tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125582422011-11-26T19:09:27.245-08:00News and Views: Entrepreneurs a-thrive in Northeast OhioBarbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.comBlogger1791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-38060910835605132902008-03-30T05:50:00.000-07:002008-03-30T06:06:51.431-07:00

Stopped in to visit a colleague at Digiknow this past week. What a great setup they have--cool offices carved out of a warehouse, suffused with light filtered through modern interpretations of the traditional Shoji screen, and furnished sparsely but elegantly. The place even includes a workout center with a view of some of the old buildings not yet touched by the Midtown rebirth. This time of

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-63660993121777953982008-01-03T13:04:00.000-08:002008-01-03T13:29:33.259-08:00

Some of us are too busy worrying about the state of our own businesses to think too much about what's going on in the larger world and especially to worry about how the media handles the news. But that's part of the work of the Communications Department at John Carroll University. And they're giving you a chance to listen in on the discussions between them and local media folks about this stuff.

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-68188442384958681452007-11-21T13:35:00.000-08:002007-11-21T13:51:40.694-08:00

Like to say thanks to a guy down in the Akron area who has created a unique, warm and welcoming business networking group. Ken Thompson is the center of the group he calls the Pancake Pacers.Ken masterminds a group of runners and/or folks in the area who are looking to buy a business. Each month he invites people to take a run on the trails in Peninsula and then meet for breakfast at Bob's Big

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1966023783098483392007-11-16T08:34:00.001-08:002007-11-16T08:35:45.013-08:00

Got this today from Dan Hanson, Inside Business writer and ace operator of Computers Assisting People. Prayers for Ed's family.Assistant County Prosecutor Ed Corrigan was killed this morning in a car accident.For those of you who didn't know, Ed was instrumental in the original incorporation and then the 501c3 status for Computers Assisting People (CAP) Inc.He volunteered his time and expertise

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-33291421125907737012007-09-14T06:11:00.001-07:002007-09-14T06:21:07.341-07:00

Here comes another Cleveland entrepreneur, Dr. Steve Belovich, leading his latest venture IQWare to victory overseas landing a sweet deal with Australia's HealthPoint Techologies Ltd. His company is licensing its Medication Therapy Management software to them to let pharmacists log on to a system for tracking patient medications--to help prevent unwanted drug interactions, etc. The system will

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-19394652450471659452007-09-10T11:40:00.000-07:002007-09-10T11:40:16.121-07:00

Local expert Joel Libava, the self-styled Franchise King, has just introduced a blog targeted at a very specific audience--franchise information for war veterans. Given the number of young former soldiers returning from overseas these days, this is a timely offering.These young men had discipline trained into them in their military experience--certainly all the discipline they'd need to be

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-40989557327278147642007-08-15T10:57:00.000-07:002007-08-15T11:00:07.044-07:00

Hey, just heard about a Cleveland-based company that has been recently recognized in the national media. The press release says:SOAR to Strategic Excellence™ is a unique business process improvement program that evaluates a company’s health and helps to identify areas of potential growth. Traditionally, this type of evaluation process takes 4 to 6 weeks, however, SOAR accomplishes the task in a 1

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-41919765236247733872007-08-09T04:17:00.000-07:002008-11-13T06:35:52.077-08:00

Ever stayed at the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland? It's a venerable old facility that's done some refurbishing over the years--interesting to note that it's owned by Marriott. One of the staffers explained there used to be around a thousand rooms and now there are only 500-some. He said at some point they tore down walls to combine rooms. Wow, I gotta tell ya those early rooms must've been really

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-20329372499479962412007-07-17T05:56:00.000-07:002007-07-17T05:56:40.446-07:00

Somehow, because they were already so big--625 full-time equivalent employees at its Westlake headquarters and roughly 675 worldwide--it seemed like Hyland would've sold a long time ago if it was going to. The Hyland Brothers have been a fixture in the Cleveland business software scene for more than a decade. But guess it's not quite the same as selling out when you just get a big infusion of

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-38513943019499077302007-06-02T12:34:00.001-07:002007-06-02T12:43:14.559-07:00

If you have cable television you've probably seen the title "Pimp My Ride" and thought 'what the hell?' Or maybe you watch it.Apparently since our car manufacturers started producing (well, at least in name) aerodynamic designs that supposedly honor gas conservation aims (we don't know where all this SUV stuff comes in), the burden of satisfying consumers' desires for chrome and custom fittings

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1176985175352991422007-04-19T05:09:00.000-07:002007-04-19T05:19:35.366-07:00

Distances passengers must walk to various gates at Cleveland-Hopkins can be outrageous. They can pose a serious obstacle to anyone with a handicap or even a slight injury. On the other other hand, Cleveland has electronic carts. They're free to ride (you're welcome to tip the driver if you like), they run almost continuously most of the time, and the drivers have radios and may even help you if

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1166542826169694012006-12-19T07:32:00.000-08:002006-12-31T09:26:06.086-08:00

One of the beauties of the modern world is that we can ask for money to help us make money. And now two public service organizations in Ohio have just successfully partnered to get some money to go out and procure other companies to come and do business here. Here's the scoop on Omeris and PolymerOhio: "...a three-year, $1.5 million 'Asset-based Company Attraction Program' grant...[for]

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1165617004523319732006-12-08T14:30:00.000-08:002006-12-08T14:30:04.580-08:00

