WestChesterBuzz.com

Photos from last year’s My Furry Valentine in West Chester

From the region’s largest pet adoption event to a winter farmers’ market, there is plenty to do in West Chester, Ohio, this weekend.

For things to do in Greater Cincinnati, visit Cincinnati.com’s new Things to Do page.

Below are some things to do close to home.

Friday

Armchair program – Residents of West Chester Township are invited to experience Scandinavia without ever leaving their hometown. The region will be discussed at this week’s Armchair session at Township Hall, 9113, Cincinnati-Dayton Road, at 7 p.m. Friday.

Craft for the Cure – Student groups at Lakota East High School are sponsoring crafting activities for people of all ages. All materials will be for sale at the event. Crafts will be inexpensive (50 cents to $10) and easy to create, according to the event’s flier. Proceeds benefit East’s Relay for Life. The event will take place after school from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday.

Lakota boys’ basketball – The regular season is winding down and both Lakota West and Lakota East will host conference opponents Friday at 7:30 p.m. Lakota West (13-6 overall, 7-5 in Greater Miami Conference) will host Fairfield (13-7 overall, 8-4 in GMC), while Lakota East (14-6 overall, 7-5 in GMC) will host Middletown (11-9 overall, 8-4 in GMC). Both East and West are a game out of first place in the GMC, which currently has three teams (Fairfield, Sycamore and Middletown) in a tie with conference records of 8-4.

Saturday

My Furry Valentine – Hundreds of adoptable pets from dozens of animal rescues and shelters throughout the Tri-State area will be brought together under one roof for the My Furry Valentine Super Adoption Event, Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at flexi USA located at 8494 Firebird Drive in West Chester, just four miles west of I-75 on the Union Centre Blvd. exit.

Winter farmers’ market – The weekly farmers’ market season is over, but the winter farmers’ market will be open this Saturday at the Square at Union Centre. This Saturday’s market will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Like in the summer, the winter farmers’ market also features all local vendors with produce and meats grown and raised locally and products made by hand.

Lakota girls’ basketball – Both Lakota West and Lakota East will finish the 2012-2013 regular season with road games Saturday at 2 p.m. Lakota West (18-3 overall, 11-3 in GMC) will visit Oak Hills (6-15 overall, 3-10 in GMC), while Lakota East (7-14 overall, 6-8 in GMC) will visit Fairfield (7-14 overall, 4-9 in GMC). Postseason play begins next week. East will play its first game next Saturday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. at Kings High School against Little Miami, while West won’t play until Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Harrison High School against the winner of the Walnut Hills and St. Ursula matchup, which will be played on Valentine’s Day (Thursday).

Bella Vino grand opening - To celebrate its recent grand opening, Bella Vino Wine Merchants and Bar will be hosting an event that will feature craft beer and wine specials, as well as live music. There will also be complimentary bites. The celebration will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday. The wine shop is located at 6064 West Chester Road.

Sunday

My Furry Valentine – Day 2 of the event. In its inaugural year, a total of 60 rescue shelters and eight animal advocacy groups participated in My Furry Valentine. Overall, 99 animals were adopted at the main event in West Chester and a total of 266 adoptions occurred throughout Greater Cincinnati. Those numbers are expected to grow with it being a two-day event in 2013.

Posted in: Events, News |

Tags: Tags: flexi, flexi West Chester, My Furry Valentine, My Furry Valentine Cincinnati, My Furry Valentine Northern Kentucky, My Furry Valentine West Chester, Pet Adoption Day, pet adoption West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos

My Furry Valentine is region’s largest animal adoption event

Photos from last year’s My Furry Valentine in West Chester

More than 3 million animals were euthanized last year at shelters nationwide.

This weekend, the region’s largest pet adoption event of the year hopes to do something about that number.

The second annual My Furry Valentine takes place Saturday and Sunday at 36 sites across Greater Cincinnati. The event is organized by Carolyn Evans, a board member for Cincinnati’s United Coalition for Animals.

“There are a lot of animals dying every year in our shelters (33,000 estimated) because there are not enough people who are adopting them,” Evans said. “It seems like an insurmountable problem at first glance, but, if we could just get people to think about adopting, then animals wouldn’t be dying in our shelters.”

