Search results for 'Cocktail bar Cleveland founder'
This weekend, shop arts and crafts from all over the country at the Cain Park Arts Festival, attend a free swing dance under the Playhouse chandelier, check out the Cleveland Flea and more.
Entrepreneur James Levin, who has always balanced his arts and cultural impresario endeavors with a law career defending the poor and disenfranchised, has opened a legal clinic in Glenville.
When Jason Minter has fond memories of his grandmother, Connie Pugh, and her fascination with PBS programming. “Every Sunday we would go to my grandma’s after church and she was always watching PBS,” he recalls. “She would say, ‘PBS brings all these cultures to me right in my living room.’ My grandmother never left the city.”
Years later, in 2012, Minter was in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy as a teaching assistant with Texas A&M’s college of architecture study abroad program when he discovered affogatos – gelato topped with a shot of espresso. The experience reminded Minter of his grandmother’s travels via public television.
After duplicating the affogatos for some friends back home in Tremont, Minter was encouraged to start a business of it. He kept testing his recipe and attended Cleveland State’s Meet the Lenders program last summer, where he got additional encouragement, Minter started Connie’s Affogato.
Minter then decided to enter the Old Brooklyn business plan competition, and was one of three winners. “We approached the competition with the understanding that opening a bricks and mortar storefront would be unfeasible for Connie's Affogato at this point,” he explains. “Instead we proposed a new model for economic development with a substantially lower barrier to entry than existing models. The competition judges responded positively to our strategy.”
The mobile affogato shop will be equipped with a specially-made bicycle – complete with a freezer, stove and “storefront” – with help from Soulcraft Woodshop and CWRU’s ThinkBox. Espresso will be brewed on the bike, while he plans to get his ice cream from a local supplier.
Connie’s Affogato will serve Old Brooklyn, as well as area festivals and fairs. “The city of Cleveland is my canvas,” Minter says. “I see a Cleveland where people are spending a little less time in their homes and car and contributing to a vibrant street life.”
Minter plans to take growth one step at a time. He is on schedule to open May 1 next summer with just one mobile storefront, then grow accordingly. While he says it’s not necessary, his plan includes opening a bricks and mortar storefront in three years. “You got to let the market guide you,” he says.
Years later, in 2012, Minter was in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy as a teaching assistant with Texas A&M’s college of architecture study abroad program when he discovered affogatos – gelato topped with a shot of espresso. The experience reminded Minter of his grandmother’s travels via public television.
After duplicating the affogatos for some friends back home in Tremont, Minter was encouraged to start a business of it. He kept testing his recipe and attended Cleveland State’s Meet the Lenders program last summer, where he got additional encouragement, Minter started Connie’s Affogato.
Minter then decided to enter the Old Brooklyn business plan competition, and was one of three winners. “We approached the competition with the understanding that opening a bricks and mortar storefront would be unfeasible for Connie's Affogato at this point,” he explains. “Instead we proposed a new model for economic development with a substantially lower barrier to entry than existing models. The competition judges responded positively to our strategy.”
The mobile affogato shop will be equipped with a specially-made bicycle – complete with a freezer, stove and “storefront” – with help from Soulcraft Woodshop and CWRU’s ThinkBox. Espresso will be brewed on the bike, while he plans to get his ice cream from a local supplier.
Connie’s Affogato will serve Old Brooklyn, as well as area festivals and fairs. “The city of Cleveland is my canvas,” Minter says. “I see a Cleveland where people are spending a little less time in their homes and car and contributing to a vibrant street life.”
Minter plans to take growth one step at a time. He is on schedule to open May 1 next summer with just one mobile storefront, then grow accordingly. While he says it’s not necessary, his plan includes opening a bricks and mortar storefront in three years. “You got to let the market guide you,” he says.
Mark Morrison and the cofounders of Windrush, which provides a web publishing tool for nonprofits, were looking to take their company to the next level.
Morrison suggested the company go on the road to his hometown of Cleveland and join the FlashStarts 2015 summer accelerator program. So in May, Morrison and his two partners did just that.
Windrush helps social impact organizations produce more than just a white paper while trying to get their messages across. Using data visualization tools, Windrush makes it easy to create interactive and vibrant materials, copy and data to engage readers.
Morrison, Max Walker and Riley Alsmann were friends at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York and about to graduate when they founded Windrush in 2013 based on a software development project Walker was working on for school.
Upon graduation, the Windrush team was looking to grow the company. “We were looking to enter an accelerator to help us grow,” Morrison says. “We applied all over the country and we were accepted to a few of them.”
Morrison, a native of Maple Heights and a graduate of St. Ignatius High School, urged the team to join FlashStarts’ accelerator program. “It was a great fit, plus Cleveland is like the origin of nonprofits,” he says. “We’re really young coming out of college and we wanted a relationship. We want to learn from our mistakes.”
FlashStarts gave Windrush an initial $25,000 investment and the company has set up shop in the FlashStarts offices, at least for the summer.
“Windrush was chosen for our accelerator because they have a product that will radically transform content marketing, journalism and the art of online storytelling,” says Grace Moenich, FlashStarts’ director of public relations. “Their platform allows organizations to easily showcase their data in beautiful and compelling ways -- a feat which would otherwise require an enormous amount of money to hire very rare talent. They solve a large and common problem for businesses.”
Windrush will also be eligible for follow-on funding when the 12-week program is over.
Morrison suggested the company go on the road to his hometown of Cleveland and join the FlashStarts 2015 summer accelerator program. So in May, Morrison and his two partners did just that.
Windrush helps social impact organizations produce more than just a white paper while trying to get their messages across. Using data visualization tools, Windrush makes it easy to create interactive and vibrant materials, copy and data to engage readers.
Morrison, Max Walker and Riley Alsmann were friends at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York and about to graduate when they founded Windrush in 2013 based on a software development project Walker was working on for school.
Upon graduation, the Windrush team was looking to grow the company. “We were looking to enter an accelerator to help us grow,” Morrison says. “We applied all over the country and we were accepted to a few of them.”
Morrison, a native of Maple Heights and a graduate of St. Ignatius High School, urged the team to join FlashStarts’ accelerator program. “It was a great fit, plus Cleveland is like the origin of nonprofits,” he says. “We’re really young coming out of college and we wanted a relationship. We want to learn from our mistakes.”
FlashStarts gave Windrush an initial $25,000 investment and the company has set up shop in the FlashStarts offices, at least for the summer.
“Windrush was chosen for our accelerator because they have a product that will radically transform content marketing, journalism and the art of online storytelling,” says Grace Moenich, FlashStarts’ director of public relations. “Their platform allows organizations to easily showcase their data in beautiful and compelling ways -- a feat which would otherwise require an enormous amount of money to hire very rare talent. They solve a large and common problem for businesses.”
Windrush will also be eligible for follow-on funding when the 12-week program is over.
The PRE4CLE program, which was recently recognized by the White House, is halfway to its goal of enrolling 2,000 additional four-year-olds in high-quality preschools in Cleveland.
This holiday weekend, go on a hot date to Mahall's for music, food and cocktails, visit Platform Brewing in celebration of their first anniversary, enjoy reggae by Carlos Jones at the kickoff of Lakewood’s porch concert series and more.
Leaders from Cleveland, Detroit, New Orleans and Durham are meeting this week in Detroit for a second of four meetings to discuss how to increase entrepreneurial activity and connectivity in distressed neighborhoods. The last meeting will occur in Cleveland in June 2016.
This weekend, feast on authentic Asian cuisine at the first-ever Night Market, celebrate LGBTQQA progress at Cleveland Pride, explore Waterloo Arts Fest, play free pinball in Coventry and more.
Now under the wing of the Metroparks, Cleveland's lakefront and riverside green spaces are home to an array of outdoor programs, activities and entertainment options that abound from Edgewater Beach to Wildwood Marina.
While there are thousands of software development jobs available in Northeast Ohio, skilled code wranglers are not so easy to find. Local firms are finding other means to find and keep new programmers.
Last Friday, work began on the $4.3 million East 22nd Street improvement project. The effort will revitalize the nearly one-mile corridor between Orange and Euclid Avenues with new pavement; curb, drainage and sidewalk work; median improvements and new traffic signals. Upgrades will also include new streetscaping elements such as signage, benches, brick pavers, bike racks, trash receptacles, trees and shrubs.
The project is a collaboration between the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the city of Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). Road work is slated for completion this fall, with streetscaping amenities to be complete in the spring of 2016.
"East 22nd Street really will become our north/south 'Main Street,'" says Bobbi Reichtell, executive director at Campus District, Inc., noting how the project will improve the connection between Saint Vincent Charity Medical Center, Cleveland State University, and Cuyahoga Community College.
"There are a lot of students that go between CSU and Tri-C. They take classes at both," she says. "It is literally a 12-minute walk. It's not a pleasant walk right now. It's barren and institutional. No one walks or bikes it."
Reichtell is confident that will change when bike lanes, greenery, neighborhood signs and public art created by local artist Augustus Turner are all in place.
"It's just going to be a much more pleasant experience for biking and walking," she says. "We expect to have many more walkers and bikers between CSU and Tri-C."
As usual, before Clevelanders see improvements they'll have to endure some orange barrels. East 22nd Street will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction between Orange and Carnegie Avenues. Between Carnegie and Euclid Avenues, which is already one-way northbound, traffic will be reduced to one lane. Motorists are advised to be aware of signal modifications during construction as well.
Ironically, this does not necessarily come as bad news to many within the Campus District, including Reichtell, who expresses as much with words rarely heard in Northeast Ohio. "We are so excited to see orange barrels," she says. "Even though it will bring short term pain, this is a long time in coming. We're finally getting what we've been asking for."
The project is a collaboration between the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the city of Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). Road work is slated for completion this fall, with streetscaping amenities to be complete in the spring of 2016.
"East 22nd Street really will become our north/south 'Main Street,'" says Bobbi Reichtell, executive director at Campus District, Inc., noting how the project will improve the connection between Saint Vincent Charity Medical Center, Cleveland State University, and Cuyahoga Community College.
"There are a lot of students that go between CSU and Tri-C. They take classes at both," she says. "It is literally a 12-minute walk. It's not a pleasant walk right now. It's barren and institutional. No one walks or bikes it."
Reichtell is confident that will change when bike lanes, greenery, neighborhood signs and public art created by local artist Augustus Turner are all in place.
"It's just going to be a much more pleasant experience for biking and walking," she says. "We expect to have many more walkers and bikers between CSU and Tri-C."
As usual, before Clevelanders see improvements they'll have to endure some orange barrels. East 22nd Street will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction between Orange and Carnegie Avenues. Between Carnegie and Euclid Avenues, which is already one-way northbound, traffic will be reduced to one lane. Motorists are advised to be aware of signal modifications during construction as well.
Ironically, this does not necessarily come as bad news to many within the Campus District, including Reichtell, who expresses as much with words rarely heard in Northeast Ohio. "We are so excited to see orange barrels," she says. "Even though it will bring short term pain, this is a long time in coming. We're finally getting what we've been asking for."
Five local filmmakers unveil documentaries on refugees in Cleveland
Ohio is one of the top 10 states in the country that takes refugees – people who have fled their native countries for fear of persecution for race, religion, nationality, being part of a social group or political beliefs – and Cleveland is second in the state for helping these people call the area home.
From 2000-2012, 4,518 refugees resettled in Cleveland, according to a report prepared in 2012 for the Refugee Services Collaborative (RSC). And the number is growing. So, to celebrate and educate the Cleveland community on the city’s refugee population, five local filmmakers produced short documentary films about refugee life before and after Cleveland.
Those films were shown for the first time on Saturday, June 20 at the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood. About 120 community leaders, advocates, refugees, business owners and volunteers gathered to watch the films, as some of the filmmakers introduced them.
“It’s going represent a broad swatch of who the refugees are, the different ethnicities and nationalities they represent, and what’s changed after they got to Cleveland,” explains Tom Mrosko, director of Cleveland Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services. “The RSC tried to invite people who aren’t as familiar with the Collaborative or people coming to the community.”
The films are meant to educate people on the 70,000 refugees who resettle in the United States each year. “They come to almost every state in the country and they want to fit in and they want to better themselves,” says Mrosko. “It really comes down to lack of understanding of who refugees are. The goal is to involve people who may not understand the process – show them in a way that they can embrace it. We thought doing short films really gets the message across.”
The filmmakers are: Kevin Kerwin with “The Interpreter;” Chelsie Corso with “Just Keep Going;” Chris Langer with “Rangers United;” Paul Sobota with “Alida;” and Robert Banks with “Ashmita.”
Now the films will be shown at various community centers, film festivals, churches, universities and other public venues. Locations and time will be announced on the RSC website. Four of the five films can be viewed on YouTube.
Councilman Joe declared June 20 as World Refugee Day on behalf of the Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.
From 2000-2012, 4,518 refugees resettled in Cleveland, according to a report prepared in 2012 for the Refugee Services Collaborative (RSC). And the number is growing. So, to celebrate and educate the Cleveland community on the city’s refugee population, five local filmmakers produced short documentary films about refugee life before and after Cleveland.
Those films were shown for the first time on Saturday, June 20 at the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood. About 120 community leaders, advocates, refugees, business owners and volunteers gathered to watch the films, as some of the filmmakers introduced them.
“It’s going represent a broad swatch of who the refugees are, the different ethnicities and nationalities they represent, and what’s changed after they got to Cleveland,” explains Tom Mrosko, director of Cleveland Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services. “The RSC tried to invite people who aren’t as familiar with the Collaborative or people coming to the community.”
The films are meant to educate people on the 70,000 refugees who resettle in the United States each year. “They come to almost every state in the country and they want to fit in and they want to better themselves,” says Mrosko. “It really comes down to lack of understanding of who refugees are. The goal is to involve people who may not understand the process – show them in a way that they can embrace it. We thought doing short films really gets the message across.”
The filmmakers are: Kevin Kerwin with “The Interpreter;” Chelsie Corso with “Just Keep Going;” Chris Langer with “Rangers United;” Paul Sobota with “Alida;” and Robert Banks with “Ashmita.”
Now the films will be shown at various community centers, film festivals, churches, universities and other public venues. Locations and time will be announced on the RSC website. Four of the five films can be viewed on YouTube.
Councilman Joe declared June 20 as World Refugee Day on behalf of the Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.
As a small printing company in Warrensville Heights, Porath Print Solutions has seen its share of struggles and issues in the non-profits and small businesses the 16-person company has served since 1968. So this year, Porath chief problem solver Gerry Engelhart decided it was time to start sharing his knowledge with a bi-monthly seminar series.
“Our boss is a very community-oriented person,” says Porath’s Rachel Gordon. “We all kept seeing our clients, especially non-profits, coming to us with printings and mailings and we realized we’re not giving them the bigger picture of what different organizations were doing to raise money. It could be much easier for them on the front end if they knew some things. ”
So Porath started a series of free breakfast seminars to educate organizations on how to organize fundraising campaigns. “The first two were just about fundraising – how to connect with your current donors,” says Gordon. “It’s so [much] less expensive to keep the supporters you have than to find new ones.”
Now, Porath will team up on Tuesday, June 30 with Simone Cameron of Cleveland Heights marketing firm the Annek Group to host another free seminar on social media. “Social Media: The Basics” will cover all the things Porath learned while implementing its own social media strategy. “A few months ago we didn’t have a social media presence at all,” says Gordon. “Then we connected with Simone and now we have Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and an e-newsletter.”
Seminar attendees will learn about the importance of multi-channel marketing and how and when to use the different social media outlets. “For us, it was kind of a revelation,” says Gordon of Porath’s own foray into social media. “As we’re learning about this we realized there are definitely other people going through the same thing. There are basic questions that are overwhelming.”
Gordon says the seminar is just Engelhart’s way of giving back. “He’ll make time for anyone,” she says. “For us, it’s helpful because it just keeps us fresh and it keeps the ideas flowing.”
The free seminar is from 8 am to 9:30 am on June 30 at the Porath offices, 21000 Miles Parkway in Warrensville Heights. A light breakfast will be served. Register or call (216) 626-0060 for more information. Guests are encourage to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Cleveland Food Bank.
“Our boss is a very community-oriented person,” says Porath’s Rachel Gordon. “We all kept seeing our clients, especially non-profits, coming to us with printings and mailings and we realized we’re not giving them the bigger picture of what different organizations were doing to raise money. It could be much easier for them on the front end if they knew some things. ”
So Porath started a series of free breakfast seminars to educate organizations on how to organize fundraising campaigns. “The first two were just about fundraising – how to connect with your current donors,” says Gordon. “It’s so [much] less expensive to keep the supporters you have than to find new ones.”
Now, Porath will team up on Tuesday, June 30 with Simone Cameron of Cleveland Heights marketing firm the Annek Group to host another free seminar on social media. “Social Media: The Basics” will cover all the things Porath learned while implementing its own social media strategy. “A few months ago we didn’t have a social media presence at all,” says Gordon. “Then we connected with Simone and now we have Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and an e-newsletter.”
Seminar attendees will learn about the importance of multi-channel marketing and how and when to use the different social media outlets. “For us, it was kind of a revelation,” says Gordon of Porath’s own foray into social media. “As we’re learning about this we realized there are definitely other people going through the same thing. There are basic questions that are overwhelming.”
Gordon says the seminar is just Engelhart’s way of giving back. “He’ll make time for anyone,” she says. “For us, it’s helpful because it just keeps us fresh and it keeps the ideas flowing.”
The free seminar is from 8 am to 9:30 am on June 30 at the Porath offices, 21000 Miles Parkway in Warrensville Heights. A light breakfast will be served. Register or call (216) 626-0060 for more information. Guests are encourage to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Cleveland Food Bank.
A key component of the Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools is helping families choose the right school. Neighborhood ambassadors are charged with informing the community about school choices.
This weekend, enjoy the kickoff of WOW’s free summer concert series, view 30 bands on 30 porches at PorchFest and dust off your dancing shoes for free vinyl dance parties at Beachland and B Side.