Duke Energy has selected three properties in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky for its 2025 Site Readiness Program. The program is designed to prepare sites for economic development, making them more attractive to companies looking to start, expand, or relocate operations.
Since its launch in 2010, the Site Readiness Program has evaluated 42 sites across Ohio and Kentucky. As a result, 20 companies have chosen locations that went through the program. These investments have brought over $2 billion in capital and created 5,400 jobs in the region. Companies such as Coca-Cola, Carvana, Shape Corp., and Niagara Bottling are among those that have established operations on these prepared sites.
The three new properties selected for the 2025 program are Frick Family Farms in Monroe (Butler County), Union Ren Farms in Middletown (Warren County), and Commonwealth Commerce Center in Northern Kentucky (Pendleton County).
Duke Energy works with consultant Site Selection Group and local engineering firm Bayer Becker on this initiative. The company also partners with REDI Cincinnati, BE NKY Growth Partnership, local governments, and other utilities to support site development.
Amy Spiller, president of Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky, stated: “Economic development is vital to the future growth and prosperity of our region. Our Site Readiness Program is one example of the proactive economic development initiatives that Duke Energy pursues to help spark investment in the communities we serve. We appreciate our collaboration with local partners and developers as we work to bring more jobs to the region and make Greater Cincinnati a place in which people want to work and live.”
Kimm Lauterbach, president and CEO of REDI Cincinnati, said: “Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program not only speeds up economic development opportunities but also ensures that our communities are equipped to compete with sites that are ready to be utilized. We appreciate Duke Energy’s ongoing investment and leadership in enhancing the economy of the Cincinnati region.”
For 21 years straight, Duke Energy’s economic development efforts have been recognized by Site Selection magazine as one of the “Top Utilities in Economic Development.” In 2024 alone, Duke Energy helped attract $548 million in new capital investment along with over 1,000 jobs across Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky serves electric customers across a service area covering 3,000 square miles—totaling about 910,000 residential, commercial and industrial accounts—and provides natural gas service for another 560,000 customers within a slightly smaller territory.
The parent company Duke Energy is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It operates electric utilities serving approximately 8.6 million customers across several states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky; it owns around 55 gigawatts of energy capacity overall. Its natural gas business reaches about 1.7 million customers across five states.
More information can be found at duke-energy.com or via social media channels including X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn or Facebook.
