Explore every episode of the podcast Above the Fold

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.

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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.

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Hosts Andy and Tom talk about why Cincinnati’s new $540 million convention center headquarters hotel will not be a JW Marriott, as well as the Port’s plans for Camp Washington, a robotic welding company that was launched by Space X alumni, the most significant moment in a local unicorn’s history and how cool it would be to have a car condo.

Plus, we sit down with Kona Ice CEO Tony Lamb who shares how he turned a simple shaved ice concept into the largest mobile food vendor in the world, with thousands of Kona Ice and Traveling Tom’s trucks on the road, by leaning into mobile operations, a patented “flavor wave” system that lets customers create their own combinations and proprietary routing and staffing software born during Covid-19.

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about plans for 3CDC to buy the historic St. Francis Seraph church in Over-the-Rhine, as well as the closure of legendary chef Jean-Robert de Cavel's last restaurant, Kroger axing plans to open more Harris Teeter stores and a Krazy new retailer.

Interview starts at (18:42). Bourbon is a tricky business. It has to age for several years – New Riff's minimum is four – before it can be bottled and sold, so distilleries have to be very good at forecasting demand well in advance. With so many producers investing billions in ramping up production in recent years, that's led to a glut of product. New Riff CEO Hannah Lowen talks about how her distillery has navigated that, and what's new at the region's largest bourbon producer.

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the latest on plans to cap Fort Washington Way, including which funds cannot be used to complete the $50 million first phase, as well as a pair of big projects that got state funding, one of the region's largest construction firms going employee-owned and a former P&Ger who bought a gun range.

Interview starts at (21:55). Fifty West Brewing CEO Bobby Slattery says people’s views on who drinks THC seltzer is wrong. It's not hippies or stoners drinking his Sunflower brand, but soccer moms. And Ohio's ban on their production is costing his brewery millions, and the state tons of jobs. Bobby is one of the leading voices pushing to overturn Ohio’s ban.

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Above the Fold is back! Hosts Andy and Tom talk about Kroger's plan to make a $1.7 billion acquisition of Giant Eagle, losing the main sponsors of Cincinnati's LPGA tournament, and just what is a kolache?

Interview starts at (19:28). Steve Leeper has shepherded 3CDC, which is responsible for more than $2 billion in investment into Cincinnati's urban core since, 2006. Fresh off of the $264 million renovation of the First Financial Center, we talk with Steve about connecting the various parts of the urban core, and whether his work will ever truly be done.

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2026/07/01/kroger-acquiring-supermarket-chain-for-1-7-billion.html

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Hosts Andy and Tom are joined by Business Courier reporters Brian Planalp, Abby Miller and Steve Watkins to dissect some of the biggest local news stories of 2023. Those include a record number of restaurants closing in Cincinnati – more than when Covid-19 broke out in 2020 – as well as an unassuming local millionaire leaving $270 million to local organizations; Cincinnati gaining a new Fortune 500 company; what's going on with downtown real estate as companies figure out what to do about remote and hybrid work and their physical office space; and the Western & Southern Open selecting Cincinnati as its permanent home following a $400 million bid by Charlotte, N.C., to lure the tournament there.

Above the Fold will go on hiatus after Dec. 25, 2023.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about Kroger's plans to bring its office workers back in four days a week, a public company re-establishing its headquarters in Cincinnati, Coney Island's sale to a music organization to make was for a $118 million concert venue, a badly needed parking garage at Findlay Market and Taste of Belgium's reboot.

Interview starts at (21:20). Graeter's became an ice cream empire and a brand synonymous with Cincinnati by not embracing new technology. At a time when the new continuous process ice cream makers were putting neighborhood parlors out of business by making fast, cheap desserts, Graeter's doubled down on doing things the old fashioned way, and that's what makes it special. But that's not to say the chain isn't innovating. Graeter talks about his company's collaboration with other local brands, and how it comes up with each year's unique bonus flavors.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom have a look at the uncertain future of the office market downtown, starting with a story on the potential foreclosure of an office tower, followed by GE pulling all of its employees out of its onetime Global Operations Center at the Banks, and then a potential new buyer for an iconic Camp Washington building and new rules banning surface parking lots downtown. We finish, as all good things do, with a burger.

