Northern Kentucky Buzz

Trade conference offers global perspective

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May 26, 2011

The 21st-annual Kentucky International Trade and Investment Conference, organized by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, was held on Thursday, May 19, at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington. The conference aims to give small- and medium-sized businesses the opportunity to build relationships with international firms. Thirty speakers from the U.S. and seven foreign countries presented on export opportunities, logistics, and expanding global markets. Economies in industrially developing countries like Iran, China, Russia and Brazil could grow by as much as 9% annually for the next several years.Read more about the Conference here.

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Health care jobs seen as growth sector

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General

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May 26, 2011

A new study finds that the job market in health care and social services has grown by nearly 21% since 2001, making it the fastest-growing job sector in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The study, which was commissioned by the Indiana 9 Regional Workforce Board, the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, the Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board and the Workforce Investment Board of Southwest Ohio, also suggests that health care jobs may lead job recovery as the economy improves. Read more about the study here.

Youth summer camps: TMC through the eyes of a child

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General

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May 26, 2011

Each summer, Thomas More College invites area youth to enhance their skills in a variety of activities. As a community-focused institution, the College welcomes thousands of children to see TMC through their own eyes, whether that's via a STEM educational camp at the Biology Field Station, an athletic camp on the courts and fields, in the theater at drama camp or at TMC's newest addition, Secret Adventures Camp.Youth Athletic Camps (June 6 - July 28)Including baseball, women's and men's basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball. For complete dates, click here.Drama Camp (June 20-24)Theatreworks is a summer acting/musical theatre camp designed to allow kids to explore the fun of theatre through pantomime, puppet/mask creation, improvisation, movement, script work, games, and song and dance.High School Summer S.T.E.M. Institute (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) (July 10-15)Work with faculty and students from Thomas More's Biology, Chemistry and Physics departments, participate in hands-on field research projects, learn water-quality testing and chemical sampling techniques and more. Space is limited to only 15 qualified students who apply by May 27, 2011.Secret Adventure Camp (July 18-22)Secret Adventure Camp is a newly-created experience that offers students entering 6th-9th grades an exploration in the liberal arts. The week-long academic camp offers a creative curriculum delivered by the College's professors and involves group-based activities including science experiments, storytelling and role playing, problem solving, musical interpretation, writing and more. The week ends with a brief presentation and brown bag lunch, where parents and friends can learn more about what the campers experienced. Secret Adventure Camp encourages campers to become creative problem solvers and to discover new talents that will help them succeed in their future academic and social pursuits. For more information, visit www.thomasmore.edu/secretadventurecamp.

Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky companies rank on the 2011 Fortune 500 list

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General

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May 26, 2011

Ten Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky companies ranked on the 2011 Fortune 500 list. Topping out the local list, Kroger was ranked 25th and Procter & Gamble 26th. Other companies included Macy's, Fifth Third, Omnicare, Ashland Inc., AK Steel Holding Corp, Western & Southern Financial Group, General Cable, and American Financial Group.Read the full story here.

Cincinnati Innovates competition grows with nearly $90,000 in prizes

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General

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May 25, 2011

The third annual Cincinnati Innovates competition has just started, growing to offer nearly $90,000 in prizes designed to push forward groundbreaking products and services."The goal of Cincinnati Innovates is to connect aspiring entrepreneurs - people with ideas - to all the great resources our region has to offer: incubators, angel investors, banks, mentors, and experts. The grant awards are just the first step," says Elizabeth Edwards, venture capital investor and founder of Cincinnati Innovates.The competition opened April 15 and continues through July 15. As in the past two years, it's open to anyone now or originally from a 15-county area of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. The contest is looking for a broad range of innovative products, devices, business processes and more to highlight, fund and support. This year 12 awards will be given with a $25,000 top cash prize sponsored by CincyTech. For many winners, Cincinnati Innovates is an early step in their path to development, investment and growth. In total, more than $135,000 has been awarded, with winners attracting more than $3 million in additional financing, said competition founder Elizabeth Edwards."There have been lots of new patents filed, a lot of new funding. There has been some really great progress for these startups, and that was exactly wanted we wanted to see happen," said Edwards.To enter the contest or get more info, go to the contest website. There you'll enter a short description of your idea and upload pictures, video, or sketches to help explain and showcase it. You can also take a look at past entries and winners. Last year more than 300 people entered and more than 100 attended supporting innovation workshops offered during the competition timeline.This year those workshops will expand and include: Patents and Trademarks, Startup Financing, Individual Health Insurance, Branding, Concept Development, and Licensing.There are 25 Cincinnati Innovates sponsors (including Soapbox); many are offering cash or in-kind service awards including the $25,000 CincyTech award; $10,000 and $5,000 in-kind Taft Patent Awards applied toward the patent process. There are two $10,000 in-kind branding and marketing awards: the Round Pixel Studio Web Development Award and the LPK Design and Branding Award.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Elizabeth Edwards, founder Cincinnati Innovates

Census: Boone grew fastest in NKY

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Community Development

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April 29, 2011

Population in Northern Kentucky grew about 12 percent in the past decade with much of the growth concentrated in Boone County. Boone County was Northern Kentucky's biggest winner in the 2010 U.S. Census with a 38 percent increase in population in the past 10 years, the third highest in the state.Read more here.

