Inside Business articles from March 2005

Inside Business archives from March 2005

When does a cucumber become a pickle?(Absolutely)
March 1, 2005... Well, it finally happened. After 33 years of speaking engagements, I never believed this day would come. First, let me provide some context. Since Cleveland Magazine published its first issue in 1972, I have been invited to speak...

House calls.(Rites Of Spring)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... If you haven't thought about summer grass since Jacobs Field shuttered for the season, you might want to jump-start that mower or lawn tractor, because spring is just around the corner. But if that two-cycle engine fails to turn over, never...

Exit strategies.(News Of The Bizarre)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Put this one in your "Now I've Heard It All" file. It's not unusual for employees to part ways from their employers over creative differences or better job opportunities. But to call it quits because you "didn't like the smell of the...

Money man.(Publishing)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... At first, the moniker "America's Money Man" bugged Ivan Gelfand. "Initially I didn't like it," says Gelfand, a 50-year veteran of the investment and finance game. "I'm not a flamboyant guy. But then, I started to like it... and no one...

Powerful art.(This Is Not My PowerPoint Presentation)
March 1, 2005... You'd need another set of hands and feet to count the number of inane PowerPoint presentations you've been subjected to over the years. "On the next slide we have..." is a lullaby we've all heard. But did you ever glance up at the...

By the numbers.(Northeast Ohio News)
March 1, 2005... $216,000,000,000 American businesses' annual productivity loss caused by time wasted deleting junk emails --ROCKBRIDGE ASSOCIATES INC./THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

Sip on this.(Cool Development)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Jeff Kurz and his business partners, David Abrahamson and Brad Schwartz, are shaking things up in Youngstown. The partners in real estate development group SKA Limited will open an upscale martini and wine bar, Imbibe, this month. The bar,...

Voluntary move.(Philanthropy)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Cleveland lost one of its shining philanthropic stars to the Big Apple in February. Alice Korngold, founding director of Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU), a nonprofit volunteer training and placement organization, said it was time for a...

Northeast Ohio's business resource guide.(Biz Links)(Directory)
March 1, 2005... ARCHITECTURE & CONSTRUCTION Marous Brothers Construction (440) 951-3904 www.mbcmarous.com AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTION Colortone Staging & Rentals (440) 914-9500 www.colortone.com Hughie's Audio-Visual Service...

CES: Las Vegas: the consumer electronics show had the geek gadgets that could become tomorrow's business apps.(E-Industry)
March 1, 2005... Gadgets are no longer just for geeks... they're also for nerds and dweebs," said Conan O'Brien after looking at the crowd as he opened the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) before Bill Gates' keynote speech. There was no Comdex, the annual...

Worst practices: follow these tips to become your company's best bad manager.(The Bottom Line)
March 1, 2005... Years of study and hard-won experience have taught me that most leaders and most companies have no interest--zip, zilcho, nada, the big goose egg, none at all--in best-practice management. How could they, given the terrible shape of employee...

Blocking the boards: Sarbanes-Oxley prevents corporate boards from making decisions based on solid business principles.(My Say)
March 1, 2005... The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is the most controversial and consequential corporate legislation of our generation. New public company requirements have improved financial statement transparency and disclosure and reinvigorated board...

Team NEO Success Awards Luncheon.(The Web)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... REGISTER AT www.inside-business.com/neosuccess. Inside Business Magazine has joined with Team NEO to emphasize the regional strength represented in our annual business-performance awards. The newly named Team NEO Success Awards (see...

One2watch.(The Headliner)(Interview)
March 1, 2005... "They could stop paying me and I'd still show up." WHY ARE YOU PERFECT FOR THIS JOB? You may go through life never knowing what fits your personality and the way that you are. I've found that this [job] is just unbelievably perfect for...

Right track: mentor's GDJ Inc. creates equipment that thrills and educates science students.(Regional focus: Lake County)
March 1, 2005... When he was growing up, Jack Gilbert says students largely fell into two categories: Those who were college material and those who were not. Gilbert, a 1972 graduate of Avon High School, was tagged a "not," destined for the metal shop and...

True believer: dreaming the impossible dream, YSU President David Sweet is executing a vision for revitalization in Youngstown.(The University Scene)
March 1, 2005... David Sweet achieves impossible dreams. It's why images of Cervantes' well-loved protagonist, Don Quixote, adorn his walls at Youngstown State University. The school's president considers the romantically idealistic character his patron...

Rock solid: the Beachland Ballroom makes beautiful music with Cleveland's emerging North Collinwood neighborhood.(The Arts Economy)
March 1, 2005... NO ONE is ever going to come to North Collinwood to see live music." The loan officer's advice didn't dissuade Cindy Barber. Barber was optimistic about converting a tired and neglected Waterloo Road social club into a premier music...