Interview starts at (22:02). When you think of the yellow school bus, you probably don't think of innovation. First Student CEO John Kenning wants to change that, and he has the background for it. Tesla is the name that comes first to mind when thinking of electric vehicles, but Kenning wants his buses in that conversation. He talks about how he brings technology to the school bus industry, and why his company moved its headquarters to the GE building at the Banks and consolidated from five floors to one.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the sale of Eastgate Mall to a new owner, a Cincinnati marketing exec who was slated to live on a cruise for three years, a local restaurant being named one of the best new eateries in America, the uncertain future of Reds games broadcasts locally and the Queen City's newest B Corporation.

Interview starts at (21:49). Rachel DesRochers started out with $1,000 and a vegan graham cracker recipe. Today, she runs a successful baking company, a restaurant incubator that has graduated some of the region's biggest names and is two years into running a conference for women's empowerment that is backed by P&G. She talks with us about how she got her start and using gratitude to grow her businesses.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about three new retailers with cult followings opening in the Cincinnati region, a fumble in the $1.6B sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway, NKU adding six new varsity sports while facing a multi-million dollar deficit, the closing of one of OTR's oldest breweries and the shuttering of a historic downtown eatery.

Interview starts at (23:28). Chad Munitz wasn’t a big soccer fan before joining FC Cincinnati, but he did geek out about real estate. His career spans stints as the economic development director of the city of Cincinnati, executive vice president with 3CDC and VP with Towne Properties, and when Cincinnati’s major league soccer team needed someone to focus full-time on real estate as it embarked on a massive, $300 million mixed-use project surrounding its West End home in TQL Stadium, they turned to Chad. He talked with us about what’s planned for that project and how it will reshape that urban neighborhood.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the results of the Nov. 7 election and the surprise passage of the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern, objections to new apartment projects near popular neighborhood business districts, FC Cincinnati's Cinderella season, the closing of a sports betting site inside of Taft's Ale House and Kings Island's big merger.

Interview starts at (23:15). Rhinegeist is not only the largest brewery in Cincinnati, but the 23rd-largest in the nation. It's done all of that with only one brick-and-mortar taproom to serve customers from, while other local breweries open second, third and even fourth locations. New CEO Adam Bankovich talks about the possibility of Rhinegeist opening a new taproom, as well as the return of a fan-favorite beverage and how the brewery manages growth as the broader craft beer market flattens.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Host Andy Brownfield and special guest host Chris Wetterich talk about the campaign to convince voters to allow the city to sell the Cincinnati Southern Railway, and its chances of passing; a planned overhaul of Central Parkway into a Champs Elysee-style boulevard; the purchase of a historic downtown building to partially demolish for the new Brent Spence Bridge companion; a new food hall at Newport on the Levee; and resort-style apartments coming to the East Side.

Interview starts at (24:35). Means Cameron felt a lot of impostor syndrome at Miami University, where he was one of very few Black students at a 97% white college. His straight As in high school in the West End translated to Cs in college, but the experience, while alien, was transformative and informed the creation of his clothing brand Black Owned. Means talks about growing the brand from selling out of the trunk of his car to a downtown retail store and adjoining coffee lounge, as well as high-profile collaborations with the Cincinnati Bengals, FC Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about how Cincinnati's downtown hasn't returned to normal since the Covid-19 pandemic, and is faring worse than most other cities; as well as how FC Cincinnati's payroll stacks up against the MLS; a lawsuit against the city's largest single-family landlord; the staggering number of $1 million home listings across the city; and how two of Time Magazine's top inventions of 2023 came from the Queen City.

Interview starts at (23:55). Elizabeth Pierce leads the Cincinnati Museum Center at arguably the city's most iconic building: Union Terminal. She talks with us about how the building is a museum transformed since the nearly $200 million overhaul in 2018, celebrating America's 250-year anniversary and Ohio's place in it, as well as preserving our local history.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about a new minor league soccer team coming to the region, Rhinegeist's new CEO, an update on Xavier University's plans to bring football back, the more than 200 letters written about P.G. Sittenfeld ahead of his sentencing on corruption charges and a wave of philanthropy benefitting local museums.

