Search results for ''
artvoice explores downtown population growth in rust belt cities
In an ArtVoice article titled "A Good Mystery," writer Bruce Fisher explores the trend of downtown population growth in Rust Belt cities like Cleveland, Buffalo and Detroit.
"The key to Cleveland’s micro-rebound is a spike in the number of people between 22 and 34 who are choosing to live there. Downtown Cleveland leads the inner core’s “brain gain” movement -- even though that age group is declining in metro Cleveland, just as it’s declining in metro Buffalo. But that’s not the story in downtown, which is a net importer of young adults."
"This is the phenomenon that is also occurring in Detroit, and in Buffalo, and in other Rust Belt cities that are experiencing varying degrees of central-city rebound."
Read it all right here.
"The key to Cleveland’s micro-rebound is a spike in the number of people between 22 and 34 who are choosing to live there. Downtown Cleveland leads the inner core’s “brain gain” movement -- even though that age group is declining in metro Cleveland, just as it’s declining in metro Buffalo. But that’s not the story in downtown, which is a net importer of young adults."
"This is the phenomenon that is also occurring in Detroit, and in Buffalo, and in other Rust Belt cities that are experiencing varying degrees of central-city rebound."
Read it all right here.
Cleveland Clinic Innovations (CCI) announced last month that Wisconsin’s Marshfield Clinic Applied Sciences is the seventh clinic to join the Clinic’s Healthcare Innovation Alliance. The collaboration will help Marshfield develop and commercialize its innovations and improve healthcare.
The alliance, formed two years ago based on CCI’s 13 years of experience, is a way for the Clinic to share its knowledge while also improving upon its reputation within the healthcare industry. In Marshfield’s case, the Clinic is hiring a senior commercialization officer who will be embedded in Wisconsin.
The officer will help to advance diagnostic tools and treatments created by Marshfield Clinic physicians, researchers and staff. The Innovation Alliance also will foster the transfer of Marshfield Clinic technology into commercialization.
“It’s about getting the technology quickly to the patient,” says Brian Kolonick, associate general manager of the Innovation Alliance. “It’s all collaboration, these are not bilateral relationships. We look for ways to collaborate, to share knowledge.”
There are 65 Clinic employees working within the alliance. “If someone in the alliance has an idea, we get a person on the ground there,” says Kolonick. “We find the right person with the right expertise. It’s getting the right people to the table.”
Conversely, the Clinic also learns about what other researchers are doing around the country. “We’re about going in there and getting fresh ideas, flushing them out and commercializing them,” says Kolonick. “It’s about getting in there and shaking trees.”
The Innovation Alliance gets a percentage of the revenues from any idea that goes to market.
Source: Brian Kolonick
Writer: Karin Connelly
The alliance, formed two years ago based on CCI’s 13 years of experience, is a way for the Clinic to share its knowledge while also improving upon its reputation within the healthcare industry. In Marshfield’s case, the Clinic is hiring a senior commercialization officer who will be embedded in Wisconsin.
The officer will help to advance diagnostic tools and treatments created by Marshfield Clinic physicians, researchers and staff. The Innovation Alliance also will foster the transfer of Marshfield Clinic technology into commercialization.
“It’s about getting the technology quickly to the patient,” says Brian Kolonick, associate general manager of the Innovation Alliance. “It’s all collaboration, these are not bilateral relationships. We look for ways to collaborate, to share knowledge.”
There are 65 Clinic employees working within the alliance. “If someone in the alliance has an idea, we get a person on the ground there,” says Kolonick. “We find the right person with the right expertise. It’s getting the right people to the table.”
Conversely, the Clinic also learns about what other researchers are doing around the country. “We’re about going in there and getting fresh ideas, flushing them out and commercializing them,” says Kolonick. “It’s about getting in there and shaking trees.”
The Innovation Alliance gets a percentage of the revenues from any idea that goes to market.
Source: Brian Kolonick
Writer: Karin Connelly
young companies and startups aid both local and state economies
In a Techli story titled “Greater Cleveland Startups Improve Ohio With Jobs, Tax Dollars and Impact,” writer Annie Zaleski explores how important startups and young companies are to the success of a region’s economy.
