Dayton Daily News

Connor Group named to Inc. magazine’s ‘best’ list

- By Thomas Gnau

Miami Twp. real estate investment firm The Connor Group is on the Inc. magazine’s 2023 “Best of Business” list.

The magazine describes the company as a “privately held, industry-leading owner and operator of Class A apartments in 18 markets with more than 13,000 units.”

“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.

 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? Larry Connor, managing partner of The Connor Group in Miami Twp., outside his company’s headquarte­rs off Springboro Pike.
CONTRIBUTE­D Larry Connor, managing partner of The Connor Group in Miami Twp., outside his company’s headquarte­rs off Springboro Pike.

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