Crain's Cleveland Business, August 12, 2024

Warm welcome for legal weed

Customers, operators excited despite nearly nine-month wait

By Marcus Gilmer and Alexandra Golden

Downtown may be seeing a retail revival

Openings are paving the way for a new vibe after post-pandemic struggles

By Stan Bullard

New shops are slowly cropping up in downtown Cleveland, noteworthy vehicles for smallbusiness growth and experimentation.

For instance, there's Intro, a women’s boutique at the Harbor Verandas retail-and-apartment building between the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Goodtime III tourist boat dock at Lake Erie. And at long-su ering Tower City, there's Apple Jax Toys, which already has Lakewood and Chagrin Falls stores. ey and others are creating a post-pandemic vibe after the struggles of two failed downtown malls and decades of business decline from suburbanization that was punctuated by online shopping, which roiled traditional retail.

Kovach, co-owner with sister Elaina Kovach, said, “We realized we can work on that.”

e result was Token, a tiny shop next door to Intro that's stocked with souvenirs the two create themselves or made locally. e goods range from coasters shaped like 45 rpm records or items with sayings such as “Cleveland isn’t boring.” Token also is pro table. “We won’t move from here,” Emily Kovach said, though she conceded one detriment: e wind is freezing as it comes o the lake in the winter.

In the meantime, a holiday pop-up shop from last Christmas at Tower City is among a growing group of startup and minorityowned stores in the mall.

It's been a long, strange trip to get here, but on Tuesday, Aug. 6, adult-use recreational cannabis went on sale at dozens of dispensaries across Ohio, nearly nine months after voters approved Issue 2 to make rec sales a reality. e mood at Amplify, in the Coventry district in Cleveland Heights, was jubilant in contrast to the low clouds and humid air as potential customers, not worried about potentially higherthan-usual prices, supporters and curious onlookers joined reps from the city and Buckeye Relief — which owns Amplify — to celebrate the historic event.

Last year, so many customers asked if Intro had a souvenir (such as a magnet) they could buy before leaving that Emily

See WEED on Page 16

Lakefront plan moves to next phase

By Kim Palmer

ere was a lot of talk on Monday, Aug. 5, about moving to the next phase of the city's lakefront development at the public release of the latest North Coast Master Plan.

“I'm so excited to be here today to kick o the next phase of the work that our administration has been doing in the community and with the community to

re-imagine our lakefront for the next 100-plus years,” Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb told the gathering of residents and project stakeholders at the public update of the plan held Monday evening on Mall C downtown.

Bibb’s intro touched on the fact that over the last century, there have been almost as many lakefront plans as there have been mayors. But he added that “over the last three years” of his admin-

istration, there has been signicant work “to make sure we see real shovels in the ground.”

Why this plan is di erent from the others, Bibb said, is that after hundreds of hours of community outreach and feedback, this plan is “rooted in the lived experiences of our residents.”

“ is vision is about equity, this vision is about access and

See LAKEFRONT on Page 17

Apple Jax Toys was the third location, after sites in Lakewood and Chagrin Falls, for husbandand-wife owners Allen Singleton and Diana Hlywiak.

Cleveland Browns give fans a rst look at proposed dome, lay out the team’s case in a new letter.

Employees pass out gifts outside Amplify’s Cleveland Heights store on Aug. 6, the rst day of recreational cannabis sales. GUS CHAN

Emily Kovach and her sister, Elaina Kovach, have staked out a spot near the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a boutique that ts the emerging theme in the city of Cleveland to build on tourism as a source for downtown retailing. | STAN BULLARD

Browns’ practice facility gets upgrades

By Joe Scalzo

When the Cleveland Browns started making plans to upgrade the weight room at their Berea practice facility, one thing quickly became clear.

“It needed to be more than just a weight room,” said Shaun Huls, the Browns’ director of high performance.

So, as the project widened in scope, so did the involvement from di erent departments, with the Browns involving everything from coaching to player development to strength and conditioning to nutrition to football operations to facilities.

ey heard a lot of ideas.

e one thing they didn’t hear? No.

“When we were speccing it out, the word ‘no’ was not in the lexicon,” Huls said. “We got everything we needed to really develop a world-class facility.”

e result? A two- oored, 22,000-square foot, ownershipfunded renovation that includes a state-of-the-art weight room between the team’s indoor and outdoor practice elds, massive new video classrooms that stretch the width of a football eld, a player’s lounge that o ers a Trackman golf simulator, XBox and PlayStation and new turf in the indoor facility from Cantonbased ForeverLawn.

“ is has been on the docket for a while and, collectively, as an organization, it made sense to do it right the rst time versus piecemealing it together,” Huls said. “ e players spend a large portion of their time here and we want to make it so the guys want to be here, even when it’s not required.”

e weight room upgrades, in particular, address one of the biggest complaints levied by the players in February’s NFLPA report cards. e former weight room — which featured aging equipment and took up 15-20 yards of the “already small indoor eld” — got a D grade from Browns players, which ranked 30th among the NFL’s 32 teams.

e new weight room includes all the “latest and most innovative technologies on the market,” Huls said, but it also includes plenty of timeless equipment as well, like dumbbells, benches and squat racks. ey’re just brand new.

“We wanted to be intentional about how we program and how we assess (progress) and make sure we’re maximizing player availability and injury mitigation and all those things moving forward,” he said.

e second oor includes a cardio area, the players’ lounge and video classrooms designed to “build the sinew between the meeting room and walkthroughs and practice eld and games,” Huls said.

Fans get rst look at stadium plan

Joe Scalzo

As far as the Cleveland Browns are concerned, the only way for the team — and the region — to reach new heights is with a roof.

Dave Jenkins, the chief operating o cer of the Haslam Sports Group, laid out the team’s case for building a dome in Brook Park in “A Letter to Cleveland Browns Fans in Northeast Ohio and Beyond,” which was published on the team’s website on Wednesday, Aug. 7.

Although the letter said the team is still considering the city’s recent proposal to renovate the current downtown stadium, Jenkins said the Brook Park project would allow the team to “take advantage of this unique moment to create a transformational project not only for our fans, but for Cleveland, the Northeast Ohio region and the State of Ohio.”

e 30-year lease on the current stadium expires at the end of the 2028 season.

e team also shared something like a hype video showing the venue hosting other sports and concerts, as well as views around the proposed lifestyle district they intend to build around the stadium.

e letter solidi es what team o cials have been saying for months — that the domed stadium itself would cost $2.4 billion and would be funded through a public-private partnership.

“As demonstrated in other markets, a project of this magnitude only realistically works through a public-private partnership,” Jenkins said. “We have approached this as a 50-50 partnership on the stadium, excluding cost overruns, which we would cover.”

e Browns noted that the project — which would include mixed-use development surrounding the dome — would include $1.2 billion in private investment for the stadium and approximately $1 billion in privately funded “phased development.” Jenkins said the Browns favor the Brook Park site for its “central location for our regional fan base, its proximity to downtown, the RTA and the airport, and its strong existing infrastructure.”

Jenkins also said the Browns are “not looking to tap into existing taxpayer-funded streams, which could divert resources from other pressing needs.”

e Browns are instead working on “innovative funding mechanisms” with local, county and state o cials. at model would likely include money for future stadium repairs and maintenance, Jenkins said.

“We do not take the stadium decision lightly, and have been working diligently with city, county and state o cials to consider all opportunities,” he wrote. “We will continue working diligently with Cleveland, Brook Park, county and state o cials to

capitalize on this generational opportunity.”

In a text to Crain’s Cleveland, Brook Park mayor Edward Orcutt noted that there is no o cial agreement in place between the city and the team, and said he will “continue to research the potential project and explore the impact it may have on the community that I represent.”

“My goal is to ensure that any agreement made will bene t the City of Brook Park and not pose a negative e ect nancially,” he wrote. “I look forward to the possibility of collaborating with the Haslam Sports Group on ways to better the City of Brook Park and the surrounding region.”

The current stadium under-

Browns and the city as part of their mutual lease — and found that the stadium will need $117 million in capital repairs over the next 10 years.

But that same audit said the stadium is “in good condition considering the age of facility” and that the city and the Browns “have been proactively addressing issues via the implementation of an annual repair/replacement program using available funding sources.”

Cleveland has paid about $350 million to build and repair Cleveland Browns Stadium since 1998, according to Signal Cleveland, with most of that cash coming from the county’s sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes, as well as taxes on tickets, parking, car rentals.

Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration estimates the stadium has cost the public nearly $243 million since 2010, while the Browns say they’ve spent $154 on stadium improvements since 2012 and spend another $10 million yearly on maintenance, security and administration costs.

Jenkins acknowledged that a move would have a “near-term impact on downtown” but said the team believes the dome could ultimately be good for downtown, especially if the city develops the stadium’s lakefront land.

“Developing the lakefront without the stadium could be the best way to maximize the long-term success of our underutilized North Coast waterfront asset,” Jenkins said. “We continue to have dialogue with the City regarding the optimal use of the lakefront, and will remain engaged on this critical priority regardless of where the stadium is. We will also keep working with our public partners in earnest so that the stadium solution is a long-term win for everyone, including the City of Cleveland.”

went a $120 million renovation from 2014 to 2015, but the Browns have said it will need more than $400 million in capital repairs over the next 30 years just to stay open, according to an audit the team conducted when it first started stadium planning.

“While our current stadium has served us well, it would need substantial improvements to ensure future sustainability and make it a state-of-the-art facility that makes Cleveland proud,” Jenkins wrote.

Osborne Engineering conducted a separate facility condition audit on the stadium in October 2023 — this audit is required every ve years by the

The $2.4 billion price is less than half of what it cost to build SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, which cost $5.89 billion in 2020 dollars, but more than Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas ($1.9 billion in 2020 dollars). Those are the two most recent dome projects in the NFL. That figure also doesn’t include the cost of infrastructure upgrades around Brook Park, which could add another $600,000 to the public price tag.

The current record for public funding for a sports stadium in the U.S. is $1.26 billion for the Tennessee Titans’ $2.1 billion stadium scheduled to open in 2027. The previous record was $850 million for the Buffalo Bills’ outdoor stadium set to open in 2026, although the Bills’ number is more like $1.2 billion since the state and the county are splitting the maintenance and repair costs with the Bills over the 30-year length of the lease.

Renderings show the Browns’ proposed dome in Brook Park. | CLEVELAND BROWNS

Team Wendy leader’s latest project could be next hot e-scooter

By Dan Shingler

How do you sell the “state of ow,” that coveted in-the-zone feeling of perfect concentration and relaxation at once?

A couple of Cleveland engineers backed by a longtime local industrialist think they have a device that, with some practice, can reliably put people in the ow state: a two-wheeled scooter that rides like a snowboard.

Already being sold by their company, 2Swift, the scooter is the brainchild of mechanical engineer and President Andrew Dorman, chemical engineer and Vice President Mo Al-Raie, and Cleveland manufacturer and entrepreneur Dan Moore. Moore has perhaps been best known in recent years for his helmet company, Team Wendy, and is 2Swift’s majority owner.

In a corner of Moore’s 1 millionsquare-foot Cleveland Industrial Innovation Center in Collinwood, where he houses several companies, the trio imagine, design, build and sell a scooter that Dorman says is the closest thing to snowboarding he’s ever experienced.

“I never really got into skateboarding, but I did snowboard a lot when I was younger,” Dorman said.

“ is feels like a snowboard without a at bottom if that makes sense — it feels like you’re always riding the edge of a snowboard.”

In case it doesn’t make sense, he grabs a board from a table, drops it onto the smooth concrete oor of the factory and instantly whizzes to the other end of the building. en he skates back in big, undulating turns as his body leans to the inside of each one, looking

very much like a snowboarder or surfer.

“ is thing just carves so well,” he says, sounding as excited as he might be if this weren’t his umpteenth ride on the device.

While it looks fun, it’s not necessarily easy. Much like snowboarding or sur ng, riding the 2Swift board, which is now in its second iteration as the 2Swift Mark II, takes practice. e scooters can go up to 24 mph and have a range of between 18 and 30 miles, depending on the terrain and how they’re ridden, 2Swift claims.

“It’s something you have to grow into. It’s intimidating to learn how to ride one of these,” said Moore, a longtime motorcyclist who still occasionally rides at 84, but not a scooter.

But then, snowboarding and sur ng probably wouldn’t be as cool as they are if they were so easy that anyone could master them their rst time out. Dorman said it only took him a few tries before he could carve turns with the original Mark I, but that it comes easier to people like him who are used to board sports.

2Swift began selling the boards last year with about 110 sold so far, Dorman said. ey aren’t cheap, at $1,700, and neither he nor Moore expected sales to take o immediately.

“ ey’ve kind of caught on about like I thought they would,” Dorman said. “We really haven’t done any paid advertising yet.”  e company’s strategy, for now, is to target “ambassador riders” who will introduce its boards to others at events and group rides for people interested in personal electric vehicles, Dorman said. ere’s de nitely some buzz online about the 2Swift boards, with

riders on Reddit and other social sites comparing them to electric unicycles and one-wheeled scooters.

ey get good reviews, but some riders do want improvements. ose include being able to ride the device over more rugged terrain and doing away with the hand-held remote that currently operates the board’s throttle.

Dorman said he listens to his riders and is working to make new versions of the 2Swift board. ey might have larger wheels to handle rougher terrain, for example, or something to hold a rider’s feet in place like a snowboard does, and maybe a foot-controlled throttle system.

“We are going to try to gure out how to make it even better oroad,” Dorman said. “And at some point, I’d like to get some suspension into it and maybe something to help hold your feet.”

And yes, he said, at some point, the remote might go away entirely.

But Dorman and Al-Raie are taking it slow — they don’t want to make mistakes and send out an inferior design. Not to mention, they have other jobs working for Moore, like engineering and maintaining the myriad pieces of equipment his numerous other companies operate at the Collinwood facility.

Moore said companies like 2Swift are not only entrepreneurial endeavors but are also projects

that attract and keep talented young engineers.

“He’s the kind of engineer I enjoy having here, the ones who can relate to making things they help design,” Moore said. “You want to have entrepreneurial engineers. But a typical engineering job is not very entrepreneurial … ey spend time working on new things and they also spend time xing things.”

But, if 2Swift takes o the way Dorman hopes it eventually does, and he wants to devote all of his time to it, Moore said that’s ne, too.

After all, if that happens, it will likely mean he’s invested in a successful company, he says.

2Swift President Andrew Dorman riding the company’s Mark II electric scooter. | DAN SHINGLER

Rockefeller Building is still in shambles — and getting worse

By Stan Bullard

High winds and driving rain from severe storms that hit the area on Tuesday, Aug. 6, added to growing woes for owners of the Rockefeller Building, a landmark at 614 W. Superior Ave. in downtown Cleveland.

Cleveland police were called to the scene at 8:10 p.m., according to police records, with a report that windows were falling from the 17-story structure. e incident is the latest in a series of setbacks to developers who planned to convert it to apartments but failed to win funding to make a go of it.

Police records show o cers responded to the report and put out two orange cones to protect passersby. Police noted glass was hanging from a broken window on the 14th oor.

By noon Wednesday, Aug. 7, a few shards of glass remained on the sidewalk, and three windows had been broken out on the building's south side.

Glass falling from windows in a storm is the latest in several adverse developments for the building and its owners.

GLSD Architects LLC of Streetsboro, an a liate of the Geis Cos. design-build and real estate rm, led an architect's lien for $213,775 on July 24, according to Cuyahoga County online property records.

Undisclosed architectural work was done for Rockefeller Building Associates, the structure's ownership group, between Jan. 17, 2020, and June 4, 2020, the lien stated.

e lien not only named the building owners but individually identi ed partners in the joint venture that acquired the property in 2020: Agastiono Pintus, an Akron apartment investor and realty investment blogger on YouTube, and Kenneth Wolfe, the founder of Wolfe Investments of Dallas.

Meantime, the city of Cleve-

land is waiting for the building's ownership to reply to a violation notice filed by the city's building department, Tyler Sinclair, a city communications strategist, confirmed via email on July 29.

According to the May 20 violation notice, the building ownership e violation notice was for failing to maintain the structure "in good repair" and that the building be maintained in a "weathertight condition."

Although the violation notice did not say so speci cally, more than 15 windows were broken out earlier this year. Moreover, shattered, broken out or open windows remain in plain sight on the property.

e building has since been listed for sale with CBRE in an e ort to nd a buyer to undertake the project. Insiders in downtown Cleveland realty cir-

cles are worrying the building, if not maintained, might have to be demolished.

e building, which dates from 1905 and was commissioned by the famous Cleveland oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, was 60% vacant but operating when the current owners acquired it in 2020. It has since been mothballed.

Pintus and Wolfe had planned to do an adapted historic reuse project at the landmark and install more than 400 units in it while updating its rst- oor retail space and retaining some o ces.

Jen Diasio, president of GLSD Architects, did not reply to two messages asking about the lien. Conrad Geis of family owned Geis did not reply to repeated attempts of contact.

Neither Pintus nor Wolfe immediately replied to two emails.

Vandals have broken out windows in the landmark Rockefeller Building and it has been exposed to the rain for months.

