Soapbox

A planned makeover reality show set in Cincinnati is back on track after a setback for creator Kimberly Anderson.

The show, Kim's Closet, was set to launch last fall but was put on hold after the death of Anderson's father. This spring Anderson is again ready to tackle her dream of creating a reality show focused on everyday beauty for busy women.

"We are not flying guests to exotic places to shop. We are taking men and women shopping right in their hometown. The guest and the viewer truly cannot learn style lessons if the resources that we show them are not accessible," Anderson explained.

In this show, Anderson will serve double duty as both host and stylist, where she'll makeover Cincinnati men and women in way that works with their lifestyle and can be maintained.

Anderson brought along an all-Cincinnati cast of stylists and a photographer to help pull participant's style together. They are Lyndsey Yeager of Glossa Makeup in Covington; Leah Spurrier, of HighStreet Lifestyle Store and Studio; Cassie Dusold, of  Bella Rey Salon; and Robert Romundo, Ramundo Photography of Cincinnati.

The show is being developed with Kikilu Productions, a Cincinnati a creative agency specializing in the development of lifestyle television programming.

The cable network TLC has shown interest in the show's pilot, which is scheduled to be shot this July, she said.

"We are currently very busy shopping the concept and will shop the pilot once completed. TLC has asked to see the pilot, but there are no firm network or cable outlet (commitments) at this time," the Hyde Park stylist said.

Jackie Alexander, a special education coordinator and mother of five from Hebron, in Northern Kentucky, has been selected to appear in the pilot.

The show has also picked up a sponsor, California Closets, an international custom closet and storage installation company with a location in Mason.

"I really like Kim's approach to helping everyday people regain their personal style.  She genuinely wants to help people, in a very uplifting way, feel good about who they are.  This is not a show about glitz and glamour only; it is about rediscovery and real people," said California Closets President Charlie Meyer.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Kimberly Anderson, creator of Kim's Closet

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Girlfriendology.com founder Debba Haupert won the $10,000 top prize for her winning social media marketing idea in a national company's contest.

Haupert, of Cincinnati, was one of five finalists chosen from across the country who presented ideas to promote Genesis Today, an Austin, Texas-based health food product developer.

Haupert has a background in corporate marketing, and has worked for Fortune 500 companies including Honda, Acura and BMW. In 2006, she founded Girlfriendology.com, a multi-media Web site founded on social networking, friendships, discussions and women-centered business and activities.

Her winning idea is based on the "flash mob" group concept where people work together to get healthy, in part by using Genesis Today products. The "mobs" will compete against each other and the winners will get a form of recognition by Genesis Today. The plan will become part of the company's marketing and social media strategy.

“Girlfriendology.com is all about helping women improve their lives, so it’s a real thrill for me to work with a company with a shared vision,” said Haupert. “I’m looking forward to helping them explore the world of social media in some new, exciting ways.”

Haupert originally submitted the contest idea in October. In January, she and the other finalists went to Austin to present their ideas in person making live presentations to a panel consisting of social media experts, bloggers and Genesis Today representatives at their Austin headquarters.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Genesis Today

Cincinnati’s broads soon will join the ranks of 20,000 high-powered professional women across the globe with a local chapter of 85 Broads, the cheeky moniker for the networking organization founded by women who worked for NYC's Goldman Sachs.

85 Broads, founded in 1997, takes its name from the 85 Broad Street address of Goldman Sachs. The exclusive organization has 27 regional chapters worldwide, representing women from 82 countries.

“Over the past decade, 85 Broads expanded its membership to include women who are alumnae and students of the world's leading colleges, universities, and graduate schools worldwide. Our members are located in 82 countries around the world and work for thousands of for-profit companies and not-for-profit organizations,” said Jessica Deye, founder and co-president of 85 Broads Cincinnati. Deye, a process analyst for Kroger Co, and Adhrucia Apana, Junior Consultant for Artesiaa Global Management, co-founded the chapter.

The organization will have a kickoff event Sept. 1 at the Vineyard Café Wineroom on Hyde Park Square. Event Hostesses includes Deye and Apana, Patricia Gibson President/PMG Communications, Vanessa Freytag, Executive Director of The Women’s Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Cincinnati Councilwoman Laketa Cole and others.

So why was Cincinnati the latest city to come into the 85 Broads fold?

