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...

Balancing Your Life Mentally, Physically, and Spiritually - Several years ago, Tracy Cowley became intrigued by how uplifting and inspirational a massage could be to a healthy individual as well as one suffering from health challenges. After receiving numerous massages herself, Tracy decided to become a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) so she could help introduce others to the healing benefits the gift of the human touch can provide. In 2006, Tracy and her husband, Chuck, founded Renew Wellness Center on Pearl Road in Middleburg Heights. We met with Tracy and Chuck recently, and listened as they described Renew Wellness Center's mission and the services they provide; - read more...

Giving You More Time to Build Your Business - As working professionals, Julie and Len Zevchek faced long commutes and extensive travel on a daily basis. Julie had been organizing workflow and improving office processes in the banking, advertising, and manufacturing industries for over twenty years. Len spent twenty-five years in the travel industry where he worked with United Airlines in the automation field. In February 1996 Julie founded Executive Office Solutions, Inc. so she could work closer to home and have more time with their children. In 1999 Len joined the company to help keep pace with the company's steady growth. We met with Julie and Len recently, and listened as they provided this overview of the services Executive Office Solutions offers; - 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...

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...

Dedicated to Our Clients' Health and Wellbeing - When Kathleen Goggin Krug's twin boys were little, one had colic and the other wanted held constantly. Searching for a solution, Kathleen went to the library where she found a video tape about infant massage. She took the tape home, plugged it in, and began to give her babies a massage which calmed them down immediately. Even better, it had a calming effect on Kathleen as well. When her boys were nine years old, Kathleen enrolled in massage school, became a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), and founded Massage Connection in January 2002. We visited with Kathleen recently, and listened as she provided this overview of Massage Connection's products and services; - read more...

Your One-Stop-Shop for All Your Landscape Needs - After working for two years helping a gentleman start a landscape supply company in Westlake, Bill Lattner came across a piece of property in Brunswick that needed a new lease on life. After Bill cleaned up the property and made a few improvements, in May 1992 it became the location for what would become Earth Plus, Inc. Bill would take a load of mulch and topsoil on consignment. With little more than a pickup truck and a shovel, he would deliver it to his customers by the yard or half yard, and unload it by hand. As he collected from each customer, he would pay his supplier for the previous load and pick up another. Before long, he was purchasing larger loads in advance and clearing the property of trees to make more room. Today Earth Plus, Inc. has grown to five trucks, four drivers, five office personal, and Bill working in the yard handling the loading. We visited with Bill recently, and listened as he provided this overview of Earth Plus' 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...

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...

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...

Making You Feel at Home in Our Home - Joseph L. and Virginia Fortuna founded Fortuna Funeral Home on Fleet Avenue in the heart of Cleveland's Slavic Village in April 1958. They quickly established a personal relationship with the community as they sought to provide others with compassion, comfort, and understanding in their time of need. In 1977 Mary Ann Fortuna-Trzaska and her husband James joined the family business with Mary Ann becoming a licensed funeral director and James becoming a licensed funeral director and embalmer. Joseph and Virginia's son John became a licensed funeral director in 1979, and joined his parents, sister, and brother-in-law in the day to day operation of Fortuna Funeral Home. After nearly fifty years of serving the Northeast Ohio community from their original Fleet Avenue location, Fortuna Funeral Home opened their second location conveniently located at 7076 Brecksville Road in Independence, Ohio. We met recently with Mary Ann, James, and John, and listened as they provided this overview of the services Fortuna Funeral Home offers; - read more...

Four Generations of Insurance Excellence - In 1934 Sydney H. Lance founded one of the first insurance agencies in Medina County. He ran the successful agency until his retirement in 1965 when the day-to-day operations of the company became the responsibility of his son-in-law. A satellite office in Brunswick, Ohio was opened in 1957, and in 1974 Mr. Lance's grandson, Robert A. (Rob) Rapp joined the agency. The family sold their Medina operation in late 1984, and on April 1, 1985 Rob purchased the Brunswick agency and changed the name to Homestead Insurance Agency Inc. Today Rob continues the family tradition of service to their policyholders with the assistance of his wife Valerie and son Brandon. We met with Rob recently, and listened as he described the products and services that have enabled Homestead Insurance Agency Inc. to remain a dominant force in the local insurance industry for the past five decades; - 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...

Eliminate Gutter Cleaning Forever - Guaranteed!™ - After many years in the home improvement industry, Mike Shanks decided to start his own company. While searching for the right opportunity, he discovered the remarkable Gutter Topper®, gutter protection system. In June of 1998, Mike became a dealer for Gutter Topper® and founded The Gutter Cover Company in Elyria, Ohio. We met with Mike recently, and listened as he explained how you can eliminate gutter cleaning forever; - read more...

The Pathway to a Better Life - For over two decades, Dr. William P. Mulhausen, Ph.D., P.C., N.C.S.P., R.A.S. has been helping Northeast Ohio residents find the pathway to a better life through hypnosis, counseling, and school psychology. Utilizing a breadth and depth of both knowledge and experience seldom found in one individual, Dr. Mulhausen has experienced phenomenal success in areas ranging from smoking cessation to weight loss, stress reduction, grief and anger management, and overcoming various addictions. He's enabled his patients to improve their relationships, build their self-confidence, increase their memory and concentration skills, discover new-found motivation, overcome procrastination, enhance their study skills, and heighten their sports performance. All these and more are available through Dr. Mulhausen's ACC Alpha Counseling Center®; - read more...