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Columbus CEO – July 2021 issue

Page 8

100 years of sliders Meet the family behind the White Castle legacy. Page 20

Financing dreams

Tribevest gives groups a way to get more out of investing. Page 62

Commerce coalition

Asian American business group connects, educates. Page 16

July 2021

The advocate

Young athletes are on the cusp of making big money. Luke Fedlam is standing by to support them. Page 08

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July 2021 07

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Contents 20

Photo Rob Hardin

Emcee Jon Petz at White Castle’s 100th birthday party in May

Departments 04 Editor’s Note

Billy’s Way

White Castle cofounder Billy Ingram had a distinctive way of doing business, insisting on consistency in how those signature sliders are made and thinking outside the box. Today, the fourth generation of his family continues to follow his lead as the company marks its 100th anniversary.

Looking forward to the journey of change at Victoria’s Secret with incoming chairwoman Donna James.

69 Leaderboards Columbus region IT consulting firms and commercial mortgage lenders

72 Office Space: g2o New digs in Dublin

July 2021 Cover photo by

Rob Hardin July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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

ColumbusCEO.com

VOLUME 30 / NUMBER 7 Columbus Site Manager Photo ROB HARDIN

Alan D. Miller Publisher/General Manager

Ray Paprocki E d ito r ia l

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EDITOR

Katy Smith Jess Deyo CONTRIBUTING EDITORs

Jeff Bell, Linda Deitch D es i g n & P ro duct ion

PRODUCTION/DESIGN DIRECTOR

Craig Rusnak ART DIRECTOR

Yogesh Chaudhary Digita l

EDITOR

Julanne Hohbach ASSISTANT DIGITAL EDITOR

Brittany Moseley Ph otog raphy

PHOTO EDITOR

Tim Johnson Associate photo editor

Rob Hardin A dvert ising

Vice President of Sales

Eugene Jackson Senior Multimedia Sales Executive

Holly Gallucci Multimedia Sales Executives

Tia Hardman, Jackie Thiam CLASSIFIED SALES

16 Spotlight: Nonprofit

Insider

associate eDITOR

07 Breakdown Columbus employment growth forecast

08 Profile: Coach Fedlam The Columbus attorney has become a trusted adviser to athletes in the brave new world of “name, image and likeness.”

12 Tech Talk Founders think they can revitalize the U.S. semiconductor industry.

13 Briefing The Shipyard fulfills diversity mission; ThriveIN launches to further Black women’s careers.

14 Spotlight: Small Business With help from Move to Prosper, Johnaka Young has a burning desire to make her candle business a success.

Amy Vidrick

16

Production designer

Rebecca Zimmer

Johnaka Young

The Asian American Commerce Group wants to help its members make some noise on the economic and political influence fronts.

18 Spotlight: Innovation The Columbus region has the tools to become a major player in the autonomous vehicle space.

In-Depth 45 Top Lawyers A listing of the region’s A/V “Preeminent” rated attorneys from Martindale-Hubbell.

62 Personal finance A Columbus-based online platform helps investors harness the power of “the tribe.”

66 Health Watch As demand for COVID-19 vaccinations wanes, health officials know they need to be more creative in their outreach efforts.

Special ad section

M arke t ing

MARKETING MANAGER

Lauren Reinhard PRESS RELEASES

pressreleases@columbusceo.com ADVERTISING

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

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The suburb to the south is a growing hub for business and housing development, but retains its small-town charm. Inserted after Page 28

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Editor’s Notes * ksmith@ColumbusCEO.com

Never too late to grow and change

Donna James The collective caps a gradual shift toward a new brand image, one that customers are noticing, as evidenced by improved financial performance in 2020 over 2019. Hopes are high for the potential of the brand, which is still very much a dominant player in the global lingerie market, once its spinout is completed this summer. James, who is managing director of Lardon & Associates and a former top exec with Nationwide, will be joined on the new board by CEO Martin Waters and five women executives. They are Irene Chang Britt, former president, Pepperidge Farm and senior vice president with Campbell Soup Co.; Sarah Davis, former president, Loblaw Cos.; Jacqueline Hernández, former chief marketing officer, Hispanic enterprises and content, NBC Universal; Lauren Peters, Former CFO, Foot Locker; and Anne Sheehan, former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee. James says she’s never too old or too stuck in her ways to grow and change—and the same goes

Jeffry Konczal/CEO

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onna James, with her characteristic modesty, emphasizes her new role as chairwoman of the soonto-convene Victoria’s Secret board is not about her. And while the sevenmember board of six women and one man, CEO Martin Waters, is quite possibly the most women-dominated corporate board in American business—someone please email me if I’m wrong—James says it’s not about the optics. It’s about something deeper. “I think it signals a reality of future possibilities for all of us around diversity,” the longtime Columbus executive says. “Where we’re not into simple optics, especially optical novelty, [but where] we really are focused on what matters and what works for our associates, customers, the partners we have and our shareholders. “That’s what really excites me: the possibilities for the future. And not just around board composition, but for change and growth. As business and as people.” Change and growth have been evident at the iconic Columbus lingerie retailer in recent years, as it lost its founding CEO Les Wexner following years of declining brand popularity, national media scrutiny in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and reports that it harbored a culture of misogyny. The struggles prompted a decision to separate Victoria’s Secret from parent company L Brands, which will become Bath & Body Works. In a time of #MeToo and calls for more inclusive sizing and marketing, Victoria’s Secret has dropped its Angels and launched the VS Collective, a diverse group of spokesmodels who include soccer star Megan Rapinoe, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and LGBTQ activist Valentina Sampaio, the first transgender model to be featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

for Victoria’s Secret, where she has been a corporate director for about 17 years. “We’re embracing change. We’re confronting our past self in the process. And we’re engaging others along the way toward becoming our best selves,” she says. She calls the VS Collective “the embodiment of listening [to] what our customers were missing, what they were saying to us. And now we’re saying: We hear you. The whole notion of this collective is women defining for themselves who they are and what they want to be, versus having that defined for them. “These outstanding women have a voice about self, they have a platform to raise up other women, and we are part of supporting that, driving that—and doing it collectively. And the world needs a whole lot more of that.”

Katy Smith, Editor

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A leader in business journalism — in Ohio and beyond Columbus CEO is up for a national award from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers and 12 awards from the Cleveland Press Club’s All Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards. We’ll share the results when we find out in late June. This follows last year’s achievement when Columbus CEO was named Best Magazine in Ohio by the Cleveland Press Club. The magazine brought home four additional first-place awards in that contest.

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An investment portfolio is not a financial plan.

hen we visit a doctor, we expect to receive advice from a real doctor, not someone simply calling themselves a doctor. They are boardcertified, educated, trained and in the business of delivering medical advice. Why is this important? It’s our health and therefore, undeniably important. Health is important, but so too is wealth. Unfortunately, when you visit your “financial advisor” or “financial planner,” the same standards do not apply. As a matter of fact, you may be meeting with someone who is allowed to call themselves an advisor, but has no experience or skill in delivering

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Courtesy Jamie P. Menges, CFP®, CPA, Principal

Jamie P. Menges, CFP®, CPA, Principal

on portfolio performance. Inevitably this segues into a discussion about the existing products being used, followed by a pitch for new products you must consider. Outside of following a recommendation to add a new product to the mix, no actual planning advice was provided. Sound familiar? More often than not, this suggests you are working with a salesperson and not a financial advisor. A financial planning challenge is almost never magically solved with a product, even if it “guarantees” you can have all the upside of the stock market, but never lose money. Instead, your meetings should be comprehensive planning sessions aligned specifically with your goals. You should leave these meetings with a clear understanding of the specific planning strategies to reach your goals, not a large prospectus to read, filled with nothing but fine print.

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Breakdown Compiled by katy smith + Infographic by Yogesh Chaudhary

Ohio leading indicators The state’s Office of Workforce Development forecasts employment growth for Ohio’s largest metropolitan statistical areas, and the Columbus MSA is showing up strong in 2021.

3.22%

-2.32%

YoungstownWarren-Boardman MSA

Cleveland-Elyria MSA

3.32% Toledo MSA

2.41% Akron MSA

2.37%

8.38%

Canton-Massillion MSA

Dayton MSA

4.56%

Columbus MSA

Employment growth forecast (April-October 2021)

1.78%

Cincinnati MSA

2.82% State of Ohio

Source: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Original Ohio map courtesy/GettyImages/rbiedermann

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n <0.0% n 0.1% to 2.39% n 2.4% to 3.29% n 3.3% to 4.99% n >5.0% July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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profile By Steve Wartenberg + Photos by Rob Hardin

Luke Fedlam President, Anomaly

Sports Group

Age: 42 In position since: 2016 Previous: Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, partner and chair of sports law practice (2017 to present); Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., director of business development and manager, legal – M&A (2015-17); Kegler Brown Hill & Ritter, attorney, (2013-15); Army National Guard infantry officer (2002-11); Legacy Group, partner (2006-09), SEI Investments (2001-06). Education: Wake Forest University, BA, 2001;

Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, JD, 2013

Resides: Columbus Family: Luke and wife Janelle have two children: Allen, 10, and Simone, 6.

Trusted counsel In the world of athletics, players need help making sense of all the opportunities being thrown at them. That’s where Luke Fedlam comes in.

C

ollege athletes around the country will need a lot of expert guidance to navigate the new and complicated name, image and likeness rules that soon will allow them to spread their entrepreneurial wings and fly into the world of commerce. They’ll need someone like Luke Fedlam, a man who knew from an early age what he wanted and how to get there. When he was eight or nine, the persuasive young Fedlam pleaded with and pestered his adop-

tive parents—a pair of pastors—for something very few boys of that age tend to yearn for: A briefcase. He got one, a gray Samsonite, that he proudly toted around with him for the next few years in a business-like manner. The Samsonite fit in with the lofty aspirations Fedlam had: businessperson, lawyer and, what the heck, why not become president of the United States? Soldier wasn’t on his list back then, but was added later. “Where all this came from, I don’t know,” he says. “There were no lawyers in my family, or anyone in the corporate space.” Or in the White House. “While I waited for the future, I had my briefcase to try and make it a reality.” While he has yet to achieve POTUS status, Fedlam is an attorney and he is president of the Anomaly Sports Group, a small, fast-growing organization affiliated with the Columbus office of the Porter Wright Morris & Arthur law firm, where Fedlam is a partner and chair of the Sports Law Practice. He may need two Samsonites for this two-in-one career. Anomaly is poised to be a major player in the growing field of educating athletes about the new name, image and likeness (NIL) laws the National Collegiate Athletic Association is hurrying—and struggling—to finalize. Several states have already passed NIL laws that go into effect on July 1, and many other states, including Ohio, are in the process of enacting NIL laws. The tide has turned: College athletes soon will be able to make money. “I think [the evolving NIL rules] really highlights and amplifies the need for the services Luke and his team provide,” says Clark Kellogg, a former Ohio State and NBA star who’s now a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports. These athletes and their parents, he says, “need to understand their rights and how to protect and leverage their brand.”

A noble king The bright, determined kid with the magical briefcase, ready to take on and conquer the world, is

only one side of Fedlam’s complicated childhood. Only a handful of people know his actual birth name, which is Rex Allen Noble, and the details of his difficult first few years. “I always felt like my life, my future, was all on me, that I have to do this for myself,” Fedlam says. “I’ve been driven like no other.” Fedlam, 42, was born to a white mother and Black father whose relationship quickly ended. He never met his biological father, his mother married another man, and she and her new husband put the 3-year old Fedlam into foster care. Young Rex was adopted about six months later by Jim and Faye Fedlam, who gave him stability. His new name, Luke, and that of the second son the Fedlams adopted, Matthew, are taken

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Luke Fedlam from the Bible and the Gospels. The family initially lived in Iowa, then moved to upstate New York, where Fedlam ran track and crosscountry and played basketball. Jim Fedlam passed away in 2018. “I was always embarrassed by my [given] name,” Fedlam says. But in high school, during an AP English class, Fedlam learned Rex meant king, and he realized “my name was Noble King,” he says. “For someone who’s big on motivation, I have a tattoo on my shoulder that says Rex, and I’m getting one on the other that says Noble.” During his senior year at Wake Forest University, Fedlam reconnected with his birth mother and her six sisters. “I’ve gotten to know these seven white women and have built a

relationship with some of them,” he says. “We still talk.” Fedlam has turned a difficult past into a place of positivity. “His energy and passion about everything he does is really contagious,” says Robert Tannous, managing partner of the Columbus office of Porter Wright.

A terrible loss After graduating from Wake Forest, Fedlam went to work in Philadelphia for SEI, an investment firm. And then came a few more life-changing events. “I had always wanted to join the military,” says Fedlam, who joined the Army National Guard soon after 9/11. “My department [at SEI] had a lot of former military officers, and the boss said he would support it.” Much to his disappointment, he

was never sent overseas. But Fedlam was called into active duty a couple of times, including a three-month stint in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. While in Philadelphia, he met the woman who would change his life: Janelle Toles, who was working on her MBA from the University of Michigan. “A friend called and said she was going to be in Philly for a conference with some friends, let’s meet and go out,” Fedlam says. Toles was one of the friends. “We started dating and have been married 13 years.” By 2009, Fedlam had left SEI and was a partner with the Legacy Group, a Miami-based sports management firm. He was called back into active duty and was serving at an Army installation in the Washington, D.C., area. Janelle was pregnant and “we July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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ness development and manager, legal. Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith has known Fedlam for several years. “We had some breakfasts and lunches together and talked about his future,” Smith says. “I was kind of a professional mentor and then the Anomaly idea emerged, and I gave him some advice and he developed it.”

The Anomaly idea

were living a care-free, wonderful life, we were so blessed,” Fedlam says. And then, Janelle went into pre-term labor several weeks before her due date. Luke Allen Fedlam Jr. was born on Oct. 15, 2009. He weighed a little less than 2 pounds, and he was immediately transported to a nearby neonatal intensive care unit. “He lived for only seven days,” Fedlam says. “I’ll never forget leaving the hospital and driving back to our apartment without our baby. What do we do? What does this mean? This was the most crushing, devastating experience in our lives.”

The next steps The death of their son was a turning point for Fedlam, who decided it was time to finally fulfill one of his childhood dreams and become a lawyer. “That experience made me think about how fragile life is, and what can I do to make it meaningful?” he says. Janelle landed a job with Abercrombie & Fitch as a merchandise planner, and Luke was accepted into the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Law school opened a lot of doors for Fedlam, who knows how to network. He first worked as an attorney for Kegler Brown Hill & Ritter, then for Scotts Miracle-Gro as director of busi-

Combining sports, law and business with education to help athletes make the best possible decisions was the goal, but it was one Fedlam wasn’t quite sure how to accomplish. While at a Crew game in 2015, Bruce Wimbish, senior communications manager of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission at the time, introduced Fedlam to someone who eventually asked him to speak to the Ohio State football team as part of Real Life Wednesdays. This program brings in outside experts and leaders to connect with and help the players learn about life beyond the football field. “As a public speaker, you know when you’re engaging an audience,” Fedlam says of his presentation to the Buckeyes. “[Young athletes] have no shame in tuning you out, and I knew I had their attention.” The interaction with the football team planted a seed in Fedlam. There was a need for more of this. “I had worked with athletes as a lawyer and saw the challenges they faced, how to protect themselves, to understand documents and contracts and how to do due diligence and make good business decisions. I [realized I could] take and turn this into workshops and conversations and share it with groups of athletes, entire athletic departments. And that was the impetus for starting Anomaly. There is a need for more of these types of conversations.”

Back to the Buckeyes Fedlam honed his Anomaly craft by speaking to several Ohio State teams. All pro bono. “He spoke, for example, to our professional athletes’ program,” says Smith of the junior and senior football, baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and ice hockey players in the program. “He spoke about preparing for the professional life, what to look for in an agent, financial

literacy around contracts.” And Fedlam spoke about the importance of character. “He talks about character all the time, your brand, your persona, is all about character,” Smith says. “This part of his presentation is off the chain, and I know it resonates with our athletes because I’ve heard them walk out of sessions and talk about it.” Tannous was another of Fedlam’s professional mentors, and they met from time to time. “I sought his counsel when I was thinking about what’s next,” Fedlam says. He brought up the idea for Anomaly, and “it was a no-brainer to bring Luke here [to Porter Wright],” says Tannous, adding he’d tried to recruit Fedlam unsuccessfully in the past. Fedlam went on to develop Anomaly as a separate entity, and he would also create and lead the firm’s sports law practice to represent professional athletes. But not as their agent. “We don’t serve as their agents, we serve as general counsel for them as individuals,” Fedlam explains. “We help with agent selection and agreements, and review, from a legal perspective, any contracts, endorsement deals, and marketing deals their agents may find for them.” Other services include creating a business or nonprofit foundation, real estate and investment advice, estate planning, intellectual property rights and postcareer planning. Ethics rules prevent Fedlam from listing his roster of professional athlete clients, but he says the Porter Wright sports practice represents athletes in all the major leagues, including the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Women’s NBA, National Hockey League and Major League Soccer. Every year during the NFL and NBA drafts, he works with multiple first-round draft picks in each sport. When Fedlam represents athletes as their general counsel, it means billable hours for the firm. When he educates groups of athletes, Anomaly receives the revenue. This arrangement is out of the ordinary in the world of law firms, Tannous says. “Luke has become a thought leader in this country on the NIL issue and a great platform to educate players and their families. I don’t know of anyone else who brings along the families to educate them.”

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Many of Fedlam’s clients in the Porter Wright law practice are young Black men and women who find themselves suddenly thrust into the spotlight. “I can play a role in protecting and changing the status of these athletes, who often get taken advantage of, and often go broke after their playing days are over,” he says, adding this can have a positive ripple effect for their families and communities. “They can make a real impact and create lasting change.”

What is NIL The NIL laws are changing daily, and federal legislation remains possible. The NCAA had hoped to pass a national rule that would govern all college athletes by July 1, but has yet to finalize its plan. In the interim, as the organization hesitated, hemmed and hawed, individual states have proposed and passed laws. The Ohio legislature is in the process of doing this. According to the Columbus Dispatch, NCAA president Mark Emmert “has lost control of what may be the biggest issue ever faced by the organization” and college sports “faces a situation where 50 states can, and probably will, enact 50 different NIL laws, thus sowing chaos across the landscape of big-time college sports.” According to the NCAA, if and when its membership does approve NIL rules, they would allow compensation for third-party endorsements related to athletics, without school or conference involvement; and compensation for other opportunities such as “social media, new business and personal appearances, without institutional involvement or the use of trademarks/logos.” Schools would be forbidden from paying student-athletes for NIL activities. The state laws are similar, but in many cases give more rights to the players and less oversight to the schools and conferences. “There are a lot of unknowns as we go down this road,” Kellogg says. “One of the pillars will be education about what [the NIL rules] entail. The decision-making component is critical, and Anomaly does this really well. Luke’s passion is real and that’s what excited me when we first met.” Kellogg is a member of Anomaly’s advisory board. AD Smith also believes education is the key for Buckeye athletes. “We

have to educate our athletes on how to run their own businesses, how to create your brand and represent yourself, your persona and how to run your social media accounts,” he says. “How to hire business agents and service providers, marketing agencies, what to look for and where you need to be careful. Luke will be great in this space.”

Growth spurt Anomaly has developed what Fedlam calls “a comprehensive curriculum” to educate athletes on understanding and maximizing their opportunities and avoiding the pitfalls young, inexperienced entrepreneurs often encounter. “It’s all about the ability of college athletes to get paid by third parties for the licensing of their name, image and likeness,” he says. “I think the sky’s the limit, and Anomaly can be the go-to educational resource for realworld, practical education for athletes at every level.” As business began to grow, Fedlam reached out to Wimbish and recruited him as vice president. They share a vision to protect the rights of athletes at every level and help them make good decisions. “We’ve all heard and seen the horror stories of athletes being taken advantage of, sometimes by their own advisers,” Wimbish says. “To protect them, to prevent them from making life-changing mistakes, is what drives Luke.” Anomaly has held workshops for several Ohio State sports teams as well as for other colleges, including Florida State University, Indiana University and Boise State University.

I can play a role in protecting and changing the status of these athletes, who often get taken advantage of and often go broke after their playing days are over. They can make a real impact and create lasting change.

He’s also presented to NCAA’s Elite Symposiums for football and men’s basketball players, the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as the G League, the NBA’s developmental league. “If someone offers you $500 to do a talk, it’s not worth us getting involved,” he says of the new offers college athletes soon will have. “But if an athlete is doing a deal that’s worth thousands and thousands of dollars, then they will need that legal understanding and protection.” These types of deals could happen on a regular basis for stars of the Ohio State football team. Opendorse, a marketing and endorsement company for athletes, estimated that former Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields could have earned $1 million a year if the NIL rules had been in place. Anomaly recently partnered with Philadelphia-based Team Ultimate in anticipation of their growing role in providing NIL education. “Their expertise is the financial literacy aspect, and we’ll teach student-athletes the process of decision making, understanding due diligence and contracts,” Fedlam says. Fedlam, Wimbish and Anomaly also organized and help lead a College Basketball Parents Association to educate, empower and create a network for the parents of college basketball players.

