Shaker Heights
When Fresh Water launched in September 2010, we promised to highlight Cleveland's most progressive and creative people, businesses and organizations. But more importantly, we endeavored to place those subjects against the most compelling backdrop of all: Cleveland and its wonderful neighborhoods. Each Thursday, our readers are invited to dig a little deeper into this city we call home. What follows is a list of the 10 most-read features of the previous 12 months. Looking at the subject matter of those stories, it's clear that the most important topics to our readers include neighborhood development, sustainability and transportation, and, of course, food and booze.
"Wellness" might sound like the latest corporate buzzword. But a growing number of local entrepreneurs have begun incorporating the concept into a new breed of anti-corporate gyms that cater to health-savvy urban professionals. In recent years, indie gyms and studios have sprung up in Ohio City, Tremont, St. Clair Superior and other neighborhoods not served by large fitness chains.
cuyahoga arts & culture announces this year's project support grants
On Monday, November 14th, the Board of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) approved 88 grants totaling $1,029,164 for its 2012 Project Support cycle. The awards include traditional PS I grants and the new Project Support II, a small grant program that provides awards of up to $5,000. Grants range in value from $625 to $49,333.
This year garnered the largest number of applications in CAC’s history. A total of 131 organizations submitted Intent to Apply materials, of which 118 of were eligible. This is an increase of 45% from the previous year, which was also a record-setter.
The largest recipient is Scenarios USA, a nonprofit that that uses writing and filmmaking to foster youth leadership in under-served teens. The smallest is River Valley Ringers, a community handbell choir in Cleveland Heights. Others include EcoWatch, Building Bridges, LakewoodAlive, and numerous neighborhood development corps.
See all the grants here.
This year garnered the largest number of applications in CAC’s history. A total of 131 organizations submitted Intent to Apply materials, of which 118 of were eligible. This is an increase of 45% from the previous year, which was also a record-setter.
The largest recipient is Scenarios USA, a nonprofit that that uses writing and filmmaking to foster youth leadership in under-served teens. The smallest is River Valley Ringers, a community handbell choir in Cleveland Heights. Others include EcoWatch, Building Bridges, LakewoodAlive, and numerous neighborhood development corps.
See all the grants here.
Black Friday is, blessedly, behind us. So, too, is Cyber Monday. All that stands between today and the holidays are a few weeks of retail panic. Relax, brave shoppers. It has never been easier for a Clevelander to wrap up his or her holiday shopping thanks to a bevy of brief boutiques. These fleeting ventures spring up like magic mushrooms after an imaginary storm to make shopping fun, easy and 100-percent local.
Jared Rube has a love for both photography and technology. As a third year photography student at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rube got his feet wet in the entrepreneurial world as an intern at Shaker LaunchHouse before creating True Frame Media, which provides video content creators with the ability to standardize work-flow and produce films through online pre and post production processes.
Out of True Frame Media came CinaMaker, a cloud-based collaborative environment for producing films online. The company is a marriage of Rube’s two loves.
“It started as marketing and storage, and grew into editing,” recalls Rube. “Then it grew into ‘Why don’t we make it collaborative?’”
Running a startup business while going to school full time has not been easy. But Rube has gotten a lot of support from the RIT faculty, LaunchHouse, friends and family. And he’s enjoying every bit of the experience. “It’s a really cool learning experience,” he says, “Doing it all, learning how to run a business.”
CinaMaker is quickly growing. Rube has one “unofficial” business partner, one programmer and one designer. He plans on hiring subcontractors to help with the programming. He foresees soon having five to eight programmers and two designers on staff. He also has been working with local and overseas production companies and fellow LaunchHouse company Tiny Giant Studio.
“It’s really moving fast,” he says. “I’m just trying to keep up with it.”
Source: Jared Rube
Writer: Karin Connelly
Out of True Frame Media came CinaMaker, a cloud-based collaborative environment for producing films online. The company is a marriage of Rube’s two loves.
“It started as marketing and storage, and grew into editing,” recalls Rube. “Then it grew into ‘Why don’t we make it collaborative?’”
Running a startup business while going to school full time has not been easy. But Rube has gotten a lot of support from the RIT faculty, LaunchHouse, friends and family. And he’s enjoying every bit of the experience. “It’s a really cool learning experience,” he says, “Doing it all, learning how to run a business.”
CinaMaker is quickly growing. Rube has one “unofficial” business partner, one programmer and one designer. He plans on hiring subcontractors to help with the programming. He foresees soon having five to eight programmers and two designers on staff. He also has been working with local and overseas production companies and fellow LaunchHouse company Tiny Giant Studio.
