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NOVEMBER 4 - 10, 2013
A. STEVEN DEVER General counsel Ganley Management Co. o many folks in the area, Steve Dever is probably remembered, fondly or otherwise, for his days as assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor. But since fall 2010, Mr. Dever has served as general counsel to the Brecksville-based Ganley Auto Group, an association of independently operated automobile dealerships and Ohio’s largest automotive retailer. “Coming to our industry is a little bit of a switch for him, but he has managed to do it seamlessly,” said CEO Kenneth Ganley, who has been Mr. Dever’s boss for the last three years. As general counsel, Mr. Dever is Ganley’s chief legal adviser relating to a wide variety of matters regarding litigation, acquisitions, regulatory issues, employment matters, risk management and consumer affairs. But given that the auto business is fairly litigious, Mr. Dever’s experience as a trial lawyer also has come in more than a little handy, Mr. Ganley said. “His plate’s very full, because not only does Steve handle all of our transaction work and litigation, but he also oversees our human resources,” Mr. Ganley said. That’s no small bit of work either, given that the chain of dealerships has more than 1,300 employees. In addition, Mr. Dever assists in the expansion of the Ganley automotive brand by implementing strategies for better employee train-
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ELIZABETH EVANS Vice president; general counsel; secretary Republic Steel lizabeth Evans only has been with Republic Steel for a year and a half, but the vice president, general counsel and secretary already has made a big difference at the steel manufacturer. “As the first general counsel for the company, Elizabeth created the legal department from scratch,” the nomination said. “In the process, she decreased the company’s legal expenses by more than $1 million in less than 12 months. She created numerous policies and procedures designed to help the company minimize its risk and exposure to liability,” according to the nomination. “Elizabeth also successfully settled an outstanding preference case that had been going on for more than six years and has settled a handful of smaller legal issues before they grew into litigation matters, thus saving the company money and minimizing negative publicity.” The nomination noted that Ms. Evans was both the company’s first general counsel and the first woman to become an executive at Republic Steel. Michael Humphrey, the vice president of supply chain management and security at Republic Steel, confirmed that was the case, at least since the company’s new ownership took over in 2005. Mr. Humphrey said the company decided it was more cost effective to bring its legal affairs inside. Ms. Evans said the cuts to the legal expenses added up to more than
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GENERAL AND IN-HOUSE COUNSEL ing and policies for the workplace. “With his experience he has been able to be more effective in representing Ganley Automotive Group before regulatory agencies. On risk mitigation, he has become actively involved in developing corporate policies and procedures in the areas of consumer sales practices, human resources and compliance. He is actively involved in the structure, planning, and financing of new acquisitions,” Mr. Ganley wrote in nominating his top attorney for this year’s General Counsel awards. But one of the qualities Mr. Ganley said he values the most in his lawyer is Mr. Dever’s integrity. His boss has grown to trust him so much that Mr. Dever not only works on dealership issues, but handles family and estate planning for the Ganley family, Mr. Ganley said. Yet, Mr. Dever still finds time for plenty of outside work. He serves on the board of directors for the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo), a regional nonprofit economic development organization formed to build an offshore wind power industry in Northeast Ohio. LEEDCo’s mission is to create employment, drive economic prosperity, generate clean energy and expand Ohio’s electricity portfolio. He brings a slew of honors from his past position as a prosecutor to the job as well — lest anyone question his lawyering skills. Mr. Dever has been recognized by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development for his efforts in the pursuit of justice, Mr. Ganley noted. — Dan Shingler 50% of the company’s outside legal spending. Ms. Evans said Republic Steel had been a client when she was an attorney at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP and that the company sparked her interest. The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law graduate worked at Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP prior to her time at Benesch. At Republic Steel, Ms. Evans manages all the legal aspects of the company, including managing the two in-house attorneys she hired and all outside attorneys. In addition to her responsibilities with the legal department, Ms. Evans also is the vice president of labor relations, human resources and environmental health and safety. Mr. Humphrey said those departments are highly regulated, and it just made sense to have Ms. Evans oversee them to make sure the company is in compliance, as well. Ms. Evans said the executive officers at the company are enthusiastic about bringing change to the company, which can trace its roots back more than 125 years. It can be a challenge, but it’s a lot of fun, she said. “It’s a very ambitious, energetic executive team. And everyone works well together,” Ms. Evans said. Mr. Humphrey called Ms. Evans a “sharp” and “no-nonsense” leader who is effective in and out of the legal department. She has a “keen ability to manage,” he said, and she’s fun to be around. Outside of her work at Republic Steel, Ms. Evans serves on the board of directors for City Year Cleveland and the board of directors for the Cleveland chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. She also is a founding member, board member and president of Young ACG Cleveland. — Rachel Abbey McCafferty
KEVIN BROKAW Director of development; general counsel Geis Cos.
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evin Brokaw does not wear a hard hat for his job, but his role is as essential on building projects and developments by Streetsboro-based Geis Cos. as that of the construction workers who do. As general counsel for the Geis family-owned concern, Mr. Brokaw works with the 90-person firm’s other professionals in putting together projects from site selection and acquisition to financing and construction as well as any claims that may occur in the litigation-intensive construction business. He developed the in-house counsel office when he joined the company in 2009 and also coordinates legal work farmed out to outside counsel. While Geis has achieved a new level of prominence this year with The 9, a $200 million conversion of the onetime 21-story Ameritrust Corp. skyscraper to a hotel, apartments and retail uses, and construction of a new Cuyahoga County headquarters building, Mr. Brokaw also enjoys working on the
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smaller build-to-suit industrial projects that have been the firm’s bread and butter for decades. “It’s exciting to work on a little bit of both,” Mr. Brokaw said. “Ameritrust is a game-changer for the city. It is taking something that was a black eye for the city and helping create a positive for the city. In our niche as a build-to-suit industrial contractor, those are the projects that bring jobs into the state.” Mr. Brokaw achieved a lifelong goal earlier this year when Geis gave him the added title of director of development in addition to general counsel. “The goal for me always has been to move the meter from law to general business. That evolved here over time,” Mr. Brokaw said. That goal ran deep, for Mr. Brokaw feels it’s the kind of law his father, Glenn Brokaw, practiced in a long career that included a job as general counsel at the old First Union Real Estate Corp., a publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust based in Cleveland until the 1980s. He also equipped himself for it by going through the dual track law and MBA program at Cleveland State University. Mr. Brokaw had substantial construction law experience before he joined Geis with stints for retail developers such as Doppco Development Co. of Pepper Pike and Cedarwood Cos. of Akron. He
served as a lawyer for the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority and ran his own firm before he joined Geis. He also put in his time learning the nuts and bolts and paperwork side of law practice, working in estate planning and product liability for Wegman, Hessler and Vanderburg in Independence immediately after getting his law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law as well as a stint at Levy & Dubyak, a Beachwood law firm that represents many Northeast Ohio realty developers and property owners. Jack Waldeck, chairman of the real estate unit at the Walter & Haverfield LLP law firm, said Mr. Brokaw’s visibility in the Northeast Ohio legal community has risen dramatically the past few years as Geis entered the urban market with projects in MidTown and downtown Cleveland from the suburbs. “He knows what he needs on behalf of his clients,” Mr. Waldeck said. “He also has a parallel skill set on the financial side to understand projections and forecasts.” Mr. Brokaw said he knows where he will find his opportunities and challenges in the future: continuing to work with brothers Fred and Greg Geis as they push to make the regional developer a nationally known real estate concern. — Stan Bullard
From your friends and colleagues at Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio
Congratulations Emily Smayda Kelly and all of the finalists for the 2013 General & In-House Counsel Awards.
Thank you for your leadership and commitment to our employees.
216-931-1400 VNAohio.org