Regional Economy
For those who don't already know, Cleveland is a place where culture, education, creativity and innovation flourishes affordably. At least, that's the message city boosters are trying to sell to mobile young professionals. According to who you ask, that strategy is either working, working slowly, or not working well at all.
El Futuro de Cleveland, a collaboration between Global Cleveland, Esperanza, Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education (NOCHE), and Cleveland Leadership Center’s (i)Cleveland hopes to retain local Latino talent in Northeast Ohio by offering paid internships to college students.
“The mission is to support the rich diversity of the Greater Cleveland Latino community and ensure it grows and thrives,” says Global Cleveland’s Elizabeth Hijar. There are 62,000 Latinos in Cuyahoga County, and that population grew by 30 percent since 2000. “The Latino community is a bright spot in Cleveland and is growing."
Part of the Global Cleveland Latino initiative, El Futuro de Cleveland is working with Cleveland State, CWRU, Baldwin Wallace and Kent State, in addition to reaching out to schools in Boston and Chicago. “The focus is on young people to help ensure there are opportunities to make them stay in Cleveland, attract them and make sure there’s a pipeline,” says Hijar. “We want to focus on these students and really try to help them get a first start in their careers, whether they are from Cleveland or outside of Cleveland, and think about living here on a long-term basis.”
Nineteen employers already have signed up to provide paid internships through the program. The employers are required to enroll their interns in the (i)Cleveland summer leadership and mentoring program.
Source: Elizabeth Hijar
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The mission is to support the rich diversity of the Greater Cleveland Latino community and ensure it grows and thrives,” says Global Cleveland’s Elizabeth Hijar. There are 62,000 Latinos in Cuyahoga County, and that population grew by 30 percent since 2000. “The Latino community is a bright spot in Cleveland and is growing."
Part of the Global Cleveland Latino initiative, El Futuro de Cleveland is working with Cleveland State, CWRU, Baldwin Wallace and Kent State, in addition to reaching out to schools in Boston and Chicago. “The focus is on young people to help ensure there are opportunities to make them stay in Cleveland, attract them and make sure there’s a pipeline,” says Hijar. “We want to focus on these students and really try to help them get a first start in their careers, whether they are from Cleveland or outside of Cleveland, and think about living here on a long-term basis.”
Nineteen employers already have signed up to provide paid internships through the program. The employers are required to enroll their interns in the (i)Cleveland summer leadership and mentoring program.
Source: Elizabeth Hijar
Writer: Karin Connelly
Since its modest beginnings 36 years ago at the Cedar Lee Theatre, the Cleveland International Film Festival has blossomed into a premiere local, regional and national event. Over the years the festival’s attendance has grown by over 600 percent to last year's record of 85,018. Here are four films with a Cleveland connection.
nytimes says all eyes on cma in the museum world
In a New York Times feature titled “Technology That Serves to Enhance, Not Distract,” Fred A. Bernstein explores the attention the Cleveland Museum of Art has been garnering for its groundbreaking Gallery One exhibit.
“In the museum world, everyone’s watching Cleveland right now,” said Erin Coburn, a museum consultant who has worked at both the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Though other museums have experimented with interactive technology, the extent of Cleveland’s program is unprecedented, she said. “They’ve put a lot out there for other museums to learn from.”
The museum also treats iPads users to more and different information by giving an interactive feel to the displays, while still keeping focus on the artwork itself. If you do not have an iPad, one can be rented from the museum for just $5 per day.
Read the entire feature here.
“In the museum world, everyone’s watching Cleveland right now,” said Erin Coburn, a museum consultant who has worked at both the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Though other museums have experimented with interactive technology, the extent of Cleveland’s program is unprecedented, she said. “They’ve put a lot out there for other museums to learn from.”
The museum also treats iPads users to more and different information by giving an interactive feel to the displays, while still keeping focus on the artwork itself. If you do not have an iPad, one can be rented from the museum for just $5 per day.
Read the entire feature here.
