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cleveland, the 'new portlandia'?
In his blog Burgh Diaspora, Jim Russell frequently covers the topic of reverse migration, where Rust Belt cities are seeing an influx of young residents thanks to a multitude of factors. Russell, a geographer studying the relationship between migration and economic development, calls the trend "Rust Belt Chic."
Recently, Russell, who lives in Pittsburgh, toured Cleveland to gather some on-the-ground research. He liked what he saw.
"I flew into Cleveland early last Saturday with the downtown rebound in mind. I wanted to see if the view from the sidewalk matched the data analysis. Leading up to the business trip, I was semi-joking with Richey that Cleveland was turning into Portland, OR. Investigating the West Side, I quipped that Cleveland was already Portland. I was (am) dead serious."
Read the rest of this and many other compelling posts here.
Recently, Russell, who lives in Pittsburgh, toured Cleveland to gather some on-the-ground research. He liked what he saw.
"I flew into Cleveland early last Saturday with the downtown rebound in mind. I wanted to see if the view from the sidewalk matched the data analysis. Leading up to the business trip, I was semi-joking with Richey that Cleveland was turning into Portland, OR. Investigating the West Side, I quipped that Cleveland was already Portland. I was (am) dead serious."
Read the rest of this and many other compelling posts here.
The Fund for Our Economic Future approved $5.035 million in grants to go to seven regional economic development organizations to continue their work in developing companies and bringing jobs to the Northeast Ohio.
The organizations are: NorTech, JumpStart, BioEnterprise, Team NEO, MAGNET, WorkAdvance and the Agriculture-Bioscience Industry Cluster. The organizations specialize in everything from entrepreneurship and technology to healthcare, manufacturing and bioscience, to general business attraction.
“Although funding was down 15 percent this year, the good news is the impact of these grantees continues to go up,” says Brad Whitehead, president of the Fund. “There’s a real sense of momentum in the work of these great teams.”
Many of the organizations have expanded their support of businesses by working together to accomplish the common goal of attracting, retaining and supporting businesses in Northeast Ohio. “Most of them have done a great job of expanding,” says Whitehead. “It’s gratifying to hear stories of companies touched by multiple organizations. To see them surrounded with support is great.”
The grantees are chosen based on four criteria: tangible data like job creation; what the organization is doing to promote its respective niche industry; the organization’s efforts to network with other organizations; and assurance of a plan for economic inclusion.
The Fund is a collaboration of philanthropic organizations and individuals that have united to strengthen the economic competitiveness of Northeast Ohio through grant making, research and civic engagement.
Source: Brad Whitehead
Writer: Karin Connelly
The organizations are: NorTech, JumpStart, BioEnterprise, Team NEO, MAGNET, WorkAdvance and the Agriculture-Bioscience Industry Cluster. The organizations specialize in everything from entrepreneurship and technology to healthcare, manufacturing and bioscience, to general business attraction.
“Although funding was down 15 percent this year, the good news is the impact of these grantees continues to go up,” says Brad Whitehead, president of the Fund. “There’s a real sense of momentum in the work of these great teams.”
Many of the organizations have expanded their support of businesses by working together to accomplish the common goal of attracting, retaining and supporting businesses in Northeast Ohio. “Most of them have done a great job of expanding,” says Whitehead. “It’s gratifying to hear stories of companies touched by multiple organizations. To see them surrounded with support is great.”
The grantees are chosen based on four criteria: tangible data like job creation; what the organization is doing to promote its respective niche industry; the organization’s efforts to network with other organizations; and assurance of a plan for economic inclusion.
The Fund is a collaboration of philanthropic organizations and individuals that have united to strengthen the economic competitiveness of Northeast Ohio through grant making, research and civic engagement.
Source: Brad Whitehead
Writer: Karin Connelly
668 Euclid Avenue, a downtown apartment building with a months-long waiting list for its popular refurbished apartments, recently welcomed a new coffee house and cafe that aims to be a community hub for residents who have chosen the city center.
Operator Mickey D'Angelo says he co-founded Nexus Cafe with Gateway Church of Downtown Cleveland to act as a "third place," those spaces outside of work and home that bring people together. There currently are few options outside of bars, he says.
Although the evening coffeehouse has been slow to catch on, lunch business is booming. The full service menu includes grilled flat bread pizzas, wraps, sandwiches, salads and soups. The kitchen staff makes almost everything from scratch, and much of the food is sourced locally from area farmers.
"We make almost everything in house, down to the mayonnaise," says D'Angelo. "For example, the whole wheat flour that we use to make our pizza dough comes from a farmer in Ravenna, and then we finish the pizzas to order in our oven."
