FOOD HALLS OFFER A FEAST OF CHOICE The new Van Aken Market Hall in Shaker Heights reflects a nationwide trend. CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM I NOVEMBER 18, 2019 PAGE 6 40 UNDER PORTRAITS BY JASON MILLER/PIXELATE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS CLEVELAND CRAIN’S FOR PHOTOGRAPHY MILLER/PIXELATE JASON BY PORTRAITS 40PAGES 12-31 GOVERNMENT Selling Cleveland to the richest of the big-money investors The city is hoping its Opportunity Zones can be a ‘vehicle’ to a group it usually doesn’t attract YB KIM PALMER cal sources, city officials are contem- “The Opportunity Zone tax incen- To attract the type of entrepre- sion, “What one city has learned plating how to broaden the pool of tive provides an additional vehicle to neurs who could benefit from Op- about tech,” led by Techonomy editor The city of Cleveland has issued on investors. make Cleveland investment more at- portunity Zone-type investment, Josh Kampel, that’s described as be- average $1 billion in building permits One approach is to pursue ultra- tractive to high-net-worth individu- Mayor Frank Jackson is attending Te- ing about “how business and tech are every year for more than eight years. high-net-worth individuals who, as a als, and there are about 40 such areas chonomy 2019, a three-day confer- finding new pathways to civic reno- Development, at least recently, is not result of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, in the city of Cleveland,” said David ence that started Sunday, Nov. 17, in vation.” a problem for the city. But with most can use Cleveland’s many Opportunity Ebersole, Cleveland’s director of eco- Half Moon Bay, Calif. He is sched- of that development coming from lo- Zones as a long-term tax shelter. nomic development. uled to participate in a public discus- See OPPORTUNITY on Page 8 VOL. 40, NO. 46 l COPYRIGHT 2019 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED AKRON Source Lunch: Christopher Girl Scouts and Alvarado, executive director of Slavic local companies Village Development, says changing are partnering to perceptions about Cleveland’s most NEWSPAPER add to STEM workforce ranks. diverse neighborhood is a key PAGE 32 part of his job. PAGE 35 P001_CL_20191118.indd 1 11/15/2019 3:48:44 PM EDUCATION New president is aiming to take NEOMED to the next level BY LYDIA COUTRÉ NEOMED is today,” said Klonk, CEO les. He went on to also earn Doctor of that you’re going to be entering into.” cal areas where they want to grow of Oswald Cos. “We weren’t looking Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, To some extent, NEOMED is doing health care leaders: social justice In his rst 20 days as the new pres- for another Jay Gershen. We were Master of Public Health and Master that well today, Langell added, noting pathways, rural health pathways and ident of Northeast Ohio Medical Uni- looking for that leader who can now of Business Administration degrees. that many of the university’s gradu- urban health pathways. versity (NEOMED), Dr. John Langell take what Jay had built and transform Langell completed his surgical resi- ates are in major leadership roles. He also wants to bring in his back- logged nearly 3,000 miles traversing it into what we need for the next level dency at Stanford University Medical “So we’ve done something right, ground as an entrepreneur to help ad- the state to meet with stakeholders. going forward.” Center, as well as a residency in space but I’m not sure anybody here knows vance and expand the Research, Entre- Since starting Oct. 1, Langell has Langell proved to be that leader, se- and aerospace medicine at NASA/ exactly what that strength is yet. It’s preneurship, Discovery and Innovation focused on getting to know the nuts curing a unanimous recommendation University of Texas Medical Branch. just been part of our fabric,” he said. Zone (REDIzone) at NEOMED, which and bolts of the university, engaging from the search advisory board, made Along his educational path, the “Now, we’re going to work on devel- supports biotech innovators as they NEOMED’s “immediate family” (its up of community members, faculty, USAF recruited him and he came back oping changes to our curriculum to take their research from concept to faculty, students, sta and alumni) sta and board members, Klonk said, as an o cer in the Air Force Reserve, a push really intentional pathways of capital. He’s helped start more than 80 and its “extended family” (local, re- adding that Langell is “a visionary” track that “really paralleled the rest of development around this and to grow startup companies, with