Soapbox

"Don't Trash the 'Nati" is soooo 2000. But that successful Keep Cincinnati Beautiful anti-littering awareness slogan and campaign did play a role in Cincinnati playing host to Keep America Beautiful's next generation campaign, Littering Is Wrong Too. The new multi-media campaign, which relies on both traditional (radio spots and billboards) and web 2.0 outreach, seeks to engage 18- to 34-year-olds by asking them to submit, short witty slogans summing up their pet peeves, or "wrongs," that are as socially unacceptable as littering.

Littering is Wrong Too.org launched July 15 and will test in the Cincinnati area for three months, said Keep Cincinnati Beautiful Executive Director Linda Holterhoff.

"We are a strong affiliate (and Keep America Beautiful) was really impressed with Don't Trash the 'Nati. They knew we had the strength and the marketing expertise to help them pull off this pilot," Holterhoff said. Also, I got a sneak peak of the new campaign and it provided that interactive part that we were missing in Don't Trash the 'Nati. I just fell in love with it."

Among some of the "wrongs" users have submitted are "wearing socks with sandals," "Liking the Hills" and the Facebook game "Farmville." Other users can vote on the submissions and each week the top vote getter will win T-shirts, Frisbees and drink koozies as well as concert and event tickets. (If you'd like to donate a prize email: josman.rodriguez@cincinnati-oh.gov).

Keep Cincinnati Beautiful is also promoting the campaign on its twitter and Facebook pages.

Along with the fun, there are also some serious facts and figures about litter in Cincinnati. Users can take a pledge to not litter, to share the site with five or more friends, to ask Facebook friends to take the pledge and more.

"We want our recruits to get the word out, once we start getting people engaged then the dialogue starts. It's fun and we're having a great time with it," Holterhoff said.

Keep America Beautiful will assess the sites success in the fall and work to roll it out with its other national affiliates by December, Holterhoff said.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Keep Cincinnati Beautiful Executive Director Linda Holterhoff

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox

The non-profit Catalytic Funding Corporation of Northern Kentucky is a step closer to its goal of helping secure needed financing for smaller, residential projects in all urban river cities including Ludlow, Dayton, Bellevue, Covington and Newport. The fund recently got a $1 million boost with a grant from Duke Energy - that brings the fund up to $3 million toward its $10 million kickoff target.

"A vibrant urban core is critical to the overall success of our region.  Duke Energy wants to help grow jobs," said Johnna Reeder, vice president of Community Relations and Economic Development for Duke Energy Ohio and Duke Energy Kentucky.  "We're pleased to make this investment and we're confident in strong, long-term returns for the community."

The fund was first announced in late-2008 and was launched by the Urban Renaissance Action Team of the Northern Kentucky's Vision 2015 planning effort. Corporex and The Bank of Kentucky earlier pledged $1 million each to the fund.

"Duke Energy's investment in the Catalytic Fund represents the company's ongoing leadership in supporting economic development efforts in the Greater Cincinnati region," said Jeanne Schroer, executive director of the Catalytic Fund.  "The willingness of Duke Energy and other local leaders to step up is a huge step in moving this initiative forward.  We are very honored to have Duke Energy as one of our Catalytic Investors."

The Catalytic Fund will finance mixed-use, small residential and neighborhood retail projects once the $10 million goal is raised. Plans are to leverage those dollars to raise more than $100 million for development.  CDFC is loosely modeled on gap financing funds such as the Cincinnati Equity Fund, established in 1996 and now part of 3CDC.

Schroer said she is beginning to identify target sites and projects.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Jeanne Schroer, executive director of the Catalytic Fund

Local entrepreneur and Cincinnati nightlife promoter Sean Herron knows a potential business idea when he sees it. His latest is CollabTees.com, a virtual t-shirt shop where musicians can have a high quality t-shirt designed, printed, distributed and sold. The site launched just two weeks ago.

