The final innovation suite at the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub will soon have a longtime Cincinnati company as a tenant.
Great American Insurance Group, a subsidiary of American Financial Group Inc., is moving its innovation projects and next-generation initiatives into the 1819 Innovation Hub. Great American’s 1,200-square-foot workspace will provide an opportunity for the specialty property and casualty insurer to engage with diverse talent and connect with other corporate Cincinnati Innovation District partners to move its innovation efforts forward.
David J. Adams, chief innovation officer for UC and architect of the CID, said the addition of Great American is the latest example of a company that wants to be in the vicinity of innovation. UC opened the 1819 Innovation Hub in the fall of 2018.
“We have catalyzed something here, we’ve brought a vision to reality and we’ve done it in years, not decades,” Adams told me.
Gary Gruber, president and chief operating officer of Great American Insurance Group, said joining the Cincinnati Innovation District and opening a workspace in 1819 Innovation Hub will “elevate our innovation initiatives and become part of this valuable regional ecosystem.”
Adams said being located in 1819 Innovation Hub provides access to UC’s research facilities, student talent, technical computing power and “pipelines to novel ideas “that will create new ways of working and thinking. Having a presence at the 1819 Innovation Hub within the CID is expected to enhance Great American’s position as an industry innovator, create a cross-business collaborative space with other CID partners and attract, develop and retain top university talent."
Great American joins several other Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized and startup entities that have a presence in the 1819 Innovation Hub and CID including Fifth Third Bank, Kroger Co., Procter & Gamble Co., Microsoft, Cincinnati Bell Inc., FIS, Hillman Accelerator, Cincy Tech, Cincinnati Insurance Cos., Kingsgate Logistics and others. Great American will provide real-world business experiential opportunities for UC students from colleges across campus in a variety of short- and long-term student engagement projects.
“Access to top talent and infusion of new and diverse perspectives are imperative to Great American’s success,” Jim Niehaus, senior vice president and CIO with Great American Property & Casualty Group, said in a news release provided to the Business Courier. “There is tremendous value in sharing knowledge, best practices, case studies and emerging focus areas, while working in a space dedicated to facilitating innovation in both physical and virtual settings.”
The demand to be part of the innovation district has outweighed the amount of space available. The space Great American will use was originally meant to be event space. While the first Digital Futures Building is expected to be ready in a little more than a year, UC is looking at creating more innovation space at 121 E. McMillan St.
“Our model is having an effect,” Adams said. “It is helping us to become the beacon we want to be.”
Great American Insurance Group’s flagship company, Great American Insurance Co., dates back to 1872. The members of Greater American Insurance Co. are subsidiaries of American Financial Group (NYSE: AFG). Great American is engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses.
