This column originally appeared in the August 2024 edition of What's Happening. To view the digital version of What's Happening, click here.

5,200 and zero… two very different numbers that fuel our work every day to advance Kenton County’s economic development. 

After taking office, I learned that Kenton County was down to 5,200 acres of land developable for industry and manufacturing, and that warehousing and logistics developments were occurring at a rate that would deplete this inventory in about ten years. 

Kenton County Planning and Development Services (PDS) also shared that the County had zero locations “site ready” for manufacturing by industry standards. 

When manufacturing is the source of many of our great-paying jobs, this is daunting news. 

The good news in 2024 is that Kenton County now possesses a full set of tools to forge our economic future. We don’t have all the resources we need yet, but there are options available to our community that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. 

First, let us start with the organizations leading our economic development efforts. Since the reorganization of the Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport board in 2015, CEO Candace McGraw has grown the overall annual economic impact of the Airport from $3 billion to $9 billion. 

NKY Tri-ED, our regional economic development agency, morphed into BE NKY Growth Partnership. BE NKY now enjoys better private sector engagement, more staff and resources and better focus than at any time in its 37-year history. 

PDS has reached new heights under the leadership of Executive Director Sharmili Reddy. Across the board operationally, and specifically with community development initiatives, PDS is delivering city- and street-level planning services at the highest level. 

Finally, the Northern Kentucky Port Authority is activated and leading the way in the construction of the OneNKY Center and SparkHaus projects in Covington. 

Our economic development organizations have never been more active and better situated to lead our region into the future. 

Next, I have to give tremendous credit to Sen. Chris McDaniel for assembling the resources necessary to allow these economic growth organizations to function at a high level. 

McDaniel arranged for $13 million for our Site Readiness Fund to assure that the 5,200 acres in Southwest Kenton County is optimally developed for high-wage industry and manufacturing. 

He obtained $15 million for the Life Sciences Laboratory at the OneNKY Center, and $125 million for the Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence in Covington that will build on the existing life sciences cluster, and light the way for continued expansion of knowledge-based economic development.

 McDaniel advocated for $6 million for SparkHaus, the region’s entrepreneurship hub, which will give Northern Kentucky a powerful innovation engine to match our traditional strengths in industrial, commercial and residential real estate. 

In 2024, he arranged for $5 million to assist in the redevelopment of existing sites. Long after the 5,200 acres remaining for new development has been depleted, Kenton County will be in a position to thrive economically thanks to the creation of redevelopment tools like this. 

McDaniel also arranged for $20 million to assist infrastructure development at CVG and, along with the entire Northern Kentucky legislative caucus, helped prepare a road plan that will contribute significantly to improving infrastructure and mobility throughout the region. 

The last decade has been transformative for the future of Kenton County economic development. Our growth organizations are ready, and we have the resources to create prosperity for our children and grandchildren. There is still much work to do, but I am more confident than ever that we will leave our community a much better place.