Greater Akron Economic Development Guide: 2009

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Summit Count y welcomes you to the High Point of Ohio!

City of Barberton City of Cuyahoga Falls

City of Green City of Hudson

City of Macedonia Village of Mogadore

City of Norton Richfield Village

City of Stow City of Twinsburg

SUMMIT COUNTY — HISTORY OF INNOVATION For more than a century — from rubber to polymers — Summit County has been at the forefront of innovation. For this reason, it is not at all surprising we attract interest from emerging technology companies, advance manufacturing companies and have leveraged our reputation into landing the BioInnovation Institute, a force that will accelerate our region’s strong biomedical sector.

Summit County is an exciting place to live and work. Home to a vibrant central city, comfortable bedroom communities, a doctoral granting, high-output research university and a national park, Summit County offers residents a wide range of employment and recreational activities.

A model for forward-thinking regionalism, Summit County is prepared to work with our economic development partners to develop and implement a proposal that will allow your business to be competitive on a global scale.

If you’re considering a move to Summit County, thank you for your consideration. Please give us a call and find out how we can help you.

WORKFORCE Summit County has long-standing relationships with the University of Akron and workforce development organizations, providing the ability to maximize your employment pool.

UTILITIES

STRATEGIC LOCATION Summit County is strategically located within a 500-mile radius of 42 major U.S. cities that encompasses 55% of U.S. manufacturing plants, 57% of the total U.S. population and 60% of its buying power.

The excellent interstate highway system and over 150 trucking firms afford single-day delivery to approximately 11 million people and 60% of America’s buying income.

INDUSTRY CLUSTERS

Two airports (Akron Fulton International Airport and Akron-Canton Regional Airport) offer private, single and heavy multi-engine aircraft, as well as complete commercial passenger/ freight service.

330.643.2893

Summit County boasts an abundance of fresh water, plentiful natural gas, reliable electricity and a high-speed, high-quality communications network complete with fiber optics, satellite, high-speed broadband Internet access.

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Read the Greater Akron Economic Development Guide on your computer, zoom in on the articles and link to advertiser Web sites <3EA /<2 <=B3A ,,

Get the Inside Scoop on the latest developments in Greater Akron from our editors and business insiders

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A by-the-numbers look at doing business and living in Greater Akron

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As a family-owned business since 1947 Stile Companies and Stile Homes have built a reputation as the premier source of new homes, apartment rentals and commercial leasing in the greater Akron area.

Stile Homes, a custom builder, brings the best choice in new home building with its awardwinning designs, carefully planned communities and exceptional customer service.

Choose from single-family homes, cluster homes and condominiums. Build from our design, your design or choose from homes ready for move-in.

Delivering a superior quality home and understanding the customer’s desire for value is our first priority. Stile Homes has the location, the floor plan and the dedication to serve all your new home needs.

Serving the Greater Akron Area for Over 60 Years

Stile Companies has a long history in the greater Akron area with apartment rentals and commercial properties.

Choose from apartments in areas such as West Akron, East Akron, Barberton, Kent, Stow, Copley and the University of Akron. With apartments ranging from economical to luxurious and everything in between there’s a perfect fit for everyone.

Stile Companies also offers commercial properties from retail space, office space, warehouses and more for lease at a number of locations.

Giving you exactly what you’re looking for from the area’s best locations.

Whether it’s a place to call home or a place for your business, Stile Companies is here serving all your apartment and commercial needs.

Corporate Office: 330.762.8861 www.stilecompanies.com

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here â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and we do have a wealth of talent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for the financial incentives that all the various local governments and authorities provide, and for all the knowledge base when it comes to the automotive sector, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of a better place to be,â&#x20AC;? Roberts says.

31=<=;71 /<2 1C:BC@/: 6C0 Greater Akron is a cultural and economic hub of a bustling Northeast Ohio region that is home to more than 4 million people. More than 21,000 businesses call Greater Akron home, including 150 Fortune 500 companies.

Leveraging its manufacturing heritage, Greater Akron is now an innovation leader in liquid crystal and polymer research. The polymer industry employs 16,000 people alone and the

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hen $2.5 billion changes hands, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually a good reason.

Greater Akron has generated that amount in the form of new capital investment, and the reason is on the tip of everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tongue: business climate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Akron and Northeast Ohio is clearly a growth area and a very attractive area for businesses to consider,â&#x20AC;? says Corey Roberts, vice president of global parts and services for Snap-on Business Solutions, an Akron-area company that services original equipment manufacturers in the automotive, power sports and construction industries.

The company has outgrown its facility in Richfield and is upgrading to a 105,000-square-foot building. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the wealth of talent that we have

region is the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leader in making plastic-processing equipment. Health care, medical research and education are major drivers of the economy.

