Lay of The Land

Lay of The Land

Telling the stories of entrepreneurship, startups, and builders in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio.

Recent Episodes

July 31, 2025

#219: Dale Wollschleger (ExactCare) — From Pharmacist to Building a Billion-Dollar Pharmacy Care Company

Dale Wollschleger is the Founder and former CEO of Cleveland-based ExactCare Pharmacy and the developer of the ExactPack™—a patient-specific medication packaging system designed to simplify complex medication regimens. This c...
July 24, 2025

#218: Sanjay Singh (Mace®) — Get Good at Hard Things

Sanjay Singh is a thoughtful strategist, seasoned executive, and business philosopher whose journey to leading the iconic Cleveland brand Mace Security—and his reflections on it—are remarkable. Sanjay’s story weaves together ...
July 17, 2025

#217: Kelcey Lehrich (365 Holdings) — Building the Forever Home for E-Commerce Companies

Kelcey Lehrich is the Co-Founder and CEO of 365 Holdings, based in Akron, Ohio. 365 Holdings acquires and operates consumer products companies, with a focus on eCommerce and a goal of long-term ownership. In our conversation,...
July 10, 2025

#216: TJ Dembinski (Eagle Electronics) — Onshoring America's Critical Technologies (TOF Report)

TJ Dembinski is the co-founder and CEO of Eagle Electronics, dedicated to on-shoring America’s critical technology supply chain, starting with the IoT and automotive-grade cellular modules! This journey traces a fascinating a...
June 26, 2025

#215: Ibrahim Mohmed (CourtSide Media & Taja AI) — Revolutionizing Content Creation

Ibrahim Mohmed is the founder of CourtSide Media Group and the co-founder & CEO of Taja AI. His entrepreneurial journey began right here in Ohio, where he launched CourtSide Media, a digital media agency that serves influence...
June 19, 2025

#214: Carey Jaros (GOJO — Makers of PURELL®) — 80 Years of Ohio Legacy and Well-Being Solutions

Carey Jaros joined GOJO in 2014 as a board member, later taking on executive roles as Chief Strategy Officer—where she oversaw Marketing, Product Management, and Innovation—and as Chief Operating Officer, before becoming Pres...
June 12, 2025

#213: Jodi Berg, PhD (Vitamix) Pt. 2 — Resilience, Succession, and Purpose

Today, we’re picking up with the second part of my conversation with Jodi Berg, the former President & CEO of Vitamix. In Part 1 , we explored Jodi’s career, the history, evolution, and family legacy of Vitamix, and her leade...
June 5, 2025

#212: Jodi Berg, PhD (Vitamix) Pt. 1 — Delivering Quality, Leading with Passion, and Embracing Legacy

Jodi Berg, PhD recently retired as the fourth-generation President and CEO of Vitamix, having joined the family business in 1997 with the directive to lead the company’s overseas expansion, later serving as director of intern...
May 29, 2025

#211: Max Pennington (CLEANR) — Microplastics, Macro Solutions

Max Pennington is the Co-Founder & CEO of CLEANR, an innovative company that uses filters to prevent microplastics from entering water streams. Max graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Case Wes...
May 15, 2025

#210: Umberto Fedeli Round III — Patience & Persistence, Progress & Perfection, Rationality & Uncertainty

I’m very excited to welcome Umberto Fedeli back for his third conversation. In our first two conversations — episode 135 and episode 171 — we explored Umberto’s remarkable life journey, deep-rooted wisdom, and how he's master...
May 8, 2025

#209: Daniel Anstandig (Futuri Media) - AI, Future of Media, Music, and Investing

Daniel Anstandig is the CEO of Futuri Media, a leading AI-driven platform he founded in Cleveland in 2009 to help companies build and monetize engaged audiences. Today, Futuri’s sales, content, and audience technology serves ...

About the Host

Jeffrey Stern Profile Photo

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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Reviews

Wonderful intro!

"As a new Clevelander (and non-boomerang!), this podcast has been an incredible way to get to know what’s happening on the city. Each voice and guest is unique, but as it goes on a clearer picture of …"

ClaraOro | Dec. 22, 2020

Excellent resource for all startups!

"I especially love hearing the historical tidbits about Cleveland and that you always ask the guest what their favorite part of Cleveland is. I wish I had a resource like this when I started my busine…"

Foliage18 | Dec. 19, 2020

Great podcast

"This is such a great podcast for anybody interested in the Cleveland startup ecosystem, although a lot of the topics apply even at a more general level. The hosts ask very insightful questions and gu…"

SimonWasAlreadyTaken | Dec. 12, 2020

What you need to know on The Land

"Incredible podcast, amazingly diverse interviews. Its amazing to see what is going on in the entrepreneurs minds in Cleveland."

ChronaOfficial | May 30, 2024

love this pod

"Jeffrey is a great host, and has interviewed so many great people. If you want to know the who’s who of Cleveland, look no further"

Brian, with an i | Oct. 1, 2024

Flowers

"I love how you highlight all that’s good in Northeast Ohio!"

#KANGFAN | Sept. 15, 2024