Inside Business articles from November 2003

Inside Business archives from November 2003

Home-field advantage.(Editor's Column)
November 1, 2003... A friend of mine recently went to her favorite coffee and bakery shop and found a sign on the door that said, among other things: Think before you dine. That's an interesting way to greet your customers, she thought. The sign...

Correction.(Letters)(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2003... A piece in the October issue on ATHENA Award finalist Mary Ann Hanson inaccurately described Hanson Services Inc. It should have been called an in-home assisted living service. The piece also should have said that Hanson donates to St....

Empowering employees.(Frontlines)(Ohio Employee Ownership Center provides business services)
November 1, 2003... The day before Memorial Day in 1997, the 30 some hourly employees of Brainard Rivet Co in Girard were told to pack their things and not come back. The small manufacturing plant owned by Textron was closing its doors for Good. But thanks...

The gift of giving.(By The Numbers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Northeast Ohio is a giving region. It ranks in the top 10 nationally for per-capita charitable giving and is home to more than 1,000 charitable foundations, according to the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Association of Fundraising...

Hot town.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... You're in between meetings and need to check your email. But where's the nearest cybercafe? No need to worry. Just plug into one of Cleveland's wireless Internet hotspots. As the region pays more attention to public wireless Internet...

Love thy neighbor.(Frontlines)
November 1, 2003... The Great Lakes State is on the prowl for highly skilled graduates--our graduates. With the help of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC), more than 150 Michigan businesses are recruiting out-of-state graduates, in particular...

Lakeshore drive: how should we use Cleveland's greatest natural resource as an economic resource?(Five Questions)
November 1, 2003... A city can't afford a clean environment without a strong economy and it can't have a strong economy without a clean environment. With talk of lakeshore development growing louder among the city's leadership, Cleveland faces this exact...

2003 ATHENA Awards.(Working The Room)(JoAnn Charleston and Norma J. Rist )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Northeast Ohio's business community celebrated excellence among the regions businesswomen in September at the 2003 ATHENA Award program at the Holiday Inn in Independence. Recipients were JoAnn Charleston of NASA Glenn Research Center and...

International Executive of the Year.(Working The Room)(Alex Machaskee)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The World Trade Center Cleveland highlighted its annual networking event by honoring Alex Machaskee, Plain Dealer president and publisher, as the 2003 Northeast Ohio International Executive of the Year in September. The evening event,...

Segway inventor Dean Kamen.(Working The Room)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... There was a definite buzz at LaCentre Conference and Banquet Facility in Westlake on Sept. 25. The day's featured speaker was Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway Human Transporter, Kamen spoke to a crowd of fellow inventors, scientists,...

Commercial Real Estate Deal Maker Forum.(Working The Room)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Northeast Ohio's commercial real estate community celebrated the fact that Greater Cleveland is the place to do business. The 2003 Commercial Real Estate Deal Maker Forum was held in September at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. ...

The Web.(Inside-Business.Com)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... See what Inside-business.com has to offer! Because business is a 24/7 proposition. Be There: www.inside-business.com/editorial/bethere_main_new.asp Features events from networking to business-development classes. Also, add your...

New at CSU.(Industry-Business.Com)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Steven Minter, the erstwhile bead of the Cleveland Foundation, and William Napier, the ex-vice chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, have joined the staff of Cleveland State University in president Michael Schwartz's office. Minters...

Email is dead: long live RSS.(E-Industry)
November 1, 2003... Quick. Name the first video MTV played when it launched in 1981. Even a casual Jeopardy! player knows it was Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. In many ways, videos did kill, or at least dramatically change, music. Talented...

Biz links.
November 1, 2003... Biz Links AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTION Colortone Staging & (440) 914-9500 www.colortone.com Rentals CONFERENCE CENTER NEOUCOM Conference (330) 325-6581 www.neoucom.edu Center CORPORATE EVENTS Cleveland...

Training doesn't work: but you can get through to a few people.(Customer Service)
November 1, 2003... Most people fight training or will come up with any excuse to get out of it. The funny thing is the best people in any profession look forward to training and welcome it. Ask anyone if they consider themselves professional or at the top...

Help is where you find it.(Director's Column)
November 1, 2003... There are some serious efforts going on in Northeast Ohio as well as other parts of the state to consolidate the help offered to entrepreneurs, both those looking to start a company and those looking to expand their businesses. If these...

