Cincinnati Archives – Page 442 of 560

Lifelong Reds fan creates Lineup app

By Newsroom

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August 21, 2012

Like many Gen Y Cincinnatians, Hendrixson remembers when the Reds grabbed a World Series title in 1990. Today, his company’s (Blue Seat Media) signature Cincy Lineup app delivers Reds’ batting and pitching lineups as they’re posted, typically three to four hours before each game. “It’s interesting to know who’s leading off and who’s sitting that day,” says Hendrixson, who describes the lineup as a trailer for the game. “The Reds have had some injuries lately -- Scott Rolen has been in and out of the lineup -- so it’s always interesting to me to see if he’s playing that night, who’s catching and who might be playing in his place.” Beyond fandom, Hendrixson says he’s inspired by companies like Apple and Pixar whose seamless marriage of tech functionality and intuitive design create products that seem “magic.” When he’s not at the ballpark, he works to create apps that leverage these same strengths. “Developers are a unique breed just like designers are a unique breed,” he says. “I have a place in my heart for this idea of designers and developers working together really efficiently; it's not something many companies do well.” Hendrixson is also the founder of the tech development company Inkdryer Creative. By Robin Donovan

Soapdish: ‘Pop-up’ creativity sates local appetites

By Casey Coston

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General

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August 21, 2012

The term “pop up” has become quite fashionable in the cultural lexicon as of late, applying to everything from retail to restaurants to picnics. Soapbox columnist Casey Coston takes a tour of Cincinnati's "pop-up" scene.

Cybervise fixes web development impasses

By Newsroom

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Diversity

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August 21, 2012

Small businesses looking to maximize their marketing often invest in professional web development. But what happens when the developer steps away and the business takes over? All too often, it’s complete inaction, says Carmen Krupar, web developer and founder of Cybervise. (She advises revisiting your website content at least quarterly, by the way.) Before the launch, Krupar was working with a company that rolled out website after website, shrugging off client requests for ongoing maintenance and updates. Krupar began doing the work herself, first during the evenings after work and, later, out of her Hamilton County Business Center office, where she says she already networks enough each month to cover the rent -- and then some. Cybervise fills the gap between the creation of a website and the ongoing maintenance needed to keep it ranking well on search engines and up-to-date for clients and customers. Sometimes, this means creating new pages or reorganizing a site, but it might also mean simply fixing glitches left behind by other web developers. It can even involve some interpersonal work. “Folks that call us have an existing website, but their web developer has let them down,” Krupar explains. “Usually, the project’s taking too long to finish; they’re at an impasse where nobody can compromise – everyone’s stuck on their own idea of what the website should be, or they’ve lost touch with developer. We’re doing things like updating information, fixing broken functionality and creating graphics (like buttons added to the site), as well as code cleanups for search engine optimization.” Krupar, who is available on retainer, says the best way to avoid needing her services is to build your initial site with room for expansion, and to avoid free, quick-fix tools. Her favorite content management system is WordPress, though her team can handle nearly any system, she says, noting that most people with computer skills can learn to use it, and it’s search-engine friendly. “Ranking for search engine optimization is hard enough -- don’t make a site that search engines aren’t going to move through easily,” she says. By Robin Donovan

Lifelong Reds fan creates Lineup app

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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August 21, 2012

Like many Gen Y Cincinnatians, Hendrixson remembers when the Reds grabbed a World Series title in 1990. Today, his company’s (Blue Seat Media) signature Cincy Lineup app delivers Reds’ batting and pitching lineups as they’re posted, typically three to four hours before each game. “It’s interesting to know who’s leading off and who’s sitting that day,” says Hendrixson, who describes the lineup as a trailer for the game. “The Reds have had some injuries lately -- Scott Rolen has been in and out of the lineup -- so it’s always interesting to me to see if he’s playing that night, who’s catching and who might be playing in his place.” Beyond fandom, Hendrixson says he’s inspired by companies like Apple and Pixar whose seamless marriage of tech functionality and intuitive design create products that seem “magic.” When he’s not at the ballpark, he works to create apps that leverage these same strengths. “Developers are a unique breed just like designers are a unique breed,” he says. “I have a place in my heart for this idea of designers and developers working together really efficiently; it's not something many companies do well.” Hendrixson is also the founder of the tech development company Inkdryer Creative. By Robin Donovan

4C steps up efforts to improve childcare quality

By Newsroom

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Education + Learning

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August 14, 2012

Think Ohio day care providers have to have a degree to care for children? Think that cozy, home-based, daycare center just down the street, has to be licensed by the state of Ohio in order to operate? If you answered no to both of those questions, you are right. And that’s just wrong, according to 4C for Children. The mission of the Cincinnati-based nonprofit, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, is to improve the quality and accessibility of childcare in a 33-county area spanning Southwest Ohio, the Miami Valley and Northern Kentucky. And if you’ve searched for childcare in the area, you likely have touched their services. The organization was initially created by five agencies as a means to ensure there was enough high-quality childcare in Greater Cincinnati. The group, first called Comprehensive Community Child Care – hence the shortened 4C – quickly blossomed into much more and impacts hundreds of thousands of people each year, says Communications Vice President Karen Hurley. The group provides free referrals to parents looking for childcare, works to educate current childcare providers and others working in the area of early childhood education, advocates for issues impacting childcare in Ohio and Kentucky and works to increase childcare options. The agency maintains a database of more than 2,600 childcare options for parents that include licensed centers, preschools and family child-care homes registered with 4C. The group helps more than 8,000 families annually find childcare and provides a series of checklists and tips to help in their quests. Last year alone, the group held 1,400 workshops and classes which 24,000 providers have attended. The number of children impacted is well over 169,000 kids, Hurley says. “Our mission is to professionalize these providers so they no longer think of themselves as merely a babysitter,’’ Hurley says, noting that 90 percent of a child’s brain is developed before they set a foot into kindergarten. “One of our biggest victories is when a childcare provider gets it,’’ she says. “When they think of themselves as having a real impact on the early learning of a child.” Hurley says the group spent more than a decade advocating for the licensing of home-based day care. Ohio was one of five states in the United States that did not regulate home-based child care businesses. In Ohio, one person can care for up to six children in his or her home with no license, no training and no safety measures. But by 2014, the state of Ohio will mandate that as part of the federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge. Ohio received a four-year, $400 million grant to enact a series of changes in Ohio schools and that President Barack Obama believed would improve education. Ohio was one of 12 states to receive funding. But the work for the agency, with 80 staff member and an annual budget of $5 million, is far from done, Hurley says. The group is working to provide more resources to parents who may feel isolated to get them needed support and continuing to build higher levels of quality into childcare programs. In Ohio, the group is working with providers to help them meet standards outlined by the Step Up to Quality rating program. They are also doing the same for providers in Kentucky that fall under the Stars for Kids Now award system. Do Good: Donate to the group.Subscribe to their Newsletters.Read their blogs.Follow them on Faceboook or Twitter.Watch what others say about their work and the importance of early education.By Chris Graves Chris Graves is the assistant vice president for digital and social media at the Powers Agency and is the mother of two teens.

