Tom West is Director of Economic Development for the City of Covington, where he leads a team that’s responsible for growing an innovative and successful economy for all Covington residents through business attraction, retention and expansion programs, commercial real estate development deals, and administering the City’s zoning and historic preservation regulations. Under his leadership, the Department created a citywide economic development strategy, rewrote the City’s zoning code to make it easier and friendlier for businesses and residents, and implemented policies designed to assure a return on incentive investment for taxpayers. Since 2017, the City has attracted over $348,790,229 in investment, added 8,623 jobs, and retained 1,528 jobs.
During Tom West’s tenure, the Department has achieved national and international recognition for its innovative economic development work. Under his leadership, the team received six awards from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), including a Gold Award for Innovation for the Covington Central Riverfront Neighborhood; Silver Awards for the City’s economic development website (thecovky.gov), the 2023 Impact Report, and the Postsecondary Education Partnership; and Bronze Awards for Guía Empresarial and the Small Business Incentive Program. The Department also received the National Economic Development Best Practices Award from the American Planning Association and was honored by the APA Kentucky Chapter with the Outstanding Project of the Year Award for the master plan and development strategy for the 23-acre former IRS site.
Prior to joining the City, Tom was Senior Vice President of Thomas P. Miller & Associates, a national economic development consulting firm based in Indianapolis, IN; was Executive Director of the Covington Business Council; Executive Director of the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board; and is the former Executive Director for the Louisville Downtown Management District (Business Improvement District). He holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University, and a Master of Community Planning and Economic Development from the University of Cincinnati. Tom is accredited by the American Institute of Certified Planners, a member of the Kentucky Association for Economic Development Board of Directors and a member of the American Planning Association, KY Chapter.