Columbus CEO - February 2021 issue

Office wizard Now Fatima Bouyer’s skills help her, not a boss.

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Master of focus Alissa Rodgers has quietly built one of the biggest yoga chains in the Midwest.

Tracking a killer Immunologists trace the evolution of coronavirus.

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Page 42

February 2021

Dr. Bob, the office kitty at Cats Only Veterinary Clinic

As people treat pets more like family, animal health practices are lucrative. Corporate buyers have noticed. $4.99

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Contents Unconditional love Columbus region veterinarians wonder how long they can remain independent as deep-pocketed corporations grow enamored with acquiring small vet practices.

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Departments 05 Editor’s Note How a woman-owned analytics startup is getting off the ground with help from COTA.

45 Leaderboards Columbus region general contractors

48 Office Space Leading Edje’s flexible headquarters in Dublin.

February 2021 Cover and this page photo by

Rob Hardin February 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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

ColumbusCEO.com

VOLUME 30 / NUMBER 2 Columbus Site Manager

Alan D. Miller Publisher/General Manager

Ray Paprocki E d ito r ia l

EDITOR

Katy Smith associate eDITOR

Jess Deyo CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Jeff Bell, Rebecca Walters D es i g n & P ro duct ion

PRODUCTION/DESIGN DIRECTOR

Craig Rusnak ART DIRECTOR

Yogesh Chaudhary Digita l

EDITOR

Julanne Hohbach ASSISTANT DIGITAL EDITOR

Brittany Moseley Ph otog raphy

PHOTO EDITOR

Tim Johnson Associate photo editor

Rob Hardin A dvert ising

Vice President of Sales

Chris Pettograsso Sales Director

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Insider

07 Breakdown Columbus region employment is on the rebound.

08 Profile: A stretch That’s what it was to think Go Yoga founder Alissa Rodgers could overcome some major challenges in her personal life and at her business a few years ago.

But that’s exactly what she has done, with her “no-judgment” approach to yoga a big part of her success.

13 Briefing O’Reilly now running things at Accenture, and Techlife Live launches.

14 Spotlight: Small Business Fatima Bouyer has one bad-ass business in the office services support space.

16 Spotlight: Nonprofit Ohio Legal Help is working to bridge the state’s civil justice gap.

18 Spotlight: Emerging Business Sales for Halley Immelt’s ceramics business are streaking like the comet for which the company is named.

Holly Beardsley Senior Multimedia Sales Executive

Holly Gallucci Multimedia Sales Executives

Tia Hardman, Jackie Thiam CLASSIFIED SALES

Amy Vidrick Production designer

Rebecca Zimmer M arke t ing

MARKETING MANAGER

Lauren Reinhard PRESS RELEASES

pressreleases@columbusceo.com ADVERTISING

advertise@columbusceo.com Columbus CEO (ISSN 1085-911X) is published monthly by Gannett. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted © Gannett Co., Inc. 2020, all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials. Known address of publication is 62 E. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43215. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Columbus CEO, 62 E. Broad St., P.O. Box 1289, Columbus, OH 43216.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

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In-Depth 33 Family Business Honoring the family legacy drives the third generation of leaders at Kokosing Construction.

36 Resilience The owners of a popular Columbus pub stay nimble as they adapt to the evershifting Covid-19 regulations for bars.

Fatima Bouyer

38 Diverse Leaders in Law Law firms look at ways to open the boardroom door for young women lawyers and attorneys of color.

42 Health Watch Finding themselves in the middle of a “global world war,” Columbus region infectious disease experts fight to save lives in the pandemic.

Corrections Wil James focuses on recruiting new officers from the community. His profile on page 54 of the Future 50 special issue for January 2021 mischaracterized his daily duties.

Friendship Village of Dublin is an independent, nonprofit senior living community. Its ownership was incorrectly characterized in the Senior Living Guide in the December issue. Also, a photo in November’s Best of Business section was taken at Friendship Village of Dublin and incorrectly labeled as Friendship Village of Columbus, which despite the similar name is not affiliated with Friendship Village of Dublin.

Exquisite Wines & Cigars is seeking a retailers’ license to sell wine, which will allow it to retail wine on its website. It does not currently sell wine.

Advertising Section Page 29

Business 2021

Toll Free: 877-688-8009

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Breaking business news, in-depth features and authoritative reports — now from one consolidated business desk.

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Editor’s Notes * ksmith@ColumbusCEO.com

fter industrial systems engineering school at Ohio State University, Rehgan Avon could have joined the team at a major auto manufacturer, or a global consulting firm, or the innovation division of any number of Fortune 500 companies in exciting cities across the U.S. and even world, probably. Her focus on analytics is a hot commodity for hiring managers.

Instead, she dove into the realm of startups. Places where people work like crazy every day building a new product they hope someone needs.

Where they’re invested in bringing a vision to life. Where the cost of mistakes is that a company shuts down.

And the reward for success is that founders achieve beyond their wildest dreams—and maybe they change the world a little, too.

In that kind of dynamic foundry, every team member is exposed to the fundamentals of business: Finding a niche, understanding the customer, making rapid adjustments to products to meet demand, and experience in sales, marketing, teambuilding, company infrastructure, finding funding and more. This is a world where Avon thrived. And she spent long enough there that one day, she too was ready to launch a venture of her own.

In February, she left her full-time position with Columbus startup Mobikit, which focuses on connected vehicle data, and like most of us looking for something new, she posted on LinkedIn about her plans to go out on her own.

That the coronavirus pandemic hit just a few weeks later didn’t slow Avon down. One of the reasons was that her company, Ikonos Analytics, came into being through the encouragement and drive of co-founder Allie Dauterman, a college friend of Avon’s who also studied engineering and went on to join a large automotive “super supplier.” After working her way through the company’s

Photo courtesy Autumn Theodore

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Letting data drive decisions

Allie Dauterman and Rehgan Avon

leadership development rotation, earning a Lean Six Sigma designation and going deep into operations, Dauterman found she’d developed quite a perspective on how companies use data.

“The technology is great. And there’s tons of advancements in this industry for supporting companies building AI,” Dauterman says. “But the fundamentals are slightly missing. We’re seeing a lot of analytics being built that can’t be used. We’re seeing a lot of analytics being built that have sometimes catastrophic outcomes because they weren’t rigorously monitored.”

In comes Ikonos, positioned to establish process and governance around the use of data in organizations. Avon and Dauterman share a vison of helping companies make effective use of the mass of data they are constantly collecting.

That vision appealed to the Central Ohio Transit Authority, which signed Ikonos to a short-term contract last year, becoming its first major client, and re-upped for a full year in 2021.

A larger client also is signing on, but the founders could not identify the

company or share details.

At COTA, the pandemic accelerated the need to make smart use of data, says Sophia Mohr, its chief innovation officer. “We wanted to make sure we were able to adjust as necessary,” she says. As the spring 2020 shutdown commenced, it was critical for the transit authority to know where customers needed buses— and where they didn’t. Serendipity: She saw Avon’s LinkedIn post and reached out. A deal was struck.

The need for data at COTA is internal, too, Mohr says—to monitor performance and ensure diversity and inclusion flourish. Ikonos is “helping build that infrastructure and helping build that data culture,” she says.

A laudable goal. Here’s to a future where we all use data—facts—to drive our decisions.

Katy Smith, Editor February 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Breakdown Compiled by katy smith + Infographic by Yogesh Chaudhary

slow climb The Columbus metro area has regained about half the 160,000 jobs it lost during the early pandemic shutdowns of March and April last year—more than three times the job loss experienced during the recession of 2007-09, according to the annual economic forecast

by Regionomics. Economist Bill LaFayette predicts the region’s employment will grow 2.6 percent in 2021, with the largest gains in leisure and hospitality, admin services and transportation and utilities. Here’s a look at total Columbus area employment since 2007 that puts the staggering losses of 2020 in perspective (numbers in thousands).

920.3

1,111.3 2019

2010

960.8 2007

1,045.6 2020 (ESTIMATED)

1,072.4 2021 (forecast)

File/istockphoto.com/biscotto87 • Source: Regionomics

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profile

By Laura Newpoff + Photos by rob hardin

Alissa Rodgers Founder and CEO

GoYoga

In position since: 2011 Age: 40 Education: B.A. in health policy and

administration, Pennsylvania State University

Community involvement: Supporter of Harper’s Corner and Operation Underground Railroad; host of free Thanksgiving day yoga classes to collect hundreds of pounds of food to donate to local food banks. Offers weekly $5 community classes and hardship membership options for those financially impacted by Covid-19.

Stretching, growing Alissa Rodgers has built one of the largest yoga studio chains in the Midwest in Columbus based on a simple principle: Make people feel welcome.

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lissa Rodgers won’t ever forget 2015, when her marriage fell apart. Not only would her three children suffer consequences, but the business she had spent four years building suddenly was in jeopardy.

That’s because her husband at the time was her business partner and, as part of their divorce proceedings, he wanted to sell. Rodgers, the founder of GoYoga, did not.

“It felt like my baby,” she says. “I loved it and was just as passionate about it as I am my kids. There were people in my life saying, ‘Just let it go. You can start all over.’ But I had worked so hard to get it where it was.

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I fought for it because I didn’t want to start all over.”

To save it, she had to scramble.

She asked her team if they could wait a little longer than usual for their paychecks. They could. Landlords were asked to give her extra time on rent. They did. And a former connection from Rodgers’ days as a Massage Envy franchisee was asked if she’d be interested in making an additional investment in GoYoga. She was.

Today, the business is the largest yoga studio system in the Columbus region with eight locations, and it’s among the largest such operations in the Midwest. While Covid-19 has presented challenges, Rodgers and co-owner Carrie Downey are aiming higher. They’re taking steps to start selling franchises in 2021.

“The experience (related to the divorce) made us stronger,” Rodgers says. “I’m somebody who has a hard time asking for help. I had to be vulnerable in that time and ask for help.

In the end, it strengthened our team.”

The Great Recession foundry Rodgers grew up as a cheerleader in Dublin in the 1980s and 1990s. She relished going to work with her dad, who owned a construction company.

She answered phones, cleaned his office and helped him on jobs. At age 12, she started a babysitting service by using her neighborhood directory to send personal notes to families marketing her skills. She built up a clientele whose kids she watched for 10 years.

After graduating from Dublin Coffman High School in 1998, she attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in health policy and administration. “I had a feeling I wanted to do something in healthcare, helping people,” she says. At age 22 she landed a job with a health care consulting firm, and her first project was in the New York City borough of Queens.

“I’m a Midwestern girl who grew up in a bubble in Dublin, and all of a sudden I’m in a position of having to tell

Alissa Rodgers in GoYoga’s Brewery District studio.

people who have done the job for 20 or 30 years what to do,” Rodgers says.

“It was humbling. I grew up fast and learned so much.”

Her consulting work involved what she calls process design for leading teams. The few years she spent there felt like earning an MBA and then some, she says. The work, however, involved extensive travel all over the country. After she became pregnant in 2003, she began considering another line of business and moving closer to home.

