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County sales tax gains can’t dull pains Growth outpaces budgeted numbers, but cuts in state support for local governments still hurt SALES TAX RECEIPTS BY THE NUMBERS
By JAY MILLER jmiller@crain.com
Northeast Ohio counties saw marked increases in sales tax receipts in 2011 over 2010. Below, a closer look at the percentage increases in each county, with data tracked from January through November of each year: 8% 2011: $18.2M
2011: $23.4M
2011: $15.1M
2%
Medina County
Data show 16% rise at biggest firms in 2011
08
2011: $14.2M
4%
Local software makers continue to add jobs The software business in Northeast Ohio is bigger today than it was before the recession began — and it likely will keep growing. The 20 largest local software companies based on employment added 450 jobs in the region last year, for a total of 3,300 workers as of Jan 1, 2012. Those additions mean job levels in the aggregate at those 20 companies climbed nearly 16% from about 2,850 workers a year ago, according to an analysis of
2011: $10.2M
2011: $33.1M
See GAINS Page 21
By CHUCK SODER csoder@crain.com
2011: $200.6M
6% Percentage increase
S
ales tax revenues are rising above budget expectations in Northeast Ohio, offering a small ray of sunshine amid what has been a flood of discouraging revenue news for the region’s county governments. However, the higher-than-expected sales tax receipts are not enough to overcome broader financial pressures most counties face. Counties still are shrinking their work forces and are cutting other costs as they contend with decreases in state support to local governments. The stress has led to a sales tax increase in Lake County and an unsuccessful attempt at a sales tax increase in Lorain County.
INSIDE: Tracking software company employment since 2002 through Crain’s research. Page 6 data collected for Crain’s 2012 list of the region’s largest local software developers. The gap widens when the latest aggregate job figure is compared with employment numbers companies reported in previous years. For instance, the 20 largest software companies by employment in Crain’s 2004 list said they employed about 1,680 workers in total. The 20
Cuyahoga County
Geauga County
INSIDE All in the genes The Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute continues to grow behind the efforts of Dr. Charis Eng (right), who hopes in the future to expand the institute’s reach beyond the Clinic’s walls. PAGE 3 ALSO: The Cavaliers are benefiting at the box office from a restricted secondary ticket market. PAGE 3 State Industrial Products will move from its current Cleveland location to Landerbrook Place in Mayfield Heights. PAGE 3
See JOBS Page 6
Lake County
Lorain County
Summit County
Portage County
Northeast Ohio companies take interest in Pinterest Social media site unites users by common interests By CHUCK SODER csoder@crain.com
Jackie Jordan can’t ignore the growing power of Pinterest. For one, the social media site is packed with potential SherwinWilliams Co. customers — the type of people who want their living rooms to look juuuust right. Not to mention that Pinterest, by one measure, is the fastest-growing U.S. website in history. “The popularity has gotten to a point where we definitely need to pay attention to it,” said Ms. Jordan,
director of color marketing for the Cleveland-based paint maker. Sherwin-Williams is one of many Northeast Ohio companies creating a presence on Pinterest, a site that encourages people to post pictures of anything they find interesting. For one person, that might mean See PINTEREST Page 21
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EVENT PLANNING The Greater Cleveland Aquarium already is a hot spot for meetings and events ■ Page 13 PLUS: A NEW BREED OF CRAFT SHOWS ■ & MORE
Entire contents © 2012 by Crain Communications Inc. Vol. 33, No. 8