Scalerator NEO News
Introducing the 2024 Scalerator NEO Cohort
We are excited to announce the launch of the eighth cohort of Scalerator NEO, an educational program aimed at Northeast Ohio leadership teams seeking to deliver immediate growth to their second stage businesses. Thirteen companies from eight counties were selected for participation.
Each of the companies in the six-month Scalerator cohort, which began in January, has sales between $3 million and $15 million. Five participating companies are minority and/or women-owned, comprising a diverse cohort from a number of counties that will provide fertile ground for a successful scaleup experience.
Collectively, the eighth cohort represents over 505 full-time employees and more than $70 million in annual revenue. The following participating companies are poised to play a pivotal role in strengthening our region’s economy and its entrepreneurial community:
Benchmark Craftsmen, Inc. – Seville
Concept Manufacturing LLC – Ashland
DECA Manufacturing – Lexington
DigitalC – Cleveland
Dunaway, Inc. – Canfield
EarthQuaker Devices – Akron
Innovation Food Services – Twinsburg
McSteen Land Surveyors – Wickliffe
North Coast Seal, Inc. – Brook Park
Simple Solutions Learning, Inc. – Beachwood
Vinson – Akron
Young & Associates, Inc. – Kent
The 2023 Cohort Completes Scalerator
The Burton D Morgan Foundation congratulates the 2023 cohort of Scalerator NEO, which celebrated its program completion and achievements at a graduation celebration in early January. The class of twelve companies represents over 450 full-time employees and more than $80 million in revenue:
Bula Forge & Machine, Inc. – Cleveland
Consolidus – Akron
DEM Manufacturing – Newbury
Epiphany Management – Akron
Flexlink LLC – Cleveland
FMD Architects, Inc. – Fairlawn
Golden Standard Enterprises – Cleveland
Packaging Tech LLC – Cleveland
Point to Point – Cleveland
PorchLight Apartment Rental Service LLC – Stow
Providence House, Inc. – Cleveland
Valley City Supply – Medina
Meet the 2023 Scalerator NEO Cohort
Burton D. Morgan Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of the seventh cohort of Scalerator NEO, composed of highly motivated entrepreneurial leaders eager to scale their companies with the support of this proven program.
Thirteen companies from five Northeast Ohio counties were selected to participate in the 2023 Scalerator NEO cohort. The participating companies are represented by growth-motivated leaders from a variety of industries. Eight companies are minority and/or woman-owned, showcasing a diverse cohort that will provide fertile ground for a successful Scalerator experience.
Averaging more than $6 million in sales revenue and 35 full-time employees, each participating company is poised to play a pivotal role in strengthening the region’s economy and its entrepreneurial community. Through the Scalerator program, they will forge new connections, learn new strategies for growth, and obtain vital resources that will empower them to scale more swiftly and sustainably.
Collectively, the incoming cohort represents 447 full-time employees and more than $79.9 million in revenue. Cohort members and their headquarter cities include:
Bula Forge & Machine, Inc. – Cleveland
Consolidus – Akron
DEM Manufacturing – Newbury
Epiphany Management – Akron
Flexlink LLC – Cleveland
FMD Architects, Inc. – Fairlawn
Golden Standard Enterprises – Cleveland
Midlake Products & Mfg Co., Inc. – Louisville
Packaging Tech LLC – Cleveland
Point to Point – Cleveland
PorchLight Apartment Rental Service LLC – Stow
Providence House, Inc. – Cleveland
Valley City Supply – Medina
This year, the program will run from June to December. The cost to attend and all program expenses are covered by Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the Fasenmyer Fund, reflecting their commitment to entrepreneurial education and business growth in Northeast Ohio.
Scalerator NEO 2023 Reunion
Scalerator NEO Alumni representing all 6 cohorts had the opportunity to gather together for a reunion hosted by EDGE.
Special thanks to the alumni panel Tia Ramlow (Great Work! Employment Services Co), Tom Lix (Cleveland Whiskey) and Julie Brandle (Metis Construction Services, LLC and to Christopher Schmitt (National Association of Manufacturers - NAM) for serving as moderator.
The panel shared their insights on growth & resiliency especially as it relates to the three C’s (Customers, Capacity & Cash). Alumni were welcomed by Daniel Hampu (Burton D. Morgan Foundation), Daniel Isenberg (Scalerator Founder) and Kirk Neiswander (The Entrepreneurs EDGE). Growth stories were shared and rich discussions included continuing to scale and aligning the entire organization towards growth.
Thank you MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network for showcasing the new headquarters advanced manufacturing learning center.
