In 1992, the Ohio Business Roundtable was established for one sole purpose: to improve Ohio’s business climate. Since its inception, the OBRT has worked with Ohio’s governors and legislative leaders to make Ohio more business-friendly and more competitive both nationally and internationally.
The Roundtable is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization comprised of over 90 presidents and CEOs of Ohio’s top companies, 70 of which are headquartered in the state and one third of which are Fortune 1000 companies. Collectively, the members employ nearly 500,000 Ohioans and generate a revenue exceeding $1.4 trillion.
Because of the collective expertise and insight of OBRT members, the Roundtable is uniquely capable of bringing solutions to improve Ohio’s economic vitality and ensure that Ohio remains the ideal state in which to live, work and succeed.
Message from the President & CEO
Welcome to the Ohio Business Roundtable.
Since its creation in 1992, the Roundtable has remained singularly focused on its mission to work with the governor and the General Assembly on policies that improve Ohio’s economic competitiveness and make our state business-friendly.
Roundtable members – the Chief Executive Officers of many of our state’s largest, most successful businesses – have helped bring about momentous change in Ohio’s economic landscape.
Our executives identify vexing, intractable issues facing Ohio’s job creators, and through their expertise, experience and resources, pursue policies that make Ohio stronger.
Ohio has a proud history of innovation and entrepreneurism, and benefits from its strategic location, abundance of natural resources, and skilled, productive workforce. It is the mission of the Ohio Business Roundtable to leverage these assets to drive economic development and ensure that Ohio remains the ideal place to live, work and prosper.
Pat Tiberi
President and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable
Executive Committee
Frank Sullivan
RPM International Inc. Chairman & CEO, OBRT Chairman
Frank C. Sullivan was elected as RPM's chairman and chief executive officer in October 2008. Previously, he held various positions at RPM, starting in 1987 as regional sales manager at RPM's joint venture AGR Company. He was elected as the company's vice president of corporate development in 1991, as chief financial officer in 1993 and as executive vice president in 1995. He later became president in 1999, chief operating officer in 2001, and president and chief executive officer in 2002.
Prior to beginning his career at RPM, Mr. Sullivan held various positions in the areas of commercial lending and corporate finance at Harris Bank and First Union National Bank from 1983–1987. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina as a Morehead Scholar in 1983.
Mr. Sullivan serves on the boards of RPM International Inc., The Timken Company, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the American Coatings Association, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the Army War College Foundation, the Ohio Business Roundtable, the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Medina County Bluecoats Chapter.
Grandson of the late Frank C. Sullivan, founder of RPM, and son of the late Thomas C. Sullivan, RPM's former chairman and chief executive officer, Frank and his wife Barbara reside in Bay Village, Ohio, with their four sons. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan support many charitable and civic organizations, and especially appreciate organizations and charities that focus on the educational development and support of children throughout Northeastern Ohio.
RPM International Inc., OBRT Chairman
KeyCorp, OBRT Co-Vice Chairman
Fifth Third Bancorp, OBRT Co-Vice Chairman
American Electric Power, OBRT Immediate Past Chairman
McKinsey & Co.
Western & Southern Financial Group
The Crane Group
Jones Day
The J.M. Smucker Company
Soin International
Huntington Bancshares
Brian Chambers
Owens Corning
Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Past Leadership
1992 - 1993
John D. Ong
Chairman and CEO, The BFGoodrich Company (Akron)
1996 - 1997
John E. Pepper
Chairman and CEO, The Procter & Gamble Company (Cincinnati)
2000 - 2001
Jacqueline F. Woods
President, Ameritech Ohio (Cleveland)
2003 - 2006
John F. Barrett
Chairman, President and CEO, Western-Southern Life (Cincinnati)
2008
W. Jerry Jurgensen
Chairman, Nationwide (Columbus)
2011 - 2015
Phillip R. Cox
Chairman, Cincinnati Bell (Cincinnati)
Michael H. Thaman
Chairman and CEO, Owens Corning (Toledo)
2018 - 2019
John Warner
Senior Partner, McKinsey and Company (Cleveland)
1994 - 1995
W. R. Timken, Jr.
Chairman, President and CEO, The Timken Company (Canton)
1998 - 1999
Timothy P. Smucker
Chairman, The J. M. Smucker Company (Orrville)
2002
Dr. E. Linn Draper, Jr.
Chairman and CEO, American Electric Power (Columbus)
2007
Michael G. Morris
Chairman and CEO, American Electric Power (Columbus)
2009 - 2010
John F. Barrett
Chairman, President and CEO, Western-Southern Life (Cincinnati)
Michael G. Morris
Chairman and CEO, American Electric Power (Columbus)
2016 - 2017
Gary R. Heminger
Chairman, President and CEO, Marathon Petroleum Corporation (Findlay)
2020 - 2021
Nicholas Akins
President & CEO, American Electric Power
Governors Served
1991-1999
George Voinovich
2007-2011
Ted Strickland
2019-
Mike DeWine
1999-2007
Bob Taft
2011-2019
John Kasich
Our Team
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Pat Tiberi
President and CEO of Ohio Business Roundtable
Since January of 2018, former Congressman Pat Tiberi has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ohio Business Roundtable.
Under Tiberi, the OBRT has grown in membership, is now more collaborative with like-minded business organizations and has refocused on its core mission of economic development. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Tiberi has worked closely with Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted to ensure the voice of business is properly considered on key decisions that affect Ohio’s economic climate. Additionally, workforce development is a critical priority for OBRT members, and in 2019, Governor Mike DeWine appointed Tiberi Chairman of the Governor’s Executive Workforce Board, which is responsible for advising the Governor, Lt. Governor, and the Office of Workforce Transformation about emerging workforce needs, solutions, and best practices.
During his 17-year tenure in the U.S. House representing central Ohio, Tiberi earned a reputation as a principled, policy-focused legislator who routinely worked across party lines. Tiberi served as a senior member and chaired subcommittees on the House Ways and Means Committee, working on tax policy, health care, and trade policy—issues that impact our economy and job creators. In his final year in the House, Tiberi chaired the Joint Economic Committee, which is singularly focused on policies to create jobs and strengthen our economy.
Tiberi began his career in public service serving seven years as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives and worked with Governor George Voinovich, Speaker Jo Ann Davidson and the Ohio Business Roundtable to pass lawsuit reform, helping to improve an Ohio business climate suffering from an activist Ohio Supreme Court and rampant lawsuit abuse. Tiberi served in House leadership, as he rose to the position of House Majority Leader.
The son of Italian immigrants, Tiberi has been a lifelong resident of central Ohio. He is a 1985 graduate of The Ohio State University and was a member of The Ohio State University Marching Band. In August of 2018, Tiberi was appointed to the Ohio Dominican University Board of Trustees. Prior to being elected to Congress, he worked as a realtor. Pat and his wife, Denice, are the proud parents of four daughters.