He's with the band: patent attorney Todd Tucker brought a band out of the garage and onto the national stage.(Profile)
March 1, 2005... Todd Tucker might be Cleveland's coolest attorney. By day he's a partner at Cleveland intellectual property firm Rennet, Otto, Boisselle & Skar LLP. By night, Tucker plays a different tune. With no training or experience in...

A head start: Innovative Process Administration LLC found a home for its 7-year-old product at CAMP's BUILD incubator.(Ohio Entrepreneur)
March 1, 2005... Innovative Process Administration LLC skipped a few grades in the entrepreneurial school of startups. IPA had a product, customers, a solid reputation, and the intellectual resources of a mature operation when it moved into CAMP's BUILD...

Road map.(Ohio Entrepreneur)(Directory)
March 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. ...

In the game: Northeast Ohio's fortunes are changing, and Team NEO wants to tell that story.(Team NEO Success Awards)
March 1, 2005... There's nothing like a competitive challenge to get a team's blood pumping, energy flowing, and minds working. Any business faced with a loss of market share or declining customer base must rally its resources and reinvent itself to survive...

Prescription: Innovation: Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove says a region needs smart people and good ideas to compete in the knowledge economy.(Team NEO Success Awards)(Interview)
March 1, 2005... Delos "Toby" Cosgrove knew The Cleveland Clinic was big, but when he took over as its top executive last summer, he didn't know how big. To gain some perspective, Cosgrove decided he'd walk every corridor of the 9 million-square-foot...

Covering the earth: innovation keeps 139-year-old Sherwin-Williams Co. fresh.(Team NEO Success Awards)
March 1, 2005... Don't call it a comeback. They've been here for 139 years. In 1866, Henry Sherwin bought into a seller of paint ingredients on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in the hopes of profiting from the expanded commerce in Reconstruction-era...

Slow and steady: Ajit Kumar, founder and president of Microsys Computing Inc., knows how to win the race.(Team NEO Success Awards)
March 1, 2005... Ajit Kumar will tell you he's lucky. That's how he explains the success of Microsys Computing Inc., his health care management software business. While Kumar was teaching as an associate professor of computer and information sciences at...

Engineering success: KS Associates Inc. builds on its strengths and improves upon its weaknesses to realize consistent success.(Team NEO Success Awards)
March 1, 2005... Lynn Miggin attributes KS Associates Inc.'s sustained growth and success to three things. The leadership at KS Associates, which provides civil engineering and land surveying services for companies and municipalities throughout Northeast...

Full speed ahead: cost cutting and an industry rebound energize Olympic Steel.(Team NEO Success Awards)
March 1, 2005... Michael Siegal had two words for his staff: Don't panic. With profits sliding and its stock price tumbling, the Olympic Steel Inc. chairman and CEO urged his managers to stay focused and communicate the economic challenges to their employees....

Copy cats: ProFile Imaging LLC has reaped the benefits of focusing locally.(Team NEO Success Awards)
March 1, 2005... Chris Haag had his work cut out for him when he left his job to start ProFile Imaging LLC. ProFile was a direct competitor of his former employer, a $4.65 billion international business services firm, and Haag was required to sign a...

Team NEO success awards 2005.(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... TEAM NEO SUCCESS AWARDS 2005 COMPANY INDUSTRY CITY EST. Anthem Blue Cross Insurance Cleveland 1944 & Blue Shield National City Corp. Banking Cleveland ...

By the numbers.(Team NEO Success Awards)
March 1, 2005... PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE Public: 18 percent Private: 73 percent Subsidiary: 9 percent YEAR ESTABLISHED 2000 or later: 14 percent 1951-1999: 77 percent 1901-1950: 2 percent 1900 and earlier: 7 percent INDUSTRY...

Creative detectives: the Culbertson Group put a client under the magnifying glass to ID its competitive advantages.(Guide to Creativity)
March 1, 2005... "Look for specially marked stale items--Emery's Fresh Baked Goods." "You won't find a staff that bares more--Golden Hills Retirement Home." Funny typos, unless you're the bakery or retirement home. These and other fictitious...

Pushing the envelope: eager to think big, Malone Advertising creates explosive growth.(Guide to Creativity)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... In the week leading up to the 2003 New York City Marathon, innovative promotions for Ensure nutritional supplement splashed the Big Apple's streets. Actors dressed as Ensure bottles dotted the audience outside Good Morning America's studios. A...