As brewmaster for Market Garden Brewery and Nano Brew, Andy Tveekrem has the enviable job of devising, testing and brewing the luscious suds that bubble up from those popular Ohio City watering holes. We decided to see what a day in the life a big-time brewer is all about.
national design praise continues for moca
In a SmartPlanet post titled “Perfectly detailed, perfectly gorgeous (and perfectly dull),” C.C. Sullivan explains the behind-the-scenes processes that take place when it comes to museum design and/or renovations.
“Museums usually turn out to be just as conventional as the corporations and socialites who run them," Sullivan writes. "These one-percenters are also corporate directors, university trustees, hospital board members and generally busy-busy folk.”
While these talented people can organize a well-run competition, their results tend to disappoint as they focus more or “marketability” rather than design.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland earned praise for “doing it right.”
“It is a truly progressive cultural achievement. The design was radical enough to scare the pants off the museum’s own leadership. We applaud the choices and challenges behind this new, magnetic public place.”
Check out the full story here.
“Museums usually turn out to be just as conventional as the corporations and socialites who run them," Sullivan writes. "These one-percenters are also corporate directors, university trustees, hospital board members and generally busy-busy folk.”
While these talented people can organize a well-run competition, their results tend to disappoint as they focus more or “marketability” rather than design.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland earned praise for “doing it right.”
“It is a truly progressive cultural achievement. The design was radical enough to scare the pants off the museum’s own leadership. We applaud the choices and challenges behind this new, magnetic public place.”
Check out the full story here.
When Tom Nolan was at South by Southwest (SXSW) last year, he was moved by the startup companies on the stage during the business accelerator. “It was inspiring to see the companies go and pitch their hearts out with something they’ve been working on for months and years,” Nolan says. “I remember sitting in the audience and I had the idea for Plotter and I thought, ‘I’m going to go home and work on it.'"
Plotter is Nolan’s social mapping app -- just launched for iPhone on March 1. Plotter allows users to not only perform typical mapping functions, but also lets users interact and view friends’ maps or plot multiple destinations.
Nolan quit his job last September to develop Plotter and hasn’t stopped since. “We kind of hit the ground running in October and November,” he says. “We logged thousands of hours in a short amount of time.”
Nolan and his three partners, Chad Milburn, Tim Zeller and Chris Jungjohann, applied in November to compete in the SXSW accelerator in the social division. In December they got word that Plotter had beat out more than 500 companies for the chance to pitch their app at the conference last week.
The Plotter team made it through the first round, giving a two-minute pitch to judges and investors and made it into the final three in their category. They went on to give a five-minute pitch and a 10-minute Q & A before they were declared the winner.
The next step is to roll out Plotter for Android. Nolan also wants to target the auto industry. “We’re talking to car manufacturers to bring Plotter in dashboards of cars,” he says. “We want to become the first mapping app in cars. The in-dash systems are so outdated.”
Nolan says he plans to keep Plotter in Cleveland and expand the team as soon as possible. “It’s been kind of a whirlwind,” he says. “We need to figure out the next steps and what direction to go in.”
Source: Tom Nolan
Writer: Karin Connelly
Plotter is Nolan’s social mapping app -- just launched for iPhone on March 1. Plotter allows users to not only perform typical mapping functions, but also lets users interact and view friends’ maps or plot multiple destinations.
Nolan quit his job last September to develop Plotter and hasn’t stopped since. “We kind of hit the ground running in October and November,” he says. “We logged thousands of hours in a short amount of time.”
Nolan and his three partners, Chad Milburn, Tim Zeller and Chris Jungjohann, applied in November to compete in the SXSW accelerator in the social division. In December they got word that Plotter had beat out more than 500 companies for the chance to pitch their app at the conference last week.
The Plotter team made it through the first round, giving a two-minute pitch to judges and investors and made it into the final three in their category. They went on to give a five-minute pitch and a 10-minute Q & A before they were declared the winner.
The next step is to roll out Plotter for Android. Nolan also wants to target the auto industry. “We’re talking to car manufacturers to bring Plotter in dashboards of cars,” he says. “We want to become the first mapping app in cars. The in-dash systems are so outdated.”
Nolan says he plans to keep Plotter in Cleveland and expand the team as soon as possible. “It’s been kind of a whirlwind,” he says. “We need to figure out the next steps and what direction to go in.”
