Did you know that Euclid Avenue used to be called Buffalo Road, which was a shuttling ground for the Underground Railroad? Most Clevelanders tend not to know the interesting factoids behind the city’s history, but that’s something that Chris Ronayne is trying to change. He is the president of University Circle Inc., the development, service and advocacy organization that’s responsible for the growth of University Circle as a premier urban district and world-class center of innovation in health care, education, arts and culture.
Ronayne spoke at the Smart Business Live luncheon Oct. 19 about how UCI is driving economic development by educating people about the region and attracting them to the University Circle area, but he also spoke about the leadership that’s required to take Northeast Ohio to that new level of excellence.
“Start with a plan,” he says. “Do we have a plan for our city? What’s our coordinated economic plan for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio? Once we get that plan, work that plan.”
The plan for University Circle was initially outlined 150 years ago, and the groundwork for UCI was laid 50 years ago, so Ronayne is simply building on a strong history that already recognized health care, education and the arts as vital to the region.
“It’s about leveraging anchor organizations to develop a true new economy,” he says.
That requires bringing together local leaders to work collaboratively.
“You have to find public, private and nonprofit leaders willing to work together,” Ronayne says.
Then it’s about coming up with ideas. Ronayne says UCI tackles all of its new initiatives just as if they were campaigns, and he says you have to make sure you target the areas that have true potential.
“Target your growth initiatives,” he says. “Target your projects, and target your precious resources to places that are working.”
And he says it’s important to look at what’s going to be successful and last in that urban area, and that requires going beyond the obvious. For example, bringing grocery retailers to the University Circle or downtown areas doesn’t mean going out and getting the big-box retailers. Instead, it means looking for local players, such as Constantino’s Market, which is already operating on West Ninth Street, to move into the University Circle area.
“Sustainability is not just an environmental word,” Ronayne says. “It’s a business word, a financial word.”
How to reach: University Circle Inc., (216) 791-3900 or www.universitycircle.org
