The downtown micro-grid proposal soldiers on.  I wonder if its survival is related to the latest Tower City developments.  It would make sense.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/03/regions-leaders-embrace-idea-of-building-a-micro-power-grid-what-you-need-to-know.html

Not sure if I'm reading this correctly because it didn't receive any media attention. Nevertheless, Inogen recently received a grant to bring an additional 260 jobs to Cuyahoga County. https://www.jobsohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jobsohio_jan_2019_metrics.pdf

 

8 hours ago, Metz44 said:

Not sure if I'm reading this correctly because it didn't receive any media attention. Nevertheless, Inogen recently received a grant to bring an additional 260 jobs to Cuyahoga County. https://www.jobsohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jobsohio_jan_2019_metrics.pdf

 

 

What's painful about seeing that list is it shows "Cover My Meds" with over 1000 new hires in Franklin County.   This company of course started out in Cuyahoga County.  Ouch. 

Tell the folks in the Mahoning Valley and down in SE Ohio that there are good-paying jobs to be had here.....

 

Cleveland Contractors Face Worker Shortage As Construction Backlog Builds

https://www.ideastream.org/news/cleveland-contractors-face-worker-shortage-as-construction-backlog-builds

Unfortunately really bad news.  The bls has revised the job creation numbers for the year.  Columbus and Cincinnati did not change much but Cleveland was drastically revised downwards.  For instance, the last 5 months of 2018 were 1.1, 0.8 , 0.7, 0.8, and 0.6.  Don't know how they could have been this far off.

That's absurd. They revised it downward to 1/3 - 1/4 of their original numbers. Someone at the BLS isn't doing their job. The fact that the other metro areas weren't significant adjusted makes me think some hanky panky is going on.

 

EDIT: this really p!sses me off.

Edited March 11, 20196 yr by KJP

How could the numbers be THAT far off? Makes no sense at all. What would be the reason for putting out false info for that long? 

3 hours ago, KJP said:

Tell the folks in the Mahoning Valley and down in SE Ohio that there are good-paying jobs to be had here.....

 

Cleveland Contractors Face Worker Shortage As Construction Backlog Builds

https://www.ideastream.org/news/cleveland-contractors-face-worker-shortage-as-construction-backlog-builds

I'm in the Carpenters Union here in town and this is absolutely true; with all the work going on right now, the projects slated to begin later this year (Nucleus, TC, OC projects, Pace lakefront, FEB etc) I don't know where all the labor is going to come from....I cant even imagine if SW had pulled the trigger on a new tower!

2 hours ago, KJP said:

That's absurd. They revised it downward to 1/3 - 1/4 of their original numbers. Someone at the BLS isn't doing their job. The fact that the other metro areas weren't significant adjusted makes me think some hanky panky is going on.

 

EDIT: this really p!sses me off.

 

Yeah it makes me not care about the numbers throughout the year because if they can get revised this drastically then there is no point in paying attention to them.  I always knew they would be adjusted but how to you go from 2.5 in December down to .6?  It's just ridiculous.

Edited March 12, 20196 yr by cle_guy90

This graph should have raised some eyebrows as to the validity of the BLS job growth numbers. It seemed very odd that there would be such a huge spike without any sort of game changing news announced- like an Amazon HQ2 or something. The new revised numbers seem more in line with recent history and trends. 

Except for the reports of employers crying for workers they cannot find, the post-2016 surge of out-of-state license plates locally, the booming construction around town, etc.

 

The only thing I can figure why both are happening (ie: the conditions I've just noted despite the still-below national average job growth) is that so many Baby Boomers are retiring. So while we're seeing visible evidence of job growth, it's really just younger employees coming in to replace retiring employees. And while some retirees will move out of the region, many will stay. So there may still in fact be some population growth happening, even though the revised job data is no longer the basis for that growth.

3 hours ago, KJP said:

The only thing I can figure why both are happening (ie: the conditions I've just noted despite the still-below national average job growth) is that so many Baby Boomers are retiring. So while we're seeing visible evidence of job growth, it's really just younger employees coming in to replace retiring employees. And while some retirees will move out of the region, many will stay. So there may still in fact be some population growth happening, even though the revised job data is no longer the basis for that growth.

 

It makes sense--in 2016 the oldest of the baby-boomers were turning 70.  

It may also be that we are seeing genuine changeover, but that it won't result in statistical growth in either regional jobs or population.

 

Or it could be that we are victims of our own sampling bias because we tend to be more aware of what is happening in Cleveland's younger and more dynamic neighborhoods, but they make up a relatively small fraction of a still declining region.

5 minutes ago, X said:

It may also be that we are seeing genuine changeover, but that it won't result in statistical growth in either regional jobs or population.

 

Or it could be that we are victims of our own sampling bias because we tend to be more aware of what is happening in Cleveland's younger and more dynamic neighborhoods, but they make up a relatively small fraction of a still declining region.

 

It appears we could get it wrong all day from the data which is published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Data being revised to 1% growth overall when compared to just last week being above the national employment growth rate for over half of last year?  Something's wrong here.

 

If there's a positive, we're up 10,000 jobs from this time last year, even with the revised records.

5 hours ago, KJP said:

Except for the reports of employers crying for workers they cannot find, the post-2016 surge of out-of-state license plates locally, the booming construction around town, etc.

 

The only thing I can figure why both are happening (ie: the conditions I've just noted despite the still-below national average job growth) is that so many Baby Boomers are retiring. So while we're seeing visible evidence of job growth, it's really just younger employees coming in to replace retiring employees. And while some retirees will move out of the region, many will stay. So there may still in fact be some population growth happening, even though the revised job data is no longer the basis for that growth.

 

Lol, again with the out of state license plates stuff?! Come on, that's not a way to track much of anything. I just heard a story on the NBC national news about a company in Youngstown that is struggling to find workers, but that metro is certainly not growing. There are always worker shortages in some in demand fields, while there are a glut of unemployed people in other industries. I have no doubt that Cleveland's economy (and also perhaps population) is rebounding and coming back strongly, but just not as strongly as the former estimates were claiming. Cleveland growing at twice the rate of Cincinnati or Columbus just doesn't seem plausible, but 1% growth certainly does. I hope the economic growth continues, and that it translates into population growth for metro Cleveland, too. 

There's no good way to measure what they're claiming to measure.  The physical condition of the city is more telling than any of these made-up stats. 

28 minutes ago, edale said:

 

Lol, again with the out of state license plates stuff?! Come on, that's not a way to track much of anything. I just heard a story on the NBC national news about a company in Youngstown that is struggling to find workers, but that metro is certainly not growing. There are always worker shortages in some in demand fields, while there are a glut of unemployed people in other industries. I have no doubt that Cleveland's economy (and also perhaps population) is rebounding and coming back strongly, but just not as strongly as the former estimates were claiming. Cleveland growing at twice the rate of Cincinnati or Columbus just doesn't seem plausible, but 1% growth certainly does. I hope the economic growth continues, and that it translates into population growth for metro Cleveland, too. 

 

Someone from Chicago just bought the house right next door to me (sold in 6 hours). Likewise, the house directly across from me was purchased last June by a couple from Michigan. Jobs and affordability are drawing newcomers to Cleveland.

 

Laugh if you want, but the growth is real. Stats showing what we're observing at ground level typically lag a year or two behind.

^There is a vacant parcel on my block available for $30k - a couple from Buffalo came by to see it yesterday. 

37 minutes ago, Clefan98 said:

 

Someone from Chicago just bought the house right next door to me (sold in 6 hours). Likewise, the house directly across from me was purchased last June by a couple from Michigan. Jobs and affordability are drawing newcomers to Cleveland.

 

Affordability drew someone from Michigan to Cleveland? Even Chicago is still very affordable for a big city. I could see someone from NY or CA being drawn to an Ohio city for a more affordable lifestyle, but other places in the Midwest that are equally cheap? Don't really buy that.

 

Anecdotes are just not very relevant when discussing economic and population growth. I've met several people from Cleveland who have recently moved to Los Angeles. Should I take that as a sign that Clevelanders are fleeing to California en masse? Of course not. 

 

Regardless, I'm not trying to be negative here. I wasn't laughing at anything but the claim that out of state license plates mean anything. The revised BLS numbers just seem to be more plausible to me, knowing the actual data that has been published regarding these trends in recent years. 

Yes, both of my new neighbors moved here for jobs and affordability. Don't shoot the messenger.

https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/03/06/millennials-leaving-chicago-cost-of-living/

 

I hear you about anecdotes, but I've lived in the city since 2009 and have never witnessed this amount of out-of-state license plates before. I've also never met so many new folks like I have in the previous 1.5yrs. On some streets the east coast license plates outnumber the Ohio plates. I guess you're gonna have take our word for it, or move to Cleveland like everyone else : )

Edited March 12, 20196 yr by Clefan98

I know what I see with my eyes, what I read and who I talk with. I don't know what you see with your eyes, @edale, in the same general area over a couple of decades as I have. We are shaped by our experiences.

 

So aside from the jobs data or the anecdotal license plate experiences, I've posted lots of information in multiple blog postings about people I've interviewed, informational resources I've shared, and more. Frankly, I don't know what more I can do. So be it.

 

BTW, Youngstown employers (as do some here) have a hard time finding people who can pass a drug test.

Edited March 12, 20196 yr by KJP

It would be strange NOT to encounter people from different states in a city of this size.  The bottom end of the local economy is still disintegrating as we speak, as are lower class neighborhoods throughout the city and inner ring.

Then it was strange for decades. I see the local economy turning around strongly. The transition away from a manufacturing-dominant economy is done and is now moving solidly to one that is more entrepreneurial-based. 

It's possible Edale and KJP are right. People aren't "flocking" to Cleveland but there's definelty something different going on. I own rental property on the Westside. Just handed keys to a family from California. They've never been to Cleveland. Husband got a job in Twinsburg. 

Edited March 13, 20196 yr by Sir2geez

Announced last October, now completed......

 

TransDigm Group closes its $4 billion acquisition of Esterline Technologies

https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/transdigm-group-closes-its-4-billion-acquisition-esterline-technologies

Venture for America selects Cleveland for next startup accelerator program

 

https://www.crainscleveland.com/small-business/venture-america-selects-cleveland-next-startup-accelerator-program

Some great news from an old guard company, Rockwell Automation is adding 150 software engineers in Mayfield Heights.

 

https://www.crainscleveland.com/technology/rockwell-automation-recruits-raising-brand-awareness

 

Rockwell Automation Inc. has long helped manufacturers operate more efficiently. But as the industrial Internet of Things grows, the company needs to grow its software engineering talent base.

“The software play for us is exciting,” said Shane Driggers, vice president of global talent for Rockwell. “As we position ourselves and our promises around expanding human possibilities, that resonates with candidates that are coming from traditional software companies: the ability for them to come into our organization and take the skills that they’ve developed and the experiences that they have and be able to apply them to Industry 4.0 and be a part of this next evolution of technology and manufacturing.”

According to information provided by the company, Rockwell is looking to hire about 150 software engineers just in Mayfield Heights in fiscal 2019 — a 300% year-over-year increase.

Boosting information technology in NE Ohio is critical. It's the weakest jobs growth sector locally, if you believe BLS....

 

 

Swagelok adds 1,000 jobs to Solon. Schwebel takes 200 of them away....

 

 

No big deals coming, Key Bank says

 

Nothing is in the works, according to Buffalo's business newspaper - which is good news.  There had been an earlier report in the WSJ that Key would make a nice acquisition for a bank already in the top-tier $250 billion category.  The WSJ suggested PNC as a buyer. The smaller recent buys Key has made are interesting, though, and go with what the spokesman said are Key goals.

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2019/03/14/no-bank-deals-here-keycorp-cfo-says.html?ana=yahoo&yptr=yahoo

 

Thanks, PD, for keeping us all up to date on the big local financial news.

1 hour ago, Dougal said:

Thanks, PD, for keeping us all up to date on the big local financial news.

 

Kinda hard when there’s like 4 people left working there.

Edited March 20, 20196 yr by Enginerd

Sherwin-Williams Is Just Scratching The Surface After A 31% Dividend Increase

Mar. 21, 2019 7:04 AM•SHW

 

https://seekingalpha-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/seekingalpha.com/amp/article/4250175-sherwin-williams-just-scratching-surface-31-percent-dividend-increase?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fseekingalpha.com%2Farticle%2F4250175-sherwin-williams-just-scratching-surface-31-percent-dividend-increase

Cross-posting from the Ohio City development thread, Voss is likely to leave their West 25th facility in Ohio City for Berea.

 

Quote

West Side stalwart Voss Industries buys Berea plant
STAN BULLARD

Voss LLC, a manufacturer in Ohio City since the 1950s, has purchased a building and plans to move to Berea. The company said it hopes to occupy one property but that it has not determined if some functions may remain in Ohio City. The manufacturer is in a four-floor building.

 

Voss Industries LLC, a manufacturer of clamps and related items for aerospace and associated uses, is preparing to move its 267 jobs and $11 million yearly payroll from its Cleveland plant to Berea. The unit of Fullerton, Calif.-based Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing LLC confirmed in an email to Crain's that it plans to relocate to a more modern plant at 1000 West Bagley Road. The current facility is at 2168 West 25th St.

 

"We do not know yet whether we will retain a presence in Ohio City, mostly due to variables in growth and acquisition, but it would be desired to be in a single location," the email said. Voss said it needed room to expand to meet anticipated demand for its products. The company said it was unable to find a vacant, modern plant in Cleveland that met its needs.

 

The location of its Ohio City home, should Voss vacate it fully, would put a major property into play on the southern edge of the West 25th entertainment district.

 

Voss is in a large, four-story building with a total of 239,000 square feet of office and industrial space. It also uses two large parking lots nearby for its employees. Voss has been on the site since 1957, and the main element of the structure dates from the 1930s.

 

Read more: 

https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/west-side-stalwart-voss-industries-buys-berea-plant

Some news from the pastry world.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2019/03/pastry-delivery-service-app-to-launch-in-university-circle.html

 

Quote

Pastry delivery app to launch in University Circle
By Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You can order cookies, cupcakes and more with a new app developed by two Case Western Reserve University students.

 

PastryNow delivers fresh baked goods from small bakeries and home bakers to you with the tap of a button. "Anyone can open their phone and have a fresh, delicious baked good of their choice delivered to them wherever they are," said Igor Tutelman, one of the founders.

 

Well, not quite wherever they are. At this point, PastryNow only serves users in the University Circle neighborhood, and primarily targets students at Case Western Reserve University. The app developers plan to expand to downtown and Cleveland’s suburbs soon.

 

What an oddly specific app idea. Don't get me wrong, I love me some pastries and coffee. What's next a TP emergency delivery app? Wait, that's actually a good idea.

 

 

On 3/27/2019 at 12:49 PM, KJP said:

 

 

Damn.   My dad was Ferro's corporate EHS director until 1986 or so, one of my best friend's dad's ran the place (we met her completely independently of this connection) and I interviewed there about ten years ago.

PNC sells Cleveland data center for $51.7 million

https://www.crainscleveland.com/finance/pnc-sells-cleveland-data-center-517-million

Suburban company prepares to expand with Cleveland plant

https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/suburban-company-prepares-expand-cleveland-plant

February employment numbers for the Cleveland MSA are back on track with year over year gains:

 

Feb '19 vs Feb '18

Workforce: 1,036,192  vs 1,033,582

***Total non-farm jobs:  1,059,700  vs  1,047,400 (includes workers from outside the MSA working within the MSA)

Employed:  986,070  vs  981,970

Unemployed:  50,122  vs  51,612

Unemp. rate:  4.8%  vs  5.0% 

 

***  Taken from the BLS local unemployment report, except for Total non-farm which is from a different database.

 

After last year's catastrophic data readjustment, It's meaningless data as far as I'm concerned. I'm still pissed at the BLS for its draconian refining of 2018 from healthy 2 to 3 percent monthly increases to basically no growth. How can anyone believe what they estimate after that ridiculous f---k up?

I'd be really interested in knowing how there could be such an adjustment needed.  I have to think there was underlying factor that had to be recalibrated for some reason.

33 minutes ago, KJP said:

After last year's catastrophic data readjustment, It's meaningless data as far as I'm concerned. I'm still pissed at the BLS for its draconian refining of 2018 from healthy 2 to 3 percent monthly increases to basically no growth. How can anyone believe what they estimate after that ridiculous f---k up?

 

Yep I was the guy who always posted them and now I still check in on them but they don't mean much to me anymore.  I always new they would be adjusted but that was ridiculous.  

Will this reduce the permitting required by the EPA in order for new industries to open in Greater Cleveland?

 

 

Also does that mean buh bye e-check? ??

8 hours ago, KJP said:

After last year's catastrophic data readjustment, It's meaningless data as far as I'm concerned. I'm still pissed at the BLS for its draconian refining of 2018 from healthy 2 to 3 percent monthly increases to basically no growth. How can anyone believe what they estimate after that ridiculous f---k up?

 

The Local Area Unemployment Database in Cleveland's case cites raw as well as seasonally adjusted data. The numbers I used have been "seasonally adjusted", which is mostly smoothing. For February both the raw and adjusted data resulted in a 4.8 unemployment rate, which is confidence building.

 

I'm not sure how the November/December numbers previously discussed were adjusted, but the data those numbers were based on were computer reported and compiled; it could have been late reporting or just some random handling error. Disappointing, I know, but it's the best we have to go on. The trend is your friend.

According to the 2018 St Lawrence Seaway report, Cleveland was the no. 1 US port for imports and no. 9 for exports.  The imbalance in the tonnage is reflected in the container counts: 6,220 in and 900 out.

 

http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/pdf/traffic_report_2018_en.pdf

15 minutes ago, Dougal said:

According to the 2018 St Lawrence Seaway report, Cleveland was the no. 1 US port for imports and no. 9 for exports.  The imbalance in the tonnage is reflected in the container counts: 6,220 in and 900 out.

 

http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/pdf/traffic_report_2018_en.pdf

 

I assume that means Cleveland was the #1/#9 US port on the St. Lawrence Seaway/Great Lakes? Certainly not nationwide.

4 minutes ago, KJP said:

 

I assume that means Cleveland was the #1/#9 US port on the St. Lawrence Seaway/Great Lakes? Certainly not nationwide.

 

Be weary of any report that does its cover page in comic sans. 

I'm seeing what seems to be a growing number of Cleveland businesses leaving for the suburbs. Jakprints moving to Eastlake. Voss moving to Berea. Conveyer & Caster moving to Westlake. Now this (below). What efforts are being put forward by the Jackson Administration to retain these employers?