CBF Archives

CBF Archives

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CBF Archives episodes

  • 7. Conversation with Michael Stevens and Mayor Andrew Ginther about Smart Columbus/Smart City - Women Of Influence
    Columbus is in the national spotlight after winning the federal government's Smart City Challenge, bringing millions into the region to spur innovation in transportation and mobility. Mayor Andrew Ginther has said he wants private investment to boost the amount put into the effort to more than $1 billion. He has high hopes the overall Smart Columbus initiative can not only transform how residents get around the region, but also can provide a lift to low-income neighborhoods by providing greater access to quality jobs. Spearheading the effort for the city is Michael Stevens, a veteran economic development official who was hired in spring 2017 to be the city's chief innovation officer. Columbus Business First sat down with Ginther and Stevens for an update on where the Smart City/Smart Columbus initiative stands, what are its long-term goals, and how soon we can start seeing tangible results.
    47 min
  • Table of Experts #4: Datacenters - Women Of Influence

    Data center operators in Central Ohio can be excused for having their heads in the clouds these days.

    Cloud storage is front and center in their discussions with companies looking for the best solution to keep and protect the data that’s essential to the success of their enterprises. Cloud storage can be part of that along with colocation of servers, network management and disaster-recovery plans.

    “For the most part,’ says Cologix Inc. Chief Operating Officer Graham Williams, “we’re seeing customers looking for a hybrid solution where they own and manage some of their IT equipment and applications, while also leveraging a cloud provider and in most cases multiple cloud providers for other applications.”

    Williams joined fellow data-center executives Jason Harris and Phil Smith during a recent “Table of Experts” discussion at Columbus Business First. Harris is executive vice president at CeraNet Inc., and Smith serves as chief operating officer at Racksquared, a subsidiary of the Wasserstrom Co. All three companies provide data-center solutions to Columbus businesses and organizations.

    Columbus Business First Publisher Nick Fortine moderated the discussion.

    57 min
  • Table of Experts #3: College & Career Readiness - Women Of Influence

    Special advertising feature to Columbus Business First

    No longer exclusive of each other, Ohio’s career centers and traditional high schools are working together to prepare students for the next step along the educational pathway.

    That may be training for a career in a skilled trade or technology field, earning an industry credential or pursuing a degree at a community college or university, said Central Ohio educators during a recent “College and Career Readiness” panel discussion at Columbus Business First.

    They talked about myriad issues, including the importance of helping students develop the skills sought by business and industry, the high cost of college and need for public policies to better address the issues facing educators, students and their families.

    Serving on the panel were Columbus State Community College Superintendent of School and Community Partnerships Steve Dackin; Delaware Area Career Center Superintendent Mary Beth Freeman; Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools Business Partnership Coordinator Kelly Fuller; Tolles Career & Technical Center Superintendent Kim Wilson; and Tri-Rivers Career Center Superintendent Chuck Speelman.

    The discussion was moderated by Beth Probst, founder of At the Core, a Central Ohio firm that serves students as they prepare to make the decisions that surround their transition from high school to the future.

    1 hr 16 min
  • 6. Conversation with Rep. Pat Tiberi - Women Of Influence
    Rep. Pat Tiberi is joining with several colleagues on the bipartisan Investing in Opportunity Act, which aims to boost investment in struggling neighborhoods by providing tax advantages to those who put money into them, and by making it easier to pool money into investment funds targeting those areas.
    29 min
  • 5. Conversation about what community colleges can do for Ohio - Women Of Influence
    This week's podcast looks at Ohio's community colleges and what the institutions can do to help solve the state's work force challenges.
    We discuss with Ohio Association of Community Colleges CEO Jack Hershey some initiatives the state's two-year schools are undertaking in cooperation with the business community that's desperately seeking qualified workers. We talked about why traditional notions of college students (and college dropouts) are outdated, the value proposition offered by community colleges, apprenticeship programs, and competency-based degree programs.
    You'll also hear about the "Swiss cheese model" that cuts down on the number of remedial classes students have to take, "stackable credentials" to help students get certified for skills on their way to an associate's degree, and the "common law marriage" between community colleges and the state's high schools.
    34 min
  • 4. Conversation with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown - Women Of Influence
    For this week's podcast, we sat down with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown to get the Democrat's thoughts on a range of issues facing the state and a divide Congress in Washington, D.C. The discussion included proposals to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, whether JPMorgan Chase & Co. and other mega banks were too big to fail, whether for-profit colleges should face tighter regulation, efforts to rein in payday lenders and more. We also touched on speculation that Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton had Brown on her short list of candidates for vice president.
    34 min
  • Sen. Sherrod Brown on VP talk - Women Of Influence
    With Hillary Clinton close to wrapping up the Democratic nomination for president, speculation is turning to potential running mates. One name on her short list is said to be Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, both because of his progressive leanings and the help he'd bring in the ultimate swing state. Hear what Brown had to say about that in this podcast short.
    4 min
  • Table of Experts #2: Commercial Lending - Women Of Influence

    Business growth, expansion and development is in full swing in Central Ohio. And making sure their cash flow adequately keeps pace with their needs is a daily concern for many commercial and industrial companies.

    Seeing an opportunity to add to their growing commercial real estate business in Central Ohio, First Commonwealth Bank recently expanded its presence here, acquiring First Community Bank last year. The four branches will help service their existing commercial real estate clients, and focus on expanding offerings to commercial and industrial companies.

    Market President Jason Baker recently sat down with Columbus Business First to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing commercial business owners today, and what companies and bankers alike should look for in a mutually beneficial relationship.

    Joining Baker for Columbus Business First’s commercial and industrial lending roundtable were Valarry Frymoyer, Senior VP/Senior Treasury Management Officer, and Roger W. Hayes, Corporate Banker, both from First Commonwealth Bank. The following is an excerpt of their conversation, which was moderated by Columbus Business First Publisher Nick Fortine.

    42 min

About CBF Archives

From the publisher's feed

The lifetime archives of the Columbus Business First podcasts, featuring older episode series such as Newsmakers, Crisis Management, The Wrap, and News & Brews.