here.
Ohio City BBQ will soon bring a touch of Memphis to Cleveland
For weeks, curious and hungry pedestrians have been popping into the new Ohio City BBQ, only to be turned away by owner Nav Singh, who assures the Memphis-style barbeque joint will be opening any day now in the former Ohio City Tattoo space at 3829 Lorain Ave.

Find out when Ohio City BBQ will open and what the menu holds in store here.
Harbor Verandas project is next step in lakefront community living downtown

For decades, the hot topic among Clevelanders has been “what to do with the city’s lakefront,” comparing Cleveland’s lakefront use, or lack thereof, to other Great Lakes cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, and even Buffalo.

With the groundbreaking of Harbor Verandas at North Coast Harbor last Tuesday, Aug. 29, the City of Cleveland and Cumberland Development are proving that lakefront community living is a feasible reality.

Cumberland CEO Dick Pace says the development of North Coast Harbor as a mixed-use community has been a concept in the making since the 80s when George Voinovich was mayor and backed a lakefront development plan.

Read about how North Coast Harbor is taking shape as a lakefront community here.

Cleveland was just named one of America's most affordable cities
Cleveland joins cities like Eugene, Oregon and Fort Walton Beach, Florida in AARP The Magazine's list of "10 of the Best American Cities to Live Comfortably on $40,000 a Year." In tandem with Sperling's Best Places, the magazine ranked cities based on factors like housing affordability, access to work and recreation, transportation, healthcare and safety to create a "livability index" rating. (Cleveland weighed in at 56, with a median housing price of $124,000.) Here's what the magazine had to say about living in The Land:

Situated on the shores of Lake Erie, Cleveland has experienced a cultural renaissance of late, led by growing populations of baby boomers and millennials alike. The city's robust art and music scene is complemented by lively nightlife and award-winning restaurants, not to mention a renewed excitement among NBA fans with the return of hometown hero LeBron James.

Read more about the 10 chosen cities here in Travel + Leisure.