40th Annual Cincinnati Business Achievement Awards celebrates power of partnership

Lewis highlighted the many accomplishments of the college and its students, including:

• Recent program rankings, including those from U.S. News and World Report which ranked Lindner’s undergraduate business analytics program in the Top 25 in the nation, and Bloomberg Businessweek, which ranked the college’s MBA program as having the third best ROI in the country. 
• Accomplishments in co-op, such as the $9 million in collective earnings by Lindner co-op students and the 500-plus employer partners who hire them. 
• The launch of the college’s Applied AI Lab and professional program offerings.

But, above all, Lewis stressed the power of partnership and the importance of community for advancing the college’s mission.

“Now remember, co-op means cooperative. None of this would be possible without a robust community of business professionals, alumni and allies of our college,” said Lewis. “Partnership underlies all that we do. Our partners empower us through their support for our programs and the Lindner mission and we work to empower them by providing a pipeline of top talent.” 

Lewis’ rallying cry of community, partnership and joint successes was furthered by remarks from UC President Neville Pinto.

“The support that you, our donors, our alumni and our corporate friends give us is vitally important for us to be able to accomplish this. Working together, we are making an enormous difference. I can tell you that UC students are finding tremendous success,” commented President Pinto.

The presentation of the Business Partnership Award was followed by recognition of the Distinguished Service Awardee. From classroom visits to student mentorship, Liz Keating maintains close ties to Lindner and UC. As Keating stressed in her remarks, she is largely driven to do so by the legacy of her father. 

“Getting involved with Lindner has given me the opportunity to learn from some of Cincinnati's greatest leaders who are giving their time to carry out the legacy of Mr. Lindner,” said Keating. “And I am much of who I am today because I have been surrounded by Bearcats and those who have given their time to this university, and particularly to the Lindner College of Business.” 

The final and highest honor of the evening was presented by Jennifer Heisey, UC’s Chief Alumni Officer. As the highest honor a Lindner alumnus may receive, the Carl H. Lindner Award for Outstanding Business Achievement recognizes a Lindner graduate who exemplifies success in their profession and field of business, and showcases ample dedication to entrepreneurship and their community. The 2025 Carl H. Lindner Award for Outstanding Business Achievement went to Rusty Myers, Bus ’82, recognizing his contributions to the Cincinnati real estate community and his deep ties to Lindner and UC.

“As you can probably tell, I bleed red and black, and I am grateful to the College of Business for preparing me as a student and for being by my side ever since,” said Myers upon accepting the award. “I have served alongside an army of volunteers at the business college, the real estate program, the Alumni Association, and the UC Foundation over the years, and this wonderful Carl H. Lindner Award is not just about me, it is a tribute to everyone who has walked before me and with me over the years.”  

As the evening ended, there was even more to celebrate as Lewis returned to the stage to announce the creation of a new endowed scholarship for Lindner students made possible by the funds raised from this and past CBAAs.

Featured image: Left to right: UC President Pinto, Carl H. Lindner Award for Outstanding Business Achievement recipient Rusty Myers, Distinguished Service Awardee Liz Keating, Heart of William J. Keating Jr. Leadership Awardee Anne Heuker, Carl H. Lindner Outstanding Junior Scholarship Awardee Marissa Riehm, Fifth Third President and CEO Tim Spence, Outstanding Young Alumni Awardee Lucien Kidd, Lindner dean Marianne Lewis and Lindner Alumni Council Chair Edita Dolan-Mayo. Photos by Lauren Meisberger.