Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED) has released its annual economic impact study of primary growth for 2013, reporting that in 2013, 21 companies announced new locations or expansions in the Boone, Campbell and Kenton County region and that 1,181 new direct jobs are projected as a result of these announcements. The announcement was made at Tri-ED’s annual recognition event, the Northern Kentucky Thoroughbreds, which honored those companies that located, expanded or were launched in the region in 2013.
“E-commerce, logistics and advanced manufacturing were all strong sectors in 2013,” says Dan Tobergte, President and CEO of Tri-ED. “With DHL’s strong presence at
CVG and Northern Kentucky’s proximity to over 60 percent of the U.S. population within 600 miles, we expect more new e-commerce companies to locate in Northern Kentucky.”
“The influence of the College of Informatics at
Northern Kentucky University is taking hold in our region,” Tobergte says. “With the location of
Clear Measures and
Xcelerated Learning Dynamics in Covington in 2013, Northern Kentucky is building a high-tech, informatics-based corridor. Both companies, in addition to
ZoomEssence and
Jacobs Automation, got their start in the
Northern Kentucky ezone. We’re proud of these homegrown technology success stories.”
The Northern Kentucky ezone is a division of Tri-ED, which provides a support program for businesses ranging from startup entrepreneurs to established companies commercializing a new product, technology or process.
“In addition to the ezone, we are paying more attention to our existing businesses through the NKY Boost program, a regular visitation and survey program to Northern Kentucky’s 500+ primary industries,” Tobergte says. “And Boost is paying dividends: Four existing company expansion projects were the result of this program in 2013, and we have a better handle on issues affecting the business climate in Northern Kentucky.”
Looking forward to 2014, Tri-ED has made sure to set expectations even higher and looks to have a lot on its plate.
“We will strive to have over 20 new projects announced in 2014 with a total of approximately $200 million in capital investment, more than 2,000 new jobs with at least $8 million raised in capital for startup companies through the NKY ezone,” Tobergte says.
Additionally Tri-ED looks to continue to expand its cooperation and partnership with several organizations across many industries such as the
Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Northern Kentucky University,
Cintrifuse,
Gateway Community & Technical College and more.
“We want to make sure there’s an educated and technical workforce available to our business community, and we want to keep talented individuals in Northern Kentucky,” Tobergte says. “That only happens when there is a great deal of cooperation and coordination between the business and education communities.”
Mike Sarason
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