Jeremy Lewis

Following your gut and making the hard decisions are hallmarks of leadership attributes that can certainly be applied to Jeremy Lewis.

When Lewis joined Big Fish Games in the spring of 2006, the online casual game maker was doing quite well, with record revenue growth. But the former managing director at Goldman Sachs knew that the company wouldn’t last and certainly wouldn’t grow with its existing business model. It needed to diversify. That change meant eliminating a number of positions in 2006 and hiring in areas such as customer support, which Lewis believed would set the company apart from competitors. Then, smelling a weakening economy, Lewis secured $83.3 million in financing with three world-class investors. The resulting deal closed within weeks of the economic collapse in September 2008.

Lewis steered the business into game genres, platforms, monetization methods and office locations. The decisions were changing Big Fish’s identity and struck fear in the hearts of some. But today, the firm is humming with nearly 2,500 games available across the world. Big Fish has licensed titles to Nintendo and Activision, and its games can be played on multiple platforms, even through social networking sites like Facebook. And in 2009, Lewis helped open a Big Fish office in Cork, Ireland, which now serves as the company’s European headquarters.

Finalists:

John Rubino

President, GreenRubino (Seattle)

Two practices have guided John Rubino in his life: One is always to make his goals clear, then set about charting the path to get there. His second practice is to never accept “no” as an answer.

“I learned early in my career that I was a problem solver,” Rubino says. “I believe this attribute is one of the key reasons our clients stay with GreenRubino. We are always looking for the right solution to their marketing issues and don’t ever say ‘that can’t be done.’”

The company started out as a media advertising placement firm for clients such as Disney and Paramount. When Rubino joined in 2004 as managing director, there were just 16 employees. Now, there are 42. GreenRubino continues to make bold investments and has been profitable in the face of an economic crisis in each of the past three years.

Tim O’Leary

Co-founder, CEO, R2C Group (Portland)

R2C Group makes short as well as long infomercial advertisements. That you are sure to have seen some of its commercials, be it for Bowflex, Clinique, Vonage or KitchenAid, is a testament to CEO Tim O’Leary.

Instead of relying on high creative costs, high budgets and a lack of accountability, O’Leary gathered research and offered hard facts to his clients.

In 1998, he and his wife, Michelle Cardinal, founded the small advertising agency in the basement of their home. Now, the firm is among the biggest agencies in the region. And the quality is there because R2C has control of all aspects of the advertising. Over the years, R2C has bought media companies in Montana, Philadelphia, Providence, R.I., and San Francisco.

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