To hear Baiju Shah, CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) tell it, now is the time to strike. Now is the time to forge a new, more positive future.
It all starts with how we view ourselves as a community, and the self-imposed restrictions that often cause us to fail.
Too long have Greater Clevelanders and denizens of Northeast Ohio suffered under the delusion that we are something less. Too long have references to unfortunate events in the past (such as the Cuyahoga River catching fire or more recently the Cleveland Browns’ anniversary of Bottlegate) diminished our self-worth and civic pride.
National media, especially out of New York, likes to harp on these references to support the misconceived notion that we are still the “Mistake on the Lake.” More often than not, it’s done to support the Big Apple’s own civic insecurities.
Now, Shah and other public, private and civic community leaders, are proudly saying, “Bunk!” And for good reason.
“It’s time for a Cleveland mindset reset,” says Shah, both when you ask him in person as well as in print. “We are on the rise.”
You don’t have to take Shah’s word for it. He’s not being pollyannish.
A study from the ADP Research Institute recently identified Cleveland as one of the Top Ten Best Cities in our nation for new graduates wanting to start a career. Cleveland is also considered a hot city for young professionals, due to its housing affordability, job opportunities, world-class cultural amenities, ethnic diversity and exciting neighborhoods.
“The ‘Cleveland Index’ of 35 public companies is significantly outperforming the S&P 500,” says Shah. “Our health care remains unparalleled, and we are starting to appear in many ‘Must Visit’ lists.
“We find ourselves in a period that I have never seen in more than 2 ½ decades of my career,” Shah adds. “A period where businesses are growing and unemployment is at historic lows. Unemployment in our metropolitan area is at 2.7% — lower than any other region in Ohio and lower than the national average.”
Even the Wall Street Journal, a self-professed champion of pro-New York opinion, recently heralded Cleveland as “The new center of the world,” when the Women’s NCAA Final Four came to town in April. Many locals acknowledged: “It’s about time.”
“The energy and momentum are palpable — testaments to the region’s innovative spirit, resilience and work ethic,” says Shah. “But to fully seize the moment and embrace the opportunities in front of us, we must confront an enduring Cleveland challenge: shifting our mindset from scarcity and loss to abundance and growth.”
When it comes to future development, we need to step away from our cautious “either/or” mindset and develop new thinking where we answer “yes” to all opportunities or ask, “Why not both?”
“We need to get away from our self-imposed limits,” says Shah. “We need to pursue opportunities boldly and creatively.”
Such thinking can have an enormous positive impact on the future development of our waterfronts on the lake and the river.
“Both will be transformed into vibrant spaces where Clevelanders gather,” says Shah. “For visitors and new talent coming to our city, both also will be shining examples of a dynamic region on the rise. But both are also in different stages of development, so we don’t have to choose.”
On the riverfront, the project is starting to go vertical with buildings going up.
“On the lakefront, we are still pretty horizontal,” says Shah. “We still need to build infrastructure to connect Downtown with the lakefront.”
There is also a need to determine what happens to Burke Lakefront Airport.
“Each of these projects taps different sources of funding and different actions that need to be taken to accomplish development,” says Shah.
The same abundant mindset should be applied to other major development projects, Shah adds. Should we develop new housing Downtown or in the neighborhoods and suburbs? Invest in research or businesses? Retain local talent or attract newcomers? Fund cultural institutions or our parks?
The answer should always be both, especially if we want to grow. Growth brings new residents, ideas and energy that benefit our entire region.
In the last two decades, our Downtown population has more than tripled — and it continues to rise. Tremont and Ohio City have grown beyond vibrant entertainment neighborhoods into true tourist destinations. Thanks to its waterfront access and the local Gordon Square Arts district, Detroit-Shoreway has spurred more than $2 billion in investment.
But that’s just the tip of recent developments. Downtown, Sherwin-Williams’ new headquarters is a shining example of what major corporations think about our city and region. We are also a region that leads in both health care and clean tech, driven by entrepreneurial startups as well as world-class institutions like Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and MetroHealth.
“We must build on our strengths by investing in innovation and business growth, in both entrepreneurial and large organizations,” says Shah. “That can be done by accessing a variety of private and public funds, locally, nationally and globally.
“On the workforce, we need to ensure everyone participates to power the region. We must invest in education and up-skill our current workforce.”
We are blessed to have inspirational public leaders and aspirational private CEOs whose organizations lead the world, says Shah.
“And we have generous residents who contribute to these endeavors,” Shah adds. Indeed, our well-established nonprofit sector is one of the most giving in the nation.
“One of the true hallmarks of a successful community is the spirit of the people and how they care about others with their time, treasure and talent,” says Shah. “Whether it’s through big projects and big organizations or one-on-one supporting individuals in need, it is something that really makes our region special.”
We also need to attract and welcome more people, young and old.
“They offer the best marketing for our region,” says Shah. “We also need to support our museums, cultural venues and the arts.”
Take an out-of-town visitor on a ride through Cleveland Clinic’s campus, around University Circle or past the reflection pond at Wade Oval, and their eyes can do nothing but boggle.
“Not only do these venues attract new people to our region, they also create great word-of-mouth advertising,” says Shah. “And many newcomers become great ambassadors for our city and region.
“I was at an event with Craig Hassall [CEO of Playhouse Square] recently,” says Shah. “Craig is Australian by birth and lived in London before coming to Greater Cleveland. But he has become one of our region’s biggest supporters. People like Craig who move here are often surprised by the breadth of offerings we have that contribute to the quality of life.”
But we also have to make Greater Clevelanders more aware of what we offer, which will change their mindsets and, ultimately, the limits on how fast we can grow.
“Now is the time to think differently. Our future growth demands that we embrace an abundance mindset that rejects self-imposed limits,” says Shah. “This year, let’s approach our opportunities not as a matter of ‘either/or’ but instead approach them with a ‘both/and’ mindset.
“It’s time for Greater Cleveland to adopt an abundance mindset.”
