Innovation News

L’Oreal USA expands, create 211 jobs in NKY

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December 4, 2012

Cosmetics giant L’Oréal USA is expanding in Northern Kentucky, investing more than $42 million in a plant expansion in Florence. The expansion will create 211 new jobs. Hiring will start early next year, nearly doubling the plant's current workforce. Additionally, the French-based global cosmetics and hair care manufacturer has 60 employees at its Walton distribution center. L'Oreal USA Florence Manufacturing Facility is currently 560,000 sq ft. The 110,000 sq ft plant expansion is expected to create 211 jobs. Since 1993, the Florence facility has nearly doubled in both size and staffing. “L’Oréal’s business is growing globally, and the expansion will enable us to meet increased consumer demand for the popular hair care brands we are producing in Kentucky,” plant manager Eric Wolff said in an accouncement. “The Florence plant is a center of manufacturing excellence for the L’Oréal Group, and the decision to expand U.S. production here will result in significant economic benefits for Kentuckians.” L’Oréal USA is the largest wholly-owned subsidiary of L’Oréal SA, based in Paris, France. In business for more than a century, L’Oréal has built a portfolio of 27 international beauty brands. The company employs more than 68,000 people worldwide. “L’Oréal’s decision to expand their manufacturing operations in Kenton County is a great example of our existing companies’ commitment to Northern Kentucky,” added Kenton County Judge-Executive Steve Arlinghaus, former chairman of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED’s board of directors. “This is great news that drives our economic development focus in Northern Kentucky and the ongoing cohesive efforts of Tri-ED, the local community and the Commonwealth.” By Feoshia Henderson Follow Feoshia on Twitter

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Simple Portrait Project captures personalities in 30-minute sessions

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Arts + Culture

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December 4, 2012

Commercial photographer Jonathan Robert Willis shares an almost stereotypical weakness with some fellow creatives: he hates artificial deadlines. “I’m really good with hard, fast, we-need-it-yesterday commercial deadlines,” he says, describing the focus of his self-named photography business. When friends and family nagged him for photos, he launched The Simple Portrait Project, which mixes the speed of commercial work with traditional group portraits. In sessions held once or twice a year, Willis gathers dozens of families or small groups, shooting each in the same space with the same prop. He spends just 30 minutes on each family from start to finish. “It’s great because it’s just enough time to get the best out of the kids before they melt down, and it’s short enough for the dad, who doesn’t want to be there to begin with in many cases,” Willis says. That means that the family comes in and is posed, photographed and advised about prints, all in a half hour. For the last few minutes, Willis turns a critical eye to each set of photographs, helping subjects select a handful of the best photographs. Still, he compares the sessions to a marathon, admitting: “It’s literally nonstop from about 9 am until 8:30 pm. I’m a little intimidated by it.” The project turns the angsty hair-pulling of traditional family photography on its head and, as it happens, yields eye-catching photos. The families don’t look like they're from a J.Crew catalog, but they don’t look scruffy, either. Not everyone beams, and not everyone is even looking at the camera; Willis says his goal is comfortable, natural poses. There’s one simple rule for participants: no matching clothes. “I can’t think of a single image where I’ve seen everybody in the same sweater where I’m like, ‘Wow, that was a great idea,’” Willis says. “You have to trust that I’m going to make something great, but you’ve also got to do your part, which is following that rule.” Willis’ final session for the project in 2012 is Saturday, Dec. 8, with the potential for Sunday sessions depending on demand. He hopes to schedule the first session of 2013 around Easter. By Robin Donovan

Launch Werks prototypes help inventors attract funding

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Architecture + Design

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November 20, 2012

With big names in branding hovering in an around Cincinnati, it can start to seem like the brand is everything, and intangible products are the only thing that can really sell – and scale. However, two industrial designers pairing up in Over-the-Rhine are challenging that assumption, combining their skills in design, engineering, and budding knowledge of manufacturing and sourcing materials at a start-up they call “The Launch Werks.” As the name implies, The Launch Werks not only offers its own, tangible products, but helps small businesses and innovators create prototypes from their ideas. That means doing everything from helping to design prototypes that consumers will rush to engage with to planning the look of the final object, imagining how people might interact with it, and even specifying the materials it should be manufactured from and where to purchase them. Co-founders Noel Gauthier and Matt Anthony met as industrial design students at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) and quickly realized a shared interested in what happens after the design phase of a new product. “The leap it takes to to go from an idea to a real product fascinates us," Gauthier explains. "So much happens when an idea is translated into a made thing. … Having worked in various product design firms around the country, we never had a close connection with where and how the products we designed were being made.” So he and Anthony began to connect Cincinnati-area product development with high-quality manufacturing, filling a niche for companies that weren’t ready for large-scale production, but needed something to show potential investors. Anthony says he sees an opening right now for foodie-friendly items. “I think we’re going to see more local stores and products follow developments in the food movement: making unique products and doing it well. But we want to see some of them scale the way that Jeni’s Ice Cream or Taste of Belgium has.” For a city already big on branding, it might just be a tasty step in the right direction. By Robin Donovan

