Meet the East Central judges

Abdul Akel

Co-founder and CEO
T-CETRA
2022 award winner

Abdul Akel cofounded T-CETRA in 2007 and has grown it to a half-billion-dollar financial technology solutions enabler that employs approximately 175 team members hailing from 30 countries and speaking 20 different languages. T-CETRA is the leading payment solutions for the prepaid wireless industry and supports a network of 10,000 retailers. 

Fifteen years ago, Abdul set out to improve the quality of life for the underbanked by creating a world of digital and financial inclusion. Abdul witnessed a widening digital divide — the fissure between the digital “haves” and “have nots,” a large percentage of whom are the underbanked. The have nots lack access to basic products and services that their banked peers take for granted. Today, there are 84.8 million underbanked in the US, approximately 25% of the population. Abdul continually seeks opportunities to overcome the obstacles they encounter every day due to their income level or place of residence.

He accomplished this through conceptualizing VIDAPAY, a proprietary cash-to-cashless payment solution. VIDAPAY accepts and applies cash payments for products and services, in real time, in person and without fees to the end consumer. The net result of these transactions is the financial enablement of the underbanked, providing them with access to new products and services and a toolset to effectively manage their financial wellbeing and improve their quality of life.

Abdul was an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 East Central Award winner, a 2022 national finalist, and was inducted into Columbus Business First’s 40 Under 40 and Columbus CEO’s Future 50 Class of 2022. But it’s his tenacity in spirit to do the right thing that has set him apart from the crowd. In a rapidly evolving payments landscape, the underbanked are often forgotten or targeted for predatory lending. It’s technology stewards like Abdul who won’t let this happen. Simply put, his mission is to “make the underserved the better served.”

Company description
T-CETRA is a leading financial technology enabler that converts cash payments into secure, auditable, cashless transactions at over 10,000 independent retailers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico that primarily serve underbanked customers. Our payment solutions bridge the digital divide for these underserved communities and are used by Fortune 500 companies within various sectors, connecting them to the 84.8 million underbanked individuals in the U.S via an independent retail network.  Back to top

Maria Bennett
Founder, President and CEO, SPR Therapeutics, Inc.
2021 award winner

Maria Bennett has been the President and CEO of SPR Therapeutics since she founded the company 13 years ago. Using her years of experience in the MedTech industry, Maria identified an unmet market need for a non-opioid, nonsurgical pain treatment to improve the lives of millions of pain sufferers. The idea for this new treatment originated during her biomedical engineering graduate studies at Case Western Reserve University, where she developed a peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) system to treat pain and also led R&D at an early stage neurostim company.

During this experience, Maria discovered her passion for working with patients and physicians and witnessing life-changing results. She also learned the challenges of growing and sustaining an entrepreneurial company. From there, Maria was recruited to lead a team at Boston Scientific to conduct a large clinical trial, which demonstrated the safety and efficacy of an innovative angioplasty balloon and achieved FDA approval. While it was a great experience to work for a large MedTech company, when a former colleague presented the opportunity to join a new startup company, she couldn’t resist and returned to Cleveland to serve as Vice President of Clinical at NDI Medical. At NDI, she played a vital role in the development of a neurostim system addressing urinary incontinence, which was acquired by Medtronic in 2008. After the sale of NDI, Maria revisited her idea of a novel pain relief therapy, validated there was an unmet market need and founded SPR Therapeutics to commercialize its SPRINT® PNS System. She is the inventor of SPRINT, having multiple patents issued.

She earned her BS in Engineering Management from Miami University and earned her MS in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Maria gives back to her community through volunteering and is a retired vice president of her district’s school board. She is a past Entrepreneur Of The Year® East Central Region finalist and winner. Maria is married and the proud mother of two sons.

Company description
SPR Therapeutics is committed to relieving pain and improving the lives of millions of pain sufferers with its FDA approved SPRINT® Peripheral Nerve Stimulation System designed to be an early treatment option without opioids or surgery. Back to top

Patrick Colletti
CEO, CoSage
Co-Founder, Net Health
2010 award winner

Patrick Colletti is an experienced board director and advisor for angel, VC, and PE-backed organizations. He is the author of the book Refounder: How Transformational Leaders Take What’s Broken and Make it Better (Per Capita, 2021) and teaches at Carnegie Mellon University. He is passionate about creating flourishing organizations and cultivating refounders — generational leaders and entrepreneurs who revitalize the places where they live, work and play.
 
Serving as the President of Net Health for more than two decades, Colletti and his partners took an organization on the brink of bankruptcy and transformed it, turning it into a thriving software business serving millions of people each year. Net Health solutions are used in over 25,000 facilities, including 98% of the country’s largest healthcare systems. Their award-winning culture has made them a mainstay on lists ranking the best place to work.

Colletti is a frequent corporate and community speaker and an active early-stage investor.

Company description
Net Health is a trusted partner for over 25,000 healthcare organizations spanning the continuum of care.  Thirty years of experience in wound care, rehab therapy, post-acute, and occupational health have informed specialized technology solutions that help providers, payers and employers leverage predictive analytics and patient engagement tools to harness data for human health.  With our software clients manage workflow efficiently, engage effectively with patients, measure performance, and improve outcomes to drive growth.  Back to top

Richard Graeter
President and CEO
Graeter’s Ice Cream Company
2014 award winner 

Richard Graeter is the fourth-generation President and CEO of Graeter's Ice Cream. Since becoming CEO in 2007, Richard has worked with his cousins and a fantastic team to expand Graeter's to cities throughout the Midwest, opening stores in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Chicago, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, as well as expanding distribution to grocery stores across the USA. In 2010, Graeter’s opened a new manufacturing plant that was named by Dairy Foods Magazine as its Plant of the Year in 2011. The new plant now runs 40 French Pot freezers (up from the original four) morning, noon, and night to keep up with the growing national demand for Graeter's authentic French Pot ice cream.

