Former UC engineering student to link creatives, business through the web

A former University of Cincinnati architecture student may have graduated in the spring, but his idea to link the university's creative talent to help solve real-world business problems lives on.Adam Treister, who now works for an Over-the-Rhine real estate developer, is in the process of developing StudentDesigned.com. The social networking website would allow design, engineering, architecture and other creative students to showcase their student work in a central place where business could check it out. Businesses could contact individual students they believe could help them with a project."The idea started from a lot of studio projects we'd done. There is a lot of student and professor time, money and resources that go into creating a fictitious product like a building or a clothing line. It’s basically an exercise where we practice our skills," and those skills could be put to real life use, Treister said. "The creative studios and companies or government agencies could team up and collaborate on projects."Treister entered the idea in a couple of entrepreneur-oriented contests, including Cincinnati Innovates, where he came in fourth place just shy of a monetary award.  But the publicity that came along with promoting his idea helped move it forward. He's been profiled by several news sites including his hometown paper the Charleston (W.V) Gazette.He's now working with a well-known software developer, who he asked not be named, to get the site live. He expects it to be off the ground in six to eight months. "I've already received notices from different companies requesting the help of student architects," Treister said. In fact, before the site is up Treister may pair up UC students with a West Virginia company looking for a green renovation of an 80,000 sq. ft. building. Such collaboration is a win-win for those involved."It's providing a really good opportunity to work on real-world projects and to enhance the education experience," Treister said. "The companies will get an unparallel creative product for an affordable price."Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Adam Treister, founder Student Designed.comYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

The 11 best cities for telecommuters

Cincinnati ranked second on Daily Finance's "11 Best Cities for Telecommuters" due to its diverse attractions, universities, and affordable living. Daily Finance considered many factors and chose cities with a big-city experience at a small-town price. Cincinnati has plenty to offer as the headquarters for nine Fortune 500 Companies, the host of America's largest Oktoberfest celebration, the second-most fit city in the nation, and the "chili capital of the world." Read the full story here.

Pinnacle confirms $45M deal for River Downs

Pinnacle Entertainment plans to purchase Cincinnati's River Downs for 45 million dollars in cash. Pinnacle will revitalize River Downs as a gaming entertainment destination, which will provide new full-time jobs and new tax revenue for the state and local community. Read the full story here.

Strive’s collective approach makes an impact

Large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination, yet the social sector remains focused on the isolated intervention of individual organizations. Against these daunting odds, a remarkable exception seems to be emerging in Cincinnati. Strive, a nonprofit subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks, has brought together local leaders to tackle the student achievement crisis and improve education throughout greater Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.Read the full story here.

Four people who are very thankful for Chris Henry

Chris Henry, the Bengal's player who lost his life last year, became an organ donor and saved four lives. His mother, Carolyn Glaspy, made the difficult decision shortly after her son's death. Glaspy does not regret her decision because she is thankful that her son saved many lives and she also gained new "family members."Read the full story here.

Video Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance Audit

Just in time for winter, Soapbox Managing Editor, Sean Rhiney, gets audited with the help of the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance - a non-profit organization that helps Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky homeowners reduce their energy costs - and Seven/Seventy-Nine is there to capture it all on film.

LAUNCHCincinnati to prepare OTR youth for a life of entrepreneurship

Some kids in Over-the-Rhine dream of being a lawyer, barber or construction worker, but a new nonprofit focused on this Cincinnati neighborhood's youth want them to find a bigger dream: one where they own a barbershop, law office or construction firm.LAUNCHCincinnati is being developed by friends and former colleagues Galen Gordon and Kimberly Smith, who've spent years as youth volunteers.  Gordon, who works in the hospitality industry, and Smith, a commercial banker, met when they were selling real estate and found they had a mutual passion for helping young people. LaunchCincinnati is the culmination of their joint passion.The program, which is set for an official launch in the Spring, has three components. The Young Entrepreneur Program is a classroom curriculum where youth aged 12-18 can learn the ins and outs of operating a small business. The curriculum comes from the Warren Miller Freedom Foundation entrepreneur program in Seattle. "We have a 10-week curriculum for our kids, who have an entrepreneurial mindset, where they'll learn everything from making a marketing flyer to writing a business plan to owning and operating a business," said Gordon, who lives in OTR. "Our goal is to match the graduates up with a mentor in a like field in Cincinnati, preferably somewhere downtown, where they can do an internship or an apprenticeship."Supporting that program is LAUNCHCIncinnati's planned Leadership Series and Youth and Finance program designed to educate future leaders who will be confident and competent in handling their money.The nonprofit is an effort to help youth and families who call OTR home benefit from the ongoing and planned redevelopment in and around this historically struggling neighborhood."I live in OTR, and I feel like the youth need positive examples (of entrepreneurship). There is a lot of revitalization going on in Cincinnati, and I want youth who live in the urban core to be part of that," Gordon said. "There is a big concern about people being pushed out of the neighborhood (as part of the revitalization), and we want to give youth the resources to become innovators and entrepreneurs. We can change the dynamics of the urban core."LAUNCHCincinnati is still seeking volunteers and mentors. The organization is also searching for a permanent place to hold classes. If you are interested in volunteering or offering a space you can reach Gordon by email at info@launchcincinnati.org.  Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Galen Gordon, co-founder LAUNCHCincinnatiYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

Engaged 360 offers online business ownership classes for busy professionals

Through her experience working in finance for small and medium-sized businesses as the founder of Capital Logic, Anisha Bradley realized that many business owners could use help creating plans for business sustainability and growth.That's why she decided to launch Engaged 360, an online company that offers classes in everything from business plan writing to marketing and strategic planning. The company officially went online in November, and Bradley just held an event at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber outlining her services to potential clients.Engaged 360 charges user companies an annual fee based on company size and the level of services they require. Membership is open to students, individuals and any sized company. Services offered include live-web based classes, online member forums, complementary marketing, accounting and legal services (at an extra, but discounted rate) and more.The top membership level features a facilitated in-person networking group the matches members with potential business partners and resources."What I find is a lot of businesses don’t have a solid foundation on which to build their businesses on, whether that's marketing and customer service. So we decided to put this together. It's not just classes that are beneficial but also getting a chance to network with other members," said Bradley, who lives in North Avondale.Engaged 360 has curriculum developed in-house and in conjunction with outside companies, Bradley said. Bradley has a degree in marketing and accounting and worked as a tax consultant for Deloitte and Touche and Ethicon Endo-Surgery. She founded Capital Logic, a financial management company, is 2008.She will operate Engaged 360 solo until she has enough members to bring on additional help, Bradley said. Classes are set to start the third week of January. Though they are online, classes are designed to be hands on."For instance, if they are taking a business plan class, by the end of the class they will have one they can take to the bank," Bradley said.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Anisha Bradley, president Engaged 360You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

Mashup Cincinnati encourages diverse YP networking to bridge corporate divide