Search results for 'Will Hollingsworth restaurant recommendation 2014'
heights' new development director sees opportunity everywhere
Howard Thompson's appraisals of Cleveland Heights bring to mind the phrase "target-rich environment." The city's new development director, on the job about three weeks, enthusiastically rattles off the opportunities he sees for the inner-ring suburb in 2011.
There's the old Coventry School, parts of which will be used next year by Ensemble Theatre. In the rest, Thompson imagines an entrepreneurial development center. There's the on-again, off-again Top of the Hill plan, which would bring some combination of new housing, commercial and office space to the 3.5-acre city-owned site, most of it parking lot, at Cedar Road and Euclid Heights Boulevard (behind Nighttown). There's the former Oakwood Country Club, which many would like to see preserved as green space but is also a rare large tract (144 acres) in an otherwise densely packed city.
Heights' commercial and residential density -- and close proximity to each other -- are desirable traits, says Thompson, who worked most recently in Beachwood. "But it's also a bit of a challenge at the same time," he adds, "because you have to create development opportunities."
There are many small-scale opportunities in Heights' many architecturally intriguing but technologically lacking buildings. "Some properties just need to be updated or renovated," he says. And as businesses in nearby University Circle grow, Heights could become an attractive place to expand.
Thompson's career began in Cleveland Heights. He interned in city hall while earning a master's degree in public administration at Cleveland State in the early '90s.
Source: Howard Thompson
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
There's the old Coventry School, parts of which will be used next year by Ensemble Theatre. In the rest, Thompson imagines an entrepreneurial development center. There's the on-again, off-again Top of the Hill plan, which would bring some combination of new housing, commercial and office space to the 3.5-acre city-owned site, most of it parking lot, at Cedar Road and Euclid Heights Boulevard (behind Nighttown). There's the former Oakwood Country Club, which many would like to see preserved as green space but is also a rare large tract (144 acres) in an otherwise densely packed city.
Heights' commercial and residential density -- and close proximity to each other -- are desirable traits, says Thompson, who worked most recently in Beachwood. "But it's also a bit of a challenge at the same time," he adds, "because you have to create development opportunities."
There are many small-scale opportunities in Heights' many architecturally intriguing but technologically lacking buildings. "Some properties just need to be updated or renovated," he says. And as businesses in nearby University Circle grow, Heights could become an attractive place to expand.
Thompson's career began in Cleveland Heights. He interned in city hall while earning a master's degree in public administration at Cleveland State in the early '90s.
Source: Howard Thompson
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
ohio technical college adds performance-vehicle training with new edelbrock academy
Preparing students to excel at classic car restoration, collision repair and refinishing, and custom paint and graphics is what Ohio Technical College (OTC) has been doing in Cleveland for years.
Through a new partnership with Edelbrock, a manufacturer and distributor of performance vehicle replacement parts, students can now master the finer points of building and tuning America's latest obsession: muscle cars and performance vehicles. OTC and Edelbrock recently announced the founding of the Edelbrock Academy.
OTC, an accredited, private, post-secondary technical college, already offers a full catalog of courses in automotive care, including alternative-fuel vehicles. The college, established in 1969, has more than 1,000 students currently enrolled at its MidTown campus. The founding of the new Edelbrock Academy will add to OTC's offerings by providing the skills necessary to make the jump to the muscle car and performance vehicle market.
The "mascot" of the Edelbrock Academy is a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, which was built entirely by OTC students. For the next several months, the Chevy Bel Air will travel around the country to high schools and car shows as part of OTC's promotion of the Edelbrock Academy.
Source: Ohio Technical College
Writer: Diane DiPiero
Through a new partnership with Edelbrock, a manufacturer and distributor of performance vehicle replacement parts, students can now master the finer points of building and tuning America's latest obsession: muscle cars and performance vehicles. OTC and Edelbrock recently announced the founding of the Edelbrock Academy.
OTC, an accredited, private, post-secondary technical college, already offers a full catalog of courses in automotive care, including alternative-fuel vehicles. The college, established in 1969, has more than 1,000 students currently enrolled at its MidTown campus. The founding of the new Edelbrock Academy will add to OTC's offerings by providing the skills necessary to make the jump to the muscle car and performance vehicle market.
The "mascot" of the Edelbrock Academy is a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, which was built entirely by OTC students. For the next several months, the Chevy Bel Air will travel around the country to high schools and car shows as part of OTC's promotion of the Edelbrock Academy.
Source: Ohio Technical College
Writer: Diane DiPiero
It may seem like the massive and sometimes controversial Innerbelt
Bridge project has been in the works since Elliot Ness called Cleveland
home, but design planning is reaching its final stages. Tremont
residents and others with questions or concerns about what this
behemoth will look like, particularly where it touches down on city
streets, should not miss the Ohio Department of Transportation's next
public meeting.
"The lion's share of the design work is already committed," says Chris Garland, executive director of Tremont West Development Corporation, which has worked with ODOT on this project for several years. What remains are "the more subtle aspects," like placement of lighting and the type fencing to be used on the Abbey Road bridge, which will remain the neighborhood's connection to downtown.
