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tribe's snow days hailed as 'best solution yet' for empty stadium
"There's only one thing more depressing come October than the end of baseball season: the sight of an empty ballpark," Emily Badger writes for The Atlantic. "It's a bitter scene for baseball lovers. But it’s an economic conundrum for cities, too."

Noting that most cities with both pro baseball and football teams now possess separate stadiums for each, the article points out the economic imprudence of multimillion dollar structures that attract tourists just 81 days out of the year.

But what to do with an open-air baseball stadium in the Midwest in mid-winter? the writer asks rhetorically.

"Progressive Field in Cleveland may have come up with the best solution yet to the empty ballpark. Last year for the first time, the team converted the field into a vast winter playground," says the writer, referring to Snow Days.

“When you have lemons, you make lemonade,” says the Cleveland Indians' Kurt Schloss. “In our particular case, we wanted to embrace the cold, embrace Northeast Ohio, because that’s what it is. You can’t put up palm trees and hope for sand.”

New this year is an ice rink that will host youth hockey tournaments and the Jan. 15 marquee matchup between Ohio State and the University of Michigan, which is expected to sell-out of the stadium.

"This is really kind of a brand new concept, it’s taking it into a wholly new dimension,” says Joe Marinucci from Downtown Cleveland Alliance. “I can’t imagine why a franchise would not want to use a facility like this,” he says, “when normally it would be dormant for four or five months.”

Read the rest of the report here.
cleveland clinic unveils top 10 medical innovations for 2012
Unveiled during the recent 2011 Medical Innovation Summit, the Cleveland Clinic announced the Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2012. The list of breakthrough devices and therapies was selected by a panel of Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists.
 
Nominated innovations were required to: Have significant potential for short-term clinical impact; Have a high probability of success; Be on the market or close to being introduced; Have sufficient data available to support its nomination.
 
Among them are:
 
Genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce disease threat.
 
Novel diabetes therapy that represents a paradigm shift in diabetes treatment.
 
Harnessing big data to improve heath care.
 
Active bionic prosthesis with microprocessors and computer chips that can rival the functionality provided by biological limbs.
 
Implantable devices to treat complex brain aneurysms.
 
Next-generation gene sequencing to get to the root cause of serious illness.
 
Medical apps for mobile devices.
 
Concussion management system for athletes that provide patient-specific guidance about when athletes can return to play without risk of further harm.
 
CT Scans for early detection of lung cancer.

Read the full report here.
 
u.s. undersecretary of commerce, frank lavin to speak tonight at union club
The Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA) will once again be hosting former U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce, Frank Lavin tonight in its speaker series at the Union Club of Cleveland. Lavin, who recently co-published the book "Export Now," will talk about strategies for success in exporting to a global market.
 
“He is a great speaker and a great resource for organizations in the area,” says Jana Krasney, director of speaker programs for CCWA. “What Frank Lavin says in his book is that small and mid-sized companies are hesitant to go global because they might not think they have the resources, but they do and it’s very important.”
 
As chairman of public affairs for Edelman Asia Pacific, Lavin has worked with over 2,000 US companies to formulate export strategies. His talk will center on five keys to going global, in particular in the Asian market. “Lavin points out that US exports to China have grown tremendously in the last decade,” says Krasney. Tonight he will share his knowledge and expertise with companies and individuals interested in tapping that market.
 
CCWA is expecting about 50 to 75 participants in tonight’s presentation. Krasney says intentionally keep the audience small for plenty of one-on-one participation. “Lavin always stays to make sure people who want to ask specific questions will have an opportunity to do so,” she says.
 
The cost is $20 for members, $30 for non-members and $10 for students. People can registers on CCWA’s website. Registration begins at 6 p.m., followed by the program at 6:15 p.m. and a reception.

 
Source: Jana Krasney
Writer: Karin Connelly
new deal with texas instruments leads linestream to 'double in size by next year'
LineStream Technologies is growing by leaps and bounds in the automated software control market. The company was created in 2008 as a spinoff out of research done by CSU’s Zhiqiang Gao, director of the Center for Advanced Control Technologies and focuses on commercializing and simplifying control software.
 
Basically, LineStream products increase efficiency, are easy to implement, and therefore improve the performance of automated systems.
 
