Search results for 'statue entertainer worked for media outlet near auctioneer jeweler rehab center'
When it comes to making challenging New Year’s resolutions, Josh Schwarz knows how to set the bar high and deliver results.
The Case Western Reserve University sophomore is a computer science major, and his resolution for 2011 was to create one Facebook application a week -- 52 in all. To his credit, Schwarz met the goal -- on time and on target.
“I’ve always been into computers,” Schwarz explains. “I’m constantly wanting to innovate, and I realized that the Facebook platform has plenty of space for lots of new ideas.”
Schwarz categorizes his 52 apps into two segments -- sharing data in a new way and viewing data in a new way.
His first app, Relationship Mania, enables users to organize their friends based on their relationships: married, single or engaged, for example. With Email Grab, you can set up a simple way to collect email addresses from visitors to your website. Using the City Friends app, you can group your friends by their current locations and plan social events accordingly.
According to Schwarz, Cartoonize Me is the most popular app. “It transforms your photos into colorful cartoons,” he says. Next up in popularity is the Mutual Friends Matrix, designed to tell users which of their friends is most popular.
Schwarz’s apps can be accessed through his website at www.amagit.com.
His project has enabled him to meet many entrepreneurs and people in the technology business in Northeast Ohio and beyond. “This has been a great learning experience,” Schwarz says. “I’m determined to start my own company before graduating, so I’m aggressively pursuing technology, business and entrepreneurship experiences.” To that end, in addition to his classes, he’s an intern at JumpStart, Inc.
Next up for Schwarz is working on a service exclusively for Case students. “I want to build something that provides them recommendations for books, events, and jobs they might want to apply for,” he explains.
Source: Josh Schwarz
Writer: Lynne Meyer
The Case Western Reserve University sophomore is a computer science major, and his resolution for 2011 was to create one Facebook application a week -- 52 in all. To his credit, Schwarz met the goal -- on time and on target.
“I’ve always been into computers,” Schwarz explains. “I’m constantly wanting to innovate, and I realized that the Facebook platform has plenty of space for lots of new ideas.”
Schwarz categorizes his 52 apps into two segments -- sharing data in a new way and viewing data in a new way.
His first app, Relationship Mania, enables users to organize their friends based on their relationships: married, single or engaged, for example. With Email Grab, you can set up a simple way to collect email addresses from visitors to your website. Using the City Friends app, you can group your friends by their current locations and plan social events accordingly.
According to Schwarz, Cartoonize Me is the most popular app. “It transforms your photos into colorful cartoons,” he says. Next up in popularity is the Mutual Friends Matrix, designed to tell users which of their friends is most popular.
Schwarz’s apps can be accessed through his website at www.amagit.com.
His project has enabled him to meet many entrepreneurs and people in the technology business in Northeast Ohio and beyond. “This has been a great learning experience,” Schwarz says. “I’m determined to start my own company before graduating, so I’m aggressively pursuing technology, business and entrepreneurship experiences.” To that end, in addition to his classes, he’s an intern at JumpStart, Inc.
Next up for Schwarz is working on a service exclusively for Case students. “I want to build something that provides them recommendations for books, events, and jobs they might want to apply for,” he explains.
Source: Josh Schwarz
Writer: Lynne Meyer
How would you spend three days on a bus with strangers? If reading, watching movies or sleeping are among your top choices, then the Startup Bus is not for you.
The destination is the South By Southwest (SXSW) technology conference in Austin, Texas, but that's almost beside the point. Startup Bus is all about the journey -- three days on the road, brainstorming and launching new companies with fellow hackers (programmers), hipsters (designers) and hustlers (entrepreneurs). What started as a lark in 2010 is now a growing movement that's spread from San Francisco to other American cities, and even Europe.
“It's not about the companies that come out,” says Greg Svitak of Hyland Software, who rode the Cleveland Startup Bus last year and is serving as the “conductor” of this year's Ohio trip, which leaves from Columbus on March 6. It's really about the relationships that emerge as the 30 bus riders pitch their ideas, then coalesce into small teams around the best few. Svitak knows of three startups in the works in Cleveland right now that resulted from friendships formed on last year's ride. And that's the larger goal, Svitak says -- building an international community of tech-savvy entrepreneurs, a few local connections at a time.
As conductor, Svitak chooses the riders, but based on their resumes, not their ideas. Even he won't know who's pitching what until the wheels are rolling. He'll then choose the two best startup ideas that emerge on the way to Texas. And at SXSW, the finalists from the 10 buses expected this year will present their concepts to venture capitalists. Last year, seven were offered funding, including Mom and Pop Co-ops, which reduces costs for small retailers by combining their buying power. Two of its three founders are from Northeast Ohio.
To apply for this year's Ohio Startup Bus, register at the website. From March 6 through 9, you can follow the progress at StartupBus.tv.
Source: Greg Svitak
Writer: Frank Lewis
The destination is the South By Southwest (SXSW) technology conference in Austin, Texas, but that's almost beside the point. Startup Bus is all about the journey -- three days on the road, brainstorming and launching new companies with fellow hackers (programmers), hipsters (designers) and hustlers (entrepreneurs). What started as a lark in 2010 is now a growing movement that's spread from San Francisco to other American cities, and even Europe.
