“When I started at The Connor Group almost 13 years ago, our central office consisted of 35 people working in a rented space in an office park,” Ryan Ernst, a company partner and director of the company’s Kids & Community Partners efforts, said on the LinkedIn web site. “We owned and operated apartments in six markets. That was it.
“Pretty crazy to see us recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the top 215 businesses in the country and getting a nod for our non-profit work,” he added.
The list, published Monday, honors companies “for putting purpose on par with profits.”
“To cite one extraordinary example, The Connor Group, a real estate investment firm headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, built a private school in nearby Dayton, where area children below the poverty line can get a good education — and a leg up — at low or no cost,” the magazine said.
“If you’ve been very, very fortunate, then you have both an obligation and an opportunity to share the wealth,” founder Larry Connor told the magazine.
“This national recognition from Inc. magazine is a testament to our associates’ hard work and dedication,” Connor said in a statement Tuesday. “It reflects our relentless pursuit of excellence in business and making meaningful impacts in the communities where we live and work.”
In all, the magazine recognized the firm in several categories, including education, impact, length of time in business, general excellence, company size, its region and its field, real estate.
“Being named to the Best in Business list is a rare and special honor,” Eric Hagerman, special projects editor at Inc., said in Connor’s statement. “This year’s honorees, including The Connor Group, exhibit exceptional foresight, compassion, and dedication, fundamentally prioritizing impactful contributions in their communities, industries, the environment, and society at large.”
Nine Ohio companies made the list. The Connor Group was the only company named from the Dayton area.
The Greater Dayton School, a private school formed under The Connor Group’s nonprofit Kids and Community Partners, plans to open its downtown Dayton location off Webster Street near Deed’s Point, but officials anticipate it won’t be completely done until February, the Dayton Daily News reported last month.
Ernst then told the newspaper that the organization expects to have temporary occupancy around the end of November. The move-in date was moved back due to delays in construction, he said then.
The private school is focused on bringing kids out of generational poverty. It accepts low-income students, such as those who would qualify for Medicaid or food stamps.
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