Dayton937

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Dayton Entrepreneurs

Battle Sight Tech gearing up to launch suite of new products

By

Nick Ripplinger

As Dayton startup Battle Sight Technologies approaches its second birthday, the company is preparing to launch a suite of new products to serve the warfighter, founder and president Nick Ripplinger said.

Battle Sight Technologies recently announced a new licensing deal with the Air Force Research Lab that would enable it to build out its suite of infrared spectrum tools using a new phosphor technology.

This phosphor works like the light in watch dials — it charges on any type of light, then emits in the infrared spectrum, Ripplinger explained. The charge lasts about 20 hours.

Battle Sight will be using this new material to spin out at least four new products for its military customers.

The first product will be phosphor-equipped badges, enabling friendly identification on the battlefield or in a training environment, Ripplinger said.

The phosphor tech can also be incorporated into a paint-like substance to use to mark tools to make it easier to identify items on a patrol or similar mission.

The tech can be used as a sort of backlight for information to allow soldiers to keep track of important frequencies or locations – think the reflective bands that quarterbacks use to keep info on plays on their person, Ripplinger described.

Also, in its powder form, the phosphor can be used to tag and track objects, he added.

Battle Sight Technologies is also developing a second product with the infrared capsules it uses in its CrayTac markers. The new product is an infrared sea dye marker that utilizes buoyant, chemiluminescent squares to float with a life raft to make it easier to find downed pilots and aircraft faster, Ripplinger explained.

The sea dye was developed in tandem with end-user feedback, Ripplinger said — military leaders came to the shop and brainstormed with the Battle Sight Team, which then won the first Air Force Pitch Day competition. The company was able to use the prize money to prototype the new product, which debuted at Tech Warrior in June.

“There’s no better feeling than when the warfighter is coming to us with a problem because they think we can fix it,” Ripplinger said. “We have the best customers in the world.”

Battle Sight’s new suite of phosphor tech products are expected to hit the market in Q1 of 2020.

As the product lines grow, Ripplinger hopes to grow the team as well. He’ll expects to hire four to six employees in year three, ranging from product managers to admins to brand managers.

Interested in working for this awesome veteran-owned Dayton startup? Check out battlesighttech.com for more info on the company.

Local Startup Ella Bella Shipping Internationally

By

Local startup Ella Bella Gluten-Free can now be found abroad!

The company landed its first international account last month, founder Mandy Groszko shared. She shipped one case each of her gluten-free flour, brownie, chocolate chip and sugar cookie mixes and two cases of her lactation cookie mix to a shop named Chisai-Bums in Okinawa, Japan.

“I am extremely excited, and just flabbergasted, that something I made and created is going halfway around the world,” Groszko said.

The Japanese shop is approximately 7,000 miles from Ella Bella’s home base in Fairborn, OH. Shipping was easier than anticipated — the presence of a US Air Force base at the destination allowed Groszko to use domestic pricing and domestic customs forms, all available on the USPS website, she said.

The Chisai-Bums store owner found Ella Bella through a closed Facebook group created for the community of mothers using cloth diapers for their new babes. The owner of a cloth diaper store in Fort Wayne that sells Ella Bella’s lactation cookie mixes posted a positive review of the cookies, along with a note about how she could sell them at a 100 percent markup.

The lactation cookie mix is the top retail product for Ella Bella, founded in 2012. Groszko launched the company when her daughter was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance.

“I wanted to be able to make a single chocolate chip cookie that she would eat and like and that my husband would eat and like,” she recalled.

She developed the lactation cookie mix two years ago after a conversation with her longtime friend Allison Hopkey Fullenkamp, owner of samozrejme, a Troy store featuring eco-friendly parenting products. The lactation cookie mix includes additional minerals and vitamins that help new moms produce milk.

Groszko sold the cookie mix at samozrejme for a year before she began marketing the product, she said.

Ella Bella is currently on shelves in 21 retail stores, primarily in the Dayton-Cincinnati-Columbus region. You can also find the mixes on shelves in California and Alaska — those shop owners also found Groszko through the post in the closed Facebook group before purchasing her products through FAIRE an online wholesale marketplace for retailers seeking unique goods for their stores.

“The dream is to get into a store in every state across the country,” she said. “I have a gluten-free product, the flour, that allows people to get back in the kitchen.”

