Columbus Business First

Today we are joined by the Founder and Owner of Third Street Digital, Helen Speiser, to chat about her career journey, what inspired her to launch an agency of her own, and how she walks the walk as a people-first employer.Learn more at https://columbusbusinessfirst.comProduced by Crate Media.

Today's featured business leader is Heather Hiller, General Counsel and Senior Vice President at The Daimler Group.Heather illustrates her experience as a woman in a male-dominated field, surveys the shifting landscape of remote vs. office working, shares some great career advice and transports us to the new Downtown Columbus district that's earning favorable comparisons to the city that never sleeps.But first, we begin with Heather's introduction to The Daimler Group, its mission and culture—a connection with surprising roots on opposing sides of the courtroom.

Today we're joined by Brooke Minto, the Columbus Museum of Art's new Executive Director and CEO.With over 20 years of curatorial, educational, and fundraising experience all around the world, Brooke brings a fresh approach and big goals to the 145-year-old museum on East Broad Street.We talk about her early experiences in the city and in her role, what's in store for the future of the museum, and which surprising local sports team has made her transition to Columbus that much more comfortable.

Today's guest, Leah McDougald, works in the field of design research, studying our world and people in it on behalf of Columbus's biggest brands, to innovate better experiences, products, and services.It's wide-reaching work: even as she now runs her own business, Leah remains closely involved in the firm's projects, working on her business, and working in it, at the same time.She's also a newly-appointed board member for the Women's Fund of Central Ohio, a reader of non-business books, a Carolina Cabin vacationer, and an energized proponent for female mentorship.

Rehgan Avon felt the time had come to start her own company. She had been thinking about it for a while, reflecting on the ways artificial intelligence was impacting businesses and the unsolved issues she saw across industries.So she made the jump, putting in her notice and readying for her next phase in February of 2020. Of course, that's when the world changed. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic made Rehgan one of scores of female business owners who took the dive into entrepreneurship during a seismic shift in the global economy.As part of our coverage of National Women's Small Business Month, we sat down with Rehgan to talk about her journey and her experience so far. The first thing I noticed when she walked into her office was something I had to ask about.She is, simply put, quite young, having graduated from college in 2016. I wanted to know if and how she deals with imposter syndrome.

Julie Granillo didn't expect to take the top job at Paul Werth Associates when she did. Her aunt and mentor, Sandy Harbrecht Ratchford, died this summer after decades running the family business.Just four years earlier, she'd suggested Julie, then living in Nashville, come back to Ohio and join her at Paul Werth. The Western native took her up on the offer and spent the ensuing years settling into a leadership role at the firm. Now she's running it, and while taking over came much faster than she wanted or hoped, Julie said she's excited about the team she has and the work they're doing.In prepping for my interview with Julie, though, I was struck quickly by one of our main similarities, a shared history in Music City, USA. We kick things off by talking through her journey from Nashville to Columbus.Mentioned in this episode:Let Crate Media help uncover your company's story and amplify your messaging with a branded podcast. Get a free one-hour casting session at crate.media/cbf

For nearly five years, our Women of Influence podcast has featured conversations with some of the most influential female executives in Central Ohio. This year, Columbus Business First decided to take things a step further with the launch of our inaugural Women of Influence Awards.We fielded 126 nominations, ultimately honoring 27 outstanding women in six categories: nonprofit leaders, community champions, entrepreneurs, trailblazers, mentors, and a rising star, along with Businesswoman of the Year, OhioHealth's Karen Morrison. We encourage you to check out our July 14th print edition for short profiles of each honoree and an extended Q&A with Karen. During our July 12th awards event, I sat down for brief chats with three of our honorees:Merry Korn, CEO and Founder of Pearl Interactive Network; Kari Jones, President & CEO of the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio; and Emily Foote, Area Manager for Bechtel Corp.Listen on to hear what they had to say; and stay tuned for my onstage conversation with our keynote speaker, Bath and Body Works CEO Gina Boswell.Mentioned in this episode:Let Crate Media help uncover your company's story and amplify your messaging with a branded podcast. Get a free one-hour casting session at crate.media/cbf

When Lisa Shuneson talks about accounting, it makes you want to be an accountant. Her passion for the industry is all the more notable given her path to it — while she studied accounting in school, she took a long break to have a couple kids before finally taking the CPA exam. But in the years since she's risen quickly, and now leads Whalen CPAs as its CEO. Lisa recently visited our office to chat about her path, her role at the firm today and what people misunderstand about the industry she loves.

Christy Farnbauch serves as executive director of the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio. If that name's not familiar to you, perhaps you might know the organization by its former brand: CATCO.The just-completed and revealed rebranding is one of the first major projects undertaken by Farnbaugh since she joined amid the uncertainty of Spring 2020.She recently visited our office to talk about that experience, what's on the schedule for this year, and much more.

Melody Birmingham was a bit of a “unicorn” early in her career. There weren't many young Black women from the Midwest in management at the Rochester, New York car factory she started her career at after college. But while she did stand out during her time there and later in the utilities industry, that didn't change anything about the way she approached her work. Today, Melody serves as executive vice president of Nisource. During a recent visit to our office, she talked about her experience with gender parity – and the lack thereof – in the utilities industry, plus a whole lot more.

