Best of the fest: Bunbury’s second year
Relive the magical musical weekend with this collection of images by Soapbox photographer Scott Beseler and Emily Hammerberg. Music courtesy of Walk the Moon.
Regionalism
Latest in Regionalism
Findlay After Four gets shoppers to the market on Thursdays
On the weekends, Findlay Market is packed with shoppers and vendors, but during the week, things quiet down, especially later in the day. The goal of Findlay After Four is to promote shopping at the market on Thursdays between 4 and 6 p.m. “We hope that this will drive more shoppers to the market between 4 and 6 p.m., and begin to chip away at the confusion around market hours,” says Karen Kahle, resource development director for Findlay Market. “There’s a perception that the market isn’t always reliably open until 6 p.m., and we hope to convince those merchants who don’t remain open to stay open because there is more money to be made if they do.” Every Thursday, Findlay Market has a variety of activities planned to encourage people to shop. This week, there will be a cooking demonstration by a guest chef, and recipe cards will be handed out so shoppers can take them and find ingredients for the dish. Christian Moerlein and MadTree beers will be available at the OTR Biergarten, and there will be a raffle and giveaways. The first Findlay After Four was July 11, and Kahle says she is pleased with the result. “We want to learn more about what the hours of operation are that shoppers want and need in order to conveniently and consistently shop at Findlay Market,” she says. However, it will take more than a handful of people requesting extended hours of operation to make extended hours financially feasible. Findlay After Four is spearheaded by Julie Gosdin of Wine Me, Dine Me; Bob Schwartz of 5chw4rz blog; Annette Wick of TheseWritingShoes blog; and Barb Cooper from Daisy Mae’s. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
Huit to bring huge flavor to the Cincinnati restaurant scene
Although Huit doesn’t have a physical restaurant location yet, its ribs are already making a big splash with Cincinnati foodies. Owners Jennifer Eng, Tobias Harris and Trang Vo have taken their ribs to food festivals around town—most recently, they were at the Asian Food Festival. “We sold out by about 75 percent the first day,” says Harris. “People really liked our food and kept asking where they could get it.” Eng, Harris and Vo hope to bring a taste of international flavor to Cincinnati, but they don’t want to be thought of as an Asian restaurant or a rib place. They hope to carve their own niche in the restaurant scene. Harris, who has lived in the Cincinnati area for 10 years, wants to expose diners to new experiences at Huit. The menu at Huit—which means “eight” in French—will be small, but will pack a flavorful punch. The three owners of Huit have grown up in families that love to eat, but they all went to college for design. Harris attended architectural school in Asia and began designing hotels. He came to the United States for graduate school—since then, Harris has designed restaurants and even worked for one of the biggest restaurant designers in Chicago. “I’ve traveled all over the world and am always eating,” he says. “In restaurants, I’m all about the taste of it, the soul. If the restaurant doesn’t feel yummy, there’s no point.” At Huit, Trang will be responsible for everything from the design to the build-out; Eng is in charge of creating unique food and drinks; and Harris as the chef is going back to his childhood when he helped his mother and seven aunts cook. By January 2014, look for Huit either downtown or in Covington or Northside—they’re still in negotiations for a space but have several options. Harris hopes to have the restaurant’s grand opening next spring. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
Meatball Kitchen to host pop-up dinner; restaurant coming soon
Need something quick, cheap and yummy for dinner? Stop by the Kitchen Factory in Northside tomorrow for Meatball Kitchen’s pop-up dinner. It’s from 6 to 9 p.m., and will feature a simple menu of meatballs and a special, a bacon cheddar meatball burger. Meatball Kitchen doesn’t currently have a storefront, but owner Dan Katz says that in about four months, he’ll be opening a location in Clifton on Vine Street. It’s going to be like an upgraded Chipotle, he says, with counter service and an inexpensive menu. The physical restaurant will also serve liquor “It’s amazing to be part of the foodie scene here,” says Katz. “The food is great, and I really want it to be the future of fast food one day. I feel like eating well isn’t a luxury, and it’s nice to be able to go somewhere and spend less than $10 for a whole meal. We shouldn’t be making a big deal out of wanting to eat well.” Katz’s meatball recipe is something he’s been working on for a while. His concept is that you can take any recipe and turn it into a meatball. For example, he served a gyro-style meatball sandwich at one of Meatball Kitchen’s pop-up dinners. Right now, Katz gets all of his ingredients at Jungle Jim’s, but he wants to eventually bake his own bread and get his meat from a butcher at Findlay Market. “My approach is a bit different, and it’s a little bit of a surprise,” says Katz. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
Talbert House and ESCC combine efforts to help nonprofits
