Complete Lawn Maintenance Services - Employed in a local machine shop, Dave Nowakowski frequently longed for the fresh-air working environment he had come to know while growing up on one of Ohio's many family farms. In 1987, Dave began a sideline business providing landscaping and lawn maintenance services to local residents and business owners. In 1990 Dave resigned from his position at the machine shop to focus his full-time attention to his new and growing company. We visited recently with Dave and his wife, Sharon, and listened as they provided this overview of Razor Sharp Lawn Maintenance's wide range of services; - read more...

The Perfect One-Stop-Shop for Mom-To-Be and Baby - Coming from a background in the hospitality industry, Lori Miles founded Details in Avon, Ohio in 2003. Specializing in "gifts from the heart", Details had a small section devoted specifically to babies that underwent tremendous growth, eventually growing to the point that it needed a home of its own. In 2005, Lori opened The Littlest Details at 36840 Detroit Road at The Shoppes of Olde Avon Village dedicated to items for mothers-to-be and babies. We visited with Lori recently, and listened as she provided this overview of The Littlest Details' offerings; - read more...

For All of Your Residential and Commercial Remodeling Needs - R.J. Kearney Construction Co., Inc. was founded in 1972 by Russ Kearney. His son, Joe, began working for his father part-time during high school, and later attended Lorain Community College followed by a four year apprenticeship through the carpenters union. Today Joe serves as the President of R.J. Kearney Construction Co., Inc., and continues to build the reputation for quality construction his father began thirty-six years ago. We met with Joe recently, and listened as he provided this overview of R.J. Kearney Construction's services; - read more...

Measuring for Improvement - As an active pilot in the air traffic management system, Roderick (Rod) W. Munn has become intimately familiar with the growing pressure regional airports face when striving to deal with increasingly volatile market conditions. Having over twenty years experience in large-scale and global technology consulting, it did not take long for Rod to realize that his unique background could be instrumental in providing the aviation industry with viable solutions to these challenging issues, and in 2005 he founded Aerospace Enterprises, LLC to meet the growing demand for senior-level professional services in the aerospace, aviation, and airport management industries. We met with Rod recently, and listened as he provided this overview of Aerospace Enterprises' offerings; - read more...

Antique Radio Sales, Parts, and Service - While a high school student, Noel S. Ilg collaborated with one of his instructors in the design of a successful radio repair course. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy as a radio technician, and soon became one of the Navy's electronics instructors. Upon returning home, Noel opened his own business in September 1946 where he sold and repaired television sets, radios, stereos, and hi-fi's, and grew his company to employ a staff of twenty-three. By the mid-1970s the consumer electronics industry was becoming extremely competitive and Noel sold his shop in 1979 and turned his full-time attention to church music. Throughout the following years, although, he found he missed fixing old radios, so in 1992 Noel founded Ye Olde Radio Shoppe in Avon Lake, Ohio. We visited with Noel recently, and listened as he provided this overview of Ye Olde Radio Shoppe's services and offerings; - read more...

Senior Living at Its Finest - Our House has been caring for the Westshore community's older adults since the late 1970s. At that time the only options available to older adults were either living at home or moving into a nursing home. When Mattie Maran founded Our House in November 1978, area seniors gained the opportunity to join a community of their peers where they could stay independent, stay involved, and continue to live their lives to the fullest. Since 2000 Our House has been owned and operated by Mattie's daughter, Marguerite L. Van Derwyst, while Mattie continues to enjoy the good life at Our House as a resident. We met with Marguerite and Office Manager Corey Niebes recently, and listened as they provided this overview of Our House's services and offerings; - read more...

You Call - We Haul - In the early 1990s Len Julio used his pickup truck to haul away some scrap aluminum siding for a friend who was doing a siding job. After helping on a few more jobs, Len realized that if he had a larger truck he could handle more jobs and might be able to earn a living hauling trash. He purchased a twenty-five yard truck, had it outfitted with a hoist, and founded L.J. Hauling, Inc. in 1993. Len began to haul construction debris for Pulte homes, in addition to handling a wide variety of residential clean-ups. We visited with Len recently, and listened as he described the services L.J. Hauling offers; - read more...

Unleashing the Power of Your Corporate Data - C. William (Bill) Grant has been involved in Information Technology (IT) since his first job out of graduate school. With over twenty years consulting experience, Bill founded Nautilus Consulting Group, Inc. in 1998 to help Northeast Ohio companies use Information Technology to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. We met with Bill recently, and listened as he provided this overview of Nautilus Consulting Group's services and offerings; - read more...

