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VOL. 37, NO. 34
AUGUST 22 - 28, 2016
Source Lunch
Business of Life
Megan O’Bryan, Tri-C Fast-paced environment in education is good fit for active executive. Page 28
CLEVELAND BUSINESS
The List
Top employers in Cuyahoga and Summit. Pages 30-31
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TOURISM
City’s ‘new normal’ is seeing big picture By JAY MILLER jmiller@crain.com @millerjh
Now that they can look back on an event that left 50,000 people generally impressed with Cleveland, some of the leaders of the effort to put on the Republican National Convention are looking ahead. They see a future that might include more big, blockbuster events — basketball and baseball All-Star Games, they hope, and maybe even a Democratic National Convention. But they also are looking beyond big events to a future where Cleveland can be seen as a place where people living elsewhere might now consider the city as a place to live and work because they see the opportunity for a bright future.
Mitt repairman known for his great glove work
Twenty in their 20s
Part of their optimism is based on how they believe a week in July is helping to change the impression of Cleveland nationally and internationally. But part of it, too, is based on the broadening and increasingly skilled civic partnership that pitched in over the last two years to make the RNC a success. And it didn’t hurt that the Cavaliers won the National Basketball Association championship. At an event hosted by Crain’s Cleveland Business last Tuesday, Aug. 16, David Gilbert, the president and CEO of Destination Cleveland, the local convention and visitors bureau, and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission; Jon Pinney, managing partner for Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP; and Joe Roman, president and CEO of the SEE CITY, PAGE 3
SERVICE
Blooming Davey Tree keeps branching out By DAN SHINGLER dshingler@crain.com @DanShingler
To the casual observer, Kentbased Davey Tree looks like a nice, local operation, exuding a sort of old-timey, small-town ethos with its grass-green trucks and hard-hatted employees. And it is. It’s also a company — more fully known as the Davey Tree Expert Co. — that is methodically chasing a billion dollars in annual revenue, with 8,600 employees from Florida to Vancouver. And it’s got a growing appetite for acquisitions. “It’s the guy cutting the lawns and climbing the trees that make this thing go. Our job here is to focus
their efforts. … A lot people have mission statements and vision statements in our industry, but few have a well-thought-out and constantly maintained strategic plan,” Davey CEO Karl Warnke said. The plan’s not all that complex – maintain “organic” growth — yeah, he knows — of 5% a year by increasing market share, cross-selling new products between regions and subsidiaries, and increasing awareness of “green assets” by everyone from city governments to U.S. military bases. “We need to grow organically, at least 5%, before we will go on with our acquisition work,” Warnke said. But that hasn’t been a problem. Davey’s got $820 million in annual sales and growth is on track. So
Entire contents © 2016 by Crain Communications Inc.
SEE DAVEY, PAGE 14
These young Clevelanders do much more than simply hang around This year, Crain’s is singling out 20 up-and-coming professionals who haven’t turned 30 yet. Among this group are teachers, innovators, community activists and philanthropists. While their names might not be top of mind, and they likely haven’t made their first million yet, there’s no denying these young professionals are making a mark on Northeast Ohio. Their stories begin on page 17. Find interactive versions of these portraits on crainscleveland.com
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Imagine the Possibilities When You Make a Big Impression
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Greater Cleveland Partnership, talked about their experiences leading the Cleveland 2016 Host Committee and what they believe the civic community is now prepared to tackle to improve life in Cleveland. The event, “Life after the RNC: What’s Next?” attracted an audience of about 200 people to Cleveland Public Auditorium. “I think the biggest change (is that a) switch has finally flipped and Clevelanders are believing in their own town,” said Gilbert, who was president and CEO of the host committee, the local group responsible for preparing the city for the convention. “The combination of those two, the convention and the sports championship, could not have meant more to any city. They were such catalysts,” Gilbert said. “We’ve been held back for decades by our own lack of self-confidence. We now have a new normal.”
The city has an NBA All-Star Game on its wish list. (Getty Images) Gilbert said that until now, in his role with the sports commission, he had felt that Cleveland was starting a half-step behind the starting line in the competition for events. “Now I think we’re starting at the starting line like everybody else,” he said.
Building a model
Work to do Roman, who was vice president of the host committee, said the improvements downtown in the last several years, including a convention center, new hotels and a revamped Public Square, that impressed convention-goers have to be followed up by improvements beyond the central city. “That means schools have to get better; that means infrastructure has to improve,” he said. “We have to attract people to this town who see an opportunity for themselves in this town.” Pinney, the host committee’s counsel, secretary and treasurer, also gave credit to the city of Cleveland for the way it helped ensure that the Public Square renovation was completed in time for the convention, did a thorough job of paving streets and “completed a thousand micro-projects — replacing street lights, painting fire hydrants — it was a remarkable effort. He also said he believes the experience with the RNC gave the city the means to host major events on a regular basis. “I’ll make the prediction that there will be a (Democratic National Con-
Cleveland followed a Cavs title with a successful RNC. (Getty Images)
David Gilbert: “The combination of those two, the convention and the sports championship, could not have meant more to any city.”
Cleveland last hosted the MLB All-Star Game in 1997. (Getty Images) vention) in Cleveland in the near future,” he said. “I am convinced the Democratic National Committee will ask the city to bid on their 2020 convention. Whether that happens or not, we’ll see.” Pinney, who is also a member of
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the board of Destination Cleveland and has been involved in conversations about future major events, hinted at plans for a variety of events, including several rock concerts. That comment led moderator
Elizabeth McIntyre, publisher and editor of Crain’s, to ask about all-star games. “We have been working the Cavaliers on a bid for an All-Star Game and with the Indians on a (baseball) All-Star Game,” Gilbert said. He continued, saying he’ll be talking soon to a group that puts on an international sports event that only now is considering bringing 10,000 to 12,000 athletes to Cleveland in 2020 or 2021. “This organization is headquartered in Switzerland and they know about Cleveland,” he said.
Part of that growing familiarity comes from how the convention generated publicity for the city. Gilbert said Destination Cleveland’s tracking of international media found 100,000 mentions of the city in the months leading up to the convention. More importantly, he said, the presidential election hoopla produced 1,200 stories about the city that was hosting the Republican convention. Another important factor, Roman said, was the way all sectors of the community worked together — not just the traditional public-private partnership, but a broader partnership that includes the city’s foundations and the media. Pinney agreed, noting that the community structure that first won and then successfully executed the convention has been evolving since 2006, when the city first sought a major political convention. “We built the model to do big things in the city,” he said. “Relationships were formed that will result in better, bigger projects going forward. Trust was built amongst everybody involved. “The next big project, the groundwork has already been laid in how to do it,” Pinney added.
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Northeast Ohio wants to position itself as an innovative hub for additive manufacturing — think the Silicon Valley of 3D printing. The region already has a strong manufacturing base, a variety of university and institutional resources and connections to the end-markets already using 3D printing technology, like biomedical and aerospace. But there are big hurdles to overcome, including a lack of software initiatives in this space and limited venture funding, according to a recent report from the Youngstown Business Incubator and America Makes in Youngstown and Team NEO and Magnet in Cleveland. This “asset map” offers a comprehensive look at the existing efforts in additive manufacturing in Northeast Ohio, the barriers to continued adoption of the technology, and the potential benefits to the region. As Team NEO was thinking about innovation hubs, the group realized including additive manufacturing was a “no brainer,” in part because of its connection to the automotive and aerospace industries the region already serves, said Tim Fahey, the organization’s vice president of industry and innovation. And the region already is home to America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. The institute, established in 2012, was the first in a group of national institutes designed to speed up innovation and commercialization in targeted technologies and industries. Scott Deutsch, communications manager for the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, the Blairsville, Pa.-based group that manages America Makes, said it made sense for the group to participate and inform the findings of the report. He also said he hopes to see more regions do this kind of mapping across the country. America Makes is an “amazing asset” in the region, said Barb Ewing, chief operating officer of the Youngstown Business Incubator, but it’s mainly focused on the actual technology of additive manufacturing, as opposed to the economic development possibilities highlighted in the study. And regardless, it doesn’t make sense to depend on just one organization if Northeast Ohio wants to be known as the national hub for additive manufacturing. Instead, Ewing said, “you need all of your players on the field.” Right now, the asset map indicates that Northeast Ohio has an opportunity to become this hub, as additive manufacturing work is currently scattered “here, there and everywhere,” Ewing said. In particular, if Northeast Ohio can think of itself as part of a larger Cleveland-Pittsburgh
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“TechBelt,” it can compete with other large regions when necessary. “The Northeast Ohio region is ideally suited to become a national leader in additive manufacturing,” the report stated. “There is an unusually high concentration of universities training design talent, a historically strong manufacturing base of industry and workforce, worldclass materials and biomedical assets, and a growing presence of innovators and innovation service providers.”
Overcoming barriers The main application for additive manufacturing right now is prototyping, but the study also highlights opportunities in direct products and tooling. The main barriers to the continued adoption of this technology are related to production and cost margins, the report stated. Companies also are averse to failure, and more would be interested is they
“The good news: Our region is good at forming and cultivating partnerships. ... We now have a roadmap on how to take advantage of this asset.” — Brad Whitehead, president, Fund for our Economic Future were shown that the process was effective. Fahey said overcoming these barriers will take education. Many of the processors don’t know how to get into additive manufacturing or don’t see how it applies to their business, so the cluster intends to put on workshops and other training opportunities that highlight the research and demonstrate the business cases for additive manufacturing. Ewing said education at the university level and in professional development settings will be important to overcoming the design barrier, as well. It’s not just about when and how to use additive manufacturing, but also how to design to best take advantage of the technology. The study’s seven-year plan includes five main goals and steps to achieve them. The goals are as follows: ■ Forming a regional innovation cluster ■ Expanding the use of additive manufacturing through “investments in technical support, capital equipment, workforce development, and industry-based educational programs” ■ Developing education and works Cleveland Bus sines ss Volume 37, Number 34 Crain’s (ISSN 0197-2375) is published weekly at 700 West St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 441131230. Copyright © 2016 by Crain Communications Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices. Price per copy: $2.00. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Crain’s s Cleveland Bus sines ss, Circulation Department, 1155 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48207-2912. 1-877-824-9373. REPRINT INFORMATION: 212-2 210-0 0750
force training initiatives ■ Building out the supply chains in the automotive, biomedical and aerospace industries ■ Creating a framework for makers and entrepreneurs to thrive Ewing said it will be important to provide some structure — through events and social media — to the cluster, so people stay interested. Fahey said that the individual organizations have some existing funding they can direct toward cluster activities, but it’s going to need to seek a larger source of funding going forward. Ewing said the U.S. Department of Commerce is already looking into ways to support economic development around the institutes.
In it for the long term In addition to the economic development groups and the manufacturing and tech-focused organizations involved in the study, a number of local companies took part as part of the advisory council and “voice-ofthe-customer” interviews. Companies like The Technology House in Streetsboro and rp+m in Avon Lake have been working in 3D printing for years and viewed the opportunity as a good one for networking and marketing. In the short-term, Fahey said that if processors began using more additive manufacturing in their tooling — a high-growth area for the technology — it would help make them more productive and competitive. That may not create jobs, but it could strengthen the manufacturing base, Fahey said. Team NEO is focused on growing the regional economy, which makes this project a natural fit. And if the group is successful in positioning Northeast Ohio as an additive manufacturing hub, it could draw people to the region. “We think this becomes a great attraction tool long term,” Fahey said. This study was supported by a $98,000 grant from the Fund for our Economic Future, awarded in November. President Brad Whitehead said in an emailed statement that a number of assets help to make the region competitive, but that one — America Makes — has been “underutilized” so far. “This report tells us that the opportunities in additive manufacturing are immense for our region and Northeast Ohio can strengthen its manufacturing future and establish a leadership role in additive manufacturing by initiating partnerships with local businesses and neighboring regions that offer complementary assets,” Whitehead said in the statement. “The good news: Our region is good at forming and cultivating partnerships — in fact, it was the pre-existing partnerships within the region that led to the federal designation of Youngstown as the host of America Makes,” he said. “We now have a roadmap on how to take advantage of this asset.” Subscriptions: In Ohio: 1 year - $64, 2 year - $110. Outside Ohio: 1 year - $110, 2 year - $195. Single copy, $2.00. Allow 4 weeks for change of address. For subscription information and delivery concerns send correspondence to Audience Development Department, Crain’s Cleveland Business, 1155 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, 48207-9911, or email to customerservice@crainscleveland.com, or call 877-824-9373 (in the U.S. and Canada) or (313) 446-0450 (all other locations), or fax 313-446-6777.
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Interim Akron president aims to connect By RACHEL ABBEY McCAFFERTY rmccafferty@crain.com @ramccafferty
Matthew J. Wilson has a big job ahead of him as interim president of the University of Akron. The previous president, Scott L. Scarborough, stepped down in May after two tumultuous years with the university. During that time, enrollment and donations fell, and Scarborough faced heavy criticism for actions including budget cuts and an attempted rebranding. Wilson, professor and the dean of the university’s School of Law, was appointed interim president in July. He joined the university in 2014, and the two years that followed were strong for the law school. It added new programs, broadened its outreach and become more international. Enrollment was up by more than 25% last year, according to information from the school, in an environment that has been challenging for many in legal education. In an interview with Crain’s last week, Wilson said he sees parallels between his work at the law school and the work he’s taking on now, and he expects to apply some of those lessons he’s learned about “enhancing,” instead of changing, existing offerings. Board chairman Rollie Bauer said Wilson’s successes at the law school definitely were a factor in the board’s decision. And success doesn’t just
mean enrollment growth. Bauer noted the high opinion students, faculty, alumni and people in the legal community have of Wilson. He has Wilson a “tremendous amount of energy” and he’s good at forming oneon-one relationships, Bauer said. In a statement from the time of Wilson’s appointment, Bauer said the board had identified five main priorities the university now needs to address: “developing a sustainable budget; increasing enrollment; accelerating our progress in increasing student retention; rebuilding and strengthening relationships with our various constituencies; and, significantly growing our development efforts.” Wilson said one of his big priorities as interim president will be “polishing off” the university to showcase its research, programs, faculty and students. He also wants to improve the university’s accessibility to anyone interested in pursuing higher education. He’ll be working closely with the community, so the education the university is offering has value for students, he said. It’s all about building relationships. In his first five weeks, Wilson made multiple trips from the study abroad program in Japan and South Korea in order to meet with commu-
Akron’s enrollment is up slightly under Matthew Wilson. (Shane Wynn) nity and business leaders, faculty and students in Ohio face-to-face. He intends to continue this kind of contact going forward, hosting meetings with faculty in the different colleges and talking to community organizations. Wilson said he has also been reaching out to the philanthropic community. The next campaign to be rolled out will be an unrestricted scholarship campaign for traditional and non-traditional students. That
likely will be unveiled on Monday, Aug. 29, the first day of school. “Our students are folks that we need to be investing in, any way that we can,” Wilson said. Wilson said he has spent his academic career putting students first, and he intends to continue to do that. That may mean meeting with students in their dorms or holding town hall meetings, or playing point guard on their intramural basketball team (which he says he has done in the past
and will continue to do, if asked). He even got a special business card printed out for students encouraging them to contact him with any questions — with his cell phone number. He finds that kind of connection is “invaluable” to students. “Not only so that the student feels connected, but I think it creates a learning environment where they’re more comfortable,” Wilson said. “I think that they excel, and it really does help them as they pursue a degree. Because they know we all have stumbles in life. We all have our own challenges. And if they know that, hey, they have a family member here at the university that truly cares about them, then they’re inclined to work through their problems to turn and walk away from them.” But Akron has more challenges to overcome than just repaired relations. There are budget challenges because of the decreased enrollment, though Wilson said he has been encouraged by an uptick of 2% to 3% in the enrollment numbers since he’s taken on the role of interim president. One near-term area of focus to restore the positive reputation of the university will be sharing student success stories, like the recent spots that ran during the Olympics, Wilson said. But don’t expect a fancy new slogan or tagline after the “polytechnic” tag failed to take off last year. “I’ve got a new slogan for you: The University of Akron,” Wilson said with a laugh.
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National Interstate Corp. is weighing a $17.5 million headquarters addition, and a nearby empty building will gain a big tenant as the realty pulse picks up at Richfield’s Kinross Lakes. Although the Richfield-based specialty insurer has agreed to be purchased by minority owner American Financial Group Inc. of Cincinnati in a transaction scheduled to close by year’s end, it’s also pursuing incentives from the village to construct a 112,500-square-foot building that will connect its two existing buildings. The structures are at 3250 Interstate Drive and 4059 Kinross Lakes Parkway. Legislation pending before the village council would authorize using property taxes on the building for 30 years to help finance the construction of the structure. It also would authorize Mayor Bobbie Beshara to negotiate a payment plan with Revere Schools to replace the lost property taxes for the schools and a job retention and creation incentive with the company. That incentive would return to the insurer 5% of the city income tax paid on the existing payroll and 30% of the income tax paid by additional jobs the company creates in the community. Although the village council has not passed the legislation, Beshara said in a phone interview she’s confident the package will keep the company in town and help it grow. “They’re our number one employer in Richfield. It could have been devastating if they relocated,” Beshara said. “We knew that working with National Interstate is the best way to do this. A board of directors has to make the best decision for their company. We believe our being involved kept them here.” Brian Frantz, Richfield planning and zoning director, said the incentives also will help National Inter-
“They’re our number one employer in Richfield. It could have been devastating if they relocated. A board of directors has to make the best decision for their company. We believe our being involved kept them here.” — Richfield Mayor Bobbie Beshara state recoup the cost of replacing 115 parking spaces that its planned expansion will occupy. National Interstate’s namesake building dates from the 1990s. The insurer acquired the building next door at 4059 Kinross in 2006. National Interstate currently has 513 full-time employees and a payroll of $32 million yearly, according to the measure before village council. The company told village officials it expects to add 217 full-time jobs in Richfield by 2021, when its payroll would grow by another $13 million annually. Officials at National Interstate declined to discuss the proposed expansion Meanwhile, Richfield also stands to gain Dawson Cos., a unit of Lake Mary, Fla.-based AssuredPartners Inc., as a tenant for 32,000 square feet in the 90,000-square-foot former Snap-On Business Solutions build-
ing at 3900 Kinross Lakes. Frantz said the building has been empty since 2009, when Snap-On constructed a new building at 4025 Kinross Lakes Parkway. Legislation providing a job retention and attraction grant to AssuredPartners, which does business in Ohio as Dawson, also is pending. The measure said the company would move 128 employees with a payroll of $10.7 million to the village and may add as many as 13 full-time jobs and about $1 million in additional payroll in the village. Dawson’s proposed move has already triggered a separate transaction in downtown Rocky River. Beachcliff Executive Center, the building at 1340 Depot St. where it occupies two floors, was acquired July 5 by World Group Properties of Ohio, an affiliate of World Group, a logistics firm that occupies two floors of the structure. Fred Hunger, CEO of World Group, said his firm is determining how it will expand in the building after Dawson exits and may move some of its operations to the third and fourth floors, which have views of Lake Erie. World Group, which provides shipping, trucking and warehousing operations throughout the Great Lakes and internationally, has about 140 of its 550 workers located in the structure. “We are growing and have been trying to get control of additional space to expand,” Hunger said. “We’ve been here 20 years. It’s a wonderful location and a wonderful building.” Hunger declined to comment on the $4.4 million price that Cuyahoga County land records show World Group Properties paid for the nearly 50,000-square-foot building. The seller, Beachcliff Executive Center LLC, is a limited liability corporation controlled by former Dawson executive Michael Sherman. Hunger said Sherman, who could not be located, wanted to exit the property. AssuredPartners did not return three calls. Kyp Ross, president of Dawson Insurance, did not return one.
