Newsletter | June 2008

Civic Innovation Lab grants $60,000 to new projects

Initiatives target talent attraction and high school athletes

The Civic Innovation Lab, which provides grants and mentorship to individuals with ideas for improving Greater Cleveland, recently awarded grants to two entrepreneurs.

Shannon Davis, $30,000.
BeyondMotherhood.com

BeyondMotherhood.com is a niche job board that connects employers with educated, experienced, stay-at-home moms looking for flexible or part-time work opportunities. This initiative addresses the attraction and retention of an "untapped" highly educated workforce in northeast Ohio.Davis will be assisted by Lab mentors Ron Copfer, president, Copfer & Associates, Inc., and Paula Grooms, owner of Creative MarCom Solutions.

David Gilbert, $30,000, World School Games
This project will provide an Olympic-style athletic and cultural
event for students enrolled in secondary schools around the world.Cleveland will host the first event and serve as the operating center for future global events. The goal is to establish Cleveland as a leader in sports-related economic activity. Gilbert, president and chief executive officer of the Cleveland Sports Commission, will be assisted by Lab mentors Jon Adams, president of Noom Enterprises, and Lee Friedman, president and chief executive officer of Cleveland Leadership Center.

Jennifer Thomas, the Lab's director, said these new initiatives are examples of how the Lab supports entrepreneurs at different levels.

"Shannon is on the cusp of a budding business, targeting an untapped market that has huge national potential," Thomas said, "while David is seasoned in attracting sports events and understands the industry. Both targeted the Lab because of its ability to take risks on unproven ideas.

"BeyondMotherhood will add a new dimension to attraction of talent, and World School Games will attempt to capitalize on a growing industry inCleveland."