Issuu

Economic pulse

Checking in with the region’s leaders in our annual survey.

Child care pain

Moms leaving the workforce as daycares struggle.

PAGE 58

PAGE 22

Deal maker

JP Nauseef’s positivity spurs Ohio business. PAGE 8

December 2021

Elizabeth Martinez, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, is CEO of the Year among small nonprofits.

Each year, the region’s chief executives choose the best among their peers. Here’s who they’re lifting up in 2021. PAGE 41

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Contents Awards

2021

ECONOMIC PULSE Business leaders make predictions for 2022 in our annual survey with analysis by Regionomics. Departments 04 Editor’s Note Introducing the Future 50 class of 2022.

67 Leaderboards

This year’s picks for the top CEOs in the Columbus region are a varied group with distinct challenges, but they all have what it takes to lead during another turbulent year.

Columbus region office furniture companies, colleges and universities, and credit unions.

72 Office Space: Path Robotics In a building set within the Scioto Audubon Metro Park, a small company has big potential.

CEO of the Year, large nonprofit category: Tim Robinson, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Photo ROB HARDIN

DECEMBER 2021 Cover photo by

ROB HARDIN

December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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18 62 E. Broad St., P.O. Box 1289 Columbus, Ohio 43216 Phone: 614-540-8900 • Fax: 614-461-8746

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VOLUME 30 / NUMBER 12 COLUMBUS SITE MANAGER

Alan D. Miller PUBLISHER/GENERAL MANAGER

Ray Paprocki E DITORIAL Photo COURTNEY HERGESHEIMER

EDITOR

Katy Smith ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jess Deyo CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Jeff Bell, Linda Deitch D E S I G N & P RODUCT ION

Franklinton Rising trainee Paul Bryant

PRODUCTION/DESIGN DIRECTOR

Craig Rusnak Yogesh Chaudhary DIGITAL

EDITOR

Julanne Hohbach ASSISTANT DIGITAL EDITOR

Jack Long P H OTOGRAP HY

PHOTO EDITOR

Tim Johnson ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

Rob Hardin A DVE RT ISING

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES

Eugene Jackson MULTIMEDIA SALES EXECUTIVES

Tia Hardman, Jackie Thiam CLASSIFIED SALES

Amy Vidrick PRODUCTION DESIGNER

16 Spotlight: Small Business

Insider

ART DIRECTOR

Kate Stevens says failure was never an option for her Red Giraffe Designs jewelry-making business.

07 Breakdown Remote work threatens cities’ tax collections.

18 Spotlight: Nonprofit

08 Profile

Tom Heffner is on a mission to help young adults as he builds Franklinton Rising.

Selling Ohio to expanding companies is a big assignment. JobsOhio President JP Nauseef brings all he learned from his years in the military, business and economic development, and something more powerful than that: Positivity.

22 Women and child care Daycare center leaders search for answers to address staff shortages and higher costs.

26 Diverse Leaders in Law

Driven by personal loss, Sam Baddoo has built a health insurance platform that helps family members abroad.

State and federal legislation could go a long way toward protecting the rights of Ohio’s LGBTQ+ workers.

Rebecca Zimmer

30 Senior Living

M ARKE T ING

MARKETING MANAGER

Your guide to the region’s options.

Lauren Reinhard

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33 Conway Center for Family Business

Sam Baddoo

Photo courtesy FLERI

SUBSCRIPTIONS

In-depth

14 Tech Talk

Columbus CEO (ISSN 1085-911X) is published monthly by Gannett. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted © Gannett Co., Inc. 2021, all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials. Known address of publication is 62 E. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43215. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Columbus CEO, PO Box 460160 Escondido CA 92046

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Announcing the Future 50 Class of 2022 Abdul Akel, CEO and co-founder, T-cetra Alex Ditty, Head of Content & Marketing, Ohio State University Alumni Association Alida Smith, Chief Marketing Officer, Pelotonia Almar Walter, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer, Columbus State Community College Amanda Turner, Executive Director, Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation/ Tobacco 21 Amit Chandna, President & CEO, HLG Amy Gordon, Executive Director & CEO, Communities In Schools of Ohio Andrea Devier, Associate Vice President of Grants and Data Management, LifeCare Alliance Andrew Mills, Assistant Head of School & Head of High School, Harvest Preparatory School Ariana Ulloa Olavarrieta, Executive Coach - LIGHTS Regional Innovation Network, Ohio University Aslyne Rodriguez, Director of Government Affairs, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) Ben Kelley, partner at Kelley Cos., owner of Emmett’s Cafe Betsy Bankhurst, President, Basement Doctor Brad Kaplan, Founder, CEO, Dough Curator & Driver, Lion Cub’s Cookies Brian Higgins, principal, Arch City Development Brian Pierson, Vice President of Community Health and Well-being, Mount Carmel Health System Charles Hill, Vice President, Programs and Operations, Columbus Urban League Chevonne Harris, Founder & CEO, Brand Strategist, ThriveIN Chris Suel, Assistant Director of Community Affairs, Office of the Mayor, City of Columbus Dean Tran, CEO, Cultivate Geospatial Solutions Devin Schaffer, VP (Legal) - Corporate/ M&A/Securities, Cardinal Health Ian Labitue, director of business development and strategy, Kaufman Development Imran Nuri, Founder & CEO, 52 Million Project Janet Chen, CEO, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra

Editor’s Notes * ksmith@ColumbusCEO.com Jennifer Sanders, Portfolio Manager, Midwest Regional Office, AmeriCorps Jim Bruner, Sultan of Systems/Alpha Farmer, Mezzacello Urban Farm Karen Hewitt, Associate Director, Leadership Columbus Kashif Smiley, VP, Community & Affordable Lending, JPMorgan Chase Keryna Johnson, Project Coordinator for Convergence Columbus, Mortgage Bankers Association Kevin Grabeman, shareholder/ consultant, McGohan Brabender Latisha Chastang, Deputy Chief, Community Services, Ohio Department of Development Marty McDonald, Executive Vice President, Fahlgren Mortine Melissa Starr, Chief Program Officer, Jewish Family Services Michael Swepston, president, Atlas Butler Mike Hochron, Social Program Administrator, Franklin County CSEA Neethi Johnson, VP, Digital Strategy, JPMorgan Chase Nikki Stead, Vice President, People Services, Donatos Noelle Arnold, Senior Associate Dean, Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology Paula O’Reilly, Office Managing Director/ Financial Services Lead Midwest, Accenture Rachel Bloomekatz, Principal & Founder, Bloomekatz Law Rick Ricart, President, Ricart Automotive Sangeeta Lakhani, Executive Director, Service! A Relief Effort for Hospitality Industry Workers Sara McKinniss, Marketing Director, FST Logistics Sarah Townes, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, Experience Columbus Sarai Exil, co-founder and president, Student Success Stores, and manager of inclusion and diversity, Dick’s Sporting Goods Shyam Rajadhyaksha, Principal, Xcellium Spencer Jordan, Vice President of Leasing, Steiner + Associates Toni Bell, President/CEO, Phoenix Consulting Co. Trent Smith, Executive Director, Franklinton Board of Trade Ukeme Awakessien Jeter, Partner, Taft Stettinius & Hollister

Merry congratulations

his the season for awards at Columbus CEO. Each October, November and December we plan, publicize, congratulate, photograph, write, shepherd and produce two premier programs—Future 50 and CEO of the Year, which is a particularly substantial undertaking for our small team. It’s also during this time of year that we’re soliciting nominations for Top Workplaces (nominations closed Nov. 19) and Healthcare Achievement Awards (nominations due Dec. 31). We spent two days in November at the Columbus Athletic Club, which generously offered us its space, shooting portraits of 48 of our 50 Future 50 members of the class of 2022. They’ll be featured in our January issue, and you can see who made the list this year on this page. We’re proud to partner again this year with Mills James in producing CEO of the Year, which is the heart and soul of this month’s magazine. We gathered in November in Mills James’ studios with our winners, the wonderful Mills James team, associate photo editor Rob Hardin and associate editor Jess Deyo to record interviews and take portraits. In a time when seeing people in person continues to be somewhat rare, at least for our team, it was energizing to shake hands and share space. In early December, look for our virtual CEO of the Year celebration video in your inbox. If you don’t get our emails, sign up at columbusceo. com/newsletters. Happy holidays!

Katy Smith, Editor

4 ColumbusCEO l December 2021

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Media Sponsor:

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Breakdown Compiled by JESS DEYO + Infographic by YOGESH CHAUDHARY

The trend toward widespread remote work has the potential to hurt the fiscal health of Ohio cities. Many workers have become fully adjusted to work-from-home life, and it looks like it’s here to stay. A recent report by financial management consultant PFM for the Ohio Mayors Alliance estimates that 33 percent of the workforce across 10 Ohio cities could work from home after the pandemic subsides. The report finds work-from-home would take a considerable toll on those cities, with an income tax loss ranging from 6 percent to 17 percent of municipal income tax revenue within a city’s general fund. Likely impacts of remote work on percent of general fund taxes, with red being high, orange medium and yellow low 17% 12%

12% 10%

7% 4%

7% 5%

Akron

Cincinnati

6% 4%

Columbus

6% 3% 2%

Dayton

Toledo

High Medium

Gettyimages.com

Low

Source: PFM & Ohio Mayors Alliance

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PROFILE By MARK WILLIAMS

JP Nauseef

President and chief investment officer

JobsOhio Age: 55

In position since: 2019 Previous: President, Co-founder Krush Media Education: Bachelor’s degree, University

of Dayton; master’s degree, University of Southern California

Community involvement: Founder of the Big Hoopla that supports and recognizes military members and military families through sponsor-funded access to professional and college sports, the arts and concerts. Resides: Dayton Family: Married, four sons

The case for Ohio JP Nauseef approaches communities and business deals with a get-it-done optimism that propelled him into the top job selling the Buckeye State.

P Nauseef’s first economic development project was a critical one for the Miami Valley: Navigating WrightPatterson Air Force Base through the federal government’s military base closing and realignment process. There was plenty on the line. Any cuts to what is the largest single-site employer in Ohio would damage the Dayton and state economies. Conversely, if the base could land more jobs—as it ultimately did—it could provide a boost.

The base has 30,000 workers, including military, civilians and contractors, with a $4.2 billion economic impact. “This was my first real-time professional engagement,” says Nauseef, who took over as president and chief investment officer of the state’s economic-development arm, JobsOhio, in 2019. “What I found out is that a lot of people are highly committed and passionate about their communities [and] their state. [There were] a lot of volunteers in the business community [and] not-for-profits that really had a high degree of interest and willingness to provide a lot of time and resources to help with the cause.” “One of the few remaining causes that people really rally around is service to the country, service to the community. ... It was hard to find people to say no,” he says. That successful work kicked off Nauseef’s tenure as the top executive of the Dayton Development Coalition, the economic development agency for the Dayton area, and continued a track of public service that began with his work as an Air Force officer. It was while he was working on the Wright-Patterson project that he established important and valuable relationships with state and federal politicians that continue to come in handy today, including then-Sen. Mike DeWine and then-House Speaker Jon Husted, the two Republicans who picked Nauseef to lead JobsOhio in their current jobs as governor and lieutenant governor. “I’ve always been impressed with his energy and drive,” DeWine says of Nauseef. DeWine says he and Husted never seriously considered anyone else but Nauseef for the job at JobsOhio, given what he had done with the coalition along with his family and military background. “I wanted someone who would be very aggressive in selling Ohio. I wanted someone who understood the value part of Ohio and our smaller markets, to feel like an advocate,” DeWine says. “That was really

JP Nauseef, president of JobsOhio, front right, with his staff. my charge of JP. You’ve got to go sell Ohio and don’t be bashful about selling Ohio.”

Dayton is always home NAUSEEF, 55, was born in the former West Germany, the son of an Air Force officer who was stationed there. JP stands for John Pierre, the same first name as his father, while Pierre is the same first name as his godfather. Nauseef moved to Dayton in 1978 as a seventh grader when his father transferred to Wright-Patterson. His first impression of Dayton is something he’ll never forget.

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“It was seared into my brain, walking up to soccer practice as a seventh grader, looking at all those kids talking to each other,” he says of his teammates, many of whom had grown up together. “There’s also something unique about Ohio and about that part of Ohio. They’re used to new people coming in, Air Force people coming in, and they embraced me and my family.” Nauseef majored in business and computer science at the University of Dayton. He joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Wright State University. His first assignment after college was at the Air Force Institute of Tech-

nology, where his job was figuring out how to use new technology at the time called the internet. “I don’t think I ever knew exactly what I wanted to do. I knew that was

One of the few remaining causes that people really rally around is service to the country, service to the community. JP NAUSEEF, president, JobsOhio

something new and different and it seemed interesting,” he says. In the early 1990s, he was reassigned to a new mission in Southern California working on a new navigation system for satellites. While he was there he met his wife, Carmen, and also started work on his graduate degree at the University of Southern California. He had planned to leave the Air Force while in California and take a job in the private sector, but as often has happened during Nauseef’s career, he came back to Ohio or opted to stay in the state even when he believed he would have opportunities elsewhere. When he was reassigned to WrightDecember 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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File/JOSHUA BICKEL/Columbus Dispatch

Pablo Vegas of One Columbus is joined by JP Nauseef to deliver remarks during an open house for Facebook’s New Albany data center. Patterson to take a job as the aide to the base commander, his thengirlfriend responded, “I’ll see you in a year.” She ended up moving to Dayton and the two became engaged and started a family, but they never figured to make Dayton their permanent home. “My wife and I always had this notion we would go back to Southern California or to New York. ... Each time different opportunities would pop up and we would say, ‘OK, one more year,’” he says. At the time of the base closing work, he and his wife had two sons. They had two more sons while he was at the Dayton Development Coalition. “Each time the offers would come and we would look at what was important to us, what we valued,” he says. “We valued success, and business and professional life, but we also had a value for our family and the role we thought we really wanted to play in our community.” Attorney Scott Ziance, who leads the national economic development incentives practice at Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease, says Nauseef has been a good leader at JobsOhio. “I’ve worked with JP on some big deals, and what I like about him is his enthusiasm and optimism,” Ziance says. ”I think that stems from being an entrepreneur himself. He sees the possibilities in things rather than focusing on the negative.” He says Nauseef’s personality,

File/ERIC ALBRECHT/Columbus Dispatch

From left: Rep. Steve Stivers; Don Walker, CEO, Magna; former Vice President Mike Pence; Deputy Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella; Phil Holjak, Magna; JP Nauseef, president, JobsOhio; Brian Hirsch, president, SunCap Property Group gather for Magna International groundbreaking ceremony in Lancaster in 2019. handshake and smile reflect “positive energy. How can we get a deal done.”

Base realignment and closures THE PROCESS that is used to evaluate whether bases should be closed or whether operations should be moved is meant to make the military more efficient, but it puts communities at risk of losing big chunks of their economies. That’s why local officials and politicians fight so hard to keep them and try to expand those operations. At the time, Nauseef was working for consulting company Deloitte when the Dayton Development Coalition approached him about leading the effort for the base. It made sense, given his history at Wright-Patterson and the Air Force. Also his work at Deloitte had put him in contact with economic development experts in Dayton, friends developing startups and lawyers, accountants and service providers. “It was really a wonderful experience. It was hard and challenging,” he says. Nauseef would go on to run the Dayton Development Coalition from 2002 until 2008. He then started his own business, Krush Media Group, a digital advertising, media and data company. He is no longer involved with the business. As Nauseef is accustomed to doing, he gave credit to those at Wright-Pat-

terson for the job gains that resulted from the base closing work. “They were the ones doing the work,” he says. “We were just shining the light on them and we were doing it in an organized way. We were speaking with one voice in Columbus. We were speaking with one voice in Washington. It was a unifying event and experience for the people in the Dayton region.”

Coming to JobsOhio Nauseef is the third leader of JobsOhio, created by former Gov. John Kasich in 2011 to take over the former Department of Development. It is funded largely by its $1.4 billion, 25year lease of state liquor operations. Nauseef succeeded John Minor, who had been with JobsOhio since its start and became its top executive in 2012. “My predecessor did an amazing job, creating something from nothing,” Nauseef says. “I’d like to think my team has taken that great start and built upon it.” Kasich branded JobsOhio as a more effective way to woo business to the state over the old Department of Development, though critics continue to complain that JobsOhio isn’t transparent enough about its operation. It did begin disclosing more information in 2019, around the time Nauseef was picked for the job, under pressure from DeWine and others, including the salaries of its top executives.

