20141117-NEWS--15-NAT-CCI-CL_--
11/12/2014
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NOVEMBER 17 - 23, 2014
WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM
MARY CAVANAUGH
GERRI KORNBLUT
General counsel The Kemper Co.
General counsel, chief compliance officer Dwellworks
Betty Kemper had some anxiety more than a decade ago when she decided to hire Mary Cavanaugh as general counsel at The Kemper Co. of Cleveland, a provider of care services and specialized housing for the elderly. She’s pleased to say now that her concerns have become something of an office joke. “I wondered if there was going to be enough for her to do,” Kemper said, laughing at how, in retrospect, “I couldn’t have been more wrong.” Since joining The Kemper Co. in September 2003, Cavanaugh “has become one of the most valued resources in the company and, in fact, is now third in command behind only the CEO and COO” in the private, family-owned company, according to the nomination. The company has grown significantly in the past decade and now has gross revenues exceeding $14 million annually and more than 350 employees. Kemper said Cavanaugh has been a key figure at the company as it has branched into new business areas, including general real estate development, management of multifamily facilities and even a recreational business. (The Kemper Co. owns two Sky Zone indoor trampoline parks in the region; Cavanaugh is a minority shareholder in that venture.) Cavanaugh “is the sole corporate counselor in our organization and has overall responsibilities for all legal matters including contracts, employee issues, government compliance, company policies and procedures, quality assurance, and many more areas requiring legal expertise,” the nomination said. Kemper said Cavanaugh brings “great knowledge and an incredible strategic mind” to the company, as well as an understanding of the rapid changes in laws related to health care (especially as it pertains to the elderly), employment, tenant/landlord, real estate and contracts. “We are a very diverse company, and she has the diverse skills we need,” Kemper said. During the last 18 months, Cavanaugh “has helped guide The Kemper Co. through the greatest growth period since the company’s beginning,” the nomination said. “She negotiated all agreements and contracts for the development,
NOMINEE construction, financing and management of three major projects including a new health care facility, a new recreational facility and an addition to an existing facility.” Cavanaugh also “negotiated an agreement with a national bank to remove a troubled property from the threat of foreclosure, avoiding costly litigation, and then devised a plan to stabilize the property,” according to the nomination. “All of this was done while handling her regular day-today responsibilities.” Kemper said Cavanaugh is a “great fit” in a company culture that “is like a family.” The nomination noted that Cavanaugh “acts as a role model, teacher and resource to each and every staff member. … Whether it is a manager or a front line staff member, Mary makes herself available to listen to the issues and guide accordingly.” Cavanaugh serves on the board of the Friends of the Euclid Public Library as a trustee. In addition, she has contributed her counsel to the Cleveland Clinic Young Leaders Board, Our Lady of the Lake School and Our Lady of Lake Parish. — Scott Suttell
ROBERT GERBERRY
While he values her legal work, Gene Novak, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Dwellworks LLC, believes that it’s Gerri Kornblut’s ability to communicate with clients, suppliers and co-workers that sets her apart. “While she’s in a complicated and technical arena, she’s very good at communicating to her audiences,” Novak said. “She doesn’t try to dazzle people with technical terms. She’s an incredibly effective communicator.” That skill is important, Novak said, because Kornblut is not only the relocation company’s general counsel, she is its chief compliance officer. She’s charged with creating new policies, training programs and reporting procedures that reach all of the company’s associates across offices in eight countries, as well as supply chain networks of several thousand contracted consultants and service specialists. Dwellworks manages company relocation programs, which means lining up moving companies, temporary corporate housing and real estate agents around the globe to assist transferees and then act as paymaster for client companies. Kornblut joined Dwellworks in 2012. Novak said he had worked with the University of Indiana and University of Miami law school graduate when she was a contractor for another company. “When we had an opportunity to create the general counsel position Gerri was the first person we thought about and we were very lucky she decided to join us,” he said. Dwellworks was founded in 2007 and has grown rapidly. Novak gives Kornblut kudos for her work over the last 18 months, which has included a series of international acquisitions in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Costa Rica, as well as office openings in Brazil, Luxembourg and, most recently, Germany. As an acquisition closes, Kornblut must put together time-sensitive legal documentation; post-acquisition she is involved in any needed
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FINALIST corporate restructuring as well as assimilating client contracts from the acquired firm. “We’re a much stronger company because of the contribution she’s made,” Novak said. “She’s got an incredible passion for doing things the right way.” Kornblut frequently participates in panel discussions related to compliance at relocation industry conferences. She recently participated on a panel with other industry leaders for the Northeast Ohio Relocation Roundtable discussion on data privacy compliance. Outside the office, she is an avid runner as well as a member of the board of trustees of Welcome House, which provides residential services to people with developmental disabilities. “We at Dwellworks are proud and fortunate to have the leadership of Gerri Kornblut as general counsel and no one is more passionate about raising the bar of excellence, while comprehensively committing to a mission to serve, than Gerri,” the nomination said. — Jay Miller
Cleveland Metroparks congratulates Chief Legal & Ethics Officer, Rosalina M. Fini, JD, finalist for the 2014 Crain’s Cleveland Business General and In-House Counsel Award.
Interim general counsel Summa Health System The last decade or so has been an interesting one for Summa Health System in Akron, considering its rapid growth and the sale of a 30% stake of its enterprise to HealthSpan Partners, an auxiliary organization of the state’s largest health system. At every step of the way, Robert Gerberry has been there, and he’s become an integral piece of the dynamic organization Summa is today, according to Tom Strauss, the health system’s CEO. “What’s amazing about this guy is that he never gets flustered,” Strauss said. “He’s just so smart — a fabulously bright guy.” Gerberry joined Summa in 2002. He’s provided counsel on all aspects of health care law with a focus on strategic and transactional projects, including mergers, acquisitions, affiliations, joint ventures and physician alignment initiatives, according to the nomination. This month, Gerberry became the health system’s interim general counsel after Bill Powel stepped down from the post. “We’ve always said he was the guy who would step up,” Strauss said. Gerberry also has made a name for himself in the world of accountable care organizations and taken a leadership role in the development of Summa’s. For instance, he’s presented on the topic to the Brookings Institution, Premier Alliance, American Medical Group Association, American Hospital Association and the American Health Lawyers Association. He’s also worked with other health care organizations to share best practices. “I was getting a little nervous that he was getting so well known that we were going to lose the guy,” Strauss said. The nomination said he’s also been instrumental in several areas related to the delivery of accountable care at Summa, including the development of performance metrics, its shared savings model and in its contracts with hospital and physician providers and governmental and commercial payers. Accountable care organizations are designed to tie provider reimbursements to their ability to keep a set population of patients healthy. “He’s been instrumental in helping us make sure we do things correctly.” Gerberry is also the past president of the Society of Ohio Healthcare Attorneys and a member of its board of directors. At current, he’s vice chair of the in-house practice group for the American Health Lawyers Association. He also serves as adjunct faculty at Case Western Reserve University’s law school in its law medicine center. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame and — Timothy Magaw his law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
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Cleveland Metroparks values the hardworking full-time, part-time and seasonal employees who work for this exceptional organization.