Search results for '2014 interviewed Cleveland cocktail bar founder choice restaurant close 2015'

cle discussed in book excerpt on how cities fix broken networks
In a Next City feature titled “The Post-Hero Economy,” writers Jennifer Bradley and Bruce Katz share an edited excerpt from their upcoming book "The Metropolitan Revolution."
 
While the book (and Next City feature) does not solely focus on Cleveland, it does pay a fair amount of attention to our city when it comes to economic development.
 
In an effort to boost the economy the Cleveland Plain Dealer offered a solution. “Talk to civic leaders, entrepreneurs, academics, builders, business people,” then-editor Doug Clifton wrote in 2001. “They all agree: Greater Cleveland must get serious about creating and backing a master plan for economic development or face economic extinction.”
 
"The problem was, 'Greater Cleveland' didn’t exist. There was no single, overarching entity charged with creating a plan for Cleveland and its neighbors in the northeast corner of Ohio -- and just as importantly, it was hard to imagine any single entity that could take on the task."
 
Read the rest of the feature story here.

techpint lets entrepreneurs and investors share ideas over beers
When Paul McAvinchey moved to Cleveland in April 2012 with his wife Rebecca to lead product innovation for MedCity Media, the seasoned entrepreneur was impressed with the entrepreneurial community here.

“When I got here, I was really excited to see all the startup activity going on,” McAvinchey says. But the native of County Tipperary, Ireland, who also lived in Chicago, Munich and Dublin, was surprised that there were no informal events bringing all the startup organizations together. “I was used to having events where all the disparate groups came together to share their thoughts and ideas.”
 
So McAvinchey set out to start TechPint, a casual gathering for entrepreneurs and investors in internet technology. He made hundreds of phone calls and brought the area’s startup organizations together to plan the first TechPint event on Thursday, June 20 at 5:30 p.m. at Market Garden Brewery.
 
McAvinchey calls TechPint a “mini-tech conference in a bar with pints.” But that doesn’t mean TechPint isn’t a valuable resource. “It’s a really casual setting with drinks,” he says. “But we’re focused on a value-driven event where you are likely to go home with new ideas to work on or new things to think about.”
 
Many of the major startup organizations are on board, including JumpStart, Bizdom, LaunchHouse and MedCity Media. Speakers will be Mike Belsito, founder of eFuneral, John Knific, founder of DecisionDesk, Josh Walsh, founder of Designing Interactive, and Bizdom’s Paul Allen.
 
McAvinchey plans to hold TechPint every three months. Space is limited to 150 people, and it’s already nearly sold out. Tickets are $12 each.

 
Source: Paul McAvinchey
Writer: Karin Connelly
positively cleveland will train hospitality staff, locals to roll out red carpet for visitors
With downtown Cleveland seeing more than $2 billion in travel-related development, we must step up and make sure visitors are provided with the best possible service. We want them to spread the word when they get home about how great Cleveland is.

That was the message from David Gilbert, CEO of Positively Cleveland, at the organization's recent annual meeting. Based on recent research, the organization has determined that the city has "a communication gap" rather than "a product gap."

"We have the product -- amenities that most cities would be jealous of," said Gilbert. "We don't have enough people experiencing it."

To close that gap, Gilbert unveiled an aggressive plan to train hospitality workers as well as locals in how to better market the city and welcome and direct visitors. Positively Cleveland will also focus on legibility and wayfinding signage, online information, streetscape improvements, visitor hospitality, altering local perceptions and better destination branding and communications.

"We've done a great job of building big buildings, but we need more than that," Gilbert said. "It's 'what was the walk like?,' not just the Rock Hall experience."


Source: David Gilbert
Writer: Lee Chilcote
'spark plug' brings together incubators and accelerators to boost small biz
The Cuyahoga County Next Generation Council (NGC) will host Spark Plug, an event to celebrate small business growth and the region’s many opportunities for funding and growth, June 6 at Negative Space Gallery. The event kicks off Small Business Incubator Month.
 
“Spark Plug is focused on small business accelerators and incubators,” says Tammy Oliver, program organizer and a member of NGC. “It brings together all of the amazing resources we have in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio for young and innovative people.”
 
