My Soapbox: Bill Donabedian & The Bunbury Music Festival
Cincinnati gets a new cutting edge music festival in 2012, Bunbury, brought to you by MidPoint co-founder and Fountain Square Managing Director Bill Donabedian.
Cincinnati
Latest in Cincinnati
UC student ‘kickstarts’ local transit map to increase ridership, attract businesses
A UC DAAP student has taken an innovative approach to making Cincinnati's bus system more usable and available to residents and visitors.The motivation started when Nathan Wessel realized his friends weren't using Metro's extensive bus system, partly because they claimed they didn't understand it. It was a common enough complaint that Wessel began to wonder why other residents struggled with using Metro when Cincinnati's transportation system had extensive routes and limited wait times. One reason, Wessel observed, was that current transit maps include too much information, leaving riders confused and perhaps unwilling to ride. So he designed a map to assuage rider concerns, allowing them to quickly and easily see which line they need to take, how to take it, and how long they will have to wait."I designed the map for people who don't ride transit a lot. My aim is to get more people on the bus, out of the cars, and to improve the quality of life for people who use the bus."By using an online donation site, Kickstarter, Wessel launched his project with the goal of receiving enough funding in one month, about $1,200, to publish and print a convenient map for the transit system. "I didn't know what to expect because my first thought was to go to major institutions and see if I could get a chunk of money from them," Wessel said. "I tried a few places like corporations and universities, but it didn't go anywhere fast."By using Kickstarter, Wessel has already received a great response and more money than his initial goal. To keep the project moving forward he issued the map under a Creative Commons attribution share-alike license, which allows anyone to distribute or modify the maps after initial printing.Dave Etienne, Metro's Marketing Director, has no problem with Wessel's DIY approach."I support anything that increases access to information on how to use transit. Especially during these budgetary times, it's great that citizens are actively involved with trying to improve and help the transit system," Etienne said.Although the economic recession slowed down enhancements for local transit, SORTA does plan to move forward with improvements for Metro including actively working to make information and maps suitable for Google, updating a system map, creating a new website, and implementing a new communications system on buses. In the meantime, Wessel believes his map will help businesses and homeowners identify neighborhoods where they want to settle. His map will show the most traveled places in Cincinnati, making it ideal for businesses to locate without doing a lot of research. "I would really like for this map to help businesses. A good transit system should structure the city around it. If there's a bus going 75 trips in each direction, that's probably a good place to look for a business or own a home. This is the first step into thinking how we can rebuild the city," Wessel said.Writer: Lisa Ensminger
With A Little Help From Their Friends, Emanu Gets By
Everyone has a favorite neighborhood dining spot. But what would you do to keep yours from closing? Learn how some regulars and a neighborhood development group partnered with Emanu owner Sam Yhdego and city council to keep his family's restaurant alive and well in Pleasant Ridge.
Historic ‘Waltz’ building gets new owner, restoration plan
Though he lives in Union, Kentucky, Andy Chirch has a strong interest in downtown Cincinnati - an interest so strong that he recently began restoring a 96 year old building on the corner of Main and Seventh Streets. He doesn't plan to gut it, he says. Affectionately called the Waltz building, the three-story structure houses Mayberry Foodstuffs grocery store a Checksmart on the first floor, and second-floor apartments. Chirch purchased the building in March from James and Janet Jehn, former owners of Waltz Business Solutions, now located in Northern Kentucky. The Jehns owned the building from 1961 to 2011. "I've spent a lot of time and energy downtown over the last 10 years, and I saw an opportunity to align my passions with my life," says Chirch. Chirch was a director at U.S. Bank 2003-2007 and president of the Downtown Residents Council from 2009-2010. Currently, he is chief financial officer at Prus Construction based in Mariemont. As he develops his construction plan for the Waltz building, Chirch is focusing on the third floor - which will be a 1,600-square foot apartment, he says - and the building's exterior. He posts updates on the Downtownity blog, where he explains "Downtown + My Insanity = Downtownity." Recent posts mused about AC units and greenery. "The place reeks of history - in a good way," he says. "You walk in and you can feel the story of the people that worked and lived there for almost a hundred years. We're going to be very sensitive to the character." When he found out the Jehns had the Waltz building on the market, he reached out to the Cincinnati Development Fund, a non-profit lending institution that bankrolls rehab projects downtown and in Over-the-Rhine. CDF contributed $320,000, with $250,000 going to the property acquisition and $70,000 to the construction plan, says loan officer Alicia Townsend. Throughout its most recent fiscal year, which ended March 31, CDF contributed $56 million to projects, says president Jeanne Golliher. "Preservation is one of our priorities," she says. "Redeveloping buildings that add to the historic fabric of our city is really our focus." Writer: Rich Shivener
9th Annual OVALS life sciences conference explores startups and the innovation ecosystem
Innovation in the world of life sciences is becoming increasingly fast-paced and complicated, especially for startups trying to launch their first product or device. This year's regional Ohio Valley Affiliates for Life Sciences, or OVALS, conference will offer two days packed with information on navigating the rules and regulations of commercialization as well as creating a community of innovation.OVALS launched in 2002 at the University of Cincinnati to connect the region's major research and medical universities. It started with just a few partners and has grown over the years, and includes The University of Louisville, Air Force Research Laboratory, CincyTechUSA and Ohio University."This is a content-based program so we'll offer the latest and most up-to-date information in the life sciences industry. It's also a very nice, major networking event. We have the kind of mix in backgrounds that it really takes to have a vibrant life sciences community," said Dorothy Air, OVALS chair and VP for entrepreneurial affairs in the Office of Entrepreneurial Affairs and Technology Commercialization at UC. This year's theme is: Startups & the Innovation Ecosystem. A New Model for Economic Development: Building an Engaging System to Get Innovations into the Marketplace. Scheduled speakers include University of Kentucky Professor, Lee Todd, who will talk about contributions of universities to innovation, and members of the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center of the Cleveland Clinic who will outline elements of good clinical study design. Other scheduled sessions include: Changes in FDA Paths and Navigating Through the Process and Proof of Concept: What it Means in Industry and Academia.The conference is the organization's signature event and brings together researchers, attorneys, entrepreneurs, investors and innovators. The annual conference's home rotates between Ohio and Kentucky and will be in Cincinnati this year. In addition to gathering for the annual event, OVALS' affiliates share resources and equipment that make the Ohio and Kentucky life sciences community stronger, Air added.About 125 people are expected to attend the conference on April 14 and 15. It will be at the Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center at UC. Registration fees range from $50 for students to $150. You can find out more about the conference here."By the end of the conference (attendees) will have a greater understanding what it takes to get a product to market, and they will have found some key individuals to network with who can be valuable as they go forward," Air said.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Dorothy Air, OVALS chair and VP for entrepreneurial affairs in the Office of Entrepreneurial Affairs and Technology Commercialization at UCYou can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites
Xavier University’s X-Lab business competition returns
Xavier University has brought back its X-Lab (Xavier Launch-a-Business) competition, giving area entrepreneurs a chance to make their business ideas a reality.X-Lab launched last year as an effort to connect the university's business experts with the outside community. It's open to any area entrepreneur, including college students, who want to start a business, nonprofit or social enterprise.The University's Williams College of Business founded X-Lab. Winners will get to meet with potential investors and receive training and consulting services provided by 65 professors, 500 executive mentors and 1,000 MBA students from the business college. X-LAB will also help existing small-to medium-sized businesses improve and expand. X-Lab has grown in its second year, hiring an executive director and full-time staff to run the program and recruit angel investors.Last year more than 160 applied; one of last year's participants was Drs. Denise and Keevin R. Davis who founded Doctors in the Kitchen, healthy cooking business. The veteran husband-and-wife physicians host an online cooking show and offer a range of speaking, conference and corporate health and wellness consultations that focus on wellness, preventative medicine and healthy eating.They started the business two-and-a-half-years ago after operating a successful medical practice in Cincinnati. X-Lab helped the couple develop focus and a business plan, Dr. Keevin Davis said."They helped us understand our target market and helped us focus and understand how a business operates." X-Lab also helped them harness their passion to educate people about wellness, he added."Most people have great ideas, but don't know how to make them into a profitable and a meaningful business," he said. "It takes more than an idea and desire to change the world for the better to be successful," he said.The X-Lab application process is open until midnight May 16. Ideas are vetted in several increasingly competitive stages. Those who meet an initial idea evaluation will complete a more detailed questionnaire, followed by a 30- and 60-minute meeting with two expert panels. Winners will be announced by September 2011.There's no entry fee; you can find out more and register here.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Xavier University and Doctors in the Kitchen co-founder Keevin R. DavisYou can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites
Cincinnati State accredits Institute for Social Media certificate
