Research + Innovation :
Featured Stories
Eric Peterson
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Startups aren't just for Silicon Valley anymore. As entrepreneurs find expected pleasures—and great quality of life—in cities like Cincinnati, a new kind of energy is building. Read about the rise of our startup sister cities, from Boston to Denver.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Louisville had a fire-breathing pony. New York had 3-D printers and makerbots galore. Cincinnati Maker Faire Founder Jason Langdon looks forward to seeing what the local science, DIY and art community has to offer in the city's first all-ages, all-genres celebration of maker culture this October in Washington Park.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
On the site where the first brewery in Over-the-Rhine began operating in 1829, a new generation of artisans is redefining the boundaries of the historic neighborhood’s 21st century renaissance.
Scott Beseler
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Soapbox's Scott Beseler shares a visual feast of the latest Modern Makers event, a celebration of food and art at the Niehoff Urban Design Studio in Uptown. Music by Maria Carrelli.
Robin Donovan
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
What do a dairy barn in Mt. Healthy and this year's TED conference have in common? A shared love of top-quality coffee from a Guatemalan village that locals know thanks to relationships nurtured with Deeper Roots, a local roasting company and coffee consultancy.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Janelle Hopper, public programs manager at the Contemporary Arts Center, takes a holistic approach to connecting the community with art. In her three years on the job, she's showcased eclectic guests, from the Smithsonian's new media strategist to Sigur Ros. She shares her goals, her insights and her passions with Soapbox.
Jessica Noll-Korczyk
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Whether she is downtown in the offices of Strive or coaching track at Clark Montessori, Nia Williams understands the power of a challenging, encouraging mentor. Without hers, she says, she wouldn't be where she is today.
Scott Beseler
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Even if you didn't get a chance to attend the sold-out OFFF event hosted by the Contemporary Arts Center, you can still experience the mind-blowing designers' work from the comfort of your computer. Slideshow by Soapbox's own mind-blowing photographer, Scott Beseler.
Jessica Noll-Korczyk
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
With degrees from Stanford and Berkeley, Sandra Spataro brings experience from Silicon Valley and teaching stints at Yale and Cornell to her students at Northern Kentucky University. She chose to work at NKU because it offered not only a diverse student population, but a chance to focus on what she calls "up-close-and-personal" teaching.
James Pilcher
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The Cintrifuse venture capital team is already working on supporting the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Now, it's time to see how The Rainmaker, The Money Man, The Go Getter, The Teacher, The Connector, The Youngster and The Magician Behind the Curtain plan to get down to business.
Jessica Noll-Korczyk
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
The arithmetic is pretty simple. Medical care plus students equals a boost in attendance and graduates. That's why Cincinnati Public Schools’ school-based health center nurses offer preventive and follow-up healthcare, as well as old-fashioned TLC, to a growing number of students.
Soapbox Media
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Cincinnati native Jodi Schmidtgoesling takes on the world's top companies in her new role as branding giant Possible's chief client officer. The 35-year-old business leader also works to develop the culture of Possible as a fun, innovative and creative place to work. She talks with Soapbox about Cincinnati as a brand hub and finding inspiration in Disney characters.
Gina Gaetano
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Laura Chenault took an abandoned garage on Spring Grove Avenue and transformed it into a space for everything from filming indie documentaries and music videos to hosting cooking classes, dinner parties and dance parties, too. But she didn’t do it alone.
Lee Chilcote
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
When serial entrepreneur Mike Hooven founded the medical device startup AtriCure in 2000, Cincinnati was a swerve of the wheel for venture capitalists located on the coasts. But today, the city joins Boston and Minneapolis in the elite top three U.S. cities for developing medical devices.
Caitlin Koenig
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The Kitchen Factory in Northside has been serving up pizza slices since July 1. But it's no ordinary pie shop. Its owner, Melissa Cox Howard, has come up with an entrepreneur-friendly business plan that you won’t find anywhere else in Cincinnati.
Geoffrey Dobbins
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
What happens when the city, neighborhood advocates and a national redevelopment firm collaborate to transform outdated and underutilized public housing in Avondale? They snag a $29.5M federal grant aimed at holistic renewal.
Lee Chilcote
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
When it comes to the fast-evolving world of health care, Cincinnati's startup community is attracting fans from the White House on down, in part by focusing on fast failures as well as lasting ideas.
James Pilcher
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
A growing number of ex-P&Gers are branching out from the Ivory Towers and starting their own businesses, using the training and experience they gained at the brand-creating giant while pursuing their own entrepreneurial dreams.
