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First urban mountain bike trails coming to Devou on March 28

Work will begin on Greater Cincinnati's first urban mountain bike trails on March 28 when 150 high school volunteers start cutting their way through Devou Park in Covington.Blazing Trails, a program sponsored by Give Back Cincinnati subsidiary Give Back High, is recruiting high school students from throughout the region to help build eight to 10 miles of trails of varying levels of difficulty."We do have several large school groups registered to participate and there is a general excitement in the air related to the project and its impact," says Teresa Murphy of Give Back High.  "It’s a fantastic way to enjoy nature and simultaneously create a permanent venue for others to enjoy an unfinished area of the park."These trails would be the only beginner- and intermediate-level trails within 15 miles of downtown Cincinnati."I went to the trails the weekend before last for some training and was able to get a sense of the large-scale project’s vision and detail," Murphy says.  "It’s strange – after spending some time working at the site, you see the impact and are able to picture the final product."Murphy says that work on the trails will continue into the foreseeable future, and there will be many more opportunities to volunteer."The goal is to have the first 4-5 mile loop done by the fall of this year," she says.  "In years to come, more mileage and loops will be added – on average, about 4 miles can be added per year."As an incentive, two student volunteers will be selected to win Superlight Mountain Bikes, donated by Santa Cruz Bicycles and retailing at $1,800 each.The Kentucky Mountain Bike Association and Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance pushed hard to have trails included in the park's master plan, which was approved last summer.In advocating for the trails, both groups pointed out that more than one in five Americans over the age of 16 own a mountain bike, and that studies have shown that states with more miles of mountain bike trails have more physically fit residents.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource: Teresa Murphy, Give Back High Photography provided by Kentucky Mountain Bike Association

Bexion Pharmaceuticals awarded $99,965 from Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development

Bexion Pharmaceuticals, LLC, is doing amazing things in the fight against pancreatic cancer.And the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development (KCED) has taken notice.In an effort to help this pancreatic cancer research along, the KCED has just awarded SBIR-STTR Matching Funds of $99,965 to Bexion for their National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant called "A Novel Biotherapeutic Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer."Alongside the KCED, Northern Kentucky Tri-ED's Northern Kentucky ezone and the KCED's Department of Commercialization (DCI) are also lending a helping hand to Bexion."Northern Kentucky is in the early stages of becoming a significant contributor to Kentucky’s future in bioscience with Bexion’s presence and the additional companies that will come to the area as a result of this company’s success," says Chairman of NKY Tri-Ed and Kenton County Judge Executive Ralph Drees.Bexion is gaining notoriety for a promising piece of preclinical anti-tumor technology from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.    This new protein-lipid nanovesicle technology attacks tumors in cases of glioma, pancreatic cancer, neuroblastoma and leukemia, and selectively kills cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unscathed.Alongside being a boon for cancer victims, this new technology holds great promise for the Kentucky's flourishing medical research industry."Bexion is a very promising addition to Kentucky’s growing and emerging life science portfolio of companies," says DCI Commissioner Deborah Clayton.  "The Commonwealth’s unique SBIR-STTR matching program is a valuable resource available to high-tech companies located in the state or willing to relocate here."KCED's assistance to Bexion has been received with gratitude.In a clear statement of appreciation, Bexion CEO Dr. Ray Takigiku says, "Bexion’s mission is to develop cures for cancer, and Kentucky’s programs are helping us by providing a much needed mechanism to increase our resources to more rapidly bring our first product into the clinic and help patients… These Kentucky programs clearly support us." Writer:  Jonathan DeHartSource:  Cheryl Besl, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Bexion Pharmaceuticals, LLC

Riverfront Commons would bring $1.5B in investment, 4,000 jobs to NKY

Hundreds of Northern Kentucky business leaders and lawmakers heard the most recent plans for the Riverfront Commons project, but were warned that hard work would be needed to secure its funding.Billed as "a nationally-recognized amenity and destination", Riverfront Commons would consist of a multi-use trail linking Northern Kentucky's river cities and offering connections to Cincinnati via the Purple People Bridge, to the proposed Licking River Greenway, and to the Boone County park system."We believe that if Northern Kentucky can creatively link all of our riverfront cities and riverfront assets, the entry points into our cities and regional parks, and the connecting points to Cincinnati's riverfront, that we can create the most exciting riverfront experience in the Midwest," says Bill Scheyer, president of Southbank Partners, which is leading the initiative.Roger Peterman, chair of Southbank's Riverfront Commons Committee, says that the project represents $60 million in shovel-ready infrastructure that will stimulate $1.5 billion in private investment and create 4,000 permanent jobs.With Riverfront Commons in the works since 2005, the committee was intrigued when the $787 billion federal economic stimulus package was announced."We determined that this project was the definition of economic stimulus, and this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform Northern Kentucky through a project like this," Peterman says."Competition from all over this nation is already fierce," says Southbank member Jay Buchert.  "A full-time commitment will be required to secure the funding necessary for us to achieve success.  We are going to have to work very hard – and very smart."To fight for funding, Southbank has enlisted the services of 20/20 Strategies, a new partnership of "fresh off the bench" talent that is intimately familiar with the appropriations process and has developed deep and meaningful contacts in Washington.The cost to hire lobbyists, legal and consulting services, and preliminary engineering for the first year is estimated at $335,000, Buchert says.Peterman believes that the project is near the top of the list when compared to the thousands of other projects seeking funding."We have a Corps of Engineers study that shows the economic impact that will occur as a result of this development," he says.  "This is a Corps of Engineers project, which opens up a whole new avenue of funding that's unique for our region."Writer: Kevin LeMaster