“Any product using a motor, we look to improve energy efficiency and life of that motor,” explains David Neundorfer, LineStream president. “We simplify the design process and lop off weeks of [development].”
 
The company is getting attention from some of the major players in the automation industry. They just licensed their software to Texas Instruments. “We’re going to be putting software in a chip platform in motor and motion controls,” explains Neundorfer.
 
The deal adds to the company’s rapid growth. “It’s very exciting and a large deal for us,” says Neundorfer. “Some of the larger companies in the industrial space are interested in our technology.”
 
LineStream has grown to five employees this year, expects to be at eight to 10 by the end of the year, and double in size again next year. “We’re hiring and ramping up to establish a relationship with Texas Instruments.”

 
Source: David Neundorfer
Writer: Karin Connelly
yp nation unites young professionals, gives them a voice
Justin Bibb, special assistant for education and economic development for Cuyahoga County executive Ed FitzGerald, was looking for a way to make sure his generation is heard in the business world. That’s when he founded YP Nation, a group of young professionals who want to play an active role in the nation’s policies and views.
 
“There’s a movement as baby boomers retire to engage millennials,” Bibb says of his generation. “Rarely is our voice elevated.” Today he is regional director of YP Nation, encouraging other young professionals to get involved and make their voices heard.
 
Founded in 2009, YP Nation has 3,000 members nationwide and access to half a million people through networking groups. Membership gives access to resources, information and services to help advance the next generation.
 
“Our core goal is to give young professionals a voice," says Michael Eisenstadt, the organization’s president. “There’s a lot of structural imbalance out there and we think it’s important for young people to get together and voice their ideas. The more we can get involved, the better it is for everyone.”
 
YP Nation’s website is chock full of articles and blogs meant to empower its readers to take action and make a change.

“These are tough times,” says Eisenstadt. “We just want more opportunity. Our goal is to coalesce this voice from younger Americans.”
 
Additionally, for $99 a year, members can get a YP Rewards card, which gives holders more than $3,500 in discounts on things that serve the young professional lifestyle.
 

Source: Michael Eisenstadt and Justin Bibb
Writer: Karin Connelly
as imageiq finds niche in medical imaging field, staff jumps from 4 to 8
Although just barely eight months old, ImageIQ has found a niche in the medical imaging field. The company, which is a spinoff of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, takes a qualitative approach to diagnostic imaging.
 
“Anybody who acquires an image during a bio-science event, it’s a subjective process for anyone who looks at that image,” says ImageIQ CEO Tim Kulbago. “We build custom solutions to get quantitative scientific data.”
 
Kulbago likens ImageIQ’s capabilities to a police officer’s speed radar gun. Without it, people in the medical industry are just estimating their findings. The company has three areas of expertise: pharmaceutical, medical devices and research.
 
While the company still is in its infancy, the folks behind the research at Image IQ have years of experience.  “We feel like we’re on the leading edge of actual medical imaging,” says Kulbago. “Our team has been doing this for over 10 years.  Now we’re taking the idea of this service to market.”
 
ImageIQ has developed working relationships with NASA, MIT and, most recently, Anderson Orthopaedic Research Institute (AORI) to enhance the ongoing joint replacement research. ImageIQ and AORI will apply state-of-the-art 3D imaging analytics to improve the assessment of the structural integrity and performance of various biomaterials in orthopedic implant wear studies.
 
ImageIQ has grown from four people on staff to eight in just eight months. “Now were at a point where word is starting to get out,” says Kulbago. They are prepared to grow as the company grows. Kulbago plans to host a webinar in November, “60 in 60: Speed Dating for Imaging Analytics,” which has already produced significant interest.

 
Source: Tim Kulbago
Writer: Karin Connelly
what's working in cities: placemaking
As an approach to planning, designing and managing public spaces, “placemaking” is gaining momentum across the country. This strategy gives local residents a voice in shaping new development so that addresses their needs as opposed to those of the developers. Simply put, placemaking is likely the best path to improving a neighborhood, city or region.
fresh crop: the making of a restaurant
For just shy of three years, Crop Bistro & Bar attracted diners to its Warehouse District home, where chef Steve Schimoler wowed them with creative American gems. That all ended last spring when Schimoler decided to transplant his Crop to Ohio City. How could he not, he said, after first laying eyes upon the old bank space that could -- and would -- be his restaurant's new home. After months of construction -- all followed by Fresh Water shooter Bob Perkoski -- Crop Bistro opens its doors tonight and begins the next chapter of its delicious existence.
cleveland public art and parkworks merge to form land studio
Two prominent local nonprofit organizations, Cleveland Public Art and Parkworks, have announced plans to merge and form LAND Studio. If the organization's new name sounds like that of an edgy architect's studio, that may be no coincidence. LAND Studio hopes to foster great public spaces in Cleveland by leading civic conversations about design and urban planning.

