Leading the Way

Northeast Ohio has something to brag about — a group of young, enterprising, resourceful professionals who are emerging as our region’s leaders for today and tomorrow. Since 2005, the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club has honored this elite group with its Top 25 Under 35 Movers & Shakers Awards.

The Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club’s mission is to showcase those making a professional and personal impact on Northeast Ohio. These awards align with those guidelines. Candidates are either nominated by their peers or self-nominated. An independent committee judges them on their career achievements, as well as social, philanthropic and community involvement.

Some were born here, others moved here. Some work at nonprofits, others for-profits. All share a similar resolve: to make Northeast Ohio a better place to live, to raise a family and to build their futures.

This year’s Top 25 Under 35 talked with us about their hopes, dreams, families and friends, their careers and their accomplishments. Although they were too modest to admit why they have been selected, after speaking with them, we learned the obvious. They are a light in our future.

Conor M. Coakley Assistant vice president, office and corporate services Colliers Ostendorf-Morris When I worked in Mayor Jane Campbell’s office, I was impressed with the fact that the 20/30 group was very organized and very focused when it came to getting in front of decision-makers. I miss the crazy days of putting out fires and the politics. I don’t miss the long nights and the 3 a.m. phone calls. I love the people in Cleveland, the resiliency, the grit and loyalty of the people and the tremendous opportunity here.

Jason Muraco Manager Stout Risius Ross I like working here because it’s challenging. It’s an entrepreneurial, youthful and fun working environment. I joked with my wife that her job as a third-grade teacher was easier than mine, and now, through Junior Achievement, I’ve been teaching her class at McKinley Elementary School in Willoughby. After a few years of doing this, I’m not so sure about my original claim. Kids believe that if you’re wearing a suit, you’re a lawyer. It doesn’t matter how many times you tell them otherwise.

Sarah D. Richards Marketing manager National City (now PNC Bank) I discovered the group online. I live in Massillon and wanted to be involved in the community. Making Goodwill of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio known for more than retail is one of my goals as a board member. They are building a campus in Canton that will serve Northeast Ohio. Twenty nonprofits are moving into one building, making it a one-stop location for people who need prescription drugs, food and other services. They are pushing the envelope with this.

Rob Yoho Consultant Sales Concepts Inc. As someone who relocated here from Baltimore, I think Cleveland compares with any other major city. Working with the Alzheimer’s Foundation is very close to me. My aunt had dementia, and my wife’s grandfather had Alzheimer’s. My first encounter with the Make-A-Wish Foundation was a tough one. A mother had relocated here from Texas. Her daughter had a respiratory disease. The hospital wouldn’t release her until her home was properly equipped. We worked to refurbish the house, and we got a wheelchair donated.

Carmen E. Edgehouse Team leader, specialty risk Oswald Cos. Although I knew about Providence House, my introduction was facilitated by my colleagues. Although I was aware of it before, I hadn’t realized that a nationally recognized crisis nursery was in our backyard. My wife and I are expecting our first child, a daughter, in February. I am a founding member of the young professionals section of the Board of Phriends and am also marketing and membership chair. Our goal is to assist with the ongoing fundraising.

Frenchye Bush Consultant Lucas County Educational Service Center I host the monthly FLASH Cleveland events held at XO Prime Steaks. FLASH stands for Fashion Leaders Achieving Social Harmony. I think that people underestimate what is here. My goal is to promote the fashion and beauty industry in this area. There’s a lot of talent; it’s just not cultivated. Designers, makeup and hair stylists, retailers, fashion photographers and people who like to network and socialize with them come to these events.

Angie Spitalieri Executive director, Northern Ohio Italian American Foundation (NOIA) Business manager, La Gazzetta I like the fact that this organization is very family-oriented. It’s nice to be in an organization in which everyone likes and supports each other. I’ve known a lot of these families since I was a little girl. Many treat me like a daughter or granddaughter. We now have the largest number of young people in the organization since my dad started it in 1995. Some of the original members got their kids involved. Some have met their husbands or wives here.

Geoff Brouman Development analyst/operations manager Titan Realty Group LLC Joining the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club is a great way to connect with tomorrow’s leaders. I’m also state chairman of the Next Generation of the International Council of Shopping Centers. We get people who are new to the industry involved in the organization. They’re not all young, but they have been in the industry for five years or less. Getting involved with things you’re passionate about makes sense. You might meet another client or make solid professional connections.

Amanda M. Miller Associate, intellectual properties group Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff I’m from southern Ohio but moved here from Chicago. I wanted to be back here. I’ve got lots of friends, and we’re Buckeyes. I went to OSU Law School. I’m a huge football fan … a Buckeye fan. I was born with it. My father is a huge football fan, too. Lots of guys I work with are surprised that I know the names of the players. My husband and I usually go to whatever game the alumni association offers.

Nick Bucurel Project engineer Malcolm Pirnie Inc. I am involved with organizing a group for River Sweep, an initiative organized by the Ohio Canal Corridor. It’s the largest done-in-a-day environmental cleanup in Northeast Ohio. It takes place the first or second week in November. One of our biggest challenges is to herald Cleveland’s success stories. There’s been a drastic improvement in the quality of water here. It’s up to us to change outsiders’ opinions of Cleveland. We have a phenomenal natural resource both with the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie.

Pamela Achladis Business development and branding & social media strategist WhiteSpace Creative Being part of the growth of my company and taking it to the next level is exciting to me. Extending the capabilities and reaching to more and larger companies gives me the opportunity to meet so many people. It’s great networking, too. When I’m not working, I write a blog about marketing and branding. Fitness is important to me. I’ve run a half marathon, 5 and 10 Ks and am in training for the Cleveland Marathon.

Jimmy Miller Account executive, Lorain County Chicago Title I’ve been buying houses in Lorain County and flipping them. I think that the housing market is turning around in Northeast Ohio. I sold the first one in 30 days and the second only a week after I got it done. I do most of the work, including the roofing, siding, electrical. I don’t like laying carpeting, though. I think the economy is turning around. There are good opportunities for young people to stay here and get jobs.

Nicole E. Kohari Director of operations Enkari Ltd. This is a startup company that makes Zen, a Web-based project management tool. I’m one of the founders. We started it in January and launched in July. Some people use the software to organize household tasks. It’s a personal Kanban. Kanban are cards, used by Toyota’s production-management system, that provide concise details of work needing to be accomplished. I’m still finishing my Ph.D. in the Industrial Organization Psychology Program at the University of Akron and teaching there, too.

Brian Ferritto Director of Web development 42connect My partner and I started this business in 2002. We build and design Web sites and help companies with their online marketing efforts. It’s exciting working with startup companies. There’s an energy and passion that they have because it’s their business. It’s different working with entrepreneurs. This is their baby. We’re helping them bring it along. There’s a sense of achievement that goes along with this. It’s a pretty neat part of the job.

Hany ElHibir Director of accounts and new business 42connect I am half Croatian and half Sudanese, and grew up in Kuwait and came to Cleveland because my brother is here. I went to college here, met my wife here and just had a baby daughter. I grew to like Cleveland. I speak Croatian, Arabic and English. I visit the Croatian neighborhood and shop at the Middle Eastern stores. Cleveland is moving in the right direction. The younger entrepreneurs have a vision for the city.

Meran E. Chang Cleveland executive fellow Cleveland Leadership Center I just graduated from Case Western Reserve’s Mandel School for Nonprofit Organizations and hope my career will combine my background in education and nonprofits. I taught third grade in English at an immersion school in Tapei, Taiwan, in 2005. My ideal job would be to be the founder of an immersion language school for children from pre-K to grade eight that would include Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. Language opens doors for people.

Tim Smith Relationship manager, commercial real estate group Huntington Bank If someone just met me they wouldn’t know how large my family is. I’m the oldest of seven siblings. I’m 29; the youngest is 8. Both of my parents are Irish Catholic and are one of eight children in each of their families. We have 85 cousins. I’m an alum of St. Ed’s and have been an assistant basketball coach there since 2002. I played high school basketball and am a big sports guy. I’m competitive.

Meghan Pethtel Assistant product manager The Sherwin-Williams Co. I am one of the founders of the Cleveland chapter of the nonprofit Minds Matter. It’s a national, nonprofit organization that works every Saturday with economically disadvantaged, high-potential inner-city students. We have grown from three to 65 volunteers who show up every week to work with 24 students. We send students to summer programs at Ivy League colleges with funds generated from Sherwin-Williams, Jones Day, the Harvard Club, the Civic Innovation Lab and others.

Mike Leonakis Marketing services manager, paint stores group The Sherwin-Williams Co. Four years ago, I helped found Hands on Northeast Ohio, an organization that acts as a mobilizer for people to find meaningful volunteer programs. We currently have more than 300 volunteers working throughout the area. If there was one thing that I would change about Cleveland, it would be to make people more positive about the region. There are so many good things happening here. There’s tremendous opportunity for those who are willing to take risks professionally.

Phil Robinson Cleveland executive fellow Cleveland Leadership Center After I had worked with Sen. Diane Feinstein on Capitol Hill and a number of Fortune 500 companies, my wife was offered a job here, and we jumped at the chance to return to Cleveland. I attended a City Council meeting in University Heights and was deciding if I wanted to run and found out about the Cleveland Leadership Center. I was asked if I’d be willing to take time out of my career. I ran and lost by 55 votes.

Julie Pietrzen Attorney Frantz Ward LLP I came to Cleveland from Detroit to attend law school at Case Western Reserve, fell in love with it and never looked back. I’ve been here for 10 years now. Cleveland has so many wonderful things to offer. I am a member of the Junior Advisory Board for West Side Ecumenical Ministries. Our mission is to raise money to support the many social service programs WSEM provides to the Greater Cleveland community.

Emily Anderson Senior environmental engineer MWH As a member of Engineers without Borders, I’m working with the Case Western Reserve Student Chapter to create a drinking water treatment program in Cameroon. We did a site assessment in February, an initial design has been picked, and we’re returning in June to build the first well. Cleveland is heading in the right direction environmentally. The mayor puts an emphasis on sustainability. This region may be looked to in the future as a model for sustainability and sustainable energy.

Cassandra Washington Cleveland executive fellow Cleveland Leadership Center I considered moving four years ago, but it’s not an option for me. Cleveland is what I know. Cleveland needs people like me to change what’s going on. My friends and family are here. I’m here to stay. I’m using the fellowship to get exposure and experience in different types of work and find out where I transition best. If I would guess where I’ll be in the future, I’d say in development or working as a government liaison.

Dave Sobochan Senior manager, tax department Cohen & Company Ltd. I have a heartfelt loyalty to this area. Getting involved makes an impact on the younger staff members. As president of the Northern Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, I work to further public and private partnerships to expedite real estate development. I am also involved with 10,000 Little Micro Ideas, which recently raised $10,000 for the Cleveland Apprentice Program to be awarded to local high school students for college scholarships.

Michael Kuta Finance manager The Lubrizol Corp. I’m a member of the steering committee of the Inclusion and Diversity Team at Lubrizol. We increase awareness and look at diversity as a key factor, knowing that as a company we’re better because of our diverse work force. This impacts Lubrizol internationally. We bring regional customs and cultures to light, making employees aware of various sensitivities when they talk to people from different cultures. As part of the focus, we also have lunches featuring the food from these native countries.

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