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The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is the only national park located in Ohio.

Each year, more than 2.8 million people visit the park, which is the centerpiece of Northeast Ohio's vast park system. Learn More

News in ThePlus

A Year Later Horseshoe Casino Cleveland a Winning Bet for Region

Posted by ThePlus - 05.01.2013

The 300,000 square-foot Horseshoe Casino Cleveland located in the historic Higbee Building has added new energy to Public Square, created jobs and provided an additional revenue stream for the region’s communities and schools.

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Marketing Northeast Ohio

onshift closes $3 million in financing, following 400 percent jump in annual revenue

Thursday, March 08, 2012

OnShift Software, a leader in web-based staff scheduling and shift management software for the healthcare industry, closed $3 million in series B financing. The funding will help OnShift meet the rising demand to manage healthcare costs.

OnShift is experiencing fast, significant growth, having achieved a 400 percent increase in annual revenue in 2011. The company’s customer base has surged to more than 600 in the past year. The funding will be used to accelerate OnShift’s sales and marketing strategies and expand its presence in the healthcare industry.

“The healthcare market is under a lot of pressure to get costs under control,” says OnShift CEO Mark Woodka. “Our customers need to manage their labor costs in long-term care and senior living. That collection of customers is primarily doing it manually. This funding will allow us to meet the demand, accelerate our growth and continue to deliver world class, innovative solutions to our healthcare clients.”

With OnShift, providers control labor costs by preventing overtime, managing open shifts, and operating with appropriate staffing levels

OnShift has 36 employees and plans to grow to 55 or 60 this year.

 
Source: Mark Woodka
Writer: Karin Connelly

cleveland advanced manufacturing leader reflects on attending state of the union address

Thursday, March 08, 2012

for these area nonprofits, 'regionalism' has economic, not political, focus

Thursday, February 23, 2012

The prevailing impression of regionalism that has been bandied about Northeast Ohio for the better part of a decade is all wrong, says a collaborative group of area nonprofits. While the consolidation of countless municipalities is useful, it is not intrinsically regionalism. True regionalism, they argue, is defined by economic activity -- not political boundaries.

purdue wins foundation grant to expand ohio internship program

Thursday, February 23, 2012

madwerkz studio creates visual effects that are 'better than real'

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Robots battling natural disasters. Historic downtown Burton and its collection of 19th century buildings transformed into a turn-of-the-century Alaskan mining town. A virtual tradeshow display in 3D.

Creating these and other eye-popping visuals is all in a day’s work for Cleveland-based MadWerkz. 

Joddy Matthews, Founder and Director of Madwerkz, spent nearly eight years working for Sony, Pixar and Dreamworks in Los Angeles. In 2000, the native Clevelander returned to his roots and started MadWerkz.

The result is a team of award-winning artists and animators creating content, animation, design motion and visual effects for the advertising, film, TV, gaming and music industries. The growing company's stable of clients includes General Motors, Audi, Sherwin Williams and U.S. Vision, among others.

“We’re currently working on two new feature films,” says Matthews, who adds that he is not at liberty to name the titles. “They’re shooting the film in 2D, and we’re converting it to 3D.” MadWerkz is emerging as one of just a handful of companies specializing in 'Stereoscope,' another name for 3D.

“We’re getting opportunities to produce groundbreaking work in a broad range of applications,” he adds. “As a small creative shop with less bureaucracy than larger ones and in-house talent that includes producers, animators, videographers and designers, we have lower overhead, which translates into more project flexibility and lower rates.”

The company recently moved into spacious new quarters in the city’s Slavic Village neighborhood, giving MadWerkz room to grow. MadWerkz also has a presence in Chicago.

“For what we do, we love Cleveland because of the resources here,” Matthews states. “The location is accessible, and there are excellent schools, like the Cleveland Institute of Art, turning out very capable students in the visual arts. In addition, Cleveland State and the University of Akron have world-class professors teaching film and animation.”

Source:  Joddy Matthews
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

Headlines

Northeast Ohio 2012 Year-End Economic Development Report

Collaborative efforts lead to 36,000 jobs across the region as highlighted in the Northeast Ohio 2012 Year-End Economic Development Report. Read More

A Year Later Horseshoe Casino Cleveland a Winning Bet for Region

The 300,000 square-foot Horseshoe Casino Cleveland located in the historic Higbee Building has added new energy to Public Square, created jobs and provided an additional revenue stream for the region’s communities and schools. Read More

Getting Outdoors in The Plus

Staying active in The Plus is easy to do! With 150 parks, in-county park districts and MetroParks, 17 Ohio state parks and the renowned Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the region offers more than 129,000 acres of stunning parkland to explore.Read More

Parks in the Plus

As spring transitions into summer and warmer weather abounds, Northeast Ohio’s teem with more activity than ever. And with 150 parks and more than 275 miles of biking trails, it’s no wonder why! Read More