Tag: Cincinnati

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Cincinnati: InOneWeekend 8/28 – 8/30

Is there something in Cincinnati that annoys you? Do you feel that you might have the solution to one of the perpetual problems facing city life in the Queen City? If so, then you should get involved with InOneWeekend.

InOneWeekend was founded to “help entrepreneurs experience the startup life in one weekend.” From there potential entrepreneurs can decide if the startup life is something they want to pursue further before taking that proverbial leap. The weekend’s are fast-paced, uptempo events that bring talented individuals together in communities around the world. In Cincinnati that event will be taking place one again this weekend on the University of Cincinnati’s main campus.

InOneWeekend is able to accomplish such a bold endeavor by leveraging support from their non-profit foundation, local chapter, volunteers and local development organizations. InOneWeekend also receives “vital” financial support from a variety of sources that is used to help make the expertise and ideas from local minds happen in one weekend.

On Friday, August 28, InOneWeekend will host their keynote speech (free/open to public) at UC’s Tangeman University Center from 2:30pm to 5pm. The speaker will be Ali Rowghani from Disney/PIXAR. From there the 100 participants selected to participate will brainstorm over 300 ideas with Jeff Stamp of Bold Thinking and vote on the concept they will push forward over the weekend. Then on Saturday the 100 participants will build the product and write the business plan and investor presentation. On Sunday those same participants will launch the new company and call it a weekend.

If you want to be one of the 100 participants and share your ideas and expertise in launching a new company, then please register in advance. Want to know more? Listen to Elizabeth Edwards from Cincinnati Innovates discuss InOneWeekend and what innovation is all about in Cincinnati on Explore Cincinnati.

Image from Glaserworks.
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News

‘It Must Be Love’

Arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, and the current world #1 Roger Federer just won his 16th Masters event in Cincinnati today over world #4 Novak Djokovic in straight sets (6-1, 7-5). Sold out crowds greeted the top players in the world all week long in one of the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world.

The Western & Southern Financial Group Masters sets the stage for the biggest tournament in the world, the US Open, that will start August 31 and run through September 13 in New York. If the international competition doesn’t get you jazzed up, then maybe the 23,200 fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium will.

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Chad Ochocinco kicks against New England

The tweets were blowing up about this the other night. Nice form and nice results, but I think the announcers are right. It’s going to be hard to live with Chad after this successful performance.

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News Transportation

Signal Timing and Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety

Signal timing can be a great thing. It can move automobiles and bicyclists more efficiently through the city while also providing for a safer, more predictable traffic patterns for pedestrians. In order to achieve this success and a safe right-of-way for automobiles, bicyclists and pedestrian then this timing needs to be done at the right speed. What is that speed though?

In New Haven, CT they are moving forward with a signal timing project that will keep downtown speeds there between 25 and 30mph. But many Complete Street advocates would argue that 25mph is too fast. Studies have shown that a pedestrian hit at 20mph has a 5 percent chance of death, while a pedestrian hit at 30mph has a 45 percent chance of death. These findings have led to many cities looking towards urban traffic speeds in the 15 to 20mph range (bicyclists travel around the 12mph mark).

Personal experience makes me say that posted speed limits do very little to manage speeds. Signal timing does seem to work out of the appeal avoided stop-and-go traffic. Urban environments, when well designed, also will naturally reduce traffic speeds in most cases. This is a reaction of mental comfort levels for drivers. When there are lots of people around, buildings and other structures close to the street, and plenty of things to observe drivers tend to naturally slow down – self-regulating in a way.

With that said there are streets in Cincinnati that are in need of reduced traffic speeds. Aside from the typical residential streets that people always seem to clamor for lower speeds, what streets would you like to see made safer for bicyclists and pedestrians by reducing traffic speeds? My top pick would be the Calhoun/McMillan network. The parallel streets are complimentary of one another and both have large pedestrian and bicyclist volumes. Due to their straight orientation, one-way traffic flow, limited traffic-calming designs, and lack of a completely built out urban streetscape the speeds are very high and very unsafe for anyone other than automobile drivers.

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Places You Should Know – Venice on Vine

Ever get hungry while you are wandering through the shops in The Gateway Quarter? Well, there is a pizza place on the corner of Vine and 13th called Venice on Vine that is there to hook you up with a bite to eat. On the surface, it seems just like any other pizza parlor There is exposed brick, a large oven, art on the wall, and a friendly staff to take your order and make up your lunch. Look closer though and you’ll see this is not your average restaurant.

Run by the non-profit group Power Inspires Progress, Venice on Vine is not just there to satisfy hungry patrons but is there to train and develop employees by helping them build job skills that they can carry into the workforce and become viable members of society. Most everyone that comes through the Venice program does so because they are have a poor work history, lack transportation to another job or are in need of a second chance either due to criminal or drug history. The folks that run Venice are there to help ensure that the trainees, as they are called, get a fresh start, job training skills, and the resume builder that is needed to land full time gainful employment.

If a candidate makes it through the three step interview process ,they come to Venice to learn and develop a variety of skills that are needed in the restaurant business. The trainees earn stars for their name tag by showing proficiency in the different roles at Venice including dishes, utilities, server, cook, register, and catering. In doing so they are building job skills, and oh by the way, running their own place. UrbanCincy visited on a Tuesday night and while it wasn’t very crowded, the staff of five was busy cleaning up from the day and there was not one detail going unnoticed.

In addition to learning all the parts of the restaurant, trainees are encouraged to continue their development and education in other areas. Many are focused on furthering their education by working towards their GED, or will work on building additional job skills such as Microsoft Office or even resume writing. In fact, each person earns money for food by taking five 45 minutes sessions during each two week pay period to further develop themselves.

Photos by Dave Rolfes

The night we visited, the longest tenured employees had been there four months but that is part of the plan. Once brought on board, a trainee is expected to graduate within twelve months and go out to find a job in the workforce. The stated goal of the program is “to increase the power of people through skill development, relationship building and collaboration with other organizations.” Without a doubt, the trainees were so happy to talk about their experiences, why they joined Venice, and it shined through brightly just how proud they were of where they worked.

Coming up on it’s third anniversary at 1301 Vine, another thing that is noticeable about Venice on Vine is its ties to the community. The tables in the restaurant are adorned with flowers from neighboring City Roots. There is artwork displayed and for sale on the wall from local artists that work through the Visionaries & Voices program. There are even local bands played on the stereo and displayed on the Cincy In Your Ear rack near the register.

Again, without looking closer it is easy to think Venice is just another pizza joint when in reality it is so much more. It is an important piece to the Gateway Quarter that really helps to develop the people that live in and around the area and help them build the job skills they need to be successful. Help Venice on Vine help others by volunteering, donating, or just being a customer and stopping in for a pizza or hoagie the next time you are around town because quite frankly the food is almost as good as the cause they are going after.