Documentary sheds light on successful minority-owned businesses

by KELLI FONTENOT
Published September 1 in The Heights Observer
If a documentary’s story is not worth telling, flashy cinematography and dramatic music won’t overcome an audience’s lack of interest, according to Tim Gaydos, a videographer for a new documentary by local filmmaking group Educo Films.
In this case, Gaydos said, the subject matter speaks for itself.
The 30-minute documentary, a concept developed by the company’s producer, Stephon J. Davis, aims to educate viewers about how to support and create successful African American-owned businesses in the Cleveland Heights area.
“I found a lot of times I was standing there with the camera, listening in, and I forgot I was there filming it,” Gaydos said. “I got sucked into what they’re saying because it’s so interesting. The point they’re making and discussing is so valuable. It comes across very well in terms of engaging the audience.”
The film company takes its name from a Latin word meaning “to draw forth or bring out.” Davis said that definition echoes the goal of the new documentary, “Creating Successful Black Owned Businesses.”

Grant aids Fairmount Group expansion

by KELLI FONTENOT
Published May 3 in The Heights Observer

Entrepreneur Dawn Hanson’s company, The Fairmount Group, will be going global with much greater ease because of a grant from British Airways.

Fairmount Group received one of the 100 Business Opportunity grants given out by British Airways. It will enable Hanson to travel to Europe, meet with clients and expand her business from her small office in Cleveland Heights to cities in Finland and Denmark. The company conducts market research, manages brands and plans special events.

The grant includes airfare for 10 round-trip business class flights, five global shipments with British Airways World Cargo and $1,000 in hotel accommodations at Courtyard by Marriott.

Walk aims to conquer childhood cancer

by KELLI FONTENOT
Published April 6 in The Heights Observer
The first CureSearch walk in Cleveland, planned for May 8 at Wade Oval from 9 to 11:30 a.m., will raise awareness and funding for childhood cancer research.
Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children, according to CureSearch. The organization, which works with the Children’s Oncology Group and National Childhood Cancer Foundation to fund research, will play a major role in the Northeast Ohio CureSearch Walk to Conquer Childhood Cancer, according to cochair Stephen Crowley.
Crowley and his wife, Cynthia Van Lenten, are organizing the walk. Posters advertising the event feature photographs of their daughter, Olivia, who was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in 2002. She was 7 years old. For the next three years, she underwent treatment, including chemotherapy in hospitals from Memphis to New York. Described by her father as a vibrant child who loved soccer and wanted to be a comedian, she died in 2005.
"She was full of life, and it made it really hard to see that something like this could happen to somebody like that," Crowley said. "My wife and I did everything we could to try to save her. We spent a lot of energy and resources trying to find a cure for her, so we decided to put the same energy and work into trying to help other children and other families."

TavCo’s new owner launches upscale menu

by KELLI FONTENOT
Published March 2 in The Heights Observer
The Tavern Company has a new owner and a new menu.
Chris Armington, who worked for 12 years at Brennan’s Colony as a bartender, server and manager, now owns The Tavern Company, also known as TavCo. “It’s always been a dream of mine to own my own business,” he says.
After signing the papers last November, his dream came true, and in January, Armington introduced a new menu for 2010. “If you’re a bar on Lee Road, you have to have wings and burgers, so we do that. But we also wanted to offer things that are a little more high end, and not be like every other bar on Lee Road.”
Additions to the menu—such as the seared tuna sandwich with orange pickled fennel and tarragon aioli on a crispy portabella mushroom bun, which replaces the old menu’s tuna melt—provide a more sophisticated take on the restaurant’s previous offerings.

Vice Mayor Adele Zucker retires

by KELLI FONTENOT

Published Dec. 1 in The Heights Observer

After nine years as Vice Mayor for University Heights, Adele Zucker will leave office this month. Her contributions include keeping a close eye on neighborhood services and never having to cut staff, something she attributes to frugal management by the mayor and previous councils.

Looking back, Zucker says she is proud of her accomplishments.

“To be reelected six times, I think that says I served the residents well. Because of them, I’m here, and I just love the city. It’s a great city to live in and bring up your children,” she says.