In 2012, its inaugural year, the event found homes for 266 animals. This year’s event will be held at flexi USA, 8494 Firebird Drive. Representatives of 47 rescues and shelters will attend, with 481 animals available for adoption. Another 35 satellite locations, which include shelters, rescues and pet stores, will participate, with another 1,600 pets available.

Nathan Winograd is founder of the No Kill Advocacy Center in Oakland, Calif. He said Cincinnati historically puts down 70 percent of its shelter animals, largely due to the lack of awareness of adoptable pets.

“That (rate) is worse than the national average (50 percent), and it certainly doesn’t reflect well because people in Cincinnati care about animals,” Winograd said.

“Every year 23 1/2 million Americans bring a new pet into their home, but unfortunately the majority don’t adopt,” Winograd said. “About 17 million of those people don’t know where they are going to get their next animal. We just have to convince 20 percent to adopt to end the killing.”

The event not only saves lives, it changes them.

“I have always wanted to adopt a greyhound, but I live in a condo and didn’t think I could,” said Laura Blackwell, who attended last year’s event. “When I talked with the Homeward Bound Greyhound Association, they told me they make great apartment dogs.”

Blackwell, of Springboro, adopted Lina, a former racer. She loved Lina so much, she adopted another greyhound, Lilly, in May.

Since the event, Blackwell has adopted two dogs, become a foster parent for Homeward Bound and traveled with the group to save greyhounds in Birmingham, Ala.

IF YOU GO

What: My Furry Valentine

When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Flexi USA, 8494 Firebird Drive, West Chester, four miles west of Union Centre Boulevard exit from Interstate 75.

More: 35 satellite locations throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky will participate. For locations, go to www.myfurryvalentine.com/event-details/other-locations/

Locations and information: www.myfurryvalentine.com

Posted in: Business, Events, News |

Tags: Tags: flexi, flexi West Chester, My Furry Valentine, My Furry Valentine Cincinnati, My Furry Valentine Northern Kentucky, My Furry Valentine West Chester, Pet Adoption Day, pet adoption West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos

Fricker’s, a Dayton-based wing joint, officially opens its West Chester location today.

It is located at 7844 Kingland Drive off Tylersville Road.

Fricker’s menu features 13 different types of sauces for its chicken wings, chicken chunks and shrimp. The restaurant also features appetizers, salads, ribs, steak, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, quesadillas and wraps, as well as a kids’ menu and desserts.

The West Chester location is the chain’s 20th in Ohio. In Greater Cincinnati, it also has a location in North College Hill and Middletown.

Fricker’s offers the following weekly dine-in promotions at each of its restaurants – Monday, 40-cent boneless wings; Tuesday, 40-cent wings; Wednesday, $5 sirloin steak; and Thursday $5 chicken chunks.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday through Sunday, according to its website.

For more information about Fricker’s, visit www.frickers.com.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Fricker's, Fricker's Cincinnati, Fricker's West Chester, Liberty Township business news, Liberty Township restaurant opening, Liberty Township restaurants, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester restaurant opening, West Chester restaurants

Rich Franklin learned how to become a fighter, thanks to videos from Mixed Martial Arts bouts and a shed in a friend’s Harrison backyard.

That’s the way he trained before he had his first pro fight in 1999, when he was a math teacher at Oak Hills High School.

“At that time it was the wild, wild west of MMA,” Franklin said. “It wouldn’t be uncommon for me to go to an amateur show, fight someone who was 20 or 40 pounds heavier than me, have on unregulated gloves and without the appropriate medical staff.

“Fortunately the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) at that time moved towards sanctioning rules and it really brought the sport under a ruling system.”

After his first pro fight, Franklin, now 38, continued a UFC career that has earned him national recognition. In June 2005, Franklin won the UFC Middleweight Championship and defended the title twice before losing it to Anderson Silva in 2006.

“There was a point in my life when I would put my signature on a piece of paper and gave it to a kid and he wouldn’t want to take it home,” Franklin said of his days as a math teacher. “Now, I can put my signature on a piece of paper and a kid is willing to stand in line for a couple of hours for it.”

