Newport : Innovation + Startup News

What comes to mind when you see the name Spotted Yeti? Is it a purple polka dot Sasquatch?

While that’s not quite the direction Molly Berrens, CEO of Spotted Yeti Media, had in mind, you wouldn’t be alone in that misconception.

“It’s a play on words,” Berrens says. She says the idea came from a Mitch Hedberg joke that claims Bigfoot is naturally blurry, so it’s not the cameraman’s fault that the image isn't in focus. While Berrens didn’t immediately embrace the name, she came to appreciate its double meaning and is proud to work under the banner.

Spotted Yeti is a video production studio based in Newport. Their expertise lies in short-form videos that are intended mainly for the web and live events, with a client list based in the corporate and nonprofit sectors.

Their offered services include documentaries, company overviews, client testimonials, green screen productions, animations, video blogs (or "vlogs") and instructional/training videos—but they have the capacity to handle many projects beyond those already offered. To stay appealing for most web users, the videos are typically no longer than four minutes.

Most of Spotted Yeti's featured videos showcase its clients’ personalities, which makes the work it provides a great way to represent businesses and charities.

If you're interested in what Spotted Yeti does, it offers qualified students internships where they can hone their craft in a professional studio.

“Not many people have ‘spotted’ a yeti,” Berrens said. “Our company motto is ‘Show the world you exist’ so you can bring a big idea into focus.”

By Sean Peters

Commercial photographer Jonathan Robert Willis shares an almost stereotypical weakness with some fellow creatives: he hates artificial deadlines.

“I’m really good with hard, fast, we-need-it-yesterday commercial deadlines,” he says, describing the focus of his self-named photography business. When friends and family nagged him for photos, he launched The Simple Portrait Project, which mixes the speed of commercial work with traditional group portraits.

In sessions held once or twice a year, Willis gathers dozens of families or small groups, shooting each in the same space with the same prop. He spends just 30 minutes on each family from start to finish. “It’s great because it’s just enough time to get the best out of the kids before they melt down, and it’s short enough for the dad, who doesn’t want to be there to begin with in many cases,” Willis says.

That means that the family comes in and is posed, photographed and advised about prints, all in a half hour. For the last few minutes, Willis turns a critical eye to each set of photographs, helping subjects select a handful of the best photographs.  Still, he compares the sessions to a marathon, admitting: “It’s literally nonstop from about 9 am until 8:30 pm. I’m a little intimidated by it.” 

The project turns the angsty hair-pulling of traditional family photography on its head and, as it happens, yields eye-catching photos. The families don’t look like they're from a J.Crew catalog, but they don’t look scruffy, either. Not everyone beams, and not everyone is even looking at the camera; Willis says his goal is comfortable, natural poses.

There’s one simple rule for participants: no matching clothes. “I can’t think of a single image where I’ve seen everybody in the same sweater where I’m like, ‘Wow, that was a great idea,’” Willis says. “You have to trust that I’m going to make something great, but you’ve also got to do your part, which is following that rule.”

Willis’ final session for the project in 2012 is Saturday, Dec. 8, with the potential for Sunday sessions depending on demand. He hopes to schedule the first session of 2013 around Easter.

By Robin Donovan

CitiLogics is growing, along with its software designed to help city governments and public utilities better manage water infrastructure. Founders Jim Uber and Stu Hooper have added a third partner, and CitiLogics is one of eight companies picked for Northern Kentucky's inaugural UpTech accelerator program.

CitiLogics is working on a modern solution to a modern urban challenge. The company's Polaris is a real-time forecasting platform that uses existing water management data to help utilities better control their water distribution systems.

The software will allow utilities to better pinpoint leak sources, and improve water quality in the distribution system, among other things. It will also forecast how a particular part of the infrastructure would hold up in an emergency or a heavy use period. The software then allows departments to share that information easily.

"We've been focusing on software development and fundraising, and we're excited to get started with UpTech," says Uber, an environmental engineer. "We've been working with our utility partners to prove the business case for our software."

Sam Hatchett, a mechanical and environmental engineer, decided to join the company as a partner because he believes in the work and is looking for a challenge.

"I know myself and my character," Hatchett says. "I was not going to fit into a large corporate environment."

The company, founded in 2009, will be moving from the Hamilton incubation County Business Center, to offices in Newport as part of the UpTech program.

UpTech is a new business informatics incubator launched by several Northern Kentucky institutions, including Northern Kentucky University, Tri-Ed, ezone and Vision 2015. It's an intense, six-month accelerator program that includes $100,000 in funding. Companies selected to participate will also be working with students and faculty at NKU's College of Informatics.

The company is meeting with municipalities for potential early sales, and the software is being tested through a pilot at the Northern Kentucky Water District.

The company believes UpTech will be a springboard to increased financing and more software development.

"There is a lot of open space in the area of business analytics in the water utility industry, and we want to fill that space in a valuable way," Uber says. "We definitely don't plan on being the Stu, Sam and Jim show forever. We plan to take this across the county and across the world."

By Feoshia Henderson
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Students at Northern Kentucky University no longer have to worry about running out of juice before they run out of class. This fall, NKU became as the first college in the nation to install free cell-phone charging stations on campus.

The initial 17 goCharge kiosks get plenty of action already, and senior network manager Bob Weber has already fielded requests for 12 more that he hopes to add in the next few months. With the capacity to charge all cell phones, tablets and mp3 players, the goCharge stations make it easy for students to stay connected while they stay on campus and do the work they need.

Already popular in airports, bars and even casinos, free charging stations for electronic devices seem like a natural fit for cell-phone-toting college students who often spend long hours on campus.

“There has been an overwhelming response from students and staff who have taken advantage of this free benefit,” according to Weber.

By Elissa Yancey

Two health IT companies - one from Korea - are setting up North American HQs in Newport, creating a combined 20 new jobs in the process.

The companies - Korean-based Arcron Systems Inc. and Meaningful Use Technologies, are moving into a 5,000 sq. ft. shared space with plans to invest $1 million in office upgrades. The companies are still working to find the most compatible space.

"There is incredible opportunity in the healthcare industry and we know that Northern Kentucky - Newport, Kentucky - is strategically positioned to support the national headquarters for both companies," said Mark Morgan, chief executive officer of Meaningful Use Technologies.

Arcron Systems specializes in medical IT technology, such as hospital information systems, electronic medical records, order communication systems, and enterprise resource planning systems for hospitals of all sizes. Meaningful Use Technologies also serves the healthcare sector, specializing in enterprise IT experience and providing software specification, deployment and hosting services to hospitals.

The companies are positioning themselves to help hospitals comply with a component of the federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act stimulus bill, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This requires that patients' medical records be transferred to an electronic format by 2015.

"We know that high-tech companies like Arcron Systems and Meaningful Use Technologies will create high-paid, primary industry jobs for our residents. The presence of Northern Kentucky University's College of Informatics will help supply qualified, cutting- edge employees for these outstanding companies," said Campbell County Judge Executive and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED Chairman Steve Pendery.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Kentucky Governor's office

You can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites

Thomas More College has launched a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) program, partnering with eight Northern Kentucky High Schools to train teachers and educate 3,000 students.

The three-year Thomas More STEM Initiative (TSI) is funded through a $360,000 grant from the Toyota USA Foundation. TSI is designed to develop and increase quality and diversity of STEM teachers in underserved areas of Northern Kentucky, and to raise student interest in STEM learning.

"The Thomas More STEM Initiative is a response to a regional and national need. We as a nation are falling behind in science and technological abilities. The future development of our region and our country is negatively impacted by such a decline. The partnership is directed very precisely at responding to this crisis," said Thomas More College President Margaret Stallmeyer.

Thomas More is partnering with: Bellevue High School, Bishop Brossert High School, Dayton High School, Holy Cross High School, Lloyd Memorial High School, Ludlow High School, Newport High School and Newport Central Catholic High School.

Starting this fall, 1,000 students will go through the STEM program each year.

"It will include numerous interactions between TMC and the schools and will present a diverse array of activities. It formally begins this summer with a teacher workshop, followed by classroom visits and online communication throughout the year, in addition to field trips to our STEM facilities, including our science labs here on campus, the Bank of Kentucky Observatory and the Biology Field Station, along the river," said Dr. Chris Lorentz, biology professor and director of Thomas More College's Biology Field Station.

At the end of each year, five top students will be selected to attend a weeklong summer camp at Thomas More. That week they'll live on campus, conduct research, and work with campus STEM majors.

"Not only do we hope to increase the number of overall STEM majors in our region, our focus will be on those students currently underrepresented in the STEM disciplines. We know that many of today's jobs already require STEM skills and even more of tomorrow's jobs will demand STEM graduates," Dr. Lorentz said.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Thomas More College Communications

You can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites

On March 12 a nearly 40-person strong Hip Hoppin' flash mob emerged at Newport-on- the-Levee. The unexpected and quickly choreographed three-minute dance routine garnered attention, cheers and applause, but it was just a small part of a nationwide social media experiment.

The dance gave a glimpse intp Cincinnati's part of The Boomerang Effect II. It's a partnership of volunteer initiative SERVE 60™ and The Marcus Graham Project, which develops diverse talent in the advertising, media and marketing industry. The two national organizations came together for The Boomerang Effect II, a 60-hour mashup of networking, social media and community service.

The Boomerang Effect takes its name from the early '90s movie Boomerang, where Eddie Murphy played an advertising executive. In that vein, among the aims of the weekend was to open the world of advertising and marketing to African-American and other minority professionals and students.

This was the first year Cincinnati joined The Boomerang Effect; it was organized by local social media marketing entrepreneur Jeremy K. Smith. He quickly pulled the weekend together with help from a number of local resources. Eleven other cities participated, including Detroit, New York, L.A., Miami and Milwaukee.

Smith was formerly and sales and recruiting and has used social media for several years as part of his work. He recently started his own social media marketing company Authentic New Media. He believed the event was a good way to showcase a diverse crowd interested in social media and marketing. He estimates over 200 people participated over the weekend.

"I think it was fantastic. Coming into it, some people didn't think there would be support for something like it. That mainstream professionals wouldn't show up. But I was very pleased at how it played out. Everyone who decided to participate had fun," Smith said.

It kicked off Friday night with a networking event at The Bowtie Café, opened by Bengals' player Dhani Jones. The mixer also featured P&G Global Brand Manager Hamilton Brown and LebronJames.com Digital Media Manager Jay Bobo. Saturday was the flash mob event, with music provided by DJ Band Camp. Sunday the video was part of a Tweetathon, where the video with the most Tweets, views and likes was awarded $1,500 to support a nonprofit. Cincinnati didn't win, but the video has received more than 600 views.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Jeremy K Smith, president and CEO Authentic New Media

You can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites

Cincinnati State students were dominate players in the 2011 ADDY Awards announced by the Cincinnati ADCLUB last month.

The school's students won five Gold and six Silver local ADDY Awards. The nationwide advertising competition, sponsored by the nonprofit American Advertising Federation, pits 60,000 professionals and students from 200 advertising clubs in 15 districts against each other. Winners will go onto district competition.

In Greater Cincinnati, students from AIC College of Design, the University of Cincinnati, and Gateway Community and Technical College also competed.

Among Cincinnati State winners were the team of Lorelei Buescher, Nicholas Fields, and Dariea Shorter, all graphic design majors, who received a Silver ADDY for the "Chrysalis Interactive Stationery" they designed as part of their end of term spring Capstone project.

Their winning design incorporated the concept of transformation through a see-through, die-cut logo that changed depending on whatever the stationary sits on, Buescher said.

Buescher, of Newport, is a non-traditional student who returned to college after working in the mortgage company industry with her husband. She's a second-year student with a double major in graphic and web design who'll graduate in June. Last year, she won three local and one regional ADDY.  An intern at Curiosity Advertising, Buescher is seeking a second internship once the current one wraps up. She plans on staying in Cincinnati after graduation and go into advertising or branding.

"I actually think the opportunities here are really good. I think a lot of the (local marketing and branding industry) was driven by P&G being here, but Cincinnati competes pretty well with the larger markets," she said.

The Cincinnati State ADDY award recipients include:

• Kevin Adams-Jones, Kevin Meyer, and Ryan Lulg, all Audio/Video Production majors, who earned two Gold and two Silver ADDY awards for work on behalf of CincyDance, an educational program of the Cincinnati Ballet that provides dance training at no cost for third grade students.

• Jillian Ball, a Graphic Design major, received a Gold ADDY award for a logo created as part of Cincinnati State's Digital Studio 2 class.

• Sarah Haun, a Graphic Design major, received a Gold ADDY award and a Silver ADDY award for photography. She received a second Silver ADDY award for a logo created as part of the Digital Studio 2 class.

• Ron Smedley, a Graphic Design major, received a Gold ADDY for a poster created in the Digital Studio 1 class.

• Dariea Shorter, a Graphic Design major, received a Silver ADDY for an illustration titled "Happiness is Hazardous."

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Sources: Cincinnati State Communications and Cincinnati State student Lorelei Buescher

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

Often, social media isn't all that social. In fact, while Facebookers and Tweeters interact online, those interactions don't usually connect to the outside world.

The same holds true for businesses using Social Media to connect with customers. And the interaction can be boring and generic. One local company, Global Business Solutions in Newport, is using social media in a different to raise company awareness and engage potential clients in a fresh way.

GBS is an IT consulting, support and managed services firm that since 1994 has worked with small- to medium-sized businesses and municipalities. The company was founded by President Gaby Batshoun and CEO Nael Mabjish and employs about two dozen people. This year it was awarded the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Small Business Success Award for Professional Services.

The company is one of many across Greater Cincinnati tapping into social networking sites to generate buzz. Starting in late October, the company began a quirky, four-week contest on Facebook. Each day for the first three weeks, GBS posted a photo of the company mascot -  an inflatable globe -  somewhere in Cincinnati. People who "like" the Facebook page guess where the photo was taken; the first person who answers correctly wins a Flip camera that week. It's the first time the company has used its Facebook page this way.

"The city has such a large social media footprint, and we're able to connect to a lot of our clients that way. We wanted to use this space to reward the people who have already been communicating with us there, and draw some more attention to our company," said Joe Robb, GBS Head of Marketing.

Since beginning the contest the company's Facebook followers have grown from 99 to 156. The page has been up about seven months.

"For us it's not really about the numbers," Robb said. "It's about getting to know people. Plus it's fun. This kind of work isn't really thought of as fun, but people who work here are fun and they enjoy what they do."

The contest wraps up this week (Nov. 19) with a big prize, an iPad. To win this prize, however, the winner has to get off the computer and into Cincinnati.

This week GBS is posting pictures at four different locations, one picture per day through Thursday. On Friday, the globe will be left somewhere in Cincinnati. The first person to upload a picture or video of him/herself with the globe, who also correctly guesses the locations of the pictures from earlier in the week will win the iPad.

Think you know Cincinnati? You can go for the iPad at Global Business Solutions Facebook page.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Joe Robb, GBS Head of Marketing

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

The United Way of Greater Cincinnati and Strive, a non-profit urban education advocate, have just released a Request for Proposal for its Social Innovation Fund. The Fund will award $3.5 million over three-to-five years to area nonprofits for their collaborative efforts to address economic opportunities, youth development and school support.

United Way and Strive are managing the fund which was spurred by a $2 million award from the  Corporation for National and Community Service, part of President Obama's national call to service initiative. That money was matched dollar-for-dollar by local partners, and $3.5 million of a total of $4 million will go directly back into the community, said Mike Baker, director of the fund and a United Way employee.

"The purpose of the fund is to identify and support effective and innovative community solutions along the cradle to career continuum in Cincinnati, Newport and Covington," Baker said.

The fund will go toward programs that target low-income communities in one of the following areas: Kindergarten Readiness, Fourth Grade Reading, High School Graduation and College Preparedness, Postsecondary Enrollment and Completion, and Sustained Employment.

Grants will go to programs that have been proven to be successful, Baker said.

Five-to-10 local organizations or collaborations will be awarded dollars through the Social Innovation Fund. The RFP was released Oct. 1. Strive and United Way will also lead an information session on the fund including the nuts and bolts of applying for program funding on Oct. 11. The session will be 10 a.m. to noon at Xavier University's Cintas Center. RSVP by Oct. 8, by email to rsvp@strivetogether.org.

Other funders include The Thomas J. Emery Memorial, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, KnowledgeWorks and The P&G Fund.

The grant for Cincinnati was part of a larger $50 million awarded to organizations that demonstrated innovation in developing community solutions in the areas of economic opportunity, health and youth development.   

More than 60 organizations applied for these grants, and the Cincinnati area joins the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, the National AIDS Fund, and Venture Philanthropy Partners in Washington D.C., which also received funding.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Mike Baker, director of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Social Innovation

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

A survey co-sponsored by BlackBook EMG and Cincinnati USA Chamber's HYPE is looking for young professionals to share their work and community life experiences to gauge the risk of the region losing young talent.

The 25-question survey, located here, takes about 10 minutes to finish. It's geared toward anyone who lives in the metro Cincinnati area and is employed. The results will be unveiled at the HYPE talent symposium Oct. 19. The symposium's theme is "Ignite the Fire! Leverage Cincinnati's strengths as part of your recruitment and retention strategies."

BlackBook, whose Compass technology matches employee performance with local events, venues and businesses, has a 2,000-person response goal for the survey. So far, just under 1,000 people have responded, said Carla Messer, Blackbook's senior vice president of operations. To encourage responses, participants can enter to win one of three iPads. Survey results are kept confidential.

The survey asks questions related to the concept of "community embeddedness" or the experiences, people and places outside of work that keep a person in a particular area.

"The survey asks how an employee fits into culture of an organization, and also how people are connected to other people and places where they live. At the workplace you're made to feel like it would be a great sacrifice to leave, but from a community standpoint often things outside the workplace that keep people retained in the organization aren't considered. Things, if you left behind, like a country club, church or neighbors would feel like a big sacrifice to leave," Messer said.

The survey is an effort to drill down into how or even if workers have those outside connections. Under the theory of community embeddedness, the more satisfying community links a person has, the less likely they are to leave a current city or place of employment.

"Companies spend a lot of time and money trying to explain why people leave. We are trying to evaluate why people stay, and create those connections and experiences that get people to stay," Messer said.

The survey is open until Oct. 1.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Carla Messer, Blackbook senior vice president of operations

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

Looking for a job? Northern Kentucky might have what you're looking for. The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce's online job board has recently seen an uptick in postings.

In August, there were more than 70 postings, with several employers looking to hire for multiple positions. The sectors seeing some of the largest growth are nonprofit, sales and marketing. Currently there are just over a dozen nonprofit postings including listings from Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati and the American Red Cross. There are at least eight marketing and 14 sales listings.

The job board has been around since 2002, and has served as a place where Chamber members, and other area employers, can post jobs for free, said Nancy Spivey, the Chamber's senior vice president, Workforce, Education & Health Care Solutions.

"We have been averaging about five new job postings daily, although I spoke with an employer (recently) who is sending me a posting and that employer needs several hundred workers," Spivey said.

There are nearly two dozen job categories on the board, ranging from education and construction to manufacturing and administrative work. There are also part time listings.

The Chamber job board is more than just an online classified department. There's also a student section with internship and co-op postings, information from local employers who offer education assistance, job fair notices and more.

Another handy service the Chamber offers through the site is a resume blast. The Chamber has a relationship with dozens of regional companies who have signed up to receive resumes from potential employees on a regular basis. Job seekers send their resumes to the Chamber, which in turn, sends them along to the companies. This service is also free.

"We find this especially helpful for individuals who may be moving to our region, for those who are seeking a general opportunity (in customer service, retail, etc.), and for employers who hire for various positions on a regular basis," Spivey said.

Both job seekers and employers who want to be included on Resume Email distribution should contact resume@nkychamber.com. You can see the most recent list of interested employers here.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Nancy Spivey, NKY Chamber senior vice president, Workforce, Education & Health Care Solutions

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

The non-profit Catalytic Funding Corporation of Northern Kentucky is a step closer to its goal of helping secure needed financing for smaller, residential projects in all urban river cities including Ludlow, Dayton, Bellevue, Covington and Newport. The fund recently got a $1 million boost with a grant from Duke Energy - that brings the fund up to $3 million toward its $10 million kickoff target.

"A vibrant urban core is critical to the overall success of our region.  Duke Energy wants to help grow jobs," said Johnna Reeder, vice president of Community Relations and Economic Development for Duke Energy Ohio and Duke Energy Kentucky.  "We're pleased to make this investment and we're confident in strong, long-term returns for the community."

The fund was first announced in late-2008 and was launched by the Urban Renaissance Action Team of the Northern Kentucky's Vision 2015 planning effort. Corporex and The Bank of Kentucky earlier pledged $1 million each to the fund.

"Duke Energy's investment in the Catalytic Fund represents the company's ongoing leadership in supporting economic development efforts in the Greater Cincinnati region," said Jeanne Schroer, executive director of the Catalytic Fund.  "The willingness of Duke Energy and other local leaders to step up is a huge step in moving this initiative forward.  We are very honored to have Duke Energy as one of our Catalytic Investors."

The Catalytic Fund will finance mixed-use, small residential and neighborhood retail projects once the $10 million goal is raised. Plans are to leverage those dollars to raise more than $100 million for development.  CDFC is loosely modeled on gap financing funds such as the Cincinnati Equity Fund, established in 1996 and now part of 3CDC.

Schroer said she is beginning to identify target sites and projects.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Jeanne Schroer, executive director of the Catalytic Fund

Often, knowing the pitfalls of operating a small business can be just as important as knowing best practices. Now Newport area entrepreneurs can get this knowledge and more in a series of upcoming workshops about small business ownership and management.

These sessions are geared toward new, potential and first-time small business owners who have a great idea, but need some help with business know-how. The Small Business Development Center at Northern Kentucky University and the City of Newport are sponsoring the series.

"These are for early-stage companies, business that are sufficiently young that they don't have deeply established accounting and management practices but want to move toward a more formalized regular accounting system. This is about more than keeping track of sales, it's a tool to give them management information," said Small Business Development Center Director Carol Cornell.

The Small Business Development Center has offered similar classes in various Northern Kentucky cities. The center serves Boone, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, and Pendleton counties and also serves the broader Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati metropolitan areas.

The first session has past, but two opportunities remain and it's not too late to join. The April 19th workshop is "Using QuickBooks for Small Business Accounting." The May 3 session is "Financing and Tax Strategies for Small Business," an overview of available loan programs and funding sources. Both sessions will be at the Newport City Building, 998 Monmouth St., in the first floor multi-purpose room. Registration and parking are free, but you must sign up.

For more information or to register, go to the Small Business Development Center at Northern Kentucky University.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Small Business Development Center Director Carol Cornell

You can follow Feoshia on twitter here.