Cincinnati 300 - 2024 by Cincinnati Magazine

THE REGION’S MOST POWERFUL BUSINESS LEADERS

CEOAndrea Pirondini

BANKING & FINANCE p.5

BANKS

CREDIT UNIONS

FINANCIAL ADVISORS

CONSUMER GOODS p.11

AUTOS

FOOD & BEVERAGE

RETAIL SALES

CULTURE & LEISURE p.19

ARTS

HOTELS & TOURISM

RESTAURANTS

EDUCATION & HEALTH p.29

HOSPITALS

MEDICAL SUPPLIES

SCHOOLS & UNIVERSITIES

MANUFACTURING & TECH p.39

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

INFRASTRUCTURE

LOGISTICS

NONPROFIT & GOVERNMENT p.49

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

FOUNDATIONS

TRANSPORTATION

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES p.57

ACCOUNTING & LAW FIRMS

INSURANCE

MARKETING

REAL ESTATE p.67

ARCHITECTURE

CONSTRUCTION

HOME SALES

INDEX

76 / BY NAME

78 / BY COMPANY NAME

wE LAUNCHED CINCINNATI 300 FIVE YEARS ago to recognize the individuals leading our region’s largest and most successful companies, nonproﬁts, and government entities. The power they wield comes with a lot of pressure and responsibility—whether they’re leading a publicly-traded Fortune 500 conglomerate, a third-generation family business, a century-old arts organization, or anything else in between. They make decisions every day that impact shareholders, stakeholders, customers, employees, the business’s short-term health and long-term legacy, and the Cincinnati region in general.

Our thinking in 2019 was to get to know these business leaders a bit beyond the quarterly earnings, mergers and acquisitions, and fundraising reports we see in the news. In that debut year, they answered questions about their ﬁrst jobs, what they learned from mentors, and advice they’d give anyone interested in their ﬁeld of business. Hey, CEOs are people, too: They delivered newspapers, appreciated those who helped them get to the top, and hoped young people would want to emulate them.

That’s still the basic approach in Cincinnati 300. In these pages you’ll get to know a little more about business leaders who are shaping Cincinnati and come to understand how and why this region is stable and growing. They represent the region’s largest public, private, and nonprofit companies, as well as professional service organizations supporting them. We seek broad representation across the business community, so we limit the proﬁles to one top person per organization, with rare exceptions, and highlight similar numbers of companies in eight broad categories.

The last four years of our lives and of Cincinnati 300 have been dominated by questions, concerns, and worries about the COVID pandemic. Not that we’re out of the woods regarding worldwide health scares, but I wanted to ask CEOs this year about something other than work from home, the great resignation, and quiet quitting. So we had them look back at the beginning of their professional lives and look to the future by sharing what their career goals were at age 18 and how they’re planning for leadership succession now. As always, their answers are honest and insightful.

JOHN FOX EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PUBLISHER

Ivy Bayer

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

John Fox

DESIGN DIRECTOR

Brittany Dexter

DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL OPERATIONS

Amanda Boyd Walters

ART DIRECTORS

Carlie Burton, Jessica Dunham, Stefanie Hadiwidjaja, Sophie Kallis, Matthew Spoleti, Emi Villavicencio

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

B A N K I N G & BANKING

F I N A N C E FINANCE

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Timothy Ballinger

General Electric Credit Union

Ballinger joined the company in 1994 and has held the top job since 2015. GECU is easily the region’s largest credit union, with nearly $5 billion in assets in 2023, 243,000 members, and 13 branches. Its newest location, in Dent next to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, opened this fall and marks its ﬁrst full-service branch on the West Side. Blue Ash-based GECU was founded in 1954.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA), University of Delaware (master’s)

Ron Bass

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND MARKET MANAGER

Morgan Stanley

Bass has worked for the New York Citybased financial services giant for 17 years, including the past nine years in his current role. He oversees the local offices in Kenwood, where he is based, and downtown. Morgan Stanley is Greater Cincinnati’s sixth-largest financial brokerage firm with 81 local brokers. The company, founded in 1935, has more than 80,000 employees in offices in 33 countries.

Hometown: Louisville Education: University of Louisville (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT AND CEO First Financial Bank

Archie Brown

Brown has led the bank since it merged with MainSource Financial in 2018. First Financial opened a commercial banking office in downtown Chicago earlier this year, followed by a Northeast Ohio headquarters in Cleveland, which serves as its commercial banking headquarters for the region. FFB is the fourth-largest bank in Cincinnati, with local deposits of $5.6 billion.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Georgia (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I have always believed that it’s important to be part of something that had the potential to make a positive impact on others. How are you planning for leadership succession? First Financial’s succession planning allows us to identify associates with the skills and performance potential to take on new roles in the bank. Of course, this begins by attracting, developing, and retaining top talent.

CEO Sharefax Credit Union

Todd Cain

In 2023, Cain succeeded Art Kremer, who retired after 22 years as CEO and 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 Emery Federal Credit Union for nine years. Sharefax is the region’s fourth-largest credit union, with nearly $500 million in total assets and more than 31,000 members.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Eastern Kentucky University (undergraduate)

Jennifer Damiano

CINCINNATI MARKET PRESIDENT

KeyBank

Damiano has led the Cleveland-based company’s local operations since September 2023, when she succeeded Mike McCuen, who departed after six years. Damiano continues as senior vice president and market leader of KeyBank’s private banking unit in Cincinnati and Dayton. She spent 17 years working in the philanthropic world before transitioning to banking in 2014.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Marquette University (undergraduate)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Patrick Dolle

JP Morgan Chase Private Bank

Since 2019, Dolle has led the team that offers brokerage and advisory investment products to high-wealth individuals and families. He joined the Kenwood-based firm 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 2024, Global Finance named JP Morgan Chase Private bank World’s Best Private Bank for the ﬁfth straight year.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Ohio Wesleyan University (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

REGIONAL PRESIDENT

Fifth Third Bank

Since 2015, Elsbrock has led operations of the region’s largest locally based bank. He oversees retail, mortgage, and commercial banking operations in addition to investment advisors. As the official bank of the Cincinnati Bengals since 2010, Fifth Third disclosed in February that it paid the team $3 million in 2023 to cover sponsorship arrangements, tickets, and advertising expenses.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I always imagined I would be at an ad agency, working on campaigns and helping clients solve their needs. How are you planning for leadership succession? We’ve created a culture that weeds out mavericks and breeds leaders. I spend personal time with every new hire, co-op, and intern in the Cincinnati region.

SUPREME LEADER

Doobie Brothers, Attorneys at Law

Lambcke is deeply tanned, rested, and retired, but drags around a bad hip and knee after standing on a factory ﬂoor for 38 years. Baskin is sitting out on a recumbent bike, reading Lee Child paperbacks, after getting therapy on his elbow and back. This past year I bookmarked mayoclinic.com, acquired a cardiologist and sleep doctor, and blew through my deductible before March Madness. Plus one more tk line goes here.

Hometown: Anderson Township Education: Miami University First job: Painting houses Toughest challenge faced Best advice received or favorite inspirational quote: Begin with the end in mind. What you’d tell a recent college graduate about entering your ﬁeld of business: Your work life last 30 or 40 years, so make sure you love what you do. Favorite hobbies or leisure activities: Hiking, ﬁshing, golf, reading Favorite Greater Cincinnati charity: Down’s Syndrome Association of Cincinnati

CEO Bahl & Gaynor

Groenke joined Bahl & Gaynor in 2019 and since 2022 has led the downtown-based investment advisory ﬁrm founded in 1990 by William Bahl and Vere Gaynor. The employee-owned company is the region’s fourth-largest money management ﬁrm, with $19 billion in assets. In February, FC Cincinnati announced Bahl & Gaynor’s sponsorship of the Pitch View Club seating area, one of four premier clubs at TQL Stadium.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Michigan (undergraduate), University of Chicago (MBA) How are you planning for leadership succession? We apply signiﬁcant focus toward attracting, developing, and rewarding elite talent, which enables continuity and smooth succession at leadership positions over time.

SUPREME LEADER

Doobie Brothers, Attorneys at Law

Hometown: Anderson Township Education: Miami University First job: Painting houses Toughest challenge faced Best advice received or favorite inspirational quote: with the end in mind. What you’d tell a recent college graduate about entering your ﬁeld of business: life last 30 or 40 years, so make sure you love what you do. Favorite hobbies or leisure activities: Hiking, ﬁshing, golf, reading Favorite Greater Cincinnati charity: Syndrome Association of Cincinnati

CEO

Bartlett

Wealth Management

Hagerty, who joined Bartlett in 1994, leads the management committee and is responsible for the ﬁrm’s strategy. President Holly Mazzocca leads daily operations and the company’s managing directors. Bartlett is the ninth-largest money management firm in Cincinnati with $6.35 billion in local assets managed. Founded in 1898, it also has offices in Chicago and Louisville.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? Practicing as an attorney. Growing up, I was close to several individuals in the law field and was inspired by the work they did. How are you planning for leadership succession? Actively mentoring our next generation at the firm by delegating significant opportunities where they can truly shine and refine their skills.

Lambcke is deeply tanned, rested, and retired, but drags around a bad hip and knee after oor for 38 years. Baskin is sitting out on a recumbent bike, reading Lee Child paperbacks, after getting therapy on his elbow and back. This past year I bookmarked mayoclinic.com, acquired a cardiologist and sleep doctor, and blew through my deductible before March Madness. Plus one more tk line

Best advice

What you’d tell a recent college graduate about entering

Favorite Greater Cincin-

Bob Groenke

Michael McDonald

James Hagerty

Tim Elsbrock

Michael McDonald

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Horan Wealth

The 51-year company veteran assumed this role in June 2023 when Horan’s employee beneﬁts division was acquired by Hub International, a global insurance brokerage firm based in Chicago, and renamed Hub Heartland. Horan’s wealth management arm ranks among the region’s largest money management ﬁrms with $3 billion in assets under management, more than 3,000 local clients, and 40 employees.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Fairfield University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought that I would be a lawyer or in business. How are you planning for leadership succession? We continue to advance individuals with significant leadership skills and give them additional management tasks so they can learn how to run and grow our business.

In April, LCNB ﬁnalized its $23 million acquisition of Bridgetown-based Eagle Financial Bancorp. Lebanon-based LCBN now operates 37 branches, including 24 in Greater Cincinnati. Before the acquisition, LCNB was Greater Cincinnati’s 20th-largest public company and 11th-largest bank, with $1 billion in local deposits, a number that is expected to double. Meilstrup, who joined LCBN 36 years ago, has led the bank since 2018.

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

PRESIDENT AND CEO Federal Home Loan Bank

FHLB Cincinnati is a wholesale bank providing services to 618 member ﬁnancial institutions in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Howell joined the bank in 1989 and has led the regional operation since 2012. The bank is one of 11 FHLB facilities across the U.S. that provides ﬁnancial institutions liquidity to fund housing and economic development while supporting affordable housing and community investment.

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

CEO AND PRINCIPAL Johnson Investment Counsel

Jackman, who joined the ﬁrm in 1993, was promoted from president and chief investment officer in 2023. The region’s third-largest money management ﬁrm, headquartered in Green Township, controls $19.5 billion in local assets and has 125 employees. Johnson Investment serves clients in 49 states and has locations in Kenwood, Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland-Akron, and Detroit. The company was founded in 1965.

Hometown: Howell, New York; Rochester, New Hampshire; Pittsburgh Education: Wittenberg University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I wanted to be a doctor and entered college pre-med, but then I transitioned to economics. How are you planning for leadership succession? We have a plan in place for every key role in the organization. We traditionally hire young talent and nurture them through mentoring, skill development, and a supportive culture, which is an operational advantage both now and in the future.

REGIONAL PRESIDENT Huntington Bank

Mullinger succeeded Kevin Jones as Huntington’s regional president for Southern Ohio and Kentucky in 2022, after Jones retired following 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 fifth-largest bank, with $4.5 billion in local assets and 36 branches. In 2023, Huntington again led the way locally in distributing SBA loans ($56.5 million).

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate and master’s)

REGIONAL PRESIDENT U.S. Bank

Prescott has led the local market of the Minneapolis-based bank since 2011 and announced he will retire at the end of 2024. U.S. Bank tops the region in in local deposits, more than twice that of No. 2, with nearly $104 billion, 69 local branches, and a 53 percent market share. In April, it sold the downtown office tower overlooking Fountain Square that houses its Cincinnati market headquarters to an Atlanta-based real estate investment ﬁrm.

Hometown: I grew up all over the Midwest and South Education: Ohio Northern University (undergraduate), Ohio State University (MBA)

PRESIDENT AND CEO

LCNB Bank

Andrew Howell

Steve Mullinger

Jason Jackman

Michael Prescott

Terence Horan

Eric Meilstrup

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Maribeth Rahe

Fort Washington Investment Advisors

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 $81 billion in assets, more than twice that of No. 2. The company was again named one of the Best Places to Work in Money Management by Pensions & Investments magazine in 2023.

Hometown: Evanston, Illinois Education: Bowling Green State University (undergraduate), Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I wasn’t entirely certain, but my goal was to build an international career. How are you planning for leadership succession? We are committed to continuously cultivating individuals with the potential and ambition to step into senior leadership positions. We focus on nurturing internal talent through our mentoring and training programs, while also exploring opportunities to attract external candidates who could enhance our leadership pipeline.

Mark Ryan

PRESIDENT Bank of America Cincinnati

Ryan was named Bank of America’s ﬁrst local President in 2021. He is also market leader for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, a subsidiary of BoA, which he’s run since 2016. He oversees the region’s 12th-largest bank, with more than $1 billion in deposits. In 2023, it opened a branch in Springﬁeld Township, giving the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank (the nation’s second-largest) 22 offices in Greater Cincinnati.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Loyola University Chicago (undergraduate)

MARKET EXECUTIVE

Jon Ramey

UBS Financial ServicesWealth Management

From his Kenwood-based office, Ramey oversees the global firm’s operations in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Indiana. UBS is the region’s fifth-largest financial brokerage firm with 236 local employees, including 120 advisors and $55 billion in assets managed. Earlier this year, the Cincinnati Southern Railroad Board selected UBS to oversee the $1.6 billion trust being created from the sale of the cityowned railroad.

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

CEO Summit Funding Group

SFG was founded by Ross, Harry Yeaggy, and Louis Beck (the latter two own Union Savings Bank) in 1993. 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 in 2021 for $115 million.

Billy Santos

REGIONAL PRESIDENT

Truist Financial Corp.

In 2023, Santos succeeded Andy Hawking, who retired after 14 years with Charlotte-based Truist and its predecessors, BB&T and Bank of Kentucky. Santos has been with the bank for 22 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 13 local branches. In March, it closed its branch on Montgomery Road near Xavier University.

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

CEO Cinfed Credit Union

Rick Ross Jay Sigler

Since 2011, Sigler has led the Oakley-based company, which was founded in 1934 to serve members of Local 75 of the Federation of Federal Employees Union. It serves 17 counties in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. In June, it opened its eighth branch and second-largest location in Colerain Township. It has $720 million in assets and nearly 39,000 members as the region’s third-largest credit union.

Hometown: Wooster, Ohio Education: Bowling Green State University (undergraduate and MBA)

Tim Spence

CHAIRMAN, CEO, AND PRESIDENT

Fifth Third Bancorp

Spence was named president of the downtown-based bank in 2020, before succeeding Greg Carmichael as CEO in 2022. Fifth Third is Cincinnati’s second-largest bank, with more than $50 billion in deposits, more than 6,100 employees, and a 26 percent local market share. It’s the 11th-largest U.S.-based consumer bank and announced plans in July to open 40 to 50 branches in the Southeast in 2025.

Hometown: Portland, Oregon Education: Colgate University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I’d be at a growth stage tech company. How are you planning for leadership succession? I think about succession planning from two perspectives: Do we have the right priorities and strategies to position our business for sustainable long-term growth and performance, and are we cultivating the next generation of leaders who can execute those plans and drive growth for all our stakeholders?

CHAIRMAN AND CEO

Heritage Bank

David Wallace

Wallace has led the Erlanger-based regional bank, founded by Arnold Caddell in 1990, since 2020. Heritage is the region’s eighth-largest bank with $1.3 billion in deposits across 19 locations in Kentucky and Ohio. In September, it relocated its Crescent Springs branch down Buttermilk Pike to Ft. Mitchell. It holds the naming rights to downtown’s multipurpose arena venue, now called Heritage Bank Center.

Hometown: Princeton, Kentucky Education: University of Kentucky (undergraduate), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I grew up on a farm and was an avid 4H-er. I also had a good head for numbers, so I was planning a career in agribusiness. How are you planning for leadership succession? We like to promote from within, but we’ve realized we also need to develop our people so they’re promotable as roles open up. We’ve made professional development and mapping out potential career paths within the bank strategic priorities.

REGIONAL

Joel

Stockelman

LEADER AND GENERAL MANAGER Fidelity Investments

Stockelman joined the Boston-based financial services giant in 1998 and has led the Covington office since August 2022. The local office, one of 12 regional centers in North America, is the largest financial brokerage firm in Greater Cincinnati with 2,700 brokers, 13 times more than No. 2. With more than 5,500 workers, it’s the third-largest employer in Northern Kentucky.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Wilmington College (undergraduate) Your ﬁrst job: I worked at a local IGA and won a regional “fastest bagger” contest. What’s the best career advice you ever received? A trusted mentor shared a Maya Angelou quote with me that’s always been at the core of my approach to leadership: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” How are you planning for leadership succession? We focus on attracting, developing, and retaining talent with different perspectives, experiences, and points of view.

Warren Weber

REGIONAL PRESIDENT PNC Bank

Weber is a 34-year veteran of the Cincinnati banking industry and has led local operations of the Pittsburgh-based bank since 2022, when he succeeded Kay Geiger, who retired after 25 years with PNC in Cincinnati. He’s held a number of positions over 26 years with PNC, the region’s third-largest bank with more than $8 billion in local deposits and nearly 50 locations.

Hometown: Louisville Education: Indiana University (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Kemba Credit Union

Daniel Sutton

Sutton started with the company 25 years ago and has been its top leader since 2017. Headquartered in West Chester Township since 2021, Kemba is the region’s second-largest credit union with $1.6 billion in assets and more than 126,000 members at 13 branch offices in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Kemba was chartered in 1934 when employees organized the Kroger Employees Mutual Beneﬁt Association.

Hometown: Indianapolis Education: Mount St. Joseph University (undergraduate and master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? All I could think about was playing college football. I thought careers were for adults. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m a strong believer that succession planning nurtures talent, provides career development opportunities, helps retain high-potential employees, and mitigates risks to the organization against unexpected departures or retirements of key leaders.

C O N S U M E R CONSUMER G O O D S GOODS

PRESIDENT AND

CEO

Clarke Power Services

Kirk Andreae

Andreae has led the Sharonville company founded by his grandfather as Clarke GM Diesel in 1964 for more than 20 years. The organization includes Clarke Fire Protection Products, Clarke Power Generation, VehiCare Fleet Management, and Clarke Heavy Duty. It has almost 830 employees, 20 full-service shops, and 150 mobile trucks to serve customers in nine states. It posted revenue of more than $345 million in 2023.

Education: Union College (undergraduate)

CEO Rhinegeist

Adam Bankovich

Bankovich had the interim tag removed from his title in October 2023 after succeeding Mike Parks, who left after two years as head of Cincinnati’s largest craft brewery. Founded in 2013, Rhinegeist is among the largest operations in the country with more than 110,000 barrels sold in 2023. It employs more than 235 people locally to produce and package its beer, hard craft tea, fruited ale, and hard cider.

Hometown: Canton, Ohio Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I wasn’t at all sure where life would take me. Deep down I knew I wanted a career that allowed me to help facilitate and organize people and ideas to achieve desired results. How are you planning for leadership succession? We’re serious about our belief in transparency and sharing of knowledge. We know that sharing our goals and vision throughout the entire company empowers team members to participate and contribute.

