“U.S. Bank is committed to supporting the communities in which we do business,” Mike Prescott, Cincinnati market president at U.S. Bank, said in a news release. “Given our 150-year history and 3,000-plus employees right here in Cincinnati, we have a vested interest in this region’s economic health and vibrancy.”

Last year, U.S. Bank funded a renovation of three historic buildings for mixed use in downtown Hamilton and distributed school supplies to all 160 students at St. Aloysius’ back to school kickoff. In addition, U.S. Bank has committed more than $11.4 million of financing for the renovation of the school’s existing facility in Bond Hill.

Continue reading via the Business Courier.

Monti’s newly-formed political party won only about a tenth of the popular vote, the smallest of any major political group. Italian voters’ rejection of Monti reflects the difficulty of running as an incumbent during a bad economy, the unpopularity of the austerity measures and reduced labor protections passed by his administration, as well as the lack of a strong political organization backing Monti (a career civil servant with no experience in electoral politics) during the campaign. By contrast, Italy’s other newly-formed political movement, the “Five Star Movement,” (Movimento 5 Stelle or “M5S”) received roughly a quarter of votes and was arguably the biggest winner of this election cycle.

In April, P&G plans to introduce [Tide Pods] in Europe, where it will be sold under the Ariel brand. And Moeller said the consumer-goods giant, whose other brands include Gillette razors and Pampers diapers, is moving quickly to get other innovations onto international markets.

Full article from Business Courier

The newspaper cites an email sent to employees last week in which CEO Dan McHugh said: “It has become apparent that a relocation of our headquarters is warranted for both strategic and financial reasons.”

“Moving makes a lot of sense for us, and will offer Southern Air many benefits,” McHugh’s email said in part. “First, CVG is a logical base of operations for our 777 aircraft and represents our single-largest hub of activity. It is also one of three global hubs for DHL Express, our largest customer.”

Southern Air’s move to the region is expected to create at least 120 full-time jobs. The company lists 41 job openings on its website – all located at CVG. Southern Air notified Connecticut labor officials that it will lay off 120 people in March, the Register reported. McHugh said in the email some employees would be offered jobs in Cincinnati.

Full article via cincinnati.com.

With the acquisition of Marietta, Georgia-based Logmatix, ID Technology expands its capabilities for serving customers throughout the Southeastern United States. Founded in 1983, Logmatix has earned its reputation by manufacturing high-quality short run digital labels, warehouse barcode labels, and custom labels and tags, as well as by providing knowledgeable, responsive customer service. Logmatix’s strength in the Southeast complements ID Technology’s existing operations in other regions of the United States.

Read more via promachinc.com

Full Article via Frost Brown Todd

But with the official release of the analytics dashboard BzzAgent Pulse by dunnhumbyUSA, the strategy becomes a little clearer. The system, built on data combined from the two companies, slices and dices sales impact of buzz-marketing programs among the million registered BzzAgents in just about every imaginable way, in addition to providing detailed analysis of sales impact from BzzAgent or other marketing efforts.

“The tool is brilliant,” said Oliver Bradley, eCommerce innovation and shopper insights manager for Unilever, who’s spent the past six months with Dunnhumby working on refining Pulse. “I’ve seen a lot of dashboards in my time. I think BzzAgent Pulse is the best.”

FULL ARTICLE

Article by Jack Neff, AdAge

They made the cut because of several programs and opportunites they have for their employees. Some of these include their “Party Planning Committee,” a “Treat Yourself” allowance, extra vacation time and the annual “Skills Development Course.”

See the whole list and learn more about the dunnhumby programs at CNNMoney.com.

Terms were not disclosed.

The two privately held companies employ about 130 people locally in additive manufacturing, an automated process for creating rapid prototypes and end-use production components.

Full Article
Cincinnati Enquirer

With 100 employees and six partners, Grant Thornton‘s Cincinnati office is one of 56 regional offices of the firm. Manufacturing, consumer and business services, health care, the hospitality industry, not-for-profits and technology companies dominate the Cincinnati client list.

Among the Cincinnati office’s public company clients are Walnut Hills-based Frisch’s Restaurants Inc. and Meridian Bioscience Inc. in Newtown. But at least 60 percent of the Cincinnati office’s clients are privately held businesses.

In that respect, Grant Thornton’s Cincinnati client base looks a lot like the Cincinnati economy overall.

“Cincinnati sometimes gets a bad rap, but people want to own companies that operate here. They’re predictable,” says Taylor. “They have stable cash flow. Equity firms like the culture here and they like the people.”