Design options, and a survey, have been posted online. But Garland stresses the importance of attending the meeting, December 13, 5-8 p.m., at Pilgrim Church Fellowship Hall, 2592 W. 14th St. Various design options will be displayed, and ODOT officials will be on hand to answer questions. "Just because you don't see something [in a design] doesn't mean it won't be included," he notes. His message to residents has been, "The most important thing is to show up."
Source: Tremont West
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"The lion's share of the design work is already committed," says Chris Garland, executive director of Tremont West Development Corporation, which has worked with ODOT on this project for several years. What remains are "the more subtle aspects," like placement of lighting and the type fencing to be used on the Abbey Road bridge, which will remain the neighborhood's connection to downtown.
Design options, and a survey, have been posted online. But Garland stresses the importance of attending the meeting, December 13, 5-8 p.m., at Pilgrim Church Fellowship Hall, 2592 W. 14th St. Various design options will be displayed, and ODOT officials will be on hand to answer questions. "Just because you don't see something [in a design] doesn't mean it won't be included," he notes. His message to residents has been, "The most important thing is to show up."
Source: Tremont West
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Amy and Montri Visatsud met in a Thai restaurant, so it's only fitting that they'd open their own. Banana Blossom debuted in November at 2800 Clinton in Ohio City.
The couple considered Brunswick, but the choice wasn't difficult. "I'm a Cleveland native," says Amy, "and I'm really excited to see all the new businesses coming into the neighborhood, and this seemed like a good opportunity to get in there."
The move quickly paid off. Amy says she's pleasantly surprised by the local support, especially considering that the site -- the former home of Jazz 28 and Halite -- is a couple blocks off the main West 25th Street drag. "We have a lot of regulars already," she reports. "We had one girl who was there four times in the first week we were open."
Montri worked in an aunt's restaurant in Seattle, but is a first-time owner. Partner Sengchan Misaiphon is the chef. Both are from Bangkok, and they strive for authenticity in their extensive menu, which includes 58 entrees.
Source: Amy Visatsud
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The couple considered Brunswick, but the choice wasn't difficult. "I'm a Cleveland native," says Amy, "and I'm really excited to see all the new businesses coming into the neighborhood, and this seemed like a good opportunity to get in there."
The move quickly paid off. Amy says she's pleasantly surprised by the local support, especially considering that the site -- the former home of Jazz 28 and Halite -- is a couple blocks off the main West 25th Street drag. "We have a lot of regulars already," she reports. "We had one girl who was there four times in the first week we were open."
Montri worked in an aunt's restaurant in Seattle, but is a first-time owner. Partner Sengchan Misaiphon is the chef. Both are from Bangkok, and they strive for authenticity in their extensive menu, which includes 58 entrees.
Source: Amy Visatsud
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
That small-fish-in-a-big-pond feeling is likely to crop up now and again for local doctors who choose to work outside of one of the large hospital systems. One of the big problem areas? Managing automated tasks like medical records and insurance reimbursements. Any independent physician in Northeast Ohio who has ever felt alone in this realm will want to check out the newly launched Independent Physician Solutions (IPS) from Sisters of Charity Health System.
IPS offers independent doctors a contiuum of services, including billing management, electronic medical records (EMR) and managed care contracting. The new subsidiary of Sisters of Charity is a physician-led organization that seeks the input of those in the medical community. For example, a committee composed of physicians from Sisters of Charity and independent doctors researched possible EMR solutions, eventually deciding on General Electric's Centricity. This system will help private-practice physicians stay on the cutting edge of technology requirements. IPS will also offer billing and collections services.
What's more, IPS will have an equity model open to physicians who want to invest, according to Orlando L. Alvarez, senior vice president of physician alignment for Sisters of Charity. More than half of the governing board of IPS will be made up of physicians.
SOURCE: Sisters of Charity
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
IPS offers independent doctors a contiuum of services, including billing management, electronic medical records (EMR) and managed care contracting. The new subsidiary of Sisters of Charity is a physician-led organization that seeks the input of those in the medical community. For example, a committee composed of physicians from Sisters of Charity and independent doctors researched possible EMR solutions, eventually deciding on General Electric's Centricity. This system will help private-practice physicians stay on the cutting edge of technology requirements. IPS will also offer billing and collections services.
What's more, IPS will have an equity model open to physicians who want to invest, according to Orlando L. Alvarez, senior vice president of physician alignment for Sisters of Charity. More than half of the governing board of IPS will be made up of physicians.
SOURCE: Sisters of Charity
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
film shot entirely in cleveland to make premiere at sundance
Ohio's newly enacted film production tax credit is already paying dividends.
Shot entirely in the Cleveland area this past summer, the film Take Shelter will have its world premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival, held January 20-30 in Park City, Utah. According to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, the film is just one of 16 to make it into the prestigious U.S. Dramatic Competition section, beating out nearly 2,000 other entries.