“It's not about the companies that come out,” says Greg Svitak of Hyland Software, who rode the Cleveland Startup Bus last year and is serving as the “conductor” of this year's Ohio trip, which leaves from Columbus on March 6. It's really about the relationships that emerge as the 30 bus riders pitch their ideas, then coalesce into small teams around the best few. Svitak knows of three startups in the works in Cleveland right now that resulted from friendships formed on last year's ride. And that's the larger goal, Svitak says -- building an international community of tech-savvy entrepreneurs, a few local connections at a time.
As conductor, Svitak chooses the riders, but based on their resumes, not their ideas. Even he won't know who's pitching what until the wheels are rolling. He'll then choose the two best startup ideas that emerge on the way to Texas. And at SXSW, the finalists from the 10 buses expected this year will present their concepts to venture capitalists. Last year, seven were offered funding, including Mom and Pop Co-ops, which reduces costs for small retailers by combining their buying power. Two of its three founders are from Northeast Ohio.
To apply for this year's Ohio Startup Bus, register at the website. From March 6 through 9, you can follow the progress at StartupBus.tv.
Source: Greg Svitak
Writer: Frank Lewis
Mahalls 20 Lanes, a vintage Lakewood bowling alley that's been owned by the same family since it was built in 1924, is being fixed up by new owners. Joe Pavlick and Kelly Flamos are renovating the historic venue, which features two 10-lane bowling alleys, a billiard room, several bars and a kitchen, and also plan to add live music.
"We're still working out the specifics of our plan, but we want to restore Mahalls to its former glory," says Pavlick, a former corporate attorney who bought the building with Flamos, his sister-in-law, and other family members. "Essentially, this is one big family turning it over to another big family, 80 years later."
John Mahall was the first owner of Mahalls, which was originally two buildings and featured an upstairs dance hall. In the 1950s, he annexed the adjacent building and turned into a billiards hall. Until a few months ago, Mahalls was owned by John's son Arthur Mahall and managed by John's grandson Tom Mahall.
Although Mahalls struggled financially for several years before Pavlick and Flamos bought it, the new owners say they'll add fresh appeal to the venue by revamping the menu and adding live music. They hardly plan to touch the historic, vintage character of the interior, however. Unlike newer bowling alleys, Mahalls still requires scoring by hand and is noticeably devoid of overhead televisions.
In another nod to tradition, Pavlick and his wife Emily plan to move into the upstairs apartment -- just as three generations of Mahalls did before them.
Source: Joe Pavlick
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We're still working out the specifics of our plan, but we want to restore Mahalls to its former glory," says Pavlick, a former corporate attorney who bought the building with Flamos, his sister-in-law, and other family members. "Essentially, this is one big family turning it over to another big family, 80 years later."
John Mahall was the first owner of Mahalls, which was originally two buildings and featured an upstairs dance hall. In the 1950s, he annexed the adjacent building and turned into a billiards hall. Until a few months ago, Mahalls was owned by John's son Arthur Mahall and managed by John's grandson Tom Mahall.
Although Mahalls struggled financially for several years before Pavlick and Flamos bought it, the new owners say they'll add fresh appeal to the venue by revamping the menu and adding live music. They hardly plan to touch the historic, vintage character of the interior, however. Unlike newer bowling alleys, Mahalls still requires scoring by hand and is noticeably devoid of overhead televisions.
In another nod to tradition, Pavlick and his wife Emily plan to move into the upstairs apartment -- just as three generations of Mahalls did before them.
Source: Joe Pavlick
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Rock Hall is raising the curtain on two multi-million dollar initiatives that are bound to amp up this city’s appeal to rock-and-roll fans. First is the Rock Hall’s recently completed $7 million-plus renovation of its museum. Also, the Rock Hall’s new Library and Archives opened its doors in the new Center for Creative Arts building on the campus of Cuyahoga Community College.
galleria grower gets nod in the new york times
There once was a time when Cleveland’s Galleria at Erieview was a bustling shopping mall. These days it is closed on the weekends and is down to just a handful of retailers, food vendors, and a couple of businesses according to a recent article in The New York Times.
The article lauds efforts by the Galleria's director of marketing, Vicky Poole, to utilize existing unused space to benefit the greater good, planting herbs in retail carts and small plots lettuce, strawberries, basil, and spinach elsewhere, which are in turn sold to visitors and used in the mall’s catering business.
"The shift to gardening began with the carts that used to sell jewelry or candles, where Ms. Poole, the director of marketing events, had herbs planted in the disused retail carts inside the mall. She learned how quickly aphids proliferate indoors (solution: release 1,500 ladybugs into the mall)," the article states.
Since the mall made these changes in how it operates, there has been an influx of visitors prompting new retailers to open in the mall. “This has been sustaining us throughout these hard years, but now we’re looking at the potential of turning things around,” Ms. Poole is quoted in the piece.
Read the full New York Times story here.
The article lauds efforts by the Galleria's director of marketing, Vicky Poole, to utilize existing unused space to benefit the greater good, planting herbs in retail carts and small plots lettuce, strawberries, basil, and spinach elsewhere, which are in turn sold to visitors and used in the mall’s catering business.
"The shift to gardening began with the carts that used to sell jewelry or candles, where Ms. Poole, the director of marketing events, had herbs planted in the disused retail carts inside the mall. She learned how quickly aphids proliferate indoors (solution: release 1,500 ladybugs into the mall)," the article states.
Since the mall made these changes in how it operates, there has been an influx of visitors prompting new retailers to open in the mall. “This has been sustaining us throughout these hard years, but now we’re looking at the potential of turning things around,” Ms. Poole is quoted in the piece.
