BE NKY Growth Partnership’s mission is opportunity and prosperity for all Northern Kentuckians, and we look to accomplish this mission by attracting and fostering good-paying jobs for Northern Kentucky’s families.

Land suitable for industrial development is a limited resource in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties. It’s imperative for our community to identify those areas where industrial development supports economic growth and proactively prepare land within those areas.

Companies looking to relocate or expand cite available utility supply and land as the most important factors in their site selection decisions. Area Development’s 21st Annual Consultants Survey identified the top five site selection factors:

  • Energy availability
  • Available land
  • Skilled labor
  • Expedited permitting
  • Proximity to suppliers

100 percent of survey respondents rated available land as “very important” or “important.” Consultants noted shorter turnaround times for projects as companies seek to “fast-track their expansions to capitalize on incentives and favorable economic conditions.”

BE NKY Initiates Community Conversations

In 2019, BE NKY started community conversations with our region’s public and private sector leaders around the value of land and consideration of future uses. We continue to participate in these discussions today.

BE NKY met with hundreds of business and community leaders to identify initiatives for the Build + Elevate NKY investor campaign. They recognized activating the Northern Kentucky Port Authority was an essential real estate and development tool for Northern Kentucky. The statute regulating Kentucky port authorities provides financing, development and real estate tools in combination with commercial and industrial developments.

The NKY Port staff and board of directors work with city and county leaders and developers to identify, prepare, and promote sites for subsequent private commercial and industrial development and redevelopment. Generally, these conversations begin when a gap in private sector financing may be a barrier, with a focus on wages that exceed current community employment levels.

The NKY Port owns and leads development of two major projects in Covington: The OneNKY Center, future home of 10 Northern Kentucky growth organizations, including a life sciences lab operated by LifeSciKY; SparkHaus, future home of entrepreneurship in Northern Kentucky, offering startups access to office space, conference rooms, mentorship opportunities and other resources. The NKY Port will deliver both of these transformational projects in 2025.

Site readiness is a local, state-wide, and national priority

BE NKY Growth Partnership works with many partners at the national, state, county and city levels. These partners understand the importance of site readiness for future economic growth. We compete against communities throughout the country that prepare sites for future growth for new corporate investment. In Ohio, the SiteOhio and Ohio Site Inventory Program proactively prepare and authenticate land for businesses to locate. Similar programs exist in most southeastern states and communities throughout the U.S.

Kentucky Product Development Initiative

The Commonwealth of Kentucky assists with site readiness through the Kentucky Product Development Initiative (KPDI). KPDI aims to create shovel-ready sites for companies looking to locate or expand.

A collaboration between the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and the Kentucky Association for Economic Development, KPDI provides state support for site and building upgrades, ensuring Kentucky can draw growing companies from all industry sectors.

The initial round of the 2022 KPDI Program concluded in December 2023, with 53 projects statewide approved for $31.2 million in funding. Including local contributions, these projects will generate over $123 million in investments in Kentucky’s sites and buildings portfolio.

The second round of the program concluded with 37 approved projects and over $54 million in state support. Including local contributions, these projects will generate over $380 million in investments in Kentucky’s sites and buildings portfolio.

Locally Funded KPDI Projects

In December 2023, the Global Logistics Park Project at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG Airport) received final approval of $3.6 million in KPDI funds. BE NKY worked with CVG to submit this application which received support from all three Northern Kentucky counties.

The Global Logistics Park will enhance CVG Airport’s already-thriving cargo network. Home to Amazon Air and the DHL Express Global Superhub, CVG Airport supported more than 49,000 direct and indirect jobs within the Cincinnati MSA in 2022. It is among the fastest-growing cargo airports in North America and 20th largest in the world.

In January 2024, the Commonwealth announced $2 million in KPDI funds for the 40-acre Southern Campbell County Industrial Park. This site also received support from the Duke Energy Site Readiness Program in 2022. This site features highway access, Tyson Foods as a corporate neighbor and close proximity to Northern Kentucky University.

“Through the KPDI program, the Kentucky Association for Economic Development is proud to support economic development efforts at the county level, enabling prime real estate, such as land at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, to be developed in a way that benefits the entire state,” said KAED President Terri Bradshaw. “We are excited to begin another round of KPDI funding and see what new projects from throughout Kentucky come through the pipeline this year.”

Cincinnati Regional Site Development

BE NKY works closely with Duke Energy, local engineering firm Bayer Becker and Dallas-based consulting firm Site Selection Group to proactively assess and prepare properties for development through Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program.

Through this program, vital information is provided to communities for the chosen sites including:

  • Engineering evaluations
  • Conceptual drawings
  • Analysis of utility capacities, available workforce and likely end-user industries
  • A $10,000 grant to assist in preparing the site for development

Site Selection Group integrates this research into a comprehensive report that highlights the strengths and weaknesses of selected sites. It also recommends improvements and identifies the ideal target industries for business attraction that is shared directly with community stakeholders.

Since 2010, 39 sites and buildings in Ohio and Northern Kentucky have been evaluated through the Duke Energy Site Readiness Program. More than one-third of these sites are developed, resulting in 16 wins and 5,035 new jobs. The Northern Kentucky-developed sites now house companies such as Amazon, Coca-Cola, DAV (Disabled American Veterans) headquarters, Perfetti Van Melle, and more recently announced in 2024, Chick-fil-A Supply and Niagara Bottling – with thousands of employees. These investments and the new jobs they create also spur construction and infrastructure jobs and indirect jobs in the retail, service and professional sectors.

As of August 2024, the Duke Energy Site Readiness Program contributed over $2 billion in capital investment to the Greater Cincinnati region.

“There are thousands of Northern Kentuckians employed today by companies that were drawn to the region because of the ease in finding the right site that was prepared to meet their company’s needs,” said Site Selection Group Partner Chris Schwinden. “Every day we work with companies to find homes for new locations and expansions, and the regions that are successful in landing these companies are those that work to improve sites before companies even come knocking.”

Community Input is Sought in County Comprehensive Planning   

Shovel-ready sites and available buildings are key to new investment in Northern Kentucky. Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties develop and approve comprehensive plans that serve as guides for development of public and private property. The Commonwealth requires each county to review and update these plans and this process incorporates public feedback through many avenues, which may include community meetings, engagement events, focus groups, surveys and open houses.

BE NKY and the NKY Port, a managed entity of BE NKY, partner with Planning and Development Services of Kenton County for Kenton County’s Site Readiness Initiative. This initiative aims to create an inventory of readily available sites for development. This inventory reduces uncertainty for high-tech manufacturing prospects, increasing the chances of attracting them to Kenton County.

BE NKY leaders, including President/CEO Lee Crume, participated in community engagement sessions with hundreds of southwest Kenton County residents. They took residents’ feedback into consideration for next steps in relation to the initiative.

Kenton County is evaluating actionable next steps for a roughly 900-acre portion of “focus area one,” with plans to update residents on its work this summer. The county will pause work on “focus area two,” taking more time to deliberate about its future.

“BE NKY exists to improve the lives of all Northern Kentuckians through business, career and economic development opportunities,” said Crume. “We wouldn’t be properly serving the residents of Northern Kentucky if we didn’t include them in the conversations about their home. We will continue to work with all players involved in these processes to make the best land-use decisions for the future of our region.”

Site Development is Key to Future Growth and Continued Prosperity in Northern Kentucky

Nearly 400 acres of land in Northern Kentucky is “shovel ready.” BE NKY continues to work with our partners at the national, state and local levels to ensure our region is ready to welcome new companies and the good-paying jobs they bring to our region. Each new job brings us one step closer to realizing our goal of opportunity and prosperity for all Northern Kentuckians.

Christine Russell is Vice President of Strategy for BE NKY Growth Partnership and Executive Director of the Northern Kentucky Port Authority.