Inside Business articles from February 2006

Inside Business archives from February 2006

The road to redemption: The Power 100, semi-ranked.(Inside Business magazine's Power 100 rankings)
February 1, 2006... When we initiated The Power 100 two years ago we believed it to be a noble cause. Northeast Ohio was working hard to weave itself into a region, so we thought it would be valuable, as well as interesting, to identify the men and women who, in...

NorthCoast99: honoring 99 great workplaces for top talent in Northeast Ohio.
February 1, 2006... "The NorthCoast99 program prominently showcases the fact that local companies can and do develop worldclass best practices right here in NEO." --Dave Janus Cleveland Region President, FirstMerit Bank "Zircoa is very proud of...

Chocolate-covered chaos.(SUPPLY AND DEMAND)(Malley's Chocolates' Valentines Day)
February 1, 2006... Lovers are not the only ones who celebrate Valentine's Day. Retailers like Cleveland-based Malley's Chocolates look forward to this holiday each and every year. And for Malley's, its much sought-after chocolate-covered strawberries are only...

Perception or reality?(industries and institutes in Northern Ohio need more self promotion)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Businesspeople seem to know Northern Ohio has top-notch health care, but our corporations, colleges and universities need to do a better job of self-promotion, according to a recent survey. The poll, conducted by the Northern Ohio Area...

The final frontier.(Cleveland BioLabs Inc. receives grant from NASA to test radioprotective drug in space )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... A drug by a Cleveland Clinic spin-off company could be headed to outer space. Cleveland BioLabs Inc., which develops new therapies to reduce the negative effects of cancer treatment and enhance the ability of people to withstand radiation...

The beat goes on.(MARKETING)
February 1, 2006... Cleveland-based law firm Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP has jumped on the podcast bandwagon. In December, the firm launched "The Benesch Beat," podcasts--audio files published on the Internet--that feature topical legal issues...

Speedy scholarships.(AKRON)
February 1, 2006... Cleveland's controversial traffic cameras, installed late last year at busy intersections around the city to spot speeders and red-light violators, were implemented to help fund the perennially thin city budget. Oh, and for safety. But...

Pipe dreams do come true.(PHILANTHROPY)
February 1, 2006... Painesville's Lake Erie College landed a $48,000 grant to help save its 1927 Skinner pipe organ, the Cadillac of pipe organs for most of the first half of the 20th century. The donation came from the Kulas Foundation of Cleveland, which gives...

Blazing trails.(CAMP joins Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network of Northeast Ohio)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... CAMP, the nonprofit training and consulting group for manufacturers, has attracted a new owner. The 22-year-old CAMP announced in December it would join the newly formed Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) of Northeast Ohio....

Manufacturing excellence in Northeast Ohio.(Manny Awards)
February 1, 2006... Stand up and be recognized. This year s Manny Awards honor excellence in manufacturing by highlighting the practices from the past year that improved your company's financials, created a safer work environment or increased your company's...

PRSA Cleveland Rocks Awards.(WORKING THE ROOM)
February 1, 2006... The Greater Cleveland Chapter of PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) held its annual Cleveland Rocks Awards to honor the best of Northeast Ohio's public relations practices. This year, an Elvis impersonator helped commemorate 70 years...

Mayor Frank Jackson's inaugural ball.(WORKING THE ROOM)
February 1, 2006... On Jan. 6, nearly 5,000 people streamed into the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University to meet and greet Cleveland's 56th mayor, Frank Jackson. The casual event, labeled as a "come as you are" party by Jackson, was free and open to the...

A Tuscan delight.(let's do lunch: This month's local lunch scene pick)(Restaurant review)
February 1, 2006... BRIO, WESTLAKE ADDRESS: 200 Crocker Park Blvd. LUNCH HOURS: Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. CUISINE: Italian CREDIT CARDS: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover RESERVATIONS: Not necessary CONTACT: (440) 250-8630;...

The Alpha Geek matures: personal gadgets should be useful, not useless.(E-INDUSTRY)
February 1, 2006... I love technology. Even casual readers of Inside Business are aware of this. Anyone who calls himself the "Entreprenerd" or the "Great Lakes Geek" certainly has to be a tech-gadget fanatic. It's not that I am obsessed with being the "Alpha...

Biz links: Northeast Ohio's business resource guide.(Directory)
February 1, 2006... Biz Links Northeast Ohio's business resource guide ACCOUNTING & FINANCIAL PLANNING Robert Half International Inc. (650) 234-6000 www.rhii.com EDUCATION Cuyahoga Community College (800) 954-TRIC www.tri-c.edu...

