The regional organization that recruits employers and steers investment across Kenton, Boone and Campbell counties has a new strategy leader.

BE NKY Growth Partnership named Anthony Cadle as vice president of strategy on Aug. 11, tasking him with writing the next regional Economic Plan, a five-to-10-year roadmap that will set strategic goals and benchmark metrics to guide economic growth across the three-county region.

Cadle, a Dayton, Ky., native and University of Kentucky graduate, most recently served as division manager for economic development with the City of Cincinnati's Department of Community & Economic Development. In that role, he worked on business retention and expansion efforts the city says produced more than 3,700 jobs. He also worked with REDI Cincinnati and Hamilton County to recruit new companies to the region.

His first professional job was as Main Street Manager in Dayton, where he helped revitalize the city's Main Street district.

"Boone, Kenton, and, certainly, Campbell County raised me," Cadle said in a statement announcing the hire. "They shaped how I see community, possibility, and the work that matters."

BE NKY president and CEO Lee Crume said Cadle's cross-river experience in business attraction and retention, combined with his Northern Kentucky roots, made him the right fit to advance the organization's next growth phase.

Cadle replaces Christine Russell, who left to serve full-time as executive director of the Northern Kentucky Port Authority.

Why it matters locally

The hire comes as Kenton County employers face a documented labor gap. BE NKY research analyst Ashby Drummond told The Northerner on July 28 that in skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, logistics and transportation, "there simply aren't enough people who want to work those jobs, who live in Boone County or who live in Kenton County … So they have to import that labor from primarily across the river."

The Economic Plan Cadle will draft is expected to set measurable goals for the region's growth. He will also oversee BE NKY's annual Economy in Review report, which assesses regional strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.

In 2025, BE NKY won 15 projects that announced 1,914 new jobs and $425.5 million in capital investment across the three counties, according to the organization's annual report. That work generated an estimated $53 million in local economic impact for Northern Kentucky cities and counties.

Meanwhile, the 26-acre Fort Mitchell Gateway project at Buttermilk Pike and Royal Drive continues to advance. Fort Mitchell City Council approved up to $80 million in industrial revenue bonds in April 2024 to finance the mixed-use development, which includes a senior living center, medical offices, restaurants and retail. As of August 2025, the city was processing road closures to accommodate construction.

Kenton County's investment in BE NKY's direction is also growing. In May 2026, Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann and the Fiscal Court appointed Blue North executive director Dave Knox and eGateway Capital managing partner Chad Summe to the BE NKY board for three-year terms.

No timeline has been announced for the next Economic Plan. Local businesses can connect with BE NKY's retention team at be-nky.com or by calling 888-874-3365; the team met with more than 175 companies in 2025.