Cleveland : Featured Stories

Thanks to work done by folks like Richard Florida and Rebecca Ryan, cities are more aware than ever that the key to economic prosperity lies in attracting and retaining young professionals. Not only that, by reading their books – The Rise of the Creative Class and Live First, Work Second, respectively – we can pinpoint the factors that go into a young person's choice of city. All across Ohio, highly motivated organizations are relying on that data in an attempt to meet the needs of those coveted YPs, or young professionals.

Israel boasts the highest number of start-ups per capita in the world. Ohio wants to be a second home to some of these businesses as they build their worldwide markets. Thanks to the aggressive efforts of business developers across the state, Ohio has become one of the most successful states in attracting investment from Israeli companies.

Every Wednesday, tens of thousands of inquisitive folks open up their email inboxes to find the latest e-blast from Cool Cleveland. Started in 2002 by Thomas Mulready, the newsletter has become a trusted guide to Cleveland-specific events and activities. A lot has changed in the past eight years, and Thomas Mulready's Cool Cleveland has been one of the few constants throughout that time.

The risk of starting a new business is great, the rewards uncertain. But some people enjoy the process. These "serial entrepreneurs" do it over and over again. Lather, rinse and repeat.

In January, Gov. Ted Strickland announced that Ohio had received $400 million in federal stimulus money to develop a "3C Corridor" passenger rail system linking Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. Immediately, questions flew: Will the trains go fast enough? How many stops? Who will ride it? Will the benefits be worth the money?  hiVelocity caught up with James E. Seney, who served as executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission under former Gov. Bob Taft. Seney, who oversaw the Taft Administration's original Ohio Hub rail plan to link Ohio to midwestern and east coast lines, says all questions are valid -- but that Ohio has an opportunity that's too good to pass up. 

Ohio neighborhoods are finding a second – or third – life as hip, new attractions for business, families and young professionals. Drawing on a combination of historic preservation and interest an urban lifestyle -- and tapping into corporate investment and state aid -- more than a dozen such neighborhoods have risen from the ashes

For years, Ohio has been a quiet powerhouse in the worlds of industrial design, architecture, communications design and brand marketing. Problem was, few people outside the state noticed. No more. The Buckeye state's reputation, particularly along the I-71 corridor from Cleveland to Cincinnati, is charging to the forefront.

"Sometimes in life we run into buzz saws," says entrepreneur Phil Davis. "Kirk Wright was mine." Davis is referring to former hedge fund manager Kirk Wright, who in 2008 was found guilty of numerous counts of fraud after swindling investors out of more than $150 million. Days after his conviction, Wright committed suicide in jail. But it wasn't cash that Wright stole from Davis – it was his reputation.