Built in Ohio

Nicole Paolozzi is the Founder and CEO of OndeCare, a technology platform that finds pre-vetted, Professional Care Providers that can be at your home in as little as two hours. In this episode we talk with Nicole about how experiences as a working mother led to her building OndeCare and her journey from BigCo to startup.

Nicole is an entrepreneur because over the past two decades she repeatedly ran into the same need for safe, reliable, on demand family care and just couldn’t let it go. She has more than 25 years’ experience developing and leading high-end service organizations.

The foundation for Nicole’s career was with American Express Corporate Card and Corporate Travel Services, where she started out in middle-market sales in Indianapolis, was promoted to large-market account management in Chicago, led their internal Knowledge Management team which built Wikipedia-like databases (before Wikipedia), and ultimately recruited to be a Six Sigma Black Belt in the first Six Sigma cohort to apply the defect reduction methodology to service processes and organizations.

Nicole’s forte in process design and leading service organizations has shaped OndeCare’s technology driven solution; addressing the accelerated caregiving crisis currently in Cleveland and Akron with a plan to deploy as a voluntary benefit and an employee perk to small and midsized businesses nationwide.

Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-paolozzi

Learn more about OndeCare: www.ondecare.com

Jessica Cohen currently leads Verizon's philanthropy and community engagement efforts in Northern Ohio.  In this episode we talk to Jessica about the power of 5G, how the it's building Ohio's cities, and why she loves working for a leading tech company.

Before joining Verizon, she worked in the nonprofit and public sectors, serving on the staff of U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy and later in institutional advancement and government advocacy roles for Cleveland-based nonprofits.  During her time at Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Jessica became a recognized leader in external affairs and community relations.  She also chairs the Cleveland Heights Planning Commission. 

Jessica was chosen as one of the 2015 Crain's Cleveland Business Forty Under 40 and a 2019 Cleveland Jewish News Difference Maker.  She received her undergraduate degree in Government from Harvard University, her Master's in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University, and is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor at Cleveland Marshall College of Law.

Jessica and her husband Eric, a public school teacher, live in Cleveland Heights with their four adorable children.

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacohen18/

Bob Fenner is currently a sales leader in the Midwest for Arista Networks, a publicly traded Silicon Valley based networking and security company.  In this episode we talk with Bob about helping customers solve problems and what it's like working for a Silicon Valley-based company in Ohio.

Bob joined Arista in 2016 and has since grown regional revenue 10x including building out an extended team of 20+ team members. Prior to joining Arista Networks, Bob spent the last 10+ years working for various technology startups and a Fortune 500 company in Silicon Valley, Denver, Cleveland, and Columbus.

Bob is a graduate of Ohio University and The Schey Sales Centre. He currently serves on the board of The Schey Sales Centre at Ohio University and the Ohio Networking User Group (OH)NUG. Originally a Cleveland, Ohio native, Bob resides in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and two kids.

Connect with Bob on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bfenner/

Learn more about Arista: www.arista.com

Jacob Glenn is the Founder and President of M Genio. In this episode, we talk with Jacob about the path which led him to starting his own firm eight years ago and how his company brings innovation solutions to the intersection of business and technology.

M Genio is a Cleveland-based boutique firm of smart technologists specializing in Mobile Solutions, Internet of Things, and Cloud Automation. From strategy to software development to ongoing support.

Prior to founding M Genio, Jacob worked at a number of leading technology companies. Today, he's an advisory board member at two investment firms and his alma mater, Case Western Reserve University where he received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees.

For more information on M Genio, please visit: www.mgenio.com

Connect with Jacob on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/jacobglenn

Molly Reams Thompson is the Co-Founder of Perrysburg Energy Solutions. In this episode we talk with Molly about her passion for educational entrepreneurship and how a career in tech and startups across America led her home to Toledo.

From the moment her feet hit the floor in the morning, Molly is constantly thinking about how to implement big ideas, challenge the status quo, and inspire others. Molly’s DNA is made up of equal parts entrepreneurship, strategy and service.

Molly has founded/co-founded seven companies; invested in three start-ups; and served on numerous boards.

She has raised nearly $3 million and successfully rebuilt previously struggling programs. She has mentored dozens of food, tech, and arts-related startups and created a curriculum for entrepreneurship in urban agriculture at a local college.

Currently, Molly is co-founder of Perrysburg Energy Solutions, a full-service LED lighting company she and her husband started in 2016. Her most successful “startup”? Avery and Jack, 16-year old twins, co-founded with her husband, Scott.

