Crain's Cleveland Business, June 19, 2023

NASA Glenn looks to grow as part of space economy

Poised for more ‘outside the gate’ private economic development

BY KIM PALMER

Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Research Center facilities have for more than 80 years played a critical role in the nation’s most innovative aerospace and aeronautical advances.

Despite being one of only 10 National Aeronautics and Space Administration centers, Glenn has not experienced the boon of private and commercial industry build-up “outside the gate” that other centers — the Kennedy Space Center in Florida or the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama — have seen. But regional leaders are banking on the Moon to Mars program to help change that.

Each of NASA’s centers has a different specialty role and di erent set of core competencies that often contribute to a larger mission, said James Kenyon, director of the NASA Glenn Research Center.

“Glenn is one of four centers at NASA known as research centers. Our main mission is research and technology development, with core competencies that contribute to human space ight,” he said.

As part of NASA’s latest return to manned space travel, dubbed the Artemis program, about 3,000 researchers and sta at Glenn and Armstrong, an associated test facility located 50 miles west of

See NASA on Page 24

Craft brewers go after Ohio franchise laws

BY JEREMY NOBILE

Ohio’s beer and wine makers will joke that it’s easier to divorce your partner of 30 years than it is to break up with your wholesaler.

is is by design and a function of the state’s franchise laws, which govern the contractual relationships between alcohol manufacturers and their distributors.

ose contracts are more dicult for suppliers to get out of than other business contracts because of a requirement to demonstrate an unspeci ed “just cause” for terminating a wholesale relationship.

e craft beer industry says it shouldn’t be this way. Critics argue that the state’s nearly 50-year-old

See BREWERS on Page 24

They say regulations unfairly lock them into wholesale contracts

This year’s class represents an array of knowledge and in uence across Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Which schools are upgrading their athletic facilities?

JOE SCALZO

In mid-November, Cleveland State University released a $650 million plan that called for — among other things — demolishing the Wolstein Center and building a new arena on Payne Avenue at the northeastern edge of the campus.

e plan was endorsed by the board of trustees in January and I’m thrilled to bring you this wild, crazy, super-exciting Wolstein-related update, courtesy of CSU athletic director Scott Garrett:

“We’ve been assessing the potential market support for a multi-purpose arena and really been trying to narrowly de ne the size and scope and mission of that project,” he said.

But wait. ere’s more.

“We’re preparing to get into a phase where we would solicit responses from developers or potential operating partners,” he said.

OK, so it’s not that exciting. CSU is still trying to gure out what the arena project is going to look like, “so that we can go to market and ask for whatever level of nancial or operating support might exist,” Garrett said.

In the meantime, CSU still needs the 32-year-old Wolstein Center to, you know, hold athletic events, which means spending a decent chunk of change on updating the scoreboards.

“We’re trying to be thoughtful and not pour money into a facility without understanding what its future is, but there’s also some typical maintenance you have to perform on a facility that’s 32 years old,” he said. “We’ve had a scoreboard malfunction two years in a row during the postseason, and it can’t be xed without replacing much of that equipment.

“We’re not spending $1 million on a video board or anything, but spending $150,000 or $200,000 on refreshing the scoring equipment is something we really have to do if we want to hold Division I basketball games.”

As for the Vikings’ other plans? Read on. For the second year in a row, I’ve compiled a list of which Northeast Ohio colleges and universities made upgrades to their athletic facilities during the 2022-23 school year, and which ones have projects planned for 2023-24:

Scheduled for 2023-24: With BW adding women’s wrestling beginning in 2024-25, the Yellow Jackets are raising funds for workout and training facilities for men’s and women’s wrestling as part of an infrastructure upgrade in the Lou Higgins Recreation Center. The plans include new practice mat zones, men’s and women’s locker rooms and coaches’ o ces for men’s and women’s wrestling. The new space will also include meeting rooms.

Completed in 2022-23: The Spartans dedicated the Mark Termini men’s basketball locker room in February, a project that included a redesigned and modernized space. CWRU also repainted Veale Natatorium and installed new LED lights and a new 1-meter diving board. The Spartans also installed new graphics, practice mats and wall pads in the wrestling room and replaced the lights in Horsburgh Gym. Finally, CWRU added a new batting cage and bullpen area at Nobby’s Ballpark.

Completed in 2022-23: Maybe “completed” isn’t the right word, but John Carroll nally got the go-ahead from University Heights City Council in January to begin constructing its 63,000-squarefoot Athletic Wellness & Event Center. The $60 million project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2024. The center will include an indoor track and extensive indoor training space for the school’s athletes. It will also hold community events.

Completed in 2022-23: Malone dedicated the Abelson Memorial cross country course and completed a locker room renovation for men’s lacrosse, which just completed its inaugural season.

Scheduled for 2023-24: Malone has some minor facility upgrades on its radar, including new outdoor signage at Osborne Hall, and renovations to the women’s soccer and lacrosse locker rooms.

Completed in 2022-23: The Vikings installed a new video screen and scoreboards in Woodling Gym. CSU also added new branding/graphics in the basketball practice gym, new bullpens and a batting cage for softball.

Scheduled for 2023-24: CSU will update the scoreboards in the Wolstein Center, a project that was originally scheduled for 2022-23 but delayed due to supply chain issues. The Vikings also plan to renovate the academic center and coach/sta o ces in the Physical Education Building, which is the rst phase of an ongoing $1.5 million campaign that includes locker rooms and Woodling Gymnasium upgrades. CSU also wants to make progress on a feasibility and funding strategy for a new arena shown in CSU’s master plan released in November.

Completed in 2022-23: KSU completed the rst phase of the Devine Diamond, the school’s new softball eld. The Golden Flashes played their rst games at the stadium in April. Upgrades include a new synthetic turf out eld, an overhauled in eld that includes an upgraded drainage system, a synthetic warning track leading to a new wraparound fence, a padded backstop, new dugouts, turf inside the batting cages and bullpens, and netting for the backstop and batting cages.

Scheduled for 2023-24: The Golden Flashes plan to renovate their gymnastics practice facility, with groundbreaking set to begin this summer. The facility will boast a new below-ground foam pit and a new runway area. KSU is also replacing its indoor track, a project that should begin this month. The track project is the latest upgrade at the Field House, following a new synthetic turf eld in 2020. Other improvements made in recent years include weight room renovations, including a new oor, new equipment and an upgraded sound system.

Completed in 2022-23: The Terriers completed a swimming pool renovation project, which included a new liner, deck, starting blocks, lane lines, roof and other aesthetic improvements. It also added new electric winches for four basketball backboards in Price Gymnasium. Hiram also purchased a new mixer for the football stadium’s sound system and the disc golf course was renovated with new holes and signs.

Scheduled for 2023-24: The tennis courts will be resurfaced and repainted this summer, with new pickleball courts set to be constructed. A new wrestling room will be built in half of Fleming Fieldhouse (the current practice facility for wrestling/ STUNT) this summer. Hiram also plans to convert a storage room in the equipment room into a whirlpool/cold tub room that will be attached to the existing athletic training room. The old racquetball court will be renovated to an indoor golf practice room.

Completed in 2022-23: The Cavaliers’ football team played its rst on-campus game in September at Larry Staudt Field. Walsh previously played at North Canton Hoover’s Memorial Stadium, Canton’s Fawcett Stadium/Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and Canton GlenOak’s Bob Commings Field. The stadium, which was completely donor-funded, originally opened in April of 2022 and serves as the home eld for multiple teams. The stadium includes new turf, a new scoreboard and video screen, spectator seating and the William and Kathleen Brauchler Press Box. Also, Walsh nished its Cecchini Center weight room makeover, which included an expanded tness center and new equipment.

Completed in 2022-23: The Penguins opened the 3,000-square-foot Korandovich Family Sports Medicine Center in Beeghly Center. The center provides physical and mental health care for the Penguins. The addition was part of a bigger renovation project inside Beeghly, which included the women’s basketball locker room getting new lockers with colored LED lighting and personalized TV screens. There are plans for a theater-style player lounge and wall graphics. Also, YSU is adding a new academic center inside Beeghly to complement the Jermaine Hopkins Center for Academics in Stambaugh Stadium.

Completed in 2022-23: Oberlin spent $325,000 to resurface the six-lane indoor track at the John W. Heisman Field House. The previous surface dated to 1992, when the facility opened.

Completed in 2022-23: NDC renovated its locker rooms for men’s and women’s basketball, as well as volleyball.

Completed in 2022-23: In September 2022, Ashland played its rst game on its turf softball eld, Deb Miller Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex. It was the rst time the Eagles played on campus in more than 50 years. More than 180 donors contributed to the project.

Scheduled for 2023-24: Oberlin has started fundraising for a total overhaul of its tennis facility. Of the 12 existing outdoor courts, eight will be removed as part of a new residence hall project. Oberlin plans to rebuild nine courts and add new fencing, wind screening, spectator seating, lighting, scoreboard, Wi-Fi compatibility and audio-visual infrastructure. If all goes well, the complex will also include a team room for both tennis programs.

Completed in 2022-23: Mount Union dedicated the Melvin J. Snode Golf Center in October. The facility, which was paid for by donors, includes two Foresight simulators, a chipping and putting green, a study lounge, a locker room and a coaching o ce. The Purple Raiders also made a locker room addition for the men’s volleyball team, installed a new videoboard in the Peterson Field House and upgraded the turf and drainage system at Kehres Stadium.

Scheduled for 2023-24: Mount Union plans to upgrade its Gulling training facility with new strength and conditioning equipment this summer.

Akron

Ashland

Baldwin Wallace Case Western Reserve

Cleveland State Hiram

John Carroll

Malone Oberlin

Walsh Youngstown State

CLEVELAND

STATE UNIVERSITY KENT STATE UNIVERSITY

Completed in 2022-23: The Zips unveiled the renovated Lee R. Jackson Track and Field Complex in April, which featured a new outdoor track at a facility that hadn’t been able to host outdoor meets since 2018. Akron hosted the Mid-American Conference outdoor track and eld championships in May.

Axcess app launches, starts onboarding athletes looking to monetize brand

JOE SCALZO

e Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) space is a gold rush — and Tyler Harkins is selling the pans.

Harkins, a Rocky River native, is one of the creators of Axcess, a subscription-based social media platform for athletes looking to make money o their personal brand.

e site — which is patterned after Twitch (esports) and Patreon (creators and artists) — went live on the Apple app store in early May under the name Axcess Network and already has more than 300 athletes signed up, including Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen.

e goal is to eventually draw a signi cant percentage of the nation’s 520,000 college athletes (NCAA Division I through III), as well as professional athletes and even high school athletes who live in states where NIL deals are legal. (Ohio is not one of them.)

Athletes can use the platform in the same way they use other social media apps, with posts (photos, videos and documents); stories; messaging (one-on-one conversations); and livestreams. Each pro le can include a link to a merchandise shop; a “Shoutout” section, which allows fans to pay for birthday greetings

(like the website Cameo); and a tip jar, where followers can tip money for things like “coolness” or “style.”

“We’re onboarding athletes pretty consistently and we’re seeing athletes on the platform every day, which is where we want to go,” said Harkins, a former St. Edward High School and Ohio University hockey player who created the site with former Bobcat hockey player Garrett Jenkins. “It’s not what it’s going to be six months from now, but in the rst 45 days we’re seeing constant growth, which is awesome.”

Some of that growth came from

the NIL Summit in Atlanta June 3-5, which drew more than 500 student-athlete delegates, 100-plus speakers and 50-plus brands eager to share their successes in the NIL space — and create more opportunities for others.

“It’s not like Ohio State-Michigan,” he said. “People want to help, especially since it’s so early. Everyone is guring out how to bene t each other.”

e summit included major companies such as Lululemon, Kia, Chick- l-A and Instagram, but it also included startups like Axcess, which is looking to grow its business on a grassroots level. Part of that is practical. Harkins isn’t sitting on $10 mil-

lion in venture capital, which means he can’t a ord to throw $500,000 at someone on the level of USC quarterback Caleb Williams or LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne for a couple of mentions on Instagram or Twitter.

