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Many of us have heard the refrain “Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth,” with the implication that nobody gives away anything of value and if it is a gift, it may not be very worthwhile. But there are exceptions to every rule and Northern Kentucky, with its rich tradition linked to the horse racing industry, is a thoroughbred in the midst of Middle America.
The Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission hosted their 2009 annual meeting and dinner at the Hilton Cincinnati Airport Hotel in Florence, KY. At the meeting they gave out the awards that recognized the "outstanding commitment of NKCAC's community partners and volunteers." Barbra Haun took home the Doris Wiedemaann Award while Katie Studer of the Falmouth Head Start Center accepted the Community Service Award. Read full article here.
TiER1 Performance Solutions and Verst Group Logistics were the only Northern Kentucky companies named to the Inc. 5000 for 2009. The Inc. 5000 lists the fastest-growing privately owned companies in the U.S. in terms of revenue growth from 2005 and 2008. “We congratulate TiER1 Performance Solutions and Verst Group Logistics on their success and inclusion in the Inc. 5000 list,” says Dan Tobergte, President & CEO of Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED). “Both companies are led by an energetic and aggressive team of executives. It is exciting to watch them grow and succeed in Northern Kentucky.” Tier1 Performance Solutions, in Covington, For years TiER 1, a leading provider of end-to-end online learning and knowledge management solutions, has helped commercial, non-profit and government organizations implement effective, efficient knowledge management solutions. Some of their clients, numbering 120, include Federal Express, Luxottica, Kroger and the U.S. Air Force. The companies ranking improved from 3,351 in 2007 to 2,848 in 2009. TiER1 ranked number 33 in the “Education” industry. Verst Group Logistics, in Walton, the premier provider of warehousing, transportation and logistics services, ranked 3,255 on the Inc. 5000 list and number 82 in “Logistics & Transportation.” The company has been included on the Deloitte Cincinnati USA 100, a list of the region’s largest privately held companies, in 2008 and nine additional years. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Cheryl Besl, STRATA-G COMMUNICATIONS
The Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau debuted Meetings2GO earlier this year which offered a mobile meeting software program designed for real-time text programming in cell phones and PDAs. The innovative meeting feature is used for a variety of reasons that include the reduction of production costs and increased flexibility for those looking to take part in the meeting. Read full article here.
The offices of a sanitation district may not be the first place you would think to look for an innovative green roof, but maybe they should be. At the headquarters for the Northern Kentucky Sanitation District a 2003 expansion featured the incorporation of an outdoor environmental education center and an innovative vegetated (green) roof. The expansion also featured a number of other green features including a wetland classroom, storm water garden, watershed plaza, oil/water separator, porous pavements, technology lab, and an urban forest. The 5,200 square-foot green roof that was incorporated on the expansion received the Green Roof Award of Excellence by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities in 2007 in the extensive institutional category, and when the building opened in 2003 it received the Kentucky Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects' (KYASLA) Award of Honor with excellence. The green roof was designed by Cincinnati-based landscape architecture firm Human Nature, and was installed by Roofscapes, Inc. that prides itself on being a "full-service green roof installation firm." Roofscapes Inc. used an unirrigated 4-inch thick green roof profile that included a variety of plants like Sedum, Allium and Bouteloua. The green roof project was planned and developed with the intent of reducing rainfall runoff and improving overall water quality. The Northern Kentucky Sanitation District has continued to monitor the project since its completion in the summer of 2003. The green roof is also designed to accommodate access by Sanitation District staff and visitors, and includes a paved elevated walkway for tours. The commonly cited and well-known Chicago City Hall green roof used a similar design approach that was also installed by Roofscapes, Inc. If you or a group would like to tour the Northern Kentucky Sanitation District's green roof you can do so Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4pm. Those looking to schedule a tour are instructed ot call Jamie Edgemeyer at (859) 578-6764 before visiting the site at 1045 Eaton Drive in Fort Wright, Kentucky.Writer: Randy A. SimesPhotography by Scott BeselerStay connected and follow Randy on Twitter @SoapboxRandy
Located in the heart of Bellevue's historic business district at 411 Fairfield Avenue (GoogleMap), Twisted Sisters Cafe specializes in gourmet pretzel sandwiches and desserts. The self-described pretzel shop also offers a variety of lunch time offerings including soups and sandwiches that can be paired or matched with your pretzel creation of choice. Twisted Sisters Cafe is an afternoon treat as the shop is open from 11am to 4pm Tuesday through Saturday. The cafe also offers party trays and boxed lunches for those looking to take the pretzel bliss back to the office or home. Single pretzels cost between $2 and $3 not including any additional goodies you may want to use as toppings. Items like bacon cheddar, cheese dip, cream cheese, glaze, and bacon are all available for anyone looking to ramp their pretzel experience up a notch or two. For those looking to buy in bulk, you can purchase an 8-pack of pretzels, or a pack of 50 'Knots' or 'Bites.' The gourmet pretzel sandwiches cost $7 and include ham, turkey, roast beef and chicken salad with a host of additional veggies, cheeses and condiments to choose from for toppings. The cafe also offers a variety of rotating specials. Right now those consist of a Reuben Pretzel Sandwich, Pizza Pretzel, Spicy Italian and a Knotty Dog. Guests are encouraged to take some time out and dine in at their Fairfield Avenue shop. Those that visit on Thursdays are treated to a $1 off special on any pretzel sandwich. Additional specials can be found on the Twisted Sisters Cafe website. Anyone looking to purchase large orders is encouraged to call ahead at (859) 781-6569, or fax at (859) 581-0200. Writer: Randy A. Simes Photography by Scott Beseler Stay connected and follow Randy on Twitter @SoapboxRandy
Randall Etheridge and his wife Carrie wanted to live in a neighborhood where they could imagine having children and would not have to move after five years.
In the more than twenty years that she and her husband have lived in Charles Village, Dawna Cobb says they've seen significant change.
St. Elizabeth Healthcare and IBM are partnering in the state’s largest rollout of e-medical records designed to improve patient care and lower medical costs. The new system will replace paper-based records on more than 50,000 patients in the St. Elizabeth Healthcare system. This initiative will put the Northern Kentucky region and the St. E on the leading edge of e-health technology. Just 1.5 percent of the nation’s hospitals have this comprehensive electronic records system. "This represents an important step and a unified foundation to deliver better care to our patients," said Alex Rodriguez, chief information officer, St. Elizabeth Healthcare. " This major initiative will mean that more than 12 percent of the population of Northern Kentucky and the greater Cincinnati area will have an electronic medical record. Regardless if a patient is seen at their physician's office, an acute care hospital or the emergency room, caregivers will have deep insight into patient history and care can be better coordinated." The new system will debut in September in 31 primary care doctor’s offices, followed by four clinics and ambulatory care sites within St. Elizabeth Healthcare. In total six hospitals, and four imaging centers and clinics and 1,000 physicians will be connected in a unified system by late 2010. IBM Power Systems servers will support the system. It will help “improve the quality of care each patient receives by providing better access to patient information, a complete view of patient history, medication and treatment plans, and even faster access to lab results to make better, more informed decisions,” according to IBM. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: IBM
Four Cincinnati area universities made Forbes' annual ranking of "America's Best Colleges." Xavier came in at the highest spot at number 196, but all ranked within the top 600 schools that Forbes ranks out of the more than 4,000 examined. Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity rank the schools based on several criteria including student evaluation of professors and courses; students' success after graduation; average salaries of graduates; estimated student debt; graduation rate; and the number of students and faculty who have won nationally competitive awards like Rhodes scholarships. Read full article here.
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