Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

Dani Watkins is the Program Director at Citylink in downtown Cincinnati. After teaching and being in the education sector, Dani worked with Strive for 5 years, and is now with Citylink. On this episode of "Unfinished Business," Dani talks about what Citylink does for our community with its double digit growth year after year. She also speaks about an exciting program to grow the culinary talent in the City. Dani is the one to thank for DANGER WHEEL in Pendleton! Take a listen as she has had such an impact on the City of Cincinnati and growing the community!

"I hope we come to a point where we aren't needed anymore--ending poverty!"

"People are starting to realize that we're not wired to do things alone, but wired to do things as a community. It's a more impactful way to come together--it's a big deal."

"Don't stay focused on one thing too long, you'll miss any opportunity that is directly in front of you"

Mr. Ginsburg served as President and CEO of DCI, Downtown Cincinnati, Inc. from 2002-2017. Prior to DCI, Mr. Ginsburg spent more than 23 years in the retail industry. He began his career with Marshall Field’s in Chicago, holding a variety of management positions. He moved to Cincinnati in 1987 to take a position with U.S. Shoe Corp., serving as director of independent concept programs. Mr. Ginsburg serves on the board of directors of Forward Cities, Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, Cincinnati Arts Association, REDI Cincinnati and OKI Regional Council of Governments. He is on the advisory board of Urban Land Institute Cincinnati and the advisory committee for Gilman Partners. Ginsburg also serves on the Cincinnati Police chief’s advisory board and is a member of the League of Animal Welfare Capital Campaign Committee. He was a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati Class 20 in 1996.

Allen Woods is the creative force behind Mortar. Mortar is a Cincinnati based non-profit organization that focuses on providing opportunities for entrepreneurship for nontraditional entrepreneurs. He has over 25 years of business experience along with a background in Design and Branding. He has been recognized locally and nationally for his leadership in our community both through Mortar and throughout his career for bringing life to businesses.

On this episode of Unfinished Business, Allen shares his story of how creativity and passion to help entrepreneurs has been the key ingredient to his success throughout his career.

"Cincinnati was designed to be a stepping stone for me and my family... but that has now changed. Not only is Cincinnati now home for us but we're also committed to making our community better."

"What would happen if we created opportunities for residents to become entrepreneurs? What if we gave them the actual tools to pursue their dreams?"

"For us, it's all about building the community and to focus on investing in the people within those communities."

"Being a Co-Founder of Mortar is more like a brotherhood than a partnership!"

In this episode of The Inclusive Chamber Podcast, we talk to Deanna Bass, Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion at Procter & Gamble about P&G's gender equality strategy, the World Economic Forum in Davos and the "Women at Work: Myth vs. Reality" campaign.

Adam Weber is the Chief Marketing Officer of Cincinnati based startup, Everything But The House (EBTH). EBTH is the premier estate sale and consignment marketplace and one of the most well funded startups in the Midwest.

On this episode of Unfinished Business, Adam talks about his Cincinnati upbringing and the start of his career at Procter & Gamble. We also discuss Adam’s transition from Dollar Shave Club where he was the 10th employee to its billion dollar sale to Unilever. Additionally, Adam talks about the “boomerang effect” that brought him back to Cincinnati.

Phil is the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Cincinnati Reds. He has been a strong supporter of Cincinnati his whole life, exemplifying that through his partial-ownership of the Reds, his work in the community, and his commitment to growing the city. On this episode of "Unfinished Business," Phil speaks about his leadership and career path, some advice for the up and coming generation, and his thoughts on Cincinnati and how we need to re-invent the city for growth.

Having a "fan-first" experience mindset

"We need to help re-invent the city for growth."

"Think Bigger, Be Bolder"

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work." — Daniel Hudson Burnham

In the first episode of The Inclusive Chamber Podcast, we talk to Rhiannon Hoeweler, Vice President of Visitor Experience, Strategy and Fun for the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and her colleague Jeff Walton, Human Resources Director at the zoo.

Stephanie Byrd is the president and CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Cincinnati -Dayton. The Cincinnati-Dayton Red Cross chapter dates to 1905 and is one of 60 in the U.S. It covers a 27-county region in Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. Stephanie is the first ever African-American woman to lead the local chapter.

On this episode of Unfinished Business, she discusses her new role as president and CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Cincinnati-Dayton and how the work of the organization is impacting our local community and region. In addition, we listen and learn about what fuels Stephanie’s passion and drive for making a difference throughout our region, along with the many lessons learned while serving in leadership roles with initiatives such as the Cincinnati Preschool Promise and organizations like Success by 6, United Way, the Health Alliance and more. Stephanie also shares her unique perspective about issues of equity, early childhood education, and generation poverty, to how diversity and inclusion has changed within the workplace over the years.

“I am here at this place, at this time, for a reason.”

“Helping people is just apart of my DNA!”

“In leadership, you have to be selfless as it pertains to the needs of your team.”

“One of the most rewarding things I was able to do was in change management through creating a diversity initiative on a systems level.”

“At the end of the day, your whole life is about serving other people and trying to make the world a little bit better place.” On this episode of Unfinished Business, we speak with Rodney McMullen, Chairman and CEO of The Kroger Company, the Cincinnati-based grocer with nearly half a million associates focused on serving nine million customers per day with a driving purpose to Feed the Human Spirit.

In this enlightening conversation, Rodney speaks with us about Kroger’s Zero Hunger, Zero Waste initiative, his philosophy for a successful and fulfilling career, his rise through The Kroger Company - including the pivotal role he played during a tenuous time in the Company’s history -, innovating in today’s fast-paced retail environment, and other sage advice and learnings he’s gleaned through his illustrious 40 year career at Kroger.

Jill P. Meyer is the president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, one of the largest metro chambers in the nation. On this episode of Unfinished Business, she will share her views on what it takes to be a great leader, her choice to leave as member-in-charge from Frost Brown Todd, to lead an aggressive course to grow the vibrancy and economic prosperity of the Cincinnati region at the Cincinnati Chamber and what unfinished business is still to come.

"Cincinnati is a future city and here is why."

"You can master plenty of things while keeping your eyes open to additional opportunities."

"You'll never have the experience you need. Have the confidence in yourself to say I'll figure it out or I'll fall flat on my face but we'll all be better for having tried"