Kwame Christian Coaching companies on hard conversations. PAGE 8
April 2022
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Columbus Music Commission is bringing the limelight home.
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Building a community helping the helpers.
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PAGE 30
Making connections Entrepreneur’s guide to conquering certification. PAGE 20
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30 GIVING
BACK MADE EASY
A perspectivechanging volunteer experience inspired Matthew Goldstein to get to work on creating Besa Community. Today, the nonprofit powers civic engagement by making volunteering easy for people and businesses.
Matthew Goldstein
Departments 06 Editor’s Note Living with the virus.
39 Leaderboard
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Worth the effort
Sandie Lange, Swath Design AMANDA ROSSMANN/Cincinnati Enquirer
It’s no picnic for women- and minority-owned businesses to sort through the requirements and fill out paperwork for numerous certification programs. But the effort could prove to be time well-spent in landing lucrative public- and privatesector contracts.
Columbus region family law firms.
40 Breakdown Tourism bouncing back from pandemic lows.
APRIL 2022 Cover photo by
ROB HARDIN
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08 Profile
12 Tech Talk
Kwame Christian has learned that some of the best things in life come after difficult conservations. With that in mind, the founder of the American Negotiating Institute strives to help clients sort out their differences and find common ground.
Flex Energy taps sensor technology to create smart clothing.
Lauren Reinhard
The Columbus Music Commission is striking up the band to help musicians make a living.
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
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16 Spotlight: Nonprofit
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Editor’s Notes * ksmith@ColumbusCEO.com
Living with the virus
Cover desined by YOGESH CHAUDHARY
And a lot of unanswered questions.
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ith COVID cases plummeting and return-to-office plans, well, returning, it’s hard not to wonder how long this period of relative safety will last. After last year’s summer reprieve was ended by a resurgence of the virus, sending many of us back home and back to Amazon or the drug store for more masks, an “end” to the pandemic seems unlikely. Now, we get to live with it. So many questions remain unanswered. Questions that riddled our minds and the cover of this magazine in May 2020, when COVID was terrifyingly fresh. Now, we get to live with the questions, too—some from that May 2020 cover follow: When can we reopen? Will sports ever be the same? What is our budget going to look like? Are we really essential? Will I get any help from the federal government? Will my industry survive this crisis? Will my customers ever come back? How will this crisis change the workforce? Will my employees ever want to work in an office again? Good questions.
Katy Smith, Editor
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PROFILE By ERICA THOMPSON + Photos by ALIE SKOWRONSKI
Kwame Christian Founder and Managing Director
American Negotiation Institute Attorney
Carlile Patchen & Murphy Age: 33 In position since: Founded institute 2016; started at Carlile Patchen & Murphy in 2020 Education: Bachelor’s in psychology, master’s
in public policy, and law degree, Ohio State University
Family: Married to Dr. Whitney Christian, children Kai (6) and Dominic (8 months)
Difficult conversations Kwame Christian thrives helping people learn to negotiate effectively. It’s a skill the “recovering peoplepleaser” spent years building.
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rior to the social justice protests of 2020, Kwame Christian was burned out on discussions of race. The attorney had hit an emotional wall after doing policy work at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. He stopped watching the news and blocked anyone having race-related discussions on his Facebook timeline. But in June 2020, at his wife’s insistence, he put his conflict-resolution skills to use by hosting a public Zoom town hall titled “How to have difficult conversations about race.” Over 1,000 people from all over
Kwame Christian
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the world attended the event, which stretched on for three and a half hours. Christian was reinvigorated. Today, coaching companies on how to talk about race is part of Christian’s work as founder and managing director of the American Negotiation Institute, based in Upper Arlington. Founded in 2016, the firm provides negotiation, conflict resolution and leadership training to companies throughout the U.S. and beyond. Christian’s goal is to transform as many lives as possible through the organization, which recently generated $1 million in revenue. “The best things in life are on the other side of difficult conversations,” says Christian, 33, of Dublin, who also works for Carlile Patchen & Murphy law firm. “That’s our motto. I’m very unashamed with saying that the goal is to change the world.” American Negotiation Institute currently has 26 employees, some contracted and some full-time, and is still growing. Its diverse clients have even included the Defense Acquisition University, a school within the U.S. Department of Defense, and NASA. The company also has mediated a race-related dispute between a local police department and a Black family in the community. Christian says his team partnered with the United Nations to start a peace-building program in Lagos, which teaches Nigerian youths how to use negotiation and conflict resolution to change their communities.
The best things in life are on the other side of difficult conversation. That’s our motto. I’m very unashamed with saying that the goal is to change the world. Kwame Christian, founder and managing director, American Negotiation Institute
Christian’s confidence and persuasion skills weren’t built overnight. In fact, he describes himself as a former “recovering people-pleaser” who first learned about the possibilities of negotiation as a field through a course at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. “It was the first time that I realized that having difficult conversations is a skill, not a talent,” says Christian, who also represented Ohio State in negotiation competitions. “I thought I either had it or I didn’t. It was empowering.” In addition to his law degree, Christian has a master’s degree in public policy from Ohio State’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs. As he embarked on a career in negotiation consulting, he quickly realized how much he stood out. “Everybody looks very different from me,” he says. “I am young and Black. The majority of other experts are older and white. I realize now it was a self-limiting belief, but I was saying, ‘People aren’t going to take me seriously yet.’” His first step was to launch a negotiation podcast, now branded as “Negotiate Anything.” As a business attorney, he originally thought his audience would consist primarily of entrepreneurs, but he quickly built a following of individuals from all walks of life. Having generated 5 million downloads by listeners in 180 different countries, it is the No. 1 negotiation podcast in the world, Christian says. He now manages two additional podcasts, “Ask with Confidence,” geared toward women and hosted by Maria Eaton, and a Spanish-language podcast, “Negociación desde Cero,” hosted by Símon Perez. Christian also is a Forbes contributor and LinkedIn Learning Instructor. He published his first book, “Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life,” in 2020. His next book, “How to Have Difficult Conversations about Race,” is due this year. “It explores the psychological challenges that people have and gives them the tools and strategies and techniques to have the conversations,” Christian says. “You have to have an understanding of the social and racial challenges that we face and the unique impact that has on our psychology.” April 2022 l ColumbusCEO
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Awards earned by Christian.