After a combined 120 weeks of courses geared toward nonprofit leadership and development, Talbert House and Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati have decided to join forces and combine their programs into one. Beginning in September, the two nonprofits will begin the Executive Curriculum for Emerging Leaders through the newly created Nonprofit Leadership Institute of Greater Cincinnati. “I think the fact that we were two organizations in similar spaces in the marketplace trying to do similar things as it relates to leadership education and development—it got to a point of is there a way for us to really work together on this?” says Andy McCreanor, executive director and CEO of ESCC. The goal is to offer services to other nonprofits—large or small—so they can gain the skills and education necessary to position their organizations for community-wide success. “The true value of The Nonprofit Leadership Institute of Greater Cincinnati will be shown by how well nonprofits perform in the community, whether you’re a nonprofit, someone receiving services from a nonprofit, a community investor or a corporate partner looking for a socially responsible way to impact the lives of people,” McCreanor says. “The Institute offers great potential for participants and partners to receive a solid return on their time and investment.” McCreanor says the most enjoyable part for him is graduation. It's a day when he gets the chance to hear class participants talk about their growth and increased expertise when it comes to successfully operating their nonprofit. And come May 2014, he says he hopes to hear of many more success stories. “The idea is that nonprofits would essentially see what we call a no-wrong-door approach to leadership education and development—that whether you’re a large or small nonprofit, that coming to the nonprofit leadership institute, you’d be able to find the subject matter, the program, the course that suits your needs,” McCreanor says. “Not all nonprofits are created equally, so the idea is that the institute would allow a nonprofit to find the program or development that is important to them.” Do Good: • Sign up for EXCEL by August 1 if you are a nonprofit interested in education and leadership development. • If you are interested in partnering with The Nonprofit Leadership Institute and the EXCEL program, contact Tom Monaco or Carol Leigh. • Like Talbert House and ESCC on Facebook. By Brittany York Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.
New bicycle lanes in the East End to open soon
For three years, residents of the East End met with the Department of Transportation and City Council to come up with a plan for a safer, more pleasant neighborhood. And by the end of the month, the orange barrels throughout the East End will be gone, and the longest, flattest bicycle route in the city will be open. Construction has been done in stages, and everything from Delta Avenue to downtown has been redone as part of the plan. The length of bicycle lanes between Congress Avenue and St. Andrews was opened last year, and this year, the lanes between St. Andrews and downtown will be completed, says East End resident Jackie Weist. The bicycle lanes are, in part, an effort to reduce the noise coming from US-50 and US-52. There are now engine brake signs along the highways, but that hasn’t eliminated the noise. Residents hope the bicycle lanes will force drivers to slow down and reduce the amount of traffic through the neighborhood. The East End bicycle facility was part of the 2010 Bicycle Transportation Plan. The area is ideal because it’s flat, it connects to the Ohio River Trail where the East End ends, and it goes by Lunken Airport and along Riverside Drive. “We hope the new bicycle lanes will bring more bicyclists to the area and bring awareness to what’s going on down here,” says Weist. There’s a lot of history in the East End—a steamboat captain’s home has been remodeled, and rock walls and wrought iron are prevalent. It’s also home to Lunken Airport, the oldest commercial airport in the United States, and the oldest Yacht Club in Ohio. Prior to the official ribbon cutting, the neighborhood is planning a clean up of the area, and may be followed by dinner at BrewRiver Gastropub. Queen City Bike is working with the East End Community Council to plan the event. For more information on the ribbon cutting, check out the Bike Program calendar. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
Sawyer Point celebrates 25 years
Twenty-five years ago, scrapyards and storage facilities spanned the mile-long stretch of land that now composes Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove. “When Cincinnati took on the development of Sawyer Point, the City and Cincinnati Recreation Commission were dedicated to reaching out to the local community,” says Deb Allison, Cincinnati Parks’ business service manager. That dedication created an area of greenery that now fits into a two-mile stretch of award-winning landscape along the Ohio River—and it’s one that Allison says should be honored. “It’s really important to celebrate the vision that the City, the recreation commission and the park board had at that time in what the riverfront could be,” Allison says. To celebrate that vision, the Cincinnati Park Board will host a Rockin’ Birthday Bash for Sawyer Point. The all-day music festival will take visitors back to 1988 when Sawyer Point first emerged as a spot for community gatherings, and it will do it in 1980s fashion with throwback bands that Allison says might remind guests of the time when the park was first commissioned. Like all birthday bashes, the event is intended to be a celebratory happening, but it’s also a time to reflect on how far the riverfront has come in recent years and the impact the parks and local developments have had on the city. “The community and the residents of the City of Cincinnati are extremely dedicated to their parks, and put a lot of effort into ensuring the sustainability of the parks now and in the future,” Allison says. “With the development of different parks—you can see that people are being drawn into those areas. Whether it’s to the restaurants or the residential areas that are either for rent or for sale, or the different businesses that have been able to open around the Banks development—people and visitors make it a beautiful, safe and friendly environment for people to enjoy.” Do Good: • Attend the Rockin' Birthday Bash. • Like Cincinnati Parks on Facebook. • Support the parks. By Brittany York Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.