Interview starts at (20:43). John Faherty was a journalist for 25 years – he spearheaded the Storytellers series for the Enquirer most recently – but now as the executive director for downtown’s Mercantile Library, he says he’s in the last job he will ever have. The Mercantile is in the midst of doubling in size, taking over the 12th floor of the building it has called home for 183 years. Faherty talks about his career in journalism, the library’s expansion and how it secured a 10,000-year lease, brokered by the father of an American president.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Host Andy Brownfield and special guest host Chris Wetterich talk about the decision to keep the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, P.G. Sittenfeld's sentence for his two corruption convictions, a new hotel tax bringing Hamilton County among the most expensive in the nation, the more than 30 restaurants that have closed this year and a BBQ place beloved by President Biden that's expanding.

Interview starts at (25:07). Regina Russo is no stranger to having all eyes on her. She began her career in the broadcast radio world before becoming a TV news reporter and anchor. Now she runs her own communications and coaching firm. When she heard that host Andy Brownfield was terrified of public speaking – before a group of college students, no less – she offered to come on the podcast to talk him down.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the more than 50 new restaurants that have opened so far this year in Cincinnati, a class action lawsuit accusing TQL of underpaying employees, protestors striking out against P&G's forestry practices, Amazon getting even bigger at CVG and the Foo Fighters coming to Great American Ball Park.

Interview starts at (25:17). Nancy Aichholz has always had a thing for baking. She started Nan Cakes after her carrot cake recipe caught fire with her friends. Her newest company, That's So Sweet, is now the official cookie of the Cincinnati Bengals, sold inside of Paycor Stadium. She talks about growing that company, how she got in with the Bengals and what the end game is for the cookie company.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the potential sentence former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld faces when he is sentenced on Oct. 10, as well as Grippo's buying another chip company, the Margaritaville Hotel moving forward, the Bengals' valuation going way up and an opera written by Sir Paul McCartney making its world premier in Cincinnati.

Interview starts at (23:53). Sean Parker is an entrepreneur at heart – he started his first business at age 13 – but he also has experience at some of the largest companies on the planet, like Nike and P&G. He brings that to his new role at Main Street Ventures, a group dedicated to boosting businesses at a stage where most sources of capital won't typically touch. And he's taking a good hard look at the types of businesses MSV funds and how.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

We're back after a brief hiatus! Hosts Andy and Tom talk about a new on-demand taxi service coming to CVG, an iconic Cincinnati ice cream brand gets a revamp, two downtown skyscrapers take moves toward residential conversions and P&G faces a lawsuit over a cold medicine.

Interview starts at (20:34). Lisa Knutson is the person you want in charge if you're making big changes. Prior to her joining the E.W. Scripps Co., one of Cincinnati's largest public companies, she oversaw a large-scale transformation of a major department at Fifth Third. When she made the move to Scripps, she led the spin-off of its networks business. Now as chief operating officer, Knutson is in charge of a major reorganization at the local media giant.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about legal troubles facing a Cincinnati university, a successful office development in a highly uncertain era for offices, an early legal victory notched by a local developer suing Huntington National Bank, a supersonic jet being developed with the help of GE Aerospace and a bad summer for Queen City restaurants, many of which have permanently closed in recent weeks.

Interview starts at (20:58). Tom Fernandez, CEO of architecture firm Elevar Design, had a full-time employee devoted to maintaining the company's status as a minority business enterprise. Had. The designation was costly to maintain, and accounted for less than 1% of new business. Fernandez partnered with African American Chamber CEO Eric Kearney to create Mivie, a new organization that seeks to become the national standard for measuring companies' social impact. 

NOTE: Above the Fold is going on a two-week hiatus, returning Monday, Sept. 25.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about big plans for Cincinnati's six largest shopping centers, a $100 million project coming to the University of Cincinnati, an overhaul to a busy business corridor in Madisonville, Cincinnati Public Radio's new headquarters and a brick-and-mortar bookstore that closed up shop only to relocate across the Ohio River.

