A sack of seeds that started life as a quirky idea to showcase package design has turned into a giant of a product for local design firm VisuaLingual, and taught local art students valuable lessons about product development.
Emphasizing style over fashion, Artfully Disheveled, sets out to help young professional men find their inner outlaw.
New METRO CEO & General Manager, Terry Garcia Crews, takes time from packing her belongings in Austin to talk with Soapbox Managing Editor Sean Rhiney about public transportation in Cincinnati.
For the first time BioOhio, the state's bioscience industry accelerator is taking its annual conference on the road. "Every year we hold an annual conference in the fall, typically in central Ohio. This is the first time we've held "regional" annual conferences, so we dubbed it a "road show," said Matt Schutte, Director of Corporate Communications at BioOhio.The "Innovation Road Show," the conference will stop at the Manor House in Mason on Nov. 18. Cincinnati native Dr. Thomas Fogarty, a vascular surgery pioneer and inventor will be the conference's keynote speaker. Dr. Fogarty owns more than 100 medical patents, most notably the Fogarty Balloon Embolectomy Catheter and the Aneurx Stent Graft which are widely used in the medical industry.As a teen, the doctor worked as a scrub technician at Good Samaritan Hospital. In 2006, he founded the non-profit Fogarty Institute for Innovation in California. Members of the institute "mentors, trains and inspires the next generation of medical innovators." In September BioOhio took the Innovation Road Show to Cleveland and drew 180 attendees. After Cincinnati, the final stop will be in Dublin. The one-day conference will focus on innovation from R&D through commercialization to the market. The road show concept allows BioOhio to maximize the conference and draw in professionals who normally might not attend."Each of the events is intended to educate and inform biomedical-related professionals on trends and opportunities, while also providing valuable networking opportunities. We think that Dr. Fogarty may attract a few physicians and surgeons, a group we traditionally don't target much," said Matt Schutte, Director of Corporate Communications at BioOhio.The conference will feature a variety of sessions including "Inside Innovation" by Battelle Medical Device Solutions and "The Biomedical Innovation Funding Spectrum: From Local to National," featuring Carol Frankenstein (BioStart), Alexis Fitzsimmons (Ohio Dept. of Development), and Liz Powell (G2G Consulting). There will also be representatives from Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the University of Cincinnati. Go here for a full agenda.In the afternoon, time will be set aside for an innovation Open Mic, which will feature eight to 10 BioOhio member companies sharing 5-minutes on applied innovation in the workplace or market.Registration is $55 for members, $90 for non-members, and $45 for students. Event sponsors are Neace Lukens, Stipkala LLC, Thomson Reuters, and the City of Columbus. You can register here.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Matt Schutte, BioOhio Director of Corporate CommunicationsYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
Cincinnati could soon be on the path to becoming a green jobs incubator, according to a local task force made up of key players in local business, education and economic development. And the critical steps to make this a reality are starting to be taken, say those involved with drafting the report, "Pathways and Policies Towards Green Jobs in Cincinnati."The green jobs initiative behind the report began in June 2009, when the Pew Charitable Trusts ranked Ohio fourth in the nation in terms of the number of green jobs. While this nascent category is not large - Ohio had a total of 2,800 green manufacturing related jobs, according to the Pew report - it stands ripe for growth on the back of the state's manufacturing heritage. From July to October of that year, Norwood design firm emersion DESIGN led a series of meetings with Cincinnati-area stakeholders to determine how the Queen City can best tap the region's potential to become a leader in green industry. The report, sponsored in part by the BlueGreen Alliance, was released October 21."Pathways and Policies Towards Green Jobs in Cincinnati" is available online from BlueGreen Alliance's website. The 83-page PDF document outlines a series of recommendations and findings about green job creation in the area.But what happens next? Will the report lead to boots-on-the-ground progress, or is this a rhetorical parlor game for optimistic planners?Evidence suggests it's squarely the former, according to officials at emersion DESIGN. Shawn Hesse, an architect/designer with emersion DESIGN and one of the report's authors, says the local chapter of BlueGreen alliance has taken on the task of forming a green jobs steering committee. "They're starting to identify key individuals to serve as the organizing committee," he says, adding that the group is focusing first on recruiting from the report's steering committee.emersion DESIGN principal Chad Edwards says that the green jobs steering committee is a critical first piece in the fulfillment of the plan's vision."The green jobs council can form a coalition of leaders in education, job development and business," he explains. "In that way, this council will be an effective body, versus everyone trying to do their own pieces. For us that's critical."Edwards adds that the council can direct ways to achieve the report's other key recommendations: solidifying the definition of "green jobs," supporting existing companies in their transition to green jobs, developing a strong funding model to support green investment, adding green "strings" to existing government incentives and enhancing existing green jobs policies to make them more effective.According to Hesse, this initial step in the process has garnered support from powerful places: councilmember's Chris Bortz and Laure Quinlivan have expressed interest in the initiative, as has Office of Environmental Quality Director Larry Falkin. Falkin and Bortz were both on the report's initial steering committee.The green jobs concept has stood as a tantalizing fix-all for the hit Ohio's manufacturing economy has taken in the past decade, but a cohesive, structured move to make it a reality has yet to gel. In this case, however, the combination of motivation from the Pew study, support from government, business and academia, and the concrete steps already underway suggest that this initiative to build Cincinnati's green economy may indeed have some traction.Writer: Matt Cunningham
Nowadays, most people know a friend or relative who's been laid off, or "downsized," from a job. It might even have happened to you. In today's job market, people of all backgrounds and experience levels have faced the frightening prospect of unemployment. With national unemployment hovering around 10 percent, it can take months, or even years, to find satisfying full-time work.The slog to full employment can be tough to go through alone. That's why one local human resources professional known on Twitter as @HRMargo started a movement called #HireFriday, which in a few short months has gone international with a focus on job seekers.The woman behind the avatar is Margo Rose, a Hyde Park human resources professional who runs her own HR consulting business. She started #HireFriday in February 2010, as a spinoff on the popular #FollowFriday Twitter trend where each week Twitter users recommend other users to follow to get interesting content.She began #HireFriday by tweeting the names and qualifications of friends who were looking for jobs. Many of the 5,700 people who follow Rose on Twitter are Human Resources and recruiting professionals, which put those friends in front of the very people who could help them find new jobs. That #HireFriday tag allows those specifically looking to hire to find all potential applicants in together on Twitter."I tweeted instead of #FollowFriday let's do #HireFriday, and put America back to work," Rose said. Anyone looking for work can be part of HireFriday on Twitter. On her blog, Rose asks job seekers to type the #HireFriday in their tweet, along with a link to a resume or LinkedIn profile. Margo and other #HireFriday users then will retweet that profile, potentially getting the person's professional profile out to thousands of people in a position to hire. "If the tweet goes viral, it has the potential to get out to 40,000 to 50,000 people," Rose said. "It can really amplify a job search."Rose estimates she has retweeted 50,000 times since she began #HireFriday. She personally knows of several dozen people who have gotten jobs by connecting through the Twitter stream. "In fact, I know two new people who have gotten jobs just this week," Rose said. The #HireFriday phenomenon has recently gone worldwide. There are autonomous movements in England, Canada, France and Switzerland, Rose said.#HireFriday continues to grow because it focuses on people, not jobs, Rose believes."Our stream focuses on people, and isn't just another spammy job site. People tend to shy away from those because they believe they are relevant," she said.#HireFriday has developed into a community, and includes an interactive LinkedIn and Facebook group."This (LinkedIn) group is really an active, boots-on-the-ground group of people. They offer tweet critiques and advice on loading (online) resumes with key words. The Facebook group offers career advice," Margo said.#HireFriday's focus on people and community is an effort to support those looking for jobs, and perhaps shake them out of their comfort zone by finding a new way to reach potential employers, Rose said."People get very weary in job hunting, especially if they have been out of a job for a year or more it's very discouraging. I really think #HireFriday can help," she said.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Margo Rose, founder #HireFridayYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
In the midst of a still sluggish hiring season, there is some good news coming out of Northern Kentucky. ZF Steering Systems is set to bring 374 new jobs to Greater Cincinnati over the next three years.The new jobs are part of the Florence-based steering component manufacturer's plans for a large expansion. The company, a subsidiary of Germany-based ZF Lenksysteme GmbH, will invest $95.8 million dollars, constructing two new buildings which will add 175,000 sq. ft. to its existing facilities. Construction is set to begin in November and wrap up by summer 2011.This investment comes as demand for the company's products has jumped. Since 1994, the company's North American HQ has been in Northern Kentucky. ZF Steering makes steering components for cars and SUVs. The company has begun manufacturing new electric steering gear, and is adding capacity meet demand for it. Pierre Abboud, president & CEO, ZF Steering Systems LLC said the region's skilled manufacturing workforce plays a large role in the company's ability to expand."This important investment will allow us to meet the increasing demand for our premium steering components and expand our manufacturing footprint in Northern Kentucky," Abboud said. "The area's skilled workforce and competitive business environment were among the reasons we chose to locate here, and we look forward to continued growth in the region."This isn't the first time the company has expanded in Northern Kentucky. In 2008, the company expanded and added 175 jobs."ZF Steering Systems is adding a significant amount of new jobs in addition to their substantial number of existing employees," Florence Mayor Diane Whalen said. The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved at $7.5 million tax incentive to encourage the investment. The performance-based incentive can be earned over 10-years by corporate income tax credits and wage assessments.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Kentucky Cabinet of Economic DevelopmentYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
Celebrating its 16th year of service to the community with a day on the links, a local association of information technology (IT) professionals accomplished far more than the polishing of their strokes. Through the efforts of The Circuit —a regional nonprofit composed of IT professionals and organizations — a record $7,000 was raised this year in the association's annual Scholarship Golf Outing.The proceeds from this popular event, now in its 10th year, are used to provide scholarships to local students pursuing IT-related degrees at area universities, a mission the nonprofit believes to have far-reaching impact.
Chamber hosts first-ever Northern Kentucky Innovation Summit in NovemberIn a sluggish economy, creative thinking and innovation is even more important than usual for small businesses success, said Mackey McNeill CEO and president of Mackey Advisors, a Covington wealth management firm."We are not in good times and you have to be more innovative to compete on a much higher level," she said. "It's a way to say I'm going to thrive during the down turn."That's why McNeill is leading an effort of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce for a first-ever regional Innovation Conference, dubbed BRINK. The conference is set for Nov. 17 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, from 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Storing its ice cream and milk at just the right temperatures is something United Dairy Farmers has been doing for most of its 70-year history. Now, it's expanding its cold-storage capacity and marketing it to other companies that need it, such as makers of food, flavors and pharmaceuticals.UDF is about to announce a big expansion of its cold-storage operations in Erlanger, a move that, when completed, will add about 40 jobs. Just as important, economic development officials in Northern Kentucky see the expansion as a tool they can use to lure those kinds of companies to the area.
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