Broken windows are spreading throughout The Rockefeller Building, a landmark at 614 W. Superior Ave. | PHOTOS BY STAN BULLARD

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Gymnastics centers expect ‘Biles boost’

Cleveland-area facilities have already seen a wave of interest post-COVID

yB Joe Scalzo

e most di cult trick in women’s gymnastics is the (Simone) Biles II, a double back salto tucked with a triple twist.

e second-most di cult? Finding space in your gymnastics classes after this year’s Olympic Games.

“We call it the Olympic surge,” said AJ Ganim, the owner of Gymnastics World in Broadview Heights. “It happens every four years and it 100% creates buzz and excitement that is atypical.”

Gymnastics has dominated this year’s Olympics broadcasts, thanks to Biles & Co. piling up 10 medals — including gold in the team competition — and the U.S. men’s team earning gold, thanks to a breakout performance from Stephen Nedoroscik aka “Pommel Horse Guy.”

“ at’s been given a lot of attention,” Ganim said of men’s/boys gymnastics. “In Stephen’s interviews, he’s talked about it’s been a dying sport, so there couldn’t be a better spokesman for men’s gymnastics right now.”

But while interest in gymnastics is on the rise, class space isn’t. Many Cleveland-area gymnastics facilities have already been riding a post-COVID wave of interest in the sport, with many of those gyms either at capacity or close to it.

“ ere de nitely used to be a spike in interest and registration after every Olympics,” emailed a spokesperson with All-Around Gymnastics Academy in Mentor. “However, we’ve noticed that postCOVID, we are packed the entire year, regardless of the Olympics.”

“It’s a great problem to have,” added Ganim, who often works with Gymnastic World’s sister facility in Twinsburg to nd openings. “We had pretty full classes preCOVID — and then, obviously, we had to re our own mother, for crying out loud — and when we opened back up, those rst three years it picked right back up, which is kind of what we predicted.” at wasn’t so much due to

Team USA’s performance in the 2021 Games — Biles missed large portions of the competition due to the “twisties,” although Suni Lee did win the all-around gold — but more because parents wanted to get their children back into activities, particularly ones that took up some of their energy.

“I don’t want to say our business is recession-proof — I don’t want to put that out in the universe — but the last thing people stop investing in is their kids,” Ganim said. “People

will stop buying that (expensive) cup of co ee before they decide not to do something for their children. Everyone wanted their kids to get experiences and we were able to nd a safe place to do that.”

What has been a challenge? Finding coaches and instructors. Gymnastics centers haven’t been immune to the post-COVID sta ng crunch, with Ganim saying they start by looking for adults who are willing and able to work nights and weekends, who like working for

children, “and might know something about the sport of gymnastics.”

Also, many classes — particularly the ones with young kids and beginners — are sta ed by high school students, “and their availability is all over the place,” said Matt Lubinsky, the program director for TEGA Elite Gymnastics Academy in Solon. “We have a fair amount of instructors, but nding them is de nitely a real thing.”

Lubinsky, said his facility always sees an uptick when school re-

sumes, so while he expects a “Biles boost,” he won’t know the extent of that impact until the rst week of September.

“ e phones are ringing a little bit more, but that’s not uncommon this time of year,” said Lubinsky, who said TEGA actually paused its practices over the past week when Team USA was performing so its gymnasts could watch. “It de nitely helps when they (Team USA) do better. I think that’s a given across the board. And when Simone is all over the TV and they’re medaling in everything, that de nitely helps.”

e best-known owner/instructor in Northeast Ohio is Dominique Moceanu, who won gold as a member of Team USA at the 1996 Games and who opened the Dominique Moceanu Gymnastics Center in Medina in 2018. Although that 1996 “Magni cent Seven” team helped boost enrollment “like coaches and gym owners have never seen,” Moceanu said her gym didn’t see a huge bump following the Tokyo Games.

“Tokyo was not as booming as I would have liked, or hoped, as a business owner,” she said in an interview with Crain’s Cleveland Business just before the Games. “I would have expected a lot more. is year, I would love to see that big boom happen.”

Even if it does, it’s unlikely that the next Biles — or Moceanu — will be walking through anyone’s door, which is OK, Ganim said. If his coaches can combine fun with fundamentals, they’ll have done their job.

“I’m not trying to take away any little kid’s hopes and dreams and Olympic spirit, but we don’t train for that (gold medals),” he said. “Our goal is to get kids to the collegiate level, maybe get them a college scholarship and graduate and enjoy it.

“ e commitment and sacri ce to be one of possibly ve girls who make the Olympics every four years, with no injuries and that perfect storm and timing, it’s just wild. ose kids are training 40-plus hours per week, they’re home schooling and they’re giving up other things. Our value is more about the child versus the athlete.”

Turnserv plans expansion following investment from Kaulig Capital

Turnserv, a platform of brands providing apartment renovation services such as painting and ooring installation, has announced a minority equity investment from Kaulig Capital, a family o ce and private investment arm of Hudson’s Kaulig Cos.

While terms of the deal, which was completed June 26, were not disclosed, the transaction gives Kaulig a 30% stake in the business.

Turnserv was founded in Akron in 2018 by Tyler Dunagin. Its techenabled platforms include ApartmentPainters.com, ApartmentFlooring.com and LiquidLiner.com, which is a solution for bathtub

replacement.

Company o cials note that Kaulig recently moved to a new space with an adjoining warehouse in Twinsburg.

Each Turnserv platform has its own sales reps and technicians. In total, the company has about 40 employees providing services in the Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown and Columbus areas. e Columbus market is new and comes online as a function of Kaulig’s growth capital.

A Kaulig spokesperson said the rm was impressed with the platform Dunagin had created, including the recently launched Liquid Liner o ering.

“ e idea for Liquid Liner arose when a contractor's re nishing pro-

cess delayed a project for Turnserv's portfolio company, ApartmentPainters.com,” they explained. “ is delay highlighted several issues with solutions found on the re nishing market today: they are timeconsuming, odorous, often emit VOCs, require loud equipment, and often fail within a year.

“In response, Dunagin's team partnered with APV Engineer Coatings of Akron to create Liquid Liner surface re nishing technology, a system that ts into a small box, can be applied in one coat using hand tools, is 30 times thicker than most sprayer-applied coatings and comes with a peel-free guarantee.”

“Kaulig Capital’s experience with home services, more speci cally

with gutters and garage doors, rhymed with Turnserv’s platform of brands and the services they provide,” they added. “We also believe our experience with marketing and branding across our private equity portfolio can be additive for Turnserv, which is already ahead of many local businesses with its content creation and brand outlook.”

Kaulig managing director Dominic Brault said Turnserv has “all the qualities” the rm looks for in an investment.

“Turnserv is a local company, with a passionate management team, and a clear path for brand expansion across the Midwest and, eventually, nationwide,” Brault said in a statement. “We look forward to

partnering with Tyler and his team and building momentum for the brands.”

Focusing on expansion, Kaulig will be looking for other markets to expand Turnserv to beyond Columbus. is includes Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, which the rm expects to have up and running in the next six months.

Kaulig Capital makes both majority and minority equity investments in businesses but also invests in real estate across multiple classes—which is another reason Turnserv was appealing to it. e family o ce typically targets investments in companies with at least $10 million in revenue or $2 million in EBITDA.

The Dominique Moceanu Gymnastics Center in Medina is owned and operated by 1996 gold medalist Dominique Moceanu. | CONTRIBUTED

Gymnastics has dominated this year’s Olympics broadcasts, thanks to Simone Biles and her teammates. | BLOOMBERG

yB Jeremy Nobile

New exec sees ‘unbelievable opportunity’ for Joann

yB Scott Suttell

ere’s more change at the top levels of Hudson-based fabric and crafts retailer Joann Inc.

e company announced it has named Stan Rosenzweig as executive chairman of the board, e ective Monday, Aug. 5. Rosenzweig carries a high pro le in the industry, as he’s the former executive board chair of SVP Worldwide, the parent company of Singer, Pfa and Husqvarna Viking sewing machines.

His ties run even deeper than that. Rosenzweig is the fourth generation of his family to be involved in the sewing business in some way, starting with his great-grandfather in Europe.

“I’ve grown up in the sewing/ crafting world. ... Virtually everyone I know is in the sewing/craft business,” he quipped in a phone interview with Crain’s on Tuesday morning, Aug. 6. (An exaggeration, but only a slight one.)

Rosenzweig has worked for more than 30 years “leading, managing and investing in numerous consumer-related businesses,” the company said in announcing his appointment. Among them: a family business formerly called Euro-Pro that now is SharkNinja Inc. (NYSE: SN), a global product design and technology company. He was CEO at the business from 2002 to 2007.

He’s highly familiar with Joann, not only because of its prominent position in the retail world, but because SVP Worldwide, where he was executive chairman from May 2018 through December 2022, had stores that sold sewing machines within about 150 Joann stores.

With Rosenzweig’s appointment, interim chair Darrell Horn has resigned from the board, also e ective Aug. 5. In June, Horn was one of ve people named to a re-

constituted board soon after Joann emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as a private company in an expedited restructuring process.

As executive chairman, Rosenzweig has a lead role in operations at Joann as well as with its board. He said he sees “unbelievable opportunity” at the company, which has “a unique position in the industry” and a “deep and established relationship with customers.”

e company in April completed a fast-track Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and emerged with its long-term debt cut by about half, to around $550 million. Joann says it has about 17,000 employees and more than 800 stores in 49 states.

was Joann’s biggest problem.

He said Joann “su ered for 15 years from a private equity buyout that was nancially focused and not focused on the business and the customers.” e debt came from a $1.6 billion leveraged buyout by private equity rm Leonard Green & Partners in 2010. Saddled with what at the time of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy was about $1.1 billion in debt, he said, “Joann got the short end of the stick.” Despite that, he added, “ ey’ve done an incredible job (managing the business) on a shoestring.”

will focus on “helping customers get the solutions they’re looking for from their craft pursuits,” Rosenzweig said.

It’s a dedicated customer base. e average sewer, he noted, spends 10 hours per week at a machine. It’s a generationally resilient customer, too, as he said the average age of sewers and knitters of late has fallen by about 10 years as younger people nd a passion for crafting.

e goal for Joann then, he said, is to “enhance their experience as opposed to just selling tools.”

ture of Scott Sekella, Joann’s chief nancial o cer who also was colead of the company’s Interim Ofce of the CEO from May 2023 through this June. Joann said recently that Sekella “has exited” the business and is “pursuing other opportunities.”

e timing of Sekella’s departure means he will have to repay a $400,000 retention bonus that Joann’s board approved March 8 because he did not stay with the company for the required six months, per terms outlined in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ling.

Rosenzweig in the phone interview said company executives and employees have handled the challenge of the restructuring — even one as quick as Joann’s — well and that the “overwhelming feeling is relief” to move beyond the bankruptcy and to be able to chart a new future.

Atypically in a restructuring, the company didn’t close stores or cut jobs. e focus was on reducing debt, which, as Rosenzweig sees it,

Former TTI Floor Care property in Glenwillow sells for $28.6 million

yB Stan Bullard

Staying the course after a setback paid o for LXP Industrial Real Estate (NYSE: LXP) of West Palm Beach, Florida, which just sold the former headquarters and industrial complex in Glenwillow that TTI Floor Care vacated in 2021.

e buyer of the 35-acre complex at 7005 Cochran Road, with a 458,000-square-foot industrial and o ce building, is OPLTD Glenwillow LLC of Needham, Massachusetts. It paid $28.6 million for the property on Aug. 3, according to Cuyahoga County land records.

A predecessor of LXP paid $23.3 million for the property in 2007, according to county records.

Industrial sections of the building have been subleased to other tenants since TTI exited and

moved operations to Anderson, South Carolina. e largest of those tenants is Spectrum Diversied Designs LLC, a housewares concern, which subleased 300,000 square feet of the structure in 2022.

LXP mentioned the sale on its second-quarter conference call with analysts July 31, even though the deed was not recorded until later.

Will Eglin, CEO of LXP, said in a Seeking Alpha transcript of the call that the company had received what it considered a “really good price for the asset” and it was willing to sell the property because a master lease on the property will expire in July 2025. ( at refers to TTI’s lease on the property.) e structure was originally developed for TTI predecessors as a build-tosuit in 1997 by Duke Realty Corp.

Rosenzweig said the underlying business of Joann is strong, and that “the problem was the balance sheet, not the business.” With debt substantially reduced, he said, the company “can focus not only on the short term, but the medium and long term.”

e strategic thinking at Joann

He said Joann will leverage both its physical stores and its online presence to o er more live events and tutorials to make the company “much more of an experience-based provider. e possibilities are endless.” (It helps, he said, that there already are classrooms in Joann stores.)

e appointment of Rosenzweig as executive chairman came close on the heels of the July 29 depar-

Next up: adding a new president and CEO to the executive team. Joann for now is led by interim CEO Michael Prendergast, who was named to the position in June. Prendergast came to the position from management consultant Alvarez & Marsal,  where he worked with Je Dwyer, the executive Joann named recently as interim CFO, succeeding Sekella. Rosenzweig said Prendergast has done “an exceptional job” and that there’s no speci c timeframe for choosing a permanent CEO. “It will happen when we nd the right person,” he said. He was scheduled to address all Joann employees on Aug. 6 to articulate a vision for the company’s future. Rosenzweig said he’s excited to do so because, as he sees it, the company “can nally go on offense. ... (Joann) is in the strongest position it’s been in for the last 15 years.”

of Indianapolis.

e Dirt Devil, Royal and Hoover vacuum cleaner companies were acquired by TTI in the early 2000s.

More than 100,000 square feet of o ce space in the complex remains available for sublease, according to Tim Breckner, a Colliers Cleveland senior vice president.

“ e warehouse space was in demand, and the o ce space languished, which is not uncommon

among older industrial properties,” Breckner said in a phone interview.

George Pofok, a principal of Cushman & Wake eld | Cresco of Independence, said it is probable that the o ce space will be gutted so it can be used as industrial space at some point.

Property tax bills for the new owner will go to the headquarters address of Onyx Partners Ltd., which operates private equity in-

vestments and has acquired properties with a total value of $2 billion in 47 states, according to its website.

Onyx did not return an email by 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, about its plans for the structure.

George Stevens, a CBRE senior vice president in Cleveland, had the listing for the property, according to CoStar, the online commercial real estate data portal.

The 458,000-square-foot of ce-industrial building at 7005 Cochran Road in Glenwillow just changed hands for $28.6 million. | COSTAR

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Rosenzweig

New research aims to boost cancer screenings among minorities

Paige Bennett

New research from Cleveland Clinic has pinpointed hot spots across the U.S. where deliberate interventions could be deployed to increase colorectal cancer screening rates among Hispanic and Latino populations.

Clinic researchers have developed an interactive map that identi es priority zones across the country with larger percentages of Hispanic and Latino populations associated with lower colorectal cancer screening rates.

According to the American Cancer Society’s latest report on cancer facts and gures for Hispanic and Latino people, colorectal screening prevalence among adults 45 and older was lower among Hispanic adults (49%) than non-Hispanic whites (58%) in 2018.

e map breaks down priority zones to the neighborhood level. Users can select di erent communities within the Hispanic and Latino populations (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central/South American, Dominican and Cuban) to view priority zones that a ect these speci c groups.

In Northeast Ohio, the map re-

veals a cluster of priority zones on Cleveland’s West Side and western suburbs for the Puerto Rican population. It also shows several zones for the Puerto Rican population in Lorain County, encompassing parts of Elyria, Avon, Amherst and Lorain.

e investigators behind the project hope their work will drive conversations and future research on how to design educational campaigns and interventions to reach di erent communities within the Hispanic and Latino populations, said Stephanie Schmit, the principal investigator and senior study author.

e Hispanic and Latino community, she said, is “incredibly heterogeneous” with regard to cultural values, family dynamics and genetics.

“It's really important that we recognize that heterogeneity and that there are di erent barriers to receiving screening, in our case, colorectal cancer screening among di erent communities,” said Schmit, who serves as vice chair of genomic medicine at Cleveland Clinic and acting associate director for cancer population sciences at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Schmit’s interest in this area of research began during her postdoctoral fellowship at a cancer center in Southern California. She was working in an area with a large Hispanic and Latino population, she said, and she and her collaborators noticed how underrepresented the population was in cancer and genetic research.

Her focus on cancer within the Hispanic and Latino populations continued when she later joined the Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic. She began working with Blake Buchalter, a postdoctoral fellow at the Lerner Research Institute. Buchalter is a geospatial epidemiologist, meaning he studies the geographic relationships of health outcomes.

e project “was sort of the joining of (Buchalter’s) interests and methodologies and e orts with these questions we had about why are there such di erences within the Hispanic and Latino community with respect to cancer rates, both risk and outcomes, and how do we put these two together to better help us understand some of these ongoing issues,” Schmit said.

Despite facing socioeconomic and health care inequities, His-

panic Americans tend to have better health outcomes than their non-Hispanic white counterparts, a phenomenon known as the “Hispanic Paradox.” Schmit said that while the Hispanic and Latino population has a lower incidence rate for colon cancer, it also has a lower screening rate among the other broadly de ned racial and ethnic populations in the U.S.

