BE NKY Growth Partnership (BE NKY), the economic development organization for Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties, and Duke Energy are working together to stimulate economic growth by taking steps to make industrial sites more competitive.
BE NKY has been participating in the Duke Energy Site Readiness program since 2010 to prepare and improve properties for potential major industrial development and/or redevelopment.
This collaboration between Duke Energy and BE NKY has resulted in the evaluation of 18 properties in Northern Kentucky. The most recent property – the Tackett Site – was selected for the program for the second time in 2023 after being included in the Duke Site Readiness Program in 2012.
The Tackett site, located at 13360 Dixie Highway in Boone and Kenton counties, spans 239 acres, of which 190 acres are considered developable. The site, which has access to two Class I railroads, is ideal for small to medium-sized projects in sectors such as transportation equipment, metals, plastics, materials, and distribution and logistics. The site has space for buildings up to 2 million square feet in size, with a variety of building sizes recommended to attract a wide range of businesses.
Through the program, Duke Energy partners with local engineering firm Bayer Becker and Dallas-based national site selection firm Site Selection Group. The partnership also provides a $10,000 grant to further improve site readiness. Bayer Becker conducts an engineering assessment of the sites and creates concept drawings for possible future development. Site Selection Group conducts in-depth analyses of utility capacities, available labor, and likely end-use industries. The program conducts a comprehensive report that highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the selected sites, recommends improvements, and identifies target industries to attract.
Following analysis of the Tackett site by both companies, strategic recommendations include improving water capacity, expanding wastewater disposal, and creating and improving road access. The grant will be used to investigate current road access options to the site.
The Duke Site Readiness Program was created to help communities proactively assess and prepare sites for development. It provides communities with the opportunity to practice and receive feedback on their presentation of attractive commercial spaces and the planning and conduct of site visits.
Since 2010, the Site Readiness Program has evaluated 37 sites and buildings in Ohio and Northern Kentucky. Marketing these sites to bring new capital investment and good jobs to the region is a priority for BE NKY. More than a third of them have been developed, resulting in 16 bid awards and 5,035 new jobs. Some of the sites developed in Northern Kentucky now house major companies such as Amazon, Coca-Cola, DAV (Disabled American Veterans) and Perfetti Van Melle.
“Duke Energy is proud to partner with BE NKY to support economic development efforts in our region by working to prepare construction-ready sites and providing information to help companies looking to locate or expand in Northern Kentucky,” said Amy Spiller, president of Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky State. “Since 2010, the Duke Energy Site Readiness Program has delivered over $2 billion in capital investment to the Greater Cincinnati region, and we look forward to continuing to make it easy for companies to choose Northern Kentucky.”
Below are some previous locations in Northern Kentucky that participated in the program:
- In 2022, the program evaluated the 40-acre Southern Campbell County Industrial Park in Claryville. This site has many positive attributes, including highway access, Tyson Foods as a corporate neighbor and proximity to Northern Kentucky University. It also received $2 million in Kentucky Product Development Initiative funding for site development earlier this year, partially from this program.
- In 2020, two sites were selected in Walton. Walton Industrial Park – North is a 22-acre site in Boone County. Bayer Becker concluded that the site had space for three buildings ranging in size from 20,000 to 30,000 square feet. Walton Industrial Park – South is a 48-acre site in Kenton County. It was developed with a 575,000 square foot building that was sold by the developer. Both sites are close to I-75 and I-71 and are ideal for advanced manufacturing operations.
- 28 acres in Wilder owned by Rumpke were added to the program in 2015. Now owned by Neyer Properties, this site is available for industrial, manufacturing or distribution purposes. It is located 15 minutes from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and has a potential barge loading and unloading area along the Licking River. The City of Wilder and the State of Kentucky are offering economic incentives.
About BE NKY Growth Partnership
BE NKY Growth Partnership, the economic development company for Northern Kentucky, provides businesses with the expertise they need to create opportunities in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. We attract new businesses and enhance what is already there to create innovative, forward-thinking and attractive environments for business and community success. We serve Northern Kentucky so that our community thrives by creating good jobs and a growing and diverse economy. We believe in opportunity and prosperity for all Northern Kentucky residents. For more information, visit www.BE-NKY.com.
About Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, supplies electricity to 910,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service area and natural gas to 560,000 customers in a 2,650-square-mile service area in Ohio and Kentucky.
Mark Grauwelman is Real Estate and Project Manager for BE NKY Growth Partnership.