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Local United Way adds Toledo to 2-1-1 partners By LYDIA COUTRÉ lcoutre@crain.com @LydiaCoutre
Since 2014, United Way of Greater Cleveland has added 17 Ohio counties to the list of communities it serves through 2-1-1, a 24/7 call line connecting people to resources in the community. With a new partnership with the United Way of Greater Toledo, the Cleveland chapter now offers 2-1-1 services to 26 counties in the state — by far the greatest number any one call center in Ohio serves. The next two largest call centers each serve six counties. “I think what other United Ways in particular are realizing is it takes a very robust infrastructure to operate a 2-1-1 service,” said Diane Gatto, United Way of Greater Cleveland’s director for 2-1-1. “That can be expensive for each United Way to maintain on their own, so what they’ve done is come to us to partner, to utilize the infrastructure that we have here,” Gatto said. The model brings efficiencies and cost savings to other counties while building a network throughout the state for the organizations to build relationships and learn from one another, Gatto said. For the Toledo chapter, which began using Cleveland’s infrastructure Aug. 1, the partnership has already shown clear efficiencies. For instance, the average speed for a call to be answered in Toledo dropped from 78 to 45 seconds just since Aug. 1. Karen Mathison, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Toledo, said her team was looking
for a way to improve and streamline 2-1-1 services. “The partnership with the United Way of Greater Cleveland seemed to answer all of those touch points for us — deeper levels of service, more robust technology than we have currently, the ability for nearly all of my staff to transition to further employment with them,” Mathison said. Through the agreement, the Cleveland chapter hired 14 of the 18 employees in Toledo who had been working for Toledo’s 2-1-1, which serves Lucas, Wood and Ottawa counties. All but one of those employees will remain in Toledo, working from home, meaning local calls will be answered locally. Another is relocating to Cleveland to work on the technology side building the database of Toledo resources. “The key thing that we really liked about this partnership with Cleveland is that it was still local people answering the phone locally for people who are calling locally,” Mathison said.
Toledo’s $499,000 contract for the services ultimately saves money, said Mathison, whose chapter no longer has to pay for accreditation for the services, technology and support and may be able to rent out office space made available by having employees work from home. Gatto said the contract with Toledo covers costs for the Cleveland chapter while also expanding its network of United Ways across the state. That network offers a glimpse into the needs of communities as 2-1-1 documents requests in a standardized way, allowing United Ways to discuss needs and then fund or discuss initiatives to resolve issues, Gatto said. The addition of the Toledo area is expected to bring United Way of Greater Cleveland’s annual contacts to between 300,000 and 350,000 people reaching out to 2-1-1. Ohio United Way, the state-level agency, is working to get 2-1-1 services to every county in the state. The biggest barriers to getting 2-1-1 services to the remaining 21 counties that aren’t currently covered are costs and the absence of a local United Way chapter or other entity to coordinate, said Barbara Sykes, president and CEO of the state organization. Models like Cleveland’s can help those smaller counties offer 2-1-1 services, she said. “What Cleveland’s doing, they’re building a real strong group of United Ways,” said Nick Roman, 2-1-1 director for Ohio United Way. “There’s United Ways all over the state now that are helping to support the Cleveland 2-1-1 and just making the entire network stronger.”
R.R. Donnelley buys Precision Dialogue from Kirtland Capital By CHUCK SODER csoder@crain.com @ChuckSoder
Precision Dialogue’s 130-some local employees now work for a Fortune 500 company: R.R. Donnelley of Chicago. R.R. Donnelley acquired the multi-channel marketing company from Kirtland Capital Partners, a private equity firm in Beachwood. Terms were not disclosed. R.R. Donnelley, which generated $11.26 billion in revenue last year, is a printer and publisher, and like Precision Dialogue it also provides email marketing, direct mail marketing and other services. Precision Dialogue has about 500 employees in Chicago, Westlake and Indianapolis. Their jobs are safe, according to CEO Tom Ragen. He and the rest of the company’s management team will remain on board, and the company will keep its name. Ragen expects the company to keep growing under its new owner. For one, he noted that R.R. Donnelley is excited to let Precision Dialogue pursue its three-year growth plan. Plus, Precision Dialogue already is being exposed to new sales opportunities through R.R. Donnelley.
“We’ve already had two sales calls scheduled for us that we would not normally have been on,” he said. R.R. Donnelley has taken an interest in Precision Dialogue’s ability to help companies analyze how their customers behave: When R.R. Donnelley announced the deal on its website, it stated that the deal will help the company “leverage customer insights to strengthen the relationships between brands and the customers they serve.” The announcement also stated that R.R. Donnelley is trying to expand its ability to help its customers “measure communications effectiveness and audience engagement.” Precision Dialogue was hunting for a buyer, given that Kirtland had owned the company for several years. Kirtland bought Northwest Mailing Service, a direct mail company in Chicago, in 2009, and it bought Metrics Marketing Group of Westlake in 2010. Kirtland merged the two companies to form Precision Dialogue in 2011. They didn’t have to go far to find a buyer. R.R. Donnelley had previously approached Precision Dialogue to talk about a possible acquisition, Ragen said. R.R. Donnelley had been a Northwest Mailing Service’s client for years, he added. Precision Dia-
logue’s headquarters is based about 10 miles from R.R. Donnelley’s headquarters in downtown Chicago. That relationship helped R.R. Donnelley stand out, according to Kirtland partner Jim Foley. “Their knowledge of the market and of Precision Dialogue really helped to differentiate them as a buyer,” he said. The deal closed on Aug. 4 — exactly one year after R.R. Donnelley announced a plan to split itself into three separate, publicly traded companies. The spinoff is expected to occur in October. Afterward, Precision Dialogue will be part of the largest company, which will focus on multichannel communications and retain the R.R. Donnelley name. That portion of the business brought in $6.8 billion of the $11.26 billion in sales that R.R. Donnelley generated last year. The other two companies will be Donnelley Financial Solutions, which will provide financial communications services, and LSC Communications, which will focus on print services for publishers and retailers. Messages left for R.R. Donnelley’s investor relations team were not returned in time for this story’s deadline.
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Immunotherapy results ‘demand’ action’ Northeast Ohio hospitals using immune system to fight cancer By LYDIA COUTRÉ lcoutre@crain.com @LydiaCoutre
After other treatments failed to shrink the tumor that filled his bladder, Gerald Lyman was consulting surgeons about removing his bladder entirely when a new clinical trial came online. “At that stage in the game, I was in the game for anything to keep them from removing the bladder,” Lyman said. Two years ago, the 78-year-old Cleveland Clinic patient with Stage 4 bladder cancer began taking Atezolizumab, a drug that aims to help the body’s immune system fight cancer cells. Within a matter of weeks, he began passing the tumor. Last year, all that remained of the tumor — once so large it necessitated bathroom trips every 45 minutes — was a small spot, either scar tissue or part of the root, Lyman said. But either way, doctors aren’t concerned, he said. The incredible responses some patients have seen from immunotherapy treatments have created an enthusiasm in the public and among researchers. But many unknowns remain. Why do some tumors and patients respond to immunotherapy treatments like Lyman did, while others see no response at all? Though research into harnessing the power of the immune system to
fight cancer has been underway for decades, it’s just been in the last couple of years that promising results catapulted the treatment into the national discussion. The approach, initially thought to treat only melanoma, has seen “a very dramatic and unexpected response” in other cancers, like lung, bladder and lymphoma, said Dr. Julian Kim, professor of surgery and chief medical officer at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. Years of seeing exciting laboratory work or promising preclinical models fail in patients have hardened oncologists and cancer researchers into skeptics, leaving many unwilling to take the leap of faith into immunotherapy, said Dr. Lewis Weiner, American Association for Cancer Research spokesperson and director of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, DC. But with the promising results of the last few years, people are getting excited, he said. Just a decade ago, the Clinic had no trials in immunotherapy, said Dr. Dale Shepard, medical oncologist at the Clinic and director of its Phase 1 clinical trial program. Today, he estimates that a third to a half of all cancer trials underway or going through regulation to begin at the Clinic involve some aspect of immunotherapy. “It was a little snowball that turned into an avalanche because the results warranted excitement
and demanded action,” Weiner said. trial started about 11 months ago. Corporate funding in pharmaceuHe’s another 12 months to 18 tical companies is “unprecedented,” months away from wrapping up this and there’s a broader acceptance of trial, but with promising results so the science behind it for grants from far (one of his first patients from 11 the National Institutes of Health, months ago still has these T-cells cirKim said. culating in his blood stream), he and Funding from philanthropy has his team are already looking at what also grown, said Kim, whose current the next trial will involve. Likely, it clinical trial at UH is roughly 80% will be combining the adoptive imfunded by philanthropy. munotherapy approach with other Most attempts to boost the im- treatments. mune system to fight Everyone is lookcancer have involved ing for those right administering a drug, combinations of antibody or sometreatments, the right thing else that stimupoint in the timeline lates the immune to use immunothersystem. Kim’s work apy, which patients has been in adoptive and tumors will reimmunotherapy, spond — and why. meaning doctors reFrom the patient move lymph nodes perspective — and or lymph glands that from an economics are close to the site of of health care perthe growing tumor. spective — reThese contain Tsearchers have to cells or antigen prefigure these things senting cells that out, Shepard said. Is have been directed there a biomarker toward that pathat can predict tients’ specific canwhich people will cer, he said. benefit from treatThese serve as a ment? What charac— Dr. Lewis Weiner, starting point for teristics of a tumor American Association for doctors to grow culcan indicate how it Cancer Research tures of those cells, will respond to imspokesperson and director increasing the nummunotherapy? of the Georgetown ber of cells 500 fold The Cancer Lombardi Comprehensive in just 16 days. Moonshot initiative Cancer Center These are then given led by Vice President back to the patient Joe Biden has targetthrough a blood transfusion or bone ed cancer immunotherapy as one of marrow transplant. its focus areas. It is certainly a step “There will be many, many more of forward, but moonshots cost money, them and they’ll be much more su- said Weiner, who has been studying percharged or activated to try to kill immunotherapy since the 1980s. the cancer,” said Kim, whose clinical While it’s now much easier to get
“It was a little snowball that turned into an avalanche because the results warranted excitement and demanded action.”
a grant to study immunotherapy, “federal funding has not kept pace with the extraordinary improvements in clinical outcomes associated with this,” he said. The critical difference between the Cancer Moonshot and putting a man on the moon in 1969 is fundamental knowledge. While the successful landing of humans on the moon was an incredible feat requiring inventiveness and hard work of countless people, the science behind it — the physics, materials, engineering — was largely understood. Cancer, however, still has many unknowns. Nobody in the field, Weiner said, believes science has discovered everything needed to cure cancer. “While there’s an enormous amount of work to do and we’re still not where we want to be in terms of reliably getting rid of cancers in everybody we treat, this is probably the most important set of advances we’ve had in terms of clinical impact in the last quarter century when it comes to cancer therapy,” Weiner said. For Lyman, it certainly worked. In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Atezolizumab, the drug that treated his bladder cancer. Side effects are minimal, he said. The active lover of the outdoors is a little weaker and “lazier” than he used to be, but that could be a factor of age, he said. For now, Lyman is just happy to be back on his bicycle after two years of being unable to ride his daily 10 miles. “What I went through and what I’ve got now, it’s a new life,” Lyman said. “I have no complaints. It’s been that good. I’ve been one of the very, very fortunate people.”
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Opinion Personal View
He’s old, angry and ready to talk politely
Editorial
Work it out Children have just gone back to school or are just about to, which means the summer is pretty much over. (Boo!) But it’s not too early to think about summer 2017 — and specifically, the fate of a subsidized summer jobs program for disadvantaged youth in Ohio. The state’s Department of Job and Family Services plans to shift about $45 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Summer Youth Employment Program, which serves young people ages 14 to 24, to a new, Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program. The new statewide program sounds just fine. More than fine, actually. It will be a year-round program with a $100 million budget, and it will offer education and job training support, case management and other services to low-income youth. It is meant to help young people overcome barriers to work, and implemented the right way, it probably will do that. One problem: The new program will serve Ohioans ages 16 to 24, meaning the 14- and 15-year-olds served by the TANF program will have to look elsewhere for a way to get early work experience and a valuable summer paycheck. As the economy continues to plod along at an unremarkable growth pace, jobs for teens are difficult to find, particularly if there’s not a structure in place that helps match qualified teens with available positions. Data (and common sense) show that teens benefit mightily from summer labor, not just from the money they earn, but the sense of responsibility and accomplishment that’s instilled in them by showing up to work consistently. Many teens find valuable workplace mentors who convey lessons that last a lifetime — and might not be available to them at home. During his campaign for the Republican presidential
nomination, Gov. John Kasich earned a lot of admiration for his willingness to talk about how government might be able to offer assistance — not a hand out, but a hand up, as President Bill Clinton used to say — to people in need. A way to turn that talk into action would be to find a way to both implement the new program and preserve the TANF program. It’s well worth the modest cost to make an important investment in the future workforce of Ohio.
Up and away NASA Glenn Research Center is something of an underthe-radar asset to Northeast Ohio, so we wanted to call attention to a victory for Glenn in a project that has big implications for the nation’s space program. Glenn last week won a contract to oversee construction of up to seven Universal Stage Adapters for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The adapter is a 33-foottall piece of a rocket that NASA is developing for future Mars missions. Private companies will perform much of the work, but Kathleen Schubert, deputy director of safety and mission assurance at Glenn, told Crain’s reporter Chuck Soder that the project will involve Glenn engineers, project managers, contract administrators and other employees. We’ll have to wait awhile to see the fruits of Glenn’s labor, as NASA expects the rocket with the adapter to launch in 2021. But in 2016, it’s gratifying to note that the rocket project underscores the depth of the technological expertise at Glenn and throughout Northeast Ohio.
PUBLISHER AND EDITOR: Elizabeth McIntyre (emcintyre@crain.com)
CLEVELAND BUSINESS
MANAGING EDITOR: Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com) SECTIONS EDITOR: Timothy Magaw (tmagaw@crain.com)
Well, it finally happened to me. I became an angry, old white guy. But maybe not how you might think. My main gripes aren’t with employment, taxes, sex, immigration, government rules or most of the other things that are supposed to bother me the most as I palely slip through my 50s. I’m more irked — and yes, I really talk like that — about more basic social norms. I’m angry that we’re becoming a nation of people who do not respect or listen to one another, who revel in hate, who have ceased to consider education an attribute and who, it would seem, really don’t even like one another. We could hardly be accurately described as the “United” States of anything. I know; I’m lucky. I am, after all, an employed journalist. I’m fortunate to have a job at all — especially being the lowest form of life and all. I’m thankful, truly, that I’ve never been out of work for long or felt the real job Dan insecurity that some constantly face. Shingler But I don’t think I qualify as a member of the elite. I’m the product of a hard-drinking and bar-brawling Appalachian with an eighth-grade education. The man had more bad habits than he had fingers, especially after he lost a digit in an Akron bar fight. My father was born in 1927, and for all of his faults and rough edges, he carried the good values of his generation. He prized things like education, civility (when he was sober), respect and consideration for others. I never saw my father take joy in another person’s misfortunes, whether he knew the person or not and regardless of their ethnicity, religion or anything else. To laugh at someone else’s pain or humiliation was the mark of a small man in my family. If I’d done it out loud, I’d have gotten knocked on my can. I was taught to say “please” and “thank you,” to call a cop “sir” even if the circumstances were less than pleasant, and to not call anyone more than a few years older than me by their first name. I know, corny, right? Little wonder it makes me angry that disrespect, schadenfreude and outright hate seem to be all around today. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s white folks, minorities, men, women, liberals or conservatives, either. If people can’t find another group deserving of hate, they just hate whoever they think hates them. And on and on it goes. Maybe I’m old fashioned, naïve even, to think that the sort of values entrenched in people almost 100 years ago would be useful today. But I don’t think I am. I think people, in general, are naïve to believe they’ve come up with new workable standards of behavior that require no personal discipline — after we humans spent a few thousand years developing the old standards through painful trial and error. So, yeah, I’m an angry, old white guy. I’m angry with a lot of you, too — because I know you’re on a course that leads to more hate, more distrust and less real discussion of important issues facing us all. It leads to the same sorts of disasters and suffering that we see in civil wars and conflict zones around the world — and you’re trying to take the rest of us with you. I’m not going to hate you for it, wish you ill or write off your opinions, even if we do disagree. But I am going to stand up to you. Politely.
WRITE US: Crain’s welcomes responses from readers. Letters should be as brief as possible and may be edited. Send letters to Crain’s Cleveland Business, 700 West St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113, or by emailing letters@crain.com. Please include your complete name and city from which you are writing, and a telephone number for fact-checking purposes.
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Football season is here.
Web Talk Re: Tom Murdough back in the toy game Tom Murdough is one of the brightest men I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our era, with Little Tikes and Step2. This new venture will no doubt be a classic Murdough success. — R. Douglas Cowan
Re: College daze Elizabeth McIntyre’s Aug. 15 column, “Waving Goodbye,” about preparing to send her son off to college, was a nice read first thing in the morning. I’ll admit that a few tears were shed even though this is my third and final child headed off to college. — Lisa Kay I will be doing the exact same thing when I drop off my daughter at THE Ohio State University. She’s our first to send off to college. I may need to borrow a few tissues! — Julie Young You will have to write another column next May about receiving back your man-child after a year away. You will be surprised and amazed at how much both of you have grown! — Blythe
Re: ABA Insurance Services set for Van Aken Plaza Great, we got an insurance company but lost Van Aken Hardware, The Fresh Market and Los Habeneros. — Janiebakes After eons of gradual deterioration, it can only get better. Looking forward to the facelift at the plaza. — Donald Templeman
Re: LeBron’s new deal We are paying this athlete $31 million per year? According to my math and his overall impact on the game, region, fans, etc., I think he is worth every penny of that $31 million. — Jim Daniloff
Re: Missing Delly already With everything said, the Cavaliers made a mistake when they let Matthew Dellavedova go. Watching him back in 2013 and seeing his talent, to capture the flow of the game and control it will be missed. With him, the Cavs would be a dynasty and nobody would figure out why because it is not obvious. — Joe Eshleman
Vorys appoints new leader in Akron office By JEREMY NOBILE jnobile@crain.com @JeremyNobile
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP has a solid foothold in the Northeast Ohio legal market, but further developing the firm’s Akron business will soon fall to their newest regional managing partner, Bret Treier. Treier, a 56-year-old Cambridge, Ohio, native who has spent his legal career in Akron, will become the firm’s Akron office managing partner at the start of 2017. He will assume the role from Daniel Balmert, who’s retiring at the end of this year. Balmert has led the office since 2004, when that location opened with eight people, including a group of lawyers who transitioned to the firm from Brouse McDowell Balmert LPA. “In addition to being an extremely talented securities and corporate lawyer, he (Treier) has leadership skills I think are going to be necessary to expand the growth of this office,” Balmert said. “He has the confidence of the lawyers here, and he has the ability to secure the confidence of those who will come after me. I’m very comfortable with the choice.” Treier was also among the first attorneys to open the Akron location for Vorys. “Bret has the judgment, integrity, passion, focus and leadership skills necessary to succeed in a managing partner role,” said Russ Gertmenian, Vorys’ firmwide managing partner, in a statement. “He has made significant contributions to the firm in the past and he will be a great asset to our firm in this new role.” The Akron office has grown rather steadily through the years, and there aren’t necessarily specific growth targets to hit. That office has 20 attorneys today. “Organic and opportunistic” growth are among the main
priorities, Treier said, referencing a goal to secure future lateral hires. “I know that I have large shoes to fill, but I am looking forward to that challenge,” Treier said, “and am confident in our ability to maintain the firm’s positive trajectory in Northeast Ohio.” While the firm wouldn’t disclose specifics on its financials, the Akron office managed the last recession that dinged most law firms without making any layoffs. Balmert credits that, at least in part, to a diversification of clients and legal matters. In terms of the outlook for 2016, Treier said he’s optimistic for this market, but added there seems to be a recent tempering in demand for services, which is resulting in a bit less work. Currently, the market is in a “second cycle of moderate growth,” he said. “Things slowed down after the recession, then started to pick back up. And what most firms — Treier in professional services and accounting and similar industries — are seeing is slower growth, if not stagnant growth, over the last year or two,” Treier said. “The outlook for 2016 is still stable … but we are seeing economic headwinds in all our markets.” According to The National Law Journal and The American Lawyer, Vorys is the 116th-largest firm in the United States, with about 360 attorneys and gross revenues of $186 million. The firm is the 19th largest in Northeast Ohio with 50 local attorneys between its Akron and Cleveland offices, according to Crain’s research. Notably, the firm opened a Pittsburgh office in recent years. And while Treier will set his own goals for the office, Balmert said one of the firm’s objectives is to coordinate business between the Ohio offices with those operations in Pennsylvania. “I think it’s fair to say that the Cleveland, Akron and Pittsburgh offices are perceived to have incredible opportunities for working together to continue to grow the law firm,” Balmert said.
