Smart Business Magazine, July 2015

s12 Smart Business July 2015 A fter years at the executive level in various not forprofit organizations CEO Lee Friedman has learned to lead effectively by believing in the mission She is not only passionate about educating underprivileged youth but is equally as passionate about the city she hopes they will work and reside in Friedman believes marrying a social service agency model with an economic development agency is the root of success for College Now Greater Cleveland The organization provides Greater Cleveland students with guidance and access to funds to prepare for and graduate from college During Friedmans five year tenure at College Now the organization has quadrupled its total employees and doubled its funding From 2012 to 2014 College Nows budget increased by 48 percent largely due to her ability to successfully raise funds In addition many studies have shown the retention of first year to second year students is key to completing a degree With that as a focus Friedman began a mentorship program designed to connect students to successful adults within the community The program began in 2011 with 38 mentor pairs in 2014 there were 730 mentorship matches College Nows goal is to have 1100 mentor pairs by 2016 College Now sees a direct correlation between mentoring and retention which ensures students remain in school and receive a degree The organization has a 90 percent first year to second year retention rate compared to the national average of 58 percent for low income students Additionally the mentor relationships are helping students find internships and work experience Friedman attributes much of her success to inclusion from co workers early in her career when diversity in the workplace was scarce She strives to lead in a similar fashion ensuring her employees feel highly valued through a collaborative work environment with an emphasis on performance reward I t is difficult to measure the impact that Terry Davis has had on Our Lady of the Wayside OLW during his tenure as president and CEO When he came on board more than two decades ago he found an organization on the brink of receivership with only 90 days to enter regulatory compliance But Davis saw the vast potential that OLW had in front of it He was able to take a family run volunteer centric group home for developmentally disabled children that was based in Avon Ohio and transform it into a financially stable multiservice entity that primarily manages more than 70 homes throughout four Northeast Ohio counties More importantly Davis drove the vision throughout the organization that developmentally disabled individuals should be integrated into the community Davis strongly believed that consumers the people served by OLW deserved better than to be placed in a group home and forgotten They deserve to live as meaningful a life as possible Davis and his team have had to overcome numerous obstacles to meet these goals In trying to assimilate developmentally disabled individuals into the community there is a constant threat of not inmy backyard opposition each time OLW wishes to open a new home He has faced vocal opposition but has always addressed any concerns in a direct manner He has allowed neighbors to visit homes to see that not only will they not be a problem in the community but they will actually be an asset for the entire neighborhood He has also brought residents that would stay in these homes to the meetings thereby allowing everyone to understand the human aspect of the organizations efforts In doing so Davis has been able to turn some of his early opponents into strong advocates for the efforts of OLW in other communities 2015 NOR THEAST OHIO Non Profit Nominated by Megan Mehalko Benesch Friedlander Coplan Aronoff LLP Lee Friedman CEO College Now Greater Cleveland www collegenowgc org Winner Real Estate Nominated by Genia Wyman Smart Business Network Terry Davis president and CEO Our Lady of the Wayside www thewayside org Finalist Nominated by Dale Chorba Action Management Kevin R Weidinger president and CEO Laudan Properties www laudanproperties com Winner K evin R Weidinger prefers to be found at the bottom of the organizational chart at Laudan Properties He wants to see his employees at the top as they represent the core of his business and are the people who interact most with his customers Its an example of how employees at Laudan are treated with great respect and given plenty of room for growth Weidingers leadership style at Laudan is welcoming and friendly He looks for people who can see an opportunity and are willing to put in the hard work now for future reward Weidinger president and CEO prefers to promote from within the company but he is also willing to admit when his business does not have the resources to properly address a problem One of the biggest threats to his business is actually the recovery of the economy from the recession Weidinger has recognized that the market is recovering and that the foreclosed home inventory of banks and investment groups is dwindling These are his biggest customers so he has recognized the potential slowdown in sales To counteract this Weidinger has branched out into new endeavors with similar core skills that have opposite risk profiles He has expanded the company into remodeling direct to consumers Home improvement projects tend to be most popular when the economy is booming and housing prices are on the rise since consumers are then more likely to improve their homes Teamwork is an integral part of the culture at Laudan with groups of four to five people being used to accomplish most functions When new employees are brought on they are integrated into a team that trains and helps the employee transition into his or her role When one function struggles other team members step in to fill the gap and help the company perform Its that collaboration and collective spirit toward maximizing company performance that keeps Laudan on top