Akron Business

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Tobin Buckner Helping entrepreneurs find the support they need. P. A5

Pry’s legacy

Main Course

Late county executive’s work will continue. P. A7

Melt serves meals between two slices of bread. P. A8

Better Blocks bring redevelopment ideas to life — at least temporarily

By BETH THOMAS HERTZ clbfreelancer@crain.com

Revitalizing an area can take time.

Permanent changes require planning, consensus-building, permits, funding and much more. Better Block events, three of which are going on in the Akron area this summer and fall, are a way to give improvement ideas a trial run.

Typically held over a weekend, a Better Block event might include closing off a lane of traffic to make a bike lane, opening “pop-up” cafes with outdoor seating or adding potted trees to create shade — generally giving people a reason to get out of their cars and imagine what’s possible in a given area in terms of livability and business development. Of course, organizers hope at least some of the changes they bring to life will stick.

Jason Roberts, who in 2010 originated the national Better Block movement in Texas, said he has not seen three events in succession in an area before.

“It’s been incredible to see the neighborhoods come together for these events,” he said. “These are great ways to bring together people and groups that want to do things.”

Roberts was in Akron on July 30 and 31 for a Better Block event in the Middlebury neighborhood. Upcoming Better Block events are planned for Cuyahoga Falls’ Front Street on Aug. 26 and 27, and Copley Township’s circle on Sept. 9-11. Roberts’ organization has been involved in

Children play in a swimming pool created out of a discarded billboards.

Middlebury Better Block organizers created a playground out of old tires. (Shane Wynn for Crain’s)

helping the community-based leaders in Middlebury and Cuyahoga Falls, and has offered some consulting help in Copley.

“A lot of people from each (event) are volunteering for the others to help and share knowledge,” he said.

“They are all supporting each other.”

Jason Segedy, director of planning and urban development for Akron who was involved in a Better Block in Akron’s North Hill last year, said the best part of these events is that they let residents get involved in visualizing what is possible in their area.

“Not all development and planning decisions need to come from the top down,” he said.

The John S. and James L. Knight

Foundation supports the idea of Better Blocks. It gave $20,000 to the Middlebury event. The Cuyahoga Falls event received $10,000 from a grant from Akron Torchbearers that was funded by the foundation. (Both events have raised money from other sources, too.)

“Too often, we create fancy renderings (for revitalization) instead of just taking 48 hours and showing people what can be,” said Kyle Kutuchief, the Knight Foundation’s Akron program director. “There is value in actually doing something. It helps inform the long-term planning process.”

Some ideas will prove to be a hit, SEE BLOCKS, PAGE A4

Engineer Cara Adams’ drive takes her to dream job

By BETH THOMAS HERTZ clbfreelancer@crain.com

Cara Adams counts herself lucky to have a career that combines two of her passions in life: science and racing. A couple of added bonuses: The Green native was able to build that career right in her hometown and is helping to break down some gender barriers along the way.

Adams, 37, is senior project engineer for race tire development at Bridgestone Americas Inc. in Akron.

Bridgestone’s racing arm operates as Firestone Racing and is the sole supplier of tires for the Verizon IndyCar Series. That means Adams splits her

time working at the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Center and traveling over 20 times a year to tracks, working with some of the world’s best drivers, to see her tires put to the test.

Adams’ mother, a retired high school science teacher, taught her to see science as a fun, intriguing puzzle. Her love of science took her to the University of Akron’s College of Engineering, where she thought she would attend for two years (to take advantage of free tuition through her father’s job there) then transfer elsewhere. But when she was introduced to the Formula SAE Program — a competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers where

Cara Adams of Bridgestone Americas. (Shane Wynn for Crain’s)

students design, build and race open-wheel cars — her plans changed. She was hooked on racing.

She stayed at UA and received two degrees, in mechanical engineering and Spanish, in 2002. After she did a short stint at Diebold Inc., her hometown, with its racing tire tech centers, provided her the opportunity to find her dream career.

Adams found herself in a unique position in the beginning of her racing career. When she started with the race team in 2008, she was often the only female technical employee at the track. Many drivers assumed she was in marketing. When she asked them how their tires performed, SEE ADAMS, PAGE A6

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Industrial parks giving businesses room to grow

By DAN SHINGLER dshingler@crain.com @DanShingler

While city officials often work with advocates to make some of Akron’s urban neighborhoods more livable and easier to get around, the city has another strategy for new businesses: Give them places to build spacious new homes, often in the suburbs, with freshly laid streets, modern infrastructure and room to expand.

