Overview
CiF is a global consulting firm with 10+ years of international entrepreneurial activities. Our team is focused on revitalizing the City of Cleveland; our EB-5 Regional Center and the economic development efforts that come along with it are a critical part of the development efforts for the City. CiF's goal is to be a catalyst in promoting projects that will not only create new jobs, but will also encourage the continuing growth and development of the City of Cleveland as a whole.
Governmental Support

CiF Leadership
Welcome Letter from the BoardMeet the Board Members
Mr. Len Komoroski
Mr. Len Komoroski was named president of the Cleveland Cavaliers/Quicken Loans Arena organization in April 2003. His leadership and business initiative bring a solid foundation from which the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lake Erie Monsters and Quicken Loans Arena can continue to thrive and flourish.
Under his direction, the 2003-04 Cavaliers' season resulted in one of the top business turnaround stories in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. The Cavaliers had the largest year-over-year attendance increase in NBA history - a 59% increase - as well as the largest increase in corporate partnership revenue in the NBA last season. As recently as December, 2009, he and his team successfully negotiated a sponsorship deal with Tsingtao - a major Chinese beverage company - for the Cavs for their first ever US sponsorship agreement.
Mr. Komoroski also played a pivotal role in developing one of the top cable television relationships in the NBA with Fox Sports Network (FSN) Ohio, as well as the entitlement of the Cavaliers new state-of-the-art player development facility - Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mr. Komoroski got his start in sports in 1982 with the Pittsburg Spirit of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Mr. Komoroski later aided in the start up of the Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA); the Timberwolves soon became one of the most financially successful organizations in the league. Mr. Komoroski then helped in the development of Philadelphia Eagles' (National Football League- NFL) Lincoln Financial Field, one of the largest such agreements in pro sports history.
In the community, Mr. Komoroski serves on several boards, including: the Cleveland chapters of City Year, the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society Golf Tournament, the United Way and Positively Cleveland. He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization, the 50 Club and the Bluecoats. Mr. Komoroski is a 1982 cum laude graduate of Duquesne University.
Mr. Frederick R. Nance is the Regional Managing Partner of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP. Squire Sanders, which was founded in Cleveland in 1890, now serves clients from 32 offices around the globe. Mr. Nance spearheads the firm's sports and entertainment practice and serves as counsel to LeBron James and other celebrities. Mr. Nance's legal practice also focuses on commercial litigation, client counseling and public-private partnerships. Much of his practice in recent years has included high-stakes negotiations involving community interests.
Mr. Nance began his career at Squire Sanders directly from law school. As a seasoned trial lawyer, he became a partner in 1987 and was elected to a four-year term on the Management Committee in 1991. From 1991 through 2001, Mr. Nance also served as the primary outside counsel to the City of Cleveland and former Cleveland Mayor Michael White in a wide variety of community and economic development projects.
Mr. Nance is a member of the Executive Committees of the Ohio Business Roundtable, the 50 Club of Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, where he previously served as the Chairman of the Board. Mr. Nance is also on the Board of Directors of BioEnterprise, Inc., The Cleveland Foundation, and RPM International. He is a Trustee of the Cleveland Museum of Art and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cleveland Clinic. As recent as December 2009, Mr. Nance was named Chief Counsel of the Cleveland Browns football team.
Mr. Nance has received numerous honors and awards and has topped such lists as "Cleveland's Most Influential." He has been listed in Best of the US, recognized and included in The Best Lawyers in America and featured as one of "America's Best Corporate Lawyers" by Corporate Board Member magazine. Mr. Nance is a life member of the U.S. Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference.
Mr. Joseph Roman is president and chief executive officer of the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP), one of the nation's largest metropolitan chambers of commerce. In this role, Mr. Roman is helping to lead the charge to increase the overall economic vitality of Northeast Ohio. A lobbyist for most of his life, including experience working for congressmen on Capital Hill, Mr. Roman now focuses GCP's efforts on the creation of the most competitive environment for business in the Midwest.
Mr. Roman previously served as executive director of Cleveland Tomorrow-an organization that recently merged with the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and the Greater Cleveland Roundtable to form the Greater Cleveland Partnership. He had been with Cleveland Tomorrow since 1985 and became executive director in 1993. During his tenure, Cleveland Tomorrow was recognized by the Harvard Business School as one of the most innovative and successful regional business organizations in the country, and was a leading player in rebuilding Cleveland's downtown. Mr. Roman was named the first Chief Executive Officer of GCP in 2004.
Mr. Roman also sits on several boards including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Cleveland Cuyahoga County Bar Association, the Partners for Liveable Communities organization, the Ohio Business Development Coalition and the Convention & Visitors Bureau. He has a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University.
Mr. Baiju R. Shah is President and CEO and also a Founder of BioEnterprise. BioEnterprise--a partnership of Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, and Summa Health System--is a business formation, recruitment and acceleration initiative to support the growth of bioscience companies. Since starting six years ago, BioEnterprise has helped create, recruit, and accelerate more than 90 bioscience companies that have collectively attracted $875 million in new funding, primarily from venture capital and private equity.
BioEnterprise provides management advice, business development, and access to capital to medical device, biopharmaceutical, and health care services ventures in the Cleveland area. In addition, BioEnterprise works with a range of partners to catalyze the development of the region's entrepreneurial system: new investment funds, entrepreneurial resources and training, investment conferences, talent development, and public policy.
The initiative's success has drawn significant attention and interest from regions around the U.S. that are seeking to grow their bioscience clusters. Shah is frequently quoted in national and regional business media, and is often a featured speaker on these topics.
Prior to BioEnterprise, Shah was with McKinsey & Company, where he played a leading role in the Growth and Business Building practice and helped develop two new service lines: developing corporate new venture units and monetizing intellectual property.
In the community, Shah serves on the Governor's Biomedical, Strategic Development, and Workforce Policy Advisory Boards, and the Boards of the Great Lakes Science Center, The Saint Luke's Foundation, and Yale Alumni Association. He is also the Founder and Chair of TiE-Ohio and Summer on the Cuyahoga. He has been named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has been recognized as one of Cleveland's most powerful and influential leaders by several publications. Shah, a Cleveland native, received a J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A. from Yale University.
Alliance Partners
Our team works with several key global partner organizations to promote economic growth and entrepreneurship throughout the Cleveland area. We are proud to have strong support from both the private and public sectors:




