For Josh Rothstein and Andy Cohen, the Jewish Business Network is a way to lend a helping hand to anyone looking to grow professionally or personally. The JBN connects Jewish professionals and entrepreneurs throughout Cincinnati.
“Whether you’re a student looking for an internship, or you’re a seasoned professional… we just wanted to create that facilitation,” said Cohen.
Part of JVS Careers, JBN fosters networking, mentorship, and social connection through events and, soon, skill-based workshops.
“We’re planning on offering limited capacity workshop-type events,” Cohen said.
Past events have featured guest speakers such as Congressman Greg Landsman and Skyline Chili CEO Richard Williams. The next JBN event is on December 2. The featured speaker is Scripps CEO, Adam Symson, in conversation with Nancy and David Wolf, Holocaust and Humanity Center CEO, Jackie Congedo.
Congressman Greg Landsman Speaking at JBN Launch Event (Courtesy JVS)
For Rothstein, a commercial real estate agent known for his social media presence as @spaceforlease, helping build the JBN is a way to provide the help he wished he had when he was a young adult, wondering what to do with his life.
“I would have loved to have had access to something like this as a high school student so I could know what to do when I went to college,” said Rothstein.
For Cohen, the president of Cohen Recycling, JBN is a way to build a tight-knit community by offering young Jewish adults and newcomers who may be unaffiliated with traditional Jewish institutions and organizations a low-pressure invitation into the Jewish community.
“People… may not have wanted to go to the JCC,” he said. “They may not have wanted to go to a Federation function. They come to this[A JBN event] that’s their entry point… Suddenly, they know a few people.”
“Making a connection, whether it’s connecting someone[with the person] who becomes their spouse, or giving them a business connection or a lead,” said Cohen. “It[hosting the event] has a massive opportunity to really change somebody.”
Cohen and Rothstein view these events as great opportunities for both young adults beginning their careers and experienced professionals. It’s a chance for them to share insights and contribute to community growth and connection. They hope JBN becomes a modern version of the neighborhood-based Jewish networks that once defined Cincinnati’s communal life.
“Somebody moving to Cincinnati who just graduated from college, they should have everything available to them at their fingertips,” said Rothstein. “Whatever anybody needs… it should just be right there. And we just have to create that.”
Both of them feel that Cincinnati has untapped potential. They see fostering connections, whether business or social, as a way to achieve that.
“Cincinnati is a small enough market that if you needed a recommendation for a doctor or an insurance guy or a real estate person or whatever, that should be one phone call away for you,” said Rothstein.
