Cincinnati Enquirer, July 14 2016

WEST CHESTER TWP. – A developer of the Four Bridges community, the visionary behind Liberty Center and a leader of Premier Health are all being honored for their efforts to improve their communities.

The three men – Thomas Humes Jr., Yaromir Steiner and Jim Pancoast – all received the Everest Award on July 21 from the Chamber Alliance of West Chester/Liberty.

The men were honored at a dinner at the Cincinnati Marriott North in West Chester Township. Former Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson was the keynote speaker.

It is the fifth year the chamber has recognized individuals in the Interstate 75 corridor between Cincinnati and Dayton who have had a significant positive impact on business, the community and/or quality of life.

“The I-75 growth corridor is moving aggressively forward,’’ said Craig Rambo, chairman of the Everest Award Steering Committee.

“Key people in leadership roles help that happen. We’re looking for those people – influencers who are making positive things happen based on their performance.”

The committee does its own research to select three individuals each year to honor.

In the case of Humes, his contribution is developing high quality housing.

As founder and president of Traditions Building and Development Group Inc., Humes has helped put together 35 residential communities on 4,000 acres of land, with more than 5,000 home sites.

“He’s a top-notch, quality developer of not just housing, but communities,’’ Rambo said.

Great Traditions was named Developer of the Year four times by the Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati, which has also named the firm Builder of the Year.

Humes is a past chairman of the University of Cincinnati trustees and now serves on the board of the UC Foundation. Among his many honors is the Carl H. Lindner Medal for Outstanding Business Achievement.

A native of Turkey, Steiner founded Columbus-based Steiner and Associates in 1993 and has created pedestrian-friendly mixed use projects, including Liberty Center. Projects total more than 7.4 million square feet of space across the country.

“His developments are recognized around the world as retail and housing communities,’’ Rambo said. “His high-quality (projects) … attracts more high-quality development.”

As chief executive officer of Premier Health, Pancoast has seen several changes in the health care system in the past 37 years. He now oversees the system’s four hospitals and more than 100 sites for primary, specialty and home health care.

He has served as president and CEO of Dayton’s Good Samaritan Hospital and Samaritan Health Partners, president of Premier HelathNet and Fidelity Healthcare, and controller at Miami Valley Hospital.

“He’s a leader that has moved their organization forward,’’ Rambo said.