Call it poetic justice: Through an innovative partnership with the Cuyahoga Land Bank, some of the lenders whose lax lending practices helped spur the national foreclosure crisis are now helping to address problems of abandonment that are rife in Cuyahoga County.

The Cuyahoga Land Bank, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce urban blight and improve property values by acquiring foreclosed properties and either returning them to productive use or tearing them down, is getting some help from two new partners. Bank of America and Wells Fargo began donating vacant and foreclosed properties to the Land Bank along with a $3,500 to $7,500 contribution towards demolition in July.

Wells Fargo and Bank of America are not the only partners to contribute to this program; others include Fannie Mae, HUD and J.P. Morgan Chase.

"Each partnership we establish provides us with more resources to tackle the issues of blight created by foreclosure and abandonment in our communities," Gus Frangos, President of the Land Bank, stated in a release.

Such collaborative approaches can also lead to solutions on a national scale, stated Russ Cross, Midwest Regional Servicing Director for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Recently, Wells Fargo announced an alliance with the National Conference of Mayors on addressing similar issues in cities across the country. Cross plans to share the Cuyahoga Land Bank model with mayors in other cities.

Many of these same lenders have also stepped up efforts to keep delinquent or at-risk homeowners in their homes. Bank of America recently launched a homeownership retention and foreclosure prevention initiative in Cleveland, including a recent mortgage modification outreach event where customers met with homeowner retention specialists over a three-day period to receive face-to-face counseling and underwriting of mortgage modification requests.


Source: Cuyahoga Land Bank
Writer: Lee Chilcote

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.

"I'd love to expand," she says. "It's so exciting."


Source: Nora Egger
Writer: Karin Connelly

As the economic malaise enters its umpteenth year, many creative folks are using it as an opportunity to grab a little slice of the artisan marketplace. With or without day jobs, a new breed of craftspeople are cultivating home-grown companies by doing what they love. Some are eager to branch out, while others are just tickled to have a creative outlet.

Five women-owned businesses in Northeast Ohio have been selected by Springboard Enterprises to showcase their companies and participate in a networking program, Build it Big: Cleveland. The companies, selected for their high growth potential and track record of milestone achievements, will present their businesses at a showcase on September 14 at Key Tower.

The five companies represent the diversity of enterprises in Northeast Ohio -- from retail and publications to business products and services to social media. The companies are: All Points Connect, Mindset Digital, iGuiders, Bonitas International and Your Teen magazine.

"Build it Big identifies companies that already have successes and want to achieve that next milestone," explains Katie Gage, manager of programming for Springboard. "It's a chance to plug them in to the entrepreneurial community."

Twelve companies applied to participate in the Build it Big: Cleveland program. After a 10-minute presentation and 15 minutes of Q & A, the five companies were chosen. "They are now meeting with Springboard partners in advisory sessions to address strategies for growth," says Gage.

The Springboard partners include KeyCorp, Meaden & Moore, and Thompson Hine. Since January, 2000, Springboard has helped over 400 women-led companies raise more than $5 billion in equity financing, including 8 IPOs, and legions of high value M&As. Eighty percent of Springboard companies are still in business, generating $4 billion in revenues and creating tens of thousands of newjobs.


Source: Katie Gage
Writer: Karin Connelly

According to Robert Hatta, not everybody is cut out for the startup world. He should know -- as Vice President of Entrepreneurial Talent for Jumpstart, Hatta helps emerging companies find the right talent. "How do you know if the pace, pressures and pivots of a startup are right for you?" he asks in this guest column. "There was a time when I wasn't sure it was for me."

Mike Belsito and Bryan Chaikin sprouted a business idea after a death in Belsito's family. Both were working at Findaway World, a digital products company, when Belsito's cousin died and he went through the arduous process of planning a funeral.

The two started talking about how difficult it is to find the right funeral home in a time of crisis... and an idea was formed. They started FunerAlly, an online resource for selecting the right funeral home.