The popular Institute for Social Media certificate at Cincinnati State is now accredited, not long after the first three-day course was introduced late last year. Krista Neher, a Cincinnati social media expert, author and CEO of Boot Camp Digital, has teamed up with Cincinnati State and O'Keeffe PR for the certification. It's aimed at teaching social media newbies how to develop a unique voice online, and form meaningful connections with people and customers.The hands-on class teaches students how to build their own social medial profiles and strategies. It also includes outside homework and testing.The inaugural certification class was held last December, and all 20 spots were filled, Neher said. The upcoming session starts this month, and plans are to offers a class each quarter.Cincinnati State accredited the class, which is now worth three hours of academic credit. The accreditation sets the Social Media Institute apart from the myriad of available options."We wanted to clearly show that this program was different than a lot of social media seminars out there. So we thought it was really important to get accreditation. This program is a lot more substantial than other options. It has academic rigor and has been vetted by an external advisory board," Neher said.The next session will be April 13, 20 and 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Classes will be at Cincinnati State's Workforce Development Center in Evendale. The cost is $1,295.For more information, go here.The three day schedule is:Day 1: Social Media 101. The basics - introduces students to the Boot Camp Digital Social Marketing System, a proven social media marketing approach. Participants will learn how to leverage key social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, YouTube and user-generated content.Day 2: Social Media for Marketing. Provides in-depth practical instruction on how to build and execute a successful social media marketing plan utilizing best practices and case studies. This module is laser focused on how to achieve real, measurable results using social media.Day 3: Advanced Topics in Social Media. Covers advanced social media monitoring and measurement, selling social media to the boss, social media efficiency tools, search engine optimization, mobile marketing and how to integrate social media with the rest of a marketing plan. Guide books, action planners, check lists and quick-start guides are included to help participants start applying their knowledge immediately.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSources: Cincinnati State and Boot Camp Digital founder Krista NeherYou can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites
Behind the green jacket’s Cincinnati connection
Augusta National's green jacket has been made exclusively in Cincinnati since 1967 by Hamilton Tailoring Co. The most coveted article of clothing in sports costs $250 to make.Read the full story here.
Baby Giraffe Born At Cincinnati Zoo, Name To Be Picked On Facebook
The new baby giraffe born at the Cincinnati Zoo will be named from suggestions given on the Zoo's Facebook page. The 1800 pound mother was the first giraffe to give birth in the Zoo in 26 years.Read the full story here.
The Ultimate Sports Cities!
TUSC.com, a sports fan website, ranked Cincinnati number 19 among top cities that hosted popular TUSC events. Sports fans had the ability to share experiences of the sporting venues and events, ranking Cincinnati as a host for 14 of the top sporting events in the world.Read the full story here.
UC student ‘kickstarts’ local transit map to increase ridership, attract businesses
A UC DAAP student has taken an innovative approach to making Cincinnati's bus system more usable and available to residents and visitors.The motivation started when Nathan Wessel realized his friends weren't using Metro's extensive bus system, partly because they claimed they didn't understand it. It was a common enough complaint that Wessel began to wonder why other residents struggled with using Metro when Cincinnati's transportation system had extensive routes and limited wait times. One reason, Wessel observed, was that current transit maps include too much information, leaving riders confused and perhaps unwilling to ride. So he designed a map to assuage rider concerns, allowing them to quickly and easily see which line they need to take, how to take it, and how long they will have to wait."I designed the map for people who don't ride transit a lot. My aim is to get more people on the bus, out of the cars, and to improve the quality of life for people who use the bus."By using an online donation site, Kickstarter, Wessel launched his project with the goal of receiving enough funding in one month, about $1,200, to publish and print a convenient map for the transit system. "I didn't know what to expect because my first thought was to go to major institutions and see if I could get a chunk of money from them," Wessel said. "I tried a few places like corporations and universities, but it didn't go anywhere fast."By using Kickstarter, Wessel has already received a great response and more money than his initial goal. To keep the project moving forward he issued the map under a Creative Commons attribution share-alike license, which allows anyone to distribute or modify the maps after initial printing.Dave Etienne, Metro's Marketing Director, has no problem with Wessel's DIY approach."I support anything that increases access to information on how to use transit. Especially during these budgetary times, it's great that citizens are actively involved with trying to improve and help the transit system," Etienne said.Although the economic recession slowed down enhancements for local transit, SORTA does plan to move forward with improvements for Metro including actively working to make information and maps suitable for Google, updating a system map, creating a new website, and implementing a new communications system on buses. In the meantime, Wessel believes his map will help businesses and homeowners identify neighborhoods where they want to settle. His map will show the most traveled places in Cincinnati, making it ideal for businesses to locate without doing a lot of research. "I would really like for this map to help businesses. A good transit system should structure the city around it. If there's a bus going 75 trips in each direction, that's probably a good place to look for a business or own a home. This is the first step into thinking how we can rebuild the city," Wessel said.Writer: Lisa Ensminger
With A Little Help From Their Friends, Emanu Gets By
Everyone has a favorite neighborhood dining spot. But what would you do to keep yours from closing? Learn how some regulars and a neighborhood development group partnered with Emanu owner Sam Yhdego and city council to keep his family's restaurant alive and well in Pleasant Ridge.
