The Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance was the topic of discussion at the February Covington Business Council Luncheon at the Madison Event Center.
Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance Chairman Jim Henning of Duke Energy explains the organization’s goals at the CBC Luncheon (photos by Mark Hansel).
The Regional Alliance is an organization comprised of regional leaders committed to uniting and mobilizing leadership around initiatives that produce tangible results for Northern Kentucky. Its goals are to identify and implement projects important to Northern Kentucky’s continued growth.
Regional Alliance Chairman Jim Henning and President Karen Finan provided an update to CBC members on recent initiatives and areas of focus.
The Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance was formed last summer. It is an organization of top CEO leaders, presidents of organizations from Northern Kentucky.
Henning oversees Duke Energy’s regulatory government relations, economic development and community affairs initiatives in Ohio and Kentucky.
He said it is just as important to recognize what the Regional Alliance is not, as it is to recognize its goals.
“In the early part of 2017 Skyward/Vision 2015 winded down their efforts and we kind of picked up on the back end of that,” Henning said. “We are a way different organization than what Skyward was, but there was some transition because a lot of the founding members of the Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance were part of an organization within Skyward called the CEO Roundtable Group.”
There are 16 members of the Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance focused on collaboration that will help accelerate the transformation of Northern Kentucky.
“That’s our drive, that’s our mission, that’s what we’re focused on,” Henning said. “How can we leverage and help support all of the organizations that are represented in this room, all of the businesses, all of the different efforts and activities to help transform Northern Kentucky into a better place for all of us to live and work.”
Finan said the ultimate goal is to mobilize and unite different community leaders around initiatives and around projects to help drive results for the region, with the support of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
While at Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, Finan led 45 relocations and expansions at the national level, accounting for more than $250 million in capital investment in the Northern Kentucky region.
She understands collaboration.
Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance President Karen Finan outlines the organization’s key areas of focus at the CBC Luncheon at the Madison Event Center.
“As I look at every member of the Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance, I see that same engagement, that same passion, around the table,” Finan said. “This is a highly motivated and engaged group of top-level professionals who intend to leverage resources for the good of Northern Kentucky.”
That wealth of experience and passion for the community, she says, presents a great opportunity.
“These leaders around the table are involved in local boards, they serve as funders, employers and influencers and they understand Northern Kentucky from a very personal standpoint,” Finan said. “They live here, they work here, they play here, they lead here. Many of them have raised their families here and some have grown up here, so (there is) a lot of history around that table.”
The Regional Alliance will focus on four key areas; job growth, education, community vibrancy and health and wellness.
“We are pursuing bold transformative initiatives that move Northern Kentucky forward, not duplicating, but rather working through organizations, people, talent and initiatives that we think can help accelerate,” Finan said.
Community vibrancy
“Community vibrancy is the key focus for the Regional Alliance in 2018 and where the heavy lifting is really taking place, not just for the Regional Alliance, but for everybody in this room and the organizations that you represent,” Finan said.
Over the last several months, Regional Alliance members have discussed, considered and are currently researching several key initiatives that they believe should be taken on.
“As we move forward into this year, we will begin work on selected initiatives that create a desired impact on this Northern Kentucky community, strategic initiatives that work through other organizations, with organizations that, offer bold and transformative outcomes,” Finan said. “We’re still in the due-diligence process on several of these, but stay tuned, soon to come.”
The need for a vibrant community perception and reality, Finan said, was put front-and-center as regional leaders came together recently to compete for the Amazon H2 project.
“Led by REDI (Cincinnati), many in this room participated in the final response (including) the State of Ohio, the State of Kentucky, Tri-ED, the Chamber, the Catalytic Fund, Southbank, the City of Covington, urban core cities, the judge executives, the Regional Alliance,” Finan said. “So many at the table, so important to be unified. We were able to showcase our region through that effort and while we didn’t make the cut for the HQ2 project we were able to realize what spectacular results a united front brings.”
Despite not being considered as a finalist for the HQ2 project, Finan pointed out that Amazon continues to have a strong presence in Northern Kentucky, that will become even greater in the future.
Finan says participation in the bidding process demonstrated to Amazon, as well as other employers, the progress on many fronts showcased in the HQ2 project, things that other companies seeking to relocate would also find attractive.
“We’re in a great spot to move forward with key initiatives around community vibrancy,” Finan said. “So what is the impact of a fully developed riverfront in Northern Kentucky, a healthy urban core as a front door to NKY? Key developments and initiatives in and throughout our suburban areas, all tying the Northern Kentucky region together. The need to coordinate and tie these initiatives together, through a coordinated, comprehensive effort, is critically important, and part of the focus of the Regional Alliance.”
Job Growth
Another focus of the Regional Alliance is leveraging job growth and creating a sustained talent pipeline.
“Our long-term focus, is the creation of a pipeline that focuses on tech- and knowledge-based workers,” Finan said. “A sustainable pipeline, tied into other workforce efforts, like those of the Chamber. As our economy calls for the attraction and retention of specific target industries, we knew any type of initiative that we would play a role in would need to complement and enhance existing and evolving efforts.”
She credits Kenton County Judge Kris Knochelmann and Director of External Affairs John Stanton for working through Cintrifuse and the Northern Kentucky ecosystem, to create a tech economy using an existing initiative.
“That NKY Ecosystem is the lifeblood of Northern Kentucky,” Finan said. “So, leveraging this exiting initiative, we are working to scale and enhance these efforts in a very specific way. We also met with the three judge execs to discuss this opportunity to scale throughout Northern Kentucky.”
The initiative matches the start-up talent in the Northern Kentucky region, nationally and globalyl, to the innovation and operation needs of Northern Kentucky companies, through pilot programs.
“So, taking start-up talent, matching them to existing companies and working to solve an issue,” Finan said.
Each Regional Alliance company is participating by assigning an ambassador in their company, agreeing to identify an internal innovation that could be an opportunity, considering a paid pilot program and using existing networks to scale the concept throughout the region.
Health
Finan says promoting improved health ties in with community vibrancy and presents an opportunity to reshape the region’s identity in that area.
“Look at any (health) statistic nationally and Kentucky typically doesn’t land at the top, in a positive light,” Finan said. “As we looked at that, when the Regional Alliance was organized, there was a very active and successful health movement underway called Livewell (NKY).”
Livewell NKY has community support through coalitions that work to impact health policy and the more tangible things like farmer’s markets, walking trails and other healthy lifestyle components.
“It was a great movement, a great brand, it had great support…but it did not fit under our new business model,” Finan said. “Through the board, we looked at a number of different potential backbone organizations and the Livewell partnership was pleased to announce in November that the Center for Great Neighborhoods had become the backbone organization.”
The Center for Great Neighborhoods and other community partners, such as St. Elizabeth Healthcare, will lead the Livewell strategy, with the full support of the Regional Alliance.
Education
Finan said there are many opportunities in education to support and nurture transformative and innovative concepts.
“In particular, the Ignite Academy has really caught the attention of the Regional Alliance board,” Finan said. “Many of you know this as the legacy project from Toyota, offering a STEAM-based curriculum to a regional academic audience.”
Toyota announced the donation of the engineering lab on it Erlanger campus in 2016.
“The Regional Alliance looks to be very involved with this,” Finan said. “We feel that it serves the world-class education opportunity, in part, producing Northern Kentucky’s future workforce. We believe this can be a game-changer for Northern Kentucky and we have a strong interest in its success.”
The monthly Covington Business Council Luncheon provides opportunities for members to interact with each other, as well elected officials and community leaders. Luncheons generally include a presentation on a topic of local interest to the community and take place at the Madison Event Center in Covington.
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com
