Inside Business articles from January 2005

Inside Business archives from January 2005

The view from the porch.(Absolutely)
January 1, 2005... Some people go to the Grand Hotel just to sit on its porch. It's that nice. Mackinac Islanders like to brag that it's the longest porch in the world. It looks out at forests of green, light-blue sky, and dark-blue water, and has enough...

Who supports the Euclid project?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... In "The Next Stop" (November 2004), about the Euclid Corridor Project, you stated that businesses along Euclid Avenue "are convinced this is the answer to revitalizing a deteriorating Euclid Avenue and pumping fresh air into a struggling city."...

Billboard wars.(Education)
January 1, 2005... Any gentleman's agreement that might have existed between regional universities is off, according to Ron Cole, manager of news and information services for Youngstown State University. Things have changed in recent years in the way public...

MAC honors.(NEO News)(Mid-American Conference )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Mid-American Conference named first-year University of Akron football coach J.D. Brookhart its MAC Coach of the Year in December. IB profiled Brookhart in May 2004 ("Exec and O's") after UA officials selected Brookhart, a former top...

Size matters.(Annals Of Health Care)(collection of birth control devices)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A press release with the phrase "world's largest historical birth control device collection" will cause anyone to stop and take notice. Needless to say, IB's curiosity was piqued by Case Western Reserve University's announcement early last...

IPO on hold.(Going Public)(initial public offering)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Hyland Software, one of this region's most lauded high-tech success stories, filed in late November with the Securities and Exchange Commission to withdraw its highly anticipated initial public offering. The move, according to many...

No IM policy?(Food For Thought)(instant messaging and emails)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Here's some food for thought. By now, most corporate execs and managers are up to speed on having policies in place to regulate office email. But while 79 percent of employers have written email policy, only 20 percent have adopted a policy...

What now?(Business Tools)(GLIDE will begin aggressively marketing REALink (www.realink. biz), an online business assessment tool)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... So you've got a business idea that will be bigger than eBay. But if you've never run a company, starting one up can seem overwhelming. The folks at the Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE) at Lorain County Community...

By the numbers.(Northeast Ohio News)
January 1, 2005... 41% / 1% Executives who favor a job applicant's industry experience compared to executives who favor a candidate's people skills, respectively--ROBERT HALF INTERNATIONAL INC.

Jacket required.(Faux Pas)
January 1, 2005... Attention Cleveland concierges: Don't send Browns fans looking for wings and beer to downtown's swanky restaurants. This bit of advice comes to IB from the manager of one of downtown's most opulent eating rooms. The manager, who...

Manufacturers: time to show off: enter nominations for the Manny Awards at www.inside-business.com/mannys.(The Web)
January 1, 2005... Maybe it was that move to lean, or that idea from the shop floor that shaved an hour from your production time. Whatever it was, Inside Business wants to know about your manufacturing innovations. IB's Manny Awards honor excellence in...

You say you want a resolution: here are 17 surefire ways to resolve common it blunders.(E-Industry)(business networking and software use)
January 1, 2005... Lose weight. Quit smoking. Exercise more. Yawn. These resolutions have become cliches. This year supersize, smoke 'em if you've got 'em, and put new batteries in the remote. But try some of these goals for your business: * Make...

It's a dirty job ... but as an executive, you'll have to fire employees. At least do it well.(The Bottom Line)(Downsizing )(Column)
January 1, 2005... Last month I wrote about how to engage, motivate, and empower today's employees. Most of you likely found that your employees were not only receptive to new ways of partnership, but actually embraced the chance to make a meaningful...

Where's the vision? Northeast Ohio needs the right people with the right skills.(My Say)(Political leadership and economic development)(Column)
January 1, 2005... Late last year I had the privilege of participating in a meeting of civic leaders and elected officials. To my surprise and disappointment, it inadvertently opened a window to the alarming vacuum of political leadership in our region. The...

Biz links: Northeast Ohio's business resource guide.
January 1, 2005... Biz Links Northeast Ohio's business resource guide COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Albrecht Inc. (330) 376-6611 www.albrechtinc.com Allegro Realty Advisors (216) 524-0710 www.allegrorealty.com Atwell-Hicks ...

Self starter.(One 2 Watch)
January 1, 2005... LAST BET YOU WON: Back in January, I bet my best friend David $10 that Pantek would move downtown before Aug. 1. We moved in on Aug. 1. He never paid up. LAST TIME YOU TOOK A DARE: Years. BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF BEING YOUR OWN BOSS: Self...

