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Some storefronts sparkle with inviting merchandise, while others languish behind a layer of dust. For the latter, Cleveland's Storefront Renovation Program has been lending a helping hand to entrepreneurs for almost two decades with financial assistance for exterior improvements and signage.
Tri-C has launched locally the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, a $500 million initiative to help new business owners create jobs and economic opportunity. The program shepherds small companies through workshops, one-to-one advice, mentoring, capital and networking.
Corporate College, the business and training division of Tri-C, recently tested the notion that even successful businesses must continue to grow and learn with a field trip to the UK, sending a senior training specialist to coach up executives from Smithers Group, a scientific testing and consulting organization based in Akron.
Jonathon Sawyer, the award-winning chef behind Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat, is opening a new restaurant with his wife Amelia. The venue, to be called Trentina, will feature cuisine from the Trento region of northern Italy, where Amelia's family is from. It will open in the former Sergio's space in University Circle in the coming months.
Sawyer describes Trentina as a "passion project" that will allow him to pay tribute to his wife's heritage while introducing the cuisine of Northern Italy to a wider audience.
"I always had an affinity with 'the Boot,' as it were," he says. "When I started Bar Cento, it was really a Roman restaurant in the style of the street mongers of Rome. I didn’t want to repeat that, but I knew my wife’s family had tie-ins with Trento."
He traveled there and fell in love. "We subsequently returned -- more than 100 days in past four years, in fact. The thing I keep coming back to is how similar the growing seasons are in Trento and the Cuyahoga Valley. The indigenous people are very similar to the ethnic backgrounds of a lot of Clevelanders; there's Austrian, Swiss, Slovenian… so much more so than just straight-up Italian."
To help fund the restaurant and pay for some extras like a pasta extruder, wood-burning grill and double-sided hearth, Sawyer launched a Kickstarter campaign. The original goal was $21,999, but the project already has exceeded that amount by nearly $10,000 with 18 days still left to go.
So Sawyer set a new, loftier goal: "We want to be the most-funded hospitality Kickstarter campaign in Ohio, whatever that is," he jokes.
Sawyer certainly has earned his fan club, but the campaign rewards also don't hurt. For $100, you can take a cooking class that normally would cost $150. Three hundred bucks buys a cocktail named after you, while $600 gets you meals shipped to your home for six months. The list goes on and on, all the way up to dinner at your house for 20 of "your foodiest friends and family," cooked by the chef himself ($500).
Trentina will offer fine dining with showy tableside service like polenta seared over burning embers. Sawyer says, "For us, it will be the first time we'll be able to accurately portray cuisine with ingredients from just outside our back door."
Source: Jonathon Sawyer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Sawyer describes Trentina as a "passion project" that will allow him to pay tribute to his wife's heritage while introducing the cuisine of Northern Italy to a wider audience.
"I always had an affinity with 'the Boot,' as it were," he says. "When I started Bar Cento, it was really a Roman restaurant in the style of the street mongers of Rome. I didn’t want to repeat that, but I knew my wife’s family had tie-ins with Trento."
He traveled there and fell in love. "We subsequently returned -- more than 100 days in past four years, in fact. The thing I keep coming back to is how similar the growing seasons are in Trento and the Cuyahoga Valley. The indigenous people are very similar to the ethnic backgrounds of a lot of Clevelanders; there's Austrian, Swiss, Slovenian… so much more so than just straight-up Italian."
To help fund the restaurant and pay for some extras like a pasta extruder, wood-burning grill and double-sided hearth, Sawyer launched a Kickstarter campaign. The original goal was $21,999, but the project already has exceeded that amount by nearly $10,000 with 18 days still left to go.
So Sawyer set a new, loftier goal: "We want to be the most-funded hospitality Kickstarter campaign in Ohio, whatever that is," he jokes.
Sawyer certainly has earned his fan club, but the campaign rewards also don't hurt. For $100, you can take a cooking class that normally would cost $150. Three hundred bucks buys a cocktail named after you, while $600 gets you meals shipped to your home for six months. The list goes on and on, all the way up to dinner at your house for 20 of "your foodiest friends and family," cooked by the chef himself ($500).
Trentina will offer fine dining with showy tableside service like polenta seared over burning embers. Sawyer says, "For us, it will be the first time we'll be able to accurately portray cuisine with ingredients from just outside our back door."
