Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
GeekWire co-founder John Cook and Seattle angel investor Charles Fitzgerald spent several days in Cleveland reporting on a Rust Belt city's comeback and what Seattle can learn from it. They join the GeekWire Podcast from an unlikely setting: an abandoned Westinghouse light bulb factory on Cleveland's near east side, part of an industrial district called The Midline that's being redeveloped for a new generation of jobs.
It closes a loop that started in February, when Fitzgerald, a GeekWire contributing columnist, warned that Seattle risked becoming the next Cleveland. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb called into the podcast the next day to make the case for his city and invited the two to see its comeback for themselves. This week, they took him up on it, meeting with Bibb, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, and a roster of entrepreneurs, developers, and civic and business leaders.
Their takeaway: Cleveland is hustling and aligned around jobs and growth in a way Seattle no longer is.
Read more on GeekWire:
What we learned in Cleveland about Seattle's future: Advice from a Rust Belt city on the rise
geekwire.com/2026/what-we-learned-in-cleveland-about-seattles-future-advice-from-a-rust-belt-city-on-the-rise
A warning to Seattle: Don't become the next Cleveland
geekwire.com/2026/a-warning-to-seattle-dont-become-the-next-cleveland
Cleveland mayor responds to GeekWire guest column, calls Ohio city a 'case study of what's possible'
geekwire.com/2026/cleveland-mayor-responds-to-geekwire-guest-column-calls-ohio-city-a-case-study-of-whats-possible
Cleveland's mayor, Seattle's future: A conversation about what happens when a city's economy shifts
geekwire.com/2026/clevelands-mayor-seattles-future-a-conversation-about-what-happens-when-a-citys-economy-shifts
Subscribe to the GeekWire Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
#Cleveland #Seattle #RustBelt #GeekWire
GeekWire co-founder John Cook and Seattle angel investor Charles Fitzgerald spent several days in Cleveland reporting on a Rust Belt city's comeback and what Seattle can learn from it. They join the GeekWire Podcast from an unlikely setting: an abandoned Westinghouse light bulb factory on Cleveland's near east side, part of an industrial district called The Midline that's being redeveloped for a new generation of jobs.
It closes a loop that started in February, when Fitzgerald, a GeekWire contributing columnist, warned that Seattle risked becoming the next Cleveland. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb called into the podcast the next day to make the case for his city and invited the two to see its comeback for themselves. This week, they took him up on it, meeting with Bibb, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, and a roster of entrepreneurs, developers, and civic and business leaders.
Their takeaway: Cleveland is hustling and aligned around jobs and growth in a way Seattle no longer is.
Read more on GeekWire:
What we learned in Cleveland about Seattle's future: Advice from a Rust Belt city on the rise
geekwire.com/2026/what-we-learned-in-cleveland-about-seattles-future-advice-from-a-rust-belt-city-on-the-rise
A warning to Seattle: Don't become the next Cleveland
geekwire.com/2026/a-warning-to-seattle-dont-become-the-next-cleveland
Cleveland mayor responds to GeekWire guest column, calls Ohio city a 'case study of what's possible'
geekwire.com/2026/cleveland-mayor-responds-to-geekwire-guest-column-calls-ohio-city-a-case-study-of-whats-possible
Cleveland's mayor, Seattle's future: A conversation about what happens when a city's economy shifts
geekwire.com/2026/clevelands-mayor-seattles-future-a-conversation-about-what-happens-when-a-citys-economy-shifts
Subscribe to the GeekWire Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
#Cleveland #Seattle #RustBelt #GeekWire
