Smart Business Magazine, May 2019

6 Smart Business Cleveland May 2019 Fred Koury is the chairman of ASPIRE 2019 which will take place on Thursday May 2 2019 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel Learn more at www aspiredealmakers com Smart Business Cleveland 835 Sharon Drive Suite 200 Cleveland OH 44145 O 8009884726 F 4402507001 Smart Business Magazine Events PUBLISHER CCO ASPIRE Dustin S Klein VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES Katie Janoch Janet K Valore ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER David Brodowski VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Somer Karim CONTENT OPERATIONS MANAGER April Grasso SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Jim Mericsko PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Mary Kay Bukowski SENIOR EDITOR Sue Ostrowski SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mark Scott ASSOCIATE EDITORS Adam Burroughs Jayne Gest VICE PRESIDENT EVENT MANAGEMENT John Lotenero PROJECT MANAGER EVENTS Danielle Catteau BRAND MANAGERS EVENTS Molly Carpenter Lisa Dore Meredith Rankin Smart Business Magazine Events are a division of Smart Business Network Inc PRESIDENT CEO Fred Koury MANAGING PARTNER Lee Koury MANAGING PARTNER Michael Marzec CONTROLLER Kathy Deutsch EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Jill Brown ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE Marilyn Homolak Smart Business Magazines AKRON CANTON CINCINNATI CLEVELAND COLUMBUS PHILADELPHIA PITTSBURGH FROM THE CEO FRED KOURY The true meaning of freedom Take time to reflect and give thanks sacrifices to duty helped make our country what it is today All veterans helped give us the freedoms we have today and I think its important to give something back to them The first step is spending some time to reflect on days like Memorial Day Independence Day and Veterans Day and teach our children about their true meaning and importance Beyond that there are many ways to say thanks If you meet a veteran thank him or her for their service donate to the Wounded Warrior Project an organization that helps injured veterans or make an effort to hire a veteran reentering the workforce We live in the greatest country on Earth and we have all of our veterans to thank for it So the next time you are enjoying the freedoms this country provides be sure to take a moment and reflect on the sacrifices that others made on your behalf And if you are a veteran reading this column let me offer a heartfelt thanks to you and your family I know that Im fortunate to be the CEO of a successful business in a country with a stable government and a functioning judicial system I dont have to worry about the government seizing my business and I dont have to worry about a foreign invader destroying everything I have and turning my family into refugees For all of that we have veterans to thank and most of us dont have to go far to find one Just about everyone has a veteran in his or her family and Im no exception My uncle was part of a B 17 bomber crew in World War II He didnt like to talk about his experience in the war and the horrors he faced in the skies over Nazi Germany but his and the thousands of others FRED KOURY President and CEO Smart Business Network Inc fkoury@ sbnonline com Many Americans have come to view holidays like Memorial Day and Independence Day as just days off of work forgetting the true meaning of what makes these days so special Our veterans deserve better They have fought to protect our freedom and in some cases they have given their lives to do so The least we can do as we celebrate the arrival of summer is take a few moments to appreciate the tremendous sacrifice made on our behalf