Source: Jonathon Sawyer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Thanks to Thrive, the Cuyahoga Community College business incubator program, students receive a shared office space outfitted with a phone, computer and printer as well as access to a conference room and reception area. Participants also are assigned a mentor from either Tri-C faculty or the business community.
though poorly timed, united runs massive business feature in latest in-flight mag
In the latest issue of Hemispheres, United Airlines' in-flight magazine, there was a massive Dossier on Cleveland and the region. These special supplements give readers an in-depth overview of the economic development activities in a region, including the unique initiatives that shape its industry and commerce and the influence it has on the global economy.
Read the comprehensive report here.
Read the comprehensive report here.
The historic Terminal Tower offices of the Van Sweringen brothers, the duo that built the iconic skyscraper and the streetcar suburb of Shaker Heights, will soon be occupied by a women-owned consulting firm that helps businesses and organizations embrace a more sustainable future.
BrownFlynn is relocating from Highland Heights to the tower's 36th floor. The firm, which provides sustainability consulting, communications and training, needs more space. The 7,000-square-foot office, boasting panoramic views of the city and located a few flights below the Observation Deck, will be completely renovated by the end of April.
"Clearly, we're committed to the city and want to be part of its vibrancy," says principal Margie Flynn. "We're committed to sustainability and want to make sure we're walking the talk in what we're doing. And the essence of sustainability is really historic preservation."
Flynn says her employees, many of whom live in the city, are very excited about being downtown. The office gives BrownFlynn room to grow, and the firm can welcome out-of-town guests via RTA's Red Line, which stops in Tower City.
"The space has a tremendous amount of natural light," Flynn comments. "We're going to adapt the space as a very open, collaborative work environment."
Vocon is helping to design the space, while Forest City, which owns the Terminal Tower and has been a major player in corporate sustainability nationwide, will facilitate renovations. Instead of reusing the massive corner offices as private suites, as the Vans once did, the principals plan to convert these spaces into open offices to encourage collaboration and stimulate creative thinking.
"The most important thing is to have a very open inviting environment for our team," says Flynn, adding that BrownFlynn could grow from 14 to 21 employees in the coming years to keep up with growing demand for its services.
BrownFlynn secured a job creation grant from the City of Cleveland to help facilitate the move.
Source: Margie Flynn
Writer: Lee Chilcote
BrownFlynn is relocating from Highland Heights to the tower's 36th floor. The firm, which provides sustainability consulting, communications and training, needs more space. The 7,000-square-foot office, boasting panoramic views of the city and located a few flights below the Observation Deck, will be completely renovated by the end of April.
"Clearly, we're committed to the city and want to be part of its vibrancy," says principal Margie Flynn. "We're committed to sustainability and want to make sure we're walking the talk in what we're doing. And the essence of sustainability is really historic preservation."
Flynn says her employees, many of whom live in the city, are very excited about being downtown. The office gives BrownFlynn room to grow, and the firm can welcome out-of-town guests via RTA's Red Line, which stops in Tower City.
"The space has a tremendous amount of natural light," Flynn comments. "We're going to adapt the space as a very open, collaborative work environment."
Vocon is helping to design the space, while Forest City, which owns the Terminal Tower and has been a major player in corporate sustainability nationwide, will facilitate renovations. Instead of reusing the massive corner offices as private suites, as the Vans once did, the principals plan to convert these spaces into open offices to encourage collaboration and stimulate creative thinking.
"The most important thing is to have a very open inviting environment for our team," says Flynn, adding that BrownFlynn could grow from 14 to 21 employees in the coming years to keep up with growing demand for its services.
BrownFlynn secured a job creation grant from the City of Cleveland to help facilitate the move.
Source: Margie Flynn
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Cleveland continues to gain momentum in leading the country and the Midwest in biomedical investments, according to BioEnterprise’s 2013 Midwest Healthcare Venture Investment Report. The report, released last month, shows that while overall investing is down nationwide, biomedical investments in health IT and medical devices in Northeast Ohio continue to be on the rise.
Ohio ranked number-one in healthcare venture investments. Cleveland earned the number-two regional ranking with $201.2 million invested in 50 companies, second only to Minneapolis. “It’s a very strong report, particularly for medical devices in the Midwest,” says Aram Nerpouni, president and CEO of BioEnterprise. “There is a strong pipeline of companies coming out of the Cleveland area.”