Herron, a Hip Hop fan, got the idea after going to some local shows he'd helped promote, and noted there was a dearth of fan merchandise there.

"There'd be 1,600 people there and no one out front selling merchandise," said Herron, who lives in Highland Heights.

That was in sharp contrast to some rock shows he attended where someone was always selling band-related shirts and other trinkets.

It doesn't take a lot of time and money to get t-shirts printed but it does take a buy-in and some focus to get them sold. That's where CollabTees comes in as a partner with someone with a t-shirt idea. The site is geared toward DJs and artists, but you can log on and for $50 can submit an idea through the web site including sketches. Herron works with local designer Nicholas Earl who will turn the submitted idea into a t-shirt design.  Earl also designs flyers for Herron's show promotions.

Once the design is nailed down it goes to the t-shirt shop (Herron is working with Southpaw Prints in Over-the-Rhine).  Once the client sells 10 shirts, CollabTees will ship the shirts, send you a free shirt, and host your design on their site. Then every time your shirt sells, you earn $5 per shirt. The more people you direct to the site who buy, the more you earn.

"Once they sell the first 10 shirts, the site becomes active and alive. If a DJ travels a lot, they can hand out a card and direct them to the site," Herron said. "And after that 11th shirt the individual starts to make money."

Herron said the site is getting about 2,000 view per day, and he's getting calls from people in California and Miami who are interested in the concept. Like his nightclub promotions, buzz is building through word of mouth.

"In the new age of Internet social networking, I don't pay radio or print advertisers. We use a lot of the buzz marketing aspects. We get lot of people who like the idea talking about it. … Now is the time when if you have connections, that those can really start paying off," he said.

If the concept proves successful, he'd eventually like to devote fan pages to artists and DJs that would delve deeper into their work offer them an online publicity house.

In addition to promoting and marking local shows for area bars and nightclubs, Herron has also recently launched My All Card, a membership card that offers discounts at more than 600 local food, health, entertainment, beauty and other business.  

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Sean Herron, founder CollabTees.com

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox

The United Way of Greater Cincinnati, along with non-profit urban education advocate Strive and community partners are one of 11 organizations nationwide that received funding from the new federal Social Innovation Fund.

The United Way and Strive received $2 million over two years for their collaborative efforts to address economic opportunities, youth development and school support.

With its "cradle to career" philosophy, Strive works to help children succeed from birth though some form of meaningful career through data driven programs and support. Those programs are built on Strive's Roadmap to Success, which outlines social, educational and developmental benchmarks for children to meet at critical times of their lives that will set them up for success in learning, college and career.

The grant for Cincinnati was part of a larger $50 million in grants awarded to organizations that demonstrated innovation in developing community solutions in the areas of economic opportunity, health and youth development. This new fund is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, part of President Obama's national call to service initiative. The awards were announced last week.

"We are honored to receive this sizable grant, and know it will help us build on years of collaborative work to identify what children and youth need to succeed from cradle to career," says Rob Reifsnyder, president and CEO, United Way of Greater Cincinnati. "This award will help us further invest in such essential strategies including early childhood education and home visitation, mentoring and children's health."

In central Kentucky, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, also received $2 million to promote health equity in 6 to 10 low-income communities in Kentucky.

More than 60 organizations applied for these grants, and the Cincinnati area joins the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, the National AIDS Fund, and Venture Philanthropy Partners in Washington D.C. which also received funding.

Other community partners who will help implement this effort and drive results include The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, The P&G Fund and KnowledgeWorks Foundation.

"This collaboration between The Strive Partnership and United Way allows us to tackle tough social issues by working together more efficiently and having a stronger impact in Greater Cincinnati," says Jeff Edmondson, executive director, The Strive Partnership. "By focusing on key strategies and data-driven decision making, our community should be able to create sustainable community solutions."

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: United Way of Greater Cincinnati

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox 

A nonprofit launched earlier this month by two experienced education and community advocates is working to make sure more Midwestern minority students graduate from high school and college.

DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions is a consulting and advocacy firm co-founded by Blanche Pringle Smith and Michael Griffin. Both have worked for numerous higher education and community-based organizations and are experienced in youth development. They met as former colleagues at Northern Kentucky University's Office of African American Student Affairs.

They started the firm to help shift the educational conversation about "minoritized" students - a term the foundation uses in describing its focus.

"We were very deliberate about using that term. The word minority is put on people primarily for economic or political purposes. That term can carry social baggage many times, and how that plays out in schools system can have some negative effects," said Griffin, who lives in Clifton and has a master's from UC's School of Social Work.

A primary goal of the nonprofit is to partner in developing programs that will raise retention and graduation rates for minority students in high school and college.

"You often see (pronouncements) like 'This is the largest class of African-American students, or Latino students' in an institution, but you never really hear about how many how many of those students graduated. That's what we want to focus on," Griffin said.

DevonshireSmith will center that effort initially in the Midwest, but has plans to expand and grow. The organization is still in its early stages but is beginning to work with some local school districts, college and youth development agencies, Griffin said.

DevonshireSmith had its first board meeting July 17. The Board includes Jason Riviero, President of the League of United Latin American Citizens-Ohio, Coby C. Williams of ProgressOhio in Columbus, Robert Clay, Chairperson, Director of Multicultural Affairs Xavier University, and Marissa Woodly Vice Chairperson, Development Director at Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Michael Griffin, co founder DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox

TiER1 Performance Solutions, a custom software management solutions company, is growing. The Covington-based company recently announced the acquisition of Motionplan, Inc., a custom training development company just outside of Pittsburgh, PA.

"Motionplan's experience and culture are a perfect fit for TiER1," said Greg Harmeyer, TiER1's CEO and founding partner. "We're excited to expand our team with a group that believes in high performance, creating value for clients, building great relationships and having fun." 

TiER1, founded in 2002, is a provider of end-to-end online learning and knowledge management solutions. The company works to drive efficiencies and performance in five key areas: People, Process, Sales, Leadership and Structure. Clients include commercial, non-profit and government entities including Dell, FedEx, Fidelity Investments, Kraft, Wendy's and Procter & Gamble. Last year the company won a $750,000 research contract from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to develop a training system to detect and prevent insider cyber security threats.

Motionplan was also founded in 2002 and has been named one of Western Pennsylvania's Best Places to Work. The acquisition gives TiER1 its second full-service office in addition to its three satellite locations in Lexington, Ky., Columbus, and Colorado Springs, Colo.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Tier1 Performance Solutions

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox

Nearly two dozen local restaurants across Greater Cincinnati have teamed up with Christ Hospital to offer easily-identifiable heart-healthy eats on their menus.

Part of The Christ Hospital Restaurant Partnership launched in February, participating restaurants are all independently owned, and dishes in the program are made to meet guidelines set by the American Heart Association's Step I Heart Healthy Diet. Each qualifying menu item is marked by the Christ Hospital tower symbol. 

"We applaud these restaurants for taking an active role in caring for their customers' heart health," said Susan Croushore, President and CEO of The Christ Hospital. "They have created some spectacular dishes that taste great without excess calories, fat and cholesterol."

The participating restaurants include Cincinnati Sports Club Deli in Fairfax, Chalk Food + Wine in Covington, Lavomatic Café downtown, Café Bella in Mason and The Polo Grille in Mason.  You can find a complete list here.

Before displaying the hospital's tower symbol, partnership restaurants must submit recipes to The Christ Hospital for confidential analysis using NutriBase nutrition software. To be considered "heart healthy" each meal must be less than 650 calories, have less than 20 grams total fat, less than seven grams saturated fat, less than 800 mg sodium and less than 100 mg cholesterol.

