More than 400 small business leaders and entrepreneurs gathered to "think BIG" at the COSE Business, Innovation and Growth Summit, where mentorship, innovation, and community connections took center stage.  Attendees were inspired to focus on growing their businesses with bold ideas and values-driven leadership.

The Tuesday event at La Centre in Westlake featured workshops, keynote panels and special programming for young entrepreneurs. There were sessions on topics from sales to marketing, human resources and technology.

Most of all, the day was about connecting.

“Today, you stepped away from the day-to-day to focus ON your business,” said COSE Executive Director Megan Kim noted to begin the Summit.

BIG began and ended with panels focusing on some of Cleveland’s most innovative and successful local businesses.

The morning “Crafting Success” keynote panel featured leaders of two of Cleveland’s most beloved businesses: Malley’s Chocolates’ Bill and Mike Malley and Great Lakes Brewing Company’s co-founder Pat Conway. 

(From left): COSE Vice Chair Cheryl Perez, Bill Malley, Mike Malley and Pat Conway

The culinary innovators discussed challenges overcome and how they continue to evolve.

The Malleys emphasized how their nearly 100-year-old company has embraced technology to grow, while never forgetting Malley’s importance in the community.

Conway discussed Great Lake’s three-part bottom line: financial, social and environmental, emphasizing how important thinking beyond the traditional bottom line is to the business renowned for their sustainability.

The day was bookended by the afternoon “Embracing Innovation: Big Ideas. Bold Ventures” panel, featuring three leaders who are embracing innovation and putting Cleveland on the map: Maria Bennett, President and CEO of SPR Therapeutics; Trina Bediako, CEO, New Horizons Baking Company; and Scott Mueller, Chief Executive Officer, Dealer Tire.

Bennett discussed overcoming the challenges of launching and growing a women-led life science business. She also praised Geater Cleveland’s business community.

“There is so much to be proud of in this region that will attract capital,” she noted.

Bediako shared her company’s growth, 15% in the last five years, and emphasized how essential it is to hire and mentor people with the right skills. Being a business leader is not always easy, she added, advising the crowd: “Be true to yourself about what you want to do … what it will take to achieve those goals and what you will have to sacrifice to get there.”

(From left): GCP President and CEO Baiju Shah, Scott Mueller, Trina Bediako and Maria Bennett

BIG also featured special young entrepreneur programming, highlighted by a presentation from Brandon Chrostowski, Founder, President & CEO, EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute -- who spoke to the importance of first bettering the world, then building your business -- and a panel featuring Tina Chamoun, season 5 Chain Reaction winner and founder of Terranean Spices, Spreads & Snacks; Jason Therrien, CEO of thunder::tech,  full-service marketing agency; and Marvin Montgomery, Jr. , COSE Board member and owner of Kicks n' Cuts LLC.

“This was my first business conference, and it left me feeling very inspired, especially Brandon’s presentation about his work in the community,” said Vanessa Roth, a senior at Magnificat High School.

Chrostowski with Magnificant students

Chamoun was one of several past Chain Reaction contestants in attendance. Also, there was Covermecutee’s Idayat Sambo, who found a receptive audience for sharing news of her modest clothing line, and representatives of Uncle Crunch, who has a new collaboration with Malley’s Chocolates that should be in stores within the month.

Many workshops were standing room only.

 “I learned so much about generating leads, it was a very useful discussion” enthused Rebecca Kukis, Director of ERP Sales and Services at Accunet after attending COSE Board Chair Cheryl Perez’s session on “The Easiest Automated Strategy to Skyrocket Your Revenue.” 

Two panelists best summed up the themes of the day. 

Speaking to young entrepreneurs, Jason Therrien praised the Cleveland community: “There is no other city like this region where you can reach out and ask for help,” he said, to strong agreement from others on the stage.

Later in the day during the “Embracing Innovation” panel, Mueller emphasized the importance of people-focused values and having a vision.

“When people come into our culture, they have to live with our values. What matters is values … and thinking big.”

That’s exactly what attendees did Tuesday.

Three Key Takeaways 

1. Embracing Innovation and Technology for Growth: Speakers throughout the day emphasized how crucial it is to evolve and adopt new technologies while staying connected to the community.
2. People-Centric Leadership and Values: The focus on values and people was a recurring theme, for both internal and external growth.
3. The Power of the Local Community: Greater Cleveland’s collaborative spirit was praised by attendees in a wide range of sectors and businesses.