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Columbus Business First
An Italian Village bar is saying goodbye – but not for long
One of the pioneers of 4th Street in Italian Village is closing, but it won’t be gone for long.<\p> The last day of business at Little Rock Bar, which opened at 944 N. 4th St. in 2013, will be Aug. 18.<\p>
Simple steps help call center employees not miss work
A single dad recently brought his daughter to work when her in-home daycare was unexpectedly closed. <\p> The 11-year-old kept herself occupied while he handled customer support calls in the "kiddie coworking space" that Fortuity Calling LLC created for just such an emergency.<\p>
Can AEP Ohio keep up with power-hungry data centers?
Google executives gathered at the company’s data center campus in south Columbus this summer with big news. <\p> The tech giant was planning to invest an additional $2.3 billion into its three Central Ohio data center campuses, they announced, bringing its total investment in the region since 2019 to $6.7 billion.<\p>
750-acre innovation district taking shape in Union County
A new partnership between two local jurisdictions and one of the region's busiest developers will open up hundreds of acres for future development.<\p> After months of negotiations, the Union County Board of Commissioners and the Jerome Township Board of Trustees have signed legislation aimed at fostering collaboration, addressing infrastructure needs and developing a future innovation district. <\p>
Pelotonia CEO eyes all-time highs for 2024 Ride Weekend
Pelotonia's new CEO hopes to reach all-time highs with this year's Ride Weekend. <\p> Cancer-research nonprofit CEO Joe Apgar hopes to raise more than 2023's $25 million for the Aug. 2-4 event, and cross the $300 million threshold for Pelotonia's 16-year cumulative amount. Currently, the cumulative amount raised is nearly $295 million.<\p>
Fort Rapids owner headed to jail – if found
The shuttered Fort Rapids water park is one step closer to redevelopment after a judge issued an arrest warrant for the absentee owner and set a hearing date for a receivership.<\p> The person acting as owner of the former water park on the east side of Columbus, Jeff Oh Kern, did not appear Thursday for a mandatory compliance hearing. The environmental division of Franklin County Municipal Court had held him in contempt in June for failing to bring the property into compliance with health and safety codes. <\p>
Here's how Honda fared in July
Honda Motor Co. was back to business in July.<\p> After a June during which sales were constrained by the CDK Global cyberattack, the automaker, which bases many North American operations in Marysville, saw sales jump 8% in July to 120,737 vehicles.<\p>
Papa Johns names former Wendy's leader as new CEO
Papa John’s International Inc. has named longtime Wendy’s leader Todd Penegor as the company’s new CEO.<\p> Penegor, who served as CEO at Wendy’s since 2016, comes to Papa Johns following the departure of Rob Lynch, who left the company to take the CEO position at Shake Shack in May.<\p>
How Wendy's responded to McDonald's new value deal
Wendy’s Co. isn’t letting the competition snatch its Biggie Bag.<\p> The Dublin-based restaurant company on Thursday said it grew total sales and same-restaurants sales, while also maintaining market share in the quarter that ended June 30.<\p>
One of the region's largest private companies makes second acquisition
One of Central Ohio's largest private companies is getting bigger. <\p> FST Logistics, a third-party logistics provider headquartered in Dublin, has acquired Dancer Logistics, a warehousing and transportation firm based in Delphos, a city near Lima.<\p>
Ransomware group claims to have Columbus data for sale
A ransomware group appears to be auctioning off data stolen from the city of Columbus for about $1.9 million, according to a group that monitors attacks on the dark web.<\p> Rhysida, an international "ransomware as a service" group, claims to have more than 6.5 terabytes of data, including employee logins and "a full dump of servers with emergency services applications of the city," according to a screenshot by the cybersecurity monitoring group RansomLook.<\p>
Small-business grants you can apply for this month
Small-business owners are increasingly confident about the economy despite staffing and interest-rate concerns.<\p> New research from financial, insurance and advisory services firm CBIZ Inc. found that business owners have gotten used to higher but relatively stable interest rates over the last 18 months.<\p>
Columbus cocktail bar and restaurant closes after less than a year
An Old North Columbus cocktail bar and restaurant has closed after less than a year.<\p> Adelaide’s Gin Joint at 2333 N. High St. opened last fall, but the owners shuttered the business at some point last month.<\p>
The Weekly Rundown: Cyberattack on Columbus underscores threats
The past month has given a fresh reminder of the vulnerabilities we’re facing in our digital and interconnected world. <\p> The wider problem started on July 19 with the Crowdstrike-driven outages that affected systems all around the globe. <\p>
See growing construction company’s new office at Gravity (photos)
Gilbane Building Co. is growing in Columbus, as evidenced by the firm's move into a larger space at Gravity's second phase. <\p> Gilbane announced in March that the firm would move from downtown Columbus to Franklinton. Gilbane is taking about 14,600 square feet of office space, or half of the sixth floor at 455 W. Broad St. <\p>
Local restaurant vet opens new Powell eatery
When Mike Frame says his new restaurant is a family business, he isn’t underselling that idea.<\p> After spending more than a decade with local-based 101 Beer Kitchen, Frame this month opened a place of his own with Two Rivers Restaurant & Bar at 4046 W. Powell Road in Powell.<\p>
Don't give up on paper checks before considering all the consequences
Target Corp. stopped accepting personal checks for customer purchases earlier this month, joining the ranks of big businesses that have ditched the old-school payment method.<\p> It's a lineup that includes the likes of Whole Foods, Aldi and Old Navy, all of whom have canceled checks as a payment option. At the same time, digital payments through the likes of Venmo, Cash App, and other card- and phone-based systems have skyrocketed.<\p>
New AI chips to propel Central Ohio manufacturer
The explosion of generative AI has already accelerated the data center building boom and amped up power consumption. Upcoming generations of more powerful AI chips will require even more electricity, which means more effort to cool them down.<\p> Vertiv Holdings Co. makes all of that infrastructure, and aims to grab market share following a two-year turnaround in the company's operations.<\p>
More than 7,000 cyclists have signed up for Pelotonia ride
Participation continues to grow, with more registered cyclists for this year's Pelotonia Ride Weekend.<\p> More than 7,000 riders have signed up for the Aug. 2-4 event, exceeding the 6,600 from 2023. In addition, 3,000 people have volunteered to work the event.<\p>
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