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Middlefield Bank sizes up Northeast Ohio “With this acquisition, we are even more intrigued by opportunities to expand our market presence.”
By JEREMY NOBILE jnobile@crain.com @JeremyNobile
In a crowded Northeast Ohio market loaded with banks large and small, Middlefield Bank wants to be a bigger player. And if a recent deal is any indication, they soon will be. The subsidiary of Middlefield Banc Corp. recently announced that it’s acquiring Beachwoodbased Liberty Bank N.A. in a $40.8 million deal that establishes a physical presence for the community bank in both Cuyahoga and Summit counties. After operating on the fringes of Cleveland for more than 115 years, doing some lending here over that time, that merger is rather notable considering it’s coming at a time when the local market is ripe with volatility following the combination of Akron’s FirstMerit Bank with Huntington Bank. It’s a relatively small deal, but “transformative” all the same, said Middlefield president and CEO Thomas Caldwell. There’s zero overlap with their current footprint, which is heavy in
— Thomas Caldwell, Middlefield Banc Corp. president and CEO
Ohio’s Northeast corner but expanded to the Columbus market through an acquisition of Emerald Bank in 2007. Middlefield will absorb Liberty’s three offices in Twinsburg, Solon and Beachwood and the bank’s $223 million in assets. At the deal’s close, anticipated at the end of the year, Middlefield will grow to about $970 million in total assets and $820 million in deposits with a footprint spanning 13 branches in seven Ohio counties. Meanwhile, its loan portfolio will get a healthy boost. The deal not only bolsters Middlefield’s commercial real estate and residential lending streams, but adds a new channel in education lending. It also gets an expert in SBA lending from Liberty, which should develop a
segment of the portfolio Caldwell has said the bank aims to improve. And with a loan-to-deposit ratio hovering around 84%, there won’t be a dire need for deposits anytime soon. Besides providing some acquisitive growth, the deal is particularly meaningful for how it positions Middlefield to gain additional market share in this region. Safe to say, the bank is on solid ground today, and the Liberty deal seems to be a harbinger of more deals to come. “With this acquisition,” Caldwell said, “we are even more intrigued by opportunities to expand our market presence.” That’s a message the bank is articulating to investors.
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Middlefield, a conservatively operated yet consistently profitable community bank, recently collected $11.9 million in a common stock offering in July. And during a recent investor presentation, the bank showed a slide that unveiled a gamut of growth strategies, which includes everything from amped up marketing budgets and de novo offices to additional acquisitions. This is all in addition to other moves near the heart of the state, which include plans to open a new office in Sunbury next month just outside Columbus where the company earlier this year named a regional president, Charles Moore. Middlefield broke into the Columbus market in 2007 with the acquisition of Emerald Bank — its last bank buy — which established them there through Dublin. A 2008 branch acquisition added a presence in Westerville. The bank is definitely feeling a growth spurt coming on. “But we are not in this to be the biggest bank in Ohio,” Caldwell said. “Our goal is to maintain profitability and grow the bank prudently. We think, historically, we did a very good job of that. This acquisition is the next step in main-
taining returns to shareholders.” There’s still some work to do on that front. Fred Cummings, president of Elizabeth Park Capital Management, a bank-focused hedge fund in Pepper Pike, points out that the bank will want to improve its valuation to be even more competitive and further enhance value to shareholders. The bank was trading pretty much at book value when they made the Liberty deal. “They’ve got to work to get that multiple up. But this seems like a good opportunity for them,” Cummings said. “They’ve got good profitability and are well managed. They’ve really done a nice job.” Other industry observers see them making additional moves in this market as well, possibly even connecting the dots along the corridor between Central and Northeast Ohio. “It really is a game-changer deal for them,” said Patricia Oliver, a Cleveland partner at Tucker Ellis LLP who works on bank M&A deals. “It makes them more substantial and better known — they’ve been a pretty quiet player. We expect after this deal, they will probably buy more banks.”
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TAX LIENS The Internal Revenue Service filed tax liens against the following businesses in the Cuyahoga County Recorder’s Office. The IRS files a tax lien to protect the interests of the federal government. The lien is a public notice to creditors that the government has a claim against a company’s property. Liens reported here are $5,000 and higher. Dates listed are the dates the documents were filed in the Recorder’s Office.
LIENS FILED Cossmos Industrial Services Inc. 9103 Detroit Ave., Cleveland Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $249,410 NCJ Enterprises Inc. 14695 Cheerful Lane, Strongsville Date filed: May 19, 2016 Type: Corporate income Amount: $75,553
Great Lakes Dental of Westlake LLC 23550 Center Ridge Road, Suite 204, Westlake Date filed: May 26, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding, unemployment Amount: $15,843 Artistic Renovations of Ohio LLC 479 Elm Court, Seven Hills Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $15,114 NPS Global Systems Inc. 866 Beechers Brook Road, Mayfield Village Date filed: May 26, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding, failure to file complete return Amount: $14,406
Buckeye Tower Services Inc. 49 Henry St., Berea Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $10,768 Premier Marketing Group Inc. 13940 Cedar Road, Suite 268, University Heights Date filed: May 19, 2016 Type: Unemployment, failure to file complete return Amount: $9,027 Four Star Contractors Inc. 9842 Webster Road, Strongsville Date filed: May 19, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding, unemployment Amount: $7,065
Beit Hanina Express Inc. 11306 Lorain Ave., Cleveland Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding, unemployment Amount: $7,008 High Point Deli Inc. Hi Point Memphis 4915 Memphis Ave., Cleveland Date filed: May 19, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $6,956 MRSO Elite LLC Elite Answering Services 20800 Center Ridge Road, Suite 205, Rocky River Date filed: May 19, 2016 Type: Unemployment Amount: $6,728
A Bar & Kitchen LLC 850 Euclid Ave., Suite 110, Cleveland Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $6,100
LIENS RELEASED A K S S Inc. 13620 Euclid Ave., East Cleveland Date filed: April 14, 2014 Date released: May 26, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding, corporate income Amount: $15,218 Bajan Enterprises LLC 15700 Benhoff Drive, Maple Heights Date filed: Sept. 3, 2015 Date released: May 26, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $10,957
Pololu Ltd. Mayfield Italian Meats Dinos Eatery 12018 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding, unemployment Amount: $53,801 FMI Products LLC 21693 Drake Road, Strongsville Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding, unemployment Amount: $53,690 Pattea Kake Embpd LLC 5040 Northfield Road, Maple Heights Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding, failure to file complete return Amount: $53,548
REL ABLE
Sign Erectors Inc. 1959 W. 112th St., Cleveland Date filed: May 19, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $42,000 Security Management Group Inc. 3740 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Date filed: May 26, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $34,792 Marble Builder Direct 4100 Brookpark Road, Cleveland Date filed: May 26, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $32,626 Caliber Jet LLC 29550 Detroit Road, Suite 300, Westlake Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Unemployment, quarterly federal excise tax Amount: $31,047 Rolen & Associates Inc. 26100 Broadway Ave., Suite C, Oakwood Village Date filed: May 20, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding, corporate income Amount: $17,863 Treehuggers Café Inc. 1330 W, Bagley Road, Berea Date filed: May 26, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $16,920 Paul F Smith Jr. DDS Inc. 20119 Farnsleigh Road, Shaker Heights Date filed: May 19, 2016 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $16,670
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DAVEY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Davey Tree has an appetite for acquisitions. (Contributed photo)
Warnke’s been free to go after additional growth via acquisitions — also a part of the company’s strategic plan and something he said Davey sets aside money for each year. Since Warnke took over as CEO in 2006 — he was already president — he figures the company has done three dozen deals. The price Davey pays for each company varies, Warnke said, but it’s generally equal to about a year’s worth of the company’s sales, or less. Most of them are small pickups. The “tree care” industry is full of mom-and-pop shops, often run by guys who started their business, literally, out on a limb — right alongside the people they might call employees today. Davey buys them
mostly when it can increase its geographic market, Warnke said. The really good ones that operate where no one’s ever heard of Davey keep their old names; others get the Davey name, the green trucks and a whole lot of training for their employees. Some deals are big and involve established companies, like the 2008 acquisition of The Care of Trees, an Illinois-based company with about $50 million in sales and more than 500 employees. That brought Davey new markets in and around Chicago, as well as on the East Coast, Warnke said. Other deals have been attractive because they brought Davey into new industries or gave it new areas of expertise — like the 2014 acquisition of Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc. (WSSI), a Virginia company focused on wetland remediation and other environmental work, with about $10 million in annual sales.
“WSSI helps us expand into the environmental programs,” Warnke said, adding that at the same time WSSI’s employees also are receiving training in some of Davey’s tree and horticultural technology. Most recently, in May, Davey purchased Tennessee-based Jones Bros., a tree company with a strong presence in Southern states that Warnke said Davey is now targeting for geographic growth. Once it gets some roots in an area, Davey’s business extends far beyond trees, too. The company’s business is split basically three ways – about 40% of revenue comes from residential care, another 40% comes from work done for commercial and institutional customers, and the remaining 20% is from work done for utility companies, said company spokeswoman Sandra Reid. But the work the company does
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includes more than the tree trimming most people see along utility lines. It’s the whole science of tree care, from disease and pest management to moving ancient behemoths. It’s golf course management, from the clubhouse to cutting the holes. It’s environmental consulting, assessment of green assets in terms of carbon reduction and other benefits for cities, monitoring and managing the use of power poles by utility and cell phone companies — if it’s got to do with dirt or flora, there’s a good chance Davey’s involved. It’s been a good deal for many employees, too — and the company recruits heavily from Kent State University and other places around Northeast Ohio. Davey isn’t publicly traded but is owned by more than 4,000 current and former employees who either invested in the company’s buyout in 1978, or have participated in an employee stock ownership program since. Stock that cost a quarter in 1978 was worth $15 in 2007, and more than $32 today. Every year the company treasurers pays out $20 million, sometimes more, to retirees and others who redeem shares, Warnke said. Those who don’t work at Davey need not get their checkbooks out to buy shares, though; they’re for employees only. Such benefits — along with an indepth training program, a wide-range of potential career paths and the chance to, at least for a while, work outside — help attract new talent to the company, says Greg Ina, head of the Davey Tree Institute and vice president of research, recruitment and training. Like most Davey executives, including Warnke, Ina started life at the company with either a rope
Davey Tree’s history dates back to 1880. The company transitioned to employee ownership in the late 1970s. (Contributed photo) or a chainsaw in his hand, working on a crew. Today he works with and trains arborists, biologists, engineers, conservationists — and the accountants, IT people and others similar to those found at most other companies. It’s a high-tech business, too. A walk through the Davey Institute, at times, feels like a visit to a CSI set. Bags of leafy materials, bark and twigs sit on the lab shelves, waiting for experts to test them for diseases, pests and other health problems. Those who come to the company often stay a long time, said Ina — himself a 21-year “new guy” at Dav-
ey. But it’s a challenge to convince enough young people to consider some of the company’s environmental sciences and services as career choices, he said. “There’s not enough awareness of the opportunities or breadth of our industry,” Ina said. “But if you’re 18 and came out of high school and didn’t know what you wanted to do, you could enter the Davey Company, get training and have a career for life – you can even take training you get at Davey and use it to earn an associate’s degree.” For Kent State, Davey is both a part-
August 2016
has merged with
ner in education and a potential employer for graduates of its four-year horticulture program and its two-year urban forestry, turf management and landscape design degrees. “We do have members from Davey Tree sitting on our advisory board. Yes, we try to prepare our students for jobs with Davey — and even now I have a student doing an internship with the Davey Institute, where they do the research,” said John Majernik, a lecturer at Kent State’s horticulture technology program in Salem. Like Ina, Majernik said students often don’t realize the career oppor-
tunities in things like golf course management, or tree care. They both also agree that the careers can require, or afford the opportunity, for new entrants to travel. “If the student has the passion, it’s hard telling where they can end up. They often have to be willing to move,” Majernik said. “If we’re talking about being a golf course superintendent … sometimes, the job isn’t going to be in your hometown.” But one thing both they and Warnke agree on: The need for trees, as well as overall land and conservation services, isn’t going away soon.
Western Reserve Partners is pleased to announce that The Robbins Company, headquartered in Solon, Ohio with facilities in Kent, Washington and Fayetteville, West Virginia and operations worldwide, has merged with China’s Northern Heavy Industries Group Co., Ltd. This marks Western Reserve’s third cross-border deal in 2016. :HVWHUQ 5HVHUYH SURYLGHG ÀQDQFLDO DGYLVRU\ VHUYLFHV to Robbins in this transaction. M&A International’s Chinese and German members, Quam Capital Limited and Angermann M&A International GmbH, provided strategic support and international expertise throughout the negotiations. To learn more about this noteworthy strategic deal visit www.wesrespartners.com/therobbinscompany.
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The Rail’s growth strategy is on track By JENNIFER KARPUS-ROMAIN clbfreelancer@crain.com
Young and thriving.
The Rail gains steam
Time to spread the word. Elevate your 20-something success with custom reprints.
35th Anniversary 35th Anniversary
CLEVELAND BUSINESS
CLEVELAND BUSINESS VOL. 37, NO. 14
VOL. 37, NO. 9
April 4-10, 2016
Focus
Each year, Crain’s Cleveland Business with its Health Care Heroes awards program honors those providing exceptional service and dedication to Northeast Ohio’s health care sector. This year’s class, as selected by Crain’s editorial team, is a group of thinkers, innovators and healers. Health care is one of the shining spots of Northeast Ohio’s econo my, and these are just a few of the individuals that make that possible. In selecting this year’s class, the editorial team took into account the nominees’ leadership, accomplishments and c munity service in the categories of advancements in health care; allied health; corporate achievement in health care; vation all-star; nurse; physician; and trustee.
PUBLIC SANDY RAPP Timken Co. Sandy Rapp, vice president and CIO for the Timken Company, transformed Timken’s IT department by focusing on agility and flexibility. According to her nomination, she runs her department as a separate business rather than as a support service, working proactively to develop products aligned with corporate objectives. Her nomination lists several notable contributions, including the establishment of a governance process to review and approve work requests to ensure transparency and alignment of IT efforts with business-critical initiatives, and a comprehensive engineering process and system redesign. She also is credited with delivering a global customer relationship management system, replacing equipment and implementing cloud-based software for sales and management teams across the globe. Another major contribution to the company was right-sizing the IT organization, which resulted in cost savings exceeding 30% in less than three years. She established an IT Center of
February 29 - March 6, 2016
Focus
HEALTH CARE HEROES
CIO OF THE YEAR
Excellence in India with hubs in the United States and Europe, simplifying the IT portfolio through consolidation, elimination and centralization. The project resulted in multimillion dollar savings, disruption decreases, more targeted skill sets and fewer integration points. “Sandy is a transformational leader, leveraging industry best practices and applying out-of-the-box thinking to drive business results,” said Philip Fracassa, executive vice president and CFO. “Since being named to the role in 2014, Sandy has increased the effectiveness and efficiency of our global IT operations, finding new ways
to reliably serve the complex technology needs of 14,000 Timken employees operating from 28 countries.” Rapp continues working through a plan to create a leaner organization through 2018, at which time the IT department will shift toward new innovations, including reinforcing and aligning the department’s goals with the corporation; building a more flexible and adaptive structure by incorporating independent contractors, global offices and U.S. resources; and consolidating services. Outside of Timken, Rapp works extensively to promote opportunities for women in the workplace. She is an executive sponsor for the Women’s International Network at Timken and helped found chapters in India, China, Romania and Poland. She also helped earn a Timken Foundation grant for a mobile mammogram bus to be used in remote parts of India as well. Rapp provides training and career planning for her leaership team and is a speaker at various professional women’s and CIO conferences. She is on the boards for Stewart’s Caring Place and the University of Akron Center for Information Technologies and eBusiness. She actively participates with the Society of Information Management and Habitat for Humanity.
PHYSICIAN
RONALD RIECHERS Medical director of the polytrauma and traumatic brain injury program; Chief of neurology, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
as a nationally recognized expert in traumatic brain injury. A former Army doctor, rising to the rank of major, Riechers joined the Stokes Center in 2008, after serving as medical director of the traumatic brain injury program and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in
A veteran himself, Dr. Ronald Riechers
Bethesda, Md.
has focused his medical career on help-
At the Stokes VA, he manages the care
ing returning soldiers suffering from
of 700 patients, seeing as many as 45 patients a week, said Susan Fuehrer,
traumatic brain injury. At the Stokes VA Center, Riechers has created a comprehensive rehabili-
director of the medical center. “I have seen Dr. Riechers in action and
tation program for veterans with brain
he is just a phenomenal human being,”
and other service-related trauma. The
Fuehrer said. “We have these young vets
A graduate of the University of Akron
program includes an interdisciplinary
who have come back — young kids —
and what is now known as Northeast
team of neurologists, behavioral med-
with part of their brain missing and Dr.
Ohio Medical University in Rootstown,
ical psychologists, nurses, social work-
Riechers coordinates the whole team.”
ers and other physical and occupational therapists. “Dr. Riechers is a model leader with
Riechers also does research and writes
Riechers is an assistant professor of neurology at Case Western Reserve
for medical journals on brain trauma.
School of Medicine and medical director
Fuehrer said he also has spoken to brain
of the Cleveland Functional Electrical
trauma specialists at other medical cen-
Stimulation Center, a nonprofit based at
training and clinical care and deep com-
ters about the differences between
the Stokes Center that does research
mitment to the care and well-being of
treating veterans and non-vets.
demonstrated excellence in research,
veterans,” wrote Dr. Murray Altose, chief
As for his teaching, Riechers was hon-
of staff at the Stokes Center, in a letter
ored in 2012 with the Robert B. Daroff
supporting Riechers’ nomination. Altose described the Cincinnati native
Reprinted with permission from the Crain's Cleveland Business. © 2016 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. Visit www.crainscleveland.com. #CC16012
Contact: Krista Bora Reprint Account Executive kbora@crain.com • tel 212.210.0750
on restoring function to veterans and others with a central nervous system injury or disease.
Excellence in Teaching Award from University Hospitals.
Reprinted with permission from the Crain's Cleveland Business. © 2016 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. Visit www.crainscleveland.com. #CC16008
When Mike Mariola opened Wooster-based City Square Steakhouse in 2008, he knew he ultimately wanted to expand his business. But what he didn’t foresee is that to grow his business, he would have to embrace a totally different concept — a sit-down burger joint. And now that concept — The Rail, with its flagship site in Fairlawn at Summit Mall — is growing by leaps and bounds. Since the first location launched in 2010, Mike Mariola Restaurants (MMR) has opened Rail spots across Northeast Ohio and now has his sights set on the Columbus market. Mariola, who grew up in Wooster, is president of MMR. He started working in kitchens when he was 14. Before launching his own restaurants, he worked as a sous chef for Parker Bosley at Parker’s in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. In 2002, Mariola opened the South Market Bistro in downtown Wooster, right when the area was turning the corner and becoming an established destination. He got his first taste of growth when he opened City Square Steakhouse (Mariola later sold the bistro in 2010). From there, Mariola knew he could take his business to a bigger level. While the steakhouse format has been successful, his expansion aspirations came in the version of The Rail, a sitdown, casual place known for its locally sourced burgers (100% Ohio beef), craft beers and milkshakes. Not only does locally sourced food generally taste better, he said, but having that local connection is great. “We always prefer local ingredients,” Mariola said. “We love the idea of reinvesting in our community and supporting local farms. … When the best quality ingredients are also local (and they almost always are), it’s a win-win.”