Rodgers’ mom, Julie Kambeitz, had an idea. As a frequent traveler to Arizona, she had become a fan of Massage Envy, which was founded in 2002 in Scottsdale and has grown across the country through franchising. Kambeitz thought the concept would do well in Columbus. While Rodgers was intrigued, at the time she had never experienced a massage. Still, she joined her mom and stepfather, Steve Kambeitz, in becoming the first Massage Envy franchisees in Ohio in 2007. Their three locations consistently placed in the company’s top 10 percent nationwide in terms of revenue.

“This was right at the beginning of the Great Recession,” Rodgers says.

“I had to learn a lot about launching a new business and on top of it, and it was one where the services were considered a luxury for many people during a difficult time in the economy.

We had to learn to survive and thrive.

Looking back, I’m so thankful I had that experience.”

The family exited the business in 2017 when their franchise agreement expired.

Discovering yoga Rodgers was drawn to yoga as an outlet for getting into shape after she had her first child.

“I had the same thoughts many people have when they decide to try yoga—‘I’m not going to be good. I’m not athletic. I’m not flexible. I can’t do those crazy poses,’ ” she says.

After living away from her home

I had the same thoughts many people have when they decide to try yoga. I’m not going to be good. I can’t do those crazy poses.

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Q&A

Alissa Rodgers has built a chain of yoga studios that focuses on being welcoming to new students of all types.

What was the yoga landscape like 10 years ago when you launched GoYoga?

There were only a handful of true yoga studios, and in many places you wouldn’t feel super comfortable because they weren’t welcoming and were cliquish. Instructors taught at the front of the room on mats, and students often felt disconnected from them. We wanted to make it easy for people so the person coming in who has never done yoga before is not intimidated.

How did you differentiate your studios from the others?

We don’t have all the bells and whistles. We don’t try to be the fanciest, but we do well with the essentials.

Having a warm, welcoming environment focused on building relationships and connecting with students is our focus. Our teachers walk around the room to create a more personalized experience. It’s not just someone yelling out instructions from the front of the room. Of course now, we’re a little more limited in movement because of Covid-19, but we hope our approachability is still apparent. We also built the business being mindful of our cost structure to keep it accessible.

How has GoYoga weathered Covid-19?

When we had to close in March, we didn’t know we were going to be shut down for 70 days—We [got online classes] up and running in a matter of 24 hours. We reopened in May after Memorial Day and did some outdoor classes during the summer.

It’s been a mixed bag with some people coming in and some people still staying at home. We had a few cancellations, but 90 percent of our members kept paying even in the early days of Covid-19, which was a testament to the relationships we’ve built. Truly, that’s how I felt about it—like wow, all of these years we tried to build a strong community, and it’s shining through right now.

city, in addition to the physical benefits, she wanted to find new connections through yoga, too. Her best friend, Jennifer Blake, was a yoga teacher who persistently nudged her to try a class at a studio in Dublin.

Rodgers took her up on the offer.

They’d take the 90-minute Bikram yoga class in a room heated to 105 degrees two to three times a week. Yoga gave Rodgers a stronger body, more confidence and more energy. She also felt more focused from the mindbody practice. When the owner of the Dublin studio decided to move and sell the business in 2006, Rodgers and Blake tried to buy it. They lost out to another student who offered more money.

GoYoga Address: Studios in the Brewery

District, Dublin, Grandview, New Albany, Powell, Upper Arlington, Westerville and Worthington

Business: Yoga studios Founded: 2011 Top officer: Alissa Rodgers Employees: 60 Revenue: $1.8 million Clients: 700,000 visits since inception

“(After that), I hopped around trying to find another place, but couldn’t find anything that had that really strong community feel where it’s welcoming and where they really inspire you,” Rodgers says. “It’s more than just teaching poses. It’s inspiration, wisdom and lessons you can use in your life. After hopping around, one day at the end of a class at a studio I said to myself, ‘You know what? Maybe I should just do something on my own.’

I told my husband and he was like, ‘All right, I’ll support you.’ I didn’t have a plan, just a vision. Maybe a little divine intervention. My head was clear and my heart was open.

Something inside said, ‘You need to open a studio. You can do it.’ I never looked back.”

Starting small While Massage Envy took up most of her time and attention, Rodgers was able to launch GoYoga in March 2011. The studios offer a variety of yoga classes, from restorative yoga to power yoga and several styles in between. Rodgers says the Massage Envy experience proved pivotal to her new business. She remembered the stress of having six-figure loans hanging over the family’s head and decided not to take on that burden for her new venture.

“I committed to starting as small as

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Alissa Rodgers leads a class.

I needed to so I didn’t take on debt,” she says. “I had a tax refund of a few thousand dollars. I said, ‘This is all I’m going to put toward it.’ ” Space in dance studios in Worthington and Powell and a martial arts studio in New Albany were the first locations. She rented by the hour, not by the year. Getting the spaces at cheap rates allowed her to test out her vision—an affordable and more accessible form of yoga than what was on the market. Groupon was a pretty big deal at the time, and Rodgers used the digital coupon provider for most of her marketing.

GoYoga built a following fairly quickly, which gave Rodgers the confidence to sign her first lease with a local landlord for space in Powell in September 2011. More locations would follow in low-overhead spaces, like an unused fitness room in a gym, so prices could remain affordable for clients.

As the business grew, Rodgers stuck to the plan of making the studios comfortable for everyone, from the curious first-timer to the hardcore yogi, by fostering a sense of community in a warm, welcoming environment.

Unlike other studios where instructors teach from the front of a room on a mat, GoYoga’s instructors would intentionally move throughout the space to give assists when needed. Customized plans were designed to meet ev-

ery kind of budget, from a single class drop-in to monthly memberships.

Also pivotal to the early success was Rodgers’ relationship with Downey.

They met in 2007 when Downey worked for Massage Envy’s regional developer. At the time, Rodgers was the director of operations for her family’s Dublin and Powell locations, and the two worked throughout the region to open clinics together and make sure they were operating at peak performance. Traveling together allowed them to forge a bond, try out different yoga studios and talk about their aspirations beyond the massage franchises.

By the time Rodgers was getting GoYoga off the ground, Downey had fallen in love with the practice.

Downey had a small inheritance from her grandfather, who was a small business owner in Michigan. She invested in GoYoga to honor his legacy.

Years later, as the divorce rattled the business, Downey helped Rodgers navigate the challenges. Then, she and Rodgers together bought out Rodgers’ ex-husband’s shares.

Downey remains a minority owner, manages the New Albany studio and handles the finances and human resources.

“Alissa is tenacious,” Downey says.

“She’s someone who is able to get 30 hours out of a 24-hour day. From a work perspective, there was no doubt in my mind this was going to become successful and, through Alissa, a business that was run with a lot of heart.”

GoYoga’s members agree. Jim Edwards, a Powell resident who works for JPMorgan Chase & Co., is a GoYoga member. He wandered in seven years ago not knowing a thing about the practice and now considers himself proficient.

“The studio is really accessible and offers classes that are simple and straightforward,” Edwards says.

“Alissa has also taken great care with all the different instructors she’s brought in. I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad instructor there.”

Josh Prati, president and CEO of Right Way Medical, says there’s no sense of judgment at GoYoga. He and his wife, Christa, have been taking classes at the Powell location for about five years and feel their yoga experience has been taken to another level.

“We like that it’s owner-operated,” Prati says. “Getting to know Alissa,

you can sense how much she cares about the business. She really lives her passion through it.”

The road ahead GoYoga’s newest location opened in Dublin in March just as awareness of Covid-19 was increasing. The business quickly launched a digital component that will continue going forward.

Forty livestream classes are offered every week, and there are hundreds of pre-recorded classes so members can do yoga from anywhere. GoYoga also is offering hardship memberships to people experiencing financial challenges because of the pandemic.

When the studios closed in the spring because of the health crisis, Rodgers and Downey got serious about getting their ducks in a row for a franchising push. “We believe [it] can be really successful,” Downey says.

While an economic downturn might not seem like the ideal time to launch a new venture, business applications actually have surged during the pandemic as people who lost jobs look to create opportunities of their own, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Steve Kambeitz, Rodgers’ stepfather, a retired CFO and former business partner in Massage Envy, says franchising will change GoYoga’s business model. “I describe her now as a yogi that runs a business,” he says. “If she takes it to this next level, that’s a whole new ballgame. It’s really going to become a business that is yoga.”

Rodgers has the attributes to pull it off, Kambeitz says. She has a glass-half-full attitude and can handle frank conversations about business challenges.

“I remember the first time she put a budget together for Massage Envy—I looked at it and laughed. The budget was very optimistic,” Kambeitz says.

“I asked her, ‘Do you want to bet your bonus on it?’ She said yes. She didn’t get a bonus that year.

“I helped her get into a more realistic mode,” he says. “It shows that she’s smart and a fast learner who doesn’t take things personally. She doesn’t worry about the small stuff. Her tendency is to plow through and make things happen.”

Laura Newpoff is a freelance writer.

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Tech talk

By Cynthia Bent Findlay

Portal Green scrutinizes potential new hires The tech platform offers easy screening for hospitality and health care.

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Jodi Shaffer

PortalGreen.com CEO and co-founder: Jody Shaffer Business: HR risk management tools Investment: Early-stage funding from Rev1 Ventures, amount undisclosed

Photo courtesy Portal Green

ith dire times in the hospitality industry, many restaurants and hotels are experiencing turnover and as a result are hiring.

Local startup Portal Green has been innovating tech solutions to make

that process smoother.

CEO Jody Shaffer, co-founder Michael Delanty, and Portal Green’s other board members bring backgrounds in human resources, service and law. They saw a niche in helping clients with affordable, no-nonsense tech tools to help them navigate the often-rough waters of hiring and employment.

Portal Green’s goal is to eventually offer a complete suite of risk management tools, from hiring onward, to manage risk in employing an entrylevel crew.

The company decided to start with a pre-employment integrity assessment tool, filling a need for the service industry.

Personality assessments aren’t new, but they’re not a dime a dozen.

They’re mainly aimed at corporatelevel jobs. Shaffer says most on the market are too expensive and time consuming for a crew-level hire such as a fast casual restaurant or a hotel cleaning shift.

But such a tool can measure the quality and fit of new hires, saving time and training dollars lost to crew picks that go bad.

“A lot of literature suggests a correlation between integrity assessments and core characteristics like reliability and conscientiousness.

The indirect result is decreased turnover and increased productivity,” Shaffer says.

Her company’s prototype tool was vetted extensively with University of Michigan researchers for both validity and to make sure it is not discriminatory against vulnerable groups. It was built as a fast process that’s easy for managers to understand.

Pricing is on a subscription model per location and size of business rather than per test.

Portal Green launched in January 2019 and spent the first year serving beta customers around the country,

evaluating data with them and moving them into a more regular paying customer mode when Covid-19 hit.

As the pandemic shut down hiring, Portal Green pivoted to serve an urgent need for health screening. By the beginning of May, it launched S.A.F.E. for Work, a quick, easy to use, web-based health screening tool with a crew-level focus.

S.A.F.E. for Work asks for selfreporting of symptoms and potential Covid-19 exposures before every shift. There are a slew of competitors, but Shaffer says Portal Green is simpler and offers the benefit of not being tied to health care or insurance systems.

Portal Green has grown its number of customer locations and revenue over the past year. It’s hoping to focus on entry into home health services in the coming year.

Big-company collaborative unlocks power of AI Here’s a new hashtag for spring 2021—#1MillionHoursSaved. Ben Blanquera of Covail announced a group of Columbus companies being called the “2020 Intelligent Automation All-Stars” exceeded a self-generated challenge to collectively save one million project hours over the course of 2020—the total ended up at 1.3 million hours.

Blanquera explains the group of heavy corporate hitters has been meeting to collaborate on IA advances within their companies and came up with the challenge in 2019. Covail, formerly the Columbus Collaboratory, convened the group, which includes Covail, Alliance Data, Nationwide, State Auto Insurance, BMW Financial Services, Encova Insurance, Express, Cardinal Health, NiSource, American Electric Power, Revel IT, Berry Appleman & Leiden and UiPath.

“It’s a massive testament to how advanced we are in this community in terms of implementation of IA,” Blanquera says.

“We’re a leader nationally.”

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briefing

By Jess Deyo

Paula O’Reilly has been named managing director of the firm’s local office.

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ccenture, a global consulting firm, has named Paula O’Reilly to the position of office managing director in the Columbus office.

O’Reilly, who has been with the company for nearly 30 years, will oversee nearly 900 employees within the office.

When O’Reilly started at Accenture in 1993, she had recently graduated from Bowling Green State University where she studied finance and international business. She had what she called a traditional start at the company—she worked with clients, established relationships and seized every opportunity for growth.

Most recently, O’Reilly served as the Midwest financial services lead, a position she held for nearly two years. In her role, she handled bank-

Photo courtesy Accenture

Accenture appoints new leader Paula O’Reilly

ing, insurance and capital markets for clients spread across her region.

Now, O’Reilly will center her focus on the Columbus office, while continuing as a Midwest lead. In Ohio, Accenture has three offices, in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati. As a part of her new role, which began in December, she serves as the public face of the office and an advocate for her staff.

In her day-to-day, O’Reilly faces a unique challenge trying to foster relationships with new clients and team members during a time when the closest form of contact is through a screen. The biggest

challenge has been bringing people together, she says.

O’Reilly has several plans in store to unite her team, but first, she’s taking a listening tour of staff and external partners. She also will work to provide continued support to underrepresented communities within the company by welcoming critical feedback.

For the Columbus community, O’Reilly will work to make a lasting impression, hoping to build a reputation for Accenture as an engaged partner. “We’re very committed to Columbus,” O’Reilly says, “and we want to be part of the overall story.”

Meeting Columbus’ tech personalities Netflix and Hulu are inspiring Covail’s Ben Blanquera, founder of the Techlife Columbus Meetup group and newsletter, to start a video interview series on Zoom.

Techlife Live, officially launching in March, will connect viewers to the must-know people in the industry and offer a variety of content from software engineering to healthcare innovations.

“Think of it as Netflix for nerds,” Blanquera says.

The need for a platform like Techlife Live presented itself after Covid-19 erased the opportunity for people to meet in

person for networking and community events, Blanquera says.

The series will allow people to get in touch with those they

may not have an opportunity to interact with otherwise during the pandemic.

“The premise here is, let’s

bring people together in a live show format where they get access to folks who [they] would never get access to,” Blanquera says.

For now, each speaker has committed to three episodes as a pilot, which will be used to assess the potential to continue later in the year.

The first episode aired Jan. 11 featuring Alex Frommeyer, CEO of Beam Dental, and Tonjia Coverdale, associate vice president at Nationwide.

More at meetup.com/techlifecolumbus.

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spotlight

By Virginia Brown + Photo by rob hardin

Small Business

Office innovation One-time executive assistant Fatima Bouyer has harnessed 20 years of experience to launch her own virtual “Bad Ass” business.

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atima Bouyer has been an executive assistant on and off since she was 21 years old.

From roles at L Brands and National Church Residences to the corporate offices of Bob Evans, Mimi’s Café and Darden Restaurants, she says she was given a lot of freedom; her bosses trusted her.

“I’m a go-getter,” she says. “I can listen in on a situation or be a part of a meeting and know where to go from there.”

Originally from Cleveland, Bouyer, 43, was the first in her family to graduate from college, earning her business degree from Ohio University with a minor in communications.

She also holds an associate degree in paralegal studies, and briefly interned at a law firm.

In 2018, she launched Office Bad Ass, offering services like email and calendar management, strategic planning sessions, board meeting action items and follow-through, small-level budget management, customer database management, event planning, team building and

Office Bad Ass officebadass.com

Business: Virtual office support services Owner: Fatima Bouyer Employees: 2, contractors Revenue: Would not disclose

Fatima Bouyer social media content creation.

“The idea popped into my head while I was at Darden [Restaurants],” Bouyer says. “When I really reflected about my business, I thought, I could be anywhere doing this work.” Later in her career, an L Brands colleague told her, “You can be the assistant and the boss.” She took that comment seriously.

Today, Office Bad Ass has 10 clients—all of which came to her by word of mouth—which range from small entrepreneurial outfits in New York to large franchise groups, plus artists, app developers and more.

Ron Jordan, CEO at Jordan Hospitality Group, relies on Bouyer’s skills.

They met while she was having brunch at Hen Quarter, one of Jordan’s restaurants in Dublin. “She was talking about the things she does, and she mentioned her office administration business,” he says. “I’ve been through six admins over the years, so I shared that with her.”

Jordan took a chance. Several months later, from meeting notes, to Bouyer physically taking meetings in Jordan’s place, to her completing necessary certifications to move the business forward and more, Jordan has come to rely on Bouyer. “She anticipates the needs of me and the organization,” he says. “She’s been the best admin I’ve ever had.”

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“When you’re passionate about something, you just do it. It doesn’t feel like work.”

Fatima Bouyer, founder, Office Bad Ass

On the second level of her home, Bouyer created a meditation room. “I started actively meditating three years ago,” she says. “I go up there and read or put my headphones on and lay on the floor.”

Once a quarter, she also evaluates her skills, and keeps up with industry trends through LinkedIn and the Executive Assistants Organization. Her two contract employees help her keep it all straight, too. “It can be overwhelming, because so many new things are being introduced,” she says. “But I have to do my due diligence to make sure I [position] myself and my company to be the most efficient.”

Each year, Bouyer hosts “The Promise Experience,” a ticketed event to create an encouraging community of women who share successes and uplift each other. “Women do so much. Mother, wife, I’m running this company—the whole premise of the event is, how do you keep your personal promises when you have to show up as all of these different people in your life?”

Siobhan St. John, current assistant cheerleading coach at Ohio State University, one-time NBA dancer and author and cancer survivor, met Bouyer through a mutual friend and joined the most recent panel.

“The way she can bring people together is inspiring, and it’s an honor to speak and share my experiences with other women who are dealing with their own issues,” St. John says.

What’s next? For now, Bouyer is focusing on Office Bad Ass, with plans to build out other avenues of the business, from Gym Bad Ass (personal training) to recruiting services, and even mobile bartending for business events.

“When you’re passionate about something, you just do it,” she says.

“It doesn’t feel like work.”

Virginia Brown is a freelance writer.

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spotlight

By Taylor Azi Zachary + Photo by rob hardin

Nonprofit

Susan Choe

Access to justice Ohio Legal Help was founded just in time to aid people who needed it during a dire 2020.

S

outh Korean folklore says for one born with the name Choe, the grass will not grow beneath their feet. They are simply that stubborn.

Susan Choe chooses to interpret her birthright as a prophecy of grit and determination. As the executive director of Ohio Legal Help, a website that provides free legal aid to Ohio residents, Choe manifests the principles in her name through the practice of her leadership.

“Since we have been in operation, we have connected over 86,000 Ohioans to local resources,” Choe says. “We see 50,000 unique visits a

“I do not know when we will see [100 percent equity in access to justice], but we will work on it every day until it is a reality.”

Susan Choe, executive director, Ohio Legal Help

Ohio Legal Help

88 E. Broad St., Suite 720 Columbus 43215 ohiolegalhelp.org Mission: To help all Ohioans access the civil

justice system.

Executive director: Susan Choe Employees: 4 Budget: $700,000 (2020)

month, and we project half a million visits in our second year.”

Through what is known as the “100% Access to Justice Movement,” the decision to design a 24/7 mobile model derives from a commitment to increasing equity in the legal system.

Ohio Legal Help focuses its resources on the immediate areas users need most. “To create more equities in the system, the tool that we provide must be equitable and useful to those that have the least. Their feedback is critical,” Choe says.

Ohio Legal Help was founded in 2018 after the Supreme Court of Ohio convened a 12-member task force on access to justice. A primary objective of the task force was to develop recommendations for closing Ohio’s civil justice gap. Former Ohio

Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown chaired the task force.

“Usually, the focus on unmet legal needs is on the criminal justice system,” McGee Brown says. “Many people who have civil justice needs fall through the cracks because legal aid can only manage a certain percentage of cases, and these litigants do not make enough money to hire a lawyer. A lot of them will go online and get legal forms, then show up in court. But judges and their bailiffs end up spending a lot of time helping pro se litigants and walking people through something that should be very simple. That really is the impetus (for the task force).”

Strength in Justice, a 2010 report prepared by the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, indicates

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historically, Ohio led national efforts in legal aid. In 1905, Cleveland birthed Ohio’s first legal aid society.

Three years later, a Cincinnati office opened. In 1908, Cincinnati was one of seven national cities providing legal aid services. Throughout the 20th century, regional legal aid networks established a tangible method for resolving civil justice needs.

The report further indicates statewide economic benefits of legal aid activities. In 2010, legal aid activities produced $15.6 million in total tax revenue, $4.9 million in earnings impact, and created or sustained over 700 jobs. Additionally, legal aid activities operated with a total budget of $49.1 million. This $49.1 million generated an additional $56.8 million in economic output statewide. After adjusting these figures relative to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Regional Input-Output Modeling System, the sum of total impact for legal aid activities resulted in $106 million.

This was a 115 percent return for each dollar invested.

Launched in the fall of 2019, none of Ohio Legal Help’s founders foresaw Covid-19, of course. Kim Shumate, president of the board of the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, a key funder and partner for Ohio Legal Help, spoke on the serendipity of the organization’s launch. “Getting Ohio Legal Help up and running was a key goal in our plan,� she says. “As a board, we were just incredibly focused on accomplishing the goals set out in that plan. None of us could have ever predicted that the need for it would be so immediate and so timely. But how fortunate for Ohio and the citizens of Ohio who need that help.�

The vision of 100 percent access to justice is a goal none expect to experience in their lifetime. That does not deter stakeholders from pursuing it, however. “All roads lead to equity,� says Ukeme Awakessien Jeter, in-house counsel at Nationwide and an Ohio Legal Help board member. “We believe it to the core,� says Choe. “I do not know when we will see it, but we will work on it every day until it is a reality.�

Taylor Azi Zachary is a freelance writer.

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spotlight

By Brittany Moseley + Photo by Rob hardin

Emerging Business

Halley Immelt

Kickstarting a dream Ceramicist behind Ice + Dust turns a high school hobby into a thriving small business.

H

alley Immelt always assumed she would get back into ceramics.

After picking up the hobby in high school in the early 2000s, she went to college, first as a fine arts major before settling on graphic design. After graduating in 2009, she worked as a page designer for the Delaware Gazette and spent a couple years designing for the American Motorcyclist Association. Today, she is a senior graphic designer at CoverMyMeds.

Along the way, she continued to think about ceramics and told herself

“Say what you will about Covid, but what I’ve seen in the last couple of months is people really jumping in and supporting small businesses like my own. It was amazing.”

Halley Immelt, founder, Ice + Dust Pottery

Ice + Dust Pottery iceanddustpottery.com

Business: Handmade pottery Owner: Halley Immelt Employees: 1 2020 net income: $22,000

if she ever had an extra couple thousand dollars, she’d build her own art studio. She assumed it would be a hobby for retirement, but in 2017, she got the chance to kickstart her pottery dreams sooner than expected, thanks to her employer.

“We have this program called CoverMyQuest where you have a chance to pitch an idea for what you’d do with a mini grant of $4,000,” Immelt says. “It has to be something completely unrelated to work. In 2017, I got up the courage to do my little three-minute pitch and pitched this idea of starting this studio in my basement.”

Even four years later, Immelt still seems surprised she was one of the winners. “People go on these incredible trips and do these incredibly selfless things, and here I am being like, I want to play with clay,” she says, laughing.

Immelt’s coworkers were excited about her playing with clay. As she began throwing pottery again, she would bring her practice mugs into work for people to use. “It became this cool thing if you were able to get one in the morning,” says Immelt’s friend and coworker, Jessie Hunter. “I think people started to really understand that it was somebody within the business that was making them.

It’s just a cool thing to promote somebody you work with.”

When Immelt received the grant, she had a moment of panic. “I was like, oh crap, now I really got to do this,” she recalls. But she also says the grant kickstarted something in her. “I think if I hadn’t won the grant, I probably would have just sat there and kept dreaming about it,” she admits.

Immelt didn’t have a concrete business plan when she started, but based on the expenses associated with ceramics, she knew the hobby would have to fund itself.

Late nights spent scrolling through Instagram showed Immelt how other makers were—excuse the pun—making it work business wise: promotion, promotion, promotion.

About the business name: Ice + Dust is a reference to what comets are made of. Immelt is named after Halley’s Comet, but after a lifetime of people mispronouncing her name, she decided to pick a different moniker for her business.

It’s easy to see the appeal of Immelt’s products. She makes speckled, cozy housewares that are as beautiful as they are familiar. She sells a variety of bright and pastel mugs as well as geometric trinket dishes, planters and home décor. She is equally at

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IT’S TIME TO LOVE YOUR KITCHEN AGAIN

home creating kitschy Ohio mugs— one of her most popular items—and quirky planters in the shape of skulls and kittens.

“She was just one of those artists that stood out,” says Megan Green, executive director of Craftin’ Outlaws.

Immelt was an emerging artist during the 2018 show. “She had everything you would want in a vendor: a great variety of price points and products.”

Before Covid-19 hit last March, Immelt was already planning to scale up her online sales, so when 2020 craft shows and markets began to cancel one after the other, Ice + Dust was actually in a good place. “[In 2020], I think I tripled my online sales from where last year was,” she says. “It was incredible. Say what you will about Covid, but what I’ve seen in the last couple of months is people really jumping in and supporting small businesses like my own. It was amazing.”

After a busy holiday season, Immelt is looking forward to buying a larger kiln for her home studio, experimenting with new products and boosting her sales. “My goal for [this] year is $27,500 because that was the income I made at my first newspaper job out of college,” Immelt says.

Brittany Moseley is assistant digital editor.

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Vet

practice fever

Deep-pocketed corporations are hungry to buy lucrative, cash-driven veterinary practices from the doctors who run them.

Will the neighborhood pet hospital go the way of the neighborhood pharmacy?

By Steve Wartenberg + Photo by rob hardin The phone rings on a regular basis from the growing list of would-be buyers.

“I get calls from maybe 10 or more different groups every month,” says Robert Knapp, the third generation veterinarian to run Knapp Veterinary Hospital in Clintonville. “They all say they’d like to talk to me about [purchasing] my practice.”

So far, Knapp, 58, has ignored these requests for meetings. He’s in no rush to retire or sell his practice.

“I’m not returning these calls and I’m deleting the voicemails,” he says, then ponders the possibilities. “From what I’ve heard, they’re throwing some real numbers around, sometimes ridiculous numbers. It makes me wonder if I’m being foolish or not.”

Veterinarians in central Ohio and around the country who own private practices are getting similar calls and requests for meetings. The business model for

this large and growing sector of the economy is changing rapidly, with a wave of acquisitions led by an international mega-company most people associate with candy: Mars Corp.

The Virginia-based, family-owned corporate giant owns the Banfield Pet Hospital and VCA Animal Hospitals, two national veterinary practices; BluePearl, a national specialty and emergency veterinary practice; as well as the Royal Canin, Whiskas and Iams pet-food companies.

The fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic has, if anything, increased the number of private equity investors and corporate suiters looking to buy veterinary practices, and values are climbing. People are spending more time at home with their beloved cats and dogs, not to mention clearing out adoption shelters one rescue at a time.

“It gives people choices,” says Jack Advent, executive director of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, of the relatively new option pet owners have to choose a privately owned or a corporate veterinary practice. The quality of care is similar, with the corporate entities offering a bit more of what Advent calls “standardized care” based on established corporate policies, as well as set pricing, while veterinarians in the privately owned practices have a bit more latitude in

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these areas. “I don’t think the average consumer will notice the difference between a Banfield and a Dr. Smith’s veterinary clinic,” he says.

The corporate practices are able to leverage economies of scale to reduce their pricing for procedures, medicine and pet food; and there’s further competition for private-practice veterinarians from online pet pharmacies such as Chewy.com. Nowadays, Rocky would most likely buy Cuff and Link’s turtle food online (and he would have to meet Adrian on a dating app). Owners of privately owned practices say their strength and competitive advantage lies in the longstanding relationships they have with their clients and their pets, and the more individualized service and specialty care they’re able to offer.

“My biggest fear is we’ll eventually lose the little independent veterinary hospitals, that they’ll be overwhelmed by the corporate ones,” says Andrea Lukuch, owner of Cats Only Veterinary Clinic in Upper Arlington. “Just like Walmart and Target did to all the little mom-and-pop shops.”

By the numbers

rea r, And owne , h ly uc Luk ats On linic C C y ar erin t e V

There are about 28,000 to 30,000 veterinary practices in the United States that cater to companion animals, primarily cats and dogs, according to Brakke Consulting, a Dallas-based company that specializes in animal health and compiles industry statistics.

“At the end of 2019, about 5,200 were corporately owned,” says John Volk, a senior consultant with Brakke.

Corporate acquisition remained robust throughout 2020 and Volk estimates the number most likely surpassed 6,000 by the end of the year.

Mars is a privately owned, family business—one of the world’s largest— and therefore doesn’t file financial disclosures with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “They don’t publish all their information,” Volk says, but he estimates Mars owns “somewhere in excess of 2,000” veterinary practices in this country between Banfield, VCA and Blue Pearl. Mars purchased VCA for $9.1 billion in 2017.

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Veterinary sector by the numbers 28-30k Veterinary practices in the U.S. for companion animals

5,200 Corporate-owned

48,898 U.S. vets focused on companion animals in 2018, which represents 67% of all vets.

$28 billion The amount of money pet owners spent at veterinary clinics in 2016, an increase of 8 percent from 2012.

Millennials The largest segment of pet owners.

70% Of Millennials have a dog or cat or both.

$1,285 Spent by dog owners a year on their pets.

$915 Spent by cat owners a year on their pets.

Sources: Brakke Consulting, American Veterinary Medical Association and TD Ameritrade

VCA veterinary hospitals in the Columbus region.

“Most of the other players are private equity companies,” Volk says.

“They’re looking for businesses that are profitable that they can grow and then sell in five or seven years for a big profit, and veterinary practices have proven to be that kind of business.”

Petco opened its 100th in-store veterinary hospital in San Diego in September, and Walmart has announced plans to increase its number of in-store retail veterinary clinics to 100. It’s advertising that pet owners can save “as much as 40 to 60 percent on vaccines and minor illness packages and exams.”

It’s difficult to determine an average price for the sale of a practice, Volk says, adding it’s based on EBITDA, which is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

“Good, three-plus doctor, general veterinary practices are selling in the range of eight times to 10 times EBITDA, and specialty practices even more,” he says. That’s an increase from the recent past, and is a direct result of the corporate influx—and the deep pockets of Mars and private equity groups.

The veterinary business model always had been “a private practice owned by a licensed doctor,” says David Burch, business banking director, sales and specialty bank for Huntington. “Like dental practices.

Everyone knows their vet and their dentist, and now, having so many corporately owned is a significant cultural change.”

Burch has noticed the corporate impact. “Now, instead of the veterinary practice owner selling it to an associate for $700,000, they’re getting offers of $1.2 million or even more [from corporations],” he says.

Booming business There’s a reason large corporations and investment groups are diving into the pet-medicine business: It’s profitable and seems to be recession-proof.

It’s even Covid-19 proof.

It’s also predominately a cash business, as very few pet owners have health insurance for their dogs and cats, instead paying their veterinary

bills when treatment is rendered. The amount of money pet owners spent at veterinary clinics increased by 8 percent to $28 billion from 2012 to 2016, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Millennials now make up the largest segment of pet owners, with 70 percent owning a dog or cat, or both, according to statistics compiled by TD Ameritrade, which also found that dog owners spend $1,285 a year and cat owners $915 a year on their pets. Major surgery or cancer treatment can cost thousands.

“If you go back and look at the last economic crisis [in 2008 and 2009], you’ll find that the veterinary practice business held up very well,” Huntington’s Burch says. He adds that in early 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown caused an economic downturn, “we didn’t see a drop off.”

Instead, veterinary practices revamped on the fly, creating new, safety-first procedures for staff and customers.

“Veterinarians and their teams are

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ts Patien nt m t e in trea s Only at Cat Clinic. ary Veterin

front-line workers, and it’s not always recognized that they are,” says Denise Tumblin, president of Columbusbased WTA Veterinary Consultants.

“It’s amazing what veterinarians have been able to accomplish [in 2020], revamping and adjusting and handling incredible workloads.”

Burch and Tumblin work with veterinary practices to help them optimize their business practices and to compete with the growing number of corporate practices that have the advantage of economies of scale.

They also help clients calculate the value of their practices and navigate the sale to an associate, family member or corporation.

“We solve any financial need they may have,” Burch says. “Relocating, buying real estate or equipment, refurbishing, starting a business from scratch.” The Huntington team also offers financial and organizational advice, another way to help the smaller, veterinarian-owned practices compete. “From the corporate per-

spective, they’re able to find efficiencies,” he says of Banfield and VCA. “A key part of driving profitability is maximizing scheduling, and they have software that does that. A good group can get an extra 10 percent [in revenue] from scheduling.”

Burch compares what’s happening in the world of veterinary practices to dental practices, in that the traditional model of doctor-owned practices is changing, even more rapidly in pet medicine than dentistry. “The veterinary industry as compared to the dental industry is a little more primed for this because the associate veterinarians make less than an

associate dentist,” he says.

The corporate buyers have much deeper pockets, adds Tumblin.

“They’re willing to pay a premium, and they don’t have to finance it, so that eliminates all their finance costs,” she says. “They want to be in this business, and it can be quite profitable if it’s well run.”

Tumblin and WTA Veterinary Consultants help private-practice veterinarians compete. They offer management consulting and “we also have three well-managed practice groups, groups of vets from around the country who meet and share ideas and help each other learn and grow,” she says.

“I get calls from maybe 10 or more different groups every month. They all say they’d like to talk to me about [purchasing] my practice.”

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Tumblin leads one of the three groups and says it includes members from Hawaii and Alaska. “We also do research and benchmark studies, and our intention is to help identify what the best-managed practices are doing and share this information,” she says.

The cat’s cradle Andrea Lukuch’s parents were in the veterinary practice business. Her father, Edward Lukuch, was a veterinarian and owned seven practices in the Cleveland area. Her mother, Grazyna, was a veterinary nurse and worked with her husband. The plan was for Andrea to attend veterinary school. “I started working here, at this well-regarded cat hospital, and then increased my role and decided to purchase it in 2015,” she says of Cats Only Veterinary Clinic.

Lukuch, who is a nontraditional private owner in that she does not hold a doctor of veterinary medicine degree, has watched the increase in the number of corporate-owned practices, and it has her worried.

Their cheaper costs and bigger buying power allows their clinics to save money on the purchase of supplies, medicine and pet food, offering customers lower prices on procedures and over-the-counter sales of food and medication. And then there’s PetSmart and Walmart, which also offer discounted prices on these items.

“Now, if a veterinary practice is relying on over-the-counter sales of food and medication to stay alive, they’re behind the eight ball,” Lukuch says.

Fortunately, hers is a specialty practice, and there are enough cat lovers looking for a specialist to keep her and her team of four board-certified DVMs with feline practice specialties quite busy. The difference, when compared to a more typical mixed-animal practice, begins in the waiting room, Lu-

kuch says. In a more typical practice, cats and dogs and their owners wait together in the same room, a few feet apart. Dogs are, by their very nature, more excitable and energetic, while “the cats say act like you’ve been here before,” she says.

Lukuch is looking to open a second-cat-only practice. “It’s been really hard to find the right place,” she says, adding she looked at a small practice in Newark with outdated equipment that was selling for about $100,000. She also looked at a much larger, more modern practice in Lewis Center. The asking price is $4 million.

“Back in the day, the selling price was about one year’s gross,” she says.

“Now, the corporations are throwing five to nine times the EBITDA.” The growth of the corporate practices has made it harder for the private clinics to hire, Lukuch says.

“They have a gigantic footprint here in central Ohio and offer recent graduates [from veterinary medical school] giant salaries and mentoring programs.”

A few years before Lukuch’s father passed away, in 2005, he sold his seven practices to VCA. “He was pretty young when he sold, about 55,” she says. “He was fortunate that he made good financial choices over the years and did well.”

The love factor People are willing to spend a lot of money on their pets for a simple reason: They’re part of the family and well worth any expense necessary to keep them healthy, happy and alive.

“Over the last 30 years there’s been an evolution of how people view pets,” says Rustin Moore, a veterinarian and dean of Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

“Pets were mostly outside animals, and then they moved directly into the

“Back in the day, the selling price was about one year’s gross. Now, the corporations are throwing five to nine times the EBITDA.” Andrea Lukuch, owner, Cats Only Veterinary Clinic

Dr. Am per Kenn anda edy for m ext s a d e rac tion ntal .

houses and bedrooms and even into the beds. We know 90 percent of the people who have a pet view them as a member of the family.”

Pets provide more than unconditional love and companionship. They also provide a string of health benefits to their owners, Moore says, including lower blood pressure, heart rates and cholesterol levels, plus all the mental health benefits. A steady 70 percent of the population has pets, and, as the population grows, the number of pets will increase in the same proportion.

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This means an increased need for veterinarians, but the pipeline is a slow one, as the training required to become a doctor of veterinary medicine is four years.

The OSU College of Veterinary Medicine is one of the largest and most well-regarded in the country.

“We don’t have the capacity to increase our size anymore,” Moore says, adding the college admits 162 new “seats” every year. The number of applications for this limited number of openings has increased by about 75

percent in the last year, and “this year we had 2,424 applicants,” Moore says.

New colleges of veterinary medicine have opened in the last few years, including ones at the University of Arizona and Long Island University.

The average starting salary for a 2019 graduate was $70,054, up from $65,983 the year before, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. One of the biggest reasons for the jump is the shortage of DVMs and the deeper pockets of the corporate players.

Creating a culture of care at a veterinary hospital is important, and that can be a challenge for corporate practices. Veterinarians working in corporate hospitals often are required to follow set procedures established by the corporation’s medical director or a board of doctors. These procedures are based on data collected from thousands of treatments and are what work in the majority of cases. “But, the individual who is licensed is ultimately responsible for the care of the animal February 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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and needs to make sure they’re only doing what’s best,” Advent says.

“They need some flexibility, and they may need to deviate.”

A Banfield practice in Columbus, Cincinnati or Los Angeles can feel the same, Moore says. “I’m not saying that’s a good thing or a bad thing. But, because some of the practices they acquire have been there for a long time, and the clientele is used to a certain culture, many times they’ll want the [former] owners to work there for a period of time, one or two years or even longer.”

The business Advent, of the state veterinary association, keeps a close eye on trends at the veterinary hospitals in Ohio and beyond. He recognizes the influx of corporate practices and is quick to point out the advantages each business model offers. He says now and for the near term, there’s plenty of room for private practices and corporate players in the growing market for veterinary services.

For example: Veterinarians are more interested in treating pets than in keeping the books. “They went into veterinary medicine to help animals, and the more time they spend on the business side, the less time they have to treat animals,” Advent says, adding that many of this back office work—such as scheduling, billing and accounting—is handled by the corporate office of the Banfield and VCA practices.

There isn’t much wrangling with insurance companies, like medical billers in human healthcare have to deal with. Advent estimates the proportion of pet owners who carry health insurance for their pets is about 3 percent to 5 percent. And that number doesn’t seem to be growing very fast.

“A lot of pet owners just haven’t chosen to go down that path,” he says.

“It’s more geared toward a serious situation, like when a dog gets hit by a car or ingests something dangerous and needs a serious operation. We’ve seen a little more interest, but not much of an uptick.”

Husband-and-wife practice “What sets us apart from the big corporations is we’re smaller and our philosophy is to get to know our clients on a first-name basis and to treat everyone like family members,” says Brigette Lightell. She and her husband, Todd Lightell, who hold DVMs, own and operate Dublin Veterinary Clinic.

The couple, both graduates of Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, bought the practice 11 years ago. “It was a long-established practice that went back to the 1960s, and we still have some of the original clients from the 60s,” Brigette Lightell says. “We got a loan from a local bank, First Bexley Bank [which was later sold to First Financial Bank in Cincinnati]. The person at the bank was familiar with the practice and knew it was successful. Now, so many practices sell to Banfield or VCA, so it would be a lot harder and more expensive to buy a practice.”

While Brigette Lightell says she sees mostly dogs and cats, Todd Lightell specializes in treating smaller, less common pets, such as gerbils, hamsters, Guinea pigs, ferrets, rabbits and turtles. “There are more exotics than you’d think, as there are people who live in apartments and condos who need a pet that takes up less space and that they don’t have to take outside for a walk to go to the bathroom.”

The corporate practices have an advantage in that they can buy commonly used items, such as heartworm medicine and flea-and-tick preventatives, in bulk at lower prices, and the

“There’s been an evolution of how people view pets. ...90 percent view them as a member of the family.”

Rustin Moore, dean, Ohio State University College

of Veterinary Medicine

The On staff a ly V et t Cat Clin erinar s y ic.

Banfield and VCA practices get an even better deal on the Royal Canin and Iams pet foods made by their common parent company, Mars, Brigette Lightell says. “So, in order for us to have the same profit margin we have to charge more, and that’s how we explain it to people,” she says.

What comes next Knapp’s grandfather started Knapp Veterinary Hospital in 1945. “My father [Paul Knapp] took over and purchased it, and then I took over and purchased it,” he says. “We’ve been at this same location [on Oakland Park Avenue] the whole time. We have seven doctors and total staff of more

26 ColumbusCEO l February 2021

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than 40.” All three of the Knapps are graduates of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine. It’s difficult to estimate the number of cats and dogs—and their owners—they’ve cared for over the years.

None of Robert Knapp’s children attended veterinary college. His son, Bryan, is an Ohio State graduate with a business degree. He works for his father, handling many of the back-office operations. “We haven’t broached the subject,” the elder Knapp says when asked if his son will one day purchase his practice. “There is an allowance [in state regulations] for a non-veterinarian to own a practice if they get a facility license.”

Another option is for one of the practice’s veterinarians to eventually buy the business.

Many veterinarians practice into their 70s and even 80s, so there’s no rush. And yet, the constant solicitation calls from potential buyers have gotten Knapp thinking about the future. There’s a lot of money to be made. “I’m hearing about premiums on the value of a practice that are unprecedented,” he says.

The bottom line, Knapp says, is that there should be multiple options for veterinarians looking to sell their practice, and multiple options for pet owners who seek medical care. He’s worried the number of veterinarianowned practices will decrease.

“The competition and the cost is getting tough for a younger veterinarian who aspires to ownership,” Knapp says. “Can that individual go to a bank and get a loan and establish their

business when corporations with deep pockets are paying a huge premium on a business they truly covet?”

The number of corporate practices will increase, Knapp says. “They’re not going away, nor should they. And there should always be a place for the entrepreneur veterinarian to hang up a shingle and practice high-quality veterinary medicine.”

Just like his father and grandfather did before him. Paul Knapp’s name and photo are still listed on the practice’s website, even though he retired and stopped practicing medicine a few years ago. “Taking his name off wouldn’t be good optics in the family,” Robert Knapp says with a chuckle.

Steve Wartenberg is a freelance writer.

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what % of US adults say they read magazines in the last 6 months?

91

This includes 95% of those under 35 and 95% of those under 25.

228.7

MILLION THAT’S AN INCREASE OF 18 MILLION SINCE 2012.

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(NCSolutions 2005-Q12019)

(MRI-Simmons, Fall 2019)

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At a greater rate than newspapers, internet, radio or TV * Household income $250K+ (MRI-Simmons, Fall 2019)

compared to top tech sites MAGAZINES outperform reaching

WOMEN AGES 18+ (MRI Media Fusion)

PRINT STIMULATES EMOTIONS AND DESIRES PRINT IS PREFERRED BY THE MAJORITY (EVEN MILLENNIALS) PRINT READERS EXPERIENCE MORE FOCUSED ATTENTION AND LESS DISTRACTION, WHICH DRIVES SENSORY INVOLVEMENT CONTRIBUTING TO GREATER READER IMPACT, COMPREHENSION AND RECALL. (MPA, Scott McDonald, Ph.D. Nomas Research)

For advertising information call Columbus CEO at 614-540-8900 or email advertise@columbusceo.com.

For your complimentary subscription to Columbus CEO visit columbusceo.com.

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Information provided by

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Special Advertising Section

February

2021

Business 2021

Photos by jodi miller

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Business 2021

The faces of Wealth Management Robert A. Mauk, CFP® Joseph A. Chornyak, Sr., CFP® - Managing Partner Joseph A. Chornyak, Jr., CFP® Shortcuts don’t lead to the best financial planning, and that’s why Chornyak & Associates doesn’t use them.

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Chornyak manages over $1.3 billion in assets for over 1,000 individuals and businesses nationwide. The Columbus firm grew its business through referrals from satisfied clients who recommended its customized, comprehensive financial planning to friends and colleagues.

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Chornyak & Associates 716 Mt. Airyshire Blvd., Ste. 200 Columbus, OH 43235 • 614-888-2121 chornyak.com Faces of Columbus Business l ColumbusCEO

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Business 2021

Joseph & Joseph 155 W. Main St., Suite 200 Columbus, OH 43215 • 614-449-8282 josephandjoseph.com

The faces of Family law Kyle Dodderer, Associate Attorney Courtney Hanna, Principal Attorney Luke Shaffer, Associate Attorney

Joseph & Joseph Co., LPA is a formidable presence in the legal community with experience in all aspects of family law, from the simplest dissolution to the tackling of the most complicated divorce and custody disputes, both nationally and internationally. We provide extensive knowledge dealing with topics such as child support, spousal support, prenuptial agreements, separate property, establishment of paternity, division of assets and liabilities, including issues related to real estate, businesses, and retirement as well as post-decree matters.

32 ColumbusCEO l Faces of Columbus Business

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Family business

Maintaining a legacy Members of the Burgett family

By Jess Deyo + Photo by ROB HARDIN

B

ackhoes, construction sites and office spaces: not a typical playground, but it was for the third generation of the Burgett family. It’s not for everyone, but for them, childhood memories sprouted a passion to continue the legacy that is the

Kokosing Group 6235/6245 Westerville Road, Westerville 43081 kokosingindustrial.com, kokosing.biz and corna.com Business: Family-owned construction companies CEOs: Brett and Bryce Burgett, Kokosing Inc.; Lori

Gillett, CEO of Corna Kokosing

Employees: 3,750 Revenue: $1.6 billion in 2020

As Kokosing Construction reaches 70 years in business, the Burgett family reflects on how they got here and what to expect in the future.

Kokosing Construction Co. The Ohio company has a rich history that started seven decades ago.

Co-founded by the late William “Bill” Burgett and Lester Rinehart in 1951, William Burgett Construction, now known as Kokosing, had a humble beginning with projects in Mount Vernon and Fredericktown.

Since the company’s conception, Bill worked to create a company that would help put food on his family’s table. He worked tirelessly to build homes and tackle remodeling projects, many of which still stand.

At the time, he had only a handful of employees, and the capabilities were limited. However, he expanded his team in the years that followed and began laying the framework for continuous growth.

After nearly three decades, Bill passed the role of Kokosing president to his son, William Brian Burgett, who currently serves as chairman, in 1981. As the second wave of the

family began to fill roles within the company, they followed in Bill’s footsteps. Goals were set and met on a continuous loop, and just as the second generation joined Kokosing, the third was lining up.

Of the Burgetts’ third generation is William Brett Burgett, who became the co-CEO and president of Kokosing in 2020. For Brett, being a part of the company was second nature.

“We all grew up going out on projects with our parents and grandparents,” Brett says. “There’s nothing else that I would have wanted to do and could ever see myself doing besides construction.”

Today, Kokosing generates $1.6 billion in annual revenue with eight operations across Ohio and neighboring states. At the base of the company are the Olen Corp. and Kokosing Materials, which make construction materials like aggregates and asphalt.

When it’s time for the project to come to life, in step Kokosing Industrial, February 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Photo courtesy Burgett Family

Members of the Burgett family Kokosing Construction, Corman Kokosing, McGraw Kokosing and Corna Kokosing, all with specialties.

Key in maintaining the growth of the company are Brett’s partner and cousin, William Bryce Burgett, co-CEO of Kokosing, and sister Lori (Burgett) Gillett, CEO of Corna Kokosing, a Westerville operation the company acquired in 1995.

Similar to Brett, Bryce always saw a life in construction.

“I didn’t know to what extent it would be, but I grew up on equipment and I loved being around heavy iron,” Bryce says. “I knew that’s what I was going to do.”

Gillett was named Corna Kokosing CEO in June 2019, and since then, she has made it a goal to continue the momentum that has carried the company.

Behind it all lies the company’s core value of remaining a “people business,” Gillett says.

“Our grandfather used to always say, ‘I’m building for the next 100 years,’ or ‘I’m making this decision for the next 100 years,’ ” Gillett says.

“That is always our philosophy—hard work, integrity, doing things for our

team members and for our people.

This business is all about people. That doesn’t change.”

While the Burgett family has grown, the Kokosing team has largely stayed the same. Turnover is below 3 percent, Brett says. To celebrate, the company offers hard hat stickers for every year spent at the company.

“It’s nothing to see 20, 30, or 40 stickers on team members’ (hats),” Brett says. “We’ve had many families that have been working here for two, three or four generations.”

The ability to employ hundreds of families across the Kokosing companies is something Gillett holds close to her heart.

“I don’t think there’s any higher compliment than somebody having a family member come work at this company,” Gillett says. “To know that as a mother, I want my son or my daughter or my cousin to come work at the same company.”

While some could never imagine working alongside family, for the Burgetts, it’s hard to see it any other way.

Much of the success of Kokosing can be contributed to the benefits of being

“Our grandfather used to always say, ‘I’m building for the next 100 years,’ or ‘I’m making this decision for the next 100 years.’ That is always our philosophy—hard work, integrity, doing things for our team members and for our people.”

Lori Gillett, CEO, Corna Kokosing

family-owned. Instead of focusing on financial goals, the company can dedicate time to long-term solutions that support the team, Brett says.

“People want to come to work here, because they know that we’re going to do it right,” Brett says. “Even if that’s gonna take a couple more minutes or an hour to get the right plan in place, the right protective PPE in place, or whatever it is, it doesn’t matter what cost, we’re going to take care of our team members, and we’ll make sure that they get home safe.”

Recently, the company reached 70 years in business—and it’s already preparing the next generation. The family often spends Saturdays together for Kokosing University, a program teaching the youngest generation important life lessons, Gillett says.

Within the Saturday meetings, the family works to build trust, strengthen family teamwork, educate about the company and introduce the presidents of the different subsidiaries. When the younger generation walks away, they will have learned things like how to create a resume or read financial statements.

Meanwhile, the team is moving forward with a 2025 strategic plan that highlights three pillars: safety, people and growth. Like their grandfather, Lori, Brett and Bryce operate with the goal of helping their team put food on the table, Bryce says.

Jess Deyo is associate editor.

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Resilience

Bend­— don’t break The keys to survival in the Covid-19 landscape are creativity and a willingness to change, two pub owners say.

By Joel Oliphint + Photo by ROB HARDIN

I

n January and February of 2020, McClellan’s Pub had its best two months since the northwest Columbus bar and eatery opened on Sawmill Road in 2014. Then, in early March, coowners Amy Schirtzinger and Brent McClellan looked to build on that success by gearing up for one of the biggest days of the year.

For McClellan’s, an “American

“The first month, I still didn’t know what to do, so I just kept showing up to work. I would go in and just sit there and kind of panic and stare at the wall.”

Amy Schirtzinger co-owner, McClellan’s Pub

McClellan’s Pub 6694 Sawmill Road, Columbus 43235 mcclellanspub.com Business: Northwest Columbus pub featuring an extensive whiskey and bourbon selection, English Premier League soccer matches and food.

Owners: Amy Schirtzinger and Brent McClellan Employees: 10 Revenue: Would not disclose

Amy Schirtzinger and Brent McClellan pub with Irish inspiration” that prides itself on its whiskey selection, St. Patrick’s Day is a huge annual event. In advance of the March 17 celebration, Schirtzinger says the bar purchased a ton of food and alcohol.

Then, on March 15, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a statewide stayat-home order.

Instead of the usual St. Paddy’s party, Schirtzinger cooked a bunch of food for the pub’s staff and brought in the restaurant’s accountant to sit down with the bar’s 10 employees and answer questions. “We didn’t know how long we’d be shut down.

So we went over what bills they needed to pay first and how they needed to plan financially,” Schirtzinger says. “We passed around a computer and had everybody sign up for unemployment immediately.”

“Six [staffers] had a full-time job somewhere else, but they counted

on this extra income to help them out. It was a big blow to those people because they couldn’t file for unemployment for a second job,” McClellan says. “Amy packed up some food in a cooler so they could take it home and save some money that way.”

The owners also set up a GoFundMe account for staff, raising nearly $7,000. After that, McClellan’s sat empty. “The first month, I still didn’t know what to do, so I just kept showing up to work. I would go in and just sit there and kind of panic and stare at the wall,” Schirtzinger says. “But I heard from every single staff member every single day. They were checking on me to see if I was OK.” McClellan’s applied for and received a PPP loan, and the owners say they initially got a little bit of help from their landlord, but not much. Leading up to the bar’s reopen-

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ing in early July, they had a hard time navigating the various restrictions placed on bars and restaurants. “They were changing the regulations so rapidly,” Schirtzinger says. “[The Health Department] would have a paper with rules on it, and then they’d tell you something totally different. No one was really on the same page.”

Plus, sometimes the recommended safety measures were at odds with other regulations. “You could put something up, and the fire department would come in and say, ‘That’s a fire hazard. You can’t do it that way,’ ” McClellan says.

Eventually, Schirtzinger and McClellan purchased new beer and food and retrained their staff, though most of the sanitation protocols weren’t much different from what had already been in place. “We’ve been trained since we started in the industry that you have to be safe and

clean,” Schirtzinger says.

The tougher part, the owners say, was the layout of the small pub. Once social distancing measures were in place, McClellan’s could operate at only a third of its previous capacity.

Not only that, but when customers did come back to drink and dine, their patterns had changed.

“It’s a constant trial and error. People are eating different things. People are drinking different things. Our bestsellers before aren’t selling at all right now. You’re watching trends of people wanting much more comfort-style foods,” Schirtzinger says. “It’s very strange. Our salads are down. Our hummus is down. They kind of want to stick with what they know—and that goes with drinks, too.”

The supply chain was also a problem. McClellan’s, which is a fan hub for Liverpool F.C. English Premier League soccer matches, is normally a

huge seller of Carlsberg beer, but for weeks Schirtzinger says she couldn’t get Carlsberg in stock. Fluctuating food prices didn’t help, either.

“The prices for meat, especially, have been all over the board. To price a menu off of ever-changing prices is very difficult,” she says. “When we first went back, we had a ton of seafood on our menu, because at that point seafood was cheaper than beef and chicken.”

McClellan and Schirtzinger kept an eye on other bars and restaurants and noticed that two types of places seemed to be weathering the pandemic better than others: upscale eateries and dive bars. Given McClellan’s already extensive whiskey and bourbon selection, the owners decided to nudge the pub in the nicer direction.

“You have to transform yourself in order to survive the ups and downs,” Schirtzinger says.

These days, McClellan’s continues to adapt. When the 10 p.m. curfew went into effect, the owners noticed the pub was getting fewer patrons at earlier hours, as well. They estimate revenue has dropped 30 percent since the curfew was put in place. Schirtzinger, for one, has trouble making sense of the time-related restrictions.

“We’re not a late-night spot, so it’s not that I want to stay up and party and get crazy. That’s not our thing. But if we can manage [the pub] at 3 in the afternoon, I would hope you would also trust us to manage it at midnight,” she says.

Plus, most people are still working from home, which means customers don’t stop by on their way home from the office anymore. If Ohioans continue to work from home throughout 2021, McClellan says, it will change the entire industry.

The future is uncertain, the owners say. But at least they’re now used to the uncertainty. “I think that we know how to adapt a little bit better,” Schirtzinger says. “If nothing else, this has taught us that we need to be creative, and that we need to take some of the things about the business and really use them to our advantage.

And that if we can get through this past year, I feel like we can probably get through any of it.”

Joel Oliphint is associate editor for Columbus Alive.

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Diverse Leaders in Law

Pathways to partnership Local law firm leaders share how firms can support attorneys from diverse backgrounds in advancing as far as their ambitions and talents take them.

By Laura Newpoff + Photo by ROB HARDIN

A

s leaders at law firms continue to have conversations about how to make the profession more diverse, finding ways to help women and minorities rise to the rank of partner has become a major item on the to-do list.

That’s because industry data show that less than 25 percent of firm partners are women, 9.13 percent

Jennifer Readler

are racially or ethnically diverse and 3.19 percent are racially or ethnically diverse women. It’s also because, according to the American Bar Association, there are several benefits to boosting diversity, including raising quality, enhancing a firm’s reputation and supporting external diversity and inclusion efforts.

Improvement can come in the form of helping associates develop mentorships and connections inside the firm and within clients’ organizations and at boards in the community. Those relationships can help them build their books of business and do meaningful work to solve clients’ problems. Improvement also can come in the form of retaining lawyers so they stay around long enough to advance their careers. If successful, a more diverse roster of partners will serve as inspiration to young women and minority associates about what’s possible.

That’s according to Columbus region lawyers who participated in Columbus CEO magazine’s quarterly Diverse Leaders in Law forum in January. The most recent discussion focused on how firms can remove obstacles from the paths of young women attorneys and attorneys of color who aspire to become partners.

The panelists were:

Yvette McGee Brown

global partner-in-charge of diversity, inclusion and advancement, Jones Day

Terri Meldrum

senior vice president and general counsel, OhioHealth

David Paragas

partner, Barnes & Thornburg

Jennifer Readler

member, Frost Brown Todd

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

Power of mentorship Paragas, who is Asian-American, began his career at a small regional firm and was the only lawyer in its Columbus office. That sense of isolation led him to seek out a role model

“This past year, we had four male associates in my group each take two-month maternity leaves.

I think that speaks volumes for finally getting a little bit more equity in more parent leave than just everything (that’s) expected to be on the mother.”

Jennifer Readler, member, Frost Brown Todd

David Paragas

Yvette McGee Brown

Terri Meldrum Images from Zoom event

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who he would design his practice after. Wanting to specialize in legislative affairs, he reached out to attorney Rocky Saxbe, a partner at Taft Law who is well-connected among Ohio’s political class.

“He says to me, ‘Become an expert in something … talk about it and let people know that you do it,” Paragas says. “And that’s how I started to develop my book of business.”

Paragas came to realize how important mentorship and being a role model to other attorneys was because of that experience. He advocates for associates to have mentors within their practice group or discipline to help them develop, a mentor in the community to navigate social service and volunteerism and a mentor the associate works with on a board.

“When you’re working side-by-side with the CEOs or the general counsels at that board table, you’re equivalent regardless of what their ages [are] because you’re there for a common purpose,” Paragas says. “That opens a lot of doors and it teaches [the lawyer] a lot about organizations.”

Meldrum says mentors also could come from within the firm’s client base.

“There are a lot of in-house lawyers in large legal departments in large organizations across the city that could help associates gain perspective about the approach he or she should look for,” she says.

Keeping an eye on job satisfaction Moving from associate to partner is a process that can take from five to seven years to become a junior partner and up to 15 years to become a senior partner, job site LawCrossing.com reports. Many associates will decide not to wait around that long, however.

A recent study of more than 800 law firms found that they lost 15 associates for every 20 they hired. And the cost of losing an associate, legal search firm Major Lindsey & Africa reports, can average $200,000 to $500,000 considering recruiting and training costs and other factors.

Readler says ongoing dialogue with associates about the expectations of both parties can help with job satisfaction. Flexibility about demanding work schedules and external presFebruary 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Special advertising opportunities coming in Columbus CEO

APRIL 2021 The Leadership Issue This entire issue of Columbus CEO will be dedicated to leadership.

How to become a better leader, where to find local resources and how the region’s most powerful firms are choosing new leaders.

Women’s Leadership A section for companies committed to supporting the advancement of women in the workforce to the highest levels.

Education & Workforce Development As the region prepares to welcome an additional 1 million residents and 600,000 jobs over the next 30 years, ensuring we have a highly skilled workforce is key. Columbus CEO will highlight the robust efforts of our local institutions and business community.

CEO LEADERBOARD • Family Law Firms Space Deadline: February 26

Action items

Here’s what firms and established attorneys can do to improve retention of attorneys from diverse backgrounds.

Grow your network

Take a look at your LinkedIn. What percentage of your network is of color?

Commit to start building a network of others.

If you have power

Commit to reaching out to a diverse person to sponsor them in their career.

Seek a mentee

Find someone outside your network to assist.

Volunteer

Serve on a board or give time and talent to organizations and causes in the community. You will meet interesting and diverse people. sures like childcare is also critical to improve retention.

“We need to have constant check-ins to make sure they’re on the track they want to be [and] that they are satisfied,” she says. “It’s our obligation to make those things happen so that [what] we have is in everybody’s best interest if you have somebody who is doing well, thriving in the organization.”

McGee Brown says some associates may have issues with a partner where they feel overly criticized no matter what they do. She recommended developing a network of peers outside of the firm to level set. She suggested asking: What advice do you have for me? Is this normal behavior? Why do you think he’s treating me this way?

“It allows (the associate) to hear from a neutral source who is not inside (their) law firm,” she says.

Showing support Law firms have made strides over the years to accommodate the needs of

For advertising information, call 614-540-8900 today or email advertise@columbusceo.com

their attorneys who juggle demanding work schedules. When Readler had her daughter 15 years ago, the child’s father also was an attorney at the time.

She took three months off and he took off two days.

“Fast forward to this past year— we had four male associates in my group each take two-month maternity leaves,” says Readler, who is law director for the city of Dublin. “I think that speaks volumes for finally getting a little bit more equity in more parent leave than just everything (that’s) expected to be on the mother.”

With ongoing advancements in technology, there’s more flexibility for firms to allow associates to carve out their own kind of day if they have children, for example, she says. The pandemic has only enhanced the importance of work schedule flexibility.

“You know, I don’t care where you are—if you’re in the office, if you’re at home, what time of day you’re working on things,” Readler says. “I want them to be happy because, again, we want to develop people who are happy in the firm who can provide value in the way that they can and with the most flexibility.”

In addition to the pandemic, issues of racial injustice are causing firms to examine how they can support employees during difficult times. McGee Brown says her firm has worked to create a sense of community so employees feel connected. Several affinity groups help diverse lawyers do just that. Going forward, more diversity in the partner ranks will only inspire members of minority communities to think they can succeed.

“When they come into a firm, they need to be able to look up and see what success looks like,” McGee Brown says. “If they don’t see people in the leadership who look like them who are succeeding in the firm, it’s hard for them to believe they can be successful, too.”

Laura Newpoff is a freelance writer.

“If [women lawyers and lawyers of color] don’t see people in the leadership who look like them who are succeeding in the firm, it’s hard for them to believe they can be successful, too.”

Yvette McGee Brown, global partner-in-charge of diversity, inclusion and advancement, Jones Day

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Health Watch

Unknown enemy

The medical and epidemiological community was taken off-guard by Covid-19.

Now they’ve squeezed 10 years of research into one trying to save lives.

By Laurie Allen + Photo by ROB HARDIN

F

aced with a voracious virus that sickens and kills more people every day, science detectives around the world and here in Columbus have had to push through uncharted territory to understand and contain the perpetrator, and they’ve needed help from the public.

“With the exception of HIV, we have never been in a situation where we’re flying the plane while we’re building it,” says COSI President and CEO Frederic Bertley, a specialist in immunology and vaccine development. Speaking of the work done on the life-changing coronavirus, he says, “It’s been detective work with ongoing pivoting and editing. We’ve been drinking out of a fire hose, continuously changing our understanding. We have been forced to figure this thing out right now.”

In terms of scientific research and epidemiologic understanding, progress made in the last year is the equivalent of 10 years under normal circumstances, Bertley says.

Local experts say despite the warp speed progress, many questions remain and can be answered only by time and human behavior. They also understand the public’s frustration with guidelines and orders that have seemed to change day to day.

“We knew nothing about this virus” when it emerged early in 2020, says Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, system director of infectious diseases at OhioHealth. “I am very humbled by this whole experience.”

Through ongoing tracing, testing and observation, epidemiologists gleaned vital knowledge—that the virus’ primary mode of transmission is via droplets (sneezing, coughing, singing, speaking); that people should remain at least six feet apart from one another; and that masks are highly effective.

And they’ve seen that when large groups gather, more people are exposed to the virus. “The virus isn’t looking for people, people go to the virus,” Bertley says. “That’s why social distancing is so important, and masks provide a physical barrier if potential hosts get within arm’s reach of the virus.”

Epidemiologists know that someone infected with the virus can be contagious starting roughly two days prior to developing symptoms, and that about 20 percent of infected people remain asymptomatic, making them “silent spreaders,” says Maria Gallo, professor and interim chair of the Division of Epidemiology at Ohio State University College of Public Health. “Basically, we should assume that others are possibly infected and protect ourselves with steps that are known to reduce the risk of infection.”

Gastaldo says he worries about asymptomatic transmission, especially to those with risk factors such as age, obesity, diabetes, weakened immune

“With chickenpox or measles, we have a lifetime of data showing that once you have it, you won’t get reinfected. We don’t have that for coronavirus.”

Frederic Bertley, CEO of COSI and immunologist

“We are in a global world war, and we need to gather new science and technology and connect the dots in a much more efficient way. We need that infrastructure so that when there is another pandemic—and there will be another—we will be able to mount an attack.”

Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, system director of infectious diseases, OhioHealth

systems and lung and breathing conditions. “That’s a huge part of our population at risk,” he says.

As the human toll mounts, scientists and medical professionals continue to search for answers to questions about key issues such as immunity. Once someone has had Covid-19 or received a vaccine, how long are they immune? The short answer: It’s too soon to tell.

“With chickenpox or measles, we have a lifetime of data showing that once you have it, you won’t get reinfected. We don’t have that for

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coronavirus,” Bertley says. Likewise, it’s unclear how long immunity lasts once someone is vaccinated. For example, scientists have to devise a new influenza vaccine every year because of its changeability.

New coronavirus variants already have emerged in countries around the world, including here. Gastaldo says at least one variant spreads more efficiently, which could mean additional infection and illness, such as happened in England, which shut down this winter.

He urges people to get vaccinated

as soon as they are able, and until enough people are vaccinated, people need to stick with the measures that are proven effective, such as social distancing. “You can’t pick and choose mitigation strategies,” Gastaldo says. “They synergistically work together.”

Human behavior has posed a frustrating challenge for those battling the coronavirus. Radhika Iyer, infectious disease program epidemiologist and supervisor at the Franklin County Board of Health, says people have acted and reacted with disbelief at the

possibility they could get or spread the virus. That became evident when activities opened up and the virus spread among sports teams, schools and social gatherings like showers and wedding receptions, she says.

The county department also has struggled with cooperation in trying to do contact tracing, Iyer says. In some cases, people have wanted details about a possible exposure that health care privacy laws prohibit epidemiology staff from sharing, or they argue that the contact never happened.

Parents have sent videos to try to prove their children weren’t exposed at a sports practice, she adds. “We’ve had some very tough phone calls.

People don’t want talk to us when we call. Our people have been trained not to take things personally, but we do encourage people to work with us.”

Bertley says the Covid-19 pandemic powerfully illustrates the theory of cognitive dissonance, the mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information. Human beings use various maneuvers to relieve that tension, such as rejecting, explaining away or avoiding that information.

“There is an emotional component to this,” he says.

However, he says, “The virus is not a psychological entity. It’s not emotional, nor is it personal, racial or political. It wants one thing only—to find a host and replicate.”

Local experts say the pandemic has underscored the need for strong public health infrastructure at both national and local levels. Gallo says many local health departments don’t have enough resources to provide the necessary tracing to identify and quarantine their contacts. Conversely, the unprecedented speed of vaccine development would not have been possible without enough federal funding, she says.

Gastaldo hopes the Covid-19 experience will drive funding decisions going forward. “We are in a global world war, and we need to gather new science and technology and connect the dots in a much more efficient way.

We need that infrastructure so that when there is another pandemic—and there will be another—we will be able to mount an attack.”

Laurie Allen is a freelance writer.

February 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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1

2

HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR

BLUEPRINT

3

4

We’re honored to have built a business that is celebrating 40 years.

There’s only one way to have loyal clients and employees that are friends, be named a Best Place to Work and celebrate this many years in the industry:

5

6

HARD WORK & DOING THE RIGHT THING.

7

8

9

10

General Contractors

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Columbus, Ohio

www.renier.com

614-866-4580

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Central Ohio General Contractors Ranked by 2020 Columbus region contract value

Company 1 Turner Construction 262 Hanover St., Columbus 43215 571-888-2176 turnerconstruction.com

2 Gilbane Building Co. 145 E. Rich St., 4th Floor Columbus 43215 • 614-948-4000 gilbaneco.com

3 Elford

1220 Dublin Road, Columbus 43215 614-488-4000 elford.com

4 Kokosing Group

6235 Westerville Road Westerville 43081 • 614-212-5700 kokosing.biz

5 Ruscilli Construction 5815 Wall St., Dublin 43017 614-876-9484 ruscilli.com

6 Marker

2011 Riverside Drive, Columbus 43221 614-754-8349 buildwithmarker.com

7 Continental Building Co. 150 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215 614-221-1818 builtbycontinental.com

8 Messer Construction 3705 Business Park Drive Columbus 43204 • 614-275-0141 messer.com

9 Daimler Group

1533 Lake Shore Drive, Columbus 43204 614-488-4424 daimlergroup.com

10 Pepper Construction 5185 Blazer Parkway, Suite 101 Dublin 43017 • 614-793-4477 pepperconstruction.com

2020 Columbus region contract value

PROJECT value General contracting Construction management

Top projects in 2020

Employees Local Companywide

CENTRAL OHIO TOP OFFICERs

$972 million

$24 m $948 m

Nationwide Children’s Hospital research building 4, CoverMyMeds phase 2

314 6,700

Brian Mooney

$460.6 million

na $460.6 m

Andelyn Biosciences facility, North Market tower, Fifth Third Center renovation, PNC Building renovation

99 3,111

Brett Meyer

$450 million

$84 m $366 m

NRI office building/Chipotle headquarters, East Knox Middle School, city of Columbus Westside Early Learning Center

375 377

$272.6 million

$214.8 m $57.8 m

ODOT 200002 FRA I-71 Phase 3B, ODOT 200389 FRA I-71, Columbus Crew stadium concrete, VanTrust Site J New Albany, Crew training facility, Dublin Road Water

927 3,457

Brett and Bryce Burgett, CEOs Lori Gillett

$261.7 m $1.3 m

Scioto Peninsula residential,, 421 North Pennsylvania, 4 Forty North Monroe, Axium Mink Warehouse

135 135

Lou Ruscilli and Tony Ruscilli

$198.8 million

$25 m $173.8 m

Crossline, Delaware County New District Library, Dublin North Community Pool, Jeffrey Mansion expansion and renovation, Dave Thomas Adoption Foundation renovation

43 130

$197.8 million

na $197.8 m

UA Gateway mixed-use, Toledo Hilton dual brand hotel, Red Cedar senior living, Red Cedar student housing

67 93

$184 million

$53 m $131 m

OhioHealth multiple projects, Ohio Living Heritage Pointe Project

165 1,400

$175 million

na $175 m

Ohio State University regional ambulatory facility:, Hamilton Quarter, Peninsula office, COPCP Westerville MOB Phase III

48 48

$171.4 million

$10.8 m $160.6 m

Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine expansion, confidential new self storage facility, Xebec’s The Hub at Rickenbacker

93 1,117

$263 million

Vice president and general manager

senior vice president

Jim Smith CEO

CEO of Corna Kokosing

Alison Marker President

Josh Corna CEO

PROJECT TYPES Design-build, office, education, healthcare, industrial Design-build, office, education, healthcare, industrial, warehouse Design-build, office, education, healthcare, industrial, warehouse Design-build, office, education, healthcare, industrial, warehouse

Office, warehouse

Design-build, office, education, healthcare, industrial, warehouse Design-build, office, education, healthcare, industrial, warehouse

Erin Thompson

Design-build, office, education, healthcare, industrial

Robert C. White

Design-build, office, education, healthcare, industrial, warehouse

vice president

chairman

Paul Francois president

Design-build, office, education, healthcare, industrial, warehouse

m=million na=not applicable Source: Survey of general contractors

The CEO Leaderboard features selected topics each month. The May Leaderboards will feature Columbus region data centers and home health agencies. The deadline for inclusion in those surveys is March 8. If you want your company to be considered for an upcoming CEO Leaderboard, email Rebecca Walters at rwalters@columbusCEO.com.

Information compiled by Rebecca Walters

Information included in this survey was provided by companies and not independently verified.

February 2021 l ColumbusCEO

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Subscribe to

R T C

Jo Ev (6 ww rea

R M P G V

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Columbus Monthly is among the best city magazines in the country. y.

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Wouldn’t you like to be looking at your home?

Ask your Realtor to market your home in the Executive Living section of Columbus CEO Magazine!

East of I-71 call Telana Veil at (614) 469-6106 or e-mail at tveil@dispatch.com West of I-71 call Amy Vidrick at (614) 461-5153 or e-mail at avidrick@dispatch.com

RE/MAX TOWN CENTER Joe and Patty Evans (614) 975-7355 www.joeandpattyevans. realestate

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

$94

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

7970 GINGER PLACE, DUBLIN - Custom built by Copper Tree with over 6100 sq ft of usable finished space. Located in the Oaks subdivision, with mature pine trees surrounding the large yard. Custom finishes on the interior include an incredible kitchen, office, dining room & lots of open spaces. View our video of this home at JOEANDPATTYEVANS.REALESTATE

RE/MAX METRO PLUS GERMAN VILLAGE

RE/MAX METRO PLUS GERMAN VILLAGE

Al Waddell (614) 832-4079 al.waddell@ remax.net

Al Waddell (614) 832-4079 al.waddell@ remax.net

39 N OHIO AVENUE - American 4SQ with every update imaginable! The 30’ center hall leads to a stunning, original 3 story staircase. 2 sets of dbl pocket doors open to a Music Rm & Liv. Rm (each w/ FP), LR opens to banquet-sized FDR. A large island centers the kitchen w Quarts counters. 2nd flr has 2 en-suite BRs, custom dressing room & 4th BR (or home office). The 3rd flr is a private owner’s suite, with vaulted ceilings, sitting area & luxurious bath. $659,900

60 MIAMI AVENUE – Elegnt home w/ leaded glass entry opens to a vestibule that opens to a center hall foyer. Home office and magnificent staircase, working FP flanked by two wood trimmed arched doorways into the FDR. Coffered ceilings, stained glass, updated kitchen w/ center island & new pro-style appls. 2nd floor has 4 BRs & 2 full baths + sunroom. Owner’s BR adjoins full bath & 2nd BR to create a lavishly lg owner’s suite. $624,900

CUTLER REAL ESTATE

CUTLER REAL ESTATE

Jean Ann Conley (614) 595-4712 jeanann@conley andpartners.com

Conley & Partners (614) 595-4344 amy@conley andpartners.com

8395 DEEP RUN, POWELL - Custom cape cod flooded w/ natural light. Private wooded backyard & patio adjoining a wooded reserve.

Country covered front porch w/ Mahogany door sets tone for the quality throughout. Brazilian cherry wood floors. Kitchen w/ Blue Eyes Granite & high end appls. 1st flr owner suite w/ private screen porch. Walkout LL features bar, full bath, game & rec rms. 4BR 4FB 1HB $1,075,000

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7662 COOK ROAD - Dublin area 9800 sqft Estate on 7 wooded acres with pool. Amazing design, extraordinary details in this Country French Dream Home. Featuring a breathtaking open free floating circular staircase enveloped with stacked windows overlooking the pool. Six fireplaces, one outside around the pool. First floor owner’s suite with connecting library. Dream kitchen with cupula connects to beamed hearth room and sunroom. $1,695,000

1/20/21 4:48 PM

Office Space

By Laura newpoff + Photos by Rob Hardin

Leading Edje 6515 Longshore Loop Dublin 43017 leadingedje.com

Software firm finds a blank canvas to work with in the form of a third-floor corner suite in a new Crawford Hoying office building at Bridge Park.

Modern flair

DesignGroup created the office to let workers shift among various spaces.

Options

Flexible meeting rooms and private offices are mixed into the layout.

Encouraging a social culture

A “cafe hub” features a sculptural u-shaped bar with reclaimed wood counter and distressed corrugated metal.

Paying homage

Themed room names integrate aphorisms from the tech industry, including Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Tenfold did the office’s interior branding.

Visit columbusCEO.com for a full article on the space.

Clean lines

CEO Joelle Brock’s husband, Jeff, chose the furniture.

First impressions

Guests step off the elevator to encounter a living roomlike space.

48 ColumbusCEO l February 2021

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Connecting People Through the Gift of Communication Since 1923 Columbus Speech & Hearing Center has been dedicated to improving people’s lives in our community with speech and hearing challenges for nearly a century. We rely on donor support to provide the critical speech and hearing services they need to be successful and connect to the world around them.

1 in 3 families receiving services relies on support from people like you.

Your generous gift allows us to provide: • Screening and outreach services to identify and treat communication disorders • Hearing evaluations and hearing aids for low-income seniors • Free or discounted speech screenings and therapy for families

DONATE TODAY! Call (614) 263-5151 Or visit www.columbusspeech.org (Get Involved—Ways to Give) ColumbusSpeech.org 510 E. North Broadway, Columbus, Ohio 43214

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