The Greater Cleveland Partnership, an economic development corporation serving Cleveland and its surrounding community, is in the middle of its All In Plan, a plan designed to attract new businesses to the region and promote job growth.
What does this plan include? What goals does the partnership have for the Cleveland region? And what makes Cleveland and its surrounding communities such good destinations for companies?
We spoke to Baiju Shah, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, about these and other topics. Here is some of what he had to say about the future of the Cleveland region.

Baiju Shah, president and chief executive officer, Greater Cleveland Partnership. (Photo courtesy of Greater Cleveland Partnership.)
Can you talk a bit about what the All In Plan entails?
Baiju Shah: It’s prosperity-focused. It’s about setting a broad vision for the region. Our goal is to bring people together around that vision and then monitor the results.
The All In Plan is our latest strategic plan. We have set our sights on making Cleveland one of the fastest-growing regions of the Great Lakes when it comes to business growth, income growth and new jobs. In the last decade, we’ve been in the middle of the pack of the 11 metro areas in the Great Lakes when it comes to business growth. We’ve set our sights on being in the top four.
We are early in the process now. According to our latest data, we are fourth among the Great Lakes metro areas in business growth, fifth in income growth and seventh in jobs growth. It’s too early to tell how we’ll do in the rest of the decade. But we like the trend we’ve seen over the last year. We’ve seen improvement already. But we must sustain it for the decade now. It can’t be about just having a single good year.
What are some of the reasons for the growth in new businesses and jobs that you’ve seen recently in the Cleveland area?
Shah: What has changed in greater Cleveland over the last two decades is that we are at a moment in time where our large and small businesses are thriving. Our biggest issue now is not having enough people living in the region. We are one of the many regions grappling with low unemployment and high business growth. It’s a problem that isn’t entirely bad to have. But it is one that is new to our area. It has been a long process over the last decades to transition our economy to a more diverse one. We are seeing our employers embrace technology. That has led to innovation. We are seeing the positive result of that. Now we just need more people.
Does the Cleveland area need more residents or specifically more workers?
Shah: All of the above. But we need more workers in particular. With workers come more families. We need more workers at all levels, whether it’s super-skilled workers or entry-level workers. We need all of the above and more of them in greater Cleveland.
What steps are you and other organizations taking to attract more workers to the Cleveland area?
Shah: We want to retain more of the graduates of local colleges and universities. We also want to increase the number of internships offered in the area so that these students can understand what working and living here looks like. We want to convince them to stay beyond their time in college. Today we retain about 50% of the students at our universities. Ideally, it’d be more in the 55% range. That is the benchmark for high-performing regions.
Secondly, we want to welcome in more migrants and refugees and get them to settle here. The history of Cleveland is that we have been a magnet for immigrants. That has fueled our growth. We need to reactivate that. We need more of that. We want people to settle here and tell others about living here. That will only attract more people and workers to the region.
Thirdly, we want to take that concept beyond the immigrant community. We want our entrepreneurs to spread the word about the benefits of living and working here. We want people who’ve succeeded here to spread the word about the quality of life in the Cleveland area. Getting that word out there is critical.
Is there a certain pride that residents of Cleveland take in living here? Do they spread that word?
Shah: Pride runs deep in our city and region. People walk around wearing Cleveland t-shirts when they live here. The companies that are here are not only thriving, but they are innovating and creating the future. We have a visual that we use that shows an electric vehicle. People usually see that and say that Tesla built that vehicle. Then we show them an x-ray view of the vehicle showing all the Cleveland companies that are involved in making that car. People don’t realize all the amazing things companies here are doing.
People know us for healthcare, but we are also very big in financial services. We are a major financial services hub. The fact that we have such a diversified set of companies is a benefit to our area.
How important is a strong downtown Cleveland to the region?
Shah: Downtowns are extremely important to the success of all regions. Downtowns are the front doors for regions and their visitors. Downtown Cleveland is a key part of our region, a place to live and to work. Downtown is where the entire region comes to engage with each other. For that reason, having a vibrant downtown is critical to regional and economic development.
What makes Cleveland an attractive destination for companies seeking new locations?
Shah: Companies come here for a combination of reasons. What businesses love when exploring greater Cleveland are the highly skilled, highly dedicated workers here. We have that classic Midwestern work ethic. There’s also the lower cost of living and the high quality of living. That becomes increasingly important in a talent-scarce country. The Cleveland area is also a place where people want to live. The quality of public schools is important, too.
We talk to people who live in high-priced coastal areas. They have great amenities. But the access isn’t always there, whether those amenities are too expensive or it takes too long to get to them. If you get stuck in a traffic jam every time you try to get to an amenity, you stop taking advantage of it. That is something that stands out to companies: In Cleveland, you get those high-quality amenities and they are accessible to everyone.
Are people surprised when they discover just how many amenities that Cleveland offers?
Shah: The best ambassadors for our region are the people who move here. They are stunned at the world-class amenities we have, whether it be professional sports teams, arts-and-culture organizations, the visual arts, theater and music or the restaurants. We have an incredibly eclectic and creative and award-winning restaurant scene. And you can get a table at our restaurants. It’s not a place where you have to wait two months to make a reservation. Then there are our healthcare options and the high-quality colleges we have in the area.
Are there any new developments coming to the Cleveland market that you are especially excited about?
Shah: The biggest news from our region is Dan Gilbert and Bedrock having a $3.5 billion vision for new properties on the riverfront. Bedrock just struck a deal with Cleveland for more than $1 billion in incentives toward that development. These will be mixed-use facilities with a lot of residential units, some additional businesses and retail space. Plans also include a new facility for the Cleveland Cavaliers and a sports performance center at the Cleveland Clinic.
Many other developers are bringing projects to the riverfront. NRP Group has 600 units of multifamily housing under construction. They should be ready for leasing early next year.
Then there’s the Sherwin-Williams development, the biggest commercial real estate development in our region. That will be a 36-story headquarters building in downtown Cleveland. Sherwin-Williams will take occupancy of that building next year.