Saturday, February 28, 2004
February 26th Meeting Notes
We had an excellent meeting of the NEOSA Akron/Canton group on Thursday, February 26th. Here are quick highlights from the meeting:
Jim Cookinham was there and gave an update on NEOSA. Among other items, he pointed out some exciting NEOSA events coming up, including "Going Global" on March 17, "Specifications for Software Projects" on March 19, and "Futures Forum" on March 24. Check the NEOSA Events Calendar for more info.
We were honored to have Ray Leach, CEO of Jumpstart, join us. He gave an overview of Jumpstart's strategy to fund and grow early-stage businesses in Northeast Ohio. He suggested that NEOSA and Jumpstart look for ways to work together wherever the respective missions intersect.
That same thought about collaborating with other groups in the region was echoed throughout the meeting. The general consensus was: a key part of NEOSA's outreach strategy in the Akron/Canton area should involve collaborating and partnering with existing organizations. Doing so will make the best and most efficient use of existing resources in the region. It will get the word out about NEOSA so that NEOSA can be a "magnet" to draw the Akron/Canton business community. The more NEOSA extends its reach, the better it can promote the IT industry and member companies.
Some organizations that we identified and agreed to explore possible deeper linkages with are: Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce; University of Akron; Kent State University; Ryze networking mixers; and, of course, Jumpstart. In separate posts I will report on two joint-sponsored events that are already in the works.
At our next meeting we will drill down and outline specific ways we could potentially work together with these and other organizations. Those ways include joint sponsorship of events, creating a speakers' bureau and/or a trainers' bureau, and leveraging state and federal grant monies, among other possiblities. In the meantime, feel free to leave your ideas here under "Comments." That way others can think about and build off your ideas.
We presented Ron with a gift card to thank him for his leadership. Ron resigned the leadership role in order to focus more time on his own business, but assured everyone he is still interested in the group and pledged his help. Ron also asked me to pass along his sincere thanks for the gift card!
We re-affirmed our regular meeting schedule: the 3rd Thursday of every month, 7:30 am. That means our next meeting will be Thursday, March 18, 7:30 am, at Software Answers. (Thank you Paul and Software Answers!)
Thanks to all who attended. Your input is very important. And oh, Buy NEO!
Thanks to all who attended. Your input is very important. And oh, Buy NEO!
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