2009 – Page 6 of 111

Proposed Courthouse Square historic district clears important hurdle

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December 1, 2009

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Housing in Over-the-Rhine’s Gateway Quarter selling out fast

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Architecture + Design

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December 1, 2009

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Cincinnati-based Neyer Properties positioning for fast growth

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Development News

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December 1, 2009

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Crock of Love combines business and made-from-scratch food

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Entrepreneurship

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December 1, 2009

Nikki Galea Franz has cooked for others most of her life, and her downtown apartment is ground zero for good eats. “I basically have a revolving door. Any given day people are eating dinner with us. And I have a Sunday brunch with about 15 people here,” said Franz. Franz, who has no formal culinary training, has been dubbed “Chef Nikki” by friends and family alike and over the years they’ve encouraged her to start her own business. “They’d say You should do a catering business or do party planning. I thought about it, but didn’t take it that seriously,” she said. That all changed after the housing bubble burst. Franz had spent several years in various aspects of the real estate business, but decided to go for her true passion after becoming a real estate agent in this down economy. “I was stuck in a rut,” she said. “My friends said You need to cook. Figure out a way to cook.” And Crock of Love was born, a personal crock pot based cooking business where Franz brings flavorful, sometimes untraditional, crock pot meals to individual homes. “It really was an idea that turned into reality pretty quickly. I’ve had overwhelming support,” said Franz, who launched the business in late October. Franz runs the business solo and makes a weekly menu. Though she chooses the meals, she will work with customers who have special dietary needs. Meals are delivered to homes Monday through Thursday and include lunch and dinner. “I bring the crock pot to your house, and put the meal it together. It cooks there and you tell me when you want to eat dinner,” she said. Prices range for the service depending on how many days a week and how many servings you request. Crock of Love has meal packages for two or four days a week, and for two, four or six servings. Meal plans are sold for a month at a time. They come with desert and bread. (Franz’s 77-year-old Northern Kentucky aunt is the bread maker.) To feed four people, four days a week (64) meals, the cost is $500 or $7.81 per meal. The meals, which are all made from scratch, aren’t just traditional crock pot meat and potatoes either. Previous dishes include Moroccan braised beef with couscous, garlic and herb stuffed tilapia and chicken cordon bleu. “I try to keep food really delicious and really simple,” she said. Crock of Love delivers inside the I-275 loop and special discounts are available if you live downtown or refer a customer in your neighborhood. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Nikki Galea Franz, owner Crock of Love

Cincinnati Wins first-ever national Cash for Cans Video Award

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General

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December 1, 2009

The votes are in. The winner’s been announced. Cincinnati took the top prize in the first-ever Cash for Cans: American Recycler Video Award with its “I CAN” video. You can see the video here. Cincinnati-based Get Sick Productions produced the video, which features citizens, a mascot, and even pair of elephants promoting aluminum can recycling. "We're delighted to have our video voted as winning entry. We thank all of those who went online and cast their vote for Cincinnati,” said Get Sick Productions President Jonathan Miller.It was one of about 75 videos that were submitted to the contest sponsored by The United States Conference of Mayors, Novelis Corporation and Keep America Beautiful Inc. The winning video will be the commercial for Keep America Beautiful's 2010 Cans for Cash city recycling challenge. And Cincinnati will receive $5,000 for local recycling efforts. Launched in early 2009, Get Sick markets and advertises the Greater Cincinnati metro area. Cincinnati's Office of Environmental Quality, Get Sick Productions, Rumpke, Mayor Mallory's Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet (YPKC), and the Cincinnati Zoo collaborated to produce the video for the contest. "We're delighted to have our video voted as winning entry. We thank all of those who went online and cast their vote for Cincinnati,” said Get Sick Productions President Jonathan Miller. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Get Sick Productions President Jonathan Miller

TiER1 wins military research contract to prevent insider cyber threats

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General

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December 1, 2009

Covington-based TiER1 Performance Solutions 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. Insider cyber security threats are considered one of the highest threats to U.S government and business data security. TiER1, founded in 2002, is a provider of end-to-end online learning and knowledge management solutions. Other clients include FedEx, Fidelity Investments, Kraft, Wendy’s and Procter and Gamble. “Our solution will provide a comprehensive training delivery platform that employs serious games and instructional support features for supervisors to practice skills in cyber threat detection,” said Terence Andre, Principal Consultant for TiER1. The Phase II funding Small Business Innovative Research award is a first for the company, and a growth area for TiER1. “Winning this highly competitive award provides a strategic entry into the fast growing field of Cyber Security, and positions TiER1 as a leader in training solutions required to combat these threats to our national security,” said Normand G. Desmarais, TiER1's Co-Founder and Chairman. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: TiER1 Performance Solutions

Hack us if you can: start-up Wiresoft issues Firegate hacker challenge

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General

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December 1, 2009

Many software companies talk a big game when it comes to Internet security, but Wiresoft is putting its money where its mouth is. The Cincinnati-based network security provider will pay $24,000 to anyone who can hack Firegate, its single-platform network security product. Wiresoft president Tom Schram is excited about the visibility his company has gained through the Hack Us If You Can Contest. But meeting the needs of small and medium-sized businesses drives his quest for unrivaled security.“If I lose connectivity to the Internet, I’ve lost the umbilical cord of my small business,” said Schram. “But many small and medium-sized businesses don’t have the money for a security investment.” Schram provides value to the consumer with an all-inclusive security/disaster recovery platform. A small business doesn’t have to purchase separate products and hope that they interface well. Firegate’s firewall functions control access and block spam. One company’s case study showed that with increased employee productivity, it recouped the cost of Firegate within a couple of months.Schram’s technical and practical experience allows him to meet business needs efficiently. He’s served as a U.S. Navy cryptologist, and was recently named to the advisory board of Ball State University’s Computer Science department. He’s also done marketing and product development for Procter and Gamble, and worked at a small ad agency. While Wiresoft’s resellers market Firegate nationally, its Cincinnati staff expands its reach within the city. After adding three new jobs in six months, Schram will move Wiresoft’s staff of seven into a new Kemper Road office in early December. With the internet security field growing at 30 percent a year, expansion plans will continue into 2010. So will Schram’s vision for philanthropy. Plans are in the works for donating Firegate to a large local educational institution. Since Schram and three of his employees are veterans, contributions to the Fallen Heroes fund are a Wiresoft priority. “A month ago, we were a small, local company,” said Schram. The Hackers’ Challenge has put Wiresoft on the map. But local and national investment will keep it in the game.For more information on Hack Us If You Can, visit www.wiresoft.comWriter: Elena StevensonSource: Bill Schram, President, Wiresoft

