Uptown includes all the neighborhoods around the University of Cincinnati including Avondale, Clifton, Clifton Heights, Corryville, Fairview, Mt. Auburn and University Heights, so it's a diverse mix of students and residents in one of the city's most distinct and eclectic group of neighborhoods. Uptown is the home of the Cincinnati Zoo as well as multiple hospitals and the Ludlow shopping district where you can find trendy and unique shops as well as any scent of incense you need. Ethnic restaurants, including a curiously high concentration of Indian eateries, multiple taverns, coffee houses, music venues and the Esquire — one of Cincinnati's finest independent art house movie theaters all make Uptown a one-stop walkable bazaar of exciting entertainment options.
When it comes to the fast-evolving world of health care, Cincinnati's startup community is attracting fans from the White House on down, in part by focusing on fast failures as well as lasting ideas.
As GLAD House celebrates its 15th year of dedication and success in February, they will also be moving to a facility in O’Bryonville that is larger, on a bus line and situated next to Owl’s Nest Park. The idea for GLAD House, which stands for “Giving Life A Dream,” began in 1993. After five years of careful planning, Beatrice Lampkin, founder of the nonprofit, with the help of church members, other nonprofits and an expert committee of psychiatrists, social workers and educators, opened its doors to children and families who were struggling with addiction and related issues in their homes. Lampkin, who spent years on the campus of Cincinniat Children’s Hospital and Medical Center as director of hematology and oncology, had seen pervasive drug use in the area around the hospital. That prompted her to do something meaningful in an effort to “make an impact in breaking the cycle of addiction.” “As far as substance abuse, a lot of the programs are for treatment, but the children were totally ill bystanders,” Lampkin says. “And you have the children living in the conditions of a home impacted by addictions, and they’d have to fend for themselves.” So Lampkin developed a program—the GLAD Champs—to provide support to children, particularly between the ages of 5 and 12. As an after-school program, children receive transportation to the GLAD House; they’re given a snack, in addition to dinner; and they receive treatment from licensed therapists to help them cope with their situation and prevent drug use in the future. “We don’t just toss them out after a period of time,” says Lampkin, in reference to children who have met individual therapy goals or who are older than 12. “We promote them to the GLAD Hands Club, where they come back to us less frequently; and these children come back until they’re 18 years of age, so that’s a long period of time that we’re following them.” It is both necessary and beneficial, according to Lampkin, “because if you just treat them for a matter of say, six months for them to meet their individual goals, they lose what they have learned because they go back and live in the same area; but with continued support and reinforcement until they graduate from high school, they have a much better chance of becoming very successful in their lives.” And participants have become successful. The GLAD House works with approximately 115 children every year, some starting as young as 5 years of age. To date, 29 of those youth have graduated from high school—23 of them entered college and the other six secured employment. “So it works,” Lampkin says. “And we are very proud.” GLAD House also provides support to other family members. From classes on understanding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to curriculums celebrating families, the nonprofit supports family unity and wellbeing. With the organization’s continued growth and success, Lampkin says the new facility is ideal. “It’s going to be wonderful, and we’re very happy because certainly our program has been very successful for the children and their parents, and we want to continue, and we want to expand.” Do Good: • Make a charitable donation to GLAD House. • Volunteer to help children with homework, to cook, to garden, to shop for supplies or to help in the office. • Donate school supplies or recreational materials for GLAD House activities. By Brittany York Brittany is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies.
Construction crews have been parked on Williams Howard Taft and Calhoun for months, but by March, University Square at the Loop in Clifton will begin opening a series of restaurants and shops that are new to the campus scene. Apartments in the mammoth development are slated to open starting in July. Currently, nine restaurants have been announced through the project’s official website: Firehouse Subs, bd’s Mongolian Barbeque, Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, Waffle House, DiBella’s Old Fashioned Submarines, Mr. Sushi, Hwy 55, Orange Leaf and Keystone Bar & Grill. Shop tenants include Great Clips, Moksha Yoga, Rue 21 and Altar’d State. “Over 70 percent of the space has been leased to prospective tenants,” says Arn Bortz, former Cincinnati mayor and a partner at U Square developer Towne Properties. While most of the apartment tenants will likely be students, the apartments are market rate, Bortz says. So students who are looking to lease an apartment for next year should expect to pay a bit more, assuming the convenient location is enough to sway them — apartments range from $695-$1650 per month. “Income qualified apartments,” those for qualified individuals with limited incomes, are not available to full-time students, according to U Square at the Loop’s website. The development will also include parking garages to accommodate the influx of traffic the complex will bring. For more updates, check out U Square at the Loop’s Facebook or follow them on Twitter. By Kyle Stone
Brian Keenan can describe a lot of projects he’s willing to take on as co-founder of Openfield Creative, but traditional advertising isn’t one of them. With the various skill sets in the air at Openfield, it’s probably not because the team couldn’t tackle that type of project, but with a growing demand for mobile-friendly websites, he and his team focus on web and mobile design with an eye to brand identity. Like so many Cincinnati creative firms, Openfield was founded by DAAP grads; Keenans fellow co-founders are Josh Barnes and Brandon Blangger. The firm typically steps in once an overarching brand strategy has been defined and helps to roll out brand concepts across websites, mobile apps and more. That may mean crafting large graphics, video or digital design for landing pages or app interfaces, those so-called touchpoints consumers use to interact with a given company or brand. The Openfield team also creates logos and other brand-based design elements and design standards that define, for example, how photography is used with a particular brand, or specify unique design elements that set a company apart for a cohesive, branded look on company materials. “We’re not an ad agency,” Keenan says. “We’re a design partner who gets in with our clients at a high level, understand the nuances.” The company also offers staff-to-client interaction with anyone from their firm working on a project, rather than farming out interfacing to an account manager or other key staffer. Keenan says the company name draws on a core value: Anyone (and everyone) is a creative, no matter what their background. Whether it be working with a new client or casting an eye toward the future, each member of the staff is expected to be ready to brainstorm. “Immediately in front of us, we see a lot more mobile work as clients understand that their audiences are adopting global usage at an incredible rate,” Keenan says, noting that Openfield is creating more mobile apps than ever before. But he’s more proud of his company’s ability to learn and change than its current skill set. “For all we know, we may not design websites in the future, but we’re confident that there’ll always be a digital experience component. We’ll always have a place using design and smart technology to put together what our clients need.” By Robin Donovan
A virtual trade mission taken by University of Cincinnati MBA students and local industries has turned into a very real product that could put a dent in food shortages across India. Next year, new solar-powered refrigerator products will be tested on an aloe farm in the developing country early next year. If successful, the SolerCool could be a reality for Indian farmers, just in time for summer. The product is a self-contained cooling unit that relies on the sun for power. It's a box that measures 10' x 7' x 11', and is topped by solar panels. SolerCool was developed through a collaboration between former and current UC students and local industries, including SimpliCool Technologies International LLC in Waynesville. The idea for the technology came after the MBA students and SimpliCool attended a "virtual trade mission" to India in July 2011. The mission was part of a Business Law for Managers class taught by Ilse Hawkins, an attorney and adjunct professor of accounting at UC. The mission virtually brought Cincinnati and Indian businesses together to find ways of partnering to better preserve Indian produce. Today, 30 to 40 percent of produce in India is lost to spoilage because of lack of refrigeration options, Hawkins says. India, with 1.2 million people, faces chronic food shortages. "While we were doing the mission, we had this tiny, insulated structure that kept audio visual materials at proper temperature," Hawkins says. "We thought, 'Why couldn't we create a structure powered with solar panels like that that could be put anywhere on a farm?'" Shortly after that meeting, Hawkins took a group to India where the idea was further flushed out. Eventually, a collaborative effort led to the creation of the SolerCool unit. MBA students worked on a business plan, helped with the initial feasibility calculations and networked with Indian businesses who might contribute to the product. Mohsen Rezayat, chief solutions architect at Siemens UGS PLM Software and adjunct professor in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science, primarily worked on the engineering of the solar panels in the SimpliCool-manufactured cooling cube. UC does not own the product, and therefore won't be profiting from its sales, Hawkins says. However, SimpliCool has vowed to contribute to UC's College of Business to fund further travel to India if the idea is successful, she says. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter
Cincinnati Review Managing Editor Nicola Mason introduces a new selection from the award-winning literary journal, Margaret M. Luongo's "Word Problem."