Kilgour School awarded $24K innovation grant to boost tech access, entrepreneurial skills

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Education + Learning

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November 20, 2012

A new financial literacy enrichment course at Kilgour School is expanding, spurred by a $24,000 innovation grant awarded by tech communications company MiCTA. The grant builds on a class that Cincinnati's Partnership for Innovation in Education (or PIE) piloted at the school, called Student MBA: Bringing Business to the Classroom. Mary Welsh Schlueter, PIE's founder and chief executive, developed and taught the five-week class at Kilgour as part of a student enrichment period. Schlueter, a Kilgour parent, modeled the class after a Harvard Business School course. "I taught basic concepts, including the SWOT analysis, the five Ps of marketing and the product life cycle," says Schlueter. Students' tech, financial and entrepreneurial skills were tapped when they were asked to find ways to increase lemon sales. "They developed many new ideas and used lemons in different ways, not just as a food source or cleaning agent," says Schlueter. The project led to the creation of an Android app, a game called Lemon Smash. "The goal of the game is to smash lemons to make lemonade so you can make some moo-lah," its description reads. Proceeds from the 99-cent app go back to the school. The class and app creation brought on some big partners. Sprint donated the technology, UC's Economics Center wrote and compiled all the achievement assessments and NKU’s Center for Applied Informatics helped students design and develop the app. There are plans to make it available for the iPhone as well. "This was a $100,000 project, and all of the work was done pro-bono," Schlueter says. The MiCTA grant will allow the class to continue. It will also fund 20 new handheld tablets for the school's gifted program. NKU will partner with the school to offer an app development class, which will also be available to any Cincinnati Public Schools student who has access to take the class virtually. PIE is looking to expand funding opportunities for the STEM-aligned program using app development and technology to "incubate" students' entrepreneurial efforts and promote across the globe, says Schlueter. It's a way to help students learn valuable skills, provide a new revenue stream for schools, and allow deeper tech uililzation for K-8 students and teachers across all subject areas. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter

Cincinnati Game and Toy Industry Professionals publish Cincinnati Toymakers Holiday Gift Guide

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Architecture + Design

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November 20, 2012

Once home to iconic companies like Kenner, Cincinnati has a long history of toy making. Though no longer here, much toy making talent remains in the Queen City. That talent joined together through a new group, called Cincinnati Game and Toy Industry Professionals. The group was started by Cincinnati entrepreneur Michelle Spelman, co-creator of the card game Jukem Football. "When we first started promoting the game, we did it all through social media," Spelman says. "A lot of people started contacting me saying, 'I heard about what you're doing. I used to work for Hasbro,' or 'I used to work for Kenner. I'd love to meet you for coffee and pick your brain." After a while, Spelman was getting too much caffeine, and not getting a lot of work done. That's when she decided to create a virtual meeting place on LinkedIn. "I wasn't in a position to help all these people in the way they needed, so I started a social media group," Spelman says. "I thought we'd get 40 or 50 people. We got that in a couple of months. We're now into this two-and-a-half years, and we have almost 300 members." Not all the LinkedIn members are currently in Cincinnati, but they've either lived here, worked here or have ties to the region. Some have founded startups like Spelman, while others head established regional companies or are high-level executives for major brands. "People thought when Hasbro left all the toy makers left Cincinnati, but that's not true," Spelman says. "We have a lot of great talent here. It's really a subculture. Our group provides networking that reconnects this fragmented group and uncovers opportunities. It also provides newcomers to the industry w a place to learn from the veterans and find resources and expertise to further their ventures." In addition to the online meeting spot, local toymakers also come together quarterly for breakfast. At their most recent breakfast, the second annual Cincinnati Toymakers Holiday Gift Guide was released on Slideshare. The toys include familiar favorites like Play-Doh, Sit 'N Spin, original Star Wars action figures and the Magic 8 Ball, in addition to newer toys and games. The catalog also includes a list of independent, locally owned Cincinnati toy stores. "If you want to fill the space under your tree with Cincinnati products this year, you could," Spelman says. By Feoshia Henderson Follow Feoshia on Twitter

