PIPECAST

Kellie Rotunno finds the perfect fit while directing construction for the NEO sewer district

By Natalie R. Schrimpf

A lifelong water enthusiast, the former competitive swimmer and current scuba diver even lives within walking distance of Lake Erie. It’s no surprise that Rotunno diligently works in her profession each day to keep the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan area’s water safe.

Since 2008 Rotunno has served as director of engineering and construction at the Northeast Ohio Re

BUILT TO LAST

Northeast Ohio’s top female contractors discuss the state of local construction

By Nina Polien Light

The Atlantic reports that 28,000 construction jobs were lost nationally in May, representing the lowest level since 1946. While some experts assure we are past rock bottom, they caution recovery will be slow, unsteady, and variable.

CBC asked three local professionals to assess the current and future state of construction here and nationally, particularly as it pertains to wom

HEARTS AGRAZE

Shepherdess Laura DeYoung leases her four-legged grass-cutters to area property owners

By Tracey Walker

As a young girl, after her father had been transferred from Akron to the United Kingdom, Laura DeYoung quickly fell in love with the English countryside and its picturesque grasses, trees, fields, and farms.

“I developed a passion for the countryside, especially sheep in the green fields,” DeYoung says.

It was in the UK where DeYoung, as an equestrian spoiled by public b

Hospice Design Respects Patients, Families, Earth

By Nina Polien Light

Although some sadness is inevitable during the final stages of life, the design of a new hospice-care facility aims to improve quality of life by soothing and accommodating patients and their loved ones. The Ames Family Hospice House also serves as a model for sustainable construction and day-to-day operation.

Built by the Hospice of the Western Reserve, the 40,000-square-foot Westlake facility resembles a home away fr

How to Resist the Drab Look While Trying to Appear Relaxed

By Traci McBride

This month’s question comes from Facebook: How is it possible to be casual and comfortable this summer without being frumpy?

I don’t believe anyone purposely gets dressed thinking, “I want to be frumpy,” but sometime it’s easier to not care or to fool yourself into thinking it doesn’t matter. Looking your best every day, which I highly recommend, will pay off in aces, but it takes some thought to get your syst
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Networking for Introverts

By Phil Stella

Greetings, Connections readers. I recently got a call from someone who admitted to being very introverted but still wanted to improve her networking results. I thought others might benefit from what I shared, so here’s the essence of that conversation:

• Introverted people have the potential of being better networkers than extroverts … really. They talk less but listen more. They’d rather ask than tell. These are great qualities for a networker who...
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When in Doubt … Don’t Say Anything

By Colleen Harding

Recently, I received an email that was very direct and upsetting. I didn’t know this person, and I had not solicited their opinion. I might have considered their point if they had not forced it on me in such an offensive manner. I thought about the purpose of such an email for several days. In my mind, being rude to a protocol consultant is like robbing a police station. Why would you do it? A protocol consultant is committed to teachin
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United Way Hosts Celebrity Bartending Event

The United Way Young Leaders will host a celebrity bartending event July 31 at Harry Buffalo on East Fourth Street downtown. Members of the group’s cabinet will serve drinks from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in support of the United Way of Greater Cleveland.

All tips will benefit the 215 health and human service programs and three federated agencies supported by United Way of Greater Cleveland. The programs serve more than 450,000 Greater Cleveland residents annua
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in the green | entrepreneur finds healing within garden spaces

By Pamela J. Willits

Growing up on a farm, Sabrena Schweyer developed an early affinity for the land. While Schweyer’s desire to live in harmony with nature seeded her interest in horticulture, it was studying architecture and the arts abroad that allowed her talents to take root.

“Gardens, as an art form, have been integral to English history,” Schweyer says. She became intrigued with the connection between architecture and

dollar sense | new center caters to global business development

By Stephanie Anderson Phelps

An entrepreneurial career that began with $20 in her pocket has blossomed the last two decades into Radhika Reddy’s greatest professional accomplishment.

Reddy, a co-founder of the financial firm Ariel Ventures, on July 12 will celebrate the grand opening of her Ariel International Center. The historic, 68,000 square-foot facility — a “catalytic one-stop center for international business and inter

etrends | university circle development plays to high-tech crowd

By Harriet Tramer

Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood has long housed an impressive mix of educational, medical, and art facilities. When it opens next year, the Intesa project will make the community even more vibrant by adding a high-tech dynamic to its well-established mix of institutions.

The complex will feature a high-speed broadband network that functions at velocities hundreds of times faster than the Internet c