Crain's Cleveland Business

VOL. 40, NO. 17

APRIL 29 - MAY 5, 2019

Source Lunch

Jim Ridge, Share the River and Canalway Partners Page 39

Akron

CLEVELAND BUSINESS

Edna Dawley Strnad, 95

Steven A. Minter, 80

Alfonso “Al” Sanchez, 85

Richard “Dick” Pogue, 91

Page 12

Page 14

Page 13

Page 15

EIGHT OVER

80 These remarkable Northeast Ohioans are still making a difference in the region.

Iris Rubinfield, 91

Kurt K. Rim, 83

Richard “Dick” Hansler, 94

Jane Daroff, 80

Page 15

Page 17

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

Entire contents © 2019 by Crain Communications Inc.

Wild Republic steps up its Promise to the Planet. Page 36

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DEVELOPMENT

Cities’ visions, residents’ wants are often at odds

By Dan Shingler dshingler@crain.com @DanShingler

Northeast Ohio’s got a new issue to deal with, one that many never dared hoped to see and others never thought they’d have to fear: How (or whether) to move thousands of new residents with their revived love for “walkable” city living into trendy urban areas in a way that’s fair to the existing residents who have held down and kept up those very neighborhoods for decades?

Because, so far, a lot of those longtime residents feel let down.

“I don’t want to live in an entertainment district. I don’t want to live in a ‘destination.’ This is my neighborhood. The sense of loss is already really so profound I can’t even put it into words,” said Ohio City resident Paula Miller.

Her sentiments echo those of many residents of Ohio City, where signs dot the neighborhood reading “My Community is NOT Your Commodity.”

SEE CHANGES, PAGE 38

Top: Construction of the Church + State development in Ohio City is in full swing.

Left: Members of a block club in Ohio City oppose unrestrained development. From left are Karen Desotell, Bill Merriman, Mary Mahon and Chuck Ackerman.

(Photos by Dan Shingler)

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CONTENT

SPONSORED BY

NEWS AND TRENDS FROM NORTHEAST OHIO’S TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

TECH MATTERS DATA PRIVACY AT WORK

THREE THINGS SMALL, MID-SIZED BUSINESSES SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GDPR COMPLIANCE

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T

wo years ago, a European Union regulation was established that set rules on how companies protect its citizens’ personal information, thereby setting the gold standard for data protection. By May 2018, compliance became enforceable, and organizations in violation could be penalized with hefty fees — up to €20 million (which is more than $20 million) or 4% of worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. Nearly one year after those requirements took effect, many companies and organizations throughout the world — including in Northeast Ohio — are still figuring out the nuances of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance.

“For larger companies and companies that are global in nature, the GDPR framework is not new but just an update of a European data privacy directive from 1995,” said Steven Stransky, senior counsel in the Business Litigation, Privacy & Cybersecurity, and Government Contracts groups at Cleveland-based Thompson Hine. “GDPR updates a lot of its scope and applicability to address the vast technology changes since 1995. We have been doing a lot of work with our Cleveland-based clients and our other clients around the U.S. to be sure they are in compliance with GDPR to mitigate risks of a data breach or litigation.”

Meanwhile, other countries and states have instituted their own data privacy law spinoff, creating some ambiguity and uncertainty over what it means if a company has even peripheral business ties to the European Union.

The European Union data privacy regulation, or GDPR, is considered the most stringent data privacy law in the world.

GDPR applies to all companies that collect the data of EU citizens, including banks, insurance providers, financial services companies and technology organizations, such as social networks and cloud providers. The law also requires companies to report a hack or breach within 72 hours. Prior to last May’s compliance deadline, an Ernst & Young 2018 Global Forensic Data Analytics survey found that only 33% of respondents had a plan to address GDPR compliance, while another 39% indicated they were not familiar with GDPR. “Data privacy is one of the most complex cybersecurity risks to mitigate,” said Robert Eckman, a local chief information security officer and information security expert. “Companies know data privacy is a top priority, but navigating the compliance process is

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not easy, particularly when there are many competing cybersecurity regulations and data privacy laws.”

In terms of achieving and maintaining data protection and privacy compliance, Eckman recommends that a company should conduct a thorough analysis of where sensitive data resides.

“It is a revelation when companies search their endpoints and find sensitive data at rest in an Excel file on the desktop, when it should be locked down in a database,” Eckman said.

Data should be controlled through technologies, rights management and data loss prevention tools. Companies should employ both external and internal privacy policies and procedures that sufficiently communicate how data is being managed, and that data privacy law compliance is in effect.

Beyond GDPR, other spinoff privacy laws have emerged, such as the China Cybersecurity Law; Australia’s Anti-Encryption Law, which compels Big Tech to disable encryptions to help police capture terrorists; and California Consumer Privacy Act, which enhances privacy rights for California consumers.

This year, legislators in eight states have introduced their own socalled “copycat CCPA bills” that would impose broad obligations on businesses to provide consumers with transparency and control of personal data. Washington state also has introduced its version of GDPR. “The proliferation of data privacy laws means companies need to have in place a data protection officer and a data governance team to control access, evaluate requests and assess new vendors’ connectivity to your data,” Eckman said.

Indeed, between November 2017 and February 2018, there was a 15-point shift in favor of data privacy regulation occurring equally across both political parties. Privacy now ranks as the most important social issue for Americans, said Eckman, referencing a March 2019 article posted by Dark Reading, a cybersecurity community website.

“You see companies like Facebook and Apple taking on more of a privacy-focused message,” he said. “I think we’re going to see data privacy compliance become a competitive advantage. Companies are not just going to be focused on data management, but the forensics of data — how it is accessed, governed and secured.”

esh Integration knows a thing or two — or three — about General Data Protection Regulation compliance. The Akron-based firm helps companies stay in real-time compliance with GDPR through its online documentation platform.

GDPR is applicable to companies dealing with the data of European Union private citizens, including nonEU-based organizations. If your company provides a product or service, or has web tools that allow you to track cookies or the IP addresses of people who visit your website from European Union countries, then your organization falls under the scope of GDPR. Companies with fewer than 250 employees are typically exempt. Mesh Integration senior leaders William Vasu and John Niemczura share some do’s and don’ts for businesses on achieving and retaining GDPR compliance.

1. Don’t confuse compliance with certification.

Compliance must be current. “This isn’t a one-time thing. It’s not some certificate you can hang on the wall,” Niemczura said. “Auditors expect on-demand, real-time proof that all systems, procedures and data models adhere to their data privacy and protection regulations.”

2. Do expect that auditors will want thorough and comprehensive documentation of your business systems. Audits are unannounced, so be ready. An audit will examine everything from which application fields on your database hold personal data, to how that data is protected from the outside world at the network level.

Producing an out-of-date binder with Excel printouts won’t convince an auditor that good-faith progress is being made to eliminate any compliance gaps. “Our online documentation software allows an auditor to click through a flow chart of all an organization’s systems to see how the business operates from start to finish, and how all those internal and external systems are in compliance,” Vasu said.

3. Don’t try this at home — or work. Don’t expect to figure out how to manage GDPR compliance on your own. While a software company such as Mesh Integration can provide the tools for compliance, a small business should involve internal legal counsel or a law firm that specializes in data privacy expertise. Your business should have a designated data protection officer and / or a data governance team who can monitor all business process, applications, networks and databases to be sure they are in full compliance with data privacy requirements.

MAY 15

MAY 16

MAY 23

CORE CITY: CLEVELAND IMPACT PROGRAM: 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., JumpStart, 6701 Carnegie Ave., Cleveland. Presented by JumpStart, this demo daystyle competition features participants who will pitch their business idea to a panel of judges for a chance to take home up to $10,000. jumpstartinc.org/ events/core-city-cleveland-entrepreneur-showcase-4/

IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN: 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Ariel International Center, 1163 E. 40th St., Cleveland.

The Women’s Business Center of Northern Ohio will host an event that celebrates the success of its members. The event will feature a showcase of members highlighting their products and services, as well as an awards program. tinyurl.com/y5kymgrm

ALL-STAR GAME IMPACT ON CLEVELAND: 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Progressive Field’s Terrace Club, 2401 Ontario St., Cleveland. Greater Cleveland Partnership/ COSE investor-level members are invited to join GCP and the Cleveland Indians as they discuss landing the All-Star Game, the planning, the execution and the economic impact it has for Cleveland. gcpartnership.com/events

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

4/23/19 2:54 PM

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Lights Out drive gains some traction in NEO

By Stan Bullard

Tim Jasinski, a volunteer with Lights Out Cleveland, administers an eye gel to an American woodcock who smacked its head into a downtown building at night. Jasinski is a wildlife rehabilitation specialist at the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center in Bay Village.

(Contributed photo)

sbullard@crain.com @CrainRltywriter

Lights out — or lights on? That’s the question that is beginning to roil downtown skyscraper owners and operators as a group of volunteers pushes for a Lights Out Cleveland campaign during periods of bird migration in the spring and fall.

A total of 21 buildings, mostly downtown but also including one West Side building and one in Willoughby, have signed onto a website to support Lights Out Cleveland, an effort to douse lights part of the night when birds are migrating. More than half of those buildings, which include 200 Public Square, US Bank Centre and One Cleveland Center, signed on thanks to efforts by David Hollister, a Newmark Knight Frank managing director, to quietly convince building owners to support the move, according to Harvey Webster, the chief wildlife officer and museum ambassador at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Webster’s institution, along with other nature preservation and education groups, such as Cleveland Metroparks, have been pursuing the effort since 2017.

The 21 properties are a small part of downtown, which has more than 400 office, apartment and other buildings according to CoStar, the online real estate data provider. The participants also are scattered, a result of Hollister’s person-by-person approach using his business contacts.

Hollister said his effort gained traction over the last three months, in large part due to the looming spring

Solon property is sold for $4.65M

By Stan Bullard sbullard@crain.com @CrainRltywriter

An affiliate of Cleveland-based Premier Development Partners LLC is the new owner of the former Demag Crane Building, 29201 Aurora Road in Solon, after paying $4.65 million for it.

Spencer Pisczak, Premier president and partner, said in a telephone interview that the real estate development and ownership firm plans to convert the structure to multitenant use.

Besides the 127,000-square-foot manufacturing building, the 15-acre parcel includes a free-standing building with almost 26,000 square feet of office space, according to CoStar, the online real estate data provider. Both date from 1975.

Pisczak said he has a tenant that has agreed to lease a large part of the property, but he believes the buildings may house a total of three or four tenants. The prospective tenant has not told the municipality where it is currently located of its plans to move to Solon, Pisczak said, so he declined to disclose its name.

“We plan to convert the office building to flexible space,” he added, so it can be adapted to tenants who want some warehouse or assembly space as well as attached offices.

He is excited about the new project, saying, “They don’t make them this way anymore.” That’s because the floors can accommodate heavy loads and part of the larger structure incorporates built-in overhead cranes.

Angee Shaker, Solon economic development coordinator, said she believes the investment will attract more tenants to the suburb after it receives appropriate updates that Premier plans to undertake.

The seller was Demag Material Handling, part of Finland-based

Konecranes, which shifted production to other locations when it shut the shop in 2017. Demag continues to operate an office in another location in Solon. Konecranes had purchased the business earlier in 2017, but the property continued to bear the “Demag Crane” moniker.

Pisczak said Premier has not settled on a new name for the property.

Premier bought the building using the company name 29201 Aurora Road LLC on April 11, according to Cuyahoga County land records. The county assigned the building a value of $5 million for property tax purposes.

Anthony Delguyd, a managing director at Hanna Commercial’s Cleveland corporate services unit, said the building had a “flood of interest” when it first hit the market in 2017 and drew three serious bidders before Premier closed the deal.

However, Delguyd said, the building’s original asking price was set at $6 million, in part due to the strength of the national industrial market, but prospective buyers didn’t get serious until the price was dropped to $4.9 million.

Tim Breckner, a Colliers Cleveland first vice president, said, “We’re getting deep into the cycle, but there remains a ton of activity for quality industrial space.”

Buying properties for prospective clients, which could be costly if tenants don’t commit to an industrial building, has worked well for Premier. It recently sold one property in Berea and leased another in Eastlake to other concerns.

Correction JJAn article in the April 22 edition of Crain’s Cleveland Business incorrectly spelled the name of Cuyahoga Valley National Park Superintendent Craig Kenkel and gave an incorrect date for the 2013 founding of the advocacy group Share the River in Cleveland.

bird migration. He said he worked with Webster to state a business case and to open doors for Webster to make the case for a voluntary effort.

“We’re not forcing anyone to do anything,” Hollister said. “I started out trying to use the energy-savings angle, but that did not win much support. Focusing on what it does to the birds has the impact.”

Webster said Lights Out Cleveland

and the public dropped off 16 injured woodcocks at the center.

However, dousing the lights is no simple proposition to Doug Price, CEO of Willoughby-based K&D Group. K&D inherited the Tower Lights CLE effort from Forest City Realty Trust when it acquired the Terminal Tower in 2016. Tower Lights CLE consists of a Twitter account of that name and lighting up the landmark.

“We have a staffer dedicated to tweeting on the account with 32,000 followers,” Price said. “We support a lot of causes with the colors we choose. I think downtown would be a more barren place without the lights at night.”

Price said he also is not certain it’s a genuine problem, as he hasn’t seen it.

Webster said falcons, gulls and rats feast on dead birds. City crews or building maintenance crews dispose of them, which masks the problem.

However, Hertz Investment Group of Santa Monica, Calif., has signed up for the effort for its properties here: Skylight Office Tower, Fifth Third Center and the two North Point buildings.

Jeff Caimi, Hertz’s Cleveland asset manager, said, “It seems like the right thing to do at low cost for the environment. Our tenants are on board with it.”

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asks participating buildings to douse their exterior lights from midnight to dawn from March 15 to June 1 and Aug. 15 to Oct. 31. Lights can be kept on for special events, he added.

The other element is that a group of volunteers has canvassed downtown during the last four migration seasons to pick up dead and injured birds, to prove it happens here.

The volunteers, led by Tim Jasinski, a wildlife rehabilitation specialist at the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center in Bay Village, have gathered 5,000 birds downed by striking windows on downtown buildings. Of those, 1,600 have been rehabilitated and released.

“We know lighted buildings confuse birds,” Webster said, because they disrupt the patterns of star movements around the North Star that birds use to navigate.

About 85% of the birds that are recovered alive can be rehabilitated, Jasinski said, with a drop-sized dose of a prescription noninflammatory drug (similar to ibuprofen), food and some rest.

Jasinski said he became aware of the problem in 2016, when Susan Roman, a since-retired security guard downtown, showed up one morning with birds injured in window strikes.

In 2016 alone, Jasinski said, Roman

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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

Catching up with Brickhaus

YOU ARE NOT

By Stan Bullard

A BENCH PLAYER

sbullard@crain.com @CrainRltywriter

with your local credit union

As real estate developer Andrew Brickman recently strode across a 2.5acre parcel on the edge of Lake Erie in Rocky River, he clearly enjoyed the spring sunshine and his topic as he spoke about the $35 million condominium and townhouse project he hopes to start building there in a few months — pending final city OKs. “Every unit will have lake views,” Brickman said, as the 20 condominiums in a four-story building with a terrace-style design will “nestle into” the sloping site. The proposed 700 Lake project, which takes its name from a house formerly there, also incorporates 13 townhouses on the west side of Breezevale Cove.

It has taken three years of effort to get this far, but Brickman and fellow Brickhaus principal Alexandra Yonkov also juggle multiple projects at once, giving them some under construction — and units selling — while others work through local approval processes. The concern is also moving on new projects in Chagrin Falls and even Richmond, Va. Brickhaus is putting the finishing touches on a 700 Lake sales center in a storefront on Olde Detroit Road in Rocky River, which will allow clients to pick out their units, complete interior designs and select finishes, including Italian fixtures, in a location near the lakefront site. The condominiums will cost about $1 million and the townhouses $700,000.

The sales center is being readied as Brickhaus and its 700 Lake partner, developer John Carney’s family, prepare another design for the suburb’s planning commission next month after their last plan was turned down.

The commission rejected the plan

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because it differed significantly, according to unapproved minutes of the meeting, from the conceptual design that body and Rocky River City Council had in hand when the council approved a rezoning in April 2018 by a 4-3 vote.

For his part, Brickman said the changes in the latest plan were due to detailed engineering studies of the site.

Yonkov, a Bulgarian-trained architect, said in a phone interview she also believes they can be reconciled, adding, “We’re trying to balance the Rocky River vibe with Brickhaus aesthetic. It’s a challenge.”

The blow-up reflects a worry cited by the three council members who voted against the rezoning, according to minutes of that April 2018 meeting, as there was no development agreement to bind Brickhaus to the plan. Ohio zoning law requires cities to base rezoning on nearby uses and the city’s master plan, not

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Andrew Brickman, principal of Brickhaus, surveys a lakefront site in Rocky River where the company plans to build a much-opposed $35 million project. (Stan Bullard)

the proposed project. Members who supported the rezoning agreed that rezoning fit the city’s master plan.

Brickman and Carney both note the surrounding area has 15 single-family homes and 600 multifamily units. The eight-story Beach House condominiums, which date from the 1970s, stand next to houses on Breezevale’s east side.

Multiple residents opposed the plan for years. A nearby Lake Avenue homeowner, who asked not to be identified, said she still hopes it gets scuttled.

“We don’t want it. The design is still cruddy,” she said, adding its density “overwhelms the site.”

However, Brickhaus has the zoning and now just has to navigate the mechanics of city design approvals.

Carney likens the probable final result to Brickhaus’s One Seventeen Lake project at West 117th Street and Lake Avenue in Cleveland. That project takes cues such as classical beams from the landmark Fifth Church of Christian Scientists that formerly stood on the site.

Meantime, Brickhaus is also moving on other new projects.

The firm is pursuing city approvals for its first project in Chagrin Falls, called Riverhaus. It’s proposing six single-family and one duplex residence for a site overlooking the Chagrin River near the spillway of the one-time Ivex Co. plant.

That one, Brickman said, will have Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired units costing about $700,000.

Meantime, Brickhaus has plans for a $40 million project overlooking the James River in downtown Richmond, Va., that will incorporate 130 apartment suites and approximately 20 townhouses.

“We’re looking outside Northeast Ohio,” Brickman said, “because we’re looking to grow as a company.”

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PA G E 5

The changing role of the university president

By Rachel Abbey McCafferty rmccafferty@crain.com @ramccafferty

The higher education environment has been getting more competitive.

There are fewer potential students and they have more options. State and federal funding is more difficult to rely on, and fundraising is a must.

All that means the job of the college president is broader and more complicated today than it was a few decades ago.

That’s particularly relevant for Northeast Ohio as Kent State University, the University of Akron, Notre Dame College, Walsh University and the Northeast Ohio Medical University are all actively searching for their next leaders.

The higher ed landscape has grown ever more complex, noted Lillie Johnson Edwards, professor emerita of history and African-American studies at Drew University in New Jersey and an Oberlin College board member. Presidents are still the people with the ultimate responsibility for the welfare of everyone on campus.

Edwards was chair of the search committee that brought Carmen Twillie Ambar to serve as Oberlin’s president in 2017.

Today’s presidents have to be leaders who can work collaboratively with a variety of constituents, from faculty to students to parents, and they have to be able to assemble a strong leadership team, Edwards said. At the same time, they need to be financially savvy and comfortable serving as the public face and voice of a university.

“I think that one of the major changes over the past 20, maybe even 30 years, has been a president’s need to be multidimensional, agile and adept, because of these kinds of changes,” Edwards said.

Having “adaptive and nimble leadership is a non-negotiable skill set” for today’s college presidents, said Philip Rogers, senior vice president for learning and engagement at the American Council on Education. The Washington, D.C.-based membership organization represents all kinds of accredited, degree-granting institutions in the U.S., including two- and four-year schools, as well as both public and private institutions.

Rogers said college presidents often tell him their success depends on the ability to reinvent their institutions every five years or so. They have to find ways to differentiate themselves in a competitive market, identify programs for in-demand careers and work collaboratively.

“You really have to be ready for any challenge to hit your desk, no matter what your background might be,” Rogers said.

In the past, institutions could choose candidates based on their strengths in a particular area, Edwards said. For example, an institution on the brink of a capital campaign may have selected someone known for his or her fundraising skills. But modern presidential searches don’t have that luxury. Institutions need someone who can “check all those boxes,” she said.

But Edwards doesn’t worry about finding people who can do that, as she views the pool of potential presidents as “broad and deep.” She’s seen it diversify in the past two decades, in terms of race and gender, and in terms of candidates’ professional and academic backgrounds. Although progress has been slow, Rogers said the

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Edwards

Gershen

American Council on Education’s American College President Study, last released in 2017, does show progress in the number of women and racial minorities in those roles.

