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MANUFACTURING: Skylift sees success supporting electric utilities industry. PAGE 3

SPORTS BUSINESS

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has busiest month since ’19. PAGE 10

CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM I MARCH 28, 2022

‘A BIG ISSUE FOR OHIO’ Legal sports betting increases risk for problem gambling BY JOE SCALZO

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | PHOTOS BY: UNSPLASH, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK

The gambling seed — or, more accurately, the weed — was planted at 6 years old, when Jess Stewart would tag along with his father on trips to the racetrack in Charleston, West Virginia. Or maybe they’d visit his bookie, where Stewart’s dad would ask him which team to bet that week. “Really the only times I got to spend with my father revolved around sports,” he said. “Either coming to my games or when he was betting.” Then, at age 17, Stewart lost his mother and sank into a deep depression. He found relief at the racetrack or the casino, where he could spend a few hours taking his mind off her death. “Gambling became my release,” he said. “And when you reach that level of gambling, it’s no different than alcohol or drug use. You have to drink more or use more or, in my case, gamble more to reach that high.” See BETTING on Page 16

Affordable-housing deals get a boost Ohio Department of Development changes popular historic tax-credit program BY MICHELLE JARBOE

A recent change to Ohio’s popular historic tax-credit program will give affordable-housing projects a lift, boosting the odds of success for deals such as the slow-moving makeover of the former Warner & Swasey Co. factory in Cleveland. In late February, the Ohio Department of Development tweaked

the scoring rubric for the fiercely competitive program, which offers up to $30 million in tax credits twice each year. Officials carved out an affordable-housing category, worth up to 5 points on a 100-point scale. Five points might not seem like much. But the potential impact is immense, in a contest where there’s little room between the lowest-ranked

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winners and the top-rated losers. Affordable-housing developers are ecstatic. Some of their market-rate peers are fuming. “There’s been a huge, huge pushback,” said Heather Rudge, a Cleveland-area preservation consultant who works on a wide range of developments. See TAX CREDIT on Page 17

THE

LAND SCAPE

Investment pros hope JumpStart venture funding will boost region BY JAY MILLER

The move announced earlier in March by JumpStart Inc. to raise $70 million to invest in early-stage companies and create a new division — JumpStart Ventures — to focus its venture capital activity is seen by the investment community as a welcome first step to help Northeast Ohio catch up to its regional peers in developing job-creating businesses.

The economic development nonprofit is responding to industry research that shows Northeast Ohio has lagged behind the five closest metropolitan areas in the Midwest in its support of startup businesses. While $480 million in venture capital was raised by regional investors and investment funds here in 2021, the investment communities in See JUMPSTART on Page 16

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MANUFACTURING

Skylift sees success supporting electric utilities industry BY RACHEL ABBEY MCCAFFERTY

When President Joe Biden was in Lorain earlier this year, talking about infrastructure, he mentioned a few companies by name, including Intel, General Motors and Skylift. That last one might not be a household name. But it’s facilitating critical work behind the scenes. Lorain-based Skylift Inc. makes equipment for the electric utilities industry, serving utilities directly, as well as distributors and contractors. The company has seen significant growth in recent years in employees, footprint and sales. CFO Nick Jarmoszuk Jr. said the country’s aging infrastructure has been a driver of growth. Maintaining the grid is a “non-discretionary expense,” he said. And president Michael Naughton said he doesn’t expect that need to diminish any time soon, so demand should continue. But Naughton also attributes Skylift’s recent growth to changes it has made internally. Family-owned Skylift was founded in 2000 by Nicholas Jarmoszuk and a relative who primarily ran the business, since, for most of Skylift’s existence, Nicholas Jarmoszuk also was a practicing gastroenterologist. His wife, Diane Jarmoszuk, did the administrative work, handling payroll and HR. About four years ago, the relative running the business left, and the company began making some changes. Skylift needed more of a management structure in order to grow, said Naughton, who joined around that time; one person couldn’t handle all of that work if the company grew larger. Today, Nicholas Jarmoszuk is owner and CEO. He retired from medicine in 2019. Diane Jarmoszuk is owner and treasurer. Their sons, Nick Jr. and Andrew, both work there.

Skylift Inc. makes equipment for the electric utilities industry. | TRADE DESIGN CO.

The “green machine,” as Naughton calls it (most of the company’s machines are colloquially known as the “blue machine,” for their royal blue paint) is a hybrid diesel machine. It can operate on battery power, which is both better for the environment and quieter. Naughton noted that making it quieter makes it safer, because it’s easier for employees to hear each other. And it might make customers located near the work happier, too. “WE ALWAYS TELL OUR EMPLOYEES: The machine YOU ARE THE ONES THAT MAKE THE launched at the Utility Expo last fall. PRODUCTS. YOU ARE THE ONES THAT All this growth MAKE SKYLIFT WHAT IT IS TODAY. and investment has led to growth in BECAUSE IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE sales, too. Naughton EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE, WE WOULD didn’t share exact numbers, but noted NOT BE HERE.” that they’ve doubled — Diane Jarmoszuk in the past four years. And employment has grown sigIn the past four years, Skylift implemented an ERP system, invested nificantly in that time, too. About four years ago, Skylift had in new equipment and embraced lean manufacturing. It bought the approximately 46 employees. Today building next door, as well as land it has about 94, and it’s still growing, Naughton said. for future expansion. “We always tell our employees: Most of Skylift’s equipment is made in-house, from material cut- you are the ones that make the ting to welding to painting. That products. You are the ones that started as a necessity for the com- make Skylift what it is today. Bepany when it first launched, but to- cause if it weren’t for the employees day, it’s important for quality con- that we have, we would not be here,” Diane Jarmoszuk said. “I trol, Nick Jarmoszuk Jr. said. While the company has a variety don’t know how to weld it. Nick of models, Naughton said its most does not know how to weld it.” Like a lot of family-owned compopular is a backyard easement machine, which includes a lift and panies, Skylift’s leaders say they try a drill and is sized to fit in people’s to treat their employees like an exbackyards when companies need to tension of that family. And they back that talk up with dig and place utility poles there. And Skylift recently introduced a action. During the early days of the pannew product.

demic, Skylift shut down for two weeks, during which it continued to pay employees. And when it opened back up, Naughton said, Nicholas Jarmoszuk was concerned about sending employees out to find lunch. It was still the early days of COVID and no one knew much about how it spread. Skylift brought in — and paid for — individually packaged meals from local restaurants for six to eight weeks, Naughton said, so employees could minimize their exposure. “We feel responsible for 90 families,” Diane Jarmoszuk said. The company has a 401(k) match and a profit-sharing plan, and it gives monthly bonuses, Naughton said. And about a month ago, the company raised the wages of its hourly workers by $1 per hour, to counteract inflation. Diane Jarmoszuk noted that this was separate from and wouldn’t affect any usual raises employees receive. “We’ve definitely seen cost inflation within the parts that we purchase, and that inflation is something that all of our employees see when they go to the grocery store and the gas pump, so we wanted to help them,” said Nick Jarmoszuk Jr. Giving back to the community is another important value for the company that they make sure to act on. For example, while Nicholas, Diane and Nick Jr. were talking to Crain’s, Andrew Jarmoszuk was in a park in Lorain, putting donated utility poles in the ground for the city. Nicholas Jarmoszuk said the city wanted them for security cameras. In January, the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce named Skylift its business of the year. There were a variety of reasons for that. Chamber president and CEO Tony Gallo noted

From left: Michael Naughton, Diane Jarmoszuk, Nicholas Jarmoszuk and Nick Jarmoszuk Jr. | HANNAH KIRALY

the steps the company took to keep its employees working and safe during COVID, and highlighted how much hiring the company does from the local JVS and community college. They’re also represented on the Lorain County Workforce Development Board. Companies don’t always realize that supporting the community supports them, too, making their employees healthier and happier, he

said. And companies like Skylift that go that extra step should be recognized. “As the saying goes, a rising tide raises all ships,” Gallo said. “Well, I think they want to make sure that if they move up, everybody else around them and everybody else in Lorain County moves up, too.” Rachel Abbey McCafferty: (216) 771-5379, rmccafferty@crain.com

MARCH 28, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 3

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What on-the-job injuries should be covered by employers when someone is working from home? When are hourly employees actually “on the clock?” What incentives should the state provide for vocational career programs? These are some of the issues Ohio’s lawmakers are debating as workforce-related bills are in the works as the pandemic eases. Two pieces of legislation — House Bill 447 and Senate Bill 47 — are working through committee hearings as lawmakers seek to clarify when an employee actually is on the clock and what, if any, workfrom-home injuries might qualify for a workers’ compensation claim. Newly passed legislation, Senate Bill 166, creates incentives for career-based education programs. Here’s a look at all three:

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This bill addresses injuries that qualify for workers’ compensation when sustained by an employee working from home, and it clarifies what is and is not in an employer’s control with respect to those workers. State law at present has no means of differentiating between injuries sustained by at-home employees and those covered by workers’ compensation when a worker is on-site. HB 447 would clarify the types of injuries covered by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and, perhaps more importantly, what types of injuries are not the responsibility of an employer even if they are sustained during work hours. “What this legislation does, in our view, is to provide certainty to employers if there is an injury by one of their employees who is working from home,” said Cameron Garczyk, member benefits program manager for the Ohio chapter of the Na- Garczyk tional Federation of Independent Business. “The goal is to provide that certainty to employers.” NFIB testified in support of the bill, which Garczyk said helps keep “frivolous claims” not related to an employee’s work from being awarded — something the group Stivers has seen happen in other states. “This legislation provides a threeprong test that essentially asks if the employer could have in any way prevented the injury,” Garczyk said. “One example is with an injury sustained from, say, playing with your dog during a break. That is something that would not be covered because your dog would not have been at work.” HB 447 lays out three criteria that must be met by work-from-home employees to qualify for workers compensation claims by posing these questions: Did the employee’s injury or disability arise out of the employee’s employment? Did the employee’s employment expose him or her to conditions that substantially contributed to the risk of injury or disability? And was the injury or disability sustained in the

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BY KIM PALMER

course of an activity undertaken by the employee for the exclusive benefit of the employer? An injury sustained, for example, by an employee who tripped over cords connected to a computer used in their work at a home office would qualify under these standards, according to Garczyk. The bill also would recognize long-established employment injuries, such as carpal tunnel, for work-from-home employees, Garczyk said. “The good thing about this legislation is that it is proactive,” he said. “This is getting ahead of a trend that we are seeing where it’s more and more work for home. We are trying to be proactive, because too often when it comes to legislation, we are reactive.” The bill made its way through the House in February with a unanimous vote and no opponent testimony. It’s now in the Senate Insurance Committee.

but it also could include travel time from a primary location to various secondary locations, or putting on protective equipment, in the case of health care workers. Stivers said his organization testified in support of SB 47 because it also helps employers “navigate the challenges associated with having their workforce working from home.” He said that as more employees have access to cell phones and work computers at home, employers should not be subject to “surprise” litigation for failing to pay for what would could add up to overtime if an employee spends time checking emails or voicemails after hours. The bill also prohibits an employee from joining a lawsuit for overtime violations unless that employee consents in writing and the consent is filed with the court. SB 47 passed the Senate in September and is currently in the House Commerce and Labor committee.

