What Ohio Business Roundtable. does

Ohio Business Roundtable is a private nonprofit 501(c)(6) business association founded in 1992 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It convenes chief executives from Ohio's largest and most influential businesses to collectively shape state-level economic policy on workforce development, taxation, energy, education, and regulatory competitiveness. The organization functions as a membership-driven advocacy platform with 1-10 employees and more than three decades of continuous engagement with Ohio's governor, general assembly, and regulatory agencies.

The Roundtable's core outputs are policy research (most visibly the Energy Competitiveness Study and its expanded 2025 Natural Gas and Nuclear Edition), legislative advocacy (including the 2025 passage of House Bill 15 incorporating Roundtable recommendations and the 2021 payoff of Ohio's roughly $1.5 billion Unemployment Compensation debt), and CEO convenings such as the recurring CEO Summit launched in 2022 and continuing through 2026. Its business model is corporate-membership dues-based, supported by CEOs of major Ohio employers participating in cross-sector working groups and broader coalitions such as the Stop the Spread Coalition (180+ organizations).

The Roundtable has extended its reach through affiliated and spinoff initiatives, including the 2011 JobsOhio economic development vehicle and the 2023 launch of the Ohio Grants Alliance, which coordinates member pursuit of federal funding. Recent public positioning on data centers and Ohio's role in the broader AI economy signals ongoing adaptation of the advocacy agenda to emerging economic verticals, though the organization remains fundamentally a policy and convening entity rather than a technology or product company.

Name

Ohio Business Roundtable.

Legal name

Ohio Business Roundtable

Website

https://ohiobrt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ohio Business Roundtable is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) business association founded in 1992 that convenes CEOs of major Ohio corporations to advocate for state-level economic policy, including workforce, taxation, and energy competitiveness through membership dues and CEO convenings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ohio Business Roundtable (OBRT) is a membership-based business association that convenes CEOs from Ohio's most successful companies to collectively advocate for policy changes affecting Ohio's business climate. The organization conducts research, publishes studies, runs the annual CEO Summit, and partners with state government on issues including workforce development, taxation, energy, education, healthcare, and economic development.

Product overview

Ohio Business Roundtable (OBRT) is a business advocacy organization that serves as a coalition of Ohio's CEOs, focusing on policy advocacy and economic development initiatives rather than commercial product offerings. The organization pursues member-driven policy agendas including workforce development, taxation, energy, education, and economic development. OBRT does not offer commercial software products or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEO Membership Program
• Energy Competitiveness Study

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for payoff of $1.5 billion in unemployment compensation debt, saving Ohio businesses from footing the bill.
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ohio's five major business associationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBRT joined with Ohio's five other major business associations to successfully advocate for using federal COVID-19 stimulus money to payoff the $1.5 billion in unemployment compensation debt.
• Governor DeWinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBRT works in a nonpartisan manner with the Governor on economic development initiatives, including the $100 million Energy Opportunity Initiative.
• JobsOhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJobsOhio, a private nonprofit corporation created to lead Ohio's business development efforts, was initially incubated and housed at the OBRT, with ongoing advocacy and back-office support provided by OBRT.
• AEPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with AEP, JPMorgan Chase, and the national Business Roundtable, OBRT helped launch the Office of Talent Strategy at Columbus State Community College.
• JPMorgan ChaseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with AEP, JPMorgan Chase, and the national Business Roundtable, OBRT helped launch workforce development initiatives.
• National Business RoundtableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the national Business Roundtable on workforce and talent initiatives.
• The Ohio State University Fisher College of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched the BRIGHT New Leaders for Ohio Schools principal leadership program with exceptional partnership with The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business.
• Cardinal HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCardinal Health provided leadership and funding support for the Ohio Solutions for Patient Safety initiative to reduce healthcare-associated infections and medication errors.
• McKinsey & CompanyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMcKinsey provided analytical support for budget solutions analysis and energy competitiveness initiatives.
• AccentureminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided analytical and systems design support for workforce forecast and information exchange initiatives.
• BattellecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated Battelle for Kids with a $10 million gift from Battelle Memorial Institute, and collaborated on creation of the Ohio STEM Learning Network with $15 million in funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Ohio Grants AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched in 2023 in partnership with Ohio's regional business associations as an initiative aimed at securing more federal funding for Ohio.
• Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center (The Ohioan)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for the 2025 Annual Membership Meeting and Dinner, located at 100 Green Meadows Dr S, Lewis Center, OH 43035.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Largest US business advocacy organization representing a much broader cross-sector member base. Operates the same CEO/policy advocacy model and frequently engages on Ohio-specific economic issues, with deeper resources than OBRT.
• National Federation of Independent Business: National small and mid-size business advocacy association with significant Ohio member base; competes with OBRT on tax, regulatory, and labor policy but focuses on smaller employers rather than Fortune-class CEOs.
• National Association of Manufacturers: National manufacturing trade association with strong Ohio presence; overlaps with OBRT on energy, tax, and workforce advocacy. NAM is sector-specific whereas OBRT is cross-sector, making OBRT broader in member composition.

Direct peers

• Business Roundtable (national): National CEO-level membership organization; OBRT operates as Ohio's regional roundtable and the two explicitly partner on workforce and talent initiatives. Operates the same CEO-convening, policy-influence model at the federal level.
• Ohio Chamber of Commerce: Ohio's primary statewide business association advocating on the same policy domains (workforce, tax, energy, education). Directly competes for member attention and political influence within the same Ohio geography.

Others

• JobsOhio: Ohio's private nonprofit economic development corporation, incubated and previously housed at OBRT. Not a direct competitor but the most closely related Ohio entity and an ongoing active partner across economic development initiatives.

Regional players

• Ohio Manufacturers' Association: Ohio's manufacturing-specific state-level association; comparable in geography and policy focus (workforce, energy, tax) but narrower in sector scope than OBRT's cross-sector CEO model.
• Michigan Business Roundtable: Closely analogous state-level CEO roundtable in Michigan following the same convening, advocacy, and research model. Comparable in scale and structure; useful structural peer for benchmarking OBRT's approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ohio-business-roundtable

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ohio Business Roundtable.