News

Knowtion, Inc.

3 months ago

Words from the co.lab by Knowtion ribbon cutting ceremony in historic Downtown Willoughby from Sanjay Parker

What a humbling moment it is to stand here in front of this huge and great looking crowd to mark this very special occasion. Thank you for being here.

It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new co.lab by Knowtion. My dream when I left the global corporate world and started Knowtion was to create a company that did great things for its clients, while giving humans great jobs that leveraged technology in ways that few can. It's been an amazing trajectory and I am so excited to see us become trusted business advisors to our clients alongside their own journeys.

The community in Lake County and it's passion for excellence has continued to amaze and inspire me. Today's ceremony illustrates, and is a tangible reminder, of our mission to inspire positive growth in all things - our community, our businesses, and within ourselves. The co.lab represents doing positive things to help people and businesses be their best.

I am honored to work alongside some of the most amazing entrepreneurs in Lake County, and want to publicly acknowledge the dedication and commitment to teamwork from my fellow co.lab residents.

• Lauren Delande, from the Natural RX
• Will Palmer, from Perfect Keto
• Ian Lewis and Steve Backnik from the talking dads podcast
• Mike Ross, who helped fuel the vision of our collaboration space and actually found the perfect location for us.
• James Schleicher ... what more can I say about James? He is the connective tissue for so many of us in the community and he also helped paint the vision of this collaborative space that would be based on helping others.
I must also express my deep appreciation and sincere gratitude to our partners on this project -
• CP Construction, responsible for the buildout and delicately making sure my marriage stayed on track when Nicole and I differed on design ideas. I never thought I'd miss a construction crew when a project ended, but these guys really became part of the family. It would not be possible to give them higher praise than they deserve and they really are a gem in Lake County.
• Roller's painting - working so hard to demo the interior of the building in the most delicate way to preserve the history of the ceilings, walls, and floors.
• Seek Design studios for the original layout, the front design, and a source of so many great visual ideas.
• Sarah Baggot, Kelly Penzenik, Jason MillerX

Also want to take a moment to recognize the generosity in this community. To help make today's event great for all of us, there were some significant donations from Willoughby area companies.

• Tony Alexander who owns/operates Willoughby Chik-Fil-A and provided food and a bovine presence for us today. Thank you for supporting and being a member of our community. I literally spoke with him 2 days ago and ran my ideas by him --- and he was all in.
• The Coyne Family - Seamus, Megan, McPat for the donuts/coffee and pizzas from Wild Goose and Fionas. We could not have better or more supportive neighbors -- literally. They have helped in so many ways every step of the way and are pillars of the DTW community.
• Would also like to shout out to Ed Trebets of Willoughby's own award-winning Urban Vinter --- it's really exquisite having you here - I'm so happy to know you. Thank you for donating your creations today.
• Would like to personally thank the many Knowtion clients and collaborators who are here -- without you, today would not be possible.
• Quick shout out to the Secret Society of Masterminding Gentleman -- where I've met some of the best minds and best friends I've ever had. Thanks for being here today.

At this time, I would like to introduce and recognize a few additional humans instrumental to this journey.
• Nicole Parker - my loving and inspiring wife who taught me how important it is to give to the community and to network with others (I really am quite shy) - she's been the ideal bedrock of support and ideas for this building, not only in design, but in operation and vibe. Thanks, honey. We also run a non-profit together, Dare 2 Care, that serves orphaned children around the world.
• Kiddos - who spent a lot of time at this building (NOT) being bored
• Parents and Family and Brother - superior business mind
• Mayor Fiala - pro-business and so supportive with innovation and community betterment - you are a joy to talk with and love to see the respect and appreciation you've garnered from the community over the past couple of years.

I'd like James Schleicher and Mike Ross to come up, please, to join me at the ribbon. I love you guys. Anything you want to say?

OK - without further adieu, let's CUT THIS RIBBON!!!! ... See MoreSee Less