(Case in point: Williams pinned a tweet at the top of his Twitter page that reads: “I’m Not a Businessman; I’m a Business, Man!”)

But part of it is because Harkins wants athletes to grow with the platform. Yes, Axcess will need high-prole athletes — “We’re in constant talk with di erent agencies to get that game-changer,” he said — but it is open to any athlete with a passionate following.

“People are noticing that on our platform, they can earn money one subscriber at a time,” he said. “Axcess is allowing athletes to access their fan base to support their endeavors. We’re seeing athletes make money, get tips and gain subscribers, which is super exciting.”

Over the next few months, Axcess will be adding more features to the app and improving others, Harkins said. It also plans to have student-athletes representing the company on campus as part of its internship program and to hire content coaches so athletes have a resource on the team that can help with con-

tent strategy. Axcess recently hired Brantlee Fields, who is the head of athlete partnerships at Twitter and will give the company access to high-level athletes and formulate a plan to partner with brands.

“NIL is an emerging market, and people are super excited to grow with

a platform like ours,” Harkins said. “ e NIL space is so young and so exciting. It’s truly an untapped market, and everyone is trying to gure out how to play a part in it.”

Joe Scalzo: joe.scalzo@crain.com, (216) 771-5256, @JoeScalzo0

Axcess director of content Andre Robinson shows o the Axcess app to Lake Erie College football player Dieunerst Collin of “Popeyes meme” fame at the NIL Summit in Atlanta earlier this month. AXCESS

Cleveland recording studios adapt to post-pandemic life

BY DOUGLAS J. GUTH

Not long ago, Mike Brown’s business model at Lava Room Recording focused entirely on music. Clients such as Joe Walsh or Paramore would cut an album at the studio, then return the next year to do it again.

Technology has shifted this dynamic, particularly home studios that only grew in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cleveland recording spaces like Lava Room have rolled with the changes, upgrading costly hardware and software while diversifying their work to generate new revenue streams.

For Brown, this new era includes facilitating online branding and promotions for his portfolio of musicians.

“ ese are creative people; they’re just not business-minded,” said Brown, whose Independence-based studio is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. “Helping turn their brand into a pro table engine turns them into long-term clients and keeps my business a oat.”

Lava Room focused strictly on music production for about a dozen years, noted Brown. Over that time, le-sharing applications like Napster took over for compact discs. en came streaming as well as technologies that allowed musicians to record from home — a sea change that either devalued professional studios or forced owners to increase their scope of services.

Today, Brown’s eight-person

spurred lockdowns, listening with headphones and mixing output in real time. Adaptation is the name of the game for the Beachwood entrepreneur, who is currently expanding his studio space to include a new live music room and other features.

e Beachwood business — former home of legendary Cleveland engineer Arnie Rosenberg — marks Ke er’s seventh recording studio in a career that began in high school. Back then, the budding guitarist purchased microphones and a multitrack recording device to make music in his parents’ basement.

‘A cool thing to be a part of’

Commercial voiceover artist Dianne Palmer calls herself “a huge proponent” of the traditional recording studio. at did not stop Palmer from building a studio in her Beachwood home, where she voices and engineers advertisements for big-ticket clients such as Target and Home Depot. ough recording at home has its perks, she does miss the camaraderie and perfectionism found at professional studios.

company provides voiceover production alongside traditional music recording and editing expertise. A team of seasoned engineers is primed to produce a podcast or audiobook one day, then lay down tracks for a hardcore thrash metal band the next.

e pandemic, which shut down production at Lava Room for six months, also became a time of unbridled creativity for artists. Once Ohio lifted restrictions, Brown enjoyed a spike in business at the studio.

Yet, even as bands return to touring and album production, the normal record-a-year pattern has been stretched to releasing a single every four to six weeks. It’s a template that no longer allows Lava Room and other production businesses to rely primarily on music, said Brown.

“Now it’s albums, advertising projects, audiobooks and EPs (a recording with more tracks than a single but fewer than an album),” said Brown. “I used to do music daily, but now I might do ve di erent things a week.”

Embracing technology

A lightning bolt hit when a friend’s older brother recorded a few tunes using Ke er’s equipment. Fifty dollars richer and jazzed from the experience, Ke er dreamed about owning his own studio. e dream became a reality in 1983 when he opened a recording space in the basement of a house he rented from his folks.

“I didn’t go to college, which isn’t rare in the industry,” Ke er said. “I don’t have formal training, but each day I walk into the studio is my training. I have a thirst for knowledge of music and recording techniques.”

Ke er has operated studios everywhere from churches to a mansion on Cleveland’s Millionaire’s Row. Expansion of his current digs took eight months — a period that also saw the closure of several area recording rooms, most likely victims of the post-COVID economic slowdown.

While Magnetic North mostly produces music, the company also handles post-production mixing for movies. Assisting clients in setting up home studios has become an additional sideline for Ke er, who understood the futility of swimming upstream against new technology.

“Home recording killed my competitors because they fought against it,” said Ke er. “But I in ltrated it. I show clients how to record tracks and do the mix. I gured it was better to have 50% of the market instead of 100% of zero.”

“You get crisp, clean perfection (with outside studios),” Palmer said. “Everyone can go on Amazon and buy a microphone and think they sound like how they would be in a recording studio. I try to reproduce that sound, but I’d never put myself up against the quality of what a studio provides.”

Palmer does worry the heady days of the pro recording room have passed, at least for her line of work, where a versatile voiceover artist can knock out advertising spots alongside on-hold messages for major corporations.

“It was just a wonderful time while it lasted, but technology took that away,” said Palmer.

Brown, owner of Lava Room Recording, said creativity is still a vital facet of his daily work — whether mixing an album or producing an audiobook. On the voiceover side, microphone selection or even how talent is positioned can impact the nal product.

It’s also fun to recognize your work in the wild, added Brown. Lava Room once did a project with the supergroup Velvet Revolver, comprised of Guns N’ Roses members and the late Scott Weiland, former Stone Temple Pilots frontman who lived in Northeast Ohio as a child.

Brown and his crew recorded a Velvet Revolver song featured on the soundtrack of the 2005 “Fantastic Four” lm. Hearing the song in surround sound at the movies was nothing less than thrilling, he said.

“I was sitting in the crowd with my wife, where nobody knew I had a hand (in the song),” said Brown. “ at’s a really cool thing to be a part of.”

Contact Douglas J. Guth: clbfreelancer@crain.com

Magnetic North Studio owner Chris Ke er communicated with bands via tablet during COVID-

Technology upgrades are a vital facet of the Lava Room Recording experience.

LAVA ROOM RECORDING

“THESE ARE CREATIVE PEOPLE; THEY’RE JUST NOT BUSINESS-MINDED.”

—Mike Brown, owner, producer and engineer of Lava Room Recording

Kent State aims for the sky

University’s already strong aeronautics program has been growing rapidly

Kent State University is trying to better help students reach new heights.

Literally.

e university has long had a strong aeronautics program — and its own airport, with what it says is the largest university-run eet in the state — but it has been growing rapidly in recent years.

Incoming full-time freshman classes have grown by 74% in the last ve years, said Christina Bloebaum, dean of the College of Aeronautics and Engineering. A news release noted that the college saw the largest enrollment growth year-over-year, compared with Kent State’s other colleges, in the fall of 2022. e college enrolled more than 1,100 students that semester.

Bloebaum, who has been in her role for almost ve years, is the college’s rst dean, though there was an interim before she joined. e program largely had focused on applied engineering before she joined, and its aeronautics programs weren’t even part of the college’s name. But in thinking about how to build on existing strengths and growing what was best for Kent State, the students and the region, a path for growth emerged. e name o cially changed in the summer of 2017, and Bloebaum joined as dean the next summer.

is March, Kent State’s board of trustees approved ve new majors in the College of Aeronautics and Engineering, which have also received state and Higher Learning Commission approval. Starting this fall, the following are now separate bachelor of science degree programs in the college, as opposed to concentrations within an aeronautics major: aeronautical studies; air tra c and airspace management; aviation management; professional pilot; and the unmanned aircraft systems ight operations.

Breaking the concentrations into their own majors “elevates the status and the searchability” of the programs, said Maureen McFarland, associate dean of academic a airs at the college. And the college continues to evolve with the industry. McFarland noted that, with the creation of the new air tra c major, the program expanded to include airspace management, which means students also learn about unmanned aircraft systems and cybersecurity as part of that curricula. at will help students enter a career in a rising eld — advanced air mobility — on which the university plans to launch a center. Bloebaum said the board will consider nal approval at the end of the month, and plans are for the center to o cially launch at the start of July.

Advanced air mobility encompasses all kinds of cutting-edge technologies

that can transport people and cargo, said Marla Pérez-Davis, a professor and former NASA Glenn Research Center director who soon will become director of Kent State’s new Center for Advanced Air Mobility.

Advanced air mobility includes drones, but also aircraft similar to electric helicopters that could o er alternatives to large airports for rural communities, she said. And students need to have that broad background to be prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.

“It’s not just about the drones,” Pérez-Davis said. “It’s not just about the planes or the infrastructure. It’s more than that. It’s about all the systems are going to coexist in a safe, secure and sustainable way. at is what we’re trying to address at this point in time.”

Ultimately, the center will have a physical presence at Kent State’s airport. Brian Ne , assistant dean of ight and operations, said the university has a “unique opportunity” to not only “investigate these future ideas, but also integrate them into the airspace system we have today.”

e college also has been expanding on the engineering side, adding new programs in growing areas such as aerospace engineering, mechatronics engineering and cybersecurity engineering. e college also has engineering technology programs, which o er a

little more hands-on training.

e college in recent years launched the rst graduate-level engineering programs at Kent State, said Joycelyn Harrison, associate dean of research and faculty a airs. ere had previously been a master’s in engineering technology, but none in engineering, she said. ose new programs are in aerospace engineering and mechatronics engineering, key areas that will “guide the nation into the next era,” Harrison said. Mechatronics in particular is a new area for U.S. universities, she said. It combines mechanical, electrical and computer engineering to help create autonomous systems.

Bloebaum said the college has been “strategic” in deciding which engineering programs to add, selecting those that it thinks will be critical to Northeast Ohio — and the nation overall — going forward. e college also doesn’t want to duplicate engineering programs o ered at Kent State’s partner institutions in the region.

“ ese programs that we have developed align with those needs,” Bloebaum said. “ ey align with the under-

standing that the world is incredibly complex, has become more complex.

( e) engineering, manufacturing industry in and of itself has become more complex, with more complex products and, therefore, you need degrees that understand that, and the students are trained with that inherent understanding of how these disciplines interact.”

To accommodate the college’s growth, Kent State is expanding the Aeronautics and Engineering building that houses it. e renovations will add more than 40,000 square feet to the building, Bloebaum said, including lab spaces, classrooms and a two-and-half story atrium where students will be able to y unmanned air systems indoors.

In an email, Bloebaum said the building expansion and renovation was originally approved at $23.1 million, though there have been some additional equipment investments. e expansion should be complete by the fall.

Rachel Abbey McCa erty: (216) 771-5379, rmcca erty@crain.com

Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering is getting an expanded home, as seen in this rendering. | DS ARCHITECTURE/KENT STATE UNIVERSITY

RACHEL ABBEY MCCAFFERTY

EDITORIAL

All over the map

Ohio business interests are starting to diverge on Issue 1, a ballot initiative that, if passed in a special Aug. 8 election, would make it harder to amend the state constitution.

e powerful Ohio Chamber of Commerce, along with the National Federation of Independent Businesses in Ohio, the Ohio Restaurant Association and the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association, is in favor of the measure, which would raise the threshold to change the state constitution to a 60% supermajority from voters rather than a simple majority. Issue 1 also includes provisions to make it harder to get potential constitutional amendments on the ballot. One example: Groups would have to get signatures from registered Ohio voters in all 88 counties, rather than the 44 currently required.