“It’s really moving fast,” he says. “I’m just trying to keep up with it.”
Source: Jared Rube
Writer: Karin Connelly
The odyssey that led Deba Gray and Serena Harragin, the couple behind Gray's Auctioneers, to Cleveland is as fascinating as the work they do. The journey, which ends in Lakewood, meandered through Key West and Chicago. It includes a career change in New York, a heart-wrenching epiphany, and the convincing of a reluctant partner.
It wasn't long ago that you couldn't touch a new home in Shaker Heights for less than $300k. That is, if you could find one; in those bygone days, new single-families and condos in this historic, built-out community were scarce, and so was buildable land.
Enter the housing crisis and 2008 recession. Since the dawn of these twin apocalypses, the City of Shaker Heights, which has a reputation for being proactive about the upkeep of its housing stock, has acquired dozens of buildable lots. The city began placing these lots, which came into their hands when empty, foreclosed homes suffered the wrecking ball, into their land bank several years ago.
Now, as Cleveland's post-crash housing market gradually emerges from its stupor, one urban-savvy home builder is working with the city to build new, moderately-priced, green homes on three of its vacant lots.
"We're building Shaker-quality homes on the city's empty lots," says Joe Del Re, Project Manager with Zaremba Homes, a company that has been building homes in Cleveland and inner ring suburbs for 20 years. "They'll have hardi-plank and scalloped siding and other details that fit in with the surrounding community."
The new homes, which will be located on Strathavon Road in the Ludlow neighborhood, will be reasonably priced at $150,000 thanks to a grant from the county's Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Del Re says the program has made it possible for Zaremba to break ground on the spec homes.
The new, 1,600-square-foot homes will also feature three bedrooms, two and a half baths and green, energy-efficient amenities. Qualified buyers within income guidelines can also obtain a 20 percent, forgivable second mortgage.
Source: Joe Del Re
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Enter the housing crisis and 2008 recession. Since the dawn of these twin apocalypses, the City of Shaker Heights, which has a reputation for being proactive about the upkeep of its housing stock, has acquired dozens of buildable lots. The city began placing these lots, which came into their hands when empty, foreclosed homes suffered the wrecking ball, into their land bank several years ago.
Now, as Cleveland's post-crash housing market gradually emerges from its stupor, one urban-savvy home builder is working with the city to build new, moderately-priced, green homes on three of its vacant lots.
"We're building Shaker-quality homes on the city's empty lots," says Joe Del Re, Project Manager with Zaremba Homes, a company that has been building homes in Cleveland and inner ring suburbs for 20 years. "They'll have hardi-plank and scalloped siding and other details that fit in with the surrounding community."
The new homes, which will be located on Strathavon Road in the Ludlow neighborhood, will be reasonably priced at $150,000 thanks to a grant from the county's Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Del Re says the program has made it possible for Zaremba to break ground on the spec homes.
The new, 1,600-square-foot homes will also feature three bedrooms, two and a half baths and green, energy-efficient amenities. Qualified buyers within income guidelines can also obtain a 20 percent, forgivable second mortgage.
Source: Joe Del Re
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Cities, suburbs and neighborhoods alike often have slick promotional materials that advertise yearned-for amenities such as good schools, low taxes, desirable homes and nearby shopping. What they choose to include offers a glimpse into what the community values. Yet very few of them can boast a giant, colorful wall of books that frames the entranceway to their community.
The Larchmere-Shaker Square neighborhood of Cleveland would be the one exception. To enshrine the east side community's love of books and recognize its rich diversity, local artist Gene Epstein has installed a 74-foot-wide mural of a virtual bookshelf on the side of Loganberry Books, an independent bookstore that has been a mainstay of the eclectic business district since the mid-1990s.
The vividly depicted book spines include "Some Things that Stay" by local novelist Sarah Willis; "The Life and Death of Great American Cities" by oft-cited urban planner Jane Jacobs; and a book about barbering, which was chosen to reflect the growing number of barber shops in the immediate area. Epstein painstakingly photographed each title, then installed the highly visible mural on the east-facing wall of Loganberry.
"The criteria we had was that the books should be 25 percent children's literature, 25 percent related to the Larchmere community, 25 percent representing the businesses, and 25 percent about Cleveland," explains Epstein.
