WestChesterBuzz.com

Liberty Township woman says that she is going to stay focused

Lisa Bernard-Kuhn reports:

Liz Rogers is still hoarse.

The executive chef and owner of newly opened Mahogany’s at The Banks has been calling out endless orders for hand-breaded catfish, fried green tomatoes, grits and smothered pork chops.

“At one point, we were on a three-hour wait for a table,” Rogers said Monday.

Since Mahogany’s launched a “soft” opening three weeks ago, Rogers has been pulling 15-hour days to work out the kinks and prep for a grand opening in mid-September.

When she’s not in the kitchen, she’s training her 40 employees, meeting with vendors and putting the finishing touches on her 130-seat restaurant.

The pressure to succeed is immense.

Mahogany’s is Cincinnati’s first upscale soul food restaurant.

But even before it opened, Rogers’ $984,000 financing deal from the city of Cincinnati also made Mahogany’s one of the region’s most talked-about new restaurants.

Details about Rogers’ past financial troubles stirred debate among City Council members and others about the propriety of giving her startup help.

Rogers and her husband, Trent, have since made good on back property taxes, and the couple has a payment plan in place to pay off $49,000 owed to the IRS.

Rogers has the next 10 years to pay back a city loan of $300,000, which she obtained by putting up $1.3 million in collateral, including her restaurant in Hamilton.

She received a separate $684,000 federal grant available to small business owners for projects like this. She used the grant to finish out her 3,200-square-foot space.

Rogers, 42, has said her financial issues were disclosed along with all relevant credit information during a yearlong negotiation with city leaders. It started with an invitation to come to The Banks by City Manager Milton Dohoney. (more…)

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: 20 professional women to watch in 2012, Liberty Township business news, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, the enquirer

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.

Photos: Woodland Elementary student surprised with bike- A Woodland Elementary School third grader was surprised when he was awarded a new bike last Wednesday morning after winning a poster contest promoting safety near schools. Woodland’s Blake Scherer was the only student from Southwest Ohio to win a bike in the Ohio Department of Transportation’s “Every Move You Make, Keep It Safe” school safety contest.

Mahogany’s troubles no secret – Cincinnati Enquirer’s Jane Prendergast took a deeper look last week on the controversial deal to give and loan nearly $1 million in city money to Mahogany’s owner Liz Rogers of Liberty Township, to open her restaurant at The Banks in Downtown Cincinnati.

Lakota students make video for Ohio Children’s Trust Fund – LakotaTV, a student-led television network, is looking to receive votes for its video produced for the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund 2012 video contest. As part of the contest, the OCTF will award $5,000 to four schools. According to Lakota East junior Matthew King, who is involved with LakotaTV, the winners will be scored in six categories. One category is public votes.

Lakota to have highest fees in region next school year – Cincinnati Enquirer’s Michael D. Clark shared the concerns of Lakota student athletes with the pay-to-play athletic fee. Next school year, Lakota’s $550 per sport fee will be the most expensive rate in Greater Cincinnati.

West Chester concert series – The 2012 Fifth Third West Chester summer concert series at Keehner Park is now underway way after Saturday night’s performance from BlueStone Ivory. The free Saturday concerts will take place at the Keehner Park amphitheatre from 7 to 9 p.m. The series ends Sept. 3 with a performance by the West Chester Symphony. The last concert will be the only one in the series to be performed on a Monday.

Lakota East student doesn’t give up on way to graduation – Unable to speak and forced to use a wheelchair, cerebral palsy has made Gregory Nelson’s life difficult, but it hasn’t damaged his personality and it didn’t prevent him from graduating with the rest of the Lakota East senior class on Sunday.

School’s out for summer – Lakota students wrapped up the 2011-2012 academic school year when they were released Thursday on early dismissal. Some students will be attending summer school, which takes place in two sessions from June 11-28 and from July 2-20. Morning classes will take place from 7 a.m. until 11:20 a.m., while afternoon classes will take place from noon until 4:20 p.m.