Akron maintains four business parks, with a fifth in the wings, and among them is nearly 400 acres of land. So far, about 30 businesses have made the parks their homes.

Those businesses range from an accounting firm to food manufacturers to automotive parts makers, but they all provide the above-minimumwage jobs that city economic developers in Akron, and everywhere else, crave.

Ascot Industrial Park, with 200 acres just west of State Road near Cuyahoga Falls, is the city’s largest and most successful park to date. It houses 22 businesses, including Main Street Gourmet.

“It’s pretty much full to the brim,” said Brad Beckert, who manages the parks as development engineering manager and building superintendent for the mayor’s Office of Economic Development. The complex has only a couple of small parcels left, he said.

Beckert said Ascot has been a popular site for manufacturers, in part because of its northern location and quick access to state Route 8, I-271 and other major highways.

Akron’s North Turkeyfoot Industrial Park is near Portage Lakes. Located on a former golf course, its 35 acres houses food makers Gardner Pie Co. and Hickory Harvest Foods.

Hickory Harvest, which already has expanded twice at the site, has about

50,000 square feet of operations and plans to add another 15,000 square feet by the end of the year.

The city has targeted the Massillon Road Industrial Park for “light industrial development and the creation of manufacturing employment opportunities.” It only has four companies in it, but one of them is Röchling Automotive, which operates a big plastics injection-molding plant at the site. It opened in 2012 and employs about 125 people, making OEM parts for U.S. auto plants.

For white-collar jobs, the city is counting on its White Pond Office Park, near both I-77 and I-76 off White Pond Drive. That park announced its first tenant, Akron accounting firm BCG & Co., which is soon to be part of Illinois-based Sikich LLC as a result of a merger announced this year. BCG employs nearly 100 people and specifically sought to stay in Akron with its new 34,500-square-foot home, now under construction.

There is a fifth park, the 54-acre South Munroe Road Industrial Park, near Gilchrist Road, but the city has yet to begin development work there.

Lots of space The other parks, however, have seen a good level of activity and continue to draw interest from both local businesses looking to expand or build new facilities, as well as companies from outside the area looking to move in, Beckert said.

Local companies are often hardpressed to find locations where they can expand, at least with the acreage that the parks offer, according to Beckert. Add space for parking and easy access to the interstates, and the sites become even more attractive, he said.

“Sometimes it’s a challenge inside the city limits to find them the space.

These parks provide that space,” Beckert said. “In the parks, we like to sell a minimum of 5 acres.”

While the White Pond and Ascot parks are located in Akron, the Massillon Road park is in Springfield Township and the Turkeyfoot park is in Coventry Township. The city purchased the land, but the parks are in Joint Economic Development Districts, enabling the city to bring its resources and infrastructure assets to bear in places it would otherwise not reach. Tax revenues are then split between Akron and the townships, Beckert said.

That room to grow was a chief reason that Röchling, based in Germany, expanded its U.S. operations from South Carolina to Akron, said Dave Butler, director of operations for North America.

“When we were originally up here scouting the areas, the city was very receptive to everything we wanted to do. We were able to find a nice piece of land, with room to expand. We’ve actually already doubled our footprint,” said Butler, who added that the company now has 14 acres inside the park.

It might buy more, too, if business continues to expand for the next few years, he said.

“We have the lot adjacent to this, which is pretty much the same size as this, and we have first right of refusal if someone else tries to buy it,” Butler said. “That was another key reason we chose this area.”

It’s all about jobs Normally, the city sells the land in the parks. In the case of Röchling, however, it gave the company the land to secure the manufacturing jobs it delivered.

That doesn’t always go over well with commercial real estate professionals marketing other properties, though. Area professionals say the SEE PARKS, PAGE A8

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SarahCare finds niche with aging boomers

By JUDY STRINGER clbfreelancer@crain.com

Ever heard of SarahCare? Unless you are caring for an aging loved one, probably not. Formally known as Sarah Adult Day Services Inc., it’s an adult day care company based in Canton.

Even those who find themselves thrust into the caregiver role for a mother, father or spouse often have the wrong idea about SarahCare and what it does, said CEO Merle Griff.