Producer Tyler Davidson is a Northeast Ohio native and resident. His previous films include Swedish Auto and The Year That Trembled, also shot in the Cleveland area. Take Shelter stars Michael Shannon, an Academy Award-nominee for Revolutionary Road and newcomer Jessica Chastain, who will star opposite Brad Pitt and Sean Penn in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life.
"The opportunity to launch any film at Sundance is a dream come true," Davidson said, "but a film made entirely in Northeast Ohio, where I was born and raised and where I still live, is truly something special for me. I couldn't be any more excited."
To learn more about the film, check out this release.
Shot entirely in the Cleveland area this past summer, the film Take Shelter will have its world premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival, held January 20-30 in Park City, Utah. According to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, the film is just one of 16 to make it into the prestigious U.S. Dramatic Competition section, beating out nearly 2,000 other entries.
Producer Tyler Davidson is a Northeast Ohio native and resident. His previous films include Swedish Auto and The Year That Trembled, also shot in the Cleveland area. Take Shelter stars Michael Shannon, an Academy Award-nominee for Revolutionary Road and newcomer Jessica Chastain, who will star opposite Brad Pitt and Sean Penn in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life.
"The opportunity to launch any film at Sundance is a dream come true," Davidson said, "but a film made entirely in Northeast Ohio, where I was born and raised and where I still live, is truly something special for me. I couldn't be any more excited."
To learn more about the film, check out this release.
chef's garden a 'showpiece of agricultural ingenuity'
In this podcast of The Story, broadcast on American Public Media, host Dick Gordon chats with Lee Jones of the Chef's Garden. Taped during a live discussion in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the conversation delves into the genesis of what may be the nation's finest gourmet garden.
Located in Huron, near the shores of Lake Erie, the Chef's Garden grows produce year-round outdoors, in cold frames, and under glass. That produce is picked fresh and shipped to chefs and restaurants worldwide, even as far as Japan.
The always passionate Farmer Jones discusses how his family transformed a failed conventional farm into what Gordon calls a "showpiece of agricultural ingenuity."
Download or listen to the podcast here.
Located in Huron, near the shores of Lake Erie, the Chef's Garden grows produce year-round outdoors, in cold frames, and under glass. That produce is picked fresh and shipped to chefs and restaurants worldwide, even as far as Japan.
The always passionate Farmer Jones discusses how his family transformed a failed conventional farm into what Gordon calls a "showpiece of agricultural ingenuity."
Download or listen to the podcast here.
And now for a small dose of good news from the foreclosure front: Two
Slavic Village homes that sat empty for more than a year will be opened
to potential buyers on December 16.
The homes -- on East 69th and East 75th -- were acquired from the banks that had taken them in foreclosure and fully renovated through the Opportunity Homes program, a joint venture between The City of Cleveland, Neighborhood Progress Inc., the Cleveland Housing Network and six Cleveland community development corporations.
"These are really good deals," says Stacy Pugh, housing director for Slavic Village Development, one of the six CDCs. The homes have been renovated top to bottom – everything is new, including the energy-efficient appliances. And yet they'll sell for well below the cost of those upgrades, which averages about $125,000, including acquisition, says Pugh.
"We're also willing to work with people," she adds, in light of how much more difficult securing a mortgage has become. Six-month lease-purchase deals are available for those whose credit might also need some renovating.
For details on the open house, contact Pugh at 216-429-1182 x 117 or stacyp@slavicvillage.org.
Source: Slavic Village CDC
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The homes -- on East 69th and East 75th -- were acquired from the banks that had taken them in foreclosure and fully renovated through the Opportunity Homes program, a joint venture between The City of Cleveland, Neighborhood Progress Inc., the Cleveland Housing Network and six Cleveland community development corporations.
"These are really good deals," says Stacy Pugh, housing director for Slavic Village Development, one of the six CDCs. The homes have been renovated top to bottom – everything is new, including the energy-efficient appliances. And yet they'll sell for well below the cost of those upgrades, which averages about $125,000, including acquisition, says Pugh.
"We're also willing to work with people," she adds, in light of how much more difficult securing a mortgage has become. Six-month lease-purchase deals are available for those whose credit might also need some renovating.
For details on the open house, contact Pugh at 216-429-1182 x 117 or stacyp@slavicvillage.org.
Source: Slavic Village CDC
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
With their city's centennial coming up in less than 13 months, Shaker
Heights officials will spend a lot of time in the new year preparing to
celebrate history. But many are already looking much farther into the
future, implementing the Economic Development Strategy adopted by Shaker City Council last month.
Crafted over several months with a consulting firm in Maryland, the plan outlines steps Shaker can take now and in the foreseeable future to ensure a stable and growing tax base. The fundamental step: "Instead of concentrating solely on the maintenance and improvement of Shaker Heights as a premier residential community, it must also aggressively encourage commercial development."
And not just retail development, which, the report notes, is important but less lucrative than offices. The plan names industries to target: health care and social services; design services; information systems; government and regulatory agencies; and small law firms.
The problem, the report notes, is that "Shaker Heights, similar to most first suburbs, has many commercial properties that are functionally obsolete. [The city] will need to create a climate of commercial property investment that will upgrade or replace existing facilities as well as catalyze the development of new office buildings suitable for modern tenants looking for space in a supply-rich leasing environment."
