Crain's Cleveland Business

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Standard Oil of Ohio’s century-plus history starts with industry titans and ends with the loss of a company headquarters. PAGE 22

CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM I March 23, 2020

THE CORONAVIRUS

NEO BEGINS TO COPE WITH COVID-19 Banks account for pandemic’s many impacts Ohio branches are modifying services BBY JEREMY NOBILE

Armed with pandemic response plans and deeper capital reserves than during the 2008 financial crisis, the banking system is beginning to adjust to a world battling COVID-19 — and figuring out its place in the fight.

Banks in Ohio last week began implementing “modified” branch services as health officials promote social distancing to prevent the spread of illness.

Lobbies are being closed to the public with customers only allowed in by appointment, like if someone needs to sign a loan document or access their safety deposit box. Some, like Citizens Bank, are reducing their business hours, though.

Drive-thrus remain open. Customers are being encouraged to use those and other methods in lieu of dealing with a banker over the counter, including ATMs, internet and mobile options. Call centers remain open.

And banks aren’t generally expecting to lay anyone off due to the changes, said James Thurston, spokesman for the Ohio Bankers League.

Most banks large and small in the state have made these tweaks — which are on top of common-sense hygienic behaviors all people and businesses are directed to abide by nowadays — or will roll out similar protocols in the coming days.

Some standalone branches without drive-thrus may close, as well as in-store branches, for banks and credit unions alike.

Huntington Bank CEO Steve Steinour said that while the firm’s Giant Eagle stores would be shutting down during the outbreak, an employee will be on hand for a period of time to direct banking customers to another branch or guide them through banking via the ATMs.

DO’S AND DON’TS OF WORKING FROM HOME

For many of you, the social distancing forced by the coronavirus emergency means it’s the first time you’ll be working at home for an extended period. Here are some tips to ease that transition.

Learn teleconferencing etiquette: The mute button is your friend, especially in a house full of kids, a partner also working from home or noisy pets. Don’t fear the webcam; videoconferencing can offer visual clues as to how ideas are accepted, but do make sure there’s nothing in your camera’s view that you wouldn’t want to share with a colleague or customer.

Start and end your day with a routine: Getting dressed, eating breakfast or taking a brisk walk before diving in can help you focus. An after-work routine (think coffee or glass of wine, or another walk outside) is a critical signal that the workday is over and homelife begins.

Maintain a dedicated work­space: Establish a tangible boundary to maintain the separation between work time and home time, and so that you don’t waste energy getting physically set up every day.

Take breaks; allow for personal time: Set an alarm or timer to remind you that it’s time to get up, stretch, grab a coffee, leave the house or head to the kitchen. Your eyes and your brain need those short moments away. If your job responsibilities allow, turn email notifications off overnight.

Use a VPN: S ome employers have their own VPNs for remote use, but if yours doesn’t, VPN software is readily available and a good security precaution for both work and personal data.

Maintain relationships: At the office, you’d take a few minutes here or there to chat with your coworkers. Keep that going via social media, Slack or some other means of staying in touch.

Minimize online time: While social media is a great way to keep tabs on friends, family and colleagues, remember to carve out a small period to deliberately disconnect. Close the laptop. Turn off the phone.

Studies show too much social media is bad for mental health, after all.

Manage expectations: Understand that there will be a learning curve with new communication tools, virtual meetings, rethinking paths to access to information and the like. Be clear about what can be accomplished from home.

Overcommunication is key.

Finally, be candid about what works, what doesn’t and what you need to get the job done.

DAVID KORDALSKI/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

See BANKING on Page 18

NEWSPAPER

VOL. 41, NO. 11 l COPYRIGHT 2020 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Hospitals get ready for surge of patients Officials are looking for ways to maximize resources and staff BBY LYDIA COUTRÉ

Northeast Ohio hospitals are preparing for a potentially significant surge in patient volumes as COVID-19, a disease caused by a new coronavirus, spreads, upending the way of life for Ohioans and others around the world.

Public health officials stress the importance of “flattening the curve” — essentially spreading out over time the number of patients needing hospitalization so as to not overburden the health care system with an unmanageable rush of patients.

“We can take care of a lot of people, but all the health care industry has a limited ability to take care of lots and lots of people all on the same day,” said Dr. Robert Wyllie, Cleveland Clinic’s chief of medical operations. “We have a lot of ability to care for people over time.”

Ohio has taken a series of dramatic steps to help slow the spread of COVID-19, including postponing the primary election, limiting bars and restaurants to delivery and carry-out, closing schools, banning mass gatherings of more than 100 people, closing hair and nail salons, and tattoo parlors — the list continues to grow.

Still, the number of Ohioans testing positive is rising. And area hospitals are taking steps to be best prepared for a huge influx in need.

“The math isn’t good on this, and we’ve gotta help reduce the mathematics,” said Lyndean Brick, president and CEO of Chicago-based health care consulting firm Advis.

“We’ve gotta reduce the number of infected people, and we’ve gotta draw this out so that the health care system can manage this. And we’ve gotten very creative about how we’re doing this.”

See HOSPITALS on Page 18

Rapid response: COVID-19 is changing how every business, government and nonprofit operates. PAGE 2 Education: Research goes remote at NEO universities.

PAGE 6

3/20/2020 4:02:35 PM

COPING WITH THE CORONAVIRUS

ADAPTING TO UNCERTAIN TIMES Pandemic has forced companies, governments and nonprofits to shift operations

The coronavirus outbreak is changing how every business, government and nonprofit organization operates. ¶ Some have seen their operations expand; many have been severely limited or, as with bars, restaurants, salons and other public-facing businesses, have shut down entirely. ¶ Here are a few examples that illustrate just how rapidly conditions are changing throughout Northeast Ohio:

|| BY CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS STAFF

Helping hospitals navigate

least doubled. Total orders have been growing as well. Comparable trends are being reported in other pockets of the state and across the country as a whole in both medical and recreational markets. Some say total traffic is down, but orders per customer are increasing.

ReLink Medical in Twinsburg Township already had planned to hire about 19 people in 2020, and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“We are hiring as fast as we can,” president and CEO Jeff Dalton said of the company, which currently employs 49.

ReLink Medical helps health care providers in the eastern half of United States sell, recycle or otherwise safely discard out-of-service hospital equipment. He said reLink has been busier than ever helping hospitals clear out old equipment to make way for an influx of COVID-19 patients, and then helping facilities find what they need, like ventilators, cots, beds and more.

One thing reLink is emphasizing in the market right now is to make sure pricing remains “fair and attainable,” he said. “This is a much bigger problem than trying to make a couple of extra bucks on some ventilators,” Dalton said.

The view from Cuyahoga Falls

At play Orders “skyrocketed” at rotational molder Simplay3 Co. in Streetsboro over the weekend of March 14 and 15, said Brian McDonald, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. He attributes that to children being at home and parents needing something to keep them occupied. Simplay3’s toys are available through a number of online retailers that can ship direct to customers’ homes. Most of the toys being ordered are the company’s “activity toys,” McDonald said, like its climbers or teeter totters.

McDonald said Simplay3 already had built up its inventory in anticipation of a strong selling time for these products regardless, but it planned to ramp up production. The company was practicing social distancing in its manufacturing facilities and was allowing some office workers to work from home.

Rising to the occasion The rush of customers buying hand sanitizers and other items as part of sheltering in place during the pandemic has caused Discount Drug Mart Inc. of Medina to start trying to fill 250 temporary positions.

The company said it has multiple positions available at its 76 stores throughout Ohio. Employee-owned Discount Drug Mart said the jobs may interest people who are out of work due to restaurant closings or students home from college.

John Gans, president of Discount Drug Mart, said that in 45 years with the company, he has never seen anything like the demands put on the company’s 4,000 employees.

“As soon as we saw toilet paper and hand sanitizer fly off the shelves, our buyers immediately placed extra orders with our suppliers,” Gans said. “It was like dealing with our version of the Christmas rush without having the time to prepare for it.”

Looking forward on Thursday, March 19, he said he viewed future deliveries as a crapshoot, because manufacturers are straining to keep up with demand. Gans declined to say how much sales climbed, though he likened the situation to the holiday season.

Discount Drug Mart gave workers in its Medina warehouses overtime and assigned some of its office, administrative and supervisory personnel to other jobs within its supply chain or stores.

On the drug store side of Discount Drug Mart, Jason Briscoe, director of pharmacy operations, said that “every facet of the operations has been intensified in this crisis, from phone calls with questions to helping customers find

The normally bustling East 4th Street in Cleveland was nearly empty during a recent lunchtime. | DAVID KORDALSKI

something in the over-the-counter department.” Some of the increased activity came from people ordering prescription refills in advance.

“Our pharmacists work hard to strike the right balance when determining to fill maintenance medications early and for an extended-day supply,” Briscoe said, “as we have seen plenty of patients proactively ‘order ahead’ their prescription refills.”

“OUR PHARMACISTS WORK HARD TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE WHEN DETERMINING TO FILL MAINTENANCE MEDICATIONS EARLY AND FOR AN EXTENDED-DAY SUPPLY, AS WE HAVE SEEN PLENTY OF PATIENTS PROACTIVELY ‘ORDER AHEAD’ THEIR PRESCRIPTION REFILLS.” ——Jason Briscoe, Discount Drug Mart director of pharmacy operations

Gans said the company set aside some of its sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer to service its own operation, but tapped its stockpile to help out when several Medina County police departments reported they were having trouble finding sanitizing wipes to disinfect their cruisers. The company provided 425 containers to them.

He said employees at every level rose to the occasion, from store personnel who had to experience complaints from customers about why they couldn’t even get toilet paper or hand sanitizer, to the warehouse staff who were pulling orders and office staff helping where needed.

Keep talking Amy Castelli, the owner of Castelli Media Group of Cleveland, said the appetite of the media for commentary from her clients from Discount Drug Mart to Millennia Hospitality Group created an incredibly different change of pace for her business.

“We’ve been setting up six interviews a day for clients,” Castelli said. “Normally it’s about six over a couple of weeks. And we don’t have to push a story like we usually do.” Moreover, the former TV news reporter and anchor said she is gratified that her clients are in positions to help the media cover the story “because these are stories that need to be told on topics such as how doctors tell patients they need to delay elective surgery or coping with fear in this pandemic.”

Castelli, who has worked from her west suburban home for 15 years, said people new to working at home will need to take steps to retain the social contact they would have had in their company’s offices.

“Try to use Skype or Zoom,” she said, to keep in contact when normal means of shop talk are not available.

Sales are higher As many Ohio businesses and offices closed to the public last week, not only are medical marijuana dispensaries staying open — state regulators consider them as essential as pharmacies — they seem to be enjoying an uptick in sales as patients stock up on supplies.

For an industry that so far has seen underwhelming sales since those began about 15 months ago, coming up shy of comparable medical markets like Pennsylvania, that’s a welcomed development. One marijuana retailer with five Ohio dispensaries told Crain’s their typical customer traffic last week at

Just north of Akron, Cuyahoga Falls is feeling the pain like all others in terms of restaurants, bars and other places shutting down.

“We’re heavy on the entertainment districts, so it’s a big hit obviously,” Mayor Don Walters said. “Not only does it kill the commerce, but those employees don’t get a paycheck. ... It hurts,” he added.

But at least in Cuyahoga Falls there is one thing to soften the blow and possibly even provide jobs to some of those who are now laid off: the local Purell factory.

That’s humming overtime and running 247, Walters said, with reports the company is looking hard for new employees circulating around town. They’re true, too.

Akron-based GOJO Industries, which owns and makes Purell, has said it’s expanding its capacity as quickly as it can, in Cuyahoga Falls and Wooster, as consumers keep store shelves empty of the popular hand sanitizer.

The company said via a statement March 17 that it “continues to actively hire for a variety of full and part-time roles” and advised applicants to visit the company’s career website at GOJO.com/careers to view specific opportunities and to apply online. For temporary or part-time jobs, GOJO said applicants must work through one of two agencies: Integrity Staffing at 330-929-3700 and Aerotek Staffing at 330-983-1075.

That’s bound to mean more work in Cuyahoga Falls, which could help soften the loss of paychecks elsewhere, Walters said.

About 1,000 workers staff the Purell plant in his town, Walters said.

Ramping up production will not only help buoy the city’s tax base, but will also increase direct revenue for the city, Walters said, because Cuyahoga Falls sells GOJO the water it uses to make Purell. Cuyahoga Falls is known for its high-quality water and Purell demands just that, he said.

“They’re a huge, huge customer,” Walters said. “We treat our own water and it’s very high-quality, but if there’s even a minute change in it, they know before us.”

Poll position In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak county boards of election scrambled to recruit replacements for senior poll workers who decided to heed warnings by the Ohio Department of Health to avoid large public gatherings.

The Ohio Secretary of State’s office announced that after a call for replacement workers, more than 2,000 people signed on in the days leading up to the March 17 election.

Those poll workers and the rest of the state then spent the 24 hour lead-up to election day monitoring the conflicting announcements that voting was canceled and then back on again. The definitive decision came in around 1 a.m. on the day of the primary that all voting in the state was canceled.

The Ohio Supreme Court in late March is set to hear arguments about a new date for the election, when poll workers will most likely be called on again.

See CHANGE on Page 19

2 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | March 23, 2020

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REAL ESTATE

Lender sues Statler Arms Garage owner Filing says Florida developers owe $3.9 million from 2016 purchase BBY STAN BULLARD

When Florida-based real estate developers Andrew Greenbaum and Steven Michael in 2018 shed the 925 Euclid Building and the big price tag for redeveloping it, they retained the nearby Statler Arms Garage, which has just become the subject of a foreclosure case.

HH Cleveland Statler LP, the company Greenbaum and Michael use to own the garage, was sued Feb. 27 in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas by First Commonwealth Bank of Indiana, Pa. The filing is the first step by the lender to collect on the remaining $3.9 million of the $4.3 million mortgage it provided to HH Cleveland Statler to buy the garage in May 2016.

Buying the seven-story garage made complete sense for the duo at the time, since it gave them control of a garage on the same block as the million-square-foot 925 Euclid Building they had hoped to convert to apartments, contemporary offices and a hotel.

Retaining the parking structure when they sold the 925 Euclid Building to an affiliate of Millennia Cos. of Cleveland in 2018 made even more sense. A parking garage provides cash flow, while the now-empty landmark office building is a cash drain.

However, HH Cleveland Statler

stopped making monthly payments on the mortgage in November 2019, and it has made no payments since then, according to the bank’s court filing.

The case was assigned to Judge Peter Corrigan.

However, the bank’s Cleveland attorney, Brian Kampman, has asked that the case be reassigned to the court’s commercial docket, which is designed to substantially accelerate business litigation. Kampman declined to comment on the case to Crain’s Cleveland Business.

The only answer to the bank’s claims by Thursday, March 12, was a note by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office that Cuyahoga County has a potential interest in the property due to unpaid property tax bills.

The county’s court filing does not say how much in taxes is owed, but online county land records showed that more than $690,000 in unpaid property taxes, interest and fines have accrued on the property since 2018.

If anything, the 150-car garage has gained value since the Delray Beach, Fla.-based Hudson Holdings affiliate bought it. Across the street, the former Cleveland Athletic Club has been renovated to apartments called The Athlon. A long-empty group of three office buildings to the garage’s immediate west are being repur-

posed as apartments in a project called Euclid Grand.

In the years since the proposed Hudson Holdings effort came to naught, Millennia Cos. affiliates have acquired and renovated the Statler Apartments immediately east of the garage. However, Millennia has not proceeded with the multimillion-dollar renovation of the 925 Euclid Building, which is west of the Euclid Grand project. The 925 Euclid is best known as the former Huntington Bank Building, and at one time as the Union Trust Building.

The garage went in on part of the 1916-vintage former Stillman Theatre in 1965, according to the Cinema Treasures website, but retained a brick-and-stone facade that was built so that it blends almost seamlessly into the Statler building next door.

Millennia Cos. owner Frank Sinito has renamed the 925 Euclid Building as The Centennial and continues to have brokers from CBRE Group Inc. marketing the property to prospective office and retail tenants for portions of the structure.

Greenbaum and Michael declined to comment on the case in phone interviews with Crain’s Cleveland Business.

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After rolling into the coronavirus crisis in a weakened state, shares of Goodyear Tire & Rubber have gone down hard in recent weeks.

The share price appears to be continuing a years-long trend of amplifying the company’s challenges. Already facing a huge loss in its share price before the crisis began, Akron’s global tiremaker has since been beaten down at a rate that is even more precipitous than that of a market that at times has been in free fall.

The company, which was trading above $20 per share less than a year ago, could be purchased in the wreckage of the March 16 crash for less than $6 per share. Then shares plunged further as markets continued to spiral downward, and by the afternoon of March 18 Goodyear shares were selling for less than $5 each. Shares were at just under $6 at press time on March 20.

Between the end of 2019 and March 18, the company’s shares lost a remarkable 70% of their value, falling from $15.56 per share to $4.57, far outpacing even the losses of the Dow Jones Industrials Index, which lost about one-third of its value and plunged from more than 29,000 to below 20,000 for that same period.

So, what gives? It’s partly the company’s revenues, which have been severely affected by currency fluctuations, big downward swings in auto production, increased raw material costs and poor auto markets in China and Europe.

While Goodyear’s revenue has dropped from $19.5 billion in 2013 to $14.8 billion in 2019, that’s a drop of 24% — nowhere near the pace of its stock value plunge over a much shorter period of time.

Exposure to all of those cyclical markets and other pain points that make the news often makes Goodyear the market’s whipping boy when there’s bad news on anything from the automotive cycle to the U.S.-China trade war, said John Healy, an analyst and managing director of

“IT WASN’T JUST THAT THE FOREIGN BUSINESSES WERE SELLING LESS; JUST THAT WHEN YOU TRANSLATED IT BACK TO U.S. DOLLARS IT WAS WORTH LESS.”

Goodyear CFO Darren Wells | GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER

Northcoast Research in Cleveland.

“Their stock is a bit of a unique animal,” Healy said. “It’s a proxy for people’s views on global GDP, on the Chinese economy, on the auto markets and on raw materials. … Whenever investors become concerned about what’s going on in any of those sectors, it impacts Goodyear’s stock.”

Goodyear chief financial officer Darren Wells said there’s another reason Goodyear’s stock value changes so much more than its earnings: debt. With about $5 billion in debt and about $2.5 billion in shareholder equity, any change in revenue or earnings is amplified in terms of how it impacts the stock.

“Small changes in earnings have a much bigger impact on stock price than with our competitors,” Wells said. “A larger percentage (of earnings) is allocated to debt and a smaller percentage is allocated to equity than a lot of stocks we’re compared to. If everyone loses 10% of their earnings, a lot of companies will see their stock go down by 10%. … Ours

might go down by a third,” he added.

The company has also faced stiff headwinds in recent years, Wells noted, including fierce gusts from a rising dollar.

“We were $19 billion in revenue then (2010) and at $15 billion now. …

Of that $4 billion move in revenue, about $2.5 billion of it was foreign exchange. A lot of it is in emerging-market businesses where the U.S. dollar just strengthened very dramatically,” Wells said, adding that the dollar also rose in value against China’s yuan.

“It wasn’t just that the foreign businesses were selling less; just that when you translated it back to U.S. dollars it was worth less,” Wells explained.

That was the biggest driver of Goodyear’s lost revenues, but not the only factor, he said.

The company got out of Venezuela in 2018 as that country tipped into political turmoil and a faltering economy.

See GOODYEAR on Page 21

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Research will go on at Northeast Ohio’s colleges and universities, but projects will pause or slow due to the social distancing measures necessitated by the spread of COVID-19.

Research involves more than just the collection of data, said Philip Allen, director of research administration at the University of Akron. Allen, who is part of the university’s emergency operations group, said it also includes analyzing and interpreting that data, as well as writing proposals for new projects.

In short, there’s plenty to keep people busy if they can’t collect data, at least in the short term. Allen said he thinks there’s enough of that kind of work to keep researchers at the university occupied for about two months. If the slowdown due to COVID-19 stays in that time frame, Allen expects researchers will be able to catch up with little trouble. Much of the time spent in research actually involves designing the study to test a hypothesis, he noted, not in collecting the data itself.

“We have more flexibility than it may appear,” Allen said. “But if we were shut down six months to a year for this, yes, there would be a problem.”

At the University of Akron, he added, crucial research, such as projects around cancer, continues with social distancing measures. Data collection is being put on hold for all other research.

At Cleveland State University, researchers are being asked to “draw down” their operations, postponing experiments and limiting access to on-campus labs, the university said in an email. Kent State University plans to finish up long-running research projects, and faculty and staff have been asked to coordinate schedules so there’s as little contact with one another as possible, said Paul DiCorleto, vice president for research and sponsored programs.

“Originally, we thought we could just use the social distancing — 6 feet, 6 feet — but too many people were going to try to run things business as usual,” DiCorleto said.

Working remotely, researchers can conduct literature research online or

write a review article. Research projects will clearly be slowed down, and new ones generally aren’t planned to begin, but there are ways to stay busy in one’s discipline, DiCorleto noted.

And since most universities across the country are taking similar measures, no one’s losing a competitive advantage.

“WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO IS STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN PROTECTING THE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO DO RESEARCH AND ADVANCING THOSE STUDIES IN ORDER TO CONTINUE MAKING SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS.” — Suzanne Rivera, Case Western Reserve University vice president for research and technology management

Case Western Reserve University also is working to make sure its faculty, students and staff practice the necessary safety measures to stem the spread of COVID-19. But university research is critical to solving medical challenges like the pandemic, said Suzanne Rivera, vice president for research and technology management.

“So what we’re trying to do is strike a balance between protecting the members of our community who do research and advancing those studies in order to continue making scientific progress,” she said.

At CWRU, that means researchers have been asked to reduce the number of personnel used to keep operations running, stagger schedules and allow remote work when possible.

Clinical trials will continue, based on input from the hospitals with which the university works, but Rivera said the university is asking other interventions to be put on hold or converted to a virtual format, such as a phone interview instead of an in-person one.

Instead of onsite research, researchers at Case Western Reserve may be spending their time out of the lab writing grant proposals or working on journal entries, activities they usually try to fit into “little pockets of

time,” Rivera said. In addition to remote research, she pointed out that the university’s faculty are also busy working to convert their teaching work to a remote format.

Allen, DiCorleto and Rivera all said the plan was for students, faculty and staff to continue to get paid for their work while remote. Each of their universities have plans in place to make sure animal colonies, cell lines and sensitive equipment are maintained.

While new research projects are largely on hold at Northeast Ohio’s college campuses, there’s one notable exception: projects focused on COVID-19 itself.

Kent State already has begun at least one such project.

Joel Hughes, professor and director of clinical training in Kent State’s department of psychological sciences, said in an emailed statement that work has already begun, based on an idea from associate professor of sociology Anthony Vander Horst. The team is working to provide public health officials with up-to-date information on how people are responding to COVID-19, in particular how they perceive their risks and the precautions they’re taking.

“Because this is time-critical, we have proceeded with the work and have been raising small amounts of support from local mechanisms,” Hughes said in the statement. “We have submitted an inquiry to NSF, and will pursue additional options as they become available.”

Researchers at Kent State are asking the National Science Foundation for permission to submit RAPID grants related to COVID-19.

At Case Western Reserve, the School of Medicine has already set up a COVID-19 research response team to identify research opportunities, Rivera said in an email. Other projects are also underway. For instance, Fanny Ye and Ken Loparo, professors at the Case School of Engineering, are working on a data-driven framework that can help with understanding the spread of COVID-19 and finding strategies for community mitigation.

Rachel Abbey McCafferty: (216) 771-5379, rmccafferty@crain.com

6 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | MARCH 23, 2020

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NONPROFITS

Menorah Park and Montefiore pair up for future of senior care Beachwood organizations’ partnership could be a model that other nursing homes can follow

BY LYDIA COUTRÉ

Jim Newbrough, CEO of Menorah Park, hopes the nonprofit’s affiliation with the neighboring Montefiore will serve as a model for how nonprofit senior care providers can come together to best serve their patients.

