WestChesterBuzz.com

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Karen Mantia
Lakota Local Enrollment: 17,409
State rating 2010-11: Excellent w/ Distinction
Salary: $165,000
(Retire-rehire)

Superintendents’ benefits are best in class- Denise Amos of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported last week that after Ohio cut nearly $2 billion from public-school budgets over the last two years, districts throughout the state cut hundreds of teaching jobs and froze teacher salaries. Many superintendents and treasurers also froze their salaries, sharing in the pain. However, many top school executives received perks in compensation packages that most other educators don’t receive and that many in private business don’t get.

Liberty Township fire rating upgraded – Sue Kiesewetter reported last week for The Cincinnati Enquirer that Liberty Township’s fire rating has been upgraded by two categories by the Insurance Services Office. Effective Oct. 1 the township will be rated at a fire protection class 4, up from the class 6 rating it now holds. The ratings are oftentimes a factor in the premium structure of many insurance providers.

Students file off their bus and into the Cincinnati Art Museum for a field trip, Oct. 2. Photo provided by The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Field trips might as well be ancient history- Michael D. Clark reported last week that no one saw it coming at the time, but when then-President George W. Bush came to Butler County in 2002 to sign the historic No Child Left Behind act, he also signed the death warrant for many school field trips.

Early voting has begun – Last Tuesday was the first day Ohioans could vote. In effort to help voters, Cincinnati.com has everything you need to know to help you vote – plus some cool fun stuff, too.

Lakota East junior Bobby Brown ran for 89 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in a 28-7 loss against Sycamore Oct. 5, 2012. Photo taken by Barb Trimble of TrimPhotoAndVideo.com.

Sycamore shuts down Lakota East in 28-7 win– Many in the region considered it to be the game of week, Lakota East however couldn’t beat out Greater Miami Conference opponent Sycamore – losing 28-7 Friday night.

Humana adding 200 jobs in West Chester, Springdale – Cliff Peale reported last week that Humana’s mail-order pharmacy service is hiring 200 new jobs in the region’s northern reaches. The pharmacist, pharmacy tech, inventor management and shipping jobs will be at the West Chester distribution center and Springdale offices of RightSource, which is operated by Humana.

Posted in: Board of Education, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: employment, hiring, humana, inventor management, jobs, Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, mail-order pharmacy, pharmacy tech, shipping, springdale, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia, West Chester

Cliff Peale reports:

Humana’s mail-order pharmacy service is hiring for 200 new jobs in the region’s northern reaches.

The pharmacist, pharmacy tech, inventor management and shipping jobs will be at the West Chester distribution center and Springdale offices of RightSource, which is operated by Humana.

By early next year, the hiring spree will bring Humana’s total work force here to about 2,200, nearly triple its local employee base in 2008.

For more information or to apply, visit www.humana.com/resources/about/careers.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: employment, hiring, humana, inventor management, jobs, mail-order pharmacy, pharmacy tech, shipping, springdale, West Chester

The Enquirer

Defense contractor BAE Systems is ending military production at its West Chester plant and will transfer the work to Sealy, Texas, by April. About 160 employees will lose their jobs as a result, beginning in November, the company said this morning.

All commercial armored vehicle, transparent armor and JLTV engineering work will continue in West Chester, BAE said.

“The decision to transition the military production work from our West Chester site to Sealy streamlines our organization, reduces cost and improves our competitive position,” Frank Pope, president of BAE Systems Inc.’s Land & Armaments Sector, said in a statement.

The company, which once employed 1,800, has been cutting positions over the past two years as it experienced a marked decrease in production volumes. Factors include the winding down of some long-standing programs, leaner defense budgets, and the recession.

BAE Systems acquired the military production business through its purchase of Armor Holdings Inc. in 2007.

The military production business produces armored cabs, turrets and armor parts supporting various armored military ground vehicles and construction equipment for the U.S. Armed Forces and original equipment manufacturers of military vehicles.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: BAE Systems, business, employment, frank pope, jobs, plant, sealy texas, West Chester

Damon Hamblin with Long-Stanton Group in West Chester makes a part used under gas stations to help protect ground water from contamination. Long-Stanton employs about 75 – 10 more than last year. / The Enquirer/Liz Dufour

Alexander Coolidge reports:

This is what happens when manufacturing regains its stride:

• Intelligrated in Mason hires 300 new workers to design and build conveyer systems, and Mazak in Elsmere hires 75 new workers to make industrial cutting machines.