One Northeast Ohio university president with a unique perspective on how the role has changed is Richard Jusseaume. He took on the role of president at Walsh University in North Canton nearly two decades ago — and spent almost another decade on the board before that. So he’s had a front-row seat for a lot of the changes the president’s job has undergone.

The president has always served as the face of the institution. That hasn’t changed. And he or she has responsibilities that span both academic and financial concerns at the institution.

But the higher education landscape has gotten more competitive since Jusseaume became Walsh’s president in 2001. In recent years, in addition to the state’s many private

“I think that one of the major changes over the past 20, maybe even 30 years, has been a president’s need to be multidimensional, agile and adept.”

— Lillie Johnson Edwards, Oberlin College board member

and public institutions, online institutions and for-profit institutions have entered the mix, along with increased marketing from out-of-state institutions, Jusseaume said. That shift has happened as the pool of traditional college-age students has shrunk.

“That sort of changes the dynamics,” Jusseaume said. “All of a sudden,

“All of a sudden, top priorities for presidents have to be, No. 1: enrollment. No. 2: enrollment. No. 3: enrollment.”

— Richard Jusseaume, president of Walsh University

top priorities for presidents have to be, No. 1: enrollment. No. 2: enrollment. No. 3: enrollment.”

That means a president has to put more focus not only on enrollment management, but also on budgeting and fundraising, Jusseaume noted.

Schools can’t raise tuition and room and board too much in such a competitive environment, and may even decide to offer more incentives such as scholarships, so presidents have to find other ways to raise revenue or cut costs to fund new programs.

According to information from the most recent American College President Study, in 2016, 65% of college

Jusseaume

Rogers

presidents identified budget and financial management as an area taking up most of their time. Fundraising was a close second.

While there’s a lot of commonality in what colleges and universities are looking for in future leaders, obviously each school will have its own unique needs that a president will need to address.

For example, the University of Akron’s presidential prospectus notes that it is seeking someone who can bring “stability” and commitment to the university. UA has gone through a lot of leadership changes in recent years. Akron also wants someone who can “ascribe more distinctiveness” to the university, so experience in branding would be valued.

Kent State’s presidential profile highlights the university’s focus on research, and the expectation that the next president will continue to strengthen that part of its mission.

Communication skills will be even more important than usual at a university like Kent State, as the university’s next president will be leading the institution at a unique time: the 50th anniversary of the Kent State shootings that left four students dead.

“This landmark occasion presents an extremely meaningful opportunity for the Kent State community to lift our collective voices and effect positive change,” the profile stated.

At NEOMED, in addition to the commonly sought financial and communication skills, its presidential profile asks that candidates have “experience with forming public-private partnerships” and “collaborating with clinical health system partners to advance health professional education, research and clinical care.”

Jay A. Gershen has served as president of Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown for about nineand-a-half years. Over time, it’s become more and more important for presidents to be externally focused, he said.

That includes government affairs, philanthropy and community relations. And he sees particular value in a president participating in the nearby business community, directly sharing information on graduates, research and economic development, instead of assuming the community knows about what’s going on at an institution.

“The main job of a president, I believe, is to position the university in the community in the way that’s most effective to meet the mission of the university, to bring resources to the university and to put the university in the best possible light going forward, to leverage the resources of the university in a way that multiplies the effectiveness and ability to be successful,” Gershen said.

That means that many of the internal tasks that fall under a president’s purview, like admissions or faculty compensation, often get delegated in today’s universities. One of the qualities a president needs is “outstanding judgment,” Gershen said. And he or she needs to surround themselves with a strong team that can help

meet the other needs of the university.

Harlan Sands, who took over as Cleveland State University’s president in June 2018, said the roles of the president and Sands other university leaders are challenging. Boards and hiring committees need to make sure they are clear in their expectations when hiring, and they should have patience with those hires, as it can take time to implement change.

But Sands sees opportunities to

the presidency that perhaps didn’t exist in the past. There’s an awareness that higher education institutions need to be more creative today, seeking partnerships to address the problems they face.

“It’s more important for us to get students on the right pathway than it is to just think about our institutions in silos,” Sands said.

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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

Nursing homes diversifying to stay afloat

By Lydia Coutré

Restorative therapy services are offered through Eliza Bryant Village’s skilled nursing services.

(Joe Miller, DigiPics

by Joe)

lcoutre@crain.com @LydiaCoutre

Facing lower occupancy rates and a tight budget, Eliza Bryant Village last year dropped its number of skilled nursing beds by 17 and is repurposing a wing for a new line of business that will hopefully bring in revenue.

The nonprofit provider of senior care is not alone.

Nursing homes across the country are having to diversify their services and get innovative as they grapple with tough competition, insufficient reimbursement and tight margins.

The majority of the skilled nursing facilities in Northeast Ohio with at least 150 beds reported an operating loss in recent years, according to information compiled by regional CPA firm HW&Co for Crain’s. Most numbers are for calendar or fiscal year 2017, with some reporting early 2018 numbers.

Operating at a loss is typical, said Pete Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health Care Association, a statewide trade association representing long-term care providers.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an independent congressional agency, estimates that nationwide, skilled nursing facilities have an average operating margin of just 0.5% — the lowest margin on record, said Clifton Porter, senior vice president of government relations for the American Health Care Association (AHCA).

“I feel like most long-term care facilities are looking at the same population, but more seniors are aging at home than in facilities,” said Deborah Enty, chief operating officer and administrator for Eliza Bryant. “The populations that we care for now have more co-morbidities than they have in the past. … Their care level is much higher now than it was in the

past, but you get the same dollars.”

Medicaid reimbursement has long fallen short of cost, officials say. Historically, nursing homes made up for insufficient Medicaid dollars from other payers, including Medicare, which pays at a higher rate. However, the proliferation of Medicare Advantage plans, which typically pay about 25% less than traditional Medicare plans, has “substantially eroded margins,” Van Runkle said.

“The Medicare Advantage plans have to understand that they are part of this process,” he said. “And they have to understand that long-term, really the health of the skilled nursing facility industry is in their hands, and they can’t be, I guess, shortsighted in trying to pay as little as they can get away with now and not worry about the future, because in the future they need to have a quality option for people who need skilled nursing facility care, and you know that’s in danger.”

Nursing homes also often turn to other self-pay services, such as assisted living, to bridge that gap.

Altenheim Senior Living, which reported a positive net income for 2017, has expanded or added a series of services and programs in recent years,

including building a therapy rehab center and a memory assisted living facility, creating additional senior living and assisted living residences, purchasing an outpatient therapy provider and adding skilled home health services and private duty services.

Paul Psota, CEO of the nonprofit lifeplan community, said roughly twothirds of the new services are self-pay and therefore don’t rely on insurance reimbursement rates.

“The way to remain profitable is to diversify so that one’s eggs are not all in one basket — i.e., the nursing home basket,” Psota said. “But (it’s important) to diversify for two reasons. No. 1: give the consumer what they want, and No. 2: come out from under the government reimbursement scheme and private-carrier reimbursement scheme, which is stagnant, and rely more upon private pay services for which the provider has more control.”

Eliza Bryant, however, decided the traditionally profitable assisted living option wasn’t an affordable product it could support on its campus in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, Enty said.

“So we have to be innovative in the things that we do to close that gap,” she said.

Serving Cleveland C Kids for 50 5 years

Last fall, Eliza Bryant announced nursing home census has softened plans to launch an Elder Justice Cen- over the years from the 1990s, when it ter with support from the state attor- was in the mid-90% range, to today, ney general’s office. In dropping its when it’s in the low 80% range, he number of beds from 175 to 158, Eliza said, noting that he anticipates it will Bryant saves nearly $75,000 in annual rebound in the next couple of years state bed tax and freed up space to due to demographics.

Montefiore, a nonprofit offering a hold the justice center when it opens at the end of the summer. Though continuum of care for the aging poputhose served at the center don’t pay lation, typically runs an operating out of pocket to receive services — in- loss. Although Montefiore’s occupancluding connecting them with legal, cy has remained high, Seth Vilensky, financial and social service supports president and CEO, said he’s noticed a — Enty said the support from the state decline in the length of stays. Because should help bring in revenue. people are remaining for a shorter duEliza Bryant also reached an agree- ration, “we just have to work harder to ment with the city of Cleveland to generate more residents to fill the forgive $1.9 million in debt that was beds at the same rate as maybe we did due from am Empowerment Zone five, 10 years ago,” he said.

While insufficient reimbursement loan it took out about 15 years ago to help procure a nursing home. De- rates have been a longstanding chalspite this loan forgiveness saving the lenge for the industry, it also faces village about $400,000 a year, and de- more cyclical challenges, one of spite the new funding from the attor- which is exacerbated currently: the ney general’s office, Eliza Bryant still workforce. has a significant gap in funding that it “Whenever the economy is hot, there are more options for workers, relies on philanthropy to fill.

Philanthropic support also helps and clearly folks that are doing the Menorah Park operate at break-even tough work — and I call them the status, said Jim Newbrough, CEO of backbone of our sector, which is our Menorah Park. The more than $1.9 nursing assistants and direct care million operating loss it reported in staff — they’ve got a lot more opfiscal year 2017 is pretty typical in re- tions,” Porter said. “And filling vacant positions becomes more and more cent years, he added.

“An organization our size, even difficult by the day.”

Raising wages to stay competitive breaking even is not where you want in the job market also grows the gap to live,” Newbrough said.

Diversification of services has between the cost of providing care helped the nonprofit organization in and reimbursement rates.

The key to sustainability is innovaits sustainability. Menorah Park offers assisted and independent living, tion, Newbrough said. home care, hospice, adult day care, “You’ve got to constantly be lookan aquatic therapy center and more, ing at developing new programs, new all of which help offset the shortfalls services, new offerings to try to meet from the skilled nursing facility. the needs of where health care is goAs all of these alternative options ing in the future,” he said. “If you arise, and as more seniors look to age keep just doing what you’ve been doin place, occupancy can become a ing for many, many, many years, challenge for some skilled nursing fa- you’re goingAM to struggle; 03-07John S Grimm.qxp 2/23/2016 10:43 Page 1you’re going cilities, Van Runkle said. On average, to have challenges.”

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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

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For Canton’s Gervasi, expansion happens

By Jeremy Nobile jnobile@crain.com @JeremyNobile

As Gervasi Vineyard cuts the ribbon on a new 48-suite hotel at its sprawling 55-acre estate in Canton this week, it also closes a chapter on expansion that began when its winery opened in 2010.

“It’s grown way bigger than we ever imagined,” said Scott Swaldo, co-owner and general manager for the Swaldos’ family-owned GV Destinations, the parent company that operates the vineyard and its myriad accompanying businesses, as well as The Twisted Olive Italian restaurant a few miles away. “There was never any grand vision. We’ve just been evolving and being nimble and all those things. We are as surprised as anyone about how big it’s all become.”

Gervasi’s latest expansion is capped by the new, 18,000-square-foot luxury hotel dubbed The Casa. It’s similar to The Villas on the same property, which are typically used for large events like wedding parties, but with a different setup. Suites are situated in a horseshoe and feature private,courtyard-facing verandas. The two share a similar Tuscan aesthetic and the same high-end amenities, such as in-room fireplaces and heated tile floors.

Also part of the recent expansion is The Still House, a craft distillery that opened in December. It features two stills, a larger 250-gallon one for primary production plus a 40-gallon option for small batches, experimentation and seasonal offerings.

Small-batch products recently released by the distillery include a blood-orange gin and a vodka blended with Gervasi rosé, plus two bourbons — those are being purchased elsewhere and blended or aged at Gervasi until their own variety is ready, since traditional bourbon requires three years of barrel aging.

What Gervasi has today is a wheated bourbon and another bourbon aged in Gervasi cabernet wine barrels, something that should produce a softer and more rounded flavor profile that softens the kick of the spirit. Other offerings in the future are expected to include whiskey, brandy and various liqueurs.

Altogether, the new hotel and distillery mark an investment north of $10 million, Swaldo said, making it the largest expansion project to date — and there have been several.

It’s also probably the last one for the foreseeable future.

“It’s not our ambition to be big, to have multiple offsite locations and to keep adding things,” Swaldo said. “I feel like the distillery and hotel complete this property.”

A coffeehouse by day and cocktail lounge by night, Gervasi’s new Still House features an onyx-topped bar. (Shane Wynn for Crain’s)

The Still House’s look was inspired by the St. Gervasio chapel in Denno, Italy.

owned by a local couple. But it was in bad shape. The picturesque lake in the center of the estate today was so overgrown with trees and brush you could barely see it.

When the husband died, the wife looked to sell the parcel, which Ted purchased for $650,000 in late 2008, according to county records.

But no one knew what to do with it.

A family friend suggested a winery, which aligned with the Swaldos’ Italian heritage. Wineries also tend to be family operations, which appealed to Ted, who wanted something of a legacy to leave behind.

Ground was broken for the vineyard the following March. The winery opened a year later, in spring 2010, with The Bistro restaurant and a gift shop. That summer, Gervasi opened The Piazza for patio dining by the lake.

Customers enamored of the quaint setting asked about weddings, opening up Gervasi to a new set of clientele to whom it could sell wine.

As inquiries mounted, The Pavilion was added. It was just a rental

From tree farm to winery Anyone unfamiliar with the Swaldos might be surprised to learn their intention was never to grow into an operation as sizable as GV Destinations is today.

Scott is the son of Ted Swaldo, a Canton businessman who ran ASC Industries, a manufacturer of aftermarket water pumps for automobiles that he sold in 2006.

An entrepreneur who wasn’t ready to spend his retirement on the golf course, Ted yearned both to keep busy and to start some other kind of business. He just had no idea what it would be.

That’s about the time he learned of the 55-acre property that would eventually become Gervasi.

It was an ornamental tree farm

P009_CL_20190429.indd 9

Gervasi’s hybrid still can be used as a column still or hot still.

facility at the start, but now Gervasi runs everything there itself, including catering.

All of that was completed in the first year of business.

As demand stayed hot — inquiries were “off the charts,” Scott said — Gervasi built out The Villas, comprising seven buildings and a greenhouse, to support weddings and events, opening that in fall 2011.

As word of Gervasi spread, corporate business and tourism followed.

That r esulted i n construction o f Th e Villa Grande facility, which includes a ballroom.

Some might question the strategy behind building such a large and swanky expansion so early in a business’s life, let alone in the throes of an economic downturn.

But banks were never needed as projects were all privately financed.

That also made it easier to m ake quick decisions to capitalize on customer demand that seemed to surge from day one.

What’s more, the downturn seemingly worked to Gervasi’s advantage as staycations gained in popularity in place of more expensive trips during the recession.

“From the guest standpoint, people said, ‘You’re crazy to build such a luxury place when the economy is bad,’ ” Scott said. “But even when discretionary income is limited, there are still many people who want to have a little escape. I think it all helped us because we offered something special without all the travel for our region.”

A distillery concept followed, but it was shelved because of onerous laws that wouldn’t let a winery operate a distillery at a separate facility or serve food at the same place.

Those laws have changed in recent years, enabling Gervasi to jump on plans for The Still House, which was coupled with The Casa as one lump expansion. The distillery was expected to fit well with consumer trends, too, which have shown a growing popularity for locally sourced food and drink along with a growing thirst for unique craft cocktails.

That same distillery, by the way, is also a coffeehouse by day.

“All of this was all about the demographics more than anything,” Scott said. “How do you attract a new audience?”

Today, he jokes that the Gervasi estate is running out of green space upon which to build.

Regardless, there are no other additions the Swaldo family feels are necessary at this point. That doesn’t mean they aren’t planning other endeavors, though.

In the coming months, Scott said Gervasi is planning to roll out a new line of products including marinara, chocolate and kits for making frozen cocktails and wine drinks at home.

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Completing the puzzle Scott described Gervasi as adding more pieces to its puzzle each step of the way as it continued to grow in response to both customer trends and demands.

The Crush House, a state-of-theart winery and a restaurant with a lower price point than The Bistro, was opened in 2013.

GV Destinations bought the restaurant that became The Twisted Olive in Green and opened that in 2014.

It was also an opportunity to sell more Gervasi wine at a greater margin than using a distributor.

Although the wine business has been good to Gervasi, around that time, Scott said talks picked up about building a brewery as craft beer spiked in popularity. Such a move would also tap into a customer segment that could’ve been stronger for the business as consumer trends showed the winery business was demographically more appealing to women and older folks, while craft beer trended toward both men and the coveted millennial demographic. But craft breweries were already beginning to pop up, and Scott said he felt as if that sector was primed for saturation.

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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

Opinion From the Editor

Celebrating those who surpass the test of time

Editorial

More than scores We like numbers here at Crain's. But they don't always tell the whole story.

Such is the case with the I Promise School in Akron, which, as The New York Times pointed out in a recent article, is showing encouraging results in its first year.

The Times is interested in the public school, of course, because it has some financial backing from the LeBron James Family Foundation. (The Akron Public Schools funds I Promise's $2 million budget, and the foundation kicks in $600,000 for extras that include financial support for additional teaching staff to help reduce class sizes, and an additional hour of after-school programming and tutors.)

On the Measures of Academic Progress assessment, 90% of the school's 240 third- and fourth-grade students "met or exceeded individual growth goals in reading and math, outpacing their peers across the district," the newspaper noted. "In reading, where both classes had scored in the lowest, or first, percentile, third-graders moved to the ninth percentile, and fourth-graders to the 16th. In math, third-graders jumped from the lowest percentile to the 18th, while fourth-graders moved from the second percentile to the 30th."

Those early numbers are impressive, but testing is only part — a small part — of what's eye-catching about the school.

The foundation is covering expenses of a family resource center that, among other things, provides parents with G.E.D. preparation, work advice, and health and legal services.

In other words, as Tovah P. Klein, a Cleveland native and director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development in New York, put it in a letter to The Times, the school is on a path to "giving children what each one deserves and requires: caring relationships, people who genuinely believe in them and support for their parents. Secure relationships and knowing that people will be there for them are the necessary base upon which children grow and thrive."

We can't make too much of what's happening in the first year of this venture, and there's not a well-heeled foundation avail-

able to support every public school. But this bears continued scrutiny for what it says about innovation in offering support to families and their children, and how it affects students' success — something that's vital to powering a productive and sustainable future workforce in the region.

Closer look

Cleveland City Council has the right idea with an initiative to do a close examination of the city's existing tax incentives.

It'll need a dose of political courage — not generally a given — if, as we expect, the review shows that at least some of those incentives aren't producing results that justify their costs.

As a result of council legislation, the city plans to hire a consultant to review current incentive policies and to make recommendations on how they might be made more equitable and efficient in producing economic benefits and encouraging commercial and residential development. Five community development corporations have made grants totaling $26,000 to help cover the cost of hiring the consultant.

Mayor Frank Jackson said the study will "continue moving Cleveland's communities toward greater opportunity for all, focused on a comprehensive property tax policy and tax abatement program in order to promote development and housing options for all residents."

That's the right sentiment, broadly. The follow-up will be critical.

Cleveland, like a lot of challenged industrial Midwestern cities, has made frequent use of tax abatement and tax increment financing to encourage development that it believes wouldn't take place without the incentives. In some cases, it's justified. Other times, it's just gravy, or it goes to projects that don't add much value.

We hope the impartial consultant chosen for the task is ready for a hard, honest look at the cost and benefits of these incentives. And that council stands ready to make changes as needed rather than just supporting the status quo.

Publisher and Editor: Elizabeth McIntyre (emcintyre@crain.com)

CLEVELAND BUSINESS

CLEVELAND BUSINESS P010_CL_20190429.indd 10

Managing Editor:

Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com)

Contact Crain’s

216-522-1383

Read Crain’s online: crainscleveland.com

Some of the names and accomplishments of those featured in this issue’s Eight over 80 section will sound familiar. Dick Pogue and Steve Minter, for example, have made their share of headlines in Cleveland. Others, like Iris Rubinfield and Al Sanchez, are people you may not have heard of, but who have done, and continue to do, extraordinary work here in Northeast Ohio.

OK, I have a confession to make. Among our three age-related honors programs — Twenty in Their 20s, Forty under 40 and Eight over 80 — these stories resonate the most with me. As a cooking metaphor, it’s like comparing a broth to a stock to a condensed consommé. These people have lived rich, full lives in business, civic affairs and philanthropy.

Amazingly, thanks to good genes and health — and just as importantly, an overwhelming Elizabeth commitment and dedication to use their talMcIntyre ents to improve our community — they are still contributing to Northeast Ohio. That’s not to diminish what those under the age of 40 have accomplished, but to celebrate those who have kept on keeping on well past retirement age.

What started as a seemingly throwaway idea during a newsroom brainstorming session, Eight over 80 has become one of our most popular annual features since it began in 2016. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they look forward to learning about the honorees each year.

Whether you read this issue the day it hits mailboxes or two weeks later, it’s well worth your time to take a few minutes to learn about these eight people who have stood, and surpassed, the test of time.

