Cincinnati: General Business & Economic News

August 15, 200618 yr

From the 8/13/06 Enquirer:

PHOTO: Developers Randy Maxwell and his dad, John Maxwell, have been working to develop the Lawrenceburg area in Southeast Indiana. THE ENQUIRER / JOSEPH FUQUA II

Honda plant proximity pays

Suppliers scout sites in Dearborn County

BY CLIFF PEALE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

ST. LEON, Ind. - Only three months after Honda North America announced it would build a $550 million auto plant in Greensburg, Ind., and a full two years before it opens, nearby Dearborn County already is seeing the benefits to come.

Officials here already have shown sites along Interstate 74 to unnamed Honda suppliers interested in finding a location near the new plant, only about 30 miles west.

"It's two years out, but you've still got suppliers who are scouring the area," says Tim Kramer, owner of a 58-acre site with 2,000 feet along interstate near Indiana 1. "Right now, it's a wonderful place to be."

August 18, 200618 yr

From the 8/16/06 Enquirer:

Federal funds to help pay for Ky. 18 plan

BY PATRICK CROWLEY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

BURLINGTON - A $14 million east-west access road designed to ease some of Boone County's most notorious traffic bottlenecks is $1.17 million closer to reality.

U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis, a Boone County Republican, delivered the $1.17 million in federal funds to Boone County officials during a Tuesday morning press conference at the county's administration building.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060816/NEWS0103/608160399/1059/rss13

From the 8/17/06 Boone County Recorder:

Officials to discuss Longbranch high school

School needed to alleviate the crowding at Conner

BY LINDSAY KOTTMANN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

Boone County School District officials will be meeting in upcoming weeks to discuss whether they will be able to move ahead with plans to build a new high school off Longbranch Road.

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060817/NEWS01/608170438/1002/RSS01

August 19, 200618 yr

From the Boone Community Recorder, 8/17/06:

Turfway Road makes progress

BY LINDSAY KOTTMANN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

FLORENCE -- This month marks one year since the expansion project on Turfway Road began. Officials say construction is running on schedule and the necessary sidewalks and extra lanes should be finished next summer.

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060817/NEWS01/608170405/1002/RSS01

From the 8/19/06 Enquirer:

PHOTO: Dan Fortner of Fort Thomas works on the tennis game of Avery Harmey, 4, (left), of Burlington, and Grace Streitenberger, 5, of Florence, at Boone Woods Park in Burlington. The Enquirer / Ernest Coleman

Boone Co. shares parks plan

BY ANDREA REMKE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Additional parks, improved trails and picnic shelters and new athletic complexes are some of the perks envisioned for recreation seekers here.

After months of research, several public meetings and about 900 online surveys, the Boone County Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update is nearly complete. Final recommendations for the parks plan were presented Tuesday at the Boone County Fiscal Court meeting.

A list of proposals

Here are some other recommendations in the parks plan:

* Develop existing park land at Waller-Stephenson Mill Park, North Pointe Park and the Gunpowder Creek area.

* Expand existing parks at Central Park, England-Idlewild Park, Union Park and Boone Woods.

* Land acquisition and new parks in Petersburg, Belleview, Bullitsville, Burlington, Richwood and Florence.

* A new recreation center with family aquatics, walking track, youth area and ballroom for rentals.

* Facility improvements would include:

* Developing ball-field complexes.

* Replacing the Union Pool with a community family aquatic center.

* Adding picnic facilities to Union Park, Waller-Stephenson Mill Park and Big Bone Landing.

* Developing a countywide greenway and trail plan.

August 22, 200618 yr

From the 8/22/06 Kentucky Post:

PHOTO: Glass worker Scott Peters, of Morrow, Ohio, replaces a damaged mirror in a home being built in southern Campbell County. Boone County in Northern Kentucky and Warren County in southwestern Ohio are among the fastest growing in the country, according to census reports released Monday. JOE MUNSON/The Post

Can’t build them fast enough

Boone County’s strong growth continues, according to new figures on housing

Post staff report

If construction sounds are music, then two local counties are definitely on the charts.

Census reports released Monday show Boone County in Northern Kentucky and Warren County in southwest Ohio are the second-fastest-growing counties in their states based on new housing construction over the past five years. They placed in the top 100 counties nationally.

