Ron Washington was the first African-American officer to serve in Florence. He’s retired from law enforcement now, but he’s still just as dedicated to his community.
“Covington is on fire right now,” Washington, the founder of NKY Med Clinic, said. “This Covington is not the same Covington I grew up in.”
After retiring, he said a friend mentioned the addiction crisis in the area specifically for heroin and opioids and talked about opening a clinic to help people. Coming from law enforcement and seeing people with addiction problems frequently, Washington said he “didn’t get it.”
He said once he learned more about how addiction takes over people’s bodies, minds and lives, it became his mission to provide help for the community’s neighbors, kids and loved ones. He started NKY Med Clinic in 2013; the outpatient clinic offers medication-assisted treatment for addiction, along with individual and group counseling.
Washington, who is also a Covington city commissioner, spoke to a group of business owners Thursday morning as part of a new event called the Made It Series. Established as a partnership between DBL Law, the Covington Business Council and Renaissance Covington, the series is meant to inspire both new and established business owners by inviting one of each to speak at the bimonthly event.
Washington was the established business owner at this month’s event; Covington-native Shannon Glover, who owns Legendary Eatz, was the emerging one.
Glover grew up in Covington, learning how to cook from her mother, who owned Dot’s Diner. Inspired by her mother’s passion for cooking and her educational experience at Le Cordon Bleu, Legendary Eatz was born.
Glover said her approach to the food she caters is soul food without the fat. Legendary Eatz also focuses on dietary needs like gluten-free and vegan diets and sources ingredients for meals locally. Any meal requested can be specially prepared.
“What you put in your body matters,” Glover said.
Glover said her meals are meant to turn any special occasion into a legendary experience, which is how she coined her business’ name.
“I wanted to help my community and those around me,” Glover said.
The next step for Legendary Eatz is, Glover said, attending the Covington Farmers Market on Saturdays.
One thing Glover said is missing from small businesses nowadays is the message for why we do things. Glover said her mom worked at the hospital and couldn’t have opened Dot’s Diner without the support from the community. Though she said the message doesn’t get talked about enough, Glover said she is proud people can look at her journey and recognize they can do it too.
Community is a big reason Washington started his business, too. He said opening the clinic was controversial and really tough in the beginning. His partner even left the business due to the pushback they received.
“One time, I was pumping gas, and someone came up to me and asked if I had a drug problem because I was opening the clinic,” Washington said.
After his partner left, he had the challenge of finding $1 million to fund the business. With his background in law enforcement, Washington said he didn’t know where to start, but he was on a mission to open the clinic.
“When I first started my business, I had nobody,” Washington said.
Door after door was shut on Washington’s dream until he finally found someone willing to put up the money.
Since its opening, the clinic has been a success and has expanded from the Covington location to Carrollton, Maysville, and Georgetown.
Washington sold the clinic in 2016 and now does consulting to help startup companies.
