Graham Veysey joins Policy Matters Board of Directors
Posted November 09, 2015 in Press Releases
Urban developer is committed public transit, neighborhood vitality and the environment.
For immediate release
Contact: Amy Hanauer, 216-361-9801
Graham Veysey, an urban neighborhood developer known for creating the burgeoning Hingetown district on Cleveland’s West Side, has been named to the Policy Matters Ohio Board of Directors.Veysey is an entrepreneur who acquired and redeveloped the Ohio City Firehouse on West 29th Street. He and Marika Shioiri-Clark -- his wife and business partner -- also rehabbed the historic Striebinger Block building across the street, nurturing growth of the popular district off Detroit Avenue, between West 25th Street and the Gordon Square Arts District. An Emmy-Award winning video producer, Veysey is the owner and creative director of North Water Partners, a video production company located in the firehouse.
“It will be incredibly helpful to have a voice on our board that has been directly involved in neighborhood development and urban vitality,” said Amy Hanauer, Policy Matters executive director. “Graham Veysey brings a proven commitment to cities, is connected to a new generation of urban leaders, and comes at many of our issues from a refreshing new perspective.”
Veysey brings to the Policy Matters board a strong commitment to creating an equitable Ohio economy, developing urban communities and designing cities in a way that enhances the environment. He has been a champion of public transit, walkable neighborhoods and other progressive causes.
“I see the vital role Policy Matters plays in Ohio. The substance of the policy work has a direct impact on people’s lives,” Veysey said. “I’m excited to learn more about the issues Policy Matters delves into. There are significant policy issues that deserve attention so that needs of people across the economic spectrum are taken into account.”
Veysey, 33, became involved in political causes as a student at Bates College in Maine, where he campaigned for a statewide ballot issue to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. He later volunteered for the 2004 presidential campaign of Democrat Howard Dean, and served as a voter outreach coordinator for Barack Obama.
He sees himself as a small-scale neighborhood developer. "His investments in Hingetown -- and the success of small tenants (including a coffee roaster, a florist and a bike shop) -- are helping Ohio City attract better-known investors and bigger projects to the Detroit corridor," according to a Plain Dealer article. He helped launch Ohio City Farm, a six-acre farm just a mile from downtown Cleveland, billed as one of the largest urban farms in the United States.
“Veysey’s projects create a more vibrant near West Side of Cleveland, which gives him deep, hands-on experience bringing about many of our policy goals,” Hanauer said.
Veysey also consults for the Aspen Institute and serves on the boards of The Refugee Response and Cleveland Public Theatre.