Connect with Molly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heymollydolly/

For more information on Perrysburg Energy Solutions: www.perrysburgenergy.com

Naveed H. Iqbal, PhD is the co-founder and CEO at Dolr. In this episode we talk with Naveed about solving the big issue of student loan debt, his path to founding Dolr, and why Columbus was the perfect place to start his company.

Founded with a mission to lower financial barriers to education, Dolr is a student loan repayment platform accelerating its members to $0 student debt with their money, their employer's money, and money from the apps they use. 

Before founding Dolr Naveed worked in consumer risk and product at one of the largest consumer banks in the USA. He earned his PhD in Applied Math at the Florida Institute of Technology.

Connect with Naveed on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/naveed-h-iqbal

Follow Dolr on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/dolr

For more information on Dolr: www.getdolr.com

Craig Borkowski is the CEO of Terra Sound Technology, a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), headquartered in Columbus.

Terra Sound was founded on a passion for creating thoughtful solutions for their Customers, delivered through Terra Sound's Software and Fiber Optic Cable. Their Mission is to solve your Security, Smart City, and Pipeline problems.

Craig graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Over the past 25-years, he has worked extensively in the electronic materials field in a variety of positions.

Craig started out in Operations and has held roles in Engineering, Technical Service, R&D, Marketing, Business Development and as General Manager at a variety of global multinationals. Before Terra Sound, his most recent role was as Chief Strategy Officer of Momentive, a $3Bn silicones manufacturer with approximately 5,000 employees.

Craig is a seasoned leader with a strong leadership style. His ability to think through a grand strategy, focusing on core competencies and growth opportunities for the company will enable Terra Sound Technology to continue our rapid growth that has been happening over the past year.

• Connect with Craig on LinkedIn.

• Learn more about Terra Sound: www.terrasound.us

Pete Blackshaw is the CEO of Cintrifuse, a syndicated venture fund and startup catalyst organization dedicated to making Greater Cincinnati the #1 startup hub in the Midwest and a top innovation center in the nation. In this episode we talk with Pete about his work across the globe and the opportunity for Cincinnati and cities like it across the country.

Pete joined Cintrifuse from Nestlé, S.A. in Switzerland, where he was Vice President of Digital. Pete earlier served as CMO of NM Incite, a joint venture between Nielsen and McKinsey.

He is the author of “Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000” (Doubleday). Pete is a passionate entrepreneur who founded PlanetFeedback.com, one of the web’s first consumer-feedback portals, which he sold to Nielsen.

He also co-founded the Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and served as Chairman of the Board of the National Council of Better Business Bureaus. In 2019, he served as an innovation juror at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Pete is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the University of California, Santa Cruz.

• Connect with Pete on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/consumergeneratedmedia/

• Follow Pete on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pblackshaw

• For more information on Cintrifuse, please visit: www.cintrifuse.com

Rick Pollack is the founder and owner of MakerGear LLC. MakerGear engineers and manufactures desktop and benchtop 3d printers. In this episode we talk with Rick about the career pivot that led to MarkerGear and the importance of high tech manufacturing.

Rick started MakerGear in his garage in Shaker Heights in 2009 and MakerGear moved to their current location in Beachwood in 2012. MakerGear was one of the first companies in desktop 3d printing and helped to bring 3d printers to the masses.

Prior to MakerGear, Rick worked as a software developer for many years and for a variety of companies. He was a principal in eCCS a very early online CRM startup for the automobile industry and that company was acquired by Dayton based Reynolds and Reynolds in 2000.

Rick has a BS in Computer Science from the University of Cincinnati. You can often find Rick hiking in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

For more information on MakerGear: www.makergear.com

Connect with Rick on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rickpollack

And for information on MakerGear's virtual Toy Drive: https://www.makergear.com/blogs/stories/join-the-makergear-virtual-toy-drive

***This podcast is sponsored by Ashland University’s world-class MBA Program.

Start solving tomorrow's business problems and apply today. All OhioX members, employees, their spouse, and dependents receive a 10% tuition discount.***

Don Wright is the Founder and CEO of Clarigent Health. Clarigent Health uses artificial intelligence to detect biomarkers in speech that can detect potential mental health risks. 

In this episode we talk with Don about his work in tackling the important issue of mental health, what the future of this space holds, and how technology plays a role.

Prior to Clarigent Health, Don led Assurex Health which provides genetic testing for almost one million people with mental health conditions. Assurex Health grew to over 500 employees and was acquired in 2016 by Myriad Genetics. Since then Don has used his 25 years of experience to advise hyper-growth companies and to build Clarigent Health. Clarigent Health is now launching a new product this month, called Clairity.

For more information on Clarigent Health please visit: www.clarigenthealth.com

Connect with Don on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donwright/