D'Angelo has traveled to Sumatra to buy coffee directly from farmers, and the church plans to reinvest profits back into the community. A 170-seat venue exists in the back of the cafe, and Nexus will begin hosting concerts there this month.
Source: Mickey D'Angelo
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Operator Mickey D'Angelo says he co-founded Nexus Cafe with Gateway Church of Downtown Cleveland to act as a "third place," those spaces outside of work and home that bring people together. There currently are few options outside of bars, he says.
Although the evening coffeehouse has been slow to catch on, lunch business is booming. The full service menu includes grilled flat bread pizzas, wraps, sandwiches, salads and soups. The kitchen staff makes almost everything from scratch, and much of the food is sourced locally from area farmers.
"We make almost everything in house, down to the mayonnaise," says D'Angelo. "For example, the whole wheat flour that we use to make our pizza dough comes from a farmer in Ravenna, and then we finish the pizzas to order in our oven."
D'Angelo has traveled to Sumatra to buy coffee directly from farmers, and the church plans to reinvest profits back into the community. A 170-seat venue exists in the back of the cafe, and Nexus will begin hosting concerts there this month.
Source: Mickey D'Angelo
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Spice of Life, the umbrella group that includes a restaurant, catering company, and farm-to-table garden plots, is installing new raised beds and a high tunnel hoop house behind its restaurant and offices at W. 58th and Detroit Avenue to satisfy demand for local food in its operations.
"I like the idea of people being seated on the patio and seeing chefs pick herbs, go back to the kitchen and make things out of them," says chef and owner Ben Bebenroth, who also has 10,000 square feet of gardens behind his home. Additional food is sourced on a weekly basis from 30 to 60 Northeast Ohio farms. The food is used at Spice Kitchen + Bar as well as for catering jobs. "My focus now is on transforming ornamentals into edible ornamentals."
Bebenroth, who says that he's always thinking about "what's in season," is building the hoop house to extend his growing season to nearly 10 months out of the year. He is now growing quick crops such as lettuces that he can replant every 45 days.
"I think it's really important to have a hoop house for the neighborhood and the neighborhood kids to see," he says. "It's a shining example of what's possible."
Bebenroth's main motivation for expanding his gardens is that regional farms often have trouble keeping up with Spice of Life's demands for top quality, locally grown foods. By hiring a farm manager and sourcing as much food from his own farms as possible, Bebenroth is better able to keep up with growing demand.
Source: Ben Bebenroth
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"I like the idea of people being seated on the patio and seeing chefs pick herbs, go back to the kitchen and make things out of them," says chef and owner Ben Bebenroth, who also has 10,000 square feet of gardens behind his home. Additional food is sourced on a weekly basis from 30 to 60 Northeast Ohio farms. The food is used at Spice Kitchen + Bar as well as for catering jobs. "My focus now is on transforming ornamentals into edible ornamentals."
Bebenroth, who says that he's always thinking about "what's in season," is building the hoop house to extend his growing season to nearly 10 months out of the year. He is now growing quick crops such as lettuces that he can replant every 45 days.
"I think it's really important to have a hoop house for the neighborhood and the neighborhood kids to see," he says. "It's a shining example of what's possible."
Bebenroth's main motivation for expanding his gardens is that regional farms often have trouble keeping up with Spice of Life's demands for top quality, locally grown foods. By hiring a farm manager and sourcing as much food from his own farms as possible, Bebenroth is better able to keep up with growing demand.
Source: Ben Bebenroth
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Elite Women Around the World and COSE hosted Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Thursday, May 31 at the COSE offices. The event featured speakers, panel discussions, professional development sessions and networking, all along the themes of entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, economic development and social impact.
Elite Women Around the World also honored four women with the Women of Distinction Award.
“This recognition is for women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty,” says Rita Singh, Elite Women founder and CEO. “These women serve as role models and create projects or programs beyond their normal duties, which help other women achieve success.”
The women honored were Lori DeVore, CEO and president of Devore Technologies; Stella Moga Kennedy, founder, president and CEO of LeChaperon Rouge childcare and elementary schools; Venera Izant, Merrill Lynch financial advisor, Izant-Creadon Group; and Cyndie Spanier, psychologist and deputy commissioner, Pittsburgh Behavioral Medicine.
Singh created Elite Women as a forum for women to share their knowledge with other women. “In a lot of organizations, people are in it for themselves,” she explains. “I’m trying to tell them you will be getting more if you give back.”