Choosing this year’s class wasn’t easy. We had dozens of inspiring stories of people devoted to their community, to important causes and in general to making the world, and this corner of it, a better place.

The winners are on the cover of today’s print edition and their stories start on Page 12, and once you read about them, I think you’ll see why they deserve our praise.

But so many others are doing amazing work, too, and I’d like to tell you about a few of them.

After Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras in 1998, David Smith founded the Honduran Children’s Rescue Fund to meet the educational and medical needs of young people in the impoverished Central America nation. The 86-year-old Swagelok retiree still serves as board president for the fund, which sponsors a 400-student high school for girls.

Geraldine Stein has managed the office for more than 47 years at Brunswick Cos., a family-owned business her late husband started in 1972. “She makes sure that regardless of your genetics, you feel a part of her family,” her nomination reads.

Retirement hasn’t slowed down Paul Feinberg, who transitioned from a successful nonprofit law practice at Baker Hostetler to volunteer senior counsel at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University adjunct professor.

Education and community continue to be driving forces for Sue Ellis, who has devoted countless hours in Lake County to ensuring people of all ages receive the best education possible.

James Balaguer has worked in the insurance industry for more than 40 years and has a devoted following among his colleagues at Oswald Cos., where at age 82 he serves as senior vice president. He runs what’s affectionately known as “Balaguer University” for younger sales team members, where he teaches the ins and outs of the business. For 45 years, he has been the volunteer director for barbershop music for The Singing Angels.

All of them — those in our Eight over 80 class, those nominated and the thousands of parents and grandparents living their lives to the fullest — set a timeless example for all of us who follow.

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.

Sound off: Send a Personal View for the opinion page to emcintyre@crain.com.

Please include a telephone number for verification purposes.

4/25/19 4:21 PM

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PA G E 11

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Personal View

Yes, I moved to Cleveland.

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By Ari Lewis

fashion that would have made my Case Western professors proud. When I added everything up, the anI am a millennial born in Manhattan and raised in swer was Cleveland.

It’s an ideal place for the two businesses I am buildLong Island. I’m told I speak too quickly and sound like J.D. M.B.A. a New Yorker. I am slowly trying to fix those problems. ing. The first is Grasshopper Capital. Grasshopper is a Some of my favorite childhood memories were at Mad- venture capital fund focused on investing in the equity www.helonlaw.com of blockchain companies. Since the rise of ison Square Garden, watching New York Blockland, Cleveland has become a great Knicks games with my family. We occasionalchoice to start a blockchain company and ly saw Broadway shows, and because my fathere is no reason why the next Coinbase ther was in the restaurant supply business, we can’t emerge from right here. My second got to eat at some of the city’s trendiest restaucompany, Green Block Group, is a strategic rants. They were my dad’s customers. communications and innovation consultanGrowing up, family and friends fully expected me to live, work and raise my own cy firm. Cleveland provides a great labor family there. It came as a surprise when I told market and a potential client base with a vaHelon Ad-3-11-Final.indd 1 people I was moving to Cleveland. Friends riety of newer companies and well-estaband family looked puzzled. One asked if I Lewis lished brands. meant Cleveland, Ohio, before asking if I was Even though I don’t have family ties to feeling OK. Another wondered if I had “really thought Cleveland, there are many personal reasons Cleveland about what it means to live in Cleveland,” as if to suggest is the right place for me. Cleveland’s real estate is there was no place for me other great. I just purchased a four-bedthan New York City. room, two-bathroom duplex with “Many people think Cleveland — yes — Cleveland, a mortgage of only $1,300 a month.

Ohio, may not have been the ex- that to build the next In Manhattan, a two-bedroom would have cost me pected choice, but it is the right billion-dollar business, apartment rent of $5,000 a month. Our sports one. I went to school at Case Westteams are awesome. (Apologies to ern Reserve University, where I first you must be in a city Massages Body Wraps my relatives in New York — I am experienced Cleveland. I loved it. like New York, L.A. or now a Cavaliers, Indians and The people, the culture, the sports Facials Browns fan.) There are so many teams, restaurants and world-class San Francisco. But great restaurants. But the thing I aspects like Playhouse Square and Manicures/Pedicures Eucalyptus Steam Room the cost of living is like best about Cleveland is defithe Cleveland Clinic.

After college my friends scat- extremely high, nitely the people: hardworking, tered all over the country and fun-loving and welcoming, even globe and I returned to New York traffic is awful and to someone who speaks a little too fast. Cleveland is big enough so I to start a cryptocurrency hedge the quality of daily will never get bored and small fund, which was acquired last enough to feel like home. year. Before I started my current life is relatively poor.

Located on the 3rd Floor of the Cleveland Marriott Downtown Somehow, I suspect more milventures, I asked a basic question: For entrepreneurs, at Key Tower “Do I really need or even want to lennials, entrepreneurs and peoNew York’s business be in New York?” ple in general who are searching Many people think that to build a place to call home will soon 216.302.7426 | trilogycle.com climate is burdened by for the next billion-dollar business, find the advantages of Cleveland. you must be in a city like New lots of red tape and It’s inevitable. Cleveland has all York, L.A. or San Francisco. But the resources to successfully comthere are so many problems with higher taxes.” pete against cities like New York, that line of thinking. The cost of Los Angeles and San Francisco. living is extremely high, traffic is awful and the quali- What I am looking forward to most is playing a small ty of daily life is relatively poor. For entrepreneurs, part in contributing to Cleveland’s future success.

New York’s business climate is burdened by lots of Lewis is a co-founder and partner at Green Block red tape and higher taxes.

I crunched numbers and analyzed my options in a Group and a partner at Grasshopper Capital.

www.helonlaw.com

216.978.7463

3/7/19 5:07 PM

Letter to the Editor Bipartisan effort led to payday loan reform For years, Ohio had some of the most expensive payday loans in the country, but now we can all be proud that our government stepped up to the plate, put Ohioans first, and passed a law to protect consumers from predatory lending. On April 27, Ohio’s Fairness in Lending Act took effect, outlawing the balloon payments that trapped borrowers in a cycle of debt.

As executive director of the Hebrew Free Loan Association (HFLA) of Northeast Ohio, I have seen firsthand how detrimental these payday loans have been to people in our community. HFLA has lent over $200,000 the past five years to help extract people from the vicious cycle of payday loans. These are hardworking people who had a small glitch in their financial circumstances and didn’t want to ask for help and thought that a payday loan would help them but in-

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stead found themselves in a vicious cycle of borrowing from one to pay the other due to the extremely high interest rates.

Achieving real change seemed like a tall order at times, but the more than 100 organizations and leaders in Ohioans for Payday Loan Reform remained steadfast in saying annual percentage rates of 500% and 600% had no place in Ohio. HFLA was very proud to be part of this bipartisan effort.

Now, Ohioans will have access to safer, more affordable small-dollar loans that can be paid off over time, and as a result, our communities are expected to save $75 million in lower fees every year. This effort was a glowing example of bipartisanship in pursuit of sensible reforms for the good of the people.

Michal Marcus Executive director, HFLA of Northeast Ohio

4/25/19 2:44 PM

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Focus EIGHT OVER 80

Eight for the ages F

Edna Dawley Strnad, 95: This former reporter and ad woman now focuses on providing opportunities for students at her alma mater. This page

Steven A. Minter, 80: Much of his nearly 60 years of public policy work has been devoted to the betterment of life here in Cleveland. Page 13

or these eight individuals, retirement either doesn’t exist or is merely the starting point for a new career — or even a succession of new careers. All 80 or older, they remain active in business, activism, philanthropy and civic affairs. Most importantly, a common thread among this year’s Eight over 80 is that they continue to share their hard-won knowledge and perspective — through mentoring, teaching, writing books or by fostering opportunities for young people and disadvantaged or marginalized groups.

Rachel O’Hara for Crain’s

Edna Dawley Strnad, 95

This former reporter and ad woman now cultivates creativity at her alma mater

E

Alfonso “Al” Sanchez, 85: Paying forward from his own construction career, he strives to create opportunities for Hispanic workers. Page 14

Richard “Dick” Pogue, 91: Good luck finding a local nonprofit, civic cause or economic development initiative he hasn’t touched. Page 15

Iris Rubinfield, 91: As a woman helming a manufacturing company, she’s tackled gender-related challenges head-on. Page 15

Kurt K. Rim, 83: Sixty years — and counting — at Osborn Engineering make Rim a mentor, an inspiration and “a lucky son of a gun.” Page 16

Richard “Dick” Hansler, 94: For this lighting pioneer, author and entrepreneur, there’s always another new chapter to add. Page 17

Jane Daroff, 80: Supporting her son turned into a lifelong commitment to transforming lives in the LGBTQ community. Page 18

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dna Dawley Strnad still vividly recalls her early days at Hathaway Brown School. Coming to the nurturing environment of the allgirls school as a sophomore “was like entering a secret garden,” she said.

“Back then, it was a different time for women, but at HB you were encouraged to do your thing,” said Strnad, who graduated valedictorian in 1942. “I just loved it from the minute I walked in.”

Over the last 39 years, the longtime Shaker Heights resident has helped carry on a legacy of inspiring young minds through the Edna Dawley Strnad Fellowships in Creativity, which she established with her late husband, James J. “Bud” Strnad, in 1981.

The couple modeled the program after a similar fellowship they pioneered 11 years earlier for students at University School, Bud’s alma mater.

The fellowship allows HB juniors and seniors to spend months or a year — sometimes more — exploring an idea or project of their own devising. The fellows have penned graphic novels and cookbooks, produced albums and documentaries, built bikes and companies, among a long list of intensive endeavors.

Kathleen Osborne, chief marketing and communication officer at Hathaway Brown, said that, to date, hundreds of its upperclassmen — as many as 20 a year recently — have embraced this unique opportunity “to explore something entirely different from what they grapple with in a traditional classroom setting.”

After HB, Strnad went on to earn an English degree from Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where she was managing editor of the college newspaper and, in one memorable experience, was invited to the Franklin Roosevelt’s Hyde Park estate to report on the 1944 presidential election.

“Eleanor used to visit Vassar frequently,” Strnad said. “I interviewed her during one of her visits, it was November of 1944, and she said, ‘I

am having some reporters in on election night. Would you like to come?’ ” Following Vassar, Strnad worked in New York City newsrooms and at an advertising firm in Washington, D.C., before boomeranging home to start a family. The move back rekindled her connection with Hathaway Brown. In addition to being a trustee and sending her two daughters there, she became the Shaker Heights school’s founding development director.

Outside of HB, Strnad was an active volunteer with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Lake Erie Opera Theater, a group that raised money for the construction of Blossom Music Center, and she was the founder and president of the First Unitarian Church Nursery School.

She also served on the board of Judson Retirement Community. When Judson opened South Franklin Circle, Strnad, then a widow, moved into the Chagrin Falls community.

Strnad winters in Florida, where for four decades she has maintained a second home in the Lost Tree community and is just as generous with her time and resources, having founded both the Lost Tree Chapel Library and the Lost Tree Charitable Foundation.

Yet her heart remains in Cleveland, she said, or perhaps more precisely with the students of Hathaway Brown. Legally blind from a genetic form of macular degeneration, the nonagenarian still listens intently to fellowship updates each September.

“Mrs. Strnad told me that losing her sight allowed her to home in on all the other things people tend to miss, to see things in another way,” Osborne said.

She added that Strnad’s legacy is one of ingenuity: “She’s a living example that what you think of as a stumbling block is really an opportunity to explore something new. Giving girls this venue, by way of these creativity fellowships, really imparts that knowledge to them at a young age as they are navigating paths that aren’t always smooth.” — Judy Stringer

4/25/19 10:12 AM

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EIGHT OVER 80

Steven A. Minter, 80 He has worked in public policy for nearly 60 years, much of that devoted to the betterment of life here in Cleveland

F

or as long as he can remember, Steven Minter wanted to help bring people together and work on important issues. As a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University, he was introduced to the public policy domain.

“It’s always been my very strong belief that you’ve got to connect ideas and people,” he said, adding, in considerable understatement, “And that is something I’ve been pretty good at.”

Minter began honing that skill in his first job, at the Cuyahoga County Welfare Department in 1960. Two years later, Michael Harrington published “The Other America,” a seminal work on poverty. “It inflamed our imaginations in social policy,” Minter recalled.

“We had the civil rights movement. We had food stamps. We really tried to make some adjustments in helping people to live better. ... (There was) social services and income maintenance reform and civil rights reform and school desegregation. … This was a period of enormous social change in the United States.”

During that tumult, Minter rose through the department’s ranks to become its director in 1969.

Ohio wasn’t the only state experiencing poverty. Massachusetts was in dire need of administration and management of its social services systems.

In 1970, Minter left to become its commissioner of public welfare. “(The state was trying) to help persons who were needy but needed a system very

Jason Miller for Crain’s

badly,” said Minter, who helped create Massachusetts’ social services infrastructure, built an adoption and foster care system and implemented the state’s food stamp program.

When Michael Dukakis became governor of Massachusetts in 1975, he asked him to stay on, but Minter had been offered positions in three other states. With a wife and young

children to consider, coming home to Cleveland seemed the logical choice.

Once back, he joined the Cleveland Foundation, which, from its infancy, has addressed issues of housing, poverty, parks and recreation, economic development, schools and higher education. “Everyone knows about the private sector, and we know about the public sector,” Minter

said. “But the (Cleveland) Foundation is one of the leaders in the philanthropic sector. It takes those three sectors working together to make real advancements in a community.”

He cited Lexington Village, a market-rate rental-housing complex built on the site of the Hough riots — made possible due to a partnership between those three sectors. Playhouse Square

is another example of what a community can accomplish when the public, private and philanthropic sectors work in concert. “The Foundation was often involved as an important intermediary and significant funder,” noted Minter.

“Cleveland’s won two, three or four All-American City Awards because of the number of partnerships (and) everybody pulling together to work on these ... enduring issues.”

Over the years, he took a couple leaves of absence — once to work as undersecretary of the Department of Education in the Carter administration — but became the foundation’s president and executive director in 1984, a position he held until retiring in 2003.

Retirement is a relative term. Since his own, Minter has been the executive in residence and fellow at the Center for Nonprofit Policy and Practice at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. In that role, he’s facilitated collaboration between Northeast Ohio universities to ensure the economic future of the region, helped CSU realize its neighborhood development in the school’s greater campus district and restructured the Cleveland State Foundation.

“This city has seen ups and downs,” he said, “but I think in some respects we are in the best position we’ve been in in all that period of time, with one exception: We still have too great an extent of poverty.” He has vowed to bring his skills to bear on mitigating that problem. — Frank DiMaria

Ancora

Ancora

Special Opportunity Fund

Income Fund

Overall Morningstar RatingTM out of 389 small value funds as of 02/28/2019

Overall Morningstar RatingTM out of 290 multisector bond funds as of 02/28/2019

Fund Manager Richard A. Barone, Ancora’s Founder and Chairman Emeritus © 2019 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete, or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

For each fund with at least a three-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar RatingTM based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund’s monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. (Each share class is counted as a fraction of one fund within this scale and rated separately, which may cause slight variations in the distribution percentages.) The Overall Morningstar RatingTM for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and 10year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics.

The Ancora Special Opportunity Fund was rated against the following numbers of U.S.-domiciled Small Value funds over the following time periods: 389 funds in the last three years, 342 funds in the last five years, and 233 funds in the last ten years. With respect to these Small Value funds, The Ancora Special Opportunity Fund received a Morningstar Rating of 4 stars, 5 stars and 5 stars for the three-, five- and tenyear periods, respectively. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Morningstar Rating is for the I share class only; other classes may have different performance characteristics.

The Ancora Income Fund was rated against the following numbers of U.S.-domiciled Multisector Bond funds over the following time periods: 290 funds in the last three years, 222 funds in the last five years, and 130 funds in the last ten years. With respect to these Multisector Bond funds, The Ancora Income Fund received a Morningstar Rating of 3 stars, 5 stars and 5 stars for the three-, five- and ten-year periods, respectively. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Morningstar Rating is for the I share class only; other classes may have different performance characteristics.

Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks and expenses carefully before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund’s prospectus, and if available, summary prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-866-6-ANCORA or by visiting www.ancorafunds.com. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of capital.

Ancora Holdings Inc. is the parent company of three registered investment advisers with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission; Ancora Advisors, LLC, Ancora Family Wealth Advisors, LLC and Ancora Retirement Plan Advisors, Inc. In addition it owns Inverness Securities LLC, a FINRA & SIPC member broker dealer. A more detailed description of Ancora, its RIAs, management team and practices are contained in the firm brochure, Form ADV Part 2a. Qualified prospective investors may obtain the ADV Part 2a by contacting the company at: 6060 Parkland Boulevard, Suite 200, Cleveland, Ohio 44124, Phone: 216-825-4000, or by going to www.ancora.net.

Ancora Funds are distributed by Arbor Court, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC. Find out more about the background of this firm on FINRA’s BrokerCheck. Ancora Advisors LLC is the investment advisor to the funds and receives a fee from the Funds for its services.

P013_CL_20190429.indd 13

4/25/19 10:16 AM

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EIGHT OVER 80

Alfonso ‘Al’ Sanchez, 85

Paying forward from his own long construction career, he now strives to create opportunities for Hispanic workers

C

onstruction industry veteran Alfonso “Al” Sanchez has dealt with every manner of challenge, both on and off the project site, from time constraints to worker shortages to ever-changing government regulations.

Some days are better than others, but he still enjoys working to meet a building owner’s lofty expectations.

“I love the idea of putting a project together and creating a team that involves architects, engineers, contractors and subcontractors,” said Sanchez, a former executive of Turner Construction and current principal partner of his eponymous property management firm, The Sanchez Group. “It’s more abstract than putting one brick on top of the other, but you better have a good team if you want a good project.”

Sanchez spent 37 years at Turner, an international construction services company that completes upward of 1,500 projects annually.

During the Avon Lake resident’s tenure, the company expanded to three divisions covering the entire U.S. Locally, the firm’s vast portfolio includes the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Hilton Cleveland Downtown and Key Tower.

A native Chicagoan, Sanchez joined Turner in 1958 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois.

His first job in Cleveland was tenant work on Erieview Tower, moving from there to various health care and high-rise endeavors, along with the occasional museum. As he rose through the ranks, Sanchez studied law, earning his juris doctorate from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law

Jason Miller for Crain’s

in 1968.

“I didn’t want anyone to know I was getting a law degree, in case they thought I’d skip,” he said. “I got the degree because there’s so many unanswered questions on the legal side of things about construction documents.

It helped me be a better reader.”

Sanchez left Turner in 1997, founding The Sanchez Group a year later.

While there’s not as much pressure as in his previous gig, Sanchez still helms projects in education and health care, including the Urban

“Construction workers have a bad reputation as tough guys, but mostly they have hearts of gold. You never forget those who were kind to you, and that motivates me to help others.”

Community School and Hospice of the Western Reserve.

Over his long career, he’s also worked to bring construction and subcontracting opportunities to Cleveland’s Hispanic population. As a consultant for Adrian Maldonado & Associates Inc. and other entities, Sanchez sought Hispanic workers for MetroHealth’s new 11-floor hospital and reimagined main campus. That effort is part of the Latino Construction Program, a skills-centric venture launched in partnership with Turner,

the Spanish American Committee and other organizations.

The multiweek program gives students trade and safety skills for an assortment of apprenticeships. So far, the effort has graduated two classes, opening doors for a population historically underrepresented in the Cleveland construction industry.

A third skills class begins shortly, as does a separate program for aspiring Hispanic subcontractors.

While Sanchez, who is of Mexican heritage, remembers racist “jokes” from workmen when he first started, he said those memories are overridden by the many kindnesses he now looks to repay.

“Almost everyone I worked with handed off knowledge I had no access to,” Sanchez said. “Construction workers have a bad reputation as tough guys, but mostly they have hearts of gold. You never forget those who were kind to you, and that motivates me to help others.”

“Al brings a well-rounded perspective,” said construction staffing firm owner Adrian Maldonado. “He’s been invaluable in helping create a one-of-a-kind program that teaches construction skills to Latino residents.”

As chair of the Bond Accountability Commission, Sanchez has also shared his insights with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

He also chaired a county governing board on the design and construction of a treatment center for low-level substance offenders.

No matter the project, Sanchez still gets a jolt from building a team focused on a singular goal.

“I just enjoy being involved in the process,” he said. — Douglas J. Guth

HB salutes alumna, life trustee, and innovative academic program architect

Edna Dawley Strnad ’42

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4/25/19 10:17 AM

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EIGHT OVER 80

Richard ‘Dick’ Pogue, 91

You’d have a tough time finding a local nonprofit, civic cause or economic development initiative he hasn’t touched

D

ick Pogue concedes he has a problem saying, “No.” After all, the numbers don’t lie.

