The Power 100

Browsing through the top 25 of the 100 most powerful people in Northeast Ohio, you will see only two manufacturing titans, no labor leaders and no one affiliated with the auto industry.

Who you will see are the innovators in health care and education, as well as community foundation and political visionaries who are helping our region transition from the old to the new. This is not the Power 100 list of 50, or even 20, years ago.

Although developers like Sam Miller, Albert Ratner and Scott Wolstein continue to loom large on our list, the bankers, namely Henry Meyer and David Daberko, have dropped out of the top 25. Even if Daberko hadn't retired last year, he most likely still wouldn't be ranked due to the massive foreclosure crisis affecting his industry.

And with the shifting political balance to the left in Congress and the Statehouse, politicians play a bigger role on our list this year due to their ability to divert tax dollars to a region consistently loyal to the Democratic Party.

As always, the editors spent hours calling many of the names you see on the following pages to find out who they thought deserved a higher or lower ranking — or none at all — and who must be added to the list this year. Once again, we've included the influence makers from around Northeast Ohio, but the power is still centered in the region's most populous county.

 

 

 

Even Fred Nance, whose civic and business involvement spans well beyond his role as regional managing partner at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP, admits Dr. Delos "Toby" Cosgrove "sets a pace that's hard to keep up."

"Dr. Cosgrove walks in many worlds," says Nance, who topped Inside Business' 2007 Power 100 list. "But he does it at the pace and with the quality that he has brought to his profession as a world-class surgeon for 35 years."

The role of health care as an economic driver has reached a new level of importance in Northeast Ohio. Three recent events in particular have marked the climb: The Cleveland Clinic, the region's largest private employer with 37,000 workers, made the precedent-setting announcement that it would no longer employ smokers; Northeast Ohio biomedical startups landed a record $239 million of investment funding — mostly from outside the region; and the business community and county government made a rare collective endorsement of the establishment of a Medical Mart, where companies from around the globe would gather in Cleveland to buy and sell health-care devices and equipment. County leaders even passed a .25 percentage point increase in sales tax to pay for a convention center to house it.

It is clear the country's health-care capital is moving to Northeast Ohio — and leading that charge is Dr. Cosgrove, president and CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, who tops this year's list of the region's 100 most powerful people.

"He's been a tremendous asset not only to Cleveland Clinic, but also to the region, the country and, increasingly, the world," says Nance, who sits on the board of trustees for the Clinic as well as BioEnterprise, a health-care company incubator comprising of the Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University and Summa Health System. "If you look at what the medical industry does for the economy, it is the most impactful private-sector activity that there is, and the Clinic is the biggest."

Under Dr. Cosgrove's leadership, the $4.6 billion Cleveland Clinic has expanded locally, nationally and internationally. To date, Cleveland Clinic has nine community hospitals, 14 family health and ambulatory surgery centers, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Cleveland Clinic Toronto and the developing Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

In the years since Dr. Cosgrove's appointment as president and CEO in 2004, he has negotiated agreements to establish Cleveland Clinic medicine in Abu Dhabi, Toronto, Vienna, Singapore and Seattle, and raised $1.25 billion to support more than 4 million square feet in new construction and improvement. Those few building cranes visible in the sky around Cleveland are clustered on the Clinic's campus.

"I am extremely proud and honored to be a part of an organization that's as dedicated to its patients, employees, community and mission as the Cleveland Clinic is," says Dr. Cosgrove. "... We're here to stay. Cleveland is in our name. We're only successful if Northeast Ohio thrives."

Nance, who admits to some good-natured ribbing from friends and colleagues about his Power 100 status, was magnanimous about handing the recognition over to Dr. Cosgrove.

"If I have to be deposed by somebody, I guess a world-class heart surgeon is not too shabby," says Nance. "It has definitely been a plus."

 

2. Sam Miller
 Co-Chairman, Forest City Enterprises Inc.
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Building/Construction
Why: Miller has upped his power quotient this year with his ambitious quest to reform the government of Cuyahoga County — and put his money where his mouth is by vowing to pay for it. Miller also resides on the board of trustees of the Cleveland Clinic with other power brokers on this list.
2007 ranking: No. 3. Miller's community involvement gives him a boost this year.