Much of Cleveland's cool riverfront area died a slow and ignominious death some years ago, and a treasure of a geographic feature has been a-wastin' since then. While the Warehouse District is great, it doesn't take any advantage of this delightful constellation of twisting riverbends, towering salt/sand/rock piles, massive chugging ocean-going vehicles, and miles of banks happy to host the

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1160074443977168272006-10-05T11:48:00.000-07:002006-10-05T11:55:39.743-07:00

Do you look at websites on your telephone? Mighty tiny screen, isn't it? I get a headache when I try to look at stuff on the phone, but that's mainly because most of the companies either haven't created an optimized site version or they haven't figured out why they should. NODMA, a not-fully-discovered treasure of a professional organization for direct marketers--by the way, that's not just

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1159359765508783012006-09-27T05:12:00.000-07:002006-11-02T20:36:15.933-08:00

Governor Taft appeared and touted Ohio as a biomed hotspot at the Mid-America Venture Forum this week. He was proud of what's happened during his tenure with the Third Frontier program. "It's a lot more than pre-seed and seed capital," he said. He said $18 million of state money was put into 22 pre-seed and seed capital funds and was then used to leverage an additional $75 million from investors,

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1156232586101017682006-08-22T00:38:00.000-07:002006-08-24T12:34:19.466-07:00

Yes, have to take a bit of a hiatus with the Capitalist Cleveland blog. A little explanation may be in order for loyal readers. I have recently decided to focus my business on two of my favorite areas: executive speech consulting, and corporate blogging. To whit, my BlogForBusiness.com blog is now also subtitled - "Corporate Style." Take a look and feel free to send me questions or feedback. Look

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1155325431087481442006-08-11T12:43:00.000-07:002006-08-24T10:17:11.380-07:00

Well, okay, maybe it's not just blogging, but the Internet is having a profound effect on news and other publications. Because so many of us have turned to the web for our news, our product research, our entertainment, our seeking/buying/trading behaviors, and our communications with friends, family and business associates, the role of print is changing. Advertisers are reading the numbers and

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1155130333798664342006-08-09T06:22:00.000-07:002006-08-09T06:32:13.830-07:00

What's going on in Northeast Ohio? I hear tell that Jan Limpach, of Keyphrase-Marketing, is presenting to the October monthly meeting of IPG Cleveland (Independent Practitioners Group) and showing the PR professionals what search engine optimization can do for their websites. It ought to be a good one--it's never dull with Jan presenting. Mark your calendars October 11 at Mitchell's Fish Market (

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1154115143631816742006-07-28T12:32:00.000-07:002006-11-04T14:46:58.186-08:00

I discovered the Cleveland Cultural Gardens many years ago when my then-husband took the family exploring. And for years, every time a visitor from out of town came around, I'd take them on a tour of those beautiful creations in Rockefeller Park along--gosh, I can't remember what that road used to be called before it became MLK Drive.Well RTA has teamed up with a bunch of other folks to create a

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1153920312742637642006-07-26T06:18:00.000-07:002006-07-26T06:32:21.156-07:00

If you've never attended a Gorilla Group meeting on a Tuesday at the Market Avenue Wine Bar, you're missing a dynamic networking opportunity. Entrepreneurs in every stage of their businesses get together and listen to the story of the "guest drinker" that night.Every Guest Drinker of the last five years has been invited for the meeting next week. You'll hear guests from the Capitalist Cleveland

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1153659316428119232006-07-23T05:55:00.000-07:002006-07-26T06:26:28.056-07:00

You can't beat the morning sun over the Cuyahoga on a warm July Sunday. After rolling past the street destruction in Public Square and enjoying a scrambled-egg-bacon-muffin-marmalade feast at the Ritz, I'm settling in for the second leg of my second round trip experience with the new Megabus service between Cleveland and Chicago.Look for the story behind this unique leisure-travel concept in an

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1152800927323023802006-07-13T07:28:00.000-07:002006-07-24T17:30:56.940-07:00

You know, I wrote a post a while ago about how nice it was to see our airport looking so much more welcoming since Frank Jackson took over City Hall. And it's nice to learn that Cleveland is one of the first cities to set up a mobile response unit for fighting bio-chemical attacks on the city. But I can't help wondering how this could take priority over solving our school problems, re-energizing

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1152475953166685132006-07-09T12:57:00.000-07:002006-07-09T13:15:17.236-07:00

Starting today, I'm going to start taking a regular look at some of the Cleveland area's most interesting blogs. This, from Don Iannone's Economic Development Futures blog, absolutely blew me away.Crazy. I think we all knew CEO salaries and perks were growing, but I had no idea just how out of hand this trend has gotten in relative terms. What do you suppose has contributed to a CEO suddenly in

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1152282271501926592006-07-07T07:24:00.000-07:002006-07-07T07:24:31.653-07:00

Have you ever been on the Goodtime? It's a fun place to entertain out-of-town guests who just can't get over the bridges of the Cuyahoga...I'm delighted to say that the owner, Captain Rick Fry, has just announced a tremendous new feature--parking on the pier. If you've been on the ship any time in the last several years, you know you practically had to bring a backpack for your lo-o-o-o-ng walk

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1152132873010814062006-07-05T13:54:00.000-07:002006-07-05T13:54:33.083-07:00

