Crain's Cleveland Business

20150713-NEWS--29-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

2:29 PM

Page 1

$2.00/JULY 13 - 19, 2015

ADVERTISEMENT

12 rock stars

NEWSPAPER

of the business world. Live in cleveland. september 30.

Details and ticket info on the next page.

But hurry, space is limited.

FuelLeadership.com

20150713-NEWS--30-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

8:44 AM

Page 1

Seth Godin best-selling author, entrepreneur

Mike Abrashoff retired U.S. Navy Commander, best-selling author

David Stern former commissioner of the NBA

Jackie Joyner-Kersee Olympic gold medalist, philanthropist

Alexandra Wilkis Wilson co-founder, Gilt Groupe; CEO of Glamsquad

Guy Kawasaki former chief evangelist, Apple; author; entrepreneur

Fuel: cleveland WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 | PLAYHOUSE SQUARE | RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW

Give your company and career some jet Fuel.

Prepare to be energized, entertained and fueled up with one great business idea after another. David Stern, Seth Godin, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Guy Kawasaki, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson and other rock star business leaders will tell their stories and share invaluable secrets and strategies. Between presentations, you’ll rub elbows with many of Cleveland’s business and community leaders. The intersection of inspirational and practical, September 30 will be one of your most powerful days this year. Register today to start your engines.

FuelLeadership.com

SM

20150713-NEWS--1-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/10/2015

2:28 PM

Page 1

$2.00/JULY 13 - 19, 2015

Lake Health values independence as it preps $222 million in upgrades over the next five years — P. 3 ‘Shark Tank’-style competition boosts the fortunes of businesses in Cleveland neighborhoods — P. 5

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Banks stepping up marketing game Partnerships with Cavaliers, Indians are paying big dividends

By KEVIN KLEPS kkleps@crain.com

If you’ve been to a Cleveland Indians game at Progressive Field, you’ve probably seen the KeyBank sign on the left side of the scoreboard. The Key logo that stretches across four light tower poles along the first-base line is even more difficult to miss.

But KeyCorp is banking on other ways to drive awareness, and traffic to its branches, via expanded digi-

tal and social media offerings that are crucial parts of its partnerships with two of the big three professional sports teams in Cleveland.

Akron-based FirstMerit Bank, the second-largest commercial bank with headquarters in Northeast Ohio, has partnered with the Cavaliers for the last 24 years. FirstMerit also had a lengthy relationship with the Indians until 2015, when KeyBank became the official bank of the Tribe.

“Sports marketing sponsorships

are a large part of our brand,” said Julie Tutkovics, an executive vice president and chief marketing officer at FirstMerit. “We love to be able to support markets that align our brand with the sports team.”

That’s a common strategy among commercial and retail banks.

When IEG, a sponsorship consulting and research firm that is part of ESP Properties’ global umbrella, studied retail bank sponsorships last July, it found that 38% of the deals were in the sports indus-

try. But that rate paled in comparison with the amount of money retail banks spent on sports sponsorships.

Sports accounts for 70% of all U.S. sponsorship spending by retail banks, IEG’s 2014 report stated.

William Chipps, a senior editor for IEG’s sponsorship report, said he didn’t have specific spending amounts for banks such as Key and FirstMerit, but he believes “it’s fair to say banks continue to increase spending on sponsorships.”

Tom Wennerberg, KeyBank’s executive vice president of marketing, said Key’s “official bank” designa-

tion with the Indians resulted in an increase in spending on the Tribe, but there hasn’t been a “dramatic” change in Key’s overall sponsorship expenses.

Instead, the bank is trying to up its game through digital and social promotions with the Cavs and Indians.

Social success Last December, KeyBank had a weeklong offseason greetings promotion with the Indians in which the bank gave away prizes every day See BANKS, page 28

Vendors see chance as employers rush to complete ACA compliance

By JEREMY NOBILE jnobile@crain.com

Entire contents © 2015 by Crain Communications Inc. Vol. 36, No. 28

The Affordable Care Act has employers scrambling to implement procedures to collect and organize the myriad data tied to health plans that the Internal Revenue Service expects to see starting next year.

Many are behind for various reasons. But for firms like Akron’s Apple Growth Partners, employers’ seem-

ingly daunting task of complying with those requirements also means new business opportunities that could attract and retain customers.

The new reporting process now involves calculating every full-time employee’s monthly expense for an employer’s health plan for the first time. The first reports are due in January.

Apple Growth unveiled its own

reporting tool this summer called “my aca partner,” a software-based service designed to help employers collect information, test for compliance and even mail forms out to employees as it relates to health care reform.

Led by Susan Burnoski, Apple Growth’s director of assurance, my aca partner opens up a slew of new business. Burnoski said the firm alSee COMPLIANCE, page 27

20150713-NEWS--2-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/10/2015

11:05 AM

Page 1

Small Business Matters i Want more information and resources on this week's topics, ideas and events? Go to www.cose.org/smallbizmatters.

PRESENTED BY

52 TIPS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

#28 – Make Your Culture the Key to Employee Engagement -VY `LHYZ JVTWHUPLZ HYV\UK [OL ^VYSK OH]L MVJ\ZLK VU TLHZ\YPUN V]LYHSS LTWSV`LL satisfaction. How happy are our employees? +V [OL` LUQV` JVTPUN [V ^VYR LHJO KH`& )L JH\ZL P[»Z ILLU ZHPK OHWW` LTWSV`LLZ THRL MVY H NYLH[ ^VYRWSHJL 3VNPJHS YPNO[& But satisfaction is only part of the story.

What many have come to realize over the past several years is that employee engagement – H YLJPWL VM ZH[PZMHJ[PVU JVTIPULK ^P[O OV^ JVTTP[[LK HUK PU]VS]LK `V\Y LTWSV`LLZ HYL [V HUK ^P[O `V\Y VYNHUPaH[PVU ¶ PZ H T\JO more meaningful measure for employers.

Strong employee engagement ties more closely to two outcomes that are critical to the Z\JJLZZ VM HU` VYNHUPaH[PVU! WYVK\J[P]P[` HUK employee retention. :V OV^ KV `V\ KYP]L Z[YVUN LTWSV`LL LUNHNLTLU[ ^P[OPU `V\Y VYNHUPaH[PVU& :PT WS` W\[ P[»Z HSS HIV\[ `V\Y JVTWHU` J\S[\YL Culture can make or break a company; it is a SVUN [LYT Z[YH[LN` ;VKH`»Z ^VYRLYZ PUJYLHZPUNS` [OVZL VM [OL 4PSSLUUPHS NLULYH[PVU HNLZ [OYP]L PU HU LU]PYVUTLU[ ^OLYL [OL` JHU HKK ]HS\L MLLS YLZWLJ[LK PUÅ \LUJL ^VYR V\[JVTLZ IL OLSK HJJV\U[HISL HUK OH]L HU VWWVY[\UP[` [V grow their careers. They look for a company [OH[ JVTTP[Z [V [OLPY V]LYHSS ^LSSULZZ YLJVN UPaLZ H QVI ^LSS KVUL OHZ H JVTTP[TLU[ [V [OL JVTT\UP[` HUK RUV^Z OV^ [V OH]L M\U

Geo Money, Manager of Branding & Culture, OEC (U LTWSV`LL JHU WLYOHWZ IL ZH[PZÄ LK PU HU LU]PYVUTLU[ SHJRPUN PU [OLZL HYLHZ I\[ [OL` SPRLS` ^VU»[ IL LUNHNLK :V ^OH[ HYL ZVTL ^H`Z [V KL]LSVW `V\Y J\S[\YL HUK U\Y[\YL LTWSV`LL LUNHNLTLU[& Communicate ¶ ;HRL [OL [PTL [V KLÄ UL HUK L_WSHPU [OL JVTWHU`»Z ]PZPVU HUK [OL YVSL LTWSV`LLZ WSH` PU HJOPL]PUN [OPZ ]PZPVU *VT T\UPJH[L ^P[O JHUKVY HUK LUJV\YHNL `V\Y LTWSV`LLZ [V KV [OL ZHTL 3L[ `V\Y LTWSV` ees know what it takes to get to the next level.

Celebrate and Have Fun ¶ >VYR HUK M\U KVU»[ ULLK [V IL T\[\HSS` L_JS\ZP]L *LS

ebrate business accomplishments. Celebrate [OL *(=: *LSLIYH[L `V\Y J\Z[VTLYZ *LSL IYH[L *PUJV KL 4H`V *LSLIYH[L ;OYV^ )HJR ;O\YZKH` L]LU[Z )\[ JLSLIYH[L Challenge and Recognize High Performers ¶ .P]L `V\Y Z[YVUN WLYMVYTLYZ HU VW WVY[\UP[` [V JVU[YPI\[L PU HUV[OLY HYLH ^OPSL H[ [OL ZHTL [PTL NYV^PUN [OLPY JHYLLYZ 9LJ VNUPaL HUK YL^HYK [OLT MVY H QVI ^LSS KVUL Collaborate ¶ ,TWSV`LLZ OH]L PKLHZ VU PTWVY[HU[ HZWLJ[Z VM `V\Y I\ZPULZZ SPRL J\Z [VTLY ZH[PZMHJ[PVU L JPLUJPLZ PUUV]H[PVU HUK WVZZPISL WP[MHSSZ ;OL` ^PSS IL TVYL LU NHNLK PM [OL` HYL OLHYK HUK PU]VS]LK PU KYP]PUN [OL I\ZPULZZ MVY^HYK .LU ? HUK 4PSSLUUPHS ^VYRLYZ JVTWYPZL TVYL [OHU [^V [OPYKZ VM [VKH`»Z ^VYRMVYJL 4PSSLUUPHSZ I` [OLTZLS]LZ ^PSS JVTWYPZL WLYJLU[ VM [OL ^VYRMVYJL I` ;OPZ NLULY H[PVU ]HS\LZ H JVSSHIVYH[P]L ^VYR J\S[\YL M\U HUK Å L_PIPSP[` HUK H JVTWHU` ^P[O H ZVJPHS JVUZJPLUJL +L]LSVWPUN HU LUNHNLK ^VYR MVYJL ^PSS UV[ VUS` KYP]L WYVK\J[P]P[` HUK LT ployee retention but will also better position your company for the workforce of tomorrow.

This week’s Tip was contributed by Geo Money, Manager of Branding & Culture at OEC, an award-winning technology leader and innovator of original equipment replacement WHY[Z ZVS\[PVUZ OLHKX\HY[LYLK PU 9PJOÄ LSK

July 13

By The Numbers What is the largest burden posed to you by the federal tax code?

59% 42% Administrative burden

Financial burden

SOURCE: NSBA 2015 SMALL BUSINESS TAX SURVEY

Connection Calendar TECH GROWTH: BUILDING SALES WITH YOUR CURRENT CUSTOMERS

RAISE YOUR VOICE

Budget Bill Offers Tax Relief for Small Businesses 6U 1\UL 6OPV .V]LYUVY 1VOU 2HZPJO HSVUN ^P[O /V\ZL :WLHRLY *SP 9VZLUILYNLY HUK :LUH[L 7YLZPKLU[ 2LP[O -HILY HUK [OL .LULYHS (ZZLTIS` JSLHYLK H Z[H[L IPLUUP\T I\KNL[ IPSS [OH[ PUJS\KLZ [H_ YLSPLM MVY ZTHSS I\ZPULZZ V^ULYZ ;OL Ä UHS ]LYZPVU VM [OL [H_ WHJRHNL NYHU[Z H WLYJLU[ [H_ KLK\J[PVU MVY [OL Ä YZ[ PU ZTHSS I\ZPULZZ PU JVTL MVY HUK H WLYJLU[ KLK\J[PVU ILNPUUPUN PU ;OL WSHU HSZV JHSSZ MVY H Å H[ WLYJLU[ [H_ YH[L VU I\ZPULZZ PUJVTL HIV]L ¸>L OH]L OLHYK MYVT THU` ZTHSS I\ZP ness owners about the value of the current WLYJLU[ [H_ KLK\J[PVU HZ H YLZV\YJL ¹ ZHPK *6:, 7YLZPKLU[ HUK ,_LJ\[P]L +PYLJ[VY :[L]L 4PSSHYK ¸(U PUJYLHZL [V [OH[ [H_ KL

K\J[PVU ZLUKZ H Z[YVUN ZPNUHS [OH[ V\Y LSLJ[ LK V JPHSZ ]PL^ ZTHSS I\ZPULZZ HZ H WYPVYP[` ;OLZL KLK\J[PVUZ JHU JYLH[L HU VWWVY[\UP[` MVY HKKP[PVUHS I\ZPULZZ PU]LZ[TLU[ [OH[ JHU THRL H KP LYLUJL MVY H ZTHSS I\ZPULZZ V^U LY ¹ (SZV [OL Z[H[L I\KNL[ ^PSS! ₔ WYV]PKL MVY H WLYJLU[ HJYVZZ [OL IVHYK PUJVTL [H_ J\[ ILNPUUPUN PU " ₔ SV^LY [OL [VW YH[L [V ILSV^ WLYJLU[ HUK WV[LU[PHSS` WYV]PKL TVYL [OHU IPSSPVU PU [H_ YLSPLM [V 6OPVHUZ K\YPUN [OL UL_[ two years; ₔ PUJYLHZL [OL Z[H[L JPNHYL[[L L_JPZL [H_ MYVT VU H WHJR VM JPNHYL[[LZ [V [V OLSW WH` MVY [H_ YLSPLM" HUK ₔ [H_ JOHUNLZ PU [OL I\KNL[ ^PSS IL W\[ PU WSHJL ^P[OV\[ YHPZPUN VY L_WHUKPUN [OL

sales tax base or increasing the sales tax VY JVTTLYJPHS HJ[P]P[` [H_ *(; YH[L ¸;OL [H_ YLSPLM PUJS\KLK PU [OPZ I\KNL[ PZ consistent with our views VU WYV]PKPUN WYLKPJ[HISL support for small business that encourages economic Å L_PIPSP[` Z[HIPSP[` HUK NYV^[O ¹ HKKLK 4PSSHYK ¸*6:, OHZ HUK ^PSS continue to support ZV\UK [H_ WVSPJPLZ that allow business V^ULYZ [V YL PU]LZ[ IHJR PU[V [OLPY JVT WHUPLZ ^VYRMVYJL HUK JVTT\UP[PLZ ¹

.YV^PUN ZHSLZ ^P[O `V\Y Ä YT»Z L_PZ[PUN J\Z[VTLYZ [HRLZ H JVVYKPUH[LK JVUZPZ[LU[ HUK JVUZJPV\Z L VY[ ;OPZ LUSPNO[LUPUN ZLZZPVU MLH[\YLZ SLHKLYZ VM [LJO JVTWHUPLZ ^OV OH]L JYHJRLK [OL JVKL [V \USVJR revenue from current customers.

JULY 16 7:30 – 10 AM 0UKPHUH >LZSL`HU :L]LU /PSSZ *VZ[! 6/;LJ HUK *6:, 4LTILYZ 5VU 4LTILYZ Register at www.cose.org/events.

COSE WEBED SERIES: HOW TO JUMPSTART SALES IN 90 DAYS ,]LY` I\ZPULZZ PZ H ZHSLZ VYNHUPaH[PVU ^OL[OLY P[»Z H VUL WLYZVU JVUZ\S[HUJ` VY H THU\MHJ[\YPUN plant. Sales guru Marvin Montgomery will share HJ[PVUHISL Z[LWZ [V YL]P[HSPaL ZHSLZ HUK OLSW `V\ JVUULJ[ `V\Y H\KPLUJL [V [OL ]HS\L VM `V\Y V LYPUN

JULY 28 11 AM – NOON Cost: Free Register at www.cose.org/events.

OWNER RESOURCES

TIP

Accessing Capital: ECDI (JJLZZ [V JHWP[HS JHU IL WYVISLTH[PJ UV[ VUS` MVY HZWPYPUN Z[HY[ \WZ I\[ HSZV MVY LZ[HI SPZOLK I\ZPULZZLZ SVVRPUN [V \WNYHKL VY L_WHUK 6OPV ZTHSS I\ZPULZZ V^ULYZ HYL MVY[\UH[L [V OH]L HJJLZZ [V HU PUJYLKPISL YLZV\YJL PU [OL ,JVUVTPJ HUK *VTT\UP[` +L]LSVWTLU[ 0UZ[P[\[L ,*+0 H ZTHSS I\ZPULZZ LK\JH[VY HUK Z[H[L^PKL :)( SLUKLY [OH[ L_WHUKLK P[Z ZLY]PJLZ [V *SL]LSHUK PU >P[O SVHUZ YHUNPUN MYVT \W [V ,*+0 PZ H [VW YHURLK TPJYV SLUKLY ^OVZL TPZZPVU PZ [V PU]LZ[ PU WLVWSL HUK I\ZPULZZLZ >OL[OLY `V\ HYL PU ULLK VM UL^ VY \WNYHKLK LX\PWTLU[ VWLYH[PUN JVZ[Z VY ZVTL IHJRPUN [V NL[ `V\Y LU[YLWYLUL\YPHS KYLHT V [OL NYV\UK ,*+0 TH` IL [OL HUZ^LY i For more information about ECDI, their educational classes or a loan application, go to ^^^ LJKP VYN

ECDI is holding a Business Information Session in Cleveland at noon on Monday, July 20 to inform prospective ECDI clients about programs to develop, fund, and

SMALL BUSINESS BOOT CAMP: STAFFING, TALENT AND CULTURE COSE’s next Boot Camp for small business owners ^PSS MVJ\Z VU OV^ [V IL[[LY THUHNL Z[H UN [HSLU[ HUK J\S[\YL PU `V\Y I\ZPULZZ >HSR H^H` HYTLK ^P[O [VVSZ Z[YH[LNPLZ HUK PKLHZ [OH[ `V\ JHU PTTLKPH[LS` W\[ PU[V action. Steve Ellis of Tucker Ellis will share his insights VU ^O` LTWSV`LLZ HYL H JVTWHU`»Z NYLH[LZ[ HZZL[ HUK why having the right talent is so critical to your success. ;OLU ^L ^PSS ZWSP[ PU[V ZTHSSLY L_WLY[ Y\U NYV\WZ [V OLSW `V\ KPN PU[V `V\Y ZWLJPÄ J I\ZPULZZ VWWVY[\UP[PLZ

launch a business. Loan program

AUGUST 20

requirements and procedures will

11:30 AM – 1:30 PM ;\JRLY ,SSPZ *SL]LSHUK

also be discussed. Register at www.ecdi.org/events.

CONTENT PROVIDED AND PAID FOR BY THE COUNCIL OF SMALLER ENTERPRISES

*VZ[! *6:, 4LTILYZ 5VU 4LTILYZ Register at www.cose.org/events.

Check out www.cose.org/events for all the latest happenings.

20150713-NEWS--3-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/10/2015

11:26 AM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

3

Lake Health is upping ante on system Provider will spend $222 million on upgrades the next five years, is committed to its East Side homes

By TIMOTHY MAGAW tmagaw@crain.com

The financial hardships facing independent hospital systems are well documented, especially locally where they’ve spawned a series of acquisitions. But it appears Lake Health — a two-hospital system in Cleveland’s eastern suburbs — is bucking that trend.

