Innovation News

Berkley now Vianda LLC, renovates Forest Park building, to create 442 jobs

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June 30, 2009

The former Berkley Premium Nutraceuticals, based in Forest Park, is now Vianda LLC.Vianda LLC is a provider 15 herbal supplements, most well-knows is the natural male enhancement brand Enzyte. The company’s is focused on “advancing wellness.” “Making a difference in the overall quality of life of our customers - that’s what our company goal is all about,” said Jason Broome, executive vice president of Vianda LLC. “To help us accomplish that mission, we are starting fresh under a single banner, with one vision, one set of values, and a company-wide passion for providing premium, natural solutions that enhance healthy living.” Vianda’s employs 200 at its Forest Park call center, will plans to create 422 more jobs within the next three years, according to the company. Twenty percent of jobs are planned for Forest Park residents, the company said. Chuck Kubicki, owner and CEO of Cincinnati United Contractors, bought Vianda out of bankruptcy. Over the past six months, the company invested $4.6 million in its 32,000-square-foot headquarters, installed a $1.6 million VoIP phone system upgrade for its state-of-the-art call center. The company projects sales growth from $50 million this year to $200 - $250 million in five years. “We have invested over $6 million in boosting the company’s infrastructure and making upgrades to our Forest Park location. This is an exciting time for us as a company, said Broome.” Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Andy Hemmer, AndyHemmer.com

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PMC Smart Solutions takes plastic molding in medical direction

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Entrepreneurship

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June 30, 2009

PMC Smart Solutions, a family-owned fourth-generation plastics company, has taken its specialized auto parts and electronics molding and assembly process into the medical devices field. The Price Hill-headquartered company, founded in 1929, is three years into developing its medical division. “We made the decision to broaden our scope and get into medical devices, and we decided to do it in a very structured, proactive way. There were already people identifying this as an attractive market part in plastics manufacturing,” said PMC President Lisa Jennings. PMC is known globally for its expertise in manufacturing highly specialized auto safety components, including parts for fuel, brake, steering, transmission and other engine systems. In an effort to diversify its product base, the company invested $2 million in a federally certified “clean room,” a sterile environment required for manufacturing medical devises. The company modified and adopted some new manufacturing processes to take on the new endeavor. “We’re focused on really difficult safety parts, brake and fuel systems. The types of requirements are really similar to manufacturing medical devises,” Jennings said. PMC designs and manufactures a host of implantable and non implantable parts for orthopedic, spine, cardiovascular, drug delivery and other devices. The company has a 200-person assembly plant in Shelbyville, Ind., but could expand into the Greater Cincinnati area and is working with BIO Ohio to explore expansion, Jennings said. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Lisa Jennings, President of PMC Smart Solutions

NKY-Based KHI Foods Creates 32 New Jobs with New Manufacturing Facility

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Entrepreneurship

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June 26, 2009

Burlington-based KHI Foods Inc., a boutique food manufacturer, is branching out and will locate a wholesale food manufacturing facility in Owen County, just south west of the Boone, Kenton, and Campbell region of Northern Kentucky.The expansion will create 32 new jobs and represents a capital investment of more than $1.6 million, according to the company.“KHI Foods, Inc. has enjoyed its relationships with farmers, county agents, and local and state officials for several years as it has developed its Kentucky Proud products and markets, as well as our Comfort Care selection of fortified foods for cancer patients,” said Millard Long, president, KHI Foods, Inc, in a release. KHI Foods offers several unique products and initiatives: Katelyn’s Honey (Rosh Hashanah Honey), Katelyn’s Kitchens (private label development), Comfort Café’, which develops food for hospital patients, Katelyn’s Kids (for youth group sales) and Katelyn’s Crops, a program that buys and processes fresh produce from farmers.The company will lease a three-acre, 32,000 square-foot facility in the Owenton Industrial Park, at 100 Progress Way. The plant will take locally made vegetables and meat from farmers across the region to make finished, value-added food for its various initiatives.“Kentucky is pleased to assist KHI Foods, Inc., an already successful Kentucky company, with this expansion opportunity,” said Gov. Beshear. “The creation of 32 new jobs and $1.6 million investment will provide a positive impact on the Owenton community. We look forward to working with KHI Foods as they continue to grow and flourish here in the bluegrass.” The expansion announcement came as The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approved KHI Foods for up to $640,000 for tax benefits under the Kentucky Rural Economic Development Act incentive program.“We are very excited about KHI Foods locating in Owen County,” said Carolyn Keith, Owen County Judge/Executive. “This will mean approximately 32 new jobs for Owen County plus the addition of a new industry to our county. I have been very impressed by the information provided about the products that will be produced and many of our farmers see this as an opportunity to sell their products to this company.” Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development