Chris Graves
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
This week, we bring you a special, in-depth look at the recent sale of the Emanuel Center in Over-the-Rhine, a nonprofit organization that we've covered before in Soapbox.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Match passionate locals, creative entreprenuers and a petite force of nature known as Cat Amaro and you get The Bird Haus, a migratory classroom where learning is fun, fascinating and, yes, cheap.
Scott Beseler
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
A parade of cherry-pickers greeted Northside business owners and shoppers last Friday at the unveiling of the city's first CoSign Project. Artisan-crafted signs took the shape of everything from intricately carved tumbleweeds to airplanes to jackalopes in this celebration of signage, small businesses and collaboration. Soapbox's Scott Beseler takes a tour.
Geoffrey Dobbins
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Cross the quirkiness of a Silicon Valley start-up with the genuine affection of a Midwestern community and you begin to grasp the creative forces that drive Epipheo. With an office in Portland, Oregon, and headquarters in Longworth Hall, the convention-defying company's core values—"truth, story, love"—make it as appealing to a growing number of employees as it is to high-powered clients like Google, Facebook and MTV.
Scott Beseler
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
'Contained,' an exhibit of art presented in shipping containers in Over-the-Rhine, takes art into the streets, as the Requiem Project extends its reach beyond the Emery Theatre. Soapbox's master photographer Scott Beseler offers a tour.
Chris Graves
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
What do machines that make frozen margaritas, OXO Good Grips and the entrepreneurs on Main Street have in common? According to UC's design guru Craig Vogel, two very important things: Opportunity and innovation. Vogel shares his thoughts on Cincinnati and what companies need to do to “get it right.”
Chris Graves
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
From a nationally recognized "poop processor" to a net-zero energy corporate headquarters, Cincinnati exemplifies "green" leadership to other cities and states. So why aren't more locals talking about it? Soapbox offers four conversation starters.
Keith Rutowski
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
What do shoe-making workshops, recycled sketch paper and Portolets have in common? They're all part of Main Street entrepreneur Alisha Budkie's sustainable world, one the UC design alum is helping build with support from longtime neighbors and a growing army of her peers in Over-the-Rhine.
Chris Graves
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Cleveland native Jay Finch, 26, moved to Cincinnati to join The Brandery's 2012 class. The Villanova honors grad studied economics at Cambridge and Harvard before Goldman Sachs snagged him post-graduation. He gave all that up to start his "market ministry," Socstock.
Michael Kearns
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Deep in the heart of Evanston, Woodstone Creek, a former factory-turned-winery, houses a meadery and port house. It is also the first licensed microdistillery in Ohio. For master distiller Don Outterson, though, it all comes back to bourbon.
Maria Seda-Reeder
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Local filmmakers don't wait for George Clooney and Ryan Gosling to come to town to practice their craft. From skateboarding movies to one-woman-show YouTube channels to high-end commercial productions, Cincinnati's film scene offers space, and support, for aspiring artists to grow.
Jack Ellenberger
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
What happens when a European designer lands in Cincinnati to create a new breed of Cargo Bike? Farmers, and artists, take note.
Evan Wallis
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
From specialty pizzas to "HearPlugs," the musicians of The All Night Party know lots more than creative music promotion. With their help, local bands navigate the business of music in fresh, innovative ways.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
They are young, high-powered, high-achieving, highly skilled professionals with their sights set on the same thing: success in Cincinnati, start-up style. Read where they are working — and why.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
With the Smale Riverfront Park open and Washington Park debuting July 6, we take a closer look at how the Cincinnati Park Board's oft-overlooked innovations move, and in some cases outright push, the city forward.
Shaun McClanahan
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
In its ninth year, Cincinnati Fringe Festival sparked ideas, opened minds and just plain entertained thousands of guests. One photographer took the long view of the 12-day celebration of all things Fringe and the results capture the art, and artists, in new and unusual ways.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Civic urban leaders from across disciplines--educators, executives, entrepreneurs--shared lessons and inspiration in Cincinnati last week, as the city played host to a conference that celebrated good ideas and creative leaders. So what were the takeaways?
Deidra Wiley Necco
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Now in its 4th year, Cincinnati Public Schools’ 5th Quarter program targets under-performing, low-income schools with an extended school year and a collective approach to learning, and fun, that's getting national attention.
