POTTER & MELLEN, INC., one of Cleveland's prominent jewelry stores, was founded in 1900 (sometimes given as 1899) by Horace Potter, a noted jeweler, teacher, designer, and master craftsman.
PREDICASTS, INC., a company that specializes in providing computerized data for businesses and industries, was established by Samuel A. Wolpert in 1960. Wolpert, a native of Baltimore, came to Cleveland in 1954. Predicasts began as a publisher of economic indexes and surveys and was originally located at 10609 Euclid Ave. in the UNIV. CIRCLE area.
The PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS CO., a manufacturer of hardware and accessories for electrical and telephone transmission cables, was organized in 1947 by inventor Thomas F. Peterson to produce his preformed spiral armor rod for reinforcing or splicing overhead high-tension cables. The company, located at 1051 Power Ave., had sales of $250,000 after its first year and grew rapidly, purchasing new facilities at 5349 St. Clair Ave.
The PREMIER FARNELL PLC, was created from the 1996 merger of the Premier Industrial Corp. and the British electronics part distributor Farnell Electronics PLC. The Premier Industrial Corp. was a multimillion-dollar distribution company based in Cleveland, which grew out of the purchase of Premier Automotive Supply by Joseph C., Jack N., and Morton L. Mandel in 1940, with an initial investment of $900.
The PREMIER INDUSTRIAL CORP., see PREMIER FARNELL PLC
PRESCOTT, BALL AND TURBEN, INC., one of the largest regionally based investment firms between New York and Chicago, was the product of several mergers. In 1924 Charles B. Merrill and Claude F. Turben organized Merrill, Turben & Co. and in 1934, Edward P. Prescott and Morton J. Stone formed Prescott & Co., located in the National City Bank Bldg. at E. 6th St. and Euclid Ave.
PRIMO VINO, which opened on April 15, 1982, was a restaurant that both epitomized and catalyzed Little Italy’s growth as a major dining and entertainment district in Greater Cleveland during the last quarter of the twentieth century.
PRINTZ-BIEDERMAN CO., one of the oldest American manufacturers of women's apparel, was organized in Dec. 1893 by master tailor Moritz Printz. A native of Austria, Printz came to Cleveland in 1872 to work for his brother-in-law, cloak manufacturer David Black. The head designer for D. Black & Co., Printz stayed in Cleveland when Black moved his company to New York in 1894.
The PROGRESSIVE CORP., a Cleveland-based insurance holding company specializing in non-standard, high-risk automobile insurance, began in 1937 when attorneys Joseph M. Lewis and J. H. Green formed the Progressive Mutual Insurance Co. with $10,000 in capital.
QUINCY SAVINGS & LOAN. See CLEVELAND COMMUNITY SAVINGS CO.
RADIO. In Cleveland, the development of radio went through 3 distinct phases: an initial, largely experimental period that gradually became commercialized; a second when radio flourished as a commercial medium; and the third following WORLD WAR II, when radio strove to cope with television and increasing competition within its own industry.
The RANDALL PARK MALL was one of the world's largest enclosed shopping malls when it opened in 1976. It was built by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corp. of Youngstown, a major developer of shopping centers.
RATNER, LEONARD (1896-30 Dec. 1974), businessman, Jewish community leader, and philanthropist, was born Leiser Ratowczer in Bialystok, Poland, son of Moses and Pauline (Isonsted) Ratner. He received a Jewish education and entered the weaving trade. He immigrated to the U.S.
RAUCH & LANG CARRIAGE CO. See BAKER MATERIALS HANDLING CO.
REAL ESTATE. The history of real estate development in Cleveland is the story of property owners who speculated on the economic future of the city and anticipated the effect of growth upon property values in different locations.
The REAL PROPERTY INVENTORY OF METROPOLITAN CLEVELAND (RPI) collected detailed statistics and issued reports about population trends, housing, manufacturing, retail business, and other aspects of life in the Cleveland area.
REASON, PATRICK HENRY (1816-12 Aug. 1898), an African-American engraver and lithographer, was born in New York City to Michel and Elizabeth Melville Rison and was baptized Patrice Rison. He was educated at the New York African Free School, where he made an engraving of the school that was used as the frontispiece of Chas. C. Andrew's History of the New York African Free Schools (1830).
REED, JACOB E. (1852-9 Oct. 1935), called by one historian "the black version of the Horatio Alger myth," coming to Cleveland with very little but becoming a wealthy businessman, was born in Harrisburg, Pa., son of Adam and Mary (Evans) Reed.
REID, JAMES SIMS (22 Nov. 1894-29 Nov. 1981), inventor, manufacturer, and physician, was born in Yazoo County, Mississippi. He received an M.D. degree from the University of Louisville in 1916 and then served as a medical captain in Europe during WORLD WAR I.
RENAISSANCE CLEVELAND HOTEL (formerly Cleveland Hotel, Hotel Cleveland, Stouffer's Inn on the Square, and Stouffer Renaissance Cleveland Hotel) is the most recent hotel to occupy the historic PUBLIC SQUARE site at the intersection of Superior Ave. at the Square.
The REPUBLIC STEEL CORP., headquartered in Cleveland, was the 5th-largest steel producer in the U.S. at the time of its merger into LTV Steel in 1984. Republic was established on 8 Apr. 1930 by CYRUS EATON and WM. G. MATHER through an amalgamation of several steel companies.
RESTAURANTS. Since Cleveland's earliest days, restaurants, taverns, and saloons have generally served as social centers for communities or neighborhoods. The isolation Cleveland's first settlers felt would have been lessened at LORENZO CARTER's tavern on Superior St. (ca.
The RETAIL MERCHANTS BOARD, INC., organized to promote sales and influence buying patterns, began in 1898 as a committee of the Chamber of Commerce and was formally organized in 1900. The board, made up of downtown merchants, met weekly to discuss the state of retail trade in Cleveland.
REVCO D.S., INC., one of the largest drugstore chains in the area and a pioneer in the discount drug field, was founded in 1956 by Detroit drugstore operator Bernard Shulman. Shulman, who saw an opportunity to apply high-volume, low-margin merchandising to the drug business, had a chain of 4 stores in 1957, which he named Regal D.S., Inc. The company was an instant success, with $300,000 in annual sales.
RICE, WALTER PERCIVAL (2 Sept. 1855-21 Aug. 1941) exerted a formative influence on Cleveland's water, harbor, and sewage systems during his career as a civil engineer. A native Clevelander, he was the son of Percival and Mary Cutter Rice and the grandson of educator HARVEY RICE.