Mirror, mirror on the wall.(HUMAN RESOURCES)(assessing your organizations efficiency)
February 1, 2006... Many years ago I participated in a physical conditioning course. The trainer, who was the picture of health, made us work very hard during each session. These were certainly the toughest workouts I had ever experienced. Talk about pain! ...

Leading with its chin: is the Cleveland Clinic's haughtiness imperiling the city's future?(Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
February 1, 2006... The effort and preparation a business expends in protecting its public reputation often tells you much about the way it is run, the people in charge and the state of its being. Often, concern for reputation is sadly secondary to internal,...

Saving grace: Synapse Biomedical, Jumpstart Inc.'s latest portfolio company, is a superhero to those with spinal cord injuries.(Ohio Entrepreneur)
February 1, 2006... Anthony Ignagni is in the business of giving people their freedom. As president and CEO of Synapse Biomedical in Oberlin, Ignagni is developing and marketing a device that allows people who would otherwise be tied to a ventilator to breathe on...

Hurrah for small businesses! COSE is once again honoring the smallest of small businesses.(OHIO ENTREPRENEUR)
February 1, 2006... COSE wants to be the first to congratulate your small business for making a big impact on Northeast Ohio. And building on last year's success, COSE (Council of Smaller Enterprises) is once again doing so with its Ten Under 10 awards program,...

Road map.(OHIO ENTREPRENEUR)(member organizations of Ohio Entrepreneur)(Directory)
February 1, 2006... 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. We...

The power 100.(Cover story)
February 1, 2006... By the editors In our third crack at identifying the 100 most powerful individuals in Northeast Ohio, we again mulled over hundreds of names and conducted hours of research to determine who belongs on this list. There are those fallen...

Cunning landlord: Forest City co-chairman Albert Ratner holds the strings when it comes to development in Northeast Ohio.(NO. 1)
February 1, 2006... The Ratner name has long been associated with power in Cleveland. The quiet, normally media-shy family and the elusive aura that surrounds its $78-billion real estate development behemoth, Forest City Enterprises Inc, has always conjured a...

Tech revolutionary: experience, connections and ambition have helped Dorothy Baunach become the most powerful woman in Northeast Ohio.(NO. 23)
February 1, 2006... If there is just one person driving the technology revolution in Northeast Ohio, it's Dorothy Baunach. Through Cleveland-based NorTech, an economic development group with more than 100 key technology leaders on its board of directors, and...

Trendsetter: Maureen Cromling seeks to stretch her influence outside Lorain Country to enrich Northeast Ohio.(LORAIN COUNTY)
February 1, 2006... Maureen Cromling is exceedingly polite. She says she would like to see the city and county leaders across Northeast Ohio "cooperate" when it comes to attracting new businesses and investments, instead of what they do now, which is fight over...

King of the hill: South of Cuyahoga, few people have more sway than Summit County Executive James McCarthy.(GREATER AKRON)
February 1, 2006... James McCarthy is a self-made man. Born and raised in Akron, McCarthy was elected Summit County Executive in 2000. In this role, he oversees more than $1 billion in revenue and more than 200 employees who work in the county's...

Valley Visionary: Jay Williams may be inexperienced, but he won the confidence of a city plagued by an economic downturn with the hopes of a renaissance.(MAHONING VALLEY)(Interview)(Biography)
February 1, 2006... Though he's only been mayor Youngstown since January, Jay Williams has certainly own political potential. The 34-year-old Williams is the first non-Democratic mayor to serve Youngstown since the 1970s (he is registered as a Democrat, but...

Mixing business with pleasure: the self-proclaimed "Dr. Tango" fuses her love of dance and a medical background into a business endeavor.(Jeannette Potts, The Cleveland Clinic)
February 1, 2006... Jeannette Potts had a running joke with a resident of the Gates Mills neighborhood where she used to live. Potts, a doctor at The Cleveland Clinic and a divorced mother of two, liked to dance the tango. She recalls that the neighbor would watch...

Standing strong: Dougherty Lumber Co. has weathered 75 years of economic ups and downs by tackling new markets.(IB's Birthday Club)(Company overview)
February 1, 2006... Dougherty Lumber Co. has weathered change like a sturdy oak. Founded in a streetcar barn 75 years ago, the Cleveland-based lumber distribution center dodged The Great Depression and sustained through a World War and shaky markets. Its...

SHAD takes on urban blight through transformation.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)
February 1, 2006... With 24 sources of funding and a price tag of $12.7 million, the Livingston Park Apartments Revitalization Project is the largest venture to be completed by a Cleveland community development corporation serving as the sole developer and...