CEO Sims-Lohman

John Beiersdorfer

Beiersdorfer moved into the top job at the Carthage-based distributor of kitchen cabinetry and maker of granite and quartz countertops in 2022 after more than 25 years as president. The company reported revenue of more than $215 million in 2023 and acquired two Florida ﬁrms this year, Legacy Cabinet and Kay’s Prestige Kitchen and Baths, which extend its reach into 12 states. Sims-Lohman now has 38 showrooms, 18 distribution centers, and six countertop manufacturing plants.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA) What’s the best career advice you ever received? “Show up early with a smile on your face and a great attitude.” How are you planning for leadership succession? One of my top priorities has been “building the bench” to plan for leadership succession. We have invested in several C-Suite leaders, including a new president, to ensure smooth leadership succession.

Jim Bonaminio

CEO Jungle Jim’s International Market

The founder of independent grocery stores set up a produce stand in Hamilton in 1971. From that modest beginning, Bonaminio concentrated on making shopping fun when he built the Route 4 store in Fairﬁeld in 1975 and Eastgate in 2012. Hundreds of thousands of products from more than 70 countries are available on more than 500,000 square feet combined. The locations employ 600 people.

Hometown: Lorain, Ohio When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? Salesman, not retail, because I was brought up on Lake Erie where they sat in a boat and waited on fish to come to them, which is retail, and I hated it. I wanted to be a hunter not a fisherman. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’ve never planned anything in my life, so this question has me stumped.

Tom Brennan

CEO School Outﬁtters

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 in 2022 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 $173 million in 2023.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Indiana University (undergraduate)

CHAIRMAN AND CEO

Loth Holdings

J.B. Buse

Buse has led the Sharonville company for more than 30 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. The region’s largest office furniture and supply company recorded a record $58 million in revenue in 2023.

Hometown: Cincinnati When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I envisioned myself thriving in a sales role, and it’s incredible to see that vision come to fruition. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m currently focusing on leadership succession by working closely with my sons, Barrett and Sam, alongside our management team and board of advisors. This collaborative approach helps us craft a comprehensive and thoughtful plan for a smooth transition. By involving both family and key stakeholders, we’re laying a solid foundation for ongoing success and stability.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Busken Bakery

Dan Busken

Busken is the third generation to lead the iconic food business founded by his grandfather Joe in 1928. The company is known for its catchy advertising slogans, many tied to specialty products including cookies and pastries about the Reds, Bengals, and holidays. Busken has retail locations in Hyde Park, Springdale, Eastgate, and Highland Heights.

Hometown: Cincinnati When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life?Architect. How are you planning for leadership succession? We aren’t at that point in our careers yet.

PRESIDENT

Mike Castrucci

Mike Castrucci Automotive

Castrucci, whose family has been in the car business since 1958, has led the company the past 34 years. The dealership, which is the sixth-largest in the region, with 5,294 vehicles sold in 2023, posted more than $425 million in revenue. It employs almost 400 people. It has Ford and Chevrolet locations in Milford; Ford in Alexandria; and Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, and Ram in Fairfax.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Pure Romance

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 moved its headquarters into two downtown buildings it renovated at Third and Main streets last year. The company sold its Loveland warehouse for more than $3 million this year as it transitioned to a third-party fulﬁllment provider that can deliver products to U.S. customers in two days.

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

Chris Cicchinelli

PRESIDENT Cohen Recycling

Ken Cohen

The family-owned company based in Middletown is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It’s one of the largest metal recycling operations in North America, processing 1.25 million tons of metal and electronics annually. It reported $575 million in revenue in 2023 and employs 320 people at 20 facilities. Its former recycling site on Third Street in Hamilton is part of a major downtown project that includes hotels, commercial space, apartments, and townhomes.

Hometown: Middletown Education: University of Pennsylvania (undergraduate)

OWNER Fleet Feet

Frank DeJulius

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. The reinvented Fleet Feet Racing Team debuted this year for athletes of different levels of ability and experience and is led by Laurah Turner, who has competed against and coached endurance athletes from ﬁrst-time marathoners to Olympic hopefuls.

Hometown: Cleveland Education: John Carroll University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I knew I wanted to own my own business and lead a team. I probably imagined myself doing something in sports or the outdoor industry. How are you planning for leadership succession? Leaders emerge when the environment is ripe for it. Every day I work on cultivating an environment within our organization that encourages future leader growth, and everyone in our company plays a role in the process.

PRESIDENT AND CEO altaﬁber

Leigh Fox

Fox has led the former Cincinnati Bell since 2017 and guided the company through a 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, Kentucky, and Hawaii. In February, it agreed to sell its CBTS and OnX Canada technology services unit. It overhauled its downtown headquarters in 2023, consolidating space on two floors from the previous seven. It reported revenue of more than $1.8 billion in 2023. It employs more than 5,300 people.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (MBA)

PRESIDENT Topicz

Adam Greenberg

Greenberg has led the Amberley Village-based company since 2019 after serving as business development director and operations manager for 12 years before that. The ﬁrm serves more than 900 customers across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, and West Virginia with 160 employees and $400 million in revenue in 2023. It provides clients with merchandising, ﬁxtures, and technology help as well.

Hometown: Highland Park, Illinois Education: University of Denver (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I knew I wanted to own my own business, but I had no clue what ﬁeld it would be in. How are you planning for leadership succession? One of our primary strategies is developing the next generation of company leaders by equipping them with the necessary skills, experiences, and mentorship to uphold and advance our legacy, vision, and values.

Michael Dever

CEO Performance Automotive

Dever has been in the automobile business for most of his life. The West Chester Township-based company, founded by his father in 1971, has 18 dealerships in Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Salt Lake City as well as collision repair facilities and a motorsports dealership for motorcycles and ATVs. It’s the region’s third-largest automotive dealer with more than 12,730 vehicles sold in 2023, reporting revenue of $2.2 billion.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Habegger Corp.

Brian Habegger

Habegger, grandson of founder Fred Habegger Sr. and son of Fred Jr., has 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. with almost 50 locations in nine states. The company has 640 employees and posted revenue of $533 million in 2023.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

Brian

Hodgett

DIRECTOR, OHIO GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

Procter & Gamble

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 of United Way of Greater Cincinnati, having served the organization since 2020; former chair of the Cincinnati Regional Chamber; and serves on the executive committees of REDI and the Chamber.

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

Chris

Larsen

PRESIDENT AND CEO Castellini Group of Companies

Larsen was named to the top job in 2022. He joined the company in 2017 as corporate controller and became CFO in 2021. The family-owned fresh produce distributor was founded in 1896 and also provides transportation, warehousing, and leasing services from its location in Wilder. Bob Castellini, majority owner of the Reds, is chairman of the company that posted revenue of almost $140 million in 2023.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

CEO United Dairy Farmers

Brad Lindner

Lindner is the third-generation leader of the family-owned retail chain that was founded by Carl Lindner Sr. in 1940. UDF has almost 200 locations in three states. Its new locations, and some renovated ones, are larger at more than 6,000 square feet, as opposed to the existing ones with footprints of 2,500 to 4,000 square feet. The new stores offer larger selections of bakery, breakfast, and sandwich items.

Hometown: Cincinnati

CEO

JTM Food Group

Tony Maas

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. It launched its ﬁrst line of plant-based protein menu options last year. JTM posted more than $350 million in revenue in 2023 and has almost 700 employees.

Hometown: Cincinnati

Keith McCluskey

CEO McCluskey Automotive Group

McCluskey runs the company founded in 1973 by his father, Dan. It is in the process of moving its new car dealership from Kings Automall to the 18-acre site of a former JCPenney store at Governor’s Plaza Mall in Symmes Township. The new locations will also house some operations of its Online.cars business. The auto mall site will become a used-car superstore. McCluskey posted more than $385 million in 2023 revenue.

Hometown: Cincinnati

CHAIRMAN AND CEO Kroger Co.

McMullen has led the country’s largest traditional supermarket operator since 2014. He is the region’s second highest-paid public company CEO, and Kroger is the region’s largest public company with more than $150 billion in 2023 revenue. Kroger has leased new office space downtown and in Blue Ash to bring workers back to the office more often.

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

Rodney McMullen

PRESIDENT AND CEO Chemed

Kevin McNamara

Chemed is the parent company of Miamibased 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 $2.25 billion in revenue in 2023 and employs more than 15,000 people.

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

CO-FOUNDER

MadTree Brewing

Kenny McNutt

Founded in 2013 with Brady Duncan, MadTree is the area’s third-largest craft brewery, selling 20,000 barrels in 2022. In addition to its taproom and production plant in Oakley, it opened a new kitchen at that location. MadTree has started renovation of a former airplane hangar at Blue Ash’s Summit Park, an $8.5 million Parks & Rec facility with a restaurant, taproom, and solarium that will be part of the city’s DORA district.

Education: Texas A&M (undergraduate), Cornell University (master’s), Xavier University (MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? Computer engineering. How are you planning for leadership succession? As MadTree continues to grow, many more opportunities become available for growth and succession throughout. It’s one of the things I’m most excited about for the future of MadTree and our team.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Totes Isotoner

Daniel Rajczak

Rajczak, who spent 17 years at Procter & Gamble, has led the largest manufacturer of umbrella, footwear, and cold weather accessories since 2016. In June, the company was acquired by Marquee Brands in association with Randa Apparel & Accessories. Founded in Oakley in 1924, its brands include Totes, Isotoner, Acorn, and Manzella, with sub-brands including Cirrus, SolBounce, Zenz, and Toasties.

Education: University of Waterloo, Canada (undergraduate)

CHAIRMAN

Kenwood Dealer Group

Robert Reichert

Reichert oversees one of the region’s largest auto dealerships with 15 locations with 1,030 employees in sales, service, and repair roles. Kenwood sold more than 19,000 vehicles in 2023, the second-most in the region, posting revenue of $989 million. The company gave $1.2 million to Cincinnati State Technical and Community College in 2023 to help train a new generation of auto technicians, focusing on hybrid and electric vehicles.

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

Jon Moeller

CHAIRMAN, CEO, AND PRESIDENT Procter & Gamble

Moeller has led the region’s second-largest company since 2021. P&G posted $80 billion in revenue in 2023 and employs more than 100,000 people around the world, including nearly 11,000 in Greater Cincinnati. Moeller recently chaired the Cincinnati Future Committee to put the city on a sound ﬁnancial footing and co-chaired the record-setting 2024 ArtsWave campaign.

Hometown: Duluth, Minnesota Education: Cornell University (undergraduate and MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I had just started studying biology at college, and I expected to eventually become an exotic animal veterinarian. How are you planning for leadership succession? People are our most important asset in P&G by far. We are a develop-from-within company, so it’s incumbent on all managers at all levels to develop people to perform at increasing levels of responsibility. I take an active role in the development of the next generation of leaders.

Jake Rouse

The Rouse family, including brother Evan and father Greg, founded the Covington-based company in 2015. Braxton opened a taproom at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in 2023, adding to locations in Covington, Ft. Mitchell, and Pendleton, with another coming in Union, the family’s Northern Kentucky hometown. It passed MadTree to become the region’s second-largest local craft brewery with 23,350 barrels sold in 2022.

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

CEO Braxton Brewing

PRESIDENT AND CEO

William Rumpke Jr.

Rumpke Waste and Recycling

Rumpke is the third-generation family member to lead the Colerain Township company. Founded in 1932, Rumpke serves 573,000 customers in Greater Cincinnati and opened a $100-million, 226,000-square-foot facility in Columbus this summer to process about 250,000 tons of materials annually. Rumpke posted revenue of almost $1.1 billion in 2023 and has more than 4,000 employees.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was already working for our family business, and it’s all I ever dreamed of doing. How are you planning for leadership succession? We direct existing leaders to serve as mentors and make internal continuing education programs available through Rumpke University and our Leadership & Professional Development Academy. If the future leader is a member of the Rumpke family, more is expected. Our family name is our brand.

CEO Slatts Group

Robert Slattery

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 2023, it opened Robert James Park in Newtown, which combines several food and drink concepts, a distillery, and a dog-friendly recreation area. RJ Distillery is the taproom anchor at Element Eatery in Madisonville.

Hometown: Cleveland Education: Miami University (undergraduate and master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? It seemed clear that a career in sales or leadership would align with my resourcefulness and ambition for ﬁnancial success. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’ve already transferred partial ownership of some entities to trusted family members and key management. As time progresses, I intend to continue developing succession strategies that create wealth and security for those who have contributed to our success.

Carl Satterwhite

PRESIDENT AND OWNER RCF Group

Satterwhite and Scott Robertson, owner of Globe Business Interiors, formed RCF more than 20 years ago to provide workplace solutions for office furniture, architectural services, and facilities maintenance in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Louisville. RCF, the fourth-largest Black-owned business in the region, is the second-largest office furniture and supply company with more than 110 employees and revenue of almost $90 million in 2023.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (engineering certiﬁcate)

CEO Cintas Corporation

Todd Schneider

Schneider succeeded Scott Farmer, who remains executive chairman, in 2021. The Mason-based uniform and workplace supply giant is the region’s fourth-largest public company, reporting almost $8.9 billion in revenue in 2023 and employing 44,500 people. It will invest $15 million in its headquarters as more employees return to the 500,000-square-foot building. Cintas expects to add 125 jobs to the almost 1,300 who work there now.

Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

Amy Spiller

PRESIDENT, OHIO AND KENTUCKY REGION Duke Energy

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 900,000 electric customers and more than 557,000 natural gas consumers. It partnered with the Cincinnati Regional Chamber and Huntington Bank in the Storefronts to Forefronts program, which gives $5,000 grants and marketing expertise to neighborhood business districts.

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

PRESIDENT

AND CEO Stagnaro Distribuiting

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 3,500 retail locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana from facilities in Cincinnati and Erlanger. It posted revenue of $135 million in 2023 and has 200 employees.

Education: Southern Methodist University (undergraduate)

Michael Stagnaro

Jess Stewart

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Amazon Air

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 focal point of its presence at CVG that includes a seven-building complex covering more than 3 million square feet and a tarmac with space for 100-plus cargo planes. The company opened a new 125,000-squarefoot delivery center in Florence, joining similar operations in Sedamsville and West Chester.

Education: Purdue University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I would be a lawyer. How are you planning for leadership succession? I take every possible opportunity to teach in order to continually prepare for the next level. I also maintain a high bar when hiring. I ask myself if each candidate could have the ability to move up multiple levels and if they could raise the bar immediately if hired.

CEO AAA Club Alliance

Tom Wiedemann

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.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I wanted to be an attorney. How are you planning for leadership succession? We have an established executive development program that allows leaders to expand their responsibilities and impact within the organization and in the community. Our objective is to have an ongoing process to develop a number of potential successors.

Jake Sweeney Jr.

CEO Jake Sweeney Automotive

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 school. The group sells Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, KIA, BMW, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Alfa Romero, and Fiat brands at 12 locations in Greater Cincinnati. The company reported $661 million in revenue in 2023 and was the region’s fourth-largest auto dealership with nearly 10,000 vehicles sold.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (undergraduate)

Tim Trant

CEO G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers

Trant, who has worked at Pepsi for 28 years, succeeded Tim Hardig at G&J in 2020. The company is the largest family-owned Pepsi franchise bottler in the U.S. and employs almost 1,9000 people at 13 locations in Ohio and Kentucky. It posted more than $660 million in 2023 revenue. It is investing more than $20 million to expand its warehouse and office operations in Columbus and opened a new facility in Maysville, Kentucky.

Hometown: Mason Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate and MBA)

CHAIRMAN Tire Discounters

Chip Wood

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 $570 million in 2023. Jamie Ward, president and CEO since 2016, has helped grow the company into one of the largest in the country. It hired Charles Curlee as its ﬁrst chief operating officer this year.

Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

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 23,400 vehicles in 2023. It has 23 locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana and is the area’s ﬁfth-largest private company with revenue of $2.24 billion in 2023 and more than 2,500 employees.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Jeff Wyler

CEO

Jeff Wyler Automotive Family

Today’s dreamers become tomorrow’s leaders.

C U LT U R E & CULTURE

L E I S U R E LEISURE

PRESIDENT AND CEO Taft Museum of Art

Rebekah Beaulieu

Beaulieu has led the museum since 2022 after serving as 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. Tunde Wey came to town in the spring to host programs as the Taft’s 2024 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence; he was the ﬁrst culinary artist in program history.

Hometown: Milwaukee Education: George Washington University (undergraduate), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (master’s), Columbia University (master’s), Boston University (Ph.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was interning in three museums and dreamed of being a museum curator. How are you planning for leadership succession? At the Taft, our shared priorities of transparency, collectivized accountability, and strong communication lend themselves well to succession planning.

Jeff Berding

PRESIDENT AND CO-CEO FC Cincinnati

Berding joined Carl Lindner III as co-CEO of the Major League Soccer team in 2022. The company began work in 2023 on a $300-million mixed-use project adjacent to TQL Stadium in the West End, with a completion target for phase one in 2026. FC Cincinnati’s franchise value jumped to an estimated $645 million in 2023, according to digital sports business publication Sportico, a 17 percent increase from 2022.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

PRESIDENT AND CEO Cincinnati Ballet

Deborah Brant

Brant was named to lead the ballet in March after serving on an interim basis since January, succeeding Scott Altman, who left after seven years to assume the same position at Los Angeles Master Chorale. Brant previously served as chair of the Cincinnati Ballet Foundation and led the capital campaign committee to construct the company’s new $31 million headquarters in Walnut Hills.

Hometown: Akron, Ohio Education: Brandeis University (undergraduate)

DIRECTOR

Paula BrehmHeeger

Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

In July, the Downtown Main Library, the system’s largest location, reopened after a $43 million renovation that included new outdoor plazas. The organization, founded in 1853, is one of the country’s largest library systems with 41 neighborhood branches. Brehm-Heeger has led it since 2018.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Indiana University (master’s), Northern Kentucky University (master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was strongly considering applying to the U.S. Naval Academy. My father is a Navy veteran, submarine service. Ultimately I pursued a civilian career. How are you planning for leadership succession? Providing our outstanding leaders a chance to grow, learn, and work with excellent peers, mentors and coaches. I also do all I can to foster an environment where it’s safe to take risks as long as you learn something that helps improve our service and organization.

CHAIRMAN

Cincinnati Reds

Bob

Castellini

Castellini has led Major League Baseball’s oldest franchise since 2006. On August 1 his son, Phil, was promoted to President and CEO, while Bob retains control and managerial responsibility over all business and baseball operations. Despite payroll increasing 5 percent from a year ago ($101.6 million in 2024), the Reds slipped to 24th among 30 MLB teams.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Georgetown University (undergraduate), University of Pennsylvania (MBA)

PRESIDENT Cincinnati Bengals

Mike Brown

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Visit Cincy

Julie

Brown has led the team since the death of his father, Paul, in 1991. In 2023, the Bengals posted the fastest growth in sponsorship dollars of any NFL team: 64 percent above 2022. In July, it was announced the Bengals received $402 million in national revenue in 2023, a 7.5 percent increase from 2022. The Bengals rank as Cincinnati’s 33rd-largest private company, with 2023 revenue of $498 million.

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

Calvert

Calvert has led the destination marketing organization since 2018 and previously was executive director of Source Cincinnati (now Cincinnati Experience) for four years. 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. Cincinnati is reportedly in the running to be a team base camp during the 2026 World Cup.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I would be a high school English teacher and eventually a guidance counselor. How are you planning for leadership succession? By hiring the best and brightest team members, effectively hiring who will become our future leaders.