United Way raises funds, awareness through social media driven Diaper Drive campaign

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General

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June 23, 2009

The United Way of Greater Cincinnati raised xx and distributed xx diapers to xx families through a social media driven fundraising campaign. The campaign “Give 5 – Diaper Drive” relied on Facebook, Twitter, email and other online social networking sites, asking individuals to donate $5 to the United Way for the purchase of diapers for families in need. Donors, in turn, were asked to spread the word by sharing news of the drive with friends on the socal networking sites. Diapers were distributed on Father’s Day as part of the United Way’s 2009 Day of Action initiative. The campaign started May 5 and will wrap up at the end of the month. “We had some families who not only wanted to support the Diaper Drive financially, they wanted to give their time, too,” says Mike Baker, manager of strategic resources, United Way. “Sunday volunteers will do their part to help support local families and babies in need in the rough economy.” Adult and children volunteered to organize diaper boxes and children made cards and decorated for the bags for families that will receive them. Diapers purchses so far were distributed to a host of social service agencies Sunday at the Red Cross warehouse in Blue Ash. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Katy Crossen, United Way of Greater Cincinnati

Monday Marketing Masters Series to help creative business draw customers

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General

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June 23, 2009

The Covington Artisans Enterprise Center will host a series of free lectures throughout July featuring area marketing experts, who’ll give advice to Greater Cincinnati’s creative business owners on harnessing the power of PR. “Most small business owners are so busy running their business that it can be difficult to think like a customer. These lectures will offer people insight and advice that will enable them to start thinking about ways they might enhance their actual product offering, or just the customer experience. It will help them to understand how to communicate their offering to potential clients,” said Covington Arts District Manager Natalie Bowers. “Monday Marketing Masters” starts July 6 at the Artisans Enterprise Center, 25 W. Seventh St. The Artisan Center is in the heart of Covington’s Arts District, created as a place where the creative class can live, work, and play. “The series is geared towards Small Business Owners and Sole Proprietors, particularly those within the creative sectors, including galleries, craft shops, boutiques, etc.,” Bowers said. Lectures are every Monday throughout July, starting at 6 p.m. It’s hosted by the Artisans center and the Covington Business Council. The speakers, all members of the American Marketing Association, will talk about traditional marketing including how to use market research to better understand customers. Others will talk about best using emerging social media outlets including Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. The lecture schedule follows: Monday July 6th, 6 p.m. ‘How to Utilize Marketing Research’Andy Noller, lecturer at UC and Board Member of the Cincinnati Chapter of AMA, talks about realistic ways to utilize marketing research to better understand your market and your customers. You’ll also learn how marketing research is critical to your business strategy, future growth, and yes, working smarter. Monday July 13th, 6 p.m., ‘PR Means Planning (done) Right’Pat Frew, Communications Director for the Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau and Past President of the Cincinnati Chapter of AMA, discussed how Public Relations continues to evolve as technology and social media dominate society. With change comes the need to strategically determine the goals of your enterprise and key messages that can be translated into successful tactics for your organization. Monday July 20th, 6 p.m., ‘Find, Win, and Keep Customers’Scott Jacobs, Elaine Suess, and Tim DeRosett from Harvest Consulting, whose clients include General Motors, P & G, Luxottica Retail, Time Warner Cable, share real life methods to help your company/organization Find, Win and Keep customers, focusing on ways to use your energy for specific activities. We'll talk about where to start if you don't have a strategy or what you can do to refine the one you already have. Monday July 27th, 6 p.m., ‘Twitter, Facebook, MySpace: How Can They Help My Business?’ Pete Healy, Director of Crowbar Marketing, helps companies build brands that captivate consumers. Take a look at the most popular social media sites, how to join them, and how to use them to build your business. We’ll take a practical down-to-earth approach, and look at how even the newest and smallest businesses can benefit from the same best practices in social media as famous companies like Zappos and Amazon. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Natalie Bowers, Covington Arts District Manager

URBANEXUS forum will be streamed live online

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Environment + Sustainability