And while the Lake County health system barely broke even in 2013, its operations rebounded nicely the following year, and hospital officials said that momentum is carrying on through the first half of 2015. And now that it’s on solid financial footing, Lake Health plans to pump $222 million back into its system over the next five years and isn’t in any rush to be acquired by a larger system.

“We aren’t talking about independence for independence’s sake,” Lake Health president and CEO Cynthia Moore-Hardy said.

“We believe at this time that inde-

pendence is beneficial to the community, so we’ll continue along that line.”

The health system, for one, plans to spend $138 million on various facility and strategy initiatives, $44 million on information technology upgrades and $40 million on what hospital officials described as routine replacements. The most notable project is $50 million in renovations at Lake Health’s West Medical Center in Willoughby — a facility built in the 1960s that remains somewhat outdated despite a handful of renovations over the years.

They aren’t flashy upgrades, but they are representative of a hospital system willing to invest and ultimately compete.

“We invest in this community, and we receive feedback to what’s needed,” Moore-Hardy said. “We try to provide the necessary services. It’s really not a challenge, but it’s how we choose to operate. This really has sustained us. The envi-

care observers have said it’s simply a matter of when — not if — Lake Health follows suit.

It appeared the pressures of remaining independent were catching up with Lake Health in 2013 when it scraped by with a mere 0.3% operating margin, which was due to a steep 9% decline in inpatient admissions.

ronmental dynamics change, but as long as we stay focused on our mission, we believe we will prevail.”

The right environment The major credit rating agencies all boast negative outlooks for the not-for-profit hospital sector in 2015. That outlook is even more challenging for independent hospitals, which in recent years have found it difficult to access capital for needed upgrades and to transform the way they deliver care to focus on population health.

Those challenges led Northeast Ohio hospitals such as EMH Healthcare, Parma Community General, Robinson Memorial, Akron General and Summa Health to strike deals with larger health systems over the last three years.

And given that almost all of the region’s hospitals are now owned or affiliated by University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic, local health

“The environmental dynamics change, but as long as we stay focused on our mission, we believe we will prevail.”

– Cynthia Moore-Hardy Lake Health president and CEO However, in 2014, the health system managed to turn a comfortable 3.1% margin, beating a budgeted 2% gain. Within the last month, both Moody’s Investor Services and Fitch Ratings have affirmed stable outlooks for the health system — a

positive development considering Moody’s threatened in early 2014 to shift the outlook to negative if it didn’t finish the year with stronger numbers. Last month, Fitch said the health system was “well positioned for future stable profitability.”

That strong growth, MooreHardy said, was due to Lake Health’s growing primary care network and the expansion of service lines, including the additions of bariatric surgery and electrophysiology. The health system hasn’t slowed its inpatient admissions decline, but part of that is by design as the health system has focused on delivering care in more appropriate — and less costly — settings.

A key ingredient to Lake Health’s ability to remain independent is its leading market share in Lake County, which also boasts a favorable economic profile with higher incomes and lower unemployment compared with Cuyahoga County.

See LAKE HEALTH, page 7

IT’S OK TO JUDGE A BEER BY THE LABEL Brew Kettle’s partnership with Cavs is example of how crucial marketing can be in competitive industry

By KATHY AMES CARR clbfreelancer@crain.com

The plan hatched between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Strongsvillebased Brew Kettle called for a limited release of an All For One beer — embellished with the Cavs’ logo — that would be featured exclusively at Heinen’s stores and Quicken Loans Arena during the later part of this past season and playoff games.

It was the first time the Cavs entered into a partnership with a local brewer to produce a team-sponsored beer. The Cavs tweeted the session IPA’s late-March release to their 857,000 Twitter fol-

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

lowers. The release was heralded in local and national media outlets, and sold out as expected during the NBA Finals.

Brew Kettle brewpub and its other beer sales increased across the board.

The craft beer outfit is planning another limited release of All For One at the onset of the Cavs’ 2015-16 season, so Brew Kettle owner Chris Russo expects another bounce in sales and product demand.

“The brand exposure was phenomenal,” Russo said.

Labels, marketing and branding have powerful ramifications in an increasingly competitive craft beer marketplace. As more brands infiltrate grocery shelves and bar tap handles, startup and established brewers alike are finding success in connecting with consumers through beer that highlights local ties and other positive community associations. Slick aesthetics, however, are no substitution for quality, brewers say.

“We started making the beer before the final contract with the Cavs was issued,” Russo said. “The Cavs had faith that we would produce a quality product that could easily stand alone without their name and logo attached to it.”

Platform Beer Co.’s New Cleveland Palesner garnered similar fanfare after it was released to the local marketplace on New Year’s Eve of 2014. A collaboration with Cleveland Clothing Co., which designed the cans, the trademarked product shot to one-third of Platform’s overall sales, co-owner Paul Benner said.

“Our goal was to represent this resurgence in Cleveland and the See LABEL, page 11

20150713-NEWS--4-NAT-CCI-CL_--

4

7/10/2015

11:26 AM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

Maker network aims to build culture of builders

INVESTMENT SALE 10%+ Cap Rate

818 MULBERRY ROAD CANTON, OHIO

By CHUCK SODER csoder@crain.com

6) LQGXVWULDO EXLOGLQJ GRFNV GULYH LQ GRRUV &HLOLQJ KHLJKW YDULHV XS WR Âś )XOO\ VSULQNOHUHG RFFXSDQF\

Visit

TerryCoyne.com Or call Terry at

216.453.3001

1350 Euclid Ave., Suite 300 Cleveland, Ohio 44115

PROUD CLE VEL AND EMPLOYER

trimarkusa.com/ohiocareers -\UKYHPZLY [V )LULÄ [ Cleveland Clinic Children’s August 11th - Indians vs. Yankees Progressive Field Terrace Club Fundraiser starts at 6:10 PM Bring your Family, Friends & Business Associates out to the Ball Game to support a Great Cause!

Proceeds from this Event will go to Cleveland Clinic Children’s to support “Child Life Servicesâ€? and [OL [VVSZ [OL Z[HMM \ZL [V LK\JH[L JHST HUK KPZ[YHJ[ `V\UN WH[PLU[Z K\YPUN KPMĂ„ J\S[ TLKPJHS WYVJLK\YLZ • • • • • • • •

Terrace Club access throughout the Game Choice of Terrace Club Seating and/or Lower Box Seats to view the Game Buffet starts at 6:10 PM, lasting approximately 2 hours or until the end of the 3rd inning Snacks & Beverages through 7th inning Cash Bar Available Networking, Socializing & Entertainment throughout the evening Special Guest Appearance - “Slider�

Silent Auction & 50/50 Rafe to beneďŹ t Cleveland Clinic Children’s

• EVENT, GAME, SEATING, FOOD AND HELPING THE CAUSE - $85 Your Support is Sincerely Appreciated!

Contact Jamison Williams to order tickets at: jwilliams@indians.com

Sponsored by:

HUNTER REALTY

For Corporate, Business or Personal Sponsorships call: Dennis Braford: 440-669-4733 or Ed Dolinsky: 216-469-8754 at Coldwell Banker Hunter Realty Volume 36, Number 28 Crain’s Cleveland Business (ISSN 0197-2375) is published weekly at 700 West St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113-1230. Copyright Š 2015 by Crain Communications Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices. Price per copy: $2.00. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Crain’s Cleveland Business, Circulation Department, 1155 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48207-2912. 1-877-824-9373. REPRINT INFORMATION: 212-210-0750 Subscriptions: In Ohio: 1 year - $64, 2 year - $110. Outside Ohio: 1 year - $110, 2 year - $195. Single copy, $2.00. Allow 4 weeks for change of address. For subscription information and delivery concerns send correspondence to Audience Development Department, Crain’s Cleveland Business, 1155 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, 48207-9911, or email to customerservice@crainscleveland.com, or call 877-824-9373 (in the U.S. and Canada) or (313) 446-0450 (all other locations), or fax 313-446-6777.

If it wasn’t for the Northeast Ohio Makers Network, Kirsten Ellenbogen’s 8-year-old son might not be taking computer coding classes right now.

Ellenbogen, who is CEO of the Great Lakes Science Center, is helping lead an effort to unite every local organization interested in the socalled maker movement.

One of the first beneficiaries of the effort is Ellenbogen’s son, Ezra. This summer, he’s taking classes about video game programming through a local company called We Can Code IT. Ellenbogen had never heard of that company until she and other maker advocates started hunting for groups that help makers (people who build stuff), hackers, artists and anyone else who uses creativity in constructive ways.

That example illustrates a problem the network aims to solve: Unless you’re already steeped in the local maker community, you may not know how to find a 3-D printer that suits your needs. Or a laser cutter. Or a drill press machine.

And you may not know where to find classes and mentors who might be able to help you — or your kids — figure out how to make things with something other than construction paper and glitter.

The Northeast Ohio Makers Network wants to answer those questions. It has been mapping out the capabilities of the 50-plus companies, nonprofits and government organizations that have joined the alliance so far.

Group members want to figure out how they can work together and complement each other. They already specialize to some degree: For instance, if you want to build a toy car, you can get help at so-called “maker spaces� run by the Great Lakes Science Center or the Cleveland Public Library. But if you want to start building a real car, maybe the heavily equipped think[box] at Case Western Reserve University is a better choice, according to Ellenbogen.

The network also aims to spread the word about making and convince more people — kids and adults — to start building stuff. “We want this kind of activity to be accessible to the public,� Ellenbogen said.

On the make The network held its first event on June 13. From 2 to 3 p.m., several network members simultaneously held free maker-related activities at more than 35 locations, including many local libraries. The “Hour of Making� coincided with the national “Week of Making� being promoted by the Obama administration.

The city of Cleveland wasn’t involved with that event, but it’s already reserving community recreation centers for maker-related events next summer, said Tracey Nichols, director of the department of economic development for the city.

By inviting local makers to show off their creations in public, Nichols

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Jackie Miguet and LeanDog’s Mike Kvintus work on electronics for a ‘Sumobot.’ hopes to inspire local kids to start building things themselves — for fun and profit.

Young makers might one day make good engineers or CNC machinists, Nichols said. And local manufacturers have a hard time finding people to fill those positions, even though they pay well, she said.

The city also wants to help entrepreneurial makers. Nichols cited Rustbelt Reclamation — a Cleveland company best known for turning construction debris into stylish furniture — and the vendors who sell goods at events hosted by the Cleveland Flea. “This is manufacturing. This is small business. We need to meet with these types of companies and help them grow,� she said.

Down to a science The Great Lakes Science Center has become heavily invested in the maker movement over the past few years. It runs a mobile fabrication lab for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. It regularly holds workshops where kids build batteries and rewire calculators.

And last month, the science center turned its dormant NASA situation room exhibit into the Cleveland Creates Zone. Now that room — which is shaped like an auditorium — is filled with stations where visitors can build things, run experiments and answer questions like these: How do you build a faster Lego car? How does a parachute carrying a heavy weight react in a wind tunnel? And is a paper rocket capable of hitting a really high ceiling?

The answer to that last one is yes, if you give it enough air at the launch pad. “It’s just an air rocket, but they go

pretty high,� Ellenbogen said.

The network wants to introduce kids to those types of activities — and help more experienced makers take the next step.

Consider Ellenbogen’s kids.

They’ve been going to science camps since they were 4 years old.

They attend camps at the science center, but now they’re exploring more advanced subject matter. Not only is her son Ezra taking coding classes through We Can Code, but her 10-year-old daughter Zoe is currently at a robotics camp in Boston. “If she keeps pursuing robotics, she could be at think[box] on weekends or after school,� Ellenbogen said.

Never too old to learn Jon Stahl also believes that both kids and adults can learn a lot through making.

His company, LeanDog, has become one of the more active members of the network. Every month, the software development firm invites creative types to its headquarters — a barge that floats in Lake Erie, next to Burke Lakefront Airport. There, they build all kinds of stuff, like sumo wrestler robots, animatronic teddy bears and prosthetic hands.

At first, LeanDog employees were just making stuff after work for fun.

Then they started inviting family members and other people. Among them are Stahl’s teenage daughters, Indy and Sydney, who have been known to bring their maker kits on family vacations.

The network has the equipment and know-how to help other kids and adults unleash their inner maker, too. “There’s a lot of great maker stuff going on in Cleveland,� he said.

20150713-NEWS--5-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/10/2015

1:09 PM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

5

Small businesses get big help from microloans

By JAY MILLER jmiller@crain.com

It’s like the television show “Shark Tank,� only on a smaller, neighborhood scale. Make the best pitch and you’ll win some cash to help build your business.

But where contestants on the ABC-network reality television show may seek financial support in the six- or seven-figure range, the winners of the local program, which doesn’t have a glitzy name, seem happy with their four-figure awards. These awards — called microloans in the financial community— will help them move their businesses out of a basement or den into one of the area’s older urban communities looking to rebuild its commercial areas. “I think we’re going to use the ($5,000) for rent for a storefront and for inventory,� said James Conti, one of three partners in winner Cleveland Jam. “We started looking for space in Old Brooklyn; there are couple spots along Pearl Road we looked at. We liked that area.�

For now, the 18-month-old business has been making beer and wine jams in Conti’s home in Strongsville.

A shop in Old Brooklyn, near the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, would be a homecoming for Conti. “I grew up in Old Brooklyn,� he said. “This was a great opportunity to get back to the old neighborhood.�

Conti said the business plan he

and his two partners drew up has a five-year goal of operating a winery.

For now, Conti just hopes to have a space in Old Brooklyn to sell beerand wine-making supplies in addition to making the jams the business now sells online and at Great Lakes Brewery.

Northeast Ohio has developed a strong network for incubating glitzy, tech businesses and manufacturers.

Organizations like JumpStart, Magnet and NorTech have stood ready to assist these startups with training and advice and helped them find five-, six-, or seven-figure financing.

But the class of entrepreneurs operating on a smaller or more local scale — businesses that sell or produce food, clothing or crafts or independent professionals whose ambitions have them convinced that their business can grow if they have an office address and maybe a partner or an employee — have had a harder time finding a leg up.

At the same time, it has become increasingly difficult for many older communities to maintain vibrant commercial districts. Shopping centers built around big-box retailers and the office buildings and business parks of the outer suburbs are magnets for ambitious retailers and service and professional businesses that have had some success and want more. But those moves take taxpaying jobs with them and leave urban neighborhoods with vacant storefronts.

Here’s the pitch A study of the training and credit available to the smallest businesses, commissioned by the Cleveland Foundation and the Business of Good Foundation in Cleveland, found a substantial unmet demand for credit for these smallest businesses. It identified six ZIP codes as target areas for microloans.

That study led to grants to three communities from the Ohio Capital Impact Corp., a Columbus nonprofit that partnered with Huntington Bank to support affordable housing and neighborhood redevelopment.

Old Brooklyn Community Development Corp. used its grant to create a competitive program for three, $5,000 business development grants. The city of Shaker Heights and the St. Clair-Superior Development Corp. are creating similar programs.

The Old Brooklyn program started with nearly 30 entrants and the development corporation chose 10 finalists to go to a four-session entrepreneurial training program run by Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI), another Columbus nonprofit that operates a training program as an adjunct to its own microlending programs.

The end product of the training program was a business plan, and the finalists made brief pitches to a panel of judges, Ă la “Shark Tank,â€? at the end of June. In addition to Cleve-

land Jam, the winners are Connie’s Affogato and JAC Creative.

Connie’s Affogato sells espressoover-gelato drinks, affogatos, from bicycle-powered ice-cream carts.

JAC Creative is a creative services business that specializes in branding and web marketing. Both will bring their businesses out of homes and into storefronts in Old Brooklyn. “I’m using the grant funds to build out four carts,� said Jason Minter of Connie’s Affogato. “Aside from that, I’m raising some capital on my own and I’m planning a Kickstarter campaign around the time I open next April.�

Jeff Verespej, executive director of the development corporation, said the main goal was to bring businesses to the commercial district of the neighborhood, emanating from the intersection of Pearl and Broadview roads. The partnership with ECDI and its Small Enterprise Education Development program, or SEED, and the competition were important because they gave him confidence in the competency of the winners. “Folks come in every day with a dream,� he said. “We don’t have the ability or the technical expertise to turn that into reality. Lauren does.� “Lauren� is Lauren Smith, ECDI Cleveland’s manager of entrepreneurial services. She said that in addition to the four training sessions ECDI will continue to be available to the competition winners for coaching and mentoring.

As Old Brooklyn’s program is ending, Shaker Heights is just beginning its competition. Katharyne Starinsky, an economic development specialist with the city, said Shaker Heights is targeting a struggling commercial district at the western edge of the suburb, along Chagrin Boulevard and Lee Road. “It’s so we can raise the profile of Shaker Heights and get people thinking about opening their business here,� she said. “It’s also about getting more local, creative businesses here and diversifying our retail mix, as well as (filling) office space.�

St. Clair-Superior’s program is still gestating and may end up as one part of a broader effort to help a range of businesses. Some are of the home-based variety that the other programs are targeting, but others are multi-generational ethnic retail businesses that need help coming into the 21st century.

Michael Fleming, executive director of the community development group, said his group saw that some of these older businesses had little or no social media or online presence, which led to a realization that these businesses need help developing their marketing skills.

Fleming said the Ohio Capital grant and the ECDI training may be used to help lure some of the vendors who come to the monthly neighborhood flea market, the Cleveland Flea, into the neighborhood on a storefront basis.

# EVERY BUSINESS HAS A BIGGER PICTURE. LET’S START BUILDING YOURS. FURP FDVK à RZ WR H[SDQVLRQ SODQV \RX WDNH WKH ELJ SLFWXUH LQWR DFFRXQW ZLWK HYHU\ GHFLVLRQ

\RX PDNH :KHQ LW FRPHV WR À QDQFLQJ UHDO HVWDWH ZH ZRUN WKH VDPH ZD\ 7R XQGHUVWDQG \RXU EXVLQHVV DQG \RXU JRDOV 7R HQVXUH WKDW WKH ORQJ WHUP LVQ¡W IRUJRWWHQ LQ WKH VKRUW WHUP 7R KDYH DOO RI \RXU DFFRXQWV SXOO LQ WKH VDPH GLUHFWLRQ 7KDW¡V ELJ SLFWXUH OHQGLQJ 7KDW¡V )LUVW &RPPRQZHDOWK 7DON ZLWK XV WRGD\ fcbanking.com/Cleveland

MEMBER FDIC

20150713-NEWS--6-NAT-CCI-CL_--

6

7/10/2015

10:55 AM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

Outstanding Investment Opportunity!

20,330 SF Office Building for Sale

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

Eliza Jennings becoming Organization’s partnership with Saido Learning producing positive results in dementia care and boost to bottom line

By SHARON SCHNALL clbfreelancer@crain.com

27691-27701 Euclid Avenue, Euclid, OH • 20,330 SF Office Building

• Renovated in 1998

• Two Stories

• New Roof in 2005

• Located near the I-90 &

• Situated on 0.94 Acres

Euclid Avenue Exit

• Great upside Potential!

