LOOK BACK: LTV Steel’s FOCUS: Reimagining bankruptcies PAGE 19 CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM I OCTOBER 12, 2020 universities PAGE 10 REAL ESTATE A rst look at the Lumen THE CURTAIN IS GOING UP ON PLAYHOUSE SQUARE’S 34STORY APARTMENT COMPLEX | PAGE 6 The historic Keith Building on the other side of Euclid Avenue is re ected in the glassy exterior of the Lumen tower. MICHELLE JARBOE/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS ECOMMERCE SPORTS BUSINESS Digitally native companies face challenges Kaulig Racing zooms into Behemoth Amazon looms large over online businesses’ marketing e orts NASCAR title contention BY JAY MILLER their way to Amazon centers across ing up with online-only businesses the country and be shipped out from that are growing rapidly because of BY KEVIN KLEPS Haley, a Across Miles Road from the Northeast Ohio as a result of sales the coronavirus pandemic. 21-year-old phe- 880,000-square-foot, 2,000-employ- made on the company’s own website. “March was our biggest month In its rst two years competing in nom, has won ee Amazon ful llment center in It’s a juxtaposition that convenient- ever,” said Christine Vasquez, sales NASCAR’s X nity Series, Kaulig three X nity rac- North Randall, the eight workers of ly wraps up the rapidly growing world and marketing manager of Oran- Racing had 10 top-10 nishes in 66 es and entered OrangeOnions toil, designing and of online retailing, which is bubbling geOnions. races. the Oct. 10 Drive creating products — mostly dolls un- up in Northeast Ohio and everywhere Digitally native companies aren’t e Welcome, N.C.-based arm of for the Cure 250 der the Playtime by Eimmie and else for smaller companies. Amazon new. ey’ve been around for a de- the Hudson-based Kaulig Compa- at Charlotte Mo- Plushible brands — that will nd looms over a marketing channel ll- cade, creating and selling products nies didn’t crack the top ve once. tor Speedway at under the radar, not in shopping cen- “Five years ago when we started, Kaulig No. 4 in the 2020 ters or brick-and-mortar storefronts, we were running between 20th and points standings. VOL. 41, NO. 37 l COPYRIGHT 2020 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED but primarily online. Because of Am- 25th every week. If we could get in the Chastain has a Kaulig Rac- azon’s size, getting on that platform is top 20, we felt like we were running ing-best 13 top- ve and 24 top-10 a key way to attract customers. good,” said Matt Kaulig, the executive nishes in 27 starts. e 27-year- It’s unclear, though, how many chairman and owner of a group of old entered the Charlotte race at digitally native businesses — busi- businesses that includes LeafFilter. eighth in the points standings. nesses that sell only online — are op- In 2020, Kaulig Racing’s two full- Should Chastain hold the position, he would join Haley in the three- NEWSPAPER erating in Northeast Ohio and how time drivers — Ross Chastain and fast they are growing. Justin Haley — are title contenders race Round of 8. on a stock-car circuit that is one step See ECOMMERCE on Page 16 down from NASCAR’s Cup Series. See KAULIG on Page 17 P001_CL_20201012.indd 1 10/9/2020 12:22:41 PM BOUNCING BACK After years of cutbacks and Academic redesign is a constant change, the University of at institutions of higher education, said C. Todd Jones, president and Akron is looking to the general counsel of the Colum- EDUCATION future. PAGE 12 bus-based Association of Indepen- dent Colleges and Universities of Ohio. Colleges and universities have to adapt as elds of academic study evolve and as students’ areas of in- terest change. And the changes are sure to con- tinue. Locally, Cleveland State University is in the midst of this process, having formed task forces in areas such as academics, administration, and growth and innovation that are fo- cused on creating recommendations for the future. And some reforms COURSE CHANGES could even cross campuses. Take a recent announcement from the Uni- versity of Akron and Cleveland State, which shared that the two institu- tions were looking into merging their law schools. It’s important institutions know themselves before adding or revamp- ing programs, Jones said. Programs should build on an institution’s unique strengths. Declining enrollment can also be a driving force in these redesigns, he said. In Ohio, the pool of high school graduates is shrinking. at means, in an ever-more competitive envi- ronment, colleges and universities have to create programs that are at- tractive to new students. Enrollment was the big driver be- hind Hiram’s academic redesign pro- cess, said Liz Okuma, senior vice president and dean of students. e college wanted to make sure it had attractive, relevant programs to draw in students. Hiram ultimately cut some pro- grams and added others, as well as switched some programs, like eco- nomics and philosophy, from majors to minors. is was such a dramatic change Hiram College’s recent that Hiram’s leadership knew the restructuring resulted in process had to be a collaborative one, the sunsetting of some Okuma said. at meant that not programs and the only faculty, but students and alumni introduction of a new needed to buy in. institutional organization. at collaborative, transparent ap- proach has carried forward to today, said vice president for academic af- fairs and dean Judy Muyskens. For As costs rise and enrollments shrink, colleges and universities remake their academic structures example, she thinks it helped the col- lege be nimble and adapt when the BY RACHEL ABBEY MCCAFFERTY | As costs tured its academic year, scheduling its pro- rise and enrollments shrink, higher education grams into six eight-week terms. is not an industry that can a ord to stand still. Ultimately, it’s about making sure the in- Across the region, colleges and univer- stitutions of today are best designed for the sities have taken on a host of redesigns future. and restructurings in recent years with the For example, the changes to Walsh’s calen- goal of finding efficiencies and boosting dar allow students to take the same number Webinar Series enrollment. of courses in the fall and spring as before, but Take the University of Akron and Hiram to focus on a smaller number of courses at College, for example. Akron cut academic one time, said Michael Dunphy, interim vice JOIN US FOR A FREE programs and shrunk the number of colleges The University of Mount Union in 2017 began work on a president of academic a airs. It also gives WEBINAR it had, while also laying o faculty and ex- three-college plan, with each college having its own dean. students more control over their schedules, periencing leadership churn. Hiram under- allowing them to skip a term when they need went a broad process of change that resulted to, or schedule classes to nish degrees faster, in the sunsetting of some programs and the especially at a time when more students are October 17, 2020 introduction of a new institutional structure. arriving at college with credits in hand from Parenting Your Parents 2:00 p.m. But change has been taking place in more dual enrollment programs in high school. Zoom Webinar on your computer, smartphone or tablet. incremental ways across the region, too. At “We’re really trying to address the needs Call 216-765-0123 to RSVP or visit Youngstown State University, the institution of students in this very complex market right ssandplaw.com/events to register. trimmed the number of its colleges and aca- now, where we can still give them a very Estate Planning Probate & Trust Elder Law Business Law E BR AT I E L N G demic departments in light of the COVID-19 Walsh University recently restructured its academic calendar to high-quality education but do it in a way C six eight-week terms in light of COVID-19 concerns. 216-765-0123 pandemic. Walsh University recently restruc- where they have more choices,” Dunphy said. SSandPlaw.com CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHS 10 | CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS | OCTOBER 12, 2020 P010_011_CL_20201012.indd 10 10/8/2020 2:37:32 PM BOUNCING BACK FOCUS | EDUCATION After years of cutbacks and Academic redesign is a constant greater e ciencies and more collab- change, the University of at institutions of higher education, oration among programs, said execu- said C. Todd Jones, president and tive vice president and provost John Akron is looking to the general counsel of the Colum- Lessons learned: What makes Wiencek. And that could lead to new future. PAGE 12 bus-based Association of Indepen- program o erings. He’s seeing these dent Colleges and Universities of kinds of changes across higher edu- Ohio. Colleges and universities have a good academic redesign? cation, including at the University of to adapt as elds of academic study Idaho, where he worked before com- evolve and as students’ areas of in- ing to Akron. In Idaho, the university terest change. University leaders should think about involving sta , faculty didn’t eliminate colleges, but it did And the changes are sure to con- and the community in conversations from the start move toward more shared services tinue. and interdisciplinary degrees, he Locally, Cleveland State University BY RACHEL ABBEY MCCAFFERTY the COVID-19 pandemic made a fairs at Walsh University. For ex- said. is in the midst of this process, having more concentrated e ort neces- ample, as Walsh moves toward “In general, I think the driving formed task forces in areas such as Communication, data and sary.