“The best location in the nation.” Anyone who lived in Cleveland during the 1940s to the ’70s remembers that slogan. It was the brainchild of Elmer Lindseth (1902–1999), the enthusiastic chairman of the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (CEI), who devised campaigns to promote his company and the city. After moving to Cleveland from Chicago as a child with his Swedish-born parents, Lindseth graduated from Glenville High School and won a two-year scholarship to the Case School of Applied Science. He would earn bachelor’s degrees from both Miami University and Case, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Yale. Lindseth first worked at CEI in 1924 as a summer intern, beginning full-time employment as a junior tester in 1926. A year later he became a production engineer, the first of many promotions. He was named CEI’s president in 1945 and board chairman in 1960, then chairman of the executive committee from 1967 until his retirement in 1974.

Lindseth worked tirelessly to champion Cleveland as an excellent site for new industry and expansion, serving as president of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and chairman of the Committee for Economic Development. He was a trustee of Case Western Reserve University and held leadership positions in the Greater Cleveland Associated Foundation and University Circle Incorporated.