The Cleveland Clinic marks its 50th year of successful kidney transplants this year. While the Clinic was not the first to successfully transplant a human kidney, the hospital was, and continues to be, a pioneer in the field.

“There were two earlier transplants,” explains Robert Heyka, interim chair of the department of nephrology and hypertension at the Clinic’s Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute. “One was in New Jersey, but it only lasted 10 months. The first successful transplant was in 1954, in Boston, which worked because the transplant occurred with identical twins.”
 
The Cleveland Clinic performed its first successful kidney transplant in 1963, in part due to the development of anti-rejection drugs, and in part because Willem Kolff, a doctor from the Netherlands, came to the Clinic in the 1950s with his dialysis machine.
 
Kolff’s original dialysis machines were made with a washing machine motor, a nose cone borrowed from NASA and peach cans. He perfected his machine at the Clinic. Dialysis made it possible to keep patients alive while they waited for a transplant. “A combination of medications and the Cleveland Clinic having dialysis machines made the program successful,” says Heyka.
 
In 1966, the Cleveland Clinic performed 126 kidney transplants. Additionally, Cleveland was one of the first cities to establish an independent organ procurement program in the late 1960s. The organization now is known as Lifebanc.
 
Today, the Clinic has transplanted more than 4,200 kidneys and is on track to perform 200 transplants this year. The Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute ranked second this year in U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Hospitals.
 
“All these things we take for granted now as standard and mass produced,” says Heyka. “When you get into it, it’s more inspiring when you hear about the people who did it first and the challenges they had to face.”

 
Writer: Karin Connelly
Source: Robert Heyka

The Enterprise Nurture an Idea Crowdrise Challenge offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to win $10,000 by competing to raise the most money online. Eleven innovative ideas in Cleveland are competing between now and November 8th for that big grand prize.

Ideas include a bike composting business in Gordon Square, an initiative to open retail startups in former shipping containers in downtown parking lots, a healthy corner store in Tremont, and a food cooperative distribution center in St. Clair Superior.

Daniel Brown of Rust Belt Gardens studied successful operations in other cities before setting his sights on launching a bike composting business. He says that such a business not only can be profitable, but also can help homeowners divert waste from landfills, create green-collar jobs and improve soil at community gardens.

"We need to buy specialized bikes and trailers, get the website up and running, and start to educate people about what is compostable and not compostable," Brown says of his startup. His partners in the challenge are Detroit Shoreway Community Development, Bike Cleveland and Groundz Recycling.
 
Cleveland Bike Composting would charge $10 to $25 per month to pick up five-gallon compost buckets from a home or business, depending on how often it is scheduled.

"At our community garden, we can't compost enough," says Brown of the demand. "Purchasing compost is expensive, but the process to make it is fairly easy if you know what you're doing. People in Cleveland are really buying into the local foods movement, and that lends itself to there being demand for a composting service."

Currently, there is no business in Cleveland that helps individual homeowners to compost, much less that does so by bike, which raises the sustainability to a new level of green.


Source: Daniel Brown
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Brittany Gonzalez and Alicia Candelario started La Banana Frita on a dare from friend and comedian Ramon Rivas. He was having a show at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights last May and he wanted his guests to have food. The childhood friends accepted Rivas’ dare and began selling fried plantains, or tostones, at the show.

“We’re by no means chefs,” says Gonzalez. “We just make them like our grandmothers and mothers made them.”  The pair has fond memories of growing up as neighbors in South Lorain and smelling the plantains cooking. They enjoy sharing their heritage with Clevelanders.
 
“We really like watching people try them,” says Candelario. “Right off the bat they really enjoy them, even younger people and children.” The two have been hitting the Cleveland Flea, some comedy shows and even picked up a few catering jobs. “We’ve just kind of been bopping around town, trying to get out there,” adds Gonzalez.
 
La Banana Frita’s plantains come with some unique toppings. “The people of Cleveland love pulled pork,” says Gonzales. “That, coupled with spicy no-mayo coleslaw and a drizzle of Sriracha. Wow. We sell out every time.” But it seems like whatever Gonzalez and Candelario put on top of the crispy fried plantains, they’re a hit.
 