Every Elite Women member must mentor at least one person, creating a large support network within the organization. “Every woman who joins brings another woman to mentor,” says Singh. “So they’re not thinking about themselves, they are thinking about someone else.”
Source: Rita Singh
Writer: Karin Connelly
Elite Women Around the World also honored four women with the Women of Distinction Award.
“This recognition is for women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty,” says Rita Singh, Elite Women founder and CEO. “These women serve as role models and create projects or programs beyond their normal duties, which help other women achieve success.”
The women honored were Lori DeVore, CEO and president of Devore Technologies; Stella Moga Kennedy, founder, president and CEO of LeChaperon Rouge childcare and elementary schools; Venera Izant, Merrill Lynch financial advisor, Izant-Creadon Group; and Cyndie Spanier, psychologist and deputy commissioner, Pittsburgh Behavioral Medicine.
Singh created Elite Women as a forum for women to share their knowledge with other women. “In a lot of organizations, people are in it for themselves,” she explains. “I’m trying to tell them you will be getting more if you give back.”
Every Elite Women member must mentor at least one person, creating a large support network within the organization. “Every woman who joins brings another woman to mentor,” says Singh. “So they’re not thinking about themselves, they are thinking about someone else.”
Source: Rita Singh
Writer: Karin Connelly
The soon-to-open Cleveland Hostel in Ohio City will be the area's only modern hostel catering to travelers who aim to experience American cities rather than simply visit them. The venture unites owner Mark Raymond's passion for wanderlust with his beloved hometown, thus enabling him to showcase Cleveland via a unique, affordable venue.
CellBank Technologies offers a way for surgery patients to plan for future surgeries. The startup company allows patients undergoing knee and hip replacement surgeries to store their own stem cells for possible future procedures. CellBank recently received $25,000 from the Innovation Fund.
“We offer a way to harvest and store stem cells without requiring a second surgical procedure,” explains Rachel Uram, CellBank founder and president. “There are one million hip or knee replacement surgeries each year, and surgeons go in and throw out a lot of stem cell-rich tissue. In 2005, five percent of replacement patients had a second surgery that required a bone graft.”
Using a patient’s own stem cells in a grafting procedure is “the gold standard in grafting,” says Uram. “Ten years ago they would go into the hip and harvest the tissue and use it. There were more patient complications and it was more painful.”
CellBank offers a better solution. “We collect specific tissues, process and store them so the patient doesn’t need a second procedure in situations like bone graft surgeries,” says Uram.
The family-run business has three founders, and they have brought on four part-time consultants. They are in the process of raising $1.5 million in seed money to complete testing. The Innovation Fund money will help bring CellBank closer to accepting customers.
“When we’re up and running we expect to have 15 to 16 employees,” says Uram. “Everybody loves the idea.”
Source: Rachel Uram
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We offer a way to harvest and store stem cells without requiring a second surgical procedure,” explains Rachel Uram, CellBank founder and president. “There are one million hip or knee replacement surgeries each year, and surgeons go in and throw out a lot of stem cell-rich tissue. In 2005, five percent of replacement patients had a second surgery that required a bone graft.”
Using a patient’s own stem cells in a grafting procedure is “the gold standard in grafting,” says Uram. “Ten years ago they would go into the hip and harvest the tissue and use it. There were more patient complications and it was more painful.”
CellBank offers a better solution. “We collect specific tissues, process and store them so the patient doesn’t need a second procedure in situations like bone graft surgeries,” says Uram.
The family-run business has three founders, and they have brought on four part-time consultants. They are in the process of raising $1.5 million in seed money to complete testing. The Innovation Fund money will help bring CellBank closer to accepting customers.
“When we’re up and running we expect to have 15 to 16 employees,” says Uram. “Everybody loves the idea.”
Source: Rachel Uram
Writer: Karin Connelly
The term "Rust Belt Chic" has been bandied about in urban journalism circles for over a decade. But lately, the connotation and import of that catchy phrase seem to be taking on a welcome new identity. A book in progress from Cleveland-based writers aims to take ownership of the phrase and help define what it truly means to live in a recovering Rust Belt city.
Megan Meister chuckles as she thinks of the unlikely collision of worlds involved in planting four eat-everything-in-sight goats in the midst of Stockyards -- a neighborhood that long ago shed its past as the home of the city's slaughterhouses.
Yet to Meister, the ebullient director of the Stockyards, Clark Fulton and Brooklyn Centre Community Development Organization, the area's new "Mow Goats" program is about the re-greening of the neighborhood, teaching kids and families about urban agriculture, and possibly even saving the city some money.
