Tech Czar Talk: Part I - Top Ten Executives in Cleveland

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For years it has been my contention that Northeast Ohio is blessed with great executive talent in the tech industry. Telling that story nationally to investors, potential stakeholders and technology partners has been an easy story to tell.

But locally, for whatever reason, it's a more difficult conversation to have.

The genesis of this top tech executives list was born from conversations, debates, coffee talks, phone calls and emails with numerous investors, economic development groups, civic leaders and tech entrepreneurs who were a bit reticent they could not vote for themselves. It is a solid list, but by no means a comprehensive one.

There are clearly more than 10 executives who merit inclusion in this list, but what the list makes abundantly clear is that there is some serious executive talent in the tech sector of Northeast Ohio.

Here are the rankings from 10 to six. Next week we will rank the final five.

10. Patrick Ghilani, CEO of MRI Software: MRI Software has a long, proud history. Originally formed in 1971, before the prolific use of PC's and laptops, MRI pioneered real estate software. Ghilani joined the company in2006 as vice president of Global Professional Services becoming president/COO a few years later before assuming the CEO role in 2014. As CEO, Ghilani sought to "restore the roar" at MRI, to create a company culture built on the belief that MRI can and will regain its position as an innovator and market leader. To deliver on this new mission, Ghilani initiated a paradigm shift in the strategic initiatives of the company.

 That new mission must be working. Since Ghilani became CEO, MRI has experienced 12 straight quarters of company growth and increased its employee base by 75 percent to more than 650 employees worldwide. MRI also expanded its global footprint, which now includes offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Hong Kong, London, Singapore, Sydney, and Toronto. Ghilani has worked his magic in transforming MRI into a truly global real estate software provider that continues to grow while staying true to its Cleveland roots.

9. Tim Miller, CEO of Abeona Therapeutics: Homegrown talent is now the leading executive of a public biotech company. Timothy J. Miller, Ph.D., is president and chief executive officer of Abeona Therapeutics. Abeona is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering gene therapy products for severe and life-threatening rare diseases. He has 18 years of scientific research, product development and clinical operations expertise, with a focus on transitioning novel bio-therapeutics through pre-clinical phases and into commercialization.

Miller was president and CEO of Red5 Pharmaceuticals from 2013 until 2015 and was CEO-in-residence at BioEnterprise in 2015. Miller earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology with a focus on Gene therapy/Cystic Fibrosis from Case Western University. He also holds a bachelor's degree in Biology and a master's in Molecular Biology from John Carroll University.

He has raised more than $100 million for therapies in cystic fibrosis, cardiovascular disease, wound healing, scar prevention, and rare diseases to advance these therapies into clinical trials. As a serial entrepreneur, he has managed all aspects of research and development, manufacturing of biologics, and clinical program startup in both public and private companies.

8. Jack Mulloy, CEO of BuyerQuest.com: Mulloy is a Cleveland native who has successfully launched and built three businesses. His first business, Nitor Partners is a boutique consulting firm that specializes in enterprise procurement transformation work. Based in Beechwood, Nitor employs approximately 50 consultants and has led global supply chain and procurement consulting engagements.

From Mulloy's experience leading Nitor Partners, he saw a market opportunity for software and launched two software companies: PunchOutCatalogs.com and BuyerQuest.com. The software companies were combined in 2015 when BuyerQuest raised $7 million in growth funding from a New York City based private equity group. 

Mulloy has built an industry leading enterprise procurement solution that is disrupting the enterprise procurement software market. BuyerQuest enables an "Amazon-like" shopping experience for all the contracted goods and services that corporation would engage in to sustain its operations. BuyerQuest has recently entered a strategic partnership with IBM Watson to bring cognitive procurement capabilities to the enterprise purchasing process.

More than 200,000 corporate buyers use BuyerQuest daily from almost 100 different countries

7. Adam Roth, CEO of StreamLink: Roth is a tech visionary who has almost single handedly changed how non-profits raise grant dollars. StreamLink Software is a privately held company that develops a grant management software called AmpliFund. AmpliFund is at the forefront of redefining the way nonprofit and public sector organizations find, distribute, and report grant funding by using a centralized, federally compliant, data-centric solution. Roth formed StreamLink in 2008 in response to personally encountering a need for greater process efficiencies during a 15-year career in the nonprofit sector.

Roth works closely with industry and government officials to facilitate the development of improved regulatory guidelines for managing grant funding using standardized data structures, speaking frequently on the topic to audiences around the country.

Roth earned a master's of Social Work and a master's of Nonprofit Organizations from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and the Weatherhead School of Management, respectively. StreamLink has been successful in raising capital to fuel its growth.

6. Ed Kenty, CEO of Park Place Technologies: An export from Bean Town and a former professional hockey player has positioned Park Place Technologies to enjoy "hockey stick" financial growth for years to come. Kenty was named CEO of Park Place Technologies in 2004. He brings nearly three decades of experience from EMC, Data General, Wang Laboratories, and Honeywell Bull.

Kenty remade Park Place Technologies into the world-class service organization it is today. With the shift of reseller to service provider to multi-service provider, Park Place is known around the world for its core competencies and values to drive best-in-class hardware maintenance.

Kenty brings an aggressive but passionate leadership style to Park Place. His achievements have been globally recognized through multiple stages of his career. Most recently, the company has enjoyed five years as a Great Workplace for Top Talent, a Cool Tech 25 Top Workplace, a place on the Weatherhead 100 list, and Inc. Magazine's 5000 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies. He was instrumental in securing private equity financing from Westview Capital Partners.

Kenty earned his bachelor's in Marketing from Boston College School of Management. Following graduation, he played professional hockey for four years and was inducted into Boston College's Sports Hall of Fame.

Kenty and Park Place are sure to produce one of the largest success stories in the local tech scene.

That's a solid list of savvy and well-financed executives in this region. Next week, the final five tech executives in Northeast Ohio will be listed.