A cool vibe, the ability to attract talent and clients, welcoming environment, location…  Over a hundred people listened in the CBC Virtual luncheon, sponsored by St. Elizabeth Healthcare and DBL Law to hear our guest speakers share reasons why companies are choosing to invest millions of dollars to relocate or expand into Covington, Kentucky.

DBL Law will be moving 80 employees from Crestview Hills into the historic Monarch Building across from Molly Malones in the fall of 2021. The new building will also have an open area to host nonprofits and community activities.  Bob Hoffer, Managing Partner of DBL noted Covington was chosen for the vibrancy, existing client base, ability to attract new clients, and other major businesses such as CTI, St. Elizabeth and Huntington Bank.  Simply stated, “Everyone wants to be there (in Covington) and we do too”.

Kevin Sheehan, President and COO of Hilltop Companies, was headquartered in downtown Cincinnati and they have 240 employees and have been in business for 79 years.  Hilltop had to move because the existing building is being converted to residential, luxury apartments.  Like the other firms, the company formed a task force and explored multiple locations.  They wanted to stay centrally located and will relocate to the RiverCenter Towers by the end of August.  He noted Covington has lots of new developments and it is a vibrant community.  The view is great, especially to gaze upon many of the buildings in Cincinnati and Covington that the company helped build.  He specifically felt very welcome from everyone in Covington.

Gentis Solutions, an IT staffing provider, is relocating from outside the region from Pennsylvania.  Tom Flessor, COO stated 80% of Gentis’ customer base is located in the Cincinnati area.  The company ultimately chose Covington RiverCenter because of its location, parking, and walking distance to just about anything.  “I don’t see how we could do better”.

Ed Walton, CEO of Step CG shared that his company considered several locations in Ohio, Indiana, Lexington, KY before deciding to expand the technology company in Covington.  Step CG is a big believer in making contributions to the community.  Ultimately, it was the people, culture, community and vibe.   He also noted that for businesses, it is like “Silicone Valley happening right here in Northern Kentucky”.

In other news, Tom West, Economic Director of Covington discussed the recent announcement of Covington Connect, an expansion of the free wi-fi services and hardware available to under-served neighborhoods.  They also have a new contract with Renaissance Covington to expand Wi-fi to businesses in MainStrasse, Rittes Corner and the Martin Luther King Corridor.  The City also made changes to the payroll tax incentive ordinance and after 17 public engagement opportunities, they submitted a draft of the neighborhood development code to the Kenton County Planning Commission. To help support restaurants, the City will open up some streets to allow more outside seating and reminded everyone that we need to keep our businesses open and to “ just wear the freaking mask “  Finally, West teased about ANOTHER BIG economic development coming soon to on the East Side of Covington, so stay tuned!

We invite your to watch this program at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFrPSU9myaY&t=951s

Written by Molly Weaver