Ups and downs: Cedar Fair CEO Dick Kinzel is banking on a new strategy and some splashy new developments to bounce back from a disappointing first season running Geauga Lake.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2005... Until this past season, Dick Kinzel never fully appreciated how hard it is to compete with Cedar Point. In April, the top executive at Cedar Fair LP, Cedar Point's parent company, couldn't ignore the too-good-to-turndown opportunity to...

Single vision: the Fund for Our Economic Future represents a new approach to economic development, but can it challenge conventional pessimism about regionalism?(Interview, Robert Briggs of Greater Akron Regional Foundation and Brad Whitehead)(Interview)
January 1, 2005... Too many organizations pulling in too many directions. That's the assessment the fledgling Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaboration of Northeast Ohio philanthropic groups, had when identifying and addressing the region's economic...

The 10 biggest deals of 2004: Inside Business makes a big deal out of the big deals that helped create or protect jobs in Northeast Ohio last year.(Year In Review)(International Steel Group Inc. and Mittal Steel Company N.V. merger)
January 1, 2005... We're all about jobs. In the following pages, Inside Business takes a regional look at the 10 biggest business deals of 2004, but from a slightly different perspective. We didn't gauge deals on mere dollar figures. After talking to...

Water world: wet, wild times on tap for Sandusky.(Year In Review)(construction of water park resort)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A$130 million project in Sandusky broke ground in March that will create what developers are touting as the world's largest water park resort. More importantly, the Kalahari Resort--actually a water park/resort/convention center--will employ as...

Welcome home: former Noveon execs bring new venture to Northeast Ohio.(Year In Review)(Aleris International Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Northeast Ohio lured the headquarters of a new aluminum fabricator and recycler forged by a merger between two out-of-state companies announced in mid-December. Aleris International Inc. will bring 100 high-paying jobs with it when it...

Smooth deal: Lubrizol and Noveon combine to create a $3 billion company.(Year In Review)(Noveon International Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... It took a year of courting by The Lubrizol Corp. before personal care and chemical coatings company Noveon International Inc. agreed in mid-April to a $1.8 billion acquisition. Wickliffe-based Lubrizol, which had been in buying mode since...

Two times the fun: Cedar Fair adds to its empire from its own back yard.(Year In Review)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Cedar Fair LP became Northeast Ohio's fun park titan in March when it bought Geauga Lake amusement park from Six Flags Inc. for $145 million. The 700-acre property in Aurora includes attractions such as roller coasters X-Flight and the Big...

New digs: Strongsville works with ICI Paints to relocate its corporate headquarters.(Year In Review)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Moving its headquarters from Cleveland to Strongsville allowed ICI Paints in North America to move closer to its research-and-development facility. "Having the research facility already in Strongsville on Sprague Road was very important to us,"...

Flexing muscle: with investment, Beachwood-based BrandMuscle Inc. adds high-tech jobs.(Year In Review)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A$6 million deal with the Ohio Department of Development will allow Beachwood-based software developer BrandMuscle Inc. to strengthen its track record of growth. BrandMuscle has grown significantly in 2004. The company started the year with 43...

Quick response: in less than six months, the Mahoning Valley compensates for 700 lost jobs with 1,000.(Year In Review)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Mahoning Valley economic development efforts moved quickly to fill the gap left by MCI when it sent its 700 Niles call center jobs overseas in March 2004. "We immediately began to work to market the facility," says Walter Goode, economic...

Cool dealings: a military contract opens the door for growth.(Year In Review)(Nordic Air Inc.'s contracts with U.S. Marine Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Geneva Township-based Nordic Air Inc. will be keeping Marines and their equipment cool at posts around the world. The company, which makes environmental control units, signed a $44.5 million deal with the U.S. Marine Corp in late July. Nordic...

Bouncing into Fairlawn: Rubbermaid Home Products moves its headquarters deeper into Northeast Ohio.(Year In Review)
January 1, 2005... Rubbermaid Home Products kept its headquarters in Northeast Ohio ,with its announcement in late April to relocate corporate operations to Fairlawn from Wooster. It was welcome news for Northeast Ohio and a cause for celebration for...

On a roll: Cleveland's Trac Tool is getting buzz about a product that saves painters tons of time.(Up-And-Comer)
January 1, 2005... The exterior of Trac Tool's Puritas Avenue headquarters in Cleveland, awash in myriad incomplete paint jobs, is the colorful part of the company's research-and-development department. Trac Tool develops and produces Speed Rollers, paint...