More circumspect on the matter — actually, completely circumspect on the matter — is the Ohio Business Roundtable, which generally represents larger companies and isn’t taking a position on Issue 1.

Shaking things up a bit, though, is a group called the Leadership Now Project, which last week released a letter signed by 27 Ohio business leaders who oppose Issue 1, arguing there is “no valid reason to upend a 1912 law protecting Ohioans’ rights in an ill-conceived, o -cycle special election.”

Clevelanders who signed the letter included Cleveland Foundation CEO Ronn Richard; Charles, James and Ronald Ratner of e Max Collaborative (and formerly of Forest City real estate entities); and Vanessa Whiting, president of A.E.S. Management Corp., the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchisee in Northeast Ohio.

ey wrote in the letter that business “depends on a healthy, vibrant democracy — one that includes a stable rule of law, and reliable rules and procedures for securing changes to our laws.” Political e orts such as Issue 1, they concluded, “will only take us further down a path in which people no longer believe in our institutions.” Echoing arguments made by four former Ohio governors — Republicans Bob Taft and John Kasich, and Democrats Dick Celeste and Ted Strickland — they noted that the ird Frontier Project supporting Ohio’s technology-based economic development would not have been created with a 60% threshold. State o cials routinely brag about projects made possible by ird Frontier programs and funding.

e Ohio Chamber position is understandable as a matter of pure advocacy on behalf of its members. Republicans who ma-

neuvered to create the August special election (after previously eliminating such elections) and make it harder to amend the constitution are doing so, in large part, to head o an abortion-rights measure that’s expected to appear on the November ballot. Such measures have passed of late in other states, though with less than 60% support.

e chamber’s interests, though, are di erent. Steve Stivers, president and CEO of the chamber, said the organization isn’t taking a position on social issues but is very much interested in defeating potential amendments in the future related to minimum wage, employment at-will and other business issues — and to making it less likely they ever appear on a ballot.

Understandable, though, doesn’t make it right.

Issue 1 was created cynically to take advantage of a tiny August electorate and then change more than a century-old tradition of deciding amendments by a simple majority vote. It’s a pure power grab.

You want to defeat some future minimum-wage amendment that might wind up on ballot? Fine. We might be with you on that, depending on how the measure is structured, in terms of factors including the size of an increase and the pace of implementing it. But don’t do it pre-emptively in a ballot measure that destabilizes democratic processes.

Artfully done

D

o you know where you’ll be, professionally, in January 2027?

Probably not. But the Cleveland Museum of Art knows who its leader will be, and it’s the person who’s already in the job: director William M. Griswold.

CMA last week announced that it has extended the employment agreement of Griswold, who took the museum’s helm in May 2014, through Jan. 31, 2027. By the end of the deal, he will be the second-longest-serving director in the museum’s history. ( e person who holds the title, Sherman Lee, will be hard to beat, since he was director for 25 years, from 1958 to 1983.) Griswold is a rst-rate scholar who led the museum ably through the pandemic, a massive challenge for arts organizations. CMA is one of Cleveland’s world-class assets. It’s fortunate to have a committed long-term leader of Griswold’s intellect and skill.

PERSONAL VIEW

My superpower?

Trauma-informed leadership

DOMONIC HOPSON

Leadership styles are informed by many factors, including education, career path or the thoughtful advice of a mentor. ese things, and others, are often the source of stories celebrated in books and articles about the making of great leaders.

Leadership can also be informed by trauma that someone has experienced in life. is trauma can be related to a speci c event or by a lived experience such as growing up in poverty and enduring systemic racism. ose who are fortunate enough to overcome trauma and excel are often ashamed to share their journey out of fear of judgment. As a Black person who grew up living in poverty, I have learned that trauma-informed leadership is a superpower, not an impediment.

My lived experiences have given me traits and perspective that have helped me lead throughout my career. Working in health care, a service-focused career, my trauma has given me empathy, grace, understanding and compassion for the patients and sta I am fortunate to serve.

Health care is a eld that has many employees, typically front line workers, who are navigating poverty and systemic racism. I share that bond, and my leadership style is driven by my own experiences. As a child, I saw my single mother walk the ne line of being one at tire away from falling behind on a utility bill, and witnessed members of the community struggle to make a living wage due to a lack of reliable transportation.

I often convey to my colleagues that I am not perfect. I strive to intentionally avoid thinking “well, if I made it, they can just gure it out” as I observe families navigating everyday challenges like nding quality daycare or safe a ordable housing. at statement, which I have heard from others who claim to have “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps,” is oversimplifying and disregarding the systemic barriers that exist for so many in our community — barriers that include racism, poverty, and disparities in health and education.

We’ve known for a long time that these barriers prevent people of color from accessing care and treatment, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought this issue to the forefront as health care institutions, providers and communities struggled to address issues of accessibility, location, engagement and prioritization. In a perfect world, these issues would have been addressed in advance of the pandemic. Fortunately, good progress has been made, but there is still much work to be done.

My experience with poverty-related trauma gives me the perspective to ask questions representative of those impacted by these barriers even though they may not be in the room, questions that focus on how our patients and sta will get to our health centers if they lack reliable transportation, or how to increase access for our patients to ensure they can connect with primary care to improve health equity. ose of us who work in settings that serve people who live in poverty, we must center our thinking around those who are most oppressed and typically su er from the worst health and wealth outcomes.

I use my superpower of trauma-informed leadership to do just that. is approach, conducted with empathy, grace, understanding and compassion can help to create an environment in which all can thrive and succeed while feeling recognized, respected and safe.

Executive Editor: Elizabeth McIntyre (emcintyre@crain.com)

Managing Editor: Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com)

Contact Crain’s: 216-522-1383

Read Crain’s online: crainscleveland.com

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Domonic Hopson is president and CEO of Neighborhood Family Practice community health centers.

RICH WILLIAMS FOR CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

A public bank in Cleveland would be a game-changer

BY MICHAEL COLLIER AND GEETA MINOCHA

Since rst hitting the campaign trail, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has been an outspoken advocate for strategic, targeted investment in the city’s neighborhoods, particularly on the hard-hit Southeast Side, which includes the Union-Miles, Mount Pleasant and Lee-Harvard neighborhoods. Rich in history and civic pride, these areas have long su ered from the legacy of systemic racism, enduring decades of concentrated disinvestment and discriminatory lending practices.

Today, with new leadership helming a uni ed and engaged civic system, and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented by the in ux of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, Cleveland is uniquely positioned to reverse the cycle of disinvestment and enact real, lasting change and an equitable economic recovery.

But we have to do it right.

Last month, Cleveland City Council’s Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee considered Bibb’s three-pronged proposal to revitalize the Southeast Side, which would set aside $15 million in ARPA funds to create and manage a revolving loan fund for home repair and rehabilitation, prepare vacant and underutilized properties for development, and revitalize ve key commercial corridors.

While the committee advanced all three proposals, some council members rightly noted the glaring absence of a healthy lending environment — a key driver in this cycle of disinvestment — and expressed concerns that a public-sector commitment wouldn’t be met with equitable private sector investment.

Pointing to the racism-rooted policies that have historically in uenced lending practices, Councilman Kerry McCormack said that these proposals must ensure that nancial institutions are creating a healthy and equitable lending environment for existing residents.

“We need to normalize the banking environment in neighborhoods that have been redlined,” said McCormack. “If a Ward 1 resident in three years still can’t get a loan, none of this conversation matters.”

Highlighting the long track record of private banks failing to invest in residents, McCormack expressed doubts of a sudden reversal and asked what the city could do when the banks inevitably fail to deliver once again.

“A public banking system — have we considered that?”

e councilman is right on the money.

A public bank in Cleveland could be a game-changer, addressing the historical barriers faced by residents in securing loans and promoting equitable economic growth. With a public bank, the city would be empowered to cultivate a fair lending environment, ensuring that investment decisions are made with the best interests of the community at heart.

One key advantage of a public bank is its ability to keep local dollars local. When individuals and businesses deposit their money in a public bank, those funds are reinvested in the community through loans to residents and local businesses. is creates a cycle of economic growth as money circulates within the community — money that can generate jobs, improve public infra-

structure and foster entrepreneurship. Private banks, especially in cities like Cleveland, will often prioritize pro ts over local interest, resulting in capital out ows that drain resources from the community. Moreover, a public bank can be a powerful tool in addressing the legacy of racist redlining practices that divided and devoured our communities, and continue to plague neighborhoods like Union-Miles, Mount Pleasant and Lee-Harvard. By prioritizing equitable and community-conscious lending, a public bank can help break the cycle of disinvestment and pave the way for longterm economic recovery and revitalization. It can ensure fair access to credit and loans for historically marginalized individuals and businesses, empowering them to build wealth and reinvest in themselves and their communities.

Additionally, a public bank can enhance the stability and resilience of Cleveland’s local nancial system. Private banks will often tighten lending standards during economic downturns, making it di cult for small businesses and individuals to access credit. In contrast, a public bank can maintain consistent lending practices, ensuring that vital funds continue to ow even during challenging times. is stability can help mitigate the impact of economic crises on local communities, safeguard jobs and foster more resilient local and regional economies.

Numerous examples from around the world have demonstrated that a well-managed public bank can be nancially viable and even generate revenue for the city. Proper governance, transparency and accountability measures can ensure that the bank operates in a responsible manner and minimizes risks. By leveraging the expertise of nancial professionals and partnering with community stakeholders — and even other nancial institutions — Cleveland can establish a thriving public bank that serves as a catalyst for further economic development.

Cleveland now has the opportunity to rede ne its economic future by embracing a public bank. Such an institution has the potential to revolutionize lending practices, address systemic racism and stimulate growth across the city.

Mayor Bibb and the Cleveland City Council should seize this moment and lead the charge toward a more equitable and prosperous future for all residents. By establishing a public bank, Cleveland would set a precedent for other cities, demonstrating that when communities take control of their nancial systems, they can begin to right the wrongs of the past and pave the way for lasting change and shared prosperity.

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Collier of Cleveland is a board member of the Ohio Public Banking Coalition. Minocha of Middleburg Heights is the founder and executive director of the Ohio Public Banking Coalition.

It’s no secret that Northeast Ohio is full of female leaders shaping the area’s business scene. If you read Crain’s, you know that we regularly feature women making deals happen and impacting community change. Since 1997, though, we like to honor a particularly outstanding group in a special way. We do that because we believe in women and their role in leading Northeast Ohio to even greater heights. is year’s class is an impressive and varied group —from arts, architecture and hospitality, to government, manufacturing and law, and economic development, nonpro ts and nance. ese women rock. ey represent numerous industries and roles, showcasing how diverse and encompassing women’s business in uence in Northeast Ohio truly is. is year’s class of female leaders represents an array of knowledge and in uence that spans across Northeast Ohio and beyond. We are extremely excited to be able to honor these successful women.

PHOTOS BY KEN BLAZE FOR CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

KYLE DREYFUSS-WELLS

Chief executive of cer | Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells.

She’s CEO of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. But, while there’s the obvious bene t to having someone as adept as Dreyfuss-Wells on that job, the role entails and a ects a lot more than most people probably know. Humans have known for at least a couple of thousand years that their cities are only as good as their sewers, and in the last 50 years, we’ve learned that our whole environment depends on us having sound sewers.

“ e water quality that we see in Lake Erie, the Colorado River, Doan Brook — that’s a direct result of the decisions we make,” Dreyfuss-Wells said.

A good modern sewer system takes away waste, of course, but it also keeps contaminated wastewater separate from surface runo , controls and monitors discharge into local waterways — and has to operate with 100% reliability 365 days a year.

NEORSD has done that in spades and has become an entity sought by people nationwide for its expertise.

at’s thanks to a 50-year e ort that began when the Cuyahoga River caught re and hasn’t let up, Drey-

fuss-Wells said. Just since 2011, NEORSD has reduced the amount of combined sewer runo entering the watershed and Lake Erie from more than 5 million gallons a year to less than 1 million. And shrinking.

Today, the river is cleaner than it’s been in 100 years or more, and it's a draw to paddleboarders at its entrance to Lake Erie and other points upstream.

“ e Cuyahoga River is the heir to this huge amount of progress that we’ve made and really a testament to our elected o cials and the people who live in NEO,” Dreyfuss-Wells said.

She also couldn’t be happier or prouder of what she does.

“I’m very loud and proud of the work Northeast Ohio has done — and we’re known around the country for it,” she said.

Dreyfuss-Wells has a degree in public a airs from Indiana University and a master's from Michigan State University in environmental science.

“I went to two Big 10 schools and never went to a sporting event,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not a big fan of crowds, and I get my competition through horse (riding) events.”

Her passion for science and public service doesn’t surprise her friends,

said Laura Kleinman, executive director of Senior Transportation Connection and a close friend of Dreyfuss-Wells for about 25 years.

“She’s always ready and she’s very prepared,” Kleinman said. “ ere are more fun things about her, but those are really important.”

e other things include being able to make friends laugh with her wit, Kleinman said. Wit and brainpower make Dreyfuss-Wells both formidable and approachable, she said.

“ ose things, coupled with her passion for what she does and her knowledge of what she does is a perfect combination,” Kleinman said. “She has the ability to simplify things and make them accessible … and often she does it in a funny and relatable way. Because we are taking about the toilet after all.” We’re also talking about a job that is growing in importance. More and more people realize the signi cance of water as a resource and also as a system that needs to be well-managed and invested in, Dreyfuss-Wells said. She welcomes that and the increased demands she thinks lie ahead.

“I love my job and I love the people I work with,” she said. “I could not think of a better job.”

— Dan Shingler

ANDREAN HORTON

Executive vice president, chief legal of cer and secretary MasterBrand Inc.

Andrean Horton jokes that she’s not someone who went into law because she liked to argue as a child; instead, she appreciates that the law lets her o er her expertise and help people in the speci c areas that they need.

And it’s the variety that drew her to the idea of being a general counsel for a company. She likes being inhouse, getting to know a company well and being part of its larger strategy.

Today, Horton is the executive vice president, chief legal o cer and secretary at MasterBrand Inc., a maker of residential cabinets based in Indiana.

Horton earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and her JD from Case Western Reserve University's School of Law. Her legal career began at Calfee Halter & Griswold LLP.

Horton has had great “people skills” from the start, said Chris Williams, litigation partner at Calfee. He’s worked with Horton for more than 20 years, from her start as an intern and then as a litigation associate at the rm to her role as a client while she’s been working in the corporate world. She’s maintained those interpersonal skills as she’s worked into higher and higher roles, he said, but

she’s also maintained her “humility” and “open-mindedness.”

“She’s not afraid to step up and take responsibility for making a hard decision,” Williams said.

After a few roles in di erent areas of law and at di erent companies, Horton knew she wanted to work toward becoming a general counsel for a public company. at took her to plastic compound supplier A. Schulman Inc., where she worked as a senior corporate counsel for about ve years, overseeing work in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. at gave her the chance to take on what she called “amazing” temporary roles, too, like serving as the HR director for Latin America. It was a good experience to prepare her for a public company general counsel role, she said.

“I had su cient time, and I had su cient guidance,” Horton said.

She took on the role of chief legal o cer at A. Schulman in 2016, leaving the company when it was sold a couple of years later.

Horton has since served in similar roles at other large companies in the region, including Dealer Tire and Myers Industries Inc. At the latter, she also served as interim president and CEO for a time.

When Horton heard MasterBrand,

where Myers’ former CEO had gone, was going to do a spin-out, she thought it would really t her “wheelhouse” of doing something di erent.

“It’s easier to be fully present when you’re learning, and when you’re doing something new,” she said.

Horton joined the company in September of 2022. By December, MasterBrand had spun o from Fortune Brands Innovations Inc., becoming an independent publicly traded company.

“It was an opportunity that was only going to come around to me once,” Horton said. “ is was not going to happen again.”

Her rst few months were spent both learning the new company and guring out what she needed to do to make the spin-out successful. Since the latter took precedence at rst, Horton said this year has given her time to step back and really get to know the cabinet maker.

It’s important to take risks, Horton said, and she’d advise someone looking for a similar career to keep that in mind. She’s left jobs without a backup; she’s taken jobs that, from the outside, might look like a step back.

“ e trajectory doesn’t have to be this straight line up,” Horton said.

— Rachel Abbey McCa erty

GLADISA GUADALUPE

Co-founder and artistic director | Cleveland Ballet

Achild prodigy is said to have mastered her craft by the age of 10. It would be hard to argue, however, that a 14-year-old Gladisa Guadalupe, living in her native Puerto Rico, did not display a prodigy-like essence when she was invited to the renowned School of American Ballet in New York City just one year after taking up the art form.

“My father always wanted me to be a pianist,” Guadalupe explained. “So, from a young age, I took piano lessons, but I was so bad. I never practiced. My piano teacher yelled at me, and I ended up in her brother’s ballet studio, and the moment I walked in, I said, ‘OK, this is me.’”

In the decades since, Guadalupe has created a life — and made a name for herself — in and around ballet.

After studying under the celebrated George Balanchine at SAB, she joined Venezuela’s ballet company at the age of 17 and spent four years touring the world. Guadalupe said she brie y debated returning to the Big Apple to attend NYU but ultimately landed in Northeast Ohio when Dennis Nahat, then artistic director of the former Cleveland Ballet, o ered her a principal dancer position.

e Cleveland Ballet that she had originally joined went bankrupt and moved to San Jose, California, but Guadalupe stayed in her newly adopted city, where she graduated with

a psychology degree from Cleveland State University.

In 2000, she opened the Cleveland School of Dance, and in 2014, Guadalupe and her husband, business magnate Michael Krasnyansky, relaunched the Cleveland Ballet. What began as a ve-member dance troupe, funded out of the couple’s pocket, is today a company of 32 dancers from nine countries with an annual operating budget nearing $3 million.

Richard Pogue, a senior adviser at Jones Day and chairman of the board at the Cleveland Ballet, credits Guadalupe’s artistry and in uence for the resurgence of professional ballet in Greater Cleveland.

tion of her team members and collaborators, “because it takes a village to create something beautiful and lasting.”

“I don’t believe in self-made,” Guadalupe said. “Yes, I have a vision, and I have a mission. But I also have all these people who are actually moving forward to bring to light this vision of mine.”

“Gladisa is not only very knowledgeable and skilled in her craft, but she’s got an international reputation,” Pogue said. “ at’s the reason that we are able to get dancers from Argentina and Tokyo and Brussels. She has an unbelievable reputation in the eld.”

Guadalupe has been recognized with, among others, the Ohio Arts Council Governor’s Award, the coveted Lifetime Achievement award from the Cleveland Arts Prize and the YWCA’s Women of Achievement award. Each recognition, she said, re ects the hard work and dedica-

Along with training dancers and advancing the performing arts in Cleveland, Guadalupe is passionate about bringing ballet to those who might not otherwise be exposed to its magic. To date, the Cleveland Ballet’s educational outreach initiatives have reached nearly 2,500 at-risk area youth by partnering with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, the Cleveland Browns Stay in the Game! Network, the Boys and Girls Club and Girl Scouts of America. It also participates in the Tickets for Kids Charities program, which provides complimentary tickets to youth whose parents face challengingnancial situations. Such programs, she said, are becoming increasingly critical as school districts curtail or outright cut arts programming.

“Sadly, here in the U.S., too many people don’t recognize the value of arts, the way it makes a person whole,” Guadalupe said. “It is so important for any human being to be involved in the arts.”

— Judy

Stringer

“It is so important for any human being to be involved in the arts.”

LILLIAN KURI

Executive vice president and chief operating of cer | Cleveland Foundation

Lillian Kuri knows Cleveland well — not just the usual hot spots you might see in a typical “best of” story, but an almost granular understanding of the city’s streets, neighborhoods and housing.

As a civic leader with 25 years of local economic development experience, Kuri can’t help but know every beat of Cleveland’s heart. Kuri helped build the city’s geographic information system under the administration of Mayor Michael White, a task that mapped out the area for future land use opportunities.

In her current position at the Cleveland Foundation, Kuri is leading the organization’s move to its Midtown headquarters. In May, the foundation broke ground on a new Collaboration Center, an innovation-focused project aimed at boosting job prospects for Hough residents.

Kuri’s background as a licensed architect is the cherry on top of a long career of supporting change for her beloved hometown.

“Looking back, all my work has focused on making Cleveland more livable — a better place so everyone can bene t from the opportunities here,” said Kuri, also former executive director of Cleveland Public Art.

Kuri is now readying herself to become the nonpro t’s 10th president and CEO. E ective Aug. 1, Kuri will take over from Ronn Richard, who led the foundation for two decades. Over the last several years, Kuri has played a key role in uplifting historically redlined Cleveland communities, an e ort that includes workforce development and environmental initiatives.

When planning for the city’s fu-

ture, Kuri always asks herself one fundamental question: “How is the region prospering and growing?” Kuri said. “Our measure of success is how to make an impact on the lives of Clevelanders. Are their lives getting better?”

Kuri joined the organization in 2005 as a consultant for a University Circle revitalization plan, an effort to enhance area anchor institutions and create living-wage jobs for underserved Cleveland neighborhoods.

Foundation chief nancial ocer Rosanne Potter has worked with Kuri for seven years, a partnership that includes growing a social impact and diversity program with $420 million in assets.

Potter is already casting ahead to late summer when Kuri takes the helm as the organization's president and CEO.

“We will work together on strategic goals and nancial growth,” Potter said in an email. “I am extremely excited to be working with Lillian in her new role, and know that we will accomplish signi cant transformational growth over the next few years.”

In the meantime, Kuri is enjoying Cleveland from a brand-new angle — its waterways. Kuri bought a kayak during the pandemic, a purchase that allows her to view miles of landscape while coursing along a creek or river. As Kuri grows into her new leadership duties, she hopes to beautify Cleveland further with the help of like-minded organizations.

“ ere needs to be a culture of teamwork here,” Kuri said. “ e city has complex issues that require collaboration and institutions being part of that solution. No one institution can do it alone.”

— Douglas J. Guth

KELLY LAMIRAND

Cleveland market president and commercial sales leader | KeyBank

Kelly Lamirand knows it’s rare these days to spend your entire career with the same company. But after 25 years with KeyBank, working her way up to Cleveland market president and commercial sales leader, she says the key to her longevity has been learning when and how to take advantage of opportunities within the company.

She began with KeyBank in 1998. After she had her rst son, she worked a reduced schedule, a concept unheard of at a time before remote work was even an option, she said. Once she was ready to return full time, she could focus more on her career.

“I was never pressured to do anything, but when I was ready, there were plenty of opportunities that were presented to me,” she said.

Recently, Lamirand felt the timing was right for the next big challenge.

“My kids are a little bit older now, and I have an incredibly supportive husband, and I just thought this is probably the right time for me to try something a little bit out of my comfort zone,” she said.

In her current role as market president, she works with clients with revenues of $20 million to

$500 million as head of Key’s commercial banking team, which she calls the best in the city.

“I clearly believe in Cleveland and I believe in Key,” she said.

Lamirand is sharing her knowledge with others now as part of the KeyBank Women’s Executive Network, which serves as a networking group for Key employees, and she’s encouraging others to look for opportunities when they’re ready to take them.

“We're trying to help people stay engaged, stay in the game, and when you're ready, raise your hand,” she said.

Lamirand re ected on her return from parental leave years ago when she asked for a reduced schedule, telling herself the worst her boss could say was “no.”

“I walked into his o ce and he said, ‘Please don't leave, please, please, please don't leave,’” she said. “I was really unaware that I had that kind of value, because women aren’t really great at recognizing that. And so that's what I tell people all the time, that you have more value than you think.”

Lamirand said her husband has made it possible for her to focus on her career, especially in recent years.

“He drives more carpools than I do, he packs more lunches. We’re pretty much even-stevens at this point, but it took a while to get there,” she said.

She’s also intent on raising sons who understand women’s value in the workplace.

“I’m raising three boys, and I’m very intentional about talking about my career and work in front of them,” she said. “My sister and I talk about raising my nieces and telling them girls can do anything, but I want my sons to hear that more.”

Matthew Pitts, regional communications manager with KeyBank, nominated Lamirand and said her 25 years with the bank speaks to her dedication and pride in working for a Cleveland mainstay. He credits her ability to collaborate for her success in the role and points to her work in mentoring others as evidence of that.

“Kelly lifts as she climbs,” he said. “She has really taken an active role in terms of making sure that the people that she is working with are developing in their careers, providing them with advice, sharing her experiences with them, and making sure that they're growing along with her.”

— Kristine Gill

JILL DIETRICH MELLON

Executive director and CEO | VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System

As Jill Dietrich Mellon moved through her career rather quickly, some would question her experience or ask if she was sure about her next move.

For someone less determined or certain, the comments of “Are you in school?” or “Do you need more time in this job before moving forward?” may have shut them down, but Dietrich Mellon pressed forward.

“It was very di cult as a woman, and especially as a young woman, too. I mean, there’s two factors here,” Dietrich Mellon said. “But I will tell you, even though I encountered some challenges, I encountered some individuals saying, … ‘You need to think about whether you actually want to move up in this organization,’ the important thing was that I was able to nd mentors and coaches that were able to talk me through di erent situations and allowed me to handle those situations appropriately.”

She held her rst CEO job at 37 as the rst woman to lead the Dayton VA Medical Center. She served as director in Dayton for about a year and a half before she was tapped to lead the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System in 2019.

Since joining the Northeast Ohio

system, she’s guided it through COVID-19, championing workforce resiliency e orts and ensuring continued health care access for veterans throughout the pandemic, including with increased telehealth services.

She started a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) advisory group and created listening sessions for the leadership team to hear about the experiences of individuals across the system, connecting leaders and employees for critical dialogue. At the end of last year, Dietrich Mellon hired the system’s rst chief diversity o cer to build on these e orts and implement essential DEI training.

Relationship-building has been key to Dietrich Mellon’s leadership throughout her career. As she graduated Case Western Reserve University with her JD/MBA, she expected her approach in jobs would be no di erent from that of her male peers, “but over time, I realized that the way that I interacted with employees, as a woman, was just slightly di erent than some of my male colleagues as well, too,” she said. “I felt that I was more compassion-forward, I felt that I was more relationship-focused as well, too.”

Dr. James Hardy, chief of sta of the Dayton VA, said employees

across the organization still ask him if he’s talked to Dietrich Mellon and how she’s doing. She had such an outgoing personality and connected with employees across all levels and departments of the organization, Hardy said.

“Given the 150-plus year history of male leadership here, to have someone like Jill — who was engaging, personable, would stop and talk to any employee that wanted to talk to her — that I think is what, particularly for the women, which make up the majority of the workforce, was really the part that they miss,” Hardy said.

Becoming a mother — Dietrich Mellon this year welcomed her second child — has made her more aware of employees’ external commitments. She’s also found herself thinking about the workplaces where her children will one day work.

“ at’s really what I’m bringing to my employees,” she said. “We’re only here for a short period of time; we really are. And work is a majority of that time. I want them to be thriving and happy there so they can bring that home to their family, so everybody can be happy and just live their best life.”

— Lydia Coutré

Revolutionizing Business.

SONJA RICE

Partner | Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP

Kindness and compassion aren’t characteristics typically associated with the oft-cutthroat world of corporate law, but Sonja Rice is not your typical attorney. She’s more like an uber-advocate.

In her practice, Rice is a transactional advocate for Hahn Loeser & Parks commercial clients, developing and negotiating agreements on everything from supply chain and warehousing contracts to intellectual property and distribution deals. She’s also part of the rm’s construction law division, helping businesses and developers navigate the high-stakes contracts that go along with buildouts.

In addition to client work, Rice advocates for her peers inside the rm as chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative, a member of its Diversity and Inclusion committee and a mentor to younger attorneys.

Outside the o ce, she honors her Indonesian heritage by advancing the interests of Asian Americans as a 15-year trustee of the Asian American Bar Association of Ohio and takes up the charge for unhomed pets as a pro-bono attorney for a local animal shelter.

“I guess you could say I can’t stop advocating,” Rice noted with a laugh. “ e shelter needs more space and more state-of-the-art facilities, so I’ve been representing them as they negotiate with the architect, with the contractors and all the other project partners to bring this new facility to life so that the little dogs and kitties — who don’t have a voice or any control over their circumstances — can get better care.”

e Chicago native landed on law somewhat unexpectedly. Young Rice dreamed of being a writer, holed up in a remote cabin, banging out the next great American novel. In her teen and young adult years, she considered a career as a professional pianist and studied classical piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, graduating from Oberlin in 1992.

It was at her rst job with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, however, that opened Rice’s eyes to the legal eld. As a claims examiner, she took a course that included a segment on workers’ compensation law.

“I thought that sounded so fun,” she said. “ at way of thinking and trying to piece things together and make sense of them really resonated with me.”

Rice studied at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, landing an internship with Hahn Loeser the summer after her second year. She joined the rm as a litigator upon graduation in 2001, but migrated over to contract work because she was not a fan of the combativeness.

“I loved the writing. I loved crafting the arguments. But ultimately litigation didn’t suit my personality,” she said. “With transactional work, everyone has the same goal. You want to get the deal done, and so all day long I get to help my clients achieve something that the other side also has an interest in achieving.”

Danielle Humphries, a partner in Hahn Loeser’s San Diego o ce, has experienced Rice’s supportive nature rsthand. Humphries said Rice was one of the rst in the Cleveland home o ce to welcome her when she joined the rm 10 years ago, and the two have since worked closely within its Women’s Leadership Initiative.

“Besides the fact that Sonja is a brilliant, meticulous contract attorney, her door was always open to me, and that is something I have seen her do with associates,” Humphries said. “She is somebody who goes above and beyond to make others feel comfortable and feel supported.”

Rice credits her desire to be compassionate and collaborative to the characteristics she found in “many mentors and teachers.”

“ ey’ve taught me how to conduct myself with professionalism and civility, which sadly we don’t always see,” she said, “and to proofread.”

— Judy Stringer

ANNE RICHIE

Founder and managing member

The Mezzanine Fund

After more than 35 years innance, Anne Richie has become used to being the only woman and only person of color in the room. What she hasn’t been able to accept is the lack of funding available to those same individuals running businesses.

So after a career spent with the likes of KeyBank, Citicorp, JumpStart Inc. and ACR Capital which she founded she embarked in 2020 on her dream of providing mezzanine nancing to businesses run by women and people of color. She said she thinks of herself not just as a fund manager but also a capital activist.

“I’m really trying to change things quickly,” she said. “It’s not like what I’m talking about is new or di erent, it’s just the urgency. To do it more quickly, you have to push more buttons.”

Now, e Mezzanine Fund aims to bridge the gap in funding for businesses owned by these groups not just because they’re overlooked but also because it makes good business sense.

“ ere are a lot of reports by reputable sources that say businesses owned by women and businesses owned by

immigrants and other people of color outperform,” she said. “And so this is not charity. is is connecting investors to really good opportunities that will allow them to earn greater returns.”

Richie plans to fund Cleveland-based businesses with regional and national reach in other words, already pro table companies that need more money to expand.

“ e reason mezzanine nancing is called mezzanine nancing is because it sits kind of between debt and equity on the balance sheet,” she said. “So, it’s a little too risky to go to a bank for a loan, but it’s not risky enough to say ‘OK, I’ve got to go nd a partner and give us some equity.’”

Richie started the fund in 2020 and recently made her rst full-time hire along with two interns for the summer. So far, she said it’s a 100% diverse team.

“It’s really important that me and my team look like the type of customers that we’re trying to nd,” she said.

Richie said she has spent several years caring for her aging parents, who have since passed, while raising two sons.

“Everything before now was a lot of juggling. Finally, now I can just do ex-

actly what I want to do, which is this,” she said. “My friends are starting to think about retirement, and I’m just getting ramped up.”

Gloria Ware, CEO of GTB Advisors LLC, can’t exactly recall meeting Richie, but the two have both been involved in nance in Cleveland for years. At one point, they also worked together on the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative.

“It was unusual for a Black woman to be in commercial lending but even more so special assets, so I always admired her work in that area,” Ware said.

Ware said Richie has boundless energy for her work because she’s passionate about what it means for the communities she represents.

Ware described Richie as tenacious and fearless, but with a big heart, and said she has deep experi-

ence analyzing, coaching and teaching businesses across a range of industries. She has taught nance as an adjunct at Ohio State University since the start of the year.

“Mezzanine funding is not a new concept, but no one has really been talking about this,” she said, “and I appreciate the fact that she’s thinking big about Black and brown businesses.”

— Kristine Gill

MALISSE SINITO

Owner | Savour Hospitality Group

Malisse Sinito has been working in hospitality since age 12 when she ipped pies at Pasta John’s Pizza in Parma Heights.

Today, Sinito runs a line of restaurants as owner of Savour Hospitality Group. is Trip Advisor-full of Cleveland dining experiences includes Lockkeepers, Il Venetian, and Marble Room Steaks and Raw Bar.

Savour runs six venues in total, with Sinito and her husband — Millennia Cos. founder and CEO Frank Sinito — transforming a tiny historic building in the Cuyahoga Valley into Lockkeepers in 1992.

Steady growth of the hospitality group lets Sinito chat with guests at the Marble Room or talk strategy with the leadership team at Il Venetian. Her current title might be “Chief Nitpicker,” though she does not view that as a negative.

At the Gar eld Building, for example, Savour transformed the downtown structure’s former National City banking lobby into the Marble Room, an upscale steak and seafood restaurant.

Contributing to Cleveland’s dining scene continues with a planned revival of the Centennial, Sinito said. Modestly priced apartments, a 61-room boutique hotel and a high-end restaurant are planned for the vacant Union Trust Building at East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue.

While high-level business deals are exciting, the real joy for Sinito is managing her restaurants. Hiring smart, talented people in leadership roles makes most every day a fun and frantic challenge, she noted.

“It’s so electrifying when we get together and brainstorm,” said Sinito. “Just the adrenaline of being in a busy restaurant, there’s a ridiculous sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. It’s an exhilaration unlike any business I’ve been in.”

“I see it from the guest’s perspective, in terms of what we’re doing wrong or right, and how we can continuously improve,” said Sinito.

Being in the business for a lifetime has Sinito critiquing most establishments she nds herself in. She pays special attention to seemingly small details, like whether a server’s hair is tied into a ponytail, or if dining room music is too loud for people to have a conversation.

Savour also has a unique perspective on the concept of ne dining, noted Sinito. e company’s restaurants are mostly placed in repurposed Northeast Ohio landmarks, a modus operandi derived from real estate purchases such as Key Tower, the Gar eld Building and the 925 Building on Chester Avenue.

Madison Berner, executive assistant at Savour, knows that Sinito can handle the pressure. Berner lauds Sinito’s commitment to continuous improvement, both for the company and Cleveland at large.

“Malisse is highly skilled at making people feel celebrated,” Berner said in an email. “With her expertise of culinary arts and meticulous attention to detail, she curates memorable dining experiences that leave lasting impressions on guests. As a boss, she fosters a workplace environment that empowers her employees by encouraging growth and collaboration.”

For her part, Sinito is happy to build up the region she loves. e “wow factor” on her guests’ faces when they enter one of her restaurants is priceless, she said.

“ ey may come into the Marble Room and say, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’” said Sinito. “ is (work) is a way to show o Cleveland’s architecture and the beauty of the city.”

—

Douglas J. Guth

“Just the adrenaline of being in a busy restaurant, there’s a ridiculous sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. It’s an exhilaration unlike any business I’ve been in.”

honoring the women who lead the way.

The exceptional women celebrated this year enrich Northeast Ohio with their leadership, vision, and humanity. They are role models and trailblazers, inspiring the next generation of leaders.

At KeyBank, we know that the best leaders thrive in a culture where every person feels included, valued, and empowered.

Congratulations to all of the women being honored, including our very own Kelly Lamirand, for being named among the 2023 Women of Note honorees.

Kelly Lamirand Cleveland Market President

JILL VAN AUKEN MAROUS

Founding principal | Van Auken Akins Architects LLC

Jill Van Auken Marous is about to go full circle as a business owner and architect as she prepares to retire next year, even though she plans to keep her hand in design.

She sold Van Auken Akins Architects LLC, the rm she founded 30 years ago, in early 2023 to Christopher P. Dewey and switched from owner to employee.

“I now work 40 hours a week instead of 60,” Van Auken Marous said. “It’s made a huge di erence in my life. Although it’s weird to have a boss, I try to be his best employee. Not his worst problem.”

Although she plans to take some time o next year, she will be busy. She plans to spend a day a week with her rst grandchild and expects one more soon from her and her husband Ken Marous’ blended families.

Design-wise, she is planning a home for the two of them in Hilton Head. She also will captain the rm’s design of the new primate exhibit at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Van Auken Marous said she also does not plan to change her e orts to mentor women in architecture and business, noting she kept her door open for doing so.

She feels “the world has opened up” for women architects since she started her own practice three decades ago. Part of her rationale for launching her practice was to ensure she would not “miss an opportunity” to attend her children’s activities from seeing games to school plays.

“Flexible work practices have made it easier to be a mom in the profession than before,” she said.

“Most rms are willing to allow parents to be active (grade school) room parents. It was not always easy to get that time in the past.”

However, Van Auken Marous is not one to dwell on challenges women face. She credits that to growing up in a “man’s world” with six brothers and being the only girl. Her father is the late Richard A. Van Auken, a prominent Northeast Ohio construction contractor, whom she described as “super in uential” for supporting her launching the architecture practice, “giving her the backbone to do it.”

Van Auken Akins Architects has a sta of 20 and a portfolio of signicant school, college and institutional projects.

Originally, she had planned to sell the practice several years ago to Dewey, an employee for 15 years and

a rm principal for six. However, the two delayed the transaction until the pandemic was waning and the business was on a rm footing following the COVID-19 setback for companies.

Dewey said over the years he has been impressed by Van Auken Marous’ dedication to client satisfaction.

“She knows clients expect professionalism and a quick response,” Dewey said. “She’s built the business on repeat clients. For me, since joining her, I’ve been able to grow professionally and grow the business with Jill. I’m very happy for her.”

Since the practice no longer qualies as a female-owned business post-transition, Dewey said the rm has formed relationships with other rms to meet such goals when necessary.

Arne Goldman, director of business development at Marous Brothers Construction of Willoughby, said he considers her a trailblazer as a woman who built an architecture rm in the Cleveland-Akron area.

“She is incredibly talented, energetic and entrepreneurial,” Goldman said.

— Stan Bullard

Dr. Airica Steed, President & CEO MetroHealth

JUNE TAYLOR

Chief performance and strategy of cer Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging

Atennis-turned-pickleball enthusiast, June Taylor struggles with the “double bounce” rule. When the plastic ball is served, as any pickleballer will explain, the receiving and serving teams each must let it bounce before returning.

“Sometimes, I can’t help but hit the ball,” she said. “It just blows my mind that you have to let it drop.”

To be fair, Taylor excels at keeping balls in the air. In addition to her day job at the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging — one of the state’s largest nonpro ts — she is currently chair of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, a trustee of First Year Cleveland, an adviser to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Beachwood City Council member and head of the social justice committee for the National Council of Negro Women. Some of her past appointments include vice chair of Cleveland State University’s board, chair of the state’s Minority Business Advisory Council and Sisters of Charity Foundation board member.

“When I talk to young ladies, I always say, ‘Dream big and dream

open,’ because you never know what door might open, and when you walk through, it’s a whole new possibility to avenues that you just never even thought about,” Taylor said.

Taylor’s own open-mindedness led her from manufacturing to banking and venture capital before she landed in the nonpro t world, and from her native Wisconsin to Chicago and San Francisco before settling in Northeast Ohio. She holds two Northwestern University diplomas, an undergraduate engineering degree and a Master of Management from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management.

e daughter of civil service workers — a public school teacher and a post o ce employee, both of whom graduated from historically Black colleges and universities — Taylor said her parents would have preferred she taken a similar path to security.

“ ey just wanted me to have good bene ts,” she said with a laugh. “I thought I might go into law, but really developed a love of business right out of college.”

In 2003, after various engineering and nancial management positions,

Taylor was named vice president of MWV Pinnacle Advisory Services, the business development a liate of Cleveland’s MWV Pinnacle Capital Fund. She was elevated to president in 2007 and led the rm for eight years, getting a crash course in both “the breadth of companies operating throughout Ohio and the Midwest,” Taylor said, and “the breadth of products that they make.”

It was during this period that Ohio Gov. John Kasich tapped Taylor to sit on the Casino Control Commission.

“I was not enraptured with the industry. I wasn’t in awe of the way the legislation was written. As an African

American, I am also aware of the disproportionate impact gambling has on my community,” she said. “What I o ered was a unique perspective; I did not anticipate that it would turn into essentially three terms.”

e deep dive into Ohio politics, meanwhile, dovetailed nicely with her background in business operations and nancial metrics. So, in 2015 when WRAAA trustees were searching for someone to support and advise new CEO Doug Beach, a Florida transplant, Taylor was an obvious choice.

As chief performance and strategy o cer, Taylor said she has overseen

WRAAA’s transformation into “the top-performing agency” among the state’s 12 aging o ces. During the pandemic era alone, she is credited with securing $3.4 million in federal and county funding to sustain the organization.

Deborah Vesy, former president and CEO of the Deaconess Foundation, described Taylor as a “transformational leader.”

“She di erentiates herself in that she is fearless, willing to take on the tough issues, excels at building collaborative teams, and is a master of relationship-building,” Vesy said.

— Judy Stringer

CONGRATULATIONS

to Jill Van Auken for being recognized as one of Crain’s Cleveland Business Women of Note!

HAHN LOESER

PARTNER SONJA RICE

on being selected by Crain’s Cleveland Business as a 2023 Women of Note honoree.

Sonja’s passion in client advocacy, dedication to her clients and colleagues, service to our community, and championship and mentoring of women exemplify Hahn Loeser’s commitment to excellence every day.

CrainsCleveland.com/Book24

RAMONITA VARGAS

Chief executive of cer and executive director | Spanish American Committee

Atrip to the local library as a child may have set the course for Ramonita Vargas’ life.

Vargas recalls a professional-looking woman in a smart business suit — an aspirational sight for a girl who grew up poor alongside six siblings in a two-bedroom house.

Vargas has been with the Spanish American Committee almost her entire career, a fact that might just make that long-ago little girl proud. e Ohio City-raised daughter of Puerto Rican parents joined the agency in the late 1970s as a secretary, rising to bookkeeper before a promotion to a scal manager position that lasted 26 years.

Named CEO in 2011, Vargas has led the organization to an annual budget of $1.5 million — a far cry from the $200,000 de cit accrued before the Brooklyn resident took the role. e committee remains a focal point for Cleveland’s Hispanic population, o ering vital services such as housing, child care and employment.

Crisis management is a key facet of this work, a bailiwick that includes managing displaced Puerto Rican families who arrived in Northeast Ohio following Hurricane Maria in 2017. e committee provides services to 5,000 people annually, at the same time growing a bilingual child enrichment center in the heart of Cleveland’s West Side Hispanic neighborhoods.

“I’ve been here all my life, but it doesn’t seem like 40 years have gone by,” said Vargas. “It’s a great thing, because most people who get to 40 years in a job want to retire. I come here fresh every day. I love what I do,

and what the agency stands for.”

During the aftermath of Maria, the organization navigated 2,000 a ected families to temporary housing and essential nancial resources. e COVID-19 pandemic proved an additional unprecedented emergency, one the agency met with direction to basic social services.

Lack of housing stock is a major hurdle for disadvantaged families in 2023, though a HUD-certi ed program at the organization takes would-be homeowners through the paces of nancing and insurance. Job creation is part of the organizational mission as well, emphasized by a construction program that helps Spanish-speaking residents nd lucrative work in the building trades.

“Having been at the agency and serving our community for 40 years, a lot can be said about Ramonita’s skill sets,” committee board member Kenny Torres said in an email. “It is no easy task to manage an agency through many troubled times while serving an underserved community. Ramonita is always and able to do whatever it takes for the agency and community.”

Vargas, named 2022 Community Leader of the Year by Cleveland Magazine, utilizes her skills to provide the fundamental necessities she often did not have as a child. Growing up impoverished in a crowded house taught Vargas about empathy, leading to a career she has no plans on leaving anytime soon.

“I’m proud to have made moves for an agency that has gone up to a whole di erent level,” Vargas said. “I’m always asking what else we can be doing for the community.”

— Douglas J. Guth

Jill Van Auken, AIA | Founding Principal

to our friend Andrean Horton on her recognition as one of Crain’s 2023 Women of Note.

Taft is honored to work with you.

Four key considerations for bene ciary designations

Bene ciary designations are among the most important legacy decisions you will make. A variety of nancial accounts, including retirement plans and life insurance policies, allow you to designate bene ciaries. The person or persons named on an account’s bene ciary designation form will receive those assets after you die — even if your will or revocable trust has different instructions.

Bene ciary designation forms are frequently executed without professional oversight. Failure to update bene ciary designations after major life events can have serious nancial and emotional consequences for your loved ones.

1. Carefully designate a primary and contingent bene ciary where needed

You will designate a bene ciary when purchasing an annuity or insurance policy, or starting or rolling over a quali ed retirement account or IRA. Most married people name their spouse as their primary bene ciary. If, however, you and your spouse were to die at the same time, the assets will revert to your probate estate unless you have named one or more contingent bene ciaries. Adult children, trusts for the bene t of minors, other adult family members or charities are common choices for contingent bene ciaries.

Investment accounts and banking accounts are not required to have a bene ciary designation, as your will controls the disposition of those assets. If you have a will, a bene ciary designation for an investment or bank account will often inadvertently change the disposition of your assets as was intended in your will. Therefore, before designating a bene ciary on these types of accounts simply to avoid probate, engage with your estate planning attorney to coordinate with the provisions of your will.

2. Coordinate bene ciary designations with your will and estate plan

Since bene ciary designations supersede anything in your will or revocable trust, synchronize language across all instruments to avoid confusion and ensure your intentions are consistent and clear. A good rule of thumb is to review your current bene ciary designations whenever you or your advisors make a change to

We align with your goals

your estate plan. We encourage professional guidance when preparing your bene ciary designations.

3. Keep all bene ciary designations up to date

Changes in your life — and the lives of your primary and contingent bene ciaries — might make you reconsider who should inherit certain assets. Good reasons to review and possibly update your bene ciary designations include marriages, births or adoptions, children or grandchildren attaining their majority, divorces, a new job or business venture, retirement, disabilities, serious illnesses or deaths in the family and changes in domicile. It is ideal to review your bene ciary designations annually even if none of these changes occurs. It is also worth considering whether new tax laws or changes in a designated bene ciary’s circumstances might trigger burdensome nancial consequences for them, and adjust accordingly.

4. Store bene ciary designations with your important papers

Keep a copy of all designated bene ciary forms with your other important papers and make sure your estate planning attorney has current copies.

Verify that retirement plan administrators, policy issuers and other nancial institutions have up-to-date copies of relevant bene ciary designation forms. Finally, be sure the person you designate as your executor or personal representative knows where you store all your important papers, including your bene ciary designations.

This article is provided solely for informational purposes and is not intended to provide nancial, investment, tax, legal or other advice. It contains information and opinions which may change after the date of publication. The author takes sole responsibility for the views expressed herein and these views do not necessarily re ect the views of the author’s employer or any other organization, group or individual. Information obtained from third-party sources is assumed to be reliable but may not be independently veri ed, and the accuracy thereof is not guaranteed. No outcome, including performance or tax consequences, is guaranteed, due to various risks and uncertainties. Readers should consult with their own nancial, tax, legal or other advisors to seek advice on their individual circumstances.

Lawrence Hatch is regional director of Glenmede’s Ohio office.

SPONSORED BY MIDDLEFIELD BANK

Find the right business loan and banking partner

When nancing for the growth of your business or covering unforeseen expenses, securing a business loan from a local community bank can be the advantage you need to settle your accounts or position yourself to make the most of a pro table opportunity. Businesses need additional funds for many reasons and community banks like Middle eld Bank have risen to the challenge, using a relationship-based approach to provide customized services for your business when you need them most.

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A term loan is a lump sum loan repaid over a xed period, usually with a xed interest rate. It is suitable for businesses that need funds marked for a speci c use, including equipment purchases and business expansion. They can be an excellent option for both short and long-term nancing needs.

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A line of credit based on a business’s assets can allow it to borrow funds as needed over time, with interest only charged for the amount borrowed. It can be an ideal solution for short-term lending

needs while also building your business’s credit.

3. Equipment loans

As the name suggests, these loans are for the purchase or lease of equipment. Equipment loans are typically secured by the equipment itself and can be easier to obtain than unsecured loans.

4. Commercial real estate loans

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5. Small Business Administration loans

Backed by the U.S. Government these loans are available to small businesses with eligible criteria. These loans commonly have lower interest rates.

As you can see, each of these options has its own features and bene ts, so it is essential to evaluate

your business’s speci c needs and nancial situation carefully. However, you do not have to make these lending decisions on your own –partnering with a lender that understands the unique position and needs can make impactful nancial decisions signi cantly easier and less stressful to make.

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As a community-centered bank, MB has a deep appreciation for the relationships it develops with our customers and members of the community. From assisting businesses with their banking, lending, and cash management services to cooperating with larger businesses across all industries, we’re passionate about providing tailored lending to meet the unique needs of our commercial and industrial clients.

About Middle eld Bank

The Middle eld Banking Company is a community bank established in 1901 in Middle eld, Ohio with total assets of $1.73 billion as of March 31, 2023. The bank operates 21 full-service banking centers across the state including 11 in Northeast Ohio, as well as a loan production of ce in Mentor. We believe strongly in the role we have in shaping the nancial success of our communities, local businesses, and every customer that walks through our doors.

Jack Gregorin is Vice President and commercial lender with Middlefield Bank.

franchise laws are outdated and create a power imbalance that favors a few dozen wholesalers over many more small beer and wine manufacturers, hindering their growth, independence and ability to tap into new markets across the state.

e Ohio Craft Brewers Association (OCBA), and its recently formed Brewers Freedom Alliance, say it’s past time to change that.

“When we have distributors, it is a very important partnership. We want to love our wholesalers,” said OCBA executive director Mary MacDonald. “But we also want to have the leverage when things are not working out to x it, and we don’t.”

e trade association is campaigning to carve out an exception to franchise laws for manufacturers producing fewer than 250,000 barrels of beer annually, which would apply to every craft brewer in the state — Ohio’s largest craft brewer, Great Lakes Brewing Co. (GLBC), makes just less than 250,000 barrels a year.

e idea was to have that change passed with the state’s 2024-25 budget, but as of June 16, the proposed reform, which does not encompass wineries, is not in the latest iteration of the budget bill.

MacDonald said the OCBA intends to press the issue if change is not achieved in the near term.

If a supplier is unsatis ed with a wholesale relationship because their sales in a distributor’s territory are decreasing, for example, they can ask to terminate the contract. An amicable split is always a possibility.

But if a distributor doesn’t agree to the breakup, that’s where it gets complicated.

Ohio law states the manufacturer must demonstrate that there is “just cause” — which is not de ned by the law — to end the relationship, which means suing their wholesaler in court. Even a provision requiring a wholesale contract to end after a given period of time is seemingly not enforceable.

“You could put whatever you want in a wholesale contract, but whether it is enforceable or not is another matter,” said Kevin Connell, a beer lawyer and co-founder of Ohio Beer Counsel. “It will always come down to ‘just cause.’ If you think things are going crappy, and (the wholesaler thinks) things are going great, then it will be a dispute.” is is where brewers say the balance of power shifts to distributors.

For their part, wholesalers say Ohio’s current franchise laws foster growth of craft beer and wine brands and support consumer choice. ey also assert that when issues arise between distributor and supplier, those are often worked out.

at’s why the Wholesale Beer & Wine Association of Ohio (WBWAO) says current franchise laws don’t need to be changed.

“We believe the marketplace in Ohio is as robust and competitive as any consumer product for food or beverage goods that you will see in any store,” said WBWAO lobbyist Jacob Evans. “We believe Ohio laws help support that competition and choice, and frankly, the franchise law is a strong part of that. It’s what allows wholesalers to make independent decisions as to what brands they will or will not distribute.”

But brewers like John Haggerty, co-founder of Warped Wing Brewing Co. in Dayton and chair of the

OCBA advocacy committee, contend that a wholesale industry still largely reliant on Big Beer isn’t that invested in the success of a small craft brand.

Nor, he added, are they motivated by some magnanimous sense of consumer choice in maintaining the status quo so much as they’re reluctant to give up the leverage and control they’ve come to enjoy. Wholesalers will still collect the average 30% markup on whatever they sell on top of any other fees related to the contract.

“ ese guys are not the advocates of choice or change or anything but guardians of the market trying to dictate how it runs,” Haggerty said.

Where did these laws come from?

e Ohio Alcoholic Beverages Act of 1974 laid the foundation of today’s alcohol franchise laws and created the “just cause” requirement.

When that law was passed, the only players in the marketplace were Big Beer. As a result, many small, family-owned distributors relied on the likes of Budweiser, Miller and Coors. Many still do, considering that Big Beer controls about 75% of the $115 billion U.S. retail beer market.

e spirit behind the franchise law at the time was to make it prohibitively di cult for those powerful companies to easily or arbitrarily cancel contracts with small wholesalers, which could have the e ect of putting them out of business. is provided stability for those wholesalers.

“ e law was written essentially to protect distributors from big brewers,” Connell said. “Now, the script is completely ipped. e purpose of the law and the way it was written in the ’70s is no longer valid.”

In 1974, “craft beer” was not even part of the industry vernacular, and alcohol distributors numbered in the hundreds.

Today, Ohio is home to at least 420 independent craft breweries, and consolidation has shrunk the state’s cadre of alcohol wholesalers to approximately 36. is is where the argument that franchise laws are less applicable today than when they were written comes from.

In 2022, a report by the U.S. Department of Treasury suggested that states reform laws to make it easier for alcohol manufacturers to get out of distributor contracts to enhance competition in the beer industry and support suppliers.

Groups like the WBWAO bristled at that.

Evans contends that the stratospheric growth of the Ohio craft beer industry undermines any notion that suppliers are held back by distributors or the laws that govern

their relationships.

But MacDonald says that’s a baseless argument because the bulk of Ohio breweries are small, neighborhood-focused taprooms that don’t bother with outside wholesalers. In that sense, franchise laws have had zero bearing on new breweries coming online.

“ is law was created to protect small business, and it’s not doing that anymore,” MacDonald said. “We just want to be held to normal contract law.”

Several states have reformed franchise laws in recent years to protect craft brewers, including New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

‘Picking a ght’

e WBWAO notes that brewers are free to sue distributors under current laws if a relationship goes south.

But brewers would like to have remedies other than that, including the ability to renegotiate or to threaten to take their business elsewhere.

Much of the issue comes down to the challenge of proving a “just cause” for vacating a contract, Connell said.

Without much guidance on what that means, some brewers resign to being stuck in a contract versus taking a wholesaler to court for a battle they have little con dence of winning.

Haggerty said that he is happy with four out of ve of his distributors — he declined to publicly name the one he’s dissatis ed with — but that there’s no sign of being let out of that bad relationship.

He could go to court, but that takes time and resources he’d prefer to spend elsewhere. It could also upset the wholesaler they’re still partnered with. He’d rather have more power to negotiate or cancel the bad contract.

Concerns with jumping into another bad relationship are why he’s discouraged from seeking out a distributor in Northeast Ohio at this time.

“So it’s sort of an indirect impact to growth, because we’d like to open up a new territory in Cleveland, where we don’t sell beer now,” Haggerty said. “But it’s a really big leap of faith. And that makes you hesitate.”

Alan Szuter, OCBA president and owner of Columbus’ Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, is in a similar boat as Haggerty.

He’s happy with most of his wholesalers but worries about getting into another bad contract as he considers growth in new territories.

“You can’t have performance metrics in a contract that are enforceable because state laws say they are not enforceable,” Szuter said. “And what breweries are telling me is it is very frustrating to them.

It’s hurting our ability to work with the wholesalers. If this weren’t such an issue for our members, then we wouldn’t be picking a ght.”

‘Fearing the repercussions’

Ohio law does allow alcohol manufacturers to terminate a wholesale contract in a couple of speci c instances, such as when their distributor undergoes a change in ownership through a merger, acquisition or reorganization.

In that case, a supplier must provide written notice within 90 days of the date of the ownership change that they intend to cancel a contract. Otherwise, they are automatically rolled into a new contract with the new owner.

GLBC was sued in 2016 by Southern Glazer’s Distributors of Ohio when an acquisition by the latter triggered an opportunity for GLBC to terminate its contract with them.

Glazer’s argued GLBC didn’t have the right to break up with it — even though it seemingly did.

GLBC was cleared to move on when that case was settled a year later.

A settlement may have occurred for a number of reasons, Connell said, including mounting legal expenses.

But settling also keeps the case from being resolved in court, which could result in a precedent for what constitutes “just cause” in the context of vacating a wholesale contract. It could be an unfavorable result for wholesalers.

MacDonald said suing is also undesirable because a supplier and wholesaler remain together while legal proceedings unfold. During that time, a wholesaler may retaliate by putting less e ort into selling the brands of a company that has become their adversary.

“ e only way out is a legal battle that takes months and possibly longer,” Brent Zimmerman, Saucy Brew Works CEO, told Crain’s. “Most do not even attempt that due to legal dollars involved and the ability of the distributors to sti e the brand.

ey can literally make or break a brand with no consequence. at’s not a good platform for doing business.”

“ is is literally the only business arrangement in my 20-plus-year career, in any industry I’ve been a part of, where if you don’t do a good job and meet targets, etc., I can’t just re you,” he added.

One Northeast Ohio brewery complained of their franchise being sold to another distributor without their consent on top of challenges with getting out of the contracts they’re unhappy with. eir chiefnancial o cer refers to the franchise laws as “business slavery.”

“You may have your own business goals, but if those goals don’t align with the distributor, there’s not really anything you can do,” they said. “You can sue for just cause, but you’ll continue to be stuck with them through that.”

Just talking about the need to reform franchise laws is a concern for some, which is why many brewers prefer to comment on the situation con dentially and not single out speci c wholesalers.

“ e guys and gals currently in distribution partnerships, we are fearing the repercussions (of speaking out),” one brewery owner said.

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

Cleveland in Sandusky, are working on the solar propulsion and Wi-Fi communications systems on board the Orion spacecraft.

And once astronauts return to the surface of the moon, Glenn is tasked with providing sustaining ssion surface power technologies for the return and eventual long-term presence on the moon, as well as for an eventual trip to Mars.

“We are the utility company for every spacecraft and aircraft that will ever y,” Kenyon said. “We do power, we do propulsion, and we do communications. No spacecraft can y without those three things, and no aircraft can y without those three things.”

An age of investment

e Artemis program funding is part of NASA’s substantial $27.2 billion budget for 2024, which includes more than $877 million for Glenn — a nearly 6% increase over the 2023 budget.

e latest NASA budget represents more than a decade of long-term funding dedicated to returning to and supporting life on the moon, a departure from budget cuts and center funding realignments that concerned Northeast Ohio o cials in the 2000s.

e 2008-09 Great Recession and spending on defense overseas meant NASA as a whole was not as much of a priority, Kenyon said. “What you see is when budgets get tight, especially if there’s a need for operational imperatives from the Department of Defense, national research and development budgets tend to go down,” said Kenyon. “ is isn’t unique to NASA Glenn, but often we are disproportionately impacted.”

With the Artemis program, however, NASA is experiencing what Kenyon called an age of investment. “What you are seeing is a lot of investment and research in the aerospace industry, and along with that, breakthroughs that attract private business,” he said.

NASA is funded with taxpayer dollars; therefore, what in private industry would be considered proprietary intellectual property is freely available to companies or entrepreneurs through non-exclusive licenses.

In conjunction with that, Kenyon said, there is a strong desire by NASA administration to work with and help industry co-invest in the space economy and technology. “As we’ve seen even with space ight, we have been able to hand over the reins and allow industry to start new businesses with this technology,” Kenyon said.

e Artemis program and strong funding in the latest federal budget signals a long-term commitment to NASA Glenn, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio said on a visit to the center in early 2023. Brown believes that it is also the rst step in insuring there is corresponding private economic development that happens “outside the gate” of Glenn.

How best to leverage that funding, and why there has been so little development to date, are the questions Hrishue Mahalaha, executive director of the Aerozone Alliance — the development group for NASA Glenn, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and adjacent communities — has thought a lot about.

Glenn does not receive the same dedicated resources as Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center, which

An employee works the Saucy Brew Works canning line, preparing packaged beer for o -premise sales. SAUCY BREW WORKS

is responsible for almost the entire economy there, meaning the region is singularly dependent on the success of that center, Mahalaha points out.

“Northeast Ohio is about 40% of Ohio’s economy. We have a very diverse economy. We have a lot of industry as a region. We think about a lot of di erent things to concentrate on,” Mahalaha said.

“ e number that’s important is direct business spend toward businesses in Ohio and Northeast Ohio,” Mahalaha said. “And if you look at the data, we aren’t doing well.”

NASA’s organizational structure is based on levels of management responsibility, and outside of the headquarters in Washington, D.C., particular centers that are granted strategic enterprise management

have the correlated procurement authority.

“When you have the program and the procurement authority, it’s amazing how many vendors all of a sudden pop in front of your front door and set up shop, because they know if they need to get that contract, they need to be a stone’s throw away,” Mahalaha said.

‘A true aerospace multiplier’

More direct spending translates to contracts with large vendors that are more apt to relocate or co-locate near a center and build out business based on that center’s research and intellectual property. ose businesses create intellectual capital,

there is a goal to support funding to help build out intentional spaces for midsize headquarters. at requires o ce space, lab space, light manufacturing, packaging and distribution.

Recently, Blue Abyss, a British-based startup, announced it would develop 12.8 acres north of Hopkins to build a facility that includes a deep-water pool to simulate weightlessness for astronaut and diving training and underwater testing equipment.

e $235 million project ts the model of startups Mahalaha wants to see all around the 50 square miles of the Aerozone. Namely, young startups looking to capitalize on Glenn’s work

with deep-space communication and propulsion, and high-tech manufacturing companies working on new technologies that answer big problems, he added.

Correctly branding NASA Glenn and its role in the space economy, Kenyon said, is key to bringing more economic development to the area. “What we do, you can’t y without, but it is not always what you can see; it is not necessarily what’s capturing everyone’s imagination,” he said. “But it is a fact that the road to the moon goes through Ohio.”

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

and then sell that capability to other clients — and that, Mahalaha said, constitutes “a true aerospace multiplier.”

“Glenn’s budget has gone up, but unless it’s going into the right categories, you’re not going to create the aerospace multiplier e ect, because the region will not see that intellectual value captured by the private-sector level,” Mahalaha said.

Kenyon also points out that Glenn’s research is focused on emerging and risky technologies that are far from commercialization, and companies that do use the center’s testing facilities might only need days or weeks of time and are often not far away.

“We’re relatively easy to access as the only NASA center co-located at a commercial airport,” Kenyon said. “Also, a couple of our major suppliers are here in the state, and they can just drive.”

When it comes to the lack of private development outside NASA’s gate, Mahalaha said the region, although stunted, is not working from a position of weakness.

“ is is a conversation of strength. We have the third-oldest NASA center in the world. We have an airport master plan that means $2 billion is going to be invested there over the next 15 years,” he noted. “What we need is a cohesive focus on the aerospace aviation industry by our elected o cials, our economic development entities, and that’s happening.”

Aerozone is part of a handful of civic and business organizations, including every member of Northeast Ohio’s congressional delegation, the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and state leadership, pushing for more NASA funding and program authority.

Mahalaha said with the group

The Space Environments Complex houses the world’s largest space environment simulation facility at NASA Glenn. | NASA PHOTOS

Orion service module is tested at a NASA’s Test Facility.

Two roving vehicles are tested on simulated lunar and Martian terrain at NASA Glenn’s Simulated Lunar Operations Lab.

Online dental platform brings transparency to job search process

DOUGLAS J. GUTH

Ohio has 5,500 dental practices, with 46,000 professionals working as dentists, hygienists, assistants, lab technicians and o ce managers, according to the Ohio State Dental Board. While the general public may believe that working in health care means big bucks, the Cleveland-based founder of an online dentistry employment platform is here to tell you di erent.

Jizal Seikali is the creator of DenTemp, a self-described “dental community” o ering job seekers transparency about payment and employment terms. Via the digital platform, dental workers are empowered to set their pay rate and availability — the kind of freedom Seikali did not have over her two decades in the industry.

Association revealed a downward trend in dental assisting program enrollment since 2015 — an issue only accelerated by the pandemic.

A study published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene, meanwhile, calculated that 3,300 hygienists permanently left the eld in COVID’s wake. e report based these gures on the percentage of workers that did not return to the o ce even as the nation reopened.

Seikali, who graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2015 as a certi ed dental assistant, created DenTemp to help women struggling in the largely female-dominated dental hygiene space. Considering that over 90% of hygienists and dental assistants are women — per gures from recruitment website Zippia — Seikali wanted to help that population achieve maximum mobility, she said.

DenTemp is not a job placement service, added Seikali. Unlike typical job search engines focused on longterm work, the platform provides a bridge between temporary employees and shortsta ed dental o ces.

changed during COVID.

Today, the site has a range of employers looking for temporary help. Freedom of choice is the company mantra, meaning professionals may work at ve o ces in a month if that is where their journey takes them.

rity,” said Seikali. “ ere’s a misunderstanding that most dental professionals are not salaried, but paid hourly. ey are not getting rich just because they work in the health care eld.”

Erieview Dental has 12 sta ers at its Mentor o ce, a mixture of dental pros, frontline receptionists and insurance experts. Losing workers during COVID — combined with a shallow dentistry talent pool — encouraged the practice to seek hiring alternatives.

“We’re in a gig economy where people make their own hours, and don’t want a 9-to-5,” said Erieview co-founder Seth Green eld. “In dentistry, we had training facilities shut down, so we didn’t have those new classes (of students) coming out.”

“What I’m trying to do is give people a voice and a sense of autonomy,” said Seikali, 37. “It’s about building community and having intentional instead of transactional relationships. I want to know you and understand what you’re trying to achieve.”

Like many industries in the postCOVID world, dentistry is facing a serious workforce shortage. A 2022 report from the American Dental

O ces pay dental temps as 1099 contractors with the possibility of bringing them on as permanent sta .

e DenTemp platform currently hosts 80 o ces and nearly 160 professionals. Employers can subscribe to the site for $500 a month or $5,000 annually, while the service is free for applicants. Seikali had previously charged professionals a small fee for subscriptions, a business model she

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“It’s good to be exposed to as many opportunities as possible, so you have a better feel for what you want,” Seikali said. “For employers, you can go on my site, post as many jobs as you want, and message people directly. is conversation is opening doors for people that they normally wouldn’t have.”

A little bit of empathy

Prior to founding DenTemp, Seikali had been assisting a practice in lling

placements and other common procedures. Loss of a full-time job led Seikali to sending her resume to various o ces, a process she often found frustratingly unclear.

Seikali recalls a job in Mans eld where she did not know the practice or the exact nature of her assignment. Having numerous friends in the eld with the same concerns, Seikali sketched out an online platform that would deliver transparency about pay and employment conditions.

Empathy is another key facet of the DenTemp business model. Women looking to pick up a few extra shifts can still take time o to care for children or older loved ones, Seikali said.

“My mentality throughout my career has been to give people a sense of secu-

Green eld, who used DenTemp to nd a part-time hygienist, lauds Seikali for her hands-on customer service. When a miscommunication with a hygienist resulted in that person missing work, Seikali immediately resolved the issue. To prevent problems like this from recurring, the platform founder added an instant message option to the site.

“ at kind of thing can happen, but Jizal recti ed it instantly,” Green eld said. “DenTemp is more personalized. With the bigger employment sites, you pay a lot and don’t get great talent. It’s quantity over quality. But Jizal understands the dental realm and truly cares about trying to connect eligible employees to o ces.”

Expanding into the future

Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell LLP

Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell LLP

Seikali’s work is getting noticed in Cleveland’s tech scene. At last fall’s FutureLAND conference highlighting diversity in innovation, the Beirut, Lebanon, native won $25,000 in a pitch competition. She also recently procured a $50,000 loan from the Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE).

Schneider Smeltz

Fedchock

Grimm

MAI Capital Management is excited to announce that Karen Fedchock was named CMO, where she will pave the way for the enterprise by accelerating growth, promoting the rm’s dynamic culture, and enhancing client experience. Karen will lead the marketing department for MAI as it further expands nationally and continues to place people at the center of the business. We are also pleased to share that Chuck Grimm has joined the team as a Senior Wealth Advisor & Financial Planning Consultant. He provides comprehensive wealth management services to clients and plays a pivotal role on the Centralized Financial Planning Team and Advice Center alongside other key leaders to provide educational services to MAI of ces nationwide.

Spieth Bell LLP is pleased to announce that Maggie Jones has joined our Business and Real Estate Groups as an Associate. She focuses her practice in the areas of closely held corporations, limited liability companies, mergers & acquisitions, residential and commercial real estate transactions, commercial leasing, and nonpro t law. Her experience as a paralegal inspired her to attend ClevelandMarshall College of Law where she graduated cum laude with her J.D. degree in 2022.

Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell LLP

welcomes Charbel M. Najm as an Associate in our Business and Real Estate practice groups. He concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate, corporate and LLC law, M&A, and contract law. He received his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 2022. During law school, Charbel externed at The Supreme Court of The State of New York, U.S. Department of Labor, Cuyahoga County Law Department, The Cleveland Clinic, and SIG Development Corp.

Funding goes into development of the DenTemp website, which added a payment system in April. Seikali has earmarked additional dollars for marketing and a development team, necessities for a platform she plans to expand throughout Ohio, as well as to other states.

Future years could see the company extend to other areas of health care stricken by talent shortfalls. Nursing, for example, continues to face worker shortages due to high turnover, inequitable workforce distribution and an overall lack of potential educators.

A nation still recovering from a global health crisis will always need skilled caregivers, whether in dentistry or other elds, noted Seikali. Yet, this population needs to be cared for, as well, something the platform creator is happy to provide.

“I’m a sucker for helping people,” said Seikali. “Showing younger dental professionals that this is a great profession to be in is very rewarding. Just because it didn’t work out at one place doesn’t mean you need to nd a new career.”

Contact Douglas J. Guth: clbfreelancer@crain.com

LAW

Barnes

“IT’S ABOUT BUILDING COMMUNITY AND HAVING INTENTIONAL INSTEAD OF TRANSACTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS. I WANT TO KNOW YOU AND UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.”

—Jizal Seikali, DenTemp creator

GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK PHOTO

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