August 23, 200618 yr

I was clicking through some old bookmarks this evening and noticed that the Cincinnati Tomorrow web site is gone. It has been replaced with what appears to be one of those catch all commercial web sites with a few advertising links embedded in it.

www.cincinnatitomorrow.com

August 23, 200618 yr

They are now Cincinnati Advance.

August 23, 200618 yr

FBI seeking suburban HQ site

BY BARRETT J. BRUNSMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The Cincinnati office of the FBI is poised to leave downtown, taking with it 90 jobs.

The FBI headquarters for the southern half of Ohio wants to move 38 agents and 52 support personnel from the John Weld Peck Federal Building at 550 Main St. While the offices are said to be cramped, the move is largely because of security concerns, officials say. A separate building for the Federal Bureau of Investigation is planned within the Interstate 275 beltway, north of the Ohio River.

E-mail [email protected].

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060823/NEWS01/608230360/-1/CINCI

August 23, 200618 yr

I getting tired of these government agencies looking to be as sprawl-tastic as humanly possible. Why can't they get creative and stay inside the city...while being safe from attacks (oohhh).

Is the FBI Headquarters in DC thinking about relocating too?? Just wondering if this is an FBI policy or just the local agency looking for an easy excuse to find a different site outside of downtown.

August 23, 200618 yr

Good Questions... The headline seems to be a typical Enquirer twist to a story. Within the story they state that they would like to stay in the city limits yet the headline screams "suburban".

August 23, 200618 yr

To its credit, when the GSA moved the FBI from the federal building in Cleveland (located on East 9th and Lakeside in the heart of the city) for similar "security reasons" about 3-4 years ago it was able to keep the building downtown, about a half mile away from its previous location. While in a more isolated and less traveled area of downtown, it is an easy walk from most places and in fact will be only a couple of blocks from a new major residential and retail development which will be breaking ground next month. The problem is that it looks like a fortress so if this is "necessary" (as the GSA sees it) I don't think I would want the building in the heart of the business district. Since there is little reason for most people to "drop in" on the FBI and regional offices tend to be small (less than a 100 agents in a city the size of Cleveland), keeping them out of the central business district (although still downtown) may not be a big deal. This is not the case with other federal agencies and you would hope that paranoia would not force something like a local FHA office to have to locate in the middle of no where or on the fringe of the city.

Cleveland was fortunate that the chosen site was available (although it would have been better used for housing as it is on a bluff over looking the lake) and, if I recall, elements in the city actively lobbied for a site in the central business district rather than the far reaches of the city (although I don't believe the suburbs were ever really in the running). Cincy may not be as fortunate, especially if they are looking for such a large parcel. It will obviously be difficult locating 8-10 acres in the heart of the city, and again, given the fortress like nature of the building you may not want it taking up valuable land in the central business district.

August 24, 200618 yr

how about the Club Chef site ?

Glad to see the war on terror is going so well.

August 24, 200618 yr

From the 8/23/06 Enquirer:

Dilcrest office gets approval

Council reverses '04 vote

BY BRENNA R. KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

FLORENCE - Two-and-a-half years after Florence City Council said no to an office building on Dilcrest Drive, Tuesday night it said yes.

The change of heart came after the city agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the developer, who claimed two council members were biased when they voted in 2004 to deny a zone change for the building.

August 24, 200618 yr

How about the parcel of land where the Keystone development is suppose to go in Evanston?

August 25, 200618 yr

From the Boone Community Recorder, 8/24/06:

Park West industrial park may expand

BY PAUL MCKIBBEN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

BURLINGTON -- An expansion of the Park West International industrial park in Hebron has been proposed.

Atlanta-based Industrial Developments International Inc., which has a Covington office, wants to build two buildings with a total of 537,600 square feet. The buildings would be built on a 8.4-acre site at 2370 Graves Road near Interstate 275.

RENDERING: An artist's rendering of the planned 17,500-square-foot station on U.S. 42 near Mount Zion Road. Construction is expected to begin in October. Provided

Fire unit to get new station next year

BY BRENNA R. KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

UNION - When Union's second ambulance has to respond to a call in the middle of the night, paramedics jump out of bed and run across the street to get it from a small station on U.S. 42.

But it's not just the delay in getting to the ambulance that worries Mike Morgan, director of Union Emergency Services Alliance.

August 29, 200618 yr

From the 8/25/06 Cincinnati Business Courier:

Hotels Tossing and Turning

Airlines' woes take toll on N. Ky. room nights

Cincinnati Business Courier - August 25, 2006

by Lucy May

Senior Staff Reporter

Local airline employees aren't the only ones suffering under the continued strain of Delta Air Lines' bankruptcy.

Industry insiders blame the ongoing struggles of Delta and its Comair subsidiary for pounding Northern Kentucky's hotel business.

...

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/08/28/story2.html

From the 8/28/06 Cincinnati Business Courier:

Occupancy down, demand up for Northern Cincinnati hotels

Cincinnati Business Courier - 11:07 AM EDT Monday

The occupancy rate for hotels in northern Hamilton County was 69.5 percent in July, down from 71 percent for the same period a year ago, according to new data released by the Northern Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau.

But the bureau noted that Northern Cincinnati hotels actually sold more room nights last month than in July 2005. The drop in occupancy reflects the addition of new hotel rooms in the area.

...

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/08/28/daily2.html?from_rss=1

August 29, 200618 yr

It is our goal to use this forum to expand the organizational team to be known as Cincinnati Change Queen City Development. <a href="http://www.cincinnatichange.com">Cincinnati Change</a> will create a tourism and meeting infrastructure in greater Cincinnati that brings in 2.5 million unique visit days a year to Ohio*Kentucky*Indiana from a headquarters in Mt. Auburn.

This is a 20,000 sq. ft. development in Phase I of a $400,000 modernization and by 2009 will include a Phase V $16 million dollar project at 2439 Auburn Avenue.

We have hired <a href="http://cincinnatichange.blogspot.com/2006/02/fred-hargrove-pe-mba-cincinnati-change.html>Hargrove Engineering</a>, LLC and are looking to round out a team to develop the space used for over 9,000 jobs (total for Ohio) who will earn an average of $48,000 a year. They will be employed in our Cincinnati Change program that serve the nation through and it's partner The American Academy of Distance Learning and Training, Inc.(AADLT) who has joined with Beauchamp Tower Corporation, Inc. and it's partners to support their proposal called Operation Enduring Service (OES) which will the basis for the creation of a program to employ over 1,000 of county's young men in 2007 through the 100 male March Ministry of Ammons United Methodist Church.

Funding for our headquarters we will use revenue bonds based on patented technology now being used by companies like Microsoft, Intel and Siemens to build out our infrastructure. The capital will be advanced so as to make this a private transaction between user of patented technology and licensor of that patent and other business processes that increase the patent users revenue and or reduces their cost of doing business.

CINCINNATI CHANGE WILL MOBILIZE GREATER CINCINNATI TO ADDRESS THE GREATEST NATURAL DISASTORS IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The Mission of Cincinnati Change through a operation called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_of_New_Orleans">Gulf Change</a> will address the needs of the people who were left behind long before the vicious winds and violent waters of Hurricane Katrina & Rita came along to wash them away. We are now picking up on this date the development of Gulf Change with a group of partners that includes Architects and Engineers

The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdome">Superdome</a> is repaired and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Saints">Saints</a> are about to begin a pro football season there. Landmark restaurants are back and bustling, and new places are opening in the busy, unflooded Uptown neighborhoods. <a href="http://www.xula.edu/">Xavier</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulane_University">Tulane</a> University has put themselves back into action.

Citizens are resourceful and through our membership in two premier grassroots organizations, <a href="http://www.ncrc.org/">The National Community Reinvestment Coalition</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now">Acorn</a>, <em>the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now</em> with whom we will work with in the flood zones and the close neighborhood after neighborhood as we tie together the opportunities to develop businesses owned by the people of Gulf.

Cincinnati Change will frame a vision for rebuilding that serves the interests of all residents in the city in cooperation with expertise drawn from greater Cincinnati to:

create the digital infrastructure that will help frame a vision for rebuilding that serves the interests of all residents and is connected to like people in greater Cincinnati;</
use the expertise of contractors hired by Cincinnati Change to develop specific plans and proposals that are technically informed and resident-led that focus on those who have the least;
support the development and operation of 1,000 community based businesses tied to our unique communications network headquartered in Cincinnati;
create the infrastructure to support the message that resident voices must be consistently heard by city, state, and federal officials as key decisions are made in the months and years ahead as we create housing opportunities for 20,000 households in New Orleans through a investment in a mutual fund (like we are planning for Cincinnati), and;
make sure that over the next three years that at least 50% of the job opportunities go those who are designated as hard to serve.