Tania Menesse, Shaker's director of economic development, is looking at several ways to achieve this citywide renovation, including tax abatements, matching funds for building improvements, and partnerships with the community development departments of local banks.
"Everything," she says, "is focused on making the [office space] supply more attractive." Two areas of Chagrin Boulevard – near Lee Road, and near Warrensville Center Road – are especially promising, due to the commercials spaces available for lease or purchase there. She foresees many new and relocating small businesses moving into these areas, once buildings constructed for larger tenants have gotten new looks and floor plans.
"As a community, we've always done a good job focusing on our neighborhoods and parks and schools," Menesse says. "But we haven't done as good a job with our commercial districts."
The timing couldn't be better, what with the Shaker Launch House business incubator opening in a former car dealership in February. Says Menesse, "We want to be the east side place for people looking to start a company."
Source: Tania Menesse
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Crafted over several months with a consulting firm in Maryland, the plan outlines steps Shaker can take now and in the foreseeable future to ensure a stable and growing tax base. The fundamental step: "Instead of concentrating solely on the maintenance and improvement of Shaker Heights as a premier residential community, it must also aggressively encourage commercial development."
And not just retail development, which, the report notes, is important but less lucrative than offices. The plan names industries to target: health care and social services; design services; information systems; government and regulatory agencies; and small law firms.
The problem, the report notes, is that "Shaker Heights, similar to most first suburbs, has many commercial properties that are functionally obsolete. [The city] will need to create a climate of commercial property investment that will upgrade or replace existing facilities as well as catalyze the development of new office buildings suitable for modern tenants looking for space in a supply-rich leasing environment."
Tania Menesse, Shaker's director of economic development, is looking at several ways to achieve this citywide renovation, including tax abatements, matching funds for building improvements, and partnerships with the community development departments of local banks.
"Everything," she says, "is focused on making the [office space] supply more attractive." Two areas of Chagrin Boulevard – near Lee Road, and near Warrensville Center Road – are especially promising, due to the commercials spaces available for lease or purchase there. She foresees many new and relocating small businesses moving into these areas, once buildings constructed for larger tenants have gotten new looks and floor plans.
"As a community, we've always done a good job focusing on our neighborhoods and parks and schools," Menesse says. "But we haven't done as good a job with our commercial districts."
The timing couldn't be better, what with the Shaker Launch House business incubator opening in a former car dealership in February. Says Menesse, "We want to be the east side place for people looking to start a company."
Source: Tania Menesse
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
OnShift's employee scheduling software is designed for pain-free maintenance of shift, emergency, and on-call scheduling in the long-term healthcare industry. Clearly, hospitals and other long-term care providers have taken note, because the Cleveland-based company has been enjoying exponential growth of late. OnShift's customer acquisitions increased more than 500 percent year-over-year, and the software solutions company continues to add staffers.
A new $2.3 million venture capital investment will be used to accelerate OnShift's sales and marketing efforts while adding to its already expanding market share. This round of funding was led by Draper Triangle Ventures of Pittsburgh and involves all of OnShift's existing investors, which include local investors Early Stage Partners, JumpStart, Inc., North Coast Angel Fund, LLC, and Glengary LLC.
OnShift's software is used by hospitals and other long-term care facilities for automated scheduling, employee communications and automated call-off and open-shift scheduling. The company was recognized earlier this year by NEOSA, the COSE Technology Network, as Best Emerging Company.
Jonathan Murray, managing director of Early Stage Partners, notes that "OnShift has consistently delivered shareholder value by acquiring and serving customers and is on a significant growth trajectory." Bob Lauer, a partner with Glengary LLC, echoes the enthusiasm of other OnShift investors. "We are anticipating strong results in 2011 based on the use of new funding to expand and accelerate sales and marketing efforts," Lauer says.
SOURCE: OnShift
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
A new $2.3 million venture capital investment will be used to accelerate OnShift's sales and marketing efforts while adding to its already expanding market share. This round of funding was led by Draper Triangle Ventures of Pittsburgh and involves all of OnShift's existing investors, which include local investors Early Stage Partners, JumpStart, Inc., North Coast Angel Fund, LLC, and Glengary LLC.
OnShift's software is used by hospitals and other long-term care facilities for automated scheduling, employee communications and automated call-off and open-shift scheduling. The company was recognized earlier this year by NEOSA, the COSE Technology Network, as Best Emerging Company.
Jonathan Murray, managing director of Early Stage Partners, notes that "OnShift has consistently delivered shareholder value by acquiring and serving customers and is on a significant growth trajectory." Bob Lauer, a partner with Glengary LLC, echoes the enthusiasm of other OnShift investors. "We are anticipating strong results in 2011 based on the use of new funding to expand and accelerate sales and marketing efforts," Lauer says.