Sarah Perez thinks people should be lawyers, if that's what they really want to do with their lives. That might seem obvious, but talk to enough lawyers and you'll hear plenty that discourage following in their footsteps. But Perez, who today leads Columbus law firm Perez Morris, says law school is the right path for someone who actually wants to practice law. But for those who go into the field with different aspirations in mind, it could be a mistake. On the latest episode of our Women of Influence podcast, Perez talked about her own journey into the law, and her experience taking over her father-in-law's law firm, among other topics.

For the first time in more than 31 years, Darci Congrove isn't spending this tax season doing taxes. The longtime Columbus CPA and managing director of GBQ Partners retired from the firm's tax department at the end of last year. That doesn't mean she's not busy, of course; there's still plenty to fill her schedule as managing director of Central Ohio's sixth-largest accounting firm. But she's no longer working the crazy hours tax professionals often find themselves doing this time of year. That said, neither are many team members at GBQ. In the latest episode of our Women of Influence podcast, Congrove talked about how the firm has found new ways to embrace flexibility and make tax season more bearable for employees at all levels. She also talked about GBQ's international approach to finding enough staffers, the ways she makes decisions about community involvement and more.

Courtney Falato was used to being on the side of the table asking for money. She had spent much of her career in education research, often seeking out dollars to fund that work. But in early 2020, just as the world changed, she made her way to the other side of the table. She joined JPMorgan Chase as vice president and program officer for global philanthropy, a role in which she oversees grant deployment for Ohio and Kentucky. During a recent conversation for our Women of Influence podcast, Falato talked about the pros and cons of making that shift, as well as the ways JPMorgan Chase's funding interests align with her passions. She also shared insight into how nonprofits can land some of the financial giant's funds.

Today's guest is Jasmine de Gaia, Head of Customer Data Strategy for Wells Fargo. We talked about what her role entails, how she views working in male-dominated fields and how she cultivates vital mentorship relationships.

Jane Higgins Marks didn't spend her childhood dreaming of being a lawyer, but as she wrapped up college with an English degree in hand, she found herself searching for a way to apply it. An LSAT, law school and two decades with the same firm later, she now leads Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP as its managing partner, a job she started in early 2021.

In some ways Kristina Johnson feels like she's just getting started at The Ohio State University.She became president of the school–one of the largest in the country and the economic engine that drives central Ohio–in 2020. But the pandemic was still in full force back then, and its later waves and impacts have forced pivot after pivot in her brief tenure.But now a few months into the 2022-2023 school year, things are settling into something that looks a bit more like normalcy.Johnson joined Women Of Influence to talk all about her career path, her plans for OSU, and her early observations of football culture.

Megan Wood knows her Ohio history. She's been with Ohio History Connection for years, working in a variety of positions across the organization.  This summer, she ascended to the top job at the nonprofit becoming the first female CEO in its history. She's overseeing the organization as it kicks off construction of a long awaited $17 million Collection Care Cear near the Ohio History Centers's fairgrounds-area home, and as it watches economic conditions ahead of a potential recession. Megan joined women of influence just a few weeks into her tenure but already with plenty of ideas in mind for how she wants to shepherd the history-focused organization into its future.

You probably remember Amy Acton from her daily press conferences back in the spring of 2020, when she used colorful language metaphors and a general sense of compassion to guide Ohioans through one of the most uncertain times in our history. But it was a challenging job for Acton, who left the role in June, 2020, and returned to her previous employer, The Columbus Foundation. Then, like many in the workforce over the past few years, she took a big career leap. Joining the newly launched Rapid 5 non-profit earlier this year as its first CEO. Acton is my guest this week, but she's not alone; she brought with her Jennifer Peterson, who likewise left her job as a Chief Executive at Easton, to join the organization as COO. The pair are just a few days apart in age, so the effort to better connect central Ohioans to the region's waterways fits their passions at this stage of life.

Ola Snow is plenty comfortable in front of a microphone. As chief human resources officer of Cardinal Health, Ohio's largest public company, she regularly has to communicate with an audience of tens of thousands of employees. It's a big job, one that got more demanding when the pandemic shook up all of our work lives. Snow joined me in our Columbus Business First studio recently to discuss how the company adapted to that shakeup and more.

Alison Marker didn't grow up dreaming up working in construction. While that's her family business, Marker herself was more interested in people than buildings. So she pursued degrees in women's studies and psychology, starting her career as a social worker and later a psychotherapist. But eventually, the family business called. Alison visited our Women of Influence podcast to tell that story.

Amy Taylor has had an eventful couple of years. That's true for most of us, pandemic and all, but Taylor's list is likely longer. The Columbus Downtown Development Corp., where she serves as president, embarked on one of its most ambitious projects ever, the $500 million multi-phase redevelopment of the Scioto Peninsula. Then Covid-19 struck, sending workers home and raising questions about the future of the downtown area the organization works to keep vibrant. And amid all that, Taylor herself was hit with a cancer diagnosis. In the latest episode of our Women of Influence podcast, Taylor talked about how her loaded work schedule served as a “respite” from the shock to her personal life, as well as what she's most excited about downtown today.