Second time's the charm. So hope the founders of the second annual Cleveland ingenuity Festival taking place this month July 13 to 16. Reports I heard from last year were that performance quality was a bit spotty and organization was lacking, but hey, that's the way it often goes with the first of anything.They describe 3 events on the site--a dance performance, a multimedia performance, and an

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1151178759445336082006-06-24T12:52:00.000-07:002006-08-31T01:02:29.716-07:00

We wrote earlier about local entrepreneur Joel Libava who's helping people figure out the mysteries of franchises. Along comes Joel again. This time he's introduced a very cool-looking, sophisticated blog of his own, Ohio Franchise Blog. Nice. Looks like he's taking advantage of a lot of Blogster features.And not only that, he's a hot property on the biggest franchise blog in the world, Blue

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1150660598309346372006-06-18T12:36:00.000-07:002006-06-18T13:04:40.993-07:00

Long week away. Been waiting to hear something exciting from our entrepreneurs in NEO and finally did. Our own Anita Campbell, consultant-cum-radio-host-cum-blog/ezine publisher par excellence (including SmallBusinessTrends, SMBTrendWire ), has assumed another new responsibility (how she finds time for all her business ventures is a question for another day) as Executive Editor at Creative

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1149879990707012492006-06-09T12:06:00.000-07:002006-06-09T12:49:04.696-07:00

At 61% of the search market, Google's in a commanding position, says a UBS analyst. "Google had the strongest results across the board, Schachter wrote in a note to analysts Thursday, with a 29% quarter-over-quarter and 54% year-over-year increase in searches."Read about the rest, and the rest of the pack here. And count on our NEO master search consultants, Keyphrase Marketing, Emergent

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1149422520650508272006-06-04T05:02:00.000-07:002006-06-09T12:50:03.996-07:00

One of the little benefits of riding the RTA into Tower City is that you get to stop at the Ritz Carlton and--depending on the time of day--enjoy breakfast, snack or a drink. Having caught an RTA train at 7 in the morning and being on my way to catch the Megabus (report to come later), it was a no brainer to see what they had on the menu for a busy traveler. While I went for the bran muffin, the

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1149082006320247732006-05-31T06:26:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:26:49.123-07:00

I am a fanatic about having just the right type and amount of light in my office and home. People kid me about it all the time--but I don't care because I know that my mood and attitude are heavily influenced by lighting. Those glaring fluorescent lights in most offices can sap the life and energy out of people. Wherever I used to be when I worked in corporate America, if I had the option to turn

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1148998135143091922006-05-30T07:00:00.000-07:002006-05-30T07:08:55.183-07:00

Keithley Instruments can be proud for lots of reasons--but this is a special one in my book. Theh company is acting as a visionary for its industry by establishing its own nanotech-watch blog.The Nanotest Weblog keeps visitors abreast of the latest news in the nanotechnology and MEMS industry through frequent posts of technical and business developments. Keithley's magazine, NanoTech Briefs,

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1148585728861603372006-05-25T12:35:00.000-07:002006-05-25T12:44:28.930-07:00

Have written about NEO entrepreneur Valdis Krebs and his social network analysis software before. Nowadays he and it are playing in the national security field. In a story called "Only the Beginning," Newsweek writer Steven Levy says that the National Security Administration's demand for phone records could be the tip of an iceberg many of us may not want floating around in our lives.In a similar

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1148415133571233452006-05-23T12:17:00.000-07:002006-05-23T13:12:14.113-07:00

Bioscience entrepreneur Mike Burke is a huge supporter of the Northeast Ohio region. His company Trek Diagnostics is expanding its reach nationally with innovative new products in the microbiology space--blood culture and body fluids testing and more. From their site you can download technical papers, white papers, abstracts and more. And they're even offering professional continuing education

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1148150622138036012006-05-20T11:43:00.000-07:002006-05-22T04:18:00.403-07:00

Went on a Board of Architecture-sponsored tour of some of the more modern high-rise buildings in Chicago today. Our docent was an engineer with a delightful Italian accent who guided us on a two-hour trek through downtown. Talked about modernism in architecture (Mies van der Rohe was the original inspiration for the clean-lined steel-supported "structure is architecture" style). Then the guide

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1147905255538033982006-05-17T15:34:00.000-07:002006-05-21T08:17:16.506-07:00

Coming into town from the freshly welcoming airport is always a treat..though the views are quickly obscured as the RTA train twists and turns before diving into the tunnel under Tower City.I wonder if part of RTA's new image shouldn't be hyping the cool and unique views of Cleveland it affords...?

