Human whirlwind Nancy Zimpher made a big impression on
many, including Cincy Magazine, during her six years as president of the
University of Cincinnati.
The Gallipolis native, who left UC in 2009 to become
Chancellor of the State University of New York, was the subject of a cover
profile in the magazine’s first year, entitled “The Zen of Zimpher.”
A few years later, she had a hand in the magazine’s
rebranding from Cincy Business to Cincy Magazine.
At the Athena Awards luncheon celebrating female business
professionals, Zimpher said she enjoyed “Cincy Magazine’s efforts.”
The verbal misstep crystallized for Publisher Eric Harmon
a decision to rechristen Cincy Business as Cincy Magazine.
Although it’s been five years, Chancellor Zimpher has lost
none of her enthusiasm for the Queen City or the magazine.
“I always think of Cincinnati with an especially warm
fondness, whether reflecting on my time there as head of UC or keeping an eye on
all that’s happening there now,” she wrote in an email. “The development both
downtown and uptown can be held up as examples for other cities of what can be
done when a community works together with a common purpose.” —Mike
Boyer
The premiere issue of Cincy Business in 2004 featured a
cover story profile of George Schaefer, then Fifth Third Bancorp president and
CEO and one of the city’s most powerful business leaders.
Schaefer, the article pointed out, took an unconventional
route to the often-conventional business of banking. He rose from a blue-collar
West Side background to earn an appointment at West Point, received a Bronze
Star serving as an Army Captain in Vietnam and started at Fifth Third in 1971 as
an $8,500-year management trainee.
For the next 30 years, he rose through the ranks to become
the bank’s CEO. Emphasizing frugality and selling banking services, he built
Fifth Third into the nation’s 13th largest bank holding company.
Schaefer, who retired as CEO in 2007 and chairman of the
board in 2008, declined to be interviewed for this look back, saying he decided
not to do interviews after he retired.
But in retirement he has transitioned from being one of
the city’s most visible CEOs into one of its most venerated.
On Feb. 27, he and three other outstanding community
leaders will be inducted into the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s 2014 class
of Great Living Cincinnatians. —Mike Boyer
As a county commissioner and city council member, Phil
Heimlich operated as a hard-nose steward of public finances. His modus operandi
fought to make government more accountable while opening competition for
contract bids. And like most watchdogs, he caused some animosity with his
tactics.
In April 2004, Cincy Magazine profiled Heimlich after his
first year as Hamilton County Commissioner. He was in the midst of a
department-by-department review, while trying to lower county spending, but his
most controversial stance may have been when he pushed back against the Bengals.
“The worst decision I made was suing the Bengals out of
frustration over the lease,” says Heimlich. “[The Bengals] made a lot of enemies
for me, and frankly, the people who run the Bengals are pretty powerful people
and they threw a lot of resources against me.”
Heimlich says he doesn’t follow the current county
commission so he can’t criticize their work, but he empathizes with them.
“I’ve recognized the fact they are hamstrung because of
the lease,” says Heimlich. “When you lose your tax base, that is a tough thing
to overcome.”
Since leaving office in 2006, the former Republican
politician has fallen back into a more tranquil life. Along with doing advising
work for an area law firm and sharing his faith, Heimlich has become more
family-oriented. Instead of watching departmental spending, he’s concentrated on
his son, Henry, 10, daughter Allie, 8, and wife Rebecca, who works for the
American Petroleum Institute. Rebecca’s job requires a lot of traveling and Phil
is a large part of their children’s home life.
While Heimlich served in office, Rebecca would accompany
him to customary appearances at dinners and events. The tables have turned now
and he accompanies her to the events she attends.
“I always tell people ‘I’m her arm piece,’ ” Heimlich
says. —Danny Restivo
Re-branding the Office
Company growth is almost always met with excitement, but
accommodating a swelling workforce can become another obstacle to success.
It’s an especially daunting task when you’re the world’s
largest employee-owned brand design agency.
In May 2007, Cincy Magazine profiled LPK President Jerry
Kathman after his company expanded with a set of stunning new offices.
Seven years later, LPK continues to ensure employees are
content with their surroundings. Every year, the company offers surveys to gauge
how its employees feel about their workplace.
“We hire a lot of creative people and we need to make sure
their ideas are being fostered in the right environment,” says Kathman. “The
quality of our ideas determines our destination.”
The attention paid to employee comfort, happiness and
success was even recognized by the Wall Street Journal, which called LPK “a
winning workplace.”
“We needed to be a destination for the best and
brightest,” says Kathman. “We’re recruiting people from the East and West Coast
and we needed to make sure our space was better than the equivalent companies in
our market.”
While LPK has maintained steady growth at its headquarters
in Cincinnati, its staff in Europe and Asia has doubled in the past seven years
and continues to expand to other emerging markets.
Even with tremendous advances in technology, the
organization maintains a simple recipe for success: hard work, creativity and
ingenuity.
“We fundamentally exist to bring ideas to our clients,”
says Kathman. “We’re getting more work done than ever, and clients are getting a
better value than ever before.” —Danny Restivo