Realm Summer 2023 - The Journal for Queen City CEOs

HOW THE CINCINNATI MUSIC FESTIVAL BECAME SUCH A REGIONAL TOURISM DRAW.

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Let

free ride

Metro give your employees a free ride

I’m Metro CEO Darryl Haley. If high gas prices are affecting your ability to hire and keep employees, the solution may be as close as the nearest Metro stop.

Riding Metro offers savings, stress relief and convenience compared to driving. And improvements like 24-hour service, new routes and free Wi-Fi and charging ports on all buses means there’s never been a better time to ride.

Find out how Metro can customize a program designed for your company by contacting Ridership Development Director Amy Rasmussen at arasmussen@go-metro.com.

06 LETTER FROM BRENDON CULL

10 BY THE NUMBERS

Transportation equipment and food lead the region’s growing manufacturing job sectors.

THE JUMP

11

TRANSPORTATION

METRO IS ON THE MOVE Metro celebrates its 50th anniversary by expanding bus service and options.

12 SPORTS ACING AUGUST

The Western & Southern Open brings the tennis world to Mason again.

14 PHILANTHROPY ARTSWAVE HITS ITS GOAL

The 2023 campaign will help students across the region take arts field trips.

16 FOOD & BEVERAGE BRAXTON EXPANDS

The family-owned brewery opens a new pub at CVG and expands its beer distribution.

18 REAL ESTATE

THE NEW HOME TEAM Homeshake is tweaking the homebuying process, with plans to go national.

19 REAL ESTATE NEW NORWOOD ENERGY Factory 52 respects the city’s history and injects new hope for the future.

DEEP DIVES

22 MUSIC TO OUR EARS (AND CASH REGISTERS)

The Cincinnati Music Festival returns and helps open the Black Music Walk of Fame. Tourism leaders are singing a happy tune.

30 COVINGTON’S FIELD OF DREAMS

Redevelopment of the 23-acre former IRS processing site near the riverfront is a generational opportunity for the city.

38

CINCINNATI COMPASS OFFERS A HAND UP TO IMMIGRANTS

PRESIDENT AND CEO Brendon Cull

TRAFFIC MANAGER Tracey Brachle

BOARD CHAIR Candace McGraw

CEO, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

CHAMBER OFFICE

3 E. Fourth St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 579-3100

All contents © 2023 Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. The contents cannot be reproduced in any manner, whole or in part, without written permission from the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

48 ASK ME ABOUT

Get to know Tony Munafo of Prolink, John Cunningham of UC Athletics, and Jennifer Steele of Meals on Wheels Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

52 PHOTO ESSAY: CINCINNATI OFF-ROAD ALLIANCE

Mountain bikers and urban planners are working together to expand family-friendly trails and build community.

Newcomers help fuel population and job growth across the region while promoting the benefits of diversity.

42

B THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE Businesses go through a rigorous process to be certified as a B Corp, and for many it’s worth the effort.

FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF

PUBLISHER Ivy Bayer

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John Fox

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Email cmletters@cincinnatimagazine.com

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ROCK

CINCINNATI’S SUCCESS

Rock Cincinnati

Anative of Australia, Justin Wyborn comes to Hard Rock Cincinnati with plenty of hospitality experience under his belt. After opening and managing Nobu restaurants across the world, Wyborn made the jump to the casino industry. He fell in love with his work at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood in Hollywood, Florida, and his hospitality background makes him the perfect fit for his position as President of Hard Rock Cincinnati. Wyborn looks to build a connection with the community in Cincinnati, which he feels will only enhance the guest experience at Hard Rock Cincinnati.

“People don’t tend to talk about Cincinnati outside of the Midwest; the arts, the culture, the entertainment—it’s a smaller city with a big-city mentality and big-city culture,” says Wyborn. “Everything here

is like living in a massive, massive city—Cincinnati is one of those gems and [I want to] celebrate everything that Cincinnati has.”

The casino’s existing success is a strong foundation to build upon, he says, outlining plans to enhance the food and beverage program and add more entertainment offerings. His admiration for the city underscores the excitement he has

city as I can and driving more notoriety to this hidden gem,” Wyborn says. One of the first steps in that direction is programming live music at Hard Rock Cincinnati’s outdoor performance space. This summer brings acts including The Steve Miller Band; Ludacris, Ashanti, and Flo Rida; and KC and The Sunshine Band to Hard Rock Cincinnati’s 4,000-person amphitheater-like space. Wyborn

for what’s next for Hard Rock Cincinnati.

“I’m looking forward to getting involved in the community, meeting as many people in the

says that adding live music will add to the casino’s excitement and provide guests with a unique and intimate experience.

New Hard

President Justin Wyborn plans to strengthen community ties as he sharpens the focus on entertainment.

His admiration for the city underscores the excitement he has for what’s next for Hard Rock Cincinnati.

hat a summer it’s already been in Cincinnati! The eyes of the country and the world have been on us lately, and you can feel the momentum building.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center was named the nation’s No. 1 children’s hospital in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings, in recognition of the hard work and amazing dedication of its doctors, nurses, support staff, researchers, and executive leadership. British Airways launched nonstop flights from CVG to London’s Heathrow Airport, better connecting leisure and business travelers with Europe and beyond.

Taylor Swift fans from across the Midwest flowed into Cincinnati for two sold-out concerts at Paycor Stadium, which happened to coincide with packed home games for the first-place Reds and first-place FC Cincinnati. Every event went off without a hitch, and the entire region was truly buzzing with excitement.

We’ll be in the national news again soon. The Cincinnati Music Festival takes over Paycor Stadium July 20-22 and is likely to generate more than $100 million in economic impact across the region. Read more about the event on page 22. The world’s most famous athlete, Lionel Messi, is scheduled to play at TQL Stadium in August when his new club, Inter Miami, takes on FC Cincinnati.

These news-making events follow on the heels of strong momentum we’d already seen with Medpace announcing the creation of 1,500 new jobs at its Madisonville campus and federal funding being secured for the Brent Spence Bridge project.

Our region’s momentum is undeniable, and it’s leading to growth in population, economic activity, and cultural vibrancy. We’re on the global stage, and it’s obvious we are a community that’s investing in our future. And here’s the thing about momentum: Once you have it, it’s really tough to break.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and get ready for an even more exciting second half of the year.

BRENDON CULL BCull@cincinnatichamber.com

We’ve got 23 acres ready to be filled in. Be part of our next great neighborhood.

TENNIS FANS RETURN TO MASON FOR THE WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN.

The Cincinnati region has been a manufacturing powerhouse since William Procter and James Gamble got together to combine soap- and candle-making operations. Manufacturing growth has picked up in the past 10 years, particularly, with output jumping 79 percent in value since 2012. The top two job sectors, transportation equipment manufacturing and food manufacturing, are led by GE Aerospace and Kroger Co., respectively.

$1.2 BILLION

METRO IS ON THE MOVE AT 50

Hamilton County voters approved Issue 7 in 2020 by a slim margin to increase the county sales tax by 0.8 percent and fund transit-related infrastructure improvements, including enhancements to Metro. The agency, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is also celebrating new cross-town routes, weekend and extended-hours service, zero-emission vehicles, transit centers, bus rapid transit routes, and other plans that are coming to fruition—new action that’s boosting the local economy and connecting residents to their destinations, including jobs.

“When you have very robust transit, you drive equity into a region,” says Darryl Haley, CEO of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) and Metro. “People need to connect to all of the things that are important in our lives. But we’re also connecting them to higher paying jobs so we can reduce poverty in our region, so we can reduce crime in our region, and so we can attract talent.”

Metro’s five-year expansion is currently in phase two with planning of the bus rapid transit system. BRT has the speed and convenience of a light rail line but without the expense of permanent rail, using frequent buses (every five to 10 minutes) on dedicated bus lanes, traffic signals that allow buses to go before other traffic, and boarding platforms that allow seamless passenger entry and exit. The first two dedicated routes will be Hamilton Avenue and Reading Road, which are expected to be complete in 2027.

Other new BRT lines in U.S. cities have experienced an influx in businesses moving near the route and a boom in transit ridership, which Haley expects to be true in Cincinnati as well. “The next generation cares about the environment,” he says. “They don’t want to own three cars; some of them don’t want to own a car at all. They want to live in walkable communities, but they still want and need to connect to all of the things the region has.”

Metro is also launching Metro Now, an Uber-like service in locations that aren’t conducive to 40-foot-long buses. Riders will log on to an app to schedule pick up and drop off at $2 per trip. “We know there are pockets of our region where people really don’t have access, so Metro Now will give them access to the doctor’s office or to grocery stores within their zone,” says Haley. The first two zones roll out this summer with plans for four more zones by the start of 2024.

Metro is designing new transit centers for Walnut Hills, North College Hill, and Uptown and is also working to renovate bus stops, shelters, and benches throughout the system. “We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary in growth mode,” says Haley. “We are adding services, going into new areas, expanding our footprint, and building new transit centers. We’ve made great strides on how we connect the region to this point, and we’re excited about phases three, four, and five to come.”

The new county tax levy is starting to expand bus services and introduce affordable Uber-like options.

—SARAH M. MULLINS

AUGUST ACE

The Western & Southern Open returns to the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason August 12-20, featuring the world’s top men and women professionals. The tournament traces its history back to the first Cincinnati Open in 1899, and more than 100 International Tennis Hall of Famers have played in it over the years.

X MARKS THE SPOT

The Cincinnati Open was initially played at the Avondale Athletic Club, on the site of what is today Xavier University, and moved to the Cincinnati Tennis Club in Walnut Hills for most of the next 60 years. It’s been hosted in Mason since 1979 and is considered to be the oldest U.S. tournament still played in its original city.

COURTING THE PLAYERS

The tournament crowned men and women champions through 1973, and then it became a men’s tournament until 1988, before bringing back women players. Roger Federer has won the most men’s singles championships (7) and Clara Louise Zinke the most women’s singles titles (5 between 1923 and 1937).

BIG EXPOSURE

Viewed by most players as a warmup for the US Open later in August, the Western & Southern Open hosts nearly 200,000 fans from all 50 states and more than 39 countries. The TV broadcast is seen by more than 125 million global viewers in almost 200 markets.