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1147442894010519722006-05-12T07:08:00.000-07:002006-05-12T07:08:14.090-07:00

Good news from Keithley Instruments. They're inviting researchers and test innovators to compete in a contest for the best new electrical measurement instruments to nanoscale materials and devices.Given the incredible potential of nano-stuff--as well as the significant potential dangers--finding ways to measure aspects of such products is critical to being able to control behaviors and establish

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1146793720503238422006-05-04T18:48:00.000-07:002006-05-04T18:48:43.640-07:00

I wrote a letter of support to RTA recently, and it ended up getting published in the April 24 edition of the Plain Dealer. Good. I said what I meant--that the growth and expansion of RTA is going to be a huge factor in getting Cleveland the economic viability it deserves and in keeping it in the top cities of America for the long term.And today I was overjoyed to see that some big name

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1146658787135500762006-05-03T05:19:00.000-07:002006-05-21T08:26:20.953-07:00

Leaving Cleveland you get some unusual views from the RTA airport train. Today it's suposed to get to 70 derees...but you'd never know it to see the mist-enshrouded river valley of the Cuyahoga that runs behind Tower City and through the Flats.I sure hope it's gonna be 70 where I'm headed. The Midwest is coasting thru one of nature's most gratifying springs in recent memory. Get out and enjoy

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1145969658022660762006-04-25T05:50:00.000-07:002006-04-25T09:28:04.250-07:00

AT&T just announced it is "expanding" wifi service by charging people to use hotspots in 2-hour increments.Excuse me, but what century are you in, AT&T? The trend these days is to deliver wifi across entire cities at no charge, and you're asking us to pay for limited access on an extremely limited number of connect points? Shame on you, AT&T--read more about this here.But I guess you'll be able

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1145619818287328082006-04-21T04:43:00.000-07:002006-04-21T04:43:38.380-07:00

Got all excited when I read in Crain's that Case had created its own wiki. Pictured brilliant professors holding forth on innumerable exciting topics.Shucks. The wiki is about Case--the school and its environs. Well, though I'm disappointed that a great university is making a wiki just about itself, I'm sure the students won't be. They'll enjoy it immensely. And you and I can hope that maybe this

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1145477860671304502006-04-19T13:07:00.000-07:002006-04-19T13:17:40.706-07:00

Speaking of how to get education preparing our kids for bioscience, here's local entrepreneur Phil Alexander of BrandMuscle talking as a guest columnist for NEOSA about what we have to do to prepare the next generation of IT workers.His main points are good ones:Youth advisory boards -- invite kids to the corporate discussion table (I love this one)Make technology cool -- get companies to sponsor

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1145021743422729162006-04-14T06:03:00.000-07:002006-04-14T06:39:47.420-07:00

Busy couple of weeks. Got to talk with Governor Taft in Chicago at the big BIO conference there (18,000 attendees from all over the world). He was telling delegations from Taiwan and other countries what Ohio is doing in the bioscience field. These interesting statistics (compiled for him by OMERIS) compare us with our arch-rival state, North Carolina: Number of people working in education and

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1144107748142244012006-04-03T16:40:00.000-07:002006-04-03T16:42:28.156-07:00

Besides their Indians game buggy that runs on alternative fuel, and besides brewing their beer right there in the middle of the city--and taking people on tours of the place, and giving their meeting space to environmentally friendly and other nonprofit organizations for nothing--now our little local brewery GLBC has undertaken to outfit their delivery truck to run on the oil they use to cook

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1144009916107043102006-04-02T13:28:00.000-07:002006-04-02T13:31:56.380-07:00

I've been talking about the power of blogs for building business for several years. It's great to see the mainstream media catching on in a big way (among others, the PD editors--and reporters, too--have blogs these days).But even more gratifying is that more and more business owners and marketing people are beginning to understand what an important tool a blog is for engaging with your customers

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1143758514536411402006-03-30T14:41:00.000-08:002006-03-30T14:41:58.120-08:00

Well, where have I been? Didn't realize the Centrum Theatre had morphed into another creature. But apparently the GROUND FLOOR THEATER in Cleveland Heights has been making news. Check out the article and photo of the theater in last week's PD Sunday Arts section. And they're also in the current issue of Cleveland Magazine. GFT is a new comedy theater located at 2781 Euclid Heights Blvd. (at

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1143591890576562412006-03-28T16:24:00.000-08:002006-03-28T16:24:50.590-08:00

Good to see this happening. If the region sees results from initial efforts to get Cleveland's image polished up and people paying attention, I'm sure more money will come to support marketing Cleveland to the rest of the world. Good article, John. Thanks.

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1143590952525289392006-03-28T15:43:00.000-08:002006-03-28T16:09:12.616-08:00

A big congratulations to RTA and the Convention Bureau. This idea will be a real coup if Clevelanders can be trained to take advantage of it. RTA has developed a two-trolley service to replace loop buses.The E-Line trolley will link entertainment venues, from the Warehouse District at West Ninth Street, down Euclid Avenue past Playhouse Square to East 21stStreet.The B-Line trolley will connect

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1143466196192786132006-03-27T05:29:00.000-08:002006-03-27T05:29:56.340-08:00

Apparently, Ohioans are big on entrepreneurism--and a lot of them do it by purchasing a franchise. But, if you've ever evaluated one yourself, it can be very hard to find out all the information you want to feel you can make a wise decision. An entrepreneurial company in Beachwood, Franchise Selection Specialists, specializes--as you might suspect--in helping people pick franchises. Neat idea.