Read the full New York Times story here.
A final, critical piece of funding has now fallen into place for the City of Shaker Heights' long-awaited Van Aken District plan. The city recently announced that it had been awarded $4.4 million from the Ohio Department of Public Works (ODPW). That, on top of $14 million the city already has assembled, will allow Shaker to proceed with Phase I late next year.
Phase I of the project will reconfigure the confusing, much-maligned junction of Van Aken, Warrensville and Chagrin roads into a traditional, four-way intersection. The road reconfiguration is just the first step in a larger plan to redevelop this prominent space as a vibrant, mixed-use downtown for the city.
"This vision was shaped by residents," says Joyce Braverman, Planning Director for the City of Shaker Heights. "One of our planning meetings was held during a snowstorm, and we had 120 people show up. They didn't just sit and listen, they sat at tables and helped us to design what the streets would look like."
In addition to the ODPW award, Phase I is being funded by $2.3 million from the City of Shaker Heights, $4 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), $7 million from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, a $500,000 federal appropriation, $500,000 from the Federal Highway Administration and $500,000 from the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works. In addition to the reconfiguration, there will also be improvements to transit access, pedestrian facilities and streetscapes, including tree planting. Prominent, new crosswalks will improve the pedestrian experience while reducing wait times and making the district easier and safer to navigate.
As Phase I is being completed, the city will continue to move forward on later phases of the plan, including working with RTA to extend the Blue Line rapid transit and seeking a master developer for parcels of land owned by the city and private developers. Shaker Heights ultimately envisions a mixed-use district comprised of 500 new housing units, 160,000 square feet of new retail space and 250,000 square feet of office space and community green space.
Source: Joyce Braverman
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Phase I of the project will reconfigure the confusing, much-maligned junction of Van Aken, Warrensville and Chagrin roads into a traditional, four-way intersection. The road reconfiguration is just the first step in a larger plan to redevelop this prominent space as a vibrant, mixed-use downtown for the city.
"This vision was shaped by residents," says Joyce Braverman, Planning Director for the City of Shaker Heights. "One of our planning meetings was held during a snowstorm, and we had 120 people show up. They didn't just sit and listen, they sat at tables and helped us to design what the streets would look like."
In addition to the ODPW award, Phase I is being funded by $2.3 million from the City of Shaker Heights, $4 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), $7 million from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, a $500,000 federal appropriation, $500,000 from the Federal Highway Administration and $500,000 from the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works. In addition to the reconfiguration, there will also be improvements to transit access, pedestrian facilities and streetscapes, including tree planting. Prominent, new crosswalks will improve the pedestrian experience while reducing wait times and making the district easier and safer to navigate.
As Phase I is being completed, the city will continue to move forward on later phases of the plan, including working with RTA to extend the Blue Line rapid transit and seeking a master developer for parcels of land owned by the city and private developers. Shaker Heights ultimately envisions a mixed-use district comprised of 500 new housing units, 160,000 square feet of new retail space and 250,000 square feet of office space and community green space.
Source: Joyce Braverman
Writer: Lee Chilcote
cleveland's 'fat chefs' mentioned in time
There is no denying that Rocco Whalen, chef-owner of Fahrenheit in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, is one of the most beloved people in Cleveland. His warm personality and outgoing demeanor still could not hide the fact he was morbidly obese.
While the mainstream media depicts the modern chef as a healthy tattooed rock star, in many kitchens across the country and in Cleveland, chefs often battle with their weight due to “tasting” during the day and large “gorging” meals when work is done for the evening, only to continue the same pattern day in and day out according to the TIME article "When Chefs Get Fat," written by TIME food writer Josh Ozersky.
Whalen appeared on Food Network’s “Fat Chef” along with Auburn Township’s Kimberly McCune Gibson, a chef-caterer. The show chronicles the struggle of chefs and their attempt to lose the weight they have packed on over the years.
While sometimes hard to watch, the show is also remarkably inspiring. As for Whalen, he has shed well over 100 pounds and is now living a healthier lifestyle as he continues to work toward his goal weight.
Read the full TIME story here.
While the mainstream media depicts the modern chef as a healthy tattooed rock star, in many kitchens across the country and in Cleveland, chefs often battle with their weight due to “tasting” during the day and large “gorging” meals when work is done for the evening, only to continue the same pattern day in and day out according to the TIME article "When Chefs Get Fat," written by TIME food writer Josh Ozersky.
Whalen appeared on Food Network’s “Fat Chef” along with Auburn Township’s Kimberly McCune Gibson, a chef-caterer. The show chronicles the struggle of chefs and their attempt to lose the weight they have packed on over the years.
While sometimes hard to watch, the show is also remarkably inspiring. As for Whalen, he has shed well over 100 pounds and is now living a healthier lifestyle as he continues to work toward his goal weight.
Read the full TIME story here.
Steven Peffer cannot easily explain why he calls his new record shop House Frau; he just likes the German-sounding name, which reminds him of dark, wood-paneled bars and frothy steins of beer. Yet the entrepreneur has a crystal-clear view of why he's opening a vinyl record store in a digitally-oriented economy: Shoppers are hungry for tangible shopping experiences, he says, and there's a viable niche market for new and used records.
"Sure, you can fire up a website, sit around in your boxer shorts and look for music on your computer. But I think people want more of an experience," says Peffer, a sound engineer at Now That's Class, a punk club on Detroit Avenue near the Lakewood border. "People took shopping for granted in the past, but now I believe bricks and mortar stores can be successful because they stand out."