Recent success stories include plans

by Bridgestone Americas for a $100 million technical center adjacent to its Akron operations, and the corporate headquarters expansion of 1,300-store jewelry chain Sterling that will retain 2,300 jobs. A $900 million development will be anchored by the new 450,000-square-foot world headquarters for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and include 1.2 million square feet of office, retail and residential space.

Site Selection magazine for the second straight year ranked Akron No. 2 among metros with populations of 200,000 to 1 million for its 39 new projects in 2008. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Employees enjoy living here for the diversity of recreational opportunities, desirable school systems, tremendous medical options and affordable housing,â&#x20AC;? says Karl Warnke, CEO of Kent-based, employee-owned Davey Tree Expert Co. For many business owners, Greater Akron as a business location represents the perfect blend of enjoyable living and high-powered opportunity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Akron is the best of everything in small doses,â&#x20AC;? says Joel Testa, COO for Testa Cos., a Cuyahoga Falls-based real estate developer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you have too much of one thing, that tends to create other problems. The nice thing about the Akron market is that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the things that are great about bigger cities or other areas, but not so much that it creates other problems.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Michaela Jackson

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n Northeast Ohio, â&#x20AC;&#x153;partnershipâ&#x20AC;? is not just a warm and fuzzy idea, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a way of life.

The region has focused consciously on bringing key stakeholders, such as educators, entrepreneurs, government officials and even leaders from other cities around one table to address problems and possibilities of economic development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those communities that are collaborative in nature, that work as a team, that respond in a very timely manner, are the communities that do better than others, and I think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find that in Akron,â&#x20AC;? says Daniel Colantone, president and CEO of the Greater Akron Chamber.

Working together is often a matter of shifting from a paradigm of competition to one of cooperation. Colantone describes a recent scenario in which the nearby YoungstownWarren Chamber of Commerce was working to locate a call center in the area. The requirements for the prospect couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be met within their boundaries, though, so they made the project a regional effort. The call center ended up in Summit County rather than leaving the state, and everyone in the region benefited from the jobs and investment.

The Greater Akron Chamber is part of a regional initiative

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known as ClevelandPlus (www.clevelandplus.com) that also includes organizations from Cleveland, Canton and Youngstown and other communities in a 16-county area of Northeast Ohio.

The Team NEO (for Northeast Ohio) initiative of ClevelandPlus highlights the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attributes, including its 4 million-resident market size, location within a dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive of half the U.S. population, low cost of living and regional cultural and recreation highlights.

Thinking regionally is often challenging for entities that are traditionally rivals for the same projects, but such an approach benefits everyone in the long run, says Dorothy Baunach, president and CEO of the Northeast Ohio economic development group NorTech. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What you have to realize is that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not competing one county against the next, or one city against the next,â&#x20AC;? Baunach says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you can get all those folks together and on the same page, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing what kinds of projects you can accomplish that set up a framework and a working relationship that can carry you for a long time in terms of making things happen.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Michaela Jackson

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kronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s universities and health-care providers have developed a diverse set of technologies that are improving care delivery, fostering breakthroughs in biomedical research and spawning new companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a global stage that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing on, so those institutions that adopt an ivory-tower mentality will be doomed to extinction. The only walls we have here are the brick ones to protect us from the weather,â&#x20AC;? says Dr. Jim Dougherty, Akron General Hospital chairman of medical education and research.

A prime example of collaboration among the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and research leaders was the fall 2008 launch of the BioInnovation Institute. Institute founders include Akron Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital, Akron General, Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, Summa Health System and The University of Akron. Initial funding has been committed by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, FirstEnergy Corp., the State of Ohio, and Summit County to create a world-class center for medical excellence.

The institute, kickstarted by a $20 million grant from the .

Knight Foundation, positions Akron to capitalize on its traditional strengths in research, education and health care to create new technologies. Institute partners envision: s #REATING A NATIONALLY DISTINCTIVE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR biomaterials and medicine. s 4RANSLATING LEADING EDGE RESEARCH INTO NEW MEDICAL DEVICES s 2APIDLY GROWING ANNUAL BIOMATERIALS RELATED RESEARCH FUND ing across the partners. s )NCREASING INVESTMENT BY NATIONAL FIRMS INTO REGIONAL BIO medical startups and established companies, drawing talent from around the globe and creating thousands of jobs for the region.

In addition to the grant from the Knight Foundation, each founding organization is contributing $4 million in matching funds. The state of Ohio is contributing $8.7 million.

FirstEnergy Corp. was the first community supporter of the BioInnovation Institute, with a pledge of up to $10 million over the next 10 years.

