Follow Us On
 
|
October 2005 Issue
Built By Believers
Alex Machaskee, publisher of The Plain Dealer, was having dinner with the president of his ad agency, Bill Stern, when he issued Stern a challenge: Create an advertising campaign that will help Clevelanders feel better about where they live. Moreover, it should be a campaign that all the media can get behind — radio, TV, print, the Internet. The result of that challenge is debuting this month. "Believe in Cleveland," as the campaign is called, soon will be running in all the important... |
Genuine Leader
It’s difficult to forget a name like Yank, whereas it’s arguably easier to forget ubiquitous names like John or Mary. But Yank Heisler, chairman of KeyBank and CEO of McDonald Financial Group, remembers them all, and then some. "He has an uncanny ability to remember people’s names and something about those people," says Henry L. Meyer III, chairman, president and CEO of KeyCorp, the parent company of KeyBank. Meyer recalls a time when he and Heisler visited a bank branch they hadn’t been to in y... Gracious Winner
For Gordon Gund, life is full of trade-offs. Early this year, Gund surprised the sports world when he sold the Cleveland Cavaliers and Gund Arena to Detroit mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert. Who would walk away from a rising team? Twenty-year-old phenom LeBron James was excelling in his second year; All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was healthy after numerous foot injuries; and fans were flocking to the arena. As the city hoped for a trip to the playoffs, Gund turned his attention to a bigger prize: finding ... Past Inductees
These Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame members – inducted from 1996 to 2004 – continue to reign as the region’s most influential business professionals. Read their stories at www.inside-business.com. Monte Ahuja, David Brennan, James Biggar, Alva T. Bonda, Edward B. Brandon, John G. "Jack" Breen, Alexander "Sandy" Cutler," David A. Daberko, E. Mandell de Windt, Wayne Embry, Howard Flood, Stan Gault, Robert W. Gillespie, Joseph T. Gorman, Richard E. Jacobs, Peter B. Lewis, Alex Machaskee, Adele... Spirited Developer
Bart Wolstein was born a salesman. As a boy, when new houses were being built across the street from his home in Cleveland Heights, Wolstein loaded his red wagon with iced soda pop and walked house to house selling drinks to construction workers. It was his entry into an industry where he would one day reign: Wolstein spent more than 50 years as an innovator in real estate development before he died at the age of 77 on May 17, 2004. In addition to developing more than 100 shopping centers nationwide, Wo... |
A Moving Scene
Art Falco has one of the best seats in the house. From his perch on the second floor of the Bulkley Building, the president and CEO of Playhouse Square Foundation (PSF) can see all of the hustle and bustle that goes on in the reinvigorated, pulsating theater district downtown. The Playhouse Square that Falco watches from his office window looks much different today than when he took over as the foundation’s head in 1991. Today, there are school buses lined up outside the theaters on Euclid Avenue, whi... Bigger is Better
When the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce began sharing its successful small group health insurance plan with a couple neighboring chambers, Executive Director Tom Sudow never expected his organization to become a pioneer. The city of Solon and Euclid chambers were the first to share in Beachwood’s plan with Community Mutual (now Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield) in 1993. As those benefits started to take hold, some neighboring chambers found out about it and asked to participate, Sudow says. The immedi... Healing the Region
Dr. Anthony Furlan, the head of Stroke and Neurologic Intensive Care at the Cleveland Clinic, jokes that 10 years ago, he didn’t know where the emergency room was. "In most hospitals, stroke cases would come sauntering in two days, three days after their stroke," Furlan says. "There was no sense of urgency." Strokes affect 700,000 people nationwide and about 6,000 in Cuyahoga County each year. Unlike a heart attack, stoke symptoms are subtle, and until about 10 years ago, there was no federally approv... On a Winning Streak
When Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton wants to polish her management skills and technique, she scores tickets to a game – any game. "I love sports strategy," says the 58-year-old Thornton, president of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) and a self-proclaimed sports addict. Thornton’s loyalty to local athletic teams mirrors her spirit for the region’s economic potential. "We have so much going for us," she says, a pep talk she delivers more than she hears. "Look at the educational institutions and cultural a... |
Cleveland Rocks
Ladies and gentlemen, help me welcome Cleveland’s new international superstar. Give me an L! Give me an E! Give me a V... What? You don’t spell LeBron with a V. But you do spell Lev with a V – as in Lev Gonick, CIO of Case Western Reserve University and chair of the OneCleveland Board. While nobody may refer to him as "King Gonick" yet, Lev has achieved superstar status in the technology world. Whether speaking in numerous cities hoping to follow Cleveland’s lead (doesn’t that sound nice for a... |
Deep Thinker
SHARP MIND: Upon graduating from Case Western Reserve University, Glick began working for Newry Corp., a Westlake-based management consulting firm that specializes in growing technology-oriented companies, in 2001. He works primarily with Fortune 500 companies, advising senior managers on strategies for top-line growth. confident leader: Glick was a member of the Bridge Builders Flagship Class of 2005. He was recognized for his outstanding leadership ability with the David J. Akers Leadership Award. BIG... In Remembrance
The first time I met Donald T. Grogan, I thought he was a robbery squad sergeant on his day off. He was wearing a rumpled gray fedora that sat askew and spread across his face was one of those good-cop grins that offers absolution if you confess. Arriving unannounced at the Cleveland Magazine office in the Keith Building one day, his first words were, "This is squalor, absolute squalor." He held a copy of Cleveland Magazine in his hand. I edited the magazine in those days and was not accustomed to such ... Inside the War Room
Saving 1,000 jobs and landing hundreds of new ones takes a lot of hard work by people hidden away in tiny offices crunching numbers and conducting research. These people and their efforts don’t attract much fanfare, but you need to know their story because ultimately it is their ability to effectively work as a team that helps Northeast Ohio triumph on the economic development playing field. In the case of saving Cleveland’s Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) 1,000-employee operation, a ... Million-Dollar Banker
It was the kind of phone call most bankers dream about getting, let alone twice in their career. The caller was an Ashtabula County man who won a portion of the July Mega Millions jackpot. The $170 million won was the largest winning jackpot ever in Ohio lottery history to date. He had called Greg Klucher of Huntington Bank on the advice of his attorney. "It’s an overwhelming feeling, there’s obviously some euphoria to it," Klucher says. "From the second you double-check your winning numbers, it is ... Recovery Crew
When Edward Howard was working as a public relations advisor at Cleveland Trust Bank 80 years ago, his mentor took him to the top of the bank’s atrium to look down at the dozens of employees in its promotions department and told him he should start something of his own. Soon after, Howard founded one of the first public relations firms in the country, Edward Howard & Co., in 1925. Howard built up the business from only two clients based on honesty and integrity, and is now the oldest independent firm ... Suburban Renewal
The overwhelming stench outside Garfield Heights Mayor Tom Longo’s office was about enough to make him gag. So for many days, he shut his window to keep out the stink. That stench was emanating from the old R & B Development Landfill off Transportation Boulevard and the 1 million cubic yards of rotting waste that was being moved around and removed for an ambitious project. The landfill was home to about 70 percent of Cuyahoga County’s rubbish. It closed in 1978. But despite the odor of rotting garba... |
Safe and Secure
Widespread reports of identity theft have made the practice of protecting customer information a business essential. But keeping your customer information secure is not just a good business practice – in some places, it’s the law. The California Database Security Breach Notification Act requires companies with customers in California notify those customers if they have a "reasonable belief" that a breach in their databases could expose the customers to identity theft. Even if you don’t have custom... |
Letters
Laid Off I read with great interest the article about Mayor Jane Campbell ("Campbell’s Conundrum," September). While very interesting, there is one inaccuracy that I must point out: Laid-off police and firefighters have been rehired only when a member retires or leaves the department. Your neglect in mentioning that gives the impression that staffing levels are rising. James McNamee Jr. Cleveland Bottom Line I read with much interest Kristen Hampshire’s article on business fraud ("Nose in the Books,... |
Bad Calls
The giant phone mergers playing out nationwide may be likened to the World Series of telecom. In the biggest game, SBC is on the mound pitching that its proposed merger with AT&T will be a home run for business customers, creating a more competitive marketplace that delivers lower prices and innovative new telecom services. The problem is, this contest is every bit like baseball: The pitcher and the batter are on opposing teams, and someone’s got to lose. SBC is warming up for the "perfect game" – w... |
Dead Serious
After nearly two decades of working in sales and marketing, Marc Miller has come to a conclusion: Selling is dead. Yes, that’s right. Dead. As the founder and CEO of Twinsburg-based Sogistics, a firm that specializes in sales and marketing innovation, Miller closely examined the sales tactics and practices of companies small and large. Through the years, Miller has noted a change in the way selling is conducted, and has realized that companies need to revaluate and redesign the way they approach sales... Freed Named SME President
Robert Freed has been named the president of the Sales and Marketing Executives of Cleveland (SME). Freed is also president and COO of Brass Tacks, a marketing and design firm in downtown Cleveland."It’s very gratifying to be judged this way by your peers, says Freed" SME has been around since 1925, making this its 80th year as an organization. "Not too many businesses or organizations can say they’ve been around for as long as we have," says Freed. "It’s one of the few organizations around thatâ€... Head of the Class
At the beginning of the fall semester last year, Rob Spademan, a part-time instructor at Cleveland State University’s School of Communication, gave his Principles of Advertising students a hefty final project: design an ad campaign promoting the city of Cleveland to young people, encouraging them to stay in Cleveland and build a career here after college. The assignment was prompted by a column that ran in the August 2004 issue of Inside Business titled "IB to the PD: Bury Quiet Crisis," in which Edit... Lucky Pierre
You want to start your own business, but you want to do it as cheaply as possible and still stay in the United States. Well, the Milken Institute, a nonprofit independent think tank, can tell you where to go: South Dakota. Out of the 50 states ranked in the Institute’s recently released yearly Cost of Doing Business Index, the Mount Rushmore State is dead last in almost all business expenses, from tax burdens and wage costs to electricity and industrial rents. But, ooh – that commute from Parma to s... |
Growing Pains
Jeff Desich’s father, Richard, started Mid-Ohio Securities Co., now an affiliate of Equity Trust Co., in 1974 as a "plain old vanilla brokerage firm," as Desich puts it. The business evolved over the years and soon found a specialty niche in handling the administration of IRAs (individual retirement accounts) in non-traditional investments, namely real estate. Three years ago, the Elyria-based company had only 40 employees. Today, it has 120. When the business began experiencing rapid growth, it had t... Ready for the World
When Bruce Sherman realized an accessory he wanted for the fitness center he managed didn’t exist, he invented it. On a snowy December day in 2003, Sherman went to Home Depot and, using a hacksaw, PVC glue, a screwdriver and drill, created a prototype of what eventually became the GymValet, his patent-pending bottle and towel holder that attaches directly to any piece of exercise equipment. "I wanted to make the process of cleaning exercise equipment and personal hydration and hygiene more convenient ... |
A Moving Scene
Art Falco has one of the best seats in the house. From his perch on the second floor of the Bulkley Building, the president and CEO of Playhouse Square Foundation (PSF) can see all of the hustle and bustle that goes on in the reinvigorated, pulsating theater district downtown. The Playhouse Square that Falco watches from his office window looks much different today than when he took over as the foundation’s head in 1991. Today, there are school buses lined up outside the theaters on Euclid Avenue, whi... Bigger is Better
When the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce began sharing its successful small group health insurance plan with a couple neighboring chambers, Executive Director Tom Sudow never expected his organization to become a pioneer. The city of Solon and Euclid chambers were the first to share in Beachwood’s plan with Community Mutual (now Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield) in 1993. As those benefits started to take hold, some neighboring chambers found out about it and asked to participate, Sudow says. The immedi... Genuine Leader
It’s difficult to forget a name like Yank, whereas it’s arguably easier to forget ubiquitous names like John or Mary. But Yank Heisler, chairman of KeyBank and CEO of McDonald Financial Group, remembers them all, and then some. "He has an uncanny ability to remember people’s names and something about those people," says Henry L. Meyer III, chairman, president and CEO of KeyCorp, the parent company of KeyBank. Meyer recalls a time when he and Heisler visited a bank branch they hadn’t been to in y... Gracious Winner
For Gordon Gund, life is full of trade-offs. Early this year, Gund surprised the sports world when he sold the Cleveland Cavaliers and Gund Arena to Detroit mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert. Who would walk away from a rising team? Twenty-year-old phenom LeBron James was excelling in his second year; All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was healthy after numerous foot injuries; and fans were flocking to the arena. As the city hoped for a trip to the playoffs, Gund turned his attention to a bigger prize: finding ... Healing the Region
Dr. Anthony Furlan, the head of Stroke and Neurologic Intensive Care at the Cleveland Clinic, jokes that 10 years ago, he didn’t know where the emergency room was. "In most hospitals, stroke cases would come sauntering in two days, three days after their stroke," Furlan says. "There was no sense of urgency." Strokes affect 700,000 people nationwide and about 6,000 in Cuyahoga County each year. Unlike a heart attack, stoke symptoms are subtle, and until about 10 years ago, there was no federally approv... On a Winning Streak
When Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton wants to polish her management skills and technique, she scores tickets to a game – any game. "I love sports strategy," says the 58-year-old Thornton, president of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) and a self-proclaimed sports addict. Thornton’s loyalty to local athletic teams mirrors her spirit for the region’s economic potential. "We have so much going for us," she says, a pep talk she delivers more than she hears. "Look at the educational institutions and cultural a... Past Inductees
These Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame members – inducted from 1996 to 2004 – continue to reign as the region’s most influential business professionals. Read their stories at www.inside-business.com. Monte Ahuja, David Brennan, James Biggar, Alva T. Bonda, Edward B. Brandon, John G. "Jack" Breen, Alexander "Sandy" Cutler," David A. Daberko, E. Mandell de Windt, Wayne Embry, Howard Flood, Stan Gault, Robert W. Gillespie, Joseph T. Gorman, Richard E. Jacobs, Peter B. Lewis, Alex Machaskee, Adele... Safe and Secure
Widespread reports of identity theft have made the practice of protecting customer information a business essential. But keeping your customer information secure is not just a good business practice – in some places, it’s the law. The California Database Security Breach Notification Act requires companies with customers in California notify those customers if they have a "reasonable belief" that a breach in their databases could expose the customers to identity theft. Even if you don’t have custom... Spirited Developer
Bart Wolstein was born a salesman. As a boy, when new houses were being built across the street from his home in Cleveland Heights, Wolstein loaded his red wagon with iced soda pop and walked house to house selling drinks to construction workers. It was his entry into an industry where he would one day reign: Wolstein spent more than 50 years as an innovator in real estate development before he died at the age of 77 on May 17, 2004. In addition to developing more than 100 shopping centers nationwide, Wo... |
|
|