The release of billions of dollars in federal recovery funds for New Orleans, as well as some private grants, depends on the formation of a single master plan covering everything from city-wide infrastructure issues to neighborhood-specific projects offer our partners in Cincinnati a chance to take our expertise to support Americans in need in New Orleans while providing jobs for Cincinnatians.

August 29, 200618 yr

From Enquirer 8/29/2006....I personally hope on the sites is near the new Middletown Regional Hospital campus in Warren Co. Lots of available land there!

Warren Co. woos WellPoint center

State offers health insurer $10 million in tax breaks for $36 million facility

BY JANICE MORSE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

With the help of state officials, Warren County leaders are working to lure a whopper of an economic prize: a $36 million, 150,000-square-foot distribution and health technology center that would create up to 1,700 jobs.

State officials are offering health insurance company WellPoint a $10 million tax relief package to sweeten the deal.

WellPoint is already the county's largest employer with 2,400 jobs, Commissioner Dave Young said. Those jobs would remain, in the county - and the additional 1,700 "are not just being shuffled from some other location,." he said. Rather, the jobs would be new.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060829/NEWS01/608290334/1056

August 29, 200618 yr

Glad to hear about NEW jobs coming to the region rather than moving them from one part to another. I would hope that a lot of this competition within our own region will stop in the near future. Good News

August 29, 200618 yr

My Guess is they will try to keep it some what close to Anthem's Midwest headquarters campus at the corner of Irwin-Simpson Rd. and Duke Blvd. They have 3 office buildings there, 1 containing their perscription drug by mail center.

September 4, 200618 yr

From the 9/3/06 Enquirer:

Open house celebrates hospital expansion

THE ENQUIRER

BATAVIA - Mercy Hospital Clermont will celebrate the completion of the first phase of its $18 million expansion with an open house Wednesday.

The public is invited to tour the new Physician Pavilion, as well as the main entrance and atrium, from 4 to 7 p.m. The 20,000-square-foot main entrance and atrium, which connects the Physician Pavilion to the hospital, includes a new lobby and elevators.

The three-story, 60,000-square-foot pavilion is expected to help draw new doctors to the area. It features doctors' offices on the second and third floors.

...

More at:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060903/NEWS01/609030372/1056

September 5, 200618 yr

Historic Rookwood Pottery prepares for Cincinnati rebirth

By Lisa Cornwell

Associated Press

Tuesday, September 5, 2006 2:07 AM

CINCINNATI — Art pottery acclaimed internationally for the quality of its decoration and glazes still draws collectors and fans almost 40 years after the company that created it closed. Now the Rookwood Pottery Co. founded in Cincinnati in 1880 is preparing for a rebirth.

A group of Cincinnati investors bought Rookwood's assets, including more than 1,000 molds, thousands of glaze recipes and corporate notes, for an undisclosed sum. They plan to resume production of high-end ceramic tiles and other architectural products at a temporary facility next month and later add art pottery.

The company, known especially for its vases, bowls, pitchers and other decorative art pieces, won numerous awards in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1900, it won the prestigious grand prize at the Exposition Universelle in Paris.

"Rookwood was one of the biggest success stories early in the art pottery movement, and it attracted a diverse group of very talented artists and decorators," said David Barquist, curator of American decorative arts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. "It also produced such a large volume and was excellent at marketing and getting national distribution of its wares."

Vintage Rookwood ceramic art pottery is still highly sought by private collectors and exhibited in hundreds of museums, including Washington's National Museum of American History and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rookwood tiles used around fireplaces and other parts of buildings are still found in older homes and public facilities like the New York subway system.

http://dispatch.com/features-story.php?story=210160

September 5, 200618 yr

An earlier article on this subject mentioned the new owners were looking at locating downtown. I hope that is still the case.

September 11, 200618 yr

I know that this is a relatively small loss, but I am getting damn tired of Nky essentially basing all of their growth off of Cincinnati projects/economy. Nky has stolen numerous businesses and workers, developments, attractions, etc. Its fine if Nky develops and if gets developments over Cincy, but please do it from the outside-in not the opposite. It does absolutely NOTHING for the region to just shuffle businesses around. This is all Nky seems to even try to do, and it drives me crazy!

Developers to move to Covington

Anchor Properties buys Roebling bridge's old tollhouse

BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

September 11, 2006

COVINGTON - The view of Cincinnati - and a wish to own its parking - prompted real-estate developer Anchor Properties to move across the river from Cincinnati to Covington, a principal says.