SENATE BILL 47: Overtime pay

SENATE BILL 166: Career technical education

When and how hourly employees are compensated for work is the subject of SB 47. Proponents of the legislation say the bill modernizes the system, bringing it in line with the federal standards. Opponents say it would curtail overtime payments for certain Ohio workers. The bill would make the federal Portal-to-Portal Act part of Ohio law, changing some of the state’s overtime rules in part by adding restrictions to what is covered under state overtime payments. Currently, Ohio law requires an employer to pay an employee overtime pay of one-and-a-half times the employee’s regular hourly wage rate for hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a workweek. “The bill matches the state law with federal provisions that exempt insignificant and insubstantial amounts of time from overtime,” said Steve Stivers, president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Federal standards spell out that employers are not required to pay for the time employees spend on activities that occur before or after workers perform “the principal activities of their job,” including travel to and from work, incidental activities before or after work, and “insubstantial or insignificant” periods of time after the employee’s scheduled working hours. The “insubstantial or insignificant” work could include taking work phone calls or checking email,

A bill aimed at incentivizing Ohio companies to operate work-based learning programs for students in approved career-technical programs is set to go into effect this month. Supporters of SB 166, including Marty McGann, executive vice president of advocacy and strategy at the Greater Cleveland Partnership, said the legislation is a good step in creating a strong, sustainable pipeline of skilled workers in Ohio. The bill would help prepare high school and career tech students for occupations from a list of in-demand jobs by providing grants to career-technical planning programs and Ohio technical centers. It also would giving participating businesses a nonrefundable income tax credit for employers equal to 15% of the wages paid to each student. “We see this bill as a multipronged approach to really address some of the workforce barriers that we have in our community,” McGann said. The bill calls for the Ohio Department of Education to establish the Student Pathways for Career Success Grant Program. It also prohibits charging employers for a workers’ compensation claim brought during a career-technical education program by a student. The program helps create a quality labor force, which McGann said is one of the most critical elements in business attraction for the state. “It’s in an area that is consistent with our own strategies and focus on talent,” McGann said. Kim Palmer: kpalmer@crain.com, (216) 771-5384, @kimfouroffive

4 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | MARCH 28, 2022

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ENERGY

Big customers face strange conditions in the electricity market BY DAN SHINGLER

In case you haven’t been watching, the market for electricity has gone crazy. “It’s pretty wild,” said Matt Brakey, head of Chagrin Falls’ Brakey Energy, which monitors the power markets and advises clients on how to reduce their power costs. After prices dove during COVID then sprang back as the pandemic abated, the Russia-Ukraine crisis has again roiled the power market, creating high generation costs and very unusual conditions, Brakey said. For the moment, companies that are usually the least sophisticated when it comes to using power-purchasing strategies, such as buying long-term power contracts or taking the trouble and risk to participate in the highly volatile spot market, are in a great position. “Customers that now choose not to enter into power contracts are better positioned than those trying to proactively enter into supplier agreements,” Brakey said. In the electricity market, doing nothing generally means a company is assigned to the Standard Service Offering of the utility in their specific geography. SSO prices are now lower than current market prices because the auctions that set SSO prices in Northeast Ohio didn’t account for the runup in prices caused by Russia’s inva-

sion of Ukraine. And they only captured some of the run-up in prices that began last year as COVID abated, said Brakey and his firm’s energy analyst, Jennifer Lemley. “The smallest, least sophisticated customers tend to be on the SSO in most years, and we’re seeing this flip where now the most sophisticated customers are going to the SSO because of the value it now represents, just because of the strange quirks that led to power prices going up,” Brakey said. The current SSO rate in Northeast Ohio is based on prices set at auctions held last August, October and in early March, Lemley said. “In August, we were starting to see a little tick up in the market prices, but nothing significant … 4.21 cents (per kilowatt/hour),” Lemley said. “What we started to see in September and October was the market was really starting to run up (to 5.021 cents) … and in the last few weeks, what’s happened with Ukraine has really had an impact, and last week’s auction cleared at 6.811 cents.” That produced an average price of just more than 5.32 cents/KwH, she said. But the SSO price for big industrial power users won’t be adjusted to reflect those auction prices until June, so current prices on the SSO are only about 4 cents/KwH, Lemley said. One company taking advantage of the relative discount afforded by the

current SSO is Galenas, a cannabis cultivator in Akron. The cost of power is a major factor in the company’s profitability, said Galenas CEO Geoff Korff, a Brakey client. So, when he was advised to avoid the increasing prices on the spot market and go on the SSO last year, he did — and he’s glad. “We are on the SSO,” Korff said. “It’s kind of funky, but that’s where we are right now. It was part of the plan, though — Matt’s very good at what he does.” The SSO price is also lower than what Korff would be paying if he had signed a long-term contract recently, or pre-COVID, when those contract prices were higher, Korff said, so the SSO is by far his best option, at least at the moment. “Based on where the market is, going out into June, we’ll look again in May and basically take a temperature, look where the contract market is, look where the spot market is, and make a decision,” Korff said. By then, long-term contracts may turn out to be his best option. Longterm contract power prices have gone lower than the current spot market or even shorter-term contracts. That’s the opposite of typical conditions. Normally, companies pay a small premium for long-term price guarantees, because the companies producing the power need to protect themselves against unforeseen in-

creases in their own costs and don’t want to end up selling power at a loss. “Sometimes companies will pay a little more to avoid any shocks,” Korff said. “It avoids volatility that’s inherent to the spot market.” That’s not to say that the price of multiyear contracts is decreasing; they’re also rising. But they’re priced

spike in power prices currently, power prices really come down in 2024,” Brakey said. “They went from very low to very high very quickly, and that started in late summer 2021, and it’s been a moonshot since then, which makes some of these older SSO auction-clearing prices look extremely attractive because of this massive run-up in the forward market.” But all signs point to “WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE energy prices going up INFLATIONARY PRESSURES THAT generally, and companies will need to be atCOMPANIES ARE SEEING and nimble to EVERYWHERE — PARTICULARLY FOR tentive stave off the worst effects, Brakey predicts. ENERGY INTENSIVE BUSINESSES IN “It’s going to hurt eiOHIO — THOSE FUTURE PRICE ther way, but if you manage it by INCREASES COULD BE CATASTROPHIC.” properly implementing strate— Matt Brakey, head of Chagrin Falls’ Brakey Energy gies like a strategic and limited default to the below shorter-term, one-year con- SSO for a specific period of time, you tracts, Brakey said — an indication that can rather dramatically cut out of some power companies envision lower costs of the highest-price months in the forfurther out, on the assumption the dis- ward market,” he said. ruption caused by the Ukraine crisis Big power users who ignore the risks will eventually abate. The longer term are likely to be hurt, though. that a company is willing to commit to, “When you consider the inflationthe less they’ll pay — again, the oppo- ary pressures that companies are site of normal market conditions. seeing everywhere — particularly for “The fancy word to describe what’s energy intensive businesses in Ohio going on in the market is ‘backward- — those future price increases could ation.’ It’s less expensive to buy power be catastrophic,” Brakey said. in the longer term than the shorter term and intermediate term,” Brakey Dan Shingler: dshingler@crain.com, said. “While we’re seeing this extreme (216) 771-5290

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EDUCATION

Cleveland State University is one of many institutions that’s adopted test-optional policies. | CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY FILE PHOTO

Will colleges’ test-optional policy continue post-pandemic? Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University stopped requiring scores from entrance exams including the ACT and SAT in spring 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants’ other criteria, like the rigor of their high school coursework and application essays, are weighed heavier if the scores are absent. About 35% to 40% of CWRU’s most recent applicant class didn’t submit. “I don’t miss test scores when I read (applicants’) files,” said Rick Bischoff, the university’s vice president for enrollment management. The shift in the policy, commonly referred to as test-optional, came as testing dates for standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT were canceled during lockdowns and the shift to online learning nationwide. While lots of the traditional aspects of college life have returned, at many colleges, standardized testing requirements for applicants haven’t. As of one December 2021 estimate, more than 1,815 institutions don’t require the submission of scores, a far cry from the 1,070 that were test optional before COVID-19 began. It marks a new chapter in college admissions as the pandemic and its myriad of impacts continues. Many colleges in Northeast Ohio implemented similar policies when the pandemic first hit. The majority also experienced big enrollment drops since that time. All five of Cleveland’s higher education institutions — that’s CWRU, Cleveland State University, the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Cuyahoga Community College — don’t currently require applicants to submit standardized test scores.

At Case Western Reserve, scores aren’t required to be eligible to receive institutional financial aid, either. A section on its undergrad admissions page spells it out: No catches. No exceptions. “It brought into our applicant pool a lot of students who previously were not in the pool,” Bischoff said. “Greater ethnic diversity, greater economic diversity, and greater diversity in what students were interested in.” The question of to submit or not to submit, Bischoff said, is now put directly in the hands of students, families, and high school counselors. The university is offering a test-optional pilot program for classes entering through 2024. It’s an easy one for high school students enrolled at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where college entrance exams have long been offered to every student. The test-optional shift makes the entrance exams feel like less of a gatekeeper, according to Anthony Battaglia, the district’s executive director of career and college pathways. “If you didn’t get a certain score you couldn’t get in; that’s not inherently true anymore,” he said. “There still may be barriers to access higher education, but it’s a lessened barrier. The less barriers, the more confident our students feel.” On paper, standardized testing can offer a uniform metric to evaluate a student’s performance. But in addition to just being one test taken on one day, those assessments can also be biased. “Statistically, underrepresented students in almost every category perform lower than their overrepresented peers,” Battaglia said. “We serve an underrepresented popula-

tion, so statistically, our students do worse on those assessments.” Battaglia applauds work he said the College Board, parent company of the SAT, is doing to examine its practices on that front. That takes time, though. Many researchers have documented how standardized tests can give white and wealthier students an advantage. One recent report from the Brookings think tank, for example, found SAT math scores largely reflect — and then reinforce — racial inequality. “Standardized tests and other factors such as the idea of ‘demonstrated fit’ are measures that privilege certain populations of students and exclude others,” Yvette Sobky Shaffer, vice president of enrollment management and marketing at the Cleveland Institute of Art, told Crain’s Cleveland Business via email. CIA announced it’d be going test-optional in 2017. Jonathan Wehner was there at the time. He now works as vice president and dean of admissions, enrollment management and student success at Cleveland State University. He still thinks there’s a place for standardized testing. The thought, he surmises, probably puts him in the minority of his colleagues. But he feels there are still positive elements, like serving as placement exams for students’ first-year college courses. He’s concerned about

“throwing out the baby with the bathwater,” especially when it comes to the role he believes exams can serve as a pipeline for traditionally underrepresented populations. “When we think about first-gen, or Black students, or Hispanic students and the profound impact that taking the test and then being recruited by colleges and universities has on their likelihood to apply, enroll and graduate from

college, to me, that’s a huge element around standardized testing,” he said. Cleveland State hasn’t made its current test-optional policy permanent. Its faculty senate is currently weighing a decision for the fall 2023 semester. Amy Morona: amy.morona@crain. com, (216) 771-5229, @AmyMorona