Source: Tom Nolan
Writer: Karin Connelly
rta healthline among nation's best in rapid transit
In an Architect’s Newspaper blog post titled “Cleveland Leads U.S. Cities in Bus Rapid Transit,” Chris Bentley shares that Cleveland was the only American city to earn a “Silver Standard” ranking from the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP). None made the “Gold Standard.”
Cleveland was praised for its HealthLine, which in turn has helped spawn billions of dollars in investment to the city’s economic centers.
“Cleveland’s HealthLine, formerly The Euclid Corridor, is a 9.2-mile transit corridor connecting Downtown, University Circle, and East Cleveland with 40 stops along the way. [The] hybrid articulated buses ferry passengers 24-7.”
Four American cities made the ITDP “Bronze Standard.”
Read the full post here.
Cleveland was praised for its HealthLine, which in turn has helped spawn billions of dollars in investment to the city’s economic centers.
“Cleveland’s HealthLine, formerly The Euclid Corridor, is a 9.2-mile transit corridor connecting Downtown, University Circle, and East Cleveland with 40 stops along the way. [The] hybrid articulated buses ferry passengers 24-7.”
Four American cities made the ITDP “Bronze Standard.”
Read the full post here.
local company making most of exporting opportunities
In a Huffington Post story titled “ It’s a Small (Business) World: The Benefits of Exporting,” Karen Mills, an administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, shares a story about Cleveland’s TLC Products and its success in exporting through the assistance of the program.
“I recently visited TLC Products -- a Cleveland business which manufactures live bacterial products used for environmentally-friendly water treatment in ponds, septic systems and aquariums,” Mills writes.
“The company credits SBA Express loans and other products with transforming their business. Today, they have export opportunities to eight countries and expect to increase sales significantly next year with additional sales to China, India and Mexico.”
Check out the detailed piece here.
“I recently visited TLC Products -- a Cleveland business which manufactures live bacterial products used for environmentally-friendly water treatment in ponds, septic systems and aquariums,” Mills writes.
“The company credits SBA Express loans and other products with transforming their business. Today, they have export opportunities to eight countries and expect to increase sales significantly next year with additional sales to China, India and Mexico.”
Check out the detailed piece here.
"Ever dream of running your own restaurant as an executive chef, pastry chef or sommelier?"
That is the question asked by leaders of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute. Fulfilling that dream would be a challenge for most anyone, but what about a person reentering society after incarceration?
Hoping to provide the answer is Brandon Chrostowski, general manager, sommelier and fromanger at L'Albatros restaurant. He is also founder of EDWINS, a Cleveland nonprofit providing free restaurant training to underprivileged adults. The 26-week program teaches cooking methods, pastry techniques, food pairings, nutrition and other facets that come with the culinary arts.
Ohio's recidivism rate stands at about 30 percent, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Chrostowski, 33, believes these numbers reflect the lack of opportunities available for ex-inmates.
"There's no guidance and no jobs out there," he says. "Our goal is to provide these people with a skill and a solid path."
Students are rotated through every station of a restaurant, providing them with a variety of skills and real-world experience. Over the last two years, the program has assisted about 30 graduates in finding employment as line cooks, dishwashers and servers. Some students have already been promoted from these entry-level positions.
Chrostowski hit his own "rough patch" a decade ago, and was able to go back to school and hone his culinary craft. The restaurateur wants others to have the same opportunity he did. EDWINS' ultimate goal is to open a restaurant staffed entirely by program graduates.
"Everyone deserves a second shot," Chrostowski says. "This is a chance for people to change their lives."
SOURCE: Brandon Chrostowski
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
That is the question asked by leaders of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute. Fulfilling that dream would be a challenge for most anyone, but what about a person reentering society after incarceration?
Hoping to provide the answer is Brandon Chrostowski, general manager, sommelier and fromanger at L'Albatros restaurant. He is also founder of EDWINS, a Cleveland nonprofit providing free restaurant training to underprivileged adults. The 26-week program teaches cooking methods, pastry techniques, food pairings, nutrition and other facets that come with the culinary arts.
