Crain's Cleveland Business

CRAIN’S LIST: Northeast Ohio’s largest commercial contractors. PAGE 18

REAL ESTATE Rising costs, interest rates combine to muddy the real estate outlook. PAGE 3

CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM I APRIL 18, 2022

PHOTOS BY JASON MILLER/PIXELATE PHOTOGRAPHY

COURTESY

The 2022 Eight Over 80 honorees have not only left a legacy, but continue to build on it. PAGE 10

Goodyear Ventures seeks more than financial return

Tiremaker looks to establish strategic relationships

BY DAN SHINGLER

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has been buying more companies than most people might realize.

While it might not be buying them outright, it’s taken venture capital stakes in a dozen fledgling companies over about the last two years through Goodyear Ventures, an investment fund the company founded in 2020 and seeded with $100 million.

Unlike most venture capitalists, Goodyear’s not strictly concerned about getting a direct return on its investment via a sale of its portfolio companies, or by them going public.

Instead, Goodyear is investing to establish strategic relationships and gain expertise in the fields of mobility and autonomous vehicles, sectors the big Akron tiremaker believes are the keys to its future success and in which it already has invested millions itself.

“The intention of kicking this fund off was that Goodyear has really

sworn to strategic relationships with startups that will help us learn about mobility trends and also bring the best of Goodyear to those startups to help them with their growth,” said Goodyear Ventures managing director Abhijit Ganguly.

Focus on partnerships Goodyear has mostly stuck to the themes of mobility and autonomous vehicles. But even within those, Goodyear has found opportunities with young companies involved in a variety of technologies and applications.

Goodyear Ventures’ most recent investment is in Seattle-based Recurrent, a company involved in the analysis of electric-vehicle battery health that announced a funding round of $4.5 million in which Goodyear Ventures was one of several participants that Recurrent said would provide not only capital, but “noteworthy partnerships.”

See GOODYEAR on Page 20

NEWSPAPER

VOL. 43, NO. 15 l COPYRIGHT 2022 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Len Komoroski, the CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Rock Entertainment Group, will step away from that role at the end of the Cavs’ season. His career began decades ago as an intern with an indoor soccer team. | CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Len Komoroski took the road less traveled — and made a difference

BY JOE SCALZO

Long before Len Komoroski emerged as one of Cleveland’s most important figures of the last two decades, someone who helped lead the transformation of the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and its surrounding neighborhoods, he planned to enter one of the world’s most noble professions.

He was going to be a sports writer.

The Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, native saw himself becoming the Pittsburgh version of cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto, someone who

would cover what Howard Cosell was already calling the “City of Champions.” He even dabbled in sports journalism, first teaming up with a future Yinzer media legend named Mark Madden on the North Hill Street Press then as a stringer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He briefly thought about advertising, and he did a lobbying internship at the Harrisburg Statehouse before an influential professor sold him on the virtues of public relations.

By the fall of 1981, as Komoroski entered his senior year at Duquesne University, two things were becoming uncomfortably clear:

 He would need to get a job in eight months.  He didn’t know what he was going to do.

Turns out, his future was across the street. Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena was primarily the home to the NHL’s Penguins but also hosted everything from wrestling to roller derby to religious rallies to fish tournament weigh-ins to — most importantly for Komoroski — a Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) team named the Pittsburgh Spirit.

See KOMOROSKI on Page 22

GOVERNMENT

Partners make push to expand the region’s NASA programs

BY KIM PALMER

For the first time in a long time, a group of state and local leaders made the argument that Northeast Ohio deserved a larger share of the $22.6 billion budget requested for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for fiscal 2022, and the group is doing the same for the $26 billion in NASA funding the White House plans to request as they look to bring $830 million to NASA Glenn as part of the fiscal 2023 appropriations budget.

“It is so important to have alignment across the community on a full set of priorities for NASA Glenn,” said Baju Shah, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.

The NASA Glenn Research Center’s Lewis Field campus in Cleveland and the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility, formerly Plum Brook Station, in Sandusky, are underappreciated and underused assets, Shah said — a result of volatile levels of federal funding due in part to a historic lack of advocacy coming from state and local leaders.

NASA Glenn is responsible for $540.7 million in direct spending in Northeast Ohio and more than $1 billion in value-added activities in the state, according to a 2020 Economic Impact Study published by Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.

Because the NASA centers are government agencies, staff have restrictions on direct lobbying for funding — limitations that groups including GCP, Team NEO, JobsOhio and the Ohio Aerospace Institute do not have.

Terry Donelon, director of government advocacy at GCP, worked over the last several months to bring together those groups and other “relevant stakeholders,” including members of Northern Ohio’s congressional delegation, to push for a list of funding priorities and programs via a letter to the U.S. Senate and House appropriations committees urging them to include NASA Glenn in the fiscal 2022 appropriations bill.

“We all joined to agree on one plan and spoke with one voice,” Donelon said, adding that such a bipartisan, bicameral push like that has not occurred in a long time.

“There is a benefit that comes from hearing the same priorities from the region’s leaders, and it helps our congressional partners provide better answers when they are fighting for those requests,” he added.

President Joe Biden in March signed into law a bill that included $10 million for a new runway and $29.5 million for a Department of Defense Space Force program to reactivate a previously decommissioned hypersonic tunnel at NASA Armstrong. The hypersonic program has seen renewed interest as word spread of a Russian-made hypersonic missile that can travel up to five times the speed of sound.

Supporters of the hypersonic program also are pushing NASA leadership to make the NASA Glenn the Lead Center for that project. Elaine Bryant, managing director of military and federal for JobsOhio, said that designation gives a facility full authority over a program’s budget, implementation and contracting.

The move, she said, is critical to leveraging work that brings private in-

The NASA Insignia or “Meatball” is painted on a hangar roof at NASA Glenn’s Lewis Field in Cleveland. | NASA PHOTOS

A researcher, Rick Bozak, inspects fan blade tips on a rotor installed in a test facility at Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Research Center.

Orion Spacecraft is prepared for Space Environment Testing at the NASA Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky.

dustry to the area.

“We’ve seen this happen for years with Wright Patterson Air Force base (in Dayton), which attracts companies wanting to be near where the program decision makers are, and it really gives our folks a leg up,” Bryant said.

In the long run, the plan is to look at the NASA centers not just as insular federal research facilities but as economic engines that attract both large and small contractors looking to work on projects housed at Lead Centers, Bryant said.

“We are prepping to land on the moon, and a lot of that work is happening right here in Cleveland,” Bry-

ant said, referring to the Artemis mission, NASA’s program to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972.

Bryant said NASA Glenn is working on a host of technologies related to current or pending space missions. Among them: surface “fission” power, which is essential for sustained human presence on the moon; electric propulsion thrusters employed on space missions; and research with obvious commercial applications, including satellite communication systems and lower-emission, all-electric aviation systems.

“We need to make people and

companies aware, not just locally but across the state and across the country, that there are business opportunities based on the research we do at here in Ohio,” she said. “But we have to all be on the same page.

That way, when anyone asks a question or wonders what’s going on in the region, they get the same answer. That gives confidence that we have what it takes to bring those programs here.”

Another line item in NASA’s fiscal 2022 budget — $1.5 million for the Ohio Aerospace Institute’s Research Center Partnership Initiative — is part of the effort to grow a commercial ecosystem around NASA Glenn.

OAI president and CEO John Sankovic agrees with Bryant that securing NASA Glenn as a Lead Center is crucial to stabilizing funding and attracting related businesses.

“I see the potential here, and I really see kind of a renewed interest in the area,” Sankovic said.

He said the Lewis Center facility is basically a federal laboratory on a 350-acre industrial property, next to a large airport with access to two interstates, two national rail lines and the Port of Cleveland to the north.

“It’s really an amazing spot,” he adds. “They (companies) should be

seeking us out instead of the other way around.”

With more funding, NASA Glenn can grow public-private partnerships by leasing out time on the facility’s state-of-the-art equipment, much like the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida leases out launch pad time, Sankovic said.

He also supports the growth of a program created under President Barack Obama that allows private industry free or affordable consulting time with NASA experts.

“Sometimes a company will only have one question. They just need to talk to a Ph.D. in metallurgy for a couple hours,” Sankovic said.

Those programs and securing one or more Lead Centers are the best steps to fostering a more stable ecosystem around both Northeast Ohio NASA facilities. None of that can happen without the support and advocacy that keeps Ohio research here rather than being spun off to companies located on the coasts or to Kennedy Space Center, Sankovic said.

“I think we are maybe getting tired of getting beaten up and have our lunch taken,” he said.

Kim Palmer: kpalmer@crain.com, (216) 771-5384, @kimfouroffive

2 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P002_CL_20220418.indd 2

4/15/2022 1:43:05 PM

REAL ESTATE

Say goodbye to low interest rates and a building boom

BY STAN BULLARD

Real estate types are starting to ponder the future of their businesses as rising interest rates become serious and, for some developers, compound the impact of double-digit hikes in construction costs.

Some already have dropped projects. Others have switched their approach to the market. A new sense of caution is coursing through the industry after a decade of low interest-rate policies.

For instance, Dick Pace, president of Cumberland Development LLC of Cleveland, recently pulled back from a plan to build a small, mixed-use apartment-retail building in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The project would have been similar to its $19 million Verandas apartment and retail building on the waterfront in downtown Cleveland.

“We remember higher interest rates than this in the 1970s and early 1980s,” Pace said. “We’re going from very low to low interest rates, in my view. When you add in the risk factors for recession and inflation, I think there’s a storm on the horizon. We’ve switched to a more conservative position of buying existing real estate with some cash flow and an opportunity to improve returns.”

Some privately say they’re taking a pause, or a wait-and-see approach that can quickly be reversed. In part, that’s due to questions about how long the overhang is from price hikes

and logistics problems in the pandemic, compounded by energy price shocks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Economic weapons used by global interests to try to beat back troop movements add to the uncertainty. In Northeast Ohio, the Federal Reserve’s Price use of interest-rate hikes to tame inflation is a new reality for businesses that rely on borrowed money.

Doug Price, CEO of K&D Group of Willoughby, said that with rates hitting 5% in early April, the end of the latest real estate boom could be near.

“You’re going to see the Hamilton marginal deals disappear,” Price predicted. “Interest rates have already started to move up somewhat rapidly. Put increased construction costs and product shortages on top of it, and many deals don’t work anymore. We’ve been in this long period of cheap money. Low rates will come up, and it’s going to be a problem for some people. A lot of real estate values have been based on these rates. There will still be deals. They’ll be harder.”

Like Pace, Price knows the realty business from a long-term viewpoint “There were many years when we started in this business (in the 1990s) when rates were 7% to 9%. Nothing will

stop a deal that underwrites well,” Price said.

Similarly, Bo Knez, the founder of Knez Homes in Concord Township, said his company already has changed its investment approach to new commercial and residential projects.

“Affordability has been shot out the window,” Knez said. “If people thought housing was not affordable two years ago, they’re in for a shock now. It’s putting a damper on the C markets as opposed to others. We’ll focus on the A and B markets going forward.”

By that, he explained, the company will focus on the strongest locations for projects in terms of proximity to a nucleus of features, such as employment centers, retail services and the best school systems.

“The market we had was amazing,” Knez said. “We had low interest rates, and inflation was kept at bay.”

For Knez, the price of its urban single-family homes shows the impact of the changed environment.

“Some that were $250,000 two years ago are now tracking at about $370,000,” Knez said.

Likewise, Lance Osborne, president of Osborne Capital Group in Mentor, said the run-up of construc-

tion costs is the immediate problem.

He terms the prospect of increasing interest rates a long-run concern.

Ken Simonson, the economist for the Association of General Contractors trade group, wrote in an April 13 report that costs for goods and services in the nonresidential market rose 21% between March of this year and a year ago, according to an AGC price index.

Many of the same products go into homes. In a year’s time, according to the same AGC price index, asphalt, roofing and siding soared 22.6%. Lumber and plywood climbed 20.9%.

Commercial interest rates are more complicated than home mortgages geared to the Federal Reserve Bank’s benchmark rate. They are priced against the Secured Overnight Fund Rate (SOFR), the generally accepted successor to the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR.) Terms vary based on the property type, rent projections, equity — cash or cash equivalents — the borrower’s creditworthiness and, in some cases, the financial strength of a tenant committed to the property in writing.

Lenders walk a tightrope in variable interest-rate conditions, as they need to explain to clients how a deal that penciled a year ago will not do so now, or sensitize clients to what cash flow they’ll need to meet payments later, at potentially higher interest rates.

For instance, consider the view at ErieBank, a division of CNT Bank of Erie, Pennsylvania, which has made

that “good girl” mentality, claim your worth and affirm other women whenever you can.

To recognize Women’s History Month, entrepreneur and investor Alexandra Wilkis Wilson delivered a keynote speech on March 31 titled “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats,” hosted by MAI Capital Management and the MAI Women’s Network. The discussion celebrated women in tech and business and emphasized the importance of women supporting each other to break glass ceilings.

Wilkis Wilson is an entrepreneur, investor and consumer tech adviser best known for cofounding the online shopping and lifestyle brand Gilt, which transformed the landscape of luxury and fashion e-commerce. Founded in 2007, the flash sale site was among the first of its kind in the United States and garnered $650 million in revenue within five years.

Along with co-founding two other consumer tech companies, Wilkis Wilson also advises scores of new and developing businesses, serves on the boards of public and private companies and has personally invested in more than 20 startups.

Currently, Wilkis Wilson is co-founder and managing partner of Clerisy, a private equity firm where she leverages her trailblazing experience and extensive network to champion female entrepreneurship.

“Don’t be afraid of that ‘B’ word that so many women are afraid of being called in the business world,” Wilkis Wilson said. “It’s OK to be strong, it’s OK to be powerful. “ With experiences ranging from fashion e-commerce and in-home beauty services to artificial intelligence and machine investments, Wilkis Wilson said her entrepreneurial spirit comes from a desire to learn new things and never do the same thing twice.

Wilkis Wilson hopes that by sharing her story, experiences and other advice she has learned throughout her career, she can encourage and guide other women to reach their career goals.

“Glass ceilings don’t shatter on their own,” Wilkis Wilson said. “I really believe it is incumbent upon all of us to lift others up whenever possible. Think about that in your daily lives and routines, what is it that you can do to help lift others up, and hopefully have people lifting you up in the process.”

There are four main areas where women need to band together in this regard, according to Wilkis Wilson: Don’t be afraid to break into male-dominated fields, release yourself from

Wilkis Wilson added that she has strived to create startups that solve consumer problems, allow her to collaborate with new partners and open doors to create opportunities for other women.

hundreds of millions of dollars in construction loans in Northeast Ohio during the pandemic. Suzanne Hamilton, a senior vice president for commercial real estate, terms it all a balancing act.

“We are looking for how we can be flexible,” she said. “Developers borrow money for a living. The market may slow down, but they still want to get their stuff done. We want to be accommodating and protect them.”

The most recent challenge has been the volatility of the lending market, Hamilton said.

“We can’t control this,” she said.

“We have to protect the bank and the borrower and look at the what-ifs to make sure we are doing the right thing by everybody.”

After a long era of great real estate fundamentals, except in the office market, the change will be significant.

Chris Semarjian, owner of Industrial Commercial Properties of Solon, heads a company that has been very active the past few years and offers the perspective of three decades in commercial real estate.

“People are acknowledging increases in costs, in terms of materials and labor and, now, interest rates,” Semarjian said. “I don’t like it. But I think we can live with it and adjust. I just hope it tames inflation.”

