Perk Up Cleveland

Monday, May 18, 2009

Ohio Recovery - Good news

Do you know about the State of Ohio American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? As federal funds trickle to the state level the website http://www.recovery.ohio.gov/ provides information on where the money is being spent and what funding is available.

There are four types of funding opportunities:

Individuals (money distributed through appropriate channels)
Funds distributed by the state
Funds distributed by the local organizations
Funds distributed by the U.S. government

To find out what opportunities there are visit their website

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Entrepreneur looking for funding? Deadline noon, May 15

Project: Cuyahoga County New Product Loan Fund

Entrepreneurs and companies under $50 million in revenue are eligible to apply for the Cuyahoga County New Product Development and Entrepreneurship Loan Fund.

The current application round is now open. The deadline is noon on Friday, May 15, 2009.

For full details visit the MAGNET website

Want more good news? Check out the post Positive Change in Northeast Ohio - April 2009 Recap on NEOinc.

Monday, May 4, 2009

YWCA Women of Achievement 2009

I had the pleasure of attending the YWCA Women of Achievement awards luncheon yesterday. The event was wonderfully put together at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland. I was happy to see that despite the tough economic times there appeared to be a full house.

The luncheon began with Loree Vick, Director, Media and Public Relations, University Hospitals, who welcomed the group and announced the Women of Professional Excellence. This honor was given to 57 participants from area companies. The award is presented to women whose contributions have been recognized by their employers. Each recipient had a chance to walk across the stage and receive their award before returning to their seat.

The YWCA Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by U.S. Representative Marcia L. Fudge to the family of the late U.S. Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones. The speech by Representative Fudge and and slide show of Representative Tubbs Jones were inspirational. We were offered a glimpse of why Stephanie Tubbs Jones lived up to the honor of an exceptional woman who exemplified the YWCA's mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. She truly deserved this recognition.

Barbara Danforth, President & CEO of WYCA Greater Cleveland, informed the audience of some of the new initiatives. Two incredible programs worth noting are the Nurturing Independence and Aspirations (NIA) and Peer Awareness Communication Training (PACT). These programs, geared toward teen and young adults, provide transition and life-skill training to girls coming out of foster care or that are in disadvantaged areas.

The Dr. Jennie S. Hwang award was presented to Maya Alunkal at Case Western Reserve University. Ms. Alunkal is a Environmental Geology major with a 4.0 GPA.

The Women of Achievement Award was established in 1977. Since then, 194 women have been recognized with this distinguished honor. The five women honored this year;
Virginia Albanese, President & CEO, FedEx Custom Critical
Judith A. Feniger, Executive Director, Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Gena C. Lovett, Plant Manager, Cleveland Works, Alcoa
Maria Jose Pujana, M.D. Neurologist and Neurophysiologist/President, Marise Jewelry Designs Co.
Marcia J. Wexberg, Esq., Partner, Estate & Succession Planning Group Chair, Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP

Overall this was an incredible event. I strongly recommend that all women look into the YWCA and see what they have to offer. There are many programs geared toward career and life advancement.

Congratulations to all.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

NEO continues to thrive in the new technologies market

Northeast Ohio dominates latest round of Third Frontier grants
Six companies and three institutions that won the grants received nearly 75% of the $40.1 million that the Ohio Third Frontier Commission awarded Tuesday afternoon. The awards are contingent upon State Controlling Board approval.

Read the full article on Crain's Cleveland

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Good news indeed - JumpStart helps grow local economy

A new report out of Cleveland State University's Center for Economic Development proves that the money invested in local nonprofits to assist start up and early stage companies is paying off.

The article in the Akron Beacon Journal indicates that because of the investments by JumpStart Inc. the regional economy grew $75.7 million in 2008. Specifically the following achievements were highlighted:

• Helping to generate $8.3 million in taxes.

• Creating or retaining 502 jobs.

• Producing $20.9 million in household income.

Kudos to JumpStart! Read the full article

Monday, April 20, 2009

Back on track and looking for good news

I had to take a break for a bit to get some other things taken care of but I'm back now and more determined then ever to pass around success stories in Cleveland. I'll continue to share links to published stories I find, but I want more!

There are companies that are making profits, hiring new employees, landing new deals, creating new products - things that never make the news. These are the stories I want to share. So give yourself some credit or give someone else some credit, we're all in this together.

Cleveland is a city that is thriving, now let's get the news out!

Thursday, March 12, 2009