Columbus CEO - December 2020 issue

Downtown energy

Economic pulse

The building’s not stopping in the urban core.

Checking in with business leaders on what they see for 2021.

Page 22

Page 52

Andy Rose Worthington Industries’ new leader is future focused.

Page 8

CEOs across the region voted on the best among them. Five creative, caring leaders emerged.

Page 37

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Engineers, Surveyors, Planners, Scientists

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Sandy Doyle-Ahern CEO of the Year Companies up to 500 Employees

The staff, clients, and friends of EMH&T wish to thank Sandy for her commitment to outstanding leadership in everything she does.

This is a well-deserved recognition!

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Contents

Departments 05 Editor’s Note Saying goodbye to the mother of Columbus CEO.

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

64 Home Office Space: Michelle Heritage

Awards

2020

The Community Shelter Board executive director’s Short North dining room office.

37

We asked Columbus region executives to choose the best among them. Five forward-thinking leaders rose to the top.

52

Economic forecast

Business leaders who took our annual survey shared what conditions they see ahead in 2021.

December 2020 Cover illustration by

Yogesh Chaudhary Photos by

Rob Hardin On Cover: From left,

Brett Kaufman of Kaufman Development, Christie Angel of YWCA Columbus, Alex Timm of Root Insurance, Angel Harris of Dress for Success Columbus and Sandy Doyle-Ahern of EMH&T. December 2020 l ColumbusCEO

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

ColumbusCEO.com

VOLUME 29 / NUMBER 11 Columbus Site Manager

Alan D. Miller

Publisher/General Manager

Ray Paprocki E ditorial

EDITOR

Katy Smith CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Jeff Bell, Rebecca Walters

Angel Harris

07 Breakdown How holiday shoppers are feeling.

08 Profile: Right guy, right time With long-held ties to the McConnell family, new CEO Andy Rose is using private equity experience to lead Worthington Industries into the future.

08

De s i g n & P roduct ion

PRODUCTION/DESIGN DIRECTOR

Craig Rusnak ART DIRECTOR

Yogesh Chaudhary

18

Digital

EDITOR

Julanne Hohbach

18 Spotlight: Nonprofit

ASSISTANT DIGITAL EDITOR

Dress for Success goes mobile to empower women and girls.

Brittany Moseley

Cu stom Cont ent

PROJECT MANAGER

20 Spotlight: Innovation

P h otogra p hy

Norwegian tech company plants its flag in Columbus.

Emma Frankart Henterly PHOTO EDITOR

Tim Johnson Associate photo editor

Rob Hardin

Andy Rose

Adv e rt ising

Vice President of Sales

Chris Pettograsso Sales Director

Holly Beardsley Senior Multimedia Sales Executives

Holly Gallucci, Susan Kendall Multimedia Sales Executives

Tia Hardman, Jackie Thiam CLASSIFIED SALES

Amy Vidrick

SALES ASSISTANTs

Veronica Hill, Lori Lester, Heather Smits Mark et ing

MARKETING MANAGER

Lauren Reinhard

13 Briefing Retail insider acquires design house; airport CEO on the hope for a new terminal.

14 Tech Talk Twins Maya and Mica Caine have a new women’s clothing app that is a perfect fit for shoppers.

ADVERTISING

Developers still like Columbus’ urban core even in the midst of a pandemic.

24 CEO Corner Barb Smoot, Betsy Pandora and Matt Habash say the pandemic has helped their organizations sharpen their focus.

In-Depth

16 Spotlight: Small Business

26 Senior Living Guide

Entrepreneur Sonya Trent-Pellom helps customers enjoy some of the finer things in life.

A roundup of Columbus region communities and facilities.

PRESS RELEASES

pressreleases@columbusceo.com

22 Spotlight: Commercial Real Estate

16

Advertising Section

advertise@columbusceo.com Columbus CEO (ISSN 1085-911X) is published monthly by Gannett. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted © Gannett Co., Inc. 2020, 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, 62 E. Broad St., P.O. Box 1289, Columbus, OH 43216.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Sonya TrentPellom

(Inserted after page 28)

Toll Free: 877-688-8009

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NOMINATE NOW FOR THE NINTH 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.

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

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Editor’s Notes * ksmith@ColumbusCEO.com

S

The mother of Columbus CEO

usan Kendall’s first day as the new advertising manager for Columbus CEO was Feb. 4, 1998, soon after CM Media founder Max Brown bought it from an outfit in Indianapolis.

“It was very quiet. Meaning for the most part, they didn’t have a whole lot of business,” Kendall says.

Back then, it was Columbus C.E.O., with the periods after the letters, mind you, and its editor was Herb Cook Jr., who I had the pleasure of working with on one of my early stories for this magazine, which I wrote in 2006 as a freelancer.

(It won an award for best technology writing in Ohio.

Thanks, Herb.)

Cook was the first of seven, possibly eight, editors who have led the magazine up to this point, including me.

In that time, CEO has had editorial assistants, assistant editors, associate editors, contributing editors, staff writers, a managing editor for a few years, designers, photographers and many freelance writers, probably in the neighborhood of 100 of them. It has lived in three office buildings—first, the CM Media compound at 5255-57 Sinclair Road that also housed Columbus Monthly, Suburban News Publications and The Other Paper, with a printing plant in the back. The assets of CM Media were sold in 2007 to American Community Newspapers I of Dallas before the company’s longtime rival, the Dispatch Printing Company, purchased the Columbus publications four years later and moved them to the offices of The Columbus Dispatch at 34 S. Third St. Downtown. Yet one more sale ensued in 2015. GateHouse Media of upstate New York bought The Dispatch and Dispatch Magazines (among other properties) and we headed to 62 E. Broad St., our current office space (which is sitting relatively empty since we are all working from home now). A year ago, GateHouse acquired Gannett and took its name, forming the largest newspaper company in the United States and causing another cascade of staffing shifts as the two companies figure out how they fit together.

So much change. So many people who came and

eventually left. The constant?

Susan Kendall.

I think of Susan as the mother of Columbus CEO, the one who has spent the past two decades-plus talking her way into ad contracts, coming up with new magazine initiatives and pretty much selling enough advertising to keep everybody else in their jobs.

Upbeat, enterprising, entrepreneurial Susan. I have been privileged to work with and learn from her these past two years, which, as it turns out, are her last with the magazine.

She retires Dec. 1.

“Susan brought tremendous energy, commitment, professionalism and dedication to help turn CEO into today’s award-winning and valued resource that so many in the Central Ohio business community rely on for its unique perspective,” says Ray Paprocki, publisher and general manager of Dispatch Susan Kendall Magazines, who has been her coworker in various capacities for most of her tenure with Columbus CEO. “Her career is marked by a relentless drive to serve her clients well, some of whom she’s had relationships with for close to 30 years. It’s also distinguished by a consistent record of success—hitting goals, finding new advertisers, transitioning to all things digital, and much more. And yet she never stopped worrying about whether the next issue’s goal could be met.”

Susan, we won’t be the same without you. Enjoy a fun, adventurous retirement—you have earned it.

Katy Smith, Editor December 2020 l ColumbusCEO

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The stories not told anywhere else.

columbusalive.com

the Arts the Eats the Community and more

@columbusalive

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Stay up to date by signing up for our newsletter

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Breakdown Compiled by katy smith + Infographic by Yogesh Chaudhary

$619

8 in 10

Amount Columbus consumers say they’re spending on holiday shopping this year, a decrease from last year at $669 and above the U.S. average spend of $539 this year.

Columbus shoppers say they’ll be doing their holiday shopping online this year, and 57 percent plan to minimize in-store shopping to protect essential workers.

Shopping for values

62%

Columbus consumers are planning to shop with local retailers to support them.

44%

Columbus shoppers supporting minority-owned businesses and retailers that support the Black Lives Matter movement (46%).

31%

Columbus shoppers donating to charity in lieu of gifts

Source: 2020 Holiday Shopping City Booster study by Accenture, October 2020

Where and how much they’re spending An October study by Accenture across 16 U.S. metros including Columbus found shoppers are in the mood to buy many of their holiday gifts online to stay safe during the pandemic. Shoppers also shared a desire to support local and minority-owned businesses and retailers that support the Black Lives Matter movement.

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profile

By Steve Wartenberg + Photos by rob hardin

Andy Rose President and CEO

Worthington Industries Age: 50 In position since: Sept. 1, 2020 Employees/revenue: 7,500/$3.1B in FY 2020 Previous: Chief financial officer, 2008-18, and president, 2018-present, Worthington Industries; MCG Capital Corp., 2007-08; founding partner, Peachtree Equity Partners, 2002-07; vice president of private equity, Wachovia Capital Associates, 1996-2002 Education: Bachelor’s degree in business

administration, University of North Carolina, 1992; MBA, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 1996

Resides: Upper Arlington Family: Daughters Hannah, 20, and Sydney, 18

Deal maker Andy Rose brought an offbeat background to a nearly 70-year-old steel manufacturing stalwart.

His private equity prowess promises to take Worthington Industries into the future.

D

estiny is an often-overused word. So, let’s just say it seems fateful Andy Rose was named CEO of Worthington Industries on Sept. 1, becoming the first non-McConnell to lead the local steel manufacturing giant since it was founded in 1955.

You be the judge.

“My grandfather [Mic McDaniel] and Mr. Mac [John H. McConnell, the founder of Worthington Industries, who died in 2008] went to high school together, Chester High School in West Virginia,” Rose says. “They

Andy Rose

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played football together. My grandfather was student council president, and Mr. Mac was vice president.” The two remained friends all their lives.

Rose’s father, Dick Rose, worked for Worthington Industries for several years in the early 1970s, in the plant and in purchasing.

The teenaged Rose became enamored with the stock market and, of course, had some Worthington Industries stock in his growing portfolio.

“My grandfather was a stockholder, he believed in Mr. Mac from the early days of the company, and we benefitted from that,” he says. Rose says it’s hard to determine how much he’s made over the years from that initial stock, as it’s split and multiplied several times. Selling shares “helped me buy my first house,” he says.

On second thought, perhaps the word destiny might be appropriate.

Taking over for John P. McConnell, who succeeded his father as CEO in 1993, leaves a couple of pairs of rather large shoes to fill. But Rose seems poised to continue the company’s steady growth and the modernization and diversification plan launched by the second McConnell.

“I guess I’m blessed in that I don’t feel this massive burden or pressure” in being the first non-McConnell to lead the company, Rose says. “But I will tell you I have the utmost respect for the McConnells, and I’m highly motivated to help this amazing company continue to be successful.”

Private equity Rose was born in Columbus but grew up in the South, as his stepfather worked in pharmaceuticals and was transferred several times. Rose was a business major at the University of North Carolina, worked a few years at JPMorgan Chase, then earned an MBA at Duke University in 1996 and turned his sights to what he loved best: private equity.

“I love the risk-return aspect of investing capital,” Rose says.

He was recruited by Charlotte, North Carolina-based Wachovia National Bank and placed in the Atlanta office working on mergers and acquisitions and raising capital. “But they were also starting up a private equity group, and my goal was to work hard and beg and plead to get into that business,” Rose says.

His persistent pestering paid off.

“One of the guys [in the group] told me this guy had screwed up a financial model, can you redo it by Monday,” Rose says. “I did and they said, why don’t you work in our group for six months and see how it works out?”

Six months turned into five years.

And then, in September 2001, First Union, which also was based in Charlotte, completed a merger with Wachovia. “[First Union] had a private equity division 10 times our size, and they kicked us out,” Rose says. Undaunted, Rose and three others from the defunct division “convinced Goldman Sachs to back us, and they wrote us a $110 million check to buy our existing portfolio and do new investments.”

The new private equity firm was called Peachtree Equity Partners.

“To me, the thing that made Andy good at private equity, and now at Worthington, is he takes a very measured approach and is very analytical and thoughtful,” says David Christopher, another of the Peachtree founding partners. “He really understood cash flow and management teams.”

Learning what works Professionals in private equity get to take a close look at hundreds of companies and the executive teams who run them. In good times and bad.

“You learn there are thousands of ways to make money—and lose money,” Rose says. He did his due diligence and put together a checklist of the leadership qualities he admired and thought added up to success.

“The most important thing if you’re leading a company is to have the trust of the people you work with and work

The most important thing if you’re leading a company is to have the trust of the people you work with and work for you. If they don’t believe in you and the mission of the company, you’ll have a hard time motivating them.

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Q&A

No easing-in period for new Worthington Industries CEO Andy Rose—he’s steering the company through the pandemic and a shaky economy.

You were named CEO in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. What’s that been like, and how has Worthington adapted?

Early on, we spent a lot of time on safety protocols. Most of our businesses are essential. They kept operating and, if you look at our facilities, most of the jobs are spaced out. We have an amazing safety culture, and we approached Covid as a new hazard, how will we protect our people.

And then there’s the economic hardship caused by Covid.

That’s a different crisis. You don’t know where the bottom is, and you have to think three or four steps ahead, and that’s natural for me. [We’ve had to make many] human resources decisions, and those decisions are important in terms of our culture. Nobody likes laying people off.

How many people have you had to lay off?

About 5 percent. We’re sensitive to these people’s needs and treat them respectfully and give them a soft landing for what’s next, or we bring them back when the business supports it, and we have started bringing some folks back.

The company recently sold about a quarter of its stake in Nikola Corp. (a startup that focuses on zero-emission trucks) for $238 million. Why? We’ll invest in a startup if it makes sense, and Nikola turned out to be wildly successful. The reason we sold some of our shares is we’re not an investment company, we’re an operating company, we make things. To have [Nikola] on our balance sheets for a short period is fine, but for an extended period, it doesn’t make sense.

You announced that $20 million from the Nikola sale will go to fund the Worthington Industries Foundation. What’s your philosophy on philanthropy?

We believe in supporting worthwhile community causes, and about 1 percent of our annual profits have always gone back into the community. With the 1 percent and the $20 million, the thought was to create something more sustainable for generations that will grow and allow us to give more to the community.

for you,” Rose says. “If they don’t believe in you and the mission of the company, you’ll have a hard time motivating them. I also learned in private equity that some [CEOs] are super dynamic, great in front of people.

And then you meet [other CEOs], and they’re quiet and a little introverted.”