“Recently, our plantains with smoked salmon, fried egg, and dill sauce were a huge hit at the Hingetown Market,” says Gonzalez. “We'll definitely be bringing that back again for the folks that missed out.” Councilman Joe Cimperman showed up at their Hingetown stand, but La Banana Frita had just sold out.
 
La Banana Frita plans to expand to include a mail order business, shipping frozen plantains and sauces around the country. “So whenever they have a craving, they can pop them open, heat, and enjoy,” says Gonzalez. They also hope to get a cart or food truck to hit more outdoor events and expand their catering business in the winter months.

 
Sources: Brittany Gonzalez and Alicia Candelario
Writer: Karin Connelly
 

Earlier this year, Hotcards CEO John Gadd moved the local printing and marketing company's headquarters to the former Futon Factory at 2400 Superior Ave., expanding from 14,000 to 22,000 square feet and giving the company the opportunity to do a ground-up renovation of new offices.

"We were able to do it from scratch, the way that we wanted, in order to reflect the culture we're trying to build," says Gadd, who has injected new life into Hotcards since he bought the company a few years ago.

The new space features 15-foot ceilings, expansive windows and walls adorned with tons of Cleveland artwork. Eleven people work in the Cleveland office. The company also has offices in other parts of Ohio as well as a Columbus manufacturing facility.

Gadd says the company's growth can be attributed to its "customer-obsessed" culture, which "takes care of people we serve" with utmost attention to detail.

Now Gadd aims to make the company burn even hotter -- and seek some thrills and raise money for worthwhile charities in the process -- by setting 20 people ablaze along the banks of the Cuyahoga River in a Guinness World Records-setting attempt.

"It's a magical spectacle to watch -- people lit on fire look like an art display," he says. "Because we’re Cleveland, we'll turn a negative [burning river thing] into a positive. We'll also raise a bunch of money for charity and make some news."

Gadd has brought in stunt expert Ted Batchelor of Chagrin Falls to manage the event. He says it's so safe it almost takes the excitement out of it. The current record is 17 people set on fire at one time, a feat that Batchelor himself pulled off in 2009.

The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, with spectators invited to watch from Shooters (tickets start at $15). The fire department and Coast Guard will be on hand in case of emergency. Local YouTube superstar Madi Lee will sing the national anthem before the big burn.

Gadd isn't sure how much money he'll raise for charity, since the event costs about $50,000 to produce. But any additional proceeds will go to the Cleveland Foodbank and Brick by Brick, a nonprofit group that builds schoolhouses in South Africa.


Source: John Gadd
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Michael Seifert and Jake Fader have had a lifelong love of music. Seifert grew up in his father’s recording studio on E. 61st Street. “It was all I wanted to do growing up,” Seifert says of hanging out in the studio. “Jake is the opposite," Seifert says. "He had more formal training.” Fader has studied guitar since he was 14 and has performed around the world in various bands.
 
Both have experience in commercial production work on local and national levels. So, as friends and musicians working in Cleveland, Fader and Seifert decided to go into business together. They launched Bite Sized Creative, a full-service creative firm that operates out of Seifert’s 11-year-old recording studio, Ante Up Audio, on E. 38th Street in Tyler Village.
 
“Jake and I have a good dynamic and a lot of respect for each other’s work,” says Seifert.
 
Bite Sized Creative opened in April, and already the startup has landed some impressive gigs. Locally, they've worked on accounts for Wade Oval Wednesdays and St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. Other clients include Target, Samsung and Microsoft.
 
They’ve also worked on soundtracks for movies. They produced more than 40 music cues for the documentary Running America. They produced more than a dozen original music pieces for the re-release of the classic movie The Outsiders.
 
Seifert describes Bite Sized Creative as taking a boutique approach to production work, providing custom music for soundtracks and other audio. “We have a very high quality product, not only locally but regionally, nationally and internationally,” Seifert says.
 
While Seifert and Fader are the only full-time employees at Bite Sized Creative, they do hire freelancers for bigger projects. “We’ve really been able to hire a lot of talent,” says Seifert. “We try to hire locally as much as possible. We both really love Cleveland and there’s a huge talent pool here.”

 
Source: Michael Seifert
Writer: Karin Connelly

Starting a successful food-based business takes more than a great idea and the ability to cook. Like any entrepreneurial venture, food startups require planning, money and a willingness to be flexible. But those who do dive in have found there's plenty of guidance, support and collaboration in the local food startup community.

