Inside Business articles from August 2004

Inside Business archives from August 2004

IB to PD: bury quiet crisis.(Absolutely)
August 1, 2004... Picture this: You have gathered your family together for an announcement. An important announcement. "I have decided," you begin seriously, "the time has come to discuss the problems we have in this family. It is very troubling that these...

Cow chips: Shearer's is entering the bovine snack market.(Innovation)(waste water treatment devised)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Shearer's Foods Inc., famous for its potato chips and snacks, has introduced a line of tasty treats exclusively for cows. Well, not exactly. The Brewster-based food maker recently developed a $750,000 system to eliminate the need to...

Penton shakes it up.(Executives)(Penton Media Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The embattled trade publisher Penton Media Inc. named David Nussbaum as its new CEO, replacing outgoing top exec Thomas L. Kemp. Nussbaum, 46, served as the company's executive vice president and as president of its technology and lifestyle...

Skyline addition.(Development)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A modern 12-story residential building will be the newest addition to downtown Cleveland's skyline. Rooted on West Lakeside Avenue in the Historic Warehouse District, the construction represents the first urban residential building in downtown...

Bullet bus.(Transportation)(Cleveland Regional Transit Authority developing new bus)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Cleveland Regional Transit Authority officials received their first conceptual look at a bullet-nosed, diesel-electric bus that will travel the Euclid Corridor. The design follows the RTA concept of Bus Rapid Transit--combining bus...

By the numbers.(Northeast Ohio News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... $1,159 /$828 PER PERSON SPENDING AT A NATIONAL OR REGIONAL MEETING IN GREATER CLEVELAND WITH EXHIBITORS AND NO EXHIBITORS, RESPECTIVELY--CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU OF GREATER CLEVELAND 53 PERCENT Executives who believe lack of...

Never too old.(The Workplace)(avoiding age discrimination in hiring practices)
August 1, 2004... As the U.S. work force ages, a possible spike in age discrimination claims looms. Most vulnerable are baby boomers, whose numbers are growing at an annual rate of 4.1 percent, four times that of the overall labor force, according to the...

Econ 101.(Campus)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Kent State University, keeping with the trend of universities acting as economic development agents, has created an office to serve as its liaison to the entrepreneurial community. Through campus collaborations and strategic business...

New convo center for Y-town: Youngstown's new $41 million convocation center may help downtown development.(Development)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Ground broke in June for the $41 million Youngstown Convocation Center. More than half of the funding--$25 million--comes from federal grants secured by former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., now serving an eight-year term in federal...

Homeland insecurity?(Communities)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Cash-strapped Ohio communities may be ill prepared to protect themselves from terrorism, and the absence of funding hasn't helped, says Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic. He voiced his concerns during the release of findings from a U.S....

Growth spurt.(Success)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Canton-based advertising and PR firm Innis Maggiore Group is Northeast Ohio's fastest-growing agency, according to an industry publication. While the firm wasn't tops in terms of revenue--six other regional firms topped its No. 286...

2004 NorTech Innovation Awards.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Northeast Ohio business community celebrated new thinking and excellence at the 2004 NorTech Innovation Awards. Innovators from 26 of this region's companies were honored for their daring achievements over the past year. Winning...

Networking night at the carnival.(Northeast Ohio Communication Affiliates)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Northeast Ohio Communication Affiliates gave the Tower City Amphitheater a carnival atmosphere for its late June event. Hundreds of professionals celebrate Northeast Ohio's communications industry. The evening was billed as the largest...

Plug in Cleveland.(Working The Room)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Two nonprofits recognized some of the people helping to close the digital divide May 12 at the Cleveland Midtown Innovation Center. The event, Plug In Cleveland, celebrated the progress made by the nonprofits and some of the figures who have...

Youngstown ATHENA awards.(Working The Room)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Mahoning Valley celebrated outstanding women in business in late May with the 12th Annual ATHENA Awards. The 2004 recipient was Cynthia Anderson, vice president of student affairs at Youngstown State University. Sandra Beach Lin,...

The Web.(Editorial)(Editorial)
August 1, 2004... Do you get enough? That's what we thought. So Inside-business.com delivers more of what you like about Inside Business Magazine. Here's some of what has appeared exclusively at Inside-business.com in the last month. See what...

Free beer? Open-source software may be a business savior or a major headache.(E-Industry)
August 1, 2004... Software is expensive. Some office suites retail for more than $500. Multiply that by the number of users in your company and you face a huge expense that--as upgrades are released-- repeats every few years. What if you could reduce or even...

Biz links: Northeast Ohio's business resource guide.(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... Biz Links Northeast Ohio's business resource guide AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTION Broadcast Media Ideas (216) 696-4332 Colortone Staging & Rentals (440) 914-9500 Hughie's Audio-Visual Service Inc. ...

Vocal talents: Great leaders communicate their business' messages--and then shut up and get out of the way.(The Bottom Line)
August 1, 2004... God knows we've all had bosses who said too much--bloviating nincompoops who wouldn't or couldn't shut up, even when it would have been in their own best interest. Unshakably convinced of their own importance, unyielding in their insistence...

Progressive, take note: you can find it in Cleveland: CEO of Boundless Flight Inc., a Strongsville-based software firm.(My Say)
August 1, 2004... In March 1995, I moved here from Chicago for the same reason many have come here. The people are friendly, schools are well above average, workloads are reasonable, the traffic flow is bearable, and the depth of the cultural opportunities are...

Stark's reality: is Northeast Ohio ready for Crocker Park, the massive live-work-play development? Robert Stark thinks so.(Profile)
August 1, 2004... Robert Stark views himself as the poet developer. Just as artists paint, write, or compose, Stark expresses himself by building developments. "I've always been passionate about developing," Stark says. "For me, it's a creative process....

Reboot: we revisit with Jim Cookinham after his tech group merges with COSE.(Interview)(NEOSA)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... This spring's announcement that NEOSA, the region's technology advocacy group, would merge with COSE, the Greater Cleveland Partnership's small-business arm, signaled the end of an era for Northeast Ohio's high-tech movement. Born as the...

Making sense of chaos: technology tested by Cleveland researchers acts as a logistics traffic cop.(Tech)
August 1, 2004... MORE than 100 John Carroll University students swarmed the Dolan Center for Science and Technology recently, not in the name of protest, but rather in the name of science. A student-assisted computer simulation took place to test software...

Free help wanted: Cleveland Bar Association President David Kutik rallies the region's attorneys to commit to public service, and plans to hold them to it.(Service)
August 1, 2004... David Kutik wants the region's lawyers to work for free. And he's going to hold them to it. The new president of the Cleveland Bar Association unveiled his plan at his June inauguration. It commits participating Northeast Ohio attorneys to...

One small business at a time: COSE Chairman Jeanne Halladay Coughlin tells us what's next for small businesses in the region.(Council of Smaller Enterprises )(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Jeanne Halladay, Coughlin brings a woman's touch to COSE. "I came into this role and had a sense of what I thought was missing," says the third female leader of the Council of Smaller Enterprises in 30 years. Coughlin believes it's time to...

Thing of beauty: upgrades to the Akron Art Museum enhance downtown's artistic and economic vision.(Expansion)
August 1, 2004... THE AKRON ART MUSEUM IS CLOSING ITS DOORS. Its treasures are being stored. Its staff reassigned. Don't fret, that's actually good news. The East Market Street building, built in 1899, will enter a state of hibernation as...

Divine design: an Elyria graphic artist takes on a sacred task.(Small Business)
August 1, 2004... TYNDALE House Publishers had a problem with its Bible. It wasn't a spiritual question, but a logistical one. Its 1996 printing, New Living Translation Bible, suffered from the problem all Bibles face--legibility The small print and tight...

Import support: a support system for new enterprises, the beachwood business development center invites international enterprises to set up shop.(Ohio Entrepreneur)
August 1, 2004... Mel Burk needed some space. He had a product, a plan, and customers, but nowhere to house his medical device manufacturing business. "Originally, we were in the incubator facility at Case Western Reserve [University] under the Enterprise...

Get Goofy: entrepreneurs can learn the secrets of success and even have a little fun at the Disney Keys to Excellence Seminar.(Ohio Entrepreneur)
August 1, 2004... Goofy is probably the last person you'd expect would give you any worthwhile business advice. But he's just the dog, er, man, you want to see when attending the Disney Keys to Excellence Seminar. OK, so Goofy really isn't the keynote...

Road map.(Ohio Entrepreneur)
August 1, 2004... Ohio Entrepreneur is a partnership of companies, universities, and economic development organizations dedicated to providing access to the information and services entrepreneurs need to start, locate, and expand their businesses in Ohio. ...

6 Keys to a blockbuster meeting: raise the bar and get the most from your next event.(Guide to: meetings & events)
August 1, 2004... After years of belt tightening, the recovering economy is loosening corporate purse strings and heralding a return of the high-tech, high-touch corporate event. I Leaving the boardroom and heading into Northeast Ohio's top-tier facilities,...

Meet the experts: all the answers to your event-planning questions.(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Q: WHAT EXTRA FEATURES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN CHOOSING THE LOCATION FOR AN EVENT? A: "It shouldn't be all business," says Bonnie Barenholtz, director of public relations at Walden Country Inn. "You should consider the activities to...

Secrets and lies: hiring employees without running background checks is risky business. How well do you really know the people you invite into your workplace?(Guide to: risk management)
August 1, 2004... Bob Drusendahl will never forget the big burly man he hired to work at his manufacturing company' Basic Doors. "He became the most foul-mouthed, belligerent person you'd ever meet," Drusendahl says. The bad apple had work and attendance...

Resource directory.(Guide to: risk management)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... PROFESSIONAL SERVICES--ACCOUNTING FIRM GRANT THORNTON LLP (216) 771-1400 WWW.GRANTTHORNTON.COM CONTACT: JAMES J. SANFILIPPO, MANAGING PARTNER JIMSANFILIPPO@GT.COM Grant Thornton is the leading global accounting, tax,...

Power duo: a powerhouse provides clients with all-inclusive marketing services.(Broadcast Media Ideas Ltd)(Peerlis)(Corporate Quest)
August 1, 2004... On the surface, Broadcast Media Ideas Ltd. (BMI) and Peerlis are each modern, successful, innovative companies. But in fact they are the Transformers of the business world, able to lock into a module powerful enough to take on projects of a...

Satisfied customers: BMI clients are happy clients. Just ask them.(Broadcast Media Ideas Ltd)
August 1, 2004... COMMUNITY/GOVERNMENT Jane L. Campbell Mayor City of Cleveland "Anyone who has met Mike Settonni knows that he is sincerely passionate about his work. His charming blend of optimism and vision can be seen in all that he does,...

Great expectations: when clients give peerlis big jobs, the company delivers.(content management)
August 1, 2004... Case Study: Morgan Bank The Challenge: In 2001, Morgan Bank, a community bank in Hudson, needed to develop a comprehensive Web site with content-management capabilities. The Solution: Graphically, the project included the development...

Sold in 30 seconds: you have a half minute to sell your company to a potential client. Go.(Marketing)
August 1, 2004... Tim Dimoff may be a "squatty little Italian guy," but he stands out in a crowd. The president of Akron-based SACS Consulting and Investigative Services Inc. leaves a lasting impression, and it only takes him a half minute to do so--tops....

Think like a banker: before you make your pitch for a loan, know what a banker wants to hear.(Finance)
August 1, 2004... Mike Gordon knows the sting of rejection. Nearly a half-dozen banks turned down his request for a loan to start his business before he received an approval. "You think, I'm the customer. They should be coming to me,'" says the co-owner of...

Making the cut: streamline your company into a lean profit-making machine.(Strategy)
August 1, 2004... Dave Harris was forced to consider what most business managers dread: the S-word. Streamlining. Harris' company, Lakewood-based Air Rite Service Supply Inc., a customized air filter manufacturer and distributor, was using a tedious and...

Know your rights: when you feel you've been wronged, don't take matters into your own hands, take it to small claims court.(Legal)
August 1, 2004... Egon Singerman has seen business owners learn about the law the hard way An attorney based in Beachwood, Singerman often represents companies in small claims court. A particular case--one that wasn't his--has stayed with him. It involved a...

Managing the microfirm: your company is small, and your reputation is on the line. How do you avoid being a pain to your employees?(Management)
August 1, 2004... Mike Fischer hates being Micromanaged. So much so that he quit his job and started his own company, Thinsolutions LLC "At the company I used to work at I couldn't even send a letter to a client without my boss changing it." Fischer says...

It takes a village: is an incubator right for your company?(Incubators)
August 1, 2004... Developing products for human gene therapy and vaccination is no easy task. Just ask Robert C. Moen, president and CEO of Copernicus Therapeutics Inc., one of the region's more successful biotechnology startups. His company's success has been...

Business gurus: the experts have all the answers.(Ask The Experts)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Q: WHAT IS THE FIRST THING I DO WITH MY NEW PRODUCT IDEA OR BUSINESS IDEA? A: "The first thing you need to decide is what you want to be when you grow up," says Don Knechtges, managing director of The Great Lakes Innovation and Development...

One 2 watch.(BlueBridge Networks LLC)(Michael DeAloia interviewed)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... "[Cleveland] has everything to be the next great success story, with the exception of civic leadership." WHAT FASCINATES YOU? Prose fascinates me A good vodka. Capitalism. And good moral character. LAST TIME YOU ABUSED TECHNOLOGY? I...