Peffer says House Frau will sell new and used records featuring selections of punk, synth, jazz and blues. The store, which opens this month, will also offer curated records from plenty of other genres. Peffer recently finished building record crates and was amazed at how much good stuff he was able to pack into the cozy, 434-square-foot shop. (You'll have to bring your own German beer, though.)
The launch of House Frau continues the renaissance of indie shops on Cleveland's near west side, which has seen dozens of new stores open in the last few years.
Source: Steve Peffer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"Sure, you can fire up a website, sit around in your boxer shorts and look for music on your computer. But I think people want more of an experience," says Peffer, a sound engineer at Now That's Class, a punk club on Detroit Avenue near the Lakewood border. "People took shopping for granted in the past, but now I believe bricks and mortar stores can be successful because they stand out."
Peffer says House Frau will sell new and used records featuring selections of punk, synth, jazz and blues. The store, which opens this month, will also offer curated records from plenty of other genres. Peffer recently finished building record crates and was amazed at how much good stuff he was able to pack into the cozy, 434-square-foot shop. (You'll have to bring your own German beer, though.)
The launch of House Frau continues the renaissance of indie shops on Cleveland's near west side, which has seen dozens of new stores open in the last few years.
Source: Steve Peffer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
To grow Ohio’s considerable clout in the aerospace industry, the state’s leaders are looking north to Canada as an important source of trade partnerships.
The Canada-Ohio Aerospace Summit held last month in Cleveland attracted a large number of Canadian and Ohioan aerospace business leaders and government representatives. It was initiated by the Ohio Aerospace Institute to help industry leaders get to know each other better with the hope of nourishing business relationships.
The two countries appear to be a good match for international aerospace trade, which is a $382 billion industry. Canada is the world’s fifth largest aerospace market with sales of roughly $22 billion annually. Ohio is the nation’s leader in propulsion and power technology with more than 1,200 companies 100,000 workers in the field.
“The event gave us the opportunity to highlight the potential for partnerships that could take place between businesses in Ohio and Canada in the aerospace trade,” says Patricia Grospiron, Director of Technology and Innovation Partnerships with OAI.
Grospiron also pointed to up-and-coming companies in Canada such as Bombardier in Montreal, an airplane manufacturer that is growing rapidly and challenging established leaders such as Boeing and France’s Airbus for international aircraft orders.
“Ohio is already a leader in supplying parts to airplane manufacturers such as Airbus,” says Grospiron. “Opportunities with companies such as Bombardier could help expand our businesses here.”
During the one and half day summit, at least 130 one-on-one business meetings took place between companies with synergistic profiles, says Grospiron.
Source: Patricia Grospiron
Writer: Val Prevish
The Canada-Ohio Aerospace Summit held last month in Cleveland attracted a large number of Canadian and Ohioan aerospace business leaders and government representatives. It was initiated by the Ohio Aerospace Institute to help industry leaders get to know each other better with the hope of nourishing business relationships.
The two countries appear to be a good match for international aerospace trade, which is a $382 billion industry. Canada is the world’s fifth largest aerospace market with sales of roughly $22 billion annually. Ohio is the nation’s leader in propulsion and power technology with more than 1,200 companies 100,000 workers in the field.
“The event gave us the opportunity to highlight the potential for partnerships that could take place between businesses in Ohio and Canada in the aerospace trade,” says Patricia Grospiron, Director of Technology and Innovation Partnerships with OAI.
Grospiron also pointed to up-and-coming companies in Canada such as Bombardier in Montreal, an airplane manufacturer that is growing rapidly and challenging established leaders such as Boeing and France’s Airbus for international aircraft orders.
“Ohio is already a leader in supplying parts to airplane manufacturers such as Airbus,” says Grospiron. “Opportunities with companies such as Bombardier could help expand our businesses here.”
During the one and half day summit, at least 130 one-on-one business meetings took place between companies with synergistic profiles, says Grospiron.
Source: Patricia Grospiron
Writer: Val Prevish
writer's goal was to 'walk where langston hughes walked'
Ervin Dyer writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "In Cleveland, my goal was to walk where [Langston Hughes] walked and uncover Hughes' connection to this grand American city."
In this lengthy feature, she does just that.
"Born 110 years ago, the poet laureate of black Americans is indelibly linked with Harlem," she writes. But Hughes' literary sense was shaped in Pittsburgh's mirror city on Lake Erie.
Langston Hughes, called the poet laureate of black Americans, lived in Cleveland from 1916 to 1920. The first day of February marked the 110th anniversary of his birth. Hughes lived at 2266 E. 86th Street, boarded in the attic, alone, as his mother and stepfather had returned to Chicago for work.
Hughes attended Cleveland’s Central High School, one of the first public high schools to enroll black students before the Civil War. It was there where he began to hone his craft as the editor of the school’s annual and the class poet.
In a 1957 letter, written while living in Harlem, Hughes said that his "most valuable guidance" in writing came in high school.
Read the full Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story here.
In this lengthy feature, she does just that.
"Born 110 years ago, the poet laureate of black Americans is indelibly linked with Harlem," she writes. But Hughes' literary sense was shaped in Pittsburgh's mirror city on Lake Erie.
Langston Hughes, called the poet laureate of black Americans, lived in Cleveland from 1916 to 1920. The first day of February marked the 110th anniversary of his birth. Hughes lived at 2266 E. 86th Street, boarded in the attic, alone, as his mother and stepfather had returned to Chicago for work.
