Fireside chats
Join us every Wednesday evening for an hour or two of stimulating conversation with local entrepreneurs! If you have ever wondered how businesses or organizations get started, here's the chance to find out.
Each Wednesday an entrepreneur will tell their story. Some of these entrepreneurs may be well seasoned, some may be just starting out. Hear how they did it...what they did right...what they might do differently...what they might do next!
So meet us in the East Hall Lobby at 7 p.m. by the fireplace.
Fireside Chats - Spring 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Partnering with a Winning Brand! with Sal Baglieri, Owner/Operator, McDonald’s. Sal, a successful business man, is the owner of three McDonald’s franchises in northeast Ohio. Come hear Sal talk about his start as an entrepreneur, how he has grown his franchise enterprise, and gives back to the community.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Keepin’ It Fresh! with Trevor Clatterbuck, founder, Fresh Fork Market. While participating in the EEC’s Entrepreneurship Immersion Week the summer of 2008, Trevor and his teammates recognized that the existing food distribution industry was not capable of sourcing from small, family farms, and the Fresh Fork Market concept was born. Over the last four years Fresh Fork Market has tackled this problem and seen exceptional results – over 100 participating farmers, over 1,000 customers, and more than 100 percent growth each year. Come hear Trevor’s entrepreneurial journey and how he is bringing fresh food to the people of northeast Ohio.
Wednesday January 30, 2013
A Dynamic Duo! with Halle and Benjamin Barnett, co-owners media.schmedia and mighty little websites.com. Halle is a brand builder, creative marketer, helluva writer, and fab business support resource, while Benjamin is a gifted creative director and chief designer. Together they help entrepreneurs and businesses brand-forward and build great websites. Come here how two partners = one couple = two businesses = Success!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 – Special time of 6PM
Helping Students Achieve! with Jimmy Malone, co-host of the Lanigan & Malone Show on WMJI 105.7 FM, and founder of the Malone Scholarship Fund. What started as a small “onetime” gesture, has turned into a commitment to help as many deserving students as possible attend the college of their choice. The Malone Scholarship Golf Classic has raised over $1,800,000 for college scholarships.But Jimmy and his family give more than just money. Come find out why 90% of these scholarship students graduate from college.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Money from a Hole in the Ground! with Nick Barron, founder, Hole Patch, LLC. Nick, a student at Case Western Reserve University has created an innovative solution – non-Newtonian fluid - for filling potholes. The potential of the invention has earned Nick and his partners more than $40,000 to pursue the idea. The company is now in the late stages of prototyping, and anticipates opening for business by October 2013. Come hear Nick’s entrepreneurial story – from taking 1st Place at the EEC ideaLabs2012 to winning an Innovation Fund award.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Providing Support for Start-ups! with Jack Crews, President & CEO, Regional Economic Growth Corporation. The REGC, with a satellite office here in the Burton D. Morgan Entrepreneurship Center, is a designated Ohio Small Business Development Center and provides a variety of services, such as loan assistance, web development and incubator space, to both growing businesses and to people who want to start their own business in Northeast Ohio. Come hear Jack discuss the services the REGC provides related to business start-up and growth management.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Revolutionizing Recycling! with Jay Schabel, CEO of RESPolyflow. RESPolyflow designs and manufactures energy recovery systems that convert mixed polymer waste to fuels and petrochemicals before they reach the landfill. Deployment of ResPolyflow's patented process nationwide will reduce our country's dependence on foreign crude oil over 3.5% annually. Jay, one of our very first Chat speakers, is serial entrepreneur with four start-ups on his resume. Come hear an update on how this start-up venture is doing.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Launching Bio-Tech Spin-Outs! with Al Hawkins, Vice President of Business Development, BioMotiv LLC. Al has broad expertise in developing new biomedical companies based on technologies licensed from universities, hospitals and federal labs. He has spent his career at the intersection of academic institutions and start-up companies in the life sciences as an entrepreneur, fund manager, and university tech transfer officer. Come hear him talk about the opportunities in bio-tech enterprises in NE Ohio.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
An Entrepreneur’s Day at the Beach! with Debbie Kuhn ‘86, founder girltrunks. What do you do when you can’t find a comfortable swimsuit? You reinvent and combine a tankini top with swim trunks to get girltrunks. Come hear Debbie’s ten-year journey to reinvent swimwear for women – from how she came up with the idea to pitching in front of Shark Tanks’ Daymond John at a COSE Small Business Conference.
Fireside Chats - Fall 2012
- The Business of Art! with Anthony (Tony) Mastromatteo, artist (9/5/12)
- Mustard: It's not just a Condiment! with Jim '88 and Karen '89 Scher, Owners (9/12/12)
- For-Profit Meets Not-For-Profit! with Jennifer Fredricks '95, President, Cancer Angel Network and Phire Branded Apparel and Graphics (9/19/12)
- Baking Up Success! with Christina Benton '02 WEC, owner Just Pizzelles (9/26/12)
- Spice it Up! with Sally Koepke, co-founder, Mom's Gourmet, LLC. (10/10/12)
- Healthy Food from a Vending Machine?! with Tim Klug, co-founder, Essentially Organic Vending (10/17/12)
- The Family Business! with James Busch '86, President, Busch Funeral Homes (10/24/12)
- Find a Need and Fill It! with Bonnie Warren, Owner, Comfort Keepers (10/31/12)
- Discovering Your Authentic Work! with Harriet Rubin, founder of Currency Imprint and Double Day Publishing; contributing editor for Fast Company Magazine; author; journalist; and Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow (11/7/12)
Fireside Chats - Spring 2012
- Acting Intrapreneurially! with Erik Weyls, President, Coventya, Inc. (1/18/12)
- Applying 21st Century Technology to a Centuries-Old Process! With Tom Lix, CEO, Cleveland Whiskey (1/25/12)
- A Family E-Affair! with Bill Moss ’79, President, Towpath Polymers and David Moss, Founder, MossMedia (2/1/12)
- Hatching Great Ideas! With Jim Cossler, Chief Evangelist, Youngstown Business Incubator, John Dearborn, President, JumpStart Inc., and Dar Caldwell, Founder and managing Partner, Shaker LaunchHouse (2/8/12)
- The Internship Queen! with Lauren Berger, CEO of Intern Queen Inc. and National College Speaker (2/15/12)
- The Power of Love! with Alka Subramanian, Founder, Power of Love Foundation (2/22/12)
- Success= Integrity + Connecting the Dots! with Dr. Fujita, Founder, President and CEO, Quality Electrodynamics LLC (QED) (2/29/12)
- Focused on Success! with Lisa Orlandi, Founder and President of Focus Design Technologies (3/14/12)
- Building a Bio-Enterprise in Northeast Ohio! with Jon Snyder, President and CEO, Neuros Medical (3/21/12)
Fireside Chats - Fall 2011
- Sweet Entrepreneurship! with Joel Fink, owner, Fantasy Candy (9/7/11)
- Envisioning Success! with Tony Manna, President, Signet Enterprises (9/14/11)
- Manufacturing in a Global Economy! with Michael Canty, CEO, President and Chairman of Alloy Bellows (9/21/11)
- Food, Glorious Food! with Anne Hayman '88, chef and owner, On the Spot Gourmet (9/28/11)
- A Business Born of Necessity! with Kimberlee Ullner, Founder, President, 1-2-3 Gluten Free (10/5/11)
- Take Note! with Art Geigel '05, President and Founder, Ground Booth Software, Inc. (10/12/11)
- From Hiram College to Silicon Valley! with Jim Waschura '83, President and Founder, SyntheSys Research, Inc. (10/19/11)
- The Art of the Merger! with Doug Grimm '84, Chairman, President & CEO, Grede Holdings LLC. (10/26/11)
- The Art of Publishing! with Molly McQuade (11/9/11)
- Collaborating to be Green! with Bud Perry and Robert Stockham, Principals of Great Lakes Design (11/16/11)
Fireside Chats - Spring 2011
- The Business of Art! with Clayton Pond (1/19/2011)
- International Entrepreneur! with Isaac Yomtovian (1/26/2011)
- The Art of the Merger! with Doug Grimm '84, Chairman, President & CEO, Grede Holdings LLC (2/2/2011)
- GREENnPower! with Aaron LeMieux, Founder & CEO, Tremont Electric (2/9/2011)
- Exit Strategy! with Kipp Krukowski, Owner & President, Confidential Business Sales, Inc. (2/16/2011)
- On the Move with Mobile Food! with Chris Hodgson and Jeremy Esterly, owners, Dim and Den Sum Food Truck (2/23/2011) From Nurse to CEO! with Sandra Maddock, CEO & President, IMARC Research (3/16/2011) A Non-Profit Acting Entrepreneurially! with Dennis Allen, CEO, Hattie Larlham (3/23/2011) Measure 'Em Up! with Alex Neals, President, MeasureMeUp! (3/30/2011) A Lifestyle Brand of Doing Well While Doing Good! with Sharie Renee, Creator and President, Cosmic Bobbins (4/6/11)
- Fireside Chats - Fall 2010
- Mustard, It's Not Just a Condiment! with Jim '88 and Karen '89 Scher, Owners (9/8/10)
- Acting Intrapreneurially! with Erik Weyls, President, Coventya, Inc. (9/15/10)
- Global E-Commerce! with Michael Keresman III, CEO, President and Chairman of CardinalCommerce Corporation (9/22/10)
- Risky Business! with Steve Osborn, President, Trilogy Plastics (9/29/10)
- Imagine "What If...! with Jennifer Miller '01, Founder, President, Mission Savvy (10/6/10) Supporting New Business in Northeast Ohio! with Dennis Cocco & Cliff Reynolds, Co-Directors, GLIDE and the Innovation Fund (10/13/10)
- When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Goat Cheese! Part II, with Jean Mackenzie, founder of Mackenzie Creamery (10/20/10)
- Building a Bio-Enterprise in Northeast Ohio! with Jon Snyder, President and CEO, Neuros Medical (10/27/10)
- Building the Future, One Venture at a Time! with Bill Recker, Hiram Trustee and Founder, IronBridge Partners (11/10/10)
- On the Cutting Edge in Garrettsville! with Bill Whittenberger, President Catacel (11/17/10)