Leaders in the Scale Industry Since 1950 - Kaspar Scale, Inc. was founded in Cleveland,Ohio in 1950 by Francis J. Kaspar. His son, James C. Kaspar, purchased the company in 1960 and ran the business successfully for nearly fifty years. In July 2007, the head technician for eleven years, Thomas (Tom) Liptak, became the new owner, and continues operations as Liptak Scale, Inc. dba Kaspar Scale Co. We met with Tom recently, and listened as he described the products and services Liptak Scale provides; - read more...

Care, Comfort, and Meaningful Memorialization - With brothers who were Funeral Directors, Donald Martens realized the profession offered a wonderful opportunity to serve the local community during their time of loss. As a result, he opened his first funeral home in Cleveland in 1959. His sons, Donald Martens, Jr. and Dean Martens, followed in their father's footsteps, became licensed Funeral Directors themselves, and joined their father in tending to the funeral needs of several generations of Northeast Ohio residents. - read more...

The Last Landscaping Contractor You'll Ever Need - Steven Zalany has built an envious reputation throughout Northeast Ohio as an agronomist, certified garden designer, garden consultant, and lawn expert. As a child he enjoyed the outdoors and working with plants, and received his early guidance from his father who was a horticulturist. Steven received his Masters Degree in Ornamental Botany and in 1987 founded ParkTeq, a landscaping and lawn service company. Over the past ten years, Steven has been the recipient of the Ohio Landscapers Association Award for Residential Installation and Design and the Ohio Landscapers Association Award for Unique Design. We met with Steven recently, and listened as he provided this overview of ParkTeq's services; - read more...

Lifestyle. Quality. Philosophy. - Devon Oaks assisted living is proud to be part of Eliza Jennings Senior Care Network, a non-profit organization caring for older adults in the Cleveland area for 120 years. Devon Oaks opened its doors in 2000 in the heart of Westlake on Crocker Road, across from (what is now known as) Crocker Park. We met recently with Executive Director Danielle Maur, Director of Marketing Carrie Cuadrado, and Administrator of Clinical Services Melissa Foldi, and listened as they provided this overview of Devon Oaks: - read more...

We Keep You Covered - Paul DiSilvestro, after working in the construction industry in his younger years, and then the roofing industry for a number of years, founded DiSilvestro Roofing Co. & Home Improvements in 1998. We visited recently with Paul and General Manager Linda Sullivan, and learned about their company and the many services offered by DiSilvestro Roofing & Home Improvements; - read more...

Permanent Cosmetics for Timeless Beauty - A Registered Nurse by training, Maria L. Roman became intrigued by the esthetic possibilities offered by permanent cosmetics. After becoming a Certified Medical Esthetic Specialist™ (CMES), Maria founded Dermagraphic Clinique in Westlake, Ohio in early 2000. We visited with Maria recently, and listened as she described the services Dermagraphic Clinique provides; - read more...

Serving All Your Home Medical Equipment Needs - Clifford and Gary Durk have been involved in the home medical equipment industry since the early 1980s. With several decades of experience behind them, Cliff and Gary decided it was time to start their own company and in May 1998 founded AccuCare Home Medical Equipment. We met with Cliff and Gary recently, and listened as they described the products and services AccuCare Home Medical Equipment offers; - read more...

A Friendly, Neighborhood Salon - In the early 1990s Mary Jo Miller and Debbie Pickryl were both stylists at a beauty salon at Great Northern Mall. They decided to open their own establishment and founded 3's Company Hair Studio in 1994 in Westlake, Ohio. We met with Mary Jo and Debbie recently, and listened as they provided this overview of 3's Company Hair Studio's offerings; - read more...

Top Quality Union Plumbers - Master Plumber Ken Midgley is a proud member of Cleveland Plumbers Union Local 55. After completing his apprenticeship and beginning to practice his trade, Ken and his wife Darla opened their own business by founding Century Plumbing, Inc. in 1978. We met with Ken recently, and listened as he provided this overview of Century Plumbing's services and offerings; - read more...

Making Your Next Construction Project a Success - Brunswick, Ohio resident Michael Cangemi began working in the construction industry shortly after graduating from high school. His experience encompasses all facets of the industry from excavating to building houses. In February 2000, Michael purchased an existing construction business and renamed his new company Around the Clock Trenching/Concrete, Inc. We visited with Michael recently, and listened as he provided this overview of the services Around the Clock Trenching/Concrete provides; - read more...