GOOD CAUSES

Tournament proceeds have benefitted Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center since 1974, raising more than $9 million over that time. An additional $2.5 million-plus has been raised for the UC Cancer Center and for the Inner City Tennis Project.

ARTSWAVE BEATS ITS 2023 GOAL

Cincinnati’s vibrant arts community has relied on ArtsWave for financial support for nearly a century. Its annual workplace giving campaign generates operating income for 150-plus arts organizations across the region in good times and bad; its extraordinary funding during the pandemic helped keep doors open and artists working.

Chaired by Scott Robertson and Carl Satterwhite of RCF Group, the 2023 campaign wrapped up in June and beat its goal by raising $11,830,354 in contributions from more than 20,000 donors and 400 companies and foundations, further bolstering the arts economy here. ArtsWave President and CEO Alecia Kintner says the overall economic impact of the region’s arts is more than $400 million per year, providing advantages such as attracting and retaining a skilled workforce.

Kintner says economic impacts can include up to a 20 percent increase in property value when an arts venue moves to a neighborhood, as well as the BLINK event supporting 10,000 jobs. Having powerful arts and culture assets brings talent to the region and in turn impacts the strength of Cincinnati businesses. “The arts have long helped distinguish Cincinnati from other places, particularly in the Midwest,” says Kintner. “The reputational value we accrue by having world-class arts organizations and world-class arts facilities is almost immeasurable. The more we tell the story of the arts, the more future-forward power we get as a region—innovation in other industries thrives by the inspiration of creatives, including artists.”

As a part of the overall ArtsWave campaign, its More Arts, More Kids program has raised around $700,000 toward a $1 million goal. The money will fund 50,000 field trips for schools, including Cincinnati Public Schools, to museums, live performances, and other arts organizations. Kintner says students who interact with the arts improve their education and overall life experience. “The arts have a direct impact on education,” she says. “Kids involved in the arts are less likely to drop out of high school, less likely to have instances of juvenile crime, and more likely to retain information and score higher on standardized tests.” The field trips will launch in the fall.

ArtsWave was among seven arts organizations in the region to receive grants in May from the National Endowment for the Arts. Kintner says Cincinnati outpaces many other regions, including other regions in Ohio, for the attraction of federal dollars for arts projects. “Cincinnati’s arts organizations compete really well on a national level for federal dollars through the NEA,” she says. “This is another indicator of the quality and reputation that Cincinnati arts organizations and the professionals who run them are garnering for the region.”

The NEA also awarded funds to Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Boychoir, Educational Theatre Association, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Mutual Dance Theatre, and Wave Pool. A total of 32 arts organizations in Ohio received $2.2 million in grants. Kentucky received $1.2 million and Indiana $1.35 million.

PHILANTHROPY

The annual fundraising campaign launched a new fund to facilitate arts and culture field trips for area students.

—SARAH M. MULLINS

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CINCINNATI

BRAXTON BREACHES NEW HEIGHTS

The family-owned brewery develops new connections in its Union home town, at the airport, and across the nation.

–SARAH M. MULLINS

Braxton Brewing was a business concept born in a garage by brothers Jake and Evan Rouse and their dad Greg Rouse, who set out to launch a Covington brewery that could develop innovative brews. What they didn’t expect is how popular their craft concoctions would become—and how quickly.

Braxton beers are now on tap at local restaurants; canned and sold at grocery and liquor stores across the tristate, among other states; and available at major Cincinnati sporting events. Three new projects are coming to fruition in 2023 to help the company complete its evolution from a family startup.

CEO Jake Rouse says Braxton’s Garage lager is the option you reach for when you’re hanging out in the garage, as the founders famously did. Recognizing its wide appeal, the company partnered with Andrew Sauer, a brand investment marketer, to establish Garage Beer Co. in order to give the beer national distribution.

The iconic can embodies approachability with enough oomph to be craft and compete with other popular choices. “We knew that

the brand of Garage Beer had the ability to grow well beyond our footprint here in Greater Cincinnati,” says Rouse.

Braxton continues to build its brand locally at two new taproom locations, including a location at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. “Being able to have a brand presence inside of a space that welcomes nearly 9 million people a year has been one of the coolest things I’ve witnessed in the eight-year history of our company,” says Rouse. “There are operational hurdles working inside the space, but we’re thrilled we could overcome them and bring it to life.” Braxton’s airport outpost offers a full bar with rotating beers, wine, and cocktails

along with food from Taco Fuerte that’s available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Braxton is also widening its partnerships with local favorites Graeter’s Ice Cream and Dewey’s Pizza. One collaboration produced a limited-edition Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Milk Stout, while Dewey’s opened its newest pizzeria next door to Braxton’s flagship brewpub in downtown Covington. Braxton and Graeter’s released a second beer collaboration, Peach Kolsch, in June.

The trio are now joining forces to create a unique food hub in Union, which Rouse says brings his family business back to where it all began. The three companies are developing new buildings featuring their brands along with shared green space just 100 feet from Braxton Drive, the street where the Rouses grew up. The hub is set to open by the end of the year.

“The development is truly going to be special,” says Rouse. “It’s the culmination of the past eight years of building Braxton Brewing. The ability to create something that welcomes families in our hometown of Union is a cool homecoming story.”

A HOMECOMING Braxton, Dewey’s, and Graeter’s are building a new food and drink hub in Union.

THE NEW HOME TEAM

The rise and success of Homeshake is a classic Cincinnati tale. Long before the company’s birth, co-founder Nick Rabin coached elementary football alongside co-founder Jonathan Bennie’s father. Years later, Bennie, a real estate attorney, connected professionally with Rabin, a real estate investor.

Then came the big idea: an agent-free home marketplace where buyers and sellers connected directly. Low fees. Expert support. Less overhead. Less paper shuffling.“There was a lot of frustration among consumers regarding the cost to sell a house and the service and experience that often accompanied that,” says Rabin.

Homeshake was born at Cintrifuse in 2020, nurtured at the 1819 Innovation Hub, and then expanded at Union Hall. “It’s got Cincinnati fingerprints all over it,” says Bennie.

The digital platform charges sellers 1 percent of their listing price. With the average Homeshake listing around $500,000, the fee savings can be $25,000 per transaction compared to traditional broker fees. “That’s a new car or a year of college tuition,” says Rabin. “It’s the kind of

money that moves the needle for families.”

Homeshake customers, contrary to whom Bennie and Rabin thought they’d be attracting, have been through the buying and selling process before—not necessarily the younger, digitally native crowd they were expecting. It’s the seasoned sellers who understand the pain points of traditional real estate transactions and can appreciate the Homeshake value proposition. “They’re confident sellers and buyers,” says Bennie. “They don’t need to go through the traditional route; they just need a little help from professionals like us. And that’s what we can provide.”

Corporate relocation partnerships are another consumer avenue Homeshake is actively expanding, a win-win scenario that could help companies slash relocation budgets.

Because Homeshake properties are not listed on MLS, the company must prioritize strate-

gies to help their properties and their brand get seen. All listings are available on Zillow, and the company makes itself visible through billboards, direct mail, and media and digital advertising as well as earned media coverage.

With five full-time staffers and various third-party contractors, the team is still small but growing. In January, Homeshake closed its seed round of fundraising on wefunder.com, with $1.225 million to show for it. The investment will help fund several new hires, including Chief Marketing Officer Kyle Naughtrip and Chief Technology Officer Tim Ross.

With a consumer interface that’s accessible and responsive, Homeshake prides itself on excellent customer service, boasting 100 percent 5-star Google ratings from happy customers. The closing tables are amicable celebrations, sometimes accompanied by happy tears and the exchange of addresses for Christmas cards. “Homeshake reinjects that humanity, that emotion, back into buying and selling a home,” says Bennie.

The Homeshake platform is currently offered throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, with short-term expansions planned across both states. From there, Bennie and Rabin expect to break into regional markets such as Nashville and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Homeshake is tweaking the local homebuying process, with plans to go national.

—ELIZABETH MILLER WOOD

“Our customers are confident sellers and buyers who don’t need to go the traditional route.”

NEW ENERGY IN NORWOOD

Factory 52 respects the city’s history and residents’ hopes for the future.

When the United States Playing Card Company built its Norwood factory in 1900, it was the world’s most prolific playing card printer and a vital cog in the small city’s factory-filled, immigrant-heavy ecosystem. Many modern-day Norwoodians still claim roots back to those early-city beginnings—which is why, when it came time to breathe new life into the defunct factory’s dusty spaces, builder PLK Communities knew local buy-in would be key.

A 400-resident survey in 2020 showed a resounding desire for public gathering space and preservation of the property’s iconic clocktower. Unlike many of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods, “Norwood has never had a public square,” says Nick Lingenfelter, vice president of PLK Communities. With Phase 1 nearing completion this summer, Factory 52 is already delivering on that desire.

To tackle the challenge of limited liquor licenses for Norwood’s 19,000-person population, PLK brought in two breweries—Hi-Wire Brewing from Asheville, North Carolina, and Cincinnati-based Fretboard Brewing Company—to locate at each end of the property to create a mini brewery district. Hi-Wire opened in March, with Fretboard and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream projected to open this summer.

The Gatherall, a 14-stall food hall, will open its first handful of eateries this summer as well, with

others launching in the following months. The new Aces Pickleball + Kitchen helps “activate” the property, says Lingenfelter, offering five indoor courts and six illuminated outdoor courts for leagues, memberships, and public court reservations.

Factory 52 retail spaces will be boutique in nature: a high-end used watch retailer, a locally owned salon/spa, a clothing and accessories shop, a spin studio, and other shops with a likeminded ethos. More than 1,100 parking spaces provide visitor accessibility but with an urban touch.

“When you look at our property, you’re not going to notice the parking first,” says Lingenfelter.

“It’s scattered throughout, like in any other city.”

At completion, Factory 52 will host up to 600 housing units across three residential buildings—two newly constructed buildings, which are 93 percent and 100 percent leased as of this printing, plus the converted factory building boasting quintessential high-ceilinged lofts. “It’s the fastest-leasing project I’ve seen in 19 years,” says Lingenfelter. The anticipated market of predominately young professionals and empty nesters have options from 400-square-foot studios to three-bedroom apartments, with a dog park and residents-only pool as added perks.