The Garage Group helps established companies tap entrepreneurial spirit

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Architecture + Design

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November 13, 2012

Entrepreneurship isn't just for startups. That's the tagline and philosophy behind The Garage Group, a Cincinnati-based consultancy that helps large, established companies tap into their entrepreneurial spirit. The Hyde Park-based company was co-founded by Jason Hauer and Ann Lauer, two business colleagues who left their jobs at a small innovation firm to start their own businesses. "The concept for The Garage Group reflects what we've liked to do across the lifetime of our careers, unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit of a startup, along with the discipline and focus of a larger, established organization," Lauer says. "Our skill sets complemented one another." Lauer spent 17 years working in the corporate and nonprofit worlds. She's experienced in strategic planning, leadership and business development in addition to marketing and research. Hauer's experience lies in business model creation and scale up, entrepreneurial and growth strategy, idea creation and project movement. More companies are turning to this type of internal entrepreneurship to create new products and services, as economic pressures force them to do more with less, Lauer says. The Garage Group offers one-on-one business consulting as well as workshops that help companies address specific innovation challenges. "We work in three main areas: strategy, ideas and organizational development," Lauer says. "We help organizations develop a platform to support innovation. We look at how the organization assigns roles, how people interact with each other and company culture. There are seven different elements we look at in developing an entrepreneurship structure within a company." The company's clients have included Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Greater Cincinnati Health Council, Nationwide Insurance, Kantar, a consumer insight company and LPK. "Most companies don't have an entrepreneurial strategy, or if they do, it's too short-term or too experimental," Hauer says. "We can help them come up with a pipeline of ideas, drive focus and create a process for testing those ideas." The Garage Group's ultimate goal is to help its clients create a process that allows a constant stream of innovation, tapping internal talent to grow. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter

Community classes coming to The Brandery

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Architecture + Design

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November 13, 2012

The Brandery is known for its 14-week program that prepares entrepreneurs for the launch of their startups. But for the next two months, they’re trying something a little different. The Brandery will be offering community classes that cross a spectrum of themes. The classes are relevant to anyone with an idea, working for a startup or with the goal of re-envisioning some of the work they do, says Chelsea Koglmeier, program coordinator at The Brandery. The sessions will be from 5:30 to 7 pm and will include a presentation followed by a Q&A. Each class is $20 per person, per event. Sign up for a class below: Monday, Nov. 12: Branding 101—the basics of startup technology, Mike Bott, general manager of The BranderyMonday, Nov. 26: Gamification—how real game design is much more than a point system, Chris Bergmann, cofounder of ChoreMonsterWednesday, Dec. 5: Social Media for Startups—learnings from the ground, Tatiana Danger, RoadtrippersMonday, Dec. 10: Inspiration is All Around—taking ideas and creating an enterprise, Micheal Bergman, CEO of REPPMonday, Dec. 17: Financing a Small Business—different avenues to finance a small business, from traditional loans to SocStock, Jay Finch, SocStockMonday, Jan. 7: Technology for Your Company—choosing the right tool for the job, Charlie Key, CEO at ModulusTuesday, Jan. 8: Tweet About It #startups—how to best utilize Twitter to make your startup pop, JB Kropp, TwitterMonday, Jan. 14: Top 10 Legal Mistakes that Kill Companies, Rob McDonald, Taft LawTuesday, Jan. 22: Nerd Wisperer—how to speak intelligently about your vision to developers, Matt Duch, OntractWednesday, Jan. 23: How to Get Startup Famous—a cautionary tale, Julian Miller, OntractBy Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter

ShareThis founder offers advice for entrepreneurs

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Architecture + Design

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November 13, 2012

Tim Schigel is the chairman and founder of ShareThis, a sharing and engagement platform. He served as the director of Blue Chip Venture Company and was involved with the growth of Nielsen Buzzmetrics, a leading platform for measuring blog sentiment and forums, and Third Screen Media, the first mobile advertising platform. Schigel will be sharing his experience and tips with other entrepreneurs at the first Startup Grind event in Cincinnati, Dec. 6 at The Brandery. What was your first startup in Cincinnati? My first job out of college (CWRU BSEE) was with Pharos Technologies. I was employee number 11. The company grew and became Digineer. I created a pioneering product for remote computer management for the Mac at the time. I also built P&G’s world-wide network. This was all in the early 90s. Where did you get your idea for that first startup? I’ve always enjoyed pursuing new ideas. At Pharos, I grew and transitioned from a technical role into the VP of Sales and Marketing, and eventually left to do my own thing. I was also fascinated with venture capital and the fast-paced tech lifestyle of Silicon Valley. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, albeit mostly small business. Why do you think startups are important to the community? Startups are the engine of innovation. There is so much freedom to explore technology, business management and business models. This creates a great environment for unanticipated results. Often great innovations are accidental. It takes the right environment, however, to let those accidents happen. The other factor that is a driving force for startups is time—they don’t have any. It forces the entrepreneur to adapt quickly in all respects. Do you regularly attend Startup Grind meetings? No, this is the first one. I’m excited, and anyone who knows me knows that I love to help startups and explore new ideas. Where do you draw your inspiration from when coming up with new ideas? Everywhere. I’m a big believer in the cross-pollination of ideas. The next answer to a software problem might come from biology or some other completely different domain. We should put everything on the table and encourage people to develop a natural curiosity and well-rounded perspective. I also think innovation comes from constraints. Some of the most interesting products have emerged from very constrained environments that act as a forcing function for creativity. Open-ended creativity is actually hard and doesn’t always lead to the most interesting solution. Finally, I like taking a contrarian point of view. If everyone thought about a problem the same way, you would lack new ideas. Sometimes the biggest disruptive ideas are viewed as out of touch, misunderstood or not even recognized until after they’ve become disruptive. This is an interesting balancing act for an entrepreneur because you need to be a good listener and respond to feedback, but also stay true to your convictions. The more informed those convictions are, the better. Some people stick to convictions regardless of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Ultimately, the evidence should hopefully support your thesis and when that happens, you know you’ve done something new and special. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter

Noble Denim launches with American-made, designer-quality jeans

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Architecture + Design

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November 13, 2012

Looking for something "crafty" to learn, Chris Sutton took up jean-making nearly two years ago. "I wanted to learn how to make something with my own hands," says Sutton, whose background is in live event production. "I'd been doing a lot of tech endeavors, and wanted to get my hands dirty." Once he began sewing jeans, Sutton found he had a real talent for it. He decided he wanted to make high-quality, American-made jeans, a rarity in today's clothing manufacturing sector. He sought out American sources for his material, thread, zippers and pocket materials. Yes, he found them all in the USA; and he created Noble Denim. "I wanted to make my own rules around what could and couldn't be done," he says. "I wanted to make my jeans in America, and make them as sustainably as possible." Using his home in Over-the-Rhine as a sewing factory, Sutton began making and selling Noble Denim jeans. Twelve industrial sewing machines later, he moved the company into a space at Camp Washington. Designer in style and quality, they're meant to have a longer shelf life than your average mass-produced jean. Materials come from suppliers in Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Colorado, Oregon and California. They're made from raw selvage denim, made through a time-consuming process that makes the material thicker and more durable. This type of denim is supposed to better fit the wearer's body and resist shrinkage. Sutton launched an online shop in November, where buyers can chose from two styles, Regular and Earnest Slim Straight. The jeans are pricey, $250 per pair, but all materials are 100 percent organic, reclaimed or responsibly produced. Currently, Noble Denim sells jeans only for men; a women's line is planned for next fall. Noble Denim is a young company, and Sutton still does most of the sewing. He does have interns who are learning the jean-making craft. Within the next year, he hopes to hire three or four employees, who'll make 3,000 pairs of jeans a year. "I want to grow, but only as fast as I can stick to my philosophy," Sutton says. "So our mantra is grow slow, but do it well." By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter

Instagram-inspired Booth FX launches in O’Bryonville

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Diversity

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November 13, 2012

“A digital spin on the traditional photo booth” is Kelley Andersen’s super-short explanation of Booth FX Photo Booth Company, which she launched with her partner, Allison Gates, last month. The pair built the idea for their company on a love of photo booths, two creative personalities and their vision for a photo booth that was more than a traditional, space-limited box. “We first looked at the booths you can buy, and they were nice, but not what we were looking for," Andersen says. "We wanted something that was more digital. I love Instagram, and was trying to figure out how we could do that as a photo booth." The booth they custom-built--“with a lot of time and a lot of mistakes,” Andersen adds--measures 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet, is 5.5 feet tall and incorporates software that allows photos to be viewed, edited and shared. Rather than expecting participants to hop inside, the booth houses the photography equipment. Participants gather in the space around the booth to snap a photo in front of customized backdrops the women create for each event with input from hosts. Features of the booth include a wireless remote and a touchscreen for viewing images on the back of the booth. This allows attendees to view photos, use filter effects (much in the same way as one would with Instagram) and upload images to social media immediately. The co-founders provide wireless internet with a mobile hotspot. Booth FX launched last month, and both founders still have full-time day jobs--Gates as a designer and Andersen as an insurance analyst. So far, they’ve been commissioned for fundraising events and they plan to reach out to local brides- and grooms-to-be to expand their business into weddings. By Robin Donovan