Bringing it all back home: a software entrepreneur birthed his company in Boston, but insists it grow up in Northeast Ohio.(Ohio Entrepreneur)(Philip Alexander of BrandMuscle Inc.)
January 1, 2005... Philip Alexander calls Cleveland home and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. The son of an Indian diplomat, Alexander was born in Switzerland and has lived in Ghana, Sri Lanka, Germany, Yugoslavia, Burma, and Sweden. He fell in love...

In focus: defining your company's mission takes time, but is worth it in the end.(My toughest decision: Michael Jacobson ADPRO Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Michael Jacobson, co-founder and president of ADPRO Inc., began his marketing firm in a modest building on Green Road in Beachwood in 1983. Today, he runs the 25-employee company with the help of two sons in the business' newly transplanted...

Road map.(Ohio Entrepreneur)(Directory)
January 1, 2005... 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. ...

Built to last: office vacancies are down and construction is up. 2005 looks to be a rebound year for commercial real estate.(Guide To Construction Development)
January 1, 2005... Ross Environmental Services Inc.'s relocation to its current headquarters in Elyria happened a little sooner than anyone there thought it would. "Our building was being sold," says owner Maureen Cromling, who was president and CEO of Ross...

Should I stay or should I go? With vacancies decreasing around the region, this could be the year to move or build a new office.(Guide To Construction Development)(Interview)
January 1, 2005... Will 2005 be the year you move to a bigger office, or even build your own headquarters? To help you decide, Inside Business polled four experts in the commercial real estate industry representing the largest firms in the region. They are...

Restoration artists: Marous Brothers Construction's knack for commercial renovations has built the firm a national reputation.(Guide To Construction Development)
January 1, 2005... The Marous brothers' tree houses were always the sturdiest in the neighborhood. Growing up in Willoughby Hills, Adelbert "Chip," Ken, and Scott Marous would build tree houses like other children, but theirs would endure thunderstorms, high...

Foundation for the future: Krill Co. Inc.'s work with case and NASA helped established itself as a high-tech builder in Northeast Ohio.(Guide To Construction Development)(Krill Company Inc. uses web linked cameras to see construction sites)
January 1, 2005... Visit a construction site from the comfort of your office. That's the idea Krill Co. Inc. President Shawn Dixon had after he noticed the spread of Web-linked cameras to monitor traffic and weather. Dixon had never heard of doing the same...

Construction/development resource directory.(Directory)
January 1, 2005... COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER THE RICHARD E. JACOBS GROUP (440) 871-4800 CONTACT: JOHN L. KLAYMAN JKLAYMAN@REJACOBSGROUP.COM WWW.REJACOBSGROUP.COM For over 45 years The Richard E. Jacobs Group has maintained a high...

Business class: continuing education not only retools your work force, but the investment endears employees to your company.(Guide to: education)(RPM International Inc.)
January 1, 2005... Early last spring, executives at Medina-based RPM International Inc. couldn't help but notice its companies weren't operating in sync. At headquarters and a handful of its 60 subsidiaries, Microsoft Exchange was the messaging and collaboration...

Q: why is economic education so critical to the effectiveness of a work force?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: WHY IS ECONOMIC EDUCATION SO CRITICAL TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A WORK FORCE? A: "Economic principles encourage rational thinking, thoughtful decisions, and an entrepreneurial approach to problem solving--all critical skills for employee...

Q: how do continuing-education programs vary?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: HOW DO CONTINUING-EDUCATION PROGRAMS VARY? A: "One's choices in continuing education will be most valuable if they are a product of your own personal and career development goals and plan," says Robert Trebar, associate dean of...

Q: what are the advantages of a liberal arts background?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF A LIBERAL ARTS BACKGROUND? A: "According to more and more employers, it is no longer enough for graduates to tout their business administration or accounting degrees," says Harry Paidas, vice president for...

Q: how should a student evaluate a continuing education course?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: HOW SHOULD A STUDENT EVALUATE A CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSE? A: "What anybody needs to think about is, 'Will I really learn something?'" says Betty Vandenbosch, associate professor at the Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead...

Q: why is the business community so critical of business schools?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: WHY IS THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY SO CRITICAL OF BUSINESS SCHOOLS? A: "The business community is critical of the fact that many graduates of business programs do not learn how to utilize skills and knowledge for practical purposes," says...

Q: how can videoconferencing improve an employee education program?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: HOW CAN VIDEOCONFERENCING IMPROVE AN EMPLOYEE EDUCATION PROGRAM? A: "Videoconferencing is an effective means of communicating because it allows you to see, hear, and interact with people thousands of miles away," says Rick Turner,...