SOURCE: OnShift
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
noaca to consider funding for non-highway transportation projects
Vast amounts of federal transportation dollars are poured into good
old-fashioned highways; Americans aren't giving up their car-centric
ways anytime soon. But some funding is available to "transportation
enhancements," like bike lanes, pedestrian bridges and public transit
improvements. In the Cleveland region, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) decides which projects get a tiny piece of the federal pie.
On December 10, NOACA's governing board will consider 18 contenders, 10 of them from Cuyahoga County. They include:
• Streetscape improvements in the Warehouse District, north of Superior, between West 3rd and West 10th ($600,000); and on Larchmere Boulevard, from East 121st to East 130th ($587,000).
• A bus-only lane and related amenities from the east end of the Shoreway at Lake Avenue to the West End Loop at the Lakewood terminus ($600,000).
• Road reconfiguration and public art to complement the $2.7 million reconstruction of the University Circle Rapid station ($600,000).
• Acquiring and improving 2.25 acres on the Columbus Road Peninsula, along the Cuyahoga River, for Rivergate Park ($600,000). This is part of a larger project spearheaded by the Cleveland Rowing Foundation.
All of these projects have been recommended for approval, according to NOACA spokeswoman Cheryl Onesky. The governing board will also consider seven projects for Connections 2030, a long-range regional plan. Those proposals include:
• The HealthLine Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is seeking $4.8 million for continued operation of the popular bus service, which runs on Euclid Avenue between Public Square and East Cleveland.
• The Lake-to-Lakes Bike Trail. The City of Cleveland applied for $2.3 million to construct a bike and pedestrian trail from Carnegie Avenue to Shaker Heights.
The governing board will meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 10, at NOACA, 1299 Superior Ave. Public comments can also be submitted to publicinv@mpo.noaca.org.
Source: NOACA
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
On December 10, NOACA's governing board will consider 18 contenders, 10 of them from Cuyahoga County. They include:
• Streetscape improvements in the Warehouse District, north of Superior, between West 3rd and West 10th ($600,000); and on Larchmere Boulevard, from East 121st to East 130th ($587,000).
• A bus-only lane and related amenities from the east end of the Shoreway at Lake Avenue to the West End Loop at the Lakewood terminus ($600,000).
• Road reconfiguration and public art to complement the $2.7 million reconstruction of the University Circle Rapid station ($600,000).
• Acquiring and improving 2.25 acres on the Columbus Road Peninsula, along the Cuyahoga River, for Rivergate Park ($600,000). This is part of a larger project spearheaded by the Cleveland Rowing Foundation.
All of these projects have been recommended for approval, according to NOACA spokeswoman Cheryl Onesky. The governing board will also consider seven projects for Connections 2030, a long-range regional plan. Those proposals include:
• The HealthLine Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is seeking $4.8 million for continued operation of the popular bus service, which runs on Euclid Avenue between Public Square and East Cleveland.
• The Lake-to-Lakes Bike Trail. The City of Cleveland applied for $2.3 million to construct a bike and pedestrian trail from Carnegie Avenue to Shaker Heights.
The governing board will meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 10, at NOACA, 1299 Superior Ave. Public comments can also be submitted to publicinv@mpo.noaca.org.
Source: NOACA
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
bloomberg dissects medical mart deal
In this somewhat skeptical article about the new Medical Mart and Convention Center, Bloomberg writer David M. Levitt dissects the details of the deal. While he posits no predictions nor conclusions, he addresses many of the concerns held by local residents.
"Cleveland, which has poured almost $1 billion into such projects as three sports stadiums and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is on the verge of spending $465 million in an effort to remake itself as the epicenter for the sale of medical equipment and supplies," the article states at the outset.
Billed as the brainchild of Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, The Medical Mart will be a 422,000 square-foot exhibition center for medical products.
Tim Hagan, outgoing Cuyahoga County commissioner, says he believes that the Med Mart will transcend those earlier civic construction projects by attracting the kind of high-tech jobs the area needs. "I don't think a baseball stadium or football stadium or even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame really redefines a community," he says. "High-tech medical, biotech, that's going to be the new face of the community. What we hope is, when you think of Cleveland, you think of a medical center."
In their most recent update, Mart operators say they have 40 letters of intent for the facility's permanent showroom, plus another 16 letters of intent for conferences, conventions and trade shows. (Though it hasn't released the names.)
Examine the rest of the story here.
"Cleveland, which has poured almost $1 billion into such projects as three sports stadiums and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is on the verge of spending $465 million in an effort to remake itself as the epicenter for the sale of medical equipment and supplies," the article states at the outset.
Billed as the brainchild of Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, The Medical Mart will be a 422,000 square-foot exhibition center for medical products.
Tim Hagan, outgoing Cuyahoga County commissioner, says he believes that the Med Mart will transcend those earlier civic construction projects by attracting the kind of high-tech jobs the area needs. "I don't think a baseball stadium or football stadium or even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame really redefines a community," he says. "High-tech medical, biotech, that's going to be the new face of the community. What we hope is, when you think of Cleveland, you think of a medical center."
In their most recent update, Mart operators say they have 40 letters of intent for the facility's permanent showroom, plus another 16 letters of intent for conferences, conventions and trade shows. (Though it hasn't released the names.)
