Crain's Cleveland Business, June 26, 2023

Phoenix Investors see historic industrial park as a redevelopment opportunity

Mixed-use future eyed for Nela Park

BY MICHELLE JARBOE

One year after buying Nela Park, the East Cleveland campus often billed as the world’s rst industrial park, Phoenix Investors is still getting its arms around the unusual property.

But Luke Herder, an assistant vice president of acquisition and leasing at the Milwaukee-based real estate company, is clear about one thing.

“We have no plans, at this point, to bring any of the buildings down,” he said.

Phoenix purchased the 90-plusacre campus, the longtime headquarters of GE Lighting, for $5 million in the spring of 2022. But the company did not take full control of the buildings — more than two dozen of them — until early May of this year. And Phoenix has maintained a

low public pro le, saying little about its intentions for a Northeast Ohio landmark.

During a recent interview, though, Herder said the company is approaching Nela Park as a mixed-use redevelopment opportunity. ere’s ample space for o ces, labs and industrial tenants. Other buildings might be better candidates for housing or institutions, like a school.

e park, spanning more than 1 million square feet, is about 20% occupied, he said. GE Lighting, part of Savant Systems Inc., is the only tenant.

Savant bought GE Lighting in 2020 from General Electric and subsequently sold o Nela Park, after a con dential marketing e ort.

Some prospective buyers wanted to level the Georgian Revival build-

ings, many of them constructed between 1911 and 1921. Others pursued the property for its electrical capacity, not its architecture or pedigree. e campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but that designation doesn’t protect the buildings from demolition or signi cant alterations.

See NELA PARK on Page 20

Tough racket: Sporting goods stores survive on service, relationships

BY JOE SCALZO

You don’t make it for 44 years in the sporting goods business — as Ken Adler has done — without a keen understanding of what customers want.

But you also don’t make it that long without guessing wrong a few times, which is how Adler found himself standing at the front of Rube Adler Sports inside the Solon Village on a

recent Friday, pointing at the three pickleball paddles on sale next to some Cleveland Guardians T-shirts.

“ is is typical us,” he said, chuckling. “We get all these trade magazines with pickleball on the cover. ‘Fastest-growing sport in the U.S.!’ ey give you all these demographics and this and that, and this is the rst year we put out some balls and some rackets.”

And?

“We barely sell anything,” he said. “As far as retail goes, we feel like we’re the 7-11 of sporting goods. If a kid is on his way to a ag football game and he lost his mouthpiece, he runs in here beforehand. Or maybe someone grabs a can of tennis balls.

“ at’s what the retail business has turned into.”

So, how does Rube Adler Sports — a business Adler’s grandfather start-

ed as a menswear shop on Detroit Avenue in the 1940s before quickly pivoting to a full-line sporting goods store — survive in a world with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Fanatics, not to mention Target and Walmart and Kohl’s and Amazon and hundreds of screen printers just a Google search away?

Simple.

By designing, sizing and delivering

custom uniforms for a third grader’s football team or a middle schooler’s hockey team before the season, then selling engraved trophies afterward. By selling (and sewing on the patches) for a high schooler’s letterman jacket — still a big deal for Generation Z — and o ering spirit wear for their athletes’ parents and grandparents.

See STORES on Page 19

“AT THE END OF THE DAY, OUR MODEL IS ULTIMATELY VALUE-CREATION AND WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES TO REVITALIZE BLIGHTED REAL ESTATE.“

—Luke Herder, an assistant vice president of acquisition and leasing at Phoenix Investors

Construction workers are dabbing paint for nishing touches and laboratory workers are calibrating lab equipment as the Cleveland Clinic gets its new Mentor Hospital ready for opening day on July 11.

On a tour of the $86 million property on Norton Parkway in western Mentor, Dr. Richard Parker, president of Hillcrest and Mentor hospitals, mentioned some of the extras of the past are not part of the new facility.

“ is re ects the lean and e cient era of health care,” Parker said outside what is described as an open ofce at the hospital. He and other executives from Hillcrest, of which Mentor Hospital is a part, will not have o ces there. ose two small suites are reserved for the hospital’s managers of nursing and operations.

In Parker’s case, he will grab an ofce or meeting room when he visits. And he will be there often, because he plans to perform orthopedic surgery at the hospital. He said practicing at the facility is the best way to know how to manage it.

Among the most innovative features of the place is a deceptively simple one. Each of the 34 inpatient rooms (there are many more for other uses)is equipped with a camera and screen for telemedicine. ey are designed to speed access to specialists at other locations, he explained.

e two-story building, with a total of 96,000 square feet of space, is a study in openness and e ciency.

On the one hand, an atrium over the center of the building provides added natural light throughout the property, including the glass walls of the second- oor hallways. Patient rooms also have that feature most often found in luxury apartments — oor-to-ceiling windows.

Parker acknowledged that Clinic executives ruminated over what to call Mentor Hospital. With 34 inpatient beds for overnight stays and observation, it is smaller than many hospitals. But micro hospital did not t.

“ is facility has all the services of a hospital,” Parker said, so the Clinic stuck with Mentor Hospital.

e 34 inpatient/observation rooms are only part of the bed picture. It will provide 23 outpatient rooms, 19 emergency department beds, four operating rooms and 12 pre-/post-anesthesia care beds.

Its list of services includes inpatient care, outpatient care and an emergency department. Services will include bariatric surgery, cardiology, general and colorectal surgery, vascular surgery, urology, pulmonary medicine, orthopedics and sports medicine, laboratory and imaging services.

“ e community told us there was a need for cardiology, vascular surgery, urology and pulmonary medi-

Cleveland Clinic set to open new Mentor Hospital

cine,” Parker said as he showed members of the media a procedure room for urology. “We found that in our community assessment, as well.”

Emergency room doctors, nurses and professionals also emphasized the ability to see all the emergency patients from their workstations. So, the emergency rooms surround them. One of the emergency rooms is also designed to care for sexual assault victims. It is equipped to provide security for specimens to maintain law enforcement standards for control of evidence.

Another change is that the operating rooms are about 40% larger than older, typical operating rooms. at is to provide room for additional technology as it becomes available, Parker said.

e property is also designed to meet the logistics needs of the hospital’s vendors. Vendors can drive directly into an unloading area without using a loading dock.

It is also designed to meet exceptional but expected needs. e MRI suite is designed so that when the time comes for the magnetic device to be replaced — and it will need to be at some point — an exterior wall on a hallway can be torn down to roll out the existing one and roll in the replacement.

With sta ng a concern everywhere, Parker said the hospital has 96% of its sta hired and its physician roster is full. About 60% of the nurses and other professionals are from outside the Cleveland Clinic system. For patients who need more intense care, the hospital has a helipad to allow patients to be ferried to Hillcrest, Euclid or the Clinic’s main hospital, depending on their needs.

“Time saves (heart) tissue and brain cells,” Parker said.

e property, designed by Bostwick Architects of Cleveland and constructed by Whiting Turner’s Cleveland o ce, was started just before the pandemic hit. After a brief pause during the pandemic lockdown, Parker said Dr. Tom Mihaljevic, Clinic CEO, felt construction should resume, rather than delay it, because the Clinic had it funded and intended to build it.

Most of the equipment was on order before the pandemic hit, and proceeding with construction meant the facility dodged the price hikes that accompanied the pandemic. Parker noted it would cost 60% more if the Clinic were starting to build the property today.

e building is designed to meet the LEED Silver standard. On the far north end of the property, the Clinic installed a eld of solar panels.

“We told the city of Mentor that we would provide the solar panels if they provided the sunshine,” Parker said.

Stan Bullard: sbullard@crain.com, (216) 771-5228, @CrainRltywriter

The hospital has inpatient, outpatient and pre-/post-op rooms. The site has room for expansion and solar panels on the north end.

The reception area has skylights to add natural light and seats that are spread out to allow more space for social distancing.

The hospital has four operating rooms that are about 40% larger than in the past to allow for additional technology.

Knight Material Technologies aims at growth with investments

RACHEL ABBEY MCCAFFERTY

Knight Material Technologies in East Canton makes critical products most people would never think about: protective linings for industries working with heavy chemicals.

And the company has been investing for growth, most recently in the form of a new kiln that adds capacity at its local plant.

Knight Material makes chemicaland temperature-resistant linings for industrial vessels and tanks in industries like mining and semiconductors, things that require “aggressive chemistry,” said president Kevin Brooks. e company also designs, installs and maintains those linings, which aim to prevent dangerous chemical leaks, for its customers.

ese are heavy-duty linings, often made from brick and mortar, said Mark Golla, vice president of sales and marketing, though the company also has polymer options.

“Our niche in the world is di erent processes where people are processing with acids that, really, no other materials will work,” Brooks said.

Knight Material’s history can be traced back more than 100 years to a company called M.A. Knight in Akron, Brooks said. At that time, “toprate chemistry labs” used ceramic crockery, he said, which the company began making. As the processes in the chemistry industry got bigger, the

industry migrated to the system of large linings that Knight Material still provides today.

e company is a global one. More than 50% of Knight Material’s sales are international, Golla said, and it has sales and manufacturing facilities worldwide.

e private equity-owned company doesn’t share annual revenue, but it has been growing in recent years, through both acquisitive and organic growth. Last spring, Knight Material acquired Electro Chemical Engineer-

ing, which makes uoropolymer liners and added to the company’s product o erings and capabilities, Brooks said.

And, earlier this year, Knight Material installed a roller hearth kiln, adding signi cant capacity to its plant in East Canton. Brooks said the kiln is like a “big pizza oven,” where products roll through and are red at high temperatures.

e bene t of roller hearth kilns is that they o er “uniformity in production, providing excellent tem-

perature consistency, cleanliness and thermal e cacy,” while also reducing energy consumption, a news release noted. Knight Material invested about $4 million in the new kiln, Brooks said. It was fully operational in March.

e new roller hearth kiln is supporting production of the company’s FLEXERAMIC-branded structured packing. And Knight Material will be investing another approximately $4 million to install a new robotic production line to further support the

product, Brooks said. at will ideally be up and running this fall.

e FLEXERAMIC product is “made of geometrically arranged corrugated sheets that o er improved thermal performance compared to random saddle media, including a 50% lower pressure drop and a 50% saving in production energy costs,” the release said. And it can help remove VOCs — volatile organic compounds — from production sites so they aren’t released into the air, Golla said. at might be useful at an automotive company painting vehicles, he said, or wood processing plant using glue.

Many of the markets Knight Material serves, like mining and chemical, are “fairly mature,” Golla said, so the company is always looking for new applications. For example, the company has begun o ering surface protection coatings for the tanks and vessels under its liners, which can be applied during the relining process.

And Golla said Knight Material sees growth opportunities geographically, particularly in Europe and Africa, as well.

One of Knight Material’s biggest challenges is workforce, Golla said. Brooks said the company currently employs about 200 worldwide, but that it could easily grow another 20%.

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

Knight Material Technologies is headquartered in East Canton. | CONTRIBUTED

AKRON

Vigeo Gardens on track for bumper year

BY DAN SHINGLER

Vincent Peterson bet the farm and won.

It must’ve been 2-to-1 odds, too, because now he has nearly three times the farm he had before he went all-in.

Peterson is the founder and owner of Vigeo Gardens, an indoor farm inside Akron’s Bounce Innovation Hub business incubator that grows about 250,000 pounds of microgreens, lettuces, herbs and wheatgrass per year. As soon as it’s harvested, the produce gets packed into 4-ounce portions, or units, and shipped to area grocers and restaurants.

It all takes place on the third oor of Bounce, where Peterson and his team nurture the plants propagated in soil formulated for their short lives and feed them a steady stream of nutrients via a hydroponic system as the sprouts reach for their sun — in this case, high-tech LED lights a few inches above them.

“We’ll be on pace by the end of this year to do more than 1 million units a year,” Peterson said.

Such claims from him are not new. But nor are they lacking in credibility.

Back in the beginning of 2022, Peterson said if he couldn’t grow the business dramatically in the next year or two, he would shut it down.

at was after he had been noticed and praised for bringing in $1 million in annual revenue for the rst time in 2019.

“We got there,” he said recently.

e farm will produce about 250,000 pounds of produce this year for which it has buyers, Peterson said.

at’s up from about 100,000 pounds in 2022, thanks to continued demand and some big improvements in e ciency and production, he said.

Vigeo has come back from a tough time when COVID-19 shut down the restaurants that provided it with half of its revenues and accounts receivable, Peterson said. By 2022, though, the company had largely recovered its lost revenues.

But Peterson wasn’t satis ed and said the dream had never been merely to produce a couple of hundred thousand of pounds of produce per year. It was much bigger.

Today, Peterson said, he has a brand-new farm and is on track to continue his growth. Vigeo doesn’t

release its nancials, but as production ramps up, revenues this year should be triple what they were in 2021, Peterson said.

e company did it by realigning its business. e mix that was 50% restaurant and 50% retail before the pandemic is now about 35% restaurant and 65% retail. e company also did a gut rehab on its entire operation.

“I didn’t have a red light, but I didn’t have a green light yet. All I had was a conversation,” Peterson said of early 2022, when he committed to grow. “But Premier Bank came through (with nancing), and we rebuilt the whole facility.”

at would be new lights, new uid systems, new growing trays and new packaging equipment.

“ e complete farm operation cost us $1.7 million,” Peterson said. “We basically took everything out and put in everything new … and about tripled our capacity.”

So, there must be more growing space churning out the plants, right? Not really. e old farm had about 18,000 square feet of growable surface under lights, and the new one has about 13,000.

But, under more lights, of course? Nope. e old farm had up to 5,000 and the new farm only has a little more than 2,400.

More people? Not a bragging point, Peterson said, but that’s another no. e farm has 15 employees compared with 18 about a year ago.

But none of this is the point — except for that part about tripling (or more) things like production and revenues.

Vigeo has been learning quickly and continuously how to become more e cient, Peterson said, anked by four black tents that the company uses to test and compare di erent lights, nutrients, seeds and whatnot.

Meanwhile, the systems it uses, and especially the LED lights, have made huge advances in e ciency and e cacy, Peterson said. e plants Vigeo grows are selected not only because microgreens, salads and wheatgrass are healthy and in vogue, but because of how quickly they grow. On this farm, 30-day-old lettuce plants have long lives compared with the three or seven days that microgreens and wheatgrass spend between sprouting and harvesting.

“Quality is everything, and quality is all about freshness,” Peterson said. So, the faster the plants can grow and the faster their infant forms can be delivered to consumers, the better.

If Vigeo can grow it faster, it will. It uses those testing tents to gure out which conditions produce the fastest growth for each seed. When a tray of wheatgrass turns over every three days, that means the tray is harvested 100 or more times per year — and that frequency of harvest multiplies the value of every square inch of growable space.

“ irteen thousand square feet is about a third of an acre,” Peterson said. “ at wouldn’t be a big farm ... but if you can turn it over up to 100 times (a year), it’s huge.”

Right now, he’s pleased with the recent progress. But Peterson said he’s far from done.

Vigeo gures, based on research and experience, that the optimum size for indoor farms like it will be to produce between 1 million pounds and 20 million pounds of produce per year. ere’s a lot of growth to be done, he said, literally in every sense.

Ultimately, Peterson said he hopes to get the farm in Akron up to the optimum range of production, and then to follow it up with additional farms.

Because the freshness of the product is critical, a microgreens or lettuce farm needs to be close to its end markets, Peterson said.

at’s a long-term plan and will require capital, but Peterson and Vigeo appear to be attracting the attention of some investors.

Akron attorney and business consultant Mark Krohn recently visited the farm. Krohn, who has a history of working with both investors and startups, said he’s been working with Peterson for several years as an adviser.

“He’s very impressive,” Krohn said.

He’s about to invest in Vigeo, Krohn said. Neither Peterson nor Krohn disclosed details, other than that Krohn may be an investor but not a buyer or majority owner at some point.

“I don’t bet on a lot of companies, but I tend to bet on the winners,” Krohn said.

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

Vincent Peterson shows some of his indoor farm growing microgreens in downtown Akron. | DAN SHINGLER/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

‘The best-kept secret in the Midwest’

Mid-Ohio attracts racing fans, sponsors from Greater Cleveland

BY JOE SCALZO

Fifty years ago, a 10-year-old named Robby Shell was confronted with a temptation that could rival anything from the third chapter of Genesis, or at least “Ferris Bueller’s Day O .”

And gave in, albeit with much less disastrous consequences.

Shell is now the chief operating o cer of the Perfection Machining Co. (Permco) in Streetsboro, but in 1973, he was just a pre-teen sports car fanatic with a working knowledge of how to use a clutch (at least on a motorcycle) and a father who had recently bought a white Porsche 914.

“It was too much to resist,” he said, laughing.

Shell and his dad would cruise around town on Saturday afternoons, with Shell paying particularly close attention to how he shifted gears.

“From there, it was just a matter of learning that feel as I moved backward and forward in the driveway, until I got the opportunity to take her around the block,” he said.

What was his dad’s reaction?

“He was both angry and proud,” he said. “I am fourth generation in our Permco family business, and I can’t recall any generation of Shell family members who didn’t have a love a air with sports cars.”

Fast forward to this winter. Permco was coming out of a 13-year sponsorship deal with two NFL teams — the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins — and while company leaders are “massively big fans of sports marketing,” the COVID-19 pandemic had changed their thought process on how, where and when he wanted to get together with employees and clients.

“It’s fairly hard to put 100 people in a skybox and the cost is really insane,” Shell said. “We were looking for something that gave us a little more outdoor adventure, a little more thrill, a little more horsepower — and we wanted a venue where we could invite more friends.”

Enter the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. e Lexington, Ohiobased track was looking for a new title sponsor for the Vintage Grand Prix, its season-opening race and the longest continuously running spectator event at the 61-year-old course.

e Permco team made the 90-minute trip to Lexington, met with Mid-Ohio o cials and — despite never having done anything with motorsports — agreed to become the title sponsor for both the Grand Prix (which runs from June 23-25) and the American Motorcyclist Association’s (AMA) Vintage Motorcycle Days (July 21-23).

“We were like, ‘We’re all-in; sign us up,’” said Shell, who declined to reveal the length of its partnership but said they’re in it for the longhaul. “We went from 0 to 200 when it comes to motorsports and outdoor adventures. e Mid-Ohio gives us the opportunity to bring lots of friends and lots of partners (to the events).”

ey’ll have plenty of company.

O the beaten track

e Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is both located in the middle of nowhere — saying Lexington is a suburb of Mans eld is another way of saying it’s not a suburb — and the middle of everywhere. It’s within two hours of Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Toledo, Youngstown and even Dayton, if you’re willing to imitate Will Power for a few minutes of it.

In addition to the two Permco events, the 75,000-capacity track is

home to Ohio’s largest annual motorsports event (the Honda Indy 200) and its only NASCAR-a liated race (the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150, a NASCAR truck series event). If you live in Greater Cleveland and you want to see high-level auto racing without leaving the state, MidOhio is the best place.

“We’re basically the only place,” said Mid-Ohio president Craig Rust. “If you want to go to a track and keep it within a couple hours’ drive, we’re it.”

While Mid-Ohio draws from all over Ohio and some surrounding states (Michigan, Indiana and Western Pennsylvania), it relies heavily on Northeast Ohio, with about 30% of its Indy 200 ticket sales coming from Northeast Ohio. Some of that is because Cleveland used to have its own IndyCar race — the Grand Prix of Cleveland ran at Burke Lakefront Airport from 1982-2007 — and some of that is because Northeast Ohio has an underrated racing heritage, from its brands (Goodyear, Firestone, Sherwin-Williams) to its own NASCAR team (Kaulig Racing) to its large population of racing fans, something that shows up in Mid-Ohio’s TV ratings.

“Cleveland and the Akron area are usually well-represented,” Rust

said.

In addition to the track’s four major spectator events, there are 20 club weekend racing events from April to October featuring local, regional and nationally sanctioned race events for amateur, club and professional drivers and riders. It is also home to e MidOhio School, featuring more than 20 driving and riding courses, for teenagers to professional racers using Honda vehicles.

While Mid-Ohio doesn’t release attendance gures, the overall economic impact of the track and the driving school on the area’s hotels, restaurants and shops is in the eight gures, according to Destination Mans eld.

“Mid-Ohio is probably the bestkept secret in the Midwest,” Shell said. “When we announced that we were going to be doing events there and became a title sponsor ... people that we had not been interacting with at the football or baseball or basketball or soccer events started calling us and saying, ‘Wow, we didn’t know you guys were doing that! I go to Mid-Ohio every year!’

“We’re nding that a lot of our customer base is drawn to MidOhio. It’s Indiana. It’s Pennsylvania. It’s Michigan. We’re getting people from all of Ohio. We’re very

pleased with the response we’re seeing in the Midwest market and we think next year that we’ll have lots of people who see what we’re doing and want to join us from California or New York. We really think there’s an opportunity here.”

‘Tickled to be a part of it’

Permco manufactures high-pressure hydraulic gear/vane pumps and motors, ow dividers, intensiers and accessories. While it doesn’t make parts for race cars, it does make parts for some really cool machinery that’s used all over the world, from simple machines that hover above strawberry patches and suck up the bugs with air vacuums, to large vehicles like dump trucks and garbage trucks.

“Our business during our entire family’s history has been centered around the mechanicals of equipment,” Shell said. “I’m the fourth generation and I have a son right behind me that’s generation No. 5. We’ve been at this since 1913 and every one of us has had a love a air with speed and performance machinery.”

