The City of Hamilton's Economic Development Annual Report for 2014 is now available. There was significant growth in the health care, advanced manufacturing, and logistics industries. The city's newly revamped business incubator The Hamilton Mill experienced a significant amount of activity and a number of downtown projects were announced or completed. The report also summarizes the significant infrastructure projects underway in Hamilton that will have important economic development consequences. To view the report, click here.

A committee of downtown business owners has initiated an event the first Thursday of every month that encourages businesses to stay open from 5 pm to 9 pm for people to come and enjoy downtown Hamilton. Businesses host music, activities, and specials during the event. Over 500 people participated in the first event, which was June 4th. The next event is Thursday July 2nd and the theme is Summer Blockbusters. For more information, like Alive After 5 on Facebook page here.

As activity downtown increases with investments such as that of STARTEK and Community First Solutions, the Hamilton CORE Fund is moving efforts towards Main Street.  The CORE Fund has acquired the 6 building block in the 200 block of Main Street known as Porcellana, 139 Main Street, and 310-312 Main Street. The goal is to stabilize the properties and work to find developers, owners, and tenants to partner with to complete the projects. For more information on the CORE Fund and the Main Street efforts, read the Journal News article here.

Former Porcellana buildings

High St. Cafe held their grand opening on June 29th. The new downtown restaurant will be open for breakfast and lunch and have a general store that is open until 5 p.m. seven days a week. High St. Cafe will also provide catering services. For more information on the new restaurant, check out their Facebook page here.

6 small retailers in Hamilton - Front Room on 7th, Secretly Shabby, Your Homely Sister, Sara's House, Hearts of Hope, and Art Off Symmes - came together to put on a shopping event on Saturday May 2nd called Shop Hop. Each store had sales, refreshments, and if you visited all 6 stores you were entered for a chance to win a $150 shopping spree. The event had a great turnout and the retailers hope to have another Shop Hop in the fall. For more information on the event and the businesses that participated, check out the Journal-News article here.

The Cincinnati Business Courier recognized the winners of the fifth annual Innovation and Technology Awards ceremony held on Tuesday, April 28 at the historic Memorial Hall in downtown Cincinnati. The awards honor businesses and individuals that have helped fuel the region's economy through new ideas and approaches. This year, Vora Ventures was honored to receive the "2015 Tech Company of the Year" award. Vora Ventures is associated with Vora Technology Park in Hamilton. For more information, read the article here.

NKU and Wraith compete in the digital marketplace - Wraith Games is geared towards the independent gaming market and NKU is in the corporate eLearning market. The companies are primed for growth and they will utilize the resources at The Hamilton Mill to address their needs. For full coverage of their introduction at The Mill click here. RelaxaLights is smart and immersive furniture geared towards children. The introduction of these three companies brings the number of clients at The Mill to fourteen and positions the organization for even more success going forward.

The Hamilton Mill was recognized as a finalist at the Greater Ohio Policy Center Summit whose theme was "Restoring Neighborhoods, Strengthening Economies". The Mill was a finalist for the "Catalytic Partnership Award", in which communities are strengthened when sectors work together to meet common goals for sustainable development. The partnership between The Hamilton Mill and the City of Hamilton, and the Hamilton CORE Fund was the model that was recognized at the Summit. For more on the award and the Summit click here.

kW River's Paul Kling was among the top 20 "People to Know" in the green business and energy industries as recognized by the Cincinnati Business Courier. kW River is a Hamilton Mill client  working to implement their micro-hydroelectric turbine in the Great Miami River. kW River's device is patented technology that is deployable on low-head dams throughout North America and internationally. In the United States alone there are over 70,000 low head dams that could be sites for deployment of the device. For the full release click here. 

Hamilton Utilities recently announced Rumpke, Inc. as its first contract compressed natural gas (CNG) customer for service at the City's new public CNG fueling station located at 2220 S. Erie Blvd.

Based upon negotiations, Rumpke will receive a discounted rate on its purchase of CNG at the Hamilton fueling station. This discount equals 10% to 25% off the standard CNG price, currently set at $1.99 per GGE (gasoline gallon equivalent), based upon the volume of CNG that Rumpke uses in a month. There is also a minimum "take-or-pay" requirement, wherein Rumpke is required to purchase a minimum amount or will pay a minimum charge per month. Under the terms of the agreement, Rumpke will be required to use a minimum of over 2,600 GGE per month. Additionally, the proposed agreement with Rumpke is for one year, with the option for the parties to extend.

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of CNG, contact Mike Gurr at  [email protected] or 513-785-7231.

The Design Assistance Program will be amended effective August 1st, 2015. The most significant change is that instead of a $2,500 grant, the grant amount will cover the cost of professional architectural/technical services up to 5% of the total project investment. For more information, check out the new FAQ here. For more information on the program, visit the web page here.