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CU P WATCH KEVIN KLEPS | kkleps@crain.com
Mark Owens is an organizer. The director of marketing for Skylight Financial Group in Cleveland was in charge of the 2013 Gaelic Games, a combination of Irish football, hurling (a stickball game) and camogie (similar to hurling, but played by women). The event brought more than 100 teams and 2,000 athletes to the area, and had an estimated economic impact of $1.4 million. But when it comes to Owens’ first love, soccer, the native of Derry City, Ireland, is happy to let others do the organizing. The World Cup, which begins Thursday, June 12, and culminates with the final on July 13, is Owens’ version of the Super Bowl. “There are some who will say my passion is soccer before anything else,” said Owens, who played the sport at John Carroll University in the late 1990s and still participates in a Sunday men’s league. His enthusiasm is shared by many in Northeast Ohio, which is getting geared up for the 64-match, 32-day event by planning watch parties, fundraisers and even a gathering of a group known as “outlaws.”
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Cosgrove: Who could be tapped to fill his shoes? Replacing Clinic CEO no easy task By TIMOTHY MAGAW tmagaw@crain.com
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ith talk of Dr. Toby Cosgrove considering leaving the Cleveland Clinic to take over the scandal-ridden Department of Veterans Affairs, the focus in Northeast Ohio turns to who could replace the prolific heart surgeon as the Clinic’s chief executive. Even if the 73-year-old Cosgrove doesn’t take on the VA assignment, some health care insiders suggest his retirement could come sooner rather than later. His decade-long tenure is longer than the typical health system CEO, and he already has cemented his legacy as having elevated the Clinic to the international stage. Also, earlier this year, Cosgrove released a book, “The Cleveland Clinic Way,” that argues why the Clinic’s way of doing business should be the model for the nation. A swan song, perhaps? The position arguably is the most powerful executive role in Cleveland, and — as was the case when Cosgrove’s predecessor, Dr. Floyd “Fred” Loop, announced his retirement in 2004 — several current Clinic docs could be jockeying for the position. Some insiders suggest a handful of docs even are being See COSGROVE Page 22
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