Historic ‘Waltz’ building gets new owner, restoration plan
Though he lives in Union, Kentucky, Andy Chirch has a strong interest in downtown Cincinnati - an interest so strong that he recently began restoring a 96 year old building on the corner of Main and Seventh Streets. He doesn't plan to gut it, he says. Affectionately called the Waltz building, the three-story structure houses Mayberry Foodstuffs grocery store a Checksmart on the first floor, and second-floor apartments. Chirch purchased the building in March from James and Janet Jehn, former owners of Waltz Business Solutions, now located in Northern Kentucky. The Jehns owned the building from 1961 to 2011. "I've spent a lot of time and energy downtown over the last 10 years, and I saw an opportunity to align my passions with my life," says Chirch. Chirch was a director at U.S. Bank 2003-2007 and president of the Downtown Residents Council from 2009-2010. Currently, he is chief financial officer at Prus Construction based in Mariemont. As he develops his construction plan for the Waltz building, Chirch is focusing on the third floor - which will be a 1,600-square foot apartment, he says - and the building's exterior. He posts updates on the Downtownity blog, where he explains "Downtown + My Insanity = Downtownity." Recent posts mused about AC units and greenery. "The place reeks of history - in a good way," he says. "You walk in and you can feel the story of the people that worked and lived there for almost a hundred years. We're going to be very sensitive to the character." When he found out the Jehns had the Waltz building on the market, he reached out to the Cincinnati Development Fund, a non-profit lending institution that bankrolls rehab projects downtown and in Over-the-Rhine. CDF contributed $320,000, with $250,000 going to the property acquisition and $70,000 to the construction plan, says loan officer Alicia Townsend. Throughout its most recent fiscal year, which ended March 31, CDF contributed $56 million to projects, says president Jeanne Golliher. "Preservation is one of our priorities," she says. "Redeveloping buildings that add to the historic fabric of our city is really our focus." Writer: Rich Shivener
9th Annual OVALS life sciences conference explores startups and the innovation ecosystem
Innovation in the world of life sciences is becoming increasingly fast-paced and complicated, especially for startups trying to launch their first product or device. This year's regional Ohio Valley Affiliates for Life Sciences, or OVALS, conference will offer two days packed with information on navigating the rules and regulations of commercialization as well as creating a community of innovation.OVALS launched in 2002 at the University of Cincinnati to connect the region's major research and medical universities. It started with just a few partners and has grown over the years, and includes The University of Louisville, Air Force Research Laboratory, CincyTechUSA and Ohio University."This is a content-based program so we'll offer the latest and most up-to-date information in the life sciences industry. It's also a very nice, major networking event. We have the kind of mix in backgrounds that it really takes to have a vibrant life sciences community," said Dorothy Air, OVALS chair and VP for entrepreneurial affairs in the Office of Entrepreneurial Affairs and Technology Commercialization at UC. This year's theme is: Startups & the Innovation Ecosystem. A New Model for Economic Development: Building an Engaging System to Get Innovations into the Marketplace. Scheduled speakers include University of Kentucky Professor, Lee Todd, who will talk about contributions of universities to innovation, and members of the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center of the Cleveland Clinic who will outline elements of good clinical study design. Other scheduled sessions include: Changes in FDA Paths and Navigating Through the Process and Proof of Concept: What it Means in Industry and Academia.The conference is the organization's signature event and brings together researchers, attorneys, entrepreneurs, investors and innovators. The annual conference's home rotates between Ohio and Kentucky and will be in Cincinnati this year. In addition to gathering for the annual event, OVALS' affiliates share resources and equipment that make the Ohio and Kentucky life sciences community stronger, Air added.About 125 people are expected to attend the conference on April 14 and 15. It will be at the Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center at UC. Registration fees range from $50 for students to $150. You can find out more about the conference here."By the end of the conference (attendees) will have a greater understanding what it takes to get a product to market, and they will have found some key individuals to network with who can be valuable as they go forward," Air said.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Dorothy Air, OVALS chair and VP for entrepreneurial affairs in the Office of Entrepreneurial Affairs and Technology Commercialization at UCYou can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites
Xavier University’s X-Lab business competition returns
