JR Bremer is the head basketball coach of Cleveland Heights high school. His number 22 jersey was retired by the high school where he starred and helped win a state championship in 1997. Bremer played college basketball at Saint Bonaventure University and played 3 seasons in the NBA including the 2003 -04 season when LeBron James was a rookie. Brem…

Kevin Spencer has had a long and illustrious career as an assistant coach in theNational Football League. He was part of the staff that first came to Cleveland with Bill Belichick in 1991. He has won Super Bowls. He has been named the NFL special teams coach of the year. And now, in his early 70s, he continues to stay active in the game having this…

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tom Ito, a third-generation Japanese-American, was destined to be in the hospitality industry. He worked at his grandparents’ restaurant when he was young, and he was also inspired by his parents—his father was a bartender-turned-restaurant GM and his mother worked as a hostess. He joined Gensler nearly 40 years ago,…

I returned to Ashland University today, which, along with the prodding of former Saint Ignatius football coach. Chuck Kyle, I talk about many of the qualities necessary to be successful in sports and take a peek into the future of sports media by interviewing one of the bright new talents in sports casting, Cade Cracas of Ashland University. In thi…

Michael Cavotta is a photographer who calls himself a Headshot Whisperer. He is the owner of Michael Cavotta Studios in Mentor, Ohio. Three decades after leaving the sport of track and field Cavotta picked up the shot put and discus and is now one of the top 3 in the world in shotput :M50 , and top ten in the discus. He describes himself as “a man …

Born in Chicago and raised in Arizona, Sam Fox’s early experiences working in his parents’ diners, Mexican restaurants, and delis shaped his understanding of the industry. He dropped out of the University of Arizona, where he was studying real estate finance, to pursue his passion, using his tuition money to open his first restaurant—all before he …

Katie Spotz is a world adventurer from Mentor Ohio. In 2010 she became the youngest ever to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. That is just one of the dozens of epic adventures and challenges she has completed all the while trying to raise money for a clean water around the world and other initiatives. Her most recent adventure was 3,100 mile bike…

Martin Savidge is a network anchor/correspondent having reported from all over the world for CNN, NBC, Public television and others. Born in Canada, he is a Rocky River High School graduate and Ohio University alum. After short stints with Illinois tv stations he landed a job, in 1984 at WJW Channel 8 in Cleveland, winning 9 local Emmy Awards in 12…

Raised for much of his childhood in Connecticut before moving to New York as a teenager, John Meadow developed a love for hospitality at a young age. He got his start as a dishwasher and sandwich maker at Au Bon Pain before attending Cornell’s hotel school. By 24, he opened his first restaurant, and in 2008, launched Scarpetta, which won accolades …

Legendary Cleveland sportswriter and Media personality Danny Coughlin died over the weekend at the age of 86. He has been considered by many to be one of the greatest storytellers the city of Cleveland has ever had. He had a distinguished career as a sports writer with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and then in the early 80s branched out and became on…

The Miracle League of Lake County , Ohio for individuals, from children to adults that deal with developmental disabilities, physical limitations, down syndrome, autism, and other situations. Enjoy the chance to play baseball each summer on an adaptive ballfield next to Captains ballpark in Eastlake, Ohio. The program is reliant on buddies and coac…

Settling in Seattle as a Vietnamese refugee, My Nguyen began her 22-year design career as an intern for Holland America Line followed by nearly nine years at NB Design Group. Now, Nguyen leads the interior design and interior asset management teams for Holland America Line and Seabourn fleets. Through her commitment to sustainability, Nguyen has pu…

Our Team is a fascinating book written by Luke Epplin that chronicles the World Series that changed baseball, and sports in general. It was 1948, won by the Cleveland Indians. Luke profiles owner Bill Veeck, pitcher Bob Feller, outfielder Larry Doby who was the first black man to play in the American League, and Satchel Paige, who was the first bla…

The NEO24 is a fixed timed 24 hour race in Brunswick, Ohio. In this race, 12 people reached the 100 mile mark. Pete Kostelnick, who used to live in Brunswick ran 121 miles just 13 months after sustaining a fractured pelvis in a car crash. He has 3 big screws in his body..was in a wheel chair for 2 months and couldn’t run for 6 months. Kostelnick is…

Juan Bremer has a deep connection to nature that has shaped his journey into the world of luxury hospitality. Growing up as the son of an ambassador, Bremer’s early years were a whirlwind of cultures, spanning Moscow, Germany, and Mexico. (Today, he splits his time between Mexico and Italy.) This multicultural upbringing instilled in him an appreci…

Mark Schroeder is the owner of Auction Brio. His business has raised over 175 million over 20 years for various charities all over the country. He is a licensed auctioneer after roughly 20 years at WJW Fox 8 in Cleveland as an award winning sportscaster. He is a native of Chicago, and played four years of football and baseball at John Carroll Unive…

Brian Verne is the founder and CEO of Wave Sports and Entertainment. The company , based in Santa Monica, California touts itself as the leader in sports storytelling for the next generation. Podcasts such as New Heights with the Kelce brothers, Podcast P with Paul George, 7PM in Brooklyn Melo & Mero, and The Right Time with Bomani Jones are some o…

Born in Florence and raised between Switzerland and Northern California, David Montalba, founder of Montalba Architects, was exposed to many different cultures growing up, which is evident in his work today from the rustic yet refined Whitepod eco-chalets in Monthey Switzerland to the bespoke Nobu Palo Alto in California. Today—with offices in Sant…

Lance Reisland is a teacher, a writer and football analyst for cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a former high school football coach, who left his head coaching position at Garfield Heights after the 2018 season to spend more time with his wife and daughter . He is the son of the late high school football coaching legend …

Mark Price was one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. When he retired from the game, he had the highest percentage of free throw shooting in league history. He was a four-time NBA All-Star for the Cleveland Cavaliers out of Georgia Tech. In the 1988-89 season, Price achieved the 50 /40 /90 distinction. 50% shooting from the field, 40% from th…

Eric Papachristos, who lived in Greece before returning to the U.S. at age 10, spent his life in restaurants, working at his father's diner as a dishwasher. It made sense, then, that his path would lead him back to hospitality after earning a degree in finance. With a keen eye for collaboration, Papachristos joined forces with celebrated chef Jody …

Claude Holland was a 3 time All State athlete at Cleveland’s John Adam’s high, and a college track standout at the University of Cincinnati. He coached John Adams (1982) and Cleveland Heights (2008) to state track titles. Holland was named Nike National Track coach of the year,and is in the Ohio Association of track and cross country coaches Hall o…

Lauren Brill is the founder of The Unsealed, an online writing community that shares inspirational open letters that encourage strength and compassion. Brill is a former television sportscaster at stations WIVB in Buffalo, New York, and WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio and MSG Varsity in metropolitan New York, City. While in Cleveland , Brill wrote an open …

After a 13-year stint at Chicago firm 555 International, Karen Herold, who grew up in Holland, went out on her own, founding Studio K Creative in 2014. A decade since she launched her firm, Herold has made a name for herself with a portfolio that includes restaurants for BOKA Restaurant Group like chef Stephanie Izard’s Girl and the Goat in Chicago…

Martial Artist A.J. Perry was inducted into the World Traditional Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2006. Master Perry was also inducted into the World Sokieship Council Hall of Fame in 2005.Now 64 years old, AJ is a 9th degree Grand Master and recent Gold Medalist in the Pan American Masters Games in Cleveland .…

Andre Knott is an award-winning sports commentator in Cleveland Ohio. For many seasons, he has been the sideline/dugout voice during Bally sports broadcasts of the Guardians . Knott is a graduate of Akron St. Vincent St. Mary high school and Kent State University. He also provides radio commentary on ESPN Cleveland and appears on FOX 8 News broadca…

The industry lost an icon when architect and designer Jeffrey Beers passed away earlier this year at age 67 after a battle with cancer. But Jeffrey Beers International (JBI), the New York practice Beers founded in 1986, will uphold his visionary legacy and continue to shape the hospitality design sphere under the guidance of newly appointed partner…

Katie Moon is the reigning women’s Olympic pole vaulting champion. She heads to Paris where women’s vaulting qualifications are August 5th with-finals on the 7th. She hailsfrom Olmsted Falls, Ohio and was a multiple all American while vaulting for Ashland university. Katie was married to Hugh Moon on New Year’s Eve heading into 2023. She is a multi…

Larry Orwin is taking on the Badwater 135 this year, his second attempt at finishing the grueling event, which begins in Death Valley, California and goes 135 miles to the trailhead of Mt. Whitney, 8,360 feet elevation. Larry is a board member for Breakthrough Schools,and raised nearly 150 k when he ran Badwater in 2022. He will be raising money ag…

Growing up in Kent in southeast London, Mark Eacott was always a curious kid—inspired by his artist grandfather, who taught him how to sketch and draw, and his dad, who was a builder with a strong do-it-yourself skillset. Those influences, coupled with Eacott’s creative mind, fostered his passion for design. He majored in architecture at the Univer…

Gwendolyn Bounds is an award winning journalist and author. She is also, a highly ranked Spartan racer. Bounds is the author of “ Not too Late”, a book , released in June, detailing her transition from a very unathletic, mid forties executive to taking up Spartan racing and in a few short years, becoming a force in the sport. She is currently Vice …

Holly Koester is a US Army veteran , who was injured in 1991. She became paralyzed as a result of her injuries. Undaunted she began racing in marathons and became the first person to complete a marathon in all 50 states in a wheelchair. She is 8 races shy at this moment of doing it a second time. Koester is a multiple gold medal winner in the Natio…

In 1979, as the Iranian Revolution swept through the streets of Tehran, Younes Nazarian and his wife Soraya Sarah made the decision to leave behind a successful construction business and move their family to the U.S., ultimately landing in Los Angeles. His youngest son, Sam, was only 3 years old at the time, but he watched his dad build a new life …

Scott Fedor is a former state football championship player at St. Ignatius High school in Cleveland, Ohio. He is an author, a motivational speaker, and an advocate for others. 15 years ago, he sustained a broken neck that left him paralyzed after a diving accident. He runs a foundation “ Getting Back Up” that advocates for those with disabilities. …

Jim Bonfanti, was the drummer for the Raspberries, .the power pop group that was a sensation in the early 1970s. The group also had a reunion in the early 2000s, and even achieved greater renown for being on the soundtrack for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Jim talked about his early music influences, and how he met Eric Carmen and how they for…

New Jersey native David Barry studied law before getting into real estate development alongside his brother, focusing on redeveloping shipyards and truckyards. When the W brand was being developed in Hoboken, New Jersey, Barry entered the hospitality side of the real estate business. Today, he counts Chiltern Firehouse in London, New York's Chelsea…

Whitner is a former nfl defensive back who made several Pro Bowls. Luthardt is an investor and Naval Officer who runs Kirtland Hills Capital. Whitner talked of the whole dynamic of suddenly coming into a whole bunch of money being drafted 8th overall and being completely overwhelmed. We talked about dealing with family members who link their financ…

Tim Taylor was an award-winning anchorman at channel 8 in Cleveland, Ohio. He held down the main anchor chair for close to 30 years before retiring in 2005. Taylor began his career as a radio newsman, and then became a reporter at WEWS TV 5. He joined WJKW, channel 8 in 1977 and anchored The News all the way until 2005 when he retired. He is a Clev…