Lay of The Land is where Cleveland and Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurial story gets told.

Founded in 2020 on the belief that a region’s entrepreneurial brand is the sum of its founders’ stories, Lay of The Land is a podcast and storytelling platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of the entrepreneurs, builders, and leaders shaping the future of Cleveland and Greater Northeast Ohio.

Through weekly episodes, we explore the journeys of founders, CEOs, investors, civic leaders, and creators — digging into the realities of building companies, innovating industries, and strengthening community.

I believe Cleveland & Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurial brand is the sum of our entrepreneurs' stories and how they have created successful companies — Lay of The Land is the platform to share and amplify these stories. Lay of The Land provides an authentic map of our ecosystem for anyone who cares about the future of entrepreneurship in Ohio, and a beacon for those ambitious people building it.

By the Numbers

  • Launched in 2020, consistently publishing weekly episodes

  • Thousands of local subscribers and community members

  • Hundreds of thousands of views & listens across platforms

  • Named Best Podcast of the Year (2025) by Cleveland Scene

Featured Guests

Lay of The Land has interviewed more than 220 entrepreneurs, builders, and community leaders, including:

  • Carey Jaros — CEO of GOJO (makers of Purell)

  • Jodi Berg — Former CEO of Vitamix

  • Craig Newmark — Founder of Craigslist

  • Carl Walz — NASA Astronaut

  • Mayor Justin Bibb — Mayor of Cleveland

  • Brian Zimmerman — CEO, Cleveland Metroparks

  • Pat Conway — Founder, Great Lakes Brewing Company

  • Steve Potash — Founder & CEO, OverDrive

  • John Nottingham — Co-Founder, Nottingham Spirk

  • Umberto Fedeli — Founder & CEO, The Fedeli Group

  • Stewart Kohl — Co-CEO, The Riverside Company

  • Fred DiSanto — CEO, Ancora Holdings

…and more than 200 others shaping the future of our region.

About the Host

Hosted by Jeffrey Stern, entrepreneur, investor, and community builder, Lay of The Land blends curiosity with long-form storytelling. Jeffrey explores what it takes to start, scale, and sustain businesses — startups, public companies, multi-generation family business, and all in between — in Northeast Ohio, from early sparks of inspiration to the challenges of growth and leadership.

For Jeffrey’s personal reflections on entrepreneurship and Cleveland’s ecosystem, explore milestone episodes: