Agenda
Wednesday, September 16th
[Optional Pre-Retreat Programming]Welcome Program
We’ll host a special afternoon experience, such as a company visit, tech tour, or behind-the-scenes look at a leading innovation organization.
CEO Dinner Club
Wednesday evening, attendees will be matched in small groups for dinner at select Columbus restaurants.
Post-Dinner Drinks
After dinner, all groups are invited to come together for a casual meetup.
Note: The pre-retreat program is optional and a la carte. Attendees are responsible for their own dinner and related expenses.
[Attendees must be registered for Thursday to be invited to the Wednesday programming]
Thursday, September 17th
The Retreat
[please note: schedule and agenda subject to change]8:30 am
Doors Open + Registration
9:15 am
Opening Welcome Remarks
Chris Berry: President & CEO @ OhioX
Dave Brewster: Managing Director, Tech Sector @ JobsOhio
9:45 am
Fast Expansion vs. Deep Expertise: Two Ways to Win
There is no single right way to grow a company. Some CEOs build advantage by becoming the clear leader in a focused market. Others win by moving quickly — expanding into new products, customers, or categories before the market shifts.
We’ll explore the strategic tradeoffs behind both approaches: focus versus flexibility, discipline versus opportunity, and the pressure to chase growth without stretching the company too thin. The conversation will look at how CEOs decide where to grow, what to say no to, and how those choices shape what the company ultimately becomes.
10:30 am
Networking Break
10:50 am
The CEO Operating System: How Leaders Run Themselves
Every CEO has a company operating system — meetings, metrics, priorities, and plans. But the harder system to maintain is often the personal one: calendars, energy, health, relationships, decision fatigue, and the 2 a.m. brain that keeps running long after the workday ends.
We’ll explore what it takes for CEOs to lead themselves while carrying the weight of the company. The conversation will look at the routines, boundaries, habits, and hard-earned lessons that help leaders stay clear, effective, and human — including what they have broken, rebuilt, changed, or learned along the way.
11:30 am
Fireside Chat TBA
12:00 pm
Lunch + Break
12:50 pm
When the Market Moves: Leading Through AI, Disruption, and Change
AI is not just a technology trend. It is changing customer expectations, team structures, product roadmaps, pricing models, competitive threats, and the speed at which companies have to make decisions.
We’ll explore how CEOs are leading through disruption in real time — what they are changing, what they are protecting, where they are experimenting, and how they are helping teams move faster without losing focus. The conversation will look at how leaders separate signal from noise, adapt the business without chasing every trend, and make clear decisions when the market is moving faster than the plan.
1:30 pm
Networking Break #3
[Shift to breakout sessions]
2:00 pm
What’s Real Now: Making Technology Decisions in a Moving Market (Breakout A)
Technology leaders have always had to decide what to build, buy, or partner on. But AI has made the decision cycle faster, noisier, and more consequential. New capabilities are arriving quickly, pricing models are changing, and long-term commitments can feel risky when the market may shift again in months.
This conversation brings CIOs and CEOs together to compare notes on what feels real now. We’ll explore how leaders are evaluating emerging tools, avoiding lock-in, testing new capabilities, and deciding when to move quickly versus when to wait. The focus is practical: how to make clear technology decisions when the market is moving faster than the planning cycle.
2:00 pm
Beyond Founder-Led Sales: Building a Real Growth Engine (Breakout B)
Most companies begin with founder-led sales: relationships, hustle, referrals, and the CEO personally pulling deals across the line. But at some point, growth has to become more repeatable — and that transition is harder than it looks.
This conversation will explore how CEOs move from opportunistic growth to a more disciplined revenue engine without losing what made the company work in the first place. We’ll discuss sales leadership, marketing focus, customer segmentation, pricing, pipeline discipline, and the difficult shift from the founder being the best salesperson to the company building a system that can scale.
2:45 pm
Networking Break
[Return from breakout sessions]
3:00 pm
Tech Leadership for Ohio: What the Innovation Economy Needs Next
In an election year, Ohio’s technology community has an opportunity to step back from the daily demands of building and leading organizations and focus on the bigger picture: what it will take for the state to compete, grow, and lead in the years ahead.
This open session will give Ohio’s tech and innovation leaders a chance to share what they believe elected officials and policymakers need to better understand about building companies, attracting talent, scaling innovation, and competing in a fast-changing economy. Together, we’ll look at where Ohio has momentum, where barriers still exist, and what investments, policies, partnerships, and long-term decisions could help strengthen the state’s innovation economy.
3:45 pm
Closing Reception
We’ll end the day with a relaxed, on-site happy hour to keep the conversations going. Enjoy drinks, bites, and good company as you connect with fellow CEOs, speakers, and tech leaders from across the state.
[agenda subject to change and updates]
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