Cincinnati 300 - 2023 by Cincinnati Magazine

THE REGION’S MOST POWERFUL BUSINESS LEADERS

Prysmian Group: Proudly Local. Headquartered in Highland Heights, Kentucky, Prysmian Group North America leads the world in the energy and telecom cable industry. Our cables are used around the country and in our backyard, in iconic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. Prysmian Group North America is excited to be part of this year's Cincinnati 300, celebrating the region's top leaders. Learn more about Prysmian Group by visiting na.prysmiangroup.com.

Congratulations to our

CEO Andrea Pirondini and the business leaders celebrated in this issue.

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TABLE OF C ONTENT S

BANKING & FINANCE p.5

EDUCATION & HEALTH p.33

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES p.57

CREDIT UNIONS

MEDICAL SUPPLIES

INSURANCE

FINANCIAL ADVISORS

SCHOOLS & UNIVERSITIES

MARKETING

CONSUMER GOODS p.13

MANUFACTURING & TECH p.43

REAL ESTATE p.67

FOOD & BEVERAGE

INFRASTRUCTURE

CONSTRUCTION

RETAIL SALES

LOGISTICS

HOME SALES

CULTURE & LEISURE p.23

NONPROFIT & GOVERNMENT p.51

INDEX

CONVENTIONS & HOTELS

FOUNDATIONS

78 / BY COMPANY NAME

RESTAURANTS

TRANSPORTATION

BANKS

AUTOS

ARTS

HOSPITALS

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

COV ER ILLU S TR ATI O N BY VA SAVA / PH OTO G R A PH ( THIS PAG E) BY H EN RY K SA D U R A /S TO C K . A D O B E .CO M

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ACCOUNTING & LAW FIRMS

ARCHITECTURE

76 / BY NAME

EDITOR LE LET T TER

1818 Race Street, Suite 301 Cincinnati, OH 45202-2039 (513) 421-4300

CINCINNATIMAGAZINE.COM/CINCINNATI300

PUBLISHER

Ivy Bayer

HE SAYING “ THE MORE THINGS CHANGE , THE MORE

they stay the same” has been run through the wringer over the past few years. Everything has changed, it seems, as a result of the pandemic and subsequent economic convulsions. And nothing is the same. At times it feels like our world is on fire, literally and figuratively, and when it isn’t we appear to be drowning (again literally and figuratively). Every business has been bounced around since 2020. The pandemic shuttered entire industries while other “essential” businesses required 24/7 management. Supply chains broke down, and gaps continue to plague our economic recovery. Business leaders are still figuring out how best to deal with work-from-home, the “great resignation,” and “quiet quitting” challenges within staff ranks. Based on the leadership advice offered in this year’s Cincinnati 300, most are navigating the fires and the deluge with resolve and a dose of humility. It isn’t easy to realize—much less admit—that pandemic-related upheavals upended the CEO scripts they’d constructed for themselves. But the smart ones are relying on long-held leadership principles while opening themselves to more staff collaboration and recognition. The leaders featured in the fourth annual Cincinnati 300 are pulled from the region’s largest public, private, and nonprofit companies, as well as professional service organizations supporting them. We considered those who serve on key business-related oversight boards at the Chambers of Commerce, 3CDC, United Way, and ArtsWave. We sought broad representation across the business community, so we limit the profiles to one person per organization, with rare exceptions, and highlight similar numbers of companies in eight broad industry categories. Last year the cover of Cincinnati 300 featured six new leaders in high-profile positions, from Jon Moeller at Procter & Gamble and Steve Davis, MD at Cincinnati Children’s to Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and Christie Kuhns at the Urban League of Southwestern Ohio. This year’s publication has 39 leaders who weren’t included last year, a full 13 percent turnover. And yet, as the top jobs change due to retirements, mergers, and normal churn, the vision and dedication of our business leaders feels as strong as ever.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

John Fox DESIGN DIRECTOR

Brittany Dexter DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL OPERATIONS

Amanda Boyd Walters ART DIRECTORS

Carlie Burton, Jessica Dunham, Jen Kawanari, Emi Villavicencio ADVERTISING DESIGNER

Sophie Kallis CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Bill Cieslewicz, David Holthaus, Bill Thompson PRODUCTION DIRECTOR & IT SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR

Vu Luong

SALES SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Julie Poyer, Joe Hoffecker, Maggie Wint Goecke SENIOR OUTSIDE ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE

Laura Bowling SENIOR MANAGER, SPONSORSHIP SALES

Chris Ohmer

BUSINESS OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Missy Beiting BUSINESS COORDINATOR Erica Birkle

CIRCULATION AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Geralyn Wilson CIRCULATION MANAGER Riley Meyers

PUBLISHED BY CINCINNATI MEDIA, LLC CEO Stefan Wanczyk PRESIDENT John Balardo

J O H N F OX

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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BANKING & FINANCE

Timothy Ballinger

Ron Bass

Archie Brown

PRESIDENT AND CEO General Electric Credit Union

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND MARKET MANAGER Morgan Stanley

PRESIDENT AND CEO First Financial Bank

Ballinger has been with the company since 1994 and held the top job since 2015. GECU is by far the region’s largest credit union, with $4.2 billion in assets, and has expanded membership to more than 240,000 members. The company, founded in 1954, opened its corporate office in a 90,000-square-foot building in Blue Ash it bought in 2019. It has 12 branches across Greater Cincinnati.

Bass has worked for the New York Citybased financial services giant for 24 years, including the past eight years in his current role. He oversees the two local offices in Kenwood, where he’s based, and downtown. Morgan Stanley is Greater Cincinnati’s sixth-largest financial brokerage firm with 164 employees and more than $20 billion in assets under management. The company, founded in 1935, has more than 75,000 employees in 41 countries.

Brown has led the bank since it merged with MainSource Financial of Greensburg, Indiana, in 2018. In January, First Financial acquired the assets of Dayton-based Brady Ware Capital, the business consulting affiliate of Brady Ware & Schoenfeld. First Financial is the ﬁfth-largest bank in Greater Cincinnati, with total assets of $16.6 billion and operations in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA), University of Delaware (master’s)

Hometown: Louisville Education: University of Louisville (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? “Manage your job and not your career.” Future

opportunities will come your way only after you’ve been successful in your current role. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? More focus on culture and ﬂexibility. Our world is different today, and we’ve worked hard to adapt to support our employees.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Georgia (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? To have success, you need a passion that comes from believing the work you’re doing is bigger than yourself. Banking is vital in the lives of businesses and consumers. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? Today, associate engagement has become a more significant focus. By helping them develop personally and professionally, they’re more effective in their roles and find greater job satisfaction.

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BANKING & FINANCE

Patrick Dolle

Todd Cain

Timothy Elsbrock

CEO Sharefax Credit Union

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JP Morgan Chase Private Bank

REGIONAL PRESIDENT Fifth Third Bank

Cain succeeded Art Kremer, who retired in April after 22 years as CEO and more than 44 years with the Clermont County-based credit union that was founded in 1960 by employees of Ford Motor plants in Sharonville and Fairfax. Cain previously was CEO of Sycamore Township-based Emery Federal Credit Union for nine years and CEO of Mason-based Members Trust Federal Credit Union for eight years.

Since 2019, Dolle has led the team that offers brokerage and advisory investment products to high-wealth individuals and families from its Kenwood office. He joined JP Morgan Chase after nine years as managing director of Hawthorn PNC Family Wealth. Dolle began his banking career with Fifth Third, where he worked for 19 years. In March, Euromoney named JP Morgan Chase the world’s best private bank.

Elsbrock leads operations of the region’s largest locally based bank and ninth-largest U.S.-based consumer bank. He oversees retail, mortgage, and commercial banking operations in addition to investment advisors. As the official bank of the Cincinnati Bengals since 2010, downtown-based Fifth Third disclosed in April that it paid the team $2.79 million in 2022 to cover sponsorship, tickets, and advertising expenses, up from $2.1 million the prior year.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Eastern Kentucky Universi-

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Ohio Wesleyan University

ty (undergraduate)

(undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Relentlessly meet with people. I

see myself now as a connector and want to help others as much as possible. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m much more ﬂexible now and have learned that, in order to treat people fairly, they have to be treated, led, and supported as individuals.

Bob Groenke

James Hagerty

Andrew Howell

PRESIDENT AND CEO Bahl & Gaynor

CEO Bartlett Wealth Management

PRESIDENT AND CEO Federal Home Loan Bank

In 2022, Groenke was named to lead the downtown-based investment advisory ﬁrm founded in 1990 by William Bahl and Vere Gaynor. It manages or advises clients on $47 billion in assets, up from less than $19 billion ﬁve years ago. Groenke started in the investment industry in 2005 and joined Bahl & Gaynor in 2019.

Hagerty, who joined Bartlett in 1994, leads the management committee and is responsible for the ﬁrm’s strategy. Bartlett is the seventh-largest money management ﬁrm in Cincinnati with almost $6 billion in local assets managed. Earlier this year, Bartlett acquired its third office, Louisville-based Regent Investment Management, to join Chicago-based Lodestar Investment Counsel, which was acquired in 2019.

Howell joined the bank in 1989 and has led the regional operation for Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee since 2012. FHLB Cincinnati is not a consumer bank but a wholesale bank providing services to its 618-member ﬁnancial institutions in the three states. The bank is one of 11 FHLB facilities nationwide aimed at ﬁnancing housing and economic development, a system created by Congress in 1932.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Michigan (undergraduate), University of Chicago (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? True intellectual curiosity and personal

investment in client outcomes are vital characteristics for our team. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve focused on inspiring and supporting our team to provide the excellent service our clients expect and deserve.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? I would recommend to continually

study economics, history, and psychology. Successful investment management and ﬁnancial planning are grounded in a solid understanding of behavioral characteristics. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve delegated more, rewarding reliable colleagues with increasing responsibilities and higher earning potential.

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Education: University of Kentucky (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (MBA)

Unquestioned strength. Unquestioned commitment. We have thrived for 135 years because we have never lost sight of our purpose: to use our ﬁnancial strength to provide ﬁnancial security to those we serve.

Western & Southern Financial Group, Inc. Cincinnati, Ohio. WS-50337 2307

BANKING & FINANCE

Jason Jackman

Michael McCuen

Eric Meilstrup

CEO AND PRINCIPAL Johnson Investment Counsel

SOUTHWEST OHIO MARKET PRESIDENT KeyBank

PRESIDENT AND CEO LCNB Bank

Jackman, who joined the firm in 1993, was promoted from president and chief investment officer in 2022. The region’s third-largest money management firm, headquartered in Green Township, controls nearly $17 billion in local assets and has 125 employees. Its other offices are in Kenwood, Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, and Detroit. In 2021, Barrons ranked it 37th nationally on its list of top 40 registered investment advisory firms.

McCuen has led the Cleveland-based company’s local operations since 2017. He is also the commercial sales leader for Key, the region’s eighth-largest bank with more than $1.3 billion in local deposits. Key ranked No. 5 locally for the number of SBA loans issued in ﬁscal 2022. Its local headquarters are in Great American Tower, where it moved its downtown branch office in 2021.

In May, LCNB agreed to buy Green Township-based Cincinnati Bancorp and its five banking offices for $43.7 million. LCNB has 29 other branches in Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Montgomery, Preble, Ross, and Warren counties. The deal expands LCNB’s presence in Hamilton County and in Northern Kentucky and also lifts LCNB’s local deposits from $994 million to $1.2 billion. Meilstrup has led the Lebanon-based bank since 2019.

Hometown: Howell, New York; Rochester, New Hampshire; Pittsburgh Education: Wittenberg University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? This field is well-suited for individuals with both strong technical and interpersonal skills. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? It

used to be about casting a vision and setting priorities for how to get there, and now it’s more about unleashing the talent of our employees and getting out of the way.

Hometown: Doylestown, Ohio Education: John Carroll University (undergraduate), University of Michigan (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Learn it from the ground up. I started in a rotational

Hometown: Dexter, Michigan Education: Bowling Green State University (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

training program that gave me a chance to understand all aspects of banking. Don’t specialize too soon. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I

have more appreciation of how a strong culture is critical to a great brand name.

Cynthia Porter

Steve Mullinger

Michael Prescott

REGIONAL PRESIDENT Huntington Bank

VICE PRESIDENT, REGIONAL LEADER Fidelity Investments

EAST REGIONAL EXECUTIVE U.S. Bank

Mullinger succeeded Kevin Jones as Huntington’s regional president for Southern Ohio and Kentucky in 2022, after Jones retired following nearly nine years at the helm. Mullinger previously headed U.S. Bank’s Greater Cincinnati commercial and middle-market banking operations. Columbus-based Huntington is the region’s fourth-largest bank, with $4.65 billion in local assets and 36 branches.

Porter has worked for the Boston-based financial services giant for 28 years. The Covington office, one of 12 Fidelity locations in North America, is the largest financial brokerage firm in Greater Cincinnati with 2,700 brokers,15 times more than No. 2 Wells Fargo (180). With 4,800 employees, it’s the third-largest employer Northern Kentucky.

Prescott has led the local market of the Minneapolis-based bank since 2011. U.S. Bank tops the region in in local deposits—more than twice that of No. 2 Fifth Third Bank—with more than $87 billion and employs more than 3,000 people at 74 locations in Greater Cincinnati. It also continues to hold the top spot for deposit market share (51 percent) among local banks.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate and master’s)

Hometown: Ft. Wayne, Indiana Education: Indiana State University (undergraduate) What was your ﬁrst job? I

worked at Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken as a cashier. I was even in a commercial! What’s the best career advice you ever received? Lead with your work while being inquisitive and looking for ways to drive change through technology. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? My passion has always been coaching and

developing associates, which creates an inclusive and supportive culture.

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Hometown: I grew up all over the Midwest and South Education: Ohio Northern University (undergraduate), Ohio State University (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Be flexible, and be prepared to learn about everything! How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? I am even more empathetic,

given the challenges of the last ﬁve years.

GūČƭƙĚē ūŠ ǋūƭɈ ǋūƭƑ ċƭƙĿŠĚƙƙ îŠē ǋūƭƑ ĚŞƎŕūǋĚĚƙɍ ŕŕ ƑĿĳĺƥ ĺĚƑĚ ĿŠ HƑĚîƥĚƑ ĿŠČĿŠŠîƥĿɍ Businesses are more than just assets, projections, îŠē ƎƑūǶƥ ŞîƑĳĿŠƙɍ ¹ĺĚǋɑƑĚ ƥĺĚ ƎĚūƎŕĚ ǅĺū ŞîŒĚ ƥĺĚŞ ĳūɍ ¹ĺĚ ūǅŠĚƑƙ ŕūūŒĿŠĳ ƥū ĲƭŠē î ŠĚǅ ċƭƙĿŠĚƙƙ ūƎƎūƑƥƭŠĿƥǋ ǅĺĿŕĚ ŞîŠîĳĿŠĳ ƥĺĚĿƑ ūǅŠ ǶŠîŠČĚƙɍ ¹ĺĚ ĚŞƎŕūǋĚĚƙ ǅĺū ǅîŠƥ ƥū ċĚ ǶŠîŠČĿîŕ ƙĚČƭƑĚ ƥūēîǋ îŠē ĿŠ ƥĺĚ ĲƭƥƭƑĚɍ ¹ĺîƥɑƙ ǅĺǋ ūƭƑ ČūŞƎŕĚƥĚ ċƭƙĿŠĚƙƙ ƙƭĿƥĚ ūĲĲĚƑƙ ĚǄĚƑǋƥĺĿŠĳ ĲƑūŞ ċƭƙĿŠĚƙƙ ŕūîŠƙ ƥū ĚŞƎŕūǋĚĚ ƑĚƥĿƑĚŞĚŠƥ ƎŕîŠƙ îŠē îŕŕ ƥĺĚ ĚƙƙĚŠƥĿîŕƙ ĿŠɠċĚƥǅĚĚŠɍ

For you. Your people. Your future. Banking | Lending + Financing | Treasury Services Employee Services | Wealth

BANKING & FINANCE

Maribeth Rahe

Jon Ramey

Rick Ross

PRESIDENT AND CEO Fort Washington Investment Advisors

M A R K ET H EA D UBS Wealth Management

CEO Summit Funding Group

Rahe has led the subsidiary of Western & Southern Financial Group since 2003. Fort Washington is by far the largest money management ﬁrm in Greater Cincinnati, overseeing $74 billion in client assets, and was named one of the Best Places to Work in Money Management by Pensions & Investments magazine in 2022. Rahe was previously president of United States Trust of New York.

Ramey, now in his 13th year, leads the company’s operations in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Indiana from its Kenwood office. UBS Wealth Management is the region’s fourth-largest financial brokerage firm with 115 local advisers. In April, Forbes in conjunction with R.J. Shook and Shook Research named the firm’s Family Wealth Management team of Kevin Shepherd, Karen Breed, and William Jones as 13th best in Ohio.

The Mason-based equipment financing and leasing company has a portfolio of more than $4.5 billion in lease and finance originations and $1.2 billion in assets under management. It was acquired by First Financial Bank at the end of 2021 for $115 million, the region’s fifth-largest acquisition based on value. SFG was founded by Ross, Harry Yeaggy, and Louis Beck (the latter two own Union Savings Bank) in 1993.

Hometown: Evanston, Illinois Education: Bowling Green State University (undergraduate), Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? A career path in financial to services is exciting because it’s comprised of so many different businesses. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? The pandemic changed the world. Its impact on our businesses and our key resource, our employees, has been significant. It’s also different for our clients. We need to recognize these changes and lead differently.

Hometown: Crawfordsville, Indiana Education: Wright State University (undergraduate)

Mark Ryan

Billy Santos

Jay Sigler

PRESIDENT Bank of America Cincinnati

REGIONAL PRESIDENT Truist Financial Corp.

CEO Cinfed Credit Union

Ryan is also market leader for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, a subsidiary of BoA, which he has run since 2016. He oversees the region’s 11th-largest bank, with more than $1 billion in deposits. In June, it opened a branch near UC, giving the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank (the nation’s second-largest) 21 offices in Greater Cincinnati and 94 ATMs.

On February 1, Santos succeeded Andy Hawking, who retired after 14 years with Newport-based Truist and its predecessors, BB&T and Bank of Kentucky. Santos has been with the bank for more than 20 years, starting as a teller when he attended Northern Kentucky University. Truist is Greater Cincinnati’s seventh-largest bank, with nearly $2 billion in deposits and 16 local branches.

Sigler joined the company in 2002 and was named its leader in 2011. Cinfed was founded in 1934 to serve members of Local 75 of the Federation of Federal Employees Union. It expanded its charter in 2018, opening membership to people in 17 counties in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. It has $690 million in assets and nearly 39,000 members as the third-largest credit union in the region.

Education: Loyola University Chicago (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? When you truly care about your career, clients,

community, and colleagues, others will always ﬁnd a reason to invest in you. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Listening and fostering relationships has become the baseline to my leadership approach. I’m a servant leader that who truly believes today’s leadership is all about mentoring and coaching.

Hometown: Santiago, Dominican Republic Education:Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate)

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Hometown: Wooster, Ohio Education: Bowling Green State University (undergraduate and MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Most larger credit unions are financially stable and are growing, and employees enjoy a great work/life balance and opportunities for advancement. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago?I’ve built a strong team of senior leaders that’s enabled me to be better at delegating. I’m able to spend more time coaching and developing the team members and working on the business rather than in the business.

BANKING & FINANCE

Tim Spence

Daniel Sutton

David Wallace

PRESIDENT AND CEO Fifth Third Bancorp

PRESIDENT AND CEO Kemba Credit Union

CHAIRMAN AND CEO Heritage Bank

Spence was named president of the downtown-based bank in 2020, taking over as CEO in 2022 from Greg Carmichael. Fifth Third is the largest locally based bank and the ninth-largest U.S.-based consumer bank. It opened a branch in May in Miami Township, its ﬁrst newly constructed banking office in in Greater Cincinnati in at least a decade. With 7,000 employees, it’s the region’s 10th-largest employer.

Sutton has led the company, chartered in 1934 when employees organized the Kroger Employees Mutual Beneﬁt Association, since 2018. It moved into its new headquarters in West Chester Township in 2021. It’s the second-largest credit union in Greater Cincinnati with more than $1.4 billion in assets and more than 124,000 members at 12 branch offices in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Wallace has led the Erlanger-based regional bank, founded by Arthur Caddell in 1990, since 2020. Heritage is the region’s ninth-largest bank with $1.34 billion in local deposits across 19 locations in Kentucky and Ohio. It holds the naming rights to downtown’s multipurpose arena venue, now called Heritage Bank Center.

Hometown:Portland, Oregon Education: Colgate University (undergraduate) What was your ﬁrst job? A stock room manager for a hardware store when I was 15. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Be suspicious of anything

that seems easy in business. Anything worth having is generally hard to get. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: ArtsWave. The arts have a unique way of connecting, inspiring, and challenging us to see the world in new ways, and they should be accessible to everyone.

Hometown: Indianapolis Education: Mount St. Joseph University (undergraduate and master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Stay

informed and up to date on the latest changes in technology, competition, consumer demands, and employee expectations. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? We conducted our first-ever employee engagement survey five years ago, and I’ve learned to listen more intentionally to what employees have to say and use their feedback to help drive my decision-making.

Hometown: Princeton, Kentucky Education: University of Kentucky (undergraduate), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Banking requires a wide range of skill sets,

and there are exciting potential career paths in technology, operations, accounting, human resources, compliance and marketing. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I now have a more holistic view of the bank and the banking industry. I appreciate how important integration is to our ongoing success.

Warren Weber REGIONAL PRESIDENT PNC Bank Weber succeeded Kay Geiger in 2022 following her 25 years with PNC in Cincinnati. He’s held a number of positions over 25 years with the Pittsburgh-based operation, which is the region’s third-largest bank with nearly $9 billion in local deposits and more than 50 locations. In March, PNC completed an extension to continue as the exclusive and official bank of the Reds through 2027. Hometown: Louisville Education: Indiana University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Embrace change, and be a consistent and voracious student of knowledge. Most people are happy to help; you just have to ask. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? I work hard to make myself accessible to our employees, especially in the post-pandemic work environment. It’s a great way to understand what is and isn’t working and advocate for them as they look to advance their career. One size doesn’t fit all!

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CINCINNATI 300 AWARDEE Congratulations to Matthew 25: Ministries’ CEO, Tim Mettey, on being recognized among the region’s top 300 business leaders for the second year in a row!

The Cincy 300 represents the most inﬂuential, most powerful, and most impactful people shaping Cincinnati today. Under Tim’s leadership, Matthew 25: Ministries continues to experience record growth, helping more people in need each year, including right here in Greater Cincinnati. Tim’s dedication and innovative thinking have made enormous contributions to our community, our country, and our world.

We bring hope to those in need. - TIM METTEY, MATTHEW 25: MI N I STRI ES’ CEO

11060 KENWOOD ROAD BLUE ASH, OH 45242 513-793-6256 | WWW.M25M.ORG

CONSUMER GOODS

Kirk Andreae

Adam Bankovich

Jeff Billingsley

PRESIDENT AND CEO Clarke Power Services

INTERIM CEO Rhinegeist

VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER DHL

Andreae has led the Sharonville company founded by his grandfather as Clarke GM Diesel in 1964 for nearly 21 years. The organization includes Clarke Fire Protection Products, Clarke Power Generation, VehiCare Fleet Management, and Clarke Heavy Duty and has 874 employees, 21 locations, two manufacturing plants, and a call center to serve clients in more than 150 countries. It posted revenue of more than $307 million in 2022.

Bankovich was promoted from chief commercial officer to interim leader of Cincinnati’s largest craft brewery in April, succeeding Mike Parks, who departed after two years. Bankovich previously was vice president of sales at California-based Stone Brewing. Founded in 2013, Rhinegeist is Ohio’s second-largest brewery (No. 23 in the nation) with more than 106,000 barrels sold in 2022 and 250 local employees.

Billingsley has led local operations of the cargo carrier since 2019. The world’s largest package carrier has expanded operations at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport multiple times since moving from Wilmington in 2009. Thanks in part to DHL, CVG is today the world’s 14th-largest cargo airport (No. 7 in North America), up from No. 20 in 2022. With 3,000 local employees, DHL is Northern Kentucky’s sixth-largest employer.

Education: Union College (undergraduate)

Hometown: Canton, Ohio Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? If there was a problem that seemed insurmountable, my dad would always ask me, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer, of course, is one bite at a time. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m increasingly more aware and trusting of the skill sets of the team around me.

Hometown: Florence, Alabama Education: University of South Alabama (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Find something you’re passionate about and go after it. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? It’s extremely important now to explain the “why”

and to empower your teams to be part of solutions.

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C ONSUMER G O OD ODS S

Jim Bonaminio

Tom Brennan

J.B. Buse

CEO Jungle Jim’s International Market

CEO School Outﬁtters

CHAIRMAN AND CEO Loth Holdings

The founder of the independent grocery store with locations in Fairﬁeld and Eastgate set up a produce stand in Hamilton in 1971. From that modest beginning, Bonaminio built his store on Route 4 in Fairﬁeld in 1975; the Eastgate store opened in 2012. More than 70 countries are represented at its two eclectic locations, which offer more than 500,000 square feet combined and hundreds of thousands of products.

Brennan founded the company that provides furniture, supplies, and support to K-12 schools in 1998. The Norwood-based online retailer converted to an employee stock option plan last year for its 500 employees. The ﬁrm works with 97 of the country’s 100 largest districts and many smaller ones, helping manage purchasing programs, offering co-op programs, and stocking more than 300 products. The company reported revenue of $187 million in 2022.

Buse has led the Sharonville company for nearly 34 years. Founded in 1891, the firm works with corporate, education, and healthcare clients to provide furniture, design, and technology products from more than 400 manufacturers in addition to supply chain logistics services. It’s the region’s largest office furniture and supply company with more than $48 million in local revenue in 2022 and 119 local employees.

Hometown: Lorain, Ohio What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Whenever I hear

someone looking into a career path, I always say, “Search the wanted ads in the paper. If you don’t see someone hiring for that role, don’t go for it.” How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? It seems like I’m in a lot more meetings, I can tell you that! Overall, I would say my leadership approach has changed the most by empowering the people around me.

Hometown: Cincinnati Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Indiana University

(undergraduate)

Dan Busken

Mike Castrucci

Chris Cicchinelli

PRESIDENT AND CEO Busken Bakery

PRESIDENT Mike Castrucci Automotive

PRESIDENT AND CEO Pure Romance

The third generation to lead the iconic food business founded by his grandfather Joe in 1928, he opened a walk-up window at the Hyde Park store in 2021 to offer people walking the Wasson Way trail a respite. Until 2020, Busken’s presidential cookie poll had predicted the winner of every presidential election since 1984. In addition to Hyde Park, Busken has retail locations in Springdale, Eastgate, and Highland Heights.

Castrucci, whose family has been in the car business since 1958, has led the company the past 33 years. After graduating from Indian Hill High School and Xavier University, he went to work for his father. The dealership is the sixth-largest in the region, with 6,149 vehicles sold in 2022. It has Ford and Chevrolet locations in Milford; Ford in Alexandria; and Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, and Ram in Fairfax.

Cicchinelli has led the company founded by his mother, Patty Brisben, since 2007. It’s the world’s largest in-home party company, with independent contractors selling intimacy products. Pure Romance is expected to move its headquarters into two downtown buildings at Third and Main streets later this year. It’s the largest woman-owned company in Greater Cincinnati, reporting nearly $157 million in revenue in 2022.

Hometown: Cincinnati

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University

Hometown: Milford Education: University of Mount Union (undergraduate)

(undergraduate)

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C ONSUMER G O OD ODS S

Ken Cohen

Toby Coston

Frank DeJulius

PRESIDENT Cohen Recycling

GEN ER A L M A N AG E R Heidelberg Distributing Co.

OWNER Fleet Feet

The family-owned company based in Middletown was founded in 1924. It’s one of the largest metal recycling operations in North America, processing 1.25 million tons annually. It reported $630 million in revenue in 2022 and employs 350 people at 20 facilities in four states. In 2022, Hamilton City Council approved a development agreement with Crawford Hoying, which plans to redevelop the former Cohen Recyling Site on Third Street.

Coston oversees the Cincinnati operation that distributes more than 18,000 beverages to 26,000 retail clients in Ohio and Kentucky. The family-owned company, founded by Albert Vontz in 1938, has offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Evendale, Lorain, Toledo, Youngstown, and Hebron. In August, Heidelberg consolidated two of its Cincinnati-area locations to Moraine, leaving its West End facility as a sales office.

DeJulius and his wife, Stacey, own all seven of the North Carolina-based chain’s Greater Cincinnati locations: Newport, Oakley, Loveland, Blue Ash, Glendale, West Chester Township, and Columbia Township. In May, the couple closed the longtime O’Bryonville location on Madison Road, born as Bob Roncker Running Spot in 1981 and renamed JackRabbit’s O’Bryonville in 2018. O’Bryonville store manager Brett Rubin remains with the company.

Hometown: Middletown Education: University of Pennsylvania (undergraduate)

Hometown: Middletown Education: Thomas More University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? It’s a great industry filled with fantastic retailers, suppliers, and coworkers. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago?It’s almost been full circle. From navigating COVID, the

Hometown: Cleveland Education: John Carroll University (undergraduate) What was your first job? I worked at a neighborhood car wash drying cars as they came off the line. What’s the best career advice you ever received?Never be greedy and have no ego. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago?Having a team around me has changed the game over the last five years. As a family-run small business, my wife Stacey and I did everything with a very small group of co-workers for many years.

challenging labor markets and leadership change to the return to work and accountability of this past year, it’s very similar to my 2018 and 2019 approach.

Michael Dever

Leigh Fox

Adam Greenberg

CEO Performance Automotive

PRESIDENT AND CEO altaﬁber

PRESIDENT Topicz

Dever has been in the automobile business for more than 45 years. The West Chester Township-based company, founded by his father, Michael, in 1971, has 18 dealerships in Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Salt Lake City as well as state-of-the-art collision repair facilities and a motorsports dealership for motorcycles and ATVs. It’s the region’s third-largest automotive dealer with more than 12,000 vehicles sold in 2022.

Fox has led the former Cincinnati Bell since 2017 and guided the company through a $2.9-billion deal to go private in 2021. In 2022, it changed its name to altafiber to reflect a focus on building its fiber network in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. It overhauled its downtown headquarters earlier this year, consolidating from seven to two floors. It reported revenue of $1.8 billion in 2022 and has more than 5,350 employees.

Greenberg joined the the Amberley Village-based company in 2012 and has served as president since 2019. He is the grandson of Marvin Schwartz, who in 1983 acquired the convenience-store distributor that was founded in 1926 by the Topicz family. The ﬁrm serves more than 900 customers across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, and West Virginia with 160 employees and $420 million in revenue in 2022.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University

Hometown: Highland Park, Illinois Education: University of

(undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (MBA)

Denver (undergraduate)

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C ONSUMER G O OD ODS S

Brian Habegger PRESIDENT AND CEO Habegger Corp.

Brian Hodgett DIRECTOR , OHIO GOVERNMENT AND C O M M U N I T Y R E L AT I O N S Procter & Gamble

Habegger, grandson of founder Fred Habegger Sr. and son of Fred Jr., has led led the family-owned, Sharonville-based HVAC company since 2011. It’s the largest independent Bryant brand distributor in North America and the seventh-largest distributors of HVAC products in the U.S. The company has 610 employees and posted revenue of $505 million in 2022, up from $427 million in 2021.

Hodgett is the community connection of the worldwide consumer products giant that has a long tradition of supporting multiple organizations and efforts in its hometown. He is the board chair-elect and member of the executive committee of United Way of Greater Cincinnati, former chair of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, and serves on the executive committees of REDI and the Chamber.

Chris Larsen CEO Castellini Group of Companies Larsen, who joined the company in 2017, succeeded Brian Kocher in 2022 after he was named CEO of California-based Calavo Growers. Larsen worked for Chiquita and Fresh Express before joining the 125-year-old fresh produce distributor—one of the largest in the country—that also provides transportation, warehousing, and leasing services from its location in Wilder. Bob Castellini, Reds majority owner and CEO, is chairman.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (under-

graduate)

Hometown: Middleburg Heights, Ohio Education: Ohio State University (undergraduate), Florida State University (master’s)

Brad Lindner

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

Tony Maas

Keith McCluskey

CEO United Dairy Farmers

CEO JTM Food Group

CEO McCluskey Automotive Group

Lindner is the third-generation leader of the family-owned retail chain that was founded by Carl Lindner Sr. in 1940. UDF has more than 200 locations and 3,000 employees and posted revenue of $455 million in 2022. It’s also among the region’s largest manufacturers. UDF plans to build a 6,000-square-foot convenience store as part of the $150-million Union Promenade mixed-use development now under construction in Northern Kentucky.

Maas is the second-generation leader of the company started in 1960 by his father, Jack, in Delhi Township as Maas Brothers Meats. It’s built new manufacturing and distribution facilities at its Harrison location in the past ﬁve years, expanding its footprint by almost 200,000 square feet. In June, it launched its ﬁrst line of plantbased protein menu options. JTM posted $330 million in revenue in 2022 and has 600 employees.

McCluskey runs the company founded in 1973 by his father, Dan. In April, the company announced plans to move both its new car dealership in Kings Automall and a portion of its nationwide online arm to the 18-acre site of a former JCPenney store in Symmes Township. McCluskey will invest $18 million in the site at Governor’s Plaza Mall and add 125 full-time jobs, including a service department.

Hometown: Cincinnati Hometown: Cincinnati

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Hometown: Cincinnati

C ONSUMER G O OD ODS S

Rodney McMullen

Kevin McNamara

Kenny McNutt

CHAIRMAN AND CEO Kroger Co.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Chemed

CO- F OU NDE R MadTree Brewing

McMullen, who began his grocery career as a part-time stock clerk, has led the country’s largest traditional supermarket operator since 2014. He is the region’s highest-paid public company CEO, earning more than $19 million in 2022 compensation. Kroger is the region’s largest public company with more than $148 billion in revenue and largest employer with 20,000 workers. It increased its quarterly dividend in June by 12 percent.

Chemed is the parent company of Miami-based VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s largest hospice organization, and Cincinnati-based Roto-Rooter, North America’s largest plumbing and drain cleaning provider. McNamara joined the company in 1980 and was named president in 1994, adding the CEO title in 2001; he’s also chairman of VITAS. Chemed posted more than $2.1 billion in revenue in 2022 and employs more than 14,000 people.

Founded in 2013 with Brady Duncan, MadTree is the area’s second-largest craft brewery, selling more than 18,000 barrels in 2022. Its top-seller is Psychopathy. In addition to its taproom and production plant in Oakley, the company opened the Alcove last year on Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine. It’s announced plans to open a third location at Blue Ash’s Summit Park in a former airplane hangar in spring 2025.

Hometown: Williamstown, Kentucky Education: University of Kentucky (undergraduate and MBA)

Education: Denison University (undergraduate), Cornell University (J.D.)

What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? This isn’t speciﬁc to the beer industry, but

bring passion and knowledge for both your products/services and running your business. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? As an entrepreneur, you start out doing everything. Then you necessarily give up things to people far more capable than you were. Transitioning from executing a vision to casting the vision has a been one of the biggest challenges of my career.

Jon Moeller

Daniel Rajczak

Robert Reichert

CHAIRMAN, CEO, AND PRESIDENT Procter & Gamble

PRESIDENT AND CEO Totes Isotoner

CH A I R M A N Kenwood Dealer Group

Moeller succeeded David Taylor as CEO of the consumer products giant in 2021 and as chairman in 2022. P&G posted $80 billion in revenue in 2022 and employs 106,000 people around the world, including nearly 10,000 in Greater Cincinnati. In 2022, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval tapped Moeller to lead the Futures Commission, a group of business, labor, and community leaders tasked with recommending future funding priorities for the city.

Rajczak, who spent 17 years at Procter & Gamble, has led the largest manufacturer of umbrella, footwear, and cold weather accessories since 2016. Founded in Oakley in 1924, its brands include Totes, Isotoner, Acorn, and Manzella, with sub-brands including Cirrus, SolBounce, Zenz, and Toasties. The West Chester Township-based company also has divisions in Canada, France, and the United Kingdom.

In 1975, Reichert bought Schenke Lincoln Mercury in Kenwood and built it into one of the region’s largest auto dealerships with 15 locations. He opened Kings Toyota in 1987, the ﬁrst at Kings Auto Mall, and now oversees a company with 1,030 employees in sales, service, and repair roles. Kenwood sold nearly 19,000 vehicles in 2022, the second-most in the region, posting revenue of $987 million.

Hometown: Duluth, Minnesota Education: Cornell University (undergraduate and MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Be intellectually

Education: University of Waterloo, Canada (undergrad-

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate), Southland University (J.D.)

uate)

curious. It’s an important part of staying current and relevant in today’s rapidly changing world. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? It’s been informed by all that we collectively have gone through over the past five years. P&G’s recent results give me confidence in the effectiveness of our strategy.

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C ONSUMER G O OD ODS S

Jake Rouse

William Rumpke Jr.

Carl Satterwhite

CEO Braxton Brewing

PRESIDENT AND CEO Rumpke Waste and Recycling

PRESIDENT AND OWNER RCF Group

The Rouse family, including brother Evan and father Greg, founded the Covington-based company in 2015 after experimenting with beer recipes in a garage. Braxton opened a taproom at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport earlier this year, adding to locations in Covington, Ft. Mitchell and Pendleton, with another coming in Union, the family’s Northern Kentucky hometown. Braxton was early to the hard seltzer craze, introducing Vive in 2019. It’s the region’s third-largest local craft brewery with 17,500 barrels sold in 2022.

Rumpke became the third-generation leader of the Colerain Township company when he replaced his father in 2014. Founded in 1932, Rumpke serves 573,000 residential and commercial customers in Greater Cincinnati and is building a $50-million facility in Columbus that will be the ﬁfth-largest recycling center in the country when it opens in 2024.

Satterwhite and Scott Robertson, owner of Globe Business Interiors, formed RCF in 2003 to provide workplace solutions for office furniture, architectural services, and facilities maintenance in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Louisville. RCF is the region’s second-largest office furniture and supply company with 60 employees and seventh-largest Black-owned business with revenue of $44 million in 2022. Satterwhite and Robertson co-chaired ArtsWave’s 2023 fundraising campaign, which exceeded its $11.7 million goal.

Hometown: Union, Kentucky Education: Indiana University (undergraduate)

is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I spend more time visiting our sites, sitting in on training

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? In this industry, the work you do

is protecting public health and environment. It’s an essential service, and not just anyone can do this type of work. How

sessions and meetings, and getting to better know and understand our team members’ goals.

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Todd Schneider

Robert Slattery

Amy Spiller

CEO Cintas Corporation

CEO Slatts Group

PRESIDENT, OHIO AND KENTUCKY REGION Duke Energy

Schneider has worked at the company since 1989 and in 2021 succeeded Scott Farmer, who remains executive chairman. The Mason-based uniform and workplace supply giant is the region’s fourth-largest public company, reporting nearly $8 billion in revenue in 2022. It employs 43,000 workers, including 1,335 in Warren County. Schneider, like his predecessor, is a graduate of the Farmer School of Business at Miami University.

Slattery’s company operates 50 West Brewing in Columbia Township and Chillicothe and Slatts Pub in Blue Ash. It also produces ValPak coupons in six markets and HouseTrends in Cincinnati. In July, it opened Robert James Park in Newtown, which combines several Cincinnati food and drink concepts, a distillery, and a dog-friendly recreation area.

Spiller has worked for the company for more than 15 years and has led the local operation since 2018. The North Carolina-based provider locally serves about 860,000 electric customers and more than 538,000 natural gas consumers. In 2023, Duke Energy and Amazon. com completed a 5,600-panel solar project atop Amazon’s air hub at CVG to provide energy for more than 400 businesses and homes.

Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

Hometown: Cleveland Education: Miami University (undergraduate and master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Cultivate strong relationships, as treating people with respect and empathy are vital in marketing and hospitality. Hard work, consistency, diligence, and effort drive results. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? My leadership approach has evolved to emphasize agility, digital transformation, and a heightened focus on employee well-being.

Hometown: Gaylord, Michigan Education: Albion College (undergraduate), Wake Forest University (J.D.)

More than 80 years ago, Charles Heiman set the stage for inspiring care, comfort, and change within our communities. Now, representing a fourth generation of family leadership, Alex carries this legacy forward, shaping the future for Standard Textile.

Congratulations, Alex Heiman, our new President! Alex’s appointment as President of Standard Textile at the start of 2023 marks a significant milestone in our company’s history.

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C ONSUMER G O OD ODS S

Michael Stagnaro

Jess Stewart

Jake Sweeney Jr.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Stagnaro Distributing

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Amazon Air

CEO Jake Sweeney Automotive

Stagnaro and his brother, Chris, who is vice president, manage the business that their father, Arthur, started in the 1970s when he bought Hamilton Distributing. It annually distributes more than 7 million cases of beverages from breweries and other manufacturers to more than 3,000 retail locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana from facilities in Cincinnati and Erlanger. It posted revenue of $120 million in 2022 and has 200 employees.

Stewart leads Amazon’s operations at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, where the online retailer opened a $1.5-billion hub in 2021. The 800,000-square-foot sorting building is the local point of its presence at CVG that includes a seven-building complex covering more than 3 million square feet and a tarmac with parking for 100-plus cargo planes. About 2,000 people work at the superhub, which is in operation 22 hours per day.

The family has been in the automobile business launched by Walter Sweeney for more than 100 years. Jake Jr. joined the business in 1971 after teaching junior high. The group sells Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, KIA, BMW, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Alfa Romero, and Fiat brands at 12 locations in Greater Cincinnati. The company reported $680 million in revenue in 2022 and was the region’s fourth-largest auto dealership with nearly 10,000 vehicles sold.

Hometown: Paris Crossing, Indiana Education: Purdue University (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Be true to myself and aspire to be a better person each and every day. If my feet are on fire for that next promotion, I probably won’t feel good about who I am at the end of the day. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago?I mostly lead by asking questions to learn first and then taking the time to seek diverse perspectives and ways to get to resolution.

Hometown: Cincinnati

Tim Trant

Chip Wood

Tom Wiedemann

CEO G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers

CEO AAA Club Alliance

CH A I R M A N Tire Discounters

Trant has worked at Pepsi for 28 years, succeeding Tim Hardig in 2020. G&J is the largest family-owned Pepsi franchise bottler in the U.S. and employs more than 1,800 people at 13 locations in Ohio and Kentucky. It has production facilities in Columbus and Portsmouth, Ohio, and in Lexington and Winchester, Kentucky. It posted nearly $544 million in 2022 revenue.

Wiedemann has led the country’s third-largest AAA club since 2018 after joining the company in 2016 as COO. It added repair and retail operations to its traditional membership services more than a decade ago when it bought Bob Sumerel Tire & Service. The company bought Glenway Auto Center in Florence and Delhi Auto Service in 2021, bringing its number of local locations to 29.

Wood started the company out of college as a one-bay shop in 1976 and has built it into the largest family-owned tire dealership in the country. With nearly 200 stores in eight states, it posted revenue of $510 million in 2022. In 2023, TD rebranded its auto glass business to Chip’s Auto Glass. In July, Modern Tire Dealer named it the sixth-largest tire dealership in the U.S.

Hometown: Mason Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate and MBA) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Bring your “best self” to work. Passion and grit will take you places. Focus on the people and develop them. Every interaction with your employees is important, make it count. Leave them with something positive! How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I think I’m a better listener and observer, which improves leadership. I’ve grown to appreciate how each person can impact the process and results.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) What was your ﬁrst job? Human resources administrator at AAA Cincinnati. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Venture outside your comfort zone and say “yes” often. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?

I ﬁnd that building a culture of active communication and nimble decision-making is critical to business success today. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: The American Cancer Society.

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Jeff Wyler CEO Jeff Wyler Automotive Family Wyler founded the company in 1973 when he sold 180 cars at a Clermont County Chevrolet dealership. Today it’s the region’s largest auto dealer, selling more than 22,000 vehicles in 2022, a 27 percent increase from 2021. It has 36 dealerships in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana and is the area’s ﬁfth-largest private company with revenue of $2.23 billion in 2022 and more than 1,800 employees. Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate)

Cо a la оs Cris Collinsworth PFF is a family-owned company based in Cincinnati, but our team of football experts live all over the world. On behalf of our team, we would like to thank you for recognizing their hard work.

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CULTURE & LEISURE

Scott Altman

Rebekah Beaulieu

Jeff Berding

PRESIDENT AND CEO Cincinnati Ballet

PRESIDENT AND CEO Taft Museum of Art

PRESIDENT AND CO-CEO FC Cincinnati

Altman, a former professional opera singer, has led the organization since 2016 after serving as executive director of Ballet West in Salt Lake City for three years. He oversaw the $31 million Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance that opened in Walnut Hills in September 2021. Cincinnati Ballet was founded in 1963 when 41 dancers were chosen from auditions at the Cincinnati YMCA.

Beaulieu joined the museum recently when she succeeded Deborah Emont Scott, who she retired in June. Beaulieu previously was director of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut, which like the Taft is a National Historic Landmark house and modern exhibition space dedicated to American art. The entire Taft reopened to the public in summer 2022 after a year-long $12.7-million renovation.

Berding joined Carl Lindner III as co-CEO of the Major League Soccer team when he was promoted in 2022. The company began work earlier this year on a $300-million mixed-use project adjacent to TQL Stadium in the West End that will include a hotel, apartments, office space, restaurants, a sports betting site with a sports bar, and green space. The completion target for phase one is 2026. Oh yeah, FCC is having a tremendous season on the pitch in 2023.

Hometown: New York City Education: UNY Purchase

Hometown: Milwaukee Education: George Washington University (undergraduate), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (master’s), Columbia University (master’s), Boston University (Ph.D.) What was your first job? Besides a summer working the pharmacy counter at Walgreen’s, my first job was an internship at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Stay curious! I’ve benefited enormously from being open to new experiences and ways of thinking.

(undergraduate), Manhattan School of Music (master’s)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University

(undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

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C ULTURE & LEISURE CULTURE

Paula Brehm-Heeger

Ric Booth

Mike Brown

G E NE RAL M ANAGER Duke Energy Convention Center

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

PRESIDENT Cincinnati Bengals

Booth has managed operations at the region’s largest meeting venue for nearly 18 years, including the past two years for OVG360. The Los Angeles-based company manages the city-owned venue, which hosts an array of events that include conventions, trade shows, charity beneﬁts and fundraisers. 3CDC is working with the city and Hamilton County to renovate and expand the center.

Brehm-Heeger has led the library system since 2018. In May, the organization broke ground on a $19-million, state-of-the-art branch in Forest Park. When completed in 2024, it will be one of the largest library branches in the entire region. The organization, founded in 1853, is one of the largest library systems in the country with 41 neighborhood branches.

Brown has led the team since the death of his father, Paul, in 1991. The Bengals missed making their fourth trip to the Super Bowl in February after losing in the AFC Championship to eventual champion Kansas City. Digital publication Sportico recently reported the franchise’s value soared 41 percent to $4 billion, but it was still last overall in the NFL. The team invested $20 million in improvements to Paycor Stadium in 2023 and recently made Joe Burrow the highest paid player in league history.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (unHometown: Phoenix Education: Northeastern State University

(undergraduate)

dergraduate), Indiana University (master’s), Northern Kentucky University (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Innovative, creative people ready to work on big, audacious ideas will be invaluable in the coming years. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?Being patient and listening to what people think and how they feel are at the top of my list for how to lead with compassion, empathy, and collaboration. I’ve always believed in these things, but now I’m careful to thank people for exploring their ideas and concerns together.

Iris Simpson Bush

Hometown: Massillon, Ohio Education: Dartmouth College (undergraduate), Harvard University (J.D.)

Julie Calvert

Bob Castellini

PRESIDENT AND CEO Flying Pig Marathon

PRESIDENT AND CEO Visit Cincy

CEO Cincinnati Reds

Bush has led the organization that runs the region’s signature race and its related events since 2002. In May, the marathon wrapped up the event’s 25th edition amid severe storms. The event drew 40,945 registered participants over the weekend, including the full marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, four-person relay, and kids’ races, and it marked the ﬁrst year the event sold out each race.

The mission of Visit Cincy, formerly known as the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau, is to increase economic impact in Hamilton County by growing visitor expenditures via conventions, trade shows, and tourism. The group estimated that Taylor Swift’s two shows this summer at Paycor Stadium had an economic impact of $92 million on Cincinnati; they were Swift’s only shows in Ohio or Kentucky.

Castellini has led Major League Baseball’s oldest franchise since 2006; the Reds are one of only five 19th-century teams still playing in its original city. Digital publication Sportico reported the franchise declined 2 percent in value in 2023, to $1.39 billion, its first decline in more than a decade, after poor attendance last season. Both attendance and on-field results have picked up in 2023 thanks to a parade of exciting young players.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Be ready to

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Georgetown University

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate)

pivot. The times are still challenging, and travel is still rebounding. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Everyone has a seat at the table no matter the years of experience. Good ideas and innovative approaches are keys to success. Every voice has the potential to be a game changer.

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(undergraduate), University of Pennsylvania (MBA)

C ULTURE & LEISURE CULTURE

Roger David

Annette Pfund de Cavel

Andrew DeWitt

PRESIDENT AND CEO GSR Brands

OWNER JR Group

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN Dewey’s Pizza

David’s father was one of four brothers who founded the Gold Star Chili chain in Mt. Washington in 1965. GSR Brands was created to oversee the chili parlors as well as Tom & Chee, the tomato soup/grilled cheese restaurants it acquired in 2017. In June, Gold Star tested a new concept when it converted its Anderson Township location into a dual eatery offering a version of Tom & Chee’s menu.

Pfund succeeded her husband, Jean-Robert de Cavel, following his death in December from a ﬁve-year battle with cancer. She oversees French Crust Café & Bistro near Findlay Market, La Bar a Boeuf in Walnut Hills, and the Hampton Inn restaurant in Richwood. The de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation, which the couple founded in 2002 after the death of their daughter, Tatiana, ceased operations earlier this year.

DeWitt opened the ﬁrst Dewey’s restaurant in Oakley in 1998. As president and CEO, he grew the chain to 24 locations before promoting COO Chuck Lipp to run day-to-day operations in 2019. In March, Dewey’s opened its newest location and second in Northern Kentucky in the space adjacent to Covington’s Braxton Brewing. Dewey’s has 25 locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Denison University Home Countries: Algeria/Germany Education: Institute Hotelier Cesar Ritz (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Management is not a popularity contest. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m a big believer in empowering my managers and staff. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: Dress

(undergraduate)

for Success

James Downton

Richard Eiswerth

David Falk

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Sharonville Convention Center

PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER , AND CEO Cincinnati Public Radio

CHEF AND OWNER Boca Restaurant Group

Downtown has managed the facility owned by the city of Sharonville since 2012. It’s the centerpiece of the Northern Lights District near the interchange of I-75 and I-275. A $21-million expansion of the center’s Todd Portune Hall, delayed by COVID until 2022, was completed this fall and increases event space from 40,000 to 90,000 square feet, the second-largest event space within Hamilton County.

Eiswerth has led the nonprofit radio group that operates classical music WGUC, NPR affiliate WVXU, and Miami University-affiliated WMUB for more than 25 years. It bought a site in 2022 on Dana Avenue in Evanston near the I-71 interchange, where it’s building a $26-million, 30,000-squarefoot headquarters to house radio studios, offices, and performance space. It’s scheduled to open in 2024.

Falk founded the company in 2001 with the opening of his flagship restaurant on Sixth Street in the former Maisonette location. A protegee of the late Jean-Robert de Cavel, he operates two other restaurants on Sixth Street: Sotto, an Italian trattoria, and Nada, a Mexican eatery that’s has expanded to Columbus, Indianapolis, Nashville, and North Bethesda, Maryland. In 2023, Boca made auto club AAA’s prestigious Four Diamond rankings.

