Aileron

09/15/2026

What if one of the biggest things holding you back as a leader is believing you are supposed to have the answer?

Recently Aileron President and CEO, Joni Fedders, joined Tony Miltenberger on the Follow2Lead Podcast to talk about vision, self-leadership, and creating space to think. She shares why a vision is more than words on a wall, why it doesn't have to be perfect before you start moving toward it, and why leaders have to get out of the urgent and immediate to think differently about the future.

Thanks to Tony for having Joni on the podcast!

Watch the full Follow2Lead episode here ➡️

What if one of the biggest things holding you back as a leader is b...

09/14/2026

You can learn a lot from a business success story. You can learn more from a leader willing to honestly walk you through the challenges and obstacles they faced in the middle of it.

Aileron Summit is built with that kind of honesty in mind. It's a space where you'll hear from four community business leaders on what it actually took to get where they are, and the lessons they learned along the way.

This year, the community voices taking the stage are:
⭐ Christy Fox, Dayton-Phoenix Group - "We Didn't Know a Tornado Was Coming": A Story of Claiming and Keeping Your Culture
⭐ Greg Riley, Schaefer - How I Learned to Swim: A Story of Using Boards to Grow in the Role
⭐ Matt Hoying, Choice One Engineering - Succession with Intention: Finding the How through the Why
⭐ Chad Kuhns, Kuhns Group - Why I Love Conflict and A+ Handoffs: A Story of Growing as a Conscious Leader

Aileron's community speaker sessions have long been a highlight for Summit attendees. Different industries, different decisions, all willing to tell you the real story of how they got there.

If you're a business owner, president, or CEO, these are the conversations worth clearing your calendar for.

Join us for Summit September 22-23 on Aileron's Campus in Tipp City, Ohio for two days full of peer connection and leadership development alongside leaders who know what it's like to sit in your seat.

View the full agenda and register ➡️ https://hubs.ly/Q04xq8YG0

09/11/2026

A warm welcome sets the tone for everything that comes after it.

Meet Robin Jacobs, our Customer Service Coordinator and this week's feature. If you've spent time on our Campus, Robin is likely the first person you met, and often the smiling face that greets you when you walk through the doors.

Robin holds a degree in psychology and spent 17 years as a mental health specialist before joining the Aileron team. Her background shows up in the way she works, the rapport she builds, and how she understands what our clients need. Robin calls this role her dream job because she has the opportunity to help shape the client experience directly.

Ask Robin what drives her and she'll point to something simple. "Respect and compassion are huge to me, but the golden rule I go by is 'Treat others as you want to be treated.' While I know it's a bit of a cliché, it remains true and is a steadfast pillar in how I approach my life."

Outside of work, Robin is a wife and mother who spends her time fishing, four-wheeling, and gardening, along with quality time with her identical twin sister. She's also an avid bird enthusiast, so if you want to talk about her favorite feathered friends, she's ready.

Please join us in celebrating Robin, her steady presence, and the care she brings to every interaction!

09/10/2026

Chad Kuhns, owner of Kuhns Group, will tell you he loves conflict. He didn't always.

There was a stretch where nothing got done fast enough for him, and he didn't realize how much of that was a result of his own behavior. He ran a company that was doing fine, but it depended on him so much he couldn't get away for even a week.

What changed wasn't a strategy or a system, but a writing assignment he still can't get through without choking up.

Since then, Chad has grown a successful business and now works about two days a week. He's acquired and rebuilt a string of companies across the Dayton region. Ask the people who work there what he led with on day one and it wasn't the numbers. It was the 24-hour rule, A+ handoffs, and the conflict he's looking forward to.

Chad shares that story at Aileron Summit 2026 with "Why I Love Conflict and A+ Handoffs." It's one of our From the Community: Stories of Impact sessions, the kind Summit regulars come back for, where local leaders tell their honest story of what it took to grow their business.

Join us September 22-23 on Aileron's Campus for two days of honest conversation and connection with peers that you don't get sitting behind your desk.

🗓️ Aileron Summit | September 22-23 | Aileron Campus | Tipp City, Ohio

View the full agenda and register ➡️ https://hubs.ly/Q04x9NtW0

09/08/2026

Thirty years ago, a handful of private classes for business owners became something bigger when Clay Mathile established the Center for Entrepreneurial Education. Today, you know it as Aileron.

This week, the Dayton Daily News captured that growth and highlighted our upcoming Summit as we mark Aileron's 30th anniversary. Thank you to Thomas Gnau and the Dayton Daily News for spotlighting Aileron as we celebrate this milestone.

Summit, Aileron's annual two-day business leadership conference, is back September 22-23 on our Tipp City Campus. Two days to step away from the office and connect, recharge, and elevate with your peers. If you own or lead a business, this is the place for you!

There's still time to register for Summit. Registration link in the comments.

Read the full story:

Aileron continues to do what its founder always wanted — help entrepreneurs in the heady work of building and nurturing a business.

09/04/2026

Great financial leadership is about more than spreadsheets. It's about people, connection, and vision.

Meet Theresa Graf, Aileron's Controller and our next spotlight.

Theresa brings more than 17 years of experience across diverse accounting roles along with an enthusiastic and collaborative approach to helping Aileron reach its financial goals. She calls herself a number whiz who loves to make connections and tell stories through data, and she happily breaks the mold of the traditional accountant with an outgoing, energetic presence and a good sense of humor.

When asked why Aileron, Theresa said, "Aileron resonated deeply with me when I first read the organization's mission, vision, and purpose. The profound connection between my work and its impact on the community ignited my inspiration. I also appreciate the culture and intimate size of Aileron, which affords me the opportunity to enjoy a diverse range of responsibilities and make a significant impact across the entire organization."

Aileron is a stronger, warmer place with Theresa in it, and we could not be more grateful to have her!

09/03/2026

When Christy Fox brought her leadership team to Aileron in 2014, she was after ordinary, everyday things. Growth, clarity, a nagging problem she couldn't quite name yet.

What she got was five years of hard, unglamorous work as CEO of Dayton-Phoenix Group which included a founder exit, a run of difficult people decisions, and finally defining the values she'd kept private for so long.

But she had no way of knowing what was coming. A tornado that leveled the plant. Nine months later, a worldwide pandemic. Eight months after that, a cyberattack. Christy believes the culture her team built in those five years prior is the reason Dayton-Phoenix Group is still here, and that the work of culture is never finished.

At Aileron Summit 2026, Christy will take the stage with "We Didn't Know a Tornado Was Coming," one of our From the Community: Stories of Impact speaker sessions. These sessions have long been a highlight for Summit attendees, and they're the reason people come back, to hear business leaders get honest about the challenges they've faced and what it took to grow.

Join us for two days on Aileron's Campus this September. Step back from the daily demands of the office and surround yourself with leaders who face the same difficult decisions as you.

🗓️ Aileron Summit | September 22-23 | Aileron Campus | Tipp City, Ohio

View the full agenda and register here ➡️ https://hubs.ly/Q04wszq90

09/02/2026

The moment a project at work starts to slip, you reach in and take it over, instead of letting your team carry it their way. It's second nature by now.

Before you step in, ask yourself one question: What would it look like to take 100% personal responsibility here, no more, no less?

That doesn't mean taking it all on yourself — it means owning 100% of your part and letting your team own 100% of theirs. No more, so you're not rescuing, over-functioning, and quietly burning out. No less, so you're not sidestepping what's yours to own.

When you stop trying to be the one who saves it, the people around you get the space to step up and grow.

That's one of the seven conscious questions at the heart of Becoming a Leader at Peace, our virtual cohort experience built on Aileron coach and facilitator Erika Alessandrini's book, Maybe It's Me. Over seven months, you'll learn to pause under pressure and make choices on purpose instead of on autopilot.

Don't miss your chance to surround yourself with like-minded leaders working to transform their pressure into peace and create results that last. Our next cohort kicks off September 21.

Learn more and register today ➡️ https://hubs.ly/Q04wrw1Z0

⭐ P.S. Did you join us for our virtual session, Speaking the Truth Kindly? Don't forget to use your exclusive discount code when you register.

09/01/2026

We're down to the last handful of President tickets for Aileron Summit 2026!

Don't miss your chance to be on Aileron's Campus with business leaders who understand the weight you carry and are looking for peers who get it.

Two days away from the daily grind to work on your business, not just in it, alongside people who know what it's like to sit in your seat.

You don't get a chance like this often: connect with peers, recharge away from the office, and elevate the way you lead yourself, your team, and your business with us September 22-23.

Seats are limited and filling quickly.

Learn more and register today ➡️ https://hubs.ly/Q04w6Hzq0

08/31/2026

What would it take for your business to run without you at the center?

Recently, Aileron business coach and facilitator Luke Sargent joined a Troy Chamber Lunch and Learn, bringing together local business leaders to talk about this exact question. From there, Luke took the group through our interactive workshop, "Why Your Business Depends on You More Than It Should," looking honestly at the habits and beliefs that keep leaders like them stuck at the center of their business, and sharing tools to lead with more intention.

What stood out most with this group was how openly people leaned in. Leaders got honest about what running a business actually looks and feels like, and worked through the exercises together to find ways to approach their leadership differently.

At the workshop, we also did a special giveaway for a President's ticket to this year's Aileron Summit conference. Congratulations to SEW Eurodrive on winning! We're looking forward to seeing you in September.

Thank you to the Troy Chamber for hosting us, and to everyone who showed up that day ready to dig in.