Ohio's recidivism rate stands at about 30 percent, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Chrostowski, 33, believes these numbers reflect the lack of opportunities available for ex-inmates.
"There's no guidance and no jobs out there," he says. "Our goal is to provide these people with a skill and a solid path."
Students are rotated through every station of a restaurant, providing them with a variety of skills and real-world experience. Over the last two years, the program has assisted about 30 graduates in finding employment as line cooks, dishwashers and servers. Some students have already been promoted from these entry-level positions.
Chrostowski hit his own "rough patch" a decade ago, and was able to go back to school and hone his culinary craft. The restaurateur wants others to have the same opportunity he did. EDWINS' ultimate goal is to open a restaurant staffed entirely by program graduates.
"Everyone deserves a second shot," Chrostowski says. "This is a chance for people to change their lives."
SOURCE: Brandon Chrostowski
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
chef chris hodgson nominated by food & wine magazine
In a Food & Wine post titled “The People’s Best New Chef: Great Lakes,” Cleveland’s own Chris Hodgson is a nominee for the magazine’s well-known award.
He is among 100 outstanding chefs, divided into 10 regions, who will compete for votes from the general public. The chef with the most votes in each region will be named a finalist and the finalist with the most votes overall will be named The People’s Best New Chef. The winner will be featured in the July issue.
Hodgson’s bio gives him kudos for being appreciated “because he pioneered Cleveland’s acclaimed food-truck scene with his quirky takes on American comfort food, now featured at this brick-and-mortar spot,” referring to his restaurant Hodge’s.
The post goes on to talk about his culinary background training at Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale and his work at Christopher’s Crush (Phoenix) and The Spotted Pig (New York City) before returning to Cleveland to found Dim and Dem Sum Truck.
Fans are asked to vote for the Cleveland chef. Voting runs now through 3/18/13. Visit here to cast yours http://www.foodandwine.com/peoples-best-new-chef/great-lakes
He is among 100 outstanding chefs, divided into 10 regions, who will compete for votes from the general public. The chef with the most votes in each region will be named a finalist and the finalist with the most votes overall will be named The People’s Best New Chef. The winner will be featured in the July issue.
Hodgson’s bio gives him kudos for being appreciated “because he pioneered Cleveland’s acclaimed food-truck scene with his quirky takes on American comfort food, now featured at this brick-and-mortar spot,” referring to his restaurant Hodge’s.
The post goes on to talk about his culinary background training at Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale and his work at Christopher’s Crush (Phoenix) and The Spotted Pig (New York City) before returning to Cleveland to found Dim and Dem Sum Truck.
Fans are asked to vote for the Cleveland chef. Voting runs now through 3/18/13. Visit here to cast yours http://www.foodandwine.com/peoples-best-new-chef/great-lakes
On March 31st, Cuyahoga County will turn over the Global Health Innovation Center -- formerly known as the Medical Mart -- to its individual tenants so they can begin to build out each of their spaces.
It will be a landmark moment for the project, says Dave Johnson, Director of Public Relations and Marketing for the GHIC. He expects the project to be majority leased when the ribbon is cut in June.
"The project will open ahead of schedule and under budget," says Johnson, who also cites the building's LEED Silver (Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design) status, a sought-after sustainable building rating.
GHIC tenants include a partnership between the Cleveland Clinic and GE Healthcare, a partnership between University Hospitals and Phillips Healthcare, Johnson Controls, and the Health Information Management Society.
The GHIC will include a display of the "home of the future," which will be built out by vendors and will feature medical devices that allow people to stay in their homes. UH and Phillips will showcase scanning equipment, while Johnson Controls will display the latest in hospital operating systems. Visitors will be able to view the behind-the-wall systems that would otherwise be invisible.
The Health Information Management Society will rotate exhibits based on what's hot in healthcare management. "It will be like a pretend hospital," says Johnson. "This is the organization around healthcare IT. The display will show equipment and how it interfaces. This is an entity bumped from the cancelled Nashville Med Mart project. It will become a magnet for companies to test IT equipment."
Officials are planning a public grand opening in June with a weekend of festivities.