A grassroots urban placemaking movement that started in Portland has made its way to Cleveland, and a few weeks ago, residents from three Cleveland neighborhoods came together to remove blight with community-led art.

City Repair, which started in Portland as a guerilla movement to add splashes of color to city streets, is so new here that the City of Cleveland denied a permit request at the last minute, forcing organizers to scramble to adapt their project. The original idea was to paint city intersections, and Cleveland officials now acknowledge that they need a new policy to deal with these requests.

In the end, City Repair Cleveland created three successful projects and built a greater sense of community in the process, says Adele DiMarco-Kious, consultant to the effort.

"This is about neighbors getting to know one another and taking shared action about things important to them in their neighborhood," she adds. "You get people to come together, take ownership of the public realm and start taking action and it has a multiplier effect. People build trust, take action and build a sense of power."

In Buckeye-Shaker Square, residents created a vision for a mural that they hope will be painted on a bridge over the RTA tracks that historically has divided their two neighborhoods; Clark-Fulton residents beautified the long-neglected Newark Court alley by painting a mural of the river that once ran through the community; and Stockyard residents covered up a blighted retaining wall with colorful designs.

DiMarco-Kious says the impact goes far beyond the physical projects themselves, as neighbors work shoulder-to-shoulder and families come out of their houses to help paint.

City Repair Cleveland was supported by Neighborhood Connections, a small grants and community building program affiliated with the Cleveland Foundation.


Source: Adele DiMarco-Kious
Writer: Lee Chilcote

WMMS "The Buzzard" reached the largest radio audience in the history of Cleveland media. A new film hopes to document the glory years when a charmed roster of on-air talent introduced national rock acts like Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and Joe Walsh to the people of Cleveland and the rest of the country.

As a graphic designer, Brian Andrew Jasinski wanted a creative outlet to express himself outside of his work at Epstein Design Partners. So he started Grey Cardigan, which features a whimsical collection of Jasinski’s fine art prints and stationery.
 
Grey Cardigan debuted in summer 2009 at the annual Made in the 216 event. “Grey Cardigan was my need to return to my roots as a fine artist and illustrator,” says Jasinski, who earned his BFA at the Cleveland Institute of Art. ”It’s been growing and evolving ever since.”
 
Jasinski chose the name Grey Cardigan because of the symbolism. “It’s classic and iconic,” he says. “You can adapt it to your style -- very much like my work.” Jasinski’s work is sold at shops around town like the Banyan Tree in Tremont, as well as other boutiques around the country.
 
At the end of August, Jasinski nominated himself for Martha Stewart’s American Made competition, in which companies competed in six categories: technology, design, garden, food, style and audience choice. The winner receives $10,000, a trip for two to New York City to attend the American Made workshop, and a spread on Marthastewart.com. Jasinski entered in the design category.
 
The winner was decided on voting through social media. “I had a very aggressive social media campaign -- Facebook, Instagram, Twitter -- and I had an incredible amount of support,” Jasinski says.
 
Grey Cardigan was named a finalist in the design category. While he did not win the grand prize, Jasinski is pleased with the outcome. “Just being recognized in the top six is an honor,” he says. “And the tech finalist and I are talking about a collaboration; that’s a nice unexpected connection to make.”

 
Source: Brian Andrew Jasinski
Writer: Karin Connelly

It's no easy feat to win unanimous approval from the City of Cleveland's Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) for a variance to open a new bar in Ohio City. With parking scarce in the densely built neighborhood, such a prized variance typically is required for opening any kind of new establishment.

Yet Jukebox, a new bar set to open in the Hingetown area of that neighborhood early next year, earned that approval from BOZA this week, and owner Alex Budin is set to begin the build-out process.

"I want people in Ohio City and Cleveland to embrace this as their jukebox for the city," says Budin, a 29-year-old who is in the process of relocating to Cleveland from Chicago.

Budin has purchased a 100-CD jukebox that he will fill with a mixture of rock and roll classics, music by artists who are coming through town, local artists, obscure picks and even crowd-sourced suggestions from social media and other sources.

The music selection will change frequently and the jukebox will be free or "pay what you like," akin to how Radiohead has released recent albums.

