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Partner Profile: Evan Ishida

PARTNER PROFILE:
EVAN ISHIDA -- a teacher and activist by design

(Profiled 7/20/12)

Surprisingly, the skills Evan learned at 16 as a shoe salesman have served him well ever since. He quickly discovered the importance of active listening in order to identify his customers’ real needs so that he could talk them out of flashy high tops for more sensible running shoes. As the Manager of Performance and Learning Consulting for Eaton Corporation’s Eaton University, Evan uses active listening to assess training needs, to stimulate innovative solutions by the consultants and designers who work for him, and ultimately to develop learning solutions that will benefit the entire company.

Evan’s prowess at instructional design and his love of teaching may have been hardwired from birth, as his father was an AP Calculus teacher for 40 years in Lancaster, Ohio. Evan majored in IT at Ohio University and later earned an MBA in Marketing. He worked for Nationwide Insurance for 2½ years as a senior performance improvement analyst before working for Eaton. Evan’s teaching extends beyond his work world with his mentoring of an eighth grade student at E-Prep through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization.

Since moving to Cleveland, Evan has thrown himself into young professional circles, serving as a board member of Cleveland ConneXion, and a founder and co-chair of Engage! Cleveland. Most recently he became a board member of Global Cleveland, an organization which attracts and retains talent in the region. He’s inspired to find ways to actively involve younger folks in the Cleveland community and to work on linking business, government and nonprofits to accelerate progress. In order to promote the boomerang effect of drawing young Clevelanders back to the city, Evan believes we need to work on shaping their perceptions of the city even before college. Evan certainly has the vision, the expertise and the energy to make this happen.

In his spare time, Evan plays tennis, volleyball and golf. He loves vinyl records and singing at the top of his voice to the car radio. Although Evan claims that he cannot finish a book and that there is chaos behind his organized façade, he is clearly a master at pulling everything, and everyone, together. From what we’ve seen at SVP thus far, the shoe certainly fits.

Partner Profile: Dave Pavlich

PARTNER PROFILE: DAVE PAVLICH

(Profiled 7/20/12)

Dave believes the best way to tackle a challenge is collectively, with “people power.” He loves the idea of people working together as they collaborate and share resources to help an entity. He follows this philosophy at Dealer Tire where he is a Partner and Chief Information Officer. Dave describes Dealer Tire as one of the most unique companies in Cleveland for its entrepreneurial spirit, its “family feel,” and its shared focus on a common goal.

An Ohioan born and bred, Dave grew up in Akron and attended Stow High School. From there he went first to Kent State University, where he majored in Computer Science, and then to CWRU’s Weatherhead School of Management for his MBA. This background helped Dave pursue a career in Information Technology and eventually IT management, leading ultimately to his current position at Dealer Tire. Prior to Dealer Tire, Dave held IT positions with YRC Corporation, Roadway Express, and Matco Tools.

For the past several years, Dave has volunteered his time to the Rainey Institute which he describes as “a wonderful secret on the East side of downtown.” The Institute exposes urban kids to the arts through programs in drama, dance, music, art, photography, and even sewing. The Institute also champions community collaboration as exemplified by the relationship they facilitated between a violinist in the Cleveland Orchestra and El Sistema which offers violin lessons to low income students. Dave noted that this collaboration led to “an amazing performance” with Rainey students playing at Severance Hall and receiving their own donated violins.

Although Dave loves the family atmosphere at both Dealer Tire and the Rainey Institute, his own family has the largest hold on his heart. Dave has two daughters and a son. His oldest children play golf, which Dave enjoys as well. Like Dave, his wife also grew up in Akron; in fact, they met at a movie theater where they worked during college. Married 19 years, Dave and his wife will soon be observing the paths their own children will take in life. Dave clearly enjoys life’s daily pleasures and seems to have struck a perfect balance between work, volunteering, and family. Although he says he is “just getting going” on life’s journey, we are thrilled to be a part of that journey and we thank partner Dick Cahoon for steering him our way!

CSVP Receives Grant from Saint Luke's Foundation

Saint Luke's Foundation Supports SVP Education

We just learned that the Saint Luke’s Foundation will sponsor SVP’s Innovation Incubator Series for our First Friday events, and we shout out a big Thank You to their board of directors!

We look forward to collaborating with Saint Luke’s on education events to reach our mutual goal of promoting innovation in health and human services by showcasing examples, examining the ingredients of innovation, and understanding the role of outcomes evaluation in guiding program design.

Investee Profile: MedWish International

INVESTEE PROFILE – MEDWISH

(a Cleveland-based nonprofit committed to the recovery, repurposing, and redistribution of donated medical supplies and equipment that healthcare providers routinely discard)

MedWish is flourishing in its second year as one of Cleveland SVP’s investees. Lead Partner Dick Cahoon worked steadfastly with MedWish’s former Executive Director, Tish Dahlby, who recently left MedWish after eight years at the helm. Dick is now establishing a strong relationship with MedWish’s new ED, Josh Kravitz, who formerly worked as COO for Medshare, an Atlanta-based medical supply redistribution organization which is even larger than MedWish.

Josh’s history of serving those in need, both locally and abroad, will serve MedWish well. According to Dick, Josh’s energy and “knowledge of operations will help MedWish keep the momentum going with their march to operational excellence. His understanding of the needs for organizational development will assist MedWish in achieving their strategic vision.” Click here to read more about Josh.

Dick Cahoon brings his own expertise and energy to the mix. Dick has built a number of businesses, assisted with leadership development, mentored new associates, and served on the boards of several nonprofits. He notes that his engagement with MedWish has caused him “to be even more involved in the structure of nonprofits. Clearly, there are practices in the private sector that we have been able to leverage with excellent results. Conversely, the truly collaborative nature of NGOs is what the business world needs more of to become more efficient.” Dick’s impact on MedWish has been profound. According to MedWish’s Development Director Matt Fieldman, “Dick has been our go-to guy for all sorts of projects, big and small.” He added that Dick’s “been providing the kinds of personal and professional guidance we’ve been looking for, and his perspective has been invaluable in many important decisions.” Operations Director Andres Perez-Chameco pointed out that as MedWish geared up to solicit RFPs from contractors for an inventory management system, “Dick took a lot of disconnected ideas and goals and turned them into one cohesive document that we could show potential vendors.”

Ghana - MedPlus - War Memorial before

The above pictures show "a before and after that we just received from a hospital in Ghana. The support of CSVP, and your recent volunteer day, helped make this happen!"

- Matt Fieldman

SVP HIGHLIGHTS:

2011 Results and Accomplishments:

· SVP’s grant expedited inventory flow and warehouse improvements

· Organizational Development: increased level of satisfaction in areas of communication and appreciation; all stakeholders share vision of MedWish’s mission and plans for future growth

· With Dick Cahoon’s help, changes in warehouse floor plan and procedure resulted in faster sort time, quicker ability to redistribute aid, less trash, and higher level of satisfaction from the end recipient. Specifically, MedWish

- created three shipping bays for building container shipments to expedite loading and reduce chance of losing product or equipment

- created a “triage” for donated supplies to expedite sort time; turn-around time was vastly increased

- decided to discontinue the recovery of expired medical supplies

· A new Volunteer Manager was hired; SVP’s initial assessment of volunteer management was postponed until 2013. Thanks to partners Pam Conover and Chris Renner for their initial help with this project.

2012 Goals and Proposed Targets:

· Organizational Design and Development: plan to develop leadership capabilities and succession planning; plan to improve employee retention and growth

· Warehouse Management System Installation: plan to create a world class system that combines communication with efficiency and cost-effectiveness; plan to install management software and achieve 100% functionality

· Executive Director: successfully hired a new ED and ensured a smooth transition with staff and board

OTHER MEDWISH HIGHLIGHTS:

Tech Bonanza: Thanks to 2,677 votes from volunteers and supporters around the world, MedWish won $100,000 in new technology in the national Toshiba “Helping the Helpers” contest. The new computers and printers will help MedWish save more lives in even more countries.

International Medical Brigade: MedWish is sponsoring a trip to El Salvador from August 12-17, 2012 as part of their 2012 MedWish International Medical Brigade. They are recruiting medical professionals, seasoned brigadiers, and fresh faces. Click here to apply for a spot.

Local and Global Impact: MedWish’s impact is both local and global. Locally, MedWish provides jobs and volunteer opportunities, and reduces the area’s carbon footprint. In 2011, MedWish saved 534,039 pounds of medical supplies from disposal, keeping this valuable solid waste out of local landfills. Globally, MedWish improves the quality of medical care available to the underserved. Since 1993, Medwish has provided 2.7 million pounds of life-saving medical surplus to 97 countries throughout the world.

Band Aid Bash 2012: See details here!

New - Social Innovation Series

YOUR MIND MATTERS:

GET ENGAGED THROUGH OUR EDUCATION SERIES

Our Education Team is developing an array of engaging educational events on a variety of topics. Formats include First Fridays, book discussions, Investee workshops, evening discussions for those who can’t get away during the day, and Partner Meet-ups (informative events sponsored by other organizations which we attend and then gather to socialize afterwards).

We are launching our Social Innovation Series in which we nurture new ideas and showcase innovative approaches to social problems so that we can all become better informed community members. On April 13, Dr. James Misak, (MetroHealth family practitioner and Assistant Professor at CWRU’s School of Medicine) is speaking about the critical need for medical homes for the uninsured. Our next First Friday on May 4^th will focus on youth violence – its causes and consequences, and a discussion of innovative solutions that are currently in circulation or that are being proposed in the Cleveland area. See details for both events in panel at left.

Whether attendees are members of nonprofits, businesses, foundations, or the citizenry-at-large, events such as these are intended to expose all of us to the ingredients of innovation which will help us accomplish our own goals.

Thanks to all of our Education Team members – Courtney Nicolai, Mike Klein, Desikan Gandarvakottai, Sylvia Perez, Evan Ishida, and Wally Lanci – for your ideas and energy!

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