The two organizations, which are located in Beachwood on adjacent campuses, announced in early March that their respective boards approved a plan to combine the two organizations into one, which will operate under the Menorah Park name. The Montefiore name will remain on its facility on the campus.

The partnership made a lot of sense for both nonprofits, which are both mission-driven Jewish organizations that have been around for more than 100 years focusing on caring for aging Ohioans.

“I think I would not be overstating it to say people have wondered for years why these two organizations don’t come together,” said Kathryn Brod, president and CEO of LeadingAge Ohio, a trade association representing aging services providers across the state. “They share a common faith background, religious background and they are literally a stone’s throw from one another. They are both just incredible advocates for the individuals they serve. And so they bring so many common interests and common elements in their mission, it is just not a surprise.”

Once the two complete regulatory requirements, due diligence and other formalities, the affiliation is expected to be complete by July 1, creating a roughly $125 million

Seth Vilensky, president and CEO of Montefiore, left, and Jim Newbrough, CEO of Menorah Park, hope their merger will be a model for how senior care providers can work together to serve their patients. | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

nonprofit. Menorah Park’s annual operating revenue is approximately $82 million, while Montefiore’s is about $43 million.

The affiliation came after more than two years of conversations between Newbrough and Seth Vilensky, currently president and CEO of Montefiore. Newbrough will continue as CEO of the combined nonprofit, while Vilensky will become vice president of business development and community services for the organization.

As the two were looking at how to work together, the conversations logically progressed to the realization that they needed to use their resources to collaborate rather than com-

pete, and use those resources to continue the missions of both organizations, he said.

The two had already been collaborating on a series of different services and efforts. For instance, Montefiore switched from an outside ambulance vendor to using Menorah Park’s service more than two years ago. Also, Menorah Park was able to collaborate on hospice with Montefiore, which provided more enhanced hospice services, including services in the community off campus.

“Those initial successes showed us that we could work together, we could collaborate,” Newbrough said. “And what it helped us do more than anything else was we started getting to

know each other as organizations, and really deeply understanding that both organizations were very similar.”

Crain’s most recent list of Northeast Ohio’s largest nursing homes, ranked by the number of certified skilled beds and published in February 2019, had Menorah Park at No. 1, with 355, and Montefiore at No. 3, with 233. (The bed data were as of Jan. 31, 2019.) The affiliation secures Menorah Park’s spot as the largest nursing home on the region.

Newbrough said this standing will strengthen their position in the market, provide economy of scale and offer the ability to have specialty or niche programs in a time when other facilities are dropping bed numbers or closing entirely, such as Altercare Integrated Health Services, which discontinued its operations at its Altercare St. Joseph at the end of last year.

“I think it just goes to show that you have to scale up and be larger in order to be more relevant,” Vilensky said. “And to be able to continue to provide the highest quality services, you have to be a big player.”

Brod said affiliations have been growing in the aging services field pretty dramatically in the past decade.

The moves are often a response to changing payment structures, leadership turnover and workforce needs.

Partnering with another organization brings economies of scale, the opportunity to attract and retain talent, and an enhanced opportunity for programs and services they couldn’t sustain as single organizations.

By decreasing overhead through partnerships, the efficiencies gained in administrative staffing can free up

staff to serve other programs to expand or even add services, she said.

Brod said there is a “significant need” to serve aging Ohioans today, and for organizations to come together to strengthen programs and serve them in a better way.

She sees a “tremendous opportunity going forward” for partnerships and other types of affiliations. She doesn’t know what exactly that will look like, but notes the industry is in a very different place than it was 20 years ago in terms of its creativity and innovation and continues to look to how to best serve aging Ohioans, including through technology, partnerships and finding ways to bring new services in different ways, Brod said.

Menorah Park, founded in 1906, employs 1,400 people and provides health care and residential choices for adults in apartments for independent living and assisted living, skilled nursing care, memory care, rehabilitation services, adult day care, home health and hospice services. Montefiore, founded in 1882, employs 600 people and offers skilled nursing care, rehabilitation therapy, home health care, memory care, assisted living and hospice.

“I think we are establishing a model of how nonprofits, whether they be in senior care or others, can start to come together and collaborate and work together,” Newbrough said. “I think that we are setting both these organizations up for continued success hopefully for the next 100 years.”

Lydia Coutré: lcoutre@crain.com, (216) 771-5228, @LydiaCoutre

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MARCH 23, 2020 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 7

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FROM THE EDITOR

RICH WILLIAMS FOR CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

Crain’s is here to help you

EDITORIAL

Go big It probably can’t be big enough. And it certainly can’t come fast enough.

That’s our sense, as of Friday afternoon, March 20, about the enormous (as in $1 trillion) economic stimulus bill that is being considered in the Senate to try to stem some of the economic disaster that’s being caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Goldman Sachs late last week estimated that we’re in line for a terrifying surge in unemployment insurance claims, from about 281,000 to 2.25 million in the report that will come out this week. To put that number in perspective, the worst week for jobless claims in this century came during the Great Recession in 2009, and the number was 665,000. The worst week in the last 50 years was in 1982: 695,000.

Goldman’s GDP outlook is equally bleak, with projections for a 6% contraction in the first quarter and then a 24% drop in Q2, with unemployment jumping to 9% from the current 3.5%.

The firm expects a GDP bounce-back in the third and fourth quarters, but at this point, projections that far down the road are pretty meaningless, given the uncertainty of today.

The plan the Senate was SEND THE CHECKS NOW contemplating on Friday includes $1,200 direct payAND ADDRESS ments to many Americans, reduces the tax liability of INEQUITIES IN NEXT large corporations and proYEAR’S TAX SEASON. vides support (some might call it bailouts) for ailing industries like airlines. It also would include a $300 billion relief program for small businesses, with the government offering grants and loans of up to $10 million to eligible small and midsize businesses — as long as those businesses retain employees during the economic crisis.

There’s room to critique a lot of what’s in this version of the legislation, or future versions. The bailouts for big industries are especially bothersome. But time is of the essence here. If the Senate, and then the House, can’t agree on the full stimulus package immediately, they should at least get the checks in the mail to individuals ASAP. There are legitimate concerns about that strategy, which is a blunt tool that winds up sending money to people who don’t particularly need it. But rather than haggle

over the details of that, send the checks now and address inequities in next year’s tax season. It’s more important that millions of Americans who are suddenly without work, and may be facing a prolonged period of being out of work, have some support for paying mortgages and rent, and buying food.

Without that assistance, we’re looking at a cascade of failures throughout the economy. The focus first has to be on helping workers and smaller businesses. The attention then can turn to helping cities and states, and then to larger enterprises in targeted ways.

Be prepared It’s pretty easy to forget at this point that Ohio was supposed to have an election last week.

After some back-and-forth moves that stretched into the morning of Election Day, Tuesday, March 17, Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration postponed the election through the declaration of a public health emergency. The governor wants Ohio’s new primary date to be June 2; there are pressures to hold the election earlier.

We’re not going to criticize DeWine on the delay. The decision shouldn’t have been made less than 24 hours before polls opened, but this was a tough call in extraordinary times, and plowing ahead with the election would have posed risks to public health.

From here on out, though, the matter should be decided by the state Legislature, to remove the governor from equation in postponing elections, which, as critics point out, can set a troubling precedent.

Some legislators want to see the election take place by the end of April, but at this point, who can really say whether the public health concerns that led to the March 17 postponement will be history by then?

One thing is certain. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has to make sure that the state is prepared for a possible mail-only election, with no in-person voting. That has drawbacks for some groups of voters, but it may be the only way to guarantee Ohio’s primary takes place as required.

Publisher and Editor: Elizabeth McIntyre (emcintyre@crain.com) Managing Editor: Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com) Contact Crain’s: 216-522-1383 Read Crain’s online: crainscleveland.com

We are living in extreme times that are straining our supply chains, production, the health of our co-workers and every aspect of doing business. Nothing is more unsettling to business than uncertainty, and we are marinating in uncertainty these days.

We at Crain’s Cleveland Business understand the concerns of our readers, Elizabeth clients and partners and are experiencMcINTYRE ing the same disruption and uncertainty that you are. Still, we are deeply devoted to providing you the most up-to-date information about how COVID-19 is affecting how we do business and how we live in Northeast Ohio, the state and across the nation. We are working around the clock so that you can make informed business decisions with the most pertinent information you need.

Last week, we reached out to hear how you are responding to this crisis, what challenges you are facing, and to learn about the creative solutions you are finding to weather this economic storm. Thank you to all who have emailed us at ClevEdit@Crain.com. Please keep telling your stories, asking questions and sharing your concerns. You are helping us take the pulse of business owners and employees in our community and giving us guidance so we can tell the stories that matter most to you.

In these challenging days, we also want to tell the stories of the heroes at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic: the health care workers, first responders, PLEASE KEEP volunteers, and nonprofit and business leaders who are TELLING YOUR going above and beyond in STORIES, ASKING courageous or creative ways.

You can praise heroes by QUESTIONS AND reaching out to our news- SHARING YOUR room with an email, also at CONCERNS. YOU ARE ClevEdit@Crain.com.

We also know that factual HELPING US TAKE THE information about the impact of COVID-19 on businesses PULSE OF BUSINESS and the economy is vital right OWNERS AND now, which is why we are making our digital content EMPLOYEES IN OUR available free for the foreseeCOMMUNITY AND able future. We do ask that once you see the value of our GIVING US GUIDANCE journalism, you help us to continue bringing it to you by SO WE CAN TELL subscribing at CrainsCleve- THE STORIES THAT land.com/subscribe.

Crain’s has also launched a MATTER MOST coronavirus newsletter that TO YOU. you can have delivered to your email inbox Monday through Friday. It’s free and packed with links and important information. Sign up to receive the newsletter at https://bit.ly/2IJxQ9s.

We are also coming up with more new and creative ways to help all businesses whose doors are open to communicate their message to the business community. We are offering webcasts, virtual roundtables, sponsored content and more — all efficient, engaging ways to stay connected and keep business top of mind.

Crain’s Cleveland Business is here to help you get through these challenging times. Our commitment to you is that we will do that by telling your stories, sharing vital information and standing ready to help in any way we can.

As Gov. Mike DeWine has said many times, “We’re going to get through this.”

Write us: Crain’s welcomes responses from readers. Letters should be as brief as possible and may be edited. Send letters to Crain’s Cleveland Business, 700 West St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113, or by emailing ClevEdit@crain.com. Please include your complete name and city from which you are writing, and a telephone number for fact-checking purposes.

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8 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | March 23, 2020

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OPINION

PERSONAL VIEW

Business leaders are on front line during coronavirus crisis

BY STACY FEINER

Our first responders are strapped during this unprecedented time.

They’re working overtime against a ticking clock that has alarmed the world and is quickly creating a “new normal” of social distancing, quarantine, work from home and managing crisis.

The first responders I’m speaking of are business leaders.

Feiner The entire country is riding on is a business the backs of private companies — psychologist not corporations, not unions, not and founder government. Private companies of Feiner and family businesses are the scaf- Enterprises. folding that holds up our economy, and now more than ever, we are feeling the incredible impact of the bolts being turned and loosened.

Last week, when Gov. Mike DeWine announced the

out how to survive amid the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

One woman leader of a nonprofit has 700 employees. This is their livelihood, their only job. Without it, their families will go hungry because most have few, if any, financial reserves. This CEO must figure out how to keep people working — and safe.

The issue is not the virus, per se. It’s the lack of a national contingency plan.

A business owner with office staff follows the workfrom-home guidelines for an unknown period of time.

Many of these employees will be home with the intention of working every bit as hard as usual, while their kids, who are also home, need help with online learning plans — it’s a household. Everyone’s at home. Together. The business owner knows productivity will lag, and it’s a concern. He knows his people want to work. They want to continue. But how can they, really?

Another business leader expresses a typical challenge. Her board meets monthly and the discussion leads to a list of good and involved suggestions. “What about this? What about that?” The inquiries pile up. She wants the board to work differently through this crisis and serve as a set of hands — a ready resource for the business. “I need the board to operate a bit more like a part of my team,” she said.