The Ella Bella gluten-free flour is a one-to-one substitute for traditional flours, whether it’s in a roux, a fried breading or a baked good, Groszko said.

“You can cook your family recipes,” she said. “You can have that family connection, that communication, that love that happens in a kitchen, and then it’s good food to eat at the end, and those people who don’t have to be gluten-free also enjoy the food.”

Want to try the mixes for yourself? Order online or find a store near you!

Luminaries of Dayton: Jacob Stickle

By Leave a Comment

Jacob Stickle was born in Neckar-Thailfingen, Wurettemberg, Germany on February 26, 1825, son of John Jacob and Katerina Stickle.

Jacob helped his father on the family farm until he was old enough to be apprenticed to a butcher. He learned the trade of butchering and stayed in the business until he immigrated to the United States, landing in New Orleans on May 1, 1849. He arrived in Dayton on the first of June.

On his arrival Jacob started working for Adam Happle, a meat packer whose business was located on Valley Pike in Mad River Township. He worked for $7 a week and board. After two years Jacob had saved enough money to rent a butcher’s stand and later opened a stall in Harshmanville, on Yellow Springs Pike, which he attended for seventeen years.

In 1868, Jacob purchased the brewery of Sander and Stoppelman on Warren Street. When he started the business he decided to use only the best quality products, and to make his beer out of only barley, malt and hops.

In 1881, the City Brewery building burnt down. Jacob Stickle rebuilt and enlarged it at an expense of eight thousand dollars, building a three and a half story brick factory. The ice houses had a storage capacity of 2,000 tons and the beer cellars of 3,000 barrels. The first year the business made 4,000 barrels of beer and by 1882 the brewery was producing 7,000 barrels annually. The business required ten men and several teams for delivering the beer to local businesses.

Jacob married Barbara Drechsel on August 31, 1851 and they had two children. Jacob’s son, William, later helped his father run the brewery. In 1890, the business moved to 653 and 655 Warren Street. Jacob Stickle merged his brewery with The Dayton Breweries Company in 1904 and then sold out his part.

Jacob died on November 20, 1908 and is buried in Section 63 Lot 1126.

Luminaries of Dayton: Harold K. Omer

By

L to R: Harold Omer, Ray Danner and Lee Cummings. Danner was the owner of Shoney’s, which at the time owned the Famous Recipe franchise.

The founding of Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken.

Lee Cummings, the nephew of Colonel Harland Sanders, spent his childhood in the kitchen of his Henryville, Indiana home. Lee hit the road with his Uncle Harland in 1952, selling their own special blend of spices along with their famous pressure cookers, which later became part of KFC’s “secret Recipe”. In three years, Lee and the Colonel opened over 800 KFC stores. In 1962, the Colonel sold KFC to John Y. Brown.

After the sale of KFC, Lee Cummings started developing his recipe later to be known as “Famous Recipe.” In 1966, Lee along with Harold Omer started “Harold’s Take-Home” in Lima, Ohio where Lee first introduced Famous Recipe Chicken.

By 1967, Lee and Bob Burick in Springfield, Ohio opened the fifth franchise store. Later that year, stores followed in Dayton and Cincinnati as well as in Michigan.

In 1972, Famous Recipe had 100 stores and by 1979 the number had doubled to 200. In 1981, Lee Cummings sold the chain to Shoney’s Restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee and in 1995, it was sold to RTM Restaurant Group in Atlanta, Georgia.

Locally, there are two major franchisees in the Miami Valley that keep the tradition of Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken in the community.

Harold Omer was also a manager of aerospace engineering at Lima’s Westinghouse plant. Sometimes he would leave the office and go straight to his second job of frying chicken.

Harold K. Omer died in 1999. He is located in Section 100 of the Woodland Mausoleum.

Luminaries of Dayton: Frederick and Otto Euchenhofer

By 1 Comment

Frederick H. Euchenhofer was born in Switzerland about 1812 and came to American when twenty years old. For a few years he lived in one of the eastern states and then moved to Miamisburg in 1836. Frederick opened a bakery and confectionery store there, running a successful business until 1848, when he came to Dayton. He purchased the old Columbus House and ran it as a hotel until 1863.

In 1861, Frederick opened the Third Street Lager Beer Brewery on 1513 East Third Street. The brewery was made of brick, two stories high and had a cellar. In addition, there were three individual cellars, separate from the main building that were capable of storing 1,200 barrels. The brewery was bought by Miller and Ritzler in 1867, but Euchenhofer rebought the brewery five years later.