Hometown: Ft. Mitchell Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate)

Hometown: Williamsport, Pennsylvania Education: Syracuse University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Gain

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Culinary Institute of America

as broad an education, both formal and through work/life experiences, as possible. Be open to new ideas and to people from diverse backgrounds. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve learned to accept, embrace and encourage interaction and involvement with people with more diverse experiences and expectations.

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C ULTURE & LEISURE CULTURE

Richard Graeter

Ray Harris

Colleen Houston

PRESIDENT AND CEO Graeter’s Ice Cream

C H I EF O PER ATI NG OF F I CE R Nederlander/Heritage Bank Center

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CEO ArtWorks

Graeter is the fourth-generation family member to lead the company that’s made and sold ice cream, candies, and baked goods since 1870. In 2018, it moved its headquarters under one roof to Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills. It has 55 retail locations in ﬁve states (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Pennsylvania), including 23 in Greater Cincinnati. Graeter’s is the oldest family-owned craft ice cream maker in the U.S.

Nederlander Entertainment and Anschutz Entertainment Group own the downtown venue, which is home to the Cincinnati Cyclones. In June, an entity owned by Robert Nederlander and Harris, owner of the Cyclones, purchased Sports Plus, an Evendale sports entertainment facility, for $6.2 million. The 15-acre property and building will go by the name Queen City Sportsplex and be used partially as the Cyclones’ practice facility.

Houston, who started with the public art nonproﬁt as a youth apprentice, succeeded founder Tamara Harkavy in 2020. The group is renovating a 13,000-square-foot building in Walnut Hills to be its home base in 2024. The building’s three ﬂoors and basement will hold an art gallery, art studios, a community event space, a retail shop, and office space. ArtWorks was founded in 1996.

Hometown: Cincinnati What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? A nice story is nice, but

Hometown: Indian River, Michigan Education: Walsh College

(undergraduate)

not enough. Your product needs to live up to your brand story. In other words, you had better walk your talk. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? It hasn’t changed. Hire people smarter than yourself, then have the good sense to get out of their way.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Warren Wilson College (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Show your passion for the arts,

take every opportunity that comes your way, and apply for a job at ArtWorks of course! How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? If you’d asked me five years ago if I would be CEO, I would have hesitated. I have a lot more confidence today, and I’m willing to try anything and ask for anything.

Woody Keown Jr.

Alecia Kintner

Cameron Kitchin

PRESIDENT National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

PRESIDENT AND CEO ArtsWave

DIRECTOR Cincinnati Art Museum

Keown has led the museum, located downtown on the banks of the Ohio River, since 2019. He previously was president and managing director of CoValCrea LLC in Mason and a director at Procter & Gamble. In July, USA Today named NURFC the best history museum in the country, beating out 19 other facilities. Since 2004, it’s honored the legacies of heroes from the Underground Railroad through permanent and traveling exhibits.

Kintner has led the country’s largest united community arts fund since 2014. It supports more than 150 cultural organizations and projects. In February, it launched a partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools and organizations like Children’s Theatre to provide annual arts ﬁeld trips for local elementary students. Jon Moeller, CEO of Procter & Gamble, and his wife, Lisa Sauer, will co-chair the 2024 ArtsWave campaign.

Kitchin has led operations at the museum since 2014 after previously serving as director of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Founded in 1881, CAM was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of more than 67,000 works spanning 6,000 years of human history makes it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.

Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas Education: Arkansas State University (undergraduate), University of Utah (MBA) What was your ﬁrst job? Hanging a screen door with my grandfather at the age of 5. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Find something you love to do outside, and do it! How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I have

Hometown: Los Angeles Education: University of California–

developed a more agile and resourceful leadership style due to a chronic shortage of resources. I focus more on strategic planning, organizational culture, and talent development.

Riverside (undergraduate), University of Redlands (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Nonproﬁt arts executives manage

relationships with donors, boards, business and community partners, artists, and audience members, so practice effective communications with all of them, consistently, and show your value by doing what needs doing in any given moment.

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Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia Education: Harvard University (undergraduate), William & Mary (MBA)

C ULTURE & LEISURE CULTURE

Mike Koontz

Michael LaRosa

Joe Lanni

VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER Kings Island

CEO Thunderdome Restaurant Group

CEO LaRosa’s

Koontz has led the Mason venue, the region’s largest tourist attraction, since 2016. The amusement and water park is owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment and features 15 roller coasters among more than 100 rides, shows, and attractions. In 2023, the park hired Joseph Perez as its new executive chef and opened Adventure Port, themed after the age of exploration and home to two new rides.

Lanni, his brother John, and Alex Blust created the company in 2012 after the brothers started Currito in 2005. Since then, TRG has become one of Cincinnati’s largest restaurant groups with 44 locations across eight brands (Currito, Bakersﬁeld, The Eagle, Pepp & Dolores, Krueger’s Tavern, Maplewood, City Bird, and SoHi Grilled Sandwiches) in 11 states. TRG is planning new dining concepts designed to quadruple its revenue over the next decade, including a new bistro across from Fountain Square at The Foundry.

Michael and brother Mark, who is president, are sons of Donald “Buddy” LaRosa, who founded the restaurant in 1954. Each has worked at the restaurant for more than 40 years. In 2022, it reopened its ﬂagship location on Boudinot Avenue after a three-month, $1-million renovation. LaRosa’s employs 1,700 people and reported revenue of more than $185 million in 2022. It has 64 locations across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Education: West Virginia State University (undergraduate)

to read the short book The Four Agreements and begin to live by its four principles: Be impeccable with your word, always do your best, don’t make assumptions, and don’t take anything personally. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m becoming more intentional to support, mentor, and develop the future leaders of our organization.

Education: Cornell University (undergraduate)

Steve Loftin

Hometown: Cincinnati What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? I would encourage them

Beryl Love

Jonathan Martin

PRESIDENT Cincinnati Arts Association

ED I TO R A ND M A R K E T L E A DE R Enquirer Media

PRESIDENT AND CEO Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Since 2000, Loftin has led the organization that oversees the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall and hosts the Broadway Series and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Pops, among other performing arts groups. Each year, CAA serves some 600,000 people at its venues. Since the founding of its arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached nearly 2 million students.

Love returned to his hometown as The Cincinnati Enquirer’s editor in 2018 after serving as executive editor of USA Today for 10 years and editor of The Reno Gazette-Journal for six years. In March, The Enquirer and Cincinnati.com moved into new offices at 312 Plum Street after its 30-year lease at nearby 312 Elm Street expired.

Martin has led the country’s sixth-oldest orchestra since 2017 after previously serving as president and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Music director Louis Langrée, who has been at the podium since 2013, will depart after the 2023–24 season. CSO musicians also accompany the May Festival, Cincinnati Opera, and Cincinnati Ballet.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Technology has changed

Hometown: Atlanta Education: Georgia State University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Listen. Ask questions of those already in the business. Find a mentor. And work to assess and truly know your internal strengths as well as those attributes you may need to enhance. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Like many others, I’ve approached our work with more humility while striving to help our organization be more comfortable with unpredictability.

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Always trust

your instincts, treat your colleagues exactly how you want to be treated, and keep an open mind for new and smarter ways to solve problems. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I take time to build trust and share my expectations with my team and give them the space and support they need to accomplish their goals.

the way we deliver news and information, but what remains constant is our raison d’être: preserving our democracy by informing the electorate and holding those in power to account and giving a voice to those who aren’t heard. Carry a sense of purpose and you’ll have a rewarding career. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? A solid structure is essential, but don’t be afraid break

things once in a while. That’s where the magic happens.

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C ULTURE & LEISURE CULTURE

Nader Masadeh

Thane Maynard

Brent McClellan

PRESIDENT AND CEO Wings & Rings

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

PRESIDENT Coney Island

Masadeh bought Buffalo Wings & Rings with two partners in 2005 and became CEO in 2014. W&R dropped “Buffalo” from its name in 2021 after rebranding to separate itself from competitors. The Loveland-based company has a total of 4,450 employees and posted $160 million in revenue in 2022 from its 85 locations worldwide.

Maynard has worked at the acclaimed organization since 1977 and led it since 2007. The sixth-oldest zoo in the U.S. had a nearly $170 million impact per year from 2020 to 2023 in Hamilton County, according to a May report from the University of Cincinnati’s Alpaugh Family Economics Center. Work continues on the venue’s largest-ever habitat, Elephant Trek, a $50-million, ﬁve-acre project scheduled for completion in 2024.

McClellan has led operations at the historic Anderson Township park, one of the area’s oldest and largest destinations, since 2021, when he succeeded Rob Schutter. Coney Island traces its roots to 1870, when the original owner called the area Parker’s Grove; it was renamed Coney Island in 1887. Sunlite Pool, North America’s largest recirculating pool, will mark its 100th anniversary in 2025.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA) Hometown: Winter Park, Florida Education: Rollins College (undergraduate), University of Michigan (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? My advice is to “own it.” Whatever your job is, make sure you deliver and exceed expectations. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I spend

time with our staff reinforcing how much this community loves the zoo. I frequently discuss things we do that are good and explore what it will take to make them great.

D. Lynn Meyers

Britney Ruby Miller

Hometown: West Union, Ohio Education: Ohio University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? The key to success

in the outdoor hospitality industry is to ensure that guests have a great experience upon every visit. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I believe interpersonal communication and interaction is vital to company success. We’ve introduced friendly competitions that encourage cross-functional team members to work together to complete a challenge.

Christopher Milligan

PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati

CEO Ruby Culinary Entertainment

GENERAL DIRECTOR AND CEO Cincinnati Opera

Meyers has led the Over-the-Rhine troupe since 1996 and has directed more than 100 world and regional premieres there. She began her career as associate artistic director at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Meyers has also cast actors for PBS, CBS, BBC, HBO, Paramount, and MGM, with her credits including Carol, Miles Ahead, The Goat, The Old Man & the Gun, and The Public.

Miller, founder Jeff Ruby’s oldest child, took over leadership of the company in 2020 after working in his restaurants as a teenager and joining the corporate office in 2011. The company has eight locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee and last year moved its main downtown restaurant to The Foundry across from Fountain Square. The previous location at Seventh and Walnut streets is now an event center, the Lempicka.

Milligan started with the opera in 1997 and succeeded longtime CEO Patricia Beggs in 2020. Founded in 1920, Cincinnati Opera is one of the oldest opera companies in the U.S. This summer, Lyla Forlani became the opera’s ﬁrst woman to be named director of production, one of the few women in American opera companies to hold that post.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Thomas More University

(undergraduate)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Keep the guest/

customer experience top of mind when making decisions. Short-term greed leads to long-term regret. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?I’m more aware of external factors affecting the restaurant industry and work diligently to make sure we’re ahead of all of them, even if the risks never come to fruition.

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Hometown: Kettering, Ohio Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

C ULTURE & LEISURE CULTURE

Jeff Osterfeld

Bimal Patel

Brian Phillips

CEO Penn Station

CEO Rolling Hills Hospitality

PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

Osterfeld opened the first Penn Station restaurant in downtown Cincinnati in 1985 after being inspired by the Bagel & Deli Shop in Oxford while in college. The Milford-based company embraced delivery services and carry-out during the pandemic and reported revenue of more than $264 million in 2022. It added 13 new franchise stores in 2022 and now has 323 restaurants in 15 states.

Patel founded the Cincinnati-based company in 2005 to build, renovate, and manage hotels. It has 15 locations in Ohio and Kentucky, including the Holiday Inn & Suites in downtown Cincinnati. In 2023, RHH began work on Moxy, a 111-room, seven-story Marriott hotel at 312 Main Street. Expected to open in 2024, it will be the Moxy brand’s ﬁ rst location in Greater Cincinnati.

Phillips has been the creative leader since 2003 and was instrumental in creating the $17.5-million Otto M. Budig Theater at 12th and Elm streets in Over-the-Rhine in 2017. During his tenure, Phillips has guided the organization through the completion of Shakespeare’s full 38-play canon, making Cincy Shakes one of the ﬁrst ﬁve theaters in the U.S. to accomplish this milestone.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? You must be passionate about

Hometown: Williamstown, Kentucky Education: Transylvania University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Embrace working when our customers are present. In hospitality, often times this equates to nights and weekends. Earn your stripes early in your career so you can command credibility and exert your influence in the future. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? I channel a high sense of urgency daily and am very hands on.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: Morehead State University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? It’s important for

your product and prepared for signiﬁcant swings in business, many of which are driven by circumstances beyond your control. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? People have reset their priorities after COVID. The work-life balance has become forefront in many new hiring discussions.

Elizabeth Pierce

Blake Robison

future artists and administrators to enter the field with an eye toward innovation. Our industry needs to embrace the current challenges facing our field and find new ways to create and collaborate if we’re going to stay relevant. How can we work together? How can we elevate new voices? How can we compete with the constant on demand entertainment people have at their fingertips?

Mike Smith

PRESIDENT AND CEO Cincinnati Museum Center

PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

CEO Music and Event Management Inc.

Pierce joined the West End landmark in 2007 and has led operations since 2015. In March, a new series of commemorative postage stamps celebrated the Cincinnati tourist destination as one of ﬁve noteworthy railroad stations “that continue to play an important role in their communities.” In November, the center is opening its Cr(EAT)e Culinary Studio, a 3,000-squarefoot space designed to give guests a way to build their culinary prowess.

The Playhouse unveiled its $50-million Mainstage Theatre Complex in the spring, featuring Mo and Jack’s Place: The Rouse Theater. The project included a new main entrance to the Playhouse and multiple improvements to backstage technical operations. The new facility is more accessible and enables the Playhouse to better host pre-Broadway productions.

MEMI is owned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which also owns Riverbend Music Center, PNC Pavilion, and Andrew J Brady Music Center. The organization oversees booking for the Taft Theatre, the Longworth-Anderson Series at Memorial Hall, and the Rose Music Center near Dayton. MEMI is the 25th-largest nonproﬁt in Greater Cincinnati, with nearly $12 million in 2021 revenue and more than 1,000 employees.

Hometown: Mansfield, Ohio Education: Miami University (undergraduate), George Washington University (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Be curious and get some practical skills, too. Our field

is where interest/passions plus skill-sets combine for powerful outcomes. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m even more grateful for collaboration and the effort people share to accomplish big goals.

Hometown: Middlebury, Vermont Education: Williams College (undergraduate), University of North Carolina (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Follow you passion. Chase art, not money. Listen to the audience and serve your community. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? The arts have become more inclusive and participatory. I try to involve more people (staff, trustees, audience) in the season selection process.

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C ULTURE & LEISURE CULTURE

Christina Vassallo

Adam Symson

James Walker

PRESIDENT AND CEO E.W. Scripps Co.

DIRECTOR Contemporary Arts Center

CEO Frisch’s

Symson has led the national media company since 2017 and now manages 61 TV stations (including WCPO Channel 9) in 41 states. The company also reaches nearly every home in the U.S. through nine broadcast networks, including Ion and the new Scripps Sports. It also administers the popular Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Vassallo assumed her role in March, succeeding Raphaela Platow, who departed in July 2021. Vassallo previously served as executive director of the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. The leadership change comes as the CAC completed the renovation and reopening of its Creativity Center and marked its 20th year at its Zaha Hadid-designed downtown location.

Hometown: Los Angeles Education: University of California–Los Angeles (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Come prepared for a career that will be a real adventure. The business of journalism and media is in ﬂux, and the evolution is constantly increasing.

Hometown: New York City Education: New York University (undergraduate and master’s) What’s the best career advice you ever received? The whole world would open up if I choose to apply to jobs outside of NYC. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I always believed

In 2022, Walker took over the 76-year-old iconic restaurant chain owned by NRD Capital, an Atlanta-based private equity company. Frisch’s has more than 100 locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Georgia and expects to open its newest restaurant this holiday season at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Concourse A. In October, Craig Maier, retired company president and CEO, was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Business Hall of Fame.

How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? We went from crisis to crisis while still managing to remake

that the individual-centered leadership model goes against the primary tenets of nonproﬁt work, I’m just more vocal about it now than I was then. The pandemic has demanded that arts leaders employ a different kind of approach.

the company and nearly triple the enterprise value. Now I’m carrying that team-centric approach forward.

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Education: Duke University (MBA)

C ULTURE & LEISURE CULTURE

Dick Williams

Justin Wyborn

William Yung

CHAIRMAN AND INTERIM CEO Skyline Chili

PRESIDENT Hard Rock Casino

PRESIDENT AND CEO Columbia Sussex

In June, Williams was named chairman and interim CEO, succeeding longtime leader Kevin McDonnell, who retired. As part of the transition, McDonnell sold his remaining stake in the Fairﬁeld-based company to the Williams family. Williams is former president of baseball operations and general manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Skyline, founded in 1949, employs more than 6,400 workers and reported revenue of $260 million in 2022.

In February, Wyborn succeeded George Goldhoff, who departed after three years to become president of Hard Rock Casino Atlantic City. Wyborn previously was with Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Hollywood, Florida, where he served as vice president and assistant general manager. Cincinnati’s downtown casino traces its history to 2013, when it was born as the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati.

Yung founded the Crestview Hills-based company in 1972 with one hotel. Today, the group owns more than 40 hotels and resorts in 18 states, including downtown’s Renaissance Cincinnati and the DoubleTree in Hebron. It reported $863 million in revenue in 2022 and employs more than 5,000 workers. In July, the Yung Family Foundation donated $1 million to The Christ Hospital Health Network to help grow its oncology programs.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Virginia (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? My father and uncle always told me I would get the

most gratiﬁcation making an impact locally and encouraged me to return to Cincinnati at some point. I’m extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to serve both the Cincinnati Reds and Skyline Chili.

Today’s dreamers become tomorrow’s leaders.

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Celebrating bold leaders making futures brighter We join Cincinnati Magazine in recognizing the most powerful leaders in Cincinnati. Congratulations to all the recipients and thank you for making a diﬀerence in the community.

005D4177 08/23

EDUCATION & HEALTH

Jennifer Agnello

Bonita Brown

Michael Carrel

ASSOCIATE VP, COMMERCIAL MARKET Dental Care Plus Group

INTERIM PRESIDENT Northern Kentucky University

PRESIDENT AND CEO AtriCure

Agnello joined the company in 2021 to lead the Sharonville corporate headquarters of the dental and vision insurance provider founded in 1986. Sun Life Financial acquired DentaQuest, the group’s parent company, in 2022. Dental Care Plus offers access to more than 275,000 providers for more than 400,000 dental- and vision-plan members.

The Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer replaced Ashish Vaidya, who stepped down in December 2022 after serving since 2018. Cady Short-Thompson was announced as NKU’s new president in September, the school’s seventh, and it’s expected that Brown will remain on staff. More than 16,000 students attend the university in Highland Heights.

Since 2012, Carrel has led the Mason-based medical device company that provides solutions for Atrial Fibrillation (Aﬁb) a medical condition that affects more than 37 million people around the world. The company employs more than 1,000 people with offices in Minnesota, California, and Amsterdam. It posted revenue of $330 million in 2022, an increase of 20 percent over the previous years.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? The

Hometown: Welcome, N.C. Education: Wake Forest University (undergraduate and J.D.) What was your ﬁrst job? I was a cashier at Eckerd Drug Store in high school. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Learn as much as you can about everyone’s job, which will make you better in your role. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I believe in developing talent. Sometimes leadership is just about paying attention to those you’re leading.

employee health benefits market is complex, challenging and constantly evolving with the expansion of technology and digital solutions. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? I’ve always believed having the right team in place is the first step to success, but today I emphasize prospective employees’ character as much as or more than experience.

Education: Penn State University (undergraduate), University of Pennsylvania (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Believe in yourself and take risks. Always work hard, ask questions, and remain curious. No one should ever be done learning. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I believe staying consistent and true to our longstanding mission and core values helped lead us through some very challenging disruptions.

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EDUCATION & HEALTH

Joseph L. Chillo

Mark Clement

Garren Colvin

PRESIDENT Thomas More University

PRESIDENT AND CEO TriHealth

PRESIDENT AND CEO St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Since 2019, Chillo has led the Catholic school in Crestview Hills that was founded in 1921 by the Benedictine Sisters as Villa Madonna College. It announced a $30 million capital fundraising program (Second Century Campaign) in 2020 that reached its goal three years ahead of schedule. The athletic program moves to NCAA Division II this year.

Clement leads the healthcare provider that operates six Greater Cincinnati hospitals and nearly 140 other locations in the region. Bethesda North and Good Samaritan hospitals are ranked in the country’s Top 100 by IBM Watson Health. It’s the region’s fourth-largest employer with about 12,000 employees and more than 700 doctors. It opened TriHealth Finneytown, a new $25-million ambulatory center on West Galbraith Road, in July.

Colvin began working at Northern Kentucky’s largest healthcare provider as a co-op student in 1983 and has held the top spot since 2015. It’s the largest employer in Northern Kentucky—and ﬁfth largest in Greater Cincinnati—with more than 10,350 workers. St. Elizabeth provided 30 scholarships to the ﬁrst graduating class of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine/Northern Kentucky in May after partnering with UK and NKU.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (under-

Hometown: Ludlow Education: Thomas More College (undergraduate), Northern Kentucky University (MBA) What

Hometown: Mahopac, New York Education: Binghamton

University (undergraduate), Long Island University (master’s), Northeastern University (DLP) How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?I have learned that good leadership matters to the success of the organization, but servant leadership matters more. Being mission-driven and understanding the challenges your organization faces today and those it will face tomorrow requires you to develop a strategy that’s agile and results-focused.

graduate and master’s)

advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Make sure you want to be a part of an organization

with a responsibility to the communities they serve beyond the ﬁnancial success of the corporation.

BECAUSE WHO THEY BECOME IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT THEY LEARN. We ensure that each child, 18 months to 18 years, will be known, nurtured, and inspired. Our program is designed to connect students both academically and personally. Whether in the classroom or on our 60-acre campus, we cultivate a passion for innovative learning, independent thinking, and self-discovery that guides students to be scholars, athletes, artists, inventors, and leaders. Country Day is The Place to Be.

APPLY NOW FOR ADMISSION, TUITION ASSISTANCE, AND SCHOLARSHIP CONSIDERATION. 3 4 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M C I N C I N N AT I 3 0 0 | 2 0 2 3

THE PLACE TO BE.

EDUCATION & HEALTH

Jonathan Cooper

Gregory Crawford

Steve Davis, MD

S UP ERINTEND ENT Mason City Schools

PRESIDENT Miami University

PRESIDENT AND CEO Cincinnati Children’s

Cooper, who has led the district since 2018, came to Mason in 2014 as the Chief Innovation Officer. More than 10,000 students in its schools (K-12) are served by 650 faculty and 600 staff members. Its average of math and reading proﬁciency scores of more than 80 percent are in the top 5 percent in the state.

Since 2016, Crawford has led Miami, one of the county’s oldest public universities. The university is the largest employer in Butler County with more than 4,300 workers at its four campuses. The $96-million Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness building opened in June to house the employee health center and student health services, plus nursing, physician associate studies, speech pathology, and audiology programs.

Davis, a pediatric critical care doctor by trade, moved into the top job in 2022. The organization was ranked No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital in June and announced two major capital projects this year: an $85-million medical center in Eastgate and a $42-million research facility in Avondale.

Hometown: Upland, Indiana Education: Ball State University (undergraduate), University of Dayton (master’s), Miami University (Ed.D.)

Hometown: Elyria, Ohio Education: Kent State University (undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D.)

Hometown: Revere, Massachusetts Education: Johns Hopkins University (undergraduate), Carnegie Mellon University (master’s), Michigan State University (master’s), University of Vermont (MD) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? The chance to learn and grow while helping others can be incredibly fulfilling. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago?

Leadership is a journey, not a destination. As such, I’m always trying to evolve toward being a better leader.

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EDUCATION & HEALTH

Fernando Figueroa

Christopher Garten

Brian Gwyn

PRESIDENT AND CEO Gateway Community & Technical College

H EA D O F SC H O O L Seven Hills School

MARKET PRESIDENT Bon Secours Mercy Health

Since 2016, Figueroa has led the school that has grown to more than 4,400 students on campuses in Covington, Florence, and Edgewood. He’s nurtured initiatives around workforce development and diversity with K-12 schools and colleges and universities. Almost 80 percent of students are employed, with 95 percent coming from seven counties in Kentucky as well as Hamilton County.

Garten has announced that he’ll retire at the end of this school year after 15 years at the helm, and Matt Bolton, head of the Upper School since 2014, will replace him. More than 1,050 students attend classes at two campuses, Hillsdale on Red Bank Road and Doherty in East Walnut Hills. Classes are held for 2-yearolds through Grade 5 at each location, then middle and high school is at Hillsdale.

In January, Gwyn replaced Dave Fiske, who retired after 41 years in the healthcare industry. Gwyn, who worked for Atrium Health for 15 years in a variety of leadership roles, is responsible for the operation of six hospitals that employ 7,500 people in the region. In May, it opened a $2-million, 5,000-square-foot urgent care center in the Glenway Crossing shopping center on the west side.

Hometown: New Orleans Education: Louisiana State University (undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Be clear on the mission and the value you add to your community.

Hometown: New York City Education: Princeton University (undergraduate), Columbia University (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Trust your own instincts about the needs of young

How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I now take more appreciation in the long game

people. In fractious times, many outside interest groups want to weigh in on what should or should not be taught in our schools. In my experience, young people have their own ideas about what they want to learn.

than I used to. I look for the long arc of how we’re fulﬁlling our mission in the community.

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EDUCATION & HEALTH

Colleen Hanycz

Deborah Hayes

Gail Kist-Kline

PRESIDENT Xavier University

PRESIDENT AND CEO The Christ Hospital

PRESIDENT Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Hanycz is in her third year at the Jesuit school in Evanston. The former president of La Salle University in Philadelphia is the ﬁrst woman and layperson to lead the university. In May, she announced plans to create a College of Osteopathic Medicine with a goal of opening in 2027, making XU the ﬁrst Jesuit college to offer the curriculum.

In 2021, Hayes became the only woman to lead a major local healthcare system. She began her career at Christ as a student nurse aide in 1987 and moved through the ranks to COO before taking the top job. The Mt. Auburn-based hospital was ranked No. 73, highest among local providers, in Newsweek’s annual World’s Best Hospitals rating 414 facilities in 28 countries this year.

Kist-Kline became leader of the college of The Christ Hospital Health Network in 2018. The pandemic highlighted the shortage of nurses and critical role they serve. Founded in 1902, the school offers degrees in nursing, healthcare administration, medical assisting, sonography, and general studies for more than 1,000 students.

Hometown: Toronto, Canada Education: University of Toronto (undergraduate), Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada (J.D.), Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto (Ph.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Higher education is a vocation to serve young

people at a critical juncture in their journeys to adulthood. The growing challenges of our sector demand creative, thoughtful, collaborative professionals to form the next generation of higher education leaders. So bring your A-game!

Education: Xavier University (undergraduate), Northern

Kentucky University (master’s)

Hometown: College Corner, Ohio Education: Miami University (undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Be

adaptable, innovative, mission-focused, student-centered, and business-minded. The roles of healthcare professionals will look very different in the next few years. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve always ascribed to a servant leadership approach and lean into that even more now.

Admission events are happening now! Scan the QR code to learn more and to RSVP.

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EDUCATION & HEALTH

Kurt Lewis

Elizabeth Lolli

Alan Martin

CEO United Healthcare

I N TER I M SUPER I N T E NDE NT Lakota Local Schools

VICE PRESIDENT PHARMACY OPERATIONS Humana

Lewis oversees the company’s operations in Ohio and Northern Kentucky, including health plan strategic initiatives and business operations such as sales, marketing, network contracting, medical programs, community relations, product management, and ﬁnance. The company is the largest healthcare insurer in the U.S. with more than 56 million customers.

Lolli is the former leader of the Dayton (Ohio) Public Schools who will head the district for the 2023-24 school year while the board continues its search for a permanent leader. Former superintendent Matt Miller resigned in January after six years to join the Butler County Educational Service Center as Coordinator of Innovative Education. Lakota serves more than 16,000 students.

Martin is responsible for mail-order, overthe-counter, retail, engineering, and specialty operations for the Louisville-based company that has call center and distribution facilities in Springdale and West Chester. After joining the company in 2010, he oversees operations at 40 sites in eight states, managing more than 2,000 employees.

Hometown: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Education: Ohio State University (undergraduate) What’ s the best career advice you ever received? “What you do matters so much, but how you do it matters even more.” Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: Grant Us Hope is a change agent for teen suicide

prevention in Greater Cincinnati that provides peer-to-peer student programs fostering a culture of belonging. It helps equip parents, school personnel, community members, and students to support at-risk youth.

Hometown: Middletown Education: Miami University (undergraduate and Ph.D.), Xavier University (master’s) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Get to know those who support you behind the scenes. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I have inten-

Hometown: Independence, Ohio Education: Ohio Northern University (undergraduate)

tionally increased the time I spend listening and reﬂecting before making decisions. This may mean that decision making is a slightly longer process today, but it’s worth it.

CHCA congratulates Head of School Dr. Dean Nicholas and the several CHCA parents recognized as outstanding leaders in Greater Cincinnati!

CHCA students age 2—Grade 12 have MORE opportunities to: Engage in hands-on, experiential learning •

Deepen their understanding of faith •

Gain entrepreneurship experience •

Pursue their passions •

Make an impact in our world

CHOOSE MORE. Find your place & pursue your gifts.

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EDUCATION & HEALTH

Dean Nicholas

Neville Pinto

Jane Peterson

H E AD O F SCHO O L Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy

PRESIDENT Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Ohio

PRESIDENT University of Cincinnati

Nicholas worked at the school for 25 years as Assistant Head of School and Upper School Principal before moving into the top job in 2021. More than 1,300 students from age 2 through grade 12 represent 140 area churches at the private institution’s Symmes Township campus and downtown location. CHCA has a robust international program with students from more than 25 countries attending classes.

The former Regional Vice President for Ohio sales was named to lead the Mason-based state operation in 2021. Peterson, who has worked in the industry for more than 25 years, has held senior management positions in ﬁnance, sales, and underwriting with the insurance provider that has more than 5 million members. It employs more than 3,700 people in Greater Cincinnati.

Pinto has led the public research university since 2017. UC and partners that include Cincinnati Children’s and Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center spent more than $615 million on research and development in 2022. The university opened its Digital Futures Building last year as it increases its footprint at the Uptown Innovation District.

Education: Wheaton College (undergraduate and master’s), Hebrew Union College (Ph.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? The

pandemic was a catalyst that opened people’s eyes to what could be. We must consider how to create a a more engaging learning environment for our students. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve had to learn a more collaborative approach to leadership.

Hometown: Mumbai, India Education: Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, India (undergraduate), Penn State University (master’s and Ph.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Be prepared to innovate. Higher education is ever evolving, and knowledge is expanding faster than ever. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? The pace of change continues to accelerate, and we must redouble our transformational efforts to respond.

Congratulations to President Colleen M. Hanycz, PhD and the many Xavier alumni being recognized among the region’s 300 most powerful business leaders.

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EDUCATION & HEALTH

Monica Posey

Tim Reilly

Kelley Schiess

PRESIDENT Cincinnati State Technical & Community College

PRESIDENT St. Xavier High School

H E A D OF S CH OOL Summit Country Day School

Posey, who has worked at school for more than 30 years, has led the college since 2016. It raised more than $21 million during a ﬁve-year funding campaign that had a goal of $15 million. The money will be used for scholarships, student support, new programs, and equipment upgrades. More than 8,200 students attend classes in Clifton, Harrison, Evendale, and Middletown.

Reilly, a 1976 graduate, is the ﬁrst lay leader of the all-male Jesuit school, the largest private high school in the area. He was principal of St. Ignatius Elementary for 23 years before taking the St. X job in 2018. Founded in 1831, the school has a student body of more than 1,400 students in grades 9-12 who come from 76 Zip area codes.

The former assistant head of school for more than 20 years at the private Catholic school in Hyde Park replaced Rich Wilson in 2022, when he retired after 12 years. Summit has nearly 1,200 students from 18 months old through grade 12.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate), Xavier University (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business?

life-long learner yourself and model that for others. Education is evolving with the infusion of new technologies. Develop strong teams who are student-focused, highly skilled, and mission-focused. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve found that being ﬂexible and adaptable are critical components to effective leadership. I also place more emphasis on skill development and support through professional development opportunities.

Hometown: Philadelphia Education: Cornell University (un-

dergraduate), University of Pennsylvania (MBA), University of Cincinnati (Ed.D.)

Surround yourself with mission-driven people who are dedicated to getting better. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m more keenly aware of how important leadership is and how to capitalize on people’s strengths rather than remediate their weakness.

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What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? As a leader in education, you must be a

EDUCATION & HEALTH

Kate Schroder

John Sebastian

Cory Shaw

PRESIDENT AND CEO Interact for Health

CEO Health Carousel

PRESIDENT AND CEO UC Health

Since January 2022, Schroder has led the organization that was founded in 1997 as the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. The agency serves 20 area counties with grants, education, and research to reduce tobacco use, address the opioid epidemic, and provide access to care via school health centers. She was a member of the Cincinnati Board of Health from 2016 to 2022.

Sebastian was the former President of the company’s travel nursing division and Chief Digital Officer before taking over for founder Bill DeVille in 2022. He is a former Procter & Gamble branding executive who joined the company in 2016. The company employs more than 600 people in Ohio and about 3,000 contract healthcare professionals who serve more than 9 million patients across the U.S.

In January, Shaw replaced Rick Hinds, who had been interim director of the academic healthcare system that includes the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and UC Physicians. Shaw was previously Executive Vice President and COO of Nebraska Medicine. Hinds returns to his role as Executive Vice President and CFO for UC Health.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Indiana University (under-

Hometown: Hinsdale, Illinois Education: University of Notre

graduate), University of Pennsylvania (MBA)

Dame (undergraduate), University of Michigan (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Have a passion for improving lives. Our

purpose at Health Carousel is to improve lives and make healthcare work better. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?My focus on delivering against our purpose has an even higher sense of urgency.

Hometown: Aurora, Nebraska Education: University of Nebraska (undergraduate), University of Missouri (master’s) What was your first job? During the summer after fourth grade I moved irrigation pipe and walked bean fields, cutting out button weed, thistle and other rogue vegetation for an area farmer. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? I try to be more intentional about checking in with colleagues about their personal well-being, both in the workplace and at home.

Stories from the past. Inspiration for the future.

The journey to social justice begins here.

freedomcenter.org

(513) 333-7500

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EDUCATION & HEALTH

August Troendle

Matt Turner

H. James Williams

PRESIDENT AND CEO Medpace Holdings

SU PER I N TEN D EN T Boone County Schools

PRESIDENT Mount St. Joseph University

Troendle founded the clinical research company in 1992 and led it to record revenue of more than $1.45 billion in 2022. In June, it announced an expansion of 1,500 jobs at its Madisonville headquarters that will add $90 million to the company’s annual payroll of more than $210 million. Troendle is the only area person on Forbes’ 2023 list of billionaires.

Turner, who was principal at Ryle High School for 14 years, was named in 2020 to lead Kentucky’s third-largest district with an enrollment of about 21,000 students and 4,000 staff members at 28 schools and programs. Among the students, 63 languages are spoken at home, 42 percent receive reduced-price meals, and 14 percent have disabilities.

Since 2016, Williams has led the Delhi Township school founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1920 as the ﬁrst Catholic college for women in southwestern Ohio. It went co-educational in 1986, achieved university status in 2013, and has grown to more than 2,300 students, including graduate and doctoral programs. The university has 23 athletic programs that compete in NCAA Division III.

Education: Boston University (MBA), University of Maryland

(M.D.)

Education: North Carolina A&T (undergraduate), University of Wisconsin (MBA), Georgetown University (J.D.), University of Georgia (Ph.D.)

Iranetta Wright

Rob Zimmerman

S UP E RINT END ENT Cincinnati Public Schools

H EA D O F SC H OOL Cincinnati Country Day

Wright, the former deputy superintendent for Detroit Public Schools Community District, replaced Laura Mitchell as the leader of the region’s largest school district. More than 6,500 employees serve almost 36,000 students in 65 schools. CPS bought back the former Bramble Elementary School in Madisonville to provide pre-K classes this year for the growing neighborhood.

Zimmerman, a CCD graduate and a former attorney with Dinsmore & Shohl, is in his third year at the K-12 private school in Indian Hill. The school was founded in 1926 and has an enrollment of more than 850 with 150 staff members. It offers 22 varsity sports and boasts six state championships and four national titles over the years.

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida Education: University of North Florida (undergraduate and master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? While the work is difficult, it’s incredibly rewarding.

It isn’t possible in isolation, but requires building relationships and trust to collaborate with all stakeholders, staff, families, business partners and the community as a whole. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? With so many distractions, it’s been vital to keep students at the center of every decision.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Vanderbilt University (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Go for it! We need new teachers and new

leaders, and not just from within the ﬁeld of education. This is the most purposeful and rewarding work you’ll ever do. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve become more insistent about our culture as an institution. I always learn from our students, who are constantly pushing me to consider new ideas.

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MANUFACTURING & TECH

Mark Anderson

Scott Anderson

Pete Blackshaw

PRESIDENT AND CEO ProMach

PRESIDENT HBH Holdings

CEO Cintrifuse

Anderson has led the Covington-based packaging materials and machinery manufacturer since 2005. The company had 2022 revenue of nearly $1.75 billion, with manufacturing facilities and sales and support offices in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. BDT Capital Partners, a Chicago private equity ﬁrm, acquired a “signiﬁcant stake” in the company this year, joining majority owner Leonard Green Partners L.P. of Los Angeles.

Anderson was named president of HBH, the Spring Grove Village-based parent company of Enerfab, in 2020. He’d served since 2017 as CEO of Enerfab. HBH is a privately held investment company that focuses on fabrication, maintenance, and construction for the heavy industrial and utility markets.

Since 2018, Blackshaw has led the organization created by the Cincinnati Business Committee to access cutting-edge technologies. It has funded more than 200 tech startups over the years. J.B. Kropp, co-founder of early accelerator The Brandery, joined the agency as managing director of its two current funds and the launch of Fund III. He was co-manager of Vine Street Ventures and co-founder of Main Street Ventures.

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska Education: University of Nebraska (undergraduate), Northwestern University (MBA)

Hometown: North Benton, Ohio Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? If you’re a

self-starter, love change, embrace hard work and demanding challenges, want to learn new skills, and get energized about building the things that shape our future, this is the industry for you. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I have become a better listener. Listening to your people about what is possible today vs. just doing the same things you have done in the past is the key to long-term growth and success.

Hometown: Pasadena, California Education: University of California Santa Cruz (undergraduate), Harvard University (MBA)

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MANUFAC TURING & TE CH

Joe Bourgraf

Adam Browning

David Budig

CH AIRMAN Ferno Group of Companies

PRESIDENT Gold Medal Products

CEO Budco Group

Bourgraf has led the manufacturer of emergency patient handling and physical therapy equipment since 1991. He also oversees two Ferno subsidiaries: VRpatients, which provides virtual simulation training, and Acetech Global, a supplier of software to the EMS market. Clients of the Wilmington-based company founded in 1955 include ﬁre rescue, police, and military in more than 70 countries.

Browning joined the family-owned company in 2010 as a vice president and was tapped in 2017 to lead the Evendale-based manufacturer and distributor of concession food equipment and supplies. Gold Medal introduced the Ready Series of cashless popcorn vending machines in May. It employs more than 500 people across 15 U.S. locations, posting almost $180 million in revenue in 2022.

In 2022, Budig took over the top spot in the transportation, logistics, and equipment leasing ﬁrm his grandfather started as a trucking company in 1949. Budco posted revenue of almost $235 million in 2022. His father, Otto M. Budig Jr., is one of the largest arts supporters in the region, with his name on Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s theater and Cincinnati Ballet’s academy.

Hometown: Dayton Education: Centre College (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (MBA), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Pursue excellence with a vengeance. Invest your time and efforts wisely and don’t allow yourself to fall into the routine or become complacent. How

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (under-

graduate)

is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? It’s become even more deliberate and remains grounded

in our core values and approaches, yet unafraid to adjust and tweak as the world continues to evolve rapidly.

Doug Cahill

James Clark

Mike Clark

CH AIRMAN, PRESIDENT, AND CEO Hillman Group

PRESIDENT AND CEO LSI Industries

CEO Pilot Chemical

Cahill has led the hardware supplier to retailers that include Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Walmart since 2019. He took the company public in July 2021 when it joined the Nasdaq (HLMN). In 2022, it reported revenue of almost $1.5 billion and employed almost 3,800 people. Hillman moved its headquarters to Forest Park and expanded its packaging facility in Springﬁeld Township, home of its former headquarters.

Clark joined the Blue Ash-based leader in lighting and graphic solutions for commercial and industrial buildings, petroleum and convenience stores, and retailers in 2018. Founded in 1976, LSI employs about 1,400 people at 10 locations in six states and Canada. Its stock has risen more than 350 percent since March 2020. It announced an aggressive growth strategy to reach $800 million in revenue by 2028.

Clark became the top executive at the West Chester Township-based maker of disulfonates for the manufacturing and personal care industries in 2022. Pilot participated in pandemic care as its virus-killing biocide products increased sales ﬁve-fold. It posted 2022 revenue of more than $360 million. Christian MacIver joined the company in January as President and COO, the titles held by Clark before he moved to the top spot.

Hometown: St. Henry, Ohio Education: Bowling Green State

graduate)

Education: State University of New York at Albany (under-

University (undergraduate)

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Hometown: Hamilton Education: Miami University (under-

graduate)

MANUFAC TURING & TE CH

Cris Collinsworth

Richard Corrado

Steve Cuntz

CH AIRMAN Pro Football Focus

PRESIDENT AND CEO Air Transport Services Group

PRESIDENT AND CEO BlueStar

Founded by Englishman Neil Hornsby in 2014, the former Bengals receiver and current NBC Sunday Night Football commentator bought a majority interest in the company that grades performance of every NFL player. PFF expanded its product line to include more than 100 college football teams, then moved into fantasy football and sports betting as well from its Over-the-Rhine headquarters.

Corrado joined the Wilmington-based public company in 2010 as chief commercial officer and became the top executive in 2020. ATSG provides leased air cargo transportation for customers such as DHL, Amazon, and the U.S. military. It added Paul Chase as Chief Commercial Officer and promoted Mike Berger to Chief Strategy Officer in 2022, when it posted revenue of more than $2 billion.

Hometown: Titusville, Florida Education: University of Florida (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.) What

Education: Harvard University (undergraduate), Boston College (MBA)

Cuntz has led joined the Hebron-based provider of solutions-based electronics such as bar-code scanners and inventory tracking devices since 2008. Since then, he’s helped grow BlueStar into the region’s third-largest private company with more than $2.35 billion in revenue in 2022. Established in 1929 as United Radio, it has more than 300 employees at corporate headquarters and over 300 manufacturers worldwide. NOTE: Cuntz passed away on November 4, after this issue went to press.

advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Look for people to work with you who don’t

Education: Xavier University (undergraduate and MBA)

consider what they do to be work. We’re lucky that in sports those people are a little easier to ﬁnd. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m much more open to a shared approach on both risk and reward with my co-workers. Bonus structures and ownership shares allow for broader common interests.

Alexander Heiman

Stephen Hightower

Jim Jurgensen II

PRESIDENT Standard Textile

PRESIDENT AND CEO Hightowers Petroleum

CEO Jurgensen Companies

Heiman represents the fourth generation to lead the Reading-based company founded by his great-grandfather in 1940. He succeeds his father, Gary, who led the daily operations since 1988. Standard develops, manufactures, and distributes luxury terry, sheets, blankets, window treatments, upholstery fabrics, uniforms, workwear, and napery from 24 manufacturing and distribution centers in 12 countries.

Hightower founded the Middletown-based wholesale fuel distribution business in 1985. With almost $415 million in revenue in 2022, Hightowers is one of the region’s top private companies and the largest minority-owned business. The company launched Hightower EV Solutions to provide electric vehicle charging stations and has a contract to install them at 1,700 hotels.

Jurgensen is the third-generation leader of the family ﬁrm founded by his grandfather as a small construction contractor in 1934. He joined the company in 1990 as a laborer and has been CEO since 2013. He is joined on the leadership team with siblings Jason (COO) and Jackie Alf (Executive Vice President). The Sharonville-based ﬁrm has grown to more than 25 companies providing services from asphalt paving to tank, barge, and rail transloading.

Hometown: Middletown What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Network-

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Lafayette College (under-

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Colgate University (undergraduate), Duke University (MBA) What was your ﬁrst job? Busboy at Arthur’s in Hyde Park. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Our head of HR, Dana Schilling, preaches

the maxim, “Simplify, simplify, simplify,” and I’m better every day for it. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause, and why? Cincinnati Works fosters long-term, sustainable prosperity in our community by addressing poverty’s root cause issues, not just symptoms.

graduate), Washington University (MBA)

ing is the most valuable asset in our industry. If they don’t know you, they won’t do business with you. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?

I’m more focused on the bottom line versus the top line revenue. In order to create value, ﬁnding the value chain with margins to grow is key!

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MANUFAC TURING & TE CH

Aaron Landolt

Jeff Lackey

Doug Lang

PRESIDENT AND CEO CBTS

PRESIDENT Enerfab

PRESIDENT Meyer Tool

Lackey, who joined Cincinnati Bell Technical Solutions in 2016, held a number of executive roles before taking the top job in 2020. CBTS is the IT business for altaﬁber, formerly known as Cincinnati Bell, and is the region’s second-largest IT consulting ﬁrm with more than $420 million in revenue in 2022. Lackey is leading the transition of the company into a cloud, communications, and consulting business.

Landolt succeeded Scott Anderson, who was promoted to president of Enerfab’s parent company, HBH Holdings. St. Bernard-based Enerfab provides fabrication, construction, and maintenance services for the heavy industrial and utility markets. It has 3,800 employees, including 500 locally, with ofﬁces in Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi. Its revenue increased by more than $140 million in 2022 to $500 million.

Lang has been with the company since 1981 when he sold his eponymous tool design company to Meyer. He rose through the ranks to become the top executive of the Camp Washington-based company in 2016. Founded in 1951, Meyer provides precision components to the aerospace and gas turbine manufacturing sectors. It employs almost 1,600 people at locations in the U.S., Canada, and Poland and posted revenue of more than $240 million in 2022.

Hometown: Bunker Hill, Indiana Education: Indiana University (undergraduate)

Hometown: Arlington, Ohio Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Xavier University (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? This industry continues to evolve quickly with

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate)

technological advancements and new emerging markets. Get hands-on experience in the ﬁeld as soon as possible; the exposure will jump-start your career. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? It’s evolved into a more focused, purposeful, and pragmatic approach.

Mark Mercurio

Rick Michelman

Tom Nies

PRESIDENT AND CEO Gorilla Glue

PRESIDENT AND CEO Michelman

CEO Cincom Systems

Mercurio has worked at the manufacturer since 2014 and moved into the top job in 2019. The family-owned company with the catchy name and television commercials traces its roots to 1983. Gorilla Glue products include glues, adhesives, tapes, sealants, and ﬁllers. It sold its Sapadilla line of eco-friendly soaps and all-purpose cleaners to Cincy Brands, where it remains an investor and minority owner.

Michelman succeeded Steve Schifman in 2022 after roles in product development, enterprise software implementation, new business development, regional leadership, and business segment leadership. The Blue Ash ﬁrm, founded in 1949, manufactures sustainable chemistry used in agricultural and architectural coatings, digital printing, foodservice packaging, and advanced composites for automotive and aerospace.

Nies founded the Springdale-based company in 1968 while working for IBM. He is the longest-serving CEO in the computer industry. Nies leads one of the largest international independent software companies in the world. His list of awards is long and includes Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame and UC’s Carl H. Lindner Award for Outstanding Business Achievement.

Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), University of Virginia (MBA)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Cornell University

(undergraduate), University of California–Berkeley (Ph.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Think big, as you can make cars

lighter and stronger one day, reduce food packaging waste the next day, and help feed the world on the following day! How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? My activities were more internally focused, and

I’m now more externally focused.

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(undergraduate and MBA)

MANUFAC TURING & TE CH

Ken Oaks

Andrea Pirondini

John Richardson

CH AIRMAN AND CEO Total Quality Logistics

CEO Prysmian Group North America

CH A I R M A N SugarCreek

Oaks has grown the privately held company he founded in 1997 into the largest in Greater Cincinnati. It reported revenue of almost $9 billion in 2022, more than double from $4.1 billion in 2020. TQL’s Moves That Matter program has delivered 11 million pounds of donated goods at no cost to communities in need. It has also reduced 23 million miles of carbon emissions through its Empty Miles program.

Pirondini has led North American operations of Prysmian Group, the Italian company that owns Highland Heights-based General Cable. The company manufactures underground and submarine cables and systems for power transmission and distribution, and optical ﬁber and copper cable for voice, video, and data transmission. This year, he was appointed to the board of BE NKY, the economic development agency that promotes the region.

Since 1990, Richardson has led the food manufacturing business started by his father in 1966. Blue Ash-based SugarCreek employs 2,800 people at six manufacturing plants and packaging facilities in Ohio, Indiana, and Kansas. It posted 2022 revenue of $1.1 billion. SugarCreek acquired Cincinnati Beverage Co. last year and has overhauled iconic beer brands Little Kings and Christian Moerlein and reintroduced them to market.

What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Wire and cable is such a unique industry,

Hometown: Washington Court House, Ohio Education: Illinois State University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Never stop

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Dayton

(undergraduate)

and there is certainly more to it than meets the eye. We’re looking for employees with passion for sustainability and forward-looking ideas. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? My leadership style has really changed to a new environment that requires ﬂexible leadership, with the ability to pivot and truly listen to what our employees want and need.

Ron Rosenbeck

learning and be a voracious reader. Be thick-skinned, a good listener, and be prepared to fail, but learn by it. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?

I’m a better listener and a better mentor. I think that’s more important than I thought it was ﬁve years ago: less about me and more about the next generation.

Kimberly Ryan

Ryan Rybolt

CEO Republic Wire

PRESIDENT AND CEO Hillenbrand

CEO Payload

Rosenbeck was one of three founders of the copper wire manufacturer in 1982. After buying out his partners, Republic started to manufacture multiple kinds of aluminum and copper wire for distributors, utilities, and municipalities. It announced plans for a $20 million headquarters building in West Chester Township near its current 400,000-square-foot operation. Republic posted revenue of $480 million in 2022.

Ryan succeeded Joe Raver in 2022 and has overseen a period of divestitures and acquisitions at the Batesville-based company that posted almost $3 billion in revenue in 2022. In December, Hillenbrand sold Batesville Casket Co., the ﬂagship business founded in 1884. Ryan is transforming Hillenbrand into a diversiﬁed industrial company focused on plastics, food, and recycling; it acquired Schenck Process Food and Performance Materials in May.

Rybolt leads the financial technology payments startup that he co-founded in 2019 with Ian Halpern. After raising $1.5 million from investors in 2022, the Blue Ash-based firm that began as a digital payment service for real estate transactions is expanding its customer base to other industries. After revenue grew more than 800 percent in 2021, it jumped 200 percent in the first quarter of 2022.

Education: Miami University (undergraduate) Hometown: Ottumwa, Iowa Education: Iowa State University (undergraduate)

Hometown: Harrison Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? I’m a big advocate for networking with others in the industry. It’s a rather tight community, and the speed of innovation is rapid. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?I’ve been focusing on working “on” the business more than “in” the business, which requires me to shift much of the day-to-day to others on the team. It’s been rewarding to see our team step up and take ownership of key responsibilities and deliverables.

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MANUFAC TURING & TE CH

Phil Schneider

Barbara Smith

James Stahl

PRESIDENT BGR

PRESIDENT Journey Steel

PRESIDENT CBT Co.

Schneider became the leader of the West Chester Township-based packaging supply chain company in 2022 after brothers Allen and Dean Backscheider stepped down as Co-Presidents from the business they founded in 1972; they remain involved as co-chairmen. BGR posted revenue of more than $165 million in 2022 and employs about 200 people at ﬁve Midwest locations. It provides more than 40,000 products to its customers.