Most people, he says, mistakenly assume the first type of leader is the better leader. This isn’t always the case.

“Sometimes the quiet and reserved people know how to lead and run a business. You can build the respect of your team and employees both ways,” Rose says.

The McConnells are an example of the two different types of leadership, according to Rose.

“Mr. Mac had a more out-in-front leadership style, and John P. is a little more reserved,” he says. “But, when John P. decides to get up and speak, he’s one of the most dynamic speakers I’ve been around.”

As for Rose, he says he’s a combination of the two styles. “I’m not a limelight seeker who wants to be out

in front of thousands of people, but I’m comfortable with it. My style of leadership is much more to hire great people and let them do their thing and trust that they’ll do the right thing. But of course, you have to guide them.”

Coming to Worthington Industries Rose had no plans to return to Columbus or leave private equity. But then there’s that popular business expression: Man makes plans, and the stock market laughs.

He left Peachtree in 2007 to start a second private equity company within the publicly traded MCG Capital Corp., which is based in Arlington, Virginia. It was not a great time to launch a private equity venture as the Great Recession was pulling the economy into its turbulent depths. “We got our first deal funded and [MCG] said ‘We’re out of money,’ ” Rose says. “I had a mortgage and two kids and had to figure out what I was going to do.”

A call came in from Columbus—

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John P. McConnell was asking him to come up to Worthington Industries to talk. “He said, we’ll find a place to plug you in,” Rose says. But he wasn’t interested in being plugged in, and quickly turned his sights to the open CFO position at the company. This is a position that usually goes to an accountant or the company’s controller. Plus, Rose had never worked for a publicly traded company. But remember, he’s persistent. And determined.

Rose bought and studied a copy of the CFO Financial Leadership Manual and realized he had many of the skills required of the job, and that his private equity background could be a plus. “The most important role of the CFO is to allocate capital and invest it for the future,” he says. “And that’s what I did.”

Worthington Industries hired Bob McMaster as a consultant and to help lead the search for a new CFO. He championed Rose. “I talked to a bunch of candidates with the traditional CFO background,” McMaster says. “But, I thought of Worthington as a small holding company with a number of different businesses, and

what intrigued me about Andy was his private equity background. His real expertise was in buying and selling companies. I talked to John [about hiring Andy], and he was moderately surprised, given his background. I told him Andy comes from a business where if he doesn’t do deals, he’s out of a job. And if he does bad deals, he’s out of a job. John said that made good sense.”

Asked to describe Rose, McMaster, who became his mentor, says he’s collaborative, thoughtful, straightforward and “has a good bedside manner.”

Soon after he accepted the CFO job, Rose and McMaster had dinner together. “I told him, it’s like you have a rocket tied to your back, and it’s a question of whether you’ll launch or explode,” McMaster says. “Obviously, he launched very well.”

Day one disaster Actually, day one included a launch pad implosion. The day began with McConnell and the senior leaders deciding to announce “a $100 million inventory write-down because steel prices had plummeted,” Rose

says. “That was a real eye-opener for me. [I immediately] got all the bank agreements—I needed to protect the balance sheet and preserve cash.”

Worthington weathered the economic hurricane better than many manufacturing and steel-producing companies, and it was able to make several acquisitions in the years coming out of the Great Recession that have paid off. “Warren Buffett has a saying: Be greedy when others are fearful, and be fearful when others are greedy,” Rose says.

Those were also the early days of a transformation plan implemented by McConnell that focused on three main areas: the steel-producing business, cylinders and the WAVE partnership with Armstrong to produce ceiling grid systems. “Each is about one third of our business,” Rose says.

In that pursuit, John P. McConnell quickly became a mentor for Rose.

“I remember Andy telling me how impressed he was by how much [McConnell] thinks about making sure the employees are taken care of and motivated to succeed,” Christopher says.

“Coming from private equity,

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that’s something we don’t think about as much.”

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Rose was named president of Worthington Industries in 2018, and CEO two years later. “Andy is a good listener, approachable and is open minded,” John P. McConnell says of his successor. “He has a way of sorting through all the information and opinions to identify the best path forward.

He’s earned the trust of the board, the investment community and our employees, and I’m confident that he’ll do a great job leading Worthington through its next phase of growth.”

As he looks ahead, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturn, Rose believes Worthington Industries is positioned to get greedy in a strategic manner. “If we don’t [acquire companies], I would be very disappointed,” he says. “We have a better balance sheet today than we’ve ever had in my tenure here.”

Opportunities most likely will be in the cylinder business, led in part by the surging popularity of home baking and creme brulee, the custard dessert in which a culinary hand torch is used to caramelize the top layer of sugar, creating a crispy crust.

“We’re developing a lot of new products, and it’s no longer a cylinder business, it’s a consumer products business.” Rose says. “There’s been a big time increase in gas-grill cylinders, Coleman cylinders and even hand torches are up year over year.”

Learning on the job The past several months have been a learning experience for Rose as he leads Worthington Industries through another tough economic time and the Covid-19 pandemic.

And, when he needs a little inspiration, he looks to his predecessor.

“John P. is a great mentor,” Rose says. “I used to think the CEO made all the decisions because they’re at the top. But John P. allows his leadership team to have input into strategy.

And, the reality is, with a company of our size, you can’t make all the decisions. So, you have to hire all the right people and let them make a lot of decisions and then get involved in the big decisions.”

Steve Wartenberg is a freelance writer.

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briefing

By Katy Smith

Inside the retail machine

Photo courtesy ASSET STRATEGIES GROUP

A well-known store design house has been acquired by a complementary partner.

S

teve Morris has been in the world of retail for decades, working for some of the nation’s largest chains including L Brands before launching Asset Strategies Group in 2002 to tend to companies’ real estate needs.

Asset Strategies negotiates deals, administers leases, and, as its name suggests, works with retailers on real estate strategy: Own or lease?

And in which locations? With the recent acquisition of store design consultancy Chute Gerdeman and its 18 employees, the combined company now offers clients the full range of retail real estate services.

Morris knew the firm’s founders, Elle Chute and Denny Gerdeman, who in 2017 sold it to FCB Chicago, a marketing firm. When they heard the company might again be for sale, they

Steve Morris tipped Morris, who moved on the opportunity. “It was pretty compact—I gave them a letter of intent about 4th of July, and we had 60 days to finalize the deal. It was a favorable financial deal. The way it was structured for us took a lot of risk out of it, so we’re happy, they’re happy,” Morris says, who praised Chute Gerdeman’s stable of talented designers. Terms are not being disclosed.

Chute Gerdeman will retain its name and operate as a subsidiary of ASG, which is set up under the

employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, model. Gerdeman has joined its board of directors.

Another of Morris’ projects the past two years has been CBUS Retail, a professional group for people in the retail sector. It recently launched a webcast called “The Covid Chronicles,” detailing the twists and turns mall-based specialty retail—think Abercrombie, Victoria’s Secret—is going through during the pandemic. It can be found at cbusretail.org.

hope lives for New airport terminal system” because of support from business and political leaders, even though traffic is 1/3 of what it was in 2019.

File/Columbus Dispatch/FRED SQUILLANTE

Even as traffic has plummeted at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport this year because of the coronavirus pandemic—for example, 65,000 travelers were expected to depart the airport over the Thanksgiving holiday, compared with 160,000 last year—officials continue to think of the future.

Columbus Regional Airport Authority CEO Joe Nardone said during a recent Columbus Chamber CEO Insights conversation with Colleen Marshall that “we feel as confident as we ever have about being an airport

John Glenn Columbus International Airport

Though passenger ratings of the airport are good, “Columbus is a terrific city that deserves a new terminal, and this terminal

is old,” Nardone said during the Nov. 19 virtual event. “That being said, we need money, and Covid certainly has set us back.”

Ten years from now, Nardone says he expects there will be a new Columbus airport. “I think this city deserves a very nice architectural gem of an airport terminal. I am confident we can deliver that, provided we can get the airlines on board.”

Nardone says he’d like to work with local design, construction and engineering firms on the project, which is currently estimated at $1.5 billion.

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Tech talk

Sisters launching Mive to fix fashion App will connect women with better-fitting garments that reflect individual taste.

A

soon-to-launch online fashion market combines technology and social appeal to chart a new style of shopping for women’s fashion.

Fashion frustrations sparked the idea for Mive in Columbus twin sisters Mica and Maya Caine. Mall shopping is cookie-cutter and limited, they found. Young women prefer the unique fashion statements available through global online shopping, but that has its drawbacks, too. Clothes often do not fit. It can be difficult to return things.

Maya, a digital business strategy analyst for Bath & Body Works, and Mica, a project manager for Ready

Mive Mive.fashion Co-founders: Maya and Mica Caine Business: App-based women’s apparel marketplace Investment to date: $50,000

Robotics, decided to fix the online shopping situation themselves.

They came up with Mive, which will launch in January as an IOS app that acts as a marketplace curated to a shopper’s style and body shape. The app and membership are free.

Mive will focus on a user review platform with photos of garments in various body shapes and what Maya Caine calls “curation from digital styling.”

“Think of it like a playlist. We allow you to create your own shareable look, a drag-and-drop outfit canvas to build the perfect look, down to accessories,” she says. “You can add your friends to collaborate on looks—‘Hey girl, what do you think about this?’ ” Shoppers create a profile that includes individual measurements, which are captured from user uploaded photos. “You’re not just a size 14 or 6,” Maya says. Mive also will focus on a stable of brands that offer extended sizing as, they say, there is a real demand in the market.

The pair says the collaborative aspect is critical based on research confirming their experience of women being very social about their shopping, whether in person or Facetiming from a fitting room for advice.

Additionally, the Mive marketplace will focus on slow fashion— investment-worthy garments shoppers will keep in their closets for years, not just a season. The Caines feel strongly about supporting unique, planet-friendly designs that won’t be discarded quickly.

“The amount of garments produced

Courtesy Mive

By Cynthia Bent Findlay

Maya and Mica Caine

in the retail fashion industry causes so much harm to the planet. They’re not recycled well,” Mica says.

Research shows shoppers are increasingly aware of the planetary costs of the fashion industry. The McKinsey State of Fashion report found sustainability will be the single biggest challenge and opportunity for the industry.

Almost two-thirds of consumers are self-proclaimed “belief-driven buyers” who will choose a brand—or not—based on its stance on societal issues, according to the report.

“We are making slow fashion brands accessible and curating a circular fashion system all in one, fun, personalized app,” Mica says.

The sisters have been building the idea since 2018, gained a pair of small investors, and recently doubled their money with a pair of grants. In October, the pair won $10,000 in the Essence magazine Making Moves Now Virtual Pitch Competition.

And Mive won a $20,000 grant from AEO Inc.’s AerieREAL Changemaker program in August.

Cynthia Bent Findlay is a freelance writer.

Smart Work study says data should drive programs A Smart Columbus-led working group wrapped a study begun in 2019 with six recommendations for job growth in smart cityrelated industries.

Smart Columbus partnered with the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio, the

United Way of Central Ohio and Ohio State University’s Ohio Education Research Center.

The study, Fast Forward: The Future of Smart Work in Central Ohio, looked at trends in industry automation and workforce job losses and skill gaps. It came

up with a series of steps the Columbus region community should take to close those gaps and deliver education and credentials to empower workers and innovation.

The recommendations center on using data to analyze real-

time employer needs and create more nimble access to relevant, continuous, competency-based training and credentialing of local workforces, as well as better coordination of job seekers and provision of wrap-around services.

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spotlight

By Virginia Brown + Photo by rob hardin

Small Business

The finer things Sonya Trent-Pellom, owner of Exquisite Wines & Cigars, wants to share her taste for elegance with the community.

S

onya Trent-Pellom’s grandfather taught her how to work.

Though he ran his own sort of business—he was a bootlegger during Prohibition—it was his deep work ethic as a homebuilder and mill worker that stands out.

“Your work is an extension of who you are,” he’d tell her.

Today, the 51-year-old Ohio University graduate is the owner of Exquisite Wine & Cigars, an online wine, cigar, coffee and tea retailer and event consulting company. She points to her grandfather for piquing her interest in entrepreneurship.

“I grew up watching my mother and my grandmother make wine. I always carried that with me.”

Sonya Trent-Pellom, owner, Exquisite

Wines and Cigars

Exquisite Wines and Cigars exquisitewinesandcigars.com

Business: Online wine and cigar retailer Founder: Sonya Trent-Pellom Employees: 2 Annual revenue: Would not disclose

Sonya Trent-Pellom Her love for the finer things? That came from her grandmother and mother. Trent-Pellom’s grandmother taught her the importance of appearance at an early age. Even though she spent her younger years in the rural town of Bloomingburg, Ohio— ”My high school was literally in the middle of a corn field,” she says, being a tomboy was unacceptable.

“She always told us, ‘You never know who you’re going to meet,’ ” Trent-Pellom says. Wine came culturally, too. “I grew up watching my mother and my grandmother make wine,” she says.

A business takes shape Trent-Pellom started Exquisite Wines & Cigars in 2013 as a distribution business. “I loved meeting new people and going to different places, to different wineries,” she says.

And then she hit a niche: private parties. From law firms to homebuilders, the clients kept calling.

When companies needed gifts for

executives or planned luxury home tours, Exquisite stepped in and created custom, high-end experiences.

With hand-selected wines at the bar, Macanudo handmades at a cigar table, someone to cut cigars for guests, and menu pairings, Exquisite events started gaining traction.

“Some of your clients are your clients because they love you and what you provide,” she says. “You provide a good vibe, and people will be attracted to that.”

Phyllis Jensen met Trent-Pellom at a networking event about six years ago. They hit it off and, since then, Jensen, who works as a new home consultant for M/I Homes, has hired Exquisite Wines for multiple events and specialty gifts. “Sonya has been a pleasure to work with,” says Jensen.

Not only did her clients love the wine Trent-Pellom provided, Jensen says, “She would give them information on how to choose a wine, and offer some of her knowledge of what goes well with what, if you’re new to wine.”

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She loved sharing that knowledge, and Trent-Pellom, who’s now training to become a sommelier, also felt a deeper mission: to share her understanding of wine and the finer points of culture with the Black community.

