Chambers Bring A.I. Expertise to Northeast Ohio Businesses

The Beachwood and Solon Chambers of Commerce hosted an Artificial Intelligence Summit on October 23 at Tri-C’s Eastern Campus Mandel Theatre, bringing together Northeast Ohio business and tech leaders for a half-day exploration of practical A.I. applications.

Approximately 150 participants attended the event, which focused on actionable strategies for integrating artificial intelligence into business workflows to improve efficiency and growth.

David Lapierre, Executive Director of the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce, said the summit went beyond theory to provide practical tools and strategies participants could immediately apply in their organizations.

The keynote address came from Chris Berry, President and CEO of OhioX, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing Ohio as a leading tech hub. Berry discussed the transformative impact of A.I. on the regional business economy and how local schools and colleges are aligning with A.I. for workforce development needs.

The event featured several presentations and panels, including a TED-style talk from Rob Buchwald, Founder and CEO of Akron Innovations, on people-first approaches to A.I. adoption. Paul Franke and Christofer Karltorp of Moreland Connect demonstrated how simple A.I. integration can be and provided tips for getting started.

A panel moderated by Jessica Columbi, Executive Director for Public Policy and Economic Advancement at Tri-C, explored real-world A.I. applications across industries. Panelists included Alfred Cowger, Jeff Dennis, Rocco Cuffari and Travis Grundke.

Catherine Bieterman, Economic Development Director for the City of Beachwood, said the summit provided a critical opportunity for Northeast Ohio businesses to stay competitive and forward-thinking in an era of rapidly evolving technology.

Presenting sponsors included Moreland Connect, Verizon and Crown Castle. Additional sponsors were the City of Beachwood, City of Solon, AgileBlue, ECMSI, MAGNET, Aidan, Tri-C Corporate College, EyeOTmonitor, Kloud9 and Mamsys. Twenty vendors supported the event in the exhibit hall.