The books were nominated by community members and culled by a committee of residents and shop owners to reflect the area's true diversity. After the mural was printed on vinyl-coated polyester and mounted on sections of plywood, Epstein spent about two weeks installing it in 12-foot-tall sections, much to the wonderment of passers-by and employees of nearby businesses.
Now that it is finally complete, Larchmere-Shaker Square has a work of public art that celebrates what it has already become known for: art and community.
Source: Gene Epstein
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Larchmere-Shaker Square neighborhood of Cleveland would be the one exception. To enshrine the east side community's love of books and recognize its rich diversity, local artist Gene Epstein has installed a 74-foot-wide mural of a virtual bookshelf on the side of Loganberry Books, an independent bookstore that has been a mainstay of the eclectic business district since the mid-1990s.
The vividly depicted book spines include "Some Things that Stay" by local novelist Sarah Willis; "The Life and Death of Great American Cities" by oft-cited urban planner Jane Jacobs; and a book about barbering, which was chosen to reflect the growing number of barber shops in the immediate area. Epstein painstakingly photographed each title, then installed the highly visible mural on the east-facing wall of Loganberry.
"The criteria we had was that the books should be 25 percent children's literature, 25 percent related to the Larchmere community, 25 percent representing the businesses, and 25 percent about Cleveland," explains Epstein.
The books were nominated by community members and culled by a committee of residents and shop owners to reflect the area's true diversity. After the mural was printed on vinyl-coated polyester and mounted on sections of plywood, Epstein spent about two weeks installing it in 12-foot-tall sections, much to the wonderment of passers-by and employees of nearby businesses.
Now that it is finally complete, Larchmere-Shaker Square has a work of public art that celebrates what it has already become known for: art and community.
Source: Gene Epstein
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Dave Fleischer loves to draw. As a self-described “lifelong animator,” the creative director and president of Tiny Giant Studio has dreams of growing into a full-service animation production studio. And he’s using his passion to attract local talent to his company by hosting a speed-drawing class at Shaker LaunchHouse.
The class, held on Thursday nights, is designed to help potential animators hone their skills. Actors from the CWRU theater department silently act out a skit -- holding each pose for two minutes -- while participants sketch out the poses. The sketches are then transformed into an animatic skit using animation software.
“The more comfortable you are about drawing fast and not really caring about any one drawing, the better you will be as an animator,” explains Fleischer. “It’s a wonderful tool for building animation skills.”
While local animators sharpen their skills, Fleisher scouts out local talent. “Our goal is to grow in size as an animation studio,” he says. He currently runs Tiny Giant with five of his former Cleveland Institute of Art students. “The best way to grow talented people around you is by planting a seed and nurturing it. If I spot really talented people, they can freelance with us or, if they’re young, they can intern.”
About 15 people attended the first speed-drawing event held in October. Fleischer plans to continue to host the event twice a month.
Source: Dave Fleischer
Writer: Karin Connelly
The class, held on Thursday nights, is designed to help potential animators hone their skills. Actors from the CWRU theater department silently act out a skit -- holding each pose for two minutes -- while participants sketch out the poses. The sketches are then transformed into an animatic skit using animation software.
“The more comfortable you are about drawing fast and not really caring about any one drawing, the better you will be as an animator,” explains Fleischer. “It’s a wonderful tool for building animation skills.”
While local animators sharpen their skills, Fleisher scouts out local talent. “Our goal is to grow in size as an animation studio,” he says. He currently runs Tiny Giant with five of his former Cleveland Institute of Art students. “The best way to grow talented people around you is by planting a seed and nurturing it. If I spot really talented people, they can freelance with us or, if they’re young, they can intern.”
About 15 people attended the first speed-drawing event held in October. Fleischer plans to continue to host the event twice a month.
Source: Dave Fleischer
Writer: Karin Connelly
Steve Orlando wants to make cell phones free for all. He plans to do that through advertising. The CEO of Cell-A-Spot started the company in 2009 with the idea of selling ad space for cell phone apps and the concept has been growing ever since.
“We essentially are implementing advertisements in mobile phones,” Orlando says. “It started with a couple of ideas, but when we got our first customer we created our first app.”
Cell-a-Spot has created patent pending technology that couples a one-to-one interactive targeting for advertisers with the ability to generate revenue streams for mobile providers. Cell-A-Spot’s first app builds ads into a cell phone’s 411 service. Instead of paying for 411, the costs are offset by ads.
“Say you call 411 to search for pizza places... Ads for places like Pizza Hut will come up,” Orlando explains. “A lot of plans right now charge a fee to call 411. The way we built this app, it’s free.”
