This story was written by Kimberly Rossetti, Vice President of Economic Development at Northern Kentucky Tri-ED.

Northern Kentucky is home to hundreds of modern manufacturers from a variety of industry sectors such as aerospace, automotive, food & flavoring, materials & packaging, and medical device manufacturing. A new analysis of Northern Kentucky by EY, funded by Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, finds that employment growth in manufacturing is projected to increase 9 percent from 2020 – 2025.

As the economic development company for Boone, Campbell, and Kenton companies, Tri-ED worked with 27 advanced manufacturing companies to announce more than 1,400 new jobs and over $150 Million in capital investment in Northern Kentucky over the last two years – throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Capital investment encompasses building and construction, new equipment, and infrastructure purchased by the company. 

The new jobs being created in manufacturing are usually highly technical in a clean environment with good wages and benefits. The Target Industry Analysis by EY found that wages in manufacturing in Northern Kentucky are $10,000 higher than the average salary in the region. Because of their higher wages, manufacturing jobs also have a ripple effect and help create jobs at service-oriented businesses, like nail salons, restaurants, banks, etc., and in healthcare. 

So, what are some of the products manufactured in Northern Kentucky? Here are 10 products, out of thousands, that are #MadeInNKY every day.

• L’Oréal USA brand shampoos and conditioners are made at its largest manufacturing site in the U.S. and largest worldwide by tonnage of products produced. L’Oréal has operated in Northern Kentucky for 30 years and the haircare manufacturing facility in Kenton County features the largest commercial solar array in Kentucky. 

• Atkins & Pearce, a manufacturer in the City of Covington, makes fishing line and the wicks for national candle brands. The company has been innovating in candlewick, electrical sleeving & tubing, and expandable braided tubing in Northern Kentucky for over 200 years.

• Keebler Fudge Stripes™ cookies are made by Ferrara, an American candy manufacturer, in Boone County.

• Family-owned Abrapower, Inc., in Boone County, is one of the largest producers of nail buffers, used by manicurists every day, and sanding sponges in the U.S., selling more than 40 million products annually.

• Safran Landing Systems, a French-owned aerospace company, is a world leader in manufacturing carbon landing and braking systems for all types and sizes of commercial and military airplanes. The company has consistently invested and expanded its presence in Boone County since it announced its location here in 1999. 

• Tyson Foods, Inc. is the largest private employer in Campbell County and produces Hillshire Farms Lit’l Smokies®. The facility makes more than 1 billion Lit’l Smokies® a year, more than enough to go the distance around the world. In 2022, for the sixth consecutive year, Tyson ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies in the Food Production category.

• National Band & Tag Company is a family-owned and operated manufacturer founded in 1902, specializing in identification solutions. Located in Newport, the tags and identification products they make are used to identify wildlife, livestock, trees, and even your dog’s rabies tag.

• Robert Bosch Automotive Steering is a subsidiary of Germany headquartered Robert Bosch Automotive Steering Gmbh. At its Florence, Kentucky location, the company assembles electric power steering gears, steering columns, and hydraulic steering gears for the North American market. The company has expanded six times in Northern Kentucky.

• Schwan’s Company has been making Freschetta®, Red Baron®, and Schwan’s® brands at its facility in Boone County for over 35 years. They use enough pepperoni each year to go from Northern Kentucky to Salina, Kansas! 

• Perfetti Van Melle is a global confectionary leader. It’s North American headquarters and manufacturing facility are in Boone County with a distribution hub in Kenton County. Each year, the company makes enough Airheads candy to go to the moon and back two and a half times.

Interested in a job in manufacturing? Here are resources.

As many students consider their next steps this spring, the Northern Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (NKY FAME) program at Gateway Community & Technical College should be a consideration. NKY FAME offers students the opportunity to have a job at a manufacturer while attending classes and earning a degree at Gateway, that is paid for by the manufacturing company. Safran, Perfetti Van Melle and Bosch Automotive Steering are among 14 employers in the region who are attracting the next generation into manufacturing apprenticeships and NKY FAME.

FAME was started in Kentucky by Toyota and is now a national program of the Manufacturing Institute with dozens of chapters around the country. Through partnerships with regional manufacturers, FAME provides apprenticeship-style training in conjunction with classes for students while preparing them for well-paying careers in manufacturing.

Hear from two students who earned degrees and graduated from Gateway while working at Safran Landing Systems.

In Northern Kentucky, employment in advanced manufacturing increased 70 percent greater than the pace of national gains from 2014 – 2019. Tri-ED is committed to working with existing Northern Kentucky businesses to help them grow and finding good corporate citizens to locate in our region.

These are just a few of the manufacturers in the region that are creating new, good-paying jobs – they are the types of companies the Tri-ED team works to attract to Northern Kentucky and helps those that are here, expand. 

Adults looking for careers in manufacturing can work with the Kentucky Career Center, with eight locations in the Northern Kentucky region, to learn about opportunities for training and connections to companies that are hiring.  Whether a person is unemployed or looking for a new career, the Kentucky Career Center can help individuals with building a resume, exploring career pathways, and customizing job searches. 

Path to Prosperity in Northern Kentucky

Tri-ED’s vision is Opportunity and Prosperity for All Northern Kentuckians. To achieve this vision, the Build + Elevate NKY five-year economic growth plan with four new initiatives was launched in February 2022. The plan addresses new challenges the region is facing and was developed with Tri-ED staff, the Board of Directors, elected leaders, education institutions and private industry stakeholders – it is founded on Transformation through Partnership. 

Starting this summer and continuing over the next five years, Tri-ED will work with private and public sector leaders on these four new initiatives:

* Data-Informed Community Decision-Making
* Activating the Northern Kentucky Port Authority
* Delivering Customized Workforce Solutions
* Targeted Business Growth

Build + Elevate NKY focuses on ensuring the Northern Kentucky of tomorrow leads. Leads the Cincinnati metro, leads the Commonwealth and leads our peer cities for inclusive opportunity and broad-based economic prosperity.

To learn more about Tri-ED, follow these accounts on social media: @NKY_EconDev (Twitter), Northern Kentucky Tri-ED on LinkedIn and Facebook.