Full Article
Mike Boyer, Cincy Magazine

It’s central to dunnhumby’s mission of personalizing customer relationships with its big retail and consumer brand clients such as Kroger Co., Macy’s and Procter & Gamble Co.

It’s vital to fostering a workplace culture for dunnhumbyUSA’s employees that has earned it recognition as one of Fortune Magazine’s “Great Places to Work.”

And it’s critical to the City of Cincinnati, which is turning over a prime piece of downtown real estate at Fifth and Race streets for the company’s new headquarters.

“Look at us, we’re a small company, and we’ve been treated incredibly well by the city,” says Aitken, 41.

In just 10 years since dunnhumbyUSA was formed as joint venture of the Kroger and London-based dunnhumby Ltd., employment has grown from just three employees to 600. It’s one of Cincinnati’s fastest growing companies, adding 10 employees a month, and it has become a showpiece as the type of cutting-edge consumer brand and marketing companies city and state officials want to attract.

Full Article
Mike Boyer, Cincy Magazine

The players are still the same in Washington
After the dust settled on Nov. 6, President Obama was reelected, the Democrats held onto a comfortable (but not filibuster-proof) edge in the Senate and the Republicans maintained their solid majority in the House. On the one hand, this continuation of the current balance of power in Washington may portend additional legislative gridlock. On the other hand, it may make lawmakers more willing to reach a tax and debt-relief deal before the end of the year rather than wait until after inauguration day next January.

What are the possibilities?
If Congress fails to act, the following tax law changes will take effect in 2013:
•    The Bush-era tax cuts will expire, resulting in a top individual income tax rate of 39.6% and rate increases across the tax brackets.
•    The top rate that applies to most types of long-term capital gains will increase from 15% to 20%.
•    Qualified dividends will once again be taxed at ordinary income rates rather than long-term capital gains rates.
•    Higher-income taxpayers will be subject to increased Medicare taxes, including a new 3.8% tax on capital gains, dividends and other investment income.
•    Marriage penalty relief will expire, increasing taxes for many married couples.
•    The current gift and estate tax regime — which includes a $5.12 million exemption and a 35% tax rate — will revert to its pre-2001 tax law levels of $1 million and 55% (top rate), respectively.
•    The itemized deduction and personal exemption phaseouts for higher-income taxpayers will be reinstated.
•    The reduced 4.2% rate on the employee share of Social Security taxes will revert to its previous rate of 6.2%.

Click to read more from  Clark Schaefer Hackett.

Catherine Faré
Executive Assistant to the President

Catherine Faré arrived in Cincinnati in 1999 to become the Executive Assistant to the President of CFM, which is a joint venture between Snecma in France and General Electric Aviation (GE) in the United States. Since her arrival, she has been involved in a number of initiatives that have helped shape the relationships between France and Cincinnati.  Catherine Faré’s strategic position at CFM has been key in keeping the level of engagement of this world-class company with FABA as each President’s term is 3-4 years.  Thanks to Catherine, not only FABA and its mission to grow French-American business relations continues to have the full support of CFM in our region, but also French art and culture as demonstrated by CFM’s sponsorship of the Monet exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum this year and CFM’s regular support of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

In addition, Faré also serves as the Human Resources Representative for Snecma in Cincinnati, helping expatriates make a smooth transition as they relocate from France to Cincinnati. “Not only am I an expatriate, but I have lived in Cincinnati for over ten years,” says Faré. “I understand the challenges associated with relocating an entire family to an unfamiliar location”. Her auxiliary role at Snecma is crucial to the success of a given relocation, as comfort and initial familiarity are directly correlated with the family’s happiness.

As a member of the Alliance Française in Cincinnati, Faré was involved in the decision to create the French American Trade Council (FATC) in 2000 which then became the French-American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) in 2002, and then was expanded to include Europe, and subsequently, other Cincinnati companies with diverse international backgrounds. This expansion led to the creation of the European-American Chamber of Commerce (EACC) in 2007. Once the EACC was born, Faré helped to transition the FACC into the French-American Business Alliance (FABA), which is one of the key pillars of the EACC that maintains a high level of success.

Faré has been an active officer on the board of FABA since its creation, supplying valuable ideas for development and connections to a diverse group of French companies. “Cincinnati has a long history of business exchanges with both France, and by extension, Europe,” says Faré. “The EACC is a fantastic support system for European companies, providing relocation expertise and business connections”.

In conjunction with the EACC, FABA will host its annual Gala, which includes the premiere of the 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau wine and a buffet of traditional French delicacies. Please click here to register.