Orlando moved his business into Shaker LaunchHouse last April and has found the resources there to be invaluable in growing Cell-A-Spot. They became a LaunchHouse portfolio company about a month ago. “We’re lean, we’re small and we are able to keep our overhead really low,” he says. “Working in LaunchHouse, we get a lot of resources there.”
As Cell-A-Spot grows Orlando plans to build a full staff, from a sales team to accountants and administrative assistants. “My goal is to in three to four years have 12 employees,” he says. “But maybe we’ll get to 40 or 50 employees.”
Source: Steve Orlando
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We essentially are implementing advertisements in mobile phones,” Orlando says. “It started with a couple of ideas, but when we got our first customer we created our first app.”
Cell-a-Spot has created patent pending technology that couples a one-to-one interactive targeting for advertisers with the ability to generate revenue streams for mobile providers. Cell-A-Spot’s first app builds ads into a cell phone’s 411 service. Instead of paying for 411, the costs are offset by ads.
“Say you call 411 to search for pizza places... Ads for places like Pizza Hut will come up,” Orlando explains. “A lot of plans right now charge a fee to call 411. The way we built this app, it’s free.”
Orlando moved his business into Shaker LaunchHouse last April and has found the resources there to be invaluable in growing Cell-A-Spot. They became a LaunchHouse portfolio company about a month ago. “We’re lean, we’re small and we are able to keep our overhead really low,” he says. “Working in LaunchHouse, we get a lot of resources there.”
As Cell-A-Spot grows Orlando plans to build a full staff, from a sales team to accountants and administrative assistants. “My goal is to in three to four years have 12 employees,” he says. “But maybe we’ll get to 40 or 50 employees.”
Source: Steve Orlando
Writer: Karin Connelly
MedCity Media was created in 2009 to highlight Ohio's burgeoning biomedical industry. Since then it has expanded into two other markets and has become a go-to resource for those tracking developments few others are reporting. More markets are on the way, promises founder Chris Seper.
shaker is a model worth emulating, says pittsburgh tribune-review
In an article titled "Cleveland's Shaker Heights is a model worth emulating," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writer John Conti describes the attractiveness of this well-planned neighborhood, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012.
Thanks to the Van Sweringen's keen vision and planning, Shaker "appealed to the upper-middle classes in Cleveland in the 1920s, and the result today is neighborhood after neighborhood of stunningly good-looking houses built in the '20s and '30s. Some of these houses are mansions, some are just big, and some are modest. But all are still exceptionally attractive today."
The article goes on to describe with great detail just how the Van Sweringen brothers turned their vision into reality.
"[They] began accumulating land here in the early 1900s. In the teens and '20s, they laid out lots to sell and developed a rapid transit line directly into the center of Cleveland. They also set down the rules for what the owner-built houses in Shaker Heights would look like."
Those rules dictated that "houses were to be in the romantic Tudor, Colonial or French styles popular in the '20s. They had to be individually designed by architects. Brick and stone walls and slate and tile roofs were encouraged. Tudors had to have dark trim; only Colonials could have white. Buff-colored brick and certain colors of mortar were forbidden. Even the look of leaded-glass windows were regulated. Finally, the Van Sweringens had to approve every design."
All that would have been meaningless if the houses were not maintained. So the city inspects the exterior of every home every five years. An architectural review board must approve any changes to the exterior of a house.
"These are undoubtedly some of the toughest municipal standards anywhere in the United States," Conti writes. "And they can cost money. Considering its top-tier school system, Shaker Heights residents pay the highest property taxes in Ohio. Yet real estate people here will tell you that -- though the general real estate market in Cleveland has been abysmal in recent years -- Shaker Heights houses have held their value."
Read the entire report here.
Thanks to the Van Sweringen's keen vision and planning, Shaker "appealed to the upper-middle classes in Cleveland in the 1920s, and the result today is neighborhood after neighborhood of stunningly good-looking houses built in the '20s and '30s. Some of these houses are mansions, some are just big, and some are modest. But all are still exceptionally attractive today."
The article goes on to describe with great detail just how the Van Sweringen brothers turned their vision into reality.
"[They] began accumulating land here in the early 1900s. In the teens and '20s, they laid out lots to sell and developed a rapid transit line directly into the center of Cleveland. They also set down the rules for what the owner-built houses in Shaker Heights would look like."
