Columbus CEO - Fall 2022

Photo by Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch

62 E. Broad St., P.O. Box 1289 Columbus, Ohio 43216

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ColumbusCEO.com

VOLUME 31 / NUMBER 8

PUBLISHER/GENERAL MANAGER

Ray Paprocki

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR

Julanne Hohbach

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Dave Ghose

Emma Frankart Henterly

Joel Oliphint

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

PRODUCTION/DESIGN DIRECTOR

Betsy Becker

ART DIRECTOR

Heather Hauser

PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO EDITOR

Tim Johnson

ADVERTISING

MULTIMEDIA SALES EXECUTIVES

Michelle Crossman

Tia Hardman

Jackie Thiam

CLASSIFIED SALES

Amy Vidrick

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Rebecca Zimmer

MARKETING

MARKETING MANAGER

Lauren Reinhard

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Columbus CEO (ISSN 1085-911X) is published quarterly by Gannett. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted © Gannett Co., Inc. 2022, 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., P.O. Box 1289, Columbus, Ohio 43216. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, Ohio, and additional mailing offices.

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110

08 Profile

Donna James has a successful track record as a C-suite executive and a trusted business adviser. Now, she’s helping guide Victoria’s Secret into the future.

14 Tech Talk

A local company aims to commercialize a reversible fuel cell.

In-Depth

29 Best of Business

We reveal the winners of our 15th annual reader survey.

83 Diverse Leaders in Law

Local attorneys want to normalize conversations about mental health.

89 Columbus Legal Guide

Browse a directory of 107 Central Ohio law firms.

110 Health Watch

The sport of pickleball is a booming business. One venue opened this summer and another is on the way this fall, with more on the horizon.

Dave Ganim, owner of Pickle Shack

Photo by Tim Johnson/Columbus Monthly

Photo by Tim Johnson

There’s more than one kind of ”generational wealth.“

Looking Forward

Change happens.

Anyone in business knows that managing the shifts in consumer behavior, economic trends and all that good stuff is part of the checklist. As has been previously announced, Columbus CEO, starting with this issue, is now published quarterly. For 2023, our cadence will be January (Winter), April (Spring), July (Summer) and October (Fall).

What won’t change is our commitment to producing our brand of powerful local journalism. While some editorial features—such as Leaderboards—won’t return, many will stay. Those include, among others, Top Workplaces, Tech Talk, Breakdown, Columbus Top Lawyers, Best of Business, CEO of the Year, Future 50, Legal Guide and the Columbus Partnership package, as well as in-depth reports on the people and issues of the day in the business community.

And that kind of impactful journalism, we’re excited to share, has been recognized again this year by our peers in state and national competitions.

In the Medium Class, Columbus CEO won a gold medal in the national

contest sponsored by the Alliance of Area Business Publishers and administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Freelance writer Laura Newpoff won first place in the Best Personality Profile category for her story on Jennifer Williams, coowner of Weiland’s Market.

In the statewide Press Club of Cleveland’s 2022 All Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards, Columbus CEO collected a total of 19 awards, including nine first-place honors.

Here’s the breakdown of the firstplace winners:

Business Publications: General News: “Ghosted,” Mark Williams and Patrick Cooley

Business Publications: Features: General: “Retail Reckoning,” Tim Feran

Business Publications: Departments or Columns: “Diverse Leaders in Law,” Katy Smith and Laura Newpoff

Photography All Others: General

Photo (Single Image): Mutts & Co., Rob Hardin

Photography All Others: General

Photo (Multiple Images): “The New DE&I,” Rob Hardin, Yogesh Chaudhary

General Circulation Magazines: Features: General: “The New DE&I,” Erica Thompson

General Circulation Magazines: Public Service/Investigative: “Inside the Fight for LGBTQ Rights,” Laura Newpoff

Open: Technology Writing: “6 Emerging Companies to Know,” Tim Feran Visuals: Covers: General Circulation Magazines: Diversity, Yogesh Chaudhary (cover pictured at left)

Meanwhile, in the statewide Ohio’s Best Journalism Contest, sponsored by the Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists, Columbus CEO won five awards, including the following two for first place (circulation of less than 60,000):

Best of Show Print: Best Photogra-

pher in Ohio: Rob Hardin

Best Governmental/Political Reporting: “Inside the Fight for LGBTQ Rights,” Laura Newpoff

That work was produced under the exceptional leadership of former Columbus CEO Editor Katy Smith. As she wrote in our July issue, Katy has leapt into the world of entrepreneurship. We will miss her innovative and energetic spirit, but we are pleased to announce our new editorial team. Well, maybe new isn’t the right word, as the three key players are all seasoned, award-winning journalists with ties to Columbus CEO.

Julanne Hohbach is our managing editor. Her distinguished career includes serving as editor of Columbus CEO for eight years before working as editor of Columbus Parent. Julanne also acts as the Digital Editor for Dispatch Magazines.

Dave Ghose, who was editor of Columbus CEO for one year, will act as a contributing editor. He also is editor of sister publication Columbus Monthly, which this year was a finalist for a National Magazine Award and won a top prize from the City and Regional Magazine Association.

The three of us, with decades of collective experience working as writers and editors in this market, will collaborate to meet the high journalistic standards we embrace for Columbus CEO and navigate the constant sea of change.

Ray Paprocki, Publisher

By JULANNE HOHBACH

+ Photos by TIM JOHNSON

Donna James

Chair of the board

Victoria’s Secret & Co. Managing director

Lardon & Associates

Age: 65

Previous: President, Nationwide Strategic Investments; executive vice president and chief administrative officer, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.; accountant, Coopers & Lybrand/ PricewaterhouseCoopers; board member for multiple for-profit and nonprofit organizations

Education: North Carolina A&T State University, bachelor’s degree in accounting

Resides: Miranova, Downtown Columbus

Family: James and her husband, attorney Larry James, have two adult sons, Christopher and Justin, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren

Reviving Victoria’s Secret

Donna James has a successful track record as a C-suite executive and a trusted business adviser. Now, she’s helping guide the lingerie giant toward a more inclusive and financially sound future.

Ask those who know Donna James about her strengths as a leader, and you’ll hear words like strategic, savvy, empathetic, passionate and good at empowering others.

But meet her for the first time, and you’ll likely be struck most by her warm, welcoming personality—a trait that can belie her shrewd business acumen. Colleagues and longtime friends say she has the ability to ask the hard

questions but also the compassion to understand different perspectives.

James has been tapping those skills and more as chair of the board of Victoria’s Secret & Co., which in August marked its one-year anniversary as an independent company. It’s a job for which she seems ideally suited.

James, 65, has long been a local power player, rising through the ranks at Nationwide to become one of the Fortune 500 company’s top executives, then retiring and launching her own business advisory firm, Lardon & Associates, of which she’s

managing director. She is also a sought-after board member, with 20 years of experience guiding nonprofits and private and public companies, including serving as a director of L Brands—Victoria’s Secret’s former parent—from 2003 to 2021.

Now, James is helping navigate the post-L Brands future of Victoria’s Secret, which is undertaking a multipronged effort to remake itself in a more modern image, with diversity and inclusivity at the forefront and a mission to be “the world’s leading advocate for women.”

Donna James at Victoria’s Secret & Co. headquarters

But the baggage is significant, from years of declining sales to former L Brands CEO Les Wexner’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It won’t be easy. But James’ friends and business confidants say she’s the right person to lead the eight-member board (seven of whom are women) as it guides the company forward.

CEO Martin Waters, the eighth board member, agrees. “Donna is an accomplished and experienced leader and was the unanimous choice to chair our diverse board of directors. Her ability to build consensus and steward change

has been invaluable to our continued transformation. She leads with compassion and humility and is widely respected in and out of the boardroom. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with Donna in this capacity and appreciate her continued leadership,” he says via email.

When board colleagues asked her to serve as chair, James didn’t say yes right away. “What crossed my mind is what always crosses my mind, [which] is, ‘Where can I be the most helpful? How can I be effective in whatever moment of time any of my businesses are

in?’” she says. “I thought about it from two perspectives. One, is it something that I wanted to do? And then two, am I the best person for this role at this time? And after some thoughtful reflection and consulting some of my advisers as well, I said yes. I said a very comfortable yes. I said a very proud yes, as a matter of fact, because I’m really proud to be in this role,” James says.

One of those she consulted was longtime friend and confidant Yvette McGee Brown, a former Ohio Supreme Court justice who’s now a partner at

Jones Day. “She really, I think, embodies where Victoria’s Secret wants to go,” McGee Brown says. “I just have such confidence in her instincts and her ability to drive the agenda without being dictatorial, being an inclusive leader. I think that really is her gift.”

Lark Mallory, president and CEO of the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County, says James is “one of the most strategic minds I have ever met,” and she considers her a trusted adviser and mentor. “I think Donna sees the whole court. She understands the big picture as well as how the little pieces fit together.”

Taking Action

Where does Victoria’s Secret want to go? Where doesn’t it might be an easier question to answer. Since separating from Bath & Body Works Inc. and L Brands Inc. on Aug. 3, 2021, the company has undertaken what it calls “The Victoria’s Secret Transformation”—a wide-ranging effort that aims to boost diversity, foster inclusion, start conversations, invest in women-owned businesses, further its commitment to fund cancer research and mental health, and more.

A six-page overview document offers a dizzying spin through the highlights: hiring more diverse models, including women of all body types and skin colors, a transgender model and one with Down syndrome; launching the VS Collective, a group of celebrities, athletes and activist ambassadors, including Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Megan Rapinoe and Paloma Elsesser; starting a VS Voices podcast focused on trailblazing women; debuting the Happy Nation gender-neutral brand for tweens; introducing a mastectomy bra; starting the VS&Co-Lab, a curated online collection of outside brands; partnering with Amazon; and committing to invest $7 million in women entrepreneurs with Amplifyher Ventures.

For a lingerie company that serves a predominantly female audience to focus on advancing women was a nobrainer, James says. “Alignment with being a leading advocate for women has to go beyond leading in sales of lingerie,” she says. “You have to speak to and engage your audience, and engage in a meaningful and healthy way, because they will see right through it if it’s not. And so partnering with, invest-

ing in, women-owned businesses or women-led businesses is a natural.”

Early on, the board’s strategy focused on the associates who had persevered through enormous change, making sure the right management team was in place to drive the vision and highlighting “her”—the customer. “The strategy session that we had right after going public is where we kind of coalesced around the focus on her and what that means, and what we have learned about transparency and accountability as a business, and transparency and accountability starting internally with our employees, and continuing to build that trust,” James says. “Because if you don’t get it right from the inside, it’ll show on the outside.”

James is encouraged by early successes, including positive employee

feedback and a solid fall 2021 season following the split. Consumer reaction, however, has been mixed. James says while some shoppers never left and some are returning, they’ve lost customers who think the brand isn’t sexy enough anymore. Some are skeptical that the promised changes will stick long term, she says, while others—including model Bella Hadid—are willing to re-embrace the company. “That’s what we’re looking for, one person at a time, and there are going to be those who complain, who don’t like the changes that we’re making, that inclusivity— it’s not their thing. That’s OK. When we had our first transgender model, we got lots of accolades and then we had people who didn’t like it. That’s OK.

“Sometimes you think the reaction’s going to be great. Who doesn’t like inclusivity? It worries some people. And so we know we’re stepping into not just issues of body size and shape. We’re stepping into issues of the heart, issues that are social in nature, issues of engagement between people and human dignity, and in that process, we’re learning and growing, and we need to give other people room and grace to learn and grow, as well.”

In April, the company released its first environmental, social and governance report, detailing its efforts in areas such as diversity, equity and inclusion; workplace issues, including new photo shoot procedures; sustainability; environmental impact; supply chain standards; and community relations. James says the 21-page document includes changes the company has made in the last year, but much of it enumerates things the company already was doing. “We’ve got a story to tell. It’s a good story,” she says.

Echoes of the Past

Wexner acquired Victoria’s Secret from founder Roy Raymond in 1982 for a reported $1 million and grew it from $4 million in annual sales to billions, operating it under entities including Intimate Brands, Limited Brands and L Brands.

But eventually, the business began to fall out of favor with some customers amid complaints of declining quality and criticism it had lost touch with consumers, particularly in the #MeToo era. Net sales dropped, sinking from nearly $7.8 billion in 2016 to

We know we’re stepping into not just issues of body size and shape. We’re stepping into issues of the heart, issues that are social in nature, issues of engagement between people and human dignity.

Donna James

$6.8 billion in 2021, but that wasn’t the only problem.

The company discontinued its signature Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, launched in 1995, after chief marketing officer Ed Razek told Vogue before the 2018 show that he wouldn’t use transgender models and said the public had no interest in plus-size models. The show had its worst ratings ever, and Razek left the company in 2019.

Wexner himself soon came under fire for his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who was indicted in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges and was accused of using his relationship with Wexner to misrepresent himself as a recruiter for Victoria’s Secret. Epstein had managed Wexner’s finances for years, but in a letter to his foundation, Wexner said he cut ties with Epstein in 2007 after he was charged with sex crimes involving minors. Speculation swirled, and questions about the brand’s treatment of women intensified.

A New York Times investigation published in February 2020 alleged that executives had alerted Wexner to Razek’s repeated inappropriate conduct with models and that a pervasive culture of harassment and demeaning behavior toward women persisted. Wexner

stepped down as chairman and CEO of L Brands in May 2020 and retired from the board a year later. Many questions remain unanswered.

James doesn’t try to dodge the pains of the past but prefers to focus on the actions of the present. “You can tell people or you can show them, and you can’t deny the past, and you can’t tell the past from the viewpoint of everyone who’s experienced it. You just have to own [that] it was an experience and learn from it and move forward with that learning.”

Over the summer, “Victoria’s Secret,” a viral TikTok song by Jax, hit the Billboard Hot 100 chart with a catchy melody and lyrics criticizing the company—specifically Wexner, “an old man who lives in Ohio”—for contributing to young girls’ body-image issues. While other companies might have waited for it to blow over, Victoria’s Secret and Pink CEO Amy Hauk, who oversees both brands while Waters leads the overall company, responded on Instagram with a handwritten letter. “We make no excuses for the past. And we’re committed to regaining your trust,” she wrote. “We are all committed to building a community where everyone feels seen and respected. And if we mess up or can do better, we want to know.”

To James, that response epitomized the values the new company aims to embody. “As soon as I saw it after the fact, I sent her a note and said thank you, because this is who we are.”

Climbing the Ladder

In addition to her chair role and her business, James’ current commitments include serving on the boards of Boston Scientific Corp., The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., private investment company Xponance and OhioHealth. On the civic side, she’s co-executive director of the African American Leadership Academy and has been involved in numerous organizations, including CelebrateOne, YWCA Columbus, the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio and United Way of Central Ohio, to name a few.

Two causes, though, have a more personal connection. Victoria’s Secret’s commitment to cancer research, including funding research into women’s cancers through a partnership with Pelotonia, is near and dear to James, as is the development of the company’s first mastectomy bra. James was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2017 after finding a lump during a self-exam. Though it was caught early, it was an

Courtesy Victoria’s Secret & Co.

A diverse array of models wearing the new Love Cloud collection

aggressive triple-negative cancer, so she opted for a double mastectomy. “I’m glad I did, because the tissue in my other breast was precancerous,” she says. Chemotherapy followed the surgery, and she remains on a medication regimen. “So when we came up with a mastectomy bra, trust me, I was the first one online putting my order in,” she says.

A deeply personal experience from her childhood in Greensboro, North Carolina, inspired another passion. James co-founded the Center for Healthy Families to help pregnant and teen parents in Columbus. James herself was a teen mom and credits the support of her family for enabling her to graduate high school in 1975. Her mom and grandmother watched the baby while James attended school and worked a part-time job. As she worked her way through North Carolina A&T State University, they continued to provide support.

James graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and moved to Columbus with her young son, Christopher. She started out at Coopers & Lybrand, a forerunner to PricewaterhouseCoopers, and figured she’d end up being a partner in a big firm. Instead, she was recruited to join Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. in an accounting role in 1981. She moved up the ladder, serving as executive vice president and chief administrative officer and, ultimately, president of Nationwide Strategic Investments, the job from which she retired after 25 years at the company.

James has been a director for numerous other companies—notably Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., CNO Financial Group, Time Warner Cable Inc. and Marathon Petroleum Corp., where she also served two years as a board adviser—as well as a board member for her alma mater. She was appointed by President Barack Obama in October 2010 to chair the National Women’s Business Council, a post she held until stepping down in May 2013.

Today, James finds herself in rarified air at Victoria’s Secret, which ranks No. 480 on the 2022 Fortune 500. A biannual study by the Alliance for Board Diversity and Deloitte shows that in 2020, just 26.5 percent of Fortune 500 board seats were filled by women—only 5.7 percent of them racial minorities. Progress has been slow: In 2010, the percentages stood at 15.7 percent and 2.9 percent, respec-

Above: Models pose at the last Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2018.

Left: Models for Pink

Below: The company’s new mastectomy bra

Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Courtesy Victoria’s Secret & Co.

tively, according to “Missing Pieces Report: The Board Diversity Census.” Even worse, only 30 Fortune 500 companies had a female board chair in 2020, and 29 of them were white.

McGee Brown says few executives— particularly professionals of color—have James’ particular skillset. “She is so elegant with this quiet confidence that when she’s in a room, she listens. She doesn’t always have to be the one speaking, but when she does, you can tell it’s something she’s thought about, and not just in the moment, but thoroughly analyzed,” McGee Brown says. “I admire her ability to ask the hard questions without emotion or suggesting a response or being vitriolic. It really is a skill, particularly when she is often the only person of color in the boardroom. She asks the questions that many of us, when we’re the only one, may feel a little uncomfortable about raising. But

she does it from a place of knowledge and strength and understanding the business of the organization.”

Dr. Stephen Markovich, president and CEO of OhioHealth, says James is a servant leader at heart, and he views her as the conscience of the health system’s board. “Any organization that she chooses to work with, her lens will be very strategic, very values-based, and she will work to make sure that that organization does the best job it can in fulfilling its mission,” he says.

Giving Back

James and her husband, Larry James, managing partner with the law firm of Crabbe, Brown & James, will celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary in October. They are well-known patrons of the Central Ohio arts community and generous with their charitable giving.

“The two of them have worked to make our community better, more equitable,” Mallory says.

In September, the Jameses received the 2022 Harrison M. Sayre Award from the Columbus Foundation for their work to advance philanthropy and leadership. They also were the honorees of the 2022 CAPA Gala Celebration. Earlier this year, the couple announced they would donate 42 pieces from their personal collection to the Columbus Museum of Art via a bequest. The artwork was displayed in a special exhibition, Forward Together: Promised Gifts from the Collection of Donna and Larry James, from March to late September.

Much as she enjoys community involvement, James also is enjoying this latest career challenge. Victoria’s Secret’s second quarter financial results, released in late August, fell mostly within projections but forecast a drop in net sales from the $6.8 billion posted in 2021, citing continued inflationary and financial pressures on customers. The company announced a $250 million share repurchase program in March, which it expects to conclude by year’s end.

In early September, the stock (NYSE: VSCO) was trading in the $31 to $35 range. Its 52-week high of $65.20 came Feb. 10, with a low of $26.14 on July 13—the day after it announced a new leadership structure that included executive shuffles and the elimination of 160 management jobs at the company’s home office.

What goals has James laid out for her second year? “My biggest goal is to make sure we have laid down track so that we don’t get off of it. And if we do, we’ll know. And that track isn’t just financial, it’s culture. And so my biggest goal is to make sure, along with this leadership team, that we continue to have a healthy and happy culture,” she says. “That means employees are engaged. That means they feel good about the work that they’re doing and how it’s getting done. It doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. But it means that when it’s not perfect, there are ways to communicate back with the leadership at the board about what’s not working and that they’re confident their voice will be heard.”

The Victoria’s Secret & Co. offices in Reynoldsburg

Julanne Hohbach is managing editor of Columbus CEO and digital editor of Dispatch Magazines.

TECH TALK

By CYNTHIA BENT FINDLAY

Powering New Energy

PH Matter goes all in on greening up hydrogen.

For years, pH Matter has been chugging away making both cutting-edge fuel cell components and pushing advancements in fuel cell technology.

Now, the Worthington-based engineering firm is preparing to bring to market a new reversible fuel cell just as the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act will provide a huge boost to the industry.

The device could both stamp out significant carbon emissions and power everything from home generators to ocean freight liners to a spaceship on the moon.

Broadly speaking, fuel cells combine hydrogen with atmospheric oxygen to produce electricity. Hydrogen goes in, electricity and water come out. Fuel cell systems can generate electricity at

pH Matter / Power to Hydrogen

phmatter.com, power-h2.com

FOUNDER, PRESIDENT AND CEO/CO-FOUNDER: Paul Matter

BUSINESS: Materials R&D, manufacturing and solutions for emerging applications related to alternative energy and catalysis

EMPLOYEES: 25 between both companies

ANNUAL REVENUE: WND

LAUNCH: pH Matter founded 2011; Power to Hydrogen founded January 2020

efficiencies up to 60 percent—far more efficiently than combustion and with zero carbon emissions.

Hydrogen is also a vitally important industrial gas, required for steel and for fertilizer production, among other things.

However, much hydrogen today is so-called “gray,” as opposed to “green” because it’s produced by cracking natural gas.

“It’s remarkable, the fact that 2 to 3 percent of global carbon emissions come from hydrogen production now—that’s a gigaton of CO2 per year. Before we do anything, we have to clean that up. That’s where electrolysis can clean that up immediately,” says Paul Matter, founder, president and CEO of pH Matter.

PH Matter’s reversible fuel cell can not only make energy from hydrogen, it also can make hydrogen out of renewable power such as solar or wind energy—and do so with unprecedented cost efficiency.

The company is developing its nextgeneration device with $7.4 million in grant funding, including NASA and ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy).

The $3.2 million NASA grant is aimed at putting a reversible fuel cell in the moon’s crust to make hydrogen from water during the 350

hours a lunar space station is in the sunlight, and then power the station while it is in darkness. That project hit a pair of important targets this August and September.

Matter says pH Matter’s spinoff sister company, Power to Hydrogen, is working on commercializing the technology for industrial and, eventually, retail markets.

Recent federal action has significant implications for the hydrogen and fuel cell industries in Ohio. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided $8 billion for the creation of 10 regional clean hydrogen hubs, and Ohio is putting the finishing touches on a proposal for one of those.

The Inflation Reduction Act further promises subsidies for production and use of clean hydrogen that should make the cost of green hydrogen equivalent to gray hydrogen, most prevalently used in industry today.

Matter says the implications are huge. He and others in the fuel cell industry foresee a not so distant future in which hydrogen, instead of natural gas, flows through pipelines to power industry and homes.

Matter says plans are in the works to raise capital for their commercialization effort beginning this fall.

Cynthia Bent Findlay is a freelance writer.

Paul Matter, founder, president and CEO of pH Matter Courtesy pH Matter

Sponsored by:

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HowdoesKEMBAchampiontheCentralOhiocommunity?

KEMBAisownedbyitsmembersandisnot-for-profit,meaningitreturnsprofitsto member-ownersintheformofbetterratesandlowerfees.Unliketraditionalbanks, KEMBAisgovernedby avolunteer BoardofDirectors,votedonbythemembership. Notansweringtocompensatedstakeholderscreates auniquetransparencyand member-ownerstrulyhave avoteinKEMBA’s direction.

DuringtheonsetoftheCOVIDcrisis,KEMBAfoundsolutionsformembersand businesses experiencingfinancialhardshipfrommortgagedeferralandrestructuring tothe PaycheckProtectionProgram(PPP)whichpaidemployeeseffectively keeping businessesafloat.

DuringtheonsetoftheCOVIDcrisis,KEMBAfoundsolutionsformembersand businesses experiencingfinancialhardshipfrommortgagedeferralandrestructuring tothe PaycheckProtectionProgram(PPP)whichpaidemployeeseffectively keeping businessesafloat.

KEMBAalsodesignatesColumbusDayasadayofcompanyservicefromlitterpickup, toplantingatparks,toworkinginfoodpantries.

KEMBAalsodesignatesColumbusDayasadayofcompanyservicefromlitterpickup, toplantingatparks,toworkinginfoodpantries.

WhodoesKEMBApartnerwithandsupport?

KEMBAiscommittedtoprovidingtoolsandresourcestoimprovefinancialliteracyin CentralOhioandsupportinghealthandhumanservicesorganizationstoenhancethe communitiesinwhichtheyoperate.Theyenjoyseveralstrongcommunityrelationships thatcloselyalignwithitsmission,likeBigBrothersBigSisters, StudentSuccess Stories, Christo Rey, MovetoProsperandmore.

WhodoesKEMBApartnerwithandsupport?

KEMBAiscommittedtoprovidingtoolsandresourcestoimprovefinancialliteracyin CentralOhioandsupportinghealthandhumanservicesorganizationstoenhancethe communitiesinwhichtheyoperate.Theyenjoyseveralstrongcommunityrelationships thatcloselyalignwithitsmission,likeBigBrothersBigSisters, StudentSuccess Stories, Christo Rey, MovetoProsperandmore.

TheMountCarmelFoundationisoneofthedeepestrelationshipsasbothorganizations arecommittedtotheneedsoftheunderserved.Mostrecently,KEMBAannounced a$100,000gifttosupporttheFoundation’s StreetMedicineprogram,includingthe purchaseof anew,all-terrainvehicleandpassengervan, expandingaccesstomedical careforunderservedpopulations.

TheMountCarmelFoundationisoneofthedeepestrelationshipsasbothorganizations arecommittedtotheneedsoftheunderserved.Mostrecently,KEMBAannounced a$100,000gifttosupporttheFoundation’s StreetMedicineprogram,includingthe purchaseof anew,all-terrainvehicleandpassengervan, expandingaccesstomedical careforunderservedpopulations.

KEMBAgivesbacktolocalchildren’s hospitalslikeNationwideChildren’s Hospital/ Children’s MiracleNetworkviatheCU4Kidsplatform.KEMBAdonatestensof thousandsofdollarsannuallyonbehalfofitsmembershipas aresultof afeemembers paytotakeadvantageoftheholidaySkip-A-Payprogram.

KEMBA…supportingtheCentralOhio Community as adailypractice.

KEMBAgivesbacktolocalchildren’s hospitalslikeNationwideChildren’s Hospital/ Children’s MiracleNetworkviatheCU4Kidsplatform.KEMBAdonatestensof thousandsofdollarsannuallyonbehalfofitsmembershipas aresultof afeemembers paytotakeadvantageoftheholidaySkip-A-Payprogram.

KEMBA…supportingtheCentralOhio Community as adailypractice.

ThisorganizationembodiesallofBBB’s four “Cs” ofbuildingtrust -Character,Culture, CommunityandCustomersastheybringinnovationtotheirteam,totheirclientsandto thecommunity!

ThisorganizationembodiesallofBBB’s four “Cs” ofbuildingtrust -Character,Culture, CommunityandCustomersastheybringinnovationtotheirteam,totheirclientsandto thecommunity!

BBBservingCentralOhioestablishedtheannual Torch Awards forEthicstopubliclyrecognizelocal companieswithelevatedcommitmenttoethicalbusiness.BBBhasdistilledourintentionalfocusontrustand ethicsintofourC’s–Character,Culture,Customers,andCommunity.Visit BBBTorchAward.com tonominate anoutstandingbusinesstoday!

BBBservingCentralOhioestablishedtheannual Torch Awards forEthicstopubliclyrecognizelocal companieswithelevatedcommitmenttoethicalbusiness.BBBhasdistilledourintentionalfocusontrustand ethicsintofourC’s–Character,Culture,Customers,andCommunity.Visit BBBTorchAward.com tonominate anoutstandingbusinesstoday!

BBB® Spotlighton2021 Torch Award Recipient

BBBbelievesthatwhenorganizationsoperatewith afoundationoftrustandethics,theydevelop astrongand lastingreputationthatisrecognizedbytheircustomersaswellastheentirecommunity.Thisseriescelebrates theorganizationsthatearned aBBB Torch Awardin2021.ByputtingintentionalfocusonBBB’s four “Cs” of buildingtrust -Character,Culture,CommunityandCustomers -theyreachtheirgoaltobe abetterbusiness.

BBBbelievesthatwhenorganizationsoperatewith afoundationoftrustandethics,theydevelop astrongand lastingreputationthatisrecognizedbytheircustomersaswellastheentirecommunity.Thisseriescelebrates theorganizationsthatearned aBBB Torch Awardin2021.ByputtingintentionalfocusonBBB’s four “Cs” of buildingtrust -Character,Culture,CommunityandCustomers -theyreachtheirgoaltobe abetterbusiness.

BBB® Spotlighton2021 Torch Award Recipient

FocusonCustomers

FocusonCommunity

BBBbelievesthatwhenorganizationsoperatewith afoundation oftrustandethics,theydevelop astrongandlastingreputation thatisrecognizedbytheircustomersaswellastheentire community.Thisseriescelebratestheorganizationsthatearned aBBB Torch Awardin2021.ByputtingintentionalfocusonBBB’s four “Cs” ofbuildingtrust -Character,Culture,Communityand Customers -theyreachtheirgoaltobe abetterbusiness.

BBBbelievesthatwhenorganizationsoperatewith afoundation oftrustandethics,theydevelop astrongandlastingreputation thatisrecognizedbytheircustomersaswellastheentire community.Thisseriescelebratestheorganizationsthatearned aBBB Torch Awardin2021.ByputtingintentionalfocusonBBB’s four “Cs” ofbuildingtrust -Character,Culture,Communityand Customers -theyreachtheirgoaltobe abetterbusiness.

CorporateCleaningInc.wasrecognizedatNovember’sTorch Awardsforitsdedicationtothecorevalueof CustomerService CorporateCleaningInc.focusesondeliveringonequalityclean at atimebycreatingcleanscustomerscansee,feel,andsmell.

HowdoesKEMBAgrowitsinternalcommunity?

HowdoesCorporateCleaningInc.championtheircustomers?

KEMBAstrivesforanempatheticworkenvironment,onewithclarityandpurpose whereeveryoneisvalued,heard,appreciated,andempowered.AnAssociateCouncil providesinputoneverythingfromDEIinitiativestocompanyevents.

CorporateCleaningknowsthattheirteammembersactascompanyambassadors everyday,sotheypreparetheirstaff todeliver excellentcustomerservicebypracticing StandardOperatingProceduresforeverytasktheiremployeeswillbeperforming, knowingthatrepetitionis keytodelivering aconsistently excellent experienceforthe customer.

AllassociatesmusttakevariousquarterlycoursesandKEMBA Uoffersmorethan 40virtualandclassroomprofessionaldevelopmentcourses.Theorganization implementedthe StrengthsFinderprogramwhereassociatestakeanassessment thenparticipateinworkshopsfocusingonutilizingstrengthstoimprovepersonally, professionally,peer-to-peer,and peer-to-leader.

HowdoesKEMBAchampiontheCentralOhiocommunity?

CorporateCleaningalsohas aprovenprocessfocusingonconsistentfeedback,active listening,responsibleemployees,andenvironmentallyfriendlyproducts/processes.The companysolidifiesthesetenetsoftheirorganizationthroughongoingtraining.During teammeetingsCorporateCleaningplaysinteractivegamestooutlinedecisionmaking optionsandtheimpactonthecustomer.

KEMBAisownedbyitsmembersandisnot-for-profit,meaningitreturnsprofitsto member-ownersintheformofbetterratesandlowerfees.Unliketraditionalbanks, KEMBAisgovernedby avolunteer BoardofDirectors,votedonbythemembership. Notansweringtocompensatedstakeholderscreates auniquetransparencyand member-ownerstrulyhave avoteinKEMBA’s direction.

ThisallleadstoCorporateCleaning’scorevaluesthatincludebuildinglasting relationships, exceedingcustomer expectations,passionatelypursuing excellenceand neverlosingfocusonpositivelycreating,innovating,andinspiring.

HowdoesCorporateCleaningInc.foster acultureoftrustthroughempowering employeesthatleadstolastingemployeeandcustomerrelationships?

CorporateCleaningchallengesemployeestothinkbeyondthepresentmomentand dream aBHAG(bighairy,audaciousgoal)forthemselvesandthecompany.

DuringtheonsetoftheCOVIDcrisis,KEMBAfoundsolutionsformembersand businesses experiencingfinancialhardshipfrommortgagedeferralandrestructuring tothe PaycheckProtectionProgram(PPP)whichpaidemployeeseffectively keeping businessesafloat.

CorporateCleaningInc.’s provenprocessproduceshighquality, detailed,consistentcleaninginaneffectiveandefficientmanner coupledwith afollowup.

KEMBAFinancialCreditUnionwasrecognizedatNovember’s Torch Awardsforitsdedicationtothecorevalueofsupportfor itsinternalandexternal Community.KEMBAcommitsitselftoan ever-evolvingcommunityinvolvementplan,focusingonfinancial literacyandhealthandhumanservices,andemphasizing Diversity,Equity,andInclusion(DEI)effortsamongthe underservedpopulationsofFairfield,Franklin,Delaware,Licking, Madison, Logan,andUnionCounties.

Aboutthe Torch Awards

Aboutthe Torch Awards

KEMBAalsodesignatesColumbusDayasadayofcompanyservicefromlitterpickup, toplantingatparks,toworkinginfoodpantries.

WhodoesKEMBApartnerwithandsupport?

TheyinstitutedtheTheDreamManagerProgram,basedonthebookbythesame namebyMatthew Kelly.Hestates,“the keytomotivation isn’tnecessarilythepromise of abiggerpaycheckortitle,butratherthefulfillmentofcrucialpersonaldreams.”Since thestartoftheprogram,CorporateCleaninghassponsoredhomebuyingseminars, financialmodules -includingcreatingbudgets,creditscores,savingforvehicles, andplanningforvacation.CorporateCleaninghasprovidedresearchandresources forbusinessstartups,businessfunding,andnetworking.Manyteammembersare entrepreneursandCorporateCleaning.promotestheirbusinesseswheneverpossible.

KEMBAiscommittedtoprovidingtoolsandresourcestoimprovefinancialliteracyin CentralOhioandsupportinghealthandhumanservicesorganizationstoenhancethe communitiesinwhichtheyoperate.Theyenjoyseveralstrongcommunityrelationships thatcloselyalignwithitsmission,likeBigBrothersBigSisters, StudentSuccess Stories, Christo Rey, MovetoProsperandmore.

To furtherempowertheirteammembers,staff hasthefreedomtomakedecisions on howtheirworkflows,acceptadditionalassignments,andflextheirscheduleto accommodatepersonalneeds.CorporateCleaningbelievesintrainingpeoplewell enoughtopursuetheirowninterestsbuttreatingthemsowelltheywillneverwant toleave.Thismakesforanemployeeempowered experiencethatalsobenefitsthe customer.

TheMountCarmelFoundationisoneofthedeepestrelationshipsasbothorganizations arecommittedtotheneedsoftheunderserved.Mostrecently,KEMBAannounced a$100,000gifttosupporttheFoundation’s StreetMedicineprogram,includingthe purchaseof anew,all-terrainvehicleandpassengervan, expandingaccesstomedical careforunderservedpopulations.

CorporateCleaningInc.…employeeempowermentand trustcreatesstrongrelations with Customers

KEMBAgivesbacktolocalchildren’s hospitalslikeNationwideChildren’s Hospital/ Children’s MiracleNetworkviatheCU4Kidsplatform.KEMBAdonatestensof thousandsofdollarsannuallyonbehalfofitsmembershipas aresultof afeemembers paytotakeadvantageoftheholidaySkip-A-Payprogram.

KEMBA…supportingtheCentralOhio Community as adailypractice.

This organizationembodiesallofBBB’s four “Cs” ofbuildingtrust -Character,Culture, CommunityandCustomersastheybringinnovationtotheirteam,totheirclientsandto thecommunity!

ThisorganizationembodiesallofBBB’s four “Cs” ofbuildingtrust -Character,Culture, CommunityandCustomersastheybringinnovationtotheirteam,totheirclientsandto thecommunity!

BBBservingCentralOhioestablishedtheannual Torch Awards forEthicstopubliclyrecognizelocal companieswithelevatedcommitmenttoethicalbusiness.BBBhasdistilledourintentionalfocusontrustand ethicsintofourC’s–Character,Culture,Customers,andCommunity.Visit BBBTorchAward.com tonominate anoutstandingbusinesstoday!

BBBservingCentralOhioestablishedtheannual Torch Awards forEthicstopubliclyrecognizelocal companieswithelevatedcommitmenttoethicalbusiness.BBBhasdistilledourintentionalfocusontrustand ethicsintofourC’s–Character,Culture,Customers,andCommunity.Visit BBBTorchAward.com tonominate anoutstandingbusinesstoday!

BBB® Spotlighton2021 Torch Award Recipient

ADVANCING DIVERSITY

By ERICA THOMPSON AND MARK FERENCHIK

The results from a recent Columbus Dispatch survey of local companies and nonprofits reveal some good news.

These institutions have remained focused on diversity, equity and inclusion despite staffing challenges, inflation and a shifting workplace environment.

Then there’s the other side of the story.

Those efforts still need to grow to diversify and develop staff, guarantee equal pay and implement effective reporting so that true equity is achieved.

The Dispatch sent the survey to more than 2,000 companies and nonprofits, as well as chambers of commerce and city governments. Questions were developed with assistance from Adrian Sullivan, president of the Central Ohio Diversity Consortium, a collective of DEI practitioners who gather to share industry best practices and resources.

The survey received 31 responses (1.5 percent) from participants with five to nearly 50,000 employees—more than double the participants in last year’s inaugural survey. Nine companies participated for the second year.

The results from participants this time around showed that DEI efforts are continuing to evolve.

Although 64 percent of companies surveyed reported a change in the diversity of their boards—up from 38 percent last year—efforts to add women may be outpacing efforts to add minorities. While women make up about 40 percent of boards of participating companies, the number is just 29 percent for people of color—down from 31 percent last year.

The gaps for executive diversity are wider. On average, women make up 49 percent of the C-suites of participating companies, but the number is 21 percent for people of color—down from 32 percent last year.

“We have to do better,” Sullivan says. “If it’s working for one group, why haven’t we applied the same techniques [for others]? Are we doing what’s convenient, or are we trying to intentionally do what’s right?”

Oftentimes, Black professionals aren’t aware of openings on boards, or how to prepare for them, according to Stephanie Hightower, president and CEO of the Columbus Urban League. “There’s a whole process that you have

A Columbus Dispatch survey of Central Ohio organizations shows an ongoing commitment to DEI initiatives. But there’s still work to be done.

The Dispatch sent the survey to more than 2,000 companies and nonprofits, as well as chambers of commerce and city governments.

Battelle CEO Lou Von Thaer (right) and Storm Woods, Battelle’s vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion

Photo by Courtney Hergesheimer/The Columbus Dispatch

Devray Kirkland, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for Cardinal Health

Photo by Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch

to go through,” she says. “It’s almost like it’s an exclusive club.”

Nationally, women make up almost 30 percent of S&P 500 boards and people of color account for 23 percent, according to the Institutional Shareholder Services firm, which provides investment solutions.

When it comes to C-suites across the country, women account for 29 percent of those jobs, while people of color account for 17 percent, according to Gartner, a technology research and consulting company.

For the second year, the Dispatch’s small set of survey participants realized higher rates of diversity than national averages, but gaps for people of color remain.

Long-standing racial gaps among Columbus-area workers cost the regional economy $10 billion a year, according to a report released by National Equity Atlas in partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and others. The study also found that workers of color are concentrated in “lower-paying, and lower-opportunity, occupational groups.”

Multiple participants in the Dispatch survey say they are working to address the lack of diversity in their pipelines to leadership positions. Organizations such as Battelle, Worthington Industries Inc. and the Columbus Regional Airport Authority have partnered with historically Black colleges and universities to help identify potential talent.

But some say they are challenged by competition for diverse employees. “Even with everything we do, it’s still a struggle,” says Floria Washington, program manager of learning, development and diversity and inclusion at the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. “There is work that has to be done in the background in all of our industries, where we’re actually getting out there, partnering with schools so that we can get the word out and the educational system can start to prepare students.”

But companies must also make themselves appealing to diverse candidates, Hightower says. “These young people don’t want to be affiliated with companies who aren’t truly committed to diversity.”

Columbus-based Root Insurance is trying to create a sense of belonging through its efforts, says Neil Wil-

liams, the company’s senior director of organizational effectiveness. “We want employees to have a voice, make empowered choices,” Williams says.

Root works with the National Association of Colleges and Employers to recruit employees, providing a broader national reach to increase the diversity of the talent pool. “We make sure we have diverse candidates in our pipeline,” Williams says. “We’re not losing sight of our end goal, our philosophy of belonging, making sure we are including DEI in each dialogue.”

There’s also a continuing effort to diversify the board. Root, founded in 2015, has nine white board members and one Black board member. “I would say at a high level, we’re still a young company. There’s a strong DEI foundation as we grow and have more resources available,” Williams says.

Equitas Health is working to change its reputation following a 2021 Dispatch investigation into claims of racism against Black employees. In the aftermath, the LGBTQ+ healthcare provider has changed its leadership, established a new Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and is improving efforts to develop internal talent. “We faced our turmoil we had last year,” says Dwayne Steward, interim chief people and culture officer. “Plus, on top of that, we’re dealing with the ‘Great Resignation.’ And, in healthcare, there’s a lot of fatigue around this pandemic. And so, providers are leaving the field in droves. So, we have

these three strikes when it comes to hiring and retaining staff that we’re trying to battle right now.”

What Companies Are Doing

Many companies have a lot to celebrate when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. On average, 81 percent of Dispatch survey participants have a full-time DEI employee and a budget for their work. About 63 percent have a three-to-five-year DEI roadmap, and 68 percent have a supplier diversity strategy.

Organizations such as the Columbus Museum of Art also are implementing programs to better serve their customers. Through its “Museums for All” initiative, CMA is partnering with human service organizations to reach and build trust with lower-income families to foster a feeling of belonging when they visit. “In the museum world, for a really long time, we’ve thought all people need is access,” says Cindy Foley, deputy director of learning, experience and engagement. “But if you don’t feel you belong because of our actions, or the way we make you feel, or some other challenge, then that access is meaningless.”

Devray Kirkland, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for Cardinal Health, says a big focus of Cardinal Health’s efforts is recruitment and retention of Black employees. “We know there is a great desire to have Black talent in organizations,” Kirkland says.

According to its response to the Dispatch survey, Cardinal Health says it continues to make DEI a top priority. It has rolled out unconscious bias training to managers and administrators, with 90 percent completing the training. Kirkland says the company looks at U.S. gender and race statistics overall to see how closely its workforce matches them.

Janelle Coleman, vice president of community engagement and diversity and inclusion at American Electric Power since August 2021, says AEP officials talk to other Columbus-area companies about their DEI efforts. “From a local standpoint, Nationwide is definitely an organization we look to,” she says. “I think they are doing it right, whether it’s employee resource

Neil Williams, senior director of organizational effectiveness for Root Insurance

groups or how they show up to a national Black MBA conference.”

Angela Bretz, Nationwide’s chief diversity and talent acquisition officer, says her company wants to build a workforce that reflects the country’s diversity. “We continually look at our data and demographics. We also ask leaders making hiring decisions, ‘What is it that you don’t have and what do you need?’ ” she says.

That also includes hiring people of different ages and styles and backgrounds. “We’re intentional with each hire,” Bretz says. The company has had a DEI office since 2005. “DEI is part of our DNA at Nationwide,” she says. “DEI will always be a focus of the business. It’s imperative.”

Job seekers contact Nationwide after they see and hear about the culture, she says. “It’s a culture that embraces difference,” she adds. “They want to come to Nationwide.”

Workers also initiate and lead the company’s employee resource groups. Nationwide has 16, including groups for Black men and women, Latinos, veterans, LGBTQ+ workers and older employees.

When it comes to advancing pay equity, some companies are further ahead than others. While 68 percent of survey participants say they have goals for achieving pay equity, only 48 percent have undertaken a pay equity audit.

Some companies, such as Battelle, have already closed pay gaps and continue to review salaries each year. After conducting a compensation study, Equitas Health recently increased compensation by $2.5 million. The Columbus Regional Airport Authority increased pay by 21 percent this year.

Meanwhile, other groups are trying to track local DEI efforts at companies and nonprofits.

The Columbus Urban League is planning to create a DEI performance

index for its corporate partners and other companies. Nana Watson, the president of the Columbus chapter of the NAACP, says her organization planned to send letters to major corporations in September asking them about the number of Black people they have on their board and in leadership positions, and how much money they spend at and with Black businesses.

In March, the NAACP asked 13 financial institutions for information, including the percentage of Black people in institution leadership, as well as board composition, executive level career development for Black employees, minority home ownership and financial literacy programs, minority small business development and engagement in Black communities.

Only one—Fifth Third Bank—replied, Watson says. “The NAACP saw this as a slap in our face,” she says.

How Can Companies Better Measure DEI?

According to experts, companies could be more effective when it comes to tracking the success of their DEI efforts. Many are too heavily focused on filling quotas instead of measuring true equity, says Ted Sun, president and chief innovations officer at Transcontinental University in Dublin, a business school offering MBA, Ph.D. and corporate development programs.

He says DEI professionals should be working to change organizational systems, such as hiring, training, performance management and promotion structures. They should be taking an inventory of each employee’s developmental needs and providing the necessary support, Sun says. In addition, when companies send diverse employees through training programs, they should measure the rate of promotion of those particular employees, Sun says. “Unfortunately, I don’t feel like we’re getting better,” he adds. “It’s a lot of surface Band-Aids instead of working on systemic issues.”

Edward “Ned” Hill, an economics professor at Ohio State University, says DEI efforts have to go beyond recruiting and hiring. It also goes to mentoring and other efforts to show the company is supporting nontraditional workers. “How do you go about listening? Do you empower all of your

The Columbus Urban League is planning to create a DEI performance index for its corporate partners and other companies.

Chenoweth

The Columbus Dispatch

Nationwide’s headquarters in Downtown Columbus

Some companies are taking innovative steps. For example, Battelle implemented a networking program that pairs Black employees with members of the leadership team, who then become advocates for them.

employees to speak? Are you listening to what they’re saying?” Hill says.

That goes to making sure that instructions for doing the work are in Spanish, or Somali here in Columbus, when applicable, he says. Hill asks, as labor force participation has declined, especially among Black and Latino women, what is being done to make sure there is adequate child care? And what is being done in urban areas with poor public transit where it might take two hours to get to work?

Some companies are taking innovative steps. For example, Battelle implemented a networking program that pairs Black employees with members of the leadership team, who then become advocates for them. When opportunities for projects arise, those program participants are considered. Battelle tracks the number of participants who are selected for projects, as well as the number of participants who are promoted.

“I’m very optimistic because I’ve never seen this much movement,” says Battelle CEO Lou Von Thaer. “Early data looks promising.”

Sticking to the Plan

In 2020, Haley Boehning, co-founder and principal at Columbus marketing agency Storyforge, worked with John Lowe, CEO of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, on a letter Columbus business leaders wrote in support of a Columbus City Council resolution declaring racism a public health crisis.

Boehning, also co-founder of the Columbus chapter of Conscious Capitalism, says that in the past two years,

local businesspeople and leaders are recognizing the magnitude of the change needed in their businesses.

Measuring the makeup of employees is one thing, she says. But if leaders are focused just on that, they could be looking at false positives and negatives. “Sometimes the most important stuff to change is hardest to measure,” Boehning says. “From my perspective in 2020, we saw a lot of fast, quick work, obvious things that needed to change.”

Sometimes, it’s hard to change course at institutions with decades behind them, or at smaller family businesses, too, she says. “Is this all they have known? It really takes the

insight and a different way of thinking and mindset that needs to be established.”

Dionissi Aliprantis, assistant vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s Program on Economic Inclusion, says officials plan to meet with companies to discuss DEI efforts and how effective they’ve been.

“There’s always a danger in any effort or initiative that it loses steam and momentum. It’s hard to forecast,” Aliprantis says. “I do think there’s institutional wherewithal and commitment in a lot of cases. How much can that translate in improving outcomes? I think that is a really good question,” he says.

Aliprantis adds that over time, the racial wealth gaps and earnings gaps haven’t closed at all. “There are reasons to suspect it will take a long time,” he says. “So it’s going to take sustained effort.”

Boehning says that it’s a recognition that this work is never done. “Twenty years ago, we started to talk about diversity. Then we started to talk about inclusion,” she says. “Then we started talking about equity and access. There’s always more work to do.”

Erica Thompson and Mark Ferenchik are reporters for The Columbus Dispatch. Dispatch reporter Zaria Johnson contributed to this report.

DIVERSITY SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

Board Diversity C-Suites Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Efforts

40% of board members are women of C-suite executives are women

81% of organizations have a full-time employee dedicated to DEI

27% tie executive pay or bonuses to DEI

68% have goals for achieving pay equity

of board members are ethnically diverse

68% have a supplier diversity strategy

Source: Survey of Central Ohio organizations conducted by The Columbus Dispatch. Figures represent responses from participants.

LET US DO THE WORK.

We

the best candidates for the best jobs.

WINNER:

Local professionals choose their favorite service providers in our 15th annual reader poll.

This year, Columbus CEO is celebrating the 15th anniversary of our Best of Business reader poll. Our annual survey seeks your opinions on the best business services and products in a wide variety of categories, from Ad Agency to Signage Company, Business Lender to Law Firms, and many things in between. Looking for a new power lunch spot, or a place to impress a prospective client? Look no further. Need a new accountant, employee benefit firm or a healthcare provider? We’ve got you covered there, too.

This year’s Best of Business survey features winners and runners-up in 83 categories. Votes were solicited online from March 1 to May 6. Runners-up are listed in the order in which they finished.

If your organization is interested in being on the 2023 ballot, use the write-in option when voting opens early next year. Questions? Send an email to rpaprocki@dispatch.com.

BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES

Ad Agency

Fahlgren Mortine

Runners-up:

 Futurety  Hart

Architectural Firm

MA Design (formerly M+A Architects)

Runners-up:

 WSA Studio  Moody Nolan

Automotive Services

Ricart Automotive Group

Runners-up:

 Germain Automotive Group

 Roush Auto Group

Commercial Data Center

Expedient

Runners-up:

 WeConnect  DartPoints

Energy Company

American Electric Power

Runners-up:

 IGS Energy  Columbia Gas of Ohio

Engineering Firm

SMBH Inc.

Runners-up:

 Moody Engineering  DLZ

Graphic Design/Branding Agency

Continental Office

Runners-up:

 Fahlgren Mortine  Z Promotions

HR Services

GO-HR Runners-up:

 VIVO Growth Partners

 Willis Towers Watson

Information Technology Company

Leading EDJE and Revolution Group (tie)

Runner-up:

 Fusion Alliance

Insurance Brokerage

Overmyer Hall Associates

Runners-up:

 Insurance Agency of Ohio

 McGohan Brabender

Insurance Company

Nationwide Runners-up:

 State Farm

 Overmyer Hall Associates

Fahlgren Mortine Chairman and CEO Neil Mortine (left) and President Marty McDonald Courtesy Gust Smith Fahlgren Mortine

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MOODY-ENG.COM

Cancer causes, prevention and screening questions answered

By Electra Paskett, PhD, MSPH Professor, Cancer Researcher Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center –James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute

What causes cancer to develop in the body? Cancer develops when cells in the body divide and grow out of control and form new, abnormal cells. These cells can group together to form cancerous and noncancerous masses of tissues, called tumors.

Is cancer preventable? Unfortunately, no cancer is 100% preventable. However, there are things we can do to lower our risk of getting certain cancers. These are referred to as controllable risk factors, which include avoiding smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure.

In addition, they include watching your diet, increasing physical activity and getting vaccinations. Some screening tests can identify precancerous conditions that if treated can prevent a cancer from developing. These include colon cancer screening and cervical cancer screening.

Are there types of cancers we can’t prevent? We know that 5-10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects and are not preventable. The remaining 90-95% are rooted in environment and lifestyle.

Most cancers are caused by genetic changes that occur throughout a person’s lifetime as a natural result of aging and exposure to environmental factors, such as tobacco smoke and radiation.

What are the biggest myths in cancer prevention? One of the biggest myths is that cancer is a death sentence. This is not the case as cancer mortality rates continue to decrease.

This myth can lead many patients to not focus on prevention and to even forgo cancer screenings that can catch many cancers early on in the process.

What are the key cancer prevention steps anyone can take? Simple lifestyle changes can be effective, such as maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active. Make sure you receive regular cancer screening tests and get the vaccinations you are eligible for. Two vaccines, HPV and HBV, can prevent up to seven cancers.

Regular screening tests can catch some cancers early, when they’re small, have not spread and are easier to treat. It’s never too late to start taking cancer prevention steps.

How is Ohio State shaping cancer prevention? By mounting a defense against cancer, Ohio State aims to reduce its incidence and mortality and prevent the disease from developing in the first place.

The Center for Cancer Health Equity (CCHE) at the OSUCCC – James is dedicated to increasing cancer awareness

in the community with an emphasis on increasing participation in cancer clinical trials and routine vaccinations and cancer screenings, especially by minority and underserved community residents.

What will the future of cancer prevention look like? The future will include a greater emphasis on the modifiable lifestyle behaviors, such as exercise and diet, that can play a significant role in preventing chronic disease and cancer.

Another aspect that will play a much larger role is precision nutrition, which is a medical model that proposes the customization of nutritional decisions and practices that are tailored to individual patients based on their nutritional needs. Increased attention to precision screening will also be a thing in the future.

Electra Paskett, PhD, MSPH, is a professor and director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control in the Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She also serves as the associate director for population sciences and community outreach, co-leader of the Cancer Control Program and founding director of the Center for Cancer Health Equity at the OSUCCC – James.

You didn’t choose cancer

But the choice of where to treat it is clear

At The James, you’re choosing the experts who understand there is no such thing as routine cancer. Where your care is delivered by a highly specialized, compassionate team dedicated to studying and treating just one type of cancer — yours. And where more than 1,700 scientists are working on new treatments — and new hope — for every form of cancer, including lung, colon and breast cancers. All at the region’s only comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute.

#ChooseTheJames cancer.osu.edu/ChooseTheJames

WhatIloveabout myselfisthatIamdifferent. Iamunique andIamnot limited. Iexpand my genreandstyles -fromsinginggospel, to jazz, to R&B andcountry,toclassicalopera.

I’mDeMeeshia Marshall,singingis my art and there’s noplaceI’d rathermakeit.

LearnmoreaboutDeMeeshia’s storyand otherColumbus artists,performances, exhibitions, concerts,publicart and moreatColumbusMakesArt.com

Internet Service Provider

Spectrum

Runners-up:

 Breezeline (formerly WOW)  AT&T

Logistics Provider

FedEx

Runners-up:

 UPS  U.S. Postal Service

Manufacturing Company

Honda of America Manufacturing

Runners-up:

 Worthington Industries

 Lake Shore Cryotronics Inc.

Mobile Phone Service Provider

Verizon

Runners-up:

 AT&T  T-Mobile/MetroPCS

Office Furniture

King Business Interiors

Runners-up:

 Continental Office  Dupler Office

Printing Company

Baesman Runners-up:

 Atchley Graphics  Z Promotions

Public Relations Firm

Belle Communication

Runners-up:

 Slide Nine (formerly FrazierHeiby)

 Fahlgren Mortine

Signage Company

Atchley Graphics

Runners-up:

 Z Promotions  Associated Graphics

EDUCATION

Continuing Education Offerings

Franklin University

Runners-up:

 Ohio State University

 Columbus State Community College

MBA Program

Franklin University

Runners-up:

 Ohio State University Fisher College of Business

 Ohio Dominican University

Private Schools (K–12)

St. Charles Preparatory School

Runners-up:

 Columbus Academy and Columbus School for Girls (tie)

FINANCIAL

Accounting Firm (fewer than 20 CPAs)

Whalen & Co.

Runners-up:

 Lillie & Co.

 HW & Co.

Franklin University

Chenoweth III, The Columbus Dispatch

Accounting Firm (more than 20 CPAs)

GBQ Partners

Runners-up:

 Clark Schaefer Hackett

 Deloitte

Business Lender

KEMBA Financial Credit Union

Runners-up:

 Pathways Financial Credit Union

 Huntington National Bank

Commercial Mortgage Lender

KEMBA Financial Credit Union

Runners-up:

 Pathways Financial Credit Union

 Huntington National Bank

Credit Union

KEMBA Financial Credit Union

Runners-up:

 Pathways Financial Credit Union

 BMI Federal Credit Union

Private Wealth Management Company

Gerber

Runners-up:

 Budros, Ruhlin & Roe

 Morgan Stanley

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Happy Hour

Marcella’s

Runners-up:

 Lindey’s

 Condado Tacos

Power Lunch

Cap City Fine Diner and Bar

Runners-up:

 Northstar Café  Lindey’s Restaurant

Cap City Fine Diner and Bar

Runners-up:

 Lindey’s  101 Beer Kitchen

HEALTHCARE

Cardiac Practice

OhioHealth Heart & Vascular Physicians

Runners-up:

 Electrophysiology and Pacing Interventionalists

 Ohio State Heart and Vascular Center

Dental Practice

Dental Reflections Dublin

Runners-up:

 Hutta & Price Orthodontics

 Dublin Dental Care

Dermatology Practice and Skin Care

Ohio State University Dermatology

Runners-up:

 Central Ohio Skin & Cancer

 Center for Surgical Dermatology

Family Medical Practice

Central Ohio Primary Care

Runners-up:

 OhioHealth Primary Care Physicians

 Mount Carmel Medical Group

Why choose Einstein Law?

Dianne Einstein, Megan Gibson and Taylor Jones, the experienced attorneys at Einstein Law, are unique in the following ways:

• They provide practical advice and try to resolve your problems quickly and cost efficiently

• They listen to you and are compassionate, understanding, caring and non-judgemental

• They practice in Central Ohio courts

• Dianne has extensive training in mediation and the collaborative process so clients control over the outcomes.

• They have Paw Clerks

OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital

FILE /Barbara

J. Perenic, The Columbus Dispatch

Hospital/Medical Center

OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital

Runners-up:

 Nationwide Children’s Hospital

 Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute

Oncology Medical Practice

Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute

Runners-up:

 Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Oncology

 OhioHealth Bing Cancer Center

Orthopedic Practice & Sports Medicine

OrthoNeuro

Runners-up:

 Orthopedic ONE

 Hand and Microsurgery Associates

Physical Therapy Practice

OrthoNeuro

Runners-up:

 Orthopedic ONE

 Ohio State University Sports Medicine

LEGAL

Business Law Firm

Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease

Runners-up:

 Carlile Patchen & Murphy

 Ice Miller

Family Law Firm

Einstein Law

Runners-up:

 Carlile Patchen & Murphy

 Grossman Law Offices

CONTINUED

for being named

A TRANSFORMING REGION

SOUTHWEST REGIONAL MEDICAL AND INNOVATION

DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS

Grove City delivers as the place to build, grow, attract and retain personnel. Ideally located, benefiting from a talented pool of thinkers, and now a nucleus for bioscience and medical technology growth, employers appreciate Grove City’s outstanding accessibility and community-based culture.

For details about this planned, nearly 1,000-acre development, visit bit.ly/GCGATEWAY.

RICHARD L. “IKE” STAGE, MAYOR | Council Members: Ted Berry (President), Randy Holt, Christine Houk, Roby Schottke, Mark Sigrist

Where transformational development begins.

MOUNT CARMEL GROVE CITY

A TRANSFORMING REGION

Ray

CONTENT

Custom Projects Manager

Emma Frankart Henterly

Contributors

Laurie Allen and Evan Weese

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Production/Design Director

Betsy Becker

DIGITAL

Digital Editor

Julanne Hohbach

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photo Editor

Tim Johnson

Advertising

Multimedia Sales Executives

Michelle Crossman, Tia Hardman, Jackie Thiam

Classified Sales

Amy Vidrick

MARKETING

Marketing Manager

Lauren Reinhard

Subscriptions/Customer service

Toll Free: 877-688-8009

Editorial/Advertising offices 62 E. Broad St. P.O. Box 1289 Columbus, OH 43216 614-888-4567

to

ABOUT ONE COLUMB US

The economic development organization for the 11-county Columbus Region. Working with local and state partners, we serve as the business location resource for companies across Central Ohio and around the world as they grow, innovate, and compete within the global economy.

THE VISION

To become the most prosperous region in th United States.

The process of building prosperity requires sustained focus on the social and economic advancement of all residents within the Columbus Region.

THE MISSION

The One Columbus mission is to lead a comprehensive regional growth strategy that develops and attracts the world’s most competitive companies, grows a highly adaptive workforce, prepares our communities for the future, and inspires corporate, academic and public innovation throughout the 11-county Columbus Region.

A TRANSFORMING REGION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sue Zazon, Chairwoman

President and Executive Vice President, Central Ohio Region, Huntington

Marc D. Reitter, Secretary

President and Chief Operating Officer, AEP Ohio

Mark Berven, Treasurer

President and Chief Operating Officer, Nationwide Property & Casualty

Kevin Boyce

County Commissioner, Franklin County Board of Commissioners

Corrine Burger

Chief Control Officer, Consumer and Community Banking

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Brian Faust

Chief Financial Officer, JobsOhio

Andrew J. Ginther

Mayor, City of Columbus

Brian Jepson

President, OhioHealth Central Ohio Market

James A. Keller

EVP, Auto Development Center, Honda Development & Manufacturing of America

Gregory R. Overmyer

Chief Executive Officer, Overmyer Hall Associates

Robert H. Schottenstein

Chief Executive Officer and President, M/I Homes

Rick Szabrak

Director of Economic and Workforce Development, Fairfield County

Dr. Grace Wang

Executive VP for Research, Innovation and Knowledge

Enterprise, The Ohio State University

EX-OFFICIO

Matthew Bailey

Partner, Squire Patton Boggs

Kenny McDonald

President and CEO, Columbus Partnership

Sean Grant

Chief Financial Officer, Columbus Partnership

A TRANSFORMING REGION

Transformation

★The Columbus Region is primed to become one of the most prosperous regions in the United States. While we have shown resiliency and face challenges each day, we’re well-positioned to continue our growth and evolution, and that’s all due to the incredible work by talented folks across the Region telling our story and doing the work. It’s been a time of accomplishment, achievement and advancement, and we can all be proud of the efforts to get here.

Companies across the Region continue to expand, new projects are breaking ground, our communities have launched impactful initiatives, and new enterprises have been funded and started. Once again, this year brought transformational investments in our region, highlighted by Intel’s announcement—the largest manufacturing investment in Ohio history. Emerging industries continue to gain momentum, especially life sciences and insurtech. Throughout our 11-county region, our communities remain competitive places in which to live and work. We have a location that provides unmatched market access, a talented workforce and a culture of collaboration.

One Columbus, our regional economic development organization, is undeniably one of the best in the country. Thank you to the investors who support the efforts of One Columbus—I am confident that we will continue to grow, compete, find critical opportunities and remain a strong, resilient region in the days ahead.

Sue Zazon President and Executive Vice President, Central Ohio Region, Huntington Chairwoman, One Columbus Board of Directors

Photos courtesy One Columbus

The Great Expansion

By Laurie Allen

★From two-year-old startups to a company founded in 1896, some significant Central Ohio businesses are expanding inside a flourishing ecosystem that drives and supports growth across all sectors.

Timothy J. Miller, Ph.D., president and co-founder of Forge Biologics, says the Columbus Region boasts many assets that propel the kind of expansion his company has experienced, including a talented workforce and exemplary academic, health and science centers—along with strong public-private partnerships.

“We have one of the youngest, most well-educated populations, anchored by Ohio State [University] and Nationwide Children’s Hospital,” Miller says. Innovative investors like Drive Capital, which helped finance Forge from the outset, also shape a robust environment. “They all make up a recipe for success.”

Headquartered in Grove City, Forge is a hybrid contract manufacturing and development company that aims to accelerate gene therapy programs from preclinical through clinical and commercial stage manufacturing. Its focus is on viral vectors used in genetic therapy for people, including children, with rare diseases.

Just two years since its inception, Forge has raised more than $240 million in financing, including a $40 million Series A financing in 2020 and a $120 million Series B round in 2021.

“I didn’t anticipate raising Series A and B financing during a pandemic,” Miller says. Nevertheless, the company also grew to 240 employees and is on track to grow to 400 with help from a JobsOhio development grant facilitated by economic development organization One Columbus. Forge also secured $80 million worth of financing from Midcap Financial to drive continued expansion and meet the growing demand for gene therapy manufacturing.

Forge is but one example of companies that chose to locate or expand

Economic growth in the Columbus Region isn’t just about attracting new business. It’s also helping existing companies continue to grow.

Photo by Courtney Hergesheimer/Columbus Dispatch

Forge Biologics

in the Columbus Region in recent years, says Justin Bickle, managing director of client services and project management at One Columbus.

Bickle says One Columbus works to understand competing markets and present compelling cases for doing business here, helping make the necessary connections to support workforce development, academic affiliations, incentives, funding and community engagement.

One company that nearly got away is Upstart, one of the nation’s first lending platforms to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to the multi-trillion-dollar credit industry. Bickle says Upstart was “very close” to opening in Chicago but chose Columbus when presented with data about real estate, incentive packages and other pluses.

In a 2021 interview with Columbus CEO, Upstart’s Columbus leader, Grant Schneider, said, “There’s a level of depth and thoughtfulness in helping new businesses make connections that goes beyond quarterly and yearly goals and the number of hires out of universities. The people here are amazing.”

Bickle says retaining successful businesses is just as important as attracting them. “The relationship doesn’t stop once they decide to locate or expand here. It’s really important to stay engaged with them.”

One Columbus helped Lancaster Colony/T. Marzetti navigate a major expansion of its Frank Road facility at the outset of the COVID-19 pan-

demic, says Charles Mingo, the company’s vice president of corporate affairs and environmental, social and governance.

“They put us in a position to continue the expansion so that delays were mitigated,” Mingo says. “The world was a little disconnected at that point, and the company had a partner that helped speak a universal language among all those involved.”

The $23 million, 17,000-squarefoot expansion of the Frank Road facility added capacity for three new product lines, rolled out premier renovation and will create 20 new jobs. The company previously had moved its headquarters to Polaris in 2017, and in 2019 opened a state-of-the art innovation center in Lewis Center to create, test and refine products, or as Mingo puts it, conduct “the science behind the flavor.”

T. Marzetti is a specialty foods company known for brands such as Marzetti salad dressings and dips, New York Bakery frozen breads and Sister Schubert’s rolls. The company’s origin dates to 1896, when Theresa Marzetti opened a restaurant on the East Side of Columbus. Lancaster Colony purchased the company in 1969, and since the early 1970s, its food business has grown at an annual rate of 11 percent. T. Marzetti employs more than 1,200 people in six manufacturing and distributing facilities in Central Ohio. It also has operations in Kentucky.

As a worldwide recruiter, “We are easily able to sell the fact that

Central Ohio is a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Mingo says. “It’s increasingly becoming the jewel of the Midwest.” Relationships with academic institutions like Ohio State University, where Marzetti staff teach food science, manufacturing and marketing classes, also provide fertile recruiting grounds.

For Quantum Health founder Kara Trott, Central Ohio was the obvious choice when she started the first health care navigation and care coordination company, now one of the largest in the nation. “Central Ohio is my home,” says Trott, who founded Quantum Health because she saw a need for a more consumer-centric health care experience.

Others saw it, too, as evidenced by annual revenue growth rate of 25 percent and an expanding clientele base. Quantum is one of the 450 largest companies in the country and has more than 1,800 employees— a number is expected to grow to 2,000 next year, according to Trott.

When the company outgrew its Westerville headquarters in 2019, its leaders conducted a nationwide search before deciding to locate in Dublin, where it renovated a building formerly used by Ashland Chemical. Quantum purchased a second building as expansion continued.

“We like this campus environment,” Trott says, adding that incentives from the city of Dublin attracted her to the suburban community. The Quantum campus on Blazer Parkway currently has room for the new surge

Above, Marzetti salad dressings; right, Quantum Health’s offices

Photo Mike Munden/Columbus Dispatch

Photo byRob Hardin

OVERVIEW Companies with Multiple Projects in the Columbus Region, 2011–Present

Source: One Columbus Announcements Database, 11-County Columbus Region, Companies with at least two projects announced January 2011–June 2022. One Columbus projects, does not encompass all market activity.

of employees expected in the coming months, she says.

Quantum, which had 650,000 members in 2017, now has more than 2 million and is climbing toward 2.5 million, Trott says. Its clientele is composed primarily of self-insured companies with between 5,000 and 25,000 employees, and in some cases many more, Trott says. “We cover 65 to 70 percent of all people who get benefits from employersponsored health plans.”

Trott, who also serves as board chair and senior adviser at Quantum, says a growing demand for better care coordination, benefits management and patient care has fueled Quantum’s impressive growth. “We’re focused on the total experience—coordinating care among physicians, working on unpaid claims, and giving patients access to continuity of care. We walk alongside someone throughout their health care journey.” The company also consistently reduces employer-client spending, usually in the first year, she says.

In the Columbus Region, growth begets growth, she says. The arrival of Intel, for example, will catalyze employment growth as new employees bring family members who also will join the local workforce talent pool.

Bickle says the semiconductor industry is one of several rapidly growing sectors, including life sciences and automotive (think: electric vehicles) that will build on existing synergies and add depth to the Region’s ecosystem.

“The life sciences sector has exploded in the last four to five years. We are involved in the development of an ecosystem around the drive to capitalize,” Bickle says. As home to world-class researchers, leadingedge biotechnology facilities and a growing investor base, the Region

is creating a hub for excellence in biotech therapies.

The potential for a formidable commercial-life science alliance is evidenced by the billions of dollars’ worth of investments being made here, he says, citing Andelyn Biosciences, an affiliate of Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Andelyn, another contract manufacturing organization involved in viral vector production, broke ground earlier this year on a 185,000-squarefoot facility in Columbus’ Innovation District, supported by a $5 million JobsOhio Research and Development Center grant. Andelyn also has received a significant private-sector investment.

Andelyn Biosciences was born out of groundbreaking work at Nationwide Children’s, where the first FDAapproved systemic gene therapy was developed. Andelyn combines the names Andrew and Evelyn, who were among the first children to receive experimental gene therapy there several years ago.

Erandi De Silva, Forge Biologics co-founder and senior vice president of product development, says the Region is rapidly becoming an epicenter for gene therapy and other biotech endeavors.

In addition to its own small clinical pipeline, Forge works with dozens of outside clients to accelerate the development and manufacture of viral vectors, and its 200,000-squarefoot headquarters houses some of the world’s largest bioreactors. Forge is poised to become the largest dedicated adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector manufacturer in the world in the next few years, company leaders say.

“We’ve heard from many investors that this really is a big feather in Ohio’s cap,” De Silva says.

De Silva says Forge looked at 25 to 30 other sites before deciding to locate in Grove City. “They’ve been fantastic partners, from the mayor to the development department,” she says. Other assets included reasonably priced housing, proximity to the airport and building infrastructure. “They checked a lot of boxes for us and offered us an opportunity to grow.”

A TRANSFORMING REGION

Big Deals

The Columbus Region lands numerous major high-tech developments, especially from California

By Brian R. Ball

★All the buzz, and rightly so, has been about Intel Corp.’s massive plans for Central Ohio. But there have been plenty of other major developments that will significantly impact the Columbus Region’s economy.

For instance, there’s Hyperion Motors Inc. When its leaders decided to move out of Southern California for the southwest edge of Columbus earlier this year, they sought a friendlier, more business-orientated climate in which to move cutting-edge research and development efforts into the second gear of production. “California’s not ideal for manufacturing, without a lot of government support,” says Angelo Kafantaris, co-founder and CEO of Hyperion Motors, which manufactures hydrogen fuel-cell products.

The technology company had its 2011 origins in Columbus, but it moved to Orange, California, a few years later in part because the state had some hydrogen fueling stations and other hydrogen-power infrastructure in place necessary to support its research and development. “We were not eying Ohio,” Kafantaris says about the company’s recent relocation efforts.

That said, Kafantaris had attended high school with an engineering focus in Warren, near Youngstown in northeast Ohio, and also went to Ohio State University after going to an engineering college in Detroit. Columbus also served as home to some of the venture capital sources that have funded the company since its inception.

He also cites Ohio’s steep history in the manufacturing of vehicles and the proximity of Hyperion suppliers and

Ohio State’s Center for Transportation Research. Another plus: The layout of the facility the company purchased— the former Dispatch Printing Co.’s newspaper plant—was conducive to producing fuel-cell membranes. “When you put it together, no other state offered these factors,” Kafantaris says.

The announcement of that economic win for the Region came soon after Intel revealed it will invest $20 billion in the Licking County section of the New Albany International Business Park. That project is slated to create 3,000 permanent jobs as the rollout of chip production begins in 2025, as well as the expectation that related tech manufacturers and service-sector businesses will follow to serve Intel’s operations. That facility will boost the expansion of chips made in the U.S. to help other American industries—including automakers—gain access to

Hyperion unveiled a prototype of the XP-1, a sports car fueled by hydrogen.

the electronic brains in an ever-growing number of products.

Hyperion Motors isn’t alone in finding fertile ground in greater Columbus. The French electric vehicle battery producer Forsee Power has chosen the former Zaner-Bloser warehouse in Hilliard as its U.S. headquarters; the site also will include research and production operations set to create 150 jobs during the next five years.

And the high-profile pharmaceutical giant Amgen Inc. boosted the region’s biotech aspirations in late 2021 when it began construction of a $365 million production and packaging facility for drug vials and syringes within the New Albany office and industrial park. That facility promises to hire 400 in support of the operations, which are set to open in mid-2024.

Producing Vitamins with Room to Grow

Count California-based Pharmavite LLC as another biotech company lured to the region. The producer of Nature Made, Equelle and MegaFood products has a $200 million facility under construction—also within the New

Albany International Business Park.

Director of operations Kara Roeder says the facility will mark Pharmavite’s second production facility outside the two in its home state. The New Albany facility will expand production of its line of Nature Made gummy vitamins, which it also produces in an Alabama plant it opened in 2013 that operates 24 hours, seven days a week. That facility, she says, offers no expansion opportunities on-site.

The New Albany facility of 200,000 to 250,000 square feet will primarily serve markets in the Midwest and Northeast U.S. It has enough surplus land to grow the manufacturing campus. “We want to ensure we have capacity not just for four or five years, but for possibly 20 or 30 years,” Roeder says. “We’re setting ourselves up for the long run.”

She says Pharmavite considered 70 markets before narrowing it to three and, ultimately, choosing the New Albany park. Roeder cites the region’s favorable cost of labor, future expansion opportunity on the chosen 40-acre site, and reliable utility service among the reasons the company came to the Columbus Region. Roeder

also notes Ohio State University as an important resource as a research partner and likely source for in-house researchers. The New Albany operation, set to open in late 2024, also will include bringing in other research and development partners. “That sets us apart,” Roeder says. “The science behind the product is so important.”

The choice did not surprise CEO Jeff Bouttelle, a Bowling Green native who earned his bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University. He has held several positions at other Ohio businesses, including Procter & Gamble, Nestle USA, Abbott Nutrition and University Hospitals of Cleveland. Boutelle says he did not tip the scales in the choice of the Columbus Region. “While the [location] committee came to the decision on its own,” he says, “I am very pleased with the outcome and not at all surprised.”

Improving Domestic PPE Access

American Nitrile CEO Jacob Block did not need a full marketing push about the benefits the Columbus Region offered manufacturers. The Bexley

A rendering of the Amgen packaging plant being built in New Albany

Rendering courtesy Amgen

native spent much of his venture capital career as managing partner of the First Avenue Capital firm in New York but saw an opportunity to return medical supply manufacturing to the U.S. in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “How could it be the U.S. shipped all of PPE manufacturing overseas?” he wondered.

Sourcing of gloves for the medical market from China became more difficult as the scourge spread in the virus’ (presumed) country of origin. And the option of sourcing natural rubber gloves from Malaysian producers became unattractive as prices soared amid broken supply contracts. “We became very intrigued with the nitrile [glove] market,” says Block, who grew up in the Block Bagels business started by his grandfather, Harold Block. “You can produce the gloves wherever oil [petroleum] is produced,” shortening the product supply chain.

Reshoring the production of essential gloves for the domestic market begins at American Nitrile this fall in a revamped, 527,000-square-foot distribution center first occupied by Pier One Imports (and later Stone Corp. to store cell phone parts) in Grove City. This fall, the first 200 workers of a planned 400-employee operation should begin working on half of the 12 eventual production lines.

The project includes on-site treatment of the 300 million gallons of wastewater the operation will use annually, with the expectation that half of the reclaimed water will get put back into the manufacturing operation. “We’ll be the largest, most advanced and greenest glove factory in the world when we go online this fall,” says Block. Once the remaining lines open next summer, the operation will produce 40,000 gloves per line per hour, for an annual production of 3.6 billion medical and nonmedical gloves.

Block credits the region’s labor force, access to water and other strong utility resources, and a favorable regulatory environment for the project’s location in the Columbus Region, as well as a base of local investors who provided nearly 25 percent of the funding. “Columbus,” Block says, “is very favorable to building a business.”

The Amazon AWS: New Albany Data Center

American Nitrile CEO Jacob Block did not have to get a full marketing push about the benefits the Columbus Region offered manufacturers.

Building on Amazon’s Data Farm

Creating the foundation for the wave of high-impact businesses moving into the Columbus Region includes the emphasis during the last 30 years of Central Ohio’s location as a logistics and transportation hub at the crossroads of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River. It also has sought to build economic development success on the rise of Ohio State as a leading research university engaged with One Columbus—formerly known as Columbus 2020—and other stakeholders in the business sector and civic and nonprofit arenas to expand into a tech town of sorts.

Matt McQuade, One Columbus’ managing director of business development, credits the successful attraction of Amazon Web Services in the mid-2010s as the significant turning point that put greater Columbus on

If you need office space and you want to be in the heart of a thriving, amenity rich commercial district, UA’s Lane Avenue corridor has it all…a walkable environment surrounded by beautiful, established neighborhoods…hotels, shops and restaurants…exciting new apartment and townhome housing options…easy access to the region…and all within a community known for its top notch services. Find out why so many businesses are choosing to call Upper Arlington home.

Photo by Doral Chenoweth III/Columbus Dispatch

the map of “must consider” locations for global technology companies seeking expansion sites.

AWS “put us on a lot of people’s radars,” says McQuade, who has spent nearly 12 years with the economic development organization on top of nearly five years in economic development roles with the state of Ohio. Since Amazon’s initial $1 billion commitment, Google Cloud (Alphabet) and Facebook (Meta) have built data farms in the New Albany park, one of the three data farm sites Amazon had secured in the region. Google has since signaled plans for an expansion facility on 500 acres off Route 23 just outside the southern rim of Interstate 270 and on another site it has purchased in Lancaster.

Amazon Web Services “really changed the dynamics for the Region, even though we already had a good story,” McQuade says. “We’re nationally recognized now as a technology community, as well as a landing point for companies on either coast.”

Columbus did, in fact, land in the top 20 potential sites for the highly sought-after HQ2, the project name Amazon gave its site search for a second headquarters as a way to spread its growth from its Seattle campus. The $5 billion project promised 50,000 jobs to the winning city. While Columbus did not ultimately win, McQuade says the effort provided instruction for more recent successes. “It brought us a tremendous amount of national

media attention,” he says. “It was like we were in a different league.”

Amazon remains an active economic development partner as it continues to grow its tech business and retail distribution network throughout Ohio. It has two additional sites in Hilliard poised for development beyond the initial campus at Hayden Run Road and Britton Parkway, even as it continues to develop its New Albany data campus.

McQuade also says the biotech sector of the regional economy has started to bear fruit after years of outside companies funding research at Battelle, Ohio State and other tech resources and carting off the resulting tech startup to their hometowns for growth. He cites Nationwide Children’s Hospital spinoff Myonexus, which focuses on gene therapy treatments of rare diseases, as a success story at keeping technology developed at those R&D facilities here.

In part, keeping and growing the operation in Columbus rested on lead researcher Dr. Louise Rodino-Klapac’s desire not to move development to Boston. (Sarepta Therapeutics, based in Boston, had acquired Myonexus.) The growth of biotech production has reached the point where companies will consider locating operations where the tech was created. “Now we’re starting to build something of our own,” McQuade says, as the graduate students and Ph.D.s doing the research become the workforce pool.

“As companies get a foothold in the market, then the growth continues.”

Ohio as Fuel Cell Central

Hyperion Motors’ Kafantaris says the Columbus facility will focus on bringing stationary and mobile hydrogen fuelcell products to market. One of those is the XP-1 Hypercar, a limited-edition, highly fuel-efficient auto designed to demonstrate the practicality of hydrogen as an alternative fuel. It’s also intended to show it has better electric storage technology than the electric vehicles now on the market, which rely on the existing power grid. The tech promises applications for heavy trucks and public transit vehicles, without the drawbacks of current technologies.

He points to broader statewide efforts to boost hydrogen fuel cells, including a cooperative private- and public-sector effort to create the Midwest Hydrogen Center of Excellence through competing for a share of $8 billion of federal funding promoting conversion of natural gas into hydrogen fuel. “The key to hydrogen [fuel] growth is collaboration,” Kafantaris says. “Ohio is in a good position to take advantage of its resources. Hydrogen could become Ohio’s oil.”

And he expects the Columbus Region to receive a good share of the benefits of this advancing technology. “Columbus is a forever young city,” he says, “always attracting the best of the best.”

“Ohio is in a good position to take advantage of its resources. Hydrogen could become Ohio’s oil.”

ANGELO KAFANTARIS, co-founder and CEO of Hyperion Motors

Facebook Data Centers in New Albany

Photo by Doral Chenoweth III/Columbus Dispatch

The Region at a Glance

Explore the 11 counties of the Columbus Region.

By Laurie Allen

★With a population of more than 2.2 million people, the Columbus Region is a dynamic metropolitan area experiencing unprecedented growth. As home to one of the youngest and most educated populations in the country, its 11 counties are helping shape the future of commerce, technology and education.

The Region is diverse, with a combination of global companies and home-grown businesses, land use ranging from rural to industrial, and an abundance of educational opportunities and natural resources. These counties embrace innovative thinking and are poised to prosper.

Data sources: population from 2021 Census population estimates; age, households and income from 2020 ACS 5-year estimates

Population

220,740

Median age 39.2

Households

71,521

Median household income $111,411

KNOWLEDGE IS AN ASSET in Delaware County, which is home to three institutions of higher education: Columbus State Community College (Delaware Campus), Methodist Theological School and Ohio Wesleyan University. More than half of the county’s residents have a bachelor’s degree.

Despite its inland location 25 miles north of Downtown Columbus, it has 140 miles of shoreline along its rivers, lakes and reservoirs—the most of any county in the state.

Photo by Eric Albrecht/The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio Wesleyan University

FAIRFIELD

Population 161,064

Median age 39.6

Households 57,071

Median household income $70,906

AS THE FOURTH-fastest-growing county in Ohio over the past decade, Fairfield County is home to more than 3,000 businesses amid a wide range of community surroundings, both metropolitan and rural.

Fairfield County is home to more than 5,000 acres of parkland and preserves, as well as the scenic Hocking Hills, and the county has a rich history in farming and manufacturing.

FRANKLIN

FRANKLIN COUNTY is at the epicenter of the state’s political, economic and social presence.

Ohio’s capital city, Columbus, is located in Franklin County, which is home to thriving businesses, outstanding educational institutions

Photo courtesy One Columbus

Downtown Lancaster

Population

1,321,414

Median age 34.2

Households

519,237

Median household income

$62,352

and strong public-private sector alliances. Rapidly becoming known as a tech hub, Franklin County attracts renowned researchers, entrepreneurs, millennial talent and forward-thinking leaders.

We say ‘yes’ to every challenge.

We invest the time and resources to remove barriers and engineer unmatched solutions to elevate patient care and experience.

We don’t believe in handoffs.

We function as a seamless team to safely move patients through the continuum of care and reduce errors common in care transitions.

We’re more than a partner.

We defy expectations of traditional partnerships by embedding ourselves in our partners’ teams, owning their goals with equal determination, and aligning our program to their unique needs.

Photo by Robb McCormick Photography

Storefronts in Historic Dublin

Population

62,897

Median age 39.4

Households 23,027

Median household income $61,590

LICKING

Population 180,401

Median age 40

Households 64,466

Median household income $67,736

GIFTED WITH SOME of the finest landscape views in Ohio, Knox County offers a rural lifestyle while being deeply dedicated to the Columbus metro area. The county seat, Mount Vernon, is the largest city and is surrounded by development-minded communities.

Knox County is an educated community, with highly ranked schools and higher education centers, including Kenyon College in Gambier and Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

THE PERFECT MIX of small-town charm and big-city benefits, Licking County offers a high quality of life and low cost of living.

The county’s strong infrastructure, diverse workforce and incentives for new and growing businesses are assets for economic growth. Three universities (including the private, liberal arts college Denison University), two technical schools and more than 20 public and private schools help create a diverse and talented workforce.

Photo courtesy One Columbus

South Main Plaza in Mount Vernon

Photo courtesy One Columbus

The Ohio State University at Newark

Population

46,035

Median age 41.2

Households 18,604

Median household income $60,417

HOME TO THRIVING communities like Indian Lake, West Liberty and Bellefontaine, Logan County is situated at the highest point in Ohio, 60 minutes from Downtown Columbus. Industry is expanding and continuing to invest in the county; nearly 10,000 people commute here daily to work. The county is home to the Transportation Research Center Inc., the largest independent vehicle test facility and proving ground in the country.

Photo by Doral Chenoweth III/Columbus Dispatch

The Logan County Courthouse in Bellfontaine

MADISON

Population

44,386

Median age 41.1

Households

15,017

Median household income $68,633

MADISON COUNTY OFFERS a rich combination of agricultural heritage, a growing business and residential sector, and a strong sense of community.

With 88 percent of its land being operated as farms, Madison County ranks fourth in Ohio for both corn and soybean production. It’s also home to strong local school districts and successful companies in a variety of industries.

MARION

MARION COUNTY is an innovative and evolving community with a key focus on workforce development. With numerous educational offerings such as RAMTEC, an industry leader in providing robotics and

Photo by Eric Albrecht/Columbus Dispatch

Photo courtesy One Columbus

Harding Memorial

Population

35,151

Median age 42.7

Households

13,064

Median household income $61,769

PICKAWAY

Population 59,333

Median age 39.5

Households 19,808

Median household income $61,629

HOME TO GLOBAL employers and local companies, Morrow County continues to strengthen its employment and economic base. Its smalltown atmosphere, colorful history and strong manufacturing presence all contribute to its growth.

The county is home to global employers like Dollar Tree and Cardington Yutaka Technologies, as well as home-grown brands like Lubrication Specialists, Inc.

WITH A CURRENT population of more than 59,000, Pickaway County is poised to grow by more than 16,000 residents by the year 2030. The area has rural charm and a strong work ethic, but it keeps all the comforts of being situated in a large metropolitan area. The county has a well-developed transportation and utility infrastructure system that can accommodate most industrial and business needs.

Photo courtesy One Columbus

Morrow County Courthouse in Mount Gilead

Photo courtesy One Columbus

Farm land in Pickaway County

Population 64,971

Median age 38.1

Households 20,695

Median household income $88,565

UNION COUNTY is the secondfastest-growing county in Ohio, with a strong emphasis on economic diversification and vitality.

Union County provides businesses with many advantages, including a diverse and highly skilled workforce, growing population, and low cost of living and doing business, plus direct access to surrounding metro areas.

Photo by Thomas Wasinski

Engineers, Subscribeor renew yourannualsubscription to Columbus Monthly for$18.

Labor & Employment Law Firm

Einstein Law

Runners-up:

 Bricker & Eckler

 Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease

Law Firm (fewer than 50 attorneys)

Einstein Law

Runners-up:

 Carlile Patchen & Murphy

 Grossman Law Offices

Law Firm (more than 50 attorneys)

Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease

Runners-up:

 Bricker & Eckler

 Ice Miller

Litigation Firm

Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease

Runners-up:

 Carlile Patchen & Murphy  Ice Miller

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Attraction for Visitors

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Runners-up:

 Franklin Park Conservatory and Botantical Gardens

 Columbus Blue Jackets games

Audiovisual Production Company

Mills James

Runners-up:

 Brainstorm Media  LIVE

FILE /Joshua

A.

Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch

Caterer

Freedom a la Cart

Runners-up:

 Cameron Mitchell Premier Events

 City Barbeque Catering

Country Club

Muirfield Village Golf Club and Scioto Country Club (tie)

Runner-up:

 Jefferson Golf & Country Club

Meeting Space (Conference Center)

The Exchange at Bridge Park

Runners-up:

 WatersEdge Event and Conference Center

 Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center

Private Golf Course

Muirfield Village Golf Club

Runners-up:

 Scioto Country Club

 Country Club at Muirfield Village

Promotional Products Company

Artina Promotional Products

Runners-up:

 Z Promotions

 Idegy Public Golf Course

Golf Club of Dublin

Runners-up:

 Raymond Memorial Golf Course

 Blacklick Woods Golf Course and Safari Golf Club (tie)

PERSONAL PERKS

Auto Dealer

Roush Auto Group

Runners-up:

 Ricart Automotive Group

 Byers Auto

CD-32045295

Executive Transportation

NetJets

Runners-up:

 Cardinal Transportation

 Classic Limousine

Fitness Facility

Orange Theory Fitness

Runners-up:

 Planet Fitness

 YMCA of Central Ohio

Florist

Connells Maple Lee Flowers & Gifts

Runners-up:

 De Santis Florist Inc. and Valentine

Floral (tie)

Jeweler

Diamonds Direct

Runners-up:

 Diamond Cellar

 Worthington Jewelers

Private Flight Service

NetJets

Runners-up:

 Wheels Up  Lane Aviation

Spa/Salon

Penzone Salons + Spas

Runners-up:

 Kenneth’s Hair Salons and Day Spas

 Woodhouse Day Spa

REAL ESTATE

Commercial Developer

Kaufman Development

Runners-up:

 Crawford Hoying

 Daimler Group

Commercial Interior Design Firm

MA Design (formerly M+A Architects)

Runners-up:

 KP Designs & Associates

 WSA Studio

House Charities of Central Ohio

Voted

the Best Large Non-Profit

Thank you for making an immeasurable impact on improving the health and well-being of children and their families.

We are proud to partner with you to create a hopeful future for our community.

Congratulations to Ronald McDonald

Commercial Roofing Company

Feazel

Runners-up:

 Able Roofing

 Cotterman & Company Inc.

Custom Home Builder

3 Pillar Homes

Runners-up:

 Bob Webb Group

 Romanelli & Hughes Building Co.

General Contractor

Continental Building Co.

Runners-up:

 Corna Kokosing Construction Co.

 Ruscilli Construction Co.

HVAC Company

Custom Air

Runners-up:

 Atlas Butler Heating & Cooling

 CJS Heating and Air

Bringing families together

Landscaper/Nursery

Oakland Nurseries

Runners-up:

 Strader’s Garden Centers

 GreenScapes Landscape Co.

Real Estate Agency, Commercial HER Realtors

Runners-up:

 Newmark Knight Frank  CASTO

Real Estate Agency, Residential Capital Property Solutions

Runners-up:

 HER Realtors

 Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty

Residential/Multifamily Developer The Champion Cos.

Runners-up:

 Kaufman Development

 Epcon Communities

We believe working and living in our community is best when serving it as well. Through our partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio, it’s our privilege to help families so they can focus on spending precious time together.

Congratulations, RMHC on being voted the best largest nonprofit!

Learn how we support our community at grangeinsurance.com

THE SEASON NEVER ENDS THESEASON NEVERENDS AT

Helping clients make history since 1953, we’re grateful to the central Ohio business readers, clients and friends for believing we are the best at what we do.

Retirement Community

Westerwood (formerly Friendship Village Columbus)

Runners-up:

 LSS Kensington Place

 Friendship Village of Dublin

WORKFORCE

Employee Benefit Firm

McGohan Brabender

Runners-up:

 Quantum Health

 Willis Towers Watson

Employer (fewer than 500 employees)

KEMBA Financial Credit Union

Runners-up:

 Pathways Financial Credit Union

 MA Design (formerly M+A Architects)

Employer (more than 500 employees)

Quantum Health

Runners-up:

 OhioHealth

 Orthopedic ONE

Executive Coach Firm

Renogize Professional Coaching

Runners-up:

 Gerber

 Mindset Change Coaching

Temporary Employment Agency

Acloché

Runners-up:

 Dawson

 Portfolio Creative

BEST OF THE REST

Large Nonprofit (annual revenue over $7 million)

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio

Runners-up:

 Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio

 Mid-Ohio Food Collective

Small Nonprofit (annual revenue under $7 million)

Huckleberry House

Runners-up:

 Freedom a la Cart

 A Kid Again Startup

Prescribe FIT

Runners-up:

 Do Gooder

 Aware

Suburb to Do Business

Dublin

Runners-up:

 Westerville

 Hilliard

American Electric Power

Amplifying the Mental Health Conversation

By LAURA NEWPOFF

After graduating from law school in 2009, Lindsay Karas Stencel had a good job, and “on paper,” her life was perfect. Behind the scenes, however, her mental health was falling apart, so much so she almost took her own life. As she laid on the floor crying into the carpet, she looked at her two dogs and imagined them saying, “Mom, you’re worth fighting for.” Today, she allows herself to be vulnerable by sharing her story in the chance it might help both colleagues and her law students at Ohio State University.

“I tell them my story, I tell them that it is hard,” says the Thompson Hine partner who serves as co-chair of its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative. “But I also know that there is hope and that there is something that we can look forward to on the other side. And how do we be the person that’s not only supportive of them but helps to point them in a direction that says, ‘Hey, I know maybe your family stigmatizes seeking help, but this is about you, and your family would much rather have you here than not have you here had you not sought help.’”

Karas Stencel shared her story this summer during Columbus CEO magazine’s most recent quarterly Diverse Leaders in Law forum, “Amplifying the Mental Health Conversation.” She was joined by local attorneys and a counseling professional who gathered to talk about intensifying the focus on mental health issues.

The conversation was timely. Like so many other things that have accelerated over the past two-and-ahalf years because of COVID-19, the conversation around mental health has been amplified as people struggle with circumstances that are unprec-

“As the American Bar Association reports, the findings of two studies in 2016 revealed high rates of substance use and mental health disorders among law students and lawyers.”

A panel of attorneys and a counseling professional discuss coping strategies.

Lindsay Karas Stencel FILE/Rob Hardin

edented in their lifetime. That includes the shift to remote work, a never-seenbefore health crisis and social unrest related to the killing of unarmed Black men like George Floyd.

Coping With the Pressure

For attorneys, the mental health conversation predates the pandemic. As the American Bar Association reports, the findings of two studies in 2016 revealed high rates of substance use and mental health disorders among law students and lawyers, putting the issue of well-being front and center in the practice of law. The legal profession is a demanding one. Attorneys

endure long hours grappling with complex cases. They have to meet the high expectations of their employers and clients. And, if they are in a firm, they have the ever-present pressure of the billable hour. They often work nights, weekends and holidays while trying to balance personal and family life amid these pressures.

Fortunately, there’s been societal progress in destigmatizing mental health challenges. A 2019 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 87 percent of Americans felt having a mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of.

Meanwhile, over the summer, the Supreme Court of Ohio was considering changes to the rules governing the process of assessing the charac-

ter and fitness of candidates for admission to the practice of law, Court News Ohio reports. That included eliminating this factor: “Evidence of mental or psychological disorder that in any way affects or, if untreated, could affect the applicant’s ability to practice law in a competent and professional manner.”

The proposed change reflects reports that law school students across the nation are not seeking mental health assistance due to concerns regarding the ramification of disclosure during the character and fitness process.

Joining Karas Stencel at the Diverse Leaders in Law forum were:

• Chante Meadows, MSW, LISW-S, the founder of Meadows Counseling Group

• Shalini Goyal, an associate at Jones Day and treasurer of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Central Ohio

• Frank Carson, a partner at Frost Brown Todd

The discussion was moderated by Jocelyn Armstrong, director of inclusion and outreach at the Ohio State Bar Association. She began the conversation by pointing out that people who feel marginalized in society— whether as a woman, person of color or someone who has a disability—experience additional layers of mental health stressors. Helpful resources include the Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Advice From Local Attorneys

The following are excerpts from the conversation, which have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Meadows says it’s important for law professionals to find allies at work they can talk with about their mental health challenges. That’s because if a person feels isolated or alone, it can lead to further trauma, burnout and, in the worst-case scenario, suicide.

“If I feel like no one cares, no one is listening, then I can’t show up to work as my full self,” Meadows says. She says a person who doesn’t have at least one ally in the office may have to set stiff workplace boundaries

Chante Meadows Frank Carson

Shalini Goyal

Jocelyn Armstrong

Courtesy Jones Day

Courtesy Frost Brown Todd

Courtesy Chante Meadows

Courtesy Jocelyn Armstrong

because they’ll need to seek mental health support elsewhere.

For Goyal, affinity bars such as the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Central Ohio can serve as support systems for people with shared identities. Members of APABA-CO have hosted advocacy events, promoted proAsian/Pacific Islander legislation and held re-enactments of trials that have impacted their community. That included a recent re-enactment of the trial of the two men who murdered Chinese native Vincent Chin in Detroit 40 years ago. The men were sentenced to only three years’ probation and a $3,000 fine plus costs, but with no jail time.

“It was a way to identify with those emotions and feelings and share that with the broader community,” Goyal says. “[Affinity bars] fill a place and [allow] for an emotional response that is welcomed among people with shared ideas and shared identities who can really relate.”

Law firms, too, have been good pillars of support and a provider of resources as attorneys have adjusted to a new way of life during the pandemic, Carson says. In summer 2021, for example, Frost Brown Todd started a series of webinars called “Mental Health Matters” to address topics such as stress and burnout. The firm also has hosted mental health workshops, offers on-site grief counseling and funnels mental health tips onto Outlook calendars. There also are plans to give attorneys and staff access to a mental health app. Aside from such tools, he says personal connections go a long way in helping others with their mental well-being.

“It’s the acknowledgement that it’s OK to check in on your colleagues, and it’s not only OK but it’s something that we should be doing,” he says. “You never really know what someone’s going through … but if we all check up on each other, that will go a long way.”

CREATING CULTURAL COMPETENCE

Cultural competence is more than counting heads for representation—it’s how you center, value and respect those individuals to their maximum contribution and benefit to themselves and their organizations.

Through 20 years of service, Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence, Inc. (MACC) has been the premier statewide organization offering cultural competence education and training for behavioral health and health care systems, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, businesses and organizations. We envision leading Ohio into a future empowered by equity and the endless value it creates, because discrimination in any form harms people, communities and economy.

In collaboration with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), MACC led the creation of Ohio’s cultural competence definition. We define cultural competence as “… a continuous learning process that builds knowledge, awareness, skills and capacity to identify, understand and respect the unique beliefs, values, customs, languages, abilities and traditions of all Ohioans in order to develop policies to promote effective programs and services.”

We are a clearinghouse for training, resources, research, best practices and collaboration. We are dedicated to equipping organizations with the tools they need to establish, strengthen and implement culturally competent practices. Our services include comprehensive cultural climate assessments and consulting services to support you in developing and implementing a cultural competence strategy. In addition, we offer certification and membership options that will provide cost-effective resources, training and services to help distinguish your business/organization as a leader in the human capital equity space. Our industry-specific cultural competence certification immerses your team in a thoughtful, comprehensive exploration of diversity, equity and inclusion that elevates teams and culminates in our Cultural Competence Seal.

Our research-based and -supported Return On Investment tools help demonstrate the value of investing in cultural competence training and initiatives. We offer live, virtual and e-learning self-paced training tools to help meet the needs of your team. We invite

you to explore our offerings and members-only resources.

With our approach and proven results, our training and tools leave you in a position of sustainability that gives you the ability to grow into an inclusive organizational culture, maintain higher employee retention and morale, and potentially reduce the risk of discrimination complaints and lawsuits. We look forward to serving as your guide to strengthen internal and external relationships that lead to better service outcomes, expanded profit margins and thriving work cultures.

The best way to break down barriers is to get face-to-face and experience one another. Join us as we engage, educate and empower at our Annual Conference, our Cultural Conversations, or just be social and join us at our Annual MACC Classic Golf Outing or our Annual Gala and experience food and fun from around the globe. MACC stands ready to meet you where you are and help usher you into a safer, more productive place of equity and inclusion.

Yours in service,

Tracy Maxwell Heard

2323 W. Fifth Ave., Suite 160 Columbus, OH 43204

614-221-7841

maccinc.net

How building knowledge around cultural issues supports business and community

Courtesy MACC

“You will never succeed at diversity and inclusion until you master cultural competence.”

Tracy Maxwell Heard

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2022 Columbus Legal Guide

Our annual directory features 107 law firms specializing in practice areas from business law to workers’ compensation.

Compiled by KEVIN CAPRON

If legal representation is what you need, Columbus CEO has you covered. Our annual survey of multiple-attorney firms drew responses from 107 organizations throughout Central Ohio this year. There are numerous firms to choose from, ranging in size from those with more than 100 attorneys to those with only two.

Information was submitted by responding law firms. Listings include the number of partners and full-time attorneys (including partners) in the Columbus area, up to three areas of practice and the person who heads the local office. To be added to the contact list for the 2023 Columbus Legal Guide, send an email to pressreleases@ columbusceo.com.

Allen Stovall

Neuman & Ashton LLP

10 W. Broad St., Suite 2400, Columbus 43215 614-221-8500

asnalaw.com

Partners: 6

FTE attorneys: 10

Practice areas: Bankruptcy; litigation; tax Managing partner: Todd Neuman, administrative partner Amy M. Levine

Attorneys at Law LLC

3 S. High St., New Albany 43054 614-224-5291

ohiowvlaw.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Family law; criminal defense; bankruptcy

Managing partner: Amy Levine, managing member

Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler LLP

560 E. Town St., Columbus 43215 614-221-0944

adwllp.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 6

Practice areas: Family law; estate planning; probate

Managing partner: Terrence Wheeler

Bailey Cavalieri 10 W. Broad St., Suite

2100, Columbus 43215 614-221-3155

baileycav.com

Partners: 29

FTE attorneys: 52

Practice areas: Corporate; litigation/trial practice; probate/ estates/trusts

Managing partner: Robert Dunn

BakerHostetler

200 Civic Center Drive, Suite 1200, Columbus 43215 614-228-1541

bakerlaw.com

Partners: 33

FTE attorneys: 66

Practice areas: Business and corporate; labor and employment; litigation

Managing partner: Mark Hatcher, partner

Barkan Meizlish DeRose Cox LLP

4200 Regent St., Suite 210, Columbus 43219 614-221-4221

barkanmeizlish.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Personal injury; wage and hour; workers’ compensation

Managing partner: Bob DeRose Barnes & Thornburg LLP

41 S. High St., Suite 3300, Columbus 43215

Getty Images/Zolnierek

614-628-0096

btlaw.com

Partners: 14

FTE attorneys: 25

Practice areas: Litigation; real estate; labor and employment

Managing partner: Bill Nolan

Barr, Jones and Associates LLP

150 E. Mound St., Suite 200, Columbus 43215 614-702-2222

barrjoneslegal.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Family law; bankruptcy; criminal law

Managing partners: Andrew Jones/ Jason Barr

Barrett, Easterday, Cunningham & Eselgroth LLP

7259 Sawmill Road, Dublin 43016 614-210-1840 ohiocounsel.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 7

Practice areas: Estate planning; commercial transactions; dispute resolution

Managing partner: David C. Barrett Jr.

Becker & Lilly LLC

475 Metro Place S., Suite 150, Dublin 43017 614-469-4778 beckerlilly.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Estate

planning; probate administration; business planning

Managing partner: Phillip G. Lilly

The Behal Law Group LLC

501 S. High St., Suite 200, Columbus 43215 614-643-5050 behallaw.com

Partners: 6

FTE attorneys: 8

Practice areas: Business law; divorce law; trial practice Managing partner: Bob Behal

Benesch 41 S. High St., Suite 2600, Columbus 43215

614-223-9300

beneschlaw.com

Partners: 23

FTE attorneys: 42

Practice areas: Healthcare; banking and finance; litigation Managing partner: Frank Carsonie, partner-in-charge

Bergman & Yiangou

3099 Sullivant Ave., Columbus 43204 614-279-8276 byattorneys.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Probate; domestic; bankruptcy

Managing partner: Robert D. Bergman

Bloomfield & Kempf LLC

1880 Mackenzie Drive, Suite 209, Columbus 43220

614-224-9221

bloomfieldkempf.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Immigration Managing partner: David Bloomfield

Bluestone Law Group LLC

141 E. Town St., Columbus 43215 614-220-5900

bluestonelawgroup. com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Tax incentives; real property tax appeals; business contract negotiations

Managing partner: Charles L. Bluestone

Bricker & Eckler LLP

100 S. Third St., Columbus 43215

614-227-2300

bricker.com

Partners: 43

FTE attorneys: 98

Practice areas: Litigation; public sector; healthcare

Managing partner: Jim Flynn

Bridges, Jillisky, Weller & Gullifer LLC

302 S. Main St., Marysville 43040 937-644-9125

cfbjs.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Workers’ compensation; Social Security disability; criminal/traffic

defense

Managing partner: Matthew A. Weller

Brosius, Johnson & Griggs LLC

1600 Dublin Road, Suite 100, Columbus 43215

614-464-3563

bjglaw.net

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 4

Practice areas: Real estate/construction; local government; condo/HOA/planned community

Managing partner: Calvin “Tom” Johnson Jr.

Buck & Fish Ltd. 3380 Tremont Road, Suite 110, Columbus 43221

614-538-2901

centralohioattorneys. com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Family law; collaborative family law process; adoption

Managing partner: Elaine S. Buck

Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP

1200 Huntington Center, 41 S. High St., Columbus 43215

614-621-1500

calfee.com

Partners: 7

FTE attorneys: 20

Practice areas: Corporate and finance; intellectual property; litigation

Managing partner: Leah Pappas Porner

Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP

950 Goodale Blvd., Suite 200, Columbus 43212

614-228-6135

cpmlaw.com

Partners: 15

FTE attorneys: 29

Practice areas: Business law; family wealth and estate planning; litigation

Managing partner: Jane Higgins Marx

Carpenter Lipps & Leland LLP

280 N. High St., Suite 1300, Columbus 43215 614-365-4100

carpenterlipps.com

Partners: 21

FTE attorneys: 37

Practice areas: Litigation; energy; public policy

Managing partner: Michael H. Carpenter

Colley Shroyer & Abraham Co. LPA

536 S. High St., Columbus 43215

614-228-6453

colleyshroyerabra ham.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 7

Practice areas: Medical malpractice; personal injury; FELA

Managing partner: David I. Shroyer

Collins & Slagle Co. LPA

351 W. Nationwide Blvd., Columbus 43215 614-228-1144

collins-slagle.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas:

Probate litigation; domestic relations; business litigation

Managing partner: Ehren Slagle

Collins, Roche, Utley & Garner 655 Metro Place S.

#200, Dublin 43017 614-901-9600

cruglaw.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 7

Practice areas: Personal injury; insurance coverage; construction law

Managing partner: Richard Garner, management committee member

Connor, Kimmet & Hafenstein LLP

2000 W. Henderson Road, Suite 460, Columbus 43220 614-779-0675

cehlaw.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 7

Practice areas: Workers’ compensation; personal injury; Social Security

Managing partner: Kenneth S. Hafenstein

Crabbe, Brown & James LLP

500 S. Front St., Suite 1200, Columbus 43215 614-228-5511

cbjlawyers.com

Partners: 7

FTE attorneys: 9

Practice areas: Corporate/business; insurance and general litigation; employment/school law

Managing partner: Larry H. James

Dagger Law

144 E. Main St., Lancaster 43130 740-653-6464

daggerlaw.com

Partners: 6

FTE attorneys: 8

Practice areas: Probate; family law;

real estate

Managing partner: Nicholas Grilli

Decker Vonau & Carr LLC

620 E. Broad St., Suite 200, Columbus 43215

614-242-4242

deckervonau.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Estate planning/probate; real estate; small business

Managing partner: James M. Vonau

Dickie McCamey

250 Civic Center Drive, Suite 280, Columbus 43215 614-258-6000

dmclaw.com

Partners: 5

FTE attorneys: 12

Practice areas:

Insurance defense; commercial litigation; medical malpractice

Managing partner: Joseph J. Golian

Dickinson Wright PLLC

180 E. Broad St., Suite 3400, Columbus 43215 614-744-2570

dickinsonwright.com

Partners: 14

FTE attorneys: 28

Practice areas: Corporate; tax; cannabis Managing partners: Scot Crow and J. Troy Terakedis, members and group chairs

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

191 W. Nationwide Blvd., Suite 200, Columbus 43215 614-628-6880

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dinsmore.com

Partners: 43

FTE attorneys: 90

Practice areas: Corporate; healthcare; litigation/trial practice

Managing partner: Stacey A. Borowicz

Dittmer, Wagoner & Steele LLC

107 W. Johnstown Road, Gahanna 43230

614-471-8181

dwslaw.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 6

Practice areas: Personal injury; homeowner and condominium association law; business litigation

Managing partner: Committee

The Donahey Law Firm LLC

580 S. High St., Columbus 43215

614-224-8166 donaheylaw.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 4

Practice areas: Personal injury; medical malpractice; workplace injuries

Managing partner: Richard S. Donahey

Dreher

Tomkies LLP

2750 Huntington Center, 41 S. High St., Columbus 43215 614-628-8000 dltlaw.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 6

Practice areas: Banking/financial services

Managing partner: Darrell L. Dreher

Eastman & Smith Ltd. 100 E. Broad St., Suite 2100, Columbus 43215 614-564-1445 eastmansmith.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 8

Practice areas: Environmental; labor and employment; litigation

Managing partner: Mark A. Shaw

Einstein Law LLC

1330 Poppy Hills Drive, Westerville 43081 614-734-0000 einsteinlawoffice. com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Domestic relations; employment law

Managing partner: Dianne Einstein, member/owner

Emens Wolper

Jacobs & Jasin One Easton Oval, Suite 550, Columbus 43219 614-414-0888

ewjjlaw.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 7

Practice areas: Family business; oil and gas; estate planning

Managing partner: Kelly Jasin, president

Fishel Downey

Albrecht & Riepenhoff LLP

7775 Walton Parkway, Suite 200, New Albany 43054 614-221-1216

fisheldowney.com

Partners: 8

FTE attorneys: 13

Practice areas: Litigation; insurance; labor and employment

Managing partner: Melanie J. Williamson

Fisher Phillips

250 West St., Suite 400, Columbus 43215 614-221-1425

fisherphillips.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 6

Practice areas: Labor and employment counsel and

litigation; workers’ compensation; workplace safety

Managing partner: Steven Loewengart

Fisher, Skrobot & Sheraw LLC

471 E. Broad St., Suite 1810, Columbus 43215 614-233-6950

fisherskrobot.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Banking law; general corporate business; estate, trust and probate

Managing partner: David A. Skrobot

Friedman & Mirman Co. LPA 1320 Dublin Road, Columbus 43215 614-221-0090

friedmanmirman.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 7

Practice areas: Family law; mediation

Managing partner: Denise Mirman

Frost Brown Todd

10 W. Broad St. #2300, Columbus 43215 614-464-1211

frostbrowntodd.com

Partners: 29

FTE attorneys: 48

Practice areas: Government services; labor and employment; real estate

Managing partner: Noel C. Shepard, office member-in-charge

Gallagher, Gams, Tallan, Barnes & Littrell LLP

471 E. Broad St., 19th Floor, Columbus 43215 614-228-5151

ggtbl.com

Partners: 8

FTE attorneys: 10

Practice areas: Personal injury; medical malpractice; litigation

Managing partners:

Belinda S. Barnes and Lori E. Thomson, comanaging partners

The Gittes Law Group

723 Oak St., Columbus 43205

614-222-4735

gitteslaw.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Civil rights; labor/employment; litigation/trial practice

Managing partner: Frederick M. Gittes

Golden & Meizlish Co. LPA

923 E. Broad St., Columbus 43205 614-258-1983

golmeizlaw.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: General litigation and transactional practice

Managing partner: Keith E. Golden

Gordon Bibart LLC

450 W. Wilson Bridge Road, Suite 340, Worthington 43085 614-410-9050

gordonbibart.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Business and tax related services; trusts and estates

Managing partner: John Gordon, member

Griffith Law Offices LPA

522 N. State St., Westerville 43082 614-890-4543

griffithlaw

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Real estate; civil trials; estate planning

Managing partner: Charles R. Griffith

Grossman Law Offices

32 W. Hoster St., Suite 100, Columbus 43215 614-221-7711

grossmanlawoffices. com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 9

Practice areas: Family law

Managing partner: Andrew S. Grossman

Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP

65 E. State St., Suite 1400, Columbus 43215 614-221-0240

hahnlaw.com

Partners: 7

FTE attorneys: 11

Practice areas: Complex commercial litigation; corporate law; construction/ real estate law

Managing partner: A.J. Hensel

Harris, McClellan, Binau & Cox PLL

37 W. Broad St., Suite 950, Columbus 43215 614-464-2572

hmbc.com

Partners: 5

FTE attorneys: 6

Practice areas: Litigation; contracts; real estate

Managing partner: N/A

Hollern & Associates

522 N. State St., Suite A, Westerville 43082 614-839-5700

ejhlaw.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Insurance coverage; insurance defense; criminal defense

Managing partner: Edwin J. Hollern

Hrabcak & Company LPA

67 E. Wilson Bridge Road, Suite 100, Worthington 43085 614-781-1400

hrabcaklaw.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 4

Practice areas: Business law; real estate law; litigation

Managing partner: Michael Hrabcak, president

Ice Miller 250 West St., Columbus 43215 614-462-2700

icemiller.com

Partners: 35

FTE attorneys: 70

Practice areas: Corporate transactions; litigation; real estate

Managing partner: Catherine Strauss

Isaac Wiles & Burkholder LLC

2 Miranova Place, Suite 700, Columbus 43215 614-221-2121

isaacwiles.com

Partners: 15

FTE attorneys: 35

Practice areas: Business; estate planning and probate; labor and employment

Managing partner: Brian Zets

Johrendt & Holford

250 E. Broad St., Suite 200, Columbus 43215 614-464-0082

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Business and tax litigation; estate and trust litigation; real estate

Managing partner: Michael Johrendt

Jones Day

325 John H. McConnell Blvd., Suite 600, Columbus 43215 614-469-3939

jonesday.com

Partners: 19

FTE attorneys: 47

Practice areas: Corporate; litigation/trial practice; intellectual property

Managing partner: Elizabeth Kessler

Joseph & Joseph & Hanna 155 W. Main St., Suite 200, Columbus 43209 614-449-8282 josephandjoseph. com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Family

law; real estate law; business litigation

Managing partner: Courtney Hanna

Kagay Albert Diehl Acklin & Groeber LLC

141 E. Town St., Suite 101, Columbus 43235 614-228-3895

kadglaw.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Real estate; estate planning; trusts and charitable organizations

Managing partner: John A. Groeber

Kaman & Cusimano LLC

8101 N. High St., Suite 370, Columbus 43235 614-882-3100

ohiocondolaw.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 8

Practice areas: Community association law

Managing partner: Jeffrey Kaman, partner in charge

Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter

65 E. State St., Suite 1800, Columbus 43215 614-462-5400

keglerbrown.com

Partners: 40

FTE attorneys: 62

Practice areas: Corporate; litigation; government affairs

Managing partner: Chris Weber

Kemp, Schaeffer & Rowe Co. LPA

88 W. Mound St., Columbus 43215 614-224-2678

ksrlegal.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 8

Practice areas: Family law; civil litigation; estate planning/probate

Managing partner: Julia L. Leveridge

Knisley Law Offices

1111 Dublin Road, Columbus 43215 614-486-9503

knisleylaw.com

Partners: 5

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Workers’ compensation; personal injury; Social Security disability

Managing partner: Doug Knisley

Kooperman

Mentel Ferguson

Yaross Ltd.

250 E. Town St., Suite 200, Columbus 43215 614-344-4800

kmfylaw.com

Partners: 6

FTE attorneys: 15

Practice areas: Real estate and corporate; litigation; government relations

Managing partner: Brian Kooperman

Kravitz, Brown & Dortch LLC

65 E. State St., Suite 200, Columbus 43215 614-464-2000

kravitzllc.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Civil and criminal litigation; utilities regulation; oil and gas

Managing partner: Michael D. Dortch

Kremblas & Foster 7632 Slate Ridge Blvd., Reynoldsburg 43068 614-575-2100

ohiopatent.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Patents; trademarks; intellectual property

Managing partner: Jason H. Foster

Larrimer and Larrimer

165 N. High St., Columbus 43215 614-221-7548

larrimer.com

Partners: 5

FTE attorneys: 7

Practice areas: Workers’ compensation

Managing partner: John Larrimer

The Law Offices of Saia & Piatt Inc. 713 S. Front St., Columbus 43206 614-444-3036

splaws.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: OVI; criminal defense;

family law

Managing partner: Jon J. Saia

Law Offices of William L. Geary Co. LPA

155 W. Main St., Columbus 43215

614-228-1968

columbusfamily lawyer.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 3

Practice areas: Domestic relations; family law

Managing partner: William L. Geary

Linda Lawrence 496 S. Third St., Columbus 43215 614-228-3664

ohio-family-law.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 7

Practice areas: Family law; estate planning; business

Managing partners: Linda Lawrence and Rodd Lawrence

Lumpe, Raber & Evans

37 W. Broad St., Suite 1140, Columbus 43215 614-221-5212 ohioliquorlaw.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Ohio

liquor law

Managing partner: David A. Raber

Luper Neidenthal & Logan 1160 Dublin Road, Suite 400, Columbus 43214 614-570-4627 lnlattorneys.com

Partners: 5

FTE attorneys: 15

Practice areas: Real estate; business; litigation

Managing partners: Matthew Anderson and Christian Donovan

Mac Murray & Shuster LLP

6525 W. Campus

Oval, Suite 210, New Albany 43054 614-939-9955

mslawgroup.com

Partners: 5

FTE attorneys: 9

Practice areas: Consumer protection law; privacy and data security; Telephone Consumer Protection Act/telemarketing law

Managing partner: Michele Shuster

Maguire Schneider Hassay LLP

1650 Lake Shore Drive, Suite 150, Columbus 43204 614-224-1222 msh-lawfirm.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 14

Practice areas: Litigation; personal injury; criminal

Managing partner: Wayne Hassay

Manos, Martin & Pergram Co. LPA

50 N. Sandusky St., Delaware 43015 740-363-1313

mmpdlaw.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Real estate; business; estate planning and probate

Managing partner: Stephen D. Martin

Massucci Law Group LLC

250 Civic Center Drive, Suite 600, Columbus 43215 614-358-4477 massuccilawgroup. com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Family law; juvenile custody; mediation

Managing partner: LeeAnn M. Massucci

McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC

21 E. State St., 17th Floor, Columbus 43215

614-469-8000

mcneeslaw.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 7

Practice areas: Intellectual property; litigation; energy and environmental law

Managing partner: Matthew Pritchard

Mowery Youell & Galeano Ltd.

485 Metro Place S., Suite 220, Dublin 43017 614-764-1444 myglaw.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 4

Practice areas: Employment; domestic; civil litigation

Managing partner: Judith E. Galeano

Newhouse, Prophater, Kolman & Hogan LLC 3366 Riverside Drive, Columbus 43221 614-255-5441

npkhlaw.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Employment; small business; higher education

Managing partner: William H. Prophater Jr.

The Nigh Law Group

300 S. Second St., Columbus 43215 614-379-6444

nighlawgroup.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Family law

Managing partner: Joseph Nigh

Onda LaBuhn Ernsberger & Boggs Co. LPA 35 N. Fourth St., Suite 100, Columbus 43215 614-716-0500

ondalabuhn.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 11

Practice areas: Business transactions;

real estate; estate planning and probate

Managing partner: Robert J. Onda, president

Peterson Conners LLP

545 Metro Place S., Suite 435, Dublin 43017 614-365-7000

petersonconners.com

Partners: 8

FTE attorneys: 9

Practice areas: Business law; litigation/ trial practice; trademark/copyright

Managing partner: N/A

Petroff Law Offices LLC

140 E. Town St., Suite 1070, Columbus 43215 614-222-4288

petrofflawoffices.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas:

Family law

Managing partner: Ronald R. Petroff

Plunkett Cooney

716 Mount Airyshire Blvd., Suite 150, Columbus 43235 614-629-3000

plunkettcooney.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 6

Practice areas:

Title and real estate; banking; employment

Managing partner: Christina Corl

Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP

41 S. High St., Suites 2800-3200, Columbus 43215 614-227-2000

portwright.com

Partners: 59

FTE attorneys: 100

Practice areas: Corporate; labor and employment; litigation

Managing partner: Robert J. Tannous

Reminger Co. LPA

200 Civic Center Drive, Suite 800, Columbus 43215 614-228-1311

reminger.com

Partners: 16

FTE attorneys: 29

Practice areas: Litigation/trial practice; probate/estates/ trusts; workers’ compensation

Managing partner: Ronald Fresco

Resch, Root, Philipps & Graham LLC 5115 Parkcenter Ave., Suite 275, Dublin 43017 614-760-1801 rrpg-law.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Estate planning; special needs planning; business planning

Managing partners: William Root, Logan Philipps and Derek Graham, partners

Rich & Gillis

Law Group LLC

5747 Perimeter Drive, Suite 150, Dublin 43017 614-228-5822

richgillislawgroup.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 6

Practice areas: Tax litigation; real estate; school law

Managing partner: Jeffrey A. Rich

Robert A. Bracco & Associates

1170 Old Henderson Road, Suite 109, Columbus 43220 614-442-1953

braccolaw.com

Partners: 1

FTE attorneys: 3

Patents Trademarks Copyrights Litigation Trade Secrets

Practice areas: Family law; business law; civil litigation

Managing partner: Robert A. Bracco

Roetzel & Andress

41 S. High St., 21st Floor, Columbus 43215 614-463-9770 ralaw.com

Partners: 10

FTE attorneys: 17

Practice areas: Litigation; probate, estates, trusts; corporate/transactional

Managing partner: Erika L. Haupt

Shumaker 4100 S. High St., Suite 2400, Columbus 43215 614-463-9441 shumaker.com

Partners: 5

FTE attorneys: 10

Practice areas: Litiga-

tion; environmental; government affairs

Managing partner: Michael J. O’Callaghan

Sowald, Sowald, Anderson, Hawley & Johnson

400 S. Fifth St., Suite 101, Columbus 43215 614-464-1877 sowaldlaw.com

Partners: 5

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Dissolutions; divorces; custody matters

Managing partner: Heather G. Sowald

Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP 2000 Huntington Center, 41 S. High St., Columbus 43215 614-365-2700

squirepattonboggs. com

Partners: 21

FTE attorneys: 68

Practice areas: Corporate; litigation; labor and employment

Managing partner: Traci L. Martinez

Standley Law Group LLP

6300 Riverside Drive, Dublin 43017 614-792-5555 standleyllp.com

Partners: 6

FTE attorneys: 10

Practice areas: Patents; trademarks; copyrights

Managing partner: Jeffrey S. Standley

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

41 S. High St., Suite 2200, Columbus 43215 614-221-5100 steptoe-johnson.com

Partners: 13

FTE attorneys: 20

Practice areas: Corporate; labor and employment; litigation

Managing partner: J. Kevin West, office managing member

Strip Hoppers Leithart McGrath & Terlecky

575 S. Third St., Columbus 43215 614-288-6345 columbuslawyer.net

Partners: 9

FTE attorneys: 14

Practice areas: Bankruptcy/insolvency; business representation/litigation; family law/probate/estate planning

Managing partner: Ken Goldberg

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

65 E. State St., Suite 1000, Columbus 43215 614-221-2838

taftlaw.com

Partners: 21

FTE attorneys: 41

Practice areas: Corporate; healthcare; litigation/trial practice

Managing partner: Janica Pierce Tucker

Taps Sutton & Roshon

400 S. Fifth St., Suite 103, Columbus 43215 614-443-8000

ohioseniorlaw.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 2

Practice areas: Elder law (including estate planning, Medicaid planning and guardianships)

Managing partner: Maggie Sutton

Thompson Hine LLP

41 S. High St., Suite 1700, Columbus 43215 614-469-3200

thompsonhine.com

Partners: 15

FTE attorneys: 34

Practice areas: Corporate transactions and securities; business litigation; investment management

Managing partner: Michael V. Wible

Ulmer & Berne LLP

65 E. State St., Suite 1100, Columbus 43215 614-229-0000 ulmer.com

Partners: 8

FTE attorneys: 12

Practice areas: Business litigation; product liability; intellectual property

Managing partner: Rex A. Littrell, partner-in-charge

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

52 E. Gay St., Columbus 43215 614-545-6400

vorys.com

Partners: 102

FTE attorneys: 173

Practice areas: Corporate; litigation; labor and employment

Managing partner: Michael Martz

Walter Haverfield

175 S. Third St., Suite 290, Columbus 43215 614-246-2150

walterhav.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 6

Practice areas: Business services/ ESOPs; real estate; education

Managing partner: Ralph E. Cascarilla

Weis Law Group LLC

22 E. Gay St., Columbus 43215 614-732-5566 woclaw.com

Partners: 2

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Family law litigation; prenuptial agreements; dissolution

Managing partner: Amy Weis

Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co. LPA

3705 Marlane Drive, Grove City 43123 614-801-2600

weltman.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 5

Practice areas: Consumer collections; commercial collections; bankruptcy recovery

Managing partner: James G. Kozelek

Weston Hurd LLP

101 E. Town St., Suite 500, Columbus 43215 614-280-0200

westonhurd.com

Partners: 10

FTE attorneys: 13

Practice areas: Insurance; litigation/trial practice; real property/construction

Managing partner: Kevin R. Bush

Wolinetz, Horvath, & Brown LLC

250 Civic Center Drive, Suite 220, Columbus 43215 614-341-7775

wolinetzlaw.com

Partners: 3

FTE attorneys: 6

Practice areas: Domestic relations

Managing partner: Dennis Horvath

Zeiger, Tigges & Little LLP

41 S. High St., Suite 3500, Columbus 43215 614-365-9900

litohio.com

Partners: 4

FTE attorneys: 12

Practice areas: Commercial litigation

Managing partner: Marion H. Little

JoinDispatchBlueJacketsbeat reporter BrianHedger andcolumnist MichaelArace fortheir regularCannon Fodderpodcast. Availablewherever youlisten to podcastsandat

Thank youtooursponsors,donorsand friends formakingthis year’s Homein Ohio eventanamazingsuccess. Proceeds raised willbeinvested to supportour frontlinecareprovidersandthewell-beingofthecommunitiesweserve.

John, Kevin +Arin MCNAMARA FAMILIES Ginni RAGAN

BUSINESS 2022

Photos by TIM JOHNSON

2022

THE FACES OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING

HOMEPORT

3443 Agler Road, Columbus, OH 43219 614-221-8889 • homeportohio.org

Homeport, the largest locally focused nonprofit developer of affordable housing in Central Ohio, is proud to honor Huntington at our Voice & Vision celebration on Oct. 20, 2022. Through its lending, grants and volunteer time, Huntington has been a key to Homeport’s success in providing affordable homes and building strong communities and has been a staunch proponent for housing stability and economic opportunity through education and program services. We invite you to join us to honor Huntington and support Homeport’s mission of quality affordable housing and critical homebuyer education. This year’s theme is “35 Years of

Building Stronger Communities.” Visit homeportohio.org/ voiceandvision for more information.

Since 1987, thousands of Central Ohio residents, families and seniors have benefitted from Homeport’s steadfast commitment to create strong communities by developing quality, affordable homes on a cornerstone of dignity, security and opportunity.

Pictured are staff, board and partners at Homeport’s Maple Meadows Apartments in Northland, which receives funding from Huntington and construction and property management from Wallick Communities.

From left, Emmett Kelly, Homeport Board Chair, Frost Brown Todd LLC, Member; Lisa Roberson, Homeport, Vice President, Human Resources; Daphne D. McKinnie, Huntington, Community Development Relationship Manager - Vice President; Leah F. Evans, Homeport, President & CEO; Aaron Wasserman, Homeport, Vice President, Real Estate Development; Valorie Schwarzmann, Homeport, CFO & Senior Vice President, Program Operations; Matt Keating, Homeport Board Member, Huntington, Senior Vice President; Maude Hill, Homeport, Senior Vice President, Community & Government Relations; Amy Albery, Wallick Communities, Chief Executive Officer

THE FACES OF WEALTH MANAGEMENT

CHORNYAK & ASSOCIATES

716 Mt. Airyshire Blvd., Ste. 200, Columbus, OH 43235 614-888-2121 • chornyak.com

There is nothing generic about what the team at Chornyak & Associates Financial Planning Consultants does. They develop and recommend comprehensive financial strategies from the ground up for every client with whom they work.

They believe in long-term relationships founded upon trust and open communication. As your trusted advisors, they believe it is important that they communicate to you what you need to know, not just what you would like to hear. And they believe that providing you with professional guidance and advice starts with a thorough understanding of your desires and goals. In developing your plan, they work with you and your other professional advisors to ensure complete and fully integrated consultation.

Chornyak manages over $1.4 billion in assets for over 1,000 individuals and businesses nationwide. The Columbus team grew its business through referrals from satisfied clients who recommended its customized, comprehensive financial planning to friends and colleagues.

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Member: FINRA, NYSE, SIPC.

Robert A. Mauk, CFP® - Financial Advisor

Joseph A. Chornyak, Sr., CFP® - Financial Advisor

Joseph A. Chornyak, Jr., CFP® - Financial Advisor

THE FACES OF LEGAL EXCELLENCE

CARLILE PATCHEN & MURPHY

Today, young professionals grow up alongside technology, and it is an integral part of their lives and futures. As technology evolves, so do business practices. While change doesn’t usually happen overnight, it can. Change requires a leadership team ready to innovate. Meet the Executive Team at Carlile Patchen & Murphy, helping to empower the next generation of lawyers. “As new attorneys join the practice, we are finding even more creative methods to blend the old with the new and to meet our clients’ needs more effectively,” says Jane Higgins Marx, CPM Managing Partner.

Thursday,October13,2022 |5:30PM-8:30PM |TheExchangeatBridgePark

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Investing in Pickleball Health Watch

By JOEL OLIPHINT + Photos by TIM JOHNSON

Dave Ganim, owner of Pickle Shack in Delaware County, says there are two types of people: Those who love pickleball, and those who’ve never played it.

A mix of tennis, pingpong and badminton, pickleball originated in the 1960s but has exploded in popularity in recent years, becoming the fastestgrowing sport in the country. Ganim

first picked up a pickleball paddle a few years ago after playing racquetball for most of his life. He took to it right away and eventually installed four pickleball courts at his house, where he hosts some of the area’s top picklers on Monday nights.

Goofy name aside, Ganim says pickleball offers some advantages over other racket sports. “With tennis, you have to get to a certain level

before you enjoy that sport,” Ganim says. Racquetball is similarly easy to learn, but the sport is often confined to athletic clubs, creating cost and accessibility barriers.

Pickleball, on the other hand, requires only a racket that looks like a rectangular, oversized pingpong paddle; a perforated, Wiffle-like ball; a net with posts; and a hard surface the size of a badminton court (20 feet by 44 feet), which can be adapted to tennis and basketball courts or even a driveway. “You can go on Amazon, buy a couple paddles and a net, and you’re up and running,” Ganim says.

Compared to tennis, pickleball doesn’t require players to cover as much ground, especially in doubles matches, which is partly why the game first gained popularity with older adults. But while the running is kept to a minimum, competitive pickleball incites all manner of lunging and twisting. “It is a workout— for your legs, for everything,” Ganim says. “It’s a lot of short bursts.”

After selling his medical equipment company earlier this year, Ganim decided to get into the pickleball business. In mid-June, he welcomed more than 400 people to the grand opening of Pickle Shack at 3218 U.S. Route 42, southwest of downtown Delaware. Ganim already has plans to expand the facility’s six indoor courts to 10 and add a bar and several outdoor courts. He also wants to build a Pickle Shack in Sunbury.

Over time, Ganim hopes to have 15 locations, including one near his other home in Scottsdale, Arizona. “We want a Pickle Shack within 15 minutes of everybody’s house in Columbus,” Ganim says, estimating that four local sites should suffice.

Pickle Shack isn’t the only game in town. Communities across Central Ohio, including Bexley, Dublin, Westerville and Worthington, have added dedicated outdoor pickleball courts. In July, Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther announced plans for a three-season pickleball facility at Mock Park on the Northeast Side and new outdoor courts at four other city parks.

More pickleball businesses are on the way, too. On Oct. 14, David Kass, president of Continental Real Estate,

After Pickle Shack’s summer opening, Pickle & Chill enters the Central Ohio fray this fall, with more public and private courts on the way in 2023.

Dave Ganim

and his wife, Cari, will open Pickle & Chill at 880 W. Henderson Road. Housed at the same site as another Kass venture, Tennis Ohio, the new facility will start with six indoor courts surrounded by murals and graffiti on 40-foot-high walls. Next year, Pickle & Chill’s second phase will add a bar, lounge and food options, along with five outdoor courts.

Kass, a former professional tennis player, also owns a Major League Pickleball team, The Bus, which will compete in a tournament with other MLP teams from around the country during Pickle & Chill’s opening weekend. He cites the pandemic as one factor in pickleball’s explosive growth.

“People were looking for something to do. … We put tape down in our driveway and had a half pickleball court,” Kass says. “I think the parity between people is much less than other sports. You can find a competitive game with a broad group of people. I can play with my family, but I’m also playing with some professional hockey players.”

Pickle & Chill and the Pickle Shack will have more competition next year when Chicago-based Real Dill Pickleball Club opens its first Ohio location near Topgolf and Ikea at Polaris. “There’s plenty of demand to go around,” Kass says, adding that pickleball seems to foster a sense of community wherever courts are found. “It’s social and fun, and you can have a few beers if you want, but you can also call it exercise.”

Joel Oliphint is a Columbus CEO contributing editor.

Thursday, October 20th

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Homeport’s mission is to create strong communities by developing quality, affordable homes on a cornerstone of dignity, security and opportunity.

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JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE OUR 2022 VOICE & VISION AWARD RECIPIENT

Accepting the honor on behalf of Huntington is Chairman, President and CEO Steve Steinour

Breakdown

By DAVE GHOSE

Back on Track

The Columbus ticket tax has had a rocky start. In December 2018, Columbus City Council approved the new fee—a 5 percent tax on admissions to arts, cultural and professional sports events, plus a separate 5 percent fee on Nationwide Arena events to mostly support stadium upkeep. The new tax—which primarily benefits arts organizations in Columbus via grants doled out by the Greater Columbus Arts Council—failed to meet revenue projections in its first year. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, shuttering theaters and other venues. But as the pandemic has receded, ticket tax revenue has risen. And for the first time, revenue is on track in 2022 to meet the $6 million to $9 million annual total that supporters predicted in 2018.

2019*:

GCAC: $1,038,476

Nationwide Arena: $214,527

2020:

GCAC: $1,524,007

Nationwide Arena: $384,052

2021:

GCAC: $2,793,801

Nationwide Arena: $786,673

2022**:

GCAC: $5,292,937

Nationwide Arena: $1,606,764

*July through December

**January through August

Source: City of Columbus

FILE/The Columbus Dispatch