Crain's Cleveland Business

A glimpse into the future of nuclear energy is unfolding on the southeastern shores of Lake Michigan. The first-ever attempt to revive a U.S. nuclear plant is a result of the rapid renewed interest in the energy source, driven by its ability to combat climate change and meet growing electricity demand. Smaller reactors are also being planned for the Covert, Michigan, site, an evolution that supporters say is dispatchable and potentially less costly. Across Great Lakes states, lawmakers and utilities are pursuing similar policy support to revive the industry, whether it’s lifting statewide bans on building new plants, expanding the utility of current nuclear sites or incentivizing those small, next-generation reactors to meet exploding demand forecasts thanks to AI and data centers. The restart of the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station, which shut down three years ago, is also the subject of skepticism and concerns about nuclear energy, ranging from the safety of storing spent fuel near the Great Lakes to the so far unproven small reactors. But as those debates unfold, there is agreement that Palisades marks a turning point. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gGsCpwap

On Monday, March 17, just after Rory McIlroy edged JJ Spaun in their three-hole playoff at The Players Championship, both players mentioned they had used Trackman technology that morning to figure out the exact yardage for No. 17 — TPC’s infamous island hole — and how their tee shots would play into the wind. As they did, Jimmy Hanlin’s ears perked up. Hanlin, a PGA golf pro and TV personality who owns three area courses, is serving as a consultant for the city of Westlake, which plans to build a state-of-the-art practice facility and driving range at the city-owned Meadowood Golf Course. The facility will include cutting-edge technology such as Trackman. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gD3ZB7j7

The escalating exchanges between local leaders and the Cleveland Browns over a new Brook Park stadium rolled on as Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne picked apart the Browns' financial plan for a new $2.4 billion domed stadium at a Wednesday, March 19, press conference. He also called out the team’s reliance on overly optimistic revenue assumptions and unrealistic ticket prices, parking scenarios and tourism growth. By Thursday afternoon, March 20, the team responded, pushing back against Ronayne's claims as well as recent incendiary comments made by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gW-P6xrC

The 41 honorees on Crain's Notable Litigators & Trial Attorneys come from firms big and small, but they all advocate tirelessly for clients and maintain high standards of integrity and ethical practice. Congratulations to the honorees: Ken Abbarno - DiCello Levitt Phil Bautista - Taft Richard Blake - McDonald Hopkins John Bodie - Buckingham Doolittle & Burroughs LLC Kip Bollin - Thompson Hine LLP Charles Budde - Grisi & Budde Benjamin Carnahan - Dinsmore & Shohl Phillip Ciano - Ciano & Goldwasser Tom Connick - Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell Julie Crocker - Taft David Cupar - McDonald Hopkins Marisa Darden - Benesch Mark DiCello - DiCello Levitt Marcel Duhamel - Vorys Jeff Dunlap - UB Greensfelder LLP Ian Friedman, Esq. - Friedman Nemecek Long & Grant Jude Fry - Lippes Mathias Sarah Gelsomino - Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein Andy Goldwasser - Ciano & Goldwasser Marques Hillman Richeson - Jones Day Chris Keim - Frantz Ward Laura Hong - Tucker Ellis Franklin Malemud - McDonald Hopkin Sean Medina - Hahn Loeser & Parks Jennifer Mesko - Tucker Ellis Michael Meuti - Benesch Patrick Murphy - Dworken & Bernstein Co. LPA Phil Oliss - Jones Day Jacqueline "Jackie" Pasek - Jones Day Christian Patno - McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liffman Susan Petersen - Petersen & Petersen Sarah Rathke - Squire Patton Boggs Daniel Rudary - Brennan Manna Diamond Richik Sarkar - Dinsmore & Shohl Andrew Stebbins - Buckingham Doolittle & Burroughs LLC Jude B. Streb - Buckingham Doolittle & Burroughs LLC Allen Tittle - Tittle & Perlmuter Michael Ungar - UB Greensfelder LLP Shaleika Vargas, Esq. - Vargas Law Co. Robert Ware - Thompson Hine Tony White - Thompson Hine

Starting Wednesday, March 19, Malley’s Chocolates will be available to purchase in all 19 Heinen’s stores in Northeast Ohio, the first time the chocolatier's products will be available to purchase in the Cleveland area outside its storefronts. This partnership was forged by Mike Malley, chief strategic officer of Malley’s, and Kimberly Heinen, packaged goods director of Heinen’s. The conversation started when the pair ran into each other last fall at the Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management's Center for Family Business. “I think I walked up to him at some point and I said, ‘Hi, I’m Kim Heinen, and why don't we do business together?'” Heinen told Crain’s. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gjr9-JCf

Cleveland Browns season ticket holders got two surprises this offseason: a Journey concert and a price hike. After finishing with a league-worst 3-14 record last season, the Browns have increased the prices of their season ticket packages by an average of about 7%, according to information obtained by Crain’s. Another source said the number is actually closer to 5%. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gk3FG9-E

The former Chagrin Cinemas, which closed in January 2023 after a 33-year run, is being transformed into two separate yet complementary hospitality-centric spaces: The Hive and Honey Hill, which are set to open in the first quarter of 2026. According to Geauga County property records, the property (8200 E Washington St.) was purchased for $1.2 million on Feb. 13, 2023, by Kimberly and Jimmy Gibson, the husband-and-wife duo that runs the Chagrin Falls-based Hungry Bee, a catering company and retail food store. “We really didn’t want to see this turned into a strip mall or a bank, something the community didn't need,” Kimberly Gibson said. “We really wanted this to become a gathering place for the community.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gh8R2F6A

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and daughter and co-managing Haslam Sports Group partner Whitney Haslam Johnson spoke with Crain Communications President and CEO KC Crain at Cleveland’s 2024 Newsmakers event Tuesday. On the subject of a new Browns stadium, the Haslams continued to herald the team’s proposed $3.4 billion Brook Park stadium as “additive” for the region. Haslam and Johnson — Crain’s Newsmakers of the Year for 2024 — talked about coming up in the family business, the family’s variety of leadership styles and how they came to own the Browns. But most attention was paid to the Haslam Sports Group’s ongoing efforts to build the team a new stadium in Brook Park. Haslam said that although Browns officials and representatives from Cuyahoga County are continuing to discuss the team’s future, the Brook Park plan is full steam ahead. “If there were a way to build a domed stadium downtown, we’d do it,” Haslam said. But, he added, necessary additional features like the amount of space and access to multiple highways weren’t there. Read more about the event here: https://lnkd.in/gG4fNRFQ

Greater Cleveland’s universities have faced enrollment challenges over the past decade, but the issue is far from black and white. It often comes in shades of scarlet and gray — or red and black. Over the last decade, as Ohio State University and (especially) the University of Cincinnati grew their student bodies, they’ve increasingly pulled students from Greater Cleveland, squeezing enrollment at schools such as the University of Akron, Kent State, Cleveland State and Youngstown State. Between 2014 and 2023, enrollment at Northeast Ohio's four major public universities — the University of Akron, Kent State, Cleveland State, and Youngstown State — fell 27.4%, according to data from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gGkMjnAU

I had the privilege of speaking with Jimmy Haslam, Founder of Haslam Sports Group, and his daughter Whitney Haslam Johnson, Managing Partner at HSG, about the Cleveland Browns' groundbreaking plans for a new domed stadium. As this year's Crain's Cleveland Business Newsmakers of the Year, the Haslam Family is not just building infrastructure, but crafting a transformative future for the city and its passionate sports community.