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Nauseef says the payback for the state on JobsOhio investments is less than two years. He says the state, which by many metrics has struggled economically for decades, is on the verge of something great. “I’ve never seen anything like this. We are on the front end of something very special in the state of Ohio,” he says. Nauseef’s optimism is based on companies that say they want to bring their global supply chains closer to home after COVID-19 has shown how vulnerable those supply chains are and on the notion that people will leave higher-cost states for Ohio. One example is the establishment of a company in Grove City called American Nitrile that will make latex gloves that were in short supply in the early days of the pandemic. “What we’re seeing now is a greater number of people coming back home,” Nauseef says. Before the coronavirus, the state’s economy was showing steady job

File/JOHN MINCHILLO/AP

JobsOhio judges its success on the projects it completes, how many jobs those projects generate and how much capital is being invested. For 2020, for example, JobsOhio and its regional partners completed 307 projects that created 19,021 jobs and retained 39,208 jobs. The projects resulted in capital investment totaling $7.8 billion. Over the past decade, JobsOhio and those partners say they’ve been involved in 3,161 projects that have created 239,567 new jobs and retained 643,185 jobs. Those projects have resulted in capital investment of $69 billion. JobsOhio provides grants, loans and other incentives to companies. Meanwhile, the state provides tax incentives to companies based on the number of jobs that are created. The pandemic, though, has sent JobsOhio to help businesses more directly hurt by the pandemic. JobsOhio committed $500 million to its COVID-19 response. Money was set aside to buy personal protective equipment along with a variety of programs meant to help bars and restaurants, provide forgivable loans for small businesses, money for startups and aid for Appalachian businesses. Beyond that, JobsOhio has started a program meant to help workers hurt by the pandemic by offering retraining and other aid to get them to jobs that are in demand. It also has launched programs geared toward luring ex-Ohioans back to the state, winning more flights to Ohio and grant programs meant to reinvigorate the economies of Ohio’s smaller cities. Startup airline Breeze beginning operations in Ohio is an example of that success, along with Alaska Air establishing additional service between Ohio and Seattle. DeWine says he wanted someone who could tout the state’s advantages when it comes to low taxes and cost of living. “We should not be bashful about pointing those out,” he says. Attorney Ziance praised the JobsOhio structure, calling it the envy of economic development organizations throughout the country. “States want to be like JobsOhio,” he says.

I wanted someone who would be very aggressive in selling Ohio. I wanted someone who understood the value part of Ohio and our smaller markets, to feel like an advocate. Ohio Gov. MIKE DEWINE on JP Nauseef

gains since the end of the Great Recession. But COVID-19 has taken a big toll on the state’s economy. Jobs data show the state has about 250,000 fewer jobs today than before the pandemic began. The labor force has shrank. For the first time in 2020, deaths outnumbered births in Ohio. Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Athens, was critical of JobsOhio well before the pandemic began, saying that it favors Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati over the smaller cities and rural areas of the state. “It keeps failing the people of southeast Ohio,” he says. Much of Appalachia doesn’t have the resources to hire grant writers like the big cities, and it doesn’t have the connections to business groups, CEOs of big companies, and government and campaign contributors, he says. Whenever he complains to state officials, he says he’s told, “It’s going to be fixed. You need to be quiet. The way you’re going about this is all wrong.” Edwards says he advocates for companies in his district in southeast Ohio that want to expand, but they need help. “In the end, we are still being told no,” he says. Edwards also questions JobsOhio’s calculations of its success in the broader context of job creation, personal income, unemployment rates and other economic metrics that continue to show Ohio lagging other states for decades. “Ohio is falling behind,” he says. “We’re not winning.” Nauseef says he hears what Edwards is saying. “I listen to everyone who has a point of view on what we’re doing, how we’re doing and what we should be doing,” Nauseef says. Nauseef says JobsOhio has established annual goals so that team members are all working toward the same objectives. “I believe that question needs always to be asked,” he says. “We need to always be pushed. We need to always push ourselves because we have an important role and we’ve been entrusted with something very unique and special.” Mark Williams writes about economic development.

12 ColumbusCEO l December 2021

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TECH TALK By CYNTHIA BENT FINDLAY

Trans-national care

Fleri lets you buy health insurance for loved ones abroad.

our grandmother calls you— she’s having a flare-up of her diabetes symptoms, an infected toenail, and she needs your help. You take time off work, drive her to her doctor’s office, present her Medicare card and take her to the pharmacy for her meds after. But what if you’re 5,000 miles away? You can send money for the doctor and for a taxi, you can plead with her to go—but if your uncle’s kids need to eat, that money may

Courtesy Fleri

Sam Baddoo

Fleri 470 W. Broad St., Columbus • Joinfleri.com FOUNDER: Sam Baddoo BUSINESS: Health insurance sponsorship platform LAUNCH: November 2021 INVESTMENT TO DATE: Would not disclose EMPLOYEES: 12 full time, five part time, in

Columbus, Africa, and Central America

well go to food instead. That’s a dilemma faced by immigrants and ex-pats the world over. A brave new Columbus startup founded by a Ghanian immigrant might help solve that problem. Sam Baddoo had that same experience with his own grandmother, who passed away due to inadequate medical care despite his having sent hundreds of dollars back home. “That was the moment I thought, what if things were different, we didn’t have to send money as the only thing we can do?” Baddoo had worked for Cigna Global in the U.S., understood the industry, and also has startup experience here in the states. He dug in and came up with Fleri in October 2020. Fleri is a platform that allows users to purchase health insurance for beneficiaries in countries far away—currently only in Nigeria and Ghana, but is expanding rapidly. The beneficiary can go to local doctors, pharmacies or hospitals without having to wait for relatives to send money. And the senders can have a financial plan and some peace of mind knowing they’re less likely to get hit with surprise requests for large sums. Fleri curates insurance partners and purchases policies at a wholesale price with a small markup for retail consumers. The pilot period began last fall and ends this October and served policy purchasers in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and even the United Arab Emirates, purchasing for more than 300 families. “We have a wait list of around 8,000 individuals in the diaspora. They’re waiting to access the platform, as we’re building the product,” Baddoo says. After a small friends and family seed round in early 2021, Fleri is bringing on strategic investment for more pre-seed funding. The company was recently accepted to the Tech

3Bar takes two victories FINTECH, INSURTECH, they’re the buzzwords around the VC community. But what about ag-tech? There are some breakthrough companies right here poised to make global progress in feeding the world. Columbus ag-tech firm 3Bar Biologics just won two global food and agriculture tech industry pitch competitions earning international kudos—and contacts and investment. 3Bar won the Western Growers/S2G Ventures’ AgSharks Competition Nov. 9, and along with it a $250,000 equity investment offer to take its beneficial microbe technology from development to market plus mentoring from industry association Western Growers and S2G Ventures, an agribusiness-focused venture fund based in Chicago. The next day, 3Bar took the top prize at the FoodBytes! Pitch competition on Nov. 10. FoodBytes! hosted by Rabobank, a global bank with more than $750 billion in assets and the go-to agribusiness funder. This year’s FoodBytes! Pitch competition winnowed a field of 45 global competitors down to 15; 3Bar Biologics won the competition’s ag-tech category.

Stars Toronto Accelerator, where Baddoo hopes to focus on the digital platform as well as reaching more Canadian immigrant communities. Eventually, Fleri will target healthcare provision in more of Africa, South America, Asia and beyond. Baddoo says the biggest challenge isn’t technology or finding partners but creating awareness and trust with immigrants here. The stakes are high. Baddoo says Fleri has the potential to create a sea change in living conditions for millions who have immigrated—and those they help back home. And Fleri could be a keystone in creating a more stable healthcare sector around the world. Cynthia Bent Findlay is a freelance writer.

14 ColumbusCEO l December 2021

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THOUGHT LEADER OF THE MONTH advisory firm either focused on selling you products or their commoditized investment strategy. A product or an investment strategy is not a financial plan. In contrast, an advisor who leads with a plan that continually adapts based on changes in your life will make a profound impact on your long-term wealth. Instead of an investment strategy, a financial plan will reduce your stress over money and free up more time to spend with people you love, doing things you love to do.

Jimmy Rogers, CFP®

A FRESH START FOR THE NEW YEAR

s 2021 draws to a close and you start thinking about New Year resolutions, you are reminded of past resolutions that never came to fruition. Our biases keep us doing what is easy instead of what we know is right, like creating a financial plan. With endless distractions and information available, many people

PDS Planning, Inc. 475 Metro Place S, Suite 460 Dublin, OH 43017 614-481-8449 pdsplanning.com

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Three financial steps to take in 2022: commit, automate, control turn to financial advisors for help. However, as we’ve mentioned before, not all advisors are created equal. Here are three steps to help select the right advisor to get started on your financial plan in 2022. STEP 1: Commit to Your Financial Plan, Not an Investment Strategy If you haven’t done so already, choosing to work with an advisor is a great way to build momentum in creating your financial plan, just like hiring a personal trainer will get you into the gym. But it can feel overwhelming to find the right advisor and may lead you to seek help from your bank, a broker you know or an

STEP 2: Automate Your Plan One reason Steve Jobs wore a black turtleneck daily is because he understood decision fatigue. The more decisions you make, the more likely you are to make bad decisions, because our decision-making capacity is limited. If you work with an advisor who moves in and out of the market and always tinkers with your investments, the risk of bad decisions increases significantly. Working with an advisor who leads with planning will put processes in place to automate parts of your plan to reduce choices and avoid our propensity for overreaction. You want a planner first, not a prognosticator. STEP 3: Control Your Fees and Taxes Fees and taxes will erode your wealth at an alarming rate, and advisors leading with their investment strategy typically undervalue their impact. They bait clients with the promise to outperform, but research shows active investing makes it nearly impossible for you to come out ahead, especially when professional fees, product fees and taxes are factored. However, advisors who lead with planning recognize that fees and taxes can be more predictably managed. A real advisor will help you stick to your plan, maintain your investment discipline and be transparent about your fees and taxes. Keeping more of your money each year can have a substantial compounding effect on your wealth over your lifetime. At PDS, we lead with planning that is personal to you. We believe in charging our clients a flat, fixed fee for a financial plan designed to minimize fees and taxes. This aligns with our fiduciary approach to provide financial advice that enhances your wealth—not ours.

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SPOTLIGHT By JESS DEYO + Photo by ROB HARDIN

Small Business

Crafting a passion Red Giraffe Designs’ Kate Stevens is approaching her second COVID-19 holiday season the same way she launched her business— fearlessly.

ed Giraffe Designs founder Kate Stevens has a special memory of her first holiday season in her Short North storefront. Stevens is used to hard work and during that 2015 winter, she designed so many pieces of jewelry that by the end of it, her hands were stained black from painting the engravings on her custom stamped bracelets, and her face was sore from smiling. Holidays at the jewelry store have been chaotic every year since, and despite approaching her second holiday season since COVID-19, Stevens is confident that the Columbus community will continue to search for something as beautiful as the person they’re gifting for. Red Giraffe Designs specializes in custom, small-batch jewelry made

Red Giraffe Designs redgiraffedesigns.com

LOCATIONS: Easton Town Center, Short North/North High Street, Grandview Avenue BUSINESS: Handmade, small-batch jewelry boutique and other curated accessories and goods FOUNDER: Kate Stevens EMPLOYEES: 13 2020 REVENUE: Would not disclose

Red Giraffe Designs founder Kate Stevens from a variety of metals—some pieces hand-hammered, others delicately wrapped with wire and many matched with beads across a chain. The boutique was founded by Stevens in 2009 out of her parents’ basement with the help of Google and her father’s toolbox, but she admits she didn’t identify her passion quickly. Instead, Stevens was a 2008 graduate from Ohio University with a major in retail merchandising and a minor in business but when she graduated, she wasn’t sure what she would do, and with the recession, nobody was hiring. She tried T-shirt design and even creating home decor, but knew it wasn’t her niche. But as she was watching some design videos on YouTube, a how-to

on earring making started playing and it struck her interest. Her next move was to the hardware store for some aluminum wire, then back to her house to find old beads and some pliers—the rest is history. “It was very much a hobby...I had no idea what I was doing, or ever thought that I would make it into a long-term business,” Stevens says. Soon, she was selling at over 25 craft shows each year and couldn’t keep up with her online orders. In 2015,

“I just never thought of failing, it never even crossed my mind.” KATE STEVENS, founder, Red Giraffe Designs

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she opened her Short North boutique. “Fearless is definitely the word that I would use to describe me at that time,” Stevens says. “I just never thought of failing, it never even crossed my mind.” And the name came just as organically as her business idea—she loves giraffes and the color red. Today, she has two other locations in addition to her first: Grandview, opened in 2017, and Easton Town Center, opened in 2018. She also has a design studio in the Short North. But business hasn’t been smooth sailing, she says. Over her years of owning the boutique, COVID-19 has ushered in the most difficult year and a half of entrepreneurship. Stevens’ team went from 16 to four employees, and her designers created make-shift studios from their homes. In December 2020, she decided to close her former German Village location to redirect her focus to her other locations and rewrite her plans. “If I’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s that I want to have goals, of course, but I also need to focus on the day to day,” Stevens says. One of those short-term goals was to launch an all-new website in April where she implemented a local pickup option and offers free shipping on $20 online orders. As state guidelines have fluctuated, her online business is a major driver, she says. And across her three stores, she’s continued to thrive again. In October she reached 13 employees, many of them rehired. For Meghan McCloskey, who has been at the boutique for two years, returning was easy with a boss like Stevens. “Kate is very approachable,” McCloskey says. “She encourages us to try new things, share inspiration and collaborate with each other...It’s like a little community of creating.” With the holidays rapidly approaching, Stevens plans to bring in seasonal staff to manage the influx, namely at her Easton location, which she projects to be the busiest. And as she tackles the holidays, she’s extra thankful for what got her here. “Looking back, I’m really glad that no one wanted to hire me,” she says, “or I wouldn’t have discovered that I like to make jewelry.”

$1 can provide up to 4.5 meals. Give the gift that matters most this holiday season.

Donate online at mofc.org/donate.

Jess Deyo is associate editor. December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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SPOTLIGHT By JIM WEIKER + Photos by COURTNEY HERGESHEIMER

Nonprofit

The joy of purpose Franklinton Rising is giving at-risk youth skills in construction while revitalizing a neighborhood.

orkers spent a good part of September scrambling to finish a Columbus house in time to showcase it in the Parade of Homes, which ended Oct. 10. Nothing strange about that. But plenty of other things were unusual for this Parade of Homes entry,

“We refer to them as new homes. We take them right down to the sticks, the bones. They have new roofs, new siding, new porches, virtually everything is new.” TOM HEFFNER, president, Franklinton Rising

Franklinton Rising 4653 Trueman Blvd 100, Hilliard 43026 franklintonrising.org MISSION: To help reduce economic and

spiritual poverty by helping young adults gain perspective of God’s purpose and develop skills, especially in the building trades, and to restore neighborhoods filled with blight and crime.

PRESIDENT: Tom Heffner EMPLOYEES: Four full-time and eight to 18

part-time trainees.

REVENUE: $375,000

starting with the location: a Franklinton street dotted with boarded-up homes and empty lots. The house was also the first Parade of Homes entry not built from the ground up. Instead, it was a top-tobottom overhaul of a home built in 1900, built in part by volunteers. And perhaps most unusual: The home wasn’t for sale. “We’re the only organization in the Parade not interested in selling the house,” Tom Heffner, president of the builder, Franklinton Rising, said in advance of the Parade. “We’re interested in the Parade to show people what we do.” What Franklinton Rising does is train at-risk youth in building trades in the hopes of preparing them for a successful future. After a consulting career, Heffner founded the faith-based organization in 2015. “There’s such a large population of youth who are lost; they have no real career aspirations, they’re not working toward anything and there’s a good likelihood they might end up doing something they shouldn’t,” Heffner says. “They haven’t had the foundation of family and friends and positive

role models to help encourage them, teach them, show them what they might become, so they just knock around. This is a population that employers can’t hire, they just don’t understand the way to use work as a means to a productive life. We see ourselves as standing in that gap, to give basic life skills.” Each year, Franklinton Rising has recruited 10 or 12 young adults (17 to 24 years old) into the program, where they are taught skills by professional builders. Their classroom has been a string of run-down Franklinton homes. Franklinton Rising has bought nine neglected homes, most of them on Chicago Avenue, and rebuilt them from the foundation up. “We refer to them as new homes,” Heffner says. “We take them right down to the sticks, the bones. They have new roofs, new siding, new porches, virtually everything is new. On the inside, all the mechanicals are totally new, 100 percent new plumbing, 100 percent new wiring, 100 percent new HVAC. Everything in the house is brand new.” The group has finished six homes. The Parade home was the seventh— a 1,600-square-foot, three-bedroom,

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Paul Bryant, a trainee with Franklinton Rising, works on a house that was in the Parade of Homes this year.

1½-bath house that Franklinton Rising purchased two years ago for $36,750. Led by project manager Chris Baker, Franklinton Rising trainees and volunteers spent months transforming the dilapidated property into a modern, stylish home complete with secondfloor laundry, wainscoting, granite countertops and new appliances. On any given day, two to four trainees worked on-site. Omar Rivas, a 17-year-old senior at Franklinton High charter school, spent months with the program, doing everything from concrete work to roofing. “My family all works in construction,” Rivas says. “I like it and took the chance to come here.” Rivas says the experience has taught him skills while also demonstrating that he’d be happy in a construction career. (Well, maybe not all construction careers—he’s not crazy about roofing or mudding drywall.) “I like framing a lot,” he says. Rivas says he’s already gotten job offers in the industry, which is desperate for workers. He expects to get a full-time job in construction when he graduates from high school in the spring. Another trainee, Paul Bryant, who graduated from Madison-Plains High

Tom Heffner, president, Franklinton Rising

School this year, learned of the program through Baker at their church. Bryant, too, has had a taste of pretty much every job on the site and has especially enjoyed helping a professional wire the house. “After doing the electrical work, I want to join an electrician apprenticeship program,” he says. During the Parade, two Franklinton Rising trainees left for good positions, one restoring furniture and the other as an inspector with an architectural and engineering firm, Heffner says. Franklinton Rising has rented its six finished homes to nonprofits that have used them for recovery houses and other charitable efforts. Heffner’s ultimate goal is to offer the homes on a rent-to-own basis to graduates of the program who

have gone on to get full-time jobs in the industry. “We will invite them back, let them rent from us and then sell it to them in three to five years after they’ve become established,” Heffner says. So far, one graduate, Alex Powell, has fit the bill, and Franklinton Rising’s next home will be for him. Powell, who is now a carpenter with Setterlin Building Co. on the West Side, credits his three-month stint with Franklinton Rising in 2017 with launching his career and helping him transition into adulthood. “It made a real big impact,” he says. “I feel like Franklinton Rising made me a better person and helped me grow my relationship with God.” Heffner says after Franklinton Rising finishes renovating the homes it owns, it will start building homes from scratch, in part because it’s gotten so expensive to buy even run-down homes in Franklinton. (A neglected home next to the group’s Parade homes was purchased for $86,500, more than twice what Franklinton Rising paid for its fixerDecember 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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“We’re the only organization in the Parade [of Homes] not interested in selling the house.” TOM HEFFNER, president, Franklinton Rising

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upper two years earlier.) The group hopes to start soon on its next project, six small apartments on two vacant lots the group owns, and it hopes to expand its model to the East Side. “We are planning on purchasing vacant lots on the East Side of town, south of Main Street,” Heffner says. “We have architectural drawings and models of apartments and single-family residences that can easily be built on in-fill lots.” Heffner acknowledges that the organization’s pace has been slower than expected, but he’s pleased the Parade of Homes helped draw attention and support to the group’s efforts. Franklinton Rising’s home would never have made it to the Parade under the event’s former format of showing a dozen or so homes on one site. But this year, the Parade’s host, the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio, switched to a multiple-site format, showcasing homes throughout the Columbus area. Jon Melchi, executive director of the BIA, which long has supported Franklinton Rising, reached out to the group. “Jon thought it would be a good idea if we could have a house in the Parade,” Heffner says. “We had this one house that would be finished roughly in time for the Parade and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have something in Franklinton on the tour?’ Here’s an opportunity to promote Franklinton Rising and let people see what’s happening in an area that’s developing, being renewed.” For Melchi, the home illustrates the effort to broaden the Parade’s appeal. “Franklinton Rising might seem unusual for what some people associate with the former model of the Parade—higher-end homes in Delaware and Union counties,” Melchi says. “But I think it’s exciting to have them in the Parade.” Jim Weiker writes about real estate.

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Child care crisis As providers continue to struggle with staff shortages and increased costs, some working parents are sidelined because they can’t find a suitable caregiver. Some say it’s time for a change in the way these programs are funded.

wo years ago, Misti Norman was flooded with applicants when she advertised job openings at her Downtown Columbus child care center. Now, she feels fortunate if even one person applies. “We’ve been looking for a cook for three months and haven’t gotten one résumé,” says Norman, owner and executive director of Heavenly Kids Center for Learning at 404 E. Mound St. Alas, Norman’s story is the norm, not the exception, for child care centers across the country as the pandemic grinds into its 22nd month. Her staff of 39 people has shrunk to 18 and, largely because of that, the center’s enrollment has fallen from 140 to 75. Its wait list is bulging, with 30 infants and 15 preschoolers unable to attend the highly rated school because teachers and assistants can’t be found. Numerous other industries, of course, are sharing in the dramatic la-

“If child care centers don’t have enough staff, they can’t accommodate families and people can’t go back to work. I believe it’s causing some of the slow recovery we’ve seen.” MARY ANN RODY

Executive director of the Ohio Association of Child Care Providers

By KATHY LYNN GRAY + Photos by ROB HARDIN bor force falloff, including restaurants and retailers. But the shortage in child care staffers puts a particular strain on the economy because without child care, many other workers can’t return to employment. “It’s a conundrum,” says Mary Ann Rody, executive director of the Ohio Association of Child Care Providers. “If child care centers don’t have enough staff, they can’t accommodate families and people can’t go back to work. I believe it’s causing some of the slow recovery we’ve seen.” A survey by the OACCP found that 91 percent of child care programs had less than three-quarters of their typical enrollment as of May, compared with only 20 percent before the pandemic, Rody says. On the other side of the equation are working parents with young children who rely on these centers or in-home care so they can be employed. When state mandates prompted by COVID-19 shut down schools and child care facilities in March 2020, those moms and dads were left in the lurch. Many were able to work from home because the pandemic also closed business offices, but a significant number soon found that working and simultaneously caring for young children was difficult, if not impossible. Much of that burden has been on mothers. According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of unemployed mothers living with school-age children was 1.4 million higher in January 2021 than in January 2020. A March census bureau analysis, “Moms, Work and the Pandemic,” found that the unemployment rate for those mothers was 13.9 percent in

April 2020. Pre-pandemic in January 2020, the rate was significantly lower at 3.5 percent. By January 2021 as vaccines for COVID-19 were rolling out, the rate had dipped back down to 6 percent. “The pandemic has had a devastating effect on employment overall, but especially on mothers’ paid labor,” the analysis concluded.

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A challenge for both sides SOME PARENTS, such as singlemother Chardonnay Byers of the East Side, had to take a leave of absence from work to care for their children. Byers, a preschool teacher at Heavenly Kids, stayed home to care for son Caimere, 7, who was a kindergartner at the time of the shutdown. Caimere’s school, South Columbus Preparatory Academy, shut its doors before child care centers were ordered closed. Since then, Byers has worked off and on at Heavenly Kids. In the summer of 2020, she returned to work because she could bring Caimere and his brother, 4-year-old James, to the center. But come fall, Caimere was in virtual first grade and Byers was again staying home, juggling a callcenter job while helping Caimere and entertaining James. For a time, the boys’ father helped out, but mostly Byers has had to

support her family with the $12-anhour wage she receives at both the school and the call center, plus some unemployment checks. She knows that, in some ways, she’s lucky. Heavenly Kids has been flexible with her job—she recently took maternity leave to stay home with her daughter, Lynnae, who was born in September—and James’ child care is subsidized. One of her friends had to quit work after having twins because she couldn’t afford child care. Kelly Fuller, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, says that while child care has long been a sticking point for working parents, the pandemic has made the problem more pronounced. “I consult with our members regularly about their issues, and while child care always has been an issue, it’s been among the top five for businesses since January 2020,”

she says. Fuller says finding workers continues to be a complication businesses struggle with, and child care is one of the drivers. But a lack of openings for new students at child care centers isn’t the sole reason some parents haven’t returned to work, Fuller says. One hurdle, especially for those who use public transportation, is that good care is too far from home. Others were afraid to expose their young children to others until vaccination was available, or they have family members who are at high risk of contracting the disease. Fuller says she hasn’t heard of businesses luring workers with onsite child care. “But more are looking at some sort of subsidy as part of their benefits package,” she says. Many are offering sign-on bonuses and higher wages to attract employees. But those perks aren’t an option for most child care programs.

Early Learning Centers’ Gina Ginn with students in Da’Sha Delley’s 3- to 5-year-old class during free play time.

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Tyra Thomas and her son ,Tyler

“We really are stuck” NORMAN HAS INCREASED pay slightly, paying $12 to $13 an hour for an assistant teacher and $16 for a lead teacher with a bachelor’s degree. To come up with the additional money, she’s shrunk her administrative staff from seven to three people. But despite running a center that has the top Step Up To Quality rating from the state, she still can’t compete with warehouses and call centers that are paying $18 or more an hour, or with jobs that allow people to work from home. Increasing tuition so teachers earn more isn’t an option either, she says. Ninety percent of the students at Heavenly Kids receive subsidized government tuition, which is a fixed amount. Gina Ginn, who operates Columbus Early Learning Centers in Linden and on the Near East Side, had 74 staff members before the pandemic when she had four locations. Now, with five centers, she has 56 staff members, and enrollment is at just 60 to 70

percent of capacity because she can’t find teachers, assistants and aides to replace the ones she’s lost. Some left to work at warehouses or call centers, some are taking care of their own children and others started side businesses. “They were too scared to work outside the home, and the government subsidies and their side hustles gave them the flexibility to be at home for their families,” she says. Ginn was able to hire a few new staffers in October, but has had to put more money into training and credentialing them than in the past. On top of that, she’s had to squeeze money from her budget for hand sanitizer, masks, disinfectant wipes and other such items, which continue to get more expensive. Protective gloves, for example, have tripled in price, she says. Like Heavenly Kids, Columbus Early Learning Centers has a large number of students whose child care costs are subsidized at a static rate by the government. “We can’t ask the private-pay families to take on the

increased costs for everyone, because care will become unaffordable and they’ll leave,” Ginn says. “We really are stuck with being able to pay only a certain amount to staff.”

Center closures ACCORDING TO THE Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley, 98 percent of U.S. jobs pay more than child care. In Ohio, the average pay for workers in the industry is $10.67 an hour, according to Action for Children, a central Ohio child care resource and referral agency. A new survey by the agency found that 44 percent of child care programs in Franklin County are short-staffed, and their enrollment is about 60 percent of capacity. For a provider to be financially healthy, it needs an enrollment of at least 80 percent of capacity, says Eric Karolak, Action for Children’s CEO. The drop in enrollment isn’t occurring because children are spread out among more centers, Karolak says. In

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fact, while the number of child care providers normally grows up to 10 percent a year in central Ohio, it fell by 3 percent from February 2020 to February 2021. More recent research shows that the overall number of local providers—including home-based programs—fell by 136 from February 2020 to October 2021. For mother and child care worker Tyra Thomas of the Far East Side, the pandemic has been a wake-up call. Thomas, who was a director at Jelly Bean Junction when the pandemic began, had to furlough her employees when the shutdown occurred. Once they reopened, she struggled to find and keep staff and had to reduce enrollment, upsetting parents who needed child care. Although she had an aunt who took care of her son, Tyler, 10, while he was in virtual school, she realized that her long days at work were robbing her of valuable time with him. So she bought a home, quit her job and started Gifts Within Learning Center, an at-home child care provider, in September. “The pandemic let me know that you don’t always know how much time you have left in this world, and I wanted to spend as much time as I could with my son,” says Thomas, a single mother. “I feel like when I was working in a center, I missed the first 10 years of his life.” Now she’s home every day when Tyler finishes fifth-grade classes, and she’s filled five of her six enrollment slots. While her income has suffered a bit, she’s happy to be back caring for children directly rather than being an administrator. “Career-wise, the pandemic kind of opened my eyes,” she says. “It was a joy to work at the center with everyone’s kids, but you don’t want to lose your own at the same time.”

Hope for change THE CITY OF Columbus is using $3.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan money to provide a child care lifeline to some parents and providers. Mayor Andrew Ginther announced in September that the funds will pay for 500 $1,000 signing bonuses for teachers, a campaign to recruit workers and 250 scholarships for low-income families who earn too much to qualify for other government subsidies.

Child care center facts

•

4 of 5 daycare centers are shortstaffed; in Ohio, it’s 76 percent. • 78 percent say low wages are the main obstacle. • Centers nationwide are operating at an average 71 percent of their licensed enrollment capacity; in Ohio, it’s 66 percent. • More than one in three respondents are considering leaving or closing their programs in 2021. Source: National Association for the Education of Young Children, July 2021 survey

Average child care spending

Families with children younger than age 5 spent on average 13 percent of their income on child care in 2017. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers child care affordable at 7 percent of family income. Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury report, September 2021

Staff costs

Child care programs spend most of their budget on salaries and benefits, ranging from 68 percent for infants to 56 percent for preschoolers. Source: Center for American Progress 2018 report

Unemployed moms

1.4 million more U.S. mothers living with school-age children were unemployed in January 2021 than in January 2020 Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Low salaries

$12.24 is the hourly median wage for child care workers, an income of $25,460 a year Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Average care cost

In 2019, $10,009 was the average cost statewide of center-based child care for an infant. Source: Groundwork Ohio May 2021 report

“It’s significant,” says Karolak, noting the average cost for full-time, year-round child care in Franklin County is $13,127 for an infant and $10,456 for a preschooler. “That’s a whopping number. In many states, a year of tuition at the state’s flagship university is less expensive than a year of child care.” At Ohio State University, 2020-21 tuition was $11,518—just $1,062 more than the average cost for a preschooler. Typically, about 70 percent of costs for a child care center are labor, says Rody. That compares to about 30 percent in the restaurant industry. Karolak and others are convinced that the pandemic has brought to the fore an issue that has been festering for years: how child care is funded in the United States. “We insist on seeing it as an individual family responsibility, at a time in the lives of families when they are the least able to pay for it, and that puts parents at a disadvantage,” Karolak says. “What we need is a way of providing this crucial service that is more certain, reliable and equitable for the public good.” The business model for child care centers must change, Ginn says. “It’s not funded in a way that allows it to be self-sufficient and sustained,” she says. “We are hanging on by a wing and a prayer. And yet, the first five years for brain development for kids are the most important in setting them up for success in life.” Ginn also worries that, with wages rising in other industries, particularly starting wages, parents who take those jobs will become ineligible for child care subsidies. “That’s been a huge problem we’ve started to see with families,” she says. Rules take into account increasing wages as a result of work experience, but parents may not be eligible for subsidies if they start a job at a high wage or if their pay increases rapidly, she says. Karolak hopes that the current pandemic-induced crisis will encourage everyone to reexamine the ways that child care is provided and paid for. “Hopefully it’s driving action to see the importance of the early years and how we think about making care more universally accessible for working parents.” Kathy Lynn Gray is a freelance writer. December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Diverse Leaders in Law

LGBTQ+ update: Life at work, civil rights and the legal landscape in Ohio By LAURA NEWPOFF

hio is one of 27 states where there are no statewide laws protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations. There are about 34 communities in the state, however, that have protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community on the books. If you work in one of the communities that doesn’t, being out at work becomes a scary proposition. Legislation at both the state and federal level has been crafted to protect members of this marginalized community from discrimination, though neither the Ohio Fairness Act nor the Equality Act has made its way into law. At Columbus CEO magazine’s quarterly Diverse Leaders in Law forum in November, lawyers, civil rights leaders and LGBTQ+ advocates shared their views on the legislation, the ongoing fight for equality and how that translates to the workplace and

the business community’s support for diversity and inclusion. The forum is presented in partnership with Barnes & Thornburg and Frost Brown Todd. The panelists were: • Alana Jochum, executive director, Equality Ohio • Angela Phelps-White, executive director, Ohio Civil Rights Commission • Brian Jarman, partner, Barnes & Thornburg • Sam Quimby, member, Frost Brown Todd The following are excerpts from the conversation, which have been condensed and edited for clarity.

