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Northern Kentucky Chamber Of Commerce

300 Buttermilk Pike, Suite 330
859-578-8800

Mission :
The mission of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce is to develop strong business and a vibrant economy through business advocacy and leadership, resulting in a better quality of life for all.

History :
In the late 1960's members of the Boone/Kenton Chamber of Commerce and the Campbell County Chamber of Commerce were wrestling with the decision of where to locate Northern Kentucky University. Boone, Campbell and Kenton County each wanted the new university campus in their county. Governor Louie Nunn was getting impatient and said the region wouldn't get a college if they could not decide where to put it. A vote was taken by the two chambers and Campbell County was chosen for the location.

About the same time, business and community leaders were frustrated with the lack of progress on the Kentucky portion of the I-275. A heightened political lobbying effort was devised by the leaders of both chambers of commerce and state government responded.

As a result of these two successes, the Northern Kentucky business community decided that it would be beneficial for the two chambers to merge and work together on the growth and prosperity of the region. In 1969, thirty-five years ago, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce was incorporated to create one business organization to focus on creating a vision for the region, advocating on behalf of the major infrastructure improvements and making sure that parochial differences between the three counties, thirty-nine cities and fourteen school districts did not become barriers to progress in the region. Walter Pieschel, a resident of Ludlow who was the general sales manager of the Coca Cola Bottling Plant was selected as the first chairman of the joint organization. Mr. Pieschel and his business knew first hand the value of a creating a brand and a reputation that crossed political and geographic boundaries.

The Chamber's goal to bring the region together has also focused on our fourteen public school districts and the Diocese of Covington. The Northern Kentucky Education Alliance was created in 1990 to promote regional education initiatives and individual partnerships between schools and businesses. The Work Ethic Diploma was an outgrowth of those partnerships and last spring a Work Ethic Diploma was awarded to 1200 graduating seniors from 26 area high schools.

The history of Northern Kentucky and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce from the late 1960's to the present is a story about cooperation and consensus building. It is a story about leaders who had a new vision for Northern Kentucky. And it is a story about thousands of dedicated business and civic volunteers working together toward common goals that benefit a broader community.

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