Many of Permco’s clients are wired the same way, and the company’s personal approach is tailor-made for a hospitality tent. (Its company tagline is “With Permco, it’s personal.”)

“Everybody else’s motto is something like, ‘We drive your innovation,’ but we’re just saying, ‘Hey, man, we’ve got some really neat products and we know our clients, so with Permco, it’s personal,’” Shell said. “And the other thing that we live by is that people do business with people.”

Often, those people share an interest in horsepower and engineering, Shell said. At Mid-Ohio, Permco can market to a whole cross section of its clients, from the weekend enthusiast who loves to use ATVs and motorcycle and race cars in his free time, to an engineer who works on high-performance all week and loves to see a “sexy” sports car or motorcycle in a relaxed atmosphere, Shell said.

“Mid-Ohio o ers us a special, special place for those types of events,” he said. “We’re tickled to be a part of it.”

Joe Scalzo: joe.scalzo@crain.com, (216) 771-5256, @JoeScalzo01

The Permco Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio — formerly the Vintage Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio — features a mix of vintage and contemporary racing from six di erent series known as SpeedTour. PHOTOS BY MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE

The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is Ohio’s largest annual motorsports event.

Small employers have options to o er workers health care

As a small business owner, I continue to explore ways to attract and retain employees. Businesses with even three to four times the number of employees than I have had better health care options simply because they had just over 20 employees compared to my seven employees.

A recent survey found that more than two-thirds of small business owners said health insurance wasn’t built with small business in mind, with cost cited as a top concern. I am one of those small businesses.

Claws out

Enough.

at’s the sentiment from Democrats and a lot of Republicans when it comes to the behavior and performance of the banking industry, and it led the powerful Senate Banking Committee to advance a bipartisan bill, introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown, to claw back some of bank executives’ compensation if their institutions collapse.

e bill, introduced by Brown and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the committee’s senior Republican and a GOP presidential candidate in 2024, is known as the RECOUP Act, which stands for Recovering Executive Compensation from Unaccountable Practices. Its main provision is to empower the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to recoup bonuses that senior executives received in the 24 months before a bank failure. It also would increase certain penalties for misconduct and would direct banks to beef up corporate governance.

e Banking Committee, which Browns chairs, approved the bill last Wednesday, June 21, in a 21-2 vote — a show of bipartisan support that indicates the measure should be able to make it through the Senate. e Republican-controlled House will be tougher, but there’s enough in the RECOUP Act for members of both parties to support, and they should. Brown and Scott crafted a meaningful compromise aimed at management and regulatory practices that led to failures such as those earlier this year at Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

“It really is both punishment and prevention,” Brown said in an interview with Crain’s ahead of the committee vote. He noted SVB’s collapse, in particular, came a few years after its executives embarked on a “reckless” push for rapid growth that was disastrous as a long-term strategy, particularly as interest rates began rising when the Federal Reserve got aggressive in trying to tame in ation.

Brown worked closely on the bill not only with Scott but with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat who pushed her own bipartisan plan in recent weeks. In the wake of the nal committee vote, Warren called the bill a “reasonable compromise.” Only two Republicans voted against it. Sen. om Tillis of North Carolina argued it is “too expansive” and might sti e innovation for senior banking executives, and Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee argued it could “have the perverse e ect of making the biggest banks even

bigger” at the expense of smaller banks. We don’t share those concerns, but those arguments might shape future versions of the bill.

Ohio’s other U.S. senator, JD Vance, also a member of the Banking Committee, played a key role in the compromise version of the RECOUP Act, inserting a merger-restriction amendment that, as he put it, “would mean that if the FDIC takes a bank into receivership, we only allow a massive bank to buy the failed bank’s assets unless there’s no other alternative and there’s no other buyer on the table.”

e SVB failure is top of mind these days, but the conditions the bill addresses are not new.

As Brown noted, “Americans will never forget that, by and large, the Wall Street executives who caused the 2008 nancial crisis didn’t face any consequences. eir pro ts and bonuses weren’t clawed back.”

e time has come to get tougher on an industry that has, at times and in certain places, behaved irresponsibly. Clawing back bonuses and adding a bit more regulatory muscle should be a normal part of the tools available when dealing with failed companies — and trying to reduce the chance of more failures.

Sounds good

Cleveland has long been an important exporter to the world, the result of an industrial sector that remains a big driver of economic activity here.

But not all of our exports are made of steel, rubber and other materials that built Northeast Ohio.

e Cleveland Orchestra last week announced it will make another international trip this fall, its 54th overall and its 21st under the leadership of music director Franz Welser-Möst. is one’s special, as it involves visits not only to Welser-Möst’s native Austria but to Israel, with concerts in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It will be the orchestra’s rst visit to Israel in its 106-year history, and the rst by any U.S. orchestra for ve years.

e orchestra received a $1 million matching gift from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation to support the trip. It’s an investment worth celebrating as it helps share Cleveland’s cultural excellence with another part of the world.

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

ere are commonly overlooked options that allow me to edge closer to that goal of o ering medical bene ts in a exible way that works for my business and my employees and does not penalize me because of the number of employees on my payroll, or not on my payroll, in this case. In 2017, my human resources partner told me about a QSEHRA: a Quali ed Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement. is affordable solution allows me to o er my employees access to a ordable health coverage at a fraction of the quoted plans I was receiving.

Many business owners — ones we work with on a regular basis and many around the country I learn about through my networking and peers — aren’t aware of this resource that could immediately make them more competitive. A new study found that more than 70% of small business leaders were not at all or only somewhat familiar with QSEHRAs.

Most traditional medical plans are designed based on a minimum number of participating employees. e smaller the employer, the fewer the options. If employees are on a spouse’s plan or have other options available, it reduces the eligibility of a company and its other employees who still need coverage to participate in any a ordable options. I tried crunching the numbers on the traditional options again and again, but I couldn’t make it work. ese plans were going to cost my business $5,000-$7,000 every month.

A QSEHRA solves that problem for many small businesses that are faced with similar challenges. QSEHRAs are available only to small businesses with fewer than 50 employees that don’t o er a group health plan. is type of health reimbursement arrangement allows small employers like me to provide tax advantaged reimbursements of health insurance costs — like premiums or coinsurance — to my employees, up to a pre-set contribution.

Another newer health reimbursement arrangement (ICHRA) allows for even more customization options.

My employees are then free to sign up for individual marketplace plans — of which there are hundreds to choose from here in Ohio. ey can choose the plan that’s right for them and, with minimal administration, they have coverage at a rate and premium assistance at a level that could be better than options some larger employers o er.

A QSEHRA is not the best solution for every business. It’s important, though, to explore the options available and build a bene ts strategy that meets your business where it is and that can grow with it.

Warnick is the owner of Warnick Consultants, a nancial management and accounting rm in Powell.

KATHY WARNICK

PERSONAL

BLOOMBERG

Amid economic turbulence, banks can o er small businesses advice for growth

BY KRISTYN SQUIRES

Small business owners and entrepreneurs understand the challenges of keeping their doors open at any stage of the economic cycle all too well. In today’s turbulent landscape, in ation, revenue, supply chain issues, rising interest rates and access to capital are just some of the concerns facing small business owners, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

In times of uncertainty, trusted advice from a qualied professional can be a lifeline for business owners, but many are unaware of the advice and solutions their banks can provide to help become nancially resilient. Banks are much more than just checking accounts; they o er strategic advice to help owners operate their businesses and continuously evolve their tools and technology around the needs of clients.

What can your bank do?

e submission of small business applications reached 5 million in 2022, just behind the 5.4 million applications led in 2021, the most popular year on record, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Yet, cash ow is the main reason a small business fails, coupled with sta shortages, increased expenses and shrinking revenue streams.

What many may not be aware of is the wealth of expertise and services their bank can o er to help them successfully operate and grow even in the most trying times. Among other bene ts, a strong relationship with a bank can keep small businesses competitive by helping them:

 Maintain full awareness in rough market conditions and weather any phase of the economic cycle, keeping a pulse on current events and o ering historical insights, forward-looking considerations and actionable advice tailored to business challenges and goals.

 Remain nimble and agile in an age of emerging technologies, from digital payments and embedded banking to tools powered by automation and machine learning.

 Uncover the solutions needed to grow and scale their business, whether related to material needs like nancing, or more topical issues, such as strategies for building a brand to create customer loyalty or improving employee experience to foster talent acquisition and retention in a tough labor market.

It starts with a question

As no two businesses are the same, maintaining a strong relationship with your bank can lead to solutions and strategies tailored to the unique needs of your business — whether related to cash ow, payments or other operational considerations. As members of the community themselves, relationship managers at regional banks are especially adept at identifying and o ering the insights and services that local businesses in their communities need to thrive.

Regardless of where your relationship with your bank currently stands, below are a few questions that you can ask to ignite the conversation and set you — and your business — on a path toward resilience and success.

What can I expect?

At Key, we put our clients’ needs rst and take a customized approach to meet those needs. Our relationship managers serve as trusted advisers and nancial strategists, providing business owners with sound advice based on a deep understanding of their unique nancial needs.

How can I prepare?

KeyBank’s Small Business Check-In takes small business owners through a three- to ve-minute series of questions about the state of their business and where they are on their nancial journey. Once completed, small business owners can schedule an in-person meeting or phone call with one of Key’s local bankers within their market to evaluate and provide a personalized, advice-driven conversation.

What can my bank provide for the future?

Going above and beyond for our clients is simply in our nature. In addition to connecting you to the rightnancing and products for your needs, we leverage our expertise on everything from customer loyalty and employee experience to business compliance and security and risk management to provide tailored solutions and guidance to help you achieve your goals.

Squires is the head of small business banking, senior vice president, at KeyBank.

ATMs at the KeyBank in the Society for Savings building in downtown Cleveland. | MICHELLE JARBOE/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

e world of labor and employment law asks attorneys to digest information quickly and understand new rules or regulations as they are issued, then advise clients on the best ways to apply them. e tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic required real-time learning and adjusting, and the “new” world of remote work that owed from the pandemic prompted changes in approach from employers and employees.

Crain’s 25 Notable Leaders in Employment and Labor Law address all of these issues, and more. ese attorneys run the gamut of rms and jobs. ey are partners, founders and group leaders. ey work for larger rms, as well as smaller rms, that bear their name. ey have worked through employer-labor disputes, and navigated through workplace safety issues in the pandemic in creative and thoughtful ways in what became a politically charged time. ey are a diverse group representative of the Cleveland community, and their volunteer e orts are many.

ese attorneys give their time to bene t local schools, charitable groups and nonpro ts while also doing their best to ensure the business community they advise is acting in the best interests of both the company and the employees.

— Pat McManamon

Ann-Marie Ahern

Principal

McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Li man

During more than 25 years in employment law, Ann-Marie Ahern has obtained verdicts and settlements for clients of more than $70 million. With expertise in wrongful termination cases and experience with cases involving age, sex, disability and race discrimination, she considers herself a supporter of victims of all forms of illegal discrimination, according to the nomination.