Schmit said the researchers wanted to look closely at the groups within the Hispanic and Latino community. ey built the

Focusing on the Central/South American community, for example, you’ll see small clusters dispersed throughout the country. And if you select the Mexican community, you’ll see larger groups throughout Texas and the Great Plains region.   rough their work, Schmit said the investigators want to ensure that health care is not “treating and accounting for very heterogeneous communities by lumping and joining a population together.” ey also hope others can use

“We really need more research to dig deeper into whether these areas are really ideal for these locations, and what interventions would be best matched to these communities.”

Stephanie Schmit, vice chair of genomic medicine at Cleveland Clinic and acting associate director for cancer population sciences at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

map using publicly available data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When the investigators started putting the map together, they wondered if the data would merely show areas with large Hispanic and Latino populations as being priority zones, but Schmit said they found zones scattered nationwide.

“ ey’re all over,” she said. “It depends on which community that you're looking at.”

the information to drive future research on how to reach these different communities.

“We really need more research to dig deeper into whether these areas are really ideal for these locations, and what interventions would be best matched to these communities,” she said. “It's still early days, but it's a great way for us to think about how do we break apart larger communities and really drill down to understand what's happening.”

With deal, Timken bulks up in motion controls

yB Scott Suttell

e Timken Co. (NYSE: TKR) of North Canton, which makes engineer bearings and motion-control systems, is bee ng up its capabilities in what it calls the precision drives space with the acquisition of a Nevada company, CGI Inc. Financial terms of the agreement to buy CGI — a maker of precision drive systems for automation markets, with a concentration in medical robotics — were not disclosed in a deal announcement on Monday, Aug. 5. Timken said it expects the transaction to close in the third quarter, pending regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. It will fund the deal with cash on hand and existing credit facilities.

Timken said the family-owned CGI was founded in 1967. Its headquarters and production facilities are in Carson City, Nevada, and it has about 130 employees. CGI is expected to post revenue of $45 million this year, Timken said.

e company is “a good strategic t” for Timken because of its “attractive product portfolio, strong presence in high-growth medical applications, state-ofthe-art manufacturing and consistently strong operating margins,” said Christopher Coughlin, Timken’s executive vice president and president of Industrial Motion, in a statement.

CGI is Timken’s third key acquisition in industrial automation and precision drives.

e company in 2018 bought Cone Drive, a Traverse City, Michigan-based maker of precision drives for industries ranging from solar to food and beverage. Four years later, in 2022, it purchased Spinea, a Slovakian manufacturer of gears and actuators for factory automation systems and robotics. Both of those deals, and now CGI, expand Timken’s

presence in industrial automation, which it said was the company’s “second-largest individual end-market sector in 2023.”

Another sign of the importance of precision drives/Industrial Motion at Timken: its next CEO has a background in the motion business.

In March, Timken announced that Tarak Mehta — currently president of the Motion business at ABB Ltd., a giant in electri cation and automation — will become Timken’s new president and CEO on Sept. 5. At the time of the announcement, Timken said Mehta, as president of ABB’s Motion business, had “extensive experience accelerating organic growth and innovation across global industrial markets, scaling business portfolios through M&A transactions and helping customers save energy and improve e ciency.”

e CGI acquisition announcement follows the release of sluggish second-quarter nancial results for Timken.

e company on July 31 reported second-quarter sales of $1.18 billion, a drop of 7.1% from a record $1.27 billion in 2023’s second quarter. It said “most of the decline” was “attributable to signicantly lower renewable energy demand in China.”

Sales in the Industrial Motion segment also were down, but by less than the company as a whole. Timken said Industrial Motion sales in the second quarter were $398.9 million, down 3.9% from the second quarter of 2023.

Net income for the second quarter was $96.2 million, or $1.36 per diluted share, a decline from net income of $125.2 million, or $1.73 per diluted share, for the like period last year.

Timken has more than 19,000 employees at facilities in 45 countries. It posted sales of $4.8 billion in 2023.

Report: American Greetings being shopped by its owner

Private equity rm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquired a 60% stake in 2018

yB Scott Suttell

Greeting card giant American Greetings Corp. could be in line for a new owner.

Private equity rm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice “is exploring options including a sale” of Westlake-based American Greetings that “could value the 118-year-old greeting card maker at about $1.5 billion, including debt,” the Reuters news service reported, citing sources “familiar with the matter.”

Crain’s latest data, from the 2023 list of largest privately held companies in Northeast Ohio, put American Greetings’ annual revenue at around $1.3 billion. e company reported 845 employees as of June 30, 2023 — about half the 1,700 employees at the time Clayton Dubilier bought its majority stake in American Greetings.

per year on average between 2018 and 2023.” IBIS World said in its report, “ e primary negative factors a ecting this industry are a declining life cycle stage and high competition.”

Representatives of American Greetings and Clayton Dubilier did not respond to phone calls and emails from Crain’s on Friday morning, Aug. 2.

New York-based Clayton Dubilier acquired a 60% stake in American Greetings in February 2018. Members of the Weiss family, descendants of Jacob Sapirstein, who founded American Greetings in 1906, retained a 40% stake in the business, according to deal terms announced at the time. Financial details of that transaction, though, were not disclosed. ( e formerly publicly traded American Greetings went private in 2013.)

Reuters reported that Clayton Dubilier “is working with Bank of America and Centerview Partners on the sale process, which is expected to attract interest from other private equity rms.” According to the sources who spoke with Reuters, American Greetings “could command a valuation equivalent to more than 5 times its 2024 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of about $288 million.”

The company reported 845 employees as of June 30, 2023 — about half the 1,700 employees at the time Clayton Dubilier bought its majority stake in American Greetings.

American Greetings remains, at heart, a maker of paper greeting cards, sold at retailers nationwide, including giants such as Target and Walmart. Its greeting card brands include Papyrus, Recycled Paper Greetings, Paper Rebel, and Carlton Cards. American Greetings also has a digital greetings business, most prominently with its Celebrity SmashUps brand of e-cards — and products including gift packaging, party supplies, stickers/decals and stationery. Paper greeting cards, not surprisingly, are not a growth business.

Data from market research rm IBIS World show that the market size (measured by revenue) of what it calls the “greeting cards and other publishing” industry in the U.S. was $5.8 billion in 2023. It notes that the market “increased 0.6%” last year but “declined 5.7%

American Greetings in 2016 opened its Creative Studios — the term it uses for its corporate headquarters — in a massive, 656,000 building on the southern end of the Crocker Park mixeduse development in Westlake. In fall 2022, though, American Greetings o ered for sublease 250,000 square feet at the ve- oor headquarters, as changing work patterns that began in the pandemic reduced its need for space.

Reuters noted that the entire industry “has been struggling to stem a fall in revenue due to the rapid growth of digital cards and the decline of brick-and-mortar retailers. is has forced card makers to revamp their operations, slash costs, and shift their focus towards growing sales of online cards.”

If Clayton Dubilier sheds American Greetings, it still would have a prominent Northeast Ohio company in its portfolio.

e rm in December 2023 agreed to acquire Shearer’s Foods, a Massillon-based maker of salty snacks, cookies and crackers. Financial terms of that deal were not disclosed, though Bloomberg in August 2023 reported that a sale of Shearer’s could fetch as much as $3 billion.

New music venue coming next year to the Flats West Bank

Stan Bullard

Music fans, wedding and event planners, mark your calendars for March 1, 2025. at is when the Globe Iron live event space will open as part of the Nautica entertainment district.

AEG Presents of Los Angeles and the landlord, Jacobs Entertainment Inc., jointly announced the date on Monday, Aug. 5. AEG will operate the 1,200-seat multiple event venue year-round in the building.

hind the scenes,” Tata said. “It’s like a weight has been lifted to announce it publicly.”

Tata declined to say what act would open the dramatically altered former Globe Iron Works, a foundry dating from 1853 at 2325 Elm St. on the West Bank of the Flats.

Renovation work is in the early stages, he said. So far the exterior walls remain intact, although some will be selectively demolished for the project. AEG and Jacobs won approval for their latest plan earlier this year by the Cleveland City Planning Commission, which had turned down the rst version.

Globe Iron will host about 100 concerts and about 50 other events annually.

Mike Tata, integrated marketing manager of AEG

Mike Tata, integrated marketing manager of AEG in Cleveland, said in a phone interview on Aug. 5 that the team was excited to announce the date for the opening.

“ is is the date we’ve used be-

Globe Iron will join AEG concerts and events at the Agora and Jacobs Pavilion, operating on a year-round basis. Tata does not expect lling the three event centers at the same time will present a programming problem. Globe Iron will host about 100 concerts and about 50 other events annually, he said.

ose other events include corporate functions and weddings, Tata added.

In the release announcing the opening, Patrick McKinley, executive vice president of Jacobs Entertainment, said he expects Globe Iron will be, like Jacobs Pavilion, “a great success.”

Globe Iron marks a further step

west for Nautica from its original riverfront o erings.

An a liate of Nautica paid $1.25 million for the structure in 2017, according to Cuyahoga County land records. Most recently it had been a nightclub. In the 19th century, it served as a plant for building boilers, locomotives and later, ships.

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A conceptual rendering shows the proposed Globe Iron concert venue on the West Bank of the Flats, at Elm Street and Spruce Avenue. LDA ARCHITECTS

“Christmas was very good there,” Singleton said in a phone interview. ere was no strategic insight that prompted the couple to put the toy store downtown. Bedrock, the real estate rm of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert that owns e Avenue retail portion of Tower City, recruited them, Singleton said, as part of its e ort to remerchandise the struggling mall. Moreover, Bedrock supported their set-up “1,000%,” Singleton said; it even picked out a storefront it thought would work well on an upper level for the shop. Sales were so good the two decided to remain downtown after the new year. ey’ve found sales there up and down, which is true at their other shops. And sales de nitely rise and drop in tune with whether and which events are underway downtown.

At lunchtime on ursday, Aug. 1, Apple Jax Toys had about 10 customers in the place and a line at the register. e couple credited that to the Yomega Yo-Yo competition in the attached Hotel Cleveland and fans coming to town for WWE's SummerSlam on Saturday, Aug. 3, at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

“We have customers stop in on their way home from the airport,” Singleton added, as well as guests from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. eir other stores already serve as customer destinations, they said.

“We’ve also been helped by all the sports teams getting into the postseason and how well the Guardians are doing,” Singleton said.

On the downside, he added, rising supplier costs and the impact of in ation on family budgets for discretionary items are more of a factor for the shop than the location. “We see customers after they get their tax returns,” he added.

e couple was also an easy sell for downtown, as both grew up in the city.

“When I was in high school we loved to hang out in Tower City in the 1990s,” Hlywiak said. She originally explored the place while attending Cleveland School of the Arts because it was a stop on her commute from her West Park home.

“We thought being downtown would be an important step for us as a store and love being in business in Cleveland,” Hliwak said.

Another Tower City tenant, the Creative Tees t-shirt store, has seen conditions wax and wane along e Avenue over the years.

Purnima Luhar opened Creative Tees 10 years ago after her longestablished store was forced to close when Parmatown Mall was demolished.

“It used to be OK here, but I am always here,” Luhar said. “In 2014, there were so many more stores here, and o ces nearby, that It has become harder to survive.”

Meantime, over at Magic Clothier, owner Walter Magic (yes, Magic) describes his business as good at Tower City, though he's always trying to attract new customers.

“I do that along with everything else here in terms of products and

designs,” he said, repeating the slogan on his business card, “Inside Tower City Mall FOR THE WELL DRESSED MAN.”

He narrowed to men’s clothes when he opened up downtown after running the Nu & More Clothier LLC store in Maple Heights. He had decided to seek a new location and noti ed his landlord he wasn’t renewing his lease when he was contacted by a Bedrock sta er as part of its stated goal of attracting start-up and minority businesses to Tower City. He didn’t simply sign on, he said.

“We had to talk,” Magic said. “I’m a businessman rst.”

However, he decided to venture downtown for several reasons.

“I know malls are good locations,” Magic said. “When I walked around Tower City, I saw the potential here for its revival. I saw what downtown was in the past. As a teenager in the ’60s and ’70s, I’d take the No. 14 bus downtown to shop and explore.”

He’s old enough to remember when downtown Cleveland was home to three department stores — Halle’s, Higbee’s and May Co. (later Dillard’s and Macy’s, respectively) — and the source of nostalgia for when downtown streets were loaded with shoppers. ose stores are now, respectively, an o ce-apartment building, the Jack Casino, and an o ce building and apartments.

Bedrock bought e Avenue section of Tower City for about $56 million in 2016. At that time it still had more than 100 shops. Since 2020, it has pursued e orts to re-

Getting surviving national retailers back downtown will be tough, Corsi said, adding, “You’ll need a Brink’s truck of cash behind you to attract today’s retailers back downtown.”

e other factor is the ease of reaching suburban shopping centers from Pinecrest in Orange Village to Crocker Park in Westlake from downtown.

Doug Price, CEO of K&D Group of Willoughby — which owns eight downtown buildings, all but two devoted to residential or a mix of apartment and o ce uses — said he and his leasing sta hear little about a shortage of downtown retail from residents and apartment prospects.

“ ey jump in a car for the Target at Steelyard Commons (in Tremont) or their favorite location,” Price said. He said downtown retail is less a concern than other factors, from the lack of business growth to perceptions of safety.

Streetsense, the retail consultant that produced downtown’s latest retail strategy, points out that the interior spaces downtown, along with the Arcade and 5th Street Arcades — retail sections of hotels — account for an outsized portion of downtown’s retail vacancy rate of more than 20%.

Even so, that is ve times the regional retail vacancy of 4.5%, according to CoStar, the online commercial real estate data site. However, there are no signs of downtown seeing tenants who cannot nd space in the suburbs.

stock the empty center. Bedrock said it did not have an executive available to discuss its Avenue efforts.

Converting hulking department stores to apartments has been a big part of the rise of downtown’s residential population as e May apartments, Residences at the Halle and the Residences at 668 all have opened.

At Halle and May, the surviving retail spaces, punctuated by a few ventures, are largely idle.

Even so, they are less a factor in downtown vacancy than late-inthe-game retail revival e orts that boosted the volume of empty selling space at e Avenue and the Galleria.

e Galleria added about 120,000 square feet of selling space and e Avenue at Tower City added about 366,000 square feet to the city in 1990. e properties brought hundreds of stores to the city's urban core, but they gradually closed over the years.

Emerick Corsi, a Cleveland real estate developer who worked in retail leasing for decades for the former Forest City Enterprises Inc., ticks o names of retailers that were present in Tower City: Barney’s, Banana Republic, J. Crew, Gucci, Fendi, Liz Claiborne and Joan & David Shoes. Galleria even had a Limited triplex, three of the women’s clothing chain brands.

e stores drew suburban shoppers until they no longer perceived Tower City as safe, Corsi said, and retailers lost pro ts to shrinkage which is, essentially, shoplifting.

been. It’s just di erent. And we’re not San Francisco or New York City, with that kind of tourist business. ere’s not the volume of people there were weekdays, but nights and weekends are more vibrant than they were 30 years ago.”

Downtown Cleveland Inc. data from Place.ai, a location analytics and foot tra c provider, shows the shift.

Fridays have a combination of downtown worker and visitor foot tra c of 170,000, while Saturdays and Sundays are 155,000 and 134,000, respectively. Other weekdays range from 140,000 on Mondays to a high of 168,000 on Tuesdays.

Visitors, from Browns and Guardians fans to conventiongoers, account for 70% of downtown spending, according to an analysis of credit card data. ey also account for the outsized presence of food and beverage providers downtown, Streetsense found.

“We are data-driven,” is how Michael Deemer, president and CEO of Downtown Cleveland Inc., sums up its approach to the market.

e nonpro t, which markets and oversees cleanliness and safety downtown, is focused on nding prospects for downtown among area retailers with multiple suburban locations and launching pop-ups such as an artisan market on Public Square.

e goal is to improve the visitor experience with e orts such as more pedestrian seating, the addition of parks and de ning four corridors downtown to emphasize connections, Deemer said.

For decades, increasing downtown’s residential population was seen as part of the way to revive retail. e population is now more than 20,000. However, the Streetsense report points out the residential population is too widely dispersed for retailers that would serve the growing population to consider it an opportune market.

e popularity of remote work, even with rising return-to-o ce rates downtown, has resulted in reduced demand for downtown selling space, by 100,000 square feet. is means about 25% of downtown’s existing retail space needs to be shed.

One solution is for property owners to nd other uses for downtown retail spaces. e most dramatic example of that is at the Residences at 668, where o ce tenants have gone into the space, most recently, the Clear Channel Cleveland radio stations.

David C. Wagner, a principal and managing director at the Cleveland o ce of Hanna Commercial, has worked in Northeast Ohio retail since the 1980s and walks downtown streets on a regular basis as part of his brokerage practice. He points to the shift to online shopping as a big contributor to today’s conditions.

“Blame it on Millennials and Gen Z-ers who do most of their shopping online,” Wagner said. “ is impacts everyone. In the past, when the o ce market was stronger, we had more people per square foot than in o ce conversions today. However, when I walk Euclid to East 30th Street from Public Square and along East Ninth Street it looks as good as it ever has

Plans also call for the hiring of a Downtown Cleveland sta er to focus on retail attraction and helping tenants get into their spaces. Deemer hopes to start the search to ll that position by the fall. Moreover, several groups of prospective tenants are starting to see opportunities in downtown retail, according to Warren Blazy III, a CBRE senior vice president.