Smith and Tom Garten founded the steel fabrication and erection company in 2009. Smith has been in the construction industry for more than 30 years with jobs that include Cargile Contractors and Hixson Architects. Journey sponsors a paid pre-apprenticeship program (Journeys Soaring Impact) for inner-city high school juniors that offers a career as a union ironworker upon graduation. The company reported 2022 revenue of almost $4 million.

Stahl succeeded his father, Jay, who grew the distributor of electrical and mechanical parts to more than 260 staff today. Founded in 1921 as the Belting Company of Cincinnati and owned by the Stahl family since 1975, it posted revenue of $265 million in 2022. In addition to its Columbia Township headquarters, it has Ohio locations in Springboro and Sidney.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Franklin College (underHometown: Cincinnati Education: Eastern Michigan University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Embrace change. The

graduate)

integration of technology into this “pre-historic” industry is here to stay. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve moved from being a coach to more of a transformational leader, pushing the team to think outside the box, getting them out of their comfort zones.

Larry Stoddard

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Georgetown University (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? The most important asset a company has is the people on the team. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? If the last ﬁve years have taught

us anything as leaders, it’s to expect the unexpected. Focus on the areas you can control, and make sure you have a team in place that can quickly address the new challenges that will inevitably arise. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: The Cincinnati Art Museum.

Greg Tucker

Mike Venerable

PRESIDENT AND CEO RelaDyne

CEO ProAmpac

PA RTNER CincyTech

Stoddard has grown RelaDyne into the nation’s largest lubricant distributor and market leader in fuel, diesel exhaust fluid, and industrial reliability services for industrial, commercial, and automotive businesses. It acquired four companies this year: Michigan Petroleum Technologies, Sun Coast Resources of Texas, Grupo Lucalza of Guatemala, and Allied Oil & Supply of Nebraska. It is the region’s second-largest private company with almost $3.6 billion in 2022 revenue.

Tucker leads the Springdale-based ﬂexible packaging company owned by Pritzker Private Capital. He oversees an operation that has almost 50 locations on three continents with more than 5,800 employees serving over 5,000 customers in 90 countries. It posted more than $2.3 billion in revenue in 2022. He has announced a goal of $5 billion in revenue within three to ﬁve years.

Venerable leads the organization that galvanizes the growth of high-potential startups in Greater Cincinnati. His ﬁngerprints are all over the seed fund’s mission of working with entrepreneurs, investors, research institutions, and community stakeholders to fund technology and life science startups. Its Fund VI has a target of $100 million that would be its largest to date, and it has a portfolio of more than 30 companies.

Hometown: Boston Education: Worchester Polytechnic Institute (undergraduate)

Hometown: Hamilton Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Venture capital is a small part of the overall private equity market, so there aren’t a lot of jobs in the industry. A better path is to build domain expertise and startup expertise outside of the venture capital industry. How

Hometown: Atlanta Education: Auburn University (under-

graduate)

is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m focused on building the right long-term decision-mak-

ing processes internally that can endure after the ﬁrst leaders of the organization begin to transition out.

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MANUFAC TURING & TE CH

Paul Verst

Bob Watts

Jeff Welsh

CEO Verst Logistics

CEO Pomeroy

PRESIDENT AND CEO DuBois Chemicals

Verst has led the Walton-based company, founded by his father in 1966, since 1993. He has grown it into a multi-faceted fulﬁllment, packaging, transportation, and warehousing operation. Verst bought Sharonville-based Loth Logistics’ managed transportation and freight brokerage business in July. It is the region’s second-largest logistics ﬁrm with about 2,200 employees and posted more than $310 million in 2022 revenue.

Watts has led the Hebron-based provider of IT infrastructure, staffing, procurement, and logistics services since 2021. Prior to joining Pomeroy as chief information officer, he was CEO of Vivitec, a cybersecurity ﬁrm he founded in 2014. More than 200 of the company’s 2,500 employees work at the Northern Kentucky headquarters, where they support customers in retail, ﬁnancial services, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors.

Welsh has led the chemical manufacturing company since 2008, when it was sold to a private equity ﬁrm. It’s now owned by Toronto-based Atlas Partners. In addition to its corporate office in Sharonville, DuBois operates technical centers, manufacturing sites, and warehouses across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. It acquired T&E Sales, which manufactures auto wash products, this year and reported $785 million in 2022 revenue, up from $670 million in 2021.

Hometown: Cold Spring Education: Xavier University (undergraduate and MBA)

Education: U.S. Military Academy (undergraduate), University of LaVerne (master’s)

Jason Wittekind

Mike Zelkind

PRESIDENT AND CEO Hawkstone Associates

CEO 80 Acres Farms

In 2021, Wittekind was promoted from COO to president and CEO of the Harrison-based petroleum wholesaler and retailer founded in 1981 that does business as Triumph Energy Corp. He joined the company in 2013 and succeeded his father, Ronald, who became Executive Chairman. The company represents the Shell, BP, Sunoco, and Marathon brands by operating about 50 retail locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee.

Since 2015, Zelkind has led the Hamilton-based startup, which he co-founded with Tisha Livingston. It operates eight farms, including four locally, that grow produce indoors year-round, using a combination of LED lighting, artiﬁcial intelligence, and robotics without pesticides. Its farms produce up to 300 times as much food per square foot as traditional farms.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Always make sure to learn and grow from mistakes. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Being

a leader means developing and maintaining a culture in which your team can thrive. It’s impossible for an efficient leader to be a part of every decision and process. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: Catholic education due to the values it instills in the next generation.

Education: University of Toronto (undergraduate and MBA)

Education: University of Minnesota (undergraduate) Emoery University (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? We’re still creating an industry, and that’s harder than you might think. Don’t believe the hype or let the doubters get you down. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I think I’m more patient today, less reactive to small ups and downs. I’m focused our company’s direction and putting the right people in the right seats, not on every win or loss.

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get up and

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shopping TO

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NONPROFIT & GOVERNMENT

Jonathan Adee

Candice Matthews Brackeen

Jeffrey Aluotto

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Keep Cincinnati Beautiful

A D M I N I ST R ATOR Hamilton County

CEO Lightship Capital

The community organization was created in 1978 as the Clean Cincinnati Commission before changing its name in 1993. Adee has more than 25 years of experience in nonproﬁt management, including stints with Tender Mercies and Freestore Foodbank. The agency’s mission includes the Great American Cleanup, green space, environmental services, arts, and education.

Aluotto has been the top official since 2016, responsible for coordinating elected and independent agencies as well as overseeing the management of departments. More than 4,300 people work for the county, among the region’s largest employers. In the coming year the county will be involved in high-proﬁle negotiations over renovations to Duke Energy Convention Center, the construction of a new headquarters hotel for it, and improvements to Paycor Stadium.

In 2017, Brackeen created the organization that offers an accelerator, boot camp, and pitch program for women and minority founders. Actor, writer, and producer Issa Rae (Insecure) was the featured speaker at the second Black Tech Week in July; it’s an annual event spun off from Black Tech Weekly, a media division that Brackeen has created with partners NBCUniversal and Inc. Magazine, among others.

Hometown: Cooperstown, N.Y. Education: University of Mount Union (undergraduate), University of Akron (master’s and J.D.) What’s the best career advice you ever received? People don’t argue with their own data. A true leader helps stakeholders ﬁnd their own way to a collective understanding of vision. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?I get more things done by building relationships. I listen more and seek out win-win collaborations.

Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Education: Miami University (undergraduate and master’s), Xavier University (MBA)

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NONPROFIT S & G OVERNMENT

Brent Cooper

Lee Crume

Brendon Cull

PRESIDENT AND CEO NKY Chamber of Commerce

PRESIDENT AND CEO BE NKY Growth Partnership

CEO Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

Cooper, founder of C-Forward Information Technologies in Covington, has led the chamber since 2017. The organization advocates for and provides services to more than 1,600 businesses with more than 200,000 employees. The chamber leads the annual Leadership Northern Kentucky program that brings participants from a wide spectrum together to study challenges and opportunities. More than 1,500 people have completed the training.

Crume has led the agency, formerly known as Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED), since 2019. BE (Build + Elevate) NKY targets four areas to increase economic development: data-informed community decision-making, activating the Northern Kentucky Port Authority, delivering customized workforce solutions, and targeting business growth.

Cull was named President last year and replaced Jill Meyer as CEO in May. The region’s largest chamber advocates for more than 3,500 businesses and collaborates with public officials to develop plans on issues such as transportation, healthcare, and education to fuel economic growth. It’s at the forefront of many high-proﬁle issues, including the Brent Spence Bridge project and Metro’s expansion of bus service.

Hometown: Covington Education: University of Kentucky

(undergraduate)

Hometown: Owensboro, Kentucky Education: Western Kentucky University (undergraduate and master’s) What

Education: Xavier University (undergraduate)

advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Learn to be a great collaborator, partner, and

communicator, and get a broad set of business experiences early in your career. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Five years ago we needed to rebuild Tri-ED into the BE NKY Growth Partnership you see today. I also realized I needed to elevate my work and leadership, an “aha moment” and challenge for me.

Gina Douthat

Marc Fisher

Nancy Grayson

G E NE RAL MANAGER TANK

CEO Mayerson JCC

PRESIDENT AND CEO Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky

Douthat, who has worked for the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky since 1997, replaced Andrew Aiello last year after he left to work for Cincinnati Metro. She was promoted from Deputy General Manager and Director of Communications and Development. Founded in 1973, the ﬂeet has more than 130 buses that serve Campbell, Kenton, and Boone counties and downtown Cincinnati. The board consists of three directors from each county who set policy for the system.

Since 1912, Fisher has led the Amberley Village-based organization, which celebrates Jewish life and welcomes people regardless of race, religion or ability, while also serving as a partner with Fisher Investment Group. JCC offers programs for students, seniors, and people with special needs that includes ﬁtness centers, early childhood and senior centers, arts, and cultural events, plus a day camp, outdoor pool, playgrounds, and basketball and tennis courts.

Grayson leads the agency founded in 2017 to increase philanthropic giving among individuals, corporations, and organizations in Northern Kentucky. It focuses its resources on social services, urban revitalization, education, health and wellness, community unity, and the arts. The fund has granted around $20 million to invest in long-term needs of the community.

Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) What was your ﬁrst job? The day I turned 16 I started at Kroger, which was a great job that allowed me to fund my entire four years of college. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Say “yes” to hard things; don’t let fear hold you back. Trust your gut and hone your instincts. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: Life Learning Center.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Michigan (undergraduate), Northwestern University (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Learn basic business principles, volunteer at various

types of nonproﬁt organizations, and have a passion for helping others. I chose to help develop and grow a community that I’m connected to and care about. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I listen a great deal more and try to let others have the spotlight.

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Hometown: Lexington Education: University of Kentucky (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.) What was your ﬁrst job? Cashier at Ace Hardware. What’s the best career advice you ever received? As a female leader, understand that you can have it all,but perhaps not all at the same time. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?

I’ve become better at learning how to say “no” so that when I say “yes” it’s more meaningful.

NONPROFIT S & G OVERNMENT

Brian Griffin

Darryl Haley

Joe Huber

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY-TREASURER Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council

GENERAL MANAGER AND CEO Metro/SORTA

PRESIDENT AND CEO Cincinnati Development Fund

Griffin was elected to the top labor position in 2021. The local council represents 35,000 members from more than 100 unions, and its mission is obtaining economic justice in the workplace and social justice for working families. Griffin also serves the Greater Cincinnati Occupational Health Center, the city of Cincinnati’s Civil Service Commission, and United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s board of directors.

Since 2006, Haley has worked for the transit organization that provides bus service in Hamilton County and commuter routes from Clermont, Butler, and Warren counties into the city. He was promoted in 2020 after serving as interim leader. Metro plans to build a $300-million Bus Rapid Transit system in the next few years with dedicated lanes on Hamilton Avenue to Mt. Healthy and on Reading Road to Roselawn.

Huber, who served as Chief Lending Officer and Chief Operating Officer at the nonproﬁt lending institution, moved into the top spot last year. The agency administers a $34 million loan portfolio from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help build affordable housing. In June, CDF joined Hamilton County and private developers to announce plans for adding 550 new or preserved units.

Hometown: Gallipolis, Ohio Education: Ohio University (undergraduate and master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Get involved in a union, and do it early. Ifthere isn’t one where you work, form one! It’s the greatest guarantee of a strong, stable middle-class living. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I think they call it “mellowing.” I’m doing my best work right now. That informs my leadership style and also who I want to see take up the mantle next.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Do the right thing. It’s

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Butler University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? This industry is based on partnership and collaboration, so don’t burn bridges! How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? My

Eric Kearney PRESIDENT AND CEO African American Chamber of Greater CincinnatiNorthern Kentucky

important that when faced with tough decisions or challenges to lead with intergrity. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve learned that the higher up you climb in leadership the less control you have over the work that gets done. My role today as CEO is to provide clear direction, give my team the tools they need to do their job.

position has changed from being someone who is in the weeds of every deal to being more big-picture oriented. The key to success has been hiring great people who embrace CDF’s values and giving them room to grow and contribute.

Christie Kuhns

Peter Landgren

PRESIDENT AND CEO Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio

PRESIDENT UC Foundation

Kearney has led the organization that advocates for African American-owned businesses since 2016. He’s working with Tom Fernandez of Elevar Design Group to develop a new measure for minority involvement in businesses. MIVIE (Marginalized Impact Value Indicator for Equity) measures eight categories of social impact instead of just how much money companies spend with minority businesses.

Kuhns took the reins at the community organization last year. An attorney who practiced at a Fortune 500 company, Kuhns served as an Ohio State Representative before taking a job at UC Health as Vice President of Operations and Community Relations. She is a member of Urban League’s African American Leadership Development Program Class 29. The league serves 12 counties in Ohio and Kentucky.

Landgren has led the school’s leading philanthropic operation since 2017. The university received multiple large gifts in response to its move to the Big 12 Conference this fall. Larry and Rhonda Sheakley made the largest gift in the history of UC athletics for an indoor practice facility and performance center. Dave and Wendy Herche made a “transformational” donation for improvements to Fifth Third Arena.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Dartmouth College (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Seek

Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate and J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? A full-time position in a nonproﬁt is

experiences and people different than your own life experience. Grab opportunities to learn so you consistently hone your skills. Thank and appreciate those who share their time with you, as it’s our most valuable asset. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I hope I’ve grown to become a better leader.

distinct from volunteering. We require the expertise and acumen of top-tier professionals, just as any for-proﬁt enterprise would. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? My perspective has evolved and shifted to focus on nurturing and developing the talent within our community.

Hometown: Rochester, New York Education: University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Raising funds requires a strategic view, equal EQ and IQ, and the talent to build trusting, personal relationships. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? When I assumed my current role six years ago, our organi-

zation was building a healthy working and data-driven culture focused on a small handful of priorities. Today we’re activating multi-year strategies grounded on a long-term vision.

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NONPROFIT S & G OVERNMENT

Kimm Lauterbach

Gary Lindgren

Patrick Longo

PRESIDENT AND CEO REDI

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Cincinnati Business Committee

PRESIDENT AND CEO Alloy Development Co.

Lauterbach has led the Regional Economic Development Initiative since 2018. It was created in 2014 to advocate for companies locating or growing in Greater Cincinnati’s 15-county region. The agency provides help in ﬁnding sites, securing ﬁnancing and tax incentives, and connecting with business leaders. Hometown: Dayton, Ohio Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate), Indiana University (master’s) What advice

Lindgren leads the downtown-based organization that was founded in 1977. He directs the business community’s collective efforts to identify and provide leadership on issues important to the economic vitality of Greater Cincinnati. It opposed the City Council’s plan to end the property tax rollback this year and urged Cincinnati Southern Railway board members to maximize value of a new lease or sale.

Longo, who has worked at the former Hamilton County Development Company (HCDC) for more than 20 years, took over the top spot in 2018. In 2022, the lender merged with West Chester-based Access Business Finance and rebranded as Alloy to promote its mission of business growth and job creation. It consists of three divisions: Commercial Capital, Economic Development, and Growth Lab.

would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Be the most prepared person in the room. Build a

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Indiana University

powerful network of peers and counselors and lean into them. Know, understand, and share your metrics. Don’t be afraid to fail. That’s where growth happens. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Perhaps it’s morphed a bit, but my overall approach has continued to emphasize encouragement, recognition, and acknowledgement of each staff member.

(undergraduate)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: John Carroll University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Understand the many facets

of economic development and who our various customers and end users are. Our industry is about building impact one entrepreneur, one business, or one community at a time. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Working more on making connections and building

strategic opportunities.

Candace McGraw

Bernie McKay

Tim Mettey

CEO Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

PRESIDENT AND CEO Haile Foundation

CEO Matthew 25: Ministries

McGraw, who has led CVG since 2011, is transforming the facility into one of the top-ranked airports in the country. Two new flights (British Airways nonstop to London and American’s seasonal nonstop to Cancun) highlight the expanded schedule. CVG has capital improvements in the works, and the cargo business is the 14th largest in the world with expansion coming soon.

McKay replaced Tim Maloney at the helm of the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation in 2022. The former partner at Frost Brown Todd oversees more than $300 million in assets to focus helping the region in arts and culture, community development, education, and human services. It provided grants to 150 organizations in 2022.

Since 2012, Mettey has led the Blue Ashbased charity, founded by his father, Rev. Wendell Mettey, in 1991. Its mission is to fulﬁll Matthew 25:34-40 of the New Testament by providing food, water, medical care, and humanitarian supplies to those in need. The younger Mettey has developed programs such as Disaster Response as well as manufacturing, recycling, development, and long-term relief.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: Duquesne University (undergraduate and master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Aviation is

a marvelous and dynamic career choice; everyone can find a space that suits their talents and interests. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago?For better or worse, my approach is unchanged. Leaders help keep their teams focused on a clearly defined path. You can’t be afraid to fail or at least get a few bruises along the way.

Hometown: Maysville, Kentucky Education: Morehead State University (undergraduate), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Be honest with yourself on why you want to work in the not-for-profit arena and then do your research to find out who has a mission that aligns with your core values. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago?Transitioning from the practice of law to philanthropy requires not only communication and analytical skills but collaboration on a grander scale.

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Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? First, ﬁnd your passion. Do you

want to provide basic product necessities to people in need? Reduce hunger? Improve education? Assist at-risk children? Support senior citizens? What calls to you within the sector? How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? It’s the same as ﬁve years ago, but scaled up to

accommodate the growth of our ministry and the additional opportunities and challenges that represents.

NONPROFIT S & G OVERNMENT

Joseph Meyer

Danielle Minson

Jorge Perez

MAYO R City of Covington

CEO Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

PRESIDENT AND CEO YMCA of Greater Cincinnati

Meyer was first elected in 2016 to lead the Northern Kentucky city of 41,000, the ﬁfth-largest in the commonwealth. The city is on the brink of two transformative projects: the new Brent Spence Bridge and the mixeduse development of the former IRS site from Fourth Street north to the Ohio River, which will include office space, residential units, and small business retail.

In 2021, Minson became the first female leader in the organization’s 125-year history. She was the architect of creating new revenue streams in addition to the annual campaign that doubled the federation from a $10 million to a $20 million institution. Its long-term project, Cincinnati 2030: Creating Our Home Together, is focused on three areas: engagement, caring, and wider world.

The ﬁrst Latino American to lead the organization in its 170-year history, Perez came to Cincinnati from Chicago in 2017. The Y operates 14 branches, 80 childhood learning centers, and one overnight camp (Camp Ernst) in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Perez views its mission of a healthy spirit, mind, and body as a pathway to human development.

Hometown: Covington Education: Bellarmine University (undergraduate), St. Louis University (master’s), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.)

Education: Ohio State University (undergraduate), Yeshiva University (master’s)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Calvary Bible College

Aftab Pureval

(undergraduate), Dallas Theological Seminary (master’s), University of Dallas (MBA) What’s the best career advice you ever received? The age-old proverb passed down from my mother, which translates to “The shrimp that falls asleep, the current sweeps away.” It’s a poignant reminder that in order to progress I should continually forge ahead. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: It has to be the YMCA! I have a deep admiration for how we shape the communities we serve.

Matthew Randazzo

Kurt Reiber

MAYO R City of Cincinnati

PRESIDENT AND CEO Greater Cincinnati Foundation

PRESIDENT AND CEO Freestore Foodbank

Pureval, whose father is from India and mother is from Tibet, is Cincinnati’s ﬁrst Asian-American mayor. He led the effort to put the $1.6 billion sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern on the November ballot. Pureval has organized a commission of business, labor, and community leaders to review the city’s budget, analyze economic development strategy, and recommend funding priorities, led by P&G Chairman Jon Moeller.

The former leader of the Dallas Foundation replaced Ellen Katz, who departed in May after eight years. Randazzo takes over the region’s second-largest nonproﬁt organization that has awarded more than $1.55 billion in grants to groups in eight counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana since its creation in 1963. In 2022, GCF awarded almost $120 million to help the community.

Since 2011, Reiber has led the agency that provides food and services to help people create stability in their lives. In June, it opened the Frank and Conny Gerson Campus, a 224,000-square-foot distribution and workforce training center in Riverside, after a threeyear $32 million fundraising campaign. The agency serves more than 45 million meals to more than 220,000 people annually.

Hometown: Detroit Education: Albion College (undergraduate), University of Texas (master’s) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Adopt a growth mindset and lean into the discomfort of personal and professional growth. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve always been a data-driven leader, but I’ve come to better marry the perspectives of people on the team, within the community, and customers/partners to help ﬂesh out what the data can tell us.

Hometown: Avon Lake, Ohio Education: Baldwin Wallace

Hometown: Xenio, Ohio Education: Ohio State University

(undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.)

University (undergraduate), University of Toledo (MBA and J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Search out individuals or organizations excelling in your industry and learn from them! Be willing to share your knowledge with your peers and acknowledge their support. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? My leadership approach has become more collaborative. The past five years have also taught me to never be afraid to ask for help.

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NONPROFIT S & G OVERNMENT

Beth Robinson

Rickell Howard Smith

Dennis Schnurr

PRESIDENT AND CEO Uptown Consortium

A R C H BI SH O P Archdiocese of Cincinnati

PRESIDENT AND CEO YWCA of Greater Cincinnati

Since 2009, Robinson has led the community development corporation, whose members include Cincinnati Children’s, TriHealth, UC Health, University of Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. It invested $10 million in tax credits to help ﬁnish the completion of the UC Medical Center expansion. UC’s Digital Futures Complex opened two buildings in the Innovation District at Martin Luther King and Reading Road.

The Most Rev. Schnurr has led the archdiocese of about 450,000 Catholics in 19 Southwest Ohio counties across 208 parishes since 2009. Susan Gibbons, superintendent of the country’s ﬁfth-largest Catholic school system, retired in July after 45 years with the program. Kathy Kane, the deputy superintendent of leadership and licensure, will lead the schools on an interim basis.

Smith became the ﬁrst leader of the country’s fifth-oldest YWCA in February. The Cincinnati native is an attorney who began her career at the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio before working at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Children’s Law Center, and the Ohio Justice & Policy Center. She was the founding Executive Director of the Center for Social Justice at the Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio before moving to the YWCA.

Hometown: Georgetown, Ohio Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate and master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? I

encourage people to learn as much as possible about all facets of economic development by talking to individuals at different types of jobs in our industry. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? We bring stakeholders together, so collaboration continues to be a priority of our organization and my leadership style.

Hometown: Sheldon, Iowa Education: Loras College (undergraduate), Gregorian University (master’s), Catholic University of America (Ph.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? The calling of the Holy Spirit can be subtle. The path to the priesthood can be lined with uncertainties. Despite challenges, each of us is called to love the Lord and follow His will. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? My leadership approach is informed by the divine providence of Jesus Christ, and this confidence enables me to remain consistent.

Brian Tome

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Howard University (undergraduate), Temple University (J.D.) What’s the best career advice you ever received? “If you want to go fast, go

alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The African proverb is my constant reminder that success is rarely achieved alone. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? My leadership style has always been rooted in

collaboration, a healthy dose of optimism, and empowering my team to solve problems creatively.

Moira Weir

Allen Woods

S E NIOR PASTO R Crossroads Church

PRESIDENT AND CEO United Way of Greater Cincinnati

CEO Mortar

Tome founded the Oakley-based nondenominational megachurch in 1996. It now has multiple campuses in Ohio and Kentucky, and an online streaming platform that reaches across the country. It bought the former Sears store at the Dayton Mall last year after renting space for services in the region for years. Tome welcomed Bengals kicker Evan McPherson to the church’s annual Super Bowl of Preaching.

Weir has led the local agency since 2020. UWGC serves 87 partners across nine counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. She added three members to the agency’s leadership team this year: Alaina Pratt as Chief Experience Officer; Amy Weber, named Chief Impact Officer after working at the organization for 10 years; and Elbert Goode II as Chief Marketing Officer.

Woods co-founded the urban business incubator in 2014 to help marginalized entrepreneurs ﬁnd resources and partners. The organization will have a physical presence in 15 cities across the country by next year. Its Entrepreneurship Academy is designed for people starting or growing a business. It’s renovating a building on Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills to be its new headquarters.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: Robert Morris College (un-

Hometown: Philadelphia Education: Simmons College

dergraduate), Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Don’t forget that our “business” is people being closer to God. Don’t be frustrated when there aren’t clear answers or others don’t understand your world.

(undergraduate), Thomas Moore (MBA), Bryn Mawr College (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? You must have passion for what you do, which means bringing urgency and energy to the work we do alongside the communities we serve. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve always valued curiosity as an essential leadership trait, but now I place even more emphasis on asking questions and listening.

Hometown: Indianapolis What was your ﬁrst job? At Baskin Robbins making $3.50/hour. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Lately, all of my advice and motivation comes

How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I was much more driven for our church to take new

ground, but today I’m more driven to equip people to take new ground in their own life.