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June 23, 2009

If you can’t make it to Northern Kentucky University for the first ever URBANEXUS event, showcasing the city’s most creative and innovate thinkers, you can watch and ask questions online. URBANEXUS, sponsored by Next American City magazine will be streamed live online on USTREAM. Viewers will be able to ask questions of the panel in real time leveraging Twitter (@SoapboxCincy). The event tag is #cincyinnovation. The event is being hosted with help from Soapbox Media, CincinnatiInnovates.com, Northern Kentucky Forum and Haile/U.S. Bank Foundation. “The panelists who will be taking part in the URBANEXUS conversation represent a diverse, cross-section of innovation in our region, from both the private and public sectors. Greater Cincinnati is flush with some of the world's most innovative companies - what we are trying to better understand is how we can leverage this corporate innovation into our civic realm and put Cincinnati on the map as a progressive, innovative and creative region,” said Soapbox Media Publisher Dacia Snider. Cincinnati’s URBANEXUS will be June 25, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Northern Kentucky University’s Student Union on the Highland Height’s campus. Themed, Creating the Innovative City, it will encompass a panel discussion on how the community "can tap Cincinnati’s internal innovative culture to inspire a broader civic culture that makes Cincinnati synonymous with creativity, ideas and energy." It’s free and open to the public. Next American City is published by a national non-profit of the same name, dedicated “to promoting socially and environmentally sustainable economic growth in America’s cities and examining how and why our built environment, economy, society and culture are changing.” The non-profit is based in Philadelphia. There’ll be a meet and mingle before the panel at 5 p.m., also at the student union. Admission to that is free only for Next American City subscribers. Admission is $15 for non-subscribers in advance or $20 at the door, and includes a one-year subscription to the magazine. Confirmed panelists are: Mark Peterson, Director of External Business Development at Procter & Gamble; Anne Chasser, associate vice president at the University of Cincinnati's Intellectual Property Office; Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney; Doug Perry, College of Informatics Dean at NKU; Niki Robinson, director at Cincinnati Children’s Center for Technology Commercialization and Chad Reynolds from Fanattik.com, a web site that allows users to create customized school sportswear. Writer: Feoshia Henderson

NKU launches online Library Informatics degree

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Higher Education

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June 23, 2009

Northern Kentucky University continues to push education boundaries with a new online bachelor’s degree in Library Informatics, starting this fall. It’s part of the new Center for Informatics at the Highland Heights university. The program marries technology and convenience; courses will be offered totally online and is geared toward those with associate degree. It is designed for students to “better understand the relationships among people, information and technology,” according to NKU. The 60-credit-hour program can be finished in two years.“The new BSLI degree program opens a new market to NKU, which should result in further growth to the University,” said Arne Almquist, assistant provost for library services at NKU. “The profession is in need of additional librarians and the program will help us to attract younger people who may not currently be aware of the profession. Again, by providing a direct link with high school graduates, it should help to increase the diversity of the profession.”This degree is the 5th undergrad degree and the 11th NKU program to be offered online. It was developed by NKU faculty for the university’s Steely Library.“This program fills a serious need for education and training of both library professional and paraprofessional staff,” said Wayne Onst, Kentucky’s state librarian and commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. “Having this program available through distance learning means that students from every area of the state can participate in class work leading to a Bachelor’s degree. Library users across Kentucky will be the beneficiaries.” Graduates can compete for a number of jobs with the degree including library paraprofessional, online researcher, end-user trainer, market research and electronic public relations.Construction on the highly anticipated Center for Informatics at Northern Kentucky University started in May with a groundbreaking. The state-of-the-art center seeks to combine technology, available data and real world application to a wide variety of occupations. NKU’s College of Informatics, the only such college in the state, was created by an act of the Kentucky Legislature. In the fall of 2006, 1,057 entered the college under various disciplines. In addition to new offerings like informatics, the college puts a number of NKU’s existing disciplines under one roof. It includes four departments: Business, Communication, Computer Science and Infrastructure Management. It includes such diverse disciplines as journalism, healthcare, computer programming and research development design. It’s one of less than a dozen such colleges dedicated specifically to informatics study in the United States.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Chris Cole, Northern Kentucky University director of media relations and communications

Myunionterminal.org launches to engage public, garner support for Museum Center levy campaign

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Environment + Sustainability