“Cincinnati has immense social, intellectual, and leadership capital in its women. This city never ceases to amaze me in the women I meet and the fantastic things they are accomplishing," Deye says. "Upon graduation from college, I was interested in joining a networked organization of strong, empowered women in the Cincinnati community. Although the city boasts a handful of fabulous women's organizations and initiatives, they are independent and splintered; not aligned in a single purpose and vision. By bringing 85 Broads to Cincinnati, we hope to create a much needed central organization. ”85 Broads isn’t just a place to kick back and have drinks with the ladies. It offers professional networking in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic setting.

“Through the global organization, I was recently connected with an MBA Admissions Consultant (Betsy Massar of Master Admissions) who attended Harvard Business School and is now living across the country in Berkeley, CA. We have been in conversation over the past few weeks regarding my applications to graduate school. Without the 85 Broads network, I never would have had the opportunity to connect with Betsy. The global organization is abound with fascinating, intelligent women like Betsy who want to network without borders, and I am So excited to be bringing this to Cincinnati,” Deye said.

For more information about the new chapter go to the 85 Broads Cincinnati web site or e-mail info@85BroadsCincinnati.com. You can also follow the chapter on Twitter.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Sources: Jessica Deye and Adhrucia Apana 85 Broads Cincinnati chapter co-founders and co-presidents

Just over a year ago, three local women came together with the goal of linking Cincinnati’s talented female bloggers and giving them a larger platform to promote their work.

So, Cincinnati Women Bloggers was born through Mommy Bits’ Shannon Boyer, of Park Hills, Gilfriendology’s Debba Haupert, of Hyde Park, and Laura’s Carbon Footprint’s Laura Morarity, of Oakley.

“We started Cincinnati Women Bloggers because we realized that there were a lot of very talented women blogging in Cincinnati that had no formal way to get together to share ideas and build friendships. So, we set out to create a community for women. We sent out an invitation encouraging women -- with blogs or who were interested in learning how to blog -- to join us at the BeanHaus in Covington on a Saturday morning. We crossed our fingers and hoped someone would show up. We had about 12 people at that first meeting, and we've been growing ever since,” said Morarity.

Around 150 bloggers now are members of the group, which meets monthly to talk about this growing craft. The next meeting will be Aug. 22 at 10 a.m. at the Cincinnati Ballet.

“We encourage all women to attend who are interested in blogging, even if they've never blogged before,” Morarity said. “We also occasionally hold social events -- we let the guys come to those too. We held a large Christmas party in December 2008 and celebrated our first birthday with a party in late June. We plan to continue holding occasional social events for the entire Cincinnati social media community.”

For those who can’t make the meetings, Cincinnati Women Bloggers has a virtual meeting place online. The CWB Web site, Twitter and LinkedIn pages. Through the website, users can also sign up for an enewsletter.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Laura Morarity, co-founder Cincinnati Women Bloggers

Thousands of low-income Cincinnati Public Schools students should get a better shot at getting to college with a $2.4 million federal grant to a Cincinnati partnership led by the University of cincinnati. The grant, expected to be for a total of six years, will be matched in value of services contributed by the partnership, called GEARUP SCORES, led by UC and Cincinnati Public Schools.

GEARUP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, and it emphasizes increasing the number of disadvantaged students prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. The grant is the highest ever awarded to the partnership since it was first funded in 1999.
 
The partnership will support sixth-and-seventh-grade students in 31 Cincinnati Public Schools and follow them through their high-school graduation. For the first time, this new funding will also track the success of GEARUP students as they enter their first year of college, trade school or other postsecondary  education.

A total of 4,000 students will be linked through the program over the six-year period, supported by academic and enrichment programs, advising and mentoring to increase student achievement. The program also educates students and their families about higher education options, about dual-enrollment programs in  which students earn high-school and college credit, and about the financial resources to get to college.

Money magazine's list of the six “best places to buy a home these days” includes Cincinnati.  Money's list is of “the six cities where home prices are likely to rise the most - or fall the least - in the next 12 months.”

The overall office vacancy rate in the first quarter in Greater Cincinnati was 16.9 percent, a drop from the 17.7 percent seen at the end of 2007, says Colliers Turley Martin Tucker Cincinnati.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland spotlighted small businesses in Greater Cincinnati a day after he put forth a plan to create 80,000 jobs in the state.