SMALL BUSINESS
NOVEMBER 21, 2025
CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 1
Spotlight on small bUSINESS A Cleveland Jewish News Advertising and Advertorial Special Section
Forgivable loans help area small businesses JIMMY OSWALD joswald@cjn.org 911 Cellular and Surgical Theater are helping grow the commercial landscape in Beachwood after each business received a $20,000 forgivable loan that will be used toward the companies’ investment into the city. Bieterman 911 Cellular is moving its headquarters from Solon to Beachwood, while Surgical Theater is splitting its warehouse and production space and its corporate offices into two separate locations in the city. Beachwood City Council approved the move during a meeting on Sept. 15 and the repayment, which is to be over the next three years, will be generated from the income taxes both businesses will pay the city from new employees that will be added. “The city put into place a revolving loan fund a few years ago, I think it was in 2023, and as part of that, some loans are designated for emerging cluster industries within the community as well as commercial revitalization,” Catherine Bieterman, Beachwood’s economic development director, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “These two loans fell under those programs.” The loans first were approved by the city’s loan review committee and the
community improvement corporation board of directors. “Both companies are going to be investing in new space for their headquarters locations,” Bieterman said. “Surgical Theater has been in our community for years and was in need of additional spaces. They’ve continued to grow, so their headquarters are now to be on Chagrin Boulevard and their warehouse operations will remain in the Commerce Park area.” “The business owner of 911 Cellular is moving from a neighboring community. He has owned the building here in Beachwood and now is moving his operations here as he’s continuing to grow and accelerate positions to fuel research and opportunities in the security area.” Bieterman said during the council meeting that the projects help fill office space within Chagrin Boulevard while ensuring that Beachwood supports the city’s increasing industry in technology, research and development with job creation and commercial growth. “These loans can be used to support investment in research and development.” Bieterman told the CJN. “If you’re adding new positions, it can help support any equipment that may be necessary or support the addition of key R&D (research and development) employees. There’s also commercial revitalization, investment into an office building that’s necessary to continue to grow your operations, that qualifies as well.”
911Cellular, previously located at 6001 Cochran Road in Solon, provides panic alert systems, like panic buttons or wearable devices, and emergency notification networks for schools, places of worship, health care institutions and more. The company has begun to work out of its new location at 24103 Chagrin Blvd., a building that was already owned by Chad Salahshour, the CEO and founder of 911Cellular. It plans on investing $175,000 into the fresh spot. 911Cellular did not respond to request for comment by the CJN, but Salahshour expressed his gratitude to the city and council in the Sept. 15 council meeting and said it’s the company’s vision to “make Beachwood, Ohio, the safety center for all our communities in the United States.” Surgical Theatre, which was once at 781 Beta Drive in Mayfield, moved into 23645 Mercantile Road in Beachwood’s Commerce Park within the last few years and as the company has grown rapidly, decided to relocate its offices to 24100 Chagrin Blvd., where it plans to add new employment. The warehouse and production side of the business will remain on Mercantile Road. “The City of Beachwood’s support is the catalyst for our new corporate headquarters; a space built to fuel innovation and growth,” Jeff Witherite, the CFO of Surgical Theater, said to the CJN in an email. “This investment accelerates our mission to advance our AIpowered eXperiential Reality (XR) platform, which transforms traditional 2D medical
imaging into interactive 3D models that enhance how surgeons educate patients, rehearse before entering the OR, and perform surgical procedures with precision. From here, we’ll continue leading the next generation of medical innovation and patient care.” Surgical Theater develops virtual reality platforms that use patient’s medical images, such as CT and MRI scans, to help surgeons and other medical professionals with the rehearsal and planning for operations and surgeries. The company plans to invest $40,000 into its new office space. “The city of Beachwood continues to see investments that are being made in these emerging industries,” Bieterman said. “Those include technology companies, like 911 Cellular, and medical technologies that are out there, like Surgical Theater. That’s really what this loan program is intended to do: support companies that are making investments in growing these emerging industries that are here within our community.” And the loan program is a symbiotic relationship as the companies get help expanding while Beachwood grows as a hub for new or up-and-coming businesses. “These programs are designed to assist companies in that growth stage as they’re bringing on new employment, and we’re there as a partner to continue to support the investments they’re making, both within the city of Beachwood and the physical space that they have,” she said.