Cincinnati Review Managing Editor Nicola Mason introduces a new selection from the award-winning literary journal, Margaret M. Luongo's "Word Problem." Recently one of our staff wrote a funny intro on our blog claiming that creative writers are afraid of science. Well, Andrea Barrett may object to that claim. And Joanna Scott. And John Banville. And Alan Lightman . . . Actually, it turns out writers love science. What they hate---with an animus as deep and churning as the earth’s molten core---is MATH. That’s what I thought, anyway, until I read Margaret Luongo’s “Word Problem,” which presents as one of those tricky standardized-test solvables: First there’s the section that sets up the scenario, then a series of questions about said scenario that you, the test-taker, must answer. In the case of “Word Problem,” Luongo herself provides these answers (whew!). The twist is that the “problem” aspect of the story involves . . . people: specifically a mixed-bag of music students at a nationally acclaimed academy. And while Luongo initially describes these students in the dry, factual non-style of the traditional word problem, what creeps into the narrative---despite the analytical thrust inherent in the story’s structure---is heart. It is there in the questions this author posits---which are surprises in and of themselves---and in the answers that transform our surprise into a kind of wry wonder. This “Word Problem” is not about cold logic, but about the gifts we are given, the forces that shape us, and the mystery at our centers that defies the cut-and-dried solution. Intrigued? Read the full story at The Cincinnati Review. Do Good: • Subscribe to The Cincinnati Review. • Keep up to date on The CR's latest news on Facebook. • Read notes from staffers, a self-proclaimed motley crew of literary types, on The CR's blog.
Brian Keenan can describe a lot of projects he’s willing to take on as co-founder of Openfield Creative, but traditional advertising isn’t one of them. With the various skill sets in the air at Openfield, it’s probably not because the team couldn’t tackle that type of project, but with a growing demand for mobile-friendly websites, he and his team focus on web and mobile design with an eye to brand identity. Like so many Cincinnati creative firms, Openfield was founded by DAAP grads; co-founders include Josh Barnes, Brandon Blangger and Keenan. The firm typically steps in once an overarching brand strategy has been defined, helping to roll out brand concepts across websites, mobile apps and more. That may mean crafting large graphics, video or digital design for landing pages or app interfaces, those so-called touchpoints consumers use to interact with a given company or brand. The Openfield team also creates logos and other brand-based design elements and design standards and that define, for example, how photography is used with a particular brand, or specify unique design elements that set a company apart for a cohesive, branded look on company materials. “We’re not an ad agency,” Keenan says. “We’re a design partner who gets in with our clients at a high level, understands the nuances.” The company also offers staff-to-client interaction with anyone from their firm working on a project, rather than farming out interfacing to an account manager or other key staffer. Keenan says the company name draws on a core value: Anyone (and everyone) is a creative, no matter what their background. Whether it be working with a new client or casting an eye toward the future, each member of the staff is expected to be ready to brainstorm. “Immediately in front of us, we see a lot more mobile work as clients understand that their audiences are adopting global usage at an incredible rate,” Keenan says, noting that Openfield is creating more mobile apps than ever before. But he’s more proud of his company’s ability to learn and change than its current skill set. “For all we know, we may not design websites in the future, but we’re confident that there’ll always be a digital experience component. We’ll always have a place using design and smart technology to put together what our clients need.” By Robin Donovan
Editor's Note: COR presents its holiday concert Dec. 6 at Purcell Marian High School in Walnut Hils. “We believe that the arts signify and represent the health of the community. Vibrancy in the arts makes a community a more desirable place to live and to work.” That’s the mindset prompted Louisa Shepherd to help found the COR (Cincinnati Out Reach) Music Project in December 2011, a free, after-school orchestra program that provides innovative access to classical music to youth who are typically underserved when it comes to arts programming. The group also wants to give those same students opportunities and inspiration to attend college. COR Executive Director Deron Hall is a French horn player for the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, and Shepherd herself was able to attend college thanks to a music scholarship. “We have a passion for music, and it’s taken us from one circumstance to another,” Shepherd says. “We’re very much about giving back and revitalizing the arts in our community.” The approach is two-pronged: COR’s teaching artists lead piano, voice/choir, guitar and electronic music courses at schools that lack arts programs. At the same time, COR works year-round with local communities to form orchestras for youth in grades three and up. The first such effort will launch in Avondale this January. Purcell Marian High School is currently COR’s sole institutional partner; the goal is to secure partnerships with at least three more area schools next year. “We like to say we work in the community and not for the community,” says Shepherd. “We’re making it something the community stands behind and sees as valuable. It’s about showing the community the tools we have and finding out what we can do together.” COR’s “all play, none pay” philosophy is supported by ArtsWave grants, outside donations and nominal commitments from partner schools, as well as the group’s organized fundraising efforts. Do Good: • Watch COR in action online. • Make a tax-deductible donation to support COR. • Keep up with COR news and events on Facebook. By Hannah Purnell Follow Hannah on Twitter
With 10 restaurants and bars launched in 10 years, and more set to open soon, Four Entertainment Group (4EG) continues its successful run with Igby’s downtown, at 122 E. Sixth Street in between Main and Walnut streets. 4EG founders Bob Deck, Dave Halpern, Dan Cronican and Ben Klopp have two spaces reserved in the new U Square development in Clifton, one of which will be the group’s third Keystone Grill (other locations are in Covington and Hyde Park) and an adjacent bar. “I think Cincinnati’s just moving in the right direction,” says Deck. “I grew up here, so, just seeing the city change over the last, you know, six or seven years, with all the independent restaurants and all the independent owners, it’s pretty cool.” Deck and his partners cemented their commitment to the city by opening a central business office in Over-the-Rhine, across the street from The Anchor-OTR restaurant and above Zula, a bistro and wine bar slated to open soon. “We moved our offices down here because we’re invested in the city,” Deck says. “We didn’t have a central office, so we thought, ‘Hey what better place than to put our offices down in OTR, and support the whole area and movement.’” Just across downtown, Igby’s represents 4EG’s collaboration with Core Resources, Beck Architecture and 3CDC. Think its name sounds mysterious? That’s the point. “We called it Igby’s because we really wanted to come up with a name that didn’t really give you any idea of what the bar would be before you walked in,” Deck says . “We’re really designing this bar around good beer, and good wine and good craft, fresh cocktails,” Deck says. Open Monday through Saturday, Igby’s weekends ramp up the energy by opening its second and third floor open up and featuring a DJ. The space itself is huge—approximately 7,500 square feet. The Civil War era building posed challenges, but developers persevered through massive restoration work to create a wood-filled, modern and hyper-stylized space. Igby’s atrium features balconies around each level so that patrons can look up or down onto the other floors. Igby’s also has an outdoor patio with a lounge. Cincinnati Chef Lauren Brown has a five-item menu, featuring oysters, sodabread and cheese and even seasonal salads, that is served from 4 to 10 pm. “It’s really meant to accompany people coming in and having some drinks,” Deck says. “It’s all very high-quality and fresh, and everything we can source locally, we try to source locally. It’s hard to source West Coast oysters locally, though.” All of the juices for the extensive cocktail list are also fresh. Mixologist Brian Van Flandern from New York created the craft cocktail menu, which includes the bourbon-tinged Black Cherry Sling (with a kick of nutmeg), the Apple Toddler, which has Gerber Apple baby food in it, and locally themed drinks like RedsRum and Naked in Newport. Igby’s has 16 beers on tap, including craft beers, imported bottles and cans. By Stephanie Kitchens
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