Events

A $300 Million Opportunity

NEO consumes $1.5 Billion in Produce annually but grows less than 5%. Increasing that volume to 20%, and $300million in jobs and capital would remain in-market. Learn how the Center for Food Innovation has developed a coalition of companies, funders, farmers and supporters to convert Northeast Ohio into the largest year-round Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) food production region in the country, including

1. The GARDEN (where health grows), a 135-acre Controlled Environment Agriculture industry hub with a 20-acre CEA greenhouse, cold storage training and technology demonstration facilities. 

2. Over 350+-acres of large-track, build-ready sites for farm installations

3. A skilled workforce developed through a pathway to employment and farm ownership educational programs being designed with Lorain County Community College.

Megan O’Connell joined the City of Cleveland Department of Port Control as Assistant Director, Marketing, Communications, and Guest Experience in March 2025. She is currently responsible for strategic marketing and communications, along with helping to create a more modern, visitor-friendly airport.

Dennis D. Kramer, P.E., C.M., joined the City of Cleveland Department of Port Control as Assistant Director, Airport Development in February 2020. He is currently responsible for managing all aspects of planning, grants & asset management, engineering & construction, environmental compliance & sustainability, and the Terminal Modernization 

Scott C. Carr, A.A.E,  is currently responsible for managing all commercial operations, including air service development and retention, air cargo, airport concessions, commercial development and properties, economic development, ground transportation and parking, rental car facilities, airport compliance and inclusion, and North Coast Harbor.

Hear from Steve Potash, a lifelong Clevelander, as he shares the journey that led him to found and lead OverDrive, the world’s leading digital reading platform for libraries and schools. Guided by its mission to create “a world enlightened by reading,” OverDrive delivers the industry’s largest catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and video to a global network of 92,000 libraries and schools across 115 countries. Its portfolio includes Libby, the award-winning library reading app; Kanopy, the acclaimed streaming video service; and Sora, the platform where students discover and enjoy books. In this session, Steve will share the OverDrive story and its impact on communities, here in Cleveland and around the world.

Mary Delia helps organizations rethink how they welcome, serve, and connect in today’s distracted world. A Rocky River native and graduate of Lake Ridge Academy and Miami University, she built her career in high-stakes hospitality with brands like the NFL, MLB, T-Mobile, and Bank of America. Today, she speaks nationally on The Welcoming Edge: Customer Service and Connection in the Age of Leave Me Alone — showing leaders and teams how small shifts in greeting and service can build trust, drive loyalty, and deliver lasting results.