"The initial response from local restaurants has been phenomenal and includes a wide range of foods for all kinds of tastes," said Cheri Miller, M.S., coordinator of The Christ Hospital Restaurant Partnership. "As additional restaurants express interest in joining the program, we expect to be able to expand the list of dining options well into the future."

Heart Healthy isn't code for bland. Check out these options from one of the newest partner's Andy’s Mediterranean Grille in Walnut Hills: Salmon with Lebanese salad; Tuna with hummus and Lebanese fries; Andy's Vegetarian kabob with rice and Baba Ghannouj, Andy's Greek salad or Lebanese salad; Andy's shish kabob (beef) with rice and Lebanese salad.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: The Christ Hospital

The blogging community knows every woman restaurant critic Heather Willard best as The Food Hussy. But when she's not talking about her latest eating adventure in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky, she's working as an experienced internet and advertising professional.

At least she was working until two weeks ago when she was laid off, another casualty of the struggling economy. But Willard didn't fret long, and just last week launched Food Speaks.  

Food Speaks is a consulting company geared toward independently owned small- to medium-sized restaurants. The company will work with eateries on three fronts, Willard, of Pleasant Ridge, said.

"I look at 'their voice' how they present themselves, their service, food prices and the entire experience of dining. Then I look at the 'people's voice,' what people are saying about them on sites like Twitter or Facebook and other social media. I also look at their Web site to make sure that its user friendly and can show up higher in search engine results," Willard said.

She'd been developing the idea for a few months and has consulted with Café Bella in Mason, but decided to launch the company after losing her job.

"I've worked for entrepreneurs all of my life. I know restaurants around here need help, and I think I can help them. I look at a lot of their web sites and they're terrible. I want to call them up and say, 'If you do these five things it will be better,'" she said.

Willard, a University of Iowa grad, has more than 15 years experience working with local businesses to build and improve their internet presence. She also has radio and television production advertising experience.  The Food Hussy is a top-rated Cincinnati blog on the UrbanSpoon.com, a nationwide network of restaurant reviews and blogs.

Web and social media is a game changer for restaurants, and can offer smaller ones a competitive advantage if used effectively, Willard said. One the other hand, a few negative online reviews can hurt businesses if not handled properly or ignored, she said.

"In the old days the only voices were newspaper food critics, and they would review the bigger restaurants maybe once a year. Today everyone with a Twitter or Facebook account is a critic. If they have 500 friends and they have a bad experience at a restaurant everyone sees it," she said. "Most restaurants are in a vacuum and aren't listening to their audience. If they don't listen to their customers they won't have a business."

Willard said she'll continue to blog, but will not review places that she takes on as clients.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Heather Willard, founder Food Speaks and The Food Hussy

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox 

The Hamilton County Administrator's office is asking residents to take a few minutes to give thoughtful views on 12 policy issues facing the county, ranging from mass transit to land use.

The online survey, which is open to Hamilton County residents, will be located here until Aug. 8. This is the county's second annual community survey. Last year they received 2,000 responses; officials hope to top that number this year.

"Too often difficult governance issues are portrayed as easy yes and no questions," said County Administrator Patrick Thompson. With this survey, we are trying to provide citizens with enough background to elicit the more nuanced solutions that agency directors and elected officials have to struggle with every day."

Questions take on such issues as the stadium fund revenue shortfall, 911 call center consolidation, drug incarceration policies, election policies, Sheriff’s road patrols, approaches to public health and mass transit, and overall county government reform.  And the survey tackles current issues with specificity, including asking taxpayers how county government should work to resolve the stadium development fund deficit. 

"Sometimes when you ask a tough question, people assume you have an answer in mind, but we have tried to present each issue as fairly as possible, without any presumed course of action," Thompson said.

The survey will be part of the information that Hamilton County officials will use as part of the budgeting process. Results should be released in mid-August. In September, the Board of County Commissioners will hold budget hearings and in October public hearing will be scheduled.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: County Administrator Patrick Thompson

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox

Two local entrepreneurs are building on the momentum of the city's recent state designation as the consumer marketing Hub of Innovation and Opportunity with the launch of a new startup accelerator.

