Lay of The Land
Telling the stories of entrepreneurship, startups, and builders in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio.
Named Best Cleveland Podcast of the Year (2025) by Cleveland Scene
Popular Episodes
New to the show? Check out some of Lay of The Land's most popular episodes.
253
June 11, 2026
#253 Teddy Baldassarre — How Teddy Baldassarre Built His Brand
Teddy Baldassarre has built one of the most influential watch platforms in the world — and just as compelling as the watches themselves is the entrepreneurial story behind it. I first met Teddy almost ten years ago at StartMart in Terminal Tower, before any of this existed: before millions of followers, before the global audience, before the authorized retail partnerships, and before the beautiful physical boutique we recorded this conversation in at Crocker Park. In this episode, Teddy an
224
Sept. 25, 2025
#224: The O.H.I.O. Fund — Origins and Ambitions
On this special episode of Lay of the Land, I’m joined—for the first time—by the two co-founders of The O.H.I.O. Fund, Mark Kvamme and Ray Leach, as well as the fund’s two founding partners, Jill Meyer and Mike Venerable, to share the inside story of how a bold idea became reality. We explore the inspiration and origins behind a first-of-its-kind strategy designed to generate returns while accelerating prosperity and shaping Ohio’s future. We discuss how, in our first year, we closed on over
234
Dec. 18, 2025
#234: Brad DeHays (Connect Housing Blocks) — Building the Future of Housing, Construction, and Modular’s Potential
Brad DeHays — Founder and CEO of Connect Real Estate and Connect Housing Blocks. Brad’s journey spans from buying small distressed properties while still in college to leading one of the most ambitious housing manufacturing platforms in the country. Through Connect Real Estate, Brad has revitalized some of Ohio’s most overlooked landmarks — transforming abandoned power plants, trolley barns, and historic buildings into vibrant new community anchors. That same entrepreneurial vision inspi
133
Sept. 7, 2023
#133: Mike Schroeder (Roundstone Insurance)
Mike Schroeder, Founder & President of Roundstone. Mike founded Roundstone Insurance in 2003 — when they launched the first Group Medical Captive of its kind, and have since revolutionized the self-insurance industry. Roundstone’s captive approach to insurance allows small and mid-sized businesses to take advantage of the benefits of self-funded insurance that previously only larger enterprises could enjoy — such as plan flexibility & control, transparency, and cost savings. By banding smalle
226
Oct. 9, 2025
#226: Terry Coyne (Terry Coyne Properties) — Risk, Patience & Opportunity
Terry Coyne is an Executive Vice Chairman of Newmark and Principal of Terry Coyne Properties. Over his 25-plus-year career, Terry has become one of Ohio’s most accomplished commercial real estate leaders, negotiating more than 2,000 transactions totaling over $5 billion in value. In Cleveland alone, over the past five years, he and his team have brokered 250 transactions worth more than $1.2 billion. In our conversation, we cover Terry’s unique philosophy and strategy on real estate, risk, an
164
May 2, 2024
#164: Dr. James Kenyon (NASA Glenn) — To the Moon, Mars and Beyond, From Cleveland — The Future of Aviation & Space Exploration
Dr. James Kenyon, Director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio The road to the Moon goes through Cleveland. With a budget of approximately $900 million, a staff of more than 3,200 civil servants, over 725 patents, and over 120 R&D 100 Awards, Glenn — under Dr. Kenyon's leadership and in accordance with NASA's mandates — is providing integral support to Artemis, NASA’s mission to return us to the Moon, overseeing the service module that will propel the Orion Space Capsule out of E
171
June 20, 2024
#171: Umberto Fedeli Round II — Lifelong Learning, Happiness, Wealth, and Investing
Umberto P. Fedeli — Founder, President, and CEO of The Fedeli Group I first had the opportunity to speak with Umberto on this podcast just over a year ago! At the time, our conversation extended far beyond what we were able to include in the original episode exploring his Italian heritage & Cleveland upbringing, the evolution of his career, life philosophies, the power of networking & connecting people, and his approach to business as both an investor and entrepreneur as the founder of one o
90
Oct. 13, 2022
#90: Pat Conway & Mark King (Great Lakes Brewing Company)
Pat Conway & Mark King — Co-founder & CEO respectively of Great Lakes Brewing Company — on building Ohio’s original craft brewery, celebrating 34 years of sustained success and continuous innovation, the history of beer production in Cleveland, br
181
Aug. 29, 2024
#181: Fred DiSanto (Ancora) — Connecting Dots, Activist Investing, Mentorship, and Deal Making
Fred DiSanto, Chairman and CEO of Ancora — the Cleveland-based investment firm with nearly $10B in assets under management and over 100 employees — which he’s led since 2006! Before Ancora, Fred had an expansive investing career, most recently overseeing investment management, private banking, and Trust and Banking Services at Fifth Third Bank. Fifth Third Bank acquired Maxus Investment Group in 2001, which previously merged with Gelfand Partners Asset Management back in 1997, where Fred ser
175
July 18, 2024
#175: Craig Hassall (Playhouse Square) — Surprise & Inspire the World — Cleveland’s Artistic Renaissance
Craig Hassall, CEO of Playhouse Square Craig is a mainstay in the international theater community, with decades of experience operating and curating the most prestigious venues across Europe and Australia. Over his career, in addition to his role as CEO of the Royal Albert Hall in London, he was also CEO of Opera Australia which oversees the Sydney Opera House, and he was the managing director of the English National Ballet. He also held senior roles for major projects including the 2000 and 20
15
March 18, 2021
#15: Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland)
Justin Bibb, Mayor of Cleveland, on running for office and his vision to modernize city government.
![[REWIND] #89: Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland) — Local Journalism in Cleveland](https://img.podpage.com/em0X4qBLWkSiy615ooLtsyjfpDvWfhPYte_w01chfWU/rs:fit:480:0:1/q:75/aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWRpYS5wb2RwYWdlLmNvbS9zaG93cGFnZS91cGxvYWRzL2ltYWdlcy82ZTY2YjJmYi1hN2Q2LTRiMWQtODU5MS04MDg0OTA4ZGE0ZDMucG5n.webp "[REWIND] #89: Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland) — Local Journalism in Cleveland")
89
April 18, 2024
[REWIND] #89: Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland) — Local Journalism in Cleveland
Today we’re running a replay of one of my favorite conversations from 2022 with Lila Mills of Signal Cleveland. Since we last spoke, Signal Cleveland has continuously produced reliable daily journalism across a plethora of local topics and built Cleveland Documenters, a group of nearly 700 greater Cleveland residents, representing nearly every zip code in the county, who are trained and paid to cover public meetings. Additionally, launched in December 2023, Signal Akron joined Signal Clevelan
205
April 10, 2025
#205: Carl Walz (NASA Astronaut) — 230+ Days In Outer Space
Carl Walz is an astronaut, a pioneer of space exploration, and a proud Clevelander! As an astronaut, Carl is a veteran of four spaceflights, logging a total of 231 days in outer space and performing three spacewalks during that time. A physicist by training, with degrees from Kent State and John Carroll University, Carl made his way to NASA via the Air Force, where he served as a flight test engineer and managed all engineering activities related to F-16 avionics and armaments. At NASA, he
Recent Episodes
261
Sept. 3, 2026
#261 Gerald Hetrick — Round III (CentSight)
Gerald Hetrick was one of the very first guests ever on Lay of The Land, back on episode 6, where we talked about his path through Vox Mobile, building Able, and what it took to grow a venture-backed software company from Cleveland. We then picked the story back up on episode 142 after Able’s acquisition by Bullhorn, exploring what an exit actually feels like, what Gerald had learned about company-building, and his work with Bezlio, Docket, and EOS. Today, we continue that arc with Gerald’s n
260
Aug. 27, 2026
#260 Josh Friedlander — Jam by Josh
Joshua Friedlander — also known as The Jam Man — is the founder of Jam by Josh, a Cleveland-based small-batch jam company he started at just 10 years old. What began as a childhood love of cooking, gardening, and canning has grown from a backyard hobby into a formidable and rapidly expanding food brand, now sold in more than 75 stores across Northeast Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and beyond. At 16, Josh has taken Jam by Josh from his home kitchen to grocery shelves national wide. In our c
259
Aug. 13, 2026
#259 Finn & Bowen Alexy — Alexy Metals & Bowfin Capital
Bowen and Finn Alexy are brothers, entrepreneurs, and investors based in Willoughby, Ohio. They serve as Co-Chief Operating Officers of Alexy Metals, a second-generation brazing alloy manufacturing and precious metals refining company, where they have helped lead the business through a period of significant growth while becoming the two youngest executives in their industry. Beyond manufacturing, they are the Co-Founders and Managing Partners of BowFin Capital, an early-stage venture investment
258
Aug. 3, 2026
#258 Kumar Arora — Arora Ventures
Kumar Arora — entrepreneur, investor, brand-builder, and the founder of Arora Ventures, a venture studio and portfolio of businesses spanning hospitality, apparel, events, creative agency work, and consumer brands. Born and raised in Cleveland’s Little Italy, Kumar grew up between science and art, a duality that continues to shape how he builds today. In our conversation, Kumar and I explore the cohort of ambitious Clevelanders he came up alongside, his early path through nightlife, events, and
257
July 23, 2026
#257 Alec Shankman — HeartRock Partners
Alec Shankman is the founder of HeartRock Partners. Alec has spent more than two decades at the forefront of entertainment, talent representation, reality television, digital media, podcasting, brand-building, and the creator economy. Before launching HeartRock, he was a Senior Partner at The Gersh Agency, following its acquisition of his division from A3 Artists Agency, where he built the Alternative Programming and Digital Media Division into a nine-figure 60-person bi-coastal team. In o
256
July 9, 2026
#256 David Gilbert — Destination Cleveland And Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
David Gilbert is the President and CEO of Destination Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. For more than three decades, David has worked to help Cleveland compete, attract visitors, host major events, and change the way the city is perceived — both by the outside world and by Clevelanders ourselves. Under his leadership, Cleveland has hosted events like the NFL Draft, NBA All-Star Game, MLB All-Star Game, NCAA Women’s Final Four, and the Republican National Convention, while
255
July 2, 2026
#255 Duane Mancini — Project MedTech
Duane Mancini, Founder and CEO of Project Medtech, a Cleveland-based platform helping medical technology companies move from promising invention to real patient impact. What began as a podcast has evolved into a broader ecosystem of consulting, events, education, investor connectivity, and community-building for Medtech founders navigating the difficult path from idea to market. In our conversation, Duane and I explore his path from science and research into entrepreneurship, how Project M
254
June 25, 2026
#254 EASE Logistics & jakib
What does it take for AI to matter inside a real operating business? Not as a demo, not as a dashboard, and not as a generic productivity tool — but as something that answers calls, reduces clicks, quotes freight, improves service, and helps people spend more time doing the work that actually moves the business forward. Today we're republishing an episode from The O.H.I.O. Fund Report with Mark Kvamme — co-founder, CEO, and CIO of The O.H.I.O. Fund — Peter Coratola, founder and CEO of EASE L
253
June 11, 2026
#253 Teddy Baldassarre — How Teddy Baldassarre Built His Brand
Teddy Baldassarre has built one of the most influential watch platforms in the world — and just as compelling as the watches themselves is the entrepreneurial story behind it. I first met Teddy almost ten years ago at StartMart in Terminal Tower, before any of this existed: before millions of followers, before the global audience, before the authorized retail partnerships, and before the beautiful physical boutique we recorded this conversation in at Crocker Park. In this episode, Teddy an
252
June 4, 2026
#252 CJ Jang (Balance) — No Shortcuts
Hochan (CJ) Jang is the co-founder of Balance Pan-Asian Grille. What began for CJ as an effort to build a healthier, more creative, and more everyday kind of Asian fast casual concept more than 16 years ago has grown into a beloved regional brand with locations across Toledo and Cleveland — one defined by scratch-made food, bold flavors, affordability, and a real commitment to hospitality. In our conversation, CJ and I explore his journey from growing up in his mother’s restaurant after im
251
May 28, 2026
#251 Aidan Meany (Found Surface) — Building the Future of American Knitwear Manufacturing
Aidan Meany, Founder and CEO of Found Surface. Aidan is building a programmable knitwear factory in Cleveland that is reimagining what American apparel manufacturing can look like What began for him with learning to sew from his grandmother and making clothes as a teenager has evolved into a much larger ambition — rebuilding the whole infrastructure to make apparel at scale here in the United States. Today, Found Surface develops its own yarn relationships from American farms and spinni
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About the Host
Jeffrey Stern
Telling the stories of builders in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio. Jeffrey is a NYC transplant, principal and investor at The O.H.I.O. Fund, Co-founder @ Axuall, product manager, advisor at Signal Cleveland and Venture for America, and optimist who believes telling the stories of those most inspiring builders around us is one of the best ways to learn and to inspire more to build.
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