Michael Gibbons

Michael was born on April 10, 1952, in Parma, Ohio, to Eugene and Elizabeth Gibbons (née Barone). He was raised alongside his sisters Patricia Narducci (Thomas) and Jacquelyn (Richard Czyzynski) and brother Terrence (Tracy). Michael settled in Fairview Park, Ohio with his family where he remained until his passing.

Michael prided himself on being a self-made man. His humble upbringing in Parma instilled in him a tireless work ethic focused on achieving success for himself and his family. Michael believed, above all else, that if someone found something they are passionate about and they work harder than the person next to them, they will be successful, regardless of who they are or where they came from.

Michael graduated from Saint Ignatius High School, his first love, in 1970. While at Ignatius, Michael wrestled and played football, earning All-Senate Honors as a defensive lineman. He continued his football career and picked up the sport of lacrosse at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he was a significant contributing member of the only undefeated football team in the school’s history. Michael graduated from Kenyon College (Class of 1974), cum laude with a B.A. in Economics and minor in Political Science. He went on to earn his M.S., Management from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and later obtained his Juris Doctorate from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Michael began his career as a bonds trader at McDonald & Company, quickly rising to become Manager of the Financial Institutions Group. At age 33, he moved to Houston, Texas to serve as Executive Vice President of Underwood Neuhaus & Company, and was quickly promoted at age 35 to President and Chief Executive Officer, all the while commuting back to Cleveland every weekend to see his daughters and soon-to-be wife. In 1989, Michael returned home to Cleveland to found Brown Gibbons & Company with friend and business associate, Kevin Brown. Just a few months after founding the company, Kevin tragically passed away in a boating accident, leaving Michael by himself with just a desk and a phone. Michael took a chance on himself and grew the business alone until 1995 when he brought on another partner, Scott Lang, and renamed the firm Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL). BGL has since become one of the largest middle market investment banks in the United States. Michael later founded Brown Gibbons Lang Real Estate Advisors, a subsidiary of BGL, which advises on real estate transactions and manages a substantial private real estate investment portfolio, of which Michael is majority owner.

While building his career, Michael also involved himself in countless other business, philanthropic, and political endeavors. He served as the Managing Partner and Co-Owner of the Cleveland Crunch/Force, a professional indoor soccer team, held positions on the Board of Directors for Preformed Line Products, Global M&A Partners, Ltd., the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, and Values-in-Action Foundation, and made significant contributions to Saint Ignatius and Kenyon College, just to name a few. Later in Michael’s life, inspired by his son Ryan’s military service, Michael ran for United States Senate for the State of Ohio in both 2018 and 2021. During these campaigns, he continued to grow his vast network of friends and colleagues.

While Michael’s business achievements are too enumerable to count, those privileged to know him personally would agree that he will be remembered not for his career success, but for his character and the deep love he had for his family. Michael was a man of integrity, kindness and loyalty, above all else. Whether you were his closest friend or a complete stranger, he greeted you with a giant smile and spoke to you as if he had known you for years about family, work, or his favorite topic, Saint Ignatius.

Of all his achievements, Michael was most proud of his family. He loved nothing more than bragging about his children’s and grandchildren’s accomplishments, often embellished, to anyone who would listen. Rain or shine, he would be at every sporting event, graduation, birthday or other significant moment in his family members’ lives cheering louder than anyone else. And at the end of the day all he wanted to do was sit and watch the next episode of his most recent favorite tv show with his wife. Michael is survived by his loving wife Diane (née West); daughters Megan Sendlak (Bradley) and Caitlin Shea (Aaron); sons Connor (Jody Aremband), Ryan (Victoria), Michael, and Jerome Robinson (Kallie); and grandchildren Cadence, Ireland, Mara, Kinzy and Rory.

One would only have to walk a few steps to find someone who knew and cared for Michael. His loss will be felt not only by his family but by the community as a whole. The number of lives that have been indelibly affected by him are too many to count. Michael was truly the embodiment of “A Man for Others.”