Hughes attended Cleveland’s Central High School, one of the first public high schools to enroll black students before the Civil War. It was there where he began to hone his craft as the editor of the school’s annual and the class poet.
In a 1957 letter, written while living in Harlem, Hughes said that his "most valuable guidance" in writing came in high school.
Read the full Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story here.
As the number of local bike commuters continues to increase, so too does the number of savvy entrepreneurs who serve and service them. In recent years, a mini boom of bike-based businesses has developed across Northeast Ohio, including frame builders, messenger bag makers, rickshaw drivers and an indoor bike park that attracts visitors from throughout the Midwest.
When Will Friedman took the helm of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority in June 2010, he soon learned about Dike 14, an outcropping of land on Cleveland's east side that had been a dredging facility from 1979 until 1999. Friedman quickly realized that the Port could do more to transform this burgeoning wildlife paradise -- which was closed to the public due to environmental concerns -- into a world-class nature preserve.
"I saw it as a potentially great addition to the lakefront," says Friedman. "Previously, the Port had not been all that interested in retaining it, but I didn't see it that way. I told our board this was an asset we'd inherited, there was nothing preventing us from opening it, and that we should get on with it."
So get on with it he did. Working in collaboration with environmental groups that had lobbied for a park, the Port spearheaded efforts to move the project forward. A year and a half later, the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve is now open to the public.
That kind of leadership and gumption not only has earned Friedman high marks from environmental groups, it also has set the Port sailing in a new direction -- creating new waterfront parks and green space. Although that might sound like an unusual role for a Port Authority to play, it's actually not, Friedman says.
"I came from the Port of Seattle, which has 15 parks and green spaces," he says. "Port authorities are typically front and center in environmental projects, and helping to plan for and create green spaces is definitely in our wheelhouse."
Friedman also led the creation of the Port Authority's new strategic plan, which makes creating public green spaces a part of the organization's ongoing work.
Next, Friedman and his staff are working on the future of the Preserve, including enhancing habitat value, creating additional trails and adding an observation deck to maximize the stunning views of downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie.
The Port also is working closely with partners to plan the future of the Flats, including creating better riverfront access for city residents and visitors.
Source: Will Friedman
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"I saw it as a potentially great addition to the lakefront," says Friedman. "Previously, the Port had not been all that interested in retaining it, but I didn't see it that way. I told our board this was an asset we'd inherited, there was nothing preventing us from opening it, and that we should get on with it."
So get on with it he did. Working in collaboration with environmental groups that had lobbied for a park, the Port spearheaded efforts to move the project forward. A year and a half later, the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve is now open to the public.
That kind of leadership and gumption not only has earned Friedman high marks from environmental groups, it also has set the Port sailing in a new direction -- creating new waterfront parks and green space. Although that might sound like an unusual role for a Port Authority to play, it's actually not, Friedman says.
"I came from the Port of Seattle, which has 15 parks and green spaces," he says. "Port authorities are typically front and center in environmental projects, and helping to plan for and create green spaces is definitely in our wheelhouse."
Friedman also led the creation of the Port Authority's new strategic plan, which makes creating public green spaces a part of the organization's ongoing work.
Next, Friedman and his staff are working on the future of the Preserve, including enhancing habitat value, creating additional trails and adding an observation deck to maximize the stunning views of downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie.
The Port also is working closely with partners to plan the future of the Flats, including creating better riverfront access for city residents and visitors.
Source: Will Friedman
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Grace Brothers, a seven-acre nursery and garden store in Broadview Heights that previously relied upon the suburban market, is vying for a new, urban market. This month, the family-owned company will open a gardening, farming and pet store in the growing Detroit Shoreway neighborhood on Cleveland's west side.
"We were selling to the new home market and kind of living the bubble, but then it evaporated over the last four years and things came to a standstill," says Kevin Grace, who co-owns the company with his brother, Don Grace. "We saw the revitalization happening on the near west side, and attended the GardenWalk Cleveland and saw how people take an interest in their yard. We definitely believe there's an underserved market here that's grown in the last few years."
When the dust settles on their renovation work, the pair will open Grace Brothers Farm, Garden and Pet in a vacant storefront at W. 65th Street and Fir Avenue in the Cleveland EcoVillage. The location is a quarter mile from the Gordon Square Arts District, the centerpiece of a multimillion dollar neighborhood redevelopment. It's also just a few blocks from Zone Recreation Center, whose exterior grounds are being rebuilt into a sustainable, family-friendly park.
Grace Brothers will sell seeds, soils and fertilizers for backyard gardeners (including many organic products). The store will also offer herbs, vegetable plants and fruit trees. Budding urban farmers can purchase chicks here each spring, as well as support products such as chicken and rabbit feed and bird seed. Finally, Grace will market some cost-effective brands of cat and dog food, too.
"We'll be selling organic mulches and other materials that you can't find in Home Depot and other big box stores," says Kevin Grace. "We will also be offering classes in raising chickens, and as part of the fee, you'll get three chicks."
Having watched the urban gardening market soar in other cities, Grace believes Cleveland has similar potential. "Can we make any money on it? I'm hopin'."