Those rules dictated that "houses were to be in the romantic Tudor, Colonial or French styles popular in the '20s. They had to be individually designed by architects. Brick and stone walls and slate and tile roofs were encouraged. Tudors had to have dark trim; only Colonials could have white. Buff-colored brick and certain colors of mortar were forbidden. Even the look of leaded-glass windows were regulated. Finally, the Van Sweringens had to approve every design."
All that would have been meaningless if the houses were not maintained. So the city inspects the exterior of every home every five years. An architectural review board must approve any changes to the exterior of a house.
"These are undoubtedly some of the toughest municipal standards anywhere in the United States," Conti writes. "And they can cost money. Considering its top-tier school system, Shaker Heights residents pay the highest property taxes in Ohio. Yet real estate people here will tell you that -- though the general real estate market in Cleveland has been abysmal in recent years -- Shaker Heights houses have held their value."
Read the entire report here.
Fashions by Fowler, a popular women's clothing boutique run by sisters Renay and Tracy Fowler, has relocated to a Shaker Square storefront that has been sitting empty for years. Previously home to Metropolitan Galleries and Ann Taylor Loft, the 5,200-square-foot space is considerably larger than the boutique's old home on Mayfield Road.
"It's been very exciting," says Renay Fowler of the new space. "Shaker Square is so diverse in terms of nationalities and cultures, which I love. We're also positioned right between a bank and a Subway store, so we get a lot more walk-in traffic."
Fowler says that she has had little trouble filling her larger digs with both merchandise and customers. "We have a very diverse inventory, and we specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind items," she says. Some of the items the store carries include costume jewelry, furs and cowhide boots inlaid with rhinestones.
"If you're looking for something fun, glitzy and one-of-a-kind, that's what we do," says Fowler. "People assume our inventory is more expensive than it actually is -- you can get an entire outfit in our store for under one hundred dollars."
Fashions by Fowler features work by local clothing designers as well as smaller companies that are based in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Atlanta. In addition to its unique clothing inventory, the store employs an in-house milliner and a staff person that repairs costume jewelry.
"That's very hard to find these days," says Fowler. "People can bring a drawing in and get a hat or costume jewelry made for them."
Source: Renay Fowler
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"It's been very exciting," says Renay Fowler of the new space. "Shaker Square is so diverse in terms of nationalities and cultures, which I love. We're also positioned right between a bank and a Subway store, so we get a lot more walk-in traffic."
Fowler says that she has had little trouble filling her larger digs with both merchandise and customers. "We have a very diverse inventory, and we specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind items," she says. Some of the items the store carries include costume jewelry, furs and cowhide boots inlaid with rhinestones.
"If you're looking for something fun, glitzy and one-of-a-kind, that's what we do," says Fowler. "People assume our inventory is more expensive than it actually is -- you can get an entire outfit in our store for under one hundred dollars."
Fashions by Fowler features work by local clothing designers as well as smaller companies that are based in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Atlanta. In addition to its unique clothing inventory, the store employs an in-house milliner and a staff person that repairs costume jewelry.
"That's very hard to find these days," says Fowler. "People can bring a drawing in and get a hat or costume jewelry made for them."
Source: Renay Fowler
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Keith Pabley is dedicated to providing a way for people to eat healthy on the go. As CEO of Good Greens, one of Shaker LaunchHouse’s newest investments, Pabley is marketing his nutrition bars around Northeast Ohio with huge success.
“Our bar is unique because it has 100 percent of your daily fruits and vegetables,” says Pabley. “We’ve loaded it with all the stuff you’re supposed to be eating.” The bars are gluten free, vegan and have a low glycemic index. But don’t let the fact that they are healthy scare you; they’re tasty, too.
Pabley first got involved with the product when his family invested with the doctor who created a nutrition powder that is the basis for Good Greens Nutrition Bars. While working on his MBA at Baldwin-Wallace College, Pabley’s family approached him about marketing the doctor’s product.
“It was a good product, but had to be positioned properly,” Pabley recalls. He did just that. In May 2011, he went out on his own, brought the price down from nearly $5 a bar to less than $2, and partnered with Heinen’s, Marc’s and Dave’s Supermarkets to promote and sell his products.
Just four months later, Pabley has three employees and the Good Greens bars are the number-one seller at Heinen’s. The bars are so popular that Pabley has been developing new flavors, such as chocolate mint, chocolate fudge brownie, and Greek yogurt with blueberries. He plans to introduce them later this fall.
“For a small company without a big marketing budget, to put those numbers up is pretty phenomenal,” he says. He hopes to hire additional people soon and do his own manufacturing.