"Kids in urban areas don't get the opportunity to be around farm animals very often," says Meister, who worked with residents, The County Line Farm in Geneva, Ohio and the City of Cleveland to pioneer the 25-day program. "This is a creative way to address the problem of vacant lots in our neighborhood."
The "ladies," as they're known at the office, have a regular 9-to-5 job mowing a lot at W. 61st and Frontier Avenue. When they're done with that -- soon, based on their seemingly unstoppable appetite for anything leafy and green -- they'll be rotated to another lot. Meister hired a full-time goat herder for the project.
The Stockyards office receives a slew of calls every season about mowing lots. The City of Cleveland mows lots a few times per year and attempts to collect from property owners, but lacks the resources to mow them more regularly.
Meister hopes the project can be replicated elsewhere. She estimates that it would cost about $9,000 to $10,000 per six-month season to rent four goats, which is actually cheaper than what the city typically charges property owners to mow lots. The excess goat poop is being used to fertilize neighborhood gardens.
Source: Megan Meister
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Yet to Meister, the ebullient director of the Stockyards, Clark Fulton and Brooklyn Centre Community Development Organization, the area's new "Mow Goats" program is about the re-greening of the neighborhood, teaching kids and families about urban agriculture, and possibly even saving the city some money.
"Kids in urban areas don't get the opportunity to be around farm animals very often," says Meister, who worked with residents, The County Line Farm in Geneva, Ohio and the City of Cleveland to pioneer the 25-day program. "This is a creative way to address the problem of vacant lots in our neighborhood."
The "ladies," as they're known at the office, have a regular 9-to-5 job mowing a lot at W. 61st and Frontier Avenue. When they're done with that -- soon, based on their seemingly unstoppable appetite for anything leafy and green -- they'll be rotated to another lot. Meister hired a full-time goat herder for the project.
The Stockyards office receives a slew of calls every season about mowing lots. The City of Cleveland mows lots a few times per year and attempts to collect from property owners, but lacks the resources to mow them more regularly.
Meister hopes the project can be replicated elsewhere. She estimates that it would cost about $9,000 to $10,000 per six-month season to rent four goats, which is actually cheaper than what the city typically charges property owners to mow lots. The excess goat poop is being used to fertilize neighborhood gardens.
Source: Megan Meister
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Birdhouse Studios’ Nesl won the William McShane Fund Kickstarter project competition, taking home $25,000 and the opportunity to have the Nesl sold in Brookstone stores across the country. Nesl, which is a flexible rubber nine-fingered desk organizer with suction cups to hold it where ever you stick it, beat out two other projects in the finals.
“It’s been very exciting,” says Josh Dryden, who created the Nesl with partners and fellow recent Cleveland Institute of Art graduates Sam Li and Pete Whitworth. “The biggest part is being in nationwide stores at Brookstone.”
The contest was sponsored by Brookstone and Buckyballs. Voters could vote once a day on the contest site.
Birdhouse Studios recently raised $30,000 in pledges through a Kickstarter campaign before going on to win the McShane contest. The team met with their manufacturer last week and presented updated CAD files for the Nesl. “We want to start manufacturing as soon as possible,” says Dryden.
While the Nesl’s popularity in the voting varied over the voting period -- at one time it was in third place on the last day -- Dryden credits everyone at CIA with helping to secure the win. “We talked to everyone we could at CIA,” he says.
The team heads to New York this week to meet with Brookstone.
Source: Josh Dryden
Writer: Karin Connelly
“It’s been very exciting,” says Josh Dryden, who created the Nesl with partners and fellow recent Cleveland Institute of Art graduates Sam Li and Pete Whitworth. “The biggest part is being in nationwide stores at Brookstone.”
The contest was sponsored by Brookstone and Buckyballs. Voters could vote once a day on the contest site.
Birdhouse Studios recently raised $30,000 in pledges through a Kickstarter campaign before going on to win the McShane contest. The team met with their manufacturer last week and presented updated CAD files for the Nesl. “We want to start manufacturing as soon as possible,” says Dryden.
While the Nesl’s popularity in the voting varied over the voting period -- at one time it was in third place on the last day -- Dryden credits everyone at CIA with helping to secure the win. “We talked to everyone we could at CIA,” he says.
The team heads to New York this week to meet with Brookstone.
Source: Josh Dryden
Writer: Karin Connelly
Cleveland's original artisan bakery, Lucy's Sweet Surrender, has finished its move from Buckeye Road to a larger, better situated space in the former Chandler and Rudd building in Shaker Heights.