Another valid question some businesses are considering: Is it better to pay employees’ salaries or to rely on unemployment, and what if we’re funding our insurance?

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MARCH 23, 2020 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 9

OPINION

FEINER

From Page 9

Everyone is struggling with communication. What’s the solution?

One leader thought to get the same email/text/phone solution that school systems use.

These business leaders know they can’t sit around and wait for a directive. They must problem-solve — now. They must protect their people — now. They have to continue serving clients because they are the rea-

son businesses generate revenue.

Protecting their people means continuing to do business.

Indeed, the health of our nation is riding on the backs of private businesses. And they are shouldering a significant burden. But what they are showing us is that in order to stay alive as a company, they must demonstrate humanity first. Humanity is what is connecting us as individuals and, increasingly, as communities. In this uncertain time, businesses are expressing deep concern. This just might become the new normal.

AS BUSINESSES GENUINELY EXPRESS THEIR HUMANITY, THEY RECOGNIZE A NEED TO ADDRESS ISSUES RELATED TO QUARANTINE. We’re learning a lot from this experience so far. For one, lack of a contingency plan is fatal to businesses, and to families, for that matter. Also, even the best plan will fail if there are no customers.

As businesses genuinely express their humanity, they recognize a need to address issues related to quarantine: the mental health effects of social

distancing and fear of the unknown.

Researchers have found increased levels of anxiety, depression, insomnia, low self-esteem and lack of self-control. These effects directly impact business, the scaffolding that’s still holding us up as a country, but that could begin breaking with potential escalations like a mandated lockdown.

Businesses that succeed during this

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time will recognize the value of their people. They’ll turn to psychology and consider proven relational tools and interventions for mitigating anxiety, building individuals’ confidence and bringing communities together. We will shape a new normal to be better than it was, and more of what America wants.

The time has come to recognize that much of what has previously been assessed through the lens of politics and economics is better understood and addressed through the lens of psychology. We are finding right now that psychology is vital in the short run to help workers and employers cope with the pandemic we currently face.

Even more that psychology is the discipline that allows us to fully reimagine how our workplaces and civic institutions function and to rebuild them, starting now, for the future.

The pandemic has exposed flaws in our old ways of doing things. We are ready to accept that the health and psychological well-being of our citizens and workforce will be restored by using psychology to organize and shape the complexities of who we are as individuals and who we are as members of groups.

To ensure maximum productivity in our workplaces and in our nation, we must admit that popular psychology has fallen short. We need the real thing and the professionals who know how to use it for good. Productivity is good for business, good for our economy and good for creating happy citizens.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Is this the right way to combat the virus?

I’m doing my part (with the coronavirus). I’m keeping my kids at home and I’m going straight to work and straight home. I’m sanitizing at the office and washing my hands regularly. We’re wiping down shared spaces constantly. It’s been asked of me — I’m doing my part.

But I can’t help to think: Are we going at this way differently and far more dramatically than we need to?

As I understand it, the coronavirus doesn’t seem to have much effect on kids. Reports seem to indicate that less than 2.5% of cases out of China were kids under 18. And for most of us, even those middle-aged, we can get it and be fine as it runs its course.

In my house, it is unlikely that any of us would require hospitalization or urgent medical attention. This is a very dangerous disease for the elderly — particularly those with heart conditions or diabetes.

So why aren’t the elderly on full quarantine until we figure out how to support them with it? The rest of the population could continue on and get the illness like we get so many others. It will run its course. Just stay away from the elderly — they can’t fight this disease.

What am I missing? It sure would be a lot less impactful on society if all those people 65 and over were placed under quarantine until we get this sorted out.

Corey L. Morrill Independence

10 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | MARCH 23, 2020

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As a result, employers should consult with legal counsel about revising current handbooks based on these new decisions.

This advertising-supported section/feature is produced by Crain’s Content Studio-Cleveland, the marketing storytelling arm of Crain’s Cleveland Business. The Crain’s Cleveland Business newsroom is not involved in creating Crain’s Content Studio content.

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AKRON

Rubber City Reuse is building its business on organic waste Akron startup getting big-name clients to sign on as it gathers food scraps for composting projects

BY KAREN FARKAS

Food waste is not trash — it’s treasure, Ben McMillan and Hailey Skraba say.

The siblings’ Rubber City Reuse startup gathers food scraps — such as vegetables, fruit and coffee grounds — and composts them at local community gardens. Those actions reduce greenhouse gases generated at landfills by organic waste, they said. And the compost enriches the soil and reduces the need for fertilizers.

They are educating the public about the value of composting, one business and resident at a time. In recent months, their efforts have led several companies, a school district and a hospital to become involved in reducing food waste.

“We want to make an impact on the city, and it is time for us (our generation) to step up and do something,” said McMillan, a lifelong environmental activist. He says he follows the saying “Be the Change.”

The pair have been composting since their youth in Wadsworth.

McMillan, 31, of Akron, moved to California after earning a business administration degree from the University of Akron. He ran several restaurants and operated a taco truck for three years. He moved back home last year to be closer to his family.

about three months, the mixture has decomposed and is ready to use.

The U.S. Enviornmental Protection Agency estimates that only 2.6 million tons of the 40.7 million tons of food waste generated in 2017 was composted.

McMillan and Michael have several initiatives underway.

Businesses McMillan

Skraba

Skraba, 25, of Wadsworth, served four years in the U.S. Navy and has two young daughters. She is attending the University of Akron.

The pair became interested in developing a business to compost food waste after meeting with the founders of Rust Belt Riders, a Cleveland business that collects food waste.

The siblings formed Rubber City Reuse about eight months ago in UA’s EXL Center for Experiential Learning, which encourages entrepreneurs, and received a gold medal at a pitch competition in December. The startup has a location in a coworking space in the Bounce Innovation Hub. Investors have expressed interest, but the pair prefers at this time to fund the venture themselves.

Composting involves layering one part of “green” food waste with three parts of “brown” waste, such as shredded newspaper, leaves or straw. They are mixed with dirt and water. After

The company began working with Dominion Energy on Springside Drive in Akron in early February. McMillan picks up about 100 pounds of food waste a week and composts it at the Akron Cooperative Farms, a community garden in the North Hill neighborhood.

The company facility, with 250 employees, does not have a cafeteria, but workers bring in lunches and meetings are catered. The staff wanted to replicate efforts at Dominion’s Cleveland office, which composts with Rust Belt Riders, said Erin Patch, pipeline safety project leader.

“We are the first group within Dominion Energy to create a homegrown sustainability team,” she said. “We had a single-stream recycling program and wanted to compost.”

After some research, she learned about Rubber City Reuse.

McMillan held lunch-and-learn programs at the building to explain composting and to have employees determine what parts of their lunches could be composted. The sustainability team visited the co-op facility

where the compost would be created.

“The employees are getting into it,” Patch said. “We have signage over the bins. The coolest part is the reporting they provide to us. They provide statistics, including the weight of compostable material.”

Patch said her team is committed to reducing waste, and she is rooting for Rubber City Reuse to succeed.

“They are so small, and this is huge for them,” she said. “I am very excited to be a part of it.”

Rubber City Reuse in March reached an agreement to remove food waste from FirstEnergy’s west Akron campus on White Pond Drive. It has 650 employees and a cafeteria.

In April, McMillan plans to begin collecting food waste from the Bridgestone Americas Technical Center in Akron, which has been sending food waste to be composted to Indianapolis.

Rubber City Reuse charges a monthly fee based on the size of the company. For example, FirstEnergy will pay $982 a month, he said.

Residences Akron homeowners can pay $20 a month for a pickup service for food waste. The company currently has five clients.

Schools Rubber City Reuse will pilot a program with Walls Elementary School in Kent that it hopes to expand to the

three other elementary schools in the city, all which have onsite gardens.

As students sit at lunch tables, aides collect waste. Students will be asked to place food waste that can be composted in a separate bin.

“Kids like to know they can do something,” McMillan said.

The waste will be composted in the garden and vegetables will be given to the students.

Kent State University’s School of Public Health will examine the educational impact of the program on the students as well as the impact of being served fresh food, McMillan said.

Eliminating food deserts Rubber City Reuse plans to collect food waste from University Hospitals Portage Medical Center in Ravenna beginning in mid-April. The waste will be composted in a community garden in Windham and used to help grow crops for residents.

McMillan said the company offers other services, including building compost bins, consulting and collecting food waste from special events. If the business continues to grow, it hopes to hire one or two people by year’s end.

“We’re working with the city of Akron and the Summit County Land Bank to find an old building we can use as a distribution center,” he said. “We are seeing a demand for our services.”

Contact Karen Farkas: clbfreelancer@crain.com

In an effort to keep the region informed on the rapidly evolving coronavirus situation, we have created a daily email newsletter rounding up the latest news on the pandemic.

This free e-newsletter will provide updates on how COVID-19 is affecting businesses and the economy.

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DECISIONS

SPONSORED CONTENT

MANAGING WELLNESS AND HEALTH CARE NEEDS FOR AGING ADULTS

Caring for the caregivers

BY KATHY AMES CARR

L

isa Weitzman recalls the initial plea for help from a woman who had been living and working in Oakland, Calif., when her mother, who lived some 2,400 miles away in Dayton, had just suffered a massive stroke. The daughter flew back and forth between Oakland and Dayton to care for her mother, but balancing the transcontinental caregiving with her full-time job was not going to work. She quit her job, and moved in with her mother. She decided a relocation to Cleveland would be a more logical long-term solution because of the city’s supply of quality health care networks. The woman contacted the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging for help.

“We helped facilitate her mother’s move, and we coordinated online conversations with other family members to keep them up to date on the status of the situation,” Weitzman said.

Planning and logistics were coordinated through a phone and email-based care coaching program called BRI Care Consultation, which helps caregivers simplify the process of caregiving.

“There are so many resources in the marketplace for caregivers.

Sometimes, they don’t know where to turn first or how to access all the different resources,” said Weitzman, a BRI care consultation manager of business development. “This is an easy-to-use, solution-focused program designed to simplify the process for overwhelmed caregivers, so that they ultimately can spend more quality time with their loved one and on taking care of themselves.”

Caregiving strain is a common reality for individuals who find themselves squeezed between the demands of work, their personal life and caring for aging loved ones. At least 20% of adult children are taking care of an older parent. Of working caregivers, 8% state that they have been sidelined from job growth opportunities because of their caregiving responsibilities, according to Aging in Place, an online resource hub for seniors and their families.

The BRI Care Consultation program streamlines the orbit of responsibilities and decisions that need to be made by the caregiver.

Program’s offerings include:

1

Providing disease-specific information that helps inform solid decision-making. “So, if Mom is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and the family member doesn’t know what Parkinson’s is, this program informs them on their best options for care, how to initiate conversations with their loved ones about living options and how to engage

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WELLNESS siblings in the discussions,” among the content provided, Weitzman said.

2

Connecting users to communitybased and in-home services. Social, in-home and community-based resources run the gamut — from legal or financial aid to insurance information, meal assistance, transportation services and support groups. “We help people access those services, but we are not just a referral service,” Weitzman said. “Our care consultants work with people to secure the service or agency they need.”

3

Building a care support team.

The program helps involve others who may be able to offer additional support, including family members, friends or neighbors.

4

Providing emotional support. Care consultants are available when the caregiver needs advice or even someone who is there to listen and offer support. “Think of care consultants as trusted advisers,” Weitzman said. “We help empower families.”

In an effort to bring the value and benefits of BRI Care Consultation to even more individuals, the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging will provide this service under the WeCare brand to a broader range of caregivers as part of a future rebranding effort, according to the organization.

Eliza Jennings offers a number of residential offerings for individuals at different stages of life — from independent living to assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care and hospice care. The nonprofit organization’s network of elderly care services also extends to home and community-based services, including a nurse practitioner house call program and onsite wellness clinics that serve adults in affordable housing.

Its adult day services at Acacia Place provide a safe and structured setting within Cleveland’s bucolic Edgewater neighborhood. Patients receive skilled nursing and respite care, hot meals and social activities during their visit, said Sheryl Sereda, vice president of advancement and chief advancement officer at Eliza Jennings.

