Beachwood Magazine 2023

On behalf of the City of Beachwood, the Beachwood City Schools and the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce, we are delighted to bring you the latest edition of Discover Beachwood Business in Beachwood is booming! Strong business investments are changing the environment of the community and bringing even greater amenities to those who live and work here.

The partnerships and collaborations between the City, Schools and Chamber of Commerce provide meaningful opportunities for area companies, organizations and key leaders. The Beachwood Chamber of Commerce is working with our business community daily to bring quality networking opportunities, which are engaging new relationships. Beachwood City School students are embracing engagement with companies like the Ahuja Medical Center, which exposes them to world-renowned leaders of medicine. The City of Beachwood’s Department of Economic Development is working to attract a full range of

businesses including those from small business enterprises to those with a national and international presence, bringing area expertise that is strengthening the community’s distinct clusters and further supporting growth in our region’s targeted industries. Our diverse community brings together an atmosphere of cultivation that drives new business investment. We are pleased to share with you the incredible stories of these organizations, companies and professionals that are working to make a difference here in Northeast Ohio and within the City of Beachwood.

Justin Berns Mayor, City of Beachwood

Dr. Robert P. Hardis Superintendent, Beachwood City Schools

David Lapierre Executive Director, Beachwood Chamber

James Voos, MD

Meet James Voos, head team physician for the Cleveland Browns.

BY JILL SELL

His credentials are impressive — James Voos, MD, chair, UH Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jack and Mary Herrick Distinguished Chair, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. And now one of the main voices for the new Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute. But those who also know Dr. Voos as the head team physician for the Cleveland Browns find it hard not to at least initially ask, “So, are the Browns healthy this year? And if they’re not, can you fix them?”

Voos really doesn’t mind the questions. Just don’t expect a specific answer (doctor/patient confidentiality, of course). But the physician is proud of UH’s 10-year relationship with the Browns as well as its recent contract extension. He appreciates that UH research and health care, involving world-class athletes, can be transferred to all orthopedic patients.

“It’s a privilege to take care of the Browns and their families. It requires us to be on our toes and up to date with the highest level of care for the most complex injuries. We are under a microscope with the public when it comes to the Browns, and that benefits everyone — the players, the staff and other patients,” says Voos.

Voos is a former athlete, too. He knows ACL reconstructions or Tommy John Elbow surgery (really, that’s its official name) may be necessities for getting athletes back on the field or court. And he also sympathizes with athletes whose injuries may postpone their activities.

“I played football in college, and I have the experience of being on the field, in the locker room and being part of a team,” says Voos, who also works with the Cleveland Monsters and is medical director for the Cleveland Ballet.

In his downtime, the surgeon enjoys traveling, kayaking, paddleboarding and boating, as well as running, tennis, biking and hiking through the Cleveland Metroparks with his wife, Kristin Voos, a neonatologist with UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

Growing up, Voos’ mother was a nurse, and his father’s career centered on lab work. In high school, Voos had the opportunity to work in a small ambulatory surgery care center. His tasks included mopping floors and changing sheets at first, but he was soon promoted to an unofficial apprentice and even scrubbed for surgeries.

“After high school, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” he says. “Those doctors gave me great opportunities. For me, being

here, in a teaching medical center with residents and others, is an important way for me to give back.”

After earning his medical degree from the University of Kansas, Voos’ career included positions with the renowned Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and WNBA. He joined UH in 2014 and is now chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

A world-class sports facility, the UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute is a huge economic driver for the City of Beachwood and the region, creating construction and post-construction jobs, administrative and professional positions and auxiliary jobs in the surrounding areas.

“The Institute allows us to attract the best physicians from some of the best orthopedic programs across the county,” says Voos, who will become president of the NFL Physicians Society in 2024. “It’s only been possible because of a community that looks to the future and which continues to grow. And, of course, we have to thank the donors, many who live in Beachwood and have been UH patients themselves.”

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The Institute allows us to attract the best physicians from some of the best orthopedic programs across the county.

