The longtime leader of a Cincinnati accelerator group and a pivotal player in the startup ecosystem is planning to step down from his post this year.
Bill Tucker, executive director of Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, is retiring effective June 30. The organization announced the news via email Tuesday.
Tucker joined Flywheel over a decade ago as part of his second act, following a career in printing, most recently as executive VP of sales at Berman/TouchPoint Print Solutions. The idea behind Flywheel was to create a “hub” for social entrepreneurship, or building businesses set up to address social issues through the products or services they sell and/or the people they hire.
Tucker said Flywheel is in the strongest position it’s ever been: with “a talented team, dedicated volunteer coaches, an engaged board, healthy financials and a plan for the future.”
Tucker initially told Flywheel’s board about his plans to retire two years ago. He said the timing was right, and he's excited to see the skills, lived experiences and cultural competencies a new leader will bring.
“We’re at an inflection point,” Tucker told me by phone. “One of the things that’s been on my mind for a while, and I shared this with our board and Flywheel’s founders, the entrepreneurs we work with are largely women and largely people of color. We need to move the needle in how we reflect that diversity in our leadership.”
Flywheel was founded in 2011, backed by some of the biggest names in Cincinnati: The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, the Manuel D. & Rhoda Mayerson Foundation, U.S. Bank, and Interact for Health and Scripps, among others.
As an organization it provides one-on-one coaching, workshops, consulting services and accelerator programs including Elevator, Elevate Equity and Sustainable Cincy, launched in partnership with Cintrifuse, HCDC and Kroger. It created the Social Impact Fund in partnership with Miami University, an undergraduate-led risk capital investment fund, considered one of the first of its kind in the country.
Flywheel relocated to Union Hall in Over-the-Rhine in 2016, a move Tucker called a “bit of a stretch” for a social impact outfit like Flywheel, whose successes aren’t exactly measured by returns or big venture capital raises.
Tucker said Flywheel’s programs have continued to evolve, but its mission never wavered.
In the last five years alone, Flywheel has helped launch dozens of social enterprises. More than 80% are still operating, Tucker said.
Notable grads include Tennessee-based Possip, a parent engagement platform founded by Shani Dowell, the first Black woman in the Volunteer State to raise $1 million for a startup company. Possip is used in Cincinnati Public Schools. Resolv, formerly Moxie Girl, a platform that aims to improve mental health outcomes for youth, and Queen City Certified, which offers employer certification and cohort-model programming for workplace equity, are also Flywheel alums.
“We bring something to the ecosystem that is unique and sorely needed,” Tucker said.
Tucker said he plans to spend more time with family, including his new grandson. He has offered to serve on Flywheel’s board and as an adviser, if OK’d by the new executive director. He’s served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Miami University for a couple years and hopes to continue his involvement there.
In the interim, Flywheel said it is prioritizing inclusiveness in the hiring process for Tucker’s successor.
Becky Riegelsberger, Flywheel board president, said the organization is being very descriptive and thoughtful about how it will go about the search.
She hopes to have a candidate in place by May so Tucker can aid with the transition.
“Flywheel is Bill and Bill is Flywheel,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for him, and I’m sure we will continue to see him in the community. We thank and congratulate (him) for taking Flywheel to tremendous heights and for inspiring us daily.”