Source: Kevin Grace
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We were selling to the new home market and kind of living the bubble, but then it evaporated over the last four years and things came to a standstill," says Kevin Grace, who co-owns the company with his brother, Don Grace. "We saw the revitalization happening on the near west side, and attended the GardenWalk Cleveland and saw how people take an interest in their yard. We definitely believe there's an underserved market here that's grown in the last few years."
When the dust settles on their renovation work, the pair will open Grace Brothers Farm, Garden and Pet in a vacant storefront at W. 65th Street and Fir Avenue in the Cleveland EcoVillage. The location is a quarter mile from the Gordon Square Arts District, the centerpiece of a multimillion dollar neighborhood redevelopment. It's also just a few blocks from Zone Recreation Center, whose exterior grounds are being rebuilt into a sustainable, family-friendly park.
Grace Brothers will sell seeds, soils and fertilizers for backyard gardeners (including many organic products). The store will also offer herbs, vegetable plants and fruit trees. Budding urban farmers can purchase chicks here each spring, as well as support products such as chicken and rabbit feed and bird seed. Finally, Grace will market some cost-effective brands of cat and dog food, too.
"We'll be selling organic mulches and other materials that you can't find in Home Depot and other big box stores," says Kevin Grace. "We will also be offering classes in raising chickens, and as part of the fee, you'll get three chicks."
Having watched the urban gardening market soar in other cities, Grace believes Cleveland has similar potential. "Can we make any money on it? I'm hopin'."
Source: Kevin Grace
Writer: Lee Chilcote
case alzheimer’s research talk of the science world
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine neuroscientist Gary Landreth and colleagues reported Thursday that bexarotene quickly cleared away beta-amyloid plaque, believed to cause the cognitive deficits of Alzheimer's disease, from the brains of genetically engineered mice, reports the Los Angeles Times.
While this is undeniably an exciting breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research, it is important to realize that even in the best-case scenario, usage of bexarotene in humans for treatment is at least six years away.
The excitement from this latest finding lies in the potential to find additional clues in the puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease.
"It's very uncommon, so far, that treatments for mice translate for humans," Dr. Lon S. Schneider, an Alzheimer's researcher at USC's Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles said. "People should not get immediately excited, or try to buy this drug from Canada."
Read the full Los Angeles Times story here.
While this is undeniably an exciting breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research, it is important to realize that even in the best-case scenario, usage of bexarotene in humans for treatment is at least six years away.
The excitement from this latest finding lies in the potential to find additional clues in the puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease.
"It's very uncommon, so far, that treatments for mice translate for humans," Dr. Lon S. Schneider, an Alzheimer's researcher at USC's Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles said. "People should not get immediately excited, or try to buy this drug from Canada."
Read the full Los Angeles Times story here.
A partnership between two Ohio medical device companies could make getting a good night's sleep easier for people who suffer from sleep apnea.
The new SleepView portable sleep monitor and web portal lets doctors monitor patients’ breathing and other sleep patterns at home. The device meets American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s diagnostic standards, and offers quicker, more efficient and cost-effective diagnosis and treatment.
Midmark, a Versailles-based giant in medical equipment manufacturing and distribution, licensed the device technology from Cleveland Medical Devices, a leader in sleep diagnostics technology.
"SleepView enables patients to be tested in the comfort of their own bed and convenience of their own home for a more natural night of sleep, instead of going to a sleep lab," says Midmark PR Manager Susan Kaiser.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is marked by sudden and frequent interruption of normal breathing during sleep. It's caused by a collapse of the upper airway and is estimated to affect as many people as diabetes. Still, most who suffer from it go undiagnosed and untreated.
Numerous studies link OSA to major chronic diseases such as stroke, heart failure, diabetes, obesity, hypertension and increased odds of serious car crash injuries, according to Midmark.
“We want to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of care for patients with OSA by providing another diagnostic option, which enables patients to be tested in the comfort of their own bed and convenience of their own home for a more natural night of sleep,” explains said Tom Treon, senior product manager for Midmark.
The system is available through prescription only. Patients use the SleepView self-test kit at home during their normal sleep time. In addition, the prescribing doctor has online access to registered technologists and sleep physicians who can interpret the monitor results and offer treatment recommendations, while protecting patient privacy as required by federal law.
Source: Tom Treon
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
The new SleepView portable sleep monitor and web portal lets doctors monitor patients’ breathing and other sleep patterns at home. The device meets American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s diagnostic standards, and offers quicker, more efficient and cost-effective diagnosis and treatment.
Midmark, a Versailles-based giant in medical equipment manufacturing and distribution, licensed the device technology from Cleveland Medical Devices, a leader in sleep diagnostics technology.
"SleepView enables patients to be tested in the comfort of their own bed and convenience of their own home for a more natural night of sleep, instead of going to a sleep lab," says Midmark PR Manager Susan Kaiser.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is marked by sudden and frequent interruption of normal breathing during sleep. It's caused by a collapse of the upper airway and is estimated to affect as many people as diabetes. Still, most who suffer from it go undiagnosed and untreated.
Numerous studies link OSA to major chronic diseases such as stroke, heart failure, diabetes, obesity, hypertension and increased odds of serious car crash injuries, according to Midmark.
“We want to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of care for patients with OSA by providing another diagnostic option, which enables patients to be tested in the comfort of their own bed and convenience of their own home for a more natural night of sleep,” explains said Tom Treon, senior product manager for Midmark.
The system is available through prescription only. Patients use the SleepView self-test kit at home during their normal sleep time. In addition, the prescribing doctor has online access to registered technologists and sleep physicians who can interpret the monitor results and offer treatment recommendations, while protecting patient privacy as required by federal law.