To ensure that tipsy patrons don't program six Michael Jackson songs in a row, Budin is planning to establish some tongue-in-cheek jukebox rules. He also will create a "juke-book" that will help familiarize patrons with less familiar artists, albums, and tracks.

"You're not going to see Katy Perry in the jukebox, but you'll see familiar artists," he says.

Aside from the music, the cozy 1,300-square-foot tavern will feature six to 10 draft beers (many of them local), cocktails, wine and a limited food menu that includes flatbread pizzas. Just don't say the phrase "sports bar." There will be TVs, he allows, but that's not going to be the focus.

"Ohio City has become such a vibrant place -- it's really a destination," Budin says. "As Hingetown evolves, my hope is this becomes more of a neighborhood spot for local residents. There are 200-plus new apartments set to open here. I'm hoping it's a walkable place, and that people can get their coffee at Rising Star in the morning, then grab a beer and light food at Jukebox in the evening."

Jukebox will be located in the Striebinger Block at the corner of W. 29th and Detroit.


Source: Alex Budin
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Researcher J. Mark Brown and his team at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute have discovered a protein that might promote obesity and diabetes. Therefore, blocking that protein, called ABHD6, might prevent these diseases.

ABHD6 regulates the brain’s endocannabinoid system, which is involved in metabolism, cravings and hunger.
 
Brown discovered ABHD6’s role in fat storage while studying a mutation in a different protein in the same group, ABHD5. “Normally, fat is stored in triglyceride tissue,” Brown explains. “With abnormal ABHD5, fat is stored in every other cell in the body. In studying that we discovered a crucial breakdown in ABHD6 and we decided to study it.”
 
Brown conducted a study in mice to see how fat was stored in ABHD6, to see if it impacted type-2 diabetes, obesity and fatty liver disease. He found that blocking the protein’s function had a direct impact on these diseases.
 
The research indicates that blocking function of ABHD6 in mice protects against all diseases driven by eating a high-fat diet. Further research could actually lead to a pill that would block ABHD6, and therefore prevent obesity.
 
Brown’s findings were published last week in the journal Cell Reports. “Our paper will be the first that shows the importance of the enzyme in regulating the way the body stores fat,” explains Brown, who has spent the past four years researching ABHD6.
 
“It’s hard to say if it would ever end up being a magic pill to cure obesity,” says Brown. “We look at it like a preventative measure. We’re really excited to move forward with it and conduct safety trials with humans. We know it works in mice, so it’s very important to translate our findings into human studies as quickly as we can.”

 
Source: J. Mark Brown
Writer: Karin Connelly

The City of Euclid recently completed Phase I of its ambitious Waterfront Improvements Plan, creating an expanded fishing pier, a new multi-purpose trail and an accessible switchback ramp to the lakefront.

Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik says the $1.7 million project is part of a larger, $30 million push to expand Euclid's waterfront with a new, three-quarter mile beachfront and marina that he hopes will become a regional draw.

"We want to re-establish the historic beaches along the shoreline and make sure they're accessible, as Cleveland and the Metroparks are trying to do," he says.

Phase I of the waterfront plan was funded by $1.4 million from the City of Euclid and $355,000 from the State of Ohio. The city will seek additional aid to support future phases of the plan. "We'll be stopped dead in our tracks if we don't have assistance from the federal, state and county governments," Cervenik says.

Euclid now owns the majority of the three-quarter mile stretch of lakefront thanks to a donation from the K&D Group, a large apartment developer that owns lakefront property.

Over the long-term, Cervenik envisions a paved multi-purpose path along the entire stretch of cobble beach, which would include restored natural habitat. He also envisions sailing and kayak lessons and boating at the new marina once built.

For now, Euclid residents and visitors can enjoy the revitalized Sims Park, which Cervenik says complements nearly $14 million of recent development downtown.


Source: Bill Cervenik
Writer: Lee Chilcote

NEOSA’s latest quarterly survey of 80 to 90 tech companies in Northeast Ohio reveals an industry that continues to be optimistic about future business growth and success in the region. Sixty-nine percent of the respondents reported business performance was good or very good for the second quarter of 2013.

