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...

Let Massage Therapy Lift Your Spirit and Heal Your Body - As a child, Peg Kulon had very little interaction with the medical community. Her parents typically treated their family's health needs using holistic methods, and Peg remembers at six years of age visiting a reflexologist with her mother. After becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist (L.M.T.) and receiving her licensure from the State of Ohio Medical Board in 1999, Peg founded Massage Therapy Beyond 2000 in Strongsville, Ohio in June 2000. We visited with Peg recently, and listened as she provided this overview of her services; - 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...

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...

It's Never Too Late to Start - Frank Versagi traveled to China in 1995 to train in the martial arts at the Shao-Lin Temple in the Henan Province. After returning home, he founded Shao-Lin Center for Martial Arts in North Olmsted, Ohio in March 1996 so he could begin to share what he had learned with residents of Northeast Ohio. Frank returned to China in 1998 and again in 2005 where he has lived in the mountains with the Shao-Lin monks and Taoist Priests while continuing to study. Master Sifu Frank Versagi has earned his 5th Degree Black Sash in Chinese Martial Arts, 3rd Degree Black Belt in Shorin-Ryu Karate, and has trained in Shao-Lin Kung-fu, Yang Style Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Bagua, Xing-Yi, Iron Palm, and Iron Body. We met with Sifu Frank recently, and listened as he provided this overview of Shao-Lin Center for Martial Arts' offerings; - 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...

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...

Building a Bridge to Success - As a young girl, Joyce A. Kubik often felt misunderstood. One of her teachers who noticed she quickly completed her work asked her if she was cheating. Her friends wanted to know how she figured things out so fast, and her mother said Joyce had an answer for everything. These frequent misunderstandings led to a life filled with doubt, frustration, anger, and guilt; - read more...

All the Supplies a Fisherman Will Ever Need - During the early 1990s, finding bait and tackle in Avon Lake, Ohio could be a challenge. The local boat rental establishments only carried a limited inventory and the closest full-service shop was about fifteen miles away. In March 1998, John founded John's Bait & Tackle to provide local fishermen with all their needed supplies in one convenient location. We met with John recently, and listened as he described his shop's offerings; - read more...

Resolving Family Disputes Amicably and Professionally - As a certified divorce mediator and Social Worker, Susan M. Weaver was a supervisor for Child Protective Services in the mid-1970s. She received her law degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law in 1980, and served as the Executive Director of Divorce Equity Inc. from 1982 to 1985. Susan designed the first set of Child Support Guidelines used in the state for the Cleveland court, and also designed and implemented the Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program where attorneys receive training in representing children in divorce and juvenile courts. In 1983 Susan was recognized by Northern Ohio Live as one of Cleveland's Most Influential Women, and in 1985 entered private practice. We met with Susan recently, and listened as she provided this overview of the services her company offers; - 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...

Setting a New Benchmark in Child Care and Development - When Stella Moga enrolled her newborn son in daycare, she was horrified when she was told as she picked him up afterward that he had cried all day. She couldn't believe that they hadn't taken the time to call her at work and let her know about the situation. Upon returning home, Stella resolved to start her own daycare where she could provide children with the tender, loving care they desperately needed. Although she had recently immigrated to the United States, had few English skills, and no money, she wanted to provide children with a level of care that was unheard of in the daycare industry. Stella began working extra jobs, attending business school at night, and developing a business plan for a day care center. With only $1,800.00 and a burning desire to succeed, she founded Le Chaperon Rouge in 1982 in the basement of a local church. Today Le Chaperon Rouge has grown to eight schools throughout Northeast Ohio, with more in the planning stages. We met with Stella recently, and listened as she offered this overview of the services available at Le Chaperon Rouge; - read more...

What's That Dripping Noise? - That's a noise that makes a homeowner's heart sink and the bravest of them turn pale. That's also a noise that starts a search for roofers and all too often, confusion for homeowners deciding whose advice to follow unless they live in the local area. Fortunately for local residents, Mike Priebe Roofing & Home Improvement has a long running history of curing the ills of roofs gone bad through both age and improper installation. Mike took much of the mystery out of roofing for us recently with these words; - read more...