CINCINNATI — July 12, 2024 —The Cincinnati Regional Chamber is pleased to announce the seven $5,000 grant recipients for year three of Storefronts to the Forefront, a unique partnership with Duke Energy and our newest partner The Huntington National Bank to promote increased visibility of small businesses in our region.
Storefronts to the Forefront is offering seven $5,000 grants to existing storefront businesses in Camp Washington, Harrison, Blue Ash and West Chester in Ohio and in Ft. Mitchell and Newport in Kentucky. Recipients will be able to use the funds for capital improvements, marketing support, expansion investments, or other growth-related efforts.
Here are the seven grant recipients:
- Peter Gregory Florist, Blue Ash, OH
- Ferrari Brothers Restaurant Group, Camp Washington, OH
- Market Street Grille, Harrison, OH
- Kiki the Barber, Oxford, OH
- The Cone, West Chester, OH
- Jet Age Records, Newport, KY
- Better Blend, Ft. Mitchell, KY
The Cincinnati Chamber will lead a robust marketing program to support storytelling in each district, and the four partner organizations will continue to provide support over the next year. The Cincinnati Chamber, Duke Energy, and The Huntington National Bank will co-promote one business district each month, highlighting the grant recipient in each neighborhood and entrepreneurship through Cincinnati Chamber publications, social media, email, and other outlets. In addition, one business per month will be featured on our Media Partner FOX 19’s Now in the Nati weekday lifestyle show. The first neighborhood to be featured will be Blue Ash, OH.
“Storefronts to the Forefront showcases how small businesses create economic growth and vibrancy in our neighborhoods,” said Brendon Cull, president, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. “Having companies like Duke Energy and The Huntington National Bank here in our region that are so willing to support the overall business landscape is part of what makes Cincinnati such a great place to start and grow a small business. We’re grateful for their partnership and proud to celebrate these seven businesses and their communities.”
“We started Storefronts to the Forefront in partnership with the Cincinnati Chamber to extend Duke Energy’s longstanding support of small businesses, and one of our primary goals was to connect neighborhood businesses to our region’s larger business ecosystem,” said Amy Spiller, president, Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky. “We’re proud to continue that successful partnership and are excited to have The Huntington National Bank’s support to further foster those connections and strengthen our region’s small business community.”
“At The Huntington National Bank, supporting small businesses is what we do,” said Steve Mullinger, Regional President of Southern Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana. “By partnering with Duke Energy and the Cincinnati Chamber on Storefronts to the Forefront, we want to both shine a light on this region’s long history of entrepreneurship and make it known that we are here to help – whether you’ve been in business for a century or are just getting started.”
For more information, visit www.storefrontstotheforefront.com
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About the Cincinnati Regional Chamber
The Cincinnati Regional Chamber is the premier business and civic organization dedicated to growing the vibrancy and economic prosperity of the Cincinnati region. To achieve its vision that Cincinnati is a growing, thriving region where everyone belongs, the Chamber seeks to grow our economy, grow our population, and grow our cultural vibrancy — with the foundation of a strong business community — to foster a welcoming environment for all. For more information, visit www.cincinnatichamber.com.
Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides electric service to 900,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service area, and natural gas service to 550,000 customers in a 2,650-square-mile service area, in Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.
Contact: Thomas Deere, Vice President Membership & Engagement, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, tdeere@cincinnatichamber.com