Pogue has held dozens of leadership positions over six decades of public service. That’s in addition to his career with Cleveland-based Jones Day, the law firm he helped expand internationally during his time as managing partner in the 1980s and ’90s.

In fact, you’d have a difficult time finding a local nonprofit, civic cause or economic development initiative he hasn’t touched over the last half-century. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Foundation, University Hospitals, The City Club of Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Growth Association, United Way of Greater Cleveland, University of Akron and Cleveland Leadership Center are just a few standouts from his lengthy résumé.

And it’s not passive involvement, according to former University of Akron president Luis Proenza.

“He expects results in anything he does,” Proenza said.

And at 91 years old, he’s barely slowed — and still expects results.

He’s actively involved with more than two dozen organizations. That involvement included a recent trip to Washington, D.C., to lobby against President Donald Trump’s directed cuts to the Legal Services Corp., which funds nonprofits that provide legal assistance to the poor. As Cleveland Ballet’s board chair, he’s also helping the dance company re-establish itself after years of dormancy. Pogue also cochairs the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s capital campaign.

“As for retirement, I am against it,”

Jason Miller for Crain’s

he said recently. “As for age, there is nothing I can do about it.”

Pogue, born in the Boston area, never expected to stay in Cleveland for more than a few years. The idea that he’d come to be known as “Mr. Cleveland” and the city’s ultimate cheerleader was out of the question.

But he and his wife, Pat, came to love the city — a place with some of the same assets as the bigger metropolitan areas but a “nicer environment to

“As for retirement, I am against it. As for age, there is nothing I can do about it.” raise a family.”

The first few years he was here, though, Pogue did “nothing but work,” honing his craft as a top-flight corporate attorney. He would advise

the same to any young professional itching to get involved in civic affairs.

Pogue only dipped his toe into community service to atone for what he described as “staying out too late one evening.” His volunteer work with teenagers for what was then known as the Goodrich Social Settlement House blossomed into a life of service.

“It’s always a struggle,” Pogue said about balancing the demands of his

schedule. “The nonprofit world — it’s like drinking an ocean. You could spend your whole life doing it because there’s so much need.”

While Pogue has yet to shed his “Mr. Cleveland” moniker, he always has viewed his service through a wider, regional lens. He has spoken often about regional collaboration and even co-founded the Regional Business Council, the forerunner to Team NEO, the regional business retention and attraction nonprofit.

In many ways, Pogue is the embodiment of old-school Cleveland: a well-tailored and connected businessman who dines at the Union Club and is as present in civic affairs as in the boardroom. He agrees with an assessment that the business community here isn’t as entrenched in civic affairs as he and his peers were — likely a byproduct of the globalization of business and the departure of several high-profile headquarters.

Pogue played a role in what he described as the “great Cleveland comeback from 1980 to 1996.” That started, of course, by putting an end to Dennis Kucinich’s turbulent tenure as mayor and helping elect George Voinovich as his replacement. Business leaders and elected officials worked together on a shared vision for the city.

In Pogue’s estimation, that collaboration is what’s missing from Cleveland’s current comeback.

“If we can re-create that public-private partnership, it would be a great thing for the city,” he said.

— Tim Magaw

Iris Rubinfield, 91

As a woman leader in manufacturing, she’s tackled gender-related challenges head-on and has no plans for retirement

I

ris Rubinfield has been making and selling replacement chair casters, doorstops and other problem-solving office, household and industrial products for much of her adult life. She still manages her company, Master Manufacturing Co. in Cleveland, on a daily basis.

“I’m a hands-on owner,” she explained. “I don’t have to work. I like what I do. I’m happy with my life. It’s more about the achievement than the money. It’s not always easy, particularly with the office products industry going through an evolution and mergers. But as long as I can work, I like going to work every day, as I am passionate about my business.”

Born Iris Rose and raised in Cleveland Heights, she met her future husband, Pittsburgh native Don Rubinfield, at Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied drama and he was getting a degree in chemical engineering. After Don got his master’s, the couple moved to Los Angeles, where he was on a management track in the Los Angeles Times lithography department.

In 1951, her father, Melvin Rose, called the couple for help. Through a series of unfortunate events, Rose was taking over a Lorain caster manufacturer. Since he was already running his own company, he needed Iris and Don to prep the second one to be sold.

Instead, the young Rubinfields discovered they liked working together and saw potential success in continuing to run Master Manufacturing.

One of their early products was the housewares market’s first household

P015_CL_20190429.indd 15

automatic floor waxer, designed by Don. Sales to thousands of retailers and distributors throughout the U.S. led to an equally successful rug scrubber — quickly copied by a very large competitor. Undaunted, the couple rolled out more one-of-akind products.

In 1954, they moved their business to Inman Avenue, near Rose’s ma-

“It’s not always easy, particularly with the office products industry going through an evolution and mergers. But as long as I can work, I like going to work every day, as I am passionate about my business.”

Jason Miller for Crain’s

chine shop in Cleveland. The facility, expanded in 1993, still operates there.

Changes in the market in the 1960s prompted the Rubinfields to shift away from housewares. Don redesigned their office-chair replacement casters, pivoting the company into an unserved niche. The casters are still available nationwide.

During the 1970s, the Rubinfields volunteered at Cleveland Heights High School, alma mater of Iris and her two daughters, Pam Vestal and

Penny Rubinfield. Iris said volunteering was her proudest work outside of the company.

For five years, the Rubinfelds took the Heights High singers on performing tours to various U.S. cities during Easter break. Those included being the only high school group from Ohio invited to perform in the U.S. bicentennial celebration in Washington, D.C. In 1979, Don died of a heart attack, leaving Iris in sole command of their shared company. Two of Master Manufacturing’s biggest customers expressed concern about its ability to deliver product, but by that September, Rubinfield had made them believers in her leadership. They continue to sell her products 40 years later.

“It’s not easy for a woman to be recognized in manufacturing,” she noted, “but I made it.” Her small, family-owned company is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise and a member of the National Minority Business Council.

Today, Master Manufacturing employs 30, mostly women, in a 25,000square-foot facility. In addition to the office chair casters, Big Foot and Giant Foot doorstops are best-sellers.

Among Master’s newest products are Instant Swivel Wheels stick-on chair wheels.

At 91, Rubinfield has no plans for retirement and looks forward to continuing to grow her company. In addition, as an avid Cleveland sports fan (she even converted Steelers fan Don), she said she still hopes for a Browns Super Bowl appearance and win in her lifetime. — Paris Wolfe

4/25/19 10:22 AM

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EIGHT OVER 80

Kurt K. Rim, 83

Sixty years — and counting — at Osborn Engineering make Rim a mentor, an inspiration and ‘a lucky son of a gun’

K

urt K. Rim lives by the words of New York Yankees great Lou Gehrig, who during his memorable farewell speech told an enraptured Yankee Stadium crowd that he considered himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

While Rim may not be a baseball legend, he feels fortunate for his 60 years — and counting — at Osborn Engineering, a journey that’s taken him from his native Korea to the emeritus position he currently holds. Over his career, Rim has served as design engineer, project manager, department manager and company president, harnessing those decades of experience to remain a vital contributor at Osborn.

“I never expected a lifelong career with the company. That was the furthest thing from my mind,” said Rim. “When I look back, I’m a lucky son of a gun.”

As emeritus, Rim handles engineering reviews as well as archival research of Osborn’s century-long history. He’s also an oracle of sorts for the company’s team of young engineers, a role he’s proud to fill.

“I’ll have young people come by and ask me if a plan looks right,” Rim said. “It’s very rewarding because they trust me and have a certain respect. It makes me feel younger.”

Known as one of Cleveland’s most renowned structural engineers, Rim has designed and rehabilitated local landmarks including Progressive Field, FirstEnergy Stadium, the Cuyahoga County Justice Center and Case Western Reserve University’s Veale Center.

A career of designing major athletic facilities, bridges and industrial

fall down by itself,” Rim said. “But if it’s only designed by engineers, it would look so hideous the owner would tear it down. You’ve got to have a symbiotic relationship between engineers and architects.”

Osborn president Douglas Lancashire is thankful to have Rim as a

“I’ll have young people come by and ask me if a plan looks right. It’s very rewarding because they trust me and have a certain respect. It makes me feel younger.”

Jason Miller for Crain’s

facilities has led to numerous awards, among them induction into the Cleveland Engineering Society’s Hall of Fame. However, Rim’s most gratifying project is not a bank or school facility, but a miniature baseball field for a 6-year-old Red Sox fan named William Johnson. William, confined to a wheelchair with a genetic disorder called spinal muscular atrophy, appeared on the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” television show along with the ball-

field Rim helped create.

“He went around the bases and gave me the biggest smile,” recalled Rim. “That’s one of my biggest achievements.”

Rim came to the U.S. from Seoul, South Korea, in the late 1950s to study structural engineering. After receiving his postgraduate degree from Michigan State University, he joined Osborn as a junior engineer, earning $400 a month and calculating complicated projects by hand.

“In those days, there were no computers, only slide rules,” said Rim. “I had people take me under their wing and guide me all the way. They showed me a lot of good shortcuts.”

Today, technology allows for the completion of design plans in mere days rather than months. However, even with these advances, a project lacking a cohesive team behind it is doomed to fail.

“A mentor told me if a building is only designed by architects, it would

mentor and leader, particularly considering the even-keeled nature the longtime executive brings to planning meetings. In Lancashire’s 29 years with the company, he’s never heard Rim so much as raise his voice.

“Kurt is a consummate professional and a perfect gentleman,” Lancashire said. “He has a calming demeanor that for a leader is incredibly comforting.”

Rim knows he’s blessed to have his stamp on so many big-ticket projects both locally and across the nation. He looks back not only on Gehrig’s words for inspiration, but those of his late wife, Margie, who told him to enjoy life to its fullest.

“She said, ‘Don’t waste any time,’ ” Rim recalled. “That’s my motto.”

— Douglas J. Guth

The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs congratulates

Steven A. Minter

AL SANCHEZ CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS 2019 EIGHT OVER 80 HONOREE

Congratulations

for his selection in Crain’s “Eight over 80” and for over 15 years of service and commitment to Cleveland State University and the College. He has encouraged student success through his philanthropy, provided strategic advice as an Executive in Residence, and continues to be a valued colleague and friend to the institution.

from the Sanchez Family!

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EIGHT OVER 80

Richard ‘Dick’ Hansler, 94

For this lighting pioneer, author and entrepreneur, life means there is always another new chapter to add

R

ay Kroc was 52 when he joined McDonald’s and began building the chain into the world’s most successful fast-food franchise. Kroc has nothing on Dick Hansler, who started a company called Low Blue Lights at age 82.

In 2001, sleep researchers found that blue light of the sort emitted by some light bulbs and the screens of personal electronic devices can affect the human sleep cycle by preventing the pineal gland from releasing melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating humans’ circadian rhythm.

“It’s primarily the blue light that causes the problem. The other colors are not a problem,” said Hansler. And the hormone affects more than just the sleep cycle. “Melatonin not only helps you go to sleep and stay asleep, it’s also very beneficial to your general health,” he added.

Low Blue Lights, which Hansler started with two partners — one of whom, Ed Carome, was also an octogenarian at the time — develops products that block blue light to improve overall health. Its products “allow people to go about their normal evening activities and still get the benefits of melatonin production,” he said.

He has become so passionate about the detrimental effects of blue light exposure in the late evening hours that at 83 he wrote a

Jason Miller for Crain’s

book on the subject. Blue light doesn’t just affect one’s physical health, he said, but can also wreak havoc on mental health. “It turns out that melatonin is injected directly into the brain in the evening and helps the brain avoid illnesses like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases,” said Hansler.

He encourages people 60 and older to use Low Blue Lights products. “Alzheimer’s is a real threat to our country because the cost of taking care of people with Alzheimer’s is so excessive. … The expense can break the bank,” he noted.

Since writing that initial book, Hansler has penned nine more. In one, he recounted his experiences after his bomber was shot down over Poland in WWII and the Polish resistance hid him from the Nazis.

The other eight titles detail blue light’s effects on autism, cancer, concussions and other diseases and maladies.

Hansler has worked with light and studied its properties his entire adult life. After earning a Ph.D. in physics from Ohio State Uinversity, he landed a job as a research physicist at General Electric’s lighting headquarters at Nela Park. The company “made just about every type of light source you can think of,” he recalled.

His work there involved different aspects of light-producing technol-

ogy and the equipment designed to manufacture various light sources.

“I’ve never had a dull day the whole time I was there,” he said of his 43 years on the GE payroll.

His retirement from General Electric in 1996, at age 72, didn’t mean an end to working; far from it.

To offer students at John Carroll University an opportunity to gain real-life work experience, he created the Lighting Innovations Institute. Working with a Columbus company that developed aviation lighting, Hansler conducted research and developed LED versions of the lights that line airfield runways.

“The lights that guide pilots when they are making an approach to landing and then after they touch down, when they taxi over to the terminal, they have a bunch of lights that guide them,” explained Hansler. “We helped them convert over to LED lighting.”

LED lights are more reliable and cost-effective than the incandescent lighing in use at the time, since the lifespan of LED lights is measured in years while the lifespan of incandescent bulbs is measured in hours.

Until recently, Hansler also served on the boards of Lutheran Metro Ministry and Community Housing Solutions, resigning only when he could no longer hear at meetings. — Frank DiMaria

CRAFTED BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS TRUSTED BY INDUSTRY LEADERS Crain’s Content Studio is the marketing arm of Crain’s Cleveland Business.

We leverage our storytelling strength and creative distribution to provoke new thinking and influence decision makers.

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VIEW OUR PORTFOLIO BY VISITING crainscleveland.com/studio Interested in a complimentary consultation? Email Amy Ann Stoessel at astoessel@crain.com

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PA G E 18

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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

A P R I L 2 9 - M AY 5 , 2 019 |

EIGHT OVER 80

Jane Daroff, 80

Supporting her son turned into a lifelong commitment to transforming lives in the LGBTQ community

J

ane Daroff ’s son Rob was 14 years old when he came out as gay. To say it was a life-changing revelation for the mother of three might sound trite. But it was undoubtedly life-directing.

Daroff, a Nashville native, was relatively new to Northeast Ohio at the time, having relocated to Shaker Heights from Miami when her husband assumed chairmanship of the neurology department at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1980. She herself was taking graduate courses at CWRU in pursuit of a master’s degree in social work.

Daroff said that initially she and Rob “drove back and forth a few times” to attend a support group in Akron for a national organization called PFLAG, which stands for Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Before long, however, Rob was urging her to start a Cleveland chapter.

“I asked him, ‘Can I graduate first?’ ” she recalled. “And there he was on graduation day, pulling on my black robe and saying, ‘Now, Ma?’ ” Partnering with Jes Sellers, director of CWRU’s University Counseling Services department, Daroff launched PFLAG Cleveland in 1985. To help the fledging group take flight, she hit the airwaves, according to Sellers.

“She bravely appeared on local television and radio programs to speak about the need for love, understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ individuals, and spoke about PFLAG’s

Jason Miller for Crain’s

sort of a never-ending commitment.”

Daroff also remains an active contributor to The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT civil rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the U.S. Having started as a member of HRC’s national steering committee 16 years ago, the Beachwood resident sat on its national board of governors and national board of directors before being named one of the original members of HRC’s emeritus council.

Outside of her service in the LGBT community, Daroff worked as a clinical social worker at Case Western for 25 years, aiding students with a variety of emotional or physical challenges and earning the President’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2010. She retired in 2017, but continues to facilitate a support group for spouses of medical students.

While at CWRU, Daroff also initiated “The Pizza Party,” as it is known — an August mixer at her home for incoming LGBT students. That’s another thing she still does, even as the annual event has grown to attract some 100 attendees, including several deans and university president Barbara Snyder, who come to welcome the LGBT students.

“My kids have asked me, if I didn’t have a gay son, what do I think I would be doing?” Daroff said. “The truth is, you never know what direction your life will take you. As a mother, you do what your children need you to do.” — Judy Stringer

free, monthly support group — all at a time when adversity and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals was a part of everyday life across the country and here at home,” he said.

In the years since, PFLAG Cleveland has emerged as a leader in advancing equality by providing free

mental health support groups and education and outreach services across Northeast Ohio. Daroff and Sellers still facilitate a weekly support group attended by “LGBT allies as well as parents, families and friends and gay people of all ages,” according to Daroff. For some longtime mem-

bers — especially those who came out when it was more common for families to disavow gay sons and daughters — the group has become a surrogate family, she said.

“I joke with Jes that when I asked him to help me start PFLAG 34 years ago, we had no idea this would be

LAS TC

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regional president, Fifth Third Bank

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MBAGuide

OHIO

Sponsored Content

Find the right graduate program to help you climb the career ladder

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

2019 MBA Section-Crains.indd 1

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OHIO MBA GUIDE

S2 April 29, 2019

SPONSORED CONTENT

ASHLAND UNIVERSITY

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SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS 637 MBA students are enrolled in 2018-19.

Scholarship/Financial Aid Available

Types of MBAs Available Ashland University’s MBA Programs are designed to meet the needs of working professionals. Students can enroll either part time or full time in evening, weekend, online or hybrid classes. Students can take Saturdayonly classes and travel on two separate international study tours, included in tuition, with Ashland University’s 1 Year International MBA. Practical knowledge is always the priority, so students are able to specialize in any of the following areas: Accounting, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Financial Management, Global Management, Health Care Management & Leadership, Human Resource Management, Management Information Systems, Project Management, Sport Management or Supply Chain Management.

2019 MBA Section-Crains.indd 2

Financial aid is available for all MBA Program options at Ashland University.

Class Locations Students can complete all MBA requirements at Ashland University’s main campus, or at one of the two off-campus locations in Cleveland or Columbus. The accelerated weekend option is currently not available at the main campus.

Online Options Ashland University offers Online MBA Program options for either full-time or part-time students.

Students can choose from 10-plus specializations. Also, the 1 Year

Online MBA Program includes a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, so students can study anywhere and anytime.

Requirements for Admission Ashland University seeks wellrounded, academically prepared students. Applicants are required to provide both their academic and professional experiences for admission consideration.

After reviewing all application files, students may qualify for a GMAT/GRE waiver. A business undergraduate major is not required.

General Tuition/Fee Information For the 2018-19 academic year, tuition for the non-accelerated MBA program options is $815 per hour. The Accelerated 1 Year Programs are priced at an all-inclusive tuition of $33,900.

Accolades U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Online MBA Rankings placed Ashland University’s Online MBA as No. 5 in Ohio and No. 1 among Ohio private institutions. CEO Magazine’s 2019 Global MBA Rankings placed Ashland University’s Online MBA as No. 21 in the world.

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS The 1 Year International MBA Program includes two separate international study tours and students recently visited Paris.They toured world-leading companies, networked with business executives, discovered iconic landmarks and indulged in some of the city’s most delicious cuisine. Upcoming study tours are Barcelona in May, Athens in October, and Israel in November.

The benefit of a tour both at the beginning and at the end of the program is that students have a more comprehensive understanding of how their education can be applied to business. A May start date is available.

4/23/19 4:33 PM

ohio mBA GUIDE

Sponsored Content

April 29, 2019 S3

Baldwin Wallace University

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SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS 250 MBA students are enrolled in 2018-19.

HIGHLIGHTS

Class Locations Day, evening and Saturday classes are offered in Berea. Health care MBA classes, offered both in Berea and at Corporate College East, meet every other weekend.

Types of MBAs Available More than 6,500 Baldwin Wallace MBA graduates work and lead in Northeast Ohio. They serve many different organizations — from startups to Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits. They have benefited from a faculty composed of expert scholars and corporate executives who provide both business theory and real-world application. BW provides graduate business students opportunity for career advancement by building a foundation of theory, knowledge and know-how.

Through a systems management approach, MBA students develop strategic and tactical competencies for leadership and expertise in one of three specialty tracks: Management, Business Analytics or Human

MBA PROGRAM

Online Options The hybrid MBA allows busy professionals to complete a graduate degree in two years without weekly class attendance. Most work is done online, but students come to campus one weekend each semester.

Resources. BW’s Health Care MBA layers health care issues and applications on a systems management foundation. The Master of Accountancy integrates Becker CPA Review materials directly into the curriculum and is offered in full or part time.

Students can choose the pace and style of their studies with evening courses, online/hybrid courses, or a

combination of weeknight, weekend and online/hybrid courses. The university offers full-time programs for recent graduates. The One-Year MBA includes a two-week trip to China to study business and culture. The Master of Arts in Management, another yearlong program, is for students who studied the arts and sciences as an undergraduate. The

Requirements for Admission Interested students are encouraged to schedule a personal advising session.

