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Northeast Ohio, and especially the Cleveland area, is filled with top-ranked hospitals and health systems. There’s the Cleveland Clinic, Akron General Hospital and the Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center. There’s even Sanford-Brown College, a highly regarded medical college based in Cleveland.

I was thinking of this because of an interview I recently held with Tom Fox, president of Akron, Ohio-based NAI Cummins, and Bob Raskow, vice president of the same company. Both of these real estate professionals talked about the burgeoning medical community in Cleveland, Akron and the rest of Northeast Ohio.

People don’t often think about the Midwest serving as a base for medical innovations. But it really does. We can do more in the Midwest than make cars, steel and corn.

Fox told me about the time he was driving down a highway in Naples, Fla. He was surprised to see a sign along the road advertising the Cleveland Clinic.

“The Cleveland Clinic has branches across the country that are well-respected,” Fox said. “We have a thriving medical community here. And it’s definitely a good thing for the area.”

Fox and Raskow both pointed to the medical market as one of the bright spots in their region. And the good news is that both real estate pros expect more medical buildings and branches to open in Northwest Ohio in the coming years.

It’s just more proof that the Midwest is far from fly-over country. Instead, it’s a place where innovation thrives.

Tags | Akron, Cleveland, healthcare, Ohio

© 2012 Real Estate Communications Group. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from the Real Estate Publishing Group. For information on reprint or electronic pdf of this article contact Mark Menzies at 312-644-4610 or menzies@rejournals.com