Interview starts at (22:25). Neal Mayerson can make a claim not many Cincinnatians can: His family owns a piece of the Queen City's skyline – the Scripps Center at 312 Walnut St. He is also a clinical psychologist, philanthropist and one of the founders of the field of positive psychology. Neal talks with us about the 24 universal strengths found in every human being, and how he created the VIA Institute around them and its recent merger with the Mayerson Academy.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about Cincinnati's odds at keeping the Western & Southern Open in the region, Ohio's first Buc-ee's, a startup that promises a personal flying vehicle and what's new at Kings Island for the 2024 season.

Interview starts at (20:09). Justin Wyborn got his start in the hospitality industry, on the opening team of the famed Nobu restaurant as it expanded for the first time outside of New York City. He was even asked twice to appear as a judge on Chef Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen. His career took a shift into the casino business in 2013, when he joined the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Justin updates us on the push to make a name for Cincinnati’s casino as a music venue, and where things stand on a local Hard Rock Hotel.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about a $23 million plan to redevelop downtown's deserted Saks Fifth Avenue shop, the death of a $100 million joint venture with Cincinnati Children's Hospital, a group that wants to become the national standard for DEI and social impact, the relocation of an iconic downtown retailer and why the Bengals provide the NFL's best value.

Interview starts at (22:20). Josh Wamsley could have become a traveling journalist, documenting the stories of people from South Korea to Saudi Arabia, except on a trip home to Cincinnati in between gigs, he had a really bad taco. So he went to Mexico and used his journalism background to immerse himself in the culinary tradition of Oaxaca, taking what he learned and using that to open Mazunte in Madisonville. He's now grown Mazunte to three locations in Cincinnati, and is opening a fourth in Lexington, Ky.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Host Andy Brownfield is joined by special guest host Meg Erpenbeck to talk about a new music venue planned for the West End, the shuttering of a Northern Kentucky institution, a grocery store coming to a neighborhood food desert, a new "city within a city" in downtown Cincinnati and an M. Night Shyamalan movie filming in the Queen City.

Interview starts at (24:20). During the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, the workplace saw many upheavals, from quiet quitting to the great resignation to the advent, and in some cases, clawing back of remote work as the norm. Gilman Partners CEO Angel Beets talks with us about how employers can best approach that, what job seekers are looking for and why it’s still an employees’ market.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about $20 million in upgrades at Paycor Stadium, why more companies are moving their headquarters to the Findlay Market area, an 18-month closure coming to the Duke Energy Convention Center, a food hall coming to suburban Cincinnati and how the Foundry transformed a corner of downtown.

Interview starts at (23:00). Raj Kanuparthi was at the peak of his career. He was a senior technology leader at Worldpay, managing a large portfolio of business and loving it. But he had the entrepreneurial itch. After getting a lot of attention in his field at conferences, he decided to strike out on his own and found Narwal, which is now one of the fastest-growing private companies in Cincinnati. He talked with us about taking a leap of faith in his career, as well as grappling with founder's anxiety and decision fatigue.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about a new arena football team planned for Cincinnati, a bill targeting institutional investors who snap up single-family homes, plans to convert Central Parkway into a European-style boulevard, Cincinnati Children's big expansion on the East Side and a new Catholic grade school backed by some of the biggest named in business.

Interview starts at (20:28). During the Covid-19 pandemic, Catherine Baxter's in-laws moved all of the furniture in their living room, took the art off the walls and made a miniature pickleball court in their living space. She thought it was fun and charming at first, but soon became hooked. Now she runs Nettie Pickleball, a local brand that's garnered national attention and is poised to become a powerhouse in the sport. 

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about what an application for historic tax credits reveal about plans to redevelop Carew Tower, a new boutique hotel opening in a historic OTR building, the breakdown of a $1 billion deal to take a Cincinnati company public, P.G. Sittenfeld's sentencing date and a new food hall coming to Newport on the Levee.

Interview starts at (19:37). Tianay Amat has addressed Cincinnati's workforce problem from both sides. She was an educator for two decades, serving most recently as interim superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools, and now as the CEO of Cincinnati Works, which helps to break cycles of poverty by helping un- and under-employed Cincinnatians get the job and soft skills they need to serve in areas of need. She talks about what she is hearing from employers about what they need, and what Cincinnati Works is doing to address that.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about Cincinnati Children's earning the top spot on a prestigious national list, a new restaurant coming to a storied space at the Banks downtown, Medpace getting a $33 million tax credit for a massive local expansion, more political intrigue at City Hall and Gold Star joining forces with a sister restaurant at an East Side location.

Interview starts at (19:03). Martin Sheen was born in Dayton, and his wife Janet in Cincinnati, a city his eldest son Emilio Estévez now calls home. Father and son join us on the podcast to talk about their Ohio roots, the local film industry and what the Buckeye State can do to draw more productions away from Hollywood and other competing states. The duo will be in town on July 7 for a fireside chat as part of the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival. Tickets can be purchased at https://otrfilmfest.org/tickets/.

Above the Fold will go on a two-week hiatus, returning July 17.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the completely bonkers local housing market, Charlotte's latest salvo in an effort to take the Western & Southern Open from Cincinnati, an Amtrak plan to increase train service, the founder of a local distillery retiring and a new leader for Skyline Chili.

Interview starts at (19:18). The Brent Spence Bridge has been functionally obsolete for some time now, but a plan to build a companion bridge to help alleviate traffic seems to be moving forward after decades of talk. Now a group wants to change those plans in an effort to recapture 30 acres of land in downtown Cincinnati. Former mayor Mark Mallory joins the podcast and guest host Chris Wetterich to talk about the Bridge Forward plan.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Andy and special guest host Meg Erpenbeck, the Courier's digital editor, talk about MadTree Brewing's third location, a Cincinnati startup's Mach 5 space plane, plans to fill vacant storefronts in OTR, the zoo's $680 million impact and how the Blackburn sisters are shaking up the Bengals.

Interview starts at (25:56). Greg Rouse turned a pandemic hobby into a $5 million business. His sons launched Braxton Brewing Co., where he is also a co-founder, but amid Covid-19 shutdowns, Rouse and eldest son Jake rekindled their love of sports trading cards and started "breaking" packs of cards online, a combination of ecommerce and live-streaming on social media. From that grew Hit Seekers, which opened a brick-and-mortar shop last year and has grown revenue 4,228% since its founding in 2020.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about Mayor Aftab Pureval's plans for new social programs, including a version of universal basic income in Cincinnati; a Tolkein-inspired brewery opening in Northern Kentucky; a plea deal by an indicted former city council member; and a $150 million development on the West Side.

Interview starts at (20:02). Tony Munafo's dad always wanted to own his own business with his sons. In his mind, that meant a Subway franchise. But he was diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 29 and died on Tony's first day of high school. At his funeral, the line to view the casket was 3.5 hours long. For Tony, that was his first concrete example of leaving a legacy. He went on to start Prolink with his brother Mike, and the duo has grown it to one of Cincinnati's largest and fastest-growing private companies.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the impact ChatGPT could have on the news business, Hamilton County's plans to move 1,200 workers out of downtown, a ban on new surface parking in the urban core, the skyrocketing cost of homes, the closing of a Mount Washington book store and just how far Newport on the Levee has come since it was acquired in 2018.

Interview starts at (18:10). Pat McMullen's high school graduation speaker said his class might not amount to much. The theme of his speech at Amelia High School was "even though you guys went to a country school that’s not a very good school, you still have a chance." Today, Pat is CEO of Graphic Village, a fast-growing marketing firm. He talks about how print marketing is thriving in 2023, and why his company sponsored David Letterman's IndyCar team.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about FC Cincinnati rolling out Amazon checkout-free technology at its newest concession, a new restaurant coming to the shuttered Pearlstar space in OTR, Miami University faculty voting to join a union, students making bank on NIL and hometown band the National making a homecoming with a music festival planned for September.

Interview starts at (18:11). Phil Hurak, managing shareholder at Clark Schaefer Consulting, got his MBA and his law degree at the same time. He was so gung-ho about it that he thought everyone else at the University of Dayton School of Law would want to do the same thing, so he ordered 10 pizzas for a lunch and learn about the dual-degree process. Only two people showed up.

Hurak never practiced as a lawyer, but he got his J.D. to broaden the skillset he could offer as a business adviser. He talked with us about how tax got him into the world of business, and how pickleball can be better than golf at getting to know who someone you're doing business with is really like. 

