Mary Beth Oakes began working at Business Furniture—which is celebrating its 101st anniversary this year—as a showroom manager in 1992 and moved up to become CEO and co-owner. The company, which has two showrooms in the Indianapolis area and one in Dayton, became a certified woman-owned business enterprise in 2021. Oakes co-founded Choreo in 2008 to provide data- and people-driven research and change management to help organizations create workplaces that maximize real estate and support strong cultures. This year, Choreo became part of Business Furniture. Oakes serves on the Indy Chamber board.
First job: “My first job was not technically a paying job, but I loved it anyway. When I was in the second grade, my sister gave me her tape recorder. My early journalistic tendencies kicked in, and I started interviewing everyone in my family and all of my friends. My passion for people began!”
On leadership: “One of the most important lessons I have learned about leadership is the need for empathy. Truly listening to someone is the best way to build trust and connection.”
Ersal Ozdemir founded Keystone Group, which has become one of the largest private real estate companies in the state, in 2002. In 2013, he launched Indy Eleven men’s professional soccer, which plays in the USL Championship League. In 2021, Ozdemir purchased the Diamond Chain industrial site downtown, where Keystone plans to build Eleven Park, a $1 billion development that’s set to include a 20,000-seat stadium for the Indy Eleven, office space, apartments, retail, parking and public spaces. Keystone broke ground on the project at the end of May.
Admires most: “My parents”
Advice for a young person: “Decide what you are passionate about. Set goals, work hard, and never give up trying to achieve your goals.”
Favorite sports team: Indy Eleven
John Phair is chair of Holladay Hospitality Group, overseeing the portfolio of 23 hotels for real estate development firm Holladay Properties. Much of his attention is focused on supporting the company’s rapid growth over the past decade, whether upgrading technology, improving benefit programs or raising capital. He also is an entrepreneur in his own right, having founded 100 partnerships or companies, most in the real estate industry. These companies have about 1,000 employees, and he still maintains an ownership stake in most of them.
Job swap: “I’d love to be in manufacturing, creating products that require improvements in technology, design and process every year.”
Something surprising: “I love to sing, and [I] performed in Carnegie Hall!”
Advice for a young person: “Do something you like to do. If it is drudgery when you walk out of the house in the morning, find something else to do!”
Bob Scannell founded Scannell Properties in 1990 with a focus on build-to-suit leased projects for clients that needed those projects on a repeat basis. The company now completes more than $4 billion in new development each year and has built more than 300 projects in 44 states, Canada and Europe. Among the projects that have broken ground this year are a Boeing Component Operations Facility at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida; a 918,000-square-foot facility for Dollar General at the Scannell Logistics Park in Salem, Oregon; and phase one development of the Pittman Farms site in Zionsville.
Paul Thrift founded Thompson Thrift Development with John Thompson in 1986. Today, he serves as president and CEO. The business has grown into a nationally recognized full-service real estate company that has developed more than $4 billion of ground-up real estate projects. The company has 550 employees and is active in 21 states, with offices in Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Denver, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix. As president and CEO, Thrift oversees growth of the company’s asset portfolio and new market opportunities.
Favorite thing about leading: “By far, my favorite part of being a leader is developing the people I lead into leaders themselves.”
Advice for a young person: “Do not be afraid to try something before you believe you are ‘ready.’ Give of yourself. Never stop learning.”
Michael Wells leads REI Real Investments Inc. and REI Real Estate Services LLC. Over the past 25 years, Wells has been involved in developing the JW Marriott, Marriott Place, Circle Centre Mall, Emmis Communications headquarters and the Indianapolis Marriott hotel. REI has $200 million in projects underway, including hotels and multifamily projects under development in Indianapolis, Louisville, and Austin, Texas. Wells also manages 300 North Meridian, several parking garages and numerous suburban office buildings and is the asset manager for 18 hotels. He recently led the capital campaign for the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site.
Something surprising: “I was president of a coal company, overseeing 220 miners, when I was 34 years old.”
Admires most: Winston Churchill. “He had the courage to fight for what he believed in, against all odds.”
Favorite civic contribution: “Planning and coordinating the development of the new terminal at Indianapolis International Airport.”
A former deputy director with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Sharon Barner says she manages “the train tracks that ensure the train can run” at Cummins. Her responsibilities at the global manufacturer of power-generation systems include communications, marketing, government relations, ethics and compliance, corporate responsibility, security, global risk and ESG strategy. Her office comprises more than 2,000 employees in 26 countries, and she manages a budget of nearly $500 million. In 2022, she also served as interim chief human resources officer.
Job swap: “I would be a singer in a jazz band. I really admire people with creative talent and the hard work that it takes to show up for every performance with the passion it takes to engage the audience in a deeply personal experience.”
On leadership: “Earning a leadership position, having a seat at the table and being willing to use your voice to have impact, is a unique opportunity—don’t squander it.”
Bryan Bedford, who has more than 30 years of experience in the airline industry, joined Republic Airways in July 1999 as president and CEO. He had previously been president and CEO of Mesaba Holdings Inc. in Minneapolis. During the time he’s been leading Republic, the airline has grown from $85 million in revenue and 36 turboprop aircraft to more than $1.3 billion in revenue and an operating fleet of nearly 200 E-Jet aircraft. The airline is currently building a massive corporate campus in Carmel.
Job swap: “I often think about teaching as an option after I leave the business world. I would love to help develop the next generation of young leaders for our community.”
Something surprising: “I used to play trombone in a jazz band.”
Walk-up song: “Welcome to the Jungle,” by Guns n’ Roses
Michael Berghoff, a Fort Wayne native, is president and CEO of Lenex Steel Co., which he founded in 2003 after working at steel and construction companies in Indianapolis and Detroit. Lenex Steel is the region’s largest fabricator of structural steel, which is used in the construction of event centers, hospitals, bridges, overpasses and industrial production facilities. Berghoff has been focused on expanding the company through acquisition, improving production capacity and performance through automation, and implementing a business process review to modernize business functions. A Purdue University graduate, Berghoff has chaired the university’s board since 2015.
First job: “The first job that included me on the company’s payroll was an after-school maintenance position at Bishop Dwenger High School. The maintenance superintendent had high standards and expectations, with lots of supervision, and it helped me understand the benefits of pursuing operational excellence.”
Something surprising: “I played football at Purdue, I once had my pilot’s license, and I can’t get my handicap in single digits (ever).”
Candice Bineyard has been with Rolls-Royce, where she serves as director of defense programs, for 16 years. She leads Rolls-Royce’s defense production programs portfolio and is responsible for customer satisfaction, P&L management, and the execution of quality and delivery performance targets. Since joining the company in 2007, she’s held multiple roles, including vice president of JSF LiftSystem and managing director of Rolls-Royce Corp.—Oakland. Before joining Rolls-Royce, she worked at Honeywell Aerospace in Clearwater, Florida.
Leadership favorite: “I enjoy developing talent and empowering people by giving them all they need to be successful, then allowing them to flourish.”
On leading: “I understand that, as a leader, I do not have all the answers. It is OK to learn every day and from everyone. Learning requires listening, which takes practice.”
Indiana love: “Indiana is a wonderful place to raise a family. With a good cost of living and many activities in and around the city, it strikes a good balance.”