Caracole’s new space in Northside offers room to grow

By Newsroom

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Diversity

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August 14, 2012

It only seems fitting, David White says, that Caracole Inc.’s offices are now at the former Charles Miller Funeral Home in Northside. The funeral home was one of only two in the entire Greater Cincinnati area that would accept the bodies of AIDS victims in the 1980s. “Back in the day, people thought you could catch it from a sneeze,” says White, Caracole’s Community Investment Coordinator. “But the folks at the Miller funeral home were not scared. You have to remember, this was back in the days when AIDS was a death sentence.” Caracole, the non-profit that that provides safe, affordable housing and supportive services for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS, moved into the former funeral home at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Knowlton Street June 29. The move was necessitated after Caracole assumed the caseload from fellow local nonprofit Stop AIDS in April 2011. The shift increased Caracole’s clients from 200 in Hamilton County to nearly 1,000 clients served in eight counties, White says. “The best thing, my favorite thing, has been the community of Northside. They have been so welcoming,’’ he says. “The neighborhood is so excited a social services agency is here, let alone an AIDS group. It’s been amazing, really.” The move more than doubles their space to 9,400 square feet, centralizes their location and puts them directly on Metro routes. It is also close to hospitals and provides private offices for staff. The new location houses the group’s administrative and case management offices. Two transitional homes, each with 11 beds, did not move. Those homes provide housing and services for homeless residents who are HIV positive or suffering from AIDS. White is excited because the increased space means many like services are now under one roof. Caracole’s HIV/AIDS support groups can meet regularly, which was not the case at their former Roselawn location. A local GLBT group will also hold meetings at the offices, and two employees from Planned Parenthood of southwest Ohio will administer anonymous HIV tests there. “We would not have been able to move without the donations—from paint, furnishing and the majority of the carpeting,’’ says White, who estimated that donations were worth tens of thousands of dollars. “This helps us save money on rent and is money we can put toward client services.” Two foundations provided more than $30,000 to move the group’s offices as well as for data installation. Matt Kotlarczyk, who bought the 15,000-square-foot building with a partner in late 2011 for $260,000, says redeveloping it with Caracole has gone extraordinarily well. Caracole signed a 10-year lease for first-floor offices. “It gives them a new home and us a good, solid investment,” says Kotlarczyk, a local sculptor who owns Refined Sugar Studio. Future Life Now LLC is leasing about 2,500 square feet on the second floor of the building. Another 3,500-square-foot space on the second floor and the 3,500-square-foot hearse garage, which is fully insulated, remain vacant, he says. Kotlarczyk has been told the building, originally built in 1875 and added onto numerous times, was the longest continuously operated funeral home in Cincinnati. And at least one woman thought it still was. The woman walked into Caracole’s offices a couple weeks ago, White says, and asked who she might talk to about funeral services. That wouldn’t be Caracole. They are too busy working on living. Do Good: • Attend Caracole’s open house celebration from 4 to 9 pm, Sept. 13, 4138 Hamilton Ave. There will be music, a photo booth and tours. It is not a fundraiser. • Call 513-679-4455 to schedule an anonymous HIV test, administered at Caracole through Planned Parenthood, Monday-Thursday from 9 am to 5 pm, and Friday from 9 am to 1 pm. • Email oracle@caracole.org to volunteer your time. • Donate cleaning supplies or toiletries to Caracole’s pantry to help residents. • Use your Kroger Plus card to give a percentage of your total spend to Caracole. By Chris Graves Chris Graves is assistant vice president of digital and social media at the Powers Agency.

West McMicken shows off ‘streetcar suburb’ history

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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August 14, 2012

Tucked at the bottom of the Clifton hillside, the West McMicken neighborhood features historic housing stock in an isolated area easily overlooked by passersby. But its well-maintained greenspaces and award-winning beautification programs offer a glimpse of the dedication of its neighbors, which will be on full display during the Cincinnati Preservation Association’s first “Fall into Restoration” series next month. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” says Margo Warminski, CPA’s restoration director. The program features a tour of a restoration-in-progress—an 1885 Queen Anne that once served as the home of a streetcar conductor, is in the process of being restored to its original state. “It’s a glimpse of late Victorian middle-class life,” Warminski says of the house, which was part of the neighborhood that grew up along Cincinnati’s original streetcar line. “We are very excited to be able to do this program.” She notes that members of the West McMicken Improvement Association will be on hand to discuss their work to keep their community green and flourishing. In addition to reclaiming abandoned buildings in the University Heights neighborhood, members have also fought off an intrusive highway plan and are currently working with Spring in our Steps volunteers to beautify the Warner Street steps. For more information about the neighborhood and the Sept. 22 tour, visit the Cincinnati Preservation Association. By Elissa Yancey Follow Elissa on Twitter

Park[ed] creates permanent food truck venue in OTR

By Newsroom

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Development News

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August 14, 2012

As crowds soak up free concerts, performances and movies in the new Washington Park, starting this Friday night, they’ll be able to soak up their favorite food truck fare there, too. That’s when, during the Friday night concert, the parking lot for the non-profit Emanuel Center on Race Street will transform into the inaugural Park[ed], by The City Flea, starting at 7 pm. Located just across the street from the Park’s main stage, the lot typically sits empty after business hours and on weekends. During Park[ed], local food truck vendors will set up shop there and sell menu items perfect for taking right back to the park. “There’s huge demand for something to eat,” says organizer Nick Dewald, half of the dynamic duo behind The City Flea (with his wife Lindsay). Once he learned that Emanuel staff was interested in finding new ways to connect more with Washington Park and the community, he set out to create Park[ed]. While he loves the restaurants on Vine and Main streets, he notes the lack of “grab and go” foods that would be ideal for park events like the Over the Rhine concert that drew thousands of fans to the Park. “This is giving people a quicker option,” he says. “If you leave the park to go find food, there’s a decent chance you won’t come back.” Since he was already connected with nearly all of the city’s food truck vendors through The City Flea, he asked owners what they thought of the idea. “Everybody was on board,” he says. From staples like Café de Wheels and Turophilia to newcomers like C’est Cheese, Queen City Cookies and Eat Mobile, the options will vary from event to event and night to night. “We’re open to having every mobile vendor in the city take part in some way or another,” says Dewald. Offerings will vary based on the occasion, the size of crowd expected and the availability of vendors, Dewald says, but high demand could dictate more hours and more options. “It could turn into a nightly thing,” he says. “It’s all about making it work for the vendors as well.” For his part, Dewald will set up a calendar for the space and publicize it, using a new Twitter handle to announce which trucks will be on site for specific events. Plans also include adding some atmosphere—some lighting, a couple of tables, music and maybe even a cornhole set or a ping pong table to keep patrons occupied while they wait for their orders. “We’re not looking to become a place to come and hang out,” Dewald says. His goal is to provide a consistent space for food trucks to vend while satisfying the hunger of Park guests and neighbors in Over the Rhine. “We like this proximity to the park so much,” he says. Since alcohol sales in the park help pay for its operations, he has no plans to add alcohol to Park[ed]’s offerings. Dewald says the trucks will be set up and serving by 7 pm, and plans to keep them running till 10 pm on nights when events occur in Washington Park. Find out the schedule and day-by-day options by following @eat_PARKED on Twitter. By Elissa Yancey Follow Elissa on Twitter.

NKY Community Action Commission ‘Rekindles’ micro-enterprise development

By Newsroom

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Diversity

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August 14, 2012

By its very definition, entrepreneurship involves personal and financial risk. But it doesn't take millions to make every entrepreneurs' self-employment dreams come true. An emerging program of the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission (NKCAC) aims to support entrepreneurship and small business ownership: the Rekindle Micro-Enterprise Development Program. NKCAC supports micro-enterprise -- generally a business with five or fewer employees -- by offering technical, financial, marketing and other resources to Northern Kentuckians who want to create their own economic opportunities. "We started the program about a year ago, with a focus on low-income people," says Robert Yoder, NKYAC Micro-Enterprise/Small Business Development project director. "This is a place where they can test their ideas, understand what it means to run a business and see the challenges they could face ahead of time." The program is free for those who meet income eligibility requirements, with a $35 material fee for others. After an assessment, applicants go through a six-week business development course that includes training in entrepreneurship skills, obtaining financing, learning about accounting and tax issues, financial literacy and marketing and writing a business plan. Program graduates can apply for $5,000 in low-interest loans to start or expand their businesses. Potentially, grads can access up to $500,000 in financing though Rekindle financing partners. The program has worked with new and existing businesses, Yoder says. He mentions the success story of barber Devin Pinkelton, who came through the program after first cutting hair in his home, then moving to a 10-foot by 12-foot space that held a single barber chair. "We worked with Devin to update his business plan, develop cash flow projections and provided advice on site selection for his new location that had excellent visibility and parking. Once everything was in place, Devin applied for $5,000 from the Rekindle Micro-Enterprise Revolving Loan Fund to remodel and purchase fixtures for the barber shop," Yoder says. In June, Pinkelton opened a three-chair shop in Florence. "His new location has much better visibility and his business is really growing," Yoder says. New Covington eatery WhackBurger, fast becoming a local favorite, is also a Rekindle graduate, Yoder adds. The next class starts Aug. 16. Find out more at the Rekindle website. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter.

Video Cincinnati growing Cincinnati

By The Queen City Project

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Arts + Culture

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August 14, 2012

Find out how a new generation of entrepreneurs, from farmers and artisans to digital app developers, are making history as they build the future of Cincinnati, one idea at a time. Video courtesy of The Queen City Project.

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