"It's nearly impossible to understand each funeral home in the area and what they had to offer and the prices," says Belsito of the wide selection. "When you talk about the importance of finding the right funeral home, you just pick a home and hope for the best. There really aren't a whole lot of options in choosing one."

It was all talk until the two heard about Ohio State University Fisher College of Business' 10-Xelerator, an 11-week boot camp for 10 start-up companies to launch and succeed in their business ventures. "Bryan and I submitted the idea to the 10X program and we were accepted as finalists," says Belsito. "That was the impetus for us to really step out fulltime and launch a business. We're really motivated to make this work."

Through 10X, FunerAlly is getting the guidance it needs to successfully launch. Belsito and Chaikin are spending their summer in Columbus, getting advice and lessons from advisors and mentors.

"10X opened the door to so many individuals we wouldn't have access to otherwise," Belsito says. "Entrepreneurship has always been a passion of mine and definitely our intent is to created jobs in Northeast Ohio."

Source: Mike Belsito
Writer: Karin Connelly

When John Stahl launched LeanDog, his now four-year-old software development company that has grown to 34 employees, he was looking for a space that would stretch his clients' minds and embody the expansive thinking LeanDog tries to instill.

He found what he was looking for in a former Lake Erie barge, which dates back to 1892 and was last used as the floating restaurant Hornblower's. "We help companies envision who they want to be," says Stahl. "With a view of the trains, the Rock Hall, Lake Erie and downtown Cleveland, we figured this was the place to do that."

Now Stahl has partnered with the owner of Arras, a 20-year-old marketing and brand innovation company that currently has offices in the Terminal Tower, to purchase and renovate the barge, now permanently moored at 1151 N. Marginal Road. The project will add a full second story to accommodate the companies' growth.

Stahl and his business partner plan to purchase the barge for $500,000. They have also received a $275,000 loan package from the City of Cleveland towards the costs of renovations. That welcome support is part of a larger effort by the city to lure technology companies to the waterfront district, Stahl says.

The entrepreneurs will create open offices that maximize employee collaboration -- in essence modeling what LeanDog teaches. "We help companies change how they work, even as we deliver software," says Stahl. LeanDog is a practitioner of 'Agile' software development, which fosters an open, flexible culture.

The 34-employee company also hopes its offices will continue to serve as a meeting space for Cleveland's tech community. Currently, LeanDog hosts software user groups as well as organizations like Cleveland Startup Weekend and Cleveland Give Camp. "It's part of our values to help the community," says Stahl.

Stahl also plans to create a dock so visitors can arrive by boat. The second floor bar will disappear -- but not for long. Stahl hopes to recreate it on a new third-floor deck, complete with stunning views of Cleveland's skyline and Lake Erie sunsets.


Source: John Stahl
Writer: Lee Chilcote

BlueBridge Networks in Cleveland and Bluemile in Albany, Ohio, have joined forces to offer a virtual powerhouse in data storage and recovery services. The joint venture offers the most robust, scalable and secure cloud computing platform with state of-the-art architecture and service delivery for companies and organizations.

The $11 million investment lets the two data centers easily provide cloud computing to large companies nationwide. Data can be passed quickly between Cleveland and Columbus thanks to Bluemile's acquisition of fiber optic internet cable that stretches between the two cities. BlueBridge's local clients include Hyland Software, Olympic Steel and Rosetta.

"Part of the value is you have a regional company that thinks regional, coupled with human interaction," says Kevin Goodman, managing director of business development and partner with BlueBridge. "We're going to bring cloud business here. Instead of sending your stuff to Seattle or Herndon, Virginia, you're sending it to Cleveland or Columbus."

No other regional data service center in the country provides this type of secure cloud computing. The collaboration enables a certain level of protection in times of emergency or data recovery needs. "We can deliver state-of-the-art, robust, efficient platforms and create jobs," says Goodman. "We've planted the right seeds and built the right infrastructure."

In fact, the partnership has created more than 60 jobs this year, 10 of them in Cleveland in sales, engineering and back-office positions, and BlueBridge is planning to hire even more in the near future. "We've had solid, constant double-digit growth," says Goodman. "This has us poised for exponential growth and jobs."


