As part of their new campaign, "Have You Tried This Yet?," Procter & Gamble opened a 10-day 'pop-up' store in New York City to promote 18 of its new products. The store is divided into demo areas where customers can interact with the products and receive complimentary samples. P & G wants customers to understand the value and performance of its products by keeping the customers engaged with this temporary store.Read the full story here.
Scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have found that the regulatory process for T Cells may help explain and develop cures for immune system diseases. T-cells are a type of white blood cell necessary for the body's defense system against diseases and pathogens. Now educated about the communication between T-cells, scientists have a better understanding to create therapeutic or diagnostic approaches of immune diseases. Read the full story here.
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati received a $2.1 million Advanced Technology/Therapeutic Development Award from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop an advanced and improved brain monitor. The role of the design, known as the "small catheter," will monitor the brain of neurological patients and also drain cerebrospinal fluid. This quick and efficient advancement will allow information to be accessible on a single probe in place of using many different devices to gather information. Read the full story here.
A group of past and present Spring Grove Village residents are invested, literally, in Cincinnati's smallest neighborhood. The Village Development Corporation has been loaned $60,000 from people who want to help the organization continue its ongoing work to rehab homes in the neighborhood.Village Development Corporation board member and Spring Grove advocate Carl Servizzi took the lead in creating the fund, and contacting potential lenders. "It's just one of several funding sources for the organization's rehab work. With the sluggish economy, traditional bank funding has been difficult to come by," said Servizzi. The fund is a win-win for both Spring Grove and the lenders. The Village Development Corporation has a unique source of funding and lenders will be paid back - with a 5 percent interest rate - over the next three years, according to Servizzi. The Village Development Corporation writes a simple, legally binding promissory note with each lender."If you had a CD in the bank for $5,000 or $10,000 you'd be getting less than 2 percent because interest because rates are so low. So a five percent simple interest rate made it attractive when I'm selling people on the idea," Servizzi said.The Village Development Corporation for more than 20 years has invested in the upkeep, maintenance and rehab of its residential and business district. The organization is currently focused exclusively on rehabbing blighted neighborhood properties. The development corporation then sells the property to homeowners. Homes range in price from $50,000 to $100,000. As a result, people who live in Spring Grove Village take real pride in the community and trust the Development Corporation's work. That shows in the enthusiastic response to the new fund, Servizzi said."People respond to the Development Corporation and what we have done for the community," he said, estimating the organization has rehabbed and sold about 20 houses in the past 15 years. The homes are targeted toward lower- to moderate-income homeowners, who are looking for an affordable place to live and raise their families. In recent years many rehabbed properties have been foreclosed homes that were abandoned and fell into disrepair. "The average homeowner stays in a home for seven or eight years then move on. The people who buy these homes generally stay much longer than that," Servizzi added.Writer: Feoshia HendersonPhotography by Scott Beseler.
Sometimes, being "green" is about more than cutting energy consumption or increasing the amount of leftovers that hit the recycling bin. In fact, some of the most powerful aspects of the sustainable/environmentally-friendly movement are focused on another aspect entirely: the revitalization and renewal of existing resources, rather than the environmentally costly demolition and new construction that was once the norm. This is a fact not lost on Hamilton County, as evidenced by the recently launched seminar series, "Sustainable Hamilton County: Reinventing our Communities." According to the Hamilton County Planning Partnership, the four-event series is designed to "provide factual data and leading research findings, encourage critical thinking, and promote discussion and collaborative action to achieve sustainable development in Hamilton County."The first session of the series, "The Built Environment: Retrofitting Cities, Communities and Neighborhoods," took place Friday at the Anderson Township Center. Keynote and panel speakers provided a deep bench of expertise on sustainable development: from architects to designers, community planners to experts on aging in the community, the presenters covered many of the topics that arise as Hamilton County works to redefine itself as a sustainable, vibrant community. Keynote speaker June Williamson discussed strategies for - and successful examples of - suburban communities that broke from the stagnant, high-consumption model of feeders to an urban area to become sustainable communities in their own rights. As a counterpoint, Model Group Vice President of Development and OTR Chamber of Commerce Vice President Bobby Maly discussed the revitalization taking place in that historic Cincinnati neighborhood.According to Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission Senior Planner Catalina Landivar, the event and the three to follow are intended to bring together disparate parts of the community: academics and members of Cincinnati's educational community, business leaders and local residents. The seminars give these various stakeholders information and a common touchstone around which to discuss how to best move Hamilton County forward.And with just the first event under its belt, the series can already claim success of sorts; Landivar says planners had to close registration, after a rush of participants booked all the available seats for the event. The next session in the Sustainable Hamilton County series, "Trends that are Changing our Communities: Housing, Transportation, Health," takes place 8 a.m. to noon Friday, Nov. 19 at Techsolve, 6705 Steger Drive. The third session, "Fiscal Sustainability and Quality of Life of Our Communities," takes place Friday, Jan. 21. A final follow-up session, "Sustainable Hamilton County: We Can Do It!" is scheduled for March 11, and will give participants the chance to discuss their thoughts about the sessions and suggest what the community needs to do to move forward with a sustainable revitalization plan.For more information on the Sustainable Hamilton County series, contact Catalina Landivar, Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission Senior Planner, at (513) 946-4455 or catalina.landivar@hamilton-co.org. Writer: Matt CunninghamPhotography by Scott Beseler
On December 5, Cincinnati Metro will launch a new route focused on fun. Four brand new 30-foot mini hybrid buses will run a re-routed route 1, now deemed the "One for Fun!" Presented by Hollywood Casino, the vehicles (funded 100% with federal stimulus dollars) will seat approximately 25 people and the route will run from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., every 30 minutes, Monday through Sunday, offering around 54 trips a day. The re-vamped beat will stop at dozens of Cincinnati's best spots for arts and entertainment. The attractions include the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, Music Hall, Great American Ballpark and Paul Brown Stadium. "The One for Fun bus will make it even easier for visitors and people in this region to participate in the unique and special arts & culture of our community - the theater, music, dance, galleries, museums, zoo, and more," said Margy Waller, vice president of ArtsWave. "Our arts make the community vibrant and fun. And here at ArtsWave, we're excited that Metro is making it so easy for everyone to come together through the arts," Waller added. The route replacing the current Rt. 1 Museum Center-Zoo will improve the route for both local residents and visitors to Cincinnati. "It's going to be such a convenient route for visitors," said Jill Dunne, public affairs manager at Metro. "If someone is staying at a hotel downtown and their spouse is going to a conference or if they're on vacation, they can hop on Route 1 go to the attractions, get back on and get back without having to call a cab or finding other transportation or parking. It will be the best way to hit all these attractions, making it a great asset to the city."The Metro, which has been serving the Cincinnati area since 1973, has received positive reactions during an open house held in October. The increased frequency on the route, the new busses wrapped in cool, distinctive designs and the added locations hope to attract more riders who haven't had the chance to get familiar with the Metro system. The route will still service the same neighborhoods and hospitals as the previous route did. Metro has also partnered with the Cincinnati Park Board to have Eden Park and the Krohn Conservatory on the new One for Fun bus route. "The Krohn Conservatory is free admission to the public, and adding the direct bus service makes it even more accessible for our citizens," said Julie Horne, chief public information officer for Cincinnati Park Board. The Krohn Conservatory partners with the Cincinnati Zoo and area students on research projects; the new service will improve the ability for students to visit for their projects.The One for Fun will visit 55 unique attractions and the route is around one hour from end to end. Riders can purchase an unlimited monthly pass for $70, buy tokens at the Mercantile Building in Government Square or pay the standard route price of $1.75 in cash with exact change. For more information, check out the One for Fun route and Cincinnati Metro.Writer: Rene BrunellePhotography provided.
Construction of a new green space and streetscape in Avondale begins with the deconstruction of three Cincinnati Zoo owned properties in the neighborhood. Thanks to a unique partnership with the Zoo, Building Value, with help from ACT Recycling and Rumpke, will recycle or reuse as much as 85 percent of the material from the houses on the sites. The Zoo selected Building Value to deconstruct the homes at Vine Street and Forest Avenue because of their expertise in salvage and deconstruction work and focus on good green practices. All of the salvaged material from the deconstruction will be available for purchase at Building Value's retail store located at 4040 Spring Grove Ave. "We'll recycle everything that we can that can't be reused - metal to a recycling center, the wood that can't be used will be ground up by Rumpke for mulch and compost. ACT Recycling will handle the concrete foundations, breaking them up for future construction aggregate," according to Lisa Doxsee, communications manager for Building Value. Building Value's partnership with ACT Recycling and Rumpke began in late 2009 with the goal to increase the amount of building material that can be recycled or reused in a typical demolition project. Since the partnership began, Rumpke has recycled more than 22,000 pounds of wood material and assisted with 23 jobs. The deconstruction process reduces the volume of waste requiring landfill disposal by 19,000 cubic feet, provides enough lumber for 1,485 square feet of affordable housing and the salvage of lumber and panel products avoids the generation of green house gasses equivalent to removing more than six passenger cars from road. The deconstruction process by the Zoo will take approximately 25 days to complete and employ a crew specially trained by Building Value. Workers who were previously unemployed, underemployed or economically disadvantaged are trained through Building Value's programs including Youth Build, a national program for high school dropouts who want to gain skills while pursuing their high school diploma."To date we've trained close to 100 people through our programs some of whom are now working for companies like Messer Construction, CHC Fabrication and numerous area apprenticeship programs. We can't think of a better way to support the community than to provide people an opportunity to learn new skills that will eventually lead to a new career," says Jerry Janszen, director of Building Value.Once deconstruction is complete and the land cleared, the project at the corner of Forest and Vine Streets will be feature a new green streetscape that will showcase the Avondale community. "The new green space benefits residents and builds upon collective projects moving the community to be a great place to live, work, worship and play," said Avondale Community Council President Patricia Milton.Writer: Henry SweetsPhotography provided.
The Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce is looking to bring more Chinese investment to the Queen City.For nearly five years the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce has set itself apart as the only Chamber of its type in the Tri-State area. It's often the go-to place for small- and medium-sized business that want to do business with Asia, which now boasts the second-largest economy in the world (following the U.S.)This fall the Chamber is marking its unique past, and looking into the future as part of an anniversary celebration set for Nov. 8. The Chinese Chamber's Five-Year Anniversary Gala starts at 4:30 p.m. with a networking event, followed at 5:30 p.m. by keynote speaker Jim Rogers, president and CEO of Duke Energy. Rogers will speak on "Energy and the Environment: Challenges and Opportunities for US - China Cooperation." The gala will also feature members of the Liuzhou, China, General Chamber of Commerce Business Delegation. The event will be downtown at the Duke Energy Convention Center.The event is not just celebrating the Chamber's five-years of connecting Cincinnati and Chinese companies, but is also serving as a coming out of sorts for the 115-member organization said, board chairman Ben Zhang said. "We want to let Greater Cincinnati know we are growing, and where we are going," he said."We have been making some steady progress in the last three years, but we are ready to do something new to take our organization to the next level," he added. "We want to significantly raise the service level for our members."Zhang joined the Chamber nearly three years ago, and is a vice president at Duke. The Chamber, which has historically relied on volunteers, has hired its first full-time director and is working to recruit larger corporate companies as members."Right now most of our members are small- or medium-sized companies, Zhang said. "We would really like to recruit more high-profile companies to be members."The Chamber currently sponsors trade missions to China, has support from the Chinese Embassy and Chinese Consulate General, and has developed strong relationships with several growing Chinese provinces. It offers a host of services to members including translation, business referral, development and promotions.The Chamber has several big goals for 2011 and beyond, including upping its professionalism, strengthening ties with the Chinese business community and forging deeper relationships between larger Cincinnati and Chinese companies.The Chamber is also working to expand its influence throughout the Midwest, working with business leaders in Columbus, Indianapolis and other Midwestern cities."We want to work with companies outside the Cincinnati area. Some places have organizations similar to ours, but they do not have the structure and organization of the Chamber," he said, adding, "We want to help bring investment from China to the Midwest."To find out more about the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber or to register for its 5th Anniversary Gala, go here.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber Board Chairman Ben ZhangYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
Hyde Park entrepreneur Danny Stull wants to you help you get away from it all by spending time in a park, in a canoe or on hike. But before you get too far away, he's hoping you'll take a look at his new web site Venturepax, a hyper local site that helps you locate the perfect nearby activity.Venturepax doesn't just tell you where the nearest Greater Cincinnati campsite or park is, but what you can expect to find when you get there. For instance, if you go to the site looking for a place to cycle, you'll get a list of bike trails, their level of difficulty, trail photos and other available nearby activities. Drill down deeper and you can find parking information, the length and type of trail (paved or dirt), and the ideal season for tackling it. "What we are trying to do is offer one, easy-to-use, intuitive location to find a place to get outdoors and explore natural beauty," said Stull, the site's founder. "All the information is being gathered by (volunteer) local pros. We've recruited people who love the outdoors and are cataloging the places they go."The site is currently in beta, and Stull is working on building a business around Venturepax. His is one of five companies who won a spot in the inaugural class of The Brandery, the city's new consumer marketing venture accelerator.Venturepax fits the bill because it's more than an information site. In order to generate revenue the site will offer recommendations for - and allow users to purchase - gear that best suits the experience users seek. Those experiences range from camping and fly fishing to backpacking and running. Stull is also working to develop a smart phone app that will allow users to "check in" to their destination like geolocation application Foursquare. Once a person checks into a park or other scenic area, they'll be directed to deals for coffee or dinner, for instance, at a nearby local business."We really want to help the local business compete," said Stull, a 2007 Miami University marketing grad.Stull is near the end of 12-week entrepreneur course at The Brandery, which includes a $20,000 investment, business mentoring and access to marketing and legal services. As the course ends, he along with other Brandery companies will pitch their idea to potential investors.The course has helped Stull focus on the financials of his business, he said, setting up a strong foundation for its future."A whole group of mentors have volunteered their time, and it's really forced me to take a deeper look at my own company, the financials, and really straighten things out. This will help me to have a sustainable company," he said. He plans to eventually expand the site to other cities.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Danny Stull, founder Venturepax You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
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