Stan Bullard: sbullard@crain.com, (216) 771-5228, @CrainRltywriter

“It’s very comfortable for people to hire others who remind you or yourself in some way, but there’s much data and proof that diversity of teams leads to the best outcomes for a company,” Wilkis Wilson said.

She went on to explain that this diversity is not just limited to terms of gender, race or religion, but also applies to personalities and skills. These different perspectives or methods can work cohesively and complement each other to drive a company to its full potential.

“Number one, build and maintain your network.

Number two, figure out your superpower,” Wilkis Wilson said. “And number three, open doors for others every time you can, because the rising tides lift all boats.”

“The businesses that I created were businesses that I wished had existed,” Wilkis Wilson said.

“I’m not an individual contributor, I like getting my ideas and creativity and motivation from being around others.”

The importance of strong team building continues to be one of Wilkis Wilson’s top priorities in her career endeavors from both entrepreneurial and investment perspectives.

She added that strong teams require good collaborations, growth potential and diversity.

This advertising-supported section/feature is produced by Crain’s Content Studio-Cleveland, the marketing storytelling arm of Crain’s Cleveland Business. The Crain’s Cleveland Business newsroom is not involved in creating Crain’s Content Studio content.

APRIL 18, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 3

P003_CL_20220418.indd 3

4/15/2022 1:00:02 PM

THE VERDICT IS IN…

HEALTH CARE

CALL YOUR LOCAL CREDIT UNION FOR YOUR COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS!

Interest rates at all time lows!

A rendering shows Apex Dermatology & Skin Surgery Center’s new $8 million headquarters in Mayfield Heights. | COURTESY

Apex Dermatology to build $8M headquarters in Mayfield Heights

• Loans up to $15 Million • No Prepayment Penalties • As Little as 10% Down

Apex locations

Your Business Lending Partner SM

BY LYDIA COUTRÉ

CONTACT JONATHAN A. MOKRI

With the latest addition in Lorain, Apex Dermatology & Skin Surgery Center has Apex Dermatology & Skin Sur- a dozen locations across Northeast Ohio. Its current Mayfield Heights office will gery Center breaks ground this move across the street into the new headquarters Apex is building at the corner month on a new $8 million head- of Landerbrook Drive and Cedar Road when it opens in summer 2023. quarters in Mayfield Heights for the expanding regional health care Ashtabula 2020 practice.

Located at the corner of Landerbrook Drive and Cedar Road, the Concord 2011 Mentor 2020 18,000-square-foot, single-story facility is slated to open in summer 2023. It will include a clinical office, A Mayfield Heights 2014 Westlake 2018 medispa, lab, research center and Lorain 2022 the dermatology practice’s corpoSolon 2013 Parma 2016 rate headquarters.

90 “That’s kind of our hub for us being able to deliver the care that we Hudson 2016 do across all the other offices,” said Medina 2018 Cuyahoga Falls 2021 Dr. Jorge Garcia-Zuazaga, Apex founder and president.

Apex, which specializes in medi71 cal, aesthetic and surgical derma77 tology, is also in the process of Canton 2020 opening a new office in Lorain — its 12th location. Since 2020, the pracCRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS GRAPHIC tice has added offices in Ashtabula, Canton, Mentor and Cuyahoga year, things started to pick up “and “The idea of having a bigger space, then some,” he said. “We’re pretty and the reason why we’re moving is Falls.

In 11 years, the dermatology busy right now.” because we’re growing,” he said. “The After some hits in its revenue and reason that we’re adding all those practice has expanded from a single location in Concord to a sprawling patient volumes, Apex has been exam rooms and all those spaces is slowly making up that ground, because, in the next three to five years, network across Northeast Ohio.

By now, Garcia-Zuazaga is famil- which helped Garcia-Zuazaga to de- we’re probably gonna have an extra iar with the ins and outs of launch- cide that going forward with the couple of doctors there.” ing a practice. With the exception of headquarters is the right move.

Each added provider requires “The city I think really hiring nurses, front desk and other a couple of acquisitions of likes the project because support staff. practices from retiring we’re adding a lot of value providers, the vast majoriThe headquarters will include 12 to the community,” he exam rooms and six procedure ty of Apex’s locations have said, noting that many rooms for the dermatology practice been new offices started people need dermatology and Mohs Micrographic Surgery through organic growth, and skin cancer care. “And Unit. The medispa area features nathe said. we’re gonna have the help ural materials and brings in natural But building an entirely right there.” new facility from the light for a calming, soothing experiApex’s current Mayfield ence, Wallis said. ground up?

Heights location is across “This is a new one for Garcia-Zuazaga The new building also will centhe street from the site of tralize corporate offices and laboraus,” Garcia-Zuazaga said. the future headquarters, tory services. Additionally, it gives “This is the first time that and will move into the new dedicated space to the Apex Clinical we’re actually moving dirt facility once it opens. May- Research Center, which Garand putting up a building field Heights Mayor An- cia-Zuazaga launched in 2020 to ofwhere there’s nothing.” thony DiCicco said in a fer clinical trials to patients.

Infinity Construction is provided statement he’s serving as the construcThe new facility is the culmination pleased Apex chose to re- of a decade of work and expansion, a tion manager for the projmain in the city as it ex- milestone that Apex celebrated last ect, and the architecture pands its operations. firm is Perspectus Archiyear, Garcia-Zuazaga said, noting “Mayfield Heights’ eco- that this is “just the beginning for us.” tecture.

DiCicco nomic future continues to The headquarters build“We will continue to — and we ing has been an evolving vision for evolve with the latest expansion of want to continue to — do really well several years, Garcia-Zuazaga said. Apex Dermatology,” DiCicco said. in the community,” he said. “And The plan was once a two-story facil- “The city continues to offer ameni- hey, maybe in the future we’ll go to ity that included space for other ties making Mayfield Heights a de- new markets, right? So this is going medical practices to create a small sirable place to live and work.” to be a really good project for us to, Across all of its locations, Apex you know, put us in the community subspecialty center, but “with a pandemic, all those plans went has nearly 170 full-time employees. and say hey, we have a really nice At the new headquarters, Gar- branding and a nice building for our away for everybody,” he said.

Jim Wallis, Perspectus Architec- cia-Zuazaga expects to add about 30 patients and really nice resources, ture principal, said many of the new employees in the first three to which is great.” firm’s health care clients paused to five years of its opening, “which is assess the pandemic’s impact on going to be great for the city,” he Lydia Coutré: lcoutre@crain.com, their business. But after about a said.

(216) 771-5479, @LydiaCoutre

440.526.8700 • jmokri@cbscuso.com www.cbscuso.com

3.59 AC Prime Commercial Land 18170 Bagley Rd., Middleburg Hts, OH 44130

PROPERTY OVERVIEW • Prime Bagley Road Retail Corridor Development Opportunity by Raising Canes and CLEan Express Auto Wash • For Sale or Ground Lease

• Located at a new corner traffic light on Bagley Road (25,545 vpd) • Multiple access points to Engle Road • Monument Signage Available on Bagley Road

Sean Wall

216.861.5498

www.hannacre.com

seanwall@hannacre.com

Retire your way Start with a plan Let your goals be your guide Ruggiero Wealth Management UBS Financial Services Inc. 600 Superior Avenue East 27th Floor Cleveland, OH 44114 216-736-8317

Modesto “Moe” Ruggiero Managing Director– Wealth Management Senior Portfolio Manager Wealth Advisor modesto.ruggiero@ubs.com

ubs.com/team/ruggiero

As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, UBS Financial Services Inc. offers investment advisory services in its capacity as an SEC-registered investment adviser and brokerage services in its capacity as an SEC-registered broker-dealer. Investment advisory services and brokerage services are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and are governed by different laws and separate arrangements. It is important that clients understand the ways in which we conduct business, that they carefully read the agreements and disclosures that we provide to them about the products or services we offer. For more information, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/relationshipsummary. © UBS 2020. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. CJ-UBS-2031105874_3 Exp.: 10/31/2021

4 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P004_CL_20220418.indd 4

4/15/2022 1:31:03 PM

EDUCATION

Cuyahoga Community College’s presidential search winds down Cuyahoga Community College is on the brink of a new chapter. Current president Alex Johnson is set to retire after nine years at the institution.

Three finalists are vying to take his place: Michael Baston, president of New York’s Rockland Community College; Annette Parker, president of Minnesota’s South Central College; and Colette Pierce Burnette, president of Huston-Tillotson University in Texas.

Whichever candidate is selected will inherit an institution, like its peers nationwide, that’s been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging from this chapter is one of the biggest challenges for the college, according to Victor Ruiz, the executive director of Esperanza Inc. and a Tri-C board member who’s chairing its presidential search advisory committee.

“How do we come out of that to ensure the college continues on its path that it’s always been — being an innovative institution, providing workforce solutions, and being a place of choice and access of higher ed for Cuyahoga County?” he said.

Enrollment woes have been amplified during the past two years at Tri-C. Community colleges fared the worst in terms of enrollment drops nationwide.

The pandemic’s impacts disproportionately affected both women and people of color, groups that make up the bulk of community college enrollments. Tri-C’s full-time enrollment fell 19% in the fall of 2020 and 8% a year later, coming in at about 9,000 students in fall 2021.

Ruiz listed additional institutional priorities the next leader will have to tackle. There’s figuring out how to meet local workforce needs amid the Great Resignation and making sure the college is on good financial footing.

Officials have been busy since Johnson — a beloved leader who leaves “big shoes to fill,” per Ruiz — announced his retirement in October 2021. The college is paying national firm AGB Search $80,000 to facilitate the process.

“When you think about community colleges in the nation, it is certainly well-regarded and well-respected as one of the top community colleges,”

CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BY AMY MORONA

Jeanne Jacobs, an executive search consultant with the firm, said of Tri-C. Nearly 30 candidates applied.

Seven were invited to virtual interviews, and out of Baston that group, the final three were invited to campus earlier this month for various in-person interviews, meetings and town hall events.

In a region where the majority of college presidents are white men, the Tri-C search committee and finalist pool were notably diverse. The 22 members of the committee represent a variety of races, genders, experiences and jobs. All three of the finalists for the job are Black. Two are women.

Diversity was specifically taken into account in the process, says board member Ruiz. They selected a search firm with a proven track record of sourcing diverse candidates. It was embedded in the process of the questions candidates were asked and how

Parker

Pierce-Burnette

they were evaluated.

The college itself is one of the most diverse institutions in Northeast Ohio.

Nearly 40% of its students are nonwhite, and 61% percent are women.

“We want to make sure that we are truly representative of the individuals

that we serve, and we know that people want to see themselves in their leadership,” said Ruiz. “We also know that our students demand diversity and intersectionality and equity.”

Getting the Tri-C job would be a homecoming for Pierce Burnette. She grew up in Cleveland’s Lee-Harvard neighborhood, graduated from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s John F. Kennedy High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Ohio State University.

She’s set to retire from Huston-Tillotson, a private HBCU, at the end of June.

“My approach, what I’ve learned there in Austin, Texas, would be trans-

planted easily into Ohio,” Pierce Burnette said at her town hall event.

Baston, the president of Rockland Community College, isn’t from Cleveland. He’s visited, though, including what he dubbed during his town hall as a “secret shopper” trip. Baston and his wife came to the area recently and posed as parents of a prospective Tri-C student.

The pair went to all of Tri-C’s four campuses. They also hit up local restaurants — a Perkins, a Cracker Barrel, the Marble Room — and talked to the wait staff: Hey, what have you heard of Tri-C? They wanted to get a true sense of the community, Baston said, one that wasn’t gleaned strictly from information passed along during interviews or by flipping through brochures.

“I believe you have the ability, we have the ability, to be the most consequential community college in the country,” he said.

Parker, the president of South Central College in Minnesota, said the city of Cleveland would be a playground for her due to the level of community engagement. She told the crowd during her town hall about how her research has been on public-private partnerships.

“I know about what’s going on (with) all the different sectors of the economy here and how important they are, but Cuyahoga Community College is an important player in the long-term sustainability in the global competitiveness of this region,” she said.

The board is now set to receive feedback from the college community before announcing its decision in May. Amy Morona: amy.morona@crain. com, (216) 771-5229, @AmyMorona

APRIL 18, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 5

P005_CL_20220418.indd 5

4/15/2022 9:56:01 AM

MANUFACTURING

Culture key to Redmond Waltz Electric turnaround

BY RACHEL ABBEY MCCAFFERTY

Jennifer Ake-Marriott never expected to stay at industrial repair company Redmond Waltz Electric long-term.

She had stepped into a leadership role at the Cleveland company during a tough situation and thought she was just offering a helping hand for a time.

Almost a decade later, she’s still there. Redmond Waltz president and CEO Ake-Marriott has helped to turn around the business, paying down debt and changing company culture.

The small company and its challenges were like a “knot,” she said, and she wanted to keep working to untangle it.

“It’s never one big thing. And it’s never one person,” she said.

Cleveland-based Redmond Waltz Electric, the doing business name of Phillips Electric Co., is a rotating equipment repair company, servicing large equipment like motors, gearboxes and industrial fans for manufacturers. The family-owned business has been in existence since 1946.

Ake-Marriott came to the company in 2013.

Ake-Marriott had been leading her family business, environmental service company Ake Environmental Inc. She was part of CEO peer group Vistage International with Redmond Waltz owner Lorry Wagner, whose fa-

ther and uncle started the company.

Wagner was president of LEEDCo, when his wife, who had been running Redmond Waltz, suddenly passed.

Ake-Marriott and Wagner had gotten to know one another over the years, and Ake-Marriott offered her condolences and help. The two’s memories differ on who suggested it first, but ultimately, the idea that Ake-Marriott step in and help out for a bit at Redmond Waltz came to be.

Ake-Marriott had joined the leadership team at Ake Environmental under similar circumstances when her aunt had died, becoming her dad’s business partner on short notice. She had experience in this kind of jarring, unique situation of running a small business when its leader is gone.

And, more generally, Ake-Marriott had experience in the service industry and in small business. It seemed like a good fit in a tough time.

She started getting to know the company. Redmond Waltz was under significant financial distress at the time, but Ake-Marriott saw something in it. It “deserved to be saved,” she said. It had a strong customer list and a long history.

“We don’t need another closed company,” she said.

Ake-Marriott knew it was going to take a lot of work to keep it open, though. The company was in a “precarious position,” she said, losing

money every month.

When companies are in distress, there tends to be a breakdown in communication, she said, which breeds a loss of trust. And that distress creates a scarcity mindset, causing leaders to fear holding employees accountable in case they quit. That “hoarding mentality,” as Ake-Marriott put it, extends to physical resources as well, when vendor relationships are on shaky ground due to financial instability. All those things work together to make a company “not work,” she said.

“Nothing is working towards efficiency or a goal,” Ake-Marriott said.

“It’s just survival mode, and it’s rough.”

The culture had to change, so Ake-Marriott got to work.

She talked to employees, learning their concerns and asking what would make their jobs easier. And she made incremental changes, here and there.

Some of the changes were as small as convincing employees to reduce clutter by saving fewer boxes; others were about changing how employees who work efficiently were treated.

Previously, if an employee finished their work quickly, they might be sent home early, losing out on wages.

Ake-Marriott encouraged them to stay, flip through a magazine. And seeing employees idle on-site sent a message to the sales team, too, clear-

ly demonstrating that the company wasn’t as busy as they might think.

“It’s a longer process,” she said.

