Cleveland is getting noticed as a powerful hub for innovation and skilled talent

Although most technology leaders can solve complex problems themselves, the wise entrepreneur does not go it alone, says Max Pennington, CEO of CLEANR, a developer of filtration technology designed to keep plastic microfibers from flowing into sewer systems during the laundry cycle.

“Team is everything, no matter what you will encounter and when you’re engineering a product,” says Pennington, who launched CLEANR in 2021 alongside fellow Case Western Reserve University graduates David Dillman and Chip Miller. “This is especially true for a product not brought to market before.”

The company, based out of the Think[box] makerspace at Case Western, continues to bring attention to Cleveland’s innovative know-how through tech-centric collaborations. In April, CLEANR partnered GKD Global, a German-based producer of mesh filtration, giving the startup a filtration manufacturing base ahead of pending European environmental regulations. Pennington is also contracting young talent, with a special focus on career fairs and graduates from top universities.

Pennington is also contracting young talent, with a special focus on career fares and graduates from top universities. While CLEANR has yet to add to its team, its co-founder understands that talent is the best way to speed up innovation.

“You need a ‘why’-focused group,” Pennington says. “You want a team that’s open minded and creative, and you want to have fun. The idea is a healthy, open workplace where we can solve problems with ideas from anyone on the team.”

Cleveland is getting noticed as a powerful hub for innovation and skilled talent. In October, the city hosted the Forbes Under 30 Summit, gathering a who’s who of creators and celebrities to discuss tech, entrepreneurship, food and fashion.

One-off events are gratifying, but developing an ethos of talent-based innovation will be far more enduring, says Ethan Karp (pictured above), president and executive director of the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), a Cleveland-based group that supports small- and medium-sized regional manufacturers.

“A culture that promotes innovation will attract people that have innovative ideas,” says Karp. “That’s the prerequisite for anyone seeking talent here or outside the region. New insights and new ways of doing things are a powerful accelerant for all of our companies.”

Core of the business

An innovative culture requires company leadership to embrace change – an at-times painful proposition where ideas from new talent are nurtured rather than back-burnered. Risk aversion will not be exciting to college students entering the workforce, adds Karp.

“As a region, companies are saying this will be hard, but we need people here to change the status quo,” says Karp. “Those that do that will be winners in the next decade, period. This more true than ever when technology is improving so fast.”

Fortunately, most every sector in Northeast Ohio is welcoming elements of innovation into their processes, Karp says.  A growing number of shop floors are rife with collaborative robots, connected computing, and other applications surrounding Industry 4.0 – a term encompassing the digitization of data and systems.

Integrating these changes at scale can have direct impacts on salaries and, ideally, the skill level of workers willing to join your company, says Karp.

“You don’t have to do it all at once – you just need a couple of examples of this [technology] going well,” Karp says. “Involve people in decision-making and implementation. If they’re involved, you’ll have better outcomes, because the people who work on machines have insights that leadership do not.”

Cleveland already has a solid infrastructure of entrepreneur-friendly makerspaces, universities and business incubators, notes Pennington, co-founder of the CLEANR startup.

For example, Think[box] at Case Western is one of the largest college innovation centers in the world. The 7-story, 50,000-square-foot complex offers top-line technology and equipment including 3D printers, laser cutters, embroidery machines and more. The center is broken up into seven floors, with participants advancing upward in the order of brainstorming, physical prototyping and company creation.

“Let’s highlight those resources in the region,” says Pennington. “(CLEANR ownership) came to Case Western because of the resources it has. Having more marketing and more recognition around these spaces is a great way to garner innovation.”

CLEANER’s future roadmap is clear following a recent multi award-winning showing at IFA Berlin, the world’s largest appliance industry conference. Nor are breakthroughs in microplastic filtration confined solely to washing machines, a philosophy of innovation that can only boost the company and the region at large, Pennington (pictured above, middle) says.

“We’re looking at what other markets to go to next,” says Pennington. “For that to happen, innovation and talent will always be important to the core of our business.”

Top photo:  Think[box] laser cutters. Photo: Russell Lee.