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1143132296649326622006-03-23T08:44:00.000-08:002006-03-23T08:45:05.016-08:00

Oh, this is too good. The Velvet Tango Room, a little place tucked away on Columbus Street in Tremont that got a big writeup maybe about two years ago in the Plain Dealer, has just announced a Gin Appreciation Class. Now I don't know about you, but as a hard-working entrepreneur I feel it's critical to keep up to date on the latest methods of relieving stress. I have personally sampled and make

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1142918896360254062006-03-20T21:08:00.000-08:002006-03-20T21:28:16.400-08:00

Case Western Reserve University is putting on a "really big show" come Wednesday and Thursday, April 5 and 6. Hundreds of scientists and scholars are getting together to celebrate the broad range of research being conducted at Case and its affiliates, and you're invited to participate. Sharry Floyd, Case's corporate relations person, highlights a few of the star speakers you'll get to hear: the

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1142867903169796472006-03-20T07:18:00.000-08:002006-03-20T07:18:23.286-08:00

The real phrase, from a song about the U.S. Navy, is "anchors aweigh," but I'm using the play on words to describe the idea that as Case Western Reserve University's president resigns, the concomitant disarray threatens two important economic development projects.I like the idea also put forth in the same article that these projects are so good for the region that the business community will take

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1142337488002395812006-03-14T03:52:00.000-08:002006-03-14T03:58:08.030-08:00

If you've ever wondered about blogs and what the heck they have to do with marketing your business, today's the day to get the lowdown. I'll be facilitating a panel of three local experts on the topic -- Jim Kukral, Anita Campbell, and George Nemeth are all professional bloggers who can tell you anything you want to know about how blogging can help your business--or even in some cases, become

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1141997609875449832006-03-10T05:33:00.000-08:002006-03-10T11:35:52.503-08:00

Some interesting ideas generated at the last Urban Repair meeting. "Wander neighborhoods and observe what goes on--then imagine what could be better." The big thing is to remember that capitalism works because projects are designed as win-win.One that stood out as unusual was "Don't partner with anyone else" or your identity will be lost--submitted by a local ward person. Certainly has a positive

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1141682052091031172006-03-06T13:54:00.000-08:002006-03-06T13:54:12.170-08:00

You're going to need $200 grand for your healthcare in retirement, according to today's Crain's, no matter what your income level. Personally, I'm telling my kids to take the Eskimo way--just put me on an ice floe and wave goodbye.But Crain's also writes about some guy in the New York Times Sunday magazine bemoaning the fate of older suburbs. And yes, some places like Shaker Heights are having to

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1141058884961480422006-02-27T08:48:00.000-08:002006-03-20T21:30:37.176-08:00

The main library in downtown Chicago has some amazing sculptured--well, what are they exactly?--turrets...no, ummm...decorations at the roofline. And at this angle you can see the tall white chimneys(?) of the Sears Tower (the world's tallest building) in the top left corner. Anyway, I went here yesterday to see a tribute to a couple of recently deceased local bluesmen and, can you imagine, 8 or

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1140783424279776572006-02-24T04:10:00.000-08:002006-02-24T04:17:04.330-08:00

When someone who's been a trusted employee of a large organization for many years, and well-known and respected among journalists in an entire region for his tireless contributions to their professional organization, Society for Professional Journalists, as newsletter editor and board member, it's a surprise to find that he's going off in another direction.Jerome Masek--I hardly know anybody who

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1140752918850514582006-02-23T19:42:00.000-08:002006-02-23T19:48:38.876-08:00

Yep, it had to happen. As technology gets smarter, the smart marketers pick up on narrower and narrower niches. Now you and I could use our PDAs or phones or personal voice recorders to record messages for ourselves, some smart company has decided to create a specialized recording device just for your grocery store lists and your errands/chores.SmartShopper, Inc., based in Solon, Ohio, bought a

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1139580125695231902006-02-10T05:49:00.000-08:002006-02-10T06:02:42.443-08:00

Today's the day they're unveiling the prototype of the environmentally friendly hybrid diesel-electric articulated vehicle that's going to be snaking through the Euclid Corridor every few minutes once everything's rolling.If you can't make it down to see the presentation today, remember this: The lifeblood of all great cities is a healthy, comprehensive public transportation system. Boston,

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1139501764718020452006-02-09T08:12:00.000-08:002006-02-09T08:16:04.743-08:00

We told you about this a while ago--Red Room Dialogue for Young Professionals--and now you can actually get to a meeting. Go and see what's happening--and tell us all about it.Date: Thursday, February 23, 2006 Cost: FREE! •To learn about the unveiling of Red Room Revolution’s plans for transforming the region in 2006 and why Northeast Ohio is becoming the new hotbed for technology.•To provide

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1139463351681833782006-02-08T21:15:00.000-08:002006-02-08T21:35:51.710-08:00

Well, you know we like to point out local worthy causes as good places for your business to donate money if things are going well. Here's one per special request of SEO guru Jan Limpach of KeyPhrase Marketing--go play cards for a good cause.Play Texas Hold'Em and Go "ALL In" for Children's Charity at Casino Night Fundraiser in Cleveland on February 25, 2006. Hosted by the Life’s a Snap Foundation

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1139400219143171442006-02-08T03:50:00.000-08:002006-02-08T21:13:51.920-08:00

You probably all know entrepreneur David Stack--creator of the wildly successful commercial site for music fans called MusicStack.com. And you probably already know that he's also created a community service website called Plugged-In Cleveland, which I find is often the first site that comes up with information in a Google search for some restaurant in this area (which is a credit to the site,

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1138971499948733372006-02-03T04:49:00.000-08:002006-02-03T04:59:22.366-08:00

If you have too much to read--and who doesn't--you might be one of the people who's started listening to podcasts and audio books for some of your information, either at your PC or on a portable device. The stats indicate it's a lot more guys who do this than females. My guess is that's because we females are already multitasking close to our limits and adding aural input on top of it might put

