COVINGTON, Ky. — The long-awaited One NKY Center is nearing its grand opening after breaking ground in Aug. 2023.

What You Need To Know

  • The One NKY Center will offer comprehensive services to businesses, local government and the community.

  • Ground was broken on the center in Aug. 2023 and is expected to open in June of 2025

  • Gov. Andy Beshear supported the center, securing  $15 million in state funding from the General Assembly

  • The center will house seven business groups

The $26 million project will bring together seven business promotional groups under one roof, aiming to consolidate and enhance efforts to promote education, job creation and public health in northern Kentucky. The nonprofit, Covington Life Sciences Partners, will have a biotech lab in OneNKY Center also. 

Karen Finan, president of One NKY Alliance, expressed excitement about the progress being made on the facility, which is expected to open early next year. “Those booms and those stop and those start, that’s a feeling of transformation,” said Finan. “That is a feeling of a community moving forward.”

Founded seven years ago, One NKY Alliance has spearheaded multiple initiatives, including LINK NKY, a local news outlet, the One NKY Frankfort political advocacy group, and the Breath Easy Initiative, which supports public health through smoke-free ordinances. Finan emphasized that the new center will serve as a physical space to bring these efforts together.

“It became apparent that a physical building could really meet the needs of strategic aligning our growth organizations and also pushing the community forward,” Finan said.

Local business owner Benjamin Haggerty, who is involved in the Breathe Easy Initiative, promoting a smoke-free ordinance across Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties, is also enthusiastic about the center’s potential. He said, “It’s nice to see that public health and public good and projects for nonprofits and things of this nature, that appear to be their bread and butter, has a home in that sense.”

With support from Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., and $15 million in state funding secured by the General Assembly, the center will also house the Covington Life Sciences initiative, set to open in June 2025. The One NKY Center aims to foster growth and collaboration, giving the community the tools to take control of its future.

Finan believes the center will be a hub of energy and anticipation for northern Kentucky, creating a space where ideas can flourish, and the region can continue to grow.

Related Stories