NKY Thrives

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U-M grad student Traci spends her free time with music -- from smoky jazz halls to folk music mainstays to the area's best indie rock hubs.

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Rebecca is a community advocate who swears like a trucker and digs classic cocktails and cheap and fast sushi.

Quality of life survey to identify Northern Kentucky’s strengths, weaknesses

Northern Kentucky is a model for regional health care in the U.S.

With the recent merger of St. Elizabeth Medical Center with St. Luke Hospitals last fall, Northern Kentucky has opened itself up to the exciting possibility of regional collaboration among the area's multiple life science industries.

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New NKU operation offers exports help

The Northern Kentucky University International Business Center has opened an outreach office in Highland Heights designed to assist local businesses looking to enhance their export capabilities or to compete better globally.According to The Lane Report, clients will have access to student-driven research projects and case analyses, one-on-one counseling with NKU faculty, referral to outside agencies, and market research.Partners of the business center include the Northern Kentucky International Trade Association, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Small Business Development Center, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.The office is headed by David Hrovat, president of international management consulting firm D.J. Hrovat & Associates and a former Fortune 500 executive.Read the full article here.

Bexion Pharmaceuticals, Edunet24 and Clinical Engineering Consultants score $530,000 in funds

The Northern Kentucky ezone has just delivered the goods for three local start-ups.As a division of the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (NKY Tri-ED), the ezone has ties to some big funders.In this recent round of funding, the ezone helped Bexion Pharmaceuticals, Edunet24 and Clinical Engineering Consultants (CEC) gain a collective $530,000 from the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC)."The ezone is an important resource for entrepreneurs and is helping start-up companies access funding opportunities available through the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation," says the head of ezone's entrepreneurship committee Tom Prewitt.These companies will use the money in diverse ways.Covington-based Bexion Pharmaceuticals received $400,000 of this sum for cancer research.  This matching grant from the KSTC comes on the heels of a grant from the National Institutes of Health called "A Novel Biotherapeutic Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer."Meanwhile, Erlanger-based Edunet24 will use its $100,000, given by the Kentucky Enterprise Fund, to bolster its online academic performance enhancement offerings.  With its recent financial boon Edunet24 will develop a system that will enable English language learners to create individualized learning plans.And with assistance from the Northern Kentucky University Innovation Center, CEC, also based in Erlanger, will apply its $30,000 toward development of software that allows hospitals to manage their medical technology.  This technology will be dispersed to nearly 400 medical centers.The activities of these three northern Kentucky firms are a sure indicator of the region's innovation and entrepreneurial strength. "We are known as an innovative and supportive region that fosters the growth of these types of companies," Prewitt says. Kentucky companies focusing on high-tech and quickly growing fields can apply for funding through the Commonwealth of Kentucky until May 7, 2009.  Grants start at $30,000 and other types of funding are available from $100,000 to $750,000.    To learn more about the Northern Kentucky ezone, visit here. Writer:  Jonathan DeHartSource:  Cheryl Besl, Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation

Union Springs Pharmaceutical releases 99.99% effective respirator

Run of the mill respirators do a reasonably good job of stopping viruses.  But Union Springs Pharmaceutical (USP) has taken this a step further.USP's new ViralClyns P95 disposable respirator not only keeps the germs out, it even inactivates viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi that try to infiltrate its 99.99% effective protection system.  The device can even stop the invasion of miniscule viruses like SARS and Avian Flu.  With its patented Triosyn Antimicrobial Protection this handy gadget is 100 times more effective than comparable respirators at keeping airborne viruses and other pesky pathogens at bay.This technology is the fruit of more than 15 years of research and development undertaken by an international team of microbiologists, toxicologists, chemists and engineers.Due to the nature of their line of work, the ViralClyns P95 will prove especially useful for professionals in EMS, law enforcement, fire fighting, corrections and the military. "This respirator is a breakthrough for public safety officials," says Union Springs Pharmaceuticals president Joel Ivers.  "In a situation of exposure to harmful viruses, prevention is key."For the professionals interested in the ViralClyns P95, it is offered with and without an exhalation valve, and comes with adjustable straps and a foam seal to keep it secured tightly to the face. As a side benefit, it even keeps out smoke and other unpleasant odors. All this for $9.99. For more information or to order ViralClyns, visit here.  Writer:  Jonathan DeHartSource:  Cheryl Besl, Union Springs Pharmaceuticals, Bryan Reynolds

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