By Judy Clabes
NKyTribune editor
Tony Lamb, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Northern Kentucky, defies all conventional expectations. He fits none of the stereotypes of the buttoned-down corporate boss, possesses none of the pretenses of success, has embraced not a single iota of the arrogance of importance. For Tony Lamb, “entitlement” is just a word in the dictionary.
He is simply “Tony,” the youngest child of four his parents raised to be kind and principled and hard-working.
He describes himself as “lucky.”
His favorite word is “grateful.”
This from a man who grew up in West Virginia, got his business-accounting degree from the University of Kentucky, and started his adult working life selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door. (His “rock star” money at the time was the result of building customer satisfaction and building teams.) This from a man who had an idea and grew it into a mobile business empire around shaved ice.
Visit the massive seven-acre Kona Ice corporate headquarters in Florence — there’s another massive storage facility in Latonia just for the trucks — and see the manifestation of Tony’s leadership style. Friendly employees at work — enjoying a relaxed but productive work life. An employee lounge with free food and drinks. KONA Kollege for new franchisees in process in the large, high-tech training facility. Busy-bee craftsmen creating new designs on Kona trucks.
If you’re lucky, you might see Tony’s son, Jake, overseeing the kitchen where the chocolate cookies from his grandmother’s recipe are being baked for Beverly Ann’s Cookies, Tony’s latest mobile dessert truck concept. And if you’re really lucky, you might get to meet the affable Tom, Tony’s dad, the inspiration behind Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, a mobile coffee concept.
Nobody is too busy for a welcoming smile and a kind word.
“I want to be a good man,” Tony says. “A good son, a good father and a good husband — and a good employer and a good citizen.”
Check each of those boxes.
He is, in fact, a devoted family man. He credits his wife, Susie, with keeping him grounded. They have four grown children who are successes in their own right. Two are involved in the company. He is devoted, as well, to his parents — and has named new mobile enterprises after each of them.
Tony launched his company in 2007 after his three-year-old daughter had a scary experience with an ice cream truck man. He imagined something more friendly, cleaner and more inviting. He revolutionized the food truck space and grew Kona Ice into the world’s largest food truck company with thousands of food truck franchisees across the U.S. and Canada. He launched Tom’s Travelin’ Coffee Truck in 2020 and mostly recently launched Beverly Ann’s Cookies. Along the way, he invented a service system — Flavorwave — so that customers could customize their own shaved ice. And he reduced the sugar to make it healthier. And also created a Kona Mini, a smaller replica of the ice truck to sell shaved ice indoors during the winter months.
Early in the company’s life, Tony drove a Kona Ice truck around Florence himself. Today, he still occasionally takes the wheel, just so he doesn’t lose touch. Clean, approachable, friendly, welcoming. The standards don’t slip.
His franchisees make Kona Ice one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country. They gather at the KONvention annually at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, generally in early February, making it one of the largest conventions in the region. Tony calls it the “Greatest Snow on Earth.”
Tony Lamb — and his franchisees — are committed to giving back to their communities too, counting more than $200 million — and growing — to local schools and charitable organizations.
“Tony Lamb is the perfect example of how Northern Kentucky’s entrepreneurial spirit and community values can grow into something truly extraordinary,” said Julie Kirkpatrick, CEO of meetNKY.
“Through Kona Ice, he’s brought joy to millions while building a business rooted in generosity and local pride. We’re proud to celebrate Tony as a NKyTribune 2025 NewsMaker of the Year and a shining example of NKY innovation in action.”
Tony Lamb’s easy-going ways, warm smile, and generosity of spirit, and engagement in the life of his community have earned him the 2025 NewsMaker designation. And he gets the Mr. Nicest Guy award too.
Join the celebration for ’25 NewsMakers at the meet-and-greet reception Nov. 20, 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Wenzel Distillery’s new event center on Madison Avenue in Covington. Enjoy breakfast bites and coffee and a short awards presentation as a guest of our funders.
Help the NKyTribune continue to serve
HONOR YOUR FAVORITE NEWSMAKER WITH A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO THE NKyTRIBUNE’s NEWSMATCH CAMPAIGN — and help sustain a professional, accurate, up-to-date local news and information service you can depend on. The NKyTribune is a nonprofit publication dedicated to serving the Northern Kentucky region and providing FREE access to everyone. Your contributions matter — and contributions by INDIVIDUALS will be matched by national NewsMatch funders through December 31. We need and appreciate your support. Send your checks to NKyTribune, 644 Braddock Court, Edgewood, Ky. 41017 or