June Member Spotlight: Joe Dehner, Frost Brown Todd

Joe Dehner
Chair, International Business Services Practice Group
Frost Brown Todd, LLC

As a child, Joe Dehner collected postage stamps in an attempt to be more connected to the world beyond Cincinnati. Today, Joe’s collection of achievements in supporting global organizations and businesses in the Cincinnati region is more than a single scrapbook could hold.

As the chair of the International Business Services Practice Group at Frost Brown Todd LLC, Joe’s passion meets his profession. With his expertise and counsel, Joe strives to create a comfortable and welcoming environment for inbound European business. In addition, Joe provides support for U.S.-based companies seeking expansion into international markets. As the founding president of the EACC, Joe has played a vital role in fostering relationships between the region and Europe. “My involvement with the EACC and my profession are literally inseparable,” says Joe.

A well-recognized attorney for multinational businesses, Joe also served as the first American president of the French-American Chamber of Commerce, today known as the French-American Business Alliance (FABA). Joe flew to Paris four years ago to meet with the Paris Chamber, which had changed its name to the European-American Chamber. This launched the idea of a network of European-American Chambers of Commerce, with plans to spread to other cities on both continents.

Joe’s efforts as EACC president were focused on ensuring that the French-American Business Alliance would not be supplanted by the founding of the EACC, but rather serve as a complementary organization working to achieve the same goals. “FABA, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, paved the way for the EACC to build upon opportunities for European companies to network in the region,” says Joe.

For the last several years, Frost Brown Todd has housed the headquarters of the EACC within their office. “Joe’s generosity has provided the professional environment and support that have been the key to EACC’s success as an organization,” notes EACC Executive Director Anne Cappel. Joe remains an active member of the EACC board and his vision to increase Cincinnati’s presence on the world map has made him one of the region’s most important leaders.

Frost Brown Todd Background
• Frost & Jacobs was founded in 1919
• In 1982, Brown, Todd and Heyburn expanded to Lexington
• In 2000, Frost & Jacobs and Brown, Todd & Heyburn merged to become Frost Brown Todd
• In 2005, Frost Brown Todd formed the U.S.-German Alliance
• Frost Brown Todd has over 450 lawyers in five states
• Frost Brown Todd has a wide range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, insurance companies, financial services firms, manufacturers, media companies, healthcare providers and hospitals, energy companies and utilities, and entrepreneurs and emerging businesses.
• Frost Brown Todd has a strategic alliance with the Chinese law firm Hubei Sunshine Law Firm located in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the first alliance between any United States-based and Hubei Province-based law firms.

Accolades
• Named one of the nation’s Top 50 Law Firms for Women by Working Mother Media and Flex-Time Lawyers
• Ranked 12th of 650 Law Firms in the Nation for Superior Client Service by BTI Consulting Group
• Among the top 16 firms with most first-tier metropolitan rankings in the U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firms
• Awarded the 2010 Governor’s Excellence in Exporting Awards for contributions to Ohio’s economy
• Recipient of the 2011 Cincinnati Pillar Award for community service.