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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Over Twenty-Five Years' Commitment to the Local Community - Olmsted Psychotherapy Associates offers out-patient psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, adults, and couples of all ages. We provide a comprehensive package of services to assist our clients in dealing with everyday issues, such as depression, stress, child/adolescent issues, substance abuse, and family and marital issues. - 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...

Complete Accounting and Financial Services - Levy, Black, & Sneiderman was founded in Independence, Ohio in 1991 as a result of a merger between Dale Black & Co. of Lakewood, Ohio and Levy & Sneiderman of Euclid, Ohio. When Richard Tomola, CPA merged his company with Levy, Black, & Sneiderman in 2000, the company name was changed once more to Sneiderman, Tomola & Co. We met recently with Richard Tomola, a 1983 graduate of Bowling Green State University, and listened as he provided this overview of Sneiderman, Tomola & Co.'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...

A Legacy of Service and a Tradition of Excellence - Olmsted Manor Retirement Community, owned by Sovereign Healthcare, was opened in October 2000. Located adjacent to Olmsted Manor Care Center, the retirement community provides assisted and independent living services designed to complement the care center's skilled nursing support. We met recently with Patricia Zingale, Administrator and Director of Operations for Retirement Living, and listened as she provided this overview of Olmsted Manor Retirement Community's offerings; - read more...

Voted One of Cleveland's Best Dentists - As a young man growing up in Canada, Allen Park, D.D.S. had been interested in becoming a dentist from a very young age. One day while doing his undergrad work in Ontario, he was approached on campus by a recruiter from Case Western University in need of directions. As Dr. Park led him to his destination, the recruiter asked if he might have in interest in dentistry, gave him a business card, and invited him to investigate Case Western's dental school. Dr. Park came to the United States to enroll in Case Western University's School of Dental Medicine, and after graduation founded Dover Center Family Dentistry in North Olmsted in 2004. We met with Dr. Park recently, and listened as he provided this overview of the services his practice offers; - 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...

Creating Success Through Optimized Learning Solutions - Mary Beth Larsen's twenty years of experience in the corporate world includes management consulting, sales, marketing, organization development, training, and performance improvement. With her expertise and her Master's Degree in Organization Development and Instructional Design, Mary Beth founded Larsen Learning Inc. in 1996. We visited with Mary Beth recently, and listened while she offered this overview of the services Larsen Learning Inc. provides; - read more...

Specializing in Amish-Made Outbuildings and Outdoor Furniture - While working for a Strongsville homebuilder, John Rumancik was placed in charge of landscaping their model homes. He next accepted a foreman's position with a Columbia Station firm where his expertise was instrumental in helping the company win a first place award from PPG for their landscaping. In 1983 John founded his own landscaping company which has grown not only into one of the area's top landscaping firms, but has become a leading supplier of a wide range of Amish-made gazebos, sheds, and outdoor furniture. We met with John recently, and listened as he provided this overview of his companies products and services; - read more...

Expert Tree Care Since 1973 - Mike Wechter began working for a local tree service while still in high school. After gaining a few years' experience and attending courses at Ohio State along the way, Mike decided to open his own business. In 1973 he founded Mike's Tree Service Inc. which originally consisted only of himself and one truck. Throughout the years, the fledgling company continued to grow as a result of plenty of hard work and dedication to complete customer satisfaction. To accommodate this consistent growth, Mike built a new facility on Just Imagine Drive to house his business in the 1980s. We met with Mike recently, and listened as he described the services Mike's Tree Service Inc. provides; - read more...