Columbus/Central Ohio :
Featured Stories
Kitty McConnell
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Wake Up, Start Up! That's the name of a new monthly morning pitch series hosted by the Ohio State University's Technology Commercialization Office. The thing is, you've got to get up pretty early to be an innovator in today's high tech economy. Yet with the help of Central Ohio's leading entrepreneurs and brightest thinkers, OSU is not only waking up Ohio's new economy, it's helping to grow it, too.
Kitty McConnell
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Derek Brown and Don Hunter both know something about the value of acceptance. They excelled in the Honors-PLUS program at the Carl Lindner H. College of Business at the University of Cincinnati with the help of critical scholarships. Last year, they also launched an online platform that helps fine arts administrators and applicants to simplify the college admissions process. They're living proof that the entrepreneurial ecosystem is alive and well across Ohio.
By Feoshia Henderson
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Imagine if a traumatic event like a car accident fundamentally changed its shape (like shooting victim Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords). That kind of trauma has both a physical and aesthetic affect on the victim, and it takes many delicate surgeries to restore a person’s looks and healthy brain functioning. A growing Cleveland area startup
OsteoSymbionics is working to improve that process, by developing a range of skull implants designed to help those recovering from skull trauma.
By Dave Malaska
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Ohio State University gets grant to research enzyme that could be used to protect humans in case of a biological attack.
By Matt Wagner
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Quitting smoking just entered the digital age with the E-vapor ciggy. Is kicking the nasty habit one of your New Year's resolutions? This digital vaporizer may be just the tool you need.
By Valerie Hatton
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The 2011 boom of the mobile eatery is not only feeding Ohioans' bellies, but it's feeding the economy and local entrepreneurs as well.
By Feoshia Henderson
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Fuse Factory makes digital beauty accessible for the masses through education and art space. If you haven't seen what this lab can do with technology and arts, you're missing out on something special.
By Matt Wagner
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Did you know you could buy Jedi lightsaber candlesticks from an Ohio business? Or maybe a specialty healthy cooking vaccum seal item? Holiday shopping this year can be buy local, buy green and buy great with these sure to please Ohio holiday items.
By Tracy Certo
Thursday, December 01, 2011
What's the best thing a city can do to achieve more economic success? Increase its number of college graduates. The most prosperous cities have the highest number of college grads. Read how the Talent Dividend calculates just how much college degrees add to a city's bottom line--think billions--and why cities from Cleveland to Cincinnati are among the 57 cities competing for the million dollar prize to boost college attainment.
By Kitty McConnell
Thursday, November 17, 2011
This holiday season, Columbus is thankful for one of its most savvy and influential business owners--Liz Lessner.
Kitty McConnell
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Serial entrepreneurs can be found in every community and corner of Ohio. Finding a serial entrepreneur-turned venture capitalist is rarer. Rich Langdale is one of those.
Feoshia Henderson
Thursday, September 08, 2011
With hard work and an eye for innovation, Columbus native Jason Ross has defied convention with men's fashion website JackThreads.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, September 08, 2011
While U.S. job growth overall may be stuck in neutral, IT professionals should be chomping at the bit. Experts say technology occupations will be at the leading edge of job growth for at least a decade. And three of the hottest cities for IT jobs right now are here in Ohio.
Val Prevish
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Despite its status as the world's largest independent research and development organization and the creator of such ubiquitous products as compact discs and UPC codes, few people understand what Battelle is or its importance to Ohio.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Bad Girl Ventures launched in Cincinnati last year as a unique form of micro lender: one focused not just on getting financing into the hands of women-owned startups, but also on providing the education and resources women need to build successful businesses. In the last year, BGV has attracted a lot of attention as it has grown in participation and geography, most recently announcing its expansion to Cleveland. hiVelocity caught up with Candace Klein, BGV's founder and CEO, to ask about the success of her non-profit.
Ohio State University Medical Center
Thursday, August 11, 2011
A house that fights cancer? That's what this one does. Take a peek at this video, which tells the whole story.
Feoshia Henderson
Thursday, July 28, 2011
A new report by the Brookings Institute says Ohio has done pretty well when it comes to creating "green jobs." The report, "Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment," by the institute's Metropolitan Policy Program, found that one-fourth of Ohio's green jobs are in manufacturing, with Akron, Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton leading the state. hiVelocity spoke with Metropolitan Policy Program Senior Research Analyst Jonathan Rothwell about the report and what it means for Ohio and the nation.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, June 30, 2011
He's appeared on "Lopez Tonight." He was a phone-in guest on "The Doctors." He's doing two to three interviews with local and national media each week. It seems everybody wants a piece of Hart Main, who's built a nationwide business selling candles that smell like fresh cut grass, baseball mitts and bacon. Pretty good for a 13-year-old Marysville kid who's going into the ninth grade.
Feoshia Henderson
Thursday, June 02, 2011
What began with the establishment of Columbus's Metro Early College High School in 2006 has grown into a statewide network of STEM schools that turn the traditional classroom on its head. While STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math, the schools take a broader view, instead working to impart ALL 21st century skills needed for our economy and our communities. One key element in the evolution of Ohio's STEM schools is the partnership between business and education.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, June 02, 2011
In 2006, Battelle, in partnership with The Ohio State University and KnowledgeWorks, opened Ohio's first STEM school, setting the stage for what became the Ohio STEM Learning Network. hiVelocity spoke to Steve Krak, Battelle's program manager for the network, about OSLN and the business case for STEM learning.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Mike Figliuolo is a former Army officer, McKinsey and Company consultant, Capital One Financial strategist, and a VP for Scotts Lawn Service. Today, he runs a practitioner-led leadership training firm, is an angel investor for tech startups, heads several web-based businesses and is a principal at a Dublin business accelerator. Oh, and he's writing a book. It's an unwieldy job description, but Figliuolo makes it simple: "I'm a parallel entrepreneur."
Gene Monteith
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Wil Schroter was only 19 and a student at Ohio State University when he started his first company: Blue Diesel. Since then, he has blazed a trail of business creation that has resulted in more than half a dozen companies. We caught up with Schroter to ask him about entrepreneurship and his views on Ohio as a place to do business.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Dan Rockwell is a big guy with a quick laugh and an unassuming manner. But behind the easy-going exterior is a man addicted to experimentation and new ideas -- some of which are turning the concept of what a startup should be on its head.
Dave Malaska
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Coffee cups made from corn. Soaps made from wheat. Engine lubricants produced from soy beans. These may seem like unlikely products to end up in your car or home, but thanks to a new statewide focus on "bio-products," Ohio companies are set to ride the wave of a burgeoning industry.
Lynne Meyer
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Building a brand is a process. It starts with having a good product and good service. Getting the word out entails advertising, marketing, promotions, special events, public relations and networking. Now, however, there's something new in the marketing toolbox -- social media.
Patrick G. Mahoney
Thursday, March 10, 2011
It's not enough that cities have to compete with the rest of the world to attract business and jobs, they often face fierce competition from cities within a few hours' drive. Here's a look at how several of Ohio's metropolitan areas view their intrastate rivalries and market themselves.
Val Prevish
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Is it possible to be successful in business and have a meaningful personal life at the same time? It is if you live in Ohio. Our state gets rave reviews from business veterans who said goodbye to long commutes and crowded spaces and never looked back, finding the balance they were seeking in the smaller cities and livable suburbs of Ohio.
Westerville South High School
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Good math skills are essential for many of the jobs emerging in Ohio's high-tech economy. Yet, every math teacher has struggled at times to make figures and formulas seem relevant to young people. Now, a couple of hip-hop inclined teachers at Westerville South High School have a new way to engage their students. Yo check it out.
Feoshia Henderson
Thursday, January 13, 2011
David Hunegnaw is one of those elusive "serial entrepreneurs." He's a big idea guy, travels frequently, and seems to have his hands in everything. The Brooklyn native has made Ohio his home for the past 25 years, and during that time launched more than a half-dozen tech-savvy businesses.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, January 13, 2011
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Ohio's entrepreneurial landscape? As one of the nation's leading professors in entrepreneurship, Ohio State's S. Michael Camp should know. So, we asked him.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Alleviating Poverty Through Entrepreneurship Summit at the Ohio State University is an event designed to engage the public in conversations about market-based solutions to global and local poverty. Here's a short video that describes the summit, scheduled for April 15th in Columbus.
Feoshia Henderson
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Gift-giving is a big part of the holiday season, and at this time of year stories of goodwill catch our attention. But needs don't disappear with the new year. That's why Ohio entrepreneurs, who've worked to create their own blessings, give back year-round to the communities that have helped them prosper.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, December 16, 2010
What's "smart grid" and what will it mean for me? The question's an increasingly common one as Ohio utilities prepare to test and implement a new generation of technologies designed for more efficient planning, distribution, monitoring and use of electricity. AEP Ohio, which serves 1.5 million customers throughout the state, is implementing smart grid technology among 110,000 customers in central Ohio as part of its gridSMART demonstration project. We asked project director Karen Sloneker, the company's director of customer services and marketing, to help us understand those efforts.
Feoshia Henderson
Thursday, December 02, 2010
A home office offers freedom and flexibility. But it can also lead to isolation, tedium and that gotta-get-out-of-here feeling. For on-their-own Ohioans yearning for professional companionship, coworking may be the answer.
Gabriella Jacobs
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Give people sandwiches, and you'll feed them for a day. Give people jobs making, selling and delivering delicious, savory sandwiches, and you'll soon have more-employable Ohioans. In Joe DeLoss's case, that compassionate business strategy has led to recognition as one of America's best young entrepreneurs.
Douglas Trattner
Thursday, November 04, 2010
There was a time when Ohio overflowed with distilleries that made whisky, which wended its way down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. Over time, every last one of those distilleries dried up. Now, small-scale distilleries are reviving the grand tradition.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, October 21, 2010
At a cost of $1 billion, ProjectOne is the largest construction project in Ohio State University's history. It's also expected to be one of the largest job-generators in central Ohio history, with as many as 10,000 new full-time positions by 2015.
Dave Malaska
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Once a dominating global player, Ohio's glass industry has been battered by increased foreign competition and changes in the American economy. Now, it is looking to innovation and diversification to regain the foothold that made it one of Ohio's most prominant industries.
Val Prevish
Thursday, September 09, 2010
About one third of the food we eat is either directly or indirectly tied to honeybee crop pollination. Bees are under attack, however, by both manmade and natural forces. To help save them, Ohio beekeepers are breeding stronger queens that can withstand the stress our human lifestyles are placing on them.
Val Prevish
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Paul Havasi of Cleveland gets a lot of stares from fellow drivers on his way to work. His three-wheeled electric NmG is a rare sight. But laugh all you want; his choice of transport is the way of the future, according to the many businesses and researchers in Ohio developing technology and products for hybrid and electric cars.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Of the 10,000 or so African American students who enroll in U.S. engineering programs each year, fewer than 3,500 graduate with engineering degrees. The National Society of Black Engineers wants to change that, and one of its targets is Ohio.
Colin McEwen
Thursday, July 29, 2010
For architect Curtis Moody, the mastermind behind Buckeye-born projects such as the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, the Ohio Statehouse renovation and the Center of Science and Industry, there was no easy road to success.
Gene Monteith
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
There are good ideas and then there are good ideas with a plan. The former often die on the vine, having nowhere to go. The latter create companies. More and more Ohio entrepreneurs with good ideas are now developing their business acumen through university business plan competitions. They are turning heads. And creating the kinds of enterprises that lead to jobs.
Dave Malaska
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Big business doesn't always have to mean life in the big city. Some of Ohio's fastest-growing companies are proving that, becoming leaders in high-tech and service fields far from the outer-belts of Ohio's urban centers. And they plan on staying there.
Colin McEwen
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thousands of Ohioans are flocking to the farm, the farmers market and to restaurants to support locally grown produce. It's a bona fide movement, taking place all over the state — where a local farmer is just around the corner.
Gabriella Jacobs
Thursday, June 17, 2010
You've got the passport. You've got the pocket dictionary. All you have to do is launch your trusty PowerPoint and wait for those Big Deals Abroad to become reality. Right? Slow down, globetrotter, and take this advice from Anne Cappel: "You can't simply go there and do business as usual."
Gene Monteith
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Tucked away on the west side of the Ohio State University campus is the Byrd Polar Research Center -- an international leader in polar and alpine research that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. hiVelocity spoke with Director Ellen Mosley-Thompson, who came to OSU on a graduate fellowship and never left. A professor of geography, leading expert in ice core paleoclimatology and frequent flyer to Antarctica and Greenland, her responsibilities include caring for 7,000 ice cores stored at 30-below in the bowels of Scott Hall.
Douglas Trattner
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thanks to work done by folks like Richard Florida and Rebecca Ryan, cities are more aware than ever that the key to economic prosperity lies in attracting and retaining young professionals. Not only that, by reading their books – The Rise of the Creative Class and Live First, Work Second, respectively – we can pinpoint the factors that go into a young person's choice of city. All across Ohio, highly motivated organizations are relying on that data in an attempt to meet the needs of those coveted YPs, or young professionals.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Four years ago, a grand plan was rolled out for the "315 Research and Technology Corridor," one that envisioned coordinated, concentrated development of high-tech industry in an area roughly along Columbus's I-315. Since then, development has taken another course -- one that shows that the vision, if not the original game plan, is still alive.
Dave Malaska
Thursday, May 06, 2010
In the wake of the Arizona immigration law rancor and anti-immigration rhetoric, Cleveland civic activist and author Richard Herman finds himself shaking his head a lot these days. "Contrary to common perception, immigrants aren't a drain on the economy. They're what fuels growth."
Val Prevish
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Israel boasts the highest number of start-ups per capita in the world. Ohio wants to be a second home to some of these businesses as they build their worldwide markets. Thanks to the aggressive efforts of business developers across the state, Ohio has become one of the most successful states in attracting investment from Israeli companies.
Feoshia Henderson
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates once said his biggest competitive fear was "someone in a garage who is devising something completely new." Now, across Ohio, collective tinkering is taking place in hackerspaces -- for all practical purposes, modern, uber-garages where trained engineers, tech enthusiasts retirees and casual DIYers, work on what could be the "Next Big Thing."
Gene Monteith
Thursday, March 11, 2010
In January, Gov. Ted Strickland announced that Ohio had received $400 million in federal stimulus money to develop a "3C Corridor" passenger rail system linking Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. Immediately, questions flew: Will the trains go fast enough? How many stops? Who will ride it? Will the benefits be worth the money? hiVelocity caught up with James E. Seney, who served as executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission under former Gov. Bob Taft. Seney, who oversaw the Taft Administration's original Ohio Hub rail plan to link Ohio to midwestern and east coast lines, says all questions are valid -- but that Ohio has an opportunity that's too good to pass up.
Gabriella Jacobs
Thursday, March 11, 2010
If you think Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is merely a parking lot for planes and a layover for enlistees, you're as wrong at the folks who told Orville and Wilbur "it'll never fly." That's because behind those gates, alongside those hangers, buzzing in those offices, is a mega-engine of business that's critical to the Ohio economy.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, February 25, 2010
While the image of farmer Brown milking a cow from a stool may linger in the imagination, old Bessie today is more likely to make her way through a sophisticated milking parlor wearing an electronic collar -- not a bell. And while the image of farmer Brown may be one of a humble man in overalls, his world today is one of college degrees, self-steering combines, and use of Twitter and Facebook as a way to connect with other farmers and a hungry population.
Dave Malaska
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Ohio neighborhoods are finding a second – or third – life as hip, new attractions for business, families and young professionals. Drawing on a combination of historic preservation and interest an urban lifestyle -- and tapping into corporate investment and state aid -- more than a dozen such neighborhoods have risen from the ashes
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Twelve-year-old teacher and author Adora Svitak reports from Columbus, filming herself in a mirror with commentary on this month's eTech Ohio conference, where she was a keynote speaker. We think the future of America is in safe hands.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Ohio has a monumental stake in what happens to Lake Erie. Invasive species, algal blooms, chemical runoff and climate change all have the potential to stagger the economic engine that generates thousands of Ohio jobs. Since 1978, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has turned to Ohio State University -- which operates one of 30 Sea Grant College Programs around the country -- for some of the answers to Erie's most pressing problems. hiVelocity asked Program Director Dr. Jeffrey M. Reutter about the role the OSU Sea Grant Program plays in Ohio's economy.
Dave Malaska
Thursday, January 14, 2010
For years, Ohio has been a quiet powerhouse in the worlds of industrial design, architecture, communications design and brand marketing. Problem was, few people outside the state noticed. No more. The Buckeye state's reputation, particularly along the I-71 corridor from Cleveland to Cincinnati, is charging to the forefront.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, December 17, 2009
If you were to walk into Jeffrey Van Buren's physical therapy practice, you might see him working with clients using a self-designed platform that helps muscles react more quickly when presented with unexpected challenges. Van Buren now has dreams of getting his unique apparatus into the marketplace. And while that goal is still a dream, an innovative collaboration between his employer and TechColumbus is making it closer to reality every day.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2 is a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle designed to break the land speed record for electric vehicles. In September, the car -- designed and built by Ohio State University students working at the OSU Center for Automotive Research -- did just that, surpassing 300 mph. Watch how the run unfolded.
Dave Malaska
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Like many workers in this unstable economy, the year didn't start off well for Matt Garver. But thanks to his expertise, a burgeoning technology and a helping hand from the state, his prospects for 2009 brightened. So did his career.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, October 22, 2009
There's a high-stakes race on in the electric vehicle arena, and an Ohio State University-based collaborative plans to lead the way -- at least in the commercial vehicle market.
Gene Monteith
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Ohio is quickly becoming a leader in new economy industries, and there's no better example than what's happening in the biomedical industry. Ohio has emerged as a consensus top ten state, with more than 1,141 bio-related entities operating here in 2008. We spoke with Tony Dennis, BioOhio's president and chief executive officer, to find out what's behind the growth.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Ohio is at the forefront of a new economy, creating new ideas, innovative businesses and new jobs needed for the 21st century. It's an important story. Now, hiVelocity is here to tell it.