StartUp Lakewood

Patty Ryan is the CEO of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, and she is on the ground floor of entrepreneurship in Lakewood. Every day she meets and greets the best and brightest of this great city who are looking to make a difference. She serves as a mentor and advocate for these entrepreneurs.

Today we interview Todd Mesek, the Oracle. Todd sees the macro-trends swirling all around us, which enables him to provide insightful and actionable strategies around them. As Chief Marketing Officer of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he challenged the tired tropes of rock 'n' roll and positioned the hall a national treasure. He's now doing the same thing with our local T.V. and radio stations at ideastream. 

We recorded in studio with Bill Grimberg in the Fall of 2018, and it was a powerful interview. Bill was gracious, insightful, humorous, and honest in his description of what it means to be an entrepreneur. We were crestfallen to learn that he passed away a few weeks ago. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family; he will be missed. Bill was a once in a lifetime big-thinker and risk-taker so we are happy to make his wisdom available to all. 

Matt Fish is the founder of Melt, one of the most iconic restaurants in the United States. Matt had a vision for gourmet grilled cheese, and his cooking has really struck a chord with Lakewood and Cleveland locals, enabling him to expand his restaurant to multiple locations. 

Vince Frantz embodies The Free Spirit through his passion for skateboarding and for his company, Sprokets. Specializing in user experience, Vince highlights the creative side of Lakewood's business sector.

Tom Fraser carries the mantle of a leader as a homegrown champion of Lakewood. He built his company, First Federal of Lakewood, as a national powerhouse in the mutual banking industry. Working with local entrepreneurs, he has helped to shape and build the commercial sector in this city.

This debut podcast features an interview with Mike Besito, founder of Product Collective and the former Entrepreneur in Residence of StartUp Lakewood. Our host, Michael DeAloia, asks Mike about pioneering the early endeavors of StartUp Lakewood to help entrepreneurs, business people, co-working spaces, educators, and more. Mike also shares how he successfully spearheaded efforts to bring a global conference to the city of Cleveland.

This podcast, launching March 13, explores the trials and tribulations of rustbelt entrepreneurs who are taking risks and defying expectations in the great city of Lakewood, Ohio. Entrepreneurs enjoy this open, liberal, individualistic, yet supportive city. While we're not as large as our next door neighbor, Cleveland, it doesn't mean our entrepreneurs don't have dynamic stories. They do. This podcast captures the entrepreneurial spirit of our city and is produced by the Lakewood-based Evergreen Podcasts team.