The Hive: Cleveland’s Newest Tech Community

By: Jordyn Grzelewski, The Plain Dealer

When Chad and Svetlana Kertesz purchased a property on the edge of Ohio City and the West Bank of the Flats last year, the six-floor building was vacant save for one tenant.

Now, after undergoing what the couple described as “cosmetic renovations,” the building at 2019 Center St. – dubbed “The Hive” – is nearly full. With well-known Cleveland-based architecture, engineering and construction firm Richard L. Bowen & Associates, Inc., recently signed to the building for a new corporate headquarters, the building will be about 80% occupied.

From the outset, the goal was not just to lease the building, but to bring in a specific type of tenant: namely, young, tech-focused companies. The space is not a co-working environment, but a place where businesses have their own offices and room to expand.

“It’s a different approach to real estate,” said Rico Pietro of Cushman & Wakefield | CRESCO, who represented the Kerteszes in the sale and is handling leasing for the building. “We had a specific goal in mind that we were going to find the right kind of companies to create a really cool community here.”

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