“It’s a lot of little tiny things.”

And the issues facing the company weren’t just within its own walls.

When Ake-Marriott joined Redmond Waltz, the company was in significant debt, owing money to taxing agencies and vendors. She declined to share specifics, but said it was a “crushing number.”

The first step was working with vendors and customers to get the cash flow in order, setting up payment plans or incentivizing early pay. Within five years, the company retired more than $1 million in debt, Ake-Marriott said. In the time since, the company has raised wages; it offers profit sharing and bonuses for stretch goals. Ake-Marriott declined to share annual revenue, but noted that it has increased. Redmond Waltz currently employs under 20, many of whom have come on board during her tenure, and is actively hiring.

Today, the company is focused on expanding its reach. Ake-Marriott said she wants to see the company grow from a local company to a regional one and increase its automation and IoT work.

Ake-Marriott still balances her time between Redmond Waltz and Ake Environmental, though, at the latter, her family is involved and runs much of the day-to-day operations.

And though Ake-Marriott said she’d be open to doing this kind of turnaround work at other companies in the future, she still sees challenges for her to tackle and opportunities for growth at Redmond Waltz.

Wagner said he views Ake-Marriott’s philosophy as “build the right culture with the right people and treat them the best in the industry.”

“And that gets you a long way down the road,” he said.

Wagner had led Redmond Waltz himself, starting in the ‘80s through 2006, when his wife started to take over and he went to LEEDCo. At the end of 2019, Wagner decided to step away from his full-time job and do some consulting. And he told Ake-Marriott that, while he’s the company’s owner, he didn’t have an interest in taking the reins back at Redmond Waltz; now he serves as chief engineering officer for the company, essentially working for her.

It takes a “leap of faith” to trust someone else with your family business, Wagner said, but his intuition told him she was the best person for the job. And he hasn’t looked back at that decision with any regret. He admires the culture she’s built and the financial steps forward the company has taken.

“She’s a star,” he said.

Rachel Abbey McCafferty: (216) 771-5379, rmccafferty@crain.com

46TH ANNUAL

MEONSKE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CONFERENCE

Northeast Ohio’s Premier Accounting and Finance Conference

MAY 19-20, 2022 • KENT STATE UNIVERSITY 16 HOURS OF CPE CREDITS Learn More and Register: https://bit.ly/Meonske2022

6 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P006_CL_20220418.indd 6

4/15/2022 9:04:23 AM

Reinforcing supply chain resiliency Rising COVID-19 cases. Shuttered factories. Extreme weather events. The blockage of the Suez Canal. The Ukraine-Russia War. A deluge of unexpected events over the last two years has exacerbated pandemic supply and demand surges, port congestion and manufacturing delays. According to the Association for Supply Chain Management, supply chain teams operate in a volatile and dynamic environment irrespective of the industry and whether a business serves end-consumers or other companies. At every turn, supply chain leaders face multiple challenges, including: • High consumer expectations • Rapid delivery • Talent shortages • Deficiencies in transportation assets and supply • The heightened need to minimize risk Across the globe, managing risk and shoring up supply chain resiliency is increasingly becoming an organization-wide strategy to weather tough times and improve competitive edge. Here are some considerations associated with supply chain risk management and resiliency:

WHAT MAKES A SUPPLY CHAIN ‘RESILIENT?’ A supply chain that is prepared to weather unexpected events defines supply chain resilience. Supply chain resilience also refers to the ability to respond quickly to sudden disruptive events that affect supply chain performance, function during disruption, and recover to either a predisruption or sustainable post-disruption state, according to Brookings.

DISRUPTIONS ARE COSTLY By some estimates, supply-chain disruptions can cost an average organization 45% of one year’s profits over a decade.

PREPARE FOR DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN THREATS According to Gartner, organization leaders must address the following security considerations as their digital enterprises expand: • Enterprise IT attacks, digital supply chain risks and threat detection and response • The delegation of cybersecurity decision-making • Advanced employee training • Vendor consolidation • Implementing a cybersecurity mesh architecture that provides a common and integrative security structure

HIGH-LEVEL INVESTMENTS Supply chain resilience is at the top of the U.S. government’s research and development plan. Potential policy interventions include mapping supply chains critical to U.S. health and economic safety, investing in national logistics infrastructure (including roads, ports and supporting service industries), reinforcing the innovation ecosystem, establishing a federal agency for relevant regulatory interventions and developing public-private partnerships.

Supply chain resiliency and risk management Use the right tools to adapt to a changing environment

F

or many businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war being waged in Ukraine by Russia has created supply chain challenges that will be felt for years to come. The inaccessibility of products and supplies, and in some cases the inability to conduct financial transactions, have created challenges that have left businesses scrambling. As a result, organizations are reevaluating their distribution and logistics processes, building supply chain resiliency into their networks and finding unique ways to use data and analytics to help minimize disruption.

Supply chain disruptions are certainly not new. However, the frequency and severity of the disruptions seem to be increasing. Today, companies are not only confronted by shifting customer demands, but also geopolitical risk, environmental concerns, cyberattacks and increasingly frequent and volatile weather patterns. These disruptions are changing the way C suites think about their supply chains.

No longer is supply chain management seen as a cost center, but instead as a strategic enabler and critical strategic advantage. This shift places a spotlight on digital transformation, with companies utilizing data for location tracking, stock levels, capacity, demand forecasting and more. Areas of opportunity for digital transformation include robotics, application of the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles and the use of sophisticated supply chain algorithms.

Another area we are seeing a shift in is supply chain risk management. While it is important to be agile, it is equally important to understand risks to your supply chain and how to mitigate them. Now is a perfect time to perform a risk assessment on your supply chain to determine where you have weaknesses and to conduct stress tests on your suppliers to understand where they have weak points. The stress tests should include multiple disruption scenarios that could impact your supply chain and your partners. Each scenario should receive a pass or no pass result that you can then use to assess the resiliency of your network. Additional areas to review as part of a risk management strategy include the following: • Increasing inventory of critical products and supplies • Dual sourcing of raw materials • Regionalizing supply chain warehouses and transportation • Expanding backup warehousing sites • Investing in supply chain network modeling

DARIN R. HAINES Executive Vice President, Peoples Services, Inc. Darin.Haines@peoplesservices.com 330-458--2351 Darin is the executive vice president at Peoples Services, Inc., a leading provider of 3PL services across 45 locations in seven states and 8 million square feet of public and contract warehouse space. In his role, Darin leads warehouse operations, transportation operations, sales, technology, safety and compliance, and engineering.

He has more than two decades of experience leading operations, supply chain, finance and technology functions in mid-sized and enterpriselevel organizations and providing consulting services to Fortune 500 clients across a variety of industry segments.

and optimization • Reevaluating safety stock levels • Use of predictive analytics to foresee supply chain challenges Companies have the opportunity to define their level of resilience and risk management in the unpredictable environment that they find themselves operating in today. Lessons learned through the pandemic must be carried forward in a proactive approach to build resiliency and minimize exposure to shocks caused by disruptions, while enhancing an organization’s ability and capacity to respond. Forward-looking companies are turning to their supply chain partners as trusted advisors, rather than transactional vendors, as they embark on their supply chain risk management journey.

SOURCING TALENT Recruiting and retaining supply chain talent is critical to supporting new industry advances, solutions and infrastructure. According to the Association for Supply Chain Management, organizations should be prepared for convergence training, increasing pay and benefits offerings for current employees and hiring talent with foundational skills in data analytics.

SOURCES: Association for Supply Chain Management, Brookings, Gartner, Institute for Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Management Review Compiled by Kathy Ames Carr, Crain’s Content Studio-Cleveland

This advertising-supported section/feature is produced by Crain’s Content Studio-Cleveland, the marketing storytelling arm of Crain’s Cleveland Business. The Crain’s Cleveland Business newsroom is not involved in creating Crain’s Content Studio content.

P007_CL_20220418.indd 7

4/14/2022 2:23:37 PM

PERSONAL VIEW

Ohio is winner in race to create ‘Voltage Valleys’

RICH WILLIAMS FOR CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

BY BILL PAOLILLO

EDITORIAL

Rise up T

he 100-day mark of a new administration is a totally arbitrary milestone for measuring success, even if it’s one of the few political traditions, weirdly, that endures these days.

But it is, as Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb noted last week in his first State of the City address — timed to his 100th day in office — a test of character and commitment to getting things done. And by those standards, Bibb is living up to the promises of his campaign and is earning the trust of the strong majority of voters who sent him to City Hall.

“We said that Cleveland can’t wait, and we meant it,” Bibb said at one point in his address, adding, “the wait for change is over.”

That’s not just sloganeering. The new initiatives coming out of the administration have come at a brisk pace, but they’ve been delivered thoughtfully and comprehensively — a testament to a well-executed transition process that enlisted the efforts of some of the city’s most talented people.

In the first three-and-a-half months of his mayoralty, Bibb’s administration has negotiated amendments to the police consent decree to incorporate a voter-passed oversight amendment; made changes to West Side Market operations to bolster growth and tenant retention; pledged millions and hired a strategist to coordinate efforts against lead paint; boosted efforts to raise the city’s COVID vaccination rate; and undertaken an audit of the 311 system residents use to reach city officials or get responses to their questions and concerns.

Bibb also has played a key role in stitching together private-public partnerships working on the city’s lakefront and river revitalization plans.

The mayor’s website has a 100-day tracker of 85 administration priorities that, as of last Friday, April 15, lists 45 as completed, 28 in progress and 12 not started. That’s impressive progress on the to-do list.

Coming up, he said the administration will introduce “pay-tostay” legislation aimed at helping tenants facing eviction. The city also will roll out a new residential tax abatement policy.

Bibb took the blame for the city’s poor response to a mid-January snowfall that made streets impassable and crippled public transit service. (Good of him to do it, but less than three weeks into the job at that point, it wasn’t a major indictment of

his leadership.) We’ll see the next time we get a big snow.

(Hopefully not in May.) One thing to watch for: Bibb said that although first-quarter revenue for the city looked “solid,” the possibility of a high level of city income tax refunds — a consequence of remote work, which isn’t going away any time soon — was something the administration was “keeping an eye on.”

During the address, Bibb referred to Cleveland as “a city on the rise,” and early into his tenure, there’s reason to believe it.

The problems Cleveland faces took a long time to develop, and they don’t get fixed overnight, or even in 100 days. But early indications are that the administration is up to the challenge.

Get out O

ne of the many significant results of the pandemic has been a reduction of socializing and time spent doing things that are fun. This obviously is not as devastating as long-term illness or death, and serious personal and family disruptions, resulting from COVID-19, but it has important ramifications for our collective wellbeing. Two years of being less available to family and friends, or doing things we enjoy with less frequency, takes a toll.

So as the pandemic eases and winter lets go of its grip on the region, take this as a gentle reminder: There’s a lot of fun stuff to do in Northeast Ohio, and if you’re comfortable being out, take advantage of it.

Our baseball team is back and looking surprisingly good.

Playhouse Square, which just hosted an excellent version of the Cleveland International Film Festival, has lots more on tap and is buzzing again. We have a parks system that’s among the country’s best and offers nearly infinite opportunities for healthy recreation.

And so on. There are hundreds of other activities we could name. Point is, these things that might seem frivolous are actually quite important. They bring people back together. They give a jolt to the local economy. (Arts organizations, in particular, still could use your dollars.) And they let us rebuild connections as nerves feel increasingly frayed. Spring is here, and summer is coming. Get out and enjoy it.

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

Outside of Youngstown, General Motors has built a $2.3 billion battery factory for electric vehicles and a battery innovation center. The electric truck startup Lordstown Motors is within 15 minutes of the GM battery factory.

In the Columbus area, Google, Amazon and Facebook have built or will build billion-dollar data centers and facilities. A $20 billion Intel chip facility Paolillo is vice will break ground in late 2022, finishing president of in 2025. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said, as strategic reported in Crain’s Cleveland Business, alliances and that “the $20 billion investment could advanced grow to $100 billion and an additional technologies at six factories in the future.”

J.W. Didado Earlier this month, the federal gov- Electric. He is ernment approved $52 billion to help also a visiting boost chip R&D and manufacturing in lecturer on the United States. The construction leadership and spends in Ohio’s “Voltage Valleys” from lean building 2020 to 2025 will be greater than the science at the $26.9 billion construction spend for the University of Akron. entire state of Ohio in 2019.

A Voltage Valley is a geographic business cluster where electric vehicle battery plants, data centers, microchip plants, crypto mining facilities, recycling plants or other large power users affiliated with digital transformation or electrification are located. An example of electrification is powering a car with electricity versus a carbon-based fuel like gasoline. Silicon Valley and electrification are the driving forces behind Voltage Valleys.

Voltage Valleys need reliable, resilient and sustainable power to drive advancements in artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning, faster computer chips, manufacturing robots, recycling, and for product manufacturing that supports electrification.

The success of the Silicon Valley companies leveraging digital transformation has created seven of the 10 most valuable companies in the world — Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Tesla, NVIDIA (artificial intelligence) and Meta (Facebook). General Motors and Ford have less than 10% of the trillion-dollar market valuation of Tesla. Investment in digital transformation and electrification is already taking place and will only accelerate.

The question is: Where will these companies strategically invest to sustain and grow their market capitalizations? The answer is Ohio.

Ohio has a playbook for creating Voltage Valleys. The current Voltage Valleys in Ohio have large transmission and distribution systems to supply power, have government-supplied incentives, and have a robust primary and higher education system.

The continued success of a Voltage Valley will be determined by local companies that can digitally design and construct the required infrastructure. The long-term required Voltage Valley infrastructure is digitally connected, is zero carbon and is socially inclusive.

We can see two examples of Voltage Valleys in Ohio — the Youngstown and Columbus regions. So, how did these two geographic business clusters became the first examples of the Voltage Valley in Ohio?

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.

See VOLTAGE, on Page 9

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

8 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P008_CL_20220418.indd 8

4/15/2022 1:58:58 PM

OPINION

CONSTRUCTION

Services

Coast to Coast Construction & Remodeling Office Buildings, Medical, Restaurants, Retail, Industrial & Mixed-Use Spaces

General Contractors Licensing Nationwide - All 50 States

Your GO-TO for New Construction, Design Build, Tenant Improvements, Open Facility Remodels

(330) 239-0176 PleasantValleyCorp.com

Lordstown Motors Corp. headquarters in Lordstown is part of a “Voltage Valley,” or geographic business cluster where large power users affiliated with digital transformation or electrification are located. | DUSTIN FRANZ/BLOOMBERG

VOLTAGE

From Page 8

Reliable, resilient grid Deregulated power markets in 1999 forced Ohio utilities to invest in electric grid distribution and transmission assets, with the utility earning a return on these installed assets. Additionally, it is understood by regulators and utilities in other states that Ohio’s investor-owned utilities are very efficient and effective at installing these grid assets. A reliable and resilient grid takes time and appropriate investment — this is necessary for a Voltage Valley.

Renewable energy resources It has been said that there must be renewable energy assets in place or the Intels, Googles, Amazons and Facebooks won’t come.

What we found was that 4 gigawatts (GW) of approved renewable energy resources comprised of wind and solar approved for development was enough for the companies. Once companies announce their intentions to locate to the Voltage Valley, then developers start building the renewable energy resources. Once the renewable energy resource is built, developers contract with the Voltage Valley companies using power purchase agreements.

The renewable resource most contracted by the Voltage Valleys in Ohio are solar and wind farms.

