Ernest Levert Jr is the founder of the Royal Oak Initiative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that focuses on developing community through the game of chess. What started as a bi-weekly meetup has grown into a community of chess enthusiasts as well as a chess-based mentoring program, and the Royal Oak Chess Initiative recently signed a …
Jacob Block is the CEO and Founder of American Nitrile, a disposable glove manufacturer headquartered here in Columbus. Jacob founded American Nitrile in 2021 in an effort to combat the PPE shortage that hit the U.S. and the world due to the COVID pandemic. With the motto “Bring Manufacturing Back Home,” Jacob and the American …
Matt Scantland is the Founder and CEO of AndHealth, a digital health company with the mission of helping people reverse chronic disease, which he started after his own battle with chronic disease. AndHealth is the world’s first virtual Center of Excellence for migraine reversal, and is soon launching a virtual Center of Excellence for autoimmune …
Jay Harkrider is the Managing Director of Foxen, a software company that started out by focusing on helping property managers better track and manage renter’s insurance across their tenants. However, over just a few years, Foxen has evolved into a FinTech company providing innovative financial solutions for residential and commercial real estate companies. On top …
Tom Dailey provides independent expert strategic and practical advice to merchants, payment processors, investors, law firms, and other organizations. He is a recognized, trusted expert in the card and payments space. As a senior executive at Discover, he managed the multi-billion dollar merchant business unit, including a team of over 2,000 across 28 facilities. More …
5.Life is a collection of world-class climbing facilities based in the Midwest and has been in business for thirty years in Columbus, Ohio. The first facility, Vertical Adventures was hand-built by Alexis and Carrie Roccos, with the help of their friends, and opened in 1994 in Columbus, Ohio. Since then, the business and climbing community …
Ernie Knight is the Managing Director and CEO of Valley Growth Ventures. Valley Growth Ventures is a “micro” venture capital investment fund created to support high-growth, early-stage companies across the state of Ohio, with a preference for those in the Mahoning Valley. Formed in collaboration between five area organizations, VGV serves to aid in the …
Joe Petrelli is the President and Co-Founder of Demotech, the first insurer rating service to review independent regional and specialty insurers. At the time of the founding of Demotech in 1985, the insurance rating industry was controlled by a few key players, and many of them said it would be impossible to rate smaller regional …
Esther is the Founder of Benesafe Solutions. Benesafe Solutions LLC manufactures, produces, and sells eco-friendly, plant-based insect repellents without harsh chemicals making them safe for families, pets, and the environment. Their goal is to create products that are in line with their values and minimize the impact on the environment and the planet. Prior to …
Brian Gregory is the CEO and a Co-Founder of FMX. FMX is a facilities management software company founded in 2012 that has grown to serve over 1,500 customers across the world today. Prior to co-founding FMX, Brian was an engineer working in the energy services industry, and he graduated from the Ohio State University with …