The University of Akron has put strong emphasis on multidisciplinary research, with a goal of growing the local research base 10 to 15 percent annually and becoming a regional hub for technology transfer and wealth creation.

ÂľBVS W\abWbcbS ^]aWbW]\a /Y`]\ b] QO^WbOZWhS ]\ Wba b`ORWbW]\OZ ab`S\UbVa W\ `SaSO`QV SRcQObW]\ O\R VSOZbV QO`S Âś â&#x20AC;&#x153;All major issues facing us today will need to be addressed from a team perspective: health, energy, environment, transportation are all too multifaceted to be addressed by single investigators,â&#x20AC;? says Dr. George Newkome, UA vice president for research. @3A3/@16 A>C@A <3E 3<B3@>@7A3 From this research, new companies have emerged, including one developing a biocompatible artificial pancreas.

Summa Health has made research an integral component of its academic and clinical initiatives. Those efforts have helped the hospital system develop a reputation for excellence in cardiology, diabetes, emergency services, orthopaedics, oncology, senior health and renal services, among others.

Akron General focuses on biomedical research through the #ALHOUN 2ESEARCH ,ABORATORY A SQUARE FOOT FACILITY THAT HOUSES RESEARCHERS AND STATE OF THE ART EQUIPMENT In the past, the goal of research was to discover information and publish it, but the emphasis has shifted to bringing innovation to the bedside.

The center established an office of technology transfer two years ago to combine researchersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expertise with entrepreneurs who could create viable products. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Northeast Ohio is attuned to the opportunities involved in biomedical research. It is actually one of the better areas of THE COUNTRY AND IT IS QUITE UNAPPRECIATED WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT 3ILICON 6ALLEY "OSTON AND THE 2ESEARCH 4RIANGLE v Dougherty says. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Roy Moore

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kron Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital has emerged as the largest pediatric-care provider in Northeast Ohio, serving 450,000 patients each year.

At its 253-bed main facility in downtown Akron and 40 related locations in the area, the hospital focuses on more than 30 areas of specialized medicine and surgery staffed by 600 medical workers.

Akron Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performs more pediatric surgeries than any other hospital in Northeast Ohio.

Seeking to cut down on travel time for seriously ill patients, the hospital in 2008 launched Air Bear, Ohioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first pediatricdedicated helicopter, so doctors could reach critically ill infants, children and teens during medical emergencies.

The hospital is beefing up operations regionally by expanding in the Mahoning Valley, which includes Youngstown and Warren.

Under the leadership of President and CEO William Considine, the hospital has teamed with Humility of Mary Health Partners to improve care for children and teens in the area with an inpatient unit, emergency services and specialcare nursery.

Akron Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital and HMHP in 2007 bought the property for a new pediatric hospital in Boardman and spent more than $10 million on renovations to the former Beeghly Medical Park.

From that work, Akron Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Mahoning Valley opened as the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only pediatric hospital, with 32 private inpatient beds, an emergency department, radiology unit and pharmacy.

The hospital will employ more than 300 people in the Mahoning Valley, including those staffing the hospital and those at nearby offices. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve long been committed to the Mahoning Valley,â&#x20AC;? says Considine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While the hospital carries the Akron Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, it is truly the Mahoning Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hospital.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Roy Moore

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rom on-campus research that leads to technology transfer and new business to a steady stream of highly competent graduates, the Greater Akron region can boast a wealth of knowledge assets.

The region is home to The University of Akron and Kent State University, and 13 colleges and universities, including the 158-year-old Hiram College in Portage County, are within commuting distance. Another 32 colleges and universities are within a 50-mile radius, more than any region in the country, with the exception of New York.

One of the biggest challenges Northeast Ohio faces is ensuring a steady flow of well-trained talent, says Dr. Lester A. Lefton, president of 22,000-student Kent State University. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a comprehensive, public research university providing more than 280 areas of study at the undergraduate level, at an affordable price, we help meet that problem,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We continue to make technological discoveries that lead to new patents and licenses, which then stimulate the economy.â&#x20AC;?

A city with a vibrant economy usually has a high-quality university or two in close proximity, says Dr. Luis M. Proenza, president of the 20,000-student University of Akron. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not a single-product outfit, like many companies,â&#x20AC;?

Proenza says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The students themselves, the research we produce, the technology we create, the patents and licenses we issue, all are expressions of our expertise in the community, and all demonstrate the way that we are involved in economic development in a wide array of ways.â&#x20AC;?

UA and KSU are heavily involved in on-campus research and development, and continue to work with local and regional

economic development officials and businesses to foster growth in a broad sector of industries. /< 7<<=D/B7=< 31=<=;G â&#x20AC;&#x153;Companies are increasingly depending on outside sources for more of their technology and innovative ideas,â&#x20AC;? Proenza says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Universities are in a very key position to assist companies in the development of new opportunities.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no question that technological discoveries lead to economic stimulus,â&#x20AC;? adds Lefton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we continue with programs that grant licenses and also spin off companies in many areas of research.â&#x20AC;?