CFM’s Background:

• CFM is a joint venture between Snecma in France and General Electric Aviation in the United States
• Snecma designs and builds engines for commercial and military aircraft, either alone or in partnership
• GE Aviation is a division of General Electric Company, which is a world-leading producer of commercial and military jet engines and components as well as integrated digital, electric power and mechanical systems for aircraft

Roza Vilner, US Central Product Manager
Rotarex NA

Rotarex NA announced that Roza Vilner was appointed Central US Product Manager. Vilner is a distinguished veteran of the specialty gas industry with a deep knowledge of gas supply equipment.
Vilner stated: “I am very excited to be part of this dynamic organization—a World of Gas Control Solutions. An X-ray image of any Rotarex gas supply item reminds me of the blend of art and science found in Leonardo da Vinci’s Renaissance-era drawings.”

Miami University’s entrepreneurship program ranks 16th in the nation, according to Entrepreneur magazine and the Princeton Review, which surveys nearly 2,000 schools.

Read more via the Dayton Business Journal.

The company said the hiring fair is a direct result of the $47 million DHL expansion investment at CVG that DHL announced in the spring. The 193,000 square foot addition is scheduled to be completed in early November.

With this current expansion, DHL Express will have invested $105 million in its CVG hub since establishing its U.S. international hub at the Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky airport in 2009. Staffing has also grown, from 1,600 in late 2009 to approximately 2,000 currently. It is scheduled to expand to nearly 2,300 over the next four months.

Read more at wcpo.com.

In 2007, EuroStampa North America was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, expanding from company headquarters in Cuneo, Italy. An Italian converter opening-up shop in the heart of America where some of the nation’s best label converters reside sounds bold, and it is. To learn more about success of Eurostampa in the US….READ MORE.

As a part of University Cooperation, the EACC is pleased to announce an opportunity for a company operating in Cincinnati to participate in its Business Administration 681 – Doing Business in Germany class, Xavier University Finance Department. The business would benefit from a strategic planning process led by a Xavier University Finance Professor and staffed by MBA students. The process would help the participating business address financial problems inherent in operating or selling in Germany while providing valuable real life experience to the participating students.

There is no cost to the participating business except for the time expended with the class and in follow-up meetings.

The students will deliver a board room presentation concerning the issues upon their return from Germany as well as provide a formal document.

Interested businesses should contact Professor Tim Kruse, Xavier University Finance Department at kruset@xavier.edu for additional information. For more information, please click here.

Senior Vice President of Human Resources

As Senior Vice President of Human Resources at dunnhumbyUSA, Mary Sue Findley understands how important it is to maintain a consistent company culture. “At dunnhumby, our culture and values connect us across all locations. We believe that passion, collaboration, courage and curiosity are at the heart of all that we do including how we work together and the value that we add to our clients,” says Findley. For dunnhumby employees, this global consistency is reinforced daily through the open work environment and democratic seating to the on-boarding and training programs.

A member of dunnhumbyUSA’s executive team, Findley concentrates on talent acquisition, leadership development and management, as well as succession planning. While those responsibilities are important, especially as the company continues to rapidly outpace their growth projections, she also focuses on creating a work environment that promotes community involvement and employee engagement with a concentration on work-life balance.

Through the years, Findley has noticed that Americans prefer a work schedule that begins and ends earlier than is customary for Europeans. dunnhumbyUSA embraces differences like these by creating new traditions or programs that blend both customs. For example, dunnhumby adopted a five-week annual vacation program in the U.S. – that is customary for European employees – but kept standard U.S. office hours.

Findley has discovered that relocating families from other countries or areas of the United States is made easier because Cincinnati sells itself through the city’s unique charm and history. New employees appreciate the good-natured residents, great education options and the low cost of living. Though Cincinnati might initially feel like a small city, it does not take long to discover the variety of restaurants, rich culture and national sports teams. According to Findley, it is not uncommon for employees to continue to reside in Cincinnati at the end of their assignment.

As a Human Resources practitioner and a native Cincinnatian, Findley has been able to fully utilize dunnhumby’s membership with the EACC. European employees are referred to the EACC in the hopes that they will form connections and make a smooth transition to work and life in the United States. With their diverse company culture, dunnhumby values the EACC as a true partner.

dunnhumbyUSA Background:

- Formed by a joint venture of London-based dunnhumby and The Kroger Co. in 2003 with U.S. headquarters in Cincinnati

- Employs more than 1,900 people in 30 offices in Europe, Asia and the Americas

- Since 2003, the company has grown rapidly in the U.S. with more than 620 employees today

- Serves a prestigious list of companies including The Kroger Co., Tesco, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kimberly-Clark, Macy’s, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble

- Includes the word of mouth marketing experts, BzzAgent, and price optimization company, KSS Retail