“ ere’s some energy here,” Blazy said, which can be emphasized by showing prospects the changes in downtown Cleveland, down to updated lobbies of o ce buildings converted all or in part to apartments.

“ ose have replaced some of the tired o ce lobbies of the past,” Blazy said, and have contributed to a sense of a rejuvenated downtown post-pandemic.

Moreover, not everyone who was downtown in the past would rule out returning.

Jennifer Cau eld operated the Daydreams & Tea gift shop in the landmark Arcade between Euclid and Superior avenues until the lack of downtown tra c forced her to close in 2020 after four years.

e retired former school psychologist said she and her husband operated gift shops as a supplement to their income for years, so she had locations in Catawba on the River and now has one at the Akron City Club.

"Downtown Cleveland was the best location," Cau eld said in a phone interview. "It was pro table, although sales went up or down depending on what was going on downtown or if there was a wedding in the lobby of the Arcade."

Corey Johnson, a clerk at Apple Jax Toys in Tower City, enjoys meeting people as he minds the store. He’s also a student at the Cleveland Institute of Art. | PHOTOS BY STAN BULLARD

Walter Magic, owner of Magic Clothier at Tower City, selected the long-troubled downtown mall as a new location for his latest retail venture. The former chef previously operated Nu & More Clothier in Warrensville Heights.

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A historic day

State law prohibits the kind of eye-catching celebration — balloons, music, etc. — that other businesses employ, but that didn't dampen the mood inside as Buckeye Relief CEO Andy Rayburn and Marvin Keyes, general manager of the Coventry Amplify store, were joined by Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren and State Rep. Jamie Callender (57th, R) for a ribboncutting ceremony.

Calling Aug. 6 "a celebration of progress in our state," Mayor Seren noted that while Ohio has been "a little behind the curve... the state of Ohio is embarking on a new, progressive way of being and interacting with this substance. (Amplify and Buckeye Relief) are taking the lead in Cleveland Heights and providing this to the residents of Cleveland Heights and beyond."

Rep. Callender also touched on the theme of progress in his remarks, saying, " is is kind of the next big step in moving towards normalization, removing the stigma and removing some of the public perception of a di erential between alcohol and cannabis."

Expressing gratitude to his Buckeye Relief "family" and to others that helped make the day possible, an at times emotional Rayburn re ected, " is is history

for all of us."

e vibes at Zen Leaf Canton hit a similar level of excitement with dozens of potential customers lined up at the dispensary (3224 Cleveland Ave.) anxiously waiting for the doors to open at 9 a.m.

e lack of hoopla wasn't an issue, though, for Joshua Kudisch, vice president of retail for Verano, Zen Leaf's parent brand.  “Fortunately enough, I don't

think it would have had any impact on the excitement that we’re seeing from the community,” Kudisch told Crain’s. “( e) state’s been eager, they’ve been looking for this for a while and we are fortunate enough to have been stewards in the community long enough for people to understand who we are."

“ e teams have been working for months on the back end in

preparation as far as store organization, training, updating the teams, working with, making sure that we have enough inventory and stock,” Kudisch said. “... It's really just a blend of a lot of hard work, a lot of teams coming together to make this happen with the goal at every point to provide a service and an availability to approach the product in any means that the purchasers would like.”

High expectations

e rollout is as much about economics as it is about the culture surrounding cannabis.

Brian Anderson, assistant director of economic development for Cleveland Heights, who worked with Rayburn and Buckeye Relief for years to bring Amplify to Coventry as a medical dispensary, noted that the sale of recreational products will have "signi cant revenue and economic impacts" for the city.

e city of Cleveland Heights is set to receive 36% of the 10% excise tax on sales at Amplify — so far the only dispensary operating in Cleveland Heights — which will still translate into plenty of revenue.

Noting that sales at Amplify could be in the seven-to-eightgure range over the course of a full year, Anderson told Crain's that revenue to the city could be in the six- gure range.

But, Anderson noted, there's also the ripple e ect of the foot tra c Amplify will bring to Coventry.

" ere are 40 new employees here on Coventry that are working and paying income tax to the city," he said. " ere's going to be thousands of people a week who are coming now to this location, on Coventry, that will have implications for the rest of the businesses on the street."

Continued on next page

Buckeye Relief CEO Andy Rayburn, from left, Amplify Coventry general manager Marvin Keyes, Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren and Ohio State Rep. Jamie Callender (57th, R) celebrate the rst day of adult-use recreational cannabis sales. GUS CHAN

"It checks all the boxes from an economic development standing," he added.

At Zen Leaf, it's been a sprint to prepare — but it has been worthwhile.

Verano operates a Level II cultivation and processing facility in Canton, plus ve Ohio dispensaries branded as Zen Leaf. e company announced on Monday, Aug. 5, that its sixth location will be in the western Ohio town of Antwerp, which is about a 30-minute drive across the Indiana border from Ft. Wayne. Verano is allowed up to six stores due to being Level II, said Steve Mazeika, vice president of communications for Verano.

While Zen Leaf only had about a four-day notice to prepare for recreational sales, Kudisch said since the state provided them with a “heads up” that the process of sales going live by September was moving forward, they had some time in the background to prepare.

“ e potential is limitless,” he said. “ is is a state that's been excited for the end of prohibition.”

ere are 16 points of sale within the Canton location, not including the four new kiosks that were installed on Aug. 5 in anticipation and preparation for the new license. e team spent about 18 hours on Aug. 5 making sure everything was set up and tested for the next day, Kudish said.

ere is usually a high period of foot tra c and demand following a launch, with there usually being a two to three times lift in demand after an adult use launch, Mazeika said. And while they have to make sure there is a supply for recreational use, they have to maintain the supply for medical use, too.

Amplify has an equally optimistic outlook, despite recent challenges in the medicinal market.

Retail director AJ Carabllo hopes the location will soon see twice as many customers as it has as a medicinal-only location.

" e market itself was terrible in the rst year (amplify was open), 2019, because there were no dispensaries. en it got really, really good in 2020, 2021 and into 2022," he said. " en it started to shrink, and 2023 and this year have been brutal. In fact, last month was the worst month we've had since 2019."

But, he noted, the recreational on-sale has been the light at the end of the tunnel. "Everyone's hung in, everyone's grinded and worked hard with amazing attitudes and for this to happen is extremely rewarding."

While Rayburn doesn't foresee long lines for the rst week or two, as people discover the market in general, he's expecting bigger things to come.

"We think, with things starting today, that September will be our biggest month ever," he says. "And we think that there'll be a two- or three-year upcycle as more and more people become comfortable coming into this environment."

Amplify, which already has three locations (including Bedford and Columbus), is planning three more locations and a new cultivation facility in the state.

"We estimate there are over 2 million people in Ohio that are consuming marijuana products and only 150,000 of them have active medical cards," Rayburn told Crain's. "So it's just going to take time for 2 million people to kick their old habit of purchasing illegal products and buying legal."

Changing the culture

Breaking the stigma still associated with cannabis use is a big component for future revenue and the culture at large.

Zen Leaf is focused on meeting a variety of new customers at different comfort levels.

While their demographic is a

raised by those before you about cannabis, the war on drugs … so it’s really working against those stigmas, and this gives us the opportunity.”

Michigan is the only state that borders Ohio that sells recreational cannabis, as Pennsylvania and West Virginia only allow medical and Indiana and Kentucky allow CBD oil, according to DISA.

And just as Michigan saw a number of visitors from neighboring states, including Ohio, when legalized sales of recreational cannabis started there in 2019, consumers in other states could soon make dispensaries in the Buckeye State a must-visit — and could inuence what comes next just as Michigan did for Ohio.

“Ohio being a state with a large population and a really important swing state carries a lot of positive in uence on states that could follow,” Mazeika said.

In Cleveland Heights, Anderson points out that in the city's work with Rayburn and Buckeye Relief, Coventry was always the target for the Amplify location going back to their rst talks in 2017.

"(Rayburn) really wanted to be on Coventry, because it makes sense for this industry. It makes sense culturally," Anderson says. " ey could be a part of a larger community here. And that sort of vibrant, walkable community is what we shoot for in all of our commercial districts here in Cleveland Heights."

Keyes, a Cleveland Heights native, said: "We still have a big stigma to change, but now we have the access for people to come in here and nd out for themselves. It's a beautiful day. I couldn't really ask for much more."

But Amplify is extending its reach beyond the community. Caraballo says that Amplify will donate a portion of the rst week's sales to e Last Prisoner Project, a national nonpro t dedicated to criminal justice reform in the wake of cannabis legalization, including expungements for prisoners serving sentences on cannabis-related charges.

"We're here celebrating but there are still people in prison for buying and selling something that's now legal," Caraballo said.

States including Illinois, Michigan and beyond have laws that allow, as NORML reports, "the process of having select marijuana convictions expunged, vacated, otherwise set aside, or sealed from public view."

Ohio is not one of those states — yet.

diverse group ranging in ages, Kudisch said the goal is to approach those who were maybe cautious or hesitant towards cannabis before.

“One thing we’ve seen in all of our programs, those who enjoy cannabis, it really spans across all demographics, but one thing that's shared is upbringing,” he said. “How were you taught or

For his part, Mayor Seren fully backs changing that.  "(Ohio) needs to get its ducks in order enough to proactively and legally ease the conscience of our culture by rectifying those convictions," he told Crain's. "It is unreasonable that in a state like ours, we've got people sitting in jail for doing something that we know now shouldn't have been illegal in the rst place."

He adds, "We operate on consensus and agreement in our system. And so, there are people that need convincing, and I hope that over time, our culture evolves to the point where we can proactively do that at the state government."

Customers at Zen Leaf in Canton make purchases on the rst day of legal recreational cannabis sales in Ohio. ALEXANDRA GOLDEN

The showroom oor at Amplify’s Coventry location in Cleveland Heights. GUS CHAN

Some of the two dozen people waiting to enter Amplify’s Cleveland Heights store look at the menu of products for sale. GUS CHAN

span the distance from Mall C to the shore of Lake Erie where the East 9th Street ramp is now.

this vision is about nally making sure we have a lakefront we can all be proud of,” Bibb said.

Here are ve takeaways from the proposed $440 million project to construct a 120-foot-wide “land bridge” from Mall C to the lake, spanning over the Shoreway.

'Safe way to connect’ to lake

e North Coast Connector is a go.

“We looked at access to the lakefront and we realized the barrier to the lake was the Shoreway, as well as the railroads,” said Keshia Chambers, assistant director of the Mayor's O ce of Capital Projects (MOCAP).

A land bridge is the only way to, “protect our constituents and provide a safe way to connect to the lake, she added.

“We will install pedestrian walkways and install multipurpose lanes for pedestrians to use, for bicyclists to use, for parents walking with their children and strollers to use so you won't feel threatened by vehicles,” Chambers said.

Even though a land bridge was in the discussion, there were “many iterations of what this land bridge and the Shoreway should look like,” Chambers said.

“We looked at four di erent options,” she added. “One was to not build anything, just leave it as it is. We looked at putting in a land bridge and not changing the Shoreway, putting in the land bridge and changing the Shoreway or putting in the land bridge and just remove the Shoreway.”

Decisions on the Shoreway

e main bullet points from the Aug. 5 event are that the land bridge and the Shoreway redesign will provide a safe and multimodal connection between the core of the city to public spaces on the lakefront.

e North Coast Connector will

With the new bridge, Route 2, otherwise known as the Shoreway, will be reassigned from a highway to a boulevard, reducing speeds to 35 mph from 50 mph and the number of lanes to two in each direction.

e Shoreway will replace ramps at East 9th, West 3rd, East 15th and East 18th with tra c signals and crossable intersections.

“We are about to enter the next phase of civil engineering design,” said Joyce Pan Huang, the city’s director of planning.

Plans also are in the works to build a multimodal station for Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and Amtrack vehicles.

Cleveland Browns Stadium, the looming unknown

Looming over any talk about the lakefront is the Aug. 12 deadline Cleveland Browns owners Jim and Dee Haslam have to decide whether the city's $461 million o er in parking, admission and sin tax funds is enough to keep the team playing downtown.

For his part, Bibb mentioned the elephant in the room during his opening remarks and reiterated that his wish is to keep the team in Cleveland rather than see a new $2.4 billion dome built in the city of Brook Park.

“I know many of us have fond memories and stories of going to Browns games right on our city's lakefront,” Bibb said. “I remember my pops, who died nearly seven years ago, he loved three things. He loved his sons. He loved being a cop and a re ghter. And he loved Cleveland Browns football. And I want to make sure that we maintain this civic asset, we maintain civic pride and keep the Browns of the great city of Cleveland, Ohio.”

One group to guide project is lakefront plan is di erent because of the work of the North Coast Waterfront Development

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Corp., an independent nonpro t organization charged with working in partnership with the city, county and other important stakeholders to implement the vision for the lakefront.

Scott Skinner, the nonpro t's executive director, explains that when city o cials looked at other successful public-private waterfront projects all across the country, “the one thing that was similar, the common denominator and all of that, was an independent organization focused solely on the execution of some sort of master plan or infrastructure improvement.”

Ever-evolving timeline

e rst phase, which was dominated by initial planning, community engagement and feasibility studies, is coming to an end and, as Huang points out, the project is about to enter the next phase: civil engineering design.

“We will be able to begin our preliminary design or 30% design of the land bridge and the roadway, which should take about 18 months,” Chambers added. “Once we get that completed, then we transition to nal design.”

Stressing that moving ahead does not meant the project will be complete in six, 12 or even 18 months, “the construction of the project will determine what the overall timeline is, but we have a very aggressive target of maybe having our construction begin in 2028,” Chambers said.

Now begins the pursuit of federal funding opportunities, which “is also something that is unique to this version of a Lakefront Master Plan, that we are actively working with our federal partners to gure out how to nance a lot of the public space and infrastructure work here,” Haung said.

To date, the overall project — which kicked o with $1 million for a study from the Browns owners — also has received $20 million from a one-time capital bill from the state and applied for a more than $260 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

From Page 1

A rendering shows plans for the lakefront from an aerial view of East 9th Street. NORTH COAST CONNECTOR

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Ancora is happy to announce that Matt D’Anniballe, CPA has been promoted to the Director of Finance. Matt joined Ancora in 2021 and is responsible for the planning, directing and coordinating of all accounting operations and functions. Prior to joining Ancora, Matt served as an accounting manager at The Siegfried Group. Matt earned a BBA and MS in Accounting from The University of Toledo. He is a Certi ed Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certi ed Public Accountants.

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

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Biotech company raises $12.3M in nancing

yB Paige Bennett

Mark Musial, Partner, joins our Probate and Estate Planning practice. Mark brings over 35 years of experience in managing every aspect of elder law, estate planning and administration from simple wills to the most complex estates. Mark is licensed in Ohio and Florida.

Loren Anthes joins Health Management Associates’ Columbus of ce as a principal from Yuvo Health, where he was VP of external affairs. Anthes is a lecturer at Ohio University’s medical college and an expert in strategic communications, legislative development, and quality improvement with over a decade of experience in healthcare. He has implemented effective strategies in valuebased care, Medicaid policy, harm reduction, and community health across the public and private sectors.

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Matthew Waters, Partner, joins our Intellectual Property, Business and Corporate, and Municipal law practice groups. Matthew’s focal area of practice spans across all facets of patents and trademarks, offering clients business centered solutions on IP matters. His legal expertise encompasses a wide range of services related to the intricacies of intellectual property law and businesses.

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Cyprium is pleased to welcome Cole Johnson, Associate and Kassandra Mema, Senior Accountant to the rm. Cole Johnson evaluates and executes new investments and supports portfolio company initiatives at Cyprium. His experience spans industrials, nancial services and entertainment. Previously, he worked at Harvard Management Company, Citigroup Private Funds Group and served as a First Lieutenant and Field Artillery Of cer in the US Army National Guard.   Kassandra Mema manages nance and accounting, focusing on reporting and tax preparation. She has experience in nancial analysis, regulatory compliance, payroll processing, payroll taxes, accounts payable, receivables, and reconciliations from her corporate accounting background.

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DRI is pleased to announce that Justin Doyle and Tess Lepore have been named Partners.   Justin Doyle began his DRI career in automation recruiting. Justin’s enthusiasm, attention to detail, and outstanding abilities to expand and cultivate recruiting practices through market research, candidate sourcing and new business development led to a new role in 2023 as Star sh Partners’ Director of Technology and Innovation.   Tess Lepore began at DRI as an executive recruiter on the Government, Energy & Security team. She mentors new recruiters, and runs weekly training sessions, enabling others to grow and scale their recruiting careers. Her strong leadership skills, diligence and impressive track record enables the team to succeed. Congratulations!

Ohio Peterbilt is pleased to announce the promotion of Mike Devlin to Director, Service. Mike will have responsibility for each of Ohio Peterbilt’s service departments at all 10 locations across the state of Ohio and has been involved with Peterbilt for 20 years. Starting at Allstate Peterbilt in 2004 and following various stints as technician, foreman, service manager and regional service manager, Mike steps into his latest role following a year of tremendous growth for Ohio Peterbilt in 2023.