— Jay Miller
When Mariola began to think expansion, he turned to the Akron market; he knew the area well because he had family there. He also noticed that while City Square Steakhouse was doing well, what was really booming was the restaurant’s bar business, which included a more casual menu. So, when he found a spot in Fairlawn that he liked but was too small for a full steakhouse, and given the success of City Square’s bar, the idea of a sitdown burger place rose to the top. It took a while for The Rail, surrounded by well-known national chains in Fairlawn, to get noticed. However, in its second year the business grew 10% to 15% in store revenue and patronage, Mariola said. “We felt like we had a proven concept,” he said. With the success of the burger format, Mariola opened The Rail’s second and third locations in December 2014 and March 2015 in Canton and North Olmsted, respectively. Because of Canton’s proximity to Akron, there was already a ton of brand recognition in that market, but it took a bit more work to get the name out in North Olmsted, which is connected to the larger Cleveland market. “We spend a lot of time creating personalities for the brands,” said
Krista Emerson, director of marketing for MMR. To generate buzz, The Rail focused on getting the attention of locals. This included attracting and following the community on social media and getting involved with local high school sports, Emerson said. With the increased amount of locations, people may classify The Rail as a local chain restaurant, but MMR leadership doesn’t see it that way. “We see ourselves as a small business owner,” Emerson said. This summer, Mariola took The Rail to Strongsville, which had been on his radar as a possible location for a while. The chain’s fourth location opened there on Aug. 8. The Strongsville site has a fully covered year-round patio, which is an “absolute win” for weather in Cleveland, he said. The bar stretches inside and outside, with a garage door separating the indoor and outside portions of the restaurant. While Mariola declined to disclose his company’s financial information, he said The Rail restaurants represent 80% of MMR’s revenue. Mariola now is looking to the future.
From burgers to beer His next target market for The Rail is Columbus. There are a few locations in mind, but a lease has not yet been signed. The goal is to open a few locations in the Columbus area in succession in 2017. “We feel like the Ohio pride is strong there,” Mariola said, fitting in well with The Rail’s commitment to use locally sourced ingredients. He also noted the positive Ohio energy in Columbus because of Ohio State University. Burgers aren’t the only thing on Mariola’s mind. When the establishment next to the North Olmsted Rail location closed, he again saw opportunity. The owner gave MMR a good deal, and the company jumped on it. Plans for the Ohio Beer Garden are in the works, with a target opening date of early October. “It was (completely) opportunistic on our part,” Mariola said. The Ohio Beer Garden will focus on craft beer, with at least 12 selections of hard-to-find Ohio brews. The spot also will serve up pizza and other bar snacks. However, this “guest-driven experience” will allow patrons to bring in their own food as well. “It’s not a traditional restaurant,” Mariola said. Guests can even grab a beer while they wait for a table at The Rail or order burgers to go and eat it next door. “It’s a very nice complement to what we’re already doing (at The Rail).” Mariola does not think this is not just a one location opportunity. He foresees it being a complement to other The Rail locations. With various business ventures afoot, MMR recently expanded its headquarters in Wooster. The company outgrew its 1,000-square-foot office, and in December 2015 moved into a 4,000 square-foot location. With the move, the team added a full-time bookkeeper. In total, four full-time and three-part time employees work at the office. Additionally, there are three regional positions. Add in the workers at the restaurants, and MMR employs 250 people. “I hoped we’d get to this point and beyond,” Mariola said.
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Crain’s Twenty in their 20s Carlin D.T. Jackson, 23, Theo. Wyes David Ltd. Founder, principal consultant Carlin Jackson was interested in system design back when he was a kid playing with old TVs in Cleveland Heights. Which is why he just had to find a way to get two TVs to share a single antenna. So it made sense that he ended up studying both software development and finance at Case Western Reserve University. They are “two different lenses” for analyzing the world, Jackson said. — Chuck Soder You’ve worked for Explorys, and you helped DigitalC (formerly OneCommunity) design a public open data platform. Is actual use of Big Data analytics catching up to the hype? I like to look at its predecessor, the term ‘cloud,’ in terms of technology buzzwords. After a while it becomes completely saturated in the news media. But once society has become so aware of it, you naturally start thinking about applications of it. Now everyone’s focus is on ‘How do I use it?’ Elon Musk has talked about the potential threat of machine learning — machines dominating the world. Are you concerned about that? People always go to the Terminator Skynet example. I don’t think we’re quite to that point (laughs). But if there existed an entity that had the ability to be state of the art in terms of robotics, surveillance (and other Skynet capabilities) — and if
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: You worked with Carlin Jackson in Case’s IT department before hiring him as a contractor at DigitalC. What made you want to work with him again?
“Carl in is wickedly smart, but his real strength is his abil ity to translate deep technical geek speak into Engl ish. That makes him a pretty special technologist.”
Five things Who inspires you? Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak Played Pokémon Go? No. But he has played Ingress, which served as the foundation for Pokémon Go. Favorite movie: Inception
— Lev Gonick, CEO of DigitalC
Favorite musical artist: Gospel singer Andraé Crouch
they had a nefarious mission statement — sure, there could be cause for concern.
Any pets? No. But he is ‘dog oriented.’
You’re a member of Rhema Fellowship Church. Was religion a big part of your upbringing? A huge part of my upbringing. Really a family tradition — multiple generations. I consider it my foundation. It helps me handle day-to-day and long-term obstacles.
Photo illustrations by Tim Harrison and David Kordalski
Who is Theo. Wyes David? My full name is Carlin David Theodore Jackson. The Theo and David come from my middle names. Wyes is actually an amalgamation of my two grandfathers’ middle names. One of them is Wayne, and the other is Tyes.
Benjamin Colas, 25, Cleveland Metropolitan School District Kindergarten teacher and real-time coach ”
Last year, Benjamin Colas worked as a kindergarten teacher at Alfred A. Benesch School on Quincy Avenue in Cleveland. But starting this fall, he’ll be teaching part-time and serving as a real-time teacher coach in the classroom, giving his peers immediate feedback and pre- and postclass consultations. Colas hasn’t been content with the status quo during his so-far short career in education. The former finance student joined Teach for America after realizing the corporate world wasn’t a good fit for him. And he’s already pitched — and won funding for — an idea for a kindergarten readiness kit that uses common items parents can find at home and shows them how to use those items to teach necessary skills. For example, parents could have children use shaving cream to trace letters or Skittles to learn sorting. He hopes to have 750 of those kits to offer parents this summer. — Rachel Abbey McCafferty Tell me about the idea behind the KinderKits and why you think they’re necessary. So, last school year, 25 of my 26 kids were considered not ready for kindergarten, according to Ohio’s
kindergarten readiness test that every kid takes. The big thing, though, that I discovered throughout the year, and even throughout my first two years: the parents care. They want to help their kids. There’s just a huge gap in terms of them not knowing what their kids should know coming in. What drew you to education? I think I realized I wanted to do something where my fulltime job was directly related to investing in people, as opposed to doing, say, corporate finance and being involved in something in the evenings. What are some of your larger goals for your career? I feel like, as a teacher, my voice is limited. So I feel like I’m probably not going to be in the classroom long-term. As far as possibilities down the road, though, I would love to stay in education in some capacity.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What makes Benjamin stand out?
“He sees an area that needs to improve and comes up with a solution, rather than complaining about it.” — Benesch principal Erin Murphy. Murphy just took over as principal in June, but was already impressed with how involved and engaged Colas had been over the summer.
Five things What did he want to be when he grew up? President Role model: His dad Favorite book: ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie Favorite Cleveland spots: Barrio, Punch Bowl Social, West Side Market, Metroparks Favorite Cleveland team: He’s hopped on the Cleveland bandwagon for everything.
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Chelsey Finnimore, 26, Bialosky Cleveland Graphic designer, director of social media When Chelsey Finnimore was studying communications design at the Cleveland Institute of Art, she had no guess she’d wind up at an architecture firm. “I thought I’d work for a graphics design firm or as an in-house designer.” However, working at the high-profile practice opened new worlds to her. “It is a different scale than I ever expected to work at. Figuring out an eight ½ inch by 11 piece of paper is one thing versus what looks good on a wall,” she said. At the firm, she used her skills in typography and design to create a consistent identity for the brand in everything from business cards and stationery to signage at its new MidTown Cleveland office and overseeing creation of its new website. — Stan Bullard What was your first job? At The Winner, a discount women’s store in my home town (Sharon, Pa.) I restocked wedding and prom dresses, something about as far away from who I was in high school as possible. I became the elevator operator in the former department store. I met a lot of neat people every day but heard the same elevator job joke constantly. Why did you stay in Cleveland? I was reluctant to come to Cleveland; I was more familiar with Pittsburgh. I fell in love with the city. My senior project was on attitudes toward Cleveland and confronting the stereotypes of a Rust Belt city. I decided I would rather stick around Cleveland as it grows than take a bite out of what someone has done in another city.
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Courtney Gras has gone from a home-schooled science lover to become the first member of her family to attain a college degree. Now she wants to change, and possibly save, the world. The electrical engineer is working with Tom Vo, a fellow University of Akron grad, to develop systems that will enable vast numbers of battery cells to be used far more efficiently and effectively. If they succeed, the “intermittent” characteristics that now limit the use of solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy could disappear, as the world would become able to store and call up as much power as it ever needed using smart battery technology championed by Gras. — Dan Shingler Why science? What made me want to go into the technical fields was living across from Geauga Lake (laughs) — because I just loved roller coasters. My parents took me to Akron U and they said ‘If you want to design roller coasters, you have to be an engineer.’ What got you involved with batteries? One of my faculty advisers, Dr. Tom Hartley, worked really hard to get stu-
dents involved in extracurricular projects. One that I was involved with was with a local electric vehicle company called Myers Motors in Tallmadge. They were a small startup funded by Jumpstart, and they were looking for students to design a battery management system. Then I saw the potential. Do you have any business role models? For entrepreneurship, of course, I love Elon Musk because of all that he’s done with Tesla and Space X. I admire his willingness to go out there and take a lot of big risks. Where do you see yourself in five years? I’m working now on a project with the University of Akron to develop educational workshops to deliver to Akron Public Schools. I’d like to see Design Flux fully launched and then I can focus my career more on the education side and to inspire women to become tech entrepreneurs. I like being an advocate.
Photo illustrations by Tim Harrison and David Kordalski
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Derrick Holifield, 24, Cleveland School of the Fine Arts Middle school language arts teacher Five things Favorite bar: Jukebox in Hingetown Last vacation: Anchorage, Alaska Favorite typeface: Mr. Eaves How old were you when you did your first website? 12 Favorite food: Thai WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What is a graphic designer doing at an architecture firm?
“We are designing environments, and graphic design is one more discipl ine within those services. Many of us in the firm have experience in design but not in her specialty. That type of thinking broadened our base of thinking. She is a confident and competent designer who is wonderful to be around. You find some young people in architecture who just get it far beyond their years of experience.” — Jack Bialosky, managing partner, Bialosky Cleveland
Derrick Holifield started out pursuing a career in acting. Realizing it was more of a hobby than a potential career, he began preparing for law school. When some friends recommended he join Teach for America, he found his calling. “Building great relationships with families is the most rewarding part of my profession,” Holifield said. “Building great relationships with my students is an amazing feeling, but when I can build on those relationships through interactions with parents, grandparents and guardians, I feel that the impact is maximized and the progress is unparalleled.” — Kimberly Bonvissuto
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I hope to have established a growing, nonprofit business and my own school. I feel that I have unlimited creative ideas that can shake up a few industries. I want to work to make this world and this city a better place through educational programming, urban development, economic development and social activities.
Five things Hobbies: Reading, poetry, traveling, sports, movies, live shows Favorite vacation spot: Hilton Head Island Some bucket list items: Launch a school and nonprofit; visit each continent; write a course book; visit every national park; get a law degree, MBA or Ph.D. Some favorite books: ‘Invisible Man’ by Ralph Ellison; ‘The Mis-Education of the Negro’ by Carter G. Woodson ; anything by Mary Higgins Clark, Toni Morrison or Sistah Souljah; ‘The Autobiography of Malcom X.’ Favorite meal: Burgers and brats off the grill
Why did you get into teaching? I believe teaching chose me. It was while developing a program that I realized that I could offer valuable insight and learn a great deal from a profession that is lacking in acquiring the unique perspective of black males.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What makes Derrick stand out?
“Derrick has an unwavering commitment and bel ief in kids and the city of Cleveland, and his passion draws people to him — both kids and adults. He’s really able to rally people behind a cause.”
What do you find most rewarding/challenging about your profession? Building relationships with families is the most rewarding part of my profession. The biggest challenge is not having support from families. It is hard to be the only positive example some kids have. What would you say to someone thinking about a teaching career? Do it! I would tell them that when you are saving lives your intention is critical, but your practice and research gives your intention its power and guidance.
— Katie Kohn, Teach for AmericaNortheast Ohio Cleveland, managing director, Teacher Leadership Development
Diana L. Selzer, 28, Westfield Bank Commercial portfolio manager WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What makes Courtney a good business partner?
“When Courtney puts her mind to something, whatever it is — a light goes on and boom, she’s focused. You know that light’s on and she’s just driving.” — Tom Vo, business partner
Five things Favorite thing, period. International travel Favorite place: London Foods: Salmon and steaks. She runs and lifts weights, so she said she’s big on protein. Music for a workout: Electronic music Recent favorite read: ‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek
Diana Selzer has accomplished more in her short professional career than most people do in a lifetime, according to those who know her. She has a strong sense of community and a passion for Northeast Ohio, which is evidenced through her involvement in a variety of organizations, including the Girl Scouts, Women’s Network of Northeast Ohio and ATHENA International. Her relentless vision of making her community a better place is something those around her feed off of and feel compelled to emulate. “While her professional experience is impressive enough, her community involvement is a true reflection of who she is,” said Sarah Vojtek, manager of events for the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. — Kimberly Bonvissuto Why the banking industry? I love banking and finance, in general. But, more importantly, I love building relationships. I find great satisfaction in working with business owners by taking the company’s growth strategies and working together to make them a reality. What keeps you grounded in Northeast Ohio? It is a great place to call home — to raise my three kids with my husband. Why is it so important to be
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What makes Diana someone worth watching?
“For as young as she is, Diana’s got a lot of years of understanding financials, what makes a business work, how it’s run. She brings a positive attitude to our team and who she works with, and everybody sees that.” — Krista Dobronos, senior vice president/market leader for Westfield Bank involved in your community? Growing up a Girl Scout and obtaining my Gold Award, I was taught from a young age the importance of giving back to the community, being a sister to every Girl Scout and making the world a better place. It has always been a part of who I am and, not to mention, extremely rewarding. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Inspiring others to be the best version of themselves while working in a leadership role in my company.
Five things Any advice for college students? Dream big and get to work. What do you do for fun? She’s an avid runner and can always enjoy an afternoon on the golf course. If you could visit anywhere, it would be … Hawaii The bucket list: Attend the Olympics opening ceremonies, start a company, run a marathon An ideal night out: Tacos and margaritas with her husband, followed by a side-splitting comedy
Photo illustrations by Tim Harrison and David Kordalski
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Emely Vallee Oium, 26, HandsOn Northeast Ohio
Emily Bacha, 28, Western Reserve
Director of programs
Director of communications and marketing
After leaving her job in Japanese corporate banking in Chicago and moving to Cleveland in 2014, Emely Vallee Oium wasted no time getting involved in local volunteerism. She quickly found HandsOn Northeast Ohio as an outlet to volunteer in her free nights and weekends. The nonprofit’s goal is to make it easy for people of all ages and lifestyles to volunteer. It was the perfect way for her to explore Cleveland, meet new people and give back. She loved it so much her husband suggested she turn it into a career. Last September, she joined the HandsOn staff as its director of programs. — Lydia Coutré
lot learning from other coworkers and learning from Jeff Griffiths (executive director of HandsOn) about the management side of it. I’m still learning, always learning. What keeps you interested in this field, especially with your background being so different from what you’re doing today? I like that every day is different, and that there’s always room to be bigger and better and engage more volunteers and engage the community further. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun to be able to engage so many people in the community, whether that’s volunteers or agencies.
How did you transition from volunteering here to working here? Because I was a volunteer, I understood the projects. I understood the process of the projects. It was a
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I’d love to see myself here. I see HandsOn being an awesome organization, continuing to be an awesome organization, a bigger organization. WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What do you hope to see her do in the future?
“I think the sky’s the limit for her. Being a small or younger organization with our work, I think there are so many opportunities to continue to make us stronger — she certainly makes me and the organization better every single day.” — Jeff Griffiths, HandsOn Northeast Ohio’s executive director
Five things What did you want to be as a kid? Pilot Currently reading: ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ Favorite Cleveland spot: Crust and the Tremont Tap House Secret skill: Basic plumbing Favorite project at HandsOn? GED tutoring
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Many people go their whole lives without finding that dream job. Emily Bacha landed hers in her 20s. A self-professed “nerd,” Bacha sees her position with the Western Reserve Land Conservancy as the perfect opportunity to put her environmental education and passion to good use, making “green space for future generations.” Outside of the office, the Bedford native mentors college students through iCleveland, assists in communitybuilding events for Ohio City — where she now resides — and serves as the president of Cleveland Young Professional Senate. — Judy Stringer
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What made Emily right fit for the job?
“Emily has already made a positive impact through her professional and civic involvement, but I can confidently say she is just getting started.” — Rich Cochran, Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s president and CEO
What inspires you about your work? I have opportunity to work with fabulous staff members, as well as really passionate land owners and community leaders who want to make sure our region is the best it can be. I draw a lot of inspiration from working with them. When did you know what you wanted to do professionally? When I was in middle school, I learned about the environmental science field and was able to make the connection between healthy environments and city planning and how the two should really be tied together. I also had the opportunity to travel to Alaska as part of the JASON project and see this first hand. It really lit a fire that has continued to grow. What has surprised you most about working with a nonprofit? Everyone is very mission driven
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e Land Conservancy and wants to make sure we achieve our vision of a region full of vibrant, thriving communities. Everyone gives 110%, and everyone drives each other to be the best that they can be. I really appreciate that work culture. If you could be or do anything else — what? I want to grow in my role and grow my professional work in this community, so I don’t know what else I would be. Sometimes I think just being outside totally would be a fantastic move, so maybe an environment educator or a professional urban gardener.
Five things
Five things Favorite book: ‘Last Child in the Woods’ by Richard Louv Workout jam: Anything by Kesha Vacation spot: Acadia National Park Binge-worthy show: ‘Scandal’ First job: Lifeguard
Hobbies: Cleveland sports. He also loves to play golf. Favorite TV show: ‘Ballers’ Favorite restaurant: Don’s Lighthouse Grille — He’s been going ever since his parents went there when he was a baby. Vacation spot: Lake Cumberland, Ky. Best professional advice he’s received: Don’t bite off more than you can chew. And also, don’t be consumed with work. If you don’t stop and look around, you might miss something.
Photo illustrations by Tim Harrison and David Kordalski
Gabriel A. Malemud, 29, Key Private Bank Vice president, relationship manager Many of Gabriel Malemud’s superiors at KeyCorp still remember his energy from their first conversations with him. They seemed to know, even five years ago, he would be one of the bank’s rising stars. Highly regarded within the company for his enthusiasm, Malemud quickly ascended the corporate ladder at Key where he is currently a vice president — a title he earned in 2015, making him the youngest vice president in the company. — Jeremy Nobile What inspires you about your work? No matter what you’re doing, your work comes down to the client and their individual situation. It doesn’t change — you’re still taking care of individual needs and concerns and helping people. You climbed the corporate ladder quickly. Considering your age and these roles, do you encounter any unique challenges? Our average relationship manager at Key is over 50. So, you are constantly having to prove yourself, and with clients especially. You have to be at the top of your game at all times and proactive as possible in your thinking. What are some of the keys to your success? Being an active listener, and not just with clients, but with senior leadership and management. I also think
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: How did Gabriel progress so quickly at Key?
“He has energy and an incredible sense of enthusiasm and curiosity about customers. I just loved how he mastered the branch manager role and really understands how to engage with customers. He embodies a lot of the elements I really look for in a leader.” — Kip Clarke, Cleveland market president for Key Community Bank I’m very coachable with people. Some people here have over 30 years experience in wealth management. You have to learn best practices and accumulate as much knowledge as possible. And that’s not just going to a meeting or being at a seminar and saying you’re listening, but really owning those things and putting those into practice moving forward. If you weren’t in banking, what do you think you would be doing? I’ve always had aspirations to be a sports agent. It’s something that’s always been at the back of my mind. But right now, I’m learning skills in wealth management that could translate to that line of business.
