Category: Business and Industry

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.

The NORTH AMERICAN BANK was incorporated in 1920 as the North American Banking & Savings Co. with $100,000 and 200 stockholders. The company, founded by ANTON GRDINA, was located at 6131 St. Clair to serve the needs of the Slovene neighborhood throughout the 1920s.

NORTH AMERICAN SYSTEMS, INC., was a leading producer of automatic drip coffeemakers. The company was founded in SHAKER HTS.

NORTH COAST HARBOR, originally known (until 1987) as the Inner Harbor, comprises the 176 acres of lakefront property and its associated attractions stretching from approx. the mouth of the Cuyahoga River to the E. 9th St. area. Planning for the future use of the area began in the early 1980s. In 1985 NORTH COAST HARBOR INC. was created to plan and manage development.

The NORTHERN OHIO FOOD TERMINAL houses a large segment of northern Ohio's wholesale food industry, covering an area of 34 acres from E. 37th to E. 40th streets between Woodland and Orange avenues. Prior to its opening, Cleveland's wholesale food trade occupied scattered quarters along Broadway, Woodland, and Central avenues from E. 6th to E. 9th streets. In 1926 the Northern Ohio Food Terminal Inc.

OGLEBAY NORTON CO., one of the oldest iron-ore houses in Cleveland, was established in 1851 as the firm of Hewitt & Tuttle. Cleveland commission agents Isaac Hewitt and Henry Tuttle received the first cargo of Lake Superior iron to reach Cleveland in 1852, and 2 years later they became agents for the Lake Superior Iron Co.

The OHIO AEROSPACE INSTITUTE, a nonprofit research center, was established in 1989 to promote aerospace-related research. The organization facilitates collaboration among universities and the federal and state sectors. It was also planned to enhance Ohio's economic competitiveness, help transfer technology to industry, and attract outstanding graduate students to Ohio universities.

The OHIO AWNING & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, originally the Wagner Awning & Manufacturing Company, was founded in 1865 by James Wagner and his brother, Jacob. Primarily in the business of sail-making, the company soon expanded its production to include awnings, flags, and tents from a small plant on River St. In 1883, James sold the business to his brother, who brought his son, F.A. Wagner into the firm.

OHIO MATTRESS CO. currently operates as the Sealy Corp. and produces the popular Sealy Posturepedic and Stearns and Foster brand mattresses. Ohio Mattress was founded in in 1907 by Morris Wuliger, a Hungarian immigrant who settled in Cleveland in 1890 and previously worked as a grocer. At the insistence of a friend, Wuliger began making mattresses and established his first plant on E.

OHIO SAVINGS BANK (inc. 1889), is one of Cleveland's oldest savings and loans. In its first 9 years of existence, Ohio Savings operated as the Ohio Savings, Loan & Building Co. at 457 Pearl Rd. In 1898 it became the Ohio Savings & Loan Co. The office moved to 517 Pearl (1866 W. 25th St.) in 1901, and by 1904 Christian Schuele had become president.

THE OHIO STORY RADIO & TV SERIES (1947-1961) was produced for BELL TELEPHONE and ran for 15 years - the record for the longest-running regional scripted program in the nation.

The 100 YEAR CLUB OF THE WESTERN RESERVE (formerly 100 Year Club of Cleveland), which held its first meeting in 1953, is a voluntary organization that honors businesses and organizations in Northeastern Ohio that have existed for a century or more.

OPPORTUNITY CORRIDOR (Oh-10) is a 3.2-mile roadway that connects University Circle with Interstate 490 and runs through largely abandoned industrial areas adjacent to the residential neighborhoods of Fairfax, Kinsman, and Slavic Village. Construction was completed in November 2021 at a cost of approximately $330 million.

ORBAN'S FRUIT AND FLOWERS was founded in 1914 by Martin and Mary Orban. The first greenhouse was located near the intersection of Union and East 72^nd Streets. During this time, the couple sold flowers both at the greenhouse and at Mary Orban’s candy shop at East 90^th Street and Buckeye Road.

OSBORN ENGINEERING CO., Cleveland's oldest engineering firm, was founded on 1 July 1892 by Frank C. Osborn, formerly chief engineer for Cleveland's King Bridge Co. Osborn's diversified company offered a wide range of civil and structural engineering services, including the design, plans, estimates, and construction supervision for roofs, buildings, bridges, railways, and highways.

OSBORN INTERNATIONAL, INC., a division of Jason, Inc., evolved from the Osborn Manufacturing Corp. Osborn Manufacturing had grown into the world's largest manufacturer of industrial brushes and foundry machines by the 1940s. The firm was organized in 1887 a group of investors headed by John Osborn.

OSBORN MANUFACTURING CORP., see OSBORN INTERNATIONAL INC..

The OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY can trace its origins to 1853, when Elisha Graves Otis introduced the first safety passenger elevator at the Crystal Palace Convention in New York City. His invention impressed spectators at the convention, and the first passenger elevator was installed in New York City in 1856.

OTIS IRON & STEEL CO. See JONES & LAUGHLIN STEEL CORP. (CLEVELAND WORKS).