PRESIDENT AND CEO GSR Brands

Roger David

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. The company has 62 locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

Andrew DeWitt

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

Dewey’s Pizza

DeWitt opened the first Dewey’s in Oakley in 1998. As president and CEO, he grew the chain before promoting COO Chuck Lipp to run daily operations in 2019 and assuming his current title. Dewey’s has 25 locations in five states, including eight in Greater Cincinnati. It hosts an annual 5K run to benefit mental health agencies and since 2009 has raised nearly $2 million for local charities.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Denison University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I wanted to play guitar in a band that would be as big as the Rolling Stones. How are you planning for leadership succession? One of our stated values at Dewey’s is that we grow through training, goal-setting, and development. We’re always developing leaders, and it would be entirely logical to expect that our future leaders will emerge from within. Many of the best public and private restaurant CEOs got their start in entry-level roles.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

James Downton

Sharonville Convention Center

Downton has managed the facility since 2012. The $24-million expansion of Todd Portune Hall was completed in January, doubling exhibit hall space from 20,000 to 40,000 square feet. In 2023, its economic impact on the region was $15 million. The Greater Cincinnati Holiday Market will hold its annual event in Sharonville in 2024 and 2025 as the Duke Energy Convention Center is closed for renovations.

Hometown: Ft. Mitchell Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was an English major with a minor in writing and was planning to go into academia for a career. How are you planning for leadership succession? We’re constantly evaluating our talent and assessing any vulnerable positions. Preparing internal talent for the next step through integration of responsibilities and preparing them through exposure are just a few of the ways we plan for leadership succession.

Richard Eiswerth

PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER, AND CEO Cincinnati Public Radio

Eiswerth has led the nonproﬁt radio group that operates classical music station WGUC, NPR affiliate WVXU, and Miami University-affiliated WMUB since 1998. It will open a $26-million, 30,000-square-foot headquarters in Evanston this winter to house radio studios, offices, and performance space. The building is the ﬁrst two-story mass timber building in the Midwest.

Hometown: Williamsport, Pennsylvania Education: Syracuse University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? Broadcasting, specifically radio. One of my earliest memories as a child was sitting in my dark bedroom late at night bathed in the light of a small AM table radio. How are you planning for leadership succession? We have a formal, dynamic, and up-todate succession plan already in place. I’m confident that our organization has talented, capable, and experienced people capable of taking over the reins whenever required.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Graeter’s Ice Cream

Richard Graeter

Graeter is the fourth-generation family member to lead the company that’s made and sold ice cream since 1870. It has 56 retail locations and ﬁve food trucks in ﬁve Midwestern states. Its newest location opened in November 2023 in Union, Kentucky. It reported 2023 revenue of $90 million and has more than 660 full-time employees.

Hometown: Cincinnati When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life?Exactly where I am right now. How are you planning for leadership succession? Working with professionals to outline an orderly succession plan over the next 10 years.

Ray Harris

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Nederlander/Heritage Bank Center

Nederlander Entertainment and Anschutz Entertainment Group own the downtown venue, home to the Cincinnati Cyclones. Harris has led the group since 2005, when COO was added to his CFO duties. In June, he and Robert Nederlander purchased Sports Plus, an Evendale sports entertainment facility, for $6.2 million. In July, the Cyclones were named an affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hometown: Indian River, Michigan Education: Walsh College (undergraduate)

CHEF AND OWNER

Boca Restaurant Group

David Falk

Falk founded the company in 2001 with the opening of his flagship restaurant on Sixth Street in the former Maisonette location. He operates two other adjacent restaurants: Italian trattoria Sotto and Nada, a Mexican eatery that’s expanded to Columbus, Indianapolis, Nashville, and North Bethesda, Maryland. In 2023, Boca was one of six Ohio restaurants named to OpenTable’s list of the Top 100 Restaurants in America.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Culinary Institute of America

Colleen Houston

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CEO

ArtWorks

Houston has led the public art nonproﬁt for youth ages 14-21 since 2020. ArtWorks, founded in 1996, moved into its newly renovated 14,000-square-foot headquarters, an $11.7 million project, on Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills this fall. The building’s three ﬂoors and basement hold an art gallery, art studios, a community event space, a retail shop, and office space.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Warren Wilson College (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? Working in either the arts or environmental education. Either way I knew I was driven to make a positive difference. How are you planning for leadership succession? My personal succession story is inspiring (from apprentice to CEO), and I often look to our alumni to work at ArtWorks when we have openings. I think succession from within the organization just makes sense.

CULTURE

Woody Keown Jr.

PRESIDENT National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Keown has led the museum 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. The museum held its first Juneteenth festival this summer, with Cincinnati Bengal Orlando Brown Jr. as guest speaker to help raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes.

Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas Education: Arkansas State University (undergraduate), University of Utah (MBA)

PRESIDENT AND CEO ArtsWave

Alecia Kintner

Kintner has led the largest U.S. community arts fund since 2014, supporting more than 150 cultural organizations and projects. Mel Gravely, executive chairman of Triversity Construction, is leading the 2025 campaign as the organization approaches its 100-year anniversary in 2027. The 2024 campaign, led by Procter & Gamble CEO Jon Moeller and his wife, Lisa Sauer, raised a record $12.5 million.

Hometown: Los Angeles Education: University of California–Riverside (undergraduate), University of Redlands (MBA) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I planned to be a dance critic. Turns out there are even fewer dance critics in the U.S. today than there are CEOs of community arts campaigns! How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m making sure that managers inside ArtsWave feel ownership of the work and are inspired by our extraordinary history and future potential. With strong common purpose, the ArtsWave team is ready for any transition.

DIRECTOR

Cincinnati Art Museum

Cameron Kitchin

Kitchin has led operations since 2014 after previously serving as director of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. In 2023, CAM was among three local museums that split an $18 million gift from the estate of Carol and Bill Eckerle. Founded in 1881, CAM was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies and features a collection of more than 73,000 works spanning 6,000 years of history.

Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia Education: Harvard University (undergraduate), William & Mary (MBA) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I have always loved museums. I think even at a young age I was taken with artist/museum/community connections that are in evidence here at CAM. How are you planning for leadership succession?The Cincinnati Art Museum is an intergenerational laboratory for artistic innovation over centuries and millennia. I’m inspired by the next generation every day and am confident they’ll build upon our work.

Mike Koontz

VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER

Kings Island

Koontz has led the Mason venue, the region’s largest tourist attraction, since 2016. The amusement and water park features 15 roller coasters among more than 100 rides, shows, and attractions. Its parent company, Cedar Fair, merged with Six Flags Entertainment Corp. earlier this year in an $8 billion deal.

Education: West Virginia State University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was interested in becoming a medical doctor. Then I changed my major to business/accounting and became a CPA. How are you planning for leadership succession? Succession planning is critical in the amusement park industry. A majority of our full-time leadership roles are occupied by those who started in this industry when they were in high school or college and found it to be a rewarding career. I’m fortunate to have two assistant GMs with over 35 years of experience.

PRESIDENT AND CEO meetNKY

Julie Kirkpatrick

Kirkpatrick has led meetNKY since 2020, after it rebranded from Northern Kentucky CVB. Its mission is to drive quality of life and economic growth through tourism marketing and destination development. In 2023, events it sponsored had an economic impact of $2.1 billion in the region, second-highest in Kentucky.

Hometown: Lexington Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) First job: Putting the perfect swirl on ice cream at Dairy Queen. What’s the best career advice you ever received? To always push forward and not accept mediocrity. I’ve been taught that, if you want to be a leader, you should inspire others to push themselves as well. How are you planning for leadership succession? We’re starting to have legacy conversations about how we want to see tourism in our region in the next 10 to 20 years and the future skills we need to develop in our organization, especially around AI and development.

Lanni, his brother John, and Alex Blust founded the company in 2012 after the brothers started Currito in 2005. Since then, TRG has become one of Cincinnati’s largest restaurant groups with 54 locations across nine brands in 11 states. In February, Thunderdome opened upscale restaurant The Davidson in the former Tiffany space across from Fountain Square. The company reported revenue of $104 million in 2023.

Hometown: Hamilton Education: Cornell University (undergraduate)

Joe Lanni

CEO Thunderdome Restaurant Group

CEO LaRosa’s

Michael LaRosa

Michael and brother Mark (president) are sons of Donald “Buddy” LaRosa, who founded the family-owned restaurant in 1954. Michael has led the company since 2008. LaRosa’s, based in Westwood, operates more than 60 franchise and corporately owned pizzerias with1,700 employees in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. LaRosa’s reported revenue of nearly $192 million in 2023.

Hometown: Cincinnati When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was entering the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Rhode Island with hopes to become a career Naval officer. Pizza sauce was in my veins, and I made a slight career adjustment. How are you planning for leadership succession? Leadership succession planning requires a tremendous amount of assessment and alignment to move the enterprise forward. We study and project the needs of the business and carefully match leaders to roles that will drive the business as a whole.

Jonathan Martin

PRESIDENT AND CEO Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Martin has led the country’s sixth-oldest orchestra since 2017 after previously serving as president and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Louis Langrée, music director since 2013, departed in May, and his successor, Romanian-born Cristian Macelaru, was signed to a ﬁve-year contract. The CSO, founded in 1895, is the resident orchestra for Cincinnati May Festival, Cincinnati Opera, and Cincinnati Ballet.

Hometown: Atlanta Education: Georgia State University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was already in music school, and I thought I was going to teach music theory in a college somewhere. How are you planning for leadership succession?The best planning for leadership succession is to ensure that the organization’s culture that you’re leading is sound, that the leadership team is top-flight, and that the artistic and financial strength of the organization is solid.

Steve Loftin

PRESIDENT Cincinnati Arts Association

Since 2000, Loftin has led the organization that oversees the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall; hosts the Broadway Series, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Pops, and other groups; and presents its own series of concerts and stage shows at the Aronoff Center. Founded in 1992, CAA annually serves some 600,000 people, and its arts education programs have reached nearly 2 million students since 1995.

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Beryl Love

EDITOR AND MARKET LEADER Enquirer Media

Love returned to his hometown as The Cincinnati Enquirer’s editor in 2018 after serving as executive editor of USA Today for 10 years. In 2023, the newspaper and Cincinnati.com moved its downtown headquarters to 312 Plum Street after its 30-year lease at nearby 312 Elm Street expired. The organization is owned by Virginia-based Gannett Co., the largest newspaper chain in the U.S. based on circulation.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I started at UC in the College of Engineering but learned quickly how important it is to match your passion with your profession. How are you planning for leadership succession? One of the beneﬁts of being part of the USA Today Network is that we have opportunities for people to be mentored, coached, and work on initiatives with colleagues from across the country.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Wings & Rings

Nader

Masadeh

Masadeh bought Buffalo Wings & Rings with two partners in 2005 and became CEO in 2014. W&R dropped “Buffalo” from its name in 2021 to separate itself from competitors. W&R made its debut at Great American Ball Park this year in the concourse, offering boneless wings and onion rings. The Loveland-based company reported 2023 revenue of $169 million and has 80 locations worldwide.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was convinced I’d be in the engineering or manufacturing ﬁeld. I wasn’t even close, but I couldn’t be happier to be wrong. How are you planning for leadership succession? It’s a daily thought for me. I’m constantly looking for the right person as my replacement. When the time comes, I’ll know it.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Thane Maynard

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Maynard joined the organization in 1977 and has led it since 2007. This fall, the zoo opened its largest habitat, Elephant Trek, a $50-million, ﬁve-acre project that’s ﬁve times larger than the previous elephant home. The zoo, the sixth-oldest in the U.S., will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2025, when it also will open two new habitats, Sea Otter Coast and Bear Ridge.

Hometown: Winter Park, Florida Education: Rollins College (undergraduate), University of Michigan (master’s)

D. Lynn Meyers

PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati

Meyers has led the Over-the-Rhine troupe since 1996 and has presented more than 100 world and regional premieres. Philanthropists

Harry and Linda Fath this year donated $1 million to ETC, a gift that jumpstarts the theater’s campaign to raise $10 million. ETC attracts more than 30,000 patrons to 220-plus annual performances.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Thomas More University (undergraduate)

Britney Ruby Miller

CEO Ruby Culinary Entertainment

Miller had led the company, founded by her father in 1981, since 2020 after working in his restaurants since her teenage years. The company has seven locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Its main downtown restaurant moved to The Foundry across from Fountain Square, while the original space was relaunched as The Lempicka event space. In May, the company debuted its off-site catering service, Jeff Ruby’s Catering.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Christopher Milligan

GENERAL DIRECTOR AND CEO Cincinnati Opera

Milligan joined the opera 27 years ago and succeeded longtime CEO Patricia Beggs in 2020. Founded in 1920, the Cincinnati Opera is the second-oldest opera company in the U.S. In July, it presented ﬁve performances of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio at Music Hall in its ﬁrst-ever opera staging.

Hometown: Kettering, Ohio Education: Miami University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I actually had too many ideas: medicine, journalism, teaching, culinary arts, and more. But I applied for an internship at Cincinnati Opera, and then I knew that a career in this art form was the path for me. How are you planning for leadership succession? The legacy and future of our company is always top of mind. My approach to succession planning prioritizes building a strong leadership team, ensuring long-term organizational health, and fostering a close and collaborative relationship with our board.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Pig Works

Doug Olberding

In June, Olberding succeeded Iris Simpson Bush in the top roles at Pig Works, parent company of the Flying Pig Marathon. Bush, who became director of community engagement, led the region’s signature race and its related events since 2002. Olberding previously retired from Xavier University, where he chaired the Department of Sports Studies for 14 years.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (undergraduate), Ohio University (master’s), University of Kentucky (Ph.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was involved in so many different things, each offering a different imagined future. Forget choosing a career; I couldn’t even settle on a college major. How are you planning for leadership succession? Leadership succession is a top priority. At Pig Works, we have an excellent team, and as we move forward, I will be dedicated to developing our people and fostering a shared vision for our organization.

CEO Penn Station

Jeff Osterfeld

Osterfeld opened his ﬁrst Penn Station in downtown in 1985, and today the Milford-based cheesesteak sandwich chain has more than 300 restaurants in 15 states. Osterfeld began construction on Veterans Club in Clermont County, the region’s ﬁ rst new golf course in two decades, and it’s scheduled to open in 2027. Penn Station is the region’s 57th-largest private company with 2023 revenue of $267 million.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I had no idea. What I did know was that I wanted to be an entrepreneur, as I came from a long family history of self employment. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’ve made a conscious effort to attract and retain some young qualiﬁed talent and put them in leadership positions knowing that I’m 64 and our COO, Craig Dunaway, is 63.

Patel founded RHH in 2005 to develop, acquire, and manage hotels. It has 16 locations in Ohio and Kentucky, including the Embassy Suites in Blue Ash, which it purchased in August, and Holiday Inn & Suites downtown, which it’s converting into a boutique Intercontinental Hotel. In 2023, RHH began work on Moxy, a 111-room, seven-story Marriott hotel at 312 Main Street that’s due to open in February 2025.

Hometown: Williamstown, Kentucky Education: Transylvania University (undergraduate)

Bimal Patel

CEO Rolling Hills Hospitality

Brian Isaac Phillips

PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CEO

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

Phillips, creative leader since 2003, was instrumental in creating the $17.5-million Otto M. Budig Theater in Over-the-Rhine in 2017. In 2020, he was awarded the Shakespeare Theatre Association’s Sidney Berger Award for excellence in artistic direction. The 2024-25 season features three world premieres: Kindred Spirits in August, A Room in the Castle January 24-February 9, and Mrs. Dalloway: A New Musical May 23-June 15.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: Morehead State University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I would be involved in theatre and/or film in a position where I could have influence on what projects were being developed. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m trying to build more leadership opportunities within the company so that people can see a path for themselves and so our community sees the leadership of CSC as something that belongs to multiple people.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Ignite Philanthropy

Scott Provancher

Provancher has led the philanthropic consulting ﬁrm since 2016, when it was formed via a merger of Lewis & Clark Co. and Ignite Philanthropy Advisors. Ignite helped local nonproﬁts raise more than $75 million in 2023 and is among the region’s fastest-growing companies with revenue growth of 66 percent from 2021 to 2023.

Hometown: Kinderhook, New York Education: Eastman School of Music (undergraduate) First job: I washed dishes at a pizza restaurant in my hometown. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Start your career in a small organization to fully understand how a business works and appreciate how everyone’s individual contributions truly matter. How are you planning for leadership succession? Two of our top leaders were recently promoted to President and COO, which diversiﬁes our leadership responsibilities and creates a stable path for future leadership transitions.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Cincinnati

Elizabeth Pierce

Museum Center

Pierce joined the West End landmark in 2007 and has led operations since 2015. In June, the museum purchased the former Heidelberg Distributing campus for $15 million to house its scattered collection of 6 million items. In August, one of its museums, the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, named Jackie Congedo as CEO.

Hometown: Mansﬁeld, Ohio Education: Miami University (undergraduate), George Washington University (master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was studying history at Miami University and expecting to do something that required a broad world view and strong writing skills. How are you planning for leadership succession? Across all leadership positions at CMC, we’re looking at future needs for each role and those staff in-house who are capable of meeting those needs. Forever and always, Cincinnati Museum Center is about cultivating curiosity and inspiring learning.

Blake Robison

PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Cincinnati

Playhouse in the Park

The Playhouse is enjoying its second season in the $50-million Mainstage Theatre Complex, which features Mo and Jack’s PlaceThe Rouse Theatre. The new facility is more accessible and enables the Playhouse to host pre-Broadway productions, including the world premiere of Rutka: A New Musical in October that Robison and investors hope will open later in New York.

Hometown: Middlebury, Vermont Education: Williams College (undergraduate), University of North Carolina (master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? No idea. I did theater and sports, and had an interest in politics. My commitment to the arts developed during my collegiate years. How are you planning for leadership succession? Arts organizations are notoriously bad at succession planning, so we’re having the conversation, which is progress.

GENERAL MANAGER

Joe Pinto

Hyatt Regency Cincinnati

Pinto, who has more than 38 years of experience in the hospitality business, has led the downtown venue since 2018. He previously was general manager of Hyatt Regency Indianapolis. The Hyatt is Cincinnati’s second-largest hotel with 491 total rooms and 40,000 square feet of meeting space. Pinto is president of the Cincinnati Hotel Association and a board member of Visit Cincy and the Cincinnati Music Festival.

Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan Education: Michigan State University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I am exactly where I knew I would be when I was 18 years old. How are you planning for leadership succession? Good leadership always ﬁnds a way to get noticed, and opportunities for strong leaders to grow is a primary goal of our organization. We have plenty of great future leaders that we develop for bigger opportunities, so succession is not necessarily a challenge.

MEMI is owned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which also owns Riverbend Music Center, PNC Pavilion, and Andrew J Brady Music Center. MEMI is a $100 million business, with proﬁts supporting the symphony’s operations. In December 2023, the CSO and MEMI announced the purchase of Coney Island with plans to build a $118 million music venue.

Hometown: Waterford, Michigan Education: Siena Heights University (undergraduate)

Mike Smith

CEO Music and Event Management Inc.

PRESIDENT AND

CEO

Adam Symson

E.W. Scripps Co.

Founded in 1878, Scripps is Greater Cincinnati’s eighth-largest public company. It generated $2.3 billion in 2023 revenue and has 5,200 employees. Symson has led the national media company since 2017 and now manages 65 TV stations (including WCPO Channel 9) in 22 states. The company also reaches nearly every home in the U.S. through nine broadcast networks, including Ion and Scripps Sports.

Hometown: Los Angeles Education: University of California-Los Angeles (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was working at an AM radio station producing news programs, so I was destined for a life-long career in journalism. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m always evaluating an executive’s grit to see how well they bounce back from the inevitable gut punches to C-level leadership in this business.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Christina Vassallo

Contemporary Arts Center

Vassallo assumed her role in 2023, succeeding Raphaela Platow, after previously serving as executive director of the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. The CAC’s 21-year-old building on Sixth Street was the ﬁrst U.S. project designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid.

Hometown: New York City Education: New York University (undergraduate and master’s) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I studied art history, but the museum field seemed so impenetrable that I didn’t have a specific outcome in mind. How are you planning for leadership succession? It’s important to approach this in a clear-sighted way before it’s necessary. We recently had the benefit of outlining the organization’s needs through our strategic plan, providing criteria for the internal and external talent required to succeed in the long term.

