Friends of Northeast Ohio, a day for a new bridge to our future is arriving Thursday, November 17th, when the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will present their plan to supplement the current I-90 Innerbelt bridge over the Cuyahoga River by building a second bridge immediately to the north of the current span. If you care about the form, flow and future of our community, you must care about this near $ billion project. The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, area newspapers and universities, and broad community leaders all agree this project offers a great opportunity to reshape Cleveland forever. There is broad agreement we should replace the current I-90 bridge with a world-class span. In doing so, we may relocate the bridge south to allow further development around our $500 million gateway district, and create an astounding gateway entrance to our city. To help further such enlightened outcomes, realneo.us has provided a social networking site to this community, found at http://neobridge.net - thanks to Cleveland Institute of Art Future Center Director David Moss for site design support. Please join your community at NEO Bridge to interact on this issue. And, most important, please join your community at the Wolstein Center this Thursday, November 17th, at 4:30 pm for a public forum with ODOT...

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Around 80 diverse people from around Cleveland came together Halloween Night for a arts, culture and intellect filled evening of brainstorming and discussion on what we as a region need to do to make this a "more better" place, especially considering making NEO attractive to the next generation. Visit the links below to see the results.

On 10.31.05 and 11.01.05, Rebecca Ryan will be back in Northeast Ohio to work with all of us transforming the region for the better - we'd like your help, on 10.18.05 and 10.20.05, to help plan this neovolution... the new twist about the center.

Whether we call this new twist a revolution, evolution, or turning our brains on, it will be very live, in person and in virtual space. We will work with Rebecca, Bridge Builders, 20/30, cleveland.com, Mark Chupp, of CSU and "Voices and Choices", and every social and change organization and individual that is interested to make certain young thinkers' thoughts are heard in the change dialogues now gaining volume and taking center stages around the region.

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On 10.31.05 and 11.01.05, Rebecca Ryan will be back in Northeast Ohio to work with all of us transforming the region for the better - we'd like your help, on 10.18.05 and 10.20.05, to help plan this neovolution... the new twist about the center.

Whether we call this new twist a revolution, evolution, or turning our brains on, it will be very live, in person and in virtual space. We will work with Rebecca, Bridge Builders, 20/30, cleveland.com, Mark Chupp, of CSU and "Voices and Choices", and every social and change organization and individual that is interested to make certain young thinkers' thoughts are heard in the change dialogues now gaining volume and taking center stages around the region.

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On October 11, 2005, the NEO Excellence Roundtable will feature City of Cleveland Sustainability Programs Manager Andrew Watterson to discuss successes and opportunities for our core city and region to lead the country and world as an environmentally-friendly and sustainable community. In a presentation Andrew made on "the State of Our Environment", at a recent meeting of the Ohio League of Conservation voters, I learned Cleveland is already a leader with sustainability, in many important ways, by adding hybrid vehicles to the city fleet and enacting an anti-idling policy intended to reduce emissions and fuel consumption (by 10%)... see Hotel Bruce for details. Andrew mentioned plans for wind turbines in the city and indicated many other exciting developments ahead - please join us on Tuesday the 11th, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, at the City Club to discuss these important issues with our "Sustainability Czar".

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This one of a kind forum will provide the community with an opportunity to learn more about each of the City of Cleveland’s mayoral candidates. The format of the evening will allow for insight into each candidate's unique style of leadership and how he or she plans to develop and nurture a relationship with Cleveland.

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Henry Cisneros, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Develpment under President Clinton, now heads CityView, a community-building company.  CityView is dedicated to producing workforce homes in the central neighborhoods of America's urban areas by identifying sites, planning neighborhoods, acquiring and developing land, financing communities, and buiding homes.  With his wife, Mary Alice, Cisnerso is also the founder of American Sunrise, a community-based non-profit organization focused on homeownership for working families and after-school curricula for central city children.

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Silvia Jimenez-Hyre, Assistant to the Dean at Youngstown State University and an appointee to the Ohio Commission on Hispanic / Latino Affairs, and Myrna E. Villanueva, Special Assistant to the President of Tri-C, will address education issues as they relate to the Hispanic community.  Olga D. Gonzalez-Sanabrio, Director of the Engineering and Technical Services Directorate, NASA Glenn Research Center will moderate.

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Lorraine Vega, Senior Vice President of Corporate Diversity at KeyCorp, and Judge Jose Villanueva, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, discuss civic issues that affect both Hispanics and the general population.  Joe Lopez, President of New Era Builders, Inc., will moderate.

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Mike Robinson, President and CEO of LaVERDAD Marketing and Media and Ernesto Poza, Professor for the Practice of Family Business at Case Western Reserve University examine Hispanic economic indicators and how this emerging segment of the population will affect corporate stratgeties and public policy.  Margarita De Leon, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of BRAVO Magazine will moderate.

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Northeast Ohio leaders have realized we have lessons to learn from afar, as we face changing economic challenges at home, like sprawl and neglected urban assets and strategies. As our urban core, that Cleveland remain strong is essential to the millions of people in the region.

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In NEO today, we see a growing consciousness in the alternative energy and sustainability movement, a resounding catalyst in the digital cities OneCleveland phenomenum, and many other indicators that we are finally developing a vibrant new economy mentality.

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Images, videos and stories from the 2005 Cleveland Ingenuity Festival

Oregon's commitment to Open Source is well demonstrated by the establishment of their Open Technology Business Center in Beaverton - we need this in NEO:

Earlier this month, REALNEO IT Analyst Derek Arnold attended the O'Reilly Open Source Convention and Drupal Conference in Portland, Oregon, and he brought back more than new code, knowledge and relationships - he brought back the State of Oregon's vision of being "an epicenter for Open Technology (Linux and Open Source-enabled hardware, software and services)". The State of NEO needs to embrace such a vision!

As is our tradition, at the NEO Excellence portal, we have posted some notes and an attendee list from the First NEO-X-NY Roundtable, in a book bound at http://neoexcellence.realinks.us/NYNY.

Our roundtables are outcome oriented, and the outcomes we pursue from the first NEO-X roundtable include developing the Community Development Venture Capital (CDVC) Fund we introduced in New York, expanding the NEO-X network in support of economic development in NEO, and assisting NEO Expatriates to return to or collaborate with NEO.

newCAT (New Collaboration in Arts and Technology) CEO William Scheele shared his vision for the future of his not-for-profit arts organization at the 08.23.05 Excellence Roundtable, including collaborating with the Ingenuity Fesitval on an innovative slate of digital arts events not to be missed - see schedule of newCAT Ingenuity events below. Bill also previewed a poster that will be sold for $5 at the Ingenuity Festival to raise funds for newCAT... shared below. See you at the Ingenuity Festival...

Around two dozen NEO arts champions came together for the 08.23.05 Excellence Roundtable, which featured overviews of current work by newCAT, CIA and CPAC, among many important regional, innovative arts initiatives.

A very interesting organization called CoolTown Studios is offering access to $40 million for CoolTown real estate development projects - seems some projects in Cleveland and environs would fit their criteria - and their concept may be a good model for the Community Development Venture Capital Fund we are developing for NEO. See the criteria at the CoolTown website and posted below... 

Our community is being challenged by the migration of homegrown talent to other areas. Join area business leaders Aug. 29 as Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce launches “Brain Drain to Brain Gain,� a major economic development initiative poised at retaining and attracting young talent for the Stark County community. The Chamber has hired Rebecca Ryan, economist, futurist and president of Next Generation Consulting Inc. to lead this effort. Next Generation is a talent cooperative that helps communities uncover the “best of what is� in the community to retain and attract the brightest young talent. In-depth research is conducted to make this happen. Be a part of the solution; ensure the community’s future. Start by attending “Brain Drain to Brain Gain,� a free presentation. Light complimentary refreshments will be available.

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Engaging the Next Generation

Do you think all Gen X'ers are lazy apathetic slackers? Think
again...they are entrepreneurs, stay at home dads, and are making
political waves. In this session, Rebecca Ryan shares the results of
over 7,000 interviews and focus groups with the next generation: what
they think of their politicians, what they're looking for in their
communities, and how they prefer to make a difference at work and in
their neighborhoods.

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The 08.23.05 NEO Excellence Roundtable will feature leaders of new arts innovations and movements in NEO, including William Scheele of newCAT, the New Collaboration for Arts and Technology, who will be able to update attendees on Ingenuity Fest, with which he is affiliated - we'll invite other Ingenuity spokespersons to attend as well.

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The last few weeks have seen the subject of education reach front and center across Northeast Ohio. Public school funding, the end of the BBB era and the hyper-politicizing of the selection of her successor, and the realization we need progress educating the region's children are all important drivers for discussion. The NEO Excellence Roundtable has maintained an ongoing dialogue on such key issues impacting economic development in Northeast Ohio, which we will broaden beginning at the August 16th session.

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The August 11, 2005, NEO-X Roundtable, at the Jones Day building in New York, New York, brought together a fascinating cross section of former Clevelanders now living or working in the New York area, sharing the common bond that we all still care about NEO.

REALNEO is pleased to host a luncheon at the New York offices of Jones Day, 222 East 41st Street, Thursday, August 11th, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM, for the NEO-X Roundtable.

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