William P. Nice, Jr., AARE, SIOR

216.839.2010 BillNice@HannaCRE.com

HannaCRE.com

Nicole J. Gray Attorney. Advisor. Advocate. $IBJS 8PNFO T $PVODJM .FNCFS -BCPS &NQMPZNFOU 1SBDUJDF

McDonald Hopkins LLC 4VQFSJPS "WF &BTU 4VJUF $MFWFMBOE 0) t Carl J. Grassi, President Shawn M. Riley, Cleveland Managing Member

$IJDBHP t $MFWFMBOE t $PMVNCVT t %FUSPJU t .JBNJ t 8FTU 1BMN #FBDI mcdonaldhopkins.com

Cummins

Commercial Real Estate Services, Worldwide.

Tom Fox, SIOR Jerry Fiume, CCIM, SIOR tel 330 535 2661 www.naicummins.com

For Lease - 39,780 SF Manufacturing Facility

For more than 125 years, Eliza Jennings has been a direct care provider to the senior community. “From 1898 to 1989, we were only this building,� said Terrie Tenk Shrock, former interim CEO, a 25year board member and past board chair. “This building� refers to the 10603 Detroit Ave. Cleveland location, where Eliza Jennings was founded and established its reputation. “We wanted to be a recognized provider on the West Side,� said Shrock, who concluded her interim leadership post when Richard M. Boyson Jr. started May 18 as the organization’s president and CEO. Today, Eliza Jennings not only is a more recognized name on the West Side, since adding locations in Olmsted Township and Westlake, but it is earning national and international notice as the sole U.S. master licensee of Saido Learning, a therapy technique used with older patients who have dementia.

Developed in 2001, Saido Learning is owned by the Kumon Institute of Education Ltd. in Osaka, Japan.

As part of the program, an employee, called a supporter, delivers structured, 30-minute learning therapy sessions, five times a week, in a specially designed room to two learners.

The sessions, designed to cognitively engage and stimulate, include math worksheets, reading aloud, purposeful conversation and directed dialogue, a method that, according to Shrock, offers improvement, or at a minimum, maintenance of the symptoms of dementia.

Sheryl L. Sereda, vice president of advancement and chief advancement officer at Eliza Jennings, said that since signing the five-year Saido licensing agreement in 2013 the program has succeeded in raising Eliza Jennings’ visibility as an innovative, progressive provider, particularly for older adults with dementia.

Not to mention, Saido has impacted the organization’s fundraising efforts.

To date, total Saido-related fundraising has raised more than $1 million, Sereda said. Some of those funds have been used to provide learner scholarships.

The business side

925 Grant St., Akron, OH 44311 25’ Clear Ceiling Height, Two 85’ x 235’ Bays. %TKKXĂ˜ HQ "NMCHSHNMDC Ă˜.EĂšBDĂ˜!THKSĂ˜SNĂ˜2THS Ă˜ Designed to Support 20 Ton Crane, 80’ Span.

-DVĂ˜"NMRSQTBSHNMĂ˜ Ă˜!THKSĂ˜HMĂ˜

The agreement with Saido means the Northeast Ohio provider can share Saido Learning with organizations around the country and it provides a new revenue stream to ensure future financial viability.

In 2013, Eliza Jennings established the Saido Learning Institute, a separate line of business, to market the program and work with potential licensees.

Christopher MĂźller, who had been an Osaka-based Kumon employee since 2003, was hired in

Does it work?

Future research protocols will examine the impact of Saido Learning, using data collected from partner organizations, said Terrie Tenk Shrock, former interim CEO at Eliza Jennings.

The research will be conducted “independent of Kumon (but) supported by Eliza Jennings.�

For now, outcomes of a six-month 2011 Kumon study, the first U.S. trial conducted at Eliza Jennings were summarized in the January 2015 article “Saido Learning as a Cognitive Intervention for Dementia Care: A Preliminary Study,� published in The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.

Based on that six-month intervention, study participants showed improvement in cognitive function.

Additionally, the article’s authors described increased staff engagement related to the learners’ “progress and care needs.�

The article was authored by Kumon, Saido and Eliza Jennings’ representatives and colleagues from Tohoku University of Sendai, Japan.

Understanding the impact of learning, praise or specific cognitive interventions on brain function, particularly as it impacts the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, are active areas of research, but challenging ones. “What makes this research so complicated is asking about what specific aspect of an intervention is impactful. ... A properly controlled research trial will address this,� said David Badre, an associate professor with the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences at Brown University of Providence, Rhode Island.

January as the institute’s executive director.

In total, the institute employs seven FTEs, and 10 rooms from Eliza Jennings’ Detroit Avenue nursing home were reallocated to provide physical space for this initiative.

To date, thanks to an almost 20month intensive U.S. sales and marketing effort, the institute has licensed 17 U.S. partners to threeyear agreements.

The first two partners signed on at the end of 2013 - Covenant Retirement Communities of Skokie, Ill., and Episcopal Retirement Homes Inc. of Cincinnati; 13 more partners signed on in 2014 and another two this year. The goal is to have approximately 25 partners, in total, by the end of fiscal year 2016, Sereda said.

Sublicensees are trained for two months by Eliza Jennings’ Saido employees before they can offer their own Saido programming.

In addition to paying signing and other fees, Shrock said, sublicensees pay royalties to Eliza Jennings Saido Learning and to Ku-

mon. Sereda declined to discuss specific licensing fees.

From 2011 to 2014, the Cleveland Foundation awarded five grants to the Eliza Jennings Saido Learning Institute, totaling just under $320,000; selected grants supported the Kumon-led research trial and Eliza Jennings’ national Saido Learning program rollout. “We thought it (Saido) was interesting,� said Bob Eckardt, executive vice president of the Cleveland Foundation. “We were impressed with a lot of enthusiasm and some evidence that it was helpful at Eliza Jennings.

They (Eliza Jennings’ leadership) saw it as a service they could offer, so we bought into that business model.�

Additionally, the Cleveland Foundation in 2013 provided a fiveyear, $300,000 low-interest loan to the Eliza Jennings Saido Learning Institute.

Changing the culture In spring 2014, Eliza Jennings also launched the Saido Learning Center, an all-day program serving older adults with dementia.

The day program participants live in the community and come to the center Monday through Friday.

Currently, 16 all-day clients attend at the Detroit Avenue campus, and one half-day program, started last fall, serves 14 people at the Olmsted Township campus.

Saido programming also is offered in-house at all three Eliza Jennings campuses. With the assisted living population, on the Westlake campus, no additional fees are charged, Shrock said.

(Sereda declined to disclose client-paid fees. In the past, published articles identified fees at $120 and $150 per month.)

Typically, Shrock and Sereda said, staff in senior caregiving environments are more attuned to acknowledging client decline. Which is why the goal is for all Eliza Jennings staff to be trained on the Saido method; to date, more than 300 of about 600 employees have received the one-day training protocol. “Saido learning changes the culture of your entire community,�

Sereda said. “... Saido changes the focus on improvement. If staff understands that this person (Saido learner) now knows how to count to 10, they can help ... improve this skill.�

On campus, Eliza Jennings staff observe, formally identify in staff meetings and celebrate learners’ incremental and ongoing progress, and accordingly incorporate further learning and praise in those learners’ daily lives. “How often does someone with dementia get to be successful with a task? How often do they get to hear, ‘Great job’?� Sereda said. “They usually hear, ‘Can I help you? Let me take you to your room.

Let me assist you,’ not, ‘Look what you did.’�

20150713-NEWS--7-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/10/2015

2:43 PM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

g national name Executive director bridges cultural differences Christopher Müller relocated to Northeast Ohio from Kobe, Japan, to assume the newly created post of executive director of the Eliza Jennings Saido Learning Institute.

His relationship with the Cleveland-based organization began in 2010 when he was an employee of the Kumon Institute of Education Co. Ltd. of Osaka, Japan.

Muller said he was the “team pivot” between Eliza Jennings and Kumon, working on agreements, translating research materials and conducting staff training for the 2011 Kumon research trial.

His work also contributed to Eliza Jennings’ subsequent master license agreement with Kumon.

Müller started, in 2003, with Kumon Institute as a part-time English immersion camp coordinator.

And, through 2014, he then had various full-time roles in employee training, brand strategy, brand communication and human capital development.

A respected track record, but especially so for Müller, who was born and raised in Australia and arrived in Japan in 1993 with no Japanese-language abilities.

“I’m a mixed-up bag,” he said.

“I’m very Australian, growing up there until I was 20.

“But, my work ethic is very Japanese.”

An interesting, if not unexpected outcome given that Müller never planned to live in Japan, nor did he initially like the country.

“I didn’t know the language. I didn’t know anything about the country. I hated it with a passion, the first six months.

“I didn’t understand the way of thinking,” he said.

Müller arrived in Japan, after nine months of backpack travel, starting at age 20, from Queensland, Australia, and moving through Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and

Thailand. He connected with European travelers, in Thailand, who suggested Japan. “(In Japan), I had people who took me under their wing,” he said.

“I never left. My backpacking stopped and my life began.”

He learned the language. In fact, the undergraduate degree, he subsequently earned from Griffith University of Queensland, Australia, was in language and linguistics, but later reclassified to a B.A. in Japanese.

Over the next 10 years, before coming to Kumon, his professional experiences included working as a waiter and eventually owning his own bar in Osaka.

His wife, whom he met in Japan, discovered the employment ad that first brought Müller to Kumon.

They have three sons.

“Our first language, in the home, is Japanese,” he said.

But, now, for the first time in his adult professional life, his primary workplace language is English.

Clarifying ideas in English is something, he said, that requires practice, particularly regarding email correspondence.

Elsewhere, though, Müller has the advantage of past experiences, particularly liaising between Kumon and Eliza Jennings. From 2010 to 2014, as a Kumon employee, Müller visited Eliza Jennings the equivalent of one week each month, first working on the research trial and later on finalizing the licensing agreement.

Müller wanted to be more directly involved with the expansion of Saido Learning throughout the United States.

The time he had with Kumon, he said, “creates a unique relationship that bridges cultural differences and strengthens the trust between Kumon and Eliza Jennings.”

— Sharon Schnall

Point A.

Point B. Get there your way.

Reliable, safe, Classic Jet Charter. ARGUS Gold rated.

440-942-7092. ClassicJetCharter.com. Willoughby, OH. AIRCRAFT MANAGEMENT | SALES AND ACQUISITIONS | CLEVELAND BASED

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

LAKE HEALTH continued from page 3

The most recently available estimates peg Lake Health’s market share at 52.4% — almost twice the size of the Clinic, at 27.2%.

Still, both the Clinic and UH have invested in operations in the county over the last few years. In late 2012, the Clinic bought 47 acres in Mentor near the Interstate 90 and state Route 615 interchange.

A few months back, crews started clearing the land, but a Clinic spokeswoman said last week the health system had nothing new to report about the land.

Power in numbers Lake Health is pursuing an aggressive recruitment schedule over the next few years — particularly in terms of adding physicians, advanced practice nurses and physician assistants — to round out its growing primary care network.

Also, system officials say they’re not just targeting employed docs but hoping to team with more independent physicians as well.

“We’ve done a very good job recruiting physicians into our existing practices,” said Rick Cicero, Lake Health’s senior vice president for business development. “It’s a differ-

ent experience here for physicians.

The physicians at Lake truly want to work here.”

Over the last few years, the health system made a concerted effort to focus more on population health management and just this year finished certifying its primary care practices as patient-centered medical homes — a weighty designation that recognizes medical practices organized in a way that focuses on keeping patients well, rather than only treating them when sick.

Plus, the health system has forged agreements with some of the county’s major self-insured employers — Lubrizol Corp., Progressive Corp. and the Lake County Schools Council — to provide coordinated, patient-centered care for employees cared for by the roughly 300 Lake Care primary and specialty physicians.

Under those arrangements, the employers pay a monthly fee per members to the health system to manage the employees’ care.

“We provide another alternative to every payer in town,” Cicero said.

“They want us to be successful because we can do things more efficiently. We can get the same outcomes but we can be more efficient about it.”

GET DAILY NEWS ALERTS FROM CRAIN’S REGISTER FOR FREE EMAIL ALERTS AND RECEIVE: THE MORNING ROUNDUP BREAKING NEWS ALERTS DAILY HEADLINES REAL ESTATE REPORT: Published Monday.

HEALTH CARE REPORT: Published Tuesday.

MANUFACTURING REPORT: Published every other Wednesday.

SMALL BUSINESS REPORT: Published Thursday.

SHALE AND ENERGY REPORT: Published Friday.

SPORTS BUSINESS REPORT: Published Monday.

CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM/REGISTER

7

20150713-NEWS--8-NAT-CCI-CL_--

2:29 PM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

ISTOCK

8

7/10/2015

Genetically modified crop costs many Ohio farmers Walk Away Wealthy: The Entrepreneur’s Exit-Planning Playbook Debunk the misconceptions, steer clear of common mistakes and walk away with maximum wealth in this essential guide to selling your business.

“Walk Away Wealthy is loaded with practical ideas you can use to maximize the value of your business—to yourself and to the person you sell to.”

—Brian Tracy, Author of Now, Build A Great Business

“Launching a company without an exit plan is like building a car with no brakes.

Walk Away Wealthy is a must-read for anyone who is starting or has started a business.”

—Marshall Goldsmith, Author of The New York Times and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

Download your FREE chapter from the book now by visiting: www.walkawaywealthy.com

China’s refusal to buy corn has farmers suing seed supplier

By DAN SHINGLER dshingler@crain.com

Thousands of Ohio farmers may have lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to seed from a Swiss company and China’s stringent standards for imported grain.

Now, at least some of them appear poised to join farmers from other corn states in suing agricultural giant Syngenta, the Swiss firm that sold them their corn seed. Law firms, including one in Cleveland, are urging farmers to pursue litigation, and so are farm industry advocates.

“We are encouraging farmers to explore their legal options,” said Ohio Farmers Union president Joe Logan, who added he knows of several farmers caught up in the situation, including some who are suing.

Attorney Ryan Fisher, a partner at the Cleveland law firm Lowe Eklund Wakefield Co., is helping to lead the charge in Ohio, and said he’s already signed up more than 10 Ohio farmers to bring suit. He said he’s filed some suits, but more are on the way.

It’s a case perhaps only a farmer could truly appreciate. The Syngenta seed worked fine in terms or producing corn, but selling it was another matter. It was rejected in 2013 and 2014 by China, which had been purchasing more than a billion tons of U.S. corn a year and was one of America’s largest customers for the animal feed crop before 2013. China was able to identify certain genetic traits in the corn that indicated it had been genetically modified in ways China deems unsuitable.

Corn and other crops often are modified so that they resist herbicides used for weed control, for better yields or to produce other traits attractive to growers.

Before China began rejecting the U.S. crop, corn was selling for about $7.50 a bushel. But after China rejected much of the U.S. corn supply in 2013 and 2014, the price dropped to about half that amount, and corn has been selling for about $3.50 per bushel since about the middle of last year.

Farm advocates and plaintiffs’ lawyers say that massive price drop came largely because China dropped out of the market, leaving less demand for U.S. corn. China has increased its own corn production, and it increased the prices that its own corn farmers get — something skeptics say was one reason the nation began rejecting U.S. corn on the basis of its genetic makeup.

Fisher and others, however, say that Syngenta left U.S. farmers open to such tricks by allowing them to plant corn that could be tested and rejected by China, even if its reasons were not what they claimed.

Meanwhile, China’s high-profile rejection also caused U.S. corn to be less desirable in other markets as well. After China’s move, U.S. corn also was rejected by giant corn processors here, including Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill. That’s because many foreign markets will not accept genetically modified crops the way that the U.S. does, or food products made from them.

Bad seed The situation has severely hurt many Ohio farmers, said Fisher, who has been touring much of Ohio trying to educate farmers and sign them up to sue on a contingency basis.

“The price is still down,” Fisher said, noting that many farmers have lost millions of dollars in potential revenue because of Syngenta’s seed.

“We have clients who farm thousands of corn acres,” Fisher said, noting that he’s already gotten clients in at least 28 Ohio counties, including Geauga, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark and Summit counties.

Fisher declined to name specific clients, however, because he said most farmers don’t want the publicity.

Fisher said he figures the losses total about $2 million for every 5,000 acres of corn that’s been planted, per year.

That sounds like a lot, until you

look at just how much corn Ohio grows — it’s a major crop, from northern counties down to the Ohio River.

According to the U.S. Department of Agricultural, there are nearly 25,000 farms in Ohio that grow corn as at least one of their crops. In 2012, the last year for which data was available, they planted 3.6 million acres and harvested 436.8 million bushels of corn, USDA data show.

Fisher said he’s not trying to blame the entire drop in the price of corn on Syngenta. However, he said that agricultural economists he’s working with say the company is certainly responsible for about onethird of the drop in price, or a little more than $1 per bushel. But even that amounts to about half a billion dollars in lost farm revenue, just in Ohio

Over a barrel?

Syngenta has denied it did anything wrong. According to a statement the company put out on the matter. After Cargill brought suit against it in Louisiana State Court last year, Syngenta issued a statement on the matter saying it “believes that the lawsuits are without merit” and that it had been in full compliance with regulatory and legal requirements, as well as transparent in developing its corn seed products.

Syngenta’s answer is not satisfactory to Logan, though.

“We rely upon the agricultural chemical and seed industry to do the due diligence on this stuff before it goes to market. Unfortunately, those bases were not touched — Syngenta cut some serious corners,” Logan said.

It will likely be some time before the case is resolved. Fisher and other attorneys from across the nation are bringing suit against Syngenta in Minneapolis, where it maintains its U.S. headquarters. That’s fine by Fisher, because he said that means the case is likely to be heard by a jury of other farmers, or at least by people with ties to the industry.

20150713-NEWS--9-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

2:06 PM

Page 1

UPCOMING SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

HEALTH CARE INNOVATORS In the third annual Health Care Innovators supplement, Crain’s will take a deep dive into the Global Center for Health Innovation’s impact on Northeast Ohio and the surrounding region.

ISSUE DATE: September 21 • AD CLOSE: August 31

GIVING GUIDE Crain’s third annual Giving Guide profiles numerous area nonprofits and includes the organization’s mission statement, goals, events and volunteering opportunities, annual revenues, managing executives and board of directors, and more.

ISSUE DATE: October 26 • AD CLOSE: September 14

CRAIN’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY The October 26 special supplement will be a tribute to 35 years of Crain’s Cleveland Business.

This supplement will also feature the 100 Most Connected section.

ISSUE DATE: October 26 • AD CLOSE: September 25 BOOK YOUR AD TODAY. Contact Nicole Mastrangelo at 216-771-5158 or nmastrangelo@crain.com.