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INSPIRED BY TOMORROW Forest City congratulates this year's Twenty in their 20s class, including our very own Mackenzie Makepeace.
At Forest City, we’re dedicated to creating exceptional places where people live, work and shop. For more information, visit www.forestcity.net.
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Lauren Budin, 28, Mahall’s 20 Lanes
Mackenzie Makepeace, 29, Forest City Realty Trust Inc.
About five years ago, after coming under new ownership, Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood crafted a fresh identity, coupling classic bowling with a live-entertainment venue to appeal to the West Side’s young, hip crowd. Lauren Budin’s efforts on the entertainment side helped breathe life into a business that not long ago was fighting for survival. She also operates a clothing shop called Cattitude Vintage at Mahall’s, which is typically open during shows. “It’s probably not what I’m going to do forever,” she said. “But right now, this is exactly where I want to be.” — Jeremy Nobile
Manager, strategic initiatives and market research
Venue manager/talent buyer
How has Mahall’s changed since you started? We want people to feel like, if you’re up-and-coming and playing in Cleveland at Mahall’s, then you know you’re going somewhere. When they first started doing shows, they didn’t even have a PA system. It took some convincing to show we actually needed that if we were going to be an actual music venue. What’s your approach to booking events? We have some bigger shows with fancy agents, but part of the charm is we have these little shows that are thrown together, where you can feel like you’re in the basement of some house show. I want us to be professional and well-respected. But I don’t want to lose that funkiness. What else do you have in store? Bigger, better shows. We are going to keep attracting bands people real-
ly want to see. And the ’90s dance parties we are doing will keep on getting bigger and crazier — probably more dance parties in general. And probably a lot more weird events.
Five things
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: How has Lauren helped Mahall’s evolve?
Any instruments: She dabbled in piano and played some guitar before.
“We’re seeing much more energy here. The changes have been subtle, but from a business standpoint, they’ve been profound. Sales are up. There are more customers, more young people.” — Mahall’s co-owner Colin McEwen
Favorite music: It changes every day. Meatloaf’s ‘Bat out of Hell’ was the last thing cued up on Spotify, though.
As for bowling … ‘I’m literally the worst bowler that’s ever bowled a bowling ball. ‘ Favorite bar: If she’s not at Mahall’s, she’s probably at Now That’s Class. Your friends might not know … She did a lot of musicals as a child. ‘I was the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz once — but that is not that surprising if you know me. ‘
Mackenzie Makepeace learned to ride at 8 and became a professional rider and trainer at horse farms during college at William and Lee University in Richmond, Va. She realized so much of her life was tied up in things equestrian she decided to try something different. That led her to work for a real estate developer in Richmond. She later got a job at Forest City’s office in Richmond and later transferred to Cleveland, her hometown. She insists it was not a master plan. She liked working for the company in Richmond so much she pursued the job here after she became aware of opportunities at the corporate level. — Stan Bullard
talking about its need for a young professionals group. I went to a meeting with the staff, we put together a plan and I became the founder. We have more than 300 members. Do you possess a car? My husband and I share one. He’s in his residency at Metro, so he has it a lot. I’ve found public transportation here is great. I take the HealthLine to Severance Hall for meetings and the Rapid Transit to Ohio City.
Why real estate? I like real estate because you can see it. We talk a lot about place-making at Forest City. You can see development transforming a community. I belong to the Urban Land Institute (trade group) because it promotes responsible use of land. And there are a lot of different things you can do in real estate. How did you get involved with The Circle, the Cleveland Orchestra’s young professional organization? My husband and I had gotten tickets to a concert from the company and were at a preconcert event. Camille LaBarre (wife of Musical Arts Association president Dennis W. LaBarre) approached us and began
TEACHFORAMERICA
Congratulations Derrick Holifield!
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Maura Garven, 29, Destination Cleveland Manager of strategic initiatives WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: Why is she noteworthy?
“She has emerged as leader in our company, our industry and our community. She continues to expand and evolve her role within our organization by providing necessary guidance and support on key initiatives across the company.” — Stephanie Dorsey, Forest City’s senior vice president of strategic initiatives and corporate operations
Five things Last hurry-up assignment: Brexit’s impact on real estate As for Forest City … It’s never a quiet crowd. No one is afraid to speak their mind. How long is your commute? Five to eight minutes. I live on East Fourth Street. Favorite restaurant: Greenhouse Tavern Favorite pastime: Reading fiction.
Maura Garven grew up in Lakewood, then went off to college at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and started her career in Boston, working for Partners in Health, a nonprofit that brings health care services to remote areas around the world. But she yearned to come back to Cleveland. “There were always jokes when I was in college and working in Boston that I should work for the convention and visitors bureau in Cleveland because I talked so much about the city,” she recalled. Now, that’s what she does. — Jay Miller What drew you to the world of strategic planning? As a child I was always asking, ‘Why?’ (Later), when people would tell me how things worked, I would ask why, and I think through those conversations I have been able to help people think differently about the things that are their everyday life. What is it that you like now about analyzing organizations or situations and setting objectives? I like writing and I like fixing systems and thinking through how to make strategic decisions that impact future event planning. I think the success of strategic planning is actually daily operations and informing everything you do, and answering the question, ‘Who are we and what do we want to do?’ You started working at Destination Cleveland earlier this year, while it was also doing
Five things
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: You met Maura 10 years ago when she was an intern at the Cleveland Foundation. What did you see in her then that you see now, when she’s working for you?
Favorite bar? Happy Dog Where do you live? DetroitShoreway, behind Happy Dog Last book read? ‘The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow’ by Rita Leganski
“Her greatest assets then are still her greatest assets now: thoughtful, inquisitive, insightful, inclusive, strategic and kind. She’s a ‘doer.’”
Last vacation? Italy, for a friend’s wedding Favorite place to visit: Charleston, S.C.
— Hannah Belsito, vice president of destination development and community affairs at Destination Cleveland much of the work of the local committee that was planning the Republican convention. What was your role, jumping in while that work was already underway? My job was to look at the jobs of people who were working for both Destination Cleveland and the host committee, to start thinking about the future and what they wanted to be doing in future years. It was super important to David Gilbert (president and CEO of Destination Cleveland) and the board that, while the work of planning for the RNC was an incredible investment of time and energy, the (Destination Cleveland) work continued, and that included planning for the future.
Photo illustrations by Tim Harrison and David Kordalski
Marchaé Grair, 28, United Church of Christ Social media associate One quote seems to sum up Marchaé Grair pretty well. “I’m proud of my faith, I’m proud of my family, I’m proud of my sexual orientation and I’m proud of being black. Just proud,” said Grair, who has been in charge of the United Church of Christ’s social media for the last couple years. Grair manages the church’s blog, The New Sacred. She also is the founder of Safe Space Ministries at the South Euclid United Church of Christ. The ministry aims to create an inclusive community for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. — Kevin Kleps Why did you choose a career in faith? I have always been a faith-driven and spiritual person. I grew up in a very traditional church setting, and while I still hold a lot of the values and lessons dear to me that I learned there, I also had to separate myself from certain aspects of that denomination because I identify as a queer woman. I felt like there were a lot of people who were like me and who were looking for a safe space to be an out queer person and be somebody who identifies as a faith-based person. What are your goals for your ministry?
I don’t think on scale. I think on impact. If somebody comes and finds a safe place there, and their alternative was going home and committing suicide or leaving the church forever because they don’t think they have a place for them, then I’ve
done my job — even if it’s me and one person sitting in the meeting. So my hope would be that I can provide that space for as many people who need it, when they need it. What’s your favorite thing about social media? Probably that (Andy) Warhol’s quote comes true. Everybody gets 15 minutes of fame. You can do something really obscure, strange, silly or powerful. It can just be anything, and for some reason, at that moment in time, it’s what people needed or wanted to see, and then you’re viral. Least favorite? The way that people use social media to bully. It’s very easy to hide behind fake screen names or to hide behind certain groups in order to be hateful. It’s kind of like the comments section had an evil baby.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What has Marchaé brought to the UCC?
“She’s been able to attract people who have never heard of this denomination, and she’s changed the minds of people who thought they would never go near a church. Our social media numbers have never been higher, and they keep growing — surpassing those of churches much larger than the UCC.” — Tina Villa, the UCC’s director of publishing, identity and communication
Five things Hoop it up: Grair plays on a rec basketball team. Injury prone: She’s ‘constantly hurting’ herself, including a torn ACL in high school. Early leader: The knee injury ended Grair’s hoops career, but she was also a volleyball and track captain at Ravenna. Favorite musicians: Emily King and The Internet Give her a mic: She’s been singing ‘since I could talk.’
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Twenty in their 20s
Michael Katz, 26, Byte Café
Michael Bowen, 29, Taft, Stettinius
Founder and owner
Law clerk maybe people are used to, with a twist. I’m really big on flavor impact — so crunchy, sweet, salty, has all of the great balances in there that something really tasty has.
Michael Katz entered the food business with a whole lot of passion and a desire to make a change — not just money. He hopes to gradually grow Byte Café, his 2-year-old business in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood into a nationally and internationally known fast-casual eatery. But never at the expense of healthy food, fresh ingredients and quality customer service. “I see such a huge space in the market for fresher healthier food, with better service, and a better overall brand,” he said. — Lydia Coutré
Five things Favorite sandwich: Byte’s Desperado Favorite place to eat in Northeast Ohio: Greenhouse Tavern
How do you hope to expand in this market and grow, while also maintaining that identity of artisanal and local? There’s no reason it can’t work in every city in the world. People are looking for healthier, fresher options for lunch. I want to make this a career for myself, but we’re not really profit-oriented right now. We’re more oriented on the brand and growing the brand and making sure that people are getting something that is missing in the market, which is better service, not a dull service, better brand and just a fresher concept.
Hobbies: Sports, producing music, drumming Favorite albums: ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ by Pink Floyd and “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” by Red Hot Chili Peppers Favorite vacation spot: Toronto, where he lived for a decade. WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: How would you describe Michael?
“What probably stands out the most to me is that he knows enough to know that he does not know everything.”
How much of a hand do you have in the menu, the foods, the flavors? One of my biggest passions is creating new food products, new specials, new items — things that
— James Amendola, a mentor and the industrial/commercial manager for St. Clair Superior Development Corporation
Inspired by his late mother’s service on the Shaker Heights City Council, Michael Bowen has seemingly always had an interest in public policy. And even though he’s not even 30, he’s hardly a newbie to local politics. While attending Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Bowen worked for former Lakewood Mayor Ed FitzGerald, assisted campaigns for his mother, Lynn Ruffner, and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty and, most recently, served as field director for the May 2015 renewal of the county’s Arts & Cultural Levy, which passed with 73% of the vote. — Judy Stringer
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What impressed you about Michael?
What do you like most about your current job with Taft? Just getting the experience of being at a firm like Taft and learning from some of the best lawyers in Northeast Ohio — well, really the state — it’s an experience not a lot of people get to have.
Five things
If you could change one thing about Cleveland, what would it be? There is a continuing discrepancy between Cleveland proper and the suburbs of Cleveland. For all of the progress Cleveland has made economically, the city still struggles with more people with mental challenges than ever. That divide is something that is worrisome to me. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I see myself continuing to practice law, continuing to somehow mold my civic life with my professional le-
“He is as at ease in a board room as he is in a church basement, and he was conversant on all sides of town. He really understands the networks in our community and that will take him far.” — Chris Ronayne, president, University Circle Inc.
Favorite pastime: Traveling Bucket list destination: San Juan, Puerto Rico First car: 1999 Eagle Vision Last book read: ‘The Conviser Outline’ by BARBRI Go-to spot: The Union Club
Nora Mahoney, 28, Carleton McKenna & Co.
Peter Spaulding,
Associate counsel
Vice president, operations
Nora Mahoney knew “the second” she left for law school she would be coming back to Cleveland someday. It didn’t take long. After getting her degree in biology and sustainability at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea in 2010, the Strongsville native and Padua High School graduate headed for the Vermont Law School, one of the top environmental law schools in the country. “It was a totally different world than Cleveland,” she said of the school in South Royalton, Vt., population 694. “It made me incredibly outdoorsy, not by my nature but by force.” But soon she was back in Cleveland, living downtown and working in investment banking as in-house counsel at Carleton McKenna. “I loved Cleveland before it was cool,” she said. — Jay Miller Your law school focus was environmental law. But you’ve ended up in investment banking. How did that work? The part I loved about environmental law was the administrative and procedural stuff. It’s oddly symmetrical to what I’m doing in investment banking. I’m in-house counsel dealing with compliance (with securities laws) and regulatory issues that come up with being a registered broker-dealer. I never thought I’d be
here, but I love the work and love the client interaction. I bumped into my dream job. Six years out of school and you’re on the board of trustees of BW. What else are you involved in? The Irish Bar Society. It’s a real bar association — for Irish lawyers in Cleveland.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I’m very content with where I am now. I certainly hope to still be in investment banking; I still hope to be at Carlton McKenna. I’d like to have the opportunity, maybe not five years from now, to start my own company. I work with a lot of startup companies and entrepreneurs. My experience puts me a unique place for that opportunity someday. I’m still searching for the right idea, though.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What is it about Nora that struck you?
“I’ve known her now for about three or four years. I’m most impressed with how she’s shown an interest in the investment banking services that the company provides and consequently becoming an important player on the deal front.” — Dominic Brault, an adviser to Carleton McKenna
Five things Favorite restaurant: The Market Café and Wine Bar Hobby: Vinyl record collection Prized possession: 1972 Rotel turntable Hunting for: A rare, live Van Morrison album Coffee shop: Phoenix Coffee Co. on East Ninth Street
BoxCast co-founder Gordon Daily refers to Peter Spaulding as the company’s “first official employee,” since the latter was the first non-founder to agree to work for the startup in August 2013. Spaulding joined BoxCast, which produces technology that helps companies stream live events, via Venture for America, a program that matches up startups and impressive graduates. At Yale University, Spaulding worked
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Twenty in their 20s
& Hollister
Patrick Zangardi, 28, Insivia Director of client services
gal practice. To do good and well would be ideal. What might most people be surprised to know about you? Over the last few years, I’ve become a pretty avid tennis player. I try to play three to four times a week. What do you do when you aren’t working or volunteering? I spend time with my girlfriend, Sarah, and I also like being active and paying close attention to local politics and local races. They are very important, more so than even presidential elections.
Five things
Patrick Zangardi wanted to be an engineer when he arrived at the University of Toledo. But he found his true calling while taking an intro to marketing course. “It’s science and art together. It’s more personal, which I like,” he said. The decision has worked out well so far: At Insivia, the Middleburg Heights native works on high-level digital marketing strategies “with almost every one of our clients” while also helping the Cleveland-based firm find new customers. — Chuck Soder
Bros!: He has a 3year-old named Jackson and his wife, Vanessa, is due to have another boy in October. His name? ‘Jordan. I think.’ Favorite band: The Avett Brothers. Naturally, at his January 2012 wedding, he and his wife danced to the song ‘January Wedding.’ Most underrated Cleveland athlete: Indians third baseman José Ramirez
What convinced you to come back to Cleveland, other than a job opening and your family being around? There were a lot of great things happening in art, culture, food and nightlife. Professionally, I started to see a lot of exciting things happening with companies in the region. I wanted to be part of that.
Podcast: Mixergy, an interview show featuring people in the tech startup world Favorite dish to cook: Pizza, on the grill
People make lots of sweeping generalizations about millennials. Is there any truth to them?
25, BoxCast for a Washington, D.C. startup and spent time as an aide to Democratic U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer. In D.C., he said he “fell in love” with how a startup’s “small group dynamic works and how you had to rely on each other a bit more.” — Kevin Kleps You started working at a startup right out of college. What’s that been like? I had the opportunity to come in at the early stages. I think Gordon’s been super-transparent since the
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: What makes Patrick stand out?
“He’s got this wisdom beyond his years. He acts with a gravitas that you don’t expect from someone in their 20s. He’s thoughtful, confident, really driven and mindful.” — Insivia CEO Andy Halco A lot of people say we want too much autonomy or too much flexibility. There is some truth behind it, but it’s largely inaccurate. Everyone wants flexibility. I have a young family. So having the ability to be flexible, that’s extremely important to me. Your LinkedIn says you enjoy cooking, cycling and photography. Are those your top three hobbies? Between personal life and professional life, I have limited time for hobbies. I try to run or lift four or five days a week. On the days when I’ve been active, I have better focus and more intensity at work. Name someone who’s had a huge impact on you — and you can’t pick a family member. Andy Halco (Insivia’s CEO). He gave me a shot when I was super young. He trusted me to make decisions and drive his business forward.
UPCOMING CUSTOM SUPPLEMENT
early days, so I’ve had the opportunity to see some of the really hard times — the scratching and clawing. It’s been surprising how much work it really takes. What’s been the most gratifying part about helping to get a company off the ground? We did a customer survey, and hearing those responses was overwhelming because sometimes you can forget about some of the things you do to help these organizations. It’s nice seeing organizations appreciate what the company has done. Being able to wear the different hats has been really nice, too. You’ve grown into a pretty big role at BoxCast. Have you looked down the line at what you want to do long term? I don’t really look at that big of a picture. There’s a lot that’s changed in the three years, and we still have a lot of challenges ahead. Until that stops, I think I’m pretty happy with where I am. I think there’s a lot of potential still for us to grow. I feel like we’re hitting our stride right now. It took years of foundational work to get to that point.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: How valuable is Peter’s role at BoxCast?
“Peter has a certain calm about him that is rare for someone his age. We’ve trusted him with so many responsibil ities over the years because we know he’ll do great work and he’ll do it with grace.”
Giving Guide Use this advertising opportunity to showcase your organization along with your commitment to Northeast Ohio. ISSUE DATE: OCTOBER 31 • AD CLOSE: SEPTEMBER 1
— Gordon Daily, BoxCast president
Five things Activity: He loves being outdoors. Side project: A current goal: Improving his golf game College sport: The Maryland native played lacrosse at Yale. Cleveland connection: He was never much of an NBA fan, but he’s now an avid follower of the Cavs. Favorite part about living downtown: How easy it is to navigate
Contact: Nicole Mastrangelo at 216-771-5158 or nmastrangelo@crain.com. Powered by:
Photo illustrations by Tim Harrison and David Kordalski
Presented by:
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Twenty in their 20s
Simone Swanson, 27, The Gathering Place
Five things Favorite author: T.D. Jakes Hobbies: Spending time with friends and family
Community liaison
Ever since she was a child, Simone Swanson had a giving spirit and was always interested in giving back. She refined that giving nature at the American Cancer Society Cleveland Hope Lodge, and now at The Gathering Place, a local nonprofit organization that offers support services for cancer patients and their families. She’s also editor of the twoyear-old CL Magazine, a career and lifestyle magazine for women of color. “I never felt comfortable having something and not sharing it, whether it was knowledge or a resource,” she said. “I was always passionate about helping people who need help.” — Kimberly Bonvissuto Where do you draw your inspiration from? The Gathering Place is a center where anyone touched by cancer can come for support through programs and services to cope with a diagnosis. As an only child, I had a bit of a princess complex. Seeing people literally fighting for their lives and being positive through the process was eye opening.
Ideal vacation: Barbados. She said she could be an island girl – the music, the food, the culture, the beautiful weather.
How are you helping to move your organization forward? I do a combination of outreach and development. The Gathering Place started in 2000, and many of the original people are retiring and moving into the next phase of their lives. As part of the Rising Leaders Council, I help to bring in fresh talent to engage a younger generation.
Favorite Cleveland spot: The new and improved Flats Something people don’t know about you: In her car, she has some serious, full-fledged concerts. The music is loud, and she’s singing at the top of her lungs. WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: How would you describe Simone?
“She is the force behind my vision. It has been some of her ideas that have spurred on other activities for me to expand the reach, hone in and crystall ize the content, and thereby increase our advertising.”