Not only has Franklin come a long way, so have his training methods.

Today, Franklin trains in his hometown of West Chester at the Jorge Gurgel Mixed Martial Arts Academy, which was established in 2001 and is home to 650 students.

“If you are interested in Mixed Martial Arts, it is tough to find a premier school with good instruction and the connection to Strikeforce, Bellator or UFC,’’ Franklin said. “Here we have the ability to do that. West Chester is a good focal point for guys who are looking to prep for the upper-level MMA competition.”

The local training facility is owned by Brazilian Jorge Gurgel, who fights professionally and leads the training of 25 other professional MMA fighters, including UFC stars Justin Edwards and Matt Brown.

One of his students, Wolfie Steel, 15, is the nation’s top-ranked grappler in his age group (15-17), according to nationallyranked.com. Wolfie and his father, Rod Steel, drive up from Lexington four or five times a week to train at Gurgel’s school.

“We drive two hours each way to train at JGMMA because Professor Gurgel and his coaching staff know exactly how to train champions,” Rob Steel said. “What they have done with Wolfie this past year is remarkable.”

Unlike Wolfie, most of Gurgel’s students come from the Buckeye State, which has more MMA fighters than any other state, according to the Ohio Athletic Commission.

Bernie Profato, executive director of the OAC, said there are more than 4,000 registered amateur and professional fighters in Ohio. New Jersey is second, with 1,800.

“We were one of the first in the country to set up amateur rules. That is how we got a jump on everybody,” Profato said. “A lot of people thought the sport was going to be a fad. They thought it would come and go, but it didn’t.”

For the past few years, Ohio has been second in the nation – behind California – for most MMA fighting events per year, Profato said.

“Rich Franklin and Jorge Gurgel were the cornerposts in Ohio and it built off of that,” Profato said.

Posted in: Business, News, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Cincinnati Rich Franklin, Jorge Gurgel, Jorge Gurgel Mixed Martial Arts Academy, Mixed Martial Arts Ohio, Rich Franklin, Rich Franklin MMA, Rich Franklin UFC, Rich Franklin West Chester, UFC Ohio, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester Rich Franklin

West Chester firm may see product on sideline Sunday

Bruce A. Read, president and COO of TSS Technologies and Dynavision International shows off the CoreControl Cooling Glove. Photo by Jeff Swinger.

John Faherty reports:

This Sunday, somewhere around 110 million people will sit down to watch the Super Bowl. Some will watch the game. Others will watch the commercials.

But the 250 employees of TSS Technologies in West Chester will watch in hopes that a TV camera will, at some point, focus on a San Francisco 49er wearing what looks like a funny oven mitt.

Don’t be fooled: The mitt, made and distributed by TSS, is scientifically engineered and designed to naturally cool athletes and others off quickly, allowing them to play better longer. If the nation sees the mitts in use on Sunday, it could provide a marketing bonanza for 60-year-old TSS.

“Oh yes, we will be watching the game very closely,” said Bruce Read, company president and chief operating officer. “We will be taping it and going over every frame.”

The CoreControl Cooling Glove mitts traveled a winding road to the Cincinnati suburbs. The idea began 10 years ago when two professors at Stanford University started wondering just how black bears manage to stay cool in the summer with all of that fur.

The two biologists, H. Craig Heller and Dennis Grahn, did a thermal scan of the animals and saw that their noses, feet and hands were always hot. That was how the heat was leaving their bodies. They figured humans were doing it the same way. And they were right. The CoreControl mitts just help the process work faster.

First, a brief lesson in mammalian thermoregulation. When a person begins to get hot, his or her body will work hard to cool it off. Blood will rush to the hands, feet and face in an effort to remove heat and bring the core temperature down. It happens through dilation of the arteriovenous anastomoses, which increases blood flow to the skin. The skin warms up, and that heat is then released into the environment and the body cools. It is why, when you are hot, your hands and feet get sweaty and your face gets red.

It is a beautiful system, and it works. A football player in the Super Bowl, however, would rather all this blood be used to feed muscles and promote circulation, not be working to cool the body down.

So the professors created a box with a battery-powered vacuum system attached to a mitt. Cool water is also circulating through the mitt to encourage the exchange of heat.