Ahern also advises corporate clients and has acted as an impartial claims investigator for companies facing sexual harassment complaints.

She made history when she secured an $11 million reward for a whistleblower in one of the country’s largest False Claims Act recoveries, her biography said.

A Cleveland State University LAW Hall of Famer since 2021, she has received numerous other recognitions including a Progressive Women Honoree by Smart Business News in 2017. She was also named Cleveland’s Lawyer of the Year Employment Law-Individuals in the 2020 edition of e Best Lawyers in America.

Ahern was the rst woman elected to her rm’s Strategic Partner and Executive Board Member, the nomination said, and is known for her approach to the job and her belief as an expert in labor and employment law that “a career is more than a paycheck, and that the loss of a job can be devastating.”

— Kristine Gill

Partner

Thompson Hine

Nancy Barnes’ full plate as litigator at ompson Hine includes individual plainti and class-action matters, and defending employers in court and before administrative agencies in cases involving discrimination, regulatory issues, breach of contract, torts and trade secrets. She also advises on regulatory compliance and litigation avoidance.

Barnes also oversees ompson Hines’ national Labor & Employment team of 20some attorneys located in the rm’s four Ohio o ces, as well as Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

Her nominator said Barnes’ e orts during the COVID-19 pandemic “elevated her group’s reputation for thought leadership.”

e group led by Barnes did what they could to help employers wind their way through the unexpected challenges, including creating a comprehensive employer checklist/pandemic plan, publishing numerous bulletins and presenting numerous supportive webinars, the nomination said.

Barnes supports local nonpro ts with her contributions to the HR Collaborative, which provides free education and training to nonpro t professionals on labor, employment and employee bene ts.

She is deeply involved in the community, with commitments that include serving on the board of the Cuyahoga County Public Library and the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, among many others. She also was the Nominating Committee chair and recording secretary for the Western Reserve Academy Pioneer Women’s Association.

— Pat McManamon

Chaz Billington

Partner

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease

Charles “Chaz” Billington is a lead partner in Vorys’ Cleveland o ce, advising in-house o cials on vital issues around employment, collective bargaining and labor relations.

As partner, Billington oversees attorneys across nine o ces in the rm’s nationally recognized labor and employment group. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Billington supported area businesses through weekly webinars and easy-to-use toolkits.

“ ere have been other wins, but none greater than ensuring small businesses had access to the resources necessary to successfully navigate the most traumatic health crisis in a generation,” according to the nomination.

In 2023, Billington is focused on partnerships with local hospital systems. A pro bono collaboration with University Hospitals, for example, provides legal assistance to UH patients and families with housing, public utilities, education and custody concerns.

“Chaz regularly educates other lawyers, HR professionals and local media on employment law through presentations, writings and podcasts,” the nomination said.

— Douglas J. Guth

Seth Briskin

Managing partner

Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis

Seth Briskin is a 28-year veteran in the local employment law landscape, heading up the Labor & Employment Practice at Cleveland-based Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis for the past 17 years.

Named a Top 50 Ohio Super Lawyer in 2023, Briskin counsels and represents private, public-sector and nonpro t organizations with both unionized and non-unionized workforces in all employment matters, in addition to advising highly compensated executives.

Among recent career accomplishments, according to the nomination, Briskin appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and reversed the NLRB decision on a highly contested union election issue involving false and misleading pre-election propaganda. He also has rst chair experience, helping to successfully negotiate contracts for his clients with some of the nation’s largest labor unions.

Outside of the o ce, Briskin co-founded Cleveland Bridge Builders, a unit of the Cleveland Leadership Center, and served as chairman. He is currently an executive committee member of the American Jewish Committee and the Cleveland Police Foundation.

In the nomination, Cleveland Police Foundation board president Dick Clough called Briskin’s pro-bono guidance and leadership “invaluable,” speci cally citing his “considerable” time investment in planning sessions in connection with strategic visioning for the foundation’s community role and mission.

— Judy Stringer

METHODOLOGY: The honorees do not pay to be included. Their pro les were drawn from the nomination materials submitted. This list is not comprehensive. It includes only individuals for whom nominations were submitted and accepted after a review by editors. To qualify for the list, nominees must be based in Northeast Ohio. They must be currently employed full time in a senior-level role and should have demonstrated that they made an impact in advancing DEI at their companies and in the workplace. They must be active in the community and/or philanthropic activities, mentoring programs and/or diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Nancy Barnes

David Campbell Equity partner Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith

David Campbell is an equity partner at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith, where he is the rm leader in union matters, overseeing about 20 attorneys.

Campbell negotiates contracts around the country and practices nationwide with a roster of 30 regular clients. He also handles employment counseling, labor issues and litigation for hundreds of additional clients, the nomination said.

He has experience drafting and litigating non-compete, non-solicitation and con dentiality agreements, and he regularly counsels clients on hiring and discharging employees, as well as proper use of independent contractors and issues around union contracts.

Campbell has negotiated several collective bargaining agreements without facing a strike or work stoppage, including for an Ohio manufacturing plant that was forced to reduce employee wages to stay open. In that instance, according to the nomination, Campbell was able to keep the plant open and satisfy the union so that by the next contract negotiations, the plant had grown and wages were no longer an issue.

Campbell provides regular pro bono services, including work as counsel for the Bay Village Soccer Club. He also provides pro bono services for a program assisting victims of police misconduct.

— Kristine Gill

Michael Chesney Partner, Labor & Employment Practice Group Frantz Ward

Michael Chesney is an equity partner and senior leader at Frantz Ward, where he counsels management on all aspects of labor and employment law, including representing employers in court, arbitrations, administrative proceedings and other disputes.

According to the nomination, Chesney has developed and maintains direct responsibility for a client base “that represents a substantial portion of the rm’s revenue.” Additionally, it said, Chesney oversees the daily work of several attorneys in the rm’s employment practice.

In 2022, he led trial teams that achieved a jury verdict and an employment arbitration victory for two of Northeast Ohio’s largest employers.

Kelley Barnett, senior vice president of labor and employment and procurement counsel at Amtrust Financial, wrote in the nomination that Chesney is “one of my top ‘go to’ lawyers for labor and employment issues, particularly issues that are potentially high risk, involve enterprise-wide strategic projects and matters, or require top-notch trial counsel.”

Outside of the o ce, Chesney provides pro bono legal services on behalf of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland and InMotion, a Beachwood-based Parkinson’s awareness and support nonpro t. He is also past president of Cleveland Employment American Inn of Court.

— Judy Stringer

Michael Frantz Founding partner

Frantz Ward

Michael Frantz has spent 40 years working with employers and their management teams in dealing with the full range of labor and employment issues. His work includes representing employers in contract negotiations with almost every major union in the United States and Canada, his biography said. His career has been focused on representing health care and higher education institutions along with manufacturing companies and service organizations.

Frantz, a founding partner in the rm that bears his name, is a member of Frantz Ward’s Management Committee. He has been recognized at the highest level — Band 1 — in the area of Labor and Employment Law in Chambers USA’s guide to the nation’s leading lawyers. He was Best Lawyers’ Lawyer of the Year in Education Law in 2019 and in Labor Law–Management in 2018, both in Cleveland.

According to the nomination, his work included representing a leading federal contractor in renegotiating the collective bargaining agreement at the Goddard Space Center in Baltimore and representing major health institutions in Northeast Ohio in contract bargaining with the United Steelworkers, the Ohio Nurses Association and the Service Employees International Union.

— Pat McManamon

John

Gerak Managing director Ogletree Deakins

As managing director at Ogletree Deakins, John Gerak works on all aspects of employment counseling — from policies and practices to terminations, executive hires, and merger and acquisition issues.

While managing daily rm business, Gerak also oversees 20 of the enterprise’s o ces throughout the U.S. His portfolio of Cleveland clients encompasses retail, distribution, banking, manufacturing, nancial services and higher education.

According to the nomination, Gerak has implemented company-wide process changes, including a robust response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruiting and developing diverse talent has been another focus during his tenure.

“Under John’s leadership, all three people in our Cleveland o ce internally promoted to shareholder status are women, and the only shareholder in our o ce to be promoted from non-equity shareholder to equity shareholder is a woman,” the nomination said.

Outside the o ce, Gerak serves on the board of directors for the United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland. UBF helps agency partners become sustainable resources for their communities, according to the nomination.

— Douglas J. Guth

Stay Ahead of Industry News

Debora Stein | dstein@crain.com

McCarthy Lebit Congratulates Ann-Marie Ahern, Crain’s Cleveland Notable in Employment and Labor Law

Ann-Marie understands that for most of her clients, their job is among the most consequential relationships in their lives. For nearly 25 years, she has devoted her practice to helping people navigate employment challenges. Whether vindicating a wrongful discharge, protecting employees against unlawful bias, advising executives in transition, or addressing noncompete restrictions, Ann-Marie is a tireless advocate and reliable advisor to her clients.

Above all else, she is guided by all that’s at stake for her clients, and the importance of achieving an outcome that exceeds their expectations.

We extend our congratulations to Ann-Marie for her outstanding recognition as a Crain’s Notable in Employment and Labor Law.

Robert Gilmore Partner

KJK

Chair of the Labor & Employment Law practice at KJK in Cleveland, Rob Gilmore counsels employers and executives on the full range of employment matters, including workplace terminations, reductions in force, non-compete agreements, trade secrets, union negotiations and employment litigation.

In a recent case, Gilmore successfully represented his client against a former employee who violated a non-compete agreement by forming a competing company and soliciting clients from customer lists taken from the previous employer. According to the nomination, this victory protected the company’s con dential information that had been built over decades.

KJK partner Alan Rauss, in the nomination, called Gilmore “an exceptionally knowledgeable employment lawyer, a creative problem solver and a tireless advocate for his clients.”

He has been recognized nationally by being selected as a fellow of both the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, an invitation-only organization that requires 20-plus years of practice in the eld, and the Litigation Counsel of America. He also serves as the management co-chair of a subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee.

In the community, Gilmore is on the board of directors of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission and is chairman of the board for Volunteers of America Ohio and Indiana.

— Judy Stringer

Tom Green

Vice president and shareholder

Kastner Westman & Wilkins

Tom Green is a vice president and one of four co-equal shareholders at Kastner Westman & Wilkins, a boutique labor rm representing management. Green works with several large multistate employers on a range of workforce law matters and oversees a team of about six employees, including at least four attorneys, according to the nomination. Together, they serve about 50 clients and generate more than $1 million in billings.

During the pandemic, Green helped clients transition their practices through major workforce changes and new compliance issues.

And over his career, he has mentored two law clerks who became attorneys and was selected for the Cleveland State University LAW Hall of Fame in 2023.

Green has represented a Black-owned accounting business and consulting rm at no charge since 2020 as part of the rm’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the nomination said. is fall, Green plans to rejoin the board of the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where he volunteered for 15 years.