Nation’s design employers: UC is tops

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Architecture + Design

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December 1, 2009

The University of Cincinnati has the top undergrad interior design program in the nation, say the country’s leading design employers. UC’s program was ranked 1st in the nation in the DesignIntelligence11th annual America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools study, on behalf of the Design Futures Council. The Council is a network of design, product, and construction leaders across the U.S. It’s the 10th time in a row, the UC interior design program has taken top honors in the rankings. Other UC design programs ranked high, as well. The university’s undergraduate industrial program ranked 4th in the nation, the graduate industrial design program ranked 5th and the graduate architecture program ranked 6th. The programs are part of the university's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, or DAAP. The ranking came from surveys of employers at 381 small, medium and large design firms. Two UC professors also stood out in the poll, ranked among the nation’s Top 25 design faculty. Michaele Pride, associate professor in UC’s School of Architecture and Interior Design and Robert Probst dean, UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. This is just the latest accolades UC’s design programs have earned. Earlier this fall, Businessweek named the University of Cincinnati’s Master's in Design as one of the best programs across the globe. “We are pleased to receive consistently high rankings by Design Intelligence. That’s because DAAP has an extensive and supportive network of industry and institutional partners. ‘’We strive to produce innovators as well as design thinkers and leaders. It is especially rewarding that two of us here at the University of Cincinnati, Professor Michaele Pride and myself, were named amongst the top 25 design educators in the country this year,” Probst said. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: UC Assistant Director of Public Relations M.B. Reilly and Robert Probst dean, UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning

NKY Community Action Commission adds creative works to Covington Arts District

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Arts + Culture

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December 1, 2009

The Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission has been inspired by its neighbors in the Covington Art District. The first floor of the agency’s administrative services center, at 717 Madison Ave., now is devoted to the NKYCAC Art Gallery. The gallery’s works rotate every two months, promoting local artists in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati. “It’s a natural extension of the all the art galleries in Covington,” said NKYCAC public information officer Karen Bishop. “We’re just across the street from the Madison Theatre and the artists on Madison and Pike Streets, and decided to put an art gallery in our lobby downstairs to be a part of it.” The commission provides emergency housing, education and other services to low-income families in eight Northern Kentucky counties. The gallery opened in October 2007 with an exhibit by Duvenek Center art students. Currently five artists’ work is on display through Dec. 23rd in the “The Holiday Presence” exhibit. Most is for sale and proceeds from this and other exhibits go to both the artists and the Commission. The gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. and local art district fixture Arlene Gibeau, former director of the Northern Kentucky Arts Council, is the curator. The gallery is also part of the Covington’s First Friday Gallery hop, on the first Friday of each month. Current artists are: Jane Bresser, Porcelain; Richard Overman, Ceramics; Diane Kruer, Jewelry and Photography; Rena Gibeau, Fabric and CrochetAmy Weber, Fabric and the Needle. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: NKYCAC public information officer Karen Bishop

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Tri-State’s DarcyVDesign

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Arts + Culture

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December 1, 2009

After a decade in New York, Cincinnati native Darcy Voorhees returned home to build her own animation studio. But the 1997 Kings High School graduate doesn’t limit herself to local accounts. Vorhees’ DarcyVDesign contributed to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles Forever, a movie feting the cartoon’s 25th anniversary, from her home office.“The storyboarding work my company did on TMNT is just one example of the great creative products that can be delivered from some place other than the (East or West) Coasts,” says Vorhees. “With technological advances in communication, we are just an email, text message, video phone call, or instant message away from our clients. We can do everything the folks on the coasts can do, and more.” Vorhees’ resume includes commercials, pilots, Disney’s Lizzie McGuire Movie, MTV’s Friday: The Animated Series, and over 100 TMNT episodes. She credits her success to the relationships she’s built in the industry and help from her professors at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. “Truthfully, I never interviewed for a job. In animation, they care that (colleagues) get along with you, and they look at your portfolio.” At Pratt, Vorhees majored in Film with a concentration in Traditional Animation. She finished her bachelor’s in 2001, at the dawn of the digital revolution. “I learned digital animation in the real world, not in college.”Being a gender pioneer was a small obstacle for Vorhees, who started dreaming of an animation career at age 13. She was the only female at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ studio in New York City. The show’s male-centric themes expanded her creative palette. “At first, it was hard to connect with the guys, but I learned a lot. I have a new appreciation for martial arts now.”Vorhees looks forward to connecting with Cincinnati companies; she can lend her diversity of skills to commercials and other corporate needs. Upcoming projects for DarcyVDesign include Space Chasers, a Roy Burdine property that Vorhees describes as “Thomas the Tank Engine in outer space,” and Pirate School, an animated series. The TMNT 25th Anniversary Movie debuted on the CW Network Nov. 21. For more information: www.DarcyV.comWriter: Elena StevensonSource: Darcy Vorhees, DarcyVDesign