Source: Keith Pabley
Writer: Karen Connelly
“Our bar is unique because it has 100 percent of your daily fruits and vegetables,” says Pabley. “We’ve loaded it with all the stuff you’re supposed to be eating.” The bars are gluten free, vegan and have a low glycemic index. But don’t let the fact that they are healthy scare you; they’re tasty, too.
Pabley first got involved with the product when his family invested with the doctor who created a nutrition powder that is the basis for Good Greens Nutrition Bars. While working on his MBA at Baldwin-Wallace College, Pabley’s family approached him about marketing the doctor’s product.
“It was a good product, but had to be positioned properly,” Pabley recalls. He did just that. In May 2011, he went out on his own, brought the price down from nearly $5 a bar to less than $2, and partnered with Heinen’s, Marc’s and Dave’s Supermarkets to promote and sell his products.
Just four months later, Pabley has three employees and the Good Greens bars are the number-one seller at Heinen’s. The bars are so popular that Pabley has been developing new flavors, such as chocolate mint, chocolate fudge brownie, and Greek yogurt with blueberries. He plans to introduce them later this fall.
“For a small company without a big marketing budget, to put those numbers up is pretty phenomenal,” he says. He hopes to hire additional people soon and do his own manufacturing.
Source: Keith Pabley
Writer: Karen Connelly
When Nora Egger returned to Shaker Heights after a decade in Europe, she was looking for her next career move. "I was completely lost," she recalls. Then she started to think about the flavor profiles of cocktails in Europe, compared to what she saw in the states.
"Everything's pomegranate or mango or berries," Egger says of American drinks. "So I said, 'Why don't I do something with flowers?'"
Egger started fooling around in her mother's kitchen and developed her Lounging Gourmet Elixir Collection. The elixirs feature floral essences that can be blended with alcohol to create a unique cocktail, or added to sparkling water for a light, low-calorie soda.
The line features four flavors: Damascan rose, English lavender, Andean fire orchid, and Antillean hibiscus. "They are a strong concentrate made with pure cane sugar," says Egger.
Egger began selling her elixirs out of her car last year, while still making them in her mom's kitchen. Then, in July, she began working with distributors, relocated to a bottling facility, and began to market her product on a wider level. She still mixes every batch by hand -- standing on a ladder to reach -- and individually labels and packages each bottle.
The elixirs are carried in local stores such as Heinen's, Zagara's and Minotti's, as well as through distributorships in California, Oregon, Washington, Las Vegas and New York City. They are also available through Egger's website. She regularly holds tastings around town to familiarize people with her products.
Egger uses all local distributors and operates out of her home office in Little Italy. Although it's still a small operation, she hopes to grow and hire some people.
Source: Nora Egger
Writer: Karin Connelly
Although the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes is well-known for its picturesque cattail-filled marsh, the plant is actually an invasive species. It was somehow introduced here in the 1970s, and has been multiplying wildly ever since.
In recent years, the aggressive species has established such a dominant presence here that it has crowded out many other plants. The result has been a less diverse ecosystem in the marsh, including fewer species of birds and other animals.
Now, thanks for a $78,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nature Center is in the midst of a two-year project to remove the cattails from the marsh and return it to greater ecological health. This spring, Nature Center staff and volunteers planted some 3,000 grasses and wildflowers, 200 shrubs and 20 large trees, all of which are native to Northeast Ohio.
To kill the hardy, fast-spreading cattail plants, a variety of treatments were used, including cutting, hand-pulling and spraying with a low-percentage herbicide.
More than 25,000 people visit the Nature Center annually. Staff here are using the marsh restoration as an opportunity to highlight the problem of invasive species in Ohio, the importance of preservation and what ordinary citizens can do.
The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes was founded in 1966 as the result of a grassroots community effort to preserve the Shaker Heights park lands from becoming the route for a new freeway connecting the east side to downtown. Today, it is recognized as a model urban environmental resource center.
Source: The Nature Center
Writer: Lee Chilcote
In recent years, the aggressive species has established such a dominant presence here that it has crowded out many other plants. The result has been a less diverse ecosystem in the marsh, including fewer species of birds and other animals.
Now, thanks for a $78,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nature Center is in the midst of a two-year project to remove the cattails from the marsh and return it to greater ecological health. This spring, Nature Center staff and volunteers planted some 3,000 grasses and wildflowers, 200 shrubs and 20 large trees, all of which are native to Northeast Ohio.
To kill the hardy, fast-spreading cattail plants, a variety of treatments were used, including cutting, hand-pulling and spraying with a low-percentage herbicide.
More than 25,000 people visit the Nature Center annually. Staff here are using the marsh restoration as an opportunity to highlight the problem of invasive species in Ohio, the importance of preservation and what ordinary citizens can do.
The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes was founded in 1966 as the result of a grassroots community effort to preserve the Shaker Heights park lands from becoming the route for a new freeway connecting the east side to downtown. Today, it is recognized as a model urban environmental resource center.
Source: The Nature Center
Writer: Lee Chilcote
A group of residents in the Shaker Square-Larchmere community of Cleveland have organized the second Neighborhoods of Shaker Square Home Tour to promote the neighborhood's many amenities and raise funds for a legacy project in the community.
The home tour will take place on Saturday, September 17th from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. The event will highlight the neighborhood's varied housing stock, showcasing single-family and two-family homes, luxury condominiums and apartments.
To attract tour-goers to "live, work and play" within the neighborhoods around Shaker Square, event organizers are touting not only the unique homes within the area, but also the art, antique, restaurant and entertainment establishments in the Shaker Square and Larchmere commercial districts.
In a press release, organizers also cite amenities such as a grocery store and cinema in walking distance; mouth-watering restaurants and farmer's market; proximity to the Shaker Square RTA station; and financial incentives towards purchasing a home through the Greater Circle Living Program.
The weekend kicks off Friday, September 16th with "Rooftop Revelry Over the Square," a fundraiser that will take place on two Shaker Square condominium rooftops that feature spectacular city and skyline views.
Organizers say they intend to use the funds raised from both events to make an as-yet-to-be-named "legacy gift" to the Larchmere Boulevard enhancement project. This $700,000 improvement project will redevelop the Larchmere streetscape with new lighting, street trees, decorative crosswalks, sidewalks and other amenities.
Tickets to the Neighborhoods of Shaker Square Home Tour cost $15 if purchased online beforehand or $20 on the day of the event. The tour begins at Sergio's Sarava on Shaker Square. Tickets to "Rooftop Revelry" cost $75 and include home tour admission.
Source: Katharyne Starinsky
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The home tour will take place on Saturday, September 17th from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. The event will highlight the neighborhood's varied housing stock, showcasing single-family and two-family homes, luxury condominiums and apartments.
To attract tour-goers to "live, work and play" within the neighborhoods around Shaker Square, event organizers are touting not only the unique homes within the area, but also the art, antique, restaurant and entertainment establishments in the Shaker Square and Larchmere commercial districts.
In a press release, organizers also cite amenities such as a grocery store and cinema in walking distance; mouth-watering restaurants and farmer's market; proximity to the Shaker Square RTA station; and financial incentives towards purchasing a home through the Greater Circle Living Program.
The weekend kicks off Friday, September 16th with "Rooftop Revelry Over the Square," a fundraiser that will take place on two Shaker Square condominium rooftops that feature spectacular city and skyline views.
Organizers say they intend to use the funds raised from both events to make an as-yet-to-be-named "legacy gift" to the Larchmere Boulevard enhancement project. This $700,000 improvement project will redevelop the Larchmere streetscape with new lighting, street trees, decorative crosswalks, sidewalks and other amenities.
Tickets to the Neighborhoods of Shaker Square Home Tour cost $15 if purchased online beforehand or $20 on the day of the event. The tour begins at Sergio's Sarava on Shaker Square. Tickets to "Rooftop Revelry" cost $75 and include home tour admission.
Source: Katharyne Starinsky
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Situated on the edges of Cleveland and Shaker Heights, and home to a diverse, international community of residents, Shaker Square has long been a community gathering place for people of different backgrounds.
So it only makes sense, in a way, that Bruce Altchouler (a Clevelander and electrical contractor with a knack for project management) and Ziv Sarig (an Israeli businessman with a finance background) would meet and discover they shared a passion for historic Shaker Square and fixing up older buildings.
Together, the two entrepreneurs, who are neighbors in Cleveland Heights, have formed BruZiv Partners. The nascent development company recently wrapped up renovations on an historic, nine-suite apartment building located at 2646 N. Moreland Boulevard, just off Shaker Square. It is the first multi-family building in Cleveland to meet the Enterprise Foundation's Green Community Standards.
"We saw an opportunity to take an older property that had declined over the years and do something positive for us and the community," says Altchouler. "Once we'd purchased it, we decided to step it up and do a green rehab."