Green’s nominator John McKenzie, a shareholder at Kastner Westman & Wilkins, said it’s no wonder Green’s day starts at 5 a.m.

“Tom’s service to KWW clients is top notch. Every case and issue matters. Clients feel prioritized and would never know that Tom touched up to 20 les that day,” he said.

— Kristine Gill

Joel Hlavaty

Founding partner

Frantz Ward

Joel Hlavaty, a founding partner of Franz Ward, has practiced labor and employment law for 35 years. Annually since 2010, Hlavaty’s success and expertise have landed him on both the Ohio Super Lawyers list and the Best Lawyers in America. Additionally, ALFA International awarded Hlavaty the Attorney of the Year Service Award in 2022.

In his current role, the nomination said, Hlavaty is a senior member of a team of approximately 17 attorneys and paralegals that counsel and represent employers in the full spectrum of traditional and emerging labor law issues.

His primary focus is counseling organizations with respect to avoiding issues and limiting liability, which, according to the nomination, are “huge wins for clients that do not always show up directly on the nancial sheets.”

In the community, Hlavaty serves on the board of advisers for the Medina Salvation Army, where he recently held the roles of vice chair and chair. He is also the immediate past president of the board of Leadership Medina County; was chair of the Labor and Employment Section of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association; and serves as chair of the Labor and Employment Group of an association of law rms to which Frantz Ward belongs.

— Judy Stringer

Brian Kelly

Partner Frantz Ward

Brian Kelly chairs Frantz Ward’s nationally recognized Labor & Employment Practice Group. In addition to his active practice, Kelly is responsible for the group’s strategic planning, as well as the management, training and development of group members.

He is proud to have been involved in negotiating contracts between clients and labor unions, with an eye toward recognizing the importance of helping all involved. e key, he said, “is nding a way to be as collaborative as possible.”

Kelly has represented multiple employers in collective bargaining with unions that include the United Auto Workers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the United Steelworkers and the Service Employees International Union, according to his biography. He writes extensively on labor and employment law for the rm’s blog, and has received several state and national honors for his work in the eld, including Best Lawyers in America every year from 2013 to 2022.

He also has done signi cant volunteer work the last four years as a board member of Towards Employment, a nonpro t that helps those in need get past barriers to employment.

Kelly was a member of the Leadership Cleveland class of 2022, and he volunteers as a mediator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Kelly lives in Westlake with his wife, Amy. ey have four children and a golden retriever.

— Pat McManamon

‘You work to nd a way for both sides to win’

Brian Kelly grew up in an auto industry family in the Detroit area. at experience sparked an interest in labor and employment law, which Kelly has pursued since attending the University of Michigan for both college and law school.

— Pat McManamon

 What’s exciting in the present time and space about your area of the law?

What’s always exciting about labor and employment is the laws and regulations constantly change. We get to work with our clients very closely to navigate the changes, and they count on us to keep them current and develop effective and creative solutions when problems arise. This leads to us having very close client relationships

 Give me an example of a creative solution. Like all businesses, our clients faced challenges during the pandemic, including divisive workplace topics like masks and vaccinations. My team and I worked with our clients to nd solutions by identifying each client’s corporate culture and then developing a compliance plan for the government rules and mandates that did not disrupt that culture.

 That had to be especially challenging, because you were learning as we all were.

Nobody gave us a “Pandemics for Dummies” book.

Businesses had to gure what to do in real time. But honestly, dealing with a situation like that where there isn’t a playbook is something that I enjoy. You have to gure out what the rules are, what the client’s goals are, and what you can realistically accomplish under the circumstances, only to have the circumstances change a fair amount of the time. Being required to think and act dynamically keeps all of us on our toes.

 What is the key to resolving con icts and disputes between employers and employees? Where do you start?

You start by guring (out) everybody’s true goals underlying the con ict or dispute. And then you work to nd a way for both sides to “win” when it comes to the goals. We all love to win, but an employer that insists on winning every dispute with employees is not going to develop the type of long-term relationships that makes a company strong.

 Is there a balance between representing your clients and recognizing you are dealing with employees’ lives and livelihoods?

Of course. Growing up in an auto industry family, I know very well how corporate decisions can impact employees’ lives and livelihoods. I never take that for granted when I help clients develop labor and employment strategies, and most companies understand that looking out for their employees as much as possible will create long-term relationships and will help ensure long-term success.

 Where do you feel we are as a society in terms of labor relations?

It’s hard to generalize. My experience is that the relationship between labor and management at a company is just like any other power dynamic. The quality of the relationship will re ect the character and the actions of the organization’s leadership. Just like government leaders who behave in an honest and ethical manner can have good relationships with their constituents, so can management and labor in the corporate world.

Porter

We are proud of Rebecca’s leadership and mentorship across the greater Cleveland community, and her consistent e orts to engage, enrich and advance women in the workers’ compensation arena.

Wright congratulates Rebecca Kopp Levine, partner and co-chair of the rm’s Workplace Safety Practice Group, for being named to Crain’s Cleveland’s 2023 Notables in Employment and Labor Law.

“WE ALL LOVE TO WIN, BUT AN EMPLOYER THAT INSISTS ON WINNING EVERY DISPUTE WITH EMPLOYEES IS NOT GOING TO DEVELOP THE TYPE OF LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS THAT MAKES A COMPANY STRONG.”

Margarita

Krncevic Of Counsel

Benesch

As Of Counsel at Benesch’s Cleveland headquarters, Margarita Krncevic counsels businesses nationwide on their workforce issues, helping them navigate changes in local, state and federal laws. Her more than 25 clients range from small companies to Fortune 500 and global companies.

Krncevic has been with Benesch since 2017, investigating allegations of insider trading, fraud, retaliation and whistleblower complaints. According to her biography, she counsels HR personnel on implementing policies that comply with laws at all levels and conducts sexual harassment and diversity training for management and executive employees. She defends both corporate and public employers at the federal, state and local levels.

Krncevic is also a native Spanish speaker and advises clients on immigration issues.

She recently helped to close a multimillion-dollar corporate deal involving wage and hour misclassi cation and U.S. employment eligibility compliance problems in a timely fashion with her skill set, the nomination said.

As a board member with Global Cleveland, she helps to advance policies that encourage the relocation of foreign skilled labor to Cleveland.

She is the mother of three children and has mentored other mothers in the legal eld.

Krncevic is a Eucharistic minister at St. Clement Catholic Church, and she serves on several committees of the American Immigration Legal Association.

— Kristine Gill

Todd Lebowitz Partner BakerHostetler

Todd Lebowitz has built a niche practice around helping organizations answer the question “Who is my employee?”

As national leader of BakerHostetler’s Contingent Workforce Practice Team — a group he founded — Lebowitz heads a 30-attorney team across various o ces and disciplines that advises clients nationwide on navigating independent contractor misclassi cation and joint employment claims.

Lebowitz’s notable successes include obtaining multiple dismissals of misclassi cation class-action claims, with his clients paying no money to claimants, according to the nomination. Each successful outcome, it said, was driven by the client’s adoption of customized contingent workforce agreements and strategies developed by Lebowitz to suit the needs of the individual business.

He also maintains the blog WhoIsMyEmployee.com, which provides weekly updates and tips on developments related to the use of non-employee workers while mixing in references to classic rock lyrics, pop culture and oddities in the news. e site has been recognized as a Web 100 Honoree by the ABA Journal.

Lebowitz’s civic leadership includes serving as de facto outside general counsel for an international research organization for 12 years and as a member of the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s human resources committee, where he has provided human resources and employment guidance for a decade.

— Judy Stringer

Frantz Ward is proud to recognize these Crain’s Notables in our Labor & Employment Group

Rebecca Kopp Levine

Partner

Porter Wright Morris & Arthur

A management-side employment specialist, Rebecca Kopp Levine advises clients on day-today workforce issues with a focus on workplace safety.

Levine leads a team of 10 attorneys across Porter Wright Morris & Arthur’s ofces in Cleveland and Columbus who work to resolve complex workers’ compensation claims. In 2022, the team served about 200 clients, attended over 830 hearings and settled over 120 cases, according to the nomination.

Levine and her team, in one recent example, analyzed, categorized and prioritized settlement candidates among a high volume of outstanding claims against a Fortune 500 utility company, saving the organization millions of dollars over multiple years and slashing settlement times.

In the nomination, Cleveland Partner-in-Charge Tracey Turnbull called Levine “a highly respected leader with a creative problem-solving approach and proactive client management style,” also citing Levine’s “deep commitment” to her community.

Levine oversees, for example, Porter Wright’s pro bono representation of Afghan refugees seeking asylum. She also has provided employment-related counsel in volunteer roles with the Cleveland Council on World A airs and the Journey Center for Safety and Healing, and leads efforts to engage, enrich and advance women in the workers’ compensation eld as the Ohio ambassador for the Alliance of Women in Workers’ Compensation.

— Judy Stringer

Christina E. Niro Partner

Frantz Ward’s Labor & Employment Group ranks among the best in the nation for their exceptional client service and expertise. They have been recognized by the prestigious Chambers and Partners with a Band 1 ranking for the past 17 years.

Brian J. Kelly Chair, Labor & Employment Partner

Michael J. Frantz Management Committee Partner

Joel R. Hlavaty Management Committee Partner

Michael N. Chesney Partner

THE MEDIAN ANNUAL WAGE FOR LAWYERS IN 2021 WAS $127,990.

—U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Julia Ann Love

Partner

Thompson Hine

Julia Ann Love manages a team of nearly 30 attorneys as leader of ompson Hine’s Employee Bene ts and Executive Compensation Group. She also is lead attorney for some of the rm’s top clients, including KeyBank, Nordson, Quest Diagnostics and the Carnegie Pension Fund.

Love has 30 years of expertise in all aspects of employee bene ts and executive compensation, including ERISA compliance, de ned bene t and de ned contribution retirement plans, health and welfare plans, executive employment agreements and non-quali ed deferred compensation arrangements.

Love advised AkzoNobel on the spino and sale of its specialty chemical business to the Carlyle Group, which became Nouryon Chemicals LLC, according to the nomination. Love then advised on a new bene t and de ned contribution retirement plan, health plan and non-quali ed retirement plans for Nouryon. She also advised Nouryon on general compliance issues concerning the A ordable Care Act, HIPAA and COVID-19.

In the past decade, Love has partnered with others at her rm to host the HR Collaborative, an in-person event in conjunction with the Cleveland Foundation that provides pro bono education and training to local nonpro t human resource professionals, the nomination said.

Love has served on the board of Saint Joseph Academy on Cleveland’s West Side, and also on the board of the Center for Community Solutions.

— Pat McManamon

John McKenzie

Shareholder and secretary

Kastner Westman & Wilkins

John McKenzie’s Ohio lawyering roots run deep, beginning with a great-grandfather who practiced law in Akron. McKenzie makes a positive impact on his own community by navigating companies through convoluted labor and employment laws.

McKenzie advises clients on employment contracts, sexual harassment investigations, severance agreements and non-compete matters. His expertise includes protecting disabled and chronically ill workers, along with defending and resolving collective actions around fair labor standards.

In recent years, McKenzie helped develop and administer hands-on workplace training for a 6,000-employee health care system client. For McKenzie, creating a professional workplace encompasses harassment training, as well as vital conversations about racial equity, according to the nomination.

Under McKenzie’s stewardship, the rm also leads workshops to assist minorities, women, disabled individuals and LGBTQ+-owned businesses.

“John is an absolute professional,” the nomination said. “He is a civic leader and always treats people with a tremendous amount of respect.”

— Douglas J. Guth

Jeffrey Zimon

Ryan Neumeyer

Member

McDonald Hopkins

Within a year of joining McDonald Hopkins in 2017, Ryan Neumeyer was elected a member, which is almost unheard of at the Cleveland firm, according to the nomination.

Today, Neumeyer practices employment law in court and on the “front lines,” the nomination said, managing between 75 and 100 client relationships and taking the lead on speaking opportunities and marketing initiatives for the Labor and Employment Practice Group. He is currently developing “McDonald Hopkins HRx,” a service that aims to increase accessibility to employment law guidance via a flat fee offering to small and midsized businesses.

As part of a team providing pro bono services to Road to Hope, Neumeyer also works closely with the executive director of the sober home program to train and retain employees. In addition, he is a board member for Community Service Alliance, a nonprofit serving the homeless, and an active member of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Strongsville.

In the nomination, Mark D’Agostino, president and CEO of ConnectedHR, said Neumeyer possesses a unique combination of legal expertise and communications savvy. “As our go-to for all things related to employment and labor law, he keeps us well-informed and up to date so that we can better serve our clients,” D’Agostino said.

— Judy Stringer

Christina Niro

Partner Frantz Ward

Christina Niro is a partner at Frantz Ward’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, spearheading the firm’s OSHA defense practice. She is one of 17 attorneys and paralegals working with a range of employers, both union and nonunion, private and public. She does this at the national and state level.

Niro has successfully secured the dismissal of discrimination, retaliation and harassment claims for clients, as well as the withdrawal of OSHA citations and repeat citations, according to the nomination.

Niro is also past chair of the firm’s Women’s Initiative and dedicates her time to the Cleveland legal community as a founder and co-chair of Cleveland’s Gender Equity in the Legal industry (GELI) Forum.

Niro has been named to The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation-Labor from 2020 through 2023 and in Labor Law-Management from 2021 through 2023. She was on the Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars List from 2018 through 2022.

Outside of law, Niro serves on the board of directors for Catholic Charities–Diocese of Cleveland.

Niro’s nominator, Laura Graham, director, human resources, Sumika Polymers North America LLC, described Niro as professional, insightful and dedicated.

“Christina is truly an expert in her field and works tirelessly as our company’s labor and employment attorney,” she said.

— Kristine Gill

EMPLOYMENT

Susan C. Rodgers

Partner

Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs

As an Employment & Labor Practice

Group leader at Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, Susan C. Rodgers leads a team of four attorneys and several sta , providing strategic legal advice and guidance at the rm.

Career highlights include handling ve labor negotiations favorably, according to the nomination, including obtaining a dismissal of COVID-related employment claims against a client. She also helped employees navigate new laws a ecting operations during the pandemic.

She has performed investigations regarding sexual harassment and sexual misconduct for corporations and higher education institutions. Rodgers has also served as a mediator and decision-maker for higher education institutions and school districts regarding Title IX matters.

She has represented employers before state and federal courts, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the National Labor Relations Board.

“ e greatest gift I give to my clients is my ability to see beyond the law and into the realities of their workplace,” she wrote.

Rodgers also serves as vice president of the Stark County District Library board of trustees and as a trustee for GentleBrook Inc.

A fellow library board member, Steve Pittman, wrote, “During our service together I have come to appreciate her intelligence, wisdom and e ectiveness as a Board leader.”

— Kristine Gill

OF LAWYERS IS PROJECTED TO GROW 10% FROM 2021 TO 2031.

—U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Matthew Secrist

Partner

Taft Law

Matthew Secrist joined Taft Law as a partner in April 2023 after 15 years of practice at other Cleveland rms, including 10 at Squire Patton Boggs. His expertise on employee bene ts and executive compensation includes assisting and advising on tax-quali ed retirement plans, as well as health and welfare plans. He works with about 30 private and publicly traded companies, which have as few as 20 employees and as many as 40,000.

His work the past few years has helped clients navigate issues prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He advised clients about coronavirus relief and economic impact issues, employee retention tax credits and more.

He also does a hefty amount of pro bono counseling on employee health insurance during visits to small businesses and nonpro ts, the nomination said. is work is part of Taft’s e ort to provide legal help to low-income individuals, nonpro t and community organizations, and public interest causes.

Secrist graduated magna cum laude from what is now the Cleveland State University College of Law and has a degree in nance/economics and marketing from Robert Morris University.

He is a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the Tax Club of Cleveland, and he works as a member of the American Cancer Society Discovery Ball Cleveland Board of Ambassadors.

In 2023, he was an honoree as one of the best lawyers in America for tax law.

— Pat McManamon

Brian Spitz

Managing partner

Spitz Law Firm

Trial attorney Brian Spitz has brought over 40 trials to verdict, a track record that includes winning million-dollar cases for his clients.

Spitz’s dedication to employee rights has helped him build the third-largest rm in the U.S. dedicated to this work — a commitment now allowing him to manage a team of attorneys in Beachwood, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati, along with Detroit; Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Spitz, among the 5% of lawyers nationwide to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, previously collaborated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to pass the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act.

Spitz signed the act after an invite to the White House from President Joe Biden, and is now working with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker to pass legislation banning arbitration enforcement in race discrimination cases, according to his biography.

Spitz and his rm have received national recognition from Newsweek, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the National Trial Lawyers.

— Douglas J. Guth

GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK PHOTO

Emily Spivack

Senior associate

Squire Patton Boggs

Emily Spivack’s practice at Squire Patton Boggs focuses on issues facing employers and public school districts, advising on student discipline matters, contract and policy drafting, and employment questions. She also defends districts before government bodies and counsels on special education matters, including defending districts in court against claims brought by parents under federal and state laws.

According to the nomination, Spivack regularly works with anywhere from 20 to 30 school districts and is part of a group that represents more than 200 districts in Ohio and beyond.

Among notable recent contributions, Spivack has helped school districts navigate the audit complications of hiring improperly licensed individuals and has shepherded boards of education through the PR, discipline and employment implications of incidents involving race-based threats on social media.

She also defended a school district in an administrative proceeding involving special education services, which resulted in the case being dismissed, the nomination said.

Spivack shares her expertise in presentations and trainings for groups like the Ohio School Boards Association and the Ohio Association of School Business O cials. She also works with Equality Ohio, writing a guest lawyer blog on the rights of transgender students. e nonpro t recognized her as one of its Legal Allies in 2022.

— Judy Stringer

Stephen Zashin

Co-managing partner

Zashin & Rich

As a founder and co-managing partner at Zashin & Rich, Stephen Zashin manages one of the largest labor and employment boutique defense firms in the state. He has a staff of 50 employees and 22 labor and employment attorneys.

Zashin recently won a $4.25 million verdict in a case involving the misappropriation of trade secrets from a departing employee, according to the nomination. He also won a 7-0 decision in front of the Ohio Supreme Court concerning arbitration in the employment context.

He regularly represents not-for-profit entities and has devoted his time to re-entering individuals in the workplace. Zashin serves on leadership committees for the Ohio Management Lawyers Association and the Planning Committee for the Ohio State Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section, the nomination said.

His nominator, Brian Spitz, described Zashin as a true leader in his field and at the firm.

“He always acts decisively with knowledge, integrity, and vigor for his clients’ rights. He has built a thriving employment law defense firm over the course of career,” Spitz wrote.

Zashin is a husband and father of three who plays guitar and sings in a band called Faith & Whiskey, which regularly plays charity acts for organizations including LifeAct and Legal Aid.

— Kristine Gill

Je rey Zimon

Founder, principal Zimon

Je rey Zimon founded Zimon in 2012 as an alternative to larger rms that handle employee bene ts and compensation advice.

Zimon brought more than 20 years of experience on all aspects of employee bene ts, as well as bene t disputes and litigation to his rm. at included experience as chair of Employee Bene ts and Compensation and co-chair of ERISA litigation at Cleveland-based Benesch, according to his LinkedIn pro le. Among his Fortune 500 clients were Eaton Corp. and the Timken Co.

He calls Zimon a boutique rm, and is proud it can bring the capabilities and experience of a large rm to a smaller one while providing the bene ts and cost e ectiveness of a small rm. It’s one of the few ERISA boutique rms in Northeast Ohio.

Many of Zimon’s clients are in Ohio, but he also works with national clients. His client base includes unionized manufacturers, private-sector companies, churches and synagogues.

“ ere is no one better at dissecting a problem, o ering pragmatic solutions and explaining it in plain English to clients who may not have the rst clue about pensions,” his nominator wrote.

A graduate of Case Western Reserve University Law School, Zimon is in the Leadership Circle and a member of the Human Resources Committee of the United Way of Greater Cleveland, and serves on the board of the Prayers From Maria Foundation.

— Pat McManamon

THERE IS AROUND ONE ATTORNEY FOR EVERY 240 PEOPLE IN THE U.S.

— Zengig

Canton takes buses to a hydrogen future

Stark County has become a leader in the use of hydrogen fuel cells for transportation.

at’s right, deep red Stark County, home to a Marathon Petroleum renery and a county seat, Canton, that 10 years ago billed itself as the capital of Utica shale drilling.

e county is competing with places like California to be a leading expert on the use of hydrogen to power public buses. And while California has more hydrogen buses, Canton, the small city south of Akron, seems to be keeping pace in terms of expertise.

Representatives of the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) now appear at national events and host people from around the country and the world to talk about the advantages of hydrogen technology and the need for industry players to promote its development.

“I’ve been to England, France and Germany to speak,” said SARTA CEO Kirt Conrad. “And we’ve had people from as far away as New Zealand come here to speak to us.”

Conrad is largely responsible for Stark County’s push into hydrogen, and county leaders couldn’t be more pleased with the progress he has made, said Richard Regula, a Republican county commissioner with deep political roots in the area via his father, 18term U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula.

“Besides California, we now have

one of the largest eets of buses on hydrogen in the United States,” Richard Regula said. “(Conrad has been) able to leverage all sorts of federal money to purchase these buses, and (SARTA) is now a model for fuel cells in the U.S. We’re really proud of him.”

Regula is correct about the bus eet, Conrad said, noting, “Right now, we have the largest eet outside of California.”

e eet today includes 15 traditional 40-foot buses and ve smaller “para-transit” vehicles that carry fewer people but are designed for passengers with disabilities, Conrad said.

