Dr. Eric R. Schertel, Ph.D., DACVS
President and chief medical officer
MedVet Medical and Cancer Centers for Pets
Since it opened more than 25 years ago, MedVet Medical and Cancer Centers for Pets has been committed to delivering the highest quality, most compassionate specialty and emergency veterinary care available anywhere in the country, while providing support for clients and their family veterinarians.
Over the past several years, MedVet has experienced tremendous growth with the help of its President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Eric R. Schertel. With offices now in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Hilliard and Louisiana, MedVet treats more than 60,000 dogs and cats each year.
MedVet’s doctors utilize cutting-edge diagnostic tools and offer the most advanced treatment options in a variety of specialty areas including neurology, ophthalmology, surgery and internal medicine.
MedVet is also committed to advancing clinical research by running one of the country’s leading Clinical Studies Centers where it develops new diagnostic modalities, medical therapies, surgical procedures and devices.
Michael Schoedinger
President
Randy Schoedinger
CEO
Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Service
Michael and Randy Schoedinger, president and CEO, respectively, are the sixth-generation leaders of Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Service, which began in 1855 with German immigrant Philip Schoedinger.
Michael and Randy’s leadership has earned the company membership in Selected Independent Funeral Homes, as well as the inaugural Family Business of the Year Award given by the Family Business Center of Central Ohio in 1999. They continuously innovate, becoming the first green burial certified funeral home in Columbus, specializing in environmentally friendly funerals, and the first funeral home to webcast funerals.
The Schoedingers strive to maintain a family business environment without bureaucracy and excessive levels of management. When a policy or program needs change, the staff and the Schoedingers work in committees to get it done. They don’t have outside shareholders to please with dividends, instead investing the money in the staff and business.
Gary Schottenstein
Chairman and CEO
Schottenstein Real Estate Group
Gary Schottenstein has led the Schottenstein Real Estate Group as chairman and CEO by diversifying the business, differentiating the company from its competition and personally selling $300 million worth of properties, which he originally built, in the past 11 years.
Schottenstein was selected by his peers as the Building Industry Association Developer of the Year for the third time in 2012.
He has driven innovative product and community designs, including developing apartment buildings where every unit has an attached garage, and one- and two-bedroom garden apartments are offered.
Under Schottenstein’s leadership, the company has expanded into Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina. This translates to more than $90 million in new construction in three communities, with another $150 million planned within the next 12 months.
Under Schottenstein’s leadership, the company maintains a 100 percent satisfaction warranty policy and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Alex Shumate
Managing partner
Squire Patton Boggs
For more than two decades, Alex Shumate has been managing partner of the Columbus office of Squire Patton Boggs, an international integrated legal firm.
Shumate’s management style stems from extensive civic involvement and the belief that leadership in the law and in the community are the essential ingredients of success.
Shumate and the firm impact the community as advisers to important economic development projects throughout the region. These include advising on the ongoing development of Columbus Commons, advising the City of Dublin in its $100 million-plus redevelopment of the Bridge Street District and much more.
Shumate serves in many city, regional, state and national roles, including a third term on The Ohio State University Board of Trustees. He and his wife also co-founded the Shumate African American Outreach and Engagement Council at the Wexner Center for the Arts to engage diverse communities in the programming of the center.
Jim Smith
CEO
Elford Inc.
Elford Inc., the largest locally owned construction company in Central Ohio, has played a key role in the region’s growth since the company’s founding in 1910. From hospitals to high-rise office buildings, historic renovations to higher education facilities, and retail centers to industrial facilities, Elford has delivered some of the area’s most respected buildings.
Jim Smith, Elford’s CEO, joined the company in 1990 as a project manager. He has held a number of operations positions, including project executive, vice president, president and in 2011 was named to his current post.
Smith makes himself available to provide guidance and counseling and believes every employee should have a clear path to grow.
Since 1999, Smith and senior leaders have maintained an employee retention rate of 90 percent. Elford’s employees stay with the company and move into management positions — 90 percent of current field superintendents have come up through the ranks.