Along with all the new, plenty of old has also been preserved. Ninety percent of the site’s original materials were upcycled. Salvaged timber was reused in flooring, and 700,000 bricks were repurposed and redistributed nationally. Even the Factory 52 logo, a clock face inside a playing card spade symbol, nods to the site’s storied past.

Equally notable is the anticipation of the development’s ripple effect. By injecting new energy and fresh visitors into this corner of Norwood, Lingenfelter has high hopes of reinvigorating the city’s existing commercial landscape. “We want to be that catalyst to keep growing the community,” he says.

—ELIZABETH MILLER WOOD

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Music to Our Ears (and Cash Registers)

She was 7 years old the first time she attended the Cincinnati Music Festival. Her parents often worked at the festival. Her mother, Barbara Howard Reece, opened for Stevie Wonder in 1973. Her father founded his own record label; Barbara was the first artist he signed. And even when they didn’t work and perform at the festival, they were in the audience.

Family history and stories are all tied up in the festival for Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece. “It’s why the music festival is so special to me,” she says, and why this year’s version is the perfect time to officially unveil her passion project, the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame.

The Cincinnati Music Festival has gone by many names. You may still call it the Ohio Valley Jazz Music Festival, which was the first iteration back in the late 1950s, or simply Jazz Fest. Over the years, the lineup has expanded beyond jazz, but it always tries to stay true to its roots. This year’s duo of headliners illustrates that range and dichotomy: Al Green and Snoop Dogg.

The festival will be held July 20-22 at Paycor Stadium and kicks off with a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop, “discovered” by Clive “DJ Kool Herc” Campbell, who is often recognized as the grandfather of hip hop. It dates back to a summer day in the Bronx on August 11, 1973, when DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican native, played two copies of the same record and bounced from one to the other. He looped the percussion to keep the beat going while various Masters of Ceremonies would rhyme into the mic and use call-and-response chants to involve the audience.

THE CINCINNATI MUSIC FESTIVAL RETURNS THIS MONTH AND HELPS OPEN

THE CINCINNATI BLACK MUSIC WALK OF FAME.

TOURISM LEADERS ARE SINGING A HAPPY TUNE.

BY JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER PHOTOGRAPH BY THE STORIE TELLER PHOTOGRAPHY

HOMETOWN HERO

Bootsy Collins was part of the first induction class for the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, which officially opens to the public July 22 on the riverfront.

Admission that back-to-school party hosted by Kool Herc and his sister was a quarter for the ladies. The fellas paid 50 cents.

Today the Cincinnati Music Festival is sponsored by Procter & Gamble and touches more than 100,000 people each day, many of whom travel to Cincinnati from across the country. Tourism officials say the weekend has a regional economic impact of more than $100 million annually.

A REGIONAL IMPACT

THE CINCINNATI MUSIC

Fest website lists its first lineup from 1958, a roster that

included the Duke Ellington Big Band and the Dizzy Gillespie Sextet. After three years in Indiana, the event moved to Cincinnati; its first version here, in 1962 at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds, brought back Ellington’s band as well as Louis Armstrong and Dave Brubeck.

During those early years, Joe Santangelo was a teenager helping his older brother, who started the festival. He served as a gopher, doing whatever was needed, right down to stuffing envelopes.

The festival remains a family affair, with Santangelo as its producer and his daughter, Fran Santangelo DiBattista, its director of marketing. Things have grown considerably over the decades, morphing from a fest small enough to fit in French Lick, Indiana, to become Cincinnati’s largest tourism event of the year. Hotels fill up south of the airport in Kentucky and up into Dayton, Ohio.

In 2022, after two years off due to COVID, the festival drew its biggest crowd yet thanks in large part to

headliner Janet Jackson. DiBattista estimates that more than 80,000 people squeezed into Paycor Stadium to see Jackson’s performance.

This year, she hopes the festival attracts even more people. “What’s cool about our show is that 80 percent of attendees are from out of town,” she says, which is one thing that sets the concert apart from music shows at other Cincinnati venues, which tend to draw primarily locals.

Because the show attracts so many out-of-towners, the economic impact of the three-day festival is huge; in 2017, VisitCincy (aka the Cincinna-

ti Convention and Visitors Bureau) measured the festival’s economic impact at $107 million. That income is spread across the region in restaurants, hotels, shops, and other attractions and venues.

“There’s a restaurant in Kenwood that said this weekend is its biggest weekend of the year—all year, every year. That’s a huge win,” says VisitCincy President and CEO Julie Calvert. “It just shows you that the impact isn’t just happening downtown, but throughout the region.”

Many businesses stay open late to feed the thousands who get out of the

concert after 1 a.m., DeBattista says. Last year, more than 75 businesses from restaurants to sneaker stores offered some sort of discount or special to festival attendees. But that wasn’t always the case.

The festival didn’t run from 2002 to 2004 in the aftermath of riots in Over-the-Rhine and elsewhere in response to the police shooting of Timothy Thomas. When the fest returned, many downtown businesses were wary of interacting with festivalgoers. Attitudes changed when Mayor Mark Mallory recognized the event’s potential to bring tourism and goodwill to the city and turn around negative outside perceptions of Cincinnati.

NOTHING BUT A PARTY

The Cincinnati Music Festival and its affiliated events touch more than 100,000 people each day over its three-day weekend. Almost 80 percent of attendees are from out of town.

A FORCE FOR GOOD

THE CINCINNATI MUSIC

Festival is an important inclusion opportunity for the city and its business leaders. Procter & Gamble has sponsored the event since 2015, for a variety of reasons beyond the economic impact. The weekend ties into P&G’s belief system that brands should and can be a force for good, says Senior Communications Manager Melanie Denson, who also serves on the Cincinnati Music Festival’s planning committee. “We reach over 100,000 people a day coming in from different places across the country,” she says. “So as we think about helping Cincinnati continue to blossom and grow, it just makes sense from a corporate responsibility standpoint.”

FAMILY AFFAIR

Father/daughter festival producers Joe Santangelo and Fran Santangelo DiBattista.

Barbara Hauser, P&G’s community relations manager, echoes the company’s focus on inclusion. “It’s really important to show the community as well as our employees that we’re supporting this multicultural event here in our hometown,” she says. “Our people have an opportunity to participate and celebrate and be part of everything that’s happening.”

The company’s sponsorship isn’t merely a monetary relationship—it’s a partnership. “It just goes back to us being a force for good and a force for growth,” says Denson. “We really need to walk the talk.”

VisitCincy views the event as a chance to build the city’s reputation and character, says Calvert. At the end of the weekend, as guests head home, she wants them to say, That was easy

As in: My needs were anticipated.

As in: People were friendly.

As in: Parking wasn’t a pain. I could walk anywhere I needed to go.

As in: I want to come back to Cincinnati

“It’s not a transactional event,” Calvert says. “You’re getting a whole experience of what it’s like in a Midwestern city that has so much culture and so many diverse communities that make it up.”

It’s such a vital event for the city that Mayor Aftab Pureval has launched Operation Hospitality to maximize the weekend’s impact. Everyone who could possibly have a touchpoint with a visitor—hotels, restaurants, parking lot operators, police officers, firefighters, marketers— gather in one room to discuss putting the visitor first and ensure all parties are on the same page.

“We have 80,000 of our closest friends and family coming to Cincinnati, and we’ve gotta create that experience for them,” says Calvert. “That’s the value our community places on the festival.”

ADDING THE BLACK MUSIC WALK OF FAME

THE LIST OF FESTIval-related and -adjacent events and to-dos around the region is long, and getting longer. There are races and food trucks, art events and Black Tech Week, musical acts on stage at Fountain Square and interactive booth experiences from Procter & Gamble and other sponsors around Paycor Stadium.

But perhaps the largest related event this year will be the grand opening of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame at noon July 22. The

project is the brainchild—and perhaps the heartchild—of Commissioner Reece, who has long wanted to see Cincinnati host a permanent celebration of the region’s Black music history.

Reece’s résumé includes serving as Ohio’s deputy director of tourism, a period when she helped promote the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. It made her ask, What about southwestern Ohio? The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame is the answer to that question.

When she was a child, Reece’s parents had her read Walt Disney’s autobiography. A particular anecdote from the book has stuck with her over the years: When everyone else looked at Florida, they saw swamp; Disney saw Disney World.

So when Hamilton County had some COVID-related economic development funds in the bank, she looked at the empty riverfront lot nestled between Paycor Stadium (the Cincinnati Music Festival’s home)

EDUTAINMENT

Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece led the effort to build the Walk of Fame on downtown’s riverfront.

and the Andrew J Brady Music Center (where the festival will kick off) and imagined what it could become. She pictured an experience akin to Disney World.

The Walk of Fame is an $8.5 million effort—on top of a $15 million underground parking garage—to provide what Reece calls edutainment. The “edu” part is the visitors’ learning experience about the influence of southwestern Ohio Black musicians on the region, the country, and the world. The “tainment” is all the fun stuff, including augmented reality kiosks that will allow guests to perform with their favorite artists. They can play music with Bootsy Collins or Penny Ford and become part of their videos. They can scan a QR code and share the recording.

There’s the Black Music Walk of Fame beat maker, where Cincinnati rapper and DJ Hi-Tek will help visitors make beats that connect to a laser water fountain; the water will jump with the beats. Meanwhile, a screen will rotate

TAKEAWAYS HISTORY MAKERS

The Cincinnati Music Festival traces its roots to 1958, when it was first known as the Ohio Valley Jazz Music Festival. The biggest names in music—from Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis to Aretha Franklin and Janet Jackson—have performed, with this year’s headliners including Al Green and Snoop Dogg.

WIN, WIN, WIN

The festival attracts music fans from across the U.S., who spend money in hotels, restaurants, and shops around the region. VisitCincy puts the weekend’s overall economic impact at $107 million. Procter & Gamble has been the lead sponsor since 2015.

WALK THE WALK

The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame officially opens during the festival weekend, launching a permanent riverfront space devoted to Black culture and life. The mini-park will embed up to 200 stars in its paved pathway, with individual musicians and bands being inducted each year.

with facts and multiple-choice questions about Black musicians. For example, did you know that Prince once recorded in Cincinnati?

The Walk will also include a walkway of stars, of course, similar to those at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The park can accommodate 200 stars, with the Walk inducting four individual musicians or groups from the region each year. This year’s inductees are James Brown, The Deele, Philippe Wynne, and Louise Shropshire.

In addition to the Walk creating a music hub between the Paycor and Brady venues, Reece also points out the location’s historic significance: Along the Ohio River’s 198 acres of riverbank in the city, the Walk is the first acreage devoted to Black culture and life. The spot at the foot of Elm Street was once the home of Bucktown, where many of the area’s slavery ancestors lived.

“Song was very important to us, to get us through tough times,” says Reece. “Having this here gives us a chance to showcase what Black music has meant. This is the missing link between the people honored by the Brady Center and what was named Paul Brown Stadium for years. And so to have the Black Music Walk of Fame on this corner, I think, becomes a real bridge across cultures.”

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

AS THE FESTIVAL AND its geography continue to grow and support the city and its visitors, it’s still and forever all about the music and the festival-going experience. And for long-time attendees, it’s not tough to rattle off their accumulated highlights from over the years.

For Reece, it’s about the fashion.

“HAVING THE BLACK MUSIC WALK OF FAME [BETWEEN PAUL BROWN STADIUM AND THE ANDREW J BRADY MUSIC CENTER] BECOMES A REAL BRIDGE ACROSS CULTURES.”

She remembers tour buses from Chicago full of people she swears were trying to out-dress the other. “You would spend almost a year trying to get your outfits together,” she says, noting that her family often coordinates by color when they attend the festival. “I think the thing that people don’t talk enough about was the fashion—the hair, the nails, the clothes. It was a destination to get to. Everybody had to bring their A-game.”

The last time her mother attended the fest, in 2008—she died shortly after of breast cancer—the entire family wore pink.

Music-wise, one of Reece’s favorite memories is debating with her cousin as a child who was going to

outperform the other: Midnight Star (Reece’s choice) or The Gap Band. “I love Charlie Wilson and The Gap Band, but Midnight Star shut the place down,” she says. “Those are my favorite memories, the camaraderie of the bands battling each other.”

Santangelo’s best music memories involve Luther Vandross, who started at the Cincinnati Music Festival as an opening act and moved up a spot the next summer, and then another spot, and then another one. Vandross eventually headlined the festival, which he continued to do for years.

DiBattista names last year’s headliner, Janet Jackson, as her favorite artist over the years, in part because of their working relationship. “You

never know what you’re going to get with talent,” she says. “Big names can be easy to work with or difficult, but her team was so wonderful to work with, and she put on one of the best shows we’ve ever had.”

Sixty-one years and 56 festivals later, the Santangelo family just wants to give the city and its visitors an enjoyable, memorable experience while honoring the event’s history and Black music’s place in Cincinnati culture. “We started out with jazz, morphed to Motown and R&B, hip hop and funk through the 1970s,” DiBattista says. “Now we try to showcase in our lineup a little bit of something from each generation to pay tribute to the fact that we’ve been around so long.”

WALKING THE WALK

The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame officially opens during this year’s Cincinnati Music Festival weekend.

Covington’s Field

of Dreams

REDEVELOPMENT OF THE 23-ACRE FORMER IRS PROCESSING CENTER NEAR THE RIVERFRONT IS A GENERATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY.

BY DAVID HOLTHAUS

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW DOENCH

NEW VISION

Seven years ago, the Internal Revenue Service dropped a bombshell announcement on Northern Kentucky and the entire region: It planned to close its sprawling tax return processing center in Covington. The IRS facility had been a steady provider of jobs in Northern Kentucky’s largest city since opening in 1967, and the closure would mean the loss of more than 1,800 positions—nearly 10 percent of Covington’s workforce.

Officials at the nation’s tax agen-

cy explained that times had changed. More people are filing their returns electronically, and the agency no longer needs many sites like the Covington center, where paper returns were processed. While the closure meant the loss of full- and part-time jobs and about $1.5 million in payroll tax revenue for Covington, city officials received a three-year notice of the move and almost immediately began eyeing the downtown site for possible development.

When the closure plan was announced, then-City Manager Larry Klein first expressed sympathy for

those who would lose jobs and for surrounding businesses that would lose customers. But he went on to say, “With every challenge there is an opportunity. One door closes and another opens. This announcement could open up 23 acres of prime riverfront property.”

Flash forward to today, and Covington officials have purchased the property, demolished the massive building, prepped the site for development, and begun marketing it to developers. Before they did all that, city leaders came up with a vision for what they want. It’s a rare opportunity

Covington Mayor Joe Meyer (previous spread, left) and Economic Development Director Tom West are building a new neighborhood on the city’s riverfront.

to reimagine more than 20 acres in the urban core bordering the region’s signature natural landmark, the Ohio River. Covington leaders wanted to be deliberate in their decision-making, rather than leave the plans in the hands of a few private developers.

“Generations from now, when people talk about Covington, this complex will dominate their impression,” Mayor Joe Meyer said when demolition began to clear the way for the new development. “We’ve been working on an array of exciting initiatives over the last few years, but nothing compares to this project in magnitude and long-term impact.”

“We’re basically rebuilding a neighborhood,” says Tom West, the city’s economic development director and point person for the project, which is now officially called the Covington Central Riverfront Development. With a background in urban planning (master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati) rather than finance or business, his perspective and experience are evident in the game plan for the project.

FOR MORE THAN 50 years, the IRS facility and its acres of surrounding parking lots had essentially acted as a barrier to the river and to easy connections among some of Covington’s neighborhoods. The city of 40,000 claims 19 different neighborhoods, including, in the vicinity of the IRS site, Mutter Gottes (named for Mutter Gottes, or Mother of God, Church); Old Town; MainStrasse; and the Central Business District. Before proceeding with redevelopment, the city assembled a team of consultants, some of whom sought the public’s opinions through surveys and open feedback sessions.

In 2018, the city hired Atlanta-based architecture and design firm Cooper Carry to draft a master plan that would serve as a conceptual starting point

to guide what will be years of detailed planning and construction. Assisted by Atlanta-based firms Noell Consulting and DaVinci Development and Cincinnati-based architecture and engineering firm Woolpert, Cooper Carry embarked on a 10-month analysis into how the site should be developed. The process included the public’s engagement through open houses, “civic dinners,” meetings, and surveys. “What the community told the consultants is that they want to weave the property back into the urban fabric,” West says.

To that end, the plan calls for streets that were cut off by the center’s sprawling footprint to be restored (Third, Russell, and Washington). Great old neighborhoods also have alleyways, and the plan calls for those to built. “Alleys are part of our urban fabric,” says West. “We use them for bicycles, pedestrians, deliveries. We’ve got a couple of businesses whose address is actually the intersection of two alleys. So they serve a very important function.”

The planners saw that a reconnection to the river really couldn’t happen with the 80-foot high Northern Kentucky riverfront floodwall blocking views and access, so they’ve envisioned raising the platform of the development area by building on top of parking garages, similar to how The Banks across the river was raised out of the flood zone through the construction of parking garages that then served as podiums for development.

The plan also anticipates new public spaces, including a park atop the floodwall and a public plaza that could be used for festivals and other events. “Folks expressed that they would like to have some kind of public space for gatherings,” West says. “If we do large-scale gatherings in Covington, we don’t have a Fountain Square type of area. We have to shut down streets.”

One of the current renderings shows

A NEW FRONT DOOR TO NKY

In addition to the former IRS riverfront site, another long-planned Covington development is moving forward this year. Construction is expected to start soon on the OneNKY Center, a 43,000-squarefoot building that will consolidate the offices of key Northern Kentucky economic development and tourism organizations.

The OneNKY Center will be built at the foot of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge in what is now a parking area. When finished, it will house the offices of the OneNKY Alliance, a group of business leaders focused on community growth; the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; tourism agency meetNKY; economic development agency BE-NKY Growth Partnership; the Catalytic Fund of Northern Kentucky, a nonprofit community development financing agency; Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky; and the Northern Kentucky Bar Association. The building will also house the Covington Life Science Lab, an equipped research and development space for bioscience companies that will be shared by early-stage companies.

The center will be owned by the Northern Kentucky Port Authority, a newly reactivated body whose mission is to identify, control and prepare sites for future development. Funding for the $26-million project will come from issuing municipal bonds, state funding that was approved for the life sciences lab, the Catalytic Fund, and community foundations such as the Haile Foundation, Horizon Community Funds, Durr Foundation, and Drees Foundation.

St. Elizabeth Healthcare purchased the land. Covington-based Corporex has been named the design and build contractor. “The location for the OneNKY Center is ideal,” says Jeanne Schroer, CEO of the Catalytic Fund. “It will be a signature building at the front door to Northern Kentucky.”

–DAVID HOLTHAUS

a large park-like town center space in the middle of the development, with a plaza and overlook jutting out over the floodwall for views of the river and Cincinnati’s downtown skyline.

The master plan emphasizes walkability and is pedestrian-focused rather than car-centric. Planners see the scale of the development as blending in with the surrounding neighborhoods, where 150-year-old homes share the streets with small businesses. But they don’t want to attempt to mimic the style of the surrounding built environment.

“We don’t want to see fake historic architecture,” says West. “We’re not building Main Street at Disney World. We want 21st Century architecture at a human scale, with walkability—an environment that’s built for people and not necessarily cars or

see architecture that was similar in style to what was built nearby in the 19th Century. But West explains that when downtown Covington was built, roughly 125 to 175 years ago, it was built with what was then considered a contemporary style. Mimicking that makes the historic architecture seem somehow less, he says.

“To me, and I think to a lot of other folks who really value historic preservation, when you try to reproduce it and you put something fake next to something that’s real, you devalue the real,” he says.

West hopes the district will one day be considered historic in its own right, something he acknowledges he won’t be around to witness. “My idea of success is if someone goes down and stands at the corner of Third and Russell 100 years from now and looks

people in tall elevators.”

A virtual “fly-through” rendering of the plan shows a variety of modern architectural designs of threeand four-story buildings, with lots of use of glass, beams, and brick, a look that West says drew some comments from residents who were hoping to

around and says, What an amazing historic district. To me, that would be the ultimate sign of success.”

In terms of jobs, Covington officials see this opportunity as being similar to the original IRS project in the 1960s, when the government created well over 1,000 jobs there. The

planning model forecasts that, in its initial stages, the central riverfront development will create 1,159 jobs and 1,651 temporary construction jobs. It’s estimated that the new “permanent” jobs alone would bring in more than $1.7 million in payroll tax revenue to the city. Further development in later stages would create more jobs and revenue, more than making up for the loss of IRS employment. It will be a “mixed-use” develop-

“WE’RE NOT BUILDING MAIN STREET AT DISNEY WORLD. WE WANT 21ST CENTURY ARCHITECTURE AT A HUMAN SCALE AND AN ENVIRONMENT BUILT FOR WALKING AND NOT NECESSARILY CARS OR PEOPLE IN TALL ELEVATORS.”

ment with housing, office space, and retail establishments. There will be space for skyline-worthy corporate office buildings as well as locally owned small businesses. “Because we’re elevating the site, they’re going to have spectacular views,” West says. “They’re going to become iconic buildings on the Covington skyline, where a corporation may want to put their headquarters name there. We also want to make sure that small local developers

and smaller creative companies, a shop of 10 or 15 people, could also find space in this neighborhood. It’s that variety that gives it authenticity.”

When it comes to retail, the city has a guiding principle. Some cities have mottos, and others have mission statements. Covington has a manifesto that was formally approved by its city commission in 2022: “All character, no chains.”

Corporate-owned retail will not

be sought or incentivized to locate there, but local coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and merchants will, West says. “We focus our small-business program and our other incentives on locally owned, locally operated types of businesses,” he says. “That’s what’s going to make this place special.”

AKEY PART OF COVINGton’s strategy for making the IRS site a neighborhood of

A FOCUS ON CHARACTER

Covington focuses its small-business incentives on locally owned, locally operated types of businesses, says Tom West, which will continue in this project. “That’s what’s going to make this place special.”

TAKEAWAYS ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER OPENS

The Internal Revenue Service’s decision to close its tax return processing center in Covington represented a loss of nearly 10 percent of the city’s workforce. City officials now see the 23-acre site as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine an entire neighborhood.

BACK AGAIN

Tom West, Covington’s economic development director, says city residents expressed interest in weaving the IRS property back into the urban fabric. And so the plan calls for streets and alleyways that were cut off by the IRS center’s sprawling footprint to be restored.

NO HURRY

Officials want to be deliberate in curating the right mix of housing, office space, retail establishments, corporate office buildings, and locally-owned small businesses on the site. “We can afford to be a little more patient maybe than the private sector can, and a little more picky,” says West.

diverse uses is to seek multiple developers rather than to turn the entire project over to a single company. In May, the city took an initial step in that direction by seeking private developers for three of the site’s parcels and a broker to market a fourth. The request for proposals was essentially a test to determine interest and gather ideas, as the four lots range in size from less than a half-acre to a little more than two acres.

“We are looking to set the tone for the quality and style of the new neighborhood,” says West. “We want multiple owners, different architects, different materials, and new ideas and tenants.”

If any of the proposals are accepted, ground could be broken on those parcels by the end of the year, he says. The city, working with architectural firm KZF Design, is preparing the “horizontal infrastructure” to get that ready for development: the streets, alleys, sidewalks, utilities, parking garages, and public spaces.

“If you’re a developer, you’re going to have utilities brought basically to your door,” West says. “And you’re going to have incredible public spaces developed throughout the project. Streets, sidewalks, alleys will all be built for you by the city. That’s going to give us that consistency throughout the neighborhood.”

The cost to build the public infrastructure, including the parking garage, is estimated to be about $70 million. Covington bought the site from the federal government in 2020 for $20.3 million. That was a handsome return on investment for the U.S. General Services Administration,

which bought the site for the IRS in 1962 for all of $1.

Covington’s agreement then to essentially gift the site to the federal government was the key to the city landing the IRS project, which was highly sought after by several other cities, including Cincinnati. When the IRS made its decision, the frontpage headline of The Kentucky Post and Times Star on January 24, 1962 read, “City Jubilant Over IRS Victory.”

To create the site, Covington offi-

cials at the time assembled and purchased 161 different properties, then demolished homes and businesses, tore up roads, and rerouted water and sewer lines to serve the project. The IRS site, at its peak, provided 4,000 jobs, many of them part-time during tax season.

Turning ground on a parcel or two this year be a quick win, but the site will take years to be fully redeveloped. Much will depend on the overall economic landscape, and rising interest rates, supply chain backups, and labor shortages are generally slowing construction projects these days.

West says city officials want to be choosy in their approach and wait for

“A NEW MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT LIKE THIS IS HOW YOU WIN IN TODAY’S ECONOMY. HAVING THIS IN COVINGTON AS A LIVE/WORK/PLAY OPTION ADDS TO THE ABILITY OF OUR REGION TO ATTRACT TALENT.”

development proposals that match the project’s vision, which was based partly on community feedback. “We can afford to be a little more patient maybe than the private sector can, and a little more picky,” he says.

For comparison, The Banks riverfront development site between the Reds and Bengals stadiums, roughly the same acreage, is only now nearing completion 15 years after its official groundbreaking. Across the Licking River from Covington in Newport, the Ovation project, a 25-acre riverfront site owned by a single developer, Corporex Cos., is now rising out of the ground after 15 years of planning and delays.

“I’ve been preaching patience to my elected officials,” says West. “I’m not referring to this as a development or a project. It is a multitude of projects. And, like most neighborhoods, it needs to evolve over time.”

Reactions to the plan among oth-

ers in the business community has been positive. “This site is gigantically important for the economic development of the metro region,” says Lee Crume, CEO of BE-NKY, the economic development agency formerly called Tri-ED. Crume, who lives in Covington, calls the goal of reconnecting the city and “putting the city back together again” important for the community.

Richard Dickmann, who owns barbecue and bourbon restaurant Smoke Justis a few blocks from the site, also notes the objective of reconnecting Covington neighborhoods.

“The most important aspect is the connectivity of the business districts closest to the river,” he says. “A huge gap will be filled in the street grid to provide a much greater pedestrian-friendly experience for locals and visitors alike.”

Tom Banta, chief real estate officer for Corporex, the company that

pioneered Covington’s riverfront development beginning in the 1990s, says the city’s plan will contribute to the region’s urban revitalization. “We congratulate the city of Covington on its efforts to reclaim and redevelop the former IRS site into a new and exciting contemporary neighborhood,” he says.

The development may also help in the region’s quest to attract and keep talented workers. “That’s how you win in today’s economy,” says David McAleese, research director for BENKY. “Having something like this as an option adds to the ability of our region to attract talent.”

“The importance of this halfa-billion dollar investment can’t be overstated,” says Pat Frew, executive director of the Covington Business Council. “In my lifetime, it’s been the biggest economic development effort to hit the city, and it probably will be for generations to come.”

ALL FOR ONE

The Northern Kentucky Chamber, meetNKY, and other key economic development and tourism groups are collaborating to build new offices at the foot of the Roebling Suspension Bridge in Covington.

Cincinnati Compass Gives a Hand Up

immigrants assimilate better here, which eventually led to the launch of Cincinnati Compass. Today that nonprofit helps immigrants settle in Cincinnati, start small businesses, pursue an education, and find employment opportunities.

—SARAH M. MULLINS

IMMIGRANTS HELP FUEL POPULATION AND JOB GROWTH ACROSS THE REGION WHILE FOSTERING A CITY THAT EMBRACES AND THRIVES ON DIVERSITY.

Cincinnati’s resurgence continues to shine bright with new businesses, investment in the arts, and a flourishing food culture. But the growth isn’t possible without individuals willing to share their personal experiences and backgrounds—and often they’re immigrants introducing food, art, and business concepts from their home countries.

In 2014, then-Mayor John Cranley sought to formalize support for Cincinnati newcomers by forming an immigration task force to find ways to make the region a more welcoming place. Those meetings produced the idea that a dedicated organization would help

Cincinnati Compass is a collaboration among the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, the City of Cincinnati, and more than 65 community partners who believe that immigrants and refugees are key contributors to a strong regional economy and a vibrant community. The organization takes a multipronged approach aimed at welcoming

immigrants to the region while also improving economic impacts, increasing the diversity of thought, and accepting various backgrounds.

“We see ourselves as a trusted connector, a convener, and a catalyst,” says Cincinnati Compass Executive Director Bryan Wright. “We’re a trusted connector to help bring employers and talent together. We aren’t a direct service provider. We convene groups across different sectors to address pressing issues workforce development and small business development. And then we’re a catalyst to help spark innovative approaches to inclusive regional economic development.”

Along with supporting individuals moving to the region, Compass also works to boost their economic impact. Immigrants and refugees make up nearly 7 percent of the region’s population and have an annual spending power of $2.9 billion—two statistics that prove the power of a diverse economy. “We know that overall in the region there’s been population growth, and much of that growth is due to immigrants and refugees moving to the region,” says Wright. “We know that immigrants and refugees are drivers of population growth, and we know that job growth is outpacing population growth, because we have to find the talent somewhere. It’s crucial for our long-term economic sustainability that we continue to attract and retain immigrants, refugees, and international talent to the region.”

According to Wright, there isn’t enough natural population growth to replenish job sectors that are struggling due to increasing retirement rates or booming popularity. He believes a critical solution is to attract immigrants, and so Compass has set specific goals for creating a region where immigrants and refugees feel welcome, wanted, and important; de-

veloping and expanding opportunities for economic and social inclusion; and influencing policy change toward more inclusive and welcoming practices that open more social and economic opportunities for immigrants and refugees.

IMMIGRATION IS A HOT topic in the political landscape, though little movement has been made to create consensus on national immigration policies. Opinions among politicians can vary greatly, but Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval focuses on his own story as the son of two immigrants.

Pureval is the city’s first mayor of Asian descent and the first of Asian descent to lead a major city in the Midwest. In May he was invited to the White House to commemorate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and has gained recognition in national media coverage highlighting successful mayoral candidates of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) descent. His accomplishments, along with his personal background, solidify his support for immigrants relocating to the Cincinnati region.

Pureval says his decision to pursue public office stemmed from his desire to advocate for individuals who felt powerless against local political power bases. “I can’t imagine spending this much time and energy just to get your name out there,” he told Cincinnati Magazine last year about his campaign to win the 2021 mayoral election. “You have to believe in what you’re saying and what you’re running for. I do, because I know what it’s like not to fit in, to be an outsider in the system. And that has a lot to do with my name.”

While Pureval is clear in his support for helping others such as immigrants and refugees move to Cincin-

nati, the topic of immigration is often a sticking point in a political sense. “Some of the challenges stem from the lack of movement at the federal level to help modernize our immigration system,” says Wright. “Everyone is quick to talk about the border and border security, which is important, but there are other issues too around modernizing our immigration system in ways that center the humanity and dignity of immigrants and refugees coming to the region are coming to the U.S., whether they’re applying for asylum or coming to work or both.”

According to Wright, there is a backlog of employment-based visas, specifically with a cap on H-1B visas— non-immigrant visas that allow individuals to work in the U.S. for up to three years with the possibility of extending the period to six years. These visas are typically offered for specific occupations, such as technology and engineering jobs, but there’s a cap in place that hinders the ability to recruit enough workers to fill jobs in these areas. This Congressionally mandated cap allows for 65,000 H-1B visas to be granted annually, with an additional 20,000 reserved for individuals who have obtained a master’s degree in the U.S. The last time the cap was higher was in 2003, when 195,000 H-1B visas were granted. Registration applications for 2024 already total 780,884 individuals, meaning a fraction will be approved through a lottery.

“The immigration system is archaic,” says Wright. “We need to modernize in a way that meets the needs of our current economy and in ways that help retain talent we attract here. We need more international students, but many, many businesses are also looking to bring in talent from abroad.”

Foreign workers already in the U.S. can also experience disruptions because of visa renewals and delays, which can affect a company’s productivity and the

A NEW APPROACH IS NECESSARY

Cincinnati Compass Executive Director Bryan Wright says the U.S. immigration system needs to be modernized to meet the needs of today’s economy.

TAKEAWAYS

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Immigrants and refugees make up nearly 7 percent of the Cincinnati region’s population and have an annual spending power of $2.9 billion. “It’s crucial for our long-term economic sustainability that we continue to attract and retain immigrants, refugees, and international talent to the region,” says Cincinnati Compass Executive Director Bryan Wright.

FILLING IMPORTANT JOBS

Employment shortages can be improved by welcoming more immigrants, especially in the healthcare field. The Health Collaborative reported survey data from seven area hospital systems that indicate nearly 6,000 hospital jobs went unfilled at the end of 2021.

A CREATIVE SPARK

According to a National Foundation for American Policy report, nearly two-thirds of U.S. companies valued at more than $1 billion were founded or co-founded by immigrants or children of immigrants.

well-being of employees seeking to reaffirm their status in the U.S. Cincinnati Compass supports those who are able to obtain an H-1B and are seeking a job.

Nationally, key business sectors are experiencing an aging workforce that will soon leave open jobs across the country, state, and region. For example, healthcare is struggling with physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and others retiring or near retirement age. According to the 2020 National Council of State Boards of Nursing and National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers national survey, the median age of registered nurses (RNs) was 52 in 2020, with more than one-fifth indicating they intend to retire by 2025.

Cincinnati is also experiencing shortages in these critical areas. The Health Collaborative reported survey data from seven area hospital systems that indicate nearly 6,000 hospital jobs went unfilled at the end of 2021.

Tech jobs are another area experiencing high demand. In 2019, the Cincinnati Chamber launched a new apprentice program to help curb a shortage of tech jobs that was expected to leave 11,000 open jobs by 2020.

It’s crucial to raise awareness about the importance of immigrants to address job openings and to recognize the clear population trends indicating a shortage of talent, says Wright.

“There’s a lack of understanding of care in our region, how people arrived, how people are contributing,” he says. “And there are a lot of opinions about immigration without fully understanding how the immigration system works and operates. We need educate employers, workforce development providers, and broader community members about the power and the value that immigrants and refugees bring to our region. Again, because we have declining population growth, we need to find

that talent from somewhere.”

CINCINNATI COMPASS

goes beyond supporting individuals and making them feel welcome. Sourcing jobs is another important mission, as is helping individuals navigate the U.S. legal, education, and business ecosystems. Shakila Ahmad and her husband, Masood, are immigrants who started a small business in the region, Allergy and Asthma Specialty Center.

“I know what it’s like to be a small business immigrant,” says Shakila, serves is the current board chair for Cincinnati Compass. “I know that I’ve seen refugees who have come with nothing but have become business owners. It’s a win-win.”

Shakila’s father is a retired college professor who left his home country of Pakistan to attend the University of Cincinnati. After receiving his PhD, he decided to settle in Cincinnati. Masood Ahmad MD is an allergist at the Allergy and Asthma Specialty Center.

Shakila emphasizes the importance of her husband’s ability to speak multiple languages as a doctor and his ability to relate to patients when English is their second language. “It’s really quite remarkable when he had patients who were from a different cultural background, and they were so relieved to be able to express their concerns and medical conditions in their native language,” she says. “Having that

“I’VE SEEN REFUGEES WHO HAVE COME TO CINCINNATI WITH NOTHING BUT HAVE BECOME BUSINESS OWNERS. IT’S A WIN-WIN.”

diversity within our practice made a huge difference to a number of patients and heled them to the path of recovery faster.”

Shakila brings her personal and professional background to the Cincinnati community as board chair and advocates for diversity because of what others bring to the region from their home country. “We’re the new kids on the block, we bring a new culture, we bring diversity that people aren’t accustomed to,” she says. “If we don’t begin to understand that and embrace that, we will not be able to harness the economic power that immigrants and refugees are able to provide for the city.”

Wright says Cincinnati Compass is stepping in to help prospective small business owners with access to capital, technical assistance, tax support, and other logical processes that are necessary for launching a business. If it’s a food-based business, Compass will connect them with Findlay Kitchen and the Incubator Kitchen Collective in Northern Kentucky.

Other partners include the Economic & Community Development Institute, which helps aspiring business owners to turn ideas into a business plan. “Restaurants, hair and nail salons, and food markets add to the vibrancy of our neighborhoods across the region,” says Wright. He mentions other immigrant-driven businesses including construction, landscaping, and the tech startup space.

Cincinnati Compass is working on a global entrepreneur-in-residence program to help retain international talent that comes here as college students. The goal is to help international founders, particularly tech-enabled startup founders who are in the U.S. on a visa and looking for a long-term pathway to remain in the country. The aim is to support tech business

creation, Wright says, because one successful business can have a massive impact on the region’s economy—and some of the world’s most prosperous and innovative companies were established by immigrant entrepreneurs.

According to a National Foundation for American Policy report, nearly two-thirds of U.S. companies valued at more than $1 billion were founded or co-founded by immigrants or children of immigrants. A Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation report indicates that immigrants are twice as likely to become entrepreneurs as Americans born in the U.S.

KARLA BOLDERY IS general manager of La Mega Media, the region’s largest Hispanic media platform, which covers the state of Ohio and Northern Kentucky and reaches as far as Pittsburgh. She’s an immigrant who has spent the last 26 years in the Cincinnati region helping immigrants assimilate, and she now works with Cincinnati Compass to support Hispanic women with entrepreneurial ambitions. She founded the Latina Entrepreneur Academy, a 20-hour bootcamp for Hispanic women to learn how to start and grow their business.

“Compass is great business,” says Boldery. “Diversity is an enrichment for our community, and it’s great to have an entity that promotes, advocates, and helps organizations to stay culturally competent. There’s a real diversity of thought that happens with immigrants, who help us see things differently, and we’re able to address issues in new and nonconventional ways. That’s a great asset to have in this region.”

Boldery recalls a favorite story about working with a woman who went through her bootcamp program

with a plan to apply what she learned to help her husband’s landscaping business. But she ended up being inspired and empowered to start a business of her own, and she went on to own an event center for special occasions. That kind of success has helped Boldery build connections and develop a network to help Hispanic women access what they need to advance their career and build economic stability of their own.

An essential mission of Cincinnati Compass is establishing a secure environment where immigrants can freely express themselves and integrate into society. That kind of experience may be best exemplified by Edouard Tende, owner of Zoe Consulting and pastor of a French language ministry in Northern Kentucky, who moved to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of the Congo five years ago.

As an immigrant, he takes pride in his heritage and acknowledges how significant it is to foster a welcoming community, because culture shock is the most common experience for a newly emigrated individual. “It’s important for the city to be welcoming because the power and possibility happens when people work together,” says Tende. “We can all achieve together, we can do more together, we can go far. If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go with others.”

Tende adds that most immigrants aren’t afraid of potential obstacles like abandoned buildings, because immigrants are used to bringing life out of meager resources. He now buys abandoned houses and brings them back to life in order to revitalize neighborhoods that might have intimidated a local native. “We pay taxes and contribute by generating work,” says Tende. “It’s so important on the economic side.”

SPICE OF LIFE

As board chair for Cincinnati Compass and a small business owner, Shakila Ahmad says immigrants add much-needed diversity across the region.

B the Change You Want to See

To the customer, it might be a certain vibe you feel when you walk in the door. There’s just something a little different about this place. It might be intangible, but you can feel it.

To the employee, it might be a warm feeling of pride that you’re not just supporting your family but you’re advancing a cause. That feeling of nobility may have attracted you to this job in the first place. It’s definitely keeping you there.

This is the kind of capitalism J.D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, and Jay Gould wouldn’t have understood. America’s robber barons—who admittedly helped build this country into the economic powerhouse it is today—had only one goal: Make money by any means necessary. Fast forward to today, and the scandals involving Sam Brinkman-Fried and Martin Shkreli are fresh in our heads. Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes sits in a Texas federal prison. But there is another way to run a railroad: the B Corporation. It’s still capitalism, but with a

BUSINESSES JOIN A RIGOROUS PROCESS TO BE CERTIFIED AS A B CORP, BUT IT’S WORTH THE EFFORT.

—JOHN STOWELL

Hive Mentality Sleepy Bee Cafe owner Sandra Gross (left) and CEO Frannie Kroner.

sense of social awareness. It’s founded on the premise that you can make money while still making a difference. Or, perhaps put a better way, you will make money because you make a difference.

“It’s good for business because it’s a response to where the market is going, particularly with millennials and the Gen Z consumer,” notes Xavier University Assistant Business Professor Matt Regele. He teaches a social entrepreneurship undergraduate course and sees this attraction to socially responsible businesses amongst his own students, who are just joining that 1849 demographic age group so critical to business sustainability and success.

But what is a socially responsible business? Who means it, and who’s greenwashing? And can you prove it?

Since its founding in 2006, B Labs, an independent nonprofit organization based in Pennsylvania, has certified more than 7,000 companies worldwide as B Corporations, meaning they’ve undergone a stringent third-party analysis of their social and environmental DNA and have documented their adherence to “transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.” Companies who attain B Corp status must demonstrate business transparency, meet specific legal commitments, and sometimes even amend their corporate governance structure.

IT TAKES TIME AND PAtience to be certified as a B Corp (B stands for benefit), so you’d think this process is mostly for large businesses. Indeed, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, and Allbirds are large wellknown companies who have marketed their environmental and social ethic for years.

Tier1 Performance has been a certified B Corp since 2018, and the Covington firm just completed its recertification process late last year. Recertification, which occurs every three years, is just as rigorous; your score is based on the progress you’ve made. You can always lose your certification.

Tier1 bills itself as a “strategy activation firm” that helps companies and their employees navigate big changes such as mergers and acquisitions, new products and technologies, and culture issues. Founded in 2002, the business has exploded from three friends combining their consulting businesses around a dining room table to a national company with more than 350 employees and a list of Fortune 500 clients.

“From the beginning, co-founders Greg Harmeyer, Kevin Moore, and Norm Desmarais hoped to create a company where people wanted to work,” says Sarah Ernschwender, Tier1’s director of marketing. “When we applied for B Corp, we thought what we’d established as our culture was a fit. We didn’t want to change anything or who we were based on just getting the certification.”

The internal culture at Tier1, she says, reflects the business counsel they provide to their customers. It’s focused on employee engagement, retention, and wellness. Trust, transparency, mental health and stress, and diversity and inclusion are as important as pay and benefits.

That closely mirrors the B Labs workplace criteria for certification. Companies that apply for B Corp certification often focus on one of the five impact areas more than the others: governance, community, customers, workers, and environment.

But becoming a B Corp isn’t just for the big guys. According to B Labs,

the bulk of companies it’s certified over the last two decades have been small to medium-sized companies with under 200 employees.

B Labs didn’t exist 30 years ago when Sandra Gross was on a mission to find healthy food for her three young daughters in a sea of preservatives, multisyllabic chemicals, and sugar. Years later, she met a kindred spirit in Frannie Kroner, a local chef with a dream to create a menu from locally sourced food and, as she puts it, “disrupt the culture and business ethos of the industry.” They opened the Sleepy Bee Café in Oakley in 2013.

TRUST IS #1

At Tier1, says Director of Marketing Sarah Ernschwender, trust, transparency, mental health, and diversity and inclusion are as important as pay and benefits.

Kroner says years in the kitchen as a junior chef opened her eyes to a culture of aggression and misogyny that was demeaning and deflating. Creativity was discouraged. And as a customer, Gross adds, that was reflected in the product. Restaurants opted for the cheapest ingredients purchased in volume, brushing aside healthy alternatives from local sources.

“Maple syrup,” Gross recalls in bewilderment. “I remember going to restaurants here in Cincinnati and there was no real maple syrup on the table. Can you believe that? We live in Ohio, and there are lots and lots of maple trees but no maple syrup.” Check out the label on Mrs. Butterworth’s. You’ll see what she means.

Gross and Kroner opened Sleepy Bee with the promise of using only healthy, locally sourced ingredients, using their restaurant as a platform for educating their customers and creating a unique business model they call hexanomics: six pillars on which the business measures its purpose and progress.

“The pillars are like cells in a beehive, and that’s the lens we use to make decisions,” says Gross. “It’s a high bar that focuses on our customers, the environment, our workers, and our gov-

ernance. It’s a high bar, but we want it to be.”

And while the company may not fit B Lab’s criteria like a glove, the Sleepy Bee hive is built with the same material. And its hive is thriving. There are now Sleepy Bee locations in College Hill, Blue Ash, and downtown in addition to Oakley.

RHIANNON HOEWELER

has no illusions that people visit MadTree Brewing for its devotion to the environment rather than the beer. But when you walk

founded on the premise of producing both a line of great beers but also on a commitment to donate one percent of its proceeds annually to environmental causes. “We don’t hit you over the head with it, but it’s there,” she says. “The promise is even in our name.”

As the brewery’s vice president of experience and impact, Hoeweler has been at the forefront of MadTree’s efforts to gain B Corp certification. The process began in July 2022, and Hoeweler has her fingers crossed that she’ll get good news as early as this fall.

The process itself is somewhat mysterious, she notes. It starts with what B Labs call “scoping and discovery,” requiring applicants to respond to a lengthy questionnaire that includes a long list of environmental and social metrics. Those metrics typically cover community engagement, philanthropic commitments, and employee well-being.

made us think.”

Self-evaluation is clearly a benefit of submitting to the B Labs process. It’s a supercharged SWOT analysis that does indeed inspire a close examination of each company’s business priorities. It starts, says Ernschwender, with a fundamental question: Should we put the time and energy into tracking everything B Labs wants just to earn points? The goal is to score at least 80 points out of a maximum score of 200. For context, Patagonia’s score is 152, placing it in the top 2 percent worldwide.

Tier1 was already tracking vital employee data that was at the heart of their application, Ernschwender notes, and made just one minor change to their paid holiday schedule. While that did score “B points,” she maintains the main benefit was that it flagged an old policy that no longer reflected the company’s growth into other, more diverse markets.

into the company’s cavernous Oakley taproom or its greenhouse-like Alcove Kitchen & Bar in Over-theRhine, you know you’re entering an unconventional space.

They just feel different—everything from their 300-square-foot “living wall” and the “Toss a Buck” for the environment netting that hangs from the rafters in Oakley to the abundant foliage and sunlight-happy glass ceilings that brighten the Alcove.

MadTree, Hoeweler says, was

“For six months after we submitted our paperwork, we heard nothing,” Hoeweler recalls. The silence would try anyone’s patience but, since February, she says, the phone contact has been regular. There are more questions, more data requests, and still more questions.

She hasn’t met anyone from B Labs and, as far as she knows, they haven’t bought a Happy Amber at the bar. But, she says, the voices on the other end of the line are very thorough.

“It took us two and half years from when we applied to gaining approval,” Kroner says in agreement. “It seemed like every time you answered a question, you got 50 more. But they were good questions, and they always

MadTree’s application, in addition to touting its environmental cred, provided extensive data on both community engagement and employees. While the company distributes its beer from Tennessee to Cleveland, the charitable work, nonprofit partnerships, and employee volunteerism is focused entirely on the Cincinnati region. That, Hoeweler says confidently, doesn’t just appeal to B Labs—it made the comeback from the pandemic possible.

MadTree requires its employees to work at least 16 hours a year for a local charitable organization. Hoeweler says that work attracts a certain type of employee to the company—one with the ethical standards and community commitment that MadTree wants to project to its customers. It’s all intertwined, she says.

“So when we started reopening af-

MADTREE’S B CORP APPLICATION INSPIRED A THOUGHTFUL REVIEW OF THE COMPANY’S SUPPLY CHAIN AND INSPIRED A REDUCTION IN THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AMONG ITS HOPS, CANNING, PACKAGING, AND TRANSPORTATION SUPPLIERS.

ter the pandemic and filling positions at Alcove, we marketed that commitment to prospective employees,” she says, “and we had people crying during their interviews who couldn’t believe we would pay them for making their neighborhoods better.”

MadTree, she notes with pride, had 100 people hired even before the Alcove opened its doors to the public.

The brewer also plans to use the B Corp process to further lighten its environmental footprint. “Just like everything else, you’re trying to get better because, if you’re not, you’re getting worse,” says Hoeweler. The B Corp application, she says, inspired a

thoughtful review of the company’s supply chain and has inspired them to use their size to reduce the carbon footprint among their hops, canning, packaging, and transportation suppliers.

Unlike Tier1, which didn’t use the B Corp process to set goals, MadTree plans to set goals in its water and energy usage, recycling, and carbon footprint with the ultimate goal of becoming a “zero waste” brewer.

THE QUESTION REmains whether B Corp status provides a company with a market share advantage in its industry. “We’re figuring that out

right now,” says Gross, laughing. “For the market in Cincinnati, it’s a new idea, but it’s the way we want to run Sleepy Bee. Yes, we would like everyone to get it as soon as they walk in the door but I do think they feel the energy. You feel cared for and that the food is cared for.

Kroner gives voice to Cincinnati modesty, noting “we’ve been historically bad at marketing that stuff.” She’s much more comfortable talking about her new energy efficient all-electric stove that was just installed in its College Hill location. But, she says, certification as a B Corp has them talking about how to use this new status to attract custom-

CARRYING THE ZERO

MadTree plans to set goals in its water and energy usage, recycling, and carbon footprint with the ultimate goal of becoming a “zero waste” brewer.

TAKEAWAYS

BIG AND SMALL

The independent nonprofit B Labs organization has certified more than 7,000 companies worldwide as B Corporations, meaning they’ve undergone a stringent third-party analysis of their social and environmental DNA. Big companies like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, and Allbirds are B Corps, but so are Sleepy Bee Cafe, MadTree Brewing, and Tier1 Performance.

TOKEN OF YOUTH

B Corp status can be good for any business because “it’s a response to where the market is going, particularly with millennials and the Gen Z consumer,” says Xavier University’s Matt Regele.

INNER WORKINGS

Self-evaluation is a benefit of submitting to the B Labs process. It’s a supercharged SWOT analysis that inspires a close examination of each company’s business priorities.

ers and forge new partnerships.

Ernschwender agrees that B Corp certification seems to be more important to employees than to customers. She says it’s a source of pride and verification that they’re valued. There is less turnover, but she believes it’s because of how employees are treated and not because they work for a B Corp. Still, she says, when Tier1 interviews applicants for open positions, it doesn’t tout its B Corp status.

Similarly, they don’t flash the B card when competing for a new client. While the B Corp logo is on all its marketing products and website, says Ernschwender, it’s not in the sales pitch. Interestingly, Tier1 has been a B Corp since 2018, but this was the first year a potential customer has specifically asked for a copy of their B Corp certificate.

There has, in the last few years, been some pushback from customers and investors on the trend, especially by S&P 500 stakeholders, to inject greater environmental and social justice weight into their business practices. Shareholder groups have proposed at annual meetings to quash or modify certain DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) initiatives, while other investors like BlackRock and Vanguard often push corporations to go farther. The Harvard Law School on Corporate Governance reports that the 2023 proxy season revealed faltering support for both ends of the spectrum.

On the customer side, while boycotts have grabbed headlines and, in some cases, adversely impacted market share, Xavier’s Regele notes, it’s still unclear if this is a temporary blip

or if brands might suffer long-term damage. Anheuser-Busch, for example, saw sales of Bud Light drop 28.5 percent and its stock price fall 15 percent in the wake of the Dylan Mulvaney campaign. Analysts at Evercore ISI told their clients in late June that the reputational damage amongst its customers that “Bud Light volumes continue to weaken” and that the company and its distributors may “have to make structural changes to reduce their cost basis if trends don’t

improve.” Anheuser-Busch followed with a new feel-good ad campaign designed to highlight its everyday workers.

Tier1, MadTree, and Sleepy Bee have avoided any type of backlash. Keeping their commitment under the radar—Cincinnati modest—no doubt helps. So does the focus on volunteerism, philanthropy, employee relations, and the environment instead of the white-hot social issues of the day. “Who doesn’t want more trees?” Hoeweler asks, noting MadTree

THE B CORP PROCESS HAS HELPED SLEEPY BEE ENGAGE COOKS, CASHIERS, AND WAIT STAFF INTO WHAT FRANNIE KRONER CALLS “COMMUNAL DECISION MAKING.” THAT, IN TURN, MAKES FOR A HAPPY WORKFORCE AND HAPPY CUSTOMERS.

planted more than 5,000 trees last year. “If you’re against trees, well, that’s a whole other conversation.”

Kroner says she’d rather cook than talk politics, which she calls “exhausting,” and says Sleepy Bee’s diversity efforts are more focused on employees or, as she calls them, “team members.” The B Corp process, she says has helped Sleepy Bee further engage cooks, cashiers, and wait staff into what she calls “communal decision making.” That, in turn, makes for a happy workforce and a happy

customer.

MadTree wants that B Corp label to stand above the crowd. “There are more than 9,000 craft breweries in the country right now,” says Hoeweler, “and this is a way we differentiate.” The brewery is filling up with what appears to be Zoomers—the Gen Z crowd Regele teaches and the demographic that’s pumping billions of dollars into the economy. They seem happy sipping their suds under a ceiling of cascading ferns.

Will the beer at MadTree taste

better if there’s a B Corp logo on its can? Will you notice the eggs and bacon taste fresher because they come from a local farm (you will notice it’s real maple syrup)? Will you go to Sleepy Bee because the B stands for “benefit?”

“I put it this way,” says Hoeweler. “Do you feel better being here with a green wall behind you? Probably. You feel better in open spaces. It’s that warm welcome. A vibe. It’s an added value that I believe brings customers here.”

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

MadTree

VP Rhiannon

Hoeweler says potential employees have been known to cry during job interviews because “they couldn’t believe we would pay them for making their neighborhoods better.”

JOHN CUNNINGHAM DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

TONY MUNAFO

WHAT WAS THE VISION BEHIND REBRANDING FROM PROLINK STAFFING TO PROLINK?

Prolink has always been innovative and forward-thinking, delivering much more to our clients and talent than a simple staffing experience. The new Prolink brand shows the world who we’ve become as well as where we’re going.

HOW HAS THE COMPANY EXPANDED IT WAS FOUNDED IN 2011?

When we were first founded, Prolink focused solely on temporary staffing, primarily in the health care space. We quickly developed a business model that emphasizes customer service and true partnership, both of which are necessary to create the

positive impact Prolink is designed for. Now, in addition to a suite of permanent and temporary staffing programs, we optimize workforces through people, technology, and knowledge, solving the problems of today and preventing others before they arise within a variety of health care,

professional, manufacturing, and school organizations.

HOW DOES YOUR NEW BRAND STORY AFFECT THE TRAJECTORY OF THE COMPANY? Prolink is looking at a bright future that’s driven by our new brand promise: Prolink is your solution. This means that we’re going to find ways to connect work and workers

in meaningful ways where everyone can reach their potential and thrive. Our new brand story provides a framework for us to understand our strengths and our goals, and it motivates us to work together, create our legacies, and improve lives across the country.

—ELIZABETH MILLER WOOD

HOW DOES MEALS ON WHEELS SEEK TO COMPREHENSIVELY CARE FOR SENIORS? The mission is to deliver essential services that promote the independence of seniors so they may remain in the comfort of their own homes. The senior is at the center of all we do. We believe in the co-creation of exceptional programs and services with our partners and those who depend on us. We deliver 1 million meals annually and serve 10,000 individuals in 11 counties.

WHAT ARE YOUR SERVICES THAT GO BEYOND MEALS?

Pet support services (food and veterinary care for seniors’ emotional support companion animals); transportation; shared/group meals and socialization; independent living assistance; and a comprehensive case management program focused on financial case

ASK ME ABOUT UC’s move to the Big 12 Conference this fall.

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

ASK ME ABOUT Our recent rebrand and how we’ve expanded beyond staffing. PROLINK

CEO

management, guardianship, and protective payee services. We also implemented Digital Connect and a virtual senior center with monthly online health and wellness programming. Digital Connect provides a tablet, four to six hours of one-on-one tech support, and access to the internet for those at 200 percent or below the poverty level living in the city of Cincinnati.

HOW CAN CORPORATE ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS SUPPORT THE LOCAL MISSION OF MEALS ON WHEELS? Caring individuals and corporate organizations can volunteer, donate toward our mission, sponsor an event, and support our Thanksgiving pie sale Bust a Crust! We have meaningful volunteer projects for groups of all sizes and can include children as young as 5 years old. —E.M.W

HOW ARE THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI’S FALL TEAMS PREPARING FOR THEIR FIRST SEASON IN THE BIG 12? They know it will be a challenge, but we work hard as a department to embrace difficulty. It will make our teams better. We were thrilled to hire Scott Satterfield as our next head football coach, and we think he’s the perfect leader to usher us into the Big 12.

JENNIFER STEELE

CEO

MEALS ON WHEELS SOUTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY

ASK ME ABOUT Community services that go beyond meals.

We also hired a new soccer coach in Erica Demers, from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and she’s done a great job instilling a culture in her program in a short time. So it’s a time of transition and a time of excitement.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF JOINING A NEW CONFERENCE?

Financially, it will take two years for us to receive a full distribution of all confer-

ence revenue, including television dollars. The University of Cincinnati has always been defined by its grit and ability to do more with less. We don’t expect our core values to change, and we expect to compete for championships in the Big 12.

HOW CAN FANS PARTICIPATE IN THIS JOURNEY?

I can’t stress enough how crucial our fanbase is to our success.

It’s important to carry our momentum into the coming years by filling the grandstands. I encourage our fans and supporters to consider participating in the name-image-likeness space through Cincy Reigns, the NIL collective supporting Bearcats student-athletes. To learn more, go to Cincy Reigns.org.

—E.M.W.

PRESENTED BY

LISTEN TO LIVE MUSIC MEET CELEBRITY BARTENDERS

MINGLE IN THE TASTING LOUNGES

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“A

SPIRITS AND COCKTAILS”

Kaylyn Miller (front) and Ellie Brent enjoy the off-road trails at Devou Park on June 28, 2023.

THE REGION’S OFF-ROAD MOVEMENT IS ON TRACK

Mountain bikers and urban planners collaborate to expand family-friendly trails and build community. –JOHN

FOX

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY KRAMER

MORE THAN 100 MILES

The Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance (CORA) is a nonprofit founded in 1996 to develop a network of high-quality off-road trails throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for use by mountain bikers, hikers, and trail runners. The organization currently maintains 115 miles of trail in the region.

EVERYONE EVERYWHERE

CORA has helped build 12 miles of off-road trails at Devou Park in Covington, where all of these photos were taken. Trail expansion continues there as well as at East Fork Lake, Hueston Woods, Caesar Creek State Park, Mt. Airy Forest, and other outdoor locations.

PROMOTING HEALTHY LIVES

“Mountain biking is so much fun and checks my mental health and physical health boxes,” says CORA President Brian Bozeman. “I’m doing exactly what I want to do at the time, and I can do it with my wife and kids as a family.”

MAKING CINCINNATI COOLER

Bozeman (left), a long-time CORA board member who was recently elected president, learned to love mountain biking while living in Colorado with his wife. “I have a vision of creating the community here that my kids never want to leave,” he says. “All across the country trails are helping revitalize communities and draw tourism and then talent.”

LINKING THE TRAILS

The Cincinnati region has poured funding into paved biking and hiking trails, from Wasson Way to the Little Miami Scenic Trail. Bozeman hopes CORA’s off-road trails will generate similar attention and get connected better with the wider network. “A mountain bike trail is about 1/20th of the cost per mile to build compared to a paved trail,” he says.

MAKING A SPLASH

CORA is working with regional tourism officials to build a higher-profile brand for the off-road biking scene here. Bozeman says he’s been studying success stories in Knoxville, Tennessee, which promotes its Urban Wilderness trail network, and in Bentonville, Arkansas, which embraces its Oz Trails (short for Ozarks). “They’re cool brands,” he says. “They’re on every T-shirt, hat, and bumper sticker. And they create a sense of place.”

GETTING OFF THE GROUND

CORA is negotiating to develop 500 acres of hillside land near CVG into a system of off-road trails. The private land stretches from the Circle Port office center to the Ohio River and could provide eventual connections to the planned paved trail around the airport as well as to the Riverfront Commons paved trail that starts in Ludlow.

CLOSE TO HOME

“Our mantra is ‘More trails close to home,’ and that really resonates with me,” says Bozeman. “I ride the Tower Park trails near my house in Ft. Thomas all the time. I want everyone in the region to have a trail near their home, including kids in city neighborhoods who don’t have much access to green space or outdoor recreation.”

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Writing can power your business

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