Aggressive incentives Ohio has been aggressive with incentives to companies. In the case of the Intel plant that will be located in New Albany, just outside of Columbus, the state of Ohio put over $2 billion of tax benefits and incentives on the table.

A $2 billion investment for $20 billion of construction, plus the ongoing business of those facilities, is an easy decision. There is also the upside of additional facilities totaling $100 billion.

Education Intel announced the company will invest $100 million in the Ohio and National Semiconductor Education and Research programs. Intel sees a promising investment in the people of Ohio.

Fifteen years ago, Ohio made a commitment to build green schools. Ohio has more LEED certified primary schools (green schools) than any other state in the country. Studies show that LEED certified schools can improve test scores by 20%. A LEED school does cost a bit more, but in Ohio we decided that our children are

worth the investment.

The higher education enrollment at Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College exceeds 100,000 students. Ohio State has a world-class electrification research school focused on EV charging — this is an opportunity waiting for additional investment. OSU, Ohio University, Kent State, the University of Cincinnati and Case Western Reserve University are recognized as R1: Doctoral Universities. This R1 designation indicates very high research activity. The University of Akron School of Polymer Science and plastics engineering program was ranked No. 1 in the world by EduRank.

Competitive advantage Ohio’s higher education resources give it a competitive advantage in developing technologies and products for the circular economy.

Solar panels, electric vehicle batteries and obsolete chips will need to be recycled. Ohio’s commitment to invest in the research university and private industry partnerships will be a key if Ohio is to continue to win the Voltage Valley race. Silicon Valley has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in these university and private industry partnerships with immense success.

Ohio, which is 12 hours from 60% of the U.S. population, is well positioned to manufacture and distribute the new products created from the circular economy.

The continued success of Ohio’s Voltage Valleys will be determined by local companies that can partner to digitally design and construct the required infrastructure.

We will need to innovate from Ohio’s traditional power delivery systems of large transmission systems and augment the traditional power grid with advanced microgrids. The advanced microgrids will be composed of renewable power such as wind and solar, steam-powered turbines, thermal batteries, and hydrogen-fueled combined heat and power systems. The advanced microgrids will be built using integrated project delivery, virtual design and construction, digital twins and prefabrication.

Business and communities will need to work together as project teams with intentional collaboration. Intentional collaboration allows individuals to share their insights with confidence and know they will be heard. The ability to intentionally collaborate needs to be a required part of the Ohio government RFP selection process and final contract. Our government regulatory bodies will need to digitize standards that can directly integrate into software. Digitization allows a greater reliability and traceability to the final constructed product.

The Ohio Voltage Valley is off to a good start. The longterm success of the Voltage Valley will be our ability to embrace digital transformation to create long-term competitive advantage.

APRIL 18, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 9

P009_CL_20220418.indd 9

4/14/2022 4:11:14 PM

COURTESY

Y

ou can define people’s legacies in many ways. Their riches. Professional, personal or civic accomplishments. Impact on people and places. Their work quietly behind the scenes or on large public platforms. The richness of an individual’s life is endless and hard to measure, which is why for seven years, Crain’s Cleveland Business has featured eight remarkable individuals who are 80 and older and, in their own way, have made and continue to make a mark in Northeast Ohio. Eight people who have not only left a legacy, but continue to build on it, regardless of how you define it. We are grateful to share their stories — some you may or may not know — about those who continue to teach, counsel and, perhaps most importantly, inspire us. Here are the 2022 Eight Over 80 honorees.

ZADIE BARBER 85

Z

adie Barber made her first visit to Cleveland in 1952. She returned home to Arkansas, where she grew up, and told her mother she liked that city in Ohio. Barber wanted to return.

She did. It’s been home ever since.

Of course, there have been lots of trips across the globe between then and now: Jerusalem, Hawaii, Dollywood, a cruise down the Mississippi River. Barber, 89, loves to travel.

But one of her other big passions is helping others. She’s spent more than two decades working with one of the three auxiliary volunteer groups at Eliza Bryant Village, the state’s oldest social service institution for Black residents. She’s helped with lots of things over the years, including fundraising and organizing a holiday party for those who lived at the village.

“The service that I gave, I gave it willingly, and it became a part of me,” she said.

Barber was elected president of that particular group in 2017, stepping away only recently due to health concerns.

Officials from Eliza Bryant called her long commitment to the institution “unique,” adding that the staff is “eternally grateful” for Barber’s contributions. Her efforts could serve, they said, as an inspiration for younger generations of Cleveland residents.

Barber’s commitment to helping others was passed down to her family. Her son is a retired Cleveland police officer. Her granddaughter works at University Hospitals and is seeking a degree in nursing.

That dedication also extends to her church. She’s been a member of Cleveland’s Morning Star Baptist Church for more than 60 years. Barber held a wide variety of leadership

10 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

“IF YOU’RE GOING TO BECOME INVOLVED, REALLY WORK AT IT AND MAKE IT WORTHY OF YOUR TIME. BE OF SOME SERVICE AND GIVE YOUR BEST TO THE PEOPLE WHO CAN BE RECIPIENTS OF YOUR SERVICES.” positions during that time, including working as an administrative assistant for 23 years.

“If you're going to become in-

volved, really work at it and make it worthy of your time,” Barber said.

“Be of some service and give your best to the people who can be recipients of your services.”

Barber’s service has helped the church to grow. Her “goal-driven qualities have been a force to be reckoned with,” according to the church’s senior pastor, the Rev. Clarence Hall Jr. He met Barber in 1979. And while she considers him an adviser, the reverse is true, too. When asked to describe her in a word, he toggles between three: talented, energetic, gifted.

“I believe God has really planted within her a lot of seeds of creativity to do a number of things,” he said.

“From trip planning to putting together events, there was nothing that she hasn’t undertaken in order to get a particular job done.”

— Amy Morona

TH EN FO HA WH

Nina Gibans CRAIN’S

Eight Over 80

PHOTOS BY JASON MILLER/PIXELATE PHOTOGRAPHY

A resident of Judson, Nina Gibans has spent her life as an arts advocate, administrator, author, poet, teacher, and community volunteer.

She continues to be a passionate ambassador and connector of people, ideas and actions that enrich the lives of many she touches each day.

THE RICHNESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFE IS ENDLESS AND HARD TO MEASURE, WHICH IS WHY FOR SEVEN YEARS, CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS HAS FEATURED EIGHT REMARKABLE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE MADE AND CONTINUE TO MAKE A MARK.

Bringing Community to Life. judsonsmartliving.org Judson Park Cleveland Heights | Judson Manor University Circle | South Franklin Circle Chagrin Falls

NOMINATIONS

OPEN

NOMINATION

DEADLINE: crainscleveland.com/nominations

MAY 2

You built your business.

We’ll help you grow it.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is a program to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing them with greater access to education, financial capital and business support services.

• Practical business education • Resources to capital • A supportive network of advisors and peers In partnership with Cuyahoga Community College

Education for Business Growth Designed by Babson College, the nation’s top-ranked entrepreneurship school, the curriculum focuses on practical business skills that can immediately be applied by business owners, including negotiation, marketing and employee management.

Resources to Capital Small business owners learn how to become more bankable and position their businesses to access financing and capital.

Through partnerships with local, regional and national Community Development Financial Institutions and other mission-driven small business lenders.

A Network of Support Participants will receive one-on-one business advising and the opportunity to learn from other like-minded business owners. The program provides this expert advice and technical assistance through partnerships with national and local business organizations, professional services firms and the people of Goldman Sachs.

Apply now for our next cohort.

tri-c.edu/10ksb

20-0817

nd d to der but out

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S

APRIL 18, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 11

P010_P011_CL_20220418.indd 11

4/14/2022 2:58:13 PM

NINA GIBANS 89

P

utting a label on Nina Gibans is an unenviable task.

The Cleveland native has been an educator, administrator and executive. She has written books and produced films. A lifelong poet, she once shared a reading stage in Beat-era San Francisco with Allen Ginsberg.

She’s also served as a facilitator, volunteer and passionate advocate, ambassador and preserver of this region’s arts, architecture and culture.

“I’ve been everything,” she said with a chuckle.

Gibans credits her time at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, for shaping much of her professional agility. Along with studying with esteemed arts professors and contributing to the fledgling Young Audiences nonprofit, she was the college’s newspaper editor during the tense and uncertain McCarthy era.

“I had to deal with a lot, because everybody went to Washington (D.C.) to testify,” Gibans said. “I’ve been community-oriented. I’ve been teaching. I’ve been writing. I’ve been doing all those things pretty much all my life since then.”

After Sarah Lawrence, Gibans and her husband, the late architect Jim Gibans, spent several years in San Francisco before returning to Cleveland, where she began studying aesthetics and art history under Thomas Munro at Case Western Reserve University. Her graduate work at Case, Gibans said, served as an added springboard into decades of civ-

“SHE WANTS TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, TO CELEBRATE YOU, TO CELEBRATE THE ARTS, TO CELEBRATE THE COMMUNITY.” — Dan Moulthrop, CEO of the City Club of Cleveland

ic-minded projects.

Among her early contributions was the launch of the Cleveland Area Arts Council in the '70s, where, as executive director, Gibans guided public art initiatives and wrote a book about the birth of America’s community arts council movement. As a founder and director of special pro-

Congratulations Bob Weltman

on 8 over 80!

www.weltman.com

grams at the Cleveland Children’s Museum, Gibans pioneered inclusive teaching approaches and penned a book documenting the needs, interests and concerns of children’s museum stakeholders.

Later, she produced a video and teaching materials about the history, art and architecture of University Cir-

cle, and, with her husband, published “Cleveland Goes Modern: Design for the Home, 1930-1970,” a book that examines the modern aesthetic in Greater Cleveland and is based on an exhibition of the same name.

“Everything was very hands-on,” she said. “I would get people involved, use community organizations and the library system in developing projects or exhibits, and then many times they were also developed into a publication, and we would have debates and discussions, even in the media.”

Gibans was awarded the Cleveland Arts Prize in 2009 and has been recognized by the Poets League of Cleveland, the Ohio Arts Council, the Ohio Historical Society and Western Reserve Architectural Historians,

among others.

A series of discussions around the Gibans’ dining room table in 2015 — in honor of the couple’s 60th anniversary — laid the groundwork for one of her most recognized projects and publications, “Celebrating the Soul of Cleveland.” At the monthly discussions, participants shared a book, work of art or experience that shaped how they saw things or allowed them to grow. Gibans supplemented those conversations with community surveys and dialogues.

Today, Gibans continues to advance arts and understanding, developing art exhibits at Judson Park — where she now lives — writing a poem each day and taking advantage of every virtual museum visit, art exhibit or concert made available.

Dan Moulthrop, CEO of the City Club of Cleveland, said Gibans’ secret superpower is her ability to corral a diverse set of voices and interests.

“You can’t say no to Nina. If she asks you to do something, you do it; to show up somewhere, you show up; to contribute, you contribute,” Moulthrop said. “She has this inviolable presence. She wants to bring people together to make a difference, to celebrate you, to celebrate the arts, to celebrate the community. Who can say no to that?”

— Judy Stringer

Cleveland to Anywhere

- Choose your destination.

- Set the departure time.

- Skip the long lines.

- Enjoy the unparalelled luxury of Sky Quest.

HOW TO FLY WITH SKY QUEST: » On-Demand Charter » Jet Card Memberships » Aircraft Ownership Opportunities

FlySkyQuest.com 216-362-9904 Charter@FlySkyQuest.com

12 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P012_CL_20220418.indd 12

4/14/2022 2:51:39 PM

JOSEPH ‘FLASH’ GORDON 84

J

oe Gordon managed one of the first minority-owned Standard Oil stations in the country. He was one of the first graduates of the General Motors Minority Dealer Development Program. He's a father of three, a husband of 36 years, and as of January 2022, a car salesman in Cleveland for 50 years.

But it’s who Gordon is and not what he did that has people eager to talk about him.

“I’ve been buying Cadillacs from Joe Gordon for, gosh, 20 years,” said Marcia Fudge, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who spent 13 years a congresswoman representing Ohio’s 11th District. “When I was in Congress, he was a community partner who helped me with a lot of initiatives and efforts — because he knows a lot of people. He’s just an encouraging and uplifting person.”

WEWS Channel 5 newscaster Leon Bibb, whose family grew up down the street from Gordon, calls him “a professional man with a great heart of giving to his community.”

Ask Gordon about his success after dropping out of school at 16, and he talks about values.

“Honesty, integrity, courtesy, if you have that in all things through

your life, you can’t lose,” he said.

Time spent with Gordon leads to hearing delightful stories that weave their way through some important names in Cleveland history.

The man whose nickname is “Flash” is an aficionado of old-time jazz — Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker — and plays golf when he’s not working “freelance” (his word) at Crestmont Cadillac in Beach-

wood. He married Olintha, his high school sweetheart. They raised three children: Joseph III, who died in 2015; Anthony, a director with Topocean, who played football at Cathedral Latin and Penn State; and Sherry, a teacher, who went to the University of Michigan.

Gordon’s work story began in the 1950s helping his father at his Sohio station at East 75th Street and Wood-

land Avenue, the station “Flash” eventually managed. His father was able to purchase the station through the largesse of attorney T.H. Jones — a founder of Jones Day. Gordon’s great aunt did household work for Jones, whom Joe affectionately called “the godfather of our family.”

In 1963, with a reference from W.O. Walker, publisher of the Call & Post, Gordon and his father bought the Standard Oil franchise at East 79th and Woodland. The purchase came with twists, as Standard Oil told Joe he’d have to be the manager because his father was too old.

“I think they thought that would scare me,” Gordon said.

Seven years later, Gordon tried to sell a car security system to General Motors.

Impressed by the person, GM invited Gordon to take part in the new Minority Dealer Development Program.

Gordon enrolled in the Flint, Michigan, program in 1970, and after graduating, had stints at several Cleveland dealers before settling at Central Cadillac in 1990, his home for the next 30 years. He’s now selling cars to the grandchildren of some of his earliest customers.

His sales philosophy was honed when he first worked at service stations, when S&H Green Stamps were

“HONESTY, INTEGRITY, COURTESY, IF YOU HAVE THAT IN ALL THINGS THROUGH YOUR LIFE, YOU CAN’T LOSE.” given to customers as service station perks.

“Independents used stamps, but they were expensive; we decided to focus on service and forget the stamps,” Gordon said. “It just expanded from there, to where courtesy and honesty mattered.”

Gordon faced racism in the early 1970s but said it’s “substantially reduced” today. That does not stop him from lamenting that there is one Black-owned car dealership in Ohio, and 261 in the entire country — out of almost 17,000.

He even wrote to Mary Barra, the CEO of GM, suggesting ways to improve the situation, his ideas coming with the cachet of one of the initial graduates of the minority program.

“Keeping at it,” Gordon said, “keeps the old heart pumping.”

— Pat McManamon

Congratulations, Ron Weinberg Congratulations on achieving recognition as a leader in the Cleveland business and civic community. Also, thank you for being a leader to us. You’ve made a career of helping those who do anything, do it better. As the founding member of our firm, you’ve instilled a expectation of success, a belief in ourselves, and a beacon to guide those around you. You’ve distinguished yourself as an innovator and an inspiration — not just to Cleveland, but to us.

30195 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 222, Cleveland, OH 44124 (216) 503-8303 weinbergcap.com

APRIL 18, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 13

P013_CL_20220418.indd 13

4/14/2022 2:50:28 PM

ADELE RYAN MALLEY 85

F

“You know,” she said, “when you eat chocolate, it releases endorphins in your brain.”

This is not just to say that the matriarch of what is perhaps Ohio’s most famous chocolate house loves the stuff. It shows how Malley helped her husband, her family’s famous business and herself to be successful: by being advocates for their products first and foremost.

That’s what Malley said she preached to all of the company’s employees and that she exemplified herself. Still does, obviously, even though “SHE WAS TRULY A MOTHER AND it’s been 20 years since she retired after 45 GRANDMOTHER TO ALL WHO years at the company, she oversaw STOPPED BY — AND STILL A BRAIN where staff education and among other BEHIND THE MALLEY’S BUSINESS.” training, things.

— Chris Ronayne They don’t put you in the Candy Hall of She then went on to explain how Fame for nothing, after all. Malley got the chocolate — a standard at Cleve- in for playing a key role in the indusland’s iconic Malley’s Chocolates — try and her family’s business success, is made from “special recipe” cara- from founding Malley’s School of mel, along with salted pecans Merchandising in 1983 — to help covered in milk chocolate. It was other confectioners — to becoming named for her husband, Bill Malley, president of Malley’s in 1997.

Malley says she and Bill, who and his longtime advertising man Bill passed away in 2016, decided they Carr, she said.

BillyBobs are still her favorite should both retire at age 65. They chocolates. And she eats chocolate wanted to give their kids a chance to every day and advises others to do run the business without their parthe same. ents looking over their shoulders, she

she said. “It was great fun.”

But don’t go thinking that all Malley knows how to do is chat up customers and make mouths water.

She’s an adept businesswoman through and through, and always has been, says Chris Ronayne, a longtime

neighbor, past president of University Circle Inc. and a candidate for Cuyahoga County Executive. He’s also the editor of a book Malley just penned called “Conversations with Adele,” which they both describe as a guide for young entrepreneurs.

“She was truly a mother and grandmother to all who stopped by — and still a brain behind the Malley’s business,” Ronayne says. “She’s just a remarkable woman. She’s so versatile. And to be such a kind and caring neighbor … her family becomes your family — and it shows in her kids today.”

But then, Ronayne might have been bought off by chocolate, too, as were his children.

“There was no better place to trick or treat than the Malley's house,” Ronayne says. “It’s funny how they’d just find themselves there.”

Today, Malley splits her time between Ohio and Florida, but her native Cleveland is still what she calls home. Those endorphins must be working, too, because she’s as cheerful and personable as anyone you’re likely to meet. She’s had another secret to happiness in life, though.

“I married the most wonderful man in the world — Bill Malley,” she said.

And just to be clear — he bought her off with those same chocolates, she said — regularly.

— Dan Shingler

your head. I also wanted them to know that Cleveland is the greatest city in America to live, work, play and raise a family” in, Morrow said.

The love of his adopted city had earned Morrow the nickname “Mr. Cleveland.” Morrow hosted numerous public events over the years, ranging from serving as the emcee for 10 years for the Cleveland Orchestra’s

Fourth of July concerts in Public Square, to introducing U.S. presidents when they came to town, to dressing up as Moses Cleaveland when he served as emcee of the city’s massive bicentennial celebration in 1996.

Morrow said when he asked the city’s business and civic leaders to come on his morning show to talk about what they were doing to help turn around the city’s fortunes, something was absent.

“I thought there was a distinct lack of what I thought leadership was, and that spawned a brand-new career for me, as I left radio and got into teaching,” Morrow said.

Morrow is now an adjunct professor at John Carroll University, where he teaches a class in executive leadership for the school's MBA program, which has allowed him to share his vision of leadership with his students.

“I have always believed that leadership is a person who has the ability to have a group of people, based on his or her passion and desire, to work for them, based on integrity, trust and honor — to have an incredible desire to have them win for their company, and their people,” Morrow said.

What keeps Morrow so active, during a time in life when people his age are taking it easy?

“I have two goals: one is very religious, and the other is to change as many lives as I can. I don’t just teach my students leadership, I teach them to connect at the heart level.”

— Dan Polletta

COURTESY

ull disclosure: Adele Ryan Malley unashamedly sent the author a box of chocolates before this was written. And yes, they were delicious.

Unashamedly, for her at least, because Malley wasn’t angling for good press. That was in the bag, not the box. She just couldn’t stand that anyone writing about her had never had a BillyBob. “What’s a BillyBob?!” she asked in apparent shock.

said. She remains chairwoman emeritus, but does miss being around the business regularly.

“I miss it. I pine for it, sometimes. I miss talking to the customers and showing them new things and finding out what they’re interested in,”

LARRY MORROW 84

N

ow 84, Larry Morrow was part of the on-air team of hosts who were billed as “The Supermen” when he was a disc jockey on Cleveland’s powerhouse radio station WIXY-1260 in the 1960s.

Now, almost 60 years later, Morrow’s friends and colleagues still call this Cleveland broadcasting legend a “super man.”

“People need to understand what a great person, representative of Cleveland, and humanitarian Larry is,” said Ray Schilens, president and CEO of Radio Lounge, a Houston-based broadcast production firm.

Schilens was a budding broadcaster when he first met Morrow, who was working at WIXY in the early 1970s.

During a period where many stations played the hits and featured high-energy disc jockeys, Schilens noticed something about Morrow that made him stand out.

“Larry is a communicator. He knew how to talk to people and connect the songs with some relevant conversation,” Schilens said. “Larry had this real gentle, loving spirit, for not only the music, but he also had a great connection to the people listening. It was so much more than introducing the songs.”

A native of Michigan, Morrow first made his mark in radio as “Duke Windsor” at the legendary CKLW-AM. The Windsor-Detroit station’s 50,000watt signal boomed so strongly into

Northeast Ohio that Morrow’s 7 p.m.-midnight show was the top-rated evening radio program in Cleveland.

When CKLW’s new management dismissed the staff in 1966, Morrow accepted a job at WIXY-AM, which grew into one of Cleveland's most popular stations. From there, Morrow had top-rated runs at WWWE-AM (now WTAM), WERE-AM and WQUAL-FM

before leaving radio in 2000.

During his stays at all of his stations, Morrow won over listeners with his friendly, easygoing and engaging personality, and his deep love for his adopted city.

“I wanted a relationship with Cleveland. I wanted to have my audience know me as a guy who cared about your heart, and not so much

14 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P014_CL_20220418.indd 14

4/14/2022 2:49:22 PM

TOM MURDOUGH 83

P

eople have always been at the heart of Tom Murdough’s career.

As the man behind Little Tikes, Step2 and Simplay3, Murdough has been responsible for making countless children happy with the companies’ toys. He values his family: his wife, his children and his grandchildren. And his teams, his employees, have always been vitally important.

“I have a love for our employees,” Murdough said.

Murdough is a University of Virginia graduate and a former officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He helped found The Little Tikes Co. in the late 1960s. In the ’90s, after selling Little Tikes, he founded The Step2 Co. And in 2016, after selling his second company and retiring for a time, he created The Simplay3 Co. in Streetsboro, where he serves as CEO. Despite his success, he hasn’t wanted to stop. He has an “insatiable desire to do new things,” he said.

“It’s the drive to get even better with each one,” Murdough said.

All of Murdough’s companies have used rotational molding to create high-quality plastic products and are most recognizable for their colorful, durable products for children. One of his favorites was the Cozy Coupe, the

classic ride-on toy made by Little Tikes.

But Murdough’s companies have grown beyond toys, taking rotational molding into new areas. Simplay3 offers a variety of home and garden products, including mailboxes. Offering a variety of products makes it easier to run the plant year-round, said Murdough who, today, is a member of both the Toy Industry Hall of Fame and the Rotational Molding Hall of Fame.

Murdough is an “idea man,” said his wife, Joy Murdough, recalling him drawing on napkins at dinner. She said the rotational molding process itself intrigued Tom Murdough; he had been working at a division of Wilson Sporting Goods where it was used to make one toy product, and he wanted to find more uses for the process.

Murdough has an “appetite for new products,” said John Hradisky, vice president of design at Simplay3.

Three companies in, Murdough still has a clear passion for those products, watching to see what’s selling. Hradisky noted that Murdough has always monitored customer wants and needs, responding to them through the products. Simplay3 has already produced about 60 new products, Hradisky said. The compa-

ny has about 100 employees today.

The nomination highlighted Murdough’s commitment to people, noting that he cares for employees on a personal level and that he’s extended that care beyond the walls of his companies.

Murdough is a member of the Founder’s Group of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and he has served as a director or trustee for a variety of boards over the years. He and his wife created The Murdough Foundation in the mid-'80s, benefiting more than 200 different organizations. And in 2000, the two created the Hudson Village Development Co. to revitalize about 14 acres in downtown Hudson, where they live, according to a bio provided to Crain’s.

Murdough still “walks the plant and office whenever he can, to talk with the employees about what he can do to make their job easier,” the nomination said.

“He continues to manage his business at Simplay3 under the same fundamentals that created his success over fifty years ago: A dedication and commitment to his workforce and community, and a belief in making the world around him the best it can be,” the nomination read.

— Rachel Abbey McCafferty

CONGRATULATIONS!

Adele Malley

Congratulations to the sweetest lady in town, Adele Malley, on the honor of being selected as one of Crain’s Eight Over 80 for 2022!

Malley’s Chocolates would not be the same without you.

Your hard work, dedication, attention to detail, and kind personality makes you a very special person indeed.

Excelling in all your roles including mother, grandmother, wife, vice president, president, CEO, active member of countless civic boards and so much more . . . you have led by example and your family, friends and all your associates at Malley’s Chocolates salute you.

But it’s your sweet voice, both relaxed and comforting, that has delighted Clevelanders for years on the radio and encouraged many to be hungry for chocolates! No one can say BillllyBobs the way you do, or crrrunnnnchy Bordeaux in quite your unique way.

You might be a recipient of the Eight Over 80 Crain's Business award, but your energy and enthusiasm shows you’re still 29 at heart.

Let’s all try to sound like Adele . . . mmmmMalleys!

APRIL 18, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 15

P015_CL_20220418.indd 15

4/14/2022 2:48:16 PM

RONALD WEINBERG 80

I

t seems Ronald Weinberg was always destined to be a successful businessman.

The legacy that the serial entrepreneur hopes to leave behind one day, however, is not necessarily in the companies he’s bought, grown and sold over a 60-year career, the money he’s earned or even so much the charities he’s supported, but in the people he’s worked with and affected throughout his life.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in the philanthropic community, and that is great and gives me a great source of pride,” Weinberg said.

“But equal to that, I value as much the individual person I might have been able to help, either through mentoring, or supporting them at a job, or even direct philanthropy.”

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Weinberg grew up with an affinity for the business world. His father ran the men’s clothing store there, James Davis, which is still in the Weinberg family.

As a youngster in the 1950s, Weinberg would spend hours reading about successful businessmen who earned their fortunes in the heyday of American industry .

Studying at Harvard Business School only further cemented Weinberg’s dreams of becoming a principal in his own right.

Intrigued by finance, Weinberg worked a few years with an accounting firm and on Wall Street before moving

to Cleveland in 1976.

He began working on the development of a business investment fund — well before such an industry would become known as private equity — and sought companies to acquire in Northeast Ohio.

In the back half of the 1980s, Weinberg and his business partners Norman Harbert and Byron Krantz com-

bined some Akron-area manufacturing companies, including Friction Products in Medina, into Hawk Corp. The business made components for brakes, clutches and transmissions used in a variety of applications.

The company grew from one plant with $19 million in sales to 16 facilities worldwide and $400 million in annual revenue. It was later sold in 2010 for

about $413 million.

He also had his hands in a near countless number of other endeavors.

That included, among other things, New West Eyeworks Inc., which was a chain of eyeglass stores based in Phoenix that was eventually taken public and sold, and SunMedia Corp., which at one time published dozens of weekly newspapers in Northeast Ohio.

Today, Weinberg remains as active as ever buying, selling and managing companies through his Pepper Pike family office, Weinberg Capital Group.

He still serves as chairman for a couple of his portfolio companies.

It was through Hawk Corp. that Weinberg came to know and mentor Teresa Lindsey, who came to work for Weinberg after Hawk was sold.

After that deal, Weinberg’s firm acquired Channel Products in Solon. A few months into the buy, it was noticed that the company was in poor shape and needed a new CEO. Lindsey asked for the job.

Despite the protest of some board members who didn’t like Lindsey’s lack of experience running a business, Weinberg lobbied for her to take the post.

Lindsey has now been running the company for 10 years. Its revenue has increased by 150%.

“Ron saw something in me and decided to give me a shot, then spent the next 10 years mentoring and coaching and investing in me as an individual,” Lindsey said. “He always said, 'I’ll open the door, but you have to walk through it.'”

To be sure, Weinberg has no immediate plans to retire.

“It’s just not in my future,” he said.

“As long as I’m healthy and can do what I can do, why in the world would I want to sit in a room watching TV and trying to play more golf?”

— Jeremy Nobile

ROBERT WELTMAN 83

A

“Who’s Who” of creditor attorneys in Northeast Ohio would likely have one common denominator — Robert “Bob” Weltman.

The senior shareholder at Weltman, Weinberg & Reis joined his father Maurice’s firm — then Gardner, Spilka & Weltman — while he was still a second-year student at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Weltman made a name for himself early on by taking charge of the firm’s small collections department and helping local retailers collect on delinquent credit accounts.

In one case, he fondly tells of using his 5-year-old son’s Radio Flyer red wagon to shuttle thousands of May Co. credit files along the streets and sidewalks of downtown Cleveland.

His foothold and expertise in department-store collection gave Weltman a huge leg up when Cleveland banks entered the consumer credit market, and “before you knew it, I was representing all of the local banks in the collection arena, as well as all the department stores,” he said.

By the late 1970s, under Weltman’s leadership, the firm had emerged as one of the nation’s most prominent creditor rights firms and was renamed Weltman, Weinberg & Reis. At about that same time, recognizing the opportunity for technology to help his team handle its fast-growing volume of accounts, Weltman spearheaded

the firm’s purchase and implementation of an IBM mainframe computer.

“We were one of the first law firms in the country to have a computer,” he said. “And before the first year, we outgrew that computer’s storage capabilities.”

As growth continued, Weltman led the firm to open an office in Colum-

bus and later in Cincinnati. Today, it has seven offices in four states.

Weltman gave up firm management in the 1990s to focus on account work — or “get back to his files,” as he put it — and free up time to follow his beloved Cleveland Indians on road trips.

“During the playoffs in the mid- to late '90s, I went to every single playoff

game,” he recalled.

Still, it is Weltman who turned a modest downtown law office into a regional collection powerhouse, according to Weltman, Weinberg & Reis shareholder and longtime attorney Allen Reis. A firm that started with 100 accounts a month now averages more than 16,000 per month.

“The firm has existed since the 1930s under the leadership of his father Maurice, but Bob led the growth of the modern version of the organization by recognizing the growth of consumer credit products and the need for representation by credit grantors,” he said.

Reis also credits Weltman with hiring, training and mentoring hundreds of attorneys — many of whom have gone on to start their own firms.

“One thing that is lost when we talk about Bob is the impact he’s had on the talent in this field,” he said.

“When I joined in 1976, I really looked up to Bob and his knowledge and his drive to kind of pattern my own career, and many of us did that.”

In fact, the bulk of creditor rights attorneys in Greater Cleveland “probably worked with or for Bob at some point,” Reis said. “Bob literally created this practice area regionally, if not over a big part of the country.”

Driven as ever, Weltman remains one of the first in the office at 6 a.m. and carries a full caseload. He also continues to be a tireless “and long-suffering” supporter of Cleveland sports teams, particularly the newly named Guardians, although travel to away games has been on hold because of the pandemic.

“Instead of just hanging out with the guys or going to lunch or whatever, I come to work,” he said. “This is my retirement.”

— Judy Stringer

16 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P016_CL_20220418.indd 16

4/14/2022 2:46:54 PM

e m o C ! r e h t e g o T May 15-1 15-177 May HILTON CLEVELAND DOWNTOWN ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME

A LL-ACCESS PASS

Are you ready to rock the future of finance?

LARA ABRASH Chair and Chief Executive Officer Deloitte

MARK SCHULMAN Author and Rock Star Drummer for P!nk

Get your ticket and all-access pass to meet us at the Rock and Roll Capital of the World. Come together for learning, building connections, and sharing best practices for conducting the finance function on a brand-new and global stage.

Need strategic guidance on how to leverage and manage the finance and accounting challenges that lie ahead? You’ll gain insights into:

✴ THE FUTURE OF WORK

✴ TRANSFORMING THE FINANCE FUNCTION

✴ UNDERSTANDING DEI

✴ TRENDS IN FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING

✴ ESG ISSUES

✴ CREATING NEW BUSINESS MODELS

RECEPTION PRESENTED BY

TURN IT UP TO 11!

Opening Reception at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame We’ll get the pre-party started during FEI’s 90th Anniversary + Summit Kickoff Reception! FEI gives you a PRIVATE PARTY PASS to explore the museum for a deep dive into the roots of rock and roll and a special concert by Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.

Dress as the rock star you are and come together for a night of live music, great food and drinks, and your best FEI fans!

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER NOW financialexecutives.org/summit

CRAIN'S LIST | COMMERCIAL CONTRACTORS Ranked by 2021 local revenue 2021 TOTAL REVENUE (MILLIONS) 1-YEAR CHANGE

COMPANY PRIMARY LOCAL ADDRESS

2021 LOCAL REVENUE (MILLIONS) 1-YEAR CHANGE

1

GILBANE BUILDING CO. 950 Main Ave., Suite 1410, Cleveland 216-535-3000/gilbaneco.com

$475.1 1 $6,000.0 2 Corporate, health care, education, entertainment, 0% -7.7% sports, residential mixed-use

2

THE ALBERT M. HIGLEY CO. 3636 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 216-861-2050/amhigley.com

$195.0 2.6%

3

INDEPENDENCE CONSTRUCTION 6400 E. Schaaf Road, Independence 216-446-3700/ind-con.com

$190.0 $175.0 118.8% 4 137.5%

Mixed-use, health care, higher Construction management, education, industrial, general contracting, multifamily development

Greater Cleveland Foodbank expansion, Valor Acres, Kevin DiGeronimo, University of Akron Crouse Hall addition president

4

RUDOLPH LIBBE GROUP 4937 Mills Industrial Pkwy., North Ridgeville 440-406-8800/rlgbuilds.com

$155.8 163.5%

$960.4 55.1%

Manufacturing, R&D, Design build, general contractor, commercial, higher education industrial site maintenance

Ardagh beverage plant in Huron, Oberlin College Dave Boyer, Northeast heating and cooling conversion, Carvana Inspection Ohio regional vice Center in Elyria Township president

5

THE RUHLIN CO. 6931 Ridge Road, Sharon Center 330-239-2800/ruhlin.com

$150.0 35.8%

$160.0 35.5%

Health care, industrial, transportation, education, commercial building

General contracting and construction management services firm

Hope Memorial Bridge rehabilitation, Cleveland; North Coast Harbor Pedestrian Bridge construction, Cleveland; Davey Tree Expert Company headquarters additions, Kent

James Ruhlin Sr., chairman, CEO

6

PANZICA CONSTRUCTION CO. 739 Beta Drive, Mayfield Village 440-442-4300/panzica.com

$131.0 -19.6%

$131.0 -19.6%

Commercial, industrial, institutional

Construction management, design-build, general contracting

Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland Public Library Martin Luther King Jr. Branch

Tony Panzica, owner, president, CEO

7

SHOOK CONSTRUCTION CO. 6860 W. Snowville Road, Brecksville 440-838-5400/shookconstruction.com

$120.6 6.8%

$311.0 -3.4%

Education, health care, industrial, mission critical, water resources

General contracting, construction Avon Seidman Cancer Center, Southerly Wastewater Chris Halapy, president, management, design-build Treatment Plant, Brecksville Combined Elementary CEO Building

8

GREAT LAKES CONSTRUCTION CO. 2608 Great Lakes Way, Hinckley 330-220-3900/greatlakesway.com

$115.0 0.9%

$156.0 -1.3%

Transportation, water treatment plants, industrial, power, commercial, oil and gas

General contractor, design-build, construction manager at risk

Akron Water Reclamation Facility BioCEPT system, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority docks 24 and 26, MetroHealth Transformation project excavation

George Palko, president, CEO

9

INDEPENDENCE EXCAVATING 5720 E. Schaaf Road, Independence 216-524-1700/indexc.com

$87.0 17.6%

$285.0 27.8%

Health care, transportation, sports/entertainment, government, power, auto

Site development, demolition, earthwork, utilities, remediation, aggregate crushing, paving

Sherwin-Williams headquarters and R&D facility, Project Buffalo

Victor DiGeronimo Jr., CEO

10

JOHN G. JOHNSON CONSTRUCTION CO. 1284 Riverbed St., Cleveland 216-938-5050/johngjohnson.com

$65.0 -13.3%

$65.0 -13.3%

Hospitality, multifamily, corporate, senior living, worship, education

Construction manager, general contracting, design-build

Sawmill Creek Resort, Classic Mazda Westside, Cedar Marty Weber, president Estates phase 3 Mike Weber, director of operations

11

INFINITY CONSTRUCTION CO. INC. 18440 Cranwood Parkway, Warrensville Hts. 216-663-3777/infinityconstruction.com

$63.7 7.2%

$63.7 7.2%

Commercial, health care, education, sports, recreation, retail, municipal

General contracting, construction Warrensville City School District Middle School / management, design-build High School, 700 Lake Condominiums, Oberlin College Mudd Library renovations

Charles Izzo, president

12

RYCON CONSTRUCTION INC. 1303 Prospect Ave. E., Cleveland 216-413-5546/ryconinc.com

$55.3 -12.1%

$560.0 19.4%

Commercial, industrial, health care, education, retail, manufacturing

Construction management, general contracting, design-build

ODOT Trumbull County full service maintenance facility, Kennametal, Brush High School renovation

David Semler, executive vice president, Cleveland office

13

ENGELKE CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS 2927 Nationwide Parkway, Brunswick 330-273-2222/engelkecs.com

$51.0 -5.9%

$64.8 -7.4%

Retail, hospitality, multifamily, industrial, institutional, health care

Commercial general contracting, construction management, facility management

Flats East Bank riverfront restaurants, National Weather Service, Vitalia senior residences

Eric Engelke, president, CEO

14

FIORILLI CONSTRUCTION INC. 3955 Center Road, Brunswick 216-696-5845/fio-con.com

$48.4 50.3%

$54.6 27.6%

Retail, health care, multifamily, Construction management, office, quick serve general contracting, design-build

The Greens at Belden, Baricelli Inn, Bank of America

Carmen Fiorilli, president

15

JHI GROUP INC. 309 Monroe St., Monroeville 419-465-4611/janottaherner.com

$40.8 5 9.7%

$54.3 9.7%

Industrial, commercial, Construction, steel fabrication, community, financial, medical, architectural and engineering automotive, hospitality design

Firelands Sandusky Healthcare Center; American Excelsior, Norwalk; Tip Products, New London

Paul Roeder, president, CEO

16

TOBER BUILDING CO. 3351 Brecksville Road, Richfield 330-659-0598/toberbuilding.com

$38.0 111.1%

$40.0 122.2%

Commercial, civil, industrial, health care, multifamily, retail

Oxford Place Senior Apartments (former Lehman High School), Franciscan Village Apartments, New Frontier Homes

Todd Tober, president

17

REGENCY CONSTRUCTION SERVICES INC. 5475 Engle Road, Brook Park 216-529-1188/regencycsi.com

$31.6 -19.9%

$38.8 -22.1%

Health care, higher education, Construction management, MetroHealth - Cleveland Heights CT room PK-12, libraries, nonprofits, design-build, general contracting, renovation; Case Western chemistry office civic owners representative renovation; Fairless Local School District - new high school

Tari Rivera, president

18

DRAKE CONSTRUCTION CO. 1545 E. 18th St., Cleveland 216-664-6500/drakeconstructionco.com

$25.0 4.2%

$35.0 2.9%

Medical, retail, multifamily, tenant build-out, hospitality

General contracting

Canterbury Golf Club; Huntington Towers Apartments; Berkowitz Funeral Home

Steve Ciuni, president

19

PRECISION ENVIRONMENTAL CO. 5500 Old Brecksville Road, Independence 216-642-6040/precision-env.com

$23.5 -2.5%

$33.0 6.5%

Industrial, commercial, government, health care, education, historical

Asbestos/lead abatement, selective demolition, concrete sawing/drilling, groundpenetrating radar

University of Akron - Crouse and Ayers Hall; Anthony Anthony DiGeronimo, J. Celebrezze Federal Building renovation; North president Royalton High School

20

CAMPBELL CONSTRUCTION INC. 1159 Blachleyville Road, Wooster 330-262-5186/campbell-construction.com

$19.5 -9.3%

$19.5 -9.3%

Commercial, industrial, institutional

Design, general contracting, construction, concrete, masonry, maintenance

Hamrick Manufacturing, Wooster Community Hospital, Petit Auto Wash

John Campbell, president

21

MILLSTONE MANAGEMENT GROUP 8251 Mayfield Road, Suite 100, Chesterland 440-423-1116/millstonemgmtgroup.com

$17.0 0%

$17.0 -15%

Public sector, education, retail, General contractor, construction veterinary, industrial, office manager, design-build, bid-build

GOMA Restaurant and Giappone speakeasy, TricorBraun warehouse build out, Case Western Reserve University Barnes & Noble

Forrest Huntley, president; Katie Kafarakis, vice president

22

FORTNEY & WEYGANDT INC. 31269 Bradley Road, North Olmsted 440-716-4000/fortneyweygandt.com

$15.7 -23.9%

$62.4 -6.5%

Senior living, hotel, retail, restaurant, commercial, office and industrial

National account general contractor

Charles Schwab office, Orange Village; Sgt. Clean Car Greg Freeh, CEO Wash, Strongsville; multiple local KFC remodels for franchisee

23

THE KRUEGER GROUP INC. 12600 Triskett Road, Cleveland 216-252-0222/buildwithkrueger.com

$12.0 113.7%

$12.0 113.7%

Commercial, residential, nonprofit, education, industrial, historic

General contracting, construction Treo Apartments; Breakwater Storage building management, design-build (including Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan office); Edna House for Women

Robert Krueger III, president

24

DIAMOND ROOFING SYSTEMS 8600 E. Market St., Suite 4, Warren 330-856-2500/diamondroofsystems.com

$9.6 47%

$9.6 47%

Industrial, retail, hospitality, parishes, real estate, education

Commercial roof asset management, roof replacement, repairs, budgeting, maintenance

John Pilch, principal

RANK

$237.0 7.7%

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES SERVED

PRIMARY SERVICES OFFERED

PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN 2021

TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE

Construction management

UH Ahuja Medical Center phase 2, Sherwin-Williams downtown Cleveland headquarters and Brecksville R&D Center 3

Kyle Merrill, vice president

Office, health care, education, Construction management, MetroHealth Behavioral Health Hospital, Cleveland cultural, nonprofit, hospitality, general contracting, design-build, Heights; Tower City renovations; Soprema multi-family preconstruction, estimating headquarters expansion, Wadsworth

Design-build, general contractor, modular construction, panels/ stud manufacturing

Cabinetworks, Giant Eagle, INEOS

Gareth Vaughan, president, CEO

Research by Chuck Soder (csoder@crain.com) | Information is from the companies unless footnotes indicate otherwise. Visit bit.ly/32iTlHK to submit your company for this list. NOTES: 1. Represents 2020 Northeast Ohio revenue. 2. Preliminary

figure from Jan. 7, 2022 news release. 3. Selected by Crain's from public sources. 4. Independence Construction acquired the construction management arm of Donley's Inc. in fall 2020. Only three months of Donley's revenue was included in Independence's 2020 revenue figure, contributing to this increase. 5. Company estimate; represents 75% of total revenue.

Get an Excel version of this list containing more than 100 executives. Become a Data Member: CrainsCleveland.com/data 18 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P018_CL_20220418.indd 18

4/15/2022 9:01:32 AM

LIST ANALYSIS

Commercial contractors on list see revenue and prices rise

BY CHUCK SODER

Data from the list suggests that they’re ramping up already. Local Revenue is on the rise for large lo- employment grew 28% for the 23 cal construction companies — but companies on the list that provided two years of consistent data. so are prices.

Granted, this analysis excludes the Companies on our annual Commercial Contractors list saw their perennial No. 1 company on the list, Northeast Ohio revenue rise by a Gilbane Building Co. The Rhode Iscombined 17.4% in 2021, judging by land-based firm didn’t submit this the 23 companies that provided fig- year, so due to Gilbane’s size, we’ve ures for 2020 and 2021. (By compar- included it by republishing its 2020 ison, the 21 companies that have local revenue figure, with a footnote.

We should also note that one provided Crain’s with a local revenue figure for three years straight company had an outsized impact on the industry’s local growth. saw a mere 3.5% increase in 2020.)

Rudolph Libbe Group saw its loAnd they expect 2022 to be even cal revenue grow 163.5% to $155.8 better. million in 2021, pushing the LOCAL EMPLOYMENT GREW 28% Toledo-based contractor up No. 4 on the list from No. FOR THE 23 COMPANIES ON THE to 12 last year. It also has more than doubled the size of its LIST THAT PROVIDED TWO local staff. The company reYEARS OF CONSISTENT DATA. cently renovated its North Ridgeville office to accomOf the 24 firms on the list, 20 an- modate them.

Rudolph Libbe’s growth is partly swered a multiple-choice question asking whether they expect local because of a few particularly large revenue to increase in 2022. The vast contracts, said Dave Boyer, the majority, 16, said yes, and the two firm’s Northeast Ohio regional vice most popular answers were the two president. He referenced two projstrongest: Five picked “increase sig- ects mentioned on the list: the Ardnificantly” and seven picked “in- agh beverage plant in Huron and crease somewhat.” Only two pro- the Carvana Inspection Center in jected a decrease, and they chose Elyria Township.

Rudolph Libbe made an effort to the weakest option: “decrease pursue more big projects and grow its slightly.”

Northeast Ohio business, Boyer said.

The economy also has been strong, especially in one of Rudolph Libbe’s key industries: “Manufacturing is very healthy right now,” he said.

Revenue, meet prices

High prices, however, are eating into profits. Construction material prices rose an estimated 20% in 2021, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.

That fits with 19 responses we got to multiple choice questions on that topic. All 19 respondents said materials they buy have gotten either “much more expensive” or “somewhat more expensive” over the past year. No one picked any variation of “less expensive.”

We also asked what they’ve done over the past year to address rising material costs and shortages. Most companies picked two or three choices. They’ve tried switching materials (13 respondents), switching suppliers (6), changing project designs (10), changing timelines (8) and adding escalation clauses to contracts (7). A few said they’ve missed project budgets (5) or deadlines (3). The only choice no one chose was “none of these.”

Chuck Soder: csoder@crain.com, (216) 771-5374, @ChuckSoder

Prices way up, and so is revenue Respondents were asked to focus only on their Northeast Ohio operations.

Over the past year, have the materials your firm buys become more or less expensive?

Much more expensive: 10 Somewhat more expensive: 9

Over the past year, what actions has your firm taken to address rising material costs or shortages?

Switched suppliers for a material we already use: 6 Switched to an alternative material: 12

Slightly more expensive; Little to no change; Slightly less expensive; Somewhat less expensive; Much less expensive: 0 Do you expect revenue from your Northeast Ohio operations to increase or decrease in FY 2022 vs.

FY 2021?

Increase significantly: 5

Added an escalation clause to a contract: 7 Suggested a client/architect alter project design: 9 Suggested a client alter timeline before starting: 7 Missed or renegotiated a project deadline: 2 Missed or renegotiated a project budget: 4

Increase somewhat: 7

None of these: 0

Increase slightly: 4

*Respondents were asked to choose all that apply. There were 18 respondents.

Remain about the same: 2

17.4%

Decrease slightly: 2 Decrease somewhat; Decrease significantly: 0 SOURCE: CRAIN’S SURVEY

The amount combined local revenue increased in 2021 for firms on the commercial contractors list.

CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS GRAPHIC

& present

5 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR 2022 Medicare Advantage PPO

An Evening with

Register for in-person or livestream tickets at cjn.org/patinkin

Sunday, May 1 at 7 p.m.

Maltz Performing Arts Center

TICKETS GOING FAST

VIP SEATING

at The Temple-Tifereth Israel Case Western Reserve University

OST ALMD OUT SOL

GENERAL SEATING

AVAILABLE

Emmy and Tony award-winner

MANDY PATINKIN & KATHRYN GRODY In partnership with

VIP Sponsor

Supporting Sponsors

Venue Sponsor

2 Krause Family Foundation

For sponsorship opportunities contact Gina Lloyd at 216-342-5196 or email glloyd@cjn.org

APRIL 18, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 19

P019_CL_20220418.indd 19

4/15/2022 9:03:44 AM

GOVERNMENT | Q&A

Region’s SBA administrator talks recovery The U.S. Small Business Administration is the country’s “best-kept secret,” contends Geri Aglipay, the newly appointed administrator of SBA Region V, better known as the Great Lakes Region.

“But we don’t want it to be a secret,” she adds.

Many small businesses didn’t know exactly what services the SBA provided pre-pandemic — or maybe didn’t know the agency at all. But with billions of dollars in federal stimulus funding pumped into the economy via Economic Injury Disaster Loans and the Paycheck Protection Program, the federal agency was thrust into the spotlight.

With both the EIDL and the PPP initiatives sunsetting, Crain’s sat down with Aglipay, who joined the agency in February, to talk about her background working with small businesses and her plans for the Great Lakes Region as the SBA moves from pandemic reaction to recovery.

— Kim Palmer (This conversation has been edited and condensed for length.)

Q: You come to this role with a background and real hands-on experience with small-business development and policy. How does that inform what you plan to do in your role at the SBA? A: I do have experience working with small-business owners on the ground, as I say, working with them on the block and in the board room. In particular, I have worked with business owners that are the very smallest of the small.

The SBA definition is micro-businesses, which is 10 employees and under and includes the self-employed entrepreneurs.

The importance of small business is not lost on me. We have a lot of businesses in Ohio that do not have W-2 employees, and the PPP highlighted that. In Ohio, more than 99% of businesses are small businesses, but of those, approximately 78% are selfemployed entrepreneurs. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have employees.

They may hire out or work with others who are self-employed, which means they are actually creating jobs and generating income.

That is what my experience brings: a background in designing training programs; around measuring the impact of those programs; and being in the board room crafting policies and measuring if that policy supports a level playing field for small-business owners.

` Q: Why are small businesses so important to the economy going forward?

A: Having a small business in America is actually the best way of building wealth, next to owning a home. It is also the mission of SBA to really support every small business in America and in Ohio to have those opportunities to access financial capital, social capital and knowledge capital. And the resources are free and support smallbusiness growth in general, especially for women. We are not only looking at a racial gap, but at a gender wealth gap.

And as you know, the data is clear in terms of working women’s wages and salaries, that there are still disparities. Smallbusiness ownership for women can help close the gender wealth gap and address income volatility and income inequality. ` Q: What is the most fundamental need for small businesses in this recovery?

A: Accessing capital — especially in the case of economic upheaval, like a pandemic, but also in the case of something as small as their bakery truck breaking an axle. Businesses need that capital to grow and scale. ` Q: Besides direct funding, what do small and startup businesses need?

A: In my experience, there needs to be more ecosystem building. That may

sound a little wonky, but an ecosystem is really a partnership and collaboration needed for economic recovery. It is recognizing partnerships working for systemic change.

It includes connecting business development organizations with one another and leveraging capacities across regions and making sure that everyone is at the table, including the small-business owners themselves. Often, smallbusiness owners are not involved in the design of some of these programs. ` Q: What did the SBA learn from the pandemic, as the agency was in charge of the emergency funding programs?

A: As we’ve seen with the pandemic, a lot of business owners were not aware of the SBA until they needed that assistance. One thing is really making sure that we are a federal agency that is well known, by not only our traditional stakeholder partners, but also our community stakeholder partners.

We want to be a well-known name in helping small businesses. We want to be that beacon federal agency for every small-business owner in America, regardless of class, status, gender.

We are here to be supportive to help them grow and scale their business for economic prosperity. We want to be that household name. It was said that we were the best-kept secret, (but) we don’t want to be the best-kept secret.

We want to make sure that people know who we are and that we continue to level the playing field to provide opportunities to access resources and assistance to become entrepreneurs. ` Q: What specific policies is the SBA looking at to help support the smaller business and entrepreneur as the economic pressures shift and change?

A: In terms of our programs, we are doubling down. Like I said, a lot of business owners don’t know who we are and don’t know about our resources

“HAVING A SMALL BUSINESS IN AMERICA IS ACTUALLY THE BEST WAY OF BUILDING WEALTH, NEXT TO OWNING A HOME. IT IS ALSO THE MISSION OF SBA TO REALLY SUPPORT EVERY SMALL BUSINESS IN AMERICA AND IN OHIO TO HAVE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCESS FINANCIAL CAPITAL, SOCIAL CAPITAL AND KNOWLEDGE CAPITAL. ” — Geri Aglipay, SBA Region V administrator

and don’t realize that it is free to access counseling and training opportunities and that we provide them not only in person but digitally.

Another way we are supporting the recovery is that we recognize as a federal agency that small businesses can not survive or start if they are not competitive and have access to the markets. That means (getting them) digitally ready and making sure that owners, especially in those underserved areas, have equitable opportunities to learn how to become digitally ready.

And it is not just about access to broadband, it is access to training, like how to use an app or how to use their phone. How can they access those digital tools that save time and money so to keep up and to open up to markets beyond that local neighborhood? SBA kicked off a Small Business Digital Alliance, a publicprivate partnership with Google, Amazon, Square and LinkedIn, where we are providing assistance to close the digital divide for small-business owners.

With that program we are providing a library of free digital resources and business coaches.

GOODYEAR

From Page 1

It didn’t disclose how much it invested or what portion of Recurrent it purchased — as has been the case with its other acquisitions.

At the end of March, Goodyear Ventures invested in Nova Labs, a San Francisco company involved in decentralized, long-range wireless communications that could play a role in the development of autonomous vehicles. Goodyear was reportedly one of 10 participants in a $200 million Series D funding round for Nova Labs.

Other investments include Gatik (rhymes with attic), a California company that is developing autonomous trucks for “middle-mile” deliveries, such as those between a retailer’s warehouses and its brick-and-mortar stores. That company is already operating its trucks in several U.S. states and Canada, and says it’s expanding throughout the U.S. Then there’s Envoy, a California company that provides on-demand, shared electric vehicles that it markets as a community amenity; Formant, another California company that offers a robot command center to deploy and manage robots and the data they collect; and Starship Technologies, a San Francisco company that provides autonomous robots that make local deliveries of food, groceries and packages.

While the money raised is important to the young companies seeking capital, “partnership” is a word you’ll see used quite a bit by the portfolio companies. And for Goodyear, it’s really the main point of the whole endeavor.

“With any company we invest in, our strategic interest, our learning goals and our relationship-building goals are a fair amount of our interest,” Ganguly said. “We are not a pure-play financial player, we are a strategic player — and definitely, we start with the question of, ‘How will this startup help us?’”

Not that Ganguly doesn’t want to see his portfolio do well in terms of

To se

dire the Goo “H nan ther guly the perf hap rela of th a bi

Loo

G ly sp cisc thei the

THE WEEK SQUARE DEAL: The nonprofit team hoping to take possession of Shaker Square got a major boost late Monday, April 11, when Cleveland City Council signed off on financing for the acquisition. The city plans to provide $12 million in loans toward an effort to rescue the historic East Side shopping center from foreclosure, receivership and a sheriff’s sale. The money will flow to New Village Corp., a subsidiary of nonprofit Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, and will be used to pay off troubled debt and orchestrate an ownership change. New Village and its joint-venture partner, Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc., expect to take control of the Square and shepherd it through the next few years. Since 2020, when the pandemic and an ill-timed debt maturity tipped the property into distress, the nonprofits have been working to ensure that a key neighborhood anchor lands in friendly, local hands. The city loans are the biggest part of a financial package designed to secure and stabilize the Square. New Village and Burten, Bell, Carr also are lining up $5.25 million in funding — a mix of philanthropic, civic and government grants and loans — to address deferred maintenance and operational needs at the nearly century-old property.

QUIET BUYER: A 738-unit apartment complex in Euclid recently changed hands, in a quiet deal that still doesn’t appear in public records. The property, called Euclid Apartments, is an affordable-housing community that sits on 40 acres near Euclid Avenue and East 260th Street. News of the sale popped up on LinkedIn, in a post from an associate at the CBRE Group Inc. brokerage in Cleveland.

The associate, Jamie Dunford, declined to talk about the transaction.

But the buyer appears to be Nord Group, a private equity firm with offices in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Houston. Euclid Apartments is listed on Nord Group’s website, with a purchase date of April 1. The company did not respond to inquiries about the acquisition. The Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office sets the market value of the real estate, which includes townhouses and more traditional, garden-style apartments, at $20.7 million.

GROWTH PLAN: After some challenging points amid the outbreak of COVID-19, Gervasi Vineyard is coming out of the pandemic with yet another expansion effort at its sprawling 55-acre estate in Canton. The combined winery and resort announced that it has just begun work

abo 1,50 the thin an e bus said gen tion si Vi

A pedestrian passes the Dave’s supermarket at Shaker Square, on Cleveland’s East Side. | GUS CHAN FOR CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

on a project that will add four new components: a luxury spa; a new, dedicated wine-tasting room dubbed

The Wine Cave; a product warehouse and distribution facility; and The Rickhouse, which is the name for a

facility used specifically for storing and aging spirits. These will all be housed in two buildings comprising

20 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P020_P021_CL_20220418.indd 20

4/15/2022 12:32:07 PM

CBI den CBI Ger CEO He w pan poin con ter chai Burd tors nom boa whi boa redu 10 fr

HIG troit adjo nam

work forward,” Ganguly said.

Far from done

innt it case

year s, a d in less ay a onoort$200 for

atik ommous ries, ler’s rtar perates ding

rnia and, marForany nter the echany bots ood,

ortking ou’ll olio s reen-

t in, ning ding nterot a re a , we will

nt to s of

ring l be sing

To secure its place in growing sectors, Goodyear Ventures has been investing in companies like Gatik, which makes autonomous trucks for B2B deliveries. | RALPH LAUER/GATIK

direct investment returns; it’s just not the most important measurement of Goodyear Ventures’ success.

“How do we define success? Financial success is one answer, but there is strategic success also,” Ganguly said. “I’m extremely happy with the way the portfolio is operating and performing (financially), but even happier to see some of the strategic relationships we’ve built with some of the portfolio companies. ... That is a bigger measure of success for us.”

Looking for a strategic fit Ganguly and his staff of four, evenly split between Akron and San Francisco, still conduct due diligence on their prospective investments — at the very least, they want to form rela-

tionships with partners that have staying power — but the emphasis on strategic alignments gives them some leeway. They invest in some very early-stage companies, as well as some who have already previously raised significant amounts of capital and are well along in their efforts to take their products to market and grow.

“We are a stage-agnostic corporate venture capital fund,” Ganguly said.

“If the strategic fit is strong, we will invest in the company and start working with them on a strategic basis.”

It’s an approach more and more large companies like Goodyear have been taking in recent years, said Scott Shane, founder of Shaker Heights’ Comeback Capital. Shane’s firm links

investors from outside the region fund of Goodyear, when it’s done, with companies in the Midwest seek- there’s no profit — all they do is get ing capital. He’s also a professor of their $100 million back. For a tradieconomics who teaches venture cap- tional venture capitalist, that’s a failital and entrepreneurship at Case ure,” Shane said. “But if they found a single thing that enhanced producWestern Reserve University.

“With corporate venture capital, tivity at a Goodyear factory or someyou have this array where this pretty thing like that, and Goodyear relarge number, maybe 40-ish percent duced a cost by 10%, that’s a huge of corporate venture capital, is purely win for the company even though the strategic in nature, or almost purely fund doesn’t look like it made a restrategic,” Shane said. “And Good- turn. … The CEO of the company would be extremely happy with that.” year would be in that camp.”

Toward such ends, Ganguly said That strategy also means that corporate venture capitalists measure his team links the portfolio company their success differently than their fi- with other people in Goodyear’s opnancial counterparts do, which erations.

“We stay engaged until that relaShane said also allows the corporate funds to sometimes pay more for tionship and linkage is solid and it N falls their investments as well.

C Rstrong, A I N ’ S and C L Ethen VELA D Bon U Sthe I N Epeople SS | “Let’s say with the $100 million within the companies to take the

For the portfolio companies, there are advantages as well, including access to new markets with more customers and technical help, Shane said.

Gatik, which has been in Goodyear Ventures’ portfolio since fall 2021, has been pleased with the relationship it has built with its much larger partner so far, said its head of policy and communications Richard Steiner.

Gatik is using Goodyear’s knowledge of tires and its investments in tire sensors and communications capabilities to enable its vehicles to operate more efficiently, handle and stop better, and reduce maintenance.

“It’s very much a strategic and technical partnership as much as it is an investment in the company,” Steiner said. “This is adding direct value to our service and vehicle performance.”

Ganguly declined to say how much of Goodyear Ventures’ $100 million he’s invested so far. But he said he’s far from done. Unlike traditional venture capitalists, though, he doesn’t have investors pressuring him to deploy capital quickly, or to exit portfolio companies per a specified timeline to book investment returns.

Goodyear doesn’t need to sell the stakes its venture fund holds to fund future investments, as it could easily provide Goodyear Ventures with additional capital if needed, he said.

“Because of the strategic nature of our interest, I don’t have a strategic partner who’s giving me those restraints,” Ganguly said.

The fund has been busy, he said, but isn’t nearly done. In the meantime, Ganguly seems to be enjoying his role in running Goodyear Ventures.

“We’ve made connections with some of the leaders in mobility, and mobility itself has been a very exciting space,” Ganguly said. “I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.”

Dan Shingler: dshingler@crain.com, | PA G E 2 9 (216) 771-5290

S E P T E M B E R 3 - 9 , 2 018

Advertising Section about 20,000 square feet. The 1,500-square-foot Rickhouse will be the only entity separate from everything else. “You really can’t consider an expansion of this caliber if your business isn’t back on solid footing,” said Scott Swaldo, co-owner and general manager of GV Destinations, the parent company of Gervasi Vineyard and The Twisted Olive.

CBIZ TRANSITION: Independence-based business services firm CBIZ Inc. announced that Steven L. Gerard, its chairman and former CEO, died following a “brief illness.”

He was 76. Gerard joined the company in 2000 as CEO and was appointed board chairman in 2002. He continued to serve as chairman after retiring as CEO in 2016. Vice chairman and lead director Rick L. Burdick will lead the board of directors on an interim basis. Gerard was nominated for re-election to the board at the 2022 annual meeting, which is scheduled for May 10. The board has eliminated Gerard’s seat, reducing the number of directors to 10 from 11.

HIGH STYLE: Bedrock, the Detroit-based owner of Tower City and adjoining land, has added a big name to its team focused on remak-

ing key real estate in the heart of downtown Cleveland. Sir David Adjaye, a Ghanaian-British architect with a global practice, has joined a group of consultants working on a multi-phase plan to revive the ailing downtown mall and create a mixeduse district on the east bank of the Cuyahoga River. The founder and principal of Adjaye Associates, with offices in Accra, Ghana; London; and New York, Adjaye is responsible for high-profile projects including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C., and the Nobel Peace Center in Norway. And it’s “very possible” he’ll end up designing a building here, Bedrock CEO Kofi Bonner said during a phone interview on Tuesday, April 12.

ABOUT THE PURCHASE ...: Parker Hannifin Corp. received European Commission clearance for a big acquisition — contingent on the sale of its Aircraft Wheel and Brake division in Avon. The Mayfield Heightsbased maker of motion and control technologies “has begun the process of selling that business,” according to a news release issued Monday, April 11, announcing provisional EC approval for the $8.7 bil-

lion acquisition of British aerospace and defense supplier Meggitt PLC. Boards of both Parker and Meggitt approved the all-cash acquisition last August. They expect the deal to close in the third quarter of 2022.

Parker said the acquisition also has been approved, without any conditions, by eight other regulatory bodies worldwide.

SCOOPED UP: Cleveland-based Pierre’s Ice Cream Co. will be acquired by Ohio Processors Inc. under a recently finalized agreement.

Terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed. Pierre’s makes and distributes frozen desserts like ice cream, while Ohio Processors makes and distributes dairy-related products. Ohio Processors is a fourth-generation family-operated business in London, Ohio, near Columbus. The acquisition will expand Ohio Processors’ “product line, customer base, and geographic reach,” the release noted. The company will continue to manufacture and distribute products from the Pierre’s location at East 65th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, and the new owners expect to retain the Pierre’s employees. The deal is expected to be completed in the second quarter of the year.

CLASSIFIEDS To place your listing in Crain’s Cleveland Classifieds, contact Suzanne Janik at 313-446-0455 or email sjanik@crain.com

CLASSIFIED SERVICES BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Fabrication Company With Product Line For Sale Sales $1.3M

mike@empirebusinesses.com www.empirebusinesses.com

APRIL 18, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 21

P020_P021_CL_20220418.indd 21

4/15/2022 12:32:26 PM

KOMOROSKI

From Page 1

Eight months before graduation, Komoroski walked up to the Civic Arena’s receptionist and said, “I’m here to see if they need any help.” At that point, interns didn’t get paid, so they didn’t even interview him. They just waved him back, where he found himself sitting with 11 other interns at a table.

“I just resolved myself that whatever they asked me to do, I was going to do the best job I could with a great attitude and a smile on my face,” he said. “They would come up to the table and say, ‘Hey, we need 1,000 copies of this,’ and the other interns would say, ‘I didn’t go to college to make copies.’ And I’d say, ‘I’m going to make the best damn copies they ever saw.’”

The approach worked. Komoroski initially worked for the Spirit, but Penguins owner Edward J. DeBartolo was ahead of his time in that he kept all of his business in-house — tickets, concessions, even broadcast production. By the end of his internship, Komoroski was effectively the No. 2 man for the Spirit’s PR director and was doing a variety of tasks, from selling to promotions to other arena events.

“It was a great place to learn the business,” said Komoroski, who also interned with the Pirates. “People back then didn’t know if a soccer ball was stuffed, certainly in Pittsburgh, so then you try to explain indoor soccer to them and things like line changes and dash reports.

“We had to fight for every inch. It was the equivalent of a minor-league team. There was no wind behind our back, so we had to create all kinds of creativity. We could do everything short of human sacrifice.”

The Spirit folded after the 1985-86 season, but he quickly got a job as the assistant PR director and community relations director for his beloved Penguins.

“I thought I’d died and gone to heaven,” he said, “and I could have stayed on that path and made my way there.”

Then, Komoroski made a choice that would eventually lead him to Cleveland. One of his friends offered him a job with the MISL’s Minnesota Strikers, and Komoroski saw a chance to be a part of the whole operation.

“At that young age, the chance to be involved in every facet of the operation was too good for me to pass up,” he said. “It’s like the Robert Frost poem, ‘The Road Less Traveled.’

“You take that risk and it makes all the difference.”

Making a difference On April 7, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that Komoroski would step away from his role as CEO of the Cavaliers, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (RMFH) and Rock Entertainment Group (REG) at the end of the Cavs’ season. It will mark the end of his 19-year tenure with the team, although he will remain affiliated with REG, focusing on special projects and initiatives.

He will be replaced in the CEO role by REG president and COO Nic Barlage, who has worked alongside Komoroski since he joined the Cavs as president in 2017.

“Len’s been a vital part of my evolution as a leader, a manager and an operator of a business,” Barlage said.

“His depth of knowledge about the nooks and crannies of how things

Len Komoroski will step away from his role as the CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Rock Entertainment Group at the end of the Cavs’ season.

run — it’s inspiring. It’s been a great opportunity for me to be able to learn vis-a-vis observing him over the last four years. … He has a unique ability to stretch outcomes for great impacts.”

Komoroski, 62, had been mulling the decision for years, but decided 2022 would be a good end point since RMFH would be coming off two major events: the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in October of 2021, and the NBA AllStar Game in February.

“When you look at these types of transitions, you ask, ‘Is the organization in a position of strength to carry forward?’” Komoroski said. “I think we have such a terrific leadership team and such a terrific team overall.

“We’re really poised on many fronts for the next 20 years and beyond.”

Komoroski initially came to Cleveland in the mid-1990s to work as the senior vice president and COO of the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Lumberjacks.

He returned for good in 2003 when he was hired as the Cavs’ president after a seven-year stint as a senior VP and chief business operator of the Philadelphia Eagles.

His colleagues thought he was crazy. Why leave the NFL to join a team people called “the fourth team in a three-team town”?

“We were last in revenue, last in attendance,” he said of the Cavs. “We were a secondary event venue behind the Wolstein Center, which was actually the primary concert venue (in the city) and all the NCAA events were there.

“We had nowhere to go but up.”

Two things helped change their fortunes. First, the Cavs won the NBA draft lottery a few months after Komoroski arrived and drafted an 18-year-old from Akron. Then, in 2005, Dan Gilbert bought the team from Gordon Gund and empowered his employees to not only think big when it came to the Cavaliers’ fortunes, but also the arena and the surrounding area.

Komoroski helped turn RMFH into the city’s top concert and event venue, hosting more than 200 events a year. He helped bring a casino to downtown Cleveland and Cincinnati. He worked on civic initiatives

such as the repurposing of The Avenue shops at Tower City, the renovation of the Ritz-Carlton and the historic May Co. Building, the restoration of the Higbee building and the $185 million transformation of RMFH. “One thing I really like about Len is he really cares about the future of the community,” said David Gilbert, the president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland. “There are a lot of executives who influence the community by making their organization better, but I think Len has always been very cognizant of how to use the Cavaliers and the arena — and, even broader, everything related to Dan Gilbert’s enterprises — to help advance Cleveland. He was always great at keeping that in mind, and it’s really made a difference.”

Stepping away

Len Komoroski poses with Allison Allen, the team’s first-ever community DIFF Maker, during the 2016 Playoffs. | CLEVELAND CAVALIERS PHOTOS

Five things you may not know about Len Komoroski Favorite movies: “I have a couple that wouldn’t be a shocker to people that know me. ‘Caddyshack’ and ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail.’ My wife’s not as much of a fan (of ‘Holy Grail’), but I think the humor is unbelievable. When I showed it to my kids when they were younger, they couldn’t believe it. It was so outrageous.”

Favorite musician: “I’ve always been a Springsteen fan. He’s just been a staple growing up and I’ve had the chance to see a number of shows over the years, and hopefully we’ll do the same again here.”

Favorite Springsteen song: “Jungleland.”

What makes him angry: “People who just routinely disrespect others. You’ll run into people like that from time to time and it’s just unsettling.”

The Cavaliers who have been most fun to deal with: “Anderson Varejao. Just so positive, vibrant. He’s totally effervescent. He’s from Brazil, he could live anywhere in the world and he still lives in Cleveland. I think he resonates so well with everybody because he was constant effort, constant energy. People in Cleveland said, ‘If I was a player, I would be Anderson Varejao. I would just be giving every ounce of my body and effort and energy every single day.’ But also just his true love for all things Cleveland, for the fans, even our four seasons. Andy really rises to the top. I’ll also say Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas). Talk about respectful and what he’s gone through. His surgeries, to be able to be that tenacious, to come back and make the huge impact he’s had. Again, love of the city, love of the market, love of the people. Lives here with his family as well and continues to call Cleveland home.”

Komoroski is stepping away at a time when the Cavaliers are making their first postseason appearance without LeBron James since 1998.

RMFH is coming off its busiest month since its transformation, hosting 35 events in March. The Gateway District went from being a ghost town to the largest residential district in downtown Cleveland (20,000 people), home of nine hotels, 70-plus restaurants “and more coming,” he said.

“Getting here in 2003, it was a dark period for the city,” he said. “There were 2,500 people downtown, and I remember The Plain Dealer was running a series called ‘The Quiet Crisis,’ about all the negative stuff going on in Cleveland.

“But out of those difficult times came an incredible amount of investment and leadership to reinvestment in our community. ... It’s just taken off. We stand on the shoulders of all those who’ve come before us and made things happen in our city.”

Did you catch that? He said “our city.”

Four decades ago, a Steel City native started with Pittsburgh’s Spirit.

He finished as the embodiment of Cleveland’s.

Joe Scalzo: joe.scalzo@crain.com, (216) 771-5256, @JoeScalzo01

22 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | APRIL 18, 2022

P022_CL_20220418.indd 22

4/15/2022 12:43:05 PM

crainscleveland.com

Tuesday, June 28 | 11AM – 1PM Tinkham Veale University Center at CWRU

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

Every year, Crain’s Cleveland Business salutes a group of inspiring women whose dedication and achievements enrich Northeast Ohio, its institutions and its people. Join us as we celebrate and learn from the extraordinary female business leaders in the 2022 class of Women of Note!

EARLY-BIRD SPECIAL

now available only thru May 1!

BUY TICKETS TODAY!

crainscleveland.com/WON22

Stan Bullard, senior reporter, Real estate/ construction. (216) 771-5228 or sbullard@crain.com Lydia Coutré, Health care/nonprofits.

(216) 771-5479 or lcoutre@crain.com Michelle Jarboe, Enterprise reporter.

(216) 771-5437 or michelle.jarboe@crain.com Amy Morona, Higher education.

(216) 771-5229 or amy.morona@crain.com Jay Miller, Government.

(216) 771-5362 or jmiller@crain.com Jeremy Nobile, Finance/legal/beer/cannabis.

(216) 771-5255 or jnobile@crain.com Kim Palmer, Government.

(216) 771-5384 or kpalmer@crain.com Joe Scalzo, Sports business.

(216) 771-5256 or joe.scalzo@crain.com Dan Shingler, Energy/steel/auto/Akron.

(216) 771-5290 or dshingler@crain.com ADVERTISING

Events manager Missy Chambless, (216) 771-5388 or missy.chambless@crain.com Integrated marketing manager Cody Smith, (330) 419-1078 or cody.smith@crain.com Sales manager Mara Broderick, (917) 612-8414 or mara.broderick@crain.com Sales and marketing coordinator Shannon Smith, (440) 281-6397 or shannon.smith@crain.com Account executives Laura Kulber Mintz, Kaylie Moran, Hannah Sekerak People on the Move manager Debora Stein, (917) 226-5470, dstein@crain.com Pre-press and digital production Craig L. Mackey Office coordinator Karen Friedman Media services manager Nicole Spell Billing YahNica Crawford Credit Thomas Hanovich CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer service and subscriptions: (877) 824-9373 or customerservice@crainscleveland.com Reprints: Laura Picariello (732) 723-0569 or lpicariello@crain.com

TITLE SPONSOR:

Crain’s Cleveland Business is published by Crain Communications Inc. Chairman Keith E. Crain Vice chairman Mary Kay Crain CEO KC Crain Senior executive VP Chris Crain Chief Financial Officer Robert Recchia G.D. Crain Jr. Founder (1885-1973) Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. Chairman (1911-1996)

All attendees must present a negative COVID test (within 72 hours of the event) OR show proof of being

Editorial & Business Offices 700 W. St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113-1230 (216) 522-1383

fully vaccinated (vaccination card with more than two weeks after the second dose). Proof must be

Volume 43, Number 15

presented at the registration desk on the day of the event with a PRINTED copy of your negative test or your original vaccination card. You must follow all posted instructions in order to attend Crain’s Women of Note event – you will be turned away at the door if you do not comply. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease, and an inherent risk of exposure exists in any public place where people are present. By attending Crain’s Women of Note event, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19. Subject to change.

Crain’s Cleveland Business (ISSN 0197-2375) is published weekly, except no issue on 1/3/22, combined issues on 5/23/22, 6/27/22, 8/29/22, 11/21/22, at 700 West St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113-1230.

Copyright © 2022 by Crain Communications Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, OH, and at additional mailing offices.

Price per copy: $2.00.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Crain’s Cleveland Business, Circulation Department, 1155 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, MI 48207-2912.

1 (877) 824-9373.

Subscriptions: In Ohio: 1 year - $79, 2 year - $110. Outside Ohio: 1 year - $110, 2 year - $195. Single copy, $2.00. Allow 4 weeks for change of address. For subscription information and delivery concerns send correspondence to Audience Development Department, Crain’s Cleveland Business, 1155 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, MI, 48207-9911, or email to customerservice@crainscleveland.com, or call (877) 824-9373 (in the U.S. and Canada) or (313) 446-0450 (all other locations), or fax (313) 446-6777.

APRIL 18, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 23

P023_CL_20220418.indd 23

4/15/2022 1:27:58 PM

T:9.75"

A business with so much bandwidth it transfers enormous files for fun.

AT&T Business Fiber now with Hyper-Gig speeds. Fast internet with the security and reliability you need to make large file transfers a breeze.

Learn more at att.com/businessfast or call 1.844.740.FAST

Limited availability in select areas. Reliability based on network availability.

T:14"

Business