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One Vision One Voice: Skyward, Tri-ED launch joint campaign aimed at moving region forward


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Skyward (formerly Vision 2015) and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, two organizations focused on elevating the Northern Kentucky region, have partnered to launch the One Vision One Voice fundraising campaign. The campaign will fund critical initiatives designed to help the Northern Kentucky region not only compete more effectively in what is increasingly a global marketplace, and create a more vibrant, inclusive, and connected region.

The campaign will enable Skyward and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED to work together on tackling community-wide challenges and initiatives including The Catalytic Fund, workforce preparation, kindergarten readiness, improving the health of residents, and recruiting and retaining high-wage primary industry jobs. These opportunities require multiple partners, complex funding streams, and leadership – leadership that together, Skyward and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED provide.

Mer Grayson

Mer Grayson

Heading up the One Vision One Voice campaign are:
 Co-Chair Mer Grayson, Chairman, Central Bank of Northern Kentucky
 Co-Chair Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III, Member-in-Charge, Northern Kentucky Offices, Frost Brown Todd LLC
 Rich Boehne, President & CEO, E.W. Scripps Company
 Garren Colvin, President and CEO, St. Elizabeth Healthcare
 Kay Geiger, Regional President, PNC Bank
 Jim Henning, President, Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky
 Chuck Scheper, Chairman, Bexion Pharmaceuticals

The group will lead a campaign cabinet comprised of 40+ business and community leaders from a wide array of industries.

For Co-Chair Mer Grayson, Northern Kentucky’s success depends on partnerships like that between Skyward and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED. “Working together, they have improved the region’s competitiveness and quality of life. Investments made over the next five years will deliver even greater prosperity for all.”

William T. Robinson

William T. Robinson

Investments to the campaign will be used to support a variety of projects and initiatives launching or expanding over the next five years including LiveWell NKY, NKY FAME, the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development Coalition, and Pre-K Works, among others. With campaign support, the two organizations will strive to accomplish the following goals by 2020 in Northern Kentucky:

● Expand initiatives to fill our region’s workforce development pipeline
● Expand, grow or attract at least 10,000 new primary industry jobs
● Markedly increase the number of “shovel-ready” industrial sites
● Launch a new regional brand and increase marketing efforts on both domestic and international levels
● Spur the acceleration of urban redevelopment
● Creation of an iconic public convening space
● Support an aggressive, holistic, community-wide health program to improve population health  
● Assure that 1,000 more children are prepared for kindergarten
● Double the number of community volunteers committed to supporting High-Growth Entrepreneurship
● Double the number of innovative technology startups in the region
● Double the amount of private investment capital deployed from NKY to startup and emerging growth companies

“Plans only matter if we make the investments needed to assure their success,” said Co-Chair Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson. “Now that we have the One Vision One Voice campaign underway for Northern Kentucky’s future, we all have the opportunity to invest more for our children and our grandchildren.”

The 2016 launch of the One Vision One Voice campaign marks the third joint fundraising campaign between Skyward and NKY Tri-ED. Investments from previous campaigns supported projects and initiatives such as the Licking River Greenway and Trails, UpTech, The Catalytic Fund, The Regional Indicators family of Reports, and the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development Coalition.

To learn more about the One Vision One Voice campaign or to invest, visit www.skywardnky.org.

About Skyward:
Skyward is both the engineer and the engine behind myNKY, a community-driven five-year strategic work plan designed to elevate Northern Kentucky to new heights. Skyward’s purpose is to make Northern Kentucky thrive by connecting education, wellness, business and culture in innovative, inclusive, productive ways, as outlined in the  myNKY plan. Skyward is a key partner with Northern Kentucky Tri-ED. For more information, please visit www.skywardnky.org. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About Northern Kentucky Tri-ED:
Founded in 1987, the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Northern Kentucky Tri-ED) serves as the primary economic development entity for Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in Northern Kentucky. Since 1987, more than 620 primary industry projects have created more than 54,000 jobs and invested more than $7.3 billion. Northern Kentucky Tri-ED is part of the Kentucky Innovation Network, a network of business leaders and mentors that encourage relationships, grow companies both new and existing, and create jobs. Northern Kentucky Tri-ED is a key partner with Skyward. For more information, visit www.NorthernKentuckyusa.com.

You may also be interested in this NKyTribune story:

The launch of Skyward


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2 Comments

  1. Jerry Anderson says:

    Has the Chamber of Commerce gone defunct ?

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