January 2017 | Business View Magazine

102 103 the Big Four Railroad that ran between Cleve- land and Cincinnati. In time, Berea grindstones became world famous and building stones from Berea quarries were used in prestigious buildings in the United States and abroad. But Berea’s fame as the “Grindstone Capital of the World” ended in the early 1940s, as concrete be- gan replacing building stones and carborundum grinding wheels replaced grindstones. Today, Berea is moving forward to revitalize its economic future. Matt Madzy is the town’s Director of Economic Development. His depart- ment’s mission is to help local businesses thrive and grow, and one of its initiatives is connecting businesses with the resources that best fit their needs. To help achieve that goal, the City of Berea has partnered with BaldwinWallace University and, a fewyears ago, the town and the school came up with two programs that are currently providing some of the community’s small and BEREA, OHIO medium-size businesses with needed services,while simultaneously giving students real-world experiences out- side of their classrooms. “The idea was that businesses that were interested in sustainability concepts, techniques, or practic- es, and wanted to institute policy changes, didn’t know what policy changes to institute,” Madzy begins. “So we partnered with the Sustainabil- ity Clinic at BaldwinWallace to match businesses up with the University, and the students, under the direction of Dr. David Krueger, can do reviews, dumpster dives, and analyses of what the businesses are doing, and try to come up with different concepts that help them become more sustainable. And if the businesses qualify for our grant,we can reimburse them close to one hundred percent of the cost of the consulting services.” “The Sustainability Clinic has pro- vided consulting services for local businesses to do small projects that focus on energy efficiency, waste reduction, or on sustainable products and services,” Dr. Krueger explains. “We’re finishing up a project, right now, with a small coatings factory in the AkzoNobel Company (a Dutch multinational company, active in the fields of decorative paints, perfor- We have a strong relationship with the state as far as outside businesses that want to come to Ohio. MATT MAZDY Director of Economic Development