Hiring expectations continued to be strong, with two thirds of the companies reporting that they planned to increase staff in the next year. “We’ve seen really high level of demand for more than two years,” says NEOSA director Brad Nellis. “There is no other two-year period where we’ve seen such high continued demand for talent.” NEOSA has conducted its quarterly survey since 2007.
 
However, the same companies that plan to increase staff also report having challenges in finding the talent they are looking for. Seventy percent reported having some difficulty or a hard time hiring, while only eight percent said they had no problems. The demand for IT talent in Northeast Ohio also is nothing new, says Nellis.
 
“We’re not seeing any let up in that demand,” says Nellis. “The unemployment rate across the country is below four percent.” He said plans are underway for a nationwide push to attract new and returning IT talent to the area. Global Cleveland, for instance, is planning a road show on the coasts to lure potential employees to Cleveland. “They are going to reach out to ex-pats and tell them about the great things going on here,” says Nellis.
 
However, despite the demand for talented employees, Nellis says the problem is not hindering the roughly 2,500 Northeast Ohio tech companies from succeeding in the marketplace. “It’s not a crippling problem,” he says. “They are still able to compete, they are still able to grow and get their products out the door.”

 
Source: Brad Nellis
Writer: Karin Connelly

When Terry Frick opened Frickaccio’s at the West Side Market in 2004, she began with the widely popular pizza bagels, a market staple for countless fans. The snacks even made an appearance on the Food Network when Jeff Mauro, aka The Sandwich King, stopped by Frickaccio’s last year to sample them.
 
Business went well, and soon Frick expanded into pizza dough balls. Frick offers more than 10 different flavors. She caters to the dietary needs of her customers, offering gluten free and even oil free varieties. The dough balls are such hot sellers that Frick now offers a variety of artisan breads, from pepperoni loaves to sourdough.
 
“I’ve always thought that bread is the staple of life,” explains Frick. “One misunderstanding about bread is that it’s quick and easy to make. But really good bread takes time to make.” In the past year Frick expanded her staff from three people to nine, including a professional breadsmith and a chef.
 
Last year, Frick opened a production shop in Fairview Park to keep up with increased volumes. “We offer a little bit of everything,” Frick says of the production center. Her selection includes the dough balls, the pizza bagels, breads and assorted pastas.
 
Frickaccio’s dough balls are now in four local grocery stores. Frick ships the pizza bagels nationwide and is considering launching a line of frozen products.
 
And Frick keeps it local. “I try to use all local stuff,” she says. “I have found that the best thing for supporting each other and networking is to use each other.”
 
Business continues to boom. Frick is in the process of expanding her stand at the West Side Market. Her latest endeavor includes launching a line of certified organic dough balls. She currently offers three varieties, using either their homemade organic yeast or organic yeast imported from Germany. Frickaccio’s has launched a Kickstarter campaign to expand the organic line, buy additional equipment and expand the staff.

 
Source: Terry Frick
Writer: Karin Connelly

A veteran urban developer has broken ground on a three-unit, single-family development on Columbus Road in the Flats. Phase I of the project is sold out, and the owner is planning three additional high-end, custom-built homes on an adjacent parcel.

David Sharkey of Progressive Urban Real Estate, who is both the sales agent and a developer of the Columbus Hill project, says the development is unlike anything else currently on the market. The homes mesh with the topography of the Columbus Road hillside to offer outstanding views of downtown, the Cuyahoga River and the Flats.

"It's a very unique spot down there," says Sharkey. "It's in the middle of nowhere and the middle of everything at the same time. The amount of development will be limited because there isn't much land, but you can walk to West 25th Street."

The homes, just up the hill from Hoopples bar and the Columbus Road bridge, feature living rooms with 12-foot ceilings, 3 or 4 bedrooms, attached garages and massive roof decks. They are selling in the upper $300,000s. Tremont-based developer Civic Builders is spearheading Columbus Hill.

Asked if Cleveland's high-end new construction market is on the rise, Sharkey says, "Absolutely. The biggest thing holding it back right now is appraisals. We had a hard time getting the first unit appraised... I hear that other developers are holding back because of that. Right now, the market's topping out at 400."

The buyers primarily are empty-nesters from out of town who wish to customize their finishes and are willing to wait 9 to 12 months for the new homes to be built.
 
 
Source: David Sharkey
Writer: Lee Chilcote