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from Coach Prime, but outside of that the best advice I’ve ever received was from my wife, Kyla: Celebrate your wins. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? In many ways, the pandemic was an unexpected gift that

forced me to sit down, slow down, and prioritize how I show up. While I’m still as driven as I’ve always been, I am resistant to the additional stressors that lead to burnout.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Michael Allen

John Barrett

Patty Basti

CEO Allen Associates

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT, AND CEO Western & Southern Financial Group

MANAGING PA RTNER KPMG

Allen founded the executive search firm in 1996 for companies seeking senior executives and board members. It placed 65 C-level executives in local firms in 2021, tops in the region. Its recruiters specialize in digital, customer experience, finance, human resources, marketing, manufacturing, merchandising, sales, strategy, supply chain, and product development, with locations in Cincinnati and Nashville.

Barrett leads the ﬁnancial services giant that, with $13 billion in revenue, ranks 314 on the 2023 Fortune 500, up 58 spots from last year’s ranking. Western & Southern Financial Group is a diversiﬁed family of companies that provides life insurance, investments, and retirement solutions to 6.5 million clients, policy holders, and account owners.

A KPMG veteran for 22 years, Basti was named the first female leader of the international accounting firm’s local office in 2020. She also leads the firm’s local internal audit and enterprise risk practice and has served as KPMG’s national leader for internal audit quality assessment reviews. With 185 employees and 75 CPAs, KPMG ranks as the fourth-largest accounting firm in Cincinnati.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? I’ve never seen a

Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

better environment for starting a new career than now. My advice to someone entering business would be to dig all the way in, set aside the latest thinking, and make your work your priority. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? It remains constant. I am still a proponent for working shoulder to shoulder with someone versus working via Teams or Zoom.

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PROFE S SSIONAL SIONAL SERVICE S

Shannan Boyer

Nick Brunker

Steve Bybee

PRESIDENT Scooter Media

GROUP DIRECTOR , EXPERIENCE STRATEGY VMLY&R

MANAGING PA RTNER PwC

Boyer founded the Covington-based communications and public relations firm in 2012 and has developed and implemented communication programs for national, regional, and local brands ranging in size from Fortune 100 to small nonprofits. She’s served clients in the arts, education, nonprofit, consumer goods, tourism, and food service industries over a 20-plus year career.

Brunker joined VMLY&R in 2017 and in July 2023 was named the lead for the agency’s Cincinnati office, responsible for expanding the Kansas City-based ad ﬁrm’s client portfolio and overseeing the Cincinnati operation. VMLY&R launched in Cincinnati in 2010 as Rockﬁsh, a digital marketing agency, became part of Kansas City-based VML, and merged with Young & Rubicam to form VMLY&R.

Bybee was named Cincinnati managing partner in 2022 and has been involved with international tax services since joining PwC in 2010. As Managing Partner, his role includes oversight of Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Indianapolis, Louisville, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Pittsburgh, Rochester, and Buffalo in addition to Cincinnati.

Hometown: Denison, Iowa Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? “You can lead from any chair,” from The

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received?

Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Our team has grown while moving to a hybrid workplace, so that’s led me to focus more heavily on team communications, company culture, and ensuring my employees have a good work-life balance. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: People Working Cooperatively.

Take a posture of lifelong learning. Be a radiator, not a drain. You can be a great leader and also have a life. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?

It’s transformed signiﬁcantly. But learning from exceptional leaders during this time has boosted my conﬁdence. I now know when I need to lean into the deliverables and when to empower my talented colleagues to excel.

Ashlee Clarke

Hometown: Harrison Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate and J.D.) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Always carve out time for the things that matter the most to me outside of work. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? As we navigated our way through the pandemic, I believe all leaders had to adapt their approach. Personally, I had to get comfortable with not seeing my team on a daily basis. Figuring out ways to stay connected, providing opportunities for the team to continue advancing their careers, and making sure I was supporting each team member the most effective way was challenging.

Tony Desjardins

Scott DeVenny

CEO Empower Media

MANAGING DIRECTOR Grey Midwest

MANAGING PA RTNER Grant Thornton

Clarke, the New York City-based founder and CEO for creative and media agency NitroC, became majority shareholder and CEO of Empower in January when she and her husband, Chris Clarke, bought the company. Chris joined Empower as Executive Chairman, while former CEO Jim Price stays on for a year as non-executive chairman. Clarke says Empower will keep its headquarters in Over-the-Rhine.

New York-based Grey Group launched Grey Midwest in 2018, a move that absorbed the digital marketing agency Possible. Desjardins, with four years at Possible, was named to lead the Cincinnati marketing hub. Grey is the region’s fourth-largest branding and marketing ﬁrm with 115 employees and one of the largest web design ﬁrms, employing 10 web designers.

DeVenny was named managing partner of the accounting firm’s Cincinnati office in July after Matthew Jessup retired. He’s been the office’s technology industry practice leader and a member of its national hospitality leadership team. He has experience with initial public offerings, mergers, acquisitions, and private financing transactions, as well as with private equity groups and their portfolio companies.

Education: Wright State University

Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

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PROFE S SSIONAL SIONAL SERVICE S

Marshall Dosker

Diane Egbers

Chris Evans

PRESIDENT Strauss Troy

CEO Leadership Excelleration

CEO Barefoot

Named president of Strauss Troy law firm in 2014, Dosker’s practice includes business and corporate law, real estate, estate planning, and administration and tax law. The firm was founded in 1953. During his college years, Dosker worked at Strauss Troy, which is now the region’s ninth-largest law firm, with 50 local attorneys at offices downtown and in Covington.

Egbers’s leadership development firm provides all aspects of executive coaching, organizational consulting, and leadership programming. The firm leverages the experience of serving more than 250 organizations and Egbers’ previous senior-level experience in corporate human resources. She also is founder and board chair of Grant Us Hope, a youth suicide prevention nonprofit.

Education: University of Louisville (undergraduate), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Choose an area of law to practice that you’re passionate about. Be prepared to learn constantly throughout your career. How

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Xavier University (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Seek the best leadership development opportunities

Earlier in his career, Evans cofounded a small, digitally focused company, Ethos Interactive, before helping to start the digital marketing arm at Barefoot in 2005. He was named CEO in 2013 after the company was acquired. Barefoot is now part of New Yorkbased Omnicom Group and is Greater Cincinnati’s second-largest advertising, marketing, and branding ﬁrm with 150 local employees. It serves clients in the energy, health care, and consumer packaged goods industries, among others.

is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I am more focused on how to empower others and seek

their engagement and input to obtain optimal outcomes for our clients.

Crystal Faulkner

Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

available, and ﬁnd ways to learn from as many leaders as possible. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? We must possess the agility required to rise to the pace of change in order to succeed. Leaders with perseverance who embrace agile mindsets and skill sets will succeed in spectacular ways!

Alan Fershtman

Jim Flynn

PA RTNER Cherry Bekaert

MANAGING PA RTNER Keating Muething & Klekamp

MANAGING PA RTNER Bricker Graydon

Faulkner has led the local office of Louisville-based MCM CPAs & Advisors since 2015, and it’s become Greater Cincinnati’s 13th-largest accounting ﬁrm, with 26 local CPAs and 62 local employees. MCM was acquired earlier this year by Cherry Bekaert, a national accounting ﬁrm based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Fershtman joined the firm in 1994 and represents entrepreneurs and closely-held companies in equity and private venture transactions, ongoing operations and divestitures, mergers and acquisitions, taxation, and real estate. He leads the region’s third-largest law firm, which employs more than 120 attorneys at its office downtown. In January, the firm announced the formation of an interdisciplinary data privacy and cybersecurity practice.

In April 2023, the 152-year-old Gradyon law ﬁrm merged with Columbus-based Bricker & Eckler to form Bricker Graydon, with a combined roster of more than 200 lawyers and 370 total staff serving clients from 12 offices across three states. Flynn has been with Bricker & Eckler since 1990, specializing in health care law.

Hometown: Proctorville, Ohio Education: Marshall University and California State University–Fullerton (undergraduate) How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?I’ve learned that all great leadership teams know how to

create strategies and plans to build their products and deliver their services, but what separates the great ones from the mediocre ones is the really great teams are “healthy,” meaning they’re vulnerable and have open and honest conversations to make sure they’re doing the right thing for the greater good of the organization.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? The practice of law is very rewarding so long as you put in the time. Work hard. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m focused

Hometown: Evansville, Indiana Education: University of Notre Dame (undergraduate and J.D.) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Have the tough conversation, especially when it’s tough. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I lean upon and learn more from leaders of other businesses going through same or similar issues. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: Karen Wellington Foundation

on culture and the well-being of employees, along with a collaborative leadership approach.

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PROFE S SSIONAL SIONAL SERVICE S

Chip Gerhardt

Tom Gilman

Megan Glowacki

PRESIDENT AND CEO Government Strategies Group

CHAIRMAN Gilman Partners

PA RTNER IN CHARGE Thompson Hine

Gerhardt founded the bipartisan government relations group in 2007 after working in the public and private sector in government affairs, economic development, and issue advocacy. The firm provides legislative and executive lobbying services, issue management, and communication strategies. He’s been involved in significant policies, including the creation of tax increment financing districts, the Clean Ohio program, and passage of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act.

Gilman, who has served as CEO since purchasing the company in 2004, assumed the role of Chairman in May 2023 after partner Angel Beets was appointed CEO and partner Marci Pfeifer was named Chief Operating Officer. Gilman remains a partner and assists with strategic issues. During his tenure, revenue at the Fairfax-based executive search, talent acquisition, and leadership development ﬁrm has seen a ﬁve-fold increase.

Glowacki, a partner in Thompson Hine’s labor and employment practice group, was named Partner-in-Charge in 2022. She focuses on counseling management clients in all areas of labor and employment law. Glowacki is the Cincinnati office’s pro bono chair and a trustee for Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation, and she serves on the Pro Bono Partnership of Greater Cincinnati Advisory Council.

Education: University of Notre Dame (undergraduate), Saint Louis University (J.D.)

Hometown: Upstate New York Education: Miami University (undergraduate) How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Culture and employee engage-

ment have fully emerged as key drivers in an organization’s success. I’ve tried to modify my leadership approach to reﬂect that by consciously spending more time focusing on these things. Ultimately the best talent wins, and that’s the philosophy I emphasize internally and with our clients.

Adam Hall

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Don’t become an attorney because you like to argue.

Our jobs are focused on serving our clients, which often means that we need to ﬁnd practical solutions to their most difficult problems. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I do more listening and less talking. Most often, those around me have brilliant, creative, and thoughtful input that steers us in the right direction.

Robert Hoffer

Terence Horan

CEO Frost Brown Todd

MANAGING PARTNER DBL Law

PRESIDENT AND CEO Horan

Hall assumed the CEO role of the region’s second-largest law firm in January 2018 and has represented the firm’s largest clients in complex litigation matters. He joined the firm’s litigation department in 1991, and before that was a clerk for Judge S. Arthur Spiegel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Hoffer joined the law ﬁrm in 1980 and was appointed managing partner in 2019, leading the largest Northern Kentucky-based law ﬁrm (No. 10 in Greater Cincinnati). He’s represented employers of all sizes on human resources and labor and employment compliance matters for more than 40 years and works closely with state and federal administrative agencies as well as litigated employment cases in federal and state courts.

Horan is the second largest employee benefits provider in the region with more than 100 advisors, as well as one of the largest money management firms with $3 billion in assets under management. In June, the employee benefits division announced it was acquired by Hub International, a global insurance brokerage firm based in Chicago. The wealth management division continues to run independently.

Hometown: Grove City, Ohio Education: Ohio State University

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Fairﬁeld University

(undergraduate), Case Western Reserve University (J.D.) Education: Xavier University (undergraduate), Northern

Kentucky University (J.D.)

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(undergraduate)

PROFE S SSIONAL SIONAL SERVICE S

Steven Johnston

Lance Kwasniewski

Nathaniel Lampley Jr.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO Cincinnati Financial

CEO Belcan

MANAGING PA RTNER Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease

Johnston has been CEO of the $6.5 billion property and casualty insurance company since 2011 and added the responsibility of Chairman in 2020. He was previously Chief Financial Officer of the Fairﬁeld-based property and casualty insurance company. Cincinnati Financial is a Fortune 1000 company and the region’s sixth-largest public company.

Kwasniewski joined Belcan, an international engineering, consulting, and technical recruiting ﬁrm, in 1998 and has more than 30 years of experience in the construction, industrial equipment, and services industries. He’s served on the Board of Governors for the Aerospace Industries Association. Belcan has 8,000 employees worldwide serving the aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial markets and is one of the region’s largest private companies.

Vorys is the region’s sixth-largest law ﬁrm with more than local 70 attorneys and 330 staff in the overall ﬁrm, which is based in Columbus and maintains offices in nine different cities. Lampley has led the local office since 2006 and specializes in labor and employment law and litigation. He was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2021 and received the American Jurisprudence Award upon graduation from University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: University of Pittsburgh

Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.)

Education: Otterbein College (undergraduate)

(undergraduate and master’s)

Carl H. Lindner III

S. Craig Lindner

Joshua Lorentz

CO-CEO American Financial Group

MANAGING PA RTNER Dinsmore & Shohl

Lindner and his brother, Craig, are co-CEOs of holding company AFG, a Fortune 1000 company with $7 billion in revenue. In June, AFG named John Berding President, marking the ﬁrst time a non-Lindner has held that position at the company. The downtown-based giant completed its $240 million purchase of Crop Risk Insurance from New York-based American International Group in July. Carl is also controlling partner of FC Cincinnati.

AFG traces its roots to 1872 and the Great American Insurance Company. Carl Lindner Jr., father of Craig and Carl III, formed American Financial Group in 1959. AFG’s property and casualty insurance group is comprised of more than 35 diversiﬁed businesses offering a range of specialty commercial coverage in the areas of property and transportation, specialty casualty and specialty ﬁnancial. AFG’s in-house team of investment professionals oversees a portfolio of approximately $15 billion.

Lorentz became Dinsmore’s managing partner in 2022 after George Vincent stepped down from the position following his 65th birthday. Lorentz is also chair of the executive committee and board of directors. He joined Dinsmore in 2001 and has served in a variety of leadership roles, including chair of the intellectual property department and ﬁnance committee.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate) Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate)

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PROFE S SIONAL SERVICE S

Clement Luken Jr.

Milen Mahadevan

Jason McCaw

S E NIOR PA RTNER Wood Herron & Evans

PR ESI D EN T 84.51

C EO BelFlex Staffing Network

Founded in 1868, Wood Herron & Evans is considered the region’s largest intellectual property firm with more than 35 lawyers who work with 150 independent associates in 50 countries. Luken was named senior partner in 2018, and his work has focused on litigation, chemical technology, and trademark matters.

graduate and master’s), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.)

Mahadevan has been a leader of 84.51 dating to its days as DunnhumbyUSA. He was previously Chief Operating Officer of 84.51 and Senior Vice President and head of client solutions and capabilities. He leads the strategic direction and development of the company that provides customer data, predictive analytics, and marketing strategy to drive sales and customer loyalty for more than 1,000 clients.

BelFlex provides commercial staffing services in the light industrial, clerical, and administrative sectors. McCaw leads the Sycamore Township company founded by his parents, Candace and Mike McCaw. In 2021, it acquired the consumer and food division of consultancy YourEncore, a consultancy that was formed by Procter & Gamble, and added a network of 9,600 expert consultants to the staffing firm.

What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Know that practicing intellectual property

Hometown: London, UK Education: Imperial College London

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Kenyon College (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Prioritize building strong relationships

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (under-

law continues to be complicated with intertwining aspects of legal and technical issues woven into many of the problems we face. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? One of the primary talking points today among younger colleagues has been the recognition and adoption of practices that contribute to a better work/lifestyle balance.

(undergraduate and master’s)

and trust with both your clients and your team. In this field, trust is the cornerstone. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago?My focus on our core values, especially “People Matter,” has deepened. We prioritized safety, well-being, and livelihoods, making only minimal changes to operations while adapting to the circumstances.

Tony Munafo

Gus Perdikakis

Jay Rammes

P RES IDE NT AND CEO Prolink

PR ESI D EN T A N D CEO Gus Perdikakis Associates

M A NAG I NG DI R ECTOR Barnes Dennig

The Norwood-based company changed its name from ProLink Staffing to simply Prolink to better reflect its broader suite of services. Founded by Munafo and his brother in 2011 as a staffing firm, Prolink has expanded to help clients on workforce needs beyond the hiring process, including consulting clients on increasing labor costs and employee retention issues.

Perdikakis has more than 50 years of experience in the engineering solutions and professional staffing services industry. He and his wife, Jo Ann, founded GPA in 1979 with a staff of three; it’s grown to more than 350 employees. Job placement areas include engineering, professional, consumer products, supply chain, and administrative.

Rammes leads the fifth-largest Greater Cincinnati accounting firm, with 175 employees; it’s the 144th-largest CPA firm in the U.S., according to Inside Public Accounting Report. The firm has offices in Crestview Hills, Dayton, and Indianapolis in addition to its main downtown location. In 2021, it merged with Dayton-based Thorn Lewis + Duncan to add 25 employees.

Hometown: West Chester Education: University of Kentucky (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? The workforce solutions

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? It’s a great service

Hometown: Dayton, Ohio Education: Miami University (under-

industry is a fantastic space to have a fulfilling career. Our business requires a person to have a growth mindset; someone who is always open to learning and developing. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? In the past I was more direct and systematic and believed everyone should follow the same process. Today, my leadership style is more service-minded.

to help those in need of work without any expectation of anything in return. Satisfaction comes simply in the blessing of helping others. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? I still try to set examples and push responsibility and accountability into the leadership of our firm, which includes allowing the next generation the freedom to exercise their leadership style and approach to business.

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graduate), Xavier University (MBA)

PROFE S SSIONAL SIONAL SERVICE S

Jackie Reau

Regina Carswell Russo

Kerry Roe

CEO Game Day Communications

PRESIDENT Clark Schaefer Hackett

FOUNDER AND CEO RRight Now Communications

Reau co-founded the media and marketing firm in 2002, one of the first female-owned firms that focused on sports and entertainment. Game Day Communications created the Cincinnati Media Center at Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, and Reau’s team spearheaded the region’s bid to host 2026 World Cup matches. In 2022, she launched Cincinnati Fear, a professional esports team.

Prior to being named president in 2017, Roe led the firm’s Government Services Group and also served as the firm’s Executive Vice President for seven years. He has been with CSH for more than 20 years, providing accounting, auditing, consulting and tax services, and began his career as an auditor with the State of Ohio. The downtown-based firm has 80 local CPAs and 180 employees.

After more than two decades as a broadcast journalist and working in public relations and marketing for the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, Russo launched the communications ﬁrm in 2014. She is a 2022 YWCA Career Woman of Achievement, a two-time Emmy nominee, and a board trustee with Cincinnati Opera.

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio Education: Ohio University (under-

Hometown: Lima, Ohio Education: Wilmington College

graduate and master’s)

(undergraduate)

Hometown: Detroit Education: Purdue University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Be a translator. If you’re getting into public relations, speak like journalists. If you get into journalism, think and speak like your audience. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?

I consider my role as more of a coach than a boss. When I started out, I was hyper-focused on the goal and outcome. I’m now more focused on how we get there together.

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PROFE S SSIONAL SIONAL SERVICE S

Larry Sheakley

James Sowar

Gerald Sparkman

CEO Sheakley

MANAGING PARTNER Deloitte

CEO D.E. Foxx & Associates

Sheakley purchased his father’s company, Sheakley & Associates, in 1976 at the age of 26. He kept growing it, and now the Sheakley Group ranks as one of the region’s largest private companies with more than $800 million in annual revenue. Sheakley is also a member of the Reds and FC Cincinnati ownership groups.

Leading the local office of the international accounting ﬁrm since 2013, Sowar also serves as the national tax leader in the ﬁrm’s health care provider sector. He has more than 33 years of professional service experience, focused on corporate structuring, executive compensation, audits, and exempt organization structuring. Deloitte is the region’s largest firm with 180 local CPAs and more than 500 total employees.

One of the region’s largest minority-owned businesses, D.E. Foxx is a parent company of businesses that provide construction services, facility management, manufacturing services, background checks, and sourcing and supply chain management. In 2022, the ﬁrm created a trade development program for people with a diverse background in collaboration with the Cincinnati Reds.

Hometown: Cincinnati

Hometown: Coldwater, Ohio Education: University of Notre

Dame (undergraduate)

Hometown: Chicago Education: Anna Maria College (undergraduate), University of Notre Dame (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business?

Ensure the organization you’re considering joining meets your career goals and is a cultural ﬁt. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? This post-COVID era has taught us the values and challenges of balancing the needs of employees and the business.

CONGRATULATIONS TOM WIEDEMANN 34 Years Building on the Legacy that is AAA. Congratulations, Tom, for your recognition as one of the Cincinnati 300. From all of us at AAA Club Alliance, thank you for your leadership and your commitment to our Members, our Associates, and the communities we serve.

WHEREVER THE ROAD LEADS, WE’RE WITH YOU AT EVERY TURN. 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week. AAA.com

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PROFE S SSIONAL SIONAL SERVICE S

Diane Surette

Sarah Tomes

Bart Valdez

PRESIDENT AND CEO Burke, Inc.

CEO LPK

CEO Ingenovis Health

After starting a strategic consulting division for the market research ﬁrm in 2004, Surette was promoted to Senior Vice President of client services, then promoted to Executive Vice President with responsibility for leading the client services group. She was named Burke’s ﬁrst Chief Client Officer in 2017 and promoted to President in 2018 and CEO in 2019.

Tomes worked 20 years leading strategic vision, business processes, and organizational design at the firm before being named CEO in 2016. Founded in 1983 by five employees in the local office of Young & Rubicam, LPK is now one of the largest independent and employee-owned brand design firms in the world and the second-largest overall advertising, branding, and marketing firm in Greater Cincinnati.

In June 2021, Valdez was appointed Chief Executive Officer for the newly formed Ingenovis Health, a health care staffing ﬁrm formed by the acquisitions of Cincinnati-based Trustaff, Fastaff, U.S. Nursing, CardioSolution, and Stella.ai. Valdez previously held leadership roles with Syneos Health, INC Research, Ceridian, and First Advantage.

Hometown: Lewiston, Maine Education: Bentley University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Lean into your curiosity and creativity. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m more focused on setting a vision not only for the company but for my team. I try to place my team members in roles that can help them capitalize on their strengths, elevate their skills, and ultimately prepare for future leadership opportunities.

Hometown: Alexandria, Kentucky Education: Thomas More University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Get some

practical work experience. Intern. Co-op. Raise your hand and say “yes” to any opportunity. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? The last ﬁve years forced us to organize, make decisions, and progress on our priorities much faster.

Education: Colorado State University (undergraduate), University of Colorado (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? The art of listening is key, something you have to practice every day. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve had to learn to have more patience and to speak last

at a meeting versus ﬁrst. The minute I share my thoughts, I know they’ll bend or eliminate much of others’ free thought.

We connect work and workers in meaningful ways where everyone can reach their potential and thrive.

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Working better, together. $) *0/ #*2\ prolinkworks.com

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PROFE S SSIONAL SIONAL SERVICE S

Jeremy Vaughan

Nick Vehr

Raul Villar Jr.

MANAGING PARTNER Ernst & Young

CEO Vehr Communications

CEO Paycor

Vaughan worked in audit at a midsize accounting ﬁrm in England after graduating college, moved to a consulting group at Arthur Andersen, and joined Deloitte in 2002. He moved to Ernst & Young in England in 2006 and was asked to move to Cincinnati with EY in 2010 and was named partner. He became the office’s Managing Partner in April 2020.

Vehr founded the marketing communications firm in 2007 after serving on Cincinnati City Council. He’s also served as Managing Director for the World Choir Games and founded Cincinnati 2012, Inc. to pursue an Olympics bid for this region. He has served as chair of the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau and as a Vice President for the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

After assuming the Chief Executive Officer role in 2019, Villar guided the payroll and human resources ﬁrm through an initial public offering on the Nasdaq exchange in 2021. In April, Paycor announced the acquisition of Austin, Texas-based Verb, a software ﬁrm that uses behavioral science and microlearning content to offer workplace training. It was the fourth acquisition the company has made under Villar.

Hometown: Maidstone, England Education: University of Nottingham, England (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? It’s a marathon and not a sprint; it’s all about building networks and building trust, which takes time and effort. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m becoming even more energetic and enthusiastic whenever I am around our people. The COVID years gave us a false sense of belief that it’s OK to sit at home and build relationships over an app.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Notre

Dame (undergraduate)

Mary Zalla

James Zimmerman

GLOBAL PRESIDENT CONSUMER BRANDS Landor & Fitch

PARTNER-IN-CHARGE Taft Stettinius & Hollister

Zalla is the global president of consumer brands for Landor & Fitch and has been the Managing Director of the local Landor office since 2011. The San Francisco-based company is a part of WPP plc, the world’s largest advertising company.

Zimmerman assumed the role of partner in charge in 2015. Since 2018, Taft Stettinius & Hollister has grown by nearly 40 percent, largely by expanding its expertise in business transactions, bank lending, private equity, startups, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate. In 2023, it expanded its Kentucky presence by bringing on two Lexington-based partners.

Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate)

Hometown: Atlanta until 14, then Cincinnati Education: Vanderbilt University (undergraduate and J.D.) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? Seek opportunities to learn from lawyers across different sectors, whether it’s a part-time job, internship, or just a conversation over coffee. Law is a broad field. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? If anything, this time has underscored the importance of leadership basics for me: being authentic, communicating clearly and consistently, and making value-driven decisions.

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Hometown: Marlborough, Connecticut Education: Bryant University (undergraduate), University of Connecticut (MBA)

REAL ESTATE

Adam Bortz

William Butler

John Caulfield

CEO Towne Properties

C H A I R M AN Corporex Companies

CH I E F F I NA N CI A L OF F I CE R Phillips Edison

Towne Properties owns and manages a portfolio of more than 12,000 apartments, 130,000 commercial and homeowners associations, and more than 600,000 square feet of office space. Established in 1961 by Bortz’s father, Neil, the company now operates seven management offices in Ohio, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Two brothers, Brian and Chris, oversee the company’s construction arm and legal matters.

Corporex has a nearly 60-year history of developing hotels, offices, residential, and mixed-use developments in more 20 states. The company has more than $1 billion in assets under management and has invested in communities with approximately $2.4 million in corporate and foundation giving in 2022. The company is currently developing the Ovation 25-acre mixed-use site in Newport.

Caulﬁeld has been with Phillips Edison for nine years and is its top executive in Cincinnati. The company went public on the Nasdaq exchange in 2021, raising more than $475 million in its initial public offering. The ﬁrm owns grocery-anchored retail centers around the country and reported revenue of $575.4 million in 2022.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Kenyon College

Hometown: Covington Education: University of Cincinnati (associate’s in civil engineering technology)

(undergraduate)

Hometown: New Orleans Education: Xavier University (undergraduate and MBA) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Good work gets more work. If you work hard and are hungry to learn, opportunities will be available to you. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’m more conﬁdent and have more experience now, which allows me to be a better listener. I have always been a people person and enjoyed being part of a team that’s working toward a big goal.

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REAL E STATE

Sarah Close

Kent Dailey

John Danis

O P E RAT ING PRINCIPAL/B RO KER Keller Williams Advisors Realty

CO-OWNER/BROKER RE/MAX Victory + Affiliates

CEO Danis Building Construction

Keller Williams is the fifth-largest residential real estate firm in Greater Cincinnati, with more than 3,000 transactions in 2022 and nearly $1 billion in net local home sales volume. Close was one of five agents who founded the first local Keller Williams Realty office in 2005. The agency is located in Columbia-Tusculum.

RE/MAX Victory is the sixth-largest residential real estate ﬁrm in Greater Cincinnati, with $769 million in net local home sales volume and nearly 3,000 transactions in 2022. The agency was formed when RE/MAX Victory of Ohio and RE/MAX Affiliates of Kentucky merged in 2020, creating an agency with seven locations and more than 200 agents.

Hometown: Centerville, Ohio Education: Miami University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Be on purpose about and focus on the needs and wants of your clients, and your own needs and wants will be taken care of. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? The broker/agent relationship has always been that of partnership. Agents are creative and resourceful business owners.

Hometown: Taylor Mill Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? My first boss told me that my position could be one of the easiest low-paying jobs or one of the hardest high-paying jobs, but it was up to me to decide that. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? We have to search for ways to keep everyone engaged and part of the team, which is much harder to do now. We have to be aware that we’re losing the “people” side of things these days in exchange for convenience.

Founded in 1916 by B.G. Danis, this third-generation, privately owned company serves the Midwest and Southeast regions of the country, specializing in public and private building and industrial projects. Danis offers expertise in construction management, general construction, design/build, and buildto-suit lease-back, as well as experience in the corporate, health care, senior living, education, retail, hospitality/entertainment, and industrial markets.

Brad DeVries

Education: Cornell University (undergraduate)

David Drees

Mel Gravely

PRESIDENT AND CEO Huff Realty

PRESIDENT AND CEO Drees Homes

CEO TriVersity Construction

Huff Realty is the fourth-largest residential real estate broker in Greater Cincinnati, with $1.2 billion in net local home sales volume and more than 4,300 transactions in 2022. Founded by Jim Huff in 1975, the ﬁrm now operates as a Berkshire Hathaway company with offices in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Drees has been family-owned and operated for 95 years, with headquarters in Ft. Mitchell. It operates in Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Nashville, Raleigh, Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. Drees is the second-largest homebuilder in Greater Cincinnati in 2022, with revenue of nearly $303 million.

TriVersity is the third-largest minority-owned business in Greater Cincinnati, with $104 million in 2022 revenue. In March, Gravely purchased majority ownership of Diversiﬁed 360, a Cincinnati-based commercial and industrial integrated facilities management services company that was founded in 2019.

Hometown: Naples, Florida Education: Centre College

(undergraduate) Hometown: Crescent Springs Education: Trinity University (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

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Hometown: Canton, Ohio Education: University of Mount Union (undergraduate), Kent State University (MBA), Union Institute and University (Ph.D.)

REAL E STATE

Louis Guttman

Greg Hammond

Chris Hopper

PRESIDENT AND CEO Hills Properties

PRESIDENT AND CEO Hixson Architecture, Engineering, Interiors

EXECUTVE VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER Skanska USA

Now in its third generation of family leadership, Hills Properties specializes in development, construction, ﬁnancing, and management of single-family homes, apartments, and commercial buildings. It’s developing the Residences at Clocktower, a 329-unit luxury apartment community in West Chester Township.

In 1948, former Navy Captain Lewis Hixson established an engineering ﬁrm with his friend Eugene Tartar in a small office in downtown Cincinnati. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Hixson is the region’s third-largest architecture ﬁrm, with $24 million in 2022 local billings and 21 registered architects. Hammond joined Hixson in 2001 and has been CEO since 2018.

Hopper opened the Cincinnati office of the Swedish ﬁrm in 2011 and has steadily grown the local operation to 65 employees and billings of $160 million. Recent projects include the renovation of UC’s Fifth Third Arena and construction of the new $34-million home for UC’s College of Law.

Hometown: Buffalo, N.Y. Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Hometown: Gillette, Wyoming Education: Purdue University (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Embrace hiring for cultural ﬁt and proactively seek out talent rather than waiting for an immediate need. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?

I embrace “servant leadership,” which to me means understanding our teams’ most pressing needs, actively working to ease their challenges, and equipping them with the necessary tools and technologies they need to serve our clients in the best way possible.

Congratulations to Mike Huseman and all of the outstanding leaders included in this year’s Cincinnati 300! Thank you, Mike, for leading us towards our vision to become the go to partner, locally and beyond, to build any vision into reality.

www.husemangroup.com

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REAL E STATE

David Johnson

Mike Huseman

Joe King

CEO Huseman Group

PRESIDENT BHDP

GROUP PRESIDENT Coldwell Banker Realty

Huseman became president of HGC Construction in 2002 and has led its growth from a mid-sized commercial contractor to a group of companies with a range of markets and construction services, including Structural Systems Repair Group, HGC Construction, Stewart Iron Works, Trade31, Boldcastle, and Stanton Millworks. The company was founded by Huseman’s grandfather in 1931.

BHDP is an international architectural ﬁrm that serves higher education, industrial, health care, community and government, and retail industries from its offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C. It’s the second-largest architectural ﬁrm in Greater Cincinnati, with $33 million in 2022 billings and 26 registered architects. It is leading the design team for a new research pavilion for Cincinnati Children’s.

Coldwell Banker Realty has grown to No. 1 in local residential real estate market share, with $2.7 billion in net local home sales volume in 2022 and 8,000 transactions closed, with an average sales price of $335,000. King has led the parent company’s Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Southeastern Indiana, and Columbus operations since 2005 and added the Pittsburgh market in 2021.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? There’s something for everybody

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate)

in the construction industry. Communication, collaboration and willingness to adapt and learn goes over well. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I focus on developing and engaging our team members, which will lead to everyone’s ability to do a better job for our clients.

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REAL E STATE

Steve Leeper

Bobby Maly

Elizabeth Mangan

PRESIDENT AND CEO 3CDC

CEO Model Group

CEO Miller-Valentine Construction

Leeper was appointed in 2004 to lead 3CDC’s efforts to revitalize Cincinnati’s center city, including the ﬁnancing, development, and management of real estate within Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. 3CDC is leading the process of building a new headquarters hotel for the Duke Energy Convention Center, as well as updating the convention center itself, and is focused on creating more affordable housing options in Over-the-Rhine.

Model Group has taken a lead role in some of the largest recent urban revitalization projects in Greater Cincinnati, most notably in Overthe-Rhine and Walnut Hills. The company has led more than $550 million in real estate development and construction. Maly succeeded Steve Smith as CEO in 2020.

Miller-Valentine was founded as a construction company in 1963, growing from its Dayton headquarters to expand with offices in Cincinnati and Columbus, as well as Columbia and Charleston, S.C. Mangan assumed leadership in 2018, the ﬁrst woman to lead Miller-Valentine. The company has built more than 100 million square feet of commercial space, including manufacturing facilities, warehouses, medical office buildings, data centers, and office buildings as well as multifamily housing construction.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: Ohio University (undergraduate)

Education: Miami University (undergraduate), University of Maryland (master’s) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your field of business? My late Uncle Dan Lincoln taught me that having a career in which you can’t wait to get into work each day is worth more than anything else. I still believe why you do something is what matters most. How is your leadership approach today different from five years ago? I’ve had some amazing mentors, and maybe I’ve just heard them better lately, but they’ve helped me lead through a mission-first perspective and trying to constantly provide focus for our company.

Hometown: Nitro, West Virginia Education: West Virginia University (undergraduate), Georgetown University (J.D.)

Congrats Hopper! Your pioneering spirit helped us grow and succeed since planting the Skanska flag here in 2005. Thanks for your leadership and positive impact on us, our clients and the Tri-State community.

Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Hopper

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REAL E STATE

Tim McMahon

Mark Meinhardt

Erin Mignano

CEO Fischer Homes

PRESIDENT Star One Realtors

VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER Turner Construction

Formerly president and chief operating ofﬁcer, McMahon was named Fischer Homes’ CEO in October 2022 to succeed Robert Hawksley, who retired in February 2023. In the past ﬁve years, the region’s largest homebuilder has grown from 19,500 homes built to 32,000 homes. Annual revenue during that time went from $637 million to $1.5 billion.

Fairﬁeld-based Star One is the seventh-largest residential real estate ﬁrm in Greater Cincinnati, with $517.6 million in net local home sales volume in 2022 and more than 1,800 transactions, an average sale price of $286,077; it has 217 agents. Meinhardt has led the company since 2011 and has served the local real estate industry since 1987.

Turner Construction started in Cincinnati in 1903 with the construction of the Ingalls Building, the world’s ﬁrst reinforced concrete skyscraper. Today it employs nearly 160 professionals responsible for $400 million of construction annually. Recognizable projects include FC Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium, Great American Tower at Queen City Square, and St. Elizabeth Cancer Care Center.

Education: Rutgers University (undergraduate)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate)

Hometown: Green Brook, New Jersey Education: George Washington University (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? To be my authentic self and

ﬁnd my own voice and path, but also remember to advocate for others. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? I’ve become a more conscientious leader focusing on developing a culture where our people feel respected, empowered and heard.

TOGETHER, WE CAN END HUNGER. Give now and help your neighbors in the tristate area. Every $1 you give will help provide 3 meals.

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REAL E STATE

Gary Mitchell

Shenan Murphy

Scott Nelson

PRESIDENT AND CEO Divisions Maintenance Group

VI C E C H A I R M A N OH I O Colliers International

CEO Comey & Shepherd

The fast-growing facilities services provider consolidated all its employees into its headquarters at The Foundry on Fountain Square in 2023. Mitchell started the company in 1999, managing lot-sweeping for a single store in Alexandria. Today, DMG serves more than 100 national customers and reported revenue of $607.7 million in 2022.

Murphy began his career as a retail and investment broker in 1989 and today oversees the strategic and daily operations of Colliers International in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton. He founded the Colliers Cleveland office in 2012. The company provides brokerage sales, investment, construction, information technology, and property management services.

Comey & Shepherd is the second-largest residential real estate brokerage in Greater Cincinnati, with $2.3 billion in net local home sales volume in 2022, 7,300 transactions, and an average sale price of $316,438. Nelson has served as CEO of the ﬁrm, which has operations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, since 1990.

Hometown: Cold Spring Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate)

Hometown: Cincinnati What’s the best career advice you ever received? Keep an eye out for blinding ﬂashes of the obvious. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Certainly I have an ever-greater focus on

technology-related matters as well as not losing a true client service perspective. Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: Melanoma Know More

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REAL E STATE

Dan Neyer

Molly North

Evans Nwankwo

PRESIDENT AND CEO Neyer Properties

CEO Al. Neyer

PRESIDENT AND CEO Megen Construction

Neyer formed Neyer Properties in 1995 to pursue mixed-use developments, office, retail, industrial, medical, hospitality, single-family lot development, and multi-family projects. He’s been directly involved in the development of more than 3,000 acres of property and more than 800 building and development projects, totaling over $3 billion in value.

North joined Al. Neyer in 2007 as a real estate development manager and later served as its Chief Financial Officer before being promoted to CEO in 2015. The company posted 2022 revenue of $653 million and employs 171. In January, the company promoted Stephanie Gaither to the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Real Estate.

Nwankwo founded Megen Construction in 1993 after a career at a national construction ﬁrm. The company has worked on some of the region’s most important construction projects, including the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Fountain Square’s revitalization. He has overseen more than $2.5 billion in projects, and the company is one of the top minority-owned businesses in the region.

Hometown: Wilmington, Ohio Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Education: Texas A&M University (undergraduate)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University

(undergraduate)

Jeremy Raby

Matthew Schottelkotte

Kevin Schutte

PRESIDENT AND CEO ERA Real Solutions Realty

CEO GBBN Architects

MANAGING DIRECTOR CBRE

With more than $323 million in net local home sales volume in 2022, ERA Real Solutions is the region’s 10th-largest residential real estate firm. Raby launched the firm in 2007 and now oversees four offices and 165 local agents. In 2022, it closed on 1,130 transactions with an average price of $287,000. The ERA Real Estate network includes more than 42,000 affiliated brokers and independent sales associates in 2,400 offices throughout the U.S. and the world.

GBBN is the largest architecture firm in the region, with $37 million in local billings in 2022. The downtown-based ﬁrm grew its local billings more than 16 percent during the past year and took on the Children’s Theater of Cincinnati renovation of Emery Theatre in Over-the-Rhine. GBBN also has offices in Beijing, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Minneapolis.

CBRE’s Cincinnati office has more than 100 employees, including more than 45 sales professionals, and 10 real estate managers. Its services include property management, agency leasing, advisory and transactions, ﬁnancing, facilities management, project management, marketing, and valuation and advisory services. Schutte is in his eighth year of leading the local office of the publicly traded global company.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Architecture is a place where

you can make a positive impact on the world, and you should take responsibility for making the world a better place. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago?

I’ve moved from being 100 percent focused on people to 150 percent. The pressures of balancing professional excellence and a personal life have taken their toll on everyone.

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Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati

(undergraduate)

REAL E STATE

Robin Sheakley

Albert Smitherman

Tim Steigerwald

PRESIDENT Sibcy Cline

PRESIDENT AND CEO Jostin Construction

PRESIDENT AND CEO Messer Construction

After more than two decades with family-owned Sibcy Cline Realtors, Sheakley assumed the presidency in 2018 as the fourth-generation leader. Siby Cline is the third-largest residential real estate firm in Greater Cincinnati, with $1.9 billion in net local home sales volume in 2022 and more than 5,500 transactions, with an average price of $370,476.

Jostin is one of the largest minority-owned businesses in Greater Cincinnati, reporting $9.2 million in revenue and a staff of 50 employees. Smitherman launched the company in 1998 and named it after his sons, Joshua and Justin. Local projects include Cincinnati Children’s, Cincinnati Zoo, and Bethany House.

Started his career with Messer as a co-op in 1984 while earning a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering and management, then joined Messer full time in 1988 and rose through the ranks. He became President in 2018 and Chairman of Messer Inc. and CEO of Messer Construction in 2019. New projects include FC Cincinnati’s mixed-use development and UC’s practice football facility.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (under-

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Bowling Green State

graduate)

University (undergraduate)

Hometown: Lawrenceburg, Indiana Education: Purdue University (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA) What advice would you give someone looking to enter your ﬁeld of business? Construction is ultimately about the impact we can have on our communities through the projects we build. How is your leadership approach today different from ﬁve years ago? Engagement has become more of the centerpiece of my

leadership approach over the past several years, especially ensuring our employees feel connected to each other and the company.

Greg Williams

Tom Williams

AREA PRESIDENT M/I Homes

PRESIDENT AND CEO North American Properties

M/I Homes is the third-largest local homebuilder in the region, with more than $264 million in 2021 revenue and 521 housing starts. Williams has led the local operations of the Columbus-based homebuilder since 2011. The company is one of the builders developing the Trailside Village subdivision in Green Township.

The family-owned commercial real estate business was founded in 1954 and is now led by Williams, who is also a principal owner of the Cincinnati Reds and of Skyline Chili. NAP invested $100 million to transform Newport on the Levee into a mixeduse destination and is planning to open a Margaritaville Resort, including a hotel and restaurants, there in 2026.

Hometown: Denver Education: Brigham Young University (undergraduate)

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Georgetown University

(undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.)

C I N C I N N AT I 3 0 0 | 2 0 2 3 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 7 5

Index BY NAME

JONATHAN ADEE, KEEP CINCINNATI BEAUTIFUL JENNIFER AGNELLO, DENTAL CARE PLUS MICHAEL ALLEN, ALLEN ASSOCIATES SCOTT ALTMAN, CINCINNATI BALLET JEFFREY ALUOTTO, HAMILTON COUNTY MARK ANDERSON, PROMACH SCOTT ANDERSON, HBH HOLDINGS KIRK ANDREAE, CLARKE POWER SERVICES TIMOTHY BALLINGER, GENERAL ELECTRIC CREDIT UNION ADAM BANKOVICH, RHINEGEIST BREWING JOHN BARRETT, WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP RON BASS, MORGAN STANLEY PATTY BASTI, KPMG REBEKAH BEAULIEU, TAFT MUSEUM OF ART JEFF BERDING, FC CINCINNATI JEFF BILLINGSLEY, DHL PETE BLACKSHAW, CINTRIFUSE RIC BOOTH, DUKE ENERGY CONVENTION CENTER JIM BONOMINIO, JUNGLE JIM’S ADAM BORTZ, TOWNE PROPERTIES JOE BOURGAF, FERNO GROUP OF COMPANIES SHANNAN BOYER, SCOOTER MEDIA CANDICE MATTHEWS BRACKEEN, LIGHTSHIP CAPITAL PAULA BREHM-HEEGER, CINCINNATI & HAMILTON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY TOM BRENNAN, SCHOOL OUTFITTERS ARCHIE BROWN, FIRST FINANCIAL BANK BONITA BROWN, NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY MIKE BROWN, CINCINNATI BENGALS ADAM BROWNING, GOLD MEDAL PRODUCTS NICK BRUNKER, VMLY&R DAVID BUDIG, BUDCO GROUP J.B. BUSE, LOTH HOLDINGS IRIS SIMPSON BUSH, FLYING PIG MARATHON DAN BUSKEN, BUSKEN BAKERY WILLIAM BUTLER, CORPOREX COS. STEVE BYBEE, PWC DOUG CAHILL, HILLMAN GROUP TODD CAIN, SHAREFAX CREDIT UNION JULIE CALVERT, VISIT CINCY MICHAEL CARREL, ATRICURE BOB CASTELLINI, CINCINNATI REDS MIKE CASTRUCCI, MIKE CASTRUCCI AUTOMOTIVE JOHN CAULFIELD, PHILLIPS EDISON JOSEPH CHILLO, THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY CHRIS CICCHINELLI, PURE ROMANCE JAMES CLARK, LSI INDUSTRIES MIKE CLARK, PILOT CHEMICAL ASHLEE CLARKE, EMPOWER MEDIA MARK CLEMENT, TRIHEALTH SARAH CLOSE, KELLER WILLIAMS ADVISORS REALTY KEN COHEN, COHEN RECYCLING CRIS COLLINSWORTH, PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS GARREN COLVIN, ST. ELIZABETH HEALTHCARE BRENT COOPER, NORTHERN KENTUCKY CHAMBER JONATHAN COOPER, MASON CITY SCHOOLS RICHARD CORRADO, AIR TRANSPORT SERVICES GROUP TOBY COSTON, HEIDELBERG DISTRIBUTING GREGORY CRAWFORD, MIAMI UNIVERSITY LEE CRUME, BE NKY BRENDON CULL, CINCINNATI USA REGIONAL CHAMBER STEVE CUNTZ, BLUESTAR KENT DAILEY, RE/MAX VICTORY + AFFILIATES JOHN DANIS, DANIS BUILDING CONSTRUCTION ROGER DAVID, GSR BRANDS STEVE DAVIS MD, CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S ANNETTE PFUND DE CAVEL, JR GROUP FRANK DEJULIUS, FLEET FEET TONY DESJARDINS, GREY MIDWEST SCOTT DEVENNY, GRANT THORNTON MICHAEL DEVER, PERFORMANCE AUTOMOTIVE BRAD DEVRIES, HUFF REALTY ANDREW DEWITT, DEWEY’S PATRICK DOLLE, JPMORGAN CHASE BANK MARSHALL DOSKER, STRAUSS TROY

7 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M C I N C I N N AT I 3 0 0 | 2 0 2 3

51 33 57 23 51 43 43 13 5 13 57 5 57 23 23 13 43 24 14 67 44 58 51 24 14 5 33 24 44 58 44 14 24 14 67 58 44 6 24 33 24 14 67 34 14 44 44 58 34 68 15 45 34 52 35 45 15 35 52 52 45 68 68 25 35 29 15 58 58 15 68 25 6 59

GINA DOUTHAT, TANK JAMES DOWNTON, SHARONVILLE CONVENTION CENTER DAVID DREES, DREES HOMES DIANE EGBERS, LEADERSHIP EXCELLERATION RICHARD EISWERTH, CINCINNATI PUBLIC RADIO TIM ELSBROCK, FIFTH THIRD BANK CHRIS EVANS, BAREFOOT DAVID FALK, BOCA RESTAURANT GROUP CRYSTAL FAULKNER, CHERRY BEKAERT ALAN FERSHTMAN, KEATING MUETHING & KLEKAMP FERNANDO FIGUEROA, GATEWAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE MARC FISHER, MAYERSON JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER JIM FLYNN, BRICKER GRAYDON LEIGH FOX, ALTAFIBER CHRISTOPHER GARTEN, SEVEN HILLS SCHOOL CHIP GERHARDT, GOVERNMENT STRATEGIES TOM GILMAN, GILMAN PARTNERS MEGAN GLOWACKI, THOMPSON HINE RICHARD GRAETER, GRAETER’S ICE CREAM MEL GRAVELY, TRIVERSITY CONSTRUCTION NANCY GRAYSON, HORIZON COMMUNITY FUND ADAM GREENBERG, TOPICZ BRIAN GRIFFIN, CINCINNATI AFL-CIO LABOR COUNCIL BOB GROENKE, BAHL & GAYNOR LOUIS GUTTMAN, HILLS PROPERTIES BRIAN GWYN, BON SECOUR MERCY HEALTH BRIAN HABEGGER, HABEGGER CORP. JAMES HAGERTY, BARTLETT WEALTH MANAGEMENT DARRYL HALEY, METRO/SORTA ADAM HALL, FROST BROWN TODD GREG HAMMOND, HIXSON COLLEEN HANYCZ, XAVIER UNIVERSITY RAY HARRIS, NEDERLANDER/HERITAGE BANK ARENA DEBORAH HAYES, CHRIST HOSPITAL HEALTH NETWORK ALEXANDER HEIMAN, STANDARD TEXTILE STEVE HIGHTOWER, HIGHTOWERS PETROLEUM BRIAN HODGETT, PROCTER & GAMBLE ROBERT HOFFER, DBL LAW CHRIS HOPPER, SKANSKA USA TERENCE HORAN, HORAN COLLEEN HOUSTON, ARTWORKS ANDREW HOWELL, FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK JOE HUBER, CINCINNATI DEVELOPMENT FUND MIKE HUSEMAN, HUSEMAN GROUP JASON JACKMAN, JOHNSON INVESTMENT COUNSEL DAVID JOHNSON, BHDP STEVEN JOHNSTON, CINCINNATI FINANCIAL JIM JURGENSEN II, JURGENSEN COMPANIES ERIC KEARNEY, AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAMBER WOODROW KEOWN JR., NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER JOE KING, COLDWELL BANKER REALTY ALECIA KINTNER, ARTSWAVE GAIL KIST-KLINE, CHRIST COLLEGE OF NURSING CAMERON KITCHIN, CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM MIKE KOONTZ, KINGS ISLAND CHRISTIE KUHNS, URBAN LEAGUE LANCE KWASNIEWSKI, BELCAN JEFF LACKEY, CBTS NATHANIEL LAMPLEY JR., VORYS, SATER, SEYMOUR & PEASE PETER LANDGREN, UC FOUNDATION AARON LANDOLT, ENERFAB DOUG LANG, MEYER TOOL JOE LANNI, THUNDERDOME RESTAURANT GROUP MICHAEL LAROSA, LAROSA’S CHRIS LARSEN, CASTELLINI GROUP KIMM LAUTERBACH, REDI STEVE LEEPER, 3CDC KURT LEWIS, UNITEDHEALTHCARE GARY LINDGREN, CINCINNATI BUSINESS COMMITTEE BRAD LINDNER, UNITED DAIRY FARMERS CARL LINDNER III, AMERICAN FINANCIAL GROUP S. CRAIG LINDNER, AMERICAN FINANCIAL GROUP STEVE LOFTIN, CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION

52 25 68 59 25 6 59 25 59 59 36 52 59 15 36 60 60 60 25 68 52 15 53 6 69 36 16 6 53 60 69 37 26 37 45 45 16 60 69 60 26 6 53 70 8 70 61 45 53 26 70 26 37 26 26 53 61 46 61 53 46 46 27 27 16 54 71 38 54 16 61 61 27

Index BY NAME

ELIZABETH LOLLI, LAKOTA LOCAL SCHOOLS PATRICK LONGO, ALLOY DEVELOPMENT JOSHUA LORENTZ, DINSMORE & SHOHL BERYL LOVE, ENQUIRER MEDIA CLEMENT LUKEN JR., WOOD HERRON & EVANS TONY MAAS, JTM FOOD GROUP MILEN MAHADEVAN, 84.51 BOBBY MALY, MODEL GROUP ELIZABETH MANGAN, MILLER-VALENTINE CONSTRUCTION ALAN MARTIN, HUMANA JONATHAN MARTIN, CINCINNATI SYMPHONY NADER MASADEH, WINGS & RINGS THANE MAYNARD, CINCINNATI ZOO JASON MCCAW, BELFLEX STAFFING BRENT MCCLELLAN, CONEY ISLAND KEITH MCCLUSKEY, MCCLUSKEY AUTO GROUP MICHAEL MCCUEN, KEYBANK CANDACE MCGRAW, CINCINNATI/NORTHERN KENTUCKY AIRPORT BERNARD MCKAY, HAILE FOUNDATION TOM MCMAHON, FISCHER HOMES RODNEY MCMULLEN, KROGER CO. KEVIN MCNAMARA, CHEMED KENNY MCNUTT, MADTREE BREWING ERIC MEILSTRUP, LCNB BANK MARK MEINHARDT, STAR ONE REALTORS MARK MERCURIO, GORILLA GLUE TIM METTEY, MATTHEW 25: MINISTRIES JOSEPH MEYER, CITY OF COVINGTON D. LYNN MEYERS, ENSEMBLE THEATRE OF CINCINNATI RICK MICHELMAN, MICHELMAN ERIN MIGNANO, TURNER CONSTRUCTION BRITNEY RUBY MILLER, RUBY CULINARY ENTERTAINMENT CHRISTOPHER MILLIGAN, CINCINNATI OPERA DANIELLE MINSON, JEWISH FEDERATION OF CINCINNATI GARY MITCHELL, DIVISIONS MAINTENANCE JON MOELLER, PROCTER & GAMBLE TONY MUFANO, PROLINK STEVE MULLINGER, HUNTINGTON BANK SHENAN MURPHY, COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL SCOTT NELSON, COMEY & SHEPHERD DAN NEYER, NEYER PROPERTIES DEAN NICHOLAS, CINCINNATI HILLS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY TOM NIES, CINCOM SYSTEMS MOLLY NORTH, AL. NEYER EVANS NWANKWO, MEGEN CONSTRUCTION KEN OAKS, TOTAL QUALITY LOGISTICS JEFF OSTERFELD, PENN STATION BIMAL PATEL, ROLLING HILLS HOSPITALITY GUS PERDIKAKIS, GUS PERDIKAKIS ASSOCIATES JORGE PEREZ, YMCA JANE PETERSON, ANTHEM BLUE CROSS BRIAN PHILLIPS, CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE COMPANY ELIZABETH PIERCE, CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER NEVILLE PINTO, UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI ANDREA PIRONDINI, PRYSMIAN GROUP N.A. CYNTHIA PORTER, FIDELITY INVESTMENTS MONICA POSEY, CINCINNATI STATE MICHAEL PRESCOTT, U.S. BANK AFTAB PUREVAL, CITY OF CINCINNATI JEREMY RABY, ERA REAL SOLUTIONS MARIBETH RAHE, FORT WASHINGTON INVESTMENT ADVISORS DANIEL RAJCZAK, TOTES-ISOTONER JON RAMEY, UBS WEALTH MANAGEMENT JAY RAMMES, BARNES DENNIG 60 MATTHEW RANDAZZO, GREATER CINCINNATI FOUNDATION JACKIE REAU, GAME DAY COMMUNICATIONS KURT REIBER, FREESTORE FOODBANK ROBERT REICHERT, KENWOOD DEALER GROUP TIM REILLY, ST. XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL JOHN RICHARDSON, SUGARCREEK BETH ROBINSON, UPTOWN CONSORTIUM BLAKE ROBISON, CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK KERRY ROE, CLARK SCHAEFER HACKETT RON ROSENBECK, REPUBLIC WIRE

38 54 61 27 62 16 62 71 71 38 27 27 28 62 28 16 8 54 54 72 17 17 17 8 72 46 54 55 28 46 72 28 28 55 73 17 62 8 73 73 74 39 46 74 74 47 28 29 62 55 39 29 29 39 47 8 40 8 55 74 10 17 10 62 55 63 55 17 40 47 56 29 63 47

RICK ROSS, SUMMIT FUNDING GROUP JAKE ROUSE, BRAXTON BREWING WILLIAM RUMPKE JR., RUMPKE WASTE & RECYCLING REGINA CARSWELL RUSSO, RRIGHT NOW COMMUNICATIONS KIMBERLY RYAN, HILLENBRAND MARK RYAN, BANK OF AMERICA RYAN RYBOLT, PAYLOAD BILLY SANTOS, TRUIST BANK CARL SATTERWHITE, RCF GROUP KELLEY SCHIESS, SUMMIT COUNTRY DAY PHIL SCHNEIDER, BGR TODD SCHNEIDER, CINTAS DENNIS SCHNURR, ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI MATT SCHOTTELKOTTE, GBBN KATE SCHRODER, INTERACT FOR HEALTH KEVIN SCHUTTE, CBRE JOHN SEBASTIAN, HEALTH CAROUSEL CORY SHAW, UC HEALTH LARRY SHEAKLEY, SHEAKLEY ROBIN SHEAKLEY, SIBCY CLINE JAY SIGLER, CINFED CREDIT UNION ROBERT SLATTERY, SLATTS GROUP BARBARA SMITH, JOURNEY STEEL MIKE SMITH, MEMI RICKELL HOWARD SMITH, YWCA ALBERT SMITHERMAN, JOSTIN CONSTRUCTION JAMES SOWAR, DELOITTE GERALD SPARKMAN, D.E. FOXX & ASSOCIATES TIM SPENCE, FIFTH THIRD BANK AMY SPILLER, DUKE ENERGY MICHAEL STAGNARO, STAGNARO DISTRIBUTING JAMES STAHL, CBT TIM STEIGERWALD, MESSER CONSTRUCTION JESS STEWART, AMAZON AIR LARRY STODDARD, RELADYNE DIANE SURETTE, BURKE DANIEL SUTTON, KEMBA CREDIT UNION JACOB SWEENEY, JAKE SWEENEY AUTOMOTIVE ADAM SYMSON, E.W. SCRIPPS CO. BRIAN TOME, CROSSROADS CHURCH SARAH TOMES, LPK TIM TRANT, G&J PEPSI-COLA BOTTLERS AUGUST TROENDLE, MEDPACE HOLDINGS GREG TUCKER, PROAMPAC MATT TURNER, BOONE COUNTY SCHOOLS BART VALDEZ, INGENOVIS HEALTH CHRISTINA VASSALLO, CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER JEREMY VAUGHAN, ERNST & YOUNG NICK VEHR, VEHR COMMUNICATIONS MIKE VENERABLE, CINCYTECH PAUL VERST, VERST LOGISTICS RAUL VILLAR JR., PAYCOR JAMES WALKER, FRISCH’S RESTAURANTS DAVID WALLACE, HERITAGE BANK BOB WATTS, POMEROY WARREN WEBER, PNC BANK TOM WEIDEMANN, AAA CLUB ALLIANCE MOIRA WEIR, UNITED WAY OF GREATER CINCINNATI JEFF WELSH, DUBOIS CHEMICALS DICK WILLIAMS, SKYLINE CHILI GREG WILLIAMS, M/I HOMES H. JAMES WILLIAMS, MOUNT ST. JOSEPH TOM WILLIAMS, NORTH AMERICAN PROPERTIES JASON WITTEKIND, HAWKSTONE ASSOCIATES CHIP WOOD, TIRE DISCOUNTERS ALLEN WOODS, MORTAR IRANETTA WRIGHT, CINCINNATI PUBLIC SCHOOLS JUSTIN WYBORN, HARD ROCK CASINO JEFF WYLER, JEFF WYLER AUTOMOTIVE FAMILY WILLIAM YUNG, COLUMBIA SUSSEX MARY ZALLA, LANDOR & FITCH MIKE ZELKIND, 80 ACRES JAMES ZIMMERMAN, TAFT STETTINIUS & HOLLISTER ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, CINCINNATI COUNTRY DAY

10 18 18 63 47 10 47 10 18 40 48 19 56 74 41 74 41 41 64 75 10 19 48 29 56 75 64 64 11 19 20 48 75 20 48 65 11 20 30 56 65 20 42 48 42 65 30 66 66 48 49 66 30 11 49 11 20 56 49 31 75 42 75 49 20 56 42 31 21 31 66 49 66 42

C I N C I N N AT I 3 0 0 | 2 0 2 3 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 7 7

Index BY COMPANY

3CDC, STEVE LEEPER 80 ACRES, MIKE ZELKIND 84.51, MILEN MAHADEVAN AAA CLUB ALLIANCE, TOM WEIDEMANN AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAMBER, ERIC KEARNEY AIR TRANSPORT SERVICES GROUP, RICHARD CORRADO AL. NEYER, MOLLY NORTH ALLEN ASSOCIATES, MICHAEL ALLEN ALLOY DEVELOPMENT, PATRICK LONGO ALTAFIBER, LEIGH FOX AMAZON AIR, JESS STEWART AMERICAN FINANCIAL GROUP, CARL LINDNER III AMERICAN FINANCIAL GROUP, S. CRAIG LINDNER ANTHEM BLUE CROSS, JANE PETERSON ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI, DENNIS SCHNURR ARTSWAVE, ALECIA KINTNER ARTWORKS, COLLEEN HOUSTON ATRICURE, MICHAEL CARREL BAHL & GAYNOR, BOB GROENKE BANK OF AMERICA, MARK RYAN BAREFOOT, CHRIS EVANS BARNES DENNIG, JAY RAMMES BARTLETT WEALTH MANAGEMENT, JAMES HAGERTY BE NKY, LEE CRUME BELCAN, LANCE KWASNIEWSKI BELFLEX STAFFING, JASON MCCAW BGR, PHIL SCHNEIDER BHDP, DAVID JOHNSON BLUESTAR, STEVE CUNTZ BOCA RESTAURANT GROUP, DAVID FALK BON SECOUR MERCY HEALTH, BRIAN GWYN BOONE COUNTY SCHOOLS, MATT TURNER BRAXTON BREWING, JAKE ROUSE BRICKER GRAYDON, JIM FLYNN BUDCO GROUP, DAVID BUDIG BURKE, DIANE SURETTE BUSKEN BAKERY, DAN BUSKEN CASTELLINI GROUP, CHRIS LARSEN CBRE, KEVIN SCHUTTE CBT, JAMES STAHL CBTS, JEFF LACKEY CHEMED, KEVIN MCNAMARA CHERRY BEKAERT, CRYSTAL FAULKNER CHRIST COLLEGE OF NURSING, GAIL KIST-KLINE CHRIST HOSPITAL HEALTH NETWORK, DEBORAH HAYES CINCINNATI AFL-CIO LABOR COUNCIL, BRIAN GRIFFIN CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM, CAMERON KITCHIN CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION, STEVE LOFTIN CINCINNATI BALLET, SCOTT ALTMAN CINCINNATI BENGALS, MIKE BROWN CINCINNATI BUSINESS COMMITTEE, GARY LINDGREN CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S, STEVE DAVIS MD CINCINNATI COUNTRY DAY, ROBERT ZIMMERMAN CINCINNATI DEVELOPMENT FUND, JOE HUBER CINCINNATI FINANCIAL, STEVEN JOHNSTON CINCINNATI HILLS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY, DEAN NICHOLAS CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER, ELIZABETH PIERCE CINCINNATI OPERA, CHRISTOPHER MILLIGAN CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK, BLAKE ROBISON CINCINNATI PUBLIC RADIO, RICHARD EISWERTH CINCINNATI PUBLIC SCHOOLS, IRANETTA WRIGHT CINCINNATI REDS, BOB CASTELLINI CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE COMPANY, BRIAN PHILLIPS CINCINNATI STATE, MONICA POSEY CINCINNATI SYMPHONY, JONATHAN MARTIN CINCINNATI USA REGIONAL CHAMBER, BRENDON CULL CINCINNATI ZOO, THANE MAYNARD CINCINNATI & HAMILTON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, PAULA BREHM-HEEGER CINCINNATI/NORTHERN KENTUCKY AIRPORT, CANDACE MCGRAW CINCOM SYSTEMS, TOM NIES CINCYTECH, MIKE VENERABLE CINFED CREDIT UNION, JAY SIGLER CINTAS, TODD SCHNEIDER CINTRIFUSE, PETE BLACKSHAW

7 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M C I N C I N N AT I 3 0 0 | 2 0 2 3

71 49 62 20 53 45 74 57 54 15 20 61 61 39 56 26 26 33 6 10 59 62 6 52 61 62 48 70 45 25 36 42 18 59 44 65 14 16 74 48 46 17 59 37 37 53 26 27 23 24 54 35 42 53 61 39 29 28 29 25 42 24 29 40 27 52 28 24 54 46 48 10 19 43

CITY OF CINCINNATI, AFTAB PUREVAL CITY OF COVINGTON, JOSEPH MEYER CLARK SCHAEFER HACKETT, KERRY ROE CLARKE POWER SERVICES, KIRK ANDREAE COHEN RECYCLING, KEN COHEN COLDWELL BANKER REALTY, JOE KING COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL, SHENAN MURPHY COLUMBIA SUSSEX, WILLIAM YUNG COMEY & SHEPHERD, SCOTT NELSON CONEY ISLAND, BRENT MCCLELLAN CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER, CHRISTINA VASSALLO CORPOREX COS., WILLIAM BUTLER CROSSROADS CHURCH, BRIAN TOME D.E. FOXX & ASSOCIATES, GERALD SPARKMAN DANIS BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, JOHN DANIS DBL LAW, ROBERT HOFFER DELOITTE, JAMES SOWAR DENTAL CARE PLUS, JENNIFER AGNELLO DEWEY’S, ANDREW DEWITT DHL, JEFF BILLINGSLEY DINSMORE & SHOHL, JOSHUA LORENTZ DIVISIONS MAINTENANCE, GARY MITCHELL DREES HOMES, DAVID DREES DUBOIS CHEMICALS, JEFF WELSH DUKE ENERGY, AMY SPILLER DUKE ENERGY CONVENTION CENTER, RIC BOOTH E.W. SCRIPPS CO., ADAM SYMSON EMPOWER MEDIA, ASHLEE CLARKE ENERFAB, AARON LANDOLT ENQUIRER MEDIA, BERYL LOVE ENSEMBLE THEATRE OF CINCINNATI, D. LYNN MEYERS ERA REAL SOLUTIONS, JEREMY RABY ERNST & YOUNG, JEREMY VAUGHAN FC CINCINNATI, JEFF BERDING FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK, ANDREW HOWELL FERNO GROUP OF COMPANIES, JOE BOURGAF FIDELITY INVESTMENTS, CYNTHIA PORTER FIFTH THIRD BANK, TIM ELSBROCK FIFTH THIRD BANK, TIM SPENCE FIRST FINANCIAL BANK, ARCHIE BROWN FISCHER HOMES, TIM MCMAHON FLEET FEET, FRANK DEJULIUS FLYING PIG MARATHON, IRIS SIMPSON BUSH FORT WASHINGTON INVESTMENT ADVISORS, MARIBETH RAHE FREESTORE FOODBANK, KURT REIBER FRISCH’S RESTAURANTS, JAMES WALKER FROST BROWN TODD, ADAM HALL G&J PEPSI-COLA BOTTLERS, TIM TRANT GAME DAY COMMUNICATIONS, JACKIE REAU GATEWAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, FERNANDO FIGUEROA GBBN, MATT SCHOTTELKOTTE GENERAL ELECTRIC CREDIT UNION, TIMOTHY BALLINGER GILMAN PARTNERS, TOM GILMAN GOLD MEDAL PRODUCTS, ADAM BROWNING GORILLA GLUE, MARK MERCURIO GOVERNMENT STRATEGIES, CHIP GERHARDT GRAETER’S ICE CREAM, RICHARD GRAETER GRANT THORNTON, SCOTT DEVENNY GREATER CINCINNATI FOUNDATION, MATTHEW RANDAZZO GREY MIDWEST, TONY DESJARDINS GSR BRANDS, ROGER DAVID GUS PERDIKAKIS ASSOCIATES, GUS PERDIKAKIS HABEGGER CORP., BRIAN HABEGGER HAILE FOUNDATION, BERNARD MCKAY HAMILTON COUNTY, JEFFREY ALUOTTO HARD ROCK CASINO, JUSTIN WYBORN HAWKSTONE ASSOCIATES, JASON WITTEKIND HBH HOLDINGS, SCOTT ANDERSON HEALTH CAROUSEL, JOHN SEBASTIAN HEIDELBERG DISTRIBUTING, TOBY COSTON HERITAGE BANK, DAVID WALLACE HIGHTOWERS PETROLEUM, STEVE HIGHTOWER HILLENBRAND, KIMBERLY RYAN HILLMAN GROUP, DOUG CAHILL

55 55 63 13 15 70 73 30 73 28 30 67 56 64 68 60 64 33 25 13 61 73 68 49 19 24 30 58 46 27 28 74 66 23 6 44 8 6 11 5 72 15 24 10 55 30 60 20 63 36 74 5 60 44 46 60 25 58 55 58 25 62 16 54 51 30 49 43 41 15 11 45 47 44

Index BY COMPANY

HILLS PROPERTIES, LOUIS GUTTMAN HIXSON, GREG HAMMOND HORAN, TERENCE HORAN HORIZON COMMUNITY FUND, NANCY GRAYSON HUFF REALTY, BRAD DEVRIES HUMANA, ALAN MARTIN HUNTINGTON BANK, STEVE MULLINGER HUSEMAN GROUP, MIKE HUSEMAN INGENOVIS HEALTH, BART VALDEZ INTERACT FOR HEALTH, KATE SCHRODER JAKE SWEENEY AUTOMOTIVE, JACOB SWEENEY JEFF WYLER AUTOMOTIVE FAMILY, JEFF WYLER JEWISH FEDERATION OF CINCINNATI, DANIELLE MINSON JOHNSON INVESTMENT COUNSEL, JASON JACKMAN JOSTIN CONSTRUCTION, ALBERT SMITHERMAN JOURNEY STEEL, BARBARA SMITH JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, PATRICK DOLLE JR GROUP, ANNETTE PFUND DE CAVEL JTM FOOD GROUP, TONY MAAS JUNGLE JIM’S, JIM BONOMINIO JURGENSEN COMPANIES, JIM JURGENSEN II KEATING MUETHING & KLEKAMP, ALAN FERSHTMAN KEEP CINCINNATI BEAUTIFUL, JONATHAN ADEE KELLER WILLIAMS ADVISORS REALTY, SARAH CLOSE KEMBA CREDIT UNION, DANIEL SUTTON KENWOOD DEALER GROUP, ROBERT REICHERT KEYBANK, MICHAEL MCCUEN KINGS ISLAND, MIKE KOONTZ KPMG, PATTY BASTI KROGER CO., RODNEY MCMULLEN LAKOTA LOCAL SCHOOLS, ELIZABETH LOLLI LANDOR & FITCH, MARY ZALLA LAROSA’S, MICHAEL LAROSA LCNB BANK, ERIC MEILSTRUP LEADERSHIP EXCELLERATION, DIANE EGBERS LIGHTSHIP CAPITAL, CANDICE MATTHEWS BRACKEEN LOTH HOLDINGS, J.B. BUSE LPK, SARAH TOMES LSI INDUSTRIES, JAMES CLARK M/I HOMES, GREG WILLIAMS MADTREE BREWING, KENNY MCNUTT MASON CITY SCHOOLS, JONATHAN COOPER MATTHEW 25: MINISTRIES, TIM METTEY MAYERSON JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, MARC FISHER MCCLUSKEY AUTO GROUP, KEITH MCCLUSKEY MEDPACE HOLDINGS, AUGUST TROENDLE MEGEN CONSTRUCTION, EVANS NWANKWO MEMI, MIKE SMITH MESSER CONSTRUCTION, TIM STEIGERWALD METRO/SORTA, DARRYL HALEY MEYER TOOL, DOUG LANG MIAMI UNIVERSITY, GREGORY CRAWFORD MICHELMAN, RICK MICHELMAN MIKE CASTRUCCI AUTOMOTIVE, MIKE CASTRUCCI MILLER-VALENTINE CONSTRUCTION, ELIZABETH MANGAN MODEL GROUP, BOBBY MALY MORGAN STANLEY, RON BASS MORTAR, ALLEN WOODS MOUNT ST. JOSEPH, H. JAMES WILLIAMS NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER, WOODROW KEOWN JR. NEDERLANDER/HERITAGE BANK ARENA, RAY HARRIS NEYER PROPERTIES, DAN NEYER NORTH AMERICAN PROPERTIES, TOM WILLIAMS NORTHERN KENTUCKY CHAMBER, BRENT COOPER NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY, BONITA BROWN PAYCOR, RAUL VILLAR JR. PAYLOAD, RYAN RYBOLT PENN STATION, JEFF OSTERFELD PERFORMANCE AUTOMOTIVE, MICHAEL DEVER PHILLIPS EDISON, JOHN CAULFIELD PILOT CHEMICAL, MIKE CLARK PNC BANK, WARREN WEBER POMEROY, BOB WATTS

69 69 60 52 68 38 8 70 65 41 20 21 55 8 75 48 6 29 16 14 45 59 51 68 11 17 8 26 57 17 38 66 27 8 59 51 14 65 44 75 17 35 54 52 16 42 74 29 75 53 46 35 46 14 71 71 5 56 42 26 26 74 75 52 33 66 47 28 15 67 44 11 49

PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS, CRIS COLLINSWORTH PROAMPAC, GREG TUCKER PROCTER & GAMBLE, BRIAN HODGETT PROCTER & GAMBLE, JON MOELLER PROLINK, TONY MUFANO PROMACH, MARK ANDERSON PRYSMIAN GROUP N.A., ANDREA PIRONDINI PURE ROMANCE, CHRIS CICCHINELLI PWC, STEVE BYBEE RCF GROUP, CARL SATTERWHITE RE/MAX VICTORY + AFFILIATES, KENT DAILEY REDI, KIMM LAUTERBACH RELADYNE, LARRY STODDARD REPUBLIC WIRE, RON ROSENBECK RHINEGEIST BREWING, ADAM BANKOVICH ROLLING HILLS HOSPITALITY, BIMAL PATEL RRIGHT NOW COMMUNICATIONS, REGINA CARSWELL RUSSO RUBY CULINARY ENTERTAINMENT, BRITNEY RUBY MILLER RUMPKE WASTE & RECYCLING, WILLIAM RUMPKE JR. SCHOOL OUTFITTERS, TOM BRENNAN SCOOTER MEDIA, SHANNAN BOYER SEVEN HILLS SCHOOL, CHRISTOPHER GARTEN SHAREFAX CREDIT UNION, TODD CAIN SHARONVILLE CONVENTION CENTER, JAMES DOWNTON SHEAKLEY, LARRY SHEAKLEY SIBCY CLINE, ROBIN SHEAKLEY SKANSKA USA, CHRIS HOPPER SKYLINE CHILI, DICK WILLIAMS SLATTS GROUP, ROBERT SLATTERY ST. ELIZABETH HEALTHCARE, GARREN COLVIN ST. XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL, TIM REILLY STAGNARO DISTRIBUTING, MICHAEL STAGNARO STANDARD TEXTILE, ALEXANDER HEIMAN STAR ONE REALTORS, MARK MEINHARDT STRAUSS TROY, MARSHALL DOSKER SUGARCREEK, JOHN RICHARDSON SUMMIT COUNTRY DAY, KELLEY SCHIESS SUMMIT FUNDING GROUP, RICK ROSS TAFT MUSEUM OF ART, REBEKAH BEAULIEU TAFT STETTINIUS & HOLLISTER, JAMES ZIMMERMAN TANK, GINA DOUTHAT THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY, JOSEPH CHILLO THOMPSON HINE, MEGAN GLOWACKI THUNDERDOME RESTAURANT GROUP, JOE LANNI TIRE DISCOUNTERS, CHIP WOOD TOPICZ, ADAM GREENBERG TOTAL QUALITY LOGISTICS, KEN OAKS TOTES-ISOTONER, DANIEL RAJCZAK TOWNE PROPERTIES, ADAM BORTZ TRIHEALTH, MARK CLEMENT TRIVERSITY CONSTRUCTION, MEL GRAVELY TRUIST BANK, BILLY SANTOS TURNER CONSTRUCTION, ERIN MIGNANO U.S. BANK, MICHAEL PRESCOTT UBS WEALTH MANAGEMENT, JON RAMEY UC FOUNDATION, PETER LANDGREN UC HEALTH, CORY SHAW UNITED DAIRY FARMERS, BRAD LINDNER UNITEDHEALTHCARE, KURT LEWIS UNITED WAY OF GREATER CINCINNATI, MOIRA WEIR UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI, NEVILLE PINTO UPTOWN CONSORTIUM, BETH ROBINSON URBAN LEAGUE, CHRISTIE KUHNS VERST LOGISTICS, PAUL VERST VEHR COMMUNICATIONS, NICK VEHR VISIT CINCY, JULIE CALVERT VMLY&R, NICK BRUNKER VORYS, SATER, SEYMOUR & PEASE, NATHANIEL LAMPLEY JR. WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP, JOHN BARRETT WINGS & RINGS, NADER MASADEH WOOD HERRON & EVANS, CLEMENT LUKEN JR. XAVIER UNIVERSITY, COLLEEN HANYCZ YMCA, JORGE PEREZ YWCA, RICKELL HOWARD SMITH

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MEET RIGHT HERE IN

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TAP INTO YOUR HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE Hosting meetings and conventions in the Cincy Region stimulates our economy and supports local businesses and workers. How can you help? It's easy. Just tell us about people or groups we can invite to Cincy. After you give us their contact info, we'll take care of the rest! Congratulations to Julie Calvert, President & CEO, on being included as one of Cincinnati’s 300 most powerful business leaders. MEETINCINCY.COM

Where Small & Mid-Size Businesses Feel At Home

Whether you’re a start-up or a mid-size company celebrating a landmark anniversary, Heritage Bank can provide the banking solutions and expertise essential to your success. We’re small business banking specialists inspired by our customers’ vision, ingenuity and grit. We’re a community bank vested in the region you call home.

We were founded by entrepreneurs, and we understand what small businesses need from a bank. • SBA & conventional ﬁnancing • Agile, responsive bankers • Streamlined approvals

• Local decision making

Digital banking tools & in-person service • Robust Treasury Management services

When you’re ready to bank where you’re a priority, we’re ready to get acquainted.

Give them a gift they’ll savor

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