More than 20 incubators, accelerators and funding organizations will have tables set up to explain what they do and how they can assist a young business. “There hasn’t been an event before this where all of the incubators and accelerators come together in the same room,” says Oliver. “By supporting each other these organizations are supporting the region and all of the businesses. It’s not a secret that small business drives the economy.”
 
Successful businesses that have benefitted from some of the area’s resources will make presentations. Oliver hopes their stories will encourage other aspiring entrepreneurs. “There are so many people out there with amazing ideas and they don’t know where to start,” she says. “Hopefully, they will walk away with more knowledge and know they can take smart risks and there are a lot of people here to help them.”

Spark Plug runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Registration is preferred, but Oliver says walk-ins are welcome. Admission is free.


Source: Tammy Oliver
Writer: Karin Connelly
entrepreneurs riding road to success thanks to growing bike-based economy
As cities continue to become more bike-friendly, new bike-based businesses are springing up to support the movement. These bike-centric businesses are both banking on and promoting a growing interest in riding, and in the process they are boosting their cities' economies.
cleveland schools trying new educational approach
In a CBS News story titled “Public, charter schools team up in Cleveland,” Dean Reynolds writes of Cleveland’s historically poor performance in standardized testing and efforts to improve such data through specialized charter schools.
 
“The classrooms are quiet and small -- 15 kids or less. There's individual instruction from teachers on everything from public speaking to personal etiquette.”
 
While the traditional schools are struggling with behavior issues, large class sizes, and overall poor performance, Alan Roskamm, CEO of a group of charters, shares that in the right environment the children can thrive.
 
"Many people will say you have to fix poverty before you can fix education. We believe it is upside down. The only way to fix poverty is to provide our children with a quality education," Roskamm was quoted in the article.
 
Read the full story here.

200-plus apartments set to hit downtown market with reserve square renovation
The latest wave of downtown apartments is hitting the market this summer as the K&D Group, currently the largest developer of downtown housing, gradually converts the former Embassy Suites at Reserve Square into new market-rate apartments.

K&D is releasing units floor by floor, with the first set having come online in May. The renovations include granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. There will eventually be 218 suites released; 120 of these will be corporate housing and 98 will be market-rate apartments. The corporate suites include furnishings, high-speed Internet, cable with HBO and light housekeeping with the rent.

K&D is calling the new apartments Reserve Square West (Reserve Square has over 900 units). Lease rates for market-rate apartments range from $785 to $1,800 per month; corporate housing rates range from $1,350 to $2,350.

"There are panoramic views from the building," says Cheri Ashcraft of K&D, who notes that one upper floor suite is called "The Laker" because of its lake views. "My phone is ringing off the hook; the first corporate housing units were pre-leased. People are coming into town for projects or they're being transferred here."

Downtown apartment occupancy rates continue to hover around 96 percent. Ashcraft says the new Reserve Square West units appeal to a discerning buyer who wants the amenities of new construction in a rental product. "It's like moving into a brand new house," she says. "You are the first one to be in that suite."


Source: Cheri Ashcraft
Writer: Lee Chilcote
lou reed gets life-saving transplant at cle clinic
"Lou Reed is recovering after receiving a liver transplant last month," an article in the Rolling Stone begins. That life-saving surgery was performed at the Cleveland Clinic.

The 71-year-old rock god chose the Clinic over facilities in New York because of the "dysfunctional state of hospitals in New York," his wife reported.
 
"I am a triumph of modern medicine, physics and chemistry," Reed said. "I am bigger and stronger than stronger than ever."

Read the rest of the news here.

forbes takes a sip of cleveland whiskey's novel methods
In a Forbes feature titled “Cleveland Whiskey Ages Bourbon In One Week,” science, technology, and culture writer Alex Knapp explores the unique process Tom Lix developed to bring his product to market.
 
“After making the spirit, a distillery places it into charred, American oak barrels to age. Usually for several years, with premium bourbons often aging for nine years or more,” Knapp writes. “But in Cleveland, Ohio, Tom Lix aims to disrupt the traditional aging process of bourbon. He’s developed a process to accelerate the aging process of whiskey from years into about a week.”
 
While the story does not go into details of the proprietary aging process for obvious reasons, a bare-bones explanation of how it works is revealed.
 
“It definitely does not taste like a young whiskey, a common snark you’ll see at some whiskey tasting websites, where Cleveland Whiskey is seeing plenty of detractors,” Knapp continues.
 
Enjoy the complete feature here.

students compete for title of 'young entrepreneur of the year'
During the past school year, Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) brought entrepreneurship education to five area high schools. Certified entrepreneur teachers helped more than 200 students come up with business ideas, create the businesses and execute the plans.
 
On May 23, 11 semi-finalists gathered at Ernst and Young’s education center in Cleveland to present their final business pitches in hopes of winning the E City (Entrepreneurship: Connecting, Inspiring and Teaching Youth) Northeast Ohio Young Entrepreneur of the Year title.
 
The semi-finalists gave eight-minute presentations, describing their businesses, marketing plans and business strategies. The audience voted to determine the three finalists and a three-judge panel selected the winners.

“They had fun, but it’s competitive,” says Carol Rivchun, president of Y.O.U. “They have to stand and make their PowerPoint presentations to the judges. The presentations included cash flows, Return on Investment, and budgets. And the judges really grilled them.”
 
Vanessa Galvan of T.W. Harvey High School in Painesville won the top honor of Young Entrepreneur of the Year, as well as $1,000 for her business, Piñata Time. Galvan's company makes kits that include everything needed to create a piñata. The judges felt Galvan has a strong business and marketing sense of what it would take to make Piñata Time a success.
 
Julianna Pierson of Shaw High School took home second place and $500 for Cat Sit, a cat sitting business that includes all toys and supplies.
 
Both Galvan and Pierson will travel to New York in October to compete for $10,000 in the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship’s national business plan completion.
 
Maria Moreno, also of T.W. Harvey High School, took third place and won $250 for her customized floral accessories business, Bright Pickins.

 
Source: Carol Rivchun
Writer: Karin Connelly
pets with benefits: how urban chickens are helping to build community
It's been four years since Cleveland began allowing residents to keep chickens and one year for Cleveland Heights. Rather than the chicken-induced apocalypse predicted by some vocal critics, neither city has experienced any significant issues. In fact, chickens are improving communities in unexpected ways.
rta healthline praised as major job creator
In a Huffington Post blog item titled “Transit Initiatives Boosted by Employers,” Laura Barrett writes of the vast amount of good that follows support and investment in public transit.
 
In the piece, Barrett highlights numerous benefits, including job creation, as one of the key factors in drumming up support for new transit creation.
 
“For every $1 billion investment in transit, 60,000 jobs are created, making transit one of the best job generators in our economy.”
 
Our fair city was cited as an example of success when public support paired with corporate involvement work together for the greater good.
 
“Cleveland's two largest employers, The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals of Cleveland, were involved in a campaign for the HealthLine, one of the nation's most successful Bus Rapid Transit lines.”
 
Read the full post here.

culinary launch to host business incubator for food entrepreneurs
The Cleveland Culinary Launch and Kitchen and the Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI) will be hosting a business incubator for food and beverage entrepreneurs this summer. The nine-week program will focus on the specifics of opening a food-related business -- from food safety and nutrition to marketing and product development.

“We’ll really touch on everything to get a business off the ground,” says Emily Sullivan, ECDI Cleveland operations coordinator. “We’re creating a food incubator program. This is a hands-on look at getting a food business started.” Participants also will develop business plans and have opportunities to meet with ECDI managers about securing a loan.
 
This will be a hands-on program, says Carolyn Priemer, general manager of the Culinary Launch. “It’s not going to be a classroom setting,” she explains. “We’re going to be out in the community and in restaurants.”
 
Incubator participants do not need to be Culinary Launch tenants to enroll in the program. However, there is a $200 fee once applicants are accepted. Scholarships will be available. Ten companies will be accepted. Applications will be taken through mid-June, with the program beginning in July.
 
Open for six weeks now, the Culinary Launch has six tenants, ranging from an ice cream maker to caterers to a custard frosting maker. The Launch is a partnership between ECDI, Carolyn and Gordon Priemer of J&M Real Estate, and Tim and Bill Skaryd of Hospitality Marketing and Sales.

 
Sources: Emily Sullivan and Carolyn Priemer
Writer: Karin Connelly
bizdom looks beyond cleveland for promising companies
Bizdom Cleveland has invested in 16 young companies since it set up shop in January 2012, and the organization is targeting 18 more companies this year. While many of the companies are local startups, Bizdom also scours the country in search of promising businesses to recruit to Cleveland.

So far Bizdom has brought four companies to Cleveland: Queryly from New York, MascotSecret from San Francisco, Firmly Planted from Los Angeles and CourseBuffet from Seattle.
 
“The bottom line is we’re looking for the best and the brightest wherever we can find them,” says Paul Allen, leader of Bizdom Cleveland. “We find them, and then we do our best to sell them on the benefits of doing business in Cleveland.”
 
It’s not difficult to recruit companies to the area, given Cleveland’s support of small startups. “There’s a very large and organized infrastructure here,” Allen explains. “Cleveland has a bunch of organizations that provide support, expertise, resources, investment, equity and debt funding. The continuum of organizations that support small business is unlike other parts of the country.”
 
And the assistance is accessible. “Cleveland has a tight-knit startup community that doesn’t take long to identify the key players,” Allen says. “They exist here and you can access them.” Allen points out that the Dan Gilbert and Quicken Loans name also attracts businesses.
 
One of Bizdom’s requirements is that its portfolio businesses locate in Cleveland. All four relocated companies have chosen downtown for their headquarters.
 
Bizdom companies have created 36 full-time and 10 part-time jobs. Allen hopes more out-of-town companies will come to Cleveland for Bizdom’s fall accelerator program in August. “We have lots of applicants from out of state for August,” says Allen.

 
Source: Paul Allen
Writer: Karin Connelly
community composting facility could become reality thanks to sustainability grant
San Francisco and Austin offer residential curbside composting, but such forward-thinking green ideas have yet to become a reality in Cleveland. A recently-awarded grant from Enterprise Community Partners, however, will help the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization think through how to develop a community composting facility for restaurants in the Cleveland EcoVillage.

Although citywide composting may not be in the cards right now, the pilot project could demonstrate ways to scale up composting in a range of city neighborhoods.

A similar $40,000 grant was also awarded to Burton Bell Carr Inc. to develop a safer streetscape plan for the Kinsman EcoDistrict. Forty percent of area residents do not have a car, and a recent multi-car accident here injured five people. BBC will develop a plan to improve the ability to safely bike and walk on Kinsman.

"Cleveland was the only city in the nation that got two projects funded through this program, which is pretty exciting," says Michelle Mulcahy with Enterprise Community Partners. "These projects are neighborhood-scale sustainability approaches that support the area's ongoing community development work."

Once the plans are finalized, these projects also could become national test cases for how to green cities, furthering Cleveland's reputation as a leader in this area.

Enterprise also recently issued a Request for Proposals to provide funding for a neighborhood-based climate action plan that would become part of a citywide plan.


Source: Michelle Mulcahy, Mark McDermott
Writer: Lee Chilcote
bbc covers cle orchestra's efforts to reach new audiences
The BBC's Jane O'Brien covered the Cleveland Orchestra's novel efforts to reach new (read younger) audiences by performing outside Severance Hall. In this video, O'Brien follows the orchestra from Severance Hall to Happy Dog in Gordon Square as they perform to enthusiastic young crowds.
 
"It is often easier and cheaper to experience great orchestras online and while older music lovers might shudder at the idea, research shows that most Americans under the age of 30 actually prefer it. But Cleveland, Ohio, boasts one of the world's top orchestras and rather than accept the empty seats at Severance Hall, the musicians decided to seek out new audiences in an unlikely venue."
 
Enjoy the video here.

third federal breaks ground on trailside at morgana run project
Banks typically lend money to projects; developing them typically is left to homebuilders. Yet Third Federal, which started in a Slavic Village storefront 75 years ago, has taken the unusual step of assembling land and breaking ground on a huge community here.

Construction is underway at Trailside at Morgana Run, a 95-home development that will feature affordably-priced homes within a completely new urban subdivision with access to green space and a rail-trail. The project is located at Aetna and E. 71st Street next to the bank headquarters.

"Slavic Village really is the phoenix rising up in the city," says Jennifer Rosa, Public Relations Manager with Third Federal. "It's not that we couldn't find a developer; it's that the project is so important to us, we want to hold it to our standards and control it. We wanted to provide additional funding to keep Slavic Village going."

The project has taken over a decade to get to this point. Third Federal acquired land from individual owners and cleaned it up using Clean Ohio funds and other sources. The bank formed a public-private partnership with the City of Cleveland, Slavic Village Development and Zaremba Homes and designed the project. Then the recession came along and walloped any plans to break ground until now.

Homes at Trailside at Morgana Run will be priced from $126,000-$132,000 and feature two to three bedrooms and a single-floor master suite option. With down payment assistance, monthly payments fall well below rental rates for similar units.

Rosa says the timing couldn't be better. "We're seeing more jobs being created, more people living in the city. This is a place where people can afford a home."

The first 10 homes are under construction and nearly to the point of being framed. A model home will be available to walk through in July. Although none of the homes are sold yet, Rosa says that buyer interest has been strong.

The urban pioneers who live here will be greeted by a "prairie-like feel," Rosa says. "There will be lots of green space with native Ohio plants and grasses."


Source: Jennifer Rosa
Writer: Lee Chilcote
art museum kudos continue for innovative use of technology
In a Christian Science Monitor story titled “An art museum uses technology to lure young patrons,” writer Nicole Wallace explores Cleveland Museum of Art's use of technology to attract younger audiences.
 
"As cultural institutions across the country struggle to attract young visitors, the Cleveland Museum of Art is embracing cutting-edge technology to try to lure new audiences to its collection of masterworks," she writes.
 
“The goal is to make the museum more welcoming, especially to young people who mediate the world through the screen,” David Franklin, director of the museum, is quoted in the piece.
 
Wallace goes on to highlight the 40-foot touch-screen wall, the ability to create personal tours via an iPad, and even touches upon Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period in the La Vie exhibit.
 
Check out the full story here.

meals on wheels: local food truck scene keeps on rollin'
East, West, North and South -- it's getting easier and easier to score a hot, fresh and delicious meal from a food truck. In just three years' time, the Cleveland food truck scene has zoomed from 0 to 60, with dozens of rigs scattered all over town. Here's a little help finding them.
agrarian collective goes on the road with mobile cooking school
Kelli Hanley sees the big picture in cooking -- and she wants to teach people the whole concept of it, from sourcing the produce, to understanding what’s in your pantry, to putting a meal on the table. So she started The Agrarian Collective, a mobile cooking school that does just that.

“When I started The Agrarian Collective, I envisioned an Earth-to-table lifestyle school,” she explains. “My approach is around understanding the relationships between your pantry and kitchen table. My classes are not designed to just watch someone cook.”
 
Hanley recently won a $5,000 loan from a private giving circle after participating in the Bad Girl Ventures spring 2013 business plan competition. She’ll use the loan to build her mobile kitchen, with six two-burner cooking stations. Hanley will take the mobile kitchen to farms and farmers markets and other locations around Northeast Ohio.
 
Hanley’s first class will teach people how to make strawberry jam. The class will meet at a Hiram farm. “We’ll have scones and coffee in the morning and then we’ll go out and show how to pick the best berries for making jam,” she says. “We’re really focusing on hands-on technique.”
 
Most of the classes will collaborate with farmers, chefs or tradespeople to teach specific skills. “When you go home you’ll really feel confident that you can put what you learned to use in the kitchen,” says Hanley. She is working with the Cleveland Culinary Launch, chef Karen Small of the Flying Fig and urban farmers to design the classes.
 
“There has been amazing interest,” says Hanley. “People are telling me they can’t wait for my classes. I feel like it’s something that’s really taking off.”

 
Source: Kelli Hanley
Writer: Karin Connelly