Eight Greater Cincinnati companies among world’s most admired

Eight Greater Cincinnati companies are among the world's most admired, according to the March 16 issue of Fortune magazine.The magazine lists Chiquita Brands International, Cintas, Convergys, Kroger, and Procter & Gamble as scoring in the top half of a survey in which businesspeople were asked to vote for the companies they admired most.Fifth Third Bancorp, Macy's, and Omnicare were listed as "Contenders", meaning that they did not score in the top half of the industry survey.Procter & Gamble was also singled out as being the most admired company in the "Soaps and Cosmetics" category.Read the full article here.

Northern Kentucky groups partner on revitalization workshop

Approximately 45 municipal staff from Northern Kentucky's core cities attended a revitalization and stabilization training workshop last week to learn the tools to transfer blighted neighborhoods into thriving residential markets.The Catalytic Development Funding Corp. of Northern Kentucky (CDFC), in partnership with the Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington, Southbank Partners, and Campbell County Economic Progress Authority, hosted the all-day event to show how community, financial, and political support could be cultivated to transform Northern Kentucky's urban areas in a challenging economic climate.Planning and economic development groups such as the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission, Northern Kentucky Area Development District, and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED also sent representatives."We spent a lot of time identifying what might be some potential projects," says Jeanne Schroer, executive director of CDFC.  "The biggest roadblock is money.  That, and site control."Revitalization experts Jeremy Newberg and Wendy K. Smith of Capital Access, Inc. led the discussion."What the workshop was really geared to was to give everyone kind of a clear roadmap to the revitalization process," Schroer says.  "The first step was to identify projects that could have the biggest impact for the money spent."Following site assessments and estimating project costs, the final step is securing funding."As far as public funds, we discussed the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and how to strategically use those funds so that, if you get them, you'll get the biggest return," Schroer says.Schroer says that CDFC plans to use the structure of this workshop as a template."This workshop exceeded my expectations," she says.  "There was a lot of synergy, and a lot of collaboration.  I thought it was so valuable that I could very well see us doing future sessions." Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource: Jeanne Schroer, executive director, Catalytic Development Funding Corp. of Northern KentuckyPhotography by Scott Beseler

Positive thinking, solid businesses keep Northern Kentucky strong

In an interview appearing in the February issue of the Lane Report, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce president Steve Stevens says that business in the seven-county region remains strong, and ready to emerge from the recession.Even though activity is down in the construction and manufacturing sectors, Stevens says that the Chamber's job website has remained active."The fact is people are not hunkering down across the whole region to the point where nobody's doing anything," he tells the publication.  "There is growth here."Stevens says that there is strong growth in the healthcare industry, citing St. Elizabeth's new complex along I-75 in Covington that will spur investment along the entire 12th Street corridor."Let us believe that 2009 is going to be a prosperous year even though everybody would tell you 2009 is going to be awful – and it could be," he says.  "But we're not going to sit here and let that prevent us from going out and being aggressive and encouraged that we can make business grow."Read the full article here.

Andrews Electronics moves to Boone County, plans to hire 25

The arrival of Andrews Electronics (AE) suggests Boone County, of northern Kentucky, is weathering the current economic storm with ease.Not only will the consumer electronics giant inject vim and vigor into the local economy, it's also going to deliver jobs; 25 to be exact. AE, a division of MTI-Andrews based in Hillsboro, Ore., is one of America's largest consumer electronics parts distribution and reverse logistics companies.  Alongside dispensing goods and handling logistics, AE greases the wheels of turn-key retail shopping operations at the nation's largest consumer electronics outlets.In short, they're in demand."Andrews Electronics will be a fantastic asset to Kentucky’s business base," says Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear.  "We look forward to their contribution to the local economy as they grow right here in Kentucky."And with a 73,500 square feet facility in the Skyport V Building, owned by Duke Realty Corporation and located at 2265 Progress Drive, Hebron, KY, they've got room to grow.This strategic spot takes advantage of Kentucky's central location on the map.  From this base, AE can inexpensively ship products to anywhere in the nation in two days or less.This bodes well for AE's future workforce, which company leadership intends to hire 25 employees for starters.  AE will kick off its hiring efforts by holding a job fair at the Cincinnati Airport Marriott on February 27 and 28.   "Northern Kentucky offers a skilled and available technology workforce," says Chris Remy, COO, MTI - Andrews.  "We will begin hiring qualified workers very soon."Remy says local and state officials' cooperation was the main reason AE chose to make its new home in northern Kentucky.  Northern Kentucky Tri-ED is a local example of such an organization. "Current economic times underscore the importance of a diversified business base," says Gary Moore, Chair-Elect of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED and Boone County Judge-Executive.  "We are pleased to welcome Andrews Electronics to Boone County and Northern Kentucky."Writer:  Jonathan DeHartSource:  Cherl Besl, Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, Andrews Electronics