Erpenbeck
The fall of one of Northern Kentucky’s most prominent homebuilders left deep scars on the region. But it also led to tighter regulation of banks, homebuilders and the real estate industry

Inside NKY
EXPANDING SERVICES Children's Home offers Outpatient Therapy The children are reading and writing in new classrooms and playing in a fabulous new gym at the Diocesan Catholic Children’s Home. The school facilities are just part of the signature Welcome Center, which will be dedicated at 2 p.m. April 22, and includes staff offices and therapy meeting rooms. The sparkling new facility has also made it possible to offer outpatient therapy to the community. The building project has been two years in the mak...

NKY Comment
Power Shift “Family Time” is no Empty Phrase In 1992, I was living in Washington, D.C. and pondering a weighty decision. I was working the job of a lifetime as Legislative Director to Congressman Jim Bunning, but was considering whether I should return home to Northern Kentucky. My wife and I loved D.C. and considered our jobs fun and engaging. The final decision, however, was wavering on a factor that had never been a part of our lives before … children. Our first son was four years old. His future kep...

Outstanding Women
Simply Outstanding Toyota Honors NKY Women Leaders Ultimately, it’s about role models. Since its inception in 1984, the Outstanding Women of Northern Kentucky Awards have honored more than 120 women for achievement, integrity, professional service and community leadership. Whether it’s for blazing trails in their communities or professions, Outstanding Women organizers say the awards send an important message to younger generations.“These women have various interests, but they have in common one quality...

Retirement Guide
Options are Plentiful Right Care, Right Place is Best Bet for Seniors Looking for a Change Nobody likes to have life disrupted. That holds especially true for baby boomers and those coping with necessary adjustments to getting older. But like it or not, the number of people between the ages of 65 and 84 will increase by almost 40 percent between 2010 and 2020, according to Uncle Sam. With that will come health and lifestyle complications that may sometimes call for changes in housing and care. Today’s r...

Stakes Spiral to Fame
Ladies are selecting their hats, gentlemen are readying their best spring attire and the horses are working out — it’s nearly time for Northern Kentucky’s premiere horse race. The $500,000 Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes, a prep to the storied Kentucky Derby, returns to Turfway Park on March 24. “It’s always a great day, sort of a mini-Derby,” says Mike Battaglia, who will call the 41st running of the race. “There’s always a strong field, with the top trainers and jockeys coming, and we’ve got such great sup...

Surprise Music Star
Moore, please Cold Spring’s Surprise Music Star Producing Records, Advocating for the Commonwealth It’s true that Daniel Martin Moore sent a tape of his music to a major record label before he’d ever played in public. It’s also true that whenever the Cold Spring native created a good song, he’d record it for family and friends. And it’s also true that when Moore found out he was going to be a professional musician, he was working at a bed and breakfast in Costa Rica. But before all that, Moore grew up i...

Style
Favorite Things The power of personalization and the biggest selection of monogram-friendly gifts and accessories in town make Mary Kay Lonneman (left) of MK’s Totebags and Monogramming the queen of custom in MainStrasse. (All prices include up to six letters). 607 Main St. (859) 491-0597 or Facebook. Onesie Chic MK’s lettering and fancy-pants trim turn a utilitarian “onesie” into a fashion statement in 100 percent comfy cotton for stylish half-pints. ($24) Boffo Boots “Great waterproof boots, and Zouba...

Best Restaurants
20 Fabulous Finds It’s not hard to find excellent dining in Northern Kentucky. The skyline beckons you from atop the revolving 360 Restaurant, the green awnings of the Greyhound Tavern promise the best in comfort food and — when you need to kick it up a notch — walk through the alley to the enchanting Virgil’s Café. NKY magazine offers our favorites, but we’re not content with a one-way conversation on something so important. Have a favorite chef? A little-known treasure of an entrée? The perfect table ...

Health
Family-Style Dentistry Dr. Deena Rassenfoss Focuses on Smiles Not many kids like the dentist. But long before she even entered the dentistry field, Dr. Deena Rassenfoss knew she had a funny fascination with teeth. “From the time I was a kid,” she says, “I always loved going to the dentist.” Before graduating from University of Kentucky’s College of Dentistry, Rassenfoss thought about becoming a pediatric dentist, but then realized she could have the best of both worlds if she focused on general dentistr...

Business
Lending a Hand Community Involvement is Part of the Firm’s Culture When Thomas Prewitt peers out the windows of his Cincinnati home each morning, he looks right across the river to Fort Mitchell and sees the building of his Graydon Head office. Maybe it happened by chance, but for Prewitt and the firm where he is a partner, it’s more than symbolic. The business-oriented firm has a strong presence on both sides of the river with offices in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and West Chester. They mainly work ...

Entrepreneur
Á la Carte Clean Venneman’s Regal Maid Answers Call for Clean Dirty kids. White carpet. Stainless steel appliances. That’s the perfect storm. “Guaranteed spots and smudges,” says Andy Venneman of Regal Maid in Southgate. “Thank goodness for kids. They keep us in business.” That daily living forecast keeps Regal Maid busy as a second generation takes over the cleanup started when Andy’s mom, Connie Venneman, began the business in 1986. And despite the recent economic pinch, the call for clean is still lo...

NKY Chamber Events
Local Business Planner PROMOTION ■ EVENTS ■ OPPORTUNITIES TRADE EDUCATION: DOING BUSINESS IN INDIA March 13 8-10 a.m. Northern Kentucky University Nunn Drive, Highland Heights Learn best practices of doing business in India, understand how India’s business culture may affect your operations, and gain insight into economic and political trends. 2012 WASHINGTON, D.C. FLY-IN March 27-28 Join Northern Kentucky Chamber members, business owners and community leaders as they travel to the nation’s capitol to c...