Source: Dave Johnson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
It will be a landmark moment for the project, says Dave Johnson, Director of Public Relations and Marketing for the GHIC. He expects the project to be majority leased when the ribbon is cut in June.
"The project will open ahead of schedule and under budget," says Johnson, who also cites the building's LEED Silver (Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design) status, a sought-after sustainable building rating.
GHIC tenants include a partnership between the Cleveland Clinic and GE Healthcare, a partnership between University Hospitals and Phillips Healthcare, Johnson Controls, and the Health Information Management Society.
The GHIC will include a display of the "home of the future," which will be built out by vendors and will feature medical devices that allow people to stay in their homes. UH and Phillips will showcase scanning equipment, while Johnson Controls will display the latest in hospital operating systems. Visitors will be able to view the behind-the-wall systems that would otherwise be invisible.
The Health Information Management Society will rotate exhibits based on what's hot in healthcare management. "It will be like a pretend hospital," says Johnson. "This is the organization around healthcare IT. The display will show equipment and how it interfaces. This is an entity bumped from the cancelled Nashville Med Mart project. It will become a magnet for companies to test IT equipment."
Officials are planning a public grand opening in June with a weekend of festivities.
Source: Dave Johnson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
During the mid-2000s, local newspapers ran stories with evocative phrases like "quiet crisis" and "brain drain" in lamenting the flight of young, talented minds from Cleveland.
Bob Yanega saw those negative headlines, too, and decided he wanted to do something about it. Yanega, a self-professed "serial entrepreneur" with a background in commercial construction and real estate, is the creator of Choosing Success Programs, a Cleveland-centric advocacy project aimed at area high school students.
The program provides live, in-school presentations showing students how to connect with the opportunities right in their own backyard. The goal is to motivate youth to become passionate, lifelong residents of Northeast Ohio.
"Many kids don't have parents who expose them to what's great here," says Yanega, of Larchmere. "We need to sell Cleveland to young people."
Yanega has been giving Choosing Success talks at local high schools for the last 18 months. Along with providing students with tips on college and career choices, he also mixes in a "sales pitch" about Cleveland, pointing to the city's affordability, increasing job rate and wealth of cultural options.
Choosing Success, under the umbrella of its parent organization The 1990 Project, recently received a boost as one of the winners of The Cleveland Colectivo's fast- pitch presentation event. The program now has a chance to get some much-needed funding from the giving circle, and Yanega believes his brainchild is worth it.
"We're presenting facts about the city," Yanega says. "Keeping the next generation in town is a powerful, broad-based message."
SOURCE: Bob Yanega
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Bob Yanega saw those negative headlines, too, and decided he wanted to do something about it. Yanega, a self-professed "serial entrepreneur" with a background in commercial construction and real estate, is the creator of Choosing Success Programs, a Cleveland-centric advocacy project aimed at area high school students.
The program provides live, in-school presentations showing students how to connect with the opportunities right in their own backyard. The goal is to motivate youth to become passionate, lifelong residents of Northeast Ohio.
"Many kids don't have parents who expose them to what's great here," says Yanega, of Larchmere. "We need to sell Cleveland to young people."
Yanega has been giving Choosing Success talks at local high schools for the last 18 months. Along with providing students with tips on college and career choices, he also mixes in a "sales pitch" about Cleveland, pointing to the city's affordability, increasing job rate and wealth of cultural options.
Choosing Success, under the umbrella of its parent organization The 1990 Project, recently received a boost as one of the winners of The Cleveland Colectivo's fast- pitch presentation event. The program now has a chance to get some much-needed funding from the giving circle, and Yanega believes his brainchild is worth it.
"We're presenting facts about the city," Yanega says. "Keeping the next generation in town is a powerful, broad-based message."
SOURCE: Bob Yanega
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
fast co. praises cle art museum's gallery one
In a Fast Company story titled “5 Lessons IN UI Design From A Breakthrough Museum,” Cliff Kuang proclaims the Cleveland Museum of Art as a case study for blending physical and virtual worlds thanks to Gallery One.
The museum's goal was to utilize technology in a way where it was interactive and fun, but still let the artwork shine and remain the focal point.
