Business owner appointed to Port Authority

The Lake County Ohio Port and Economic Development Authority has welcomed Eastlake resident Biljana Lovrinovic to its Board of Directors.

The nine-member panel has been busy filling seats as the Lake County commissioners have passed several resolutions in past weeks, including the appointment of James Struna to fill the vacancy left by John Konrad, who recently stepped down.

The board expanded by two seats last year after the dissolution of the Greater Mentor Port Authority.

Lovrinovic, appointed by the commissioners in mid-August, is CEO of Equus Group, a brand and marketing consultancy firm based in Eastlake, and owner of Galop Digital, a sister company of Equus based in Travnik, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Galop Digital is the only information technology firm in Travnik and was recently awarded a grant by the United States Agency for International Development.

Born in Travnik, but of Croatian ethnicity, Lovrinovic has special interests in community and economic development projects as well as international economic development projects.

Commissioner John Hamercheck said Lovrinovic’s poise in the hiring process was amazing.

“It’s rare when you interview somebody that they exceed their credentials on paper,” Hamercheck said. “There was no question we posed that she didn’t have an immediate and exceptional response to. And the opening we (now) have for international activities is unprecedented. I believe she is going to be a significant and immediate benefit to the Port Authority.”

Commissioners Jerry Cirino and Dan Troy agreed, describing Lovrinovic as an “excellent choice” and “extremely qualified.”

“She has been involved in foreign trade, which is, obviously, with all of our manufacturers in Lake County, an important component

of their ability to market their products, and for the first time in some time, we (will) have a female member of the Port Authority,” Troy said, referring to the retirement of Rita McMahon last November.

McMahon had served on the board since 2012. No woman had sat on the board during the vacancy. Lovrinovic will complete the remainder of a term expiring December 2020.

Lovrinovic came to the United States in November of 1999 as a refugee. After graduating from Kent State University in 2005, she lived in Los Angeles for five years before moving

back to Cleveland where she worked as a consultant for the Cleveland Clinic and some of its startups before starting her own business. She started Galop Digital earlier this year.

“I knew I could work in marketing wherever I went,” she said. “There is a lot of promise in developing businesses and helping clients expand (theirs), and that’s my passion, to promote things that are good and positive. I want to help the local economy by bringing in investments.”

Lovrinovic is the Cleveland chapter president of the Association of Croatian American Professionals, and the recipient of the National Federation of Croatian American Cultural Foundation 40 under 40 award. In July, she was

recognized as one of the Northeast Ohio International 50 by Global Cleveland, celebrating business leaders in the areas of innovation, impact and inclusion.

Lovrinovic is also a marketing committee member of the National Association of Women Business Owners’ Cleveland Chapter.

“There are a lot of great women entrepreneurs trying to bring their expertise and knowledge to the table, and it’s becoming more evident that women are starting to become a voice in representing their communities,” she said. “I thank the commissioners for their support and look forward to working with the board to continue to bring economic development to Northeast Ohio.”

Lovrinovic