Cleveland, OH -- Technology entrepreneur and car dealership owner Bernie Moreno is a driving force behind Northeast Ohio’s blockchain movement.

And he has one person to thank, in part, for getting him interested in the tech field. 

“Three or four years ago, my youngest son came to me and told me I should invest all of my money in bitcoin," he said. "I had never heard of it. I called my investment professionals, and oddly enough, they told me not to do that, but they did tell me they were studying blockchain."

He is one of the people behind the Blockchain Solutions Conference. The event kicked off in Cleveland Sunday. And if the event's organizers see their vision come to fruition, the city could one day be called "Blockland." 

According to Moreno, the concept of blockchain is a different way to organize data. 

"In the same way that an iPhone is a lot more than a phone, blockchain is a lot more than data reorganization," he said. "Things are kind of housed in single databases now, which creates all kinds of security problems. So what blockchain is, it allows you to distribute that data through thousands of computers, and thus, keeping it completely immutable and secure.” 

 



Moreno said one of the goals is to think about ways the technology can potentially help find solutions, including to streamline common tasks. 

"Getting a copy of your birth certificate, getting your name changed if you get married, getting your name changed if you get divorced, your car title, your property records, your medical records, your ID, it goes on and on," he said. "Anything that involves paper that’s cumbersome that has friction.”  

 

 

But the technology can potentially be implemented to help find answers to big-picture problems, too. The event's agenda listed "block studies" in areas like governments and healthcare. Local leaders were invited to outline their industries, and conference-dubbed "experts" will provide some insight on potential solutions during a panel discussion, according to the agenda.   

Another goal of the conference is to attract companies involved in the blockchain space in some way to bring their business to Northeast Ohio.

Moreno says the area’s low cost of living is attractive to companies, something that Akron-based Larry Harmon agrees with. 

“You know, the business taxes and everything is very reasonable, that’s why I like it here,” the Coin Ninja​ founder said.

For those looking to establish 24/7 data centers, Northeast Ohio could prove to be a good fit due to a lack of natural disasters like tornados or hurricanes that could threaten to take a potential center offline. The area also has good amenities and a strong talent pool, organizers said. 

"Why not Ohio, that's the main thing," Moreno said."Why not Cleveland? We have a lot of reasons why this can be the ecosystem for it."

He added that the area could become a leader in the field if people invest in it now. 

"We can adopt this technology, become really, really good at it early, before it becomes implemented in a mainstream way," he said.  

More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the conference through Tuesday.