How Scalerator NEO Supports Ohio Businesses:
A Q&A with Daniel Isenberg, Scalerator Founder
“FIRST QUESTION: WHAT EXACTLY IS SCALERATOR NEO?”
Isenberg: “Scalerator NEO is a six-month proven scale-up program that invites Northeast Ohio businesses from all sectors to gather into a cohort built for growth.
To date, 29 Scalerator cohorts have been conducted in nine regions around the globe. We have conducted Scalerator NEO since 2017 and have helped over 72 Northeast Ohio companies get new growth. Scalerator NEO alumni represent well over $500M in sales revenue and over 2,000 new jobs for Ohio. With the upcoming 2023 Scalerator program launching in June, we’re excited to make an even bigger impact.”
“CAN YOU DISCUSS WHAT TYPE OF GROWTH SCALERATOR NEO BRINGS OHIO BUSINESSES?”
Isenberg: “In Scalerator NEO, Ohio businesses will have many opportunities to generate new growth, reinforced by a like-minded cohort of highly motivated Ohio business owners. Scalerator NEO includes seven 1.5-day participatory workshops during which business owners and their teams will use the proprietary Scalerator growth tools to hack away at new growth. Between the workshops, participants will undertake exercises to further strengthen their growth. All of this is delivered by a team of faculty with extensive experience growing real businesses themselves.
Scalerator NEO helps Ohio businesses grow by equipping participants with the skills, tools, and insights necessary to make growth-driven decisions. Part of the Scalerator “magic” is that participants are constantly working on their business growth, making and implementing growth decisions in real-time.” …
Podcast: Lay of The Land
#112: Daniel Isenberg & Dan Hampu (Burton D. Morgan Foundation & Scalerator NEO)
Lay of The Land's conversation today is with Dan Hampu and Daniel Isenberg about their collective work at the Burton D Morgan Foundation and Scalerator NEO — covering why it’s important to focus on companies at scale relative to startups when thinking about the overall prosperity of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, the state and trajectory of Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the challenges that scaling companies experience, and how the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and Sclaerator NEO can help.
Scalerator NEO program set for new cohort in 2023
February 17, 2023 - CRAIN'S AKRON BUSINESS
…"It's just a way of viewing the business through a financial lens and getting everyone to ask, 'How do we affect the business and the growth of the business?' in every single department," said Michael Minard, owner of Delta Media Group in North Canton, which provides services to residential real estate firms. "In the sales department, it's easy, but in the rest of a business, fingers might get pointed at management and sales when in fact it's everyone's role," he said.
Minard said he and his managers went through the program in 2021, and he has since been recommending it to his business friends.
Michelle Panik and her team went through the program in 2018. She's the owner of Marine Services International, a freight forwarding company in Maple Heights.
Panik said the program changed how she and her people think about their business.
Both Minard and Panik gave the program high praise and said they not only increased revenues while going through Scalerator, but the revenues have stuck, and the methods used to get them have proven durable and are still producing results.
"We've grown 29%, in revenues, from the time we started the program to today," Panik said.
Morgan Foundation seeks applications for Scalerator NEO program
January 22, 2023 - CRAIN'S AKRON BUSINESS
The Burton D. Morgan Foundation announced it's seeking applications from CEOs and owners of small businesses in Northeast Ohio for the 2023 cohort of Scalerator NEO.
Scalerator NEO "targets companies with sales between $3 million and $15 million, and whose owners have a strong ambition to grow their businesses, quickly and sustainably," the Hudson-based foundation said in a call for applications.
Companies from all sectors are encouraged to apply, "as a diverse cohort has proven to provide the most fertile ground for a successful Scalerator experience," according to the foundation.
The 2023 Scalerator NEO cohort runs from April through November…
Since 2017, 72 companies have successfully completed Scalerator NEO
October 2022 - Since 2017, 72 companies have successfully completed Scalerator NEO. CEOs/Owners and their leadership teams developed a ScalePlan to profitably and sustainably accelerate revenue growth by an incremental $1 million or 25% (whichever is greater) within 12 months. Stay tuned as we continue to highlight and celebrate their growth stories.
Cohort 6 Completes Scalerator NEO
October 6, 2022 - Since April 2022, these growth-driven companies have been focused on Customers, Capacity and Cash by developing a ScalePlan with their team to profitably and sustainably accelerate revenue growth by an incremental $1 million or 25% (whichever is greater) within 12 months.
Associated Underwriters Insurance | AUI
Bluestone Trading Company Inc.
braXos Security Software
Buckeye Innovation
Cleveland Whiskey
Pulsar Eco Products LLC
R.W. Martin Company
Reidy Medical Supply, Inc.