This is the second year the Cleveland area has seen $200 million in venture capital coming into the medical field, according to Nerpouni. But the ranking has taken years of effort. “As a region, it’s something we’ve been working toward for a decade now,” he says, crediting the area’s healthcare systems, universities and savvy entrepreneurs with the investment increase.
Ten years ago Cleveland’s leaders recognized the region’s assets in the biomedical field and have worked to create a reputation. But Nerpouni cautions we are only just beginning. “Look at it as a very good start,” he says. “We have to strike a balance of celebrating the progress but not getting too confident that it’s automatic.”
Nerpouni cites institutions like Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, and University Hospitals’ Harrington Discovery Institute, and now the Global Center for Health Innovation as just some of the contributors to the region’s growth in the biomedical field.
“Look at how much growth has happened, we’re just seeing this steady progress,” he says. “You begin to find there’s this flywheel gaining momentum.”
Source: Aram Nerpouni
Writer: Karin Connelly
Ohio ranked number-one in healthcare venture investments. Cleveland earned the number-two regional ranking with $201.2 million invested in 50 companies, second only to Minneapolis. “It’s a very strong report, particularly for medical devices in the Midwest,” says Aram Nerpouni, president and CEO of BioEnterprise. “There is a strong pipeline of companies coming out of the Cleveland area.”
This is the second year the Cleveland area has seen $200 million in venture capital coming into the medical field, according to Nerpouni. But the ranking has taken years of effort. “As a region, it’s something we’ve been working toward for a decade now,” he says, crediting the area’s healthcare systems, universities and savvy entrepreneurs with the investment increase.
Ten years ago Cleveland’s leaders recognized the region’s assets in the biomedical field and have worked to create a reputation. But Nerpouni cautions we are only just beginning. “Look at it as a very good start,” he says. “We have to strike a balance of celebrating the progress but not getting too confident that it’s automatic.”
Nerpouni cites institutions like Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, and University Hospitals’ Harrington Discovery Institute, and now the Global Center for Health Innovation as just some of the contributors to the region’s growth in the biomedical field.
“Look at how much growth has happened, we’re just seeing this steady progress,” he says. “You begin to find there’s this flywheel gaining momentum.”
Source: Aram Nerpouni
Writer: Karin Connelly
cleveland metroparks zoo passes million-visitor mark for 21st year in a row
During the calendar year of 2013, 1,123,660 people enjoyed the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, making it the 21st year in a row that the attraction passed the million-guest mark.
Heavy rains brought the total down from the previous year, which welcomed 1,170,443 guests.
2014 is shaping up to be another banner year thanks to the new Circle of Wildlife carousel ride and accompanying Nature Discovery Zone in the area known as Savanna Ridge. Both are slated for a late spring debut. The carousel will feature 64 hand-carved wildlife figures and two chariots in a three-season pavilion.
Read the rest of the good news here.
Heavy rains brought the total down from the previous year, which welcomed 1,170,443 guests.
2014 is shaping up to be another banner year thanks to the new Circle of Wildlife carousel ride and accompanying Nature Discovery Zone in the area known as Savanna Ridge. Both are slated for a late spring debut. The carousel will feature 64 hand-carved wildlife figures and two chariots in a three-season pavilion.
Read the rest of the good news here.
Team NEO, the entity charged with marketing Northeast Ohio to the rest of the country and the world, brought a record 16 new businesses to the region in 2013, seven of which are in Cuyahoga County. The new companies add to the region almost 1,400 new jobs and more than $85 million in new annual payroll. The average salary in these companies is $62,000, which also is a record high. The majority of the companies are in manufacturing, healthcare and biomedical.
“Obviously, we’re really happy about this,” says Tom Waltermire, Team NEO CEO. “The reasons the companies are here vary significantly, but they’re here because we have a whole bunch of resources available.” Three criteria attracted companies to Northeast Ohio, says Waltermire: close proximity to customers; low cost of doing business; and the ability to find and train the talent they need.
Team NEO has been promoting the 18-county Northeast Ohio region since 2007. In seven years, the organization has attracted 83 companies and 6,200 jobs to the area. The organization averaged nine to 12 new companies in each of its first five years. Last year, Team NEO brought 15 new companies to the area.