According to a press release, the mission of the new nonprofit organization will be "to create places and connect people through public art, sustainable building and design, collaborative planning and dynamic programming." LAND is actually an acronym that stands for landscape, arts, neighborhood and development.

The merger is the logical outgrowth of a decade-long history of the two groups working together, says Ann Zoller, the current Executive Director of Parkworks and the new Executive Director of LAND Studio. Ultimately, it will make the combined organization more impactful, thus benefiting Cleveland.

"There's huge potential for an organization that has a wider berth than just public art and public spaces," says Zoller. "This is an important time for Cleveland, and we can help leverage the investment being spent by helping the city and developers to look at placemaking from holistic, forward-thinking perspective."

Talk of a merger began several years ago when the two groups created Building Cleveland by Design, an effort to infuse sustainable, public-oriented design into large development projects in Cleveland. That project led Parkworks to become heavily involved in making the Flats East Bank project more sustainable. Parkworks also helped to acquire a former railway bed in the Flats that proved critical in creating a public trail leading to the Towpath Trail and Lake Erie.

Among the projects that Zoller plans to address with Land Studio are the reuse of vacant land in city neighborhoods, green infrastructure projects led by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) and Flats redevelopment.

Yet another opportunity is the work of the Group Plan Commission, says Zoller, an effort to help create more vibrant public spaces on the Malls downtown.

"This merger will allow us to take our agenda -- the importance of investing in connections, anchor public spaces and downtown as an attraction in and of itself -- and really lead," says Zoller.

The new offices of LAND Studio will be at 1939 West 25th Street in Ohio City.


Source: Ann Zoller
Writer: Lee Chilcote
statewide tour shows off growing power of green energy
The ninth annual Green Energy Ohio Tour, held last weekend at 260 businesses and homes across the state, featured more than 160 solar, wind and green energy projects in Northeast Ohio. Yet while education was the tour's primary goal, it also communicated a critical, attention-grabbing memo to policymakers: this fast-growing industry is driving development and job creation in Ohio.

"With some of our legislators currently doubting the value of renewable energy, our tour sent a very strong message," says Bill Spratley, Executive Director of Green Energy Ohio. "The green energy industry is about creating jobs, and that seems to be one thing that resonates with this administration."

The renewable energy, energy efficiency and green design projects on the tour created or retained more than 2,000 jobs, according to the Ohio Energy Resources Division. In the first quarter of 2011, Ohio was also ranked number two among U.S. states in solar panel and wind turbine parts production.

Spratley says that large projects such as Lincoln Electric's wind turbine, as well as the growing number of homes and commercial businesses using solar panels to slash their energy bills, reveal an industry that's finally gaining traction.

"People now understand green energy, and they're going from 'curious' to 'serious,'" says Spratley. "We see people taking notes, particularly at solar homes, and then a year or two later I'll see them with their own solar homes."

Spratley added that Cleveland has "really stepped up" since the American Solar Energy Society brought its national conference -- and 5,000 people -- here in 2006. "People were very impressed with the enthusiasm in Cleveland," he says. "Now we have solar panels on Progressive Field, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Cleveland Musem of Art and many other locations."

Among the many Northeast Ohio projects featured on the 2011 tour were the Lincoln Electric wind turbine, Rockefeller Park Solar Demonstration, PNC SmartHome and Joseph McCullough Building at the Cleveland Institute of Art.


Source: Bill Spratley
Writer: Lee Chilcote
young artists beautify graffiti-tagged corner in ohio city
A group of teenage artists have cleaned up graffiti, added a fresh coat of paint and installed a large, colorful mural entitled "Waterworks" on a long vacant gas station at West 45th and Detroit Avenue in Ohio City. The artwork, which was created by the nonprofit Building Bridges Arts Collaborative, aims to raise awareness of water pollution issues in Cleveland and create job opportunities for local youth. 

