Duke Energy Announces Seven Recipients of $5,000 Grants through “Storefronts To The Forefront” Program

• Duke Energy's partnership with the Cincinnati Regional Chamber and The Huntington National Bank provides grants to seven local businesses in different communities in Ohio and Kentucky seeking funding for growth.

CINCINNATI, OH -- Duke Energy is excited to announce the seven $5,000 grant recipients for year three of Storefronts to the Forefront, a multi-year partnership with the Cincinnati Regional Chamber and The Huntington National Bank to promote increased visibility of small businesses in the Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky region.

Storefronts to the Forefront is offering seven no-strings $5,000 grants to existing storefront businesses in Camp Washington, Harrison, Blue Ash and West Chester in Ohio and in Ft. Mitchell and Newport in Kentucky. Recipients will be able to use the funds for capital improvements, marketing support, expansion investments, or other growth-related efforts. These grants will be funded via Duke Energy shareholders.

This year's seven grant recipients:

• Peter Gregory Florist, Blue Ash, OH
  
• Ferrari Brothers Restaurant Group, Camp Washington, OH
  
• Market Street Grille, Harrison, OH
  
• Kiki the Barber, Oxford, OH
  
• The Cone, West Chester, OH
  
• Jet Age Records, Newport, KY
  
• Better Blend, Ft. Mitchell, KY

The Cincinnati Chamber will spearhead an intensive marketing initiative aimed at promoting stories from each district. Each month, a joint promotional effort will be undertaken by the Cincinnati Chamber, Duke Energy, and The Huntington National Bank, spotlighting a grant recipient from a specific business district and fostering entrepreneurship. This will be accomplished through various channels including Cincinnati Chamber publications, social media, and email. The Cincinnati Chamber's Media Partner, FOX 19's Now in the Nati weekday lifestyle show, will also feature one business every month. Blue Ash, OH, will be the inaugural neighborhood highlighted.

"We started Storefronts to the Forefront in partnership with the Cincinnati Chamber to extend Duke Energy's longstanding support of small businesses, and one of our primary goals was to connect neighborhood businesses to our region's larger business ecosystem," said Amy Spiller, President, Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky. "We're proud to continue that successful partnership and are excited to have The Huntington National Bank's support to further foster those connections and strengthen our region's small business community."

"Storefronts to the Forefront showcases how small businesses create economic growth and vibrancy in our neighborhoods," said Brendon Cull, President, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. "Having companies like Duke Energy and The Huntington National Bank here in our region that are so willing to support the overall business landscape is part of what makes Cincinnati such a great place to start and grow a small business. We're grateful for their partnership and proud to celebrate these seven businesses and their communities."

"At The Huntington National Bank, supporting small businesses is what we do," said Steve Mullinger, Regional President of Southern Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana. "By partnering with Duke Energy and the Cincinnati Chamber on Storefronts to the Forefront, we want to both shine a light on this region's long history of entrepreneurship and make it known that we are here to help - whether you've been in business for a century or are just getting started."

For more information, visit www.storefrontstotheforefront.com

Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides electric service to 910,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service area, and natural gas service to 560,000 customers in a 2,650-square-mile service area, in Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition, keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.

About the Cincinnati Regional Chamber

The Cincinnati Regional Chamber is the premier business and civic organization dedicated to growing the vibrancy and economic prosperity of the Cincinnati region. To achieve its vision that Cincinnati is a growing, thriving region where everyone belongs, the Chamber seeks to grow our economy, grow our population, and grow our cultural vibrancy -- with the foundation of a strong business community -- to foster a welcoming environment for all. For more information, visit www.cincinnatichamber.com.

Contact: John Juech
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