BE NKY Growth Partnership continues to showcase Northern Kentucky, highlighting the community’s many assets that make it a desirable home for companies looking to locate or expand their business with the release of it 2025 annual report.
BE NKY’s push for a strong finish to the year, in the face of global economic uncertainties, resulted in 15 project wins. 1,914 jobs and $425.5 million in capital investment were announced with an average annual total compensation of $73,433.
The advanced manufacturing sector led project wins, announced jobs, and capital investment, and eleven of the 15 project wins are from existing Northern Kentucky companies choosing to reinvest in the community.
“I am so proud our team surpassed our jobs metric by six percent and came incredibly close to hitting our targets in a year of uncertainty,” said BE NKY Vice President of Economic Development Kimberly Rossetti. “We are entering the new year with incredible momentum, and our team looks forward to bringing even more prosperity to our region in 2026.”
For every two jobs BE NKY announced in 2025, an additional three jobs were generated in the community, and the 15 project wins resulted in $53 million in local economic impact for Northern Kentucky’s cities and counties.
BE NKY also took steps to improve Northern Kentucky’s economy and workforce development beyond project wins.
K-12 career path exposure, exploration and engagement
In May, BE NKY led an initiative to generate funding for three local education non-profit organizations: Adopt A Class, TradesNKY, and Learning Grove’s NaviGo College and Career Prep. BE NKY invested a total of $440,000 into these organizations and partnered with EducateNKY and The Spirit of Construction Foundation to secure a further $420,000 in funding. BE NKY also organized an Adopt A Class team that volunteers once a month in a Covington second grade classroom, ensuring students of all ages are aware of the many career opportunities available to them in the region.
Studies focus on entrepreneurship impact, Northern Kentucky’s target industries
In September, BE NKY, in partnership with Blue North, the Kentucky Innovation Hub for Northern Kentucky, released an analysis by the economic and community development consulting company TPMA, evaluating the current entrepreneurial ecosystem and its economic impact on the region.
The 1,870 businesses identified in this study generate more than $7 billion in earnings and nearly $800 million in state income taxes and total taxes on production and imports at the local, state and federal level. The release of this study coincided with the grand opening of SparkHaus, Northern Kentucky’s new home for entrepreneurs.
BE NKY partnered with Ernst & Young for a second time to evaluate the industry sectors most likely to provide the Northern Kentucky region with a high-growth economy driven by high-quality jobs. The report will be released to the community on January 30 at the 2026 Annual Forum.
Preparing Northern Kentucky for growth and corporate investment
BE NKY aggressively marketed Northern Kentucky and worked with partners at the national, state and local levels to prepare sites for development so they are poised to welcome new companies that will make a long-lasting impact on the region.
Northern Kentucky Port Authority – OneNKY Center, SparkHaus, CCBE
2025 was an incredibly successful year for the Northern Kentucky Port Authority, an organization thriving under the leadership of BE NKY. Two new buildings that will serve Northern Kentucky’s entrepreneurial, growth and life sciences communities for decades celebrated grand openings in September.
The OneNKY Center brings together 10 Northern Kentucky growth organizations and a lab incubator run by LifeSciKY into one building, allowing for increased collaboration among these organizations. Northern Kentucky’s startups, business mentors and venture capitalists are also gathered under one roof for the first time at SparkHaus.
Representatives for the Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence also chose a 1.89-acre site in downtown Covington to be the future home of the Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s Northern Kentucky campus.
“From grand openings of new buildings and new businesses, including L2 Aviation and Bakery Express Midwest, to honoring companies marking more than 120 years of operation, the Northern Kentucky community has many successes to celebrate in 2025,” said BE NKY President & CEO Lee Crume. “As we head into 2026, BE NKY will continue working hard to improve our region while emphasizing the many amenities that make Northern Kentucky the best place in the country to live, work, play, grow and learn.”
Find BE NKY’s 2025 annual report at bit.ly
BE NKY Growth Partnership