In the News

• How a Billionaire is Changing Small Business Owners' Lives

  May 10, 2013 - Yahoo

  Clay Mathile says he feels deep gratitude for two groups of people: those who risk their own capital to create jobs, and the mentors who helped him do the same as owner and CEO of the IAMS Company.

  Continue reading here

• Essential Elements of Working With a Business Partner

  May 6, 2013 - Entrepreneur

  Having a co-founder is great when it comes to sharing the grunt work, holding late-night planning sessions and perpetuating a sense of camaraderie. But once a business is up and running, it can be complicated to determine who should do what, who shouldn't do what and where the buck stops. Divvying up duties is important to avoid duplicating efforts, to work more effectively and to play to each founder's talents.

• Divide & Conquer

  April 18, 2013 - Entrepreneur

  Camaraderie is great, but working with a partner has its own set of stress. To keep things running smoothly, it's crucial to have a clear division of duties. Here’s how to set up a business with shared responsibilities for greater satisfaction and greater rewards. Read more in the April issue on news stands.

• Aileron and It's Clients' Impact on America

  February 20, 2013 -

  The vision and mission for Aileron is to raise the quality of life in America by unleashing the potential of private businesses through professional management. Thank you so much for your generosity and commitment to Aileron, private businesses and the shared commitment to raise the quality of life through professional management. There has been much progress made toward this vision and and we appreciate everything you do. Here is our first annual report that gives you a glimpse on the impact you are having to raise the quality of life for all.

• A Billionaire's Startup Secrets: Advice On Growth From Clay Mathile

  February 6, 2013 - Forbes

  There’s no shortage of advice facing young founders. Investors, customers, peers…the Internet—just distilling that cacophony of instruction can turn into a full-time job. The nice thing about sitting down with a billionaire, especially one who grew a struggling startup into a market-leading juggernaut, is that entrepreneurs can feel pretty confident they’re speaking with someone who knows what he’s talking about. Each year we relish the opportunity to give a handful of founders from our list of America’s Most Promising Companies the chance to speak with Clay Mathile, the longtime owner of pet-food maker Iams. Mathile sold the company to Procter & Gamble for $2.3 billion in 1999. (We currently peg his net worth at $1.9 billion.) Since then, he’s spent $130 million building the Aileron Institute in Dayton, Ohio, an airy 70,000-square-foot facility that offers a full roster of courses for small business owners. Classes at the campus cover everything from culture and strategy to people development and corporate structure, each one taught by real operators rather than stuffy academics.

  Continue reading here

• A Billionaire's Startup Secrets: Culture And Hiring With Clay Mathile

  February 18, 2013 - Forbes

  Each year we relish the opportunity to give a handful of founders from our list of America’s Most Promising Companies the chance to speak with Clay Mathile, the longtime owner of pet-food maker Iams. Mathile sold the company to Procter & Gamble for $2.3 billion in 1999. (We currently peg his net worth at $1.9 billion.) Since then, he’s spent $130 million building the Aileron Institute in Dayton, Ohio, an airy 70,000-square-foot facility that offers a full roster of courses for small business owners. Classes at the campus cover everything from culture and strategy to people development and corporate structure, each one taught by real operators rather than stuffy academics.

• The Art Of Hiring: Three Secrets From America's Most Promising Companies

  August 21, 2012 - Forbes

  It’s a well-worn truism: Hiring is both one of the most important and difficult tasks any entrepreneur faces in building a business. The quality of people filling a company’s ranks ripples through every measure of performance – sales, product development and partner relations included. More importantly, it determines whether you actually enjoy heading into work every day. With each new recruit, business owners fine-tune the DNA of their firms, so it pays to get it right. By definition, members of Forbes’ list of America’s Most Promising Companies have all found some answers to the eternal mystery of hiring effectively. Yet with sales doubling each year and companies expanding at a breakneck pace, the issue of recruiting high-caliber employees takes on a new level of urgency and challenge. Last April, in a panel moderated by Joni Fedders, President of Clay Mathile’s Aileron outside of Dayton, Ohio, we gathered three representatives from our list of America’s Most Promising Companies to sit down and discuss issues facing their businesses, including hiring.

  Continue reading here

Click here to view the News Archives

• Aileron Announces Two Executive Staff Promotions

  Mar 12, 2012

  DAYTON, OH – MARCH 12, 2012 – Aileron, an operating foundation focused on raising the quality of life through the development of private business, founded and chaired by Ohio businessman and entrepreneur Clay Mathile, today announced two new promotions within their executive team. Deb Carter has been named the new Director of Operations and Chuck Huggins has been named the new Director of Client Development. “We’re thrilled to be able to work with such passionate, dedicated individuals who are committed to furthering the vision set forth by Clay Mathile,” said Joni Fedders, President of Aileron. “Deb and Chuck bring tremendous insight and expertise to the company and will continue to help Aileron grow for years to come.” Deb previously served as Aileron’s Controller for the past two years. In her new position, she will be responsible for the functions of finance, human resources, legal and regulatory affairs and campus service operations, including security, maintenance and catering. She began her career on the audit staff of Price Waterhouse in the Dayton office. She later moved on to Reynolds and Reynolds, holding positions in accounting, marketing, financial planning and product management. She assumed the role of Vice President of Finance Administration prior to leaving in 2006 to become the CFO of a small manufacturing company. As Aileron’s Director of Client Development, Chuck will oversee the framework, people and processes utilized with clients to help them drive professional management throughout their organization. He will also oversee all Aileron Contributors as well as the processes, structure and approaches of staff and delivery team to deliver all Aileron 1:1 services. Chuck came to Aileron 5 years ago after selling a successful HVAC company that he started and operated for 5 years. Prior to selling his company, Chuck worked as the Plant Manager of both a large publicly traded consumer products company and a privately owned manufacturing company.

• Are you one of American's Most Promising Companies?

  Aug 03, 2011

  DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 15th Aileron is proud to announce our partnership with Forbes and its quest to assemble a list of "America's Most Promising Companies." The list will feature dynamic, privately held businesses with brilliant growth prospects. The search for America's Most Promising Companies begins witha short, free survey that takes just a few minutes to complete. Entrepreneurs can nominate themselves or be nominated by those familiar with their companies. Some applicants will earn short profiles on Forbes.com, even if they don't make the final list. Good luck! Click here to enter

• AILERON TO BE FEATURED NATIONALLY ON FOX BUSINESS NETWORK

  May 13, 2010

  Live Coverage from Dayton-based Entrepreneurial Center Set to Air May 14th DAYTON, OH, MAY 10, 2010 – One of Dayton’s local business success stories is primed for its national television debut. Aileron, an operating foundation focused on raising the quality of life through the development of private business, founded and chaired by Ohio businessman and entrepreneur Clay Mathile, is scheduled to be featured on the airwaves of FOX Business Network Friday, May 14th. The network has live coverage planned from Aileron throughout the day, with correspondent Adam Shapiro and crew traveling to Dayton to visit the campus, interview small business owners positively impacted by Aileron and conduct one-on-one conversations with Mathile and President Joni Fedders for multiple broadcast segments. Shapiro has roots in Ohio, having previously served as an anchor at WEWS-TV (ABC) in Cleveland, where he earned a regional Emmy Award for Best Anchor. At Aileron, clients learn from successful business owners and from a community of peers who exchange ideas and help each other. Through professional management, business owners find direction, control and time to work “on” their business and achieve their desired results For more information on Aileron, visit www.aileron.org. FOX Business Network is a national financial news channel delivering real-time information across all platforms that impact both Main Street and Wall Street. Headquartered in New York—the business capital of the world—FBN launched in October 2007 under the leadership of FOX News Chairman & CEO Roger Ailes and is now available in more than 50 million homes in major markets across the United States. Owned by News Corp, the network has bureaus in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, DC and London. To view footage online, click here.

Click here to view the Press Release Archives