Waltermire attributes the rising interest in Northeast Ohio to increased awareness. “All of us as a community and a region are just getting better at this,” he says, adding that as consultants become more familiar with the region, they're more apt to promote it. “As we’ve been marketing the region for seven years, we’re becoming progressively better known.”
He also says both newcomers and lifelong residents have helped improve the region’s reputation. “Whether it’s a cocktail party or in a coffee shop, when you get that buzz going and get that informed ambassador effect going, then you’re really rolling.”
Of course, Team NEO alone does not take the credit for attracting the 16 companies. JobsOhio, the state and local communities all were involved in wooing new business to the region.
Source: Tom Waltermire
Writer: Karin Connelly
“Obviously, we’re really happy about this,” says Tom Waltermire, Team NEO CEO. “The reasons the companies are here vary significantly, but they’re here because we have a whole bunch of resources available.” Three criteria attracted companies to Northeast Ohio, says Waltermire: close proximity to customers; low cost of doing business; and the ability to find and train the talent they need.
Team NEO has been promoting the 18-county Northeast Ohio region since 2007. In seven years, the organization has attracted 83 companies and 6,200 jobs to the area. The organization averaged nine to 12 new companies in each of its first five years. Last year, Team NEO brought 15 new companies to the area.
Waltermire attributes the rising interest in Northeast Ohio to increased awareness. “All of us as a community and a region are just getting better at this,” he says, adding that as consultants become more familiar with the region, they're more apt to promote it. “As we’ve been marketing the region for seven years, we’re becoming progressively better known.”
He also says both newcomers and lifelong residents have helped improve the region’s reputation. “Whether it’s a cocktail party or in a coffee shop, when you get that buzz going and get that informed ambassador effect going, then you’re really rolling.”
Of course, Team NEO alone does not take the credit for attracting the 16 companies. JobsOhio, the state and local communities all were involved in wooing new business to the region.
Source: Tom Waltermire
Writer: Karin Connelly
In Cleveland, you might recognize the work of Think Media Studios from the Cavs intro videos that they produce. The award-winning Mayfield Heights company also has produced videos for Ohio State University sports teams and companies like Nestle, Progressive Insurance and Parker-Hannifin.
But Think Media owner Brian Glazen recently achieved his ultimate goal of establishing a reputation as a filmmaker. His film Fishing Without Nets, a feature about Somali pirates, examined from the perspective of the pirates, went to the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award. The movie was adapted from a 2012 short film version that also won a jury prize at Sundance.
Glazen, a Chagrin Falls native, worked in the film industry in Los Angeles for 10 years before returning to Cleveland in 2003. “When I moved back to Cleveland and started Think Media Studios, I wanted to get into original film work,” he explains. Glazen and his team spent 70 days in Kenya shooting the film using many first-time actors.
Glazen wants to continue to build up Cleveland’s reputation for turning out quality movies. “Cleveland’s not the first thing that comes to mind in the film industry,” he says. “But here we are playing Hollywood in our own backyard.”
While Think Media Studios continues to produce quality videos for sports teams and businesses, Glazen currently is in talks to shoot two movies and a television show. It’s all still top-secret, but the television project is slated to shoot in Cleveland this summer.
“My goal is to have a [film] production company with the work we do in Cleveland,” Glazen says. “We want to tap into original content that we could actually sell and still do the work we do for our clients.”
Source: Brian Glazen
Writer: Karin Connelly
But Think Media owner Brian Glazen recently achieved his ultimate goal of establishing a reputation as a filmmaker. His film Fishing Without Nets, a feature about Somali pirates, examined from the perspective of the pirates, went to the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award. The movie was adapted from a 2012 short film version that also won a jury prize at Sundance.
Glazen, a Chagrin Falls native, worked in the film industry in Los Angeles for 10 years before returning to Cleveland in 2003. “When I moved back to Cleveland and started Think Media Studios, I wanted to get into original film work,” he explains. Glazen and his team spent 70 days in Kenya shooting the film using many first-time actors.
Glazen wants to continue to build up Cleveland’s reputation for turning out quality movies. “Cleveland’s not the first thing that comes to mind in the film industry,” he says. “But here we are playing Hollywood in our own backyard.”
While Think Media Studios continues to produce quality videos for sports teams and businesses, Glazen currently is in talks to shoot two movies and a television show. It’s all still top-secret, but the television project is slated to shoot in Cleveland this summer.
“My goal is to have a [film] production company with the work we do in Cleveland,” Glazen says. “We want to tap into original content that we could actually sell and still do the work we do for our clients.”
Source: Brian Glazen
Writer: Karin Connelly
We often don't give our old neighborhood restaurants a second thought, but they stand both as witnesses of and agents to change. As the world evolves all around them, they stand firm but flexible, preserving a delicious taste of the past while serving the ever-shifting needs of today's clientele.
The for-sale housing market remains tepid in many Cleveland neighborhoods, but it never really cooled down in Tremont. That's because this historic neighborhood remains popular, full of vitality and, frankly, small, which means there never is an abundance of houses on the market. When a properly priced Tremont house is listed, it usually sells.
And that's certainly true of the Cottages on Thurman, a new Tremont development. Developer (ARC) form of Tremont has pre-sold two detached, green-built townhomes off of plans. Principal and founder Jeffrey Eizember expects to break ground and go vertical within the next two months.
"It's a very efficient design," he says. "Our philosophy is that we want to help the buyer get a customized product that is not exorbitantly priced."
With starting prices at $379,900, the townhomes might become the first LEED-certified units in Tremont (the ratings are preliminary at this point) and the first to participate in the Department of Energy Home Challenge. Additionally, they have an unusual design feature: the bedrooms are located on the second level, while the living spaces are on the third level to best take advantage of the views.
"How often do you spend time in your bedroom other than going to sleep?" Eizember asks. "Why give all the good views to that area?" The benefits don't stop there. "This layout also puts the living level in closer proximity to the rooftop deck."
That rooftop deck will offer even better views of downtown Cleveland, the industrial Cuyahoga Valley and the church spires and steeples for which Tremont is well known.
The units, which are a little over 2,000 square feet, have attached two-car garages, two bedrooms, two and a half baths, 100-year-old reclaimed maple flooring, and tankless hot water heaters to maximize efficiency, among other features.
The developers also will harvest 60 percent of the rainwater accumulated on site. "It can be used for irrigation or to wash off your car," Eizember explains, adding that, "Ninety percent of the site is permeable."
(ARC) form is a design and construction firm that blends architectural services, contracting and interior design into one package. The firm specializes in "using conventional materials and techniques in unconventional means."
With just two lots available, the project already is sold out. "We didn't have a hard time selling them once they were listed," Eizember says. "They went pretty fast."
Source: Jeffrey Eizember
Writer: Lee Chilcote
And that's certainly true of the Cottages on Thurman, a new Tremont development. Developer (ARC) form of Tremont has pre-sold two detached, green-built townhomes off of plans. Principal and founder Jeffrey Eizember expects to break ground and go vertical within the next two months.
"It's a very efficient design," he says. "Our philosophy is that we want to help the buyer get a customized product that is not exorbitantly priced."
With starting prices at $379,900, the townhomes might become the first LEED-certified units in Tremont (the ratings are preliminary at this point) and the first to participate in the Department of Energy Home Challenge. Additionally, they have an unusual design feature: the bedrooms are located on the second level, while the living spaces are on the third level to best take advantage of the views.
"How often do you spend time in your bedroom other than going to sleep?" Eizember asks. "Why give all the good views to that area?" The benefits don't stop there. "This layout also puts the living level in closer proximity to the rooftop deck."
That rooftop deck will offer even better views of downtown Cleveland, the industrial Cuyahoga Valley and the church spires and steeples for which Tremont is well known.
The units, which are a little over 2,000 square feet, have attached two-car garages, two bedrooms, two and a half baths, 100-year-old reclaimed maple flooring, and tankless hot water heaters to maximize efficiency, among other features.
The developers also will harvest 60 percent of the rainwater accumulated on site. "It can be used for irrigation or to wash off your car," Eizember explains, adding that, "Ninety percent of the site is permeable."
(ARC) form is a design and construction firm that blends architectural services, contracting and interior design into one package. The firm specializes in "using conventional materials and techniques in unconventional means."
With just two lots available, the project already is sold out. "We didn't have a hard time selling them once they were listed," Eizember says. "They went pretty fast."
Source: Jeffrey Eizember
Writer: Lee Chilcote
sawyer's trentina kickstarter campaign gets eater's attention
In an Eater.com post titled “Ohio’s Jonathon Sawyer to Launch Kickstarter for Trentina,” writer Hillary Dixler shares Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat chef-owner Jonathon Sawyer’s plans to use crowd funding in an effort to raise a little cash for his upcoming Italian eatery, Trentina.
Trentina will occupy the 36-seat space previously belonging to beloved Cleveland chef Sergio Abramof, who passed away in 2012. The new restaurant aims to open in May.
“[Sawyer] says he's attracted to the idea of a "city-based shareholder system" in which the best customers can really become "benefactors of the restaurant." To that end, he says that he will only be asking for a portion of his overhead costs, to keep the fundraising goal in line with what his Cleveland customers will be able to support.”
Check out the full story and Sawyer’s YouTube video about the project here.
Trentina will occupy the 36-seat space previously belonging to beloved Cleveland chef Sergio Abramof, who passed away in 2012. The new restaurant aims to open in May.
“[Sawyer] says he's attracted to the idea of a "city-based shareholder system" in which the best customers can really become "benefactors of the restaurant." To that end, he says that he will only be asking for a portion of his overhead costs, to keep the fundraising goal in line with what his Cleveland customers will be able to support.”
Check out the full story and Sawyer’s YouTube video about the project here.
From a 3.25-acre hydroponic greenhouse in the Central neighborhood, Green City Growers Cooperative grows and sells a staggering three million heads of lettuce and another 300,000 pounds of herbs per year. All of those products are sold locally to grocery stores and food service companies within a 50-mile radius.
When they’re not working their day jobs, Josh Womack and Cameron Amigo are stand-up comedians. While his talents can leave them rolling in the aisles during an open mic night, Amigo was finding that friends were coming to him for help writing those dreaded best man speeches. In demand was advice on how to give that perfect wedding speech that is at once humorous and light, but sentimental and genuine.
After attending eight weddings in three months in spring of 2012, and helping a few friends with their speeches, Womack and Amigo started Laugh Staff the following year. The company writes personalized best man, maid of honor and other speeches.
Laugh Staff offers four different speech packages, from "punching up" a customer’s pre-written speech to creating a custom speech from scratch. Womack sends a questionnaire to get all the details about the bride and groom. “We get all the background information before we start typing,” explains Womack. “Every couple has a different story. In 24 to 48 hours, we have a completed speech.”
Laugh Staff has a dozen comedians from around the country, and even the world, signed on to write speeches. Womack and Amigo hand pick the comedians based on speeches written as an application. “If people are going to pay money for it, it has to be funny,” Womack says. “If it makes you laugh out loud, if it makes the customer think, no way could I think of this on my own. That’s what we look for.”
Womack admits that he's written a majority of the 70 speeches Laugh Staff has sold.
Laugh Staff has been commissioned to write speeches for other occasions as well, such as retirement parties and farewell speeches. “A couple of people have reached out and asked us to write their online dating profiles,” says Womack. He’s taken the gig. “If you want someone to actually read it, the content has to be somewhat engaging.”
Womack would like to expand into corporate speeches, and even perhaps help a couple of politicians out. Laugh Staff is a win-win situation in Womack’s eyes. “I get a lot of joy in sitting down and writing a speech,” he says. “For the best man and maid of honor, the speech is just something they want to get off their to-do list. It gives them peace of mind that they have something.”
Source: Josh Womack
Writer: Karin Connelly
After attending eight weddings in three months in spring of 2012, and helping a few friends with their speeches, Womack and Amigo started Laugh Staff the following year. The company writes personalized best man, maid of honor and other speeches.
Laugh Staff offers four different speech packages, from "punching up" a customer’s pre-written speech to creating a custom speech from scratch. Womack sends a questionnaire to get all the details about the bride and groom. “We get all the background information before we start typing,” explains Womack. “Every couple has a different story. In 24 to 48 hours, we have a completed speech.”
Laugh Staff has a dozen comedians from around the country, and even the world, signed on to write speeches. Womack and Amigo hand pick the comedians based on speeches written as an application. “If people are going to pay money for it, it has to be funny,” Womack says. “If it makes you laugh out loud, if it makes the customer think, no way could I think of this on my own. That’s what we look for.”
Womack admits that he's written a majority of the 70 speeches Laugh Staff has sold.
Laugh Staff has been commissioned to write speeches for other occasions as well, such as retirement parties and farewell speeches. “A couple of people have reached out and asked us to write their online dating profiles,” says Womack. He’s taken the gig. “If you want someone to actually read it, the content has to be somewhat engaging.”