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1138843097023098622006-02-01T17:11:00.000-08:002006-02-06T09:53:30.376-08:00

A new social-networking-spawned effort at getting some energy going in Cleveland is taking place in Tremont next week. If you've got the time and the passion, email Frank Mills and tell him you're coming.When: Tuesday. Feb. 7 5:30 pmWhere: The Flying Monkey Pub, 819 Jefferson Ave. ph. 216..861.MNKY (6659)Refreshments: Complimentary Hors d'oeuvre / Cash BarHere's what's on the agenda...Networking

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1138283698916736262006-01-26T05:53:00.000-08:002006-01-26T05:55:40.763-08:00

eMergent Marketing is lookin'. And you can make two grand if they hire your referral!This is the kind of news we love to hear about entrepreneurial ventures in Northeast Ohio. Congratulations to Paul Elliott and his team on their fast-track growth curve!

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1138251507629126152006-01-25T20:57:00.000-08:002006-01-25T20:58:27.843-08:00

Boy, when some people decide to go for it, they do it up right.Anita Campbell has been passionately applying all her previous online marketing experience (she's a former CEO of a web-based division of Bell & Howell) to making her blog a smash hit in the Internet world. And lots of big guys are recognizing her for it. The Plain Dealer just reported that "Anita Campbell: CEO and publisher of Small

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1138130003619784802006-01-24T11:04:00.000-08:002006-01-24T11:13:24.330-08:00

I don't know how much of this is going on in other areas, but I recently got a postcard from local printers, ColorBarPerlmuter, that told me I could now come to them to print my marketing materials with SCENTS embedded! How cool is that, I ask you?Say I want to tell my customer, look, you know your business is like your baby to you! [and then I embed my postcard with baby powder smell!]Too much.

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1138020953930605412006-01-23T04:36:00.001-08:002006-01-23T05:00:17.026-08:00

In search of a new radio home, Don Larson and Irv Katz did a bangup last show on WERE. Radio One in New York is taking over this station and almost all local programming is being canceled.After 3 years of profiling some of the most interesting and exciting entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio on 1300 radio, Capitalist Cleveland is looking for a new home. But we'll keep the blog going--I'll have to get

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1137684446179327372006-01-19T07:27:00.000-08:002006-01-23T05:01:22.413-08:00

Some of the biggest players in Northeast Ohio are betting part of their farms on international tech companies, primarily entrepreneurial bioscience from Israel. Last month the Bridge Investment Fund--the financial child of National City Bank, Key Bank, Forest City Enterprises and the Myers, Mt. Sinai and Maltz Family Foundations--closed with an an initial close at $5.5 million towards a $15

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1137334198350931902006-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:002006-01-15T06:09:58.456-08:00

You've all heard of Andy Birol--he's been helping business owners move to the next level for quite a few years now. Well, he's come up with a new idea to let even those business owners who are concerned about the cost of his services take advantage of his experience and expertise in a small-group environment.In a big party at House of Blues, you're invited to come and learn about Andy Birol’s

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1137250439029534452006-01-14T06:30:00.000-08:002006-02-02T14:03:43.643-08:00

If you don't get your company's health insurance through COSE (the small-business arm of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association), you probably aren't a member and don't get their monthly magazine--which means you may not have heard about this.The Cleveland School District is opening a new school this summer called E Prep. It's a charter school (i.e., a tuition-free Ohio college prep community

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1137098236370088592006-01-12T12:05:00.000-08:002006-01-12T12:37:16.426-08:00

This month's editorial in Inside Business talks about the NEO Success Formula. Successful companies in NEO, says editor Lute Harmon, Sr., are all practicing this formula--they're all expanding to other cities, states, and countries, and they've all learned to sell into new markets. And we should be proud and elated about that, he says, because they're keeping their headquarters here.Ans so we are

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1136301014202207612006-01-03T06:54:00.000-08:002006-01-03T07:10:14.356-08:00

Interested in learning more about building your company's website? If you're a small business owner just starting out, don't underestimate the importance of having a fully functional website that says the right things and behaves itself when visitors try to buy your products or services. If you're doing your own website, there's good news today--the Cleveland Web Development SIG is back.A joint

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1136148566426084752006-01-01T12:46:00.000-08:002006-01-01T12:49:26.446-08:00

Happy New Year!Photo compliments of HeartMath.org

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1135972922736222662005-12-30T11:52:00.000-08:002005-12-30T12:04:43.043-08:00

It's always nice to end a year with good news, so here's a tiny tidbit.Somebody's taking a step away from the relentless progress our society's making towards achieving the position of world leader in identity theft. Medical Mutual, one of the kingpins of insurance in Ohio (they serve only Ohioans), recently sent out a letter to business owners who offer health insurance through their good

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1135605607949035702005-12-26T05:57:00.000-08:002005-12-27T06:14:23.950-08:00

USA Today, the Plain Dealer and half of the rest of the publishing world have written about auto workers retirees having to pay more for their extensive benefits. The New York transit workers are screaming they won't pay more into the pension fund.And now the city of New York faces another outrageous financial burden. Under new accounting rules, their annual cost of supplying health care to

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1135270539823943102005-12-22T08:55:00.000-08:002005-12-27T06:15:12.376-08:00