TRANSPORTATION

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Neuro erapia Inc., a clinicalstage biotech and Cleveland Clinic Innovations portfolio company, announced its rst close on a $12.3 million Series B nancing round.

e round, led by Cleveland Clinic, includes previous investors Brain Trust Accelerator Fund 11, Dolby Family Ventures and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, along with new investors Foundation for a Better World and CRUINT.

e company, which is developing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, intends to use the funding for the ongoing clinical development of an orally available cannabinoid receptor agonist called NTRX-07 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

BMD is pleased to announce that Scott Heasley has joined as a new Partner in its Cleveland of ce, bolstering their Litigation, Construction Law, and Appellate practice groups. His practice centers on commercial and business litigation, serving a diverse clientele from public corporations to private enterprises. Scott brings extensive experience in advocating for general contractors, subcontractors, and project owners in complex disputes and in handling property disputes and collection matters.

Direct Recruiters, Inc. is proud to announce Shawna Rosner was promoted to Partner in December of 2023. As Director of Legal Solutions Group of Direct Recruiters, Shawna has played a pivotal role in expanding the rm’s reach in the legal recruiting market since joining the company in 2018. She brings a unique blend of skills and expertise that uniquely positions her to assist law rms and companies in securing the best legal talent tailored to their speci c hiring needs.

Ohio Peterbilt is pleased to announce the promotion of James Marshall to Director, Parts. James joined Ohio Peterbilt following its acquisition of Allstate Peterbilt in 2017 and has spent the 12 years in the on-highway truck industry. In this newly created role, James will oversee Ohio Peterbilt’s $15 million parts inventory and implement a new pro table growth strategy. He received his BA from Ohio State University in 2007 and is a veteran of the United States Army. Congratulations, James!

TRANSPORTATION

Ohio Peterbilt

Neuro erapia also plans to use funding from this round to study NTRX-07 in a preclinical model of ARIA, or amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, a side e ect of some Alzheimer’s medications that can result in brain swelling or small bleeding, in conjunction with therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. e company believes NTRX-07 “may reduce or prevent the ARIA side e ect associated with monoclonal antibody treatment and/or improve the bene ts of these therapies.” is could lead to additional trials of NTRX-07 used in combination with the therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.

Neuro erapia was founded by the Clinic and two of its physicianscientists in 2015. It’s focused on creating therapeutics that obstruct microglia cells, which express proteins that lead to in ammation in the central nervous system, without a ecting the clearance of toxic beta amyloid, a protein that builds up in the brain and is a major feature of Alzheimer’s disease.

In 2020, the company closed on an $8.8 million Series A nancing round. Its president and CEO, Tony Giordano, has served in leadership positions at multiple biotech companies.

Ohio Peterbilt is pleased to announce the promotion of Greg Rempe to Director, Sales. Having spent the last eight years in truck sales beginning with Allstate Peterbilt in 2016, Greg will now provide oversight for the Ohio Peterbilt sales team to increase market share and pro tability within its assigned territory, as well as installing new sales standards and strategies. Greg also graduated from Ohio University in 1997 with a BS in Sports Management. Congratulations and well deserved, Greg!

Research into Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias has seen signi cant investment in recent years. A $1.2 trillion funding package signed by President Joe Biden last March included a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s and dementia research at the National Institutes of Health.

Neuro erapia plans to raise additional funds for its second close in six months. It says that funding will lead to the development of “a recently discovered second generation molecule for a separate indication in which neuroin ammation plays a major role.”

Neuro erapia did not respond to Crain’s request for comment. A spokesperson for Cleveland Clinic said no one was available for interviews on Wednesday, August 7.

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2024

PRIVATE SCHOOL PLANNER

YOUR GUIDE TO NORTHEAST OHIO SCHOOLS

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS:

Andrews Osborne Academy •

Benedictine High School • Cleveland Central Catholic High School • Gilmour Academy •

Hathaway Brown • Hawken School •

Hershey Montessori School •

Lake Ridge Academy • Laurel School •

Magni cat High School • Padua Franciscan High School • Saint Ignatius High School •

Saint Joseph Academy •

St. Edward High School• University School •

Walsh Jesuit High School

Hathaway Brown builds future for the next generation

By KIMBERLY BONVISSUTO Crain’s Content Studio

On the cusp of its 150th anniversary in 2026, Hathaway Brown embarked on a journey to modernize its campus to meet the needs of today’s students while honoring its characteristic historical charm.

e all-girls K-12 independent school in Shaker Heights embarked on a campus improvement plan in 2020 that includes updates to its educational buildings and athletic elds on its 16-acre campus. e project launched from the school’s strategic plan, which called for Hathaway Brown to optimize its campus for 21st-century learning.

A er raising more than $60 million through the ongoing Lighting the Way Campaign, Head of School Fran Bisselle says future administrations and students will not be saddled with debt, which she called “a real gi .”

“It’s an exciting time for Hathaway Brown,” says Rich Jeschlenig, a parent and board member. “We are updating our infrastructure, improving technology and preparing the entire campus for the next era of educating girls.”

e rst phase of the project, completed in 2020, included renovations to the Upper School “Classic Building,” now formally named the Adelaide Cobb Ward 1951 Classic Building. e transformation ushered in exible classroom spaces with updated infrastructure, living room common areas and a new grand entrance area. e versatility of the new technology exposes students to what they will encounter in industry, making Hathaway Brown’s girls not just college-ready but career-ready, Bisselle says.

In 2021, a new maintenance building was constructed and the Primary School parking lot was upgraded and expanded. at same year, the school installed new tennis courts and a new synthetic turf eld, including a so ball in eld connected to the multipurpose soccer, eld hockey and lacrosse eld.

“We are updating our infrastructure, improving technology and preparing the entire campus for the next era of educating girls.”

- Rich Jeschlenig, a parent and board member

e project’s nal leg broke ground in May 2023 and involves an $18 million renovation of the Early Childhood and Primary School, which served as a dormitory from 1927 to 1972. e Primary School renovation, scheduled for completion during the 202425 school year, includes the Outcalt Family Primary Atrium, the Ann Rittinger Peterson ’46 Family Music Room, the Clara Taplin Rankin ’34 Indoor Playroom, a cutting-edge science lab and a new art center. e Jeschelnig Family Library and “Granny’s Gi ” Reading Room will anchor the building, along with a new admissions suite and a 12,000-square-foot extension to increase classroom space.

Students had a voice in the construction process through construction management fellowships. Students worked as interns in construction management, reviewing documentation to ensure purchased xtures and other elements matched the architectural speci cations. ey documented project progress and learned about what is involved with construction management.  Students also gained insight into di erent green building techniques and certi cation programs.

“We enable girls to put their knowledge into action with unique, meaningful fellowship programs,” Bisselle says. “Our graduates feel empowered by their leadership opportunities, and we really are a celebrated community that is not just within Hathaway Brown, but celebrates Cleveland.”

With the completion of the campus transformation, Hathaway Brown will turn its attention to its 150th anniversary celebration, which will span the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years. Bisselle says the festivities will honor not just the school but also Cleveland and the Hathaway Brown alumnae who contributed to the community.

“So much of school is them taking ownership and wanting to put their knowledge into action,” Bisselle says. “What’s unique about Hathaway Brown and the future of education is that if you can feel empowered and you can see women lead, that’s who you’re going to be — a woman empowered to lead.”

Since 1876, HB has educated and empowered girls with the Learn for Life Signature Approach. The school’s distinguished academics are nationally recognized and are valued by families, top colleges and universities and employers.

University School inspires independent research and scienti c exploration

By VINCE GUERRIERI Crain’s Content Studio

But nothing could prepare teacher Paul Moody for the time a student, fascinated by a recent story about how electromagnets could be used to launch objects into space, wanted to duplicate it.

Problem was, replicating this, even on a small scale, would be high risk.

“We had to tell him he couldn’t build a magnetically-propelled metal projectile,” says Moody, a science and math teacher at University School’s Upper School. ( e student instead built an innovative control system for electromagnets that could hold a metal ball suspended in mid-air.)

Otherwise, there aren’t a whole lot of limitations on University School students’ scienti c exploration. ere are a variety of independent studies available, and the natural resources of the school’s 221-acre Hunting Valley Campus are incorporated into the curriculum as well, says Sara Laux, the school’s director of science research and science department chair.

Laux said one of the latest projects involves studying the biodiversity and health of trees on campus. e school makes maple syrup from sugar maples on campus, but the yield has been lower in recent years. A forester was hired to help evaluate the problem, and Laux incorporated the ndings into the curriculum for this school year.

“ is is a perfect natural experiment,” she says, noting that the school’s project-based learning conservation biology class has conducted a forest inventory analysis of the trees on campus. e next step is for removing invasive species, and the forest will then be selectively harvested to improve overall forest health.

A water line connects the campus’ 4-acre Lake Kilroy directly to the science lab, allowing for water quality testing. A buoy in the lake collects and transmits data on the water to the school. A student built the buoy as part of the Strnad program, an independent study that includes scienti c and engineering experimentation. e program is named a er University School graduate James “Budd” Strnad, who with his wife, Edna, endowed it.)

Moody is the program’s coordinator, tapping into his previous experience as an instructor

at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he supervised similar projects.

A lot of Strnad projects are medically related. Both Moody and Laux noted that many University School students have parents in the medical eld, and the school is near the region’s two large hospital systems, the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, as well as to Case Western Reserve University, renowned for its own scienti c, medical and engineering research.

“I tell the students that very rarely can you study these types of projects in your own backyard,” Laux says.

Laux also notes that intensive programs like Strnad and the Anderson Scholar Program in Science can also show students what they might not be interested in — which is also an important part of the educational process.

“Some students love science and are curious, but they realize that research is not what they want to do,” she says. “But in the meantime, they’ve learned how to communicate with people outside of the school and learn to think for themselves. Sometimes students nd a path that they like and didn’t know existed.”

University School students take measurements on the bank of a local stream to assess over time as part of the Stream Ecology course, one of many project-based learning courses offered at the school.

Andrews Osborne Academy

38588 Mentor Ave., Willoughby • andrewsosborne.org • 440-942-3600

Mission Statement: Andrews Osborne Academy prepares students for higher education and empowers them to be successful leaders committed to serving in an international community.

GRADES SERVED: Pre-K-12 and Postgraduate; Pre-K is for children aged 3 and 4

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 350

ANNUAL TUITION: Varies by grade: $4,900-$30,500 for daytime students

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 15

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1910

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Gonzalo Garcia-Pedroso, head of school

•Jack Poldruhi, CFO

•Jeannie Fleming-Gifford, director of development

•Rachelle Sundberg, director of admission and nancial aid

• Vicki LeVan, director of marketing and communications

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Asha Gowda ’92, chair

•Adam Bowden, vice chair

•Ziad Peerwani, M.D., treasurer

•Erica Calderas, secretary

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Andrews Osborne Academy boasts an inspiring and prestigious campus that stretches across 200 acres. At the heart of our athletic offerings is an 80,000-square-foot Indoor Athletic Center, which features two turf elds. We have two gymnasiums, a turf baseball/softball eld, and a comprehensive weight room and tness center as well. In the meantime, our commitment to the arts is showcased in our 660-seat, high-tech performing arts auditorium.

The campus also includes ve tennis courts and two pickleball courts, ensuring diverse athletic opportunities for all students. Innovation and creativity are fostered in our Makerspace and computer/graphic design labs, while two libraries offer extensive resources for study. Our dedication to the arts is further evidenced by our dance studio, ceramics studio, and ensemble and choir studios. To support scienti c inquiry, we have six fully equipped science labs and classrooms where students can engage in hands-on learning. Additionally, our seven residential houses provide comfortable and secure accommodations for boarding students.

ACCREDITATION: Andrews Osborne Academy is accredited by the Independent School Association of the Central States (ISACS).

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: Andrews Osborne Academy offers a vibrant extracurricular program with over 50 clubs and 34 athletic teams.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS: At Andrews Osborne Academy, we provide a variety of unique study options and programs that cater to diverse student interests and aspirations. Our HD STEM program offers a comprehensive curriculum that’s focused on science, technology,

engineering and mathematics. Furthermore, the Global Scholars program immerses students in international studies and global issues, which fosters a broader understanding of the world. For those seeking advanced coursework, we provide AP and College Credit Plus programs too, allowing students to earn college credits while they’re still in high school.

Athletically inclined students can participate in our Prep Soccer and Basketball programs, which are designed to develop high-level skills. Meanwhile, the Explore program enables students to cultivate a wide range of skills across various specialties, enhancing their overall educational experiences. Moreover, our Public Speaking program builds essential communication skills, thus preparing students for leadership roles. In addition, our Performing Arts Program includes dance and theater ensembles, providing a creative outlet for artistic expression. Through these diverse programs, Andrews Osborne Academy ensures that every student can develop a well-rounded skill set.

FACULTY: Seventy- ve percent of our faculty hold advanced degrees. We have two dedicated Academic Support Specialists, and our faculty’s average tenure of 10 years re ects their longstanding dedication and passion for teaching.

FINANCIAL AID: Andrews Osborne Academy distributes over $1.4 million in nancial aid annually.

FALL OPEN HOUSES: Open House Drop-In dates: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 1, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5. RSVPs are not required.

Global Leaders Start Here.

Andrews Osborne Academy is a co-ed day and boarding school for grades Pre-Kindergarten (ages 3-4) - 12 and Postgraduate. Our lower, middle, and upper school students learn and thrive in a global environment.

Discover the Difference at Andrews Osborne Academy

As parents, you want the best for your child, from preschool through 12th grade. At Andrews Osborne Academy, we are dedicated to nurturing your child’s potential and preparing them for a successful future.

Our Mission: Andrews Osborne Academy prepares students for higher education and empowers them to be successful leaders committed to serving in an international community.

Why Choose AOA?

Exceptional Academic Programs:

Our rigorous curriculum is designed to challenge and inspire students at every level, ensuring they are well-prepared for college and beyond.

Global Perspective: We emphasize the importance of understanding and engaging with diverse cultures, preparing our students to thrive in an international community.

Leadership Development: Through our comprehensive leadership programs, students learn essential skills that empower them to become e ective and compassionate leaders.

Dedicated Faculty: Our experienced and passionate educators are committed to providing personalized attention and support to each student.

Vibrant Community: At AOA, your child will become part of a close-knit, supportive community where they can grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

us today and see why Andrews Osborne Academy is the right choice for your child’s education.

Benedictine High School

2900 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cleveland • cbhs.edu • 216-421-2080

Mission Statement: An all boys Catholic high school in the tradition of St. Benedict that shapes a diverse group of young men into leaders. Our commitment is to nurture the holistic development of students by offering leadership programs that facilitate growth in mind, body and spirit.

GRADES SERVED: 9-12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 290

ANNUAL TUITION: $15,400 (includes fees and laptop)

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 18

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1927

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•David Schroeder ’90, president

•Dominic Fanelli, principal

•Chris Lorber ’04, COO

•Mitch Cupach, CFO

•Abbot Gary Hoover, OSB ’74, chancellor

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Joseph Sweeney ’98, board chair

•Jamie Georgeson ’78, vice chair

•Father Michael Brunovsky, OSB, secretary

•Andy Strada ’64, treasurer

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Located in proximity to University Circle, Benedictine is conveniently less than two miles from Opportunity Corridor. Our 17-acre campus — shared with the Benedictine monks of St. Andrew Abbey — was described by one student as “a sanctuary in the City of Cleveland.” The newest additions to our campus include a 5,000-square-foot Welcome Center, the Rufus Courtyard and the Howley Science Wing. Modern amenities include the cutting-edge Makerspace, ESports Lab, Media Production Lab and Music Technology Lab. Benedictine is also one of the few private institutions that offers transportation to our families.

ACCREDITATION: Benedictine High School is accredited by the Ohio Catholic School Accrediting Association (OCSAA).

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: Benedictine invites students to explore their personal interests through a diverse range of over 40 extracurricular activities. Our student clubs and organizations provide avenues for active engagement within the school community, while fostering leadership, organizational skills and teamwork. Additionally, Benedictine offers 12 varsity athletic teams that compete amongst the region’s and state’s top competition. Visit cbhs.edu/studentlife for a full listing of programs and descriptions.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS: Benedictine Pathways was recently established to rede ne Benedictine education, meeting students where they are and providing them career exploration. Students will have the option to travel to various experiential learning Benedictine Pathways; however, all will learn the same core aspects simultaneously as they become a Man of Benedictine. The curriculum will cover a range of topics that are essential for

all students’ personal, professional and spiritual development.

FACULTY: Our student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1 fosters a community that is unique in education today. We have 26 faculty members, 54% of whom hold advanced degrees. Fifty percent have taught at Benedictine for ve years or more. Six faculty double as adjunct professors too, enabling us to offer College Credit Plus courses on campus.

ALUMNI: The Men of Benedictine network includes Bishop Roger Gries, OSB ’54, Anthony ’88 and Joe ’89 Russo ( lm directors), Chuck Noll ’49 (four-time Super Bowl champion head coach), Jim Trueman ’53 (founder, Red Roof Inn), Richard Paul ’99 (professional sports agent; founder, Klutch Sports), Ron Trzcinski ’62 (founder, The Original Mattress Factory) and Jerome Baker ’15 (linebacker, Seattle Seahawks), along with many more distinct alums.

FINANCIAL AID: Nearly 96% of Benedictine students receive some form of tuition assistance. During the upcoming school year alone, Benedictine will provide approximately $1.5 million in tuition assistance. In addition, Benedictine will participate in the Ohio Department of Education’s Cleveland Scholarship, EdChoice Scholarship, EdChoice Expansion and Jon Peterson programs.

FALL OPEN HOUSES: Fall Campus Tour: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 1

Fall Open House: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 3; Mass is at 10 a.m. HSPT testing will be offered on Oct. 12, Nov. 13 and Dec. 7.

Visit cbhs.edu/admissions for

Cleveland Central Catholic High School

6550 Baxter Ave., Cleveland • centralcatholichs.org • 216-441-4700

Mission Statement: Cleveland Central Catholic High School promotes spiritual growth, academic excellence, leadership and service, preparing students to embrace the future with confidence and hope.

GRADES SERVED: 9-12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 420

ANNUAL TUITION: $10,900

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 22

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1969

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•John Simon ’72, president

•Sister Allison Marie Gusdanovic, SND, principal

•Sean Belveal, assistant principal

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•John Cvetic, chair

•Ellen Zerucha, vice chair

•Allyn Davies

•Dan Hyland

•Jerry Kysela

•John Malcolm ’82

•John Miceli

•Cynthia Bond Morgan ’71

•John Peca ’70

•Greg Rosko

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Cleveland Central Catholic (CCC) is located in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland. We share a campus with The Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus and St. Stanislaus Elementary School. Our facilities include a football eld, an all-weather track and two gymnasiums.

ACCREDITATION: CCC holds accreditation from AdvancED (formerly the North Central Accreditation Association), the Ohio Catholic School Accreditation Association (OCSAA), the Sisters of Notre Dame National Education Partnership and the State of Ohio.

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: CCC offers numerous clubs and activities to meet a wide variety of student interests. For instance, we provide 13 interscholastic sports, including football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, track and eld, softball, wrestling and bowling. We also offer ag football and a soccer club to girls.

Non-sport activities include Poetry Club, Art Club, Photography Club, Video Gaming Club, Catholic Schools for Justice and Peace, Weightlifting Club, Girls for Inspiring Respect and Leadership (GIRL) Club, Environmental Club and Spanish Club. In addition, we provide adult-to-student mentoring for boys and girls through our partnerships with local organizations.

Students have an opportunity to participate in Student Senate, National Honor Society, Student Ambassador, Link Crew (student-to-student mentoring), Howley Scholars and Yearbook Committee, too. We also hold retreats for our four grade levels each year. Furthermore, CCC offers eld trips as enrichment opportunities for respective classes.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS: CCC has a well-deserved reputation as a leader in Special Education. We understand that not every student learns the same way. As a result, we provide individualized instruction plans for quali ed students, offering them the best chance to enjoy educational success and be fully engaged as part of our school community.

We also provide medical career-oriented programming through our af liation with the Cleveland Clinic and its ASPIRE Nursing and ASPIRE Pathways (medical technician) program. Additionally, we offer College Credit Plus (dual high school and college credit) programs in the following areas: Construction and Building Trades, College Composition, Robotics, Healthcare Terminology, Introduction to Medical Laboratory, Information Technology Concepts for Programmers and Programming Logic.

FACULTY: CCC’s instructional staff has 15 years of teaching experience, on average. Twenty- ve of our instructional staff members hold advanced degrees, while 14 faculty and staff are CCC alums. Meanwhile, the Sisters of Notre Dame serve on our administration and instructional staff.

FINANCIAL AID: CCC students have several opportunities to receive tuition assistance. For example, the Ohio Department of Education Voucher Program enables nearly every family to receive assistance. We also welcome students who are eligible for the Cleveland Scholarship Program, the EdChoice Scholarship Program, the Jon Peterson Special Needs (JPSN) Scholarship Program and the Autism Scholarship Program.

Moreover, CCC provides additional needsbased tuition assistance through a number of other funding sources, including the Cleveland Catholic Diocese Tuition Assistance Program, the Angel Scholarship Fund and the Fund A Dream program, as well as several other donor-funded scholarships. The Stefanski Scholarship Program is also available to our students and families through the generosity of the Third Federal Foundation.

To learn more and schedule your visit, contact admissions@ccc-hs.org or 216-641-2056

STUDENT SUCCESS IS OUR MISSION.

Gilmour Academy

Mission Statement: To develop the competence to see and the courage to act in creating a more humane and just society.

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Recent construction projects include:

GRADES SERVED:

Montessori Preschool

(Toddler-Pre-K); Grades K-12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 780

ANNUAL TUITION: $6,820-$34,595

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 15

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1946

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Kathleen C. Kenny, head of school

•Ryan Ryzner, COO

•Elizabeth Edmondson, chief academic of cer

•Whitney Daly, chief mission integration of cer

•Matthew Stepnowsky, director of the Upper School

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Fred G. Botek ’85, board chair

•Michael J. Baird

•Susan L. Chiancone

•Lorraine C. Dodero

•James R. Pender

•Katherine C. Pender

•Dr. Kevin M. Stein

•E. Mark Young ’92

•Howley Commons (new Middle/Upper School dining hall)

•Renovation of Tudor Gardens and Tudor House’s exterior

•Floyd E. Stefanski Ice Center improvements

• The Lorraine and Bill Dodero Center for Performing Arts

•Renovation of Weber Stadium and the Taylor Softball Field

•Six tennis courts

•Phase II of Figgie Field

• Outdoor learning facilities (a classroom, a nature trail, a greenhouse, apiaries, giving gardens and a chicken coop) for Toddler-Grade 12

•Playground

•Fabrication Lab

Existing facilities include:

•Molecular genetics research lab (the only one of its kind in an Ohio-based secondary school)

•Digital music studio

•Broadcast journalism studio

•Sports medicine training room, a natatorium, a gymnasium, an all-turf baseball eld and two ice rinks

• Ten Steinway pianos

•Boarding option (Grades 9-12)

ACCREDITATION: Gilmour Academy is accredited by the Independent School Association of the Central States and the Ohio Catholic School Accrediting Association.

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS:

•Lower School clubs/activities: 15+

•Middle School clubs/activities: 20

•Upper School clubs/activities: 57

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS:

Nature-Based Learning Program:

(Toddler-Grade 12):

•Outdoor learning faciltiies, environmental science courses and sustainability initiatives

DEI Program:

•Dedicated to fostering a community that celebrates each individual’s uniqueness

• Af nity spaces and diversity club offerings, along with faculty and student programming

Global Citizenship:

•Language immersion trips are offered during the summer

•Domestic and international service trips are provided during fall and spring breaks

Community Block (Grades 7-12):

•Midday block with options for enrichment

•Students can meet with teachers, use athletic facilities, participate in spiritual opportunities or engage in extended, experiential learning on and off campus

LancerTech:

• Advanced courses in 3D game design, competitive robotics, web development and engineering

Wellness Initiative:

•Focuses on social-emotional, physical and nancial wellness and mindfulness

•Named one of “America’s Healthiest Schools” for programming

VECTOR Program:

•Students (and their faculty mentor) design a focused academic experience that offers realworld opportunities

FACULTY:

• Average tenure: 8.2 years

• Average number of years of teaching experience: 15

•Percentage that hold advanced degrees: 77%

ALUMNI: Gilmour alumni (more than 6,000 graduates) live in 43 countries and 49 of the 50 states.

FINANCIAL AID: Merit-based and need-based tuition assistance is offered for Grades K-12. $11.3 million was awarded during the 20232024 school year.

FALL OPEN HOUSE: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 29 Optional information session at 11 a.m.

RSVP at gilmour.org/openhouse.

As Northeast Ohio’s only independent and Catholic school, Gilmour creates endless possibilities for students to not only learn about the real world, but how to positively impact it.

Gilmour Academy is an independent, Catholic, coed school in the Holy Cross tradition. Grades K-12 and Montessori (18 months - PreK)

Hathaway Brown

19600 North Park Blvd., Shaker Heights • hb.edu • 216-932-4214

Mission Statement: Hathaway Brown is a dynamic and compassionate community dedicated to excellence in the education of girls. For us, educational excellence includes, but reaches well beyond, superb preparation for college. The true mission of the school, as reflected in our motto, “Non Scholae Sed Vitae Discimus,” is that we learn not for school but for life. We strive to foster in the minds of our students an abiding passion for learning and in their hearts a constant devotion to strong character and public service.

GRADES SERVED: Infant-Pre-K (Co-ed); Kindergarten-Grade 12 (All Girls)

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 815

ANNUAL TUITION: $5,900 (Infant and Toddler)-$40,000 (Grade 12)

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 10-16

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1876

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Dr. Fran Bisselle, head of school

•Sheri Homany, associate head of school

•Kelly Stepnowsky, director of Primary School

•Sharon Baker, director of Middle School

•Rachel Lintgen, director of Upper School

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Margaret Roberts, president

•Helen Rankin Butler ’87, VP

•Elizabeth DeMarco Novak ’77, treasurer

•Caroline Borrow, secretary

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: During the last ve years, Hathaway Brown (HB) has undergone renovations across its campus to ensure the school’s physical spaces optimally support its educational mission and programs. These include completely renovated Primary and Upper School buildings, along with new spaces for the Infant & Toddler and Early Childhood programs.

In addition, HB has a new turf eld, new tennis courts, an IDEA Lab and Maker Space, and much more. For instance, the Middle School, which was built in 2001, has a four-story, glass-paneled atrium, while a new, state-of-the-art aquatics center was built in 2007. As the school prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary, its on-campus changes re ect a community that is historically modern, inclusive and welcoming.

ACCREDITATION: HB is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States.

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: HB is home to 12 varsity athletics teams, along with the country’s rst e-sports team established at an allgirls school. It also has a large and consistently excellent speech and debate team, an awardwinning robotics program and several performing arts opportunities.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS: Since 1876, HB has educated and empowered girls with the Learn for Life Signature Approach. The school’s distinguished academics are nationally recognized and valued by families, top colleges and universities, and employers.

In the Upper School, nine distinct Fellowships in Applied Studies allow students to put

their knowledge in action through eldwork, placements, speakers, trips and more. The wide range of Fellowships — each with a unique focus — are substantive, highly motivating and offer challenging opportunities for learning and mastery. Whether students are conducting graduate-level science research, composing and performing original music, or making cryptocurrency investments, the Fellowships place them in new and exciting settings. The possibilities are endless.

FACULTY: HB employs over 200 full-time faculty and staff. More than 71% of HB teachers hold advanced degrees.

ALUMNAE: The HB alumnae network includes over 4,000 women who live in 48 states and 23 foreign countries. Ranging in age from 17 to 107, they are a celebrated community of civically engaged, trailblazing women who hold positions in every professional industry.

FINANCIAL AID: HB is committed to educating talented and academically promising girls throughout Northeast Ohio, regardless of a family’s nancial pro le. Flexible tuition allows each K-12 family to invest in their daughter’s education with a tuition that best ts their nances ($6 million is granted annually).

Merit awards are granted to incoming Grade 9 students who apply and qualify.

FALL OPEN HOUSE:

Parent previews are held monthly, starting in October.

Hawken School

LYNDHURST CAMPUS

Toddler-Grade 8

5000 Clubside Road, Lyndhurst

THE BIRCHWOOD SCHOOL OF HAWKEN

Preschool-Grade 8

4400 West 140th St., Cleveland

GATES MILLS CAMPUS

Grades 9-12

May eld and County Line Roads in Gates Mills

THE MASTERY SCHOOL OF HAWKEN Grades 9-12

11025 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland

UNIVERSITY CIRCLE URBAN EXTENSION CENTER

The Sally & Bob Gries Center for Experiential and Service Learning 10823 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland

hawken.edu • 440-423-4446

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES:

Mission Statement: Forwardfocused preparation for the real world through the development of character and intellect.

GRADES SERVED: Toddler-Grade 12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: Over 1,500

ANNUAL TUITION: $7,540-$41,570

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 12-16

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1915

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•D. Scott Looney, head of school

•Kathy Gonzalez, assistant head of school for enrollment management

•Matt Simon, director of the Upper School

•Julia Grif n, head of the Mastery School of Hawken

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Paul Harris, chair

The Lyndhurst campus (Toddler-Grade 8) features an Early Childhood Center, a newlydesigned Lower School and an Innovation Lab. It also has two libraries, an auditorium, an eco-garden, two gyms and a musical arts center. Furthermore, it offers an indoor climbing wall, tennis courts, a track and multiple playing elds.

The Gates Mills campus (Grades 9-12) features Stirn Hall, the main academic building that includes a fabrication lab, a media and communications lab, a science center and more. The campus also has a modern athletic complex with two gyms and a swimming pool, a challenge/ropes course and a weight room. Additionally, the athletic complex has a wrestling room, eight tennis courts, grass and arti cial turf elds, a stadium and a track.

Birchwood School of Hawken (PreschoolGrade 8) provides families on Cleveland’s west side access to a Hawken education. The facility celebrates Birchwood’s close-knit, diverse community and re ects Hawken’s emphasis on the development of character and intellect, too.

The Mastery School of Hawken (Grades 9-12) opened in August 2020 and is located within steps of many of the world’s most engaging and innovative cultural, educational, arts and medical institutions. It offers students and faculty an abundance of opportunities for partnerships and real-world, problem-based learning. There is limited dormitory space on campus for boarders who either attend the Mastery School of Hawken or Hawken’s Upper School.

The Sally and Bob Gries Center for Experiential and Service Learning, which is located in University Circle and adjacent to the Mastery School of Hawken, supports off-campus programming for all Hawken students.

ACCREDITATION: Hawken School is fully accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS).

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS:

Hawken School provides a breadth of cocurricular offerings, including a full range of athletics offerings, speech and debate, and an academic challenge. In addition, it has a literary magazine, along with dance, stagecraft, outdoor leadership and robotics opportunities, among other offerings.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS:

Hawken offers signature programming that includes travel immersion experiences, maker space opportunities, nature-based experiences, STEMM internships, senior projects and computer science classes. At the high school level, students take part in Intensives twice each year — one course, all day for three weeks, which enables in-depth, immersive study of a single subject. Moreover, the Mastery School provides semesterlong “Macro” courses in entrepreneurship, engineering, architecture and more.

FACULTY: Seventy-one percent of Hawken’s faculty hold advanced degrees.

ALUMNI: Hawken alumni hail from every state, along with 28 countries around the world. Many serve as mentors to students and young alumni through professional connections, while also offering internships.

FINANCIAL AID: Hawken distributes over $14.6 million in nancial aid annually.

FALL OPEN HOUSES:

Lyndhurst: 1 p.m. Nov. 23

Birchwood School: 2 p.m. Oct. 20

Gates Mills: 1 p.m. Nov. 2

Mastery School: 1 p.m. Nov. 9

Tuesday, 9/17/24, 6:00 pm

Hershey Montessori School

Concord Campus (Birth-Grade 6): 10229 Prouty Road, Concord Twp.

Huntsburg Campus (Grades 7-12): 11530 Madison Road, Huntsburg

hershey-montessori.org • 440-357-0918

Mission Statement: To provide beautiful Montessori environments, where learning and work are integrated within a community experience engaging the intellectual, moral and social development of children and adolescents, from birth to 18 years.

GRADES SERVED: Infant-Grade 12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 253

ANNUAL TUITION: $10,304-$28,526 (depending on grade level)

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: Elementary: 17; Middle and High School: 10

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1978

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Paula Leigh-Doyle, head of school

•Zaynab Olin-Twaddell, Concord Campus director

•John Buzzard, Huntsburg Campus director

•Diana Le Sieur, admissions director

•Deanna Meadows-Shrum, director of marketing and communications

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•John Cunningham, president

•Jane Neubauer, VP

•Angela Spalsbury, treasurer

•Jeffrey Embleton, secretary

•Debbie Guren, ex of cio

•Anthony Fracci

•Jessie Jones

•Anne Marie Kollander

•Douglas Price IV

•Joel Smith

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Hershey is one of the world’s rst Montessori schools to offer a birth through Grade 12 education, most closely replicating Dr. Maria Montessori’s vision, including a boarding program on a working farm.

The 13-acre Concord Campus educates children from infancy to Grade 6. It includes wooded trails, play areas, gardens and more. Indoor and outdoor classrooms are intentionally designed with Montessori materials — and for ageappropriate child development. Therefore, they provide the freedom of choice that’s intended to engage interest and stimulate a child’s curiosity.

The 97-acre Huntsburg Campus educates students from Grades 7 to 12. Its environmentally sustainable classrooms, working farm, greenhouse, wooded trails and program barn maker space are intended to provide valorization and a sense of community. Furthermore, they offer social-emotional well-being, real-life skills and a mastery of comprehensive academics.

ACCREDITATION: Hershey is a member of NAIS, OAIS and ISACS. It is also AMI recognized for ages 0 to 6+.

