Early on in Robbie Banks' career, she grew used to being in rooms where she was the only woman, the only young person, and often, the only person of color.

Banks, the new program director for diversity, equity and inclusion for the Columbus Partnership, is now helping Columbus' private sector build more racial equity inside their organizations. 

"My job essentially is to shepherd the work that is being done with our members that are the CEOS of our region's employers who have a strong interest and passion in moving our community toward being anti-racist," she said on our latest episode of the Women of Influence podcast.

Banks said that she decided early on to embrace the role in which she found herself.

"I soon recognized how valuable (it was) being in that space was and how I needed to embrace that," Banks said. "Not to look at it as a negative. How do I make sure that I speak up, that I advocate for things that are important to me and my work? I wanted to make sure I was listening more than anything, taking it in and being ready to add any input, ask questions when appropriate, so that I could make sure my demographic or my gender or whatever it may be, had a voice at the table."

She comes to Columbus Partnership from Leadership Columbus, where she served as the program director for more than two years. She also spent five years  before that working for Experience Columbus. Previously, she also served as the leader of Columbus Chamber's young professionals program.

Banks said when she was younger, she decided to "just be a sponge in any room that I was in," soaking up leadership lessons.

Now, as the result of her experience, she has realized the value of speaking up. And she feels much more confident doing so.

"There was a time where I would kind of sit back and more or less listen," she said. There's a time and place for that. But now because of my experience people look to me to speak up. I don't always need to, but that is certainly the expectation that comes with being a leader and helping to advance this important work."

She said that advancing diversity, equity and inclusion will require her to build a "sustainable strategy" that is executable over several years. It's not a quick process, she said.

"My hope is for myself to continue learning to be a continuous learner and educating myself and being more aware," she said. "Self awareness is key in any leadership position, any position period. ... We need to work toward being at the forefront of having this be a sustainable strategy. That is something that takes a lot of learning and listening on my end."

Women of Influence: Robbie Banks on speaking up when you're the only woman of color at the table

The client wanted the impossible: Give a robot all the skills of a human welder.

Five years ago a custom automotive and marine supplier in Cleveland asked what was then an engineering consulting firm to help him with a labor shortage, and Path Robotics Inc. was born. 

"The tolerances are incredibly tight, that you have to keep with welding," co-founder and CEO Andy Lonsberry said. "And if the gaps  (between pieces of sheet metal) change from 0 to 4 millimeters, you have to be able to make adjustments on the fly, seeing what's coming, move to a weave, go up onto a lift, weld in. 

"And these, again, are things that come very easily for a trained human welder. But for a robot, it's just impossible." 

Except now it's possible.

Path Robotics has since moved to Columbus, and last year launched its first commercial robotics system based on the prototype built by two brothers and a fellow engineer in that factory basement, as Lonsberry told us as the latest guest in Columbus Business First's Newsmakers podcast.

We talk about how the Path team solved its impossible problem, what it's like to work in cramped quarters with your brother, and why at first Lonsberry told Drive Capital, "Go away."

The interview was recorded shortly after the company landed a $56 million venture capital round to expand sales and manufacturing of its AI-powered system. The round was led by VC firm Addition along with returning investors, Columbus-based Drive Capital LLC and California's Basis Set Ventures and Lemnos Lab.

Lonsberry founded the company with his brother, Alex Lonsberry, and fellow engineer Matt Klein. The fourth founder is Ken Lonsberry, their father, on the business side – he didn't have to work in the basement. Today Path has more than 100 employees and could top 160 by year's end.

Welding jargon like "weave" above makes sense in context, but a few terms in the interview might be unfamiliar: Tier One automotive are the very large suppliers to automakers, mass producing the same part. And in welding the "puddle" is the molten metal forming during the weld, which quickly hardens to join the parts.

Newsmakers: Robotics company's path from basement to $56 million VC investment

Lori Duncan wasn't exactly sure what to do with her fine arts degree from Ohio State University. So she went rafting. Professionally. 

Duncan spent her post-college years as a whitewater rafting guide in West Virginia, filling her time during the winter months working in the ski industry. After nearly a decade, she realized it was time to get a "real job," a decision that led her to Columbus' retail industry. 

But that's not where her journey ended. On the latest episode of of Women of Influence podcast, Duncan detailed the winding road that led to her current role as co-owner and operations manager at Powell's Nocterra Brewing. She talked about the impact the pandemic had on the still-young business, what it's like to start a business with your husband, and what lessons she's brought from the world of outdoor sporting to the craft beer space.

Women of Influence: Lori Duncan

There were times, over the past few months, that Luconda Dager didn’t want to get out of bed.

Dager is president of Velvet Ice Cream, and the Utica-based company was outsourcing ice cream production to three partners in the Midwest. The shift followed a listeria scare in April, discovered via the company’s routine testing. It’s also part of an effort to boost capacity after strong demand in 2020.

It’s the right decision for the business, Dager knows, but it’s been a tough one, especially as it entailed some job cuts on the manufacturing side.

Still, even on those days when the challenges of the past few months have seemed overwhelming, Dager knew she didn’t have the option of giving up.

“You just have to get up and go in and be a fearless leader,” said Dager, who chatted with us recently for our Women of Influence podcast.

Check out the full episode to hear more about Dager’s background, her experience rising through the family business, and what flavor of ice cream will always tempt her.

Women Of Influence: Luconda Dager

Moving, whether it be to a new house or a new office, is always overwhelming. Add in widespread business shutdowns amid a rapidly spreading pandemic, and you've got a recipe for some serious stress.

That's what happened to Vickie Thompson-Sandy, who was wrapping up her first year as CEO of The Buckeye Ranch and readying to shepherd the nonprofit's move to a new headquarters when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

"The Buckeye Ranch had purchased a new building in Whitehall, and we were finishing the renovations of that. … We had everything in packing boxes and the movers were moving us that week when we got the executive order to close everything down," Thompson-Sandy recalled during a recent taping of our Women of Influence podcast.

Check out the full episode to hear how Thompson-Sandy and her team handled the disruption, and how they worked to continue delivering necessary services to the young people who rely on the organization. You'll also hear about her favorite and least favorite parts of her job, and find out more about what attracted the Michigan native south to Ohio.

Women of Influence #48: Vickie Thompon-Sandy, The Buckeye Ranch

The Columbus, Ohio, area is one the nation’s most-promising cities. Its job market is growing faster than the national average. The metro area of more than 1.9 million residents is home to 15 Fortune 1000 corporations. It hosts one of the U.S.’s largest academic powers in Ohio State University and counts 23 college campuses in its neighborhoods.  Columbus Business First covers the region’s dynamic business community with the most authoritative report found in Columbus, and its news staff analyzes and provides insights into the business and economic developments that keep the city abuzz.

Women of Influence: Robbie Banks on speaking up when you're the only woman of color at the table

Columbus Business First

Related tracks