Cincinnati’s family-owned and privately held businesses are the backbone of this region. They take risks, build cultures worth staying for, and pass something meaningful from one generation to the next. It’s been a privilege for both our companies, Centennial and Talent Magnet Institute, to support organizations both locally and across the country as they navigate that work. And we’re honored to share that we have been named among the Goering Center for Family & Private Business’s 2026 Family and Private Business Award honorees.
In choosing honorees, the Goering Center recognizes strategic planning, sustained growth, innovation, leadership, and community impact. To us, that’s a different way of asking whether a company has a real plan for what’s next, whether its culture can survive a leadership transition, and whether it’s actually investing back into the community it serves. Those aren’t easy questions to answer honestly, and we take the distinction seriously.
For Centennial, this recognition reflects over 50 years of retained executive search work built on a simple idea: relationships matter more than transactions. That approach has earned Centennial a 98% referral rate. The vast majority of our business comes from clients who’ve returned, or from people who know our work and recommend us to others.
Talent Magnet Institute grew out of that same philosophy. Once Centennial’s team saw, year after year, what separated organizations that thrived from those that stalled, it was rarely talent alone. It was leadership. TMI was built to address that gap, offering leadership development, executive coaching, and training like the Unconventional Leadership Program to help leaders and their teams grow with intention.
As sister companies, Centennial and Talent Magnet Institute share a mission: helping companies like these build the leadership bench they need to thrive now and into the future.
“I grew up in this business. My family has been at Centennial since the very first day, and I’ve been proud to work alongside my Dad for over 20 years. Together, we founded the Talent Magnet Institute because we kept seeing the same thing: attracting great talent was just the first step. Continuing to invest and develop their leadership was vital to long-term success.
– Mike Sipple Jr., CEO, Centennial and Talent Magnet Institute
We are humbled by this recognition, and grateful for the validation it brings to a mission that continues to inspire us every day.”
Centennial and Talent Magnet Institute will be formally recognized at the 27th Annual Family and Private Business Awards on September 15 at Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati. We’re grateful to the Goering Center for this honor, and even more thankful to the clients, candidates, and leaders across Greater Cincinnati who’ve made this work worth doing.
There are more leaders to develop, more searches to run, and more family businesses across Greater Cincinnati we haven’t had the chance to help yet. If that’s you, we’d welcome the opportunity to help you build what’s next.