Kent State developing a college of public health that will produce public-health workers in a variety of disciplines, bring in research dollars and become a hub of research.

And at UA, which a century ago was teaching rubberchemistry classes in support of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four major tire companies, cutting-edge research is still the order of the day.

Nowadays, though, rubberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been supplanted by a diversified polymer industry, and the college has reacted accordingly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Polymers are going to have a major impact on medical devices, therapeutic as well as diagnostic, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working on the next generation of those here,â&#x20AC;? Proenza says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The university has expanded along the lines of the research, and also has formed the Akron Regional Change Agents, an investorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s group, to work with polymer companies. And this is just one of the myriad ways that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working within the community in terms of economic development.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Joe Morris

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7

n late 2008, passenger traffic at Akron-Canton Airport was on track to grow 6 percent over 2007, while the rest of the country was down an average of 10 percent.

Passenger traffic at the airport has doubled in 10 years, to about 1.47 million annually, and set a passenger record in 2008.

A combination of lower fares, fewer hassles and close attention to passenger comfort is making Akron a popular alternative to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the things we really pride ourselves on here is that we are not the big dog in the marketplace,â&#x20AC;? says Rick McQueen, who took over as executive director in September 2008. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Two healthy airports are necessary for this region to grow. But we are a lot more relaxed, and there are not long lines at the screening checkpoint,â&#x20AC;?

McQueen says.

He cites airport amenities such as massage chairs, big-screen televisions, free Wi-Fi and free charging towers for laptops, cell phones and other electronic devices. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Little things like that go a long

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way with people,â&#x20AC;? McQueen says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Airlines have already cut back all the amenities. If we arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t doing that, nobody will.â&#x20AC;?

AirTran Airways is Akronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest carrier. Judy Graham-Weaver, the airlineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public relations manager, credits the airportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success to both parties keeping costs low and to simple geography. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The airport is convenient to some travelers from Cleveland and its suburbs, but also to a number of smaller communities from Mansf ield to Youngstown, not to mention Akron and Canton,â&#x20AC;? she says.

That market area includes 1.3 million people within 30 miles of the airport and 1.8 million people from Mansfield to Youngstown, excluding Cleveland, she says.

AirTran runs four daily roundtrips to Atlanta, two to New York and one each to Orlando and Tampa. The winter-only Fort Myers run started in 2006.

US Airways, Northwest, Frontier and United Express also serve the airport.

But the AirTran flights to LaGuardia

Airport in New York made the job easier for Mitchell Kahan, Akron Art Museum director and CEO. 3/A73@ B@/D3: 4=@ 0CA7<3AA Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone to New York on business and returned the same day. The low fares mean the museum can bring guest speakers to Akron for events during the week, when fares are generally higher. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is an enormous money saver and time saver for us,â&#x20AC;? Kahan says.

The airport is making big moves, too.

It is literally moving 4 million cubic feet of dirt to extend a runway from 7,600 to 8,200 feet. The $60 million project started in March 2008 and will wrap up in late 2010.

The extension will allow full-sized jets to fill up with cargo and fuel for destinations on the West Coast, the Caribbean and Mexico. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will always be airline service,â&#x20AC;?

McQueen says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will still be the need for people to go on business trips.

The key here for us is to be positioned for the future.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pamela Coyle

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Several sites in Summit, Medina and Portage counties are affiliated with a designated Foreign Trade Zone, including Akron-Canton Airport and several industrial parks and distribution facilities. FTZ status allows goods to be brought in duty and tax free until they leave the zone or are remanufactured or assembled into another product.

The Northeast Ohio Trade and Economic Consortium administers Foreign Trade Zone 181 and also formed the Northeast Ohio Logistics Network, an advocacy group to help create a unified regional freight system.

The network includes about 140 shippers, carriers, logistics providers, and economic development representatives. Go to eee \S]bSQ ]`U Z]UWabWQa Vb[ for more. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pamela Coyle

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ithin the lower 48 states, the geographic center of the United States is in a field northwest of Topeka, Kan. Toss in Alaska and Hawaii, and the center shifts north, off a dirt road near Butte, S.D. By other measures, Greater Akron is in the center of the action.

More than 40 major U.S. markets that contain 55 percent of U.S. manufacturing plants, 57 percent of the population and 60 percent of its buying power are within 500 miles, according to the Greater Akron Chamber.

Half of the Fortune 500 companies based in Ohio are in the ClevelandAkron corridor and more than 150 Fortune 500 companies have facilities in Greater Akron.