The new, 3,500-square-foot space features a small retail storefront that opens up to a bakery where visitors can watch the scratch baking process. The traditional Hungarian bakery, a dying breed that once thrived in Cleveland neighborhoods, intends to ramp up its retail business. It will also continue to pop up at area farmers markets, make deliveries in Cleveland and ship orders by mail.
Owner Michael Feigenbaum says Lucy's is busy at its new, well-trafficked location. "This week, we'll be at four farmers markets and we're already well into wedding cake season," he says. "The growth of new, artisan bakeries in Cleveland has helped us by raising the bar on what our customers are looking for."
Feigenbaum is already dreaming of Phase II of his expansion plans, which may include re-launching a prepared foods business, creating a small cafe, or partnering with other vendors. The Chandler and Rudd building has an additional 3,500 square feet that offer a blank canvas for the owner's next creation.
The long-awaited reconfiguration of the Warrensville/Van Aken/Chagrin intersection will only help him by creating a more vibrant urban district that can compete with Legacy Village and other lifestyle malls, says Feigenbaum.
Source: Michael Feigenbaum
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The new, 3,500-square-foot space features a small retail storefront that opens up to a bakery where visitors can watch the scratch baking process. The traditional Hungarian bakery, a dying breed that once thrived in Cleveland neighborhoods, intends to ramp up its retail business. It will also continue to pop up at area farmers markets, make deliveries in Cleveland and ship orders by mail.
Owner Michael Feigenbaum says Lucy's is busy at its new, well-trafficked location. "This week, we'll be at four farmers markets and we're already well into wedding cake season," he says. "The growth of new, artisan bakeries in Cleveland has helped us by raising the bar on what our customers are looking for."
Feigenbaum is already dreaming of Phase II of his expansion plans, which may include re-launching a prepared foods business, creating a small cafe, or partnering with other vendors. The Chandler and Rudd building has an additional 3,500 square feet that offer a blank canvas for the owner's next creation.
The long-awaited reconfiguration of the Warrensville/Van Aken/Chagrin intersection will only help him by creating a more vibrant urban district that can compete with Legacy Village and other lifestyle malls, says Feigenbaum.
Source: Michael Feigenbaum
Writer: Lee Chilcote
cimperman profiled at length in spirit magazine
In a lengthy feature titled, "Power of One," Spirit magazine highlights a half-dozen people who discovered their calling. The in-flight magazine of Southwest Airlines devotes a majority of the ink to Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman.
"In his 16 years as a councilman, [Cimperman] has passed pioneering urban farm zoning legislation at a time when no other city in the U.S. had done so, and spearheaded a local food procurement ordinance that gives companies who do business with the city a bid discount for sourcing food locally. In 2009, he sponsored so-called “chicken and bees” legislation, which allows residents to keep up to six chickens and two beehives in their backyards or on vacant lots. He was ridiculed for it at the time -- colleagues did the chicken dance as they passed him in the hallway -- but today both raising hens and beekeeping are popular pastimes in Cleveland."
"In 2011, Cimperman, chair of the city’s public health committee, helped shape Mayor Frank Jackson’s “Healthy Cleveland” resolution, a series of audacious public health goals that was crafted in conjunction with four local hospitals, including the Cleveland Clinic. A handful of these have already been passed by City Council: outlawing smoking in public spaces and banning artery-clogging trans fats at restaurant chains and bakeries. Several other pieces of legislation -- including one that would improve food in public schools -- are in the pipeline. Though the trans fat ban was overturned by Ohio’s state legislature last June, the City of Cleveland is now suing the state for the right to reinstate it. Cimperman is leading the effort."
Read more about his good work here.
"In his 16 years as a councilman, [Cimperman] has passed pioneering urban farm zoning legislation at a time when no other city in the U.S. had done so, and spearheaded a local food procurement ordinance that gives companies who do business with the city a bid discount for sourcing food locally. In 2009, he sponsored so-called “chicken and bees” legislation, which allows residents to keep up to six chickens and two beehives in their backyards or on vacant lots. He was ridiculed for it at the time -- colleagues did the chicken dance as they passed him in the hallway -- but today both raising hens and beekeeping are popular pastimes in Cleveland."
"In 2011, Cimperman, chair of the city’s public health committee, helped shape Mayor Frank Jackson’s “Healthy Cleveland” resolution, a series of audacious public health goals that was crafted in conjunction with four local hospitals, including the Cleveland Clinic. A handful of these have already been passed by City Council: outlawing smoking in public spaces and banning artery-clogging trans fats at restaurant chains and bakeries. Several other pieces of legislation -- including one that would improve food in public schools -- are in the pipeline. Though the trans fat ban was overturned by Ohio’s state legislature last June, the City of Cleveland is now suing the state for the right to reinstate it. Cimperman is leading the effort."
