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Adrian Ma

Freelance Reporter

Latest Stories (33)

Why renting is up and homeownership is down in "affordable" Cleveland

by Adrian Ma
Jan 3, 2019
The rise of renting in Cleveland offers a glimpse into the region's economy.
A view of downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
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In your hunt for holiday deals, don’t forget the Christmas tree

by Adrian Ma
Dec 18, 2018
Christmas trees are in short supply, but deals are still doable.
Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
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Employee stock ownership plans may perk up productivity

by Adrian Ma
Dec 10, 2018
Nearly 7,000 businesses in the U.S. have employee stock ownership plans or ESOPs.
Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland, Ohio recently decided to give employees stock in the company.
Erik Drost/Flickr
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Competition propels global airlines into smaller cities

by Adrian Ma
Nov 21, 2018
Seeking less competition, global airlines are opening stops in smaller cities. But can the new routes survive?
A scene from a WOW air promotional video commemorating the start of service to/from Cleveland Hopkins Airport this past May. Less than six months later, WOW air announced that it was pulling out of Cleveland. 
Courtesy of WOW air
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As digital payments grow, an ATM maker looks beyond cash

by Adrian Ma
Nov 8, 2018
How will ATM makers manage in a world where digital transactions are becoming more popular and cash is optional?
People walk past an ATM machine logo near Penn Station on January 8, 2018 in New York.
BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP/Getty Images
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Japan expands use of foreign "interns" to address labor shortage

by Adrian Ma
Oct 10, 2018
The unemployment rate is just 2.4 percent in Japan; the country is filling the job gaps with a controversial program for foreign interns.
Workers at the Tsuda Shoten fish plant in Kamaishi, Japan. About 10 percent of the workers are non-Japanese “interns” who come through a special government program.
Adrian Ma/Marketplace
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After a layoff, moving home could relieve some financial burden

by Adrian Ma
Oct 3, 2018
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, nearly half of all workers will at some point in their career become “displaced” — that is, they will lose a job through no fault of their own. When that happens, getting back to the level of income earned before the displacement often takes years, if not […]
A worker packs a box with clothing while moving a family in Tiburon, Calif.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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How a small dairy store from Ohio became one of the biggest names in the Japanese convenience store industry

by Adrian Ma
Sep 4, 2018
The benefits of nostalgia.
A Lawson’s store in Lakewood, Ohio in 1975 (left), and a Lawson store in Tokyo’s Akasaka neighborhood in 2018. Even though the brand was founded in Ohio, there are zero Lawson stores in the continental U.S. today, and over 14,000 in Japan. 
Special Collections, Cleveland State University Library & Adrian Ma/Marketplace
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Japan trade officials and companies take a nuanced approach to U.S. tariffs

by Adrian Ma
Sep 4, 2018
The Trump administration’s 25 percent tariff on imported steel has triggered retaliation from U.S. trading partners such as Canada, the European Union, and China. But over the past few months, Japan, which has also been a target of U.S. tariffs, and which runs a $69 billion trade surplus with the U.S. (the third-largest trade imbalance […]
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Postcard from a Japanese steel town

by Adrian Ma
Aug 1, 2018
The city of Kamaishi is the birthplace of the modern Japanese steel industry, but that hasn't shielded it from change.
The Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal plant in Kamaishi, Japan.
Adrian Ma/Marketplace
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