They can apply online and are required to submit academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, a résumé, and GMAT or GRE scores. The test score requirement is waived if applicants

Beginning fall 2019, the Health Care MBA will offer increased access for working professionals through online synchronous learning tools. Using collaborative technology, students can attend the traditional seated class or participate in real time from a distance.

hold another graduate degree or have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better.

General Tuition/Fee Information Tuition varies by program. A limited number of scholarships, federal financial aid, a payment plan and/ or tuition reimbursement plan are available. More information is available at bw.edu/mba.

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2019 MBA Section-Crains.indd 3

analytics, human resources and more.

Learn how a graduate business degree from BW can develop your personal expertise, expand your network and accelerate your career at www.bw.edu/mba.

Baldwin Wallace does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, age, disability, national origin, gender or sexual orientation in the administration of any policies or programs.

4/23/19 4:34 PM

OHIO MBA GUIDE

S4 April 29, 2019

SPONSORED CONTENT

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

PRIVATE

Weatherhead School of Management Cleveland

●

216-368-2030

●

julie.dibiasio@case.edu

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Scholarship/Financial Aid Available

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS 95 full-time MBA students, 162 part-time MBA students and 75 Executive MBA students are enrolled in 2018-19.

Merit-based and travel scholarships are awarded for specific programs.

Financial aid is available through the Office of Financial Aid.

General Tuition/Fee Information

Types of MBAs Available The university offers full-time, parttime and Executive MBA programs, including an MBA track for health care professionals in affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic. Weatherhead also offers dual-degree master’s programs to enhance management expertise and leadership potential in a variety of sectors alongside the full-time MBA. Each format provides a cohort experience to maximize learning outcomes and build lasting relationships beyond transactional networking. At Weatherhead, great emphasis is placed on developing leaders to advance business and society.

Tuition for the full-time MBA class entering in the fall of 2019 is $42,450 per year for the two-year program.

Accolades Class Location The Weatherhead School of Management is located at the Peter B. Lewis Building on Case Western Reserve University’s campus in Cleveland’s historic University Circle neighborhood. The university is close to many museums, cultural institutions, restaurants, religious organizations and academic centers,

as well as the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.

Requirements for Admission Applicants should submit a completed online application form, two essays, a current résumé, transcripts, GMAT or GRE scores (part-time and full-time MBA applicants) and two references.

Distinguished alumni serve as executive leaders at organizations with national and global footprints, such as Amazon, Google, Federal Reserve Bank, Swagelok, McKinsey, Progressive, Deloitte, Boston Private Financial Holdings, Covia, KeyBank, Moen, Ernst & Young, Cleveland Clinic, Brand Muscle, Lyft, Goodyear and Delphi Technologies.

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS Weatherhead is home to many of the business concepts practiced around the world, including Appreciative Inquiry, Emotional Intelligence competencies, Manage by Designing and Intentional Change Theory. Students develop a practical understanding of blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning in Weatherhead’s MBA curriculum.

They can also participate in City Treks to influential areas such as Silicon Valley and Wall Street to connect with Fortune 500 companies, top business leaders and prominent alumni. Students apply learning through topical perspectives in health care, entrepreneurship, design and sustainability.

Propel Your Career Forward Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University listens to the needs of employers and builds curriculum designed for you to excel in the marketplace. Weatherhead alumni hold leadership roles at top companies including Google, Microsoft, Amazon and McKinsey.

Get the professional edge at Weatherhead: • Understand how Blockchain, Aritificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are impacting business.

• Join City Treks to New York, Chicago and Silicon Valley for networking and informational interviews.

• Experience design thinking, entrepreneurship practices and sustainability workshops.

Learn more at weatherhead.case.edu.

FULL-TIME MBA • PART-TIME MBA • EXECUTIVE MBA

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2019 MBA Section-Crains.indd 4

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OHIO MBA GUIDE

SPONSORED CONTENT

April 29, 2019 S5

CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY Monte Ahuja College of Business

PUBLIC

Cleveland

●

216-687-3730

●

mba@csuohio.edu

●

csuohio.edu/mba

admissions requirements can be found at csuohio.edu/graduate-admissions/ admission-requirements

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS The size is dependent upon the cohort/MBA program.

Scholarship/ Financial Aid Available The Monte Ahuja College of Business offers a number of scholarships for graduate students as well as graduate assistantships. Financial aid is offered through our main Financial Aid office.

Types of MBAs Available The Monte Ahuja College of Business offers a world-class MBA degree.

All of the university’s programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Accessible and affordable, MBA options are designed to accommodate a student’s work schedule and lifestyle. Options include: Executive MBA (19 months); Online Accelerated MBA (12 months); Health Care Administration MBA; full-time and part-time MBAs; the Juris Doctor — MBA program (with the Cleveland — Marshall College of Law); as well as the BBA 2 MBA program for recent alumni majoring in business from Cleveland State University or an AACSB-accredited College of Business.

General Tuition/Fee Information Class Location Classes are held on the Cleveland State University campus, conveniently located downtown next to Playhouse Square, and online.

Online Options The Cleveland State University Online Accelerated MBA program was one of the first AACSB-accredited, fully online programs within the U.S. Ideal for those for with a business

undergraduate degree, the program features all-inclusive tuition. In addition to the accelerated program, many graduate-level courses are offered online each semester.

Requirements for Admission Admission requirements are similar to that of the Graduate College at Cleveland State University. With the exception of the BBA 2 MBA program,

The all-inclusive tuition for the Executive MBA is $51,311 and includes an international study experience. The Online Accelerated program is $35,989. Tuition and fees for all other MBA programs can be found online at csuohio.edu/treasuryservices/tuition-and-fees/

Accolades The Online Accelerated MBA program is ranked No. 31 in the world by CEO Magazine. CEO Magazine ranked the

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS The program includes allinclusive tuition for the Executive and Online Accelerated MBA programs. The Health Care Administration MBA includes an experiential component of working within a health care setting. The Online Accelerated MBA program is completely online and one of the first AACSB-accredited online MBA programs within the U.S. MBA programs as Tier One for the second year in a row. The Monte Ahuja College of Business was recognized as one of the Best Business Colleges for Vets by Military Times. All MBA programs are accredited by AACSB. Less than 5% of the world’s business schools or colleges of business hold this accreditation. Join an amazing network. About 80% of traditional MBA alumni live and work in Northeast Ohio.

MONTE AHUJA COLLEGE of BUSINESS

At Cleveland State University we have an MBA to fit

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2019 MBA Section-Crains.indd 5

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4/23/19 4:35 PM

OHIO MBA GUIDE

S6 April 29, 2019

SPONSORED CONTENT

HEIDELBERG UNIVERSITY

PRIVATE

School of Business, Computer Science & Information Technology Tiffin

●

419-448-2280

●

klorann@heidelberg.edu

●

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Scholarship/Financial Aid Available

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS The MBA program averages over 50 students per semester.

Financial aid is available for qualified students.

General Tuition/Fee Information

Types of MBAs Available The Aris M. Kaplanis Master of Business Administration Program at Heidelberg University helps students develop knowledge and skills needed for general management.

The MBA program is designed to be completed in 24 months of parttime study or 12 months of fulltime study. Curriculum coursework includes 24 semester hours plus 12 elective curriculum hours. This program operates in an eightweek format, with six terms per year offered in an evening format designed to accommodate working professionals. Real world business projects, professional mentoring and internship opportunities are embedded in the program.

Tuition is $10,970 per semester, with about nine to 12 hours per semester, or $855 per credit hour.

Part-time is considered fewer than nine hours per semester.

Accolades

Class Location Located in Tiffin, this beautifully manicured campus provides a serene and safe location for late afternoon and evening classes.

Requirements for Admission College transcripts are required with a 2.7 minimum GPA. Deadline to apply for fall classes is June 1.

Accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the Heidelberg School of Business has additional programmatic business accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Heidelberg has also been continuously ranked among the “Best Universities — Master’s” category in the Midwest region by U.S. News & World Report.

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS The Heidelberg PlusOneAdvantage MBA offers a tuition-free fellowship to all qualified Heidelberg students. The fellowship provides an opportunity to add value to their undergraduate education by adding an accredited Master of Business Administration degree. Any student who completes a bachelor’s degree (in any major) at Heidelberg in four years with at least a 3.0 GPA will be eligible to stay and earn an MBA fellowship, tuition-free.

Business skills help all majors stand out and become more marketable in their own career path.

The Heidelberg MBA offers you valuable real-world experience, professional mentoring and networking, and unique internship opportunities.

PlusOneAdvantage® MBA Tuition-Free Fellowship Program Heidelberg students who receive their bachelor’s degree in any major can boost their marketability with an accredited MBA in one year.

Eligible students can receive a value-added MBA through our PlusOneAdvantage® fellowship program, tuition free. Build your business skills and stand out in your career path!

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2019 MBA Section-Crains.indd 6

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4/23/19 4:36 PM

OHIO MBA GUIDE

SPONSORED CONTENT

April 29, 2019 S7

JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY

PRIVATE

Boler College of Business University Heights

●

216-397-1970

●

gradbusiness@jcu.edu

●

boler.jcu.edu

minimum GPA of 2.8. The part-time MBA requires an additional two or more years of full-time professional work experience. Students who apply to the part-time program may request a GMAT/GRE waiver based on a variety of criteria. An admission interview may also be required. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request a GMAT or GRE score from any applicant.

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS 80 full-time students and 50 part-time students are enrolled in 2018-19.

Types of MBAs Available The university offers a part-time professional MBA and a full-time MBA. The part-time MBA is a twoyear cohort program that features live projects, team-taught core courses, a leadership sequence and exposure to leading Cleveland executives. The full-time MBA is structured for recent graduates, allowing students to complete an MBA in 12 months, dependent upon courses taken at the undergraduate level.

Class Locations Classes are held at the John Carroll University Boler College of Business in University Heights. Both programs

Scholarship/Financial Aid Available All students who apply to the Boler MBA programs are automatically considered for merit scholarships.

No separate application is required.

offer convenient evening options.

Online Options The university does not offer online MBA options.

Requirements for Admission Both program options require an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution with a

General Tuition/Fee Information The tuition rate is $930 per credit hour. The tuition for the 33-credit hour part-time program is $33,690.

The tuition for the 30-credit hour full-time MBA is $27,900.

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS Why a Jesuit MBA? Ask yourself — am I pursuing an MBA degree to boost my salary or to inspire my life? Backed by a 500-yearold Jesuit tradition, a Boler MBA asks every student, regardless of faith, to gain a 360-degree view of people, markets and resources, and to embrace an “eyes-wide-open” encounter with the world.

As a Boler graduate, you will connect business to human needs and opportunities. You will drive meaningful innovation and create just and sustainable value. You will imagine a world for everyone and live a larger life.

Find Purpose in a Community of Difference Makers We welcome you to a business college grounded in the philosophy that good people are good for business. Every business decision today comes with the added weight of making not just the legal or even ethical choice, but the right one for wide-ranging stakeholders.

Our part-time professional MBA and full-time MBA programs prepare business leaders who are able to create new and sustainable value.

Learn more at go.jcu.edu/crainsmba

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

2019 MBA Section-Crains.indd 7

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OHIO MBA GUIDE

S8 April 29, 2019

SPONSORED CONTENT

KENT STATE UNIVERSITY

PUBLIC

College Of Business Administration Kent

●

330-672-2282

●

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kent.edu/business/masters

per credit hour in-state, or $5,768 per semester, and $979 per credit hour out-of-state or $10,762 per semester, plus a $1,200 special fee for the program. The Online MBA is $830 per credit hour, or just under $30,000 for the program for all students. The Executive MBA is $43,900, which includes tuition, residency program, 10-day international business experience, meals and refreshments, parking, professional development and career coaching.

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS 32 on-campus MBA students are enrolled in the program in 201819, as well as 57 in the Online MBA and 31 in the Executive MBA.

Types of MBAs Available Kent State offers an on-campus MBA, a Full- or Part-Time Online MBA and an Executive MBA. Dual-degree programs are available in Architecture, Nursing, Library Science, Translation and Communication.

Class Location Kent Campus and online.

Online Options Business Analytics is a new concentration available in fall 2019 (a subset of courses in the Online MS in Business Analytics program).

Other concentrations include International Business and Supply Chain Management.

Requirements for Admission

Scholarship/Financial Aid Available

On-campus and Online MBA programs do not require work experience; the EMBA program requires at least seven years of work experience. Application requirements include: online application, résumé, transcripts, GMAT or GRE scores, statement of goals and letters of recommendation. The GMAT/GRE is typically waived for EMBA applicants.

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available for the on-campus program. Limited tuition scholarships are available for fulltime and EMBA students.

General Tuition/Fee Information The cost to students breaks down as follows: The on-campus MBA is $525

Accolades The Online MBA program is ranked among the top 100 programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Online MBA Programs list. The College of Business Administration is among less than 1% of business schools worldwide to have Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International accreditation for business and accounting. Other rankings include Princeton Review as a Best Business School and 2019 CEO

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS Ideal for working professionals, the Online MBA is a modular, self-paced program, with admission any semester.

Online courses are innovative, engaging and accessible, and many are Quality Matters certified. The on-campus MBA will offer a new concentration in Human Resource Management beginning in fall 2019. The EMBA program meets on campus one weekend a month, supplemented with engaging online content. The summer session is 100% online.

Magazine’s No. 15 ranking of the EMBA and No. 31 for the Online MBA, as well as a Tier 1 global ranking for the on-campus MBA.

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nize g o c e R y l bal ked • Glo

ns o i s s e S n o ati m r o f n I A nd New MB a l e v e l C n s n o Downtow i s s e s o f s/in s e n i s u b / kent.edu

Ran y l l a n o i t Na

EXECUTIVE MBA ONLINE MBA • Top 100 program

ON CAMPUS MBA • Accelerated program, complete in 12-15 months • All majors accepted • No work experience required • Study abroad options available

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• Ideal for working professionals – modular, start any semester • Work experience is not required, all majors welcome • Finish in 12 months (full-time) or 24 months (part-time)

• Once monthly class meetings on campus, supplemented by engaging online content • GMAT typically waived • International Business Experience includes travel and a global consulting project • Minimum 7 years work experience

New Fall 2019 Business Analytics MBA Concentration

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LAKE ERIE COLLEGE

PRIVATE

School of Business Painesville

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS 165 MBA students are enrolled in 2018-19.

Types of MBAs Available Lake Erie College offers a Professional MBA, an Online MBA and an Accelerated MBA. The Professional MBA program is designed for students with current or previous work experience, and classes are held on weekday evenings east of Cleveland in Lake County and the west side of Cleveland in Lorain. The MBA program is also offered 100% online, allowing greater flexibility of scheduling for current and prospective students. The Accelerated MBA requires significant professional work experience and strong academic records. Admitted students may be able to earn the MBA degree in as little as one year by combining online and evening coursework.

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440-375-7075

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mba@lec.edu

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lec.edu/parkermba

also submit a current résumé and a personal statement of up to 500 words (topics found online with application).

Class Locations To accommodate the need for the latest technology, flexibility and convenience of educational opportunities, Lake Erie College’s MBA classes are offered at two convenient locations.

The east side location is at Holden University Center of Lakeland Community College in Kirtland.

The west side location is at the University Center Building at Lorain County Community College in Lorain. Classes are small and are taught by qualified faculty individuals with substantial management experience as well as advanced academic credentials.

Online Options Lake Erie College offers the MBA program 100% online. Students in the Professional or Accelerated MBA may also supplement their face-toface courses with online courses as desired. Students who begin in the online program can supplement their

Scholarship/Financial Aid Available Students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may be eligible for graduate student loan programs. Lake Erie College’s FAFSA Code is 003066. coursework with face-to-face classes on weekday evenings.

General Tuition/Fee Information

Requirements for Admission

Lake Erie College Parker MBA tuition and fees for the 2019-2020 academic year are $698 per credit hour. The program requires 36 total credit hours which consists of nine required courses and three elective courses.

Students may be admitted and begin the MBA program during summer, fall or spring semester. Criteria for admission to the LEC’s MBA program includes a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university, submission of official transcripts and a completed MBA application available at lec.edu/ admissions/graduate. Applicants must

Accolades The Parker MBA program is accredited by the International Assembly for College Business Education. The IACBE has grown into the leading outcomesbased professional accreditation

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS Lake Erie College’s partnerships with Lakeland Community College and Lorain County Community College allow LEC to offer small class sizes and convenient location.

The ability to complete the program 100% online or to supplement online classes with face-to-face courses allows for maximum flexibility and customization by the student.

Informational sessions are held throughout the year. Register today to find out how to achieve Your MBA, Your Way. Visit lec.edu/mba-information-night for more information. agency for business and management education in colleges and universities whose primary purpose is excellence in teaching and learning.

Open the door to more... More opportunities for career advancement, more options for specialization, more knowledge and 100% online options to set yourself apart from the crowd – these are just a few of the deliverables of an MBA from Lake Erie College.

Discover the Possibilities | MBA Info Sessions Offering Two Convenient Locations Lorain Community College University Center - Tuesday, June 18th at 6:00 p.m., Room 209 Lakeland Holden University Center - Wednesday, June 19th at 6:00 p.m.

holden university center

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The Ohio State University

public

Max M. Fisher College of Business Columbus

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS 184 full-time MBA students and 358 part-time MBA students are enrolled in 2018-19.

Types of MBAs Available The MBA provides flexibility through top-ranked program offerings.

Programs include a full-time MBA, MBA for Working Professionals (evening and/or weekend), dual degrees and Executive MBA.

Class Location The university is located in Columbus, the largest and fastestgrowing city in Ohio, where historic neighborhoods intersect with vibrant fashion, music and entertainment scenes. It’s a center for technology, health care, global enterprises and business incubators, with a diversity of lifestyles and opportunities.

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614-292-8511

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mba@fisher.osu.edu

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fisher.osu.edu/graduate

Fisher offers generous grants, scholarships and assistantships to the most deserving students. Instate tuition opportunities are available for qualified students, including Forever Buckeye, Ohio GI Promise and more.

Requirements for Admission The MBA Admissions Committee looks for well-rounded students.

Individuals who have had diverse and stimulating life experiences that will add value to their classmates and to the Fisher community in meaningful ways are of particular interest. Applicants must submit an online application, transcript(s), GRE or GMAT scores (GMAT/GRE waiver available for parttime MBA program), written essay, a résumé, video interview and letters of recommendation (optional for full-time MBA). Fisher strongly prefers applicants with prior work experience and/or proven leadership ability.

assistant positions, academic awards, professional development grants, entrepreneurship scholarships, diversity scholarships, National Black MBA Association scholarships, international scholarships, military/veteran scholarships, dean’s scholarships for alumnus/alumna and geographic/ buckeye border state scholarships.

Scholarship/Financial Aid Available

General Tuition/Fee Information

Financial assistance available includes fellowships, graduate

Ohio State’s tuition and fees are consistently the lowest in the Big Ten.

Accolades Fisher College of Business is among those topranked MBA programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. U.S. News & World Report ranks the full-time MBA program No. 31 and the part-time MBA for Working Professionals No. 14 in the nation. Fisher also is a proud partner of the Forté Foundation, NBMBAA, Prospanica, GMAC (Military Friendly School), Reaching Out MBA and more. MBA students also benefit from the large Fisher alumni network.

There are currently 76,000-plus Fisher alumni living in 104 countries and 500,000-plus Ohio State alumni.

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS The Individualized MBA with Global Experiences enables Fisher MBA students to personalize their curriculum with advice and coaching from a dedicated team of Fisher staff. Students can chart a path toward their unique career goals through 10 optional majors or an extensive array of elective courses at Fisher and across The Ohio State University. Experiential learning and leadership are at the heart of every Fisher MBA. Our exclusive Global Applied Projects (GAP) and Global Business Expeditions (GBE) put classroom theories into action in compelling international locations. Students face real-life consulting initiatives with organizations facing real challenges in the corporate, nonprofit and governmental sectors.

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The University of Akron

public

College of Business Administration Akron

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330-972-7043

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gradcba@uakron.edu

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uakron.edu/cba/graduate/programs/

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS

175 students are enrolled in 2019-20.

An executive coaching program for MBA students is being implemented as part of the College of Business Administration’s new Professional Development Center opening in the fall 2019. The initiative connects students with executive mentors for leadership development and networking to support career advancement.

Types of MBAs Available The University of Akron College of Business Administration offers a flexible MBA with part-time and full-time options, including a two-year Saturday-only program.

Concentrations are available in areas that include Management, Strategic Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Risk Management and Insurance, as well as Interdisciplinary, which allows students to customize coursework. online. All core MBA courses are offered online. Other concentrations and Saturday MBA are in-person only.

exam, two reference letters, résumé, statement of purpose and transcripts from all programs attended.

Online Options

Requirements for Admission

Scholarship/Financial Aid Available

The MBA with Interdisciplinary concentration may be completed 100%

An online graduate application, acceptable GMAT, GRE or LSAT

Student loans and limited scholarships are available.

