Could Israel be the new economic engine that spurs business growth here in Cincinnati? That's what some Cincinnati business leaders are betting as they woo energetic entrepreneurs from Israel, a country that boasts one of the most innovative economies in the world and has more companies on the NASDAQ exchange than the entire continent of Europe.
After two years playing linebacker for the UC Bearcats football team Leighton "Leo" Morgan decided that Caribbean food and Reggae Music were the best way for him to grab a slice of the American dream.Five months ago he and his cousin Kirk Morgan, a Jamaican chef, opened Island Frydays Restaurant and Catering at 2826 Short Vine St. in Clifton. They serve Caribbean dishes like jerk chicken and curried goat with steamed vegetables, "reggae rice" and fried plantains. The meat is tender and the flavors authentic. Most dishes are kept buffet-style to give patrons "good food fast," according to Leo Morgan. Lunch specials are $5 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Both owners were born in Clarendon, Jamaica, and followed their own paths to Cincinnati. Leo moved as a teenager to stay with relatives in Connecticut before moving to Cincinnati. Kirk was a chef for the major Jamaican chain Golden Crust in New York City before he got the call from Leo to come to Cincinnati. Last week, Island Frydays’ Reggae Compilation #1 played in their dining room as aromas of scallion, pimiento, curry and scotch bonnet wafted from the kitchen. Leo, a Jamaican DJ, compiles and publishes the CDs himself."We keep the island vibes here - not just the food - but we try to bring everything to the table, the whole island experience," Leo said.On one wall of their restaurant hang photos and biographies of Caribbean heroes, many of whom Leo and Kirk watched on television as children. Beneath them sits a brightly colored, hand-painted "Ludi" board - a popular game in Jamaica that is "like monopoly, but violent," Leo said.A sign near the entryway heralding "Island Fryday's World Famous Jerk Chicken" suggests patrons will "taste the flavors of paradise." The slogans are part of Kirk and Leo's plan to expand, first with a carryout location in Cincinnati and then as a regional chain. Their hopes are fueled by patrons who travel from as far away as Dayton, Northern Kentucky and Indiana to find authentic Caribbean food. Members of Cincinnati's eclectic immigrant community come for dishes that remind them of home. "We get African, Asian, and Indian customers because our meals tie in with a lot of different foods," Leo said. Leo and Kirk have catered church and school fundraisers free of charge, and plan to start a Jamaican association in Cincinnati. They use Facebook and Google ads to get the word out, but Leo attributes their busy lunch and dinner hours to the power of word-of-mouth marketing."I mean, you tasted the food, right?" he said.For more information call 513-498-0680 or visit their website.
Uncover the early days of sleek interior design with the Florence Knoll: Defining Modern exhibit at UC. Travel back to Venice during the days of the evil Iago with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's production of Othello or channel your inner royalty in the Bockfest 2010 Sausage Queen Competition.
Thirty years ago we based paint with lead and insulated our homes with toxic asbestos - and while Cincinnati's existing comprehensive plan might not be outright poisonous, thirty years after its drafting, we live in a world that it couldn't account for, and with knowledge it could only imagine at the time. Enter Plan Cincinnati, the beginning of the city's first comprehensive plan since the 70s - which seeks to answer the questions who are we as a city? and what do we want to become?