 

3. Fred Nance
 Regional Managing Partner, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Law
Why: In his role as chairman of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the ever-convincing Nance helped sell a new convention center to house a Medical Mart, which required an additional county sales tax to fund it.
2007 ranking: No. 1. The lack of progress on the Medical Mart hurt Nance and most of those involved on our list.

4. Jimmy Dimora
 Cuyahoga County Commissioner
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Politics
Why: In a big year for Democrats, the biggest Dem in the county wielded his power last year when commissioners passed a .25 percentage point increase in sales tax to pay for a new convention center to house a Medical Mart. Not to mention Dimora brazenly put the former Ameritrust building up for sale after its tower proved too expensive to tear down for new county offices — and that’s after spending millions of tax dollars on the project.
2007 ranking: No. 13. One of our biggest movers on the list, Dimora’s power may soon dwindle if the county government continues its free-spending ways as the population shrinks. 

 

5. Ronald B. Richard
 President and CEO, The Cleveland Foundation
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Nonprofit
Why: When charities, schools and nonprofits needed money, they used to turn to the big corporations in town, but now they turn to Richard and the foundation’s $2 billion in assets. Lately, the foundation has been more aggressive in funding innovative business ventures, which spreads Richard’s influence even further.
2007 ranking: No. 4. We hope to see Richard out in the public more often this year.

 

6. Umberto Fedeli
 Chairman and CEO, The Fedeli Group
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Business Services
Why: Fedeli’s power was on display last year when, only a few months after he criticized the performance of Solon-based PVF Capital Corp., parent company of Park View Federal Savings, for which he is a board member, Youngstown-based Union Community Financial Corp. swooped in to acquire the 17-branch bank for $130 million. We don’t know if Fedeli orchestrated the deal, but it sure looked that way.
2007 ranking: No. 6. Steady as it goes for Fedeli.

 

7. Anthony  Alexander
 President and CEO, FirstEnergy Corp.
Region: Greater Akron
Industry: Utilities
Why: Blame Al Gore or $3-a-gallon gas prices, but 2007 seemed to be the year when everyone woke up to the world’s energy scarcity. No one in the region has a greater influence over what we’ll use to power and heat our homes and businesses and how much it will cost than Alexander as he leads the $12 billion utility company. Although his customers stretch to the Atlantic Ocean, Alexander still invests time and money in his hometown of Akron.
2007 ranking: No. 11. With state lawmakers reconfiguring Ohio’s energy policy, Alexander’s input is influential more than ever.

 

8. Donald  Plusquellic
 Mayor, City of Akron
Region: Greater Akron
Industry: Politics
Why: It was indeed a "good year" for Plusquellic, as he was able to negotiate an innovative deal to keep tiremaker The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which has 2,900 employees in Summit County and is the largest public company in Northeast Ohio, in Akron. Maintaining his town's "Rubber City" status will keep Plusquellic in office as long as he wants.
2007 ranking: No. 10. Although Akron suffers from similar economic and crime problems as its northern urban neighbor, Plusquellic seems to be in better control — or just in control of the spin.

 

9. Frank Jackson
 Mayor, City of Cleveland
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Politics
Why: Last year's scary 134 homicides unfortunately overshadowed Jackson's progress toward regional cooperation and economic development for the struggling city. Although the normally reserved Jackson vigorously attacked the homicide issue, the death numbers kept rising and few noticed the burgeoning renewal in Cleveland’s residential development along Euclid Avenue, Midtown and the Detroit Shoreway area.
2007 ranking: No. 15. Jackson is looking more mayoral every year, but the violence must decrease for him to continue to climb the ranks. 

 

10. Lee Fisher
 Lieutenant Governor, State of Ohio
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Politics
Why: Fisher seems to visit Northeast Ohio more than he is in the Statehouse, which for years was dominated by interests from Republican stronghold Cincinnati. When economic development funds are distributed across the state, it never hurts to have a Shaker Heights native as well as an Oberlin College and Case Western Reserve University graduate in charge of the dispersal.
2007 ranking: Unranked. Fisher’s aggressive role as the state's top business development officer ups his power quotient this year. 

 

11. Albert Ratner
 Co-Chairman, Forest City Enterprises Inc.
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Building/Construction
Why: No one can deny Forest City's power, but lately Ratner has preoccupied himself with development interests in New York City and the western states, while co-Chairman Sam Miller is in the forefront, leaving his legacy in Northeast Ohio by changing the county government.
2007 ranking: No. 7. Where has Ratner been?

 

12. Stephanie Tubbs Jones
 U.S. Representative
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Politics
Why: With Cleveland and the region in need of a strong, African-American leader, Tubbs Jones has emerged as more than the voice of the community, but also a major player with the political experience and savvy to move her agenda forward. Tubbs Jones serves on the U.S. House of Representatives' powerful Ways and Means Committee, which presides over taxes, Social Security and other entitlement spending.
2007 ranking: Unranked. The Democrat is now part of the majority in the U.S. House, which can only mean good things for her district. 

 

13. Christopher Connor
 Chairman and CEO, The Sherwin-Williams Co.
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Manufacturing
Why: Running a $7.2 billion global manufacturer, which just expanded to India last year, might keep Connor too busy to devote time to the city, which his paintmaker has called home for 142 years. But Connor’s involvement with organizations like the Commission on Economic Inclusion, which helps local minority-owned businesses sustain growth, makes him anything but a distant corporate chief.
2007 ranking: No. 8. With the domestic housing market in free fall, we understandably expect to see less of Connor around town this year as he rides out the storm.

 

14. Malachi A. Mixon III
 Chairman and CEO, Invacare Corp.
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Manufacturing
Why: This year, the well-connected Clevelander focused on his company. Mixon’s maneuvering ended a two-year stock slide for his $1.6 billion worldwide manufacturer. Resolving to meet global competition head-on, Mixon boldly relocated many of Invacare's operations to China to cut costs.
2007 ranking: No. 9. Although his company’s stock bounced back, Invacare still faces significant challenges from overseas competition. 

 

15. Jerry Sue Thornton
 President, Cuyahoga Community College
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Education
Why: As the reputation of Ohio’s largest community college grows, so does the influence of its president. With a $260.2 million budget and a mission to bring quality and affordable education to area residents, Thornton is a significant presence both in the African-American community and Northeast Ohio.
2007 ranking: Unranked. Thornton has become a vocal member on some of the area’s most important boards, including the Greater Cleveland Partnership and The Cleveland Foundation.

 

16. David Abbott
 Executive Director, the George Gund Foundation
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Nonprofit
Why: Sitting on significant capital, the Gund Foundation doled out more than $20 million in 2007, including gifts to groups and projects vital to revitalizing Northeast Ohio, from major players such as the Cleveland Development Foundation to smaller projects like Cleveland Scholarship Programs.
2007 ranking: Not listed. Abbott is interested in impacting the region where it counts — funding.

 

17. Scott Wolstein
 Chairman and CEO, Developers Diversified Realty Corp.
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Building/Construction
Why: After securing his hold on the Flats thanks to a controversial use of eminent domain, it appears the longtime Cleveland developer will finally fulfill the family dream and push ahead with his drastic neighborhood redesign, bringing 455 residential condos, 250,000 square feet of retail space and 1 million square feet of office units to the deserted district.
2007 ranking: No. 16. We're still waiting for the project to break ground.

 

18. Art Falco
 CEO and President, Playhouse Square Foundation
Region: Cuyahoga   
Industry: Nonprofit
Why: Since taking the helm 14 years ago, Falco has turned the foundation into the second-largest performing arts center in the country. But beyond the arts, the foundation is responsible for significant economic development throughout downtown, as seen in the Idea Center.
2007 ranking: No. 20. Once the construction finally clears on Euclid Avenue, the RTA's new Silver Line will pour more visitors into Playhouse Square, raising the area's profile and profitability.

 

19. Michael Schwartz
 President, Cleveland State University
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Education
Why: While raising the academic status of the city's downtown university, Schwartz also has been instrumental in pushing through a $179 million campus master plan, reinventing both the school and the campus' downtown neighborhood.
2007 ranking: Unranked. While other downtown projects seem stuck in the planning stages, Cleveland State aggressively pushes ahead with its building.  

 

20. Chris Ronayne
 CEO, University Circle Inc.
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Nonprofit
Why: Ronayne's tenure as the head of UCI has been marked by his aggressive effort to raise University Circle’s profile. In the past year, Ronayne introduced seven development campaigns for his area, including the 1,000 Homes Campaign and the Bring Back Euclid Avenue Campaign.
2007 ranking: No. 21. With a past in city politics, Ronayne knows how to see projects through. His success with University Circle is just beginning.

 

21. Luis Proenza
 President, University of Akron
Region: Greater Akron
Industry: Education
Why: Under Proenza's guidance, the university has made drastic changes to downtown Akron, thanks to its $300 million New Landscape for Learning campus-enhancement program.
2007 ranking: Unranked. With rumors of a Cleveland State and University of Akron merger, Proenza is sure to play an important role in the future of the region's institutions of higher learning.

 

22. Roy Church
 President, Lorain County Community College
Region: Lorain
Industry: Education
Why: Besides bolstering LCCC's curriculum and status, Church is instrumental in almost anything that goes on in Lorain County. An advocate for the area, Church continually leverages the strengths of his institution for the betterment of his community, as seen in the $225,000 the school's Innovation Fund granted to three area tech startups.
2007 ranking: Unranked. As regionalism becomes more important in Northeast Ohio, players such as Church will have an important role in fostering intercounty collaborations.

 

23. Robert Stark
 CEO and President, Stark Enterprises Inc.
Region: Cuyahoga
Industry: Building/Construction
Why: Stark is counting on repeating his widespread development success, only this time in a whole new light. His projected $1.2 billion Warehouse District face-lift aims to inject consumer and residential life into the downtown area — where it’s needed most.
2007 ranking: No. 25. Of all the recently opened retail developments, Crocker Park dominates by a huge margin.

 

24. Jay Williams
 Mayor, City of Youngstown
Region: Mahoning Valley
Industry: Politics
Why: The more Youngstown begins to look like the Rust Belt's comeback kid, the more credit Mayor Williams gets. Dedicated to defending Youngstown, the mayor understands small-business development is the key to revitalizing his area's economy.
2007 ranking: Unranked. Williams is sure to be a growing voice of influence in the Cleveland Plus area.

 

25. Steven LaTourette
 U.S. Representative
Region: Lake County
Industry: Politics
Why: A stalwart fighter for his region, LaTourette is the rare politician on Capitol Hill who has not let the glamour of national politics dilute his sense of hometown responsibility. No mere player of partisan politics, the Lake County congressman does what must be done for his constituents.
2007 ranking: No. 14. We haven't heard much in the past year out of Lake County.

 

GREATER AKRON
Anthony Alexander, CEO and president, FirstEnergy Corp.
Alan Bleyer, CEO and president, Akron General Medical Center
David Brennan, chairman, White Hat Management LLC
Rob Briggs, executive director, GAR Foundation
Daniel Colantone, CEO and president, Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce
William Considine, CEO and president, Akron Children’s Hospital

Paul Greig, CEO and president, FirstMerit Corp.

James Griffith, CEO and president, The Timken Co.
Susan Hamo, president, Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau
Robert Keegan, chairman and CEO, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Fred Krum, director, Akron-Canton Regional Airport
Don Plusquellic, mayor, city of Akron
Luis Proenza, president, University of Akron
Roger Read, president, University of Akron Foundation
Neil Sackett, president, Carter Lumber
Tom Strauss, CEO and president, Summa Health System

Frank Sullivan, CEO and president, RPM International Inc.
Gary Taylor, chairman and founder, InfoCision Management Corp.
Paul Testa, CEO and president, Testa Builders Inc.
Ward J. "Tim" Timken Jr., chairman, The Timken Co.

 

David Abbott, executive director, The George Gund Foundation

Monte Ahuja, chairman and CEO, Transtar Industries Inc.
Dorothy Baunach, executive director, NorTech
Kent Clapp, chairman, CEO and president, Medical Mutual of Ohio
Christopher Connor, chairman and CEO, The Sherwin-Williams Co.
Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, CEO and president, Cleveland Clinic

Edward Crawford, chairman and CEO, Park-Ohio Holdings Corp.

Alexander "Sandy" Cutler, chairman, CEO and president, Eaton Corp.
Barbara Danforth, executive director, YWCA of Greater Cleveland
Jimmy Dimora, Cuyahoga County Commissioner
Terry C.Z. Egger, publisher, The Plain Dealer
Art Falco, CEO and president, Playhouse Square Foundation
Umberto Fedeli, chairman and CEO, The Fedeli Group
John Ferchill, chairman and CEO, The Ferchill Group
Lee Fisher, Lieutenant Governor, State of Ohio
George Forbes, president, NAACP Cleveland
Lee Friedman, executive director, Leadership Cleveland 
Dan Gilbert, owner, Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Inc.
Tim Hagan, Cuyahoga County Commissioner
Michael Horvitz, chairman, Cleveland Museum of Art
James Ireland III, managing partner, Early Stage Partners LP
Frank Jackson, mayor, city of Cleveland
Richard Jacobs, chairman and CEO, The Richard E. Jacobs Group
LeBron James, superstar, Cleveland Cavaliers
Peter Lawson Jones, Cuyahoga County Commissioner
Ray Leach, executive director, JumpStart Inc.

Bill Mason, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor
Reverend Marvin McMickle, pastor, Antioch Baptist Church
Henry Meyer, chairman, CEO and president, KeyCorp
Sam Miller, co-chairman, Forest City Enterprises Inc.
Malachi A. Mixon III, chairman and CEO, Invacare Corp.
Fred Nance, regional managing partner, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP, Cleveland

Robert Peto, CEO and executive secretary/treasurer, Ohio & Vicinity Regional Council of Carpenters

Richard Pogue, advisor, Jones Day
Albert Ratner, co-chairman, Forest City Enterprises Inc.
Charles Ratner, CEO and president, Forest City Enterprises Inc.
Ronn Richard, chairman and CEO, The Cleveland Foundation
Joseph Roman, CEO and president, Greater Cleveland Partnership
Chris Ronayne, CEO, University Circle Inc.

Eugene Sanders, CEO, Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Michael Schwartz, president, Cleveland State University
Baiju Shah, president, BioEnterprise
Robert Stark, CEO and president, Stark Enterprises Inc.
Deborah Sutherland, mayor, City of Bay Village
Jerry Sue Thornton, president, Cuyahoga Community College

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, U.S. Representative
George Voinovich, U.S. Senator
Thomas Waltermire, CEO and president, Team NEO
Adam Wasserman, president, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority
Brad Whitehead, program director, The Cleveland Foundation
Scott Wolstein, chairman and CEO, Developers Diversified Realty Corp.
Dr. Woodrow Whitlow, director, NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field
Nathan Zaremba, owner, Zaremba Inc.
Thomas Zenty, CEO and president, University Hospitals

 

Harry Allen Jr., founder and president, Great Lakes Power

Morris Beverage Jr., president, Lakeland Community College
Jim Brown Sr., owner and president, Classic Automotive Group
Todd Davis, CEO, Hemisphere Development
Steven LaTourette, U.S. Representative
Cynthia Moore-Hardy, CEO and president, Lake Hospital System

Richard Osborne Sr., founder, president and CEO, OsAir Inc.

Daniel Troy, Lake County Commissioner

 

John Beckett, chairman and CEO, R.W. Beckett Corp.
Sherrod Brown, U.S. Senator
Robert M. Campana, managing director, P.C. Campana Inc.
Roy Church, president, Lorain County Community College

Frank DeTillio, president, Lorain County Chamber of Commerce

Dan Martin, executive director, Lorain County Metro Parks

Kevin Martin, president and CEO, EMH Regional Healthcare System

Jeffrey Riddell, CEO and president, Consumers Builders Supply
Thomas Smith, managing partner, McCray, Muzilla, Smith & Meyers Co. LPA

 

MAHONING VALLEY
Bruce Beeghly, president, Altronic Inc.
Sam Covelli, president, Covelli Enterprises Inc.
Thomas Humphries, CEO and president, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce
Anthony Payiavlas, co-president, AVI Foodsystems Inc.
Tim Ryan, U.S. Representative
David Sweet, president, Youngstown State University

Herb Washington, president, HLW Fast Track Inc.

Jay Williams, mayor, city of Youngstown
Bruce Zoldan, president and CEO, B.J. Alan Co.