20150713-NEWS--10-NAT-CCI-CL_--

10

7/9/2015

4:29 PM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

PUBLISHER:

John Campanelli (jcampanelli@crain.com) EDITOR:

Elizabeth McIntyre (emcintyre@crain.com) MANAGING EDITOR:

Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com)

OPINION

No excuse Ohio lawmakers deserve an “F” for failing to pass legislation to reform the state’s charter school system before their summer break. A big fat “F.” Circled in red. And underlined three times.

What a shame, because legislators seemed to be making real progress toward finally putting in motion a plan that would require much-needed accountability and transparency for state charter schools. In the 11th hour, however, the Ohio House decided not to vote on the Ohio Senate’s revisions to House Bill 2, and now the legislation moves to conference committee to hammer out a compromise after the recess.

In other words, the dog ate their homework. And wagging that dog, it appears, are some for-profit charter school operators whose deep pockets are making sure they’ve got open ears in Columbus. This isn’t a matter of forgetting to turn in an assignment.

Lawmakers have willfully decided not to finish it.

Schoolchildren across the state will suffer for their inaction.

Those schoolchildren and taxpayers are left waiting for changes to a system that clearly is broken and desperately in need of repair. Don’t believe our charter schools are that bad? Just take a look at a few recent headlines: ■ “Troubled Ohio charter schools have become a joke — literally” … The Washington Post ■ “Ohio’s charter schools ridiculed at national conference, even by national charter supporters” … The Plain Dealer ■ “Ohio charter schools identified as among worst in nation” … Akron Beacon Journal State Auditor Dave Yost knows all too well about the problems that plague Ohio’s charters. His office last fall made surprise visits to 30 charter schools and found that half of them had low attendance. Seven schools had “unusually high” attendance variances from the enrollment numbers reported to the state.

Keep in mind that charters are publicly funded, so enrollment figures matter because the state uses those numbers to calculate how much tax money the schools will get. Right now, that figure is almost $6,000 per student and adds up to about $1 billion per year, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Inflated figures give these schools more than they’re entitled to.

Supporters argue that charters offer valuable choice, something stellar charters such as Breakthrough in Cleveland prove is valuable to families.

OK. But no one wants bad charters to skirt the same rules that apply to public schools, to dodge accountability for academic performance and to block transparency in their use of tax dollars.

You’d think Ohio lawmakers wouldn’t want that, either. But like their decision to nix reform, that would be wrong.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Gathering up some odds and ends ...

MARK YOUR CALENDARS — We are policy and good politics. Which means less than a month away from Ohio’s first we’ll probably see another one in 2016. “sales tax holiday.”

From Friday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, WHO SNEAKS IN? — Indians fans and Aug. 9, shoppers in Ohio won’t pay sales John Kasich fans will be spending a good tax on clothing items priced part of the summer doing the $75 or less or on school supsame thing: checking the plies/instructional materials standings. less than $20.

For the Tribe, the mission is A $70 pair of new school to somehow leapfrog about a shoes means $5.60 in savings half-dozen teams, get well for a Cuyahoga County resiabove .500 and secure the last dent. wild card.

Sounds like a great idea, For the Kasich camp, it right? means leapfrogging about a Probably not. Tax-reform half-dozen opponents, getting groups on both the left and the JOHN well into the top 10 of the polls right generally oppose the holand securing a spot on stage CAMPANELLI idays. Consider: when the first GOP debate ■ Studies show that tax holhappens next month in Cleveidays don’t increase long-term sales; land. they just increase sales during the holiWho’s got the better chance? I give the day period. The weeks before and after edge to the governor. He has a way bettypically see quieter cash registers. ter home record.

■ Some stores have been known to hike prices during tax holidays.

FIBER IS HEALTHY — A fiber-speed ■ The holidays are a compliance and Internet connection can add about 3% to accounting headache for retailers, cities a home’s value, according to a survey by and counties.

Broadband Communities magazine.

■ The holidays tend to benefit the That’s $6,000 for a $200,000 home. more affluent who have more financial The benefit is even greater for landfreedom to time their purchases. lords, who get an average of 8% higher ■ The state stands to lose out on milrent in multifamily buildings that have lions in revenue. high-speed internet.

In other words, tax holidays are bad Broadband has become as important

as indoor plumbing to many people — especially millennials.

Is there any doubt that one of our top economic development priorities needs to be to installing ultra-fast broadband into every school, business and neighborhood in Northeast Ohio?

SUNSHINE — In March, after a quarter century of advocacy from Adoption Network Cleveland, Ohio lawmakers finally unsealed the records of the 400,000-or-so adoptions that took place in our state from 1964 to 1996, allowing adoptees to see their original birth certificates for the first time.

In just over three months, more than 5,800 adopted children have requested their files, according to the Ohio Board of Health.

This has given them the opportunity to get medical information, learn some “family” history and perhaps say thank you to birth mothers who sacrificed so much — things the rest of us take for granted.

It’s also led to emotional meetings; the discovery of siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews; and for many birth mothers, it’s ended years — or decades — of wondering.

What a great example of the power of open information.

The lesson here for lawmakers? Err on the side of openness.

TALK ON THE WEB Re: A defense of Big Law

Re: CEO Frank Jackson

Big Law has its issues, but a recent reader comment about Crain’s story on diversity at big law firms owes more to the chip on ClevelandBill’s shoulder than actual facts about the attorneys populating Cleveland’s larger law firms.

If, as ClevelandBill says, I don’t know where the bathrooms at the Justice Center are, it’s because my cases tend to be heard in federal courthouses across the country. The best and brightest do tend to be associated with Big Law firms, either as their training ground or current residence.

There are far too many terrible lawyers out there for someone with an ax to grind to be categorically denouncing the competence of Big Law attorneys.

— NeitherCompliantNorDocile

Jackson has done an overall fine job as Cleveland’s mayor. He should be complimented.

— Jim Daniloff

Re: The value of data centers It’s accurate that data centers don’t produce huge numbers of jobs. But the jobs data centers do generate in Ohio provide pay much better than average wages.

— Robert Salmon

Re: Expanding ‘clean and safe’ programs Again, here’s an example of a tax that has huge benefits.

As Cleveland improves, these programs will expand to city neighbor-

hoods, and as they expand, Cleveland will improve. It’s that simple. Success begets success. — James Shellenburger

Re: Cleveland Clinic developments With this announcement of partnering with Israeli health care companies and the appointment of Dr. Rakesh M. Suri to head up the medical center in Abu Dhabi, the Clinic seems to be able to build better bridges between two entities that hardly talk to each other than all the government entities have been able to do to date!

Maybe health can bring people together peacefully! And here we are living in the city that can really support that effort.

— Neil Dick

20150713-NEWS--11-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

4:29 PM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

LABEL continued from page 3

collaborative nature among entrepreneurs in something tangible, something you can hold,” Benner says. “Collaboration is the whole premise of our operation.”

Guarding the brand Craft beer advocacy group Brewers Association estimates that at least 13,000 beer brands are available in the U.S. marketplace, and that figure doesn’t account for the 1,400-some draft products in various brewpubs, said program director Julia Herz.

Regional craft beer juggernauts find themselves girding for the enthusiasm that the homespun startups are eliciting, and want to steer the younger trend-thirsty, socially driven millennial generation toward their products as well.

Venerable brewers like New Belgium Brewing and Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing Co., for example, recently rebranded with labeling and packaging that meld their heritage with modernity.

“The established brewers want to stand out,” Herz said. “Many such as Great Lakes are emphasizing more story-telling because their stories change and evolve. It’s not just about what’s in the glass. The breweries need to tell consumers what their company stands for.”

Labels that highlight the brewer’s social outreach efforts or environmental stewardship are powerful ways to connect with the consumer and build or re-establish brand loyalty.

“What feels good tastes even better, and that can tip the scales toward a sale,” she said.

Indeed, Great Lakes Brewing spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars” on its first marketing and branding revamp since it opened in 1988.

TALK ON THE WEB (CONTINUED) Re: MVP Plastics expands to Texas Congratulations to CEO Darrell McNair! It is always good to see industry growing — especially a “made in America” industry! This is awesome! Hard work pays off!

— Ridgebacks ROCK!

Re: LeBron James and his coach David Blatt is incredibly smart, but he is in an absolutely impossible position with LeBron.

It’s like the big star of a film who does what he wants despite what the director envisions. The director lets it go because he doesn’t want to lose the star, but the movie turns out less than perfect. I wonder if the Cavs had played Blatt’s way instead of LeBron’s in the Finals, if they would have come home victorious. (Excepting those couple of dumb mistakes by Blatt like the timeout thing.)

I think LeBron needs to give Blatt a chance to execute his vision and see what happens. — Truth_Hound

Re: Cavs and free agency Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert knows you have to spend money to make money. Another owner in town wants to make money to spend money. Even though the Cavs lost, they had the talent to draw the fans and sell product. — Donald Sinko

A GOOD POSITION How does a grocer like Heinen’s decide which labels receive maximum exposure and coveted “end cap,” or bookend shelf space?

According to wine and beer expert Carlo Riggio, there really is no definitive strategy.

“The pace of new brands coming into the marketplace is almost schizophrenic, so it’s hard to create a specific corporate strategy for product placement when there are so many labels vying for shelf space,” he said. “We have as much dialogue as possible with craft brewers and try to promote those that appeal the most to our customers.”

The approach evidently is working. Craft beer sales are 50% of Heinen’s overall beer sales.

“Very few retailers have that kind of impact on the craft market,” Riggio said.

Local craft beer takes the top one to five spots on beer sales over brands like Bud, Bud Light and Miller, which is remarkable, he said. “Great Lakes is our number one SKU,” Riggio said.

— Kathy Ames Carr Refreshed packaging illustrations are intended to illustrate the quality craftsmanship and story behind each brew. The single wave in its rejuvenated logo symbolizes Great Lakes’ commitment to sustainability.

“We feel people are looking for real authenticity and a sense of place,” said co-founder Pat Conway.

“The stories connect people to our brand on a much deeper level.”

Market Garden Brewery began formulating its brand strategy — including the labeling for its eventual handcrafted bottled beer — about

four years ago, when the Ohio City brewpub first opened. The crisp textured packaging and labels for Pearl Street Wheat, Citramax and Progress Pilsner are in their final design stages in preparation for a January 2016 marketplace rollout.

An image of an iconic LorainCarnegie Bridge “guardian of traffic” is prominently displayed on all sixpacks and on each bottle, and accompanied by a description about the popular brewery and the bottle’s contents.

“The guardian is this positive imagery that stands for strength,” said Market Garden Brewery founder Sam McNulty.

Growing up A cohesive branding strategy warrants as much consideration as the quality of one’s beer in order to have staying power in the hyperactive craft beer market. For one, brewers are trying to be more inclusive as their audience diversifies. According to the Brewers Association, women consume about 32% of craft beer volume; about half of that figure stems from the 21-34 age group.

“The beer industry once was largely driven by big-bellied bearded guys, but that’s no longer the case,” McNulty said. “Fortunately, labels have evolved from the flippant, frat boy humor.”

Of course, controversial one-offs will always lurk, like Atlanta-based SweetWater’s limited release Happy Ending brew, which a Chicago beverage store refused to sell earlier this year because of its sexist connotations. Kentucky-based Against the Grain Brewery’ Brown Note depicts a man in soiled underwear, with crass language on the label.

“Would you want to drink that? I certainly wouldn’t,” McNulty said.

700 W. St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113-1230; Phone: (216) 522-1383, Fax: (216) 694-4264, www.crainscleveland.com Publisher: John Campanelli (jcampanelli@crain.com)

Marketing strategist: Michelle Sustar (msustar@crain.com)

Editor: Elizabeth McIntyre (emcintyre@crain.com)

Office coordinator: Denise Donaldson (ddonaldson@crain.com)

Managing editor: Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com)

Web editor: Damon Sims (dpsims@crain.com)

Sections editor: Amy Ann Stoessel (astoessel@crain.com) Assistant editor: Kevin Kleps (kkleps@crain.com) Sports Senior reporter: Stan Bullard (sbullard@crain.com) Real estate and construction Reporters: Jay Miller (jmiller@crain.com) Government Chuck Soder (csoder@crain.com) Technology Dan Shingler (dshingler@crain.com) Energy, steel and automotive Tim Magaw (tmagaw@crain.com) Health care and education Rachel McCafferty (rmccafferty@crain.com) Manufacturing and energy Jeremy Nobile (jnobile@crain.com) Finance Research editor: Deborah W. Hillyer (dhillyer@crain.com) Art director: Rebecca R. Markovitz (rmarkovitz@crain.com) Cartoonist/illustrator: Rich Williams Events manager: Jessica Rasmussen (jrasmussen@crain.com) Special events coordinator: Kim Hill (kehill@crain.com) Advertising director: Nicole Mastrangelo (nmastrangelo@crain.com) Senior account executive: Dawn Donegan (ddonegan@crain.com) Account executives: Lindsie Bowman (lbowman@crain.com) John Banks (jbanks@crain.com) Laura Kulber Mintz (lmintz@crain.com) Rob Divine (rdivine@crain.com)

Digital strategy director: Nancy Hanus (nhanus@crain.com) Audience development director: Eric Cedo (ecedo@crain.com) Web/Print production director: Craig L. Mackey (cmackey@crain.com) Production assistant/video editor: Steven Bennett (sbennett@crain.com) Billing: Michele Ulman, 313-446-0353 (mulman@crain.com) Credit: Todd Masura, 313-446-6097 (tmasura@crain.com) Customer service/subscriptions: 877-824-9373

Crain Communications Inc. Keith E. Crain: Chairman Rance Crain: President Mary Kay Crain: Treasurer William A. Morrow: Executive vice president/operations Chris Crain: Executive vice president, director of strategic operations KC Crain: Executive vice president, director of corporate operations Dave Kamis: Vice president/production and manufacturing Anthony DiPonio: Chief information officer Thomas Stevens: Chief financial officer Mary Kramer: Group publisher G.D. Crain Jr. Founder (1885-1973) Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. Chairman (1911-1996)

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

11

20150713-NEWS--12-NAT-CCI-CL_--

12

7/9/2015

2:48 PM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

GOING PLACES Second Successful Recap in Consecutive Years February 2014

May 2015 Merz

DiCorleto

managing director.

JOB CHANGES a portfolio company of

a portfolio company of

CONSULTING RICHTER HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS: Yolanda Riley, Tammy Mossor and Lauren Gurcze to directors, revenue cycle management.

DISTRIBUTION

has been recapitalized Financial Opinion

has been recapitalized Financial Opinion

MFS SUPPLY: Brian Lawless to account manager; Danny Lynch to program specialist; Lynn Williams to executive assistant.

EDUCATION

$ SURXG PHPEHU RI WKH SUHPLHU LQWHUQDWLRQDO DOOLDQFH RI LQYHVWPHQW EDQNLQJ ÀUPV

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL: Jennifer Rohan Beros to director of college counseling; Annie Kafoure to assistant director, college counseling.

URSULINE COLLEGE: Elizabeth Kavran to vice president, academic affairs.

FINANCIAL SERVICE

DAWSON COS.: Paula Revmatas to receptionist.

WESTFIELD INSURANCE: James Merz to group actuarial and analytics leader.

LEGAL GIFFEN & KAMINSKI: Jan L. Roller to partner.

FAIRMOUNT SANTROL: Michael Snyder to director, internal audit.

STEP2 CO.: Robert Jourdian to vice president, research and development.

SERVICE DAVEY TREE EXPERT CO.: Mike Veney to manager, environmental programs, Davey Institute.

TRANSPORTATION

ELEK & NOSS LLC: Kristie M. Farkas to senior staff accountant.

REGISTER NOW

INSURANCE

BUYERS PRODUCTS: Brian T. Smith to chief operating officer.

URBAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL: Lisa DeCore to principal.

For more information, please call (216) 589-0900 or visit www.wesrespartners.com

SERVICE 1ST PAYROLL: Kristie M. Farkas to business development manager.

MANUFACTURING

KENT STATE UNIVERSITY: Paul E. DiCorleto to vice president, research and sponsored programs.

Mergers & Acquisitions . Capital Raising . Financial Opinions & Valuations . Restructuring & Bankruptcy

Smith

Roller

LINSALATA CAPITAL PARTNERS: Gregory L. Taber to senior

OHIO TURNPIKE AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMISSION: Jennifer Stueber to general counsel.

Send information for Going Places to dhillyer@crain.com

[M]POWER MANUFACTURING ASSEMBLY

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 John S. Knight Center, Akron, Ohio 7:00am-1:30pm

WE HELP

Mark your calendar and join us for a day of speakers, networking, and informative breakout sessions.

BUSINESS AT T H E H I G H E S T L E V E L .

When a company has a problem that gets kicked upstairs, upstairs kicks it to us.

PRESENTED BY

MAJOR SPONSOR

CO-PRESENTED BY

MEDIA PARTNER

COMMUNITY PARTNER

SHOWCASE SPONSOR

For more information, visit vorys.com.

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP 200 Public Square, Suite 1400, Cleveland, Ohio 44114 106 South Main Street, Suite 1100, Akron, Ohio 44308

For more information, visit CrainsCleveland.com/MPower

Columbus

Washington

Cleveland

Cincinnati

Akron

Houston

Pittsburgh

20150713-NEWS--13-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

2:54 PM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

13

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON MILLER. COVER PHOTO BY REBECCA R. MARKOVITZ

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

SUMMIT PRESENTED BY

AWARDS PRESENTED BY

TIERED TICKET PRICING AVAILABLE JULY 23, 2015 Cleveland Convention Center

t 4VNNJU ". t -VODIFPO ". 1.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS, VISIT CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM/WON

20150713-NEWS--14-NAT-CCI-CL_--

14

7/9/2015

1:21 PM

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

Page 1

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

TRACY CARTER Senior director, federal and state affairs MetroHealth System Determined. Collaborative. Transparent. Tenacious. Bright. Credible.

Combine these enviable personality traits with a philanthropic heart and you have Tracy Carter, senior director for federal and state affairs at MetroHealth System. She joined the public health system in March after an impressive climb through the ranks of Summa Health System.

Carter, 44, has a broader mission that involves leveraging public policy — created in Columbus and in Washington, D.C. — to develop programs and funding opportunities to serve the needs of the community. As a registered lobbyist, Carter represents MetroHealth’s interests in both politically charged cities.

“I’m always passionate about the vulnerable underserved population so after spending 20 years in the private sector it was intriguing to me to come to the public side of health care,” said the divorced mother of two.

“When you move into the policy space you have the ability to influence or impact thousands, if not millions, of people at one time.”

Carter, born and raised in Akron, has been tapped as a person who makes things happen since she started working at Summa as a high school student.

She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio University and a master’s of health services administration from the Uni-

Saint Joseph Academy

Congratulates

Distinguished Alumnae Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis ’71 and

Natalie Leek-Nelson ’85

on being named 2015 “Women of Note”

S A IN T JO SE PH

3470 Rocky River Drive, Cleveland, OH 44111 216.251.6788 • www.sja1890.org Sponsored by the Sisters of the Congregation of St. Joseph

1890

ACADEMY 2015

versity of Michigan School of Public Health. She is a graduate of Leadership Akron and Akron’s Inaugural Healthcare Advisory Board Academy Fellowship program.