The Stanford professors believed in their product, but they were academics, not manufacturers or marketers. They needed help in production and sales. TSS Technologies and its subsidiary Dynavision heard about the product and offered to form a partnership with the professors. Now, TSS builds them; Dynavision does sales and marketing. The professors continue to tinker.

The San Francisco 49ers started using the mitts because of the team’s close relationship with Stanford. Coaches have coached at both places, trainers have trained at both places.

The team bought eight to 10 of the units. They use them during practices and games. They have brought them to the Super Bowl for Sunday’s game.

Dan Sellers, who does national sales and business development for TSS, said all athletes are now looking for a competitive advantage that will not mean a bad blood test. This is a performance enhancement through science, not chemistry, he said.

“Everybody likes the idea of getting faster and stronger without a needle,” Sellers said.

“We hear that a lot. This is all natural, no injections, nothing.”

Two NBA teams and the Stanford football team, of course, also use the devices.

Read said that kind of audience would be great at helping to move the product out of the sports arena and into public use. Each unit costs $895, and TSS is hoping to encourage weekend warriors, gardeners and golfers to buy them. He also sees possible uses by the military and firefighters.

Which is why everybody at TSS hopes the 49ers get spotted using them. A little time on TV would help a lot.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Bruce Read, CoreControl Cooling Glove mitts, TSS Technologies, TSS Technologies West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news

Large pet adoption event taking place throughout Greater Cincinnati

Photos from last year’s My Furry Valentine in West Chester

Hundreds of adoptable pets from dozens of animal rescues and shelters throughout the Tri-State area will be brought together under one roof for the My Furry Valentine Super Adoption Event, next Saturday, Feb. 9 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and next Sunday, Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at flexi USA located at 8494 Firebird Drive in West Chester, just four miles west of I-75 on the Union Centre Blvd. exit.

In its inaugural year, a total of 60 rescue shelters and eight animal advocacy groups participated in My Furry Valentine in 2012. Overall, 99 animals were adopted at the main event in West Chester and a total of 266 adoptions occurred throughout Greater Cincinnati.

In West Chester alone, approximately 1,700 visitors came out to the main event. In addition, more than $75,000 in gifts and prizes were awarded to adopters and visitors.

“We finalized our first adoption just minutes after the doors were opened. Groups were calling in reinforcements during the day to have volunteers bring additional animals when they realized they were going to run out,” said Carolyn Evans, event organizer. “Shelters that had doubled-up on kennel space for years went back to empty kennels that they had never experienced before.”

This year’s event features family friendly games and activities including face painting, a balloon artist, a caricature artist, Mr. Cowpie’s farm animal petting zoo and live entertainment.

Pet supplies and services from various vendors and sponsors will also be available.

Parking and admission are free. Pet adoption fees and applications vary.

For those who are unable to attend the Super Adoption Event at flexi USA on February 9 and February 10, various rescues and shelters throughout the region will be hosting adoption events in collaboration with My Furry Valentine. For a list of the participating shelters, please visit www.myfurryvalentine.com.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Event Organizer, Carolyn Evans, at myfurryvalentine@gmail.com.

Posted in: Business, Events, News |

Tags: Tags: flexi, flexi West Chester, My Furry Valentine, My Furry Valentine Cincinnati, My Furry Valentine Northern Kentucky, My Furry Valentine West Chester, Pet Adoption Day, pet adoption West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos

Shauna Steigerwald of The Enquirer’s New in Town blog:

Bella Vino Wine Merchants & Bar, a wine shop and wine bar in Springboro, opened a second location in West Chester last week.

Bella Vino Wine Merchant and Bar is open in West Chester. Photo provided.

Bella Vino purchased Little Sonoma Wine Shop and opened a few doors down at 6064 West Chester Road.

At the wine bar, customers can choose a bottle from the shop to uncork, or they can partake in daily wine tastings, order from the weekly menu of wines by the glass or sip a craft beer. Pizzas, salads, appetizers and desserts are served. In the spring, they’ll open an outdoor patio.

As a wine shop, Bella Vino sells wines and custom gift baskets, and it offers a Wine of the Month Club and a private events room.

Bella Vino is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to midnight Friday through Saturday.

A grand opening celebration, with live music, special drink prices and samples from the menu, will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9.

For information, call 513-942-9463 or visit www.BellaVinoMerchants.com.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Bella Vino Wine Merchants & Bar, Bella Vino Wine Merchants & Bar West Chester, cincinnati restaurant opening, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester restaurant opening

Tropical Smoothie Cafe in West Chester has decided to put fish and chicken tacos on its menu.

“Tropical Smoothie Café is more than just smoothies – we’ve carefully developed a complete range of healthy food options with a variety of tastes and fresh ingredients,” said Jeff Glassmeyer owner of Tropical Smoothie Café in Dayton.

“Our new fish and chicken tacos tie in nicely with our already healthy halo, and we know our customers will love them.”

Tropical Smoothie Café’s tacos feature grilled fish and grilled chicken. They are also topped with a signature Caribbean salsa made up mango, pineapple, jicama, red peppers, jalapeño and cilantro. The flour tortillas are also filled with a chili lime cilantro spread and fresh romaine lettuce.

Along with the new tacos, Tropical Smoothie Café will be introducing a new Passion Fruit smoothie and offering guests a value combo deal during a three-month promotional period. The limited time offer ends March 31, 2013.

During the limited time offer, consumers can take advantage of the tacos with a special mix and match offer of two tacos – fish or chicken – for $4.99. In addition, Tropical Smoothie Café has created a special Taco Tuesday’s event through the end of March where customers can pick two tacos, a side and a soda for $5.99.

Tropical Smoothie Café, 7688 Voice of America Centre Drive, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The West Chester location has been open for five years and is the only one in Greater Cincinnati. There are six locations in the Dayton market.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: tropical smoothie cafe, Tropical Smoothie Café West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news

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.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, center, enters the House of Representatives chamber after surviving a roll call vote on Capitol Hill. Photo taken Jan. 3, 2013, by J. Scott Applewhite of the Associated Press.

John Boehner re-elected as Speaker of the House – Republican John Boehner was re-elected as Speaker of the House last week after a tense roll call vote in which a handful of GOP lawmakers voted for someone else. It was a far different scene that his first election to Speaker, when he received unanimous GOP support. It was also a clear signal of the rocky path forward for the West Chester Republican.

Rave Cinemas is selling its West Chester 18 movie theater to AMC Entertainment, which already operates cinemas in Hamilton and Newport. File photo.

AMC buys Rave Cinemas in West Chester – AMC Entertainment Inc., which owns movie theaters in Hamilton and Newport, is purchasing the Rave Cinemas in West Chester, a spokesman confirmed Friday. The theater, officially called West Chester 18, is located just off Interstate 75 at The Streets of West Chester (Union Center Boulevard exit). It will continue to be run by Rave Cinemas LLC until Jan. 17.

What was the biggest West Chester story in 2012? – WestChesterBuzz.com counted down the area’s top 12 stories of 2012 in December and posted the list last Monday, Dec. 31. What do you think should have been the top local story of the year?

Wallet stolen from Bob Evans in West Chester – Crime Stoppers released information last Wednesday that a victim had their wallet stolen from Bob Evans on Dudley Drive in West Chester on Dec. 22. The victim’s credit cards were later used at Home Depot, Walgreens and Walmart to purchase gift cards.

2010 Lakota West graduate Jordan Hicks was one of the two Texas football players who were suspended recently. His attorney says a sexual assault allegation against his client is “completely false.” Photo taken by UT Athletics Photography.

Jordan Hicks’ attorney: No sexual assault occurred – An attorney representing one of the two Texas football players suspended before the Alamo Bowl says a sexual assault allegation against his client is “completely false.” Perry Minton said in a written statement that linebacker Jordan Hicks (Lakota West graduate) “vehemently asserts” the conduct under investigation by San Antonio police was “consensual by everyone involved.”

Menchie’s sponsors food drive for Reach Out Lakota
 – Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt is sponsoring a food drive to benefit Reach Out Lakota this month, the charity announced last week. Customers can bring in food items, Jan. 7-20, which will be donated to Reach Out Lakota to help stock their food pantry during the winter months.

Liberty Township adopts 2013 budget – Declining federal and state dollars won’t deter Liberty Township officials from balancing their budget this year, Sue Kiesewetter reported last week for The Cincinnati Enquirer. With revenues estimated at $19.7 million and expenses projected at $19.8 million, officials are confident that through careful spending they won’t have to dip into reserves to balance this year’s budget.

Kentucky offers Lakota West running back Mikel Horton – Lakota West junior Mikel Horton received an offer from Kentucky on Friday, according to his high school head coach Larry Cox. Horton, who rushed for 1,003 yards and 13 touchdowns on 202 carries this past fall, also has an offer from Indiana.

Lakota East rallies late to defuse Rockets – Lakota East freshman Sam Rodgers led the Thunderhawks on a remarkable comeback to defeat McNicholas 57-53 last Thursday. Lakota East trailed 39-25 with just more than eight minutes to play before sending the game into overtime and eventually prevailing.

Posted in: Business, Crime, Fall sports, Government, News, Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: AMC Entertainment, AMC movie theater West Chester, AMC Theatres, AMC Theatres West Chester, John Boehner, John Boehner Cincinnati, John Boehner fiscal cliff, John Boehner West Chester, Jordan Hicks, Jordan Hicks football, Jordan Hicks Lakota West, Jordan Hicks linebacker, Jordan Hicks NFL, Jordan Hicks sexual assault, Jordan Hicks Texas, Jordan Hicks Texas Longhorns, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Rave Cinemas, Rave Cinemas West Chester, Rave Cinemas West Chester 18, Rave Motion Pictures, Rave Motion Pictures West Chester, Rave West Chester 18, Sam Rodgers, Sam Rodgers Lakota East, Texas college football, Texas Longhorns, West Chester business, West Chester business news

AMC Entertainment Inc., which owns movie theaters in Hamilton and Newport, is purchasing the Rave Cinemas in West Chester, a spokesman confirmed Friday.

Rave Cinemas is selling its West Chester 18 movie theater to AMC Entertainment, which already operates cinemas in Hamilton and Newport. File photo.

The theater, officially called West Chester 18, is located just off Interstate 75 at The Streets of West Chester (Union Center Boulevard exit). It will continue to be run by Rave Cinemas LLC until Jan. 17.

“West Chester 18 is a newer, all-digital theater, with strong visibility and a good location,” AMC spokesman Ryan Noonan said. “We’re excited about not only the theater itself, but also the future growth of the I-75 corridor.”

Noonan, who declined to disclose the purchase price, said that the West Chester theater will accept Rave gift cards until July 1. He also said customers will be allowed to have their Rave gift cards changed over to AMC gift cards.

The only change customers can expect right away is the AMC rewards program.

“We plan to implement our rewards program, AMC Stubs, the day we take over operations,” Noonan said. “We think guests are going to really enjoy the benefits – such as $10 back for every $100 they spend and free upgrades on popcorn and fountain drinks.”

Cost of membership to the program, which also includes no-fee online ticket purchases, is $12 per year.

Noonan said AMC is retaining the staff at the West Chester location and is not anticipating any significant changes in staffing levels. More than 70 people are employed at the theater.

Noonan said AMC has purchased 10 Rave movie complexes in the past few months. He said the company has no plans to purchase additional theaters in the region.

As of last September, AMC Entertainment Inc., based in Kansas City, Mo., had interests in 332 theaters with 4,804 screens across the United States. The company serves 200 million moviegoers each year.

Rave Cinemas LLC, based in Dallas, owns or manages 45 theaters and 753 screens in 18 states. In 2009, Rave purchased 29 theaters from National Amusements, including four in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky (Western Hills, Kings Island, Milford and Florence), giving Rave control of 65 theaters in 20 states at that time.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: AMC Entertainment, AMC movie theater West Chester, AMC Theatres, AMC Theatres West Chester, Rave Cinemas, Rave Cinemas West Chester, Rave Cinemas West Chester 18, Rave Motion Pictures, Rave Motion Pictures West Chester, Rave West Chester 18, West Chester business, West Chester business news