Read more about his good work here.
Kim Jenkins of Rising Star Coffee traded his job overseeing 110 scientists and engineers at Lockheed Martin in Florida to move to Spencer, Ohio, and launch a new coffee roaster in Cleveland.
Given his background in driving technological innovation, it comes as no surprise that his approach to roasting the best possible coffee beans is, well, innovative.
"Specialty grade coffee is the top half to one percent of coffee beans on the market, and that's all we do," says Jenkins, who recently set up shop in the Ohio City Firehouse building on W. 29th Street. "Coffee is the second largest commodity trade after crude oil, and there's plenty of room for growth in Northeast Ohio."
Jenkins' plan is to sell beans wholesale while also marketing to individual consumers and selling coffee by the cup. He's capitalizing on rising consumer interest in the highest-grade coffee, he says. His model appears to be working, as his fledgling company is gaining at least one wholesale customer per week. (The retail operation is still in the works.)
Rising Star's coffee retails for about $14 to $18 per pound, with the higher end reserved for small batch beans produced on micro-lots in Brazil and other places he's visited. He has hired four young workers to assist him with his growing roster of accounts.
"The goal of Rising Star is to create a sustainable business model, make a little money and give opportunities to the young people who work here," he says.
Jenkins says the main difference between his coffee and others is flavor. "You'll be able to taste the coffee like it's supposed to taste, instead of it being weak, burnt or bitter," he says. "People describe it as sweet, nutty, fruity or tasting of cocoa. Most of the world drinks coffee that tastes like that. It doesn't even need sugar."
Source: Kim Jenkins
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Given his background in driving technological innovation, it comes as no surprise that his approach to roasting the best possible coffee beans is, well, innovative.
"Specialty grade coffee is the top half to one percent of coffee beans on the market, and that's all we do," says Jenkins, who recently set up shop in the Ohio City Firehouse building on W. 29th Street. "Coffee is the second largest commodity trade after crude oil, and there's plenty of room for growth in Northeast Ohio."
Jenkins' plan is to sell beans wholesale while also marketing to individual consumers and selling coffee by the cup. He's capitalizing on rising consumer interest in the highest-grade coffee, he says. His model appears to be working, as his fledgling company is gaining at least one wholesale customer per week. (The retail operation is still in the works.)
Rising Star's coffee retails for about $14 to $18 per pound, with the higher end reserved for small batch beans produced on micro-lots in Brazil and other places he's visited. He has hired four young workers to assist him with his growing roster of accounts.
"The goal of Rising Star is to create a sustainable business model, make a little money and give opportunities to the young people who work here," he says.
Jenkins says the main difference between his coffee and others is flavor. "You'll be able to taste the coffee like it's supposed to taste, instead of it being weak, burnt or bitter," he says. "People describe it as sweet, nutty, fruity or tasting of cocoa. Most of the world drinks coffee that tastes like that. It doesn't even need sugar."
Source: Kim Jenkins
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Cleveland is nationally known as a brewing mecca. While established breweries like Great Lakes and Buckeye Brewing continue to expand, smaller startups are popping up in their shadows. Nourished by home-brewing clubs and finding strong models in Cleveland’s prize-winning breweries, many of these entrepreneurs started by brewing small batches in their basements or garages.
Drivers traveling along I-90 near E. 55th could experience mild whiplash as they crane their necks to see the sheep grazing on the roadside this summer. It's not the most common sight along the lakefront, and the story behind it is no less unusual.
Michael Fleming first heard of the idea when he was studying Urban Planning at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. The mayor of Curitiba, Brazil had used sheep to mow the city's vast parkland, he found out.
"They brought in shepherds for parkland because it was cheaper than using machines," says Fleming. "With large amounts of land, it just makes sense."
A few months ago, when Fleming was hired as Executive Director of the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation, he finally had a chance to import the idea from South America to Cleveland. A flock of 12 sheep are now grazing along North Marginal Road just west of the Quay 55 apartment building. They are tended by volunteers and students from nearby St. Martin De Porres High School.
"About 95 percent of our neighbors think it's cool, and five percent are afraid they'll get picked off by teenagers or coyotes," says Fleming, who has fielded calls from as far away as Detroit about the program. "We wanted to see how it would work on large vacant parcels, and if we could save the city any money on mowing costs."
So far, the Urban Sheep Grazing program has worked out well, with the sheep, guarded by a feisty llama, seemingly content to graze all day in their shaggy lakefront field. Visitors regularly stop by to take pictures and show their kids.
