March/April 2013


 FEATURES

 NEO Success Awards 2013

NEO Success Awards 2013: Lincoln Electric
The company rebounded quickly from the recession while preserving its no-layoff dictum that’s lasted 70-plus years. Now, its new CEO, Christopher Mapes, explains why that and other long-held policies will take the company to its 125th anniversary and beyond.

NEO Success Awards 2013: Mazzella Lifting
 Built on tradition, this family-owned business continues to reach for new heights.

NEO Success Awards 2013: Empyra
 This software development firm helped the city of Youngstown manage the unwieldy process of demolishing decaying homes.

NEO Success Awards 2013: Slate Rock Safety
Heidi Sweeney doesn’t just hope to keep growing, she expects it — and keeps her business nimble for what’s to come. 

NEO Success Awards 2013: MC Sign
Hustle, persistence and quality service drives this Mentor sign company.

NEO Success Awards 2013: Jarrett Logistics Systems
Whether it’s hiring employees with the right character or spending on technology, Mike Jarrett's logistics firm has shown attention to detail equals growth.

NEO Success Awards 2013: The Winners.

Community Impact Awards

Community Impact Awards: ArtsinStark
A Stark County arts program is helping raise test scores with creative approaches to learning.

Community Impact Awards: Rid-All Green Partnership
 A former dumping ground is turned into a model of urban agriculture.

Community Impact Awards: Downtown Cleveland Alliance
The Seeds program is beautifying Cleveland’s downtown and providing valuable training for the homeless.

 Community Impact Awards: Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc.
Bridgeport Cafe provides fresh foods, cooking classes and more to a neighborhood hungry for more nutritious options.

 Community Impact Awards: Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.
Funds from a community program in partnership with the city of Youngstown has helped homeowners make needed improvements.

 Community Impact Awards: The Greater Cleveland Film Commission
The commission has done more than just attract big-budget superhero flicks to town.

 Community Impact Awards: Youngstown's CityScape
Improvements to Youngstown’s Wick Park now make it available for all to enjoy.

 Community Impact Awards: The Akron Marathon
The Akron Marathon has grown into a community event that draws 15,000 runners to the heart of the Rubber City.

 Community Impact Awards: The Youngstown Business Incubator
The Youngstown Business Incubator gets companies off the ground, but keeps them close to provide support once they’re running.

 Community Impact Awards: The Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition
A long-term improvement plan preserves our area parks’ resources and boosts the local economy.

 Community Impact Awards: PlayhouseSquare, Cleveland Play House and Cleveland State University
 Three theater programs join forces downtown.

Community Impact Awards: The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
The zoo’s African Elephant Crossing provides guests with a colossal close-up and engages the community in conservation efforts.
Power Bunch
Ever want a leadership pep talk from Sherwin-Williams’ chairman and CEO Christopher Connor? Want thoughts on success from Forest City Enterprises’ co-chairman emeritus Albert Ratner? We did too, so we made the rounds at our Power 100 networking event, held Jan. 30 at Cleveland City Hall, to solicit sage advice from some of Northeast Ohio’s most successful leaders.
DEPARTMENTS

 NEO NOW
 Culture Club
 New Rock Hall head Greg Harris sees the museum as a place that should not only celebrate the music but teach the world how it connects us all.
Care Package
 With its virtual kiosks, HealthSpot looks to make visiting the doctor as easy as going to the store.

Kickstart-Ups
 Tapping into the passion (and the wallets) of your target market might be enough to get your big idea off the ground.
Crowd Pleaser
 Here’s how to make your crowd-funding project look good.
Seat Market
 MascotSecret is hoping its ticket-upgrade app will bring fans closer to the action.
Three Questions with Sean Mason
Owner, Team1 Marketing.

 ENTREPRENEUR'S TOOLKIT
 Chicken Hit
Jon Fawcett’s crowd-funding success launched more than the Une Bobine flexible smartphone charging stand. It also hatched his startup.

 CALENDAR

WORKING THE ROOM
PLAYERS

 ONE TO WATCH
 Ashley Basile Oeken | 27
Executive Director, Engage Cleveland | ashleybasile@aol.com

 COLUMNISTS

 ABSOLUTELY
 The Great Divide
 The separation between city and suburbs was just the beginning. Living in our own little worlds is the biggest threat to forging a future together as a cohesive and forward-thinking region.

 HUMAN RESOURCES
 Work Daze
 If another unflattering Cleveland ranking has you down, don’t worry, be happy.

NEOCONOMIST

A Man in a Hurry
It looks as if the rotten political culture that for years permeated Cuyahoga County has left some residue.

A Time of Optimism 
The Downtown Cleveland Alliance’s latest quarterly report shows reinvestment in the city’s center is still going strong.

Marcy Kaptur's Challenge
The longest-serving woman in the U.S. House of Representatives — who recently defeated both Dennis Kucinich and Joe the Plumber — is still something of a mystery to her newest constituents in Northeast Ohio.

Rigged for Success
Cleveland’s Norris Brothers manages some of the heaviest work in Northeast Ohio, and has been doing so for more than a century.

Stylish 'Treatmentwear'
Brotherly love started an entrepreneur on her journey to making comfortable clothing for people undergoing infusion intervention.