In a study from Cleveland State University, a report found that 127 young companies generated $270 million in economic benefits for Ohio in 2012 alone.
“The companies in the report -- a group comprised of businesses that successfully leveraged things such as business assistance or seed capital -- helped create and retain 1,100 in-state direct jobs (with a total Ohio employment impact of 2,140). In the last three years, these very young companies are already contributing significantly -- more than $688 million -- to Ohio’s economy.”
The story goes on to discuss that the figures only represent a small portion of development in the region and do not encompass all of Northeast Ohio. Taking that into account, the importance of startups and young companies on the economy becomes even more significant.
Enjoy the full piece here.
In a study from Cleveland State University, a report found that 127 young companies generated $270 million in economic benefits for Ohio in 2012 alone.
“The companies in the report -- a group comprised of businesses that successfully leveraged things such as business assistance or seed capital -- helped create and retain 1,100 in-state direct jobs (with a total Ohio employment impact of 2,140). In the last three years, these very young companies are already contributing significantly -- more than $688 million -- to Ohio’s economy.”
The story goes on to discuss that the figures only represent a small portion of development in the region and do not encompass all of Northeast Ohio. Taking that into account, the importance of startups and young companies on the economy becomes even more significant.
Enjoy the full piece here.
From Gordon Square to North Collinwood, a definite shift is occurring among young homebuyers, who increasingly are choosing to raise families in the city. Thanks to phenomenal amenities and a growing roster of good schools, Cleveland is becoming downright kid-friendly!
Currently, visitors to the Carnegie-West branch of the Cleveland Public Library find an underutilized park across the street. But soon they'll stumble upon a literary wonderland of peanut butter sandwich boats with sails, spaghetti tubes and a stone soup mural.
Inspired by children's books, a love of reading and the ambition to bring families and community members together, Literary Lots will kick off Saturday, August 3rd in Novak Park in Ohio City and run for two consecutive weeks.
"This idea started with saying, 'We have a great anchor in the library, books are inspiring and we want an educated, engaged community,'" says Kauser Razvi, an Ohio City parent who has served as Project Manager for Literary Lots. "Tons of kids come to the library. Let's do this work together and offer it in a single place."
"Hopefully soon, the park is a place where people stop and say, 'What are those three sandwich boats doing there?' says Razvi, an urban strategist. "Then they want to come in and take part in a poetry slam or start doing some spaghetti art."
Programming will be offered daily at Novak Park, which is located north of Lorain on W. 38th, including art and writing events, author nights and movie nights.
The idea behind the event is to engage kids and families in reading and building a sense of community together. "The city needs to do more things for kids and families, because that's how you're going to help the city grow," says Razvi.
Project partners include Cleveland Public Library, Ohio City Writers, Art House and LAND Studio. Funders include The Cleveland Colectivo, Councilman Joe Cimperman, Neighborhood Connections and the George Gund Foundation.
Literary Lots will kick off this Saturday with community mural painting with artist Julia Kuo. Community members will help illustrate the classic story Stone Soup.
Source: Kauser Razvi
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Inspired by children's books, a love of reading and the ambition to bring families and community members together, Literary Lots will kick off Saturday, August 3rd in Novak Park in Ohio City and run for two consecutive weeks.
"This idea started with saying, 'We have a great anchor in the library, books are inspiring and we want an educated, engaged community,'" says Kauser Razvi, an Ohio City parent who has served as Project Manager for Literary Lots. "Tons of kids come to the library. Let's do this work together and offer it in a single place."
"Hopefully soon, the park is a place where people stop and say, 'What are those three sandwich boats doing there?' says Razvi, an urban strategist. "Then they want to come in and take part in a poetry slam or start doing some spaghetti art."
Programming will be offered daily at Novak Park, which is located north of Lorain on W. 38th, including art and writing events, author nights and movie nights.
The idea behind the event is to engage kids and families in reading and building a sense of community together. "The city needs to do more things for kids and families, because that's how you're going to help the city grow," says Razvi.
