Finalist
Professional Services and Asset Management
When Steven Gerard joined CBIZ Inc. in late 2000, the company was going through some rocky times, as it was in disarray and its operations were neither stable nor profitable.
Despite this, Gerard saw the potential in the company and quickly put in place personal and professional ethics for everyone and communicated his vision, along with his aggressive goals and a strategic plan to achieve it.
For the next two years, he and his management team worked around the clock to fix the company’s problems. He worked to create a common culture and focused on listening to his employees so that he would know the key issues they faced on a day-to-day basis in terms of mentoring, training and education. He also worked to create an atmosphere that rewarded high performance and created meaningful career opportunities for his people. During this time, he built the stronger infrastructure the company would need to help it grow. He also established monthly reviews of every business unit and worked toward reducing the company’s debt, and put marketing and technology support into place.
As a result of his efforts, by 2001, CBIZ had begun recording profitable results again. Two years later, in 2003, the company became debt-free. In addition to that milestone, cash flow became very strong, employee morale improved and the company resolved lawsuits without being found at fault.
Those results weren’t a one-hit wonder, either. Since 2003, CBIZ has seen its revenue grow by 43 percent and its earnings per share have increased at least 20 percent for six years in a row.
As chairman and CEO, Gerard has greatly impacted CBIZ by turning it around and growing it, but he also is active in other organizations. He is the former chairman of the board of trustees for Queens College, and he still serves as a board member. He was also a founder of the Center for the New American Workforce, a diversity organization in New York City.
How to reach: CBIZ Inc., (216) 525- 1953 or www.cbiz.com