Viscus Biologics LLC
Meet the 2021 Cohort of Scalerator NEO
March 29, 2021 - Fourteen companies from five Northeast Ohio counties were selected to participate in the 2021 cohort of Scalerator NEO at no cost to them. The participating companies represent a cross-section of the region’s business communities, with a mix of manufacturers, service providers, construction, and tech, averaging roughly $8 million in sales and 45 full-time employees. Overall, this cohort of companies represents over $100 million in sales and 627 full-time employees. Cohort members include …
2020 Cohort of Scalerator NEO Graduates and Plans for Immediate Growth
December 8, 2020 - The fourth cohort of Scalerator NEO—a proven, results-driven program to help entrepreneurial leaders quickly, profitably, and sustainably grow their business—graduated in November after a six-month virtual experience.
Ten companies from five counties were chosen to participate in the 2020 cohort of Scalerator NEO at no cost to them. The participating companies represented a cross-section of the region’s business communities, with a mix of manufacturers, service providers, construction, and tech, averaging roughly $8 million in sales and 30 full-time employees. Overall, this cohort of companies represented over $80 million in sales and 300 full-time employees total. Cohort members included:
Scalerator NEO brings on 11 companies to its fourth cohort
June 08, 2020 - CRAIN'S AKRON BUSINESS
Scalerator NEO will launch its fourth cohort on June 11, with 11 Northeast Ohio companies signed up to learn ways to grow their business, the Burton D. Morgan Foundation announced Monday, June 8, in a news release.
Funded by the Morgan Foundation and the Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation, Scalerator NEO is a six-month, cohort-based program for entrepreneurs and business leaders. The program targets companies between $5 million and $15 million in sales, according the release.
Businesses in the fourth cohort represent manufacturers, service providers, construction and tech, and average about $8 million in sales and 33 full-time employees …
Entrepreneurs, Look to Your Network to Help You Through the Pandemic
May 29, 2020 - Harvard Business Review By: Daniel Isenberg, Vincent Onyemah, and Dhirendra Shukla
… For the past decade, we and our colleagues have been partnering with Fundesa and similar local organizations to catalyze Scale Up communities from Northeast Ohio to Colombia, and from Guatemala to Atlantic Canada. Over the course of that decade, across these ecosystems, we’ve seen these networks and others create thousands of growth events in hundreds of companies — but until the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we hadn’t realized just how critical these networked communities could be in times of crisis. …
Northeast Ohio program emphasizes setting business growth goals
August, 2019, Smart Business Magazine By: Deborah D. Hoover
Northeast Ohio has focused lots of attention over the last decade on growing a multifaceted ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs starting ventures from scratch. More recently, elements of that ecosystem have morphed to support companies poised to grow but facing barriers, often related to capacity, customer base, or cash management.
Our region is developing its own scaleup ecosystem dedicating its resources to growing companies, creating jobs and developing innovative product lines. One such program is Scalerator NEO, a six-month educational program for leaders who choose to grow their businesses. …
14 companies sign on to third cohort of Scalerator NEO
April 2019 - CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS - The third cohort includes manufacturers, service businesses, construction companies and tech companies from Cuyahoga, Lorain, Portage, Stark and Summit counties, organizers said. Averaging about $9.8 million in sales and 31 employees, the participating companies are …
Scalerator NEO 2018 Cohort Graduates
January 2019 - CLEVELAND.COM - Scalerator NEO's 2018 class featured 12 businesses with a mix of manufacturing, construction, logistics, distribution and service providers. Participating companies all experienced growth since beginning the program. …
Scalerator NEO's second cohort attracts 16 companies
May 01, 2018 - CRAIN'S AKRON BUSINESS -The second cohort of the Scalerator NEO launched recently with 16 companies from four counties signed on for the educational program for entrepreneurs and leaders who are open to learning new ways to grow their businesses.
Scalerator NEO program seeks applicants - Cleveland.com
Feb. 5, 2018 - Scalerator NEO, a six-month educational program for entrepreneurs and leaders who want to grow their businesses, is accepting applications for its second cohort.
Companies with annual sales of $5 million to $15 million are encouraged to apply for the program, which offers six months of classroom and peer-to-peer learning opportunities designed to drive top-line growth. Classes take place at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea.
Wanted: Firms eyeing accelerated growth - Crain’s Cleveland
Oct. 28, 2017 Scalerator NEO, an intensive six-month bootcamp for established Northeast Ohio companies focused on rapidly increasing their growth rates, is accepting applicants for its second class — and it's not for the faint of heart.