Join us for a fireside chat with the original founders of craft brewing in Cleveland! Pat Conway, co-founder of Great Lakes Brewing Company, will share the journey he and his brother Dan embarked upon to fulfill their dream of opening Ohio’s first craft brewery. From incorporating the business in 1986 to hosting must-attend culture-of-Cleveland events, the brothers were purposeful in choosing their location in Ohio City, meticulous in developing their brand and style, and selective in building their team. Cut to today, where they operate in a much more competitive market of craft breweries and hear how they have continued to evolve and grow the business – all with a focus on their values, what they call “the triple bottom line:” social, financial, and environmental.   

Everyone knows lawsuits are painful. They’re time-consuming, energy-wasting, distracting and expensive. Here’s a dirty little secret that every lawyer knows:  Most litigation exposure is entirely preventable if a company follows some simple, preemptive steps  In the first installment of our Growth By Design webinar series, Alex Gertsburg will pass along proven strategies to save your company boat-loads of money both inside and outside the courts and establish a sound compliance foundation to support your growth strategy. 

COSE-y up next to fellow business owners and leaders as we bring small businesses back together to celebrate surviving the last two years and to look forward to a successful and prosperous 2022. Say goodbye to Potlucks, White Elephant, and Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties!  Join us for the ultimate holiday party celebrating all things small biz.  Bring your team, bring your family, bring your colleagues and friends in the business community. 

Yes, we said Onboarding. We do this all the time when we hire new employees to our companies. Why? We want to welcome them and create a positive experience for them.    Shouldn’t we do the same for our new customers? Most companies can attract a new customer, but the challenge comes in how to retain them. When retention of your customer base increases, so does your loyalty, and revenue.  Marvin Montgomery and Bob Pacanovsky, two COSE Board Members, will lead a panel discussion of business owners just like you, and they will give us their ideas and secrets on how they both attract and retain customers.   

This discussion will center the impact of culture and retention on your ability to attract future talent. By intentionally building your culture with a mindset towards retention, coupled with some best practices in hiring, you will walk away from this discussion equipped to grow your company with a higher quality team.

Are you trying to create a business growth strategy for 2022 and beyond and don’t know where to start? Do you need clarity and a real game plan that you can implement to get you to that next level? In fact…creating a 2022 growth plan and strategy will make a huge difference in your business and entrepreneurial journey! In this session, we'll walk through how to create a strategy and plan for business growth in 2022 and beyond.

Increasing your supplier diversity spend and MBE utilization with corporate/nonprofit events and fundraisers can be done successfully and with great results. Join Jejuana C. Brown, Director of Equity and Inclusion Programs at Greater Cleveland Partnership and guests to learn best and next practices for increasing the use of MBE’s for your organization’s virtual and in-person events.