Covington, KY. (September 28, 2026) – The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Commercial Real Estate Development Association named the OneNKY Center its 2026 Office Deal of the Year, recognizing the landmark project’s impact on the region. The honor comes one year after the building’s September 2025 grand opening.
The award was presented during CREDA’s Night of the Stars gala on September 10. The gala celebrated excellence, innovation and impact in commercial real estate across the region and brought together developers, owners, brokers, designers and their teams to recognize outstanding achievements.
The $26 million OneNKY Center, owned by the Northern Kentucky Port Authority, is the culmination of a vision 40 years in the making to bring multiple Northern Kentucky growth organizations together under one roof for enhanced collaboration.
The building opened fully leased with ten tenants, including meetNKY, LifeSciKY, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Northern Kentucky Bar Association, Thomas More University Division of External Affairs, BE NKY Growth Partnership, Horizon Community Foundation, OneNKY Alliance, The Catalytic Fund and EducateNKY. The OneNKY Center serves as a connected hub that strengthens collaboration and advances Northern Kentucky’s growth.
“This project was built through the vision, partnership and dedication of countless community leaders, investors, organizations and construction partners who believed in creating a shared home for Northern Kentucky’s growth organizations, and we are honored to see the OneNKY Center recognized with this award,” said NKY Port Authority Executive Director Christine Russell. “The OneNKY Center represents the power of collaboration and a unified approach to advancing our region’s future. We are proud CREDA recognized this landmark project for its impact on Northern Kentucky and generations that will follow.”
Covington-based Corporex Companies served as the Development and Construction Manager for this 47,000-square-foot Class A office building.
“Developing the OneNKY Center was about far more than constructed square footage; it was about building a physical anchor for regional alignment and economic growth,” said Nick Heekin, Executive Vice President of Corporex. “From structuring a unique capital stack to managing 10 custom tenant builds simultaneously, our team was driven by the power of bringing Northern Kentucky’s leaders together under one shared vision. Managing these complex build-outs was a great opportunity to showcase our third-party tenant finish services, a key area we look forward to growing across the region. We are grateful to CREDA for recognizing the lasting market impact of this signature project.”
Fort Mitchell-based Hemmer Construction Company, a division of Paul Hemmer Company, served as the Prime Contractor.
“Paul Hemmer Company was honored to play a pivotal role in bringing the OneNKY Center to life,” said Matt Bain, Marketing Director at Hemmer Construction Company. “We are extremely grateful to all of the partners involved, especially our trade partners, who worked diligently to bring this project to completion.”
CREDA named the OneNKY Center a finalist for Design of the Year and Community Impact of the Year. SparkHaus, another NKY Port Authority project and the region’s hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, joined the OneNKY Center as a finalist for Office Deal of the Year.
About the Northern Kentucky Port Authority
The Northern Kentucky Port Authority (NKY Port) was jointly formed as an economic development organization by Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in 1968 under the provisions of KRS 65.510 to 65.650. BE NKY Growth Partnership activated the NKY Port Authority in 2022 as a real estate and development tool and a key initiative of the Build + Elevate Northern Kentucky investor campaign, providing staffing and back-office support.
