Akron : Featured Stories

What if we viewed Ohio cities as startups? "The ingredients for a successful startup and a successful city are remarkably similar," argues tech blogger Jon Bischke. You need to build stuff that people want. You need to attract talent. And you need capital to get your fledgling ideas to a point of sustainability.

One of the most widely read Fresh Water Cleveland  features was a story on Ohio's burgeoning craft distillery trend. But it wasn't all good news: As it stood at the time of publication, only one permit was allowed in each of Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton counties. What's more, those few permit holders could distill but not sell their wares on-site. A new law eliminates the restrictions on the number of permits while enabling holders to sell their products directly to consumers.

Like most of the country, Northeast Ohio was slammed hard by the tidal wave of the most recent recession. But thanks to an increasingly diversified economic strategy -- one that saw a transition from traditional manufacturing (steel, tires) to modern forms of manufacturing (healthcare equipment, polymers) -- the region is emerging from those damaging waters stronger than it has in the past, say area advocates.

Equity-based crowdfunding will allow everyone the opportunity to become a venture capitalist. But is this a good thing? Remember the dot-com bubble that burst in the 1990s? Yet while crowdfunding brings a certain amount of risk, even skeptics say that it has the potential to bring an important source of new capital to Ohio. The emerging phenomenon could also empower a new class of investors.

Open innovation partnerships between universities and companies can spark new ideas and possibly inventions, says Dr. Luis Proenza of the University of Akron. Recently, hiVelocity spoke with Dr. Proenza about key changes in U.S. patent law, the role of universities in Ohio's entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the catalytic potential of university partnerships.

A new report by the Brookings Institute says Ohio has done pretty well when it comes to creating "green jobs." The report, "Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment," by the institute's Metropolitan Policy Program, found that one-fourth of Ohio's green jobs are in manufacturing, with Akron, Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton leading the state. hiVelocity spoke with Metropolitan Policy Program Senior Research Analyst Jonathan Rothwell about the report and what it means for Ohio and the nation.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average college graduate will go through an estimated five transitions during his or her career. In today's economy, however, navigating the tough career landscape calls for a strategic approach. Well-known Akron business consultant, coach and author Ron Finklestein frequently speaks to organizations about career matters and the challenges of today's environment. Finklestein, president of Akris, Inc. and Rpf Group, outlines specific steps for moving forward