1. Les Wexner
chairman and CEO, Limited Brands (1)
His company generated just more than $9 billion in 2008 sales, down from $10 billion in 2007, but he is still the undisputed No. 1 on our list once again. Wexner ranked No. 147 on the Forbes 400 richest Americans in 2008, and with a net worth of $1.7 billion, he is the 430th richest man in the world according to the publication.
2. John Wolfe
publisher, The Columbus Dispatch; chairman and CEO, The Dispatch Printing Co. (2)
The Dispatch laid off 45 employees in April, citing a loss in revenue. The company plans to continue tweaking its Web site in hopes of satisfying its readership and their ever-changing desires. But unlike papers in Seattle and Denver, The Columbus Dispatch doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.
3. Michael Coleman
mayor, city of Columbus (3)
Coleman continued to pilot Columbus through the tough economic times of 2009. He has led a number of initiatives, including the Get Green Columbus initiative aimed at reducing waste, improving conservation and educating residents about environmental topics. Coleman’s office also once again coordinated Stand Down, a program to help homeless veterans in the area get back on their feet.
4. E. Gordon Gee
president, The Ohio State University (4)
Gee resigned from the board of Massey Energy in May as a response to a citizen campaign critical of Massey’s worker safety and environmental record. But he’s still as active as ever at OSU and serves on the important NCAA Presidential Task Force on the Future of Intercollegiate Athletics. Gee also topped the list of Time magazine’s Ten Best College Presidents, which was just released last month.
5. Ron Pizzuti
chairman and CEO, The Pizzuti Cos. (6)
Pizzuti continues to champion green initiatives in his company’s projects, highlighted by the new Franklin County Courthouse, slated for completion in 2010. He is also chairman of the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission, a member of the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. and the Columbus Chamber boards.
6. Alex Shumate
managing partner, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP, Columbus office (7)
Shumate was hired by Gov. Ted Strickland to help craft his school funding plan, lending his experience as one of the nation’s finest attorneys to this complex and ongoing effort. Shumate serves on the Ohio State University Board of trustees, Capitol South Redevelopment Corp. and the Wexner Center for the Arts. He is also a director for the John Glenn Institute. In late November, he was named the firm’s global managing partner for regions. Shumate will provide strategic and operational guidance to the firm’s regions and offices in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America.
7. Don M. Casto III
partner, Don M. Casto Organization (11)
Casto has more than 3 million square feet of retail in development, including two properties in Virginia totaling about 200,000 square feet. The company will help oversee this land as part of a 2009 partnership with investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
8. Jay Schottenstein
chairman, Schottenstein Management, American Eagle Outfitters, Retail Ventures Inc., DSW (10)
Schottenstein drew the admiration of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, who nominated Schottenstein for Time’s 2009 Time 100. Sales at both American Eagle and DSW appeared to be edging up as the year progressed.
9. Tanny Crane
president and CEO, Crane Group (9)
Crane continues to serve on a number of boards, including Wendy’s International, Columbus Foundation, Columbus City School Foundation and the Fisher College of Business Advisory Board.
10. Steve Rasmussen
CEO, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. (new)
Rasmussen was named in February to succeed Jerry Jurgensen. Nationwide completed a $2.4 billion deal to acquire the publicly traded shares of Nationwide Financial, which it spun off in 1997. Overall, after Nationwide Financial’s revenue dropped to $226 million in the fourth quarter of 2008, it increased to $1.16 billion for the second quarter of 2009.
11. Steve Steinour
CEO, Huntington Bancshares Inc. (new)
Steinour was elected to replace Thomas Hoaglin in January. Huntington had a challenging year in 2009, reporting a loss of $2.7 billion for the first nine months of the year. But Steinour is confident the board and leadership can position the company to return to profitability soon.
12. David Blom
president and CEO, OhioHealth (17)
Blom was one of four inductees this year into the Central Ohio Business Hall of Fame. In fiscal 2008, OhioHealth provided $120 million in community benefit funding, including $74.4 million in charity care for members of our communities who are uninsured or lack the ability to pay for care. That’s up $7.2 million from the year before.
13. Larry James
partner, Crabbe, Brown & James (12)
There wasn’t a lot to report on with James in 2009. He still serves as the hearing examiner for the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and is still the president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Complex board of trustees.
14. John Beavers
chairman and counsel for Boards and Executives Group, Bricker & Eckler LLP (13)
Beavers has been an officer and trustee of the Harry C. Moores Foundation since 1991. He is also the founder of the Business First Advisory Board Exchange that finds, trains and places experienced advisers on advisory boards of business organizations. He has been a mainstay on the list of the Best Lawyers in America since 1983 and on the list of Ohio Super Lawyers since 2004.
15. Donna James
managing director, Lardon & Associates LLC (14)
Like her husband, Donna James kept a fairly low profile in 2009. But she’s still plenty busy, serving on the boards of Limited Brands, Coca-Cola, Consceo and the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. She also joined the board of Time Warner Cable Inc.
16. Curt Loveland partner, Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP (15)
Loveland was included this year in Chambers USA as a leader in the area of corporate law. He is recognized in Law & Politics and Cincinnati Magazine as an Ohio Super Lawyer and was included in the Best Lawyers in America in the area of corporate law. Loveland chairs the firm’s corporate department and is on the board of Rocky Brands Inc.
17. Ty Marsh
president and CEO, Columbus Chamber of Commerce (16)
Marsh is chairman of the state’s 21st Century Transportation Task Force, The RiverSouth Development Authority and the Jobs & Technology Focus segment of Mayor Coleman’s 2012 Bicentennial Commission. He also serves on the board of the Ohio Business Development Coalition and is an honorary trustee of the Columbus Council on World Affairs.
18. Dr. Steve Allen
CEO, Nationwide Children’s Hospital (21)
Allen has been a busy man this year, which has helped him move up a few spots on our list. Nationwide Children’s Hospital has been expanding its network of outpatient centers, opening its first Close to Home Center outside of Central Ohio in Ironton. Meanwhile, the rebuilding and expansion of the main campus continues. The $842 million project, set for 2012 completion, will add a 12-story hospital tower, research space, an energy plant, parking and a 6-acre park.
19. Melissa Ingwersen
CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Central Ohio (22)
JPMorgan Chase announced in June that it will add 1,150 jobs to Central Ohio over the next three years to support its acquisition of Washington Mutual last fall. In the first quarter alone, the company made more than 191,000 new loans and lines of credit totaling approximately $2.5 billion across Ohio.
20. Peter Geier
COO, OSU Medical Center; vice president for health services and CEO, OSU Health System (24)
OSU Medical Center stayed on track to open a new outpatient clinic and surgery center this summer. The addition opened at least 50 new jobs. Geier said revenue projections show the addition will pay for itself in 18 months. The center is also scheduling a new cancer hospital and critical care tower. It posted an operating profit of $115.8 million on revenue of $1.6 billion for the year that ended June 30, up from $108.3 million in fiscal 2008 and the eighth straight year of growth.
21. Bea Wolper
co-founder and partner, Emens & Wolper Law Firm (20)
Wolper founded the law firm of Emens & Wolper in April with J. Richard Emens. The firm will focus on providing legal services for family-owned businesses and closely held firms. Wolper has been elected as a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business and was named a YMCA Woman of Achievement in Central Ohio.
22. Matthew G. Kallner
attorney, Law Offices of Matthew G. Kallner (18)
Kallner stayed out of the news for the most part and seems to have had a pretty quiet year in 2009.
23. Michael Fiorile
president and COO, The Dispatch Printing Co. (19)
Fiorile has been working in tandem with John Wolfe to make things work at The Columbus Dispatch. He noted that the dip in the economy has affected Ohio and the Midwest more than other parts of the country but is hopeful the company will find a way to persevere.
24. Jack Kessler
owner, John W. Kessler Co.; chairman, The New Albany Co. (23)
Kessler was appointed to the board of Commercial Vehicle Group Inc. last year, adding it to the list of his other board involvements, including The Ohio State University’s John Glenn School of Public Affairs, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
25. Thomas Hoaglin
retired president and CEO, Huntington Bancshares Inc. (5)
Hoaglin has retired as Huntington’s chief executive and was replaced by Steve Steinour. He continues to serve as a director on the boards of American Electric Power and Gorman-Rupp.