Three major airports, rail service and a state-of-the-art, 28-acre truck-rail facility about 30 miles from Akron provide valuable distribution resources.

Low-cost water transportation systems provide access to Gulf ports and Latin America, completing a system that is efficient and cost effective.

With the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fourth-largest interstate system, Greater Akron is a distribution hub. It is home to more than 100 freight carriers, including Yellow Transportation, which employs more than 1,000 people in Richfield.

FedEx has three operations in the area: FedEx Custom Critical, FedEx Truckload Brokerage and a large call center for FedEx Freight Inc. Combined, the operations employ more than 700 people, says Ryan Henary, manager of marketing for FedEx Custom Critical. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Northeast Ohio is a good place to run a customer service center,â&#x20AC;? Henary says, citing a solid employment base. As for

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7

n 2000, University Park was facing problems similar to those confronting other neighborhoods near urban universities. More than half of the households were living below poverty level and the area had a disproportionately high crime rate.

Less than a decade later, a dramatic transformation is taking place in this Akron neighborhood.

The 50-block area surrounding The University of Akron is becoming a desirable place to live, work, shop and play.

Through the efforts of city leaders, businesses and the university, the area boasts a burgeoning mixed-use environment for recreation, the arts, homes and business. University Park has become a pedestrian and bicycle friendly neighborhood with safer parks, neighborhoods and public areas.

The ambitious revitalization initiative is overseen by the University Park Alliance, which focuses its efforts on economic development, education and community engagement.

Major funding is provided by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Since its formation in 2001, UPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts have helped bring more than 1,000 jobs and $300 million in private investment to the neighborhood, which now boasts some 15,000 residents and 300 businesses.

The first phase of Spicer Village, a 25-unit townhome

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community, is under way, with a homeownerincentive program for full-time university faculty and staff. Approval has been received for a new student housing project. Private investment is on the rise.

;]`S 7\aWUVb BANDING TOGETHER UNIVERSITY PARK ALLIANCE is a partnership among The University of Akron, city of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron Public Schools, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Akron Beacon Journal, the Greater Akron Chamber and the University Park Development Corp.

1/B/:GAB 4=@ B@/<A4=@;/B7=< Dr. Luis M. Proenza, Akron University president, has worked hard to transform the campus and is dedicated to making resources available to the community. Residents are given access to more than 300 low-cost or free events annually, including sports, theater, dance, concerts and fine-art exhibits.

An arts village is developing and expanding in University Park. Don Drumm Studios & Gallery features the works of more than 500 contemporary North American artists. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a longtime business operating in University Park, it is exciting to be a catalyst in the transformation of the neighborhood,â&#x20AC;? Drumm says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a symbiotic relationship with the partners of University Park Alliance, and they

To learn more about the University Park Alliance, visit www.upakron.com.

appreciate the artistic influence we have on the neighborhood.â&#x20AC;?

Future development near Don Drumm Studios & Gallery is expected to include sidewalk cafes, more galleries and additional retail.

UPA partners established The University Park Advantage: An Educational Excellence Initiative Program. Innovative experiences that enhance education at every grade level from pre-kindergarten through college are planned. A scholarship program has been established for long-term residents of University Park to attend The University of Akron.

Ken Stapleton, senior economic development adviser to Proenza and executive director of the alliance, is enthusiastic about the future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are actively working on projects with devel opers from Akron, Cleveland and California,â&#x20AC;? Stapleton says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Private investors understand the value of University Park,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;including the shared vision, strong leadership and the momentum of the neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transformation.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Claire Ratliff-Sears

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f anything you own contains polyester, if you enjoy affordable faux leather furniture or sport carpet anywhere in your home, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s likely youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re holding a little piece of Akron in your day-to-day life.

All of these items contain polymers, sophisticated plastics that Akron has a strong legacy in researching, developing and manufacturing.

The region has long been a manufacturing force, specifically when it comes to rubber production.

The University of Akron offered the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first course in rubber chemistry in the early 20th century, and the U.S. government partnered with the university during World War II to develop a rubber substitute.

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More than 400 polymer-related

enterprises now call the region home, employing more than 35,000 people and spawning a new handle as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Polymer Center of the Americas.â&#x20AC;?

Indeed, polymers manufacturing and research is a major industry sector and economic development initiative in the

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Greater Akron area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The polymer industry is extremely important to the Akron economy,â&#x20AC;? says Mark Foster, who is the director of the Akron Global Polymer Academy at The University of Akron. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The University of Akron has very long been recognized as a center of polymer research and polymer expertise in the world,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That goes back to the time of Charles Goodyear.â&#x20AC;?

The region is making great strides in what Foster calls â&#x20AC;&#x153;high value-added polymers,â&#x20AC;? or specialty polymers.

One of the emerging sectors of the industry involves the biomedical application of polymers.

The University of Akron recently licensed a patent to Boston Scientific, for example, for a specially designed material used in a stent that allows for

the elution of medicine over time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a definite increase in the interest and activity in the area of polymers, specifically those that have applications in biomedicine,â&#x20AC;?

Foster says.

Network Polymers, with its subsidiary Diamond Polymers, is a two-decade veteran of Greater Akronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s polymer industry.

CEO Alan Woll says that because of products now in development, the business should grow by 10 to 20 percent over the next two to three years, with the potential of doubling in terms of revenue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is only going to evolve into more and more,â&#x20AC;? Woll says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like a rabbit.

The only way I can describe it is that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to continue to multiply. To what level, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know. But it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remain the same because there are just too many opportunities.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Michaela Jackson

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iquid crystals already make cell phone and laptop displays possible. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re used in GPS units, digital cameras, parking meters, gas pumps, electronic games and fish finders.

These tiny crystals â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a phase of matter between liquid and solid â&#x20AC;&#x201C; have an even brighter future, and the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University is leading the way.

Cell phone â&#x20AC;&#x153;skinsâ&#x20AC;? that change color; sports goggles that adjust for light conditions; the next generation of electronic books, in color; tiny sensors to detect biological or chemical threats.

These new applications are already on the market or will be soon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Liquid crystals are very sensitive to small changes in their environment,â&#x20AC;? says Phil Bos, associate director of the Liquid Crystal Institute and a Kent State professor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They show a huge visible effect with a small change.â&#x20AC;?

The pioneering work of the institute, established in 1965, sparked greater interest among scientists for studying the potential of this in-between stage of matter first discovered in the 19th century.

Until now, most liquid-crystal displays and applications involved two plates of glass with the sensitive structures in the middle, but Kent Displays Inc., a leader in the field, in 2008 rolled out new technology that uses plastic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It opens up a whole new ball game,â&#x20AC;? says Allan Davis, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior director for

business development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are a lot more surfaces. Displays can be anywhere â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sewn into clothing, on refrigerators, sides of cell phones, a memo pad on the back of a cell phone.â&#x20AC;?

1@GAB/:¸A 6C53 >=B3<B7/: Bos says the potential for lower-cost, user friendly electronic books and similar applications is huge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kent Displays is the go-to place in the world for those interested in that technology,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their stuff is on the radar of some of the biggest companies in the world.â&#x20AC;?

A former director of the institute started Kent Displays in 1993, and many of its engineers are graduates of the university.

AlphaMicron Inc. in Kent is working on digital visors, rear-view mirrors that dim automatically and a new generation of â&#x20AC;&#x153;smart windows.â&#x20AC;? It provided liquid-crystal sequins for an inaugural gown Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first lady wore in 2007.

CoAdNa Phototonics develops its switches and equalizers for fiber-optic systems in nearby Stow. And Hana Microdisplay Technology Inc. set up shop in nearby Twinsburg because of the proximity to the institute. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were the first university to have an institute dedicated to this field of study,â&#x20AC;? says Jim Maxwell, the Liquid Crystal Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spokesman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It became a really great model for others to follow.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pamela Coyle

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The LCI is named in honor of founder Dr. Glenn H. Brown, a faculty member in Kent State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chemistry Department who created the institute in 1965.

The Liquid Crystal and Materials Sciences building was completed in 1996. The three-story facility provides 65,000 square feet to house the Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program.

It includes a 150-seat auditorium, 22,000 square feet of lab space, clean rooms and display manufacturing line.

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he Akron Art Museum blends an old 1899 post office and a soaring, new $35 million addition, creating a potent combination thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turned the museum into the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new hot spot. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The building is stunning. The lobby is stunning. Events are exciting just because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the space,â&#x20AC;? says Jessie Raynor, director of the Akron Arts Area Alliance, which has its offices down the street. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The building and the energy it has brought in make it the place to be.â&#x20AC;?

With a new 160-seat auditorium, the museum is attracting audiences for its partnerships with Akron Independent Film Festival and a group that presents chamber music on Tuesdays. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Third Thursdaysâ&#x20AC;? draws young professionals for music and cocktails in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crystal,â&#x20AC;? a three-story, glass-and-steel lobby, a signature part of Coop Himmelb(l)auâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design. The museum expansion was the renowned Austrian firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first public design in the United States.

