CINCINNATI — Four people are being honored as Great Living Cincinnatians Thursday night during the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Annual Dinner.
The Chamber has given the award since 1967, with recipients selected based on community service, civic and business engagement, leadership, awareness of the needs of others and accomplishments that have brought favorable attention to our region or their institution.
The 2023 class of Great Living Cincinnatians features C. Smith, Don Klekamp, Dr. Janet Reid and Larry Sheakley.
WCPO 9 News anchor Evan Millward emcees this year's annual dinner and sat down with each recipient ahead of time.
C. Smith
"It's an honor to have been chosen and I feel very humbled to have been chosen," said C. Smith, a photographer who has captured images of nearly every major event and important person in Cincinnati.
Smith's photography career started with interest after family photos and an opportunity to work in the darkroom at Super Speed Photographic studio across from downtown's famous Cotton Club. His mother bought him his first camera.
His career has put him in the company of presidents like Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, world leaders like the Dalai Lama and entertainers like King Records legend James Brown.
It's also put him in harm's way, including when he covered the 1967 race riots in Avondale.
"I was running down the street with police with guns in their hands and I was wearing a dashiki and at the time that wasn't very popular," he said. "And I really think the only reason I didn't get shot at the time was because I had a ... camera."
Smith passed his love of good photography onto his son, who is also a sought-after photographer.
"I hope that I live up to their standards," he said. "I won't let them down."
You can read more about C. Smith's life and career — and why he is a Great Living Cincinnatian — here.
Donald Klekamp
"I've gotten some awards in the past but nothing this significant," said Don Klekamp, an attorney whose clients have included some of the biggest names in Cincinnati. "When they told me, I said 'That's an award for the Carl Lindners, the Dick Farmers and the Bob Kohlhepps. Not for the Don Klekamps.'"
Klekamp is a senior partner at Keating Muething Klekamp Law. The names he listed as great Cincinnatians include some of his first clients. In fact, he landed Farmer and Cintas as an account because he outworked other attorneys, visiting Farmer's office with Charlie Keating instead of inviting Farmer to visit their office.
Hard work and faith are huge parts of Klekamp's life. He worked three jobs so he could pay to attend St. Xavier High School and then Xavier University.
"One thing my mother instilled in me is a work ethic and a moral ethic that has structured my entire life," he said.
He shares his success not just with his mother, but his late wife Marianne.
"I wouldn't be getting this award if it weren't for her," Klekamp said. "Her devotion, it's unbelievable."
He said it was her idea to commit a donation to the Legal Aid Society so it could move from cramped quarters to a new building on 9th Street downtown. It now bears his name — just one example of his generosity, which he believes is why he's being honored.
"I think it's a recognition for my community service," he said. "The chamber's way have saying, 'Hey Klekamp, you've lived a good life. You've done your share of work for the community, for the law firm you were a founder of and also a recognition of maybe I've done a pretty good job and done what the Lord has designated me to do."
Find more about Donald Klekamp's life and career here.
Dr. Janet Reid
"Everyone has an obligation to do their jobs well, but you also have an obligation to be the best human being you can be and better the communities in which you live," said Dr. Janet Reid, whose career trajectory has featured many firsts and one major pivot.
Reid started at Procter & Gamble as a chemist, the first Black female in the role there. But a dinner with then-CEO John Smale would help her move out of her comfort zone and into a marketing and business role.
Now, she's CEO and founder of BRBS World LLC, a major consulting firm with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in workplaces worldwide.
"These words — diversity, equity, and inclusion — and the concept that a more diverse team makes it smarter and better able to solve complex problems, was not the norm, was not the belief, so it was hard," she said.
This honor is a full-circle moment for Reid. She was the first woman and first person of color to serve as the chamber board president.
"My motto has always been, 'Don't be the last,'" she laughed.
Still, she said she was shocked at the honor. Some of her mentors and mentees, and her diverse family, will be there to cheer her on — like she has done for them all these years.
"I don't just talk about diversity, equity and inclusion, I live it," she said.
To learn about Janet Reid's life and career, and why she's a Great Living Cincinnatian, click here.
Larry Sheakley
"You look back at the people who've won this award and it's people I've admired my whole life growing up here and reading the business section," said Larry Sheakley, who has run or invested in more than 20 growing companies over the years. "It was stunning for me to think ... somebody considered me to be in their company."
Sheakley was 16 when he started his first business, a painting business. He caught the bug, the rush of trying to build something into a bigger enterprise.
"I made more money in the painting business ... than I did starting to work full time in a coat and tie," he laughed.
52 years later, Sheakley is still working and growing businesses. He's only slowed down a little to enjoy winters in warmer climates with his wife, Rhonda, and their family — which includes 16 grandkids.
"People ask me if I'm going to retire and I say 'Why? Now what am I going to do?'" he said. "I didn't get into this just to make money, I got into this because I was having fun every day building something."
Even if you're not familiar with Sheakley's business enterprises, you may have seen his name attached to programs and organizations he and his wife are passionate about. They are active with University of Cincinnati athletics and the Cincinnati Ballet. Sheakley is particularly proud of his support of Lighthouse Youth Services and the Boys and Girls Club, both of which now have facilities named after his family.
"I can't believe I am where I am," Sheakley said. "It's pretty unbelievable and I wish my parents were still alive to see this."
Read more about Larry Sheakley's life and career here.
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