The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

After a rollercoaster few years defined by a global pandemic, war, supply chain chaos, and a technology arms race, many people are left asking, \"Is Manufacturing Okay?\" The answer to that high-stakes question is worth 50% of Northeast Ohio\'s economy.\r\n\r\nJoin us as Dr. Ethan Karp, President & CEO of MAGNET, provides a state-of-the-union for manufacturing, addressing the myths and misconceptions that threaten our collective promise and prosperity, while providing a blueprint for the future of our regional economy\r\n\r\nA former consultant with McKinsey & Co, Dr. Karp joined MAGNET in 2013. MAGNET works across Northeast Ohio to support manufacturers of all sizes, creating opportunities for growth, economic inclusion, and workforce training.

This summer, Superman announced they will begin filming in Cleveland from June 17 to July 16, joining a legacy of pictures filmed in our neighborhoods--like The Avengers, Spider Man, and A Christmas Story. For decades, major cities across the United States have jockeyed to attract the major motion picture industry in hopes of spurring jobs and economic growth. But the industry isn\'t limited to just Hollywood blockbusters. Film, television, and media production as a whole leave a notable footprint in the economic engine of Northeast Ohio. Yet, BIPOC representation in this industry for Ohio lags behind other states. Is opportunity being left on the table?\r\n\r\nSheila Wright, Founder and President of The CREW Foundation wants to make sure Ohio builds a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive industry to catalyze economic growth. CREW strategically supports projects and partners committed to providing hands-on training, full access, and real work opportunities for underrepresented populations. And with these skills and experience comes the power to become creators themselves--telling their community\'s stories in their own words and shifting narratives for lasting change.\r\n\r\nJoin us for a panel conversation featuring Sheila Wright, Founder and President of the CREW Foundation, and Amir Miller, CEO/ Founder, Pure Vitality Productions, and learn how we can catalyze economic growth and increase representation in film, television, and media production industries.

Eric D. Seals grew up eating just about every southern delicacy you could name: pulled pork, liverwurst sandwiches, fried fish, alongside his father, Donnie Seals Sr. Living in Wheaton, a west suburb of Chicago. He also watched his dad drink and smoke for almost 10 years, until 1995 when he almost died. Over the next fifteen years, Donnie would have a total of three quadruple bypass surgeries and be forced into early retirement.\r\n\r\nHowever, the story doesn't end there. Donnie is now 70 years old and bicycles more than 30 miles a day; his heart problems have all but disappeared. Having once been on more than 20 daily medications, he is now down to one and his doctors call his recovery miraculous. Directed by son Eric Seals, Bike Vessel follows father and son as they cycle from St. Louis to Chicago. The film takes a hard look at the health disparities plaguing Black men, and the systemic racism that has elevated them to one of the lowest life expectancies and highest death rates in the nation.\r\n\r\nPart of the Health Equity Series sponsored by the Saint Luke\'s Foundation, join the City Club, Bike Your Neighborhood, and the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival for a special film screening of Bike Vessel. Following the film, Donnie Seals will join a panel conversation about the documentary, health equity, and the transformative power of cycling.

Earlier this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced a $156 million grant to a Cleveland organization to fund an effort to ensure access to solar power for low-income communities across the Midwest. Although solar power has been available in this country for decades, the upfront cost of even small residential solar arrays has been prohibitively expensive for all but the wealthiest and most committed homeowners. The EPA\'s support of Growth Opportunity Partners (Growth Opps) could change that.\r\n\r\nThe EPA grant provides the seed capital needed for the GO Green Energy Fund, the nation\'s first African American led Green Bank, which was created by Growth Opps in 2020. The goal of the Green Bank is more than just access to solar power for residents of poor communities. It\'s a step towards fundamentally restructuring the regional economy to disrupt intergenerational poverty, while supporting low-income Midwesterners in building wealth and improving health outcomes-all while helping the nation and the globe address climate change.\r\n\r\nGrowth Opps Founding CEO Michael Jeans has been working towards this for years. He has appeared on the City Club stage before as a moderator and panelist in support of the efforts of others in our community. Join us as he takes center stage to share his vision for a greener-and more inclusive-future.

In November 2023, Cleveland\'s West Side Market named Rosemary Mudry it\'s first Executive Director of the Market\'s new nonprofit arm, the Cleveland Public Market Corporation.\r\n\r\nHome to more than 60 small, local business owners, and boasting 800,000 visitors annually--the West Side Market serves as a neighborhood anchor and economic hub. Yet, it continued to struggle to live up to its full potential. A 2023 master plan by the Bibb administration suggested - as many have over the decades - that the Market transition to a nonprofit management style to improve vendor and visitor experience. The switch would align with nationwide best practices for public markets. In April 2024, Mudry officially took the helm.\r\n\r\nPreviously, Mudry served as Executive Director of West Park Kamm's Neighborhood Development; was Director of Neighborhood Development at Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation; and started her community development career working for Ohio City Inc. during the heyday of the Market\'s Centennial Celebrations. In addition to her leadership in community development and urban planning, Mudry is a small business owner, serving as Midnight Owl Brewing Co co-owner with her husband Joel Warger.\r\n\r\nTo kick off our 2024 Outdoor Summer Series, join us as Ideastream Public Media\'s Mike McIntyre talks with Rosemary Mudry about her new role and vision as the first Executive Director of the Cleveland Public Market Corporation.

The Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance is an independent, neighborhood-based organization dedicated to maintaining peace and keeping young people out of gangs. Through grassroots efforts, the organization utilizes community violence intervention targeting individuals ages 14-24 who face the highest risk of being involved in gun violence. The organization provides a range of services, including court advocacy, hospital-based programs, employment opportunities, mental health services, and more.\r\n\r\nSince 2020, Myesha Watkins has led Cleveland Peacemakers Inc. She is a licensed social worker, youth development professional, and violence prevention expert. In 2021, Myesha was selected to participate in Mayor-elect Justin Bibb\'s transition team and public safety committee. Then in 2022, she was invited to the White House and recognized for her work in violence prevention by President Joe Biden. Earlier this year, she was invited back to the White House after she graduated from the inaugural cohort of the University of Chicago Crime Lab's Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy.

For generations, leadership in Cleveland's Arab-American community have been working to advance equity and peace for Palestinians, and others, in both our city and the region. But the current round of hostilities and headlines coming out of Gaza has put their cause front and center. To date, more than 36,000 Palestinians-more than half of which were women and children-have perished in Israel's military response to the October 7, 2023 deadly attack by Hamas.\r\n\r\nAcross the country, diverse sectors of advocates have demonstrated on college campuses and spoke out at public events to draw attention to the plight in Gaza. This includes Cleveland, where a repeated call for a ceasefire was won in March. Still, at the heart of it all, is the local Palestinian community, neighbors and coworkers, who are grappling with grief and worry of losing family and loved ones; as well as navigating a documented increase in anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Muslim hate and sentiment across the country.\r\n\r\nWe invite you to hear from key leadership in Cleveland's Arab-American community who hold Palestinian heritage on how their community is faring, and what is needed to move toward equity and peace.

Author Jeff Fuhrer knows the narratives used to shape the economy, and he believes those narratives need to change. Fuhrer is an economist, and has been active in economic research for more than three decades--including the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston where he served as Director of Research, Executive Vice President, and Senior Policy Advisor. Now, Jeff is a Nonresident Fellow for the Brookings Institution and a Foundation Fellow for the Eastern Bank Foundation.\r\n\r\nIn his book, The Myth That Made Us: How False Beliefs about Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy (and How to Fix It), Fuhrer explores the link between widely held but false narratives about poverty and race and poor outcomes for many in the U.S. economy. From a supposedly post-racist nation and the self-made man, Fuhrer argues that systemic racism continues to produce vastly disparate outcomes and that our brand of capitalism favors doing little to reduce disparities.\r\n\r\nIn addition to his book, he is working with a large collaborative to update the findings of the Federal Reserve's 2015 "Color of Wealth in Boston" study. Jeff also recently finished a 2-1/2 year term as a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

The Supreme Court of Ohio is the state's highest court and the court of last resort, comprised of the Chief Justice and six Justices. The Supreme Court decides Ohio's most difficult, complicated, and contentious legal cases, mostly appeals from 12 district courts of appeals. Since 1803, the Court has provided leadership for Ohio's Judicial Branch, and administered Ohio's court system.\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club as former Ohio Supreme Court Justices Terrence O'Donnell, and Yvette McGee Brown sit down in conversation with current Justice Patrick Fischer. They will be discussing the critical role, the extraordinary history, and the responsibilities of the Supreme Court of Ohio.

At Paid Leave for All, they know families, and the nation, are strongest when we all have time to heal from illness or injury, welcome a new child, or help a loved one recover or ease their passing. Yet today, the United States is one of the only countries in the world that doesn\'t guarantee any form of paid leave for its people. Paid leave impacts public health, financial security, and racial and gender inequity. Paid leave is also a proven tool to retain talented workers and support economic development.\r\n\r\nWhile the country came close to changing this in 2021 after COVID-19, Congress fell short one vote away from paid family and medical leave becoming federal law. Now, states and cities have filled in the gaps, with more than a dozen programs and cities developing policies for public workers. The City of Cleveland made paid leave available to employees in 2023, and Cuyahoga County similarly followed suit earlier this year.\r\n\r\nDawn Huckelbridge has served as Founding Director of Paid Leave for All since 2019. She has spent her career in gender policy, political organizing, communications, and building early-stage programs and campaigns. Dawn most recently served as Communications Director for Supermajority during its launch and as the Senior Director of the Women's Rights Initiative at American Bridge.