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: We uniquely offer extracurriculars based on students’ interests. In fact, adolescents often create their own. Some of these offerings include soccer, lacrosse, Ski Club, Outdoor Skills & Adventures, Chess Club and Just Run. Moreover, students can participate in activities or clubs like kayaking, horseback riding, gardening, animal care, HOLA Ohio, Dungeon & Dragons and Sci- /Mystery Club, among others.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS: Our Montessori approach to academics provides students an opportunity for integrated studies. Students engage in project-based learning through the study of their own community, as

well as regional and global topics, while using the various lenses of science, math, history and language. This allows students to grasp important, relevant concepts that expand their comprehension and critical thinking skills, thereby preparing them to solve real-world problems as they enter adulthood.

FACULTY: Hershey faculty are speci cally trained in Montessori pedagogy. All lead teachers at the Concord Campus have acquired an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) teaching diploma, in addition to their four-year or graduate degrees.

As an internationally renowned model for Montessori education, Hershey serves as the hosting site for the International Montessori Training Institute’s AMI adolescent teaching courses. Consequently, it attracts Montessori teachers from around the world.

ALUMNI: One hundred percent of graduates have been accepted by the college of their choice. From authors and actresses to biologists and more, alumni report being con dently prepared for life after high school.

FINANCIAL AID: Students of all cultural, economic and geographic backgrounds are welcome. Financial aid is available, and Hershey accepts Ohio EdChoice Expansion Scholarships.

2024-2025 OPEN HOUSES: Concord Campus:

•10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Aug. 17, Sept. 14, Oct. 26, Nov. 9, Dec. 7, Jan. 25, Feb. 22, March 15, April 12, April 26 and May 17

2024-2025 VISITORS’ DAYS:

Huntsburg Campus:

•11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 13, Oct. 4, Nov. 8, Jan. 17, Feb. 7 and April 11. •10 a.m., Sept. 28, Oct. 19 and Feb. 23

TheMontessoriapproachtoeducationencourages studentstofollowtheirinnateinterests,engageindeep intellectualinquiry,andreachacademicmastery. Self-awarenessofthestudent’spotentialisexpanded, allowingthemtoconfidentlyconstructtheirfutureand independence.LearnmorebycallingorvisitingHershey.

Lake Ridge Academy

37501 Center Ridge Road, North Ridgeville • lakeridgeacademy.org 440-327-1175

Mission Statement: To send into a changing world confident, young people of integrity who think critically and creatively, while embracing the joy of lifelong learning.

GRADES SERVED: K-12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 375

ANNUAL TUITION: $22,000

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 8-12

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1963

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Mitch White, head of school

•Mark Charvat, CFO

•Linda Kozler, chief academic of cer

•Dr. Megan Zahler, chief institutional advancement of cer

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Brian Shimko ’04, chair

• Thomas Dake II, vice chair

•Jennifer Zinn Lagasse ’86, secretary

•Serena Pal, treasurer

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: We strive to create unique and creative learning spaces throughout our 93-acre campus. On any given day, you may nd students exploring the lifecycle of frogs in our pond or traversing our storybook trail. You may also nd them fabricating an exclusive design in our engineering and fabrication lab, gardening in our greenhouse or caring for the campus’s chickens.

Our facilities also include a convocation center, a full-court gym, college-level chemistry and research labs, a library and dedicated facilities for our Lower, Middle and Upper School Divisions. This year, we are adding a student-led coffee shop and spirit store, too!

ACCREDITATION: Lake Ridge Academy is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States. In addition, it is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and the Ohio Association of Independent Schools.

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: We have seven different sports offerings, and over 70% of our students participate in our interscholastic sports program, leading to a fun and inclusive athletic community.

In the Middle and Upper School, there are more than 20 student-led clubs, including Robotics, Mock Trial and International Thespian Society.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS: Our Graduation Certi cate Programs provide students with intensive, college-level experiences under the guidance of expert faculty and mentors.

Each program culminates in a review of student work through a thesis defense, a nal presentation or an artistic review to achieve the

certi cate. Options include Business, Engineering, International Studies, Scienti c Research and Fine Arts.

FACULTY: Eighty percent of our faculty hold advanced degrees, and we maintain an average student-to-teacher ratio of 8:1.

ALUMNI: Our rigorous college prep curriculum sets students up for success. One hundred percent of Lake Ridge graduates attend a fouryear college. Not to mention, the class of 2024 garnered over $8.7 million in merit scholarships.

Furthermore, 9% of the class of 2024 will enroll at a U.S. News Top 25 Best National University, while 33% of the class will enroll at a U.S. News Top 50 Best National University. Meanwhile, 14% of the class will enroll at a U.S. News Top 50 Best National Liberal Arts College, whereas 42% of the class was admitted to a highly selective college with an acceptance rate below 30%.

FINANCIAL AID: We are committed to fostering socio-economic diversity. Our robust nancial aid program assists nearly 70% of our K-12 students. We also accept the EdChoice Scholarship now, which furthers our goal of ensuring quality education is accessible to all.

FALL OPEN HOUSES: Our next Preview Days are Sept. 30 and Nov. 8. To attend, please register with our admissions team by calling 440-327-1175.

Laurel School

Lyman Campus: 1 Lyman Circle, Shaker Heights

Butler Campus: 7420 Fairmount Road, Novelty laurelschool.org • 216-464-0946

Mission Statement: To inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.

GRADES SERVED: 18 months-PreKindergarten (co-ed); KindergartenGrade 12 (all girls)

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 590

ANNUAL TUITION:

Early Childhood School:

$8,350-$21,350

Primary School, K-Grade 5:

$21,600-$29,760

Middle School, Grades 6-8:

$30,880-$32,500

Upper School, Grades 9-12:

$33,130-$35,475

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 10-14

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1896

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Ann V. Klotz, head of school

•Heather Willis Daly, associate head of school

•Rachel Herlein, associate head of school

•Megan Weiskopf, director of teaching and learning

•Abigail Steinberg ’06, director of enrollment management

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Megan Mehalko ’83, chair

•Carey Jaros ’96, vice chair

•Susan Luria ’85, secretary

•Bethany Bryant, treasurer and nance committee chair

•Chaundra Monday ’95, buildings and grounds committee chair

•Kathy Jeavons ’81, development committee chair

•April Hawkins ’83, equity and inclusion committee chair

•Susan Althans ’80, governance committee chair

•Aaron Kamat, investment committee chair

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Laurel’s two-campus advantage gives girls the edge. Its Lyman Campus is located in suburban Shaker Heights, whereas its beautiful 150-acre Butler Campus is just seven miles away in Novelty, allowing Laurel students to immerse themselves in the natural world.

Laurel also hopes to soon break ground for the Ruhlman Family Center at its Butler Campus. This exciting 10,000-square-foot building will feature exible lab and classroom space, group teaching rooms, a full-service dining room and an outdoor amphitheater. The Ruhlman Family Center is currently expected to open in 2025.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS:

Laurel’s academic programming underpins its ranking as the number-one all-girls school in Ohio, signi cantly contributing to students’ achievements across various disciplines. In addition, its curriculum is strategically designed to foster intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and leadership development.

A cornerstone of Laurel School’s programming is its emphasis on STEM education. Equally robust is the humanities curriculum, which focuses on writing, literature and social sciences. These comprehensive programs led to remarkable student successes during the 2023-24 school year, as seven seniors were named National Merit Finalists, the highest number among Ohiobased girls’ schools.

Additionally, the Upper School writing team clinched the state championship and has maintained its number one ranking in Northeast Ohio since its inception. Furthermore, 15 Speech and Debate program participants quali ed for the state tournament, four advanced to Nationals and one impressively placed sixth in the country. Thirty-three Middle and Upper School students received 52 honors in the Scholastic Arts &

Writing competition, while four earned national silver medals for their writing.

Laurel students excel not only in academics but also in athletics. For example, the school boasts a state-contending golf team, as a senior was crowned the golf state champion during the 2023-24 school year. A tennis player also competed at States, and the varsity basketball team nished as the 2024 state runners-up.

The excellence cultivated at Laurel leads to remarkable college placements. The Class of 2024 achieved a 100% college acceptance rate, as students were admitted to top institutions like Harvard University, the University of Chicago, New York University, Princeton and Case Western Reserve University, among others.

FINANCIAL AID: Laurel offers Variable Tuition, whereby tuition rates are customized according to each family’s ability to contribute to their daughter’s educational expenses. In addition, Laurel offers merit scholarships, including the Sarah Lyman Scholarship, which covers all four years of tuition in Laurel’s Upper School — ve are awarded each year to rising 9th graders, regardless of their nancial need.

FALL OPEN HOUSES:

Campus Open House: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 8

Butler Campus Open House: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 23

Register at laurelschool.org/admissions/visit/ fall-open-houses.

Lyman

Magni cat High School

20770 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River • magni caths.org • 440-331-1572

Mission Statement: We educate young women holistically to learn, lead and serve in the spirit of Mary’s Magnificat.

GRADES SERVED: 9-12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 680

ANNUAL TUITION: $19,100 before tuition assistance

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 18

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1955

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Moira Clark ’77, president

•Angela Boie, dean of student life and formation

•Colleen Greller, dean of faculty and academics

•Katie Higgins ’99, VP of mission

•Nikki Mohar ’89, VP of enrollment and marketing

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Laura Nortz, board chairperson; president, Nortz Consulting Group

•Sr. Carole Anne Griswold, HM, board executive committee member; former leadership team member, Sisters of the Humility of Mary

•Linda Loesch Kelley ’77, board executive committee member; SVP, KeyBank National Association

•Colleen Moran O’Neil ’88, board executive committee member; partner, Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP

•Margaret Jeffers Rowe ’87, board executive committee member; director of business development, CGI Federal Inc.

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Founded by the Sisters of the Humility of Mary, Magni cat High School is a Catholic, college preparatory girls’ school that attracts students with diverse backgrounds, interests and aspirations. Located in Rocky River, the school’s campus supports the holistic development of students through dynamic learning environments and state-of-theart facilities.

• The Magni cat Center for Science Exploration & Innovation provides exible learning spaces for interdisciplinary exploration across the sciences.

• The DiSanto Center for the Visual Arts features light- lled spaces that are tailored for ceramics, jewelry making, painting, photography and multimedia projects.

• Athletic facilities include the Karnatz Family Field, which has synthetic turf, two gymnasiums, tennis courts and a tness center for a competitive athletic program.

• The Magni cat Center for the Performing Arts includes a 1,100-seat theater, a scene shop, a green room and a dance studio for awardwinning dance and theater programs.

• The Humility of Mary Center and Marian Commons offer modern settings for academic collaboration and student interactions.

ACCREDITATION: Magni cat is accredited by the Ohio Catholic School Accrediting Association.

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: Magni cat offers more than 50 clubs, including cultural and academic societies, robotics, horticulture and business. In addition, it provides clubs like neuroscience, beekeeping, Model UN and stage

crew, along with opportunities like international travel and varsity sports (15 in all).

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS: Academic concentrations are offered in Business and Global Studies; Fine Arts; Law and Public Service; Medicine, Healthcare and Wellness; and STEM. Furthermore, Magni cat was the rst Northeast Ohio high school to partner with Motogo on a mechanical engineering curriculum. Due to this partnership, students learn handson engineering concepts, particularly by disassembling and reassembling motorcycles. Additionally, every student will complete a unique service and job shadowing project.

FACULTY: Magni cat’s dedicated faculty and staff involve students in dynamic learning experiences that spark their imaginations, build con dence and hone skills for lifelong learning. Sixty-nine percent of the faculty members hold advanced degrees.

ALUMNAE: Magni cat students graduate with the skills, knowledge and values they need to successfully transition to college and life. Moreover, an active alumnae community provides networking and mentorship opportunities across generations.

FINANCIAL AID: A variety of scholarship opportunities are available, as more than 75% of families receive tuition assistance. As an example, the EdChoice Expansion program now allows all families to qualify for nancial assistance, no matter what their household income is.

FALL OPEN HOUSE: 11 a.m. Oct. 6

Padua Franciscan High School

6740 State Road, Parma • paduafranciscan.com • 440-845-2444

Mission Statement: Padua Franciscan High School — a Catholic, college preparatory school, committed to the traditions and values of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi — educates young men and women within a community where all are challenged to achieve academic excellence and to live out a lifelong commitment to Christ in holiness and learning.

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Padua has a beautifully landscaped campus with two new entrances and lobbies. Our air-conditioned gymnasium seats 1,000 spectators. In addition, we have a fully lit stadium that includes an arti cial turf eld and an 8-lane track.

GRADES SERVED: 9-12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 780

ANNUAL TUITION: $14,700

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 19

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1961

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•David G. Stec ’86, president

•Bob DiRocco, principal

•Elizabeth Oles Smith, vice principal

•Chris Dziedzicki ’02, assistant principal of young men

•Mary Zolkowski, assistant principal of young women

BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

•David Stec ’86, president

•John Chmura ’99, chairperson

•James Climer, vice chairperson

Furthermore, Padua has a weight room, a wrestling room and a dance studio, along with a baseball eld, a fast-pitch softball eld and batting cages. Not to mention, we also have newly renovated, state-of-the-art MyTrack Business, Engineering and Computer Science classrooms, as well as a TV studio.

ACCREDITATION: Padua is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, as well as the Ohio Catholic Accrediting Association. It also holds a college preparatory charter from the State of Ohio. Additionally, it is the rst traditional high school in America to receive full accreditation from the American International Accreditation Association of Schools and Colleges (AIAASC).

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: Padua has 30 interscholastic sports offerings, along with more than 30 clubs, in order to accommodate a wide array of interests.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS: Padua offers 40 Honors classes and 15 Advanced Placement classes.

MedTrack is an award-winning, four-year advanced science track that’s focused on helping students explore and prepare for careers in healthcare. The comprehensive program combines advanced coursework, enrichment opportunities and practical experiences, while integrating the distinctive Franciscan approach to healthcare, which only Padua Franciscan can provide.

Meanwhile, MyTrack prepares students — in the Franciscan tradition — for careers in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Law and Studio

Art. MyTrack provides students a strong academic foundation, career exploration through its professional speaker series and professionalism guidance (mock interviews and networking opportunities). It also offers hands-on experiences, including competitions, eld trips, state-of-the-art technology and shadowing opportunities.

FACULTY: The faculty and staff are instrumental in sharing Franciscan values and traditions, while ensuring students are happy, healthy, holy and highly prepared. Every student is known and loved, while also being challenged to achieve academic excellence and live out a lifelong commitment to Christ in holiness and learning.

Students commonly say they feel at home. “Never Alone, Always a Bruin” is more than just a saying. It helps students understand what it means to be part of the Padua Franciscan family, too.

FINANCIAL AID: Over 70% of families receive nancial assistance, including scholarships, grants and nancial aid. Visit paduafranciscan.com/tuition- nancial-aid for more information.

FALL OPEN HOUSES: Padua Franciscan will host two Fall Open Houses:

•10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 20 •6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 21

Principal DiRocco will discuss what makes Padua unique, when compared to other schools. Teachers, administrators and students will also offer personal tours that showcase how Padua is utilizing the latest emerging technology to enhance our rigorous academics, including our premier programs, such as MedTrack and MyTrack.

All middle school students will receive a special gift and be entered into a $1,000 tuition voucher raf e. Open House registration is available at paduafranciscan.com

Open House

Sunday, October 20 @ 10am - 1pm

Monday, October 21 @ 6pm - 8pm

Shadow a Padua Student 8th Graders beginning September 10

Placement Tests & Parent Info Sessions

Saturday, October 26 @ 9am - 12pm

Saturday, November 2 @ 9am - 12pm

Saturday, November 9 @ 9am - 12pm

Saint Ignatius High School

1911 West 30th St., Cleveland • ignatius.edu • 216-651-0222

Mission Statement: Saint Ignatius High School, with its Catholic tradition rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, prepares young men for their adult lives by challenging them to academic excellence and the desire for life-long learning; nurturing them to be open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving and committed to work for peace and justice; and inspiring them to know, love and serve Jesus Christ.

GRADES SERVED: 9-12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 1,415

ANNUAL TUITION: $20,550

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 22

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1886

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Fr. Raymond Guiao, S.J. ’82, president

•Dr. Anthony Fior ’02, principal

•Patricia Walcutt, VP of administration and CFO

•Jeff McCormick ’83, VP of marketing, enrollment and communications

•Dennis Stonequist, VP of institutional advancement

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Paul J. Pace ’90, board chair

•Patrick Brennan ’93

•Wendy Hoke

•A.J. Hyland ’90

•Michael Meadows ’82

•Pat Sullivan

• Taras Szmagala ’84

•Jack Walton ’68

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: In September 2022, the Board of Regents eagerly and enthusiastically approved Vision ’30, our school’s strategic plan. Vision ’30 focuses on Academic Preparation, Affordability and Enrollment, and Faith Formation. After carefully discerning these priorities, we are now poised to launch a capital campaign with an ambitious goal: $100 million, in order to ensure Vision ’30’s strategic initiatives become reality.

The central question in Academic Preparation is this: How do we prepare students academically to be Ignatian leaders in an increasingly diverse, global, digital, collaborative and unpredictable world? Committed to advancing what we have always done well — academic excellence — one of Vision ’30’s major initiatives will be a much-needed reimagining of our instructional spaces. To do so, we’ll add a new, three-story academic wing to our historic Main Building and renovate existing classroom spaces.