CEO Frisch’s

James Walker

Walker has led the restaurant chain owned by NRD Capital, a private equity company, since 2022. Frisch’s has 73 corporate and 16 franchise locations in four states. Its newest local restaurant opened in 2023 at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Frisch’s reported 2023 revenue of $181 million and is the region’s 24th-largest employer, with nearly 1,700 workers. It was founded in 1939 when the Mainliner opened in Fairfax.

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida Education: Duke University (MBA)

CEO Skyline Chili

Dick Williams

In 2023, Williams succeeded longtime leader Kevin McDonnell, who retired. Williams is former president of baseball operations and general manager of the Cincinnati Reds. In July, Skyline was named the No. 1 regional fast food chain in USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Skyline, founded in 1949, operates 136 restaurants in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Virginia (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I knew I’d be doing something fun that I was passionate about, but I’m pretty sure the Cincinnati Reds and Skyline Chili would not have even been on my radar at that point. Proof that things change a lot after age 18! How are you planning for leadership succession? Delegate real responsibility as much as possible so people get used to making tough decisions.

PRESIDENT Hard Rock Casino

Justin Wyborn

In 2023, Wyborn succeeded George Goldhoff, who departed for a similar role in Atlantic City. Wyborn previously served 11 years in management at hotel-casinos in Florida and Australia. Hard Rock invested $1.45 million this year in its banquet and event space, making it the largest venue downtown now that theDuke Energy Convention Center rehab is underway.

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia Education: RMIT University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was extremely lucky that my parents believed in the value of travel and the education it brought for the family, which ignited my passion for discovery and my drive into the leisure and hospitality industry. How are you planning for leadership succession? All leaders need to become comfortable and conﬁdent enough to make themselves redundant in their role.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Columbia Sussex

William Yung

Yung founded the Crestview Hills-based company in 1972 with one hotel. Today, the group owns more than 40 hotels and resorts in Saint Maarten and 18 states, including downtown’s Renaissance Cincinnati, Marriott Cincinnati Northeast in Mason, Marriott Cincinnati North in West Chester, and Double Tree and the Cincinnati Airport Marriott in Hebron. It’s the region’s 20th-largest private company with 2023 revenue of $966 million and 5,100 employees.

Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

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.

EDUCATION & HEALTH

Jennifer Agnello

VICE PRESIDENT, COMMERCIAL MARKET Dental Care Plus Group

Agnello is in charge of strategic business initiatives for the company’s commercial dental insurance business and leads a local and regional team that works with brokers, providers, and members. She joined Dental Care Plus in 2021 from Cornerstone Broker Insurance Services/ ARC Beneﬁt Solutions, where she served as president. Dental Care Plus is part of Toronto-based Sun Life Financial, which acquired the company in 2022.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate)

Andy Blankemeyer

CEO Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine

Before becoming CEO in 2016, Blankemeyer served in multiple roles for Beacon, including chief operatingoffi cer for seven years. In 2019, he became CEO of an orthopedic management services organization formed by Beacon and Revelstoke Capital Partners. Beacon is one of the largest doctor groups in Cincinnati, with more than 60 physicians at 25 locations.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate), Xavier University (master’s)

HEAD OF SCHOOL Seven Hills School

Matthew Bolton

Bolton joined Seven Hills as the head of Upper School in 2014. Under his leadership, the school expanded its STEM offerings, increased the experiential learning program, and added a learning support department. He officially started as head of school in July, replacing Christopher Garten, who retired. Bolton served as dean of academics and dean of students at Loyola School in New York City.

Hometown: New York City Education: Binghamton University (undergraduate), City University of New York (master’s and Ph.D.), Fordham University (master’s) First job: Taught English in Baltimore public schools as a member of Teach for America. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Strive to be an eloquent listener. How are you planning for leadership succession?Our watchwords are communication, collaboration, and crosstraining. Taking a team-based approach to our various projects allows us both to do important work in the present and to gradually train our potential successors for the future.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

AtriCure

Michael Carrel

Since joining AtriCure in 2012, Carrel has led investments in new technology and clinical trials for the treatment of atrial ﬁbrillation, growing revenue from $82 million in 2013 to $399 million in 2023. Its market capitalization has increased from $115 million to approximately $1.7 billion under his leadership.

Education: Penn State University (undergraduate), University of Pennsylvania (MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I always knew I wanted to help people and make a positive impact, even if I wasn’t sure what that would look like back then. How are you planning for leadership succession? The key is ensuring we have exceptional people throughout the company, giving them opportunities to build a diverse set of skills, to grow their careers, and prepare for new leadership roles. We invest time, energy, and focus on it, and as a result we have a deep bench of talent.

PRESIDENT Thomas More University

Joseph Chillo

Chillo has led the Catholic college since 2019 and introduced a ﬁve-year strategic plan supported by a $30 million capital campaign, the largest comprehensive campaign in Thomas More’s history. Under his leadership, the university’s physical footprint has continued to grow, and it is planning to formally join NCAA Division II for athletic competition in 2025.

Hometown: Mahopac, New York Education: Binghamton University (undergraduate), Long Island University (master’s), Northeastern University (DLP) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I wanted to be a professional baseball player. How are you planning for leadership succession? I have built a team that understands servant leadership, how to be innovative and agile, and most importantly can lead and manage their teams to ensure that we have the right people in the right positions.

PRESIDENT AND CEO TriHealth

Mark Clement

Since 2016, Clement has led Greater Cincinnati’s fourth-largest employer, with 12,000 employees and more than 2,500 employed and affiliated physicians. TriHealth operates six Greater Cincinnati hospitals and nearly 140 other healthcare sites. Two of its hospitals, Bethesda North and McCullough Hyde Memorial, were named 2024 High Performing Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News and World Report, the highest award given for maternity care by the publication.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (undergraduate and master’s)

WHO THEY BECOME IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT THEY LEARN.

Every child, 18 months to 18 years, will be known, nurtured, and inspired here. We connect students both academically and personally, whether in the classroom or on our 60-acre campus. Innovative learning, independent thinking, and self-discovery guide students to be scholars, athletes, artists, leaders, and inventors.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Garren Colvin

Colvin has served as president and chief executive officer of St. Elizabeth Healthcare since June 2015. St. E’s is Northern Kentucky’s largest health care provider, with more than 10,000 employees. Under his leadership, the system established Northern Kentucky’s ﬁrst comprehensive cancer center and announced plans to build a $125 million hospital in southeastern Indiana in Greendale.

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

SUPERINTENDENT Mason City Schools

Jonathan Cooper

Cooper came to Mason in 2014 as chief innovation officer and has served as superintendent since 2018. During his leadership time, 69 percent of the school district’s voters approved a 9.95 mil operating levy, and he advocated for data-driven quarantine rules during the pandemic, allowing more schools to remain open.

Hometown: Upland, Indiana Education: Ball State University (undergraduate), University of Dayton (master’s), Miami University (Ed.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought that I would be a NCAA men’s basketball coach. You never know ... maybe there’s still time! How are you planning for leadership succession? We’re continually working to develop a diverse talent pipeline of our future leaders, which we refer to as our Leadership Legacy Strategy. It’s a priority on our Journey to 2030 and aligns with our day-to-day mission and our future vision.

PRESIDENT

Miami University

Gregory Crawford

In U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Colleges rankings, Miami is No. 3 among national public universities for its excellence in undergraduate teaching. Crawford has led the university, the largest employer in Butler County, since 2016. Time magazine named Miami one of the 100 best colleges for future leaders, the top-ranked institution from Ohio, and No. 14 among public schools.

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

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Cincinnati Children’s

Steve Davis, MD

After six years as the health system’s chief ﬁnancial officer, Davis was named CEO in 2022. Under his leadership, Children’s was ranked No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital edition and has expanded to Batesville, Indiana, and Centerville, Ohio.

Hometown: Revere, Massachusetts Education: Johns Hopkins University (undergraduate), Carnegie Mellon University (master’s), Michigan State University (master’s), University of Vermont (MD) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering with the goal of being an orthopedic surgeon. How are you planning for leadership succession? I see the CEO role in three phases: setting the strategic vision for the future at first, hopefully seeing rapid progress and developing talent in the middle years, and then planning for succession and the significant personal change of no longer being CEO.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Fernando Figueroa

Gateway Community & Technical College

As its leader since 2016, Figueroa has focused Gateway on workforce development, diversity, inclusion, and equity and has championed Gateway’s partnerships with K-12 schools and fostered productive relationships with local colleges and universities. GCTC has partnerships with more than 400 local businesses, and nearly 80 percent of its students are employed.

Hometown: New Orleans Education: Louisiana State University (undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D.)

MARKET PRESIDENT

Brian Gwyn

Bon Secours Mercy Health

Gwyn is responsible for the operation of seven hospitals that employ more than 7,500 people in the region. In January, it opened Mercy Health-Kings Mills, a $200 million, 175,000-square-foot, 60-bed acute care hospital and two-story medical office building in Mason, the ﬁrst new hospital to be built in Greater Cincinnati in nearly a decade.

Education: Appalachian State University (undergraduate and master’s), Gardner Webb University (MBA)

PRESIDENT

Xavier University

Colleen Hanycz

In July 2021, Hanycz became Xavier’s 35th president and the ﬁrst layperson and woman to serve in this role in its 192-year history. Xavier announced late last year that it had secured an anonymous $50 million gift to support the launch of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Hometown: Toronto, Canada Education: University of Toronto (undergraduate), Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada (J.D.), Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto (Ph.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? My 18-year-old self would be shocked to learn that I would spend the majority of my professional life on a college campus! How are you planning for leadership succession? Succession planning is two fold: ensuring the strength of the institution that I’ll leave for my successor, and ensuring a pool of prospective successors who have demonstrated those key strategic aptitudes to take the institution to its next level.

SUPERINTENDENT

Boone County Schools

Jeff Hauswald

Hauswald began his tenure as superintendent in July, replacing Matt Turner, who retired. Hauswald has 27 years in education, serving 14 years as a superintendent in two districts. He previously worked as superintendent of the Monroe County (Indiana) and Kokomo (Indiana) school districts.

Hometown: Croydon, Indiana Education: Indiana University (undergraduate and Ph.D.) What’s the best career advice you ever received? My father constantly encouraged me to follow my heart and be a teacher. He said a career in education will be one of the most rewarding decisions I could ever make. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m working to grow leadership capacity within the district by providing growth opportunities, encouraging continued education for all employees, and identifying community members for ﬁrst and second careers in education.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

The Christ Hospital

Deborah Hayes

Hayes joined The Christ Hospital Health Network in 1987 as a student nurse aide and then critical care nurse. Over 25 years, she held a range of leadership roles including clinical nurse manager, director of critical care, chief nursing officer, chief information officer, and chief hospital officer. She’s led major initiatives such as the $280 million transformation of its campus infrastructure and the growth of its ambulatory outpatient centers.

Education: Xavier University (undergraduate), Northern Kentucky University (master’s)

CEO United Healthcare

Kurt Lewis

Lewis began his health insurance career in Columbus more than 25 years ago and has held leadership positions at United Healthcare for the last 20 years. As CEO for United Healthcare operations in Ohio and Northern Kentucky, he oversees health plan strategic initiatives and business operations, including sales, marketing, network contracting, medical programs, community relations, product management, and ﬁnance.

Hometown: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Education: Ohio State University (undergraduate)

Alan Martin

VICE PRESIDENT PHARMACY OPERATIONS

Humana

Martin joined Humana in 2010 and now oversees operations at 40 sites in eight states, managing more than 2,000 employees. He is responsible for mail-order, over-the-counter, retail, engineering, and specialty operations for the Louisville-based company that operates call center and distribution facilities in Springdale and West Chester.

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

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

Shauna Murphy

INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT

Cincinnati Public Schools

Murphy stepped into the role in May, replacing Iranetta Wright, who resigned. As interim superintendent, she serves 35,000 students and 6,500 employees across 66 schools. Murphy has 34 years of experience in education, most recently serving as CPS chief of student, family, and community engagement.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Ohio University (undergraduate), Xavier University and University of Cincinnati (master’s) What’s the best career advice you ever received? “Be you.” When we start a new position, we often wonder how others will respond. You are chosen for this position at this given time and you have the judgment, discernment, delegation and leadership skills to deliver. Be you. How are you planning for leadership succession? Giving others the opportunity to lead. I love when leaders are willing to take on stretch assignments so others may see more of their strengths and abilities.

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dean Nicholas

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy

Nicholas began at CHCA in 1996 and was assistant head of school and Upper School principal before being named head of school in 2021. The school is planning a $10.1 million multi-purpose stadium on its Founders’ Campus in Symmes Township to serve as home ﬁeld for soccer, lacrosse, and softball teams for the school’s 1,300 students.

Education: Wheaton College (undergraduate and master’s), Hebrew Union College (Ph.D.)

Jane Peterson

PRESIDENT Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Ohio

Peterson has 25 years of experience in the health insurance industry, having held senior positions at Anthem, including regional vice president for Ohio sales. She also held leadership roles in ﬁnance, sales, and underwriting. In 2021, she was appointed to lead all aspects of Anthem’s commercial business in Ohio. The insurance provider employs more than 3,700 people in Greater Cincinnati.

Hometown: Coldwater, Ohio Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Say yes to opportunities that scare you or make you feel uncomfortable. It’s the best way to learn and grow. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m creating a proactive plan, identifying high potential successors, preparing a development plan for them, and giving them as many learning opportunities and as much exposure as possible.

A DECADE OF EXCELLENCE IN COMPASSIONATE CARE AND SUPERIOR OUTCOMES

Thank you for making us Greater Cincinnati’s #1 hospital for the 10th straight year, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report. We do everything it takes to provide exceptional healthcare for you.

Same day appointments available across all specialties. Schedule with the best hospital today at www.thechristhospital.com/1foryou

PRESIDENT

University

of Cincinnati

Neville Pinto

Pinto taught and led at UC from 1985 to 2011, when he became dean of the school of engineering at the University of Louisville. He returned to UC to become its 30th chief executive in 2017. In this current school year, UC welcomed its largest class on record, with approximately 50,500 students enrolled.

Hometown: Mumbai, India Education: Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, India (undergraduate), Penn State University (master’s and Ph.D.)

PRESIDENT

Monica Posey

Cincinnati State Technical & Community College

Since Posey became president in 2016, Cincinnati State has improved retention and graduation rates and increased its fundraising with a successful campaign. She led Cincinnati State’s efforts to become one of the ﬁrst community colleges in Ohio to deliver bachelor’s degrees. Cincinnati State is the fourth-largest college in Greater Cincinnati, with four campuses and 11,900 students.

Hometown: Philadelphia Education: Cornell University (undergraduate), University of Pennsylvania (MBA), University of Cincinnati (Ed.D.)

PRESIDENT St. Xavier High School

Tim Reilly

Before being named president in 2018, Reilly attended St. Xavier as a student, served as a member of the board of trustees, and was a St. Xavier parent. He is the ﬁrst lay leader of the all-male Jesuit school, the largest private high school in the area. Founded in 1831, the school has a student body of more than 1,300 students in grades 9-12.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate), Xavier University (master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I would be a botanist dedicated to ending world hunger. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m trying to ensure that there are streamlined, effective, and efficient operating procedures in my office, including a well-thoughtout plan for managing the assets necessary to continue this mission for the next three to four generations.

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Kelley Schiess

Summit Country Day School

Schiess was appointed head of school in 2022 after serving 20 years as Summit’s assistant head of school for enrollment management and community engagement. In that role, she was responsible for recruitment, admission, ﬁnancial aid and retention, and community engagement at the private Catholic school in Hyde Park.

Education: Ball State University (undergraduate and master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I would be in a career ﬁeld related to journalism, telecommunications, public relations or advertising. How are you planning for leadership succession? Our current strategic plan prioritizes greater focus on faculty and staff leadership growth. The Summit’s mission is to educate leaders of character who value and improve the world they inherit and explicitly calls for faculty, staff, and students to share fully the gifts that have been given to them by God.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Interact for Health

Kate Schroder

Chief executive since January 2022, Schroder oversees a staff of 21 and annual investments of more than $7 million to support the community via grantmaking, community research and evaluation, and education to reduce tobacco use, address the opioid and mental health epidemics, and provide access to care via school health centers. Working with Interact for Health’s board, she also helps manage the foundation’s charitable endowment, currently valued at more than $260 million.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Indiana University (undergraduate), University of Pennsylvania (MBA)

CEO Health Carousel

John Sebastian

Sebastian became CEO of Health Carousel in 2022 after serving as chief digital officer and president of travel nursing. Health Carousel grew more than 60 percent in 2022, surpassing 10 million patient lives affected. The company employs more than 600 people in Ohio and about 3,000 contract health care professionals across the U.S.

Hometown: Hinsdale, Illinois Education: University of Notre Dame (undergraduate), University of Michigan (master’s) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Focus ﬁrst on understanding and leveraging strengths, then invest your time and energy in areas of strength that can deliver more value and success. How are you planning for leadership succession? By building an organization focused on our core values of integrity, service, teamwork, and excellence and our purpose to improve lives and make healthcare work better.

PRESIDENT AND CEO UC Health

Cory Shaw

Shaw became UC Health’s chief executive in January 2023 and leads the overall health system, including the medical center, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and UC Physicians. He came to UC Health from Nebraska Medicine, where he most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer, with accountability for all health care operations of that $2.2 billion academic health system.

Hometown: Aurora, Nebraska Education: University of Nebraska (undergraduate), University of Missouri (master’s)

The city’s most respected and award-winning magazine, highlighting the region’s most interesting people, cultural issues, food, arts, fashion, and history.

Cady ShortThompson

PRESIDENT Northern Kentucky University

Short-Thompson was appointed president in 2023 after serving as CEO and executive director of Breakthrough Cincinnati, a nonproﬁt focused on educational equity in college preparatory programs. Before that, she was dean of the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College and was a professor of communication and department chair at NKU from 1996 to 2010.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate, master’s, Ph.D.) First job: Communications faculty at Northern Kentucky University. What’s the best career advice you ever received? “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of really good, because really good is good enough.” How are you planning for leadership succession? Strengthening the university and region in every way possible will leave the university in the best possible position to attract an outstanding new president whenever my time here concludes.

PRESIDENT

H. James Williams

Mount St. Joseph University

Williams became the seventh president of Mount St. Joseph University in 2016. The school was founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1920 as the ﬁrst Catholic college for women in southwestern Ohio and went co-educational in 1986. In May, the school announced it will consolidate its ﬁve academic schools into four to streamline administration without eliminating any academic programs.

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

PRESIDENT AND CEO Medpace Holdings

August Troendle

Troendle has been the chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors of Medpace since he founded the company in July 1992. For 2023, Medpace revenue for the year increased 29.2 percent to $1.9 billion. The company plans to add 1,500 new jobs at its Madisonville campus on top of the 3,000 already there.

Education: Boston University (MBA), University of Maryland (M.D.)

SUPERINTENDENT

Lakota

Local Schools

Ashley Whitely

Whitely started her career as an English teacher in southwestern Kentucky, moving to Lakota East High School to teach for ﬁve years and serve as a department chair. She worked as an assistant principal at Wyoming High School, then became principal and assistant superintendent of that district. In July, she was named superintendent of Lakota, which serves nearly 17,000 students in Butler County across 22 schools.

Hometown: Beaver Dam, Kentucky Education: Western Kentucky University (undergraduate and master’s), Xavier University (Ph.D.) First job: English teacher at Grayson County High School in Leitchﬁeld, Kentucky. What’s the best career advice you ever received? “Trust the process.” How are you planning for leadership succession? Being new in my role with Lakota Local Schools, I have not yet thought out my leadership succession plan. But I think a leader should always be building capacity in others and helping them know their strengths and growth areas.

PRESIDENT

Amy Wutke

Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences

In April, the college announced Amy Wutke as president, replacing Gail Kist-Kline, who retired. Since 2017, Wutke served as president of Cox College in Springﬁeld, Missouri, where she helped expand degree programs and led its growth in health care-related educational programs. The Christ College is a private, nonproﬁt college offering degrees in nursing and health sciences and is affiliated with The Christ Hospital Health Network.

Hometown: Seekonk, Mass. Education: Providence College (undergraduate), University of Missouri (Ph.D.) First job: High school history teacher. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Be open to change and be the driver of your own career advancement. How are you planning for leadership succession? By fostering a culture of learning and improvement so that future leaders can be identiﬁed and developed.

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Cincinnati Country Day

Zimmerman, a 1998 graduate of Country Day, was an attorney with Dinsmore & Shohl before being named head of school in 2021 after previously serving in an interim capacity. Founded in 1926, the school serves students in grades pre-K through 12 and is the seventh-largest private school in the region, with an enrollment of 850 students.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Vanderbilt University (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I certainly didn’t think I’d be leading my alma mater! How are you planning for leadership succession? It’s important to have early and open conversations with future leaders and our board about succession planning. It can feel awkward, but it’s too important an issue to leave open to conjecture and confusion. Succession planning in schools is more important than ever, as the days of a headmaster serving one school for 20 years are long gone.

Rob Zimmerman

M A N U F AC T U R I N G MANUFACTURING & T E C H TECH

PRESIDENT AND CEO ProMach

Mark Anderson

Anderson has led the Covington-based packaging materials and machinery manufacturer since 2005. The company had 2023 revenue of more than $1.8 billion, with manufacturing facilities and sales and support offices in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. It acquired two foreign companies this year: Mexico City’s Etiﬂex and Zacmi of Parma, Italy, which added more than 620 workers to lift its number of employees to more than 5,100.

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

PRESIDENT HBH Holdings

Scott Anderson

Anderson became president of HBH, the Spring Grove Village-based parent company of Enerfab, in 2020. Before that, he served three years as CEO of Enerfab, where he was employed for 30 years. HBH is a privately held investment company that focuses on fabrication, maintenance, and construction for the heavy industrial and utility markets. It promoted Sterling Colvin, its general counsel and corporate secretary, to chief legal officer in 2023.

Hometown: North Benton, Ohio Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Everyone has a story. Try to give as many people as possible the opportunity to tell their story and let them be heard. How are you planning for leadership succession? We’re intentional about giving our leaders training and providing them with growth opportunities that build their abilities and conﬁdence. Technology and innovation are great at improving efficiencies, but they don’t replace people and their experience.

Mike Berger

CEO Air Transport Services Group

Berger takes over for Joe Hete, who replaced former CEO Richard Corrado in November 2023. Hete, who was CEO from 2007-2020, becomes executive chairman. Berger has been with company since 2018, when he was president of subsidiary Airborne Global Solutions. He was promoted to chief strategy officer in 2022, then named president when Corrado left. Board member Jeffrey Dominick been named president. ATSG reported 2023 revenue of $2 billion.

Education: Temple University (undergraduate) ) What’s the best career advice you ever received? Someone has to be the best, it might as well be you! Favorite Greater Cincinnati charitable cause: Our ATSG Charitable Foundation aligns with my commitment to giving back to the community, strengthening company culture, and promoting corporate social responsibility.

Joe Bourgraf

CHAIRMAN Ferno Group of Companies

Bourgraf has led the Wilmington-based, family-owned 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. It reported revenue of $180 million in 2023 from customers in more than 70 countries.

Education: Miami University (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

PRESIDENT Gold Medal Products

Adam Browning

Browning joined the family-owned company in 2010 as vice president and was tapped in 2017 to lead the Evendale-based manufacturer and distributor of concession food equipment and supplies. It employs more than 530 people across 15 U.S. locations, posting $200 million in revenue in 2023. It bought a former Heidelberg Distributing building in Evendale in May for almost $14 million.

Hometown: Dayton Education: Centre College (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (MBA), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.)

CEO Parsec

David Budig

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. Formerly known as Budco, the company posted revenue of almost $250 million in 2023. 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: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? Watching my grandfather start and grow the family business, it was always my desire to be a part of the company. How are you planning for leadership succession? We have a fourth generation in the organization, which is a solid base on our succession planning.

Doug Cahill

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT, AND CEO Hillman Group

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 market (HLMN). In 2023, it reported revenue of almost $1.5 billion and employed almost 3,800 people. Jon Michael Adinolﬁ, who has been at the company since 2019 and is currently COO, will replace Cahill on January 1, 2025, and Cahill will become executive chairman.

Hometown: St. Henry, Ohio Education: Bowling Green State University (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT AND CEO LSI Industries

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. It acquired Florida-based EMI Industries this year for $50 million, which increased LSI’s reach to 16 locations in the U.S. and Canada and raised the number of employees to almost 2,000. It recorded revenue of more than $495 million in 2023.

Education: State University of New York at Albany (undergraduate)

Clark became the top executive at the West Chester Township-based maker of disulfonates for the manufacturing and personal care industries in 2022. It posted 2023 revenue of more than $315 million and has manufacturing facilities in Lockland and Middletown in addition to operations in ﬁve other locations for its more than 330 employees. Pilot spent $250,000 on a microbiology lab last year at its Sharonville Technology Center to help bring products to market quicker.

Hometown: Hamilton Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

James Clark

Mike Clark

CEO Pilot Chemical

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CHAIRMAN Pro Football Focus

Cris Collinsworth

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 from its Over-the-Rhine headquarters. Collinsworth’s son, Austin, has been COO since 2020.

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

CEO BlueStar

Ryan Girvin

Girvin succeeded company founder Steve Cuntz, who died in November 2023. Cuntz bought United Radio in 1992 and turned the Hebron-based provider of solutions-based electronics such as bar-code scanners and inventory tracking devices into one of the region’s largest private ﬁrms with more than $2.1 billion in 2023 revenue. Girvin joined BlueStar in 2001 as controller and was named CFO in 2017.

Hometown: Memphis Education: Louisiana Tech (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? No matter what position you hold in a company, you can inﬂuence those above you, below you, and your peers. It all starts with trust. How are you planning for leadership succession? Our leadership team is the longest tenured group within the organization. Our focus has been to have a solid No. 2 in every functional leadership role.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Hightowers Petroleum

Stephen Hightower

Hightower founded the Middletown-based wholesale fuel distribution business in 1982. With almost $340 million in revenue in 2023, Hightowers is one of the region’s top private companies and largest minority-owned business. It has a deal to sell Neste MY Renewable Diesel, which is described as a “hydrotreated vegetable oil” that emits 75 percent fewer greenhouse gases. Hightowers also launched EV Solutions to provide electric vehicle charging stations at 1,700 hotels.

Hometown: Middletown Education: Wright State University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I’m almost exactly where I want to be after deciding to work for myself at age 18 versus working in the Armco Steel plant. How are you planning for leadership succession? My wife now has her own energy business, and I have a daughter and two sons, a nephew, and two grandchildren in the business.

CEO Jurgensen Companies

Jim Jurgensen II

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 by siblings Jason (COO) and Jackie Alf (executive vice president). The Sharonville-based ﬁrm has grown to about 25 companies providing services from asphalt paving to tank, barge, and rail transloading.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Lafayette College (undergraduate), Washington University (MBA)

PRESIDENT Standard Textile

Alex Heiman

Heiman is the fourth generation to lead the Reading-based company founded by his great-grandfather in 1940. He succeeds his father, Gary, who led operations since 1988. Standard develops, manufactures, and distributes products from 24 manufacturing and distribution centers in 12 countries. To mark this year’s Earth Day “Planet vs. Plastics” theme, it eliminated polybags from U.S.-made items.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Colgate University (undergraduate), Duke University (MBA)

CEO Cintrifuse

The co-founder of the Brandery accelerator replaced Pete Blackshaw at the city’s flagship startup support group. Kropp will remain managing director of Cintrifuse Capital, which he joined last year. It chose five local startups for its first Venture Velocity cohort, which offers tools, capital, and mentoring to help accelerate their growth. Cintrifuse will invest $100,000 in return for 6 percent equity upon completion of the program.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Denison University (undergraduate) First job: I worked for a moving company throughout high school and college. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Cultivate a growth mindset and embrace lifelong learning. How are you planning for leadership succession? We’re focused on building a leadership pipeline that aligns with our mission and vision. Building the Cincinnati startup ecosystem takes time, so it’s important to continue to cultivate the next generation of leaders.

J.B. Kropp

CEO CBTS

Jeff Lackey

PRESIDENT Enerfab

Aaron Landolt

Lackey, who joined Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions in 2016, took the top job in 2020. CBTS had been the IT business for altafiber, formerly known as Cincinnati Bell, and is the region’s third-largest IT consulting firm with more than $440 million in sales in 2023. TowerBook Capital Partners agreed to acquire CBTS from altafiber earlier this year. CBTS has 2,200 employees and 2,000 contractors.

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

Landolt leads the St. Bernard-based provider of fabrication, construction, and maintenance services for the heavy industrial and utility markets. It has 7,000 employees, including 800 locally, with ofﬁces in Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi. Its revenue increased from $500 million in 2022 to $680 million in 2023.

Hometown: Arlington, Ohio Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Xavier University (master’s) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was interested in technology and computers, so I thought I’d end up in the technology field. How are you planning for leadership succession? We’re in the people business and have implemented formal leadership development programs for those who have raised their hands and have the potential to thrive. I believe everyone should be given the opportunity to determine their own career path.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Gorilla Glue

Mark Mercurio

Mercurio spent 10 years as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble before joining the manufacturer in 2014. He was named to the top job in 2019, succeeding Nick and Pete Ragland, brothers who were serving as co-presidents after their father, Nick, retired in 2002. 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.

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

PRESIDENT AND CEO Michelman

Rick Michelman

Prior to assuming his current role in 2022, Michelman held positions in product development, enterprise software implementation, and new business development at the family-owned company. The Blue Ash ﬁrm, founded in 1949, manufactures sustainable chemistry used in agricultural and architectural coatings, digital printing, food service packaging, and automotive and aerospace composites, with production facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Cornell University (undergraduate), University of California–Berkeley (Ph.D.) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? While I had a big interest in medicine when I was in high school due to a great teacher, I challenged myself with a different science career. How are you planning for leadership succession? The company’s 75th anniversary is a testament to our staying power. As thoughtful corporate stewards, we continually develop talent throughout our organization and steer future generations to assume leadership roles.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Meyer Tool

Doug Lang

Lang has been with the company since 1981, when he sold his eponymous tool design company to Meyer. He became 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 1,700 people at 13 locations in the U.S., Canada, and Poland and posted revenue of almost $295 million in 2023, up from $240 million the previous year.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? A career related to aviation, with a strong desire to be part of mechanical engineering/design. How are you planning for leadership succession? Over the years we’ve been building a strong team and bringing people up through the ranks in our career-focused company. The next generation to lead has 20-30 years with the company now.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO Total Quality Logistics

Oaks has grown the privately held company he founded in 1997 into the largest in Greater Cincinnati, with reported 2023 revenue of almost $6.7 billion. It is the name sponsor of FC Cincinnati’s West End soccer stadium that’s helping spur a makeover of that neighborhood. Its headquarters at I-275 and State Route 32 has been an engine of development for Eastgate, including TQL’s third expansion in three years.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate)

Ken Oaks

PRESIDENT AND CEO

CincyTech

Emma Off

Off, a partner at Thompson Hine law ﬁrm, replaced Mike Venerable, who worked at the seed stage investment ﬁrm for 17 years, the last seven as its leader. Off specialized in mergers and acquisitions and has served as an advisor to high-growth companies, venture funds, and its founders, investors, and boards. CincyTech is in the midst of raising its largest fund to date, with $20.3 million committed as of July.

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

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Main Street Ventures

Sean Parker

Parker leads the organization that helps fund startups before those businesses can attract venture capital and offers equity-free grants to help product development, marketing, hiring, and equipment acquisition. In 2023, it provided 64 grants, including one to the Pease brothers of Rekkie snow goggles, who presented on TV’s Shark Tank and received an investment from Mark Cuban.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Howard University (undergraduate)

CEO

Andrea Pirondini

Prysmian Group North America

Pirondini leads 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. In August, Prysmian was awarded more than $96 million in a trade secrets lawsuit against a former executive.

Hometown: Turin, Italy Education: Università Commerciale L.Bocconi, Milan, Italy (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I would have liked to become a rock star. I decided it would be better for me to pursue a business management career. How are you planning for leadership succession? It’s all about working hard, pursuing excellence, and choosing the right people in the team. It’s like a moving puzzle, which sometimes can be fun.

CEO AND CO-FOUNDER Gravity Diagnostics

Tony Remington

Remington and co-founder Julie Brazil created the company in 2016. It increased production during the pandemic, testing as many as 19,000 Covid-19 samples per day in 2020. It provides testing in the areas of toxicology, pharmacogenetics, infectious and upper respiratory diseases, blood, and COVID-19. Its clients include universities, public health organizations, small private practices, and Fortune 500 companies.

Hometown: Gloucester, Mass. Education: Bentley College (undergraduate), Boston College (MBA) First job: A paper route when I was 11. What’s the best career advice you ever received? My grandfather always said hard work, integrity, and perseverance will pay off How are you planning for leadership succession? Gravity remains a “startup,” so succession isn’t really in our sights at this time, though we’ve built a strong leadership team and see several individuals who could take over at some point.

CHAIRMAN SugarCreek

John Richardson

Richardson leads the food manufacturing business started by his father in 1966. The family-owned, Blue Ash-based SugarCreek has six manufacturing plants and packaging facilities in Ohio, Indiana, and Kansas. In 2022, SugarCreek acquired Cincinnati Beverage Co., overhauled iconic beer brands Little Kings and Christian Moerlein, and reintroduced them to market. Richardson’s son Michael is CEO and daughter Jennifer is chief relationship officer.

Hometown: Washington Court House, Ohio Education: Illinois State University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? No clue, but I was always interested in business. How are you planning for leadership succession? Hopefully I’m leading by example! Preaching and teaching the “Gospel of Entrepreneurship” by explaining how putting people, raw materials, and capital together to produce great products can be fun, proﬁtable, and rewarding.

CEO Republic Wire

Rosenbeck was one of three founders of the copper wire manufacturer in 1982. Republic began to manufacture multiple kinds of aluminum and copper wire for distributors, utilities, and municipalities. The company employs 165 people and posted revenue of $440 million in 2023. Rosenbeck’s son, Jeremy, is president.

Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

Rosenbeck

PRESIDENT AND CEO Hillenbrand

Kimberly Ryan

Ryan, who has been in the top job since 2022, has overseen a period of divestitures and acquisitions at the Batesville-based company that posted $2.8 billion in revenue in 2023. In 2022, 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 2023.

Hometown: Ottumwa, Iowa Education: Iowa State University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? With both of my parents being educators, I initially aspired to become a teacher as well. How are you planning for leadership succession? One of the most valuable lessons I learned from a mentor is that, as a leader, it’s my responsibility to empower and grow the next generation of leaders. That means thinking not only about the talent you’ll need a year from now, but also 10-15 years down the road.

CEO Payload

Ryan

Rybolt

Rybolt leads the financial payments tech 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. It unveiled a payment and billing tool for buyer agents in the wake of this year’s National Association of Realtors lawsuit agreement.

Hometown: Harrison Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) First job: A farmhand at Minges Farm, a short bike ride from our house. What’s the best career advice you ever received? “Go to college and don’t become a farmer.” How are you planning for leadership succession? I’ve been focused on building a team and company that will thrive beyond my day-to-day involvement. This involves recruiting talented team members who require little oversight and have the skills and drive to step into leadership roles when their time arrives.

CEO

Pomeroy

Tom Signorello

In December 2023, Signorello replaced Bob Watts at the top of the Hebron-based provider of IT infrastructure, staffing, procurement, and logistics services. More than 200 of the company’s 2,500 employees work at the headquarters, where they support customers in retail, ﬁnancial services, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors. Pomeroy opened an executive brieﬁng center in New York in July for Northeast clients and has a retail center in Greenville, South Carolina.

Education: Suffolk University (undergraduate and MBA)

PRESIDENT Journey Steel

Barbara Smith

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. 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. Smith was a member of the Cincinnati Futures Commission that made recommendations to stabilize the city’s ﬁnances.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Eastern Michigan University (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT BGR

Phil Schneider

Schneider leads the West Chester Township-based packaging supply chain company founded by Al Backscheider in 1972. Brothers Allen and Dean Backscheider remain involved in the ﬁrm as co-chairmen. BGR posted revenue of $162 million in 2023 and employs more than 200 people at ﬁve Midwest locations. Schneider joined the company in 2022 after working for Cintas, Mike Albert Fleet Solutions, and Moeller High School.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Franklin College (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT CBT Co.

James Stahl III

Stahl succeeded his father, who grew the distributor of electrical and mechanical parts to more than 300 employees today. Founded in 1921 as the Belting Company of Cincinnati and owned by the Stahl family since 1975, it posted revenue of $268 million in 2023. In addition to its Columbia Township headquarters, it has Ohio locations in Springboro and Sidney as well as Lexington and Louisville in Kentucky.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Georgetown University (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT

AND CEO RelaDyne

Larry Stoddard

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 is the region’s second-largest private company with almost $4.35 billion in 2023 revenue and serves customers from more than 45 locations in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Hometown: Atlanta Education: Auburn University (undergraduate)

CEO ProAmPac

Greg Tucker

Tucker leads the Springdale-based ﬂexible packaging company owned by Pritzker Private Capital. He oversees an operation that has more than 45 locations on three continents with more than 6,000 employees serving over 5,000 customers in 90 countries. It posted more than $2.3 billion in revenue in 2023. It acquired Gelpac, a Canada-based producer of multiwall paper and poly-woven packaging products, this year.

Hometown: Boston Education: Worchester Polytechnic Institute (undergraduate)

CEO Verst Logistics

Paul Verst

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. It is the region’s second-largest logistics ﬁrm with about 775 local employees and posted more than $305 million in 2023 revenue. Verst bought Sharonville-based Loth Logistics’ managed transportation and freight brokerage business in 2023.

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

PRESIDENT AND CEO DuBois Chemicals

Jeff Welsh

Welsh has led the chemical manufacturing company since 2008 when DuBois 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 reported more than $800 million in 2023.

Education: University of Toronto (undergraduate and MBA)

PRESIDENT AND CEO Hawkstone Associates

Jason Wittekind

In 2021, Wittekind succeeded his father, Ronald, at the Harrison-based petroleum wholesaler and retailer founded in 1981 that does business as Triumph Energy Corp. Ronald remains executive chairman. The company represents the Shell, BP, Sunoco, and Marathon brands by operating about 50 retail locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. It reported more than $405 million in revenue in 2023.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (undergraduate)

CEO

80 Acres Farms

Mike Zelkind

Since 2015, Zelkind has led the Hamilton-based company, 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. It acquired Mother Raw premium salad dressing business from Toronto-based Reunion Foods in March.

Education: University of Minnesota (undergraduate), Emory University (MBA)

CINCINNATI 300 AWARDEE

Congratulations to Matthew 25: Ministries’ CEO, Tim Mettey, on being recognized among the region’s top 300 business leaders for the third consecutive year!

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 grow, expanding our partnerships and helping more people in need throughout Greater Cincinnati, domestically, and worldwide. Tim’s dedication and vision for the ministry have made significant contributions to our community, our country, and our world.

TIM METTEY, MATTHEW 25: MINISTRIES’ CEO

N O N P R O F I T NONPROFIT

& G OV E R N M E N T

GOVERNMENT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jonathan Adee

Keep Cincinnati Beautiful

Adee has more than 25 years of experience in nonproﬁt management, including stints with Tender Mercies and Freestore Foodbank. In the last 10 years, KCB has removed 8 million pounds of litter, collected 42,000 tires, removed 7,000 graffiti tags, and shut down dozens of illegal dumpsites. It revived its Adopt-ASpot program earlier this year.

Hometown: Cooperstown, N.Y. Education: University of Mount Union (undergraduate), University of Akron (master’s and J.D.)

When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I wrote in my high school yearbook that I wanted to be a lawyer and play soccer in college. I played soccer and eventually went to law school and passed the bar. How are you planning for leadership succession? I develop leaders by building relationships and observing how my leaders interact with other leaders and how willing they are to get outside the realm of their individual departments and see the organization as its own organic entity.

ADMINISTRATOR

Hamilton County

Jeffrey Aluotto

Aluotto was appointed in 2016 and oversees the management of all county departments and functions and an annual budget of $1 billion. For 10 years before his appointment, he served as the county’s assistant administrator. Before joining county administration, he managed the Hamilton County Solid Waste District, where he was responsible for planning for the county’s solid waste capacity and recycling.

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

CEO Lightship Foundation

Brackeen founded and manages the foundation that supports under-represented, early-stage, transformational businesses through an accelerator, boot camp, and pitch program for women and minority founders. It is a sponsor of Black Tech Week, an annual conference that provides a platform for black entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas and businesses and connect with others in the tech space.

Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Candice Matthews Brackeen

Rich Bundy

PRESIDENT UC Foundation

Bundy was appointed in March to replace Peter Landgren, who retired, after serving as vice president for development and alumni relations at Pennsylvania State University for six years, where he oversaw the completion of Penn State’s largest-ever comprehensive campaign, raising $2.2 billion. Bundy also served as president of the University of Vermont Foundation.

Education: Pennsylvania State University (bachelor’s and master’s), Michigan State (MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I started school with the intent to be an architectural engineer, following in the footsteps of my grandfather. How are you planning for leadership succession? Given that I’ve been in my current role for only a few months, I’m not really thinking yet about leadership succession. But as I start to focus attention there, I’ll be thinking about how we provide “the bench” with the kind of career development opportunities that position them to be viable candidates for next leadership roles.

Brendon Cull

CEO Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

Cull joined the Chamber as chief operating officer in 2016 and was promoted to chief strategy officer in 2020 and president in 2022, adding the title of CEO in 2023. The Chamber collaborated on the Cincinnati Futures Commission with Mayor Aftab Pureval and released the group’s recommendations for improving long-term city ﬁnances in June.

Hometown: Columbus Education: Xavier University (undergraduate)

Brent Cooper

PRESIDENT AND CEO NKY Chamber of Commerce

In 2017, Cooper was named the sixth president and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. He led Covington-based C-Forward Information Technologies since he founded the company at age 29, and twice served as interim Chamber president before his permanent appointment. The Chamber advocates for and provides services to more than 1,600 businesses with over 200,000 total employees.

Hometown: Covington Education: University of Kentucky (undergraduate)

Lee Crume

PRESIDENT AND CEO BE NKY Growth Partnership

Crume has led the agency, formerly known as Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED), since 2019. He has more than 25 years of economic development and corporate experience and was previously global director of business development for JobsOhio. The organization will move into Covington’s under-construction OneNKY Center near the Roebling Bridge next year.

Hometown: Owensboro, Kentucky Education: Western Kentucky University (undergraduate and master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I love anything that is remotely related to water and, at 18, I thought I’d be a marine biologist. How are you planning for leadership succession? It’s important for me to understand the goals and aspirations of my team so I can identify opportunities for them to gain exposure and learn new skills. I suppose the short answer is: Ask, listen, support.

GENERAL MANAGER TANK

Gina Douthat

Douthat has held various positions with TANK since 1997. Before being named general manager, she was deputy general manager and director of communications and development. Founded in 1973, TANK today has more than 130 buses serving Campbell, Kenton, and Boone counties and downtown Cincinnati. The board consists of three directors from each county who set policy for the system.

Hometown: Edgewood Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was headed to NKU to study journalism with a strong desire to tell stories that needed to be told. How are you planning for leadership succession? Making sure that people at the decision-making table have many differing perspectives, are not afraid of tackling challenges, and can work together to develop and lead a team.

PRESIDENT AND CEO OneNKY Alliance

OneNKY Alliance is an organization of CEOs and other business leaders who work toward a shared regional agenda for Northern Kentucky. The organization maintains an office in the state capitol of Frankfort for area business leaders to use and will move into the under-construction OneNKY Center in Covington next year along with other regional business organizations.

Hometown: Ft. Mitchell Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) First job: Volleyball referee for an intense men’s league. What’s the best career advice you ever received? I always look at work life in ﬁve-year cycles as a way to assess if I’m providing value and impact. It’s important both personally and professionally to constantly improve, try new skill sets, and make an impact where possible. How are you planning for leadership succession? Providing opportunities and platform for those who are curious and willing to do the work in an impactful way deﬁnitely serves as priority criteria.

Karen Finan

CEO Mayerson JCC

Marc Fisher

Before being hired as CEO in August 2013, Fisher served as interim CEO beginning in December 2012 and, before that, as JCC board president. He previously served as president of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Hillel. The Amberley Village-based organization offers programs for students, seniors, and people with special needs, including ﬁtness centers, early childhood and senior centers, arts, and cultural events, plus athletic facilities.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Michigan (undergraduate), Northwestern University (MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I wanted to work in one of our family businesses but also chart my own path. How are you planning for leadership succession? I have been purposeful in giving key members of our team opportunities to grow, make mistakes, and spend time leading projects. I feel the most important job I have is to prepare for my replacement and challenge the team to be the best it can.

Darryl Haley

GENERAL MANAGER AND CEO Metro/SORTA

Haley joined Metro in 2006 and served as executive vice president and chief operations officer, where he was responsible for transit service planning, development, scheduling, operations, and maintenance. He also served as executive director of development before being promoted to general manager and CEO in 2020. Metro will be starting construction soon on its ﬁrst two Bus Rapid Transit routes.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I would be an accountant. I love numbers. How are you planning for leadership succession? By hiring people who are smarter than me, making sure I give clear direction and that my team has the tools to do their job effectively, and removing any obstacles that may stand in the way of success. I also believe in the importance of giving responsibility and authority.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Nancy Grayson

Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky

Grayson is responsible for implementing the vision and strategic direction of Horizon Community Funds, a communitywide foundation that provides a way to pool resources to serve the community’s needs. It focuses its resources on social services, urban revitalization, education, health and wellness, civic unity, and the arts.

Hometown: Lexington Education: University of Kentucky (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.)

Brian Griffin

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY-TREASURER

Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council

Griffin joined the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council in August 2017 as director of communication and was named to the top job in 2021. The local council represents 35,000 members from more than 100 unions, with the mission of economic justice in the workplace and social justice for working families. He is also a member of the City of Cincinnati Civil Service Commission and serves on the United Way of Greater Cincinnati board of directors and policy cabinet.

Hometown: Gallipolis, Ohio Education: Ohio University (undergraduate and master’s)

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Joe Huber

Cincinnati Development Fund

Huber joined Cincinnati Development Fund, which administers a loan portfolio to help build affordable housing, in 2006. Before being promoted to president and CEO, he was responsible for developing and overseeing loan processing, underwriting and asset management operations, managing deployment of its New Markets Tax Credits allocations and securing loan and investment capital.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Butler University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I’m incredibly lucky that I stumbled into the world of community developmentﬁnance, which I didn’t know existed when I was 18. How are you planning for leadership succession? I am surrounded by extremely talented individuals who lead CDF every day at all levels of the organization. Though we don’t have a formal succession plan in place, we’ve created depth by cultivating a very strong culture that works beyond silos.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Eric Kearney

African American Chamber of Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky

Since 2016, Kearney has led the organization that advocates for African American-owned businesses. He was previously a state senator and Ohio Senate minority leader, where he championed causes including adoption, children’s health, small business development, and pension reform. He also founded Sesh Communications, which publishes The Cincinnati Herald

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Dartmouth College (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.)

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Christie Kuhns

Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio

Kuhns was named president and CEO in 2022. She previously was elected an Ohio State representative and had experience in the health care sector at UC Health as vice president of operations and community relations, and chief of staff to the chief operating officer. The league serves 12 counties in Ohio and Kentucky promoting economic empowerment, equality, and civil rights.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate and J.D.)

PRESIDENT AND CEO REDI

Kimm Lauterbach

Lauterbach is a founding member of REDI Cincinnati’s leadership team. She took the helm in September 2018 following ﬁve years as vice president of business development and project management. REDI was created in 2014 to advocate for companies locating or growing in Cincinnati’s 15-county region.

Hometown: Dayton, Ohio Education: University of Dayton (undergraduate), Indiana University (master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? The ﬁeld of marine biology always fascinated me, and early on I determined it would be my career path. After one year at college, I called my mom and said, “This isn’t the right choice for me.” How are you planning for leadership succession? We just celebrated our 10th anniversary, and even though we’re relatively young REDI Cincinnati’s executive committee has always been deeply committed to continuously identifying opportunities to elevate all our employees and the next generation of leadership.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Alloy Development Co.

Patrick Longo

Longo has aided in the creation, development, and growth of more than 300 startups since 1997, when he started working for what was previously the Hamilton County Development Co. (HCDC). Longo was named president and CEO in 2018. The organization merged with West Chester-based Access Business Finance in 2022 and rebranded as Alloy to promote its mission of business growth and job creation.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: John Carroll University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was going to be either a commercial/small business banker or in real estate. I think I got a little of both with Alloy Development. How are you planning for leadership succession? Talking to the board and inquiring with the Alloy management team about potential next steps for the leadership of the organization and attempting to plan accordingly.

CEO

Candace McGraw

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

McGraw took over as CEO in 2011 and led the airport through Comair’s dissolution and Delta’s removal of its hub, followed by CVG landing several low-cost carriers, including Southwest Airlines and British Airways and the expansion of international shipping giant DHL and Amazon’s North American superhub. Earlier this year she announced her plan to retire in June 2025.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: Duquesne University (undergraduate and master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I envisioned being a lawyer involved in public sector work, likely in Washington, D.C. I was planning on righting all the injustices of the world. How are you planning for leadership succession? I work with a very competent team that’s been deliberate in succession planning. We try to train and expose talented colleagues to various roles and responsibilities throughout the airport.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Gary Lindgren

Cincinnati Business Committee

Lindgren joined the CBC in August 2007 and ﬁve years later helped launch the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee, which includes CEOs from nearly 100 midsized Cincinnati companies. The CBC is a private organization comprised of the region’s top CEOs, whose mission is to improve economic development and education.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Indiana University (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Haile Foundation

Bernie McKay

Before being appointed president and CEO in 2022, McKay was a partner at Frost Brown Todd, where he served as the practice group leader of the law firm’s privately held business and wealth planning practice. He oversees more than $300 million in assets to support organizations in arts and culture, community development, education, and human services.

Hometown: Maysville, Kentucky Education: Morehead State University (undergraduate), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I envisioned being a CPA and partner in a large accounting ﬁrm as well as serving the community in leadership.How are you planning for leadership succession? I am creating an internal structure where the process in how we live our mission and serve our community is understood clearly by everyone involved. This clarity will help identify which candidate possesses the requisite skills to continue to lead our good work.

CEO Matthew 25: Ministries

Tim Mettey

Since 2012, Mettey has led the Blue Ashbased charity that was founded by his father, Rev. Wendell Mettey, in 1991. He has developed many of Matthew 25: Ministries’ key programs, including the disaster response program, inhouse manufacturing and recycling programs, and long-term relief and development projects. 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.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Danielle Minson

CEO Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

Minson has been with the Federation system for 24 years, 19 of them in Cincinnati. Before being named CEO in 2021, she was chief development officer and managing director and transformed the Federation’s revenue model, building in multiple streams of revenue and transforming it from a $10 million a year organization to $20 million.

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

CEO Necco

Beau Necco

Necco founded the organization in 1996 as a provider of in-home therapeutic foster care, and it’s grown into a multi-state child welfare organization offering services in adoption, foster care, mental health counseling, independent living, and residential living. Necco employs more than 750 people and contracts with nearly 2,000 foster parents in 36 locations in four states.

Hometown: South Point, Ohio Education: Ohio State University (undergraduate), Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA) First job: Selling cinnamon sticks on the elementary school playground for 10 cents. I would buy a pack of toothpicks, soak them in cinnamon, and sell them. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Put your pride in your pocket. How are you planning for leadership succession? By ensuring Necco has a strong bench. I have an incredible leadership team that’s hungry, humble, smart, and passionate. They are the strongest bench the child welfare industry has ever known.

Jorge Perez

PRESIDENT AND CEO YMCA of Greater Cincinnati

The ﬁrst Latino American to lead the local organization in its 171-year history, Perez came back to Cincinnati in 2017 from Chicago, where he was senior vice president of core programs and the Y experience at YMCA of the USA. Locally, the Y operates 14 branches, 80 childhood learning centers, and one overnight camp in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Calvary Bible College (undergraduate), Dallas Theological Seminary (master’s), University of Dallas (MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I envisioned following the same work path as the men in my family, focusing on construction, carpentry, and other trades. I thought I would be a small business owner by this point in my life. How are you planning for leadership succession? It involves open conversations, careful planning, and leadership coaching to develop the necessary skills and competencies in our future leaders.

MAYOR City of Cincinnati

Aftab Pureval

The son of first-generation Americans, Pureval is the 70th mayor of Cincinnati. He led the successful effort to sell the city-owned Cincinnati Southern Railway, establishing a $1.6 billion trust fund for infrastructure, and appointed a blue-ribbon commission that made recommendations on ﬁnancing the city’s future. He served as Hamilton County Clerk of Courts from 2016 to 2021.

Hometown: Xenia, Ohio Education: Ohio State University (undergraduate), University of Cincinnati (J.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was thinking about becoming a lawyer, and I did, but ultimately I was eager to run for local office and make an impact. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m running for reelection in 2025, so this is hopefully a longer-term question. But in any ﬁeld, particularly government, it’s important to be proactive about building cultures and policies that are strong enough to outlast any one leader.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Randazzo was appointed in 2023 after serving as president and CEO of the Dallas Foundation, a $570 million community foundation. Before his time in Dallas, he served as CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative and as founding president and CEO of Choose to Succeed. GCF awarded $149 million in community grants in 2023.

Hometown: Detroit Education: Albion College (undergraduate), University of Texas (master’s) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I aspired to a career in public service, whether it be politics, policy, or public administration. How are you planning for leadership succession? Building a performance-based culture is the first step in leadership succession. Ensuring that our staff, leadership team, and board are aligning on the right priorities and recruiting senior executive talent toward that vision has been much of how I’ve spent much of my first year at GCF.

Matthew Randazzo

PRESIDENT AND CEO Freestore Foodbank

Kurt Reiber

Before being named president in 2011 and then CEO, Reiber served on the Freestore board of directors for 14 years. Freestore Foodbank is one of Ohio’s largest food banks, distributing more than 40 million meals annually through a network of 540 community partner agencies in 20 counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Hometown: Avon Lake, Ohio Education: Baldwin Wallace University (undergraduate), University of Toledo (MBA and J.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? My plan was to graduate with a degree in ﬁnance, head to law school and set up a law practice with my dad. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’m working with a career coach and our board to develop a succession plan for my role at Freestore. It’s never too early to plan for the future.

Dennis Schnurr

ARCHBISHOP Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Archbishop Schnurr is the 10th archbishop of Cincinnati. He was previously associate general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and later became general and then bishop of Duluth, Minn. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati serves 450,000 Catholics in 19 Southwest Ohio counties.

Hometown: Sheldon, Iowa Education: Loras College (undergraduate), Gregorian University (master’s), Catholic University of America (Ph.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I came to understand that God was calling me to to serve our Lord and His people. How are you planning for leadership succession? As I get closer to the end of my tenure as Archbishop of Cincinnati, I pray for the person whom the Holy Father will name as my successor. I’m also working to leave things in the best shape possible from both the spiritual and temporal standpoints.

Rickell Howard Smith

PRESIDENT AND CEO YWCA of Greater Cincinnati

Smith became the ﬁrst Black leader of the country’s ﬁfth-oldest YWCA in 2023. She has a background as a civil rights attorney and started her career in Cincinnati as an attorney at Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio. She has also served as the founding executive director of the Center for Social Justice at the Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio and in leadership positions at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Children’s Law Center Inc. in Covington, and the Ohio Justice & Policy Center.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Howard University (undergraduate), Temple University (J.D.)

SENIOR PASTOR Crossroads Church

Brian Tome

Tome is the founder and senior pastor of Crossroads Church. He has authored ﬁve books, including a bestseller, The Five Marks of a Man He also hosts “The Aggressive Life,” a weekly podcast that surpassed 2 million downloads. Crossroads has multiple campuses in Ohio and Kentucky and an online streaming platform that reaches across the country.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: Robert Morris College (undergraduate), Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? A ministry working with high school students. How are you planning for leadership succession? This past year I named a “Lead Pastor” who does many of the things I’ve done for 29 years. He has a lot of decision-making authority that I previously held. Added capacity right now plus added clarity in the future equals a huge win for everyone.

Moira Weir

PRESIDENT AND CEO United Way of Greater Cincinnati

Appointed in 2020, Weir is the ﬁrst woman to lead the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Previously, she had a 27-year career at Hamilton County Job and Family Services, where she started as a Children’s Services worker and held leadership positions throughout the organization before being named to lead the agency in 2007. United Way serves more than 80 partners across nine counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Hometown: Philadelphia Education: Simmons College (undergraduate), Thomas More (MBA), Bryn Mawr College (master’s)

CEO Mortar

Allen Woods

Woods cofounded the urban business incubator in 2014 with the mission of designing a more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem for marginalized business owners. It will soon move into a new 15,000-square-foot headquarters in Walnut Hills that will include a multimedia center for photography, video and podcasts, a coworking space with private offices for rent, and an event space.

Hometown: Indianapolis

P R O F E S S I O N A L PROFESSIONAL

S E RV I C E S SERVICES

CEO Allen Associates

Michael Allen

Allen founded the Blue Ash-based search firm in 1996 for companies seeking senior executives and board members. Its 12 local recruiters placed 106 C-level executives in local firms in 2023, No. 1 in the region. The firm specializes in digital, customer experience, finance, human resources, marketing, manufacturing, merchandising, sales, strategy, supply chain, and product development. Ninety-five percent of executives placed remain in their position two years later.

John Barrett

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT, AND CEO Western & Southern Financial Group

Barrett leads the ﬁnancial services giant that, with $14.7 billion in sales, ranks No. 284 on the 2024 Fortune 500, up 30 spots from 2023. Western & Southern Financial Group owns the Great American tower at Queen City Square, Cincinnati’s largest downtown office building. WSFG, founded in 1888, provides life insurance, investments, and retirement solutions to 6.4 million clients and policy holders.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I wanted to go to college, get a degree, move to New York, and work my way up the corporate ladder at a big company. How are you planning for leadership succession? Western & Southern has a highly talented senior leadership team that’s a big part of our growth and success. They are poised to carry on the exceptional corporate culture we have built and continue to improve every day. That said, I still have plenty of fuel in the tank and plenty of passion for what I do.

MANAGING PARTNER KPMG

Patty Basti

Basti, a KPMG veteran for 23 years, was named the first female leader of the international accounting firm’s local office in 2020. She’s also the only woman currently leading a Big Four accounting firm’s Cincinnati office. With 187 employees and 61 local CPAs, KPMG ranks as Cincinnati’s fifth-largest accounting firm.

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

CEO Gilman Partners

Angel Beets

Partner Angel Beets was appointed CEO and partner Marci Pfeifer was named Chief Operating Officer in 2023, when Tom Gilman, who purchased the company in 2004, assumed the role of Chairman. Beets also oversees GP Elevate, the company’s leadership development program. GP is the region’s second-largest executive search ﬁrm, with 44 local C-level placements in 2023.

Hometown: Ft. Thomas Education: Ball State University (undergraduate), University of Illinois (master’s) First job: Server at Pizza Hut in Kettering, Ohio. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Don’t try to lead like anyone else but yourself. How are you planning for leadership succession? We’re regularly assessing the skills and needs of our employees and using a mix of internal and external trainings and leadership development opportunities unique to each member of our team.

MANAGING PARTNER

PwC

Steve Bybee

Bybee was named Cincinnati managing partner in 2022 and has been involved with international tax services since joining PwC in 2010. His role includes oversight of offices in Cleveland; Columbus; Toledo; Indianapolis; Louisville; Detroit; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Pittsburgh; Rochester, New York; and Buffalo, in addition to Cincinnati. PWC is the region’s third-largest accounting ﬁrm with 99 local CPAs and 287 employees.

Hometown: Harrison Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate and J.D.)

PRESIDENT Scooter Media

Shannan Boyer

Boyer founded the Covington-based public relations fi rm in 2012 and has 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. The firm was named Large PR Agency of the Year by the Cincinnati chapter of the Public Relations Society of America in 2022 and 2023.

Hometown: Denison, Iowa Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I honestly had no idea what career ﬁeld I wanted to pursue. I explored different possibilities in college, but even after graduating I was still unsure. I’m grateful I gave myself grace and room to explore; it led me to where I am today.

CEO Empower Media

Ashlee Clarke

The New York City-based founder of creative and media agency NitroC became majority shareholder and CEO of Empower in 2022 when she and her husband, Chris Clarke, bought the company. The company announced that it will vacate its Over-the-Rhine headquarters by the end of 2024. Empower, founded in 1985, was Cincinnati’s second-largest marketing agency in 2022. A year later, its employee count dropped from 175 to 91.

Hometown: Savannah, Georgia Education: Georgia State University (undergraduate)

Nick Brunker

GROUP DIRECTOR, EXPERIENCE STRATEGY VML

Brunker joined VML in 2017 and in 2022 was named the lead for the agency’s Cincinnati office, responsible for expanding the Kansas City-based ad ﬁrm’s client portfolio. The agency launched in Cincinnati in 2010 as Rockﬁsh before it became part of VML and merged with Young & Rubicam. It has 40 local employees.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I planned to work in professional sports broadcasting. How are you planning for leadership succession? Delegating more responsibilities to members of my leadership team and providing coaching and support where needed. This approach not only develops their skills but also allows me to assess their potential for future leadership roles. I’m constantly observing our team to identify individuals who show promise.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Core Specialty Insurance Holdings

Consolino founded the fast-growing insurance company in 2020. It moved its headquarters from New Jersey to Cincinnati in 2021 and today is the city’s third-largest private company with 2023 revenue of $2.45 billion and nearly 950 employees. Consolino previously was with American Financial Group (2013-20), where he served as a director, executive vice president and CFO as well as board chair of AFG’s subsidiary, National Interstate Corporation.

Education: Duke University (undergraduate), Cornell University (MBA)

Jeff Consolino

MANAGING PARTNER

Grant Thornton

Scott DeVenny

DeVenny, who joined the firm as an audit partner in 2005, was named managing partner of the Cincinnati office in 2023 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. GT is the region’s eighth-largest accounting firm with 49 local CPAs and 107 employees.

Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT Strauss Troy

Marshall Dosker

Dosker joined Strauss Troy in 2000 and was named president in 2014. His practice includes business and corporate law, real estate, estate planning, and administration and tax law. It is the region’s seventh-largest law firm with 50 local attorneys at offices downtown and in Covington.

Education: University of Louisville (undergraduate), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.)

Diane Egbers

CEO Leadership Excelleration

Egbers founded her Kenwood-based leadership development firm in 1997 to provide 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 is the author of The Ascending Leader (2013) and founder and board chair of Grant Us Hope (2016), a youth suicide prevention nonprofit.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate), Xavier University (master’s) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I envisioned I would be the partner of a law firm. How are you planning for leadership succession? It’s really about cultivating leaders. I’ve developed a competency framework for our managing partners that teaches them everything they need to know, utilizing the best practices we share with our clients. It’s a personal, intellectual challenge for me as well, because I still have a lot to give.

OWNER CF Services

Crystal Faulkner

Faulkner started her own consulting company in the fall after serving as a partner with Raleigh, North Carolina-based Cherry Bekaert, one of the largest U.S. accounting firms. She led the local office of Louisville-based MCM CPAs & Advisors since 2016 until it was acquired by Cherry Bekaert last year. Faulkner has been certified in the Entrepreneurial Operating System for business planning and is now sharing that expertise with clients.

Hometown: Proctorville, Ohio Education: Marshall University and California State University–Fullerton (undergraduate)

MANAGING PARTNER

Alan Fershtman

Keating Muething & Klekamp

Fershtman joined the firm in 1994 and has led the downtown office since 2018. In April, KMK signed a 10-year lease renewal for 92,000 square feet in its 19-floor, 258,000-square-foot building at 1 East Fourth Street. It is the region’s fourth-largest law firm with 132 local attorneys.

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

MANAGING PARTNER Bricker Graydon

Jim Flynn

Flynn has led the downtown firm since 2023 when Graydon merged with Columbus-based Bricker & Eckler. It is Cincinnati’s fifth-largest law firm with 94 local attorneys and more than 200 total lawyers serving clients from 10 offices in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Flynn has been a partner with Bricker & Eckler since 1990, specializing in health care law.

Hometown: Evansville, Indiana Education: University of Notre Dame (undergraduate and J.D.)

Chip Gerhardt

PRESIDENT AND CEO Government Strategies Group

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. GSG represents private, public, and nonproﬁt clients on the local, state, and federal levels and specializes in economic development incentive negotiation.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Notre Dame (undergraduate), Saint Louis University (J.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I had planned to go to law school, so by this time I would be at the tail end of a 40-year career as a lawyer. How are you planning for leadership succession? As the sole owner of my business, succession is both emotional and objective. I have given and continue to give this careful consideration.

Robert Hoffer

MANAGING PARTNER AND BOARD CHAIR DBL Law

Hoffer joined the firm in 1980 and was appointed managing partner in 2019, leading the largest Northern Kentucky-based law firm (No. 9 in Greater Cincinnati with 50 local attorneys). In February, DBL named Jay Bley to the newly created role of CEO to steer the firm’s growth trajectory and oversee the firm’s strategic direction and day-to-day operations. The CEO position was previously a dual role held by Hoffer.

Hometown: Northern Kentucky Education: Xavier University (undergraduate), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I was a pre-med major for three years but was not fulﬁlled. At the end of my junior year Fr. Peters at XU suggested to me that I should consider law school. How are you planning for leadership succession? We believe in a proactive and strategic approach to leadership succession: identifying emerging leaders, professional development, diverse leadership, transition planning, and feedback and evaluation.

PARTNER IN CHARGE Thompson Hine

Megan Glowacki

Glowacki, a partner in Thompson Hine’s labor and employment practice group, was named Partner in Charge in 2022. Glowacki is the Cincinnati office’s pro bono chair and a trustee for Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation, serving on the Pro Bono Partnership of Greater Cincinnati Advisory Council. In June, Tony White was named the ﬁrm’s Managing Partner. In July, Thompson Hine opened its ﬁrst office in Los Angeles.

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

CEO Frost Brown Todd

Adam Hall

Hall has led the firm since 2018 and represents the company’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. FBT is Cincinnati’s second-largest law ﬁrm, with nearly $300 million in 2023 revenue, 147 local attorneys, and 579 attorneys across 16 offices.

Hometown: Grove City, Ohio Education: Ohio State University (undergraduate), Case Western Reserve University (J.D.)

CEO Belcan

Lance Kwasniewski

Kwasniewski has led the international engineering, consulting, and technical recruiting ﬁrm since 2015. In June, New Jersey-based Cognizant announced it would acquire Belcan for $1.3 billion. Kwasniewski will continue to lead the company, which will maintain operations under the Belcan name as an operating unit of Cognizant. Belcan is the region’s 17th-largest private company with $1 billion in 2023 revenue and 10,000 total employees, including 1,200 locally.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: University of Pittsburgh (undergraduate and master’s)

MANAGING PARTNER

Nathaniel Lampley Jr.

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease

Columbus-based Vorys is the region’s sixth-largest law ﬁrm with 70 local attorneys. 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. Vorys has 10 offices in the U.S. and Europe.

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

MANAGING PARTNER

Dinsmore & Shohl

Joshua Lorentz

Lorentz became Dinsmore’s managing partner in 2023 after George Vincent retired and also serves as 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. Dinsmore is the region’s largest law ﬁrm with 208 local attorneys, 2023 revenue of $366 million, and 30 U.S. offices.

Hometown: Dayton, Ohio Education: Ohio University (undergraduate and master’s), University of Dayton (J.D.) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I wanted to be a doctor and initially pursued a medical career while studying science at Ohio University. How are you planning for leadership succession? We’re focused on building and supporting diverse, dynamic teams that are invested in the firm’s leadership and future growth and reflect a broad range of perspectives.

SENIOR PARTNER

Wood Herron & Evans

Clement Luken Jr.

Founded in 1868, Wood Herron & Evans is considered the region’s largest intellectual property firm with 34 lawyers who work with 150 independent associates in 50 countries. Luken joined the firm in 1986 and was named senior partner in 2018. His work has focused on litigation, chemical technology, and trademark matters. WH&E, which moved from Carew Tower to Vine Street in 2020, is the region’s 13th-largest law firm.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (undergraduate and master’s), Northern Kentucky University (J.D.)

CO-CEO

Carl H. Lindner III

American Financial Group

Lindner and his brother, Craig, are co-CEOs of holding company AFG. It is Cincinnati’s sixth-largest public company and ranks No. 470 on the Fortune 500 with $7.8 billion in revenue. In April, he and his son Christopher made a “major” gift to fund a $10 million sports complex at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, scheduled to be completed in 2025. Lindner and his wife, Martha, helped establish CHCA in 1989.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

S. Craig Lindner

CO-CEO American Financial Group

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 businesses, and its in-house team of investment professionals oversees a portfolio of $15 billion. Lindner and his wife, Frances, founded the Lindner Center of HOPE in 2008.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT 84.51

Milen Mahadevan

Mahadevan has led 84.15, named after the longitude of Cincinnati, since 2020 and been in leadership at the downtown-based company dating to its days as DunnhumbyUSA, which he joined in 2000. 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 Kroger and more than 1,000 clients.

Hometown: London, UK Education: Imperial College London (undergraduate and master’s) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I decided to do chemical engineering for my major in university, so I guess I thought I’d be an engineer. I didn’t end up in that ﬁeld, but I apply the concepts I learned from it every day. How are you planning for leadership succession? Leadership succession is critical. It is also dynamic and as much about the everyday developing as the plan. We take every opportunity to support our team members, especially potential successors.

The staffing ﬁrm was launched as a spinoff of Norwood-based Encore Technologies in September 2023. McCaw is also CEO of Intellex Talent, a family-owned provider of consulting solutions to the consumer-packaged goods industry. He previously was CEO of Belflex Staffing, which was acquired by Columbus, Indiana-based Elwood Staffing in January.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Kenyon College (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I always dreamed of having a chance to build something special in the business world. Seeing my parents and grandparents live this via the companies they built gave me the conﬁdence I needed to pursue it. How are you planning for leadership succession? I It starts by hiring people that are better than yourself and offer different but valued perspectives and allowing them to rise up through trust and opportunity.

Jason McCaw

CEO Encore Talent

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Prolink

Tony Munafo

Munafo and his brother, Mike, founded the Norwood-based company in 2011 as a staffing ﬁrm. In 2023, it changed its name from ProLink Staffing to Prolink to better reflect its suite of services, including client consultation and employee retention issues. It is the region’s fourth-largest staffing ﬁrm and 19th-largest private company, with 2023 revenue of nearly $1 billion. It has 726 employees and 14 offices in 11 states.

Hometown: West Chester Township Education: University of Kentucky (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Gus

Perdikakis

Gus Perdikakis

Associates

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 and has grown it to 275 employees today as one of the region’s largest staffing ﬁrms with $9 million in 2023 revenue. Job placement areas include engineering, professional, consumer products, manufacturing, supply chain, and administrative.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) How are you planning for leadership succession? We are blessed to have the next generation of leadership working within GPA. The corporate leadership is made up of our two daughters, Lynn and Mandie, and our son George. We meet bi-weekly to discuss operational, ﬁnancial, and legal aspects of the business and conduct cross-functional training and shadowing of each function within our business.

MANAGING DIRECTOR Barnes Dennig

Jay Rammes

Rammes, who joined Barnes Dennig in 1994, has led Cincinnati’s sixth-largest accounting company since 2018. The downtown-based firm has 151 local employees (61 CPAs) and ranks among Inside Public Accounting’s top 75 Best CPA firms in the U.S., with more than $34 million in net revenue. It also has offices in Crestview Hills, Dayton, and Indianapolis.

Hometown: Dayton, Ohio Education: Miami University (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? After my dreams of playing at Wimbledon were shattered, my next goal was to become an architect. How are you planning for leadership succession? Our firm is in a constant state of transition and succession. In the past five years we’ve retired three partners, and another retires soon. We’ve made it a strategic goal to ensure we have a pipeline of talent throughout the organization, and my position is no different.

Congratulations

to our CEO Gerald Sparkman and the business leaders celebrated in this issue.

Established in 1983, d.e. Foxx & Associates primarily serves Fortune 1000 clients across multiple industries. The brands built under the Foxx group — Foxx Construction, XLC Services and Versatex — provide solutions for facility maintenance and construction; custom packaging, staffing and warehousing; spend management, procurement and sourcing. The Foxx group of companies is headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, is minority-owned and employs over 1,800 people in nine states.

CEO

Jackie Reau

Game Day Communications

Reau co-founded the media and marketing firm in 2002 with former ESPN anchor Betsy Ross, one of the first female-owned firms focused on sports and entertainment. Game Day Communications created the Cincinnati Media Center at Super Bowl LVI (2022) 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.

Hometown: Toledo Education: Ohio University (undergraduate and master’s)

PRESIDENT

Clark Schaefer Hackett

Kerry Roe

Roe joined Cincinnati’s largest locally based accounting firm in 1995 and has led it since 2017. CSH isthe fourth-largest accounting firm in Greater Cincinnati, with 79 local CPAs and nearly 600 total employees, which makes it the 62nd-largest accounting firm in the U.S. In July, it acquired Rolfes & Swisher, an Anderson Township-based firm. CSH has nine offices in three states and one in India.

Hometown: Lima, Ohio Education: Wilmington College (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I knew I wanted to be a CPA, and I stayed the course. How are you planning for leadership succession? We focus on developing a diverse and flexible talent pool that can fill various leadership roles and adapt to changing circumstances. We provide opportunities to learn, grow, and demonstrate potential.

Regina Carswell Russo

FOUNDER AND CHIEF STRATEGIST

RRight Now Communications

Russo launched her communications ﬁrm in 2014 after more than two decades as a broadcast journalist and working in public relations and marketing for Cincinnati Art Museum and Contemporary Arts Center. She is a 2022 YWCA Career Woman of Achievement, a twotime Emmy nominee, and a board trustee with Cincinnati Opera. Clients include Procter & Gamble, Fifth Third Bank, Beech Acres, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Hometown: Detroit Education: Purdue University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I knew my path would lead to a career in broadcast journalism. I felt I would always tell the stories of people, places, and events through the eyes of a journalist. I didn’t consider becoming a different kind of storyteller while owning my own business until I was in my 40s.

CEO Sheakley

Larry Sheakley

Sheakley purchased his father’s company, Sheakley & Associates, in 1976 and has grown the human resources consulting ﬁrm into the region’s 50th-largest private company with 2023 revenue of $310 million and 420 employees. Sheakley is a member of the Reds and FC Cincinnati ownership groups. The firm was scheduled to downsize and move its headquarters in November from Springdale to Landings Park in Blue Ash.

Hometown: Cincinnati

MANAGING PARTNER

Deloitte

James Sowar

Sowar has led the local office of the international accounting firm since 2013. He joined Deloitte in 2002 and has 34 years of professional service experience, focused on corporate structuring, executive compensation, audits, and exempt organization structuring. Sowar also serves as the national tax leader in the firm’s health care provider sector. Deloitte is the region’s largest accounting firm with 225 local CPAs and more than 630 employees.

Hometown: Coldwater, Ohio Education: University of Notre Dame (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I would be an attorney at some point. How are you planning for leadership succession? We have a talented and deep group of younger partners, and I work closely to help coach and guide them. These leaders ensure we will be in good hands for years to come.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO

Cincinnati Financial

Steve Spray

Spray took the helm of the Fairﬁeld-based property and casualty insurance company in May, succeeding Steve Johnston, who stepped down after 12 years to become executive chairman. Spray, who joined the company in 1991, previously served as president for two years. Cincinnati Financial is the region’s fourth-largest public company, with 2023 revenue of $10 billion (a 52.6 percent increase from 2022) and 5,400 employees.

Education: Bowling Green State University (undergraduate)

CEO Burke Inc.

Diane Surette

Surette joined the market research firm in 1966 and has led it since 2019. She previously served as president and in 2017 was named the firm’s first Chief Client Officer. The Burke Institute has trained nearly 90,000 marketing professionals over the past 40 years. In 2023, Tara Marotti was promoted to President and John Thomas to Chief Client Officer. Burke was founded in 1931 as a data collection agency.

Hometown: Lewiston, Maine Education: Bentley University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? While earning my business degree with a concentration in accounting, I realized my passion for understanding how various factors inﬂuence a business’s success. How are you planning for leadership succession? We have a formal succession planning process and program in place that’s reviewed on a regular basis. Over the years, we have focused on placing team members in roles that prepare them for future leadership opportunities.

CEO

D.E. Foxx & Associates

Gerald Sparkman

Since 2012, Sparkman has led the parent company of businesses that provide construction services, facility management, manufacturing services, background checks, and sourcing and supply chain management. He previously was a vice president with Cincinnati Bell. The downtown-based ﬁrm is one of the region’s largest private companies and Cincinnati’s second-largest minority-owned business, with nearly $327 million in 2022 revenue and 1,700 employees.

Hometown: Chicago Education: Anna Maria College (undergraduate), University of Notre Dame (MBA)

CEO LPK

Sarah Tomes

Tomes, who has led LPK since 2016, began her career there in 1996 and led strategic vision, business processes, and organizational design before being named CEO. Founded in 1983 by five original employees, LPK is one of the largest independent and employee-owned brand design firms in the world and the third-largest advertising, branding, and marketing firm in Greater Cincinnati with 70 local employees.

Hometown: Alexandria, Kentucky Education: Thomas More University (undergraduate)

CEO

Ingenovis Health

Bart Valdez

Since 2021, Valdez had led the health care staffing ﬁrm formed by the acquisitions of Blue Ash-based Trustaff, Fastaff, U.S. Nursing, and CardioSolution that now operates eight healthcare staffing brands across the U.S. Ingenovis is the region’s second-largest staffing firm, based on 2023 revenue of $2 billion. The company employs more than 1,000, including 296 at Trustaff, where Kelly Duggan was promoted to president in June.

Hometown: Denver Education: Colorado State University (undergraduate), University of Colorado (MBA)

MANAGING PARTNER

Ernst & Young

Jeremy Vaughan

Vaughan, who joined Ernst & Young in 2006, has led the Cincinnati offi ce since 2020. He moved to EY in England in 2006 and was asked to move to Cincinnati with the company in 2010 when he was named partner. EY is Cincinnati’s second-largest accounting ﬁrm with 121 local CPAs and 375 employees.

Hometown: Maidstone, England Education: University of Nottingham, England (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? Back in my days in England, you could complete a 600-question computer test that would guide you to suitable careers. My answers of enjoying work, having empathy towards others, and wanting to work outdoors got me the suggestions of “undertaker” and “road maintenance engineer.” How are you planning for leadership succession? The fact that I am English-born and now the Cincinnati Managing Partner is an indication of how dedicated EY is to giving people opportunities no matter where they begin in the ﬁrm.

CEO Paycor

Raul Villar Jr.

Villar has led the the payroll and human resources ﬁrm since 2019 and guided it through an initial public offering in 2021. Paycor has announced it will move its Norwood headquarters to the former Saks Fifth Avenue building downtown at Fifth and Race streets in May 2025. Paycor is the region’s 16th-largest public company with revenue of $552 million in 2023 and 2,800 employees.

Hometown: Marlborough, Connecticut Education: Bryant University (undergraduate), University of Connecticut (MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I found myself at a crossroads, contemplating a career as either an on-air sports radio talk show host or a criminal defense attorney. How are you planning for leadership succession? Hiring the right people is just the beginning. Ensuring they continue to develop and are empowered to run the business is the fun work. Having the right rhythms in place allows you to keep your eye on what matters most, the people.

James Zimmerman

PARTNER IN CHARGE Taft Stettinius & Hollister

Zimmerman, who joined the firm 25 years ago, became Partner in Charge in 2015. Since 2018, the firm has grown by nearly 40 percent. Taft, a founding tenant of U.S. Bank Tower in 1981, has signed a long-term lease to move to Great American Tower at Queen City Square in January 2026. Taft is the region’s third-largest law firm, with 145 local attorneys and $598 million in 2023 revenue.

Hometown: Atlanta until 14, then Cincinnati Education: Vanderbilt University (undergraduate and J.D.) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I knew I liked to debate topics with others but majored in psychology as an undergraduate and decided on law school my senior year. How are you planning for leadership succession? We include emerging talent in important decisions and on key committees, which allows them to guide Taft’s future while reﬁning their leadership skills.

CEO Vehr Communications

Nick Vehr

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 currently is vice chair of St. Xavier High School’s board of trustees.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Notre Dame (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I would follow my father’s footsteps and become a dentist. I changed my mind, and my major, beginning my junior year in college. How are you planning for leadership succession? Nearly all decisions are made with the involvement of our senior leadership team. Several years ago, pre-pandemic, I named a president and vice president and assumed the CEO title.

Best Views Best

O N LY I N N O R T H E R N K E N T U C K Y ONLY IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY

Ovation is an urban mixed-use development that sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers in Northern Kentucky. It is a vibrant riverfront destination that bridges the cities in the region, connects residents and the community directly to the rivers, and enables everyone to be transformed by the incredible river views combined with a boardwalk that transcends time and activates all your senses.

OVATION OFFICE I OPEN AND 60% LEASED

R E A L E S T AT E REAL ESTATE

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Jeffrey Anderson

Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate

Anderson is the founder and CEO of the developer of fashion and entertainment-based lifestyle centers, mixed-use developments, grocery-anchored retail centers, and office buildings. Some of the firm’s signature projects include The Banks and Kenwood Collection. In addition to large-scale projects, he maintains interest in the restaurant industry as a developer and owner of dining concepts throughout the U.S.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Virginia (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I imagined myself as a professional athlete. I got a football scholarship to the University of Virginia. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’ve always believed in preparing the next generation thoroughly, and I’m proud to say that my two sons, J.R. and Anders, are poised to take over the reins. They’ve been deeply involved in the business from a young age and have taken on progressively larger roles over the years.

CEO Towne Properties

Adam Bortz

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

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Kenyon College (undergraduate)

CHAIRMAN Corporex Companies

William Butler

Butler started Corporex as a one-man construction shop and built it into a diversified real estate company with more than $8 billion in facilities in 27 states. The diversified real estate firm includes development and construction management, hotels, sports and fitness clubs, Corporex Realty and Investment, and Corporex Capital. One of its largest projects ever, the Ovation 25-acre mixed-use site in Newport, is under construction.

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

CHIEF

John

Caulfield

FINANCIAL OFFICER AND TREASURER

Phillips Edison

Caulfield joined Phillips Edison in 2014 as vice president and treasurer, responsible for treasury management and investor relations. In January 2016, he was promoted to senior vice president of finance, responsible for financial planning and analysis, budgeting and forecasting, capital markets, risk management and investor relations. He took on the role of chief financial officer in 2019. The firm owns grocery-anchored retail centers around the country and reported revenue of $610.1 million in 2023.

Hometown: New Orleans Education: Xavier University (undergraduate and MBA) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I knew I wanted to do something in business and thought I’d be an accountant. How are you planning for leadership succession? It’s all about developing the team around you and helping them pursue their goals. Personal growth is critical in helping both the individual and the company.

John Danis

CEO Danis Building Construction

Founded in 1916 by B.G. Danis, this third-generation construction management company serves the Midwest and Southeast and is one of the largest general contractors in the region, reporting $397 million in revenue in 2022. The company has experience in the corporate, health care, senior living, education, retail, hospitality/entertainment, and industrial markets.

Hometown: Dayton, Ohio Education: Cornell University (undergraduate)

OPERATING PARTNER

Sarah

Close

Keller Williams Advisors Realty

Close was one of five agents who founded the first local Keller Williams Realty office in 2005. Keller Williams is the fifth-largest residential real estate firm in Greater Cincinnati, reporting $996.3 million in net local home sales volume in 2022, closing 3,367 transactions with 365 local agents. The agency is headquartered in Columbia-Tusculum.

Hometown: Centerville, Ohio Education: Miami University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? Something in the ﬁnancial world. I’d come to terms with the fact that my childhood career goal of becoming a vet required more science courses. How are you planning for leadership succession? We are continuously working to identify and develop leaders from within the company. Internally cultivated talent is most optimally positioned to assure the company remains aligned with our vision, guiding principles and that we continue to provide an exceptional consumer and agent experience in perpetuity.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Huff Realty

Brad DeVries

DeVries is president and CEO of Huff Realty and three other Berkshire Hathaway affiliates: Semonin Realtors, Rector Hayden Realtors in Central Kentucky, and WR Realtors in Louisville. Between the four companies, he has oversight of 1,200 real estate agents and 125 employees. 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.

Hometown: Naples, Florida Education: Centre College (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I worked construction in summers during high school and college, so I was convinced I’d be a homebuilder one day. How are you planning for leadership succession? The real estate industry has undergone signiﬁcant change since I arrived at Huff almost 14 years ago. Leaders who have adapted to change and continue to adapt will be in the best position to lead in the future.

CO-OWNER/BROKER

Kent Dailey

RE/MAX Victory + Affiliates

Dailey started in real estate during college at Vera Angel Realty, joined Laake & Associates in 1980, and opened the RE/MAX franchise in Northern Kentucky in 1990. RE/MAX Victory is the sixth-largest residential real estate firm in Greater Cincinnati and reported $769 million in net local home sales volume and nearly 3,000 transactions in 2022. The agency has seven locations and more than 180 agents.

Hometown: Taylor Mill Education: Northern Kentucky University (undergraduate)

Drees represents the third generation to continue the family business begun by his grandfather, Theodore, in 1928. Drees Homes is the 18th largest privately-owned home builder in the country, with operations spanning 10 metro regions across the Midwest, Southeast, and Texas. It is the second-largest homebuilder in Greater Cincinnati, with local revenue of $309.3 million in 2022.

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

David Drees

PRESIDENT AND CEO Drees Homes

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Hills Properties

Louis Guttman

Founded in 1958 by Murray Guttman, Hills Properties is now in its third generation of leadership. Hills currently has more than 1,000 units under construction, representing 17 percent of its entire property portfolio and nearly $190 million in investment. Projects underway include the Residences at Clocktower in West Chester Township, Vantage at Anderson Towne Center, Graphite Oakley, and Altair in Florence.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Colorado (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Greg Hammond

Hixson Architecture, Engineering, Interiors

Hammond has been CEO since 2018 and previously served as vice president/senior project architect. He started with the firm in 2001. Hixson is an architecture, engineering, and interior design firm specializing in projects for corporate office environments, retail projects, research and development facilities, and industrial processing plants. It’s the third-largest architectural firm in the region, with 21 local registered architects and 2022 local billings of $24 million.

Hometown: Buffalo, New York Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Chris Hopper

EXECUTVE VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER Skanska USA

Hopper opened Skanska’s Cincinnati office in 2011 with 11 employees, and the office now has about 80 workers and brought in $160 million in local billings in 2022. Hopper oversees projects in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, and its core markets include education, health care, science and technology, and aviation.

Hometown: Gillette, Wyoming Education: Purdue University (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I thought I’d be a high school science teacher in Montana. How are you planning for leadership succession? Skanska does a great job at facilitating leadership succession. We conduct performance reviews with all employees twice a year, when we identify potential successors and create succession plans for each individual. If I were to step aside, I’m confident that there are multiple highly qualified individuals capable of filling my role.

CONGRATULATIONS TO :

MIKE HUSEMAN

and all of the other 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.

BUILDING LEGACY

CEO Huseman Group

Mike Huseman

Huseman began his career with the company at HGC Construction in 1995, where he was a project manager until 2001. In 2002, he founded Huseman Group and has led its growth from a mid-sized commercial contractor to a group of companies that include Structural Systems Repair Group, HGC Construction, Stewart Iron Works, Trade31, Boldcastle, and Stanton Millworks. The company was founded by Huseman’s grandfather, Richard Huseman, in 1931.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Xavier University (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT BHDP

David Johnson

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. In October 2023, Johnson announced the acquisition of RGG Architects, an architectural firm based in Raleigh-Durham. BHDP is the second-largest architectural firm in Greater Cincinnati.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) What’s the best career advice you ever received? My dad advised me to “do what you love” and to “work hard and play hard.” How are you planning for leadership succession? I believe in inspiring and supporting others to reach their full potential. At BHDP, we cultivate a culture of learning and development. To sustain and grow our organization, we focus on developing internal talent to become future leaders.

REGIONAL PRESIDENT Coldwell Banker Realty

Joe King

In June 2023, King was named regional president of Greater Ohio, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and St. Louis, overseeing 62 offices. Coldwell Banker is No. 1 in local residential real estate market share with $2.7 billion in net local home sales volume in 2022 and more than 8,000 transactions closed. King has led the parent company’s regional operations since 2005.

PRESIDENT AND CEO 3CDC

Steve Leeper

Since 2004, Leeper has managed 3CDC’s investment of $1.7 billion in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. His responsibilities also include managing $146 million in corporately-funded revolving loan funds. 3CDC is overseeing the renovation of Cincinnati’s convention center, the first step in the creation of a downtown Convention District, and led recent rebranding of the nearby Fountain District.

Hometown: Pittsburgh Education: Ohio University (undergraduate)

CEO Model Group

Bobby Maly

Maly succeeded Steve Smith as CEO in 2020. The company has led more than $1.5 billion in real estate development and construction. It is overseeing the expansion of the Mercantile Library downtown, which will add a new lounge space that can convert to a 100-person lecture hall, writers’ stations, and more book shelving.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate), University of Maryland (master’s) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I hoped to be a professional soccer player, but I was thinking a lot about coaching and teaching English at St. Xavier High School. How are you planning for leadership succession? My partners and I started the process of transferring company ownership to the employees and become an ESOP. We’re trying to make sure we have multiple young leaders in each of our different teams that have a path to keep growing.

Elizabeth Mangan

CEO Miller-Valentine Construction

Mangan assumed leadership in 2018, the first woman to lead Miller-Valentine. She previously served as general counsel for the company. She has more than 25 years of experience in the real estate development and construction industry, having served as an attorney and advisor in private practice and in-house with real estate development companies in Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati..

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

Congrats again, Hopper!

We’re glad to see you recognized for the leadership you bring to Skanska every day.

Executive

Vice President and General Manager Chris

Hopper

CEO Fischer Homes

Tim McMahon

McMahon was promoted from president and chief operating officer to CEO in October 2022. Fischer Homes is the top homebuilder in the region, with $577 million in local revenue in 2022 and 1,170 local housing starts that year. The company also builds houses in Louisville, Dayton, Columbus, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Atlanta.

Education: Rutgers University (undergraduate)

Erin Mignano

VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER Turner Construction

Mignano joined Turner in 2005 and has held a variety of assignments, with the majority of her career spent in the field on projects before moving into leadership roles. Turner is the third-largest general contractor in the region, with $295.8 million in local billings in 2022. Its projects in the region include TQL Stadium, Great American Tower at Queen City Square, and St. Elizabeth Cancer Care Center.

Hometown: Green Brook, New Jersey Education: George Washington University (undergraduate)

Roger believes Roger believes success and chili success and chili are made to be shared. are made to be shared.

We’re raising our Coneys to Roger David, president and CEO of Gold Star, on being named to the Cincinnati 300 by Cincinnati Magazine. Roger shares this recognition with his foodie family - franchise owners, employees, guests and the broader Cincinnati community that’s supported his family’s business for nearly

Gary Mitchell

PRESIDENT AND CEO Divisions Maintenance Group

Divisions was founded in 1999 by Mitchell and is one of the fastest-growing enterprises in the region, handling facilities services for thousands of properties across the country. In 2023, it moved its headquarters to Downtown in The Foundry development across from Fountain Square. In 2020, the company was acquired by Roark Capital Group.

Hometown: Cold Spring Education: Thomas More University (undergraduate)

VICE CHAIRMAN OHIO

Colliers International

Shenan Murphy

Colliers Cincinnati was founded in 1958 as West Shell Inc. Realtors. Murphy joined the company in 1988 and purchased it in 2000. In 2010, West Shell Commercial became an affiliate of Colliers and in 2022 Colliers International purchased Colliers Greater Cincinnati and Colliers Cleveland. The company provides brokerage sales, investment, construction, information technology, and property management services.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

CEO

Comey & Shepherd

Scott Nelson

Nelson’s father, Roy, bought Comey & Shepherd in 1968 from the founders. Nelson has served as CEO of the firm, which has operations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, since 1990. Comey & Shepherd is the second-largest residential real estate brokerage in Greater Cincinnati, with $2.3 billion in net local home sales in 2022 and 7,300 transactions.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career ﬁeld did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? A writer. How are you planning for leadership succession? We have a tremendous group of next generation leaders in our management already working and creating palpable energy throughout our culture.

PRESIDENT AND CEO Neyer Properties

Dan Neyer

Neyer formed Neyer Properties in 1995, and the company has pursued mixed-use developments, office, retail, industrial, medical, hospitality, single-family and multi-family projects. Earlier this year, the company introduced a subsidiary, Torque Motor Suites, which offers collectors a place for their vehicles, motorcycles, boats, and other valuable possessions. It’s planning two sites in Greater Cincinnati, each a secure, gated community offering owners the ability to customize their spaces.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

CEO Al. Neyer

Molly North

North was promoted to CEO in 2015, one year after the company became 100 percent employee-owned. She’d served as chief financial officer and real estate development director. Prior to Al. Neyer, she spent several years in sales, finance, and accounting roles at Fifth Third Bank and at Ernst & Young in its Cincinnati and Zurich offices.

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

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Megen Construction

Evans Nwankwo

In 1993, Nwankwo founded Megen Construction in the basement of his home after working 12 years at Turner Construction. The company has worked on some of the region’s notable construction projects, including the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Fountain Square’s revitalization, and has expanded beyond the Midwest to work in several other states.

Hometown: Awa, Nigeria Education: Texas A&M University (undergraduate)

Jeremy Raby

PRESIDENT AND CEO ERA Real Solutions Realty

Raby founded Real Solutions Realty as a sole broker in 2007 and developed the company into a multi-office firm with nearly 200 producing agents. In 2023, the company acquired Ft. Myers Beach brokerage Lahaina Realty, marking the company’s third market expansion in Southwest Florida in four years. The ERA Real Estate network includes 42,000 affiliated brokers and independent sales associates in 2,400 offices throughout the U.S. and the world.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT Bayer Becker

Etta Reed

Reed succeeded Jay Bayer as the engineering firm’s president in January and leads the ownership team of eight principals. Becker remains a principal with the firm, transitioning to director. Reed is a licensed engineer who developed Bayer Becker’s transportation engineering department and had been a principal and vice president of transportation engineering since 2000.

Hometown: Liberty Township Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) First job: Dixie Belle Ice Cream in Hamilton, Ohio. What’s the best career advice you ever received? Anyone can provide an engineering design, you need to provide quality service to set yourself apart. How are you planning for leadership succession? I am a ﬁrm believer of leading by example, modelling the behavior and demonstrating the qualities I desire for my team. Additionally, I continually look for opportunities to mentor and train staff.

CEO GBBN Architects

With more than 30 local, registered architects, GBBN is the largest architecture firm in the region. The downtown-based firm designed Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital in Mason, which opened in January. Other projects include Children’s Theater of Cincinnati’s renovation of Emery Theatre in Over-the-Rhine. GBBN also has offices in Beijing, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Minneapolis.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate) When you were 18, what career field did you think you’d be in at this point in your life? I had just started in the architecture program at UC, though I can’t say I knew what that completely meant 45 years in the future. How are you planning for leadership succession? I’ve worked with our board and firm strategy team to create a detailed process to identify and train the future leaders at all executive levels at GBBN. It’s updated annually to recognize the most pressing issues affecting the firm.

MANAGING DIRECTOR CBRE

Schutte has more than 20 years of commercial real estate experience in Greater Cincinnati. Before joining CBRE, he worked at Skanska USA Building, where he was responsible for the company’s business development in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. At CBRE’s Cincinnati office, he supervises a team of more than 175 employees, including about 40 leasing and sales professionals who specialize in investment properties, project management, valuation, and portfolio administration.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Kevin Schutte

Matthew Schottelkotte

PRESIDENT Sibcy Cline

Robin Sheakley

Sheakley, the fourth generation leading her family’s business, oversees the daily operations and sets strategic direction of the company and its affiliated businesses. She started working for the business in the summers during high school and joined full-time in 1996. The company acquired Star One Realtors in February.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Miami University (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Jostin Construction

Albert Smitherman

Smitherman founded the company in 1998 and grew it into one of the largest minority-owned businesses in Greater Cincinnati, reporting $9.2 million in revenue and a staff of 50 employees. The company has worked on several major projects in the area, including the downtown casino, redevelopment of The Banks riverfront entertainment district, and TQL Stadium.

Hometown: Cincinnati Education: Bowling Green State University (undergraduate)

PRESIDENT AND CEO Messer Construction

Tim Steigerwald

Steigerwald was named was named president of Messer Construction Co. in 2018 and chairman of Messer, Inc. the following year. In these roles, he is responsible for Messer’s strategic direction. He started his career at the region’s largest general contractor in 1984 as a co-op while earning a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering and management, then joined Messer full time in 1988 and rose through the ranks.

Hometown: Lawrenceburg, Indiana Education: Purdue University (undergraduate), Xavier University (MBA)

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Triversity Construction

Jim Watkins

Watkins joined Triversity in 2012 as chief operating officer and was promoted to president in 2017. He was named president and CEO in January after Mel Gravely transitioned to the role of executive chairman. The company reported $104 million in revenue in 2022 and is one of the lead contractors on the Duke Energy Convention Center redevelopment project.

Hometown: Chicago Education: Purdue University (undergraduate)

AREA PRESIDENT M/I Homes

Greg Williams

Williams has led the local operations of the Columbus-based homebuilder since 2011. M/I Homes is the third-largest local homebuilder in the region, with $240 million in local revenue in 2022 and 400 housing starts. It began work this year on Grove Park, a subdivision of 130 single-family homes in Clermont County’s Miami Township, and is developing the Trailside Village subdivision in Green Township.

Hometown: Denver Education: Brigham Young University (undergraduate)

Tom Williams

PRESIDENT AND CEO North American Properties

After joining the family business in 1986, Williams led the diversification of North American Properties’ portfolio and expansion into the Sunbelt with the opening of offices in Ft. Myers, Florida; Dallas; and Atlanta. North American Properties has worked on developments in 67 cities and 15 states. Williams is also a principal owner of the Cincinnati Reds and of Skyline Chili.

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

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