By Abby Laub
Business services needs are different for every field, and for entrepreneurs and innovators in Northern Kentucky this can be as innovative as streamlining advanced technology or as (seemingly) simple as handling sanitation in a sustainable manner.
For a region chock full of world-class manufacturers, builders, job creators and logistical providers, responsible waste disposal may not be as glamorous as streamlining technology on the cloud, but it’s arguably more important when a region growing at lightning speeds needs to do so responsibly.
Enter Bavarian Waste, a fifth-generation family-owned and operated waste management company, based in Walton, Ky.
“Of all the services offered by Bavarian, the most significant benefit to the Northern Kentucky region is the responsible disposal of waste at our Subtitle D Contained Landfill located just south of Florence off Interstate 75,” said Bavarian’s General Manager Dominic Brueggemann. “The close proximity of our landfill to the source of waste generation lowers the operating cost of all waste collectors who utilize our landfill and ultimately benefits the entire community.”
Brueggemann said the company employs modern technology combined with honest business practices to offer the best value for our customers. Bavarian uses state-of-the-art GPS technology in landfill operations, renewable energy created from the collection of landfill gas, and onsite wellfield management.
“Our efforts to operate an efficient business are further substantiated by the fact that we were the first landfill in Kentucky to produce energy from waste,” he said, adding that “a large portion of our clientele are associated with the expansive development in the residential housing market.”
Meanwhile, the housing, manufacturing, health care, food and beverage, tourism and other sectors also rely on local business services providers like Covington-based Prolocity for its cloud solutions. Prolocity, which also has a Cincinnati office, is a national Salesforce partner.
Another technologically advanced solutions supplier is Covington-based C-Forward, which provides companies in Northern Kentucky and elsewhere managed services, IT services and cyber security.
C-Forward President Brian Ruschman said the firm attacks cyber security with tried and true anti-virus software, anti-malware, precautions at the firewall level and utilizes new tactics with training clients’ staff to be more aware of spamming and targeted phishing efforts.
With an office in Covington and eight others around the nation, TiER1 Performance works with major clients around the nation including Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble and Kroger to help corporations improve overall performance.
For some, simply getting a business off the ground is the objective. For UpTech, located in Covington’s “Innovation Alley,” good ideas can take flight. UpTech is an accelerator for data-driven informatics startups and is a partner in the Kentucky Innovation Network. Kentucky Innovation Network’s Northern Kentucky office has been leading the way for startups and small businesses since 2001 and is one of 12 operations across in the state.
UpTech also has support from Northern Kentucky University’s informatics program as well as many industry giants like St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
Innovation Alley was officially designated by the Covington Board of Commissioners in 2016 and is located on Sixth Street and Pike streets. The buildings have been rehabilitated and repurposed to house startups, tech companies, and incubators, such as bioLOGIC, Bexion Pharmaceuticals and UpTech.
Bexion was founded in 2006 and is developing innovative cures for cancer.
Less than a mile away in Covington’s RiverCenter is CTI Clinical Trial & Consulting. In 2017 CTI moved to Covington from Blue Ash, Ohio. CTI’s specialty is growing and advancing the products of its pharmaceutical and biotech partners for approvals by the FDA or other regulators.
CTI moved across the river from Ohio for many reasons, one of which is RiverCenter’s accommodating atmosphere. Company officials cite great amenities for employees, including restaurants in walkable distance, some even in the building.
Food is big business, and that’s why one Covington caterer is helping others get into the game. The Delish Dish – run by chef Mavis Linnemann-Clark in Covington – was named the 2018 Kentucky Woman Owned Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration in April 2018.
Linnemann-Clark opened The Delish Dish in 2012 and in 2017 created Kickstart Kitchen. It’s an incubator kitchen in Covington to help launch or grow food manufacturers and entrepreneurs by providing commercial kitchen space, storage and business planning services.
“We currently have 10 tenants and several who have graduated from the kitchen and moved on their own restaurants or kitchen spaces,” said Linnemann-Clark. “We’re so proud when our tenant companies are able to incubate out. We collaborate with local nonprofits such as the NKU Small Business Development Center and SCORE Cincinnati to provide our tenants with complimentary business planning and mentoring services.”
Commercial kitchen space is very limited in most cities, so Kickstart Kitchen has been “awesome for those who need to launch or grow their businesses here in Northern Kentucky,” she said.
The success of Delish Dish gives Kickstart Kitchen clients a firsthand glimpse into what it takes to run a successful food business.
Northern Kentucky is known for businesses that focus on detail and client experiences. A prime example is Crestview Hills-based Waltz Business Solutions. The 125-year-old company began as a typewriter repair center and now helps clients in everything from “document creation to document destruction.”
Based in Fort Thomas, the award-winning KLH Engineers is responsible for many major projects around the United States for clients like The Home Depot, Under Armour, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Nike and Newport on the Levee.
Another longtime business is Fort Wright-based VonLehman CPA & Advisory Firm. Since 1946 it has deftly guided businesses, nonprofits and governmental entities through ever-changing terrain. In nearby Fort Mitchell is another CPA firm, Clark Schaeffer Hackett, a top 100 CPA and advisory firm with more than 400 shareholders and staff and seven offices throughout Ohio and Kentucky.
Moody Nolan brings its international architecture expertise close to home in Cincinnati and Covington. And in Covington, Hub+Weber Architects is a full service architecture and interiors firm.
No matter the business, Northern Kentucky’s service providers are guaranteed to have hands on attention.
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