“We focus not only on respite care but on daily care,” Sereda said. “Many caregivers still are in the workforce, and many of them also have children.

Our adult day services provide them an assurance that their loved one will receive quality care in a safe and secure place.

Plus, this program also enables older individuals to get out, meet new people or see familiar faces. Social engagement is really important, especially as individuals age in place in their home.”

Arrangements range from periodic visits or daily visits to regular attendance, she said.

“We have begun to offer the service on Saturdays as well. Our doors open at 8 a.m., but it’s not uncommon to see cars in the parking lot at 7:30 a.m.,” she said.

WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU, AND YOUR LOVED ONES.

the caregiver,

We partner with you to provide clear solutions and compassionate, personalized support throughout your caregiving journey.

An intergenerational reality Caregiving no longer is a responsibility relegated only to middle-aged women, who have traditionally shouldered the daily care for a chronically ill or elderly loved one. Families are spreading the caregiving love between members of different generations.

In fact, of the 43 million Americans who provide care for another adult at home, 10 million, or nearly 25%, are between the ages of 18 and 34. While only 25% of caregivers overall are male, nearly half of millennial caregivers are male.

— MemoryWell News for the Ages

Lifting up their loved ones

In Ohio, family caregivers take on some of the heavy lifting in long-term care services and supports system, providing care that — if provided by paid caregivers — would cost $16.5 billion each year.

— SOURCE: Ohio Department of Aging, State Plan on Aging 2019-2022

Experience a luxurious VIBRANT lifestyle and WORLD-CLASS Independent Living.

I

ndependent Living at the Renaissance Retirement Campus welcomes you into a warm, friendly community surrounded by people who care.

Conveniently located in Olmsted Township, the Renaissance offers a variety of luxurious options and unrivaled amenities to help you design your own vibrant lifestyle.

Call 440.235.7112 to learn more.

Visit wecare-youcare.org to learn more.

BRI CARE CONSULTATION TM A SERVICE OF BENJAMIN ROSE INSTITUTE ON AGING

26376 John Road | Olmsted Township, Ohio 44138 | elizajennings.org

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DECISIONS

S2 March 23, 2020

SPONSORED CONTENT

Meeting the needs of today’s aging adults

BY KATHY AMES CARR

M

onsignor Jennings, the founding pastor of St. Agnes Parish, was considered to be a socially progressive thinker of his time. Having received a large amount of money from his brother’s estate, Jennings outlined in his will that the money was to be allocated to build a rest home to meet the needs of the mid20th century’s aging seniors. He died in 1941, and his legacy gave life to Jennings Center for Older Adults.

Otherwise now known as Jennings, the Catholic-based organization has evolved to offer a breadth of choices and residences that help meet the needs of 21st-century seniors, from the more traditional assisted living and long-term care facilities, to Alzheimer’s / demen-

HEALTH CARE tia care, affordable apartments, villas and a child care center that promotes intergenerational interactions.

“People want to see care delivered in different ways,” Jennings president and CEO Allison Salopeck said. “Aging adults want to remain independent as long as they can, and our variety of residential offerings and community services help them achieve their unique goals.”

Over the next 10 years, Ohio’s age 60-plus population is expected to grow by 30%. Assisted living facilities and nursing homes once were the gold

standard in terms of residential solutions for delivering the type of health care for adults as they age. But many of today’s seniors live on a fixed income, and the rising costs of senior living facilities are not always a feasible consideration. Further, the range of community- and home-based services that enable older adults to age in place are leading to a shift in long-term care moving from institutions and into the community, according to The Center for Community Solutions, a Cleveland-based nonpartisan think tank for health, social and economic issues.

Organizations such as Jennings recognize the value in making sure they are equipped to meet the needs of the growing population of aging adults here in Northeast Ohio.

“If you start at a place where money

LIVE AT HOME

Using a community-based approach, McGregor PACE enables older adults to remain among familiar surroundings while receiving the help they need.

What is McGregor PACE?

2.5 million

Ohio residents are older than age 60. The state’s population over age 60 is growing more than 20 times faster than its overall population.

8%

of Ohioans age 65 and older live in poverty.

76%

of Ohioans age 65 and older have at least one chronic condition. Almost 35% of this demographic live with a disability.

35%

of older Ohio adults live alone.

— SOURCE: Ohio Department of Aging, State Plan on Aging 2019 -2022

is no object, then your choices are plentiful,” Salopeck said. “If you start at a place where money is an object, then you have to be more intentional about your future plans.

It is so important for Jennings to be able to accommodate the differing needs of our aging citizens,” which is a continuation of the legacy of their founder.

In 2018, Jennings opened Notre Dame Village in Chardon, described as a “community of living” that offers cottage apartments, independent living apartments and memory care assisted living. Intergenerational programs and lifelong learning are among the amenities available to help keep seniors active and engaged with individuals of all ages, she said.

Its Garfield Heights-based infant and child care center serves infants from 6 weeks of age to pre-teens, who learn the qualities of respect and empathy by interacting with older adults or adults with disabilities, she said.

Keeping pace Recognizing that the needs of seniors need to be met in accordance with their desires to age within the comfort of their own homes, McGregor offers a community-based program called PACE for individuals ages 55 and older.

The program provides different services that can be delivered in a participant’s home, including vision care, lab tests, dental care, hearing services, mental health services, emergency care and nursing care, said Lee Ann O’Brien, chief marketing officer at McGregor.

“Our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, personal care and home health aides, dietitians and therapists coordinate care that addresses the medical, rehabilitative, personal and social care needs of older adults,” she said. “This is an ideal option for individuals who qualify for nursing home living but want to live safely at home.”

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

McGregor PACE is a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly.

McGregor PACE is for People...

• 55 years of age or older • Who live in Cuyahoga County • Who qualify for nursing home level of care • Who are able to live safely in the community McGregor PACE

26310 Emery Road, Warrensville Heights, Ohio 44128

McGregor PACE at Forest Hill

14800 Private Drive, Cleveland, Ohio 44112

McGregor PACE at Old Brooklyn

4229 Pearl Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44109

888-895-PACE (7223) TTY line for people with hearing impairment 1.800.325.2223 www.mcgregorpace.org

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PHOTO PROVIDED

The McGregor PACE program enables adults ages 55 and older to age within their community.

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DECISIONS

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“

Our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, personal care and home health aides, dietitians and therapists coordinate care that addresses the medical, rehabilitative, personal and social care needs of older adults.

“

— Lee Ann O’Brien, chief marketing officer at McGregor

PHOTO PROVIDED

Intergenerational experiences are part of everyday life at Jennings and create meaningful memories for younger and older individuals.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The program currently serves about 600 individuals in Cuyahoga County.

“Statistically, the people enrolled in our PACE program have extended their longevity by two years,” O’Brien said.

“Having that connection to community is vitally important to these individuals.”

Meanwhile, McGregor was recently awarded a $3.5 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant, which will help the senior living provider build 54 new affordable senior housing units and renovate 26 recently vacated assisted living apartments at its East Cleveland campus.

The grant also will help subsidize the cost of all 80 units for those seniors who are paying monthly rent.

The HUD Section 202 grant was part

of the $51 million in federal assistance that was awarded in February to nonprofit organizations around the U.S., which plan to add a combined 1,100 affordable homes for low-income seniors.

Vesta Longfellow of Cleveland received $1.2 million for 56 units, and the Neighborhood Development Services of the Village of Windham received $4.9 million for 30 units.

“This was a huge win for McGregor because finding capital for these kinds of projects takes time and energy,” O’Brien said. “One of our biggest challenges in serving seniors is being able to provide safe and affordable housing. This grant will allow us to leverage community partnerships and look for other revenue streams that can help aid us in serving low-income older adults.”

Additional assistance The Ohio Department of Aging and the Department of Medicaid administer various homeand community-based service programs that help aging adults.

The PASSPORT Medicaid waiver program is for Medicaid-eligible older adults, who are able to receive in-home services and supports that enable them to stay in their homes or other community settings. A case manager oversees the participant’s care plan. Eligible PASSPORT participants must be age 60 or older, frail enough to require nursing home-level care, able to remain safely at home and financially eligible for Medicaid institutional care (monthly income typically does not exceed the $2,349 threshold for one person, and countable assets do not exceed $2,000).

The monthly costs to live in an assisted living facility range from $2,000 to $4,000, or even higher, depending on the institution and the amount of care needed. The assisted living waiver program pays the costs of care in an assisted living facility for

PHOTO PROVIDED

Medicaid recipients. Eligible users pay for room and board expenses. To find out if you are eligible for this program, contact the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging at areaagingsolutions.org (for residents in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties) or vantageaging.org (for residents in Portage, Stark, Summit and Wayne counties).

MyCareOhio is a managed care program designed for Ohioans who receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits. A team of care coordinators oversees the patient’s health care, behavioral health and long-term services needs. MyCare offers preventive services and helps participants coordinate their health care choices. The plan is only available to residents in 29 Ohio counties. In Northeast Ohio, eligible residents must live in either Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit or Wayne counties.

For more information about these home and community-based services and supports, visit Ohio Department of Aging at aging.ohio.gov/ HomeCommunityCare#71536-mycare-ohio

A non-profit organization serving Northeast Ohio seniors since 1942

Whether you seek independent or supported living— or services to help you remain at home—Jennings has the choices you need across a whole continuum of residences and services. Choose an engaging, worry-free residence, designed for your lifestyle and interests. Explore the balance of privacy, friendly neighbors and choices in activities to enjoy life the way you choose.

Discover modern style, individualized comforts and exceptional amenities that help you live the life you deserve, including special events, daily Mass, mission and values-based services.

• • • • • • • •

Jennings residents enjoy a fun — and safe — slip-and-slide experience on Jennings’ front lawn.

March 23, 2020 S3

Adult day services Alzheimer’s/memory care Apartments with services Assisted living Child and infantcare Community programs Home care Hospice

• • • •

Lifelong learning Long-term care Respite care Short-term skilled nursing & rehabilitation • Spiritual services • Villa homes and cottage homes • Volunteer opportunities

Honored as a top employer and caregiver: learn more at jenningsohio.org/honors Connect with us in social media: @JenningsOhio

Managing editor, custom and special projects: Amy Ann Stoessel, astoessel@crain.com

Project editor: Kathy Carr Graphic designer: Lisa Griffis

For more information about custom publishing opportunities, please contact Amy Ann Stoessel.

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Brecksville | Chardon | Garfield Heights | Shaker Heights

(216) 581-2900 | jenningsohio.org

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COPING WITH THE CORONAVIRUS

HOSPITALS

From Page 1

Northeast Ohio hospitals have had COVID-19 on their radar for several weeks prior to its first detection in the area, assessing inventory, pulling out their disaster preparedness plans, monitoring the pandemic and response in other countries and states, and more.

One of the most pressing concerns for hospitals everywhere is the supply of personal protective equipment for caregivers as the global demand for such supplies grows while the production on some is slowed by the pandemic. Local hospitals are working to conserve those resources in any way they can.

Dr. William Brien, chief medical and quality officer for the UH system, said he supports the federal government allowing U.S. companies to pivot to produce personal protective equipment and other supplies hospitals need.

“There is no question that when you look historically at the United States, we have always risen as a country, as a populous, to meet the needs, whether it was in war time or after 9/11, and certainly I have full confidence that our industries will ramp up quickly and provide us the resources we need in short order,” he said.

UH and the Clinic worked together to create drive-through testing sites for eligible patients in an effort to keep those who need to be tested out of emergency rooms and other environments where they could potentially expose patients with other medical needs to COVID-19. It also helps preserve personal protective equipment.

Brien said UH is in the process of stopping nonessential office screenings, tests and visits that can wait for a period of time. All local systems are relying heavily on telehealth to help care for patients while also maintaining social distancing. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order to expand and enhance telehealth options for Medicaid recipients in the state and their providers, relaxing regulations that allow recipients to access care providers from their homes.

The Ohio Department of Health issued an order postponing elective

BANKING

From Page 1

The good news is banks are built for services outside branches, and that’s what customers increasingly prefer anyhow. More than half of Huntington’s customers depend almost entirely on mobile banking or ATMs, Steinour said. And only 10% to 15% of its branches — Huntington operates the largest branch network in Ohio — don’t include a drive-thru.