Christian has carved out a unique path for an attorney, and many were skeptical—including former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown, who met Christian before he started law school. “I couldn’t see it,” says McGee Brown, 61, of Gahanna, who now works as partner-in-charge of diver-
sity, inclusion and advancement at Cleveland-based law firm Jones Day. “I was like, ‘Kwame, are you really sure this is where you want to go?’ But he was so focused, and he’s really done extraordinarily well. He’s done the extra work to get training to understand the different approaches. I don’t know that there are a lot of people who
would’ve sacrificed a big firm job or some prestigious government position to pursue something like this where there really was no road map.” Recently, Christian became the first alumnus to received Young Alumni awards from both the Moritz College of Law and John Glenn College of Public Affairs. His former mentor, attorney Mark Decker, was present at one of the ceremonies. “I was just very proud of him,” says Decker, 73, of Pickerington, who recently retired from Decker Vonau & Carr in Downtown Columbus. “I think he’s found his niche. He’s excited by it, and he’s driven. He’s definitely what people call a rainmaker.” Christian became emotional when reflecting on his journey. “I chose to grind for a long time,” he says. “It was tough to convince my wife and family that I was doing it the right way. It took some time being humble and experimenting and failing over and over again, but it was worth it.” Erica Thompson writes about race, gender and business.
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Med
TECH TALK By CYNTHIA BENT FINDLAY
Smart clothing Flex Energy aims to create wearables stocked with sensor technology.
I
magine a jacket that can detect pollutants or poisonous gases, an undershirt that can call 911 if you fall or a base layer that can detect a heart attack before it hits. A Worthington startup is working to make good on those promises, working with technology licensed from the military and with Ohio Third Frontier funding. Smart clothing has the potential to take off from where a smart watch’s capabilities wane, says Suvankar Sengupta, CEO of Flex Energy. Clothing can collect whole new
Photo courtesy Flex Energy
Suvankar Sengupta
Flex Energy 6969 Worthington Galena Road, Suite D, Worthington 43085 flexenergyllc.com BUSINESS: Flexible wearable battery technology and smart clothing CEO AND CO-FOUNDER: Suvankar Sengupta FUNDING: Self-funded and $100,000 Ohio Third
Frontier Technology Validation and Start-up Fund
LAUNCH: May 2021
data sets in action—blood pressure, heart rhythms and other muscle activity. There are also environmental sensors which can find, for instance, pollutants in the area. Through the internet of things, this data can further be fed to networked databases. To have truly functional smart clothing, it’s got to have an invisible, flexible, washable and wearable power source, Sengupta says. The sensors exist, the concept exists, but current power sources are lacking. The military is already making use of smart clothing but, Sengupta says, “Power is a problem. You have to carry a battery like a brick in your pocket.” Sengupta and co-founder and COO Ramachandra Revur, friends and engineers looking for entrepreneurial concepts, found that Wright Patterson’s Air Force Research Lab had been developing flexible battery technology. The pair started working with the lab on refining the concepts and adapting it for various wearable uses. They started Flex Energy in May 2021 and officially licensed the technology for commercialization this February. They’re working with Pyrolux, separator membranes that allow for better thermal stability and performance than older, commercially available membranes, allowing for batteries which can flex and handle higher operating temperatures. Flex Energy won a $100,000 Ohio Third Frontier development grant in August 2021 to help further engineer the technology. “The biggest challenge is to make something that is repeatedly washable, perfectly sealed from water, detergents, mechanical tumbling and high temperatures during drying. And it’s got to work with interconnected sensors and stretchable materials,” Sengupta says. “I’m sure technology like this, many other companies are working on, so time to market is important to us,” he says. It’s a challenge they’re excited to meet. Smart clothing was a $2.4 bil-
Lab-grown meat company rebrands MATRIX MEATS is now Matrix F.T. The Columbus-based food tech company (which we reported on in November 2021) uses plantbased polymers to spin nanofiber scaffolds used by growers of cultivated proteins—or what some would call lab-grown meats. The unique scaffolding permeated with micronutrients allows cells to grow naturally into tissues very similar to animal muscle or other tissue types grown “on the hoof.” Matrix’s new “M” logo mark is designed to mimic nanofiber scaffolds, with gradually thickening lines to represent the proliferation of cells; the F.T. stands for “food technology.” CEO Eric Jenkusky says the rebrand better fits the company’s actual products, as Matrix does not actually produce lab-grown meats itself. Further, Matrix is hoping to spark that growth with a Series A raise this spring. “While our technology is a key component … we are an enabling technology. This was a strategic move which will allow our team to better position ourselves for growth in this exciting sector,” Jenkusky says. lion market in 2020, Sengupta says, and is projected to be at $5.3 billion by 2024. Flex Energy, currently a fourperson company, envisions a full “scavenger” system that could collect power from the environment (think moisture and light) so it would be possible to not have to plug in the clothing. Sengupta says the one-year grant gives them a big jump on the road to quick development. They’re looking to an angel/venture capital raise toward the end of the year as they’re able to validate their technology. He hopes to expand to 35 to 45 employees in the coming years. Cynthia Bent Findlay is a freelance writer.
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SPOTLIGHT By TAIJUAN MOORMAN + Photo by BARBARA J. PERENIC
Small Business
Space, together Hosful Collective gives local entrepreneurs a chance to shine.
