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January Virtual Luncheon

Thu, January 21 12:00 pm Virtual
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Four Paths of Prosperity For Growing Jobs in Covington

The City of Covington has seen a resurgence in overall employment growth in new and expanding companies making Covington home in 2020 despite the Pandemic.  New and existing Covington companies announced the creation of over 2,000 new jobs and $84 million in private investment this year, dwarfing the 160 new jobs and $7.5 million announced during 2019.

Part of the success could be due to the development of four target industries the City has had in its sights:

  • All Things Office and New-Collar Jobs
  • “A Healthier You” (Life and Bioscience Businesses)
  • “Made In The Cov” (Micro-manufacturing and Process Technology)
  • “Experiencing Covington” (Experiential and Entrepreneurial Economy)

In January 2019, the City of Covington retained Garner Economics, LLC to help create a citywide economic development strategy that takes into account the dynamics of the Covington market and propels the City into more high-value economic growth. That’s where these four targeted markets were created.

Producing results like this is a team effort involving elected leaders, regional partners, state government, but most importantly, the businesses themselves. Join Tom West, City of Covington Economic Development Director, and a few guests representing some of the newest firms making Covington home as we explore the importance of this strategy and how we can help keep the growth going.

Tom West, Economic Development Director for the City of Covington

Tom West joined the City of Covington in December 2017 as Economic Development Director. His department is responsible for business attraction, retention and expansion programs as well as administering the City’s zoning code and historic preservation guidelines. Over the past three years, his department created a citywide economic development strategy, implemented policies designed to assure a return on incentive investment for taxpayers, completely rewrote of the City’s zoning code, and led a staff of professionals. During this time, the city has attracted more than $200 million in private investment and created nearly 2,500 new jobs. Previously, Tom was Senior Vice President of a national economic development and workforce consulting firm with clients from Oregon to the Carolinas. He also served as Executive Director of Governor Steve Beshear’s Workforce Investment Board for five years. He has three decades of experience in downtown revitalization and workforce development as a practitioner or consultant. Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and a Masters in community planning. He also holds a certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners.

 

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