Gary DeJidas, P.E.
President and CEO
GAI Consultants Inc.
A 40-year veteran of GAI Consultants Inc., President and CEO Gary DeJidas, P.E., leads a company that was one of the few engineering consulting firms to increase its staff during the economic downturn of 2008-2009. GAI not only grew but also completed the largest acquisition in the company’s history.
GAI has expanded to new regions and added services in water resources, nuclear power plant development, mechanical and electrical engineering, real estate counseling and rail transportation. DeJidas has established company-wide quality control and safety programs, formalized a client care program and established a leadership development and succession-planning program.
Never a micromanager, DeJidas hires the best and entrusts his management team to carry out the company’s vision, offering guidance and support along the way.
DeJidas also has spearheaded employee-focused initiatives including fostering a sense of camaraderie through a “one company” mentality, an employee stock ownership program, a safety management program, profitability awareness, leadership development, a GAIM Plan where personal goal setting takes the place of performance reviews, and a quality management system program.
Nicholas J. Deluliis
President and CEO
CONSOL Energy Inc./CNX Center
President and CEO Nicholas J. Deluliis is leading CONSOL Energy Inc./CNX Center and its natural gas division that has grown from a pure-play coalbed methane producer to a full-fledged exploration and production operation.
The business is a leading producer in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, with aggressive growth targets over the next several years in the Appalachian Basin.
The diversified energy company also sells its premium Appalachian coals worldwide to electricity generators and steelmakers.
Founded in 1864, CONSOL Energy today generates the fuels — natural gas and coal — that comprise two-thirds of the nation’s power supply.
Under Deluliis’ leadership, the company is establishing new record levels of natural gas production and economies of scale-driven lower unit costs, positioning CONSOL Energy for continued success in its 150th year of operation.
Kate Dewey
President
The Forbes Funds
Since assuming the presidency of The Forbes Funds in 2013, Kate Dewey has built upon her decades of experience creating nationally recognized nonprofit programs, expanding the organization’s goals to connect technologists and entrepreneurs in Pittsburgh with the nonprofit sector.
She is also working to accelerate new operating prototypes that include public/private partnerships. For example, The Forbes Funds and TowerCare Technologies are partnering to prototype an online fundraising platform that aims to appeal to millennials.
The first live demonstration in October centered on veterans. It involved six regional organizations and is projected to net approximately $4 million in three years.
In August of this year, The Forbes Funds also requested and was awarded a grant of $1.05 million from the BNY Mellon Foundation to develop and launch a new impact-investing pilot program targeted at developing new market-ready technologies that improve the efficiency or effectiveness of nonprofits. This is the largest grant ever given by the foundation other than to institutions of higher education.
John R. Dickson IV
President and CEO
Redstone Highlands
John R. Dickson IV has served as the president and CEO of Redstone Highlands since 2001.
In his first year leading the organization, Dickson helped Redstone become the first not-for-profit long-term care organization in the U.S. to endorse the Quality First Covenant with LeadingAge, which embraces the highest standards for aging services.
Dickson also designed financial restructuring plans to position Redstone to refinance its debt and better meet stakeholder needs.
With an awareness of the changing senior services landscape, Dickson led Redstone to launch Senior Independence of Southwestern PA in 2010. This affiliation provides community-based services to seniors throughout the area, focusing on Redstone residents in need of additional support to remain independent.
In the spirit of nonprofit care, when through no fault of their own a resident’s personal financial assets is depleted, Redstone continues to provide a home for life for that resident. Last year, Redstone provided nearly $2.5 million in free care to residents in need.
Jim Droney
President and CEO
Mt. Lebanon Office Furniture and Interiors
Mt. Lebanon Office Furniture and Interiors, under the leadership of President and CEO Jim Droney, is a company specializing in consulting, space planning, designing, selling, and installing office and classroom furniture in the Pittsburgh area. It has continuously updated and re-energized its showroom, including a makeover early this year.
The business has been in operation for more than 50 years, surviving economic downturns, floods and power failures, the transition from the original founders to the next generation, and other challenges.
The company also supports more than 200 local nonprofit organizations annually through financial aid, time, effort, free products and/or gift certificates.
Mt. Lebanon Office Furniture and Interiors prides itself on being sustainable by advocating and leading the office sustainability movement to reuse, recycle and rethink the office environment. And with more than 150 manufacturer and supplier partners, the company maintains a strong reputation in the industry.