"We wanted to take something that is spoiled, raise it onto the wall and transform it into something beautiful," says Katherine Chilcote, Executive Director of Building Bridges, who created the mural based on photographs of water in everyday life such as car windshields, sewer grates and oily puddles in parking lots. "We focused on this site because it needed beautification."

The former BP gas station was tagged with graffiti, littered with trash and poorly maintained when it was selected as the site for the Waterworks mural. Chilcote, local youth and volunteers from St. Paul's Community Church removed 10 bags of trash and painted over the graffiti. Provenzale Construction at 4529 Detroit donated labor to install the mural on their building and the former BP. 

The mural project started in 2010, when Chilcote began working with the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization and the Cleveland Police Department to map locations where crime, graffiti and abandoned buildings were most prevalent. The corner of Detroit and West 45th naturally stood out.  
 
"The building was constantly being tagged," says Chilcote. "There's also a bus stop there, so we knew it was a high-traffic area that needed to be improved."  
 
Waterworks was inspired by 19th-century maps of local watersheds. After researching the area's buried creek beds, Chilcote dreamed of ways to artistically 'free' these waterways. Waterworks uses images of water runoff shaped by its urban environment to explore the beauty and degradation of water in Cleveland.

Although not quite as flashy as the 300-foot cranes that now hover over downtown, thanks to the Flats East Bank and Med Mart projects, Chilcote says her program provides paid internships and job training for youth.
 
"It's really another form of economic development," she says. "The kids that worked on this mural are saying, 'We're taking this corner back.' Through the process, they learn to see their community in a new way."


Source: Katherine Chilcote
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Disclosure: Katherine Chilcote is the writer's sister.
local filmmaker johnny wu unveils superman fan film
It took local filmmaker Johnny Wu roughly nine months to produce &quot;S: A Superman Fan Film,&quot; an 18-minute tribute to the Cleveland-born Man of Steel.<br />
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&quot;We did it cause we wanted to pay tribute to our Cleveland born hero Superman,&quot; Wu says.<br />
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The lengthy process required about three to four months in preproduction, four and a half days of shooting, and about five months in post-production, explain Wu, who acted as director, producer, and editor on the movie.<br />
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Wu says that he will be submitting the live-action comic book film to several festivals that accept fan films.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SDADP0MLZHQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
short film is entered for 'changing your city for the better' contest
For the "Changing Your City for the Better" contest, Siemens asked people to create short videos that explore how improvements in sustainability, energy supply, urban infrastructure and mobility can change a city for the better.
 
Working under very tight deadlines, local filmmakers Joe Baur and Dave Kiss produced this extremely insightful short film.
 
"We found out about the contest pretty late and, long story short, had only 48 hours to put the project together," says Baur. "We're very grateful that Mary McCahon, Ken Prendergast and Will Tarter, Jr. were able to fit us in at the last minute. Not to mention grateful to the Healthline for showing up pretty much every time we needed it to!"
 
Winners will be selected in the next few weeks, with prizes ranging from $550 to $15,000.

cle to host 2011 individual world poetry slam
Held in Cleveland October 12 through 15, the Individual World Poetry Slam (iWPS) is a performance poetry tournament designed for individual competition. Poets from all over the world meet and compete in a multi-day performance poetry contest.
 
For more info, click here.
cleveland clinic's cole eye institute receives $3m endowed chair
Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute received a $3 million gift from Barbara and A. Malachi Mixon III in recognition of the sight-saving care Mr. Mixon received at the Institute.

The gift establishes the Barbara and A. Malachi Mixon III Institute Chair in Ophthalmology. Daniel F. Martin, MD, Chairman of Cole Eye Institute, is being honored as the first physician to hold the newly established chair. As chair holder, Dr. Martin will continue his research initiatives to better understand eye diseases and to pioneer new treatments.

“We are grateful for the generosity of the Mixon family,” Dr. Martin said. “This gift will provide resources to advance our research efforts, including increasing involvement in clinical trials and serving as a catalyst for cutting-edge research programs.”

Read the rest of the good news here.
cle met zoo's 'dub the cubs' contest a smash
In the popular "Dub the Cubs" campaign, fans of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo were asked to vote on one female name and one male name each from a list of five potential choices. The names were selected by the zoo to represent the history and geography of the cubs’ home state of Wyoming.

Votes were cast from 41 different states, with 1,415 being cast for the female cub and 1,364 being cast for the male cub.

In the poll for the female cub’s name Cheyenne finished with 43 percent of the votes cast. The race for the male cub’s name was only a little bit closer with Jackson finishing with 42 percent of the vote.

Cheyenne and Jackson joined Montana grizzly cub brothers Cody and Cooper on exhibit last week. All four cubs are about 7 months old and weigh between 70 and 85 pounds.

Read the report here.
pnc among best companies for working moms
For the 10th straight year, PNC has earned its way onto Working Mother's list of Best Companies.

"Working Mother readers want flexibility and they want it now," say the editors of the magazine. "In survey after survey, working moms rank flexible work arrangements as the most desired benefit they seek, even higher than compensation or paid days off."

The Working Mother 100 Best Companies are judged on answers to 650 questions, including data on the access and usage of flexible work arrangements, parental leave, childcare, health and wellness support and the advancement of women to all levels of management.

Jennifer Owens, Editorial Director of Working Mother said, "The reason flexibility is so important to working moms is that they want to do their best at home and in the office.  Flexible work arrangements allow moms both. The Working Mother Best Companies want to win the war for talent and productivity -- especially in a down economy -- and they have figured out how to make flex work.”

See the full list here.
cle-based r&d company says drug might reverse effects of peripheral artery disease
Theravasc, a Cleveland based research and development company that focuses on repurposing existing drugs for other uses, has just completed a phase I clinical trial on reversing the effects of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in diabetic patients.
 
Patients with PAD have in the past had little hope for treatment, let alone a cure – until Theravasc started researching the effect of a drug used to treat cyanide poisoning. The drug, called TV1001, showed promise in the trial, which included 12 diabetic patients.
 
“People with PAD can’t walk and are in pain, and there’s nothing doctors can do,” explains Tony Giordano, Theravasc president and CEO. “This drug causes new blood vessels to grow in that leg, and only that leg. In animal studies it was doing exactly what we wanted it to do.”
 
The next step is a IIA trial followed by a third trial, to test the effects of giving the drug chronically. Giordano says if all goes well, TV1001 would hit the market in 2015. He thinks about his father-in-law and a 84-year old Shreveport, LA woman who was ranked seven on the tennis circuit – both affected by PAD – when he thinks about the positive possibilities of the drug.
 
“I think there’s a high likelihood that we’re going to see success in humans,” Giordano says. “I think this is going to work, and I know this is not going to hurt them. It will give them an opportunity to lead a better life and start walking again. I’m excited about that.”
 
Source: Tony Giordano
Writer: Karin Connelly
3rd frontier funding helps company increase donor kidney odds, cleveland jobs
Quality Electrodynamics (QED) was one of the local recipients of Ohio Third Frontier funding for the development of an imaging system that will improve the way doctors evaluate whether a kidney is viable for donation.
 
The Cleveland-based company, working with the Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological Institute, CWRU, Toshiba Medical Systems and Canon, received $1 million for the development of specialty MRI coils for imaging donor kidneys before transplant to determine viability.
 
Currently, potentially viable kidneys are sometimes rejected for transplant, or there are complications after transplant. This technology will improve the chances of success as well as reduce the number of kidneys that are thrown away.
 
“The program will result in a turnkey system of equipment, analysis software and clinical protocols which will be marketed to transplant centers on a worldwide basis,” says John L. Patrick, chief technical marketing officer for QED.

“Recipients of kidneys from deceased donors would benefit in several ways: Higher confidence level that the transplanted kidney can be viable and better knowledge of its condition; increase of transplanted kidneys by reducing the number of viable kidneys discarded will increase the number of patients able to benefit from transplantation.”
 
Patrick says the technology should be on the market in less than two years, depending on how clinical trials go. QED expects to begin hiring additional people for development of the technology in the next few months.

“In the proposal we stated that 38 jobs would be created at QED within 3 years,” says Patrick. “In fact, we believe that number to be quite conservative.”
 
 
Source: John L. Patrick
Writer: Karin Connelly