Xavier MBA course links entrepreneurs, business students to fuel growth
Entrepreneurship might be in the blood, but success takes more than passion. It also takes a head for business, and there are tried steps that every business should take to go from concept to reality. An entrepreneurship course at Xavier University pairs the region's startups with MBA students for a partnership of theory and real-world application. The course, ENTR 668, is an extension of the University's X-LAB (Xavier Launch-a-Business) competition. X-LAB was founded by Xavier's Williams College of Business. "We've learned through X-LAB that 90 percent of our businesses understand their idea, and are passionate about it, but they don't how to take it to market," says professor Joe Carter, X-LAB's Director. "That's a gap we can fill at Xavier." As part of X-LAB, finalists meet with potential investors and receive training and consulting services during an 18-week process. Once that ends, ENTR 668 students choose a handful of businesses from the finalists for more intense consultation. "The MBA students, along with a business advisory board, interview the X-LAB finalists and decide which businesses they are going to help," Carter says. Each business can have a number of students assigned to it, depending on its needs. Some have had up to eight advisors. The businesses that have benefited from XLAB include the 3D printing company 3DLT and Ahalogy (formerly Pingage), a results-oriented content marketing system. Students work with the business for a semester, but there are plans to expand it to two semesters in the near future, Carter says. There is no cost for these services for the business. Student consulting work runs the gamut, from developing marketing plans to business model development and verification to market expansion. "We'll have students working late, on the weekends or after midnight because they are so invested in these businesses," Carter says. The business owners aren't the only beneficiaries. Students—most whom are older professionals—win too. "Businesses bring their knowledge and have practical work experience," Carter says. "We see this as a huge way to differentiate our program. Our students have all these business tools, but in this course, they have to know which tool to pull out of the toolbox." By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter
NAMI NKY supports families dealing with mental illness
Like all volunteers at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Inc. of Northern Kentucky, Executive Director Kathy Keller says she’s walked in the shoes of those she’s currently helping. “There’s quite a bit of mental illness in my family,” says Keller, who first became involved with NAMI when she took the organizations’ Family-to-Family Education Course in 2003. She’s been teaching the class since 2004, and NAMI NKY is currently offering it again, which Keller says is critical because it enables loved ones to learn how to communicate with one another in a more constructive way. “It certainly teaches one a lot of basics about what’s going on in the brain—a lot of basics about the illnesses and a lot of things about medication, but that’s sort of the steps you have to take to get to the first landing,” Keller says. “Beyond that, it is all about self-care and communication. Self-care is very important because when someone in the family has a mental illness, the whole family gets sick along with them because their behaviors are out of the norm, and it’s very difficult to sometimes communicate with them, sometimes to get them to take medication or even to understand they’re ill.” According to Keller, the behaviors are uncomfortable, so in order to help relatives and friends learn to not take things personally and to be more empathetic, NAMI NKY operates on nearly an entirely volunteer-run basis to offer everything from classes and support groups to social outings for those in need. “I see it everyday—a huge population of our mentally ill are in jails or prisons, and often, their families have either abandoned them or they have abandoned their families because of lack of understanding or lack of ability to communicate,” Keller says. “Families can just take so much and then they kind of wring their hands and say, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’” While Keller doesn’t claim that courses like Family-to-Family keep people out of prison, she does claim that it keeps family ties in tact. “This course really does change the lives of the people who take it,” Keller says. “It’s sort of like, ‘Oh, I can do this—I see there’s a way to do this. I’ve talked to other people who’ve been through it, and I see other alternatives of how I can deal with my ill relative.’” Do Good: • Contact NAMI NKY to inquire about attending the organization's free programming. • Contribute to NAMI NKY by donating or volunteering. • Consider organizing a campus group to further assist NAMI NKY. By Brittany York Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.