The sheep are loaned from the Spicy Lamb Farm in the Cuyahoga Valley through a new entity called Urban Shepherds. Fleming thinks expanding the program could bring down costs and make it feasible as a mowing alternative; he hopes to have the numbers to back his hypothesis up by the end of the summer.
Source: Michael Fleming
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Michael Fleming first heard of the idea when he was studying Urban Planning at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. The mayor of Curitiba, Brazil had used sheep to mow the city's vast parkland, he found out.
"They brought in shepherds for parkland because it was cheaper than using machines," says Fleming. "With large amounts of land, it just makes sense."
A few months ago, when Fleming was hired as Executive Director of the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation, he finally had a chance to import the idea from South America to Cleveland. A flock of 12 sheep are now grazing along North Marginal Road just west of the Quay 55 apartment building. They are tended by volunteers and students from nearby St. Martin De Porres High School.
"About 95 percent of our neighbors think it's cool, and five percent are afraid they'll get picked off by teenagers or coyotes," says Fleming, who has fielded calls from as far away as Detroit about the program. "We wanted to see how it would work on large vacant parcels, and if we could save the city any money on mowing costs."
So far, the Urban Sheep Grazing program has worked out well, with the sheep, guarded by a feisty llama, seemingly content to graze all day in their shaggy lakefront field. Visitors regularly stop by to take pictures and show their kids.
The sheep are loaned from the Spicy Lamb Farm in the Cuyahoga Valley through a new entity called Urban Shepherds. Fleming thinks expanding the program could bring down costs and make it feasible as a mowing alternative; he hopes to have the numbers to back his hypothesis up by the end of the summer.
Source: Michael Fleming
Writer: Lee Chilcote
cleveland among zagat's listing of hottest food truck towns
Zagat asked its readers to weigh in on the best cities to enjoy food truck fare. Cleveland was one of only 10 cities in the running.
Cleveland, OH
"Fairly recently, the City of Cleveland decided to renew a law that allowed food trucks to roam the city that 'rocks.' However, they can only operate with permission from their councilperson. A few dozen trucks and growing, residents have options like Streat Mobile Bistro (healthy, local, organic) and fig “burger” dealer Hodge Podge. Also, there's Umami Moto which serves Asian-fusion food -- inspired by LA’s Kogi Truck perhaps?"
Check out all the city scenes here.
Cleveland, OH
"Fairly recently, the City of Cleveland decided to renew a law that allowed food trucks to roam the city that 'rocks.' However, they can only operate with permission from their councilperson. A few dozen trucks and growing, residents have options like Streat Mobile Bistro (healthy, local, organic) and fig “burger” dealer Hodge Podge. Also, there's Umami Moto which serves Asian-fusion food -- inspired by LA’s Kogi Truck perhaps?"
Check out all the city scenes here.
pink public art display brightens eastman reading garden at downtown library
The ordinary spaces that we walk through every day without noticing form, details or color can very often be transformed with simple changes that cause us to stop and look more closely at our surroundings.
Like pink. And lots of it.
A new art installation in the Eastman Reading Garden of the downtown Cleveland Public Library aims to transform viewers' perception of this quiet, reflective space by adding bold pink chairs and pink window coverings throughout the space. The art project was designed by Cleveland artist Scott Stibich and funded by the Lockwood Thompson Endowment Fund of the Cleveland Public Library.
The 100 moveable pink chairs are part of the See Also program, which brings temporary works of public art to the Eastman Reading Garden. See Also is a partnership between Cleveland Public Library and LAND Studio. Visitors will interact with and become a part of Stibich's artwork as they move the painted chairs around to find their own comfortable place to sit, read and eat lunch.
"My goal was to disrupt the architecture just enough to displace the viewer," says Stibich. "The garden is a space where everyone comes to talk or just reflect and get lost in their day. I carried the pop-up color into the architecture, too."
The colorful window banners were assembled by designer Katie Parland.
Source: LAND Studio, Cleveland Public Library, Scott Stibich
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Like pink. And lots of it.
A new art installation in the Eastman Reading Garden of the downtown Cleveland Public Library aims to transform viewers' perception of this quiet, reflective space by adding bold pink chairs and pink window coverings throughout the space. The art project was designed by Cleveland artist Scott Stibich and funded by the Lockwood Thompson Endowment Fund of the Cleveland Public Library.
The 100 moveable pink chairs are part of the See Also program, which brings temporary works of public art to the Eastman Reading Garden. See Also is a partnership between Cleveland Public Library and LAND Studio. Visitors will interact with and become a part of Stibich's artwork as they move the painted chairs around to find their own comfortable place to sit, read and eat lunch.