Thomas More College launches new STEM program targeting 3,000 NKY students

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General

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April 29, 2011

Thomas More College has launched a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) program, partnering with eight Northern Kentucky High Schools to train teachers and educate 3,000 students.The three-year Thomas More STEM Initiative (TSI) is funded through a $360,000 grant from the Toyota USA Foundation. TSI is designed to develop and increase quality and diversity of STEM teachers in underserved areas of Northern Kentucky, and to raise student interest in STEM learning."The Thomas More STEM Initiative is a response to a regional and national need. We as a nation are falling behind in science and technological abilities. The future development of our region and our country is negatively impacted by such a decline. The partnership is directed very precisely at responding to this crisis," said Thomas More College President Margaret Stallmeyer.Thomas More is partnering with: Bellevue High School, Bishop Brossert High School, Dayton High School, Holy Cross High School, Lloyd Memorial High School, Ludlow High School, Newport High School and Newport Central Catholic High School.Starting this fall, 1,000 students will go through the STEM program each year."It will include numerous interactions between TMC and the schools and will present a diverse array of activities. It formally begins this summer with a teacher workshop, followed by classroom visits and online communication throughout the year, in addition to field trips to our STEM facilities, including our science labs here on campus, the Bank of Kentucky Observatory and the Biology Field Station, along the river," said Dr. Chris Lorentz, biology professor and director of Thomas More College's Biology Field Station.At the end of each year, five top students will be selected to attend a weeklong summer camp at Thomas More. That week they'll live on campus, conduct research, and work with campus STEM majors."Not only do we hope to increase the number of overall STEM majors in our region, our focus will be on those students currently underrepresented in the STEM disciplines. We know that many of today's jobs already require STEM skills and even more of tomorrow's jobs will demand STEM graduates," Dr. Lorentz said.

Tri-ED lent hand to 22 projects in 2010

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General

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April 29, 2011

Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED) recognized new and expanding primary businesses in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties that made a significant economic impact in 2010 at the organization's annual Thoroughbred luncheon and recognition event. Tri-ED assisted with 22 projects for new or expanding companies in 2010 and as a result it is projected that 3,513 primary and indirect jobs will be created over the next three years.Read more here.

Cincinnati Innovates competition grows with nearly $90,000 in prizes

By Newsroom

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General

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April 29, 2011

The third annual Cincinnati Innovates competition has just started, growing to offer nearly $90,000 in prizes designed to push forward groundbreaking products and services."The goal of Cincinnati Innovates is to connect aspiring entrepreneurs - people with ideas - to all the great resources our region has to offer: incubators, angel investors, banks, mentors, and experts. The grant awards are just the first step," says Elizabeth Edwards, venture capital investor and founder of Cincinnati Innovates.The competition opened April 15 and continues through July 15. As in the past two years, it's open to anyone now or originally from a 15-county area of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. The contest is looking for a broad range of innovative products, devices, business processes and more to highlight, fund and support. This year 12 awards will be given with a $25,000 top cash prize sponsored by CincyTech. For many winners, Cincinnati Innovates is an early step in their path to development, investment and growth. In total, more than $135,000 has been awarded, with winners attracting more than $3 million in additional financing, said competition founder Elizabeth Edwards."There have been lots of new patents filed, a lot of new funding. There has been some really great progress for these startups and that was exactly wanted we wanted to see happen," said Edwards.To enter the contest or get more info, go to the contest website. There you'll enter a short description of your idea and upload pictures, video, or sketches to help explain and showcase it. You can also take a look at past entries and winners. Last year more than 300 people entered and more than 100 attended supporting innovation workshops offered during the competition timeline.This year those workshops will expand and include: Patents and Trademarks, Startup Financing, Individual Health Insurance, Branding, Concept Development, and Licensing.There are 25 Cincinnati Innovates sponsors (including Soapbox); many are offering cash or in-kind service awards including the $25,000 CincyTech award; $10,000 and $5,000 in-kind Taft Patent Awards applied toward the patent process. There are two $10,000 in-kind branding and marketing awards: the Round Pixel Studio Web Development Award and the LPK Design and Branding Award.

Manufacturing jobs are hot in NKY

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Business + Innovation

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April 29, 2011

Several key manufacturing projects in Northern Kentucky are moving forward, bringing the potential of upwards of 350 jobs to the region.Read more here.