Dubbed The Brandery, it's the region's first startup company accelerator that will offer funding, mentoring and partnerships around local consumer marketing businesses. The Brandery's founders are Cincinnati digital marketing executive David Knox and serial entrepreneur J.B. Kropp, vice president of channel development at social media branding firm Vitrue.

"The power of The Brandery is the collaboration between people and companies in our community," said Knox, brand manager of global branded entertainment at Procter & Gamble. "Entrepreneurs will benefit from a wide range of talented people in consumer marketing here as well as globally."

The Brandery is looking for tech-based, consumer businesses including Internet, media and entertainment companies. Companies can begin applying for the accelerator program immediately at Brandery.org. Deadline for submissions for this first session is Aug. 11, 2010. Five companies will be selected for the first session which will begin in late August.

Each applicant selected for a 12-week program will receive a $20,000 grant in exchange for equity in the company. Each company also will receive brand identity guidance from leading agencies including LPK, Resource Interactive, Barefoot Proximity, Empower MediaMarketing and Ample.   

CincyTech, a public-private venture development group, is funding those $20,000 grants through its Imagining Grant funds aimed at growing companies through the investment stage.

"Our hope is to create a whole new pipeline of startup companies that focus on consumer marketing, to complement our portfolio of companies in information technology, bioscience and advanced manufacturing," said CincyTech President Bob Coy. "Our mission is to grow jobs in thriving industries."

In addition to CincyTech and the five creative agencies, support is coming from the Haile/U.S. Bank Foundation and Xavier University’s Williams College of Business, which donated money for operating capital for The Brandery. The Brandery also is endorsed and supported by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Queen City Angels, Hamilton County Development Corp., and other local entrepreneurial organizations.

The launch of the Brandery follows Gov. Ted Strickland's July 12 announcement that the city would be the state's Hub of Innovation and Opportunity in Consumer Marketing. Along with that designation came a $250,000 state grant that will fund a hub director and an incubator that will assist startups and create new business and jobs in the consumer marketing industry.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Sources: CincyTech, David Knox, co-founder The Brandery

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox

For Cincinnati business owner Angela Burkart, a spa therapist at Ambience Salon and Spa, necessity was undeniably the mother of creation when it came to the inspiration for her new company.  Pregnant with her first child, Burkart found it a challenge to find swimwear that was both appealing and well-designed for her new body. 

"I searched every possible option for an attractive swimsuit that provided the proper support and it was not offered anywhere," recalls Burkart, of West Chester.  

It was through her determined, though futile, "pursuit-of-the-suit" that she found the inspiration for Marno Designs, her recently released line of fashionable maternity swimwear.  Convinced that style, comfort, and support should not have to be mutually exclusive, Burkart directed her energies to the task of designing pieces that would provide each of these features for the expectant mom.  

Sewing skills she had developed as a child under the gentle guidance of her mother and grandmother, proved invaluable in the innovative design of her fashions.  Numerous sketches were drawn up and transformed into computer illustrations, fabrics were thoughtfully selected, and a manufacturing company was carefully chosen to bring her creations to life.  

Two long years after conception Burkart finally gave birth to her newborn company in June.  Her chic Marno Designs collection offers expectant mothers a number of fashionable options, including vibrant bikinis, tankinis, and one-piece swimsuits, as well as a selection of colorful swimsuit wraps for covering up on the way to the pool or beach.   

Each of Burkart's suits also offers the comfort and essential support that the designer is committed to providing, including several styles that allow mothers to make adjustments as their bodies change throughout pregnancy.  

Marno Designs swimwear is currently available through her online store, although Burkart does have plans to market her fashions through retail outlets in the near future.  Though still in its infancy, this creative mother is confident that her innovative and fashionable swimwear collection has plenty of room to grow.  