“People think of it as baby-sitting,” said Griff, who opened her first senior health center in 1985. “They worry their loved one will just sit there all day. … When people actually come in and they see the centers, and they see the level of activity, they are just really shocked and surprised.”

SarahCare’s main goal is to help older adults remain in their homes — or in a family home — for as long as possible. Most of the clients are age 60 or older. Some have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Others have suffered a stroke, are managing chronic diseases, such as diabetes or Parkinson’s, or have mobility challenges. In most of the cases, these are adults who cannot safely stay home alone but are not ready for a nursing home.

Clients arrive at the center in the morning and return home in the afternoon, but don’t confuse this with a children’s day care, Griff said. The centers are staffed with registered and licensed nurses, social workers and dietary consultants to see to clients’ physical needs. In addition, an activities director and a full slate of programs — such as book clubs, card games, Wii contests and outings — keep the seniors alert and socially connected.

“We get people out,” she said. “We have golf leagues, bowling leagues, fishing leagues. They go out to restaurants, concerts, movies.”

The alternative — especially when the primary caregiver works or has other obligations — is often long days at home alone, which can lead to isolation and depression.

“When people get out of the home, it forces them to be more oriented, more social,” Griff said, and “it gives the family caregiver a break.”

process of taking its operation international with new centers going up in the Middle East.

Of course, much of the demand is driven by the rapidly growing senior segment. In Summit County alone, more than 23% of the population is over the age of 60, according to Dr. Terry Albanese, Akron mayor Dan Horrigan’s assistant in charge of education, health and families. And the proportion of seniors is projected to climb to 30% by 2030, at which time there will be as many baby boomers over the age of 60 in the county as there are adults between the ages of 20 and 44.

Similar projections are “echoed around the state, around the county,” said Albanese. As a result, the strain on municipalities and families is only getting more intense. Just last month, Horrigan re-established Akron’s Senior Citizens Commission, which had been inactive for nearly a decade and will advocate on behalf of the city’s expanding senior base.

Albanese said that while the poor elderly are most at risk of bad health outcomes related to neglect of care, loneliness and depression are real concerns for any senior who is isolated due to health or circumstances.

“You will find those over 75 or 80,

that is where you start to see a high percentage of dependence on others,” she said, though only between 30% to 35% of those seniors need full-time care. Most just need help walking or climbing stairs, for example, or driving. And, she added, “Nobody wants to leave their home.”

Day cares are one way to fill that niche, and it’s a less expensive option to in-home care via visiting nurses or aides. In its most recent survey, long-term care cost watcher Genworth found that adult day care averages $1,473 a month nationally, compared with roughly $3,800 for home health care.

Expanded services As SarahCare’s footprint has grown, Griff has added programs and seminars aimed at assisting and educating caregivers about the services available to seniors and, more recently, launched a division that offers geriatric care assessments for families in Northeast Ohio. Certified geriatric managers come into homes to assess the needs of seniors and draw up recommendations based on those needs.

Like the centers themselves, the aim is simple, she said: “Keep families together and keep people in their homes.”

This moment brought to you by you.

Booming boomers SarahCare originated as part of a multigenerational project at the McKinley Health Care Center in the former McKinley High School building and operated initially alongside a children’s day care. As Griff became more aware of the challenges facing aging adults and their “exhausted” caregivers, she sharpened her focus on the geriatric side of programming and began expanding the SarahCare model, opening a second site in Canton and smaller satellite centers in Canton and Akron.

Today, SarahCare nets roughly $5 million in revenues from nearly 35 centers in 11 states. The company owns five Northeast Ohio sites, which employ about 62 people. It has licensed the remaining centers as franchises — a business structure that requires less capital, Griff said, yet still gives SarahCare the opportunity to emerge as a gold standard for adult day services nationally.

The company also is in the

Caring isn’t just reserved for doctors and nurses. Akron Children’s Hospital is able to improve the lives of children like Jordan because of caring people like you.

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BLOCKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1

but others will not, he added.

“It’s an experiment,” he said.

Middlebury The three Akron-area events each have their own flair and structure, Roberts said.

“They are made up of the people and resources and infrastructure that exist in each location,” he said.

“You are almost creating a recipe based on the ingredients that are right in the neighborhood.”

For example, he said, the Middlebury event (held in the area bounded by South Arlington, Broad, East Market and East Exchange streets) did not have a lot of existing buildings to work with, so organizers had to import more “infrastructure.”

One of those things was a jungle gym made of discarded tires, said Marissa Blewitt, a community organizer with the Neighborhood Network of University Park, who spearheaded much of the Middlebury event, with help from more than 35 organizations.

“We are committed to working with the community and empowering them to be part of the solution to problems here, and a survey we did showed that they wanted this event to be family friendly, so that’s what we did,” she said.

Food trucks at the event were lined up to mimic store fronts. A

Reggae band Umojah Nation performs at the Middlebury event.

Michelle Davis dances to the live music.

swimming pool was created out of discarded billboards and straw. The drive-through lanes of an abandoned bank were converted into mini storefronts for local vendors.

Crosswalks and bike lanes were added. There also was entertainment, tours of the historic area (the first settlement in Akron), and free bike and helmet rentals.

Because the goal is to create change that is not just temporary, the tire pile and four crosswalks will remain after the event, and organizers formed a “What’s Next” committee.

“We are committed to using the information we collect from this event to be responsive to the needs

of this community. We want this to be a starting point, not the end,” Blewitt said.

Cuyahoga Falls The Cuyahoga Falls Better Block is being led by two friends who grew up in the community and want to see new life in that city’s downtown.

Getta Kutuchief (Kyle Kutuchief’s wife) and Samantha Coldwell both helped with a Better Block in North Hill last year and thought it was a perfect forum to bring attention to what they consider a forgotten area along Front Street. The duo has traveled to Europe together and hope to emulate

Dancer Sumatra Baraily, with Asian Services in Action, performs. the vibrant, walkable streets they experienced there.

“We imagine how amazing it could be,” Coldwell said.

Their event will be held at the north end of the Riverfront Centre pedestrian mall and will include bike lanes, a pop-up theater, outdoor seating, a playground, a beer garden,

a night market, a dog park, food trucks and entertainment. Two vacant storefronts will be converted into pop-up shops.

Cuyahoga Falls is one of the larger Better Block events, Coldwell said, and it has been in the planning stages for more than a year, longer than average. Part of that time has been spent

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Copley

(Shane Wynn for Crain’s) eeking feedback through a community survey and from local leaders. City Council in late July approved plans to open the street to through traffic, and this event will help illustrate the possibilities.

Getta Kutuchief said that the committee’s overall goal is to generate lasting excitement about the area.

The Copley event is sponsored by the Copley Circle Advisory Board, a group that has formed to help revitalize the circle in the heart of the township located west of Akron.

“Our event is similar to the original Better Block events, which were more ‘grassroots’ ” and didn’t have a major source of funding, said Sylvia Chinn-Levy, one of the organizers.

Organizers hopes to raise about $5,000 to help fund the event, as well as get in-kind donations such as hay bales, trees and paint.

Details of the Better Block are still being developed, but a survey found that residents would like features such as a coffee shop, a dog park, a nightclub and a bike lane.

“We want to simulate a lively streetscape to bring people back into what used to be the heart of the community,” Chinn-Levy said.

One of its challenges is that the circle, on Copley and Massillon roads, is not very amenable to walking. Some historical buildings have been lost to fire over the years. Others are being used for storage or for businesses that do not attract walk-up customers.

It’s good that there are not too many vacant properties, but it’s also a challenge because it’s harder to temporarily repurpose a building that is in use, she said.

However, many of the property owners are willing to share the front of their locations for seating.

“A lot of people are really stepping up to help,” she said.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Tobin Buckner

New resource guide, website open door to support available to entrepreneurs Akron has long been known for its historic connection to invention and innovation. But for the past year and a half, there has been a concerted effort around the idea that strong entrepreneurial activity (new startups, growing small businesses, job creation, etc.) depends heavily on a strong entrepreneurial support system.

According to Jason Segedy, director of planning and urban development for Akron, we are witnessing the beginning stages of “the end of big.” The era of big corporations, big governments and big regions seems to be giving way to a renewed sense of place-making throughout the United States. People want to feel connected to their local “core” community again. That means now is a better time than ever to ensure our entrepreneurial ecosystem is ready to lend knowledge and other resources to entrepreneurs and small business owners that call our community home.

The resource guide With this concept in mind, what if we could gather information on all of the entrepreneurial resources in the Greater Akron area in one easily accessible location? Something like

Tobin Buckner is JumpStart’s Akron entrepreneurial community manager and contributes a monthly blog about entrepreneurship in the region. this has never existed before in our city, but many community leaders have expressed a desire to create a resource that captures the “spiderweb” of support partners and what they are chartered to do for local entrepreneurs.

Recently, a group of these support partners — Small Business Development Centers, Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Akron Urban League, Downtown Akron Partnership, the city of Akron, Summit County, University of Akron, Akron Global Business Accelerator, International Institute of Akron, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron SCORE, Economic Community Development Institute, Bad Girl Ventures, Launch League, OSC Tech Lab, the SAC, ConxusNEO

and the Women’s Network of NEO — came together to create the Akron is for Entrepreneurs resource guide to give those that desire support for their business an easier way to locate and aggregate the connections they may need to be successful.

On the web The next step in our collaborative efforts has been to take the resource guide online. This new site, www.akronisforentrepreneurs.org, is live, allowing for simple navigation.

To get started, you simply tell the site if you are a tech or nontech business. From there, you figure out what stage your company is in. Then, you click on services you are seeking, such as funding, entrepreneur in residence, talent, space, etc. After those selections are made, the organizations that are able to help with the items you selected are at your fingertips.

Be sure to visit the site to become more familiar with what Akron has to offer entrepreneurs of all types. And be sure to share your questions and comments with the site’s new manager — and the Fund for Our Economic Future’s new entrepreneurship fellow — Heather Roszczyk.

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ADAMS

Green, where she and her husband, Alexis, also live, has been a bonus.

“I always thought I’d have to move away to find my dream job,” she said.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 they’d offer general praise. She quickly learned that if she wanted technical answers, she had to ask specific questions.

“Once they realize I can help make their cars go faster, everything changes. It doesn’t matter who you are,” she said.

Being at the track, Adams said, is how engineers ensure the tires are performing at their best. Adams analyzes how tires wear, talks to drivers about how tires handle and offers suggestions on how to maximize performance.

She travels with a team that includes compounders, chemical and mechanical engineers, and technicians.

Lisa Boggs, who works closely with the engineering team in her role as director of motor sports for Bridgestone, has seen the role of women in this traditionally maledominated field evolve over the 20-plus years she has been involved.

“When you go to the paddock, you see a lot of women in a lot of key roles,” she said.

Women who are drawn into racing have a passion for what they are doing, she said.

“If you have the skill set and the passion and desire, there is no reason a woman can’t make a career in racing,” she said.

Paying it forward

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Center. (Shane Wynn for Crain’s)

Mapping her course When Adams started at Bridgestone in 2003, she was in the Tire Vehicle Dynamics group, which works with tires to improve the handling of passenger vehicles. It was a great job, she said, but didn’t offer the thrill that the idea of working in racing did.

So Adams decided to take control of her career course: She asked the racing hiring manager to define the skills and traits of what he considered an ideal engineering hire.

He gave her a list of three areas: an understanding of vehicle dynamics, the ability to perform computer programming and knowledge about race car suspension. She knew she had strength in the first one, but not the other two. So she got to work to gain those skills.

“I got textbooks to learn more about all three areas and sought out opportunities to do that kind of work,” she said She invited racing team members to presentations she made and attended races whenever possible. She even volunteered to help at a race in Portland, Ore., because she was “in the area anyway” — she was actually hours away in Seattle.

She laughs now at the long drive she put in to spend the weekend working with and getting to know the team, but knows it was key to getting her current job in 2008, three years after that conversation with the hiring manager.

“You have to make opportunities for yourself,” she said.

Being able to find such a perfect career so close to her family in

While Adams often was the only female engineer at the track in her early days, she now works with more women today and appreciates the mentors who have helped women advance in the field.

She returns the favor by spending time mentoring high school and college students who are interested in engineering.

“I was lucky to have two educator parents (her father taught Spanish at UA), and I want to be there for others like they were there for me,” she said.

Her mentoring is not limited to girls, she added.

“I want to help everyone see the possibilities in their life that maybe they hadn’t seen before,” she said.

Brent C. Sisler, treasurer and program chair in the Akron section of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), called Adams “one of the best local success stories.”

He has known Adams since she graduated from UA and got involved with the local ASME chapter.

“She judges science fairs for us, talks to university engineering classes about their career prospects, mentors those following her, and always seems willing to fit more things into her overly busy schedule,” he said.

Sisler is from Akron. He received

one of his four college degrees from the University of Akron and worked as an engineer for nearly four decades at Babcock & Wilcox in Barberton.

“Cara and I are evidence that a technical person can live his/her life in the Akron area (and) have a fulfilling career.”

A racer by nature It seems like racing — all sorts — really is in Adams’ blood. To help relieve the stress of her job, she didn’t pick a quiet pursuit. Nope, she competes in triathlons, and Ironman races at that.

She started competing in 2009 and in 2012 raced in her first Ironman 70.3 (the total distance of swimming, biking and running in miles). She’s trained for various distances since, and in September is slated to do the Ironman 70.3 Augusta in Georgia.

“Training is always a challenge since my career requires around 20 trips a year, but I am able to be creative with planning workouts around travel schedules,” Adams said. “I … look for YMCAs and other gyms near the places I will visit. I’ve likely visited as many YMCA pools as I have race tracks.”

She said the discipline of training helps her recover from what can be a high-stress job.

“I’ve learned that I’m capable of more than I originally believed myself to be. That confidence has enabled me to take on more challenges in my professional and personal life.”

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Pry’s initiatives on behalf of working folk, kids will endure Late Summit County executive’s signature programs instilled broad community backing and much-needed collaboration

By DAN SHINGLER dshingler@crain.com @DanShingler

Ask anyone in Summit County who knew Russ Pry, and they’re likely to tell you two things: He was a devoted public servant who lent his time and talents to causes that served the entire community, with an emphasis on early childhood and workforce development programs. And he’s going to be impossible to replace.

But they also will say Pry helped institute the structures and inspire the people needed to pick up where he left off. He also left them with a strong sense of responsibility to do just that.

Pry, who had been Summit County executive for more than eight years, died Sunday, July 31, at age 58. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in June and underwent surgery. A series of setbacks hampered his recovery.

Many in Summit County think that two of Pry’s top priorities, early childhood and workforce development initiatives, will continue to enjoy both governmental and community support in his absence.

“He’d kick our butts if we stopped paying attention to these things,” said Ilene Shapiro, Summit County Council president who is serving as county executive for the rest of Pry’s term and the person most believe is a shoo-in to win the job outright in the November election.

Shapiro said she worked side-byside with Pry and shared both his vision and priorities for the county.

Those include initiatives like the county-backed workforce development program ConxusNEO, which aims to align business demand with job-training initiatives, and the First Things First program, a collaboration of more than 50 children’s service agencies, educators and advocates working on early childhood development issues.

They also include the popular Summit for Kids, an annual event championed by Pry that uses corporate donations to provide area kids with everything from backpacks to free dental work. Thousands of children and their families show up at the annual event, which was held Aug. 20 at Akron’s John S. Knight Center.

Those initiatives will continue, promised Shapiro and other backers who have worked on them, often for years, alongside Pry. “I can tell you unequivocally that our workforce and economic development efforts will continue — it’s a passion of mine,” Shapiro said.

“Russ and I worked very hard, especially on the workforce front, to systemically change how workforce services are provided in Summit County.”

The same goes for First Things First and other initiatives aimed at children, she said.

Some of those who rely on such programs to serve their core constituencies said Pry’s death is a great

Pry

“Russ and I worked very hard, especially on the workforce front, to systemically change how workforce services are provided in Summit County.”

— Ilene Shapiro, Summit County Council president, who is serving the balance of Pry’s term loss, but they also think that, in part because of Pry’s work, the efforts now have the broad community backing and collaboration they need to continue.

An early childhood champion Chris Yuhasz is in that camp. As director of strategic engagement for the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, she said she constantly sees how the 10,000 children who are AMHA residents benefit from the programs that Pry favored.

“If you asked anybody here, they’ll tell you. He was the champion for early childhood (initiatives),” Yuhasz said.

She credits Pry with not only playing a major role in the First Things First program, but also helping to secure $4 million in federal funding for the Reach Opportunity Center at Summit Lake, which provides a broad range of services, from GED courses and Head Start programs to meeting spaces for Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

There will always be challenges, Yuhasz said, such as funding Reach’s operations on an ongoing basis. But she thinks Pry left behind the networks and structures necessary for such initiatives to continue successfully.

“It’s been (since) 2008 since he made (early childhood initiatives) a priority of his administration — it’s like a well-oiled machine now,”

Yuhasz said. “It is sustainable.”

Summit County Juvenile Court judge Linda Teodosio, who worked with Pry for years on children’s issues, agreed. She particularly gave Pry credit for organizing Summit for Kids into a premier event, one that she said drew 14,000 children last year.

“I’ve got some convening power as a juvenile court judge, but without his convening and convincing behind the scenes, it would have never become what it is today,” Teodosio said. “One my favorite memories that I will carry around as long as I’m alive is Russ walking around Summit for Kids. Nothing fancy, just him walking around in a flannel shirt with his coffee.”

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Collaboration master Likewise, ConxusNEO president Sue Lacy said her agency — which works with area employers to identify the skill sets they need and then seeks to provide the appropriate training for area residents – would probably not have come into existence earlier this year had it not been for Pry. But it will carry on without him, in his honor, she vowed.

“It was Russ’s vision and his leadership that convened a strategic team about two years ago to conduct an assessment of the workforce system with an eye toward moving toward a demand-driven system,” Lacy said. “Without his leadership to initiate that process, there would be no Conxus.”

But, like others, Lacy said that one of Pry’s best strategies in life might be what ensures that his causes live on and are supported now that he’s gone. Pry, she and others said, was a master at building collaborations, even among disparate groups. He did that, in part, by working on issues important to everyone and never used his influence for pet projects that would not garner such widespread support.

ConxusNEO is a prime example, according to Lacy.

“We’ve got Republicans, Democrats, perhaps some Tea Party folks and people who just don’t care about politics at all,” Lacy said. “But we’re focused on a shared vision, an aligned strategy, and we realize the power of using our assets together …

Russ was able to create collaboration.”

Others confirmed that was the case and shared Lacy’s belief that many community efforts will continue to benefit from the cooperative work of people brought together by Pry. “He brought on other community leaders, and together their voices formed a chorus of support for this.

Russ’s greatest contribution was he inspired others to have the same kind of leadership and voice that he had,” said Kirstin Toth, a senior vice president of the Akron-based GAR Foundation and another who worked alongside Pry on his top priorities.

“While he will be missed, the work itself of advancing the strategies will continue,” Toth predicted.

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AKRON THE MAIN COURSE

Bread, cheese and creativity part of Melt’s recipe

By JENNIFER KARPUS-ROMAIN clbfreelancer@crain.com

Melt Bar and Grilled has been a staple on the Lakewood scene since it opened in September 2006. Patrons flocked to the idea of gourmet grilled cheese paired with an array of beer selections ready on tap.

Now owner Matt Fish has brought that simple — yet seemingly satisfying, if business is any indication — combination to the Akron area.

Melt’s Montrose-area location opened July 6, and Fish already is looking at the possibility of a second Summit County spot, though, those plans are in their infancy.

“It was kind of the logical next step,” said Chuck Haviland, manager of the Fairlawn location. “Akron is a good first step into Summit County.”

In its 10th year, Melt has become a signature chain of Northeast Ohio, even being featured on the Food Network. Before stepping into the Akron area, the chain expanded from Lakewood into multiple locations, including Cleveland Heights, Independence, Mentor and Columbus.

The company’s quest to enter Summit County is not a new goal, Fish said, but an opportunity in Columbus, where Melt has two locations, arose first. So, once there, Fish and his team spent about three to four years focusing on that area.

Yet when the Montrose location, a former Friendly’s restaurant, blipped on his radar, Fish had to take it.

“When that space became avail-

Melt Bar and Grilled, at a glance Where: 3921 Medina Road, Bath Township (Montrose area).

Hours: 1 a.m. to 10 p.m. SundayThursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The vibe: Casual and fun. Great for a family night out or date night, as long as everyone is ready to eat.

Includes a bar area, main dining room and patio with eclectic décor.

Specialties: Giant grilled cheese sandwiches loaded just with about anything you can think of, including meatloaf, cheeseburgers and pierogies. A wide variety of craft beers.

Menu: More than two dozen stuffed grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, salads and appetizers. Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options available. able, we pursued it pretty heavily,” he said.

The space was completely gutted and set up anew. When you walk into the restaurant, there’s an immediate fun and easygoing vibe, with many areas for patrons: a bar, a main dining area with low lighting and the patio.

Montrose patrons also are treated to an Akron-centric theme in the decor, which includes imagery of the

Melt Bar and Grilled features eclectic decor. (Shane Wynn for Crain’s) Soap Box Derby, the Rubber Bowl and the Richfield Coliseum. The space also features common Melt themes throughout the restaurant, such as lighted holiday pieces.

Haviland came on board to the Melt family about six months ago.

He trained at the Independence location before taking on the leadership role at the Montrose spot, which employs 80 workers. The Melt chain has inspired a cult following, Haviland said, and because of that, it’s important that the food tastes the same no matter where you go.

“You’re going to get the same quality, the same experience, just in a different city,” he said.

And what is that experience? Huge grilled cheese sandwiches that are meals unto themselves.

Melt’s creative menu includes 28 grilled-cheese choices, with homages to all sorts of cuisines and tastes: from old-fashioned home cooking to Italian.

The Parmageddon, a nod to Parma as a base for Polish heritage, includes a potato-and-onion pierogi, fresh Napa vodka kraut, sautéed onions and sharp cheddar. The Mom’s Meatloaf Dinner is a creation with homemade meatloaf, chipotleketchup glaze, mashed roasted garlic redskin potatoes and Muenster cheese. The Wet Hot Buffalo Chicken sandwich towers crispy battered chicken, spicy Buffalo sauce, blue cheese slaw, crumbled blue cheese and ranch dip. And the Godfather, a nod to classic Italian, features threecheese lasagna with fresh fennel-

oregano pasta sheets, basil marinara, roasted garlic, and provolone and Romano cheeses.

Melt’s leadership hopes that the menu includes something for everyone. Many of the sandwiches offer gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options. Grilled cheese sandwiches not your thing? Melt also offers up appetizers, soups and salads.

To pair with a hearty meal, there are 24 beers on tap.

“We’re pulling from where all the good beers are coming from,” Fish said.

Craft beers come from anywhere, as long as they’re good, but Melt makes sure to include some of Ohio’s best. About half of the drafts are standard throughout all Melt locations, and the rest are part of a revolving list. Bottled domestic choices round out the offerings.

If spirits are more a patron’s speed, there is a complete cocktail list to choose from. Want something special? Try one of the seasonal cocktails. There are about five from which to choose.

While this is the first location in the Akron area, the company is looking to continue to expand.

“It’s exceeded our expectations,” Fish said. “I can’t say enough good things about the area.”

He added that he could see a second location in Summit County opening within the next two years, but no leases have been signed yet. Beyond Summit County, the company is looking for growth opportunities both in and outside Ohio.

PARKS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A2 city does a good job of using its resources and infrastructure assets to bring desirable properties in the parks to market. They don’t always like competing with those properties, however, even though they, too, sometimes rely on the city for help with other deals.

For the city, though, the parks fulfill a vital mission, Beckert said, namely anchoring good paying jobs within the city and attracting new ones. That’s especially important when it comes to manufacturing jobs in Akron’s blue-collar economy.

“They’re manufacturing jobs, and those are the ones that you like to see, because they stay quite awhile,” Becker said, referring to the success the city has had with Röchling, among others.

The companies that have come to the Massillon Road Industrial Park say they’re there for the reasons most real estate deals are done – location. In the case of Röchling, Beckert said, the company wanted to be near its automotive customers, a good industrial workforce, a plasticsindustry supply chain and, of course, all of the plastic and polymer expertise found in and around Akron.

In the case of BCG, the firm wanted a location that would be easy for its employees to access and would also give it room to grow.

“We’ll start out with just under 100 people, and I can probably put about

Röchling Automotive. (Dan Shingler) 160 people in the existing building,” said BCG managing partner David Brockman.

White Pond might be about to get a boost, too. The city is building a new road and infrastructure, ahead of announced companies — something that will make the property easier to show and sell, said Randy Hake, director of commercial development for Cedarwood Properties, the city’s development partner at the site.

“The site’s access is great from I77. The full zoning is in place for large-style commercial office buildings. The infrastructure is in place to facilitate additional buildings, and the city is presently constructing White Pond Parkway, which is 1,300 linear feet of new roadway terminat-

ed in a cul de sac,” Hake said. “We’ll be able to take people on that roadway, and they can pick out their sites.”

So far, Akron has been able to develop the parks by outright selling land and without giving tax abatements — with a few exceptions, such as Röchling.

Going forward, however, the city might explore the use of abatement for certain projects, Beckert said.

“Generally, we’ve stuck with a $25,000-an-acre price tag. We don’t really deviate a lot from that,” Beckert said. “We’re looking at doing tax abatements, but we generally have not done abatements — there are other things, like infrastructure, that we can help them with.”