Economic Development

Treasure hunt introduces local couple to state’s natural gems

By Newsroom

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August 21, 2012

Joyce Gardner has been hiking for years. And as a lifelong Cincinnati resident, she was pretty sure she had visited most of the area’s natural spaces. So Gardner was surprised when she found some hidden gems this summer as part of the Nature Conservancy’s Natural Treasures of Ohio Challenge. “People don’t realize that we really have some great trails here,” says Gardner, of Covedale, who hiked in Ault Park and Mt. Airy Forest locally and visited another 11 natural areas across the state with her husband. Sure Gardner and her friend, Kathy Brown, visited the Ault Park Pavilion and Everybody’s Tree House in Mt. Airy; but they also spent hours discovering the trails that many may miss, she says. That was exactly the point of the Nature Conservancy’s challenge: To introduce and showcase some of the state’s natural areas and encourage residents from all corners of the state to learn about the various natural wonders of the state. “Our hope is that folks would find natural areas and say: ‘Wow, I had no idea that this is here,’ ” says Josh Knights, executive director of the Nature Conservancy in Ohio. “And at the end of the day, we believe that if Ohioans discover and come to know these areas, they will be inspired to help us protect them.” That Nature Conservancy and Honda launched the challenge, a kind of treasure hunt, in June. Ohio residents could visit one to 30 designated places and upload a photo of themselves at the designated landmark on the Nature Conservancy’s Web site for a chance to win a 2012 Honda Insight Hybrid. The contest, which will also award five $500 REI gift certificates, ran from May 22 to Aug. 8. Winners are expected to be announced in September. More than 3,000 entries were filed, with many people visiting all 30 places this summer. Many families used the challenge as their summer vacation, Knight says. While pleased with the participation, he wonders if this summer’s record-breaking heat and high gasoline prices may have hindered some participation. The photo galleries, as well as the detailed descriptions and maps of each of the 30 destinations that are organized by geography, will remain on the Nature Conservancy at least through December and maybe longer, Springs says. While winning would be nice, Gardner says the challenge really created an opportunity for she and her husband, John, to visit areas they have always wanted to – including Kelly’s Island State Park on Lake Erie, where they celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary. They also stumbled across several parks they normally would never have set out to themselves. Her new favorite? Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, in Northern Ohio between Toledo and Sandusky on Lake Erie. She likened the 2,200-acre state park to being in the Everglades. “I was really impressed with that one,” she says. “I really couldn’t believe I was standing in Ohio.” That’s not the first time Knights has heard that about the state’s varied natural elements. “Ohio really does have a diverse landscape; from one of the largest lakes in the world to the Ohio River there in Cincinnati … Ohio has all of these fantastic places. We wanted to introduce more Buckeyes to what we have at home.” Do Good: • Follow the Ohio Nature Conservancy on Facebook. • Visit some of the designations this fall. • See the photos of the Southwest Ohio designations and read the scrapbook. • Watch the video. • Donate. Chris Graves, assistant vice president of digital and social media at the Powers Agency, loves the outdoors. You will find her camping with her daughters on Kelly’s Island this fall.

Latest in Economic Development

National recognition puts Museum Center among nation’s elite

By Newsroom

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Arts + Culture

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August 21, 2012

Sarah Evans can’t imagine how other high school students figure out what they want to study in college. Evans has Cincinnati Museum Center to thank for the ease of her choice. The 2012 Madeira High School graduate will study archeology when she start classes this fall at the University of Cincinnati. Evan has been involved in the Museum Center’s Youth Program since was 13 years old, logging an incredible 6,000 or so hours working in each of the center’s three museums. The program is intended to teach teens about museum work and prepare them for college. “I’m what they call a regular,’’ she says. “I just love our staff. It’s really a place of opportunity and friendship. It’s become a huge part of my life. It has definitely influenced 100 percent of what I want to study in college.” The youth program was one of two programs specifically lauded as a national model by the American Association of Museums in its recent accreditation of the Museum Center at the historic Union Terminal in the West End. The Learning Through Play annual conference that brings parents and teachers to the museum to discuss the importance of play in education was also singled out as a model of excellence. The recognition puts the center in elite company. Just 4.5 percent of the nation’s 17,000 have won accreditation, which is voluntary and is the highest recognition for a museum. The three-year process examined every facet of the Museum Center’s operation, including finances, governance, programs and programming, stewardship of its vast collection as well as its professional standards. “It’s really the best news for us. It’s a validation of our peers that we are doing things right,’’ says Elizabeth Pierce, museum vice president of marketing and communications. “We are delighted.” The Museum Center had to wait to apply for accreditation after the merger of the Museum of Natural History and Science, which had been accredited. And while accreditation is on a five-year cycle, the Museum Center will be reviewed in 2014 due to the merger with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, she says. “Accreditation assures the people of Cincinnati that their museum is among the finest in the nation,’’ says Ford W. Bell, president of the AAM. “Citizens can take considerable pride in their homegrown institution, for its commitment to excellence and for the value it brings to the community.” The distinction comes just three years after the Museum Center was awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, making it only one of 16 organizations in the United States to have both. “We really are in good company,” Pierce says. “I hope this reinforces to the community that we are an organization of quality; that we are doing our job well, and we are respectful of donations and we invest in this organization.” Evans, who is also the outgoing president of the center’s youth advisory council, hopes the accreditation will mean continued success for the Youth Program. “I would say to youth: The more you give to the program, the more the museum can give back to you,” she says. “You will be repaid far more in your future.” Do Good: • Watch a video of teens involved in the Youth Program. • Join or renew your membership. • Plan a visit. • Follow them on Facebook. Chris Graves is the assistant vice president of digital and social media at the Powers Agency.