Q: how are universities aiding startup companies?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: HOW ARE UNIVERSITIES AIDING STARTUP COMPANIES? A: "Since 2000, we have set up 14 companies of all different sizes, shapes, and descriptions," says George Newkome, vice president of research and dean of the Graduate School at the...

Q: how can a downsized worker become more competitive in today's job market?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: HOW CAN A DOWNSIZED WORKER BECOME MORE COMPETITIVE IN TODAY'S JOB MARKET? A: "A downsized employee should contact a professional to evaluate his skill level and the opportunity to find employment in his current field," says Liz Walton,...

Q: what skill set should I hope to build through an MBA program?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: WHAT SKILL SET SHOULD I HOPE TO BUILD THROUGH AN MBA PROGRAM? A: "Employers today tell us that they are looking for colleagues with critical thinking skills who have substantive knowledge, understand business processes, and have a solid...

Q: how can I schedule education in a busy life?(In the know: answers to your education questions)
January 1, 2005... Q: HOW CAN I SCHEDULE EDUCATION IN A BUSY LIFE? A: "Cuyahoga Community College's Corporate College provides industry-driven training for today's busy professionals," says Dr. Dennis Ulrich, executive director, continuing and professional...

Build a better bond: communication, honesty, and trust are the keys to creating a lasting relationship with your banker.(Guide to: commercial lending)
January 1, 2005... Shellie Graf gets a phone call at least every two weeks from her bank. But these aren't payment reminders or annoying solicitation calls, they're from her banker, Gina Burbules, who regularly checks in with Graf to make sure her business is...

Q: how can the lending process proceed as efficiently as possible?(Lending leaders: the inside scoop on business banking)
January 1, 2005... Q: HOW CAN THE LENDING PROCESS PROCEED AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE? A: "The lending process is not shrouded in mystery, however, there are a number of initiatives that a business owner can undertake to en-sure that the process flows as...

Q: how can I build a lasting relationship with a banker?(Lending leaders: the inside scoop on business banking)
January 1, 2005... Q: HOW CAN I BUILD A LASTING RELATIONSHIP WITH A BANKER? A: "At the end of the day, the major factor that can differentiate one competitor from another and win the hearts and loyalty of customers is service," says Robert W. Carpenter Jr.,...

Q: what's the difference between asset-based lending and traditional financing?(Lending leaders: the inside scoop on business banking)
January 1, 2005... Q: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASSET-BASED LENDING AND TRADITIONAL FINANCING? A: "Asset-based lending can be a subset of traditional bank financing," says Jay Giles, senior vice president at Middlefield Bank. "Asset-based loans have a...

At home with: Allan Krulak: an avid nature photographer and history buff, this Forest City VP is happiest in the great outdoors.(IB life)(Interview)
January 1, 2005... Allan Krulak has an eye for beauty. Over the past few years, the self-taught photographer has made a name for himself in the Cleveland business community as a talented artist. The Cleveland Clinic is one of his biggest customers--you can find...

Let's do lunch: this month's local lunch scene picks.(IB life)(Restaurant Review)
January 1, 2005... LUNCH WITH FLAIR SERGIO'S IN UNIVERSITY CIRCLE ADDRESS: 1903 Ford Drive LUNCH HOURS: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. CUISINE: Primarily Brazilian CREDIT CARDS: All major cards accepted RESERVATIONS: Recommended ...

Riding high: Land Rover 2005 Range Rover HSE.(IB life: driven)
January 1, 2005... BASE PRICE: $73,750 MILEAGE: 12 city, 16 highway HORSEPOWER: 282 ENGINE: 4.4-liter aluminum alloy V8 0-60: 8.0 seconds WARRANTY: Four years/50,000 miles To train future astronauts, NASA might consider putting...

JCU Entrepreneurs Association Annual Dinner.(Working The Room)(John Carroll University)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Tim Donahue, CEO of Nextel Communications Inc., was the keynote speaker for the John Carroll University Entrepreneurs Association Annual Dinner in October. The JCU alumnus addressed the crowd at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven with a...

NOACC semi-annual board of directors meeting.(Working The Room)(Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce held its semiannual meeting in late October at LACENTRE Conference & Banquet Facility in Westlake. One of the speakers was IB Editor Lute Harmon Sr., who talked to the audience about growing...

ATHENAPowerLink meeting.(Working The Room)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Principals of the ATHENAPowerLink program met at Case Western Reserve University in October to officially kick off the project. ATHENAPowerLink gives woman business owners access to capital, markets, networking, and technology. Women are...