Good news. Cleveland entrepreneurs Tony Colan and Ed Harrison just acquired the domain name www.Blogster.com and have created a new blogging software service called, funny enough, "Blogster". They went live on Thanksgiving and say it's a really user friendly blogging service.Smart marketers know how valuable a good URL can be in our increasingly web-oriented business world. And in case you were

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1134650886613731202005-12-15T04:41:00.000-08:002005-12-22T08:44:10.026-08:00

It's early for the event, but just in time for the spirit of the thing. If you've never heard of the wonderful work being done at St. Malachi's Center (it's tucked in a corner over on the near west side), you don't know about one of Cleveland's best kept secrets.Every year for the past (hmmm, I don't know how long it's been going on), St. Malachi's conducts a fund raiser dinner--consisting of

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1134578141641947802005-12-14T08:24:00.000-08:002005-12-14T08:35:41.656-08:00

Wireless is the name of the game these days (see earlier post). Now comes local economic development guru Don Iannone pointing out in his ED Futures newsletter that Tempe, Arizona is the first city of reasonable size (160,000 residents) to provide wireless connectivity to all.He says: "...Tempe officials hope that by making high-speed Internet as accessible as water or electricity across its 40

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1134497405360238412005-12-13T10:10:00.000-08:002005-12-14T08:38:08.803-08:00

Holiday times around town. Independent Practitioners Group having fun and getting to know each other. Dennis Grantham, Susan Schaul, and Yolanda Crisp discussing the ins and outs of PR at the holiday lunch meeting at Mitchell's in Eton Chagrin Boulevard plaza.

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1134490599537270132005-12-13T08:03:00.000-08:002005-12-13T08:16:39.553-08:00

A Cleveland company Lafenet has just introduced a hot new utility to do a better job of compressing your files and shooting them through cyberspace. It's called Miliki Shrink and according to the press release, it "significantly reduces the time required to send and receive large images and documents over the Internet and optimizes storage spaces on hard drives, optical discs, flash cards and USB

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1134259110193149162005-12-10T15:49:00.000-08:002005-12-10T15:58:30.213-08:00

Yes, wireless is becoming ubiquitous. Would you stay in a hotel these days that didn't provide it--free of charge? And now handhelds and other technologies are joining the parade. Imagine--whatever age you are, you were alive at a time when infrared signaling (beaming documents for godssakes) was dramatically new and exciting technology. And now, it's being replaced by wireless--for everything

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1133873947699364742005-12-06T04:39:00.000-08:002005-12-06T05:00:46.346-08:00

Guest on CC's hot radio show a couple of weeks ago was Cathy Panzica--the person who started the Red Room dialogues, which she modeled on an organization she'd seen in England. The point is to bring together private industry and government for the purpose of transforming Northeast Ohio.Cathy is one of several principals who operate Panzica Investments, a group that's decided to invest

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1133815974191433802005-12-05T12:52:00.000-08:002005-12-05T12:52:55.010-08:00

Yeah, believe it or not, AG Interactive (the web arm of Cleveland's own American Greetings) has worked out a deal so you can download the sounds (and graphics) of Slinky for your cell phone, handheld or desktop computer. The toy has been around for 60 years, so I guess even youngsters know it. Last year I bought a small metal one and both a large and a small plastic version for my bunny to play

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1133781802756458932005-12-05T03:16:00.000-08:002005-12-05T03:23:23.126-08:00

At the recent NanoTech conference here in Cleveland, brilliant nano-nerds from around the world came together to talk about the exciting possibilities for better products. But the undercurrent in each session was: who's minding the safety regulations? The Boeing folks are leaving it up to the suppliers to tell them their products are safe. The suppliers are assuming the scientists know, and the

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1133525365444431322005-12-02T03:15:00.000-08:002005-12-02T04:21:26.133-08:00

Sometimes an entrepreneur appears seemingly out of nowhere and makes a big mark right away. Such a person is Leslie Carruthers, president of one of Cleveland's busily successful search engine optimization firms, and she graciously took a lot of time to tell us how things are going.Leslie worked for nearly 5 years with SuccessWorks, where she learned search engine optimization (SEO) from the

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1133279390298290102005-11-29T07:49:00.000-08:002005-11-29T07:49:50.366-08:00

Congratulations to Ulmer and Berne for its recent ranking for the first time on the National Law Journal's list of the 250 largest law firms. And congratulations and kudos to Ulmer & Berne's partners for relocating the firm's offices to Tower City. That's another 300 people to patronize local restaurants and stores and to bring their high-profile national and international clients to downtown

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1132749157883775532005-11-23T07:23:00.000-08:002005-11-23T04:32:38.083-08:00

Don Larson, founder and co-robber baron of Capitalist Cleveland as well as mastermind and master of ceremonies for the lively Gorilla Group that meets at the Market Avenue Wine Bar each second Tuesday of every month, has just received recognition by Crain’s Cleveland Business with a “Forty under 40” award for his positive attitude toward Cleveland. (see page F-8 if you get the hard copy). Don is

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1132694473606132262005-11-22T15:14:00.000-08:002005-11-23T04:34:20.920-08:00

Those who've been active with blogging for the past few years know how powerful it can be for gaining public awareness. My favorite line for it echoes my company's tagline: Corporate blogging gives you and your company a voice on the Internet--a voice with which you can establish relationships, build trust, and win new customers.Now that blogging's getting more and more attention in the