Glazen hits the mark: this Cleveland studio provides film and video programming to A-list accounts.(Guide to Creativity)
March 1, 2005... Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams made its debut this year on Fortune magazine's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For." Among the reasons the magazine ranked the paint company No. 99 are its great 401(k) matching program and the amount of...

Addy showcase: check out the best work from Northeast Ohio's creative community.
March 1, 2005... As the Cleveland Advertising Association honors its members with its annual ADDY[R] Awards ceremony, Inside Business salutes the best of the best. The following pages contain the Gold Award winners from this year's ADDY competition. Just...

Welcome to Research ShowCASE 2005.
March 1, 2005... I'm pleased to invite you to Case Western Reserve University's third-annual Research ShowCASE, being held April 6 and 7, 2005, at our Veale Convocation Center. Now an expanded program covering two days, Research ShowCASE gives you a front-row...

The futurist: famed author Alvin Toffler will give the keynote address at Research ShowCASE.
March 1, 2005... Alvin Toffler has been influencing--and foreseeing--global society for decades. The futurist author's most famous works, Future Shock, The Third Wave, and War and Anti-War, have made him a household name. Now the Northeast Ohio...

Strategic alliance: the partnership that formed Cleveland NanoCrystals Inc. at last year's ShowCASE is proving to be a match made in heaven.
March 1, 2005... Donna Richardson and Clemens Burda, PhD., are experiencing the honeymoon stage of their business. The founders of Cleveland NanoCrystals Inc. are well on their way to making an impact on the $13 billion nanotechnology market. The pair...

Practical polymers: researchers at Case are working hard to create useful applications of their discoveries.
March 1, 2005... With an increased focus on technology transfer, today's research professors are equal parts salesmen, patent attorneys, and entrepreneurs. Nowhere is this more evident than in the labs of Case Western Reserve University, where professors...

The case for academic spinoffs: can the university entrepreneur save Northeast Ohio?
March 1, 2005... The transformation of an invention into a commercial product or service is estimated to take an average of $4 million in investments and as many as four years of additional development after the research leaves a university. "An idea that...

Schedule of events: the following will be held in the Veale Convocation Center at Case Western Reserve University.(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... * WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6 SYMPOSIA 3-6 p.m. Technology Transfer for Women in Science: Why You Should Care Woman pioneers in medicine and biotechnology will give their insights into commercialization. 2-6 p.m. Stem Cell Therapies:...

Event highlights: here's a sampling of panels, workshops, and other sessions you won't want to miss.(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... These events take place Thursday, April 7; times are listed with each event. PANELS ALZHEIMER'S AND OTHER NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES--UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY 8:30-9:30 A.M. * Panelists: Karl Herrup, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology...

Last-minute heroics: you've been planning the company event for three months, so don't let your guard down in the last three days.(Guide to: meetings & events)
March 1, 2005... As in life, the key to savvy event planning is--well, not waiting until the last minute. Ask Sandy Habecker. She's the manager for trade shows and events for Elyria-based wheelchair manufacturer Invacare Corp. In the remaining days before...

Resource directory.(Meetings & Events)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... COLORTONE STAGING & RENTALS (440) 914-9500 WWW.COLORTONE.COM Colortone Staging & Rentals is a full-service audiovisual and staging services company. CSR stages events ranging from corporate meetings and award banquets to trade...

Annual guide to: meeting & event sites.(Directory)
March 1, 2005... HOTELS Downtown Cleveland 102 University Circle 104 Cleveland East 104 Cleveland South 105 Cleveland Southeast 106 Cleveland Southwest 106 Cleveland West 108 Akron/Canton 108 Mahoning...

At home with: Bob Shearer: the president and CEO of Shearer's Foods Inc. may live off the beaten track, but he's no country bumpkin.(IB life)(Interview)
March 1, 2005... Bob Shearer has good taste. Whether it's wine, clothing, art, or snacks, the president and CEO of Brewster-based Shearers Foods Inc. enjoys the finer things life has to offer. He and his wife, Melissa, director of public relations for the...

Carnivorous delight: John Q's Steakhouse, Cleveland.(Let's do lunch: this month's local lunch scene pick)(Hotel Review)
March 1, 2005... ADDRESS: 55 Public Square LUNCH HOURS: 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mon.-Fri. CUISINE: Steak and seafood CREDIT CARDS: All major cards accepted RESERVATIONS: recommended CONTACT: (216) 861-0900; www.johnqssteakhouse.com When...

Exercise your options.(Driven)
March 1, 2005... Audi A6 The skittering violins in the "Winter" movement of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons always make me shiver. But on a brisk, midwinter Saturday the crisp, 13-speaker audio system in the 2005 Audi A6 made the music's chill theme all the...

