J. Richard (Dick) Emens Partner; Chester, Wilcox & Saxbe, LLP

Mr. Emens is a business lawyer whose major areas of practice are Business Planning, Corporate Law, Family Owned Business and Oil and Gas Law. For more than forty years, he has counseled numerous clients on business and succession issues, acquisitions and sales, public and private financing matters, and represented many clients before state and federal regulatory agencies. For ten years, he served as President and Managing Director of a law firm, which grew under his leadership from twenty-seven to seventy lawyers.

The well-known reference book, "Best Lawyers in America,” lists Mr. Emens in both Corporate Law and Natural Resources Law (the only Ohio lawyer listed in both categories).

PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES:

Mr. Emens is a member of the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the bar associations of the States of Ohio and Michigan. He is a Trustee and past Chair of the Board of Franklin University, where he was also an Adjunct Professor of Planning and Future Studies. He is on the Board and Immediate Past President of the National Audubon Society/Ohio. He is Trustee and Past President of the Eastern Mineral Law Foundation. He is a Board Member and Secretary of the Ball State University Foundation and Founder of the Emens Scholars Program at Ball State University. He was the first President and a Trustee of Friends of the Libraries of The Ohio State University and has served as board member, officer and/or member of numerous other professional and business organizations, including the Presidents Association and the American Management Association.

FAMILY BUSINESS ACTIVITIES:

During is career as an attorney, Mr. Emens has advised hundreds of family controlled businesses, ranging in size from New York Stock Exchange companies to family business start-ups. He is Executive Director and Board Chair of the Family Business Center of Central Ohio. He is a member of the Family Firm Institute. He was written extensively, and spoken on family business issues at national and local conferences. He and his wife, Beatrice Wolper, are the authors of the book entitled, “Family Business Basics: The Guide to Family Business Financial Success”.

EDUCATION:

Mr. Emens received his Bachelor’s degree with highest honors from DePauw University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa; he graduated from the Law School of the University of Michigan with the Juris Doctor degree and was a member of the Barristers Society.

PERSONAL:

Mr. Emens and his wife, Beatrice Emens Wolper, have six children and live northeast of Columbus, Ohio on nearly five acres bordering a small lake. Since their children have all left for college, started their own families, etc., etc., Bea and Dick share the area with deer, blue herons, Canadian geese, a pair of pileated woodpeckers and lots of squirrels. In addition to his work and family, Mr. Emens enjoys reading, writing, travel and fly fishing.

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