Class Location Courses are held at UA’s main campus in Akron and online.

General Tuition/Fee Information The tuition for the flexible MBA program is $462 per credit hour plus fees for in-state students and $768 per credit hour plus fees for out-of-state students. The Saturday MBA is $33,000. Total credits for

program ranges from 36 to 51.

Accolades The College of Business Administration at The University of Akron is accredited in both business and accounting by AACSB International — placing it among the top 5% of business schools worldwide.

GET YOUR MBA. KEEP YOUR LIFESTYLE.

Earn a fully accredited degree designed specifically for working professionals.

To register for an information session visit gradbusiness.uakron.edu.

Our MBA program is nationally ranked, flexible and the best value in northeast Ohio.

Outstanding faculty, small class sizes and an extensive alumni network with more than 270 corporate partners is how we empower students to become career ready and connected.

We offer evening classes in-person, online or every other Saturday at UA’s main campus to help our students advance professionally without having to give up their career. Specializations are available in Management, Strategic Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Risk Management and Insurance, as well as Interdisciplinary – which allows students to customize coursework.

The College of Business Administration at The University of Akron is accredited in both business and accounting by AACSB International – placing it among the top 5% of business schools worldwide.

The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution - uakron.edu/eeo

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Sponsored Content

URSULINE COLLEGE Pepper Pike

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440-720-3864

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msteele@ursuline.edu

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ursuline.edu/mba

are listed at ursuline. edu/mba.

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS

Scholarship/ Financial Aid Available

34 students are enrolled in 2018-19.

The College accepts tuition reimbursement from companies and accepts deferred payment until 30 days after the end of the semester.

Types of MBAs Available At Ursuline College, students may focus their MBA on any of these areas: Management, Financial Planning and Accounting, Entrepreneurial Leadership or Health Services Management. For those who prefer an accelerated format, the program can be completed in as little as a year. The flexible and accelerated options make Ursuline’s MBA a good fit for busy professionals.

Class Location The college’s peaceful, green and welcoming campus in Pepper Pike is conducive to blocking out the concerns of the work day and focusing intently on coursework.

However, for those who prefer,

General Tuition/ Fee Information Tuition is $903 per credit hour.

Accolades Ursuline offers MBA courses online and in a hybrid online/on campus format.

Requirements for Admission Ursuline MBA students must have

earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and must bring at least two years of managerial experience to the program. In addition to their application and college transcript, each student submits three recommendations and a résumé.

Additional admission requirements

Ursuline’s MBA program is approved by the Ohio Board of Regents and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The program is also accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education.

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS The Master of Business Administration program at Ursuline College prepares students to be socially responsible managers and leaders with strong ethical, values-based perspectives. Ursuline MBA graduates are empowered with the knowledge, skills and values to help organizations make a transformational difference in the community and in the global business environment. Ursuline’s holistic approach to MBA education provides each student three personal career-coaching sessions with a faculty member and adviser evenly spaced throughout the program. These sessions focus on career goals and on determining purpose, passion, curiosity and future intentions, not only within the student’s career, but in life.

It’s your turn to lead.

Earn your MBA at Ursuline College.

The Master of Business Administration program at Ursuline College will prepare you to be a socially responsible leader with a strong ethical, values-based perspective. At Ursuline, you will earn a respected graduate degree that will accelerate your success and allow you to make a meaningful impact on your world.

ursuline.edu/grad

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Youngstown State University

public

Williamson College of Business Administration Youngstown

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330-941-3069

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mba@ysu.edu

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mba.ysu.edu

admission (waiver applications are evaluated based on a combination of professional experience and undergraduate GPA). To apply online for graduate admission, visit ysu.edu/ gradcollege.

Application requirements include application fee, résumé, letter of intent, official transcripts and GMAT/GRE (or apply for waiver).

SIZE OF MBA PROGRAMS 150 MBA students are enrolled in 2018-19.

Types of MBAs Available The MBA program at Youngstown State University is designed to meet the needs of working professionals.

We create value through instilling knowledge that enables students to succeed not only in the classroom, but more importantly, in their current responsibilities, workplace and beyond. Students can earn their MBA in fewer than two years. This is facilitated by the program’s unique design. Each of the 20 courses (40 credits total) is delivered in a business-friendly, concentrated format over eight weeks.

Class Location Students can earn their MBA on campus in Youngstown or entirely online.

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Online Options The MBA program can be completed fully online. Led by full-time faculty or professionals with extensive business experience, our courses provide students access to those with the experience and insights to help them succeed, wherever they may be.

Requirements for Admission

Scholarship/ Financial Aid Available

GMAT/GRE waivers are available. Our admission values the experience of working professionals. Individuals with full-time, professional experience can apply for a GMAT waiver for

Scholarships totaling $3,000 to $6,000 are awarded to those with outstanding undergraduate performance (GPA of 3.5 or above).

The scholarship is between $500 and $1,000 per semester, and is

MBA PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS Students can earn their MBA in fewer than two years. This is facilitated by the program’s unique design. Each of the 20 courses (40 credits total) is delivered in a businessfriendly, concentrated format over eight weeks.

renewable for up to six consecutive semesters, provided student maintains a 3.0 graduate GPA and completes a minimum of six semester hours of graduate courses each semester.

Accolades The Williamson MBA program is accredited by AACSB — the mark of excellence that less than 5% of all business schools worldwide have earned.

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MBADirectory

OHIO

PRIVATE

Ashland University Dauch College of Business & Economics Ashland 419-289-5214 mba.ashland.edu

MBA Program Highlights: Part time or full time in evening, weekend, online or hybrid format. One-year accelerated MBA with Saturday-only classes and two separate international study tours available. Concentrations are available in 11 areas, including Accounting, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Global Management, Management Information Systems and Sport Management.

Class Locations: Ashland, Independence or Columbus. The accelerated weekend option is only available in Columbus and Independence.

Online: The online MBA can be completed in one year. Part-time students typically complete the program within two years.

PRIVATE Bluffton University Bluffton 419-358-3000 bluffton.edu/mba

MBA Program Highlights: The Leadership MBA is offered in an accelerated 12- or 24-month format with concentrations in Accounting and Financial Management and Health Care Management. The Collaborative MBA is a 22-month program that focuses on accounting and management and includes weekly live video conference classes; two, one-week residencies; and an international study trip.

Class Locations: Video conferenced classes are one night a week for the Leadership MBA (two nights a week for the 12-month program) and video conferenced classes are one night a week for the Collaborative MBA. Online: Video conferenced classes are one night a week for the Leadership MBA (two nights a week for the 12-month program) and video conferenced classes are one night a week for the Collaborative MBA.

PUBLIC

fits your life, family and career. Apply your learning at work. Courses are offered each term so you can progress quickly or take a break and pick up where you left off.

Class Locations: Bexley. Some classes may be offered at Capital University’s Law School in Columbus.

Online: None.

PRIVATE

Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management

MBA Program Highlights: Full-time, parttime and Executive MBA, including an MBA track for health care professionals, in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic.

The university also offers eight specialty master’s programs and nine dual-degree master’s programs.

Class Location: Cleveland.

Online: None.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S2

PRIVATE

Bowling Green 419-372-2488 bgsu.edu/business/students/futurestudents/graduate-programs/mba.html

Baldwin Wallace UNIVERSITY School of Business Berea 440-826-2191 bw.edu/mba

MBA Program Highlights: Flexible weeknight, weekend and hybrid format available. Programs include Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Health Care, Human Resources and Management. A fulltime, one-year MBA for recent business graduates and a one-year Master’s in Management for recent liberal arts grads are available. A Master of Accountancy, which includes Becker CPA prep, is offered full or part time.

Class Locations: Berea. Health Care MBA courses are also offered at Corporate College East in Warrensville Heights.

Online: The management MBA is offered in a top-ranked hybrid format.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S3

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MBA Program Highlights: Concentrations are available in Accounting, Finance and Supply Chain Management. Students also may develop their own customized areas of emphasis by selecting elective courses from the graduate catalog. The university also offers an Executive MBA and a Professional MBA. Class Locations: Main campus in Bowling Green and off-campus classrooms in Perrysburg and Findlay.

Online: None.

PRIVATE Capital University School of Management & Leadership Columbus 614-236-6996 capital.edu/mba/

MBA Program Highlights: Capital’s MBA program is highly respected and designed specifically for working professionals. Finish in as few as two years, or work at a pace that

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S5

PRIVATE

Cleveland 216-368-2030 weatherhead.case.edu/degrees

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S4

Bowling Green State University College of Business Administration

MBA Program Highlights: Executive MBA (19 months), Online Accelerated MBA (12 months), Health Care Administration MBA, full-time and part-time MBAs available as well as the BBA 2 MBA program for recent alumni majoring in business from Cleveland State University or an AACSB-accredited College of Business.

Class Location: Cleveland and online.

Online: Online Accelerated MBA program available. Many of the courses in the fullor part-time MBA are also offered online.

Defiance College

Defiance 419-783-2359 defiance.edu/graduate-programs/mbahome.html MBA Program Highlights: General MBA. Class Location: Defiance.

Online: Some courses are available online.

FOR PROFIT

PRIVATE DeVry University Cedarville University School of Business Administration Cedarville 937-766-8000 cedarville.edu/MBA

MBA Program Highlights: Students can earn a general MBA or an MBA with concentrations in Business Analytics, Cybersecurity, Health Care Administration, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Operations Management as well as dual PharmD/MBA (pharmacy).

Graduate certificates are available in Cybersecurity Management, Health Care Administration and Operations Management.

Class Location: Online only.

Online: Yes.

Keller Graduate School of Management 216-328-8754 keller.edu/graduate-degree-programs/mbaprogram.html MBA Program Highlights: Concentrations in Accounting; Business Intelligence and Analytics Management; Entrepreneurship; Finance; General Management; Global Supply Chain Management; Health Services; Human Resources; Information Systems Management; Marketing; and Project Management.

Class Location: Seven Hills.

Online: Online MBA program is available.

PRIVATE

PUBLIC

Cleveland State University Monte Ahuja College of Business Cleveland 216-687-3730 csuohio.edu/mba

Franciscan University of Steubenville Steubenville 800-783-6220 franciscan.edu/MBA

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MBA Program Highlights: Franciscan University of Steubenville offers a 100% online MBA. The program prepares Catholic business people for leadership and focuses on the application of functional business knowledge, problem-solving skills, and decision-making techniques essential to effective management.

Online: The MBA program is available online.

PRIVATE

MBA Program Highlights: A parttime MBA for working professionals and a full-time MBA for recent college graduates are offered.

Class Location: University Heights.

Online: The university does not offer online MBA options.

FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE, S7

April 29, 2019 S15

senior corporate executives at Fortune 500 companies or are entrepreneurs.

Class Locations: Main campus in Sylvania and onsite at The Andersons in Maumee.

Online: Complete the program 100% online or in hybrid or face-to-face format.

PRIVATE

Malone University School of Business and Leadership

Franklin University

MBA Program Highlights: The MBA can be completed in 14 months online.

Class Locations: Downtown Columbus, Dublin and Urbana locations and online.

Online: The full program is available online.

PRIVATE

Heidelberg University School of Business

Tiffin 419-448-2280 heidelberg.edu/MBA MBA Program Highlights: Programs operate in an eight-week term format, with six terms offered during the year.

The PlusOneAdvantage Free MBA Program is available for all Heidelberg undergraduates.

Class Location: Tiffin Online: No. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S6

PRIVATE

Indiana Wesleyan University DeVoe School of Business

Independence 866-498-4968 indwes.edu/adult-graduate/programs/mba/ MBA Program Highlights: The options available include MBA, Associate to MBA, Healthcare Administration, Personal Financial Planning, Project Management, School Administration and MSN to MBA. Class Location: Independence.

Online: Online options are available.

PRIVATE

John Carroll University Boler College of Business University Heights 216-397-1970 boler.jcu.edu

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MBA Program Highlights: Concentrations in Finance, Human Resource Management, Health Care Administration, Ministry Leadership and Organizational Management.

Class Locations: Online or in a hybrid format in Mount Vernon or New Albany.

Online: The program is offered fully online.

PRIVATE

PUBLIC Columbus 877-341-6300 franklin.edu/degrees/masters/mba

mvnu.edu/gps/graduateprograms/ masterofbusinessadministration

Kent State University College of Business Administration Kent 330-672-2282 kent.edu/business/masters

MBA Program Highlights: Full-time oncampus MBA, Online MBA and Executive MBA. Dual-degree MBA options are available in Architecture, Nursing, Library Science, Translation and Communication.

Class Location: Kent and online.

Online: Business Analytics, International Business and Supply Chain Management are optional concentrations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S8

Canton 330-471-8500 malone.edu/mba

MBA Program Highlights: The program is offered online in 20 months, in the classroom in 24 months or hybrid in 12 months. The campus-based courses are offered one night a week, with classes of 15 to 20 students. Students may choose how they would like to pace the program and will be given a personalized program of study to guide them through the program.

Class Location: Canton, online and hybrid.

Online: The MBA can be completed in 20 months online and is also offered in a hybrid format.

PUBLIC

Ohio Christian University Circleville 877-762-8669 ohiochristian.edu/mba

MBA Program Highlights: Concentrations in Accounting, Digital Marketing, Finance, Health Care Management, Human Resources and Organizational Leadership. Flexible formats available.

Class Location: Circleville.

Online: The program is available online or in a hybrid format.

PRIVATE

PRIVATE Ohio Dominican University Lake Erie College School of Business Painesville 440-375-7075 lec.edu/parkermba

MBA Program Highlights: Professional MBA, Accelerated MBA and an Online MBA. Optional concentrations are available.

Class Locations: Lakeland Community College’s Holden Center in Kirtland and Lorain County Community College’s University Center Building in Lorain.

Online: The MBA is available 100% online.

Miami University Farmer School of Business West Chester 513-895-8876 miamioh.edu/fsb/mba/

MBA Program Highlights: The program can be completed in two years. The accelerated format includes extended evening classes, with classes held twice a week.

Class Location: West Chester.

Online: None.

PRIVATE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S9

PRIVATE

Mount St. Joseph University

Lourdes University College of Business and Leadership

MBA Program Highlights: The Saturday MBA for Working Professionals is completed in two years with taking one class at a time on Saturday mornings. The 4+1 MBA is available to full-time undergraduate students.

Class Location: Cincinnati.

Online: None.

Sylvania 419-517-8929 lourdes.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions/ master-of-business-administration-mba/ MBA Program Highlights: Lourdes University’s Master of Business Administration offers contemporary curriculum that prepares graduates for leadership positions. The accredited program is taught by faculty members with real-life experience who have served as

Cincinnati 513-244-4807 msj.edu/mba

PRIVATE Mount Vernon Nazarene University

Mount Vernon, New Albany, Mansfield and Newark 800-839-2355

Columbus 614-251-4615 ohiodominican.edu/MBA

MBA Program Highlights: Concentrations available in Data Analytics, Risk Management, Finance, Accounting, Leadership and Sport Management. ODU’s MBA program stresses ethical leadership and strategic agility to prepare you for leadership positions in a wide variety of agencies, organizations and corporations.

Class Location: The program can be completed entirely online, on campus, or a combination of both formats. The MBA can be completed in as few as 16 months.

Online: The program can be completed 100% online.

PUBLIC The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business Columbus 614-292-8511 fisher.osu.edu/graduate

MBA Program Highlights: Full-time MBA, part-time MBA (evening and/or weekend), dual degrees and Executive MBA. Fisher MBA students personalize their curriculum with advice and coaching from a dedicated team of Fisher staff. Chart a path toward your unique career goals through 10 optional majors, or an extensive array of elective courses at Fisher and across The Ohio State University.

Class Location: Main campus in Columbus.

Online: None.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S10

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PUBLIC

Finance, Management, Supply Chain, Risk Management and Insurance, and an Interdisciplinary concentration that allows students to customize coursework.

Class Locations: Akron.

Online: MBA with Interdisciplinary concentration may be completed 100% online. All core MBA courses offered online. Other concentrations and Saturday MBA are in-person only.

Ohio University College of Business

Athens 740-593-2053 or 800-622-3124 business.ohio.edu/pmba MBA Program Highlights: Ohio University’s Professional MBA is a part-time, two-year program.

Concentrations are available in Accounting, Business Analytics, Business Venturing, Executive Management, Finance, Health Care, Operations and Supply Chain Management, and Strategic Selling & Sales Leadership.

Online: The curriculum is delivered in a flexible hybrid format — a blend of virtual learning and once-monthly Saturday residencies in Dublin.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S11

PUBLIC

Cincinnati 513-556-7020 business.uc.edu/mba.html

Otterbein University Westerville 614-823-1096 otterbein.edu/mba

MBA Program Highlights: Part-time and full-time programs, and evening classes available. Focus areas offered in Financial Economics, Health Care Administration and Actuarial Science. For more information, contact jharchalk@otterbein.edu.

Class Location: Westerville.

Online: None.

Lima 419-998-3120 unoh.edu/academics/graduate-college/mba.html

North Canton 330-490-7586 walsh.edu/mba-program or walsh.edu/emba

MBA Program Highlights: The program offers small, interactive classes online and completed in 18 months. Starting in fall 2019, concentrations will be offered in Accounting, Health Care, Marketing, Data Analytics and Logistics.

Online: The program is available online.

MBA Program Highlights: Specialties in Management, Health Care Management and Marketing.

Executive MBA Program Highlights: Specialties in Management and Health Care Management.

Class Location: North Canton.

Online: The program is offered online or in a hybrid format.

PUBLIC

University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation Toledo 419-530-5680 utoledo.edu/business/graduate/

PRIVATE

PRIVATE

Dayton 937-229-3733 udayton.edu/business/academics/graduate/ master_of_business_administration/index.php

Tiffin 800-968-6446 go.tiffin.edu

MBA Program Highlights: Concentrations available including Finance, Health Care Administration, Human Resource Management, Leadership, International Business, Sports Management and Data Analytics.

Class Location: Tiffin.

Online: Online options available.

MBA Program Highlights: University of Akron offers a flexible MBA with full- and part-time options, as well as a two-year Saturday MBA program. Concentrations are available in Strategic Marketing,

Walsh University DeVille School of Business

Urbana University

Tiffin University

Akron 330-972-7043 uakron.edu/cba/graduate/programs/

University of Northwestern Ohio

MBA Program Highlights: The program offers an accelerated 12-month Executive MBA, and a Professional MBA in which students can take classes at their own pace in a variety of formats with multiple specializations.

Class Location: Toledo.

Online: The professional MBA offers various courses both in class as well as online.

Certain courses also utilize a hybrid format.

University of Dayton School of Business Administration

University of Akron College of Business Administration

PRIVATE

MBA Program Highlights: Full time, part time and online. The MBA can be customized with one of more than 20 different specializations. Specialization options include Marketing, Finance, Data Analytics, Entrepreneurship and Health Care.

Class Locations: University of Cincinnati’s Main Uptown Campus and Blue Ash, Ohio, campus.

Online: The online MBA is 100% online and can be completed in as few as 12 months.

PRIVATE

PUBLIC

PRIVATE

PUBLIC University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business

PRIVATE

Sponsored Content

MBA Program Highlights: Concentrations available in Marketing, Finance and Cybersecurity. The program offers JD/MBA, flexible programs and scheduling, and night and online courses.

Class Location: Dayton. The LexisNexis Park is for LexisNexis cohorted students only. Cybersecurity courses are held on the main campus.

Online: The MBA@Dayton and the Advanced Standing MBA are both delivered online.

The Advanced Standing MBA is available for individuals with significant work experience in the field.

PRIVATE University of Findlay College of Business Findlay 800-472-9502 findlay.edu/business/mba/

MBA Program Highlights: Day, evening and online classes available.

Class Location: Main campus in Findlay.

Online: Online classes are available.

937-772-9239 urbana.edu/academics/masters-degrees/ mba-emphasis-healthcare MBA Program Highlights: Urbana’s MBA with an emphasis in health care integrates the functional areas of business with issues specific to health care administration. In this unique online program, you’ll build your knowledge of health care strategy and planning, operations, finance, accounting, economics and global insurance models to position you for management and leadership in today’s dynamic health care environment.

Online: The program is offered online.

PRIVATE

Wright State University Raj Soin College of Business Dayton 937-775-2437 wright.edu/mba

MBA Program Highlights: Part-time evening programs and online programs are available.

Concentrations offered in 10 fields, including Economics, Finance, Health Care Management, International Business, Management, Marketing and New Venture Creation.

Class Locations: Dayton and Lake campuses.

Online: All core classes are offered online every semester, and at least three of the concentration courses are offered online each term. You can complete the MBA program completely online.

PRIVATE Xavier University Williams College of Business

Cincinnati 513-745-4800 xavier.edu/master-of-business-administration/ MBA Program Highlights: Full-time, evening, off-site, Executive MBA and online.

Concentrations in Business Intelligence, Finance, Innovation/Change/Entrepreneurship, International Business, Marketing, Pricing Strategy and Supply Chain Management.

Class Locations: Cincinnati or West Chester.

Online: The program is available online.

PUBLIC Ursuline College Pepper Pike 440-720-3864 ursuline.edu/mba

Youngstown State University Williamson College of Business Administration

MBA Program Highlights: Accelerated five- and eight-week sessions, hybrid and online classes offered. The program can be completed in as little as a year. MBA concentrations are available in Financial Planning & Accounting, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Management and Health Services Management. Courses are taught by expert faculty and experienced professionals.

Class Location: Pepper Pike.

Online: Some courses are available online.

MBA Program Highlights: Evening classes, and flexible and accelerated formats available.

Class Location: Main campus in Youngstown.

Online: The MBA program is available online.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S12

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE S13

Youngstown 330-941-3069 mba.ysu.edu

Schools in the directory are those with a physical presence in Ohio and that verified the information upon request from Crain Content Studio-Cleveland.

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

2019 MBA Section-Crains.indd 16

Project editor Kathy Carr

Graphic designer Lisa Griffis

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

4/23/19 4:42 PM

Growth by Design

CONTENT SPONSORED BY

Missed a month? Catch up on this series at CrainsCleveland.com/TeamNEO

Next month: A behind-the-scenes look at the region’s business recruitment efforts

The evolution of economic development FIELD IS STRATEGIC VS. TRANSACTIONAL, FOCUSING ON TALENT, SITES, INNOVATION AND DIVERSIFICATION

By ANNIE ZALESKI

AT THE FOREFRONT OF CHANGE

CRAIN CONTENT STUDIO-CLEVELAND

In September 2017, the home improvement company Universal Windows Direct announced it would build a new headquarters in Bedford Heights, on the site of a former hotel that had been vacant since a 2009 fire. Closing this development deal involved multiple stakeholders at the local, regional and state level.

Team NEO leveraged its expertise in identifying and promoting sites with business-friendly locations and amenities, along with its existing relationships to communities such as Bedford Heights. Meanwhile, JobsOhio, Cuyahoga County, the Cuyahoga Land Bank and the Greater Cleveland Partnership worked in tandem to close a $1 million funding gap needed to demolish the existing building and clear the way for a new structure.

Today, the Universal Windows Direct headquarters is finished and the company is thriving. “Everyone was on the same page trying to find a solution to get this site to work for the company,” said Stephanie Mercado, a partner at the law firm of Kohrman Jackson & Krantz who formerly was the senior director of project management at Team NEO. This Universal Windows story represents the sophistication evident in today’s economic development. The field first rose to prominence in the 1980s, after local governments started to see the importance of providing support to job-creating companies. At first, economic development was more focused on ensuring that existing businesses had enough resources and assistance, said Tracey Nichols, former longtime economic development director for the city of Cleveland who now is the director of financial services at Project Management Consultants.

Economic development as a whole has transitioned from being a field filled with generalists to one that necessitates more strategic and specialized leaders creating unique solutions to problems. “You’re trying to create a team with a multitude of different backgrounds,” Nichols said.

That complexity is something Patrick Kelly, director of economic development at FirstEnergy, also has observed over the last few decades. “Our work is not as transactional as it was when I first started,” he said. “The challenges to compete in a global environment take a diverse set of thought leaders.”

THE MORE THE BETTER To that end, local economic development organizations such as Team NEO possess a broad expertise and skill set, while working in partnership with local and county governments, as well as companies, higher education institutions and funders.

“Economic development is a team sport, and the more talented and smart the participants, and the more financial support and involvement of diverse groups, the better the effort,” Kelly said. “The philanthropic community brings a thoughtful perspective and funding. Entrepreneurs look at the world differently than large corporations. The public sector, higher education and workforce development agencies bring their own unique views and resources. The collective, diverse brain trust contributions make us a stronger region.”

Business attraction, retention and innovation all are vital elements in the region’s approach to economic development. “We all work in a strategic, active, supportive way to come up with the right answer, the right solution, making a strategic business case to encourage new investment here, or to help a company that’s already here commit to additional investment,” said Team NEO’s CEO Bill Koehler.

Having this strategic mindset ensures that “communities work better together,” he added, making the region more

A

s economic development has transformed, leaders in the field have had to be nimble and innovative in advancing Northeast Ohio.

Tracey Nichols, Pat Kelly and Dr. Jay Gershen all have been champions in promoting the field of economic development — and, more importantly, the region.

As such, Nichols, Kelly and Gershen will be honored as part of Team NEO’s NEO Rising celebration, which will be from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 2 at Embassy Suites, Independence.

Nichols recently joined Project Management Consultants after serving nearly nine years as director of economic development for Mayor Frank Jackson. During her tenure, Nichols led her team to complete almost 900 projects, representing nearly $3 billion in investment in the city of Cleveland and creating and retaining more than 27,000 jobs.

As FirstEnergy’s director of economic development, Kelly leads development activity across the company’s Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia and Maryland service territory. He plans and implements the corporate economic development strategy by building relationships with economic development organizations at the national, state and regional levels.

Gershen — who is retiring in September nearly 10 years after his appointment as president of the Northeast Ohio Medical University — holds the longest tenure of any state university president currently serving in Ohio. Under his leadership, the university has grown in enrollment, endowment, campus size, services to the community, research areas of focus, collaborations and public-private partnerships.

For more information on the May 2 event, go to NEORising.TeamNEO.org.

effective and competitive nationally and globally in encouraging economic growth.

That said, being strategic about educating the future talent pipeline, as well as intentional about putting more programs in place to help accelerate innovation, also is crucial to transforming the economy.

This work often is done by regional institutions and organizations, which also are being transformative and thinking about where the region is going. For example, Northeast Ohio Medical University has a STEM high school on campus as well as what’s known as the REDIzone, a place for companies to commercialize intellectual property. “We attracted all these private entities onto the campus, and took away the silos and allowed the community to see what’s going on here,” said NEOMED president Dr. Jay Gershen.

Going forward, experts agree that not only should Northeast Ohio’s economic development ecosystem continue to think more strategically in economic development — but also be mindful about aligning resources and ensuring that companies working in specialized industries have access to specialized assistance.

Koehler stresses that economic development is becoming “much more competitive,” particularly from an investment standpoint. “As a community, we have to embrace the challenges of raising our level of performance, increasing the capabilities we bring to the table — and the way we bring them to the table — to create a good experience for those people who are thinking about making the investment.”

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE Being more strategic as a region means a focus on talent, site availability, innovation and diversification. Thankfully, on the last front, Northeast Ohio is doing a good job, Nichols said. In fact, she adds that the regional business community doesn’t get enough credit for how it worked together to combat an overreliance on a few select industries, such as steel and automotive.

“Diversification of our economy is the No. 1 thing we needed to accomplish, and we’ve done a darn good job of it,” she said, while also praising the region’s enduring strength in manufacturing. “Now our problem is we need more high-skilled workers, and we’re working on that.

“It means that we can’t just look at downtown and make sure we’ve got some office buildings,” Nichols said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re helping our manufacturers. We need to make sure we’re helping our high-tech companies, our entrepreneurs, small business, retail. The economy is made up of many types of businesses. You have to be able to work with all of them — and you have to be able to look into every community and figure out how you might be able to help that community move forward in a positive way.”

Developing high-skilled workers — and then cultivating a robust, sustained talent pipeline of these workers — is just one way to populate a future workforce. Implementing succession planning by developing younger generations into future leaders and workers also is crucial to the mission of successful economic development — as is ensuring that this talent stays in the region. But, perhaps most importantly, economic development efforts need to be inclusive and ensure that more people have an opportunity to participate in the workforce and the prosperity that goes with it.

THE VIBRANT ECONOMY Although regional jobs in manufacturing employment have decreased by 185,000 since 1990 due to gains in productivity, that employment loss has been offset by growth in other economic sectors. But while it’s clear industrial diversification is a key component of economic growth, how to promote and accelerate this diversification is less clear. One approach involves developing strategies to promote the adoption of innovative technologies, including smart and additive manufacturing, the internet of things, and blockchain. Emerging technologies have the potential to regenerate the economic base while planting the seeds for future growth in new and emerging sectors. By adopting cutting-edge technology, the economic development community, in turn, can refine its ability to harness quality data, implement assessment tools and perfect talent alignment for today and the future.

This advertising-supported feature is produced by Crain Content Studio-Cleveland, the marketing storytelling arm of Crain’s Cleveland Business.

The Crain’s Cleveland Business newsroom is not involved in creating Crain Content Studio content.

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Mobility trends are driving Goodyear R&D

By Bruce Meyer

away from fossil fuels. But the batteries and drivetrains of electric vehicles are also much different. In some cases, the vehicles are up to 30% heavier and create more torque, which results in higher stress and wear on tires.”

Rubber & Plastics News bmeyer@crain.com

Chris Helsel, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, must need a large scorecard to keep up with the activities of his global research and development team.

Working out of four global innovation labs, the Akron-based company has a broad range of ongoing projects, many focused on the future of transportation and mobility. Others look to improve the performance of its tires used in today’s world.

There are numerous partnerships and trends to keep up with.

“At Goodyear, our New Ventures team includes our innovation labs, which we’ve positioned to test, learn and build solutions with players in the new mobility space, from fast-growing startups to more established companies,” Helsel said in an email interview.

The labs are located at its headquarters in Akron, which has access to the regional center of emerging automotive technologies; in Luxembourg, which is close to key OEMs and is the tiremaker’s main connection point in Europe; in Shanghai, which is the hub for the rapid development of electric vehicles and a place to scout for new materials technology; and San Francisco, right in the middle of the world’s most impactful tech hub and where many companies working in the ride-sharing economy are located.

Being a trendsetter With the wide array of emerging technologies, it can be difficult to decide which platforms and technologies to pursue. Helsel said Goodyear internally refers to the trends driving

Partner up

One of Goodyear’s recent development deals is to supply Local Motors with an exclusive tire fitment for its Olli vehicles. (Contributed photo)

today’s auto industry as FACE, for fleets, autonomous, connected and electric.

“Today, as a global population, we drive about 10 trillion miles,” he said.

Helsel “Some analysts project that number is going to double by 2030, accelerated by trends toward (electric vehicles), (autonomous vehicles), car-sharing and more. Considering that, we are looking at some great potential opportunities for more tires. In electric vehicle forecasting alone, there are expected to be 57 million tires on such vehicles by 2020.”

Breaking down the letters of FACE, Helsel shared these insights: JJFleets: “We see variations around two basic consumer fleet models: car-sharing and ride-sharing, the difference being who owns the vehicle, an individual or a company. In either

case, it’s about minimizing cost of ownership while maximizing uptime to keep that vehicle on the road and making money. … From the perspective of a tire company, there are two jobs to be done: lowering maintenance costs and providing predictive maintenance for those fleets.”

JJAutonomous vehicles (AV): “When you take away the driver, you take away the feel of the road that would have come through your hands on the wheel and your feet on the pedals. In an AV, that job is best done at the point of contact with the road: the tires.”

JJConnected vehicles: “Instead of a light on the dashboard with a symbol that people largely don’t recognize, imagine you get a message to your virtual assistant that alerts you of the issue, the likely cause and how to resolve it, or proposes a one-click solution, which could be the closest available service station or even a mobile service that comes to you.”

JJElectric vehicles (EV): “Of course, the focus of EVs is on transitioning

Goodyear is not shy about entering into partnerships to further study the relationship of tires in emerging technologies.

Most recently, it struck a deal with Local Motors Inc. to supply the firm’s eight-passenger Olli autonomous vehicles with an exclusive tire fitment.

It also will supply tires to three autonomous shuttle buses operated by Luxembourg’s Sales-Lentz Group S.A. Helsel said Local Motors is one of the first suppliers to have highly automated shuttles in operation.

“This, in addition to a cutting-edge 3D manufacturing approach, makes Local Motors a key company with which to learn and build future solutions together,” he said.

In addition, Goodyear began a pilot program with Envoy Technologies Inc., an electric vehicle car-sharing service. Envoy will use the tiremaker’s predictive servicing program to forecast and schedule tire maintenance and replacement.

“Wireless sensors in tires can collect data to help run fleets better, along with combining the data with our algorithms to predict tire wear, eventual replacement and smart scheduling of needed service,” he said.

Those programs are in addition to a yearlong pilot program with Tesloop, a city-to-city mobility service that exclusively uses Tesla electric vehicles, and Goodyear’s initiative to participate in autonomous vehicle and intelligent tire testing at Mcity, a University of Michigan-led public-private partnership designed

to enhance connected and automated vehicles.

In deciding on a partner, many books on innovation suggest it’s all about disrupting someone else. Helsel and Goodyear take a different view.

“Shouldn’t we instead be talking about how the traditional and the startup can work together for a better future?” he asked. “Instead of ‘out with the old and in with the new,’ what if we focused on disruption in the form of disruptive collaboration?”

The startup pitches that Goodyear hears are from small companies that have agility, he said, a good complement to a large corporation like Goodyear that can bring experience and resources.

“If we find common ground where we can work on joint projects, we disrupt together, rather than each other,” Helsel said.

That does not mean Goodyear doesn’t continue to collaborate with traditional companies. The tiremaker is working with OEMs and others to put sensors in tires, then outfitting them on vehicles to help gather data, sync that with the vehicles and generate real-time driving adjustments to improve the performance of the car.

With all these balls in the air, Goodyear has to strike the proper balance between R&D projects that need to be pushed to market now with others that may be the building blocks for later developments.

To Helsel, that means Goodyear must change how it works, embracing ideas and approaches coming out of the tech sector.

“And we have,” he said. “While the essence of the tire hasn’t changed significantly since the early 1900s, the environment in which it’s used is changing faster than at any time since the invention of the car. But everything about that experience is changing.”

Wild Republic steps up its Promise to the Planet

By Beth Thomas Hertz clbfreelancer@crain.com

At Twinsburg-based Wild Republic, a commitment to being environmentally friendly and ethically responsible has been part of the fabric of the company that specializes in making plush toy animals since it was started 40 years ago by Gopala Pillai.

Pillai, 85, is still chief executive officer of the company — a global supplier of products sold at zoos, museums and aquariums around the world — but his grandson, Vishnu Chandran, has been president for 10 years and heads up daily operations.

Chandran shares his grandfather’s passion for the planet.

As part of that, the company recently announced an enhanced corporate social responsibility strategy, promising to further lessen its carbon footprint as part of a commitment to help protect the animals that many of its products depict.

Dubbed Promise to the Planet, the commitment aims to include all areas of manufacturing and product development to decrease the footprint, said Melissa Klubnik, director of sales at the company.

P036_CL_20190429.indd 36

Some of Wild Republic’s newest products are rubber ducks that are mashups of other creatures. (Contributed photo)

The company is taking several steps in the initiative. It uses polyester fill made from recycled water bottles. Pellets used in the plush toys are made from a blend of calcium-based mineral and recycled polyethylene.

The company’s external packaging materials are made from 80% recycled cardboard and use soy-based inks, Chandran said. Wild Republic also recently announced that it was switching to some bagging made from plastics that disintegrate after three to six months in a landfill.

“This is our 40th anniversary as a company,” Chandran noted. “The business was built by my grandfather based on his love for children and wildlife. He wanted to deliver toys

and stuffed animals that really encouraged curiosity about wildlife as well as educate children about the wonders of nature and the wide range of species that exist on our planet. He is all about ‘education through recreation’ — that’s a tagline he always says to us.”

Wild Republic wants to expand its initiatives, too, and so is looking at developing hard plastic toys that can biodegrade in two years or less.

“We are constantly working to see how far we can push this,” said Alex Radojevic, director of product development.

Radojevic said being eco-friendly is not the cheapest way to operate, but Wild Republic is committed to

the mindset and does not pass the added costs to consumers.

“We’re just doing it because it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

Chandran added, “We aren’t the most affordable on the market, because we already have a quality standard. We are a more premium-based product that is offered at a good midprice. We know there are certain thresholds in retail and (as environmental awareness) becomes more mainstream, we hope we benefit from being ahead of the game.”

The company has about 500 employees worldwide, approximately 85 of whom work in its Twinsburg headquarters. Its international locations include a subsidiary in Mississauga, Ontario, that serves the Canadian market, and one in Denmark that serves Europe. Australia and Asia are served from offices in Brisbane, Australia. A wholesale office in the United Arab Emirates serves the Middle East and Africa. The company also owns four factories in India.

Product design is done in the U.S. and India, and manufacturing takes place in its Indian factories and in contract plants in China.

While declining to disclose specific numbers, Chandran said the com-

pany’s revenue is about evenly split between the zoo/aquarium/museum market and national sales channels, such as Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Jo-Ann Stores, Hobby Lobby, Cracker Barrel and Wild Republic’s website. The company has seen “double-digit growth year over year” of late, thanks to new channels of distribution in the U.S. and Europe, Klubnik said.

“You can go pretty much anywhere in the world and find a Wild Republic item,” she said.

Stuffed plush toys are its top-selling item, but Wild Republic’s 2,000 offerings include a variety of other toys and organic cotton apparel. One of the company’s newest items is a line of rubber ducks that are a bit of a mashup of creatures.

The critters keep coming, too. Wild Republic introduces about 300 to 600 new items each year, Chandran said, many conceived by his grandfather, who is active in the Promise to the Planet efforts as well as animal and humanitarian programs the company supports.

In 2020, the company plans to expand its line by offering plush toys that are aligned with books, Klubnik said.

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Advertising Section Advertising Section

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO, EASTERN DIVISION ) Chapter 11, Case No. 18-50757 (AMK) In re: ) (Jointly Administered) FIRSTENERGY SOLUTIONS CORP., et al.,1 ) Hon. Judge Alan M. Koschik Debtors.

NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE STATEMENT HEARING PLEASE TAKE NOTICE OF THE FOLLOWING: 1. On April 18, 2019, the above-captioned debtors and debtors in possession (collectively, the “Debtors”) filed the Disclosure Statement for the Fourth Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization of FirstEnergy Solutions Corp., et. al., Pursuant to Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code (as may be amended, modified or supplemented, the “Disclosure Statement”) [Docket No. 2530] with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio (the “Court”). The Debtors submitted the Disclosure Statement pursuant to section 1125 of the Bankruptcy Code for use in the solicitation of votes on the Fourth Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization of FirstEnergy Solutions Corp., et. al., Pursuant to Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code [Docket No. 2529] (as modified, amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Plan”).2 The Debtors reserve the right to amend, supplement, or modify such documents prior to the Disclosure Statement Hearing (as defined below).

2. A hearing is scheduled before the Honorable Alan M. Koschik, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Ohio, for 9:30 a.m. (prevailing Eastern Time) on May 20, 2019 (the “Disclosure Statement Hearing”) at the John F. Seiberling Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 260 U.S. Courthouse, 2 South Main Street, Akron, Ohio 44308, to consider the entry of an order approving, among other things, (i) the Disclosure Statement as containing “adequate information” pursuant to section 1125 of the Bankruptcy Code; (ii) procedures for soliciting, receiving and tabulating votes on the Plan and for filing objections to the Plan: (iii) the form of ballots, notices, and certain other documents to be distributed in connection with the solicitation of the Plan; (iv) the deadlines contained in the solicitation and confirmation procedures: and (v) the procedures for notice of the confirmation hearing and filing objections to confirmation of the Plan.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT HEARING MAY BE CONTINUED FROM TIME TO TIME BY THE COURT OR THE DEBTORS WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE OTHER THAN BY SUCH ADJOURNMENT BEING ANNOUNCED IN OPEN COURT OR BY A NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT FILED WITH THE COURT. 3. Copies of the Disclosure Statement and Plan may be obtained (i) from Prime Clerk LLC (a) at www.primeclerk.com/ FES, (b) upon request by mail to FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. Ballot Processing, c/o Prime Clerk LLC, 830 Third Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10022, or (c) upon request by calling the FES restructuring hotline at (855) 934-8766 or (ii) for a fee via PACER at https://ecf.ohnb.uscourts.gov/ (a PACER login and password are required to access documents on the Court’s website and can be obtained through the PACER Service Center at www.pacer.psc.uscourts.gov). A copy of the Disclosure Statement and the Plan is also on file with the Office of the Clerk of Court, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio, John F. Seiberling Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 2 South Main Street, Akron, Ohio 44308 and may be examined by any party in interest during normal business hours.