Eureka! Ranch comes to Cleveland.(Working The Room)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Cincinnati-based consumer product gum Doug Hall made a visit to Cleveland in January for a coaching program sponsored by CAMP. Hall, whose Eureka! Ranch has served clients such as Johnson & Johnson, Frito Lay, and Nike, discussed marketing...

Community Impact Awards.(Working The Room)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Dominion East Ohio and Inside Business once again honored Ohio nonprofits with the Community Impact Awards in early February. Officials from Dominion and the 10 winning nonprofits gathered at the Club at Key in downtown Cleveland....

About the Bendix Cleveland Corporate Challenge 2005.
March 1, 2005... PURPOSE: The Bendix Cleveland Corporate Challenge is a team-building initiative promoting camaraderie, pride and fitness among employees. All activity levels are encouraged to participate. COMPANY SIZE: All companies will compete within...

Event schedule.(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO www.hermescleveland.com/corp_challenge KICKOFF PARTY Thursday, June 16 Let the Games begin! The 2005 Bendix Cleveland Corporate Challenge Opening Party presented by Labatt Blue will be from 6 p.m. to 8...

Game on: the Bendix Cleveland Corporate Challenge kicks off another year of after-hours athletics, friendly competition and company camaraderie.
March 1, 2005... It was long past closing time--nearly 3 a.m.--when Steffie Erikson wrapped up a heated billiards game. Cued up for a Cleveland Corporate Challenge win, Erikson didn't balk under pressure--in fact, she warmed up to the friendly competition...

The Jennifer Ferchill Foundation: to cope with loss, a family gives back to the community.
March 1, 2005... Melissa Ferchill Swingos was 13 when a rare brain cancer cut short the life of her 9-year-old sister, Jennifer. "She went through intense radiation therapy, and at one point we thought she would survive," Ferchill Swingos says. "Unfortunately,...

Hometown homerun: sponsors applaud the Bendix Cleveland Corporate Challenge's community-spirited mission.
March 1, 2005... John Lane never expected 2,300 sneaker-clad, sweaty, rain-soaked runners to stick around the Gateway Winking Lizard after-hours. But the Shot in the Dark 4-mile run and 2-mile walk drew a larger, hungrier, and thirstier crowd than he or Hermes...

Welcome to Colortone Staging & Rentals.(Welcome)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... For those who are unfamiliar with us, Colortone has a rich history of providing superior audio visual services dating back 50 years. We came to Cleveland more than 20 years ago as the in-house audio visual company to what is now the Renaissance...

All budgets, all the time.(Welcome)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Looking through the next few pages, it may seem that much of what CSR does is out of the average budget range. Think again. CSR understands that, although not everyone has a six-figure audio visual budget, everyone wants a creative,...

Say goodbye to the same old boring meeting.(Corporate Meetings)
March 1, 2005... Indoor fireworks, images floating in space, streaming media, numerous video screens constantly changing, five simultaneous translation booths and zero glitches--every year it's one of the most intense video shows staged by CSR, says Don O'Cain,...

Colortone makes special events more special.(Special Events)(Colortone Staging and Rentals)
March 1, 2005... How do you make an event honoring million-dollar donors look like a million bucks? You call Colortone and leave it to them. The Cleveland Clinic's Medallion Society is an exclusive group of donors. They recently held their inaugural event,...

Ernst & Young benefits from Colortone's scenic solutions.(Special Events)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Ernst & Young has tapped Colortone to stage its Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards for the past eight years. It sponsors the international award program to encourage and recognize successful entrepreneurs who may become future leaders of a Fortune...

Colortone's clients shine in the spotlight.(Awards Banquets)(Colortone Staging and Rentals)
March 1, 2005... The stakes are always high when hosting an awards dinner. Can you really afford any unpleasant surprises? The Weatherhead 100 honors the fastest-growing companies in Northeast Ohio that have sustained strong growth while continuing to make...

CSR's tips to clip: PowerPoint presentations.(Awards Banquets)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... With the ease and flexibility of PowerPoint (and other similar software), many presenters are creating their own slide shows and helping their companies contain costs. When undertaking the creation of a presentation, there are a few tips to...

Rental equipment for every AV need.(Equipment Rentals)(Audio Visual)(Colortone)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... One of the most critical components of staging a glitch-free event is reliable, state-of-the-art equipment. Colortone provides clients with peace of mind by supplying them with nearly all of its own audio visual equipment, rather than depending...

Trade show exhibitors show more AV.(Equipment Rentals)(Audiovisual)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Today, the pressure in the marketplace to control tradeshow marketing expenses while capturing the attention of attendees has never been greater. That's why exhibit company professionals come to Colortone for impactful productions and audio...