Frederick later changed the name of the brewery to Third Street Brewery about 1887. In 1888, over 3,500 barrels were being produced each year, most of them being consumed in the home. The annual trade for that year was in excess of $25,000.

Frederick was a charter member of, and a director in, the Teutonia Insurance Company of Dayton, which was one of the most successful financial institutions in the city. Fraternally, Frederick was an Odd Fellow and a member of the Harugari. The German Order of Harugari, sometimes called the Ancient Order of Harugari or by its German name, Der Deutsche Orden der Harugari, was a mutual benefit and cultural association of German Americans founded in New York City in 1847 that was at one time the largest German secret society in the United States. The objectives were mutual protection in a time of high German immigration and anti-German sentiment in the U.S., and preservation of German language and culture. The order forbade discussion of religion, politics, or social issues. The name Harugari comes from the old German word Haruc. It may be roughly translated as “The Teutonic spirit (or priest) of the oak tree.”

Frederick was a Lutheran and in politics a Republican. He was married twice. His only child from the first marriage, Albert, died in February, 1892. His second marriage was to Caroline Disher. They were married in Dayton and had ten children.

Frederick H. Euchenhofer died on February 3, 1891. Caroline died on November 22, 1938. They are located in Section 103 Lot 1619.

Otto Frederick Euchenhofer was born about 1857 in Dayton, Ohio. He belonged to the St. Luke’s German Lutheran Church. He was the father of four children.

Otto Euchenhofer took over the Third Street Brewery on 1513 East Third Street in 1892 and changed the name to Third Street Ale Brewery. Unfortunately, records show that the brewery slipped in business under Otto’s management. By 1895, the brewery’s yield was only 1,000 barrels, down from 4,000 in 1890. He sold the business to Henry B. Pruden and Peter J. Altherr in 1896.

Otto Frederick Euchenhofer died on May 20, 1912. He is located in Section 103 Lot 1619.

Luminaries of Dayton: Nathan M. Stanley

By

Dayton Daily News, March 18, 1942
Funeral For N. M. Stanley To Be Friday

Funeral services for Nathan Myer Stanley, 76, of 1719 Radcliff rd., founder of the Stanley Manufacturing Co., whose death occurred late Tuesday night, will be held at the Boyer mortuary, 609 Riverview av., at 10 a.m. Friday. Officiating at the services will be Dr. Phil Porter, rector of Christ Episcopal Church, and Dr. C. Lee Scott, minister of First Unitarian church. Friends may call at the mortuary after 4 p.m. Thursday.

Mr. Stanley had been ill for more than a year but his death was immediately due to a heart attack. At the time of his death he was chairman of the board of the Univis Lens Co. Mr. Stanley was active in the Dayton Philharmonic association, was a member of the First Unitarian church and of the Dayton Bicycle club and Dayton City club. He is survived by his wife, Minnie J. Stanley; two sons, George F. Stanley, president of the Stanley Manufacturing Co., and Myer Hewson Stanley, secretary-treasurer of the Univis Lens Co.; five granddaughters; one grandson and one sister, Mrs. Eve Weiner.

Born in Exeter, England, Mr. Stanley as a youth became connected with the optical business, which his family followed in Exeter. When he was 18 years old, Mr. Stanley went to Canada with a cousin, Barnet Laurence, who was a wholesale optician in Montreal. During his early years, Mr. Stanley traveled the United States as a representative of the Laurence Company. On a visit to Dayton, Mr. Stanley was convinced by John Breen, then proprietor of the railroad station restaurant, that Dayton had fine prospects as a city.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Stanley opened up an optical department in the H. D. Carnell drug store at Third and Main streets. He followed this venture by opening up more optical stores and eventually becoming engaged in the wholesale optical business. Experimenting with glues in order to paste metal letters on glass doors, Mr. Stanley discovered processes that resulted in the establishment of the Stanley Manufacturing Co.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley visited England during World War I and there Mr. Stanley learned of a new type of bifocal lens. He purchased the American rights for the lens. In 1926, he started the Univis Lens Co., located in one room in the Third National bank building. The Univis Lens Co. had a plant on the old McCook Field site. The company was recognized as one of the nation’s principle manufacturers of high-grade bifocal lenses. This company and the Stanley Manufacturing Co., both monuments to the creative energies of Mr. Stanley, at one time employed 600 workers.

