Westlake’s Code & Coffee: June 2025 Meetup Recap – Brewing Software Inspiration in Ohio

By addo Solutions: Your Westlake neighbor in managed IT, cybersecurity, and network wizardry!

☕ Welcome to Westlake’s Tech Scene!

Every city needs a heartbeat, and in Westlake, Ohio, that pulse lately reverberates from the clinking of mugs and the soft tap-tap-tap of keyboards at the monthly Code & Coffee Meetup. On Monday, June 9th, 2025, local software aficionados converged at the city’s most loved spot—The Bean & Bit Café—to connect, celebrate, and caffeinate. Did you miss the buzz? No problem! addo Solutions was there, and we’ve got your witty, tech-centric recap covered.

🚀 Setting the Stage: Why Westlake Is Winning (and Caffeinating)

Westlake may be best known for Crocker Park, gorgeous summer days at Clague Park, and our sometimes legendary fish fries, but there’s a rapidly growing legion of local techies who are putting this city on Ohio’s innovation map. At addo Solutions, we don’t just live here—we’re part of the digital transformation.

With the software tools landscape changing faster than you can say “zero-trust cybersecurity,” these Westlake meetups have turned into a key ritual for sharing, learning, and yes, humblebragging about who’s found the next must-have app. This event was no different, as over 60 local pros, aspiring developers, and IT enthusiasts showed up to share their wisdom (and, in one case, chocolate chip cookies).

🛠️ The Tools That Ruled the Day

What’s a software meetup without a spirited debate over the latest productivity hacks? (Spoiler: if you mention Vim vs. Emacs at The Bean & Bit, be ready for some vigorous, but good-natured, hand-waving!) Here’s what everyone couldn’t stop talking about:

1. Notion: The Digital Swiss Army Knife

Westlake’s own marketing guru, Leslie Greer, led a dazzling demo on Notion’s latest AI-powered features, showing how project boards now practically manage themselves.

“I’ve got my personal life, project tickets, and even my favorite Cleveland Guardians schedule in Notion now!” Leslie proclaimed—prompting a few to whip out their own dashboards to compare color-coding.

2. Obsidian: For Digital Gardeners and Power Planners

If anyone in Westlake needed convincing that knowledge management could be fun, local tech blogger Davey Kunz served up a masterclass on turning Obsidian into a note-taking powerhouse. His tip? “Link it all!”

3. Top Dev Tools: JetBrains for the Win

We spotted at least a half-dozen devs swooning over JetBrains’ new AI code assistant. "Does it finish my code or just my sentences?" quipped local startup founder Priya Mendez, earning nods and a round of applause.

4. Homegrown Security Tools – By Us, For Us

addo Solutions’ own experts took the stage, running a hands-on mini-workshop on two crucial but often overlooked heroes: OpenVAS (for vulnerability scanning) and the next-gen, Ohio-approved, addo SecureNet Monitor. Our mission? Making robust cybersecurity accessible and easy for every Westlake business, from coffee shops to Cleveland Clinic satellite offices.

💻 Demos & Lightning Talks: Crackling with Ohio Energy

"DIY AppSec: Nail Your Security Like a Buckeye Pro"

Security is everyone’s business, and Joe Trujillo from addo Solutions gave a stunner of a 15-minute rundown on how even small teams can implement big-league application security. “If you’re connecting to Wi-Fi at Crocker Park with no VPN... come talk to us!” he joked, handing out one-month trial cards for addo Solutions’ managed VPN service.

"From Kanban to Kaching: Automating Billing With Zapier"

Local billing whiz Taylor West showcased her clever hack connecting project management boards (in Kanban style) to her invoices using Zapier. Result? Less time on admin, more time for her legendary Clague Park BBQ parties.

"AI In Your IDE: Copilot vs. Cody vs. The Competition"

A showstopper! Three local devs, three AIs, one mystery coding challenge—who could refactor legacy C# code the fastest? The room was on their feet, cheering as Copilot just squeezed by the new Cody plugin. Rumor has it, the losing AI is still sulking…

☕ The People: Westlake Warriors and IT Allies

Westlake’s software crew is nothing if not a varicolored tapestry:

• High school coders from Westlake and Bay Village (watch out MIT!)
• Seasoned IT managers from St. John Medical Center
• Entrepreneurs running SaaS startups above pancake houses
• Freelancers hacking away over cold brews

And, yes, the crew from addo Solutions—smiling, networking, and ready to help with white-glove IT solutions for Westlake’s bravest businesses.

🎁 Swag, Snacks, and Surprises

No Westlake meetup is complete without a door prize—and this month, the excitement reached fever pitch when addo Solutions raffled off (drumroll, please)...

• A one-year license for their managed endpoint security suite
• Branded thermal mugs (your coffee will never go cold again)
• Tickets to a Cleveland Guardians game (someone’s summer just levelled up)

The snack table was equally legendary: maple coffee cake, Buckeye brownies, and fruit-infused water for the health-conscious (good luck, we’re just here for the brownies).

💡 Key Takeaways: Tech Lessons from The Lake

What makes Westlake’s tech meetups so special? Here’s what attendees scribbled on our snazzy feedback board:

• "You don’t need a Silicon Valley zip code to win with software—Westlake’s got the chops!"
• “Best place to casually drop that you wrote a Kubernetes operator at 2 AM.”
• “The new addo SecureNet Monitor is a lifesaver, I’m sleeping better at night!”
• “Networking that feels cozy, not corporate.”

👏 Community Shoutouts

Major hat-tips to the long-suffering event volunteers who kept the espresso flowing and power strips untangled. Big thanks as well to The Bean & Bit Café, for letting us basically reroute their Wi-Fi, and especially to every Westlake coder, entrepreneur, and business pro who attended.

Westlake’s secret sauce? We rally for one another. Whether you’re a school counselor’s kid building your first Python script or a westside CEO prepping your company for the next round of SOC 2 audits, you’ll find your tribe here.

addo Solutions: Serving Westlake (Caffeine Optional)

As the leading managed IT solutions provider in northeast Ohio—yes, that means right here in Westlake!—addo Solutions is honored to help local heroes secure, streamline, and supercharge their tech.

Something keeping you up at night about cybersecurity? Want to automate that menial task that makes you groan every Monday? Stop by our office, call, or find us at next month’s meet-up. (We’re easy to spot: just listen for hopeful laughter and high-fives.)

🗓️ Next Up: July’s Meetup (and How You Can Get Involved)

We’ve barely come down from this buzz, but July’s agenda already includes:

• Westlake vs. Rocky River: The Coding Challenge
• “Securing Remote Workspaces” panel
• A poorly disguised “meet a recruiter” booth for anyone hoping to climb that career ladder

Want to present, sponsor, or just show up for snacks? Screenshot this and DM us, or visit addosolutions.com/events.

Thank You for Making Westlake Tech-Tacular

Keep building, keep dreaming. Tech is for everyone, and there’s never been a better place or time than Westlake, Ohio in 2025! And remember—at addo Solutions, we’re your IT neighbors, rooting (and rebooting) right alongside you.

Until next time, keep that coffee warm and your firewall warmer!