E-mail [email protected]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060911/NEWS0103/609110350

September 11, 200618 yr

The one thing I like about capitalism is the competition. CIncy should be responding to this accordingly.

Nky has a major "size complex".

September 11, 200618 yr

Nky has a major "size complex".

Don't we all :wink:

September 11, 200618 yr

Yes.. speaking of the obsession with size, I can't wait to move into my dorm in a few days and start going to UCs gym, I can feel what little mass I have, deteriorating :-( I can't afford to drive everyday to the gym I already have a membership to.

But yeah, anything NKY does that's new..as great as that development will be for them, I'd imagine it would further deter people from chosing other destinations in NKY such as NOTL... I think it would have been better to invest more in that, but I don't know enough about the urban economics. I'm just concerned because the last thing we need (on the Cincinnati side or Kentucky side) is anything on the riverfront that is deteriorating. That would be pathetic and make the whole region look bad. I hope NKY isn't spreading themselves too thin.

September 11, 200618 yr

Newport Steel parent sold

Canadian company buys NS Group for $1.46 billion

BY MIKE BOYER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

September 11, 2006

NEWPORT - Canadian-based steelmaker Ipsco Inc. this morning announced a $1.46 billion purchase of Newport’s NS Group Inc.

The deal is the latest in the ongoing consolidation of the international steel industry.

Under terms of the deal, which must be approved by NS Group’s shareholders, Ipsco will acquire all the outstanding shares of NS Group for $66 each in cash.

The companies said the purchase price represents about a 43 percent premium over NS Group’s closing price of $46.15 on Friday.

...

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060911/BIZ01/309110013

September 12, 200618 yr

From the 9/9/06 Enquirer:

Locals unhappy with tax increase

County says raise keeps revenue flat

BY ANDREA REMKE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

BURLINGTON - Taxes have inched up here.

During a special meeting Thursday, Boone County Fiscal Court approved a resolution to increase the personal property tax rate from 14.4 cents to 15.4 cents per $100 of value.

September 12, 200618 yr

Wilder's link to steel goes way, way back

Newport Steel plant part of $1.46B deal

BY MIKE BOYER AND SCOTT WARTMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

September 12, 2006

WILDER - John Richard had grown optimistic in recent years about the future of the Newport Steel plant.

His pay and the morale of employees are up under the current management, Richard said.

Now Richard and others are hearing talk of expansion at the steel plant after the announcement Monday that a Canadian company, Ipsco Inc., is acquiring Newport Steel's parent company, Newport-based NS Group, for $1.46 billion. About 250 people work at the plant, fabricating tubular steel for use by the oil and gas industry.

...

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060912/BIZ01/609120357

September 12, 200618 yr

From the 9/12/06 Enquirer:

NS Group bought out

Oil industry's rise inspires takeover

BY MIKE BOYER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

NEWPORT - Near-record oil and gas drilling activity was the trigger for Ipsco Inc.'s $1.46 billion purchase of NS Group Inc., a leading supplier of welded and seamless pipe and casing for drilling based here.

The deal announced Monday would pay each of NS Group's shareholders $66 in cash, a 43 percent premium over Friday's close of $46.15 a share, and could mean more jobs at the company's Newport Steel plant in nearby Wilder, which employs about 250.

NS Group's shares closed up 39 percent Monday at $64.31, a gain of $18.16. Ipsco closed down 6 percent at $87.20, off $6.

...

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060912/BIZ01/609120321/1059/rss13

September 15, 200618 yr

From the Milford-Miami Advertiser, 9/13/06:

Phase 1 of expansion completed at Mercy Hospital Clermont

BY LIZ VERNON | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER

CLERMONT COUNTY -- Wednesday, Sept. 6, was, in the words of Mark Shugarman, "a milestone day" for Mercy Hospital Clermont.

That morning, members of the hospital staff and community gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the hospital's plans for expansion.

"Today marks a new era for our hospital," said Shugarman, hospital president/CEO. "This is a new, impressive look for Mercy Clermont."

...

More at:

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS01/609130570/1002/RSS01

September 15, 200618 yr

Newport Steel: The next chapter

GREG PAETH / CINCINNATI POST

September 15, 2006

PHOTO: A Canadian company wants to buy Newport Steel in Wilder and its Newport-based parent, NS Group. Newport Steel produces about 1,000 tons of piping per day used to make oil well casings. JASON D. GEIL/The Post

NEWPORT - A Canadian company wants to buy Newport Steel in Wilder and its Newport-based parent, NS Group. Newport Steel produces about 1,000 tons of piping per day used to make oil well casings.

