Telling the stories of builders in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio. Jeffrey Stern is a NYC transplant, entrepreneur (co-founder @ Axuall; founding team @ Votem), product manager, investor, 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.
Lay of The Land #211: Max Pennington (CLEANR) — Microplastics, Macro Solutions
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👋 Hello – My conversation today is with Max Pennington, the Co-Founder & CEO of CLEANR, which has raised ~$7 million in funding, positioning it at the forefront of the fight against microplastic pollution.
Max graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, where he co-developed CLEANR’s innovative VORTX filtration technology. Inspired by nature, VORTX biomimicry is capable of removing over 90% of microplastics from washing machine wastewater, which is the #1 global source of microplastic pollution. Microplastics pollution is a severe and growing environmental crisis, with trillions of tiny plastic particles contaminating ecosystems worldwide, affecting marine life, human health, and the overall environmental balance. Under Max’s leadership, CLEANR has garnered significant recognition, including the American Filtration and Separation Society’s New Product of the Year Award for 2024, and last week’s New York Post Article. To that end, I’m excited to extend an invitation to CLEANR’s Launch Event next week — June 3, 2025 5:00–8:00 PM @ The Great Lakes Science Center (601 Erieside Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114 – Parking provided). The evening will feature live product walkthrough, food & drinks, and conversation between Max &:
To RSVP, please reply to this email and let me know if you’d like to come! Please enjoy this awesome conversation! With Love, Jeffrey |
Lay of The Land
Telling the stories of builders in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio. Jeffrey Stern is a NYC transplant, entrepreneur (co-founder @ Axuall; founding team @ Votem), product manager, investor, 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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👋 Hello – today my conservation is with Carey Jaros. Carey 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 CEO in January 2020. Listen to The Episode Our conversation today covers Carey’s call to lead—shaped by a lifelong passion for solving problems and telling stories—her reflections on leadership and decision-making, GOJO’s...
👋 Hello – My conversation today is with Jodi Berg, PhD who recently retired as the fourth-generation President and CEO of Vitamix, having joined the family business in 1997. Listen to The Episode Under her leadership, Jodi built on the 100+ year history and legacy of her family’s business, — founded in 1921 and headquartered in Olmsted Township in the greater Cleveland area — to grow the iconic and beloved brand to what it is today, with expanded distribution to over 130 countries and over...