Within the preserved shell of the historic building, the developers installed high-efficiency windows, insulation, a new boiler and Energy Star appliances. The units also feature high-end maple cabinetry and granite countertops.
"We wanted to attract high-quality tenants to the area, and you do that by showing a good product," says Altchouler. "Renters are also becoming more aware of 'green,' and appreciate the fact that we use healthy, low-VOC paints."
Getting to this point wasn't easy, but it was worth it, Altchouler says. To meet the Green Community Standards, BruZiv had to adhere to lengthy guidelines and hire an independent rater to assess the project.
In exchange, the City of Cleveland granted a tax abatement on the improved value of the building. The developers also obtained low-interest financing from Dollar Bank through Cleveland Action to Support Housing (CASH), a nonprofit whose mission is to revitalize urban neighborhoods through rehabilitation lending.
Source: Bruce Altchouler
Writer: Lee Chilcote
So it only makes sense, in a way, that Bruce Altchouler (a Clevelander and electrical contractor with a knack for project management) and Ziv Sarig (an Israeli businessman with a finance background) would meet and discover they shared a passion for historic Shaker Square and fixing up older buildings.
Together, the two entrepreneurs, who are neighbors in Cleveland Heights, have formed BruZiv Partners. The nascent development company recently wrapped up renovations on an historic, nine-suite apartment building located at 2646 N. Moreland Boulevard, just off Shaker Square. It is the first multi-family building in Cleveland to meet the Enterprise Foundation's Green Community Standards.
"We saw an opportunity to take an older property that had declined over the years and do something positive for us and the community," says Altchouler. "Once we'd purchased it, we decided to step it up and do a green rehab."
Within the preserved shell of the historic building, the developers installed high-efficiency windows, insulation, a new boiler and Energy Star appliances. The units also feature high-end maple cabinetry and granite countertops.
"We wanted to attract high-quality tenants to the area, and you do that by showing a good product," says Altchouler. "Renters are also becoming more aware of 'green,' and appreciate the fact that we use healthy, low-VOC paints."
Getting to this point wasn't easy, but it was worth it, Altchouler says. To meet the Green Community Standards, BruZiv had to adhere to lengthy guidelines and hire an independent rater to assess the project.
In exchange, the City of Cleveland granted a tax abatement on the improved value of the building. The developers also obtained low-interest financing from Dollar Bank through Cleveland Action to Support Housing (CASH), a nonprofit whose mission is to revitalize urban neighborhoods through rehabilitation lending.
Source: Bruce Altchouler
Writer: Lee Chilcote
For nearly a decade, Cleveland Independents, a local marketing group, has worked tirelessly to level the playing field between independent restaurants and large national chains. By all accounts their efforts are paying off -- with a membership roster of 90 indie eateries, CI is the largest organization of its kind in the country.
Recent CWRU mechanical engineering graduates Austin Schmidt and Solomon Alkhasov won the 2011 Idea Competition, sponsored by LaunchHouse and CSU's Accelerated MBA program at Nance College of Business. They created a company called Affinity Algorithms, which develops proprietary computer arbitrage software to facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers in various online marketplaces. The software provides greater liquidity and price transparency in the marketplaces.
"We are developing a suite of online software that helps the seller in fragmented marketplaces better manage inventory," explains Schmidt. Although Schmidt and Alkhasov came up with the idea from their experiences buying and selling textbooks in college, they say it can be applied to many online marketplaces.
The idea for Affinity Algorithms came about in January, they set up shop in March, and landed at LaunchHouse this month. They plan to roll out a full build of the software in September.
Students from all Northeast Ohio colleges and universities were invited to pitch a business concept to a panel of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, CSU faculty and LaunchHouse staff. The contest primarily focused on students who had innovative ideas in the fields of software and internet technology, low-tech medical devices and clean energy.
The second winner is Ronny Shalev, also a student at Case. Shalev created a product known as an autonomous intravenous (IV) insertion tool that will be the most effective replacement for the current procedure of manual vein localization and needle insertion. Shalev's tool will completely replace the need for trained medical staff.
Contest winners were each awarded a $2,500 scholarship to the Global AMBA program along with a prize basket of support services from LaunchHouse, "Additionally, we received a $500 check from LaunchHouse, along with a bunch of services that include legal services, accounting, and free space for three months," says Schmidt. "All in all, a very comprehensive package with everything needed to get a business off the ground."
The winners will also have the opportunity to compete for up to $5000 in follow on funding.
Source: Austin Schmidt
Writer: Karin Connelly