Hero-building sculptor branches out with ‘Black Brigade’

By Amanda Palmer

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Arts + Culture

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August 21, 2012

What do Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and heroic black Civil War volunteers from Cincinnati have in common? They’ve all been brought to life via the sculpting talents of Cincinnati native John Hebenstreit, 39.

AI Software evolves with tech marketing trends

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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August 21, 2012

In tech time, 10 years is forever, and if a privately owned software company reaches that milestone, it's through hard work and adaptivity. AI Software, in Kenwood, recently passed that 10-year mark, meeting market and economic challenges along the way. The company, headquartered in Cincinnati with another office in Arizona, was founded by high school buddies and Cincinnati natives Dave Ebbesmeyer and Ed Buringrud. The pair ran into each other after college and found they both were trying to start web development companies. Teaming up, they began AI Software, offering development services including a signature content management system. They developed the system for non-coders at a time when those systems were far less ubiquitous than today. Now, AI Software has six full-time employees, two part-time employees and occasionally hires subcontractors. They continue to sell their SiteManager v5.0 content management system, but have added a full array of digital marketing products to meet client demand. In the last 18 months, the company has started offering content services as well. "Clients want a single point of contact for their web development and web and social media campaigns," Ebbesmeyer says. "We've become a place that handles companies' entire online web strategies. That could include an online web store or video," Expanding AI Software's services also has helped them compete against a crowd of freelancers, Ebbesmeyer says. "Freelance competitions still continues to be a bit of a challenge, but it's difficult for freelancers to offer everything," he says. This service shift has helped the company weather the economic downturn and subsequent sluggish rebound since 2008. "We do offer a great content management system, but our clients are less concerned about tech than they are about managing their web presence," Ebbesmeyer says. "We've really seen a lot of that in the last year. And because of the growth of that demand, we are adding talent to deliver things outside the scope of ones and zeros (the bedrock of computer coding language)." By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter

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

The Business Backer helps entrepreneurs find financing alternatives

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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August 21, 2012

Today it's tough for entrepreneurs to finance businesses growth. Banks have tightened lending standards since the 2008 financial crisis, and some business owners don't have the credit or collateral to score a loan for even small projects. There are some alternative and creative funding options, though, and one Cincinnati-based company has built a growing business on financing small projects that banks won't take a chance on. The Business Backer, in Mason, has provided more than 3,000 businesses across the country access to $60 million in working capital since its founding in 2007. The Business Backer is privately funded, and finances small business projects up to $75,000. In turn, the Business Backer receives a percentage of the borrowing company's future earnings, says Business Development Manager Daniel Royce. The funding is repaid, often in a year or less. "Our industry is not new, but it fills a void," Royce says. "This is for business owners who may not have the collateral (for a traditional loan). They may be unbankable, but that doesn't mean they are a horrible business." The Business Baker looks at financial information and the growth potential of each applying business. The relationship between The Business Backer and clients is an important aspect of the financing process, Royce says. "We look at the whole picture. We ask, 'Who is the businessperson, what services are they providing?' We see the value that lies beneath that (traditional financial) information, weighing that information and the risk to determine if we can do something," Royce says. Some financing companies have a bad rep for high interest rates that take advantage of customers, Royce acknowledges. The Business Baker, from the start, aimed to keep rates at "a half or a third of competitors," he says. The Business Backer was founded by software and business services entreprenuers Scott Avera and Mark Deeter. CEO Jim Salters, a turnaround consultant, joined in 2009. The company has about 40 employees. "We want to provide extremely affordable capital, and provide a service based on a relationship with clients," Royce says. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter.

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

XU, UC communities can leave cars at home this year

By Newsroom

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Development News

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August 21, 2012

Last year, UC pioneered the Zip Car in the city, and since their delivery to campus, two red Zipcars retain prime parking spaces in front of McMicken Hall, while another, a hybrid, sits at Daniels. This fall, Xavier University launches WeCar, an automated car rental option offered through a partnership with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Thanks to these two options, local students, faculty and staff can reserve cars on an as-needed basis, limiting demand for parking and adding to the convenience of traveling around town. The new WeCar options at Xavier University are two Kia Souls, which will be parked near Flynn Hall. The program offers 24-hour access to hourly, daily and overnight rentals. Both programs benefit younger college students, those aged 18 to 20, who are normally not able to rent cars. XU’s WeCar program even taps into alumni support: with 20 XU alums working for Enterprise in the region, students can feel connected not only to the cars, but the company. All it takes is a driver’s license and a credit card to start the rental process for either option. Both are designed to accommodate sustainability minded students as well as expand transportation options for members of university communities. By Elissa Yancey Follow Elissa on Twitter

Can the centers hold?

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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August 21, 2012

Ohio’s three largest cities—Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland—are reinvesting in their urban cores, eager to capitalize on a renewed interest in city living. But is the deck stacked against them? Read the full story here.