Ah!thentic Ambition
Jack Butorac thought he had retired from the food industry in 2000, but a small Toledo, Ohio-based pizzeria was calling his name. “I failed at retirement and was starting to get a little itchy. Someone introduced me to the Marco’s Pizza brand, and I liked what I saw,” Butorac says. “I saw that the founder, […]
Raising the tide in Northeast Ohio
ABCO Fire Protection, founder of the Live Safe Foundation, took top honors recently as recipient of the Shatten Civic Distinction Award from The Entrepreneurs EDGE. Each year, as part of the Leading EDGE Awards Program, The Entrepreneurs EDGE highlights one of 101 companies with the award. The award recognizes a Leading EDGE honoree that exemplifies […]
How Diana Richards persevered to grow Vacuum Systems International
Diana Richards saw a need in the vacuum cleaner industry and has spent her life chasing that need through her business, Vacuum Systems International Inc. VSI was founded in 1995 to manage national chain stores’ floor care equipment. What started out as a single client wanting a resource for store associates to call and troubleshoot […]
Movers and Shakers – October 2013
Beacon Financial Partners has announced that Peter Franz joins the company as its co-chief investment officer. In this role Franz will serve as a member of the Beacon Investment Committee and Marketing Committee. He will help oversee and execute Beacon’s investment philosophy and investment strategies for the firm’s clients and advisers. The American Advertising Federation Cleveland […]
Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut: How to find new ideas in the most unlikely places
Most weeks I get on a plane and attempt to have an out-of-body experience to deal with all the hassles of flying as I travel from point A to point B. When flying, I have a few simple rules. One, I almost never eat the food. Two, I attempt to talk to no one other […]
Play it as it lies: Difficult situations in life require a redoubling of efforts
Life has a way of presenting us with difficult circumstances. Sometimes it’s in our personal lives, and sometimes it’s in our business. If the circumstance is severe enough, it can create a crisis, which can often cause a feeling of hopelessness. When things outside your control come at you in droves, it becomes difficult to […]
If you want to earn that championship ring learn to adjust and adapt
The greatest baseball game I ever saw was Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. The Minnesota Twins defeated the Atlanta Braves 1-0 in a 10-inning nail bitter, adding an exclamation point to what many consider the best World Series ever played. In that deciding game, Twins’ ace Jack Morris gave one of the gutsiest […]
Eric Holtzclaw: Five tips on how to get to know your customers better
A common problem for businesses today is that they don’t know their customers as well as they should. Many erroneously believe that it’s too hard or too expensive to understand what their customers want. They try to use shortcuts like relying on survey data or demographics in a feeble attempt to fill their knowledge gaps. […]
Paul Damico: How to take advantage of positive company news and success
When your company reaches its goals, receives awards or hits a milestone, what do you do? Do you share the news with the entire company, or just your executive team? Celebrating wins is an easy way to align your entire team with your company goals, kick up your company culture and overall capitalize on the […]
2013 Pacesetter – Mid-sized winner – Crazy Mocha
If you were to ask Ken Zeff, founder and CEO of Crazy Mocha, what his favorite drink from the coffee chain is, he would have a hard time giving you an answer — not because he has so many favorites, but because he isn’t a coffee drinker. Zeff understands how crazy that sounds, but says […]