Tag: economic

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Business News

Pet Wants to celebrate grand opening at Findlay Market with “Yappy Hour” festivities

Pet Wants will celebrate its official grand opening at historic Findlay Market today from 4pm to 7pm. Store owners Michele Hobbs and Amanda Broughton are encouraging pet owners to bring their pups to the store to take part in Findlay Market’s first “Yappy Hour.”

Hobbs and Broughton say that those attending will be treated to door prizes, live music, and 20 percent off purchases.  Other Findlay Market vendors like Market Wines, Daisy Mae’s Market, Silverglades, and Skirtz & Johnston will be providing light food and drinks.

The urban feed market is the first of its kind in Cincinnati’s center city. The store specializes in natural foods and treats, and also offers free delivery to its urban clientele. The owners also pride themselves on stocking food products that are made in Ohio, and pet toys that are made of organic and/or recycled materials.

Pet Wants’ grand opening Yappy Hour is free and open to the public. Free on- and off-street parking is available nearby including the Findlay Market merchant parking lots. The market provides free bicycle parking, and Metro bus service is also available (plan your trip).

Normal operating hours for Pet Wants (map) are Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Orders or questions can be submitted by calling (513) 721-8696, or emailing petwants@gmail.com.

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Arts & Entertainment Business Development News

American Sign Museum hopes to make Cincinnati national center for research and information

The American Sign Museum in Walnut Hills opened in 2005 and has since steadily gained in popularity while attracting visitors from across the country. When director and founder Tod Swormstedt first conceived the idea for the museum, he had no collection and was going through a self-proclaimed mid-life crisis. Years later, however, the museum’s success has allowed him to think much bigger and his ambitions have grown exponentially.

In January, 2012, Swormstedt is hoping to move his popular museum into a new 43,000 square-foot historic building in Camp Washington (map) called Machine Flats. So far $1.6 million has been put towards the new museum with an additional $800,000 needed before they can officially move into the entire building. To date, approximately 98 percent of those funds have been donated by the sign industry.

Swormstedt’s goal for the new space is to make Cincinnati the National Center for Sign Research & Information. He says that the museum will move beyond merely displaying the unique collection of historic signs and memorabilia, and move towards a more comprehensive approach to sign information and education.

“The history of signs is a micro-history of design trends and technology in the U.S., and I want to capitalize on that right here in Cincinnati,” says Swormstedt, who sees the new museum as fitting in perfectly with Agenda 360’s Regional Action Plan and the recent designation of Cincinnati as a Hub of Innovation & Opportunity in the area of Consumer Marketing.

The new building will eventually be split into two main sections: a museum that will feature the history of signs, and a training facility that will focus on the usage and future development of signage. The museum section of the new space will feature three-dimensional artificial storefronts that will allow the historic signs to be displayed in their original form, both on the buildings and in storefront windows.

However, it is in the new training facility where Swormstedt sees the most potential for community growth. His hopes are to eventually work with the University of Cincinnati’s College of Business and College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning to create a space where students can learn about the value, design, structure and history of signs. Ultimately Swormstedt views the new museum as a way to blend some of Cincinnati’s most valuable assets – history, art, design and commerce.

The American Sign Museum is currently located at 2515 Essex Place in Walnut Hills and is open to the public on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.  All other times must be scheduled by appointment at (513) 258-4020 or tod@signmuseum.org.

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Business Development News

Jean-Robert’s Table to open in downtown Cincinnati August 10th

The wait is finally over, as the much anticipated Jean-Robert’s Table will open in downtown Cincinnati for dinner on Tuesday, August 10 at 5:30pm.

Unanticipated construction delays, and personal reasons pushed back the original opening of Jean-Robert’s Table for the famed Cincinnati chef. The new restaurant is Jean-Robert de Cavel’s  first since parting ways with long-time restaurant partners Martin and Marilyn Wade which included endeavors like Pigall’s, JeanRo Bistro, Lavomatic, Chalk Food + Wine, and Greenup Cafe.

Since the break up, Jean-Robert de Cavel has moved on to become the chef in residence for the Midwest Culinary Institute, while also developing the concept for the new restaurant opening on Vine Street tomorrow.

“I have watched the dining public’s habits change during the last 24 months, and I have taken time to create a menu and an atmosphere that speak directly to what the dining public wants,” Jean-Robert said is a prepared release. “The people of Greater Cincinnati will see this is not Pigall’s and it is not JeanRo Bistro, but a hybrid of the two which will serve a broad range of items from specialty sandwiches to frog legs and escargot.”

Jean-Robert also says that diners will be able to enjoy a great wine list that offers reasonably priced wines, while also featuring some of the “Fantastic Years” for those looking to enjoy boutique wines.

Inside the refurbished restaurant space that once house Buddakhan and Longhorn Steakhouse, Jean-Robert’s Table will seat 115 people between the dining and bar areas. Beyond the interior modifications, the beloved French chef is excited about the restaurant’s location in the heart of downtown Cincinnati.

“I chose 713 Vine Street due to its centralized location one-and-a-half blocks from city center, that makes it easy access for both lunch and dinner. The location also has excellent parking adjacent to the restaurant which makes it easier for diners to park within steps of the front door,” Jean-Robert described.

So far the location and Jean-Robert combination seems to be paying off as the restaurant is already booked solid for its first night of dinner service, with an additional 120 people on a waiting list for Tuesday night’s opening.  Reservations are being accepted for the rest of the week’s “soft opening”.  As a result, a limited number of seats will be available, and lunch service will not begin for another two weeks.

Dinner service will be offered Monday through Thursday from 5:30pm to 10:30pm (bar open until 1am), and Friday through Saturday 5:30pm to 11pm (bar open until 2am). Once lunch service begins, it will be offered Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 2pm. Reservations can be made by calling (513) 621-4777 daily between the hours of 10am and 5pm.

“My staff and I are excited and looking forward to being back on the firing line! We cannot wait to see all of our friends who have supported us so kindly during the last 18 months. Jean-Robert’s Table is my attempt to support my adopted city, my adopted friends and give back in a way that I love to do, through cooking!”

The new restaurant is expected to employ around 30 full- and part-time employees.  Those interested can stay connected through the Facebook page for Jean-Robert’s Table or by following the restaurant on Twitter @jrtable.

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Business Development News

Cincinnati’s dramatic, multi-billion dollar riverfront revitalization nearly complete

[This op-ed was originally published on The Urbanophile on July 13, 2010.  Visit the original op-ed for more comments, thoughts and opinions on the matter of Cincinnati’s dramatic riverfront revitalization effort over the past two decades – Randy.]

Several decades ago Cincinnati leaders embarked on a plan to dramatically change the face of the city’s central riverfront. Aging industrial uses and a congested series of highway ramps was to be replaced by two new professional sports venues, six new city blocks of mixed-use development, a new museum, a central riverfront park, and parking garages that would lift the development out of the Ohio River’s 100-year flood plain.

Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals, was one of the first pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. The $455 million football stadium kept the Bengals in Cincinnati and has received national praise for its architectural design while also entertaining sold-out crowds.

The next piece to fall into place was the reconstruction of Fort Washington Way which consolidated the stretch of highway and opened up land critical for the construction of yet another stadium and the mixed-use development which became known as The Banks. The 40% reduction in size was not the only accomplishment though. The reconstruction project also included the Riverfront Transit Center designed to one day house light rail connections and a sunken highway that could be capped with additional development or park space.

Following the reconstruction of Fort Washington Way, Riverfront Stadium was then partially demolished to make room for the construction of the $290 million Great American Ball Park. Once complete, Great American Ball Park began entertaining baseball fans at 81 home games each year and at a new Reds Hall of Fame & Museum. The new venue eliminated any need for Riverfront Stadium and thus led to its implosion in 2002.

The removal of Riverfront Stadium then freed up room for the construction of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center atop the first piece of a two-deck parking garage intended to both lift the new riverfront development out of the flood plain, and provide enough automobile parking to replace what was previously there in the form of surface lots and satisfy new parking demands created by the development.

The most recent piece of the puzzle has been the development of the initial phases of both the Cincinnati Riverfront Park and The Banks. The two separate projects are developing in complimentary fashion and are on similar time tables, and are both developing east to west from Great American Ball Park to Paul Brown Stadium. Recent news will add a modern streetcar line running through The Banks development that will transport people from the transformed riverfront into the Central Business District, Over-the-Rhine and beyond to Uptown.

The 45-acre, $120 million Cincinnati Riverfront Park is expected to become the crown jewel of an already nationally acclaimed Cincinnati Park System. The Banks meanwhile will bring thousands of new residents, workers and visitors to Cincinnati’s center city. The initial phase of both projects is expected to be complete in spring 2011 and will include 300 new residences, 80,000 square feet of retail space, Moerlein Lager House, Commuter Bike Facility, additional components of the two-deck parking garage, and the first elements of the park.

The transformation of Cincinnati’s central riverfront from aging industrial space to a vibrant mixed-use extension of downtown is not complete, but the two-decade old, $3 billion vision is finally nearing reality. And with full completion expected in the coming years, one of the remaining traces of Cincinnati’s industrial past will be replaced by a new vision for a 21st Century city and economy.

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Business News Politics

UC study identifies huge economic gains from new regional water district

The University of Cincinnati Economics Center for Education & Research recently conducted a study to determine whether expanding Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) would have beneficial impacts. They concluded that expanding the service would prevent a 14 percent rate increase, save taxpayers money, and generate additional money for the City of Cincinnati.

The study concluded that a regional water district would allow for more people to absorb operating costs, and thus prevent the anticipated rate increase and save taxpayers $24 million over the next ten years. Furthermore, the study asserted that the increased coverage will allow the City of Cincinnati to receive an additional $15 million from the transfer of assets – money that city officials say go towards helping fill a projected budget shortfall.

The economic analysis also cites that a new regional water district would generate an additional $33 million in economic activity annually, and lead to the creation of 300 new jobs. The new jobs alone are anticipated to inject an extra $10 million into the economy each year.

The financial benefits extend even further according to Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney. He noted that a municipality owned water district, like GCWW, is barred under Ohio law from receiving payment from other jurisdictions. A regionally owned water district, on the other hand, is allowed to receive payment from outer municipalities, including those in other states.

As a result, many are now looking at an expanded regional water district to not only help the city shore up its finances, but also provide a step towards greater regional cooperation amongst municipalities.

“When we looked at the issue of a public regional water district, we approached it by asking whether expansion makes good economic sense,” says George Vredeveld, director of the University of Cincinnati Economics Center for Education & Research. “The analysis revealed that expansion will keep rates lower, create jobs and have a positive and lasting effect on the local economy.”

The next step is for the City to submit its plan for court approval, and if approved, voters will have the opportunity to vote whether or not to adopt the plan. A public vote on the sale of GCWW to a regional authority is now required following the approval of Issue 8 last November.