Freedom a la Cart just celebrated a big birthday. The nonprofit, which helps victims of sex trafficking build job skills and start new chapters in their lives, opened a downtown café in April 2021. This April, I sat down with CEO Paul Haines. She talked about the work of the organization, its goals, and her own unique career path. We also chatted about ways community members can get involved with Freedom's mission — and why employers hungry for workers should pay attention.

From Columbus Business First, it's Women of Influence, an interview series showcasing some of the most inspiring women in the central Ohio business community.  Today, we're talking to Michelle Yeager-Thornton, Co-Owner and Chief Operating Officer of The Champion Companies. Michelle leads operational efforts and day-to-day actions of the company's portfolio of communities, which includes 5,000 apartment homes and assets totaling more than $750 million – no small task, so we're thrilled she's made time for us. Additionally, Michelle leads Champion's philanthropic initiatives. The business is a five-time recipient of The Corporate Citizenship Award from Columbus Business First for its efforts in the community. In our conversation, we explore the diverse range of work Michelle leads at Champion and in the community, how she founded the company with her brother, and how it all relates back to softball. Batter up!

Work looks a lot different today than it did three years ago. So, too, does mentoring. Traci Martinez, managing partner at Squire Patton Boggs' Columbus office, shared her thoughts on the evolving nature of mentoring relationships during our recent Mentoring Monday event. She also talked about her own unusual path to a legal career, taking on a new role amid an unprecedented global crisis, and how the law firm has supported working mothers through the challenges wrought by that crisis. Check out the full conversation, recorded live during the virtual event, to hear more from Traci.

Mary Auch, PNC's regional president for Central Ohio, ascended to her now top local job at the Pittsburgh-based bank following a nearly 30-year career with the organization. That's not necessarily what Mary thought things would look like when she was in high school. Mary shares how she got into banking, as well as PNC's billion-dollar investment to help end systemic racism at the community level.

Jennifer Rittler sees architecture as designing for the future. But that doesn't mean the present doesn't have an impact. Check out the latest episode of our Women of Influence podcast to hear how the pandemic is changing the spaces the Moody Nolan senior associate designs. She also talked with us about the need for diversity in the industry, and how she melds creativity and math to design new spaces.

This isn't Erandi De Silva's first epidemic. De Silva, co-founder of Grove City's Forge Biologics, grew up in Botswana. She watched as the public health community worked with the government to respond to the AIDS epidemic, and she was inspired.  On our latest Women of Influence podcast, De Silva talked about that experience, and how she hopes the Covid-19 pandemic can similarly inspire the scientists of the future.

Nancy Matijasich wasn't looking for an IT job. She was supposed to meet with someone about a new job in the pharmaceutical industry, but her contact was running late to the job fair where they were supposed to talk. One case of mistaken identity and a different conversation later, a brand-new career path was born. Today Matijasich leads Manifest Solutions Corp., an IT consulting firm she founded nearly 30 years ago. In the latest episode of our Women of Influence podcast, Matijasich talks about her early days in the industry, what she learned from previous businesses that went wrong, and how she does things differently with her current venture.

Lara DeLeone didn't grow up dreaming of working in banking. It wasn't even where she thought she would end up when she graduated from college. The lifelong lover of the written word made her way from journalism to communications to government to lobbying to, as of this summer, https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/08/25/keybank-names-new-columbus-market-chief.html (serving as Columbus market president for KeyBank), the eighth-largest bank in the Columbus metropolitan area. She recently joined our Women of Influence podcast to talk more about her career journey and her plans for Key. Check out the full episode to hear more from DeLeone.

Cheryl Stauffer's business had it's best year ever in 2020. But, as with many companies, it looked a little different than the norm.  Historically, Stauffer said, commercial clients represented the lion's share of Crimson Design Group's work. But as people settled in to a new normal of spending nearly every hour of every day at their homes, they realized those surroundings could be in need of an upgrade.  "It was a crazy year for us. It was our best year by 30%," Stauffer said during the latest episode of our Women of Influence podcast. "Previous to last year commercial was obviously the largest part of our business and residential … was not as strong. But last year, it was half and half. People (were) spending so much more time at home. … And so that had a lot to do with the growth." Specifically, the Crimson team found itself helping clients with home offices and outdoor living space. But while Stauffer expects some elements of that to continue – outdoor furniture is still pretty popular – she thinks folks are ready to get out of their home offices and back into the working world.  Check out the full episode to hear more from Stauffer on what design trends she's excited about, which one she's totally over, and how she's approaching the design of her own firm's new office. You'll also hear about her unusual childhood, and how it's influenced her professional approach. 

Moving, whether it be to a new house or a new office, is always overwhelming. Add in widespread business shutdowns amid a rapidly spreading pandemic, and you've got a recipe for some serious stress. That's what happened to Vickie Thompson-Sandy, who was wrapping up her first year as CEO of The Buckeye Ranch and readying to shepherd the nonprofit's move to a new headquarters when the coronavirus pandemic hit. "The Buckeye Ranch had purchased a new building in Whitehall, and we were finishing the renovations of that. … We had everything in packing boxes and the movers were moving us that week when we got the executive order to close everything down," Thompson-Sandy recalled during a recent taping of our Women of Influence podcast. Check out the full episode to hear how Thompson-Sandy and her team handled the disruption, and how they worked to continue delivering necessary services to the young people who rely on the organization. You'll also hear about her favorite and least favorite parts of her job, and find out more about what attracted the Michigan native south to Ohio.

There were times, over the past few months, that Luconda Dager didn't want to get out of bed. Dager is president of Velvet Ice Cream, and the Utica-based company was outsourcing ice cream production to three partners in the Midwest. The shift followed a listeria scare in April, discovered via the company's routine testing. It's also part of an effort to boost capacity after strong demand in 2020. It's the right decision for the business, Dager knows, but it's been a tough one, especially as it entailed some job cuts on the manufacturing side. Still, even on those days when the challenges of the past few months have seemed overwhelming, Dager knew she didn't have the option of giving up. “You just have to get up and go in and be a fearless leader,” said Dager, who chatted with us recently for our Women of Influence podcast. Check out the full episode to hear more about Dager's background, her experience rising through the family business, and what flavor of ice cream will always tempt her.

Lori Duncan wasn't exactly sure what to do with her fine arts degree from Ohio State University. So she went rafting. Professionally. Duncan spent her post-college years as a whitewater rafting guide in West Virginia, filling her time during the winter months working in the ski industry. After nearly a decade, she realized it was time to get a "real job," a decision that led her to Columbus' retail industry. But that's not where her journey ended. On the latest episode of of Women of Influence podcast, Duncan detailed the winding road that led to her current role as co-owner and operations manager at Powell's Nocterra Brewing. She talked about the impact the pandemic had on the still-young business, what it's like to start a business with your husband, and what lessons she's brought from the world of outdoor sporting to the craft beer space.

The client wanted the impossible: Give a robot all the skills of a human welder. Five years ago a custom automotive and marine supplier in Cleveland asked what was then an engineering consulting firm to help him with a labor shortage, and Path Robotics Inc. was born. "The tolerances are incredibly tight, that you have to keep with welding," co-founder and CEO Andy Lonsberry said. "And if the gaps (between pieces of sheet metal) change from 0 to 4 millimeters, you have to be able to make adjustments on the fly, seeing what's coming, move to a weave, go up onto a lift, weld in. "And these, again, are things that come very easily for a trained human welder. But for a robot, it's just impossible." Except now it's possible. Path Robotics has since moved to Columbus, and last year launched its first commercial robotics system based on the prototype built by two brothers and a fellow engineer in that factory basement, as Lonsberry told us as the latest guest in Columbus Business First's Newsmakers podcast. We talk about how the Path team solved its impossible problem, what it's like to work in cramped quarters with your brother, and why at first Lonsberry told Drive Capital, "Go away." The interview was recorded shortly after the company landed a $56 million venture capital round to expand sales and manufacturing of its AI-powered system. The round was led by VC firm Addition along with returning investors, Columbus-based Drive Capital LLC and California's Basis Set Ventures and Lemnos Lab. Lonsberry founded the company with his brother, Alex Lonsberry, and fellow engineer Matt Klein. The fourth founder is Ken Lonsberry, their father, on the business side – he didn't have to work in the basement. Today Path has more than 100 employees and could top 160 by year's end. Welding jargon like "weave" above makes sense in context, but a few terms in the interview might be unfamiliar: Tier One automotive are the very large suppliers to automakers, mass producing the same part. And in welding the "puddle" is the molten metal forming during the weld, which quickly hardens to join the parts.

Early on in Robbie Banks' career, she grew used to being in rooms where she was the only woman, the only young person, and often, the only person of color. Banks, the new program director for diversity, equity and inclusion for the Columbus Partnership, is now helping Columbus' private sector build more racial equity inside their organizations. "My job essentially is to shepherd the work that is being done with our members that are the CEOS of our region's employers who have a strong interest and passion in moving our community toward being anti-racist," she said on our latest episode of the Women of Influence podcast. Banks said that she decided early on to embrace the role in which she found herself. "I soon recognized how valuable (it was) being in that space was and how I needed to embrace that," Banks said. "Not to look at it as a negative. How do I make sure that I speak up, that I advocate for things that are important to me and my work? I wanted to make sure I was listening more than anything, taking it in and being ready to add any input, ask questions when appropriate, so that I could make sure my demographic or my gender or whatever it may be, had a voice at the table." She comes to Columbus Partnership from Leadership Columbus, where she served as the program director for more than two years. She also spent five years before that working for Experience Columbus. Previously, she also served as the leader of Columbus Chamber's young professionals program. Banks said when she was younger, she decided to "just be a sponge in any room that I was in," soaking up leadership lessons. Now, as the result of her experience, she has realized the value of speaking up. And she feels much more confident doing so. "There was a time where I would kind of sit back and more or less listen," she said. There's a time and place for that. But now because of my experience people look to me to speak up. I don't always need to, but that is certainly the expectation that comes with being a leader and helping to advance this important work." She said that advancing diversity, equity and inclusion will require her to build a "sustainable strategy" that is executable over several years. It's not a quick process, she said. "My hope is for myself to continue learning to be a continuous learner and educating myself and being more aware," she said. "Self awareness is key in any leadership position, any position period. ... We need to work toward being at the forefront of having this be a sustainable strategy. That is something that takes a lot of learning and listening on my end."

It's almost hard to believe there was a time when good coffee just wasn't a thing. But it wasn't that long ago. Greg Ubert was working in computer software in the late 1980s, but what really captured his imagination was coffee — real, good coffee; the art and science of roasting. And, of course, the potential for business. “Good coffee just wasn't widely available,” he said. “It wasn't around. It wasn't accessible.” When he started Crimson Cup Coffee and Tea in 1991, local-based Stauf's had been open just a few years, but industry giant Starbucks was still years away from stand-alone Columbus shops. Ubert started not with a plan to seed the city, state or country with shops, but rather to be a resource — a wholesaler of beans and other supplies and consultant to those who wanted to run shops of their own. Its customers are those who serve the end customers. That's still the heart of the business today with hundreds of clients in 40 states plus a franchisee in Bangladesh, but Crimson Cup is gradually building up name recognition of its own with industry awards and a slow rollout of its own stores, including the newest unit at Easton Town Center. Ubert sat down with Columbus Business First for our Newsmakers podcast. He shared not just the history of the brand and how its evolved in the past 30 years, but also the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on the business — he shares his personal record for consecutive days wearing sweatpants to work — and his hopes for the future. “People enjoy having a great drink,” he said. “I don't think that's going to change.”

Count North Country Charcuterie among those businesses that are wiser and more efficient at this point in the pandemic. The Columbus-based maker and processor of salami, fresh sausage and other products has used new offerings to make a better-balanced business and refigured production space to better maximize its use. The moves create more consistent cash flow and buy them more time in their current facility before they need to consider an expansion. In this episode of Newsmakers, Columbus Business First’s podcast with Central Ohio leaders and entrepreneurs, co-owners and brothers Duncan Forbes and James Forbes (who started the business in 2014 with mother Jane Forbes), share their company’s history, some of the ins-and-outs of meat product production and why adding products like fresh sausage is important for more reasons than just additional sales. How long can North Country Charcuterie stay in its current facility? What new products are they developing and dreaming up? And why does production have to occur within very specific hours? The Forbes brothers discuss that and more.

Harley Blakeman's LinkedIn profile is one of a kind, but he's working to change that. The founder of Columbus tech company Honest Jobs LLC lists one prior job and the book he wrote, then drops this attention grabber: "Drug dealer, January 2009 - November 2010." "Started with $500 and grew the business to over $8,000/month in revenue," reads the description for the self-employed role. "Met and exceeded customer expectations. Successfully managed multiple suppliers. ... Closed down operations after being arrested and sentenced to prison." The hilarious, blunt satirization of resume-speak helps explain the inspiration for his startup. Blakeman turned his life around after his 14-month sentence in Georgia, moving to Columbus at the invitation of relatives who hooked him up with his first job. He described his journey from couch-surfing homeless teen to startup founder in the latest episode of Columbus Business First's Newsmakers podcast. Despite earning top grades at Ohio State University, Blakeman couldn't land an internship and had trouble finding a job because of his record. He did eventually land a supervisory role at a manufacturer, but he knew the struggle was worse for many more entering the job market after incarceration – no matter their skill level. "And I was just obsessing over it, I couldn't sleep at night, I was thinking about: This is what I should be doing with my time," he said. "This is my calling, I think, helping people overcome this problem." Blakeman answered that calling by starting Honest Jobs, and pivoting the business from job-hunt training services to a full tech platform that matches candidates with employers. But the best possible outcome, he said, is eventually to put himself out of business.

When LC Johnson was thinking of launching her organization Zora's House, she was balancing two competing feelings. On the one hand, she was feeling burned out from years of being an entrepreneur, but being a relatively new resident to the city, she deeply desired to build a community for other Black women and women of color in Columbus. "I was really starting to look for community," said Johnson, in the latest episode of our Women of Influence podcast. "Where are the spaces I can go to dream and think through this transition, that also allow me to be centered and grounded in my identity as a Black woman? I wasn't finding those spaces. The idea for Zora's House was really born out of that." But did she really want to spend the energy, time and money on her dream? After wrestling with the idea, she remembered a conversation with a mentor, an activist. "I asked her, 'Why do you do this? It's so hard.'" The mentor replied: "It would be harder not to." "That was the thing that spurred me when it came to thinking about whether or not I was going to pursue the launch of Zora’s house," Johnson said. "The answer that kept coming back to me when it came down to deciding what that next step was going to be was (that) it would be harder not to do this." Johnson encouraged women in transitional moment in their lives or careers to think about that question. "Yes, it would be hard to go after what you think you’re being called to do," Johnson said. "But would it be harder for you not to do it? Are you at a place now where it’s harder for you to stay where you are than it is for you to make a big scary leap?"

Comune will reopen for business, but that was never a sure thing. Co-owner Joe Galati said he met with his accountant in November. The accountant asked him what Galati believed his chances of going bankrupt were. Galati said 20%. The accountant said 90% “That hit the hardest,” Galati said. “There’s a very good chance this is all going away. … That lights a fire. That’s not going to happen. What are we going to do?” The situation is better today. Galati explains why he is more optimistic now than he was a few months ago in this episode of Crisis Management, Columbus Business First’s podcast about doing business amid the coronavirus pandemic. He took a more conservative approach to business in the past year than many peers in the industry. He always expected this to be a long event, not just a few weeks. Though the entire restaurant industry was challenged, Comune was among the establishments facing added difficulties. It was never built to have a thriving carryout business and the dine-in space was too small to reopen in any meaningful way. It’s still closed today. But there were bright spots. The Parable Coffee pop-up has done well. There was some success with planned dinner events. A return to some of the restaurant’s earliest dishes like crispy rice and its walnut-mushroom Bolognese is helping drive sales now. “You can only hunker down so much,” he said. “At some point a business has to make its numbers.”

Business in times of struggle often talk of getting back to their roots. Not North High Brewing. Like many breweries and other businesses, the last year was one of big changes in the face of challenges, but the North High of today doesn’t resemble the one first dreamed up by co-founders Gavin Meyers and Tim Ward a decade ago. They didn’t want to run any brewpub. Today they have four and could be in double digits by the end of the year. They didn’t have aspirations beyond Columbus but soon will be in multiple states. They only barely wanted to brew their own beer — the initial hook for the business was as a brew-your-own operation. North High’s own beers would be secondary to the experience of inviting customers in, showing them a book of recipes and letting them loose (with professional guidance) on the brewing system. That brew-your-own option diminished over time as the founders realized being a traditional brewery made more sense. It officially ended last year. “That was the reason for being. That was the point of differentiation back when we thought the seventh brewery in Columbus was going to really crowd the industry,” Meyers said. There are dozens of craft brewers around Central Ohio today and hundreds in the state. North High is poised to rise in those ranks. Meyers chatted with Columbus Business First for an episode of Crisis Management, a podcast about businesses operating amid the coronavirus pandemic. He talked about the challenges of the past year — declining sales, laying off staff — but also the promise of the future. Thanks to its relationship with Columbus-based coworking space developers and operators CoHatch, North High’s reach is moving beyond its original Short North taproom. Through that partnership, North High now has operations in Dublin, Springfield and Cincinnati, with additional units lined up in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Florida. Meyers explains how that relationship developed, how it works and how it’s allowing North High to expand at “a fraction of the cost” they would incur if striking out on their own.

The startup he co-founded based on his original idea was running out of money, and he'd long since left day-to-day operations, but Chris Sauerzopf couldn't let go of the growing wire fraud problem it was trying to solve. SafeWire is back in business and growing, after investor and adviser Pete Kight – the CheckFree Corp. founder – took the assets of the former business as collateral for paying off its debts and brought back Sauerzopf as CEO. They incorporated SCSV Holdings LLC at the end of 2019 and registered SafeWire as its trade name in early 2020, targeting more than $220 million and growing annual real estate scams. "This problem scares the crap out of me," said Sauerzopf, who also owns a title company in Westerville. "Where this problem was first on my radar was in 2016, where someone had sent me an email who had just lost his entire life savings in a wire fraud loss. A title company had sent his proceeds to the wrong place." Sauerzopf had started the former SafeChain Financial with original CEO Tony Franco and Rob Zwink, who was CEO from Franco's departure until the startup shut down. SafeChain had won the Columbus pitch event for Steve Case's Rise of the Rest seed funding tour, and later raised $3 million. But in late 2019 expenses still outstripped growing revenue, and Kight said other investors did not want to put in more capital. Zwink insisted that Kight and Sauerzopf start talking, the two said in an interview for Columbus Business First's Newsmakers podcast. "(Sauerzopf) met my criteria for an entrepreneur that you want to back," Kight said via videoconference from his ranch in Colorado. "He knows this industry, I mean, to the point where you got to be careful if you’re going to go out for a beer with Chris, because you’re going to talk about real estate." The investment also is attractive because the entire mortgage process is "messy," Kight said. SafeWire is focused on the problem of wire fraud during the mortgage closing, but eventually can take on more aspects of a burdensome paper-piling process. The startup has more than 100 customers including title companies and real estate brokerages. Zwink is now a CTO with a Minneapolis tech company. Franco declined an interview request but said via email: “Wire fraud is a complicated problem and opportunity. I’m happy Chris and the team are pursuing the vision for a solution.” The interview tells the story of the revival, why Kight doesn't lose sleep over being the only investor willing to give the company another shot, and how SafeWire is similar to the early days of CheckFree, which launched digital banking.

What's a company known for providing free daily staff lunches do when everyone has been sent to work from home? At CoverMyMeds, the culinary staff wrote a cookbook, which was mailed to employees and business contacts over the holidays. But mostly they're busy planning how to move into a new Franklinton headquarters and at least at first shift to contactless grab and go meals instead of cafeteria style. "They have done some some amazing things for us around virtual cooking classes, and sharing weekly menus that the staff can make themselves, recipes," said Veronica Knuth, vice president of talent. "We're excited to see our culinary team again." Knuth, who joined the Columbus health IT company shortly after McKesson Corp. acquired it three years ago, is the latest guest on Columbus Business First's Crisis Management podcast on navigating the coronavirus pandemic. The first of two buildings in the new Franklinton headquarters will be ready on time in April – but it's far from clear when the Central Ohio staff can move in to a space designed for communing and collaborating. A lot will depend on vaccine supply. CoverMyMeds made more than 300 hires and 350 promotions throughout the year, all while on teleconference. It now has more than 1,500 employees between Columbus, Cleveland and remote workforce. While anticipation is running high for the new building, software maker has worked to maintain its award-winning culture in the virtual world, Knuth said. "Our employees in the business as a whole adapted with the same agility that they did every day, and they haven't missed a beat," she said. "We are continually checking in to see how they're doing, how can we best support them and whatever they might need, either personally or professionally." In the interview, Knuth mentions that CoverMyMeds uses the teleconference platform Bluejeans – so she's not referring to denim. "It has been so fun to have kids and spouses; to be able to be part of people's lives in a different way has been so incredible," she said. "I look for bright spots in this in this terrible pandemic." By the same token, when work is always in the home, she makes sure to counsel people on work-life balance – like making sure they take available paid time off. "It's easy just to say, 'OK, I've got my laptop here, I'm in my living room, I can watch TV and I can work,'" she said. "But you need that down time."

John Brooks knows how to throw a party. As managing partner of BTTS Holdings, he runs some of the city's biggest events venues that you've likely visited for work or leisure including The Estate at New Albany; Brookshire, in Delaware; and WatersEdge in Hillard. But the pandemic was a buzzkill – 120 of 130 weddings and other events were cancelled or rescheduled virtually overnight. In this episode of Crisis Management, Brooks talks about how events-oriented businesses were forced to adapt to the nearly disastrous impacts of Covid-19, and how the biggest events and celebrations will be different when people can come back together. "Some people were not comfortable having their event, which we certainly understood," Brooks said. But the venues survived the outbreak, and now Brooks is expanding – during the pandemic it opened a smaller venue in the Short North called the Fig Room. This year it'll open another new one, the Edison, in Italian Village. "A lot of empathy for our clients who maybe had planned a wedding for a year and then couldn't have it," Brooks said. "People still wanted to get married, right? Our focus really became ... what can you do? How can we do it safely, instead of what can't we do."

Elizabeth Martinez knows there's more to career growth than just rising through the ranks. "I think sometimes, we when we talk about growth, there is a disservice in the conversation to exclusively focus on vertical growth," Martinez, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, said during a recent taping of our Women of Influence podcast. "I'm a strong supporter of women climbing ladders within their organizations. But I also think it's really important to be thoughtful around how … we … add value in the spaces that we're in." Martinez shared her thoughts on approaching growth within an organization or a position during a special taping of the podcast, part of our recent Mentoring Monday event. Having been with Big Brothers Big Sisters for nearly 18 years – she's been CEO since 2016 – Martinez is experienced both in working her way up the ranks and growing within her positions along the way. She's also experienced the value of mentorship, both through the organization's work with young people in the community and in her own professional development. Check out our full conversation, recorded live over Zoom at the Feb. 22 event, in the podcast below, to hear more of her wisdom on how to create and grow an effective mentoring relationship and more.

Covid-19 has pushed us all to work from home. So naturally, people are thinking about where they live, too. The housing market is exploding in Central Ohio as people rush to move to larger spaces, be they homes or apartments. And that's meant a change of business for Jonathan and Jamie Wilcox, of apartment developer and manager Wilcox Communities. In this episode of Crisis Management, they discuss how Covid-19 has led their company to adapt where people live, and the kinds of homes they're building for the long haul.

Capital University’s interim president Dave Kaufman doesn’t have a background in higher education, but the former Encova Insurance CEO is leading the university during one of the toughest periods for colleges and universities: the Covid-19 crisis. Kaufman, who talked with Columbus Business First for the latest edition of our Crisis Management podcast, said his nontraditional background has allowed him to take the best of the business world and translate it into leading the Central Ohio university during a challenging time. Kaufman retired from Encova at the end of 2019, and joined Capital as interim president in June of 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. Capital announced last year that due to the pandemic, the school would suspend its search for a new president, unable to conduct the in-person interviews needed to do a full search. Kaufman is expected to lead the Bexley university for two years or less. “It is no doubt with Covid and everything facing us, there’s a plateful of challenges,” Kaufman said. “But I am finding that a lot of what I’ve experienced corporately, I’ve been able to apply that here. I feel good about that, that I’ve been able to kind of help the team move a little more effectively than maybe they would have under someone without the experience I had.” Kaufman said that in both the business world and higher education, “it really comes down to the same thing, building that trust and getting clarity on shared goals to execute (a vision).” Kaufman said his leadership offers a new lens, “making we can take a different approach than has been considered in past.” “That’s what they’re kind of counting on me to do,” Kaufman said. One of his goals with Covid-19 is to “innovate through it,” he said. For example, with the improvement in virtual learning, Kaufman said there could be a way where multiple universities could partner and offer a broader array of programs, leveraging each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and sharing costs. “How do our programs compliment others so you can have a broader portfolio of products and services to package?” Kaufman said. “There’s opportunities to blend things that complement each other. (For instance) I’m at Capital, but I have access to courses at two other universities still being a Capital student. You’re not tied to the geographic location like you were maybe three or four years ago.”

Can meat move from pasture grazed to lab raised? That’s a problem Dublin-based Matrix Meats is helping companies around the world try to solve. The Dublin-based start-up received some seed-stage backing late last year and is growing, adding staff and looking for new opportunities. CEO Eric Jenkusky said the business’ partners already include about 25% of the companies in the nascent cultivated meat segment around the world. That includes clients on five continents. So what is cultivated meat and how might it help address issues like world hunger and food security? Jenkusky spoke with Columbus Business First’s Newsmakers’ podcast on those topics and more including why the problem it is solving is a materials science problem not a biological one and how Central Ohio can continue to grow to be a hub for alternative food technology.

Linda Swearingen didn't spend much time thinking about the fact that she was working with mostly men. She was early in her career, working for a real estate investment trust, and it wasn't that notable to her that out of 40 or so desks on the loan floor, only hers and one other were occupied by women. "Except one day, nobody was there," Swearingen recalled during a recent taping of our Women of Influence podcast. "Where is everybody?" she said she asked, and was quickly informed that the nearly all-male workforce had stepped out for a Friday afternoon golf game. She knew immediately what she needed to do. "My husband taught me how to play golf," Swearingen said, and soon she found herself invited to play alongside her colleagues. "I just kind of acclimated," she said of her time in the male-dominated office. "I didn't see it as an obstacle. I just saw it as something I had to figure out." Today Swearingen serves as an executive vice president and partner with Columbus real estate power player Casto. The commercial real estate industry is still one where you're unlikely to find many women, something she says can be hard to explain. But she does have advice for young women who may be interested in the field, but uncertain about some of what the negotiation and sales components require. Women, she said, need to be OK with the "tough calls" that are required in striking a deal – and unafraid to draw on their ability to build personal relationships that can make those negotiations smoother.

Even before starting construction on a $100 million facility, a biotech affiliate of Nationwide Children's Hospital had to adapt to two huge changes simultaneously: Switching into for-profit mindset and securing safety in a pandemic. Andelyn Biosciences Inc. is building a 185,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for the genetic materials used in gene therapy research and treatments. Eventually the factory could double in size if it adds enough commercial-scale clients. The company already has grown to 120 employees from 100 at the start of the year, most of whom transferred from the hospital's Research Institute. With more than a decade supporting research and clinical trials, the staff already was flexible, adaptable and committed to quality, CEO Mayo Pujols said. "So as we’ve transitioned to a for-profit, geared towards commercial company, the I think the add-on for our team has been more of around a mindset of scalability, and the mindset of: It is important to think about it as a business," he said in the latest episode of Columbus Business First's Crisis Management podcast. That means paying more attention to controlling costs while investing in processes and systems to ready for a much larger production output. "Rather than just having quality as a mindset and you have to do quality work, we actually put the systems in place to ensure quality is engineered into everything we do. "We kind of took it a step further and preparation for being a commercial entity, and that’s been new to the team. ... And they’ve done really well." The onset of the coronavirus pandemic in Ohio coincided with an already planned shutdown to bring in new equipment for larger production capacity within the Research Institute, until the new facility is ready. Before reopening in September, Andelyn had to layer in safety measures such as modifying work schedules to keep employees distant if they can't work from home. Some employees did contract Covid-19 or had to quarantine because of exposure, Pujols said. "More recently, we are starting to now see impacts from our suppliers," he said. "And I think we’re not alone. "We were able to do a little bit of stockpiling, but not probably enough to say we’re out of the woods."

As of January, Nikola Labs Inc. was headed for its best year ever. By April, like many businesses shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, the startup was in "the fog of war." In the latest episode of Crisis Management, Columbus Business First's podcast about steering a business through the pandemic, Nikola co-founder Will Zell and CEO Brian Graham discuss how Graham succeeded Zell mid-pandemic after two years as COO. After a more than seven-year mentorship relationship, the two had essentially co-led the company with distinct yet complementary approaches.