“Wine has never been a part of the urban setting and culture,” she says.

“Everybody drank moscato, of course, and acceptable wines that didn’t require a great palate.” What about malbecs and merlots?

Also, of the country’s racial injustice, Trent-Pellom adds, “With all of the things being uncovered, we have gotten away from seeing the beauty.

We have some of the best wineries in Africa, South Africa specifically, and it was important for me to share that part of our culture.”

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Entering new territory

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#deliverblackdreamscbus

The Deliver Black Dreams initiative launched with a new 3,500 sq. ft. mural along Fifth Ave. just west of Cleveland Ave. Seen here, after completing the mural in two days: Sheri Neale, Hakim Callwood, Tyiesha Radford Shorts, Shelbi HarrisRoseboro, Marshall Shorts, Lisa McLymont (lead artist and mural designer) and Marcus William Billingsley.

DELIVER BLACK DREAMS Columbus is a community effort led by the MAROON ARTS GROUP in collaboration with ArtUnitesCBUS

Promotional support from:

DELIVERBLACKDREAMSCBUS.COM

Visit GCAC.org/artunitescbus for more public art initiatives.

Additional support provided by Grange Insurance and 5th Ave. Lumber

Photos by Lacey Luce

Trent-Pellom starts each day at 4:30 a.m. “I’m a Virgo, so I’m high-energy,” she says. “I’ve always been an early riser.” Still, coffee was never a part of her routine until recently.

“During the pandemic, [private events] snuffed out,” she says. “Everyone is very regulated and guarded.”

With that element of the business having evaporated, Exquisite needed a new focus.

In March, a friend from Georgia called. Her partner had just backed out of an investment in a coffee and tea company, and would Trent-Pellom be interested. She took a risk.

Exquisite now offers 21 gourmet coffee flavors and 13 types of loose-leaf tea. They also retail for Zalto—luxury, handmade German stemware and wine glasses—and Monin syrups.

Future plans include a brick-andmortar store. Her dream is the space would also offer free art classes for children led by local artists.

Trent-Pellom still hears her grandmother in herself today. “I tell people, Don’t wear raggedy leggings in my house,” she says, “Wear something nice.” That interest in fashion, she thinks, will be the next focus, especially on attire for women over 40.

But looking back on seven years, what Trent-Pellom says she’s most proud of is building something solid.

“When I’m gone, my daughter can run it with no problem.”

Virginia Brown is a freelance writer.

December 2020 l ColumbusCEO

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spotlight

By Donna Marbury + Photo by rob hardin

Nonprofit

Beyond the suit Dress for Success is taking its workforce programs mobile to reach women where they are during the pandemic.

T

he Dress for Success Columbus mobile career center is the newest way the organization is reaching women and girls, meeting them where they are in Central Ohio communities.

One of the first things they will notice is Tasha Smith’s bright, smiling face. A four-year volunteer, Smith is prominently displayed on the tourbus sized career center that launched in August 2020. “The first time I saw it, it knocked me off my feet,” says Smith. “They honored me by putting my face on the mobile unit, but they don’t realize how much they’ve changed my life.”

Four years ago, Smith came to Dress for Success as a new college graduate. Going in to update her wardrobe for a new job, she realized the organization had more to offer than work clothes. “Volunteering for DFS gave me the confidence to show my face and be proud that people knew my name,” Smith says.

The mobile career center offers computer access and a suit boutique.

Popping up outside of YWCA locations, family shelters and shopping centers, the goal is to reach 1,000 women in the next 12 months.

“The mobile unit is a game changer,” Smith says. “We can bring the career center and boutique services to women who don’t have the transportation or just can’t get away.”

In its 14th year, this year Dress for Success is exceeding $1 million in annual revenue for the first time. The accomplishment comes as financial insecurity skyrockets amid the Covid-19 pandemic, increasing demand for the organization’s services.

At its Short North location, suiting has been replaced by Empowerment2Go boxes filled with clothing and accessories. Workforce development programs went virtual.

More than 1,200 women and girls have been served by the organization in 2020, says Angel Harris, executive director since 2018 after nearly two decades at United Way. “We have the support of our board of directors, who decided to take a bold step to recommit our efforts to our community and to our women,” Harris says. “Suiting will always be our focus, but workforce development programs will make sure women feel confident.”

Two fundraising events evolved in 2020. Beyond the Suit, held in October, offered an in-person Easton drive-in experience and a live Zoom.

Dine Drink Dress, a hybrid virtual and in-person happy hour held in August, raised $77,000 with 460 ticketed attendees.

“The pandemic has and continues to impact all of us. The parallel out-

“Suiting will always be our focus, but workforce development will make sure women feel confident.”

Angel Harris, executive director, Dress for Success

Dress for Success Columbus

1204 N. High St., Columbus 43201 dfscmh.org Mission: To empower women to achieve

economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and career tools.

Employees: Seven full-time staff, three part-

time staff and an average of 40 volunteers.

Revenue: $1.1 million

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come is the greater need for services at every level,” says Lucy SoaresDemelo, a board member and 10-year volunteer. “We pivoted to relook at all our programs.”

The organization added two programs to its workforce development offerings—a program for teens called Boss Girl, sponsored by CoverMyMeds and Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services; and Interviewing for Success, in partnership with Lane Bryant and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

Harris says 260 women are a part of the Interviewing for Success program, which offers one-on-one career coaching with 40 mentors from corporations including Nationwide, L Brands, Bob Evans and WesBanco.

Continuing to think “beyond the suit,” Dress for Success streamed Turning Mental Health into Everyday Conversations in October via Facebook Live featuring Achea Redd, mental health advocate.

Who’s moving and shaking this Week?

Find out when you become a Columbus Ceo insider sign-up today at ColumbusCeo.com

Donna Marbury is a freelance writer.

Angel Harris December 2020 l ColumbusCEO

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spotlight

By Peter Tonguette + Photo by ROB HARDIN

Innovation

Jennifer Brown

Meeting minder Norwegian tech startup Decisions has settled in Columbus as its U.S. home.

M

arketing executive Jennifer Brown has attended her share of unrewarding, unfocused and downright unproductive meetings.

“I know how bad meetings are,” says Brown, a Fairfield County native who, prior to joining the Norwegian tech startup Decisions, had worked in marketing positions for a variety of companies across the U.S., including General Motors and L Brands. “When I worked at an agency in New York, I used to joke that some days, I had 15 hours of meetings because people would double- and triple-book. Meetings are broken.”

Brown counts herself as a true believer in the mission of Decisions,

“At a time when we need to get rid of inefficiency where we can, meetings are just a really easy place to do that.”

Jennifer Brown, U.S. lead, Decisions

Decisions

Columbus staff currently working remotely meetingdecisions.com Business: Norway-based tech startup

producing an app that enhances meeting effectiveness

Employees: 30 total, 11 in Columbus Annual revenue: Would not disclose

which produces an app, known as an “add-in,” that pulls together Microsoft Office 365 programs including Teams, Outlook and Word to bring about more coherent, concise and creative meetings in companies large and small. “We find that pretty quickly, people see an increase in how attendees prepare for a meeting,” Brown says.

Brown, 40, also is a believer in her home state of Ohio. Since becoming Decisions’ chief marketing officer in 2018, she had been based in Oslo, Norway. When the four-year-old company, which also has a presence in Bengaluru, India, was looking to set down roots in North America— one of its biggest sources of clients and revenue—she didn’t hesitate in nominating Columbus.

“When you start getting into the

coastal cities, especially a tech company in Seattle and San Francisco and that area, you’re just a drop in the bucket,” says Brown, who sold her boss, founder and CEO Jorgen Solberg, on the virtues of Ohio’s capital city. Columbus’ lower cost of living enables the company to afford top talent here.

“It’s one of these up-and-coming areas where there is a good talent pool,” says Solberg, who had limited familiarity with Ohio but came to appreciate Columbus’ centralized location. “It’s a good alternative to being in Silicon Valley or New York.

It made sense for us.”

Decisions, which was valued at about $13.5 million following a recent private funding round, has become a multi-continental operation.

Its app lets employees enter meetings

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better prepared—one feature flags topics intended for discussion or decision—and leave with clearer goals.

Decisions’ business model is based on selling licenses to use the software as an add-on. The primary client targets are large enterprises who use the Microsoft Office 365 suite of tools—those clients have grown by 10 times in the past 18 months— but smaller companies are customers, too.

Revenue has quadrupled in each of the company’s three years since 2018, but it does not share its sales figures, Brown says.

Other companies produce what Brown describes as “one-off” apps— software that helps support, say, meeting minutes—but few offer the comprehensive approach of Decisions.

Brown says the company’s biggest competitor is Diligent, which made its name in producing software tailored to board of directors meetings.

Brown moved from Oslo to Columbus in September 2019 to launch Decisions’ U.S. presence. In January, newly hired workers moved into Regus offices in the PNC building Downtown.

Then the coronavirus sent those 11 local employees, who are mainly in sales and marketing, home.

Of course, the rest of the global business community by and large went home, too. The result? There was more interest than ever in simplifying and streamlining meetings, many now held via Zoom. “We’ve seen just an exponential growth in the interest, in downloads,” Brown says. Prior to the pandemic, Decisions had not sought to corner the market on virtual meetings, but for the foreseeable future, that’s how the app will be used.

Decisions recently declined to renew its lease Downtown, and when it does return to an office setting, it likely will be at the Idea Foundry coworking space. Brown envisions Columbus staff tripling in size within the next 12 months. “At a time when we need to get rid of inefficiency where we can, meetings are just a really easy place to do that,” Brown says.

For his part, Solberg is pleased with the choice to plant a flag in Columbus—and to have Brown lead the effort. “We’re quite happy with what Jennifer is doing in managing the team over there,” Solberg says.

Peter Tonguette is a freelance writer.

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spotlight

By Laura Newpoff + Photo by rob hardin

Commercial Real Estate

Downtown update Developers’ confidence in Columbus’ urban core remains strong.

I

n 2014, Brad DeHays decided to take on a real estate project that no other developer had pursued over a span of 40 years. He saw the Columbus Municipal Light Plant, originally constructed in the late 1890s, as an opportunity for his real estate development group to expand its footprint in the hot downtown Columbus office market.

At the time, the three-building structure at the west end of Nationwide Boulevard had been vacant since the city of Columbus stopped operating the coal-burning power plant in 1977. Surely, the founder of Connect Real Estate thought, a renovated structure that preserved the building’s unique features would be a draw for creative companies that wanted to make bold statements about their brands.

It didn’t take long for DeHays to be proven right.

“We are comfortable in leasing and maintaining smaller-footprint offices.

We would not be looking to enter new projects where speculative office space would be above 10,000 square feet until Covid-19 is behind us.”

Brad DeHays, Connect Real Estate

Brad DeHays With renovation of a 1903 portion of the structure complete in 2019, Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers opened a 16,000-square-foot showroom in the building and Red Architecture & Design took 9,000 square feet for its office. In early 2020, work began to renovate an adjacent sevenstory structure that will have 35,000 square feet of office space plus a parking structure.

Three months later, Covid-19 began washing across the country, prompting businesses to rapidly shift to remote work. Suddenly, Downtown Columbus became a ghost town. Not only did DeHays have new office space to lease, he also had a parking structure to fill.

“Major employers not being downtown puts a huge strain on retail, on hotels, but also on the parking assets Downtown,” DeHays says. “Until all the major employers return and

business travel starts to pick up, that trend is going to continue.”

DeHays considers Connect Real Estate and its partners on the project, Schiff Capital Group and GBX Group, fortunate, though. While they’re not rolling in parking dough, they have leased 23,000 square feet in the building that will open in the late spring.

“We are comfortable in leasing and maintaining smaller-footprint offices,” DeHays says. “We would not be looking to enter new projects where speculative office space would be above 10,000 square feet until Covid-19 is behind us.”

Residential stays hot The Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District keeps a master list of downtown projects that are completed, under construction and

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in the region. However, because of the amount of product released recently, especially in and near Downtown, rent incentives are more common.” The pandemic, he says, also has caused a slowdown in roommates looking for two-bedroom units, but this is likely true across the country.

What about hotels?

proposed. Through October, 11 projects were completed, the bulk of them mixed-use residential and retail. The 29 projects under construction mostly include a mix of office, office/retail and retail/residential. The 44 projects that are proposed are dominated by residential but also include office, transportation, parks and retail.

The pace of development over the past three or four years is much higher on average than what the city has seen over the previous 15 years, says Marc Conte, acting executive director of Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts.

“When I travel to other cities, especially cities of our size, I feel like our Downtown is probably five years behind everybody else,” Conte says.

The increased residential activity is good news for a region that needs more housing to keep up with population growth, he says.

Developer Brett Kaufman, CEO of Kaufman Development, says apartment buildings are still viable at the higher rents the city has been seeing in recent years. He’s going full steam ahead with residential projects like the mixed-use building on the site of an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers post in the Short North and his Gravity 2.0 project in Franklinton.

“The long-term future of Columbus residential remains very strong,” Kaufman said in an email response to questions. “We are seeing huge growth from companies like CoverMyMeds, Root (Insurance), Olive and others.

Covid has certainly impacted everyone, but residential has been steady and will continue to be strong for the foreseeable future.”

Rob Vogt of the market analysis firm Vogt Strategic Insights says despite Covid-19, “aggregate absorption of new units has remained fairly strong

Hotels have been hit hard by the pandemic, and just a handful of the proposed projects on Capital Crossroads’ master list include a hospitality component. Projects that got underway before the pandemic include the expansion of Hilton Columbus Downtown to 1,000 rooms and the new AC by Marriott, Moxy, Graduate and Canopy hotels.

Columbus-based Rockbridge, which arranges investments in hotels and is a partner in or outright owner of 76 hotels, is moving forward with its first two Columbus projects—two hotels on the Scioto Peninsula and one on the site of the North Market parking lot. The Peninsula project, which broke ground in September, is one of the city’s most ambitious visions in recent years with plans for 2 million square feet of offices, 1,800 residences, 200,000 square feet of retail space and 400 hotel rooms.

Rockbridge CEO Jim Merkel expects the Scioto Peninsula hotel to break ground in late 2020 or early 2021.

Groundbreaking hasn’t been announced for the North Market site, but the project is moving forward.

