2012 Nonprofit Board Executive of the Year Finalist: Doug Weintraub, chairman, JumpStart Inc.

Doug Weintraub, Chairman, JumpStart Inc.

Doug Weintraub has long been an advocate for stimulating economic growth inNortheast Ohio. He was a key member of the entrepreneurship task force that reformulated the economic development landscape in the region.
With experience as a successful entrepreneur and investor, Weintraub’s contributions to the task force were essential to the strategy subsequently implemented by JumpStart Inc., a regional business development organization where Weintraub serves as the chairman of the board.
Weintraub has served on JumpStart’s board since 2004 and as its chairman for the last three years. In his first three years on the board, he used his experience as a CPA to lead JumpStart’s finance and audit committee.
Weintraub’s institutional knowledge, as well as his years of career experience in the world of business, have been invaluable as JumpStart successfully expanded its range of services throughoutNortheast Ohio, and even started consulting nationally to help other regions transform their economies through entrepreneurship.
He has emphasized outside-the-box thinking as he looks for new ways to improve the quality of JumpStart’s services. He was instrumental in encouraging the organization to move to theMidTownTechPark, in the MidTown district onCleveland’sEast Side.
JumpStart moved to the tech park both as a cost-cutting measure and as a way to demonstrate a commitment to the revitalization ofCleveland’s urban core with the development of the Health-Tech Corridor.
Weintraub was an integral part of JumpStart’s office selection process and actively participated in all the negotiations and key discussions, due in large part to his personal experience and connections in commercial real estate, which have proven to be a huge asset to the organization.
Weintraub continues to serve as a role model for the rest of the board through this and other initiatives. He is personally invested in JumpStart’s continued success.
 
How to reach: JumpStart Inc., (216) 363-3400 or www.jumpstartinc.org