Womack would like to expand into corporate speeches, and even perhaps help a couple of politicians out. Laugh Staff is a win-win situation in Womack’s eyes. “I get a lot of joy in sitting down and writing a speech,” he says. “For the best man and maid of honor, the speech is just something they want to get off their to-do list. It gives them peace of mind that they have something.”
Source: Josh Womack
Writer: Karin Connelly
When Jeff Battershell and his wife lived in Ouray, Colorado, for six years, he fell in love with the numerous small town craft breweries in the area. A Cleveland native, Battershell moved back home a year and a half ago with the initial thought of starting a brewery.
“It was always kind of our plan to go out there and experience something different and move back,” Battershell explains. “But I felt like I was missing out on Cleveland’s renaissance.”
When he got back to Cleveland, Battershell’s environmental science and entrepreneurship education from BGSU kicked in. “Breweries seemed like a saturated market,” he says. “I was being honest with myself. I wasn’t good enough to compete with places like Great Lakes Brewery and Market Garden Brewery.”
Then Battershell got the idea to pair his environmental studies with his love for beer and start an apparel business that benefits water conservation groups while promoting breweries. He started Keepin’ it Fresh, a company that sells baseball caps and t-shirts with embroidered brewery logos. A portion of the proceeds will go to water conservation groups or projects; a percentage goes back to the brewery.
“I bounced the idea off of my friends in the industry and they really liked it because it was one more way to promote their business,” he says. “And beer depends on the quality of water they’re brewing with.”
Keepin’ it Fresh has four Southwest breweries signed on and is working with a number of well-known Cleveland breweries on agreements. Right now, Battershell is embroidering baseball caps on one machine out of his house. He plans to hire one part-time employee by 2015 and his five-year plan calls for five employees and additional embroidery machines.
Battershell’s site will be selling apparel by April. In the meantime he is working with organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Brewers for Clean Water Campaign and the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
Source: Jeff Battershell
Writer: Karin Connelly
“It was always kind of our plan to go out there and experience something different and move back,” Battershell explains. “But I felt like I was missing out on Cleveland’s renaissance.”
When he got back to Cleveland, Battershell’s environmental science and entrepreneurship education from BGSU kicked in. “Breweries seemed like a saturated market,” he says. “I was being honest with myself. I wasn’t good enough to compete with places like Great Lakes Brewery and Market Garden Brewery.”
Then Battershell got the idea to pair his environmental studies with his love for beer and start an apparel business that benefits water conservation groups while promoting breweries. He started Keepin’ it Fresh, a company that sells baseball caps and t-shirts with embroidered brewery logos. A portion of the proceeds will go to water conservation groups or projects; a percentage goes back to the brewery.
“I bounced the idea off of my friends in the industry and they really liked it because it was one more way to promote their business,” he says. “And beer depends on the quality of water they’re brewing with.”
Keepin’ it Fresh has four Southwest breweries signed on and is working with a number of well-known Cleveland breweries on agreements. Right now, Battershell is embroidering baseball caps on one machine out of his house. He plans to hire one part-time employee by 2015 and his five-year plan calls for five employees and additional embroidery machines.
Battershell’s site will be selling apparel by April. In the meantime he is working with organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Brewers for Clean Water Campaign and the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
Source: Jeff Battershell
Writer: Karin Connelly
play house poster draws attention of new york arts blog
In a New York Times Arts Beat post titled “Behind the Poster: Yentl”, writer Erik Piepenburg interviews Cleveland Play House creative director Brian Tatsumi and graphic designer Michelle Berki regarding the compelling artwork for the recent production of "Yentl."
Tatsumi shares his vision of keeping the posters stark and eye-catching with a pop of color while Berki wanted to touch upon some of the more gripping moments in the play.
“One of the defining moments is where she cuts off her braids and decides to live as a man, so we focused on that. We wanted to show both the male and female sides within one person. That’s where the braid and payos in one hat came from.”
Read more of the insightful interview here.
Tatsumi shares his vision of keeping the posters stark and eye-catching with a pop of color while Berki wanted to touch upon some of the more gripping moments in the play.
“One of the defining moments is where she cuts off her braids and decides to live as a man, so we focused on that. We wanted to show both the male and female sides within one person. That’s where the braid and payos in one hat came from.”
Read more of the insightful interview here.
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