Source: Tom Treon
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
With a strong manufacturing infrastructure and more than 630,000 skilled workers, Ohio has the opportunity to become one of the most attractive states in the U.S. for clean energy manufacturers, according to the Ohio BlueGreen Apollo Alliance. Yet while Ohio has created policies to make clean manufacturing a priority, it needs to create further incentives to spur growth, according to The Ohio Green Manufacturing Action Plan (GreenMAP), a report by the Alliance.
“Successful renewable energy programs and energy-efficient projects over the past few years have proven that there’s significant potential for Ohio to meet the growing demands of the clean energy sector,” said Shanelle Smith, Ohio senior coordinator of the Alliance. “Ohio can’t afford to stand on the sidelines while other states and countries compete to win good jobs in one of the world’s fastest growing industries.”
The report praise Ohio’s new incentive programs for renewable energy installations and energy efficiency projects, as well as the new Alternative Energy Portfolio standard. However, it recommends renewed efforts targeting clean energy manufacturing.
“The state has lost over 400,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000 and needs to reassert itself as a manufacturing hub,” the report states. “The infrastructure and expertise remain in place … Ohio policymakers should bolster the manufacturing sector by doing more to support those trying to compete in the growing clean energy industry.”
The GreenMAP report outlines specific recommendations to help ramp up Ohio’s growth in clean manufacturing. These recommendations include expanding financing and incentives, prioritizing support for small to mid-size clean energy manufacturers and increasing support for research and development. Other recommendations include broadening workforce development programs to train more employees for these new industries, expanding Ohio’s demand-side clean-energy policies, and pushing for improvements in clean-energy manufacturing policy at the federal and regional levels.
The report emerged from a special task force comprised of representatives from the business, investor, labor, policy and environmental communities. The group aims to provide a blueprint for Ohio to win the competition for future clean-energy jobs.
Source: Shanelle Smith, Ohio BlueGreen Apollo Alliance
Writer: Lynne Meyer
“Successful renewable energy programs and energy-efficient projects over the past few years have proven that there’s significant potential for Ohio to meet the growing demands of the clean energy sector,” said Shanelle Smith, Ohio senior coordinator of the Alliance. “Ohio can’t afford to stand on the sidelines while other states and countries compete to win good jobs in one of the world’s fastest growing industries.”
The report praise Ohio’s new incentive programs for renewable energy installations and energy efficiency projects, as well as the new Alternative Energy Portfolio standard. However, it recommends renewed efforts targeting clean energy manufacturing.
“The state has lost over 400,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000 and needs to reassert itself as a manufacturing hub,” the report states. “The infrastructure and expertise remain in place … Ohio policymakers should bolster the manufacturing sector by doing more to support those trying to compete in the growing clean energy industry.”
The GreenMAP report outlines specific recommendations to help ramp up Ohio’s growth in clean manufacturing. These recommendations include expanding financing and incentives, prioritizing support for small to mid-size clean energy manufacturers and increasing support for research and development. Other recommendations include broadening workforce development programs to train more employees for these new industries, expanding Ohio’s demand-side clean-energy policies, and pushing for improvements in clean-energy manufacturing policy at the federal and regional levels.
The report emerged from a special task force comprised of representatives from the business, investor, labor, policy and environmental communities. The group aims to provide a blueprint for Ohio to win the competition for future clean-energy jobs.
Source: Shanelle Smith, Ohio BlueGreen Apollo Alliance
Writer: Lynne Meyer
Local writer, speaker and entrepreneur Craig James has some big ideas. In fact, he is a regular contributor to NEOtropolis's "What’s the Big Idea" segment on PBS. He and his partner Sue James formed CatalystStrategies, which helps organizations best communicate their message, market and meaning. In this "Letter to Cleveland," James pens an open letter to the city he loves.
Leaders of the institutions that anchor University Circle have long wished for a hotel within walking distance of all of the amenities that the neighborhood has to offer. Now, a public-private partnership, along with $15 million in New Markets Tax Credits and completion of the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, have finally brought that idea to life.
This month, The Snavely Group broke ground on an eight-story, 153-room Courtyard by Marriott that is scheduled to open this time next year. The hotel is located on Cornell Drive -- just off of Euclid Avenue -- and directly across from the new Seidman Cancer Center and the University Hospitals main campus. The $27 million project is expected to create 135 construction jobs and 55 full-time equivalent jobs.
"The anchor of the Seidman Cancer Center has really given us a market," says Chris Ronayne, President of University Circle Incorporated (UCI), the nonprofit organization that shepherded the project along by assembling the land, securing tax credits and seeking a developer. "Beyond patients and their families, that market is also students, parents, businesspeople and culture-goers."
The new hotel also adds to the impressive development boom that has occurred in University Circle. "This location is the epicenter of a $2 billion Euclid Avenue transformation from East 105th to Lakeview Cemetery," says Ronayne.
Source: Chris Ronayne
Writer: Lee Chilcote
This month, The Snavely Group broke ground on an eight-story, 153-room Courtyard by Marriott that is scheduled to open this time next year. The hotel is located on Cornell Drive -- just off of Euclid Avenue -- and directly across from the new Seidman Cancer Center and the University Hospitals main campus. The $27 million project is expected to create 135 construction jobs and 55 full-time equivalent jobs.