Conrad said SARTA has paid for the buses largely with federal funds. SARTA has won more than $20 million in federal funding for its program, including more than $11 million that it used to purchase its rst six buses in 2015, and $2.4 million in grants it won last year.

With one kilogram of hydrogen equal to about a gallon of diesel fuel in terms of the energy it delivers, the big buses have a range of about 270 miles, with 50 kg of fuel stored in tanks on their roofs.

When they’re empty, they’re relled at SARTA’s own refueling station, a $2 million facility — also paid for primarily with federal funding — that has a 60-foot-tall tank of hydrogen.

Along the way, things have gotten a bit easier in terms of procurement.

In the beginning, SARTA basically

had to design its own bus and have someone build it.

ose rst couple of buses were about $2 million each. But since then, the industry has come a long way after learning from players including SARTA, and Conrad said he now can buy a bus o the shelf for about $1.2 million.

But he said he has found better deals than that in cities including Cleveland, Boston and Chicago, which started hydrogen bus programs and then later sold some or all their buses, even while places such as Canton, California, Philadelphia and Las Vegas were expanding their eets.

SARTA has been able to buy those buses at deep discounts, Conrad said, and they’ve been great additions to its eet.

“For a while, it felt like the land of mis t toys,” he said, with an easy chuckle.

SARTA also has honed its expertise in hydrogen since it got involved with the technology, Conrad said, and today the system partners with many industry leaders on development e orts.

“I probably have six or seven nondisclosure agreements with companies we’re working with now to help move the technology forward,” Conrad said.

e hydrogen investment is good for the environment and arguably even for Canton’s image as a clean and progressive city.

But there might be an even bigger payo .

Hydrogen and its economic potential have been hot topics recently, as the federal O ce of Clean Energy Demonstrations prepares to spend $8 billion on a national hydrogen hub program funded through the $550 billion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021.

Up to $7 billion of that money will go toward establishing six to 10 regional clean hydrogen hubs across the nation, the Department of Energy has announced.

“Clean hydrogen hubs will create networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and local connective infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier that can deliver or store tremendous amounts of energy,” DOE states on its website.

e centers are part of the nation’s plan to have a 100% clean electric grid by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

e locations for the hydrogen hubs are expected to be announced as soon as the end of this year, Regula said.

Landing one won’t be easy. Regula

said he thinks West Virginia might have an edge in competing for the hub, thanks to the power now wielded by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who often controls a hold-out vote his party is willing to pay for.

But Regula said that if Canton doesn’t win a hub, the region likely will — and Stark County will be a major player in it and will bene t from it.

“I think if we land the hydrogen hub and Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia come together ... you’re going to see more businesses coming our way, whether it’s the people who produce the buses or something else,” Regula said.

Stark County is further embracing hydrogen by advocating for hydrogen fueling stations along state Route 30, he said. However Stark County and Canton are involved, it will be a credit to Conrad, Regula said, adding, “What Kirt Conrad and everyone has done at SARTA has just been unbelievable.”

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

DAN SHINGLER

A SARTA para-transit vehicle lling up with hydrogen. | DAN SHINGLER/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES CRAIN'S LIST |

Ranked by full-time-equivalent local employees as of March 1, 2023 ResearchbyChuckSoderandLydiaCoutré(researcher@crainscleveland.com) |Informationisfromthecompanies.Tobelisted,companiesmustbeatleast51%women-owned.Crain'sdoesnotrequirethatcompaniesbecerti edas women-owned;companieswithcerti cationslistedwerenotrequiredtoprovidedocumentation.Ifyourorganizationrequiresdocumentationpleaserequestitbeforedoingbusinesswithalisted.WBENC=Women'sBusinessEnterpriseNationalCouncil; NWOBC=NationalWomenBusinessOwnersCorp.;NAWBO=NationalAssociationofWomenBusinessOwners;NEORSD=NortheastOhioRegionalSewerDistrict;CMHA=ClevelandMetropolitanHousingAuthority.NOTES: 1. Full-timeequivalentasof March 1, 2023. 2. This is a sta ng rm. Most of these employees work on behalf of other companies. Get 56 companies, 145+ executives and more contact info in Excel. Become a Data Member: CrainsCleveland.com/data

3687 Shepard Road, Perry 440-259-5200/midwestmaterials.com

By supplying the o cial basketballs sanctioned for tournament use by the Ohio High School Athletic Association — something not o ered o -the-rack at big-box stores — or being the go-to shop when a baseball coach needs batting cages or bases.

In short, by serving. Not just selling.

“I think it boils down to this: People need an alternative to the virtual world,” Adler said. “ at’s where all the volume is. Every one of our manufacturers, they have their own websites and people could skip us all together and go right to those websites and buy stu . And they do. But when it comes to uniforms and fabrics and artwork and color, some of that is hard to do on your phone or your computer.

“ ey want somebody that knows what they’re doing, so they’ll come to us. And they keep coming back.”

Rube Adler Sports has been in Solon Village since 1979 — it moved to a di erent location in the plaza in 2013 and now sits between Dodd Camera and Pet Supplies Plus — and is one of the few surviving independent sporting goods retailers in Greater Cleveland, joining shops like Family Sports in Willoughby, Adler Sports in Euclid (which was originally owned by Ken’s uncle but is no longer connected to the family), Ritchie’s Sporting Goods in Tallmadge and Logan Sports in North Canton, among others.

“We have people come in all the time saying, ‘We never knew you were here!’” said Andy Logan, whose father, former Ohio State football player Dick Logan, founded the shop in 1975. “And I jokingly say, ‘Well, we’ve been waiting 48 years for you to come through the door.’”

While Logan Sports relies much more on foot tra c than Adler does — retail makes up about 75% of his sales and 50% to 60% of his revenue — the business philosophy is the same: o er customers better service than they can get anywhere else. For Logan, that might mean ordering a letterman’s jacket in a color he doesn’t carry, or tracking down a speci c Nike bat bag that a customer can’t nd anywhere else.

“I’ll say, ‘I don’t have it, but let’s see if they have it in stock,’” he said. “And people look at me and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that was possible.’ It takes a little bit of e ort, but that service is still important to a lot of people. ey nd that bigger isn’t always better.”

Both Adler and Logan have extensive relationships with the schools and coaches in their communities, relationships that often

continue even when the coaches don’t. (“When a coach leaves, he’ll often tell the next guy, ‘Go to these guys; they take good care of you,’” Adler said.)

Logan also relies on his youth sports connections to bring in crucial foot tra c, hoping that when a mom brings her daughter in to get tted for a cheerleading uniform, they’ll nd something else they like inside the store. Adler, meanwhile, gets little foot tra c despite his prime location, with most of his businesses coming from building temporary, team-speci c web stores. And while they do some in-house production — Adler’s other employees were screen-printing shirts during his interview — about 80% is done through manufacturers with in-house capabilities.

“We talk every day about how we don’t get much foot tra c, saying, ‘What do we need to be here for?’”

Adler said, laughing. “But I still think it’s important to have a retail presence. at’s what makes us different, that there are real people behind that website. A lot of our competitors are mostly working out of industrial parks; they don’t want to pay the rent for retail spaces. But we generate enough to pay the rent, and it works for us.

“I’m afraid to leave. If it ain’t broke, don’t x it.”

Most of Rube Adler Sports’ retail space is dedicated to spirit wear for nearby high schools, but it does have a smattering of hard goods (basketballs, mitts, batting helmets, goggles, etc.) and apparel for the Guardians, Browns and Cavaliers. Problem is, that apparel is getting harder for small shops to obtain, as leagues clamp down on distribution of merchandise. Adler can get ocially licensed team apparel from ‘47 Brand, but Nike? Forget it.

“We were with Nike since Day 1 when it was a pretty small company,” Logan said. “Nike was made by mom-and-pop stores, right up until Michael Jordan’s mom made him go to that interview (with Nike).”

Logan has built up enough relationships through the years that he can still nd team-licensed gear from several sites — including Nike-branded Ohio State apparel — but he’s had to pivot away from what was once a pro table shoe-selling business.

“With all the styles and color changes, it’s so much easier for people to go online and do it themselves,” he said.

He also steers clear of most jerseys, since some pro athletes’ careers age as well as ripe bananas.

“It’s hard to guess on that stu because somebody gets hurt or gets

now directing you to Champs Sports.

Yet, shops like Rube Adler Sports and Logan Sports survive thanks to their deep local roots and their willingness to be exible, both with their offerings and their working hours. Adler’s son Eric, for instance, has been known to go home at 5 p.m., eat dinner, put the kids to bed and come back and work from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

“You do what has to be done,” said Adler, who has put in plenty of 60-hour weeks since 1979 but tries to keep it to 40 these days. “If you have to show up at 7:30 in the morning to get the orders out, you do it. We want to get stu out and if you do a good job, customers remember.”

Adler also belongs to Sports Inc., a sporting goods buying organization with more than 500 members and 750 sales locations in all 50 states and Canada. e dealership network negotiates better pricing with manufacturers and helps keep places such as Adler up to date with what’s going on.

“We keep evolving and changing,” said Ron Narolewski, who has been with Adler for 26 years. “It’s a totally di erent business since I started. We’ve probably had 10 variations just since I’ve been here.”

Sporting goods is the only business Adler has ever known — he started working for his dad in junior high — and Eric is expected to soon become the fourth generation to run Rube Adler Sports. But Adler isn’t sure they’ll be a fth generation.

“If he becomes a doctor or something, I’ll be happy,” he said, laughing. at’s already happening with Logan, as his oldest son just took the MCAT. His daughter wants to be a lawyer and his youngest son, Drew, is a freshman football player at Cincinnati majoring in business analytics.

traded or gets their picture in the paper for the wrong reasons, and you’re stuck with $400 to $500 worth of jerseys or more,” he said.

Of course, it’s not just mom-and-pop stores that deal with these issues. A once-competitive brick-and-mortar industry has pretty much been reduced to Dick’s, with national chains such as Sports Authority and Modell’s going bankrupt in recent years. Even oncemighty Eastbay — which found success as a direct-mail option before moving online — closed in January, with the site

“It would be great for us if he took it over,” Logan said, “but I don’t know about the next 40 years.”

In the meantime, both businesses continued to carve out their niche in the community. Because the key to staying a oat in 2023 isn’t (pickleball) paddles. It’s people.

“If someone comes through the door and we serve them well, we’ll hear them say, ‘We’ll be back,’” Logan said. “As long as they keep saying that, we’ll be all right.”

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

Rube Adler Sports in Solon o ers team uniforms, spirit wear and hardgoods at its retail location. | PHOTOS BY JOE SCALZO/CLEVELAND BUSINESS

Longtime Rube Adler Sports employee Ron Narolewski screen prints a shirt inside the company’s Solon location.