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the new interim CEO at Rhinegeist, Pure Romance no longer being an MLM, three projects that will transform Cincinnati's urban core, Jerry Springer's life and impact and $22 million for the Western & Southern Open.

Interview starts at (17:35). Bernie McKay spent 28 years as a trust and estate attorney. He got into that because he wanted to practice in the gentler, more helpful side of the law. In 2021 he decided he wanted to spend more of his time in philanthropy and gave himself a year to see what that would look like. Two days later he got a call that the Haile Foundation was looking for a new CEO. He ended up getting the job. He talks with us about impostor syndrome and changes to how the foundation works.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about Gold Star Chili's ouster as the 21-year official chili of the Cincinnati Bengals, new plans for an old Costco location, eight partners leaving one downtown law firm for another, traffic barriers popping up in neighborhood business districts and the city of Covington suing itself to stop a doggie day care from opening.

Interview starts at (15:40). Bob Coughlin founded Paycor in 1990. Four years into that, he found himself working too hard, wearing all of the hats that being a small business owner requires. So he took up running. And then over the next eight years he ran 10 marathons, founding the Flying Pig Marathon along the way. Now in its 25th year, Coughlin talks about the Pig and stepping away as CEO of Paycor on the eve of the company going public.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about who is going to pay for $494 million Paycor Stadium needs for upgrades, the flight to quality when it comes to downtown office space, the acquisition of a 188-year-old Cincinnati business, why one member of the Cincinnati Southern Railway board thought Norfolk Southern was making an end-run around the body and whether craft beer has come full-circle. 

Interview starts at (19:01). Dean Regas thought he wanted to be a high school history teacher. But while working as a naturalist at Burnet Woods though, he was asked to give a talk at its planetarium. He had no formal training in astronomy – still doesn't – but dove into the assignment. That's led to a 23-year career as the Cincinnati Observatory's astronomer, where he's gained a national audience through his own podcast and syndicated TV show, as well as multiple books he's authored.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about how a $14.5 million purchase of 200 single family homes, to keep them out of the hands of Wall Street-backed investors, is working out. Plus, how many billionaires are there in Cincinnati? Just one? Really? We also take you inside the conversion of downtown's Textile building, new rules for OTR building and what the head chef of the now-shuttered Royce is up to.

Interview starts at (18:36). Reporter Chris Wetterich guest-hosts. 

Darryl Haley has seen a lot in his 17 years at Metro. Now, as CEO, he wants to see the creation of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system that will function like light rail, but with buses. He talks us through the $300 million idea, as well as Metro's new Uber-like service rolling out in May.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about how a local restaurateur built a $90 million company after closing five venues in Columbus, a hidden portrait found while X-raying a historic painting, the $9 million overhaul of Blue Ash's living room, the revitalization of the historic Emery Theater in OTR and Cincinnati's historic showing at the James Beard awards.

Interview starts at (17:32). Leigh Fox was drawn to science, so he got a degree in geology. It was working in the field, specifically seeing just how much Duck Tape his company was using and wondering who was getting paid for all of that, which caused him to shift his focus to business. He talks about the overhaul of Altafiber's downtown headquarters, consolidating for seven floors into two; how he managed the shift from Cincinnati Bell to Altafiber; and how 30 years of playing guitar keeps him grounded and humbled.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom dig into downtown Cincinnati's recovery since Covid-19 ground public life to a half in early 2020. Also on the podcast, the best places to live in Cincinnati, why the Reds' valuation has dropped for the first time in a decade, a startup lands $10 million with Mark Cuban pitching in and what a $1 billion NKY development and video game Fortnite have in common.

Interview starts at (18:31). Julie Calvert is the CEO of Visit Cincy, formerly known as the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau. She thinks Cincinnati scoring the NFL Draft in 2027, '28 or '29 could have a huge impact on the city. "The impact of that is almost immeasurable." She talks about that, Cincinnati's involvement in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and why TikTok is such a powerful marketing tool.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about how reporter Liz Engel managed to snag an exclusive interview with the CEO of Workhorse Group, and the steps he's taking to right the beleaguered company. Also, Cincinnati looks to legalize granny flats, a developer takes a novel approach to build homes in Madisonville, Cincinnati is a top sports town and Wahlburgers closes its Cincinnati location.

Interview starts at (19:29). Ken Lewis could have made his career in liquor retail, but on the front lines of the alcohol sales biz, he saw just how big bourbon was getting. He sold Party Source, one of the nation's largest alcohol retailers, to his employees and in 2014 he founded New Riff Distilling.  And he hasn't slowed down since: in recent years the distillery has invested $14 million in expanding.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the financial impact having a massive company like Western & Southern brings to Cincinnati – it's in the 11 digits – as well as plans for a $482 million hotel near the Duke Energy Convention Center. Sticking with the Convention District, a problem property gets the OK for demolition from a court, and then P&G's top ad chief is OK with being dethroned as the world's largest advertiser.

Interview starts at (19:08). Almost nobody on staff at the Cincinnati Business Courier can remember a time when Rob Daumeyer was not editor.  He took the top spot in 1997 and led the paper through the tumultuous transition for all journalism into the online era. Under his leadership, the Courier became one of the strongest papers in parent company American City Business Journals' stable of 44. Maybe that's why they stole him. Rob was promoted to VP of news and content. This is his last week with us, which is why he is this week's guest on Above the Fold.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the listing of a major downtown development for sale, as well as hot restaurants heading to the burbs, Fifth Third's new CEO's thoughts on balancing flexibility in office work and the triumphant return of a historic Cincinnati beer brand.

Interview starts at (16:47). Anastasia Mileham is the executive director of the Cincinnati Experience. When the New York Times does a travel story on the best of what Cincinnati has to offer, chances are her fingerprints are on that. She talks about how to sell Cincinnati to national press, and what her work means for the city.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Andy and Tom talk about the streetcar's explosive ridership growth and where it could potentially expand to, as well as the future for a prominent OTR taproom now that its parent brewery has shuttered, plans to bridge downtown and OTR and a new Lego bar coming to Newport on the Levee.

Interview starts at (20:13). Brady Duncan is co-founder of craft brewery MadTree. Back when the brewery first opened, it was No. 8 on the scene in Cincinnati. Today there are more than 80. Brady talks about embracing more than just beer, plans for a third location and how he fell in love with fly fishing.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Andy and Tom talk about the sudden closure of two prominent downtown restaurants, as well as Joe Burrow getting involved in a new sport. Also, Cincinnati home sales have dropped sharply, but does that mean the white-hot market is cooling? And then Fifty West Brewing, one of the OGs of Cincinnati craft beer, is opening a new location.

Interview starts at (17:15). Jeff Berding started FC Cincinnati because he wanted his kids to have the same connection to the city that he did growing up with the Big Red Machine. Ahead of the team's home opener, he talks about what's going on around TQL Stadium and growing pains as the club entered Major League Soccer.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about a Cincinnati investment adviser who came up with a new model to predict how the stock market will fare based on the outcome of the Super Bowl. Also, one of the region's oldest craft breweries has a new owner, we now know just how big Blink was last year and an embattled restaurant at the Banks closes for good. 

Interview starts at (20:27). Chris Bergman dropped out of high school and moved to San Diego with dreams of becoming a professional rollerblader. That's where he got into graphic design by way of working at a skate magazine. He parlayed that into a tech career, co-founding of one of the more successful local startups, ChoreMonster. Now he runs a venture fund, investing in other Cincinnati companies, and is co-owner with Jacob Trevino of the bar Cosmic Gorilla in OTR. He also created his own video game studio, Gylee Games, which is publishing its first game this year.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier. 

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about how a deal to take a Cincinnati company public fell apart, a massive development comping to Reading Road, two storied chefs taking over the culinary industry's largest event and a craft brewery spinning off its most popular beer into its own company. There's also a guest appearance from another member of the Courier staff. 

Interview starts at (29:04). The law firm of Taft Stettinius & Hollister has been on a tear recently. Hot off of its big merger with Jaffe Raitt in Detroit, the firm just expanded to a new market in Kentucky. James Zimmerman, partner-in-charge of the Cincinnati office, talks about being a competitive, argumentative kid, and how the law firm eliminated its two-tiered partnership system.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier.