—Donniella Winchell, who has led the Ohio Wine Producers Association for 44 years When Eric Kaler, president of Case Western Reserve University, thinks about the xation on college rankings, he thinks about baseball. e two are linked, according to Kaler. When debating who is or was the best player in the game, there are plenty of criteria to judge. Is the GOAT — that’s “greatest of all time” — the athlete who hit the most home runs? What about the one with the lowest earned run average or highest batting average? ose are all di erent people. So, which one of them is the best? It depends.“Same with a college,” Kaler said. “It depends on what you’re looking for.”
VOL. 43, NO. 32 l COPYRIGHT 2022 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED NEWSPAPER CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM I AUGUST 29, 2022 CRAIN’S LIST See companywhichon the 100 50%.employmentgrewEmployersNortheastLargestOhiolistlocalby PAGE 19 NOTABLE: These immigrant leaders cover a variety of professions, businesses. PAGE 10
EXPLOSIVE GROWTH
With the market trending toward 400 wineries in operation today and local winemakers increasingly drawing awards and respect, Ohio’s wine industry is growing at an amazing clip and aging as gracefully as a ne Bordeaux. is may surprise some, considering the Buckeye State is probably not the rst that comes to mind for wine a cionados. Connoisseurs would be more familiar with the celebrated Napa and Sonoma valleys of California. With its warm climate and rich soils conducive for grape farming, there’s a good reason the Golden State has become synonymous with American winemaking. Its ourishing industry, home to nearly 4,400 wineries, is responsible for roughly 85% of U.S. wine production. But here in Ohio, local wines and the grapes they’re made from are improving. e varieties of wine produced are expanding beyond the sweet, fruited types that are popular with a certain crowd but that might make sommeliers thumb their nose.
BY JEREMY NOBILE Ohio’s wine industry is maturing and growing at an amazing rate Workers with Gervasi Vineyard in Canton sort wine grapes during a past fall harvest. CONTRIBUTED
“THE STATE OF THE OHIO INDUSTRY IS PROMISING, AND WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR A REALLY BRIGHT FUTURE. WE JUST NEED TO FIND WAYS TO FULFILL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE OUT THERE.”
Over the past two years, more than $100 billion in funding dedicated to bridging the digital divide has been appropriated by Congress with the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the bipartisan infrastructure law.
workforceessentialDigitalarankingsCollegeriddleliteracytolldecits
See WINE on Page 24 LANDTHE SCAPE A CRAIN’S CLEVELAND PODCAST See RANKINGS on Page 23 See LITERACY on Page 25
O cials can’t ignore system that’s grown into a behemoth BY AMY MORONA BY KIM PALMER
e state of Ohio has dedicated $20 million and the city of Cleveland $5 million to broad programs to bridge the digital divide, providing subsidized service, infrastructure buildout, Wi-Fi hot spots and digital devices. But the on-the-ground groups working on the issue stress that it is digital literacy that is the crucial nal step, or last mile, when e ectively connecting underserved communities to employment opportunities.
` Ball State: $23,243,251 ` Western Michigan: $22,553,903 ` Kent: $21,857,554 ` Ohio: $21,570,246 ` Akron: $20,709,227 ` Bowling Green: $20,119,967 ` Northern Illinois: $16,307,072 Once again, Louisiana-Monroe ranked last ($16,092,329) in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2020-21, while the University of Texas was first with $150,273,687. That disparity reminds me of a quote from legendary Georgia Southern coach Erk Russell: “At Georgia Southern, we don’t cheat. That costs money and we don’t have any.” How YSU ranks in MVFC
Northeast Ohio has one other Division I football program in Youngstown State, which competes at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, formerly I-AA. Here’s how the Penguins stack up in football expenditures in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC):
` North Dakota State: $5,104,034 ` North Dakota: $4,675,386 ` Missouri State: $4,519,423 ` Illinois State: $4,308,293 ` Youngstown State: $3,792,946 ` South Dakota: $3,665,448 ` South Dakota State: $3,406,193 ` Indiana State: $3,391,722 ` Southern Illinois: $3,379,647 ` Northern Iowa: $3,286,127 ` Western Illinois: $2,688,848 North Dakota State is getting its money's worth, having won nine FCS titles since 2011, including 2021. ree other MVFC teams have nished runner-up over that span: South Dakota State (2020), Youngstown State (2016) and Illinois StateHere(2014).were last year’s MVFC coaching salaries: ` Mark Farley (Northern Iowa), $430,000 ` Matt Entz (North Dakota State), $380,000 ` Bobby Petrino (Missouri State), $325,000 ` Brock Spack (Illinois State), $300,000 ` Bob Nielson (South Dakota), $295,000 ` John Stiegelmeier (South Dakota State), $255,000 ` Doug Phillips (Youngstown State), $250,000 ` Bubba Schweigert (North Dakota), $245,000 ` Nick Hill (Southern Illinois), $175,000 ` Jared Elliott (Western Illinois) ,$118,192Western Illinois was the only MVFC school to change coaches in the o season, with Myers Hendrickson replacing Elliott. His salary info was not available, but based on WIU's football budget, it's safe to say Kirby Smart isn't worried about getting bumped down to No. 2. Joe Scalzo: joe.scalzo@crain.com, (216) 771-5256, @JoeScalzo01 Akron, Kent State football budgets stack up up
SPORTS BUSINESS How
against Auburn during an NCAA football game Sept. 4, 2021, in Auburn, Alabama. | UNIVERSITY OF AKRON Kent State played SEC-member Texas A&M on Sept. 4, 2021, in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M won 41-10. KENT STATE ATHLETICS CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS GRAPHIC Football expenses in MAC and MVFC MACMissouri Valley Football Conference EXPENSES CONF.RANKING 7-1 1st 3-5 T-7th 6-2 2nd 2-6 T-9th 2-6 T-9th 5-3 T-3rd 5-3 T-3rd 3-5 T-7th 5-3 T-3rd 44 6th 2-6 T-9th North Dakota State North SouthYoungstownMissouriDakotaStateIllinoisStateStateSouthDakotaDakotaStateIndianaStateSouthernIllinoisNorthernIowaWesternIllinois $2,688,848$3,286,127$3,379,647$3,406,193$3,665,448$3,792,946$4,308,293$4,519,423$4,675,386$3,391,722$5,104,034 Bu alo $8,193,227 Toledo $8,189,311 Miami $7,293,116 Eastern Michigan $6,752,693 Ohio $6,221,628 Ball State $5,985,289 Western Michigan $5,951,641 Central Michigan $5,908,811 Bowling Green $5,255,060 Kent $5,389,000 Akron $5,208,310 Northern Illinois $5,141,739 EXPENSES CONF.RANKING 2-6 T-4th in East 5-3 3rd in West 5-3 2nd in East 4-4 T-4th in West 3-5 3rd in East 4-4 T-4th in West 4-4 T-4th in West 6-2 T-1st in West 2-6 1st in East 6-2 T-4 in East 1-7 6th in East 6-2 T-1st in West
2 CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUGUST 29, 2022 College classes begin this week at the University of Akron and Kent State University, so it’s time for a littleSpecifically,MAC-roeconomics.howdothe Zips’ and Golden Flashes’ football budgets stack up against their Mid-American Conference (MAC) foes? Answer: Near the bottom. Kent State ranks 10th and Akron is 11th in the 12-team conference, according to the most recently available data from the U.S. Department of Education, which covers the 2020-21 academic year. Here’s a ranking of the MAC programs, based on football expenses: ` Buffalo: $8,193,227 ` Toledo: $8,189,311 ` Miami: $7,293,116 ` Eastern Michigan: $6,752,693 ` Ohio: $6,221,628 ` Ball State: $5,985,289 ` Western Michigan: $5,951,641 ` Central Michigan: $5,908,811 ` Kent: $5,389,000 ` Bowling Green: $5,255,060 ` Akron: $5,208,310 ` Northern Illinois: $5,141,739 Those numbers gave the MAC a decidedly New Testament flavor in 2021, since the last (Northern Illinois) finished first. The Huskies won the MAC West and defeated East champion Kent State, 41-23, in the conference championship game.Itwas the ninth MAC championship game appearance for NIU — by far the most of any team in the conference since the game began in 1997.Kent, meanwhile, was making its first conference game appearance since 2012. As for the Zips, well, they’re pretty much getting what they paid for — a last-place team. Akron finished 1-7 in the conference last season, prompting athletic director Charles Guthrie on Nov. 4 to fire head coach Tom Arth with two years left on his contract and hire Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead for essentially the same salary ($500,000) perMoorhead'syear. salary also ranks 11th in the MAC, just behind KSU coach Sean Lewis ($510,000) and just ahead of Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler. Lewis recently got a $50,000-per-year raise when he signed a contract extension that keeps him at Kent through 2025. Here’s how the MAC football coaches rank, salary-wise, based on USA Today’s October 2021 database. Akron was the only program to change coaches in the offseason. ` Jason Candle (Toledo), $1,177,350 ` Jim McElwain (Central Michigan), $840,000 ` Tim Lester (Western Michigan), $709,700 ` Maurice Linguist (Buffalo), $675,000 ` Thomas Hammock (Northern Illinois), $630,609 ` Chuck Martin (Miami), $541,667 ` Tim Albin (Ohio), $535,000 ` Mike Neu (Ball State), $534,867 ` Chris Creighton (Eastern Michigan), $515,000 ` Sean Lewis (Kent State), $510,000 ` Joe Moorhead (Akron), $500,000 ` Scot Loeffler (Bowling Green), $475,000Ofthe 122 salaries listed on the database, MAC coaches owned every spot between 114 (Martin) and 120 (Loeffler). Candle's salary ranked 82nd in the country in 2021. Coincidentally, the lowest-paid coach on the 2021 list was Louisiana-Monroe’s Terry Bowden, who coached at Akron from 2012 to 2018. The highest is Georgia’s Kirby Smart at $11.25 million. The average Division I head football coach’s salary was $1.75 million last season. As for overall athletic expenditures in the MAC, NIU ranks 12th in that as well, nearly $14 million behind No. 1 Miami. ` Miami: $30,036,336 ` Central Michigan: $27,939,173 ` Buffalo: $27,099,159 ` Toledo: $25,205,172 ` Eastern Michigan: $24,524,113
in the MAC BY JOE SCALZO Akron lines
Tramble’s project began as a much more modest endeavor. He and his wife, Latrice, were empty nesters considering the future of a house that no longer felt right for their lifestyle. Raised in nearby Hough and dedicated to the East Side, they wanted to stay on their street. ey explored renovations. ey considered building new. Meanwhile, Tramble saw the chance to do something bigger, beyond his front door.By then, Tramble had changed jobs, leaving his role as executive director of Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc., a community development corporation that serves Buckeye, Central, Kinsman and other city neighborhoods. He no longer had to worry about con icts between his nonpro t real estate work and for-pro t “Whenventures.you’redeveloping on other people’s streets, you’re not a stakeholder,” he said. “You have to enter other people’s space. … And you can’t claim lived experience. With this development, this is the rst time that I can. And it’s a wonderful thing.”Heexpects to close on nancing late this year and to start construction in the spring. e rst phase of the project could be complete in late 2023.Arezoning, to allow denser development on lots zoned for two-family homes today, won the Cleveland City Planning Commission’s approval in early August and is pending before City Council. e planning commission is likely to review nal designs, produced by City Architecture, in early September. Tramble hopes to build a second phase — six three-family homes that, ideally, will be a for-sale product. Each home would include a larger main unit and two smaller studios that an owner could rent out to help cover the mortgage and other expenses.Beyond that, he’s not necessarily looking to be a developer. And he still hasn’t decided what to do about his own house, the subject of endless renovation debates.
It’s an unusual product for Cleveland, where developers and builders are focused, for the most part, on larger apartment buildings or single-family homes. It’s also a project that neighborhood leaders have had on their wish list for a decade. “If we had a street in the neighborhood that was historical, 89th would have been the street,” said Denise VanLeer, executive director of Fairfax Renaissance, of the residential corridor bookended by Karamu House, the oldest producing African-American theater in the nation, and E.F. Boyd & Son, a venerable Black-owned funeral home. In 2013, Fairfax Renaissance worked with Cleveland-based City Architecture to come up with a concept for replacing the huge old houses that fell prey to foreclosure and blight. e nonpro t included the proposal in its 2014-19 strategic plan and pitched the idea to a series of builders. For years, though, nobody could make the numbers work.Now investment is spilling into the neighborhood, an area dubbed Innovation Square. A small-format Meijer grocery store, with apartments upstairs, is under construction at Cedar and East 105th Street, at the northern end of the Opportunity Corridor boulevard. On East 103rd Street, site preparations are under way for an 82-unit, mixed-income apartment building being tackled by Fairfax Renaissance and McCormack Baron Salazar, a St. Louis-based developer.And Knez Homes and the Cuyahoga Land Bank, or Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp., both are building houses on scattered lots between East 93rd and East 100th streets.“Ithink the timing is right,” Tramble said. “I think that maybe ve years ago, it might have been a challenge to do what I’m proposing. Ten years ago, it would not have worked.”
Tramble A rendering shows new multifamily homes planned on East 89th Street in Cleveland, in the Fairfax neighborhood. | CITY ARCHITECTURE
AUGUST 29, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS 3 Lead the conversation in this paid feature THOUGHT LEADER DEVELOPMENTWORKFORCEFORUM: PARTICIPATION DEADLINE: SEPT. 19 | CONTENT DUE: OCT. 3 | PUBLISH DATE: OCT. 17 CONTACT MARA.BRODERICK@CRAIN.COM Ideal Multi-Tenant/Office Building >> Industrial Zoning with Many Allowable Conditional Uses >> Can Accommodate 2 or 3 Stories LAND FOR SALE: Beacon West, Westlake CONTACT US Charles Marshall 330-659-2040 3457 Granger Road, Akron, OH 44333 VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.beaconmarshall.com Property Features •Price for 6.69 lot is ••One$580,000LotLeftQuickAccess to I-90 CrockerandPark • Enterprise Zone • Major Business and Retail Area • Stormwater Pond Installed • Build to AvailabilitySuit REAL ESTATE
When Tim Tramble and his wife built their house in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood in the mid-1990s, it was tough to nd a vacant lot on East 89th Street. Now, 15 years after the foreclosure crisis ripped across the city’s East Side, more than two dozen empty lots line the stretch of East 89th between Cedar and Quincy avenues, just south of the Cleveland Clinic’s main campus. Tramble, the 51-year-old president and CEO of the Saint Luke’s Foundation, is preparing to take neighborhood revitalization into his own hands. Outside of his day job, he’s plotting a nearly $9 million project to re-create his street’s onetime“Assplendor.afoundation, we want to fund people and organizations that are more proximate to people and issues within the community. And we want to fund individuals to use their talent to de ne their own problems and address their own problems. at’s what I was saying all my rst year,” said Tramble, a longtime community-development leader who joined the Saint Luke’s Foundation on June 1, 2020. “It just dawned on me,” he added. “I’m saying this to everyone else. I have the skills for development. And my street is in need of redevelopment. Why not use my skills to redevelop my street?”rough We Rise Development LLC, a company he formed in February, Tramble aims to build multifamily homes on lots owned by the city’s land bank and Fairfax Renaissance Development Corp., the local community development corporation. e project’s rst phase spans six large houses, each split into eight apartments.Designed to evoke the rambling Victorians that once anchored the street, the buildings will have large porches, gables, turrets and variegated facades. Each house will contain a mix of ats and townhouse-style apartments, with one-bedrooms at roughly 550 square feet and two-bedrooms at close to 1,000 square feet.
“I have no idea about how I’m going to feel after I nish this project,” said Tramble, who roamed a paradise of vacant lots in Hough as a child and didn’t recognize that abandonment as blight until he returned to Cleveland after college. at experience drove him toward community development. Now it’s compelling him to take on a project that feels deeply personal, and necessary.“Irecognize that there’s some risk in it,” he said. “But you don’t make progress without taking calculated risk.”
He expects rents to start at about $1,200 for a one-bedroom and $1,800 for a two-bedroom. at’s less than what developers are charging in nearby University Circle, where the average rental rate per square foot has climbed to $2.21, according to CoStar Group, a real estate data provider. During a recent public meeting, members of a city design-review committee lauded the project as novel new construction in a city that needs to diversify its aging housing stock. ey described the buildings as “missing middle housing,” akin to pre-World War II homes that o ered density in walkable neighborhoods before the spread of single-family zoning.“I’m beyond excited,” VanLeer said during a subsequent interview. “Because that is just a wonderful street, and we just wanted to ll in the missing teeth on that street with something that looked like those big, beautiful old Victorian houses — but make it more a ordable. Which is why the apartment idea just works.”
Michelle (216)michelle.jarboe@crain.com,Jarboe:771-5437,@mjarboe
BY MICHELLE JARBOE
He’s lived on East 89th Street for 26 years. Now he plans to rebuild it
BY DAN SHINGLER
Dan Shingler: dshingler@crain.com, (216) 771-5290
Nonpro t will occupy the Furnace Street building instead
The subsequent buyer — Akron-based Oriana House, a nonprofit that offers addiction and mental health services, as well as re-entry and diversion programs for criminal offenders — purchased the building July 22 and will use it for offices, said Oriana’s lawyer, Jason Dodson. It was always going to be tough to make the project profitable, Patel said, and when the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates this year it quickly became apparent that the deal would not pan out.“The numbers no longer worked. ... We’re prudent. We evaluate, analyze, and then take course correction as needed,” PatelGreensaid.
“ON THE EASTERN SIDE (OF THE BUILDING) THERE’S STILL THE POTENTIAL TO DO SOME APARTMENTS DOWN THE ROAD.” —Jason Dodson, lawyer for Oriana
Rate hikes scuttle Akron apartment project
Plans to convert the former WhiteSpace Creative headquarters on Furnace Street north of downtown Akron to apartments have been abandoned, at least for now.Green Harvest Capital in Bath had planned to convert the building to about 50 new apartments, but those plans were scuttled in light of interest rate increases, said Green Harvest principal Bhavin Patel.“We weren’t there for but a cup of coffee,” Patel said, confirming that his firm agreed to sell the building almost immediately after winning its bid to purchase the structure out of a bankruptcy proceeding in May.
The former WhiteSpace Creative building on Furnace Street north of downtown Akron. | DAN SHINGLER/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS REAL ESTATE
Harvest and Oriana had been competing bidders for the property, which was sold out of the bankruptcy of WhiteSpace.
The two parties had only been about $25,000 apart on their bids to the court, so Oriana got the property for only a little more than its initial offer, Dodson said.
Green Harvest will look for other opportunities in town, focusing on its core competency of workplace housing near major employers, Patel Oriana,said.meanwhile, is doing some minor repairs on the building and has not yet picked a date for the move, Dodson said. It will retain its existing buildings, which are scattered around Akron’s north side and are used for various rehabilitation services. But the Furnace Street building is bigger than Oriana needs, and the former WhiteSpace offices it will use account for only about half of the total space of 70,000 square feet. It doesn’t have immediate plans for the remaining space, which is unfinished and would require a substantial investment. But Dodson said Oriana isn’t ruling out further development.“On the eastern side (of the building) there’s still the potential to do some apartments down the road,” Dodson said. “But right now, it’s going to be for office use related to theAnothernonprofit.”option could be subleasing the other half of the building or working with a development partner to build it out.“If someone had a potential use there, I think they would hear them out,” Dodson said of his client.For the city, the loss of a residential development is a disappointment, but not the worst scenario, said Jason Segedy, Akron’s planning and urban development director.“It’sa shame the residential fell through. But it’s good to hear that it’s possible they’ll still do some residential there,” Segedy said. “Oriana is a good partner in the community ... and at least it’s not going to sit vacant and fall into disrepair.”
Green Harvest won with a bid of $1 million, and once it determined its project would not use it, Harvest offered the property to Oriana for that same price, Patel and Dodson said.“We said, ‘We’d like to buy it.’ Their offer was a million bucks. They said, ‘We bought it for a million, we’ll turn right around and sell it to you for a million,’” Dodson said. “We took it.”
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Amit Patel is president of Spark Hotels of Solon, which carries on his family's legacy of hotel ownership and operations, including the Towneplace Suites in Solon, which heAmitdeveloped.Patelis a principal in Green Harvest Capital, a private equity fund he co-founded in 2018 with Michael Smith, his Bath Township neighbor, which has amassed a substantial multifamily portfolio. Rather than be more speci c, the Patels said their concerns control 1,300 keys to rooms (or units) and have a sta of 300 people. Bhavin Patel also jokes that he and Amit Patel should get T-shirts produced with the phrase, “Folding towels since 9,” because both grew up in the business. In Bhavin Patel’s case, his family members bought a hotel in Tallmadge when they immigrated to the U.S. (He was 9 at the time.) Amit was born in the U.S. and grew up in Cleveland with a similar family-focused small-business ethic in hotels.etwo would not say how much they have raised in the fund that they launched since its inception Aug. 17. e plan is to buy select service hotels built since 1998, primarily under the Marriott, Hilton and IHG ags. eir focus is Northeast Ohio and the Midwest, at least initially.Accredited investors are being asked to invest in a fund with a veyear initial life. ey would not specify the promised return. However, typical of realty investments, the return will be in the double-digit range. Separately from the fund, they plan to pursue ground-up development. ose won’t be in the fund because they don’t t thenancial models they will use for fund“Weacquisitions.wanttobuild this here because Northeast Ohio is home for us,” Bhavin Patel said. For his part, Amit Patel said many hotels in their target agerange are reaching the point they need reinvestment to refresh them, and the two men plan to install a focus on digital operations they believe is not common in that class of hotels.“It’s a physical world combined with digitization,” Bhavin Patel said, “similar to the way major brands are reacting to the Airbnb model. You check in on your phone and management knows you are there.” ey also envision using technology that will allow guests to select speci c rooms from available inventory the way air travelers pick seats on jets.
REAL ESTATE Amit Patel and Bhavin Patel, who are not related, have formed a private equity fund called Spark | GHC with the goal of building a hotel company with select-service properties in Greater Cleveland and the Midwest.Although the $100 million fund, which they are raising, is a new undertaking, it builds on backgrounds of them both and their companies.
“We also have experience hiring sta s with a customer service focus,” Amit Patel said. ey share the belief that opportunities beckon because of the aging of baby-boomer-era hotel owners. e pandemic roiled the hotel business, but they believe it is restructuring based on consumer travel and resurgent business travel. “ ere was a distressed hotel crisis that never happened,” Bhavin PatelChucksaid. Schulman, president of Carlyle Management Co. of Beachwood, has been an informal adviser to Green Harvest Capital and knows both Patels. “ ey are a good t,” Schulman said. “ ey have synergy. ey both have been successful early on with di erent kinds of properties. ey have also worked at doing things that are more creative than the simple real estate deal.”
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“When those come up, the owners have to put in the money, re nance the property for funds, and some choose to sell instead of reinvest,” heJimsaid.Doyle, executive vice president of the Bellwether mortgage brokerage and investment rm, said lenders are doing hotel deals. Because lenders have less appetite for hotel deals than multifamily or industrial, they seek 60% leverage, or 40% cash investment from the client, and interest rates in the range of a high 5% or 6%.
Bhavin Patel said the rise in interest rates is not o -putting. “ ink of the history,” he said. “Many investments have been made in this space at 8% (interest rates). So, 5% to 8% in the long view looks like a great interest rate.”
Hotel-focused private equity fund hatching in Midwest BULLARD Patel, left, and Bhavin Patel.
Checking into the hotel business via a private equity fund are Amit
Eric Belfrage, a Columbus-based expert in hotel sales and consulting for CBRE Group Inc., agrees with the estimation of the Patels that opportunities are arising from aging ownership groups. “ ere is probably not a lot of product available, but the transition from baby boom owners has been underway sometime,” Belfrage said in a phone interview. “ e challenge is rising interest rates, but many investors like hotels as an ination hedge. Hotels can change their rates Belfragedaily.”saidhotel renovation requirements of major brands also make the hotel marketplace more liquid than other types of real estate.
BY STAN
| STAN BULLARD/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS
Stan Bullard: sbullard@crain.com, (216) 771-5228, @CrainRltywriter
BANK ON IT: Fifth ird Bank has a new president for its Northern Ohio region. e bank on Aug. 24 named company veteran Tom Partridge to the position. Partridge succeeds Joe DiRocco, who is taking on a new role as national middle market sales manager, asset-based lending. Di Rocco will continue to be based in this region. As region president, Par tridge “will be responsible for the growth and strategic direction” of the bank’s commercial, wealth and asset management, and consumer busi nesses, Fifth ird said. Partridge has spent 34 years in banking, 25 of them with Fifth ird.
CHANGING HANDS: AFIMAC Glob al Inc., a Strongsville company that provides emergency response and strike security, risk management and business continuity services, has been acquired by a private equity rm based near New York City. e buyer, Larchmont, New York-based New State Capital Partners, did not disclose nancial terms of the deal. It said Joe Schollaert, AFIMAC’s presi dent and CEO, will continue in those roles. AFIMAC, founded more than 35 years ago, has a client list that in cludes companies in the food and beverage, consumer, business ser vices and specialty manufacturing industries. It has more than 2,000 employees globally.
| BLOOMBERG
Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Involta, which opened the Independence data center in 2017, said the expanded facility now has 40,000 square feet and brings the company’s total capacity across Ohio to 10 megawatts. Involta said the ex pansion was “backed by capital” from the Carlyle Group, a large pri vate equity rm, though it did not disclose the cost of the expansion.
SCOTT SUTTELL RATE OF CHANGE: e volatile ener gy markets the world has seen in re cent months have caught up with NOPEC, the region’s largest energy aggregator that supplies power to more than half a million people in more than 240 Ohio communities. NOPEC’s rates are now about twice what customers would pay to their utility by default — a rate that is shown on their bills as the “price to compare” and is obvious to consum ers. As a result, NOPEC is cutting nearly all its electric customers loose — about 550,000 out of a total of just over 560,000. It announced urs day, Aug. 25, that instead of paying the rate they had been paying to NO PEC, those customers will automati cally revert to the standard service rates charged by their utility, which in most cases is Akron-based FirstEn ergy Corp.
6 CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUG US T 29, 2022 HEALTH CARE Medical equipment maker In vacare Corp. has made some changes to its board of directors as a result of an agreement with its largest share holder.Elyria-based Invacare announced Monday, Aug. 22, that it has entered into a “cooperation agreement” with its largest shareholder, Azurite Man agement LLC, which owned about 10.3% of the company’s shares out standing as of June 30. As part of the agreement, Invacare said in a news release, it has appoint ed two new independent directors: Steven H. Rosen and Edward F. Craw ford. ose appointments are e ec tive immediately. Rosen will serve on the company’s Audit and Compensa tion and Management Development committees, and Crawford will be on the Nominating and Governance Committee.Invacare said that as “a result of other business commitments,” Julie A. Beck and Stephanie L. Fehr have resigned from the board, also e ec tiveWithimmediately.thechanges, the number of Invacare directors remains at eight total members, seven of whom are independent. e company said it “remains committed to appointing at least one director who is racially and/ or ethnically diverse by the next an nualMattmeeting.”Monaghan, chairman, presi dent and CEO of Invacare, said in a statement, “Following constructive dialogue and collaboration with Azurite, we are pleased to strengthen our board with the addition of Mr. Rosen and Ambassador Crawford. ey bring a wealth of experience in operations and business transforma tion, and their familiarity with In vacare’s history will be invaluable. We look forward to collaborating with them on ways to accelerate our business evolution and enhance proInvacaretability.”on July 26 announced it had secured a credit facility exceed ing $100 million that provided “an immediate and meaningful liquidity infusion, supporting working capital needs.”ecompany on Aug. 8 reported nancial results for the second quar ter showing net sales were $189 mil lion, a decrease of 16.3% from the like period of 2021. Its operating loss for the quarter was $14.8 million, compared with a loss of $3.5 million in the 2021 second quarter.
Invacare makes board changes in agreement with big shareholder
FLY RIGHT: Stan dard & Poor’s Global Ratings on Aug. 23 backtoratingderlyingalkinsClevelandupgradedHopInternationAirport’sunbondfromanA-A,bringingitupto pre-pandemic levels. S&P said the rating “re ects the airport’s enplane ment recovery near pre-pandemic levels and nancial resiliency as sup portive of an improved overall mar ket position and strong enterprise risk pro le.” It joins two other cred it-rating agencies, Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service, that in July upgraded bond ratings for the airport. Hopkins o cials say the air port has outpaced national recovery trends for passenger tra c, reaching about 87% of pre-pandemic levels during the rst half of 2022.
BUNDLE UP!: is February, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse won’t be the only place to catch a hockey game in Cleveland. e Ohio State and Michi gan ice hockey teams will meet in the “Faceo on the Lake” on Feb. 18, 2023, at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Haslam Sports Group, the Cleveland Browns and Ohio State announced. It will be the rst hockey game at the venue. e two programs played an outdoor game at Progressive Field in 2012.
POWERING UP: Involta, an IT, cloud computing and data center services company, has expanded its Indepen dence data center. e company said it added 14,000 square feet of space and 1 megawatt of power to the facili ty “to meet the increasing demand for enterprise co-location in Ohio’s Northeast corridor.”
THE WEEK Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings on Aug. 23 upgraded Cleveland Hopkins International Airport’s underlying bond rating from an A- to A, bringing it back up to pre-pandemic levels.
CONTRIBUTED Fifth Third Bank has a new president for its Northern Ohio region. Partridge
TEAM EFFORT: CHN Housing Part ners, the Emerald Development and Economic Network and partners broke ground Aug. 25 on a 50-unit supportive housing development in Cleveland to provide residents for young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 (transition-aged youth, or TAY) who are experiencing home lessness and housing insecurity. e development, Cuyahoga TAY, will of fer housing, followed by support ser vices. CVS Health announced it will invest $10.5 million in the project, which will be between East 45th and East 47th streets in the St. Clair Supe rior neighborhood. e investment is part of its commitment to advancing health equity by addressing social determinants of health at the local level.
Rosen, 52, one of the new board members, is co-founder and co-CEO of Cleveland private equity rm Re silience Capital Partners. He “has a wide range of experience in opera tions, strategic planning and assist ing companies undergoing strategic transformation,” Invacare said in the release. Rosen was a director of Za nite Acquisition Corp. from 2020 to 2022 and currently is on the boards of Park-Ohio Holdings Corp., Crawford United Corp. and AmFin Financial Corp.
Crawford, 84, currently serves on the Park-Ohio board and is chairman of the board of Crawford United. He served as the U.S. ambassador to Ire land from 2019 to 2021. Crawford also is a member of the board of ad visers at Resilience Capital. Invacare said in a ling with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Com mission that its board approved a waiver to the director age limitations in the company’s corporate gover nance guidelines to accommodate the addition of Crawford “in light of his expertise in operational business transformations, his service as chair man of the board of two public com panies and his other leadership posi tions.”e ling also stated that Invacare “has agreed to form a Strategy and Operational Improvement Commit tee of the board,” which will be com prised of ve members. Its responsi bilities include the following: “conducting a comprehensive review and evaluation of the current corpo rate strategies of the company”; “as sisting and advising the board on corporate strategies and strategic al ternatives”; and “from time to time as it determines appropriate, making recommendations to the board re garding actions to be considered in furtherance of the Strategy Commit tee’s purpose.”eboardformed the committee on Tuesday, Aug. 23. e company also cannot increase the size of the board to more than 10 directors or classify the board without the prior written consent of Azurite. Crain’s research shows Invacare had 395 full-time equivalent em ployees in Northeast Ohio as of June 30.Invacare’s stock was trading urs day morning, Aug. 25, at 91 cents per share, just above its 52-week low of 80 cents. e stock’s 52-week high is $8.73. Scott Suttell: ssuttell@crain.com, (216) 771-5227, @ssuttell
Join us for an informative health care summit aswe tackle this year’s topic: Workforce Solutions. How can employers recruit, train an retain t e talent to fill an nprece ent n m er o open o s ear rom e perts an oin t e isc ssion a o t o to ro t e ne t an c rrent eneration o ealt care orkers. TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW ! CrainsCleveland.com/HCF2022 General Tickets: $100 THURSDAY, SEPT. 29 | 11 AM SCAN WITH SMARTPHONEYOURTOREGISTER CLEVELAND MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN AT KEY TOWER
It’s an understatement to say that FirstEnergy Corp. doesn’t inspire a lot of con dence these days. A central role in the state’s worst bribery scandal, for one, will do that, though there’s plenty of blame to assign for the 2019 passage of House Bill 6, which bailed out the Akron com pany’s nuclear power plants. As cleveland.com reported last week, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, former top state regulator Sam Randazzo and two now- red FirstEn ergy executives “appear to be the people who conspired with FirstEnergy to commit honest services wire fraud,” a company o cial said in a sworn deposition as part of a civil lawsuit. On top of that, we still don’t have a clear picture of the involvement of Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. Against that discouraging backdrop, business goes on, and FirstEnergy’s Ohio utilities — Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. and Toledo Edison — last month rolled out a modernization initiative called Ohio Grid Mod II that would have broad bene ts in the region. e four-year, $626 million plan to make the grid smarter and deploy equipment to cut the frequency and duration of power outages will need the approval of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. e agency in 2019 signed o on Grid Mod I, and it will need to be extra-vigilant in the sequel to make sure the money is being spent as Amongoutlined.thehighlights of Grid Mod II are investments in equipment on nearly 240 distribution grid sections that can automatically isolate problems; voltage-regulating equip ment that can save energy; and 700,000 smart meters, dou bling the number of such systems installed in Grid Mod I and enabling customers to better track energy consumption. ere are some intriguing pilot projects, too, including one aimed at electric-vehicle charging. e company proposes testing of smart residential and commercial EV chargers that Camilo Serna, FirsrEnergy’s new vice president of rates and regulatory a airs, told us would give FirstEnergy data that en ables the company to delay and schedule charging — thus reducing costs by shifting charging demand away from peak demand periods. e residential program, for instance, would consist of up to 600 EV charging ports at residential customer homes; participating customers would receive in centives of up to $750. Building a viable EV market is about much more than making and selling cars; it will require this type of innovation to create a workable ecosystem.
When Cleveland’s top-performing high school students attend elite uni versities, it is a win for our region, our businesses and — most importantly — for the young people realizing such life-changing experiences. And as our businesses continue to contend with significant talent shortages, particu larly in the context of diversity, it is in our best interest to ensure that our re gion’s highest-achieving students of color from economically disadvan taged backgrounds also have every opportunity to reach the heights of theirThepotential.realityis that Black and Latinx populations are un derrepresented in corporate leadership across the coun try. While over 30% of the U.S. population is Black or Lat inx, only 5% of senior executives at Fortune 500 companies belong to these groups. Similarly, just 15% of scientists and engineers, 11% of doctors and 5% of top law firm partners are Black or Latinx. Black and Latinx workers in Northeast Ohio are similarly underrepresent ed in top sectors, including higher-paying health care oc cupations and in management careers. These disparities are the result of having highly edu cated talent pools that aren’t as diverse and inclusive as they could be due to the systemic barriers people from low-income and under-resourced communities often face. These barriers may be financial; they may stem from being a first-gener ation college student, at tending an under-re sourced high school, or lacking access to men tors and the social capi tal that can position one for success in college and career.When we allow sys temic barriers to keep Black and Brown youth from accessing the edu cation, networks and op portunities that can come with a degree from a top university, it is to the detriment of us all. If we do not address the obstacles Black and Brown students face when navigating college and career choices, we will drive away a future that is economically inclusive. Furthermore, not addressing these barriers will deprive Northeast Ohio of the benefits that a more diverse and inclusive civic and business community offers. So how do we address these barriers, help fill the talent pool with the diverse leadership that corporations are looking for, and position young people of color for suc cess?We begin with a comprehensive strategy, including ca reer coaching, executive mentoring, and social and emo tional support that helps high-achieving Black and Brown youth succeed in top-tier colleges and gain access
FirstEnergy expects customers would see an average monthly charge of about $2.40 for the Grid Mod II plan. It could be money well spent, in theory. But the company and the PUCO have to do a much better job than in Grid Mod I, when a state audit noted, among other things, that the com pany didn’t track how the money collected under its “distri bution modernization rider” was spent. We need an e ective, forward-thinking FirstEnergy, and a PUCO that takes its regulatory oversight seriously. It’s in their power to do that. Grid Mod II would be a good time to show they’re capable of change.
Sound o : Send a Personal View for the opinion page to emcintyre@crain.com. Please include a telephone number for veri cation purposes.
STEVEN LAKE, PH.D.
Season’s greetings
W e don’t have a print issue on Labor Day, Sept. 5, and while you can (and should!) continue to follow us for news on CrainsCleveland.com, this space won’t be lled again until Sept. 12 — a day after the Cleveland Browns have played their rst game that matters in 2022. is has not been an enjoyable lead-up to the season. e ac tions that led to quarterback Deshaun Watson’s 11-game sus pension are deeply disturbing. His inability to o er a sincere apology re ects what has become quite obvious: He doesn’t be lieve he did anything wrong. e team, meanwhile, was wholly unprepared for the fallout and has been equally ine ective in its communications about the matter — not to mention why he was brought into the organization in the rst place. What should be a fun weekly distraction/entertainment has instead been a dispiriting reminder that bad behavior in professional sports usually is lightly punished, and the per son who behaved badly still comes away with a lot of money. e Browns mean a lot to the city, and we hope they have a successful season. ey’re just not giving us the same satis faction of Cleveland’s two other major teams, the Guardians and Cavaliers, who have assembled exciting young rosters that make it truly fun to be a fan.
EDITORIAL Modern times Executive Editor: Elizabeth McIntyre (emcintyre@crain.com) Managing Editor: Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com) Contact Crain’s: 216-522-1383 Read Crain’s online: crainscleveland.com
Here’s how to ll the talent pool while increasing diversity
PERSONAL VIEW
Write us: Crain’s welcomes responses from readers. Letters should be as brief as possible and may be edited. Send letters to Crain’s Cleveland Business, 700 West St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113, or by emailing ClevEdit@crain.com. Please include your complete name and city from which you are writing, and a telephone number for fact-checking purposes.
CORP.FIRSTENERGY
Lake is Cleveland.directorexecutiveofriveScholars
See DIVERSITY, on Page 25 WHILE OVER 30% OF THE U.S. POPULATION IS BLACK OR LATINX, ONLY 5% OF EXECUTIVESSENIORAT FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES BELONG TO THESE SIMILARLY,GROUPS.JUST15% OF SCIENTISTS ENGINEERS,AND11% OF DOCTORS AND 5% OF TOP LAW PARTNERSFIRMARE BLACK OR LATINX.
8 CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUG US T 29, 2022
If factories don’t return e Chips and Science Act that President Biden signed in early August is just the latest indication that the planets are aligning for a return of manufacturing to the U.S. Proponents have pushed for so-called reshoring for years, but it has never quite panned out. With the supply chain crisis still fresh in people’s memories, this time is di erent. If reshoring doesn’t become a signi cant trend over the next decade, it never will. To ensure this return of production isn’t haphazard and doesn’t leave gaping holes in the supply chain, there needs to be some coordination — and it doesn’t have to be by the government.
“Making your product closer to your customer is a very good thing in terms of removing some of the unknowns from your supply chain,” said Daniel Swan, co-leader of McKinsey & Co.’s operations practice. “I think this is going to be something very real.” e advantages of bringing back production go beyond just diversifying the source of component parts and shortening supply chains, a key ingredient for making supply lines more resilient. ere are signi cant bene ts for the environment — every environmental group and proponent of ESG should be beating the drum loudly to encourage this trend of local production for local consumption — and even an argument for national security: computer chips and health-care equipment come to mind. In the 1980s, the globalism idea seemed to make sense: Build one huge factory where a gazillion widgets could be made at the lowest cost, which at the time usually meant China, and then ship them around the world. Empty industrial parks weren’t a problem, the thinking went, because the U.S. could just import those cheap goods and pay for them with a combination of service-economy salaries and debt. And then there was this drumbeat: Everybody needs to send their children to college because the new-economy jobs will render blue-collar work obsolete. e tedious, repetitive, sometimes dirty work of factories would be done by other countries with lower skills and cheap labor. e number of manufacturing jobs re ects this school of thought. ey peaked in 1979 at nearly 20 million and dropped to just north of 11 million in 2010 before stabilizing at just above 12 million. In 2000, the year before China entered the World Trade Organization, the U.S. imported $100 billion in Chinese goods. at jumped vefold to $500 billion last year, and the trade de cit with China surpassed $350 billion. It took a global virus to wake everybody up to the fact that the U.S. doesn’t make enough products at home. And the big lesson learned from the pandemic and the scramble for supplies that ensued was that the weakest link in the chain is maritime shipping. ese huge vessels are mostly controlled by a few large companies and, because it takes years to build a container ship, it’s impossible to ramp up capacity in the short term. at leaves price as the only market mechanism to manage a surge in volume, and that became a stark reality quickly. e cost to ship a 40-foot maritime container from China to the U.S. West Coast jumped vefold to more than $20,000 during the worst of the shipping crisis last fall, according to Freightos, an online shipping marketplace. Not to mention that the huge container ships that ply the oceans spew a trail of carbon and garbage in their wake.Once the ships reached their destinations, the U.S. ports and the supporting transportation systems weren’t nimble enough to handle a surge of imported goods. e delays caused companies to put in extra orders to ensure they received supplies and introduced the average person to an obscure logistics term called the bullwhip e ect. is is a reason that inventories are now so mismatched. Making the supply chain more resilient is a chief motivating factor for relocating production close to the end market. is is no easy task. China is now the world’s factory, and the base of low-cost suppliers that has been built up over the decades to support manufacturing in Asia has no equal. Still, the Chips Act is incentivizing companies like Intel Corp. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which are planning to build huge semiconductor factories in Arizona. Texas Instruments Inc. already broke ground in May on a chip plant in Texas. e In ation Reduction Act will spur investment in electric vehicles and the parts to supply those. While government subsidies can spur action, the move to manufacture in the U.S. must be pro table to sustain the trend. Generac Holdings Inc., a power generator maker, has shifted some production to its factory in Wisconsin and opened a small plant in Georgia that it’s planning to expand. Premier Inc. teamed up with DeRoyal Industries Inc. to make hospital gowns in Tennessee in a plant that Premier chief nancial o cer Craig McKasson called “the most automated gown manufacturing capability in the world” during a Raymond James conference earlier this year.ealignment of the planets wouldn’t be complete without automation. is shift of production back to the U.S. won’t work without keeping labor costs in check. e solution isn’t to drive down U.S. wages or to erode health and retirement bene ts, which was the corporate playbook for decades. e answer is to employ robots to perform the repetitive and mundane work at a low cost while paying well the people that will always be needed in a factory. is hasn’t been possible before because the technology was limited mostly to automating heavy assembly processes. at has changed. Robots can do many more tasks (although most people overestimate what machines can do) with advances in vision, mobility, dexterity of endof-arm tooling and machine-learning software. With robotics and tools like 3D printing, production is more nimble, allowing shorter runs and a larger variety of designs. Add it all up (and toss in savings on freight expense and time), the cost should be similar whether a product is made in Vietnam or Virginia. It’s important to note that this will be new production and a net gain of jobs. e real challenge will be having enough trained people to work in these new factories. A manufacturing renaissance isn’t guaranteed. It’s just that the eld has been tilled, fertilized and watered to create the perfect conditions for this to grow. But this potential manufacturing garden must be seeded with hundreds of projects from companies making that dicult decision to build a redundant factory in North America. is will take time and money to germinate. ere’s always the risk that as the pandemic fades and shipping costs trend downward, the memory of the supply chain pain will also recede. at’s less likely, though, with the continuing disruption from Russia’s war on Ukraine and the harsh lockdowns in China as its leaders doggedly pursue a zero COVID policy. e reshoring activity shouldn’t be haphazard. Although individual companies must make the nal decisions on their moves, having clusters of suppliers around manufacturers makes sense. Companies will need to work with community colleges and high schools to secure workers with the skills they need. It will take some coordination to ensure the region's not left without key components in the supply chain. Trade groups, such as the National Association of Manufacturing, could take the lead for identifying those gaps or bottlenecks in the supply chain and lobby manufacturers to invest to meet that demand. Regionalization is also a word that should be buzzing at company board meetings. Mexico has certainly become a hot spot of late for locating factories to meet U.S. demand. e Americas as a region can bene t from a move toward more local production. Most of the ingredients exist — from technology to low-cost labor to the raw materials — for producing widgets with content mostly from within the Americas. For cross-border issues, the federal government obviously would have to play a role. What is lacking is coordination, stable governments and steady currencies. e pandemic, supply chain snarls, government action and automation have all lined up to give reshoring its best opportunity. If U.S. companies miss this window, it will most likely close for good.
AUGUST 29, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS 9 PERSONAL VIEW OPINION Quality Service You Can Trust Windsor Metal Roofing is a standing seam metal roofing company recognized for our expertise and unparalleled attention to detail. A standing seam roof has the ability to transform the look of your home and is able to withstand harsh weather conditions. Our track record of high-quality projects has built us a reputation for short lead times and quick turn arounds. Mark Wengerd, Owner Cell: Office:440-321-9434440-313-5799 Financing Options Available RESIDENTIAL | COMMERCIAL | INDUSTRIAL SPECIALIZING IN STANDING SEAM COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SERVICES LEE & LEEASSOCIATESCLEVELAND
“Resiliency” is the buzzword making the rounds at corporate boards. is is a direct reaction to supply chains that broke down during the pandemic and injected a nasty bout of in ation into worldwide economies. When examining the root causes of the breakdown, it should lead to the conclusion that industrial production — just like the food at a restaurant — is much better when it’s made locally for the local market.
BY THOMAS BLACK/BLOOMBERG
OPINION
now, they never will
mmigrants played a signi cant role in building the city of Cleveland. Numerous groups from numerous countries and backgrounds contributed to the city’s rich diversity as well as its economic growth and cultural heritage. Present-day Cleveland continues to bene t from immigrants, who are providing new ideas, generating economic activity and fueling the city’s revival. Crain’s list of 25 Notable Immigrant Leaders for 2022 covers a wide variety of professions and businesses. ese city leaders are involved in health care and education, nance and construction, technology and the city’s LGBT community. At least two of them have revitalized historic old buildings in the city as part of their work, while another contributes graphics to a locally owned ice cream brand. One is the lead strategist for City Hall, another the dean of the Boler College of Business. ey have their work, but they also enrich the community with their varied e orts in the community, including fostering understanding about their background and heritage. e United States, Eleanor Roosevelt once said, has “pro ted a thousandfold by what (immigrants) have brought us.” is year’s class brings life to Roosevelt’s words.
IMAGES/ISTOCKGETTY
WE ARE A NATION AND CITY
I
METHODOLOGY: The honorees do not pay to be included. Their pro les were drawn from the nomination materials submitted. This list is not comprehensive. It includes only individuals for whom nominations were submitted and accepted after a review by editors. To qualify for the list, nominees must be based in Northeast Ohio. They must be currently employed full time in a senior-level role. They must be active in the community and/or philanthropic activities, mentoring programs and/or diversity and inclusion initiatives.
10 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUGUST 29, 2022
Cleveland State University celebrates their contributions in building, enriching and elevating Greater Cleveland and our university. We congratulate Nigamanth Sridhar , our Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, on being recognized as a notable immigrant leader. Thank you for your commitment to excellence in teaching and research, and your passion for transforming the lives of our students. And thank you for choosing Cleveland and CSU as your home! OF IMMIGRANTS.
RAJ AGGARWAL Member, board of directors Kent State University Foundation Raj Aggarwal’s lengthy career in education has included stints in Australia, Ireland, Japan, Singapore and Sweden. e native of India, though, might have made his biggest mark in Northeast Ohio. Aggarwal spent almost three decades as a nance professor at the University of Akron, Kent State University and John Carroll University. He’s a former dean of Akron’s College of Business Administration and a former professor and academic leader at the University of Toledo. e globally recognized academic is a former visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He’s also been a visiting professor at Harvard University, the University of Southern California and the University of AggarwalHawaii.isaproli c author and researcher. He’s been a consultant for globally recognized organizations and Fortune 100 companies. He currently serves on the boards of the Kent State University Foundation and Highland Heights-based ERC. His work with current and future nance professionals also features a run as a member of the board of Ancora Trust.
Judy Stringer
GENERAL
SUDHIR ACHAR EOXCEO
Vantage
HARDIK DESAI Managing partner, investing JumpStart
Simply put, Sudhir Achar is a job creator — here in Cleveland and his native India. When he founded business technology rm EOX Vantage with one of his childhood friends, Harsha Chaturvedi, he pledged to provide jobs in both Ohio and India, the nomination said. at’s just what he did, and today the rm has been recognized as a top employer.Buthe’s so much more than a job creator. He’s a di erence maker. For one thing, Achar’s company o ered its robust communications platform to organizations struggling with managing a remote workforce during the pandemic, the nomination said. In addition, Achar spearheaded a number of philanthropic e orts, including raising funds for the American Heart Association and working with Global Cleveland to recognize Cleveland and Bangalore as sister cities.
Hardik Desai immigrated from India 15 years ago and started a company while on a student visa — an early demonstration of the hard work, passion for entrepreneurship and intellectual curiosity that has sustained a distinguished career in building startups. For the last 10 years, Desai has championed the cause of startups and founders at JumpStart Inc., directing all aspects of the nonpro t’s investment activity and playing a leadership role in the newly launched JumpStart Ventures. According to the nomination, he has “supported hundreds of founders in their startup journey, helping them raise capital, make connections with investors and partners and grow their businesses.” Desai also advocates for access to capital for minority founders as a lead in JumpStart’s $10 million Focus Fund, limited to Black, Hispanic and female founders.Before JumpStart, Desai earned an MBA from Ohio State University, co-founded IR Diagnostyx in Columbus — where he managed operations and product development and helped the company raise initial seed capital — and was a business analyst for Tech Columbus (now Rev1 Ventures).Outside JumpStart, he sits on the board of Applewood Centers, a private nonpro t providing mental health services, social services and education to children and families living in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties.
— Kevin Kleps
AUGUST 29, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 11 CRAIN’SCONTENTSTUDIOCLEVELANDACT NOW PARTICIPATION DEADLINE: Sept. 5 Contact mara.broderick@crain.com to learn more The congratulatesMuseumClevelandofArt Valluri,AnnapurnaPhD Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer The Cleveland Museum of Art Creating transformative experiences through art, “for the benefit of all the people forever.” Crain’s Notable Immigrant Leaders 915 Callendar Blvd. Painesville, OH 44077 (440)LMS86.com579-1100LAKeLAND We are proud to congratulate our President Fahim Gemayel on his distinction as Crain’s Cleveland Notable2022Immigrant
Achar arrived in Cleveland in 1990 to pursue a master’s degree at Cleveland State University. He launched what would become EOX Vantage while simultaneously rising through the ranks at DataTrak, where he served as vice president of global operations. Achar has also served on the board of Northeast Ohio’s Values-in-Action Foundation. In addition, he was recently named to the latest class of Leadership Cleveland.
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— Timothy Magaw
CONTRACTOR DESIGN-BUILD CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
During her time overseeing programs and development at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, Gulnar Feerasta has helped to triple grant revenue over the past two years. She is now managing more than $1.3 million in grants as she implements new offerings at the center. Under her leadership, the center began working with MetroHealth to reduce health disparities among the LGBT community by o ering primary care services that are safe and supportive. As a Muslim woman and member of the LGBT community, she has lived experience that helps her connect with those who come to the center, the nomination said. Her mentality as a leader is that when one team member is struggling, the entire organization is struggling. Feerasta currently sits on a dozen local committees and boards, o ering her insight, according to the nomination. She is involved in six ongoing research studies as well. She recently graduated from Cleveland Bridge Builders, which supports midlevel leaders as they make connections and fosters teamwork in the community. With two master’s degrees from Case Western Reserve University, Feerasta received the Outstanding Community Partner award from the university’s O ce of Cancer Disparities Research Center and its partnerships. She lived in New Zealand, Australia and South Korea before pursuing her bachelor's degree at the University of Akron. — Kristine Gill
Gemayel “still believes in the good old-fashioned handshake and understands professional and personal relationships are built through trust and ful llment of responsibility,” the nomination said.
12 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUGUST 29, 2022 SHOWCASE YOUR EXPERTISE CONTACT Mara Broderick Participationmara.broderick@crain.comatDeadline:September 12 to Dr. Mahesh and all those recognized as Crain Cleveland’s Notable Immigrant Leaders for 2022!Sameer Mahesh, M.D. Medical Director, Summa Health Cancer Institute Cleveland’srecognizedCongratulationsasCrainNotable CAN-22-60030-Crains Notable Immigrants Award Ad.indd 1 8/3/22 8:10 AM
Gemayel, a certi ed architect and structural engineer, earned his bachelor's degree in architecture and technology from the University of Lebanon in 1981. e following year, he studied at the University of Florence in Italy. He went on to study engineering at Case Western Reserve University, and earned an MBA from Lake Erie College. In June 1986, he founded Lakeland Management Systems Inc., which is now known by its present name, Lakeland e Construction Group. Gemayel is active at St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church and helped facilitate the visit of the patriarch of Lebanon to Cleveland. His older brother, Boutros Gemayel, served as archbishop of Cyprus. Gemayel helped with the e ort to include Lebanon in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Lakeland was the contractor for the Centennial Peace Plaza at the Cultural Gardens. — Pat McManamon
The Construction Group Fahim Gemayel founded his construction company in 1986 and has since built it into a multimillion-dollar business. Gemayel, who immigrated to the United States from Beirut, works to keep his growing company true to the core values he instilled at its founding.
EDEN GIAGNORIO
FAHIM GEMAYEL LakelandPresident
GULNAR FEERASTA Senior program director LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
Senior communications strategist City of Cleveland Eden Giagnorio moved to the U.S. from Australia a few months into the pandemic, as the social justice movement was gripping the country. Within months, she landed a promising opportunity as Justin Bibb’s deputy campaign manager. And when Bibb was elected as Cleveland’s mayor, Giagnorio was named the city’s senior communications strategist. e University of Melbourne graduate’s “unique perspective as an immigrant allowed her to look at American politics in a fresh, new way,” the nomination said. Giagnorio, according to the nomination, “is a skilled writer, media adviser and communications strategist with demonstrated experience at the intersection of politics and advocacy.” She’s a former campaign coordinator for Step Back ink, a Melbourne nonpro t that aims to prevent social violence. Giagnorio’s work with Step Back ink included teaming with groups of young people to support grassroots advocacy. She’s also a former communications o cer for Family Safety Victoria, an Australian organization that focuses on family violence reform. Coming to the U.S. was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Giagnorio wrote last year. She said she’s “so proud of the grassroots movement” that Bibb and his team are building in Cleveland. — Kevin Kleps
“His Cleveland upbringing is the cause for his shift from the suburbs to the city, with a passion to revitalize neighborhoods such as his own to be a better place for old and new residents,” the nomination said. Since its founding in 1988, Knez Homes has been responsible for more than 1,000 homes and several major projects in the medical, commercial and government arenas.
— Timothy Magaw
— Judy Stringer
John Carroll University Elad Granot has a quarter-century of management, administration and leadership experience in a variety of elds, with academia his most recent concentration.Ascurrent dean of John Carroll University’s Boler College of Business, Granot brought with him business-focused accolades from stints at Ashland University and Cleveland State University. Granot doubled Ashland’s MBA program during his six years as business dean. Additionally, he orchestrated an overhaul of the university’s entrepreneurship e orts, leading to development of nearly 50 new businesses.
AUGUST 29, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 13 CONGRATULATIONS
Founder and president Knez Homes After attending school at Cleveland State University and working as a server at John Q’s in downtown Cleveland, Bo Knez dipped his toes in the construction industry — rst as a carpenter, and then when he bought his rst empty lot in Lake County. e rest is history. Today, Knez — who immigrated to Cleveland at age 7 from Slovenia — is widely regarded as one of the most popular home builders in Lake and Geauga counties. And over the last few years, Knez has shifted his focus to the city where he was raised and is playing a key role in its revitalization e orts. According to the nomination, Knez Homes thrived in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, building 30-plus homes on city land bank lots. Since then, the company has built or has plans to build more than 160 homes in the city.
Raj Aggarwal, Ph.D., CFA Crain’s Cleveland Business Notable Immigrant
— Kristine Gill BO KNEZ
SANAA JULIEN President and CEO Group Plan Commission
Sanaa Julien is CEO of the Group Plan Commission, the nonpro t organization that runs Public Square in the heart of downtown Cleveland. She helped oversee reopenings following the recent $52 million renovation of the square, which helped the attraction draw visitors throughout the pandemic. In the ve years following the square’s rededication, 1,500 programs and events were hosted there, including Summer Splash, which o ered free summer-camp programming to 4,500 local kids. According to the nomination, Julien brokered many of the park’s national touring events with groups including American Ninja Warrior, Mountain Dew/NBA, ESPN andJulienmore.continues to work with public and private stakeholders to generate operating revenue for the square. She has developed plans for ongoing landscape maintenance and additionalPriorprogramming.toPublicSquare, she worked in marketing for the Cleveland Metroparks and the Cleveland Indians. e Lebanese-born Julien draws on her experience of nearly 20 years in broadcast programming and marketing at several of Cleveland’s television and radio stations. She was a co-founder of WISE Cleveland, Women in Sport and Event Marketing. She currently serves as president of the group’s executive advisory committee.
— Douglas J. Guth
JENIKA GONZALES Visual and graphic designer Mitchell’s Ice Cream Jenika Gonzales’ mastery of American customs and language, after immigrating to Cleveland from the Philippines as a child, combined with her talent in marketing, graphic design and social media, make her a sought-after voice throughout the region.From posts on her own Instagram brand, JenikaEatsMeat, to her work with projects like Hingetown, Fount Leather and countless restaurants in Cleveland, “businesses continually seek her skills to tell their story,” according to the nomination. Among other professional accomplishments, Gonzales helped design the branding for Market Garden Brewery and created and promoted the launch of Global Cleveland’s 10-year anniversary rebrand as its rst marketing director. She currently oversees the visual portfolio of Mitchell’s Ice Cream and continues to provide graphic and artistic support to other local businesses. Active in the community, Gonzales was a member of the inaugural Global Rising Leadership Program that Global Cleveland created in 2020 and plays a leadership role with the grassroots organization OPAWL (Ohio Progressive Asian Women’s Leadership) — Building AAPI Feminist Leadership. “She is a erce advocate for women, the AAPI (Asian American Paci c Islander) community, immigrants and refugees, and anyone who is othered by a system that does not understand diversity or multiculturalism,” the nomination said.
“Elad's creativity helped shape student learning and prepare them for the necessary elds to grow Ohio's economy,” the nomination said. In a similar role at CSU, Granot developed a comprehensive integrated marketing program, while designing a student relationship management platform around recruitment, retention and graduation rates. roughout his academic career, Granot has supported minority and foreign students entering the high-pressure business education realm. He has also served foreign-owned businesses as an adviser, leading programs where young learners interact with international executives.
ELAD GRANOT Dean, Boler College of Business
“Elad possesses a wealth of experience, including e ective and inspiring leadership, proven management and nancial skills, and an entrepreneurial spirit,” the nomination said.
— Pat McManamon
With a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Simmons College in 2008 and a master’s in divinity from Andover Newton eological School in 2012, Pitt “brings a deep faith, diverse skills and an all-around aptitude to her ministry,” the nomination said. Her scholarly work has spanned transnational studies and theology, with a strong focus on social justice and gender studies. Outside of the church, Pitt is vice chair of the Akron Civil Rights Commission and is a graduate of Leadership Akron’s Signature Program Class 34.
— Kevin Kleps NANETTE PITT Senior pastor First Congregational Church of Akron For the past seven years, the Rev. Nanette Pitt has served as senior pastor of the First Congregational Church of Akron — the rst female and immigrant to serve in that capacity. Pitt was born and raised in South Africa, where, at an early age, an awareness of oppression ignited her passion for positive social change. Prior to the ministry, she sought to achieve this through theater.Pitt has years of experience as an award-winning theater professional, having directed, produced and performed in a wide range of critically acclaimed stage productions in South Africa and Boston. In addition, she has run her own business and worked extensively in the church as she discerned a call to ordained ministry.
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RADHIKA REDDY ArielPartnerVentures
Radhika Reddy founded Ariel Ventures LLC in 2001. It since has provided advice for more than $2 billion in public-private collaborations nationwide. Reddy also founded Ariel International Center LLC (2010), Ariel Economic Development Fund LLC (2010), Ariel Distribution Center LLC (2013) and Ariel Pearl Center LLC (2016) — all 100% women- and minority-owned rms. Ariel Ventures’ home is the Ariel International Center, a 68,000-squarefoot historic property renovated by Ariel. e center hosts events and fosters intercultural understanding and business development. Reddy serves on six nonpro t boards, including the Ohio Governor’s Asian American Advisory Board, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and the India Ohio Chamber of Commerce, according to the nomination. Reddy’s e orts to open minds to other cultures and backgrounds come from her experience moving from India. She came to Cleveland almost by accident. In 1989, Reddy was helping a friend apply for a yearlong Rotary scholarship. When her friend decided to drop the idea, Reddy applied for herself. Ten years into a banking career in India, she accepted the scholarship and moved to Ohio. She spent a year at Case Western Reserve University studying information systems, then earned her MBA and has since completed a master’s degree in accounting/taxation from Cleveland State University.
14 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUGUST 29, 2022 CONGRATULATIONS VIJAY on your deservedwellreco gnition From your team at Kichler
As the program director of Summa Health’s Oncology Care Model, Dr. Sameer Mahesh and his team focus on providing tovalue-basedcomprehensive,care.Summawasselectedparticipateinthe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services program after a “rigorous” review, the nomination said. Among the early results were reductions in Summa’s cost of care, emergency department visits and mortality rate, Mahesh told Crain’s in 2018. Mahesh has given presentations on value-based oncology care at national conferences and directed studies for Summa’s Commission on Cancer accreditation program.Mahesh started his career at Summa in 2008, after completing a fellowship in hematology and oncology in New York. In 2019, he was honored with the Dale P. Murphy Award for Quality and Patient Safety. His extensive leadership history at Summa includes a current two-year run as the chair of the health system’s cancer committee. He’s also a member of Summa’s nance committee.Afunfact that isn’t on the doctor’s resume: Mahesh was a two-time junior national badminton champion.
Since she arrived in the U.S. from India 16 years ago, Ramya Ramadurai’s career focus has been on solving pressing business problems through the power of technology. At Rockwell Automation, Ramadurai creates service delivery programs for manufacturing operations management and industrial automation, with a larger goal of improving those processes worldwide. Areas of expertise encompass software development, operational infrastructure, data analytics and information security. Ramadurai has harnessed these talents to lead a multimillion-dollar business comprising over 50 customers across 100-plus plant locations. First-hand immigrant experience has spurred additional work around diversity at Rockwell. In advocating a welcoming culture, Ramadurai has helped grow company diversity by 6% across four di erent teams. Women, immigrants and LGBTQ professionals have all bene ted from these e orts, according to the nomination.WithanMBA from Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management, Ramadurai provides guidance and mentoring as a member of Case’s alumni advisory council. Ramadurai also supports STEM education for women and minorities via Rockwell’s Professional Women’s Council and Society of Women Engineers. — Douglas J. Guth
DR. SAMEER MAHESH Medical director and Vincent and Nancy Digirolamo Endowed Chair Summa Health
Vijay Shankar President, Kichler Lighting
— Judy Stringer RAMYA RAMADURAI PMO manager, Manufacturing Operations Management | Rockwell Automation
Thank you for your commitment to northeast Ohio communities. Together, we are building healthy, smart, vibrant communities for all. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE INAUGURAL NETWORKINGWITHNOTABLES CLASS Delta Dental of Ohio Proud sponsor of Crain’s Cleveland’s Networking with Notables series
VIJAY SHANKAR KichlerPresidentLighting
— Pat McManamon
ANTONIN ROBERT Principal, president of community development | GBX Group
Vijay Shankar’s 25plus years of driving sales and pro ts has led him to the top position at Kichler Shankar,Lighting.who had been Kichler’s executive vice president of sales, was elevated to president of the company last November. He moved into the new role as Kichler was transitioning its headquarters from Independence to Solon. Shankar created Kichler’s IllumiNation Showroom Partnership program — a cross-functional team that, according to the nomination, hierarchized customers and streamlined sales. e results: improved customer service, a competitive advantage for Kichler’s partners, more customized marketing and a way for the company to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Prior to joining Kichler in 2019, Shankar was a senior VP of sales at ShurTech Brands, which is now known as Shurtape Technologies LLC. He “boasts a career-long record of growing organizational capabilities and highly e ective teams,” the nomination said.He’s a former president of Rising Star Academy, a Euclid nonpro t that helps children with motor disabilities. Shankar was also a longtime volunteer for Enactus, a global nonpro t that seeks to develop entrepreneurs and social innovators.
` How do you see the future for your work?
Q&A
— Timothy Magaw
Robert was born in Mexico City to a Czech/ Austrian father and French mother and immigrated when he was 17. He earned a bachelor of science degree in international business and marketing from American University, and completed postgraduate studies at e underbird School of Global Management. He is uent in ve languages: English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese. Robert has been married for 29 years, and has three adult children between the ages of 21 and 27. He is an Executive Committee board member for both the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and the Campus District, and is chair of the board and a founding member of the Superior Arts Improvement District.
`
— Kevin Kleps
Antonin Robert came to Cleveland 15 years ago to work with GBX Group, which manages investor funds to renovate historic buildings.
One of my roles with GBX is understanding where public policy is going and working with public o cials to create or adapt programs to utilize these tools in a constructive way to provide housing for people at all income levels. Combining historic preservation with housing policy opens up opportunities, especially in cities like Cleveland.
Michelle Shan-Jeschelnig’s business and philanthropic interests have made a material di erence to Northeast Ohio.She moved to Cleveland in 2002 to grow a piece of Northeast Ohio operations for Fives Group, a French industrial conglomerate. In addition, she assisted her husband in growing their family business, Bronx International Inc., into a leader in the supply of oil and gas exploration equipment, according to the nomination.Shan-Jeschnelnig — a native of China — is also deeply involved in the local philanthropic community. According to the nomination, “she believes that art and music are universal and can bring history and culturesFortogether.”example, she’s served on the boards and as a patron of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Orchestra and Front International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art. In a letter supporting her nomination, William Griswold, director of the Cleveland museum, wrote, “Her business sense, passion for the arts and genuine kindness have had a great impact, not only on the Cleveland Museum of Art, but on everyone who has had the good fortune to know her and be touched by her warmth and generosity.”
16 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUGUST 29, 2022 CONGRATULATIONS ELAD GRANOT, PH.D. Dean of the Boler College of Business Named one of Crain’s Cleveland Business 2022 Notable Immigrant Leaders Learn more about Dean Granot and the Boler College of Business at boler.jcu.edu
Antonin Robert’s work at GBX Group respects the past while building the future. GBX partners with property owners, developers and preservationists to buy, renovate and operate historic buildings. GBX manages investor funds and helps partners make best use of federal, state and local incentive programs to adapt an old building for modern-day uses. GBX headquarters is one local example of its work. e rm is headquartered in the Empire Improvement Building, a renovated and updated version of the Keetch Knitting Mills in Cleveland’s Superior Arts District. GBX has completed 135 projects in 21 states, including South Carolina, Utah, Colorado and Ohio.
Talk about how historic preservation can drive a city’s economic well-being. Every project we do, we conduct economic impact studies to determine what we are bringing to the community over and above preserving a cool and culturally important old building. ... People are attracted to a sense of place, to walkable communities.
MICHELLE SHAN-JESCHELNIG Member, Senior Executive Committee Fives Group
— Pat McManamon
` Can historic preservation e ect positive change in a time when commercial real estate demand may not be as high? That’s the million-dollar question. I personally believe in a workplace, but it varies from business to business. ... Using former commercial space as residential space is part of the adaptive reuse. Think of Sherwin-Williams moving to a new headquarters. That opens up several hundred thousand feet of o ce space in an absolutely beautiful historic building.
‘People are attracted to a sense of place’
— Timothy Magaw
Trif arrived in the United States at age 17. He worked at McDonald’s, attended Cuyahoga Community College and then held roles at Costco and UPS before joining Sysco.
For the last two years, Sridhar had been on leave from CSU while working at the National Science Foundation. He worked on the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program, and worked on two programs that support research in promoting inclusion and diversity in STEM education and workforce development.
“He is passionate about access to justice and equity issues,” the nomination said. Sridhar is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Cleveland, and in June 2021, former Mayor Frank Jackson appointed him to the board of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. He also serves on the board for Urban Community School. A resident of the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, Sridhar ensured his daughter was educated in the Cleveland school system. Sridhar earned his undergraduate degree at Birla Institute of Technology & Science in Pilani, India, in 1997. His graduate degree came from Ohio State University in 2004.
President, Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute University Hospitals
It would be an understatement to say that Dr. Mehdi Shishehbor has a come a long way since eeing his native Iran for the U.S. at age 14. Shishehbor left his wartorn home country without his parents to live with a brother in Florida. Over the years, he put himself through college and medical school, rising to international renown as an interventional cardiologist at University Hospitals.
NIGAMANTH SRIDHAR
— Kristine Gill
Since Trif — a native of Romania — joined Sysco eight years ago, he’s held six roles in three cities, all with increasing responsibility. In his current role as vice president of operations, Trif leads a team of more than 300 employees.“Hiswork ethic is unmatched and he is always the rst to help, no matter the situation and regardless of the task,” the nomination said. “During the pandemic, his industry was hit hard, but that did not deter his determination to ensure that our hospitals, nursing homes, schools, etc., always had food for community members.”
“Regardless of the language barrier, he had his sights set high on the American Dream,” the nomination said.
An an immigrant from India, Madhu Sharma has been relentless and compassionate in her pursuit of justice on behalf of refugees, asylum-seekers, migrant farm workers, unaccompanied minors, victims of state-sponsored torture and human tra cking. As executive director of the International Institute of Akron, she is known as the authority on immigrants in Summit County. In 2017, she worked to make the city of Akron a “Welcoming City.” In 2018, she led the legal team sent to represent detained immigrants in Ohio’s ICE raids. In 2021, according to the nomination, she helped provide legal representation to 915 low-income individuals and also helped 350 Afghans with Akron ties as they tried to evacuate following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from theAcountry.human rights attorney in immigration for 24 years, she is a member of the Ohio Refugee Advisory Council and the Ohio chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in Akron. She serves on the advisory board for Arts NOW DEI, the Summit County Racism as a Public Health Crisis Task Force and the University of Akron Arts Advancement Council, among other organizations. Following her commitment to diverse hiring, she now oversees the rst diversity, equity and inclusion initiative at AILA, the nomination said, outlining goals for the organization. DR. MEHDI SHISHEHBOR
AUGUST 29, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 17 CONNECTING THE WORLD TO SHARE FOOD AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER SYSCO’S PURPOSE ©2022 All Rights Reserved. Sysco Corporation. 3397472
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Under his leadership as president, the UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute was named a top-50 facility for cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News and World Report. Shishehbor and his cardiac team also developed a minimally invasive strategy for removing infections in the heart associated with a particular type of endocarditis, according to the nomination.
MADHU SHARMA Executive InternationaldirectorInstitute of Akron
Interim provost and senior vice president/ academic a airs | Cleveland State University Nigamanth Sridhar, recently appointed Cleveland State’s interim provost and senior vice president, has been a vital member of the CSU community since 2004. Sridhar was dean of CSU’s College of Graduate Studies from 2017 to 2020, and before that was a professor of computer science in the Washkewicz College of Engineering.AsSridhartold e Cleveland Stater: “CSU is, and always has been, my home.”
In 2018, Shishehbor created the Limb Salvage Advisory Council (LSAC) to evaluate alternative treatments to amputations and improve outcomes for patients with limb-threatening ischemia, a condition in which blood ow is restricted to parts of the body. As part of his dedication to saving the limbs of vascular disease patients, Shishehbor has trained over 300 local and national physicians on limb-saving techniques. Additionally, he co-founded the Cardiovascular Innovations Foundation, which addresses unmet needs in cardiovascular care via the development of new health care solutions.
“ is servant leadership example is just one way of showcasing how Romeo successfully leads his team,” the nomination said.
— Douglas J. Guth
— Pat McManamon
ROMEO TRIF Vice president, operations Sysco Romeo Trif is the denition of a team player. When the pandemic rocked his industry with unprecedented worker shortages, there were countless days where Trif was out in a semi-truck, delivering on routes, just as any of the other drivers for the restaurant supplier would, according to the nomination.
18 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUG US T 29, 2022
ANNAPURNA VALLURI Chief nancial o cer and treasurer Cleveland Museum of Art Annapurna Valluri’s ca reer has brought her from Wall Street to the nonpro t realm, where she now over sees major budgets and en dowments for one of the world’s most renowned arts institutions.AttheCleveland Museum of Art, Valluri is responsible for a $45 million an nual operating budget and nine- gure endow ment. rough this work, she leads a team in critical administrative tasks such as accounting and risk management. Administrating the oper ating budget of a multisite urban art institution, meanwhile, involves e cient nancial planning. Although new to the arts world, Valluri has deep knowledge around complex investments. At J.P. Morgan, she advised global clients in the banking and wealth fund space. At University Hospitals, Valluri managed a $2.7 billion invest ment portfolio while growing the system’s oper ating, endowment and pension assets.
MARGARET WONG
As a parent of children with vision issues, Vaughan is actively involved outside of the of ce with the Ohio a liate of Prevent Blind ness. In March, the organization awarded him the 2022 People of Vision Award “for his vi sionary leadership and community service.”
Congratulations to Jumpstart's Senior Investing Partner, Hardik Desai, on being named one of Crain's Cleveland Business 2022 Notable Immigrant Leaders. jumpstartinc.org
Margaret Wong has more than 40 years of ex perience in helping indi viduals navigate the highly regulated U.S. immigra tion system. rough de cades in immigration and nationality law, Wong has built an internationally recognized rm known for its successful repre sentation of green-card-seeking clients. Based on her personal struggles in obtaining U.S. citizenship, Wong recognized that both employees and companies needed sound guidance in navigating an arcane and of ten-times frustrating immigration system. To that end, her rm assists clients through a wide variety of spoken languages, including Al banian, Arabic, Cantonese, Creole Patois, Hin di, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Romanian, Spanish and Vietnamese. Wong has assisted many employers in obtaining work permits for their executives, a list that encompasses wellknown companies such as Steris Corp. and Waxman Industries.
Among his other community engagements, Vaughan is chair of the MetroHealth Founda tion board of directors, a member of boards at the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Commis sion on Economic Inclusion and the Burning River Foundation, and a past chair of City Year Cleveland and Providence House.
“Annapurna’s determination, coupled with her experience, has shaped her to be resilient and persevering,” the nomination said. “She is collaborative, keen on making a di erence, and always looking to improve the status quo.”
GARETH VAUGHAN President & CEO AMHigley United Kingdom na tive Gareth Vaughan has lived in the States for more than 30 years, where he has built a prominent career in the construction industry. Vaughan, who holds civil engineering degrees from Nottingham Trent University and the University of Cincinnati, joined AMHigley in 2001 as a regional manager. He was elected president in 2010 and named CEO in 2017. Under Vaughan’s leadership, AMHigley has more than doubled in employee count, o ce locations and annual revenues, according to the nomination. He also implemented the compa ny’s diversity and inclusion initiative, which now includes an academic scholarship with the Uni versity of Akron to focus on the recruitment of diverse intern candidates, with potential fulltime employment after graduation.
Founder and managing partner Margaret W. Wong & Associates
SATISH VISWANATH
— Douglas J. Guth
— Kristine Gill
— Judy Stringer
Assistant professor of biomedical engineering Case Western Reserve University
Peers have named her a “leading lawyer” and “super lawyer,” distinctions reserved for the top 5% of practitioners. “Margaret Wong helps employers obtain work permits for their executives and has as sisted thousands of people in coming to the United States to become permanent residents,” the nomination said. “Her clients come from around the world. She is known for speed, quality, honesty and persistence.”
A native of India who grew up in impover ished conditions, Valluri has worked to give back to her adopted Cleveland community. She couples investment committee work at Beaumont School with similar activity at the United Way of Greater Cleveland and the Ben jamin Rose Institute on Aging. — Douglas J. Guth
Charged with develop ing arti cial intelligence tools to assist clinicians in detecting and diagnos ing disease, and deter mining the best treat ments for patients with gastrointestinal cancers and digestive diseases, Satish Viswanath conducts internationally recognized research through more than $3 million in federal and state grants. He is the author of more than 100 journal publications, 10 patents and one book chap ter, with more than 50 speaking engagements under his belt, according to the nomination. In 2020, he earned a spot on Crain’s 40 Under FortyAfterlist.earning his bachelor's degree in en gineering at Mumbai University in India and a master's degree in medical imaging from the University of Aberdeen, he came to the U.S. to complete his Ph.D. in biomedical en gineering at Rutgers University. As an immigrant, Viswanath takes pride in leading graduate recruitment e orts for the Bio medical Engineering Department at CWRU, where he has expanded e orts to recruit immi grant scholars. As a result, the nomination said, about 50% of his mentees have been immigrants to the United States, and about 40% of his stu dents are women and minority scientists. Viswanath is married with two children. In his spare time, he’s a blogger and podcaster who loves reading books and playing video games.