— JAMES VOOS, MD

Game Changer

Through comprehensive care, the new Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute gets patients up and running again.

BY JILL SELL

Really? This is a medical facility? Do I need tickets? Any good seats left? Do they sell souvenirs?

No one will really mistake the new Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute for an athletic stadium. But the medical building is not at all intimidating, especially to those who enjoy sports and being physically active.

The institute is part of University Hospitals’ $236 million expansion of its Ahuja campus in Beachwood and opened this past June. The three-story, 76,200-square-foot sports medicine institute includes an impressive glass facade and a 40-yard fieldhouse with green artificial turf , complete with white yard lines.

“The goal was to make it look more like an arena than a critical care facility, to make people more comfortable,” says James Voos, MD, chair, UH Department of Orthopedic Surgery. “Patients come in and feel like they are walking into a fieldhouse to see a sports event rather than a medical event. It’s part of the psychological effect. A patient can think, ‘I hurt my knee playing tennis, but I want to get back out there. I am not sick.’ It’s designed to get you back.”

The institute treats athletes of all ages, but it’s not necessary to be a runner or a lacrosse player to receive care.

“If you are in your garden, have fallen and landed on your wrist and are concerned you

might have fractured it, instead of going to the emergency room, you can walk into the injury clinic here and be seen right away by the right specialist,” says Voos. “That way, you can help save the emergency room for those patients who are having critical issues. And it’s more efficient for the patient who is having orthopedic issues.”

UH identifies the Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute as “the most comprehensive, patient-centered facility of its kind in the United States.” The Orthopedic Injury Clinic, which welcomes walk-ins and offers stateof-the-art imaging and diagnostic services, is just one fraction of what the complex offers.

Services also include on-site surgeries (including knee, shoulder, elbow and hip operations); conditioning and performance assessments (Am I ready for a marathon?); and rehab and performance training (use of a therapy pool and a variety of playing surfaces, etc.).

“We see everything from an ankle sprain to sore knees to complex knee ligament issues. The building is staffed with various orthopedic providers and athlete trainers all on-site, helping to provide you with the level of care you are looking for,” says Voos. “Each patient who walks in

the door really feels their needs have been met.”

An athlete is a whole person. The sports medicine complex recognizes that and provides additional care under one roof that includes concussion and neurological care, nutrition, pain management, sports cardiology and sleep therapy.

“We tell our athletes that although they are seeing a sports medicine doctor, they have the entire health care system on their team,” Voos says. “That helps them get through any injury or issue they are going through.”

Drs. James and Kristin Voos and Grace and Michael Drusinsky

R&D Central

From virtual reality surgical simulation to developing human cells and producing post-operative cool-heat devices, Commerce Park is bustling with research, development and technology. These businesses are thriving in Beachwood, where there are opportunities to collaborate.

“There is alignment in cluster initiatives that are spinning off in the health care arena, biomedical R&D — and synergies within the industrial park that can lead to more innovation and commercialization,” says Catherine Bieterman, economic development director for the City of Beachwood.

The city offers various programs to support businesses, from job creation tax credits and abatements to real estate incentives, says Beachwood Mayor Justin Berns. “We are also looking creatively at other ways to continue supporting resources that guide investment in those industry clusters in our community.”

BY KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE

Businesses moving into Commerce Park are changing the way we conduct surgery, manage diabetes and treat acute and chronic pain. Take a look at the innovation that is rejuvenating Beachwood’s longtime industrial park.

COURTESY SURGICAL THEATER

VR in the OR — Surgical Theater

The same 360-degree, 3D virtual reality technology behind fighter pilot simulation training is the basis for Surgical Theater’s game-changing advanced imaging technology. It enables surgeons to rehearse patient-specific brain and spine procedures to plan the safest, most minimally invasive approaches.

Surgical Theater is the brainchild of Alon Geri, co-founder and chief technology officer. He spent 25 years as a research and development (R&D) officer and pilot in the Israeli Air Force, honing his tech capabilities and leading the development of flight simulators for F-15 pilots.

“We develop FDA-approved brain and spine simulation devices that are used by surgeons across the U.S. and Europe,” explains Geri. “Surgeons can use them to plan procedures and to explain surgeries to patients. Then, the same technology can be used in the operating room to be very precise in executing the surgical plan.”

Geri and co-founder Mopy Avisar founded Surgical Theater in Northeast Ohio after Geri was deployed here by the Israeli Air Force in the early 2000s for a high-end flight simulator project. Surgical Theater launched in 2011 after Geri retired from the Air Force and helped develop a visualization platform that illuminates complex procedures. Its tagline, “Beyond reality. Beyond imagination,” says it all. He moved the business to Beachwood’s Commerce Park in September 2022, allowing Surgical Theater to manage its entire operation in one location, including R&D and

production. With seven employees based in the office and about 30 more in the field, Geri says Beachwood has been a supportive community. “We feel at home,” he says.

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Solving Post-Op Pain — Innovative Medical Equipment

A bag of frozen peas and cool gel packs are go-tos for most patients who undergo an orthopedic surgery or are dealing with chronic migraine pain. But sticking to a weekslong regimen that should reduce swelling and pain is not so easy to do. Most call it quits much sooner because of the inconvenience.

Innovative Medical Equipment (IME) co-founder Brad Pulver began having these discussions with business partner and renowned plastic surgeon and migraine research pioneer, Bahman Guyuron, MD. Together,

they created a device called SootheAway that runs on 2 ounces of distilled water and can continuously cool the key areas triggering migraine pain. Users can adjust the warm-orcold device from 35 degrees to 125 degrees.

“The patient or physician can set their own temperature or mode, heat or cool, and they have this continuous device that can run for hours, days, weeks at a time,” Pulver explains.

It’s hands free with pads designed for specific pain zones. Since the launch of SootheAway, the company has expanded — and rebranded

the product to ThermaZone — to address other areas of the body including shoulder, back, knee, elbow and ankle.

“The focus is to treat post-orthopedic and post-operative pain in a nonpharmacological way, so you can put this device on after any orthopedic surgery (ACL, rotator cuff, total knee replacement, etc.) and wear it three to four weeks to deliver cooling therapy, which then reduces swelling and the need for opioids,” Pulver says.

e Girl in e Diary Searching for Rywka from e Lodz Ghe o

Created by the Galicia Jewish Museum Kraków, Poland

Because the device is easy to use, patients are compliant with recovery recommendations from their doctors, Pulver adds.

With 15 employees in its Beachwood office and about 30 sales representatives across the country, IME is expanding, with Pulver developing another business out of this headquarters: Mercury Biomed. “With this company, we are trying to solve the problem of patient temperature management,” Pulver explains.

When a patient goes under anesthesia, core body temperature rapidly drops. “That can lead to life-threatening surgical complications,” he says. This is why the U.S. standard of care is to warm patients while they are under general anesthesia on the operating table. This usually occurs by using forced-air warming blankets and heated covers. But those have been criticized for potentially causing surgical site infections.

“We created a unique way to warm the core body with support from the world’s experts in core body temperature management that performed our first round of clinical trials,” Pulver says, relating that Mercury Biomed received a $1.5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant along with a commercial

— BRAD PULVER

acceleration loan from the State of Ohio to fund the development of WarmSmart. It is not yet FDA approved.

All of this is happening in Beachwood’s Commerce Park, where IME is conveniently located by major highways and the airport. Plus, the company has leveraged its large sideyard space by creating a hangout area for employees that includes picnic tables and a fourhole putting green. “People really enjoying coming to work here,” Pulver says, adding that during the pandemic, his team did not want to work from home. “They couldn’t wait to get back in the office.”

We created a unique way to warm the core body with support from the world’s experts in core body temperature management that performed our first round of clinical trials.

Invested in Ohio.

