Cincinnati is a city with limitless possibilities. We’re home to some the biggest names in business, great arts and social avenues, plus our residents are shaping the future each day.
Unfortunately, like other metropolitan areas, some connections may come down to knowing where to look. This fact makes it difficult for newly relocated executives to quickly adjust.
That’s where the new company
BLACKbook EMG comes in. Chris Ostoich and Andrew Jones had the brilliant idea of tailoring experiences and connections to the individual to help him get exactly what he wants out of Cincinnati or on a particular trip. The goal is to showcase the treasures of the city, ensuring retention of valuable executives and helping businesses build relationships with their clients.
BLACKbook provides three key services: Culture Shock™ helps transplants find the Cincinnati connections and places that meet their needs; Rainmaker™ manages and implements activities in cities across the U.S.; and BLACKout creates once-in-a-lifetime adventures.
“Through our service we are able to increase employee retention and attraction. There will be a boost in employee productivity and we create advocates of the company and the city’s brand,” Ostoich relates. “The employer has the hero factor, as the employee becomes networked socially and professionally.”
Their Culture Shock experience is effective because it’s customized to fit exactly what the person needs to be immersed in the city. “Each BLACKbook is uniquely tailored to each individual. We know there is plenty of information out there if you have the time, resources and bandwidth,” Jones says. “Our consultants spend the time to get to know the person and their family. We learn if their kids like Blink 182 or what he got his wife for her birthday.”
Then, within approximately 30 days, that individual will have suggestions for everything from tailors and places of worship to the best social outings and networks. It’s this type of attention to detail that companies will use to sweeten a job offering and lower the risk of valuable employees leaving the city. Companies like Accel Advisors have seen the benefits.
According to Ric Powell, Partner,
Multi-Cultural Marketing Practice, Accel also specializes in strategic sourcing and organizational effectiveness for a global market. He believes BLACKbook is an invaluable resource for companies whose executives might be targeted by the competition. “They create a personalized black book that gets at risk employees entrenched in the communities and get more out of the Cincinnati experience. I have not found any other company that provides this level of attention,” Powell notes.
Accel will also use BLACKbook to help create their branding initiatives. “If a group of executives want to understand the African or Latin American culture, we design (with BLACKbook) a series of experiences to give them that better understanding,” Powell explains. “We are also working with TriHealth on their big hospital administration conference. We were planning to design a recruitment event, as they’ll have a lot of executives in one place at one time. We will help them create a TriHealth branded experience for when their executives come to Cincinnati.”
Another client is Lisa Boh, Creative Director for
Blue Whitespace, whose company specializes in strategy, marketing and design. She has personally and professionally used the Rainmaker services. Boh had BLACKbook arrange a dinner for her and her clients at the exclusive “The Bank Nightclub at Bellagio” in Las Vegas.
“The trade show day was already busy and I didn’t want to waste everyone’s time deciding what to do. Everything was taken care of and the clients felt important and appreciated.”
Boh further relates, “They (BLACKbook) are focused on the details of night, so that I can focus on building the relationship with the client… They find the right place for the meeting. I can tell them I want Jean Ro, but not Pigall’s, and they know what I mean. They listen to what people want and learn the difference of what they mean when they describe things in general terms.”
How the Idea Was Born
The initiative began when Ostoich moved from Baton Rouge to attend the University of Cincinnati. He began to experience what he calls “a silo effect.”
“Cincinnati has such a diverse landscape that is divided into silos, which could affect the impression of the premier of anything. This city is and should be on the same tier as Chicago and New York,” Ostoich says.
Years later, while working for Paine Webber, Ostoich began to find Cincinnati’s hidden gems and learn more about the opportunities. Part of his job as a financial advisor depended on his ability to have the right relationships and he went through culture shock again. He had to develop those connections fast and noticed more people like himself every day.
“I started to see trends in what I was doing. My clients’ questions became less about finance and more about the city,” Ostoich recalls. “They wanted to know where to go for Thai food or how to get tickets to that sold out show. Then, my clients started to say this is a guy you want to know.”
From those experiences came his side business called Culture Shock and Ostoich became a resource for lifestyle questions. He was still sporadically working on Culture Shock when he and Jones took a fateful trip to New York City. To best use their limited time, the guys asked the concierge for a suggested night on the town. Unfortunately, his only recommendation was an Italian restaurant across the street.
“Over the meal I explained about the Culture Shock concept that I had let fall to the wayside. We talked about what if there was someone on the ground that could be that resource,” Ostoich states. “We spent that whole night driving in a cab and talked about our grand plans for this company.”
After more discussions, Jones says they formed BLACKbook and began focusing on Cincinnati with the help of an advisory board of directors. “We can say we have deep knowledge in hospitality, HR, restaurants, consumer goods and across a number of areas. The experience is not based just on us, but also on well-connected individuals.”
It is those connections and experiences that make this business so uniquely perfect for an amazing city like Cincinnati. “One of the great things about Cincinnati is you can make things happen here. If you are passionate about what you do, companies and employees take note,” Ostoich shares. “This is a world–class city. If we can be part of the re-branding of Cincinnati as such a great place, I would consider us successful.”
Photography by Scott Beseler
View of the city from Blackbook offices
Peter Suszkiw, Chris Ostoich, and Andrew Jones (Left to Right)
Triptych
Chris Ostoich explains Blackbooks model
Day retreat aboard the Yacht