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SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2008
Plain Dealing will return next week.
SECTION D
THE PLAIN DEALER
The Cavs rely on a lot of players How far the Cavaliers advance in the NBA playoffs remains to be seen. But the business community already has cause for celebration. A professional sports team, especially a successful one like the Cavaliers, is an economic juggernaut, channeling millions of dollars to and from companies here and across the country. In Cleveland, the team has spent $30 million over the past three seasons sprucing up The Q. Tracy Marek, Cavaliers senior vice president
of marketing, said as a rule the team tries to employ Northeast Ohio based companies whenever possible. Beyond that, she said, the team relies on preferred vendors recommended by the NBA. “We’re lucky,” she said. “We’re in a bustling area, and there’s a lot of business close to home.” But forget the contest itself, if you can. To appreciate the Cavaliers as an economic driver, look no further than the pre-game show. — Zachary Lewis
Q-TUBE
THE CROWD
THE COURT MOONDOG
TRACY BOULIAN | THE PLAIN DEALER
Q-TUBE
THE COURT
MOONDOG
THE CROWD
Prior to tipoff, four giant, swashbuckling swords manufactured by Sigma Services of Plant City, Fla., emerge from the corners of the “Q-Tube” scoreboard and transform into flamethrowers, shooting out 15-foot streams of fire fed by four 20-pound tanks of propane courtesy of Westside Supply in Cleveland. While players are being introduced, air bursts go boom near the flames, rattling the arena in an effect provided by Pyrotecnico, an aptly named company near Pittsburgh. The Q-Tube itself, featuring four TV screens measuring 30 feet by 20 feet, was made and installed in 2005 through a collaboration between ANC Sports of Purchase, N.Y., and Mitsubishi Electric. Together, they keep LeBron James looking larger than life.
Arguably the most important part of the arena, the court was manufactured by Robbins Sports Surfaces of Cincinnati for about $175,000. The company’s clients include many NBA teams, plus an array of colleges, fitness clubs and schools across the country. Like most NBA courts, The Q’s is made of maple and measures 112 feet by 60 feet. The design of the floor’s visual components comes straight from the NBA, but at least two Northeast Ohio companies got pieces of the action: Sherwin-Williams, which provided the paint for the permanent features, and Wise Brothers, a painting outfit in Rocky River, which applied the two playoffs logos, each measuring 3 by 10 feet, near center court.
The Cavaliers won’t say who made the costume for Cavaliers mascot Moondog, or how much it cost, insisting the spirited pooch, named after iconic disc jockey Alan Freed, is a real creature. All Marek said is that the costume is not made locally. Moondog’s main duties consist of beating a drum, rousing the crowd and performing the occasional slam dunk. During timeouts, however, the mascot packs heat, manning one of two minibasketball guns. The machines, made by FXinMotion of New Berlin, Wis., use two tanks of pressurized carbon dioxide and are capable of shooting up to 200 balls at various speeds to most points of the arena.
Fans do more than inspire the team. They also help finance it, creating business for other companies in the process. In other words, it’s no coincidence everyone’s wearing yellow. Through sponsorship by Cleveland-based Majestic Steel, nearly 23,000 fans at Wednesday’s game were given yellow “Rise Up and Ignite” T-shirts. Fans also got white towels, courtesy of InkStop. Both items were printed by Promotions Plus Apparel of West Bloomfield, Mich. As for the seats, all 20,562 were manufactured by American Seating of Grand Rapids, Mich., and installed by KGE Seating of Russell Township.
Norandex plans Hudson move as tax-sharing effort falls short Tom B reckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter A company’s planned jump to nearby Hudson has Macedonia leaders skeptical of Hudson Mayor Bill Currin’s crusade to build collaboration among the region’s communities. Macedonia took the highly unusual step of asking state officials to reject a company’s request for tax credits, part of a $600,000 tax break deal that Hudson and Ohio have offered to Norandex Distribution Inc. Despite Macedonia’s appeal, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved $59,000 in tax breaks for Norandex last week. Norandex, a distributor of building materials, appears ready to move less than six miles from its Macedonia office building, nestled against Interstate 271, to the vacant, former headquarters of Dairy Mart, a stone’s throw from the Ohio Turnpike in Hudson.
Both the Ohio Department of Development and Hudson say Norandex will leave for Pennsylvania without the tax subsidies. Hudson rejected an 11th-hour proposal — brokered in part by Summit County Executive Russell Pry — to split 50 percent of Norandex’s income tax with Macedonia. The unique deal would have softened the blow to Macedonia of losing a multimilliondollar payroll. Apart from Norandex, Currin is promoting the concept of sharing taxes from new growth in the region. But to Macedonia’s chagrin, Currin and others in Hudson aren’t ready to take the taxsharing plunge unless a lot of other communities jump in, too. “You get a little jaded about their opinions of regionalism,” said a frustrated Steven Brunot, Macedonia’s finance director. Currin said he understands Macedonia’s anger.
see HUDSON D3
‘Forever’ a good value Postal stamp that can be used indefinitely is strong seller Ste phanie Barry Newhouse News Service Nothing lasts forever, or so the saying goes. Well, there is the odd exception. If one had the foresight to stock up on “Forever” stamps at 41 cents apiece today, they would hold their value decades from now. “Forever means forever. If you bought one today, you could send it 20 years from now and it would still be good,” as U.S. Postal Service spokesman Robert Boisselle said. The relevance of the Forever stamp is being tested for the first time since it was introduced last year. The price of first-class postage for a 1-ounce letter will rise a penny, from 41 to 42 cents, starting May 12. Of course, buying these in bulk would be the mark of a true penny-pincher, as the savings are 2.38 percent, or $1 for 100 stamps. While postmasters are readying with a surplus of 1-cent stamps, many consum ers have taken advantage of the “forever” guarantee.
With the price hike just a week away, Americans are scooping up 30 million Forever stamps a day, postal officials say. The Postal Service sold about $268 million in March alone, up from around $208 million in February and about $115 million in January. Since the stamp’s debut, more than 6 billion have been sold. The stamp — which features an image of the Liberty Bell — has officially been labeled a success, Boisselle said, and likely will remain so since Congress passed a law last year that ties postal prices to the rate of inflation. Rates are expected to rise annually. Books of 20 stamps now retail for $8.20. Forever stamps are not available in 100-stamp coils, Boisselle said. However, five books of 20 may be purchased at the same price: $41. Post offices have seen similar runs on the Forever stamp. “It’s picked up considerably over the past three weeks,” Springfield, Mass., Postmaster Michael Mannix said this week.