Smart Business Magazine, June 2016

30 Smart Business Akron Canton June 2016 Jill Rizika EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Towards Employment www towardsemployment org Since becoming executive director at Towards Employment Jill Rizika has helped more than 20000 people overcome barriers to employment and embark on life changing career paths She guides a delivery system of 1500 supportive services transportation tools uniforms 1300 legal services consumer and criminal and 1500 retention advancement services career coaching training by emphasizing outcomes measurements and evaluations in order to ensure impact Each year Towards Employment connects more than 500 low income individuals 50 percent of which have criminal backgrounds with good jobs In 2010 Rizika led the adoption of a career pathway model to support individuals into an entry level job then onto a pathway job ultimately leading to sustainable employment Towards Employments board community partners and staff are fully invested in this theory of change model largely because of Rizikas collaborative and knowledgeable leadership This vision has ensured that Towards Employment has continued to increase the number of individuals served while decreasing per placement cost 2016 Northeast Ohio Smart 50 Chris Ronayne PRESIDENT University Circle Inc www universitycircle org Chris Ronayne is the personification of a big picture thinker and is a tireless advocate of Cleveland and University Circle Inc Since he was named president in 2005 the organization and area has undergone dramatic dynamic and exciting transformation Ronayne converted UCI into a community service corporation which UCI defines as a national model to deliver services without tax dollars using philanthropic dollars for maximum impact in the community Examples include park management on Wade Oval outdoor community events and clean safe services via UCIs ambassador program Beyond this Ronayne had a vision to turn lifeless parking lots into mixed use development and return residents and small businesses to the neighborhood Today former empty lots along Hazel Road and Euclid Avenue now boast luxury housing bars restaurants clothing stores a grocery store a yoga studio and even a bowling alley This building trend will continue into the future with forthcoming projects Centric and One University Circle Shelley Roth PRESIDENT Pierres Ice Cream Co www pierres com Shelley Roth is president of Pierres Ice Cream Co an 84 year old regional ice cream manufacturer and distributor When she returned to Cleveland from New York City in 1979 to assist her father with the family business her first assignment was in marketing where she set the direction for the company to expand its distribution beyond Cleveland and expand its product assortment In 1984 Roth assumed the position of vice president with responsibility for sales marketing finance and new product development In 1991 she became president Roth has been active in numerous community organizations and supports the revitalization of Clevelands neighborhoods in many ways She is a graduate of Leadership Cleveland and serves on the boards of the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation and the International Ice Cream Association She has a bachelors degree from the University of Michigan and lives in Shaker Heights with her husband of more than 33 years Sanjay Singh PRESIDENT AND CEO Roll Kraft www roll kraft com Customers see Roll Kraft a designer and manufacturer of rolled tooling for welded tube and pipe producers as a problem solving shop The problems may include designing tooling for a custom application or providing training to a mill operator on how to run tooling in the most efficient manner To earn the reputation as a problem solver the company led by Sanjay Singh president and CEO lives and breathes its top three core competencies on time delivery first time successful performance of the tooling and live support when customers call the company The company also has a team of technical service associates who solve tooling issues on the customers plant floor Roll Kraft has developed its own custom ERP system that maximizes focus and efficiencies that for the most part benefit the customer A state of the art CRM system and an integrated engineering design application are utilized as well as software called Automation Anywhere to automate repetitive steps across many applications André Thornton PRESIDENT AND CEO ASW Global LLC www aswglobal com André Thornton acquired ASW Global LLC in January 2007 after the company merged with Cleveland based GPI Procurement Services As president and CEO Thornton sets the direction of the company and directs operational aspects so that they follow the strategic plans and policies of the organization Thornton has 20 years of experience in entrepreneurial ventures As one of the principals in Apple Partners he led a highly successful restaurant management group that was sold to Applebees International Thornton also founded a successful consulting and sports management company and continues to speak nationally on executive leadership organizational change and diversity having engagements in excess of 1000 groups and businesses Thornton played professional baseball for 21 years and was an honored recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award in 1979 which goes to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball sportsmanship community involvement and team contribution He was inducted into the Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame Kristin Warzocha PRESIDENT AND CEO Greater Cleveland Food Bank www greaterclevelandfoodbank org Kristin Warzocha is president and CEO for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank Northeast Ohios largest hunger relief organization The Food Bank relies on community support to fulfill its mission of ensuring that everyone in the community has the food they need every day She champions the organizations mission and directs the Food Banks efforts to provide nutritious food and support to more than 700 member agencies and programs that serve Northeast Ohioans in six counties Warzocha has been with the Food Bank since 2000 in a variety of roles all related to engaging the community in the organizations work She managed a capital campaign that raised more than 10 million to construct a new state of the art community food distribution center and was a member of the management team that helped facilitate the mergers of the Food Bank with Food Rescue of Northeast Ohio in 2001 and with the Greater Cleveland Committee on Hunger in 2003