Giving back Fedlam was reluctant, at first, to discuss his early years and the impact they had on his life and career choices. “My life has been shaped by some unique circumstances,” he says. These are circumstances and topics he’s not talked about much in public. However, slowly, and then more comfortably, Fedlam opened up about his life and how the negative and the positive events, and people he’s met along the way, have led him to where he is today. “I’m sure I could sit on a psychiatrist’s couch and figure it out, but I do think being adopted was like, ‘what can I do to help others with opportunity,’” he says. “I’ve always wanted to give back to others and take the spotlight off of me, and maybe that’s my form of therapy, helping others.” Steve Wartenberg is a freelance writer. July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Tech talk

Circuit designer attracts DOD attention SenseICs has found work in 5G electronic components design for the Air Force.

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SenseICs circuit

SenseICs

1275 Kinnear Road, Columbus 43212 SenseICs.com Business: Integrated circuit design CEO and co-founder: Ramy Tantawy Employees: 8 2020 revenue: $819,000 Revenue to date: $2 million in research

funding

Courtesy SenseICs

amy Tantawy has a big vision for the young integrated circuit design house, SenseICs, that he cofounded here in central Ohio. “I wanted to build the next silicon farm to compete with Silicon Valley,” Tantawy says. Tantawy and co-founder Dale Shane Smith, an Ohio State University electrical and computer engineer-

ing professor, have planted some pretty potent seeds already. They’re tapping into Department of Defense networks, winning more than $2 million in Army, Air Force and DOD research contracts with an eye on large-scale commercialization of the various concepts they’re developing. Along the way, Tantawy says SenseICs can play an important role in revitalizing the U.S.’s semiconductor manufacturing industry, leading to a more secure supply chain and more well-paid manufacturing jobs. SenseICs, while incorporated in 2021, was founded in early 2017. Tantawy and Smith saw a gap in the industry, especially in Ohio, for providing integrated circuit (IC) design as a service. “Typically if you need an integrated circuit piece to fit into a technology you develop, you could go buy an off-the-shelf part. But in some very specific cases and some niche markets, you need something that’s not easily available, or available at all,” says Tantawy. “If you’re trying to develop a new solution, that is often the case.” Tantawy had a decade of experience working with image sensors and integrated circuits and had come to Ohio State seeking to expand his knowledge into communication and radio frequency applications. Smith’s expertise lay in radiation-hardened ICs such as those used in high-energy particle accelerators. The pair realized between the two of them they had the expertise to fulfill the needs of advanced research being conducted all over the federal government, especially on behalf of the DOD. The company’s most recent work is in the area of 5G electronics component design for the Air Force’s innovation agency, AFWERX. That puts SenseIC’s work squarely in an area of strategic interest to the US— the development of 5G intellectual property and hardware. “We’re hoping by building this kind of design service in Ohio, we are playing role in expanding that

Courtesy Fabrisonic

By Cynthia Bent Findlay

Radiators bound for space.

3D metal printer grabs NASA funding Columbus-based Fabrisonic is translating NASA funding into success in space. Fabrisonic has been pioneering ultrasonic additive manufacturing technology since 2011. The company focuses on 3D metal printing, a process that allows metal to be laid down in discrete layers and bonded together using ultrasonic friction to create a durable bond without melting. The process even allows delicate components such as fiber optic sensors to be embedded between layers, which would be impossible using traditional hightemperature welding. Fabrisonic’s technology grabbed the attention of NASA jet propulsion lab researchers seeking to improve space-bound heat exchangers. NASA has provided more than $1 million in Small Business Innovation Research funding to Fabrisonic over a variety of projects, and researchers are now making more durable, more rapidly manufactured components that will fly on spacecraft and satellites of the future and also enable specialized research here on Earth. industry locally and domestically in the US,” Tantawy says. “We’ve been relying on foreign countries to design all ICs and tech. In every aspect of life, ICs are used, not just phones, everything. And we manufacture only 12 percent of them.” He points out that a manufacturer like Intel’s workforce is almost double that of Facebook. “When you build an economy only focused on software, you’re not building your workforce. We need both,” he says. Cynthia Bent Findlay is a freelance writer.

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briefing By Jess Deyo

Jelani Gibson was appointed as a marketing strategy associate at The Shipyard.

n light of the 2020 racial justice protests, Rick Milenthal, CEO of marketing company The Shipyard, created an internship program specifically to find Black talent, and two former interns have just begun working full-time. Mwesi Stokes and Jelani Gibson, recent graduates of Ohio State University, were both students in the school’s Black Advertising and Strategic Communication Association [BASCA], founded by Osei Appiah, director of OSU’s school of communication. BASCA is meant to connect Black students to opportunities in the industry, and years ago, Milenthal remembers missing the chance to take an active role in the program. Shortly after the murder of George Floyd, Milenthal gave Appiah a call hoping to start anew. Quickly, a partnership developed,

an additional semester in the spring before being hired. For Gibson, a strategy associate, the experience eased concerns that come with lack of representation, he says, thanks to highly attentive team members and strong communication. The internship partnership with BASCA and The Shipyard has already recruited its next two interns, and Milenthal hopes to bring 50 people through the program in the next five years and expand the program to the company’s California branch. Stokes, the associate performance media analyst, hopes programs like these will inspire change inside and beyond the industry. “I hope this program will show corporate America that we are out here, and we have talent in the Black community and other diverse minority communities.”

Photo by Joshua Lacy

The Shipyard turns staff diversity promise into reality

Photo by Arika Hayes

I

Mwesi Stokes has joined The Shipyard as associate performance media analyst. and the quarterly internship program was created. Toward the end of summer 2020, the first BASCA-recruited interns were chosen: Stokes and Gibson. Brought on during the fall semester, the two ended up staying

Photo courtesy THRIVEIN

ThriveIN creates hiring pipeline for Black women ThriveIN, an online platform to connect Black women to career and life resources, has announced the addition of Workspace. The hiring tool, launched in May, is meant to offer a pipeline for Black women seeking work. Both Workspace and ThriveIN were created in June 2020 by Chevonne Harris, 34, who has experienced being passed over for job interviews despite feeling qualified for those positions. She says she sees continued disregard for Black women in hiring

pools following COVID-19. “There’s a specific group of women who are losing jobs, from blue collar to white collar, to lack of funding for businesses, that I think we need to do something about,” Harris says. Both ThriveIN and Workspace are specifically designed to target “GenZennials” [Millennial and Gen Z women]. Workspace is free for candidates, and since the launch, Harris says around 100 women have uploaded a resume. Employers

can choose from a variety of plans from simply posting jobs to promoting listings through newsletters and sponsorship opportunities. “I am unapologetic in my love of Black women, in my mission to empower Black women with ThriveIN, and to bring as many champions and allies to the table that can help us do that,” Harris says. Those interested in utilizing Workspace’s resources can go to careers.thrivein.co. July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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spotlight By Steve Wartenberg + Photo by Rob Hardin

Small Business

Light of inspiration Johnaka Young never thought she’d become an entrepreneur. Now she’s building a candle company.

J

ohnaka Young’s new, entrepreneurial life began late at night, while she slept, perhaps dreaming of candles. “I woke up one morning [in late 2019], and the first thing I started thinking about was making candles,” Young says. “It must have been from a dream. Which is bizarre, because I wasn’t a candle person.” Her dream quickly turned into an action plan. Young spent the next several hours on the internet watching how-to videos on the craft of candle making. Now, almost two years after her awakening, Atmo-

“Every day I wake up excited. ... There are always people out there who are forgotten, and they get stuck there. They just need an opportunity.” Johnaka Young, founder, Atmosphere Candles

Atmosphere Candles Atmocandles.com Business: Maker of scented candles and lip

balm.

Based: Dublin Founder: Johnaka Young Revenue: Would not disclose

Johnaka Young sphere Candles is a growing business. Young, 42, also has launched a line of lip balms and is forming a guild to help other women, especially single mothers and women of color, promote their homemade products.

Move to Prosper Young, a single mother of two girls, Giada and Giselle (now 14 and 12), worked for Dublin Cleaners as a customer service manager in 2019. She was then accepted into the Move to Prosper pilot program, a collaboration between Ohio State University’s City and Regional Planning program and community organizations, led by Amy Klaben. Ten women, all single moms, were given financial assistance to help them afford apartments in one of four communities with high-ranking schools: Gahanna, Dublin, Olentangy and Hilliard. The women also received life coaching and help inte-

grating their children into their new schools and neighborhoods. It was a life and a career changer for Young and her daughters, who moved from Galloway to Dublin. “I was always stressed out [in Galloway],” she says. “I needed some help, [the girls] were bullied on their way to school, it was a violent neighborhood.” The girls began to thrive in Dublin. And so did Young. “What we’ve found is that it all comes back to safety and feeling secure about your kids,” Klaben says. “Once you’re in a safe place, that opens up your ability to focus on yourself and taking risks that you otherwise never would have taken. Johnaka and her family have blossomed, and Johnaka worked really hard to create her new career path.”

Burning bright It took about a year and several waxy trials for Young to perfect her candle-

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Morgan Stanley

Welcome. Morgan Stanley is proud to welcome Rachel Beck to the Dublin, Ohio branch. Being dedicated to her clients and their family’s future is the first step in helping them achieve their financial goals. With a goals based approach, Rachel can help create a comprehensive financial strategy customized to her clients’ needs, while considering various aspects of their lives. Contact Rachel to learn more about how she helps her clients. Rachel Beck, CRPC Senior Vice President Financial advisor 545 Metro Place South Dublin, OH 43017 614-798-3272 rachel.beck@morganstanley.com advisor.morganstanley.com/ rachel.beck

CD-0006280934-02

making skills and turn her side hustle into a full-fledged business. “It was a lot of testing, learning about wax and over 100 different fragrances, dozens of wicks and different containers,” she says. “Blending fragrances is a little bit of science and a little bit of art.” The formula Young settled on uses vegetable-based waxes that don’t contain paraffin because “they burn much cleaner.” All her scents are created with essential oils, and the wicks are 100-percent cotton, which she says creates a cleaner flame. Sales were slow at first, two or three orders a week. The tipping point came when Young set up a booth at the Westgate Farmers Market. “I ended up selling over $400 worth of candles in three hours,” she says. “From there things skyrocketed.” Kittie’s Cakes, which has shops in German Village and Bexley, wanted a candle that “captured the essence” of the bakeries, says Angela Edgemon, multimedia designer of Together & Co., which owns and operates the bakeries. “We searched [online] and talked to people, and that’s how I found Johnaka.” Young created sample scents for Kittie’s to choose from, and the winner was smoked vanilla with cinnamon bread pudding. “She nailed it, people love them, they create the coziest, warmest feeling,” Edgemon says. Other wholesale customers arrived via word of mouth, including Salon 12 and Fitness Loft of Columbus. She created two candles for the gym: a wet moss and fern blend, and a bergamot and cotton combination. Young recently began a full-time job as a disability claims adjuster for the state. In her off hours, with the girls chipping in, she’s hard at work making and marketing candles. “Every day I wake up excited,” Young says. Her line of lip balm has made its debut, and the Five Senses Guild, a collective for women crafters she founded, is coming together. “From day one of Move to Prosper, I knew I had to do whatever I could to be successful so the program could continue. There are always people out there who are forgotten, and they get stuck there. They just need an opportunity.” And a dream.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trusts, estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning or other legal matters. © 2021 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 3516243 04/21 CS 10021001 04/21

E E F F CO

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S U A C ith a

Steve Wartenberg is a freelance writer. July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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spotlight By Jess Deyo + Photo by rob hardin

Nonprofit

One group, many nations Central Ohio’s Asian American Commerce Group supports diverse professionals.

Q

uiet. Angela An, WBNS10TV’s morning anchor, shares that the Asian community is often viewed as quiet and humble—not eager to share news of accomplishments. However, in the world of business, the central Ohio Asian American population has plenty worth bragging about. There are accomplished journalists like An, renowned healthcare providers like Monika Chaudhari and

“We are an added value [to] the movers and shakers in the Asian American business community.” Joy Kouns LEWIS, vice president, Asian American Commerce Group

Asian American Commerce Group 6121 Huntley Road, Columbus 43229 AACG.org Mission: To unite distinct ethnic groups under

one voice and increase their economic and political impact in the region.

President: Shyam Rajadhyaksha Employees: 2 part-time Revenue: $60,000 in 2019 Funding sources: Corporate sponsors,

individual donors

Joy Kouns Lewis and Shyam Rajadhyaksha of the Asian-American Commerce Group. education advocates like Kenny Lee, among many others. A commonality to each success story is the support offered by the Asian American Commerce Group [AACG]. AACG’s mission is simple: empower Asian American professionals. An says the nonprofit also educates those beyond the organization. “There is an education and awareness that goes hand in hand with what [AACG is] doing,” she says. “It’s not just about monetizing these businesses, but it’s also about educating central Ohio that there are people of different races and different backgrounds that are running these businesses that have rich cultures that everybody can learn from.” Founded in 1993, AACG recognized the need for an organization to unite the diverse individuals that make up central Ohio’s Asian American population. The decision came following the city of Columbus’ formation of its Minority Busi-

ness Program, which at the time didn’t include Asian Americanowned businesses. “Sometimes in the past, Asian Americans have been overlooked as minorities, compared to Hispanics and African Americans,” says AACG President Shyam Rajadhyaksha. “That’s definitely changed and a lot of it’s due to efforts, like our organization, across the whole country.” Among AACG’s founders was Rajadhyaksha’s grandmother, Dr. Kasturi Rajadhyaksha, along with four others who created a space for allies of the Asian, South Asian and Pacific Islander communities. After years of lobbying by AACG, the Minority Business Program agreed to include Asian Americanowned businesses. Asian Americans consist of dozens of ethnicities, languages and religions, and each is welcome into the organization, says Rajadhyaksha. Recruiting efforts have been

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online following COVID-19, but the organization routinely holds an economic summit, panels and the Ohio Asian Awards to recognize the region’s successes, says Joy Kouns Lewis, vice president. “We are an added value [to] the movers and shakers in the Asian American business community—this is where they can network and be educated about the culture and what we do.” Recently, the organization has focused on outreach to support Asianowned businesses who have suffered losses following the pandemic. Immigrants are fueling growth, Rajadhyaksha says, but need to feel welcomed to the city to continue that growth. “There are so many areas in Columbus that would have been desolated if it wasn’t for all these immigrant businesses,” Shyam Rajadhyaksha says. Ohio’s Asian American community makes up 21,000 businesses with $10.8 billion in 2012 receipts, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. AACG has a few hundred paid members, Rajadhyaksha says, and has reached thousands of interested people. Memberships range from individual plans to business plans. In nearly three decades, AACG has reached milestones, from securing $60,000 in funding in 2019 to receiving support from the state. However, the organization hopes to go statewide with multiple branches, and eventually reach Asian American communities outside of Ohio. In the group’s most recent panel, “Portraits of Resilience,” several successful professionals shared their personal stories. The online event hosted people from Canada, England, Australia, the Philippines and beyond. For Lewis, this is a positive that has come from moving to virtual operations. Wherever the future takes AACG, Lewis is confident the organization will remain a place where Asian Americans can share successes and take pride in the common characteristics she has noticed in the community: strength, a forgiving mentality and an unshakeable work ethic. There is one word she uses to encapsulate it all: Resilient.

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spotlight By Laura Newpoff

Innovation

Mobility next The Columbus region is poised to become a leading autonomous vehicle innovation hub.

I

magine taking your family around Downtown Columbus to COSI, the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, Bicentennial Park and the Smart Columbus Experience Center. Instead of the hassle of finding multiple parking spaces or walking along busy roadways, what if a self-driving electric car was your chauffeur? From December 2018 to September 2019, more than 16,000 people didn’t have to use their imagination to experience the future of urban transportation. Smart Circuit on the Scioto Mile was launched as an autonomous vehicle pilot by DriveOhio and Smart Columbus to give visitors and residents a taste of how self-driving technology can improve people’s lives. The Smart Columbus team— formed as a public-private partnership between the Columbus Partnership and the city of Columbus after the city won the Smart City Challenge in 2016—also ran an autonomous shuttle project to support Linden residents in getting to school, work, doctor’s appointments

“What we’re experiencing now … we’re starting to see the fruits of a transformation in mobility that’s unlike anything we’ve seen in the last 100 years.” Brett Roubinek, CEO, Transportation Research Center

and other critical activities. The pilots dovetailed into collaboration among a powerhouse group of partners with deep automotive industry experience including Honda, the Route 33 Smart Mobility Corridor, Ohio State University and Transportation Research Center. With the autonomous vehicle market projected to surpass $65 billion by 2027, sources interviewed for this story say central Ohio is ripe to become a hub of mobility innovation. “The Smart Circuit and Linden LEAP deployments were powerful firsts in the state and the country,” says Jordan Davis, director of Smart Columbus. “They showed our technologists and our residents what the technology is capable of today—not some hypothetical future state.”

Who’s involved The TRC has made a huge bet on the future of self-driving cars with its new $45 million SMARTCenter at its East Liberty vehicle testing grounds. Sitting on 540 acres, it is billed as the “largest, most comprehensive contained testing site in North America for advanced vehicle technologies.” The automated and connected vehicle testing facility has more than

1.1 million square feet of pavement and more than 20,000 linear feet of underground electrical conduits. It opened in 2019 in partnership with JobsOhio, DriveOhio, the Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio State University. SMARTCenter—used by leading automotive companies to test and refine advanced mobility systems—is expanding as the result of an agreement with Waymo, a unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc. Waymo will establish a permanent presence at TRC to advance its Waymo Driver fully autonomous driving technology and driverless Class 8 truck. Much of the innovation at the SMARTCenter will be focused on making self-driving cars safe. Adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and emergency braking, for example, all have ties to TRC. “What we’re experiencing now … we’re starting to see the fruits of a transformation in mobility that’s unlike anything we’ve seen in the last 100 years,” says Brett Roubinek, TRC’s president and CEO. “We’re headed to a safer place, a more inclusive place and that’s critical to all of us and to the quality of our lives.” That transformation includes the public-private partnership that is

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The Smart Columbus self-driving shuttle

Who’s moving and shaking this Week? Find out when you become a Columbus Ceo insider

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developing what Luke Stedke refers to as the “crown jewel” of the innovation that’s taking place in the state. The U.S. 33 Smart Mobility Corridor, “the world’s longest connected highway” that begins in Dublin, travels through Marysville and ends at the front door of the TRC in East Liberty, is being built as an ecosystem for connected, automated and electric travel. Stedke, managing director, communications and policy at DriveOhio, says autonomous vehicle innovation extends well beyond central Ohio. DriveOhio’s FlyOhio initiative includes work at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport that’s developing and deploying technology to allow advanced air mobility vehicles and drones to fly safely over longer distances. As advanced mobility technologies mature on the ground and in the air, he says Ohio is well positioned to lead the 21st century economy and the transportation system it will enable. “If you’re going to sell an automated or connected vehicle anywhere around the globe it will have to master Ohio’s weather, geography and urban and rural settings,” Stedke says. “Ohio is the perfect microcosm for any market in the world.”

One of the most beautiful things about theater is that it is by nature collaborative. The words on the page, the set, the costumers, the actors all work together to create something beyond the individual components. In the 20 years that I’ve been working in Columbus, I’ve seen it grow to a city where artists are inspired and supported by artists outside of their own craft. I’m Philip Hickman. Theater is my art and there’s no place I’d rather make it. Learn more about Philip’s story and other Columbus artists, performances, exhibitions, concerts, public art and more at ColumbusMakesArt.com.

Photo: Chris Casella | Design: Formation Studio

Laura Newpoff is a freelance writer. July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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100 years of Craver Nation White Castle is celebrating a century of making its iconic sliders as a family-owned business, and the fourth generation speaks on how the past has prepared them for the future.

Natalie Kitson places candles for White Castle’s 100th birthday.

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By Jess Deyo + Photos by rob hardin

A

perfectly square two-inch beef patty steam-grilled on a bed of onions, placed delicately on a bakery fresh bun with one perfect pickle. That unchanged recipe at White Castle has proven to be timeless, but the real secret to success lies within the generations of family members that keep founder Billy Ingram’s vision alive. There are two things to know about Ingram: he valued consistency, and he didn’t bother much with the opinions of others, according to family. Those two traits arguably served as fuel for the creation of White Castle in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. The launch of the new burger joint came after Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle—a 1906 novel that negatively highlighted the American meat-packing industry. Still, Ingram and partner Walter Anderson created an offer hard to pass up: a perfectly steamed hamburger for just a few cents. The name White Castle was intended to erase the negative stigma

around beef, according to Jamie Richardson, 55, White Castle’s current vice president. The word “white” meant clean, and “castle” was meant to denote strength and permanence. White Castle was here to stay and is even credited by many with the creation of fast food. So, what could you get at a White Castle in the 1920s? The company’s signature sliders, for five cents apiece, coffee, Coca-Cola and apple pie. Thanks to Ingram’s belief that everyone deserved a night out, the simple menu proved to be a hit.

novative stride for the industry. “There were so many great debates, that people weren’t going to take food out of the restaurant and eat at their house,” Richardson says. “Thankfully, Billy didn’t listen to that. And it turned out to be a pretty good idea.” Ingram would end up being credited with a ton of good ideas—his move to Ohio being one of them. Columbus became White Castle’s home in 1934, a central location for the growing chain. It was around this time co-founder Anderson sold his shares to Ingram to pursue his interest in aviation. In the coming years, White Castle

Sell ‘em by the sack

“Knowing that we’ve all stood up and said, ‘We want to remain a family-owned company for years to come,’ is really an inspiring thing to me.”