Jan Jensen has a passion for finding a cure for diabetes. This keen interest is ultimately what led the molecular developmental biologist to start Trailhead Biosystems, which develops industrial-grade human cells from stem cells. The technology exists around the high-dimensional design of experiments dependent on computerized designs and robotics.

“We need to get beyond insulin treatments and move on to curing people instead,” Jensen says. “Why do we have to give injections every day?”

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Jensen is the Eddie J. Brandon endowed chair of diabetes research at Cleveland Clinic, and he has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers. He and his collaborative team relocated to Commerce Park Road in Beachwood in April 2023, investing more than $2 million into renovations, after running a lab out of the Cleveland Clinic incubator.

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“Those who need them are hospitals or pharmaceutical companies, and so while we could be located anywhere, it makes sense to be close to avenues where we can get those cells out.”

There is also plenty of room for expansion, which is important given Trailhead Biosystems’ growth trajectory. Jensen sees Beachwood as an ideal location for the burgeoning biotech industry.

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Finding a Cure for Diabetes — Trailhead Biosystems

Care & Collaboration

Beachwood is a hub of vibrant nonprofit organizations that help people manage a range of conditions, and there is opportunity to work

BY KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE

Collaboration and caring are a running theme among Beachwood nonprofit organizations that support individuals and families coping with cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and all the challenges these conditions present.

Community support is one overwhelming reason these thriving organizations chose Beachwood as a home base. Synergies with local businesses, vibrant health care and accessibility to the people they serve are also benefits.

“There is a lot of opportunity to bring together the research and development that is occurring in the area and connect it with the support services these organizations offer to clients,” says Catherine Bieterman, economic development director for the City of Beachwood.

“It’s incredible the amount of work these organizations do to provide amenities that support clients during their most difficult times in life,” she continues. “They go above and beyond to find ways to bring comfort and joy back into the lives of those they serve while helping them get through their disease.”

Bieterman sees even more possibility. “We can facilitate a web between these organizations and experts they bring to the table to create a network that leads to more innovation. These networks can help transform the care patients receive.”

together and multiply the positive impact.

Here’s a look at how Beachwood’s helping hands are making a difference.

Growing Connections — Empowering Epilepsy

About 10 years ago, Leigh Goldie posted a message on Facebook: “If you know someone who has epilepsy, can you message me?”

She had no idea the response she’d receive after living with the condition most of her life and feeling like there were no resources to help her cope, thrive and manage the challenges. “It was something I learned to hide,” she relates. “You don’t talk about your epilepsy, because you are losing control. I needed someone to help me live well, to help me learn how to talk to my doctor so I could get a more accurate diagnosis and treatment sooner.”

She received 40 messages from friends who said the same thing. She then sent out questionnaires asking questions like, “What is it like living with epilepsy?” “Are your needs being met?” “Do people understand it?”

“They all came back to me saying the same thing I felt,” Goldie says. “When I was living with seizures, I felt isolated and alone.”

She founded Empowering Epilepsy in 2014 out of her home with a goal to connect people with epilepsy to experts and peers for education, care, support, fun and family-friendly events at every age and stage. In March 2022, the organization held a grand opening at its Beachwood location, a 2,700-square-foot space on Mercantile Road that houses conference and meeting rooms, along with an art therapy room.

“We are amazing writers, artists, singers, dancers and musicians — and this allows us to discover our artistic flair and all we can do,” Goldie says.

The headquarters also hosts events, educational sessions and classes focused on improving the mind, body and spirit.

Empowering Epilepsy held a brain surgery conference in June, the 30th anniversary of Goldie’s brain surgery that stopped the seizures. She lived with epilepsy for 14 years, and it wasn’t until 10 years after her diagnosis that she finally found out she could be a surgical candidate. She wants others to know there might be options for them, too. During the last few years, Goldie estimates the organization has helped more than 2,000 people.

The work of Empowering Epilepsy is one of a kind. “We focus on patients,” she says, adding that there are many opportunities in Beachwood to collaborate with other helping nonprofits. “If we start focusing on the commonalities of these diseases, we might find out more answers.”