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I see myself, ideally, as a CEO of my own nonprofit. I’ve always had a passion for helping young girls. I hope to be a mother and a wife. I want to have it all — the career life and a family. I see myself finding the balance between both.
— Alexandria Johnson Boone, publisher and chief editorial officer of CL Magazine, a publication of the Women of Color Foundation
Photo illustrations by Tim Harrison and David Kordalski
Xyla Foxlin, 20, Parihug Founder and CEO
Everyone likes hugs, but what if you were able to receive an embrace from anywhere in the world? Xyla Foxlin believes she has answered that question with Parihug, a startup developing Bluetooth and wi-fi enabled teddy bears connected to one another through the internet. When one bear is hugged, the bear it’s paired with will vibrate, sending a virtual “I love you” over the ether. Foxlin, an engineering student at Case Western Reserve University, is readying a Kickstarter campaign to build more bears, while also showing off her tech at various highend conferences. “We’re bringing physical elements into long-distance communication,” Foxlin said. — Douglas J. Guth What about your work makes you most proud? Starting this company at 19 as a minority female was extremely difficult. I had to grow a thick skin from people saying I wasn’t enough of an engineer, or a businessperson, or I was too young. The company has been able to overcome all of that.
What inspires you most as an entrepreneur? One of my favorite things to do is demo the bears at events like CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and SXSW. At CES people were asking why we had teddy bears at the world’s biggest electronic show. Then this hard businessperson personality would go away, and they’d say how much their daughter would love this.
Love is the core part of what makes us, us. Technology should reflect that. How do you maintain a balance among work, school and social activities? It’s really, really hard. I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices, and being an entrepreneur can be lonely. Luckily I have a group of girls I live with who don’t know what Par-
ihug is and just love me because I’m crazy and weird. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I want to see Parihug to fruition and how it can change human communication. Ultimately, I want to be a serial entrepreneur, though my dream job is to be an ‘imagineer’ with Disney.
Five things Favorite Cleveland hang-out: think[box] makerspace at CWRU Favorite childhood toy: Snowball the stuffed polar bear Favorite movie: ‘Tangled’ Vacation spot: Disneyland Secret superpower: Flying. She soloed an airplane for the first time in high school. WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: How would you describe Xyla’s work ethic and personality?
“When the going gets tough, Xyla puts in more time, energy, and strategic thought. This combination of talent and will can be hard to find, and Xyla exempl ifies it.” — Danielle Strachman, co-founder of the San Francisco-based 1517 Fund, a Parihug investor
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Business of Life
For the love of the glove Gordon King’s Parma apartment has a large stack of baseball gloves that will be restored and donated to the military. (Kevin Kleps)
Parma resident builds a biz by repairing mitts By KEVIN KLEPS Baseball gloves are stacked against a wall in the living room of the Parma apartment Gordon King shares with his wife. Spread-out newspapers cover the kitchen table, where King sits as he works on his lifelong passion — restoring and repairing gloves, both old and new. “Every time I go over to his apartment, I tell him, ‘Gordon, I don’t know how you keep track of everything,’ ” said Bobby Sofchek, a retired Brook Park police officer who has been friends with King for more than 20 years. “I don’t know how he does it, how he remembers everything, but he does.” When it comes to baseball and gloves, no details are too small for King. He spreads a ripped portion of one glove to show a visitor the dryer lint that serves as the mitt’s padding. If the lint is white, it likely comes from a dry cleaner or hotel chain, King says. If it’s black or black and gray, it’s probably from the U.S. Army. (More military branches and mitt padding combinations, according to King: Silver or gray and blue is from the Navy, a red and blue mix is from the Marines, and gray with navy blue is from the Air Force.) He will tell you which types of cattle hide provide the best material for a baseball glove, and why gloves made with leather from a cow feels
Gordon King often removes plastic, which can be uncomfortable, from the gloves he works on.
King works on a mitt in his apartment. He has 15 to 20 in need of repair at any given time.
King opens a glove to show the dryer lint that is used for padding.
King is restoring a 1942 glove worn by Hall of Famer and former Indians standout Lou Boudreau.
great, but can lead to problems down the road because it’s so soft. “I love what I do,” King said. “I love the game.” King started his business, A1 Glove Repair & Sales, in 1999. Later, after he lost his job as a controller, he — at the suggestion of his wife, Joyce — decided to make baseball gloves his full-time job.
At any given time, he is working on 15 to 20 gloves. He repairs and restores more than 200 gloves a year — “They just keep coming,” he says.” He also sells new gloves, which he gets at wholesale prices, but not until he spends a couple of weeks properly breaking them in. Sofchek cuts strings from big pieces of cattle hide that King orders
by the roll. King then uses the string to strengthen the repaired glove, after his customers select a color. “When he first started it, I told him it was going to take off, because there’s no one else around who does that sort of thing,” Sofchek said. King — a huge Boston Red Sox fan who played organized softball for 28 years — says customers will call him
at 10 p.m. because one of their kids had a string that ripped or came loose during a game. The glove is dropped off at King’s apartment that night, and the parent has it back in time for the child’s game the following day. Friends and customers also donate old gloves. King restores those and ships them to the U.S. Department of Defense, to be used by the troops. John Mengelkamp, president of the Diamond League, said King sets up shop at some of the many league tournament and all-star games his organization hosts in Northeast Ohio. Sometimes, King will provide a quick fix. If the problem is more serious, he’ll take the glove home and send it back when the work is completed. “He does some pretty incredible things,” Mengelkamp said. And it’s reasonable. Lacing starts at $12 and can cost $40 or $45 (depending on the mitt) for a complete overhaul. King also removes plastic inserts for $7, adds padding for $10, and adds custommade pinky and thumb loops for $10. That’s a stark contrast from the sticker prices for brand new gloves, which often sell for more than $200. “The parents and the players, they’re real satisfied with his work,” Mengelkamp said. “A lot of times, they’re amazed at what he can do.” King will try almost anything to fix or restore a glove. He even created his own mix to condition gloves after he found out a commonly sold oil contained an allergen. King’s lotion contains 11 natural ingredients. “I don’t think I have any competitors, and I’m not trying to sound like I’m bragging,” King said. “It’s because no one is as crazy about gloves as I am.”
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BUSINESS OF LIFE
Source Lunch Megan O’Bryan has been focusing her energy on improving education in Cleveland in recent years. After leading the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, O’Bryan joined Tri-C as the vice president of development and the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation. Community colleges used to be about access, O’Bryan said, but now the focus is on completion and success. The foundation is going to be focusing strongly on the college’s Centers of Excellence, which offer credentials and academic pathways tied to workforce needs. The foundation’s role will be to figure out how to best meet community needs and how to match those needs with philanthropic opportunities, O’Bryan said. The college is a busy, innovative place, O’Bryan said. That’s not a problem for her, as she likes the fast-paced environment. “You’re never standing still there,” she said. — Rachel Abbey McCafferty
What is a typical day like in your role as vice president of development and the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation? Every day, I collaborate with people who want to make a difference in the lives of our students at Tri-C. I work with our outstanding faculty, staff and leadership to develop strategies to support student success and completion. I also work with generous donors, community and business leaders to help them make an investment in scholarships and college programs that have great economic return to individuals and the region.
wraparound support system for all of our students that has increased our graduation rate three-fold and decreased their time to complete as well as their costs. Tri-C is an economic driver for Northeast Ohio. We are in the business of creating prosperity for individuals, which has a domino effect on families, on employers and across the region. For every dollar invested in Tri-C, the college provides $10.50 back to the community in economic benefit.
What drew you to Cuyahoga Community College? In 2012, I was appointed to the college’s Board of Trustees by then-County Executive Ed Fitzgerald. Through this role I got to see the huge impact Tri-C has on its students and in the community. I gained a deep appreciation and passion for the high-quality and life-changing education and training offered by Tri-C. We help 55,000 students a year work toward associates degrees and certificates that lead them either to transfer to a four-year institution or into the workforce.
Before coming to Tri-C, you led the Cleveland Transformation Alliance. What are some lessons you took from that experience? The Cleveland Transformation Alliance was created in 2012 to advocate for the success of Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools, which seeks to ensure every child in every neighborhood of Cleveland attends a quality public school. The Cleveland Plan is (a) national model that fosters unprecedented collaboration between district and charter schools, so that more quality options are available to families. This has led to the creation of great public schools for families in Cleveland.
What role do community colleges play in our society? What role does Tri-C specifically play in Northeast Ohio? Community colleges ensure that higher education is accessible to everyone. We accept all students and meet them where they are. At Tri-C, we have created a
What would you like to see the Cleveland Transformation Alliance accomplish? I hope the vision of the Cleveland Plan is realized so that every child in every neighborhood of our city attends a great public school. This is critical to the vitality of our region and will lead to more students com-
Megan O’Bryan EDUCATION
ing into Cuyahoga Community College well-prepared and on the path to success in college and in life. Before entering the education realm, you served as president and CEO of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. Do you think the conversation has changed since you took that role in 2004? Oh wow. Our community has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of how we understand and respond to sexual assault. The Rape Crisis Center helped create a massive shift in consciousness by collaborating with law enforcement, health care and education institutions to create a sense (of) urgency, as well as compassionate solutions that make our community safer and healthier. What are some of the strengths the community has to offer? Our people are our greatest strength. I am amazed by the generosity, collaborative spirit, pride and “grit” our people display. I think this was demonstrated just a few weeks ago when the spirit of our people resulted in a highly successful political convention. What do you like to do on your days off? I spend as much free time as I can enjoying Northeast Ohio’s restaurants, nature and arts and culture with my family. In the summer, we love Lake Erie and spending time in Huron, Ohio. I also love my yoga practice and can be found often at Inner Bliss Yoga Studio.
FIVE THINGS: FAVORITE SPOTS IN CLEVELAND The Flying Fig is one of her go-to spots, but she also likes Bomba Tacos & Rum in Rocky River, as well as Toast in Gordon Square.
NOT-TO-MISS LOCAL EVENTS
The Believe in CLE yoga event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Edgewater Live
BEST RIDE AT CEDAR POINT Millennium Force
LUNCH SPOT
MUST-SEE
Pura Vida Restaurant 170 Euclid Ave. Cleveland puravidabybrandt.com
The Cleveland International Film Festival is a must for her, as she said it’s the only time she gets to indulge her “film appetite” in something other than children’s movies.
WHY YOGA?
O’Bryan loves the physical demands of the practice, as well as its ability to help people gain mental stillness.
The meal Two orders of the African peanut stew, one with the “simple” salad and one with the quinoa salad
The vibe A bright open space with plentiful patio seating in the heart of downtown
The bill
$31.32, plus tip
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z AUGUST 22 - 28, 2016 z CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS
The List
LARGEST CUYAHOGA COUNTY EMPLOYERS Ranked by Full-Time Equivalent Local Employees
COMPANY ADDRESS PHONE/WEBSITE
FTE EMPLOYEES CUYAHOGA COUNTY JUNE 30, 2016
TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN OHIO
TYPE OF BUSINESS
1
Cleveland Clinic 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44195 (216) 444-2200/www.clevelandclinic.org
31,668
34,403
Health care provider
Toby Cosgrove, M.D. president, CEO
2
University Hospitals 11100 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44106 (216) 844-1000/www.uhhospitals.org
16,595
21,519
Nationally recognized, integrated health care system comprised of hospitals and outpatient health centers throughout Northeast Ohio
Thomas F. Zenty III CEO
3
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (1) 1900 E St., NW, Washington 20415 (202) 606-1800/www.opm.gov
11,536
49,371
Federal government
NA
4
Progressive Group of Insurance Companies 6300 Wilson Mills Road, Mayfield Village 44143 (440) 461-5000/www.progressive.com
8,765
9,819
Insurance and financial company
Tricia Griffith president, CEO
5
Cleveland Metropolitan School District 1111 Superior Ave., Cleveland 44114 (216) 574-8000/www.clevelandmetroschools.org
7,558
7,558
Education
Eric S. Gordon CEO
6
Cuyahoga County 2079 E. Ninth St., Cleveland 44115 (216) 443-7220/www.cuyahogacounty.us
7,498
7,498
County government
Armond Budish county executive
7
City of Cleveland 601 Lakeside Ave., Cleveland 44114 (216) 664-2406/www.city.cleveland.oh.us
6,608
6,608
Municipal government
Frank G. Jackson mayor
8
The MetroHealth System 2500 MetroHealth Drive, Cleveland 44109 (216) 778-7800/www.metrohealth.org
6,381
6,381
Health care provider
Akram Boutros, M.D. president, CEO
9
KeyCorp 127 Public Square, Cleveland 44114 (216) 689-6300/www.key.com
4,612
5,887
Bank-based financial services company
Beth E. Mooney chairman, CEO
10
Case Western Reserve University 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44106 (216) 368-2000/www.case.edu
4,455
4,455
Higher education
Barbara R. Snyder president
11
Swagelok Co. 29500 Solon Road, Solon 44139 (440) 248-4600/www.swagelok.com
3,917
3,917
Designer and manufacturer of industrial fluid system components
Arthur F. Anton president, CEO
12
Sherwin-Williams Co. 101 W. Prospect Ave., Cleveland 44115 (216) 566-2000/www.sherwin.com
3,759
5,044
Coatings and related products
Christopher M. Connor executive chairman
13
Group Management Services Inc. 3296 Columbia Road, Suite 101, Richfield 44286 (330) 659-0100/www.groupmgmt.com
3,607
15,677
Professional employer organization
Michael Kahoe president
14
U.S. Postal Service 2200 Orange Ave., Cleveland 44101 (800) 275-8777/www.usps.com
3,599
19,543
U.S. postal service
Troy Seanor district manager
15
Giant Eagle Inc. 5300 Richmond Road, Bedford Heights 44146 (216) 292-7000/www.gianteagle.com
3,565
NA
Multi-format food, fuel and pharmacy retailer
Bill Artman senior vice president, retail operations
16
UPS 4300 E. 68th St., Cleveland 44105 (216) 641-3027/www.ups.com
2,694
NA
Parcel delivery
Dwayne Meeks president, UPS Great Lakes District
17
Lincoln Electric 22801 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland 44117 (216) 481-8100/www.lincolnelectric.com
2,670
2,700
Designer, developer and manufacturer of arc welding products
Christopher L. Mapes chairman, president, CEO
18
Nestle USA (2) 30003 Bainbridge Road, Solon 44139 (440) 349-5757/www.nestleusa.com
2,277
3,148
HQ for Nestle USA's Prepared Foods, Baking and Pizza divisions, Nestle USA Business Services and Nestle Professional's Culinary business
Paul Grimwood chairman, CEO
19
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority 1240 W. Sixth St., Cleveland 44113 (216) 566-5100/www.riderta.com
2,101
2,101
Public transportation
Joseph A. Calabrese CEO, general manager, secretary and treasurer
JACK Entertainment 100 Public Square, Cleveland 44113 (216) 297-4777, (216) 662-8600/www.horseshoecleveland.com, www.thistledown.com
2,095
NA
20
JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino are part of JACK Entertainment.
Mark Tricano senior vice president, Northeast Ohio operations
20
State of Ohio 30 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215 (614) 466-2000/www.ohio.gov
2,095
52,806
State government
John R. Kasich governor
22
ArcelorMittal 3060 Eggers Ave., Cleveland 44105 (216) 429-6000/www.usa.arcelormittal.com
1,934
3,110
Steel manufacturer
Eric Hauge vice president, general manager, ArcelorMittal Cleveland
23
Medical Mutual of Ohio 2060 E. Ninth St., Cleveland 44115 (216) 687-7000/www.medmutual.com
1,800
2,400
Mutual company providing health and life insurance, dental, vision products and TPA services
Rick A. Chiricosta president, CEO, chairman
24
Southwest General 18697 Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights 44130 (440) 816-8000/www.swgeneral.com
1,702
1,754
Private, not-for-profit 350-bed hospital with a 90 year history
William A. Young Jr. president, CEO
25
Ford Motor Co. One American Road, Dearborn 48126 (800) 392-3673/www.ford.com
1,607
NA
Automobile manufacturer
NA
26
Parma City School District 5311 Longwood Ave., Parma 44134 (440) 842-5300/www.parmacityschools.org
1,579
1,579
Public school system
Carl H. Hilling superintendent
27
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 6000 Parkland Blvd., Mayfield Heights 44124 (216) 447-4477/www.howardhanna.com
1,578
2,750
Residential and commercial real estate
Howard W. "Hoby" Hanna IV president
THIS YEAR
TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE TITLE
RESEARCHED BY DEBORAH W. HILLYER Source: Information is supplied by the companies unless footnoted. PNC does not report local employee numbers. Crain's Cleveland Business does not independently verify the information and there is no guarantee these listings are complete or accurate. (1) Information is from the 2015 list of Largest Cuyahoga County Employers. (2) The FTE Cuyahoga County employee number is from the 2015 list of Largest Cuyahoga County Employers.
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The List
LARGEST SUMMIT COUNTY EMPLOYERS Ranked by Full-Time Equivalent Local Employees
COMPANY ADDRESS PHONE/WEB SITE
FTE EMPLOYEES SUMMIT COUNTY JUNE 30, 2016
TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN OHIO
Summa Health 1077 Gorge Blvd., Akron 44310 (330) 375-3000/www.summahealth.org
4,571
Cleveland Clinic Akron General One Akron General Ave., Akron 44307 (330) 344-6000/www.akrongeneral.org
3
TYPE OF BUSINESS
TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE TITLE
NA
Integrated health care delivery system encompassing eight hospitals, multiple foundations and a health plan
Thomas Malone, M.D. president, CEO
4,180
4,277
Integrated health care delivery system
Janice G. Murphy acting president, Cleveland Clinic Akron General; COO, Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals and Family Health Centers
Akron Children's Hospital One Perkins Square, Akron 44308 (330) 543-1000/www.akronchildrens.org
3,751
4,585
Pediatric health system
William H. Considine president, CEO
4
Akron Public Schools 70 N. Broadway, Akron 44308 (330) 761-1661/www.akronschools.com
3,615
3,615
Public school district
David W. James superintendent
5
Summit County 175 S. Main St., 8th floor, Akron 44308 (330) 926-2525/www.co.summit.oh.us
3,446
3,446
County government
Ilene Shapiro interim county executive
6
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. 200 Innovation Way, Akron 44316 (330) 796-2121/www.goodyear.com
3,000
0
Tire manufacturer
Richard J. Kramer chairman, CEO, president
7
Signet Jewelers Ltd. 375 Ghent Road, Akron 44333 (330) 668-5000/www.signetjewelers.com
2,854
4,148
Specialty jewelry retailer
Mark Light CEO
8
FirstEnergy Corp. 76 S. Main St., Akron 44308 (800) 736-3402/www.firstenergycorp.com
2,478
6,975
Electric utility holding company
Charles E. Jones president, CEO
9
University of Akron 302 Buchtel Common, Akron 44325 (330) 972-7111/www.uakron.edu
2,207
2,211
Higher education
Matthew J. Wilson interim president
10
City of Akron 166 S. High St., Akron 44308 (330) 375-2330/www.akronohio.gov
1,763
1,800
Municipal government
Daniel Horrigan mayor
11
Group Management Services Inc. 3296 Columbia Road, Suite 101, Richfield 44286 (330) 659-0100/www.groupmgmt.com
1,721
15,677
Professional employer organization
Michael Kahoe president
12
Diebold Nixdorf 5995 Mayfair Road, North Canton 44720 (330) 490-4000/www.dieboldnixdorf.com
1,569
1,790
Innovative self-service technology, software, security systems and related services
Andreas W. Mattes president, CEO
13
Giant Eagle Inc. 5300 Richmond Road, Bedford Heights 44146 (216) 292-7000/www.gianteagle.com
1,391
NA
Multi-format food, fuel and pharmacy retailer
Bill Artman senior vice president, retail operations
14
Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Co. 2700 Gilchrist Road, Akron 44305 (330) 733-2263/www.acmestores.com
1,338
1,576
Retail grocery and pharmacy stores
Jim Trout president
15
State of Ohio 30 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215 (614) 466-2000/www.ohio.gov
1,308
52,806
State government
John R. Kasich governor
16
Newell Rubbermaid 3200 Gilchrist Road, Mogadore 44260 (330) 733-7771/www.newellrubbermaid.com
926
NA
Global marketer of consumer and commercial products
Joseph Soldano director of operations
17
U.S. Postal Service 2200 Orange Ave., Cleveland 44101 (800) 275-8777/www.usps.com
841
19,543
U.S. postal service
Troy Seanor district manager
788
2,196
Tire manufacturer
18
Bridgestone Americas Inc. 10 E. Firestone Blvd., Akron 44317 (330) 379-7000/www.bridgestoneamericas.com
Steve Charles vice president, product development, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations
19
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (1) 1900 E St., NW, Washington 20415 (202) 606-1800/www.opm.gov
682
49,371
Federal government
NA
20
FedEx Custom Critical Inc. 1475 Boettler Road, Uniontown 44685 (800) 762-3787/customcritical.fedex.com
639
NA
Expedited, temperature-control and brokerage transportation solutions
Virginia Albanese president, CEO
21
Dominion East Ohio 1201 E. 55th St., Cleveland 44103 (800) 362-7557/www.dom.com
601
1,662
Natural gas distribution
Jeff Murphy vice president, general manager
22
Hudson City School District 2400 Hudson-Aurora Road, Hudson 44236 (330) 653-1200/www.hudson.k12.oh.us
570
570
Public school district
Phillip T. Herman superintendent
23
National Interstate Insurance Co. 3250 Interstate Drive, Richfield 44286 (330) 659-8900/www.natl.com
559
559
Specialty property and casualty insurance company
Anthony J. Mercurio president, CEO
24
Pepsi Beverages Co. 1999 Enterprise Parkway, Twinsburg 44087 (330) 963-5300/www.pepsico.com
538
1,486
Manufacturer, seller and distributor of PepsiCo and Allied Beverages
Dan Hungerman vice president food service, Great Lakes region
25
Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities 89 E. Howe Road, Tallmadge 44278 (330) 634-8000/www.summitdd.org
496
496
Provides services to individuals with disabilities and their families in Summit County
John Trunk superintendent
26
UPS 4300 E. 68th St., Cleveland 44105 (216) 641-3027/www.ups.com
448
NA
Parcel delivery
Dwayne Meeks president, UPS Great Lakes District
THIS YEAR
1 2
RESEARCHED BY DEBORAH W. HILLYER Source: Information is supplied by the companies unless footnoted. Crain's Cleveland Business does not independently verify the information and there is no guarantee these listings are complete or accurate. We welcome all responses to our lists and will include omitted information or clarifications in coming issues. Individual lists and The Book of Lists are available to purchase at www.crainscleveland.com. (1) Information is from the 2015 list of Largest Summit County Employers.
