Cleveland Industry

Cleveland began as a strong manufacturing city that was able to use its proximity to Lake Erie to become very prosperous in its time. However, in more recent years, Cleveland's industry has slowed drastically due to the outsourcing of jobs, and extremely significantly since the current financial crisis began, arcelor/mittal just laid off something like 1000 workers.

Cleveland has had a very difficult time bouncing back from the loss of manufacturing jobs, much more so than other cities. This may be because many companies want to leave Cleveland, and most already have, thanks to its dismal state at the moment. Thankfully a few loyal ones such as Sherwin-Williams have remained in the city, to help boost it back up. University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic have been instrumental in the recent semi-comeback of Cleveland, and will hopefully help more in the future.

I would hope that the Cuyahoga Valley stay as it is now, maybe with a little bit more development, to keep it mostly park land, instead of mowing over the natural beauty we have for some other city that could fail just as badly as Cleveland and Akron did. However, it certainly would not be a bad thing to see Cleveland and Akron be boosted up a bit more, although I can't really see this happening to Akron much. The future of Cleveland looks somewhat promising though, thanks to the medical institutions that are setting up their large, expensive, and job-creating shop there.

Cleveland; Will the Phoenix Rise Fom the Ashes?

---Ashley Costello---

At one time, Cleveland was one of the major steel producing centers in the United States. It was a major port on the Great Lakes feeding the steel industry by bringing in iron ore, and also by shipping out things such as crops. As the railroad became more and more popular, it helped stimulate Cleveland as a major port even more so because as the ships brought in the goods we could send them to the Midwest. Cleveland was also home to the wealthiest industrialists whose philanthropic support of the arts made the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Museums of Art and History and Playhouse Square destinations for not only it’s residents but tourists as well. Being an industrial leader was a double edged sword in that the abundance of natural recourses encouraged abuse that led to pollution and destruction which can be graphically illustrated by the burning of the Cuyahoga River.



The loss of Republic Steel, Oglebay Norton, Hanna Mining and BP, to name a few companies, contributed to Cleveland’s decline. The loss of jobs led to the draining of population and monies from the city and the region as a whole. Cleveland schools also suffered during forced busing further leading to a loss of quality education and population.

The revitalization of Cleveland lags behind, its rust belt sister cities for numerous reasons. These reasons, according to some readers of the Plain Dealer, can be delineated into local and or regional problems and possible solutions. On a local level Cleveland must provide a more diversified pool of employment by expanding its focus from just the health care industry to other industries as well. It must encourage new business by providing a clean and safe environment as well as a quality school system for the employees of these new businesses. Tax incentives, better infrastructure and safe and quality housing within the city is a must. The politics of the city must also change and the parade of one party leadership (or the lack thereof) that has been lackluster at best and colored by cronyism and corruption must be changed. As Harry Truman once said, “A leader has to lead; otherwise he has no business in politics.” In order to move forward the city of Cleveland needs bold, energetic, and dynamic leadership.

On a regional level the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio must work together to attract new industry and businesses by making college education affordable and offering incentives to graduates who accept employment and live in North East Ohio. The city and state must join together to market our region as our sister rust belt cities do with a comprehensive public relations plan that seeks business and tourism on a global scale. Tax incentives for industries, the development of a public rail transportation system throughout the state as well as the reclamation and preservation of our lakefront and other natural resources must me fostered.

I don’t see a thriving metropolitan corridor existing in the Cuyahoga Valley between Akron and Cleveland in the future. The best use of the resource is protecting it within the park system within which it lies and promoting tourism by expanding the activities currently existing there. Certainly small private farms and related businesses as well as bed and breakfasts, skiing facilities, hiking and biking businesses should be encouraged and supported. The preservation of this important part of the history between Cleveland and Akron can be insured by its rebirth as a tourist destination and wildlife sanctuary.


These are devastating times for the city of Cleveland, but it can survive these seismic setbacks because the city has must to recommend it; world class universities, museum and medical facilities, Lake Erie and land ripe for development.

Cleveland Industry tour

Cleveland is a pretty diverse city, with items of interest ranging from the arts (music, art, history, etc.) to the steel mill and other manufacturing places. In more prosperous times, I'd say that Cleveland does very well (as any city would in prosperous times, I guess), but today with the craziness of the economy, the setback of money problems was particularly evident in the steel mill. When we visited, nothing was running, and while our tour guide knew what he was talking about, it was hard to imagine what the mill would've looked like in more financially stable years.