Rebecca was skeptical about college. She knew she was smart, but didn’t know if the college experience would be right for her. Then she came to Tri-C, where she quickly discovered a valuable support network of faculty, staff and fellow students who not only helped her succeed academically — they helped her find a purpose and a future.

Leigh Goldie

Feeling Better Every Day — InMotion

Parkinson’s Disease

(PD) is a neurological condition with no cure.

“Once you are diagnosed, it’s something you live with for the rest of your life, so we want to make sure people have the strength — physical and emotional — to cope with their disease,” says Cathe Schwartz, CEO of InMotion.

InMotion provides a variety of exercise classes designed for people with Parkinson’s. “Exercise is medicine,” she says, relating that

evidence-based classes focus on balance, gait and strength. “We also work on the quality-of-life pieces.”

InMotion is unique in the country. “There is nothing else like this,” Schwartz says, adding that the group was founded by five individuals who collaborated and developed the concept. Those were David Riley, MD, Allan Goldberg, Lee Handel, Karen Jaffe, MD and Ben Rossi. “They got together and said, ‘What if we could create a wellness center for people with PD that was free and offered everything they needed to feel stronger and better every day?’”

The organization has grown rapidly, Schwartz reports. In 2019, InMotion purchased a 20,000-square-foot building in Beachwood on Mercantile Road and recently it completed a $3.1 million capital campaign. The facility is accessible to people who have PD who live throughout Northeast Ohio. There, InMotion can offer a wide range of exercise programs, art and music programs, speech and cognition programs, support groups and client assessments.

“It’s a great community, very welcoming and very philanthropic,” Schwartz says of their Beachwood home, pointing to an annual event, the Pals InMotion Race held at Beachwood High School. “The city and school are amazing partners, and it’s an important event because it is responsible for about onethird of our operating budget every year.”

Schwartz encourages those with PD and their families to get to know InMotion. Also, the organization works with other local nonprofits to provide programming. For instance, InMotion and The Gathering Place offered a joint seminar on nutrition they are hoping to repeat this year. “We love collaborating, and it’s a great use of resources when we can all work together,” Schwartz says.

Cathe Schwartz SOPHIE SAND KANNBERG

Facing Cancer, Embracing Life — The Gathering Place

“The hospital cured my cancer. The Gathering Place saved my soul.”

A participant shared this with CEO Michele Seyranian — and it perfectly describes the support, understanding, care and programs offered by The Gathering Place. “We are here to help,” she says simply. “They know someone will walk with them and help them, their families and loved ones understand what to do. We take care of people of all ages.”

Seyranian got to know The Gathering Place soon after it started in 1998. Her 4-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with a rare cancer. “We have a medical librarian who helped us find top specialists for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia,” she shares. Seyranian volunteered, helped with strategic planning, served on the board and became CEO when founder Eileen Saffran retired.

The Gathering Place offers support groups, art and music, nutrition programs, education,

grief and loss counseling, individual consultations, a wig salon — anything you can imagine related to supporting, educating and empowering those coping with the impact of cancer.

“What’s also important is that all of our services are free of charge,” Seyranian says, acknowledging the “financial toxicity” of cancer.

Ultimately, The Gathering Place is a community.

The organization has expanded with a location in Westlake and virtual programming that serves people across the globe who find The Gathering Place online. It is currently raising money to convert a van into a mobile wig salon. Outreach and accessibility are a focus,

with The Gathering Place taking its services into underserved Cleveland communities.

“What makes us unique is that we offer such comprehensive programming for all types of cancer,” Seyranian says.

The Race for The Place, its largest fundraiser, celebrated its 23rd year. With the milestone anniversary, The Gathering Place will be hosting other commemorative events, Seyranian says.

The organization welcomes other nonprofits and groups to share in programming, she adds. “The Alzheimer’s Association is across the street from us, and we do some joint programming,” she points out. “It’s really important that as nonprofits, we help one another succeed.”

Michele Seyranian

From dementia care coaching to guiding caregivers, the Alzheimer’s Association of Cleveland chapter provides a breadth of free programs, supports and tools. These resources guide caregivers so they can figure out what’s next and how to help their loved ones.

Ultimately, the association’s mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. The

organization does this by accelerating global research, promoting risk reduction and early detection, and delivering care and support.

It’s a big charge, especially given the number of individuals coping with the disease. More than 6 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and by 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million. The No. 1 risk factor: growing old. Also, one in three seniors dies with dementia. It is responsible for more mortalities than breast and prostate cancers combined.

“We are the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s research,” points out Mary Ertle, program director.

As a local chapter of the national organization, Ertle says it offers a 24/7 help line so anyone can ask any question. And the doors are always open. “There was a woman who was diagnosed, and after her appointment, she came right to our office and said, ‘OK. What do I do now?’ It’s amazing to see the way we can help people plan for the future and have a say in what the rest of their lives will be.”

The woman began attending support groups, got involved in the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s that will take place this year on Oct. 21 and called a staff member to say, “I want you to know you changed my life.”

The longtime Beachwood nonprofit finds synergies in the city, located in Commerce Park. “As nonprofits, we have a lot of the same target population, and if we can do a 30-minute program about Alzheimer’s and combine that with a program about Parkinson’s Disease with InMotion, we are helping even more people,” Ertle says.

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Accelerating Research — The Alzheimer’s Association

Mary Ertle

It’s amazing to see the way we can help people plan for the future and have a say in what the rest of their lives will be.

— MARY ERTLE

COURTESY THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION

Empowering Students

The Beachwood City School District offers opportunities for students to get hands-on experience in growing fields.

BY CHRISSY KADLECK

Two experiential programs in the Beachwood City School District are arming students as young as 12 with early career knowledge and exposure in engineering and medicine: Beachwood Middle School’s Career Design & Exploration program and Beachwood High School’s Medical Academy.

High Schoolers Go Hands-On

At the high school, the Beachwood Medical Academy prepares students for pre-med programs via coursework, doctor shadowing and hospital immersion opportunities.

“The program was designed for our students who are interested in pursuing a career in medicine, specifically becoming physicians,” says Linda LoGalbo, director of curriculum & instruction for Beachwood City Schools. She leads the academy, which started in 2014.

Students take rigorous coursework, namely advanced placement math and science classes. Then, during the summer, they have the opportunity to get hands-on experience through a partnership with UH Ahuja Medical Center. During a three-day camp, students perform animal heart and lung dissections, learn how to do ultrasounds, get CPR certified and learn how to suture wounds. They also hear a variety of lectures from doctors in disciplines such as brain surgery and cardiology, and they get to meet physicians and learn about these career paths.

“It allows kids to have an opportunity to shadow medical staff to really find out if medicine is something that they’re truly interested in, and then finding ways for them to be involved and help make those connections for

them with different physicians,” LoGalbo says. “We have some pretty motivated kids in Beachwood, and the fact that they have an opportunity to explore a career field as early as ninth grade and get to have some experiences in a hospital setting is pretty unique.”

Middle Schoolers Become Makers

The 2022-2023 school year saw the launch of the Career Design & Exploration program, led by longtime social studies instructor J.C. Lenk, who is now the career design and exploration instructor.

Using STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) as his guide, Lenk says he focused his curriculum and projects on various career pathways.

“We have science; we all use technology; we have the arts and we’re a great mathematics school, but engineering is kind of left out at the middle school level,” he says. “The program really opened the eyes of the 260 students who came through, and they were excited about the opportunities.”

Outfitted with a laser engraver, 3D printers and a CNC router, Lenk taught the students how to safely use the equipment and then moved on to hands-on projects.

“Once we got all the training done and all of the designing process of what they wanted to make, they had free rein to go make it. They’re in control of their own learning and exploration. That’s what is really cool,” he says.

Sixth graders start out with mousetrap cars, while older students make items such as chessboards out of the wood and then design chess pieces on the 3D printer. “Some of them are so apprehensive and even afraid of the equipment, but after they make a simple cutting board, they’re so proud of themselves,” Lenk says.

For Lenk, an avid woodworker, the program has been a home run for him personally, too. “I love seeing students grow in confidence as they try new things, create and take risks,” says Lenk. “Every kid can find something they can succeed at in my class.”

MEET TWO STUDENTS WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THESE PROGRAMS

Kevin Zhang

As a rising junior, Kevin Zhang would recommend that any of his fellow students who are interested in the medical field spend three days of their summer participating in the Beachwood Medical Academy’s camp. He did, and now he’s considering the physician’s assistant track because it doesn’t require as much schooling as a medical doctor.

“My favorite part of the camp were the dissections we did on the heart and lung of a cow,” he says. “It was pretty cool to just see all the parts. For the lung, they had a thing they used for CPR where they could inflate air and we can see what the lung looked like inflated, and that was also really cool.”

Zhang particularly enjoyed the hands-on learning aspect of the camp. “I think it’s definitely the best type of learning to do,” he says.

He also enjoyed the tour of the new building at the Ahuja Medical Center, noting that he was able to see state-of-the-art technology that he’d never seen in a hospital before, as well as the football field and athletic equipment in the new sports medicine complex.

Parker Borland

As a sixth grader, Parker Borland says he always knew he wanted to be an engineer, so when he found himself in the Career Design and Exploration program, he fully embraced the six-week experiential learning opportunity.

“I’d say that I’m definitely leaning toward mechanical engineering,” he says. “The class was very exciting, and Mr. Lenk put a lot of trust in us after giving us the proper training in how to handle the equipment.”

His first project was a model airplane and then a mousetrap car. “We were free to carve our own designs and use what we needed to create our cars for what we envisioned,” he says, adding that they used all of the equipment, such as belt sanders, bandsaws and precision cutters. “It was the project I’m most proud of, even though it’s simple woodworking.”

Borland especially enjoyed Mr. Lenk’s free-spirited nature in the classroom.

“Mr. Lenk gave us the freedom to explore what we needed to do, what we wanted to do, and he would help us if we needed it,” he says. “But he pretty much let us explore our creativity.”

Ways to Play

There’s no shortage of ways to stay active in Beachwood.

BY CHRISSY KADLECK

“As a city, we pride ourselves on offering a variety of outdoor opportunities, whether you live, visit or work in Beachwood. From pickleball courts to a new playground, there’s something for all ages and interests.”

Fitness Park

Open since summer 2022 in City Park East, the Fitness Park is a year-round workout space free and accessible to all fitness levels and abilities. Located right along the park’s trail system, many people run, bike and walk and then cross train at the Fitness Park, says Derek Schroeder, community services director.

Barkwood Dog Park

This one-of-a-kind, turf dog park is located at City Park East. Open only to resident canines and their humans, a small annual membership fee of $25 nets you key fob entry and peace of mind knowing that all four-legged friends are up to date on their vaccines.

Beachwood Community Gardens

This year, the city opened an upscaled community garden with 86 newly built, aboveground 8-foot by 8-foot plots for residents to grow to their hearts desire. The area is fenced and comes complete with starting soil and water at the ready, Schroeder says.

Pickleball Courts

By fall, the city will introduce six dedicated pickleball courts for new and veteran players of the super-popular sport. The new pickleball courts will be located next to the tennis courts.

Family Aquatic Center

From lap swimming in the early morning to walking against the current in the lazy river to splashing around with friends, the Family Aquatic Center is one of the most popular and prized amenities in the city. It also includes a baby pool, multiple slides, a tree house and two diving boards.

Community Playground

The city recently approved a completely revamped, $3.3 million state-of-the-art playground to replace the current one adjacent to the aquatic center. “It will have rubber and turf surfacing and be completely fenced in with equipment for young kids and older kids,” Schroeder says.

– MAYOR JUSTIN BERNS