Cincinnati Business Achievement Awards Banquet

Carl H. Lindner Award for Outstanding Business Achievement

Robert Fealy, who graduated from UC in 1973 with a Bachelor of Business Administration, received the Carl H. Lindner Award for Outstanding Business Achievement in recognition of his entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to business and community, and achievement in his profession.

As president and Chief Operating Officer of The Duchossois Group, Fealy oversees operations covering more than 30 countries with over 7,000 employees. Fealy engineered Duchossois' transition from a heavy manufacturer of defense products and railcars to a premier producer of technology-based products and services. He has also served leadership roles at Chemed Corporation and Cummins Engine Company.

In 1999, he formed Duchossois Technology Partners, which has invested over $100 million in more than two dozen early stage firms involved in the semiconductor, networking, telecommunications and wireless industries. In 2000, Fealy and a small group of other private equity and venture capital investors formed the Illinois Venture Capital Association, which has become one of the pre-eminent private equity/venture capital organizations in the country. He is also a member of the Investment Committee of the Illinois Innovation Accelerator Fund.

Fealy is a Trustee of the University of Cincinnati Foundation, a member of the College of Business Advisory Council, and chair of the Proudly Cincinnati Campaign for UC in the Chicago region. He is a lifetime member of the UC Alumni Association and has established the Fealy Endowment for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business.

Distinguished Service Awards

Margaret Valentine received a Distinguished Service Award for her contributions to the College of Business, the University of Cincinnati as a whole, and the Cincinnati community. She shows her commitment to history and culture in Cincinnati by serving as a board member of both the Cincinnati Preservation Association and the Ohio Valley Scottish Society. She is also an active member of the Seventh Presbyterian Church community.

Valentine earned a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science in education from UC in 1971. She also holds a masters in education from Miami University. For 10 years, she taught Spanish and French and headed the Junior School Foreign Language Department at Princeton City Schools. She currently teaches Spanish to home-schooled children and serves as a board member of the Valentine House. This Stratford Heights language immersion house was named in honor of her dedication and generosity in bringing language education to the community.

As a UC Economics Center for Education and Research Trustee, Valentine's advice and generous financial support has allowed the center to expand the Student Enterprise Program (StEP) and seed other initiatives. Her other supportive and advisory roles at UC include UC Foundation Trustee, School for World Languages and Literature advisory board member, Distinguished Alumna McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, UCATS George Smith Society and lifetime UC Alumni Association member.

Michael Valentine, named by Car and Driver as one of the “10 best friends of the automobile,” was presented a Distinguished Service Award in honor of his many valuable contributions to his profession as well as the University of Cincinnati and the community. While pursuing a masters in business administration at UC, Valentine became founding president of Cincinnati Microwave, Inc., whose Escort Radar Warning Receiver was hailed by Car and Driver as “the next best thing to buying a judge.” The company's recipe for success later became the subject of a Harvard Business School case study in marketing strategy.

In 1983, Michael and his wife Margaret founded Valentine Research, Inc., whose g.Analyst vehicle dynamics monitor is used by professional racing schools, the California Highway Patrol and thousands of automotive enthusiasts. Furthermore, his Valentine One Radar Locator is widely recognized as the leader in the radar detector industry and has won numerous tests in national and international automotive and consumer publications.

Valentine has dedicated significant service to the UC community by serving on the Department of Athletics Campaign Committee, and serving as a guest lecturer for many College of Business entrepreneurship and marketing courses since 1985.

Cooperative Education Partnership Award

Deloitte LLP was recognized as the recipient of the College of Business Cooperative Education Partnership Award. An accounting and consulting firm with a dominant presence in Cincinnati, Deloitte's business model is based largely on an ability to secure a robust inflow of new talent each year, an effort so crucial that it even continues largely unaffected during times of economic downturn.

With this emphasis on people, Deloitte has embraced the co-op program at the College of Business, hiring about 15 students each year. Co-op participants function at a level similar to that of a traditional new hire. The program involves 18 months of training at Deloitte, spaced out over the undergraduate career. Students engage in audit, tax, consulting, enterprise risk services and financial advisory services to some of the area's most prominent companies, both established and emerging. More impressively, Deloitte hires about 90 percent of the students who complete the program.

Third-year College of Business student Daniel Haverkamp was also recognized during the event as the Carl H. Lindner scholarship recipient. Dan is a finance major and is heavily involved in the Sigma Phi Epsilon social fraternity. He works as a student assistant with the Cincinnati Bearcats football team and participates in various community outreach activities.