"We didn’t want to create a tech ghetto," says David Franklin, the museum’s director. Adds Local Projects founder Jake Barton, "We wanted to make the tech predicated on the art itself."
From getting people to wiggle and smile, to shaping the content to the medium, to looking through the tech, not at it, Gallery One and the CMA had a challenge on their hands, and met it head on.
Enjoy the full feature here.
The museum's goal was to utilize technology in a way where it was interactive and fun, but still let the artwork shine and remain the focal point.
"We didn’t want to create a tech ghetto," says David Franklin, the museum’s director. Adds Local Projects founder Jake Barton, "We wanted to make the tech predicated on the art itself."
From getting people to wiggle and smile, to shaping the content to the medium, to looking through the tech, not at it, Gallery One and the CMA had a challenge on their hands, and met it head on.
Enjoy the full feature here.
rust belt breweries revitalizing the region
In a Craft Beer story titled “Craft Brewers Revitalizing the Rust Belt,” Joe Baur writes that the Rust Belt cities of Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis have become thriving areas for local breweries to open operations and bring life into their respective neighborhoods.
In Cleveland, the Ohio City neighborhood is home to Cleveland staple Great Lakes Brewing Company, Market Garden Brewery and the newer Nano Brew.
Sam McNulty, owner of Nano and Market Garden Brewery, sees brewery-based neighborhood revitalization as a perfect fit with Rust Belt history.
“Brewpubs and breweries are essentially light manufacturers,” he explains. “There’s a certain romance to it. The same way people like milling with their chef or farmer, people really appreciate milling with their brewer, knowing the bar they’re sitting at is a short distance away from where the beer was brewed.”
Read the rest of the Rust Belt news here.
In Cleveland, the Ohio City neighborhood is home to Cleveland staple Great Lakes Brewing Company, Market Garden Brewery and the newer Nano Brew.
Sam McNulty, owner of Nano and Market Garden Brewery, sees brewery-based neighborhood revitalization as a perfect fit with Rust Belt history.
“Brewpubs and breweries are essentially light manufacturers,” he explains. “There’s a certain romance to it. The same way people like milling with their chef or farmer, people really appreciate milling with their brewer, knowing the bar they’re sitting at is a short distance away from where the beer was brewed.”
Read the rest of the Rust Belt news here.
For six decades, Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio has been promoting creative learning through the arts for local children and teenagers. A 60th-anniversary celebration requires something special, say the nonprofit's leaders. That means awarding residents who are harnessing the organization's arts-infused mission of contributing to the region's vitality.
Young Audiences is currently accepting nominations for its 2013 Arts, Education, and Entrepreneurship Awards. The nonprofit seeks those who have made a lasting impact in the three areas, as the innovation and creative thinking promoted by the arts help individuals succeed across all aspects of life, says development director Jerry Smith. Examples include teaching geometry through dance, or learning storytelling through digital game design.
"It's about the intersection of arts education and entrepreneurship," Smith says. "How does a creative education help drive that next entrepreneur?"
To answer that question, Smith's organization hosts workshops, performances, professional development programs and residencies for young people in the artistic realms of dance, music, theater and the visual arts.
Award nominees are due by April 12. Three winners from the categories of arts, education and entrepreneurship will be recognized at Young Audiences' 60th anniversary gala in September. Winners will receive a commemorative award and a contribution in their name made to the Young Audiences' Fund for Their Future.
An arts background is critical to melding young minds, believes the organization's leadership. Recognizing the individuals shaping that process is a natural step for the group, says Smith.
"Arts and culture are at the core of so much we do and how we succeed," he says.
SOURCE: Jerry Smith, Jennifer Abelson
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Young Audiences is currently accepting nominations for its 2013 Arts, Education, and Entrepreneurship Awards. The nonprofit seeks those who have made a lasting impact in the three areas, as the innovation and creative thinking promoted by the arts help individuals succeed across all aspects of life, says development director Jerry Smith. Examples include teaching geometry through dance, or learning storytelling through digital game design.
"It's about the intersection of arts education and entrepreneurship," Smith says. "How does a creative education help drive that next entrepreneur?"