Banking Beyond Expectations - Century Federal Credit Union was founded in 1948 and originally chartered to serve the federal employees working in the City of Cleveland and throughout Cuyahoga County. Over the past sixty years, Century Federal has expanded to serve the employees of over 150 Select Employee Groups, in addition to their family members and others living in their household. With over 23,000 members and $200M in assets, Century Federal is one of the largest credit unions in Northeast Ohio. We met recently with Branch Manager Sandra Previte and Business Development Coordinator Jeff Lanzen, and listened as they provided this overview of Century Federal Credit Union's offerings; - read more...

Say "No!" to Drugs - Say "Yes!" to Herbs - Disillusioned with conventional medicine, Dr. Jane Semple, MA, ND earned her Master's Degree from Case Western Reserve, graduating first in her class in 1984. She completed a dual Doctorate in Naturopathy and Naturopathic Ministry from Trinity College of Natural Health, and became the first in the area to complete her Naturopathic Doctorate and become nationally board certified. Dr. Semple was a professor at Cuyahoga Community College for six years and Baldwin-Wallace College for three years. She developed an Anatomy and Physiology module for Trinity College. - read more...

It's Never Too Late to Start - Frank Versagi traveled to China in 1995 to train in the martial arts at the Shao-Lin Temple in the Henan Province. After returning home, he founded Shao-Lin Center for Martial Arts in North Olmsted, Ohio in March 1996 so he could begin to share what he had learned with residents of Northeast Ohio. Frank returned to China in 1998 and again in 2005 where he has lived in the mountains with the Shao-Lin monks and Taoist Priests while continuing to study. Master Sifu Frank Versagi has earned his 5th Degree Black Sash in Chinese Martial Arts, 3rd Degree Black Belt in Shorin-Ryu Karate, and has trained in Shao-Lin Kung-fu, Yang Style Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Bagua, Xing-Yi, Iron Palm, and Iron Body. We met with Sifu Frank recently, and listened as he provided this overview of Shao-Lin Center for Martial Arts' offerings; - read more...

For All of Your Pet Grooming Needs - Dave Moore began training his Samoyed in 1970. When he began showing his dog, he also learned how to groom him. Before long Dave found himself training and grooming dogs for friends and acquaintances. He continued to travel 480,000 miles a year as a professional handler showing dogs in almost every state in the country, in addition to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. In 1984, Dave retired from the show circuit, and founded Doo the Dog in North Olmsted, Ohio. We visited with Dave recently, and listened as he described Doo the Dog's offerings; - read more...

A Plumber You Can Count On - Grendzinski Plumbing was founded by Robert Grendzinski in 1975. His son, Ron, began working for his father shortly after he graduated from high school. In 1985 Ron took over the family business, and has been building an envious reputation for quality workmanship and dependable service ever since. We visited with Ron recently, and listened as he described Grendzinski Plumbing's services; - read more...

Unparalleled Quality and Service - Every homeowner in town has a favorite story about the painting contractor they wished they'd never have met. We, on the other hand, take delight in introducing you to Mike Cipriano, a painting contractor you'll wish you met years ago. Established in April 1992, Cipriano Painting has been building a reputation founded on a dedication to the highest quality workmanship, top of the line coatings, and a level of customer service that has made Mike one of this areas favorite contractors. We visited with Mike early this week, and listened as he spoke of his company and the services he offers; - read more...

Insuring Your Future Since 1935 - In 1954 Michael Herzak, Jr. founded The Herzak Agency to represent the Motorists Insurance Group of Columbus, Ohio. The agency was renamed Insurance Systems Agency, Inc. in the 1980s, and acquired The Beardsley Agency of Warren, Ohio in 1991. The Beardsley Agency had been founded in 1935 and over the years grew to be one of the largest agencies within Grange Insurance Companies. - read more...

A Commercial Printer You Can Count On - Brothers Dave and Bill Kasper combined their talents in January 1995 to found Panther Press Inc. on Brecksville Road. Bill has a degree in graphics art from Kent State University and is in charge of the company's graphics, sales, and customer service departments, while Dave employs his background in engineering and his business degree from Ashland University to oversee the daily operation of the firm. We met with Dave recently, and listened as he provide this overview of Panther Press' offerings; - read more...