Our Mission

Promise Partners Guiding Principles:

These guiding principles, or values, guide our behavior as we strive to help members achieve their dream of business ownership.

Purposeful Action

Achieving the dream of business ownership demands a proven strategy and persistent action.

Encourage Courage

We encourage and celebrate the bold steps taken to become a business owner, especially the initial leap.

Play Bigger

Going farther faster towards our full potential is driven by our collective wisdom and relationships.

Pay It Forward

The greatest impact of achieving the dream of business ownership is to help others achieve theirs.

Promise Partners History:

The late Professor Richard L. Osborne, a.ka. “The Gorilla”, from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management began teaching Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) in the 1970s, making Case one of the first schools to introduce this innovative idea to students.

In the 1990s, Osborne was named one of Businessweek’s top 12 entrepreneurship professors in the nation. He was consistently one of the most admired and beloved professors in the history of the Weatherhead School.

The late Mal Mixon, former chairman and CEO of Invacare and a frequent guest speaker in Osborne’s class, once said, “Richard Osborne believed in the ‘book of life’ rather than the ‘life of books.’ His classes were always filled with real entrepreneurs—not theorists. He inspired many of us to ‘reach for the stars.’ He was one of those rare professors who remained revered by his students long after they graduated.”

Over the years, Osborne served on more than two dozen company and nonprofit boards. He viewed this work, along with his mentorship of former students who bought or sold firms, as part of his commitment to demonstrating Weatherhead’s strong ties to the Northeast Ohio community.

Osborne was also known for encouraging students to adopt nicknames for themselves. His own nickname, “Gorilla,” became synonymous with him, likely originating from students who admired his commanding presence and the energy he brought to the classroom. Osborne once explained that he encouraged nicknames because, “I love nicknames. They are a great equalizer.”

Osborne also had a nickname for his wife, Elizabeth, whom he often wove into the narrative of his courses. Gorilla included her in his signature send-off to students as classes came to an end: “The Beamer (Elizabeth) and I wish you the best of everything, including success that lasts. Dance like nobody is watching.”

In 1992, Osborne further cemented his impact by co-founding the non-profit Promise Partners ETA Accelerator with Pat Morris to help entrepreneurial students realize their full potential, or “promise.”  The accelerator has since helped 68 individuals become business owners in over 90 companies, creating thousands of jobs and positively affecting hundreds of families across Northeast Ohio and beyond.

The Gorilla modeled a lifelong commitment to his students, impacting their careers and personal lives well beyond graduation. This dedication is a core value of the Promise Partners ETA Accelerator and the broader ETA ecosystem in Cleveland. Thanks to Osborne’s vision and values, Cleveland is the epicenter of one of the most mature and practical ETA ecosystems in the world, making it the “Silicone Valley of ETA.

RLO Obituary: https://thedaily.case.edu/remembering-legendary-weatherhead-school-management-professor-richard-l-osborne/