anorthern kentucky community profile …...in may, site selection magazine named tri-ed to its...

A Northern Kentucky Community Profile

BOONE, CAMPBELL,and KENTON COUNTIES

BOONE, CAMPBELL,and KENTON COUNTIES

A Special EditorialSection Published by

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Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati, and the Ohio River as seen from Devou Park in Covington Photo by Jeff Rogers

www.NorthenKentuckyUSA.com

Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati, and the Ohio River as seen from Devou Park in Covington

During an hour-long speech inMay, President George W.Bush paid the ultimate com-pliment to Northern Ken-tucky, touting the newly cre-

ated College of Informatics at NorthernKentucky University and lauding the com-munity for its progressive outlook in mathand science education.

“If our children don’t have the skills to fillthe jobs of the 21st century, the jobs are goingto go somewhere else,” the president told acrowd of about 2,000 that had gathered tohear his economic-initiatives presentationMay 19 at NKU’s Regents Hall. NorthernKentucky, he insisted, is on the right trackwhen it comes to preparing its coming gener-ations for the workforce that looms ahead.

That is a message that resonates loudand clear at the northernmost edge of theBluegrass State, a three-county region thatover the past two decades has become thevanguard for Kentucky’s economy, addingjobs, new home construction and invitingnew businesses at a pace acclaimed bothstatewide and nationally.

Boone County, home to the Cincin-nati/Northern Kentucky International Air-port, is the destination of choice for manynew businesses and industries that call the

2 Northern Kentucky Community Profile

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The development of Covington’s Riverfront is an impressive sight from downtown Cincinnati.

Northern Kentucky University President Dr. James C. Votruba makes a point to President George W. Bush during the chief executive’s recent visit to Northern Kentucky. RepresentativeGeoff Davis of Northern Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, applauds President Bush’sremarks from the podium.

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Tri-State region home. Kenton County,with a population of more than 150,000,provides the region’s urban core with Cov-ington and its impressive high-rises down-town. And Campbell County has becomethe market’s entertainment destination ofchoice with the Newport Aquarium, New-port on the Levee and the fascinating Pur-ple People Bridge.

Northern Kentucky has, for the past 30years or so, benefited from its proximity toCincinnati and a region with an overall popu-lation of nearly two million. At the same time,Northern Kentucky has maintained its small-town feel, that sense of Southern hospitalitythat is evident just a soon as you cross the OhioRiver and enter the commonwealth.

Planning to succeedMore than a quarter century ago, then

Gov. John Y. Brown helped initiate a set ofplanning objectives for orderly growth atKentucky’s northern end, seeking the con-solidation of government entities when pos-sible and laying the foundation for futuregrowth by providing the infrastructure nec-essary for expansion to the counties, espe-cially in the transportation sector.

That was no more visible than at theCincinnati/Northern Kentucky Interna-tional Airport, where ample room for run-way and facilities expansion, coupled withplenty of available cheap land surroundingit, fueled the current upward trend in theaddition of industry and jobs for the region.

“The airport is, and will continue to be,vital to the well-being of Northern Kentuckyand indeed the rest of Greater Cincinnati,”said Dan Tobergte, president and CEO of theNorthern Kentucky Tri-County EconomicDevelopment Corporation. “The airport is thedifferentiating factor that this community hasover surrounding comparable cities. We docompete with Lexington and Louisville to acertain degree, but we also compete againstIndianapolis, Columbus, Raleigh, Nashvilleand other cities.”

Kenton County Judge-Executive RalphDrees agrees. “High-paying jobs are movinginto our region as companies realize theadvantage of having an international air-port,” he said.

Another differentiating factor is thequality of Northern Kentucky’s workforce.“I think the Northern Kentucky workforceis much better than average in terms of edu-cation and drive. There is not a big unioninfluence here. The education and businesscommunity collaborates closely to matchwhat is needed with what is produced,” saidCampbell County Judge-Executive StevePendery.

His counterpart in Boone County agrees.“Our people possess a great work ethic. Theyare hard working, dependable, and for themost part well educated. Also, people arewilling to move here to fill the new jobs,”Judge-Executive Gary Moore said.

To continue to be able to fill those newpositions, leaders in the region, from educatorsat Northern Kentucky University and localschool districts to workforce development ana-lysts, are constantly monitoring the workforce’sstatus. Two boosts on the workforce front camefrom the Kentucky General Assembly this yearin the form of funding for NKU’s new Collegeof Informatics, as well as monies for GatewayCommunity and Technical College’s Canter

for Advanced Manufacturing Competitive-ness, which will serve as one of the many toolsavailable in the region to insure that currentworkers are upgraded and future workers canreceive the kinds of training they’ll need tosucceed, according to Nancy Spivey, vice pres-ident for workforce solutions at the NorthernKentucky Chamber of Commerce.

Best of both worldsA marketing campaign years ago pegged

Northern Kentucky as the southern side ofCincinnati, a branding initiative that hadsupporters and critics alike, but one thatreflected some of the region’s self-realization.

“Northern Kentucky has historicallybeen known as a bedroom community ofCincinnati with a strong industrial/distribu-

tion base,” said Thomas Banta, executivevice president of Corporex, a Covington-based commercial and residential develop-ment company with more than $1 billion inassets. “What is less widely known is thatNorthern Kentucky has developed into aregion-leading office market. We haveattracted Fortune 500 headquarters likeAshland, Omnicare and Toyota Engineer-ing and Manufacturing, North America.

The market has an abundant supply ofoffice products and routinely competes forregional and national headquarters.”

The bedroom-community image beganto change when the recession of 1981 endedand bulldozers were digging full-force at

A spirit of cooperation is what makes theNorthern Kentucky Tri-County EconomicDevelopment Corporation successful. Picturedin the Tri-ED board room, seated left to right,are Judge-Executive Gary W. Moore of BooneCounty; Judge Executive Ralph Drees of Kenton County, and; Judge-Executive StevePendery of Campbell County. Standing left to right are Dan Tobergte, president and CEOof Tri-ED, and attorney Bill Robinson, a Tri-EDfounding board member.

Staff photo

sites such as the Corporex CirclePort cam-pus – where Toyota would build its NorthAmerican headquarters – and Covington’smassive business district and industrial park,where Fidelity Investments settled severalkey operations from Massachusetts at a site

that continues toexpand.

Citing advan-tages such as supportservices, a stronglabor pool, superiortelecommunicationsservices and loweroperating costs,Kevin Canafax, sitegeneral manager ofFidelity InvestmentsMidwest RegionCampus in Coving-ton says, “The entirepackage made ourdecision to build ourregional headquar-ters in NorthernKentucky an easyone.”

The shores of theOhio River alsoboomed along tinySilver Grove inCampbell County,where Lafarge Gyp-sum opened its

largest single-line drywall production facility,producing 900 million square feet of the prod-uct annually.

And while the region flexed its commercialmuscle, governmental cooperation in North-ern Kentucky allowed the region to create

opportunities for economic growth. There aremany examples of officials from local govern-ments and economic development organiza-tions working together to sell the region toprospective companies. Because of this cooper-ation, the region has scored no small sum ofvictories, such as the arrival a couple years agoof Munich, Germany-based Hofbrauhaus inNewport, beating several proposed locations inSouthwest Ohio.