Gaslight leads effort to create training program for Ruby app developers
Tech talent in Cincinnati is in high demand but in short supply in some areas. And as the local tech startup economy grows, so does the need for cutting-edge developer talent. One local mobile and web app development company is leading an effort to develop talent in its corner of the tech world. Blue Ash-based Gaslight is teaming up with Cincinnati-area industry and entrepreneurial leaders to start a training program for app developers using the Ruby on Rails platform. Gaslight specializes in developing apps through Ruby on Rails. The growing company, which has more than a dozen developers, creates apps and other software applications for growing startups and established brands. Gaslight co-founder and Ruby developer Bill Barnett says the idea is a practical one. Ruby has become a popular app development platform, and it's become harder for Ruby developers, including Gaslight, to keep up with client demand. "There is a need for Ruby on Rails support that the market is not meeting at the moment," he says. The training program is aimed at bringing new developers into the field, and would last about six months. This type of web development school is emerging in several cities across the United States—gSchool in Denver is one of the best known. GSchool is a model for Cincinnati to follow, Barnett says. "We want to create an avenue for people who want to get into software development, and maybe come from other disciplines," Barnett says. "They might be a recent college graduate who has a degree in medicine or law but has an entrepreneurial inkling. They could be returning from overseas, transitioning from a military career." Gaslight is still in the planning stages, but it has a record of leadership in the Cincinnati web community, and has hosted several developer Meetups and is the lead organizer of the Queen City Merge conference. Gaslight is working with a number of interested groups to get it off the ground, including Neo, Girl Develop It and The Brandery. No firm date has been set for the training program's launch, but a goal is to start a group of 20-25 students by late this year or early next. Find out more about Gaslight and what it has to offer at Web School Cincinnati. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter
Findlay After Four gets shoppers to the market on Thursdays
On the weekends, Findlay Market is packed with shoppers and vendors, but during the week, things quiet down, especially later in the day. The goal of Findlay After Four is to promote shopping at the market on Thursdays between 4 and 6 p.m. “We hope that this will drive more shoppers to the market between 4 and 6 p.m., and begin to chip away at the confusion around market hours,” says Karen Kahle, resource development director for Findlay Market. “There’s a perception that the market isn’t always reliably open until 6 p.m., and we hope to convince those merchants who don’t remain open to stay open because there is more money to be made if they do.” Every Thursday, Findlay Market has a variety of activities planned to encourage people to shop. This week, there will be a cooking demonstration by a guest chef, and recipe cards will be handed out so shoppers can take them and find ingredients for the dish. Christian Moerlein and MadTree beers will be available at the OTR Biergarten, and there will be a raffle and giveaways. The first Findlay After Four was July 11, and Kahle says she is pleased with the result. “We want to learn more about what the hours of operation are that shoppers want and need in order to conveniently and consistently shop at Findlay Market,” she says. However, it will take more than a handful of people requesting extended hours of operation to make extended hours financially feasible. Findlay After Four is spearheaded by Julie Gosdin of Wine Me, Dine Me; Bob Schwartz of 5chw4rz blog; Annette Wick of TheseWritingShoes blog; and Barb Cooper from Daisy Mae’s. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
Huit to bring huge flavor to the Cincinnati restaurant scene
Although Huit doesn’t have a physical restaurant location yet, its ribs are already making a big splash with Cincinnati foodies. Owners Jennifer Eng, Tobias Harris and Trang Vo have taken their ribs to food festivals around town—most recently, they were at the Asian Food Festival. “We sold out by about 75 percent the first day,” says Harris. “People really liked our food and kept asking where they could get it.” Eng, Harris and Vo hope to bring a taste of international flavor to Cincinnati, but they don’t want to be thought of as an Asian restaurant or a rib place. They hope to carve their own niche in the restaurant scene. Harris, who has lived in the Cincinnati area for 10 years, wants to expose diners to new experiences at Huit. The menu at Huit—which means “eight” in French—will be small, but will pack a flavorful punch. The three owners of Huit have grown up in families that love to eat, but