CLEVELAND, OH – The Western Reserve Historical Society is pleased to announce the unveiling of Entrepreneurship in the Western Reserve, an exhibit featuring individuals and businesses that took risks in creating new businesses and industries in Northeast Ohio.
A graphic timeline for entrepreneurship in Cleveland from 1800-2000 will act as the background for the exhibit, which features four Western Reserve enterprises: Taylor Chair Company, Morgan Lithograph Company, Vlchek Tool Company, and Designs by Joan Luntz, Inc.
Taylor Chair was founded in 1816, building chairs for home and office use until 2012. Morgan Litho is still printing large format posters and displays after its beginnings in 1864. In fact, many of the large printed banners on display at the WRHS History Center in University Circle were created by Morgan Litho. Frank Vlcheck, an immigrant to the US from the Czech Republic, founded his tool company from a small shop in Cleveland and would eventually sell products on the national level. Joan Luntz began her design career in 1949 with designs for a breakthrough product for International Molded Plastics: “Brookpark” dinnerware, the first successful dinnerware made of plastic marketed to the public.
“Supporting entrepreneurship as one of society’s main pillars is of the utmost importance to the Western Reserve Historical Society,” said Kelly Falcone-Hall, interim CEO at WRHS. “We educate schoolchildren on its key role in developing an economy and continue to honor the entrepreneurial figures in our community through the 100 Year Club of the Western Reserve. Our hope is to continue the conversation around the area’s entrepreneurial spirit through this exhibit and its future editions.”
The exhibit will be open to the public beginning Saturday, May 10, 2014. Multiple businesses and individuals will be featured within the exhibit as it develops over the next year. Each business has a feature section of its own within the exhibit, showing how they all have contributed to the overall picture of success in Northeast Ohio.