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BY AMY MORONA

6 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | MARCH 28, 2022

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Vehicles wait in line to refuel at a Costco gas station in Seattle, Washington on March 9. | CHONA KASINGER/BLOOMBERG

EDITORIAL

Gassed I

n this inflationary period where prices are higher — often by quite a bit — almost everywhere you look, nothing pinches quite as much as soaring gas prices. You probably don’t need AAA to tell you what you already see when you drive by the gas station, but the organization reported that as of last Thursday, March 24, the average price of a gallon of gas nationwide was $4.236, though it was slightly lower in Cuyahoga County ($4.063) and across Ohio ($3.998). Ohio’s average a year ago: $2.629. That extra $1.37 on the statewide per-gallon average hits everyone. It’s manageable for some people, depending on how much they make and how much they drive, but it creates real hardships for those on lower rungs of the economic ladder. The additional money it takes to fill the tank to be able to get to work makes paying other bills a little more difficult, and it cuts back on the ability to make discretionary purchases. We’re big boosters of public transit, but that’s not always an option, based on where people live, where they need to go and when they need to get there. Gas prices that consumers pay result from a complicated mix of national and international forces, with the war in Ukraine the most recent driver of price increases that have been happening over the past year. There are four main factors in setting those prices: the cost of crude oil; refining costs and profits; distribution and marketing costs and profits; and taxes. It’s that last piece — taxes — that is catching the attention of some Ohio lawmakers who want to offer a little relief to consumers. Republicans in the Ohio Senate have proposed a bill that would reduce to 28 cents per gallon the state’s tax on both gas and diesel fuel. At present, the tax is 38.5 cents per gallon of gas and 47 cents per gallon of diesel, which is among the highest in the country, according to data compiled by the Federation of Tax Administrators. The bill sponsored by Sen. Stephen Huffman, a Republican from Tipp City, would keep the reduction in place for five years, and it would remove registration fees for electric and hybrid vehicles over that period. Axios pointed out that business

and financial interests registered to lobby on the bill include car manufacturers, a trade group representing truckers and Findlay-based Marathon Petroleum Corp. The goal would be to save drivers some money at a time when they’re feeling economically pressed, though it potentially comes at the cost of depriving the state of money used to improve and maintain roads and bridges. Gov. Mike DeWine, for one, is not a fan of a potential rollback. He has said that moving the tax back to 28 cents per gallon — the level it was at before he pushed through an increase in 2019 — would be “a mistake” that would take away about $800 million per year, on average, for the Ohio Department of Transportation and local governments. “I think people would be very surprised if they found in six months that their roads are not being repaired and that their local roads are not being repaired,” DeWine said earlier this month. (Advocates of the bill argue that the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill would offset the loss of state tax money; it’s too early to fully assess that until we see how the feds are allocating those funds.) We’re sympathetic to the idea of some sort of reduction of the gas tax, but the five-year timeframe of the current proposal strikes us as far too long. We prefer the strategy taken by the state of Maryland, which in mid-March enacted a month-long suspension of its 36-cent fuel tax, becoming the first state to take such action to reduce some pain at the pump. The Baltimore Sun noted that while gas station operators ultimately determine whether a price drop happens, how quickly and by how much, the Maryland legislation was designed to make price cuts “as likely as possible.” (There’s some research indicating that changes in gas tax rates don’t always carry over to prices at the pump.) The head of the Maryland agency that regulates gas stations told the newspaper that his office could revoke licenses of stations that do not pass along savings to consumers. In short, when it comes to a gas-tax cut, do it fast, for a limited time, and make it enforceable, so relief can be made available quickly to the people who really need it. But don’t do it at the long-term expense of the state’s infrastructure needs.

Executive Editor: Elizabeth McIntyre (emcintyre@crain.com) Managing Editor: Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com) Contact Crain’s: 216-522-1383 Read Crain’s online: crainscleveland.com

As anticipated, President Biden’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been openly active regarding support of unions and unionization. On Feb. 1, 2022, NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo issued a memorandum (GC22-02) directing regional offices of the agency to seek federal injunctive relief if the regional office believes employers engaged in “unlawful threats or Bloch is a other coercive activity” during union partner at organizing campaigns. (For reference, Walter | the general counsel essentially is the Haverfield. prosecutorial arm of the NLRB.) This extraordinary right to seek federal injunctive relief is found in section 10(j) of the National Labor Relations Act. While on the surface it may appear that union organizing is on the rise in some industries, such as hospitality (i.e., Starbucks) and warehousing (i.e., Amazon), union membership and participation is at its all-time low, only about 6% of the private sector workforce. During the Trump era, the NLRB was relatively quiet in “assisting” unionization through use of injunctive relief. However, NLRB’s general counsel is on record that the agency will strictly scrutinize employer actions that it considers “coercive or threatening” during union organizing campaigns. The NLRB has found that during unionization campaigns, statements threatening to close facilities as result of union representation, terminate employees, eliminate or increase employee benefits, or implicate the immigration status of employees are “hallmarks” of destructive an- IT IS CRITICAL TO ti-union activity. However, what is unique to the general REVIEW YOUR “PROcounsel’s memorandum is COMPANY” POLICIES that she is directing the regional offices to seek injunc- AND DEVELOP MORE tive relief based on the mere MODERN AND threat, rather than wait for the threat to actualize, reasoning EFFECTIVE that “threats ... often lead to STRATEGIES TO action.”

Reason for concern

MAINTAIN UNIONFREE STATUS AND PREPARE FOR THE POTENTIAL TIDAL WAVE OF UNION ACTIVITY.

Most small to intermediate-size companies do not have an active “pro-company” program. In fact, most companies just have a statement in the employee handbook regarding union activity and almost nothing in the way of positive reinforcement on a regular basis. In the past several years, a simple handbook statement may have been enough due to the lack of union organizing activity. Clearly, that is no longer the case. Management from the top to the first-level supervisor must be engaged in the pro-employer process. Untrained supervisory employees (not to mention aggressive entrepreneurs) often make statements during union organizing that may be easily interpreted by the employees — and more importantly, the NLRB — as threatening. Such loose and untrained lips can prove to be very costly. We know that unions are gearing up for organizing. Consequently, it is critical to review your “pro-company” policies and develop more modern and effective strategies to maintain union-free status and prepare for the potential tidal wave of union activity.

Write us: Crain’s welcomes responses from readers. Letters should be as brief as possible and may be edited. Send letters to Crain’s Cleveland Business, 700 West St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113, or by emailing ClevEdit@crain.com. Please include your complete name and city from which you are writing, and a telephone number for fact-checking purposes.

Sound off: Send a Personal View for the opinion page to emcintyre@crain.com. Please include a telephone number for verification purposes.

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OPINION

PERSONAL VIEW

Once again, throwing good money after bad for the Global Center BY WILLIAM EBERHARD

After nine years of a white elephant — otherwise known as the medical mart/Global Center for Health Innovation — bleeding area taxpayers to death and delivering zero economic or cultural value, in February the Cuyahoga County Convention Facilities Development Corporation announced it is seeking even more public funding, and an outrageous amount of money at that, to simply turn the renamed Global Center for Health Innovation albatross into more meeting space for the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. CCCFDC has alleged that it will lose events at the convention center if it does not proceed with the plan for a $46 million renovation, but there is no factual substantiation presented for this assertion. The adjacent Hilton Cleveland Downtown, another investment nightmare for citizens, has a 20,825-squarefoot ballroom large enough for 2,300 guests with a “seamless connection to an additional 1,000,000 square feet of space at the Huntington Convention Center.” The Hilton has nearly 50,000 square feet of meeting space, including an additional 16,000-square-foot room. The CCCFDC plan for the Global Center involves spending an astonishing $21.5 million to add escalators, additional restrooms and meeting space to the second floor, which is currently vacant showrooms, restrooms and meeting spaces. Commercial escalators cost $150,000 to $210,000, depending on floor-to-floor height. If one allows $1 million for four new escalators up to the second floor (two up, two down), that leaves over $20 million to renovate 20,000 square feet of the second floor, half of which is already meeting rooms. To completely gut the entire floor (carpet and drywall) will run $100,000 maximum. That leaves an excessive $20 million to build new large meeting spaces and restrooms. Lavish finishes and expensive folding walls would cost $2 million. Adding another top-tier commercial kitchen would add $1 million. But there are currently seven meeting rooms already on the second floor, ranging in size from 450 square feet to 4,400 square feet, that take up approximately half the floor’s usable area. There are seven vacant tenant spaces of varying sizes making up the balance of the floor, with large restrooms at the north end of the floor. They want another $20 million to build a ballroom, and another $5 million to upgrade levels 3 and 4 “to better accommodate large groups,” with an undefined

scope of work or outcome. The convention center itself already has six ballrooms — three at 10,500+ square feet, two at roughly 21,500 square feet and one at 32,200 square feet. The Global Center building itself already has an 11,000-square-foot ballroom and two 5,600-square-foot ballrooms on its first floor. CCCFDC will not reEberhard is port on the maximum number of managing ballrooms that have even been in partner of use at any one time — you can imagEberhard ine why. Absent any facts, it can and Architects in should be presumed that the eviCleveland. dence undermines CCCFDC’s thesis. The alleged impacts of not proceeding with the CCCFDC plan and the alleged economic benefit of following the pied piper are both unsupported and irresponsible. Given that the floors in the former medical mart are basically open showrooms with simple drywall partitions, modifications will not involve significant demolition — or extensive and costly renovation if the objective is large meeting rooms. The projected costs are almost $1,000 per square foot for improvements that rarely entail costs above $100 to $200 per square foot. The proposed scope, ambiguous as it is — even if a justified need, which again has not been established — and proposed costs are far out of line. The very building exists because Cuyahoga County previously failed spectacularly to establish a legitimate need for the proposed project, which is still bleeding taxpayers. This project’s infamous history tells us that the original failure to thoroughly vet an alleged and unsupported program of needs and the county’s failure to cogently forecast and manage costs means that we need to require vetting in a far more serious and responsible manner of such expenditures of our money on the ideas from those around the campfire this time. Like its previous iterations, this latest idea appears to be an unjustified, unneeded and wasteful project at an absurd cost, adding further insult and injury to Cleveland’s greatest mistake on the lake to date. With a looming need for a new justice center, we cannot afford such frivolity by throwing good money after bad. We need to identify a useful function for the albatross, but this isn’t it.

The Global Center for Health Innovation, framed by “The City of Light” sculpture on Mall B, sits near the convention center. | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND FILE PHOTO

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GOLF GETS BOOST The once-struggling sport has become more popular since the COVID pandemic.

SPORTS BUSINESS

PAGE 13

BUILDING MOMENTUM

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse headed for busiest month since 2019

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is holding 35 ticketed games and events in March, making it the busiest month for the building since its renovation. | SHAWN WOOD/STUDIO 7 PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JOE SCALZO

At Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, March Madness starts well before the NCAA Tournament. The arena is holding 35 ticketed games and events in 31 days in March, marking the busiest month for the building since its renovation and expansion in 2019. By contrast, there were 16 events at RMFH last March, when the pandemic was still limiting in-person events. “It’s just crazy,” said Len Komoroski, the CEO of the Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “We always look forward to March because there are more events than days, but that’s a great thing for downtown Cleveland, too.”

