Biography

Jim McGraw is a Corporate Partner at Keating Muething & Klekamp. In addition, he is the President and Chief Executive Officer of KMK Consulting Company, LLC. His background is centered in business development, public utilities, insurance and healthcare organizations. His clients include national and international firms in the areas of real estate, financial services, energy, manufacturing and technology. He has been actively involved in business and related client consulting for 38 years.

Jim focuses on business formation and transactions, acquisitions and divestitures, along with a variety of related strategic work for clients which include corporate growth strategies, organizational design, leadership development, capital formation, public/private partnerships, performance benchmarking, transportation infrastructure development, strategic planning and implementation of programs to attract, retain and develop business. Jim has interacted with more than 3,000 CEOs and senior government executives in the course of his work.

Jim is also a nationally recognized consultant in the area of economic development. He has represented corporations on a regional and national basis in the area of site selection and incentives structuring and negotiations with respect to the expansion and relocation of their facilities and workforce. Jim has worked in more than 120 cities and regions across the United States, helping community and business leaders design and build some of the country's leading economic development  projects and organizations. He has been instrumental in the growth of these initiatives in such markets as Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Irvine (CA), Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Memphis, Naples (FL), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix, Rochester (NY), San Diego, San Francisco, Scottsdale, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson and Washington, D.C. Previously, Jim was Regulatory Trial Counsel for the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. (Duke Energy), and served four years on active duty as Chief of Civil Law with the Air Force J.A.G. at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. 

Professional and Community Involvement

International Economic Development Council

Urban Land Institute

Irish Angels

American Bar Association

Cincinnati Bar Association

Kentucky Bar Association

Ohio State Bar Association

Agenda 360, Co-Chair, Economic Competitiveness

BIO/START, Board of Directors

Brandon C. Gromada Head & Neck Cancer Foundation, Board Member

Cincinnati Regional Tourism Network, Board of Directors

Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau, Chair, Board of Directors, Nominating Committee, Executive Committee

Cincinnati USA Partnership, Governing Board, 2004-2008

Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Aviation Committee

Athenaeum of Ohio, Advisory Board; Co-Chair, Estates & Trusts Committee

Cincinnati Reds Community Fund, Founding Trustee, Advisory Council

Greater Cincinnati United Way, Tocqueville Cabinet

Mercy Health Partners Foundation, Inc., Trustee, Chair, Nominating and Governance Committee, 2003-2009

Multiple Sclerosis Society, Ohio Valley Chapter, Trustee, 1994-2006; Major Gifts Committee; Dinner of Champions Co-Chair

National Advisory Board for Executive Education at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza School of Business

GIGOT Center, National Business Plan Competition, Judge and Mentor

Notre Dame Law Association, Member

Ursuline Academy of Cincinnati, Trustee, 1991-2004

Regional Business Alliance of Southwest Florida, Inc.

St. Vincent DePaul Society, Steering Committee

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Advisory Council

Mayfield Education and Research Foundation (MERF), Board Member, Development Committee Chair

DePaul Cristo Rey High School, Development Committee Chair

Downtown Cincinnati, Inc., Board of Directors

City of Cincinnati, Job Creation Committee

Mercy Health, Cincinnati Region, Board Chair, Executive Committee, Strategy Committee

Awards & Recognition

AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Economic Development Services Expert of the Year in the USA – Leaders in Law, 2022 Global Awards

Named Top 100 Attorneys of Influence in the U.S., Business Journals, 2018

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Corporate Law and Economic Development, 2017-2023

Named Ohio Super Lawyer, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013

Voices of Giving Award, Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council, 2014

Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Notre Dame, 2003

  • Best Lawyers (Don't Delete)
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  • Peer Review (Don't Delete)

News & Resources

Speaking Engagements

  • ACA "Best of the Midwest Regional Meeting,
  • KMK Law - 14th Floor DPK Conference Center,
  • Corporate Welfare or Corporate Leadership? How Companies Grow Their Communities While Earning Millions in Cost Savings
    ALFA International - Scottsdale Conference,
  • Urban Redevelopment Leadership and Solutions Keynote Speech
    Springfield Ohio Community Foundation Annual Dinner,
  • The Competitive World of Economic Development Incentives: Growing Jobs, Attracting Talent, and Winning Your Business
    KMK Law Legal Update Seminar,
  • The Competitive World of Economic Development Incentives
    KMK Legal Update,
  • Organizing Leaders to Compete for Job Growth in Southeast Indiana
    Dearborn County Leadership Forum, Ivy Tech,
  • The METS Center Conference,
  • Making Leadership Your Community’s Number One Competitive Advantage
    North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce Leadership Retreat,
  • 2014 Tulsa Future’s Annual Meeting, CEO Leadership Influence In Driving Major Business Recruitment Projects And Their Creative Incentive Packages
  • 2014 American Chamber of Commerce Executives Annual Conference, Community Economic Development Professionals Uniting As Best Of Class Sales Teams To Win More Deals

Admissions

  • Ohio
  • Kentucky
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Military Appeals

Education

J.D., University of Akron School of Law, 1974, Editor, Law Review

B.B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1971

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