Project partners include Cleveland Public Library, Ohio City Writers, Art House and LAND Studio. Funders include The Cleveland Colectivo, Councilman Joe Cimperman, Neighborhood Connections and the George Gund Foundation.
Literary Lots will kick off this Saturday with community mural painting with artist Julia Kuo. Community members will help illustrate the classic story Stone Soup.
Source: Kauser Razvi
Writer: Lee Chilcote
weekend escape plan for cleveland
In its regularly occurring travel feature "The Five-Point Weekend Escape Plan," New York magazine highlighted a contemporary arts-focused trip to Cleveland. Titled "See Cutting-Edge Contemporary Art in Cleveland," the article touches on where to stay, where to eat, what to do and other insider tips.
"This Rust Belt city is transforming into a thriving art hub thanks to two stunning new museum openings and a growing number of galleries," the article states.
Featured within is the Cleveland Hostel: "which feels more like a hipster haven than a grungy dorm."
Ginko: "Be wowed by extra-large cuts of exotic sushi."
The Transformer Station: "The original brickwork and chains contrast with a new addition made of dark-gray polished concrete, providing an industrial-chic setting for shows."
Steve's Lunch, "a 24-hour greasy spoon opened in 1953."
Explore the rest of the itinerary here.
"This Rust Belt city is transforming into a thriving art hub thanks to two stunning new museum openings and a growing number of galleries," the article states.
Featured within is the Cleveland Hostel: "which feels more like a hipster haven than a grungy dorm."
Ginko: "Be wowed by extra-large cuts of exotic sushi."
The Transformer Station: "The original brickwork and chains contrast with a new addition made of dark-gray polished concrete, providing an industrial-chic setting for shows."
Steve's Lunch, "a 24-hour greasy spoon opened in 1953."
Explore the rest of the itinerary here.
When Gordon Daily founded BoxCast in 2008 after a funeral director asked his business partners to create a way for family members to privately observe funeral services at his chapel, he had no idea the concept of simple, live streaming video would be so popular.
Today, business is booming, especially in the church and on athletic fields. BoxCast allows anyone with a camera to stream live video to BoxCast’s cloud-based service. Users can then watch the video anytime, anywhere.
“We have eclectic audiences looking to do things they’ve never been able to do before,” explains Daily. “It’s simple and affordable because no one has to be a technical expert to stream live video.”
With JumpStart’s recent $250,000 investment, things are moving even more quickly. “The JumpStart funding was the jump start of our company, it really was,” says Daily. “Until we had the funding, we couldn’t do what we really needed to do.”
What BoxCast needed to do was hire the right people to implement and market the company’s technology and build the right business relationships. “Now, it’s all happening,” says Daily. “The pieces are coming together. A lot of partnerships are coming together.”
Daily says a lot of high schools, colleges and churches are interested in BoxCast for their sporting events and other activities. But he says he’s also seen a lot of unique potential customers surfacing. “There are a lot of neat ideas -- interesting and unique entertainment venues that never had video,” he says. “People with specific, eclectic interests that didn’t realize they could do it.”
BoxCast has grown to 12 employees and Daily is looking for an administrative person to help around the office. To accommodate the growth, BoxCast recently moved into a 4,000-square-foot office at Burke Lakefront Airport.
Source: Gordon Daily
Writer: Karin Connelly
Today, business is booming, especially in the church and on athletic fields. BoxCast allows anyone with a camera to stream live video to BoxCast’s cloud-based service. Users can then watch the video anytime, anywhere.
“We have eclectic audiences looking to do things they’ve never been able to do before,” explains Daily. “It’s simple and affordable because no one has to be a technical expert to stream live video.”
With JumpStart’s recent $250,000 investment, things are moving even more quickly. “The JumpStart funding was the jump start of our company, it really was,” says Daily. “Until we had the funding, we couldn’t do what we really needed to do.”
What BoxCast needed to do was hire the right people to implement and market the company’s technology and build the right business relationships. “Now, it’s all happening,” says Daily. “The pieces are coming together. A lot of partnerships are coming together.”
Daily says a lot of high schools, colleges and churches are interested in BoxCast for their sporting events and other activities. But he says he’s also seen a lot of unique potential customers surfacing. “There are a lot of neat ideas -- interesting and unique entertainment venues that never had video,” he says. “People with specific, eclectic interests that didn’t realize they could do it.”
BoxCast has grown to 12 employees and Daily is looking for an administrative person to help around the office. To accommodate the growth, BoxCast recently moved into a 4,000-square-foot office at Burke Lakefront Airport.
Source: Gordon Daily
Writer: Karin Connelly
.jpg?s=lf)
Campbell's Sweets, a homegrown business that has three stands at the West Side Market and a store on W. 25th Street, is set to explode across Cleveland, with an additional shop in Lakewood, a production facility in Slavic Village and an east side store in the works.
"It's been two years this August since we opened the W. 25th Street store, and it's gone really well," says owner Jeff Campbell. "We predicted that we'd steal business from our market stands, but that hasn't happened. Last year, we grew 40 percent from 2011 to 2012. This year, we're headed to do that again."
In Lakewood, Campbell's will soon occupy a corner storefront at Detroit and Warren Roads. The 2,000-square-foot store will feature a tin ceiling, clay brick display wall, open production area and upcycled doors. The exterior will feature eye-catching new awnings with pictures of popcorn and cupcakes. Big storefront windows will allow passersby to see into the facility.
Campbell intends to open the store this fall. Although he's put a possible University Circle location on hold until he proves out the Lakewood store, he's actively looking for a production facility on Fleet Avenue in Slavic Village. "We're outgrowing our W. 25th space and it's challenging to keep up," he says. "We can still double our production, but we're headed to five to six times our production in the next 12 to 18 months. Fleet Avenue has us very intrigued because of the redevelopment happening there in 2014 [with the streetscape]."
Campbell's also now sells its popcorn in seven Giant Eagle stores, where it's visibly displayed in the fruit and produce area. Yet the Market District of Ohio City always will remain home. "Ohio City is the nucleus and we grow out," he says. "We're not going to go way out [into the suburbs] until we've saturated our market here."
Source: Jeff Campbell
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"It's been two years this August since we opened the W. 25th Street store, and it's gone really well," says owner Jeff Campbell. "We predicted that we'd steal business from our market stands, but that hasn't happened. Last year, we grew 40 percent from 2011 to 2012. This year, we're headed to do that again."
In Lakewood, Campbell's will soon occupy a corner storefront at Detroit and Warren Roads. The 2,000-square-foot store will feature a tin ceiling, clay brick display wall, open production area and upcycled doors. The exterior will feature eye-catching new awnings with pictures of popcorn and cupcakes. Big storefront windows will allow passersby to see into the facility.
Campbell intends to open the store this fall. Although he's put a possible University Circle location on hold until he proves out the Lakewood store, he's actively looking for a production facility on Fleet Avenue in Slavic Village. "We're outgrowing our W. 25th space and it's challenging to keep up," he says. "We can still double our production, but we're headed to five to six times our production in the next 12 to 18 months. Fleet Avenue has us very intrigued because of the redevelopment happening there in 2014 [with the streetscape]."
Campbell's also now sells its popcorn in seven Giant Eagle stores, where it's visibly displayed in the fruit and produce area. Yet the Market District of Ohio City always will remain home. "Ohio City is the nucleus and we grow out," he says. "We're not going to go way out [into the suburbs] until we've saturated our market here."
Source: Jeff Campbell
Writer: Lee Chilcote
After more than a two year wait and construction of its very own building, the Cleveland Clinic took delivery of and installed an A-7 Tesla full-body MRI on Friday. It is the only one of its kind in Northeast Ohio, and one of only about a dozen in the country.
While the 1.5 Tesla MRI is more common, and the Clinic even has several 3 Tesla MRIs, the 7 Tesla provides a better look, even down to the cellular level. “It has special resolution where we can actually see much finer detail than a 3 Tesla or 1.5 Tesla,” says Mark Lowe, director of high field MRI at the Clinic. “With this higher special resolution you can see things you’ve never seen before.”
The MRI will be used for neuroscience research into disorders such a multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s. The finer detail will allow researchers to see focal dysplasia in epilepsy patients, or greater vascular detail in angiography. The acquisition of the new machine created two new jobs, with the potential for more future jobs with grant funding.
“The bottom line is, for years MRI has been very good at imaging soft tissue contrast, but it’s not as good in spatial resolution,” says Lowe. “This provides that spatial resolution.”
It was no easy task to get the 40-ton machine to Cleveland. Lowe and his team secured funding for the $10.5 million endeavor two and a half years ago. It was scheduled for delivery in December. But a shortage of helium, which is used to cool the MRI magnet, caused further delays.
The 7 Tesla is housed in a specially constructed building next to the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis. The roof was lifted off the building to lower the MRI into place, which also comes with 350 miles of superconducting wire.
Source: Mark Lowe
Writer: Karin Connelly
While the 1.5 Tesla MRI is more common, and the Clinic even has several 3 Tesla MRIs, the 7 Tesla provides a better look, even down to the cellular level. “It has special resolution where we can actually see much finer detail than a 3 Tesla or 1.5 Tesla,” says Mark Lowe, director of high field MRI at the Clinic. “With this higher special resolution you can see things you’ve never seen before.”
The MRI will be used for neuroscience research into disorders such a multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s. The finer detail will allow researchers to see focal dysplasia in epilepsy patients, or greater vascular detail in angiography. The acquisition of the new machine created two new jobs, with the potential for more future jobs with grant funding.
“The bottom line is, for years MRI has been very good at imaging soft tissue contrast, but it’s not as good in spatial resolution,” says Lowe. “This provides that spatial resolution.”
It was no easy task to get the 40-ton machine to Cleveland. Lowe and his team secured funding for the $10.5 million endeavor two and a half years ago. It was scheduled for delivery in December. But a shortage of helium, which is used to cool the MRI magnet, caused further delays.
The 7 Tesla is housed in a specially constructed building next to the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis. The roof was lifted off the building to lower the MRI into place, which also comes with 350 miles of superconducting wire.
Source: Mark Lowe
Writer: Karin Connelly
City of Cleveland officials and non-profit leaders are taking notice of how an improved cycling infrastructure can reshape the future of our city for the better. How the city proceeds with a handful or projects could make or break our momentum.
For 10 years, my husband and I have called Ohio City home, where we are now raising our three young children. This summer, Team Taseff created a “Cleveland Summer Bucket List,” which includes 10 places and activities to explore in Cleveland that are free, fun and close to home.
John Farina and Adam Tully have been collecting art for years, and like many collectors, they've always wanted to open a gallery to showcase work of artists they love. That idea will become a reality next month as The Maria Neil Art Project opens up on Waterloo.
"There are a lot of artists in Cleveland who are either unrepresented or underrepresented," says Farina, who also recently bought a home in North Collinwood with Tully. "This work should be known. Having a space with low overhead, we can show off emerging artists that haven't been shown off before."
The cozy gallery at 15813 Waterloo will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting September 6th. The first exhibition will feature artist Michaelangelo Lovelace, known for his gritty, whimsical portraits of street life in the city. Frameworks in Bedford, a framing shop, will offer framing in the space.
Farina says that the Waterloo Arts District is definitely becoming known as a good community for artists, with multiple galleries now located on the street, artists buying houses in the neighborhood and arts groups setting up shop here.
Source: John Farina
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"There are a lot of artists in Cleveland who are either unrepresented or underrepresented," says Farina, who also recently bought a home in North Collinwood with Tully. "This work should be known. Having a space with low overhead, we can show off emerging artists that haven't been shown off before."
The cozy gallery at 15813 Waterloo will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting September 6th. The first exhibition will feature artist Michaelangelo Lovelace, known for his gritty, whimsical portraits of street life in the city. Frameworks in Bedford, a framing shop, will offer framing in the space.
Farina says that the Waterloo Arts District is definitely becoming known as a good community for artists, with multiple galleries now located on the street, artists buying houses in the neighborhood and arts groups setting up shop here.
Source: John Farina
Writer: Lee Chilcote
npr takes close look at cleveland's image
In an NPR story titled “Making Sense Of Cleveland’s Good And Bad News,” Nick Castele writes of the national attention Cleveland has gotten due to its recent high-profile crimes.
Castele shares Colette Jones of Positively Cleveland’s thoughts on our fair city as she states, "I think most people have outdated perceptions of Cleveland. Most people don't really know much about the city. I think the things they see typically relate back to what they see on television, whether it has to do with our sports teams or something else like that."
While some feel a changed image will be the entire fix Cleveland needs to become a booming town again, others are not so optimistic. Focus still needs to be placed on poverty, vacancy, and dwindling populations.
Check out the full feature here.
Castele shares Colette Jones of Positively Cleveland’s thoughts on our fair city as she states, "I think most people have outdated perceptions of Cleveland. Most people don't really know much about the city. I think the things they see typically relate back to what they see on television, whether it has to do with our sports teams or something else like that."
While some feel a changed image will be the entire fix Cleveland needs to become a booming town again, others are not so optimistic. Focus still needs to be placed on poverty, vacancy, and dwindling populations.
Check out the full feature here.
university circle development praised in ny times
In a New York Times travel story titled “Culture Blooms in Cleveland,” Ceil Miller Bouchet writes of Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood and how it is experiencing a “cultural renaissance” of sorts.
“More art-centric expansion is to come, with the Cleveland Institute of Art breaking ground last month on the 80,000-square-foot George Gund Building, which will house the Cinematheque art-house film theater as well as galleries and classrooms.”
Bouchet goes on to explain it is not just large-scale expansion that is causing this revival but also a thriving business district and refurbished galleries mixed in with city icons such as the Cleveland Clinic, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Botanical Garden, and Severance Hall.
Check out the full tribute to the neighborhood here.
“More art-centric expansion is to come, with the Cleveland Institute of Art breaking ground last month on the 80,000-square-foot George Gund Building, which will house the Cinematheque art-house film theater as well as galleries and classrooms.”
Bouchet goes on to explain it is not just large-scale expansion that is causing this revival but also a thriving business district and refurbished galleries mixed in with city icons such as the Cleveland Clinic, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Botanical Garden, and Severance Hall.
Check out the full tribute to the neighborhood here.
Over the next few months, a handful of next-gen businesses will begin to open in the Striebinger Block, a prominent building at the intersection of Detroit and W. 29th. Billed as the Hingetown development, the project will act as the hinge between existing Cleveland assets like Ohio City, Gordon Square, and downtown.
huffpo calls attention to cle-area national park
In a Huffington Post travel feature titled “America’s Best Secret National Parks,” writer Alex Pasquariello explores the top national parks not named Yosemetie, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and the Great Smoky Mountains.
“While the masses migrate to the most popular destinations, smart travelers can have the lesser-known (not necessarily smaller: Wrangell-St. Elias is bigger than Switzerland) parks all to themselves. Many offer comparable scenery, and you can avoid traffic, lines and other impediments to enjoyment.”
Cuyahoga Valley National Park ranks among the top parks in the country due to its scenic hiking trails, 15-foot waterfall, and 20,339 acres that follow along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron.
Enjoy the full story here.
“While the masses migrate to the most popular destinations, smart travelers can have the lesser-known (not necessarily smaller: Wrangell-St. Elias is bigger than Switzerland) parks all to themselves. Many offer comparable scenery, and you can avoid traffic, lines and other impediments to enjoyment.”
Cuyahoga Valley National Park ranks among the top parks in the country due to its scenic hiking trails, 15-foot waterfall, and 20,339 acres that follow along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron.
Enjoy the full story here.
OnShift, which produces staff scheduling software for the healthcare and senior living industries, recently made new additions to its software to comply with Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements. The ACA, which goes into effect in 2014, puts penalties on companies that mismanage employee’s part-time and full-time hours. OnShift’s new predictive analytics helps employers keep better track of employees’ hours.
“Labor is the number-one operating expense for employers,” explains OnShift CEO Mark Woodka. “Companies have to really understand what is full-time and what is part-time. If they don’t, they may accidentally assign someone too much work and part-time becomes full-time, which leads to penalties and additional coverage requirements under the ACA.”
The upgrade is free to existing OnShift customers. “Our commitment to our customers is to keep them current about impending legislation,” says Woodka.
Business is booming for OnShift because of the new updates to its systems and the ACA requirements. “We’ve already won some business because of this and we think it will be a trigger event for other customers,’ says Woodka. “We’re having a great year and we’re growing like gangbusters.”
Woodka predicts OnShift will hire 10 to 15 new employees this year. The company has already added three positions this year and currently has five open in positions in everything from customer service to developers.
Source: Mark Woodka
Writer: Karin Connelly
“Labor is the number-one operating expense for employers,” explains OnShift CEO Mark Woodka. “Companies have to really understand what is full-time and what is part-time. If they don’t, they may accidentally assign someone too much work and part-time becomes full-time, which leads to penalties and additional coverage requirements under the ACA.”
The upgrade is free to existing OnShift customers. “Our commitment to our customers is to keep them current about impending legislation,” says Woodka.
Business is booming for OnShift because of the new updates to its systems and the ACA requirements. “We’ve already won some business because of this and we think it will be a trigger event for other customers,’ says Woodka. “We’re having a great year and we’re growing like gangbusters.”
Woodka predicts OnShift will hire 10 to 15 new employees this year. The company has already added three positions this year and currently has five open in positions in everything from customer service to developers.
Source: Mark Woodka
Writer: Karin Connelly
Palo Alto-based Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) recently invested $66 million in Beachwood-based TOA Technologies, the largest ever venture-backed investment in an Ohio software company and the fourth largest of its kind in the nation last year.
TOA, which provides on-demand mobile workforce management solutions, began looking for investors about a year ago as part of its long-term growth plan. “We were looking at our ability to meet the opportunity ahead of us,” explains John Opdycke, vice president of worldwide marketing for TOA. “More and more companies are looking to manage their mobile employees, and more and more companies are depending on mobile employees to be the face of the company. Now we’re better prepared for rapid growth.”
In January TOA executives began talking to several investment firms. TOA had TCV on their short list, and TCV was looking for investment opportunities in the mobile workforce management industry. Founded in 2003, TOA has steadily grown. Prior to TCV’s investment, TOA announced its cumulative annual contract value had increased 444 percent from 2008 to 2012 and doubled its customers from 2011 to 2012. Additionally, the company developed strategic partnerships and successfully launched a new product, ETAdirect Professional.
The investment will go toward all aspects of the business, Opdycke says, including R&D, marketing and hiring. “Department heads are already talking about their hiring plans,” he says. TOA has 56 employees in Cleveland and expects to expand to 80 by the end of the year. Globally, TOA expects to increase employees from 450 to 600. “We’ll have an immediate uptick in the next six months and that will probably continue into 2013.”
Additionally, Opdycke sees the investment as good for Northeast Ohio. “It’s great to see a big VC looking outside Silicon Valley for investments,” he says. “We are more than happy to carry the light for other companies to look for investments outside the region. Such an infusion of cash in Northeast Ohio shows these things can happen in our part of the country.”
Source: John Opdycke
Writer: Karin Connelly
TOA, which provides on-demand mobile workforce management solutions, began looking for investors about a year ago as part of its long-term growth plan. “We were looking at our ability to meet the opportunity ahead of us,” explains John Opdycke, vice president of worldwide marketing for TOA. “More and more companies are looking to manage their mobile employees, and more and more companies are depending on mobile employees to be the face of the company. Now we’re better prepared for rapid growth.”
In January TOA executives began talking to several investment firms. TOA had TCV on their short list, and TCV was looking for investment opportunities in the mobile workforce management industry. Founded in 2003, TOA has steadily grown. Prior to TCV’s investment, TOA announced its cumulative annual contract value had increased 444 percent from 2008 to 2012 and doubled its customers from 2011 to 2012. Additionally, the company developed strategic partnerships and successfully launched a new product, ETAdirect Professional.