This year’s schedule has included:  A season-high 10 Cavaliers home games, including five in a seven-day stretch;  13 straight days of events from March 9-21;  Seven Mid-American Conference men’s basketball tournament games, including four in one day (March 11);  Seven Lake Erie Monsters home games;  Three concerts (New Edition, the Eagles and Tool);  The Cleveland Bridal Show;  “WWE Monday Night Raw”; and  The Greater Cleveland Sports Awards. “It was a bit of a perfect storm when it came to scheduling,” said Brooke Lowery, the Cavaliers’ vice

“IT WAS A BIT OF A PERFECT STORM WHEN IT CAME TO SCHEDULING. MARCH IS TYPICALLY A BUSY MONTH, BUT THIS IS DEFINITELY BUSIER THAN NORMAL.” — Brooke Lowery, the Cavaliers’ vice president of booking and events

president of booking and events. “March is typically a busy month, but this is definitely busier than normal.” That’s mainly due to two events:

the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which took place on Oct. 25 but occupied the building for seven days; and the NBA All-Star Game, which featured three days’ worth of events in mid-February but occupied the building for 11 days. “When you only have so many days to play 42 home (basketball games), you sort of pigeonhole yourself into some doubleheaders,” Lowery said. Outside of the MAC tournament, RMFH had just two doubleheaders this month — the bridal show and a Monsters game on March 5, and a Monsters-Cavs doubleheader on March 6 — but that's still more than any other month in the previous year.

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“W over to c ever ture dou Th MAC aren the whi Gar tour $14. each man outs also area W nice imp bert nati Clev "T ing outs and said even por hea nes type aren the A 250, mon emp

t ar ic.

FOCUS | SPORTS BUSINESS “We’re blessed to have a changeover crew,” Komoroski said, referring to changing the arena surface. “Not every building has a group of that nature. They afford us that luxury (to do doubleheaders).” This was the 23rd straight year the MAC tournament has been at the arena, the second-longest streak in the country behind the Big East, which has played at Madison Square Garden every year since 1983. The tournament generates more than $14.5 million in economic impact each year, the Cavaliers said, with many of its attendees coming from outside Northeast Ohio. Concerts also draw well outside the immediate area. While those outside dollars are nice, every event makes a positive impact on the city, said David Gilbert, the president and CEO of Destination Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. "The vast majority of the spending around these events is done outside the arena, in downtown and the rest of the region," Gilbert said. "Every time one of those events takes place, they are so important to our local economy. The health of so many of those businesses is directly related to these types of events being held in the arena and elsewhere throughout the community." Arena officials expect to sell about 250,000 individual tickets for the month. The arena's 8,400 part-time employees will work more than

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse officials expect to sell about 250,000 individual tickets for the month. | SHAWN WOOD/STUDIO 7 PHOTOGRAPHY

50,000 hours this month, a number that does not include third-party cleaning or security. “Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is the largest driver of economic activity of any venue in Northeast Ohio,” Komoroski said. "And the beauty of the building is, since it's fully digital now, it can look totally unique based on whatever event it is. An Eagles

concert is a little different than a Cavs game. Thematically, we can make the building feel special for whatever event is there." Of course, having a busy March is especially important since it comes two years after the pandemic essentially shut down the live-events business. The Cavaliers were limited to 300 fans at the beginning of the 2020-

21 season and were only at 25% capacity by the end of the year. "The landscape of downtown changed," Lowery said. "Businesses were shuttering, restaurants were losing staff and it took on a little bit of a sad feel." By contrast, on March 10 — the day before the MAC tournament started — Lowery could see the Ohio

University pep band marching down East Fourth Street, with a crowd of alumni packing the Harry Buffalo restaurant and sports bar. "It was a little moment of joy for the downtown businesses," she said. In other words, March gladness. Joe Scalzo: joe.scalzo@crain.com, (216) 771-5256, @JoeScalzo01

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FOCUS | SPORTS BUSINESS

Kaulig Racing driven to succeed with foray into NASCAR Cup Series BY DOUGLAS J. GUTH

“It’s been great — we had no expectations headed into the season,” Matt Kaulig knows well the worlds said Kaulig, who started his compaof business and high-level athletics. ny’s racing arm in 2016. “Being a As a current entrepreneur and for- brand-new team at the highest level mer college quarterback, Kaulig is of motorsports, we’re happy with learning to successfully integrate where we’ve started. We’ve come out these two highly competitive spaces of the gates and competed.” The start of any new business is all while having some fun along the way. Kaulig already has six years at the about growth, an attitude that Kaulig helm of Kaulig Racing — the Wel- is taking into the unnavigated waters come, North Carolina-based sport- of the Cup Series. Finding charters in ing division of Hudson-headquar- NASCAR’s top division was a case of tered Kaulig Cos. In 2021, Kaulig supply and demand, noted the acquired a pair of NASCAR Cup Se- sportsman-entrepreneur. Only 36 charters were available for ries charters that have zoomed his company into stock car racing’s most 2022, the first season for NASCAR’s Next Gen racer, which replaced the fiercely contested tier. Gen 6 car used from 2013 to 2021. The new “BEING A BRAND-NEW TEAM AT THE vehicle made its debut HIGHEST LEVEL OF MOTORSPORTS, at the Busch Light Clash in Los Angeles, WE’RE HAPPY WITH WHERE WE’VE where one of Kaulig’s STARTED. WE’VE COME OUT OF THE drivers finished first in a preliminary race. GATES AND COMPETED.” The company an— Matt Kaulig, Kaulig Racing team owner nounced its charter acquisitions last sumAs Cup Series competition ramps mer. Although Kaulig wouldn’t disup this spring, Kaulig is simultane- close terms, the value of a Cup Seously thrilled and keeping his hopes ries team charter has been well in check. Through the year’s first five above seven figures. Modeled after races, Kaulig drivers have qualified the professional sports franchise for all events and finished as high as system, the charter program allows teams to sell charters privately at 12th.

Kaulig Racing team owner Matt Kaulig, right, alongside president Chris Rice and drivers Justin Haley and AJ Allmendinger, left, at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. | LOGAN ARCE/ASP INC.

market rates. Kaulig Racing struck its deal with Spire Motorsports as launch of the Next Gen car drew interest in the larger charter system. Kaulig views

Back to learning new things.

his charters as an investment, considering a TV renewal that NASCAR will likely strike with Fox and NBC after the 2024 season. “That always adds a bit to everyone’s pot,” said Kaulig, 49. “I’m also a younger owner. Eventually, there will be a changing of the guard, so we want to put ourselves in the best position to take advantage of that.”

Building on past successes

tri-c.edu/startnow 22-0108

Kaulig Racing’s charters are split among two cars and four drivers. Justin Haley, a 22-year-old who already races for the company in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, made the full-time leap to the Cup Series this year. Three drivers are taking on the second charter, among them A.J. Allmendinger, another full-time Xfinity competitor now driving on a part-time Cup Series schedule. While Kaulig doesn’t expect a Cup Series championship run in 2022, he’s no less excited about the possibilities for this year and beyond. “Our drivers are really good,” Kaulig said. “The goal is to get better, and to get our drivers better.” The company’s charter aspirations will ideally build on past successes, as Kaulig Racing has 14 first-place finishes in the Xfinity Series since 2020. On the Cup Series side, team owner Kaulig manages business operations while company president Chris Rice runs the racing team. Kaulig recognizes a clear delineation between the business and competitive aspects of his enterprise, a learning process that encompasses constant management of sponsors and partnerships. The company purchases its cars and

engines from Richard Childress Racing, an alliance that also serves as a mentorship for the fledgling team owner. Tapping the experience of Richard Childress, a former NASCAR driver, has shown Kaulig the intricacies of a successful and well-established operation. “This is his 52nd year with his team,” Kaulig said of Childress. “It’s about watching and learning how his company does it. He was Dale Earnhardt’s owner when they won seven championships together. He’s a Hall of Famer who won Daytona with different drivers. It’s great to learn from his vast experience and knowledge as an owner and driver.” Kaulig got the taste for racing in his formative years when his father’s business provided brake parts for open-wheel Indy cars. Years later, the onetime quarterback for the University of Akron sponsored a NASCAR vehicle through his LeafFilter gutter-protection business. Becoming a Cup Series powerhouse will take years, but that hasn’t stopped Kaulig from enjoying the ride thus far. The racing community has been welcoming, with Kaulig bringing a motor home into the pits where crews guide drivers during events. The electric pageantry of race day — from the flyover to fans cheering on their favorite drivers — is reminiscent of any football game, even as the business stakes for Kaulig have changed dramatically. “It’s very patriotic, and you get this massive energy,” said Kaulig. “It’s just a really cool experience.” Contact Douglas J. Guth: clbfreelancer@crain.com

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FOCUS | SPORTS BUSINESS

'GOLF IS IN A COOL PLACE' Once-struggling sport gets boost since pandemic

The Stonewater Golf Club in Highland Heights. | STONEWATER

BY JOE SCALZO

UNSPLASH

Jimmy Hanlin has a lot of different titles — PGA golf pro, TV host, radio host, owner and golf director at two area courses — but here’s one that won’t show up in his official biography. Thief. Whenever Hanlin visits a golf course for his nationally televised show, “Blaster’s 18 Holes,” he keeps an eye on the clubhouse, too. He steals the best ideas, and brings them back to his courses, Stonewater Golf Club in Highland Heights and Little Mountain Country Club in Concord. “I’ll steal anything I can steal,” he said, laughing. “Anything I can do to make it better. We see some of the best places in the country and I’ll be like, ‘Why aren’t we doing this?’ “Golf is really changing. We’re trying to stay at the forefront of that.” Specifically, golf is getting younger, more diverse and more popular — and clubs are changing with the times, offering better technology, healthier food, more personalized equipment and a more casual atmosphere, on the course and off. “Ten or 12 years ago, if you had played music on the golf course, guys would have run up to your cart and smashed your driver,” Hanlin said.

“Now, it’s almost normal. People attach speakers to their carts and drink beers. It’s more about enjoying themselves and de-stressing. “Some people love to play competitive golf, but some people just love to get outside and play. It doesn’t need to be about what you shoot.”

'Like a rocket blast' After years of struggles — an estimated 800 golf courses closed between 2010 and 2019 — golf has been on an upswing in recent years, thanks in part to Americans gravitating toward outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participation grew by 600,000 golfers in 2021 to 37.5 million, according to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), and the number of rounds played increased by about 5%, a significant number considering it increased 13% in 2020. “I would say for some reason — and I don’t even know why — we were personally starting to see a little bit of an uptick the year before the pandemic,” Hanlin said. “Then the pandemic hit, and it was like a rocket blast. “That first month, we were like, ‘Oh, my gosh, are we even allowed to open?’ Then they said yes, as long as we did things like disinfect the carts and not take the flag out. From then on, it just exploded.” The most encouraging part? It wasn’t just old white guys playing. The game is getting younger — youth golfers have increased 25% over the past three years, to 3 million — and more diverse, with women now comprising 25% of golfers and minorities at 21%, the NGF said. “I think golf is in a cool place,” said David Griffith, executive director of the Northern Ohio PGA. “Some of the stars you see on TV now, they’re appealing to different types of people. You’re seeing a lot more women playing the game and a lot more fam-

The Linksman House at Stonewater, a custom fitting facility that allows team members to measure a golfer’s stance, grip and swing in order to find the right clubs. | STONEWATER

ilies playing golf. “It’s not an old, white man sport anymore, for lack of a better term. It’s a young, hip, active sport. A lot of athletes play the game now.” Much of that started with Tiger Woods, who stood out on the golf course not just Griffith for the color of his skin but the shape of his body and the style of his clothes. Golf clothes are lighter, better-fitting and better-looking than ever — some of Hanlin's choices notwithstanding — with styles that can be worn off the course. “It’s lifestyle-type apparel,” Griffith said. “You can go out in the evenings wearing golf clothes.”

Food trucks and wine tastings The equipment also keeps improving, pushing courses to upgrade

their offerings. Stonewater has the Linksman House, a custom fitting facility that allows team members to measure a golfer’s stance, grip and swing in order to find the right clubs. Stonewater has Trackman Launch Monitors, allowing golfers to test equipment and determine the correct shaft, loft, lie angle, flex and length of clubs. The fitting bay is even heated, allowing golfers to test new clubs year-round. “I just turned 50 and I never, ever, ever saw the golf equipment craze go like this in my life,” Hanlin said. “In my memory, it’s hotter and bigger than when Tiger signed with Nike. “It used to be that you’d get a new driver every three or four years. Now people are buying full sets. And if you’re going to make that investment, you have to get fitted, like

shoes. No way a guy who’s 5-foot-4 should be getting a club with the same length and height stiffness as someone who’s 6-6.” If launch monitors are too hardcore for your tastes, golf courses are also offering amenities for the casual fan, like food trucks and wine tastings and yoga classes and dog-friendly courses. Courses are also offering shorter rounds and quicker rounds and hybrid memberships. Indoor activities are back, but golf is still booming, Griffith said. He doesn't expect a decline in play for “at least the next five to seven years.” “Initiation fees are at levels we haven't seen for a number of years,” he said. “I've seen waiting lists at clubs I haven't seen in a long time. “To say we're in a good place is an understatement.” Joe Scalzo: joe.scalzo@crain.com, (216) 771-5256, @JoeScalzo01

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CRAIN'S LIST | ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS Ranked by local registered architects RANK

COMPANY LOCAL OFFICE

LOCAL REGISTERED ARCHITECTS 1-1-2022

1-1-2021

TOTAL LOCAL STAFF

SPECIALTIES

CURRENT PROJECTS

TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE(S)

GPD GROUP 520 S. Main St., Suite 2531, Akron 330-572-2100/gpdgroup.com

630

Schools, municipal and county buildings, retail, health care

Lorain Public Library - Avon Branch, Triway Local Schools, Canton Local Schools, Vitalia senior living facility

Darrin Kotecki, president

VOCON 3142 Prospect Ave., Cleveland 216-588-0800/vocon.com

125

Workplace strategy, interior design, architecture, experiential brand design

Swagelok, Cleveland Foundation, Great Lakes Cheese

Debbie Donley; Paul M. Voinovich, principals

THENDESIGN ARCHITECTURE 4230 River St., Willoughby 440-269-2266/thendesign.com

Architecture, planning, interior design, construction administration, communications, graphic design

Cuyahoga Falls City Schools 6-12 school, Geauga County administrative office complex, Cleveland Frederick Douglass Recreation Center

Christopher D. Smith, president; Robert A. Fiala, founding partner, executive chair

PERSPECTUS ARCHITECTURE LLC 1300 E. 9th St., Suite 910, Cleveland 216-752-1800/perspectus.com

Health care, campus and cultural, government, commercial, historic, science and technology, hospitality

MetroHealth Apex Outpatient Center, Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Cancer Center, Firelands Regional Medical Center

William Ayars; Michael Lipowski; Salvatore Rini, managing principals

HASENSTAB ARCHITECTS INC. 190 N. Union St., Suite 400, Akron 330-434-4464/hasenstabinc.com

Health care, education, laboratory/ research, office, interiors

John Carroll University - Pacelli and Dolan Halls Dennis M. Check, president renovations; Summa Health - new Behavioral Health Pavilion; Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley emergency department addition/renovation

BIALOSKY CLEVELAND 6555 Carnegie Ave., Suite 200, Cleveland 216-752-8750/bialosky.com

Education, workplace, mixed-use, residential, libraries, culinary, religious, nonprofits, master plans

Meijer mixed-use development, John Carroll University Student Success Center, Medical Mutual offices

Jack Alan Bialosky Jr., senior and managing principal

ONYX CREATIVE INC. 25001 Emery Road, Suite 400, Warrensville Heights 216-223-3200/onyxcreative.com

Design, architecture, interior design, branding, graphics; electrical, mechanical and structural engineering

Cleveland Animal Protective League, Crane Aerospace, Biolife national locations

Mike Crislip, president; Carole Sanderson, CFO

DLR GROUP|WESTLAKE REED LESKOSKY 1422 Euclid Ave., Suite 300, Cleveland 216-522-1350/dlrgroup.com

Architecture, interiors, engineering, technologies, planning, cultural, health care, education, hospitality, workplace, housing

Maltz Performing Arts Center; The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Outpatient Care, New Albany; Cleveland Museum of Natural History phase 2

Paul E. Westlake Jr.; Phil LiBassi; Matthew Janiak, senior principals 1

BOSTWICK DESIGN PARTNERSHIP 2729 Prospect Ave., Cleveland 216-621-7900/bostwickdesign.com

Health/wellness, medical planning, higher education, library, civic, corporate offices, interior design

Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital, Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County addition/ renovation, Columbus State Community College auditorium renovation

Robert Lewis Bostwick, partner, director of design

BOWEN 2019 Center St., Suite 500, Cleveland 216-491-9300/rlba.com

Commercial, justice, transit, multifamily housing, industrial

Brooklyn City Center and five local public safety projects, six Ohio transit authorities, retail/ entertainment programs

Allan L. Renzi, president

RDL ARCHITECTS INC. 16102 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 200, Shaker Heights 216-752-4300/rdlarchitects.com

Placemaking, interiors, all housing markets, 5115 The Rising apartments, Slavic Village; senior living life care communities, retail, HarborChase, Shaker Heights; Royalton Collection, commercial Strongsville

PRIME AE GROUP INC. 540 White Pond Drive, Suite E, Akron 330-864-7755/primeeng.com

Higher education, hospitality, federal, Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility, Kent State Dana S. Mitchell, senior vice religious, K-12, historic preservation, office, Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center master president, architecture and state/municipal, recreation, multifamily plan engineering

SANDVICK ARCHITECTS INC. 1265 W. 6th St., Suite 200, Cleveland 216-621-8055/sandvickarchitects.org

Historic preservation and adaptive reuse specializing in achieving historic tax credit projects

Public Square North, Dayton Arcade, Hilliard Lofts

Jonathan Sandvick, president

CBLH DESIGN INC. 7850 Freeway Circle, Middleburg Heights 440-243-2000/cblhdesign.com

Health care, higher education, libraries, interior design

MetroHealth Apex Project, University Hospitals – Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland Public Library – Rockport Branch

Michael D. Liezert; Jeffrey Valus; Scott Weaver, principals

MAKOVICH & PUSTI ARCHITECTS 111 Front St., Berea 440-891-8910/mparc.com

Health care, higher education, public projects, building enclosures

Oberlin College campus infrastructure, city of Cleveland recreation centers building enclosures, Cleveland Clinic Akron General behavioral health renovation

Donald Rerko, president

CITY ARCHITECTURE INC. 12205 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland 216-881-2444/cityarch.com

Urban design, planning, community engagement, mixed-use developments, civic, residential, corporate, historic preservation

Woodhill Transformation (multi-phase), Cedar-Lee- Alex Pesta; John Wagner, principals Meadowbrook, Nottingham Spirk Innovation Center

DORSKY + YUE INTERNATIONAL LLC 6105 Parkland Blvd., Suite 130, Mayfield Heights 216-468-1850/dorskyyue.com

Mixed-use developments, multifamily, office buildings, retail centers, hospitality, entertainment

West Bay Plaza, Westlake; Easton Gateway, Columbus; Legacy Village, Lyndhurst

Victor Yue, managing member

DIMIT ARCHITECTS 14414 Detroit Ave., Suite 306, Lakewood 216-221-9021/dimitarchitects.com

Architecture, interiors and urban design, multifamily, planning, mixed-use retail, office, hospitality

Waverly & Oak, College Club, The Dexter, Union Home Mortgage - UHM West

Scott M. Dimit, managing principal; Analia Nanni Dimit, principal, director of interior architecture

HBM ARCHITECTS LLC 1382 W. 9th St., Suite 300, Cleveland 216-421-1100/hbmarchitects.com

Public and academic libraries and other design-driven projects for civic and cultural institutions

Lakewood Public Library - Madison Branch; Cleveland Public Library - Lorain Branch; Cuyahoga County Public Library - Bay Village Branch

Peter J. Bolek, president, director of design; James Shook, principal; Kevin Kennedy, principal

STROLLO ARCHITECTS 201 W. Federal St., Youngstown 330-743-1177/strolloarchitects.com

Health care architecture, government, education, recreation, corrections, assisted living

Briarfield Place, Beachwood City Schools, Bridgestone Americas

Gregg Strollo, principal

AECOM 1300 E. 9th St., Suite 500, Cleveland 216-622-2300/aecom.com

184

Education, federal services, health care, CWRU Robbins Buiding Neuroscience Lab Molly E. Page, vice president laboratory technologies, architecture, renovation, Cleveland History Center Library interior design, landscape design/planning renovation, Swine Creek Reservation lodge and park improvements

LDA ARCHITECTS 5000 Euclid Ave., Suite 104, Cleveland 216-932-1890/ldaarchitecture.com

Market-rate and affordable multifamily residential, historic preservation, interior design, landscape design

Church + State Apartments, Akron Bowery District, Electric Gardens

Dominick Durante Jr., president

VAN AUKEN AKINS ARCHITECTS LLC 1422 Euclid Ave., Suite 1010, Cleveland 216-241-2220/vaakins.com

Architecture, interior design, master planning, green building, WELL HealthSafety Ratings, construction management

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Asian Highlands, Shaker Heights City School District Fernway Elementary School, Cleveland Metropolitan School District Sunbeam

Jill Van Auken, principal

NELSON WORLDWIDE 6000 Lombardo Center, Suite 500, Cleveland 216-781-9144/nelsonworldwide.com

Workplace, retail, asset strategy, health care, industrial, hospitality, mixed-use, architectural implementation

Buffalo Wings & Rings, Milford, Ohio; Cincinnati Reds Vicki Eickelberger, managing Hall of Fame, Cincinnati; The Battery, Atlanta director, Cleveland office

Ron Lloyd, president, founder

Research by Chuck Soder (csoder@crain.com) | To prevent ties, firms with the same number of architects are then ranked by total local staff. Information is from the companies. NOTES: 1. Titles have been shortened.

Get all 46 firms and +180 executives in Excel format. Become a Data Member: CrainsCleveland.com/data 14 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | MARCH 28, 2022

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AKRON

Tradefull plans to exceed its promise of 200 jobs in Green BY DAN SHINGLER

Tradefull, the e-commerce service and fulfillment company that recently set up shop in Green, is done moving from its former headquarters in Canton. But it’s far from done hiring at its new home in Green’s industrial park adjacent to the Akron-Canton Airport. CEO Eric Kasper said the company has moved 175 people into its new facility, but will soon top 200, if he can find people fast enough. “We hire every day,” Kasper said. When the company in January announced its move to Green, 200 was the number of employees Kasper told the city to expect. But he said that was a conservative estimate. Kasper said he’s in the market for technical people: stack developers who can do coding for new apps, PHP developers who write website software, and project managers to oversee all aspects of technical development for Tradefull and its clients. “We’re looking for 20 people like that right now, at a minimum,” Kasper said. Based on past results, those new hires might mean new residents for Green, a small city that once was little more than a township serving as a bedroom suburb of Akron to its north. “We just hired an amazing BI (business intelligence) data scientist who’s relocating from Texas,” Kasper said. Prior to that, Kasper said his chief technical officer, Srikanth Yendluri, moved from the San Francisco area to Ohio to work at Tradefull. Yendluri was a 25-year veteran of Silicon Valley who did research and development at the now-giant tech company Salesforce. Tradefull does fulfillment for a variety of companies, ranging from Amazon to local manufacturers, from its 273,000 square feet of space in the Green industrial park, Kasper said. But it does much more, including helping clients with their websites, marketing and adding online platforms, such as Walmart and Wayfair, through which they can get their products more exposure and sales. Tradefull even maintains a production studio at its headquarters, where it does photography and video work to help clients market and explain their products to consumers. Kasper said Tradefull needs more technical horsepower to provide all those services, so it’s hunting hard for new talent. It’s also growing generally, and quickly, Kasper said. Tradefull doesn’t disclose revenues, but Kasper said the company just opened a second warehouse and distribution facility in Arizona and is preparing to open others next year in Texas and Georgia. Each of those are or will be about the same size or larger than its facility in Green. Then it may expand in Green further, said Kasper, who refers to the current facility as “our initial space.” Once all four facilities are in place, Tradefull will be able to easily

Tradefull founder and CEO Eric Kasper at the company’s new headquarters in Green. | DAN SHINGLER/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

and cost-effectively ship to 98% of the U.S. population, Kasper estimated. And the Green facility’s location in a free trade zone at the airport means the company also can easily ship goods abroad. One of Tradefull’s clients in Northeast Ohio is Flambeau, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of tackle and tool boxes, as well as toys, art supplies and other consumer goods. Flambeau’s retail operations and some of its manufacturing are based in Middlefield, in Geauga County. It began working with Tradefull about a year ago, said Brad Aten, Flambeau’s vice president of sales and marketing for retail markets. Aten said Tradefull already has moved the needle for his company, helping it to add online platforms to its arsenal of outlets, such as Kohl’s and Wayfair. As a result, Flambeau is using Tradefull to stock and ship a growing list of its products, Aten said. “We’ve expanded from 36 SKUs to more than 300 that they handle now, just since November,” Aten said. “They let us focus on being a manufacturer.” Flambeau even is considering developing or acquiring new products and brands, Aten said, because it’s convinced Tradefull removes some of the risks formerly associated with such expansions. In the old days, a company like Flambeau had to convince a brickand-mortar retailer to devote its limited shelf space to a new product before Flambeau could produce the product. But with sales now made from an unlimited amount of display space online, those risks don’t exist, he said. “Flambeau is a 75-year-old company, so they’re really teaching an old dog new tricks,” Aten said. “I’m delighted with them.” Beyond its clients, Tradefull has also won love from the city of Green. The company replaced an auto parts maker that previously occupied its facility in the industrial park before that company moved to

Mexico about two years ago, said Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer. While Neugebauer initially lamented the loss of the manufacturer, he said he’s now glad to have Tradefull in its place, because Tradefull is growing faster and creating more higher-paying technical jobs that Green is trying to create, as well as warehouse jobs that can replace manufacturing positions. “I’m very excited about it,” Neugebauer said. “We have a far better company to replace (the auto supplier), and it happened pretty quickly.” Neugebauer said he normally doesn’t like to recruit companies from other nearby communities. But that in the case of Tradefull moving from Canton, Stark County economic developers gave him their approval because they didn’t have a similar facility that would meet Tradefull’s needs and they didn’t want to see the company leave the area altogether. Stark County still has a stake in Tradefull’s success, too. One of Kasper’s clients is Canton’s Society Brands, a company that raised $204 million in early March to fund its strategy of aggregating third-party sellers with a major presence on Amazon. Society Brands also is promising significant growth and has told Crain’s it’s committed to remaining in Canton. Meanwhile, Green is hoping not only to house companies such as Tradefull, but to provide more homes for their employees, including those coming from out of state who might be used to fancier digs than typically are found in Summit County. Neugebauer said the city already is working on that. “We’re trying to create the kinds of housing they want … so we’re focused on building a lot of luxury units,” Neugebauer said.

REAL ESTATE

Developers seek to add up to 89 apartments in Woodmere Village BY STAN BULLARD

A few years ago, Daryl Kertesz, a principal at the Activity Capital realty investment firm, looked out his window at the Chagrin Center office-retail building in Woodmere Village and wondered where there was another opportunity in the densely developed area. He noticed how much ground was vacant or underused just south of the commercial buildings facing Chagrin Boulevard’s south side, spread among multiple properties. Fast forward to 2022 and Kertesz has joined forces with John Joyce, the founder and CEO of RHM Real Estate Group of Lyndhurst, to propose an 89unit project just south of Chagrin stretching between Brainard and Avondale roads. The proposal follows years of quiet accumulation of land to create a site to construct the property. The business partners envision the site as a four-story multifamily building with 69 units of one and two bedrooms, along with 20 townhouse-style units. The project surfaced after Woodmere Village Mayor Ben Holbert circulated a news release announcing that the suburb’s planning and zoning commission scheduled a special meeting at 7 p.m. this Tuesday, March 29, to share the idea with the community. The reception the project receives from the public at that session will weigh heavily in whether the village undertakes a key step to making the project a reality, establishing a new section of the zoning code to open the door to the development of the property as an apartment and townhouse complex and rezone the property to it. The site is currently zoned single-family, and the change is one that few suburbs would embrace. Holbert said in a phone interview, “As a representative of the village, we are open to ideas to make our community and business center better. We’re losing population, and this could help bring more people here.” The city’s news release labeled it as a $25 million project. Kertesz and Joyce declined to comment on development

and construction costs for the project. Zoran Milling, an associate at RHM who participated in a Zoom call with Kertesz and Joyce to discuss the project with Crain’s, said the location could capture the interest of millennials who are looking for suburban locations to live after the onset of the pandemic and years in downtown apartments. Moreover, the location is so near the village’s commercial district and restaurants, in locations ranging from Village Square Shopping Center to Eton Chagrin Boulevard, that it may function as a walkable neighborhood. Joyce said the townhouses also provide an alternative for older people who want more room or to downsize from large homes. Kertesz, a third-generation scion of the family that has built homes and commercial properties for three generations in Woodmere and surrounding areas, said the project could in a single swoop add about 200 residents to the suburb. “It would allow Woodmere to evolve residentially the way it has commercially over the past few years,” Kertesz said. Joyce said the project also capitalizes on what Woodmere can provide site-wise. “It’s rich in residential land but not rich in vacant commercial land anymore,” he said. Both business partners have deep real estate investment and management backgrounds. Kertesz worked in his family’s real estate development business until launching Activity Capital to pursue additional residential and commercial deals, and owns a multifamily portfolio. He said he learned the business hearing his father and other family members discussing real estate developments around the dinner table. Joyce said he launched RHM 14 years ago. The company now owns a total of about 10,000 multifamily apartments in 13 states and employs 250. RHM has primarily bought and repositioned existing multifamily properties and is now branching into more apartment and commercial development. Stan Bullard: sbullard@crain.com, (216) 771-5228, @CrainRltywriter

Dan Shingler: dshingler@crain.com, (216) 771-5290 MARCH 28, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 15

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BETTING

From Page 1

Pedestrians pass the 200 Public Square office tower in downtown Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon. | MICHELLE JARBOE/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

THE WEEK THIS IS WILD: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo announced it’s working with CrossCountry Mortgage to create an attraction called Primate Forest, a 140,000-square-foot indoor destination “that will transform and significantly expand” the zoo’s RainForest and create a new home for its gorillas and orangutans. The initial expansion “will be centered around the two-story CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Gallery, a new entranceway to the Primate Forest that will immerse guests in the wonders of the natural world through interactive technology, multi-story play structures and more,” the zoo said. CrossCountry Mortgage is “a long-term strategic partner” of Metroparks and the zoo. The Cleveland Zoological Society, which support projects at the zoo, is fundraising for the Primate Forest, which is expected to be funded primarily by philanthropic donations. Details including the total project cost “are to be determined as construction plans are finalized,” the zoo said. The zoo and CrossCountry Mortgage described the Primate Forest as “a multi-year, multi-phased project.” Construction could begin as early as next year. RIPPLE EFFECT: Reminger Co. is plotting a jump to 200 Public Square, where the law firm will fill the 12th and 13th floors of downtown Cleveland’s third-tallest building. The move, set for the second quarter of 2023, is an early ripple effect from the Sherwin-Williams Co.’s decision to build a new skyscraper in the heart of downtown. Reminger is a longtime tenant at the Landmark Office Towers, the historic headquarters complex that the global coatings giant expects to vacate in 2024. With Sherwin-Williams planning to put its

JUMPSTART

From Page 1

nearby communities were far ahead. Indianapolis-area investors raised $970 million, while Pittsburgh and Cincinnati each raised $1 billion, Columbus raised $5.4 billion and Detroit raised $7.5 billion. As a nonprofit with private and governmental support, JumpStart has put most of its time and money into providing technical assistance and advice to high-potential young businesses. But it also has created a handful of venture capital funds. In the last 10 years, startups it has supported have generated $2.3 billion and created more than 2,800 jobs. JumpStart, created in 2003, began its investment efforts in 2005. It raised and invested $28 million in its

longtime home up for sale and Reminger’s lease set to expire in 2024, the firm’s leaders started to canvass for new digs. They spent more than a year looking — a daunting task in the middle of a pandemic, in a downtown with few large, contiguous blocks of open space in top-shelf buildings. “Sherwin-Williams has been a great landlord, and if they were staying, we probably would have re-upped,” said Diane Giorgi, the firm’s director of human resources and administration. Instead, Reminger inked a lease on 58,568 square feet at 200 Public Square, where landlord DRA Advisors is aggressively chasing deals and planning to spruce up shared spaces, including the cafeteria, fitness facilities and the lobby. CHANGE ON THE WAY: Kichler Lighting will eliminate 78 jobs as part of the looming shutdown of its longtime Independence offices and distribution hub. The company, which announced the closure in October, filed a layoff notice last week with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The job cuts will start on or around April 1 and wrap up by June 30, Dave Bagnall, Kichler’s vice president of human resources, wrote in the letter. The homegrown lighting business plans to vacate its sprawling headquarters by mid-2022. Kichler is moving its corporate offices to Solon and is replacing its local warehouse operations with a facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In a news release last year, the 84-year-old company described the decision as part of its “strategic plans to reposition its business for a dynamic future.” Kichler’s lease on the 631,000-squarefoot property at 7711 E. Pleasant Valley Road ends in June. first decade, and then an additional $40 million since 2015. “In most venture capital fund constructs, there is kind of a doubling, typically every five to seven years,” said JumpStart CEO Ray Leach. “And here we are, we are kind of in a doubling process. We have $70 million of new capital to invest now, and we’re anticipating that we’re going to raise an additional $150 million in capital to invest in the next couple years.”

More money needed Unlike bank lending and other forms of private equity, venture investments focus on promising young businesses that are working to develop new products, typically with cutting-edge technologies, and that have the potential for high returns — but also with higher risk.

Stewart started going on gambling junkets to Las Vegas, maxing out his credit cards and resorting to theft when he ran out of money. A three-year stint in prison didn’t help, since many of the inmates were gambling addicts as well. Finally, in 2016, he spent 30 days at Project Turnabout in Minnesota, which “gave me my life back,” he said. “This disease — if left unchecked, it ruins relationships, it ruins families, and it can kill you,” he said. “And it can happen so quick.” Stewart, who now lives in Streetsboro, works as a recovery advocate for the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio (PGNO), which promotes responsible gambling and provides treatment services for the estimated 900,000 adult Ohioans who are at-risk for problem gambling. In 2021, more than 6,300 Ohioans called the state’s Problem Gambling Helpline — a number that has gone up each of the last five years. Cuyahoga County led the way with 840 of those — more than the next three counties combined. That number is likely about to grow.

and horse racing at 18 — but the state’s legal sports gambling age will be 21, which is also the casino age limit. But, like underage drinking, underage gambling is a problem. About 50% of current sports bettors are between the ages of 18 and 44, according to a survey conducted by Morning Consult. “A lot of that is because of the available mobile apps,” PGNO associate director Michael Buzzelli said. “Who is more likely to download an app and type in their credit card information on a phone? Obviously, young people. “You’re going to see a lot more adolescents and young adults entering treatment.”

Sports gambling nuances

Sports gambling will arrive in Ohio no later than Jan. 1, 2023, creating a market that could generate between $9 billion and $12 billion in bets within three years, according to PlayOhio. com. About 80% to 90% of those bets will be online, with the majority on mobile phones. “This is going to be a big issue for Ohio,” Stewart said. “Sports betting is going to make headlines, and they won’t all be happy ones.” New York saw a 46% uptick in calls to the state’s problem gambling hotline in January, the first month of legal online sports betting in the state. New Yorkers placed $1.6 billion in sports bets on mobile phones, a single-month U.S. record. “Some people get involved very, very quickly,” Stewart said. “I’ve heard stories of individuals that basically drained their college funds just to gamble on sports.” That brings up a key difference in sports gambling compared with other forms. Currently, more than 50% of Ohio’s helpline callers are over the age of 45, with slot machines, lottery tickets and casino table games listed as the top three reasons for the calls. Sports gambling skews younger and its bettors are 70% male, although women are closing the gap. You can start gambling on bingo in Ohio at age 16 — and you can play Keno, lottery

While there are similarities between all forms of addiction, sports gambling comes with its own nuances, Buzzelli said. Specifically, sports gamblers have strong “cognitive distortions,” believing they have power or control over the games — just as some card players believe they can control the next flip card. “There’s certain elements of knowledge, like knowing this team performs well in bad weather and that team plays well against bad teams,” Buzzelli said. “But knowledge is not the same as control. When you have those strong distortions, it’s hard to change that behavior.” Some form of sports gambling is legal in 30 states, with three more (Ohio, Nebraska and Wisconsin) on the way. March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and this year’s NCAA Tournament is expected to generate up to $3 billion in wagers at regulated U.S. sportsbooks this month, making it the most bet-on sporting event in U.S. history, according to PlayUSA. By comparison, this year’s Super Bowl drew $1 billion in wagers. Decades ago, gamblers primarily bet the spread or the over-under of a specific game, then waited three or four hours for the outcome. Now, there are countless in-game bets, from who will score the next touchdown to who will make the next 3-pointer to what will happen in the next at-bat. There are also proposition (“prop”) bets, like how long the national anthem will last or which team will win the coin toss. “Let’s face it — these sportsbooks are very creative,” Stewart said. “You can bet throughout the game, and unless you have specific limits to those amounts, it’s going to create problem gambling at a much faster rate than if it wasn’t in place.” Making matters worse, social media is tailor-made for sports gambling, since it allows gamblers to earn

Companies founded with support from venture investors account for 92% of the private-sector research and development effort nationwide, according to the National Venture Capital Association’s 2022 yearbook. Employment at VC-backed companies grew eight times faster than non-VCbacked firms between 1990 and 2020, the yearbook’s data show. Investment professionals interviewed for this article viewed JumpStart’s expanded venture role as a first step in building more regional support for young businesses. Doug Weintraub, CEO of Bounce Innovation Hub in Akron, said the region needs the kind of growth in venture investing that JumpStart is building. Bounce does not invest in startups but offers young businesses mentorship, coworking space and events to help grow.

“Unfortunately, in this area there’s not enough at the startup level,” he said. “There’s more money needed. You see it in Columbus. Cleveland hasn’t been as preeminent in that space.” Ashley Albers, a local member of VentureNext, a group of 200 young venture professionals focused on Midwest early investing, also would like to see Northeast Ohio pick up its game. “I think that a capital gap exists,” said Albers, a former JumpStart employee and now a principal at ScaleCo, a Cleveland investment firm. “I think we’ve made progress, though.” Bill Trainor, a co-founder of Mutual Capital Partners, a Westlake VC firm, believes JumpStart and other investors in the region have done a good job investing the money they have had, but he is happy to see a greater

‘A big issue for Ohio’

more than money. “A lot of people gamble to win money, but a lot of people gamble just to prove they were right,” Buzzelli said. “Making the right choice and being able to say, ‘I called it!’ or ‘I knew it,’ that can be just as rewarding as cashing out your winnings. There’s a real sense of competition and ego there.”

Getting help Fortunately, Ohio already devotes significant resources to problem gambling, and 2% of the tax revenue that comes from sports betting will go toward problem gambling programs. Those programs include: “Get Set Before You Bet,” which educates Ohioans on responsible gambling and how to prevent problem gambling. Nearly half a million people visited beforeyoubet.org in 2021. “Change The Game,” which provides tools, education and resources about youth gaming and gambling for parents, educators, students and prevention specialists. The campaign launched in 2019 and was expanded in 2021. The Voluntary Exclusion Program, which allows adults to voluntarily ban themselves from entering and gambling at one of Ohio’s four casinos and seven racinos. Adults can sign up for one year, five years or a lifetime exclusion, although they can apply to come off the list after one year or more. “We have a pretty good relationship between the operators and the regulators in the state,” Buzzelli said. “We get kudos from other states for our relationship with the industry.” Casinos and racinos also train their staff to look and listen for warning signs, like when someone says, “Oh, my wife is going to kill me!” or “I can’t believe I did this again!” Each venue also has an ambassador who gets additional training on warning signs, someone who can take them aside and have a conversation about their gambling. Bottom line: Gambling isn’t the problem, Stewart said. Problem gambling is the problem. “I think Ohio really does take this issue seriously,” Stewart said. “There’s more that can be done, but it takes money and resources. It’s all about trying to prevent people from messing their lives up and helping to save a marriage or a family relationship or even a life. “If I can prevent one person from going through what I did, it’s worthwhile.” Joe Scalzo: joe.scalzo@crain.com, (216) 771-5256, @JoeScalzo01 focus on venture investing. “I would say, ‘Could this region use more venture capital?’” he said. “100%.”

Calling on corporations Beyond the broad notion that the region is lagging other regions in venture investing, the investment professionals pointed to two sectors of venture investing, in particular, that need improvement. One is corporate involvement. Other regions have major corporations making major commitments to investing in venture capital funds, which gives them a look at new ideas developing in their industries. Scott Shane, a professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and managing director of

16 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | MARCH 28, 2022

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TAX CREDIT

From Page 1

Richard Barga, vice president of economic development at MidTown Cleveland Inc., views the scoring update as “a major policy change” — one with outsized importance to a stretch of the city between downtown and University Circle. Nonprofit MidTown and Pennrose, a Philadelphia-based developer, have been working for at least three years to salvage the vacant Warner & Swasey complex. Their plans call for turning the city-owned buildings, on Carnegie Avenue near East 55th Street, into 140 mixed-income apartments and commercial space. The Warner & Swasey project has failed to obtain state historic tax credits twice. Now the partners, fielding their third application, feel much more optimistic. “The fact that affordable housing is being considered ... is clearly an indicator that some change is happening in Columbus,” said Barga, expressing surprise. For years, affordable-housing deals have struggled to land state historic credits, which are based on the geographic distribution of projects and the likely economic impact of breathing new life into old buildings. Apartments don’t create many long-term jobs. And low-income rentals, which require heavy subsidies, don’t provide the same return on public dollars as offices, retail or mixed-use projects. Since the state tax-credit program debuted in 2007, development officials have noticed that affordable housing is at a disadvantage. Adjusting the scoring was a way to level the playing field, at a time when housing affordability is a hot topic. The Ohio Department of Development is talking about ways to support housing as a key component of workforce development, director Lydia Mihalik said last month during a panel discussion at the Vorys law firm’s annual economic-development incentives conference in Columbus. “We are in the process of developing a comprehensive housing strategy for the state of Ohio, one that can be supportive of local needs,” she told the audience. The opportunity to modify the historic tax-credit program arose when officials scrapped a scoring category tied to construction timelines. That gave them five points to play with. The new formula offers the biggest assist to projects where 80% to 100% of the square footage is affordable housing. To qualify, developers must show that they’ve secured low-income housing tax credits or other funding with

compliance requirements attached, such as loans or grants through the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. State development officials communicated with the agency about the scoring update, a spokeswoman said. That apparent coordination, and heightened attention to affordable housing, is encouraging to Anya Kulcsar, chief of real estate for Northwest Neighborhoods CDC, a nonprofit

community development group on Cleveland’s West Side. Since 2019, Northwest Neighborhoods has been pursuing a project in the Stockyards area, where the historic Pilsener Brewing Co. Bottling-Works building — an early 1900s relic of a beer-brewing district — could become 40 affordable apartments. The project, called Pilsener Square, is making its third run at state historic tax credits

and competitive low-income housing tax credits. The building likely won’t qualify for extra points in the next round of historic awards. Applications are due Thursday, March 31. Winners will be announced in June. Developers were well into the pre-application process when the state revised its scoring system. “It could take a while for this to actually be really beneficial,” Kulcsar said.

Comeback Capital, a Shaker Heights VC firm, wondered why Northeast Ohio doesn’t have a major corporate investor or two in startup businesses: “The first thing I would say to (corporations) in Northeast Ohio is, ‘Where’s our Heritage Group?’ Where’s the big company that’s going to put money into early-stage companies?” Heritage, based in Indianapolis, is a private firm with a portfolio of companies specializing in heavy construction and materials, environmental services and specialty chemicals, with annual sales of over $800 million, according to Dun & Bradstreet. It has invested $65 million in tech startups since 2018, according to Inside Indiana Business, a statewide media business. Some local firms are looking to invest in young companies. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in 2020 created Goodyear Ventures in Ak-

ron and committed $100 million to invest in what it calls “mobility solutions,” which includes everything from new tire materials to robots that happen to have wheels. In 2017, KeyCorp jumped into the startup field with a four-year, $24 million commitment to JumpStart to support programs that build business ownership. Then, at the annual meeting of North Coast Ventures earlier in March, KeyCorp CEO Christopher Gorman said the banking firm intends to have an increasing role in the young field of financial technology, or fintech. “Fintechs are going to be a part of the fabric of banking for the future,” he said. “At Key, we’ve been ahead of this, we’ve been focused on this, for 15 years. We feel we’re part of the ecosystem.” Corporate venture capital, though, is more focused on advancing corpo-

rate needs, rather than those of its hometown. Still, spinouts funded by the corporation tend to stay close to home. “I think startups win when the region’s corporations are focused on innovation,” said Todd Federman, managing partner of North Coast Ventures, which has invested more than $60 million in 57 Midwest companies over the last 12 years. “They’re thinking about developing technology, partnering on technology and buying technology, and all of that is good for a startup ecosystem.”

offers a place where an entrepreneur with an idea can work with a mentor and other startup entrepreneurs while learning how to scale up the business idea. The idea is to shorten the learning cycle from a business idea to a feasible business to three or four months. JumpStart already does offer business advice and counseling, though not in the intense way an accelerator would. Successful accelerators are large organizations with sites scattered across the country. “Does Cleveland need an accelerator in the classic sense?” Leach asked. “I think our answer (is) it would be a good thing. It would be a positive thing. “ But, he said, it’s something that is hard to create. “If you want one of the world-class accelerators, you’ve got to pay the

The former Pilsener Brewing Co. Bottling-Works building on Cleveland’s West Side is slated to become 40 apartments for low-income renters. The Northwest Neighborhoods CDC, a community development organization, has been seeking competitive tax credits through state agencies for low-income housing and historic preservation. | MICHELLE JARBOE/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS PHOTOS

The former Warner & Swasey Co. factory in Cleveland’s Midtown neighborhood has struck out twice in its pursuit of competitive state tax credits for historic preservation. A recent change to the state’s program could give the project a much-needed edge.

Accelerating growth The investment pros also said the region could use what’s called a startup accelerator. An accelerator, in addition to being an investor in a young business,

“But I think it overall at least gives these affordable-housing projects more of a chance than they once had.” Warner & Swasey already has low-income housing tax credits lined up. The project won a slug of credits in May 2020, for 56 senior apartments. MidTown and Pennrose are seeking a second award tied to 56 units for low-income families. The Ohio Housing Finance Agency makes competitive awards annually, in May. The partners plan to apply for $2 million in state historic credits this month — and another $2 million after that, with hopes of starting work in early 2023. Consultants expect the scoring change to reverberate more later this year. “We might not see a huge impact this round. But in future rounds, absolutely,” said Ken Kalynchuk of Project Management Consultants, a Cleveland-based company that works with tax-credit developers across the state. Rudge wondered whether the development department’s move will withstand lobbying pressure from major developers and scrutiny from lawmakers, who are considering a temporary expansion of the program and other modifications. “I think the state has to be really careful,” she said. “They cannot do something like this and have it discourage private investment, because the world can’t work on government subsidies.” One of Rudge’s clients, CHN Housing Partners, stands to benefit from the revised scoring right away. The nonprofit developer has fallen short twice in the hunt for historic tax credits for the old St. Michael’s School, at the confluence of Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton and Tremont neighborhoods. The vacant building on Scranton Road, and a former convent next door, are set to become 46 apartments for elderly renters. CHN has low-income housing tax credits in hand, thanks to an Ohio Housing Finance Agency pilot program focused on establishing mixed-income areas in urban neighborhoods. A $1.1 million state historic award would be the last major skein in a complicated web of financing. The new points for affordable housing could turn a near-miss into a victory. “We’ve been right on the verge, the first two times, of getting awarded, but just fell short,” said Joe Hall, CHN’s vice president of real estate development. “Now … we think that’s the scoring piece we really need to get over the top.” Michelle Jarboe: michelle.jarboe@ crain.com, (216) 771-5437, @mjarboe money to hire the people and raise the money to invest in the companies,” he said. “And the accelerators oftentimes aren’t sustainable.” One of the 30 locations of Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley accelerator, has been operating in Northeast Ohio. Until the pandemic, it brought young entrepreneurs developing health and pharmaceutical businesses to Cleveland. The Cleveland location was funded by Eli Lilly and Co., Pfizer Inc. and UH Ventures, an arm of University Hospitals of Cleveland. “Before, we were bringing startups in, and now we’re not,” said Jennifer Thomas, managing director of Plug and Play Cleveland. “But we do try to focus on some local startups and Ohio-based startups.” Jay Miller: jmiller@crain.com, (216) 771-5362, @millerjh

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Advertising Section To place your listing, visit www.crainscleveland.com/people-on-the-move or, for more information, contact Debora Stein at 917.226.5470 / dstein@crain.com

AUTOMOTIVE

CONSTRUCTION

FINANCIAL SERVICES

HEALTH CARE

INVESTMENT FIRM

Davis Automotive Group, Inc.

AMHigley

Ancora

Lumina Imaging & Diagnostics

Evolution Capital Partners LLC

Davis Automotive Group, Inc. located in Solon is home to BMW, Jaguar, and Land Rover. Jeff Davis, Principal, is pleased and proud to announce the promotion of his son Taylor Davis to President. Taylor has worked diligently over many years to learn all facets of the business and build strong alliances in the region and beyond. That lifelong experience, along with his commitment to the sustainability of the company and the community, positions him well for his path forward. Taylor earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Elon University in North Carolina. After two years in Audit at Deloitte Touche in Chicago, and five years in executive recruiting, Taylor returned home to NE Ohio to rejoin Jeff and partner Paul Yusko in the business.

The Albert M. Higley Co. is happy to announce the hiring of Conor Evans, Regional Vice President, New Jersey. Conor’s hire signifies the opening of AMHigley’s new office located in Morristown, New Jersey and the commitment to growing the firm’s footprint within the state. As a Morristown Resident, Conor joins our team recognizing the opportunity to build relationships and build community by finding ways to add value within the construction industry of Central and North Jersey.

We are happy to announce that John Bartels has been promoted to President of Ancora’s Family Wealth division. John will lead the Family Wealth team, which also includes the firm’s Wealth Planning and Insurance Services functions. Additionally, John is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and previously led Ancora’s Retirement Plans team. He has over 25 years of industry experience and founded Independent Advisors in 2000. John earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from John Carroll University.

Lumina Imaging and Diagnostics introduces Dr. Vikas Jain as the new medical director. With three–soon to be four–locations in greater Cleveland, Jain will work to expand access to high quality and lower cost imaging like MRIs, CT scans, and screenings to patients in the region in an atmosphere focused on patient experience. Jain is an experienced radiologist who also serves as an associate professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Evolution Capital Partners LLC is pleased to announce that Ariel Marbury has joined the firm as an associate. She brings experience with strategic planning, client account management, project management and process improvement. As president of Swift360 Solutions LLC, Marbury has experience in a variety of industries. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Baldwin Wallace University and Master of Public Administration degree from DePaul University. She is Six Sigma Black Belt Certified.

NEW GIG? GIG? NEW Preserve your career change Preserve your career change for years to come. for years to come.

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Laura Picariello Reprints Sales Manager Laura Picariello lpicariello@crain.com Reprints Sales Manager (732) 723-0569 lpicariello@crain.com (732) 723-0569

S H A R E YO U R C O M P A N Y ’ S J OADVERTISING URNEY

LAW

COMPANIES ON THE MOVE

Frantz Ward LLP

LAW

Frantz Ward LLP is pleased to announce that partner Angela D. Lydon has been named Vice-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Angie is an experienced litigator who represents businesses and individuals throughout the United States, with a focus on commercial disputes, transportation law, business torts, products liability, and insurance issues. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and her B.A., cum laude, from Miami University.

Frantz Ward LLP Frantz Ward LLP is pleased to announce that partner James B. Niehaus has been named Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Jim focuses his practice on competition law resolving disputes between and managing the relationships among competitors and businesses at different levels of the distribution chain. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Notre Dame Law School and his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

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awards and more in Crain’s

Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan Cleveland, OH 216.255.5431 www.tddlaw.com

Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan has moved its downtown Cleveland office to the Gordon Square Arts District. The newly constructed office is located at 1282 West 58th Street and offers beautiful rooftop views of the lakefront and access to the heart of Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. The firm, in business since 1931, is excited to establish roots in the new neighborhood as it continues to provide comprehensive legal services to its clients in Northeast Ohio and beyond.

For more information, contact Debora Stein at dstein@crain.com or submit directly to CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM/COTM

crainscleveland.com

CRAIN’S THOUGHT LEADER FORUM

SHOWCASE YOUR INDUSTRY EXPERTISE in this paid feature from Crain’s Content Studio – Cleveland.

Executive editor Elizabeth McIntyre (216) 771-5358 or emcintyre@crain.com Group publisher Jim Kirk (312) 397-5503 or jkirk@crain.com Associate publisher Amy Ann Stoessel (216) 771-5155 or astoessel@crain.com Managing editor Scott Suttell (216) 771-5227 or ssuttell@crain.com Assistant managing editor John Kappes (216) 771-5359 or john.kappes@crain.com Web editor Damon Sims (216) 771-5279 or dpsims@crain.com Assistant editor Rachel Abbey McCafferty (216) 771-5379 or rmccafferty@crain.com Art director Kayla Byler (614) 312-7635 or kayla.byler@crain.com Senior data editor Chuck Soder (216) 771-5374 or csoder@crain.com Cartoonist Rich Williams REPORTERS

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FOCUS: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PUBLISH DATE: May 16 | PARTICIPATION DEADLINE: April 18 | CONTENT DUE: May 2

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PRIVATE SCHOOL PLANNER YOUR GUIDE TO NORTHEAST OHIO SCHOOLS

T N A T R O P IM DATES

2 UG. 2 A : E T NE 27 A U D J E : E ISSU ADLIN 15 E D N O JULY I : T E A U P D ICI TENT PART N O C ILE UG. 8 A : E PROF AD DU

Crain’s Content Studio-Cleveland will publish a Private School Planner exploring the array of private education options in Northeast Ohio, from K-12 to planning for college and beyond. The Private School Planner special supplement is distributed with the Aug. 22 issue of Crain’s Cleveland Business.

CRAIN’SCONTENTSTUDIO CLEVELAND

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