The annual business leadership conference returns to Tipp City, Ohio September 22 and 23
TIPP CITY, Ohio – August 5, 2026 — This September 22 and 23, Aileron — a nonprofit based in Tipp City, Ohio that has supported thousands of business owners and their teams for 30 years — will host its annual Summit business leadership conference, bringing leaders to its Campus for two days of leadership development and meaningful connection with peers. As the organization marks its 30th anniversary, Summit reflects a belief that has guided its work from the beginning, no business leader should have to lead alone.
Running a business can be isolating. The leaders at the top carry decisions their teams rarely see and often cannot share, and the higher they climb, the fewer people they have to think them through with. Summit is Aileron’s answer to that. Last year, more than 140 business leaders traveled from around the country for two days on Campus alongside peers who understand the weight firsthand, and left reminded that they are not carrying it alone.
The community spotlight sessions have long been a highlight of Summit, where leaders share honest stories from across the Aileron community. This year’s lineup includes:
- Christy Fox, CEO of Dayton-Phoenix Group, on building resilience through the hardest times
- Matt Hoying, President of Choice One Engineering, on leading a successful succession
- Chad Kuhns, owner of Kuhns Group, on unlocking his company’s potential through honest self-reflection
- Greg Riley, President of Schaefer, on turning an underused board into a real driver of growth
Matt Hoying became president of Choice One Engineering in 2016, succeeding the company’s founding president through an intentional transition Aileron supported. At Summit, he will share what that experience taught him and how he thinks about the company’s future.
“When I succeeded Choice One’s founding president 10 years ago, Aileron was a key to making that transition work. The support started long before the handoff and has continued in the decade since, helping us lead ourselves and the company through it intentionally, in a way that fits who we are,” said Hoying. “I’m looking forward to sharing that story at Summit, so other leaders can start shaping their own version of a thoughtful, successful transition.”
Summit returns this year with a new structure. The President’s Retreat on September 22 is designed for business owners, presidents, and CEOs to gather as peers. Sessions like The Cost of Waiting examine how fear and overcommitment quietly stall a business, while In Good Company brings leaders together in small peer groups to talk through the challenges on their minds, in a protected space built for exactly that.
The second day, the Leadership Accelerator on September 23, opens to executive and senior leaders who help move their organizations forward. It focuses on building alignment and momentum through three conference tracks, Lead Yourself, Lead Your Team, and Lead Your Business. Sessions like Why Your Business Depends on You More Than it Should and Leading in Conflict take on some of the biggest challenges Aileron sees leaders navigating today, with practical ways to work through them.
This year, as Aileron celebrates 30 years, gatherings like Summit are exactly what its founder had in mind. Clay Mathile, the former owner and CEO of The Iams Company and a longtime Dayton-area business leader and philanthropist, founded the nonprofit in 1996, first as The Center for Entrepreneurial Education, to give owners the same guidance he credited his own mentors for. He believed small businesses are the backbone of the economy, and he built Aileron to pay that support forward and be the trusted friend of the business owner.
“For 30 years, Aileron has remained committed to being a thriving community that raises the quality of life across America. We know that when owners run better, healthier businesses, it creates a ripple effect in their employees, families, and communities,” said Joni Fedders, Aileron President and CEO. “When leaders come together with peers facing the same challenges, it reminds them how much that connection matters. It spurs the ideas that help them lead better, and that’s what Summit is all about.”
Aileron Summit 2026 takes place September 22 and 23 on Aileron’s Campus in Tipp City, Ohio. Registration is open now at www.aileron.org/summit. For 48 hours only, on August 5 and 6, registration is 10% off with code SAVE10, and everyone who registers is entered to win a $5,000 scholarship toward Aileron services in 2026.
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About Aileron
Aileron is a nonprofit organization that guides business owners to lead thriving businesses by supporting owners, leaders, and teams to build an organization-wide system that creates sustainable change and drives lasting results. Aileron’s flagship program, Course for Presidents®, introduces business owners to a proven approach for running a thriving business that has transformed thousands of businesses for more than 30 years. Every year, 14,000+ business leaders visit Aileron’s Campus in Tipp City, Ohio, a destination for private business owners and teams seeking physical and mental space to get out of the day-to-day and focus on the most important parts of their business. Learn more at www.aileron.org.
Media Contact
Aileron: Lauren Mathile, Brand Communications Manager, [email protected]
