+ What is Queen City Hills?

Queen City Hills is a minority-owned private development group based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

+ When was Queen City Hills established?

Queen City Hills was established in 2018.

+ Who owns Queen City Hills?

Edwin Rigaud and David Foxx, two prominent and longtime business leaders in Cincinnati, own Queen City Hills. The full investment team is comprised of Rigaud, his wife, Carole, and Foxx and his wife, Patricia.

+ What business experience do the owners/partners of Queen City Hills have?

Edwin Rigaud was an executive/VP at Procter & Gamble for 36 years. He was the first president and CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. He is also chairman and owner of EnovaPremier, a leading national tire and wheel assembly business serving several major automotive manufacturers. He is a leader in African American owned business development, including a recent special purpose acquisition company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

David Foxx is the founder of d.e. Foxx & Associates, one of the largest minority-owned businesses in the greater Cincinnati region. It was established in 1983, employs more than 1,800 people in 10 states, and is the parent company of XLC Services, FX Facility Group and Versatex.

+ What is Queen City Hills currently developing?

In October 2018, Uptown Consortium Inc. partnered with Queen City Hills to develop the southwest quadrant of the Uptown Innovation Corridor, which includes the land along Martin Luther King Drive and Reading Road.

The project is mixed-use and will include a 180,000 square-foot office/lab, apartment units, retail shops and a structured parking garage on three acres.

+ What is the vision for the development?

The partners at Queen City Hills want to create a vibrant destination in the heart of uptown Cincinnati, one that encourages innovation and exemplifies inclusion in commercial real estate.

+ What is Queen City Hills mission in developing the Uptown Consortium Inc. property?

Queen City Hills will lead the creation of a highly successful development while driving significant opportunities for all parties involved including minority and women business owners, stakeholders, investors, suppliers and community members.

+ What is Uptown Consortium Inc?

Uptown Consortium Inc. is a nonprofit entity dedicated to economic development within the Cincinnati neighborhoods of Avondale, Clifton, Corryville, CUF and Mount Auburn. It was created in 2004 by leaders of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, UC Health, TriHealth Inc. and the University of Cincinnati.

UCI is currently working on developing the Uptown Innovation Corridor at the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Reading Road. Queen City Hills is developing the southwest quadrant of the corridor.

+ What is an innovation district?

According to The Brookings Institution, “Innovation districts constitute the ultimate mash up of entrepreneurs and educational institutions, start-ups and schools, mixed-use development and medical innovations, bike-sharing and bankable investments – all connected by transit, powered by clean energy, wired for digital technology and fueled by caffeine.”

+ What is Queen City Hills doing to promote diversity and inclusion?

Diversity and inclusion is not just an initiative. It is a firm operating principle for the development team at Queen City Hills.

QCH is proactively sourcing minority and women suppliers in all possible trades. This opens the door for those suppliers that may not have historically had an opportunity to participate in similar projects. QCH wholeheartedly believes this is part of the true advantages of inclusion – finding and partnering with talent that brings unique value.

QCH is also working with WEB Ventures, a Cincinnati-based firm dedicated to ensuring diversity and inclusion in the Uptown Innovation Corridor.

+ What are the names and roles of the groups involved again?

Queen City Hills. The minority-owned business development team comprised of Edwin Rigaud and David Foxx that is developing the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Reading Road.

Uptown Consortium Inc. The nonprofit economic development group that owns property in uptown Cincinnati and is working to bring professional, retail, residential and hospitality spaces in regions that need revitalized.

Uptown Innovation Corridor. The name of the area owned by Uptown Consortium Inc. at the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Reading Road. According to UCI’s website, it is “a mixed-use development supporting uptown’s medical, research and innovation industries.”

+ What is Queen City Hills doing to make sure that members of the Avondale community are not disenfranchised or displaced?

Having Avondale community members embrace the vision of and benefit from the success of the Queen City Hills project is a top priority for the QCH team. The land that QCH is developing is comprised of abandoned buildings, so community members would not be displaced from their homes.