The 250 jobs at the Newport Steel plant in Wilder, Ky. appear to be secure, the plant's buyers say, noting they could even add jobs there.

The company that wants to buy Newport Steel and its Newport-based parent, NS Group, says its customers are demanding the type of steel pipe made in Wilder and they may need to boost production there.

...

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060915/NEWS01/609150359

September 15, 200618 yr

From the 9/14/06 Florence Recorder:

City explains controversial Dilcrest decision

BY LINDSAY KOTTMANN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

FLORENCE -- Before the city council's final vote on Tuesday to settle a lawsuit and approve a controversial zoning change on the corner of Dilcrest Drive and U.S. 42, the council made an unprecedented move.

Following a suggestion by Mayor Diane Whalen, the council approved a motion that the city attorney publicly explain confidential information about the decision.

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/NEWS01/609140510/1002/RSS01

From the 9/14/06 Boone Community Recorder:

Developer brings back plan for new homes

BY PAUL MCKIBBEN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

A plan for a new subdivision west of downtown Burlington that the Boone County Planning Commissioner rejected earlier this year has been revised.

September 16, 200618 yr

From the Boone County Recorder, 9/14/06:

Lafarge expansion causes ripples

BY CHRIS MAYHEW | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

SILVER GROVE -- Lafarge North America's plant expansion could result in more economic development as city leaders consider a proposed commerce park to serve the drywall-manufacturing company.

The commerce park would be built on land directly across from the plant on Ky. 8, the city's main thoroughfare, where there is now a miniature golf course and driving range, said Silver Grove City Clerk Kay Wright.

...

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/NEWS01/609140396/1002/RSS01

September 23, 200618 yr

From the 9/21/06 Boone County Recorder:

Union might raise taxes

BY PAUL MCKIBBEN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

UNION -- Property taxes are likely going up in Union this year.

The city's real estate rate would increase from $2.17 per $1,000 of assessed value to $2.21 per $1,000 of assessed value. That means the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $4 more a year.

The personal property rate would be raised from $1.92 per $1,000 of assessed value to $1.99 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Hilarious. From the 9/22/06 Enquirer:

Restricted turns planned to curb cut-throughs

BY BRENNA R. KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

FLORENCE - Boone County plans to restrict turns at the intersection of Deermeade Drive and Shepherd Lane to keep traffic off Blackstone Drive.

Residents on Blackstone complained that since their once dead-end street was connected to Deermeade via Shepherd Lane, their street had become a shortcut between Florence and Oakbrook.

September 24, 200618 yr

From the 9/23/06 Enquirer:

Dilcrest files suit

BY ANDREA REMKE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

FLORENCE - A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Florence developer/lawyer Dennis Helmer as well as Florence City Council on behalf of residents of Dilcrest Manor, one of the city's oldest subdivisions.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Boone Circuit Court by attorney Teresa L. Cunningham, lists 29 residents as plaintiffs. Defendants include Helmer, Florence Mayor Diane Whalen and council.

September 25, 200618 yr

Projects could bring surplus of office space

September 22, 2006 by Laura Baverman

The office market along Interstate 71, called Midtown, may be tight now, but the amount of new construction planned to begin by the end of the year could eventually bring more than 2 million square feet of new space to the market.

Alan Piker, managing principal of Cresa Partners, said just 8.8 percent of the 1.4 million square feet of class A office space in this market, which includes Norwood, Hyde Park and Kenwood, is available now. But once the first phases of projects like Kenwood Towne Place and Sycamore Financial Center, Norwood's Linden Pointe and Keystone Parke in Evanston come online, that number will reach 30.77 percent, an amount Piker estimates will take three years to fill.

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/09/25/newscolumn2.html

September 28, 200618 yr

I did not see this posted yet, and for some reason the online article has been pared down from a featured story. FYI - Paycor is a privately held payroll processing company and seems to be doing well among the giants such as ADP and Paychex and even institutional record-keepers such as Fidelity who are expanding into this field. They currently have 240 employees at the Holiday Office Park in Queensgate (400 total), recently expanding to over 50,000 square feet. They are predicting 300 new jobs in the next five years, and although Queensgate is not the CBD proper it is very close.

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/09/25/story1.html

Strategy on the money

Acquisitions, big growth put Paycor in fast lane

Cincinnati Business Courier - September 22, 2006by Dan MonkSenior Staff Reporter

Mark Bowen | Courier

Paycor CEO Bob Coughlin thinks the company could be Cincinnati’s next Cintas, in terms of sheer growth.

View Larger

Paycor Inc. is expanding its headquarters as it embarks on a growth plan that could generate hundreds of new jobs and triple company sales to more than $100 million by 2010.

The Queensgate payroll processing firm already has tripled the size of its business in the last five years by acquiring two smaller competitors and opening sales offices in nine new cities...

October 1, 200618 yr

From the 9/29/06 Enquirer:

Rejected subdivision tries again

Neighbors still say 'no' to revised plan for Tanglewood with more green space

BY BRENNA R. KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Six months after their plans for a 153-home subdivision were turned down by the county's planning body and Fiscal Court, One Eleven developers want a subdivision with three fewer homes.

The developer has redrawn plans for Tanglewood, the subdivision it wants to build on 50 acres just west of Burlington.

From the 9/28/06 Cincinnati Business Courier:

Perot, GSI win tax credits for Boone Co. projects

Cincinnati Business Courier - 2:44 PM EDT Thursday

Two companies planning $22 million in Boone County construction projects, and creating 625 new jobs, will receive $5.5 million in Kentucky tax credits. Both received preliminary approval Thursday from the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA).

October 2, 200618 yr

Who started calling the I-71 corridor midtown? And what's wrong with them? And why does the enquirer hate the City? They need to disband, move to Mason and have a non-gannet paper who cares about the city take its place.

October 4, 200618 yr

Here's the deal:

The City is offering a Property Reimbursement Agreement with Paycor for it to expand, create and retain jobs.

The City agrees to pay up to $750,000 over five years. Annual payments will be limited to 50% of new income tax revenues from the new jobs created.

Paycor will expand its operations at 644 Linn St by renovating its two existing floors and building out a third floor which it currently leases.

This expansion will require new furniture, fixtures, etc., as well as new computer servers. This will total $750,000 by 2008.

Also by 2008, Paycor will be expected to create 25 new jobs to add to their current staff of 210. All jobs must pay at least 200% of minimum wage and must be retained for twice the period of the agreement (10 years).

To receive the full benefits of the incentive, Paycor would have to create more than 300 new jobs. Please don't ask me to do that math!

Paycor was in a similar agreement with the city from 2001-2005, creating 45 new jobs and exceeding the expectations of the contract. It was a gain for the city.

This is currently in Finance Committee, I believe, but the City seems in a hurry to get this done because, well, they could use the tax income.

October 6, 200618 yr

From the 10/3/06 Enquirer:

Center to bring in 550 jobs

E-commerce firm picks Richwood

BY JON NEWBERRY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

GSI Commerce Inc. plans to open a distribution and fulfillment center in Boone County that will bring 550 jobs to Richwood within three years, the company said Monday.

King of Prussia, Pa.-based GSI received preliminary approval for job-creation tax credits from Kentucky development officials last week. The company's two fulfillment centers are in Louisville and Shepherdsville, just south of Louisville. It also operates call centers in Melbourne, Fla., and Eau Claire, Wis...

E-mail [email protected]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061003/BIZ01/610030379/1076/rss01

October 6, 200618 yr

Author

I saw them clearing out more land south of Richwood just yesturday. I guess this is the project they are talking about. There is a 1.3 million sq building nearing completion in the same area.

Oh and i service the apartment condo community on the westside of I-75-71 in Richwood. They have completed 11 buildings and 14 more are about to go underconstruction.

October 8, 200618 yr

From the 10/4/06 Enquirer:

PHOTO: Anaid Sanchez shops with her children Lesli, 2, and Kana, 1 month, Tuesday at La Mexicana Grocery Store & Taqueria in Newport. The Enquirer / Gary Landers

PHOTO: A report on the importance of Hispanic businesses - such as this one in Newport - was commissioned by the Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA. THE ENQUIRER / GARY LANDERS

Hispanic biz boosts economy

BY JEFF MCKINNEY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Hispanic businesses add $2.3 billion annually to the economy in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, a University of Cincinnati report released Tuesday shows.

"Hispanics help provide a solution to the region's lack of growth,'' said Alfonso Cornejo, president of the Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA, for which the study was conducted.