In recognition of his leadership, the Specialty Food Association inducted Richard into their Hall of Fame in 2020, and the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2021. He is a 15+ year member of Vistage Worldwide and has been a finalist for its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 and 2023. Previously, Ernst and Young named Richard an Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014. The University of Cincinnati’s Goering Center for Family and Private Business inducted the Graeter Family into its Family Business Hall of Fame in 2015.

Richard earned a BS in Accounting and Finance from Miami University, and a JD from University of Cincinnati College of Law. He practiced law briefly at Dinsmore & Shohl, after which he joyfully returned to help grow his family’s ice cream business.

Company description
Since 1870, four generations of the Graeter family have remained committed to handcrafting only the most indulgent ice cream available. From humble beginnings serving ice cream from a cart in Cincinnati to the nationwide presence of Graeter’s Ice Cream today, the family has stubbornly held to ideals and processes of the founding generation. Members of the 3rd, 4th and 5th generation continue to work in the business, every day, ensuring that customers get truly the best ice cream they have ever tasted. They wouldn’t have it any other way. Back to top

Stacy Griggs
CEO
El Toro
2016 award winner

Chief Executive Officer of El Toro and Founder of AboutBit. El Toro is innovating AdTech and advanced analytics by using its patented processes to map physical addresses to IP addresses, as well as mapping mobile devices to past locations. By doing this, large brands like Ford, Ashley Furniture and Toyota can hyper-accurately target digital advertisements to consumers or businesses.

In 2017, El Toro was named the 13th fastest-growing tech company in the United States with a three-year growth rate of 12,032%.

Previously, Stacy helped lead three different organizations: MaximumASP, Hosting.com, and Diamond Technologies, which were recognized by Inc. Magazine on the Inc. 500 list as the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States. Stacy and his business partner were selected as the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Ohio Valley program and El Toro was the 12th company in the United States to be selected to participate in Endeavor at the 63rd International Selection Panel in March of 2016. Additionally, Mr. Griggs currently serves as a volunteer firefighter with the Simpsonville Rural Fire District in Shelby County, KY.

Company description
Based in Louisville, Kentucky, El Toro is an AdTech (advertising technology) and advanced analytics company that holds 18 patents on digital advertising and analytics. El Toro has invented better ways to target and measure digital advertising. Back to top

Julie Jacono
CEO
Jumpstart Ventures

Julie Jacono, MBA, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of JumpStart and its investing arm JumpStart Ventures. With a career spanning over 25 years, Julie has established herself as a key leader in shaping business strategies and fostering innovation.

As CEO, Julie steers the organization's strategic direction, leveraging JumpStart's 20-year legacy and powerful community partnerships to drive meaningful change across Ohio.  She is not only responsible for directing the organization’s business strategy and development but also drives statewide innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. In this capacity, she actively works on behalf of Ohio’s innovation ecosystem to convene a new model for effective economic development, advocating for resources and capital to advance entrepreneurship statewide. She collaborates with leaders across public, private, and philanthropic sectors to attract new startups to the state and create conditions that foster innovation in Ohio.

Before joining JumpStart, Julie was the Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at The MetroHealth System. In this role, she was instrumental in advancing the organization’s regional impact and significantly contributed to MetroHealth's growth and outcomes. Julie's career includes leadership roles at Invacare, the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center, focusing on research for neurological restoration, and a global leadership role at Sunrise Medical.

Julie holds a bachelor's degree from the School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and an MBA from CWRU's Weatherhead School of Management. She also completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 2022.

Julie actively participates in Northeast Ohio's health tech and non-profit communities. She is on the board of MuReva and X-HG.

Company description
As a nationally recognized entrepreneur support organization, JumpStart equips tech startups and small businesses with the skills, services and support they need to grow and thrive. We work to ensure every entrepreneur, regardless of their background, has the resources they need to succeed. Back to top

Angela Phillips
CEO
Phillips Tube Group, Inc.
2023 award winner

Angela Phillips is the CEO of Phillips Tube Group, Inc. She brings nearly 30 years of operational and strategic business experience to the precision welded steel tube industry. The daughter of company founder Ralph H. Phillips, she literally “grew up” in the business, gaining a broad-based understanding of manufacturing and has been successfully leading the organization following her father’s passing in 2009.

Ms. Phillips continues this powerful legacy today, growing Phillips Tube Group to even greater heights through acquisitions and other major investments. She has been the recipient of numerous professional awards, including the 2023 Bizwomen Power 50 List: Dayton Business Journal 2023, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year East Central Winner 2023, Induction into the North Central Ohio Industrial Manufacturing Hall of Fame 2023, Economic Impact Award: Richland Area Chamber of Commerce 2022, Ohio’s Top 500 Leaders & Business Executives – Manufacturing, Ohio Business Magazine 2022 Small Business Award, Wayne County Chamber of Commerce 2021 New Investment Award, Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County.

Company description
Phillips Tube Group is the quality leader in the steel tube industry, meeting the requirements of the most demanding OEMs and their suppliers. PTG is recognized as a reliable partner for steel tube in the automotive, HVAC and distribution industries. Back to top