2022 Business Hall of Fame & Community Leader of the Year Awards

The Business Hall of Fame inductions started in 1996 as a Bicentennial project with the city of Cleveland designed to celebrate the achievements of the men and women who helped shape our city. Since then, we have continued to celebrate the work of the leaders among us. These inductees have achieved career success that is impossible to overlook. Throughout their careers they have built and supported our communities as titans of the business world. 

In addition, the health of our region depends as much on the leaders running our nonprofit organizations, community programs and breakthrough initiatives as it does our corporate citizens. That’s what the Community Leader of the Year Awards celebrate. These recipients have made a significant impact in the categories of arts, education, public service/government, diversity and inclusion, environment, nonprofit organizations or sustainability. 

This year, we once again honor the leaders who are making a difference one landmark decision, impactful idea or mission-based endeavor at a time.

Business Hall of Fame
Lee Fisher, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University 

Matt Kaulig, Kaulig Cos. 

Deborah Read, Thompson Hine LLP 

Community Leaders of the Year
Michelle Carandang, Keep the Lakes Great 

Kurt Russell, Oberlin City Schools 

Ron Soeder, the telos leadership foundation 

Ramonita Vargas, Spanish American Committee 

Sean Watterson, Cleveland Arts Prize/Happy Dog