Rating the Suburbs 2011: If you're looking for job growth

Beachwood

Developers Diversified Realty is just one of the many businesses investing in the city. The company doubled the size of its headquarters, bringing 100 existing jobs to Beachwood this year and generating an additional $264,000 in property tax. "Five to eight times the number of people who live here come here to work," says building commissioner William Griswold.

Westlake

Hyland Software needed space to expand for its 700 employees. Across the street, Nordson needed to downsize. Enter the city of Westlake, which helped the two companies strike a deal: Nordson sold the building to Hyland, allowing the company to relocate 50 jobs to a smaller Westlake location. "It was a three-way win," says city economic development manager Chris Bauer.

Mentor

The first Steris Corp. clients to enter its new $11 million experiential facility will head to Mentor this month as the company opens its interactive customer solutions center. "We received $5 million in incentives from the city and state," says director of corporate communications Steve Norton. It could mean 300 more jobs over the next 18 to 24 months as Steris consolidates operations outside of Ohio.