says. “Electronic tax was a key part of the growth of the industry and the business.” As technology transformed the industry, Ahola changed, too. A company that started out delivering paychecks from Chet’s trunk now takes care of all its clients’ employee-related needs. “Here we sit in 2018, where we call the industry ‘human capital management,’” says Mark Strippy, Ahola’s vice president of sales and service. “It’s much more than payroll and tax. It’s helping employers onboard the right employee. Helping them manage their talent from a new-hire perspective. Helping them take care of employees’ IRAs and 401(k)s and benefits. It’s benefits, wellness programs, onboarding, time and attendance, alternative-payment mechanisms.” Ahola has carved out a niche for itself in the human capital management space by focusing on private, family-owned companies, a market that Ahola’s leaders say has potential that has yet to be realized industrywide. “We’re at the very beginning of a very huge tsunami of family business research and studying, and we’re on the front edge of this whole thing,” says Jeff. “It’s really exciting, but it’s sometimes hard to communicate, because some people don’t realize that the family-business industry is out there percolating and growing extremely rapidly around us.” As a family-owned business itself, Ahola has a unique perspective to offer clients. “I think the culture of being a family company is so different from the culture of a publicly traded competitor of ours, so I think we have a big advantage if we can translate that culture to the customer experience,” Jeff says. “It’s not corporate America. It certainly is family business.” Looking forward, Ahola will remain committed to Northeast Ohio as it also looks at growth opportunities in other areas, says communication and brand strategist Sonya Ahola, Jeff’s daughter. “We see a lot of success and opportunity in Columbus with the growth of a lot of businesses there, so that’s a huge initiative for us,” she says. A member of the third generation to work in the family business, she has her eyes set on the future of the company her grandfather founded. “Fifty years has just hit, and we’re ready for the next 50,” she says. “We don’t want to slow down at all. We want to speed up.” n
Jeff Ahola and daughter Sonya Ahola
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