The population growth trajectory of the city, thoughtful growth strategies by city leaders and the opportunity to be a part of two signature projects have Merkel bullish about his company being a part of Downtown Columbus’ future.

“With hospitality, you will see a slowdown over the coming years,” he says. “But the best sponsors and owners, the best projects will move forward. From our perspective, you don’t look at the here and now.

You’re looking at what has created value for us consistently. Our job is to change with an ever-changing world and deliver the product and experiences that people will eventually seek out again.”

Laura Newpoff is a freelance writer.

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Agenda

CEO Corner

Compiled by Katy Smith

UP TO THE CHALLENGE Companies are facing unprecedented change during the pandemic. What temporary changes have been made in your organization that may become permanent?

Barb Smoot President and CEO, Women for Economic and Leadership Development

The optimist sees adversity as opportunity. Because WELD has offered webinar programs for years and has operated with virtual teams since our inception, we were quickly able to pivot nearly all in-person programs to webinars and

Betsy Pandora Executive director, Short North Alliance

At the Short North Alliance, our mission is to nurture the arts district as a vibrant, creative and inclusive community. At our core, we are about convening and connection—which can be difficult in a pandemic. Learning to throw away the playbook on how we have always done things has been something we have had to do over and

relished that the world was now our source of speakers and attendees. This positioned us to offer our full suite of government boards and commissions governance and for-profit board programs to a much wider audience. We broadened our offering with more free programs to members and added topics to help them navigate the stress of the pandemic, social injustice and online schooling.

over again this year. While continuous reinvention is exhausting, we are asking, “Should we keep doing this simply because it is what we have always done?” It is an important learning of this pandemic year. And we will keep asking that question even when we can convene again. In asking that question, we have used service to the community as our guidepost in what actions we take. The result is that we are an even more service-focused organization than before.

Matt Habash President and CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective

There have been two significant changes in our organization precipitated by the pandemic that could become permanent, in part.

First, we have about half of our labor force working from home. While posing significant disruptions, this transformation is presenting new opportunities to

discover increased efficiencies, empower each other for enhanced productivity, and explore new possibilities and innovations. The second is the shift in our model to “no-touch” distribution, directly delivering food and groceries to our customers’ vehicles. This pivotal shift allows us to streamline processes while meeting increased demand.

Both will help in establishing best practices and equity in the future of our work.

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Central Ohio Law Firms Wish You Happy Holidays & a Prosperous New Year Bailey Cavalieri, LLC BakerHostetler Barnes & Thornburg, LLP Eastman & Smith, LTD Friedman & Mirman Co., LPA Frost Brown Todd Isaac Wiles Burkholder & Teetor, LLC Standley Law Group LLP Thompson Hine, LLP

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Senior Living Guide 2020

Columbus options abound

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

Compiled by Rebecca Walters

The Villas at Scioto and Gardens at Scioto

ARROW SENIOR LIVING arrowseniorliving.com

BICKFORD SENIOR LIVING bickfordseniorliving.com

CENTURY PARK centurypa.com

Carriage Court Senior Living

Bickford of Bexley

3570 Heritage Club Drive, Hilliard; 614-529-7470; 87 AL, 16 MC

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

Mayfair Village Retirement Community

Chestnut Hill Senior Living

Bickford of Scioto

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

3500 Riverside Drive, Columbus; 614-457-3500; 53 AL/MC

1320 Old Henderson Road, Upper Arlington; 614-451-4575; 44 AL

BROOKDALE SENIOR LIVING SOLUTIONS brookdale.com

Abbington of Pickerington

Brookdale Lakeview Crossing

9480 Blacklick-Eastern Road, Pickerington; 614-577-0822; 48 AL

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

Abbington of Powell

Brookdale Muirfield

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

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

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

FIVE STAR SENIOR LIVING fivestarseniorliving.com

CAPITAL HEALTH CARE NETWORK capitalhealthcarenetwork.com

433 Obetz Road, Columbus; 614558-3141; 15 IL, 32 AL, 120 SN

Abbington of Arlington

First & Main of New Albany

6377 Cooper Road, Columbus; 844-840-7411; 31 AL, 12 MC

Keys: IL – independent living units; AL – assisted living units; MC – memory care units; SN – skilled nursing units

6525 N. High St., Worthington; 614-846-6500; 54 AL, 27 MC

8875 Green Meadows Drive N, Lewis Center; 740-513-2270; 60 IL/ AL, 44 MC

3500 Trillium Crossing, Columbus; 614-734-1000; 157 IL, 56 AL

Finding the right senior community can be a daunting task. We’ve gathered details on some Columbus region facilities to help you in your search.

ABBINGTON ASSISTED LIVING abbingtononline.com

First & Main of Lewis Center

Brookdale Trillium Crossing

Brookdale Westerville

Bickford of Worthington

FIRST & MAIN firstandmain.us

Brookdale Pinnacle

The Forum at Knightsbridge

4590 Knightsbridge Blvd., Columbus; 614-451-6793; 143 IL, 90 AL, 25 MC, 57 SN Friendship Village Columbus

5800 Forest Hills Blvd., Columbus; 614-890-8282; fvcolumbus.org; 201 IL, 66 AL, 14 MC Friendship Village of Dublin

6000 Riverside Drive, Dublin; 614764-1600; fvdublin.org; 304 IL, 23 AL, 23 MC, 50 SN

3011 Hayden Road, Columbus; 614-889-6202; 86 AL/IL

Ganzhorn Suites

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

DANBURY SENIOR LIVING danburyseniorliving.com Columbus Danbury

2870 Snouffer Road, Columbus; 614-339-0459; 69 IL/AL, 32 MC

GOLDEN LIVING CENTERS goldenlivingcenters.com

Parkside Village

Columbus Alzheimer Care Center

730 N. Spring Road, Westerville; 614-794-9300; 167 IL/AL, 37 MC

700 Jasonway Ave., Columbus; 614-459-7050; 99 MC/SN

Feridean Commons

The Convalarium of Dublin

885 Freeman Road, Westerville; 614-898-7488; feridean.com; 40 IL, 58 AL

6430 Post Road, Dublin; 614-761-1188; 83 AL/SN

HAWTHORN RETIREMENT GROUP seniorlivinginstyle.com

Avondale Village in Dublin

Amber Park Pickerington

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

HOLIDAY RETIREMENT holidaytouch.com

Courtesy national church residences

The Worthington

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

HOMESTEAD SENIOR LIVING homestead-village.com Homestead Village

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

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KEMPER HOUSE kemperhouseworthington.com

Monterey Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Memory Care

Kemper House Worthington

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

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

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES lssnetworkofhope.org

New Albany Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Assisted Living

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

The Inn at Chapel Grove

1400 Chapel Way, Heath; 740-522-4663; chapelgroveinn.com; 69 AL, 30 MC LSS Kensington Place

1001 Parkview Blvd., Columbus; 614-252-5276; 117 IL/AL, 11 MC

THE MACINTOSH COMPANY macintoshcompany.com

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

Canal Winchester Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Assisted Living

NATIONAL CHURCH RESIDENCES nationalchurchresidences.org

6800 Gender Road, Canal Winchester; 614-834-6800; 35 AL, 75 SN

Abbey Church Village

Mill Run Rehabilitation Center, Skilled Nursing & Assisted Living

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

6003 Abbey Chapel Drive, Dublin; 614-792-6733; IL (number not available) Avondale

5251 Avery Road, Dublin; 888-875-0465; IL (number not available)

ONLINE

ONSITE PROGRAM OPTIONS IN COLUMBUS

I N D I A N A W E SL E YA N U N I V E R S I T Y . N AT I O N A L & G L O B A L

First Community Village

1800 Riverside Drive, Columbus; 614-324-4455; 152 IL, 38 AL, 36 MC, 138 SN Inniswood Village

RESORT LIFESTYLE COMMUNITIES rlcommunities.com Stone Oak Retirement Community

1195 North St., Westerville; 614-839-6300; 120 IL, 52 AL, 20 MC

4160 Trueman Blvd., Hilliard; 614-777-7338; 136 IL

National Church Residences Mill Run

RNRN SERVICES INC.

3550 Fishinger Blvd., Hilliard; 614-771-0100; 46 AL, 35 MC

3675 Hoover Road, Grove City; 614-402-0536; hooverhaus.com; 22 IL/AL

Hoover Haus

Northland Gate

5757 Maple Canyon Ave., Columbus; 888-572-9862; 94 IL

SENIOR LIFESTYLE FAMILYOWNED COMMUNITIES seniorlifestyle.com

Stygler Commons Assisted Living

Carriage Court of Grove City

165 N. Stygler Road, Gahanna; 614-342-4582; 32 AL

2320 Sonora Drive, Grove City; 614-871-8000; 45 AL, 17 MC Carriage Court of Marysville

717 S. Walnut St., Marysville; 937-754-7343; 31 AL, 10 MC

OHIO LIVING ohioliving.org

SENIOR STAR seniorstar.com

Ohio Living Sarah Moore

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

Senior Star Dublin Retirement Village

717 Neil Ave., Columbus; 614-228-8888; 197 IL, 50 AL, 21 MC

6470 Post Road, Dublin; 614-764-2800; 134 IL

CELEBRATING

YEARS

DEVOE SCHOOL OF

BUSINESS

» ACCOUNTING, BUSINESS, IT, CYBERSECURITY, HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES, MANAGEMENT AND MORE!

NEW DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION NEW BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CYBERSECURITY TEXT IWU FOR MORE INFORMATION TO 58052 866.498.4968

IWUBUSINESS.COM December 2020 l ColumbusCEO

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WEXNER HERITAGE VILLAGE whv.org

6480 Post Road, Dublin; 614-389-0308; 60 AL, 39 MC

Creekside at the Village Courtesy friendship village dublin

Senior Star Assisted & Memory Support

STORYPOINT storypoint.com StoryPoint Grove City Senior Living

3717 Orders Road, Grove City; 614-875-6200; 116 IL, 35 AL, 24 MC SUNRISE SENIOR LIVING sunriseseniorliving.com Sunrise of Dublin

4175 Stoneridge Lane, Dublin; 614-718-2062; 35 AL, 27 MC Sunrise of Gahanna

775 E. Johnstown Road, Gahanna; 614-418-9775; 45 AL/MC

TRADITIONS MANAGEMENT traditionsmgmt.net Bristol Senior Living

7780 Olentangy River Road, Columbus; 614-886-2818; 55 IL, 54 AL Cherry Blossom Senior Living

79 Blossom Field Blvd., Columbus; 614-530-7726; 28 IL, 66 AL, 30 MC

Friendship Village Dublin Middleton of Granville

1500 Weaver Drive, Granville; 740587-0059; 85 AL, 35 MC, 28 IL

WALLICK COMMUNITIES wallickcommunities.com Ashford on Broad

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

3700 Sturbridge Court, Hilliard; 614-633-4811; 124 AL

Geraldine Schottenstein Cottage

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

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

THE WESLEY COMMUNITIES thewesleycommunities.com

WILLOW BROOK willow-brook.org

Wesley Glen Retirement Community

100 Delaware Crossing, Delaware; 740-201-5640; 145 IL, 66 AL, 20 MC

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

Willow Brook Christian Village Delaware

Wesley Ridge Retirement Community

The Grove Columbus

2225 Taylor Park Drive, Reynoldsburg; 614-759-0023; 106 IL, 62 AL, 38 MC

5546 Karl Road, Columbus; 614-431-1739; 56 MC

Wesley Woods at New Albany

Oakleaf Village of Columbus

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

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

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

Willow Brook at Delaware Run

100 Willow Brook Way S, Delaware; 740-369-0048; 124 IL, 40 AL, 17 MC, 34 SN Willow Brook Christian Village Worthington

55 Lazelle Road, Columbus; 614-885-3300; 34 AL, 50 SN Worthington Christian Village

165 Highbluffs Blvd., Columbus; 614-846-6076; wcv.org; 107 IL, 38 AL, 50 SN

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Special Advertising Section

WHAT'S INSIDE • 2020 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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Special Advertising Section

FROM OUR DIRECTORS It has been quite the year, but a global pandemic did not stop us from celebrating the success and accomplishments of Central Ohio’s best and brightest family-owned businesses at our annual awards program! As a hallmark of our mission – to celebrate the accomplishments of family-owned businesses in Central Ohio – we congratulate this year’s winners for their ingenuity and clever adaptation to a year full of adversity, and dedication to keeping business in the family, and our community. You will see in the following pages, the businesses honored this year epitomize the very definition of success.

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 our lives and are integral to the communities throughout Central Ohio that we call home.

Bea Wolper Co-Founder & President

We are proud to provide support and resources to help family businesses dealing with topics such as succession planning. In fact, we are in the middle of our own succession planning here at the Center. Bea is now President and Jill is transitioning out of her role as Executive Director at the end of the year. We are pleased to welcome our new Managing Director, Jill Grube, who you can read more about below.

If you are part of a family-owned business, we invite you to learn more about our educational programs, peer groups, networking opportunities, and the region’s only annual awards program celebrating family-owned business. To learn more please visit our website or reach out to us via email or by phone.

Jill Hofmans Executive Director FamilyBusinessCenter.com Info@FamilyBusinessCenter.com 614-253-4820

WELCOME JILL GRUBE Supporting local has always been a priority in my life.

Through my varied professional experiences working with many Central Ohio organizations, I have continually seen the commitment and dedication to community from those who own or operate family businesses.

Growing up in a farm family, I also saw how hard work, discipline, and collaboration were at the forefront of family values and expectations.

Jill Grube Managing Director

Entering this new role with the Conway Center for Family Business, I am grateful for the opportunity to utilize my passion and experiences to support our members, service providers, and the broader family business community.

If you’d like to reach Jill, send a welcome email to JGrube@FamilyBusinessCenter.com!

