Paul Fox achieves Skylight Financial Group's vision one step at a time
How to plan a path for the future of your business
Barry Cik, founder, vice president and technical director, Naturepedic
WINNER: Retail and Consumer Products Barry Cik refused to buy any crib on the market when he went shopping in anticipation of his first grandchild. An expert in the field of environmental engineering, he was shocked by questionable materials – such as vinyl/PVC and polyurethane foam – being used in standard baby mattresses. Even organic […]
Ryan White, managing partner, PRICE FOR PROFIT
WINNER: Services and Management Solutions Ryan White took a gamble in 2006, leaving behind a fast-track career with office products manufacturer Avery Dennison to launch a pricing consultancy, PRICE FOR PROFIT, out of his basement. White targeted and quickly won a number of manufacturing and distribution clients in Northeast Ohio and elsewhere with his disciplined, […]
How to determine if your company should conduct a dependent eligibility audit
Craig Pritts, JRG Advisors, the management arm of ChamberChoice
John Pitzaferro, CEO, TransNational Bankcard LLC
FINALIST: Financial Services John Pitzaferro founded TransNational Bankcard as an ethical credit card processing company in 1999. He had been in the industry for a while but found himself wanting for a company that truly cared for everyone. He knew his greatest strength was his personal integrity. He wouldn’t do things that violated his values […]
Cary B. Wood, president and CEO, Sparton Corp.
Turnaround –Finalist Cary Wood had been tackling management challenges for more than 20 years when the board of directors of Sparton Corp. asked him to turn around the 109-year-old manufacturing company, which was only a few months away from bankruptcy. While that alone was a massive challenge, adding to the situation was the recent recession, […]
Ray Leach, CEO, JumpStart Inc.
WINNER: Financial and Business Advisory Services Entrepreneurs imagine things as they could be, possessing a vision to create something better. The process of turning what they see into reality requires initiative, tenacity and, often, great personal risk. That certainly describes leader and visionary Ray Leach, CEO of JumpStart Inc., a Cleveland-based nonprofit venture development organization […]
Victor Ciardelli III, president and CEO, Guaranteed Rate Inc.
WINNER: Financial Services Victor Ciardelli III founded Guaranteed Rate Inc. in 2000 based on the concept of providing customers with low mortgage rates and a transparent, streamlined residential mortgage process. Ciardelli’s disciplined management of the company has enabled Guaranteed Rate to become one of the most successful residential mortgage lenders in the country despite significant […]
Ira Kaplan, managing partner, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan and Aronoff LLP
By his own admission, every decision Ira Kaplan made during his first years at the helm of Benesch was a risk. The managing partner of the business law firm followed core values of honesty, excellence, innovation and collaboration, mutual respect, accountability and meaningful contributions as part of the company’s 2008 strategic plan to keep the […]
Dr. David Faber, president, Trans Ova Genetics
WINNER – Bio Science Dr. David Faber president Trans Ova Genetics Raised on a farm and equipped with a veterinary degree, Dr. David Faber took his passion for improving livestock and founded Trans Ova Genetics in 1980 — in his garage, without capital or clients. As an industry pioneer, Faber had to personally develop the […]