Business

Biz Briefs

Barbecue and More

Barbecue reigns supreme at Geno’s – but it’s not the only item on the menu.

Geno Walker’s retirement from his position as a cook for Procter & Gamble executives was rather short-lived.

“It lasted about three days,” says Walker. “I couldn’t get away from the kitchen.”

Walker opened Geno’s BBQ and Family Diner in April 2006; the restaurant sits alongside his wife’s business, Vanessa’s Cakes & Confections, at 5 Water St. in Milford.

The restaurant business is just the latest chapter in Walker’s amazing story, which began when he earned a Bronze Star after serving in the Vietnam War. Upon his return to the states, he began his culinary career as a dishwasher, working his way up to executive chef at several Cincinnati hotels.

And though “BBQ” is part of his restaurant’s name, it’s not the only item on the menu. Open for breakfast Monday through Saturday, Geno’s also serves French toast, pancakes and other treats. The lunch menu includes fish and chips, chicken and salads, with all meals prepared fresh.

“Anything you want, you can be satisfied,” Walker says.

Feed Mill of the Future

John Carney is not a demographer, though a little foresight in that area proved invaluable to his business.

Carney operates Carney’s Feed Mill, a manufacturer of livestock feed founded in 1967. The company originally specialized in dairy and hog feed, selling to the county’s farmers.

But Carney “had a gut feeling the community was changing” – from predominantly agricultural to residential – so he shifted his company’s focus from hog and dairy to equine and large pet products.

That shift has enabled Carney’s Feed Mill to continue to prosper while many of the county’s other feed mills have departed the landscape.

The business underwent another shift in 2004 after a Christmas Eve storm led to the collapse of its main building. The company quickly rebuilt its business in a way that highlighted its evolution into a more retail-oriented business.

“In our eyes, we made it better,” Carney says of the forced rebuild.

Carney’s Feed Mill is located on Highway 50 near Owensville.

Rooftop Revivals

The product Tim Moeller employs in his roof-cleaning business in Clermont County is rapidly becoming a product used by roof cleaners everywhere.

Seeking an environmentally safe product to clean black streaks off roofs, Moeller developed Roof Reviver six years ago. In July 2005, Moeller and his wife, Mica, decided to see if others might find the product equally beneficial.

“We thought the market wasn’t being served,” Mica Moeller says.

The results were phenomenal. One month after launching a Web site to market the product, the couple had reached their sales goal for the year. Now, with commitments from national hardware chain Do It Best and positive reviews from respected television home improvement specialist Gary Sullivan, the product is poised to explode.

“He [Sullivan] has been amazing,” says Mica Moeller, who is now working fulltime on Roof Reviver. “He’s recommended the product highly on his show.”

The success of the product has prompted the development of more entries in the Reviver line, including products for concrete, gutter, fence and deck cleaners.

A Healthy Approach

In the beginning, Intellapro, an Amelia business launched by CEO Dave Swart in 1990, enjoyed fabulous growth providing engineering and data-management services. It specialized in turning around companies in the throes of bankruptcy.

And in 2002, Intellapro did its own turnaround.

Changes in the bankruptcy laws and a downturn in the services market post-9/11 caused the company to change its business strategy and focus. It discovered that the health-care market was ripe for the kind of improved performance Intellapro delivered to clients.

The foundation of Intellapro’s system is to look inward.

“We tap people inside the business to be become part of the solution,” Swart says.

Since the start of 2005, Intellapro has been developing new business models for the health-care industry that “promote better patient outcomes and improve economies,” Swart says.

Intellapro is also teaming with the Greater Cincinnati Diabetes Program to improve detection rates in high-risk individuals. Through educational campaigns and “best-practices” efficiencies, the program hopes to develop a method to insure that no case of diabetes goes undiagnosed.

Ready To Play Ball

Will Gear’s Spinnerz add flash to any bike and come in a variety of styles.

On his way to Wiffle-ball riches, Clermont County’s Chris Will was thrown a curve ball.

But in this case, his strike could still end up as a home run.

Will created and patented a fold-up strike zone for use in Wiffle-ball games, and sought out an investment group to develop the idea. In the process, he launched Will Gear LLC, though it was a fellow investor’s idea, Spinnerz, that will be the first product of the group to reach the market.

Spinnerz are attachments for children’s bicycles that rotate in the opposite direction of the tire. The investor group debuted the products at InterBike, a bicycle industry expo, to rave reviews; local and national bicycle retailers should have the product in stores in time for the 2007 holiday season.

With Spinnerz running smoothly, the group will begin the process for Will Gear’s other products, including Strike Zone Pro and Coldy Holster, a beverage clip that keeps drinks cold and upright even when the wearer bends over.

“When Spinnerz takes off, another product will be ready to go,” Will says.

Story by Dan Markham
Photo by Brian McCord

Additional Business Articles

About

Archives

Local Advertisers

The Facts

More Information

Contact Us

Local Advertisers

Business

Additional Business Articles