Cincinnati/Southwest Ohio : Featured Stories

If Ohio is to the global aerospace industry what the Silicon Valley is to the computer industry, then that makes Cincinnati-based GE Aviation our state's version of Apple or Intel. The powerhouse company recently enjoyed one of its most successful years ever as orders for its new GE90 engine hit all-time highs. Yet even as Ohio's aerospace industry climbs to new heights, its leaders say that business and government must focus their resources to hold onto our coveted, top spot in engine manufacturing and propulsion technology.

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.

In the span of 12 years, John Owens has taken his company, Cohesion Business Technology, from a two-man operation that worked from his Cincinnati home to one of southwestern Ohio's largest technology services firms with annual revenue on the north side of $20 million.

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.

Young job recruits today want more than a paycheck, says Cincinnati business consultant Chuck Proudfit. They want a chance to make a difference in the world and they want their company to help give them that chance.

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.