Dreamers, Drivers, Doers

PGA Golf at Firestone in July has been a mainstay in the Akron community for over 70 years. In this episode, Steve sits down with Don Padgett, Executive Director of the Kaulig Companies Championship to discuss how the championship and Firestone Country Club delivers visibility, community engagement, and charitable support to the Greater Akron community. Hear more about what to expect at this year’s event as it continues to evolve and grow as an entertainment and community celebration for everyone.

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Each day we get closer to an AI driven world–and that’s no more apparent than in education and the businessworld. Stark State College has taken a forward-thinking approach in developing programs specifically oriented to AIlearning career readiness. Inthis episode, President of Stark State College Para Jones and ConxusNEO Tech SectorPartnership Senior Manager Amy Neumann sit down with Steve to talk all things AI and how the next generation ispreparing for an AI centered workforce.

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Akronites know that our city has a deep and colorful history that's shaped the fabric of our region. In July 2025, the City of Akron will celebrate its 200th birthday with a much-anticipated Bicentennial Celebration! A number of events and historic celebrations will take place aimed at bringing the city together. In this episode, Mark Greer, Executive Director of the Akron Bicentennial talks with Steve about plans for the celebration and how everything will come together.

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Dr. Cliff Deveny is the President and CEO of Summa Health, a healthcare delivery system in Northeast Ohio thatserves around 1,000,000 people a year and stands as Greater Akron’s largest employer in the region. Like allindustries, healthcare is continually changing with our evolving world; technology and practices continue to improvealong with cost. Summa Health’s recent acquisition by venture capital firm HATCo has sparked much debate in thecommunity about its future in Greater Akron. On this episode, Dr. Deveny and Steve discuss how this new structurewill solve problems in the administration of healthcare and misconceptions about the acquisition.

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Rick Small is the Chief Marketing Officer at Grube Inc., a franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings with 68 total locations,including a new sports bar in Cuyahoga Fallsand one of the first Buffalo Wild Wings "Go" locations in country here inAkron. Small champions the importance of connecting with the community despite being a part of a national brand.High school spirit nights, live local music, and weekly deals are allways that Grube Inc. endears its Buffalo WildWings locations to the community and keeps people coming back.

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Amy Mucha can be found at many Greater Akron Chamber events, but there's a chance you've heard of her referredto as the "cake pop lady" more than her actual name. She's the owner of Daisy Pops, a Kent-based cake pop shopthat sells a number of cake-based delicacies and services. If you've ever talked to her, you knowthat "pop" hasbecome a part of her everyday dialogue to the point where she almost naturally throws it into sentences withoutthinking. She's been running Daisy Pops fulltime since 2021 and has seen exponential growth due to her exceptionalmarketing andpeople skills. In this episode, Mucha and Steve discuss small business growth, the Golden Sachs10,000 Small Business program, and collaboration over competition.

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Headquartered in Akron, Apple Growth Partners (AGP) is an accounting and business advisory firm thatoffers a fullrange of services, primarily to privately held small and mid-size businesses. In this episode, Chairman Chuck Mullen sits down with Steve Millard to discuss how in our ever-changing world, complete with AI other modern technologies ,clients are demanding more... as they should. Chuck explains how he never wants to have to tell a client "no". If he doesn't have an answer or a solution in the present moment, he either makes the effort to find one or points them in the direction of someone who does. And that leads into AGP's recent announcement of their merger with Eide Bailly, a top 25 CPA and consulting firm based in Fargo, ND. With this merger, Chuck explains the wealthof new resources that will be available to clients, as well as opportunities and benefits for current employees.

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Expanding a Small Business Outside of our RegionLeppo Rents was started nearly 80 years ago by Roy and Stella Leppo as a small Oliver Farm Equipmentdealer. A few decades later, a shift in focus to construction equipment rentals propelled the business intoyears of dynamic growth and expansion. Today, the company has expanded to 10 locations across threestates, while continually altering their business model to boot. In this episode, CFO and In-House LegalCounselor Erin Leppo Palmer sits down with Steve Millard to discuss the business’ acceptance of changein culture and operations, and how to be unique in an industry while doing what is best for the customer.Erin also discusses her experience as a female CFO, the importance of board service, and the WNLI BoardLeadership Initiative

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If you follow the Greater Akron Chamber or the Akron business community in general, you may have heardof the Polymer Industry Cluster. Akron has deep rootsin rubber and material science, and today, the regionhas hundreds of businesses, manufacturing plants, and research institutions focused on polymer-basedproduction and sustainability efforts. This led to Greater Akron being designated as a Sustainable PolymersTech Hub by the U.S. Economic Development Administration in October 2023, and a number of fundingand economic opportunities being presented to the region. In this episode, Brian Anderson, Vice Presidentof the Polymer Industry Cluster, sits down with Steve Millard to discuss how Greater Akron got to this pointand the opportunity for economic development it presents for the region.

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Each year, thousands of Summit County individuals are victims of crisis, violence, and tragedy, and manyare unprepared and unequipped to deal with the fallout. Luckily, Summit County has the Victim AssistanceProgram (VAP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit unattached to law enforcement and the court system that offersnonjudgemental crisis intervention and emotional support to victims. In this episode, Steve Millard sits downwith VAP President and CEO Leanne Graham to talk about the organizations 24-hour assistance hotlineand how business and organizations can utilize VAP when dealing with tragedy in the workplace.

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