Source: Kevin Goodman
Writer: Karin Connelly

When a tree falls in the city of Cleveland, it gets trucked off to a facility that reduces it to mulch, which is then dyed an offensive shade of red or black and ultimately laid to rest on somebody's prized flower bed. It is a crime not only upon nature, but to Dean Heidelberg, owner of Metro Hardwoods. As the operator of one of this country's only urban sawmills, Heidelberg is on a mission to rescue as many trees as possible.

With the recent opening of the Urban Orchid, a new flower and gift shop located at 2704 Bridge Avenue, an empty storefront has been filled and a new business has been added to Ohio City's artisan economy.

Owner Brandon Sitler describes the Urban Orchid as "a small gift boutique and full-service flower shop that offers custom arrangements and delivers flowers throughout Cuyahoga County -- and anywhere in the world, really." The cozy, 400-square-foot space boasts an open floor plan that allows customers to watch the floral designer at work.

Sitler worked at Flowerville in University Heights for eight years before striking out on his own. His new store offers handmade gift items such as greeting cards adorned with Ohio City scenes by artist David Horneck, head bands by designer Lindsey Bower of Black Bow Designs, and bags made from recycled materials.

The entrepreneur was inspired to open the store after he won an international design competition from a wholesale organization and garnered grant funding from Ohio City Inc. and Charter One Bank last year. The confidence boost and cold, hard cash allowed him to make the proverbial leap from idea to actuality.

"Having that support helped me to get into this space, fix it up and make my dream a reality," says Sitler, an Ohio City resident who decided the time was right to launch a flower shop because there are no others on the near-west side.

Sitler hopes to continue creating custom arrangements for weddings and other events while also serving walk-in customers at his shop, which is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Urban Orchid also specializes in green and sustainable gifts. Sitler buys work from local artists that is handmade or made from recycled materials. "Flowers make you think of what you're leaving behind, your footprint," he says. "So the idea of my flower shop was to keep it green and give back."


Source: Brandon Sitler
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Many a native Clevelander wears his or her hometown pride on their sleeve. Now, a new shop in North Collinwood's Waterloo Arts District is helping them do that in style.

In recent years, the T-shirt, once a ubiquitous symbol of hometown or team pride, has been transformed into a hip, ironic fashion statement. Nowadays, cheeky tees celebrate a city's attributes, quirky mistakes and even inferiority complexes. (Witness the proliferation of Cleveland T-shirts referencing the now-infamous 1969 Cuyahoga River fire.)

Native Cleveland, a new store that opened in December at 15813 Waterloo Road, aims to help shoppers find the perfect threads to celebrate their unique brand of Cleveland and Ohio pride. Some of the T-shirts the shop sells include the classic Cleveland -- You Gotta Be Tough, CLE Clothing Company's Elliot Ness for Mayor, and funky tees with Hello, Cleveland in bubble letters.

The T-shirts all have local themes, and most are designed and made in Northeast Ohio. The store owners decided to locate in the up-and-coming Waterloo Arts District after having success selling their wares at that neighborhood's annual summer festival.

In addition to shirts, the store also sells quirky "Ohio" bags, metal fish necklaces, and posters that read, "Erie: A lake so great it is what legends are made of." A selection of locally themed buttons and stickers are also available.

Some ethnic Clevelanders get a two-for-one shout out, as in the case of shirts that feature an outline of Slovenia with "Cleveland" printed at the top, a reference to our huge Slovenian community (the largest population of Slovenes outside of Slovenia).

Most adult shirts at Native Cleveland are in the $20 to 25 range.


Source: Native Cleveland
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Last Saturday, July 23, Shaker LaunchHouse and Ohio Homecoming hosted the largest gathering of Ohio entrepreneurs and innovators of its kind at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Great Lakes Science Center. The 6ixth City Tech Fest is designed to promote and celebrate the region's hottest entrepreneurs.