Nathan M. Stanley died on March 17, 1942. He is located in Section 121 Lot 262.

Woodland Cemetery, founded in 1841, is one of the nation’s oldest rural garden cemeteries and a unique cultural, botanical and educational resource in the heart of Dayton, Ohio. Visit the cemetery and arboretum and take one of the many tours Woodland offers free of charge. Most of Dayton’s aviation heroes, inventors and business barons are buried at Woodland.

Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is located at 118 Woodland Avenue off of Brown Street near the University of Dayton Campus. The Woodland Office is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 12 pm. The Cemetery and Arboretum are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. The Mausoleum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information, call 937-228-3221 or visit the Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum website.

Cardboard Crowns Sets an Opening Date!

By

Cardboard Crowns LogoFor a few months now, the buzz around a new gaming cafe in Dayton has been building. Cardboard Crowns (147 N. Springboro Pike Dayton OH United States 45449) will be offering food, craft beer, and hundreds of games to be played. And we finally have an opening date! This grand new space near the Dayton Mall will be opening on November 6th for the public.

Before that, they will be doing a series of soft opening events for local charities as the space continues to come to life. Tickets for each of the events are $25 per person, with $20 going to the charity being supported. These events begin this Sunday, and will benefit:

In addition to the above events, from 10 AM on Saturday, November 4th to 10 AM on Sunday, November 5th Cardboard Crowns will be hosting the Extra Life Tabletop Marathon, with all proceeds from library fees benefitting Dayton Children’s Hospital. You can show your support for the Cardboard Crowns team here, or build your own team to compete for a great cause!

The space is coming along for Ben and his team, and they look forward to seeing many of their fellow Daytonians over the next week, learning new games with friends, enjoying delightful beers, and supporting local causes.

Cardboard Crowns Ben Adams

The owner, Ben Adams, cutting the sound panel fabric.

Cardboard Crowns Space

The space is starting to look like it is ready for gamers!

Cardboard Crowns Booths

The sound panels rising…

Cardboard Crowns Bar

The front bar, ready for thirsty patrons.

Cardboard Crowns Shelves

What gaming space would be complete without Kallax shelves?

 

Today is Last Day for Early Bird Pricing for SummitUp

By

The eigth edition of SummitUp is a full day marketing communications, public relations, and digital information conference being presented by a team of Dayton organizations: AAF-Dayton, Better Business Bureau, NMD, WIBN, PRSA and ARC Ohio. The conference is dedicated to exploring the integration of creativity, communication, and technology. It takes place on May 24, 2017, and will be held at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. The event features exceptional speakers, and the opportunity to meet and make friends with some of the brightest, most influential minds in modern business.

 

This year’s keynote speakers are:

  • Kendra Ramirez: “What’s Working/Not Working in Digital Today?”, A panel discussion of companies fighting the good fight. Learn from their mistakes and their wins with actionable takeaways.
  • Aquiles La Grave of Brandzooka: “WTF is Programmatic?”, How the largest advertising channel ever built by mankind actually works.
  • Eileen Varnson, Director of Native and Content Advertising Studio at Cox Media Group

This year’s breakout sesssion are:

  • “Remembering the “Why” in a Brand Launch”, a case study on the Dayton Children’s brand identiy presented by Grace Jones of Dayton Children’s, Drew Cronenwett and Cindy Schell of Graphica.
  • “Humor in Advertising: Why? When? How?”, presented by Chuck Gulas, Ph.D. rofessor of Marketing, Raj Soin College of Business, Wright State University.
  • “Talking Cyber: Cyber Security’s No Joke”, presented by Joe Coyle of WRGT/WKEF, Travis Greenwood of The Greentree Group, and Shawn Waldeman of Secure Cyber Defense.
  • “Taking Shape: The Mixed Reality Future,Virtual Reality marketing and special design considerations for VR/3D”, presented by Patrice Hall of Marxent.
  • “Why Video?” An exploration into the importance of using video to enhance your brand, presented by Kelly and Brian Mercer of Boom Crate Studios.
  • “Attribution Modeling”, presented by Mike Blackney, Vice President of Digital Media for The Ohlmann Group.  How is the ROI credited to a specific marketing channel when the marketing investment is distributed across many different marketing channels? Short-sighted attribution models have resulted in good marketing being deemed unsuccessful and vice versa. Proper attribution is at the core of creating a good marketing strategy.

Buy Your Ticket To SummitUp

  • You’ll want to reserve now as the Early Bird rate closes TODAY, seating is limited.
    • Early Bird prices are $139 for members of affiliated organizations (Members of AAF-Dayton, Better Business Bureau/WIBN, NMD, PRSA) and $179 for non-members.  Deadline for early bird prices is April 28th.
    • Effective Saturday, the price will become $179 for memebrs and $219 for non-members.  There will be additional price increases May 12 when our count is due.
    • Table of 8 Sponsorships are also available.

 

 

 

Something Old Dayton – An Interview With Owners Kyle + Mari

By

If you have an Instagram account and live in Dayton, I am fairly certain you’ve seen the awesomeness of this city’s newest startup, Something Old Dayton. Haven’t yet? Go follow them now @somethingolddayton. Now let me share a little about this couple who I fell in love with over plush vintage furniture and fabulous antique finds.

image-1Originally from Springfield, Virginia and Virginia Beach, Mari + Kyle met while attending college in Richmond. From Virginia, the couple moved to D.C. before making their final stop here in Dayton just two years ago. Kyle continues to work for the government as a computer engineer contractor, but his entrepreneurial spirit, Mari’s artistic eye and both of their love of vintage treasures would inevitably fuse to create something magical.

 

 

A year and a half ago, Mari was reading an article online about a company that offered vintage furniture rentals. Having a degree in Craft and Material studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, experience as a Visual Display intern at Anthropologie, a life-time’s worth of experience crafting and art-making, a love of vintage furniture and assisting behind-the scenes at the weddings of friends, Mari always wanted to find a way to use her skills professionally. It was after reading that article that she realized that maybe, just maybe, she could finally evolve a long-time hobby into a business. image-2

The Fosters, like many, have always dreamed of a “family business.” Something unique to them that would grow along with their family. When Mari shared the idea with Kyle, his logistical mind went into high gear, planning and moving forward. Mari laughed as she told me she immediately had regrets, being pregnant with their second child and in no position to start a business. It wasn’t until a spontaneous request to style a vow renewal reception that these two, on a complete whim, were to plan essentially a whole wedding in a week. Well, they did it. It was amazing and as Mari adorably said, “I dug it!” You would never know there were doubts when you see what they have created, and the community they are building around what they do. I dig it too, Mari.

In the infancy of their business, Mari and Kyle ran the operation out of their basement but with wedding and photographer clients growing rapidly the small vintage rental business quickly out grew their home. They looked for a while at spaces for storage, and though toured several nothing seemed to work with their style / brand and few were in their budget. It wasn’t until a call to the Davis Linden building that the pieces fell into place. It was perfect, and just like that Something Old Dayton had a new home on Linden Ave. An opportunity for a full photography studio with vintage furniture, antique treasures and Mari’s styling expertise, Something Old Dayton has quickly become a destination for photographers, wedding planners and Dayton’s biggest brands for commercial shoots and events. image-3

Like many business owners in Dayton, Kyle and Mari definitely know and value the importance of community and working together in this city. Their marketing efforts consist of a mix of cold calls and emails, but social media and engaging online with photographers, wedding planners, florists and more is really driving their business. They work hard to add unique and hard to find items to their inventory for their clients, whether by hunting for or making them from scratch, like their collection of handmade wooden farm tables.

As members of the Rising Tide Society and the Dayton Tuesdays Together group, both said it is key to have a support system of like minded business owners supporting each other. Creating connections and building long term relationships is a major part of their growth strategy as they continue to evolve their business. The Fosters are Linden Heights residents and LOVE Dayton. When I asked if they were here to stay both smiled and said, “Yes, this is home.” We talked candidly about Dayton, “I see a city on the rise, driven by artistic endeavors” said Mari. She talked about how much Dayton reminded her of Richmond and how creatives reshaped that city and the same is happening here. From giving purpose to old structures, to food and art culture Dayton continue to grow breathing new life into the region. So, it’s Dayton to stay. Dayton to stay.

I enjoyed our conversation so much, and as a client I have to say they are amazing to work with as well and I look forward to many more collaborations this and next year. As a self proclaimed “junker” I also had to ask where they find all of their amazing rentals. Mari graciously offered up her secret. “Craigslist, flea markets, estate sales, personal connections, FB Buy Sell Trade groups, Goodwill, pretty much anywhere and I’m always looking!” she laughed. If you’re a photographer, wedding planner, or company that wants to host a unique event in a creative and stylized space, check out Something Old Dayton. Curious about them? Attend their open house on September 30th to meet these two and tour their space. Also, be prepared for their two little cuties to be crawling around. It’s kind of a perk of working with them. Welcome to Dayton Kyle + Mari, I personally am super excited to watch your business and family grow!

 

Pop-Up Program Expands To Offer Office Space

By

pop upActivated Spaces, an initiative to fill downtown storefronts, is launching a new phase of the program called Pop-Up Office. Applications are being accepted for office businesses to open downtown this summmer. The project is mirrored after the successful Pop-Up Project, which traditionally has focused on matching retail and restaurant focused business owners with downtown property owners who have first floor space available for occupancy.

The Activated Spaces team is launching this new initiative to attract start-ups and other small businesses that will add energy and vibrancy to downtown office buildings. The project launched Catapult Creative as a pilot office tenant in 2014 to test out the viability of a pop-up office space. After seeing the success of this business, the team is excited to expand into a selection round strictly geared towards office space seekers.

“This is something we’ve been looking at for a couple years,” said Pop-Up Project leader, Elise Huelskamp. “As the project continued to be a success, we wanted to see what we could tackle next in order to grow and develop the program, and we felt we could apply it to the concept of short-term office space leasing.”

Attracted to competitive lease rates and the combination of authenticity, activatedwalkability, connectivity, and community only available in the center city, more and more entrepreneurs and small business owners are choosing a downtown address. Since 2010, more than 90 start-ups have launched in the downtown core and the number of small businesses is steadily growing. The Pop-up Office Project seeks to build on this momentum.

Unique to this phase of the program, the spaces will not be located on the first floor but rather an upper floor of a downtown building. The spaces will be clustered near each other, giving the business owners an opportunity to collaborate. Lease lengths will range from three to six months. The spaces may have varying lease rates, but will be leased below market value. The Downtown Dayton Partnership will connect businesses with commercial property owners. The Activated Spaces volunteers help make the space move-in ready and help promote the business. Selected businesses will negotiate leasing terms directly with the selected property owner, but flexibility for the tenant is a priority.

Interested office space seekers should fill out an application, which can be downloaded at www.activatedspaces.org, and email it to Jen Cadieux. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, July 17. Tenants will be selected the week of July 31, and must be able to operate in their space no later than the end of August.

The project will also continue a retail program, and plans to launch another call for retail applicants in the coming months for a fall opening. Activated Spaces volunteers hope to build on the success of the Pop-Up Project, which has launched shops such as Sew Dayton, Confetti, and most recently Twist Cupcakery. Since it was started, the project has launched 18 shops (13 of which are still open), filled over 16,000 square feet of previously vacant space and created 31 jobs.

The Pop-Up Project is driven by volunteers from the young professional organizations UpDayton and Generation Dayton with support from the Downtown Dayton Partnership, the City of Dayton, the City of Dayton Neighborhood Mini-Grant program, and community volunteers. Activated Spaces is part of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan, a strategic blueprint for the future of downtown.

Welcome to The Collaboratory!

By

The Collaboratory Logo

Cities are amazing things. Their growth during the 17th and 18th centuries helped lay the foundation for some of the largest leaps in thought in that era, and have continued to be a source of innovation ever since. A conversation in one of the booming coffee houses in 17th century London lead to the writing of Newton’s Principia; another chat lead to the creation of Lloyd’s of London, the world’s first insurance agency. The Industrial Revolution grew slowly within cities, drawing people in with opportunities for economic growth. The density of people in urban centers helped to spread ideas by developing a fertile environment for it. The more seeds of ideas that are planted in one area, the better the chances those thoughts will bump into each other and spawn completely new, innovative thoughts. The internet may have us more connected to more resources than ever before, but there is still something special about meeting people face to face. Adding a personality and a voice to all those interesting Facebook posts and LinkedIn updates. That is where The Collaboratory, a new place for people to connect, share, and develop, comes in.

The Collaboratory is located at Courthouse Square, the hub of downtown Dayton, and provides a space for everyone to use. There is a wealth of talent in this area, and we are seeing it grow in leaps and bounds. It is being developed in homes and small offices through the city, people working long days on labors of love. The Collaboratory is a space for people who are looking for more tools, a change of scenery, and more access to expert advice on building a business. It is for entrepreneurs who are just starting out and looking for help and for established businesses needing a place to work on larger projects. Being downtown encourages a wider group of people to come and utilize the space, attracting politicians, students, non-profit experts, and civic leaders to interact and develop new ideas to enhance the Miami Valley. It is within walking distance to many resources, like the Metro Branch of the Dayton Public Library, Sinclair Community College, and Boston Stoker. Physically, it offers one of the largest white boards in the Miami Valley, as well as internet access, public and individual tables, and the ability to be reserved for morning and evening meetings. All of this access costs just $5 and a mention on social media!

The Collaboratory pricing

Connect and collaborate for the cost of a few beers. What could be better?

This venture has been spearheaded by Peter Benkendorf, someone who has believed strongly in this community since he moved here in 2008. He is head of Involvement Advocacy, a group dedicated to encouraging collaborative efforts and creating support systems for those seeking to build a better Dayton. By developing spaces and events that bring people together, better known as Collaborative Infrastructure, Involvement Advocacy is looking to put our city on the map with St. Louis, New York, and Oakland as leaders in innovation. Spaces like this foster interaction with thinkers in diverse industries, ones that may not otherwise have a chance to sit down at a table together. This is where new concepts are developed, ones that can add a fresh sparkle to the Gem City.

Cities are engines for developing new ideas, and Dayton has the talent and imagination to make its own future. The Collaboratory wants to collect that imagination and turn it into businesses, actions, and inspiration to go out and connect with members of your community. There are many places in Dayton you can go outside of your office to get some work done. There are few where you have all of the resources you need to assemble something new. This space will be open on Monday, January 18th from 10 AM to 4 PM. We look forward to seeing and reporting about all of the phenomenal new ideas to come out of The Collaboratory! What will you be heading downtown to build?

Map the Plan for Your Business Idea!

By Leave a Comment

969528_165891800246768_1535312209_nJoin us for 2 valuable hours focusing on making your business a viable dream come true: Dive in with Kimberly Collett, Olive, an urban dive: Creating your business and financial plan. This class is for folks that have done their homework, flushed out their ideas, and are ready to put it on paper. It’s time to get serious about your business idea! Real regional insight, valuable tools and templates, a chance to ask questions and an opportunity for follow-up on your progress 6-8 weeks later. Ready to take the plunge into your first venture? Find out what it really takes. Get started on a solid foundation with the help of Kimberly Collett, entrepreneur and restaurateur, who will show you how to create a business plan and a detailed three year financial plan. Bring your laptop (if possible) and current plan if you have one, or any figures you’ve pulled together so far. Kimberly will provide a 3-year financial plan excel template and show you how to tweak it for your own business -a priceless tool that will bring your business plans to a boil! Attendees will be invited to a follow-up class to check progress and get feedback.

Class takeaways:

Realize the truth about planning and what it means in the real world.
Understand why you need a business plan AND a detailed financial plan.
Discuss possible funding for your idea.
Legal name searches and how to claim your domain name.
Customize a catch-all business plan template to your style and your idea.

Create a 3 year financial plan. A deep-dive exercise that shows what you’re in for, including:

Facts about legal licensing and fees.
Laws and taxes you are expected to know (without being told) and will be held accountable for.
The true cost of payroll.
Class includes 30 minutes of question and answer time. Limited Enrollment: 20

About Kimberly Collett:

“All the things I picked up in life came together in one little restaurant.”

Kimberly has a passion for building businesses. In 2011 she opened Olive, an urban dive, then her own construction company, Dayton Tradesource, and most recently broke ground on a collaboration project, The Barrel House. Olive is a locally sourced, Mediterranean/American restaurant offering foods inspired by Kimberly’s back-packing travels around Europe after high school (20 some years ago). Collett currently mentors for the Entrepreneurial Capstone Class at The University of Dayton, is a voting member on the Downtown Priority Board, and an Aileron Course for Presidents Alum. Synergy Incubators gives Kimberly an avenue to reach a classroom of budding entrepreneurs interested in learning how to turn ideas into brick-and-mortar businesses.