Xavier University has brought back its X-Lab (Xavier Launch-a-Business) competition, giving area entrepreneurs a chance to make their business ideas a reality.X-Lab launched last year as an effort to connect the university's business experts with the outside community. It's open to any area entrepreneur, including college students, who want to start a business, nonprofit or social enterprise.The University's Williams College of Business founded X-Lab. Winners will get to meet with potential investors and receive training and consulting services provided by 65 professors, 500 executive mentors and 1,000 MBA students from the business college. X-LAB will also help existing small-to medium-sized businesses improve and expand. X-Lab has grown in its second year, hiring an executive director and full-time staff to run the program and recruit angel investors.Last year more than 160 applied; one of last year's participants was Drs. Denise and Keevin R. Davis who founded Doctors in the Kitchen, healthy cooking business. The veteran husband-and-wife physicians host an online cooking show and offer a range of speaking, conference and corporate health and wellness consultations that focus on wellness, preventative medicine and healthy eating.They started the business two-and-a-half-years ago after operating a successful medical practice in Cincinnati. X-Lab helped the couple develop focus and a business plan, Dr. Keevin Davis said."They helped us understand our target market and helped us focus and understand how a business operates." X-Lab also helped them harness their passion to educate people about wellness, he added."Most people have great ideas, but don't know how to make them into a profitable and a meaningful business," he said. "It takes more than an idea and desire to change the world for the better to be successful," he said.The X-Lab application process is open until midnight May 16. Ideas are vetted in several increasingly competitive stages. Those who meet an initial idea evaluation will complete a more detailed questionnaire, followed by a 30- and 60-minute meeting with two expert panels. Winners will be announced by September 2011.There's no entry fee; you can find out more and register here.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Xavier University and Doctors in the Kitchen co-founder Keevin R. DavisYou can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites
Cincinnati State accredits Institute for Social Media certificate
The popular Institute for Social Media certificate at Cincinnati State is now accredited, not long after the first three-day course was introduced late last year. Krista Neher, a Cincinnati social media expert, author and CEO of Boot Camp Digital, has teamed up with Cincinnati State and O'Keeffe PR for the certification. It's aimed at teaching social media newbies how to develop a unique voice online, and form meaningful connections with people and customers.The hands-on class teaches students how to build their own social medial profiles and strategies. It also includes outside homework and testing.The inaugural certification class was held last December, and all 20 spots were filled, Neher said. The upcoming session starts this month, and plans are to offers a class each quarter.Cincinnati State accredited the class, which is now worth three hours of academic credit. The accreditation sets the Social Media Institute apart from the myriad of available options."We wanted to clearly show that this program was different than a lot of social media seminars out there. So we thought it was really important to get accreditation. This program is a lot more substantial than other options. It has academic rigor and has been vetted by an external advisory board," Neher said.The next session will be April 13, 20 and 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Classes will be at Cincinnati State's Workforce Development Center in Evendale. The cost is $1,295.For more information, go here.The three day schedule is:Day 1: Social Media 101. The basics - introduces students to the Boot Camp Digital Social Marketing System, a proven social media marketing approach. Participants will learn how to leverage key social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, YouTube and user-generated content.Day 2: Social Media for Marketing. Provides in-depth practical instruction on how to build and execute a successful social media marketing plan utilizing best practices and case studies. This module is laser focused on how to achieve real, measurable results using social media.Day 3: Advanced Topics in Social Media. Covers advanced social media monitoring and measurement, selling social media to the boss, social media efficiency tools, search engine optimization, mobile marketing and how to integrate social media with the rest of a marketing plan. Guide books, action planners, check lists and quick-start guides are included to help participants start applying their knowledge immediately.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSources: Cincinnati State and Boot Camp Digital founder Krista NeherYou can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites
Behind the green jacket’s Cincinnati connection
Augusta National's green jacket has been made exclusively in Cincinnati since 1967 by Hamilton Tailoring Co. The most coveted article of clothing in sports costs $250 to make.Read the full story here.
Baby Giraffe Born At Cincinnati Zoo, Name To Be Picked On Facebook
The new baby giraffe born at the Cincinnati Zoo will be named from suggestions given on the Zoo's Facebook page. The 1800 pound mother was the first giraffe to give birth in the Zoo in 26 years.Read the full story here.
The Ultimate Sports Cities!
TUSC.com, a sports fan website, ranked Cincinnati number 19 among top cities that hosted popular TUSC events. Sports fans had the ability to share experiences of the sporting venues and events, ranking Cincinnati as a host for 14 of the top sporting events in the world.Read the full story here.