Examine the rest of the story here.
The St. Clair Superior neighborhood welcomed two new businesses recently, a café and a coffee shop, both in former factories, and both indicative of the forces that have been driving development in the area in recent years.
The 30th Street Café opened in Asia Plaza at East 30th and Payne, serving selections from Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese cuisines. Owned by the Hom family, prominent local entrepreneurs, Asia Plaza is a two-story retail center that was once a manufacturing plant.
Across Superior, in a warren of brick buildings once devoted to elevator manufacturing, the aptly named Pulley's Coffeehouse is serving beverages and food from Artefino Café to the growing number of people working there. Now known as Tyler Village, the 1.2-million-square-foot, 25-building, 10-acre complex is one of the largest downtown redevelopment projects in the city's history, according to developer Graystone Properties. It currently houses a charter school, Digiknow, APG Office Furnishings, Analiza Medical Lab, Solutions at Work and an office of the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, whose clients staff Pulley's.
"Tyler is definitely the biggest development [in the neighborhood], and it's driving a lot of the investment," says Jamar Doyle, project manager for the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation. But he adds that there's a history of entrepreneurship in the local Asian-American community, and points to the almost 40 Asian restaurants now serving the area.
St. Clair Superior Development also plans streetscape improvements next year, with grant money from the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency.
Source: St. Clair Superior Development Corporation
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The 30th Street Café opened in Asia Plaza at East 30th and Payne, serving selections from Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese cuisines. Owned by the Hom family, prominent local entrepreneurs, Asia Plaza is a two-story retail center that was once a manufacturing plant.
Across Superior, in a warren of brick buildings once devoted to elevator manufacturing, the aptly named Pulley's Coffeehouse is serving beverages and food from Artefino Café to the growing number of people working there. Now known as Tyler Village, the 1.2-million-square-foot, 25-building, 10-acre complex is one of the largest downtown redevelopment projects in the city's history, according to developer Graystone Properties. It currently houses a charter school, Digiknow, APG Office Furnishings, Analiza Medical Lab, Solutions at Work and an office of the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, whose clients staff Pulley's.
"Tyler is definitely the biggest development [in the neighborhood], and it's driving a lot of the investment," says Jamar Doyle, project manager for the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation. But he adds that there's a history of entrepreneurship in the local Asian-American community, and points to the almost 40 Asian restaurants now serving the area.
St. Clair Superior Development also plans streetscape improvements next year, with grant money from the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency.
Source: St. Clair Superior Development Corporation
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Along with her fiancé, José Andrade, Leticia Ortiz recently launched La Bamba Tortilleria in Ohio City. The minority-owned start-up has filled a gap in the Mexican foods market for fresh, local tortillas while at the same time growing jobs.
chef cooley, amp 150, cle marriott are green successes
Chef Ellis Cooley, AMP 150, and the Cleveland Airport Marriott all earned props in a recent feature in Green Lodging News, the lodging industry's leading environmental news source.
The article, titled "Local, Fresh Approach Goes Down Good at Cleveland Airport Marriott," states that exciting things are happening at the restaurant that should interest any hotel owner or manager looking to increase their business. Writer Glenn Hasek attributes much of AMP's success to Cooley, "who understands the power of social networking, community involvement, and using local, fresh, natural and simple menu ingredients."
The article discusses the chef's on-site vegetable garden, his dedication to local products and farmers markets, and his social media savvy.
Read the whole green article here.
The article, titled "Local, Fresh Approach Goes Down Good at Cleveland Airport Marriott," states that exciting things are happening at the restaurant that should interest any hotel owner or manager looking to increase their business. Writer Glenn Hasek attributes much of AMP's success to Cooley, "who understands the power of social networking, community involvement, and using local, fresh, natural and simple menu ingredients."
The article discusses the chef's on-site vegetable garden, his dedication to local products and farmers markets, and his social media savvy.
Read the whole green article here.
It's not that they want people to get sick, but University Hospital's Ahuja Medical Center in Beachwood is poised to capture a sizable patient population when it officially opens in January 2011.
Part of the attraction to patients obviously will be the quality care, but the 144-bed hospital also will likely turn heads with its technology. And not just for the comprehensive imaging center or state-of-the-art catheterization labs.
With input from physicians, nurses, employees and patients, Ahuja recognizes that people want high-tech amenities -- whether they're lounging in a hotel room or recuperating in a hospital bed.
Wireless internet runs through the hospital. Each private room has a flat-screen TV and a daybed so that a loved one can stay with the patient. Green and holistic design also play a vital role. Natural light is used to a maximum, and a healing garden provides a calm, inspirational place for patients and visitors to pause. These features not only look pretty, they are designed to promote healing and a positive outlook.
It isn't just the patients who will be well cared for at the new medical center; staff comfort and well-being also have been given top priority. For example, the seven-floor hospital features a step-sensitive design that will reduce fatigue for nurses and staff.
Details such as these will doubtless help draw in medical professionals, staffers and patients. When it opens, Ahuja Medical Center will employ about 400 people, and within two years, that number could more than double. Current open positions range from pathologists and ICU nurses to CT technologists and a food operations manager.
SOURCE: University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
Part of the attraction to patients obviously will be the quality care, but the 144-bed hospital also will likely turn heads with its technology. And not just for the comprehensive imaging center or state-of-the-art catheterization labs.
With input from physicians, nurses, employees and patients, Ahuja recognizes that people want high-tech amenities -- whether they're lounging in a hotel room or recuperating in a hospital bed.
Wireless internet runs through the hospital. Each private room has a flat-screen TV and a daybed so that a loved one can stay with the patient. Green and holistic design also play a vital role. Natural light is used to a maximum, and a healing garden provides a calm, inspirational place for patients and visitors to pause. These features not only look pretty, they are designed to promote healing and a positive outlook.
It isn't just the patients who will be well cared for at the new medical center; staff comfort and well-being also have been given top priority. For example, the seven-floor hospital features a step-sensitive design that will reduce fatigue for nurses and staff.
Details such as these will doubtless help draw in medical professionals, staffers and patients. When it opens, Ahuja Medical Center will employ about 400 people, and within two years, that number could more than double. Current open positions range from pathologists and ICU nurses to CT technologists and a food operations manager.
SOURCE: University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
Whether it's an empty nook in their attic or a corner table at the local Starbuck's, home-based businesspeople are constantly searching for the ideal spot to do research, make phone calls or meet with clients. Come June of 2011, East Side entrepreneurs will be able to take advantage of specially designed space at the Shaker Heights Public Library's main branch on Lee Road.
The Community Entrepreneurial Office -- CEO for short -- will be a pilot program featuring workspace and services for home-based business owners. The Shaker Heights Public Library announced this fall that it had received a $37,645 grant from the state to set up the facilities.
An existing computer area on the library's second floor is being redesigned to make way for 10 workstations and a conference area, which will be available free of charge. Entrepreneurs will also have access to business software. Faxing, photocopying and related services will be fee-based.
"We see that people come here to do certain business and then they have to go elsewhere to finish," notes Margaret Simon, who will head up the library's CEO program. "So we said we'll be the finisher." Home-based entrepreneurs can think of the CEO as a one-stop resource for their businesses, Simon adds.
She says she would like to build a staff around the CEO program as it grows. "My hope is that it will become a self-sustaining business that will generate jobs."
The Shaker Heights Library is in proximity to Shaker Launch House, a business incubator also opening in 2011. Simon is set to meet with developers of Launch House to discuss ways each can help local entrepreneurs. "I think we have parallel services and we can make them intersect," she says.
SOURCE: Margaret Simon
WRITER: Diane DiPIero
The Community Entrepreneurial Office -- CEO for short -- will be a pilot program featuring workspace and services for home-based business owners. The Shaker Heights Public Library announced this fall that it had received a $37,645 grant from the state to set up the facilities.
An existing computer area on the library's second floor is being redesigned to make way for 10 workstations and a conference area, which will be available free of charge. Entrepreneurs will also have access to business software. Faxing, photocopying and related services will be fee-based.
"We see that people come here to do certain business and then they have to go elsewhere to finish," notes Margaret Simon, who will head up the library's CEO program. "So we said we'll be the finisher." Home-based entrepreneurs can think of the CEO as a one-stop resource for their businesses, Simon adds.
She says she would like to build a staff around the CEO program as it grows. "My hope is that it will become a self-sustaining business that will generate jobs."
The Shaker Heights Library is in proximity to Shaker Launch House, a business incubator also opening in 2011. Simon is set to meet with developers of Launch House to discuss ways each can help local entrepreneurs. "I think we have parallel services and we can make them intersect," she says.
SOURCE: Margaret Simon
WRITER: Diane DiPIero
Health Information Technology (HIT) is a rapidly emerging field that will likely grow much faster than the average jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Midwest Community College HIT Consortium is designed to ready a trained workforce for jobs in the HIT sector.
The consortium is comprised of 17 large community colleges in 10 Midwest states, and is being led by Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). Last month, the consortium launched a new website to educate potential students and employers about the training offered through these community colleges. The website lists workforce roles within HIT and the training opportunities available at each community college and through virtual learning.
Executive director of the consortium, Norma Morganti, says that the website is another tool to help the consortium reach its goal of training 2,700 people annually for HIT jobs. "Studies indicate that as many as 50,000 additional HIT professionals may be needed over the next five years," she notes. The consortium was created to support national electronic health records implementation, Morganti adds.
Tri-C received the ARRA/HITECH Grant through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be the lead college for the consortium. As a result, Tri-C created several short-term, non-credit training programs to fill HIT jobs such as implementation support specialists, clinician/practitioner consultants and technical/software support staff.
Applicants for the short-term programs at Tri-C should have IT or IS experience in a business or health care environment or related work with medical billing, health information management or medical records.
SOURCE: Norma Morganti
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
The consortium is comprised of 17 large community colleges in 10 Midwest states, and is being led by Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). Last month, the consortium launched a new website to educate potential students and employers about the training offered through these community colleges. The website lists workforce roles within HIT and the training opportunities available at each community college and through virtual learning.
Executive director of the consortium, Norma Morganti, says that the website is another tool to help the consortium reach its goal of training 2,700 people annually for HIT jobs. "Studies indicate that as many as 50,000 additional HIT professionals may be needed over the next five years," she notes. The consortium was created to support national electronic health records implementation, Morganti adds.
Tri-C received the ARRA/HITECH Grant through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be the lead college for the consortium. As a result, Tri-C created several short-term, non-credit training programs to fill HIT jobs such as implementation support specialists, clinician/practitioner consultants and technical/software support staff.
Applicants for the short-term programs at Tri-C should have IT or IS experience in a business or health care environment or related work with medical billing, health information management or medical records.
SOURCE: Norma Morganti
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
When Cleveland Heights resident Michael Adams first got serious about making the switch from law to opening a restaurant, he looked at lots of forgettable locations -- "kind of cookie-cutter," he recalls. Then someone told him about a space on the second floor of the Rockefeller Building, at the corner of Mayfeild and Lee roads. For Adams, it was love at first sight.
"It's a gorgeous space," Adams says of the former bank, with its original, well-preserved stone floors, fireplace, plaster walls, oak rafters and soaring ceilings. "A space like that needs to be seen." And, thus, Rockefeller's was born.
The building, which now houses a Starbucks, sporting goods store and other retail on the first floor, was built in the 1930s by John D. Rockefeller Jr., as a commercial center for the family's residential development along the Cleveland Heights-East Cleveland border. Later, Ameritrust Bank occupied the second floor. After Ameritrust went out of business, a kitchen was added and for decades the site was rented out for parties and events.
A portion of the large space will be given over to a bar and lounge (with its own menu), while the rest will be reserved for more upscale dining. Adams, a first-time restaurateur, has hired Jill Vedaa as executive chef. Vedaa's resume includes stints at Lola, Flying Fig, Wine Bar in Rocky River, Mise and Saucy Bistro. Adams promises an American menu, with lots of local food and seasonal changes.
Rockefeller's is scheduled to open on January 11, 2011.
Source: Michael Adams
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"It's a gorgeous space," Adams says of the former bank, with its original, well-preserved stone floors, fireplace, plaster walls, oak rafters and soaring ceilings. "A space like that needs to be seen." And, thus, Rockefeller's was born.
The building, which now houses a Starbucks, sporting goods store and other retail on the first floor, was built in the 1930s by John D. Rockefeller Jr., as a commercial center for the family's residential development along the Cleveland Heights-East Cleveland border. Later, Ameritrust Bank occupied the second floor. After Ameritrust went out of business, a kitchen was added and for decades the site was rented out for parties and events.
A portion of the large space will be given over to a bar and lounge (with its own menu), while the rest will be reserved for more upscale dining. Adams, a first-time restaurateur, has hired Jill Vedaa as executive chef. Vedaa's resume includes stints at Lola, Flying Fig, Wine Bar in Rocky River, Mise and Saucy Bistro. Adams promises an American menu, with lots of local food and seasonal changes.
Rockefeller's is scheduled to open on January 11, 2011.
Source: Michael Adams
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Cleveland's Eaton Corporation is accelerating its presence in the electric car market thanks to a new collaboration with Mitsubishi Motors North America and Best Buy. Eaton will be providing the Level 2 home-charging mechanism for Mitsubishi's i MiEV electric vehicle, which goes on sale in the fall of 2011. Eaton also will provide infrastructural support and Level 2 chargers to all of Mitsubishi's North American dealerships.
Level 2 charging stations are installed in a home garage to help reduce the charging time of lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles.
Eaton will design and manufacture the Level 2 charging station equipment, which will be sold and distributed through Best Buy. In addition, Eaton will be the sole supplier and installer of the Level 2 charging stations required at Mitsubishi dealerships that will be selling the MiEV cars. The company has been developing innovative hybrid and electrical power systems, including electric-vehicle charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles, for more than 20 years.
Rich Stinson, president of power distribution operations for Eaton's Electrical Sector, says that this collaboration between Eaton, Mitsubishi and Best Buy will allow residential drivers "to confidently go about their daily business, without being worried about where and when they will charge their vehicles.
SOURCE: Eaton Corp.
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
Level 2 charging stations are installed in a home garage to help reduce the charging time of lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles.
Eaton will design and manufacture the Level 2 charging station equipment, which will be sold and distributed through Best Buy. In addition, Eaton will be the sole supplier and installer of the Level 2 charging stations required at Mitsubishi dealerships that will be selling the MiEV cars. The company has been developing innovative hybrid and electrical power systems, including electric-vehicle charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles, for more than 20 years.
Rich Stinson, president of power distribution operations for Eaton's Electrical Sector, says that this collaboration between Eaton, Mitsubishi and Best Buy will allow residential drivers "to confidently go about their daily business, without being worried about where and when they will charge their vehicles.
SOURCE: Eaton Corp.
WRITER: Diane DiPiero