Best Blockland Podcasts (2025)

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#234: Brad DeHays (Connect Housing Blocks) — Building the Future of Housing, Construction, and Modular’s Potential 1:10:06

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10d ago1:10:06

1:10:06

Brad DeHays — Founder and CEO of Connect Real Estate and Connect Housing Blocks. Brad’s journey spans from buying small distressed properties while still in college to leading one of the most ambitious housing manufacturing platforms in the country. Through Connect Real Estate, Brad has revitalized some of Ohio’s most overlooked landmarks — transfo…

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#233: Chaya Slain (Virtera Partners) — Dare To Be Different, Dare To Be Great 50:44

18d ago50:44

50:44

Chaya Slain is the Founder, President, and Chief Investment Officer at Virtera Partners. After studying mathematics at Columbia University, she discovered her deeper interest in investing at Goldman Sachs. After several years in New York, she returned to Cleveland and joined Parkwood, the Mandel family investment office, where she spent more than a…

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#232: Jerry Schill (Schill Grounds Management) — Embrace the Change 53:25

25d ago53:25

53:25

Jerry Schill is the founder and CEO of Schill Grounds Management — a company he launched in 1993 with his brother after a chance summer job revealed a passion for landscaping. What began as a two-person side hustle has grown into a large-scale commercial grounds management company, now one of the fastest-growing platforms in the industry. In 2020, …

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#231: Perry Stancato (Signature Sauces) — The Secret Sauce of Sauces 54:53

1M ago54:53

54:53

Perry Stancato is the founder and CEO of Signature Sauces and a third-generation operator of the beloved Cleveland institution, Stancato’s Italian Restaurant. This conversation with Perry explores the entrepreneurial journey of someone who grew up in the family restaurant — from standing on a milk crate as a kid making waffles for Sunday brunch to …

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#230: Kaitie & Kyle Nickel (Cleveland Vibes) — All Things Positive in Cleveland 1:00:54

2M ago1:00:54

1:00:54

Kaitie and Kyle Nickel are entrepreneurs, storytellers, and community builders based in Cleveland. They have grown beloved brands such as Cleveland Vibes, The Cleveland Market, and Cleve or Leave to reach hundreds of thousands of followers and many millions of people. Their work is driven by a shared goal: to connect people, celebrate local culture…

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#229: Keith Gerchak & Marisa Guterman (Lost & Found In Cleveland) — The Making of a New American Fable on Hope & the Post-Industrial American Dream in the Industrial Midwest (REWIND) 1:17:18

2M ago1:17:18

1:17:18

Nearly a year and a half after our conversation first aired in 2024, Lost & Found in Cleveland is ready to make its way to theaters nationwide on November 7, 2025. When I first sat down with Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman, the creative forces behind the film, we explored the decade-long journey that brought this story to life—from writing and di…

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#228: Aaron Slodov (Atomic Industries) — Techno-Industrial Optimism and Exascaling American Manufacturing (REWIND) 1:11:17

2M ago1:11:17

1:11:17

Nearly a year and a half after our conversation first aired, Aaron Slodov and Atomic Industries have reached an important milestone worth celebrating. Atomic recently announced the close of its $25 million Series A, led by MaC Venture Capital and DTX Ventures, with participation from Narya and others, to accelerate the rollout of its AI-driven manu…

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#227: Ralph Lazaro (INaudio) — Building the World's Audiobook Partner 1:14:40

2M ago1:14:40

1:14:40

Ralph Lazaro, Co-founder & CEO of INaudio, has spent more than two decades leading high-performing teams and driving innovation. His career began in Fortune 500 companies before he joined Findaway in 2012, where he helped transform the business from a physical device company into a $100M+ digital audiobook powerhouse — a journey that ultimately led…

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#226: Terry Coyne (Terry Coyne Properties) — Risk, Patience & Opportunity 55:26

3M ago55:26

55:26

Terry Coyne is an Executive Vice Chairman of Newmark and Principal of Terry Coyne Properties. Over his 25-plus-year career, Terry has become one of Ohio’s most accomplished commercial real estate leaders, negotiating more than 2,000 transactions totaling over $5 billion in value. In Cleveland alone, over the past five years, he and his team have br…

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#225: Jeff Berlin (Bridge Industries) — American Manufacturing, Permanent Capital, and Patiently Scaling an Industrial Platform 1:08:08

3M ago1:08:08

1:08:08

Jeff Berlin is the Founder and President of Bridge Industries & Chairman and CEO of TransTech Energy. Jeff’s journey spans from his early days at Parker Hannifin to helping grow Hawk Corporation from a $20 million single-plant business into a $200 million global operation, and ultimately to founding his own company, Bridge — an industrial holding c…

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#224: The O.H.I.O. Fund — Origins and Ambitions 1:02:51

3M ago1:02:51

1:02:51

On this special episode of Lay of the Land, I’m joined—for the first time—by the two co-founders of The O.H.I.O. Fund, Mark Kvamme and Ray Leach, as well as the fund’s two founding partners, Jill Meyer and Mike Venerable, to share the inside story of how a bold idea became reality. We explore the inspiration and origins behind a first-of-its-kind s…

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#223: David Conwill (Redwood Living) and Jimmy McCarthy Jr. — Mr. Football 57:34

3M ago57:34

57:34

Jim McCarthy Jr. is a filmmaker and the director of the new documentary Mr. Football, and David Conwill is the Executive Vice Chairman and former CEO of Redwood Living as well as an executive producer of the film. Dave’s career spans two decades of building Redwood Living into a national leader in single-story rental neighborhoods—scaling from a ha…

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#222: Ivy Zelman (Zelman & Associates) — Non-Consensus and Correct in The Housing Industry 54:41

4M ago54:41

54:41

Ivy Zelman is one of the most respected voices in American housing, co-founder of Zelman & Associates, and now Executive Vice President at Walker & Dunlop, which acquired her firm in 2021 as the leading institutional research, advisory, and investment banking firm dedicated exclusively to the U.S. housing industry. Over the last three decades, Ivy …

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#221: Ryan Kelly (Substance) — Building Cleveland’s Film Industry 58:40

4M ago58:40

58:40

Ryan Kelly is a filmmaker, entrepreneur, and partner of Substance, a film and television production company based in Cleveland. What if Northeast Ohio had the infrastructure to support large-scale film productions? That question first took root when Ryan found himself on the set of Cherry—a feature film shot in Cleveland by the Russo Brothers, the …

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#220: Andrew Hurst (Delivered) — The Business of Moving Things 1:09:21

5M ago1:09:21

1:09:21

Andrew Hurst is the founder and CEO of Delivered, a fast-scaling logistics platform revolutionizing parcel shipping with faster, more reliable deliveries at lower costs. He also serves as CEO of Ark Transportation, where he led a fivefold revenue increase in just five years, and is the founder of Veroot, a compliance platform now trusted by thousan…

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#219: Dale Wollschleger (ExactCare) — From Pharmacist to Building a Billion-Dollar Pharmacy Care Company (TOF Report) 52:49

5M ago52:49

52:49

Dale Wollschleger is the Founder and former CEO of Cleveland-based ExactCare Pharmacy and the developer of the ExactPack™—a patient-specific medication packaging system designed to simplify complex medication regimens. This conversation with Dale dives into the unlikely journey of a pharmacist-turned-entrepreneur who started in the back of a small …

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#218: Sanjay Singh (Mace®) — Get Good at Hard Things 1:05:56

5M ago1:05:56

1:05:56

Sanjay Singh is a thoughtful strategist, seasoned executive, and business philosopher whose journey to leading the iconic Cleveland brand Mace Security—and his reflections on it—are remarkable. Sanjay’s story weaves together a deep appreciation for manufacturing and a career shaped by curiosity, resilience, and a knack for doing hard things—ultimat…

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#217: Kelcey Lehrich (365 Holdings) — Building the Forever Home for E-Commerce Companies 57:20

5M ago57:20

57:20

Kelcey Lehrich is the Co-Founder and CEO of 365 Holdings, based in Akron, Ohio. 365 Holdings acquires and operates consumer products companies, with a focus on eCommerce and a goal of long-term ownership. In our conversation, Kelcey shares his path to entrepreneurship and his evolution from making his first acquisition to becoming a seasoned operat…

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#216: TJ Dembinski (Eagle Electronics) — Onshoring America's Critical Technologies (TOF Report) 48:53

6M ago48:53

48:53

TJ Dembinski is the co-founder and CEO of Eagle Electronics, dedicated to on-shoring America’s critical technology supply chain, starting with the IoT and automotive-grade cellular modules! This journey traces a fascinating arc — one that begins with the macro and geopolitical forces shaping global commerce and lands in a Northeast Ohio advanced mi…

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#215: Ibrahim Mohmed (CourtSide Media & Taja AI) — Revolutionizing Content Creation 50:02

