Port Shorts: Revival of the West End

Just to the northwest of Downtown Cincinnati sits the long-established Community known as the West End. Once a bustling neighborhood of more than 67,000 residents, when construction of Interstate 75 began in the 1950s, the West End's population began its sharp decline. Today, just under 7,000 residents live here including two lifelong friends. Nick Johnson and Lem Johnson, no relation, have known each other since preschool. They grew up on Findlay Street literally right across the street from each other.

Nick is the Founder and CEO of BOC Development, which stands for 'Blessing Our Community.' Lem is Founder and CEO of Fix it Force, a construction management company. Their goal is to redevelop the West End one property at a time, and if their plans for the West End are a success, the streets that both have called home since the early 1970s will be blessed with a revival beginning with the home next door to the house Nick grew up in and just across the street from Lem's.