Northern Kentucky

QUALITY OF LIFE
Northern Kentucky takes recreation and quality of life
seriously. Riverfront Commons is an 11.5-mile walking
and biking path along the Ohio River from Ludlow on
the west to Fort Thomas on the east. It includes
eco-system restoration, riverside stabilization,
economic development in addition to recreation.
Intersecting pathways will provide connections to
attractions in all of six Southbank cities.
SOUTHBANK
PARTNERS
425 York Street
Newport, KY 41071
(859) 655-7700
southbankpartners.com
Southbank Partners is a
community- and economicdevelopment
organization
that promotes and coordinates
development activities, fosters
Jack Moreland,
President,
Southbank
Partners
teamwork and collaboration, and provides
a unified voice for the Northern Kentucky
Ohio River cities of Bellevue, Covington,
Dayton, Ludlow, Newport, and Fort Thomas.
Its accomplishments include the Southbank
Shuttle, the Purple People Bridge, and Riverfront
Commons, an 11.5-mile walking/biking trail
along the river currently under development. For
more information visit southbankpartners.com.
huge population, but we have big city
amenities, plus scenic areas. And the
most important thing is we have a whole
lot of friendly people, and they’re driven
and innovative.”
With unique assets like world’s the
largest swinging bell – oh, yes, it rings – a
500-foot replica of Noah’s Ark, waterfront
activities and cultural attractions,
Northern Kentucky offers plenty of things
to do for residents and visitors and also
boasts a lower cost of living than its
neighbor Cincinnati.
The most exciting Southbank project
in the works is Riverfront Commons, an
11.5-mile trail that will span the riverbanks
of Covington, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton,
Ludlow and Fort Thomas. The recreational
trail is being custom-designed to allow locals
and visitors to enjoy walking and biking
through a variety of neighborhoods, views of
the river, and food, drink and entertainment.
Where happy people are, business
wants to be.
“It’s already paying dividends for us,”
said Moreland. “We’re having jobs come
to town because of the ability to bike ride
and walk. That’s what this is all about; it’s
fostering jobs through more involvement
of companies and young people coming
with these companies. It’s all playing to
the property well.”
One such big dividend was the late
2016 announcement that Clinical Trial &
Consultive Services (CTI) is relocating its
headquarters and 500 jobs to Covington
from Cincinnati.
“I don’t think there’s an
area more scenic than the
Northern Kentucky area.
It’s got a small-town feel to it.
It’s not a huge population, but
we have big city amenities,
plus scenic areas. And the
most important part is we
have a whole lot of friendly
people, and they’re driven
and innovative.”
— Jack Moreland, President,
Southbank Partners
“One of the reasons they cited was
the opportunities created by Riverfront
Commons,” said Moreland, noting that a
company of such high caliber values a stellar
quality of life for its employees, in addition
to cheaper costs of doing business.
CTI is relocating its global headquarters
to the RiverCenter Towers, creating
a significant increase in revenue and
employment throughout Covington.
CTI provides therapeutic expertise to
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries
and will become the largest private-sector
health sciences employer in Covington.
Another entity that has taken note
is Cleveland- and Cincinnati-based Bad
Girl Ventures. The nonprofit organization
empowers female entrepreneurs and just
opened an office in Covington.
Focused on female entrepreneurship, Bad Girl
Ventures recently opened an office on Covington’s
“incubator alley,” Pike Street, expanding there
from Cleveland and Cincinnati. BGV provides
micro-financing, educational and training support.