By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
Boone County’s small and medium-sized business owners can expect to see a new face in the community who will serve as a conduit to the county administration.
Well, it’s really a familiar face in a new role.
Christopher “Chris” Courtney, a lifelong Boone County resident, was hired May 9 as the Boone County Business Support and Community Relations Coordinator.
Boone County Administrator Jeff Earlywine said Courtney will act as sort of a liaison between business owners and county government.
“With Chris we are trying to make a concerted effort and an emphasis on reaching out to smaller businesses to understand their needs and to provide the best environment for them to be successful,” Earlywine said.
Prior to joining the county, Courtney worked at Gateway Community & Technical College, where he oversaw the Veterans Employment and Training Services (VETS) program.
Gateway VETS is designed to help veterans transition from the military to college and receive employment support.
Courtney is a military veteran who spent five years as a sonar technician, working on submarines in the U.S. Navy.
Assistant County Administrator Matthew Webster said Courtney will fill a role that, until now was not specifically assigned to anyone.
Webster assisted local merchants in his previous role as community liaison, but admits there was not a strong enough focus on small and medium-sized businesses.
Large businesses and corporations can look to the Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED) for assistance and support, but the smaller, locally owned merchants were left without a resource.
“I think there was a gap there,” Webster said. “If they called planning and zoning, or building, or our office, we handled things the best we could, but I’m not sure we had an organized approach to it. That need is what we hope to fill with this position.”
Earlywine pointed out that, while the county has grown significantly since he assumed his current position 10 years ago, the administrative staff has not.
There were five full-time and one part-time staffer in the Boone County Judge/Executive’s office at that time. The addition of Courtney brings the current staff to four full-time employees.
“If you look at how this county has grown and the demands for services from our customers, we are running more projects than we ever have before. It was pretty thin here,” Earlywine said. “We’re still down from what we were ten years ago, but at least now we’ve got a fighting chance.”
More than 70 candidates applied for the position and Earlywine said after an extensive review and interview process, Courtney stood out.
“We took our time and worked our way through the process and at the end of the day, Chris was the guy that rose to the top,” Earlywine said. “We liked the combination of his education, his experience, he interviewed well and, for me, I think there was some real passion there for public service in Boone County.
Courtney has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership/Public Administration from Northern Kentucky University. He has also worked at NESCO Employment Service in Florence and the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission in Covington.
Courtney, 35, said he plans to use the same strategy of teamwork and cooperation that made the Gateway VETS program successful.
“I’ve lived in Boone County all my life, except for the time I was in the military, so I understand this community,” Courtney said. “The common goal here is to provide the best service possible to the residents and businesses of Boone County.”
Earlywine said it is not enough just to try to provide essential services and keep taxes low. While he agrees those things are certainly important and a cornerstone of the county administration, residents and business owners expect more now.
“People want value and we can’t just fold our arms and say we’ve got somebody on the other end of the phone to respond,” Earlywine said. “We can’t expect people to come here, so Chris will be out in the community sometimes just walking in to business and see how they are doing and if there are any problems the county can help with.”
Courtney want business owners to look at him as the go-to guy in the county administration. He realizes that Boone County has a diverse business community and he plans to utilize everything from social media, to “boots on the ground” to provide support.
“I understand that we are a county in transition, but there are a lot of ways to hear back from the community about what they are looking for,” Courtney said. “I think the business community is excited to have a go-to person. My second day, I went to the Hebron business association and they already knew my name.”
Courtney and his wife, Katie have three children and live in Union.
Contact Chris Courtney at (859) 334- 3125 or ccourtney@boonecountyky.org
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com