In a room with hundreds of other business leaders and top executives in downtown Dayton, applause filled the air. Our very own Larry Connor walked up to the stage at the Dayton Business Journal’s Business of the Year Gala, earning the award for Executive of the Year.
“Thank you for the award, but in my opinion, it is never about the individual,” Larry said. “It will always be about a group of people who come together who have shared beliefs and commitments.”
The accolades from the regional business publication come on the heels of an inspirational year. Larry’s traveled to outer space, explored the deepest parts of the ocean, and jumped from a plane at 25,000 feet, all while leading The Connor Group to another record-setting year. With each accomplishment, Larry has stressed his desire to inspire others to have the mindset that anything is possible.
“Yes, you can certainly do things that are extraordinary, maybe even things that people say are impossible,” Larry said.
Our non-profit, Kids & Community Partners, also earned recognition at last evening’s black-tie gala as a Community Supporter of the Year nominee. Because of the great work our associates do at the properties and our Central Support Office, we’re able to invest in programs that help pull kids out of generational poverty.
The non-profit started in 2007 and has taken off.
This year, we opened The Greater Dayton School, Ohio’s first fully-private, non-religious school dedicated to under-resourced students. The school opened in August, serving 85 students, with plans to expand up to 600 students. We’ve also started two additional programs, Colin’s Lodge and Connor Kids Academy.
Kids & Community Partners director Ryan Ernst says the Community Supporter Award truly belongs to our associates.
“It’s really a companywide recognition. Every single associate plays a role in our non-profit work, whether they realize it or not,” Ryan said.
“Every tech who beats his or her budget, every salesperson who surpasses his or her goal, every manager re-engineering a property – they all produce money that allows us to do this work. And the potential results are pretty staggering and humbling.”
Congratulations to all who played a part in these two awards!