"We had 200 people and 26 of the fastest growing start-up companies," says Todd Goldstein, LaunchHouse partner in charge of finance and operations. "It was a really good makeup of entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders and people from the community."

In addition to the showcases, there were educational demos, new product launches, expert panels, keynote addresses and musical acts. "At any given time there were entrepreneurs giving pitch sessions in front of 120 people," says Goldstein. "It was just another way for us to help entrepreneurs from all over the region gain more exposure."

MobileXpeditions, a start-up in Dublin, Ohio, won a trip to Tech Week in Chicago and the opportunity to showcase their company this week.

"The whole idea of 6ixth City Tech Fest was to mix with the Chicago Tech Fest, but do it in Cleveland, Ohio," says Goldstein. MobileXpeditions was chosen as the winner by a panel of six judges who are involved in business incubators and other entrepreneurial organizations around Ohio.


Source: Todd Goldstein
Writer: Karin Connelly

As a corporate attorney, Candace Klein has worked with a lot of women who own businesses. She saw many of her clients struggling to stay afloat -- maxing out personal credit cards and mixing personal and business accounts to make ends meet. "My heart went out to them," she recalls. She began researching alternative financing options and discovered a hard truth: Women have a harder time getting financing for companies than men.

So Klein decided to do something about it. In 2010, she formed her own company, Cincinnati-based Bad Girl Ventures. BGV is a localized microfinance company that educates women and helps them successfully fund their companies.

Since 2010, more than 200 businesses have applied for Klein's program, of those 125 have been educated and 18 have been financed with a total of $310,000. "Our goal is to remove as many barriers to accessing financing as possible," says Klein.

Now Klein is bringing Bad Girl Ventures to Cleveland. This October, entrepreneurs will be able to enroll in Klein's eight-week program to learn the basics behind running and financing a successful business. The participants will have the opportunity to compete for $25,000 in funding after completing the program.

Bad Girl Ventures will have one full time employee in its Cleveland location, while Klein will divide her time between Cincinnati and Cleveland. She hopes to have 50 applicants for the first class.

"Significant jobs will be created from our investment in these businesses," she says, adding that 37 jobs have been created in Cincinnati from the 18 companies she's helped.

Klein has gotten support from the Cleveland Foundation, the Business of Good Foundation, KeyBank and the City of Cleveland.

Source: Candace Klein
Writer: Karin Connelly

When asked why he decided to open his custom-engraved baseball bat store, Johnnyville Slugger, on W. 25th Street in Ohio City, owner Johnny Smatana naturally employed a sports metaphor.

"If you go to the Yankees and bat .280, they'll hate you," he says. "If you go to a little place where you can do some good, they'll still like you."

Smatana, whose career includes a stint playing football for the Miami Hurricanes and 27 years moving freight for Estes Forwarding Worldwide, says he spent a month looking at different locations, but felt most at home here.

"There's so much happening here; Ohio City is the most up-and-coming part of the city," he says. "Also, this part of the street was in dire need."

The new Johnnyville Slugger -- which will include a glass-partitioned workshop in the rear of the store where customers can watch the bats being made -- is slated to open this month near the corner of Bridge and W. 25th.

Smatana, who made bats in his Sagamore Hills barn for three years before venturing out to look at storefronts, specializes in making bats that people display in their offices or homes. "They're more art than anything," he says.

Some of his favorite bats include the pearl-white Elvis slugger, studded with seven rhinestones, and the Troy Polamalu bat. "The key is putting your signature on it," he says. "The guys flip out over this stuff. I call them 'man sticks.'"

Smatana will make almost every part of the bats in his W. 25th St. shop. "I'm a cradle to grave guy -- we sand the bats, dip them, stain them and engrave them," he says. "People tell me what they want on the bats, and I do it."

Smatana, who discovered Ohio City when he and his wife began frequenting the restaurants there, is looking forward to making it his home away from home. As evidence of his commitment, he cites his unusual 30-year lease agreement.

"It's like a bacon and eggs breakfast," he quips. "The chickens are involved but the pig's committed."


Source: Johnny Smatana
Writer: Lee Chilcote