Military enlistees to graduate from Lakota West Sunday – A total of 23 military enlistees will graduate from Lakota West during commencement at Miami University’s Millett Hall at 1 p.m. Sunday. According to Lakota West principal Richard Hamilton, the high school typically has around 8-to-10 graduates enter the military every year.

Posted in: Board of Education, Business, Events, Levy news, News, Recreational events, Schools, Sports, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Blake Scherer, Gregory Nelson, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota East graduation, Lakota East Gregory Nelson, Lakota East Sports, Lakota elementary cuts, Lakota high school cuts, Lakota junior high cuts, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school levy, Lakota West, LakotaTV, Liberty Township business news, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, Matthew King, Ohio Children's Trust Fund, Ohio Children's Trust Fund 2012 video contest, Ohio Department of Transportation, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, Valerie Montgomery, West Chester Concert Series, Woodland Elementary, Woodland Elementary School

Cincinnati Enquirer Exclusive: Consultant suggested officials find someone else for Banks project

Jane Prendergast reports

Cincinnati’s city manager was looking for some diversity in restaurants for The Banks when he heard about a soul food restaurant in Hamilton, tried it and liked it.

The controversial deal to give and loan nearly $1 million in city money to Mahogany’s began just that simply with a meal and a conversation between the city’s top official and the restaurateur whose grits and peach cobbler had people lined up last weekend at her Taste of Cincinnati booth.

City Council voted in February to give owner Liz Rogers of Liberty Township $684,000 and loan her $300,000 to open the first African-American-owned business in the riverfront development. But questions surrounded the decision as details of Rogers’ tax arrearages and other financial problems made big news.

Those questions prompted The Enquirer, through a public records request, to ask the city for more explanation about how the deal came together. The city provided hundreds of pages of documents and emails, which show city officials did know the extent of Rogers’ financial issues – and reduced the size of the project because of them. Early on, a proposal called for Rogers to get $2 million for a much bigger space.

An email from Rogers to the city in October 2011 provides more explanation of her money problems. She said she was sued and prevailed, though not until after she spent a lot of money on legal fees. Her husband, Trent, was laid off from Ford, she wrote, and she had her identity stolen. They closed their advertising agency in June 2011, she wrote, to focus on their restaurant. The Enquirer named her a Woman to Watch in February.

“We are in the midst of getting our lives and credit/finances back on track,” Rogers wrote. “I hope that you have looked at our reports and have seen the good credit and the large purchases we have acquired over the years and have paid on time and in full. Please do not judge us by our unfortunate past credit history. It’s been a tough few years but I am positive we will be able to turn this around. The future looks very promising.” (more…)

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: 20 professional women to watch in 2012, Liberty Township business news, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, the enquirer

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. (Stories are listed in order of date)

Lakota schools’ budget ax falls – The Lakota school board approved just more than $10.5 million in budget cuts for next school year at its meeting last Monday. Overall the school district will cut 141 teaching, classroom specialist, school nurse and school staff positions, in addition to nine school and central office administrators, according to The Enquirer.

Kay Rogers pleads to keep her savings – Former Butler County Auditor Kay Rogers’s attorney asked a federal judge to intervene last Monday to stop federal prosecutors from following through with the garnishment of about $250,000 in retirement savings, according to The Enquirer. According to her attorney, without her savings she will be “unable to support her family” upon her release.

Parents worry about Lakota’s future – The Enquirer’s education reporter Michael D. Clark wrote a story about the parents and their concerns after the Lakota school board made roughly $10.5 in cuts last Monday.

Lakota freshman visits spring training as MLB.com writer – An exceptionally gifted writer from Lakota West Freshman School in West Chester visited spring training sites last week and interviewed dozens of baseball players for MLB.com.

Lakota East students make video to stop cyber bullying – Lakota East and Butler Tech digital media arts students are participating in The Great American NO BULL Challenge in order to fight and bring awareness to cyber bullying. The NO BULL Challenge is a video contest where teens create a two-to-five minute video on how to combat cyber bullying. The local students’ solution is simple – “Post Positive.”

Lakota West grad Matt Klinker retires from pro baseball – After bouncing between the Cincinnati Reds’ AAA and AA minor league teams for the past three seasons, West Chester native Matt Klinker has decided to retire from the game of baseball and is currently training to become a salesman for Pipe Products.

NoLakota spokesman booted after controversial blog post – A blog posted by Rich Hoffman, who up until last week was the spokesman for the anti-school tax levy group NoLakota, went viral and offended many community members. In the post, Hoffman was very descriptive on his opinion of Lakota mothers, who he referred to as “prostitutes.” After The Enquirer featured the post’s content in a separate article, Hoffman was banned from further association with NoLakota. Hoffman has since responded to The Enquirer article on his blog Overmanwarrior’s Wisdom.

Local businesswoman Liz Rogers in the news again – Liberty Township resident Liz Rogers was in and out of the news this past week after she surrendered to authorities on a warrant related to a debt. Later in the week, she would pay off the debt and criticized the media. Rogers’ financial situation has become newsworthy after the city of Cincinnati decided to give her and her husband nearly $1 million in funds to open a soul food restaurant at The Banks.

Lakota West community mourns the loss of a student -A Lakota West junior died and four other students were injured in an automobile crash Friday night. Ezekiel “Zeke” Stepaniak of Liberty Township was the junior who died. Lakota West sophomore Ashley Stacy, 16, was treated for serious injuries at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. According to the school district, her condition has improved. The school district is making counselors available this week at both Lakota West High School and Lakota West Freshman School.

Posted in: Board of Education, Crime, Levy news, News, Schools, Sports, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Ashley Stacy, Butler County Auditor, Butler County crime, Butler Tech, Cameron Winters, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Reds baseball, Cincinnati Reds spring training, crime, Cyber Bullying, cyber bullying Butler Tech, cyber bullying Lakota East, Dynus, Jim Smith, Kay Rogers, Lakota, Lakota athletic cuts, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota elementary cuts, Lakota high school cuts, Lakota junior high cuts, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota preschool, Lakota preschool cuts, Lakota preschool program, Lakota reductions, Lakota school levy, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West student death, Liberty Township business news, Liberty Township crime, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, Matt Klinker, Matt Klinker Cincinnati Reds, Matt Klinker retires, Meggie Zahneis, Nathan Phu, NO BULL Challenge video contest, No Lakota, No Lakota levy, NoLakota, NoLakota Levy, Rich Hoffman, Sandra Beckwith, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, The Great American NO BULL Challenge, u.s. district judge sandra beckwith, West Chester crime, Zeke Stepaniak

John Johnston reports

Liz Rogers, who has a deal with the city of Cincinnati to bring her Mahogany’s restaurant to The Banks, settled an old debt on Friday by forfeiting a $3,104 bond that was paid on her behalf.

A Butler County court in April 2010 ordered Rogers, of West Chester Township, to pay $3,000 plus 4 percent interest to Queen City Computer Press Inc. of Blue Ash. The company had done work for a business Rogers formerly owned, Brooklyn Spa Services in Forest Park.

On Tuesday, Rogers surrendered at the Butler County Jail on a warrant related to the debt. She was released after her husband, Trent Rogers, posted $3,104.22 bond on her behalf.

Before a scheduled hearing on Friday in Butler County Common Pleas Court, the parties agreed that the bond would be forfeited to Queen City Computer Press, and the case was dismissed. Rogers did not appear.

Bob Welch, Queen City Computer Press president, declined comment.

Rogers’ financial situation has drawn scrutiny because of her deal with the city of Cincinnati to open a Mahogany’s at The Banks, which would make her the first minority business owner at the riverfront development. Rogers also owns a Mahogany’s in Hamilton.

On Feb. 29, Cincinnati City Council approved a $300,000 loan for furniture and equipment and a $684,000 city grant to cover restaurant design and construction. Afterward, it was revealed that Rogers and her husband owe $49,000 in personal taxes. The couple paid off a $3,900 delinquent property tax bill before the deal with the city was approved.

Roger said in a statement earlier this week that all her financial issues, including the case involving Queen City Computer Press, were disclosed to the city while she pursued The Banks deal.

Posted in: Business, Crime, News |

Tags: Tags: 20 professional women to watch in 2012, Liberty Township business news, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, the enquirer

Janice Morse and Jane Prendergast report

The owner of Mahogany’s restaurant, whose financing deal with the city of Cincinnati has stirred controversy, said on Wednesday she feels picked on.

“It appears that I have become the subject of a heightened level of scrutiny and several unfavorable media reports pertaining to my business and my character,” said Liz Rogers of Liberty Township. “I am unclear as to why and would like to once again put these issues to rest.”

Sean Rugless, president of the African-American Chamber of Commerce, emailed her statement Wednesday.

Rogers’ $984,000 deal with the city to open a soul-food restaurant at The Banks generated controversy after revelations about her finances. She and her husband, Trent, recently made good on back property taxes, but the couple still owes the IRS about $49,000.

On Tuesday, Rogers turned herself in on a year-old warrant issued because she failed to show up in court regarding a debt that Queen City Computer Press Inc. is trying to collect from her.

Queen City had designed a website for her now-defunct Forest Park business, Brooklyn Spa & Salon. Rogers said the court case “stemmed from a dispute regarding the quality of services” provided.

But on Wednesday, Bob Welch, Queen City Computer Press president, said, “That would have meant she disputed it with me, which she did not.” No mention of such a dispute appears in court records.

Rogers asserted “there may be no merit to the case.” But a Hamilton County judge ruled she owes Welch’s company $3,000 plus interest. The case has been pending since 2009.

A hearing in the case is set for Friday in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Rogers said “these issues were disclosed along with all relevant credit information” during her a yearlong negotiation with Cincinnati leaders. She also said it’s all unrelated to her plans to open Mahogany’s at The Banks.

“Despite the events of the past couple of weeks, I remain excited about the possibility of bringing new jobs to the city of Cincinnati, as I have done in Hamilton,” said Rogers, who runs a Mahogany’s restaurant there.

Rogers was recently named one of The Enquirer’s “20 Women to Watch in 2012.”

Posted in: Business, Crime, News |

Tags: Tags: 20 professional women to watch in 2012, Liberty Township business news, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, the enquirer

Statement from Liz Rogers

Janice Morse and Jane Prendergast report:

A restaurateur, who recently obtained a deal worth up to almost $1 million in Cincinnati funds for a soul food eatery at The Banks, surrendered Tuesday to authorities on a warrant related to a debt.

Liz Rogers, of Liberty Township, went to the Butler County Jail around noon, officials said. She was released after her husband, Trent, posted $3,104.22 bond on her behalf; she has been ordered to appear in Butler County Common Pleas Court at 1 p.m. March 16 for a hearing in which a creditor is attempting to collect on a debt she was court-ordered to pay in 2010.

Rogers, 42, owns Mahogany’s restaurant in Butler County and plans to open a second location in downtown Cincinnati. City Council approved on Feb. 29 a grant and loan totaling $984,000. Rogers and her husband agreed to first invest their own $50,000 before the city money would kick in.

The financing stirred controversy after revelations about financial issues involving the Rogers couple, including that they owe $49,000 in personal taxes. They also owed $3,900 in property taxes but paid them days before the deal was approved. Rogers formerly worked at the Procter & Gamble Co. Her husband worked at the Ford Motor Co. for 12 years and earned an economics degree at Florida A&M University.

The warrant for Rogers’ arrest was issued in March 2011 by a Butler County judge after she failed to show up for December 2010 hearing on a $3,000 debt she owed to a Hamilton County business, court records show. (more…)

Posted in: Business, Crime, News |

Tags: Tags: 20 professional women to watch in 2012, Liberty Township business news, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, the enquirer

Janice Morse reports

The Hamilton restaurateur who recently obtained a deal worth up to almost $1 million in city funds for a soul food eatery at The Banks, surrendered to authorities on a warrant related to a debt.

Liz Rogers, of Liberty Township, went to the Butler County Jail around noon today, officials said.

A jailer didn’t know whether a lawyer or anyone else accompanied her.

Rogers owns Mahogany’s restaurant in Butler County and plans to open a second location downtown. City Council approved on Feb. 29 a grant and loan totaling $984,000. Rogers and her husband, Trent, agreed to first invest their own $50,000 before the city money would kick in.

The proposed financing stirred controversy after revelations about financial issues involving the Rogers, including that they owe $49,000 in personal taxes. They also owed property taxes but paid them days before the deal was approved.

It was unclear Monday whether city council members knew about the year-old arrest warrant before they voted to help Rogers financially.

In March 2011, a Butler County judge had issued a warrant for her arrest after she failed to show up for December 2010 a hearing on a $3,000 debt that Rogers owed to a Hamilton County business, court records show.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: 20 professional women to watch in 2012, Liberty Township business news, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, the enquirer

Information provided by The Cincinnati Enquirer:

Cincinnati City Council approved Wednesday, by way of a 6-to-3 vote, roughly $1 million in financing to help Liz and Trent Rogers of Liberty Township open Mahogany’s at the Banks.

Council members Chris Seelbach, Christopher Smitherman and Roxanne Qualls voted against the $300,000 loan and $684,000 city grant.

Hours before the vote, Sean Rugless, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce, pleaded with council to support the minority-owned business.

“Business owners Liz and Trent Rogers were invited to explore expanding their successful business from Hamilton, Ohio, into the city of Cincinnati,” Rugless wrote. “They have successfully followed the city’s process, provided an unusually high level of transparency on all business matters, and met a set of conditions to qualify for economic development incentives that brings job growth and minority business ownership to our most significant development project in the region, the Banks.

“In light of recent events that are working to derail this long awaited effort,” Rugless continued, “it should be known that we, and members of our business community, stand firm in our commitment to Liz, Trent and their team, and we pledge our continued support of their efforts.”

Some council members questioned the financing deal after learning that Mahogany’s owners, Liz and Trent Rogers, owe federal taxes in excess of $49,000, according to Butler County records.

Last Thursday, council postponed voting on the deal after learning that the Rogers had just paid off a $3,900 delinquent property tax bill one day earlier. (more…)

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: 20 professional women to watch in 2012, Liberty Township business news, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, the enquirer

Lisa Bernard-Kuhn reports

The owners of a restaurant that’s in line to receive nearly $1 million in City of Cincinnati financing to open at The Banks owe federal taxes in excess of $49,000, according to Butler County records.

Liz and Trent Rogers, who live in Liberty Township and own the Hamilton-based Mahogany’s Cafe and Grill, are working to pay off the debt, but the issue has led some Cincinnati City Council members to question the proposed financing deal.

Last Thursday, council postponed voting on the deal after learning that the Rogers had just paid off a $3,900 delinquent property tax bill one day earlier. The financing package would have provided Mahogany’s a $684,000 grant to cover design and construction costs for the 3,520-square-foot restaurant at The Banks, and a $300,000 loan for furniture, equipment and to establish a working capital fund for the restaurant.

City officials say they knew about the delinquent tax issues. In a memo to council, Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney said the city respects the personal information that the administration reviews for all of the projects it considers financing.

“The fact that not every detail of a person’s profile is committed to a report is not an attempt to be less than forthcoming,” Dohoney wrote. “Risk is always evaluated and at the end we make a professional determination whether to proceed. The principals we have interacted with in this deal have been completely transparent with the vetting process. Mrs. Rogers’ product, presentation and adaptability complement the offerings at The Banks.”

Dohoney’s memo notes that Trent Rogers is a 12-year employee of the Ford Motor Co. and a graduate of Florida A&M with a degree in economics. Liz Rogers, a Liberty Township resident, is president and executive chef at Mahogany’s. She recently was named one of The Enquirer’s 20 Professional Women to Watch in 2012. Liz Rogers could not be reached for comment Tuesday. (more…)

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: 20 professional women to watch in 2012, Liberty Township business news, liz rogers, Liz Rogers Liberty Township, mahogany's bar and grill, mahogany's bar and grill banks, the banks, the banks Cincinnati, the enquirer