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June 23, 2009

The Cincinnati Museum Center is taking its message to the people of Hamilton County and beyond with an innovative approach to garnering public support for its fall levy campaign to help restore its art deco details. The Center has launched Myunionterminal.org an interactive Web site that uses the Share This widget that lets users share Web site features on MySpace, Facebook and other networking and link sharing sites. Myunionterminal.org relies on engaging Museum Center supporters and others, who can share their favorite stories of what the center means to them. The site allows people to detail a favorite memory and upload a photo that will be shown on the site. “This Web site has the potential to capture and preserve some amazing stories,” said Douglass W. McDonald, president and CEO of Museum Center. “Every day we hear about people’s wonderful connections to Union Terminal and we’re happy that many of these memories will now be located in one place.” Here are some the memories posted so far: “A few years after the Museum Center was established, I spent weeks in the library there researching the huge endeavor of building of the Union Terminal during the depression. I was amazed by what I found. I felt that I was part of moving the mountain of soil that was brought in to raise the height of the area, part of Reinhold's drawings for the exceptional murals that watched over the rotunda and long halls that led to the boarding gates, part of the artist who installed the murals and designed the unique, retro wall coverings, lighting fixtures, furnishing, register covers, etc.” -- Mary Lyons (Peach Grove, Cincinnati, OH) “I have a strong personal attachment to the Union Terminal Building. When my nephew had triplets in 1999 I helped out once a week. I started taking pictures of them, including our visits to the Museum Center. Then I started coming almost every week when my granddaughter was born in August 2004. When a student at the College of Mt. St. Joseph, part of my Senior Photography Thesis included a virtual reality of Union Terminal. I am attaching this particular part of my thesis study to this note.” -- Mary Jo Sheppard (Delhi, Cincinnati, OH) The Museum Center was built as a train station in 1933. It’s a National Historic Landmark and after shutting down and following several incarnations, it reopened as the Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990. The first phase of its $120 million restoration project began in early June. “Tax dollars will be needed for this public building, but we recognize that the tax burden on Hamilton County residents cannot be increased,” said McDonald. “Any request will be in accordance with the Hamilton County Board of Commissions Voted Tax Levy Policy.” The new site outlines details and costs of the renovation project, and offers information on how to register to vote in Hamilton County where a levy is planned for the fall ballot. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Chad Mertz Cincinnati Museum Center Director of Public Relations

Holiday Homes patent-pending idea brings manufactured home efficiencies to site building process

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General

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June 23, 2009

Holiday Homes, a 40-year-old Milford-based manufactured home company, has developed a patent-pending technique for building homes on a construction site that features cost-saving techniques used in factory assembled housing.The result? Prospective homeowners can have a 1,251 sq. ft. house built on site for $89,900, said Holiday Homes founder Dan Rolfes. He’s offering $598 down and $598 a month for a site built home. “We are presently building these homes, and we have all the supply chain contracts in place,” Rolfes said.The homes can be built in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, within a 50-mile radius of Cincinnati. Homeowners who have their own land can build that same home for $64,500. “We have just-in-time inventory, and negotiate straight with the supplier. That’s why the process is so efficient, not because of the assembly on factory floor. We’ve taken those efficiencies and are building on site instead of the factory. The product is the same as on any onsite home build,” Rolfes said.Rolfes spent about five years developing the process, and the company developed software programs to manage design and construction. The company guarantees the homes will be built in 90 days or buyers will receive money back from the home’s price.The process is a boon to Holiday Homes business, as the housing bubble has burst and people are looking for more affordable housing. “Our sales are actually up about 30 percent over last year to date. We’re able to offer housing that really is competitive with existing home prices,” Rolfes said.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Holiday Homes founder Dan Rolfes

OH First Lady to offer keynote at Strive Community Forum on Education at Xavier

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Education + Learning

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June 16, 2009

The upcoming Strive Community Forum on Education has gotten a big boost with the announcement that Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland will be the keynote speaker at the June 26 event. Strickland, an education advocate and Kentucky native, is also scheduled to lead one of the forum’s breakout sessions at Xavier University. Strive is a public-private collaborative aimed at improving education in Greater Cincinnati. Based in downtown Cincinnati, was founded in 2003 as a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks Foundation, an education initiative funder. Strive is focused on developing Cincinnati’s urban core, including cities in Northern Kentucky, through identifying better education strategies from birth through some form of college into a career. The community forum is free and open to the public. It will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the University’s Cintas Center, and lunch will be free for people who pre-register. The forum is being hosted jointly by Strive and Xavier’s Community Building Institute. The forum’s goal is to get feedback from the Greater Cincinnati community on how to move education improvement forward. Among the breakout sessions theme are: “Increasing the Pace of School Improvement,” “Academic Rigor and Teaching Excellence,” and “College Access and Success.” See the entire schedule here. Strickland has a doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Kentucky, where she met her future husband, Ohio governor Ted Strickland. She is a former public school educational psychologist and a children’s book author, who wrote The Little Girl Who Grew up to Be Governor about former Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins. To register, contact Nancy Hackett at 513-745-3264, or hackettn@xavier.edu Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Laurel Bauer, Media Relations Coordinator Xavier University