Cincinnati : Featured Stories

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.

Named as one of the top 10 business accelerator programs in the nation last spring, The Brandery in Cincinnati is now nurturing its second group of entrepreneurs while its first "graduates" spread their wings.

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.

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.

The Queen City could also be called The Mural City. Cincinnati has staked its claim with the most interesting and diverse murals in a city center. Many of these murals were created by Artworks, an organization that connects artists of all ages through apprenticeships, community partnerships, and public art. With 12 new murals going up this summer, sister publication Soapbox offers this video about the inspiration behind Mural Works.

For 10 years, Dorothy Air has been on the front lines of university innovation. She knows firsthand the role universities can play in advancing research, development and technology. Air -- associate VP for entrepreneurial affairs in the Office of Entrepreneurial Affairs and Technology Commercialization at the University of Cincinnati -- talks to hiVelocity about her work and the dynamic relationship between Ohio universities and the wider economic community.

What do people in Abu Dhabi and Cincinnati have in common? They want to have fun. No one understands this better than the creative team at Jack Rouse Associates, one of the world's leading experiential design firms.

Even the best jobs can lead to burnout and loss of productivity. But some companies are finding ways to keep the creative juices flowing by making it fun to go to work.