POLAND, Ohio – Not unlike the leaders of many family businesses, Whitney Haslam Johnson and JW Johnson, managing partners of Haslam Sports Group, which owns the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew, consider themselves stewards of their organization.
The Johnsons were keynote speakers at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s Family-Owned Business Awards, which honored 16 local businesses at The Lake Club Wednesday night. The fifth annual event was sponsored by HBK CPAs & Consultants, Roetzel & Andress, JFK Wealth Advisors and Huntington Bank.
“If you think about it, there’s only 32 NFL teams, and so for northeast Ohio to have that is amazing,” Haslam Johnson said. “And it’s a big responsibility for our family and for our fans. We believe we have the best fans in the NFL, and so it’s so important for us to continue to steward that asset at the highest level.”
Tim Petrey, CEO of HD Growth Partners and master of ceremonies for the evening, said those in attendance are not just business owners but also stewards of something bigger than themselves.
“They’re building something that carries their name, their reputation and their legacy,” Petrey said. “It’s a different kind of responsibility. It’s personal, and I’m grateful, truly grateful, for the opportunity to be part of that journey with the businesses that we work with.”
Whether managing an NFL franchise about to embark on building a $3 billion state-of-the-art dome stadium and entertainment destination or a local bowling alley like Camelot Lanes, lauded with giving $1 million worth of free games to local children, taking care of people is key to success, speakers noted.
Haslam Johnson said that when the Haslams sold Pilot, there were more than 30,000 employees and it was important to take care of them so they could turn around and take care of customers of the truck stops.
“We became what we call employee experience obsessed and then customer experience obsessed, and that was really where we focused most of our time,” she said.
Petrey later agreed, noting family-owned businesses have a significant impact on the entire community.
“These businesses reflect who we are here in the Valley,” Petrey said. “They stay rooted. They employ family members, friends and neighbors. They support our schools, our nonprofits. They think of generations, not just fiscal years, and they help hold our community together.”
Another key element of the evening was the importance of communication and working together as a family to solve problems.
“I think family businesses have a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” Haslam Johnson said. “And I think what’s great about that is you ride them together.”
Johnson agreed. “There’s nothing better than working together as a family and enjoying the highest of all of it,” he said.
Petrey cited Family Business Research, which estimates family-owned businesses account for $7.7 trillion in annual economic output and 83.3 million jobs, which is roughly 59% of the private sector workforce.
Some of those successful local businesses were honored Wednesday.
Louis Colella, partner and managing director of JFS Wealth Advisors, presented the Success in Succession Award to Joe Koch Construction.
Joe Koch Jr. thanked his wife, Taylor, for her “strength and constant positivity,” as well as his parents, Patti and Joe Koch Sr.
“Things haven’t always been easy or fun, but you’ve always believed in me and provided everyone in our family with the greatest gift, and that gift is a solid name and reputation,” Koch Jr. said. “That’s something money can’t buy and is the ultimate biggest key ingredient for long-term success in business.”
Sam Huston, market president of Huntington Bank, presented the Social Impact Award to Servpro Team Dobson.
Jimmy Dobson credited great business families in the area with believing in him when the company started in 1982 with a $1,500 loan from Dollar Bank. Watching the successful family-owned businesses around him and the detail that they paid to their customers and employees influenced him to do the same.
Jim Decenzo, principal and national director of manufacturing solutions at HBK, presented the Growth Story Award to ECMSI.
Ralph Blanco, who said he started ECMSI with his wife more than 25 years ago, attributed their success to their relationship, the leadership team and staff and the ability to gain the trust of many businesses in the room.
“IT has evolved a lot in the last 10 years, and it’s a trust relationship,” Blanco said. “So I have a lot of partners that are actually in the crowd, and I appreciate you trusting in us. And we work together to help them grow so that they can focus on their business and not IT.”
The final award of the night, Local to National Presence, was presented to Bolt Construction by Brian Coulter, an attorney at Roetzel & Andress.
“I’d like to accept this award on behalf of my entire family,” said Melinda Miletta-Smith. “I’ve had the honor, and I’m truly blessed, to have worked with them for the last 30 years. … Each one of them plays a key role in our success.”
The nominees in each category were:
- HBK Growth Story: Advanced Technology Partners, AllStaff, ECMSI and Youngstown Clothing Co.
- Roetzel & Andress Local to National Presence: Bolt Construction Inc., Countrywide Paving & Concrete, Redex Industries and Thompson Insurance Group.
- Huntington Social Impact: Camelot Lanes, EMS Enterprise, Gonatas Real Estate and Servpro Team Dobson.
- JFS Wealth Advisors Success in Succession: Distinctive Details, Gasser Chair, Joe Koch Construction and TruCut Inc.
Pictured at top: Tim Petrey, left, CEO of HD Growth Partners, chats with Whitney Haslam Johnson and JW Johnson, managing partners of Haslam Sports Group.