Smart Business Magazine, December 2018

56 Smart Business Cleveland December 2018 2018Pill r Award for Community Service M atthew P Figgie was an accomplished businessman a philanthropist a loving father and a family man says Rick Solon his friend and business partner at Clark Reliance Corp Most of all he was an incredible giving soul Solon says Matthews passion was trying to improve the overall quality of life especially in Northeast Ohio He was the most generous soul I ever met Figgie died unexpectedly on Aug 25 at the age of 52 An eighth generation Clevelander Figgie was founder chairman and CEO at Figgie Capital chairman at Clark Reliance and chairman of The Figgie Foundation He was also chairman of Fairmount Center for the Arts as well as owner and director of a broad portfolio of private operational and financial holdings But Figgie didnt make his mark on the community by collecting important job titles Rather his passion was to run productive impactful organizations His success in doing so was evident by the people he affected his position as an industry leader his ability to share knowledge through his writings and the growth of his organizations on both a domestic and an international scale Matthew personified the adage To whom much is given much is expected Solon says It was a value that was instilled in him from a young age and he adhered to it throughout his life When Matthew committed to helping anyone he would not stop until he created the biggest impact that he could on that organization His favorite saying was Go big or go home Figgie worked hard to create a friendly family oriented environment at Clark Reliance where employees could excel and advance While expanding his company worldwide and continuing to offer new products and services he also committed to keeping the company in Cleveland In addition to his leadership posts Figgie was an accomplished author He published a book with Solon and Adam C Snyder called Maximizing Profits Immediately How to Dramatically Improve Your Companys Bottom Line and had three additional works in the pipeline focused on investments and economics He also contributed to How to Build a Billion Dollar Company from Scratch with his father Harry E Figgie Jr Away from business he guided The Figgie Foundation in its ongoing effort to support the community The nonprofit supports the arts children education historical preservation and the medical community Figgies commitment to giving back was always strong Solon says Thats why Figgie Field has the best turf available and Gilmour Academy is well on its way to becoming an All Steinway School Solon says If you were in Matthews presence for just 15 minutes you were a friend He wanted to know what intrigued you about life and how he could help you It was my great privilege to know him for more than 40 years Matthew Figgie Clark Reliance Corp Figgie Capital The Figgie Foundation and Fairmount Center for the Arts L I F E T I M E A C H I E V E M E N T AWA R D P O ST H U M O U S