4. EQUITY ELECTION RECORD DATE. As previously disclosed in the Notice of the Debtors’ Entry into a Restructuring Support Agreement and of the Record Date for Equity Elections under the Debtors’ Plan of Reorganization [Docket No. 1995] filed on January 23, 2019, the Plan contemplates that Holders of certain classes of Claims against FirstEnergy Solutions Corp., FirstEnergy Generation, LLC, FirstEnergy Nuclear Generation, LLC, and FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, as applicable, may be eligible to elect to receive equity in the Reorganized Debtors, rather than Cash, in satisfaction of their Claims (an “Equity Election”) under the Plan. The date of record for purposes of making an Equity Election was January 23, 2019, or such later date as agreed by the Debtors with the consent of the Requisite Supporting Parties and the Committee (each as defined in the Plan (such date, the “Equity Election Record Date”). All Holders of General Unsecured Claims wishing to make an Equity Election with respect to eligible Claims will be required to certify on their ballots to accept or reject the Plan, or by such other method acceptable to the Debtors with the consent of the Requisite Supporting Parties (as defined in the Restructuring Support Agreement (the “RSA”)) and the Committee, that they were (i) the beneficial holder of such Claims as of the applicable Equity Election Record Date and have not sold, transferred, or provided a participation in such Claims, or directly or implicitly agreed to do so following the Equity Election Record Date or (ii) are otherwise a party to the RSA and the beneficial holder of such Claims and such Claims were subject to the RSA as of the applicable Equity Election Record Date.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Holder of a General Unsecured Claim shall be prohibited from selling its General Unsecured Claim at any time after the Equity Election Record Date, provided that the transferee of any such General Unsecured Claim will not be eligible to receive an equity distribution unless such Claim is subject to the RSA. 5. SETTLEMENT, RELEASE, INJUNCTION AND RELATED PROVISIONS. The Plan contains certain release, injunction, and exculpation provisions, including third party releases, which are subject to approval by the Court and may be found at Article VIII of the Plan and Article V.I of the Disclosure Statement.

ARTICLE VIII OF THE PLAN CONTAINS RELEASE, INJUNCTION AND EXCULPATION PROVISIONS, INCLUDING CONSENSUAL THIRD PARTY RELEASES IN ARTICLE VIII.E. THUS, YOU SHOULD REVIEW AND CONSIDER THE PLAN CAREFULLY BECAUSE YOUR RIGHTS MIGHT BE AFFECTED THEREUNDER WITH RESPECT TO THE CONSENSUAL THIRD PARTY RELEASES. 6. THIRD PARTY RELEASES. The Plan contains Consensual Third Party Releases of claims and Causes of Action against the Debtor Released Parties, the FE Non-Debtor Released Parties and the Other Released Parties.

Any Holder of a Claim that (i) votes to accept the Plan or (ii) is deemed to have accepted the Plan shall be deemed to have granted the Consensual Third Party Releases. A Holder of a Claim that (i) is entitled to vote, but fails to vote to accept or reject the Plan or (ii) rejects the Plan, shall not be deemed to have granted the Consensual Third Party Releases.

7. Responses and objections, if any, to the approval of the Disclosure Statement or any of the other relief sought by the Debtors in connection with approval of the Disclosure Statement, must (i) be in writing, (ii) state the name and address of the objecting or responding party and the amount and nature of the claim or interest of such party, (iii) state with particularity the basis and nature of any objection or response and include, where appropriate, proposed language to be incorporated into the Disclosure Statement to resolve any such objection or response, (iv) be filed together with proof of service, with the Clerk of Court, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, John F. Seiberling Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 455 U.S. Courthouse, 2 South Main Street, Akron, Ohio 44308 and served so that they are received by the following parties: (i) counsel for the Debtors; (ii) the Office of the United States Trustee; and (iii) all other parties in interest that have filed a notice of appearance in accordance with Rule 2002 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (the “Bankruptcy Rules”) in the Debtors’ chapter 11 cases on or before on or before 4:00 p.m. (prevailing Eastern Time) on May 16, 2019. Request for notice information regarding these parties should be directed to the Debtors’ claims and noticing agent, Prime Clerk LLC, 830 Third Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10022.

8. IF ANY OBJECTION TO THE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT IS NOT FILED AND SERVED STRICTLY AS PRESCRIBED HEREIN, THE OBJECTING PARTY MAY BE BARRED FROM OBJECTING TO THE ADEQUACY OF THE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT AND MAY NOT BE HEARD AT THE HEARING. 9. Upon approval of the Disclosure Statement by the Court, holders of Claims against the Debtors who are entitled to vote on the Plan will receive a copy of the Disclosure Statement, the Plan, and various documents related thereto, unless otherwise ordered by the Court.

If you have any questions related to this notice, please call the Debtors’ restructuring hotline at (855) 934-8766 or email fesballots@primeclerk.com. Please note that Prime Clerk LLC is not authorized to provide, and will not provide, legal advice.

1 The Debtors in these chapter 11 cases (the “Chapter 11 Cases”), along with the last four digits of each Debtor’s federal tax identification number, are: FE Aircraft Leasing Corp. (9245), case no. 18-50759; FirstEnergy Generation, LLC (0561), case no. 18-50762; FirstEnergy Generation Mansfield Unit 1 Corp. (5914), case no. 18-50763; FirstEnergy Nuclear Generation, LLC (6394), case no. 18-50760; FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (1483), case no. 18-50761; FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.

(0186); and Norton Energy Storage L.L.C. (6928), case no. 18-50764. The Debtors’ address is: 341 White Pond Dr., Akron, OH 44320.

2 Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Plan or Disclosure Statement, as the context so requires.

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Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority

GOVERNMENT

GOVERNMENT

Jeffrey Wade, Esq. was promoted to Chief of Staff/Special Counsel to the Chief Executive Officer for the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). Jeffrey served as Associate General Counsel for CMHA since 2012. He brings a wealth of knowledge in law and operations to the Housing Authority; as a practicing attorney, he provides counsel in areas such as contracts, litigation, development, business counseling, risk management, employment, intellectual property and real estate.

Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority

Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority

Marvin E. Richards, Jr., joins the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority as Chief General Counsel in the Office of Legal Affairs. In this role, Marvin provides strategic legal counsel on business, and operational matters to advance the Authority’s mission and strategy. Marvin brings over 20 years of legal and business experience to CMHA. Prior to joining CMHA, Marvin held the position of Deputy General Counsel at the Cuyahoga Community College.

Jennifer Monty Rieker joins the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority as Deputy General Counsel in the Office of Legal Affairs. In her role as Deputy General Counsel, Jennifer will manage litigation, as well as assist with compliance, labor and employment matters.

Jennifer brings over 15 years of litigation and regulatory compliance experience to CMHA. Prior to joining CMHA, Jennifer was an attorney with Ulmer & Berne, LLP focusing on compliance litigation.

GOVERNMENT

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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

CHANGES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Residents are upset with the construction of the Church + State mixed-use development that’s going in at 2815 Detroit Ave. The 11-story structure will be the tallest in Ohio City and will include 20,000 square feet of retail and 158 luxury apartments with rents reportedly between $1,300 and $3,900 a month.

Residents are concerned about how the structure will block light and its impact on traffic and parking. But what they really hate is that it’s using tax abatements and public financing to change the neighborhood and build housing for people they say don’t need subsidies.

That’s not specific to Church + State, either. Residents say Ohio City is being gentrified with public subsidies, which means they’re helping to pay for developments they don’t even want.

“We get a lot of talk about density, when we don’t talk about affordability,” said Paula Kampf, another Ohio City resident who’s not happy with recent development trends there. “I would love to see affordable housing provided and abated. Most of these new developments are market-rate and also publicly funded, and that seems absolutely absurd to me. Tax abatements are a public subsidy.”

Kampf, Miller and other Ohio City residents say subsidies should go toward inclusive, affordable housing.

Instead, they claim the neighborhood is becoming less welcoming to people of color and those with low incomes.

“The effect of the changes, in my opinion, is we have a new redlining that has excluded opportunities to live in this neighborhood — not based on its negative qualities, but based on the real estate market — so that even middle-income people can’t afford to live in this neighborhood,” said Bill Merriman, another longtime resident and a “land steward” who owns several properties on Church Avenue that he rents out at below-market rates.

That’s getting harder to do because over about the last 10 years the assessed values of his properties have doubled — due to new high-end housing units driving up home values, he said.

“We’re starting to see people move out to Cleveland Heights again. … We haven’t seen that in 50 years,” Merriman said.

In Lakewood, some residents living near Detroit Avenue are concerned about developments planned for former car dealerships near Orchard Grove Avenue and Bunts Road.

Those plans have spurred opposition from lifelong residents like wellknown bluesman Colin Dussault, who, along with some of his neighbors, says the residential and mixeduse projects will exacerbate traffic and parking problems along Detroit Avenue and ruin the character of the residential neighborhood.

“It was going to be 12 feet from my house,” said Dussault’s neighbor, Jim O’Barsky, who complained to local officials that he didn’t want to look out his windows at the wall of a new building.

Dussault said they were able to get that portion of the project amended, but still have concerns. There are 158 apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space being planned adjacent to his home — and another 275 units planned further west.

“They’re rental properties, versus condos, which I think is a huge differentiation,” he said. “If it’s a condo, maybe people will be there for 10 years and invest in the neighbor-

P038_CL_20190429.indd 38

Mixed-use and residential projects are planned for former car dealerships along Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, but many residents fear the developments will be a detriment to the city. (Peggy Turbett for Crain’s)

Lakewood residents Colin Dussault, left, and Jim O’Barsky are concerned about how new developments will affect their neighborhood and traffic in the already-busy city. (Dan Shingler)

hood, rather than renters who just come and go.”

He added he’s likely leaving Lakewood. That won’t be easy, as his home is packed floor to ceiling with

decades of music memorabilia and recordings.

“I planned to live here the rest of my life … but I don’t want to have to contend with that,” he said.

Hudson residents will get the chance to vote on the city’s downtown Phase II development, but it’s an advisory election and City Council is not bound by the results. (Lori Walton for Crain’s)

Then there’s Hudson, where the size of a planned Phase II development for downtown has already shrunk from about 560,000 square feet to about 400,000, in reaction to residents’ concerns about traffic, too many rental units and other features they did not like.

That development is up for a vote by residents May 7. It will be nonbinding, but if residents vote down the project by any sizable margin, city officials are likely to rethink their plans.

Todd Zedak, who has lived most of his 55 years in town, says officials are too tied to a development plan that was created more than 20 years ago.

Phase I was decent, he added, but not so perfect that plans to expand it shouldn’t have been re-evaluated.

“It turned out to be fine and it’s OK and it’s a positive, but it’s not an A-plus, hit-it-out-of-the-park, holymackerel-how-do-we-replicatethat?” Zedak said. “Then, two years ago, the city starts to act again on this old comprehensive plan. … These are different times.”

Hudson has spent millions clearing land for the project, racking up costs it’s counting on the new development to pay off. Zedak and others opposed to the project say that’s no reason to move forward with a plan unless residents want it, and many don’t.

“As this thing started to get real, a number of citizens stood up and said, ‘Hey, what are you guys doing? Who said we want more of anything?

There are homes for sale and there are businesses that are vacant. You want to take on debt to build what?’ ” said Zedak.

All of this presents a huge challenge for civic leaders, who are desperate to rebuild their populations and tax bases and to not allow properties to remain vacant or fall into disrepair. Nor do they want to have to seek tax increases.

Officials often have limited say over what can be done with private property, especially if they have old zoning and planning codes.

“What’s done before the developer shows up is so important. If you’re a community that hasn’t updated your code in 20 years and hasn’t updated its design guidelines, it’s hard to tell developers what you want,” said Lakewood planning director Bryce Sylvester.

City leaders are also dealing with a very different world from back when

these neighborhoods were first developed, or even from just a few years ago, say folks like Lakewood Mayor Mike Summers.

For one thing, parking and traffic are more difficult issues to deal with now than they were decades ago, he noted.

“Today, every home has two or three cars — they used to have one,” Summers said.

It was easier to get information out, too, he added, because “we used to have reporters at every council meeting.” But cutbacks at daily papers mean council, zoning and planning meetings now go uncovered and unquestioned by the press.

“We don’t have city hall reporters anymore. I wish we did,” Summers said. “I mourn the day we lost those beat reporters who would comb the halls of city halls everywhere and say, ‘What’s going on here?’ and effectively pull stories out. It doesn’t happen anymore.”

“People can stream it live … but you don’t get everything that way.

There’s a lot that’s not caught on tape,” said Hudson city manager Jane Howington.

She, Summers and others say the internet presents a whole other set of challenges, too: It amplifies the voices of opposition and any information that is put out, whether it’s true or not.

That’s a phenomenon that’s gone hand in hand with people having less and less trust in government and institutions, which means that bad information can gain more credibility than facts.

“One thing missing in the dialogues, I think, is respect — respect for studies and respect for facts. …

People used to look at data and accept it. They might question it and do their fact-checking, but then they would trust it. I think that’s missing from a lot of our conversations today,” Howington said.

She, Summers and others vow to continue to seek and implement the will of their constituents, but claim it’s becoming more difficult to be heard themselves. Like their residents, they want to make things nicer, they say. They just need to come to agreement on what “nice” looks like.

Whether they are successful and whether they truly listen to and respond to the needs of their communities will likely determine far more than the fate of a few projects. It will likely shape the future of the region and what it’s like to live in Northeast Ohio.

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SOURCE LUNCH

Jim Ridge Founder, Share the River,

CLEVELAND BUSINESS

and brand manager at Canalway Partners Jim Ridge might have been born with some saltwater in his veins, but he bleeds true-blue for the Cuyahoga River these days. ¶ The Navy brat grew up in Norfolk and San Diego — wherever his dad was captaining a ship. When he moved from California more than 20 years ago, he considered several cities in the Midwest, always analyzing them for their water assets.

He actually picked Cleveland for the lake, which he notes is more like an ocean than the lakes most of the rest of the country have to work with. ¶ But he ended up falling in love with the Cuyahoga River, and paddling on it. ¶ In 2013, he formed the group Share the River, which advocates for the Cuyahoga and supports rowing and paddling and organizes events. This June, when the river celebrates the 50th anniversary of the famous fire that sparked the nation’s environmental movement, he plans to have 500 paddleboards, kayaks and canoes cruising through the water in races and parades in and around the same spot where it once burned, at an event dubbed Blazing Paddles. — Dan Shingler

The Ridge file Favorite River Cuyahoga, with the Ohio second

Favorite Cuyahoga River Fire “The ’69 fire — it finally motivated people ... but there were 13 of them.”

Favorite view of the river “From the end of Scranton Avenue in the Flats. You can see so much from that one spot.”

Favorite film?

“Dr. Strangelove”

Lunch spot Merwin’s Wharf 1785 Merwin Ave., Cleveland 216-664-5696

The meal One had the crispy perch sandwich with fries and a beer, the other had chicken tacos with iced tea.

The vibe Diners can sit inside or outside right on the Cuyahoga River. The casual place was about half-full on a weekday, with a diverse mix of customers.

The bill $35.43, plus tip

Most folks associate you with the river these days, but where do you live?

I live in Cleveland now. … When I moved to West Park, all the neighbors were like, “Are you a policeman?

Fireman?” I said, “No, I just don’t want to live in the suburbs.”

Where did you grow up?

When you say where am I from, I’m a Navy brat, so I moved every two or three years. I moved to Cleveland from San Diego in 1994. That was, at the time, one of the coldest Februaries on record, and I walked to Lakewood Park, looked across the lake and squinted my eyes. I thought I could see Canada, or maybe something colder!

You said you had decided to move to the Midwest, but why Cleveland?

I could have gone to Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati or Indianapolis.

Cleveland just seemed to be that right mix. A big enough town with large-town amenities, but small enough that you could get your arms around. And, of course, the kicker was it was on an inland ocean, Lake Erie. As a Navy brat, I’m used to being around big bodies of water.

And is Lake Erie big enough?

I can’t see the other side, so it’s big enough for me.

Was your dad a ship’s captain in the Navy?

Yes. And when they talk about the past is prologue, the last ship my dad commanded was the U.S.S. Cleveland, so if you talk about things being preordained, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Did you think about the Navy as a career?

I felt like 18 years as a military dependent was enough service to my nation, and I think any military brat will understand that. It’s an interesting life, picking up every two or three years. You make a lot of new friends and you leave a lot of friends behind. The flip side is it serves you well when you move to a place like Cleveland, which in some respects is a two-degrees-of-separation town, but it’s also — I wouldn’t say insular,

Some people have said in a pejorative way, “Ridge, you’re the mouth of the Cuyahoga River.”

I kind of think of that from time to time, but it’s OK. I call myself the self-anointed branding agent of Cleveland’s waterfront. but there are a lot of old relationships and when someone’s new on the beat, it can be tough to break in. But when you have tenacity, people say, “Who is this guy?” …. It works well when you move to a new city.

You formed Share the River in 2013. Is it a nonprofit?

A self-funded person like me, you need the kindness of strangers, like any nonprofit. Share the River has

just applied for and been given nonprofit status. We’re now a partner organization of Lake Erie Waterkeeper, which is a big step for us as an organization and also good for LEW. they’ve been mostly focused on the western basin.

Share the River is a passion, but you also have a job as well?

My day job is I do brand management for Canalway Partners. I’m the guy who takes care of all the pictures and visuals. I work with partners on events: We just had about 700 people out for a trails event. … Folks got a chance to ride Stage III of the towpath trail, which is technically not open yet. … People are like “Oh my God, look at this beautiful thing that runs right through the industrial heart of Cleveland!” It was great.

You credit Canalways executive director Tim Donovan with making Share the River possible. Are you also branding the river now?

Ha! Some people have said in a pejorative way, “Ridge, you’re the mouth of the Cuyahoga River.” I kind of think of that from time to time, but it’s OK. I call myself the self-anointed branding agent of Cleveland’s waterfront.

How can folks follow your efforts and updates on the Cuyahoga?

Twitter’s typically my main channel.

And that pipeline of information is something the media picks up on and I hope it’s something that John Q. Public picks up on, with regards to Share the River beaming out constant curated content of what the river looks, acts and feels like now — and not being stuck in ’69.

700 W. St. Clair Ave., Suite 310 Cleveland, OH 44113-1230 Phone: (216) 522-1383 www.crainscleveland.com Twitter: @CrainsCleveland Publisher/editor Elizabeth McIntyre Group publisher Mary Kramer Managing editor Scott Suttell Sections editor Michael von Glahn Creative director David Kordalski Web editor Damon Sims Associate editor/Akron Sue Walton Assistant editor Kevin Kleps Senior reporter Stan Bullard, Real estate/construction Reporters Jay Miller, Government Dan Shingler, Energy/steel/auto/Akron Rachel McCafferty, Manufacturing/ energy/education Jeremy Nobile, Finance Lydia Coutré, Health care/nonprofits Senior data editor Chuck Soder Cartoonist Rich Williams Events manager Ashley Ramsey Marketing coordinator Megan Lemke Integrated marketing manager Michelle Sustar Managing editor custom/special projects Amy Ann Stoessel Associate publisher/Director of advertising sales Lisa Rudy Senior account executives Dawn Donegan, John Petty Account executives Laura Kulber Mintz, Loren Breen People on the Move manager Debora Stein Office coordinator Denise Donaldson Pre-press and digital production Craig L. Mackey Media services manager Nicole Spell Billing YahNica Crawford Credit Thomas Hanovich Crain’s Cleveland Business is published by Crain Communications Inc.

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THE WEEK Start it up

generally higher than other regional cities with comparable economies.

GCP leaders said the disparity could cause the organization to re-evaluate its support of future tax levies.

The study, conducted by Ernst & Young, found that on a per-capita annual basis, Cuyahoga County’s tax collections of $5,426 are 13% higher than the $4,794 average of the benchmark cities included in the analysis: Buffalo, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Nashville, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

A $10 million gift will help Case Western Reserve University more deeply study and teach environmental law.

The Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law is being established by a gift from alumnus Coleman P. Burke. This is the largest gift in the School of Law’s 126-year history. The center will support faculty positions and scholarships for students interested in environmental law, and it will fund environmental law externships and sponsor student research. Jonathan H. Adler, a CWRU law professor, will serve as the center’s director.

Get wind of this

Tax talk A study of the Cleveland area’s tax climate by the Greater Cleveland Partnership found local tax burdens are

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The Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., which is currently developing wind energy for Lake Erie, has granted researchers from the University of Michigan access to its offshore platforms. (Contributed rendering)

The developer planning a wind energy project on Lake Erie agreed to give a network of researchers access to its offshore platforms to conduct scientific analysis and research.

The Lake Erie Energy Develop-

ment Corp. and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research at the University of Michigan said they’ll work together on projects of mutual interest. This includes the sharing of scientific data, access to LEEDCo’s offshore platforms and research to monitor and understand large-scale processes on Lake Erie.

Taking charge Dr. Karen F. Murray was named chair of the Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Institute, physician-in-chief of Cleveland Clinic Children’s and president of the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation, effective in early July.

Murray, a national leader in pediatric gastroenterology, will succeed Dr. Rita Pappas, who has served as interim chair since 2017.

4/26/19 2:43 PM

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