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SUBURBAN LIFE Your Community Press newspaper serving Blue Ash, Montgomery, Sycamore Township and other Northeast Cincinnati neighborhoods
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020 | BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS | PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
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TriVersity’s Gravely wins Lindner Award Randy Tucker Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Entrepreneurship and philanthropy go hand-in-hand for Mel Gravely II, the CEO of Norwood-based TriVersity Construction and this year’s winner of the Carl H. Lindner Award for Entrepreneurial and Civic Spirit. Gravely, 56, said his success as a businessman has been inextricably tied to his contributions to society, which have helped raise awareness of his business ventures, build customer loyalty and dedication among his employees. It’s a simple concept that Gravely he said he learned from his father, Mel Gravely, who was a city councilman in Canton, Ohio when the junior Gravely was a young man. “My father insisted I get on my fi rst board of directors for a nonprofi t with I was 18,’’ he told The Enquirer. “So I joined ABCD (The Association for Better Community Development, Inc.), which is still improving the quality of life for people in Canton to this day.” Gravely’s been serving the communities he’s lived in ever since, donating his time, talents, energy and resources to worthwhile causes. He came to Cincinnati in 1993 with his wife, Chandra, as a sales team leader for IBM and has served on numerous civic and charitable boards in the Cincinnati area, including chairing the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber in 2015, and serving as a board member for the ArtsWave arts and cultural organization. Along the way, he met one of his closest allies, Pete Strange – the 2015 Lindner Award winner and former CEO of West End-based Messer Construction Co. In 2009, Strange, who founded TriVersity as a spinoff of Messer in 2005, off ered Gravely a share of the private construction services business, despite his inexperience. “I had no construction background at all,” said Gravely, who at the time was running his own consulting fi rm. “But I became an investor because I fi gured TriVersity had two things going for it: It had Messer as a partner, and Children’s Hospital as a client. If you can’t make a great company with that base, then you don’t deserve to be in business.’’ Gravely, who became CEO in 2011, now manages operations for one of the largest commercial construction companies in the region, serving dozens of clients in the healthcare, offi ce and retail industries with ongoing construction needs. TriVersity ranks 97th on the 2020 Deloitte Cincinnati USA 100 list of the region’s largest privately held companies. It’s been on the list, where companies are ranked based on the previous
Mel Gravely, CEO of TriVersity Construction, is the 2020 winner of the Carl H. Lindner Award for Entrepreneurial and Civic Spirit. The award goes to a current or former leader of a Deloitte Cincinnati USA 100 company; the list ranks the 100 largest privately held companies in the Cincinnati region. He is pictured here at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
At a glance h Who: Mel Gravely II, CEO of TriVersity h Hometown: Canton, Ohio h Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Mount Union; an MBA from Kent State University; and a Ph.D. from Union Institute & University. h Family: Wife, Chandra; three adult children h h Business: TriVersity is a regional commercial construction company with more than 100 employees headquartered in Norwood.
year’s revenues, for four years. Gravely said his volunteer work helped paved the way for his professional accomplishments by introducing him to a network of business associates he might not otherwise have met. “Most of the people I know in this city, I’ve met through my (board) service, which has resulted in some treSee GRAVELY, Page 2A
Mel Gravely, CEO of TriVersity Construction and co-chair of Flow's Board of Advisors, left, stands with Alecia Kintner, Arts Wave president and CEO, and Gee Horton, the artist of "If I Ruled the World... Imagine That!", seen in the background, stand together inside the Cincinnati Art Museum on Oct. 29. Gravely recently received the Deloitte Cincinnati USA 100's Carl H. Lindner Award. He is co-chairing Flow, a program that features quarterly performances by renowned Black artists and ensembles from across the country, working in various disciplines including Gee Horton's work. Flow, a part of ArtsWave, is designed to showcase professional, evocative Black artists. PHOTOS BY ABERT CESARE/THE ENQUIRER
Junior joins ownership group for MLS’ Sounders Dave Clark Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
It’s offi cial: National Baseball Hall of Famer and former Moeller High School standout and Cincinnati Reds great Ken Griff ey Jr. is the proud part-owner of a soccer team. With an announcement Nov. 17, Griffey and his family joined the ownership group - along with Seattle Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke and his wife, Tara - for Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders. “This is a meaningful day for our entire family,” Griff ey said in a statement. “My wife Melissa and I said that we
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wanted to be a part of something special, not only for ourselves, but for our kids to be proud of, and this is it. We know how much this club means to Sounders fans, and for us, this comes back to the city where it all started for our family.” Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, Ciara, are also among investors in the ownership group. Griff ey was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. The 13-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner and 1997 American League Most Valuable Player hit .292 with 417 home runs in his 13 seasons
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Ken Griffey Jr. before the 2020 MLS Cup between the Seattle Sounders and the Toronto FC at CenturyLink Field. TROY WAYRYNEN, USA TODAY SPORTS
with the Mariners. He played for his hometown Cincin-
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nati Reds from 2000 to 2008, hitting .270 with 210 home runs.
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