Is a new generation of movers, shakers on horizon?
‘Titans’ helped shape Columbus. Who will take up the mantle?
When Columbus was in the running for the federal Smart Cities grants in 2016, a group of the city’s most powerful corporate and civic leaders came together and, in an afternoon, ponied up tens of millions of dollars that helped the city beat out some of the nation’s most sophisticated tech hubs to win the competition.
It was the kind of move that had come to be expected from the group, dubbed “the Titans,” who operated under the auspices of the Columbus Partnership, formed in 2002 by billionaire Les Wexner and longtime Columbus Dispatch Publisher John F. Wolfe to help shape the city’s future.
Today, it’s a different story.
Wolfe died in 2016, and Wexner, at age 86, has largely stepped back from public life, along with other powerful leaders of their generation such as former Nationwide CEO Jerry Jurgensen and developer Ron Pizzuti. The Partnership, which started with eight of the city’s most powerful CEOS, has evolved into a chamber-of-commerce-style group of more than 70 members.
“I don’t think there’s a power structure anymore,” said one of many corporate and civic executives interviewed by The Dispatch privately for this article. “The Partnership is a shadow of itself.”
For some, the demise of a close-knit, intense group of CEOS who had the resources and power to guide the community simply means the town has grown and diversified.
Others say the lack of clear leadership is a failure and a problem for the community, which faces a host of critical challenges — a lack of affordable housing, a shortage of workers, a changing economy, concerns over crime, and a Downtown still struggling to recover from the pandemic.
“It’s my sense that we were operating a large urban city in a way that was more analogous to a small town, and as a result of that, I don’t know that we cultivated the next generation of leaders as much as we should have,” said one person interviewed by The Dispatch.
Changing of the guard
To identify today’s leaders of Columbus, current and former executives interviewed by The Dispatch offered up names of dozens of people shaping central Ohio. The Dispatch narrowed that group to 10, all of whom are in their 50s or 60s, along with four others who are younger but whose influence is rising.
There’s little consensus on who leads central Ohio today, reflecting the community’s dispersion of power since Wolfe and Wexner’s Columbus Partnership heyday.
One name, however, was mentioned by everyone
The Dispatch spoke with: Jeff Edwards, the CEO of Installed Building Products and The Edwards Companies, which has been instrumental in shaping Downtown and beyond.
“Jeff Edwards is one of the most powerful people. He comes from a wealthy family but he’s so kind, so thoughtful and thinks of things beyond himself. He’s very responsive and has a vision of what the town and Downtown should be,” one source told The Dispatch.
In many ways, Edwards fits the pattern of what made Wolfe and Wexner unusually well suited as community power-brokers: The command of significant wealth; a position atop their own companies, granting them freedom other CEOS lack; deep community roots; the willingness to invest time and energy in civic affairs; and an intense interest in the future of the community.
Few other current leaders check all those boxes, although some, such as Tanny Crane (Crane Group CEO), Jane Grote Abell (Donatos executive chairwoman) and Lisa Ingram (White Castle CEO), certainly check most. The trio have been active in the community for decades, as business and philanthropic leaders, mentors and champions of causes such as inclusion efforts.
“We have a lot of talented people in Columbus, and talented women in the community who are making a big difference,” one leader told The Dispatch. “The Abell family, with Jane Grote Abell, is putting money back into the community, and the Crane family, with Tanny, and Lisa Ingram. I could come up with others, but these individuals have earned a lot of respect and people are always willing to collaborate with them.”
Some of those on The Dispatch’s list land there largely because of the positions themselves. Ted Carter has barely unpacked his bags, but no list of the most powerful people in central Ohio would be complete without the president of Ohio State.
“A guy like Ted Carter will have as much power as he wants,” said a retired Columbus executive long active in civic affairs. “He’s got everything you could possibly have in terms of leadership.”
While two hired executives — Steve Steinour, CEO of Huntington Bancshares, and Lou Von Thaer, CEO of Battelle Memorial Institute — made the list because of their long and prominent civic engagement, the list is dominated by those with their own Columbus-based companies, which gives them a latitude and a connection to the community hired executives don’t share.
Nearly all of those on the list come from the corporate world. One exception is Stephanie Hightower, head of the Columbus Urban League, whose long and prominent career has given her a voice and a platform on a wide range of social and economic issues.
One person on the list, Alex Fischer, holds no title. But the former head of the Columbus Partnership continues to wield considerable influence through his deep corporate and political connections and his close ties to Wexner and the New Albany Company, and Jimmy and Dee Haslam, owners of the Browns and part owners of the Columbus Crew.
Some on the list are literally reshaping the community, including three younger leaders on the rise: Brent Crawford, Brad Dehays and Jonathan Moody. With his firm’s Bridge Park development, Crawford has changed the conversation of suburban development while Dehays has focused his attention on restoring life to older buildings and neighborhoods. Moody’s firm, meanwhile, has left its stamp on countless buildings in Columbus and beyond.
Still influential
While they may not occupy the stage as they once did, several prominent central Ohioans continue to shape the community in multiple ways.
M/I Homes CEO Robert Schottenstein remains active in Ohio State University affairs, as board chair of Pelotonia and in philanthropic events. Robert Weiler, with the Robert Weiler Company, is likewise deeply involved in civic events, especially in affordable housing pursuits. And former Mayor Michael Coleman, as a partner in Ice Miller law firm, remains influential in civic and political causes.
And then there’s Wexner himself. In addition to being the richest person in Ohio, with a net worth that Forbes estimates at $6 billion, Wexner holds sway on two of the most important institutions in central Ohio: Ohio State University, where he chairs the Wexner Medical Center board; and as a co-founder, with Jack Kessler, of the New Albany Company, the development firm that has turned New Albany into the economic engine of central Ohio’s east side and was instrumental in bringing Intel to the region.
Finally, a handful of leaders outside central Ohio hold enormous say over the region’s future.
Jamie Dimon, the CEO of Jpmorgan Chase & Co., oversees the city’s largest private employer with nearly 20,000 workers. Dee Haslam has become a familiar face in Columbus. And Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, wields considerable influence as head of the largest economic development project in Ohio history.
One former business leader says he’s optimistic that a new generation of leaders will emerge though it may look different from the Titans.
“It doesn’t have to be in the system that we know,” the leader said. “They have to find their voice. It takes a little time.” mawilliams@dispatch.com @Bizmarkwilliams jweiker@dispatch.com
@jimweiker