Mayor Charlie Luken Concludes Tenure with KMK Consulting to Fully Devote His Energy to Citizens of Cincinnati

Cincinnati, December 1, 2001- KMK Consulting Company (KMKC) announced today that Charlie Luken, one of its Senior Consultants, has resigned from KMKC to fully devote his time to the City of Cincinnati as its first strong Mayor in 75 years.

Mr. Luken began his professional career in 1976 and has been one of the most visible and popular leaders in the Greater Cincinnati region since his initial term as a member of Cincinnati City Council in 1981. He completed his first term with Cincinnati City Council in 1984, at which time he was elected Mayor of the City of Cincinnati, a position he held until 1990 when he was elected to the United States Congress. He left public service in 1992 to return to his family in Cincinnati to become the television news anchor for WLWT, Cincinnati's NBC affiliate. Then in 1999, he was called back to public service and elected Mayor, once again, of the City of Cincinnati.

On Tuesday, November 6, Charlie Luken became the first directly elected mayor in Cincinnati since 1925. The new "strong mayor" system gives the Mayor significantly more authority than in years past, most notably veto power and the power to appoint the City Manager, Council Committee Chairs and the Vice Mayor.

Charlie Luken joined KMK Consulting in 2000 and was active in the company’s Economic Development and Community Initiatives Solutions Group. Throughout his work in this area, Charlie became involved in what other cities were doing to move forward with their design and implementation of new development plans. This work not only allowed Mr. Luken to strengthen his experience and understanding of economic development challenges in other regions, but also to bring those strategies back to Cincinnati.

"I wish to thank KMK Consulting Company and its parent, Keating, Muething & Klekamp, PLL, for the opportunity to work with them for the last year and a half," Mayor Luken said. "The Company has exhibited its loyalty and devotion to the City and to the Greater Cincinnati region. It has been very enlightening to observe the expertise, reputation and impact of these consultants in community leadership issues across the country. I am excited about my expanded role as Mayor of Cincinnati, ready to seize our city’s challenges with every ounce of my energy, and wish my former colleagues at KMK Consulting continued great success."

Jim McGraw, Managing Director of KMK Consulting, added "We have been honored to have Charlie as a valued member of our team. I am confident that Charlie will deliver a strong, positive impact with his increased authority and responsibility. Under his leadership, and with his deep experience, I believe he will be a critical force in crafting a path for Cincinnati to become a sustained, growth community of the highest quality and the centerpiece of a region admired by others worldwide."

About KMK Consulting

KMK Consulting provides specialized business consulting services, primarily to corporate, entrepreneurial, not-for-profit, community and executive clients. KMKC specializes in advisory services in connection with company restructuring; business formation; acquisitions; strategic issue analysis; strategic planning; leadership development; government affairs; economic development; marketing strategies; business alliances and public/private partnerships. Collectively, the KMKC team has extensive expertise with all types and sizes of corporations including experience serving on boards of directors of a variety of enterprises from family businesses to publicly held global companies. Learn more at www.kmkconsulting.com.