CBF Archives

As an HR vice president over several divisions at Facebook, Annette Reavis had helped lead that 40,000-person company’s switch to work from home.

Then she did it all over again when she moved to her new job as the first chief people officer at Root Insurance Co., an all-digital auto insurer based in Columbus.

Parent Root Inc. has raised more venture capital and has the highest valuation, at $3.65 billion, of any startup in Ohio. It had added the C-suite HR position as it surpassed 850 employees, but her hiring coincided with the need to swiftly adapt to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, she can't move yet to Central Ohio from San Jose while both states are under stay-home orders.

In this latest episode of Crisis Management, Reavis talks with Columbus Business First about the challenges of starting a new job and helping lead a major workplace transformation from 2,500 miles away.

She outlines the policies and experiences she had at Facebook that helped set the model for Root; and what changes to the company culture might stay after the startup can return to its offices.

For Ohio State University's chief human resources officer Susan Basso, the coronavirus crisis has driven home the importance of focusing first on people.

Even though she leads human resources for an organization with an annual payroll of $2.5 billion and headcount of 49,000 workers, Basso said it's important not to forget the individual personal struggles and needs that employees are dealing with right now.

"I think how we treat our employees through this is going to be incredibly important, because we will be on the other side of it at some point, and they will never forget how they were treated," Basso told Columbus Business First.

Even though there was no "user manual" for this type of situation, Basso said it's important that as a leader, you demonstrate the behavior that you hope to see from team members.

"The behaviors that we model I think do set an incredible tone for our teams," Basso said. It's also important, she said, to "give them a sense of hope that we will successfully manage through this, and quite possibly even (become) a much better organization."

Basso said what she's most looking forward to at the end of the pandemic is coming together with OSU employees – seeing people face to face that she's currently only Zooming with or emailing.

"Every time I send out an email to my team, honestly, I cannot wait to actually see people in person and honestly, shake their hand and thank them for Just the incredible job they have done on behalf of the university," Basso said. "I think it's gonna be amazing, actually, when we all get to come together again."

This is the latest installment in our new podcast, Crisis Management, a series of discussions we're having with area business owners and leaders about operating amid this new coronavirus reality.

Nocterra Brewing Co. marked one year of business this past weekend.

To mark the occasion (and a return to beer after recent non-alcoholic and hard seltzer excursions), the News & Brews team opened a six pack of its Beta Flash New England IPA, one of the core beers offered up by the Powell craft brewery.

Is it an IP-yay or IP-nay?

Beyond tasting and evaluating that local offering we chat big picture. Coming off the sixth-annual Ohio Craft Brewers Association conference, what were some of the key messages about the industry and where it’s headed? Then the discussion takes an unexpected turn into fast food where we ponder potential pairings for the Wendy’s Breakfast Baconator and finally evaluate the Popeye’s chicken sandwich. One team member shares gluttonous fast food dining confession.

News & Brews ditched the brews in favor of seltzer for this week’s episode.

The fast-growing beverage segment is dominated by national players but more craft brewers are starting to dabble in the space, seeing an opportunity to brew a lower calorie beverage for those in the market seeking that.

Columbus’ Seventh Son Brewing Co. has been making its Kitty Paw brand of hard seltzer since last fall. This month they’re launching an exclusive flavor with the Condado restaurant chain. Dubbed Tacocat, this Kitty Paw is lime and guava flavored and is available both at the brewery and at 10 Condado restaurants in Ohio.

How did the News & Brews team feel about this creation?

Tune in to learn.

In another non-traditional expansion plans, we also discussed BrewDog’s addition to two rentable two-bedroom spots above its Short North bar. If the model works it is something it could expand to other locations.

Like many out there, News & Brews has taken a post-holiday hiatus from beer.

In recognition of this, the first episode of 2020 is tackling the topic of dry January (Dry-uary?) by cracking open a sixer of Nanny State, the 0.5% alcohol-by-volume offering from Canal Winchester’s BrewDog USA.

It’s one of several non-alcoholic beers produced and sold by BrewDog, which also in recognition of those taking at least a month away from drinking, is offering free refills of its alcohol free beers at its bars this month.

Is non-alcoholic a trend and what is its potential? That’s discussed.

More BrewDog of note, we talk about the most recent CEO change with the U.S. operation as well as the latest expansion news from Wolf’s Ridge Brewing.

Brian Higgins and his Arch City Development are busy all over Columbus.

The Youngstown native thought Central Ohio would be a temporary stop when he landed at Ohio State University. Then he thought the cubicle life would be his fate. But none of those things were meant to be for the effusive Higgins, who has since become one of the pioneers into distressed city neighborhoods.

In this podcast, Higgins says his interest in urban development and renewal began with the advent of Nationwide Arena and the Arena District. What was once Flytown has become a lauded $1.2 billion mega-development, but it carries lessons and implications that all of Central Ohio should understand, he says.