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VOL. 37, NO. 34
Source Lunch
AUGUST 22 - 28, 2016
THE AKRON EDITION
Business of Life
Megan O’Bryan, Tri-C Fast-paced environment in education is good fit for active executive. Page 28
The List
Top employers in Cuyahoga and Summit. Pages 30-31
CLEVELAND BUSINESS
TOURISM
City’s ‘new normal’ is seeing big picture By JAY MILLER jmiller@crain.com @millerjh
Now that they can look back on an event that left 50,000 people generally impressed with Cleveland, some of the leaders of the effort to put on the Republican National Convention are looking ahead. They see a future that might include more big, blockbuster events — basketball and baseball All-Star Games, they hope, and maybe even a Democratic National Convention. But they also are looking beyond big events to a future where Cleveland can be seen as a place where people living elsewhere might now consider the city as a place to live and work because they see the opportunity for a bright future.
Mitt repairman known for his great glove work Page 27
Twenty in their 20s
Part of their optimism is based on how they believe a week in July is helping to change the impression of Cleveland nationally and internationally. But part of it, too, is based on the broadening and increasingly skilled civic partnership that pitched in over the last two years to make the RNC a success. And it didn’t hurt that the Cavaliers won the National Basketball Association championship. At an event hosted by Crain’s Cleveland Business last Tuesday, Aug. 16, David Gilbert, the president and CEO of Destination Cleveland, the local convention and visitors bureau, and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission; Jon Pinney, managing partner for Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP; and Joe Roman, president and CEO of the SEE CITY, PAGE 3
SERVICE
Blooming Davey Tree keeps branching out By DAN SHINGLER dshingler@crain.com @DanShingler
To the casual observer, Kentbased Davey Tree looks like a nice, local operation, exuding a sort of old-timey, small-town ethos with its grass-green trucks and hard-hatted employees. And it is. It’s also a company — more fully known as the Davey Tree Expert Co. — that is methodically chasing a billion dollars in annual revenue, with 8,600 employees from Florida to Vancouver. And it’s got a growing appetite for acquisitions. “It’s the guy cutting the lawns and climbing the trees that make this thing go. Our job here is to focus
their efforts. … A lot people have mission statements and vision statements in our industry, but few have a well-thought-out and constantly maintained strategic plan,” Davey CEO Karl Warnke said. The plan’s not all that complex – maintain “organic” growth — yeah, he knows — of 5% a year by increasing market share, cross-selling new products between regions and subsidiaries, and increasing awareness of “green assets” by everyone from city governments to U.S. military bases. “We need to grow organically, at least 5%, before we will go on with our acquisition work,” Warnke said. But that hasn’t been a problem. Davey’s got $820 million in annual sales and growth is on track. So SEE DAVEY, PAGE 14
These young Clevelanders do much more than simply hang around This year, Crain’s is singling out 20 up-and-coming professionals who haven’t turned 30 yet. Among this group are teachers, innovators, community activists and philanthropists. While their names might not be top of mind, and they likely haven’t made their first million yet, there’s no denying these young professionals are making a mark on Northeast Ohio. Their stories begin on page 17. Find interactive versions of these portraits on crainscleveland.com
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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS z AUGUST 22 - 28, 2016 z PAGE A-1
Tobin Buckner Helping entrepreneurs find the support they need. P. A5
Pry’s legacy
Main Course
Late county executive’s work will continue. P. A7
Melt serves meals between two slices of bread. P. A8
Better Blocks bring redevelopment ideas to life — at least temporarily By BETH THOMAS HERTZ clbfreelancer@crain.com
Revitalizing an area can take time. Permanent changes require planning, consensus-building, permits, funding and much more. Better Block events, three of which are going on in the Akron area this summer and fall, are a way to give improvement ideas a trial run. Typically held over a weekend, a Better Block event might include closing off a lane of traffic to make a bike lane, opening “pop-up” cafes with outdoor seating or adding potted trees to create shade — generally giving people a reason to get out of their cars and imagine what’s possible in a given area in terms of livability and business development. Of course, organizers hope at least some of the changes they bring to life will stick. Jason Roberts, who in 2010 originated the national Better Block movement in Texas, said he has not seen three events in succession in an area before. “It’s been incredible to see the neighborhoods come together for these events,” he said. “These are great ways to bring together people and groups that want to do things.” Roberts was in Akron on July 30 and 31 for a Better Block event in the Middlebury neighborhood. Upcoming Better Block events are planned for Cuyahoga Falls’ Front Street on Aug. 26 and 27, and Copley Township’s circle on Sept. 9-11. Roberts’ organization has been involved in
Children play in a swimming pool created out of a discarded billboards.
Middlebury Better Block organizers created a playground out of old tires. (Shane Wynn for Crain’s)
helping the community-based leaders in Middlebury and Cuyahoga Falls, and has offered some consulting help in Copley. “A lot of people from each (event) are volunteering for the others to help and share knowledge,” he said. “They are all supporting each other.” Jason Segedy, director of planning and urban development for Akron who was involved in a Better Block in Akron’s North Hill last year, said the best part of these events is that they let residents get involved in visualizing what is possible in their area. “Not all development and planning decisions need to come from the top down,” he said. The John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation supports the idea of Better Blocks. It gave $20,000 to the Middlebury event. The Cuyahoga Falls event received $10,000 from a grant from Akron Torchbearers that was funded by the foundation. (Both events have raised money from other sources, too.) “Too often, we create fancy renderings (for revitalization) instead of just taking 48 hours and showing people what can be,” said Kyle Kutuchief, the Knight Foundation’s Akron program director. “There is value in actually doing something. It helps inform the long-term planning process.” Some ideas will prove to be a hit, SEE BLOCKS, PAGE A4
Engineer Cara Adams’ drive takes her to dream job By BETH THOMAS HERTZ clbfreelancer@crain.com
Cara Adams counts herself lucky to have a career that combines two of her passions in life: science and racing. A couple of added bonuses: The Green native was able to build that career right in her hometown and is helping to break down some gender barriers along the way. Adams, 37, is senior project engineer for race tire development at Bridgestone Americas Inc. in Akron. Bridgestone’s racing arm operates as Firestone Racing and is the sole supplier of tires for the Verizon IndyCar Series. That means Adams splits her
time working at the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Center and traveling over 20 times a year to tracks, working with some of the world’s best drivers, to see her tires put to the test. Adams’ mother, a retired high school science teacher, taught her to see science as a fun, intriguing puzzle. Her love of science took her to the University of Akron’s College of Engineering, where she thought she would attend for two years (to take advantage of free tuition through her father’s job there) then transfer elsewhere. But when she was introduced to the Formula SAE Program — a competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers where
Cara Adams of Bridgestone Americas. (Shane Wynn for Crain’s)
students design, build and race open-wheel cars — her plans changed. She was hooked on racing. She stayed at UA and received two degrees, in mechanical engineering and Spanish, in 2002. After she did a short stint at Diebold Inc., her hometown, with its racing tire tech centers, provided her the opportunity to find her dream career. Adams found herself in a unique position in the beginning of her racing career. When she started with the race team in 2008, she was often the only female technical employee at the track. Many drivers assumed she was in marketing. When she asked them how their tires performed, SEE ADAMS, PAGE A6
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z AUGUST 22 - 28, 2016 z CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS
WKSU PRESENTS:
AKRON
A LIVELY DISCUSSION ON THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Recorded Live and Rebroadcasted Across the Country
THURSDAY, SEPT. 15, 2016, 7 P.M.
Kent State University, Kent Student Center Kiva
To secure tickets, visit WWW.WKSU.ORG. Sponsored in part by Kent State University at Trumbull and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Celebrating 65 years
WKSU, an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, is committed to attaining excellence through the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce. 16-UR-00310-080
Accounting firm BCG & Co. is building a new headquarters in White Pond Office Park. (Dan Shingler)
POPULATION HEALTH: What it means for health care and Northeast Ohio KEYNOTE SPEAKER DR. NABIL CHEHADE Senior Vice President, Population Health, MetroHealth System
September 28, 2016 • The NEW Center at NEOMED
Register today at CrainsCleveland.com/HCForum PREMIER SPONSOR
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Industrial parks giving businesses room to grow By DAN SHINGLER dshingler@crain.com @DanShingler
While city officials often work with advocates to make some of Akron’s urban neighborhoods more livable and easier to get around, the city has another strategy for new businesses: Give them places to build spacious new homes, often in the suburbs, with freshly laid streets, modern infrastructure and room to expand. Akron maintains four business parks, with a fifth in the wings, and among them is nearly 400 acres of land. So far, about 30 businesses have made the parks their homes. Those businesses range from an accounting firm to food manufacturers to automotive parts makers, but they all provide the above-minimumwage jobs that city economic developers in Akron, and everywhere else, crave. Ascot Industrial Park, with 200 acres just west of State Road near Cuyahoga Falls, is the city’s largest and most successful park to date. It houses 22 businesses, including Main Street Gourmet. “It’s pretty much full to the brim,” said Brad Beckert, who manages the parks as development engineering manager and building superintendent for the mayor’s Office of Economic Development. The complex has only a couple of small parcels left, he said. Beckert said Ascot has been a popular site for manufacturers, in part because of its northern location and quick access to state Route 8, I-271 and other major highways. Akron’s North Turkeyfoot Industrial Park is near Portage Lakes. Located on a former golf course, its 35 acres houses food makers Gardner Pie Co. and Hickory Harvest Foods. Hickory Harvest, which already has expanded twice at the site, has about
50,000 square feet of operations and plans to add another 15,000 square feet by the end of the year. The city has targeted the Massillon Road Industrial Park for “light industrial development and the creation of manufacturing employment opportunities.” It only has four companies in it, but one of them is Röchling Automotive, which operates a big plastics injection-molding plant at the site. It opened in 2012 and employs about 125 people, making OEM parts for U.S. auto plants. For white-collar jobs, the city is counting on its White Pond Office Park, near both I-77 and I-76 off White Pond Drive. That park announced its first tenant, Akron accounting firm BCG & Co., which is soon to be part of Illinois-based Sikich LLC as a result of a merger announced this year. BCG employs nearly 100 people and specifically sought to stay in Akron with its new 34,500-square-foot home, now under construction. There is a fifth park, the 54-acre South Munroe Road Industrial Park, near Gilchrist Road, but the city has yet to begin development work there.
Lots of space The other parks, however, have seen a good level of activity and continue to draw interest from both local businesses looking to expand or build new facilities, as well as companies from outside the area looking to move in, Beckert said. Local companies are often hardpressed to find locations where they can expand, at least with the acreage that the parks offer, according to Beckert. Add space for parking and easy access to the interstates, and the sites become even more attractive, he said. “Sometimes it’s a challenge inside the city limits to find them the space.
These parks provide that space,” Beckert said. “In the parks, we like to sell a minimum of 5 acres.” While the White Pond and Ascot parks are located in Akron, the Massillon Road park is in Springfield Township and the Turkeyfoot park is in Coventry Township. The city purchased the land, but the parks are in Joint Economic Development Districts, enabling the city to bring its resources and infrastructure assets to bear in places it would otherwise not reach. Tax revenues are then split between Akron and the townships, Beckert said. That room to grow was a chief reason that Röchling, based in Germany, expanded its U.S. operations from South Carolina to Akron, said Dave Butler, director of operations for North America. “When we were originally up here scouting the areas, the city was very receptive to everything we wanted to do. We were able to find a nice piece of land, with room to expand. We’ve actually already doubled our footprint,” said Butler, who added that the company now has 14 acres inside the park. It might buy more, too, if business continues to expand for the next few years, he said. “We have the lot adjacent to this, which is pretty much the same size as this, and we have first right of refusal if someone else tries to buy it,” Butler said. “That was another key reason we chose this area.”
It’s all about jobs Normally, the city sells the land in the parks. In the case of Röchling, however, it gave the company the land to secure the manufacturing jobs it delivered. That doesn’t always go over well with commercial real estate professionals marketing other properties, though. Area professionals say the SEE PARKS, PAGE A8
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SarahCare finds niche with aging boomers By JUDY STRINGER clbfreelancer@crain.com
Ever heard of SarahCare? Unless you are caring for an aging loved one, probably not. Formally known as Sarah Adult Day Services Inc., it’s an adult day care company based in Canton. Even those who find themselves thrust into the caregiver role for a mother, father or spouse often have the wrong idea about SarahCare and what it does, said CEO Merle Griff. “People think of it as baby-sitting,” said Griff, who opened her first senior health center in 1985. “They worry their loved one will just sit there all day. … When people actually come in and they see the centers, and they see the level of activity, they are just really shocked and surprised.” SarahCare’s main goal is to help older adults remain in their homes — or in a family home — for as long as possible. Most of the clients are age 60 or older. Some have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Others have suffered a stroke, are managing chronic diseases, such as diabetes or Parkinson’s, or have mobility challenges. In most of the cases, these are adults who cannot safely stay home alone but are not ready for a nursing home. Clients arrive at the center in the morning and return home in the afternoon, but don’t confuse this with a children’s day care, Griff said. The centers are staffed with registered and licensed nurses, social workers and dietary consultants to see to clients’ physical needs. In addition, an activities director and a full slate of programs — such as book clubs, card games, Wii contests and outings — keep the seniors alert and socially connected. “We get people out,” she said. “We have golf leagues, bowling leagues, fishing leagues. They go out to restaurants, concerts, movies.” The alternative — especially when the primary caregiver works or has other obligations — is often long days at home alone, which can lead to isolation and depression. “When people get out of the home, it forces them to be more oriented, more social,” Griff said, and “it gives the family caregiver a break.”
process of taking its operation international with new centers going up in the Middle East. Of course, much of the demand is driven by the rapidly growing senior segment. In Summit County alone, more than 23% of the population is over the age of 60, according to Dr. Terry Albanese, Akron mayor Dan Horrigan’s assistant in charge of education, health and families. And the proportion of seniors is projected to climb to 30% by 2030, at which time there will be as many baby boomers over the age of 60 in the county as there are adults between the ages of 20 and 44.
Similar projections are “echoed around the state, around the county,” said Albanese. As a result, the strain on municipalities and families is only getting more intense. Just last month, Horrigan re-established Akron’s Senior Citizens Commission, which had been inactive for nearly a decade and will advocate on behalf of the city’s expanding senior base. Albanese said that while the poor elderly are most at risk of bad health outcomes related to neglect of care, loneliness and depression are real concerns for any senior who is isolated due to health or circumstances. “You will find those over 75 or 80,
that is where you start to see a high percentage of dependence on others,” she said, though only between 30% to 35% of those seniors need full-time care. Most just need help walking or climbing stairs, for example, or driving. And, she added, “Nobody wants to leave their home.” Day cares are one way to fill that niche, and it’s a less expensive option to in-home care via visiting nurses or aides. In its most recent survey, long-term care cost watcher Genworth found that adult day care averages $1,473 a month nationally, compared with roughly $3,800 for home health care.
Expanded services As SarahCare’s footprint has grown, Griff has added programs and seminars aimed at assisting and educating caregivers about the services available to seniors and, more recently, launched a division that offers geriatric care assessments for families in Northeast Ohio. Certified geriatric managers come into homes to assess the needs of seniors and draw up recommendations based on those needs. Like the centers themselves, the aim is simple, she said: “Keep families together and keep people in their homes.”
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Booming boomers SarahCare originated as part of a multigenerational project at the McKinley Health Care Center in the former McKinley High School building and operated initially alongside a children’s day care. As Griff became more aware of the challenges facing aging adults and their “exhausted” caregivers, she sharpened her focus on the geriatric side of programming and began expanding the SarahCare model, opening a second site in Canton and smaller satellite centers in Canton and Akron. Today, SarahCare nets roughly $5 million in revenues from nearly 35 centers in 11 states. The company owns five Northeast Ohio sites, which employ about 62 people. It has licensed the remaining centers as franchises — a business structure that requires less capital, Griff said, yet still gives SarahCare the opportunity to emerge as a gold standard for adult day services nationally. The company also is in the
Caring isn’t just reserved for doctors and nurses. Akron Children’s Hospital is able to improve the lives of children like Jordan because of caring people like you. Every gift, regardless of its size, makes a positive impact on our patients. What moment will you help make possible? Please give at akronchildrens.org/donate.
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but others will not, he added. “It’s an experiment,” he said.
Middlebury The three Akron-area events each have their own flair and structure, Roberts said. “They are made up of the people and resources and infrastructure that exist in each location,” he said. “You are almost creating a recipe based on the ingredients that are right in the neighborhood.” For example, he said, the Middlebury event (held in the area bounded by South Arlington, Broad, East Market and East Exchange streets) did not have a lot of existing buildings to work with, so organizers had to import more “infrastructure.” One of those things was a jungle gym made of discarded tires, said Marissa Blewitt, a community organizer with the Neighborhood Network of University Park, who spearheaded much of the Middlebury event, with help from more than 35 organizations. “We are committed to working with the community and empowering them to be part of the solution to problems here, and a survey we did showed that they wanted this event to be family friendly, so that’s what we did,” she said. Food trucks at the event were lined up to mimic store fronts. A
Reggae band Umojah Nation performs at the Middlebury event.
Michelle Davis dances to the live music.
swimming pool was created out of discarded billboards and straw. The drive-through lanes of an abandoned bank were converted into mini storefronts for local vendors. Crosswalks and bike lanes were added. There also was entertainment, tours of the historic area (the first settlement in Akron), and free bike and helmet rentals. Because the goal is to create change that is not just temporary, the tire pile and four crosswalks will remain after the event, and organizers formed a “What’s Next” committee. “We are committed to using the information we collect from this event to be responsive to the needs
of this community. We want this to be a starting point, not the end,” Blewitt said.
Cuyahoga Falls The Cuyahoga Falls Better Block is being led by two friends who grew up in the community and want to see new life in that city’s downtown. Getta Kutuchief (Kyle Kutuchief’s wife) and Samantha Coldwell both helped with a Better Block in North Hill last year and thought it was a perfect forum to bring attention to what they consider a forgotten area along Front Street. The duo has traveled to Europe together and hope to emulate
Dancer Sumatra Baraily, with Asian Services in Action, performs. the vibrant, walkable streets they experienced there. “We imagine how amazing it could be,” Coldwell said. Their event will be held at the north end of the Riverfront Centre pedestrian mall and will include bike lanes, a pop-up theater, outdoor seating, a playground, a beer garden,
a night market, a dog park, food trucks and entertainment. Two vacant storefronts will be converted into pop-up shops. Cuyahoga Falls is one of the larger Better Block events, Coldwell said, and it has been in the planning stages for more than a year, longer than average. Part of that time has been spent
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Copley
(Shane Wynn for Crain’s) eeking feedback through a community survey and from local leaders. City Council in late July approved plans to open the street to through traffic, and this event will help illustrate the possibilities. Getta Kutuchief said that the committee’s overall goal is to generate lasting excitement about the area.
The Copley event is sponsored by the Copley Circle Advisory Board, a group that has formed to help revitalize the circle in the heart of the township located west of Akron. “Our event is similar to the original Better Block events, which were more ‘grassroots’ ” and didn’t have a major source of funding, said Sylvia Chinn-Levy, one of the organizers. Organizers hopes to raise about $5,000 to help fund the event, as well as get in-kind donations such as hay bales, trees and paint. Details of the Better Block are still being developed, but a survey found that residents would like features such as a coffee shop, a dog park, a nightclub and a bike lane. “We want to simulate a lively streetscape to bring people back into what used to be the heart of the community,” Chinn-Levy said. One of its challenges is that the circle, on Copley and Massillon roads, is not very amenable to walking. Some historical buildings have been lost to fire over the years. Others are being used for storage or for businesses that do not attract walk-up customers. It’s good that there are not too many vacant properties, but it’s also a challenge because it’s harder to temporarily repurpose a building that is in use, she said. However, many of the property owners are willing to share the front of their locations for seating. “A lot of people are really stepping up to help,” she said.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Tobin Buckner
New resource guide, website open door to support available to entrepreneurs Akron has long been known for its historic connection to invention and innovation. But for the past year and a half, there has been a concerted effort around the idea that strong entrepreneurial activity (new startups, growing small businesses, job creation, etc.) depends heavily on a strong entrepreneurial support system. According to Jason Segedy, director of planning and urban development for Akron, we are witnessing the beginning stages of “the end of big.” The era of big corporations, big governments and big regions seems to be giving way to a renewed sense of place-making throughout the United States. People want to feel connected to their local “core” community again. That means now is a better time than ever to ensure our entrepreneurial ecosystem is ready to lend knowledge and other resources to entrepreneurs and small business owners that call our community home.
The resource guide With this concept in mind, what if we could gather information on all of the entrepreneurial resources in the Greater Akron area in one easily accessible location? Something like
Tobin Buckner is JumpStart’s Akron entrepreneurial community manager and contributes a monthly blog about entrepreneurship in the region. this has never existed before in our city, but many community leaders have expressed a desire to create a resource that captures the “spiderweb” of support partners and what they are chartered to do for local entrepreneurs. Recently, a group of these support partners — Small Business Development Centers, Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Akron Urban League, Downtown Akron Partnership, the city of Akron, Summit County, University of Akron, Akron Global Business Accelerator, International Institute of Akron, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron SCORE, Economic Community Development Institute, Bad Girl Ventures, Launch League, OSC Tech Lab, the SAC, ConxusNEO
and the Women’s Network of NEO — came together to create the Akron is for Entrepreneurs resource guide to give those that desire support for their business an easier way to locate and aggregate the connections they may need to be successful.
On the web The next step in our collaborative efforts has been to take the resource guide online. This new site, www.akronisforentrepreneurs.org, is live, allowing for simple navigation. To get started, you simply tell the site if you are a tech or nontech business. From there, you figure out what stage your company is in. Then, you click on services you are seeking, such as funding, entrepreneur in residence, talent, space, etc. After those selections are made, the organizations that are able to help with the items you selected are at your fingertips. Be sure to visit the site to become more familiar with what Akron has to offer entrepreneurs of all types. And be sure to share your questions and comments with the site’s new manager — and the Fund for Our Economic Future’s new entrepreneurship fellow — Heather Roszczyk.
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ADAMS
Green, where she and her husband, Alexis, also live, has been a bonus. “I always thought I’d have to move away to find my dream job,” she said.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 they’d offer general praise. She quickly learned that if she wanted technical answers, she had to ask specific questions. “Once they realize I can help make their cars go faster, everything changes. It doesn’t matter who you are,” she said. Being at the track, Adams said, is how engineers ensure the tires are performing at their best. Adams analyzes how tires wear, talks to drivers about how tires handle and offers suggestions on how to maximize performance. She travels with a team that includes compounders, chemical and mechanical engineers, and technicians. Lisa Boggs, who works closely with the engineering team in her role as director of motor sports for Bridgestone, has seen the role of women in this traditionally maledominated field evolve over the 20-plus years she has been involved. “When you go to the paddock, you see a lot of women in a lot of key roles,” she said. Women who are drawn into racing have a passion for what they are doing, she said. “If you have the skill set and the passion and desire, there is no reason a woman can’t make a career in racing,” she said.
Paying it forward
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Center. (Shane Wynn for Crain’s)
Mapping her course When Adams started at Bridgestone in 2003, she was in the Tire Vehicle Dynamics group, which works with tires to improve the handling of passenger vehicles. It was a great job, she said, but didn’t offer the thrill that the idea of working in racing did. So Adams decided to take control of her career course: She asked the racing hiring manager to define the skills and traits of what he considered an ideal engineering hire. He gave her a list of three areas: an understanding of vehicle dynamics, the ability to perform computer programming and knowledge about race car suspension. She knew she had strength in the first one, but not the other two. So she got to work to gain those skills.
“I got textbooks to learn more about all three areas and sought out opportunities to do that kind of work,” she said She invited racing team members to presentations she made and attended races whenever possible. She even volunteered to help at a race in Portland, Ore., because she was “in the area anyway” — she was actually hours away in Seattle. She laughs now at the long drive she put in to spend the weekend working with and getting to know the team, but knows it was key to getting her current job in 2008, three years after that conversation with the hiring manager. “You have to make opportunities for yourself,” she said. Being able to find such a perfect career so close to her family in
While Adams often was the only female engineer at the track in her early days, she now works with more women today and appreciates the mentors who have helped women advance in the field. She returns the favor by spending time mentoring high school and college students who are interested in engineering. “I was lucky to have two educator parents (her father taught Spanish at UA), and I want to be there for others like they were there for me,” she said. Her mentoring is not limited to girls, she added. “I want to help everyone see the possibilities in their life that maybe they hadn’t seen before,” she said. Brent C. Sisler, treasurer and program chair in the Akron section of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), called Adams “one of the best local success stories.” He has known Adams since she graduated from UA and got involved with the local ASME chapter. “She judges science fairs for us, talks to university engineering classes about their career prospects, mentors those following her, and always seems willing to fit more things into her overly busy schedule,” he said. Sisler is from Akron. He received
one of his four college degrees from the University of Akron and worked as an engineer for nearly four decades at Babcock & Wilcox in Barberton. “Cara and I are evidence that a technical person can live his/her life in the Akron area (and) have a fulfilling career.”
A racer by nature It seems like racing — all sorts — really is in Adams’ blood. To help relieve the stress of her job, she didn’t pick a quiet pursuit. Nope, she competes in triathlons, and Ironman races at that. She started competing in 2009 and in 2012 raced in her first Ironman 70.3 (the total distance of swimming, biking and running in miles). She’s trained for various distances since, and in September is slated to do the Ironman 70.3 Augusta in Georgia. “Training is always a challenge since my career requires around 20 trips a year, but I am able to be creative with planning workouts around travel schedules,” Adams said. “I … look for YMCAs and other gyms near the places I will visit. I’ve likely visited as many YMCA pools as I have race tracks.” She said the discipline of training helps her recover from what can be a high-stress job. “I’ve learned that I’m capable of more than I originally believed myself to be. That confidence has enabled me to take on more challenges in my professional and personal life.”
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Pry’s initiatives on behalf of working folk, kids will endure Late Summit County executive’s signature programs instilled broad community backing and much-needed collaboration By DAN SHINGLER dshingler@crain.com @DanShingler
Ask anyone in Summit County who knew Russ Pry, and they’re likely to tell you two things: He was a devoted public servant who lent his time and talents to causes that served the entire community, with an emphasis on early childhood and workforce development programs. And he’s going to be impossible to replace. But they also will say Pry helped institute the structures and inspire the people needed to pick up where he left off. He also left them with a strong sense of responsibility to do just that. Pry, who had been Summit County executive for more than eight years, died Sunday, July 31, at age 58. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in June and underwent surgery. A series of setbacks hampered his recovery. Many in Summit County think that two of Pry’s top priorities, early childhood and workforce development initiatives, will continue to enjoy both governmental and community support in his absence. “He’d kick our butts if we stopped paying attention to these things,” said Ilene Shapiro, Summit County Council president who is serving as county executive for the rest of Pry’s term and the person most believe is a shoo-in to win the job outright in the November election. Shapiro said she worked side-byside with Pry and shared both his vision and priorities for the county. Those include initiatives like the county-backed workforce development program ConxusNEO, which aims to align business demand with job-training initiatives, and the First Things First program, a collaboration of more than 50 children’s service agencies, educators and advocates working on early childhood development issues. They also include the popular Summit for Kids, an annual event championed by Pry that uses corporate donations to provide area kids with everything from backpacks to free dental work. Thousands of children and their families show up at the annual event, which was held Aug. 20 at Akron’s John S. Knight Center. Those initiatives will continue, promised Shapiro and other backers who have worked on them, often for years, alongside Pry. “I can tell you unequivocally that our workforce and economic development efforts will continue — it’s a passion of mine,” Shapiro said. “Russ and I worked very hard, especially on the workforce front, to systemically change how workforce services are provided in Summit County.” The same goes for First Things First and other initiatives aimed at children, she said. Some of those who rely on such programs to serve their core constituencies said Pry’s death is a great
Pry
“Russ and I worked very hard, especially on the workforce front, to systemically change how workforce services are provided in Summit County.” — Ilene Shapiro, Summit County Council president, who is serving the balance of Pry’s term loss, but they also think that, in part because of Pry’s work, the efforts now have the broad community backing and collaboration they need to continue.
An early childhood champion Chris Yuhasz is in that camp. As director of strategic engagement for the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, she said she constantly sees how the 10,000 children who are AMHA residents benefit from the programs that Pry favored. “If you asked anybody here, they’ll tell you. He was the champion for early childhood (initiatives),” Yuhasz said. She credits Pry with not only playing a major role in the First Things First program, but also helping to secure $4 million in federal funding for the Reach Opportunity Center at Summit Lake, which provides a broad range of services, from GED courses and Head Start programs to meeting spaces for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. There will always be challenges, Yuhasz said, such as funding Reach’s operations on an ongoing basis. But she thinks Pry left behind the networks and structures necessary for such initiatives to continue successfully. “It’s been (since) 2008 since he made (early childhood initiatives) a priority of his administration — it’s like a well-oiled machine now,”
Yuhasz said. “It is sustainable.” Summit County Juvenile Court judge Linda Teodosio, who worked with Pry for years on children’s issues, agreed. She particularly gave Pry credit for organizing Summit for Kids into a premier event, one that she said drew 14,000 children last year. “I’ve got some convening power as a juvenile court judge, but without his convening and convincing behind the scenes, it would have never become what it is today,” Teodosio said. “One my favorite memories that I will carry around as long as I’m alive is Russ walking around Summit for Kids. Nothing fancy, just him walking around in a flannel shirt with his coffee.”
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Collaboration master Likewise, ConxusNEO president Sue Lacy said her agency — which works with area employers to identify the skill sets they need and then seeks to provide the appropriate training for area residents – would probably not have come into existence earlier this year had it not been for Pry. But it will carry on without him, in his honor, she vowed. “It was Russ’s vision and his leadership that convened a strategic team about two years ago to conduct an assessment of the workforce system with an eye toward moving toward a demand-driven system,” Lacy said. “Without his leadership to initiate that process, there would be no Conxus.” But, like others, Lacy said that one of Pry’s best strategies in life might be what ensures that his causes live on and are supported now that he’s gone. Pry, she and others said, was a master at building collaborations, even among disparate groups. He did that, in part, by working on issues important to everyone and never used his influence for pet projects that would not garner such widespread support. ConxusNEO is a prime example, according to Lacy. “We’ve got Republicans, Democrats, perhaps some Tea Party folks and people who just don’t care about politics at all,” Lacy said. “But we’re focused on a shared vision, an aligned strategy, and we realize the power of using our assets together … Russ was able to create collaboration.” Others confirmed that was the case and shared Lacy’s belief that many community efforts will continue to benefit from the cooperative work of people brought together by Pry. “He brought on other community leaders, and together their voices formed a chorus of support for this. Russ’s greatest contribution was he inspired others to have the same kind of leadership and voice that he had,” said Kirstin Toth, a senior vice president of the Akron-based GAR Foundation and another who worked alongside Pry on his top priorities. “While he will be missed, the work itself of advancing the strategies will continue,” Toth predicted.
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Bread, cheese and creativity part of Melt’s recipe By JENNIFER KARPUS-ROMAIN clbfreelancer@crain.com
Melt Bar and Grilled has been a staple on the Lakewood scene since it opened in September 2006. Patrons flocked to the idea of gourmet grilled cheese paired with an array of beer selections ready on tap. Now owner Matt Fish has brought that simple — yet seemingly satisfying, if business is any indication — combination to the Akron area. Melt’s Montrose-area location opened July 6, and Fish already is looking at the possibility of a second Summit County spot, though, those plans are in their infancy. “It was kind of the logical next step,” said Chuck Haviland, manager of the Fairlawn location. “Akron is a good first step into Summit County.” In its 10th year, Melt has become a signature chain of Northeast Ohio, even being featured on the Food Network. Before stepping into the Akron area, the chain expanded from Lakewood into multiple locations, including Cleveland Heights, Independence, Mentor and Columbus. The company’s quest to enter Summit County is not a new goal, Fish said, but an opportunity in Columbus, where Melt has two locations, arose first. So, once there, Fish and his team spent about three to four years focusing on that area. Yet when the Montrose location, a former Friendly’s restaurant, blipped on his radar, Fish had to take it. “When that space became avail-
Melt Bar and Grilled, at a glance Where: 3921 Medina Road, Bath Township (Montrose area). Hours: 1 a.m. to 10 p.m. SundayThursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The vibe: Casual and fun. Great for a family night out or date night, as long as everyone is ready to eat. Includes a bar area, main dining room and patio with eclectic décor. Specialties: Giant grilled cheese sandwiches loaded just with about anything you can think of, including meatloaf, cheeseburgers and pierogies. A wide variety of craft beers. Menu: More than two dozen stuffed grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, salads and appetizers. Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options available. able, we pursued it pretty heavily,” he said. The space was completely gutted and set up anew. When you walk into the restaurant, there’s an immediate fun and easygoing vibe, with many areas for patrons: a bar, a main dining area with low lighting and the patio. Montrose patrons also are treated to an Akron-centric theme in the decor, which includes imagery of the
Melt Bar and Grilled features eclectic decor. (Shane Wynn for Crain’s) Soap Box Derby, the Rubber Bowl and the Richfield Coliseum. The space also features common Melt themes throughout the restaurant, such as lighted holiday pieces. Haviland came on board to the Melt family about six months ago. He trained at the Independence location before taking on the leadership role at the Montrose spot, which employs 80 workers. The Melt chain has inspired a cult following, Haviland said, and because of that, it’s important that the food tastes the same no matter where you go. “You’re going to get the same quality, the same experience, just in a different city,” he said. And what is that experience? Huge grilled cheese sandwiches that are meals unto themselves.
Melt’s creative menu includes 28 grilled-cheese choices, with homages to all sorts of cuisines and tastes: from old-fashioned home cooking to Italian. The Parmageddon, a nod to Parma as a base for Polish heritage, includes a potato-and-onion pierogi, fresh Napa vodka kraut, sautéed onions and sharp cheddar. The Mom’s Meatloaf Dinner is a creation with homemade meatloaf, chipotleketchup glaze, mashed roasted garlic redskin potatoes and Muenster cheese. The Wet Hot Buffalo Chicken sandwich towers crispy battered chicken, spicy Buffalo sauce, blue cheese slaw, crumbled blue cheese and ranch dip. And the Godfather, a nod to classic Italian, features threecheese lasagna with fresh fennel-
oregano pasta sheets, basil marinara, roasted garlic, and provolone and Romano cheeses. Melt’s leadership hopes that the menu includes something for everyone. Many of the sandwiches offer gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options. Grilled cheese sandwiches not your thing? Melt also offers up appetizers, soups and salads. To pair with a hearty meal, there are 24 beers on tap. “We’re pulling from where all the good beers are coming from,” Fish said. Craft beers come from anywhere, as long as they’re good, but Melt makes sure to include some of Ohio’s best. About half of the drafts are standard throughout all Melt locations, and the rest are part of a revolving list. Bottled domestic choices round out the offerings. If spirits are more a patron’s speed, there is a complete cocktail list to choose from. Want something special? Try one of the seasonal cocktails. There are about five from which to choose. While this is the first location in the Akron area, the company is looking to continue to expand. “It’s exceeded our expectations,” Fish said. “I can’t say enough good things about the area.” He added that he could see a second location in Summit County opening within the next two years, but no leases have been signed yet. Beyond Summit County, the company is looking for growth opportunities both in and outside Ohio.
PARKS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A2 city does a good job of using its resources and infrastructure assets to bring desirable properties in the parks to market. They don’t always like competing with those properties, however, even though they, too, sometimes rely on the city for help with other deals. For the city, though, the parks fulfill a vital mission, Beckert said, namely anchoring good paying jobs within the city and attracting new ones. That’s especially important when it comes to manufacturing jobs in Akron’s blue-collar economy. “They’re manufacturing jobs, and those are the ones that you like to see, because they stay quite awhile,” Becker said, referring to the success the city has had with Röchling, among others. The companies that have come to the Massillon Road Industrial Park say they’re there for the reasons most real estate deals are done – location. In the case of Röchling, Beckert said, the company wanted to be near its automotive customers, a good industrial workforce, a plasticsindustry supply chain and, of course, all of the plastic and polymer expertise found in and around Akron. In the case of BCG, the firm wanted a location that would be easy for its employees to access and would also give it room to grow. “We’ll start out with just under 100 people, and I can probably put about
Röchling Automotive. (Dan Shingler) 160 people in the existing building,” said BCG managing partner David Brockman. White Pond might be about to get a boost, too. The city is building a new road and infrastructure, ahead of announced companies — something that will make the property easier to show and sell, said Randy Hake, director of commercial development for Cedarwood Properties, the city’s development partner at the site. “The site’s access is great from I77. The full zoning is in place for large-style commercial office buildings. The infrastructure is in place to facilitate additional buildings, and the city is presently constructing White Pond Parkway, which is 1,300 linear feet of new roadway terminat-
ed in a cul de sac,” Hake said. “We’ll be able to take people on that roadway, and they can pick out their sites.” So far, Akron has been able to develop the parks by outright selling land and without giving tax abatements — with a few exceptions, such as Röchling. Going forward, however, the city might explore the use of abatement for certain projects, Beckert said. “Generally, we’ve stuck with a $25,000-an-acre price tag. We don’t really deviate a lot from that,” Beckert said. “We’re looking at doing tax abatements, but we generally have not done abatements — there are other things, like infrastructure, that we can help them with.”