(Editor’s note: This story has been updated)
The Northern Kentucky Port Authority, along with its developer and construction manager, Corporex, and prime contractor, Hemmer Construction Company, hosted the grand opening of the OneNKY Center, at the foot of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge in Covington Thursday at 10 a.m.
Governor Andy Beshear did not join the celebration as expected, due to security concerns.
“The new OneNKY Center in Covington is a perfect example of what it means to be a part of Team Kentucky and what we can accomplish when we work together to do what is best for our New Kentucky Home,” Gov. Beshear said in a written statement. “With the opening of the center, we can support the many life sciences and biotech companies already in the region and welcome new innovators and startup companies to create more high-wage jobs and cutting-edge treatments right here in the Commonwealth.”
NKY Port Authority, elected and community leaders participated in the on-site celebration.
Ground was broken for the OneNKY Center, a 47,000-square-foot Class A office building, on August 30, 2023, with Gov. Beshear, Senator Chris McDaniel, Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann, Corporex Founder and Chairman Bill Butler and hundreds of community and business leaders in the region.
On June 26, 2024, the final steel beam was put into place at a Topping Out Ceremony that included McDaniel, former Covington Mayor Joe Meyer, Kenton County Fiscal Court Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann, state Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer and state Rep. Stephanie Dietz.
The building is 100 percent leased and home to 10 Northern Kentucky growth organizations. The second floor holds the 15,000-square-foot specialized biotech lab and startup incubator run by LifeSciKY that also opened today.
Covington Mayor Ron Washington talked about the economic impact of the center on the surrounding region: “The opening of the OneNKY Center is a powerful symbol of what we can achieve when we come together as a region. By bringing so many growth organizations under one roof, we are strengthening Covington’s role as the economic engine of Northern Kentucky and building on our reputation as a hub for innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. This project reflects the true power of partnership, and I’m proud that Covington is at the heart of it.”
Speakers also included:
• Christine Russell, executive director, NKY Port Authority
• Senator Chris McDaniel
• Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann
• Christin Godale, executive director, LifeSciKY
• Leon Wyszkowski, president, Analytical Services Division Clinical Research, Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Bill Butler, chairman, Corporex Companies
OneNKY Center tenants are:
BE NKY Growth Partnership
The Catalytic Fund
EducateNKY
Horizon Community Foundation of Northern Kentucky
LifeSciKY
meetNKY
Northern Kentucky Bar Association
Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
OneNKY Alliance
Thomas More University Division of External Affairs
The Catalytic Fund, OneNKY Alliance, Kenton County, and LifeSciKY, which received funding from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, were instrumental in securing financing for the OneNKY Center. The $26 million project’s funding derives from various channels, including Kenton County offering credit enhancement for approximately $8.7 million of construction bonds, issued by the Kentucky Association of County Officials (KACo) Finance Corporation. Additional financial contributions were made by LifeSciKY, the Butler Foundation, Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, Horizon Community Foundation of Northern Kentucky, Drees Foundation and the R.C. Durr Foundation, Inc.
In 2022, BE NKY Growth Partnership, through the Build + Elevate NKY investor campaign, activated the NKY Port Authority, which focuses on identifying, managing, readying, and advocating for sites aimed at surpassing community employment and wage objectives through subsequent private commercial and industrial development and revitalization efforts.