Smart Business Magazine, June 2016

22 Smart Business Akron Canton June 2016 Anita Bradley EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO Northern Ohio Recovery Association NORA www norainc org Anita Bradley was recognized by the White House in April as a Champion of Change for leadership in preventing prescription drug abuse and heroin use increasing access to treatment and supporting the millions of Americans in recovery She is the executive director and CEO of the Northern Ohio Recovery Association NORA which she founded in 2004 Bradley has been in recovery from a substance abuse disorder for more than 25 years and understands how important it is to blend personal and professional knowledge to promote the possibility of recovery She built a peer to peer training program offered at Cuyahoga Community College and opened the Next Step Recovery House a residential recovery housing facility for women and children on Clevelands near west side She also recently launched the Ohio Addiction Recovery Promotion Network to respond to the opioid crisis and ensure that the voice for recovery from substance use disorders is included in Ohio planning and policy efforts 2016 Northeast Ohio Smart 50 Chris Carroll PRESIDENT Flavorseal www flavorseal com As president of Flavorseal Chris Carroll has made it his mission to institute and reinforce three different values that define smart organizations as outlined in a 2009 study by the Naval Postgraduate School These values are a clear strategic vision communicated throughout the organization a culture of respect for individual ideas and a careful selection of the right people to support these values In a company with a manufacturing plant and a front office it can be difficult to ensure that every employee understands the direction of the business Using simplified slogans that are repeated on T shirts banners and throughout employee newsletters Carroll communicates and reinforces the company direction to all Flavorseal employees Quarterly state of the business meetings keep everyone informed not only of how the company is doing but of outside influences that may affect the companys future Over the last few years Carroll has carefully cultivated a management team that not only understands the vision for the future but is as committed to it as he is Brandon E Chrostowski FOUNDER PRESIDENT AND CEO EDWINS Leadership Restaurant Institute www edwinsrestaurant org EDWINS Leadership Restaurant Institute strongly believes in second chances By offering formerly incarcerated adults a foundation in the hospitality industry and providing a support network necessary for a successful re entry EDWINS is achieving considerable success Founded in 2007 by Brandon E Chrostowski president and CEO EDWINS has had 114 graduates with 101 still employed in the restaurant industry Not a single graduate has returned to prison In addition to teaching future business leaders a skill and to believe in themselves EDWINS educates the public through the restaurant and strategic community engagement that successful re entry is possible With more than 25 million in philanthropic support since Nov 1 2013 the community sees the face of re entry changing across the world Working close to 100 hours per week Chrostowski requires his team to do whatever it takes to change the face of re entry into society he fights each day for those that society has thrown away Loree W Connors CFO AND TREASURER Vitamix www vitamix com As a key member of the Vitamix executive team Loree W Connors CFO and treasurer plays a critical role in setting company strategy During her 11 year tenure she has initiated and successfully implemented a wide range of projects that have led to significant measurable improvements Connors cultural initiatives included revising the companys vision and mission statements and defining the companys guiding principles through an appreciative inquiry approach She tackled a series of business critical processes that included internal control reviews enterprise risk management approvals for capital acquisitions and project management And under her financial stewardship Vitamix has achieved a strong balance sheet with consistent healthy profitability results In fact total shareholder value has increased by five times over the past decade Beyond financial impact Connors has a profound positive influence on the company through her leadership She helped guide the company through a period of rapid growth and positioned it for global expansion Terry Davis PRESIDENT AND CEO Our Lady of the Wayside www thewayside org It was September 1991 and Medicaids certification team handed Our Lady of the Wayside 90 pages of deficiencies to be fixed in 90 days or the agencys doors would close At the time 100 children and adults with developmental disabilities lived at Wayside Their families paid out of pocket for the 24 7 services and it had become impossible to keep up with skyrocketing health care costs The agency was more than broke Fundraising was maxed out families had nothing left and the board had taken on the additional debt necessary to put staff and equipment in place Transitioning to a Medicaid model was the only way to save the day A call was made to Terry Davis who was told it was all or nothing Davis chose all and things began to turn around Starting day one the president and CEO worked to address every deficiency The following Christmas Eve the agency secured a perfect survey resulting in a check from Medicaid for 3 million Nick DeTomaso CEO Jakprints www jakprints com While some companies may avoid product line diversification Nick DeTomaso is using it to his advantage DeTomaso CEO of Jakprints believes it is rare that anyone needs to print just one thing at a time for example a charity event probably needs fliers direct mail pieces banners and T shirts This diversity helps insulate the business from isolated market trends if T shirt sales are down there are four other product areas to carry the weight Another key to success is the companys ability to produce apparel home goods and artwork individually on demand and shipped directly to the customer eliminating the need for clients to manage bulk ordering warehousing and distribution centers One of the first companies in North America to purchase a million dollar digital Heidelberg Anicolor offset press Jakprints can produce high quality material quickly and with little waste