To answer that question, Smith's organization hosts workshops, performances, professional development programs and residencies for young people in the artistic realms of dance, music, theater and the visual arts.
Award nominees are due by April 12. Three winners from the categories of arts, education and entrepreneurship will be recognized at Young Audiences' 60th anniversary gala in September. Winners will receive a commemorative award and a contribution in their name made to the Young Audiences' Fund for Their Future.
An arts background is critical to melding young minds, believes the organization's leadership. Recognizing the individuals shaping that process is a natural step for the group, says Smith.
"Arts and culture are at the core of so much we do and how we succeed," he says.
SOURCE: Jerry Smith, Jennifer Abelson
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
In 1960, the late Keeva J. Kekst founded ka architecture in his attic, where he designed apartment buildings. Today, under the third generation of ownership, ka architecture is behind the designs of some of Northeast Ohio’s newest and most prominent structures, including the Horseshoe Casino in Public Square and the new Eaton Corporation world headquarters in Beachwood.
“We’re pretty proud that we’re still around and we’ve weathered this recession,” says ka president and COO John Burk. He credits ka’s success in part to the firm’s ability to work well as a team with other firms. Both the Horseshoe Casino and the Eaton project involved multiple firms working together.
As executive architects, ka had to coordinate all the players. “Both were interesting projects,” says Burk. “And both projects were team projects -- it was not just ka ownership, but owner reps, contractors and consultants -- a huge list. Working with other firms and good clients in a team atmosphere, it’s only challenging because there are so many people. But it’s not difficult if you put the right team together.”
ka’s work in Cleveland has led to additional projects elsewhere. “Based on our performance on the Cleveland casino, we were asked to be a part of the team working on the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore,” says CFO Alan Siliko.
Today, ka has 46 employees. The firm added two architects in January and an entry-level associate earlier this month. Burk says they will add to the staff, if need-be. “We never grow to grow,” he says. “We hire because we foresee an extended period of growth. And we’re cautiously optimistic.”
Sources: John Burk, Alan Siliko
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We’re pretty proud that we’re still around and we’ve weathered this recession,” says ka president and COO John Burk. He credits ka’s success in part to the firm’s ability to work well as a team with other firms. Both the Horseshoe Casino and the Eaton project involved multiple firms working together.
As executive architects, ka had to coordinate all the players. “Both were interesting projects,” says Burk. “And both projects were team projects -- it was not just ka ownership, but owner reps, contractors and consultants -- a huge list. Working with other firms and good clients in a team atmosphere, it’s only challenging because there are so many people. But it’s not difficult if you put the right team together.”
ka’s work in Cleveland has led to additional projects elsewhere. “Based on our performance on the Cleveland casino, we were asked to be a part of the team working on the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore,” says CFO Alan Siliko.
Today, ka has 46 employees. The firm added two architects in January and an entry-level associate earlier this month. Burk says they will add to the staff, if need-be. “We never grow to grow,” he says. “We hire because we foresee an extended period of growth. And we’re cautiously optimistic.”
Sources: John Burk, Alan Siliko
Writer: Karin Connelly
JumpStart recently invested $250,000 in Casentric, a Shaker Heights developer of a cloud-based software-as-a-service application to help insurance companies resolve property and injury claims quickly and fairly. CaseXpert streamlines the information needed to resolve a claim by integrating liability, injury and medical reports into one, making the adjuster’s job easier and un-biased.
“This tool helps insurance companies resolve their cases more accurately and faster,” explains Jim Kaiser, Casentric CEO. “CaseXpert helps adjusters evaluate claims in a balanced way that is fair to the customer, but represents the companies’ interests as well.”
Before CaseXpert, adjusters often were left to rely on their own experience to determine claims. “Claims were determined through their own expertise,” says Kaiser. “Adjusters had to grapple with claims.”
Casentric launched the first version of CaseXpert in September, and relied on user feedback before releasing its second version early this year. “We heard adjusters get bombarded with a lot of information, and it’s hard for them to get their arms around,” says Kaiser. “We made sure the information is easy to use. The users said, ‘It makes me more confident in figuring out what’s going on with the case.'”
Kaiser says Casentric plans to use the JumpStart investment to roll out additional components to CaseXpert and generate sales. The next component will be a negotiation tool. “Adjusters spend a good part of the day negotiating,” says Kaiser. “Our virtual dashboard tells users how it’s going, are we miles apart and does this look like it’s going the right way.”
Casentric currently outsources three positions. Kaiser says he hopes to hire some permanent staff members with the JumpStart investment.
Source: Jim Kaiser
Writer: Karin Connelly
“This tool helps insurance companies resolve their cases more accurately and faster,” explains Jim Kaiser, Casentric CEO. “CaseXpert helps adjusters evaluate claims in a balanced way that is fair to the customer, but represents the companies’ interests as well.”
Before CaseXpert, adjusters often were left to rely on their own experience to determine claims. “Claims were determined through their own expertise,” says Kaiser. “Adjusters had to grapple with claims.”
Casentric launched the first version of CaseXpert in September, and relied on user feedback before releasing its second version early this year. “We heard adjusters get bombarded with a lot of information, and it’s hard for them to get their arms around,” says Kaiser. “We made sure the information is easy to use. The users said, ‘It makes me more confident in figuring out what’s going on with the case.'”
Kaiser says Casentric plans to use the JumpStart investment to roll out additional components to CaseXpert and generate sales. The next component will be a negotiation tool. “Adjusters spend a good part of the day negotiating,” says Kaiser. “Our virtual dashboard tells users how it’s going, are we miles apart and does this look like it’s going the right way.”
Casentric currently outsources three positions. Kaiser says he hopes to hire some permanent staff members with the JumpStart investment.
Source: Jim Kaiser
Writer: Karin Connelly
During a recent address at the City Club of Cleveland, Joel Ratner of Neighborhood Progress Inc. touted recent success stories that the nonprofit has invested in, including a new home for The Intergenerational School underway at the Saint Luke's campus.
Ratner believes that even though Cleveland has been hard hit by the foreclosure crisis, the city can stabilize its population and begin to grow again through promoting thoughtful, equitable, synergistic development that helps everyone succeed.
"For a long time, there was a debate over whether it makes sense to invest in people or place," said Ratner. "However, we believe it should be people and place."
Ratner cited Pittsburgh as an example of a city whose population has been right-sized and has even begun to grow again in recent years.
As examples of why community development matters, Ratner presented statistics showing that neighborhoods where NPI invested heavily over the past decade not only fell less steeply in the recession, but are also coming back more quickly than others. He also believes that every Cleveland neighborhood can be successful.
Ratner touted the recently-announced Slavic Village Reclaim Project, which leverages private investment by Safeco Properties and Forest City to help rehab 2,000+ properties on 440 acres, as one example of innovative best practices.
He also cited NPI's partnership with the Key Bank Financial Education Center to help low-income residents build wealth through savings and investment programs. Through a possible merger with Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition and LiveCleveland, Ratner hopes to begin serving additional neighborhoods.
Source: Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Ratner believes that even though Cleveland has been hard hit by the foreclosure crisis, the city can stabilize its population and begin to grow again through promoting thoughtful, equitable, synergistic development that helps everyone succeed.
"For a long time, there was a debate over whether it makes sense to invest in people or place," said Ratner. "However, we believe it should be people and place."
Ratner cited Pittsburgh as an example of a city whose population has been right-sized and has even begun to grow again in recent years.
As examples of why community development matters, Ratner presented statistics showing that neighborhoods where NPI invested heavily over the past decade not only fell less steeply in the recession, but are also coming back more quickly than others. He also believes that every Cleveland neighborhood can be successful.
Ratner touted the recently-announced Slavic Village Reclaim Project, which leverages private investment by Safeco Properties and Forest City to help rehab 2,000+ properties on 440 acres, as one example of innovative best practices.
He also cited NPI's partnership with the Key Bank Financial Education Center to help low-income residents build wealth through savings and investment programs. Through a possible merger with Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition and LiveCleveland, Ratner hopes to begin serving additional neighborhoods.
Source: Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote