When we entered 2022, we expected the COVID-19 pandemic to be in the rearview. Instead, a variant that began spreading worldwide in the fall hit its peak in late January. Thankfully, Cincinnatians had a couple of distractions from the pandemic: our Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl and our University of Cincinnati Bearcats in their first-ever College Football Playoff game. Cincy’s 18th annual Power 100 list recognizes those who help make our region a winner, even during a difficult year.

Compiled by the Editors & written by Bill Ferguson Jr.

1

Mike Brown
President & Principal Owner
Katie Brown Blackburn
Executive Vice President
Zac Taylor
Head Coach, Cincinnati Bengals

After two weeks of nonstop story lines, what else can be said about the Bengals’ first trip to the Super Bowl in 33 years? No, they didn’t win—but they came awfully close. Many football experts didn’t see that coming.

Credit the Brown family ownership for being patient with third-year head coach Zac Taylor, who created a winning atmosphere at Paul Brown Stadium after inheriting a team that went 2-14 in 2019 and 4-11-1 in 2020. Taylor assembled a group of players whose average age is among the younger squads in the NFL. As recently as the 2015 roster, only three players remained on team this year: Clark Harris, Kevin Huber and C.J. Uzomah.

Meanwhile, in November, Katie Blackburn Brown was named the first woman to the NFL’s Competition Committee, established in 1968 and arguably the most visible and influential of the NFL’s committees because it plays a primary role in modifying or adopting rules and regulations.

It was the third time that the Brown family’s Bengals went to the Super Bowl, and they remain in the hunt for that first Vince Lombardi Trophy. With the youthfulness of the team, there’s much hope in Cincinnati that this is just the beginning of a longer run of winning. And the Brown family, just three days after the Super Bowl LVI, extended Taylor’s contract through the 2026 season.

4

Rodney McMullen
Kroger Co. Chairman & CEO

Rodney McMullen continued to steer Kroger through another year of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the No. 1 or No. 2 grocery retailer in the United States, depending on who and how it’s counted, Kroger is a major cog in the food-supply chain. McMullen, in an interview with CNBC, said some stay-at-home trends, including more cooking, are sticking—and shares of Kroger rose 45% in 2021. As part of its Zero Hunger/Zero Waste program, Kroger said it directed $301 million in food and monetary donations to communities, including almost $213 million in hunger relief, in 2020. One of McMullen’s biggest challenges this year will be inflation, as U.S. consumer prices rose 7% in 2021, the highest rate since 1982.

When we entered 2022, we expected the COVID-19 pandemic to be in the rearview. Instead, a variant that began spreading worldwide in the fall hit its peak in late January. Thankfully, Cincinnatians had a couple of distractions from the pandemic: our Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl and our University of Cincinnati Bearcats in their first-ever College Football Playoff game. Cincy’s 18th annual Power 100 list recognizes those who help make our region a winner, even during a difficult year.

5 

Luke Fickell  
University of Cincinnati Football Coach

Much like the Bengals, the UC Bearcats brought a lot pride—and national attention—to the Queen City. Luke Fickell has built a powerhouse over the past four seasons. Competing in the elite College Football Playoff national semifinals, UC was the first non-Power Five Conference team to get there. Although the Bearcats lost to Alabama, the team finished undefeated at 12-0 in the regular season and won the American Athletic Championship game to get to the semifinal. UC rewarded Fickell with a contract extension through 2028, paying him a reported $5 million a year. Fickell also was named The Home Depot Coach of the Year for 2021, an annual award going to the top college football coach.

6 

Candace McGraw 
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport CEO

Candace McGraw marked her 10th year as CEO of the airport last year, and things have changed dramatically at CVG since she took the helm. McGraw has overseen an increase in passenger airlines serving the airport, a dramatic rise in cargo traffic and more leased offices, warehouses and other buildings on the airport’s 7,700 acres of land. Amazon Air opened its primary U.S. cargo hub last year at the airport, adding to DHL’s super-hub, which is that company’s second-largest global operation. London-based Skytrax has named CVG the World’s Best Regional Airport in eight of the past 10 years.

7

Carl Lindner III
FC Cincinnati CEO and Controlling Owner; American Financial Group Co-President & CEO

FC Cincinnati’s crown jewel, TQL Stadium, opened in May last year, and Carl Lindner III probably couldn’t be prouder. The establishment of FC Cincinnati as a Major League Soccer franchise went into hyperdrive practically from its beginning, when Lindner and co-CEO Jeff Berding, a former Bengals executive and Cincinnati city councilman, met in 2015 to start the club in the third-tier United Soccer League. Lindner and Berding aggressively pursued major-league play, and MLS in 2018 awarded FCC an expansion franchise. Last year, Cincinnati was fourth out of 27 clubs in attendance in the league, averaging more than 21,000 a game, and fans are eagerly awaiting FCC to field a strongly competitive team as it builds the franchise.

8 

John Barrett
Western & Southern Financial Group Chairman, President & CEO

Throughout his career, John Barrett has been extremely active in the community while leading Western & Southern to becoming a behemoth insurance company. Ranking No. 374 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list, the company recorded revenues of $8.058 billion. He currently is leading a $105 million fundraising campaign for University of Cincinnati’s Barrett Cancer Center. He also told WCPO in October that Eagle Realty Group, a division of Western & Southern, plans to invest in developing high-quality, affordable housing in and near downtown.

9

Tom Williams
North American Properties Inc. President & CEO; Cincinnati Reds Co-Principal Owner & Vice Chairman

Name some of the area’s larger nonprofit or business-related boards, and there’s a chance that Tom Williams is serving or has served on them. JobsOhio, Western and Southern Financial Group, Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), Cintrifuse, Cincinnati Business Committee, Cincinnati Regional Business Committee, REDI (Regional Economic Development Initiative) Cincinnati, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Cincinnati Zoo. That’s not even the whole list. His company, North American Properties, has developed properties in 67 cities and 15 states.

10 

Bob Castellini
Cincinnati Reds Principal Owner & CEO; Castellini Co. Chairman

As of this writing, it’s anybody’s guess whether Major League Baseball’s first work stoppage since 1995 will be resolved soon. That puts Bob Castellini in a limbo position, as the team cannot make trades or sign free agents. With more than 150 years in Cincinnati, the Reds create a lot of economic activity for the city, and fans are frustrated with the team’s performance of late. With an 83-79 record last year, the Reds posted their first winning season since 2013—with the exception of the COVID-19-pandemic-shortened 2020 season, at 31-29. The pressure is on MLB and its players to have a season—and on Castellini to field a winning team

Those who didn’t make the top 10 are still important players in town. Below are the remaining 90, sorted by organization type.