Lou Primozic, a deacon with the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, and a background in business, followed his calling and founded I'm In Ministry 12 years ago to serve the area's working poor with a volunteer network of organizations and individuals.

Applications are now open for the seventh season of Cleveland Chain Reaction, the small business pitch competition to help entrepreneurs build their businesses in Cleveland neighborhoods, hosted by Greater Cleveland Partnership’s COSE. Freshwater talks to last year's winner, Saidah Farrell, who shares her tips for pitching Marshmallow of the Month Club. Find out how you can apply and take your small business to the next level!

Despite earning praise and a strong following, Proof Barbeque had to overcome bad timing with the COVID-19 pandemic and an inconvenient location before finding the perfect home and atmosphere in Ohio City. Four years after it first opened, then closed, Proof owner Dave Ferrante relaunched last month.

April is National Volunteer Month, and SCORE Cleveland needs additional volunteers to help entrepreneurs and startups in Northeast Ohio realize their lifelong dreams of starting and owning a successful small business.

Jason Toth's 2022 photo of a willow tree at Edgewater Beach sparked a transformative journey as he dealt with his POTS diagnosis. Two years later the former marketing exec has a booming career in Photographic Pop Art with J Toth Art in City Goods, and currently has an exhibit at Kaiser Gallery in Hingetown.

With a degree in games and simulation from the Emerging Technology and Business Design department at Miami University, Cleveland Heights resident, game designer, and Dungeons & Dragons pro Deckard Manne is releasing his Myrwoods D&D campaign book on Kickstarter next week—suited for gamers at all levels or people who enjoy delving into mythical fantasy worlds.

Lakewood City Schools teacher Laura Balliett's pitch for The Cool School Comics won the grand prize at the 10th annual Accelerate: Citizens Make Change competition last Thursday, Feb. 22. Twenty-six entrepreneurs presented their business concepts. Read about the winners and their pitches here.

EDWINS founder Brandon Chrostowski is on a seemingly endless mission to feed and help people around to who are in need—from the homeless in Cleveland to Ukrainian and Israeli refugees. Earlier this month he traveled to Djibouti, Africa to cook for people living in a refugee camp in Ali Addeh.

Business is booming for three local entrepreneurs at the new Meijer Fairfax Market. Read the stories of Desira Sallee of D’s Sweet Treats & More, Andrea Catlin of Catlin Naturals, and Charlotte Peachie Tufts of O Taste & C as they find retail success.

Rust Belt Fibershed will convene textile artists, farmers, and community members at 78th Street Studios this weekend for its first annual Rust Belt Fibershed Symposium to discuss the potential of a place-based, soil-to-soil textile system.

Come celebrate the upcoming Winter Solstice this Friday at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes' Luminary Walk & Holiday Market. Enjoy the luminaries on the All Peoples' Trail, then warm up with hot mulled Syrah or blackberry merlot hot chocolate from Cleveland Urban Winery, and shop with local vendors and artists for your holiday shopping needs.

Adele Malley shares her business and life knowledge in her new book "Conversations with Adele." The former Malley's CEO explores her journey from her early days in her family's meat provision company to successfully growing the Malley's brand into a household name.

FreshWater contributor Katie McMenamin recently dropped by the Glass Bubble Project in Ohio City, where she got a lesson in the history of glassblowing, got to assist owner Mike Kaplan in creating a design, and learned what keeps Kaplan going after 25 years of blowing glass, teaching others the art, and sharing his passions.

This week marks the 100th anniversary of Clevelander Garrett Morgan's 1923 invention of the traffic signal—calming the growing automobile traffic and curbing collisions with pedestrians. The Willoughby Historical Society and Garrett's descendants have several events planned.

Greater Cleveland Partnership’s COSE this morning announced the 19 businesses that will advance to the semifinals in season six of Cleveland Chain Reaction. They will now go to JumpStart's bootcamp to prepare their pitches to the judges in December.

Beyond the Browns and Steelers NFL rivalry and the Cleveland-Cliffs recent bid to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, the two cities have business and franchise rivalries dating back to the 1800s. FreshWater contributing editor Grant Segall shares the colorful history.

The entrepreneurial spirit, curiosity, and determination Kumar Arora learned from his father has led to a successful business career and the cofounding of the upcoming FutureLAND—a celebration of diversity in tech and entrepreneurship in Playhouse Square to help drive economic growth in the area.

Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Council of Smaller Enterprises announced that applications are now open for the sixth season of Cleveland Chain Reaction—the small business pitch competition.

Westlake native Aaron Fazulak recently started All Cleveland Coffee, with $1 of every bag sold online and at Heinen's going to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. And he got the support of former Browns player Joe Thomas and UFC champ Stipe Miocic.

Effie Tsengas Nunes was appointed interim executive director of the Cleveland Arts Prize, the organization that awards scholarships and $50,000 in prize money each year to leading artists. Learn about her thoughts and plans for the arts in Cleveland.