In 2014, the University of Akron Women’s Studies Department presented her with a Trailblazer Award.

“Every person has 24 hours in the day to make a difference and to do something meaningful,” said Carter, who also lends her talents to community organizations focused on health care and women’s issues and opportunities.

From 2009-2013, she served as president of the Women’s Endowment Fund of the Akron Community Foundation.

Under her leadership, the board successfully launched and completed a $2 million campaign to benefit women and girls now and in the future.

“I have always strongly felt that there are few professions or fields that can have a significant impact on one’s life, and health care is one of them,” she said. “It touches everyone, every racial, ethnic, socioeconomic status and we are here intersecting with individuals and families through birth and even death. To me, that is a powerful ministry.”

One of her proudest accomplishments happed in 2013, when she served as co-chair of a regional Medicaid expansion advocacy coalition.

Those efforts resulted in more than 60,000 Greater Akron and Canton residents gaining access to Medicaid effective January 2014.

“That is just an example of how important policy is in terms of moving the needle and how health care can impact the life of the individual and family,” Carter said.

Roxia Boykin, a colleague of Carter’s for more than seven years at Summa Health System, said Carter’s natural talents, developed skills and decisive, well-reasoned actions are all bounded by her deep faith.

“It impacts how she works and how she lives her life,” Boykin said.

“She truly cares about people. So you so you lay these skills and talent over that and it just makes for the perfect combination of an individual that you want to work hard for and you want to personally see her succeed.

You know through her success, the organization is going to succeed, also.”

Carter has embraced the opportunity to mentor young professionals during the past two decades.

“That’s what leaders do. We have to help others get to a place where they can thrive as well because to me if you do that you work smarter,” she said.

“Ultimately I do that because I recognize the value in passing the baton so that new life, new ideas, new energy, new relationships can come forth and I think that’s a beautiful thing.”

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, her circle of girlfriends and becoming more involved in her church’s counseling ministry. Above everything else, her highest priority is raising her son, 15, and daughter, 10, and instilling in them the importance of being compassionate, caring, giving and responsible adults.

“I am very proud that as a mom I can always fix my kids a hot meal for breakfast,” Carter said. Her kids love starting the day with turkey bacon, eggs and juice.

“With commuting and working the way I do, that is a success for me.”

— Chrissy Kadleck

20150713-NEWS--15-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

1:23 PM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

TRACEY A. NICHOLS Director of economic development City of Cleveland When a company opens a new operation in Cleveland, Mayor Frank Jackson will be there to cut the ribbon.

But, he readily admits, a lot of the credit for bringing that business to the city goes to Tracey Nichols and the small staff of her economic development department.

“Director Nichols has led the charge for the city of Cleveland in economic development and is very deserving of this recognition,” Jackson said. “Her tireless efforts have preserved and created thousands of jobs in Cleveland.”

Nichols has been the director of the city’s economic development department since 2008. She has transformed the department, making it easier for companies to work with the city and stepping up its marketing of the city as a place to do business. The revamp includes a website 146 pages deep that provides site selectors, real estate brokers and small business owners with land and buildings for sale, demographic data and financial assistance programs available to business owners looking to grow.

In 2014, according to the department’s annual report, it advanced nearly $10 million in grants and loans to developments that promise to generate nearly a half-billion dollars in economic investment and create or retain 2,400 jobs. That aid runs from committing $180,000 to clean up the site of the downtown nuCLEus development, a mixed-use development that promises to transform the Gateway neighborhood, to $10,000 to help The Grocery, an organic grocery store on Lorain Avenue, open its doors.

Over her years leading the city’s economic development department she’s also taken it upon herself to mentor a succession of men and women, some interns, others starting out in economic development careers. She takes the time to train them and then gives them the opportunity, and the challenge, of presenting requests for financial assistance to

Cleveland City Council.

“No matter how busy she was, Tracey would always take the time to explain the rationale behind her decisions,” said one of those young professionals, Daniel Budish. “I draw upon those teaching moments on a daily basis.”

Budish was a development officer under Nichols for two years, from 2011 to 2013. He left to join The Chesler Group, a Geauga County-based developer where he now is vice president.

Nichols grew up in Boston. She came to Cleveland to attend Case Western Reserve University, graduating in 1983 with a degree in plant biology and English.

But it was her courses in accounting that ended up setting her future course. She worked her way through school working on the financial side of the city’s community development department and stayed until 1985, when she struck out on her own as an accountant. But soon, she went to work for Cuyahoga County’s fiscal office as an accountant while someone was taking a one-year maternity leave. By the end of that year, though, Cuyahoga County was starting to get involved with economic development, and she was one of the first hires there, in 1989. She stayed with the county development department, rising through the ranks to be assistant director and, for a time acting director, until she was hired by Cleveland in 2008.

Although Nichols is a native New Englander with a taste for Atlantic Coast seafood, she’s committed to Cleveland, even beyond her and Jackson’s tenure at City Hall. Jackson has not said whether he will run a fourth time in 2017.

“I love the city, I just think Cleveland is so underrated nationally,” she said. “I know whatever I’ll be doing I’ll be supporting the city of Cleveland.”

— Jay Miller

JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY

CONGRATULATES Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis ’75 and Heather Lennox ’89 SONIA HOSONO MINTUN Director, portfolio manager Ancora Advisors Sonia Hosono Mintun likes knowing she’s helping someone reach his or her goals. As a director and portfolio manager at Ancora Advisors in Mayfield Heights, there are people with whom she’s been building relationships for years.

“I like getting to know my clients,” Mintun said. “That’s the most rewarding thing.”

She describes herself as a “pretty open person” who enjoys making money for people and making sure her clients have what they need for retirement. Mintun started out in the engineering program at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., driven by her love of math and science. But her attention was captured by a Finance 101 teacher who taught her how to look at industries and stocks. She graduated in 1983 with a double major in finance and accounting and briefly went to

work as an equity analyst at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in New York.

From 1983 to 1991, Mintun’s career took her from Lehman Brothers and Bernstein-Macaulay Inc. in New York to Westinghouse Credit Corp. in Pittsburgh.

After having her first child, Michael, in 1990, she went back to work at Westinghouse. She soon learned the company was going through a restructuring — and that she was pregnant with her second child, Peter — and she decided to leave the workforce for a while to spend time with her children. She stayed at home for seven years, during which time her family ended up moving to Cleveland.

In 1999, Mintun found herself sitting next to Anne Ogan at a Chartered Financial Analyst meeting. That seating arrangement led to an immediate See page 25

On their inclusion in Crain’s 2015 Women of Note class.

At John Carroll, a Jesuit Catholic university, we inspire and prepare our students to engage the world as creative, innovative, and ethical leaders in the workplace and throughout their lives. Visit us online at jcu.edu.

15

20150713-NEWS--16-NAT-CCI-CL_--

16

7/9/2015

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

1:24 PM

Page 1

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

MYRNA RODRIGUEZ PREVITE Vice president Kowit & Company Real Estate Group Serving as the leasing agent for 23-story Oswald Centre and 28-story 1111 Superior Ave. means that Myrna Rodriguez Previte has earned a place at the top rung of the male-dominated office brokerage world.

“I had two strikes against me,” said Rodriguez Previte, because she’s female and Puerto Rican. However, the woman who grew up in Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood combined her drive, passion for real estate and love of her hometown’s downtown into a glass-ceiling shattering force.

She’s one of a handful of female office brokers in the region’s 300-person largely white commercial brokerage community and has prized assignments.

The industry has its own way of measuring achievement: she was the first woman to win from the NAIOP Northern Ohio, the trade group formerly known as the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, the coveted office broker of the year designation in 2013, a feat she reprised in 2014. The winner is selected in terms of community and industry service, but primarily in terms of commissions earned.

“I thought my daughters might someday walk across that stage for

that award,” recalled Rodriguez Previte, who has two grown daughters. “I did not expect it to happen for me.”

However, on her watch Chicagobased American Landmark Properties landed multiple big deals for Oswald Centre, from the namesake Oswald Cos. insurance firm to several full floor deals. She also represents American Landmark in leasing its most recent acquisition, the 1111 Superior building, formerly Eaton Center.

John Roeser, executive vice president of American Landmark, said the firm did not entertain other brokerage firms for the former Eaton Center building because of how well Rodriguez Previte performed at Oswald Centre.

“She was critical to turning around Oswald Centre,” Roeser said. “She is a tireless, tenacious worker. I get texts from her at 11:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. This is her love. She loves the business and these properties.”

Brokerage is Rodriguez Previte’s second career. She spent 10 years as a case worker for the Cuyahoga County Department of Health and Human Services and switched to real estate because she likes working with people.

She started out in residential but her two now-grown daughters were young so she switched to commercial real estate. She worked with small brokerages, first with building owner and broker James Breen, and then gravitated to Mayfield Heights-based Kowit so she could work on suburban properties yet get a clear shot at downtown buildings.

Focus also accounts for her success. While many office agents divide their work between landlord and tenant representative listings, she sticks

to representing landlords and limits herself to a few assignments.

“That way the tenant reps trust you and may tell you who their tenant is,” Rodriguez Previte said. Otherwise, tenants visit anonymously. Knowing who is in the hunt allows her to target her presentations to them with aplomb, once turning the empty floor of a building into a mock-up of downtown.

Another example of what Rodriguez Previte calls a “hard business” came in how she had to handle a life-changing trial, breast cancer.

Upon being diagnosed a decade ago, before undergoing chemo she ordered a wig matching her black hair, complete with a part in the middle.

One of her clients at the time advised her to tell no one because she had seen female brokers in New York have to defend listings when word of their illness circulated.

After her treatment was over, Rodriguez Previte dropped the wig but her short hair drew questions. Soon competitors were trying to win her assignments because she was sick.

But the crisis was past.

“I never once asked, ‘Why me?”

Rodriguez Previte said, because she believes everything happens for a purpose. In this case, she became involved with Amigas Unidas, now part of MetroHealth, a grassroots peer program that educates Latina women about breast cancer and she made it her mission to speak with young women.

Rodriguez Previte’s love for downtown is not lip service.

She and her husband, Chris Previte, have lived in a Warehouse District condo for more than a decade.

— Stan Bullard

20150713-NEWS--17-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

1:24 PM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

NATALIE A. LEEK-NELSON President, CEO Providence House Providence House was a small nonprofit provider of crisis nursery care to infants and children at risk for abuse or neglect when Natalie LeekNelson became the agency’s CEO in 2001.

As an emergency shelter for babies and children, the organization served a critical role within the community.

But Leek-Nelson envisioned broader potential. Armed with marketing and business development acumen in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds, Leek-Nelson reframed the agency’s mission to provide more meaningful change in the lives of struggling families.

As a result, Providence House under her steadfast leadership has transformed into a nationally recognized model of integrated support that helps stabilize families and empower communities.

“We’ve focused on a two-generation approach,” Leek-Nelson says.

“We added programming and resources that help children grow and thrive, while assisting parents who are trying to get back on track and care for their children.”

Leek-Nelson worked closely with the organization’s board of directors and staff to implement a strategic plan for stabilizing operations and broadening community impact.

The agency diversified revenue streams to avoid continuing to dip into reserves and investments. No longer is Providence House relying mainly on private funding for operational support.

The budget during her tenure has increased from $1 million to $3 million as a result of augmenting private funding with corporate partner programs, foundation support and state government aid.

“Our public sector funding in the last three years has increased from less than 2% to 11%,” she says.

Those efforts have helped Providence House and its 40 staff members enrich services, assist with family intervention and expand its facility to accommodate more families in crisis.

Providence House in 2012 completed a $2.5 million crisis nursery and campus expansion, which doubled from 150 to 300 the number of children served annually.

“Her passion is mesmerizing,” says Karen Dolan, Providence House event manager and board of trustees member.

“I’ve never seen her waiver from her focus.

“She has taken Providence House from a crisis care nursery to a multifaceted facility that effectively serves the community.”

The Ohio City agency enhanced its caregiving capabilities by opening in June a 10-bed, 7,500-square-foot wellness nursery — a quasi-hospital stepdown facility for medically fragile children whose families are not immediately able to care for them.

Children who enter Elisabeth’s House: The Prentiss Wellness Nursery receive health screenings, medical support and play-based educational programming to help facilitate their development if they’ve incurred milestone delays as a result of hospitalizations.

“We’ve done extensive research, and to our best knowledge, this is the first program of its kind in the U.S.,” Leek-Nelson says.

Meanwhile, Providence House has established partnerships with more than 40 community agencies that provide ancillary family support services,

from housing and job placement to mental health care.

“We’re just about to launch a new client software that helps social workers search and retrieve the most appropriate services for their clients so that the burden isn’t on the client,” she says.

Other Ohio cities with higher at-risk populations — among them Cincinnati, Youngstown and Mansfield — are inquiring about the Providence House model.

Leek-Nelson said she plans to devote more of her time in the coming months to figuring out how to translate the archetype into those communities.

“Our mission is to fight to end child

abuse and neglect by protecting atrisk children, empowering families in crisis and building safer communities for every child, but that’s not limited to our location on West 32nd Street,” she says.

Leek-Nelson has received several awards during her career, including The Community Shares Eleanor Gerson Leadership in Social Justice Award and YWCA Women of Achievement.

The graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art serves on numerous boards, including Cuyahoga County Defending Childhood, Ohio City Inc. and Ohio City Human Services Dialogues.

— Kathy Ames Carr

I’m a Chief

Legal

Advisor.

You’re the one making executive decisions, I counsel executive decision makers.

You drive strategy and set goals.

I drive execution and protect your business interests in local, national and overseas arenas.

I’m a resource for creative solutions and the voice of reason in heated moments.

I advise companies in buying and selling, merging and divesting.

In exploring ventures together or breaking new ground on their own.

Whatever your critical issue or strategic goal, I put the resources you need in front of you, and strong advocates behind you.

I’m MEGAN MEHALKO. I’m on your team.

MY BENESCH MY TEAM

> Chair, Corporate & Securities Practice Group; Private Equity Practice Group; China Practice Group > Representing U.S.-based domestic and multinational corporations in plastics, rubber, specialty chemical, metals, industrial and manufacturing businesses. > Legal Services as Outside General Counsel and Projects Involving: Mergers and Acquisitions; Divestitures; Strategic Alliances; Distressed/Insolvent Acquisitions and Restructurings; and Corporate Governance Issues and Securities Law. > 216.363.4487 | mmehalko@beneschlaw.com

www.beneschlaw.com

17

20150713-NEWS--18-NAT-CCI-CL_--

18

7/9/2015

2:53 PM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

EARN YOUR

MBA YOUR WAY

Executive MBA Global Accelerated MBA Mobile Accelerated MBA

Accessible. Affordable. Accredited.

TATJANA ZIKOV President NeuroWave Systems www.theresanmbaforthat.com · 216-687-3730 · cbacsu@csuohio.edu

VISIT US AT CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM/WON FOR FULL EVENT COVERAGE

Different Perspectives Make All the Difference Taft recognizes and values the talents, leadership and accomplishments of all of our attorneys.

Jessica A. Ackermann Business & Finance

Marianne R. Cohen Real Estate

Julie A. Crocker Litigation

Amelia W. Farago Litigation

Leigh A. Hellner Real Estate

Kimberlie L. Huff Litigation

Jennifer B. Orr Litigation

Brandi N. Schmitz Business & Finance

Addisah Sherwood Real Estate

Missia H. Vaselaney Estate Planning

Hayley B. Williams Health Care

Jill F. Helfman Family Law

www.taftlaw.com

Chicago / Cincinnati / Cleveland / Columbus / Dayton / Indianapolis / Northern Kentucky / Phoenix

Tatjana Zikov has been working on the same homework assignment for 15 years.

Since their days as graduate students at the University of British Columbia, Zikov and her husband, Stephane Bibian, have been working to commercialize what she describes as “autopilot for anesthesia” — a system that can monitor a patient’s brainwaves during surgery and deliver just enough sedative to make sure they remain unconscious.

Today, Zikov is starting to see the fruits of that work. She’s now president of NeuroWave Systems, a Cleveland Heights-based company that is commercializing the technology.

NeuroWave is selling the NeuroSENSE system in Canada and parts of Europe, and the company just finished a clinical trial that could help it win over U.S. regulators and begin selling the system here at home, Zikov said.

It’s been a long, hard slog getting to this point, she said, noting that regulations often force medical technology companies to move “at a snail’s pace.”

So what kept her going? Stories like this: An early version of the NeuroSENSE system came in particularly handy during a surgery at a European hospital in 2010. The procedure appeared to be going as planned. The system, however, was showing brain activity suggesting that the patient was starting to wake up. When the anesthesiologist looked into it, he discovered that one of the drug delivery lines was blocked.

Situations like that one regularly remind Zikov that she picked the right career.

“OK, this is for me,” she said.

Zikov, who grew up in Bosnia, became interested in neuroscience long before she started analyzing brain waves. Her father was a neuropsychiatrist and encouraged her to pursue a scientific career. He also exposed her to science in an unconventional way: He didn’t speak English well, so Zikov would translate scientific journals for him.

In 1995, she earned a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the Uni-

versity of Belgrade in Serbia. She spent four years working for a computer equipment and software distributor in Bosnia before she moved to Canada to study biomedical engineering at the University of British Columbia.

She faced a few hardships along the way: Her family fled Bosnia in the early 1990s because of the Bosnian War. So she was a refugee when she began studying at the University of Belgrade.

But growing up in that region wasn’t all bad.

For instance, there was no shortage of women studying engineering in Serbia, perhaps because the profession is held in high regard in that part of the world, Zikov said.

“It never really felt like a man’s profession or anything,” she said.

So how did she end up coming to Cleveland? She started her job search by typing “EEG brain monitors” — or something like that — into Google.

The first result was the website for Cleveland Medical Devices.

She wanted CleveMed to hire her and help her commercialize her technology. At the time, the company didn’t have the money to bring her on board, according to CEO Bob Schmidt. But she kept pushing. The company hired her the following year, he said.

Why did CleveMed finally decided to bring her on board?

“The main thing was, she was brilliant,” said Schmidt, who added that she’s a hardworking person with great people skills.

NeuroWave spun off from CleveMed in 2008, and Zikov has been president of the company ever since. And two years ago, she and her husband, who also works for NeuroWave, became parents. They have twin girls: Annabelle Mila and Gabrielle Jana.

Zikov used to enjoy skiing, hiking and cycling. And maybe when her girls are older, she will enjoy those things again.

“Not these days. Not the last two years. I’m just trying to survive,” she said with a laugh.

— Chuck Soder

20150713-NEWS--19-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

1:57 PM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

EVALYN GATES Executive director and CEO Cleveland Museum of Natural History Evalyn Gates is an accomplished physicist, and she loves math.

Is it any wonder, then, that the executive director and CEO of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is so passionate about the institution’s fiveyear, $150 million expansion project?

The first phase, which is expected to be completed by June 2016, includes the construction of a new Perkins Wildlife Center on the museum’s south side, along with building a 300-space parking garage on the north side of the complex.