Phoenix, which owns other former GE properties, was much more preservation-minded. Herder said the company is exploring whether to pursue federal and state tax credits for historic preservation, to helpnance renovations. And Phoenix might consider forming joint ventures for certain projects or selling o individual buildings if the right deal comes along.

“It’s such a massive campus, it’s going to be piece-by-piece,” Herder said. “It’s not going to all get redeveloped at once.”

Nela Park is an oddity in Phoenix’s portfolio, which totals 64 million square feet scattered across 29 states.

e company, founded in 1994 by Frank Crivello, started out buying net lease commercial properties, where the tenants pay for taxes, insurance costs and maintenance expenses. In 2009, Phoenix shifted its attention to industrial real estate.

Many of Phoenix’s properties are vanilla — vast warehouses and manufacturing buildings.

e closest parallel to Nela Park is an eclectic campus in Endicott, New York, a village of roughly 13,000 people on the Susquehanna River. at property was home to IBM’s rst manufacturing plant, where the technology giant’s roots date to the early 1900s.

IBM sold the 130-acre campus to a local investment group in 2002, after decades of cost-cutting and downsizing. Phoenix purchased the 4 mil-

lion-square-foot property in late 2021 and is razing a handful of vacant buildings to make way for new construction.

IBM, still a tenant, will move out late this year. But the campus has attracted other employers, including aerospace and defense contractor BAE Systems and a lithium-ion battery plant where production started last year.

e community, which developed

around tanneries, a shoe factory and IBM’s manufacturing hub, is trying to rebuild its economy around clean energy, said Linda Jackson, the village’s mayor. She described Phoenix as “phenomenal” to work with.

“ ey’ve revamped the whole property,” Jackson said. “ ey repainted all the buildings. ey xed the roofs. … ey have put a lot of money into it. ey really have.”

Public o cials hope that Phoenix

will take a similar approach — boosting curb appeal and job creation — in East Cleveland, an impoverished suburb that’s similar in size to Endicott. At its peak, GE Lighting employed more than 1,000 people at Nela Park, which was a locus of lighting innovation. Now, the business has a local workforce of about 150.

“Our goal is to bring to bear enough public support for that site and Phoenix to ensure that they have

success,” said Michael Smedley, chief of sta to East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King.

Smedley acknowledged that most of the support will have to come from other sources, such as Cuyahoga County, the state or JobsOhio, the statewide private nonpro t economic development corporation. e city doesn’t have the resources to subsidize a tricky real estate project.

Without any new tenants in hand, discussions about incentives are theoretical. It’s still early. Phoenix has not come up with a formal master plan for the campus, where the buildings are linked by underground tunnels and connected by a central heating plant.

“It’s going to take a great deal of creativity to gure that one out,” said Terry Coyne, vice chairman of the Newmark brokerage in Cleveland. Coyne, who has toured the property, suggested that Phoenix’s best option might be carving out 20 acres for new warehouse construction.

“To manage that facility and prepare it for any kind of development, it will be a major undertaking,” Smedley said. “We’re not rushing them to come up with some ill-conceived idea about what Nela Park should be in the future. … We know it’s a complex situation over there. But we know this company has what it takes.”

Phoenix, which also bought two longtime GE Lighting plants in Bucyrus and Logan, is pragmatic about the hurdles in East Cleveland. ere’s not much demand for o ces, especially in older, outdated buildings. Preservation is expensive. And

It’s time to apply for the Weatherhead 100

The Weatherhead 100, Northeast Ohio’s premier celebration of entrepreneurship, is now accepting applications.

For 35 years, Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University has recognized an elite group of companies who serve as the best examples of leadership, growth and success in our region.

This year, the Weatherhead 100 welcomes a new category honoring Emergent Business and renames two others to better depict the region and the companies being honored— Titans replaces Centurion, and WH100 Enterprise is the new name for the former Upstart category.

To apply for the Weatherhead 100, or learn more about the awards, visit case.edu/weatherhead/100 by July 31.

The Institute, the longtime GE Lighting training and education facility, overlooks a fountain in the center of the Nela Park campus.

PHOENIX INVESTORS PHOTOS

there’s the location of the campus, in a city that has long struggled with disinvestment and political strife.

“It was apparent that the community had challenges,” Herder said. “And to try to do what we can, with our resources, to try to improve the community was something we wanted to help out with. … Bringing the jobs back and bringing a high-quality corporation or group that would bring jobs would de nitely be part of the plan.”

Most of the early interest is coming from local tenants, nonpro ts and companies that are looking at already renovated o ces, GE Lighting’s former training institute, a onetime charter school and corridors lined with labs. Today, some of that lab space is overowing with Christmas decorations — lights and giant frames used in Nela Park’s annual holiday display, a beloved tradition that will continue.

e dark hallways seem to go on forever. Forgotten o ce furniture lls hushed meeting rooms and cubicles. In one building, a slim staircase behind a wooden door leads to an old observatory, where employees and visitors once gazed up at the stars.

“When groups look at the campus, there’s a lot there. I think it’s going to take some time to nd the right t,” said Herder, who characterized Phoenix as a long-term investor.

“We realize there are going to be challenges, but it’s a great opportunity for us to be successful,” he added. “At the end of the day, our model is ultimately value-creation and working with communities to revitalize blighted real estate. And I think this kind of checks all the boxes for us.”

Michelle Jarboe: michelle.jarboe@crain. com, (216) 771-5437, @mjarboe

A dusty conference table sits in the former GE Lighting executive o ces at Nela Park. The company, now part of Savant Systems Inc., still leases space on the property.

Some of the buildings at Nela Park feature updated o ce space, with more open oor plans and furniture. Others are dated, dominated by private o ces.

Current, a former General Electric subsidiary, recently vacated this o ce space. GE sold the business in 2019.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

ACCOUNTING

BDO USA, LLP

BDO USA, LLP has named Dave McClain Tax Practice Leader of the rm’s Cleveland and Akron of ces overseeing all operational aspects of the rm’s local tax practice. McClain has 20 years of experience providing tax and business consulting services to companies in a wide range of industries. He focuses his practice primarily on private equity owned and closely held businesses as well as the research and analysis of existing laws and strategic business incentives.

CONSTRUCTION

Ohio Cat

Ohio Cat appoints Eric Emch Executive Vice President of Corporate Operations.

Eric joined Ohio Cat in 1982 as a Service Technician, and after multiple stints in different sales roles, he became VP of the former Power Systems Division in 1995. In 2005, he assumed the role of VP of the Equipment Division and subsequently as Senior VP of the Equipment & Power Systems Division. With this latest appointment, Eric will work on special projects and corporate succession planning with the president.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Ancora

To place your listing, visit www.crainscleveland.com/people-on-the-move or, for more information, contact Debora Stein at 917.226.5470 / dstein@crain.com

We are happy to announce that Ashley Benton-Cooper, IACCP®, has joined Ancora as Deputy Chief Compliance Of cer for the broker-dealer. Ashley supports the BD’s Chief Compliance Of cer in the oversight of daily operations and compliance functions. She began her industry career with Raymond James in 2005 and has experience creating and maintaining compliance programs for both RIAs and BDs in various roles at different rms. Ashley has degrees in both Accounting and Finance from The University of Akron.

HEALTH CARE

Apex Dermatology

Apex Dermatology is proud to announce two new additions to our executive leadership team.

LAW

Walter Haver eld LLP

ACCOUNTING

BDO USA, LLP

BDO USA, LLP has named Teri Schaffer Assurance Practice Leader of the rm’s Cleveland and Akron of ces. Schaffer will oversee all day-to-day operational aspects of the rm’s local Assurance practice, including compliance, quality and people development. With over 30 years of experience, Schaffer focuses on providing accounting and auditing services to nonpro t organizations and for-pro t businesses primarily within the health care industry.

CONSTRUCTION

Ohio Cat

Ohio Cat announces the appointment of Sonja Metzler as Chief Human Resources Of cer.

Sonja earned her Bachelor’s in HR from Ohio University and joined the company in 2001. She has served in multiple HR roles and in 2005 completed her Certi ed Employee Bene ts Specialist designation sponsored by the Wharton School. Sonja has responsibilities for professional development, employee recognition and engagement, compliance, safety, compensation and bene ts, and talent acquisition.

HEALTH CARE

The MetroHealth Foundation

The MetroHealth Foundation is proud to announce the election of Alfred F. Connors Jr., MD as its new Board chair. Dr. Connors, who has served on the Foundation Board since 2009, rst joined MetroHealth as an intern in 1974. He has since built an extraordinary legacy as a clinician, researcher, educator, mentor and colleague and served as Chair of the Department of Medicine and Chief Medical Of cer.

Jeremy Zing joined Apex in 2022 as Vice President of Finance. Jeremy comes to Apex with nearly 15 years of diverse nancial leadership experience. He holds an MBA in Business Administration and Management, and has already had signi cant positive impact in the organization.

Zing

Theresa SedlackHanslik joined Apex in 2023 as Vice President of Clinical Research Operations. She is a Kent State University alumni with a degree in Nursing and has nearly 25 years of experience. Her leadership will allow the continued growth of Apex’s Clinical Research Center, which helps advance the eld of dermatology and brings cuttingedge treatments to patients in NEO.

HEALTH CARE

Apex Dermatology

Apex Dermatology is proud to announce the appointment of Ruth Barnum as our new Vice President of Marketing. Ruth has been an invaluable team member of Apex since 2018 and has helped grow the company from 5 of ces to 13, with revenue growth of 134%. With her team of talented marketers, she is poised to lead signi cant growth initiatives in 2023 and beyond. Ruth is heavily involved in the community through Apex initiatives and local nonpro ts throughout Greater Cleveland.

Walter Haver eld LLP is pleased to announce the addition of Senior Counsel Alexandra Dattilo to the rm’s Litigation Group. She is an experienced attorney and business advisor with a collaborative and results driven approach that has proven successful across a broad range of legal disciplines. Since 2022, she has served as Secretary of the Northern District of Ohio’s Federal Bar Association. Alexandra received her law degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

LAW

Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A.

Karen Meder Holland has joined Weltman as Director of Human Resources! Karen is a results-driven HR executive with 20 years of leadership experience, including re-establishing HR functions in complex work environments. She will collaborate with leadership to recalibrate staf ng, recruiting, development, and retention strategies. Karen earned her MBA from Baldwin-Wallace University and holds the SHRMSCP. Connect with Karen at www. weltman.com/People-KarenMeder-Holland

REAL ESTATE

Albrecht Incorporated

Albrecht Incorporated is pleased to announce the promotion of Paula Hollender to Director of Accounting. As Director of Accounting Paula is responsible for ensuring the accuracy, timeliness, and transparency of the Company’s accounting processes. Paula is also responsible for coordinating the annual audit, developing budgets, implementing software solutions, and training accounting staff. Thank you, Paula, for your leadership and congratulations on your promotion to Director of Accounting.

Sedlack-Hanslik

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Volume 44, Number 24 Crain’s