• Total Quality Logistics in Union Township, Clermont County, adds 200 jobs to move truckloads of manufacturing supplies and finished products.

• The University of Cincinnati Clermont College gets a $250,000 grant to train 100 new workers in advanced manufacturing skills.

Manufacturing employment in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky hasn’t been this robust since December 2008 – before the recession whacked 13,300 jobs from the sector. Today, manufacturing is leading the jobs recovery in Ohio, Kentucky and the region.

Latest state data show that 114,700 people are employed in manufacturing in the 15-county region. That’s one of every nine workers directly employed at companies making everything from airplane parts to electrical connectors to specialty trailers.

Add in the ripple effect, and the local impact grows. Economists estimate that every new manufacturing job creates roughly two more in trucking, banking, sales and other businesses – all needed to support the manufacturing surge.

“The multiplier effect is huge – the input is so great and so diverse that it reaches other sectors,” says LaVaughn Henry, vice president of the Cincinnati branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. “Those dollars roll over because as the sector grows, it touches other parts of the economy.”

A combination of factors is driving manufacturing’s rebound: The rising cost of making goods overseas is sending American jobs back home. U.S. labor is less costly and more productive than ever. And the quality of American-made goods has never been higher.

But the need for more workers also is exposing a manufacturing talent gap. Technology is doing the stamping, bolt-tightening and assembly-line work that manufacturing workers used to do. Today, employers need workers who can tell the high-tech machinery exactly what to do.

Until more workers are trained in those skills, the recovery won’t be as strong as it could be.

“Doing the same, repetitive task over and over is on its way out,” says Dennis Ulrich, director of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College’s Workforce Development Center in Evendale. “There are still machine operators, but those require more skills.”

(more…)

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: business, chris cole, cincinnati state and technial community college, dennis ulrich, economy, intelligrated, jobs, labor, LaVaughn Henry, manufacturing, Mason, mazakm long-stanton manufacturing, multiplier effect, rebound, technology, West Chester

Southern-California based Jack in the Box will open its first Ohio location in West Chester Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and special giveaways.

The ribbon cutting will take place at 8:45 a.m., after which the fast-food chain will open its doors at 9. According Jack in the Box spokesman Brian Luscomb, a special giveaway is planned for the first 500 guests.

The West Chester location, 7425 Tylersville Road, is located off I-75 (off the Tylersville exit), in an old gas station lot that is directly next to a Long John Silver’s.

In addition to that location, Jack in the Box is planning to open its second restaurant in Cincinnati at 5234 Ridge Ave. in Pleasant Ridge across the street from Burlington Coat Factory, off I-71. That location is projected to open in mid-October.

According to Luscomb, the new restaurant in West Chester is staffed with more than 130 local residents and features a bright and inviting dining room, which can accommodate up to 52 guests inside and 15 guests on its patio. The restaurant will also feature 24/7 drive-thru and dining-room service.

For those who are not familiar with the hamburger chain based out of San Diego, it features a diverse menu.

“We feature hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, ice cream shakes and some of the core products that are typical of a fast-food hamburger restaurant,” Luscomb said. “But we also offer choices like teriyaki chicken bowls, chicken fajita pitas, salads, stuffed jalapenos, egg rolls – items that you don’t typically find or are not offered at major chains.”

Also unlike other fast-food chains, Jack in the Box offers its full menu, all day, so customers can order breakfast at night or a burger in the morning. The chain is also known for its inexpensive tacos, which are two for $1.

For more information about the fast food chain, visit www.jackinthebox.com.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: brian luscomb, brian luscomb Jack in the Box, cincinnati restaurant opening, jack in the box, Jack in the Box Cincinnati, Jack in the Box midwest, Jack in the Box Ohio, Jack in the Box West Chester, jobs, Kevin Molony, Mellow Mushroom, Mellow Mushroom West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester jobs, West Chester restaurant opening, West Chester restaurants

A spokesperson with Jack in the Box confirmed Thursday that its first Ohio location will open in West Chester on Monday, Sept. 17, at 9 a.m.

Brian Luscomb of Jack in the Box said the company has targeted Cincinnati and plans on adding more locations based on the belief that local consumers are already aware of the fast food chain.

“We have been very diligent expanding into new markets,” Luscomb said. “We want to make sure that it is the right market and that it has a high level of brand awareness where people know what Jack in Box is and what it is all about.”

The West Chester location, 7425 Tylersville Road, is located off I-75 (off the Tylersville exit), in an old gas station lot that is directly next to a Long John Silver’s.

In addition to that location, Jack in the Box is planning to open its second restaurant in Cincinnati at 5234 Ridge Ave. in Pleasant Ridge across the street from Burlington Coat Factory, off I-71, sometime in October.

Cincinnati is the latest market in the Midwest for Jack in the Box, which has 70 locations in the St. Louis area and opened a location this past January in Indianapolis.

For those who are not familiar, Jack in the Box is a hamburger chain based out of San Diego that features a diverse menu.

“We feature hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, ice cream shakes and some of the core products that are typical of a fast-food hamburger restaurant,” Luscomb said. “But we also offer choices like teriyaki chicken bowls, chicken fajita pitas, salads, stuffed jalapenos, egg rolls – items that you don’t typically find or are not offered at major chains.”

Also unlike other fast-food chains, Jack in the Box offers its full menu, all day, so customers can order breakfast at night or a burger in the morning. The chain is also known for its inexpensive tacos, which are two for $1.

For more information about the fast food chain, visit www.jackinthebox.com.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: brian luscomb, brian luscomb Jack in the Box, cincinnati restaurant opening, jack in the box, Jack in the Box Cincinnati, Jack in the Box midwest, Jack in the Box Ohio, Jack in the Box West Chester, jobs, Kevin Molony, Mellow Mushroom, Mellow Mushroom West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester jobs, West Chester restaurant opening, West Chester restaurants

Collin McCord moves a calzone to the oven during lunch hour at the Mellow Mushroom Pizza in Wilder, Ky. Photo taken by Will Velarde. The owner of the Wilder location confirmed that his West Chester location will open on Labor Day, Sept. 3, 2012.

In late July, the owner of the Mellow Mushroom in West Chester said that he was planning to open the restaurant on Labor Day. This week, Kevin Molony, who also owns the Mellow Mushroom in Wilder, Ky., confirmed that it will open as expected on Monday.

The Enquirer’s Shauna Steigerwald recently wrote about the new West Chester location on her “New in Town” blog on Cincinnati.com.

Like the Wilder location, the restaurant, 9238 Floer Drive (facing Union Center Blvd.) will serve handcrafted pizzas, hoagies, salads, calzones and appetizers, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and chidren’s options, plus a full bar, with 24 craft beers on draft, a rotating bottled beer selection, wine and cocktails.

The interior of the new Mellow Mushroom in West Chester will have a vintage amusement park theme. Photo provided.

All of the locations feature artwork; the West Chester restaurant will pay homage to vintage-era theme parks with its art: A streetside fair Ferris wheel sign, tie dye awnings, chasing LED-illuminated roller coaster artwork, a vending cart hostess stand, a pizza cutter toss carnival game, a claw retail display and Zoltar fortune teller with a glowing crystal ball.There are private party sun rooms, and there’s a seasonal covered patio. Trivia nights, family nights, beer tastings and special events will be offered.

The location of the Mellow Mushroom itself is in the former Rafferty’s at 9238 Floer Drive, which is off Union Centre Boulevard.

The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m Friday through Saturday.

For more information, go to www.mellowmushroom.com or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: jobs, Kevin Molony, Mellow Mushroom, Mellow Mushroom West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester jobs, West Chester restaurant opening, West Chester restaurants

Collin McCord moves a calzone to the oven during lunch hour at the Mellow Mushroom Pizza in Wilder, Ky. Photo taken by Will Velarde. The owner of the Wilder location expects his West Chester location to open on Labor Day, Sept. 3, 2012.

The Mellow Mushroom in West Chester, which is expected to open on Labor Day, Sept. 3, will have a job fair this Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.

The job fair will take place at the Cincinnati Marriott North, 6189 Mulhauser Road, in West Chester. During the event, the restaurant will be looking servers, cooks (prep cooks, dough tossers), bartenders, dishwashers and hostesses.

Overall, the business is looking to hire more than 100 employees.

Once hired, employees are scheduled to start training Aug. 22.

The location of the Mellow Mushroom is near the hotel on the other side of Union Centre Boulevard, in the former Rafferty’s location, 9238 Floer Drive.

For more information, go to www.mellowmushroom.com or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: jobs, Kevin Molony, Mellow Mushroom, Mellow Mushroom West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester jobs, West Chester restaurant opening, West Chester restaurants

Collin McCord moves a calzone to the oven during lunch hour at the Mellow Mushroom Pizza in Wilder, Ky. Photo taken by Will Velarde. The owner of the Wilder location expects his West Chester location to open on Labor Day, Sept. 3, 2012.

The owner of the Mellow Mushroom in West Chester said that his restaurant is looking to hire more than 100 employees and is targeting Labor Day, Sept. 3, as its opening date.

Kevin Molony, who also owns the Mellow Mushroom in Wilder, Ky., said on Tuesday that the restaurant will hold a job fair next week, Aug. 8-9, and then start training Aug. 22.

The job fair will be taking place at the Cincinnati Marriott North, 6189 Mulhauser Road, in West Chester from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. next Wednesday and Thursday. During the job fair, the restaurant will be looking servers, cooks (prep cooks, dough tossers), bartenders, dishwashers and hostesses.

The location of the Mellow Mushroom itself is in the former Rafferty’s at 9238 Floer Drive and Union Centre Boulevard.

Molony also said that the West Chester location is going to be “totally unique” and will feature an amusement park theme. The restaurant will feature a mushroom tree and ticket counter hostess stand, an arcade-type retail display, a $10,000 liquor display, a roller coaster car suspended from the ceiling, a lighted Zoltar art piece, the world’s largest marble and an open kitchen design where visitors can watch pizza dough being thrown.

Applications are available on the Mellow Mushroom website and can be scanned to mellowevents@zoomtown.com or mailed to 1014 Town Dr. Wilder, KY 41076.

For more information, go to www.mellowmushroom.com or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: jobs, Kevin Molony, Mellow Mushroom, Mellow Mushroom West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester jobs, West Chester restaurant opening, West Chester restaurants

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Jack in the Box looking to hire 200 local workers – A spokesperson with Jack in the Box announced last Wednesday that the company has hired its management teams for its soon-to-open Cincinnati area restaurants and is now focused on filling about 200 team member positions. The West Chester location, which is expected to open in mid-September, will be the first Jack in the Box restaurant to open in the state of Ohio.

Butler County tourism generates $900 million in 2011 – The Butler County Visitors Bureau (BCVB) cited a statewide study when it recently announced that the county’s tourism industry generated $900 million in sales for local businesses in 2011. The research study was organized by the Ohio Department of Development’s Office of Tourism Ohio and conducted by Longwoods International and Tourism Economics, according BCVB officials.

Voice of America Chorus recognized at World Choir Games – The Voice of America Chorus shared with WestChesterBuzz last week that it earned a Silver Certificate at the 2012 World Choir Games. The local group was honored for their performance in the open barbershop competition July 12.

Graeter’s to unveil second ‘mystery flavor’ Aug. 1 – Local Graeter’s stores will feature a new “mystery flavor” beginning next Wednesday, Aug. 1. The announcement will be made on the company’s Facebook page at 11 a.m. that day. Once the new flavor is announced, it will be available by the scoop and by the pint through September (or while supplies last) at Graeter’s ice cream store locations in Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton.

Video: Olympic wrestler talks about journey to Games – Former Lakota East and Princeton wrestler Khetag Pliev sat down for an interview this spring at his family’s West Chester home to talk about his unique journey to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. WestChesterBuzz posted the video interview for the first time last Friday.

AK Steel reports loss, suspends dividend – AK Steel on Tuesday reported a net loss of $724.2 million for the second quarter, or $6.55 a share, and announced that it will suspend its dividend, which it says will save $22 million a year. The results were impacted by a non-cash charge of $736 million for a valuation allowance for the company’s deferred tax assets, the company said.

Liberty Twp. tax budget shows few changes for 2013 – Liberty Township’s 2013 budget is going to look a lot like this year’s officials say, Sue Kiesewetter reported for The Cincinnati Enquirer last week. The budget shows a projected beginning balance Jan. 1 of $17.6 million. Revenues from property taxes are estimated at $8.3 million and from other sources at $11.4 million. Appropriations for 2013 are projected at $20.9 million, with an ending balance on Dec. 31 estimated at $16.6 million.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: jack in the box, Jack in the Box Cincinnati, Jack in the Box midwest, Jack in the Box Ohio, Jack in the Box West Chester, jobs, West Chester jobs, West Chester restaurant opening, West Chester restaurants