A year after Ohio launched two pilot programs aimed at minority business growth and job creation, the Minority Business Development Organization in Cincinnati is aimed at guiding small business owners determined make their businesses grow. "We've identified who can really get the most out of the program, and they are growth-oriented firms willing and able to work on their business, and not just day-to-day aspects of doing a job," said Leslie Young, Program Manager at the African-American Chamber of Commerce of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The African American chamber is the lead partner in the MBDO. Other partners include the Cincinnati Hispanic and Regional chambers, Greater Cincinnati Microenterprise Initiative (GCMI), Economic Empowerment Center of the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati (EEC), South Central Ohio Minority Supplier Diversity Council (SCOMSDC) and Cincinnati State Technical & Community College. The state picked Cincinnati and Akron to launch the pilot program, aimed and growing jobs and creating economic wealth through each city's minority entrepreneurial communities.The MBDO takes full advantage of the resources Cincinnati already offers businesses, but streamlines the business growth process for owners, offering an assessment of where each business is, where they want to be and what training or certifications they need to get there. "Each collaborative partner has a role in this arrangement and it minimizes the duplication of efforts. We have our designated roles, and have figured out a lot of how the processes best work since we started," Young said. The program is currently free, but a small fee could be charged in the near future, Young said. The program is open to any small business that is at least 51 percent minority-owned and located in Ohio. So far, the MBDO has served 120 firms from Cincinnati to Columbus. Most are Business-to- Business or Business-to-Government focused. As the program enters its second year this February, the initiative is pushing forward to create new networking opportunities. "We have firms working on their plans and we want to connect them to real business opportunities. We want them doing business with people they haven't been doing it with before," Young said. Writer: Feoshia Henderson Source: Leslie Young, MBDO Program Manager Follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiasoapbox.com
The names of Cincinnatians C.F. Payne, Loren Long or Robert McGinnis may not be instantly reconizable to most people. But the three are rock stars of the illustration world. It goes deeper. Turns out our region has a plethora of first-class illustrators and graphic artists who choose to call Cincinnati home. Their work is not always well-known in town, even in local business and marketing circles.
Three years ago, Debbie Christy McCurry founded Women’s Idea Network with one simple question in mind: “How do you find the courage to start your own business?” The answer started McCurry on her own journey to entrepreneurship. WIN’s networking luncheons have taken off in West Chester, and are attended by female business owners from every field. In 2010, McCurry plans to expand WIN to eleven additional Tri-State communities.As a commercial real estate manager, McCurry saw a need to bring together the women who rented business space in her buildings. When she organized a luncheon to share ideas, several women asked if they could bring a friend. To her surprise, 29 women showed up for the first meeting and Women’s Idea Network was off and running. The format for a WIN meeting is simple. During two networking rounds, groups of ten trade business cards, seek solutions to problems and get to know each other. “It’s a soft structure - no pressure,” says McCurry.McCurry builds WIN around the needs of her clients. “I’m not going to sell you a blue dress if you don’t need one,” she quips. Early meetings featured speakers, but McCurry found that her attendees preferred talking about their own businesses. McCurry’s vision for the future of WIN includes a magazine and a large annual meeting for all chapters.WIN’s charter West Chester meeting takes place at the Beckett Ridge Country Club, 11:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M., the third Wednesday of each month. One hundred fifty local women are members; average attendance at a WIN luncheon ranges from eighty to one hundred fifty. Women pay $15 to attend a luncheon, and can attend their first with no obligation to join the organization. Reservations are due the Friday before the event.Right now, McCurry is laying the groundwork for a simultaneous launch of the 11 additional WIN locations; partners are helping her scout locations, secure staff, and market the meetings. Another company has approached McCurry about launching WIN-style events in Indianapolis and Columbus, but McCurry has these plans on hold until the Cincinnati events are well underway. Amid the scope of her business plan, McCurry keeps the needs of individual business owners first on her list. She describes WIN as “a business sisterhood…as much about the personal side of our lives as about the businesses. Sometimes, you just need someone to come alongside you and say, ‘Hey, you can do it.’”Written by: Elena StevensonSource: Debbie Christy McCurry, Founder and President, Women’s Idea Network
Cincinnati's fire department, Butler County's sheriff's department, and several other agencies in Greater Cincinnati are using a new language translation gadget to aid in interactions with the region's non-English speaking population. The new devices were given to the Cincinnati agencies by the Latino Educational Assimilation Resource Network Inc. and enable users to select common statements or questions relating to law enforcement. The selected option can then be translated aloud into whichever language the user chooses. Read full article here.
Macy's took on gay pride as a national campaign in 2009 not to make a political statement, but instead to support their associates and customers. The company cites their diverse clientele as a major reason behind this decision. To do this, Cincinnati-based Macy's has been utilizing Corliss Fong to help the nation's largest department-store chain reach gay and lesbian customers across its 850 stores. Read full article here.
San Francisco. New York. Seattle. Cities with urban living options that afford big, beautiful views at top dollar prices. How about Cincinnati? The city's unique hillsides surrounding the downtown basin offer residents affordability and access to all the urban core amenities you can imagine but also provide million dollar views for a fraction of the cost of those better known 'view' cities. Soapbox takes a look at four homes from these affordable urban neighborhoods and the Cincinnatians who've found their own room with a view.
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