“Our priority is making sure we are fully present to serve and advise customers,” said Brian Lamb, head of retail banking and retail brokerage for Fifth Third Bank in a company statement about similar changes. “We understand that customer needs may change during this time of uncertainty, and we want to make sure that we adjust to meet them. We are grateful for our customers’ patience as we navigate through this unprecedented situation together.”

COVID-19 testing continues at the Cleveland Clinic Campus in Cleveland, above, and at University Hospitals in Mayfield Heights. | KEN BLAZE FOR CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

surgeries and procedures unless there is a threat to the patient’s life if a surgery or procedure is not performed; threat of permanent dysfunction of an extremity or organ system; risk of metastasis or progression of staging; or risk of rapidly worsening to severe symptoms.

This will help hospitals preserve personal protective equipment for health care workers and first responders, as well as free up staffs and beds.

Though the state doesn’t currently have a shortage of beds, Mike Abrams, president and CEO of the Ohio Hospital Association, announced several potential ways that hospitals could look at increasing bed capacity if they needed to take “extraordinary measures.”

These options include coordinating with local nursing homes to dedicate a wing or an entire facility to accepting noninfectious patients, therefore freeing up hospital space

for those who test positive or are under investigation for COVID-19. Similarly, he said, some hospitals throughout the state have been in conversations with local hotels, where providers could deploy a floor of a hotel to noninfectious patients who can be safely cared for in that setting. Reopening recently closed hospitals may also be an option.

Having just renovated its Akron campus, Summa Health is positioned to flex into currently empty space it vacated last year if it needs to grow capacity. Dr. David Custodio, senior vice president and president of Summa Health System – Akron & St. Thomas Campuses, said the hospital also has a temporary 20-bay mobile hospital unit that is being readied outside the emergency room to triage patients. The unit has the capacity for patient care as well, if needed.

As for staffing needs, hospitals are looking to repurpose caregivers who have been freed up by canceled or

postponed procedures and appointments to create a broader labor pool and response team.

Stopping national and international travel has kept physicians in the area, meaning the Clinic has more caregivers and doctors available to provide care, Wyllie said.

MetroHealth has begun plans to double up critical care beds if needed, Mike Tobin, MetroHealth’s vice president of communications, government and community relations, wrote in an email response to questions. The system has also reached out to recently retired employees to check if they would be available to return to work if necessary.

Local hospitals are also learning from what’s occurred in other states and countries. Brien said that the region and state do have a bit of an advantage, being a couple of weeks behind places like Seattle, Washington and much of California and New York.

“We will have the opportunity to see

what happens in those states and see how they flatten the curve,” Brien said.

Brick, from Advis, said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has made available a series of blanket waivers, offering providers temporary flexibility in how they increase capacity, including lifting restrictions that limit critical access hospitals to 25 beds and limit the length of stay to 96 hours; temporarily waiving requirements that out-of-state providers be licensed in the state where they are providing services when licensed in another state; allowing the use of ambulatory surgery centers for acute care; and allowing hospitals to open extra beds — for instance, converting those typically used for rehabilitation or psychiatric services to acute care beds.

Other steps hospitals have taken include consolidating physicians offices to free up resources and limit spread in those offices, asking retired staff to come back into the workforce,

Supporting borrowers

to work with borrowers and has said it won’t hold that against financial institutions, something that should further encourage lenders to work with anyone with cash-flow issues.

Tom Fraser, an Ohio Bankers League board member and CEO of First Mutual Holding CO., FFL’s parent organization, advised any borrowers anticipating financial hardship to discuss their options with their bank.

“It’s important we pull together and get through this very quickly, though the pain will be quick and immediate,” Fraser said. “Everyone is focused on working together to pull through this.”

Meanwhile, on March 19, the Small Business Administration announced Ohio’s approval for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

The SBA’s Cleveland office is now able to accept and review requests for loans of up to $2 million at interest rates of 3.75% for small businesses and 2.75% for nonprofits. As of the Federal Reserve’s March 15 interest rate drop, the banking system’s prime lending rates are now at 3.25%.

“This is good news for Ohio’s small

businesses and nonprofits,” said U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, and Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, in a joint statement about the SBA. “This quick approval is critical to ensure that our small businesses and nonprofits have the necessary economic support to overcome the significant challenges created by this public health crisis. This funding is designed to help them weather this storm and the resulting economic fallout.”

Frank Act stress test (DFAST) in December showed Tier 1 capital ratios — a key measure of a bank’s strength — among 18 large banks examined dropping from 12.3% to 9.2% before rising to 9.7% in the most-adverse scenario in a cycle running from 2019 to the first quarter of 2021.

At the end of 2008, those Tier 1 ratios dropped to 5.5%.

Banks flush with cash have been repurchasing stock to benefit shareholders. While a common use for excess capital, several companies have called off their buyback plans in the midst of the pandemic including KeyBank, JPMorgan, Bank of America, and Citigroup.

This is certainly due in part to the optics of enriching shareholders when the economy is hurting and unemployment surges, though not everyone has followed suit yet.

Huntington is in the middle of a buyback program, but Steinour could not comment on whether that will be canceled. He said a decision has been made, but he can’t share that without communicating it to shareholders first.

While modifying services, banks across the spectrum are also unrolling all kinds of new programs and promises geared to hardship relief as the pandemic capable of plunging the country into recession continues.

Super-regionals like U.S. Bank, Bank of America, Fifth Third and Huntington to community banks like First Federal of Lakewood are all promoting similar efforts with borrowers in mind. Those range from payment deferrals on credit cards, mortgages, cars and small-business loans to suspension of foreclosure and repossession activities.

“We are trying to be very supportive of our colleagues and customers,” Steinour said, noting that such efforts may add up to millions in costs for the company, but are the right measures to take and will pay dividends down the line.

“We are going to get a lot of customer loyalty, customers for life by being there when they really need us,” he said.

Guidance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. encouraged banks

The state of capital Some bankers say the current state of the world evokes memories of 9/11 in how most of the world looks to band together in support. To others looking at the tanking economy, it feels more like 2008.

But unlike 2008, banks today appear better equipped to weather this economic storm and support borrowers because of strong capital reserves — which to the dismay of anti-regulation types is thanks in part to provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Results of the Fed’s last Dodd-

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COPING WITH THE CORONAVIRUS GOVERNMENT

Shutdowns put many in uncharted territory

How administrations, courts are handling the effects of COVID-19 impact BBY KIM PALMER

and looking for volunteers to run onsite daycares for health care staff.

“Hospitals are required to have a detailed emergency preparedness plan in place — everybody’s got this,” Brick said. “But we’re way over that. We’re going beyond our emergency plans.

We’re going full blown into every single thing we can do is underway.”

Brien said he is “concerned, cautiously optimistic, but confident” that the country and hospitals will be in the right place to manage the problem.

Wyllie lauded local hospitals for pulling together during this time.

“I see a lot of cooperation,” he said.

“But eventually this will depend on just the disease burden. How many patients are going to be infected? How many are going to require hospitalization? How many are going to need to be on ventilators, etc.? That will play out in the next several weeks.”

Lydia Coutré: lcoutre@crain.com, (216) 771-5228, @LydiaCoutre Central Federal Corp., the Worthington parent company of CFBank, on March 17 authorized a plan to repurchase up to 3% of company shares through September. President and CEO Timothy O’Dell said in an announcement that is because of the commitment to shareholder value.

(He did not respond to a request for comment by press time March 20.)

“Bank stocks have been hit hard amidst the uncertainty, underperforming the broader market, which has obviously taken a dive,” said Charlie Crowley, managing director with Boenning & Scattergood. “As a result, we would expect a slowdown in bank capital raising and M&A activity for now. Strongly capitalized banks that are confident in their asset quality and earnings outlook could perhaps get a great buy in repurchasing their beaten down shares. However, perhaps with an eye to their regulators or just out of an abundance of caution, many banks are holding off on that for now.”

Jeremy Nobile: jnobile@crain.com, (216) 771-5362, @JeremyNobile

Cleveland City Council members no longer meet with constituents in their City Hall offices because of state regulations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is an adjustment and we are having to figure out how to be effective and engaged as council members,” said council member Matt Zone said. “It is a lot of work trying to stay connected. I’ve even had to ramp up my social media game.”

Mayor Frank Jackson closed City Hall to the public for four days of cleaning and sent nonessential workers home, with pay. Cleveland is still providing the city’s “essential services,” Jackson said in an interview last week, but while trash collection and emergency services have continued without interruption, other departments are limited or are, for the time being, completely shuttered.

The city’s building and housing department are accepting permit applications via mail or a newly installed drop box located outside of the building, but the city is not conducting any residential building inspections and has limited inspections on commercial building to an as-needed basis.

City council members are legally obligated to hold public meetings in March and April in order to pass the city’s budget before the April deadline, and all meetings will be held in the larger council chambers with public seating spaced the suggested 6 feet apart.

Council will take the opportunity to vote on emergency coronavirus relief funding and pending anti-eviction legislation, said council member Tony Brancatelli. The Jackson administration has proposed legislation that offers a six-month deferral on all city-backed, low-interest economic development loans.

“We are trying to pass legislation to help but we are working with a skeleton crew and it is not as efficient,” Brancatelli said. “We are still

CHANGE

From Page 2

Things are getting hairy Dino Palmieri said hearing from family in Italy and following news from there shaped his decision to close the 10 Dino Palmieri Hair Salon stores through April effective on Tuesday, March 17, ahead of the state order for barbers and hair salons to close.

“I thought about it all weekend,” Palmieri said, because he knew from family in Italy how severe the coronavirus outbreak would become. “I finally decided based on whether I would want my children working at this time as closely with the general public as we do. It became a question of wealth or health. We chose health.”

Telling his 180 employees that they would be without work for weeks was tough, but he said he told them it was a plan to make it through the crisis and come back stronger.

“PEOPLE CAN STILL FILE PAPERWORK WITH THE COURTS, BUT WE ARE NOT GOING THROUGH WITH SHERIFF SALES FOR 60 DAYS.” ——Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish

a very paper-driven organization, and you still have to process paperwork — just now, not as many people are available for copy editing and reviewing.”

Apart from council and staff answering forwarded constituent calls on their personal cell phones and conducting planning meetings over the phone rather than in person, it is mostly business as usual.

Asked if council was planning to hold off voting on pending economic development packages or infrastructure spending, bearing in mind that revenue projections are predicted to be much lower than budgeted, Brancatelli was a firm no.

“I have talked to the economic development department, community development and building, housing

“I FINALLY DECIDED BASED ON WHETHER I WOULD WANT MY CHILDREN WORKING AT THIS TIME AS CLOSELY WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS WE DO. IT BECAME A QUESTION OF WEALTH OR HEALTH. WE CHOSE HEALTH.” ——Dino Palmieri, owner of Dino Palmieri Hair Salons

Asked how much the shutdown will cost him, Palmieri asked, “My God” and after a pause asked, “Do you put beauty before health? You cannot.”

However, he worries people might not take coronavirus as seriously as they might.

“I already know that people are asking for personal visits at their homes by calling our people direct-

and planning, (and) they have said to make sure every pending piece of legislation goes through,” he said.

Cuyahoga County Council postponed full member meetings until April 14, but earlier this month it already had approved part of the funding for the Sherwin-Williams Co. headquarters project, set aside $1 million for coronavirus response, and passed a measure expediting contracts and purchases under the county’s emergency declaration.

“We are still going forward with our development work. Sherwin-Williams filed papers for the transfer of property,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish.

“Businesses that have financing in place will be able to move forward with development.”

Budish has closed county offices to the public, but, like the city, the county is ensuring that essential services, like child support and filing deeds, titles and taxes, continue seamlessly.

“People can still file paperwork with the courts, but we are not going through with sheriff sales for 60 days,” Budish said. (A sheriff sale is where foreclosed properties are auctioned off to the public.)

Budish also has halted all tax foreclosures of any occupied building.

“This will give us a cooling-off period from this crisis," he said. "We can see what is happening since the situation is very fluid. In 60 days, we will have a better idea what the future will look like.”