Writer: Aylce Vilines
Source: Angela Burkart, owner Marno Designs

Regular readers of Soapbox know that dozens of Cincinnatians are toiling away on small tech, software and IT-related business and product ideas. Some of those ideas have turned into viable startups and are on their way to creating new jobs and freedom for their founders.

But taking an idea from concept to a growing company takes long, unpaid hours, outside funding and ongoing support and exposure. At least two dozen Greater Cincinnati web entrepreneurs are expected at the first ever Cincinnati Startup Showcase July 21, looking for that exposure and the resources that will help their companies grow.

The Cincinnati Startup Showcase is being organized by Continuous Web Cincinnati (formerly WEMUP) a group of web entrepreneurs, designers, and developers that meet monthly in Oakley Square at Redtree Art Gallery & Coffeeshop.

"Our goal has been to make Cincinnati the Silicon Valley of the Midwest, and I really believe we can do that. And we wanted to have an event to showcase some of these companies, and prove to people we have some really good sustainable businesses solving problems," said Continuous Web Cincinnati founder Joshua Johnson. Johnson is also CEO and founder of Mindbox Studios, a web design and custom software service company.

The event will be at Crossroads, 3500 Madison Rd., in Oakley. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Companies that have already signed up include:

AccidentalCreative.com
WouldURather.com
BudgetSketch.com
BrainRack.com
SparkPeople.com
Givimo.com
IdeaTraction.com
WhatIfSports.com
VenueAgent.com  
ShareThis.com
ShareSomeSugar.com
Transactiv.com
CoupSmart.com
ZipScene.com

Each company will have space for a booth, and there is no cost to attend. Companies will also get feedback on the feasibility of their ideas or potential for growth and investment from investor groups including the Queen City Angles, Johnson said.  Anyone with a web, tech or IT company or product that's interested in showcasing can find more information here.

The event is also looking for additional sponsors. Anyone interested in doing so can contact Johnson at joshua@mindboxstudios.com.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Joshua Johnson, Founder and CEO Mindbox Studios

Lead Source founder Steve Wachs nearly saw the bottom fall out of his company with the recent mortgage meltdown, but he turned to creativity and innovation to save it. Just a few short years ago his then Blue Ash-based call center company employed 35 people. Lead Source's client base exclusively catered to the mortgage industry, specializing in generating sales leads for the mortgage brokers. Then came the mortgage crisis.

"We lost every single one of our clients. We went from 35 employees to six," Wachs, of Anderson Township, said. "When things got very difficult we knew the only thing we could do to survive was to do what industry leaders do."

So Wachs reinvented Lead Source, investing in new technology and turning the company into a full- service call center that can handle a wide variety of clients and needs.

The company has relocated to the former John Nolan Ford dealership building in Norwood, which houses several other companies. Lead Source now has 20 employees, with capacity for 200.  

"We're a local company, we hire local talent. It feels good to be hiring people again," Wachs said.

The company still offers lead generation and follow-up, and now does marketing research and data analysis, inbound and outbound calling, database management and customer opinion surveying. The company has capacity to handle tens of thousands of inbound and outbound calls, and offers live chat and email support for client companies, Wachs said.

"We invested in technology and that's allowed us to stay in the business. We can do things that the big call centers can do, and once consistent, long term work comes in we will start hiring immediately," Wachs said. "We're really close to getting some nationwide work."

"When we evolved it opened the doors to such bigger projects," he added.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Steve Wachs, founder Lead Source

With two big economic development announcements last week, Uptown and downtown Cincinnati ties are growing closer than ever.

The first announcement was the long awaited news that Cincinnati was awarded $25 million in federal dollars for the first phase of the city's planned streetcar project. The first phase will connect the Banks to Over-the-Rhine, with future plans taking it Uptown into Clifton, the University of Cincinnati and beyond.