Preparing to plan.(Tips From The Pros)(business plans)
November 1, 2003... So you've written a solid business plan. What now? A Well-written business plan is not necessarily a successful business plan. Writing it is only Step One--how it is implemented and how it guides the business is also an important...

Patent protection: take the necessary steps to shield your intellectual property.(Tools)
November 1, 2003... Gabriel Torok knows the value of a good idea, and the value of protecting it. "If you have a really cool idea and no patent... somebody else will steal it," he says. For Torok, president of PreEmptive Solutions Inc., protecting his...

Ohio Entrepreneur road map.
November 1, 2003... 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. ...

Small-business assistance in Mentor.(Roundup)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... MENTOR -- The city of Mentor and the Mentor Economic Assistance Corp. (MEACO) have joined forces and resources to create a new loan fund for small businesses. Eligible businesses include manufacturing, commercial and retail companies with...

Chamber networking.(Roundup)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... SOLON -- The Beachwood, Solon and Twinsburg chambers of commerce will join for a networking event 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at Signature of Solon country club in Solon. Tom Sudow, executive director of the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce, says last...

Achieving olympic results.(Roundup)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... CLEVELAND -- Two-time Olympic wrestler Matt Ghaffari will be the featured speaker at the Council of Smaller Enterprises' monthly Business Unusual networking event. He will speak on how businesses can achieve a competitive advantage. Ghaffari...

Shining example: Antares Management Solutions leads clients through the IT darkness.
November 1, 2003... While this year's blackout left 50 million people without power, CareWorks, Ohio's largest workers' compensation managed care organization, remained up and running, knowing its data and case management systems were insulated from the...

2003 Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... With great pleasure, Inside Business inducts tour outstanding business enthusiasts into the Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame--individuals whose devotion to their respective businesses and communities are examples for others throughout the...

Inter-Continental Hotel & Conference Center Cleveland.(Special advertising feature)(Advertisement)
November 1, 2003... As the need for high-tech conference facilities increases in today s business world, a new hotel has emerged as the leader of the pack: the InterContinental Hotel & Conference Center Cleveland, located on The Cleveland Clinic Foundation...

Made in America: Monte Ahuja achieved global success with hard work and a smart vision.(2003 Northeast Ohio Business Hall Of Fame)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2003... Monte Ahuja is the American Dream. All the romantic notions of what this means are found in Ahuja's life stow. In a nutshell: A young immigrant from a traditional Indian family enriches his mind at American universities, seeks opportunity,...

Choice leader: he's saved steel mills and developed buildings. Now, David Brennan dons his trademark white hat to save the world of education.(2003 Northeast Ohio Business Hall Of Fame)(White Hat Management)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2003... It's difficult to miss the big white hat. An unchanging piece of Akron businessman David Brennan's wardrobe, the distinctive snow-white Stetson is actually a nod to events that took place almost two decades ago. Brennan was in an Alabama...

Power meets piety: Clarence Smith gains power from his businesses and strength from his faith.(2003 Northeast Ohio Business Hall Of Fame)(Diamond Steel Construction Co.)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2003... Clarence Smith doesn't fit the stereotype of an industry titan or a civic leader. He talks in homespun homilies ("You have to soar like an eagle or you'll be left on the ground pecking like a chicken"), is the kind of guy who regularly...

The winner: Al Lerner won in the banking arena won back the browns, and won the hearts of everyone who knew him.(Posthumous inductee: Al Lerner)(Obituary)
November 1, 2003... If football is playing in heaven, then Al Lerner is watching the Browns from a celestial loge. Sitting in a comfy chair, he's leaning back, puffing on a Cuban Montecristo No. 2, thinking about game strategy. "Carmen, Butch, boys," he's...

2002 Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame Inductees.
November 1, 2003... Dr. Floyd Loop THE CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION Dr. Floyd Loop combines cutting-edge medicine and savvy business skills to bring The Cleveland Clinic to its current position of world-renowned prestige. Inspired by his physician father...

2003 Volunteer of the Year Awards.(2003 Northeast Ohio Business Hall Of Fame)(Business Volunteers Unlimited)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The best portion of a person's life are little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love, wrote British poet William Wordsworth. Those words sum up the noble qualities sought when choosing this year's Volunteers of the Year, a...

The virtues of volunteering: community work improve a resume, but there's more than that to doing good.(2003 Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame)(BrownFlynn Communications)
November 1, 2003... Paul O'Connor has more to give. By day, O'Connor is a Senior vice president for banking services in the McDonald Financial Group of KeyBank Every night, he's a dad with his family in Chagrin Falls. But for O'Connor it isn't enough,...

Valuable asset: Jennifer Coleman's architectural expertise allowed the Cleveland Botanical Garden's new glasshouse to grow.(2003 Volunteer Of The Year Awards)
November 1, 2003... Jennifer Coleman has never had a green thumb. Miraculously, she's had the same banana plant for more than 15 years. "It looks horrible," she says, "but I keep it for sentimental purposes." Coleman inherited--actually saved--the plant from a...

Marathon man: Peter Nagusky has the strength and stamina to create and oversee fund-raising projects.(2003 Volunteer Of The Year Awards)
November 1, 2003... For Peter Nagusky, volunteering is like running a marathon "It's not a sprint in the sense that you have to pace yourself," says the avid runner. "There's a lot of preparation." And Nagusky, a 2003 Volunteer of the Year Award winner,...

We pay tribute.(2003 Northeast Ohio Business Hall Of Fame)
November 1, 2003... PAST INDUCTEES These Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame members--Inducted from 1996 to 2002--continue to reign as the region's most influential business professionals. Read their stories at www.inside-business.com. Richard T....

Renaissance men: fancying themselves the da Vincis of the executive-placement world, two Akron businessmen seek to break all the rules of their profession.(Regional Focus: Akron)
November 1, 2003... Investing in Pets.com. Hiring former WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers as your savings and loan officer. Firing your biggest client during the worst economic downturn in 25 years. At first glance, these ideas seem about as good as a regular diet...

The office of the future: you won't be flying your car to work, but your office equipment will be out of this world.(Office Equipment)
November 1, 2003... Jeff Goldstein has achieved office nirvana. As an imaging and printing solutions architect at Cleveland-based MCPc, he's always on the no, meeting with potential clients, installing software and generally assisting customers. Like many...

Joseph Sylvester Construction Co. Inc.(Office Product Profile)
November 1, 2003... (330) 758-4277 www.josephsylvesterconst.com Movable walls provide the best alternative and the best value. Trendwall outperforms conventional drywall construction. It's engineered to meet your specifications, to help you quickly...

A guide to gifted gift-giving.(Gift Guide)(Buyers Guide)
November 1, 2003... The holiday season is quickly approaching and the only thing as inevitable as chilly Cleveland weather is the question of corporate gift giving--what to buy and who to buy it for. The easy part is narrowing down the list. A savvy...

Analyze this: your company's Web site is a treasure-trove of customer information.(E-commerce)
November 1, 2003... Michael Crowdes, Internet program manager for Royal Appliance Manufacturing Co. in Glen Willow, recently uncovered some interesting information while sorting through usage data pulled from the vacuum cleaner manufacturer's Web site. "We have...

CrossCurrent Solutions.(Berlin Fruit Box Co. launches website)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... * (216) 241-8185 www.crosscurrentsolutions.com Web site pictured: www.samuelpattersonbaskets.com The Berlin Fruit Box Co. hunched its Web site to introduce a exclusive collection of hardwood maple baskets named in honor of company...

I-TRAP Internet Security Service.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... (888) 858-8727 www.i-trap.net I-TRAP is a support service for network administrators who have the responsibility of maintaining security on Internet-connected networks. I-TRAP is designed to monitor network traffic for any number of...

Aztek.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... (440)614-5500 www.aztekworks.com Web site pictured: www.virginiamarticollege.com Virginia Marti College turned to Aztek in need of a marketing-driven Web site that would attract and inform new students. Aztek created a dynamic site...

DigitalDay Creative Group.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... * (330) 908-3454 www.digitaldaycreative.com DigitalDay Creative Group is a company of passionate, inventive professionals committed to crafting exceptional online experiences that enhance, elevate and endear our clients' brands to their...

The Karcher Group Inc.
November 1, 2003... * (330) 493-6141 www.thekarchergroup.com Web site pictured: www.ceilink.com Communications Exhibits Inc., developer of cutting-edge trade show programs, needed a Web site that could improve communication. New technology allows CEI to...

October-Design.
November 1, 2003... * (216)623-0995 www.october-design.com October-Design developed an online proofing system, ClientNet, that allows our clients to view their projects in progress. ClientNet results in shorter project cycles and better information...

Bio Bulldog.(One 2 Watch)
November 1, 2003... FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? "Saturday. Friday I'm too exhausted to really enjoy. By Saturday I'm recovered from the week and usually I have nothing scheduled but fun events. Sunday is dreadful. Because you enjoy most of it and then you start...