Those contributions should continue to grow based on the study's prediction that by 2030 there will be 73,323 Hispanics in the region, more than double the 28,365 who lived here last year...

E-mail [email protected]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061004/BIZ01/610040329/1076/rss01

October 8, 200618 yr

From the 10/4/06 Enquirer:

NS merger a windfall for some

11 executives, directors to share in $44M; CEO to get $18.95M

BY MIKE BOYER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

NEWPORT - Senior executives and directors of NS Group Inc. will share in a nearly $44 million payday as result of Ipsco Inc.'s planned $1.5 billion acquisition of the tubular steel maker.

The preliminary proxy statement for the acquisition, announced Sept. 11, lists 11 executives and/or directors who will share in the payments.

The list is led by Rene J. Robichaud, president and CEO, who will receive $18.95 million in cash from severance payments, salary continuation and restricted stock awards that would vest with the merger. It is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

...

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061004/BIZ01/610040330/1076/rss01

October 8, 200618 yr

Rookwood kiln fires up again

Re-molding a piece of Cincinnati heritage

BY ANNIE-LAURIE BLAIR | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

CORRYVILLE - Five months into its new ownership, the iconic Rookwood Pottery Co. has moved into a building here, fired up new kilns and landed significant local projects.

Among those projects is an agreement signed last week with Miller-Valentine Group to offer Rookwood fireplaces and art tiles in its One River Plaza condo development downtown at the foot of the Purple People Bridge on the Ohio side.

"With the rebirth of downtown living going on in Cincinnati, I saw a complement there in the name and quality level that Rookwood would bring to our project,'' said Doug Hine, president of development services for Miller-Valentine.

On Monday, the nonprofit Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) will announce that Rookwood will produce the 3-foot by 3-foot rededication plaque that will grace the rejuvenated Fountain Square.

The new Rookwood's first ceramic work - framed tiles depicting the Tyler Davidson Fountain, made from historic molds - will be unveiled Saturday at the public rededication of the square.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061008/BIZ01/610080305/1076/BIZ

October 8, 200618 yr

>purchased the historic Cincinnati art pottery company in May from a Michigan dentist.

My grandmother used to be a Rookwood dealer, this guy in Michigan has owned the molds since around 1985. Previously there was some other place down in Louisiana or somewhere random that owned the molds and produced lower quality ceramics for a few years. There was also a place producing pieces from about a dozen original molds in the 1990's but the quality was also lower than the originals. I am not a pottery expert but I remember when the originals and 1990's versions were set side-by-side, the difference in quality was obvious. The new ones sold for around $15, with gold ones for $50 whereas the old ones sold for $100 and I can't remember if they made gold ones originally. There was a monkey, bird, goose, bear, and a few others, and sometimes whoever was making these pieces would turn out a nutty one where they just threw all the dyes into one mold randomly. I'm worried that this new reincarnation might be similarly low quality, during Rookwood's heyday it staffed some of the top ceramic artists in the world, people from Japan, Europe, and elsewhere. The pieces in the Cincinnati Art Museum are fantastic, it's hard to believe items that exotic looking were produced just a half mile away.

October 9, 200618 yr

From the 10/5/06 Florence Recorder:

Development continues on Houston Road

BY LINDSAY KOTTMANN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

FLORENCE -- New retail and restaurants continue to develop along Houston Road, particularly near Ky. 18.

The first IHOP in Kentucky opened Sept. 19 in front of the new Super Wal-Mart, and a Cheddar's restaurant is nearing completion next door. Next to Cheddar's, a Huntington Bank is under construction.

Industrial park expansion OK'd

BY PAUL MCKIBBEN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

BURLINGTON -- The Boone County Planning Commission Sept. 20 unanimously approved a zoning change for the expansion of the Park West International Industrial Park in Hebron.

Industrial Developments International Inc. sought to change the zoning on a 8.36-acre site at 2370 Graves Road from rural suburban estates to industrial one.

Construction hasn't yet started on a major project behind Meijer that will include a Gold's Gym, an office building and a retail center with tenants to be announced.

From the 10/5/06 Florence Recorder:

Dilcrest residents sue city over zoning

BY LINDSAY KOTTMANN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

FLORENCE -- A class action lawsuit was filed on Sept. 21 on behalf of the residents of Dilcrest Manor subdivision contesting a zone change recently approved by the city.

The change allowed for the development of a 6,000-square-foot office building, which some residents are concerned will worsen traffic in the neighborhood.

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