CNP E-news – August 2017

CLEVELAND CHAIN REACTION
ANNOUNCES WINNING BUSINESSES

August 10th was a festive day in Slavic Village! The partners of Cleveland Chain Reaction – Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, COSE, Glazen Urban and Fox 8 – announced the winning businesses for this economic development project. The five investors – Fred Geis, Andrew Jackson, Claudia Young, Justin Miller and The Cleveland Foundation – identified the companies they will be working with. The winning companies are:

  • Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce
  • Baby Munch Organics
  • Midwest Basics
  • Metro Croissants
  • Lina Wines
  • Sides To Go BBQ

With the investors’ commitments to these businesses, real estate acquisitions and the relocation of these businesses into the neighborhood, the Cleveland Chain Reaction brings more than $1 Million of investment to Slavic Village. Over the next few months we will continue to monitor and share the progress these companies are making. A television program will be produced to re-cap the entire process and will air in December on Fox 8. See the news coverage here.

RACIAL EQUITY & INCLUSION –
YEAR OF AWARENESS BUILDING

Have you seen the June/July recap for our Racial Equity & Inclusion programming? You can access it here.

Also, if you are interested in signing up for our REI newsletter, please sign up here. As always, please send any feedback, questions, or interesting reading materials to REI@ClevelandNP.org

PROGRAM UPDATES

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Economic Gardening Program Assists Cleveland Businesses to Scale-Up

MidTown Cleveland, Inc. is hosting a new economic development program in partnership with the City of Cleveland and supported by funding from the City of Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development. The entities have teamed up to add another economic development tool to their portfolio: Economic Gardening.
Born in Colorado as an economic development initiative, Economic Gardening is a strategy used to develop existing, growing local businesses rather than using attraction methods to “hunt” for companies from outside the region. Application are accepted on a rolling basis, with deadlines approaching in October and January 2018. For more information, click here.

CDC ADVANCEMENT

The 4th annual Progress Institute will take place on Tuesday October 31st in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. This all-day learning symposium is open to all community development practitioners and partners. Highlights of this year’s event include:

  • Capacity building workshops on topics such as Community Organizing 101, Community Engagement: Beyond the Block Club, and Street Level Workforce Development.
  • Keynote address by Dr. Mark Joseph, the Leona Bevis/Marguerite Haynam Associate Professor in Community Development at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, Founding Director of the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities, and Faculty Associate at the Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development
  • Afternoon session for community allies and organizers and a session with Paul Brophy to discuss On the Edge: America’s Middle Neighborhoods (based on his book On the Edge)
  • Walking tour of the Old Brooklyn neighborhood
  • Cleveland Neighborhood Progress updates
Watch for more details and registration information in your e-mail and online in early September.

PLACEMAKING

Cleveland Restoration Society hosted one of its famous SNOOP events at the Scofield Mansion earlier this month. Approximately 100 people attended and got a sneak peek at this impressive property in Cleveland’s Buckeye neighborhood. Cleveland Neighborhood Progress is leading the effort to rehabilitate this historic 10,000 sq ft. structure and is currently seeking possible tenants. If you are interested, please contact Justin Fleming, Director of Real Estate Services.


An intergenerational playscape is currently being constructed on the front lawn of our Saint Luke’s building. When complete, this greenspace will be an asset for students, residents and community members. A dedication of the playscape is scheduled for October 19th.

POLICY, ADVOCACY & RESEARCH

Click HERE to read the latest Policy & Advocacy update concerning:

• Election season
• Federal budgets
• Abandoned gas station cleanup grants
• Neighborhood Home Tax Credit

DATES TO NOTE

Note the upcoming events below or check out our calendar here.
 Aug 24 –
 Ninth Annual Inclusion Conference
Aug 28 –
 REI Training  – half day (afternoon)
Aug 28 –
 REI Training  – half day (evening)
Aug 28,29 –
 REI Training – two day
Aug 30 –
 Housing Working Group Committee Meeting
Sept 7 –
 Organizers & Allies Meeting
Sept 25,26 –
 REI Training – two day
Sept 27 –
 REI Training – half day
Sept 30 –
Oct 5 –
 Organizers & Allies Meeting
Oct 18 –
 REI Training – half day (Trumbull County)
  Oct 19,20 –
 REI Training – two day (Trumbull County)
Oct 23-25 –
 Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit
Oct 31 –
 SAVE THE DATE – Progress Institute
Nov 7 –
 Election Day

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Andrew Harris joined Neighborhood Progress in July as its Manager of Fund Development. A native of Cleveland Heights, Andrew was a member of Hawken School’s class of 2008. He attended the University of Rochester, graduating in 2012 with a BA in Cultural & Intellectual History; and Notre Dame Law School, obtaining his JD in 2015. He returned to Cleveland to work join Thompson Hine’s Corporate Transactions & Securities Practice Group as a law clerk, and in 2017 transitioned into community development to be a part of Cleveland’s revitalization.
Beyond his love and pride for Cleveland, Andrew enjoys riding bikes, taking long walks on the beach, and obsessing over anything related to Star Wars.
He shares, “My first month with Neighborhood Progress has been defined by absorbing this organization’s vision for and commitment to furthering Cleveland’s prospects. Working alongside people with this combination of drive and clarity has been nothing short of invigorating, and I look forward to translating that energy into real progress both for CNP and the City as a whole.”