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Construction closed the facility for four years, but it tripled

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its space. The museum houses significant collections of photography, Northeast Ohio art, American Impressionism and international art since World War II. The expansion has created new opportunities to reach younger audiences, too. Space from the original building now houses a classroom, with studio classes for youngsters as well as adults. Two Saturdays a month feature â&#x20AC;&#x153;drop-inâ&#x20AC;? days where parents and children can spend time exploring a theme together, says Missy Higgins, the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education director. Those sessions alternate with more-structured family classes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In terms of educational ability, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just exploded,â&#x20AC;? Kahan says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We never had a classroom.â&#x20AC;?

From July to mid-November 2008, 3,900 school students

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came to the museum with school tour groups. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jean-Pierre Gauthier: Machines at Play,â&#x20AC;? an exhibit of kinetic sculptures that made its only U.S. stop in Akron, was an especially big hit.

The museum worked with Case Western Reserve PBS to produce related documentaries, and the stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s educational staff helped develop a companion curriculum on motion and physics, Higgins says.

Raynor says the revamped Akron Art Museum has â&#x20AC;&#x153;put the

city on the map as a forward-thinking, innovative community.â&#x20AC;?

With its reopening in July 2007, the museum â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the arts alliance nearby â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are attracting coffee shops, graphic design firms and art galleries to a once-blighted slice of downtown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our whole neighborhood has changed,â&#x20AC;? Raynor says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What this project has allowed us to do is to create a civil monument in the center of the city. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no accident that the 327-foot long roof lights up.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pamela Coyle

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or city slickers with a love for nature, the Akron region offers the perfect solution â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Just miles from the heart of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downtown, Ohioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only national park encompasses 33,000 acres of ravines, forest, waterways and other antidotes for urban stress.

The park draws nearly 2.5 million visitors a year, ranking it among the top 10 most popular national parks in the country, says Mary Pat Doorley, a spokeswoman for the parks system.

Many come to travel the Towpath Trail, a hard-pack path once used by mules pulling barges down the Ohio & Erie Canal.

These days, the trail is the peaceful home to strollers, bikes, wheelchairs, and the Towpath marathon, which has been run yearly since 1992.

Still, the pathâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history as Ohioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifeline to the rest of the nation remains evident from the markers, exhibits and locks along the canal.

The curious can watch the locks at work during seasonal weekend demonstrations at the Canal Visitor Center, which also exhibits 12,000 years of the valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history, including the canalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heyday.

For bikers looking for a relaxing way to ease their journey through the park, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers a deal that is hard to beat. For $2, the railroadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bike Aboard! program allows visitors to bike one-way down the Towpath Trail then return on one of its historic diesel trains, which run through the 3dS`Sbb @]OR 1]dS`SR 0`WRUS W\ 1cgOV]UO DOZZSg <ObW]\OZ >O`Y

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valley. Bikers may also choose to take the train first and ride their cycles back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really caught on,â&#x20AC;? says Kelly Steele, railroad director of marketing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awesome.â&#x20AC;?

The railroad has been running the tourist trains since 1973. Steele says no matter how many times she rides, she never tires of seeing the delight the trains provoke in old and young. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you see a 3-year-old literally running around in circles because the train is coming, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re here,â&#x20AC;? she says.

The 26-mile ride also gives passengers some breathtaking views of nature as the train passes a bald eagleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nest and blue heron rookeries that are otherwise out of the way.

In the depths of winter, the train can reveal a snow-blanketed park where the fallen foliage makes it easier to see the coyotes, wild turkeys and especially deer that make the park home. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re abundant with deer,â&#x20AC;? Doorley says.

Indeed winter can be a great time to visit the park â&#x20AC;&#x201C; turning the 60-foot-tall Brandywine Falls, a visitor favorite, into a frozen cascade, and opening up all kinds of physical fun.

The Winter Sports Center at Kendall Lake Shelter offers snowshoeing and cross-country skiing and a hot drink to return to. Sledding hills and hiking are nearby. And downhill skiing is available at the privately run Brandywine and Boston Mills ski resorts. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sam Scott

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hen Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic visits Israel, he may look like any other American tourist.

But then he sits down for a meeting with the nation's prime minister.

Plusquellic is the man behind Akron's one-of-a-kind initiative to join public and private forces for a $1.5 million investment in a technology-based incubator located in Netanya, Israel.

The Targetech incubator is an endeavor by the Israeli government to stimulate technology innovation. The government offers tenants of the incubator start-up loans, which are paid back if the company is successful and forgiven if the venture

doesn't survive. In return, companies give the incubator a 50 percent interest in their firms.

As laid out by the Ohio-Israel agreement in 2007, Akron now has a 40 percent stake in the incubator. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So indirectly, we own roughly 20 to 30 percent of each of these companies that emerges from the incubator,â&#x20AC;? says Marc Merklin, a partner with Brouse McDowell, the law firm that represented the city in the agreement.

The companies have also agreed that, when they are ready to establish a U.S. presence, they will do it in Akron. Most companies stay in the incubator for roughly three years. While no

BVS E]`ZR 1][Sa 1OZZW\U /9@=< 7A / ;/5<3B 4=@ 4=@375< 7<D3AB;3<B GREATER AKRON has attracted direct foreign investment from all corners of the globe and is home to operations of a number of international companies in a range of industries. Household names such as Bridgestone, Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Oreal, Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Saint-Gobain have large

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operations in the Greater Akron region.

Greater Akron was ranked 14th among the top 50 metropolitan areas in the United States for European business expansion. In addition to the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network of highways and access to major U.S. and Canadian markets, Foreign Trade Zone 181, operated

by the Northeast Ohio Trade and Economic Consortium, covers 6,000 acres at 35 sites throughout the region. Those attributes combine to make Greater Akron a highly cost-effective location for international companies that are seeking to expand into the North American market.

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Akron’s Leading Properties

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Israel was chosen as the location for the venture, Gudell says, because it has an international reputation for technology

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development, raising more than $12 billion in the last 10 years for new ventures. Israeli technology is already at work in Akronarea businesses and hospitals.

The partnership is so promising, he says, that the city is actively planning similar arrangements with incubators in other countries.

Gudell led a group of Summit County officials to India in November 2008 to explore possibilities in that country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you can source and attract innovative technologies that will help our local companies become competitive,â&#x20AC;? says Gudell, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is this not economic development? Does this not create jobs?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Michaela Jackson

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kronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history is rich with innovation. As an early industrial powerhouse, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s engineers created canal barges, new farm machinery and pneumatic tires. Even the ceramic marble was invented here.

Innovation looks a bit different in the 21st century, but creativity and passion still thrive, among both entrepreneurs and the resources that support them.

The ARCHAngels Network, for example, has created what cofounder John Myers calls a â&#x20AC;&#x153;neutral platformâ&#x20AC;? for technology companies to make presentations to potential investors.

The ARCHAngels (Akron Regional CHange Angels) Network itself does not hand out money, but deploys sponsors who help evaluate business potential and refine a companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pitch. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see it as our mission to get rich,â&#x20AC;? says Myers, who works with The University of Akron Research Foundation, which started the network. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We truly see our mission being to create wealth.â&#x20AC;?

A July 2008 survey of young companies that presented ideas at the networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarterly meetings found that 22 of them received funding from contacts made :STb( ;O`g /\\ 8OaW]\]eaYW VSZ^a /Y`]\ O`SO S\b`S^`S\Sc`a @WUVb( / Q][^OQb TZOaV EW 4W RSdWQS RSdSZ]^SR Ob /Y`]\¸a 5Z]POZ 0caW\Saa /QQSZS`Ob]`

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through ARCHAngels â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to the tune of $32 million since the networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2005 start.

Exacter Inc. had developed sensors to mount on city buses and trucks to detect a failing utility transformer and get a crew called before a power outage. But it needed money in 2006 for its first year to cover rent and start hiring. Northcoast Angel Group, a venture capital fund, invested $350,000.

In June 2008, Sensor Development Corp. received a $100,000 award from The Innovation Fund for highly sensitive nano-crystalline sensors that have agricultural, industrial environmental protection and diagnostic applications.

The Akron Global Business Accelerator, a partnership among the city of Akron, Akron Development Corp., The University of Akron and state of Ohio, began in 1983. Today it houses around 40 tenants and offers startups 200,000 square feet of office, manufacturing, assembly, wet lab and conference space.

Vadose Research & Development LLC, for example, is commercializing technology to convert scrap tires, waste oils, plastics and synthetic fibers to synthetic crude oil, natural gas and activated carbon. PolyFlow Corp. in Akron uses green technology to give plastics new life.

The Ohio Small Business Development

Center at the Summit Medina Business Alliance also aids fledgling ventures. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our major part is to accelerate Ohioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy by helping companies sustain themselves and grow,â&#x20AC;? says Mary Ann Jasionowski, director.

Services include business orientation seminars, business plan preparation and a workshop on â&#x20AC;&#x153;numbers demystified,â&#x20AC;? so clients can understand financial spreadsheets. @3A=C@13A /72 3<B@3>@3<3C@A Kent State University offers a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in entrepreneurship and a minor in the field.

Julie Messing, director of the KSU Center for Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation, sees students from the communications, technology and fashion programs mixing the two. Students also work directly with business owners, and the centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Entrepreneurial Extravaganza attracts about 700 students and community members. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have the drive to do something different than what their parents and grandparents did,â&#x20AC;? Messing says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This millennial generation is more open to risk. They look at solving problems.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pamela Coyle

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visit our

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