ve of his own gional and state government part- who brings energy into a room, drives my life,” he said. Ultimately, he retired whatever that secret sauce is and add startups. He worked hard at the Univer- ners, academic partners, philan- execution strategies and can really from the Air Force Reserve after a total to it strategically and thoughtfully.” sity of Utah to set up programs that con- thropic donors and more). of 24 years in the Currently under construction on nect students with industry and gov- “I don’t want to be that person “I WANTED TO GIVE OUR service. NEOMED’s campus is a $24 million ernment initiatives to create an who comes in and starts to drive For the past o ce building and academic learn- ecosystem to support and accelerate change without really knowing what FOLKS AN OPPORTUNITY TO 13 years, ing center. Slated to open in late product development. our needs are, what our community MEET ME TO LEARN ABOUT Langell had 2020, the building will be the new For the REDIzone, he wants to requires of us, what the ecosystem been with the face of NEOMED and Bio-Med Sci- bring in more partners and build the and environment needs,” Langell ME, TO TRUST ME, FOR ME TO University of ence Academy, a STEM+M high program out. said. “I wanted to give our folks an MEET THEM AND TO LEARN Utah, where he school on campus. “I’ve had really outstanding discus- opportunity to meet me to learn built out the As for future growth of the campus, sions with the leadership in our state, about me, to trust me, for me to meet ABOUT THEM.” Center for Langell said he will focus on expan- who understand the power of entre- them and to learn about them.” —Dr. John Langell, NEOMED president Medical Inno- sion where it makes sense, empha- preneurship, and they’re starting to A U.S. veteran, surgeon, educator, vation, a health sizing programmatic needs rst. grow a bigger community around this. health care leader and entrepreneur, transform NEOMED as an institution. care-focused technology commer- “My biggest focus is really going to We want to be part of it,” he said. “It’s Langell most recently served as vice For his part, Langell was excited by cialization and process improvement be on program development,” he not about silo-ing yourself and saying, dean at the School of Medicine at the the opportunity to lead a smaller, program that aimed to improve said. “What aren’t we serving in the ‘Look what I did.’ It’s about coming to- University of Utah, where he also nimble organization and its team of health care quality, access and the health care space now that we should gether and showing what we did.” founded and served as executive di- passionate, driven employees. development of new technologies. be? Are there additional profession- After a varied career in health care, rector of the Center for Medical Inno- “It gives us the ability to start to ough he’s still learning the land- als that are absent or just not at the Langell has been drawn to the educa- vation. He was tapped to lead look at ways to change education in scape at NEOMED, Langell already levels they need to be to deliver tion piece for the ability to motivate, NEOMED as its seventh president, health care, the delivery of health has ideas for its future, including health care here? Should we grow empower and engage students. succeeding Jay Gershen, who retired care, without being currently tied building dynamic future leaders. new programs in those areas? How “And I think that’s our role as edu- at the end of September. into the current reimbursement sys- “From the student side, what we do we take the ones we have and ei- cators: not just to share the knowledge Robert J. Klonk was chair of the tem through a tertiary care center need to do that we’re not doing well ther expand them or change them to but to teach them how to build upon NEOMED board during the presi- that’s really wanting to change, but at at any institution in health care edu- better meet the needs of patients?” our knowledge and how to take it and dential search, which he led. His the same time having to practice cation is how do we teach them to be He wants to nd ways to empha- apply it where they can really have im- term as chair ended Oct. 1, but he re- within the con nes of the way we do real leaders, to be change agents?” he size o ering equitable care in under- pact,” he said “And in health care, I mains a board member. medicine now,” he said. said. “And that includes empowering served areas. As a state institution, can’t think of a better mission for “We made it very clear: Jay Gersh- After enlisting in the U.S.