Matt Adkins

Experience & Activities

Matthew D. Adkins is a well-verse, proven leader that made his mark in the franchise space with Edible.  At the early age of 25, he left corporate America to follow his entrepreneurial aspirations and launched the 8^th store nationwide in Lakewood, OH back in 2003.  He quickly recognized the opportunity to expand and serve the Cleveland market and began the journey of developing the newly minted brand into a 9-store enterprise that spanned a 20-year career. Matthew’s dedication to his craft pushed him to cultivate community relationships with some of the top businesses in Northeast Ohio, spurring sustainable growth in several markets. As the Chief Operations Officer and Member of Marlon Enterprises, LLC, Matthew built a strong core unit of stores that delivered the highest quality of products and services, while maintaining the highest standards of operational protocol, that functioned as a catalyst for goal driven performance.

With a keen eye for detail and preparation, Matthew’s uncanny implementation and governance of resources has paved the way for lowering costs and maximizing production and efficiency across all platforms.  His ability to see past barriers and challenges has equipped him the analytical rigor necessary to make things happen and negotiate any deal.

At Edible, one of Matthew’s most significant milestones was achieving Multi-Unit Franchise Owner of the Year in 2015, amongst a group of 1200 talented owners and stores nationwide.  His ranking of #1 in sales in the State of Ohio from 2008 – 2015 is a direct correlation between the staffing he managed and the policies and protocol he implemented.

His focus on strategic planning and preparation enabled his stores to function at the highest level, elevating the customers’ needs beyond the capabilities of his competitors, ultimately strengthening brand awareness and customer service.  His organizational set-up within his management team enabled each store to function as an independent extension of the entire system, broadening its reach and functionality.  This centralization and implementation of core-unit standards has provided Northeast Ohioans with consistency and dependability in what has been a challenging retail market, driving business in an upward trend of 15-20% year after year.  This reputation for quality, detail and most importantly one built on trust, loyalty and the relentless pursuit of optimizing efficiency has led to a “fruitful” business career.

Inspired by learning, Matthew furthered his negotiation and sales skills by gaining his real estate license where he continues to build relationships and deliver results.  His dedication to his community and philanthropic nature of giving back has led him to hold seats with The Children’s Hunger Alliance and Bloom Bakery, a subsidiary of Towards Employment.

Matthew holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Political Science from the University of Dayton.