The Rotary Club of Cincinnati has installed its newest president, Ed Mathis.
Mathis, a born-and-bred Cincinnatian, was inducted as the club’s president on July 1. The Rotary Club of Cincinnati was founded in 1910 and is the second-largest in Ohio, behind Toledo.
A Rotary Club is a local chapter of Rotary International, a global service organization. Founded in Chicago in 1905, Rotary unites local businesses, professionals and community leaders to take action and create lasting change within its communities.
As the incoming president, Mathis has his sights set on fostering those strong connections. He joined The Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast to discuss his new role, his career and who he is.
Mathis, vice president at Republic Commercial Real Estate, grew up in Mount Auburn before moving to North College Hill, where he graduated from high school and played football for the school’s team. He went on to play college football as an offensive and defensive lineman at Rock Valley College.
His dream was to play professional football and he even had the chance to try out for his hometown team, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Then disaster struck.
During his visit, he recalled a horrifying moment that took away his NFL dreams. In 2006, while at a family reunion in Roselawn, Mathis, who was 20 at the time, said a few men tried to rob them. He tried to negotiate with the men, but they shot him in his legs.
He told The Enquirer he nearly died.
After a long recovery, Mathis got back on his feet, but he didn’t immediately enter commercial real estate. He worked as a customer service leader with U.S. Bank for five years and later as a hazmat delivery driver with Cincinnati Pool Management.
He joined Republic Commercial Real Estate in 2016 and was promoted to vice president in 2019. Mathis later earned his Property Management diploma from Ashworth College to deepen his technical expertise.
To hear more about Mathis, his role at the Rotary Club and what he hopes to bring during his year-long term, listen to the “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast at the top of the page.
“That’s So Cincinnati,” The Enquirer’s weekly podcast on what’s making news in our community, features a who’s who of special guests. Find it at Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ed Mathis nearly died in Cincinnati. Now he’s the Rotary Club’s president
Reporting by Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
