What Northern Kentucky Tri-ED does

BE NKY Growth Partnership, formerly Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, is a nonprofit economic development organization founded in 1987 that serves Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky. The organization provides free site selection assistance, incentive navigation, business retention and expansion (BR&E) programming, customized data solutions, and workforce development connections to companies considering relocation, expansion, or growth in the tri-county region. It partners with REDI Cincinnati, the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and three county fiscal courts to deliver these services. The 15-person staff includes a CEO, VP of Economic Development, VP of Marketing & Communications, Director of Business Retention, and specialists across workforce, research, client relations, and communications.

The organization's primary technology asset is the NKY Atlas, a self-service data dashboard covering demographics, economic indicators, housing, workforce, health, infrastructure, and education for the three-county region. Additional service platforms include the NKY Port Authority (reactivated in 2022 as a real estate development tool and operator of the SparkHaus entrepreneurship center), a commercial property search portal (via ZoomProspector partnership), and the Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ 47) program. The Build + Elevate Northern Kentucky investor campaign funds four initiatives: data-informed community decision-making, Port Authority activation, customized workforce solutions, and targeted business growth.

BE NKY is funded through an investor campaign and operates under the auspices of the Fiscal Courts in Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties. Platinum investors include Duke Energy, Corporex, the three county governments, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, and CVG Airport. Since 1987, the organization has led 814 business relocation or expansion projects resulting in 78,950+ primary industry jobs created and $10.6 billion in capital investment. It has been recognized as a Top 20 Economic Development Company in the US for four consecutive years.

Name

Northern Kentucky Tri-ED

Legal name

BE NKY Growth Partnership

Website

https://be-nky.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BE NKY Growth Partnership is a nonprofit economic development organization serving Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky, providing free site selection, business retention, workforce development, and incentive navigation services to companies across advanced manufacturing, logistics, life sciences, and IT sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Site selection assistance
• Business retention expansion
• Workforce development programs
• Regional economic growth

Headquarters

HQ city

Ft Mitchell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Investor Contributions: BE NKY is funded through an investor campaign called Build + Elevate Northern Kentucky. Platinum investors include major organizations such as Duke Energy, Corporex, Boone County, Kenton County, St. Elizabeth, and CVG Airport. The organization operates as a nonprofit corporation under the auspices of Fiscal Courts in Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties.
2. Government Funding: Operating as a nonprofit economic development corporation under county fiscal court oversight. Staffing and back office support provided to Northern Kentucky Port Authority.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BE NKY Growth Partnership provides free economic development services to businesses considering relocation, expansion, or growth in Northern Kentucky (Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties). Core offerings include site selection assistance, customized data and incentive analysis, Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) program support, workforce development connections, Foreign Trade Zone administration, and real estate site identification through the NKY Port Authority and a commercial property search portal.

Product overview

BE NKY Growth Partnership is an economic development organization (non-profit), not a technology product company. It offers economic development services including site selection assistance, business relocation and expansion support, the Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) program, the NKY Port Authority for real estate development, the NKY Atlas data dashboard, property search tools, and Foreign Trade Zone programs. These are service offerings, not software products with technical integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site Selection Assistance Free, customized site selection consulting that helps businesses identify and evaluate commercial and industrial properties in Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties. Includes data-driven site comparisons, incentive modeling, workforce assessment, and introductions to regional partners.
• Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) Program Free resource that connects existing Northern Kentucky companies with solutions to sustain operations, accelerate growth, and expand local jobs, delivered through business visits and direct staff engagement.
• NKY Atlas Data Dashboard Online self-service data dashboard providing accessible county-level data across eight categories — Demographic, Economic, Housing, Quality of Life, Workforce, Health, Infrastructure, and Education — for Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties.
• NKY Port Authority Real Estate Development Real estate and development tool reactivated by BE NKY in 2022 to provide additional site options and development services for businesses; the authority owns the SparkHaus entrepreneurship center opened September 2025.
• Commercial Property Search Portal Online commercial real estate search tool (powered by ZoomProspector) that enables businesses to find available properties across Northern Kentucky.
• Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ 47) Program Program administered with REDI Cincinnati that allows businesses in Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties to defer or avoid customs duties on imported goods.
• Workforce Development Coordination Coordination service that connects businesses with workforce training and apprenticeship programs, including the NKY FAME (Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) apprenticeship program through partners such as Gateway Community & Technical College.
• Tax Incentive and Abatement Assistance Free consulting that helps businesses identify and apply for state, county, and local tax incentives, abatements, and grant programs available for relocation or expansion in Northern Kentucky.

Quantifiable outcome

• 814 business projects led to relocation or expansion
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Kentucky Cabinet for Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level economic development agency providing coordination on business incentives, site selection, and statewide economic programs. BE NKY works with CED to help companies access state programs and navigate expansion requirements.
• REDI CincinnaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development organization for Greater Cincinnati. BE NKY collaborates with REDI Cincinnati on business attraction, talent development, and regional marketing initiatives. Joint recipient of Mac Conway Award for 10 consecutive years.
• Northern Kentucky Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary chamber organization for Northern Kentucky business community. BE NKY partners on business events, workforce development, and economic initiatives. Co-sponsors the annual Robinson Award for economic development excellence.
• Northern Kentucky Area Development District (NKADD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning and development district for NKY. Leads NKY Works workforce development initiative and provides demographic/economic data through partnership with BE NKY.
• Northern Kentucky Port AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBE NKY activated the NKY Port Authority in 2022 as a real estate and development tool. BE NKY provides staffing and back office support. The Port Authority owns SparkHaus entrepreneurship center opened September 2025.
• Catalytic Development Funding Corp. of Northern KentuckymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission-driven financial institution providing non-traditional investments and real estate services to revitalize communities. Led by Jeanne Schroer, winner of 2018 Robinson Award; has deployed over $33 million since 2013.
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor transportation asset and economic driver; home to Amazon Air Hub and DHL Superhub; seventh-largest cargo airport in North America; administers Foreign Trade Zone 46 & 47 program with REDI Cincinnati.
• Gateway Community & Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides workforce development programs including NKY FAME (Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education), electrical technology programs, and customized business training. Partners with manufacturers on apprenticeships.
• Northern Kentucky UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor public university in NKY; provides talent pipeline with engineering and business programs; hosts Kentucky Small Business Development Center; partners on innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Blue North / Kentucky Innovation HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue North serves as Kentucky Innovation Hub for Northern Kentucky; provides startup support services, access to capital networks, and sector-focused initiatives in health innovation, supply chain, eCommerce, and local growth.
• Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic transit provider for Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties; serves 3 million passengers annually with 100+ buses; provides workforce access programs including Guaranteed Ride Home and RAMP paratransit service.
• Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning organization covering the tri-state Cincinnati region; coordinates transportation planning and regional development initiatives.
• Southbank PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development organization focused on the Southbank river cities of Northern Kentucky; supports community and economic development in riverfront communities.
• The Ports of Cincinnati and Northern KentuckymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor inland port handling 36 million tons of cargo annually; ranked 17th among all US ports and busiest inland port in US; boundaries expanded to 226.5 miles in 2015.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Greater Lexington Chamber / Commerce Lexington: Regional chamber and economic development organization serving the Lexington, Kentucky metro; performs analogous business attraction, retention, and workforce development work in a different Kentucky geography.
• Greater Memphis Chamber: Memphis-area chamber with active economic development division; a direct competitor for logistics-intensive corporate prospects given Memphis's FedEx hub and BE NKY's CVG/Amazon/DHL cargo story.
• Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce / Nashville ECD: Regional chamber that also operates economic development programs for the Nashville metro; competes with BE NKY for Southern US corporate relocations and headquarters expansions given NKY's one-day-drive reach.

Direct peers

• REDI Cincinnati: Greater Cincinnati regional economic development organization that explicitly co-markets the region with BE NKY; joint recipient of the Mac Conway Award for 10 consecutive years and serves overlapping corporate clients across the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metro.
• Greater Louisville Inc. Regional chamber and economic development organization for the Louisville metro in neighboring Kentucky; performs the same site selection, business retention, and incentive-navigation functions for a different Kentucky geography, competing with BE NKY for inbound corporate investment.
• Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce: Primary chamber of commerce for the Northern Kentucky business community and a formal Core Strategic Partner of BE NKY; co-sponsors the annual Robinson Award for economic development excellence and shares workforce development and small business programming.
• Charlotte Regional Business Alliance: Mid-sized US regional EDO repeatedly co-ranked with BE NKY on Site Selection Magazine's Top 20 list; comparable in scope (multi-county metro), business model (nonprofit, investor-funded), and target sectors (advanced manufacturing, financial services, logistics).
• Pittsburgh Regional Alliance: Multi-county regional economic development organization that markets the Pittsburgh metro to corporate prospects; comparable in scale, business model, and Site Selection Top 20 recognition to BE NKY.

Broad incumbents

• JobsOhio: Ohio's private nonprofit economic development corporation operating statewide; competes with BE NKY for cross-state corporate relocations along the Cincinnati metro border and provides incentive capital at a scale a single-county EDO cannot match.
• Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC): Indiana's statewide economic development agency; competes with BE NKY in the tri-state Cincinnati region, particularly for logistics and advanced manufacturing prospects evaluating Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana sites.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NKY_EconDev
• Facebookfacebook.com/NKYTriED
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northern-kentucky-economic-development-tri-ed
• Instagraminstagram.com/benkygrowth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northern Kentucky Tri-ED