“Ready.  Set.  Hut1.  Hut2.  Plus.  Plus.  HIKE!”

Northeast Ohio, we are about to host top site selection consultants and business advisors to the Cleveland Plus region, and we need YOU on our team!  Through a variety of educational symposiums and corporate-level discussions, our guests are going to learn about why this region offers businesses the formula for vitality….and it’s up to us to make this a once-in-a-lifetime experience.   Spread the world and help us make the case for Northeast Ohio!

+ TOGETHER, WE CAN BRING JOBS TO THE CLEVELAND PLUS REGION +

In the coming days, we’ll be posting videos that provide more information about the tour of events, but for now, please have a look at the schedule below.  We hope you agree that this provides a business with a strong introduction into a region with endless possibilities.

Be sure to “share this” through your Facebook, Twitter, Blog and Email channels, as we want the Cleveland Plus salesforce to be ready…that means YOU!  Look for special contests and promotions within our Twitter and Facebook pages.  Remember, you never know…that person you just saw in the coffee shop or hotel lobby may just be considering moving her or his business to Northeast Ohio!  

(Note: Below is an example of the itinerary that our guests received)

Thursday, August 6: 

5:30 PM :  Welcome to Cleveland Plus:  The Pre-Game Introductions
After all arrive at the airport, we’ll board a limo shuttle for a tour along Euclid Avenue, Downtown Cleveland’s “Main Street.”  This boulevard takes us through the campuses of the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, then past Case Western Reserve University to Cleveland’s “University Circle.”  During the ride, you will see and hear about the great investment and redevelopment connecting these wonderful institutions to the downtown district.  Your host will be Chris Ronayne, President of University Circle Incorporated.  University Circle is a world-class center of innovation in health care, education, and arts & culture. It’s one of the fastest growing areas in region and becoming one of the world’s premier urban districts.  We’ll end the tour at the home of the Cleveland Browns.  What better way to “kick off” our Hall of Fame weekend than dinner on the Browns football field?!  We’ll get a quick tour of the press box & locker room before dining on a 4-course meal right on the field with our hosts, Cleveland Browns President Mike Keenan . 

Friday August 7:

Breakfast at Goodyear: The Decision to Continue to Grow in Northeast Ohio
We’ll proceed to the Goodyear world headquarters for breakfast.  Richard Kramer, COO of Goodyear will be our host, sharing his story about Goodyear’s recent decision to reinvest and grow in Akron. 

Cleveland Plus = Talent = Competitiveness
Next, we’ll conduct a workforce panel comprised of a cross-section of Northeast Ohio’s regional talented workforce, including human resources representatives from Diebold, Step2Company, Goodyear and Omnova Solutions. We encourage you to actively engage in this moderated discussion with questions you may have about talent or workforce in the Cleveland Plus region. 

Education + Investment + Technology + Innovation : Energizing Formulas for Vitality
Next we will head to the University of Akron’s Goodyear Polymer Center, a national leader in research and commercialization of biopolymers and nanotechnology.  Over lunch, we will hear from Chuck Jones, Senior VP of FirstEnergy Corporation, about why Northeast Ohio continues to provide the perfect formula of workforce, innovation and location.

Following lunch and a short break, Jay Foran will moderate a panel featuring organizations driving the growth of our region’s innovation-based economy:  The Cleveland Foundation, JumpStart, NorTech, Cleveland Clinic’s Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center and BioEnterprise.  Information on these organizations will be available in your welcome packet upon arrival to the hotel.  We encourage you to actively participate in this forum and learn about our regional strategy for growth.

Huddle Up:  Time for the Big Game!
The evening begins with an exclusive cocktail reception hosted by the Timken Corporation where you will rub shoulders with corporate leaders from the region, plus a few NFL owners and some past Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.  Immediately following this cocktail reception, we will board an escorted motor coach headed to the Canton Memorial Civic Center where you will hosted by Diebold and Timken at the Enshrinees Gala dinner.  Receiving their gold jackets will be the 2009 Class of Enshrinees: Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Ralph Wilson, Jr., and Rod Woodson.

Saturday, August 8:

The Data-Driven Business Case for the Plus 
We will host a casual breakfast with our regional partners.   To better explain our regional services when responding to opportunities, Jim Robey, Team NEO’s Vice President for Regional Research will provide an overview of our research team’s capabilities, recent projects and other value-added services for site selection inquiries.

The Rolls Royce of Advanced Energy R&D…
After a short break, we’ll take the Limo bus to Stark State College for a brief tour, followed by a visit to its Fuel Cell Prototyping Center’s charter tenant, Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems Inc.  Rolls-Royce Fuel Cells Systems President Mark Fleiner will be your personal guide.  We’ll end this session with Developer Stuart Lichter, President and Senior Managing Partner of Industrial Realty Group LLC.  His holdings include more than 60 million square feet of real estate, many of which he has renovated such as the former Ford Paint Plan in Lorain County, former Hoover facility in Canton.  He’ll tell you why he believes and invests in Northeast Ohio.
 
Bridgestone @ Firestone
After a short break, we’ll take the limo bus and enjoy a day of golf and fun for the PGA Tour’s World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational.  Compliments of FirstEnergy Corporation, our special access passes include entry into the Pinehurst Villa, located on the famed 16th hole at Firestone Country Club.  We will depart Firestone upon the conclusion of Saturday’s golf.

Dinner at Crave
We will close our event with cocktails and dinner at one of Northeast Ohio’s finest restaurants, Crave, located in Downtown Akron.

We believe that event will successfully make the business case for Northeast Ohio, eventually attracting business investment and meeting that ultimate goal of creating new jobs for the Cleveland Plus region!  Remember, this is truly a team effort.  All of our partners are pitching in to make this a success, and we hope you do the same!

Team NEO advances Northeast Ohio’s economy by attracting businesses worldwide to the 16-county Cleveland Plus region.  The organization is a joint venture of the region’s largest metro chambers of commerce.  Since 2007, the organization has attracted 23 new companies, 2,500 new jobs and more than $75M in annual payroll to Northeast Ohio, leading to a total regional annual impact of $150M.

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