Category: Business and Industry

MINTZ, LEO (1911-4 Nov. 1976) was instrumental in the development of ROCK 'N' ROLL with Alan Freed and making Cleveland the "capital of Rock 'n' Roll." Mintz founded Record Rendezvous in 1938 at 214 Prospect Avenue and moved to 300 Prospect Ave. in 1945.

MITTAL STEEL USA is the American subsidiary of Mittal Steel Company N.V., headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which as of 2005 was the world's largest steel producer. Mittal Steel was formed from the merger of Ispat International and the International Steel Group, Incorporated (ISG) in 2004.

The MOTCH CORP., formerly Oerlikon-Motch, is one of the nation's leading designers and builders of special turning and grinding machines. The firm originated in Cleveland in Sept. 1904 when brothers Stanley and Edwin R. Motch and Geo. Merryweather formed the Motch & Merryweather tool manufacturers.

MOTIVASIANS FOR CLEVELAND--a social, cultural and networking group--emerged in the early 2000s to try and connect young Asian professionals to one another and to the larger community, with the aim of fostering their success in Northeast Ohio.

MR. GASKET, a company which manufactures automobile accessories, was founded by Joseph F. Hrudka in 1965 to produce a new type of gasket he designed to withstand high temperatures. At the time, Hrudka and his brother Tom participated in the drag-racing circuit and hoped to make around $6,000 annually to fund their racing.

MTD PRODUCTS, INC., a national leader in two industries—tool, die, and metal stampings, and garden equipment—began in 1932 when Theodore Moll, Emil Jochum, and Erwin Gerhard founded the Modern Tool & Die Co. with a plant on W. 130th St. in PARMA. A modest business for many years, the company grew rapidly after WORLD WAR II.

MUELLER, MARGARET CROWL REID (20 August 1929 – 10 August 2018) was social worker, political candidate, preservationist, and the creator of one of Cleveland’s most notable small restaurants.  

MUELLER, OMAR EUGENE (27 July 1880-22 June 1946) was a prominent Cleveland brewer and businessman. Born in Cleveland, Mueller was the son of ERNST W. and Agathe Leick Mueller.

MURPHY-PHOENIX CO., the family-owned manufacturer of Murphy's Oil Soap, was organized in 1889 as the Phoenix Oil Co. and incorporated in 1890 with $25,000 in capital. The company manufactured oils for valves, cylinders, dynamos, machines, and harnesses under the Green Seal label in a plant located in NEWBURGH. By 1910 the company was directed by Jeremiah T.

The MUSTEROLE CO., manufacturer of a famous over-the-counter ointment, began in 1905 after pharmacist A. L. McLaren developed a mustard ointment at his Cedar and E. 97th St. drugstore. As the ointment's popularity grew, McLaren was unable to maintain his supply and eventually restricted its sale to regular customers.

MYERS, GEORGE A. (5 Mar. 1859-17 Jan. 1930), an African American politician and leader, was born in Baltimore, Md. to Isaac and Emma V. (Morgan) Meyers. He became a barber, arrived in Cleveland in 1879, and worked at Weddell House Barber Shop.

NACCO INDUSTRIES, INC. evolved from the North American Coal Corp., once a major supplier of coal in the Great Lakes region. 

The NASA JOHN H. GLENN RESEARCH CENTER AT LEWIS FIELD, a major component in the U.S. aerospace program, was established in Cleveland in 1941 as a laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), an institution responsible for encouraging the growth of American aviation through government research.

NATIONAL CARBON CO., an early leader in continuous industrial research, originated in 1881 when W. H. Boulton, a foreman at Brush Electric, formed a partnership with Willis H. Masters to supply carbon for arc lights. Five years later, WASHINGTON H. LAWRENCE, an associate of CHARLES F.

NATIONAL CITY BANK was, in 1993, one of Ohio's top 5 banking organizations in terms of assets. It started in 1845 when a new state banking act ended the banking privileges of organizations such as the Fireman's Insurance Co. of Cleveland. Its leading officers, Reuben Sheldon and Theodoric C. Severance, sought a way out of liquidation by reorganizing the firm as a bank.

The NEAL MOVING & STORAGE COMPANY was founded in 1867 by Jonathan Neal, an immigrant from England, who was one of Cleveland’s first draymen. The company began operating with only one horse and wagon and was originally known as the J. Neal Company. By the time Jonathan Neal retired in 1903, his business owned six vans, 15 trucks, and equipment for erecting large machinery.

NELA PARK, at Noble and Terrace roads in EAST CLEVELAND, is one of the earliest (if not the first) planned industrial research parks in the nation. It was conceived in 1910 by Franklin Terry and Burton Tremaine, officers of the Natl. Electric Lamp Co., which soon became the lamp division of GENERAL ELECTRIC.

NELSON, RAYMOND J. (8 Oct. 1917 - 17 Mar. 1997) was a professor of philosophy and mathematics, director of large-scale systems planning, and computer center developer at CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY.

The NEW CLEVELAND CAMPAIGN, a non-profit marketing and public relations organization, was founded in 1978 by Thomas Vail, publisher and editor of the PLAIN DEALER, to improve the city's image, tarnished by the Cleveland jokes made on national television at the time.

The NEW YORK SPAGHETTI HOUSE had the longest run for a family operated restaurant in Cleveland. Mario and Maria Brigotti opened the restaurant at 2173 E. 9th Street in 1927 after moving to Cleveland from New York City. They patterned the restaurant after the basement spaghetti houses Mario Brigotti worked in as a waiter in New York.

NEWBERRY, JOHN STRONG (22 Dec. 1822-7 Dec. 1892) is best known for his work in vertebrate paleontology and paleobotany and as head of the 2nd Ohio Geological Survey.

The NEWBURGH & SOUTH SHORE RAILWAY, a beltline railroad providing freight service to most of the industrial plants in the Cuyahoga Valley, operated only 7 miles of main track connecting with all the major railroads serving Cleveland. Incorporated in 1899 by the American Steel & Wire Co., the N&SS, a Class I, standard-gauge railroad became wholly owned by the newly created U.S. Steel Corp.

NEWMAN, AARON W. (1881-22 Dec. 1963) moved from a career in newspapers and advertising to inaugurate and promote Cleveland's annual Sportsman's Show. A native Clevelander, the son of Simon and Hanna Cohn Newman, he left Western Reserve Univ.

The NICKEL PLATE ROAD (more formally known as the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad) was organized on 3 Feb. 1881 by Geo. I. Seney, Columbus R. Cummings, Alexander M. White, John T. Martin, Edward Lyman, and Walston Brown. Originally the plan called for the construction of a main line from Cleveland to Chicago, with a branch from Fort Wayne, IN, to St. Louis, MO. By the time construction began in Apr.

NORRIS BROTHERS, a heavy machinery moving and erecting concern, was established in 1867 when Thomas Norris started the business. A family operation, Norris Bros. has always maintained close links with the City of Cleveland. In the 1920s the firm delivered loads of structural steel to the Public Hall construction site at E. 6th and Lakeside.