Perhaps Cleveland is a bit slower to recover than other cities because it has placed a lot of its dependency on the steel mill and other factories that are suffering due to the economy. It was good to see, however, that the steel mill was trying to save money by not running at full tilt (as it were) every day. I think that if Cleveland just makes less of things but still stays in the business swing of things, it will be okay in the end. I could be totally wrong, though...I'm going to be honest and say that of any subject I've taken in school, economics is one of the few that so much of it went way over my head that I don't think, as one of my friends would say, that I could've looked and seen it with a telescope. I guess I'm just not money-minded, as it were.

But anyway...

I would hope that the Cuyahoga River is used in the next few decades, be it for transportation of goods and the like or even just one of the few natural features Cleveland has left. Rivers are a good way of connecting cities for trade and transportation, but sometimes it's nice to just be able to enjoy something in nature.

This really wasn't my best blog entry and for that I apologize...I'll try to make up for it with leaving excellent comments on others' blog entries!

Cleveland Industry Journal

Lienne Sethna

When Cleveland was founded in 1796, it soon became a manufacturing center due to its location near to numerous railroad lines and canals. Cleveland's economy used to be dependent on the manufacturing industry, however, now it is starting to move away from the struggling business and is coming to rely on the dozens corporate headquarters that are located in the city. Cleveland is finding it harder to rebound because it has lost dozens of corporate heads such as Office Max, BP, and its longtime resident National City Bank.

Sherwin-Williams encouraged me because of it's dedication to the city and its workers. My biggest concern for the revitalization is the fact that Cleveland's population has decreased substantially since the 1960s and has a 32.4% poverty rate.

The Cuyahoga River is no longer used as a way of transportation but I think that it is a good feature to the area and can be used as a way to advertise the beauty that exists in the area as well as the opportunities for business. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park brings in some tourism adds to the image of Cleveland and Akron being a wonderful place to live for all kinds of people. What I believe Cleveland lacks the most in it's inability to compete with other metropolitan areas is that the city is mostly thought of bad neighborhoods and the fact that it is the poorest major city in America which turns people looking for a place to live away.

Cleveland Industry

-- Cyrus Sethna --

Cleveland was once one of the greatest American cities. Cleveland began to grow significantly during the mid-nineteenth century. The city was ideally located to receive iron ore mined from Minnesota and shipped across the Great Lakes. Coal was brought to the city by rail from the southern United States. As a result Cleveland became a major American center for manufacturing and was home to numerous producers of steel who were able to utilize the raw materials brought to the city. By 1920, John D. Rockefeller had build his fortune and his legacy on Standard Oil, turning Cleveland into the fifth-largest American city.

In the late 1970's, there were numerous economic factors that led to the decline of the steel industry in Cleveland. The oil embargo and the economic recession contributed significantly to the decline of Cleveland's and other cities' manufacturing industries. As costs rose and demand dwindled, many steel companies, Cleveland's major economic assets, began the exodus from what is now termed the “rust belt” to the south, where workers were not yet unionized.

However, several other cities were effected by this great economic setback, namely Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The City of Pittsburgh had similar industries to that of Cleveland and was effected just as severely as Cleveland by the negative economic factors of the time. When the steel and heavy manufacturing withdrew from the city, Pittsburgh lost 200,000 jobs in three years. Pittsburgh was once the poster-city for rust belt atrophy, but in recent years, has made a significant recovery.

The next question that must be asked is “why has Pittsburgh, Cleveland's sister city, been able to make such a substantial comeback?” Some analysts claim that this is because “Pittsburgh already had its bust”. Well, the same is also true of Cleveland. In fact, both the health and education fields emerged in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh as the promising new industries. The kicker is economic diversity. Pittsburgh for example has been able to attract a motley assortment of industries, laying a strong and diverse economic foundation. Pittsburgh hasn't put all of its proverbial eggs into one proverbial basket. The City of Cleveland has been unable to fill the void left in its demographics, caused by the departure of jobs from the city. A host of baby boomers left the city, devoid of jobs when the heavy manufacturing dried up. Other rust belt cities have been able to fill this gap with younger people who are more likely to develop ties to their respective areas. While Cleveland is making an attempt to diversify itself economically, it certainly has a lot of distance to cover to catch up with some of its rust belt companions.

On the tour of Cleveland, I was encouraged by the fact that Cleveland does appear to be attempting to foster economic diversity. However, in recent years, the City of Cleveland has lost almost twelve corporate headquarters, TRW, OfficeMax, BP, Oglebay, and Norton to name a few.