The plans were put on hold during the recession, but Gates, according to Chace Anderson, president of the museum’s board of trustees, “really took the project by the horns and has managed it with a great vision” since she was hired in 2010.

“I think she’s an awesome problem solver,” Anderson said. “I think she’s a team player. She works well with groups, and she helps people arrive at a consensus.”

That’s been critical as the 95-yearold institution gets set to kick off what Gates says is “literally a complete transformation.”

The executive director said the museum has raised more than $50 million for the project, and she believes the work is crucial for an institution that serves an important function in Northeast Ohio.

“We’re here because we want to play a unique and powerful role in the community, to get people involved in science, and making it part of the visitation experience,” Gates said. “And we’re really rethinking how a museum should play this role. How do we partner with the formal education system?

“To do that, we need better facilities, and we need to take better care of the 5 million objects in our collection.

“Science is important,” she added.

“Connecting with nature is important.

This is a facility that values these things.”

Under Gates’ watch, the museum has created “Dare to Explore Science,” a program that offers middle-school girls the chance to meet scientists and conduct experiments. The museum has also partnered with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District for a program in which every second-grade student gets to spend a day at the museum, then is offered a chance to come back with their families for another free day of exploration.

In 2015, the third year of the program, 100% of the Cleveland school district’s second-graders visited the museum with their classes, and more than 350 children and family members took the museum up on its offer to come back.

Getting children, especially girls, more involved in science is one of Gates’ largest goals.

“I’ve seen talented women who didn’t end up in a career in science,” she said. “There are a variety of factors at play, and all of which are something we can change.”

She admits that “not everyone wants to spend their lives working through equations,” but thinks “there’s no reason” there should be a disparity between the amount of men and women pursuing a career in science.

“We should get out there to identify the best and brightest minds we can find,” Gates said.

“That means we aren’t doing what we should be as scientists to achieve that goal if there are still issues and hurdles preventing that — whether it’s generations, race, age or location.”

She believes the changes going on

at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, along with its programs aimed at children, could play a small part in changing all of that.

When she’s not focusing on the transformation going on at 1 Wade Oval Drive, Gates is an avid reader and hiker who occasionally plays “tennis badly.”

She and her husband, Eric Pelander, have three adult children and one grandson.

The Shaker Heights resident grew up in Batavia, N.Y., and because of that experience, she said it’s almost impossible for her to be “impressed” by another area’s snowfall.

— Kevin Kleps

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

19

20150713-NEWS--20-NAT-CCI-CL_--

20

7/9/2015

2:09 PM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

Maximize your office productivity with MT Business Technologies— the largest independent Ricoh dealer in the country.

For Copiers, Printers, Service and Supplies.

Call MTBT at 216.328.9777 or find out more at MTBT.com

WE KEEP YOU UP AND RUNNING.

MEENA MOREY CHANDRA Regional director U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

ISSUE DATE: August 24 AD CLOSE: August 13

UPCOMING EDITORIAL FEATURE More than 40 public and private college and universities in Ohio offer master of business degrees. This MBA guide provides a snapshot of each of these programs.

BOOK YOUR AD TODAY: 216-771-5158

Expertise Pays Off For more than 80 years, we have helped middle THYRL[ JVTWHUPLZ HJOPL]L ÄUHUJPHS Z\JJLZZ -PUHUJPHS [H_ 0; HUK VYNHUPaH[PVUHS K\L KPSPNLUJL 7\YJOHZL HJJV\U[PUN JVUZ\S[H[PVU ;H_ Z[Y\J[\YPUN + Risk assessment/risk mitigation (\KP[ [H_ HUK HK]PZVY` ZLY]PJLZ 3L[ V\Y RUV^SLKNL L_WLYPLUJL HUK L_WLY[PZL IL HU HZZL[ [V `V\Y JVTWHU`»Z VWLYH[PVUZ THUHNLTLU[ HUK ZOHYLOVSKLYZ

Cleveland | 216.363.0100 Canton | 330.966.9400 Delaware | 740.362.9031 Elyria | 440.323.3200 Business Advisors and Certified Public Accountants

maloneynovotny.com

Federally funded public and private schools and universities are required by law to ensure that every child — regardless of race, color, national origin, ability, sex and age — has equal access to an education. It doesn’t always mean policies are enforced, though.

That’s when Meena Morey Chandra gets involved.

The regional director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Cleveland is responsible for monitoring civil rights compliance procedures for thousands of educational institutions throughout Ohio and Michigan.

“We respond to a whole range of inquiries, including institutions asking for guidance,” she said. “About 60% to 70% of our work is investigations. A large part of that work involves making sure all staff are trained properly.”

In other cases, the department’s regional office preemptively gets involved to make sure rules and procedures are explicitly in place and followed.

Such was the case at Ohio State University, with which the department, after a four-year investigation, entered into an agreement in 2014 to improve its management of sexual violence and harassment reports on campus. The review was not a federal complaint but rather a proactive review of its compliance policies.

The office recently reached resolutions with both the University of Cincinnati and Youngstown State University over providing visually impaired students with website accessibility.

Chandra attributes her regional office’s nationally respected reputation to her 30-member staff’s passion and efficiency in dealing with delicate issues.

“In the last several years, we’ve taken on very systemic, large-scale investigations on difficult subjects,” she says. “Our sexual violence work is in the press almost every day.”

Recent hires include former mid-ca-

reer circuit court law clerks, associates and top law firm partners, who joined the department’s civil rights office because they want to make a difference, she says.

“There are so many opportunities to do public service on the West and East coasts, but they are more limited in Cleveland,” Chandra says.

“When a position posts, we get roughly 500 applications. We have incredibly bright people who take significant pay cuts to join the office, but do it because they are passionate about the work.”

Chandra took over as director last August after having served as deputy director, team leader and staff attorney throughout her 17 years with the regional office. She spent five years in private law practice prior to joining the department.

“She is a visionary manager and a very effective leader of her office,” says Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

“She finds creative solutions, and along with her strong negotiation skills has achieved groundbreaking results across a broad range of issues.”

Chandra serves as both a member and chairwoman of the visiting committee at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, of which she is an alumna. She also was a member of the board of directors for South Asian Americans Leading Together, a nonprofit advocacy group.

As if her workload wasn’t enough to keep her busy, she and her husband, Cleveland law firm managing partner Subodh Chandra, are raising triplet 11-year-old boys.

Their favorite family activity?

“We enjoy hiking and try to do it often,” she says. “I love the conversations I have with my boys when we hike. They become very contemplative, thoughtful and inquisitive.”

— Kathy Ames Carr

20150713-NEWS--21-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/10/2015

10:56 AM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

ROSANNE S. POTTER Senior manager, pension management Eaton Corp.

Rosanne Potter is one of the most important money managers in Cleveland — unbeknownst to most people.

Because instead of managing money for and being out in front of the area’s most wealthy investors, she’s taking care of assets on behalf of about 58,000 people who work for a living, or at least used to.

As senior manager of pension management at Eaton Corp., nearly 60,000 people rely on Potter to both safeguard and grow the assets that they count on for their retirements — including both current and former Eaton employees.

She’s been at Eaton since 2010, but before that she earned her chops as a corporate treasurer for five other companies, the biggest of which was the Wickliffe-based specialty chemical company, Lubrizol.

“I’ve been a little bit of a corporate nomad,” she jokes.

Now Potter seems to have settled, and in a role where she reports to a treasurer, instead of being one. But that hardly means her responsibilities have diminished.

“Eaton is so large, that quite frankly, I already manage $10 billion,” she said.

Not that Potter spends most of her time picking individual stocks or other investments. She’s instead making recommendations on how assets should be allocated and what sorts of funds should be offered to Eaton’s 401(k) plan participants. She then monitors, evaluates and manages the performance of 25 to 30 portfolio managers who make individual investments in line with Eaton’s goals and strategies.

In other words, she’s a lot like a CEO of a money management firm that employs a stable of specialized investment managers.

“In one sense, it’s the largest one (investment firm) that nobody’s ever heard of,” says Eaton senior vice president and treasurer Trent Meyerhoefer.

Meyerhoefer hired Potter himself, when he was building up Eaton’s pension investment team several years ago.

“The stars aligned for us to get Rosanne and someone with her breadth of experience. When we started looking, we started looking specifically for pension managers, and it was a pretty small pond we were fishing in,” he said.

By casting a wider net, though, Eaton got someone with experience to do far more than manage its pension funds, he said. For instance, last year Potter was charged with coordinating Eaton’s communications with its ratings agencies — critically important relationships, since the ratings agencies play a large role in determining the company’s cost of borrowing.

Communicating is one of Potter’s strengths, and Meyerhoefer said she has both the tact and the tenacity to do it effectively, whether that means demanding lower fees from outside professionals or championing an idea with Eaton’s management. “(Her) tenacity is a combination of awareness and just drive to get to a solution. When she knows something is right or is a good idea, she’s not going to let go of it,” Meyerhoefer said.

The situation works for Potter, too.

She could probably earn a living as a portfolio manager or perhaps even running her own investment management firm. But she likes where she is just fine.

“To do that, it helps to live in New York or California; I like living in the

Midwest and I love Cleveland,” she said.

She says, however, that her biggest challenge is keeping up with the markets on a daily basis.

That said, she still finds time for other important efforts as well, including volunteering for the American Heart Association and serving as an adjunct professor teaching MBA classes at Kent State University.

Not to mention her most important job of all — helping to raise a family.

Potter resides in Twinsburg with her husband, Dave Beveridge, and their children: Dana and Carrie Beveridge and James and Katie Potter.

— Dan Shingler

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

21

20150713-NEWS--22-NAT-CCI-CL_--

22

7/10/2015

11:27 AM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

ROBYN MINTER SMYERS Cleveland partner-in-charge Thompson Hine LLP Robyn Minter Smyers has been “all in” her whole life.

The native Clevelander, who lives in Shaker Heights with her husband and children, just blocks from the home where she was raised, always brings a razor-sharp focus to the table, no matter the task at hand.

“I try to live my life that way,” she says. Whether it’s managing a team of lawyers at Thompson Hine — where last fall she became partner-in-charge of the Cleveland office — or being a devoted mother and civic leader, Smyers said she simply can’t do anything “half-hearted.”

Why? Perhaps because she has a “servant’s heart,” she said. But as far as her colleagues are concerned, she’s just always been that way.

Thompson Hine managing partner Deborah Read recalled a past firm event during which the speaker’s message about creating loyal relationships with colleagues and clients resonated with Smyers. In response, Smyers — who is former chair of the firm’s diversity and inclusion initiative — pushed a program to have lawyers create introduction videos and present pictures and details about themselves that coworkers wouldn’t know.

Smyers’ material led the group, and

even the generally more reserved and “most unlikely” lawyers, Read said, were giving their own presentations. It all fostered a deeper sense of camaraderie and connectivity. “(It’s) a great demonstration of being passionate about something and leading by example,” said Read, adding that Smyers “pursues everything with a great degree of intensity.”

That hard-working mentality and capacity for focus can be seen throughout Smyers’ impressive career.

Prior to joining Thompson Hine in 2001, she studied at Harvard and Yale and practiced law in New York, where she also worked for a national nonprofit, the Corporation for Supportive Housing. As a Benjamin Trustman Traveling Fellow, Smyers also had the opportunity to work in the Constitutional Court of South Africa under Archbishop Desmond Tutu, serving for a nonprofit housing organization.

Through her experiences, Smyers developed a passion for real estate development and its potential human impact — so much so that today she focuses her practice on real estate, construction and corporate transactions.

Besides a hunger to excel, Smyers is driven by an interest in impactful

community projects. Through Thompson Hine, Smyers is involved in several of downtown’s high-profile developments, including the revamping of Public Square.

Beyond developing her own practice, Smyers has her own auspicious goals for Thompson Hine.

“I’m determined to help lead the office in a direction where we become known in the marketplace as the most innovative and responsive law firm,” Smyers said.

Still, Smyers’ work doesn’t get in the way of family time or community commitments. Smyers serves on several civic boards and committees, including the African-American Philanthropy Committee of the Cleveland Foundation, the City Club of Cleveland, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio.

A quote by African-American author and civil rights leader Howard Thurman is nestled in Smyers’ wallet: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

“It’s a reminder to keep focus on what make me come alive,” Smyers said.

— Jeremy Nobile

EDUCATING AND INSPIRING TOMORROW’S WOMEN OF NOTE LAURA KEPLEY Artistic director Cleveland Play House

At the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, we celebrate scientific discovery and everything that feeds it: curiosity, dedication, hard work and innovation. The 2015 Women of Note embody these qualities.

Congratulations to Dr. Evalyn Gates, Museum Executive Director and CEO, and to all the 2015 Women of Note.

CMNH.org

Laura Kepley admits her flair for the dramatic before she delivers this line: “I truly believe that theater saved my life.”

“It was the place where I found connection and communion. It was the place where I found my voice,” said the acclaimed artistic director of the Cleveland Play House. “It was the place where I was able to connect to a world and a mission that was bigger than my own sense of self and sense of mission.”

Kepley, who joined the Cleveland Play House as associate artistic director in 2010 and took over the top creative post in 2013, is the final word on all artistic decisions, most notably the theater’s season programming. It’s no easy feat to make it on the marquee of the nation’s first regional theater.

“The stories that I look for have to be smart, deeply personal stories that have social relevance. They have to be reflective of the conversations, issues and concerns that are happening in the community,” said Kepley, who jokes that she is so committed to theater and new plays that she married a play-

wright. (She and her husband, George Brant, live in Cleveland Heights.)

“We strive to be welcoming, diverse, distinctive, bold, thrilling and essential,” Kepley said.

Under her artistic leadership, the Cleveland Play House received its first Regional Theater Tony Award this June.

It’s the highest honor that a regional theater can receive.

“We are incredibly proud to have the national spotlight shining on us and shining on Cleveland,” she says. “Our greatest satisfaction comes from our daily fulfillment of our mission to inspire, stimulate and entertain diverse audiences across the region with plays and theater education but having this recognition really is a testament to our great legacy as well as our forwardlooking vision.”

She has re-energized the theater’s education programs and supported pioneering pilots that received a $2 million grant last fall from the U.S. Department of Education to take its model nationwide.

See next page

20150713-NEWS--23-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/10/2015

11:27 AM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

LAURA KEPLEY continued from previous page

“I have a deep commitment to education both as theater education that is going to shape the next generation of theater makers but I also believe passionately in how theater and theater exercises make for more creative emotionally and socially competent students and future citizens,” she said.

She received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University

HEATHER LENNOX Partner Jones Day Heather Lennox thrives in complexity. She recalls her first year at law school at Georgetown University, which was experimenting with new critical thinking methods related to problem solving.

The method suggests that a person’s motivations aren’t always rational — an approach quite opposite to how the legal profession has historically applied logic to understanding behavior. It was complicated and unusual. But it was then, in a deep moment of thought-provoking study, that Lennox says she felt validated that she was heading into the right profession.

“I could see the light bulbs going off,” she said.

That hunger for knowledge and complexity has helped Lennox become an outstanding lawyer whose resume includes working on some of the nation’s most complicated and precedent-setting cases, from the city of Detroit’s historic $18 billion municipal bankruptcy case to Hostess Brands Inc.’s recent restructuring and sale of nearly $1 billion in total assets.

“These municipal bankruptcies are not very common,” said Lennox, noting the Detroit case marks the veritable pinnacle of her career so far. “To have the biggest one ever with a complete overhaul of a city was pretty amazing. It was probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.”

But it’s a capacity for leadership and cooperation that makes her a great teammate and all the more of an asset at Jones Day where Lennox has devoted nearly 23 years of her career.

“She’s a lawyer practicing at the very top of her game,” said Christopher Kelly, partner in charge of Jones Day’s Cleveland office. “She leads by literally her talent and her willingness to work extra hard yet, at the same time, be a decent human being and mentor our associates.”

In the shrewd world of big law, those personalities aren’t always synonymous.

But don’t get her wrong. Kelly said Lennox is just as tough and cunning as the next attorney when a case is in motion.

Lennox is sharp and considerate.

An avid reader of history — her favorite subjects include the Renaissance and ancient Rome and Egypt — her intelligence is apparent in a discussion. She speaks with a confident flow, occasionally pausing between thoughts to craft an articulate statement.

Kelly recalls when he first met Lennox in the mid ’90s. He had recently transitioned to Jones Day from another firm and was familiarizing himself with everyone. He doesn’t remember the exact conversation, but what resonated with him was Lennox’s steering of the discussion.

And it’s stuck with him nearly 20 years.

“I just remember sitting in that meeting with her and she asked some questions and I thought to myself that this person is just so far ahead of everyone else,” he said.

“Wow. There’s a lot of good people here. But she is really good.”

For Lennox, winning a case is satisfying. But working with teammates, she said, is what makes her career rewarding. Kelly says many of the firm’s bevy of client-service awards trace back to Lennox’s teams.

And despite the busy life of a prestigious bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer, she still makes time for gardening and spending time with her husband and children — the theater is one of her favorite pastimes with her children.

She’s also found time to get involved civically in Cleveland where she has served on boards for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, with which she’s still involved from time to time, and the nonprofit Providence House Inc. At 9 years old, she wanted to be a judge. Whether that could still be in her future one day is unclear.

But having already been a part of a number of landmark lawsuits, Lennox’s next big challenge will expectedly come with her next unique case.

And she can’t wait.

“It’s all about what interesting problem will come your way next,” she said.

— Jeremy Nobile

and her master’s degree in fine arts from Brown University/Trinity Rep before going on to become a Drama League Fellow and recipient of the 2009-2011 National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Career Development Program for Directors.

Kevin Moore, managing director of the Cleveland Play House, describes Kepley as the “real deal; the full package.”

23

“We are 100 years old and we’re led by this fresh-faced, energetic, artistically talented dynamo,” Moore says.

“People all across the country, at theaters large and small, who had encountered Laura were cheering when she was appointed our artistic director which means the world to us and to our company. I’ve had the time of my life being her professional partner these last couple of years and I hope it goes on a long time.”

— Chrissy Kadleck

Experience the Power of Being Understood ®

When you trust the advice you’re getting, you know your next move is the right one.

That’s what you can expect from McGladrey: a team that can help middle-market executives navigate the opportunities and challenges they encounter here in Ohio, across the country or around the world.

In other words, anywhere their businesses take them.

That’s the power of being understood.

To learn more about how McGladrey can help your organization, call our Cleveland office at 216.523.1900.

Or go to www.mcgladrey.com/growingohio.

© 2015 McGladrey LLP. All Rights Reserved.

20150713-NEWS--24-NAT-CCI-CL_--

24

7/10/2015

10:57 AM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

MARLA E. PEREZ-DAVIS Deputy director, research and engineering directorate NASA Glenn Research Center Marla Pérez-Davis grew up in a small coffee farming town in Puerto Rico that didn’t get its first stoplight until about 20 years ago.

As you might expect, she didn’t know any engineers.

So how did she learn about the profession? When she was a freshman in high school, she looked it up in the encyclopedia.

“I said, ‘Hmm. I kind of want to be a chemical engineer,” she said with a laugh.