For John Dyer, president of Nova Title, the future is now.

He has spent a lot of time filing paperwork at the county offices and said that not having access to the building poses some inconvenience.

“Cuyahoga, like most counties we deal with, has adopted a dropoff for filing,” Dyer said of the new procedure that eliminates interacting with county staff in person.

“In some cases, depending on the lender, deeds can be filed electronically,” Dyer said, adding that a law enacted last year allowing remote

notarization also has helped expedite the process.

He said most of his clients are understanding about the circumstances.

“What used to take 30 minutes to an hour to file in person at the county offices, now can take a day or two,” he said.

Local and federal courts dealing with constitutional issues of the right to a speedy trial or a trial by jury have had to seek formal guidance in this unprecedented situation.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office issued an advisory permitting courts to suspend most jury trials and nonessential court hearings for 30 days.

“If you are a civil litigator or a criminal litigator, work has been completely disrupted,” said Marc Merklin, a partner at law firm Brouse McDowell.

Merklin, who specializes in Chapter 11 reorganizations, said some courts — and in particular, the federal bankruptcy court — have been able to do business when other courts have all but shut down.

“In federal bankruptcy court, more than other courts, it is not unusual to hold hearings over the phone,” Merklin said.

The federal courts have been on the front line of technology, and all documents are be filed online. Other than the initial hearing, parties are not required to appear in person in court.

“It will not be terribly disruptive,” Merklin said.

But the longer that businesses are forced to stay closed, the more likely the bankruptcy courts will be overwhelmed.

“We see moratoriums, and banks are being be patient and cooperating now, but what will happened in three months? I think the bankruptcy courts will be very busy for a long time,” he said.

ly,” Palmieri said. “I recommend against it. It’s not worth putting their health at risk because of the seriousness of the disease. People can live with gray hair or long hair but might not live if they catch this.”

Many of Palmieri’s salons are in enclosed shopping malls. He said he thinks it is a mistake not to close the malls as well.

opened for business the next day.”

However, some differences remain at the 20-year-old building that may be in place for a long time.

Dispensers for hand sanitizer were added near the elevator bank at each floor. Until the crisis passes, the fitness center and conference room that serve the Park Center II and the other two office buildings in the complex are closed.

As work-at-home policies became the order of the day for many companies in office buildings in the week since, the settings are quieter, but the precautions will remain.

David Browning, managing director of CBRE’s Cleveland office, said third-party property managers walk a fine line between what they recommend and what the standards are for different building owners with different philosophies.

In the past, there have been government mandated legal sanitation standards for medical and food facilities, but brokerages and trade groups developed their own practices for office buildings.

Inside those increasingly people-less buildings Operators of Parkland Center II, a high-end office building in Independence, got an early taste of pandemic-coping on Thursday, March 12.

After an employee at one of the businesses housed in the structure tested positive for COVID-19, the company shut down for cleaning but Brad Coven, a partner at the Lee & Associates real estate firm in Pepper Pike, had to manage next steps at the five-floor structure.

“We closed the building for cleaning for 24 hours,” Coven said. “It re-

Kim Palmer: kpalmer@crain.com, (216) 771-5384, @kimfouroffive

March 23, 2020 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 19

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THE LIST

Minority-Owned Businesses Ranked by local full-time employees

FULL-TIME LOCAL STAFF 1-1-2020

MINORITY OWNERSHIP %

BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE(S)

1

Janitorial Services Inc. (JSI) 4830 E. 49th St., lower level, Cuyahoga Heights 44125 216-341-8601/jsijanitorial.com

600 (1)

100% Hispanic/Latino

Janitorial services company

Ronald Martinez Jr., president

2

New Horizons Baking Co. 211 Woodlawn Ave., Norwalk 44857 419-663-6432/newhorizonsbaking.com

279

100% African American/black

Commercial bakers

Trina J. Bediako, president Tilmon "Tim" F. Brown, CEO

3

The Anderson-DuBose Co. 5300 Tod Ave. S.W., Lordstown 44481 440-248-8800/anderson-dubose.com

221

100% African American/black

Distributor of food, paper and beverage products

Warren E. Anderson, chairman, CEO

4

Safe Choice LLC 11811 Shaker Blvd., Suite 415, Cleveland 44120 216-231-7233/safechoicellc.com

150

100% African American/black

Provider of armed and unarmed security guards and police officers

Anita L. Spencer, president, owner Anthony Spencer, vice president, co-owner

5

Evergreen Cooperative Laundry Inc. 540 E. 105 St., Cleveland 44108 216-268-3548/evgoh.com

148

77% African American/black; 3% Hispanic/ Latino; 3% Middle Eastern/North African; 1% Asian; 3% LGBTQ

Commercial laundry primarily serving the health care industry

Craig Forgea, general manager, Collinwood Allen Grasa, general manager, Glenville

6

ASW Global LLC 3375 Gilchrist Road, Mogadore 44260 888-363-8492/aswglobal.com

130

100% African American/black

Third-party logistics provider

Andre Thornton, owner, CEO

7

Cleveland Die & Manufacturing Co. 20303 1st Ave., Middleburg Heights 44130 440-243-3404/clevelanddie.com

125

100% Latino/Hispanic

Tooling and metal stamping company

Juan E. Chahda, president, CEO

8

Apex Dermatology 5800 Landerbrook Drive, Suite 100, Mayfield Heights 44124 833-279-7546/apexskin.com

110

100% Hispanic/Latino

Medical practice specializing in medical, surgical and aesthetic dermatology

Jorge Garcia-Zuazaga, president, CEO

9

Rittman Inc. (dba Mull Iron) 10 Mull Drive, Rittman 44270 330-927-6855/mulliron.net

85

100% Native American

Erectors of miscellaneous structural, ornamental and architectural metals and steel

Chester M. Mull Jr., president

10

Marigold Catering 3901 Lakeside Ave. E., Suite 100, Cleveland 44114 216-566-5400/marigoldcatering.com

65

100% LGBT

Catering and event planning services company

Joan E. Rosenthal, CEO, founder

10

MVP Plastics 15005 Enterprise Way, Middlefield 44062 330-849-3636/mvpplastics.com

65

100% African American/black

Custom plastics injection molding company

Darrell L. McNair, president, CEO

12

DLZ 614 W. Superior Ave., Suite 1000, Cleveland 44113 216-771-1090/dlz.com

62

100% Asian

Civil engineering, architecture design and construction inspection firm

Vickie Wildeman, vice president

13

Accurate Staffing Inc. 1650 S. Arlington St., Suite 4, Akron 44306 330-630-0700/accuratestaffinginc.com

55

100% LGBT

Staffing firm specializing in light industrial, clerical, medical, technical and professional positions

Paul T. Kennedy, president, CEO

13

Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC 3150 Chester Ave., Cleveland 44114 216-566-9908/imwong.com

55

67% Asian

Immigration, deportation and criminal law firm

Margaret W. Wong, president, managing partner

15

Mac Productions Inc. 13115 Puritas Ave., Suite 3, Cleveland 44135 833-742-5622/macproductions.net

50

100% African American/black

Technology solutions provider

John A. Stubbs, chairman, CEO, chief marketing officer

16

Fox Enterprise Services 7630 Freedom Ave. N.W., North Canton 44720 330-497-5200/foxenterpriseservices.com

45

51% Hispanic/Latino

Aluminum composite metal fabricator

Delilah J. Volpe, CEO Anthony M. Volpe, vice president

16

SDS Delivery Systems Inc. 4600 Tiedeman Road, Suite B, Brooklyn 44144 800-313-6201/stevensdeliverysystems.com

45

100% African-American/black

Local and statewide delivery company

Mark Stevens, president

18

RAR Contracting Inc. 4545 Spring Road, Suite 2, Brooklyn Heights 44131 440-735-1946/None

42

100% African American/black

Concrete and aggregate materials supplier; hauler of construction materials and equipment

Keith L. Rogers, president, owner

19

THORS LLC 5054 Paramount Blvd., Medina 44256 330-576-4448/thors.com

40

100% Asian

Provider of online education, apps and productivity tools for manufacturers

Senthil Kumar, founder

20

RW Delivery Inc. 12487 Plaza Drive, Cleveland 44130 216-267-2000/rwdelivery.com

34

51% African American/black

Local and long-haul trucking- and transportation-related services provider

Richard Wall, CEO

21

Green City Growers Cooperative 5800 Diamond Ave., Cleveland 44104 216-268-0200/evgoh.com

33

67% African American/black; 13% Asian; 13% Hispanic/Latino

Hydroponic greenhouse growing lettuce and herbs, primarily basil

John McMicken, interim president

22

Spectrum Global Holdings LLC 468 Richmond Road, Richmond Heights 44143 216-206-6743/spectrum-global.com

30

100% African American/black

Consulting firm providing expertise in business growth strategy and economic development

Nnamdi Michael Obi, CEO

23

LEFCO Worthington 18451 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44112 216-432-4422/lefcoworthington.com

25

100% African American/black

Manufacturer of custom engineered wooden packaging and products

Larry Fulton, president

23

United Commercial Cleaning Crew LLC 2000 Auburn Court, Suite 200, Beachwood 44122 216-272-0040/unitedcleaningcrew.com

25

100% African-American/black

Professional cleaning company

ReneĂŠ Teal, owner

25

Aviles Construction 7011 Clark Ave., Cleveland 44102 216-939-1084/avilesenergysolutions.net

22

100% Hispanic/Latino

Insulation, HVAC and electric plumbing services provider

Alejandro J. Aviles, vice president

25

International Container Systems LLC (dba Elsons International) 16601 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland 44110 216-481-8219/elsonsinternational.com

22

51% African-American/black

Manufacturer and distributor of corrugated packaging

Andrew Jackson, CEO

27

Fleet Fast 582 S. Arlington St., Akron 44306 330-773-9597/fleetfastsolutions.com

21

100% Asian

Damage repair solutions for truck fleets

Raj Basran, president

28

The AKA Team 4711 Hinckley Industrial Parkway, Cleveland 44109 216-751-2000/akateam.com

20

100% African-American/black

Construction management and commercial waterproofing company

Ariane B. Kirkpatrick, president, CEO

RANK

COMPANY

RESEARCHED BY CHUCK SODER: CSODER@CRAIN.COM

Get all 181 minority-owned companies in Excel format. Become a Data Member: CrainsCleveland.com/data Information is provided by the companies. Send feedback to Chuck Soder: csoder@crain.com. To submit your company for this list, visit this URL: bit.ly/39S4Yre (1) Full-time equivalent; most JSI employees are part time 20 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | March 23, 2020

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Advertising Section

CLASSIFIEDS To place your listing in Crain’s Cleveland Classifieds, contact Suzanne Janik at 313-446-0455 or email sjanik@crain.com BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Goodyear, which is headquartered in Akron, has lost more than 85% of its share value in just over two years. | GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO.

GOODYEAR

From Page 4

It also dissolved a joint venture with Sumitomo Rubber in 2015, which meant that Goodyear got out of the motorcycle tire market.

Wells said those two moves took about $500 million in revenue off the books.

Also, in 2017 and 2018, Goodyear saw the prices of its chief raw materials, including synthetic rubber and carbon black, rise.

Finally, in 2019, the company faced an age-old nemesis: a downward turn in the automotive cycle that affected how many tires it sold, including in the U.S., where demand had been holding up relatively well.

This time, that was compounded by a U.S.-China trade war.

“When we started 2019 … we were starting out expecting 2% global growth in replacement tires and effectively flat automotive production,” Wells said.

“That’s where the year began. In the second half, the industry weakened

and we ended up getting no growth in replacement … and a 7% decline in automotive demand. That’s how significantly different the year turned out.”

All of those factors caused investors to react negatively toward Goodyear’s stock, Healy said.

Goodyear also wiped out its former unfunded obligations to its health and pension plans, Wells said. That means the company won’t be saddled with those costs in the current downturn, but also created much of the $5 billion in debt, he explained.

Going forward, Goodyear hopes that some of its recent strategic moves will pay off, Wells said. That includes going after and winning placement on new vehicle platforms, especially SUVs and light trucks, whose owners have proven more likely to stick with their vehicle’s original brand of tires when seeking replacements later.

