Northern Kentucky's riverfront could land a major corporate headquarters if the region keeps building walkable, architecturally distinctive neighborhoods instead of industrial boxes, Corporex President Brett Blackwell told business leaders at the July Covington Business Council Luncheon.
"If we can get to compete with Tennessee, Florida, Texas — from that standpoint — we could get a major corporate HQ right there in Northern Kentucky," Blackwell said at the event, reported by WVXU on July 17.
The luncheon brought together developers and city officials to discuss priorities as the region undergoes a wave of infrastructure investment. The 4th Street Bridge over the Licking River was demolished in March to make way for a replacement. The Brent Spence Companion Bridge broke ground in May. And construction continues on a 20-mile Riverwalk connecting Northern Kentucky's river cities for cyclists and walkers.
The speakers returned repeatedly to one theme: walkability as a competitive advantage for Kenton County employers and the broader region.
CTI's bet on Covington
Tim Schroeder, executive chairman and founder of CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting, said his company's young workforce drove the decision to relocate CTI's headquarters to 100 E. RiverCenter Blvd. in Covington. CTI, which the company says is among the world's top 20 contract research organizations, has supported more than 200 drug and device approvals since Schroeder founded it in 1999.
Schroeder said he wants the planned Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence, which would bring a University of Kentucky medical school campus and NKU Chase College of Law to Covington, to strengthen the region's life-sciences credentials. The Covington site was announced in October 2025; no construction start date has been confirmed.
Homes selling fast in Central Riverfront
Jodi Funke, president of Funke Real Estate Group, is developing the first single-family homes in Covington's Central Riverfront neighborhood. She told the luncheon audience that nearly all 10 lots have sold, along with two mixed-use buildings on the site.
Funke said her company chose the location because of its walkability.
Ovation gaining tenants
Blackwell's firm, Corporex, is the developer behind Ovation, a $1 billion mixed-use project in west Newport planned to include apartments, offices, restaurants, and hotels. The development's 100,000-square-foot Class A office building was more than 70% leased as of February 2026, according to Local 12 reporting. In July, the third Boardwalk Residences building opened with 88 luxury homes.
Corporex, a Covington-based firm founded in 1965 with more than $1 billion in assets under management, leased 63,674 square feet of new commercial space across three Northern Kentucky developments in 2025. Tenants included Verst Group Logistics, Carlisle & Bray, and Patterson Pope, with an average lease length of nine years, according to The Lane Report.
Construction on the 20-mile Riverwalk connecting the river cities continues, with Ovation's newest residents among the first to use the completed segments in Newport.