On that day, she began down the path that eventually would lead her to become head of all research and engineering activities at NASA Glenn Research Center.

With encouragement from a few good science teachers and a mother who demanded that she go to college, Pérez-Davis ended up graduating in 1982 with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico.

She’s been at NASA Glenn ever since.

Two years ago, Pérez-Davis was promoted to one of the highest positions at NASA Glenn: deputy director of the research and engineering directorate.

In that role, she oversees nearly a thousand researchers and engineers at NASA Glenn. Her main job, she says, is to make sure that “we’re delivering what we said we’re going to deliver for each mission.”

She was the right person for the job, according to center director Jim Free. For one, she has experience working in several different functions and departments.

Pérez-Davis knows what it’s like to be a researcher, having spent her first 10 years at NASA Glenn conducting research on batteries and fuel cells. She then moved into a project management role in the center’s aeronautics department. Later in her career she would go on to lead the center’s electrochemistry branch and its aeronautics re-

search office.

Free stated that Pérez-Davis did a lot to stabilize the aeronautics department by securing new projects and funding in that area. He described her as someone who will “do whatever it takes” to help NASA achieve its goals.

She also cares deeply about her employees, Free said.

He added that he wouldn’t be surprised if Pérez-Davis eventually ends up serving as deputy director or director of an entire NASA center.

“As a human being, Marla is probably one of the finest I’ve ever met,” he said.

The Strongsville resident also earned two more chemical engineering degrees — a master’s from the University of Toledo and a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University.

She describes herself as a collaborative person who’s not shy about making decisions or taking on new positions and responsibilities.

That lack of shyness probably helped her in her youth.

Back then, some people doubted that she could actually become an engineer.

Other women might want to respond to such doubts the way that she did.

“Don’t get discouraged by people telling you, ‘You cannot do that.’

“For me, when you tell me I can’t do that, it sounds like a challenge,” she said.

Pérez-Davis, who has two adult sons, challenges herself in her personal life, too: She’s into CrossFit and road cycling. She also enjoys cooking — often without a recipe.

“I cook for myself every single day, from scratch,” she said.

— Chuck Soder

Leading By Example We are proud to congratulate our colleague

Robyn Minter Smyers for being recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business as a Woman of Note.

DR. CYNTHIA DEYLING Chief quality officer Cleveland Clinic

Robyn Minter Smyers Partner-in-Charge, Cleveland Partner, Real Estate, Construction and Corporate Transactions & Securities Practice Groups

Thompson Hine LLP | www.ThompsonHine.com Atlanta | Cincinnati | Cleveland | Columbus | Dayton | NewYork | Washington,D.C.

A lifelong animal lover, Dr. Cynthia Deyling always figured she’d be a veterinarian. But during a work-study assignment, a glimpse of the care being provided to children in a neonatal intensive care unit convinced her that health care was her true calling.

“They were saving these babies, and I realized that this is what I have to do,” Deyling said. “That work enlightened me.”

Since Jan. 1, Deyling’s served as the chief quality officer of the Cleveland Clinic, a $6.7 billion health system and one of the most well-respected health organizations in the world.

In that role, she oversees all quality, regulatory and risk-management activities — facets that are becoming

increasingly important in the wake of health care reform as more attention is being paid to outcomes.

And although she holds one of the health system’s top administrative posts, she still manages to see patients a few days a week.

“When I come home, my husband knows I’ve seen patients because I seem so happy,” Deyling said.

“I love seeing my patients. It’s very rewarding not to just take care of them medically but to be their partner. I’ve known these families and watched them go through life. I’ve seen some of these patients for 30 years.”

An accomplished clinician, Deyling See page 26

20150713-NEWS--25-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/10/2015

10:57 AM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

MARY ANN CORRIGAN-DAVIS President Saint Joseph Academy At one point, when she worked for American Greetings, Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis visited 20 counties annually and spent on average 100 nights overseas.

Today, the president of Saint Joseph Academy may be more settled geographically, but it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have her sights set on global ambitions — at least when it comes to the more than 700 girls in her care.

A world view and an understanding of compassionate leadership and the universality of cultures are just some of the values and lessons Corrigan-Davis works to instill in her school’s students.

Indeed, nearly 100 Saint Joseph Academy students last year had an international experience, whether it was through trips to places such as France and Italy or by being part of a host family to an international student.

Corrigan-Davis is one of seven children who grew up in the West Park neighborhood, and she is a 1971 graduate of the all-girls’ Catholic high school in Cleveland where she has worked since 2006.

“My parents said I could go anywhere I wanted as long as it was in Cleveland, and I lived at home,” said CorriganDavis, who went on to attend John Carroll University, majoring in French, after high school.

Despite those words from her parents, Corrigan-Davis as a junior studied in France, an experience “that really changed my life,” she said.

Following her undergraduate degree, Corrigan-Davis attended Case Western Reserve University to earn her master of science in management, with an emphasis in marketing. (The school did not offer MBAs at the time.)

“I thought the world was waiting for me,” she said. But, it turns out that it wasn’t. Much to Corrigan-Davis’ chagrin, she had troubles finding a job, initially taking on a retail

role at the old Halle department store before landing at American Greetings, where she worked for 27 years.

At American Greetings, Corrigan-Davis’ positions ran the gamut, with each taking on a progressive amount of responsibility — and world travel. She even met her husband at a company softball game.

Life, however, took an unexpected turn for CorriganDavis with a series of events that included the loss of her job (she was part of the decision to eliminate her position), a diagnosis of breast cancer and the death of her father.

“The Lord had different plans,” she said.

Those plans apparently included being tapped as president of her alma mater. She’s the first person at Saint Joseph Academy to hold the position that focuses more on the business and development end of school operations.

“Her business background adds value to the position of the presidency. … She’s a visionary,” said Tari Rivera, president of Regency Construction Services in Lakewood and board chairwoman for Saint Joseph Academy.

Rivera said Corrigan-Davis not only brings a well-rounded perspective to the school, but she gets to know the students on a personal level, knowing each girl by name and a little something about them.

While her position as president keeps her fairly busy, Corrigan-Davis also is on the boards for Saint Ignatius High School and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, and she is involved with the organization In Counsel With Women.

As for what she wants for the students who pass through the halls of Saint Joseph Academy, Corrigan-Davis no doubt draws on her own past experiences.

“Dream big, don’t limit yourself,” she said.

“Women tend to do that. … Believe in yourself.”

— Amy Ann Stoessel

SONIA HOSONO MINTUN continued from page 15

meeting of the minds, Ogan said.

Proper Analysis Corp., the firm for which Ogan is president, couldn’t afford to hire a senior level person at the time. Coincidentally, Mintun was looking for part-time work.

“She just impressed me from the minute I met her,” Ogan said.

Mintun is soft-spoken but firm, Ogan said, committed with a “wonderful, make-it-work attitude.” Mintun stayed with Proper Analysis for about five years, leaving in 2004 for fulltime work at First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. She stayed there until December 2008, when she left for Ancora Advisors, a larger, teamoriented firm with diverse asset classes. As a portfolio manager, Mintun said she really enjoys the research involved and the challenge it presents.

“It never gets boring,” she said.

As the only woman who’s a portfolio manager at Ancora, Mintun said

people may be skeptical of a woman’s opinion at first.

“Don’t let that be a deterrent to you,” Mintun said. “Just prove to people that you can do it.”

Ogan said women need to take themselves seriously in the workplace; otherwise, employers won’t.

Mintun does that well in a non-confrontational way, Ogan said, something she finds “admirable.”

Mintun said she’s detail-oriented and not afraid to take risks.

Every year, she sets professional and personal goals, which this year included running the Cleveland halfmarathon in May. Even without such a goal, she said she enjoys staying active, by exercising, working in the yard or golfing with her husband, Mike. She said she also coaches for the First Tee of Cleveland, which teaches young adults life skills through golf.

— Rachel Abbey McCafferty

Advance Your Career with an Executive MBA From Kent, The World.

All-Inclusive Price with Concierge Service Call today (330) 672-1179 or visit business.kent.edu/degrees/executive-mba

Congratulations!

Rosanne Potter 2015 Women of Note Honoree Kent State University Executive MBA Faculty Senior Manager Pension Management, Eaton Corporation Rosanne Potter is a senior finance professional who specializes in mergers, divestitures and capital markets. She is also an adjunct faculty member for Kent State University’s Executive MBA program teaching Financial Planning and Capital Markets.

25

20150713-NEWS--26-NAT-CCI-CL_--

26

7/10/2015

3:56 PM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

DR. CYNTHIA DEYLING continued from page 24

started her career in private practice before the Clinic recruited her for its then-new Independence Health Center.

She steadily climbed the Clinic’s ranks, ultimately landing in a vice presidential role overseeing regional medical affairs and quality for the health system’s regional hospitals and family health centers.

In that capacity, she was responsible, in a sense, for gelling these individual facilities to act as a system — not necessarily an easy task, according Dr. Brian Donley, the Clinic’s chief of staff who previously oversaw the Clinic’s regional operations.

“She spends the time and she does the work,” Donley said. “She’s not just living up at 30,000 feet. She can live up there and set the goals and swoop down and do what it takes to get them done.”

He added, “She brings an incredible balance of knowledge, skill and emotional intelligence with a relentless focus on what’s best for the patient.”

Deyling said it hasn’t always been easy being a woman in medicine, particularly in an administrative role.

Oftentimes, she said, “Being a woman, people thought of me as being too demanding, but I just kept on plowing through it because I wanted to make change.”

MANAGE YOUR BUSINESS, NOT YOUR TECHNOLOGY. SM COX COX BUSINESS BUSINESS INTERNET INTERNET 15XX AND AND VOICE VOICEMANAGER MANAGERSM SM

$

79

SM

99 mo*

For 12 months with a 2-year agreement*

CALL 866-791-2688 | VISIT COXBUSINESS.COM *Offer valid until 8/30/15. Minimum service term, equipment, installation, fees, taxes, and other restrictions may apply. See coxbusiness.com. ©2015 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

The challenge of pushing through that glass ceiling inspired her to encourage other women in the Clinic organization to pursue leadership roles — something she said Clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove has embraced given that the Clinic’s current leadership team includes several women.

Deyling too has faced adversity on the personal front. In 2005, her husband, Independence city councilman Robert Zuber, died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

At that point, Clinic administrators encouraged Deyling — a self-described workaholic — to take some time off and focus on raising her four sons.

“I had a lot of people in Independence who helped me through that,” said Deyling, who married Tony Panzica in 2009.

“They gave me meals every day.

They were all there for me. There’s no way I could repay them for what they did.”

Those who know Deyling say she’s shown an incredible amount of perseverance and dedication to both her career and her family. And for that, she is a woman of note.

“When I think of Cindy, I think of her devotion to the patient’s well-being,” Donley said.

“Nothing stops her from achieving her goals.”

— Timothy Magaw

YOU CAN WATCH US, TOO Look for Crain’s Weekly Report webcast, which will hit your inbox Friday afternoon. To sign up, go to: crainscleveland.com/register.

SUMMIT PRESENTED BY

AWARDS PRESENTED BY

WOMEN OF NOTE SUMMIT & AWARDS

VIDEO SPONSOR

COMMUNITY PARTNER

THURSDAY, JULY 23 7:30AM - 2PM

CLEVELAND CONVENTION CENTER

This event is not about being “talked at.” It’s about talking together.

Join us for the inaugural Women of Note Summit presented by the Cleveland Foundation – a can’t miss morning of cross-generational learning, sharing experiences, and creating new ideas through interactive table facilitation and dialogue with women from all over Greater Cleveland. Our unique Ignite conversations will ignite new ways of thinking about the future for women in our community.

OPENING PANEL “Your Voice, Your Story: Women in media, on media and the community”

Dee Perry Senior Host/ Producer, ideastream

Micki Byrnes President / GM, WKYC

Connie Schultz Columnist, Creators Syndicate

For more information on our IGNITE speakers and their topics visit

www.CrainsCleveland.com/WON

7/10/2015

2:29 PM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

COMPLIANCE continued from page 1

Running out of time With federal fines soaring as high as $3,000 per individual not offered an affordable health plan, consultants are telling employers — particularly those with small to midsize and highly nuanced workforces that might include lots of part-time or seasonal staff or collective bargaining units — to evaluate their reporting procedures now, if they haven’t already, lest they set themselves up for costly penalties.

John McGowan Jr., a Cleveland partner with BakerHostetler specializing in employee benefits, said clients have been calling in droves this year about how the new ACA

reporting requirements affect them.

“And we’re telling people they need to do their darndest to comply,” he said.

Many are worried, he said. Some want to know if the new requirements apply to them. Others are asking about what penalties they face if found non compliant. Some are asking about what recourse they have if their vendor botches the reports.

These changes have been looming for years, though. So why the rush now?

Experts say many employers are simply playing catch-up.

Large companies either have internal staff dedicated to the new requirements or have been more proactive in finding solutions because of their scale and large staffs.

By industry, McGowan said staffing and restaurant companies are among those who have been ahead of the curve.

But those smaller and midsize employers with a combination of unique employment arrangements and greater turnover — which can include nonprofits that already tend to be a bit slower on the compliance front, McGowan said, as well as governmental organizations and schools — are more likely to be behind.

Some employers have been resistant to implement changes, McGowan said. Some may be negligent. But the reasons why some are behind vary.

The IRS didn’t actually release the new W2-esque reporting forms (the various 1094 and 1095 forms) until February, so that created some lag.

Some have likely dragged their feet because of the fluid deadlines.

The smallest tier of affected employers (50 full-time equivalent employees and more) has an extra year to comply compared with their larger counterparts (100 FTE employees and more) who need to be compliant this year to complete their 2016 reports. Those showing at least a “good faith” effort to be compliant, though, as deemed by the IRS, won’t be penalized their first year despite any possible errors.

Meanwhile, those straddling the border between 50 to 100 FTE employees may just be realizing they’re affected after reviewing their books.

Others were banking on legal challenges tearing the ACA down, McGowan said. However, the recent Supreme Court ruling proves the ACA is here to stay — at least with the current administration.

“I think a lot of people, because of the complexities of it, have buried their heads in the sand and have ignored the requirements and said ‘I’ll deal with it later,’” said David Reyes, a CPA in the tax consulting services group for accounting firm Maloney Novotny.

“Some people might not do it until the early part of next year, but there’s so much data to gather that it makes sense to be gathering it on a monthly basis as you go along instead of trying to do it once at the end of the year,” Reyes said.

Added CBIZ’s King, “For those who have been stalling or thinking this is going to go away, they’re running out of time.”

27

TAX LIENS The Internal Revenue Service filed tax liens against the following businesses in the Cuyahoga County Recorder’s Office. The IRS files a tax lien to protect the interests of the federal government. The lien is a public notice to creditors that the government has a claim against a company’s property.

Liens reported here are $5,000 and higher. Dates listed are the dates the documents were filed in the Recorder’s Office.

LIENS FILED HCI Inc. 3167 Fulton Road, Suite 100, Cleveland ID: 34-1852400 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding, failure to file complete return Amount: $309,355 Incredible Kids Childcare & Preschool Center 4651 Northfield Road, North Randall ID: 26-1912243 Date filed: May 15, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding, unemployment Amount: $230,336 J P S Inc. Garfield Metal Products P.O. Box 605178, Cleveland ID: 34-1369489 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding, unemployment Amount: $100,346 India Grocers Inc. 6855 W. 130 St., Parma Heights ID: 34-1799309 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding, unemployment, corporate income Amount: $40,249 Rajendra K. Mehta, M.D., Inc. 6701 Rockside Road, Suite 370, Inde-

pendence ID: 34-1926694 Date filed: May 13, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding, corporate income Amount: $40,129 Expert System Applications Inc. 26401 Miles Road, Cleveland ID: 34-1646791 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $27,746 AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland Inc. United Way Services 2728 Euclid Ave., Suite 400, Cleveland ID: 34-1433612 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Return of organization exempt from income tax Amount: $27,700 Michael A Pray & Associates Inc. 24500 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 300, Beachwood ID: 34-1792935 Date filed: June 12, 2015 Type: Corporate income Amount: $26,589 Agresta Landscaping Inc. 11424 W. 130 St., Strongsville ID: 34-1674865 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding, corporate income Amount: $25,422 First Fruits Child Development Center 1 21877 Euclid Ave., Euclid ID: 45-3304729 Date filed: May 15, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $24,384 Swirl Wine Bar LLC 3325 Bainbridge Road, Solon ID: 27-4640421 Date filed: May 12, 2015

WORK

PLAY

ready is garnering interest from employers of all types and sizes, from trade groups and school districts to large companies, including a couple with several thousand employees each. Contracts are in the works, she said.

Apple Growth primarily deals with small to midsize, privately held companies on the accounting front, but its ACA product could be applied to any employer of any size.

Rehmann, a Michigan-based accounting firm with offices in Northeast Ohio, is the first to private-license the product. Additional licenses with other accounting firms will remain an ongoing goal, Burnoski said.

“It is a natural fit for us,” said Carl Sorboro, Rehman’s director of operations. “Why would we sink development costs to satisfy a client when (Apple Growth was) already so far ahead of the game?”

Sorboro added that there’s “definitely a client need” for reporting help and the partnership with Apple Growth will create “a revenue stream for the firm that reaches far beyond 2015.”

That goes for Apple Growth, too.

“We’re focusing on Ohio,” said Apple Growth Partners CEO Harold Gaar. “But in terms of working with other accounting firms, it really has no border limits.”

Whether through consulting or offering special, proprietary reporting tools, firms providing accounting, payroll and benefits services are busy helping employers clamoring for ACA compliance.

Those without their own niche ACA practices are increasingly partnering with those who do.

CBIZ Inc., a large, Clevelandbased professional service firm, began ACA consulting and analysis in 2012.

But “the urgency factor has significantly increased” in 2015, said Jim King, vice president and chief operating officer of CBIZ’s national employee benefits practice in Cleveland.

Through a partnership with SyncStream Solutions LLC, which has established its own ACA reporting tools, CBIZ unveiled its CBIZ ACA CheckPoint tool in December.

And those combined efforts already are paying off.

“What we found was from 2012 on, our retention is steadily improving, and we believe a lot of that has to do with our work around healthcare reform,” King said.

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

HARD

20150713-NEWS--27-NAT-CCI-CL_--

HARD

Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $24,011 First Fruits Child Development Center 1 21877 Euclid Ave., Euclid ID: 45-3304729 Date filed: May 13, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding, unemployment Amount: $18,678 Blessed Assurance Health Agency LLC 23902 E. Silsby Road, Beachwood ID: 46-2575042 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $17,245 Szekeres Landscaping Inc. 11906 Beckenham Road, North Royalton ID: 34-1954760 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $17,080 Completelaw-Web LLC 19901 Van Aken Blvd., Shaker Heights ID: 26-4610982 Date filed: May 15, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $16,756 Primary Roofing Inc. 8189 Chestnut Blvd., Broadview Heights ID: 30-0658857 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding Amount: $15,691 Solon Restaurant Repair Inc. 38240 Aurora Road, Solon ID: 34-1495165 Date filed: May 12, 2015 Type: Employer’s withholding, failure to file complete return, corporate income Amount: $15,388

Conference Center with 22,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space that accommodates up to 400.

270-room Wilson Lodge featuring 59 premium rooms and The West Spa. Creative cuisine served in banquet rooms or catered in various locations throughout the resort.

Legendary customer service & personal attention.

1,700 acres of year-round recreation in an inspiring natural setting.

A Natural Setting for Success with the Perfect Blend of Work and Play Conveniently located just 3 miles from I-70 Exit 2A in Wheeling, WV. An easy 3 hour drive from Cleveland!

Phone: 800-972-1991 Email: sales@oglebay-resort.com Web: www.oglebay-resort.com

20150713-NEWS--28-NAT-CCI-CL_--

28

7/10/2015

2:30 PM

Page 1

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

BANKS continued from page 1

on Twitter.

By the end of the sweepstakes, Key’s followers had jumped 55%.

“They’re engaging with a younger audience. They see value in that,” said Indians communications coordinator Joel Hammond.

In June, Intersport, a Chicagobased creator of sports and entertainment marketing platforms, announced a partnership with KeyBank. Intersport senior vice president Jason Langwell said Key’s sports sponsorship portfolio — which includes the Seattle Mariners, Indiana Pacers, the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer and the Pepsi Center (which houses the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche) — is strong.

“It’s not about acquiring more properties and deals at this point,” Langwell said.

Instead, Key is focusing on digital and social media campaigns aimed at improving in three important measures: awareness, branch traffic, and “favorability and consideration.”

During the NBA Finals, the Cavs asked fans to showcase their team spirit by uploading a picture to Twitter or Instagram. Some of the photos — which had to include #ALLinCLE and #KeyInsider hashtags to be considered — were displayed on Quicken Loans Arena’s monstrous scoreboard prior to Game 4.

The #KeyInsider hashtag —

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The FirstMerit-sponsored T-shirt toss takes place at every game at The Q. which Langwell said suggests behind-the-scenes access — will be used frequently in promotions to “give it life and provide additional touch points,” the Intersport VP said.

Key has also had offers for fans who check in at Indians games with Major League Baseball’s Ballpark app, and the bank’s name and insignia are all over the renovated Progressive Field, including the expanded Kids Clubhouse area. The concourse outside the clubhouse is home to Little League Park presented by KeyBank — a wiffle ball field that is a popular attraction on game day.

“Key has seen an untapped audience in families,” Hammond said.

“They’re very strategic in that the audience we have are possible customers.”

Wennerberg said KeyBank’s research has shown that banks spend as much as 25%, and as little as 3%, of their overall budgets on sponsorships. The marketing executive wouldn’t say how much of its budget Key devotes to sponsorships, but added that the company “isn’t on either of the outlying extremes.”

Sound investment FirstMerit’s Tutkovics said the bank spends about 15% to 20% of its total budget on sponsorships, and the amount is almost entirely dedicated to sports and entertainment.

“We’re looking for that emotional connection,” she said.

FirstMerit has had a scholarship program throughout its long partnership with the Cavs, but the

bank’s relationship with the team “goes a lot deeper,” Tutkovics said.

The T-shirt toss that takes place during the first timeout of every game at The Q is presented by FirstMerit (in case you missed the company’s name and logo being featured on the scoreboard each time it’s taken place), and the bank is involved in many social media promotions with the Cavs, as well as sponsoring the tipoff show and other team programming on Fox Sports Ohio.

“For us, it’s looking for ways to connect with the community and the places they love the most, which is obviously their sports teams,” Tutkovics said.

In addition to the Cavs, FirstMerit’s extensive sports partnership portfolio includes four NFL teams (the Browns, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers), three MLB clubs (the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers), the NHL champion Chicago Blackhawks, the Detroit Red Wings, and Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan.

FirstMerit had a 10-year partnership with the Indians prior to KeyBank’s expanded relationship this year. Tutkovics said the bank would like to do more with the Browns and Tribe, but the teams’ “official” partnerships with PNC Bank and Key, respectively, put strict limits on what the clubs can do with competitors.

Tutkovics said FirstMerit will

take about 100 clients to FirstEnergy Stadium this summer for a punt, pass and kick competition. The bank also entertains clients at Browns games.

But Pittsburgh-based PNC has a partnership with the Browns that is “pretty much exclusive,” said Rob McBurnett, the team’s communications coordinator. PNC is the only bank that can use the Browns logo and trademarks in any of its branding.

The Cavs are the only member of the big three in Cleveland without an official bank. The reigning Eastern Conference champs have partnerships with KeyBank, FirstMerit and Huntington — all of which have been in place for at least 12 years, said senior director of corporate communications Phyllis Salem.

The Cavs told FirstMerit that their 2014-15 postgame surveys showed that 41% of the team’s fans are more likely to purchase a product or service if the company is a sponsor of the Cavs, and 44% are more likely to try a product or service if it’s affiliated with the team.

That might just seem like a line in a brochure given to a prospective customer, but both Wennerberg and Tutkovics said their respective banks have reaped plenty of benefits from their sizable investments in sports.

“The sponsorship more than pays for itself,” FirstMerit’s Tutkovics said.

REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIED Phone: (216) 522-1383 Fax: (216) 694-4264 Contact: Denise Donaldson E-mail: DDonaldson@crain.com AUCTION

ABSOLUTE REAL ESTATE AUCTION TWO COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES

JULY 21

Ɣ

11 AM

OPEN HOUSE: JULY 14 4 - 6 PM or by appt

ON-SITE: 3407 MILAN RD, SANDUSKY OH PROPERTY 1: 18,722± sq ft 2-story office/retail bldg on Milan Rd PROPERTY 2: 7± acres on Cleveland Rd across from Sawmill Creek Resort 12% Buyer’s Premium.

See website for complete terms and conditions.

John Froelich

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Business Writer Wanted Need someone to write business plans.

Part-time as needed.

Available for lease

www.empirebusinesses.com 440-461-2202

Up to 50,000 ft2. Featuring a 44 dock Truck Terminal with offices. Very close to the airport, I480 and I71.

More information: http://www/ipstneo.com

LAND

PUBLIC NOTICE

3 ACRES MIDDLEBURG HTS Pearl near I71 or Bagley Zoned multi or GB MLS #3704084

RE/MAX

The Monarch Centre is exclusively represented by The Ag Real Estate Group, Inc., Eric M. Silver Broker 216-504-5000 agrealestategroup.com

BUSINESS SERVICES

Commercial warehouse/properties

www. 250Center.com Ɣ 440-454-1121

CEDAR BROOK FINANCIAL PARTNERS has renewed its lease of 18,500 SF at the MONARCH CENTRE

Copy Deadline: Wednesdays @ 2:00 p.m.

All Ads Pre-Paid: Check or Credit Card

PRIVATE INVESTOR looking for commercial real estate projects to fund.

Must have equity.

Quick Process.

Call Mr. McKenzie at ADVANCED BUSINESS CAPITAL at 800 511 0597

Global Expansion Consulting Construction • Acquisitions Exporting • Financing

(855) 707-1944

ATTENTION BUSINESS SERVICE OWNERS! Submit your business card to promote your service.

To find out more, contact Denise Donaldson at 216.522.1383

216-926-4206

CAPITAL AVAILABLE

C. W. JENNINGS INDUSTRIAL EXCHANGE

BUSINESSES FOR SALE For whomever is looking to increase volume sales, or looking to buy a going Stamping Business. Have 2. Can buy bldg. together or separate business + equipment, or bldg.. We sell companies, are you retiring?

Ted – Dan

440-382-8694

New Business for Sale Mail Pre-Sort Bureau & Direct Mail Service Very profitable Owner retiring www.empirebusinesses.com 440-461-2202

For daily on-line updates, sign up @ CrainsCleveland.com/Daily

FLYNN ENVIRONMENTAL UST REMOVALS • REMEDIATION DUE DILIGENCE INVESTIGATIONS

(800) 690-9409

To place a Crain’s Cleveland Business Executive Recruiter ad Call Denise Donaldson at 216-522-1383

20150713-NEWS--31-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

2:48 PM

Page 1

JULY 13 - 19, 2015

WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM

THE WEEK JULY 6 - 12 The big story: Gary Fingerhut left the Cleveland Clinic after the FBI told the hospital system that he made financial transactions that violated the hospital system’s internal policies. Fingerhut — who was executive director of the Clinic’s innovation and Fingerhut business development unit — allegedly engaged in “financial transactions involving one of our spin-off companies,” according to a Clinic statement. The FBI is not making inquiries about the Clinic itself, said Vicki Anderson, special agent with the FBI’s Cleveland division. She couldn’t confirm or deny if the FBI is formally investigating Fingerhut. The chairman of Cleveland Clinic Innovations, Dr. Thomas Graham, will serve as executive director of the unit while the Clinic searches for Fingerhut’s replacement.

Star performer: The 11-story Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Cleveland has a new owner after an affiliate of high-profile Starwood Capital Group acquired it for $16.6 million. The 240room hotel, which has an attached banquet center, had been lender-owned since 2012, when LNR Group, a Miami Beach-based special servicer, gained possession of the property at a sheriff sale. LNR completed a foreclosure proceeding instituted under a securitized loan referred to as JPMCC 2006 LDP7. Starwood Capital Group is a Greenwich, Conn.-based private investment fund with an asset value of $68 billion.

The future is now: Akron General Health System, which last year sold a minority stake of its enterprise to Cleveland Clinic, plans to build a new emergency department on its main campus — a project expected to cost around $35 million and be more than double the size of its current emergency facilities. The health system kicked off the construction effort July 8. By midto late-2017, the site will boast a two-story, 55,000-square-foot facility that will be connected to the hospital’s primary building by a bridge.

Feeling their oats: The Oatey Co., a Cleveland manufacturer and distributor of plumbing and related products, plans to start construction of its own headquarters soon at Emerald Corporate Park on the city’s West Side. John McMillan, Oatey CEO, said the two-story, 43,500-squarefoot headquarters building will be designed to foster collaboration among different disciplines at the company and the 120 associates in its corporate staff. It will occupy part of the Grayton Road office park and will overlook the Rocky River valley and Cleveland Metroparks.

Parting gift: Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. of Mayfield Heights disclosed it is paying more than $460,000 to its former vice president and chief financial officer, W. Scott Emerick. In a July 7 regulatory filing, Park-Ohio said it entered into a separation agreement with Emerick in which the former CFO “will receive the sum of $462,075 payable in equal monthly installments over twelve months beginning July 25.” The company disclosed last month that Emerick’s employment at the company ended June 4.

State of the art: The Akron Art Museum announced construction will begin this month on the $5 million Bud and Susie Rogers Garden, which it said will create “a new civic commons in the heart of downtown.” The garden “will reinvigorate a static, one-acre tract” along the south side of the museum and will be used for “a range of activities, including introspection, exploration, expression, social interactions and meaningful art experiences.” The garden was made possible by a lead gift from Rick and Alita Rogers, and will be named in honor of Rick Rogers’ parents, longtime community volunteers and museum supporters Bruce “Bud” Rogers and his wife, Suzanne “Susie” Rogers.

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

29

REPORTERS’ NOTEBOOK BEHIND THE NEWS WITH CRAIN’S WRITERS

German subsidiary finds a home in NE Ohio An international electronics distributor has decided to make Northeast Ohio its North American home.

Rutronik Inc. — a U.S. subsidiary of Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH in Germany — opened its North American headquarters in Independence near the end of April. The location in the Summit Office Park gives the company the space that Jeff Shafer, vice president of North America, thinks it will need.

“We know we’re going to grow fairly quick,” Shafer said.

The current office is about 3,000 square feet, Shafer said, but there’s more space to grow in the complex if they need it. Rutronik is an electronics distributor that primarily supplies the automotive and industrial markets. The markets Rutronik serves made Northeast Ohio a logical place to locate.

(Plus, it’s where Shafer is from.)

There are six people working in Independence, but Shafer sees that growing to at least 50 in the next three to four years. The company will need employees in areas ranging from customer service to inside sales to accounting.

The North American headquarters is the company’s first U.S. location, but it already has a sales operation in Mexico. Shafer said he’s hiring field sales engineers in the United States and Canada and will look into setting up brick-and-mortar sales locations in the next 12 to 18 months.

Shafer said the company plans to open a

WHAT’S NEW

warehouse in Texas in the fourth quarter, which will allow it to ship in the United States and Canada, as well as be near business in Mexico.

— Rachel Abbey McCafferty

CoverMyMeds looks for developers who are gems Hey developers — want to make money while learning the Ruby programming language?

CoverMyMeds will teach you.

The fast-growing pharmacy software company plans to start hiring developers with at least three years of experience and teaching them how to code with Ruby, a language that is popular with startup companies and Internet-related businesses.

CoverMyMeds raised a large amount of venture capital last year, though it won’t disclose an exact amount. Even with that funding, however, it can’t hire Ruby developers fast enough, according to Alan Gilbert, vice president of engineering at the company, which has offices in Columbus and Twinsburg.

So instead of hiring Ruby developers, CoverMyMeds will create them.

“We’re doubling down on the idea that great people can learn new technologies,” Gilbert said. “This is an opportunity for developers to make the jump to a technology stack that is increasingly viewed as the future of the Internet.”

CoverMyMeds erected a 160-foot-tall advertisement on the side of the Orange Barrel Media building, near downtown Columbus.

The ad aims to convince programmers who

Oh, that’s what it means

The company says its new barriers are “designed to create healthier and more energy efficient buildings by forming a flexible blanket of protection over the exterior wall assembly and controlling the movement of air through the building envelope.”

Air leakage, the company says, “contributes to condensation, moisture development and energy loss in the wall assembly.”

One of the products, Aero-Perm WB, is a fluid-applied, water-based barrier “that allows moisture vapors to pass through porous building materials, reducing the chances for mold growth in the wall assembly,” Garland says. It also cures to “a tough, flexible membrane capable of accommodating building movement while controlling air leakage into and out of conditioned living spaces.”

Garland also offers a self-adhering version, Aero-Perm SA. It’s a pre-fabricated, self-adhering air and water barrier membrane specifically engineered for vertical air and water barrier applications. The company says Aero-Perm SA will adhere to metal, concrete and masonry, plywood and exterior gypsum boards.

For information, visit www.garlandco.com.

Send information about new products to managing editor Scott Suttell at ssuttell@crain.com.

Membership has its privileges, in due time Akron General’s affiliation with Cleveland Clinic appears to be going nicely, and its CEO — Dr. Thomas “Tim” Stover — would like the hospital system to become a full member of the health care giant “sooner rather than later.”

“There’s work being done in the background to move that along,” said Stover, who wouldn’t provide a timeline.

The Clinic purchased a minority stake in Akron General last August as part of a sixyear agreement valued at about $100 million. As part of agreement, the Clinic agreed to help the Akron-based system invest in its facilities, information technology and its clinical operations.

The Clinic is helping the system pay for a roughly $35 million new emergency department and the conversion of its electronic medical record system to Epic.

— Timothy Magaw

BEST OF THE BLOGS Excerpts from recent blog entries on CrainsCleveland.com.

COMPANY: The Garland Co., Cleveland PRODUCT: Aero-Perm line of permeable air and water barriers

use Java and other languages to try “a better cup of coffee” (notice the “Java” pun). The company also works to recruit developers in the Cleveland area, but all developers would begin their training at the Columbus office, which is significantly larger.

Pharmacies use the company’s software to quickly confirm that a prescription is covered by a patient’s insurance. And they must like it: CoverMyMeds generated $18.7 million in revenue in 2013, up from $1.1 million in 2010, according to data that the company submitted to Inc. magazine. — Chuck Soder

One of the major mysteries of the modern world is the real meaning of food expiration dates.

The New York Times turned to Kristin Kirkpatrick, manager of nutrition services at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, to offer some clarity on expiration dates, which generally are guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules.

Her quick guide to label language included the following: ■ A “sell by” date indicates how long a store should display a product on its shelves. Foods can still be tasty and are safe for several days longer if stored properly.

■ A “use by” or “best if used by” date comes from the manufacturer and refers to taste and texture, not safety.

■ An “expiration” date is the only packaging date related to food safety. If this date has passed, throw the food out.

The Times said the bottom line is that common sense should prevail.

“If food has been sitting in the back of the fridge for weeks, if it’s slimy or smells funky, get rid of it,” the paper concluded.

“As the saying goes: If in doubt, throw it out.”

Stretching your dollar Ohio, it turns out, is a pretty good place to live if you want to find a decent job and cover your costs comfortably.

Business Insider pointed to a ranking by personal finance site MoneyRates of the 10 best and 10 worst states for making a living in 2015.

The ranking is based on five factors: average wages, state tax rates, cost of living, unemployment rates, and incidents of workplace injuries.

By those measurements, Ohio is the ninth-best state in the country. It benefits from a below-average cost of living and state tax rates that are lower than most of its counterparts in the top 10. (At least those that have an income tax; the top three states in the MoneyRates ranking — Texas, Washington and Wyoming — don’t have state income taxes.)

The worst state to live, by this measure, is Hawaii, which has a sky-high cost of living — the price of living in paradise, apparently.

Meet the neighbors The state also is a hotbed of so-called “gayborhoods.”

Forbes.com highlighted research from Zillow that looked at neighborhoods with the largest share of gay couples, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data.

Four of the top 10 are in Ohio: No. 2, the Necko neighborhood of Columbus, 42%; No. 3, the McPherson neighborhood of Dayton, 30.6%; No. 6, the Grafton Hill neighborhood of Dayton, 27.2%; and No. 7, the Edgewater neighborhood of Cleveland, 26.7%. (No. 1 on the list: the Corona Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, at 44.5%.)

Since the 1980s, according to Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and chief economist Stan Humphries, “historically gay neighborhoods outpace other real estate environments,” Forbes.com said. And over the past 40 years, “home prices in historically gay neighborhoods have steadily outperformed average prices for the metros in which they’re located.”

The phenomenon isn’t universally applicable; some gayborhoods lag behind metro home values.

But, as Rascoff and Humphries noted, the data send a clear message: “Many gay communities across the country are no longer marginalized and undervalued. …

They’re coveted.”

20150713-NEWS--32-NAT-CCI-CL_--

7/9/2015

8:45 AM

Page 1

Helping you build business success in Cleveland on a strong foundation of community spirit, expert analyses, sound advice and trust. That’s the power of a local connection, with you year by year, wherever you want to grow.

bofaml.com/yourcorner

“Bank of America Merrill Lynch” is the marketing name for the global banking and global markets businesses of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Securities, strategic advisory, and other investment banking activities are performed globally by investment banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“Investment Banking Affiliates”), including, in the United States, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., both of which are registered broker-dealers and Members of SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp. are registered as futures commission merchants with the CFTC and are members of the NFA. Investment products offered by Investment Banking Affiliates: Are Not FDIC Insured • May Lose Value • Are Not Bank Guaranteed. ©2015 Bank of America Corporation 06-15-1186.H