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z JULY 11 - 17, 2016 z CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS
Opinion From the Publisher / Editor
Some thoughts about that Donald Trump cover
Editorial
Cash in Often times, diversity and inclusion efforts tend to emanate a message of “Hey, at least we’re trying.” In many cases, they’re an attempt by businesses, foundations and other civic bodies to divert attention from the racial inequity deeply ingrained in the local business community. And frankly, these efforts make for a few good talking points rather than any substantive action, let alone results. However, JumpStart — the Cleveland nonprofit that supports promising startups — is offering more than lip service when it comes to diversity. JumpStart is continuing to provide services and investment capital to tech startups, but today, roughly 25% to 30% of the organization’s budget is focused on diversity and inclusion efforts. Specifically, Crain’s Chuck Soder reported late last month that JumpStart recently invested $350,000 in five startups via a new fund focusing on female and minority entrepreneurs. “Our focus is to accelerate or advance ambitious and diverse entrepreneurs to transform entire communities,” JumpStart CEO Ray Leach said at the organization’s recent StartupScaleup conference. Of course, a few hundred thousand dollars isn’t going to immediately transform Northeast Ohio into fertile ground for minority and women-owned businesses, but it’s a start. After all, cold, hard cash — not symposiums, white papers and panel discussions — is what can move the needle. It’s no secret that minority and female entrepreneurs nationwide have a more difficult time getting the attention of the funding community, and it’s no surprise as to why: The venture capital community (and the finance world in general) is dominated by white men. According to one study, 92% of senior investment team members at top VC firms are men. Moreover, 78% of senior team members at
top VCs are white. Those figures alone could deter a promising entrepreneur from seeking funding opportunity just because the decision-makers don’t look like him or her. Two years ago, civic leaders from Cleveland and three other cities (Detroit, New Orleans and Durham, N.C.) began meeting regularly to share ideas and figure out ways to help inner city entrepreneurs as part of the Forward Cities project, which we explore in this week’s Focus section. The initiative was poised to end this summer, but the local cohort doesn’t plan to stop meeting because of the relationships born from the program have led to new projects and partnerships. For one, it was through Forward Cities that Michael Fleming, executive director of St. Clair Superior Development Corp., met Deborah Hoover, CEO of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. The result? A joint effort — backed by a $100,000 grant — to help inner-city kids learn about entrepreneurship. Surely JumpStart’s tweaked mission and the Forward Cities project aren’t the only programs that have resulted in cash infusions for diverse business ventures. But there could always be more. Northeast Ohio’s business community has made strides in recent years when it comes to diversity. As we applauded recently, with the addition of the new heads at Progressive and Eaton, three of the eight largest companies in the region, ranked by market cap, are led by a woman or a minority. However, Northeast Ohio’s success in terms of diversity shouldn’t only be based on rewarding those successful women and minorities already near the top of the corporate ladder, but by our willingness to support those who are eager to make that climb.
PUBLISHER AND EDITOR: Elizabeth McIntyre (emcintyre@crain.com)
CLEVELAND BUSINESS
MANAGING EDITOR: Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com) SECTIONS EDITOR: Timothy Magaw (tmagaw@crain.com)
In the two years that I’ve been editor at Crain’s Cleveland Business, we’ve tried to visually spice up our printed pages. Business stories aren’t always easy to illustrate, but this is important work because compelling photographs and illustrations often are the welcome sign that invites readers into stories. There are certain stories that warrant a more magazine-type treatment with a full-page cover illustration or photograph. Stories like those that we’ve showcased include pieces on rebuilding Akron and Cleveland, efforts to embrace the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie, and the emerging Northeast Ohio food scene. On July 4, we applied the marquee cover treatment for our RNC special section. It’s not every day that a national political convention comes to Cleveland. We commissioned Randy Palmer, a talented longtime illustrator for the Dayton Daily News, to set the visual tone. The cover, a handsomely drawn work, deElizabeth picted Donald Trump as a ringmaster, smilMcIntyre ing as three elephants (symbols of the Republican Party) performed around him, against a backdrop of Cleveland’s skyline. The headline read: “RNC in CLE: The Trump Circus comes to town.” Art, I realized after that issue of Crain’s hit readers’ mailboxes, is truly in the eye of the beholder. And words are open to interpretation. It appears that we unintentionally dismayed some of our readers. By last Wednesday, we had received about a dozen or so phone calls, emails and letters criticizing the illustration. Some said the cover was disrespectful and mocked the presumptive Republican nominee. Others expressed a view that the illustration showed an anti-Trump, pro-Hillary Clinton slant. As I write this, I’ve had a few days to sit back and reflect. I do still believe the illustration is visually appealing and I know that our intention was never to offend. Were we naïve to think the illustration wouldn’t be controversial? Yes. One caller asked whether anyone in the newsroom raised objections to the cover, and I could honestly say that no one had. Was the cover our attempt to make a political statement? No, it was not. We saw it as a reflection of one of the most unusual election cycles in recent history. Two outsider candidates — Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders — had tapped into an undercurrent of anger against politics as usual. Campaign events on both sides this year have had a more showman-like bent. Many have called this primary season a political circus. And for the Republicans, this volatile primary season culminates in Cleveland. Stalwart Republicans — such as the Bush family, John McCain, Mitt Romney and others — have decided to skip this year’s convention. Our own governor says he’ll be in town, but not inside The Q where the convention will be held. Trump is a showman, as he’s proven throughout his career and in his reality show “The Apprentice.” He’s a marketing master who knows the value of his brand and has effectively shown that by garnering ratings and votes. The RNC will be The Trump Show. That was the message we were trying to depict with our illustration. A showman unlike any we’ve seen will likely be selected as the nominee during what promises to be an RNC unlike any we’ve seen. While our intention was not to mock, still the illustration offended some of you. And to you we offer our sincere apology. And we offer this promise: We will cover the RNC, and all of the day-to-day business news so vital to our readers, with gusto and with balance. And I’d like to offer one more thing. Our thanks to you for reading Crain’s and reaching out to us with your feedback.
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