Kent State University at Stark proudly announces Melvin J. Gravely II, Ph.D., president and CEO of TriVersity Construction Company, as the speaker for their 42nd Annual Spring Commencement Ceremony. The ceremony, to be held on Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. at Umstattd Performing Arts Hall in Canton, is a ticketed event. More than 150 graduate candidates, receiving bachelor’s, master’s and associate degrees, will participate in this semester’s commencement exercises. Representatives of the media are welcome upon request. For more information, please contact Cynthia Williams at 330-244-3262 or cdwillia@kent.edu.
Gravely is the majority shareholder of TriVersity Construction Company and was named president and CEO in 2011. Under his leadership the commercial construction firm has established itself as one of the leading companies of its kind in the Greater Cincinnati region. TriVersity has consistently grown its construction capacity by 20 percent per year and doubled their sales since 2009.
He has more than 25 years of business management, sales and strategy experience, including Fortune 500 positions with The Timken Company and IBM. Gravely has served as CEO of a variety of businesses in different industries, including a civil and structural engineering firm, a management consulting practice and a human resources services company. He also served four years as an assistant professor of marketing and entrepreneurship at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. He later served two terms as a board trustee for the college.
Gravely founded the Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking Ltd. The Institute is a think-tank focused on getting the best results from minority business development initiatives. He is seen as one of the leading national thinkers on the topic. He has authored eight books on business success, leadership and minority entrepreneurship. His latest is The Capacity to Succeed: Fulfilling the Mission of Minority Business Development.
He is an active civic leader in Cincinnati. His current activities include executive committee and immediate past chair for the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce Board, Board Chair of Gwen Mooney Funeral Homes and the executive committees of the Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Cincinnati and ArtsWave which supports more than 100 arts organizations in the Cincinnati region.
A Canton native, Gravely graduated from the University of Mount Union with a degree in computer science. He has a master’s in business administration from Kent State University (‘92) and a doctorate degree from The Union Institute and University. Gravely has a personal passion for supporting the growth and development of women and minorities in business. He and his family currently live in Cincinnati, Ohio.