In future years, I would like to see Cleveland using the Cuyahoga River to promote its own revitalization. The river holds the most promise as a natural feature that adds ambiance to potential real estate. The river is no longer needed to move materials or foster trade, so it should be used and maintained as a pristine natural feature that contributes significantly to property values.

This “thriving metropolitan corridor” is silly. Akron and Cleveland are two discreet cities, with two separate economies and two sets of problems. City government and residents must do their part to make their respective city as excellent as possible. After all, this is the twenty-first century and we no longer use the Ohio and Erie Canal for anything but recreation.

Cleveland Tour

The city of Cleveland, when it is not as prosperous and economically efficient, is slow moving. The steel mill is a good example of that. Nothing was running because of the poor economy. Cleveland might be slower to rebound as well because of the industries that move out and start up in other cities and states, like the Sherwin-Williams speaker mentioned.

What encouraged me though, was the steel mill and how Cleveland is able to produce it's own steel, which can be used for a number of things like construction equipment and appliances. I think a city that is able to produce it's own steel is a lot better off than other cities.

What worries me is how the Port Authority speaker mentioned that there are few exports leaving the city by ship, at least. There are many imports from foreign countries, but we aren't shipping out our own goods as much as we are receiving, which seems to me like an economic problem. Also, I think more people need to move into the city. Buildings could be better used as apartments, in my opinion.

The river links the cities of Akron and Cleveland but more so in the past than in the present. I would hope the river would increase connections between Akron and Cleveland in the future because I think if they were better connected, they could grow more prosperously. They could combine resources more effectively to provide what the other city lacks and both cities could thrive. The area seems to be lacking trade which could be brought in by a new convention center that would attract more business that other metropolitan areas have.

All together, I liked the steel mill most because I like learning about the metal and what goes into it to make it. I liked the machinery and the general appearance of the mill. I didn't like hats because they gave me a headache, but I thought it was kind of neat hearing the speaker talk through the headsets.

Cleveland Industry

Not sure if there was a writing prompt for this trip but I just wanted to sound off about the day we all had...I think I liked the time we spent at Sherwin Williams the best...I have been to the steel plant before, so that was not new to me...I found the breadth and depth of SW to be very interesting. Not sure I realized how long they have been around and surely did not know they own so many brands. I liked the way they seemed to value their employees by offering training, and doing things to ensure retention. They worked to validate their staff. I think this is sorely missed in most companies. People want to feel they are worth something to those around them...so on that note...thanks to all for their contributions throughout the day, and special thanks go out to Mr. Testa for his time, energy, and enthusiasm for these trips. Mr. Jo thanks for your time as well...

Just my 2 cents on the day.

Cleveland Industry

While on the trip you could see that in one area of Cleveland it looks like no one even could live there or even care about it, then another area has shiny huge buildings that show there is some life in the city. While at the Cleveland Port we were told several times about how the port hasn't had as much business this year due to the economy. Cleveland way back when was the place to be because of all the steel factories and other industries that existed there. Unfortunately most have moved away. Entire Industries have either moved to different sates or have died off completely.

One of my ideas as to why Cleveland has been slower to rebound then other industrial cities is that when a city like Cleveland has its downfall, most of the people don't stay there. They move to other places, other major Cities. Well those other large cities now have people that are living there and those cities are doing well. Cleveland I feel just has a lack of people and a lack of people that trust that their city to do well and make a rebound.

What encouraged me as we toured Cleveland today (haha...was like a week ago now) was even though we passed some buildings that looked run down and probably vacant, there were some buildings that had been restored and looked to be new and full of people. My biggest concern with Cleveland's revitalization is that with many businesses struggling to keep afloat that there will be less momentum to revitalize Cleveland. In the next 30 some years I don't know if I can visualize anything other then different historic landmarks and places of interest along the Cuyahoga river.

The Cuyahoga valley helps to connect both Akron and Cleveland by being a medium between the two. Yes Akron and Cleveland are completely different cities but have similar histories and started in similar ways. But on a side note, thinking back I don't recall any mention of Akron during the Cleveland trip. Yes I know the focus was on Cleveland but if they were connected in a huge way wouldn't there be more talk of it? What we lack to be able to compete with other metropolitan centers is people hear the city Cleveland and think of how it is one of the poorest cities in the US and don't really look into the city and what its doing to attempt to rebound.

All in all I really enjoyed this trip, got to see things like a guided tour of a steel mill and the port which most people will never get to see. And even though Cleveland may have alot of troubles, it shows hope to rebuild and come back as a great city, just takes time.

--
Fosch!