In the area of Affordability and Enrollment, we believe that our nancial and admission models should both ow from — and target — our mission of forming young men in the Catholic, Jesuit tradition. This model must support all that is needed for state-of-the-art educational facilities of 21st century teaching and learning. Annual distributions from our endowment are a critical funding source for nancial aid, as keeping Saint Ignatius affordable is yet another strategic commitment.

Faith Formation has always been at the core of our brand of education. Our mission is to form students to know, love and serve our Lord. This is our central commitment, and it behooves us to bring together — in closer collaboration — our Theology Department’s strength, our Campus Ministry’s riches and our Christian Action Team’s vitality.

To learn more about Vision ‘30, visit  ignatius.edu/vision-30

ACCREDITATION: Saint Ignatius High School is accredited by the Ohio Catholic School Accrediting Association (OCSAA).

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: With nearly 100 clubs and student groups on campus, there’s something for everyone.

Visit ignatius.edu/extracurriculars for a full listing of extracurricular programs and descriptions.

FACULTY: The school has 115 faculty members, 92% of whom hold advanced degrees. Sixty-eight percent have have taught at Saint Ignatius for at least 10 years.

ALUMNI: Upon graduation, students enter a brotherhood of more than 19,000 alumni living across the world. This network includes alumni like:

• Dre’Mont Jones ’15, NFL defensive lineman

• Congressman Ted Lieu ’87

• Brian Hoyer ’04, NFL quarterback

• Rory O’Malley ’99, Tony Award-nominated Broadway actor

• Larry Dolan ’51, owner, Cleveland Guardians

• Rev. Timothy Broglio ’70, archbishop, United States Military Services

• Nick Lowe ’98, senior editor, Marvel Comics

• Jim Free ‘86, associate administrator, NASA

• Jim Danko ’71, president, Butler University

• Jon Gannon ’01, head coach, Arizona Cardinals

FINANCIAL AID: Thanks to generous alumni and benefactors, we are able to support many school programs, including tuition assistance. This year, Saint Ignatius will provide approximately $6 million in tuition assistance to students. Saint Ignatius High School also participates in the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s Scholarship programs, including Cleveland EdChoice, EdChoice Expansion and Jon Peterson.

FALL OPEN HOUSE: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 29

Visit ignatius.edu/open-house for more information.

Saint Joseph Academy

3470 Rocky River Drive, Cleveland • sja1890.org • 216-251-6788

Mission Statement: Saint Joseph Academy — rooted in the spirituality of the Congregation of St. Joseph — fosters unifying relationships with God and all creation, empowers each young woman to achieve academic excellence and inspires a life of compassionate leadership and service in a global society.

GRADES SERVED: Girls, Grades 9-12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 660+

ANNUAL TUITION: $18,400 before tuition assistance

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 18

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1890

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Kathryn H. Purcell, president

•Jeff Sutliff, principal

•Adriane Hicks, assistant principal for student success

•Alison Morgan, assistant principal for academics

•Kathy Flinn, VP of enrollment and marketing

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Cheryl Hagan O’Malley ’77, board chair

•Ann-Marie Ahern, principal

• Tony Amador

•Dr. Joanne Savinell Belovich ‘81

•Matt Gardner

•Matt Heisey

•Catherine O’Malley Kearney

•Pat Kozak, CSJ ’64

•Julia Litzler Mayer

•Margaret Sweeney ’03

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Saint Joseph Academy is Cleveland’s only all-girls Catholic high school. Since its founding by the Congregation of St. Joseph in 1890, each Saint Joseph Academy graduate has been a woman who lives unifying love — through empathetic justice, service to their dear neighbors without distinction, personal integrity and emerging wisdom.

As a single-gender, faith-based community, Saint Joseph Academy offers young women a unique opportunity to grow in con dence, body, mind and spirit. In addition, they’ll acquire a quality Catholic education and a sense of empowerment, which is a proven bene t of the all-girls setting.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS:

Saint Joseph Academy’s unique programs are designed to prepare students for lives of compassionate leadership and service in particular professions. For instance, the Academy offers four distinguished programs: the Health Sciences Honors Program, the Engineering & Design Honors Program, the Global Scholars Program and the Humanities Scholars Program.

ALUMNAE:

•Jazmin Bailey ’07, Emmy Award-winning reporter; Fox 8 anchor; author

•Rebecca Dessoffy Bennett ’91, shareholder, Ogletree & Deakins; former board member and chair, Saint Joseph Academy

•Eileen Dorsey ’01, artist and entrepreneur

•Mary Jordan ’79, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author; associate editor, The Washington Post

•Gabriella Kreuz ’10, Cleveland TV personality; founder, Love Doesn’t Shove, a nonpro t organization

•Cheryl Hagan O’Malley ’77, board chair, Saint Joseph Academy; chief transformation of cer/VP of population health, Southwest General Health Center (retired)

•Bride Sweeney ’10, youngest Democrat lawmaker of the Ohio House of Representatives; rst woman elected to represent the 14th House district

•Margaret Sweeney ’03, assistant U.S. attorney, United States Attorney’s Of ce, Northern District of Ohio

•Sophia Weinmann ’07, Fulbright Scholarship recipient as a University of Montana student, while researching elephants’ impact on Kenya’s agriculture

FALL OPEN HOUSE: On Oct. 6, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., prospective families are invited to attend an Open House to learn about the Academy’s academic offerings. Students have more than 100 courses to choose from, including 20 Advanced Placement (AP) classes and 39 Honors and Independent Study classes.

Student ambassadors will guide families through the Academy building, the Scholars’ Porch, a sprawling back campus, Fitzmaurice Hall and the 4,800-square-foot Howley Makerspace innovation lab, while interacting with our outstanding faculty and staff.

In addition, students will demonstrate the Academy’s collegiate-level technologies for the study of anatomy, including the HoloAnatomy Software Suite and the Anatomage Table. Families will also have a chance to speak with our coaches from the Academy’s 15 varsity sports.

St. Edward High School

13500 Detroit Ave., Lakewood • sehs.net • 216-521-2204

Mission Statement: St. Edward High School — a Catholic school in the Holy Cross tradition — educates the hearts and minds of a diverse group of young men to have the competence to see and the courage to act as men of hope for the transformation of the world.

GRADES SERVED: Boys, Grades 9–12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 900

ANNUAL TUITION: $19,950

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 18.5

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1949

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•KC McKenna ’00, president

•Paul Mocho ’85, VP of institutional advancement

•Dan Wallenhorst ’04, director of admissions

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Kurt McMaken, chairman

•Daniel Geib ’76, vice chairman

• Tari Rivera, secretary

•Fiona Chambers, treasurer

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Just a short drive from downtown Cleveland, the St. Edward campus features a variety of modern amenities: stadium and athletic training spaces, a chapel, collaborative learning labs, technology hubs and an innovation wing with a cutting-edge makerspace. Tucked behind the building is a ourishing urban farm — where students harvest vegetables, gather eggs and collect honey for charitable distribution.

ACCREDITATION: St. Edward is sponsored by the Brothers of Holy Cross and fully accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States.

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: The Eagles are unmatched in Ohio — boasting 78 state and 11 national titles. However, sports aren’t the only way Edsmen dazzle a crowd. After all, the school’s music and theater performances regularly sell out, and the mock trial team brought home the 2023 state championship trophy. With 17 sports and over 50 clubs (ranging from robotics, to shing, to Model UN), Edsmen have ample opportunities to discover their passions!

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS: St. Edward is an International Baccalaureate World School. This future-forward educational approach goes beyond academics by emphasizing critical thinking, communication and interdisciplinary learning — all taught and learned through a global lens. Since the rigors of IB discussion, research and writing are well-known by colleges and universities worldwide, St. Edward grads are very attractive applicants. Not to mention, many colleges and universities, including all Ohio state schools, grant postsecondary credit for IB coursework.

Furthermore, the school’s vibrant international travel program has recently taken students to countries all across the world, including Australia, Belgium, Costa Rica, England, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, The Netherlands, Uganda and United Arab Emirates. St. Edward also offers unique programs in engineering, business and lm studies.

ALUMNI: The St. Edward brotherhood continues far beyond graduation! Common bonds unite more than 18,000 engaged alumni around the world. Edsmen of note include television host Phil Donahue ’53, chef Michael Symon ’87, sports anchor Dan Coughlin ’56 and Stanley Cup champion Mike Rupp ’98.

FINANCIAL AID: The EdChoice Expansion Scholarship is now available to every family in Ohio, regardless of their zip code or household income. This state funding reduces St. Edward’s tuition by $950 to $8,407 annually. The school also offers merit scholarships and nancial aid.

FALL OPEN HOUSES: Open Houses are much more than tours of the building! The entire family is invited to participate in an interactive showcase of academic, athletic, arts and extracurricular offerings. To register, visit admission.sehs.net/

FAMILY OPEN HOUSES:

•10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 6

•5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 and Nov. 4

PARENT INFO. SESSIONS:

•9 a.m. Oct. 19, Nov. 9 and Nov. 16

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE WORLD SCHOOL

Join us at Open House on October 6, 21, or November 4 to learn about our globallyfocused academics, exceptional athletics, and inclusive Holy Cross community. Your story awaits at St. Edward High School!

University School

Grades Jr. K-8: 20701 Brantley Road, Shaker Heights

Grades 9-12: 2785 SOM Center Road, Hunting Valley

us.edu • 216-831-2200

Mission Statement: University School inspires boys of promise to become young men of character who lead and serve. Our dedicated faculty, rigorous curriculum and experiential programs foster intellectual, physical, creative and moral excellence. University School is a diverse and inclusive community where each boy is known and loved.

GRADES SERVED:

Junior Kindergarten-Grade 12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 855

ANNUAL TUITION: $19,680-$40,920

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 12-14

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1890

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

•Patrick T. Gallagher, head of school

•Jennifer Beros, associate head of school

•Jonathan Bridge, assistant head of school for advancement

•Michael DeGrandis, CFO

•Christina Townsend Hartz, director of admission and nancial aid

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Matt Crawford ’87, chair, board of directors

•Mike Adams ’83, director

•Fred Asbeck ’80, director

•Rick Banks ’83, director

•Mary Garceau, director

•Rob Hartford ’87, director

•Dick Hollington ’82, director

•Joe Juster, director

•J. D. Sullivan ’80, director

•Michael Weiner ’99, director

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 8 attend our 32acre Shaker Heights Campus. The campus’s Lower School and Middle School classrooms are in intentionally designed wings and share performing arts spaces, a woodshop and an innovative makerspace. In addition, the campus features a new play park with a turf eld, along with an arboretum that has outdoor learning spaces. To further enhance the campus, our renovated and expanded Middle School wing will open in Fall 2025, too.

The Hunting Valley Campus serves students in Grades 9 to 12. Its 220 acres include a hardwood forest, a trout hatchery, an apiary and a lake for shing and canoeing. The campus also features state-of-the-art science labs, CAD classrooms and an arts wing, which includes a woodshop, a sculpture studio and a music rehearsal space.

Both campuses have extensive outdoor athletic facilities and indoor pools as well.

ACCREDITATION:

•Independent School Association of the Central States

•International Boys’ School Coalition

•National Association of Independent School

•Ohio State Department of Education

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS:

University School (US) is a place where each boy is free and supported to let his true self thrive. We seek students of all ambitions: scholars, artists, athletes, musicians and entrepreneurs. Our charge is to ensure boys possess a balance of self-con dence and humility, while building men of character who will lead and serve.

Our curriculum blends science, technology, engineering, math and the arts. Independent

research options in all disciplines — including entrepreneurship — are available, beginning in the Middle School. Perennially recognized as one of Ohio’s top high schools for STEM, US is also currently ranked Ohio’s #1 Private K-12 School by niche.com.

FACULTY: US faculty members are caring mentors to our students. Their average tenure is 11 years, while 74% hold advanced degrees.

ALUMNI:

• Anthony Doerr ’91, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, All the Light We Cannot See

•Jason Garrett ’84, NBC sports analyst; former head coach, Dallas Cowboys

•Don Graves ’88, deputy secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce

•David Kaval ’94, president, Oakland A’s

•James Park ’94, co-founder, Fitbit

•Doug Smith ’79, project leader, Wolf Restoration Project, Yellowstone National Park (retired)

•Orin Wolf ’97, Broadway producer; Tony Awardwinner for The Band’s Visit

FINANCIAL AID: More than $9 million in nancial assistance is allocated annually to 50% of our families. Merit awards are available, including the Jarvis Scholarship. Up of ten of these full, four-year scholarships are awarded each year to rising Grade 9 students.

FALL OPEN HOUSE: All School Open House: 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 20, Shaker Heights and Hunting Valley Campuses

Freedom to forge his own path.

At University School, boys thrive in an environment with the freedom to explore, create, and innovate. They think deeper, embrace challenge, and discover new passions. Visit US to find out why we are the #1 Private School in Ohio! www.us.edu/visit

Each year, the Jarvis Scholar Program awards up to ten fully-funded, four-year merit scholarships to students entering the ninth grade. The application for fall 2025 admission is now open. M erit Scholarship Opportunity

For Boys, Junior K - Grade 12

Private K-12 School in Ohio #1

Walsh Jesuit High School

4550 Wyoga Lake Road, Cuyahoga Falls • walshjesuit.org • 330-929-4205

Mission Statement: Walsh Jesuit, a Catholic, college preparatory high school in the spirit of St. Ignatius Loyola, reaches beyond academic excellence to develop competence, conscience and compassion within its graduates. As a Christ-centered community, we value inclusion and strive to be men and women for — and with — others.

GRADES SERVED: 9-12

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 935

ANNUAL TUITION: $15,100

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 19

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1964

TOP SCHOOL LEADERSHIP:

• Tim Grady, president

•Sean Lynch, principal

•Erik Salek, CFO

•Jason Ruegg, VP of enrollment

•Aiesha Motley, VP, equity and inclusion

• Tim Dunn, VP, mission and identity

TOP BOARD LEADERSHIP:

•Mark Anzelc

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES: Walsh Jesuit’s 110acre campus features ve outdoor athletic elds, a 5,000-meter cross country track and a 1,600seat gymnasium. In addition, it has a eldhouse, a wrestling room, a renovated, college-like kitchen and an All Sports Complex. And it offers the Klein Fitness Facility — an 8,000-square-foot, state-ofthe-art, brand-new tness facility — which provides Walsh Jesuit (WJ) students new equipment, enabling more advanced movements. As a result of these offerings, the atmosphere surrounding the development of WJ students has never been better.

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: WJ’s athletic success includes 46 team state championships and seven national championships. Among Ohio’s top- ve winningest schools, WJ also has a full-time director of strength and conditioning on staff. And it offers 46 clubs, including Academic Challenge/ Quiz Bowl, Chinese Honor Society, Dance Team, Harmony Gold Show Choir, JustWrite Team and Science Olympiad.

UNIQUE STUDY OPTIONS/PROGRAMS:

International Studies Programs: WJ provides several programs to continue studies abroad, including the Ignatian Scholars Program, which follows the steps of St. Ignatius through Spain, France and Italy. Offering an academic course/trip that explores 1st century Christian communities, the program also includes a twoweek travel program across Italy.

Additionally, WJ provides a Latin Italy trip, which is an educational, immersive and fun extension of the students’ Latin classes. The trip includes visits to the churches and museums of Rome, the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon and a host of other sites.

STEM: WJ has doubled the size of its state-ofthe-art, STEM lab to 2,400 square feet! Known as the Malley’s Center for Design and Innovation, the lab houses 3-D printers, a CNC router, and embroidery and sewing machines, including a

serger machine, a laser cutter and engravers. Furthermore, it has scroll saws, sublimation printers, a heat press, vinyl cutters and a vinyl printer/cutter. Not to mention, it also has a variety of hand tools and 32 student workstations, each of which has its own laptop.

In addition, WJ offers an extensive variety of STEM courses, along with multiple co-curricular STEM clubs, such as Chemistry Club, Math Club and Robotics Club.

FACULTY: Eighty-two percent of WJ teachers hold advanced degrees.

ALUMNI:

•Ryan Armour ’94, PGA Tour member

• Dominic Canzone ’16, out elder, Seattle Mariners

•Ryan Feltner ’15, pitcher, Colorado Rockies

•Emyrson Flora ’23, American Idol nalist

•Chase Johnson ’14, PGA Tour member

•R.J. Nemer ’86, president, University of Akron

•Kenneth Merten ’79, United States Ambassador to Bulgaria

•Mike Vrabel ’93, a former NFL linebacker and current Browns’ coach, who was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021

FINANCIAL AID: To ensure WJ is available to all quali ed applicants, we offer over $3.5 million in tuition assistance per year, including scholarships and need-based nancial aid. Last year, more than 70% of all WJ students received tuition assistance.

FALL OPEN HOUSE: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 26

- Tour the school and explore our beautiful, 110-acre campus

-Meet with admissions and nancial aid staff to learn about the enrollment process

-Meet with faculty and coaches to learn about our academic, athletic and extracurricular programs