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or many new business owners, the pandemic represented a chance to do something they had long wanted to do, or turn a hobby into a full-fledged operation. But for Lindsey Drahos, the pandemic created an issue she began to witness quite frequently, leading to the desire to create a space and lend a hand to those small retailers facing even more challenges. She opened Hosful on Aug. 2, 2020, right when other businesses were shutting down. It was an unsure time, but it became an opportunity for Drahos to provide an accessible pathway for small businesses to make it into a storefront. “We created a space to give other
“We created a space to give other entrepreneurs a chance to have a brick and mortar and a storefront, without the overhead of a storefront.” LINDSEY DRAHOS, founder, Hosful Collective
Hosful Collective
64 Parsons Ave., Columbus 43215 hosful.com OWNER: Lindsey Drahos BUSINESS: Boutique housing collective of local small businesses EMPLOYEES: 1
Clockwise from left center: Lindsey Drahos; Scott Keyes, owner of Love Savage Clothing; Vanessa Veigel; Jess Mishos, owner of Buzz Buzz Chopshop; and Keira Chatman owner of By The People. entrepreneurs a chance to have a brick and mortar and a storefront, without the overhead of a storefront,” says Drahos. “So that when all these stores may have been closing, they were able to take their brand and put it into a space without having to pay the full rent.” Most of the vendors at Hosful Collective are Black-owned, womenowned and minority-owned businesses. And the opportunity is extended to a variety of businesses, including clothing and jewelry brands, artists and artisans and creative vendors. “The whole idea was to come together and give other people the opportunity to be entrepreneurs,” Drahos says, adding that Hosful is always accepting new vendors. Drahos has always had an affection for fashion. She has a 13-year background in high-end fashion and retail from Saks Fifth Avenue, working for the retailer in style building and personal shopping. She’s currently a by-appointment style advisor for the company. The motivation to stock small businesses at her boutique, she says, is partly motivated by her feeling there should be a sort of middle ground be-
tween production and getting stocked by high-end retailers. “Creating that middle ground for your mom-and-pop businesses and your local designers,” she says. “It gives them that opportunity to not have to feel threatened by these huge designers that have lots of money.” The shop hosts a weekly Wind Down Wednesday and in February, the shop partnered with art and lifestyle director Bobby Couch to feature local Black businesses and talent, including the brands By the People, Love Savage and the Short North vintage clothing store Tact Luxe. For March, the boutique will do something similar for Women’s History Month, featuring women-owned businesses and women making a difference in the community. In addition to the weekly event, which gives designers and vendors the opportunity to mingle with customers, the boutique’s business model also allows vendors stocked in the boutique to work inside the store as a way to meet customers and people in the community. One of those vendors is Intaglio Home, owned by Leyla Inceoglu. Inceoglu, who moved to Columbus
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A PLACE LIKE NO OTHER
THE COMPETITION. THE COURSE. THE COMMUNITY. from Manhattan three years ago, sells vintage, globe-trotting items in the boutique. Inceoglu has a retail background and helps manage the store. What attracted her to sell her items in Hosful, however, was the community being fostered there. “Just the eclectic mix of people that she has as vendors there,” she says. “My stuff is very global, collected from around the world, and very unique and different. I’m just happy that it’s in a shop that people are loving it and appreciating it and supporting it.” Drahos says it’s not easy starting a business and it can be scary. But she feels it’s worth it to step out into entrepreneurship. Thankfully, the shop has been blessed to have received so much support from the local creative community, which she says has “become a family.” “Without the people that are there on a day-to-day basis, without the vendors and the talent that’s in the community, there wouldn’t be a Hosful,” says Drahos.
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SPOTLIGHT By STEVE WARTENBERG + Photo by ROB HARDIN
Nonprofit
Success at home The Columbus Music Commission brings cohesion to the artistic community.
W
hen Bruce Garfield was selected as the first executive director of the Columbus Music Commission in August 2018, he took a “blank-canvas” approach to his new gig. “Did I have a three-year plan?” he says. “I’d be lying if I said yes; I listened to my gut.” His gut told him to think big, collaborate, get instruments into the hands of students, create opportunities for musicians in every facet of the business and, maybe, create a recording label. “My mantra is to make Columbus a better place for
“You’d be surprised how many people have instruments in their closets and basements.” BRUCE GARFIELD, Columbus Music Commission
Columbus Music Commission
277 W. Nationwide Blvd., Columbus 43215 musiccolumbus.com MISSION: To create richer, happier, more
vibrant lives and economic growth for the Columbus region through the support of music.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Bruce Garfield EMPLOYEES: 3 ANNUAL BUDGET: $310,000 FUNDING: Greater Columbus Arts Council and
individual and corporate donations
Bruce Garfield musicians to make a living,” says the former senior vice president of A&R (artist and repertoire) at EMI Music, and the head of his own management agency. Over four-plus decades in the music industry, Garfield has worked with superstars such as David Bowie, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sinead O’Connor.
Musical roots Columbus has had a lot of talented musicians, such as Twenty One Pilots, “but there’s no real music infrastructure here, no [major] recording label, no publishing companies,” Garfield says. “Artists have to go elsewhere for success.” Donatos CEO Tom Krouse is also a musician, a member of the mountainrock band Grassinine. Krouse and other local musicians gathered “to discuss in a grassroots way how we could help one another,” he says. More people began attending the
meetings, which led to the creation of the commission in 2016. Garfield, ready for a career change, moved to Columbus in late 2017 from New York City. He quickly fell in love with the city and began thinking about how to make a difference. The commission opening seemed perfect. “Bruce has some level of relationship with almost everyone in the music business,” Krouse, a member of the commission’s board, says. “And he was already networking with people here before [the opening and interview].”
The gift of music Garfield had 400 in-person meetings in his first 18 months on the job (before COVID). During meetings at schools, he noticed the need for instruments. This led to the creation of the commission’s Gift of Music program, which has collected and delivered more than 2,200 instruments
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to local schools, community centers and nonprofit groups. “You’d be surprised how many people have instruments in their closets and basements,” Garfield says. One woman told him about her recently deceased husband, who was a music teacher. He had collected about 40 instruments over the years and the widow told Garfield “he’d be so happy to know they’re going to be used.”
More programs Using Garfield’s connections, Music Mondays brings industry leaders to town to discuss career development, songwriting, marketing and promotion. Guests have included Peter Ganbarg, executive vice president of A&R of Atlantic Records, and Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots. “We’ve had 6,000 people attend 55 events,” Garfield says, adding all the speakers appeared without compensation. The Music Everywhere, Music Columbus program started as a collaboration with Experience Columbus during the American Society of Association Executives conference in 2019 held in the city. “We had 26 different ensembles, so that everywhere [ASAE participants] went they heard music,” Garfield says, adding he plans to expand the program. The Unheard program provides the annual opportunity for four unknown local bands to perform in CD 92.9’s Big Room live-performance series. Garfield is just getting started. He’s working on a music-trail map, similar to the ones in place for craft breweries. “Music tourism is huge,” he explains. Unable to resist the urge to reconnect with his music-business roots, Garfield is determined to create a nonprofit recording label run by the commission.
The next music city? Nashville has the Grand Ole Opry, New Orleans has jazz. Columbus? “I don’t think Columbus will ever be a Nashville or a New Orleans, but we don’t have to be,” Krouse says. Garfield thinks Columbus is on the right track. “People tell me you’ll never make this a music city and I tell them we’re already a music city.” Steve Wartenberg is a freelance writer.