"My goal was to disrupt the architecture just enough to displace the viewer," says Stibich. "The garden is a space where everyone comes to talk or just reflect and get lost in their day. I carried the pop-up color into the architecture, too."
The colorful window banners were assembled by designer Katie Parland.
Source: LAND Studio, Cleveland Public Library, Scott Stibich
Writer: Lee Chilcote
great lakes brewing jumps in craft beer rankings
According to beer sales volume calculated by The Brewers Association, a Boulder-based not-for-profit trade group that tabulates production statistics for U.S. breweries, Great Lakes Brewing Company is now the 18th largest craft brewery in the country. That is a jump from the #22 position the previous year.
According to the same stats, Great Lakes also is now the 27th largest American brewery overall, up from #31 previously.
Great Lakes produces over 110,000 barrels of beer annually and serves 13 states and Washington D.C. The company will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2013.
See all the sudsy stats here.
According to the same stats, Great Lakes also is now the 27th largest American brewery overall, up from #31 previously.
Great Lakes produces over 110,000 barrels of beer annually and serves 13 states and Washington D.C. The company will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2013.
See all the sudsy stats here.
esquire scribes include velvet tango room in roster of best bars in america
Paulius Nasvytis can add another item to the already crowded wall of big-time media accolades. Esquire magazine, the arbiter of good taste, has just included the Velvet Tango Room in its annual roster of Best Bars in America.
"Perplexed whispers followed the Velvet Tango Room for years after the cocktail bar opened in 1996," begins the Esquire item. "For starters, it was hard to find, tucked in an unassuming building in an inner-ring nib of Cleveland between two trendy neighborhoods, a tiny neon sign the only hint that anything was happening inside. Co-owner Paulius Nasvytis waited tables at the city's finest restaurants before purchasing the building for just $35,000 to execute his vision with uncompromising accuracy: a sanctuary of cocktails priced in the mid-teens. It was an incongruous idea in a city that prizes its shot-and-a-beer corner joints."
Read the rest of the glowing praise here.
"Perplexed whispers followed the Velvet Tango Room for years after the cocktail bar opened in 1996," begins the Esquire item. "For starters, it was hard to find, tucked in an unassuming building in an inner-ring nib of Cleveland between two trendy neighborhoods, a tiny neon sign the only hint that anything was happening inside. Co-owner Paulius Nasvytis waited tables at the city's finest restaurants before purchasing the building for just $35,000 to execute his vision with uncompromising accuracy: a sanctuary of cocktails priced in the mid-teens. It was an incongruous idea in a city that prizes its shot-and-a-beer corner joints."
Read the rest of the glowing praise here.
Great Lakes Brewing Company is now the 18th largest craft brewery in the U.S. and the 27th largest overall. The company brews more than 110,000 barrels of handcrafted beer every year.
The brewing process takes place in a warehouse at Carroll Avenue and West 28th Street near the West Side Market. Visitors to Great Lakes Brewing Company's flagship bar and restaurant on Market Avenue often can catch a whiff of the beer brewing and fermenting as they walk in to grab a pint.
Recently, Great Lakes purchased and installed two new 300-barrel fermentation tanks to further expand its brewing capacity. The new equipment, which was hoisted in by crane through the roof of its Carroll Avenue tank farm, is on top of $7 million in capital improvements completed in 2010 to expand capacity.
Great Lakes beer is now available in 13 states and Washington D.C., and the company has a philosophy of supporting sustainability and natural, locally grown food. Owners Patrick and Daniel Conway have plans to deepen Great Lakes' presence in existing markets as they celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2013.
Source: Great Lakes Brewing Company
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The brewing process takes place in a warehouse at Carroll Avenue and West 28th Street near the West Side Market. Visitors to Great Lakes Brewing Company's flagship bar and restaurant on Market Avenue often can catch a whiff of the beer brewing and fermenting as they walk in to grab a pint.
Recently, Great Lakes purchased and installed two new 300-barrel fermentation tanks to further expand its brewing capacity. The new equipment, which was hoisted in by crane through the roof of its Carroll Avenue tank farm, is on top of $7 million in capital improvements completed in 2010 to expand capacity.
Great Lakes beer is now available in 13 states and Washington D.C., and the company has a philosophy of supporting sustainability and natural, locally grown food. Owners Patrick and Daniel Conway have plans to deepen Great Lakes' presence in existing markets as they celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2013.
Source: Great Lakes Brewing Company
Writer: Lee Chilcote