they all went to college for design. Harris attended architectural school in Asia and began designing hotels. He came to the United States for graduate school—since then, Harris has designed restaurants and even worked for one of the biggest restaurant designers in Chicago. “I’ve traveled all over the world and am always eating,” he says. “In restaurants, I’m all about the taste of it, the soul. If the restaurant doesn’t feel yummy, there’s no point.” At Huit, Trang will be responsible for everything from the design to the build-out; Eng is in charge of creating unique food and drinks; and Harris as the chef is going back to his childhood when he helped his mother and seven aunts cook. By January 2014, look for Huit either downtown or in Covington or Northside—they’re still in negotiations for a space but have several options. Harris hopes to have the restaurant’s grand opening next spring. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
Meatball Kitchen to host pop-up dinner; restaurant coming soon
Need something quick, cheap and yummy for dinner? Stop by the Kitchen Factory in Northside tomorrow for Meatball Kitchen’s pop-up dinner. It’s from 6 to 9 p.m., and will feature a simple menu of meatballs and a special, a bacon cheddar meatball burger. Meatball Kitchen doesn’t currently have a storefront, but owner Dan Katz says that in about four months, he’ll be opening a location in Clifton on Vine Street. It’s going to be like an upgraded Chipotle, he says, with counter service and an inexpensive menu. The physical restaurant will also serve liquor “It’s amazing to be part of the foodie scene here,” says Katz. “The food is great, and I really want it to be the future of fast food one day. I feel like eating well isn’t a luxury, and it’s nice to be able to go somewhere and spend less than $10 for a whole meal. We shouldn’t be making a big deal out of wanting to eat well.” Katz’s meatball recipe is something he’s been working on for a while. His concept is that you can take any recipe and turn it into a meatball. For example, he served a gyro-style meatball sandwich at one of Meatball Kitchen’s pop-up dinners. Right now, Katz gets all of his ingredients at Jungle Jim’s, but he wants to eventually bake his own bread and get his meat from a butcher at Findlay Market. “My approach is a bit different, and it’s a little bit of a surprise,” says Katz. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
Talbert House and ESCC combine efforts to help nonprofits
After a combined 120 weeks of courses geared toward nonprofit leadership and development, Talbert House and Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati have decided to join forces and combine their programs into one. Beginning in September, the two nonprofits will begin the Executive Curriculum for Emerging Leaders through the newly created Nonprofit Leadership Institute of Greater Cincinnati. “I think the fact that we were two organizations in similar spaces in the marketplace trying to do similar things as it relates to leadership education and development—it got to a point of is there a way for us to really work together on this?” says Andy McCreanor, executive director and CEO of ESCC. The goal is to offer services to other nonprofits—large or small—so they can gain the skills and education necessary to position their organizations for community-wide success. “The true value of The Nonprofit Leadership Institute of Greater Cincinnati will be shown by how well nonprofits perform in the community, whether you’re a nonprofit, someone receiving services from a nonprofit, a community investor or a corporate partner looking for a socially responsible way to impact the lives of people,” McCreanor says. “The Institute offers great potential for participants and partners to receive a solid return on their time and investment.” McCreanor says the most enjoyable part for him is graduation. It's a day when he gets the chance to hear class participants talk about their growth and increased expertise when it comes to successfully operating their nonprofit. And come May 2014, he says he hopes to hear of many more success stories. “The idea is that nonprofits would essentially see what we call a no-wrong-door approach to leadership education and development—that whether you’re a large or small nonprofit, that coming to the nonprofit leadership institute, you’d be able to find the subject matter, the program, the course that suits your needs,” McCreanor says. “Not all nonprofits are created equally, so the idea is that the institute would allow a nonprofit to find the program or development that is important to them.” Do Good: • Sign up for EXCEL by August 1 if you are a nonprofit interested in education and leadership development. • If you are interested in partnering with The Nonprofit Leadership Institute and the EXCEL program, contact Tom Monaco or Carol Leigh. • Like Talbert House and ESCC on Facebook. By Brittany York Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.
New bicycle lanes in the East End to open soon
For three years, residents of the East End met with the Department of Transportation and City Council to come up with a plan for a safer, more pleasant neighborhood. And by the end of the month, the orange barrels throughout the East End will be gone, and the longest, flattest bicycle route in the city will be open. Construction has been done in stages, and everything from Delta Avenue to downtown has been redone as part of the plan. The length of bicycle lanes between Congress Avenue and St. Andrews was opened last year, and this year, the lanes between St. Andrews and downtown will be completed, says East End resident Jackie Weist. The bicycle lanes are, in part, an effort to reduce the noise coming from US-50 and US-52. There are now engine brake signs along the highways, but that hasn’t eliminated the noise. Residents hope the bicycle lanes will force drivers to slow down and reduce the amount of traffic through the neighborhood. The East End bicycle facility was part of the 2010 Bicycle Transportation Plan. The area is ideal because it’s flat, it connects to the Ohio River Trail where the East End ends, and it goes by Lunken Airport and along Riverside Drive. “We hope the new bicycle lanes will bring more bicyclists to the area and bring awareness to what’s going on down here,” says Weist. There’s a lot of history in the East End—a steamboat captain’s home has been remodeled, and rock walls and wrought iron are prevalent. It’s also home to Lunken Airport, the oldest commercial airport in the United States, and the oldest Yacht Club in Ohio. Prior to the official ribbon cutting, the neighborhood is planning a clean up of the area, and may be followed by dinner at BrewRiver Gastropub. Queen City Bike is working with the East End Community Council to plan the event. For more information on the ribbon cutting, check out the Bike Program calendar. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
Sawyer Point celebrates 25 years
Twenty-five years ago, scrapyards and storage facilities spanned the mile-long stretch of land that now composes Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove. “When Cincinnati took on the development of Sawyer Point, the City and Cincinnati Recreation Commission were dedicated to reaching out to the local community,” says Deb Allison, Cincinnati Parks’ business service manager. That dedication created an area of greenery that now fits into a two-mile stretch of award-winning landscape along the Ohio River—and it’s one that Allison says should be honored. “It’s really important to celebrate the vision that the City, the recreation commission and the park board had at that time in what the riverfront could be,” Allison says. To celebrate that vision, the Cincinnati Park Board will host a Rockin’ Birthday Bash for Sawyer Point. The all-day music festival will take visitors back to 1988 when Sawyer Point first emerged as a spot for community gatherings, and it will do it in 1980s fashion with throwback bands that Allison says might remind guests of the time when the park was first commissioned. Like all birthday bashes, the event is intended to be a celebratory happening, but it’s also a time to reflect on how far the riverfront has come in recent years and the impact the parks and local developments have had on the city. “The community and the residents of the City of Cincinnati are extremely dedicated to their parks, and put a lot of effort into ensuring the sustainability of the parks now and in the future,” Allison says. “With the development of different parks—you can see that people are being drawn into those areas. Whether it’s to the restaurants or the residential areas that are either for rent or for sale, or the different businesses that have been able to open around the Banks development—people and visitors make it a beautiful, safe and friendly environment for people to enjoy.” Do Good: • Attend the Rockin' Birthday Bash. • Like Cincinnati Parks on Facebook. • Support the parks. By Brittany York Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.
Xavier MBA course links entrepreneurs, business students to fuel growth
Entrepreneurship might be in the blood, but success takes more than passion. It also takes a head for business, and there are tried steps that every business should take to go from concept to reality. An entrepreneurship course at Xavier University pairs the region's startups with MBA students for a partnership of theory and real-world application. The course, ENTR 668, is an extension of the University's X-LAB (Xavier Launch-a-Business) competition. X-LAB was founded by Xavier's Williams College of Business. "We've learned through X-LAB that 90 percent of our businesses understand their idea, and are passionate about it, but they don't how to take it to market," says professor Joe Carter, X-LAB's Director. "That's a gap we can fill at Xavier." As part of X-LAB, finalists meet with potential investors and receive training and consulting services during an 18-week process. Once that ends, ENTR 668 students choose a handful of businesses from the finalists for more intense consultation. "The MBA students, along with a business advisory board, interview the X-LAB finalists and decide which businesses they are going to help," Carter says. Each business can have a number of students assigned to it, depending on its needs. Some have had up to eight advisors. The businesses that have benefited from XLAB include the 3D printing company 3DLT and Ahalogy (formerly Pingage), a results-oriented content marketing system. Students work with the business for a semester, but there are plans to expand it to two semesters in the near future, Carter says. There is no cost for these services for the business. Student consulting work runs the gamut, from developing marketing plans to business model development and verification to market expansion. "We'll have students working late, on the weekends or after midnight because they are so invested in these businesses," Carter says. The business owners aren't the only beneficiaries. Students—most whom are older professionals—win too. "Businesses bring their knowledge and have practical work experience," Carter says. "We see this as a huge way to differentiate our program. Our students have all these business tools, but in this course, they have to know which tool to pull out of the toolbox." By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter
NAMI NKY supports families dealing with mental illness
Like all volunteers at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Inc. of Northern Kentucky, Executive Director Kathy Keller says she’s walked in the shoes of those she’s currently helping. “There’s quite a bit of mental illness in my family,” says Keller, who first became involved with NAMI when she took the organizations’ Family-to-Family Education Course in 2003. She’s been teaching the class since 2004, and NAMI NKY is currently offering it again, which Keller says is critical because it enables loved ones to learn how to communicate with one another in a more constructive way. “It certainly teaches one a lot of basics about what’s going on in the brain—a lot of basics about the illnesses and a lot of things about medication, but that’s sort of the steps you have to take to get to the first landing,” Keller says. “Beyond that, it is all about self-care and communication. Self-care is very important because when someone in the family has a mental illness, the whole family gets sick along with them because their behaviors are out of the norm, and it’s very difficult to sometimes communicate with them, sometimes to get them to take medication or even to understand they’re ill.” According to Keller, the behaviors are uncomfortable, so in order to help relatives and friends learn to not take things personally and to be more empathetic, NAMI NKY operates on nearly an entirely volunteer-run basis to offer everything from classes and support groups to social outings for those in need. “I see it everyday—a huge population of our mentally ill are in jails or prisons, and often, their families have either abandoned them or they have abandoned their families because of lack of understanding or lack of ability to communicate,” Keller says. “Families can just take so much and then they kind of wring their hands and say, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’” While Keller doesn’t claim that courses like Family-to-Family keep people out of prison, she does claim that it keeps family ties in tact. “This course really does change the lives of the people who take it,” Keller says. “It’s sort of like, ‘Oh, I can do this—I see there’s a way to do this. I’ve talked to other people who’ve been through it, and I see other alternatives of how I can deal with my ill relative.’” Do Good: • Contact NAMI NKY to inquire about attending the organization's free programming. • Contribute to NAMI NKY by donating or volunteering. • Consider organizing a campus group to further assist NAMI NKY. By Brittany York Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.
Gaslight leads effort to create training program for Ruby app developers
Tech talent in Cincinnati is in high demand but in short supply in some areas. And as the local tech startup economy grows, so does the need for cutting-edge developer talent. One local mobile and web app development company is leading an effort to develop talent in its corner of the tech world. Blue Ash-based Gaslight is teaming up with Cincinnati-area industry and entrepreneurial leaders to start a training program for app developers using the Ruby on Rails platform. Gaslight specializes in developing apps through Ruby on Rails. The growing company, which has more than a dozen developers, creates apps and other software applications for growing startups and established brands. Gaslight co-founder and Ruby developer Bill Barnett says the idea is a practical one. Ruby has become a popular app development platform, and it's become harder for Ruby developers, including Gaslight, to keep up with client demand. "There is a need for Ruby on Rails support that the market is not meeting at the moment," he says. The training program is aimed at bringing new developers into the field, and would last about six months. This type of web development school is emerging in several cities across the United States—gSchool in Denver is one of the best known. GSchool is a model for Cincinnati to follow, Barnett says. "We want to create an avenue for people who want to get into software development, and maybe come from other disciplines," Barnett says. "They might be a recent college graduate who has a degree in medicine or law but has an entrepreneurial inkling. They could be returning from overseas, transitioning from a military career." Gaslight is still in the planning stages, but it has a record of leadership in the Cincinnati web community, and has hosted several developer Meetups and is the lead organizer of the Queen City Merge conference. Gaslight is working with a number of interested groups to get it off the ground, including Neo, Girl Develop It and The Brandery. No firm date has been set for the training program's launch, but a goal is to start a group of 20-25 students by late this year or early next. Find out more about Gaslight and what it has to offer at Web School Cincinnati. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter
