Hosts Tom and Steve reminisce about the Radisson Hotel and its revolving restaurant, as the Covington building is expected to be converted into a Reverb by Hard Rock Hotel, Walmart planning to invest $300 million into a project between Cincinnati and Dayton, the latest rankings for the region’s top private schools, a luxury home remodeler launching a home building division and how the Cincinnati Reds fared in terms of attendance this season.Interview starts at (25:54). This year marks the 10th anniversary of StartupCincy Week. J.B. Kropp, CEO of Cintrifuse, will bring together investors, startups, community builders and others from the ecosystem at Union Hall for events, programs, panels, keynote speaking and happy hours. He provides a preview, plus shares his take on where Cincinnati stands in terms of its overall startup ecosystem and what it still needs.

Hosts Tom and Liz discuss the uptick in notable Cincinnati companies choosing to become employee owned, a downtown project that converted office space to apartments is essentially completely full, OKI is studying ways to improve transportation access to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, the latest rankings of local universities on the U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best Colleges list, and a new restaurant coming to downtown Mason.Interview starts at (17:25). Initially planned as a one-time offering, Blink has become one of the most recognizable celebrations of light and art in the nation. Leslie Mooney, executive director of Blink, and Andrew Salzbrun, co-founder of Blink, join Tom and Special Projects Editor Nikki Kingery to talk about what’s new for this year’s edition of Blink, what it takes to make the four-day celebration happen and the impact it’s had not just locally, but around the world.

DescHosts Tom and Brian discuss the iconic chili chain naming its next CEO, who has a decade of P&G experience, Cincinnati Children’s retaining its top rankings in the latest U.S. News & World report, a Kansas City developer switching gears on its plans for a historic downtown Cincinnati building, Givaudan acquiring land to start construction on a $215 million project and the nation’s largest bookstore chain acquiring Joseph-Beth Booksellers.Interview starts at (19:42). As the region’s top economic development organization, REDI Cincinnati is the point of the spear when it comes to helping attract and retain businesses. And the team is very busy as of late. President and CEO Kimm Lauterbach said the organization’s pipeline for projects is at its highest level in years. She joins Tom Demeropolis and reporter and columnist Chris Wetterich to discuss recent wins, the overall economy and what’s in the works.

Hosts Tom and Nikki discuss Baker Construction’s plans to move its headquarters out of Monroe, GE Aerospace’s acquisition of a key supplier for nearly $12 billion, a planned hotel in Corryville receives some pushback from the community, our local universities are in an arms race when it comes to college athletics and a fast-growing family-owned Mexican restaurant group plans to open its seventh location in a $640 million mixed-use development.Interview starts at (18:49). Xavier University has a lot going on. The private, Jesuit university saw enrollment rebound this fall, it’s wrapping up construction on the nation's first and only Jesuit college of osteopathic medicine and Xavier has raised more than 80% of its half a billion-dollar fundraising campaign. President Colleen Hanycz sits down with Tom Demeropolis to discuss this items, as well as the rivalry between Musketeers and Bearcats.

Hosts Tom and Chris discuss where former Hamilton County residents have moved, as well as Waymo starting its process of mapping the city for robotaxis, the Cincinnati Bengals franchise valuation continues to soar, a hotel near downtown was purchased for $10 million with plans to convert it into senior housing and Costco announced plans to build a 166,739-square-foot store in the Eastgate area of Clermont County.Interview starts at (22:16). Covington, the largest city in Northern Kentucky, is having a moment. Redevelopment activity is visible all over the city. Large employers are moving into Covington’s core. And Mayor Ron Washington is working to make sure the city continues its renaissance without losing its quirks. He talks about big development opportunities, such as the former Duro Bag site and the second phase of the Covington Central Riverfront.

Hosts Tom and Steve discuss a Lexington-based company deciding to move its headquarters to Cincinnati, as well as the largest private equity fund raised in Cincinnati, a new office building coming to Montgomery Quarter that is already roughly 70% leased, a $25 million fundraising campaign launches for an Over-the-Rhine theater and the Cincinnati Open had a record-breaking performance in 2026.Merus is one of the largest, and most active, commercial real estate developers in Greater Cincinnati. Beyond its work locally, the design-build developer has projects in Nashville, Raleigh and elsewhere. Molly North, CEO of Merus, has led the company through its expansion. Now, the company is getting ready to take on its largest development project yet, as well as a headquarters move.

Hosts Tom and Liz discuss a youth soccer club’s plans for a $10 million athletic facility and headquarters, as well as a local firm that takes basketball courts and turns them into memorabilia, one of the region’s largest commercial real estate firms moves its offices into space at the Banks, which public high schools are ranked highest in Greater Cincinnati and the region’s largest brewery will be serving up new dining options, with a side of nostalgia, soon.Interview starts at (19:04). Cincinnati has no shortage of big development projects in the works. And there is demand for more. For Bill Baker, managing partner at downtown-based MSA Design, the way the buildings look and how people interact with them is a critical part of the design process. Baker discusses how the design of the Hyde Park Square redevelopment has evolved, the benefits of bringing more people into the city and the need for humans in the design process.

Hosts Tom and Nikki discuss plans for a $5 billion data center north of Cincinnati, as well as the massive increase in home sales priced at $1 million or more, a former golf course that will become a mix of homes, apartments and retail space, a $100 million hotel, office and restaurant project planned near Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and a new restaurant coming soon to Over-the-Rhine that will serve steak frites exclusively.Interview starts at (17:50). Cincinnati is pretty far away from Hollywood, California. But for years, the Queen City has served as a location for dozens of films and shows. Film Cincinnati President and CEO Kristen Schlotman has been leading the effort to bring Hollywood productions to the region since 2002. With the competition for movies remaining intense, Schlotman discusses the benefits Cincinnati offers, and what those productions bring to the region.

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about a rare Cincinnati unicorn – a startup company worth at least $1B – that abruptly ceased operations. In other news, one of Cincinnati's largest private companies is expanding its downtown headquarters, and bringing back the skywalk; Amazon touts its local impact; P&G is making a $3.8B acquisition; and a James Beard-nominated chef is opening a new restaurant.Interview starts at (23:43) Dave Jenike started at the Cincinnati Zoo as an intern. Now, he's its CEO. He was also part of the duo responsible for its transformation over the last two decades. He views his job as the zoo's chief storyteller, and getting people inspired by nature. He talks about what's new and coming at the Cincinnati Zoo.https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2026/08/07/80-acres-how-why-closed-henry-gordon-smith-layoffs.htmlhttps://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2026/08/03/divisions-maintenance-group-jobs-downtown-skywalk.htmlhttps://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2026/08/04/jimmie-lou-reopen-pendleton-jeff-harris-nolia.html

Nick Lingenfelter is chief development officer of PLK Communities, the developer behind Factory 52 and the upcoming Hyde Park Square redevelopment. He sees the need for more alignment from the region's institutions to promote growth, lest Cincinnati fall behind. He also talks the origins of Factory 52, and the challenges and opportunities of development in Hyde Park.Elsewhere on the podcast, hosts Andy and Tom talk about the death of Cincinnati's nightlife boom, the opening of a new independent hotel downtown, the push from one county commissioner to use stadium funds for other needs and one of the urban core's largest restaurant spaces finding new life.https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2026/07/31/bars-restaurants-post-covid-costs-new-open-w…https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2026/07/28/fidelity-hotel-gwynne-procter-gamble-new-wat…https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2026/07/29/coco-moon-restaurant-brewdog-pendleton-food.…