Scalerator NEO Pilot is a Success
Fourteen companies from across Northeast Ohio completed the initial six-month Scalerator NEO program in October 2017. Most of the companies experienced new growth during the Scalerator program. One company doubled its customer base; another developed a new product that quickly generated $350,000 in sales; and others added key staff to help them execute their specific growth plans.
The first cohort of companies reflected the diversity of the region’s business communities with a mix of manufacturers, software companies, and service providers. The companies emerged from the program with specific plans to achieve sales and profit growth, often in excess of 25% a year.
Scalerator® NEO is an intensive six-month program for companies focused on rapidly increasing their growth rates that has worked for over 14 cohorts in the U.S. and around the world. Northeast Ohio companies with $5 million - $15 million in sales are invited to apply to be a part of a proven, classroom and peer-to-peer learning experience that will result in significant, profitable top-line growth.
Scalerator NEO is supported by a collaboration of Burton D. Morgan Foundation and Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation, two foundations committed to supporting entrepreneurship and free enterprise in Northeast Ohio through targeted educational opportunities. The foundations cover the costs associated with this business education program, and it is free to the participating companies.
Graduates of the initial Scalerator NEO cohort were enthusiastic in their praise for the program.
Gabriel Torok, CEO of PreEmptive Solutions, a Mayfield-based software company, said the Scalerator NEO learning experience helped him grow his business in several ways, including helping him focus on securing larger orders and improving the company’s cash management. “The interaction with peer CEOs who are also significant shareholders was extremely beneficial,” commented Torok. “Scalerator NEO helped me break down my business into pieces and optimize the performance of each of those pieces.” PreEmptive Solutions hired three employees as a result of the growth plans developed in Scalerator NEO. An added benefit of Scalerator NEO, Torok noted, is he now has a new group of peer supporters who will help each other grow their businesses into the future.
“It’s changed my business completely,” said Dr. Merle Griff, CEO of SarahCare Senior Solutions, a Canton-based provider of daytime senior care and activities. “Scalerator NEO forced me to focus on three growth initiatives and three initiatives only. I wouldn’t be where I am without it.” SarahCare has recently landed new contracts that will lead to rapid growth in Northeast Ohio and other markets. The firm achieved 70% of its growth goal for the year during the six months of the Scalerator NEO program.
Mitchell Zlotnik, CEO of Audimute, Solon-based maker of acoustic treatments, said that the diversity of the participants in Scalerator NEO added to the value of the educational experience. “We each had different strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “And we each got different value out of Scalerator NEO, but all of the value was focused on growth.” The lessons learned through Scalerator NEO helped Audimute land six new clients, he said.
Scalerator NEO’s first cohort of companies include the following:
Audimute Soundproofing (Beachwood) - manufactures and distributes acoustical solutions
Cleveland Steel Tool (Cleveland) - manufacturer of punches and dies for heavy punching applications
Eagle Elastomer (Cuyahoga Falls) - a custom mixer and processor of fluoroelastomers
Harrison Paint (Canton) - independent manufacturer of paint, varnish and specialty coatings
Heat Seal (Cleveland) - manufactures packaging and process equipment for the food service and industrial packaging markets
HyperProductive (Lakewood) - a custom software development company
JDD (Cleveland) - provides custodial services and supplies to government and private facilities
Mojonnier Unlimited (Streetsboro) - manufacturer of equipment for the beverage, oil & gas and chemical process industries
Montville Plastics and Rubber (Parkman) - custom manufacturer of plastic parts for OEMs
NobleTek (Wooster) - provides engineering, software training and enterprise IT services
PreEmptive Solutions (Mayfield Village) - develops protection tools for desktop, mobile, cloud, internet of things (IoT) apps
SarahCare Senior Solutions (Canton) - provides health-related care for seniors at adult day-care centers
Terves (Euclid) - manufactures dissolvable and reactive tools and components for the oil and gas market
The Technology House (Streetsboro) - contract manufacturer that specializes in additive manufacturing, plastic mold injection, CNC Machining and Urethane molding
Applications for the second cohort of Scalerator NEO are now being accepted.