Those illustrations are commonplace inNorthern Kentucky, according to KentonCounty Judge-Executive Ralph Drees, who haswitnessed the rapid growth from the helm ofNorthern Kentucky-based homebuilding giantDrees Company, which constructs homes inKentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, NorthCarolina, Texas and the Washington, D.C.metro area. “There is a true sense in NorthernKentucky that cooperation, not confrontation,wins the day,” he said.

Northern Kentuckians take advantage oftheir proximity to the Queen City, whereprofessional baseball and football leadamong spectator sports for locals and visi-tors alike. Museums, performance outletssuch as historic Music Hall and the newAronoff Center for the Arts, Paramount’sKings Island amusement park, River Downsand hundreds of other attractions are at theroot of the region’s frequent appearance onvarious “most livable” lists. Quality healthcare services are provided by St. ElizabethMedical Center and the St. Luke Hospitals,


For nearly two decades, the Northern Kentucky Tri-CountyEconomic Development Corporation has ridden at the crestof the phenomenal wave of business and industrial growth in

this area of the commonwealth, a region that with only 8 percentof the state’s population churned out 26 percent of Kentucky’scapital investments in 2005. That, accord-ing to Tri-ED President and CEO DanTobergte, equates to 41 new and expand-ing projects generating $444 million incapital investment and almost 3,000 newjobs with an average annual salary of $54,965.

In light of that success, Tri-ED has received two prestigiousnational honors. First, Tri-ED was named one of 12 nationalfinalists for the 2006 Economic Development Leadership Awardsby CoreNet Global, the world’s leading profession-al association of corporate real estate executives.Finalists were named in two categories: Leadershipand innovation, and major projects/deals. NorthernKentucky Tri-ED was the only group recognized inboth categories.

“Northern Kentucky has enjoyed tremendoussuccess as an economic engine for the Common-wealth of Kentucky and the Cincinnati area,” saidCampbell County Judge-Executive Steve Pendery.“That success is driven by our strong community partnershipsand this region’s ability to attract diverse, growing companies tothe area.”

The 12 finalists made presentations on their best practices and

innovations at Princeton University in March to a panel of For-tune 500 real estate executives.

“The CoreNet Global Economic Development Leadership Awardrecognizes organizations such as Northern Kentucky Tri-ED thatexemplify the best practices, innovations and partnerships shaping

the increasingly strategic role of economicdevelopment in corporate real estate andworkplace management,” said RichardKadzis, director of special projects and mediarelations at CoreNet Global.

In May, Site Selection magazine named Tri-ED to its annual listof the nation’s Top 10 Economic Development Groups. Consid-ering there are over 6,000 economic development organizationsacross the country, this recognition was quite an honor.

The award winners were selected by Site Selectioneditors based upon the development organizations’overall performance in the following categories: totalcapital investment; jobs created; investment per capi-ta; jobs per capita; overall economic vitality; depthand breadth of economic strength; diversity of indus-try; ability to generate breakthrough deals; and theoverall quality of the group’s nomination package,including verifiable documentation for all projects.

“In the nearly 20 years since it was founded,Northern Kentucky Tri-ED has propelled our economy with morethan $4 billion in capital investment and the creation of morethan 40,000 jobs,” Tobergte said. “It’s gratifying for the region toreceive national recognition for that success.”

Region’s Success Garners Tri-ED Two National Honors

NorthernKentucky

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Little Rock

Jackson

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Northern Kentucky is within a day’sdriving distance of over half of thecountry’s population.

and the region boasts nine institutes ofhigher education, including NKU.

“These are all the kinds of amenities thatplanners look at when they are decidingwhether to move their company to a newlocation,” said Dave Postolowski, a businessdirector for the Ticona Company. Pos-tolowski, who was on the committee thathelped frame the decision to move Ticona’sU.S. headquarters from New Jersey toNorthern Kentucky, explained that theregion’s relatively low cost of living, easyaccess to international airport transporta-tion and the accoutrements of living avail-able on both sides of the river were key fac-tors for his team’s recommendation.

“When we were presented with reasons forrelocating the headquarters here, everythingwas done right,” Postolowski said. A parade ofofficials, from Boone County’s Moore, tochamber leaders and Tri-ED’s Tobergte and hisstaff, left no stone unturned in ensuring theNew Jersey-based company had all the infor-mation needed to make their decision to move.“In the end, the region really sold itself,” Pos-tolowski said.

A region looks to the futureNorthern Kentucky is able to “sell itself”

to prospective businesses and a highlyskilled and educated workforce because ofan ability to maintain focus on growth,according to Bob Farrell, associate provostfor economic development initiatives atNorthern Kentucky University.

Farrell noted that initiatives coming fromhis office at NKU are being put into place totake advantage of both the large number ofsmall, high-tech companies operating in themarket, the strength of growth from largerfirms – many of them global in scope – as wellas a young, upcoming workforce that is partic-ipating in cooperative employment opportuni-ties in conjunction with the university.

“If you are a business owner or a corpo-rate executive looking in at the region fromoutside, I believe you have to be impressedwith the kinds of resources that are avail-able” at NKU and from agencies in andaround Northern Kentucky, Farrell said. “Iam very impressed with the level of cooper-ation that exists in Northern Kentucky.”

Tri-ED’s Tobergte is banking on thatspirit of cooperation as he looks at hisagency’s objectives in the near term.

“We will continue to seek very positivegrowth through what we call primary indus-tries,” Tobergte said. “That spans advancedmanufacturing through financial services tocorporate headquarters all locating here.”Among the objectives, he said, are to attractcompanies that have average wages per personhigher than $45,000 annually, growing theeconomy at a pace of 1,300 new jobs per year.

And things are happening in the region tomake that possible. “There are several projectsthat have come on line in the past few years,led by Roger Griggs and his Union Springs

LLC,” Tobergte said. “We are working biggerand better in the life sciences field” in North-ern Kentucky. “We have a commercializationtriangle effort now under way directly aroundNorthern Kentucky University. We won’t be aresearch triangle as such, but Bob Farrell’smantra at NKU is to find research processesthat have not been commercialized and try tobring those to the market and shorten the timeto market for them.”

Griggs, who serves on Tri-ED’s board,noted that one intriguing project is beingdubbed the League of Investors, a group ofbusiness leaders with some financial girthwho want to further invest in NorthernKentucky by acquiring businesses and relo-

cating them to the region. “It is still in itsearly stages,” Griggs said.

Tobergte said that regional leaders wantadvanced manufacturing to keep pace withlocal business growth. Currently, about 20percent of the commercial culture isinvolved in manufacturing. “But we want tosee the service sector grow,” he said. “Thatwill be the sector here that ultimately willproduce the most jobs” in the future.