Becky Johnson
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Terry Chan came to Cincinnati via Hong Kong and Carnegie Mellon. His plans for the Short Vine Innovation District reflect an international perspective on successful neighborhood redevelopment. With long-term and new investors, he's helping create a technological hub of early-stage, vibrant businesses that's built to last.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
From digital pros to sleep-deprived StartUp Bus riders, Cincinnatians at SXSW Interactive staked a claim at the country's premier showcase of new ideas and cool technologies destined to shape the way we live, work and play. Soapbox gives you exclusive insights from five attendees about what it was like to live the SXSW Interactive experience.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Evan Wallis
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
In the midst of thousands of bands and performances, a handful of Cincinnati bands made the 19-hour trek to add Cincinnati's voice to the biggest musical event in the country. This year a couple of those travelers worked to make Austin feel a little more like home for Queen City musicians.
Megan McAuley
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
In her final SpringBoard entry, aspiring entrepreneur Megan McAuley takes stock of how far she's come and looks toward the climb ahead--with a little help from more than just her friends.
David Holthaus
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A one-day whirlwind last week, called Signal P&G, brought nearly two dozen Silicon Valley thought leaders to Cincinnati to weigh in on the state of the digital universe at the headquarters of the world’s biggest brand builder and advertiser. Go backstage to find out what it all means and what's next.
Evan Wallis
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Most graphic designers might consider a job offer from Adobe in San Francisco wish fulfillment. Not musician/artist Matt Kursmark. The Pinstripes guitarist and Blue Ash native still took the West Coast gig, but he soon began working to find a way back to the Queen City. Today, he's busy creating digital interfaces, and making music, from his apartment in OTR.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Rodney D'Souza is building a hive in Northern Kentucky. His new INKUbator at Northern Kentucky University is designed to help students turn their ideas into feasible business proposals and prepare them for the competitive world of startup accelerators. He explains his brainchild to Soapbox's Elissa Yancey.
Megan McAuley
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
If I had a dime for every time someone asked me if I thought opening a climbing gym was actually realistic, I might have enough money to pay a month’s worth of rent on a potential building. While there may be a list of reasons why I shouldn’t pursue the gym or why it won’t work, I have a list triple the size of reasons why I should and it will.
Feoshia Henderson
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
As he steps in to the newly created role of general manager of The Brandery in OTR, Mike Bott, at just 30, is ready to give ambitious startups the tools they need to survive, and thrive, in Cincinnati.
Megan McAuley
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
In week two of her SpringBoard journey, the unseasoned entreprenuer explores her motivations, her hopes and her fears.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Whether she’s helping design Cincinnati’s newest riverfront park or transforming hospitals by blending graphic and industrial design with architecture, Kelly Kolar revels in integrating her passions to create massive, holistic change.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Soapbox proffers a '12 things to watch' list for 2012. Read and weigh in on what we did, and did not, include.
Evan Wallis
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Take a woodworking dreamer, a beautiful product with a weakness and a bold leap of faith. That's what it took to launch JackBacks, which provides custom wood iPhone backs to a smart phone generation. The brainchild of local artist Adam Baumgartner, JackBacks illustrates the power of a good idea well-executed, and the impact of a dream no longer deferred.
Elissa Yancey
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
When Venture For America's founder Andrew Yang landed in town to chat with local entrepreneurs about his nonprofit's ambitious plans to help create 100,000 jobs by 2025, Soapbox was there to meet him at the airport.
Evan Wallis
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then thousands of pictures strung together in two-minute videos must be worth at least a million. Focus those two minutes of visual storytelling on local businesses and you have the mission, and the creative drive, behind the Queen City Project.
Evan Wallis
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
At Cincinnati's Barefoot Proximity, creativity breeds invention. The company has evolved from a start-up ad agency to a consumer branding and marketing juggernaut with international appeal, all the while keeping its focus on building relationships, one innovative product at a time.
Matt Cunningham
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
As grade-schoolers play in the "Energy Zone" filled with bright-colored balls at the Duke Energy Children's Museum, they learn about simple machines the fun way. Training teachers to guide students through field-trip science activities expands the reach, and impact, of every lesson. At Cincinnati's Social Innovation Fund, which supports a wide range of educational programs including teacher training, creating lasting learning makes for measurable successes.
Elizabeth Edwards
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
In the startup community, Bill Cunningham is known as a man of action. The founder of five startups has spent the past 20 years as an advocate, teacher and mentor to budding entrepreneurs. Soapbox asked next generation startup leader, Elizabeth Edwards, to talk with Cunningham about his past and offer advice for future entrepreneurs.
Val Prevish
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Jack Rouse Associates is one of the top go-to firms for theme park and museum design. Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, its most unique and challenging theme park design yet, has cemented JRA's reputation among a select group that competes for elite projects around the globe.