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Theresa Harris
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An Ohio entrepreneur’s guide to certification for minority- and women-owned businesses BEST PRACTICES AND BARRIERS IN THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS. By Erica Thompson Photos by Rob Hardin FTER about 25 years in the IT field,
Theresa Harris wasn’t moving up the ladder, she was “spreading out.” With clients in Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky, she was always on the road and feared she was missing out on key moments in her teenage daughter’s life. So in 2010, she decided to start a local company and use local, technical resources. “Number one, it’s less costly for the customer because they don’t have to pay for travel charges,” says Harris, 62, of Powell. “And the other good thing is that these people are your neighbors, your friends, people that you go to church with. So they are part of your community. That was very important to me. And
it worked very well.” A diverse voice in the male-dominated tech industry, Harris is president and founder of TMH Solutions, a management, information and technology consulting organization and reseller of enterprise software solutions. The Columbus-based company has worked with clients such as the Ohio Department of Administrative Services and the Franklin County Board of Elections. It also has strategic partnerships with companies like IBM, which brought the firm on as a subcontractor for a major project. Harris landed some of those jobs because her company is certified as a women business enterprise (WBE) and minority business enterprise (MBE) at the state level. She also is certified April 2022 l ColumbusCEO
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by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), which helps advocate for women to receive business from corporations and government entities. She says certification conveys credibility and authenticity. “I wanted everyone to know that I run the business,” says Harris, who also is the incoming president of the Columbus chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). “You can’t help but see that I’m a woman and I’m an African American when I show up. And to me, it’s a great asset because I know my business and I can go—and I have gone—toe-to toe with majority companies. I’m very happy that I am a woman-owned business. We bring a different perspective. We bring a different set of gifts to the table.” Experts and entrepreneurs like Harris agree that the certification process can be costly, time-consuming and overwhelming. But they still encourage women business owners to get certified not only for the potential to gain contracts, but the opportunity to network and do business with other women. Historically, both women-owned and minority-owned businesses have been left out of public and private contracts. For decades, federal, state and city governments have taken steps to be more inclusive by offering contract assistance, business develop-
What does it mean to get WBE/MBE certification?
ment resources, access to capital and networking opportunities for marginalized businesses. And corporations are requiring a certain percentage of spend with women-owned and minority-owned suppliers. Businesses in Ohio can apply to be certified for free through the Ohio Department of Development. They must have been operating for at least one year and be at least 51 percent women- or minority-owned. The state has a 15 percent procurement goal for agencies, boards and commissions for certified MBEs. There is no goal for WBE, but they are eligible for open-market contracts and added to a searchable database. “I can’t speak to the reason why the legislature did it that way,” says Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. “But we are happy that we have this particular certification, and we’re excited to be able to implement it.” WBEs also can take advantage of the state’s Women’s Business Enterprise Loan Program, which offers loans between $45,000 and $500,000 each. The city of Columbus has a similar application process through its Office of Diversity and Inclusion. In January, the city set participation goals ranging from 11 percent to 25 percent in construction and professional services for minority- and women-owned firms. The decision was made in response to a 2019 study by Mason Tillman As-
Businesses complete applications with government entities and organizations to verify that they are women business enterprises (WBEs) or minority business enterprises (MBEs). This process provides access to government and corporate contracts, as well as business development resources, access to capital and networking opportunities.
File/BROOKE LAVALLEY/Columbus Dispatch
sociates, based in Oakland, California, which found statistically significant disparities for minority- and womenowned businesses in receiving prime and subcontracts. The city also has seen success setting utilization rates for inclusive private-public projects, including the construction of the new Columbus Crew stadium and training facility. A total of 117 contracts were awarded to minority- and women-owned contractors, amounting to over $74 million in spending.
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Kaitlyn Tatum of Tatum Landscaping in front of Lower.com field. Tatum was one of several women- and minority-owned business owners awarded contracts to help build the stadium.
“Through the bold vision of Mayor Andrew Ginther’s Equity Agenda, we are forging a new path for our city— one that places equity and inclusion at the forefront,” says Damita Brown, the city’s chief diversity officer. “I encourage women business owners to get certified so that we know who they are and can begin to build relationships that help them to achieve their goals for their business.” There has been a renewed commitment to marginalized businesses in the last two years, according to
Deonna Barnett, CEO and managing consultant of Aventi Enterprises, a strategic consulting firm helping small businesses access capital and government contracts. “Set asides have been in place,” she says. “It’s just caring to meet those goals really hasn’t been as strong. George Floyd really catapulted the minority presence, especially all these resources coming to minority-owned businesses. COVID even has catapulted a lot of resources to minorityowned businesses and disadvantaged
businesses. So now we’re seeing a lot of support for women as well.” There are many other types of certifications, but WBENC is one of the most widely accepted among corporations and government entities. It costs anywhere from $350 to $1,250, depending on the enterprise’s annual gross revenue. Through this process, businesses can simultaneously earn certification for the Small Business Administration’s Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting program, which April 2022 l ColumbusCEO
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allows them to compete for specific federal contracts. Sandie Lange remembers the “daunting” experience of getting WBENC certification for her Cincinnati-based business, Swath Design. “The first time I did it, it probably took me a good two weeks to gather all the information,” says Lange, 57, of West Price Hill, who is CEO of the graphic design and wayfinding firm. “And then on top of that, you have to make sure your bylaws and your operating agreement is written in a specific way.” Another tough part of the process was the site visit, she adds. “They want to see reconciled banking statements,” she says. “They also want to see just about every reference
you have, what contracts you’ve been working on for the past three years. You’re spending probably a good hour in your office, pulling out files from your filing cabinet or showing them on your computer. So my advice to anyone who is applying for certification is to make sure you have your house in order because [if not], it’s going to be a nightmare.” Officers of certifying agencies often provide consultation. For example, Ohio has set up Minority Business Assistance Centers and Small Business Development Centers throughout the state. But some business owners choose to hire firms like Aventi to help. “I would mentor any woman that would want to be certified because it’s
AMANDA ROSSMANN/Cincinnati Enquirer
Who is eligible? Qualifications vary, but, typically, business must have been operating for at least one year, and be at least 51 percent womenor minority-owned. Owners must provide a variety of documents about business operations and finances.
How much does it cost? Some government-based certification programs are free, but prices vary across others. For example, WBENC certification costs anywhere from $350 to $1,250, depending on the enterprise’s annual gross revenue. Ask the agency or organization if scholarships are available.
How long does it take? It depends on a business owner’s time and the state of their records. Some entrepreneurs have spent 20-40 hours, weeks, months or even years completing the process. If business owners have at least one certification and are thinking about pursuing others, they should ask if the entities will recognize their current certification(s) to save time on the application process.
mind boggling the first time you do it,” Lange says. Although the process gets easier, having to keep up with multiple recertifications each year is an additional burden. “It would just be so much better if it was one entity [where] you sent in your paperwork January 1 and it just dispersed it to everywhere you want to be certified,” she says. “That would be an ideal situation for me.” There are cross-certification opportunities that will help save time.
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“I would mentor any woman that would want to be certified because it’s mind boggling the first time you do it.” SANDIE LANGE CEO of Swath Design
In March, Gov. DeWine signed Senate Bill 105, which requires that Ohio’s MBE, WBE and veteran business enterprise certification be recognized in all political jurisdictions throughout the state. Additionally, the WBE program has reciprocal agreements with some other states. Mihalik says the department of development has been making changes to better help WBEs and MBEs succeed, including a significant reduction of required documents, which will go
into effect soon. “In order for us to be proactive and fully unlock that potential, the process has to be business-friendly,” she says. “We have done a lot of process improvement.” Columbus has streamlined its certification process with a new online application and holds reciprocity agreements with the Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council and Women’s Business Enterprise Council Ohio River Valley. For women of color, the time and
cost of the process is even more challenging, especially as they are encouraged to pursue both WBE and MBE certification. They are contending with systemic issues, including the racial wealth gap, health disparities, limited social capital, lower revenues and discrimination in banking. The most pressing needs for Black women business owners are access to capital, greater business operational support and an equitable opportunity to get private and public contracts, according to the 2020 Ohio RISE SurApril 2022 l ColumbusCEO
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AMANDA ROSSMANN/Cincinnati Enquirer
TMH Solutions team Kaitlyn Brooks, left, Bruno Harris Jr. and founder Theresa Harris
What are the different types of certifications? Businesses in the state of Ohio can apply to be certified as WBES or MBES for free through the Ohio Department of Development. The state has a 15 percent procurement goal for agencies, boards and commissions for certified MBEs. There is a similar application process at the city level. For example, the city of Columbus offers certification through its Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Earlier this year, the city set participation goals ranging from 11 percent to 25 percent in construction and professional services for minority- and womenowned firms. More than 1,000 corporations and many government entities accept certification by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Through this process, businesses can simultaneously earn certification for the Small Business Administration’s Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program, which allows them to compete for specific federal contracts. Of the many other types of certifications, experts and entrepreneurs also recommend researching the SBA’s Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) certification and 8(a) Business Development Program; Ohio Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity (EDGE) certification; and Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council (Ohio MSDC) certification.
Barbara Smith, co-founder of Journey Steel in Cincinnati. Smith was also awarded a contract on the Crew stadium project. vey, created by the Alliance of Black Businesswomen & Entrepreneurs (ABBE) Ohio. Many participants said they weren’t getting opportunities after certification. Women’s Business Enterprise Council Ohio River Valley is helping address this disparity trough the Women of Color program. The initiative provides community-building, educational resources and information about access to capital. The program also provides certification scholarships for Black women. “The truth of the matter is, the chances of a WBE getting a direct contract from a corporate member or a governmental agency sometimes can be slim and none,” says Sheila Mixon,
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executive director at WBEC ORV. “But we work with corporations and introduce their tier-ones and prime suppliers to our WBEs. So they’re going in an indirect way to get a smaller contract that could eventually lead to a larger, direct contract. Mixon says the 1,100 women certified in her three-state territory are basically 1,100 warm, B2B leads. “The certification is just a piece of paper,” she says. “It’s one of the tools in your growth strategy. It’s not the holy grail. It is like anything else; you have to work the network. And [women] are more inclined to do business with each other than any other group.” Sometimes, women are shut out of opportunities due to forces beyond
their control, including fraudulent activity in the certification process. “Oftentimes, it is (white men) who are setting their wives up to become certified as women-owned businesses and really running the business behind that face,” says Keena Smith, founder and CEO of the Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity (WCEO). “I think that the system is not quite able to eliminate or reduce [that], and it’s a burden on women of color.” There also are companies posing as MBEs, Mixon adds. “And those are big open secrets,” she says. “We know who they are. It makes it hard for everyone else trying to do it the right way. It makes the certification become
more and more invasive.” Still, it’s crucial for women-owned businesses to build capacity so they can do the work presented to them. And entrepreneurs can seek help from organizations like the Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI) and WCEO. Smith says she encourages corporations and government entities to not only think about supplier diversity but also supplier development. “We are saying, ‘Let’s grow our own right here in your backyard so that we can eliminate some of those supply chain issues that you’re dealing with and help build a more inclusive economy,’” says Smith, who also is a founder of ABBE Ohio. ABBE co-founder Gloria Ware says April 2022 l ColumbusCEO
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Where can I get help with the certification process? Officers of certifying agencies often provide consultation. For example, Ohio has set up Minority Business Assistance Centers (mbac.development.ohio.gov) and Small Business Development Centers (sbdc.development.ohio.gov) throughout the state. And some business owners choose to hire firms such as Aventi Enterprises to help.
What happens after certification? In many cases, certified businesses are eligible for contracts, and added to searchable databases. Owners are strongly considered to take advantage of the certifying agency’s business development programs and network with other businesses. It’s crucial for women-owned businesses to build capacity and access capital so they can do the work presented to them. And entrepreneurs can seek help from organizations such as the Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI) and Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity (WCEO). Entrepreneurs also can take advantage of the state’s Women’s Business Enterprise Loan Program and Ohio Micro-Enterprise Loan Program.
Is this really worth the time? Despite the cost and time involved, entrepreneurs are encouraged to pursue certification for contracts they may not be able to access otherwise. Additionally, the opportunity to network and do business with other women and people of color can lead to large jobs in the future.
she sees great potential for equity and inclusivity within Intel’s plans to open two computer chip factories in New Albany. “And I would like to see our women get into more businesses that are non-traditional,” says Ware, of Cleveland, who also founded Get the Bag, which supports Black women entrepreneurs. “A lot of times, we are not exposed to these technologies. … I think there’s a huge opportunity for our big companies, large health care nonprofits and governments to be more proactive in getting this information out to women.” Mihalik says Intel has a great record of supplier diversity. “We’ve started these conversations with Intel and they are absolutely interested,” she says. “I am certain that Intel has those [utilization] goals. What I’m hopeful for is that Intel will utilize Ohio-based, minority- and women-owned businesses as they move forward in their investments here in the state. And while I am unsure about what those numbers will look like, we’ll look forward to continuing the dialogue with the company.” Helping women is as important as it’s ever been, with many forced out of the workforce amid the pandemic. Since February 2020, women have lost over 5.4 million net jobs, accounting for 55 percent of overall net job loss, according to a 2021 report by the National Women’s Law Center. “How do you recover from that?” Theresa Harris says. “How do we advocate for women to have the skills and the support to start their own businesses and to make sure that women who are employed have the ability to have careers with sustainable wages and be able to take care of their families? This impacts us throughout our country and globally, which is why we need to have more women on boards because that’s where decisions are made.” Harris says her new leadership position at NAWBO Columbus will allow her to advocate for women at the national level. “We’re not asking to be given something for free, because no one works harder than women.” Erica Thompson writes about race, gender and the economy.
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POWER OF
EMPATHY
Besa meets people where they’re at, then it gets them to where they’re going. STORY BY Jess Deyo PHOTOS BY Rob Hardin
BESA
founder Matthew Goldstein had a certain vision when he was younger— if he made good money, he could use it to buy the things that would make him happy. To make it happen, the Philadelphia native went to Ohio State University to study marketing and political science and graduated in 2003. A couple years and a couple jobs later,
Matthew Goldstein
Besa Community 966 S. High St., Columbus, 43206 besa.org DESCRIPTION: Besa is a nonprofit powering civic engagement by making giving back easy for people and businesses FOUNDED: 2010 CEO/FOUNDER: Matthew Goldstein 2021 REVENUE: $1.1M FUNDING: 60% earned revenue through business partnerships across social enterprises, 20% from grants and 20% from donors
he landed the role of market research coordinator at Abercrombie & Fitch in 2005. Finally. Goldstein, now 42, would travel across America for the job, learning about market trends and reporting back to Columbus, and as fate would have it, he made good money, too. But something felt off, and after a few years passed, there was one day that changed everything. “I remember being in my car on my way to work. It was a cold rainy day,” Goldstein says. “I’m at a red light by a bus stop bench and there are two people out there in the rain in the cold and I’m thinking, ‘God, I wouldn’t want to be those people.’ I’m in my warm dry car. And then I realized they were the ones smiling and laughing. I was the one with a frown on my face. That’s when I realized I needed to make a change.” Goldstein craved a job that would fulfill his heart, he says, but wasn’t sure where to even begin. At age 27, while he was still with Abercrombie, he came across an ad in the paper looking for volunteers at a suicide hotline. He hadn’t done something like that before but went out on a limb to try it. For almost four years, he committed his weekends to helping people through some of the worst days of their lives. “I remember one caller who was having a hard moment,” Goldstein says. “She told me she had a cat and so I asked who would take care of her cat. You’re trying to get them to think about things that will stop them, but it wasn’t working, so I said ‘What’s’ the name of your cat?’ She said, ‘Simba.’ I said, ‘Ah, the Lion King—Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase,’ and we started singing together on a Saturday morning at 9 a.m. I knew at that moment, I had done everything possible.”
Bath and Body Works partners with Besa to pack personal care kits. That call was yet another life-changing moment for Goldstein and gave him a chance to unravel a passion for meeting people where they are at, then building them up. Along the way, he also gained an interest in volunteer work but had an idea: What if finding volunteer opportunities could be easier? What if it were all in one place?
Founding Besa In 2010, Goldstein took the plunge and left Abercrombie. Months later, he began working on Besa Community, a civic engagement nonprofit that would bring his idea to life. In 2012, Besa launched as an online portal that volunteers can use to identify upcoming opportunities. Nonprofits can team up with Besa to share their opportunities on the portal and the organization will help accumulate as much support as possible. Currently, it works with over 130 nonprofits across central Ohio. Some include Broad Street Food Pantry, Columbus Humane, Dress for Success, YMCA of Central Ohio and Franklin County Public Health. Besa also partners with businesses, streamlining efforts to get employ-
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ees into the community through one website and eliminating the issue of sending too many people to just one effort and limiting the volunteerism that could be accomplished. In 2018 Besa partnered with Bath & Body Works for that very reason, which, at the time, was utilizing multiple sources for community outreach. “I quickly realized the value that Besa brought that the other platforms we were using didn’t—those were what I would call a software without a human element,” says Rhoe Fields, assistant vice president of community relations and philanthropy at Bath & Body Works Foundation. “... What makes Besa special is that they have that human connection to volunteering that you can’t find anywhere else.” Some of the projects Besa has paired Bath & Body Works with have been packing and distributing food and diapers, painting buildings,
pulling weeds and writing cards to seniors and cancer patients. In 2021 alone, the company totaled $23 million in community impact and clocked over 2,000 volunteer hours with over 650 associates. CoverMyMeds has also utilized Besa for its volunteer efforts, clocking over 6,600 hours since it began partnering with it in 2017. For Kate Bauer, senior manager of community engagement, Besa’s ability to personalize each business’ experience is what makes it stand apart from other bigbox volunteer management systems. “They really listen to what’s happening with your business and your goals and what you’re trying to accomplish and they will always roll out something innovative,” Bauer says. For CoverMyMeds, that includes personalized projects for its employee resource groups, like coordinating volunteer opportunities with Dress
“I try to show up for my team, nonprofit partners and corporate partners as authentically as possible because I think sometimes it’s so easy to move so fast in this world.” MATTHEW GOLDSTEIN, founder, Besa
for Success and the Mobile Career Unit for Women’s History Month. On National STEM Day, Besa helped the team plan a STEM-kit giveaway in COSI’s parking lot. Volunteers handed out around 500 kits that day, Bauer says. Besa also contributes to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts by hosting a multitude of education series including summer movie nights with relevant panel discussions on topics like LGBTQ+ rights and voter education. It also organized a walking tour of the King-Lincoln Bronzeville Community with local historian Julialynne Walker, who would educate participants on how systemic racism has impacted the community. To date, Besa has contributed to $50 million in community impact, rallied 60,000 volunteers and been a part of 10,000 completed service projects. Most recently, Besa secured a combined $500,000 in funding from the city of Columbus and Franklin County and had doubled its $1 million budget in 2021 to $2 million for 2022. It also is on track to double its staff by the end of the year (yes, they’re hiring). It also announced its biggest partnership to date with Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and its over 20,000 employees, a partnership that has been in the works for over a year. The goal is to get the team outside of hospital walls and into the community to connect in new ways. The pilot program starts this spring. This year, Goldstein has plans for Besa to expand to two or three other cities with a goal of being a nonprofit leader in civic engagement across the country—but no matter where Besa goes, Goldstein and his team are happy to meet people where they’re at. “I try to show up [with Besa] the same way I showed up for that woman on the hotline,” Goldstein says. “... I try to show up for my team, nonprofit partners and corporate partners as authentically as possible because I think sometimes it’s so easy to move so fast in this world.” And these days, Goldstein’s philosophy on life has changed for the better: “Let me do what makes me happy and the money will come,” he says. After all, Besa was made to change lives, and he’s certainly no exception. Jess Deyo is associate editor. April 2022 l ColumbusCEO
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Education and Workforce Development
B S W
Closing skills gaps With its new Downtown career hub, Denison University aims to ‘move the talent needle’ in Columbus.
Denison Edge career hub in the Arena District
By VIRGINIA BROWN + Photos by ROB HARDIN
I
n a historic building in Downtown Columbus, a new energy buzzes. The one-time paint factory on Marconi Boulevard, across the street from Nationwide Arena, has hardwood floors and exposed-brick walls that hold funky art. In one room, a full wall features a decal of an Airstream camper. It looks like a startup venture, or maybe a trendy coworking space. Denison Edge, the latest career development effort by Denison University, is a little bit of both—and then some. The center, which launched in January 2021, gives Columbusbased young professionals and area students practical training, skills and professional development opportunities aimed at helping them succeed in the workforce. The new effort also works to connect area businesses with upskill programs for their employees and offers coworking for Columbusites. “It’s really about closing skills
gaps,” says Denison President Adam Weinberg, “and making sure that every one of our students, when they show up for an internship or job, has the skills they need to be able to, first, get the job or internship, and second, be able to add value to wherever they decide to work from day one.” Career development has been a core focus of Weinberg’s since 2013 when he joined Denison. The campus is located just 30 minutes from Columbus. In 2016, armed with a grant from the Knowlton Foundation, the
school beefed up its Granville-based career center and moved it to a more central location where the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration stands today. There, students learn about careers through workshops, find internships, explore graduate school work and build skills necessary for the workforce. “Denison Edge is really just a logical extension of that,” Weinberg says. “We’re located in the idyllic village of Granville, but we are also part of the fastest growing, most dynamic and vibrant, healthiest city in the country.
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Laurie Kamerer The Edge is a way for us to better connect to the city … and an attempt by Denison to contribute to Columbus.” Programs take place both in-person and virtually, and are led by industry experts locally and across the country. Bite-sized “accelerators” range from Excel tips to the history and future of cryptocurrency, plus lessons in how to thrive in a new working environment. Longer, more in-depth examinations, called “credentials,” include things like understanding financial and managerial accounting. Other programs provide participants with industry-recognized certificates that help them keep up with the pace of the job market.
“I spent a lot of my time in the beginning speaking with employers about what they are missing when they see students apply ... Some of the employers say, look, we can train them, that’s the easy part. But there are others that don’t have the staff or budget.” LAURIE KAMERER, Executive director, Denison Edge
The longer summer immersive is a six-week student program much like an internship. “In this country, we force college students to make a false choice between getting a life-shaping liberal arts education that will launch them into successful, meaningful lives, and a pre-professional education that will give them the skills to launch quickly,” says Weinberg. “That’s a false choice. … We’re going to give students a life-shaping liberal arts-education and close the skills gap so they’re ready to launch quickly and successfully into their careers.” The new hub comes at the confluence of opportunity and workforce evolution. While companies are choosing to invest in Columbus and the Midwest–the recent $20 billion Intel announcement of two new chip factories in New Albany being just one—many companies struggle with employees voluntarily resigning from their jobs en masse as part of the Great Resignation. Once Denison launched its original curriculum, an unexpected thing started happening: companies began looking to the Edge as a way to invest in their own people. “They’ve started asking us, ‘Can you come into my workforce? I need to now invest in my people,’” Executive Director Laurie Kamerer says. They want to rescale or upskill their companies, she adds. “So that’s not just revenue generation, but it’s providing
34 ColumbusCEO l April 2022
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a service for our partner employers in the region.” As Kamerer calls it, the Denison Edge “ecosystem” is made up of area corporate partners, students of not only Denison but nine other area schools, plus alumni. Program fees range accordingly. “I spent a lot of my time in the beginning speaking with employers about what they are missing when they see students apply, particularly liberal arts students,” says Kamerer, who spent the last 14 years of her
“It’s really about closing skills gaps, and making sure that every one of our students, when they show up for an internship or job, has the skills they need to be able to, first, get the job or internship, and second, be able to add value to wherever they decide to work from day one.” ADAM WEINBERG, Denison President
career in corporate communications at Victoria’s Secret. “The refrain has been pretty common amongst most of them, which is, we love liberal arts students because they have great communication skills and are good at critical thinking. They’re great at collaboration ... And some of the employers say, look, we can train them, that’s the easy part. But there are others that just don’t have staff or budgets for training. Denison Edge gives students those last-mile skills so they can hit the ground running.” Weinberg, who has been a member of the Columbus Partnership for nine years, says the Denison Edge mission is bigger than helping students find and be prepared for fulfilling careers. “We’re just trying to do more to be part of the talent pipeline—identifying really great people, giving them a great education at Denison and watching them go back into Columbus companies,” he says. “That’s not just the right thing to do, it’s a part of what you’re expected to do when you become part of the partnership. I want businesses to say in 10 years that Denison Edge moved the talent needle in Columbus.” Virginia Brown is a freelance writer.
36 ColumbusCEO l April 2022
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3/17/22 2:04 PM
CEO INSIGHTS
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH CENTRAL OHIO LEADERS
MAY 18 | CEO INSIGHTS
ANGELA PETRO, TOGETHER & COMPANY AND SWEET CARROT Join us for a conversation with Angela Petro. Angela began her career as a hospitality entrepreneur 25 years ago when she founded Together & Company, previously known as Two Caterers. Angela started her second business, Sweet Carrot, which now operates as a casual, comfort food catering brand. Learn more about Angela’s journey May 18 at CEO Insights.
LEARN MORE & REGISTER COLUMBUS.ORG/EVENTS
Supported by:
032-037_SS_Education.indd 37
3/17/22 2:04 PM
Providing Central Ohio with Professional Legal Advice for more than 60 years
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4 BANKRUPTCY & STRIP INSOLVENCY A.C. BUSINESS REPRESENTATION JOHNLITIGATION WM. HOPPERS CIVIL PAUL W. LEITHART, II • PROBATE REAL ESTATE • ESTATE PLANNING FAMILY TIMOTHY J. MCGRATH LAW MYRON N. TERLECKY NELSON E. GENSHAFT KENNETH R. GOLDBERG
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JOEL R. CAMPBELL AARON C. FIRSTENBERGER KRISTIE A. CAMPBELL JOHN W. KENNEDY CHAD A. FOISSET GARY PAUL PRICE MACKENZIE COMPTON
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www.columbuslawyer.net | 614.228.6345 575 South Third Street | Columbus, Ohio 43215 • 48 South High Street | Dublin, Ohio 43215
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3/17/22 9:37 AM
FAMILY LAW FIRMS
Ranked by number of family law attorneys in the Columbus region and, for ties, by number of full-time attorneys in the region and then family law cases handled in 2021
FIRM 1 Carlile Patchen & Murphy 950 Goodale Blvd., Suite 200, Columbus 43212 614-228-6135 cpmlaw.com
2 Grossman Law Offices 32 W. Hoster St., Suite 100, Columbus 43215 614-221-7711 grossmanlawoffices.com
3 Isaac Wiles & Burkholder 2 Miranova Place, Suite 700, Columbus 43215 614-221-2121 isaacwiles.com
4 Dagger Law 144 E. Main St, Lancaster 43130 740-653-6464 daggerlaw.com
5 Friedman & Mirman 1320 Dublin Road, Suite 101, Columbus 43215 614-221-0090 friedmanmirman.com
6 Lawrence Law Office 496 S. Third St., Columbus 43215 614-228-3664 ohio-family-law.com
7 Bailey Cavalieri 10 W. Broad St, Suite 2100, Columbus 43215 614-221-3155 baileycav.com
8 Taft Stettinius & Hollister 65 E. State St., Suite 1000, Columbus 43215 614-221-2838 taftlaw.com
9 Strip Hoppers Leithart McGrath & Terlecky Co. 575 S. Third St., Columbus 43215 614-228-6345 • columbuslawyer.net
10 Barr, Jones and Associates 150 E. Mound St., Suite 200, Columbus 43215 614-702-2222 barrjoneslegal.com
FAMILY LAW ATTORNEYS IN THE COLUMBUS REGION
15 10 9
FULL-TIME ATTORNEYS IN THE COLUMBUS REGION
33 9 38
FAMILY LAW CASES HANDLED IN THE REGION IN 2021
1,090 wnd wnd
WORK REPRESENTED BY FAMILY CASES IN 2021
TYPES OF CASES HANDLED
55%
Custody/child support, divorce, elder law, estate planning, LGBTQ families, mediation, probate, trusts
100%
Adoption, custody/child support, divorce, LGBTQ families, mediation, prenuptial
wnd
Adoption, custody/child support, divorce, elder law, estate, LGBTQ+ ,mediation, prenuptial, probate, trusts, special needs
9
9
356
37%
Adoption, custody/child support, divorce, elder law, estate, LGBTQ+, mediation, prenuptial, probate, trusts
7
7
400+
100%
Custody/child support, divorce, LGBTQ families, mediation, prenuptial Adoption, custody/ child support, divorce, estate planning, LGBTQ families, mediation, prenuptial, trusts
7
7
250+
90%
6
53
wnd
wnd
13%
5
44
102
5
14
150
20%
4
4
250
90%
The CEO Leaderboard features selected topics each month. The July Leaderboard will feature Columbus region commercial mortgage lenders. The deadline for inclusion in that survey is Monday, May 16. If you would like your Columbus region company to be considered for an upcoming CEO Leaderboard, contact Linda Deitch at ldeitch@columbusCEO.com. Information included in this survey was provided by the firms listed and was not independently verified.
038-039_Leaderboard_FamilyLaw.indd 39
COLUMBUS REGION MANAGING PARTNER HEAD OF FAMILY LAW PRACTICE Jane Higgins Marx Brandon Borgmann
Andrew Grossman Andrew Grossman
Mark Landes Joanne Beasy
Nick Grilli Nick Grilli
Denise Mirman Denise Mirman
Rodd Lawrence Linda Lawrence
Estate planning, probate, Robert Dunn trusts Robert Dunn Custody/child support, divorce, elder law, estate planning, LGBTQ families, mediation, prenuptial, probate, trusts Adoption, custody/ child support, divorce, estate planning, LGBTQ families, prenuptial, probate, trusts Adoption, custody/child support, divorce
Janica Pierce Tucker Eugene Lewis Ken Goldberg Ken Goldberg Jason Barr / Andrew Jones Jason Barr / Andrew Jones
wnd = would not disclose Source: Survey of family law firms Information compiled by LINDA DEITCH
April 2022 l ColumbusCEO
39
3/16/22 9:59 AM
Breakdown
Compiled by KATY SMITH + Infographic by YOGESH CHAUDHARY
Tourism coming back
Tourism in Columbus recovered somewhat in 2021 after the devastating depths of the pandemic shutdowns of 2020. Hotel occupancy rate
Room rate
(Average citywide)
(Average daily)
66.54%
2019 2020
40.1%
2021
51.9%
$106.61
2019 2020 2021
$82.51 $96.15
Columbus and Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority collections in 2021
$33.49 million
UP 58%
Photo GETTYIMAGES.COM
over 2020
40 ColumbusCEO l April 2022
040_Breakdown.indd 40
Source: Experience Columbus
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