Perhaps the bright outlook for NorthernKentucky can best be summed up by Dr. G.Edward Hughes, president and CEO of Gate-way Community and Technical College. “Thiscommunity really cares about creating oppor-tunity for today and tomorrow,” he said. n


Northern Kentuckians haveenjoyed a long history ofbeing industrious, hardworkers – witnessed by theregion’s ties to employers

such as Toyota Engineering and Manufac-turing, North America and various firmsinvolved in the machine-tool industry,among hundreds of other fields.

According to Dr. G. Edward Hughes, pres-ident and CEO of Gateway Community andTechnical College, manufacturing accountsfor more than 22,000 jobs and generates over$1 billion in annual earnings in NorthernKentucky. However, Dr. Hughes says a recentsurvey of manufacturers showed there are cur-rently about 600 area manufacturing jobs thatare open or under-filled. That same survey, hesays, revealed that Northern Kentucky manu-

facturers expect to replace more than 3,600workers who are scheduled to retire in thenext 10 years.

In order to address this need, GatewayCommunity and Technical College received$28 million in funding this year from the statelegislature to construct a new Center forAdvanced Manufacturing Competitiveness.When completed, the center will provideadvanced training for more than 10,000 work-ers and will serve an estimated 200 firms.According to Dr. Hughes, it will help erase theskills gap for Northern Kentucky workers andmanufacturers. “We estimate that 1,000 newjobs will be created within five years of theCAMC’s startup because of the beneficialimpact on the workforce” says Dr. Hughes.

Another education leader, Dr. JamesVotruba, president of Northern Kentucky

University, noted that in order for NorthernKentucky to maintain a competitive edge inthe commercial realm, workforce develop-ment and training upgrades have to be onthe front burner to meet the demands of thedigital age.

NKU’s new College of Informatics, apioneer program that merges the digital uni-verse and information technology withother disciplines, will provide graduateswith unique skill sets to prepare them forwork with cutting-edge companies bothlocally and regionally, according to Dr.Doug Perry, new head of the school.

Maintaining vigil on workforce develop-ment at the Northern Kentucky Chamberof Commerce is Nancy Spivey, vice presi-dent for workforce and education, whoexplained that numerous private-sector ini-tiatives help bolster the programming initi-ated at Northern Kentucky University aswell as Gateway Community and TechnicalCollege.

Spivey said the region’s unique mix ofinnovative manufacturers, headquarters,distribution centers and other businessescreates a blend of challenges and opportuni-ties for filling key positions within thosecompanies. The key, she said, is to insurethat the region is able to stay ahead ofemployers’ demands from the labor pool.

This year, Spivey noted that the NorthernKentucky Manufacturing Alliance Councilwas formed, headed by Rick Jordan, presidentof LSI Graphic Solutions. It was developedwith an eye toward training and developmentfor the labor force needed to support the 400manufacturers operating in Northern Ken-tucky at the industry’s peer level, allowingdirect input from manufacturing captains toshift their training assets as needed.

Keeping close tabs on education andtraining is a critical factor for growth in theregion, but the payoff can be tremendous,noted Dan Tobergte, president and CEO ofNorthern Kentucky Tri-County EconomicDevelopment Corporation. He cited as anexample Fidelity Investments’ announce-ment last year that it was spending $120million to expand its 180-acre Covingtoncampus, adding 1,500 jobs to its currentbase of 2,700 workers. Fidelity committed tothe growth here, Tobergte said, because theyknew the workforce is here to support thatexpansion.

“Our people possess a great work ethic”says Boone County Judge-Executive GaryMoore. “They are hard working, depend-able, and for the most part well educated.People are willing to move here to fill thenew jobs because this is a great place to live,work, and raise a family.” n

TThhee RRiigghhtt SSkkiillllss ffoorr tthhee JJoobbEducation programs keep workers on the cutting edge

Students in the electrical technology programat Gateway Community and Technical Collegeare shown working on electric circuitry atGateway’s new state-of-the-art Boone Countycampus facility.

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High-tech companies in Northern Ken-tucky are getting a boost from theNorthern Kentucky E-Zone, the area’s

first and only business accelerator that servesstart-up, emerging and existing businesses.

A non-profit corporation, the E-Zoneseeks to enrich and strengthen the technol-ogy community in Northern Kentucky bycreating opportunities for technologicalinnovation and economic development.

The concept for Northern Kentucky E-Zone began in the minds of five area businesspeople who came up with the idea of anaccelerator and incubator located in North-ern Kentucky. When the state passed theKentucky Innovation Act of 2000, the E-Zone was designated as one of the state’sseven Innovation and CommercializationCenters and became eligible for funding.

Casey Barach was hired as executivedirector in July 2001, and Northern KentuckyE-Zone began accepting its first resident com-panies when it opened in September 2001.

Much of the E-Zone’s success has comethrough its client education program, anextensive program that teaches clients theskills necessary to successfully promote andmanage their business.

The E-Zone also reaches out to localcolleges and universities to help provideeducation to Northern Kentucky’s stu-dents. In addition, the E-Zone educates thecommunity as a whole with a monthlylunch seminar called the “Know-How Net-work” that is geared toward the variousaspects of running a business and that any-one can attend. n

NKU’s new College of Informatics will behoused in the Science Center on campus untila new $36 million facility is completed.

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Business Accelerator Boosts Technology Companies


Few things are more important tofamilies seeking the best in qualityof life than access to great healthcare. In Northern Kentucky, twomedical institutions make up only

part of the vast health care mosaic on bothsides of the Ohio River. In Kenton County,the two main campuses of the St. ElizabethMedical Center provide a complete spec-trum of health care to the nine-countyregion in the northern end of the common-wealth, offering complete care, from pre-natal support to a vast spectrum of cancer-care and cardiac services. The St. Luke Hos-pitals, located in Campbell and Boonecounties, are members of The HealthAlliance, the largest regional health caresystem comprised of both St. Luke campus-es; Christ, Jewish and University hospitalsin Cincinnati; and Fort Hamilton Hospitalin Hamilton, Ohio. Doctors who are mem-bers of Alliance Primary Care also are partof that system.

“Issues such as great health care are veryimportant in attracting businesses to aregion,” said Dave Postolowski, businessdirector for the Ticona company, whichlocated its national headquarters from NewJersey to Florence last year. “The access togreat health care from Northern Kentuckycertainly was one of the overall factors thathelped us decide to move here.”

The St. Elizabeth Medical Center,founded in 1861, with campuses in Edge-wood, Covington and Williamstown,recently was named a magnet hospital bythe American Nurses Credentialing Center,

one of the top achievements in the industry,according to Jane Swaim, vice president andchief nursing officer at St. Elizabeth. “Weare beyond proud to be recognized as one ofthe top nursing programs in the country,”she said. “This is the ultimate confirmationof what we’ve long known, that St. Eliza-beth nurses are among the best.” Swaimnoted that fewer than 3 percent of hospitalsnationwide qualify for the recognition. St.Elizabeth Medical Center also has been rec-ognized as one of the best places for nursesto work in the region, another factor in itsreceiving the magnet designation.

The chief beneficiary from such an awardis the patient,according to St. Eliz-abeth president andCEO, Joe Gross.“The public shouldfeel comfortedknowing that a mag-net level hospital isavailable in theircommunity.”

Besides itsprowess in provid-ing excellent nurs-ing care, St. Eliza-beth Medical Cen-ter also was ratedamong the best inthe nation inpatient safety,according toHealthGrades, anorganization that

evaluates hospital quality for consumers,corporations, hospitals and health plans.

“Patient safety is an all-encompassingprocess for us,” Gross added.

For many years, the St. Luke Hospitalshave been a leader in patient care andadvanced technology, providing healthcare first in Ft. Thomas, and later in Flo-rence when it acquired the former BoothHospital. St. Luke’s was the site of the firstpacemaker being installed in NorthernKentucky, and it has led the way with itsRegional Vascular Institute and Center forBreast health.

The St. Luke Hospitals also have takenthe lead in the region providing compre-hensive women’s health services, offering awide array of services that includes infertili-ty treatment, birthing options, as well asbreast-cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Besides its campuses in Ft. Thomas andFlorence, the system operates pediatric cen-ters in Bellevue and Florence, sports healthand wellness centers in Burlington and Flo-rence, the Northern Kentucky Children’sAdvocacy Center in Bellevue and the Cen-ter for Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Fal-mouth.

“Health care is one of the quality of lifeissues that is critical in helping us attractand keep the best workforce available,” saidDr. James Votruba, president of NorthernKentucky University and a co-chair of therecently released Vision 2015 master planfor the Northern Kentucky region. “We arefortunate not only to have great hospitalshere, but we also have immediate access tothe many hospitals in Cincinnati. Whenyou look at the whole (health care) picture,you see that we have access to some of thebest health care anywhere.” n

TThhee BBeesstt HHeeaalltthh CCaarree AAnnyywwhheerreeQuality hospitals and medical centers attract families, businesses

From its main campus in Edgewood, the St. Elizabeth Medical Center has a long history of serving the healthcare needs of NorthernKentuckians since 1861.

Access to state-of-the-art healthcare is readily available to residents ofNorthern Kentucky.

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Despite growing challenges inthe airline industry, theCincinnati/Northern Ken-tucky International Airportremains critical for contin-

ued economic development in this sectionof Kentucky. Even in light of tough timesfor Delta Air Lines, the airport’s primarytenant, leaders in the region feel the air-port will continue to pump plenty of ener-

gy, cash and intangible economic assetsinto the economy.

“Our airport is, for Northern Kentuckyand all of Kentucky, the gateway tonational and global markets so essential toour current and continued growth andprosperity” says Bill Robinson, chair of theKenton County Airport Board.

Employing more than 15,000 workers atthe airport itself, and supporting nearly

55,000 other regionaljobs, CVG – the airport’sthree-letter designatorchosen for the nearby cityof Covington – pumpsmore than $4.5 billionannually into the localeconomy.

As the airport hasgrown over the years, it hasbecome increasingly evi-dent that this city-sizedendeavor has been a pur-veyor of prosperity, attract-ing new business andindustry to the region.

“With 500 daily flightsto 120 cities worldwide,including London andParis to the east and Hon-olulu to the west, our air-port is ideally locatedwithin an hour’s flighttime of 50 percent of theAmerican population”Robinson said.

“The airport’s impact ishuge. There’s no other wayto put it,” said Mark Perry-man, president of Cincin-nati-based Landrum &Brown, an airport planningcompany. “Just in terms ofthe impact the airport hason the overall psyche ofbusinesses in the region,you cannot ever underesti-mate the impact it has on amulti-county area.”

Joe Feiertag, an airportspokesman, said that a

recent study by the University of Cincin-nati provides an illustration of CVG’simportance to the area’s economy. Forevery flight leaving CVG, an average of$18,000 is imparted on the region. Add tothat the fact that airport construction proj-ects are expected to bring nearly $1 billioninto the local economy over the next 12years, as well as the impact from tourismand airport-related spending over the nextfew years, the annual addition to collectiveeconomic coffers here is anticipated toreach nearly $7 billion by 2011.

Even more critical is that by 2011, air-port officials say they expect nearly 120,000jobs to be created, either directly or indi-

GGaatteewwaayy ttoo SSuucccceessssAirport creates critical impact on region’s economy

Three jets prepare to land simultaneously at the Cincinnati/NorthernKentucky International Airport. CVG is one of only five airports in the world with runwayfacilities that allow triplesimultaneous takeoffs andlandings.

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rectly, by all the activities generated in andaround the airport.

“The airport does continue to be thekey component for economic developmentfor the region,” said Steve Stevens, seniorvice president for public affairs at theNorthern Kentucky Chamber of Com-merce. “We constantly see companies relo-cating here or expanding in the regionbecause of the convenience of the airportand the efficient air service that is avail-able here. We continue to believe that theairport will need to expand in the comingyears to meet the demand that is very like-ly to grow in the region.”

Notwithstanding the challenges to theair transport industry after the terroristattacks of September 11th, CVG has had aremarkable record of success in numerouscategories of service and capacity that arethe envy of the industry.

The airport has several things going forit that have placed it well ahead of other air-ports throughout the nation. CVG is thefirst airport east of the Mississippi River, andone of only five in the world, to have theoperating efficiency of three parallel inde-pendent runways, literally tripling the num-ber of aircraft that can land or take off atany given moment, a boon to airlines seek-ing on-time arrivals and departures.

Only four airports in the nation servemore cities than CVG. The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airportserves more cities than the airports in theWashington, D.C. region, more than LosAngeles, and even more than the New YorkCity airports.

It is that accessibility that keeps CVGon the front burner for relocation planners.Foreign firms wanting to locate within theUnited States have chosen Northern Ken-tucky or Cincinnati as their U.S. presence,and that has meant a tripling of foreignfirms in the region since 1987.

“One needs to look no further than Toy-ota’s North American headquarters here inBoone and Kenton counties to see theimpact of our world class airport,” saysBoone County Judge Executive GaryMoore.

The airport’s economic impact remainsstrong. “We’ve been fortunate throughoutthe past few years to be well-positionedand better than the industry as a whole.The airport remains in good shape. Thathas been a result of great planning, goodemployees and modern facilities. Delta’sfacilities as a hub are state of the art. Theairfield has kept the cost of doing businessreasonable for tenants, and we upgradeoften,” Feiertag said.

“The bottom line, I think, is that we dowhat any good city does. We have a soundinfrastructure in place that provides an out-standing environment for our customers –the airlines – to operate. I think we areamong the best at doing just that.” n

The approach to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is a familiar sight toair travelers. Last year, over 22 million air passengers traveled through the airport.

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*Convention market only. Consumer shows, trade shows or special events using less than 750 room nights do not qualify for guarantee.

Courtesy of W

oolpert, LLP


From the Hofbrauhaus beer garden,guests can tip a liter of tangy brew,enjoy a fresh-grilled bratwurst andlift a glass to cheer almost any occa-sion, all with the backdrop of

Cincinnati’s downtown skyline and itsevening lights.

