After many years of adamantly claiming not to have a “hometown,” hating the 100% humidity-filled summers (that I still despise), and trying to be indifferent about anything “Southern,” I have finally come to peace with my Southern roots and my “Southernisms.” It wasn’t until I re-located to Cleveland, Ohio this past summer that I realized how much I miss the down home cooking, Southern hospitality (including the “Sirs” and “Ma’ams”), and of course 75% of the year being flip-flop wearing weather; I never thought that these things influenced my life so much, until I realized how much I miss these things.

I grew up with March Madness, sweet tea, wrap-around porches, and the best barbeque on the planet. I would root for the Gamecocks every game day as an undergraduate, I know what “South of the Border” is and I have visited there, and I can tell you that Myrtle Beach is overrated and is probably the most ascetically displeasing beach the Carolinas have to offer. Not only did I go to graduate school in Research Triangle Park (RTP) and work there, I also watched RTP grow – changing Raleigh’s small town atmosphere into a health science and technology hub.

When I moved to Cleveland, I experienced a lot of culture shock. One culture shock, in particular, was having RTP traffic replaced with downtown traffic and game day traffic. Another culture shock was going from a place where research and technology was a staple to the city, much like “pig-pickins” are to block parties, to a city that has been gaining more steam and momentum in the science department.

But, what I miss from the South is balanced with the excitement of living in a city that has so much to offer in my industry. Cleveland’s life science industry has flourished and its growth is on-going.(1-3.) Cleveland/Columbus/Cincinnati was ranked one of the top five growing life science hubs by MedCity.(3) BioEnterprise,(4) Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center (GCIC),(5) Ohio’s Third Frontier program,(6) JumpStart,(7) Cleveland Clinic,(8) Case Western Reserve University, MedCity News, and the Choose Ohio: Governor’s Medical Corridor Initiative(9) are just a few of the many reasons that Ohio, especially Cleveland, is an ideal environment to launch a life science company.

Prior to living in Cleveland, I associated the following to the city: die-hard and loyal fans of the Browns and the Indians, Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Lake, Cleveland Clinic, and Drew Carey. I would have never guessed that Cleveland would be such a great area for the life science industry, nor would I have thought that such businesses would thrive in Cleveland. After having lived here for more than half a year, I can now extend that list to include rough and bumpy roads, a spectacular art museum, an impressive set list of great entertainment, an amazing bio-med community, and an incredible amount of start-up medical device companies.

 

-RSpelich ^_^

 

References

1.) Bruns A. Site Selection. Big Science. Retrieved from: http://www.siteselection.com/issues/2011/may/life-science-centers.cfm (May 2011). Accessed 11 Feb. 2013.

2.) Pogoretic D. Cleveland’s health IT accelerator is looking for market-ready technologies. MedCity News. Retrieved from: http://medcitynews.com/2012/12/clevelands-health-it-accelerator-is-looking-for-market-ready-technologies-for-second-session/ (17 Dec. 2012). Accessed 11 Feb. 2013.

3.) Pogoretic D. They’re not yet Bostons, but these 5 areas are growing into hubs for life sciences innovation. MedCity News. Retrieved from: http://medcitynews.com/2013/02/theyre-not-yet-bostons-but-these-5-areas-are-growing-into-hubs-for-life-science-innovation/#ixzz2Ke7j6k92 (4 Feb. 2013). Accessed 11 Feb. 2013.

4.) BioEnterprise. Available at: http://www.bioenterprise.com/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2013.

5.) GCIC. Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center. Available at: http://gcic.org/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2013.

6.) Ohio Development Services Agency. Ohio Third Frontier. Available at: http://development.ohio.gov/bs_thirdfrontier/default.htm. Accessed 11 Feb 2013.

7.) JumpStart Entrepreneurial Network. Entrepreneurial Resources in Northeast Ohio. Available at: http://www.jumpstartnetwork.org/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2013.

8.) Cleveland Clinic. Learner Research Institute. Available at: http://www.lerner.ccf.org/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2013.

9.) BioEnterprise. Choose Ohio: The Governor’s Medical Corridor Initiative. Available at: http://www.bioenterprise.com/contact/choose_ohio. Accessed 11 Feb. 2013.

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