Founder, George Leasure, Awarded Philanthropy & Community Service Award

Service to our customers, our employees and our community is the foundation of GMi’s core values. We build and innovate our products with our future in mind. Over the years, our family and business has grown larger, but our mission has not changed. 

We're proud to announce GMi's chairman and co-founder, George Leasure, is the recipient of the George R. Henkle Philanthropy & Community Service Award through the Warren County Foundation. Leasure was chosen for this award for his leadership skills, innovation in manufacturing, community involvement, and philanthropic support across Warren County, where GMi Companies is located.

Leasure is an active volunteer across the community, serving on the Warren County Foundation board of trustees for many years. He is a former director of LCNB National Bank; former trustee and chair of the Countryside YMCA board of directors; past director of the Warren County Area Progress Council; and former advisory board member for several educational initiatives across the county. Leasure is also an active member of the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce since 1976 and a member of the Lebanon Kiwanis Club for 50 years. He was a member of the Lebanon City Council for four years.

Leasure and his wife, Mary Alice, founded Ghent Manufacturing, Inc. in Lebanon, Ohio, in 1976. From the beginning, Ghent has continued to produce innovative dry-erase boards and other visual communication tools. 

While not traditionally how the ceremony would be held, Leasure was honored at a virtual ceremony on October 1, 2020. The Mission of the Warren County Foundation is to enhance the quality of life in Warren County by encouraging and facilitating charitable giving and making it convenient, flexible, and effective.