The view is from the northern edge ofthe commonwealth, where for decades thecity of Newport struggled with its image asSin City, mobsters running amok in numer-ous gin joints and crumbling old structuresgiving way to a decaying urban district thatseemed to be well past its prime.

But that image is relevant no more.Northern Kentucky in general, and New-

port specifically, mark the region’s entertain-ment showcase that includes the trendy shopsand restaurants at Newport on the Levee, theinternationally acclaimed Newport Aquarium,and many river-based restaurants on both theNewport and Covington shores of the OhioRiver. Hofbrauhaus, the famous Munich, Ger-many-based brewery and restaurant, had beensought by Cincinnati developers and commu-nity leaders for a couple of years when the Ger-man firm announced its intention to open itsfirst U.S. location in the region. An aggressivemarketing committee headed by leaders fromNewport and Northern Kentucky convincedHofbrauhaus management that the best loca-tion for the Cincinnati market was across theriver, in Northern Kentucky.

In Covington, the new Northern Ken-tucky Convention Center has placed the

region on the convention map nationally,and historic destinations such as the oldGerman neighborhood called MainStrasseVillage add to the overall tourism experi-ence one can find in the region.

Tom Caradonio, president and CEO ofthe Northern Kentucky Convention andVisitors Bureau, notes that tourism and con-vention dollars are big business in NorthernKentucky, with the impact of spending inKenton, Campbell and Boone Countiesreaching an all-time high of $255 million in2005, up more than 8 percent from 2004 at$235 million. The previous record was$243 million, set in 2000.

“Of the $255 million in total economicimpact, the lodging category accounted fornearly half at $129 million, followed by restau-rants at $57 million, shopping $30.3 million,entertainment at $18 million and local trans-portation $13.9 million,” Caradonio said.“Corporate travelers continue to be the largestmarket segment in Northern Kentucky at 39percent, followed by leisure at 35 percent,meetings and conventions at 24 percent andgovernment with 2 percent.”

And while the revenues generated bythe overall tourism trade in Northern Ken-tucky are impressive, the importance of theentire region has to be taken into consider-ation when one closely analyzes the North-ern Kentucky market outside of the “region-al” context, according to Dr. James Votruba,president of Northern Kentucky University.

“There is no question that Northern Ken-

tucky benefits from being within the overallGreater Cincinnati market,” he said. “Theintangibles for attracting and maintaining aviable workforce certainly include the kinds ofattractions that will bring tourists to town, andwe have plenty of that kind of benefit here.”

Facilities for both the Cincinnati Redsmajor league baseball team and the Cincin-nati Bengals football team are located indowntown Cincinnati. Located betweenthe stadiums is the newly completed Under-ground Railroad Freedom Center – a facili-ty dedicated to the Queen City’s vital role asa stop along the Civil War-era route to free-dom for former slaves.

Cincinnati also is home to a bevy of muse-ums, including the Cincinnati Art Museum, inits day the largest collection of art west of theAllegheny Mountains; the Taft museum, a pri-vate collection of art garnered over severalgenerations by descendants of former U.S.President William Howard Taft; and the Con-temporary Arts Museum, housed in a spectac-ular new structure designed by Iraqi architectZaha Hadid; and the soon-to-open Creation-ism Museum located in Hebron in BooneCounty. Stage performances from the nationalBroadway Series to dance extravaganzas andother touring plays have found a home at theAronoff Center for the Arts.

“There is so much to do in the region, it’shard to give it justice at only a glance,” saidTricia Suit, director of publicity for the TaftMuseum. “I think we take for granted (liv-ing in Northern Kentucky) that we haveaccess to all that the region has to offer, notonly in Kentucky but in Cincinnati and thesurrounding counties, going all the way upto Kings Island. I personally think NorthernKentucky, because of its own attractions andthose that are available in Ohio, is easily thebest, single destination for tourists in thestate.” n

TThheerree’’ss SSoo MMuucchh ttoo DDooTourism brings people, dollars into Northern Kentucky region

The 100-foot Carroll Chimes Bell Tower atMainStrasse Village in Covington may beNorthern Kentucky’s most photographed outdoor landmark.

Named the number one aquarium in the Midwest in the Zagat Survey’s U.S. Family Travel Guide,the state-of-the-art Newport Aquarium at Newport on the Levee is open to the public 365 daysa year.

Photos courtesy of the

Northern K

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Adding to the recent riverfrontdevelopment in Covington isthe Northern Kentucky Con-vention Center, the 204,000-square-foot facility that has

drawn attention for Northern Kentuckyfrom meeting planners and show coordina-tors nationwide.

The center has been instrumental inhelping pump hundreds of thousands of dol-lars into hotels, restaurants and retailers,creating hundreds of jobs for workers onboth sides of the Ohio River and deliveringtens of thousands of visitors to CincinnatiReds and Bengals’ games and into attrac-tions like Newport Aquarium, Covington’sRiverfront and Newport on the Levee.

“It certainly has transformed Covingtonfrom a kind of sleepy place where little washappening to a vibrant business center,”said John Gurren, general manager ofEmbassy Suites in Covington. The North-ern Kentucky Convention Center also hasprovided the promise of a steady stream ofvisitors for conventions, meetings and spe-cialty shows, which in turn created a build-ing boom that brought new hotels andrestaurants into being. “Without the center,I doubt very much that a lot of the projectswe’ve seen coming here would even havebeen considered,” Gurren said.

“The convention center has made a bigdifference for most of the restaurants aroundhere,” said restaurateur Jimmy Gilliece, co-owner of Chez Nora’s in MainStrasse Vil-lage. “Our business has picked up just fromthe people working in the hospitality indus-try that has been booming here. Visitors willask the hotel folks where to find a goodrestaurant, and that business gets funneledto us. Everybody benefits.”

In the early 1990s, Gurren said therewas a sense that Northern Kentucky wasthe perfect location for a regional conven-tion facility, an all-purpose center thatcould host groups of from 500 to 2,000 orso, complementing Cincinnati’s SabinConvention Center which, before its cur-rent expansion, could hold a convention ofabout 10,000. With seed money from thestate and studies by groups such as theNorthern Kentucky Chamber of Com-merce and the Northern Kentucky Restau-rant Association, the hunch that theregion was ready for its own conventionfacility was confirmed.

The creators of the Northern KentuckyConvention Center also looked at otherfacilities in the region and statewide, not-ing that strategically placing the facility ina small to medium convention niche wouldpay huge dividends. Louisville, ranked fifth

in the top Trade Show 200 list, is focusedon getting as big as it can; Cincinnati’sconvention facility, suffering in recentyears because it couldn’t attract the largeevents that Louisville or Indianapolis weregarnering, is currently completing anotherexpansion. And convention facilities inLexington, Paducah, Somerset and Ash-land all were structured to take on mostlysmall conventions and shows.

Completed in 1998, the state-ownedfacility, which is run by a private manage-ment company, has 110,000 square feet ofmeeting, exhibition and social functionspace, and features 8,000 square feet ofpublic space that is specifically designed tohandle group registration, exhibits andreceptions, according to Gretchen Lan-drum, director of sales and marketing atthe center.

The Brereton C. Jones Exhibition Cen-ter offers 46,200 square feet of space for upto 235 10-foot booths. Receptions in thehall can hold up to 3,000 people –– and thehall can be divided to handle simultaneousactivities, Landrum said.

The Ballroom and Conference Level hasfour large meeting rooms totaling 13,288square feet that can be divided into 10breakout rooms. The 22,800-square-footballroom can be divided as well, creatingfive separate spaces.

On the technical side, the conventioncenter is state-of-the-art, featuring high-tech audio-visual capacity, with fiber opticISDN Internet access and satellite down-link capacity for national or internationalconnectivity.

And, Landrum said, the Northern Ken-tucky Convention Center offers top-of-the-line service and support that includesits planning staff and the center’s in-housecatering company, Masterpiece Creations,which provides full-service catering for anysize group, from a company picnic to a sit-down dinner for nearly 1,500. Landrumsaid the convention center offers virtuallyevery other service convention-goerswould find at a large hotel facility, includ-ing additional services such as word pro-cessing and office peripherals. “We foundthat our target customer was used to havingtheir meetings or conventions at largehotels, so we had to make sure they werecomfortable with what we had to offer.”

“We’re very proud off the strong reputa-tion the center has developed in the regionand the state” says Charles Wheeler, execu-tive director of the Northern KentuckyConvention Center. “It proves that one-on-one customer service has a place the age ofcyberspace technology.” n

BBuuiillddiinngg aa NNaattiioonnaall RReeppuuttaattiioonnConvention center brings people, money into region

Built in 1998, the Northern Kentucky Convention Center has established a national reputation as a state-of-the-art,well-managed meeting facility.

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Boone County shines with newdevelopments, expansion of infra-structure to meet the demands ofthat growth and the promise of itsplace as the central transporta-

tion hub for the region. Over the past four years, Boone County

has added 11 new citizens a day to itspopulation, making it Kentucky’sfastest growing county. Many ofthe new residents come fromHamilton County, Ohio, saysBoone County Judge-ExecutiveGary Moore. “Because of the greateconomic climate our children canreturn back home after college, and this alsocontributes to our growth,” he said.

Despite its adjacency to bigger cities,Boone County is a community all its own,and Moore wants people to know it.

“Boone County is not a bedroom com-munity to Cincinnati or Covington. We arethe home of the Cincinnati-Northern Ken-tucky International Airport, the FlorenceMall, Turfway Park Race Track, and manyother industries. We import over 20,000 jobsa day into Boone County,” he said.

To say that the location of GreaterCincinnati’s metropolitan airport in BooneCounty has been fortuitous would be a com-plete understatement.

“Many people reference the hundreds ofjobs created by the airport itself which aresignificant. Delivering a greater impact arethe hundreds of companies that have movedhere because of the things that the airportbrings to our region,” Moore said.

Another integral part of Boone County’spicture is the tremendous investment

and expansion of the retail industryin and around Florence Mall,where mom and pop enterprisesthrive alongside national andinternational retail firms.

Moore sees industrial land asBoone County’s economic contribu-

tion to the region in the next 10 to 20 years.“Boone County’s industrial areas are

near interstates and the airport with thenecessary infrastructure and other amenitiesthat make it very attractive for prospectivecompanies looking for a new home. Forthese reasons Boone County will providemost of the new job creation and additionalrevenues for both the region and the state,”Moore said.

The parks system also will come into itsown, Moore said. “We will evolve to a high-er level that will meet the needs of addition-al parks both active and passive, new andimproved facilities, and additional programsto our community,” he said. n

The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport has had a great impact on economicgrowth in Boone County.

HHuubb ooff RReeggiioonn’’ss GGrroowwtthhTransportation, retail move Boone County into the future

www.boonecountyky.org

BOONE COUNTY JUDGE-EXECUTIVEGary W. Moore2950 Burlington PikePO Box 900Burlington, KY 41005PH: (859) 334-2242FX: (859) [email protected]

BOONE COUNTY POPULATION (2005)102,303

TOTAL HOUSEHOLDS37,617

HOUSEHOLD INCOME 2005(MEDIAN)$59,329

HOUSEHOLD INCOME 2005(AVERAGE)$70,428

MEDIAN AGE33.1

BOONE COUNTY’STHREE LARGEST CITIES(2005 Population)Florence......................................................26,319Union..............................................................3,725Walton ..........................................................2,503

TOP SIX EMPLOYERSBY HEADCOUNTIN BOONE COUNTYDelta Connection

COMAIR ..............................................4,100Delta Air Lines, Inc. ................................3,600Boone County

Board of Education ........................2,600Citi ..................................................................2,500St. Luke Hospital ......................................1,129Schwan’s Food

Manufacturing, Inc. ..........................1,050

Source: Northern Kentucky Tri-CountyEconomic Development Corporation

Boone CountyC

ourtesy Northern K


isitors Bureau


Campbell County, led by theregion’s cerebral epicenter atNorthern Kentucky Universityand a progressive leadershipteam within the city of New-

port, is on the forefront of development inthe region.

“In Campbell County (andNorthern Kentucky) we have thebig-city advantages of access tomajor league sports, the arts andentertainment with Cincinnatinearby, but we ourselves are organ-ized into small towns, with goodschools, close-knit neighborhoods and ahigh quality of life,” said Campbell CountyJudge-Executive Steve Pendery.

NKU enjoyed the recent national spotlightwhen President George W. Bush visited thecampus to tout its new College of Informatics,one of several initiatives now underway. Theuniversity also will be playing an even moreimportant economic role in years to come as anew commercial development at the westernedge of the campus is complete.

“The area in and around NKU will comeinto its own in the next 10 years. The uni-versity, historically massively under fundedcompared to its peers around the state, isfinally attracting attention (and finance forprojects) from a legislature impressed with

its devotion to economic development,”Pendery said. “NKU will take a positionbeside the airport as the two growth enginesin our region” in the next 10 to 20 years.

A forward-looking administration in thecity of Newport has reinvented the old river

city as the premier tourist destination forthe metro market. Visitors from

across the country are making thetrek to the Newport Aquariumand stopping to visit the manyshops and restaurants along the

city’s new core entertainment dis-trict surrounding Newport on the

Levee.“Newport on the Levee served notice to

the region, that Newport, and by extension,Northern Kentucky, understands what isnecessary and gets the economic develop-ment job done. There is a surge in growthalong our riverfront adding hundreds of mil-lions of dollars to the tax base, and to thewealth of the community,” Pendery said.

South of the city, the completion a fewyears ago of the AA Highway – the Ashlandto Alexandria connector – has opened theway for an abundance of land that already isbeing developed for new homes and com-mercial enterprises, and it promises to be thenext big boom region for housing develop-ment in Northern Kentucky. n

www.campbellcountyky.org

CAMPBELL COUNTY JUDGE-EXECUTIVESteve PenderyCampbell County Fiscal Court24 West 4th StreetNewport, KY 41071PH: (859) 292-3822FX: (859) [email protected]

CAMPBELL COUNTY POPULATION (2005)87,465


HOUSEHOLD INCOME 2005(MEDIAN)

$45,969

HOUSEHOLD INCOME 2005(AVERAGE)$56,896

MEDIAN AGE35.2

CAMPBELL COUNTY’STHREE LARGEST CITIES(2005 Population)Ft.Thomas ................................................16,015Newport....................................................15,730Cold Spring ................................................3,834

TOP SIX EMPLOYERSBY HEADCOUNTIN CAMPBELL COUNTYNorthern Kentucky University ........1,896St. Luke Hospital ..........................................800Castellini Group of Companies ..........495Northern Kentucky Care

& Rehab.....................................................330General Cable ..............................................300Disabled American Veterans ................240


Newport on the Levee shines day and night as a popular Northern Kentucky tourist destination.

OOnn tthhee FFoorreeffrroonnttCampbell County offers strong development, quality of life

Campbell CountyC

ourtesy Northern K


isitors Bureau


Kenton County is at the heart ofNorthern Kentucky’s ascendancy.Northern Kentucky’s most denselypopulated center, named for Ken-tucky pioneer Simon Kenton, has

benefited the most of the three northern coun-ties with its proximity and connection todowntown Cincinnati and the Ohio River.

The 162-square-mile county has agrowing population of 152,915 andis bordered on the North by theOhio River and on the East by theLicking River.

Dominated on its northern end byCovington, in its center by mature sub-urban communities and on its southernreaches by what is left of the county’s farmlandnow being converted to new suburban cul desacs, Kenton County is in many respects a mir-ror-like reflection of the growth that hasoccurred over the years across the river inCincinnati and Hamilton County.

Kenton County’s strategic position onInterstate 75 makes it a transportation andindustrial center. Its biggest city, Covington,is a major rail hub, with massive rail yards astestament to its critical role in transportinggoods north and south.

The construction boom along the riverin Covington, where the new NorthernKentucky Convention Center, Corporextowers and other high-rise structures are

going up, is redefining its skyline piece-by-piece.

Kenton County also is attracting itsshare of the region’s new housing develop-ment, with a median household income of$48,302 and a cost of living index that isapproximately 11 percent lower than the

national average.Kenton County provides the

region’s most important health caresystem at the campuses of St. Eliza-beth Medical Center, upscale shop-ping at the recently redesigned

“lifestyle” center in Crestview Hills, avast selection of new and existing hous-

ing options, excellent local schools and acommunity that embraces its small-town feelin a region of two million people and growing.

“In the last two years, we have seenremarkable economic growth and develop-ment in Northern Kentucky,” said RalphDrees, Kenton County Judge Executive andBoard Chairman for Northern KentuckyTri-ED. “Groups from the state and countylevels, local municipalities, Tri-ED staff,corporate site selectors and real estatedevelopers have all collaborated extremelywell to create a positive, energetic businessenvironment in this region. And that spir-it of cooperation will continue to createopportunity for us in the months and yearsahead.” n

www.kentoncounty.org

KENTON COUNTY JUDGE-EXECUTIVERalph DreesKenton County Bldg.PO Box 792Covington, KY 41021PH: (859) 392-1400FX: (859) [email protected]

KENTON COUNTY POPULATION 2005152,915


HOUSEHOLD INCOME 2005(MEDIAN)$48,302

HOUSEHOLD INCOME 2005 (AVERAGE)$61,301

MEDIAN AGE 200534.3

KENTON COUNTY’STHREE LARGEST CITIES(2005 Population)Covington..................................................41,211Erlanger ......................................................17,630Independence ........................................16,971

TOP SIX EMPLOYERSBY HEADCOUNTIN KENTON COUNTYSt. Elizabeth Medical Center ............4,206Fidelity Investments ................................3,627Kenton County Board

of Education ........................................1,689Toyota Engineering and

Manufacturing, NA ..............................755AC Nielsen Corp ........................................525RA Jones............................................................410


The Crestview Hills Town Center features upscale shopping from more than 70 merchants in aunique “lifestyle center” environment.

GGaatteewwaayy ttoo tthhee BBlluueeggrraassssKenton County benefits from position and proximity to Ohio River

Kenton CountyJeff R

ogers


If there is a single quotient for the bur-geoning growth of Northern Kentucky,it is the detailed, coordinated planningin all aspects of life and commerce thatbusiness and civic leaders have been

engaged in for more than a quarter century. But anticipating a rapid-fire transforma-

tion brought on by globalization and thedigital age, the next generation of leader-ship has launched Vision 2015, the region’smost aggressive planning initiative yet.

Vision 2015, a yearlong labor involvingmore than 2,000 of Northern Kentucky andGreater Cincinnati’s best and brightestminds, is a comprehensive plan with meas-urable objectives that will continue to pro-pel the region forward as one of the state’smost important economic sectors.

The scope of the initiative is as broad asthe project is ambitious. It calls for reinvent-ing the economy and creating new jobs; bol-stering educational opportunities for a work-force engaged in a knowledge-based economy;continued progressive growth in housing andcommunity development; a concentratedeffort at reinvigorating the region’s urban sec-tor; coordination with government at all lev-

els to sustain growth; and fostering the sense ofcollaboration on both sides of the river thathas marked the success of Northern Kentucky.

Action teams formed to address coreissues in the initiative scoured the region,seeking input from neighborhood groups,community leaders, government officials,academics, and a broad range of industry

and civic captains in Northern Kentuckyand Cincinnati.

One of the strategies adopted by theVision 2015 leadership was the intrinsicinclusion of the next generation of leaders,including Vision 2015 co-chair A.J. Schaef-fer, a partner at Greenebaum Doll &McDonald and a 1999 graduate of the Uni-versity of Kentucky Law School.

“What makes Vision 2015 unique com-

pared to other efforts is not just the passiveinvolvement of the next generation, butinstead putting the next generation of lead-ers in leadership roles now,” said Schaeffer’sco-chair, Northern Kentucky UniversityPresident James Votruba.

The findings and the group’s vision for thecommunity in the coming decade are dramat-ic. Vision 2015 seeks, through intensive collab-oration, to create 50,000 new jobs for theregion in targeted industry clusters that arehigh-tech, globally oriented and can build onan already booming economy. It also spells outhow the region can continue to attract thehighly educated workforce needed to fill thosejobs, through education and quality-of-life fac-tors that run the gamut from affordable hous-ing to an invigorated urban sector where enter-tainment, sports and museums add to North-ern Kentucky’s appeal. And it seeks to worktoward a unified voice in government that willresonate ever more poignantly in Frankfortand Washington.

The Vision 2015 report “paints a pictureof the future we hope to attain,” said Scha-effer. “It’s a bright picture where all areinvited to participate and none are leftbehind. A picture where each of our(Northern Kentucky) counties are alignedaround a collaborative, shared vision; wherecooperation reigns across the Tri-State, andthe Ohio River is viewed as a connectorrather than a divider.” n

SStteeppppiinngg UUpp NNoowwNext generation prepares to lead region into the future

www.vision2015.org


One of Northern Kentucky’sgreat entrepreneurial suc-cess stories unfoldedbecause of the region’s cen-tral location and easy access

to the Cincinnati/Northern KentuckyInternational Airport.

“I arrived here with anentrepreneurial company thatwas expanding,” said RogerGriggs, now founder and chair-man of Florence-based Pedi-aMed and managing director ofUnion Springs LLC.

A board member of theNorthern Kentucky Tri-CountyEconomic Development Corpo-ration, Griggs noted that theregion’s rich tradition of sup-porting and celebrating entre-preneurs has been part and par-cel to his success over the past15 years.

“We have what you might consider thatMidwestern work ethic that prevails,” hesaid. “People are hard working and welltrained. And I believe there are a number of

models out there for entrepreneurs to use intheir own endeavors.”

He also noted that the region is rich withinvestors willing to work with entrepreneurs.

Griggs said that many of the business-oriented initiatives at Northern Kentucky

University also have helped theregion gain national acclaim asa hotbed for new business start-ups.

“I think Rebecca White’swork at NKU’s entrepreneurialinstitute is just tremendous,”Griggs said.

Meanwhile, Griggs also hasbegun offering advice to otherup-and-coming business cap-tains in the area.

“Yes, I would have to saythat, from time to time, I dohave people asking me for myinput on a few things,” he said.

“I’ve been very lucky with all the supportand friendship I’ve had, and I am happy toprovide that same kind of support whenev-er I can. I think that’s something you find alot in Northern Kentucky.” n

RRiicchh TTrraaddiittiioonn ooff SSuuppppoorrttRegion has many positive factors for entrepreneurs

Roger Griggs, one ofNorthern Kentucky’sleading entrepreneurs

Northern Kentucky Chosen for National Entrepreneurship Conference

Northern Kentucky will showcaseits entrepreneurial strengthswhen it hosts a national confer-

ence on entrepreneurship that will featurebusiness, government and education lead-ers as speakers.

The Northern Kentucky UniversityMetropolitan and Education TrainingCenter is the site of the 10th AnnualNational Consortium of EntrepreneurshipCenters (NCEC) conference, set for Oct.13-14, 2006.

The NKU Entrepreneurship Insti-tute, University of Dayton and Univer-sity of Cincinnati are the hosts. Thethree schools were chosen based on thestrength of their entrepreneurship pro-grams and their ability to secure a state-of-the-art venue.

“This is truly a great opportunity toshowcase what Northern KentuckyUniversity and the greater Cincinnatiarea have to offer,” said Rebecca White,Director and Founder of the NKUEntrepreneurship Institute.

An unmistakable catalyst forgrowth in Northern Ken-tucky, operating in tandemwith a visionary approach todevelopment, has been a

tremendous boon in home construction andcreation of upscale neighborhoods. The newconstruction joins the many trendy neigh-borhoods in Kenton and Campbell coun-ties, where Ft. Thomas and Ft. Mitchelladdresses are included among the finestproperties in the entire Greater Cincin-nati/Northern Kentucky region. A resur-gence in upscale townhouse construction —especially in Covington near the historicRoebling Suspension Bridge — offers spec-tacular views of the river below and Cincin-nati’s skyline across the way.

In recent years, Boone County has beenat the center of new home construction forthe region, where proximity to the Cincin-nati/Northern Kentucky International Air-port, reasonably priced land and taxes, andaccess to interstate highways and goodschools has created some of the fastest grow-ing housing markets in the nation.

Northern Kentucky has led the way forthe metropolitan area — on both sides ofthe Ohio River — when it comes to homeconstruction. In 2003, activity from newhome building projects poured nearly $180million of new income into the region,adding more than $15 million in additional

taxes and creating hundreds of new jobsfrom projects in Boone, Campbell and Ken-ton counties. That year, more than 2,000single family permits were issued in theregion, an upward trend that has continuedinto the current fiscal year.

Boone and Campbell counties, in partic-ular, have been gradually transformed overrecent years from miles and miles of rollingpastoral landscape to some of the most beau-tiful neighborhoods one can find anywhere,creating cherished memories for hundreds offamilies in Alexandria, Florence, Burling-ton, Hebron and Union. Southern portionsof Kenton County, especially around Inde-pendence, also have seen a great deal ofconstruction activity as well.

“You have the combination of lots ofland that can be developed that is pricedwell, with access to everything that peoplewant,” said Dan Dressman, executive vicepresident of the Home Builders Associationof Northern Kentucky. “A lot of what hasfueled this is that people want to live nearwhere they work, and many of these folkswork at or near the airport.”

The result is a blossoming of new com-munities in Hebron and Burlington by thetop builders in the region, including Drees,Fischer Homes, Arlinghaus Builders, SmithBuilders and numerous others. Take a drivethrough those communities, and you’ll dis-cover developments such as Drees’

Thornewilde developments, with homesstarting at $200,000 and going up to$330,000. Grandview at Parlor Grove, Fis-cher Homes’ development near Hebronwith gorgeous Ohio River views and wood-ed lots, or Plantation Point in Burlingtonalso provide clues to the high demand forNorthern Kentucky homes.

“There are many factors involved in thesuccess here,” said Bob Schroder, a market-ing spokesman for Arlinghaus Builders.“Taxes are reasonable, and that is importantfor homeowners. The schools are good. Andaround this area, Burlington and Hebron,there is a lot of positive development, suchas new park systems and recreation opportu-nities that spell out reasons for people want-ing to have a Boone County address.Burlington is the hottest area for Arling-house right now.”

“Independence is really doing well” as anew home mecca, said John Arlinghaus,sales manager for Arlinghaus Builder’sGlenhurst development in Independence.“Our Williams Woods subdivision is reallybooming, and I think once people discoverthe beauty of this part of the county and theprices of our homes — in the $150,000starting range — Glenhurst will take off.”

But an address near the airport isn’t nec-essarily the only ticket in the county. Fur-ther south, between Union and Richwood,plenty of families have secured new home-steads on land that once played host tohorse farms and splendid pasture.

“A lot of buyers are seeking the TripleCrown-type experience,” said Susan Huff,manager of Huff Realty’s Florence office.With easy access to Interstate 75 and a shortdrive to the airport, the luxury homes nearUnion are just what many homeownersseek, Huff said. There is still the feel of thecountry there, where in just a couple min-utes you can be driving the back country ofthe Bluegrass State. And yet, access to thebest the metropolitan region has to offeralso is only a short drive away.

Waiting in the wings for new home con-struction, and probably the next big playerin coming years will be the southernstretches of Campbell County, which for thepast couple years has had to hold back newhome construction because of moratoriumplaced by the state because of sanitation sys-tem problems. With fixes soon to be inplace, major builders are looking at Camp-bell County now, as well.

“We think Campbell County will be agreat place to live,” said Ann Mitchell, ofDrees Homes. n

HHoommeess iinn HHiigghh DDeemmaannddNew development, good prices make region a great place to live


Lakemont, developed by Drees Homes andlocated near Doe Run Lake in Kenton County,is one of the many trendy communitiesspringing up in Northern Kentucky.

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anorthern kentucky community profile …...in may, site selection magazine named tri-ed to its...

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