By the end of the twenties, White Castle was beginning to grow, and Ingram wanted to see it through. Carryout was introduced in 1927, arguably a first for the industry, Richardson says. It was yet another move for the working class, who could now get their sliders in a sack with the soon-to-be iconic White Castle logo. To help gain their trust, the company began placing coupons in the newspaper—yet another in-

Kate Richardson, board member

The company’s 100th anniversary party was held on May 26 and was livestreamed.

Fourth-generation Ingram family members, back row, left to right: Meg Kelley, Shannon Tolliver, John Kelley, Dave Rife, Jamie Richardson Front row, left to right: Kate Richardson, Erin Shannon, Lisa Ingram

Jon Petz hosted the celebration. July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Motivational speaker Jon Petz emceed White Castle’s 100th birthday party

was thrown curveball after curveball. Competition was increasing, and World War II beef rationing caused the company to expand its menu. [It offered egg sandwiches and grilled cheese]. Changes were also made in the coming decades, like the switch to a frozen patty with five holes, which became a White Castle patent, instead of smashing a meatball patty onto the grill. Regardless, White Castle’s slider

was here for the long haul, and Billy Ingram’s legacy was to be passed down to what is now the fourth generation of his family. He died in 1966.

For generations to come Ingram had a few mottos, including, “We have no right to expect loyalty except for whom we have been loyal,” says his great-granddaughter, Kate

Richardson. That’s her inspiration as she works to ensure the fifth generation feels comfortable transitioning into leadership at the company. Kate, 49, is wife to Jamie and holds the designated seat for the family on White Castle’s board, which was once internal but shifted to gain outside perspective. Kate’s focus is to prepare the next generation of the family to serve. Having a business mindset starts at

1921

1927

1933

1960

1962

The first White Castle opens in Wichita, Kansas

White Castle introduces carry out: “Selling ‘em by the sack.”

Cravers can now enjoy coupons—the first coupon appeared in newspapers and advertised five sliders for only 10 cents.

The first White Castle commercial premiers.

The first new menu item launches, 41 years after the company opened: the cheeseburger.

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menu 41

ed: the

a young age in the White Castle family. Kate recalls games for the children, like making commercials, and even creating art for a family auction. The money collected would be up to the kids’ discretion to decide what charity they want to support. Each year, the family holds a company business meeting—2020 sales were $780 million. Teens are also invited to begin learning the challenges and goals of the company, while the youngest children spend the time playing together and building relationships. “Knowing that we’ve all stood up and said, ‘We want to remain a family-owned company for years to come,’ is really an inspiring thing to me,” Kate says. To her, the success in transitioning from generation to generation comes from an unwavering culture of support, even if family chooses to work elsewhere. She hopes to bring the same culture to the fifth generation. “I’ll go as far as to say it’s a lifeaffirming thing. What you’re doing is making a difference,” she says. “The customers coming in have a multigenerational experience shared with their grandparents or their parents— it’s fond memories.”

ago, there were only a few menu items compared to today’s lengthy menu and increased customer demands. But in Kelley’s 29 years with the company, he has learned the perfect hires at White Castle have one consistent trait: they enjoy people. “My grandfather Edgar said there’s always going to be a need by the people who are looking for a quick, nutritious lunch served by friendly people,” Kelley says. “And that’s as much alive today as it was in the

“My grandfather Edgar said there’s always going to be a need by the people who are looking for a quick, nutritious lunch served by friendly people.” John Kelley, chief people officer

1980s when he said that.” The recruitment process is simple: find people who enjoy working with others and teach them how to make memorable moments. For many, it’s a first job, and Kelley sees that as an opportunity to create a foundation for their future. The solid foundation is proven to carry over within the company. Jamie Richardson says one in four employees has been with the company for a decade or longer. Further, CEO and President Lisa Ingram notes the turnover rate for White Castle general managers is just 2 percent and that of the 450 leadership positions, 442 of the hires started behind the grill. The continued development at the company’s Goodale Boulevard headquarters, which features several apartment buildings and its newest office that pays homage to White Castle’s history, is also a stride to care for the team, Richardson says. The buildings sit on 18 acres and house more than 200 White Castle employees. “The people and the businesses there are generating an income stream that we’re able to have help us pay for

A family of 10,000

1980

1987

White Castle hops on the drive-through bandwagon.

Sliders now are offered frozen at local retailers across the country.

White Castle family members Kate Kelley, Bill Ingram III, Maryann Ingram Kelley and Meg Kelley.

2001

Customers can now feed the crave with the Crave Case, packed with 30 sliders.

File/Dispatch/CHRIS RUSSELL

Billy Ingram was far from detached when it came to caring for his employees—even in the 1930s, he offered health insurance and a listening ear. That’s why Chief People Officer John Kelley, 53, believes his great-grandfather and even his grandfather, Edgar Ingram, would be awestruck by White Castle’s success. He says demand has certainly changed across White Castle’s 358 locations and nearly 10,000 employees. When the company started 100 years

2018

Sliders are truly for everybody—the chain launches the plantbased Impossible Slider.

2021

The team of 10,000 at White Castle celebrates 100 years of operation.

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Lisa Ingram

fast-food nation centers on columbus Columbus is headquarters for fast food favorites like Wendy’s and White Castle, and even fast casual joints like Piada Italian Street Food and Charley’s Philly Steaks. We may even be considered the epicenter for fast food, with a history stretching nearly 100 years, but why? Fast food expert and editorial director for Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based Informa’s Restaurant Group Sam Oches draws on his industry knowledge to explain why having ties to Columbus is a no-brainer.

Why is Columbus sought out for fast food headquarters?

“As far as headquarters go… Columbus is within a couple hours’ flight of, like, 75 percent of the U.S. population. Columbus is very strategically located for doing business meaning that you can get, fairly easily, anywhere you want. But what Columbus really has going for it is sort of the big three: governments, college towns and a great economy. I think Columbus is one of the healthiest cities economically in the Midwest, if not the healthiest city economically in the Midwest. It’s growing, it has no limits, it’s not got any body of water to stop it from growing. So,

health insurance for our team members. We’re able to have that to help us pay for their retirement benefits down the road. It’s using the value of the property that’s here.” For Kelley, the new space, which replaced the 1934 headquarters, creates even more potential for culture building. Workspaces were intention-

“We’re not the biggest [company], but I think he’d be really happy that we continued as a family business.” Lisa Ingram, president and CEO

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it’s economically very viable. And so, when you have this growing city that is doing very well economically, you have access to both universities and government—that means you have a lot of access to talent. To position a corporate headquarters in a city like that is kind of a no-brainer.

We’re the guinea pigs for testing out new menu items—why?

Columbus is very much a cross-section of American demographics. And you have old and young, you have right and left, you have a very cultural mix. And it’s incredibly vibrant from that standpoint. Very diverse, very much a cross section of many demographics. And so that’s why you get into talking about restaurant companies that like to have Columbus as a test market, even though they’re not based in Columbus. We’ll roll out limited-time offers in Columbus to see what kind of response they get there. And that’s because they want to check in with every type of person that you can, and Columbus is one of those kinds of cities that has all of the demographics that you’re going to want to test it out on.

Why have some restaurants not survived even in a city with such opportunity?

By the time we get to the internet era, and especially the social media era, if you can’t keep up with the times, then you’re just gonna sail off into the sunset because there is just so much pressure to perform at a high level. Now, this isn’t true in every

ally developed for collaboration and placed close to other teams, all in an open floor plan that promotes communication and relationship building. “When people are walking through when they might be [going] from a meeting to a meeting, or down to the cafe to pick up some coffee or Coke, they’re going to run into other people that they may not collaborate with on a regular basis, but they will stand there and have a quick conversation and really try and bring our values to life.”

Castle Shares When Billy Ingram moved White Castle’s headquarters to Columbus, he knew he wanted to give beyond the burger. In 1949, he founded what

Sam Oches community. You go to some communities in America, and they still need or want value-oriented brands. In every restaurant company, America is going to have some fans one way or another. But right off the bat even the most successful restaurants are still not making as much profit, as you know, tech companies. So, point being is that, in this market, if you are not keeping up with the times, keeping up with the demand of the consumer more broadly, then you’re not going to have a larger base of customers to make your business financially viable.

How has the pandemic affected the industry?

It’s funny because I would say, from 2011 until 2016, 2017, we were talking about quality all the time, and we’re talking about all these fast casuals bringing up that we’re doing farm-sourced fast food and you know, you paid 15 bucks to get super healthy [food]. Honestly, pre-pandemic, the advent of delivery and mobile ordering and all this stuff started changing. People just started would become the Ingram White Castle Foundation, which has since awarded more than $22 million in grants. Today, philanthropic efforts are overseen by Erin Shannon. Shannon, 45, grew up on her family’s farm an hour north of Columbus. She didn’t really know much about White Castle, but she she knew that when her family visited the city, they would return home with 100 sliders. She’s now been with the company for 23 years. Each year, White Castle and its foundation donate more than $2 million to charities across the country and have offered over $1.5 million in scholarships to team members. That’s a reflection of the company’s mantra to “feed the souls of our communities and our team members.” The company’s most supported

to realize that they prioritize easy access and value over quality, and the pandemic cranked that up times 1,000. When you look at the numbers, fast food and fast casual has actually been crushing it for the last year. Some companies like pizza and chicken wing companies are doing 30-40 percent sales better than they did the year before because they’re easily delivered, and you can order it from your phone very easily.

Where do you see fast food going? The big question mark is real estate. I’ve been looking at Columbus real estate, because I’m going to move there at some point, and I mean, it’s bananas. The market is insanely hot. And as Columbus grows outward, the closer in the city you go, the more expensive it’s going to be. And certainly in parts of the city like the Grandview and Upper Arlington area and some of those parts, it’s gonna be out of reach for anybody but chains who have the cash on hand to secure those leases. And further out as the city expands outward, you’re gonna see more opportunities for mom and pops to come in. But Columbus has also been an economically healthy city and a very young and vibrant city—you’re going to see a lot of developments that are multi-use, you’re going to have the developments with condos and yoga studios. Those kinds of places really prefer fast casual companies that are favorable to millennials. The fast casuals will stand to grow if they can afford the lease. cause is Autism Speaks, which has received more than $8 million over the past decade from puzzle piece campaigns hosted by White Castle. During the yearly campaigns, customers can buy a paper puzzle piece that will be on display at the restaurants. In July the company will kick off another two-month campaign with Autism Speaks, and to close out the year, it will begin a new donation strategy called “District’s Choice.” The idea for the new program came following a staff survey that revealed team members want more say in where corporate dollars go. This was translated into a program that was sampled from October to December of 2020 and raised nearly $700,000— money that was donated to Autism Speaks after its normal campaign was July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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missed due to COVID-19. The program was launched again from March 1 to April 30 this year and raised $573,000 which was dispersed across 48 charities, each picked by the district managers across all White Castle locations. New charitable campaign strategies aren’t all the company is doing to celebrate its 100th anniversary. It also granted 100 volunteer hours to district managers and their team members, and the company is giving two $40,000 scholarships to team members, with eligibility expanding to include both part-time and fulltime employees. “It’s nice to be able to have such [support] for our team members, treat them as our family and make sure that we can help them out as much as possible,” Shannon says.

In her father’s footsteps Lisa Ingram, 50, didn’t always plan to succeed her father, Bill Ingram, at White Castle. She previously worked for U.S. Sen. John Glenn and a computer supplies wholesaler before she began as White Castle’s market-

Dave Rife

ing manager, left to get her MBA in operations and consulting, and came back to work on the company’s operations team. It’s been 20 years since her return, and she’s filled the roles of president, CEO, and chair of the board. Her suitability for her roles was determined by a family business advisor, similar to the rest of the family employees. Not only did she fit the requirements for her current position, but she’s the first woman to hold it.

“It’s nice to be able to have such [support] for our team members, treat them as our family and make sure that we can help them out as much as possible.” Erin Shannon

corporate relations manager

Erin Shannon

“There are still a small number of women at the CEO position, so it’s challenging, but it’s a great industry to be in because we have such tremendous diversity in our workforce,” she says. About 75 percent of White Castle’s general managers and up are female, and 53 percent of them are ethnically diverse. Ingram admits there needs to be more equity both in and out of the food industry but feels the changes White Castle has made would amaze her great-grandfather. “My hope is [Billy] would be really proud of the success that we have had,” Ingram says. “You know, we’re not the biggest [company], but I think he’d be really happy that we continued as a family business, that we have so many family members involved in the business, and that we have such a diverse workforce.” Based on her experience of working in private business, large public companies and the family business, Ingram believes a family business just does things better—not only from a level of transparency but in the ability of ownership to be easily accessible. These traits may be to

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thank for the company’s low employee turnover rates. “What most people say when we ask why they stayed with us so long, is that it feels like a family,” Ingram says. “And while they may be talking about the family that owns the business, they’re also talking about the family that’s created in their [work] environment.” Reflecting on her generation, Ingram says the past 20 years have marked an unmatched level of innovation. Most notably, the menu has seen continuous expansion and includes breakfast sandwiches with Belgian waffles [yes, they’re from Belgium], and the addition of fish, chicken and the Impossible Slider. Despite the changes, she hopes to protect the unique experience that comes with ordering from White Castle for generations to come and for past generations who have fond memories of sharing sliders with friends.

Feeding the Crave Billy Ingram was a firm believer in controlling the quality of the product

Jamie Richardson

that went across the counter, says Chief Manufacturing Officer Dave Rife, and his desire to offer top-notch ingredients was contagious. That’s why Rife, 58, has a simple yet impactful mantra: the best way to control the quality of what’s going across the counter is to control the quality coming through the back door. White Castle always has been in control of its own processes, even to the point that in 1934, Porcelain Steel Building [PSB] Co., a steel manufacturing division, was founded to supply components of the restaurants and build more. The idea came with Billy Ingram’s vision of having buildings that could be picked up and moved to different locations. PSB was devoted to developing White Castle further until World War II when the company’s resources were redistributed to make amphibious vehicles for the war effort. After the war, PSB continued to manufacture for White Castle but also helped create fertilizer applicators for O.M. Scott with Scott’s Lawn Products [today’s ScottsMiracle-Gro], as well as equipment for the automotive and appliance sectors.

PSB was sold in 2015 in an effort to focus on the food business, Richardson says. White Castle also had a paper linen manufacturing facility for a brief time until relying on wholesalers for those products. Today, White Castle has nearly 800 employees in its manufacturing division with eight plants: two bakeries, three meat production plants and three retail production plants. Soon, an existing Vandalia, Ohio, retail plant will be expanded to include an additional retail plant to meet the needs of the growing sector. The retail division was added in 1987 by Bill Ingram, who noticed White Castle fans would stockpile sliders by freezing their leftover minihamburgers and eat them later after heating them in a microwave, which was starting to go mainstream. He asked various food retailers to partner with White Castle, but nobody took him up on the offer—frozen fast food would never sell, they predicted. So, White Castle learned to produce its own frozen sliders, using the same 100 percent USDA boxed beef with five holes, steamed on a bed of onions with their bakery buns. Today it can be found in the frozen section of grocers across America. For Rife, who began working at White Castle in the 1980s, managing the company’s supply chains has been a continuous learning experience with the introduction of new technology and constant innovation—recently, a Chicago branch introduced an artificial intelligence menu board and even a robot that helps in the fryer area.

It started with an idea It’s clear White Castle has evolved over the past 100 years, but to Jamie Richardson and the fourth-generation Ingram family, the success goes all the way back to 1921 with just an idea that would go on to establish today’s Craver Nation. “Take all the technology away, take everything else away,” he says, “and the key to success is still based on two fundamental core parts of the business: a heart for hospitality and hot, tasty affordable food… that’s where it all started.” Jess Deyo is associate editor. July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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A Special Advertising Section

Grove City A Suburban Growth Section

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Welcome Letter & Contents

Welcome to Grove City Grove City is a welcoming and inclusive community where all can feel safe and respected—a full-service community where each person feels at home. Twice named one of Ohio’s Best Hometowns by Ohio Magazine, we feel much of that success comes from our cohesive neighborhoods and the connections among residents, businesses and service providers. Strength through Connections Grove City understands success for all is found in working together. One great example is a property agreement among the City, South-Western City School District and Beulah Park developer that provided land for a much-needed new middle school and freed up space for City use. Other successful partnerships, such as those with Southwest Public Libraries and Columbus Metro Parks, have garnered unmatched benefits for Grove City residents, including a leading-edge library and Scioto Grove Metro Park. Together with leaders from Jackson Township, Franklin County and the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce, we continue working closely with residents and businesses, providing programs needed for success. Eliminating Transportation Obstacles Recognizing a need for improved public transportation, we partnered with COTA to offer an on-demand transit program, developed with input from area businesses, medical facilities, educational institutions and service providers. COTA//Plus provides affordable, accessible transportation in Grove City, Jackson Township and Urbancrest.

A Columbus CEO Suburban growth Section Columbus Site Manager

Alan Miller

Publisher/General Manager

Ray Paprocki

EDITORIAL Special Sections Editor

Emma Frankart Henterly Columbus CEO Editor

Katy Smith

contributors

Striking the Work-life Balance Residential development in Grove City has responded to the growing demand for a variety of housing options. Recently approved projects offer a range of amenities, such as connections to our trail network and an abundance of open space offering recreational opportunities. These communities are developed with the intention of promoting improved quality of life and ease of living. This approach is based on the premise that residents are happier living in a community with convenient access to their needs.

Science

Tech HUB

Grove City’s science and technology industry has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.

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Small Business

Better Together

Grove City leadership stepped up to support its small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interns

David Rees, Lily Roby, Eiliana Wright

DESIGN & production Production/ Design Director

Craig Rusnak

Art director

Yogesh Chaudhary

Digital Editor

Julanne Hohbach

Photography Photo Editor

Tim Johnson

Associate Photo Editor

Welcome Home It’s Grove City’s healthy mix of smalltown charm and big-city amenities that make it one of the most desirable places in Central Ohio for a family or a business to call home.

Rob Hardin

ADVERTISING Vice President of Sales

Eugene Jackson

Senior Multimedia Sales Executive

Holly Gallucci

Multimedia Sales Executives

Tia Hardman, Jackie Thiam SALES ASSISTANTS

Amy Vidrick

Production Designer

Rebecca Zimmer

Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage

C o n t e n t s

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Brian Ball, Virginia Brown, Sarah Steimer, Peter Tonguette

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Innovators

Layers of Support

Local government, businesses and nonprofits build a web of assistance for entrepreneurs and innovators.

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Housing

CONNECTED GROWTH

Beulah Park and Farmstead lead the charge in Grove City’s goal to diversify housing stock.

Marketing marketing manager

Lauren Reinhard Editorial/Advertising Offices 62 E. Broad St., P.O. Box 1289 Columbus, OH 43216 • 614-888-4567 Grove City: A Columbus CEO Suburban Growth Section is published by Gannett. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted © Gannett Co., Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials.

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Science

Tech Hub

Grove City’s science and technology industry has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. By Peter Tonguette With a population hovering around 45,000, Grove City, southwest of Columbus, is known for its eclectic Town Center, numerous local and national retail establishments and restaurants, and appealing residential options. Grove City, whose economy has long been anchored in transportation and logistics, can also be associated with science and medicine.

In fact, the city has gradually become a hotbed for health care providers and science innovators. It is the home to a variety of tech-industry innovators, as well as Mount Carmel Grove City, OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital and The James Grove City—all of which were drawn to the area for various practical reasons, as well as something more difficult to quantify. “There is a sense of southern charm in Grove City,” says Kevin Lutz, president of

OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital. The Japan-based Tosoh Corp. has long had a presence in Grove City; the American-based arms of the company span multiple industries, including the manufacturing of sputtering targets—used in creating semiconductors—and sales and marketing of specialty materials and chemicals used in a wide array of industries. In Grove City, the company also sells and distributes medical diagnostic instruments to the medical industry and separation materials and instruments for liquid chromatography in the pharmaceutical industry. And, just last summer, Forge Biologics, a new gene-therapy manufacturing company, chose Grove City as its headquarters. “Having these new sectors in the city

Mount Carmel Grove City Courtesy Mount Carmel Health System

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says Jim Shaffer, vice president and chief financial officer of Tosoh America. Tosoh America, which operates out of a 348,000-square-foot building on a 40-acre plot of land off of Gantz Road, continued to invest in Grove City, with products being exported to, rather than imported from, countries overseas. “Seventy percent of the products we make in Grove City, Ohio, get exported to Asia. It’s not the other way around,” Shaffer says. “The cost of living in Central Ohio is very reasonable, so the cost of labor is very reasonable for us,” he adds. “We’re offering competitive compensation and better-than-average benefits.” Shaffer also points to the skillset found in the talent pool in and around Grove City. “We hire a tremendous amount of engineers and chemists,” says Shaffer, whose company employs about 320

Courtesy Mount Carmel Health System

really helps to diversify our economy,” says Kyle Rauch, the city’s director of development. As Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage sees it, Grove City has become attractive to science and medical companies for several reasons, including a diverse labor force, the proximity to Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and the friendliness of city leaders. “We are a welcoming community,” Stage says. “We’ve heard that from a broad range of industries.” Leaders say that Tosoh’s entry into Grove City in 1988, following its acquisition of the sputtering target manufacturing of Varian Associates, was a turning point in the city’s eventual emergence as a science hub. “Tosoh started with investing in a company, and ended up finding a home,”

people in Grove City (about a third of whom live in Grove City). In fact, Forge Biologics, which manufactures life-changing and -saving gene therapies for patients, chose Grove City over 15 different sites, including others in Central Ohio, in part for its supply of potential employees who seemed likely to remain in the area over the long haul. Like Tosoh, the company is based in a facility on Gantz Road. “There’s leadership and expertise to draw from in the gene therapy space,” says Timothy J. Miller, co-founder, president and CEO of Forge, who calls Central Ohio a center of gene therapy. “It’s not Raleigh-Durham or Boston, where people are jumping every other year to new jobs.” Grove City, though, won out for its unique qualities even within Central Ohio. “It’s on a great intersection, right next to the highway,” Miller says. “Lots of access to food, to hotels, to shopping. It’s only 15 minutes away from the airport.” Forge’s ranks have swelled from four employees to over 70, and the company continues to hire aggressively in manufacturing. Forge benefits from ready and willing city partners. “They worked with us to help make sure our permitting was done on time [and] to help review our manufacturing build-out plans,” Miller says. “They’ve definitely incentivized the company to come and basically stay.” Another new player in town is the Mount Carmel Grove City hospital, which opened in April 2019 on North Meadows Drive after Mount Carmel leaders determined they had a patient base in the area they needed to reach. The hospital, which employs about 1,300, offers a full complement of ameni-

“Having these new sectors in the city really helps to diversify our economy. ” Courtesy Mount Carmel Health System

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Forge Biologics Courtesy Forge Biologics

ties, including a full-service emergency department, a bariatrics program and traditional outpatient and inpatient services. “We want people to be able to get the care that they need within 10 to 15 minutes of their home,” says Tauana McDonald, president of Mount Carmel Grove City. “Grove City is one of the fastest-growing suburbs in Central Ohio and very much wanted to [ensure] ... they have an environment that has all the services for their community,” says McDonald. “It’s a very family-friendly city, very

focused on education, health care, small business,” she adds. And, last August, The James Grove City, also on North Meadows Drive, opened its doors. The center focuses on breast cancer as well as overall breast health. Steve Kalister, the service line administrator for the breast cancer program at The James, says that The James targeted Grove City for a satellite location to help serve a large population of women who had reached the age to start having mammograms but were not being reached by

other locations. “It was a big area for us to establish a presence,” he says. The James shares the same building as an expanded Grove City Veterans Administration Clinic. The VA had long operated a clinic in Grove City, but, looking to expand its footprint and offer more services (including primary care, mental health and nutrition), it moved to the new facility about two years ago. “They determined, with the number of veterans here in Grove City, it was time to expand,” Stage says. Mount Carmel Grove City and The James Grove City joined the existing OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital, which opened in October 2018 with a full-service ER plus inpatient rooms and operating rooms. “We’ve been part of the Grove City community for 30 years, with a very large ambulatory health center on Stringtown Road,” says

“Grove City is one of the fastest-growing suburbs in Central Ohio and very much wanted to [ensure they have] ... all the services for their community.” Courtesy Forge Biologics

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Tauana McDonald, president, Mount Carmel Grove City

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A Special Advertising Section

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Lutz, president of the hospital (located a mile away from the original facility, also on Stringtown Road). “It was a natural next step for us to mature the ambulatory health center, which we were serving the community with, by adding hospital services.” Lutz praises city leaders for being “at the table 100 percent” in helping OhioHealth realize an ambitious, largescale construction project. “While never offering shortcuts, they made it very easy for us to navigate the timelines between the steps that we had to go through,” he says. “We worked together to best serve the interests of both the city and the project here for Grove City Methodist.” Stage says that, with the addition or expansion of so many health care centers, the city is on its way to becoming “a full-service community.” “That means that people have, hopefully, as much as 90 percent of their services within the driving area of Grove City,” Stage says. And, on the business side of the ledger, Shaffer, of Tosoh, appreciates having other manufacturing companies within Grove City, going so far as to form an informal network of area executives to meet periodically. For his part, Stage remains convinced that Grove City will remain a desirable destination for those in the science and medical arenas for years to come.

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Small Business

Better Together

Grove City leadership stepped up to support its small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. By Virginia Brown Celebrations serve as a path for Sue and Gary Baisden to make a living. The owners of Capital City Cakes create wow-worthy custom cakes—a hamburger-and-fries theme for a Wendy’s employee’s birthday, for one, or a magical, “Frozen”-inspired tower cake for a 4-year-old’s birthday—each one garnering public praise on the company’s Facebook page. The shop has been a mainstay of the Grove City small-business community since 2012. But when the pandemic hit, the shop, like millions of other small businesses across the country, found itself in a tough financial spot. Though no strangers to a challenge

(the couple competed on the Discovery Family Channel baking show Bake It Like Buddy in 2018), they never could have predicted the struggles COVID-19 would produce. For one, due to travel restrictions and social distancing mandates, the wedding industry dried up. Wedding orders make up about three-quarters of the business, according to Sue, and 90 percent of their wedding orders were postponed or canceled. “Luckily, they postponed to 2021, so now we’re doing [orders] for the 2020 brides that have had to change their wedding plans, as well as the 2021 couples that are getting married this year,” she says. Most of the birthday parties and baby

showers and retirement parties dried up, too, amid concerns of spreading the coronavirus. “We continued to make small birthday cakes, just so that it would take a little bit of that stress and anxiety away from people and let them have a bit of normalcy,” Sue says. They wore masks and gloves and increased their store cleaning. They added recommended CDC signage. They moved tables and closed the restrooms. Still, customers were wary of coming into the store. Over time, they were forced to let go of their employees, who received unemployment. (Five have since returned.) But the Town Center shop stopped—and, as of press time, has yet to bring back—indoor dining, a boon for drawing casual customers in search of a midafternoon sweet treat. As the year went on, creativity kicked in. “We came up with great ideas,” Sue says. “We did a drive-by baby shower,” at which they handed out cupcakes. Sue also began hosting live videos through Facebook. “I would decorate cakes and cupcakes and offer DIY cookie kits and cupcake kits,” she says. Those kits have remained popular as she adapts them for holidays like Mother’s Day and Easter.

Mill Street Market, which includes businesses like Local Cantina, used funds from the Grove City Town Center Grant and Working Capital Grant programs.

Courtesy City of Grove City

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Capital City Cakes is just one example of the many pillars of Grove City’s small business community, which was struggling when the pandemic began in early 2020. A grant from the city and support over social media, among other resources, helped the Baisdens stay afloat during a difficult time. With stories like the Baisdens’ becoming common, Grove City leadership knew they needed to act. “We met with members of the [City] Council and administration to discuss what we needed to do,” says Kyle Rauch, development director for the city. “Our first step was to reach out to businesses to do a wellness check … to see what the concerns were, so we could determine what was actually happening.” That itself was no small feat. City officials made 926 calls to area small businesses between mid-March and early May 2020, according to Rauch. From those calls came the Working Capital Grant program, a short-term fiCutting a Capital City Cake confection

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Courtesy Rise Yoga

Rise Yoga

Courtesy Grove Sheek Boutique

Grove Sheek Boutique

nancial support channel launched in October 2020 to provide $2,500 to Grove City-based businesses with immediate working-capital needs. “The needs were all different,” Rauch says; they included facility improvements to help make spaces safer given the new COVID-19 restrictions; product or inventory purchases; and technology upgrades, among others. “Location is so important for retailers,

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so we knew it was going to be important for us to help keep our retailers in their existing locations,” adds Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage, now in his sixth term. Grove City is home to more than 1,200 businesses total, with nearly 700 classified, according to U.S. Small Business Administration standards, as small businesses. But the city focused on the smallest businesses, prioritizing those with 25 or fewer full-time employees. “I understand the complexity of trying to run a small business, and as soon as it was becoming evident that it was going to be a very difficult time, we were proactive in [developing] the Working Capital Grant and making contact as quickly as we could,” Stage says. “From what our feedback has been, that has been extremely appreciated. We always wish we could do more.” In all, Rauch says, 59 businesses received roughly $147,000 in Working Capital Grants, funded by CARES Act dollars.

“Location is so important for retailers, so we knew it was going to be important for us to help keep our retailers in their existing locations.” Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage

Grants were administered through an online application process. Rise Yoga is just one example of a business the city’s efforts helped. The brand sent a thank-you message to the City of Grove City and Mayor Ike Stage via an Instagram story. “As a small business this year has had its challenges and this Grant money lifted a huge weight off these winter months,” reads the post. City officials also worked closely with manufacturers to distribute personal protection equipment toolkits, which consisted of COVID test kits and masks, according to Rauch. “We targeted our manufacturers because they’re a primary employer, so we wanted to make sure that the employment centers were taken care of [and had the] equipment they needed to conduct their business,” he says. They also loosened the reins on rules for small businesses to hang banners in their windows or set up property-front signs. “We relaxed our sign code infractions [so] businesses could maintain operations,” Rauch says. “It was pretty gratifying to see that unity amongst the local business owners.” But the city didn’t act alone. In partnership with the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce, the city funded a gift certificate program called Hometown Dollars. Here’s how it works: If a customer purchased a $25 gift certificate to any of the participating local small businesses, the city covered that amount again, doubling the value for the consumer. The city dedicated the funds to the program, which was implemented by the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our businesses wanted to get feet in the door, and consumers wanted some normalcy,” says Shawn Conrad, the Chamber’s executive director. “In eight days, we went through roughly $50,000, and many business owners told us, ‘This program helped us keep our doors open.’ ” For the Baisdens, the support from Grove City officials and residents alike made a big difference. “The community—from City Hall to the Chamber and all of our customers— they pulled together,” Gary says. “They came in and said, ‘We’re so glad that you’re open, and we love you guys.’ That really kept us going.”

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Innovators

Layers of Support

Local government, businesses and nonprofits build a web of assistance for local entrepreneurs and innovators. By Sarah Steimer The space at 3989 Broadway in Grove City could have stayed a “remember when” building: Remember when it was a hardware store? Remember when it was an auto dealer and repair shop? Instead, it’s become a building of “what if?” It’s all thanks to start-up incubator Cultivate moving in five years ago. Founder Matt Yerkes—an entrepreneur himself— adopted the location so others could adopt it as well. Those who’ve called the incubator home have developed businesses that include medical billing services, marketing management and even the restaurant on the building’s ground floor. This building, once steeped in the past, is now looking toward the city’s innovative future. But the story of Cultivate is a microcosm of Grove City’s steady but pronounced interest in fostering entrepreneurs and innovation. While the area maintains its charming, small-town appeal, its collaborations among businesses, government

and nonprofits have given the city a wellflexed entrepreneurial muscle.

Partnerships and Support Systems Grove City has a web of support for business owners and those hoping to set up shop. Cultivate is one example of a company that both benefited from and provided such support. Yerkes received a $60,000 grant from the city when he opened Cultivate five years ago, along with loans for historic preservation of the 100-year-old building. “When we had those early conversations with Grove City, they were also eager to help small and emerging businesses and startups,” Yerkes says. “They were already working with Rev1 Ventures, which is what we call one of our community partners.” Cultivate was rolled into the agreement that Rev1 had with Grove City to act as the start-up program’s boots-onthe-ground support for local entrepreneurs. Rev1 is a nonprofit investor startup studio that combines capital and

Courtesy Cultivate

The café at Cultivate Grove City

strategic services and works through public-private partnerships. “We’re really focused on fostering entrepreneurship in order to create jobs, grow regional wealth and attract and retain talent to the region,” says Kristy Campbell, chief operations officer at Rev1. Grove City funds Rev1 to be a startup studio for high-growth-potential companies in the region. Campbell explains that the communities her organization works with don’t have the studio services, capital and advisory resources necessary for high-growth-potential companies, largely because such companies make up a small percentage of that region’s businesses. But Grove City leaders understand that these small companies can have an outsized impact on the community. “That’s why they fund and support us,” Campbell says. Rev1, in turn, also helps to direct funding into the communities and support start-ups such as Cultivate. For Cultivate, Rev1 provided educational resources, guidance on how to use the space and services to entrepreneurs in the region. The two entities now also provide cohort-based and online educational sessions for entrepreneurs, but the strength of the approach is its physical footprint in Grove City. “Every community wants to create density and create a place for entrepreneurs to come together, and that’s really difficult to do,” Campbell says. “When we all saw Matt getting excited about giving back ... to create that, we thought he would have a much better chance of starting up and growing if we support him.” That support trickles down from the city (and often the state) to Rev1, to Cultivate and on to local entrepreneurs. Yerkes says Cultivate—which now has locations in London and Pickerington as well—has 101 members. These member businesses employ 486 people and boast $22 million in revenue. But innovators in Grove City predate July 2021 l Grove City

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A Special Advertising Section

Courtesy New Wave Prosthetics

New Wave Prosthetics

Cultivate. New Wave Prosthetics, for example, has called Grove City home since 2014. The business, a fabrication service company that specializes in upper-limb prosthetic devices, employs nine people and works with prosthetics clinics across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Mitch Neff, general manager at New Wave, says the Grove City government has been proactive in reaching out to businesses with funding opportunities. For example, Grove City Director of Development Kyle Rauch contacted New Wave when a state grant the company would be eligible for became available. “They proactively reached out to us, knowing that we might have an interest,” Neff says. “Otherwise we would not have known about it. That’s not anything that we would typically follow up on, just because we’re trying to run the business on a daily basis.” Rauch says Grove City officials work to establish and maintain an environment that’s attractive for businesses through their local partners, which include the Chamber of Commerce, Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Heart of Grove City, which promotes the Grove City Town Center. “There is no one thing or perk on

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which we focus,” Rauch says. “It is a specific mindset to develop and evolve the composition of the market in which the business operates. In doing so, this approach makes it attractive for other small businesses to locate in the city.” He says the city is also working on a resource guide to help aspiring business owners navigate the city’s regulatory processes for a company’s legal formation, as well as a listing of local, regional, state and federal funding sources. The city administers a grant program to assist Town Center businesses with facility improvements, capped at $10,000 annually. In the last 10 years, the city funded a little more than $1 million in Town Center grants. It also offers a Town Center loan program that provides access to working capital up to $150,000 for small businesses.

Perks of Staying Small Grove City is within a short distance of Columbus, but it’s not trying to compete with the big players. In fact, the city’s residents and innovators are more likely to underscore Grove City’s small-town charm when describing what makes the area so appealing. “Grove City has a really unique downtown,” Campbell says. “It feels like a very

close and tight-knit downtown. But it’s in a community that’s one of the fastestgrowing communities in the state when it comes to population, and they also have the benefit of being really close to Downtown Columbus. It’s that small-town feel, but close to where the action is.” Neff’s retelling of how he started working for New Wave is a perfect encapsulation of how Grove City’s smalltown sensibility plays directly into how its business community functions. Neff has lived next door to New Wave owner Victoria Lawson in Grove City for about five years, only joining her company in January. “My background was in the prosthetics industry,” Neff recounts. “And to relocate where you live and move in next door to somebody that is also involved in the prosthetics industry was beyond imaginable.” But it’s not unheard of for many of Grove City’s entrepreneurs to live in or near the town where they’re growing their businesses. “We encourage people to work as close as possible to where they live,” Yerkes says. “When you’re a small business owner, your time is the most valuable asset that you have. You really don’t want to have to commute 20 or 30 minutes to work each way. That’s a lot of your time that you could be putting into your business.” And the harder working the region, the more it can reap the benefits of a welloiled economy. According to Campbell, regions in the U.S. with active startup communities create twice the number of jobs and businesses than those with less active startup communities. They attract more skilled talent and thus the corporate partners that want to be near that talent. And venture-backed companies have nine times the economic impact of other companies in the region. When Yerkes excitedly mentions that Cultivate offers a free membership for aspiring business owners, it sounds less like a sales pitch and more like a neighbor tossing out details of a community event. And he is quick to point out that this free opportunity is part of the interconnected web of partnerships in the city. “We’re really only able to provide that membership for free as a nonprofit because we have support from Grove City,” he says.

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A Special Advertising Section

Housing

CONNECTED GROWTH

Beulah Park and Farmstead lead the charge in Grove City’s goal to further diversify housing stock. By Brian Ball Steady growth in economic performance gains in the Greater Columbus region—and Grove City in particular—has increased demand for a variety of housing options for those working in the community and nearby employment centers. A 2016 housing study commissioned by Grove City showed 78 percent of the existing housing stock offered came in the form of single-family homes. Other demographic studies have shown the city’s population has grown nearly 37 percent since the 2000 Census, with expectations of a continued flow of new residents through 2050. To accommodate that anticipated demand, Grove City has prioritized development of additional housing units that target a variety of lifestyles and housing preferences as a supplement to its solid base of existing housing stock. As a reflection of the diversifying economy, recent development offers comprehensive

housing options. The construction and opening of the OhioHealth and Mount Carmel hospitals and various other medical facilities in recent years, for example, has expanded the market for upscale homes and well-apportioned rental options for management and staff. At the same time, plans call for creation of dedicated open space, active parks and multiuse trails. These qualityof-life amenities are considered a key aspect of Grove City’s plan to attract and retain residents as well as employers. “We’re trying to fill the full spectrum of housing needs in line with our commercial development profile,” says Mayor

“We’re trying to fill the full spectrum of housing needs in line with our commercial development profile.” Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage

Richard L. “Ike” Stage. The most high-profile housing development emerging at this time builds on the Town Center, which dates back to Grove City’s founding in 1852. Columbusbased master developer Falco Smith & Kelley Ltd. has staged the redevelopment of the shuttered Beulah Park through its attraction of several homebuilders to create a variety of housing units where the thoroughbred racetrack and community events venue once stood. The 212-acre redevelopment opportunity attracted Falco Smith & Kelley for its proximity to a thriving, mixed-used Town Center, with its established grid of commercial, civic and housing elements. That street grid will extend into the development, which will offer a 32-acre park close to the existing Town Center, further complemented by a 22-acre nature preserve along the West Water Run stream. The Beulah Park development will take its walkable attributes from the Town Center; it features about 900 residential units and some additional neighborhood commercial space. The second phase calls for a SouthWestern City School District middle school on a reserved site. “The whole mixed-use aspect of Beu-

Beulah Place apartments and townhomes at Beulah Park

Courtesy City of Grove City

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A Special Advertising Section

Courtesy City of Grove City

Fischer Homes’ Farmstead development

lah Park is as good as anywhere in Central Ohio,” says Patrick Kelley, president of Falco Smith & Kelley. “We had plenty of room to work with.” Additional housing projects set for Beulah Park include an 88-unit assisted living facility called The Danbury with 30 adjacent condos called the Grove City Villas; the 376-unit Beulah Place apartments and townhomes; and a yet-unnamed 82-unit townhome project set along the stream that runs through the site. The Paddock, a collection of 80 custom, single-family home lots, will frame the north and east sides of the central open space.

“It will be very walkable to the core of our town,” Stage says. Housing developers at Beulah include Pulte Homes, which has plans for 52 single-family residences within its The Grove neighborhood on the west side of the central open space. And condo developer Epcon Communities has plans for 104 detached condos within its Courtyard at Beulah. But Beulah Park is not the only major housing project under development. An equally important development in terms of housing diversity, trail connectivity and open space can be found in

Getting Around Growth in Grove City in residential and non-residential sectors over the last several decades had made traveling between Downtown Columbus and the community difficult, especially during the busy morning and afternoon rush of commuters going to and from work. But a $175 million rebuild, reconfiguration, repaving and widening of the Interstate 71 corridor from Interstate 70 to State Route 665 will more than relieve traffic congestion as the last finishing touches get completed this summer after nearly six years of construction. The project, spearheaded by the Ohio Department of Transportation, began with the widening of I-71 between Stringtown Road and 665, with a more efficient 665 interchange and widening of the White Road bridge over I-71 as other key components. The widening of I-71 between I-70 and Stringtown began in 2017. A reconfiguration of the I-71/I-270 interchange improved the heavily traveled I-71 southbound exit at Stringtown by expanding the vehicular capacity of that key entrance into Grove City and giving it a separate exit lane to bypass the I-270 interchange. The northbound interchange also received a reconfiguration designed to improve the flow of traffic. ODOT also has improved sections of I-270 north and east of Grove City. “With steady economic growth, ODOT has responded by upgrading our main arteries,” says Grove City’s longtime mayor, Richard L. “Ike” Stage. The end of construction makes Grove City even more accessible to the region and elevates the community’s attraction as a hub for commercial activity and residential living.

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the Farmstead Development by Fischer Homes. Its 500-home development is well underway off Jackson Pike (Route 104) just north of London-Groveport Road/Route 665. That development features residences on a variety of lot sizes to accommodate everything from executive homes to smaller lots designed for buyers seeking a lower-maintenance lifestyle. The builder has set aside 66 acres— or about 30 percent of the site—for open space throughout, including a connection to and the expansion of the existing Indian Trails Park, with trails connecting Farmstead with the nearby Indian Trails neighborhood and, in conjunction with another City initiative, the Scioto Grove Metro Park. Fischer Homes also has set aside land to accommodate a future elementary school. Other significant residential projects planned, under construction or at some stage of occupancy include: • Brown’s Farm, a development adjacent to the city’s Fryer Park, which is slated to have 110 detached condominiums from M/I Homes and 210 ranch-style apartments geared toward older adults by Wilcox Communities; • Trail View Run, which features 77 single-family homes and 40 patio homes/ condos with an 11-acre city park; • Homestead, an occupied community adjacent to the Grove City Christian School and the Church of the Nazarene, which offers 130 independent living apartments; • Pinnacle Quarry, a planned community with 177 single-family homes by M/I Homes, 31 detached condominiums from Pinnacle Club community developer Joe Ciminello and a 10-acre city park; and • Bentley Apartments, a completed and occupied rental community from developers Fairway Realty and Metropolitan Holdings, built on the site of a former movie theater on Stringtown Road. The City’s commitment to providing an assortment of housing makes it an attractive suburban destination for those relocating to or within the region while meeting the needs of existing residents as their lives progress from young singlehood in rental housing and single-family neighborhoods to the empty-nester and retirement stages.

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Abercrombie & Fitch Co. 6301 Fitch Path New Albany 43054 John Shubitowski Commercial real estate

Allen Yurasek Owens-Ruff & Spaixn LLC

Abramson & O’Connell LLC

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f you’re in business, you need an attorney. Luckily, central Ohio boasts some good ones, and to find the right lawyer, a good starting point is this directory. Columbus CEO partnered with New Jersey-based Martindale-Hubbell, the authoritative source for information on the legal profession, to identify nearly 800 Top Lawyers in central Ohio. Our comprehensive list includes lawyers with expertise in cybersecurity, workers’ compensation, M&A and more. If you have legal questions, it’s a good bet someone on this list has answers. With a history spanning 140 years,

the Martindale-Hubbell legal network is powered by a database of more than 1 million lawyers and law firms in more than 160 countries. For this list, it identified lawyers who have been rated by their peers to be “AV Preeminent”—the highest peer review rating available. The ratings are driven by confidential opinions of lawyers and members of the judiciary who receive invitations from Martindale-Hubbell to review lawyers with whom they have professional knowledge. To learn more, visit martindale.com/ratings. Peer review-rated lawyers are not required to have a paid listing on Lawyers.com or Martindale.com.

Columbus CEO partners again with Martindale-Hubbell to identify the area’s best attorneys.

695 Bryden Road Columbus 43205 Lawrence Abramson Personal injury

Agee Clymer Mitchell & Portman 140 E. Town St. Ste. 1100 Columbus 43215 Frederic Portman Workers’ compensation

Albers & Albers 88 N. Fifth St. Columbus 43215 John Albers Local government law

Allen Stovall Neuman & Ashton LLP 17 S. High St. Ste. 1220 Columbus 43215 Thomas Allen Commercial and bankruptcy law

Kenton Kuehnle Real estate law Richard Stovall Bankruptcy law

233 W. Fifth St. P.O. Box 391 Marysville 43040 Stephen Yurasek Business

American Electric Power 1 Riverside Plaza Columbus 43215 Craig Carlson Litigation Martin Rosenthal Employee benefits

Andrew Law Offices LLC 1982 Marblecliff Crossing Ct. Columbus 43204 Craig Andrew Litigation

Andy Bowers & Associates LLC 612 Park St., Ste 300 Columbus 43215 Dennis Morrison Creditors’ rights

Photo/GettyImages/Brian A Jackson

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2021 Anspach Law 175 S. Third St. Ste. 285 Columbus 43215 David Herd Legal malpractice and professional liability defense

Arbitration Offices of Jacqueline F. Drucker Esq. 470 Olde Worthington Road, Ste. 200 Westerville 43082 Jacqueline Drucker Arbitration, commercial disputes

Arnold & Clifford LLP 115 W. Main St. fourth floor Columbus 43215 James Arnold Business commercial litigation Gerhardt Gosnell Business litigation Damion Clifford Business litigation

Arnold Todaro & Welch 2075 Marble Cliff Office Park Columbus 43215 Gerald Todaro Medical and legal malpractice claims

Artz Dewhirst & Wheeler LLP 560 E. Town St Columbus 43215 Terrence Wheeler Mediation

Luther Liggett, Attorney at Law 5053 Grassland Drive Dublin 43016 Luther Liggett Government relations

Babbitt & Dahlberg Law LLC 4400 N. High St., Ste. 417, Columbus 43214 C. Gustav Dahlberg Family law

Bailey Cavalieri 10 W. Broad St., Ste. 2100, Columbus 43215 Michael Goodstein Appeals, director and officer liability Daniel Bailey Business law, corporate, director and officer liability Gary Batke Labor and employment law, litigation Katharine B. Bowman Director and officer liability, excess and reinsurance, professional liability

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Donald Carroll Securities, electronic commerce and internet, business Nick Cavalieri Bankruptcy, corporate reorganization, debtor/creditor rights Nancy Manougian Litigation, insurance disputes James Ryan Corporate, commercial lending, consumer law compliance Robert Dunn Business, corporate, estate and succession planning James Groner Business, acquisitions, entity formation and governance Darius Kandawalla Director and officer liability, fiduciary liability, employment practices liability Harlan Louis Wealth transfer planning, charitable tax, elder law Lloyd Jr. Depew Business, acquisitions and divestures, general business

Bainbridge Firm LLC 900 Michigan Ave. Columbus 43215 Andrew Bainbridge Workers compensation

Baker & Hostetler LLP 65 E. State St., Ste. 2100 Columbus 43215 Gordon Litt Trusts & estates, fiduciaries & beneficiaries, business law Edward Bernert Tax controversy and litigation, state and local tax

Jack Burtch Antitrust and trade regulation, commercial litigation Mark Johnson Class action defense, securities litigation Ronald Linville Employment counseling and compliance, labor relations Georgeann Peters Benefit plans, health and welfare plan counsel Gary Wadman Corporate, taxation law, business law Alec Wightman Restructuring and creditors rights, corporate governance Thomas L. Long Trade regulation, appellate litigation, class action defense

Balch Law 1335 Dublin Road Ste. 203A Columbus 43215 Jacintha Balch Wills and probate

Barkan Meizlish DeRose Wentz McInerney Peifer LLP 4200 Regent St. Ste 210 Columbus 43219 Robert DeRose Wage and hour issues

Barnes & Thornburg LLP 41 S. High St., Ste. 3300 Columbus 43215 Gregory Stype Public finance, community development Kathleen M. Anderson Appeals, class and collective actions, collective bargaining

Conrado Paragas Governmental finance, federal relations, health care

Barno Law LLC 2740 E. Main St. Suite A Bexley 43209 Mark McCarthy Workers compensation

Barrett Easterday Cunningham & Eselgroth LLP 7259 Sawmill Road Dublin 43016 David Barrett Agribusiness Sharon Miller Business taxation

Becker & Lilly 100 E. Broad St. Ste. 2320 Columbus 43215 Michael Becker Business Phillip Lilly Business

Beery & Spurlock Co. LPA 275 E. State St. Columbus 43215 Michael Spurlock Transportation

Behal Law Group LLC 501 S. High St. Suite 200 Columbus 43215 John M. Gonzales Commercial litigation Robert J. Behal Commercial litigation John P. Johnson II Employment law Jack D’Aurora Commercial litigation

Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP 41 S. High St., Ste. 2600 Columbus 43215

Martha Sweterlitsch Administrative and regulatory, elder law & advocacy Mark Tucker Public law, government relations, constitutional law Marc Blubaugh Transportation & logistics, dispute resolution Ronald House Jr. Contract, business, commercial and consumer disputes Frank Carsonie Acquisitions and divestitures, administrative law, antitrust

Benson & Sesser LLC 421 W. State St. Ste. 227 Columbus 43215 William Benson Litigation

Blake Law Firm Co. LLC 492 S. High St. Ste. 300 Columbus 43215 Dustin Blake Criminal defense

Bloomfield & Kempf LLC 1880 Mackenzie Drive Ste. 209 Columbus 43220 David Bloomfield Immigration

Bluestone Law Group LLC 141 E. Town St. Columbus 43215 Charles Bluestone Real property tax appeals

Bradley Davis Barbin Attorney at Law 52 W. Whittier Square Columbus 43206 Bradley Barbin Health care


1265 Neil Ave. Columbus 43201 Bradley Frick Family law/domestic relations

Brennan Manna & Diamond LLC 250 Civic Center Drive Ste. 300 Columbus 43215 David Scott Business litigation

Brenner Hubble 555 Metro Place North Ste. 225 Dublin 43017 Todd Brenner ERISA

Bressman Law 5186 Blazer Pkwy. Dublin 43017 David Bressman Personal injury

Brian G. Miller Co. LPA 250 W. Old Wilson Bridge Road Ste. 270 Worthington 43085 Brian Miller Personal injury

Bricker & Eckler 100 S. 3rd St. Columbus 43215 Robert Castor Criminal law Marie-Joelle Khouzam Employment law James J. Hughes III Commercial litigation, healthcare Sally Bloomfield Access to justice committee, administrative, energy Randolph Wiseman Health care, appeals, litigation Michael Gire Federal regulation, antitrust & trade law Elisabeth Squeglia Government relations, healthcare, insurance

David Conrad Banking, real estate, commercial leasing Rebecca Princehorn Bond, public finance, public sector William Conard Bond & structured finance, taxation, higher education James Flynn Health care, corporate governance Price Finley Bond, real estate, public finance Anne Sferra Banking, manufacturing, transportation Stephen Kleinman Health care litigation, products liability Quintin Lindsmith Banking, bankruptcy litigation, class action Charles McCreary III Real estate, mortgage lending, project finance Janet Kay Cooper School and special education law, labor and employment

Bridges Jillisky Streng Weller & Gullifer LLC 302 S. Main St. Marysville 43040 Kimberly Cutler Estate planning

Bryan B. Johnson 5003 Horizons Drive Ste. 100 Columbus 43220 Bryan Johnson Estate planning and probate

Buck & Fish Ltd. 3380 Tremont Road Ste. 110 Columbus 43221 Jeffrey Fish Collaborative divorce

For more than 25 years, Todd Brenner has successfully litigated ERISA, disability and personal injury cases in many state and federal courts throughout the country. He has represented dozens of Fortune 500 companies and has provided zealous representation to individuals with insurance-related claims.

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It’s all in the Principals. The principals of FRIEDMAN & MIRMAN are fellows of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and are listed in Best Lawyers in America in Family Law. They provide clients with a combination of integrity and compassion, blended with finely-honed legal skills and solid judgment. Both Denise Mirman and Scott Friedman are active supporters of many non-profit organizations in the Central Ohio community.

FRIEDMAN & MIRMAN CO., L.P.A. 1320 Dublin Road, Suite 101 Columbus, OH 43215 PH: (614) 221-0090 • FX: (614) 221-7213

www.friedmanmirman.com July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Jack Butler Business law, mergers and acquisitions, taxation Alan Veatch Corporate, estate planning, real property law

Carpenter Lipps & Leland LLP

2021 Butler Cincione & DiCuccio 556 E. Town St. Ste 100 Columbus 43215 N. Gerald Dicuccio Medical malpractice William Davis Health care

Byrne & Byrne Inc. 538 E. Rich St. Ste. 201 Columbus 43215 Thomas Byrne Corporate

Calfee Halter & Griswold LLP 21 E. State St. Columbus 43215 Christopher Jones Environmental, clean air act, clean water act

Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP 535 Metro Place S. Dublin 43017 950 Goodale Blvd. Columbus 43215 Alan Scott Acker Estate planning law Geoffrey Scott Kunkler Family wealth Misty H. Aldrich Estate and trust administration

Dennis Concilla Broker dealer law, securities law, business litigation Carol Sheehan Taxation law, corporate law, real estate law Bryan Hogue Business law, estate planning, probate John Wilkerson Jr. Real estate law, banking law Anthony Delligatti Jr. Litigation, domestic relations, personal injury Andrew Federico Corporate law, municipal bond law, securities law Leon Friedberg Bankruptcy, commercial litigation, commercial law William Yost Collections, commercial litigation George Hoffman Business law, corporate, elder law & advocacy Jane Higgins Marx Estate planning, wills and probate Brent Rosenthal Business law, contracts, commercial real estate

280 N. High St. Columbus 43215 Michael Carpenter Litigation Jeffrey Lipps Litigation Ted Munsell Litigation James Reuss Litigation

Carroll Ucker & Hemmer LLC 895 Retreat Lane Powell 43065 Paul Hemmer Injury law

CCF Holdings LLC

Charles C. Postlewaite LLC 3040 Riverside Drive Ste. 122 Columbus 43221 Charles Postlewaite Family law

Charles D. Smith & Associates LLC 1650 Lake Shore Drive Ste. 225 Columbus 43204 Charles Smith Employment litigation

Charles J. Kettlewell LLC 445 Hutchinson Ave. Ste. 100 Columbus 43235 Charles Kettlewell Personal injury

Charles Zamora Co. LPA 447 E. Mound St. Columbus 43215 Charles Zamora Social security disability

Chilson Law

5165 Emerald Pkwy. Ste. 100 Dublin 43016 Bridgette Roman Litigation management

100 S. Third St. Columbus 43215 Mark Chilson Health care

Chaney & Drexel LLC

5756 County Road 77 Mount Gilead 43338 Jon Christensen Health care

1 E. Livingston Ave Columbus 43215 John Chaney Litigation

Chaney & Drexel LLC 1 E. Livingston Ave Columbus 43215 Ray Drexel Banking

Chappano Wood PLL 691 N. High St. third floor Columbus 43215 Perry Chappano Computer law

Christensen Law Office LLC

Clark Legal Associates Co. LPA 78 E. Scioto Drive Powell 43065 William Clark Estate planning and probate

Clark Perdue & List Co. LPA 695 Bryden Road Columbus 43205 D. Andrew List Nursing home abuse

Cloppert Latanick Sauter & Washburn 225 E. Broad St. Columbus 43215 Susan Hayest Kozlowski Wrongful death Robert Sauter Wrongful death

Colley Shroyer & Abraham Co. LPA 536 S. High St. Columbus 43215 Daniel Abraham Medical malpractice Gerald Simmons Family law David Shroyer Medical malpractice

Collins & Slagle Co. LPA 351 W. Nationwide Blvd. Columbus 43215 Ehren Slagle Business law

Collins Roche Utley & Garner LLC 655 Metro Place S. Ste 200, Dublin 43017 Richard Garner Insurance defense

Columbus Blue Jackets 200 W Nationwide Blvd Columbus 43215 Gregory Kirstein Sports law

Connor Kimmet & Hafenstein LLP 2000 W. Henderson Road Ste. 460 Columbus 43220 Kenneth Hafenstein Workers’ compensation

Cooper & Elliott LLC 2175 Riverside Drive Columbus 43221

Rex Elliott Personal injury Charles Cooper Civil litigation

Cox Koltak & Gibson LLP 5 E. Long St. Ste. 200 Columbus 43215 Ronald Koltak Workers’ compensation

Crabbe Brown & James LLP 500 S. Front St., Ste. 1200 Columbus 43215 Larry James Labor and employment, civil rights litigation John Albert Labor and employment, litigation, governmental law George McCue III Municipal law, government relations, administrative litigation Michael Henry Insurance, government immunity, general litigation

Craig P. Treneff Law Office 155 Commerce Park Drive Ste. 5 Westerville 43082 Craig Treneff Mediation

Curry Roby & Mulvey Co. LLC 30 Northwoods Blvd. Ste 300 Columbus 43235 Bruce Curry Estate planning

Daniel F. Ryan LLC P.O. Box 846 Dublin 43017 Daniel Ryan Corporate

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David A. Goldstein Co. LPA 511 S. High St., Ste 200, Columbus 43215 David Goldstein Insurance

David L. Duren LLC

Decker Vonau LLC 620 E. Broad St. Columbus 43215 Mark Decker Construction and mechanics’ lien practice

Delligatti Law

150 E. Wilson Bridge Road Ste. 200 Worthington 43085 David Duren Probate administration

400 W. Wilson Bridge Road Ste. 260 Worthington 43085 Michael Delligatti Family law

David M. Canale Esq. Attorney at Law

Dennis C. Belli Attorney at Law

1141 S. High St. Columbus 43206 David Canale Administrative law

536 S. Hgih St. second floor Columbus 43215 Dennis Belli Criminal defense

Dean Edward Hines Co. LPA 33 N. Third St. Ste. 400, Columbus 43215 Dean Edward Hines Taxation

Dennis W. McNamara 88 E. Broad St. Ste 1350 Columbus 43215

Dennis McNamara Criminal defense

DeWitt Law LLC 4200 Regent St. Ste. 200, Columbus 43219 Michael DeWitt Labor and employment

Dickie McCamey & Chilcote PC 250 Civic Center Drive Ste. 280 Columbus 43215 Mary McWilliams Dengler Appellate R. Leland Evans Railroad litigation defense Joseph Golian Railroad law

Dickinson Wright PLLC 150 E Gay St, Ste 2400, Columbus 43215

John Terakedis Tax Jonathan Secrest Employment services

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP 191 W. Nationwide Blvd., Ste. 300 Columbus 43215 Michael Squillace Workers’ compensation, litigation, employment discrimination Marilena Walters Medical malpractice law, personal injury law Dennis Schwallie Banking law, bond counsel, economic development Glendon Pratt Acute care hospitals, bond counsel Edward Cavezza Bond counsel, governmental finance, infrastructure

Thomas A. Wilson Cultural institutions and nonprofits, economic development Marc Kamer Bank counsel, education law, health care Thomas Bonasera Estate & trust, corporate & transactional Jan Hensel Counseling & training, employment, labor Thomas Hess Government investigations, regulatory Donald Leach Jr. Corporate and transactional, real estate, commercial finance Brett Miller Litigation, workers’ compensation

Michael Renne Estate & trust, corporate & transactional, commercial Brian Close Business, real property law, securitie Karen S. Hockstad Corporate & transactional, mergers & acquisitions, securities Philip Alan Zukowsky Corporate & transactional, commercial finance, mergers & acquisitions Nita Hanson Intellectual property

DLZ Corp. 6121 Huntley Road Columbus 43229 Barry Lubow Corporate

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Andrew Adams Administrative hearings and appeals Steven Hatten Workers’ compensation

Eastman & Smith

2021

100 E. Broad St. Ste. 2100 Columbus 43215 Stephen Chappelear Appellate litigation, commercial litigation, construction

Einstein Law Dominy Law Firm LLC

Douglas Dougherty Divorce

7716 Rivers Edge Drive Ste. B Columbus 43235 Shawn Dominy DUI defense

Douglas A. Funkhouser Co. LPA

Donahey Law Firm 495 S. High St., Ste 300, Columbus 43215 Richard S. Donahey Medical malpractice

Donald Keller Law Office LLC 2430 Kunz Road Galloway 43119 Donald Keller Employment and labor matters

Doucet Gerling Co. LPA 655 Metro Place S. Ste. 600, Dublin 43017 Troy Doucet Foreclosures

765 S. High St. Columbus 43206 Douglas Funkhouser Criminal defense

Douglas E. Hoover Attorney at Law 6660 N. High St. Ste. 2E Worthington 43085 Douglas Hoover Estate planning

Dreher Tomkies LLP 41 S. High St. Columbus 43215 Darrell Dreher Banking and finance

Doucet Gerling Co. LPA

E. Ray Critchett LLC Attorney at Law

655 Metro Place S. Ste. 600, Dublin 43017 Andrew Gerling Foreclosures

1071 S. High St. Columbus 43206 Eugene Critchett Personal injury

Dougherty Hanneman & Piccin LLC

Earl Warburton & Adams Inc.

3010 Hayden Road Columbus 43235

136 W. Mound St. Ste. 200 Columbus 43215

5940 Wilcox Place Ste. F, Dublin 43016 Dianne Einstein Civil rights

Einstein Law LLC 615 Copeland Mill Road Ste. 1H Westerville 43081 John Einstein Family law

Eman & Smith Ltd. 100 E. Broad St. Ste. 2100 Columbus 43215 Barry Fissel Aggregates and industrial minerals Brigid Heid Business litigation

Emens Wolper Jacobs & Jasin Law Firm One Easton Oval Ste. 550 Columbus 43219 Beatrice Wolper Family business succession planning

Erney Law 1654 E. Broad St. Columbus 43203 Robert D. Erney Auto accidents

Evans Evans & Hoffman LLP 15 W. Ottawa St. Richwood 43344

Jeffrey Evans Real estate Scott Hoffman Business

Fairfield County 138 W. Chestnut Lancaster 43130 Jeffrey Porter Government

Fisher & Phillips LLP 250 West St., Ste. 400, Columbus 43215 Steven Loewengart Employment litigation Robert Robenalt Labor and employment

Fisher Law Firm LLC 454 E. Main St. Ste. 275 Columbus 43215 Kenneth Fisher Jr. Construction law

Fisher Skrobot & Sheraw LLC 471 E. Broad St., Ste. 1810, Columbus 43215 David Skrobot Banking law

Frank A. Ray Co. LPA 2747 Edington Road Columbus 43221 Frank Ray Mediation services

Frederick D. Benton Jr. 98 Hamilton Park Columbus 43203 Frederick Benton Jr. Criminal defense

Freund Freeze & Arnold 65 E. State St. Ste. 800 Columbus 43215 Douglas Schockman Construction Gordon Arnold Business litigation Robert Snyder Business litigation Susan Blasik-Miller Business litigation

Shawn Blatt Appellate law

Friedman & Mirman Co. LPA 1320 Dublin Road Ste. 101 Columbus 43215 Scott Friedman Domestic relations Denise Mirman Divorce

Frost Brown Todd LLC 10 W. Broad St. Columbus 43215 David Rogers Real property law, banking law John Cadwallader Commercial real estate, mergers and acquisitions, business Thomas Williams Civil rights, disability law, dispute resolution Jeffrey Lindemann Civil rights, corporate, labor & employment Stephen Samuels Environmental law, brownfields redevelopment Stephen J. Smith Municipal law, zoning, litigation Philip Hartmann Litigation, real property law, school law Kevin Shook Civil litigation, real estate litigation, media law Russell Kutell Banking law, finance, litigation Stephen Withee Construction law, litigation

Gallagher Gams Tallan Barnes & Littrell 471 E. Broad St. 19th floor Columbus 43215 James Gallagher Appellate

Mark Gams Appellate Barry Littrell Appellate Belinda Barnes Civil litigation

Gallagher Kavinsky & Burkhart LPA 8740 Orion Pl. Ste 200 Columbus 43240 Matthew Burkhart Trial practice

Gamble Hartshorn LLC 1 E. Livingston Ave Columbus 43215 Kenneth Gamble Health care Michael Hartshorn Healthcare

Garvin & Hickey LLC 181 E. Livingston Ave. Columbus 43215 Preston Garvin Workers’ compensation defense Michael Hickey Workers’ compensation defense

George H. Lowrey Attorney at Law 279 Northridge Road Columbus 43214 George Lowrey Oil and gas litigation

Gerber & Mitchell 109 S. High St. Dublin 43017 Richard Gerber Business law

Gerrity and Burrier Ltd. 400 S. 5th St. Ste. 302 Columbus 43215 Timothy Gerrity Family law

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Giorgianni Law LLC 1538 Arlington Ave. Columbus 43212 Paul Giorgianni Appelate litigation

Gittes Law Group 723 Oak St. Columbus 43205 Frederick Gittes Civil rights Barbara Terzian Employment & labor

Glennon J. Karr LLC 1328 Oakview Drive Columbus 43235 Glenn Karr Administrative law

Gordon Law Firm Co. LPA 7677 Patterson Road Hilliard 43026 James Gordon Corporate

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani 41 S. High Street Suite 2495 Columbus 43215 Brunton Gregory Energy and utilities, litigation

Grossman Law Offices 32 W. Hoster St. Columbus 43215 Andrew Grossman Domestic relations Jeffrey Grossman Family law Anthony Auten Family law

Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP 65 E. State St., Ste. 1400, Columbus 43215 O. Judson Scheaf Antitrust and trade regulations Thomas Riley Asset protection planning

Marc Kessler Commercial Jeffrey Yeager Litigation

Hamilton Law Office 400 S. 5th St. Ste 103 Columbus 43215 A. Patrick Hamilton Adoption

Harris McClellan Binau & Cox PLL 37 W. Broad St. Ste. 950 Columbus 43215 Dan Binau Litigation and trials James Harris Commercial Garth Cox Commercial Mark Coco Civil rights Edward T. McClellan Business and corporate law

TIM JOCHIM, PARTNER Tim Jochim is a national authority on business succession and ESOPs and a trusted advisor to clients in succession planning, business transactions, legacy planning and corporate governance. He also has expertise in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, employee benefits and corporate tax. Tim is the author of one of the first books on ESOPs.

175 South Third Street, Suite 290 | Columbus, Ohio 43215 614.246.2150 | tjochim@walterhav.com

walterhav.com |

Haynes Kessler Myers & Postalakis Inc. 300 W. Wilson Bridge Road Ste. 100 Worthington 43085 David Kessler Mediation Marc Myers Administrative adjudications S. Scott Haynes Family law Fazeel S. Khan Civil rights Tara Price Child custody

Heald Law Offices 125 North Sandusky St., Delaware 43015 Anthony Heald Divorce & separation

Hill & DeWeese LLC 7737 Olentangy River Road, Columbus 43235 John Hill Jr. Estate planning

Providing Central Ohio with Professional Legal Advice for more than 60 years

A.C. STRIP JOHN WM. HOPPERS PAUL W. LEITHART, II TIMOTHY J. MCGRATH MYRON N. TERLECKY NELSON E. GENSHAFT KENNETH R. GOLDBERG JOEL R. CAMPBELL AARON C. FIRSTENBERGER KRISTIE A. CAMPBELL JOHN W. KENNEDY CHAD A. FOISSET GARY PAUL PRICE

BANKRUPTCY & INSOLVENCY BUSINESS REPRESENTATION CIVIL LITIGATION PROBATE • REAL ESTATE ESTATE PLANNING • FAMILY LAW

Offices in German Village and Dublin www.columbuslawyer.net 614.228.6345

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2021 Hollern & Associates 522 N. State St. Ste. A Westerville 43082 Edwin Hollern Insurance coverage Timothy Howard Merkle Criminal defense

Holzman Law 329 Rosehill Road Reynoldsburg 43068 Diane Weaver Probate & estate planning

Huddelston Law Group LPA 3650 Olentangy River Ste. 210 Columbus 43214 C L Huddelston Estate and trust planning

Humphrey Law Firm LLC 7658 Slate Ridge Blvd. Reynoldsburg 43068 David Humphrey Business law

Ice Miller LLP 250 West St. Ste. 700 Columbus 43215 Samuel Hamilton Porter Administrative law/ regulatory law

Roger Gilcrest Intellectual property, patents, technology protection Matthew Fornshell Securities, white collar crime, capital markets Herbert Godby Real estate, land use & zoning Richard Barnhart Business law, international law, banking law Randall Arndt Real estate development, retail leasing, commercial leasing John Gilligan Financial institutions litigation, commercial litigation James Davidson Commercial litigation, labor & employment Kris Dawley Commercial litigation, administrative litigation, healthcare Richard Holz Business, business estate planning, corporate law William Barath Workers compensation, labor and employment Daniel Swetnam Bankruptcy, banking, business law

Patrick Devine Employment and construction law, workers compensation Alan Starkoff Commercial litigation, corporate governance Gregory Dunn Cable television, telecommunications Robert Ouellette Mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance Josef Keglewitsch Mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, private equity Thomas Pampush Family business law, mergers and acquisitions Paul Bittner Management labor law, Title VII discrimination Steven Forry Financial institutions litigation, class action, construction litigation Earl LeVere Litigation, intellectual property, computers and software Michael Melliere Structured finance, health care finance, municipal securities

Isaac Wiles & Burkholder LLC Two Miranova Place, Ste. 700 Columbus 43215 John R. Perkins Jr. Business, real estate, tax John D. Jolley Business, real estate, banking & finance William J. Browning Estate planning, trust & probate, special needs trusts Frederick M. Isaac Family law, divorce dissolution & legal separation Dennis R. Newman Tax, business, estate planning, trust & probate

Mark Landes Labor & employment, litigation, public law Timothy E. Miller Business, M&A, real estate Joanne S. Beasy Family law, divorce & dissolution & legal, custody & child support Patrick M. Pickett Business, labor & employment, real estate Mark R. Weaver Litigation, public law, public sector Maribeth Meluch Business, intellectual property, labor & employment Michael L. Close Litigation, public law, public sector Bruce H. Burkholder Business, real estate, restaurant & hospitality Samuel M. Pipino Litigation, insurance litigation, product liability David M. Whittaker Business, bankruptcy restructuring and creditors’ rights, banking & finance Donald C. Brey Litigation, public law, campaign and election law

Ison Law 10348 Sawmill Road P.O. Box 1108 Powell 43065 Dave Ison Business law

James A. Hardgrove Co. LPA 7626 Slate Ridge Blvd. Reynoldsburg 43068 James Hardgrove Estate planning probate and trust administrations

James G. Flaherty Co. LPA 577-B Office Pkwy. Westerville 43082 James Flaherty Estate planning

Jasinsky Immigration Law 84 E. Main St., West Jefferson 43162 Laura Jasinsky Immigration

Jay E. Michael Law LLC 729 Front St. Columbus 43206 Jay Michael Probate estate administration

Jeffrey M. Lewis Co. LPA 1650 Lake Shore Drive Columbus 43204 Jeffrey Lewis Business litigation and counseling

John Bentine Attorney at Law LLC 6811 Taggart Road Delaware 43015 John Bentine Energy

John H. Bates Attorney at Law 175 S. 3rd St., Ste. 200, Columbus 43215 John Bates Criminal defense

John M. Alton & Co. LPA 1071 S. High St. Columbus 43206 John Alton Litigation

Jones Day 325 John H. McConnell Blvd., Ste. 600 Columbus 43215 Thomas Dutton Business law, healthcare law, joint ventures

Joseph & Joseph Co. LPA 155 W. Main St. Ste 200 Columbus 43215 John Joseph Real estate

Joslyn Law Firm 501 S. High St. Columbus 43215 Brian Joslyn Criminal defense

JPMorgan Chase 1111 Polaris Parkway Columbus 43240 Fran Figetakis Litigation

Jurca & Lashuk 141 E. Town St. Ste. 202, Columbus 43215 Jeffrey Jurca Trucking and transportation

Kafantaris Law Offices 625 City Park Ave. Columbus 43206 Mark Kafantaris Personal injury

Kaltenbach Law 1900 Bethel Road Columbus 43220 Jerry Kaltenbach II Trial

Johrendt & Holford

Kaman & Cusimano LLC Attorneys at Law

250 E. Broad St., Ste. 200, Columbus 43215 Michael Johrendt Business tax and litigation

8101 N. High St., Ste. 370, Columbus 43235 David Kaman Community association law

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Darin Kendall Social security

Janet Kravitz Criminal litigation

Kephart Fisher LLC

Kremblas & Foster

207 N. Fourth St. Columbus 43215 David Fisher Real estate

7632 Slate Ridge Blvd. Reynoldsburg 43068 Jason Foster Patent trademark and copyright law

Kessler & Ballenger Co. LPA

2021 Kayne Law Group 612 Park St. Ste 100 Columbus 43215 Daniel Kayne Real estate

Kegler Brown Hill & Ritter Co. LPA 65 E. State St. Ste. 1800 Columbus 43215 Luis Alcalde Litigation John Brody Creditors’ rights and bankruptcy Allen Handlan Banking and commercial lending Thomas Hill Litigation Larry McClatchey Creditors’ rights and bankruptcy Rusty Schuermann Jr. Transportation and public law Timothy Tullis Litigation Michael Zatezalo Gaming law Robert Marotta Government and legislative affairs Ted McKinniss Corporate law David McCarty Labor and employment

Mark Reitz Real property law Eric Travers Construction law Eric Duffee Mergers and acquisitions Ralph Breitfeller Health care Sigmund Thomas Employee benefits and erisa

Keith A. Yeazel 905 S. High St. Columbus 43206 Keith Yeazel Criminal law

Kemp Law Group LLC 555 Metro Place N. Ste. 300, Dublin 43017 Jacqueline Kemp Divorce

Kemp Schaeffer & Rowe Co. LPA 88 W. Mound St. Columbus 43215 Julia Leveridge Divorce Michael Schaeffer Creditor representation

Darin Kendall & Co. 300 E. Broad St., Ste 190, Columbus 43215 Gary J. Pandora Personal injury

7650 Rivers Edge Drive Columbus 43235 Russell Kessler Estate planning Kathleen Ballenger Estate planning

Kincaid Randall & Craine 2201 Riverside Drive Columbus 43221 Kevin Craine Probate

Kitrick Lewis & Harris Co. LPA 445 Hutchinson Ave. Ste. 100 Columbus 43235 Mark Kitrick Motor vehicle accidents Mark Lewis Motor vehicle accidents John Harris Motor vehicle accidents

Knisley Law Offices 1111 Dublin Road Columbus 43215 Douglas Knisley Workers’ compensation

Koffel Law Firm 1801 Watermark Drive Ste. 350 Columbus 43215 Bradley P. Koffel Drunk driving

Kravitz Brown & Dortch LLC 65 E. State St. Ste. 200 Columbus 43215

Lambert Law Firm LLC 4889 Sawmill Road Ste. 125 Columbus 43235 Marnie Lambert Complex civil litigation

Lamkin Van Eman Trimble & Dougherty LLC 500 S. Front St., Ste. 200, Columbus 43215 Timothy Van Eman Personal injury

Lamkin Van Eman Trimble & Dougherty LLC 500 S. Front St. Ste. 200 Columbus 43215 William Lamkin Personal injury Thomas Trimble Personal injury

Lane Alton Two Miranova Place Ste. 220 Columbus 43215 Monica Waller Legal malpractice defense Scott Fenton Construction Rick Marsh First party insurance litigation Jeffrey Hutson Construction Gregory Rankin Litigation Joseph Gerling Construction James Lewis Insurance coverage and mediation services

Thomas Keener Insurance litigation Michael Kelley Construction Chris Paparodis Liquor law and licensing retail grocery and restaurants James Seguin Business services Thomas Blackburn Banking Robert Walter Business services Robert Morrow Business services Wayne Jenkins Business services

Law Firm for Truck Safety LLP

Bruce Broyles Civil litigation

Law Office of Jefferson Liston LLC 536 S. High St. Columbus 43215 Jefferson Liston Criminal defense

Law Office of Jeffrey B. Sams LLC 10400 Blacklick Eastern Road NW Ste. 140 Pickerington 43147 Jeffrey Sams Commercial litigation

Law Office of John Tanoury

15 W. Winter St. Delaware 43015 Michael Leizerman Truck accident litigation Andy Young Truck accident litigation

3040 Riverside Drive Ste. 100 Columbus 43221 John Tanoury Construction contract law

Law Firm of Shihab & Associates Co. LPA

Law Office of Kent D. Stuckey

65 E. State St. Ste 1550 Columbus 43215 Gus M. Shihab Immigration law

Law Office of Benjamin W. Wright LLC 175 S. Third St. Ste. 200 Columbus 43215 Benjamin Wright Construction law

Law Office of Brian M. Garvine LLC 5 E. Long St., Ste. 1100, Columbus 43215 Brian Garvine General litigation

Law Office of Bruce M. Broyles 134 North Columbus St., Lancaster 43130

63 W. College Ave. Westerville 43081 Kent Stuckey Internet

Law Office of Kevin M. Maloney 71 E. Wilson Brodge Road Ste. A-4 Worthington 43085 Kevin Maloney Business law

Law Office of Martha L. Hutzelman 4264 Bridgelane Place, New Albany 43054 Martha Hutzelman Employee benefits

Law Office of Nancy L. Sponseller 5890 Sawmill Road Ste. 110 Dublin 43017 Nancy Sponseller Divorce

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Law Office of Nicholas W. Yaeger LLC

Law Offices of Saia & Piatt

580 S. High St. Ste. 130 Columbus 43215 Nicholas Yaeger Family law

713 S. Front St. Columbus 43206 Jon J. Saia Criminal offenses

Law Office of W. Douglas Lowe

Law Offices of Tony C. Merry LLC

23 E. Church St. Newark 43055 W. Douglas Lowe Business litigation

7100 N. High St. Ste 302 Worthington 43085 Tony Merry ERISA

Law Offices of Daniel R. Mordarski LLC

Law Offices of Tunney Lee King

5 E. Long St., Ste. 1100, Columbus 43215 Daniel Mordarski Civil litigation

400 S. Fifth St. Ste. 102 Columbus 43215 Tunney King Probate and estate planning

Law Offices of Gunther Lahm 155 W Main St., Ste 101, Columbus 43215 Gunther Lahm Litigation

Law Offices of John C. Nemeth 6166 Donegan Way Dublin 43016 John Nemeth Mediation

Law Offices of Kevin Kurgis 100 S. Front St. Ste. 300 Columbus 43215 Frank Todaro Personal injury

Law Offices of Lee A. Thompson 431 E. Main St. Lancaster 43130 Lee Thompson Family law

Law Offices of Paul Scott 536 S. High St. Columbus 43215 Paul Scott Criminal defense

Lawrence A. Riehl LLC 500 S. Front St. Ste. 200 Columbus 43215 Lawrence Riehl Medical malpractice

Lawrence J. Ambrosio Attorney at Law 7966 Lewis Ave. Dublin 43017 Lawrence wAmbrosio Workers’ compensation

Lee M. Smith & Associates 929 Harrison Ave. Columbus 43215 Lee Smith Workers’ compensation

Leeseberg & Valentine 175 S. 3rd St. Penthouse One Columbus 43215 Anne Valentine Personal injury

Levin Service Company 7812 McEwen Rd Suite 200 Centerville OH 45459 Westerville 43082 Albert Bell Corporate

Linda J. Miller Attorney at Law 490 City Park Ave. Ste. D Columbus 43215 Linda Miller Family law

Littler Mendelson PC 41 S. High St. Ste. 3250 Columbus 43215 Thomas Metzger Competition and trade secret law Kevin Griffith Commercial and bankruptcy law Robert Long Business restructuring

Livorno and Arnett Co. LPA 1335 Dublin Road Ste. 108-B Columbus 43215 Henry Arnett Workers’ compensation

Loveland Law LLC 3300 Riverside Drive Ste. 125 Columbus 43221 William Loveland Real estate Alan Sheppard Insurance law

Luper Neidenthal & Logan 1160 Dublin Road Ste. 400 Columbus 43215 Jeffrey Jinkens Entity formation Kenneth Neidenthal Subrogation William Logan Commercial and bankruptcy law Roger Whitaker Probate Deborah Ecker Bankruptcy and reorganization

Mac Murray & Shuster LLP 6525 W. Campus Oval Ste. 210 New Albany 43054 Helen Mac Murray Consumer law Michele Shuster Consumer law Lisa Messner Class action defense Betty Montgomery Consumer law Nicholas Whisler Privacy and data security

Maguire Schneider Hassay LLP 1650 Lake Shore Drive Columbus 43204 Patrick Maguire Civil litigation

Mann Dulaney LLC 211 Bradenton Ave. Dublin 43017 William Mann Representing Ohio’s licensed professionals

Luftman Heck & Associates LLP

Manos Martin & Pergram Co. LPA

601 S. High St. Ste 107 Columbus 43215 Benjamin Luftman Criminal defense/ OVI/DUI

50 N. Sandusky St. Delaware 43015 Andrew Wecker Business Stephen Martin Business

Dennis Pergram Employment law

Ron Mason Representation of management in the areas of labor employment and osha

Manring & Farrell 1667 N. High St. Columbus 43215 Clifford Farrell Social security disability

Massucci Law Group LLC

Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC 470 Olde Worthington Road Ste. 250 Westerville 43082 Margaret Wong Immigration law

Margolius Margolius & Associates

McDonald Hopkins LLC 250 West St. Columbus 43215 Peter Welin Construction litigation

134 E. Center St. Marion 43302 William Owen II Criminal law

McFadden Winner Savage & Segerman LLP

Mark Ditullio Attorney at Law 169 E. Livingston Ave. Columbus 43215 Mark Ditullio Bankruptcy (debtor or creditor)

Mason Law Firm Co. LPA P.O. Box 2160 Westerville 43086

175 S. Third St., Ste. 1000, Columbus 43215 Doug Holthus Civil litigation

313 E. Livingston Ave. Columbus 43215 Dennis McCarthy Civil litigation

Marion County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office

250 Civic Center Drive Ste. 480 Columbus 43215 John Marshall Employment

Mazanec Rasking & Ryder Co. LPA

McCarthy Law Offices

1900 Polaris Pkwy. Ste. 450 Columbus 43240 Andrew Margolius Litigation Marcia Margolius Social security and disability

Marshall and Forman

250 Civic Center Drive Ste. 600 Columbus 43215 LeeAnn Massucci Family law

175 S. Third St., Ste 350, Columbus 43215 Joe Winner Commercial and bankruptcy law Mary McFadden Administrative law

McGrath & Foley LLP 175 S. Third St., Ste. 200, Columbus 43215 Thomas McGrath Complex litigation

Mcinturff & Morje LLC 490 City Park Ave. Columbus 43215 Robert Morje Bankruptcy July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Milton A. Puckett 155 W. Main St., Ste 200, Columbus 43215 Milton Puckett Real estate

Mitchell Pencheff Fraley Catalano & Boda Co. LPA

2021

580 S. High St., Ste 200. Columbus 43215 William Catalano Workers’ compensation

Montrose Group LLC McKinlay Law Offices LLC

Merullo Reister & Swinford Co. LPA

580 S. High St., Ste. 120, Columbus 43215 Amy McKinlay Family law

4095 Mountview Road Columbus 43220 Victor Merullo General practice

McLeod Law Office 471 E. Broad St. 19th floor Columbus 43215 Mark McLeod Estate planning

McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC 21 E. State St. 17th floor Columbus 43215 Karl Schneider White collar defense law and internal investigations

McTigue & Colombo LLC 545 E. Town St. Columbus 43215 Donald McTigue Election law

Mershown Law Office 130 N. Prospect St. Ste. L P.O. Box 10 Granville 43023 Steven Mershon Real estate

Metz Bailey & McLoughlin 33 E. Schrock Road Westerville 43081 William McLoughlin Estate planning trust and probate law Bruce Bailey Municipal law

Meyer Wilson LPA 305 W. Nationwide Blvd., Columbus 43215 David Meyer Investment fraud

Michael H. Igoe & Associates LLC 4681 Winterset Drive Columbus 43220 Michael Igoe Corporate

Milligan Law Office 483 Dempsey Road Westerville 43081 Fred Milligan Wills, estates and trusts

100 E Broad St Ste 1340 Columbus 43215 David Robinson Bond finance

Morgan Law 784 Marburn Drive Columbus 43214 Douglas Morgan General corporate

Morrow & Erhard Co. LPA 10 W. Locust St. P.O. Box 487 Newark 43055 C. Arthur Morrow Corporate

Morrow Gordon & Byrd Ltd. 33 W. Main St. P.O. Box 4190 Newark 43058 James Cooper Business

Mowery Youell & Galeano Ltd. 485 Metro Place S. Ste. 220 Dublin 43017 Judity Galeano Employment

Murray Murphy Moul & Basil LLP 1114 Dublin Road Columbus 43215

Joseph Murray Business disputes Brian Murphy Business disputes Geoffrey Moul Business disputes

Nager Romaine & Schneiberg Co. LPA 1100 Beecher Crossing North Ste. D Gahanna 43230 Mark Adams Injured worker representation

Nationwide 1 Nationwide Plaza Columbus 43215 Chris Garber Advertising, intellectual property, media David Karr Insurance law

Newhouse Prophater Kolman & Hogan LLC 3366 Riverside Drive Ste. 103 Columbus 43221 Wesley Newhouse Employment discrimination Philip Moots College and university law Christopher Hogan Labor and employment

Nigh Law Group LLC 115 W. Main St. Suite 300(A) Columbus 43215 Joseph Aaron Nigh Family law

Norman J. Ullom-Morse Attorney at Law 140 Commerce Park Drive Ste. B Westerville 43082 Norman UllomMorse Personal injury/ wrongful death

O’Connor Acciani & Levy A Legal Professional Association 10 W. Broad St., Ste 1170, Columbus 43215 Barry Levy Personal injury litigation

O’Keefe Family Law 490 City Park Ave., Ste. D, Columbus 43215 Bobbie O’Keefe Family law

Office of Priscilla Hapner P.O. Box 91106 Columbus 43209 Priscilla Hapner Employment law

Ohio Attorney General’s Office 30 E. Broad St. 16th floor Columbus 43215 Charles Janes Litigation Todd Marti Administrative law

Ohio Hospital Association 155 E. Broad St., Ste. 301, Columbus 43215 Mary Gallagher Health care

Ohio Secretary of State 22 N. 4th St. 16th floor Columbus 43221 Patrick Piccininni Governmental liability and defense, election law

Ohio State University 1590 N. High St. Ste. 500 Columbus 43201 Julie Dunwell Vannatta Entertainment and sports

Oliver Law Office 7240 Muirfield Drive Ste. 120 Dublin 43017 Jami Oliver Accidents and injuries

Onda LaBuhn Rankin & Boggs Co. LPA 35 N. Fourth St., Ste. 100, Columbus 43215 Robert Onda Estate and gift taxation Elizabeth Kelly Commercial real estate Timothy Rankin State and federal court civil litigation Daniel Bringardner Trust and probate Patrick Boggs Business law Robert Boyd III Business law Todd Ernsberger Business law Daniel Bringardner Trust and probate

Organ Law LLP 1330 Dublin Road Columbus 43215 Shawn Organ Trial law

Owens Law LLC 3300 Riverside Drive, Suite 125 Columbus 43221 Timothy Owens Business law, labor and employment

Pamela N. Maggied Co. LPA 11 E. Gay St. Ste 302 Columbus 43215 Pamela Maggied Bankruptcy primarily consumer

Pappas Gibson 716 Mt. Airyshire Blvd. Ste. 100 Columbus 43235

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Robert Pappas Business Matthew Gibson Estate planning

Pelini Campbell & Williams LLC 5880 Innovation Drive Dublin 43016 Craig Pelini Tort

Percy Squire Co. LLC

Phil Brown Mediating cases in litigation

Philip J. Fulton Law Office 89 E. Nationwide Blvd. Ste 300 Columbus 43215 Philip Fulton Claimants’ workers’ compensation David Barnhart Workers’ compensation

341 S. Third St. Ste. 10 Columbus 43215 Percy Squire General litigation practice/civil and criminal

Plank Law Firm LPA

Perez & Morris LLC

Plunkett Cooney

8000 Ravines Edge Court Ste. 300 Columbus 43235 Troy Morris Business litigation Kevin Murch Securities litigation Juan Perez Commercial and construction litigation Angela Savino Employment law

300 E. Broad St., Ste. 590, Columbus 43215 Christina Corl State local and municipal law

Peterson Conners LLP 545 Metro Place South, Suite 435 Dublin 43017 Rasheeda Khan Criminal defense Susan Rector Corporate, patent, trademark and copyright

Pfefferle Law LLC 4200 Dublin Road Unit 9 Columbus 43221 Ben Pfefferle III Environmental

Philip F. Brown LLC 503 S. Front St., Ste. 210, Columbus 43215

411 E. Town St. Floor 2 Columbus 43215 Donald Plank Land development

Poling Law 300 E. Broad St. Ste. 350 Columbus 43215 Brant Poling Litigation Frederick Sewards Medical malpractice defense Patrick Smith Medical malpractice defense

Porter Law Office LLC 255 Lincoln Circle Ste. A Gahanna 43230 Matthew Porter Immigration

Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP 41 S. High St. Ste. 2800-3200 Columbus 43215 Jay Yurkiw Litigation Richard Helmreich Employee benefits

Phillip Barrett Real estate John Cole Beeler Banking and finance James Botti Commercial and bankruptcy law Robert Brubaker Environmental law Brian Buzby Appropriation James Curphey Commercial litigation Joyce Edelman Product liability Timothy Grady Banking and finance Brian Hall Employment discrimination and wrongful discharge litigation Polly Harris Banking, commercial and bankruptcy law Carl Ireton Jr. Adoptions and guardianships James King Administrative law Curtis Alan Loveland Business growth and operation Alvin McKenna Antitrust and trade law Richard McQuown Business growth and operation Mark Merkle Jr. Employment and labor Dixon F. Miller International business and trade Terrance Miller Business law James Oliphant Corporate/ incorporation Fred Pressley Corporate/ incorporation Diane Reichwein Employment discrimination and wrongful discharge litigation Donna Ruscitti Intellectual property

Christopher Russell Labor and employment Joseph Ryan Intellectual property Christopher Schraff Administrative law Edward Segelken Tax and personal wealth David Shouvlin Commercial litigation Mark Stemm Environmental law John Stephen Labor and employment Howard Stephenson Commercial and bankruptcy law Karl Sutter Ethics/professional responsibility Robert Tannous Construction and development Richard Terapak Ethics/professional responsibility Kathleen McManus Trafford Commercial litigation Robert Trafford Commercial litigation David Tumen Estate planning Michael Underwood Labor and employment Charles Warner Employment discrimination and wrongful discharge litigation Frank Wobst Employment discrimination and wrongful discharge litigation Thomas Young Commercial David Bloomfield Jr. Advertising Robert Cohen International business and trade Jack Gravelle Business law Scott North Mergers and acquisitions

Robert McAdams Health law

R.F. Meyer & Associates LLC 450 W. Wilson Bridge Road Ste. 380 Worthington 43085 Richard Meyer Elder law

Rector & Associates 172 E. State St., Ste. 305, Columbus 43215 Neil Rector Insurance law

Reese Pyle Meyer PLL 36 North Second St. P.O. Box 919 Newark 43058 Christopher Meyer Civil litigation David Wenger Civil litigation

Reinhart Law Office 400 S. Fifth St. Columbus 43215 Harry Reinhart Defense of individuals charged with criminal offenses by the government

Reminger Co. LPA 200 Civic Center Drive Ste. 800 Columbus 43215 Ronald Fresco Labor and employment Kevin Foley Insurance law Paulette Ivan Insurance law Matthew Schrader Professional liability Zachary Pyers Litigation

Resch Root Phillips & Graham LLC 5115 Parkcenter Ave. Ste. 275 Dublin 43017

William Root Estate and business planning

Rhett A. Plank Attorney at Law 540 Officecenter Place Ste. 150 Gahanna 43230 Rhett Plank Real estate

Rich & Gillis Law Group LLC 5747 Perimeter Drive Ste. 150 Dublin 43017 Jeffrey Rich Taxation

Richard D. Topper 5132 Olentangy River Road, Columbus 43235 Richard Topper Plaintiffs’ medical malpractice

Richard Rubenstein LLC 401 N. Front St. Ste. 350 Columbus 43215 Richard Rubenstein Family law

Ricketts & Clark Co. LPA 50 Hill Road S. Pickerington 43147 Richard Ricketts Agricultural law

Riddell Law 1335 Dublin Road Ste. 220A Columbus 43215 Douglas Riddell Criminal

Robert A. Bracco & Associates 1170 Old Henderson Road Columbus 43220 Robert Bracco Domestic law July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Rourke and Blumenthal 495 S. High St. Suite 450 Columbus 43215 Michael Rourke Wrongful death Kenneth Blumenthal Personal injury

RRC Ltd.

2021

300 E. Broad St. Ste. 450 Columbus 43215 Jim Rishel Insurance liquidation

Russell A. Kelm Robert Gray Palmer Co. LPA

5555 Frantz Road Ste. 215 Dublin 43017 Robert Kerpsack Personal injuryplaintiffs

Erika Haupt Business Daniel Rohletter General corporate Richard Mulligan Closely held and emerging businesses Judith Levine Corporate and business services Stephen Douglas Jones Business and commercial litigation Douglas Michael Kennedy Employee benefits Bradley Snyder Emergency response and crisis management Thomas Rosenberg Business and commercial litigation Jeremy Young Commercial and bankruptcy law Bradley Wright Transportation G. Frederick Compton Civil rights Michael Stephen Yashko Real estate

Roetzel & Andress

Roger Warner Co. LPA

41 S. High St. Columbus 43215 Edward Hertenstein Banking

4326 E. Broad St. Columbus 43213 Roger Warner Child custody

1335 Dublin Road Ste. 221B Columbus 43215 Robert Palmer Mediation and arbitration

Robert Huff Miller LLC 100 E. Broad St. Ste 230 Columbus 43215 Robert Miller Litigation

Robert Koblentz Attorney at Law 35 E. Livingston Ave. Columbus 43215 Robert Koblentz Divorce/dissolution

Robert W. Kerpsack Co. LPA

37 W. Broad St. Suite 860 Columbus 43215 Russell Kelm Labor & employment

Sam Shihab & Associates LLC 565 Metro Place S. Suite 100 Dublin 43017 Sam Shihab Immigration law

Samuel H. Shamansky Co. LPA 523 S. Third St. Columbus 43215 Samuel Shamansky Criminal trial law

Schottenstein Stores Corp. 4300 E. 5th Ave. Columbus 43219 Tod Friedman Corporate law

Scott N. Whitlock 6081 Olentangy River Road Worthington 43085 Scott Whitlock Corporate law

Scott Wright Attorney 7662 Slate Ridge Blvd. Reynoldsburg 43068

Scott Wright Family law

Show Cos. 45 N. 4th St. Ste 200 Columbus 43215 Steven McCoy Property law

Sowald Sowald Anderson Hawley & Johnson 400 S. Fifth St. Ste 101 Columbus 43215 Beatrice Sowald Family law Heather Sowald Family law Marty Anderson Family law Eric R. Johnson Mergers and acquisitions

Squire Patton Boggs 41 S. High St. Columbus 43215 Karen Winters Environmental Fred Summer Securities Christopher Franzmann Public finance

Stanley Jurus Law Offices 1375 Dublin Rd. Route No. 333 Columbus 43215 John Workman Social Security law

Stanley R. Stein 89 E. Nationwide Boulevard 2nd Floor Columbus 43215 Stanley R. Stein Workers compensation law

Stanley Steemer International 5800 Innovation Drive Dublin 43017 Philip Ryser Corporate

Starkey & Waid LLC 425 Metro Place N. Suite 460 Dublin 43017 David Starkey Personal injury law

State Auto 518 E Broad St Columbus 43215 Elise DelangladeSpriggs Administrative law/ regulatory law

SRD Law Office

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

88 E. Broad St. Suite 1460 Columbus 43215 Sallynda Rothchild Dennison Criminal law

41 S. High St. Columbus 43215 John West Criminal law Vincent Holzhall Banking and financial institutions Michael Flowers Commercial Bryan Prosek Corporate

Stage Capital 501Morrison Road Suite 100 Gahanna 43230 Michael Mess Corporate law

Standley Law Group LLP 6300 Riverside Drive Dublin 43017 Jeffrey Standley Intellectual property

Strip Hoppers Leithart McGrath & Terlecky Co. LPA 575 S. Third St. Columbus 43215

Nelson Genshaft Business formation Joel Campbell Business formation John Hoppers Business Myron Terlecky Corporate law Timothy McGrath Business law John Kennedy Commercial law

Supreme Court of Ohio 65 S. Front St. Columbus 43215 Melissa Ferguson Litigation

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP 65 E. State St., Suite 1000, Columbus 43215 Timothy P. Nagy Real property law James Abrams Litigation James Chester Real estate John Kington Business & finance Andrew Art Probate & trust administration David Butler Product liability Jessica A. Mager Divorce James Maniace Real estate David Thomas Criminal defense

Taps & Sutton 713 S. Front St. Columbus 43206 Richard Taps Elder law

Teetor Westfall LLC 200 E. Campus View Blvd., Suite 200 Columbus 43235 Donald Anspaugh Litigation James Roper Litigation Steve Teetor Auto accidents/ personal injury

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Terrence A. Grady & Associates Co. LPA 100 E. Broad St. Suite 2310 Columbus 43215 Terrence Grady Federal crime

Terry K. Sherman 52 W. Whittier St. Columbus 43206 Terry Sherman Criminal trial practice

Thomas & Co. LPA 163 N. Sandusky St. Ste. 103 Delaware 43015 William Thomas Attorney malpractice

Thomas P. Pappas 66 E. Lynn St. Ste. 2000, Columbus 43215 Thomas Pappas Corporate

Thompson Hine LLP 41 S. High St. Ste. 1700 Columbus 43215 Terrence Fay Litigation James Balthaser Corporate Janis Rosenthal Labor & employment Alan Berliner Health care David A. Neuhardt Corporate transactions & securities

Tucker Ellis LLP 175 S 3rd St. Ste 520 Columbus 43215 Scott Stitt Business litigation

Ulmer & Berne LLP 65 E. State St. Ste. 1100 Columbus 43215

Alexander Andrews Business litigation Alvin Mathews Jr. Litigation Rachael Leigh Rodman Intellectual property

Voltolini Law Office 1350 W. 5th Ave., Ste. 214, Columbus 43212 Bruno Voltolini Personal injury

Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP 52 E. Gay St. Columbus 43215 John Vorys Corporate law Karen Moore Taxation Nicholas Ray State and local taxation Frederick Ransier Bankruptcy Michael Long Commercial litigation Thomas Tarpy Employment law Joseph Dominic Lonardo Litigation Mary Fairfield Civil rights Robert Tait Workers compensation George Bridgman Jr. Employment discrimination Wilfred Airey Oil and gas law Stephen Buchenroth Real estate John Keller Natural resources law Robert Minor Workers compensation Ronald Rowland Business law Jonathan Norman Employment discrimination Ivery Foreman Administrative law Bruce Ingram Litigation

Roger Lautzenhiser Jr. Corporate law John Jamieson Products liability John Kulewicz Litigation Benita Kahn Telecommunications law Elizabeth Farrar Banking law Thomas Szykowny Corporate law Jonathan Vaughn Labor law Richard Schuster Trust Anthony Ciriaco Employee benefits William Porter II Antitrust & trade regulations Dan Jaffe Acquisitions and divestitures law David Swift Probate Webb Vorys Commercial law Robert Webner Commercial litigation James Wilson Jr. Litigation Bradley Sinnott Workers compensation Russell Rosler Corporate law Mark Vannatta Federal estate and gift taxation Elizabeth Smith Business law John Landolfi Litigation Douglas Matthews Litigation Allen Kinzer Litigation Herbert Hedden Commercial & bankruptcy law David Schira Real property law Kristin Watt Environmental law Susan Harty Employment and labor Lisa Reisz Litigation

Sheila Nolan Gartland Commercial law Gary Saalman Litigation Craig Auge E-commerce Joseph Miller Litigation Allen Rutz Business and commercial Kimberly Herlihy Litigation Michael R. Thomas Litigation Linda Mendel Labor and employment Ted Boggs Environmental law Nina Webb-Lawton Litigation Frederick Mills Legislative law Stephen Musilli Toxic tort Daniel Minor Real estate Andrew Smith Labor and employment Jeffery Smith Commercial & bankruptcy law Suzanne Richards Labor and employment Richard Stedman Taxation

Walter Haverfield Attorneys at Law 175 S 3rd St Ste 290 Columbus 43215 Timothy Jochim Business and tax

Warnock Law 20 E. Central Ave. Delaware 43015 Doug Warnock Family law

Washbush Business Law LLC 4369 Clark St. Dublin 43017

Willis Fangler Sterling

Thomas Washbush Business law

4635 Trueman Blvd Hilliard 43026 William Polhamus Workers compensation law

Webster & Associates 17 S High St Ste 770 Columbus 43215 Geoffrey Webster Health care mergers and acquisitions

Wolinetz Horvath and Brown

Weston Hurd LLP 10 W. Broad St. Suite 2400 Columbus 43215 William Curley Civil litigation David Patterson Commercial litigation

White Getgey & Meyer 7587 Central Park Boulevard Suite B Mason 45040 Nicholas E. Bunch Medical malpractice law

William A. Good Law Office 870 High St. Ste. 17 Worthington 43085 William Good Probate

William A. Morse LPA 800 High St. Ste. 200 Worthington 43085 William Morse Estate planning

William L. Geary Co. LPA

250 Civic Center Drive Suite 220 Columbus 43215 Barry H. Wolinetz General litigation Dennis Horvath Domestic relations law

Yacobozzi Drakatos LLC 1243 S. High St. Columbus 43206 Eleni Drakatos Personal injury Dennis Yacobozzi II Personal injury

Yavitch & Palmer Co. LPA 511 S. High St. Columbus 43215 Stephen Palmer Criminal defense

Zaino Law Group LPA 5775 Perimeter Dr. Ste. 275 Dublin 43017 Michael Zaino Estate planning James Meaney Franchise and distribution law

Zashin & Rich

155 W. Main St. Ste. 101 Columbus 43215 William Geary Family law

17 S. High St. Ste. 900 Columbus 43215 Jonathan Downes Labor and employment law

Williams & Schoenberger

Zawaly Law Firm

338 S. High St. 2nd Floor Columbus 43215 Robert H. Stoffers Construction law

6238 Inverurie Drive W. Dublin 43017 Peter P. Zawaly II Civil trial lawyer July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Personal Finance

Group investing Tribevest wealth-building tool can help teams of investors build a portfolio. By steve wartenberg + Photos by rob hardin

T

he trout were biting, and the jokes and ideas were flowing as Travis Smith, his older brother, Lincoln, and their two cousins enjoyed a fishing trip to Patagonia, Chile, in 2008 that Smith says they couldn’t afford. The four were college graduates with good jobs and yet, “We realized there were people in their 50s who had great jobs and were losing their jobs and were scared [due to the recession.] We dreamed out loud together about going into business.” A pact was made: They would each put $500 a month into an investment group. “We made the first investment [in real estate] and that led to another investment and some leverage, and we kept learning and investing and kept putting everything back into our tribe. Pretty soon we had a multi-million-dollar portfolio,” says Smith, 45. “We secured a future we never could have dreamt of.” Sounds easy, right? Not exactly, but Smith was hooked on the idea of pooling resources to create an investment tribe. This led to his creation of Tribevest, a Columbus-based, group-investment platform that helps groups of investors create their own limited liability company (LLC), open a bank account, interact, vote and invest all

Travis Smith, left, and Julian McClurkin

1275 Kinnear Road, Columbus Tribevest.com

within 48 hours. All while avoiding many of the logistical problems his initial tribe encountered. “At his core, Travis genuinely wants everyone he comes into contact with to be better off after they’ve had an interaction with him,” says Julian McClurkin, a member of the Harlem Globetrotters and Tribevest’s new chief storyteller. “Travis finds ways to pull greatness out of you.”

Revenue: Projected $1 million in 2021

Starting Tribevest

Tribevest Employees: 8 CEO: Travis Smith

Smith earned a finance degree from Ohio State University in 1999 and

plunged into the world of financial technology, with stops at HMI Performance Incentives in Boston and the Profitstars Division of Jack Henry & Associates in Columbus. He was doing well but wanted more, not only for himself but for others. He had the entrepreneurial spirit and the success of the investment group he created with his family, which led Smith to believe they had unlocked a secret known to the wealthy for centuries, he says. “The Tribevest idea is a way for the middle class to unlock and use the secrets of the wealthy and leverage

62 ColumbusCEO l July 2021

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Columbus CEO presents Diverse Leaders in Law, a quarterly discussion from local thought leaders advancing gender and racial equity in the legal profession at a critical time. Moderator: Katy Smith, editor of Columbus CEO Panelists: Dawn Rosemond, firm diversity partner, Barnes & Thornburg Michael B. Coleman, partner-in-charge of government law, Ice Miller Kelly Livingston, assistant vice president senior counsel, global technology & intellectual property, JPMorgan Chase

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checks or sign any documents … we vote on everything through the portal, and we can message everyone, and all our LLC documents are right there at our fingertips.” She has started a second tribe, one for people she calls “more seasoned real estate investors.” This tribe has already invested in and owns a piece of two apartment complexes in Texas and Georgia. Grant said a third and fourth tribe are in the works. “Tribevest makes all this seem possible,” she says. “The platform allows you to dream.”

A new tribe Travis Smith, left, and Julian McClurkin the economies of scale … to reduce income inequality.” Tribevest was launched in 2018 with Smith as CEO and co-founder Josh Wilson as COO and head of customer success. They added Zach Bowers as chief technology officer. The tech side is important, as the Tribevest promise is to make forming an LLC, opening an FDIC-insured bank account, and holding virtual meetings and voting simple. “We have over 2,000 tribes that have started their journey, and over 500 that are already transacting and operating as a business,” Smith says. “Over 50 percent of our tribes are people of color.” Tribevest’s income comes from the members of groups, who pay the company $5 to $15 a month for the online services. The company has eight employees and is on track to record $1 million in revenue in 2021.

Branching out Atlanta-based Tre Baker is a selfdescribed serial entrepreneur. He too was bitten by the collaborativeinvesting bug, but says the administrative burden was too big a hurdle—and then he read about Tribevest. “The idea resonated with me and clicked,” says Baker, who has created and leads three tribes. One specializes in startups, real estate and cryptocurrency. The members of his second group invested in Tribevest through a venture capital fundraising invest-

ment; and the third tribe is about decentralizing financing, areas usually reserved for the wealthy, he says. Using Tribevest’s online tools is easy, Baker says. “They’ve really improved the process since the start,” he says, adding the only delay is waiting for the LLC certificate from the secretary of state after the forms are completed on the Tribevest website. Annette Grant is a Columbus-based expert in the growing short-term rental market created by Airbnb and Vrbo, and she co-hosts the Thanks For Visiting podcast that delves into the field. “This is the next wealthbuilding tool, sharing with and trusting others,” she says of Tribevest’s group-investment model. Grant created her first tribe to invest in real estate. “We started it right before [the pandemic] and we’ve never once met in person,” she says. “We’ve never had to exchange any

“The Tribevest idea is a way for the middle class to unlock and use the secrets of the wealthy and leverage the economies of scale … to reduce income inequality.” Travis Smith, CEO, Tribevest

McClurkin splits his time between the Globetrotters and working as a real estate agent in central Ohio. The Independence High graduate met Smith on the basketball court, where they played pickup games together. He describes Smith as the type of player you want on your team—he’s not a scorer but does all the little things that help a team win, he says. McClurkin also has the entrepreneurial gene and is in the early stages of starting his first tribe. “I’m learning from all the people I’ve interviewed,” he says of the videos he’s made for Tribevest in his role as chief storyteller. “I want to be informed and I’ve sent out feelers to people who want to join with me and I have a few ideas about how we’ll do it.”

Unicorn status In the world of tech startups, a unicorn is a private company valued at $1 billion or more. “We’re absolutely a future unicorn,” Smith says. “And our role is so important to narrow the wealth gap ... And change lives for the better.” As for the original tribe with his brother and cousins, it’s still in place, and they’re still investing and creating wealth. “Now, it’s really about the next generation, our families,” Smith says. He and his wife, Mandy Smith, an Ohio State University professor, live in Upper Arlington and have two children, Brant, 13, and Lincoln, 9. “That’s how we can leave a legacy, by helping the next generation take it to the next level.” Steve Wartenberg is a freelance writer.

64 ColumbusCEO l July 2021

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Health Watch Ricci Jackson receives his second COVID-19 vaccine at Columbus Public Health.

Vaccination negotiation Health officials strategize on how to get more people protected against COVID-19. By Laurie Allen + Photos by Rob Hardin

W

hat’s your motivation? It’s a question local government, health and business leaders continue to ask as they push to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19. In Franklin County, roughly 48 percent of eligible residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 42 percent being fully vaccinated. Despite a noticeable uptick after Ohio kicked off its Vax-a-Million campaign, demand for the vaccine has waned since April, spurring health experts to identify creative ways to unite people and vaccines. “We’re in this over the long term. It’s all about making sure we’re closing the gaps,” says Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola. “We know we’re not going to vaccinate 10,000 people a day.” Public and private sectors have

come together to offer vaccine incentives ranging from free ice cream, $50 gift cards and paid time off to a remote chance of winning $1 million in hopes of encouraging vaccination. The Columbus Health Department has partnered with the Short North Business Alliance, Hollywood Casino and local restaurants to offer freebies to those getting vaccinated. Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts says she wasn’t always a fan of incentivizing the vaccine. “If you had asked me in February, I would have been very anti-incentive,” she says. But she changed her mind after talking with colleagues nationwide and concluding that something extra might be required to get people to roll up their sleeves. She also recalled that the department has used gift cards to encourage lead screening in the past. Tangible incentives like cash or free food and drink are useful because “they keep the topic current,” says Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, system medical director of infectious diseases at OhioHealth. “Who doesn’t like to get something free?” Another approach to boosting vaccination rates is through targeted delivery. “We need to go specifically to where people are. A church, a restaurant, someplace people already are choosing to be,” Roberts says. Mazzola says, “We meet people where they are,” including bingo

halls, pop-up clinics and the MidOhio Food Collective, where the department vaccinated about 150 food clients over two days in May. Vaccination clinics also have popped up at sporting events like Columbus Clippers games and the Memorial Golf Tournament With decreased demand and the closing of mass vaccination sites, health and business leaders are scrutinizing data and targeting ZIP codes or age groups where people are under-vaccinated. Roberts says research shows while people under 30 want the vaccine and plan to get it eventually, “they won’t necessarily go out of their way,” which is why the department is looking at taking the vaccine to Easton or other venues that draw that age group. “We’ve taken an intentional equity approach to address accessibility,” Mazzola says, looking to the department’s new Equity Advisory Council to help identify and execute grassroots tactics, which could include going door-to-door. “We’re having

“The vaccines are not experimental. The experiment is not getting the vaccine.” Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, medical director of infectious diseases, OhioHealth

66 ColumbusCEO l July 2021

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active conversations about that.” Understanding what discourages people from getting the vaccine requires an almost laser-like approach. “We have to address specific concerns by really dissecting each community,” Gastaldo says. For example, members of the LGBTQ+ community have had questions about whether someone living with HIV can receive the vaccine. The answer is yes, he says.

Workforce issues The business community has its own questions to answer. Don DePerro, president and CEO of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, says he and others were “surprised that the faucet opened so quickly and to such a great degree” when the state lifted mask and social distancing orders. Businesses, already in the midst of a crippling labor shortage, now find themselves grappling with whether they can mandate masks and vaccines. “With unskilled and semi-skilled workers, you have to be very creative,” DePerro says. The chamber is asking its unvaccinated employees to be tested weekly at their own expense and show proof they don’t have COVID, DePerro says. While he doesn’t believe businesses should be punitive, “What do you do when 70 to 90 percent of your employees have been vaccinated but the others haven’t?” Mazzola says businesses have incentives for making sure employees get vaccinated via federal tax credits for giving them paid time off to receive and recover from the vaccine if necessary. It’s important for business leaders to share their personal experiences to reach people who may be hesitant, Gastaldo says. In all instances, he says his job is to listen to questions and concerns in a respectful, non-judgmental way.

Proven medicine For those who worry that the vaccines are experimental and not proven, Gastaldo says roughly 300 million doses have been administered in the United States, and the drugs being used underwent the exact same research protocols as others. Also, there is now enough clinical data for

the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration pending detailed inspections of all manufacturing plants, he says. “The vaccines are not experimental. The experiment is not getting the vaccine,” Gastaldo says, particularly as new variants emerge. That means even those who have had COVID-19 should get the vaccine to remain protected against mutations. Other common reasons for holding out are inconvenience, perceived low risk and anxiety about side effects. In a letter to patients, Dr. Robert Stone, medical director at Central Ohio Primary Care, which serves more than 400,000 patients, addressed concerns. “A lot of people have some fatigue or even some more acute symptoms like fever [after receiving the vaccine]. Actually, that lets you know that your immune system is working and the vaccine should do a good job protecting you,” Stone’s letter says. “If you do get these symptoms, it is a great excuse to take a nap and relax.” Any side effects, he says, are far better than contracting COVID-19, which can cause long-term, debilitating changes. Breaking down barriers is a constant and includes making it easier to schedule, especially second shots. While many providers make the second-dose appointment the same day a person receives their first shot, some retail pharmacies and others use a cumbersome process that requires people to resubmit information, including health insurance. Of the three vaccines being used now and three others slated for rollout late this year, only the Johnson & Johnson product is delivered in a single dose. Mazzola says the Ohio Department of Health “has been great about letting us order what we need” to get the J&J vaccine to populations with the most barriers. In appealing to the under-30 crowd, fear of missing out, or FOMO as it’s known in text and social media circles, might persuade someone to get the shot, Gastaldo says. Beyond gift cards and free drinks are the intangible incentives, he says. “We want to celebrate being vaccinated so we can safely bring the joys and pleasures back into our lives.”

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Laurie Allen is a freelance writer. July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Columbus Chamber Annual Meeting - PART TWO

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August 25 | In-Person Networking at Huntington Park

Join the Columbus Chamber of Commerce at Huntington Park on August 25 for part two of its 2021 Annual Meeting, ADAPT. Attendees will have the opportunity to network safely in-person with fellow business and community leaders. In addition to networking, attendees have access to the replay of part one of ADAPT, which featured prominent conversations with leaders like Jeni Britton Bauer, Brett Kaufman, David Berson, Shawn Holt, and The Edge Sisters.

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2021 COLUMBUS REGION IT CONSULTING FIRMS

Ranked by number of full-time local technology consultant employees and, for ties, by contractors Full-time local technology consultants

Firm 1 Revel IT 4900 Blazer Parkway, Dublin 43017 614-336-1122 revelit.com

Employees

441

Contractors

50

2020 Columbus region revenue

$52

million

2020 companywide revenue

$58

million

2 ComResource

1159 Dublin Road, Suite 200 Columbus 43215 • 614-221-6348 comresource.com

214 120

Artificial intelligence, project management, software engineers

Randy Dean President Mike Grelle Managing Director

Software development life cycle, infrastructure and security management, data solutions and integration

Gary Potts President Keith Potts Vice President

wnd

88

$9

$10

Software development, RPA (robotic process automation), data analytics

Alan Kutasy CEO and Co-Founder Kyle Lepi VP of Solutions

Program/project management, software architecture/ development, data analytics

Keith Stevens Chairman and CEO Monty Ragland VP, Client Delivery

ERP (enterprise resource planning), business intelligence, advisory services

Dave Schoettmer General Manager, Advisory Services

DevOps, cloud, custom application development

Joelle Brock CEO Erica Krumlauf COO

Agile development teams, application development, cloud migrations

Bill Nicoloulias President Brian Walsh CTO

IT consulting, training, software development

Josh Harrison President

million

million

2740 Airport Drive, Suite 120 Columbus 43219 • 614-454-6488 psi92.com

110

35

$12.6

$12.6

1400 Goodale Blvd., Suite 100, Columbus 43212 • 732-710-3425 avaap.com

108

9

wnd

wnd

2

$9.9

$9.9

million

million

5 Avaap

6 Leading Edje

72

local consulting executive

wnd

4 PSI (Proteam Solutions Inc.)

1491 Polaris Parkway, Suite 191 Columbus 43240 • 614-398-6035 leadingedje.com

Areas of specialization

40

3 Agility Partners

175 S. 3rd St., Columbus 43215 614-747-2071 agilitypartners.io

Local top executive

7 Workstate

million

million

30 Spruce St., Columbus 43215 614-559-3904 workstate.com

60

0

$7.5 million

million

One Easton Oval, Suite 175 Columbus 43219 • 614-408-3401 improving.com

37

3

$5.9

$134.9

7420 Worthington-Galena Road, Worthington 43085 • 614-786-7100 thinkcsc.com

25

0

wnd

wnd

Managed, data center and project IT services

Tom Hastings President

655 Metro Place S., #650, Dublin 43017 614-799-1850 ettaingroup.com

15

30

$18

million

$432

Recruitment solutions, managed solutions, direct placement

Terri Vesely Regional Director

1490 Park Ridge Drive, Columbus 43235 614-284-2569 thinksigital.com

15

1

thousand

$600

$2.6

ServiceNow IT, employee, and customer workflows

Tim James Partner

8 Improving

million

$8

million

9 ThinkCSC

10 Ettain Group

11 Sigital

million

million

The CEO Leaderboard features selected topics each month. The September Leaderboard will feature Columbus region nonprofit organizations. The deadline for inclusion in that survey is July 12. If you want your company to be considered for an upcoming CEO Leaderboard, contact Linda Deitch at ldeitch@columbusCEO.com. Information included in this survey was provided by companies listed and was not independently verified.

068-069_Leaderboard_ITConsultingFirms.indd 69

wnd = would not disclose Source: Survey of IT consulting firms Information compiled by LINDA DEITCH

July 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Commercial Mortgage Lenders Ranked by total Columbus region value of loans originated in 2020

COMPANY

COLUMBUS REGION VALUE OF LOANS ORIGINATED IN 2020

NUMBER OF COLUMBUS REGION FIRST-TIME COMMERCIAL LOANS ORIGINATED IN 2020

LARGEST COLUMBUS REGION COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE LOAN IN 2020

1 Bellwether Enterprise 750 Communications Pkwy., Ste. 2 Columbus 43214 • 614-355-1048 bellwetherenterprise.com

$647 m

42

$57 m

2 Premier Bank 6515 Longshore Loop, Ste. 420 Dublin 43017 • 614-876-8794 yourpremierbank.com

$315 m

237

$26.5 m

3 Park National Bank 50 North Third St., Newark 43055 740-349-8451 parknationalbank.com

$310 m

367

$15 m

4 Fifth Third Bank 21 E. State St., Columbus 43215 614-744-7001 53.com

$190 m

28

$51.5 m

5 KeyBank 88 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215 614-460-3436 key.com

$173.7 m

5

$58.9 m

6 JLL Capital Markets 375 N. Front St., Ste. 100 Columbus 43215 • 614-698-3007 us.jll.com/en/locations/midwest

$47.3 m

4

$28 m

7 Fahey Bank 445 Hutchinson Ave. Columbus 43235 • 614-620-7335 faheybank.com

$42.7 m

36

$5.6 m

8 Lighthouse Commercial Mortgage

1335 Holly Ave., Ste. B Columbus 43212 • 614-481-6073 lighthousecommercial.com

$23.6 m

23

$3.8 m

$12.4 m

25

$1.2 m

TYPES OF LOANS AVAILABLE PRINCIPAL LOAN PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Office, retail, apartment, warehouse, hotel Agency (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA), life company, CMBS, debt fund, banks Office, retail, apartment, industrial, warehouse Construction, mini-perm, fixed-rate perm, blanket and bridge loans Office, retail, apartment, medical, warehouse Permanent loans, construction, SBA 504 and 7(a), mini-perm, guidance lines for homebuilders Apartment Construction loans, term loans, bridge loans, treasury mgt solutions, investment mgt and advisory services Healthcare, office, retail, apartment, industrial Balance sheet, agency, CMBS, life company, payment automation services Apartment, industrial, office GSE/Agency, FHA, life company, debt fund, CMBS Warehouse, apartment, medical, retail, hotel Commercial construction/renovation, development, industrial, medical, multifamily Apartment Apartment, industrial, self-storage, office, medical

COLUMBUS REGION SENIOR COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE LENDING OFFICER

Jo Ev (6 ww rea

DJ Effler President

David Dygert

President - Columbus

Thomas Button Chief Credit Officer

Erich Murray

Commercial Real Estate Director

Greg Kiger

Team Leader, Community Development Lending & Investment

5475 Rings Road, Ste. 110 Dublin 43017 • 614-645-6171 ccdcorp.org

m = million CMBS = commercial mortgage-backed securities Source: Survey of commercial mortgage lenders Information compiled by LINDA DEITCH

70 ColumbusCEO l July 2021

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K W C P

Gl (6 Gl KW

Adam Roberts Head of FHA

Mary Ann Potter Chief Lending Officer

R P C

Vernon Morrison President

9 Community Capital

Development Corporation

R T C

Various industries

Laura Frum

SBA 504 loans

President

The CEO Leaderboard features selected topics each month. The September Leaderboard will feature Columbus region nonprofit organizations. The deadline for inclusion in that survey is July 12. If you want your company to be considered for an upcoming CEO Leaderboard, contact Linda Deitch at ldeitch@columbusCEO.com. Information included in this survey was provided by companies listed and was not independently verified.

6/16/21 4:10 PM

Ke (6 ke co


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RE/MAX TOWN CENTER

CUTLER REAL ESTATE

Joe and Patty Evans (614) 975-7355 www.joeandpattyevans. realestate

Neil Mathias (614) 580-1662 neil@themathiasteam.com

DEER RUN - A limited number of building lots available in this exclusive private gated community. Deer Run is a secluded, private lush wilderness in the heart of Dublin. Bring your own builder and design your dream home in one of the last centrally located communities in the city of Dublin. Acreage from 2-3+ Acres and Pricing starting at $825,000/lot. www.deerrunoh.com

7679 COOK ROAD - Over 6,000 sq ft custom home on 6+\acres with walk out lower level, incredible landscaping, large pond and much more. DUBLIN SCHOOLS SOLD FOR $1,325,000

KELLER WILLIAMS CAPITAL PARTNERS

FAULKNER REALTY GROUP

Glenn Moog (614) 578-2433 GlennMoog@ KW.com

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

629 S. GRANT AVE - Stunning condo in historic German Village with high-end finishes and 2-car attached garage in gated Beck Place. Two full owner’s suites, 3 terraces (1 with downtown skyline view), private in-unit elevator and 4 levels of living space. Open loft-like living and grand-scale entertainment space extends to large deck on 2nd floor. Finished, well-appointed lower level. $950,000

THIS EXQUISITE MODERN CHALET has soaring ceilings & treetop views. 2 primary suites, 2 guest suites & abundant common spaces will appeal to a multitude of families. The kitchen is brand new & boasts white custom cabinetry, quartz counters. The great room/dining room features a wet bar, hardwoods & truly impressive masonry fireplace.

RE/MAX PREMIER CHOICE

RE/MAX PREMIER CHOICE

Kevin Sullivan (614) 419-2026 kevins@ columbus.rr.com

Kevin Sullivan (614) 419-2026 kevins@ columbus.rr.com

AMAZING HOME IN TARTAN FIELDS - with beautiful views of the 4th Green & Fairway. 6BD, 5 Full BA, 2 Half BA, massive Owners Closet, 2 Story Office/Den, huge Florida Room and Walk out Lower-Level custom Home Theater and Wine Cellar that holds 800 bottles. $2,550,000

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BREATHTAKING ONE-OF-A-KIND ESTATE HOME - on almost an acre lot over 15,000 SQFT, 5 BD, 5 Full BA, 3 Half BA, 2 Sty Entry & Library, Mother-in-Law Ste w/full Kit, LR & separate entrance, 1st Fl Owner’s Ste, Walk-out Lower-Level, Wine Cellar, Theater Rm, Wet Bar & Billiard Rm. Custom Patio, 4 oversized Car Garages all a on cul-de-sac lot. $2,800,000

6/16/21 4:10 PM


Office Space By JESS DEYO + Photos by Rob Hardin

g2o 5455 Rings Road, Suite 500, Dublin 43017 g20.com

The tech firm’s new space was designed to bring employees together in the post COVID-19 world.

Fully functional In the cafeteria, employees can host clients or rearrange furniture for a meeting. Work-play Spaces are meant to give employees something to look forward to.

Room to learn The training room offers space for new hires or company events.

Time to unwind There are plenty of spaces to relax and share a conversation with friends. Visit columbusCEO.com for a full article on the space.

Warm welcome From the carpet to the ceiling, the intention was to create an open, airy space.

Unlike any other Creativity on display shows clients that g2o takes a unique approach.

Crossing paths The design was chosen with the goal of purposely igniting new friendships.

Practical layout Offices were designed with the employee in mind, from moving drawers to stand-up desks.

72 ColumbusCEO l July 2021

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6/17/21 11:49 AM


Life decisions create ripples on your lifestyle and financial future. So who is helping you navigate each situation? Retirement. Business transition and exit strategies. Kids going to college. Transferring wealth to family. Health crises. Supporting your important causes.

Let’s talk.

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RETIREMENT PLAN SERVICES

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G R O W W I T H B RR

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6/16/21 4:20 PM


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