The investment will go toward all aspects of the business, Opdycke says, including R&D, marketing and hiring. “Department heads are already talking about their hiring plans,” he says. TOA has 56 employees in Cleveland and expects to expand to 80 by the end of the year. Globally, TOA expects to increase employees from 450 to 600. “We’ll have an immediate uptick in the next six months and that will probably continue into 2013.”
Additionally, Opdycke sees the investment as good for Northeast Ohio. “It’s great to see a big VC looking outside Silicon Valley for investments,” he says. “We are more than happy to carry the light for other companies to look for investments outside the region. Such an infusion of cash in Northeast Ohio shows these things can happen in our part of the country.”
Source: John Opdycke
Writer: Karin Connelly
Cleveland has a proud and colorful comic book legacy, which begins with Superman and ends (for now) with Captain America. And that heroic heritage is taken seriously at local comic book shops, where geek is chic and comic book enthusiasts no longer are relegated to the shadowy corners of what's cool.
The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium (NEOSCC) has mapped out what our region's future looks like if we stay on the same, urban-sprawl-lovin' course. Spoiler alert: It ain't good.
The group's "Business as Usual" scenario attempts to answer the question, "What will happen over the next 27 years if Northeast Ohio just keeps doing what it has been doing?" using sophisticated mapping.
NEOSCC's predictions include 2.4 percent growth in population and 6.2 percent growth in employment across 12 counties. Yet given our current land use patterns, about 92,500 acres will be used for new development and 77,100 acres will be abandoned.
That means Northeast Ohio is "on pace to abandon 10.5 percent of its housing units by 2040" or "18 units abandoned per day," according to the NEOSCC.
Although NEOSCC will not reveal its recommendations at this point, staff will present four scenarios to the public at open houses in the coming weeks.
These scenarios include "business as usual" (sprawl with limited growth), "doing things differently" (more sustainable development with limited growth), "grow the same" (sprawl with growth at a higher level than is occurring now) and "grow differently" (more sustainable development with greater growth).
After receiving input from residents, NEOSCC will recommend a scenario to the four metropolitan planning organizations that help divvy up transportation dollars for the region and create long-term land use plans. Jeff Anderle of NEOSCC says that the group must create a "shared vision" to be successful with its efforts.
"We're not a governing organization; we don't have implementation power," he says. "It's been tricky, but we've gotten great participation from elected officials throughout the region. There's a lot of 'Let's see how and where this comes out.'"
To participate in the process, Northeast Ohio residents can attend one of the upcoming open houses or check out the Imagine My NEO tool on the website.
Source: Jeff Anderle
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The group's "Business as Usual" scenario attempts to answer the question, "What will happen over the next 27 years if Northeast Ohio just keeps doing what it has been doing?" using sophisticated mapping.
NEOSCC's predictions include 2.4 percent growth in population and 6.2 percent growth in employment across 12 counties. Yet given our current land use patterns, about 92,500 acres will be used for new development and 77,100 acres will be abandoned.
That means Northeast Ohio is "on pace to abandon 10.5 percent of its housing units by 2040" or "18 units abandoned per day," according to the NEOSCC.
Although NEOSCC will not reveal its recommendations at this point, staff will present four scenarios to the public at open houses in the coming weeks.
These scenarios include "business as usual" (sprawl with limited growth), "doing things differently" (more sustainable development with limited growth), "grow the same" (sprawl with growth at a higher level than is occurring now) and "grow differently" (more sustainable development with greater growth).
After receiving input from residents, NEOSCC will recommend a scenario to the four metropolitan planning organizations that help divvy up transportation dollars for the region and create long-term land use plans. Jeff Anderle of NEOSCC says that the group must create a "shared vision" to be successful with its efforts.
"We're not a governing organization; we don't have implementation power," he says. "It's been tricky, but we've gotten great participation from elected officials throughout the region. There's a lot of 'Let's see how and where this comes out.'"
To participate in the process, Northeast Ohio residents can attend one of the upcoming open houses or check out the Imagine My NEO tool on the website.
Source: Jeff Anderle
Writer: Lee Chilcote