Support for the Ohio Fairness Act WHILE THE OHIO Fairness Act and Equality Act may be in limbo, the LGBTQ+ community got a big win in 2020 with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bostock v. Clayton County decision, Phelps-White says. The landmark case held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination because they are gay or transgender. Prior to that decision, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission could not investigate employment related

sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination cases. While it didn’t dismiss the cases, it had to turn them over to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Because of Bostock, the commission now has the ability to investigate employment, housing, public accommodation and credit cases as a way to enforce Title VII protections through the Ohio Revised Code. “We also use federal laws of guidance, especially where the state is silent,” Phelps-White says. “So, while some jurisdictions within Ohio have adopted portions of the Bostock holding in their ordinance, the state of Ohio has not. However, the Ohio Fairness Act has been proposed, but to date has not been enacted into law.” Jochum, with the statewide LGBTQ+ education and advocacy organization, says “we really are watching history unfold before our eyes in terms of the legal protections” for the community. She says Bostock was limited in its scope and will take some time to spread more clearly throughout case law, which creates urgency around the Ohio Fairness Act and Equality Act. “Those two pieces of legislation will make clear once and for all that

KEY RESOURCES Ohio Civil Rights Commission: crc.ohio.gov Ohio Business Competes: ohiobusinesscompetes.org Equality Ohio: equalityohio.org Human Rights Campaign: hrc.org Out & Equal: outandequal.org Columbus Bar Association LGBT Committee: https://www.cbalaw.org/Committees/ Professional-Development-Committees/LGBTCommittee Plexus LGBT + Allied Chamber of Commerce: thinkplexus.org

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Angela Phelps-White, executive director, Ohio Civil Rights Commission Photo courtesy Ohio Civil Rights Commission

Alana Jochum, exeutive director, Equality Ohio Photo courtesy Ray LaVoie

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LGBTQ folks are protected in housing, employment, public accommodations, credit, jury services—all the areas that folks just naturally move about in their daily lives,” Jochum says. “As part of that advocacy that Equality Ohio leads toward achieving those goals, we have helped many municipalities make their own areas affirming and welcoming for LGBTQ folks.” Still, a statewide law would remedy what’s now just a patchwork of protections. Equality Ohio’s work also includes a partnership with the Ohio business community, which has been working to get the Ohio Fairness Act across the finish line. The Ohio Business Competes initiative is a coalition of LGBTQ rights supporters organized by Equality Ohio, the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Campaign and TransOhio. The more than 1,150 members represent every facet of the Ohio business community.

The power of allies THE HISTORY OF the LGBTQ+ movement dates to the 1920s when Henry Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights in Chicago, the first documented gay rights organization in the U.S. In the decades that followed there have been seismic shifts in how gay people are viewed in society thanks to the efforts of trailblazers like

Sam Quimby, member, Frost Brown Todd Photo courtesy Frost Brown Todd

December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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1.800.255.6815 myenergycoop.com

Photo courtesy Gittings Photography

PROUDLY & PROFESSIONALLY SERVING EAST CENTRAL OHIO “Our clients in a lot of ways have provided leadership and have taken a relatively conservative profession like the legal profession and helped us look at things differently.” BRIAN JARMAN

Partner, Barnes & Thornburg

WhO’S mOvIng and ShakIng thIS WEEk? Find out when you become a Columbus CEO Insider Stay up-to-date with Columbus CEO’s mobile-friendly enewsletter. Delivered straight to your inbox each week, Columbus CEO Insider has the latest Central Ohio executive news and happenings, as well as local events and more.

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Harvey Milk and Marsha P. Johnson. Milk, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970s, sponsored a bill banning discrimination in public accommodations, housing and employment on the basis of sexual orientation. Johnson, a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front, was a main figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969 that ignited the LGBTQ+ equal rights movement. For the openly gay Quimby, she often thinks about those trailblazers when she reminds herself she doesn’t have to “do this alone” as she continues to come out to new colleagues and clients on a daily basis. “I get to stand on the shoulders of giants,” she says. “I get to stand on the shoulders of people who have paved a path that I wouldn’t be able to be here without. … It’s also

reminding myself that if I don’t see anybody around me who’s like me, maybe that’s because I have to be that person for somebody else.” As she grew in her career, Quimby came to recognize the importance of supportive colleagues. “I had an enormous army of allies around me and people who gave me a place where I felt safe, like the safe space to be who I am and to not have to worry about whether or not my status as a gay woman was going to interfere with my progress and development as an attorney,” she says. Jarman, who openly identifies as bisexual, says corporate clients are allies, too, and have pulled the legal profession toward diversity, equity and inclusion. “Our clients in a lot of ways have provided leadership and have taken a relatively conservative profession like the legal profession and helped us look at things differently and be exposed to different ways of thinking,” he says. “To partner and be allies with those clients is a real opportunity. Look for opportunities to engage with clients and involve them in [LGBTQ-related activities]. If you have clients who don’t have an employee resource group, invite them to be part of your Pride activities. There are innumerable ways to broaden that community and grow the pie of accessibility and inclusion.” Laura Newpoff is a freelance writer.

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Senior Living Guide 2021

Searching for community? Finding the right senior community can be daunting. We’ve gathered details on some places in the Columbus region—established communities as well as brand new ones—as a starting point to help in your search. KEY: IL – independent living units; AL – assisted living units; MC – memory care units; SN – skilled nursing units

Compiled by LINDA DEITCH ABBINGTON ASSISTED LIVING abbingtononline.com

Bickford of Scioto

Abbington of Arlington Assisted Living

Bickford of Worthington

1320 Old Henderson Road, Columbus; 614-451-4575; 44 AL Abbington of Pickerington Assisted Living

9480 Blacklick-Eastern Road, Pickerington; 614-577-0822 48 AL Abbington of Powell Assisted Living

3971 Bradford Court, Powell; 614-789-9868; 48 AL

ALPINE HOUSE alpinehouse.net/communities/ columbus Alpine House of Columbus

1001 Schrock Road, Columbus; 614-505 3531; 50 AL

ARROW SENIOR LIVING arrowseniorliving.com Carriage Court Senior Living

3570 Heritage Club Drive, Hilliard; 614-529-7470; 87 AL, 16 MC Chestnut Hill Senior Living

5055 Thompson Road, Columbus; 614-855-3700 105 AL, 25 MC

3500 Riverside Drive, Columbus; 614-457-3500; 33 AL, 20 MC 6525 N. High St., Worthington; 614-846-6500 54 AL, 27 MC

BROOKDALE SENIOR LIVING SOLUTIONS brookdale.com Brookdale Lakeview Crossing

4000 Lakeview Crossing, Groveport; 614-836-5990 73 AL, 16 MC Brookdale Marysville

1565 London Ave., Marysville; 937-738-7342; 59 AL. 17 MC

CENTURY PARK centurypa.com

GRACE MANAGEMENT gracemanagement.com

Mayfair Village Retirement Community

The Avalon of Lewis Center

3011 Hayden Road, Columbus; 614-889-6202; 85 IL/AL apartments

DANBURY SENIOR LIVING danburyseniorliving.com Danbury Senior Living of Columbus

2870 Snouffer Road, Columbus; 614-339-0459; 69 IL, 69 AL, 32 MC Danbury Westerville - Parkside Village

245 E. Main St., New Albany; 740-513-3044; theavalonofnewalbany.com 59 AL, 44 MC

HAWTHORN SENIOR LIVING seniorlivinginstyle.com

Grove City Danbury (Opening Soon)

Amber Park Pickerington

3615 Glacial Lane, Grove City; 614506-6501; 94 IL/AL/MC + 30 IL villas

401 Hill Road N., Pickerington; 614-834-3113; 86 AL

FERIDEAN COMMONS feridean.com

HOLIDAY RETIREMENT holidayseniorliving.com

Feridean Commons

The Worthington

6885 Freeman Road, Westerville; 614-898-7488; 40 IL, 58 AL

1201 Riva Ridge Court, Gahanna; 614-933-8640; 117 IL

FIVE STAR SENIOR LIVING fivestarseniorliving.com

HOMESTEAD SENIOR LIVING homestead-village.com

The Forum at Knightsbridge

4590 Knightsbridge Blvd., Columbus; 614-451-6793; theforumatknightsbridge.com 143 IL, 90 AL, 25 MC

FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE COLUMBUS (see WESTERWOOD)

7220 Muirfield Drive, Dublin; 614-336-3677; 54 AL, 30 MC Brookdale Pinnacle

Friendship Village of Dublin

1305 Lamplighter Drive, Grove City; 614-277-1200 83 AL, 23 MC

6000 Riverside Drive, Dublin; 614-764-1600; 304 IL, 29 AL/MC, 50 SN

Brookdale Trillium Crossing

3500 Trillium Crossing, Columbus; 614-734-1000; 153 AL, 60 MC

GABLES SENIOR LIVING gablesseniorliving.com

Brookdale Westerville

The Gables of Westerville

6377 Cooper Road, Columbus; 614-901-2100; 31 AL, 12 MC

131 Moss Road, Westerville, 614-918-0050; 8 IL villas, 19 IL apartments, 59 AL, 24 MC

CAPITAL HEALTH CARE NETWORK capitalhealthcarenetwork.com

THE GANZHORN SUITES ganzhorn.com

Bickford of Bexley

The Villas of Scioto and Gardens of Scioto

The Ganzhorn Suites Specialized Memory Care

2600 E. Main St., Bexley; 614-235-3900; 33 AL, 20 MC

433 Obetz Road, Columbus; 614-558-3141; 15 IL, 32 AL, 120 SN

10272 Sawmill Pkwy., Powell; 614-356-9810; 64 MC

BICKFORD SENIOR LIVING bickfordseniorliving.com

The Avalon of New Albany

730 N. Spring Road, Westerville; 614-794-9300; 204 IL, 204 AL, 37 MC

FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE OF DUBLIN fvdublin.org

Brookdale Muirfield

8875 Green Meadows Drive N., Lewis Center 740-513-2270; theavalonoflewiscenter.com 58 AL, 43 MC

Homestead Village Grove City

4990 Hoover Road, Grove City; 614-653-1567; 130 IL Homestead Village Columbus

7300 E. Broad St., Blacklick; 833-455-7587; 130 IL

INN AT CHAPEL GROVE chapelgroveinn.com The Inn at Chapel Grove

400 Chapel Way, Heath; 740-522-4663 69 AL, 30 MC

KEMPER HOUSE kemperhouseworthington.com Kemper House Worthington

800 Proprietors Road, Worthington; 614-681-8330 55 MC

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES lssnetworkofhope.org/ kensingtonplace LSS Kensington Place

1001 Parkview Blvd., Columbus; 614-251-7689 64 IL, 64 AL, 12 MC

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NOMINATE NOW FOR THE TENTH ANNUAL HEALTHCARE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

HEALTHCARE TRAILBLAZER

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Recognizes an entrepreneur or organization that has achieved outstanding innovation in traditional or nontraditional healthcare initiatives that improve the practice of medicine and patient care.

Recognizes a longtime or retired healthcare professional who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, knowledge, decision-making skills and commitment to his or her organization, patients and profession.

PATHWAY TO POPULATION HEALTH

VOLUNTEER(S) OF THE YEAR

Recognizes an organization whose efforts focus on improving community health and disease prevention in central Ohio.

Recognizes individuals making positive impacts in central Ohio by devoting time, dollars or both to help local healthcare organizations, patients and the community

PRACTITIONER OF THE YEAR

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

Recognizes an individual who provides outstanding care and advances the practice of medicine.

Recognizes an individual who has had a positive impact through his or her outstanding efforts on the administrative side of healthcare.

Visit ColumbusCEO.com to nominate now through Friday, Dec. 31.

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THE MACINTOSH COMPANY macintoshcompany.com Canal Winchester Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Assisted Living

6800 Gender Road, Canal Winchester; 614-834-6800; 35 AL, 87 SN

Stygler Commons

The Bristol

165 N. Stygler Drive, Gahanna; 614-342-4588; 32 AL

7780 Olentangy River Road, Columbus; 614-886-2818; thebristolseniorliving.com 55 IL, 54 AL

Walnut Trace

389 Olde Ridenour Road, Gahanna; 844-211-1329; 93 IL

Mill Run Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Assisted Living

OHIO LIVING ohioliving.org

3399 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard; 614-527-3000; 35 AL, 66 SN

Ohio Living Sarah Moore

Monterey Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Memory Care

3929 Hoover Road, Grove City; 614-875-7700; 41 MC, 114 SN

26 N. Union St., Delaware; 740-362-9641; 39 AL, 47 SN Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber

717 Neil Ave., Columbus; 614-2288888; 198 IL, 30 AL, 20 MC, 128 SN

New Albany Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Assisted Living

RNRN SERVICES hooverhaus.com

5691 Thompson Road, Columbus; 614-855-8866; 36 AL, 67 SN

3675 Hoover Road, Grove City; 614-875-7600; 5 IL, 22 AL, 5 MC

Pickaway Manor Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Assisted Living

SENIOR STAR seniorstar.com

391 Clark Drive, Circleville; 740-474-6036; 23 AL, 99 SN West Park Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Memory Care

1700 Heinzerling Drive, Columbus; 614-274-4222; 28 MC, 71 SN Whetstone Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Assisted Living

3710 Olentangy River Road, Columbus; 614-457-1100; 60 AL, 145 SN

NATIONAL CHURCH RESIDENCES nationalchurchresidences.org

Hoover Haus Assisted Living

Dublin Retirement Village

6470 Post Road, Dublin; 614-764-2800; 134 IL, 60 AL, 39 MC

SINCERI SENIOR LIVING sinceriseniorliving.com

Cherry Blossom Senior Living

79 Blossom Field Blvd., Columbus; 614-530-7726; cherryblossomseniorliving.com 28 IL, 66 AL, 30 MC Middleton Senior Living

1500 Weaver Drive, Granville; 740587-0059; middletonseniorliving.com 28 IL, 85 AL, 35 MC Oakwood Senior Living

1169 Bryden Road, Columbus; 614-502-3800; 44 AL, 30 MC

TREPLUS COMMUNITIES trepluscommunities.com Burr Oak Commons

90 Burr Oak Drive, Delaware; 740-370-0802; 92 IL

2225 Taylor Park Drive, Reynoldsburg; 614-759-0023; wesleyridge.com 90 apartments, 16 homes, 61 AL, 38 MC, 25 SN Wesley Woods at New Albany

4588 Wesley Woods Blvd. New Albany 614-656-4100 wesleyatnewalbany.com 77 IL, 15 AL, 20 MC, 16 SN

WESTERWOOD liveatwesterwood.org Westerwood

(formerly Friendship Village Columbus) 5800 Forest Hills Blvd, Columbus; 614-890-8282 201 IL, 66 AL, 14 MC, 75 SN

4050 Hawthorne Lane, Dublin; 614-899-8869; 86 IL

WEXNER HERITAGE VILLAGE whv.org

Redbud Commons

Creekside at the Village

602 Redbud Road, Pickerington; 614791-3216; 95 IL

2200 Welcome Place, Columbus; 614-384-2271; 83 IL/AL

Hawthorne Commons

Geraldine Schottenstein Cottage

Glenwood Alzheimer’s Special Care Center

UNITED CHURCH HOMES unitedchurchhomes.org

1149 College Ave., Columbus; 614-384-2271; 18 AL/MC

6355 Emerald Parkway, Dublin 43016; (614) 761-9200; 66 MC

The Polaris Community

Wexner Heritage House

9180 Antares Ave., Columbus; 380-219-6010; 136 IL

1151 College Ave., Columbus; 614-231-4900; 99 SN

WALLICK SENIOR LIVING wallickseniorliving.com

WILLOW BROOK CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES willow-brook.org

STORYPOINT storypoint.com StoryPoint Powell North Senior Living

The Ashford on Broad

Avondale

3872 Attucks Drive, Powell 43065; 614-710-4807; 64 AL, 25 MC

4801 E. Broad St., Whitehall; 614-641-2995; 131 AL

5215 Avery Road, Dublin; 614-319-3353; 200 IL

StoryPoint Powell South Senior Living

The Ashford of Grove City

Chimes Terrace

10351 Sawmill Parkway, Powell 43065; 614-363-6631; 126 IL

65 S. Williams St., Johnstown; 888-205-8801; 36 IL, 24 AL

Wesley Ridge Retirement Community

3197 Southwest Blvd., Grove City; 614-957-3918 100 AL, 50 MC

Willow Brook at Delaware Run

100 Delaware Crossing W., Delaware; 740-201-5640 144 IL, 66 AL, 20 MC Willow Brook Christian Home

StoryPoint Grove City Senior Living

3700 Sturbridge Court, Hilliard; 614-633-4811; IL, AL (na)

55 Lazelle Road Columbus 614-885-3300 26 AL, 50 SN

3717 Orders Road, Grove City; 614-875-6200; 116 IL, 35 AL, 44 MC

The Grove Columbus

Willow Brook Christian Village

5546 Karl Road, Columbus; 614-826-7629; 56 MC

3550 Fishinger Blvd., Hilliard; 888-211-3477; 25 AL, 57 MC

SUNRISE SENIOR LIVING sunriseseniorliving.com

Oakleaf Village of Columbus

100 Willow Brook Way S. Delaware 740-369-5447 124 IL, 40 AL, 17 MC, 34 SN

The Hartford (Opening Fall 2022)

Sunrise of Dublin

120 E. Stafford Ave., Worthington; 888-205-8740; 85 IL

4175 Stoneridge Lane, Dublin; 614-718-2062; 52 AL, 28 MC

Inniswood Village

Sunrise of Gahanna

THE WESLEY COMMUNITIES thewesleycommunities.com

1195 North St., Westerville; 844-841-5770; 120 IL, 52 AL, 20 MC

775 E. Johnstown Road, Gahanna; 614-418-9775; 24 AL, 26 MC

Wesley Glen Retirement Community

TRADITIONS MANAGEMENT traditionsmgmt.net

5155 N. High St., Columbus; 614-888-7492; wesleyglen.com 152 IL, 74 AL, 21 MC, 65 SN

First Community Village

1800 Riverside Drive, Columbus; 877-364-2570; 211 IL, 38 AL, 36 MC, 47 (licensed for 68) SN Harmony Trace

Lincoln Village

4959 Medfield Way, Columbus; 614-870-1123; 55 AL

The Ashford at Sturbridge

5500 Karl Road, Columbus; 614-431-1739; 121 IL/AL

WORTHINGTON CHRISTIAN VILLAGE wcv.org Worthington Christian Village

65 Highbluffs Blvd. Columbus 614-846-6076 107 IL, 38 AL, 50 SN

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Special Advertising Section

R ECO G N IZI N G T H E

achievements

AND

resiliency

OF CENTRAL OHIO

FAMILY BUSINESSES

WHAT'S INSIDE • 2021 Family Business Award Winners • Spotlight on Lifetime Achievement and Family Business of the Year Recipients • How to become a Conway Center Member

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A Note

FROM OUR PRESIDENT

The Conway Center has recognized more than 300 outstanding Central Ohio family businesses and supporters over the past 23 years. As a hallmark of our mission, we celebrate the accomplishments of family-owned businesses in Central Ohio. This year we are also very humbled and grateful to award three individuals with the Gratitude & Legacy Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made substantial gifts to the Conway during life, and/or have included the Conway Center for Family Business in their estate plans. Many thanks to Jim Conway, Dan Dick, and Richard Emens for ensuring the longevity of the Center and for being such tireless advocates for the work we do on behalf of and for family businesses.

Bea Wolper Co-Founder & President

As you know, family business enterprises are the backbone of our local, national, and international economies—it is estimated that over 80% of all business enterprises are family-owned! This tells us that family businesses are woven into the fabric of all of our lives and integral to the communities we call home. The Conway Center for Family Business is here to provide solutions to family-owned businesses. We are always so impressed with the diversity of size and industry that our family business members represent and are appreciative of their support. We are also grateful to our service provider members for their continued support of the Center through dues, program expertise and facilitation, and sponsoring events. We want to welcome Julie Collinsworth, our new Executive Director. We are excited to have her join us, and she looks forward to working with our members and the entire Central Ohio family business community.

Thank you for supporting the work we do.

WELCOME JULIE COLLINSWORTH! “What is now proved was once only imagined.” This quote from 18th-century poet William Blake captures the spirit of entrepreneurship. As an entrepreneur, I understand the passion and commitment necessary for success in nurturing a family business, value the importance of building something sustainable, and appreciate the joy in seeing our visions come to life. I have been working in family and private businesses for more than twenty years in senior level management. I am known for finding innovative ways to collaborate with community stakeholders, my ability to drive revenue and growth strategies, and my success in effectively addressing crisis management situations.

Julie Collinsworth, MBA I am excited to hear your stories, support your goals, and help you navigate your challenges. As Executive Director Executive Director of the Conway Center for Family Business, I welcome the opportunity to learn from you and share my experiences. I hope that you will rely on me as a resource and partner.

If you’d like to reach Julie, send a welcome email: JCollinsworth@FamilyBusinessCenter.com

Thank you to our

AWARD SPONSORS! 2

COLUMBUS CEO | DECEMBER 2021 | CONWAY CENTER FOR FAMILY BUSINESS

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Special Advertising Section

2 0 2 1 F A M I LY B U S I N E S S

Award Winners

MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT

Recognizes family businesses that have reached a significant milestone during the award year.

40 YEARS

Corrotec Incorporated corrotec.com 614-499-0424

The Siekmann Co.

10 YEARS

Overmyer Hall Associates oh-ins.com 614-453-4416

siekmannco.com 614-873-5200 50 YEARS

Lincoln Construction

15 YEARS

Proforma Strategic Promotions

lincolnconstruction.com 614-457-6015

proformastrategicpromotions.com 614-267-4969

ODW Logistics

60 YEARS

20 YEARS

Hometown Service Center hometownservicecenter.com 614-895-8069

Integrated Leadership Services integratedleader.com 614-891-8530

Englefield Oil englefieldoil.com or myduchess.com 740-928-8215 65 YEARS

Marker, Inc.

md-signs.com | 614-873-2222

buildwithmarker.com 614-754-8349

25 YEARS

75 YEARS

Sullivan Solutions LLC Marketing from the C-Suite™

30 YEARS

5 Star Staffing

modlich-monument.com 614-276-1439 100 YEARS

Accelerated Laboratory Logistics acceleratedmoving.com 614-836-1007

Anderson Concrete andersonconcrete.com 614-443-0123

Atlas Butler Heating | Cooling | Plumbing atlasbutler.com 614-294-8600

White Castle System whitecastle.com 614-228-5781

110 YEARS

Columbus Sign Co. columbussign.com 614-252-3133

George J. Igel & Co., Inc.

Fortin Ironworks

buildwithigel.com 614-445-8427

fortinironworks.com 614-291-4342

Heartland Bank

Highlights for Children

staff5star.com 614-794-3101

highlights.com 614-487-2799

Regal Beverage Inc.

Mid-State Bolt and Nut Company

regalbeverage.net 614-471-0040

Modlich Monument Company

Gordon Flesch Company gflesch.com 800-333-5905

MD Solutions Inc.

sullivansolutions.com 614-799-1670

odwlogistics.com 614-549-5000

85 YEARS

msbolt.com 614-253-8631

heartland.bank 614-337-4600 135 YEARS

Schmidt’s Restaurant und Sausage Haus schmidthaus.com 614-444-5908

COLUMBUS CEO | DECEMBER 2021 | CONWAY CENTER FOR FAMILY BUSINESS

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Lifetime Achievement MARK SWEPSTON, CEO & OWNER

AT L A S B U T L E R H E AT I N G | C O O L I N G | P LU M B I N G After having spent his entire professional career—more than 45 years—in the heating and cooling service industry, Mark Swepston serves as CEO and Owner of Atlas Butler Heating | Cooling | Plumbing. He began working in the family business as a teenager, and after earning his bachelor’s degree in finance from The Ohio State University, he started working in the accounting department while also pursuing a graduate degree at Capital University. He had planned to go into the banking industry, but instead decided to remain with the family company and joined the service department as assistant service manager, then service manager. In the 34 years that Mark has been leading the company in various roles, including President and currently as CEO and Owner, his role has changed from one of daily performance to asset and resource management, which keeps him focused on growing the company’s workforce and their technicians’ capabilities. His background of problem solving for customers in the service department has now translated into his ability to innovate on a larger scale when it comes to incorporating new technologies, navigating changing economic landscapes, and managing the personnel of a growing company. Outside of his role at Atlas Butler, Mark is involved with several community organizations and causes. Some of the organizations Mark has volunteered for, partnered with, or donated to include the Boy Scouts, United Way, Kiwanis, Salvation Army, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Cancer Support Community, My Special World, Elevate Northland, Pilot Dogs, Ohio RTC, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, the Jaycees, the United Methodist Church, Lifetown and more. In his spare time, Mark enjoys being with his family: his wife Julie, two children, one grandchild and several pets. He also enjoys endurance sports and has completed marathons on all seven continents.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Recognizes family businesses that have made a major contribution to the Central Ohio community.

Integrated Building Systems ibswebsite.com 614-240-5999

Marker, Inc. buildwithmarker.com 614-754-8349

COLUMBUS CEO | DECEMBER 2021 | CONWAY CENTER FOR FAMILY BUSINESS

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Award Winners

CONTINUED

RISING STAR

Recognizes emerging leaders/next generation family leaders who are making an impact in their business and the Central Ohio business community.

SUCCESSION PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION

Recognizes family businesses that have developed or completed a succession plan or a transfer of leadership.

Katharine McConnell Comfort Keepers of Central Ohio

comfortkeepers.com/offices/ohio/central-ohio 615-946-1324

ms consultants msconsultants.com 614-898-7100

RE-INVENTION

Recognizes family businesses that have successfully adjusted their business strategy or focus to address a changing business climate or societal demands.

SUPPORT OF FAMILY BUSINESS

Oakland Nurseries, Inc.

Recognizes organizations or individuals that have shown support or demonstrated a commitment to the strength, success, or longevity of a family firm.

oaklandnursery.com 614-268-3834

GRATITUDE & LEGACY

Jon Eesley

Recognizing individuals who have made substantial gifts to the Conway during life, and/or have included the Conway Center for Family Business in their estate plans.

windsoradvisorygroup.com 614-530-2323

Jim Conway, Dan Dick, and Richard Emens

OF THE Recognizes a family business that has made a significant contribution to their industry or the Central Ohio business community.

Anderson Concrete Corporation 400 Frank Road, Columbus, OH 43207 614-443-0123 | andersonconcrete.com Walter Anderson made his start in the trucking business, hauling coal and aggregate in Cincinnati in the early 1900s, then moved to Columbus and founded W. E. Anderson & Son Trucking Co. with his son, Willis Anderson, in 1921. The company became W.E. Anderson & Sons Trucking Co. when Walter's other son, Ralph H. Anderson, left his job as a schoolteacher to join his father. They bought their first concrete mixer in the 1920s and the company became what it is known as today: Anderson Concrete Corp. Ralph H. led the business through World War II working on projects such as the DCSC Army Depot and Lockbourne Air Force Base (now Rickenbacker). Ralph W.

Anderson (Andy), took over as President in 1976. Andy's two brothers also worked for the company: Dick Anderson as Vice President and Dave Anderson in Sales. The three brothers in the third generation retired in the early 2000s, each with 40-50 years of service. Today, Andy's son, Doug Anderson, is the CEO of Anderson Concrete as well as its sister company, Buckeye Ready-Mix, LLC. Other members of the fourth generation include Jessica Anderson, President of Anderson Concrete; Mike Anderson, VP of Anderson Concrete; and Bill Anderson, President of ALD Precast. A member of the fifth generation, Shawn Anderson, is now working for the company as well.

COLUMBUS CEO | DECEMBER 2021 | CONWAY CENTER FOR FAMILY BUSINESS

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PEER GROUPS and FAMILY BUSINESS FORUMS Find a Peer Group Right for You Engage with Peers and Professionals who Have “Been There, Done That."

Peer Group attendee

8 PEER GROUPS CEOs C-Suite Non-Family Leaders Leadership Development Leadership Development 2.0

“I thoroughly enjoy the Next Gen meetings because I love hearing from people my age who are going through similar situations and transitions.”

Next Generation Leaders Rising CEO Succession Planning Women in Family Business

4 FORUMS

Human Resources (quarterly) Ignite Your Family Business (quarterly)

Live Webinars (throughout the year) Other Webinars & Forums

View Peer Group and Forum details at FamilyBusinessCenter.com or email Amy Dotts, ADotts@FamilyBusinessCenter.com with your questions.

Attend a 2022 Conway Center Program WE LISTENED! Our 2022 educational programs will rotate monthly between Family Business Basics and in-depth conversations with Central Ohio family business leaders. There will be something for everyone each month!

“I always take away something that I can work on—the conversations and the content are always beneficial." Program Attendee

Check our website for updates as we get closer to launch! FamilyBusinessCenter.com

ALSO, NEW FOR 2022:

After each program, refresh your coffee and stay a bit longer—as we are providing extended opportunities to continue conversations and networking.

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Conway Center MEMBERSHIP Provide Solutions, Grow Professionally, Share Ideas, and Develop Opportunities MEMBER BENEFITS Membership is open to Central Ohio family-owned businesses employing two or more members of the same family.

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"Our family has valued its membership in the CCFB for years now because we can network with other family business owners and discuss mutual issues we all deal with.” Michael S. Schoedinger, President, Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Services

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ust like that, we’ve endured yet another COVID-19 year, tasking our region’s executives with yet another set of struggles to overcome, some new and some centuries old and finally coming to the surface. These include, but are certainly not limited to: labor shortages, massive supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures, an ongoing, life-threatening pandemic, and continuing efforts in the fight for racial justice and equality for all. There are seemingly no days off in the pursuit for equilibrium, but these

BY JESS DEYO AND KATY SMITH

execs have accepted the heavy workload, creating entirely new departments, setting new benchmarks and taking a deep look at every aspect of their organizations. We asked Columbus region business leaders responding to our 2021 Columbus CEO Survey, which was conducted in October, to share with us their expectations for the coming year. They see continued struggles to find labor, but are optimistic they will have the business case to hire. Our favorite part of the survey (besides the expert analysis from Bill

LaFayette at Regionomics)? We asked respondents to vote for the CEOs of the Year in four categories: Large and small business and large and small nonprofit. The slate of candidates was compiled though recommendations from chambers of commerce and other business organizations and Columbus CEO’s editorial staff. The executives they chose—four winners and 12 finalists—represent the best of the region as we know it in 2021. We are thrilled to present the 2021 CEOs of the Year. December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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By LAURA NEWPOFF + Photo by ROB HARDIN

Reaffirmation

Elizabeth Martinez says her mission is renewed amid the challenges of the past 20 months.

Small Nonprofit

2021

Elizabeth Martinez President and CEO

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio IN ROLE SINCE: 2016 AGE: 46 EDUCATION: B.A. in psychology,

Ohio Christian University

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

Board of directors, Franklin County Children Services and the Human Service Chamber. Registered corporate coach with the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches.

lizabeth Martinez will tell you, COVID-19 or not, “you can’t quarantine relationships.” That sentiment has been put to the test over the past two years as the agency she leads suddenly had to help young people overcome the devastating impacts of the pandemic while they stared the racial justice movement square in the eye. Many of the youth served by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio come from low opportunity communities, and they already were presented with challenges tied to the social determinants of health before the health crisis. Those are the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes like access to quality education, housing stability and access to health resources and care. Then, the pandemic decided to do a pile-on. Education was disrupted, mothers and fathers lost jobs and children became isolated. The distress was exacerbated by the racial unrest sparked by the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Every challenge, though, affords the chance to unearth an opportunity. Martinez quickly went to work to ensure the organization would have the protocols and structure in place to lift and support the next generation of leaders, health crisis or not. “Strong and meaningful relationships are key in helping us charter through the most difficult times in our lives,” Martinez says. Martinez joined the agency in 2003 and was elevated to the top post in 2016. Her long tenure at the nonprofit has been “inspired by the power, promise and potential of young people.”

CREATING SAFE SPACES

Big Brothers Big Sisters serves area

youth through its core one-to-one mentoring program, through leadership development programs at Camp Oty’Okwa in the Hocking Hills and as a capacity builder for other mentoring organizations through MENTOR Central Ohio. During 2020, adult volunteers known as “Bigs” and enrolled youth known as “Littles” maintained their relationships virtually. Uncertainty about COVID-19 and the racial injustice made this support system more urgent and important. The nonprofit

quickly activated its capacity building arm to deploy training for mentors so they could create the kind of safe spaces where young people felt comfortable having conversations about how they were processing information that was constantly changing and often disturbing. “Kids have been really challenged with the information they’ve been exposed to and the emotions that come with that,” Martinez says. “Having a safe space to unpack that has been incredibly important over these past two years.” Bigs and Littles have started to meet in person again, with masks recommended, and virtual connections can continue to provide flexibility in how people meet. As for Camp Oty’Okwa, Martinez and her team made the difficult decision to offer a virtual camp experience in 2020. But, realizing the value of in-person relationships, she formed an ad-hoc committee made of experts in law, education and health to develop protocols to reopen the year-round operation in 2021. “Kids were really eager to get together with their peers,” Martinez says. Martinez also empowered the organization to offer virtual resources during what was a time of great need. Internally, she created a culture of safety needed to normalize conversations around personal well-being. Martinez fostered an environment of open dialogue that supported her team as they continued to be of service to the community. Matt Kramer, a partner at KPMG in Columbus, who is a Big Brothers Big Sisters board member and past board chair, describes Martinez as a calm, strong leader during a very disruptive time. “She was unrattled and really focused on understanding what was coming at us and how to systematically think through what the appropriate response would be,” Kramer says. Going forward, Martinez wants to use coalition building and community partnerships to leverage mentoring to support young people. “The path forward to helping young people is beyond any one organization,” she says. Laura Newpoff is a freelance writer.

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“Strong and meaningful relationships are key in helping us charter through the most difficult times in our lives.” December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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By JESS DEYO + Photo by ROB HARDIN

Building a legacy

Jonathan Moody wasn’t always sure he wanted to take over his father’s architecture firm, but now, he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Small Business

2021

Jonathan Moody CEO

Moody Nolan AGE: 38 EDUCATION: Bachelor’s

in architecture and minor concentration in Africana studies, Cornell University; master’s in architecture, University of California, Los Angeles

EMPLOYEES: 270+ 2020 REVENUE: $50 million

urt Moody, founder and chairman of Moody Nolan, remembers the moment he knew his son, Jonathan, CEO of the architecture firm, had the smarts to become a business leader. But it wasn’t during his decade-long climb through the company, or while he was working in Los Angeles, or even during his time at an Ivy League school. Instead, it’s something many don’t know about Jonathan, Curt says. It was when he watched his son play chess as a child, noticing that he had the ability to think eight or nine moves ahead, and he had an impeccable ability to see the greater picture. And it wasn’t a hobby— Jonathan was ranked and even competed at national tournaments. “I never played chess,” Curt says, “but I knew one thing that I had been able to do more so than others is to look ahead—not just look at what the day’s decision would do for our firm, but what decisions for today would do for us in the future. That was a trait that I felt our leaders really needed to have. Jonathan had it naturally.” But Jonathan wasn’t sure what he wanted to do in the future, and for a while, he felt convinced he didn’t want to take after his father, he says. He describes his interest in architecture at the time as one foot in, one foot out, but his senior year of high school he attended an architecture summer program that made him realize he was meant for the career. “That was kind of the first both-feet-in moment,” Jonathan says. “Surprisingly, it was not what I thought. And that was a good thing.” From there, he not only planned to become an architect, but to be the best. He went to Cornell University, rated routinely by DesignIntelligence as the most admired design and architecture school in the nation, where he earned his bachelor’s in architecture in 2007. He earned his master’s in architecture at UCLA. For the next few years, he stayed in Los Angeles to work with CannonDesign and met his wife, Montra, the backbone to his success, he says. To Jonathan, the opportu-

nity to work outside of Ohio helped prove he was meant to be at Moody Nolan. In 2011, Jonathan joined his father’s firm and was named president in 2016. In 2020, he was named CEO. Today the firm, founded in 1982, has over 270 employees and 12 locations. Some notable projects include the Columbus Metropolitan Martin Luther King Branch Library, Texas Southern University student library and learning center, and The Legacy House Project. As CEO, Jonathan is already seeing success. He was a finalist for the CEO of the Year award by Columbus CEO in 2020 and in 2021 he received the Young Architects Award from the American Institute of Architects for exceptional leadership. And his not-so-secret way of leading is by continuing to pass on the values Curt built the company on, which is easy, because it’s how he was raised. One of those values is to continue to be unapologetically dedicated to embracing diversity. Moody Nolan is the largest Blackowned architecture firm in the country, and 38 percent of its staff are people of color. Of the employees, 42 percent are women. The firm has won 45 awards from the National Institution of Minority Architects. The firm has also won over 51 awards from AIA, and most recently, it was named the 2021 Firm of the Year, the first firm based in Ohio to win, and the most prestigious award by the organization. Jonathan remembers the day he got that call—it’s his proudest, most defining memory as CEO—perhaps another of those “both feet in” moments that proved to him that while he once wasn’t so sure, he knew he was right where he was meant to be. “To be able to call my dad to say his efforts were worth it,” he says, “... It was recognition that everything that everybody had been doing for 39 years was worth it.” And as his father, Jonathan’s success so far is all Curt could ask for. “My wife and I both,” he says, “... When we see that he’s doing so well, it’s just encouraging that maybe we did something right along the way somewhere.” Jess Deyo is associate editor.

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“To be able to call my dad to say his efforts were worth it ... It was recognition that everything that everybody had been doing for 39 years was worth it.” December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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By JESS DEYO + Photo by ROB HARDIN

Mission driven

Nationwide Children’s CEO Tim Robinson says being a great leader is all about the why.

Large Nonprofit

2021

Tim Robinson CEO

Nationwide Children’s Hospital AGE: 63 IN POSITION SINCE: July 2019 PREVIOUS: Chief financial officer, executive vice president, chief administrative officer, Nationwide Children’s; assistant treasurer, Nationwide Children’s; treasurer of shoe retailer Kobacker Co. EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degrees

in psychology and business administration from Indiana University Bloomington; certified cash manager, IU

EMPLOYEES: 13,000+ 2020 GROSS PATIENT REVENUE (HOSPITAL): $2.8 million

or Nationwide Children’s Hospital CEO Tim Robinson, picking his proudest moment over 30 years at the hospital is like picking his favorite child—most days, he can’t. Robinson started at Nationwide Children’s as assistant treasurer in 1995, and he quickly climbed up the ranks, transitioning to senior vice president and chief financial officer in 1997. He went on to serve as executive vice president and chief financial and administrative officer where he stayed for over a decade, until being named the hospital’s CEO in 2019. In short, it’s safe to say Robinson has seen the hospital through its best and worst days. But if Robinson had to pick, his most gratifying moment may have been early on in his career when he was fundamental to the growth of Partners For Kids, one of the nation’s largest pediatric accountable care organizations, which grew from serving 13,000 kids to over 300,000 under his leadership. Similarly, his efforts with Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Families, has led to over $22 million being invested back to the community. For president and chief operations officer Rick Miller, who has been with Nationwide Children’s for nearly 40 years, the CEO’s involvement in giving back may be his legacy. “Even when Tim was CFO, he was much more than a traditional CFO,” Miller says. “He was an early advocate and proponent of our accountable care organization and nurtured that program, really for decades, and it’s really mushroomed into, I believe, the biggest pediatric accountable care organization in the country.” Fast forward, and Robinson’s favorite moment could be the opening of the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion in March 2020 after a $50 million donation from Big Lots in 2016. The facility dedicates nearly 400,000 square feet to behavioral health research and treatment and was designed to help break the stigma around mental health. For Robinson, achievements like that, and the people who make it possible, are the reason he fell in love with his career in the first place. “Folks like Big Lots coming in, in a very material way and very public way to say

that we need to break these stigmas and do this work for children, it was pretty gratifying,” Robinson says. And with highs, there are also lows, but Robinson’s confidence in his team is unwavering. Amid COVID-19, the staff has been relentless on the quest to care for patients, including hundreds of thousands of telehealth appointments, in-house testing, and intense efforts to help combat the influx of delta variant patients. To care for the team, Robinson offered additional paid time off and bonuses and has consistently encouraged feedback from staff, he says. And following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020, The Stand Against Racism/Stand for Health Equity initiative was established to educate employees on bias, social justice and how to foster inclusiveness. Today, Nationwide Children’s is tackling its next strategic plan, a $3.3 billion initiative which Robinson says is the most ambitious plan to date. Launched this summer, it has a laser focus on expanding efforts in behavioral health, gene therapy, genomics, tissue engineering and more. Also included is a new hospital tower and three facilities. And while he’s proud to lead the hospital, Robinson says he knows he couldn’t do it without his dedicated staff. “It’s the one of the most important things we can be doing,” Robinson says, “taking care of the next generation and helping them reach their full potential.” So, what is Robinson’s proudest moment? Truthfully, there isn’t one. But there is certainly something that gets him out of bed each day: the hospital’s 127-year-old mission to help all children who come through the doors achieve the best health outcome. That’s why it’s an honor to serve as CEO, he says. “I think it’s one of those things where each challenge, each opportunity, presents itself and you’re asked to step up. And to the extent that you get that opportunity, it’s always been very gratifying for me for the ability to do what we do. I say it over and over again, but the wonderful part about it is being able to have an influence and impact on children around the world.” Jess Deyo is associate editor.

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“It’s one of the most important things we can be doing—taking care of the next generation and helping them reach their full potential.”

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By VIRGINIA BROWN + Photo courtesy CARDINAL HEALTH

Setting the standard

Cardinal Health CEO Michael Kaufmann has a long-time goal of leading with intention and perspective.

Large Business

2021

Michael Kaufmann CEO

Cardinal Health AGE: 59 EDUCATION: Bachelor of

business administration, Ohio Northern University

EMPLOYEES: About 44,000 2021 REVENUE: $162.5 billion

ichael Kaufmann feels a little uncomfortable receiving accolades for what he considers simply doing his job. But the CEO of Cardinal Health, named this year’s CEO of the Year, collects them for good reason. Having spent his entire career, over 30 years, with Cardinal, he found his path to CEO by making a big change early on. Following graduation with a business degree from Ohio Northern University, he started out in the finance department. But in 1993, he made the pivotal decision to switch to sales. “I really wanted to learn about and get focused on the customer, because I thought that would make me a much better general manager,” he says. “If I hadn’t done that, I’m sure there’s no way I’d be sitting in this chair today as CEO.” It’s a seat with a lot of pressure—and responsibility. Today he oversees operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 44,000 employees globally. For the last year and a half, with COVID’s effects ranging from a critical break in the supply chain to efforts to keep his employees safe, Kaufmann says it’s been tough to find balance. “Most senior executives struggle, at times, finding balance between work and family. ... I purposely schedule family time, because it’s important to me,” he says. “But it’s harder and harder to find balance, because, even when I’m home, it’s really hard not to think about [work]. I’m blessed with a great wife and family that understand, but that’s probably my greatest challenge.” Still, when he thinks of the hurdles of the last year, he finds inspiration in his people, particularly those who can’t work from home—those who show up daily to keep over 30 global manufacturing plants, plus distribution centers, running. In January, the company plans to bring its employees back to the office, beginning with three days a week with two flexible days. “Trying to get that right balance and figure that out will take a little bit of time,” Kaufmann says. “... But I can’t wait. I get a lot of energy from seeing people.”

Those people—and creating a diverse, equal and inclusive environment—are at the core of his focus as CEO. Over a decade ago, Kaufmann asked to lead the women’s initiatives at Cardinal. “Something inside of me said, Mike, this is something you got to do. And I can’t tell you how important that has been,” he says. “It really taught me about my own blind spots, my own unconscious bias. And I think it’s really helped me be a better leader, a better ally and advocate. It’s made me a better friend, father and partner.” In early 2020, Kaufmann took the company’s 16-member Diversity and Inclusion Council to Montgomery, Alabama, to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, a sobering site dedicated to providing a safe environment in which to reflect on America’s history of racial inequality. The site’s central memorial is constructed of over 800 steel monuments, one for each county in the U.S., where a lynching occurred. Engraved on the columns are the names of the victims. “I just don’t know how you don’t leave that spot changed and really committed in a much different and deep way to racial justice,” he says. Cardinal’s commitment is outlined in its corporate citizenship report. By 2030, the company aims to raise the amount of women in senior roles from 40 to 48 percent, among other benchmarks to diversity leadership. Company accolades range from Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality, Top Companies for People With Disabilities, 50 Best Companies for Latinas and more. The Institute for Women’s Leadership also named Kaufmann one of their “Guys Who Get it” in 2014. Despite the pressures of the health care industry during a global pandemic, finding some levity in the day helps Kaufmann keep a positive demeanor, something he says is key to successful leadership. “No matter how tough a day I have and no matter what news I might wake up to, before I walk through the front door I am smiling and energized, because people notice.” Virginia Brown is a freelance writer.

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“No matter how tough a day I have ... before I walk through the front door I am smiling and energized, because people notice.”

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Large Business

CONGRATULATIONS to the city’s greatest leaders, inspiring innovation + creating space for change in Columbus and beyond.

FINALISTS

Honored to celebrate M+A’s own leader, President Mark Daniels as a 2021 CEO of the Year.

Photo courtesy JPMorgan Chase

Together, we are stronger.

Jonathan Moody, AIA, NOMA Columbus CEO’s 2021 Small Business CEO of the Year

Corrine Burger Managing director

JPMorgan Chase

2021 AIA Architecture Firm Award Architecture

Interior Design

Experiential Design

moodynolan.com

orrine Burger is a managing director at JPMorgan Chase and serves as the chief control manager, responsible for overseeing operational risk for the firm. In addition to that role, Burger also serves as the Columbus Strategic Hub location leader and represents the 18,000 employees in central Ohio. For the past 15 years, Burger has held senior roles in the consumer business including controller of JPMorgan Chase’s retail division for nine years. Early in her career, she served as an audit manager with Deloitte in their Phoenix office as a Certified Public Accountant. She is a graduate of Ohio State University. Burger is a member of the One Columbus board of directors and serves on the Columbus State Community College board of trustees. Burger lives in Dublin with her husband and has four children.

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Bill Wulf CEO

Central Ohio Primary Care

Photo courtesy Central Ohio Primary Care

r. Bill Wulf is the first physician CEO of Central Ohio Primary Care since 2013. Prior to the role, he served as the corporate medical director of COPC for seven years. Bringing over 30 years of leadership in primary care delivery, Wulf is a leader among the founding physicians that helped establish COPC, an independent, physician-owned organization in 1996. Since, it has grown to over 480 physicians and 83 locations in central Ohio. Wulf is also a member of the COPC board of directors and serves on the board of Agilon Health. He is also on the board of directors and is board chair of America’s Physician Group. As a board-certified internist, he received his Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Ohio. Dr. Wulf previously operated a private practice in Columbus.

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Large Nonprofit

DON’T MISS A WORD THIS SEASON. On the field. In the locker room. On the recruiting trail. If it’s happening in Scarlet & Gray, it’s happening here.

Photo courtesy Kenneth L. Wright Photography

Columbus is a forward-thinking city, thanks to its leaders.

FINALISTS

Robert Chilton CEO

Congratulations to all the Columbus CEO of the Year Finalists for your outstanding contributions.

Impact Community Action

obert “Bo” Chilton is the CEO of Impact Community Action. With an annual operating budget of $24 million and a staff of 150 employees, Impact has served as a leading organization by providing rent, mortgage and utility assistance to over 25,000 households during the pandemic. The organization also won the Columbus Foundation Award for 2021. Chilton’s passion for building community is reflected in his service on the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio, the Ohio Community Development Corporation, Homeport, and the African American Leadership Academy, and he lives by the value that for those who have had much given, much is required. Chilton is a veteran of the Army Reserves and received the C Suite’s Most Admired Award in 2020.

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Joanna Pinkerton

Stephen Markovich, MD

President and CEO

Central Ohio Transit Authority

President and CEO

File/TIM JOHNSON/Columbus CEO

Stephanie Hightower President and CEO

Columbus Urban League

Photo courtesy Emma Parker Photography

tephanie Hightower, the first female president and CEO of Columbus Urban League, is an advocate for social justice and racial equity. Under her leadership, the organization has expanded its focus on economic mobility, transformed an abandoned building into an economic hub in the King Lincoln District and hosted the National Urban League conference— the nation’s largest annual civil rights gathering. Columbus Urban League made 70,000 community connections in 2020 alone, serving 14,000 people at risk of eviction and more than 7,000 Black businesses striving to survive. Hightower, a world-class athlete, is also a leader in the U.S. Track & Field Association, chairs the World Athletics Gender Leadership Task Force, is a member of WA Human Rights Working Group and previously served on the Columbus school board. She also serves on the boards of Celebrate One and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and was recently honored for exceptional leadership by the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

OhioHealth

r. Stephen Markovich is a health care executive, physician and military leader. He was named OhioHealth CEO in 2019. Markovich retired as a major general after 38 years of military service, most recently serving as the commander of the Ohio Air National Guard. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He has practiced as a family and emergency physician at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and served as clinical assistant professor at Ohio State. Markovich also served as president of OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and previously held roles including executive vice president, senior vice president and chief operating officer. Dr. Markovich earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Wright State University. He is a member of the boards of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum and the Columbus Symphony and has been active in the past with JobsOhio, the United Way of Central Ohio and the Simon Kenton Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

File/ADAM CAIRNS/Columbus Dispatch

oanna Pinkerton is the president and CEO of Central Ohio Transit Authority, the regional mobility organization that covers over 560 miles across five counties and serves 1.4 million residents. Since joining COTA in 2018, Pinkerton has focused on providing innovative mobility solutions and spearheaded the organization’s first strategic planning process, a new customer experience center, recruitment of the organization’s first chief innovation officer, chief people officer and chief equity officer. She also helped launch COTA//Plus, Mainstream On-Demand and Bus On-Demand, the first on-demand public microtransit in Ohio. Currently, COTA has more than 1,100 team members and provided more than 19 million passenger trips in 2019. Pinkerton has her bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and is a professionally licensed engineer in Ohio. In 2020, she co-chaired the American Public Transportation Association Mobility Recovery and Restoration Task Force.

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Small Business FINALISTS Photo courtesy Monty Soungpradith

Brent Crawford

Photo courtesy Haslam Sports Group

Founder and principal

Mark Daniels President and principal

M+A Architects

ark Daniels, president of M+A Architects, has worked with the firm for more than 33 years and has served as president for the past 21. Daniels leads the company’s mission to design for the future, with specialties in multi-use projects, multifamily housing, urban infill, walkable neighborhoods and responsible planning. M+A’s signature projects include work at Easton Town Center, the Pointe at Polaris, Capital Park South Industrial Park, The Lane and Xander on State. Daniels is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the U.S. Green Building Council. He is a former advisory board member for Urban Land Institute-Columbus and was recognized with a lifetime achievement award from Vistage Worldwide. Under Daniels’ leadership, M+A formalized a corporate and social responsibility partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Dress for Success and A Kid Again. Daniels holds a bachelor of science in architecture from Ohio State University and is a registered architect in Ohio.

Crawford Hoying

rent Crawford, founder and principal of Crawford Hoying, created his real estate firm in 1994 with a vision for success. Starting as a single investment property, Crawford Hoying has since become one of the largest real estate firms in Columbus. Crawford oversees various aspects of the business including raising private equity for specific investment into income-producing properties, securing debt financing, managing relationships with equity investors, monitoring new acquisitions, ground-up development and debt placement for all projects and guiding all new developments for the company. In the past, Crawford taught property management and real estate trends at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University and regularly returns as a guest speaker. He’s also president of the Center for Real Estate at OSU and a member of the Columbus Partnership. Crawford serves on the boards of Sophisticated Systems, Ohio State Sports Medicine Center and the Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Photo courtesy Cory Klein Photography

Dee Haslam Owner/operator

Columbus Crew SC

ee Haslam is the CEO of Haslam Sports Group and the investor-operator of Columbus Crew SC. Haslam’s family company championed the creation of Lower. com Field, a stadium that also served as the catalyst for reimagining the Arena District. She and her husband, Jimmy, also launched a diversity and opportunity fellowship designed to improve the pipeline of diverse future sports industry leaders. They also donated $1.5 million to COVID-19 relief efforts throughout Ohio. Haslam is involved in creating impactful solution-based programs to promote school attendance and has led the Stay in the Game initiative to increase attendance for all students. She currently sits on the MLS Board of Governors and the Columbus Partnership board. The Haslams have three children and six grandchildren.

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WATCH THE AWARDS

AT COLUMBUSCEO.COM

Join Columbus CEO as we virtually reveal the 2021 CEO of the Year winners and finalists in the categories of small nonprofit, small business, large nonprofit and large business. The event recording can be found at columbusceo.com. We asked more than 3,500 area CEOs to vote on a slate of candidates to determine the best among them. The event features the results from our annual survey of economic conditions presented by Bill LaFayette of Regionomics. He also moderates a panel exploring workforce labor shortages, the challenges they present and potential solutions as we head into 2022.

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Small Nonprofit FINALISTS Photo courtesy Human Service Chamber of Franklin County

Oyauma Garrison

Photo courtesy Julie Jackson Photography

President and CEO

Michael Corey Executive Director

Human Service Chamber of Franklin County

ichael Corey is the executive director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County, which strives to provide “one voice” with more than 15,000 employees for thousands of people by its 130 member agencies. The organization has provided government relations, shared professional services and over 750,000 masks to the nonprofit community since the pandemic, during which time membership has grown by more than 50 percent. Corey holds a bachelor of arts from Duke University, a master’s in education policy from Ohio State University and a law degree from Ohio State Moritz College of Law, where he was executive editor of the Ohio State Law Journal. After practicing health care law at Bricker & Eckler for three years, Corey worked as a policy analyst at the Children’s Defense FundOhio and as a regional voter protection director for the Clinton campaign. He lives in Columbus with his wife, Lori; their son, Elijah; and their rescue dog, Ruby.

A Kid Again

yauma Garrison serves as the president and CEO for A Kid Again, a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing adventures for children facing life threatening conditions. With his 2017 appointment, the agency established a new national headquarters in Columbus with plans for growth. Prior, Garrison gathered over 20 years of experience in insurance, working with State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate and Jacobson. He serves as a director on the board of Buckeye Insurance, executive in residence at Denison University, and has been recognized for his civic contributions by the Ohio General Assembly and Columbus City Council. He also is the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from Franklin University and the United States of America Presidential 2014 Gold Standard Award. Garrison holds a bachelor’s degree from Denison University and an MBA from Franklin University. A Kid Again served over 4,700 families across multiple states and generated over $3.5 million in revenue.

Colin Page McGinnis CEO

South Side Early Learning

Photo courtesy Tariq Tarey

olin Page McGinnis, 27, serves as the CEO of South Side Early Learning, an organization that has been dedicated to serving children and families on the south side of Columbus for nearly 100 years. Named one of Columbus’ 19 nonprofit innovators and a member of Columbus CEO’s inaugural class of Future 50, Page McGinnis is reimagining how early childhood can be used as a key component of community development. Page McGinnis earned his bachelor’s degree in human development and family sciences from Ohio State University, master’s degree in educational psychology at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln and is working to obtain his Ph.D. from OSU.

56 ColumbusCEO l December 2021

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11/18/21 10:50 AM

Look back and move forward with The Dispatch@150 F or 150 years, The Dispatch has brought darkness into the light, celebrated the sunshine, and written our daily history.

Come with us into a new era as we chronicle the context of what’s next. Look for these features in the coming days and months and interact with us at Dispatch.com and on Twitter @DispatchAlerts with the hashtag #DispatchAt150. Historical front pages

Historical photo slideshows on Dispatch.com

Features on iconic central Ohio moments and newsmakers

Dispatch@150 podcasts

The Dispatch presents Columbus Conversations

Interactive timelines on Dispatch.com

And much more!

Celebrating 150 years as Ohio’s Greatest Home Newspaper

@DispatchAlerts • Subscribe today at Dispatch.com

Dispatch@150 is sponsored by

050-57_Feature_CEOofTheYear2021-Finalists.indd 57

#DispatchAt150

and

11/18/21 10:14 AM

Annual Columbus CEO Survey

Employers stepping up commitment to diversity, inclusion efforts, respondents report

ome Columbus companies and other organizations are doing more than just talk when it comes to to addressing issues of race and inclusion. They’re putting money to work at their organization by either establishing a diversity, equity and inclusion budget or increasing the amount of money that’s been set aside for such efforts, according to Columbus CEO’s latest survey on economic conditions in the region. Of the C-suite executives in companies, nonprofits and government agencies who were surveyed, 63 percent said they had a budget for DEI with 20 percent of those surveyed saying a budget for such efforts was established in the past year. Meanwhile, 19 percent say they’ve increased their existing budget. “That was really heartening,” says economic Bill LaFayette, owner of economic consulting firm Regionomics who completed the analysis for CEO. Beyond the issues of fairness, it makes sense for organizations and businesses to build and expand their diversity, equity and inclusion budgets, he says. Competitors that invest in such efforts will be ahead of those that don’t, LaFayette says. “They’re going to eat your lunch,’’ he says. Those investments also can bring a payoff in the form of a stronger workforce, LaFayette says. “You’re more productive if you bring your whole self to work,’’ he says. The issue of diversity, equity and inclusion has gotten more attention in the workplace following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in

Bill LaFayette

Minneapolis in 2020 and the protests that followed throughout the country, including Columbus. Greater Columbus CEOs have been speaking out issues of race in the workplace since his death or held events to mourn his loss. The survey found that 37 percent of the organizations surveyed had no budget dedicated to such efforts and 1 percent said they were cutting their DEI budget. Companies have been dealing with issues of race as they continue to fight the effects of the pandemic. A year ago, the top concern for those in the C-suite was the economy given that big chunks of the Greater Columbus economy were shut down because of COVID-19. But now that the economy has largely reopened, the No. 1 worry for employers has shifted to finding workers. Of those surveyed, 41 percent said that was their top challenge while 6 percent said it was turnover or attrition. While the region has added 123,000 jobs since April 2020, it remains 63,000 below where it was in February 2020 before the pandemic began. For months, employers have complained that they can’t find workers and that applicants are

Photo courtesy George Anderson

By MARK WILLIAMS

skipping interviews. The pandemic has been tough on workers, especially those service workers who have been on the frontline, LaFayette says. “People are thinking more deeply about what they want to do their careers and their lives,” he says. “That’s going to leave some employers at the short end of the stick.’’ Worker shortages may be here for years to come, LaFayette says. “I have a feeling it will have a last impact. The psychological toll it has on everybody, that’s a traumatic experience you don’t forget soon,” he says. One thing not mentioned in the survey: shortages of goods that many companies and consumers have complained about over the past year. Most of the executives who responded to the survey believe that the outlook for the Greater Columbus economy is stronger than the national and global economy. Of those surveyed, 56 percent say they expect the local economy to improve while just 33 percent said the same for the national economy and 26 percent say they expect the global economy to improve. But only 9 percent saw a large improvement in the economy and one-third believe the economy has deteriorated. LaFayette says the mixed views are understandable given the labor and supply chain problems and other constraints on the economy coupled with a lack of familiarity of national and global economic issues. “If you ask somebody with a local business what you think about the global economy they’re going give you a shrug and cite something they read a week ago,’’ LaFayette said. Mark Williams writes about the economy.

58 ColumbusCEO l December 2021

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11/18/21 4:37 PM

Breaking business news, in-depth features and authoritative reports — now from one consolidated business desk.

ColumbusCEO.com

058-059_Feature_CEOofTheYear2021-Survey.indd 59

Dispatch.com/business

11/18/21 4:36 PM

CO M PA N Y

Staffing, salaries and training Regarding expectations for 2022, 58% expect an increase and another 31% expect no change. Although the percentage of respondents expecting an increase is greater than last year’s 45%, but that difference is not statistically significant. The change in payroll expected next year is significantly greater than last year: 87% compared to 51% in 2020. That is driven by expected staffing increases, and more so by expected increases in salaries and wages. Training budgets are less likely to be cut this year than last. Only 3% of respondents expect a cut in training in 2022, compared to 20% in 2021. Meanwhile, 57% expect training budgets to increase, significantly greater than last year’s 35%.

Expected change in staffing over the next 12 months INCREASE MORE THAN 10% INCREASE 5-10%

25%

STAY THE SAME

The expectation of the corporate leaders for continuing economic expansion is evident in their forecasts for revenue, expenses, and profit over the next 12 months. The survey found 61% of organizational leaders expect revenue to increase in 2022, the same percentage as last year. Concerns over inflation are driving cost projections. Half of organizational leaders expect at least a 5% increase in costs over the next 12 months, up from 21% last year. Leaders may expect to be able to pass these cost increases on to their customers: 30% expect profits to increase at least 5%.

Expected change in revenue over the next 12 months

31%

DECREASE LESS THAN 5%

DECREASE 5-10%

Expected change in profit over the next 12 months

INCREASE MORE THAN 10%

INCREASE 5-10%

21%

16%

30%

14%

INCREASE LESS THAN 5%

STAY THE SAME

DECREASE LESS THAN 5%

DECREASE 5-10%

DECREASE MORE THAN 10%

NO OPINION

20%

13%

21%

INCREASE LESS THAN 5%

Revenues, expenditures and profits

12%

F O REC A S TS

DECREASE MORE THAN 10%

10%

None 2%

19% 12%

My organization did not exist in 2020

A complete transformation

22%

Changes in organizations since 2020

Minor changes

18%

NO OPINION

Source: Columbus CEO Survey 2020 with analysis by Regionomics

Significant changes

48%

Moderate changes

29%

60 ColumbusCEO l December 2021

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11/18/21 4:39 PM

CO M PA N Y

Expected change in productivity over the next 12 months

F O REC A S TS

Expected change in capital expenditures over the next 12 months

Expected change in costs over the next 12 months

INCREASE MORE THAN 10%

INCREASE 5-10%

INCREASE LESS THAN 5%

STAY THE SAME

15%

21%

INCREASE LESS THAN 5% STAY THE SAME

14%

15%

29% 23%

DECREASE LESS THAN 5%

15%

18%

40%

36% 29%

13%

DECREASE LESS THAN 5%

DECREASE 5-10%

DECREASE MORE THAN 10%

NO OPINION

27%

10%

0% 1%

Building a Community of Trust For 100 years, your BBB has served Central Ohio as a community-based resource where consumers can find trusted, local businesses and nonprofits. Visit the BBB community directory at BBB.org

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S C E O S O F T H E Y E A R

December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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11/18/21 4:39 PM

Productivity and capital expenditures Organizational leaders are fairly optimistic regarding the productivity of their organizations. Regardless of the difficulty finding and retaining employees, more than half expect an increase in productivity in 2022, not significantly different from last year. One way to achieve higher productivity is through capital equipment. The capital expenditures expected in 2022 are significantly higher than last year. Half of respondents expect an increase in these expenditures, compared to 30% last year.

Columbus MSA 12-month economic outlook

Improved

No opinion

26%

Stay the same

32%

Improve

56%

Decline

32%

World 12-month economic outlook

Decline

27%

Improved

26%

Stay the same

56%

Stay the same

40%

U.S. 12-month economic outlook

Source: Columbus CEO Survey 2020 with analysis by Regionomics

Congratulations, Bo! On behalf of IMPACT Community Action’s team and board, we want to congratulate our leader, Robert 'Bo' Chilton, on this well-deserved honor. impactca.org

62 ColumbusCEO l December 2021

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11/18/21 4:39 PM

Special Advertising Section

2021 Annual Networking and Awards Event ACG Columbus is focused on growth for middle market M&A dealmakers and the business community.

In partnership with ACG Columbus

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11/17/21 4:11 PM

Special Advertising Section

DEAL OF THE YEAR Public Company

Rocky Brands

The 2021 award winners

ANNUAL EVENT

Recognizing Local Companies THIS FALL, ACG Columbus members gathered for the organization’s annual networking event, sponsored by Copper Run, Fifth Third Bank and Porter Wright, on Oct. 21 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton. But unlike years past, this year’s event shifted away from a formal dinner and keynote speaker to become the 2021 Annual Networking and Awards Event based on member feedback, says Annual Event Chair Dennis Duchene. For the first time, ACG Columbus presented awards to three local companies that are making an impact in the Central Ohio middle market community. The evening also featured hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, as well as ample time for premium networking—one of ACG Columbus’ cornerstones in supporting the business community. Read on to learn more about the organization and its 2021 honorees.

ACG Columbus

ACG_Dec21.indd 64

DEAL OF THE YEAR Private Company

CollisionRight IN THE EARLY months of the pandemic, miles driven in the U.S. decreased 50 percent—not the best time to try to grow a company in the automotive industry. Rich Harrison, CEO of CollisionRight, didn’t get that memo; he founded his automotive repair company last year and managed 17 acquisitions since. “There’s 35,000 collision repair businesses in the U.S., and it’s very fragmented. We saw an opportunity to create a new business and scale it quickly,” Harrison says. “Our philosophy is simple: It’s about repairing cars the right way, even as they become more advanced with new technology.” Headquartered in Columbus, CollisionRight currently has 45 shops in seven states.

IN MARCH 2021, Rocky Brands, Inc. acquired five brands in the footwear division of Honeywell International in a deal CEO and President Jason Brooks calls “transformational.” “We’re a small, publicly traded company in Nelsonville, so to be recognized like this is a great accomplishment. And to accomplish this acquisition and provide more jobs for the region is really wonderful,” Brooks says. “In 2020, the five Honeywell brands we acquired did $205 million in revenue. Before the acquisition, we were about a $275 million company. This really changes our business in a big way. And it could not have happened without support from our employees and vendor partners. Everybody really stepped up.”

INNOVATION AWARD

Lower

FOR MANY, buying or selling a home is a complicated and arduous process, but the folks at Lower are trying to change that. Lower’s revolutionary approach to real estate is what led ACG Columbus to bestow the 2021 Innovation Award on the Columbusbased company. “We’ve got a mission to make home ownership more accessible, and we’re doing that through technology,” says CEO Dan Snyder, who adds that the company’s status as a full-service lender enables it to innovate with wrap-around features like Realtor matching. “We love the work ACG is doing; it really aligns with our core beliefs, so we’re honored to get this award,” Snyder says.

11/18/21 12:30 PM

Special Advertising Section

FROM THE BOARD

Andy Hays I MOVED to Columbus in 2005 when ACG Columbus was just starting, so I decided to get involved. I’ve been on the board for about five years, and I became president about a year and a half ago. I started Copper Run Capital in 2008—we focus on middle market M&A—and we’ve met a lot of clients through ACG. It really helped get the word out about our company. That’s what ACG Columbus does. Our whole mission is to help businesses grow, to create jobs and to make the world a better place to live in, overall. – Andy Hays, President

FROM THE BOARD

Dennis Duchene I BEGAN attending ACG Columbus events and meetings as a guest after a member invited me to attend one of ACG’s luncheon presentations. I thoroughly enjoyed the content and networking value, so I became an official member and then joined the board in 2014. At ACG Columbus, we provide the local business community with a diverse membership of professionals interested in fostering growth within our own Central Ohio businesses. We provide top-notch programming focused on business growth, mergers and acquisitions, business development and related topics. We’re also a great networking platform for professionals involved in business development and growth to meet others in those roles. – Dennis Duchene, Annual Event Chair

FROM THE BOARD

Amy Fleenor I’VE BEEN involved with ACG Columbus for about six years. In 2016 we started a committee called Women in Transactions to connect women in the M&A community and to support their advancement in areas that have traditionally been male-dominated. ACG Columbus is such a great way to get exposed to the whole cast of characters that a company would be working with if they’re doing a merger or acquisition transaction. And the educational programming is excellent—market updates, transition planning, due diligence and other specialty topics. ACG is a great place to meet the folks and get the information that you need to be successful in M&A endeavors. – Amy Fleenor, Director

ABOUT ACG COLUMBUS

GROWING COLUMBUS BUSINESSES As one of 59 chapters of the Association for Corporate Growth, Inc., ACG Columbus has a simple goal: To benefit Central Ohio communities by helping local businesses grow. The organization’s robust programming, which includes networking events, roundtables, annual events and more, is designed to share best practices in business, build relationships that support growth and provide exposure to investment opportunities. In addition to ACG Columbus events, members receive access to the organization’s online member directory, a subscription to its Mergers & Acquisitions Journal and access to capital resources through the group’s proprietary database. Staff: Nichole Glenn, Chapter Executive

LEADERSHIP

President: Andy Hays, Copper Run Capital, Inc. Immediate Past President and Marketing Chair: Don Hughes, Squire Patton Boggs Treasurer/Secretary: Michael Renzelman, Schneider Downs & Co., Inc. Annual Event Chair: Dennis Duchene, Taylor Corporation Diversity Chair: Laura Hult, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP Sponsorship Chair: Brent Thomas, Fifth Third Bank Programming Chair: Laura Fox, VSP Membership Chair: Bill Petrus, RSM Directors: Mike Abramo, Plante Moran; Joe Boeckman, BakerHostetler; Joe Borowski, GBQ Consulting; Doug Farren, National Center for the Middle Market; Amy Fleenor, First Commonwealth Bank; Ted Lape, Lazear Capital Partners; Renee Milyiori, J.P. Morgan Private Bank; Nick Ulrich, Tri-W Group; Meryl Weinstein, Highlights for Children, Inc.; Eric Wygle, The Columbus Dispatch Ex Officio: J. Michael McVey, Hylant Group; Curt Loveland, Porter Wright; Bill Remias, Huntington National Bank; Tom Washbush, Washbush Business Law, LLC l

ACG_Dec21.indd 65

ACG Columbus

11/18/21 12:30 PM

Special Advertising Section

Thank you to our 2021 Premier Event Sponsors. Learn more about ACG Columbus at www.acg.org/columbus

Thank you to our 2021 Annual Sponsors.

ACG Columbus

ACG_Dec21.indd 66

11/17/21 4:12 PM

OFFICE FURNITURE COMPANIES Ranked by Columbus region employees

COMPANY 1 Continental Office 5061 Freeway Drive East, Columbus 43229 614-262-5010 continentaloffice.com

2 King Business Interiors

1400 Goodale Blvd., Suite 102, Grandview Heights 43212 • 614-430-0020 kbiinc.com

3 Commercial Works

1299 Boltonfield St., Columbus 43228 614-870-2342 commercial-works.com

Loth 855 Grandview Ave., Columbus 43215 614-487-4000 • lothinc.com

5 Dupler Office 330 W. Spring St., Suite 150 Columbus 43215 • 614-227-5640 dupleroffice.com

6 RSFi Office Furniture

401 E. Wilson Bridge Road Worthington 43085 • 614-880-9110 rsfi.com

7 O’Reilly Office

300 Spruce St., Suite 150, Columbus 43215 614-754-1895 oreillyoffice.com

8 Caretta Workspace

635 Enterprise Drive, Lewis Center 43035 614-430-8660 carettaworkspace.com

9 FriendsOffice

7099 Huntley Road, Columbus 43229 419-427-1704 friendsoffice.com

10 Capitol Office Supply

777 Dearborn Park Lane, Suite E, Worthington 43085 • 614-846-7303 capitolofficesupply.com

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

2020 REVENUE

Columbus region

Total

161

$84.2 m

PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE FROM n Office Furniture n Other

214

$108 m

40% 60%

$41 m

20%

$41 m

$7.2 m

215

$22.1 m

$29.4 m

122

$63.3 m

wnd

$7 m

wnd

$6 m

$28 m

wnd

80% 17% 83% 18% 82% 10% 90% 10% 90% 10% 90% 100% 35% 65% 25% 75%

The CEO Leaderboard features selected topics each month. The March Leaderboard will feature online degree programs. The deadline for inclusion in this survey is Jan. 10, 2022. If you want your Columbus region company or organization to be considered for an upcoming CEO Leaderboard, contact Linda Deitch at ldeitch@columbusCEO.com. Information included in this survey was provided by companies listed and was not independently verified.

067_Leaderboard_OfficeFurniture.indd 67

OFFICE FURNITURE BRANDS SOLD FOUNDED Herman Miller, DIRTT, National Office Furniture 1939

COLUMBUS REGION TOP OFFICER

Ira Sharfin

CEO

Haworth, AIS, JSI 1998

Darla King

AIS, Kimball, Connections 1973

Andrew Todd

Steelcase, West Elm, OFS 2007 Allsteel, HON, Gunlocke 2006 Herman Miller, Indiana Furniture, AIS Furniture 1992 Kimball, National and dHive 2010 Caretta Workspace 2005 HON, Indiana Furniture, SitOnIt 2001 Maxon, OfficeSource, Indiana Furniture 1970

President

President and CEO

Jason Lawler President

Brandon and Randy Dupler Principals

Ron Morris Owner

Erica O’Reilly CEO

Tom O’Reilly

President

Larry Tracewell Founder

Kim Belknap

Director of Sales

Bill DeWitt

President/owner

m = million wnd = would not disclose Source: Survey of office furniture companies Information compiled by LINDA DEITCH

December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

11/18/21 10:16 AM

Reach Your Full Potential

Robbie

MASTER’S + DOCTORAL PROGRAMS MASTER’S + DOCTORAL PROGRAMS

M.S. Marketing + Communication Program Director-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Columbus Partnership

BUSINESS BUSINESS Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Achieve Your Goals With a Degree from Franklin University Earn your degree at Ohio’s #1 adult-focused university and join the ranks of Franklin University alumni who put their expertise to work at leading organizations like Nationwide, Cardinal Health and OhioHealth. Franklin’s faculty of in-field experts help you gain knowledge you can put to use right away, and our convenient course options enable you to balance your education with your life. For a list of partnerships and programs designed to help you maximize your education benefits, go to franklin.edu/partners.

www.franklin.edu Franklin Makes It Possible. Franklin Makes It Personal.

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) MBA MBAin Accounting M.S. M.S.ininBusiness Accounting M.S. Analytics M.S.ininBusiness BusinessPsychology Analytics M.S. M.S.ininHuman Business Psychology M.S. Resource Management M.S.Marketing in Human + Resource Management M.S. Communication M.S. Marketing + Communication

EDUCATION + LEADERSHIP

EDUCATION + LEADERSHIP Doctor of Education in Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership (Ed.D.) Organizational Leadership (Ed.D.) Doctor of Professional Studies– Doctor of Professional Studies– Instructional Design Leadership Instructional Design Leadership M.S. Instructional Design + Learning Technology M.S. Instructional Design + Learning Technology HEALTHCARE HEALTHCARE Doctor of Healthcare Administration

Doctorof ofNursing Healthcare Administration Doctor Practice (DNP) Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) MBA-Healthcare MBA-Healthcare Master of Healthcare Administration Master of Healthcare Administration M.S. in Health Informatics M.S.ininNursing Health Informatics M.S. (MSN)-Generalist M.S. in Nursing (MSN)-Generalist MSN-Adult-Gerontology Primary Care MSN-Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Nurse Practitioner MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner MSN-FamilyAdministrator Nurse Practitioner MSN-Nurse MSN-Nurse Administrator MSN-Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner MSN-Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION M.A. in Criminal Justice Administration M.A. inof Criminal Justice Administration Master Public Administration Master of Public Administration TECHNOLOGY

Franklin University is nonprofit and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org/800.621.7440). State rank data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Database.

068-069_Leaderboard_Colleges.indd 68

TECHNOLOGY M.S. Computer Science M.S.inComputer Science M.S. Cybersecurity M.S. Cybersecurity M.S. ininData Analytics M.S.ininInformation Data Analytics M.S. Technology M.S. in Information Technology

11/18/21 10:36 AM

ology nology

titioner titioner

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Ranked by Columbus region 2021-22 undergraduate enrollment

INSTITUTION 1 Ohio State University Main Campus-Columbus

281 W. Lane Ave., Columbus 43210 614-292-6446 • osu.edu

2 Columbus State

Community College

550 E. Spring St., Columbus 43215 614-287-5353 • cscc.edu

3 Ohio State UniversityNewark Campus

1179 University Drive, Newark 43055 740-366-3221 • newark.osu.edu

4 Central Ohio Technical College

1179 University Drive, Newark 43055 740-366-1351 • cotc.edu

5 Denison University

100 W. College St., Granville 43023 740-587-0810 denison.edu

6 Otterbein University 1 S. Grove St., Westerville 43081 614-890-3000 otterbein.edu

7 Capital University

1 College and Main, Bexley 43209 614-236-6011 capital.edu

8 Franklin University

201 S. Grant Ave., Columbus 43215 614-797-4700 franklin.edu

9 Ohio Wesleyan University 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware 43015 740-368-2000 owu.edu

10 Columbus College of Art & Design

60 Cleveland Ave., Columbus 43215 614-224-9101 • ccad.edu

UNDERGRADUATE TUITION

FALL 2021-22 ENROLLMENT

FACULTY MEMBERS

Undergraduate

Total

Out-of-state

Graduate

% full-time faculty

Net tuition*

47,106

6,272

$8.1 b

14,571

74%

$11,936 $35,019 $18,884

25,147

1,381

$160.1 m

25%

$5,038 $10,304 $6,348

$5.4 m

David Harrison

2,727

171

$8.1 b

All degrees are granted through OSU main campus

30%

$8,550 $31,633 $14,891

$6.8 b

William MacDonald

2,655

187

$22.7 m

31%

$4,896 $7,656 $9,342

2,321

283

$135.1 m

77%

$57,500 $57,500 $39,808

$1.1 b

Adam Weinberg

2,253

334

wnd

Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral

352

42%

$45,672 $45,672 $23,229

wnd

John Comerford

2,090

346

$67.1 m

730

44%

$38,928 $38,928 $19,970

Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, education licensure

1,874

410

935

13%

1,340

154

65%

982

174

34%

In-state

$12,338 $12,338 $7,658

ENDOWMENT

$6.8 b

$4.3 m

$137.1 m $53 m $108 m

DEGREES GRANTED TOP OFFICER Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, various certificates

Kristina Johnson Associate

Associate

John Berry Bachelor’s

Dave Kaufman Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, certificates and microcredentials

David Decker

$48,272 $48,272 $26,628

$55.8 m

Bachelor’s

$307 m

Rock Jones

$36,500 $36,500 $27,847

$45.3 m

Bachelor’s, master’s

$17.6 m

Melanie Corn

The CEO Leaderboard features selected topics each month. The March Leaderboard will feature online degree programs. The deadline for inclusion in that survey is Jan. 10. If you want your company to be considered for an upcoming CEO Leaderboard, contact Linda Deitch at ldeitch@columbusCEO.com. Information included in this survey was provided by schools listed and was not independently verified. Average net price is generated by subtracting the average amount of federal, state/local government, or institutional grant or scholarship aid from the total cost of attendance, which includes room and board.

068-069_Leaderboard_Colleges.indd 69

2021-22 OPERATING BUDGET

*Source: 2019-20 National Center for Education Statistics, nces.ed.gov (latest available) m=million, b=billion, na=not applicable, wnd=would not disclose Source: Survey of colleges and universities Information compiled by LINDA DEITCH

December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

11/18/21 10:36 AM

Services: Corporate Credit Card Services* Merchant, Payroll and Remote Deposit Services

Services for our Employees:

telhio.org telhio.org

Telhio is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or goes to school in Franklin, Fairfield, Delaware, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, Union, Hamilton, Warren, Butler and Preble counties. Additional coverage up to $250,000 provided by Excess Share Insurance Corporation, a licensed insurance company. Federally insured by NCUA.

* The creditor and issuer of these Cards is Elan Financial Services, pursuant to separate licenses from Visa U.S.A. Inc., MasterCard International Incorporated, and American Express. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. American Express is a federally registered service mark of American Express.

070-071_Leaderboards_CreditUnion.indd 70

11/18/21 10:37 AM

COLUMBUS REGION CREDIT UNIONS Ranked by 2020 Columbus region shares and deposits

CREDIT UNION 1 Kemba Financial Credit Union 555 Officenter Place, Gahanna 43230 800-282-6420 • kemba.org

2 Telhio Credit Union 96 N. 4th St., Columbus 43230 614-221-3233 telhio.org

3 BMI Federal Credit Union 6165 Emerald Parkway, Dublin 43106 614-707-4000 • bmifcu.org

4 Pathways Financial Credit Union 5665 N. Hamilton Road, Columbus 43230 614-416-7588 • pathwayscu.com

5 Wright-Patt Credit Union 860 W. Third Ave., Columbus 43212 800-762-0047 • wpcu.coop

6 TrueCore Federal Credit Union 215 Deo Drive, Newark 43055 740-345-6608 • truecore.org

7 Credit Union of Ohio 5500 Britton Parkway, Hilliard 43026 614-487-6650 cuofohio.org

8 Hopewell Federal Credit Union 501 Hopewell Drive, Heath 43056 740-522-8311 • hopewellfcu.org

Bridge Credit Union 1980 W. Broad St., Columbus 43223 800-434-7300 • bridgecu.org

COLUMBUS REGION FTES*

2020 COLUMBUS REGION SHARES AND DEPOSITS

2020 ASSETS

2020 LOANS

$1.4 billion

$1.7 billion

$1.1 billion

260

$823.6 million

$948.9 million

$702.4 million

208

$490.3 million

$606.1 million

$386.7 million

$334.9 million

$506.8 million

$308.8 million

110

$222.2 million

$782.7 million

$778.6 million

105

$174.4 million

$201.5 million

$119.9 million

$126.9 million

$193.4 million

$73.7 million

$110.2 million

$119.6 million

$65.8 million

$91.5 million

$105.8 million

$72.5 million

BRANCHES

10 10 5 6 7 4 4 3 1

070-071_Leaderboards_CreditUnion.indd 71

NUMBER OF MEMBERS

TOP OFFICER IN COLUMBUS REGION

115,099

Mark Decello

68,792

Leslie Bumgarner

40,457

William Allender

51,627

Michael Shafer

52,997

Todd Elliott

16,624

Jason Hall

21,000

Richard Capuano Jr.

8,158

Christopher Simmons

11,424

Jarod Bach

President & CEO

CEO

Market president

President

CEO

President & CEO

*FTEs = Full-time equivalent employees Source: Survey of credit unions Information compiled by LINDA DEITCH

December 2021 l ColumbusCEO

11/18/21 10:38 AM

Office Space By JESS DEYO + Photos by ROB HARDIN

Path Robotics 528 Maier Place Columbus Ohio 43215 path-robotics.com

The robotics company’s office is just as savvy as its autonomous welding technology.

Modern spaces The Scioto Audubon Metro Park office features an inviting lobby, plenty of meeting nooks and room to demo latest innovations to clients. Creating solutions Founders Alex (left) and Andy Lonsberry standing with a robotic welding cell.

Room to grow There’s plenty of space for Path’s robots and 200+ employees to continue learning. First deployment Wall art pays homage to early success, since evolved.

Visit columbusCEO.com for a full article on the space.

72 ColumbusCEO l December 2021

072_OfficeSpace.indd 72

Columbus, then the world The Columbus office is modest compared to Andy’s end goal: Become the world’s largest manufacturing company.

11/18/21 12:25 PM

Leading healthcare

forward

Congratulations Mike Kaufmann, CEO of the Year and all of this year’s Columbus CEO honorees Here’s to you, Mike — to your vision, your grit and your unmatched energy as we work to become healthcare’s most trusted partner. Cardinal Health is proud of the culture of equity, sustainability and innovation we’re building together, powered by our mission to improve the health of communities in Central Ohio and around the world.

cardinalhealth.com

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11/17/21 4:09 PM

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11/17/21 4:09 PM