Delphos Canal Commission rehabs city's top asset.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)
February 1, 2006... In March 2004, members of the Delphos Canal Commission in Delphos realized the city's crowning jewel needed some polishing. The Miami and Erie Canal--once an active waterway running two miles through the heart of Delphos, which is about 80...

Mahoning River Consortium breathes life into river.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)
February 1, 2006... Nine fully integrated steel mills operated along its banks and the employees who worked in them valued their jobs so no one dared to question business practices of dumping metallics and waste into the river. While almost all the industry...

E CITY inspires young entrepreneurs.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)
February 1, 2006... As an entrepreneur, John Zitzner knows how a great idea can pay off. In 1983, he started a software company in Cleveland and grew it into a successful business. But he always felt an urge to share his secrets to success. "l always thought that...

Maps show the paths to better health in Slavic Village.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The youth of Cleveland's Slavic Village/Broadway neighborhood encourage their residents to get outside for a bike ride or walk. Slavic Village Development's Teen Mapping Project from July 2004 to September 2005 was designed to improve...

Putnam County YMCA is culmination of years of work.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)(Organization overview)
February 1, 2006... The establishment of a YMCA in Putnam County has been a long time coming. The opening of a 28,096-square-foot facility in January 2005 reflects 15 years of planning, hard work and determination by the county's residents. It all started in...

Sparx in the City ignites new energy in Cleveland.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The image of downtown Cleveland a cement island; a place to drive to only to get to your singular destination, quickly park and hustle inside a building just wasn't going to attract the sought-after people, businesses or economic development...

Historic Center Street Association brings past alive.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)
February 1, 2006... Walk down Historic Center Street in downtown Dennison and you might think you've stepped into an era when the railroads were the focal point of small towns. Once a bustling hub for World War II troops and the Pennsylvania Railroad, by the...

Lock 3 Live! livens up downtown Akron in summer.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... In its third season, Lock 3 Live! took entertainment to a new summertime high in downtown Akron. More than 64,000 people converged on Lock 3 Park, built on the Ohio and Erie Canal by the city of Akron in 2003, and Lock 3 Live!, an outdoor...

Ingenuity celebrates the region's creativity.(Dominion East Ohio: Community Impact Awards)
February 1, 2006... Despite its world class cultural arts organizations and high-tech capabilities, Cleveland lacked one event that celebrated the creativity of the region. That all changed in 2005, when veteran arts advocates James Levin and Thomas Mulready--with...

Testing is best: getting the right candidate in the right job takes much prescreening.(ENTREPRENEUR'S Toolkit: HUMAN RESOURCES)
February 1, 2006... Let's say you have two perfect candidates for a key job at your growing company. Both have the same qualifications, skills and experience. There's only one problem: You can't decide which candidate would be the best one to hire. Some...

The gateway to market: innovation is the key to ongoing business success.(ENTREPRENEUR'S Toolkit: INNOVATION)
February 1, 2006... Innovation is the key to success. Easy to say. But how do you manage the innovation process? On Thursday, April 27th, Robert G. Cooper, Ph.D., president of the Product Development Institute and professor of marketing at McMaster University...

Keeping the good ones: how small companies hold on to top employees.(ENTREPRENEUR'S Toolkit: EMPLOYEE RETENTION)
February 1, 2006... How do small, growing companies hold on to their talented employees against the relentless recruiting efforts of large corporations that can afford the top benefits, not to mention all of the other perks? Though it's not easy, small firms...

The power of the Web: improve your online career site to recruit great employees and help your company grow.(ENTREPRENEUR'S Toolkit: ONLINE RECRUITING)
February 1, 2006... Most Northeast Ohio companies are using the Internet and their Web sites to attract and recruit talented employees. But most job candidates are not impressed with corporate Web sites, which may be hindering the company's strategy to attract...

Innovative training puts the fun in fundamentals: formalized training programs build confidence on and off the field.(Guide to: Human Resources)
February 1, 2006... The Cleveland Indians expect their front office employees to be as proficient at running a business and pitching sponsorship deals as the players are at running the bases or pitching strikes. That's why in 2001, the team introduced a...

Resourceful advice: our HR experts answer your staffing questions.(ASK THE EXPERTS)
February 1, 2006... Q: HOW CAN COMPANIES SAVE ON EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS? A: "According to an October 2005 survey compiled by ICDC/ISCEBS (Inside Consumer-Directed Care and International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists), consumer-directed...

Crime fighter.(ONE 2 WATCH)(Christopher Brauser, AMLRightSource)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... Christopher Brauser, 31 partner, BBP Partners LLC; partner-, AMLRightSource cbrauser@bbppartners.com THE SKINNY: A Northeast Ohio native, Brauser attended the University of Pennsylvania and later the London School of Economics to get...