Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. in Bedford Hts. fired up about Obama visit, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 16, 2009
Bedford Heights, Ohio—Before beginning a historic journey to Washington D.C. for his inauguration, President-elect Obama will visit Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co., a manufacturer of high-strength bolts for products such as wind turbines and oil drilling platforms. Obama will visit the company to talk more specifically about his Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.

Related stories:

• Obama, at Ohio wind turbine plant, pushes stimulus, by Julianna Goldman, Bloomberg News, January 16, 2009
• Executives from wind-turbine makers to attend Obama visit, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 16, 2009
• Obama ties energy to prosperity, Wall Street Journal, January 16, 2009 (Subscription)
• Obama praises manufacturer in NE Ohio stop, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 17, 2009
• Obama returns to Ohio to pitch stimulus plan, Washington Post, January 16, 2009
• AP Video of Obama's Bedford Heights address, YouTube, January 16, 2009

Editorial: Cleveland needs to 'green up' its infrastructure appeal to Obama, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 16, 2009
Cleveland—President-elect Barack Obama will send a clear message about his priorities when he stops off today at a Bedford Heights factory making precision fasteners for wind towers en route to his inauguration.

Editorial: The Fund for Our Economic Future rightly creates an incentive for local governments to restructure services, Akron Beacon Journal, January 16, 2009
Akron—Support for local government consolidation and cooperation is increasing in Northeast Ohio, according to a new study released by the Fund for Our Economic Future. To turn attitudes into promising reality, the fund, a collaboration of more than 100 local foundations, intends to issue a challenge.

More regional firms get venture capital despite decline in investing, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 16, 2009
Cleveland—According to a new report from the Venture Capital Advisory Task Force, the region's flow of venture capital declined in 2008, but the number of new companies receiving cash infusions inched up.

Related story:

• Companies attract millions in venture funds, by Paula Schleis, Akron Beacon Journal, January 16, 2009

Workshop helps tech companies, Akron Beacon Journal, January 16, 2009
Cleveland—A Feb. 5 workshop targets technology-based companies that want to learn how to access funding from NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

GM cuts US industry sales forecast to 10.5 million, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, January 16, 2009
New York— General Motors Corp. today cut its 2009 industry wide U.S. sales forecast to 10.5 million vehicles, citing continued uncertainty about when the market for new cars might recover.

Super-efficient fridge among innovations at builders show, by June Fletcher, Wall Street Journal, January 16, 2009 (Subscription)
Las Vegas—This year's emphasis on green features has spurred some innovation in practical products at this year's International Builders Show. In particular, manufacturers debuted several energy-saving products aimed at homeowners looking to remodel or build new.

Battery-powered cars not yet practical for mass production, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 16, 2009
Cleveland—With all the prototypes and concept cars, not to mention company commercials and claims made to Congress, you'd think that automakers plan to start mass-producing these vehicles soon. But for all the buzz, electrification is years away at best. A representative of the Center for Automotive Research said companies won't be able to commit to making a large volume of electric vehicles until costs come down significantly.

Earnings

• Lubrizol expects 40-cents-a-share loss for 2008, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 16, 2009
  

Cuyahoga County presses Obama for $46.3 million in stimulus money for wind turbine project, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 15, 2009
Cleveland—Cuyahoga County commissioners pressed President-elect Barack Obama on Friday for $46.3 million in federal stimulus money that could be key to landing a wind turbine project in Lake Erie.

PolyOne cuts 60 jobs in Northeast Ohio, 310 elsewhere, by Janet H. Cho, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 15, 2009
Avon Lake, Ohio— PolyOne Corp is cutting 370 jobs -- including about 60 in Northeast Ohio -- and slashing other costs to address what it calls an "unprecedented declines in demand" for its products and services.

Parker Hannifin cuts jobs at Cleveland headquarters, by Michelle Jarboe, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 15, 2009
Cleveland—Citing the slumping economy, Parker Hannifin Corp. has laid off around 40 workers at its corporate headquarters in Cleveland.

Engineers press for efficiencies drop by drop, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, January 15, 2009
Detroit—Being an automotive engineer today is about much more than modeling clay and space-aged shapes. Increasingly it's about software and materials and a drive to plug the internal combustion engine's efficiency leaks.

Brook Park Ford complex hopes to get diesel V-8 engine after automaker, Navistar cut ties, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 15, 2009
Brook Park, Ohio—Ford Motor Co.'s Brook Park complex hopes to win a new engine next year when the company stops buying diesel V-8s from Navistar International. As part of a settlement concluded Tuesday, Navistar will end its decades-old deal to sell diesel engines to Ford for use in heavy-duty trucks and commercial vans.

Study finds Cleveland Plus Region 4th best location for headquarters, Cleveland Plus press release, January 15, 2009 (PDF)
Cleveland—A study published in the December 2008 Northeast Ohio Economic Review indicates The Cleveland Plus region ranks 10th in terms of total HQ employment with 60% more headquarters employment than the national average.

France weighs aid for auto makers, by Leila Abboud, Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2009 (Subscription)
Paris—France is considering additional measures to help its ailing automobile industry, such as capital infusions or loan guarantees to companies including Renault SA and PSA Peugeot Citroën.

Federal Reserve paints bleak picture of Cleveland, national economies, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, January 14, 2009 (Subscription)
Cleveland—The Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book paints a black picture of the economy across the nation and in the Cleveland region, with economic activity down across nearly all industries while residential real estate continued to deteriorate and credit continued to tighten.

Automakers' fate is on the table, Peter Whoriskey, Washington Post, January 14, 2009
Detroit—Under restrictions laid out by the Bush administration to receive a federal loan, representatives of management and labor at GM must cut worker pay and benefits to levels that are competitive with the plants that Honda, Toyota and Nissan operate in the United States.

Aclara RF moving from Beachwood to Solon, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 14, 2009
Solon, Ohio—Aclara RF Systems is moving its offices and about 250 employees from Beachwood to Solon. The business is an arm of Aclara, a Missouri-based company that makes automated meter reading systems and software for electric, water and gas utilities.

New GM plant to support Volt; Facility to make batteries in Michigan, by Jeff Green and Mike Ramsey, Bloomberg News via Akron Beacon Journal, January 13, 2009
Detroit—General Motors will open a lithium-ion battery factory, the first for a large U.S. automaker, to assemble the power packs for the Volt plug-in electric car.

News from the North American International Auto Show:

A small showing, but with big dreams, by Nick Bunkley, New York Times, January 12, 2009
Detroit—For the first time, two Chinese carmakers are exhibiting this year on the main floor of the Detroit auto show, a promotion of sorts from the usual spot they were given for previous shows in the convention hall’s basement or lobby.

A BYD for the U.S. market; Chinese automaker eyes Toledo for plant site, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, January 12, 2009
Detroit—During last year's auto show in Detroit, executives from BYD took a road trip south to Toledo to check out the area to see if it matched their future needs. And according to Paul Lin, a manager in the company's auto export trade division, they liked what they saw.

Chrysler execs refuse to be specific about Toledo, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, January 12, 2009
Detroit—Top executives of Chrysler LLC told reporters yesterday that the company will survive and is in better shape to be profitable in the future, but refused to discuss what plans they might have for the Toledo Jeep Assembly complex.

Inventory traffic jam hits Chrysler, by Kate Linebaugh, Wall Street Journal, January 12, 2009 (Subscription)
Detroit—Chrysler LLC now faces a new obstacle in its battle to survive: Many dealers are loaded with inventory and aren't ordering new vehicles. Total U.S. sales fell 35% from a year earlier in the final three months of 2008. Chrysler's declined 46%, according to Autodata Corp.

Technology levels playing field in race to market electric car, by Norihiko Shirouzu, Wall Street Journal, January 12, 2009 (Subscription)
Shenzhen, China—Last month, BYD Co., a Chinese battery and car maker, began selling a plug-in electric hybrid car in China: the F3DM, plugs into a home outlet and comes with a small gasoline engine that can recharge the battery on the go. Today the company will pitch the car to U.S. consumers at the North American International Auto Show.

• Auto show blues in Motown, by Joseph B. White, Wall Street Journal, January 12, 2009 (Subscription)
• Car reveals continue at Detroit's auto show, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 12, 2009
• Automakers show off at Detroit Auto Show, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 11, 2009
• Chrysler shows off concept cars, battery powered vehicles, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 11, 2009
• Ford shows off new Taurus sedan, a vehicle that may get a Cleveland engine, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 11, 2009
• Electric car producer Myers Motors lands big display at Detroit auto show, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 11, 2009
• Chrysler casts lot with electricity, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, January 12, 2009
• Kudos for the Cruze in Detroit, by Don Shilling, Youngstown Vindicator, December 12, 2009
• GM looks to the future with fuel-efficient designs, by Don Shilling, Youngstown Vindicator, December 12, 2009
• Ford unveils green pledge at Detroit car show, by Bart Mills, Lima News, January 12, 2009

Hyundai to slash domestic production amid global slump, AP via GoogleNews, January 12, 2009
Seoul— Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest auto maker, will slash production between 25% and 30% at its domestic plants during the first quarter. The cut will mostly affect larger vehicles, especially SUVs. Hyundai plans to increase output of small cars as demand for fuel-efficient models remains strong.

County grants $1.4M in redevelopment loans, by Jay Miller, Crain's Cleveland Business, January 12, 2009 (Subscription)
Cleveland—Cuyahoga County commissioners approved two loans that will help redevelop two industrial locations: the site of the former White Motors Co. plant at E. 79th and St. Clair, and The Garland Co.'s East 91st St. location.

Packaging idea could stick, Crain's Cleveland Business, January 12, 2009 (Subscription)
Lorain, Ohio—William Stumphauzer, a former engineer and executive at Westlake-based Nordson Corp., founded Liquid Polymer Corp. in 2001 to develop an alternative to hotmelt adhesives for cardboard boxes. Liquid Polymer has spent the last two years ramping up development and production of both the Liquamelt adhesive and a turnkey delivery system for use in manual and automatic packaging lines.

February to be an indicator for A. Schulman, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, January 12, 2009
Akron—Executives at A. Schulman Inc. have their eyes on the 2009 calendar — and probably would like to forget all about the last few months of 2008 and the impact the global financial crisis has had on the polymer company.

Cost cutting launched by Omnova Solutions, Akron Beacon Journal, January 12, 2009
Fairlawn, Ohio—Executives at Omnova Solutions Inc. said they expect to save $19 million in 2009 compared to 2008 as part of a major cost-cutting program intended to slash employment by 11 percent in 2008 and early fiscal 2009.

The Mifsud Group acquires Berea company, by Arielle Kass, Crain's Cleveland Business, January 12, 2009 (Subscription)
Berea, Ohio—Wadsworth-based private investment company The Mifsud Group has acquired the assets of Corsa Performance Exhausts, a Berea company.

Hard times are here for some time, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, January 12, 2009 (Subscription)
Cleveland—Lunch today at the City Club of Cleveland was perhaps a little bitter as three noted local economists told the Cleveland Association for Business Economics to brace for more hard times, especially in Northeast Ohio.

Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority details plans for international trade district, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 10, 2009
Cleveland—On Friday, Port leaders began to flesh out plans for the 1,000-acre international trade district it envisions along the corridor served by St. Clair and Superior avenues, stretching from East 18th Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. They said the plan for an industrial park and major transportation hub could be ready by the end of the year.

Earnings:

• A. Schulman profit declines 18% from previous year, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 10, 2009