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1132584059410405112005-11-21T09:22:00.000-08:002005-11-21T15:14:44.616-08:00

So the national Site Selection Magazine people just recently ranked Ohio as the 4th best place (up from 8th) to do business in. Affordable housing--almost unbelievably so--was a top reason. Cultural opportunities. Affordable rental space (because so much of it is vacant) for the arts.Crain's real estate senior reporter Stan Bullard is one of several folks being interviewed on WCPN as we speak

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1132006600752929582005-11-14T17:00:00.000-08:002005-11-14T14:16:40.793-08:00

Do you offer products on your website? If not, you should think about changing that. The online marketplace is hotter than ever--Jupiter Research says holiday sales this year are going up 18% to $26 billion.And have you seen the new Google personalized search? Anything that will help me find what I need faster is okay by me. Even though eWeek doesn't sound too enthusiastic about personalized

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1131559180064374752005-11-09T11:55:00.000-08:002005-11-09T10:04:14.243-08:00

I don't know if you can read this or not, but the image below is a screen shot from the personalizing area of the Washington Post online. It's a perfect example of what Barb Pellow (see post below) was talking about--making your offerings truly relevant to your customers by letting them tell you exactly what they want. Start looking for ways to do this in your business. It's the only way we're

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1131536373476624222005-11-09T06:39:00.000-08:002005-11-09T04:19:42.286-08:00

I'm very proud that my company was able to co-sponsor this dynamic speaker yesterday at the monthly Northeast Ohio Direct Marketing (NODMA) luncheon. Barb Pellow is a graduate of some of America's biggest companies--including IBM and Xerox--but she's as down to earth as anyone you'll ever see on a podium. And did she ever explain to us what it means to mix your media in marketing! She told a case

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1131444580340766752005-11-08T02:00:00.000-08:002005-11-08T02:09:40.353-08:00

Following in the footsteps of the popular Capitalist Cleveland radio show (what? you haven't heard it yet? WTMA 1300 every Tuesday Don Larson interviews another NEO entrepreneur about what brought him/her where s/he is and what's going on now), Anita Campbell's hot blog, Small Business Trends, has introduced its own radio show--Voice America. The first On the Air date: November 8th at 1 pm EST.

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1131106198074900592005-11-04T04:04:00.000-08:002005-11-04T04:09:58.086-08:00

Just got back from Chicago and did a little mental comparing of O'Hare and Hopkins. Cleveland's design is pretty poor--probably because of lack of foresight about how big the airport might grow, the distances between gates can be ridiculous. Whereas it's not that bad a walk to even the farthest gates at O'Hare. But Cleveland at least has the customer service attitude to provide electric carts for

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1130798278905691292005-10-31T14:33:00.000-08:002005-10-31T14:37:58.923-08:00

The issues on the state of Ohio ballot this month are important ones. They have to do with reforming the way government works--if you feel the way the state is divided into districts shouldn't be determined by a partison individual but rather by an impartial panel, for example--vote yes on that issue. If you feel people shouldn't be allowed to give $20,000 on behalf of every member in a family to

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1130359184683957062005-10-26T13:23:00.000-07:002005-10-26T13:39:44.696-07:00

Here's copy from the promo about this--it sounds like a great idea. Of course, end results will depend on who gets the input and how they make use of it. This comes from the Fund for Our Economic Future--the group that all our local foundations put together.So many previous efforts to aggregate the power of the people from across the region have begun with a bang, then fizzled and faded away. Let

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1130338726892988142005-10-26T07:51:00.000-07:002005-10-26T07:58:46.900-07:00

Blogger Paul Goyette came up with this idea to link Chicago bloggers to their train stops on a CTA train map. Check out the site here. This might be a cool way for RTA to raise visibility for not only its current stops but all the stops it's planning in various parts of Cleveburg. Get people excited about it, get more bloggers writing about it.All the greatest cities have superb public

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1130337485198053892005-10-26T07:35:00.000-07:002005-10-26T07:38:05.210-07:00

Yahoo! HotJobs just completed a survey about employment plans with 1000 currently employed U.S. workers. Forty percent plan to look for a new job in the next year; 21% are already doing so. Among those who plan to change, most (96%) are after money--better pay or benefits. Other motivating factors: -- 44% felt there was no "potential for career growth" in their current positions -- Almost a fifth

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1130255546397844042005-10-25T08:48:00.000-07:002005-10-25T08:56:55.773-07:00

I attended the mayoral debates a few weeks ago (see earlier post) and saw no reason to change my mind that Jane Campbell is a calm, competent, caring candidate for re-election. Might as well say it again today because some bigger guns are behind her as well. Here is an electronic copy of Jane's endorsement by Crain's:CRAIN'S ENDORSEMENTJane, againJane Campbell may lack the dynamic persona of the

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12558242.post-1130004535564678552005-10-22T10:47:00.000-07:002005-10-22T12:34:43.876-07:00

In the true spirit of entrepreneurialism, Ryan Mapes started The Go BIG Network to invite entrepreneurs to connect with other startups in the business community. The network is intended to provide a central location to find resources crucial to every startup business (i.e. funding, employees, partners, etc). GoBig arrived in the blogosphere Sept. 2004 and is promoted mainly by word of mouth. They

Barbara Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15202170809747136337noreply@blogger.com0