“While this decline has been like 9 million units (tires sold) over the course of four years, between now and 2022 we have an increase of 7 million units based on fitments we’ve already

won,” said Wells. “We knew there would be this dip as we transitioned.

Unfortunately, it happened at a time when global OE production was declining, but there was really no way of knowing that would happen.”

Healy said he applauds the company’s strategy in terms of going after new vehicle platforms that both he and Wells said will bring in higher margins than some of the business Goodyear has ceded.

“I don’t think the Goodyear situation is a dire one. I think their stock gets pushed around because it’s a proxy for how people feel about a lot of different things,” Healy said.

Now, of course, Goodyear and other companies are confronted by a whole new challenge in the form of a pandemic. It’s too soon to say how long that will last or how deep its impact will be. Goodyear has announced it’s halting production in China, Europe and the U.S., but has not yet said how the situation will impact its earnings.

Dan Shingler: dshingler@crain.com, (216) 771-5290, @DanShingler

REAL ESTATE

For Lease

Industrial Media Change Out, Water Blasting and Vacuum Company For Sale Sales $2.0M

Commercial Parking Lot Industrial Parking Lot: 27,608 Square Feet 216.431.6633 Buschman-Properties.com

mike@empirebusinesses.com www.empirebusinesses.com 440-461-2202 REAL ESTATE

Waterfront House Weekend or full time!

Wooded lot with approx 300’ dock/bulkhead/shore on .65 acres. Roaming Shores Lake Roaming Rock, OH. $430,000. 3-4 bedrooms; 3 full baths (incl master suite en suit); 2.5 stories; 3-car garage; 2900+ sq ft. One hour from downtown Cleveland.

Boat and some furniture optional New roof; Blacktopped, sealed drive; Generator; Screened-in porch; Open concept first floor; Landscape nearly maintenance-free.

For appointment call 440-344-0458

LIST YOUR RETAIL SPACE HERE!

SIGN UP FOR ONE OF OUR INDUSTRY NEWSLETTERS Sports Business -- Real Estate -- Manufacturing Health Care -- Small Business -- Middle Market www.crainscleveland.com/newsletters

Advertising Section

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

To place your listing, visit www.crainscleveland.com/people-on-the-move or, for more information, please call Debora Stein at (917) 226-5470 or email dstein@crain.com.

CONSULTING

INVESTMENT FIRM

LAW

MANUFACTURING

NONPROFITS

CCS Fundraising

River SaaS Capital

Roetzel & Andress LPA

Frontline International

CCS Fundraising, a strategic fundraising firm, is pleased to announce Lindsay Marciniak as Managing Director.

Marciniak leads a team of professionals to partner with nonprofits, helping organizations achieve fundraising goals, secure transformational gifts, and advance their missions. A John Carroll University graduate, Marciniak is now co-located in Chicago and Cleveland and specializes in Ohio philanthropy.

River SaaS Capital is pleased to announce it has welcomed Joe Granzier as Chief Development Officer.

Bringing over 30 years of experience in high-net worth portfolio management, corporate retirement plan consulting and education funding strategies, Mr. Granzier has worked for both public financial conglomerates as well as smaller boutique investment firms. At River SaaS, he will be focused on managing the firm’s investor relations and devising strategies for fund growth.

Roetzel & Andress is pleased to announce that Barry Freeman has joined the firm as a shareholder in the Employment Services Group. With over 25 years as a labor and employment attorney and trial lawyer, Mr. Freeman represents employers of all sizes in litigation and administrative matters, and handles all aspects of labor and employment law. He is admitted to practice in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. For more information, visit www. ralaw.com.

Frontline International, Cuyahoga Falls-based maker of smart solutions for cooking oil management in restaurants and commercial kitchens, has promoted Zack Palazzo to director of sales. He will focus on developing Frontline’s customer base, growing sales, and enhancing tools and training for the company’s sales force. “Zack has been a crucial part of our growth for the past five years,” said SVP Giovanni Brienza.

“We’re looking forward to even greater successes as he serves in this new role.”

United Way of Greater Cleveland

NEW GIG?

United Way of Greater Cleveland named Julie Wisneski, MSW, Program Manager of Right to Counsel – Cleveland (RTC-C).

RTC-C will provide free legal representation to qualifying Cleveland families facing eviction beginning July 1, 2020. Wisneski will plan, implement and evaluate RTC-C with United Way, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and other key partners. She has more than a decade of experience in health and human services and holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Kentucky.

Plaques • Crystal Keepsakes • Frames • Other Promotional Items

Contact Laura Picariello, Reprints Sales Manager - lpicariello@crain.com / (732) 723-0569 March 23, 2020 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | 21

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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND LOOK BACK | MANUFACTURING

Standard Oil shaped city’s industry, skyline Standard Oil of Ohio has a storied, century-plus history that starts with titans of industry and antitrust scandals and ends with job cuts and the loss of a company headquarters.

Standard Oil had two refineries in Cleveland when it began in 1870. Two years later, it controlled 21 of 26 refineries in Cleveland and had refineries in Pennsylvania and New York.

But that growth couldn’t last forever, and a misguided attempt at business expansion led to sharp budget cuts, a takeover by BP and the eventual relocation of what was once known as Standard Oil. — Rachel Abbey McCafferty

``THE HISTORY To really understand why Standard Oil was such a big deal in Cleveland, you have to go back to the very beginning.

The man behind the company was the city’s biggest success story: John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller started the company in 1870, establishing its headquarters on Public Square.

Within 10 years, it reportedly controlled 90% of the country’s refining capacity.

The Supreme Court had the company disbanded and split up to avoid a monopoly in the early 1900s, leaving behind Standard Oil of Ohio.

Flash forward to 1986: British Petroleum, the company’s majority shareholder since 1969, began exerting its power. Early that year, BP, which owned 55% of Standard Oil of Ohio, pushed out the company’s CEO and its president. Failed attempts to diversify Standard Oil’s business into such areas as copper and ceramics had left its finances in shambles.

Enter Robert B. Horton, who joined Standard Oil as chairman and CEO from BP in April 1986. Horton oversaw a turnaround at the company, cutting exploration spending, noncore businesses and payroll.

But that was the beginning of the end for Standard Oil as its own entity.

In addition to the turnaround, Horton was responsible for overseeing the acquisition of Standard Oil into BP’s business. BP announced its bid for the 45% of Standard Oil it didn’t already own in March 1987, taking control of the company two months later.

In 1988, Horton left a muchchanged company in Cleveland, returning to London to serve as chairman of BP America.

BP shrank its presence in Cleveland over the years, selling the building bearing its name and, in 1998, moving its American headquarters to the Chicago area. It later moved again to Houston.

REPORTERS

Stan Bullard, senior reporter, Real estate/ construction. (216) 771-5228 or sbullard@crain.com Jay Miller, Government.

(216) 771-5362 or jmiller@crain.com Rachel Abbey McCafferty, Manufacturing/energy/ education. (216) 771-5379 or rmccafferty@crain.com Jeremy Nobile, Finance/legal/beer/cannabis.

(216) 771-5255 or jnobile@crain.com Kim Palmer, Government.

(216) 771-5384 or kpalmer@crain.com Dan Shingler, Energy/steel/auto/Akron.

(216) 771-5290 or dshingler@crain.com Lydia Coutré, Health care/nonprofits.

(216) 771-5479 or lcoutre@crain.com ADVERTISING

A group takes a tour of the Standard Oil Co. in the early 1950s. | BYRON FILKINS/THE CLEVELAND PRESS COLLECTION

``IN THEIR OWN WORDS

``WHY IT MATTERS TODAY

“I first tried to allay their fears by saying the basic survival of the company was not in question and nor was its presence in Cleveland.”

Though it’s no longer the case, Standard Oil made Cleveland a critical part of the oil industry’s history.

The company helped shape Cleveland in a variety of ways, establishing it as a center of industry and, for a time, as a wealthy city on the rise.

Of course, the company also made a physical impact on the city.

200 Public Square had been built as its headquarters; the skyscraper offers more than 1 million square feet of office space.

The much-photographed “Free Stamp” public artwork had originally been commissioned by Standard Oil of Ohio and was donated to the city by BP. In his brief time in Cleveland, Horton helped bring together efforts to establish the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the city.

Despite cutting the company’s

——Robert B. Horton, former chairman and CEO of Standard Oil Co., on his arrival in Cleveland

“Sohio was hemorrhaging to death and we had to stanch the flow.”

——Sir Peter Walters, former BP chairman, on the removal of Standard Oil leadership in 1986

Standard Oil started in Cleveland in 1870. | MICHAEL SCHWARTZ LIBRARY, CSU

corporate contributions budget, Horton also made an impact on Cleveland’s philanthropic community. BP America contributed $1.9 million over five years to Cleveland’s schools under his leadership and led the business community to invest in inner-city development projects like the Cleveland Housing Network.

Standard Oil of Ohio and its takeover by BP also serves as a cautionary tale for companies expanding their product lines: Stray too far from the core business at your own risk. For Standard Oil, expansion into copper production was the beginning of the end, a reason for a sizable shareholder to step in, clean up and acquire.

That acquisition helped BP continue its growth as one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies — one that doesn’t call Cleveland home.

THE WEEK HELPING HAND: Philanthropic organizations across Northeast Ohio teamed up to create the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund, making available a total of $3.95 million to distribute to nonprofits serving on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Eighteen different organizations contributed to the fund, which will be housed at the Cleveland Foundation. The funding partners encourage other foundations, corporate entities, individuals and other organizations to add to the fund. Donations of any amount are welcomed, and all contributions are tax deductible. The fund aims to complement the work of public health officials and expand capacity in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.

SHUTDOWNS: Akron-based Goodyear

crainscleveland.com

Publisher/editor Elizabeth McIntyre (216) 771-5358 or emcintyre@crain.com Group publisher Mary Kramer (313) 446-0399 or mkramer@crain.com Managing editor Scott Suttell (216) 771-5227 or ssuttell@crain.com Sections editor Michael von Glahn (216) 771-5359 or mvonglahn@crain.com Creative director David Kordalski (216) 771-5169 or dkordalski@crain.com Web editor Damon Sims (216) 771-5279 or dasims@crain.com Associate editor/Akron Sue Walton (330) 802-4615 or swalton@crain.com Assistant editor Kevin Kleps (216) 771-5256 or kkleps@crain.com Senior data editor Chuck Soder (216) 771-5374 or csoder@crain.com Editorial researcher William Lucey (216) 771-5243 or wlucey@crain.com Cartoonist Rich Williams

project site in Toledo, in accordance with guidelines from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. The Cleveland-based iron ore and steel company had expected the plant to begin operation in June; the construction halt will delay the start to an unknown date.

The expected site of the Sherwin-Williams headquarters spans seven acres of land currently used as parking. | DAVID KORDALSKI

Tire & Rubber Co. shuttered manufacturing operations in the United States and across the Americas through at least April 3 in response to what it called “the sudden decline

in market demand resulting from pandemic.” Meanwhile, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. temporarily shut down construction activities at its $700 million hot-briquetted iron

AROUND THE BLOCK: The Sherwin-Williams Co. became the new owner of land on Cleveland Public Square and the Superblock west of it for a total of $23.8 million. The Cleveland-based paint and coatings maker spoke with its wallet to say it was preparing to proceed on the site for its proposed million-square-foot global headquarters downtown. The closing marked a key point in the massive manufacturer, distributor and retailer’s search that began last September to replace its home of 90 years at 101 W. Prospect Ave.

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Crain’s Cleveland Business is published by Crain Communications Inc. Chairman Keith E. Crain Vice chairman Mary Kay Crain President KC Crain Senior executive VP Chris Crain Secretary Lexie Crain Armstrong Chief Financial Officer Robert Recchia G.D. Crain Jr., Founder (1885-1973) Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr., Chairman (1911-1996) Editorial & Business Offices 700 W. St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113-1230 (216) 522-1383 Volume 41, Number 11 Crain’s Cleveland Business (ISSN 0197-2375) is published weekly, except for the first issue in January, July and September, the last issue in May and the fourth issue in November, at 700 West St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113-1230.

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22 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | March 23, 2020

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