- Recent wins build momentum: Projects like the OneNKY Center and SparkHaus demonstrate BE NKY’s ability to convert strategy into visible, community-shaping investments.
- Intentional > incremental growth: Forum speakers stressed that Northern Kentucky must market its existing strengths and niches rather than trying to compete in every industry.
- Reputation as an economic asset: By consistently delivering results in its target sectors, Northern Kentucky can strengthen its national brand and attract higher-wage, higher-impact investment.
Two weeks after CBS Evening News highlighted BE NKY’s contributions to the regional economy, the organization was back to its regularly scheduled programming with its fourth annual ‘BE NKY Forum’ on Jan. 30.
Over the past year, Northern Kentucky’s primary economic organization has been involved in numerous successful initiatives, including the opening of the OneNKY Center in downtown Covington and the conversion of the recently renovated Simms Furniture building on Madison Avenue into an entrepreneurial hub SparkHaus.
Despite choppy economic waters last year in the form of tariffs and interest rates, the organization’s leadership remains focused on 2026 and beyond.
Lee Crume, BE NKY’s CEO, told an audience of more than 250 regional stakeholders Friday that the organization is focused on sustained economic growth.
“We are here to continue this work, to work together to help ensure that we achieve our mission, which is opportunity and prosperity for all Northern Kentuckians,” he said.
This year, the forum’s focus was on Aha! President Amy Holloway’s keynote presentation, which delved deeper into BE NKY’s target industry sectors: information technology, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and supply chain management and support services.
BE NKY tapped Holloway to help create a new three to five-year business development plan for Northern Kentucky, something she worked on when the organization launched the inaugural Build + Elevate campaign in 2022.
Holloway said that while she believes Northern Kentucky will continue to grow, regional leaders must be intentional and adopt a targeted approach to maximize the effectiveness of its collective economic development strategy.
“You have to be targeted to make sure that you achieve the vision that you want, and that’s what we’re here to talk about today is what that targeting looks like for you, and specifically which industries we recommend that you focus your economic development efforts on so that you can achieve the future that you want for this region,” she said.
Holloway suggests that Northern Kentucky should concentrate on expanding its four key business sectors by effectively marketing its current assets, aiming to establish itself as a desirable hub for each. This approach will help Northern Kentucky develop a strong reputation as a significant player in these industries. If successful, the region can then utilize this reputation to sustain further growth. Essentially, Northern Kentucky should focus on being the best version of itself rather than trying to be “everything for everybody.”
“We want to make sure that we are proactive in driving our growth and what our future looks like,” she said. “We’re not just going to let this happen to us, and part of that is being very focused in our economic development efforts that we know who our audiences are. We have limited resources. We can’t be everything to everybody. We need to identify industries and then niches within those industries that are truly great for Northern Kentucky.”
Holloway noted that one of the biggest challenges Northern Kentucky faces in economic growth is the limited availability of development-ready sites. Crume corroborated her point, saying that regional stakeholders must continue investing in infrastructure to support the development of build-ready sites.
