Smart Business Magazine, June 2016

28 Smart Business Akron Canton June 2016 Eric Lofquist OWNER PRESIDENT AND CEO Scott Forster OWNER VICE PRESIDENT AND COO Magnus International Group www magnusig com Eric Lofquist owner president and CEO and Scott Forster owner vice president and COO run the award winning Magnus International Group by developing and manufacturing one of a kind products ranging from natural animal feed ingredients natural industrial and consumer waxes customized fatty acids for paints and coatings biodiesel fuel feedstocks to other specialty chemicals But what the company produces is not the whole story Magnus and its companies are undertaking groundbreaking partnerships with some of the worlds best food industry animal nutrition and consumer products organizations Magnus thrives on constant innovation Known for its niche processing ability the company is also equipped to take on smaller scale customized projects that other manufacturers cant With a can do mindset Magnus leaders prospect for opportunities to provide solutions that address individual customer requirements 2016 Northeast Ohio Smart 50 Robert F McConville PRESIDENT The American Brass Manufacturing Co www americanbrass com Founded in 1894 The American Brass Manufacturing Co is one of the oldest family owned companies in Cleveland Operated by the fourth and fifth generations of the Arth McConville family the company has persevered through World War I the Great Depression World War II and several economic downturns American Brass supplies faucets and parts with a reputation for quality and reliability to builders and plumbing supply houses The conscientious and enterprising business practices started by the founding generation have been passed down and remain the core principles evident in the company today American Brass lead by President Robert F McConville is the parent company of Empire Brass Co a leading supplier of faucets to the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries which was acquired in the 1930s Building on the experience acquired throughout the years American Brass strives to bring a stream of new products to the market to meet and exceed the specialized needs of customers Tony J Mercurio PRESIDENT AND CEO National Interstate Insurance www natl com Tony J Mercurio often describes National Interstate Insurance as a speedboat when it comes to launching new products and programs in targeted niches In many cases a new product can be brought to market in as little as 90 days which is much faster than most insurance companies There are two leadership groups that are an integral part of this process The first is the operating committee which meets weekly and includes the top 10 officers responsible for all of the companys functional departments The second group is the senior product committee including all of Mercurios direct reports that manage products While new products services and solutions are typically surfaced through one of these groups all employees are strongly encouraged to present their ideas as well As president and CEO the secret to Mercurios success in these functions is his ability to articulate a vision and inspire the team to develop healthy win win partnerships that benefit the company and its customers John Nottingham John Spirk CO PRESIDENTS Nottingham Spirk www nottinghamspirk com In 1972 John Nottingham and John Spirk both newly graduated with industrial design degrees decided to pass on high profile company jobs to launch their own business What started in a carriage house now generates billions of dollars in revenue for client companies Nottingham Spirk develops products for companies and owns more than 900 patents including the Crest SpinBrush Swiffer SweeperVac Phillips Eclipse MRI scanner Scotts Snap Lawn Spreader and the Sherwin Williams Dutch Boy Twist Pour paint can The duo apply a vertical innovation approach at their 60000 square foot facility which includes an engineering lab and an in house marketing team Co presidents Nottingham and Spirk keep the organization flat and organic to drive consistent communication throughout Jon J Pinney MANAGING PARTNER Kohrman Jackson Krantz LLP www kjk com Jon J Pinney is the managing partner at Kohrman Jackson Krantz LLP and serves as counselor to high net worth families including some of Clevelands leading philanthropic families His practice includes estate and wealth planning and related tax matters for high net worth individuals and families He structures complex and sophisticated trust vehicles to provide asset protection and succession planning Pinney a member of the firms executive committee has a wide range of experience in the structuring financing development and construction of commercial and retail acquisitions and sales and leases of office buildings apartments and residential projects In addition to being admitted to practice before all of Ohios courts Pinney is admitted to practice before the U S District Court for both the Northern and Southern districts in Ohio as well as the U S Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Super Lawyers Magazine has consistently named him a Rising Star Bill Priemer CEO Hyland creator of OnBase www onbase com As CEO at Hyland creator of OnBase Bill Priemer is responsible for ensuring that Hyland remains a great company for all of its stakeholders customers partners employees shareholders and the community In service of this mission Priemer is focused on driving Hyland to become the global leader in information and process management solutions Under Priemers leadership Hyland attempts to go beyond thinking about potential solutions that its software can provide Instead the goal is to accomplish innovation by executing on great ideas The company typically reinvests more than 15 percent of its revenue annually into the research and development of OnBase which is Hylands enterprise content management solution The goal is to help customers realize the long term value of their ECM technology investment Priemer says Hyland is constantly innovating to keep OnBase on the minds and in the hands of those who use it every day