3,490
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24 FIRSTENERGYCORP., Akron 800-736-3402/ rstenergycorp.com -0.2%4,000 12,1470% Electric utility holding company StevenE.Strah, president, CEO
25 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY, Cleveland 216-368-2000/case.edu 3,868-16% 3,868-16% Private university EricW.Kaler, president
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3,7589.4%
17
AUGUST 29, 2022 | CRAIN’ S CLEVELAND B USINESS | 19 RANKORGANIZATION 1-YEARLOCALCHANGE 1-YEARWORLDCHANGE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE 1 CLEVELAND CLINIC, 216-444-2200/clevelandclinic.orgCleveland 50,846 1 13.8% 63,190-0.1% Health care provider Tomislav"Tom"Mihaljevic, president, CEO 2 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS, 216-844-1000/uhhospitals.orgCleveland 24,462-0.7% 24,474 Health care provider Cli A.Megerian, CEO 3 GROUP MANAGEMENT SERVICESINC., Rich eld 330-659-0100/groupmgmt.com 23,889 2 7.9% 42,591 2 21.5% Bene ts and employment services rm MichaelKahoe, president 4 MINUTE MENCOS., 216-426-9675/minutemenhr.comCleveland 21,680 2 -0.6% 53,227 2 0% Sta ng, workers' compensation administration and employment services JayLucarelli, CEO 5 U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, Washington, 202-606-1800/opm.govD.C. 16,110 3 5% 2,064,433 3 -1.2% Federal government KiranAhuja; MichaelRigas, directors 6 WALMART, Bentonville, 800-925-6278/walmart.comArk. 12,7002.4% 2,300,000 4 0% Operator of retail supercenters, groceries and club stores GlendaFleming Willis, senior VP of operations, north business unit 7 PROGRESSIVECORP., May eld Village 800-776-4737/progressive.com 12,291-4.3% 52,66219.1% Insurance company S.TriciaGri th, president, CEO 8 AMAZON, 206-266-1000/amazon.comAkron 10,510 5 49.3% 1,608,000 6 23.9% Online retailer 9 GIANT EAGLEINC., Bedford 412-967-4551/gianteagle.comHeights -1.2%9,684 34,0000% Multi-format food, fuel and pharmacy retailer BillArtman, president, Supermarket 10 ACCURATE STAFFINGINC., Akron 330-630-0700/accuratesta nginc.com 9,221 2 -7.1% 9,221 2 Employment agency o ering sta ng and recruiting ToddKennedy, president, CEO 11 STATE OF OHIO, 614-466-2000/ohio.govColumbus -1.7%7,602 44,546-1.3% State government MikeDeWine, governor 12 CUYAHOGA COUNTY, 216-443-7220/cuyahogacounty.usCleveland -1.8%7,201 -1.8%7,201 County government ArmondBudish, county executive 13 THE METROHEALTH SYSTEM, Cleveland 216-778-7800/metrohealth.org 6,9790.4% 6,9790.4% Health care provider AkramBoutros, president, CEO 14 CITY OF CLEVELAND, 216-664-2406/clevelandohio.govCleveland -4.3%6,935 -4.3%6,935 Municipal government JustinM.Bibb, mayor 15
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21 AKRON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, Akron 330-543-1000/akronchildrens.org -13.2%4,637 -12.8%4,748 Pediatric health care provider ChristopherGessner, president, CEO
AKRON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 330-761-1661/akronschools.comAkron 3,7589.4% Public school district ChristineFowler-Mack, superintendent 27 FORD MOTORCO., Brook Park 313-322-3000/ford.com 7 0% 183,000 6 -1.6% Automobile manufacturer KevinHeck, plant manager, Cleveland Engine Plant; Jason Moore, plant manager, Ohio Assembly Plant NESTLEUSA, 440-349-5757/nestleusa.comSolon
22 THE SHERWIN-WILLIAMSCO., 216-566-2000/sherwin-williams.comCleveland 4,5820.3% 57,2312.2% Manufacturer of paint, coatings and related products JohnG.Morikis, chairman, CEO
3,1910.2% 14,051 Food and beverage company StevePresley, chairman and CEO, Nestle USA 29 HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK, Cleveland 800-480-2265/huntington.com -12.7%3,136 20,143-8.6% Banking and nancial services company SeanP.Richardson, regional president, Cleveland 100 LARGEST NORTHEAST OHIO EMPLOYERSCRAIN'S LIST | Ranked by full-time equivalent employees in Northeast Ohio FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF - JUNE 30, 2022 NOTES: 1. IncludesMercyHospitalinStarkCounty.ThehospitalbecamepartoftheClevelandClinicinearly2021butwasnotincludedinitsJune2021employment gure. 2. Thisisasta ng rm;thevastmajorityoftheseemployeesworkonbehalf ofothercompanies. 3. AsofFebruary2022. 4. Totalemployment. 5. EstimatefromMWPVLInternational;totalpermanentemploymentfordistributioncentersonly. 6. TotalemploymentasofDecember2021. 7. TotalemploymentatClevelandEngine Plant and Ohio Assembly Plant.
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SUMMA HEALTH, 330-375-3000/summahealth.orgAkron -1.4%6,275 6,2882.5% Health care provider Cli Deveny, president, CEO MERCY HEALTH, 513-952-5000/mercy.comCincinnati 6,1867.5% 40,007 Health care provider JohnLuellen, market president, Mercy Health Lorain and Youngstown
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY, Kent 330-672-3000/kent.edu 4,3181.4% 4,6131.4% Public university ToddDiacon, president
19
CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT, 216-838-0000/clevelandmetroschools.orgCleveland -0.1%5,784 -0.1%5,784 Public school district EricS.Gordon, CEO KEYCORP, 216-689-6300/key.comCleveland 5,7291.4% 18,5278.2% Banking and nancial services company ChristopherM.Gorman, chairman, CEO AULTMAN HEALTH FOUNDATION, Canton 330-452-9911/aultman.org 4,878 5,058 Health care provider RickHaines, CEO SWAGELOKCO., 440-248-4600/swagelok.comSolon 11.4%4,830 10.2%6,094 Manufacturer of industrial uid system products and assemblies ThomasF.Lozick, chairman, CEO
23
transmission system components and electric mobility products MarcL.McGrath
Americas 55
37
35
36
2,9051.3%
2,042-1%
32 GOODYEAR
38
RandallScheps,
33
CareyJaros
Manufacturer
2,100 4
42 THE
,
MEDICAL MUTUAL OF OHIO, Cleveland 216-687-7000/medmutual.com -4.7%2,233 -7.4%2,688 Health insurance company StevenC.Glass, president, CEO STERIS, 440-354-2600/steris.comMentor 2,1129% 16,7674.8% Infection prevention products and services provider DanielA.Carestio, president, CEO GOJO INDUSTRIESINC., Akron 330-255-6000/gojo.com -6.3% 2,400 4 -17.1% of skin health and surface hygiene products , president, CEO; MarcellaKanfer Rolnick, executive chair CLEVELAND REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY, 216-621-9500/riderta.comCleveland 2,042-1% Public transit agency IndiaBirdsong, general manager, CEO LUBRIZOLCORP., Wickli e 440-943-4200/lubrizol.com -5.2%2,022 -2.3%8,358 Specialty chemical company MaryRhinehart, chair, interim CEO AVERY DENNISON, 440-534-6000/averydennison.comMentor 14.5%2,015 32,769-0% Materials science company specializing in labeling/functional materials , VP and GM, Label and Graphic Materials North America REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, Sandusky 419-557-7400/ 330-668-5000/signetjewelers.comAkron OF AKRON 330-375-2316/akronohio.govAkron SOUTHWEST GENERAL HEALTHCARE SMUCKERCO. 330-682-3000/jmsmucker.comOrrville COUNTY 440-329-5000/loraincountyohio.govElyria AEROSPACE 216-641-3600/howmet.comCleveland , president, Engineered Merrick Murphy, president, Engine Products; president, GROUPUSA, Wooster 330-264-4383/schae of , CEO,
-3.5%1,694
34
20 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUG US T 29, 2022 RANKORGANIZATION 1-YEARLOCALCHANGE 1-YEARWORLDCHANGE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION
1,7490.5% 1,7490.5% County government MichelleHung; DavidJMoore; MattLundy, commissioners 53 HOWMET
, Middleburg Heights 440-816-8000/swgeneral.com -4.6%1,811 -4.6%1,812 Health care provider WilliamA.YoungJr., president, CEO 48 ROCKWELL AUTOMATIONINC., May eld Heights 440-646-5000/rockwellautomation.com 1,8071.9% 25,0004.2% Provider of industrial automation control and information solutions MattFordenwalt, VP, GM, Systems & Solutions; Matheus Bulho, VP, GM, Production Automation 50 EMBASSY
43
,
Structures;
TOP SUMMIT COUNTY, 330-643-2520/co.summitoh.netAkron 3,08613% County government IleneShapiro, county executive MTD PRODUCTSINC., Valley 330-225-2600/mtdproducts.comCity 1 0% Manufacturer of outdoor power equipment
31
LOCAL EXECUTIVE 30
ChristopherL.Mapes, chairman, president, CEO DISCOUNT DRUG MARTINC., 330-725-2340/discount-drugmart.comMedina 3,0367.1% Regional drug store chain DonBoodjeh, CEO HOME DEPOT, 770-433-8211/homedepot.comAtlanta 2 0% 490,600 3 -2.8% Home improvement retailer CrystalHanlon, division president, northern CLEVELAND-CLIFFSINC., Cleveland 216-694-5700/clevelandcli s.com 2,4502.1% 26,5006% Flat-rolled steel producer C.LourencoGoncalves, chairman, president, CEO KEN GANLEY COS.LLC(GANLEY AUTO GROUP), Broadview 440-584-8202/ganleyauto.comHeights 2,307 Auto dealership group KennethG.Ganley, president, CEO
40
41 GREATER
1,980 2 0% 30,856 3 15.4% Jewelry retailer VirginiaC.Drosos, CEO 46 CITY
2,2502.2%
1,8281.3% 1,8281.3% Municipal government DanielHorrigan, mayor 47
relands.com 2,000 2,000 Health care provider JeremyNormington-Slay, president, CEO 45 SIGNET JEWELERS,
,
Forged Wheels 54 SCHAEFFLER
3,08613%
RichardJ.Kramer, chairman, president, CEO LINCOLN ELECTRIC HOLDINGS, Euclid 216-481-8100/lincolnelectric.com -0.1%2,750 11,0002.8% Manufacturer of arc welding, cutting and robotic products
-3.5%1,759 -3.7%6,690 Packaged food, co ee and pet food manufacturer MarkT.Smucker, chairman, president, CEO 52 LORAIN
er.us 1,700-15% 83,000 Manufacturer
2,500
39
44 FIRELANDS
,
UNIVERSITY OF AKRON, Akron 330-972-7111/uakron.edu -3.5%1,694
Public urban research university GaryL.Miller, president 56 HEINEN'SINC., Warrensville Heights 216-475-2300/heinens.com -4.9%1,653 1,889 Grocery store chain Je reyHeinen; TomHeinen, co-presidents 57 HYLAND, 440-788-4988/hyland.comWestlake -7.3%1,638 4,5006.6% Content services software developer BillPriemer, president, CEO 58 TIMKENSTEELCORP., Canton 330-471-7000/timkensteel.com -5.8%1,631 1,750-7% Customized alloy steel products and services provider MichaelS.Williams, president, CEO 100 LARGEST NORTHEAST OHIO EMPLOYERSCRAIN'S LIST | Ranked by full-time equivalent employees in Northeast Ohio FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF - JUNE 30, 2022 NOTES: 1. As of March 2021. 2. As of June 2021. 3. Total employment as of January 2022. 4. As of March 2022.
JeroenDiderich
RobertT.Moll, chairman, president, CEO TIRE & RUBBERCO., Akron 330-796-2121/goodyear.com 71,1912.8% Tire manufacturer
, Beachwood 216-378-2050/embassyhealthcare.net 1,80050% 3,8008.6% Short- and long-term skilled nursing, assisted living AaronHandler, president; GeorgeRepchick, CEO 49 PARKER HANNIFINCORP., May eld Heights 216-896-3000/parker.com 1,8000% 55,0900.8% Provider of motion and control technologies ThomasL.Williams, chairman, CEO 51 THE J.M.
1,7444.6% 19,9001% Engineered metal manufacturing company for aerospace and transportation RamiroGutierrez
3,000
2,6475%
73 UNITEDHEALTHCARE
-13.7%1,100 30,0000% Less-than-truckload freight transportation provider ScottMcCormick, area vice president 83 EATON,
1,2486.6% 4,172-5% Manufacturer
84 NOMS
DIEBOLD NIXDORFINC., 330-490-4000/dieboldnixdorf.comHudson 1,3406.3% 22,0000% Financial, retail self-service technology and services provider OctavioMarquez, president, CEO , Cleveland 800-468-5001/uhc.com 1,3000% 350,000 Health insurance provider NealGrode JOANNINC., 330-656-2600/joann.comHudson ENTERPRISESINC. Warren 330-856-3176/covelli.com FOODSLLC, 330-834-4030/shearers.comMassillon of snack foods , chairman, CEO COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Cleveland 216-987-6000/tri-c.edu -1.7%1,243 -1.7%1,243 college MichaelBaston, president STATE UNIVERSITY, Youngstown 330-941-3000/ysu.edu university JamesTressel, president CARDINAL HEALTH AT-HOME(EDGEPARK) 330-668-1400/infocision.comAkron 800-610-6500/myyellow.comAkron 440-523-5000/eaton.comBeachwood , chairman, CEO HEALTHCARE, 419-626-6161/nomshealthcare.comSandusky 1,090 Independent multi-specialty physician group , president, CEO LAKES CHEESE, 440-834-2500/greatlakescheese.comHiram 3,6781% Packager and manufacturer of natural and processed cheese , president, CEO INTERNATIONALINC., Medina 330-273-5090/rpminc.com 1,0805.2% 16,8008.4% Provider of specialty coatings, sealants and building materials FrankC.Sullivan, chairman, CEO GENERAL MOTORSCO., Parma 216-265-5000/gm.com -2.3%1,058 166,1007.2% Automobile manufacturer KareemMaine, Parma plant director MEDINA COUNTY, 330-722-9264/medinaco.orgMedina -1.1%1,016 -1.1%1,016 County government StephenD.Hambley; ColleenM.Swedyk; WilliamHutson, commissioners 89 ASSOCIATED MATERIALSLLC, Cuyahoga Falls 330-929-1811/associatedmaterials.com -3%997 4,7340.9% Manufacturer of exterior building products JamesF.Drexinger, CEO
, executive director, Northern Ohio 74
1,110 2 22.2% 2,401 2 -7.4% Telemarketing/direct marketing rm CraigTaylor, CEO; KarenTaylor, board chair 82 YELLOWCORP.,
Community
1,179 1,179 Public
18.3%1,090
85 GREAT
1,0876.6%
,
JoshuaG.Frederick
1,263 2 14.8% 13,052 2 Franchisee of bakery-cafe fast casual restaurants SamCovelli, CEO 76 SHEARER'S
DanZagzebski
86 RPM
77 CUYAHOGA
78 YOUNGSTOWN
, Twinsburg 330-963-6996/cardinalhealth.com 1,150 3 -0.9% Provider of medical supplies delivered directly to consumers RobSchlissberg, president, Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions 79 JPMORGAN CHASE &CO., Cleveland 800-935-9935/chase.com 10.7%1,150 285,894 Banking and nancial services company DaveAllen, executive director, J.P. Morgan Private Bank 81 INFOCISION,
87
88
AUGUST 29, 2022 | CRAIN’ S CLEVELAND B USINESS | 21 RANKORGANIZATION 1-YEARLOCALCHANGE 1-YEARWORLDCHANGE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE 59 WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE, Deer eld, Ill. 847-315-3700/walgreens.com 1,5311.3% 315,000 1 -4.8% Retail pharmacy chain StefanoPessina, executive chairman; RosalindBrewer, CEO 60 WESTFIELD, West eld Center 330-887-0101/west eldinsurance.com -6.4%1,509 2,3452% Property and casualty insurance and nancial services company EdwardLargent, president, CEO, board chair 61 CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES, Ashland 419-289-8700/criver.com 14.2%1,508 20,1784.1% Contract research organization EricaLashley, corporate vice president, regional general manager 62 JACK ENTERTAINMENT, 216-297-4777/jackentertainment.comCleveland 1,469 1,469 Gaming and hospitality company BrianEby, president 63 ERNST & YOUNGLLP, Cleveland 216-861-5000/ey.com 1,435-3% 312,2504.4% Assurance, consulting, tax and strategy and transaction services rm MonteRepasky, Cleveland o ce managing partner; Aaron Swartz, Akron o ce managing partner 64 LAKE COUNTY, 440-350-2745/lakecountyohio.orgPainesville 1,4280.4% 1,4280.4% County government MarkTyler; JohnPlecnik; JohnHamercheck, commissioners 65 DOMINION ENERGY OHIO, 800-362-7557/dominionenergy.comCleveland 1,4090.8% 17,276 Natural gas distributor JimE.Eck, VP, GM, Ohio & West Virginia Distribution 66 MAHONING COUNTY, 330-740-2130/mahoningcountyoh.govYoungstown -5.1%1,402 -5.1%1,402 County government CarolRimedio-Righetti, president, board of county commissioners 67 CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY, Cleveland 216-687-2000/csuohio.edu -0.7%1,395 -0.7%1,395 Public university LauraJ.Bloomberg, president 68 THE SCOTT FETZERCO., 440-892-3000/scottfetzer.comWestlake 11.1%1,386 10.7%2,168 Diversi ed manufacturer BobMcBride, president, CEO 69 PARMA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, 440-842-5300/parmacityschools.orgParma 1,3770.8% 1,3770.8% Public school district CharlesSmialek, superintendent 70 BWX TECHNOLOGIESINC., Euclid 216-912-3000/bwxt.com 1,3502.3% 6,7000% Pressure vessels, steam generators and electromechanical parts provider MarkA.Huber, general manager 71 PPG, 412-434-3131/ppg.comCleveland 1,3460% 50,0000% Paint, coatings and specialty materials company JesusValencia, Cleveland plant manager 72
80
-10.2%1,097 87,000-9.4% Manufacturer of electrical, aerospace and vehicle products CraigArnold
FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF - JUNE 30, 2022 NOTES: 1. Total employment as of August 2021. 2. As of March 2022. 3. 2021 employment within Twinsburg; from city's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
BillNictakis
-15.7%1,264 5,172 Craft and fabric retailer WadeD.Miquelon, president, CEO 75 COVELLI
22 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUG US T 29, 2022 Inova Staf ng Services May eld Heights, OH www.inovastaf216.896.5602 ng.com In honor of 30 years of operation, inovastafsectors.manufacturing,lightrelationshipsandStaftoitscompanyremainandItsInovaannounceServicesagencyOhio-basedNortheastemploymentIntegrityStafngisexcitedtoitsrebrandtoStafngServices.leadership,workforce,serviceofferingswillunchangedasthecontinuestooffercollaborativeapproachstafngnationwide.InovangServiceshasbuiltmaintainedlastingthroughouttheindustrial,warehouse,andofceLearnmoreatwww.ng.com. NAME CHANGES Dooley McLaughlinGembalaPecora Shef eld, O’Toolewww.dooleygembala.com440.930.4001OHMcLaughlinDooley & Pecora is pleased to announce its expansion and name change. Now known as Dooley Gembala McLaughlin Pecora, the rm has grown steadily over the past 90 years as a result of its commitment to a wide-ranging nationwide client base, including businesses, manufacturers, government agencies and utilities, and likewise to the dedicated domestic relations, estate planning and employee advocacy practice groups that serve individuals in our community. The rm’s expansion includes two new partners, elder law specialists Carmen Verhosek and Gayle Reeves, and associate attorneys Dan Kloos and Pam Urwin. While the name is changing, the reputation for exceptional client service and advocacy is not. NAME CHANGES Laura (732)lpicariello@crain.comReprintsPicarielloSalesManager723-0569CONTACT Plaques • Crystal keepsakes Frames • Other Promotional Items NEWS?BIG Announce a corporate milestone or merger. Go ahead and brag. COMPANIES ON THE MOVE To place your listing, visit www.clevelandbusiness.com/companymoves or contact Debora Stein at 917.226.5470 / dstein@crain.comADVERTISINGSECTION RANKORGANIZATION 1-YEARLOCALCHANGE 1-YEARWORLDCHANGE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE 90 SAINT-GOBAINCORP., 440-836-6900/saint-gobain-northamerica.comSolon 992 15,270 1 Building materials company JeanAngus, CEO, life sciences 91 PROMEDICA SENIOR CARE, 567-585-5000/promedicaseniorcare.orgToledo 976 44,000 Senior living services provider ReneeHamilton, regional director of operations 92 DANBURY SENIOR LIVING, North 330-497-6565/danburyseniorliving.comCanton 952 2 0% Senior living provider o ering independent living, assisted living and memory care AndyHarpster, chief operating o cer 93 PORTAGE COUNTY, 330-297-3600/co.portage.oh.usRavenna -4%948 -4%948 County government AnthonyBadalamenti; VickiA.Kline; SabrinaChristianBennett, commissioners 94 THE DAVEY TREE EXPERTCO., Kent 330-673-9511/davey.com 4.1%908 11,1365.1% Tree services, grounds maintenance and consulting services rm PatrickM.Covey, chairman, president, CEO 95 THE TIMKENCO., North 234-262-3000/timken.comCanton 0.2%884 18,0005.9% Manufacturer of engineered bearings and power transmission products RichardG.Kyle, president, CEO 96 DAVE'S SUPERMARKETS / LUCKY'S MARKETS, Bedford 216-763-3200/davesmarkets.comHeights 9.9%875 8.4%919 Supermarket operator DanielSaltzman, president 97 FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF CLEVELAND, Cleveland 216-579-2000/clevelandfed.org -8.7%857 1,1435.7% U.S. central bank LorettaJ.Mester, president, CEO 98 SHAKER HEIGHTS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, Shaker 216-295-1400/shaker.orgHeights 1.7%857 1.7%857 Public school district DavidGlasner, superintendent 99 LEAF HOME, 800-290-6106/leafhome.comHudson 10.6%853 65.6%2,859 Direct-to-consumer provider of home solutions Je Housenbold, president, CEO 100 THIRD FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN, Cleveland 800-844-7333/thirdfederal.com 1.8%842 1,0011% Savings and loan MarcA.Stefanski, chairman, president, CEO 100 LARGEST NORTHEAST OHIO EMPLOYERSCRAIN'S LIST | Ranked by full-time equivalent employees in Northeast Ohio FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF - JUNE 30, 2022 ResearchbyChuckSoder(csoder@crain.com) |Informationisfromtheorganization,includingwebsitesandpublic lings,unlessotherwisenoted.Topreventties, rmswiththesamenumberoflocalemployeesarethenrankedbytotalsta . Listedcitiesinmostcasesrepresentthelocationoftheorganization'sprimarylocalo ce,thoughafeworganizationsheadquarteredelsewherelistcitiesoutsideNortheastOhio.Inafewcasesthelocalexecutivelistedoverseesthelocaloperationbut is not based locally.NOTES: 1. North America only. 2. As of June 2021. Get 159 employers and nearly 1,000 executives in Excel format. Become a Data Member: CrainsCleveland.com/data
e latest installment judged nearly 1,500 universities o ering undergraduate degrees using its own algorithm that weighs 17 different categories to varying degrees, including graduation rates, faculty resources and how much alumniKaler’sdonate.CWRU ties at No. 42 in the best national university category. It’s the highest ranking in Ohio. Yet he said there aren’t necessarily a lot of tangible bene ts. Palpable rewards regarding research funding “are really not there,” Kaler said. Perhaps it could boost alumni and giving support, too, but Kaler believes alumni are already loyal. e biggest impact could be to lure in more applicants. But after the university received nearly 40,000 applicants last year, the institution “isn’t suffering for those,” he said. “ ese are part of higher education life,” he said of rankings. “ ey are what they are. We just encourage people to look beyond them and be more thoughtful and deeper thinking about what's right for their students.”
from
LIST ANALYSIS Big employers embrace hybrid work, still try to lure people to o ce BY CHUCK SODER Happy medium SOURCE:
Chuck Soder: csoder@crain.com, (216) 771-5374, @ChuckSoder Crain’s list; responses full digital version, which includes
While Cardona didn’t name names, it’s believed he was pointing at rankings produced by U.S News and World Report. e publication began publishing the rankings in 1983. Now, o cials there say the lists help readers “make one of the most important decisions of your life.”
Stephen Ward works at Kent State University — tied for both the No. 213 national university as well as the No. 107 top public college — as the vice president of communications and marketing. He thinks it’d be “disingenuous”
One way to compare institutions is by looking at college rankings. Love them or hate them, college o cials can’t ignore what has grown into a behemoth in the higher education landscape. “Too often, our best-resourced schools are chasing rankings that mean little on measures that truly count: college completion, economic mobility, narrowing gaps in access to opportunity for all Americans,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said during an August address. “ at system of ranking is a joke!”
Amy Morona: amy.morona@crain. com, (216) 771-5229, @AmyMorona
159 companies | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS GRAPHIC Regarding Northeast Ohio employees who began working remotely when the pandemic began: How many days per week are they required to work from the o ce? There were 34 respondents. None 2 One day 1 Two days 6 Three days 8 Four days 1 Five days 4 Special occasions only 2 We're still deciding 4 In the o ce amid the pandemic 6
includes
AUGUST 29, 2022 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 23 Get more with WithAncora.proprietaryinvestment strategies, wealth planning and retirement plan solutions - we help you get more out of life. 216-825-4000 / www.ancora.net
for a university to maintain it doesn’t care about rankings. e di erence comes, he said, in how aggressive institutions are in pursuing them. He’s seen presidents’ reports come in from out-of-market schools, college magazines from faraway campuses hit a desk. at’s essentially campaigning. And it’s important, because 20% of the U.S. News ratings come from something called a peer assessment, where people at one university rank those at Ward,another.whoarrived at KSU in July, recently walked around its main campus with university president Todd Diacon as rst-year students moved into dorms. e stroll turned into an unscienti c focus group, of sorts.O cials asked students how many other institutions they looked at (about three or four) and what drew them to Kent (how they felt on campus, personal impressions). Zero students mentioned rankings. Messaging to prospective students more strongly highlights other things, he said, like academic rigor and faculty and sta . But it’s not to say rankings don’t come up. Indeed, they're highlighted on the university’s website.
Case Western Reserve University president Eric Kaler and his wife, Karen, talk with a student during rst-year move-in. The university holds Ohio’s highest ranking on the U.S. News list of top national universities.
CASE
“If along the way we tuck in a message about our U.S. News rankings or how we stack up with other schools in Ohio or from some of the other states the students were coming from, you know, that's what we do,” he said. “But it's de nitely not the be all, end Notreall.”Dame College isn’t interested in chasing rankings, according to its president, J. Michael Pressimone. He doesn’t believe it’s worth the investment in resources to get there. e South Euclid campus reported about 1,140 full-time students last fall. About 40% are students of color. It falls somewhere between No. 119 and No. 157 in the U.S. News list of best regional universities in the Midwest.“If we focus on rankings, that means we're not focusing on our students (and) each individual student,” heRankingssaid. weren’t even brought up during the college’s recent strategic planning process. Other numbers were, though. One of the college’s main goals, Pressimone said, is to focus on boosting its retention rates.
Some of Northeast Ohio’s largest employers are happy to schedule social activities to lure employees back to the o ce, but o ering commuter stipends may be a toll booth too far.
RANKINGS
While collecting data for Crain’s annual 100 Largest Northeast Ohio Employers list, we asked employers on the extended Excel version of the list — which unlike the print version includes 159 organizations — a few questions about how they’re navigating the new world of remote work. ey are certainly embracing it, at least in moderation, but many are still looking for ways to get people back in the o ce, judging by how they answered these questions: Regarding Northeast Ohio employees who began working remotely when the pandemic began: On average, how many days per week are they currently required to work from the o ce? Out of 34 nongovernmental employers who answered the question, 58.8% are allowing at least some remote work. And many of them fall in the middle: e most popular answer was three days a week with eight responses — closely followed by two days a week with six (which was tied for second place with “NA: We worked in the o ce through the pandemic”). e percentage would be much lower, however, if we included governmental employers. We excluded them because most of those respondents deliver services in person, such as school districts. Of course, just because your employer lets you work from home doesn’t mean they wouldn’t love to see your smiling face in person a little more often. Which is why we also asked this question: Regarding your Northeast Ohio ofce(s): Since the pandemic began what bene ts, if any, has your organization added speci cally to encourage employees to come into the o ce? (Choose all that apply) Again, we got rid of governmental employers, and this time we also excluded responses from people who already said they don’t allow remote work.at left us with 26 employers. ough most of them said they’ve at least tried something to get people to come into the o ce, the most popular single answer was, “We have not added any However,incentives.”nineofthose 26 employers said they’ve added social events, and nine others have improved their workspaces either by moving/renovating (six respondents) or adding new furniture or in-o ce technology (three respondents). Five others said they’ve added food and beverage programs. But don’t expect help with gas or parking: Exactly zero picked “TransportationGranted,support.”those26 employers may not represent all large employers, but employers elsewhere are adding similar bene ts to draw people back to the o ce, according to a global survey conducted in April 2022 by Envoy, a software company serving employers with hybrid workforces. Of the 800 executives they surveyed, 88% said their companies are o ering some sort of incentive to return to the o ce. Food and beverage programs was the most popular choice (56%), while incentives related to social events, company events and o ce improvements hovered around 40%. “Commuter benets” was much lower at 17.7%. A separate Envoy survey of more than 1,000 U.S. employees in late 2021 listed “Long or expensive commutes” as employees’ No. 1 concern about returning to the o ce. As for the list ... e Cleveland Clinic as always is No. 1 on the list, with more than 50,000 fulltime equivalent Northeast Ohio employees — up 13.8% from last year, as this year’s gures include Mercy Hospital in Stark County, which joined the Clinic in early 2021 but wasn’t included in last year’s gure. But the company at No. 8 grew much faster: Employment at local Amazon distribution centers grew by roughly 50% to about 10,500, according to estimates from supply chain consulting rm MWPVL International. at estimate represents total permanent employment, not full-time equivalent employment, which is what most companies report. e last company to squeeze onto the print version at No. 100 was ird Federal Savings and Loan, with 842 local full-time equivalent employees. Combined local employment for all 159 companies on the full Excel list grew 2.5%, but it was at if you exclude the Cleveland Clinic and Amazon. e full Excel version is available exclusively to Crain's Data Members. To learn more, visit CrainsCleveland. com/data.
MATT SHIFFLER FOR WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
From Page 1
survey, 100 Largest Northeast Ohio Employers
Business today Total wine sales may have flat tened a bit following some pickup during the COVID-19 outbreak — when people seemed to be imbib ing more and opted for packaged drinks at home. But growth is still happening.Wineaccounted for approxi mately 17% of alcohol consumption in 2020 (spirits accounted for 38% and beer 45%), according to the 2022 State of the U.S. Wine Industry Report from Silicon Valley Bank. Wine’s share of alcohol consump tion 20 years ago was about 14%. After COVID hit, wineries had to temporarily close tasting rooms and limit gatherings, just as other businesses did. But they were otherwise rather well-suited to consumer needs during and following the public health crisis, as consumers sought out the outdoor spaces prevalent at so many wineries, regardless of whether they have their own vine yards.This helped expand the customer base in Ohio, where wine is simply one offering paired with something else — crafted entrees, snacks and small plates, scenic landscapes, outdoor music or other events. “Wineries that took advantage of the situation saw this and adjusted because of the pandemic,” said Todd Steiner, enology program manager and outreach specialist with the College of Food, Agricul ture and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University. “We saw them not just survive but come out evenGervasibetter.”Vineyard has branded it self as a winery resort at its 55-acre estate in Canton, which includes outdoor event spaces, restaurants and tasting rooms, a distillery and a swanky hotel. Its wedding and restaurant sides were decimated in theButpandemic.business
“Market saturation is absolutely a concern for everyone,” Crowley said. “But if you make a good product that is reasonably priced, you should do great. And if you create the right ex perience, then you’ll have enough tra c and interest to succeed.”
`
there is effectively back to normal, said Scott Swaldo, CEO of Gervasi’s parent company, GV“WeDestinations.areabsolutely in the experi ence business, and I often say that wine, food and spirits are the core of that,” Swaldo said. “We have de signed our entire brand around ex periences.”Andthat approach seems to be payingGervasidividends.standsout for the variety of offerings. But this overall focus on the customer experience is ben efiting wineries large and small. This points to something presti gious California wineries could probably do better, according to wine business analyst Rob McMil lan, founder of Silicon Valley Bank’s wine division and author of its an nual State of the U.S. Wine Industry report.Compared with a serious Califor nia winery that may lack a restau rant and specialize in only a select few wines — while charging some thing like a $60 tasting fee per per son — Ohio wineries do well at making wine approachable, afford able and part of the broader con sumer experience. They also tend to offer a wide variety of styles from sweet fruit wines and specialty ice wines to dry whites. California may be the country’s premier wine market. But one thing Ohio has going for it, McMillan said, is that it’s attracting new peo ple to wine and wineries. “The question is, are we making and selling wine, or using wine as a pretext for having events and other things and selling those? The an swer now is, you are really selling both,” McMillan said. “And com pared to California, Ohio has a dif ferent economy. But Ohio is attract ing younger consumers because it is not just about the wine. They de liver it at lower prices and deliver an experience at the same time. And that’s fun.” Industry expansion As far as newer wineries and their operators coming into the fold, the motivations vary, but each seem to sense a market opportunity. at is what brought Mikael Sneward to Firelands Winery in San dusky. After working as a wine and spirits salesperson and consultant in California for 18 years, Sneward agreed to join Firelands as president when it was acquired by Schi Capi tal Group of Columbus in 2019. L’uva Bella Winery in Lowellville, near Youngstown, was taken over by partners and owners Marisa Sergi and Evan Schumann as Sergi’s par ents, the winery’s previous owners, leaned into retirement. e couple has been investing signi cantly in ex panding the business on the produc tion side and refreshing its restau rant.Zach and Allison Ritterspach re cently completed a $30,000 crowd funding campaign to support their new orchard and cidery — which op erates with a winemaking license — Northwest Territory Cider Co. in Chagrin Falls. It’s a dream business the duo is uniquely situated for, with Zach’s love of apples and (hard) cider that he’s been making at home and Allison’s restaurant expertise.
A couple enjoys wine at Gervasi Vineyard in Canton. CONTRIBUTED
` Between 1861 and 1865, the state’s wine industry su ered from diseases hitting grape vines and a reduction in labor amid the Civil War.
`
A turning point occurred in the late 1960s with the introduction of French-American grape hybrids. Hybrids are important to Ohio as they can be crafted to be more resistant to pests and disease.
Crowley said she’d rather be working with the vines and wines then sitting on the beach in the future, anyway.
` There are ve American Viticulure Areas in Ohio: Lake Erie; Isle of St. George; Grand River Valley; Ohio River Valley; and Loramie Creek.
Jeremy Nobile: jnobile@crain.com, (216) 771-5362, @JeremyNobile
` As of 2020, wine grapes grown in Ohio were: 37% vinifera; 35% hybrids; 28% natives. Ohio wines not made with these are produced with juice and fruits imported from other markets.
The rst commercially successful winery in the country was founded in 1830 by Nicholas Longworth near Cincinnati, with a focus on the native red Catawba grape.
Melinda Huntley, executive direc tor for the Ohio Travel Association, referred to the drive for seeking out local, independent food and bever age o erings as part of a demand for “culinary tourism.”
Hocking Hills Winery opened in 2013 and has enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the nearby park outside Columbus, said CEO Blaine Davidson. Now, the winery is plan ning to expand with a second loca tion in downtown Logan in an area yearning for revitalization. e proj ect, called 58 West, will include fa cilities for making beer and spirits as well as a proper restaurant.
` Ohio is home to at least 375 wineries that are in operation today compared with 77 in 2000, and there are another 57 in planning stages.
Kathy Crowley has been working on the launch of Emerita Winery in Madison — which is not yet open to the public — with her partner Ann Moore, which includes tending to some young grapevines. Crowley is an IT director for Ohio Savings Bank and a gardening enthusiast who has studied viticulture and enology through Kent State University, and Moore is a retired HR professional. e winery is intended to be their second career, and one that gets them away from an o ce setting.
` Prohibition would later be a death knell for the industry. After its repeal, wineries began to pop up again around the Great Lakes.
“My thought is if we get 70,000 people in the tasting room now, if we get tra c into downtown Logan, the economic impact would be huge not only for us but the surrounding businesses and maybe be a catalyst to spur some other action down there,” Davidson said. Drawing visitors to rural areas, where people spend money at other businesses, is another bene t that tends to come with these blossom ing wineries. The tourism component
WINE From Page 1
Ohio Wine Country marketing is prevalent not just within the market but all of Ohio’s contiguous states, MacLaren said, with a particular fo cus on cities including Columbus and Pittsburgh. “ ere has been this trend in the last few years were people want out door activities,” he added. “ ey’re also looking for local food and drink, and wineries are very much part of that.”at trend was gaining traction even before COVID, but the pandem ic further spurred those interests.
24 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUG US T 29, 2022 is is validated by the medals Ohio wines increasingly earn at stag es that include the renowned San Francisco Chronicle International Wine
At the time of the last economic study completed in 2016 (a new study is in the works) for the Ohio Grape Industries Committee, Ohio’s wine and wine grape business sector represented an estimated economic impact of $1.3 billion and more than 8,000ejobs.industry is a signi cant con tributor to the state’s tourism sector that represented an estimated eco nomic impact of $47 billion in 2021, and Ohio o cials are leaning into that. ere now are seven branded wine trails in the state, which both encom pass and expand beyond Ohio’s ve designated American Viticulture Ar eas, including the Grand River Valley in the northeast and the Isle of St. George AVA in the northwest. ese growing regions in particu lar thrive in part because of the tem perature-moderating in uence of Lake Erie, which have helped them become home to dozens of wineries, such as Debonné Vineyards and Fire lands Winery, along with dozens more on the fringes of the state’s larg er metros — though urban wineries have become more popular in recent years as Recognizingwell. this, TourismOhio has begun promoting the northeast portion of the state as “Ohio Wine Country.”ename has been out there for a couple of years in the area. However, 2022 is the rst time the group — whose consumer-facing name is “Ohio. Find it Here” — put marketing e orts behind that branding. “ e production has gone up, along with the number of wineries and patios and tasting rooms,” said TourismOhio director Matt MacLar en. “ ey have really made them selves a destination.”
A history of Ohio’s wine industry
SOURCE Elevating the Growing Ohio Grape and Wine Industry Through Enhanced Extension E orts 2022 report, Ohio State University; Ohio Wine Producers Association
BeyondCompetition.theproducts themselves, wineries are excelling at enticing and impressing guests amid some trends in consumer preferences that bode well for the Donniellaindustry.Winchell has led the Ohio Wine Producers Association for 44 years. When she started, Ohio had just 17 Today,wineries.thestate has at least 375 wineries in operation and applica tions pending for another 57. ere are nearly as many wineries in the state as craft breweries, which topped 400 in operation this spring. Much of that growth has taken place in the last several years. Ohio had 77 wineries in 2000 and 265 in 2016.“ e explosion is out of control, and it’s phenomenal,” Winchell said. “ e state of the Ohio industry is promising, and we have the potential for a really bright future. We just need to nd ways to ful ll the opportuni ties that are out there.”
“We may think of that primarily as food and restaurants, but it’s also wine and spirits,” Huntley said. “We are seeing this with the proliferation of breweries and distilleries and win eries. Wineries, in particular, are in the midst of this time when the expe riences they are o ering dovetail ex actly with what many travelers are seeking. People want meaningful ex periences surrounded by beautiful landscapes. So it’s no surprise people are ocking to wineries for that.”
DIVERSITY From Page 8
DigitalC is one of the groups se lected to work on areas where the broadband gaps are most profound, Tkachyk said, because the group not only gets participants signed up for internet service but has a plan to train those participants to use tech nology in “a meaningful way.” rough programs like the Em power CLE program, DigitalC helps provide “a multifaceted technology approach to connect people in the poorest of neighborhoods where companies have service but believe it is not worth doing the outreach to connect those houses,” said Katie Grootegoed, director of customer ac quisition, retention and community engagement for DigitalC. e key to successful outreach is in partnering with a trusted community agency to leverage existing relation ships, Grootegoed said, not only to get underserved residents internet services but also help them accli mate, navigate and nd skills and job training“Adoptionresources.services are something that hasn’t been part of previous broadband plans,” Grootegoed said. “But now we see an understanding that connecting that last mile is im portant; teaching the skills to be able to utilize the internet is also founda tional.”
Kim Palmer: kpalmer@crain.com, (216) 771-5384, @kimfouro ve
College education is only part of the solution. It is critical that we connect young people to meaning ful career pathways and help them build business relationships along the way. Local business leaders can help by volunteering as mentors. Businesses can partner with Thrive Scholars to offer quality intern ships. This is an opportunity to in vest in our most valuable resource — our people. When we commit to this, we will have an opportunity to advance diversity and inclusion in a way that disrupts the longstand ing systemic and structural inequi ties that have been a barrier to these life-changing educational and career opportunities for far too long, and for so many in our com munity.
| GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK
“Before, we were happy-go-lucky, doing business cards and all that fun stuff, but after the pandemic they came back with a lot of ques tions and needing to know more than how to navigate the internet.”
found barriers, according to Wanda Davis, executive director of digital literacy training at the Ashbury Se nior Computer Community Center (ASC3).“Westill get people coming into the center who have never touched a computer,” she said. The Glenville-area center, which has been open since 2002, was shut down only briefly during the pan demic, because her seniors reached out when they found that many things they took for granted, like going into the bank to pay a bill, calling into a doctor’s office with questions or meeting up with friends at restaurants, came to a halt. They needed to upgrade their digital skills to get reconnected.
Getting seniors connected As younger generations deal with the unfamiliarity of the digital skills needed for employment, older gen erations grapple with more pro
LITERACY From Page 1
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‘The little barriers’ As ubiquitous as technology seems to be, lack of access often translates to a lack of digital literacy, regardless of “Youage. have folks who have never been on the internet before,” said La donna Norris, DigitalC’s director of community outreach and engage ment. “You can’t just set someone up with internet service one day and say, ‘Here’s some internet, now go be BillNorrisGates.’”was part of the Herculean e ort to provide all Cleveland Metro politan School District students who needed them with computers and hot spots, as schools pivoted to virtu al learning during at the onset of the pandemic.“Iwasdriving up in front of kids’ houses and apartments throughout the year so they could ll out their (college) forms using the Wi-Fi on my phone,” Norris said. She helped stu dents — who on their cellphones can create avatars and text at frightening speeds but have never used a com puter keyboard or formatted a word processing document — learn to write a resume. “ at generation is against any type of formality. ey write like they text — there is no structure to their writing. It’s almost like stream of con sciousness,” Norris said. “ ese are the little barriers that we don’t think about.”Digital literacy, including pro ciency with basic o ce software like Microsoft Word and Excel, coupled with internet access, Norris said, opens up a slate of work options and career avenues for students and oth er family members who might be out of work due to transportation or child care issues — or who might be look ing to transition to part-time, remote work.“People want jobs, but since the pandemic everything is online, and they don’t know how to enter or re-enter the workforce, and don’t have the skills to even access job ap plications,” Norris said.
The training DigitalC and Davis provide is hands-on and time-con suming, but it has helped many find jobs and careers they didn’t know existed before. “We are making a difference in the workforce, not just helping with job skills, but getting them into a lo cal job pipeline,” Grootegoed said. DigitalC and partners have not only hired some of their program’s graduates to work on their outreach team, they have created a pipeline sending job applicants to places like the Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth and other employ ment agencies, where they can re fer them directly after digital litera cy training and vouch for them as a great“We’recandidate.really proud seeing the people we work with utilize what they have learned, but it’s hard work with the estimated more than 50,000 people who still need inter net access and training in the coun ty. That’s going to mean a lot of one-on-one time,” Grootegoed said.
Davis said seniors are now inter ested in a combination of internet navigation skills for health and per sonal connection as well as skills that would allow them to rejoin the workforce.“Seniors have come to us for many reasons — some want to try to do something different in their careers. They want to start a new business or just to re-enter the workforce, because they were retir ing and never took the time to learn technology,” Davis said.
Participants take part in DigitalC’s digital literacy training for seniors, o ered in partnership with the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging.
Cuyahoga County alone has ear marked a hefty $20 million in ARPA funds to support a multiyear plan to connect thousands of the region’s residents to high-speed, a ordable internet.“When we put out our request for proposal for broadband, we wanted to know how groups were also going to handle the outreach, adoption and digital literacy,” said Catherine Tk achyk, Cuyahoga County chief inno vation and performance o cer. “It is one of the most complicated pieces of the broadband plan, because it de pends on a hands-on approach.”
AUGUST 29, 2022 | CRAIN’ S CLEVELAND B USINESS | 25 to high-impact fields like STEM, business, consulting, finance and law. By connecting high-achieving young people of color from low er-income backgrounds and com munities with opportunities to at tend top-tier colleges, while also positioning them to acquire the personal and professional networks that can lead to meaningful careers, we begin to eliminate the obstacles that often block Black and Brown youth from prosperity. For 20 years, rive Scholars has used this model in Los Angeles, Bos ton, Chicago and New York City. Now, it is a model that is beginning to generate results in Cleveland as a new component of Northeast Ohio’s robust education ecosystem. e rive Scholars program includes six years of academic support from 11th grade through college and into a ca reer. rive’s six-week residential Summer Academy includes over 350 hours of direct instruction from col lege professors, positioning rising rive Scholars to excel in rigorous academic environments. rive boasts a college graduation rate of 98% — twice the rate of other high-achieving students of color from disadvantaged communities. rive’s Scholars persist in STEM majors at a rate of 65%, which is 15% higher than the rate of the overall stu dent population at the same elite in stitutions.
DIGITALC PHOTOS
“Within a month, we had classes back up and running,” Davis said.
College education is only part of the solution. It is critical that we connect young people to career pathways and help them build business relationships, Steven Lake, the executive director of Thrive Scholars Cleveland, says.
Lehrman Buie
proud
ACCOUNTINGAppleGrowth
26 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | AUGUST 29, 2022
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FINANCIAL SERVICES Ancora Ancora is happy to announce that Brandon Huff has joined the rm’s operations team as an Assistant Vice President of Client Operations. Brandon will assist the operations and sales teams with administrative and client support. Prior to joining Ancora, Brandon held various client-facing roles while pursuing his education. Brandon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Ohio University after graduating from high school as Valedictorian and a triple-varsity student athlete.
CONSTRUCTIONMarousBrothers Construction We’re happy to announce promotiontheof Troy Dunham to Director of Field Operations for our Special Projects Group. In his new role, Troy directs and coordinates all project related eld activities. Working alongside the Directors of Preconstruction and Construction, Troy helps ensure seamless communication between the of ce and eld and provides oversight of superintendents within the Special Projects Group. Troy has been with Marous Brothers Construction for 13 years. Congratulations Troy!
Partners Xin Zhu has been promoted to manger in the tax department.
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Involta, an awardwinning data center, hybrid IT, and cloudforward consulting rm, announces that James (Jim) Buie, current President,Involtahas been promoted to President and CEO to lead the company into its next phase of growth. Buie will succeed current CEO and Involta founder LehrmanBruce , who will serve as vice-chair of Involta’s Board of Directors. Earlier this year, Lehrman played an important role in the company’s acquisition by global investment rm Carlyle. Buie will draw on his 25+ years of industry experience to ensure sustainable growth for Involta by leveraging Carlyle’s resources to promote and bolster Involta’s capacity to deliver innovation and enable digital enterprise transformation.
ACCOUNTINGAppleGrowth Partners Krista Steedly, CPA, has been promoted to senior manager in the audit and department.assurance
Construction We are pleased to announce the promotion of Phil Fogarty to Director of Preconstruction in our ManagementConstruction Group. Phil provides leadership and facilitates the overall preconstruction process throughout the preconstruction life cycle for our Construction Management Group. Phil brings 16+ years of experience in the construction industry and holds a master’s degree in Real Estate Development & Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Construction Systems CongratulationsManagement.Phil!
We are pleased to announce Heather Fresenko has joined our team as Human Resources Manager. Heather is responsible for the operational development and implementation of human resource strategies to support business objectives, including talent acquisition, process improvement, and employee relations. With 20+ years of human resource experience, we are excited to have Heather as part of our team and look forward to the positive impact she will make on our members. Welcome Heather!
our
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ACCOUNTINGAppleGrowth Partners Hannah Pearce has been promoted to manager in the tax department.
ACCOUNTINGAppleGrowth Partners Tori Butler has been promoted to manager, human resources, in the department.operations
ENGINEERING / CONSULTING Terracon Terracon announces the promotion of Chris Demko to the position of Senior Associate. With over 23 years’ experience in client development and marketing, Chris currently serves as the Director of Client Development & Marketing for the Eastern Midwest Division. His responsibilities include managing a diverse group of Client Development and Marketing professionals, developing strong client relationships and providing strategic leadership to his team.
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We are excited to announce promotiontheof Doug Hart to isHousingManager,GeneralMulti-FamilyGroup.Dougresponsibleforoverseeing all daily operations of the MultiFamily Housing Group from preconstruction through construction, and closeout. He has performed many roles throughout his 24-year tenure at Marous Brothers Construction, starting as an intern, then Estimator, Project Manager, Senior Estimator and most recently as Director of Preconstruction. Congratulations Doug!
Corrigan Krause CPAs and Consultants is pleased to announce the promotionwell-earnedofRobert J. O’Neil, CPA, to Director, Tax Services. Rob enjoys working with his clients and their advisors to provide a holistic approach to their nancial plan and tax well-being. His valuable experience makes him a reliable leader of our Estate, Gift and Trust specialty. Rob is deeply appreciated by everyone at Corrigan Krause.
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