ReportWire

Tag: Wiley Jawhary

  • Fans and experts speak on the Cleveland Browns stadium name change

    Fans and experts speak on the Cleveland Browns stadium name change

    CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns stadium’s name has been changed to Huntington Bank Field.

    The team announced a multi year agreement securing naming rights to the stadium. The new deal is expected to bring financial benefits to the team, but how much promotional benefit will Huntington Bank get from the deal?  

    What You Need To Know

    • The Cleveland Browns stadium’s name has been changed to Huntington Bank Field

    • The team announced a multi year agreement securing naming rights to the stadium
    • Jim Kahler, the director of sports and entertainment management program at Cleveland State University, said the new deal is very beneficial to the franchise


    While fans watch their favorite football team play, a different kind of game has been going on behind the scenes, and these plays have been just as complex.

    The Browns officially entered a new naming rights agreement with Huntington Bank this month and transformed the stadium into Huntington Bank Field just days before the season opener. 

    Jim Kahler, the director of sports and entertainment management program at Cleveland State University, said the new deal is very beneficial to the franchise.

    “The interesting thing here with the Browns most people wouldn’t understand, they outsourced the sale of the naming rights, so sure they were involved, but they brought a company in called Legends to take the lead in finding the naming rights partner,” he said.

    So who benefits when a stadium name is changed?

    “Oh by far Huntington Bank will benefit the most I believe, but lets say a conservative projection might be 10 to 15 million dollars a year, but Huntington is making that decision to take those dollars out of their, maybe their traditional advertising,” he said.

    Kahler even went one step further and said he expects Browns fans to follow in the team’s footsteps.

    “Passionate fans of the Browns are going to be three times as likely to refer people to Huntington Bank and twice as likely to do their banking if they are that passionate about the team,” he said.

    Data from the Rolling Stone shows fans are 70-80% more likely to support sponsors they see attached to their favorite team.

    Wiley Jawhary

    Source link

  • Erosion causes Mentor Lagoons trail closure

    Erosion causes Mentor Lagoons trail closure

    CLEVELAND — A well-known trail in Mentor is closed due to erosion along the Lake Erie shoreline. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Kenneth Kaminski is in charge of parks in the city of Mentor and said the Mentor Lagoons trail is now closed for safety reasons
    • The existing trail was in place for about 30 years and was built when the shoreline was about 100 yards further out than it is now 

    • Kaminski said erosion is a growing problem and a lack of ice on Lake Erie is contributing to the situation

    Kenneth Kaminski drove along the Mentor marsh and made his way to the Mentor lagoon trail. He’s in charge of parks in the city of Mentor.

    “I think the joy is the fact that we have an opportunity to offer just about every recreational experience for our residents, anything from a marina to a golf course, senior center, rec center,” he said.

    The Mentor Lagoons trail runs along Lake Erie and the marsh. The trail has been eroding over the last eight years because of high water levels and because Lake Erie hasn’t been freezing.

    “The erosion is happening so fast that it is actually dangerous for our people and patrons that use the trail,” he said.

    The existing trail was in place for about 30 years. The shoreline was about a hundred feet further out than where it is now but has been eaten away by erosion.

    “We probably had about 30 feet of beach, but as you can see now, we have no beach at all and it actually washed the stairwell away,” he said.

    Kaminski said the lake just isn’t freezing during the winter, and that’s a big part of the problem.

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said it’s seen a decrease in ice coverage across the Great Lakes, reaching an all-time low in 2024. 

    As of Feb. 11 of this year, only .05% of Lake Erie was covered with ice, leaving the shoreline unprotected.

    Kaminski said the goal now is to protect the shoreline that remains. 

    “It’s very expensive to be able to do any type of these projects. We can put up revetment, which is just big pieces of concrete on the shoreline,” he said.

    But Kaminski said the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Natural Resources are not fans of adding these man-made barriers.

    “And neither are we, because it doesn’t bring the natural setting to our nature preserve,” he said.

    Kaminski said the city is moving the trail back as the erosion eats up the area, but keeping up with the crumbling conditions won’t be easy.

    Wiley Jawhary

    Source link

  • Local chef talks working at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during Cavs semifinals

    Local chef talks working at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during Cavs semifinals

    CLEVELAND — The success of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Monsters this season isn’t just good for fans. It’s also good for the restaurants that call Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse home. 

    What You Need To Know

    • The success of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Monsters this season is providing an extra boost for businesses at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
    • Karen Small has been cooking in Ohio almost all her life and runs P Street Market at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

    • Small opened her business at the arena after being approached by Aramark, the vendor that provides food services at the facility

    The Cleveland Monsters led the league in attendance for the fourth time in the last five seasons, according to the American Hockey League, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are drawing huge crowds as they fight for survival in the semifinals.

    Karen Small has been cooking in northeast Ohio almost all of her life. She’s the chef of P Street Café at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. 

    She’s worked as a chef at the arena when LeBron James came back to Cleveland in 2014. She’s been a chef in the city for about 30 years. Early on, she was exposed to the challenges of the food industry.

    “I had a restaurant called the Flying Fig that we closed down. When the new landlord came in, he raised our rent by $7,000 a month, so it made it impossible to continue any longer,” she said.

    Small had a new opportunity to look forward to.

    “At one point I was contacted by Aramark if I was interested in coming here and being that the Cavs were my favorite team of all time, I was like I’m in,” she said.

    Small was discovered by Aramark, the vendor that provides food services at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. It all started when the district manager for Aramark stumbled upon her Flying Fig restaurant.

    Small isn’t just enjoying the added business that comes with the Cavs and Monsters having a longer season than expected. She said she’s also doing what she loves while getting to watch her favorite team compete in the semifinals.

     

    Wiley Jawhary

    Source link

  • Woman starts bakery thanks to Apex Fund

    Woman starts bakery thanks to Apex Fund

    CLEVELAND — Starting a small business is not easy, especially if you just moved to the United States from another country.

    What You Need To Know

    • Fereshte Naghvi moved to the United States from Iran less than a year ago
    • Naghvi launched her own bakery thanks to help from the Apex Fund
    • Lida Ahmadi is also from Afghanistan and fled the Taliban two years ago

    Life hasn’t always been easy for Fereshte Naghvi and her family. She’s been in Ohio for eight months and said she’s been trying to make a living and name for herself.

    “When you go to a new country, obviously it’s hard to adjust since you are starting from zero, but we waited six years to get here. It made it worth it,” she said. 

    Naghvi’s family is from Afghanistan, but she was raised in Iran. She escaped the political unrest and left everything she knew behind.

    “Iran is not welcoming to refugees, that was one reason. The other reason was because I wanted my kids to have a good future here,” she said.

    Naghvi said she knows she has to work to keep a roof over her family’s heads. That’s why she recently started her own at-home bakery, thanks to support from the Apex Fund.

    “My husband back at home was always bringing sweets from outside, so I said why not make sweets myself for him. So I went to classes and learned,” she said.

    Naghvi said she makes everything from scratch and credits the Apex Fund, which helped to get her business registered. 

    Apex Fund small business adviser Lida Ahmadi said the fund helps low-income entrepreneurs overcome the barriers that sometimes prevent them from accessing conventional loans to start a business.

    “She’s dreaming of having a coffee shop, I’m trying my best to get her to that dream. I’m planning on making that possible to her through the programs we have,” she said.

    Ahmadi is from Afghanistan. She fled the Taliban two years ago and left the country on the last plane out with the Marines.

    The Apex Fund helps connect people with everything from a photo ID and business plan, to supplies, furniture and equipment to start their small business, as well as working capital.

    Ahmadi has helped Naghvi get the exposure she needs to grow her bakery.

    “Now finally I am at the point where people are starting to know me and I’m able to start my business,” Naghvi said.

    Naghvi said she’s doing this to set an example for her son, giving him a future full of the opportunities she never had growing up.

    Wiley Jawhary

    Source link