First Financial Bancorp hired Gregory A. Gehlmann as senior vice president and general counsel.
Gehlmann comes to First Financial from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP in Washington, D.C., where he served as counsel to public and private companies, as well as investors, underwriters, directors, officers and principals regarding corporate securities, banking and general business and transactional matters. He has represented community and regional financial institutions throughout the country during his legal career.
“We are very pleased to welcome Greg to our company and our senior management team,” says Claude E. Davis, president and CEO. “He will be responsible for many issues, including legal management, corporate governance, investor relations, and regulatory and compliance concerns.”
Gehlmann earned his bachelor’s degree in political science at The University of Dayton, a master’s degree in political science from The Ohio State University and a juris doctorate from The Ohio State University College of Law. He is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the District of Columbia and in Ohio. He is a member of the Ohio, District of Columbia and American Bar associations.
First Financial Bancorp also added Richard E. Olszewski and William J. Kramer to its board of directors.
MODERN OFFICE METHODS
Modern Office Methods (MOM) named Craig Cassady vice president of sales for the newly created Pure Water Technology Division.
Cassady is responsible for managing and overseeing sales efforts for the division in Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. MOM serves as the exclusive regional distributor of PHSI Pure Water Technology, a proprietary state-of-the-art process for filtering and oxygenating drinking water specifically for workplace environments.
Prior to joining MOM, Cassady served as president and national sales manager for a manufacturing company in Cleveland. He attended The Ohio State University, where he earned All-Big Ten honors as a defensive back on the football team. Cassady earned his MBA from the University of South Florida.
YMCA OF GREATER CINCINNATI
The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati named Sandy Berlin Walker president and CEO. Previously, Walker was senior vice president of operations for the YMCA of Greater Boston, a position she held since 1993. She replaces Jerry Haralson who announced his retirement in last year after 12 years as president.
Walker’s goal is to reach further into the Greater Cincinnati community and establish viable partnerships, allowing the Y to serve more people. She has spent 26 years with the national organization and is known for building partnerships and growing revenue.
NATIONAL CITY
National City promoted Barbara L. Harper to branch manager for the National City branch on Glenway Avenue.
Harper is responsible for branch operations, as well as consumer and small business sales management. Previously, she worked as a branch manager at the Bridgetown and Norwood locations. She has 11 years of experience in financial services.
Harper is active in the Western Hills community, serving as a member of the Bridgetown Business Association.
GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE GROUP
Great American Insurance Group promoted Kendel D. Standlee to president of Great American’s Equine Mortality Division. The division supports the largest equine mortality operation in the United States and is the country’s leading insurer of this specialized business niche. Under Standlee’s direction, the Equine Mortality Division experienced one of its strongest growth years in 2004 while posting the best profitability numbers in its history.
A graduate of Arkansas Tech University with a degree in agribusiness, Standlee joined North America Livestock Inc. in 1987 as an underwriter, a company purchased by Great American in 1990. He became manager of the Equine Mortality Division in 1998, and since then, the division’s gross written premium increased to more than $80 million at the end of 2004, a 15 percent compound annual growth rate.
DYNUS CORP.
Dynus Corp. selected Ralph Lee as vice president for human resources. Previously, Lee was an executive with Comair Inc.
In 1995, he began his career at Comair as director of human resources. He was named the airline’s vice president of human resources in 2004. He also served as the vice president of In-flight Services.
Prior to joining Comair, he worked at Union Central Life Insurance Co. and Lazarus. Lee received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Xavier University, where he also played on the varsity basketball team. He was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame in 1999.