6M ago50:02

50:02

Ibrahim Mohmed is the founder of CourtSide Media Group and the co-founder & CEO of Taja AI. His entrepreneurial journey began right here in Ohio, where he launched CourtSide Media, a digital media agency that serves influencers with audiences ranging from 1 million to 75 million followers across various social platforms. Through CourtSide Media, Ib…

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#214: Carey Jaros (GOJO — Makers of PURELL®) — 80 Years of Ohio Legacy and Well-Being Solutions 1:02:33

6M ago1:02:33

1:02:33

Carey Jaros joined GOJO in 2014 as a board member, later taking on executive roles as Chief Strategy Officer—where she oversaw Marketing, Product Management, and Innovation—and as Chief Operating Officer, before becoming President and CEO in January 2020. Our conversation today covers Carey’s call to lead—shaped by a lifelong passion for solving pr…

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#213: Jodi Berg, PhD (Vitamix) Pt. 2 — Resilience, Succession, and Purpose 1:20:39

7M ago1:20:39

1:20:39

Today, we’re picking up with the second part of my conversation with Jodi Berg, the former President & CEO of Vitamix. In Part 1, we explored Jodi’s career, the history, evolution, and family legacy of Vitamix, and her leadership journey in growing the company into the global brand it is today. In Part 2, we continue with her reflections on steppin…

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#212: Jodi Berg, PhD (Vitamix) Pt. 1 — Delivering Quality, Leading with Passion, and Embracing Legacy 1:05:11

7M ago1:05:11

1:05:11

Jodi Berg, PhD recently retired as the fourth-generation President and CEO of Vitamix, having joined the family business in 1997 with the directive to lead the company’s overseas expansion, later serving as director of international, household and commercial divisions, and then ultimately as Executive Vice President in 2007, President in 2009, and …

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#211: Max Pennington (CLEANR) — Microplastics, Macro Solutions 1:06:37

7M ago1:06:37

1:06:37

Max Pennington is the Co-Founder & CEO of CLEANR, an innovative company that uses filters to prevent microplastics from entering water streams. Max graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, where he co-developed CLEANR’s innovative VORTX filtration technologyb. Inspired by nature, VORTX bi…

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#210: Umberto Fedeli Round III — Patience & Persistence, Progress & Perfection, Rationality & Uncertainty 1:12:53

8M ago1:12:53

1:12:53

I’m very excited to welcome Umberto Fedeli back for his third conversation. In our first two conversations — episode 135 and episode 171 — we explored Umberto’s remarkable life journey, deep-rooted wisdom, and how he's mastered the craft of building authentic relationships and connecting people across business, politics, and philanthropy. Those epi…

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#209: Daniel Anstandig (Futuri Media) — AI, Future of Media, Music, and Investing 1:15:34

8M ago1:15:34

1:15:34

Daniel Anstandig is the CEO of Futuri Media, a leading AI-driven platform he founded in Cleveland in 2009 to help companies build and monetize engaged audiences. Today, Futuri’s sales, content, and audience technology serves over 7,000 media brands across 22 countries, powered by a bold and passionate team recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of Americ…

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#208: Sonia Winner (Cleveland Museum of Natural History) — $150m Centennial Transformation 1:01:14

8M ago1:01:14

1:01:14

Sonia Winner is the CEO of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. In July 2018, she became the 10th director of the Museum in its more than 100-year history, dating back to 1920. Since then, she has spearheaded a $150 million reinvention of the institution—reimagining its campus and exhibits to highlight the interconnectedness of life on Earth. U…

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#207: DJ Eidson (Limitless Minds) — Peak Performance, Deep Humility, Power of Mindset 54:10

8M ago54:10

54:10

DJ Eidson is the President and Co-founder of Limitless Minds, where he spearheads efforts to make elite mindset coaching accessible to everyone. Through their digital platform and programs, Limitless Minds has empowered hundreds of individuals and teams across organizations like Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Chick-fil-A, Bristol Myers Squibb, Goldm…

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#206: Blake Squires (Findaway, Movable, and Stubl) — Serial Entrepreneur 1:07:16

9M ago1:07:16

1:07:16

Blake Squires began his journey in the mid-90s in Los Angeles, capitalizing early on the convergence of technology and media. He soon returned to his hometown of Cleveland to co-found Everstream with Steve McHale (episode 196) and Charlie Lougheed (episode 42, and also my co-founder at Axuall). Blake served as COO until Everstream’s acquisition by …

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#205: Carl Walz (NASA Astronaut) — 230+ Days In Outer Space 53:06

9M ago53:06

53:06

Carl Walz is an astronaut, a pioneer of space exploration, and a proud Clevelander! As an astronaut, Carl is a veteran of four spaceflights, logging a total of 231 days in outer space and performing three spacewalks during that time. A physicist by training, with degrees from Kent State and John Carroll University, Carl made his way to NASA via the…

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#204: Paul Roetzer (SmarterX & Marketing AI Institute) — Accelerating AI Literacy 1:05:27

9M ago1:05:27

1:05:27

Paul Roetzer is the founder and CEO of SmarterX and the Marketing AI Institute—a media, event, and online education company that he started back in 2016 to make AI accessible, approachable, and actionable for marketers and business leaders. Through the institute, he created MAICON—the leading annual Marketing AI conference, which is hosted here in …

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#203: Geoff Bruder (Sonic Fire Tech) — Fighting Fires with Sound and Acoustic Waves 39:46

9M ago39:46

39:46

Geoff Bruder, co-founder of GhostWorks Engineering and Sonic Fire Tech—a company redefining fire suppression—is fighting fires with acoustic wave technology. Geoff's journey is rooted in his work at NASA Glenn Research Center here in Cleveland, where he focused as a Research Engineer on projects like the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (AS…

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#202: Jared Semik (Eternium Aerospace) — Transcontinental Electric Flights 1:00:28

10M ago1:00:28

1:00:28

Jared Semik, founder of Eternium Aerospace, a long-range, zero-emissions aircraft development company, is focused on sustainable transatlantic flight. A multi-service military aviation veteran with three global deployments, Jared began his career in the Marine Corps in 1999. He is an aerospace research and development engineer with over 20 years of…

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#201: Robert Marks (Projector) — Keepsake and Personal Streaming for Legacy 1:03:27

10M ago1:03:27

1:03:27

Robert Marks founded Fidelity Voice and Data in 1999 with just a $600 investment, which he grew into a business generating over $30 million in revenue, making it one of the largest telecommunications and cloud services competitors throughout the Midwest. The company focused on providing high-speed Internet access to various industries. After sellin…

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#200: Andy Tran (Arthur Street Ventures) — A Modern Renaissance Man 55:17

11M ago55:17

55:17

Andy Tran has lived more lives than just about anyone I know. He’s a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple businesses across industries, including tech, ammunition manufacturing, defense contracting, and tequila, among many others. Andy is a true modern Renaissance man whose path defies convention and serves as a testament to his deep curios…

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#199: John Knific (Squad) — The EdTech Guru 1:06:13

11M ago1:06:13

1:06:13

John Knific is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has built three venture-backed software companies here in Cleveland. His latest venture, Squad, is a peer discovery platform designed to gamify ratings and rankings for Gen Z, starting on college campuses, delivering valuable preference data to marketers. Before Squad, John co-founded Wisr, a vi…

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#198: Rob van Haaren (Proximal Energy) — Powering The Solar Revolution 1:02:31

11M ago1:02:31

1:02:31

Rob van Haaren is a Dutch-born entrepreneur and CEO of Proximal Energy, a Cleveland-based SaaS company transforming asset management for solar and energy storage projects. Rob has long been interested in renewable energy engineering — he holds a Master’s from Columbia University in Earth and Environmental Engineering and a PhD from Columbia as well…

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#197: Ali Bonar (Oat Haus) — The Granola Butter Company 58:06

11M ago58:06

58:06

Ali Bonar — CEO & Co-Founder of Oat Haus, a food company bringing fun and play to eating. Their flagship product, Granola Butter, is the world's first oat-based spread and while Oat Haus was born out of Ali's decade-long battle with an eating disorder, and it's now her mission to help others feel less alone. Since its beginnings in 2018, Oat Haus h…

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#196: Stephen McHale (Graici & Unify Labs) — Serial Entrepreneurship & the Pursuit of Inclusive Prosperity 51:46

12M ago51:46

51:46

Stephen McHale — a long-time Cleveland serial entrepreneur with a 40-year career founding, investing in, and building companies. Most notably, Steve served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Explorys, which he formed in 2009 in partnership with The Cleveland Clinic. He co-founded and funded Explorys with Charlie Lougheed, one o…

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[Bonus] Rust Belt Rundown featuring Jeffrey Stern of The O.H.I.O. Fund 49:06

12M ago49:06

49:06

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Lay of The Land podcast. Today, we're doing something a bit different as I take on the role of guest on other podcasts to discuss recent developments in my journey and offer a glimpse of what lies ahead. As some of you may know, I've recently embarked on a new professional path by joining the founding team …

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#194: Hanna Kassis (Babylon Asset Management) — Business Financing, Private Credit, and Growth Capital 51:08

1y ago51:08

51:08

Throughout his career, Hanna Kassis has overseen $1.5 billion in capital deployment. Hanna began his entrepreneurial journey in Youngstown, where he managed Tim Ryan's congressional campaign from 2008 to 2011. This early taste of independence would prove formative for his future ventures. Though he initially pursued law school in Chicago with inten…

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[In Honor Of] Bob Sopko 58:55

1y ago58:55

58:55

It is with a heavy heart that I honor Bob Sopko’s memory by revisiting Lay of The Land's 12th episode. While no conversation could ever fully capture the breadth or depth of his legacy, I hope this episode relays an essence of his spirit, his unwavering commitment to supporting others, and his vision for Cleveland’s entrepreneurial future. Bob will…

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#193: Ryan Schreiber (Streamline) — The One-Stop Streaming Guide 56:19

1y ago56:19

56:19

Ryan Schreiber is a long-time Clevelander and major advocate for the city, as well as the founder and CEO of Streamline, an innovative mobile platform tackling one of the streaming industry's most pressing challenges—helping users navigate the increasingly fragmented world of content and entertainment, from sports to shows and movies, across over 2…

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#192: Jim Weisman (Ingine) — Revolutionizing Knowledge Generation for a Healthier Tomorrow 53:21

1y ago53:21

53:21

Jim Weisman, CEO of Ingine, exploring deep into the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare In our world where healthcare costs are soaring and drug development timelines stretch into decades, Ingine is revolutionizing how we can analyze complex medical and healthcare data to produce better knowledge to create better medicine. By lev…

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#191: Lance Hill (Within3) — Raising >$100 Million to Breakdown Healthcare Communication Barriers 1:01:31

1y ago1:01:31

1:01:31

Lance Hill, CEO of Within3, has led one of Cleveland's most well-capitalized startups, raising over $100 million to transform how the healthcare and life sciences industries communicate. What began in 2007 as a secure peer-to-peer platform for physicians quickly evolved into something much more ambitious—a solution to break down communication barri…

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[Bonus] Marketing Moves — Investing in Ohio's Future: Ft. Jeffrey Stern 41:20

1y ago41:20

41:20

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Lay of The Land podcast. Today, we're doing something a bit different as I take on the role of guest on other podcasts to discuss recent developments in my journey and offer a glimpse of what lies ahead. As some of you may know, I've recently embarked on a new professional path by joining the founding team …

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#189: Chas D. Withers (Dix & Eaton) — Running Towards the Fire 59:29

1y ago59:29

59:29

Chas Withers, chairman and CEO of Dix & Eaton, the storied Cleveland integrated communications firm, known for its specialization in marketing communications, Crisis management, and investor relations, which has partnered with its clients to drive impact and results in their public relations since 1952. While Chas has led the firm as CEO since 2015…

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#188: Joe Pulizzi (Tilt Publishing & Content Entrepreneur Expo) — Content Marketing, Community, and Cleveland 51:50

1y ago51:50

51:50

Joe Pulizzi is a serial entrepreneur and deeply passionate about all things content marketing and entrepreneurship — he is the bestselling author of seven books including Content Inc., selling over 500,000 copies worldwide with his work featured New York Times, Insider, Entrepreneur, and other notable publications he hosts multiple podcasts and wri…

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#187: Aaron Hoffman & John Zinno (DeliverThat) — The Future of Catering Delivery 1:10:21

1y ago1:10:21

1:10:21

Aaron Hoffman and John Zinno — co-founders of DeliverThat, based in Canton Ohio. Friends for life, the two of them started this business out of Ohio University in 2016 off the bat of a viral tweet and have since proceeded to revolutionize catering delivery with over $300 million dollars of catering delivery under their belt, a network of over 25,00…

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#186: Andrew Rising (Encore Venture Labs) — Bridging Cleveland's Industrial Heritage To Its Industrial Future 59:17

1y ago59:17

59:17

Andrew Rising, CEO of Encore Venture Labs. As someone who believes deeply in the opportunity for Cleveland’s future, I find Andrew’s journey to be an inspiring and optimisitc one… …Deeply rooted in the heart of Cleveland’s west side where he grew up before embarking on a decade-long adventure in the Bay Area—a place where innovation and venture cap…