"The anchor of the Seidman Cancer Center has really given us a market," says Chris Ronayne, President of University Circle Incorporated (UCI), the nonprofit organization that shepherded the project along by assembling the land, securing tax credits and seeking a developer. "Beyond patients and their families, that market is also students, parents, businesspeople and culture-goers."
The new hotel also adds to the impressive development boom that has occurred in University Circle. "This location is the epicenter of a $2 billion Euclid Avenue transformation from East 105th to Lakeview Cemetery," says Ronayne.
Source: Chris Ronayne
Writer: Lee Chilcote
For decades, the east side of Cleveland was almost hopelessly cut off from its lakefront by scars of past planning mistakes -- the ugly sutures of highways, concrete barriers, railroads and, of course, industry.
No more. With the opening this week of the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve, these impoverished neighborhoods -- and indeed, all of Greater Cleveland and beyond -- have access to a premiere wildlife habitat in the heart of the city.
This new, 88-acre urban preserve is located just north of where Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. meets I-90, and it is accessible from Lakeshore Boulevard before it enters Bratenahl. The park is built upon the former Dike 14, a dredging disposal facility operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1979 until 1999.
For more than a decade, a coalition of environmental groups calling themselves the Dike 14 Nature Preservation Committee has been fighting to turn this manmade outcropping into a park. Their vision was simple: no ballfields, just park benches and a loop trail that allow visitors a peaceful retreat among the flora and fauna, as well as stupendous view of downtown Cleveland from the "beak" of the park.
Thanks to the critical leadership of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority, this vision finally became a reality. When new CEO Will Friedman took the Port's helm, he made the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve an institutional priority. The Port will continue to manage and oversee the Preserve now that it's open.
Despite the barbed wire fences, birds still stop here on their annual migrations, trees and plants grow in abandon, and many animals call this place home. (Truth is: hikers, birders and wildlife lovers have been slipping through a neglected gap in the fence for more than a decade to enjoy winsome walks along the coast.)
Still -- there's something to be said for the fact that it's now official.
Source: Earthday Coalition
Writer: Lee Chilcote
No more. With the opening this week of the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve, these impoverished neighborhoods -- and indeed, all of Greater Cleveland and beyond -- have access to a premiere wildlife habitat in the heart of the city.
This new, 88-acre urban preserve is located just north of where Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. meets I-90, and it is accessible from Lakeshore Boulevard before it enters Bratenahl. The park is built upon the former Dike 14, a dredging disposal facility operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1979 until 1999.
For more than a decade, a coalition of environmental groups calling themselves the Dike 14 Nature Preservation Committee has been fighting to turn this manmade outcropping into a park. Their vision was simple: no ballfields, just park benches and a loop trail that allow visitors a peaceful retreat among the flora and fauna, as well as stupendous view of downtown Cleveland from the "beak" of the park.
Thanks to the critical leadership of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority, this vision finally became a reality. When new CEO Will Friedman took the Port's helm, he made the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve an institutional priority. The Port will continue to manage and oversee the Preserve now that it's open.
Despite the barbed wire fences, birds still stop here on their annual migrations, trees and plants grow in abandon, and many animals call this place home. (Truth is: hikers, birders and wildlife lovers have been slipping through a neglected gap in the fence for more than a decade to enjoy winsome walks along the coast.)
Still -- there's something to be said for the fact that it's now official.
Source: Earthday Coalition
Writer: Lee Chilcote
In a few months, beer lovers who have conquered the Winking Lizard World Tour of Beers will have another well-stocked venue where they can wet their whistles. When the popular Winking Lizard chain opens Lizardville in the Galleria this summer, as many as 32 draft beers from Ohio and contiguous states will be available on tap. The venue also will serve Ohio-made whiskey and wine, plus a full menu of food crafted from local ingredients.
Winking Lizard owner John Lane announced plans to bring his successful Lizardville concept, which first opened in Bedford Heights last year, to downtown Cleveland. He plans to take over a former art gallery space on the first floor near Dollar Bank, while adding a 1,000- to 2,000-square-foot patio with a bar.
What distinguishes Lizardville from Winking Lizard is the concept of specializing in locally made libations of all stripes.
"I don't know of another place downtown where you can get all of these Ohio beers on tap," says Lane. "We're bullish on the area because it is so close to the new Medical Mart, Convention Center and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When people come to visit Cleveland from out of town, they ask the bartender, 'What do you have that's local?'"
Lane is bringing the Lizardville brand to other cities in Northeast Ohio, including a location in Rocky River that will offer beer and wine to go at retail prices, like the original in Bedford Heights.
Source: The Winking Lizard
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Winking Lizard owner John Lane announced plans to bring his successful Lizardville concept, which first opened in Bedford Heights last year, to downtown Cleveland. He plans to take over a former art gallery space on the first floor near Dollar Bank, while adding a 1,000- to 2,000-square-foot patio with a bar.
What distinguishes Lizardville from Winking Lizard is the concept of specializing in locally made libations of all stripes.
"I don't know of another place downtown where you can get all of these Ohio beers on tap," says Lane. "We're bullish on the area because it is so close to the new Medical Mart, Convention Center and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When people come to visit Cleveland from out of town, they ask the bartender, 'What do you have that's local?'"
Lane is bringing the Lizardville brand to other cities in Northeast Ohio, including a location in Rocky River that will offer beer and wine to go at retail prices, like the original in Bedford Heights.
Source: The Winking Lizard
Writer: Lee Chilcote