Lee Crume

Lee Crume is President & CEO of BE NKY Growth Partnership (BE NKY), the economic development company that works to attract, retain, and grow businesses in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties.

Appointed in April 2019, Lee brings extensive private sector business expertise to his role leading the team at BE NKY. Lee and his team have been successful in exceeding the company’s targets for capital investment in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

In 2023, BE NKY won 16 projects, announcing 1,419 new jobs and $383M in capital investment, surpassing the latter goal by nearly $100 million. The advanced manufacturing sector led project wins and job growth, and the supply chain management sector led capital investment.

Lee led the launch of Build + Elevate NKY, a five-year investor campaign, that encompasses four initiatives focused on data, workforce, business attraction, and the Northern Kentucky Port Authority. Accomplishments include the launch of a community data dashboard – the NKY Atlas, LinkedIn digital marketing business attraction campaigns, meetings with more than 30 HR leaders at leading regional companies, and the groundbreaking for the OneNKY Center by the NKY Port Authority, a managed entity of BE NKY.

The BE NKY team has grown under Lee’s leadership, with five new positions added over the past two years. The company was named a Best Places to Work finalist by the Cincinnati Business Courier in 2023 and 2021.

Lee graduated as a member of the Leadership Kentucky Class of 2023. He was named a NewsMaker by the Northern Kentucky Tribune in 2021. Lee’s business development experience in the private sector includes leading domestic and global business development organizations, multi-million-dollar pursuits, and developing the marketing for, and rolling out of, new products and services. His clients included: Fortune 10 to 1,000 organizations, Big 4 and international consulting firms, and various public and private organizations. Lee began his career in leadership roles at UPS, Pitney Bowes, IKON, and DMA.

The economic development industry recognized Lee’s leadership with:

• 2023 Top 50 North America Economic Developer by Consultant Connect
• 2018 Top 50 North America Economic Developer by Consultant Connect
• 2017 Top 50 North America Economic Developer by Consultant Connect

Lee is a member of the Board of Directors for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Greater Cincinnati Foreign Trade Zone, Inc., Northern Kentucky Port Authority, and Covington Life Sciences Partners. He has a Master of Arts degree in Communication and Bachelor of Arts degree in Corporate and Organizational Communication from Western Kentucky University.

Download this bio and photo (PDF).

Download a shorter version of Lee’s bio with photo (PDF).