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Special Advertising Section

2020 FAMILY BUSINESS

MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT

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

5 YEARS

Sandler Training by Sharper Edge Advantage www.sandler.com 614-440-0383 10 YEARS

The Champion Companies thechampioncompanies.com 614-895-6811 15 YEARS

Alyfe Wellbeing Strategies alyfewellbeing.com 614-310-2621 20 YEARS

Total Technology Solutions, Inc. ttsolutions.net 614-762-0097

Yesteryear Acres yesteryearacres.com 740-323-1910

25 YEARS

Classic Plumbing, Inc. cpicolumbus.com 614-877-0195

PRISM Marketing prismmarketing.com 614-939-2510

Royal Document Destruction rddshred.com 614-751-9731 35 YEARS

Al's Delicious Popcorn alspopcorn.com 614-451-7677 50 YEARS

Dublin Building Systems Co., Inc. dublinbuilding.com 614-889-1445 60 YEARS

Converse Electric converseelectric.com 614-871-8700

Mid-City Electric Co.

65 YEARS

Soller Insurance Agency, Inc. sollerinsurance.com 614-235-2815 70 YEARS

Johnson's Real Ice Cream johnsonsrealicecream.com 614-231-0014 80 YEARS

Oakland Nursery, Inc. oaklandnursery.com 614-268-9466 160 YEARS

Wilson Bohannan Lock Company padlocks.com 800-382-3639 165 YEARS

Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Service schoedinger.com 614-429-5754

midcityelectric.com 614-221-5153

r.com!

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Special Advertising Section

JIM GROTE

D O N ATO S P I Z Z E R I A As a 19-year-old, Jim Grote started a restaurant in the back of a plumbing shop with only $1,300. Now, his pizza is proudly served in 234 locations in 13 states. And, he did things the right way by treating others the way that he wanted to be treated.

With 57 years of living out the company promise to serve the best pizza and make your day a little better, Jim is tremendously deserving of the recognition.

The nomination is extra special this year as his grandson, Tony Capuano, was recently hired as the Executive Director of Innovation at Donatos becoming the third generation of the family to take an active role in the business, joining his mother, Jane Grote Abell, who serves as the Executive Chairwoman of the Board and Chief People Officer.

As the founder of Donatos, Jim Grote has been the driving force of the business since its inception. His insistence on a consistent, quality product where the toppings are the star of the show on the brand's famous thin crust has been imperative for Donatos and is a driving force behind the raving fan base that has continued to come back again and again and grow over the past 57 years.

While he may not be in the office every day, Jim continues to be a part of leading Donatos into the future with his inventive and forward-thinking mind.

One of Jim Grote's earliest and biggest contributions to the pizza and food manufacturing industry was his invention of the Pepp-A-Matic. Slicing pepperoni by hand was a chore, but his invention of an efficient and consistent slicer for the pepperoni, while not used in the Donatos restaurants, became an important part of the entire frozen pizza industry and led to the creation of the Grote Manufacturing Company in 1972 which develops leading food processing solutions for companies worldwide.

In addition to running a successful business, giving back to the communities where Donatos pizza is served has always been paramount to Jim Grote. This is evident in the community involvement and many charities that Donatos supports, as the brand strives to live out the Latin meaning of its name which is “to give a good thing.�

Also the winner of

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

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Donatos Pizzeria donatos.com 1-800-DONATOS

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Special Advertising Section

NEXT-GEN & RISING STAR Recognizes emerging leaders/next generation family leaders who are making an impact in their business and the Central Ohio business community.

Chelsea King, King Business Interiors

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

Equity | ECS equity.net 614-802-2900

kbiinc.com 614-430-0020

Meaghan McCurdy, Kimball Midwest

SUPPORT OF FAMILY BUSINESS

kimballmidwest.com 614-219-6100

RE-INVENTION

SUCCESSION PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION

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

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

GO-HR go-hr.biz 614-473-0122

Outreach Promotional Solutions outreachpromos.com 614-484-7329

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

Northstar CafĂŠ, Brassica, and Third & Hollywood www.thenorthstarcafe.com | 614-774-9474 Kevin and Katy Malhame founded Northstar Cafe in the Short North 16 years ago, motivated by their passion for delicious, healthy, ingredientdriven cuisine, and their desire to create a welcoming space where their team and guests felt that their bodies and spirits were being nourished.

They now operate 10 restaurants and have two in development, with locations in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland with that same passion. " This year has been a roller coaster for everyone. It seems to us that every family business that survives 2020 deserves an award. e are incredibly grateful for the spirit and fortitude that all of our servers, W culinary team members and leaders have displayed. We are also extremely grateful for the loving and loyal support of the community. Our belief in and commitment to our team, our community, and our organization’s purpose and values have never been stronger."

COLUMBUS CEO | DECEMBER 2020 | CONWAY CENTER FOR FAMILY BUSINESS

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Special Advertising Section

Find a Peer Group Right for You, or Discover a Rising Star in Your Family Business “It is a great feeling knowing we can bring current concerns/issues to the group, and we can either give input, or we can learn from what someone else is going through.”

Central Ohio’s Best Opportunity to Engage with Peers and Professionals in your Industry or Situation who have “Been There, Done That"

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

4 FORUMS

Human Resources Ignite Your Family Business

Leadership 2.0 Peer Group attendee

Next Generation Leaders Rising CEO Succession Planning Women in Family Business

Finances for Family Businesses Online Strategy

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

Attend a 2021 Conway Center Program!

Monthly Educational Programs:

January 21 What Keeps You Up at Night? 3 Family Business Leaders & Their Biggest Challenges

May 20 Compensation Strategies, including Stock Options for Key Employees

February 18 A Seat at the Table: Diversity & Inclusion in Your Family Business

June 17 Conflict Resolution Strategies for Family Owners & Non-Family Executives

“This was an excellent presentation at just the right time.”

Family Business Forum attendee

“I enjoy these meetings to no end."

Monthly Educational Program Attendee

March 18 Shifting the Family Business Culture – How Can Next Gens Make an Impact April 15 What Should You Expect from Your Advisory Board and What Should They Expect From You

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Special Advertising Section

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.

Access to Peer Group Participation

Unique Networking Opportunities

Free Attendance to Educational Programs

Recognition at Annual Awards Program

Cross-Promotion with Center Content

Inclusion in Center Member Directory

"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

“I really appreciate that the programming is truly educational and that the Conway Center has my best interest, as a family-owned business leader, in mind when developing programs and events.”

Fritz Reitter, President, Reitter Stucco and Supply

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! Visit FamilyBusinessCenter.com/membership to view member requirements and find our application.

COLUMBUS CEO | DECEMBER 2020 | CONWAY CENTER FOR FAMILY BUSINESS

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Special Advertising Section

CO N WAY C E N T E R

We wish to thank our service provider members for their commitment to family-owned businesses and to the Conway Center. They champion our mission by facilitating our programs, sponsoring events, and providing financial support. The Center relies on their expertise and engagement and is appreciative of their continued support.

ACCOUNTING

ACCOUNTING

ACCOUNTING

BANKING

BANKING

BANKING

BANKING

BANKING

BUSINESS/FINANCIAL SERVICES

BUSINESS VALUATION

BUSINESS VALUATION

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

HEALTH CARE

INSURANCE/FINANCIAL PLANNING

INSURANCE/FINANCIAL PLANNING

LAW: BUSINESS & ESTATE PLANNING

LAW: BUSINESS & ESTATE PLANNING

LAW: BUSINESS & ESTATE PLANNING

MARKETING: BRANDING

MARKETING: INTEGRATED

MARKETING: INTEGRATED

MARKETING: PR

MARKETING/WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

MERGERS & AQUISITIONS

PHILANTHROPY

PHILANTHROPY

PRINT MEDIA

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

P.O. Box 361106 Columbus, OH 43236

Find us on social media!

614-253-4820

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

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Info@FamilyBusinessCenter.com FamilyBusinessCenter.com

11/9/20 1:00 PM

Awards

2020

T

By Katy Smith he region’s executives have lived through an incredible year. The coronavirus pandemic. Historic protests and calls for racial equity—in board rooms and executive suites as well as in the realm of criminal justice. A presidential election that highlighted the continuing deep chasm between Americans on opposite sides of the political aisle.

Covid-19 has wrought a recession unlike any in memory—one we didn’t see coming. One that shut down entire industries in the span of a day. But it’s also one that has the potential

to dissipate quickly, once we have a reasonable expectation of safety from the virus.

Against this backdrop, we asked Columbus region business leaders responding to our 2020 Central Ohio CEO Survey, which was conducted in October, to share with us their expectations for the coming year.

Let’s just say while there is continued optimism, it’s not like the optimism of 2019.

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—five winners, with a tie in the small business category, and 11 finalists—represent the best of the region as we know it in 2020.

Among the honorees are intensely creative businesspeople. People who set trends and built companies unlike any that came before. And they are deeply committed to advancing racial equity in every corner of the economy, from housing to insurance to education to the makeup of every C-suite.

We are thrilled to present the 2020 CEOs of the Year.

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Making auto insurance fair

By Bob Vitale + Photo by Rob Hardin

Large Business

2020

Alex Timm Co-founder and CEO

Root Insurance Age: 32 In position since: 2015 Previous: Roles with Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Century Insurance and State Auto Financial Education: Bachelor’s degrees

in actuarial science, accounting and mathematics, Drake University

Employees: 1,000 revenue/loss: $245.4 m/

$144.5 m (through Q2 2020)

A

lex Timm will never forget the day in 2016 when Root Insurance began offering auto policies online with the promise of revolutionizing a staid business in which the youngest top-10 company has been around for 83 years.

“Nothing happened,” he recalls. “You’re watching your dash boards, and you’re like, ‘OK it’s live!’ And no one bought anything.

It was a really slow start.”

It took a few iterations to work out the bugs and offer a product customers liked, the cofounder and CEO of Columbus’ most innovative insurer says. “It took about a year of engineering after launching that first product to get people to use it. Then we started to see a lot of the growth.”

In 2020, Root hit more milestones. Timm and cofounder Dan Manges, the company’s chief technology officer, rang the Nasdaq opening bell in late October for Root’s initial public offering. Root sold 2 million more shares than projected, raising $724.4 million and making history as Ohio’s biggest-ever IPO, with a company valuation surpassing $7 billion. It also was the biggest IPO of the year for technology-driven insurers in a growing field dubbed “insurtech.”

“There’s no way I could have predicted it would become this big this quickly,” marvels Timm, whose father introduced him to the business by having him call bar owners whose policies were about to be canceled. “I always thought we’d be a big company, but I thought it was going to take years and years and years. The sheer speed at which it’s happened, that has surprised me quite a bit.”

It’s been part of Timm’s plans for a long time, though. As that 14-year-old selfdescribed “math nerd” whose dad had him call late-paying policyholders, Timm “fell in love” with actuarial work and started dreaming of starting his own insurance company. He earned his bachelor’s degree in actuarial science, accounting and mathematics with a 4.0 average at Drake University and worked as a corporate-strat-

“I remember waking up the next day after quitting my job ... and saying, ‘Oh, my God, we have to build a company.’ ”

egy consultant at Nationwide for about 3½ years before striking off on his own.

“I remember waking up the next day after quitting my job and having money in the bank and saying, ‘Oh, my God, we have to build a company.’ I remember sitting down with a spreadsheet and some product-management tools, talking with some engineers and saying, ‘How are we going to build this?’ That was terrifying. One Line Coffee in the Short North and Fox and Snow were really our office.”

For all the buzz out there now about Root Insurance, very little of it is self-generated.

Its logo doesn’t flutter when the endzone nets go up in NFL stadiums. Agency-created characters don’t sing its praises. You don’t have a Root jingle stuck in your head.

The company, instead, has latched on to easy-to-understand differentiators, operating solely online and basing rates primarily on drivers’ behavior instead of factors such as their age, address and credit score.

It’s a message that resonates with consumers, particularly those 22- to 35-yearolds who make up the bulk of Root’s customers. In August, the company pledged to eliminate credit scores, which tend to increase rates for Black and immigrant drivers, as a pricing factor by 2025. In October, Root cut an ad featuring African-American NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, who pushed the racing circuit to ban Confederate flags at its events earlier this year.

“A big part of it is fairness,” Timm says of Root’s appeal to consumers. “I think there were a lot of people who felt insurance was a rip-off and were a little angry at the industry. They didn’t feel that the industry and big insurance companies were really on the consumers’ side.”

Despite this year’s foray into celebrity advertising—the Bubba Wallace ad still was less of an insurance pitch than an appeal to consumers who want corporations to take a stand on social issues—Timm says Root still values substance over style.

“I’m a math nerd, and my cofounder is an engineering nerd. So we weren’t very good at hype,” he says. “We just stuck to what we were good at, and that was math and engineering. Our competitors, they’re advertising machines. We decided to take a very different approach. What we’re good at is building new products.”

Bob Vitale is a freelance writer.

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A voice for others

By Virginia Brown + Photo by Rob Hardin

Small business (tie)

2020

Sandy Doyle-Ahern President

EMH&T Age: 51 In position since: 2012 Previous: EMH&T roles including executive vice president (2008-11); director of public works (2005-08); and environmental division manager (1997-2005). Vice president, Envirotech Consultants (199297) Employees: 330 Revenue: $60 million

A

s a kid, Sandy Doyle-Ahern cared about the natural community around her. “I grew up playing in the woods and always enjoyed animals and nature,” she says. That’s what set her on her path to environmental science.

After earning a biology degree from the University of Delaware, Doyle-Ahern set out toward a career in environmental compliance. Thanks to multiple internships with a large Philadelphia-area consulting firm, though, she solidified her path to consulting.

She earned a master’s degree in environmental science from Miami University, a school she chose for its varied curriculum. “It exposed me to the broad interdisciplinary nature of what I could do with that background,” she says. “I enjoy problem solving. My personality is not meant for a lab.”

A graduate school internship brought her to Columbus, and in 1997, she landed a role at EMH&T, initially to get the firm’s environmental division off the ground, which she did for about eight years. She never left—she became the firm’s first woman president in 2012.

Though “climbing the ladder” was never her goal, she gradually moved up the ranks as the only female manager for dozens of male engineers and surveyors. “They were supportive of what I was doing, so I just felt very comfortable in that environment,” she says. “That culture is still there.”

Today, she says aside from its people, what stands out about EMH&T is its client diversity—something she worked hard to achieve even before but certainly following the Great Recession. “Many firms, by nature, tend to do most of their work in the public sector or private. We are about 5050,” she says.

The firm provides services for schools, the hospitality and health care industries, towns and cities, and state and federal agencies, including the military.

“It’s our biggest strength because we

“I’m at the point of my career where I love my job and wouldn’t change it, but my personal core is about the community.”

have a strong understanding about both sectors,” she says.

But projects would be nothing without people. “Projects are the outcome of the relationships people have at the firm,” she says. “Without really good people who trust each other, the projects don’t happen.”

Fostering that trusting, collaborative environment is why Doyle-Ahern invests in company culture, which has been a hurdle during the Covid-19 pandemic as many staff went home only to return recently in waves. “We have about 80 [engineers] still in the field,” she says. “They don’t get to go home. I’m very sensitive to that.”

Though 2020 has presented challenges, Doyle-Ahern doesn’t give the pandemic too much power over the company’s path. “I have learned so much from my colleagues, and I’ve gotten to work on incredible projects with incredible clients,” she says. “I know that’ll be back. This period is not going to define the future, it’s just something we have to get through.”

Not only does she invest in her own people, Doyle-Ahern uplifts her community. “I’m at the point of my career where I love my job and wouldn’t change it, but my personal core is about the community and creating opportunity for other people.”

As board chair of YWCA Columbus, she shares a close relationship with CEO Christie Angel, another 2020 CEO of the Year honoree. “We talk almost daily,” DoyleAhern says. “She is an unbelievable leader for the YWCA.” Other organizations she works with include the Columbus Partnership and the Franklin County Blueprint for Reducing Poverty, among many others.

Doyle-Ahern is adamant about pushing for positive housing policy changes in the region. “I am continuing to do the best I can with being a voice and an advocate and ally for people who need that support,” she says. “It’s not that they need me; they need more voices speaking up for policy change.”

Over the years, she says, she and her husband have had opportunities to move away from Columbus. “We stayed because we really do love it here,” she says. “We have a lot of things we need to work on, like social justice and creating opportunities for people. There’s work to do.”

Virginia Brown is a freelance writer.

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Leading with vulnerability

By Steve Wartenberg + Photo by Rob Hardin

Small Business (tie)

2020

Brett Kaufman CEO

Kaufman Development Age: 45 In position since: 2011 Previous: Credit analyst, Huntington, 1996-98; associate vice president, Banc One Capital Partners, 1998-2000; vice president of operations and president, Schottenstein Real Estate Development, 2000–11.

Employees: 35 Revenue: Would not disclose

B

rett Kaufman is one of the region’s most influential developers.

Which means you’re probably expecting details about the ins and outs of creating Market & Main in New Albany, the transformative Gravity complex in Franklinton, 250 High, or the reimagined LeVeque Tower. And, news about what’s to be developed next.

So, too, were the 1,000-plus people assembled in February, back when people could safely assemble, at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting.

Kaufman was one of the keynotes, but the audience wasn’t expecting what he said.

“He started his speech about how he was in therapy, and the crowd kind of laughed at first—they were expecting him to talk about business,” says Matthew Goldstein, founder of Besa, an organization that coordinates volunteer opportunities. “He took the audience through this journey about mental health and introspection and what matters most. That’s what makes Brett unique: his vulnerability and authenticity.”

Kaufman, 45, shared his personal story of growth and evolution, and how he tries to connect his personal passions—meditation, yoga, volunteering and family—with his professional life and encourage others to find their own paths. “Our stories have the power to help us change ourselves and change the world, but only if we share them,” says Kaufman. “I’ve learned that I can be the author of my own life.”

So yes, the CEO of Kaufman Development is not your typical Columbus developer, if there is such a thing. “Who I am as a human being informs how I spend my time and what I do, including my work,” he says. “I see them as all connected.”

So, who exactly is Brett Kaufman?

It’s a complicated question with an evolving set of answers. After all, he’s been in and out of therapy since he was a child, trying to find the answers to life’s more difficult questions. “I’m a work in progress,” he says.

The young Kaufman’s life can be divided

“Our stories have the power to help us change ourselves and change the world, but only if we share them.”

into two chapters. For the first 10 years, he lived with a father he describes as “a drinker and a gambler and a workaholic who had many affairs.”

Rather than dwell on the negatives of these difficult years, Kaufman prefers to talk about his mother, Terri, and eventual stepfather, Gary Schottenstein, CEO of Schottenstein Real Estate Group. Terri was the stabilizing constant in his life, a loving mother during difficult times. Gary became the supportive father figure and male role model Kaufman craved.

“My belief is every one of the little things that happens is part of the mosaic that is your life,” Kaufman says. After childhood came the rebellious teen years, college and his initial foray into banking. Then Kaufman decided development was his professional path.

In 2000, Kaufman went to work for his stepfather, one of the many members of the Schottenstein family who have helped build Columbus. “It was a good way to learn the business within the comfort of family,” he says.

Kaufman learned a lot about who he is from Chet Scott, a career coach and owner of Built to Lead. “Chet was the one who got me to understand the idea of bringing my personal passions into my work,” Kaufman says. This led to the idea of building what he calls “purposeful” multi-use projects that connected people to one another and their communities. Gravity on West Broad Street in Franklinton is the prime example.

“We said everything we ever wanted to do, we’re doing here,” Kaufman says. That includes murals on the outer walls; vertical gardens; volunteer projects with Besa; and Innerspace, which Kaufman describes as a co-practicing community of therapists, coaches and wellness professionals.

Kaufman has always loved art and architecture and music. “I drive the initial design of our projects through my vision,” he says. “I used to have stacks and stacks of magazines, but now I use Pinterest.”

Kaufman has launched multiple other projects in recent years. In addition to his support for Besa, he helped launch Rhove, a new concept that allows apartment renters to earn a financial-equity stake in their apartments. He’s also preparing to start his own venture capital fund.

Steve Wartenberg is a freelance writer.

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Rooted in service

By Virginia Brown + Photo by Rob Hardin

Large Nonprofit

2020

Christie Angel President and CEO

YWCA Columbus Age: 56 In position since: 2017 Previous: Principal, government relations and public affairs, Calfee Strategic Solutions (2015-17); deputy chief of staff, external affairs and services, city of Columbus (2012-15); vice president, government affairs, Sean P. Dunn & Associates LLC (2007-12); director of government and external affairs, AT&T (2001-07); city of Columbus deputy chief of staff, internal operations, (2000-01); legislative aide-City Council (1998-99); financial systems automation project manager (1997-98); legislative analyst (1993-97) Employees: 184 Revenue: $11.5 million (2019)

G

rowing up on the northeast side of Columbus, Christie Angel knew from an early age that she wanted to be involved in service.

Her father, a civil servant who ran city and nonprofit housing programs, would take her along on weekends to visit auction properties for the homeless.

“He drew the short straw and took the teenager to look at these blighted properties,” she says. “I spent a lot of time with him, and even though I’m sure I didn’t want to go at first, it became our routine.”

The work stuck with her. Routine turned to interest and eventually exposure as the young Angel got to know Columbus City Council members and actively participate in the government process. She knew she wanted to stay involved. “And to follow in [my dad’s] footsteps in particular,” she says.

In 2017, Angel landed her dream job: CEO of YWCA Columbus.

Decades of volunteering with the organization led to chairing the board of directors.

With a background featuring roles as Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s deputy chief of staff and director of external affairs and services for the city, among other positions, she says, “The one constant was the YWCA.” The mission is what drew her in: hardworking people helping the city’s most vulnerable members—homeless women and children—while advancing equity and inclusion for all.

When Angel started the job, the social justice movement was seeing a resurgence.

“I felt like there was a place for the YWCA in that discussion,” she says.

YWCA Columbus has been around since 1886, its downtown building renovated in 1929 by five strong women who couldn’t get a bank loan. “They used their husbands’ names,” says Angel. In 1958, it was the first Columbus organization to desegregate its swimming pool. Twenty years prior, the organization had desegregated its dining room. And it launched the first publicly funded childcare program.

“We are an organization of firsts,” Angel said. “We stand on the shoulders of

“All those experiences prepared me to lead the organization through this pandemic.”

those women—and men—who fought for those changes.”

In her tenure, Christie has transformed Women of Achievement to include younger women. This year, in its third season, the social justice event Activists & Agitators had over 1,000 people join virtually.

The organization’s core work involves meeting the acute needs of homeless women and children in a 50-bed shelter, a women’s residency program aimed at uplifting women with mental illness, addiction, disability, or job insecurity, and children’s day programs.

Through programs like Women of Achievement and Leadership for Social Change, the YWCA celebrates successes, and educates and guides the next generation of social equity leaders.

“At times, we’re activating, and yet we always want to be respectful and hear the other side,” Angel says. “We don’t have all of the answers, but we come at the work with the best of intentions, and we invite people in.”

Outside of work, it’s been a challenging year for Angel, who has lost a number of family members, one to Covid-19. She points to her blessings: faith and family.

“Even though we can’t be together because of the virus, they still keep me grounded.”

As for 2020, “I’m built for change and transition. All my experiences prepared me to lead the organization through this pandemic with some calm and ability to reach out to friends and others to ask for help and guidance,” she says. She also celebrates her team and the YWCA board of directors, the chair of which is Sandy Doyle-Ahern, this year’s CEO of the Year winner (tie) in the small business category. “They continue to make me proud every day, and they make it easy to lead.”

Moving forward, the YWCA will continue to safely house people, “And we’ll prepare for what vaccination means and looks like for our people.”

Angel and her team also plan on building out their existing social justice programming and racial equity training. “It’s a big focus of ours, to offer that more broadly in the community and to continue to work with our community’s health agencies around the notion of racism as a public health crisis.”

Virginia Brown is a freelance writer.

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Well-suited to empower

By Steve Wartenberg + Photo by Rob Hardin

Small Nonprofit

2020

Angel Harris Executive director

Dress for Success Columbus In position since: 2018 Previous: Chief development officer and senior vice president United Way of Central Ohio, 2001-18 Employees: 7 full-time, 3 part-

time, an average of 40 volunteers a week

Revenue: $1.05 million

T

he Harris house on the east side of Columbus was where people gathered to talk, tell stories, laugh and chow down some tasty food. “My father [James] had a catering business and was a great cook,” says Angel Harris. “Our house was where people came to hang out, and that’s where the spirit of helping and serving others was born in me.”

Skip ahead a couple of decades and Harris, 45, is devoting her professional life to helping and serving others, first at the United Way of Central Ohio, and since 2018 as the executive director of Dress for Success Columbus.

She has become a maternal figure to scores of women, following in the footsteps of her mother, Mary, who told her daughter she could accomplish anything and everything. “I’d come home with straight A’s and she’d say, ‘Of course you did, we believe in you,’ ” Harris says. “And now, I want to give our women what I had—people telling me I could do it. Our women deserve that.”

While attending East High School, Harris planned on becoming an accountant. “I wanted to be the managing partner of a Big Six accounting firm,” she says. “Even then, I guess I thought big.”

While attending college—she holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems and an MBA from Franklin University— Harris became a single mother at the age of 20. She landed a job at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus, where she designed a database for a fundraising campaign. This led to a tech-based job at the United Way of Central Ohio, where Harris eventually was named chief development officer and senior vice president.

“I learned the importance of multiple organizations coming together to achieve a goal, because no organization can do it all for a person in this community,” she says.

Harris jumped at the opportunity to lead Dress for Success when founder Vicki Bowen Hewes decided to step down. “I learned so much at the United Way, and I

“Now, I want to give our women what I had— people telling me I could do it. Our women deserve that.”

felt like this was an opportunity to make a huge difference with a smaller organization,” she says. “They said they were looking for a leader to take them to the next level and, being the ambitious person that I am, I wanted to take this on. I came into an organization that was so well run and I said to the team, ‘What are some of the things you want to do, but haven’t done yet?’ ” There’s a bit of a misconception that Dress for Success only provides business attire to women to help them look professional when they interview for a job. The clothes are the starting point (more about Dress for Success on page 18).

“We empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support,” Harris says. Sixty-five percent of the women it serves are trapped in generational poverty, while 35 percent find themselves in situational poverty due to setbacks. About 65 percent of the clients are women of color, and 85 percent to 90 percent have high school diplomas.

Lorena Brown was a journalist in Uruguay and came to Columbus in 2017.

“I was lost, I didn’t know what to do or where to go, and my English wasn’t so perfect,” Brown says. “Now [Dress for Success] is helping me to learn how to apply for jobs and how to interview and feel comfortable.” In addition to its “suiting” service, Dress For Success offers women a career center, employment retention services and peer-support groups. Harris is also putting her multiple-organization philosophy into practice. “We partner with more than 130 nonprofits,” she says.

For example, a partnership with Per Scholas teaches women technology skills and coding; a relationship with Alvis helps incarcerated women re-enter society and find jobs. Harris has also initiated new programs with OhioMeansJobs and the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services.

“It’s all about making more organizations aware of what we’re trying to do and bringing them in as partners,” Harris says. “We have a small team, all women, Janes of all trades, and an all-woman board. We’re out there in the community, telling our story that this isn’t charity. This is giving women the skills and opportunities they deserve and creating the workforce of tomorrow.”

Steve Wartenberg is a freelance writer.

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Courtesy COLIN MCGUIRE

Courtesy COPC

Courtesy ROGUE FITNESS

Large Business finalists

Bill Henniger

Dr. Bill Wulf

Mike Kaufmann

Rogue Fitness

Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians

Cardinal Health

Founder and CEO

B

ill Henniger launched fitness equipment maker Rogue in 2006 while employed at General Motors and working on his MBA. Today, Rogue reports it is the largest strength and conditioning equipment manufacturer in the world, processing 500,000 pounds of steel every day. The company has grown to 1,200 employees this year, up from 500 in 2015, all while taking no investments or debt. It established a significant presence near Downtown Columbus at the former site of a Timken plant in Milo-Grogan, which has since become Rogue’s new 45-acre campus. A 300,000-square-foot addition is planned in 2021, and Henniger hopes to build in other areas of the city, as well. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Bill and his wife Caity, who is the company’s chief sales officer, worked to give Rogue employees and the Columbus community a sense of stability. Minimum wage at the company was raised to $25 an hour, and more than 100,000 meals were purchased from local restaurants to feed the team during the shutdowns of the spring and summer.

CEO

D

r. Bill Wulf has been the chief executive officer of Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians since 2013. Prior to this role, he served as the corporate medical director of COPC for seven years.

A steadfast advocate for independent primary care physicians, Wulf was a leader among the founding physicians that helped establish COPC in 1996.

Since then, Dr. Wulf has overseen the organization’s growth in becoming the largest independent primary care physician group in the country. During the pandemic, Central Ohio Primary Care implemented telehealth across its more than 70 family practices and 350 physicians in less than one week.

That ensured a majority of patients could continue to receive care and stay safe from the coronavirus infection Covid-19. Wulf is a member of the Ohio State University Health Plan Quality Committee, the Health Collaborative of Greater Columbus, Ohio Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative, the Ohio Health Information Partnership, and is chair-elect of America’s Physician Groups.

CEO

M

ike Kaufmann is chief executive officer of Cardinal Health, a global health care company based in Dublin with 50,000 employees. The pharmaceutical and medical goods supplier serves nearly 90 percent of U.S. hospitals, and is among the top 25 companies in the Fortune 500, with $153 billion in 2020 revenue. Kaufmann has held a range of executive leadership positions with Cardinal across operations, sourcing, sales and finance over 30 years. He has been instrumental in orchestrating key advances for the company such as the joint venture with CVS Health that formed Red Oak Sourcing and the creation of Fuse, the Cardinal Health technology innovation center, among others. Kaufmann is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, and is a highly sought speaker on these topics for Columbus region events and beyond.

Kaufmann currently serves as a member of the board of directors for MSC Industrial Supply, sits on the executive board of Red Oak Sourcing and is a member of the executive committee with the Columbus Partnership.

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Large Nonprofit finalists Stephanie Hightower

Lou Von Thaer

Dr. Stephen Markovich

Columbus Urban League

Battelle

OhioHealth

File/Columbus Monthly/Tim Johnson

L

ou Von Thaer was appointed president and CEO of Battelle, the world’s largest independent research and development organization, in October 2017.

Formed in 1925 as a charitable trust and headquartered in Columbus with annual revenue of about $5 billion and 1,600 local employees, Battelle delivers technology solutions for the national security, health care, energy and environmental markets. Von Thaer previously was CEO of DynCorp. International, president of the national security sector at Leidos Inc. and president of advanced information systems at General Dynamics. He is board chair of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; co-chair for UT-Battelle, operator of Oak Ridge National Laboratory; member of the Defense Science Board; and board member for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He also is a member of the Ohio State University Board of Trustees. Von Thaer holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Rutgers University.

President and CEO

D

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, magna cum laude, 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. Dr. Markovich also served as president of OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and before that held roles including executive vice president, senior vice president and COO. Dr. Markovich earned a Bachelor of Science 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.

Courtesy BATTELLE

S

tephanie Hightower, the first female president of Columbus Urban League, is a tireless advocate for social justice and racial equity. Under her leadership, the league touches nearly 40,000 people a year with economic mobility initiatives, and it transformed an abandoned building into an economic hub in the King Lincoln District. It also brought the National Urban League conference—the nation’s largest annual civil rights gathering—to Columbus in 2018. During the pandemic, Hightower, who was a world-class athlete and former Columbus school board member, has connected with 4,000 Black businesses and 9,000 families.

She revised delivery systems, redeployed her team to work remotely and focused on recovery issues. She’s also called for reforms in policing, eviction and benefits for those financially damaged by Covid-19. Hightower serves as a leader in the U.S. Track & Field Association, chairs the World Athletics Gender Leadership Task Force and is a member of WA Human Rights Working Group. She also serves on the boards of Celebrate One and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

President and CEO

Courtesy OHIOHEALTH

President

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Small Business finalists On the field.

In the locker room.

On the recruiting trail.

Featuring...

POSITIONAL-BATTLE UPDATES BREAKING NEWS OPINION • RECRUITING ANALYSIS OF THE COACHING STAFF

Courtesy MOODY NOLAN

& MORE

Courtesy Monty Soungpradith

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS & VIDEO

Jonathan Moody

Mark Daniels

Moody Nolan

M+A Architects

CEO

Trademarks of The Ohio State University used with permission.

THE SEASON NEVER ENDS

AT

T

he CEO of Moody Nolan architecture firm, Jonathan Moody, leads a company that has grown to over 230 employees and 11 offices since it was founded by his father, Curt Moody.

The firm’s designs have won over 300 design citations including 46 from the American Institute of Architects.

Jonathan has worked on a variety of civic, sports, education, health care, and institutional projects. With passion to continue his father’s legacy, he leads the firm focusing on growth and innovation—and on helping communities in need. He has helped continue and extend the firm’s position as the largest African-American owned architecture firm in the nation. Moody has more than 12 years of design experience focused on integrating digital fabrication and social engagement into the design process. He is also devoted to community service through mentoring and education programs focused on developing young men. Moody holds a Bachelor of Architecture with a minor concentration in Africana Studies from Cornell University and a Master of Architecture from UCLA.

President and principal

T

he president of M+A Architects has worked with the firm for more than 33 years and has served as president for the past 20. 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 has grown to 85 employees and $21.3 million in annual billings, with signature projects including 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.

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Small Nonprofit finalists Oyauma Garrison Elizabeth Martinez

Executive director

M

Courtesy HUMAN SERVICE CHAMBER

ichael Corey is the executive director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County. Since arriving at the chamber in 2017, membership has grown from 48 to 102 nonprofits.

The chamber strives to provide “one voice” on behalf of more than 14,000 employees and hundreds of thousands of people served in the community, and Corey is credited with advancing that agenda significantly. 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’s 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 Fund-Ohio and as a regional voter protection director for the Clinton campaign. He lives in Columbus with his wife Lori, who works with the YMCA; their son, Elijah; and their rescue dog, Ruby.

O

President and CEO

A Kid Again

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio

yauma Garrison serves as the president and chief executive officer 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.

Garrison is a former insurance company executive of over 20 years.

He worked at State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate and Jacobson, and serves as a director on the board of Buckeye Insurance. Garrison has been recognized for his civic contributions by the Oho 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 more than 2,200 families across Ohio in 2019 and generated $3.5 million in revenue.

A

s CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio since 2016, Elizabeth Martinez is dedicated to bringing people and communities closer together. The organization’s core work is one-to-one mentoring programs. The Columbus region agency is the parent organization to three other Ohio affiliates and served more than 4,700 children last year. The agency offers leadership development programs at its camp in the Hocking Hills, and it builds capacity for other mentoring organizations through Mentor Central Ohio. During the pandemic, Big Brothers and Big Sisters faced obvious challenges getting together with their littles. But the organization experimented with technology to keep those relationships vital, even if it’s through a screen.

Martinez serves on the board of directors for Franklin County Children Services and the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County. She is a registered corporate coach with the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches.

Courtesy A KID AGAIN

Human Service Chamber of Franklin County

CEO

Courtesy BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS

Michael Corey

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Annual Central Ohio CEO Survey

It’s a whole new ball game in 2020 for local business leaders.

By Evan Weese

I

n the fall of 2019, local business leaders were primarily concerned with finding talent.

What a difference a year makes.

Columbus CEO’s latest survey of economic conditions reveals how Covid-19 upended the Columbus region’s economy and created a whole new list of anxieties, expectations and priorities for C-level executives.

“The current economic climate is by far the dominant challenge facing these businesses,” says Bill LaFayette, a Columbus-based economist with Regionomics LLC who completed the analysis for Columbus CEO. “That concern dwarfs labor availability, which was the overriding concern last year.”

Asked to identify the top three challenges facing their businesses, more than 40 percent of respondents cited the current economic climate, making it the top answer. The changing needs of customers is a distant second, followed by labor availability and health care reform.

Business leaders were forced to change gears more quickly in 2020 than at the onset of the 2007-08 financial crisis. The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index plummeted from a reading of 101 in February to 89.1 in March, then to 71.8 in April, which was the lowest reading since December 2011.

“Typically, when you have a recession, you see it coming,” LaFayette says. “The index started declining a full year before the recession began in December 2007, and this year it just fell off a cliff.”

Between February and April, employment declined by 14.4 percent in the Columbus region. Although jobs started coming back after the expiration of stay-at-home orders in May, the

Bill LaFayette

region failed to claw back all it lost and, through September, recorded a net loss of 8.1 percent, or 91,500 jobs.

The majority of business executives surveyed suffered revenue declines in 2020, and nearly 30 percent reported negative impacts to cash reserves, employment and suppliers. They said they are less optimistic about the future, too.

Last year, more than three-quarters of survey respondents expected an increase in revenue over the next 12 months. Heading into 2021, however, 56 percent are counting on revenue growth. Half expect costs to increase and only 43 percent expect an increase in profits, down from 55 percent a year ago. Expectations for productivity, capital investments and staffing are lower.

Silver linings The business and economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has not been entirely negative.

Local leaders report using the slowdown to think more carefully about business strategy, establish or enhance their online presence, innovate and develop new markets. Several respondents also mentioned opportunities stemming from low interest rates and the receipt of Paycheck Protection Program loans.

“There were certainly some really, really negative impacts of the pandemic, but there were some positive

impacts too,” LaFayette says. “Companies have been forced to take a close look at their technology and a close look at the opportunities for upgrading technology that seem to be springing up everywhere. And that’s going to have some very long-run positive impacts for how business is done in Central Ohio and elsewhere.”

The survey, which was conducted before election results were known, did not find significant differences in economic expectations between a Biden or Trump presidency.

Respondents are somewhat more optimistic about the economic outlook for the Columbus region compared to the country and the world. Only 35 percent expect improvement in the global economy, while 46 percent expect improvement in the U.S. economy and 53 percent expect continued growth in the Columbus region’s economy.

Asked to identify the single most important action that would improve the Central Ohio business climate, survey respondents pointed to education, public transportation, affordable housing, larger business incentives and tax reform. The Columbus region earned marks as an attractive market to businesses for its location, affordability, collaborative culture and educated workforce.

The question looming over local business leaders is just how quickly activity will rebound from the shock of Covid-19. But, when it does, they may find themselves trying to solve the main challenge of 2019—a tight labor market—all over again.

“As soon as the economy stabilizes, we’ll be right back in that again,” LaFayette says. “I think it’ll be next year. Assuming we get the virus under control, I think it’ll come right back.”

Evan Weese is a freelance writer.

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Join Columbus CEO as we virtually reveal the 2020 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 also features the results from our annual survey of economic conditions presented by Bill LaFayette of Regionomics. He also moderates a panel exploring systemic racism in the community and corporate world; how business leaders are navigating pandemic changes; and their greatest hopes heading into 2021.

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Election impact Survey responses suggest a nearly equal split regarding the economic implications of the election. If Donald Trump is reelected, 43 percent expect the economy to improve, while 44 percent expect it to worsen. If Joe Biden is elected, 47 percent expect an improvement and 41 percent expect a worsening economy. But expectations for substantial changes in both directions were far greater with a possible reelection of President Trump. The survey was conducted online and allowed responses from Central Ohio business executives only. The survey was in mid-October, before the 2020 presidential election was held.

Impact of the election of Donald Trump or Joe Biden on the economy Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Company forecasts Business leaders who responded to the 2020 Central Ohio CEO survey showed some confidence in their forecasts for revenue, expenses and profits over the next 12 months. However, the picture is not as bright as it was last year at this time, for obvious reasons. More than half (56 percent) of respondents expect an increase in revenue, but that is much less than the 75 percent expecting an increase last year. Forty-three expect an increase in profits, down from 55 percent in 2019. While 46 percent expect to increase staffing, that is down from 74 percent last year. One fifth, or 19 percent, expect to decrease staff compared to 2 percent last year.

Expected change in revenue over the next 12 months 2020

2019

Increase more than 10%

Increase more than 10%

19

6

23

3 Increase 5-10%

Increase 5-10%

24

11

25

16 Increase less than 5%

13

Increase less than 5%

28

27

55 Stay the same

Improve substantially

17

24%

Expected change in staffing over the next 12 months

Stay the same

35 10

13%

21

Decrease less than 5%

Improve somewhat

Decrease less than 5%

6

19%

9

4

33%

0

Stay the same

Decrease 5-10%

13%

7

13%

5

Worsen somewhat

14

23%

4 Worsen substantially

1 Decrease more than 10%

4 1 No opinion

25%

1

18%

2

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6

Decrease more than 10%

19%

54 ColumbusCEO l December 2020

Decrease 5-10%

No opinion

0 4

Source: Central Ohio CEO Survey 2020 with analysis by Regionomics

11/19/20 3:42 PM

Future 50

Class of 2021

MEET THE NEW CLASS #ColumbusFuture50

These are the faces of the Future 50 class of 2021. Our annual program brings together some of the most vibrant, creative people in the city.

The 2021 class is a diverse group of big-hearted innovators who will come together for dialogue, brainstorming and ultimately, action.

VISIT COLUMBUSCEO.COM TO MEET THE FUTURE 50.

SPONSOR:

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Reach Your Full Potential Robbie M.S. Marketing + Communication Interim Executive Director, Leadership Columbus

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.

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.

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4 MASTER’S + DOCTORAL PROGRAMS BUSINESS Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) MBA MBA-Healthcare Specialization M.S. in Accounting M.S. in Business Analytics M.S. in Business Psychology M.S. in Human Resource Management M.S. Marketing + Communication EDUCATION + LEADERSHIP Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership (Ed.D.) Doctor of Professional Studies – Instructional Design Leadership M.S. Instructional Design + Learning Technology HEALTHCARE Doctor of Healthcare Administration Master of Healthcare Administration M.S. in Health Informatics M.S. in Nursing M.S. in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner M.S. in Nursing – Nurse Administrator PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Master of Public Administration M.A. in Criminal Justice Administration TECHNOLOGY M.S. Computer Science M.S. in Cybersecurity M.S. in Data Analytics M.S. in Information Technology

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Colleges and Universities Leaderboard Ranked by Columbus region 2019-20 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 Central Ohio Technical College

1179 University Drive, Newark 43055 740-366-9494 • cotc.edu

4 Ohio State UniversityNewark Campus

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

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

6 Capital University

1 College and Main, Columbus 43209 614-236-6101 capital.edu

7 Denison University

100 W. College St, Granville 43023 740-587-6276 denison.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 740-203-6908 owu.edu

10 Ohio University-Lancaster & Pickerington

1570 Granville Pike, Lancaster 43130 740-654-6711 • ou.edu/lancaster

undergraduate Tuition

FALL 2019-20 ENROLLMENT

FACULTY MEMBERS

Undergraduate

Total

Out-of-state

Graduate

% full-time faculty

Net tuition*

46,984

7,030

14,385

64%

$11,518 $33,502 $18,706

27,590

1,188

na

28%

3,018

203

na

30%

2,870

172

3

31%

2,313

596

339

66%

2,282

429

738

38%

2,243

299

na

78%

1,712

801

850

7%

1,425

191

na

61%

1,198

85

na

32%

In-state

Endowment

$7 b $5.3 b

DEGREES GRANTED Top Officer Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, various certificates

Kristina Johnson

$4,888 $9,998 $6,027

$152.2 m

$4,776 $7,536 $8,618

$24.1 m

$8,237 $30,221 $15,111

$7 b

All degrees are granted by main campus

$5.3 b

William MacDonald

$4.9 m

$3.5 m

Associate

David Harrison Associate

John Berry

$44,848 $44,848 $23,732

$69.8 m

Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral

$99.1 m

John Comerford

$37,978 $37,978 $21,946

$72.5 m

Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral

$107.4 m

David Kaufman

$55,420 $55,420 $36,650

$135 m

Bachelor’s

$915 m

Adam Weinberg

$12,338 $12,338 $12,456

$63.1 m

Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral

$91.2 m

David Decker

$46,870 $46,870 $27,242

$59.6 m

Bachelor’s

$5,674 $8,666 $7,569

The CEO Leaderboard features selected topics each month. The March Leaderboard will feature MBA programs. The deadline for inclusion in this survey is Monday Jan. 11, 2021. If you want your Columbus region company to be considered for an upcoming CEO Leaderboard, contact Rebecca Walters at rwalters@columbusceo.com.

Information included in this survey was provided by companies listed and was not independently verified.

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2019-20 Operating budget

$243.1 m

Rock Jones

$9.7 m

Associate, bachelor’s

$5.2 m

Jarrod Tudor

*Source: 2018-19 National Center for Education Statistics, m = million, b = billion, na = not applicable Source: Survey of colleges and universities Information complied by Rebecca Walters

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

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Services for our Employees:

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• Direct Deposit Accounts • Interest-Bearing Health Savings Accounts • Credit Cards and Loans*

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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.

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11/18/20 5:14 PM

Columbus Region Credit Unions Ranked by 2019 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 43215 614-221-3233 telhio.org

3 BMI Federal Credit Union 6165 Emerald Pkwy., Dublin 43016 614-707-4000 • bmifcu.org

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

5 Columbus Metro FCU 4000 E. Broad St., Columbus 43213 614-239-0210 columbusmetro.org

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

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

8 Credit Union of Ohio 5500 Britton Pkwy., Hilliard 43026 800-443-5698 cuofohio.org

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

2019 Columbus Region Shares and Deposits

2019 ASSETS

2019 LOANS

$1.2 billion

$1.5 billion

$1.1 billion

257.5

$729.4 million

$841.6 million

$620.6 million

201

$416.2 million

$517.6 million

$378 million

94

$288.1 million

$414 million

$248.4 million

88

$209.5 million

$236.6 million

$186.8 million

45

$150.5 million

$562.4 million

$559.2 million

83

$145.5 million

$167.7 million

$109.2 million

57

$125.9 million

$141.8 million

$68.7 million

50

$93.6 million

$104.4 million

$63 million

34.5

CENTRAL OHIO FTEs* Branches

10 9 5 7 5 5 4 4 3

The CEO Leaderboard features selected topics each month. The March Leaderboard will feature MBA programs. The deadline for inclusion in this survey is Monday Jan. 11, 2021. If you want your Columbus region company to be considered for an upcoming CEO Leaderboard, contact Rebecca Walters at rwalters@ columbusceo.com.

Information included in this survey was provided by companies listed and was not independently verified.

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NUMBER OF MEMBERS

CENTRAL OHIO TOP OFFICER

112,627

Mark Decello

57,000

Leslie Bumgarner

39,832

William Allender

40,836

Michael Shafer

19,157

Timothy Richey

37,919

Todd Elliott

16,518

Jay Young

19,150

Richard Capuano Jr.

8,056

James Johnson

President & CEO

CEO

President/CEO

CEO

President

Market President

President/CEO

CEO

President/CEO

*FTEs = Full-time equivalent employees Source: Survey of credit unions Note: Central Ohio and Columbus region are interchangeable.

Information complied by Rebecca Walters

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We create spaces that enhance culture and empower your people to love where they work!

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2020 Office Furniture Companies

Ranked by Columbus region employees, with ties ranked by total 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 Columbus 43212 • 614-430-0020 kbiinc.com

3 Commercial Works

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

4 Dupler Office

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

5 Loth

855 Grandview Ave., Columbus 43215 614-487-4000 lothinc.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 FriendsOffice

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

9 Caretta Workspace

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

10 Capitol Office Supply

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

Number of employees

2019 Revenue

Central Ohio

Central Ohio

Total

Total

183

$101 m

232

$127.8 m

75

$49 m

75

$49 m

65

$9 m

percentage OF REVENUE FROM n Office Furniture n Other

5% 95% 20% 80% 20%

235

$32 m

80%

56

wnd

10%

56

wnd

90%

55

$30 m

114

$73 m

28

wnd

28

wnd

14

$7 m

14

$7 m

10

$5.5 m

96

$29 m

10

wnd

10

wnd

6

wnd

6

wnd

14%

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Founded Herman Miller, DIRTT, Nemschoff, National Office Furniture 1939 Haworth, AIS, JSI, Sit On It, Krug 1998 Kimball, AIS, 9to5, Groupe Lacasse 1973 Allsteel, Gunlocke, Hon, OFS 2006

86%

Steelcase, West Elm, OFS, Global, Coalesse 2007

95%

Indiana Desk, Global, AIS, Herman Miller, Hon 1992

5%

15% 85% 40% 60%

Kimball, Mecho Shades, dHive, National 2010 HON, Indiana, Lesro, Groupe Lacasse, Gunlocke 2005

100%

Caretta Workspace 2005

25% 75%

MAXON, OfficeSource, HON, Indiana Furniture 1970

The CEO Leaderboard features selected topics each month. The March Leaderboard will feature MBA programs. The deadline for inclusion in this survey is Monday Jan. 11, 2021. If you want your Columbus region company to be considered for an upcoming CEO Leaderboard, contact Rebecca Walters at rwalters@ columbusceo.com.

Information included in this survey was provided by companies listed and was not independently verified.

OFFICE FURNITURE BRANDS SOLD

Columbus region TOP OFFICER

Ira Sharfin

CEO

Darla King

President/Owner

Jim O’Connor President & CEO

Randy and Brandon Dupler Principals

Jason Lawler President

Ron Morris Owner

Erica O’Reilly CEO

Tom O’Reilly

President

Nancy Sarson

Director of Educational Sales

Larry Tracewell

Founder/Designer

Bill DeWitt

President

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

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11/18/20 5:15 PM

what % of US adults say they read magazines in the last 6 months?

91

This includes 95% of those under 35 and 95% of those under 25.

228.7

MILLION THAT’S AN INCREASE OF 18 MILLION SINCE 2012.

(MRI-Simmons, Fall 2012-2019)

THE MAGAZINE ROAS OF $6.51 WAS DOUBLE THAT OF THE TV ROAS OF $3.23, AND MORE THAN DOUBLE OF THE DIGITAL ROAS OF $2.43.

(NCSolutions 2005-Q12019)

(MRI-Simmons, Fall 2019)

HOW MANY ADULTS AGES 18+ READ MAGAZINES?

when advertisers were asked which medium offers the highest ROAS, which was the highest overall?

THE PRINT MAGAZINE INDUSTRY IS GROWING 139 new print magazine brands with a frequency of quarterly or greater were introduced in 2019 (Samir “Mr. Magazine” ™ Husani Monitor 2020)

PRINT READERS

REMEMBER MORE.

MAGAZINES REACH PREMIUM AUDIENCES IN HIGH-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS*

At a greater rate than newspapers, internet, radio or TV * Household income $250K+ (MRI-Simmons, Fall 2019)

compared to top tech sites MAGAZINES outperform reaching

WOMEN AGES 18+ (MRI Media Fusion)

PRINT STIMULATES EMOTIONS AND DESIRES PRINT IS PREFERRED BY THE MAJORITY (EVEN MILLENNIALS) PRINT READERS EXPERIENCE MORE FOCUSED ATTENTION AND LESS DISTRACTION, WHICH DRIVES SENSORY INVOLVEMENT CONTRIBUTING TO GREATER READER IMPACT, COMPREHENSION AND RECALL. (MPA, Scott McDonald, Ph.D. Nomas Research)

For advertising information call Columbus CEO at 614-540-8900 or email advertise@columbusceo.com.

For your complimentary subscription to Columbus CEO visit columbusceo.com.

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Information provided by

11/19/20 3:58 PM

Wouldn’t you like to be looking at your home?

Ask your Realtor to market your home in the Executive Living section of Columbus CEO Magazine!

East of I-71 call Telana Veil at (614) 469-6106 or e-mail at tveil@dispatch.com West of I-71 call Amy Vidrick at (614) 461-5153 or e-mail at avidrick@dispatch.com

MICHAEL SAUNDERS & COMPANY

FAULKNER REALTY GROUP

Leslie Emery & Aaron Corr (941) 400-9710 www.beach2barn.com

JP Faulkner (614) 419-5757 JP@faulkner realty.com

ASHLEY CREEK - sprawling open ranch with over 4,000 sq.ft. of finished living space. 3 BR, 2 bath home with coffered ceilings, fireplace, fully finished LL & 3-car garage with a workshop. Located in Pickerington with Fairfield County taxes, an easy commute to dwntwn Columbus.

From sand to sunsets and live oaks to acreage, Florida is calling to you.

Team Beach2Barn is your Buckeye connection to your new Florida dream home and lifestyle! Our passion for hands-on service provides you a knowledgeable and trustworthy experience, before and after closing. For new construction or re-sale, we look forward to working with you.

VIP REALTY

VIP REALTY

Greg Skinner (614) 537-1994 Greg@soldby gregskinner.com

Greg Skinner (614) 537-1994 Greg@soldby gregskinner.com

4688 ST ANDREWS DR IN PINNACLE - Stunning Bayhill floorplan w/ all upgrades. Great room w/ corner fireplace, open volume ceilings that soar up to 20 ft. Spacious chefs dream granite kitchen w/ seated bar, SS appls, glass backsplash & lg pantry. Screened porch, paver patio. Private Master Suite on 1st floor w/ luxe bath, and walk in closet.

5290 LAMBERT ROAD - Country Manor setting with a meandering stream, over 6 acres of your very own peace and quiet. Custom built 4BR home w/private 1st floor owners suite. Stunning open vaulted floor plan with volume ceilings, hand stained woodwork and real oak flooring. Huge kitchen w/oversized eating bar. Generous Outbuilding.

NEW ALBANY REALTY

NEW ALBANY REALTY

Jane Kessler Lennox (614) 939-8938 janel@new albanyrealty.com

Jane Kessler Lennox (614) 939-8938 janel@new albanyrealty.com

2894 REYNOLDSBURG NEW ALBANY RD., BLACKLICK - Fabulous Country Estate, known to many as “Vahalla”. This gorgeous stone house w/slate roof is situated on 7.75 acres of extraordinary picturesque land w/ mature trees. This historic home features a gracious living space of over 4100 SF w/modern high-end conveniences while embracing details & workmanship of a time gone by. Charming guest house, 2-car garage & fantastic built-in pool. $1,349,000

5420 CLARK STATE RD, GAHANNA - Highly desirable, totally secluded wooded property conveniently close to everything! 3-Story, 6867 SF, 5BR, 5Full & 2Half BA Custom Home. 2-Sty Gathering Rm w/Spectacular View of the Pond, Hdwd Flrs, 4 Frplcs + Wd Burning Stove. Kit w/Casual Din, Hearth Rm, Dining Rm, 3 Season Rm, 2nd Flr Lndry, Owner’s Suite w/Dressing Rm & Jacuzzi, Elevator, 5-Car Gar, tennis court. $2,100,000

NEW ALBANY REALTY

NEW ALBANY REALTY

Jane Kessler Lennox (614) 939-8938 janel@new albanyrealty.com

Jane Kessler Lennox (614) 939-8938 janel@new albanyrealty.com

7304 LANDON LANE, NEW ALBANY - Nestled among mature trees on quiet & shady Landon Lane, is this stunning 5500 sqft estate w/neutral decor, beautiful finishes, open floor plan, & gorgeous hdwds! Chef’s kitchen was part of a major renovation which added 700 SF, incl. owner’s suite dressing rm & spa bath! LL has rec rm w/kit, wine cellar, exercise rm, BA & home office. $1,175,000

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2580 SHERWIN, UPPER ARLINGTON - Stunning 7956 SF estate with 2 First Floor En-suites, 4 BRs Up, 7th BR in the LL, + LL Bunkroom just for fun!

Gathering Rm opens to Casual Dining & Beautifully Designed Chef’s Kit w/Top of the Line Appls, 2 Lg Islands. 4-Season Rm, 1st Flr Laundry. Backyard Oasis w/Covered ‘’Outdoor Room’’, Bar, Fireplace & Patio. $2,699,000

11/19/20 5:15 PM

Office Space WFH edition

By Laura newpoff + Photos by Rob Hardin

Michelle Heritage Executive director, Community Shelter Board

A Short North home office was crafted to convey a sense of hygge, a Danish concept of well-being.

Decor inspired by couple’s travels

Heritage and her wife, Tanisha Robinson, have brought back items from their trips across the U.S. to decorate their home. Their dogs Zora and Ellie are both rescues.

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

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11/18/20 4:34 PM

Brett Kaufman

2020 CEO OF THE YEAR

Congratulations from the Kaufman Development Team!

livekaufman.com

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11/18/20 5:17 PM

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