Then second announcement was from the state on Friday when Gov. Ted Strickland came to Cincinnati to announce the city would be the state's Hub of Innovation and Opportunity in Consumer Marketing.

The designation brings together the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, the University of Cincinnati and brand powerhouses Procter & Gamble, Kroger and Macy's to promote entrepreneurship and commercialization in the consumer products arena. Hub partners will be supported by Cincinnati brand building organizations including LPK, Bridge Worldwide, Dunnhumby USA and Nielsen/Buzzmetrics.

"This will position Cincinnati (nationwide and worldwide) as a place to launch great brands," Strickland said at the announcement. "The consumer marketing industry has had a home in Cincinnati for generations, and that has happened because of the innovation of companies and the visionary leaders of Cincinnati."

Along with that designation came a $250,000 state grant that will fund a hub director and an incubator that will assist startups and create new business and jobs in the consumer marketing industry, local economic development officials said at the announcement at the LPK brand company HQ in downtown Cincinnati.

Both the streetcar and the innovation hub were goals contained in the Agenda 360 strategic growth and action plan for Greater Cincinnati.

These particular parts of the plan have special meaning for the Uptown and downtown centers and will go a long way to strengthen the urban core and retaining and attracting young talent.

Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls called the announcements transformative.

"This will reinforce the creativity and synergy of both areas. This is an investment in attracting and keeping the very pool of talent the every city in the country is competing for," she said.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Sources: LPK press conference

A half-dozen entrepreneurial-minded Cincinnatians are joining a growing, nationwide eco-consultant business Green Irene saying it gives them a way to quickly start their own businesses and teach others about products that make their space more energy efficient, less polluting and wasteful.

Green Irene was launched by a husband and wife out of New York City, Peter J. (PJ) Stafford and Rosamaria Caballero Stafford. The Green Irene business eco-consultant model is similar to Tupperware or Mary Kay (but with an eco-conscious bent) because it's based on local relationships and entrepreneurship to sell retail products nationally. It is not a franchise, so there are no franchise fees. But there are training fees.

"The idea behind it is to have local eco-consultants in a grass roots effort across the country," said co-founder Rosamaria. "We have 500 consultants in 47 states. They go into people's homes and help them implement green initiatives and help their families and co-workers lead healthier lifestyles."

The company launched in 2007 and an online training program for consultants was launched in 2008. In Cincinnati, there are at least six Green Irene consultants in various stages of training. Green Irene consultants can spend as little as a few hours a week on work to making it a full-time job and may just sell products to individuals or to small business. Others speak to larger groups on a wide variety of environmental topics and do "green home makeovers" where a consultant comes into a clients' homes or businesses and makes wide-ranging professional suggestions on what they can conserve energy, or what less polluting and chemical-free products they could use.

Ellen Hall, of Lebanon, became a Green Irene consultant in February 2009. Hall became more aware of pollutants and chemical effects on health after one of her children was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Though her child is now disease free, she remains vigilant about her children's exposure to pollutants and chemicals in their food, laundry detergent, soaps, and in the home cleaning products. She's able to share her personal passion with others through Green Irene. She strives to help others see how green can fit into their lifestyles, and to do that in a way that inspirational rather than dogmatic.

"My message is to encourage one to things they can use that can get them started. It's a behavioral change. Some people will do some things, but most people aren't going to do everything," she said.

Among products sold, which can also be purchased online are CFL light bulbs, water purifiers, kits that conserve water and electricity, water purifiers, non-toxic cleaning agents and more.

Marjorie Phillips and Betsy Behne are best friends in Loveland, who work on Green Irene as a team. The "green" aspect of it is what drew them to the business idea.

"We are both stay at home moms and had been thinking about opening a store or getting involved with a business in some kind of capacity and we researched Green Irene and really liked it. We really liked the products and it was a flexible way to start a business," she said.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Sources: Ellen Hall, Marjorie Phillips and Rosamaria Caballero Stafford Green Irene

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox